Michael and Sierra stayed outside, not saying anything. Soon, Michael heard her breathing even out, meaning she had fallen asleep. He looked down at her. She was so small, so innocent looking, yet at the same time, she seemed like she had been forced to become hard and cold because of the war. He wished there was a way to make sure none of this would happen in the future. He wished there was a way to make sure that Sierra's life would be peaceful and normal. But most of all, he wished he knew what to do at all at the moment. Sierra murmured something softly in her sleep.

"Daddy...." She said, cuddling up to Michael a bit more. Michael held her close. Max came out of the house and saw the two sitting together. He went and stood by the porch.

"So, you really think this is all true?" Max asked in a low voice. Michael sighed.

"I don't know what to think, all I know is I look at her," he said, casting a look at the sleeping girl at his side. "And I feel like all I want to do is protect her. You know?" He asked. Max nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "This is all just too weird, though." Max muttered. "I mean, who is this Travis guy? Why does he want us dead? And who's his mother, who apparently killed me?" Max asked.

"I don't know, Maxwell." Michael said. "Right now, all I want to know is who my future wife is." He said. Max looked at him.

"What if it's Maria?" Max asked. Michael looked at his best friend.

"I doubt it." He said. "Maria and I are just friends; she's made sure of that." He said.

ROSWELL 2018

"I have to tell you something." Travis said. He and Sierra were sitting in Frazier woods, having a nice leisurely picnic. They had been together for a few months now. She never told him about whom her parents were, afraid he'd freak if he knew she was an alien.

"What?" Sierra asked. Travis had on a pained expression.

"This war, that's going on.................My family's a part of it." He said. Sierra stared at him.

"What?" She asked. "What do you..........."

"Sierra......my mom's on the skin's side." He said. Sierra's eyes widened. She got up quickly. "Sierra?" He asked.

"I.................................Have to go." She said. Travis got up and grabbed her arm before she could leave.

"Wait, let me explain." He pleaded.

"What? That you're a skin?" She screeched. Travis let her go.

"I'm not." He said. "I'm just like you." He said.

"What do you mean?" She asked, clueless. Travis pointed his hand to a tree branch. After a few minutes, the tree exploded into a bunch of loose leaves and splinters. Sierra stared at him wide eyed. "How did you know?" She asked. Travis looked at her.

"I always knew. That's what drew me to you in the first place. I thought..........Maybe if we were together, it would end all this fighting." He said. "I can't stand seeing all these innocent people dying because of some beef Kiivar has with my........" He paused.

"With your what?" Sierra asked. Travis looked at her. He had to tell her everything now.

ROSWELL PRESENT DAY

Michael carried Sierra back inside. Maria pulled out the sofa bed and let him lay her down. Maria then helped by pulling off her shoes. She stood back and took note of Sierra's appearance. It had been two days since she first arrived, and she still wore the same tattered and torn clothing. Michael pulled the blanket over the girl's sleeping form and leaned over, kissing her forehead softly. Maria was a little shocked at how easily Michael was falling into the father-like role. Sierra shifted slightly, moving to lay on her side in a fetal position.

"It's so weird." Michael said softly.

"What is?" Maria asked. Michael turned his head to look at Maria.

"All this stuff that she's been through, I mean she's just a kid." Michael said. Maria placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You do realize that we're all just kids too, right?" She asked. Michael sighed, nodding thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess it's just weird, seeing it from an outsider's perspective or something, you know." He said. Maria laughed softly.

"OK, Spaceboy, it's getting late, I think you need to go home and rest." She said. Michael looked back at Sierra.

"I don't think I want to leave her." He said. He looked at Maria. "You think Isabel would mind if I stayed?" He asked. Isabel had already gone to sleep and Liz was out with Max. Maria knew Isabel wouldn't mind.

"I don't think she would." Maria said. "You want to sit and talk?" She asked. Michael looked at her.

"Yeah, I'd like that." He said.

"I'm sorry." Alex said. He and Sierra were sitting in the woods by the lake their parents used to take them to when they were younger. They were sitting on a blanket. Sierra was staring at the lake, she felt numb. She hadn't spoken in a few days. Alex had taken her to the lake, hoping she'd open up. "I know that's not going to make things better, but I really am sorry." He said. He held her hand. "I just want you to know that I'm going to take care of you." He said. "Me, my mom and dad, Uncle Max and Aunt Liz, all of us, I mean." He said. "You're not alone."

"Al.........." She said softly, her voice hoarse from not speaking. She turned to him. "You're not going to leave me, right?" She asked. Her eyes held sadness and desperation in them. Alex quickly pulled her to him and hugged her closely.

"No, I'm not going anywhere." He said. Something inside Sierra broke and she began to cry on his shoulder. Alex tightened his hold on her and whispered soft soothing words into her ear. "OK, it's OK. Let it out, let it all out. I'm here, I'm here. I'll always be here." He said.

"No, he won't." Came a sinister voice. Sierra pulled back and saw Travis standing behind Alex. He held a knife in his hand. In a flash, he plunged the knife into Alex's back. Alex's eyes bulged out.

"Sie...." He rasped.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" She screamed. Travis vanished. Alex collapsed in Sierra's arms. Sierra held him. "No! Alex, you promised!" She wailed. "You promised you'd never leave me!" She said.

"I lo....." He whispered, reaching up to touch her cheek.

"Shh, don't........Don't waste your breath........Please, Al, hold on........." Sierra pleaded as tears cascaded down her cheeks, onto his face.

Sierra flinched as she woke up. She blinked a few times and looked around. She was on the sofa bed in Isabel's living room. She rubbed her eyes gently as she sat up.

