Disclaimer: You know the drill…the characters aren't mine Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox etc. I'm just borrowing them.

Rating: PG-13 – possibly to R

Chapter Forty-Seven Blaze of Glory


"Yo, Maria-babe, you are looking hot today," said Rath, slapping Maria on the ass as she walked down the crowded hallway.

"Michael," Maria whispered. "What are you doing?" She looked around, hoping nobody had noticed Michael's stunt.


"Whaddya mean, what am I doin? Can't I get some lovin from my woman before I head back to the salt mines?"

"Um, yeah, sure," said Maria, looking at him closely. She paused as her mind worked feverishly, putting pieces together. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. She slipped her arm through Rath's and began to lead him down the corridor towards a door that lead outside.
"I thought we'd agreed to keep it low key here at school. You said the public displays of affection were bad for your image."

"Yeah, I know," said Rath, trying to grin engagingly. "But you looked so hot, I couldn't control myself."

"Well, I'll tell you what," said Maria, snuggling up to him seductively. "Why don't we take a walk down behind the bleachers on the football field, and we can, ah, talk or something."

"Righteous, Maria-babe," said Rath, his hand sliding down to cup her behind. Maria forced herself not to shudder and continued walking down the hall.

"Maria! Maria!" a voice called. Maria turned, and saw Isabelle calling and waving at her. Maria turned away, and smiled at Rath.

"Ignore her," she said. "I try to, as much as possible. She's such a bitch."

"Yeah, she's really been comin down on you, hasn't she?" agreed Rath. "Screw her, let's get goin."

Maria smiled to herself; Rath just buried himself with that statement. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wasn't Michael. As mad as he may get with Isabelle, Michael was intensely loyal to her, and to Max. The two walked across the school grounds and down to the football field. Maria looked around before she slipped under the bleachers. She picked her way across the trash-strewn ground, with Rath right behind her.

"Oh, this is just so disgusting," she said, kicking a half eaten hotdog. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea."

"I think it was a perfect idea," said Rath, pulling her close. He pressed his lips against hers, and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Maria choked back a gag, and tried to return the assault on her mouth that he called a kiss.

"What about Tess?" Rath asked when he paused for a breath. "You must be pretty pissed at her for bein with Max. I mean with you and Liz bein so tight and all."

"Well, maybe a little, at first," said Maria. "But after all, they're supposed to be together, it's their destiny, right?"

"But if you believe that, then that means me and Isabelle belong together," said Rath.

"No, silly," said Maria, trying to make her voice flirtatious. "We belong together. That's different."

"No it ain't babe," said Rath, morphing from his Michael face, back to his regular pierced self. "And I ain't lettin' you, or any of your stupid redneck friends stop us from goin home. You are one hot chic, Maria, but it's over for you. This is the end of the line, it's time for you to check out."

"I don't think so, you bastard," said Maria, her voice grim. "It's time for you to check out." She pressed her hand against his chest and blasted him with a bolt of energy. Rath flew backward, and landed against one of the steel girders that supported the bleachers.

"Oh my God," said Maria. "What did I just do?" She turned to run, and found herself wrapped in a pair of arms.

"Maria, Maria, it's okay, it's me," said Michael, holding her tightly. "It's okay, I'm here. I've got you."

"I killed him, I killed him," she sobbed.

"Maria, stop it," said Michael. "You had to do it. He was going to kill you. You did what you had to do to save yourself."

"Maria! Michael!" called Max as he ran under the bleachers. "What happened? Maria, are you okay? Isabelle told me she saw you leaving with Rath. Did he hurt you?"

"H-he was going to kill me," sobbed Maria. "He s-said that we were standing in his way, preventing him from going home. I k-killed him. Me, I did this," she cried, pointing to Rath's body.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," said Max. "I want you to go find Kyle, and Ava, and get my Jeep and bring it as close to here as possible. I'm going to heal him, and we're going to get him out of here."

"Heal him!" shouted Michael. "Are you whacked, Max? That bastard tried to kill Maria."

"I know that," said Max, trying to remain patient. "But think about what's going to happen if anybody finds the dead body of Michael Guerin. Don't you think that will cause a bit of confusion, especially when they see you walking around."

"You're right," admitted Michael. "I didn't think of that. We'll go get Kyle and Ava."

"Never mind," said Max. "They're on their way, and Isabelle and Liz are with them."

"What? How?" asked Maria, coming out of her reverie.

"Baby bonding thing," said Max. "Liz said she'd been trying to contact me all day, but it wasn't working. It finally kicked in after I came down here." He knelt down beside Rath's body and placed his hand over the wound in Rath's chest. He concentrated, and a silver glow emanated from his hand. After several minutes, Rath tried to sit up, but was restrained by Michael.

