It's December 4th 2000,

I'm lying awake in my bed trying to figure out what to write, other than this of course. I could write about the last few days but they've been insignificant really. Okay that's a lie, today something minor happened I was itching to tell someone about the TV incident on Saturday so I told Alex. He seemed really curious so we're going to play with his old VCR in the garage this weekend.

Sam's attention was diverted from her journal to a pang on her window, smiling she got up and looked outside to see Michael's motorcycle hidden behind bushes. With his leather jacket on Michael was hurling small stones at Sam's window. She walked out to the balcony to laugh at him.

"What?"

Sam half whispered half yelled.

Michael smiled and dropped the pebbles grabbing the vines he always used to scale Sam's wall. She backed away and shook her head as Michael pulled himself up.

"You left work tonight before I could say goodbye."

Sam shrugged as Michael kissed the tip of her nose before walking into her bedroom and spying her journal laid open on her bed.

"Oooo journal time?"

Sam made a beeline for her journal getting there before Michael.

"That's private Michael!"

She closed it shut and sealed it with her powers as a scowl became prominent on Michael's face.

"What's in there that you don't want me to see?"

"It's just private thoughts Michael, my private thoughts!"

"About us, before all of this?"

Sam shrugged and placed the journal down.

"Just about anything and everything."

"And you don't want me to read it why?"

"Just, I write for myself ya know, for like an outlet of everything that goes through my head. And yes some of them are memories or visions, and once I write them down they stop playing over and over in my head."

Michael nodded glancing at the journal.

"Well, I may not keep a journal but I do think about things all the time, us in particular."

Sam trying to find a lighter subject smiled and nodded.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, and things that I try to suppress keep popping into my head too Sam. Like what John said about Kivar coming back for you? Or how about this empty feeling of dread that overcomes me every single time I think about our future."

"Michael?"

Michael stood up and shook his head, walking towards the balcony.

"Maybe we should step back from one another, I mean if you can't even trust me with a journal then what are we doing?"

Shaking her head Sam folded her arms across her chest.

"This coming from Michael, the one guy I thought didn't care about tomorrow. Who are you?"

Michael shrugged.

"That's the thing, I've been on this search to find out who I am and now after last summer I know. There's this whole plan for me out there, and there's you. I thought I knew where we were headed and now."

"Michael I ……"

"Ever since I first kissed you this feeling to protect you has overcome any instinct I've ever known. If you leave without saying goodbye I can't even sleep, I need to see you. I'm afraid I'll loose you to some invisible force out there. Maybe you had the right idea before about staying away."

"I can't deal with this Michael."

"With what?"

"This, intensity…"

Michael shook his head at her words.

"I don't know if you noticed but we're not exactly normal high school kids."

Sam nodded and half laughed, holding back the urge to scream.

"I know that, obviously I know that but if I thought you'd become… so dramatic I'd."

"Drama, Sam everything about us is drama we might as well be in a sci-fi teen drama."

Sam nodded and shook her head trying to process the point of what Michael was saying.

"So you want me to be more open with you, you want to read my journal?"

Michael scratched his eyebrow thinking of the right way to word what he was going to say.

"Yeah, I mean, I want to feel like whatever happened before isn't going to happen again Sam."

Sam looked into Michael's eyes trying to figure out what he meant. Her heart was skipping beats all over her chest and she couldn't breath lost in his eyes. She was filled with panic.

"What are you talking about?"

Michael shook his head.

"It's like I've been waiting for you to tell me but you never do."

"Maybe it's because I don't know what you want me to say."

Michael nodded.

"I guess we've come to that point then, I mean in our relationship."

Sam shrugged.

"So that's it we'll just step back and see what the hell we're doing then."

"Fine, if you don't want to be together we don't have to be Michael."

Michael looked up at Sam; he didn't know what had happened to his original idea of trying to make out with his girlfriend in her room. Nor did he know why he got so angry because of a journal. Now he was walking out of her room single and angry. Single because he felt trapped behind a door that Sam wouldn't open, and angry because deep down inside he too didn't want to see what Sam was hiding from him.

