Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. The characters all belong to their respective studios and creators. I am just borrowing them for my story.



Author's Note: This story is set after the end of season 2 of Roswell (after Tess has already left) and in the beginning of season 6 of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer- after Buffy and Spike have gotten together, but before Willow was addicted to magic and before Willow and Tara broke up. Also, Giles hasn't left yet. Sorry for the confusing time lines, but this worked best for my story.



Sorry for the long delay in updating- my job is sucking the life out of me and I haven't had time to write. Well, I hope you enjoy it.





Chapter Four - A Crazy Phone Call



Michael was is shock. In the past ten minutes he had just learned that not only did he not know where he was or where Maria had gone, he had somehow been turned into a vampire overnight. How had this happened?



Buffy sat on the bed next to him, looking at him as he stared out into space. Something was really wrong with him- maybe it was some kind of delayed reaction to the experiments the Initiative had performed on him. Whatever it was, it was just creepy. She had to go get help; even if she didn't want to admit it, she would never forgive herself if he was permanently damaged. She would go find Giles.



Buffy got up and got dressed. Then she turned to the confused figure on the bed and said, "I'm going to go get help. Don't go anywhere- I'll be right back." When she received a dumb nod, she sprinted out the door, headed to Giles' house.



Michael began to try to clear his thoughts. The most important thing was that he had to escape and find Maria. He could sort out what had happened to him later. Right now, he just had to make sure that Maria and the rest of his friends were safe.



He grabbed a blanket and draped it over himself (he had learned from the first time he had tried to step outside) and made a dash out of the door. He ran to the nearest payphone- deciding to call Max first- he might know what was going on.



Keeping the blanket wrapped firmly around himself, he dialed the familiar number. He was startled when he was informed that he needed to add an area code to the number. He had to be out of Roswell. But where was he?



He hung up the phone and grabbed the telephone book. Flipping the cover, he discovered that not only was he not in Roswell, he wasn't even in New Mexico. He was in some place called Sunnydale, California. Picking up the phone again, he redialed Max's number, this time with the area code, only to discover that no one was home.



Next he tried Maria's, but she wasn't home. Maybe Maria was still at his apartment; it's possible he was the only one taken. It wasn't likely, but he had to try to call in case she was still there. He needed to make sure that she was safe.



He picked up the phone again and dialed his own apartment.



*********************************************************************



Maria sat in Michael's kitchen, leaning on his counter and crying. Liz sat with her, with her arm around her best friend, trying to comfort her.



"I can't b-believe he would do this to me," Maria sobbed. "Everything in our relationship was p-perfect and then he went and kissed Isabel.



"I was worried about him, because I thought something was wrong. Nothing is wrong with him; he was just lusting after Isabel- like every other male in existence."



"I'm sure that's not it," Liz soothed. "It's probably just some alien thing. You know, Michael and Isabel were supposed to have mated in a past life. This is probably just some kind of genetic coding, like Max had with Tess," Liz stopped at the painful memory, but then continued, knowing her friend needed her. "I'm sure he didn't even want to kiss her- he was just programmed to. It's only a kiss, I'm sure it meant nothing."



"Sure that's how it starts," Maria choked out, "but they're going to end up sleeping together, just like Max and Tess did."



Liz drew in a sharp breath and closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away.



"I'm sorry," Maria gasped, realizing how badly she had hurt her friend.



"It's alright," Liz said shakily. "It's not your fault, you only repeated it. You weren't the reason they slept together- they did that of their own free will. Anyway, I'm supposed to be comforting you, remember?"



Maria smiled through her tears. "What a sorry bunch we are. We need to get ourselves better, non-czechoslovakian men. Men who aren't programmed."



Liz grinned and said, "Yeah, but we'll have to move. There aren't any good non-czechoslovakian men in the area. We'd have to go to California for that."



Just then the phone rang. Maria picked it up, "Hello."



"Will you accept a collect call from a Michael Guerin," the operator asked.



Maria was unnerved. Wasn't Michael in the next room? How could he be calling her?





"Hello," the operator repeated. "I need your answer, ma'am."



"Uh, yes, I'll accept the charges," Maria uttered, praying that this wasn't some kind of FBI device to trap the aliens.



"Maria," Michael said into the phone, hoping that Maria was alright.



Maria heard the British voice and had no idea what was happening. Obviously whoever this was, knew she would be there, even though she didn't know who he was. She decided to talk to him regardless. Maybe he knew why Michael was acting strangely. She would have to be on her guard, though, because she had no way of knowing if it was the FBI on the phone.



"Yes, this Maria," she answered calmly.



"Oh thank god. Are you okay?"



"Yes, I'm fine. Who is this?"



"It's me, Michael. I know my voice has changed, but it's still me. I need your help."



"I'm sorry, I don't know who this is, but I know you're not Michael."



Michael panicked. She didn't believe him. He had to make her believe him by proving himself. He needed her help to get home.



"Maria, it is me. Ask me anything, something only Michael would know so I can prove to you that I am Michael."



"All right. Um, where are you originally from?"



"Antar."



That was too easy, Maria knew. Other people could have known that, researched that. I need to ask him something know other soul could possibly know.



"What did you do when you were going to leave?" Maria asked. Her heart still clenched when she thought of how close she had come to losing him.



"I cooked you an Italian dinner. Then I showed you the real me, the self I'd never shown anyone before. We made love and I told you I loved you. I couldn't leave you and go back home because I loved you so much."



"Oh, Michael, it is you," Maria started weeping again at the memory.



"Shhh, Maria. It's okay, we'll be together again soon, I promise."



"But Michael, where are you? Why does your voice sound different? And how can you be in two places at once?"



"I'm in Sunnydale, California. I don't know why my voice is different, and I'm not in two places at once."



"But you are. I'm talking to you on the phone but you're also sitting in the next room. You just kissed Isabel," she said accusingly.



"What?!? I didn't kiss Isabel. First off, I'm not even in Roswell and most importantly I don't have feelings for her. Whoever is in the next room may look like me, but is an imposter. Who else is there with you? It's not safe for you to be there with that guy, I want you to go find Max-"



"Max is here, Michael, so is everyone else. In fact, Max is talking to your look-a-like right now. I knew there was something funny about him.



"What's going on, Michael? How did you get out there and who's the guy here with us?"



"I don't know. But I do know that I need Max to come get me. It's hard to explain, but I can't travel by myself. Get him to lock up the imposter before he leaves, though- we don't need him causing trouble. Tell Max to meet me in the Sunnydale cemetery."



"The cemetery?"



"It's a long story, one that I'm not even entirely sure of myself. Just fill everybody else in and have Max come get me."



"We'll be there as fast as we can."



"Maria, I don't want you coming, this is too dangerous. I -"



"Michael, I'm coming and that's final. I love you too much not to. We'll bring the fake Michael with us, so we can sort this out. I'll see you in a couple of hours. I love you, Michael."



"I love you too, Maria."



Maria hung the phone up and turned to Liz, who had discreetly moved away so she wouldn't eavesdrop on her friend's conversation. "Who was it," Liz asked.



"That was Michael. We're going to Sunnydale, California to go get him."



Liz's mouth just fell open.