"I don't think so, you son of a bitch," said Michael. "We have other plans for you." Rath struggled to get away, but was unable to free himself from Michael's grasp.

"Max, Michael, where are you guys?" Kyle whispered from behind the bleachers.

"Here, underneath," said Max. "Is Ava with you?"

"Yeah, hang on, we're coming," said Kyle. He climbed under the bleachers and held out a hand to help Ava. The two joined Michael, Max, and Maria, followed by Isabelle and Liz.

"Ava, I want you to try and mind warp him," Max whispered, so that Rath couldn't here him. "Plant some false memories of today in him. Can you do that?"

"I think so," said Ava, her voice betraying her nervousness. She closed her eyes and concentrated, filling Rath's head with a few meaningless, chance encounters with Max, and Isabelle. "Okay," she said. "I think I've got it. Ask him about lunch?"

"Rath, what happened at lunch today?" asked Max.

"Nothin much," said Rath. "But the food really sucks here, and I saw Max's ex bitch Liz cryin at a table by herself."

"Perfect," said Ava. "I figured Tess would get a kick out of hearing that."

"Now, we have to dump him somewhere," said Max. "Any suggestions."

"Wait a second," said Isabelle. She used her powers to shorten her hair, and change her appearance to resemble Lonnie.

"Yo, lover, what's the plan for tonight?" she asked.

"You and me are supposed to wait for Tess back at the hotel," answered Rath. "Man, I am so sick of that bitch always tellin' us what to do. She needs to get over herself in a big way."

"Ava, can you wipe that from his mind?" asked Isabelle as she changed back to her normal appearance.


"Yeah, I can do that," said Ava, her voice more confident. "Why don't I ride out with Kyle and Max, and take care of everything at once?"

"Come on," Kyle said to Michael. "Let's get this piece of trash out to the Jeep."

"Okay," said Michael, turning to where Maria stood with Liz. "Maria, do you want to walk with us, or stay here with Liz?"

"I'm coming with you," she said softly. She started to walk away, but Liz pulled her back and hugged her tightly. The two girls clung to each other for a minute, and then Maria pulled away, to follow Michael out into the bright sunshine.

"Max, I was so scared," said Liz, once the others had left. "I tried and tried to contact you all day, but it didn't work, and then all of a sudden, I was there, inside your head, and I could see everything. I could see Maria and Michael, and Rath lying on the ground dead. I didn't know what had happened."

"We'll figure it out Liz, all of it. Remember, we're supposed to be able to contact each other for the safety of the baby. Maybe because I wasn't in any real danger today, it wouldn't work. Maybe it's triggered by an increase in adrenalin or something. And when I found Michael and Maria here with Rath, that sent my adrenalin levels skyrocketing, and in turn, turned on the internal walkie talkies."

"I don't know," said Liz, stepping into his embrace. "But we need to know more about how it works. We'll have to ask Che'koth. But this isn't the time. You need to get going, and I want to go and talk to Maria some more. She's trying to be strong, but inside, she's falling apart."

"I love you Liz," said Max. "Stick close to Michael and Isabelle for now, will you? Something just isn't feeling right about this whole thing."

"Will I see you tonight?" she asked as the two climbed out from beneath the bleachers.

"I'm supposed to meet Tess at the library to study," said Max, but I'll come by your room after that." The two walked over to where the others waited around the Jeep. Max kissed Liz goodbye and climbed into the Jeep. She watched as the Jeep drove out of sight, and turned to Michael.

"Why don't you take Maria back to your place," she said. "Isabelle and I will pick up some food and meet you there in about an hour and a half." She turned to Isabelle. "Does that sound okay with you?"

"Yeah, said Isabelle," smiling at the smaller girl's sensitivity. Her plan gave Michael and Maria some much needed time alone. "We'll go to Senor Chow's for take out. Does that sound good?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "And I've got a number where we can call Alex safely. We can all talk to him tonight!"

"Thanks guys," said Michael softly as the four walked over to the Jetta. "Watch your backs, and watch each other, and we'll see you in a while." Michael helped Maria into the passenger seat in a gesture of unexpected gallantry, and crossed the front of the car and slid into the drivers seat. As he pulled away, Isabelle and Liz climbed into Kyle's Mustang.

"You heard from Alex?" Liz asked as Isabelle started the car.

"No, actually, he got a hold of Ava and left me a message. He bought one of those prepaid cell phones so I can talk to him, and Alex, being Alex, you'll never guess what the number is."

"What," said Liz, a smile forming on her lips.

"867-5309," said Isabelle with a laugh. "And I'm supposed to be Jenny."

"Oh, no," groaned Liz in between giggles. "That is so Alex."

"Yeah it is," said Isabelle, softly. "It really really is."