Part 8

"My god how long have they been in there!" Maria said dramatically as she fell back against the over stuffed couch in the Evans living room, patiently awaiting her friend's return.

After they had discussed their slim to none options Isabel had decided that it was time to get down and personal with Liz, Max of course had volunteered to tag along. She had said that they needed to find out why her and why now and basically just how this was happening to them.

Maria had been stuck in the small living room for more than an hour with the drone of a man they called Michael. She absolutely detested the way he'd look over at her ever so often, but then look away as soon as she caught his glance. It was driving her mad and she didn't know how much more she could take of it.

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Alex heard the smack of the other man's large, callused hand against the wall in frustration yet again.

"Look Whitman either you tell me where she is or your face will be my new wall." Sean threatened with a harsh tone. Alex knew that he wasn't just talking big, that he was actually crazy enough to try and hit the details of Liz's sudden out of town venture, out of him.

"Sean I told you that I don't know where they went, hitting me won't change that." When the truth of the matter was Alex knew exactly where they were, hell he could give Sean detailed instructions of how to get to their hotel. But he never would, especially not when he was like this. The five tenish, bulky, in need of a shave and bath, man that stood in front of him trying to threaten him with physical violence to get information out of him was obviously drunk. Or he would know that if the occasion called for it Alex could surely take him.

"Fine you wanna play it that way. I will get another source to find her, and when I do you'll be sorry." Sean said completely convinced with himself, and stormed out of Alex's apartment slamming the door behind him with a mad rage. One that Alex knew only Liz could provoke. Why she still put up with it was beyond him. Alex would have gladly pulverized the lunatic she claimed to love long ago, if it hadn't been for how he knew Sean was and could be again, but he too was blinded by who Sean was now. No one could change that.

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Sean walked fast with the disgust of his anger down the clean gray carpeted stairs of Alex's apartment complex and out of the large oak door. When suddenly it hit him. Liz's boss would know where she was, Liz had to of called into request time off. Or if not Liz then Maria. As he rounded the corner he spotted a pay phone booth. After he recognized what it was his quick pace became a run as he jolted towards it in self satisfaction for his clever thoughts.

Sean fished around in his pocket for the 35 cents it required to make the call. With no luck he finally put two quarters in the slot. He quickly dialed the number and asked for Mrs. Vandermeir.

"Hello?"

Sean automatically sobering up his voice, "Yes, Mrs. Vandermeir. This is Sean Orbock. I was asked to pick up some papers for Liz Parker while she was away, and was wondering when a good time to do that would be?"

"Oh, would you tell the dear not to fret. I have all of her work covered. You Make sure to tell her to have a good time in Roswell, I know that it will be tuff for her to say good b-"

[Click]

After Sean had gotten the information he needed he hung up the phone abruptly.

"Hunting the 'little green men' are we Parker?"

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[Ring, ... Ring.... Ring]

"Hello." Maria answered her cell phone.

"Maria I'm sending you a warning, Sean knows Liz is out of town, and he's trying to find out where you went. I don't know how successful he will be but I thought that you should know all the same." Alex said his tone rendering on the brink of concern and uncertainty.

"Should of known that was coming." Maria muttered to herself more then to her friend on the other line. "I can't think of anyone else that would know where we are. So I don't think we should tell Liz. It would just give her more to worry about."

"Well that's up to you. But as long as you know that he knows your gone." Alex's voice suddenly changed to a very soft uplifting one. "Ria, you just be on the look out you never know with him and I don't want anything to happen to you or Liz."

"I know Alex." Maria said returning the tone. "We will be."

"Love you too. Bye." Maria said hanging up the phone and sighing loudly.

"Boyfriend?" Michael inquired.

"Why. Jealous." Maria retorted.

"Hardly." He said in a nonchalant tone. All though he really was. This little Pixie had been inticeing him all day. Her eyes were a metallic green, and they danced across his face every time she looked at him. It was like she was reading his soul. But he hardly thought she had noticed, she probably has that same effect on everyone.

"So... what are we not telling Liz?" He asked in a mocking voice.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she took a big gulp. Ultimately knowing that he would never let her off the hook, or forget the conversation,"We?"

"Yeah we. That is in less of curse you want me to go tell Liz about 'Alex' is it?" Michael said starting to stand motioning towards the room that they were all meeting in.

"NO!" Maria shrieked the sudden loudness of her voice surprising even herself. "No." She said more calmly, looking up into his dark hazel eyes. "Please Michael." She pleaded with him in a soft vulnerable voice.

She sure did know how to make his heart melt. He wouldn't even think of telling Liz now.

"Maria, what's going on?" Michael stated the concern evident in his voice as he sat down next to her on the couch. Maria turned to face him. She looked at him so seriously that it scared him for what she was about to say.

"Michael, I know you don't know this guy Sean that basically drove us here. But for that you should consider yourself lucky." She paused before what she was about to say. She knew Michael had been filled in on the details of Liz's dreams, but she was unclear as to at what extent. "Apparently, he now knows that Liz and I have left town. According to our friend Alex, he is determined to find out where we are. I can guarantee that if he does it won't be pretty around here." Maria said suddenly consumed with fear at remembering Sean and what he has done to Liz in the past, and the threat of her dreams for which he is obviously capable of acting out. Maria broke eye contact with Michael and bowed her head at the sudden onslaught of memories.

Compassion; something that Michael rarely felt for anyone in less they were in a hospital bed dyeing for a noble cause, or an incurable disease, or if it was Max or Isabel. But when he looked at her it was just something that seemed to come naturally to him. He felt for her in a way that confused and frustrated him all that the same time, and yet again he seemed to enjoy it.

He slightly pushed her chin up with his index finger so that her lovely blazing green eyes would meet his deep hazel ones again. "I promise you that I will keep you safe here, you have nothing to worry about."

Somehow she knew that. She knew that he would. But it wasn't herself that she feared for it was her dearest friend Liz.

"I know that Michael." She said with a generous smile. "Its not my self that I fear for. It's Liz."

"Then why don't you tell her?" He offered trying and wanting to rid her of all her problems.

"Because I don't want to give her anything else to worry about."

Michael dropped his hand from where it had been resting on her shoulder to capture her hands with his own. "Then we will just have to work together to make sure that this Sean you all speak of never finds you here."

Maria was completely entranced with this man. Before he had been all most vile to her. Then their on going banter had been more of a flirting technique, now here he was completely consoling her and pushing all of her fears away. She knew that Sean was still to be feared and not mistaken for the charming young man that he once was, but Maria was now convinced that if Michael was by her side she would be ok.

TBC