"She looks like you, you know." Sierra heard Maria's voice coming from the kitchen. Sierra swung her legs around and slowly crept to the door and saw Maria and Michael sitting at the kitchen table talking and drinking, what she figured was either coffee or tea, seeing as they had mugs and Sierra could see steam rising from them.

"I guess she does." Michael said.

"Well, of course......In a feminine way." Maria said. "She's pretty." Sierra closed her eyes as a memory flashed into her head.

ROSWELL 2017

"You do know that Sierra's a girl, right?" Her mother said. It was one of the times that she was visiting the base. She and Michael were sitting on his bed in his private quarters. Sierra was outside the door, listening in.

"Of course." Michael said.

"So, what's the problem with the dress I bought her for the banquet tomorrow?" She asked.

"It's too.....................short! I mean, I don't need men staring at my baby girl." Michael said. Sierra heard her mother laugh softly.

"She's growing up, Soldier, we've got to deal with it.

THE NEXT NIGHT

The Guerin family walked into the banquet hall at the base. Lt. Guerin had his wife on one arm and his daughter on the other. Of course, he had been right, people did stare. It wasn't every day that Sierra Guerin looked so..................girl-ish. As they passed by some of the guys in Sierra's troop she smiled at them.

"Hey guys." She said. Of course, the guys were too shocked to say anything as their jaws hung open and drool formed at the corners of their mouths. Michael narrowed his eyes.

"Eyes forward, men!" He growled, as he saw their eyes wandering to his daughter's chest. The men snapped into attention.

"Uh....Yes sir." One of them said. His wife elbowed him in the ribs. She sighed and looked to see their friends. Alex was sitting with his parents. He looked over at Sierra and was shocked. Here was the girl he had known all his life and she looked............stunning. He told his parents he'd be right back. Isabel and Jesse smiled knowingly, noticing the look he had on his face at the sight of Sierra. He walked up to the Guerins.

"Alex, hey." Sierra smiled, noting he didn't look too bad in his tuxedo. He smiled at her.

"Hey Sie." He said. He looked at the adults. "Good evening Lt., Mrs. Guerin." He said politely. Michael smiled at the fact that this kid, who was like a nephew, or a son to him, was showing him this official respect in this military setting. "I was wondering if it would be all right if I asked your daughter to dance." He said. Michael had no problem with Alex dancing with Sierra. If anything, he knew she'd be safe with him. Alex and Sierra were like siblings, basically like how Michael and Isabel where when they were kids. They weren't related by blood, but they shared a closeness that resembled that of a sibling relationship.

"Of course." He said, letting go of his daughter. Sierra hooked her arm in Alex's as they walked to the dance floor. Once they began to dance, Alex stared at her. Sierra glared at him.

"Knock it off." She said. Alex blinked and gave a lopsided smile.

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little shocked." He said.

"Why?" Sierra asked. Alex smirked.

"I've never seen you look pretty." He said. Sierra grounded her teeth and stomped on his foot. "OW!" He hissed.

"You're not funny." Sierra said. She pushed him away and walked off.

"Sierra! Wait, I was just kidding." He yelled after her as he tried to follow her.

ROSWELL PRESENT DAY

"It's weird." Michael said, his voice bringing Sierra back to the present. "I mean me....a kid? Or better yet....Me, married? Seems a little....."

"Unlike you?" Maria asked. Michael gave her a mean look, causing Maria to erupt in a peal of laughter. "I'm sorry, that didn't come out right." She said between giggles.

"How was it supposed to come out?" He asked. Maria tilted her head to the side a bit.

"You know, you can hear much better if you're in here." She called out. Sierra sighed. She stepped into the doorway.

"How'd you know?" She asked.

"I just had a feeling there was someone listening in." She smiled. Michael looked at her.

"I thought you were sleeping." He said. Sierra shrugged.

"I woke up." She said. Maria pushed out the chair between herself and Michael, indicating that Sierra could sit. Sierra took the hint and sat down.

"Want some cocoa?" Maria asked. Sierra smiled.

"Wow, I haven't had coca in a while. My mom used to make it for me when I was little on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the winter. We'd just sit at the kitchen table talking and sipping cocoa with marshmallows in them." Sierra said with a distant look in her eyes. Maria got up and poured some coca for Sierra. She placed it in front of her.

"Isabel doesn't have any marshmallows, sorry." She said. Sierra shook her head.

"It's no big. Thanks." She said. She took a sip, and then quickly placed the mug back, placing a hand on her mouth. "That wasn't too bright of me." She said sheepishly. She put her hand on the mug and concentrated for a little bit, lowering the temperature of the liquid, then took another sip. "Much better." She smiled. Michael and Maria were staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing, you're just......so blasé about using your powers." Maria said.

"Is that a problem?" She asked, somewhat self-conscious. Michael put a hand on hers.

"No, of course not." He said, giving her a fatherly smile. Sierra smiled back at him. Maria looked at them. Well, someone was certainly a daddy's girl, Maria thought. She wasn't jealous, why should she be? Sierra was............well, was going to be.........his daughter.....and Michael was her bo...........friend, friend, Michael was her friend. She looked at Sierra and gave a warm smile.

"Hey, since you might be here for a while, I was thinking maybe we should get you some clothes. I mean, no offense, but you do look like you've been through a world war."

"Well, I was." Sierra pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that, but do you really want people to stare? Questions might get asked, cover stories will be needed to be invented, and-"

"Maria, I think she gets the point." Michael said, smiling a bit at her tendency to babble. Sierra looked at her outfit. Maria did have a point.

"I don't want to be a bother." Sierra said. Maria waved her hand dismissively.

"Are you kidding? Meshoppinggood times had by all." She joked. Sierra laughed. She felt so good right now. She wasn't thinking about Travis, or how things were back in her time. All she thought about was sitting here and feeling happy.