Title: 285 North

Author: Katie

Summary: A Michael/Maria fan fiction about what about on the long ride back from Atherton's dome.

Spoilers: Up to and including 285 South

Pairing: Michael and Maria

Authors Note: Feedback is appreciated.

Distribution: Please! Just let me know.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Roswell. I wish I did though.

Chapter One; The Ride

The five teenagers reached the motel where Maria's car sat lifelessly. Max jumped out of the jeep, effortlessly waved his hand over the car's engine and walked back to the jeep. As he got back in Michael and Maria jumped out.

"So, we'll see you guys back in Roswell" Max said before taking off.

Maria sat silently next to Michael Guerin in the car. He drove silently, looking straight ahead, focused. Focused, that's what he was.

Maria rolled her eyes before pulling her book bag from the floor board in front of her on to her lap. She reached in and dug inside until she found what she was looking for. "What's you favorite childhood game?" Maria asked looking over at the alien.

"What?" Michael asked before glancing over at her. "Oh…no" Michael added realizing what she was doing. "I'm not answering those stupid questions…No point"

"No…now, there is a point. The point is so that I don't fail." Maria answered. "I can't fail any more classes" She added softly to herself.

Michael knew that Maria hadn't meant for him to hear that last part, but he did. And as much as Michael didn't want to have any ties to anyone on the wrenched planet, he felt bad about kidnapping her and her car and he felt like he owed her something. So if he answered her stupid questions, he could call it even.

"I didn't play a lot of games. Played hide and seek with Max and Izzy some, I liked that game"

Maria smiled to herself. She wasn't sure what sparked his sudden change in attitude, but she really didn't care either. She wrote hide and seek on her paper and looked up again. "Who do you envy?"

Max. Michael thought to himself. It was easy, Max had everything. Good family, a sister, Liz who knew who he was, what he was, and loved him. Michael shrugged, he didn't want to tell her, or anyone really, that he envied his best friend.

Maria waited as patiently as she could, watching him drive and think about the question she had just asked him. She had looked for a less personal question to ask first but there weren't many of those. I hate this assignment she thought to herself.

"Max" He stated quickly, not being about to think of a suitable lie.

"Okay" She said knowing not to comment as she wrote the answer down. "Who is your favorite relative?"

"Don't have one" Michael answered. He didn't know if he, Max, and Isabel were related, they thought they were but they didn't know much of anything. And Hank, he was nothing but a way station to Michael, one he would skip given the chance.

"Oh." Maria said quietly not knowing if she even wanted to unlock the door to that mystery and knowing she couldn't anyway. "What's your favorite color?" She asked relived to have found an easy one.

"Black" He answered and nodded, knowing she had picked up on his apprehension and looked for an easy question.

Maria nodded and wrote the answer down. "If you could change anything about yourself what would it be any why?"

"I would have been born on my home planet" Michael whispered

Maria barley heard. She had the initial instinct to reach over and hold his hand but she knew he hated her and was only answering her to shut her up anyway so she didn't want to push her luck.

"I would have been born home, so I didn't have to find it" Michael answered giving her an answer she could write down.

Maria swallowed back the lump that was forming in her throat as she wrote. "What's you favorite day of the week?"

"Monday" Michael answered without missing a beat.

"That's weird" Maria mumbled as she wrote the answer.

"Why?" Michael asked shifting a little, suddenly defensive.

"No, just, most people hate Mondays" Maria answered trying to figure out why everything made him defensive.

"Me and Max used to go look for proof in the desert, we used to go on Mondays." He nodded a little.

Maria smiled and nodded. "Oh" was all she said. "What's the best thing that ever happened to you?" She read off the list.

Michael concentrated hard on the road in front of him. He shook his head realizing that he couldn't think of anything. "Meeting Max and Iz I guess"

"How did that happen?" Maria asked as she wrote. "Not for the paper, I'm just curious"

"Curiosity killed the cat" Michael retorted

"Good thing I'm not a cat" She answered looking at him.

He glanced over at her and shook her head. "Well, we met after we broke out of the pods, but then Max and Iz got picked up by the Evan's and we didn't see each other again until 3rd grade."

Maria listened intently. When he was done she nodded slightly and looked back down at her paper. "Have you ever been in love?"

"No" Michael answered, that was easy. No attachments. Not to this horrible planet. Not ever. No matter what.

She nodded as she wrote the answer. "What do you most look forward to?"

"Leaving" He answered, good, another easy one.

Maria only nodded again. She didn't know what was wrong with her, she was being uncharacteristically quiet. "What's the worst thing that ever happened to you?'

"Crashing" Michael muttered so far under his breath that Maria all most hadn't heard. If it hadn't been so silent in the tiny car she never would have. She stayed perfectly still while she waited for him to say something meant for her ears. "Um, I don't know, not knowing where I'm from I guess"

Maria nodded desperately searching the paper for an easy question as she wrote, "What's your birthday?" the words left her mouth before she realized that this probably wasn't the easy question she had wanted.

"Don't know" Michael stated matter – of – factly. "August 26 1986 according to the state."

"Oh" Maria wrote the answer. "What do you want to be remembered for?"

"I don't" Michael answered. And it was true, he didn't even want to be on this planet long enough for anyone to really remember him.

"What are you afraid of?" She asked.

"Not getting home." Michael answered before glancing over at the pixi girl next to him. "Don't write that" he added firmly.

"What do you want me to write?" She asked.

"I don't care" he answered her. "Write that I don't want to be in Roswell forever"

"Okay."

Maria asked him the rest of the questions on the page and when she was done she folded the paper over and slipped it into her book bag with a small triumphant smile.

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This is an idea that I've been toying with for a good long while so any kind of any feedback you have would be GREAYLY appreciated.