Tuesday Morning December 5th 2000

"And then he left."

"You just let him leave?"

Sam looked at Maria whose face was red with anger and her hands were on her hips. Liz looked from Alex who had a unreadable look to Sam's look of stoicism.

"I had to."

Liz understanding her cousin's reasoning smiled lightly to show she understood.

"Damn Guerin, what's his problem. I mean it's like he finally gets what he wants and already it's not good enough. This is exactly why I wrote so many songs after we broke up it just helped me channel my anger ya know."

Everyone nodded as Maria dropped Eucalyptus oil under her tongue and smiled.

"I've cut down on my oil therapy since Lucas and I have gone out."

Sam tried to smile and laugh.

"Sorry to bring Guerin drama back into your life Maria."

Maria shrugged, "don't worry about it, I have plenty of left over supplements if you need anything."

Maria smiled at the figure behind Sam's shoulder it was Lucas smiling walking into the school with John and Sandie.

Sam trying to avoid everyone's gaze got up quickly and walked into homeroom before the girlfriend boyfriend ritual of kissing and greeting started. As she sat down in homeroom alone she took out a piece of paper and started her Christmas list. If there was one way to get Michael off her mind it would be to start her favorite holiday now Christmas.

Max who was gazing at Liz who was working on organizing her notebook elbowed a dazed Michael leaning his head on his locker.

"Michael, where's Sam."

Liz who looked up feeling Max's gaze warming her heart smiled as she tucked a loose strand of her hair behind an ear.

"I think we broke up."

Max whose attention was barely on Michael smiled at Liz who blushed as she put her books away.

"You can't just break up, I mean, what happened Michael what did you say to her?"

"I just said we needed time to step back and figure things out."

Max turned from Liz quickly glancing at Michael before shaking his head.

"What is that supposed to mean Michael?"

"I don't know you told me you said that to Liz last year remember?"

Max felt a slight pang in his heart remembering last year when he tried to slow things down with Liz. It had turned glacier before heating up again.

"Well I was stupid, don't throw that kind of love away Michael."

With this Max launched off the wall towards Liz who was ready to walk to homeroom. Michael watched everyone kiss and walk together missing Sam already.

Liz squeezed Max's hand gently as they swayed walking down the hall. She leaned near him absorbing all his warmth smelling his cologne.

"Are you talking sense into Michael?"

Max shrugged.

"I'm trying."

"Well I can't read Sam either, she seems almost relieved to have the space away from Michael."

Max stopped short and looked at Liz.

"Why would you think that?"

Liz shrugged.

"I think sometimes she carries more of the burden of leadership. Sometimes it's the same look I saw Tess have last year when she saw you. Like the burden of memories. Maybe that's why Michael wanted to take a break, he's just as afraid of finding out about the past."

Max shook hi head scratching his ear and pulling Liz closer to him, he kissed her on the forehead inhaling her sweet lilac scent. Liz sighed and looked up into Max's amber eyes, just as the bell rang giving them the one minute window to rush to homeroom before acquiring a detention.

Michael ran by the two as Max jogged to catch up.

Friday December 8th 2000 7pm Crashdown Café………

"I can't take it, we have to cancel tonight Liz and do some girl thing."

Liz shook her head at Maria after scooping out the fifth scoop of vanilla ice cream into her shake cup.

"Or we can just let her live her life."

"Liz, it's her first dateless Friday in like how long?"

Liz glanced over at Sam who was taking orders from Scott's table. Sam was smiling as she helped a brown haired junior find the side orders on the menu.

"I think she'll manage."

Maria scowled as she looked over to Sam and then to Michael who had made a point in being very businesslike at work now.

"And what does she think she's doing with those boys, with Michael right there."

Liz started the milkshake machine as the door chime rang and Max and Lucas walked in through the doors. She turned around and it was as if time went very slowly, Max suddenly enamored with her watched as he found his regular booth not once taking his eyes away from hers. Maria at the sight of Lucas squealed and dropped the subject of Sam rushing over to take the boy's orders. She first sat in Lucas's lap and gave him a quick kiss.

Sam came back behind the counter and handed Liz a milkshake cup without her even needing to ask. She hooked her order sheet on the ring and gave it a spin, leaned on the window and smiled at Liz.

"So are those two getting serious or what?"

Liz was trying very carefully to pour the shake without looking at Max, this proved to be more difficult than usual.

"You guys still getting off at 7:30?"

Liz nodded, Sam shrugged and nodded with her looking at the mob that was beginning to form at the Crashdown.

"Yup Ida and Marylou should be here at any moment so…"

Sam nodded as Michael rang the order bell she turned grabbed her order and ran it to the elderly couple in the corner. Liz followed her with her milkshake in hand.

9pm………

By the end of her shift most of the rush was dissipating Scott was still at his table though alone now nursing his third milkshake. Sam punched out and stopped by at his table, not caring as she felt Michael's gaze now finally following her.

"Have you been stood up?"

Scott shrugged and laughed.

"No, just trying to get some extra calories, coach says I have to go up a weight class this year so."

"Oh, you're going to wrestle, didn't see you as a wrestler, well goodnight."

Scott nodded as he finished his milkshake. Sam smiled and shrugged as she headed out the door. Scott fumbling for his jacket threw down a wad of bills and followed her out.

"Hey Sam, wait up!"

It was what Sam was dreading on one hand, teasing Michael was okay, she didn't want to lead Scott on, well not anymore than she had to.

"Yeah."

"You need a lift?"

Sam shook her head.

"No, I meeting a friend at the UFO museum and then we're heading to a movie."

It was a lie, not even a good lie, she actually wanted to walk home and try to clear her mind. Now she'd have to go the UFO museum at least until the coast was clear.

"Oh, okay well I'll see you later than."

Sam nodded and smiled as she crossed the street and into the museum. It was only an hour from closing time. Well at least Sam had never been into the museum she thought as she descended the stairs into the dark museum.

"Hey, Maria……."

Sam turned around to see a red haired man in his early thirties' smile fade as he realized she wasn't Maria.

"Sorry, I saw the uniform."

Sam smiled and nodded. It was Brody Davis Max's boss and although his accent was cute, his obsession with aliens was a bit eccentric.

"It's just that Maria delivers me my lunch everyday so I've just gotten so used to seeing her here I…"

Stifling a giggle Sam nodded and tried to ease Brody's nervousness. It was obvious he had a little harmless crush on Maria, you could see it in his disappointment that it was Sam.

"Well, ummm you're one of Max's friends too right? He left for the night, had a big date I reckon."

Sam nodded and tried to avert her attention on a map of the supposed Area 51.

"Uhhh you wouldn't be interested in a season pass would you, it includes a boxed lunch?"

"No, thank you though."

"So you do speak!"

Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, sorry, just not much of a talker tonight."

"Oh no me neither…. well let me get back to it then."

And just like that Brody left to go answer a few questions to some goggling patrons poking and prodding the half dissected rubber alien.

After about a half an hour of walking around Sam found herself in front of an obscure picture taking in 1956. It was classified as evidence of another life form and Sam was not sure why she couldn't tear herself away from it. When she touched it she learned why…

Flash

"Get your hands away from her!"

Sam now Macaria locked eyes with Kivar who had a desperate look on his face. Macaria shook her head as he placed his hand on her stomach and closed his eyes.

His sword was very close to her, he hadn't put it down in fear enemies approaching. Rath was running close behind Kivar when he saw him leaning over Macaria. Hate swirled within him as he raced to knock him away, from his love.

The moment he could see Macaria he knew instantly that he only had a few moments left to be with her. Blood began to pour out of gash now at her heart. Kivar looked at her in horror and then back to Rath.

The two men began to fight a battle for love, power, and revenge.

Pain overtaking her entire chest Sam shook off the flash to find herself in her room. She looked around and then down at her lap. In a writing foreign to her written in a language she could barely decipherer was the word child.