I don't own Roswell or any of its franchise - despite really, really wanting it for my next birthday.

A/N I hope this chapter will be received better than the lastone:) Although, I was happy to see people disagreeing about the Phoenix kids:) Enjoy! Thanks to those, who take the time to not only read, but comment as well.

This chapter is unbetaed, but as always, please let me know if there's any big mistakes so I can correct them.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kyle's POV

"Kyle, Buddy, it's time to get up."

Kyle groaned; annoyance clearly portrayed as he struggled to come out of one of those strangely comforting dreams he'd been having lately. Oddly enough, the only thing he remembered from them was the sense of belonging and nothing else.

"Son, are you up?" Kyle heard his father ask a few minutes later, and he finally rolled out of bed and started doing his usual pushups.

"Yeah, Dad," he replied with a yawn, "I'm coming."

A half an hour later, Kyle had finished his shower and dressed. He walked out into the small kitchen where his dad was standing, holding a big cup of steaming hot coffee. The smell had its usual affect on Kyle and he smiled when he took the pot from the coffee machine and poured himself a cup.

"So," his dad asked after a few moments where they stood in their usual awkward silence, enjoying their beverage, "what's the plan for today?"

You were supposed to come to my match last night, Kyle thought with an inwardly sneer, but as you've done more and more lately, you let your work come first. So today I'm probably gonna scowl and treat you like the inattentive parent that you are…

Out loud, Kyle settled on shrugging carelessly and muttering, "Not much."

"Well, okay then. I'll see if I can be home early tonight so we can go to the Crashdown and have something to eat together that neither of us have actually tried to make. How's that sound?"

Like you want to sit and covertly stare at Liz Parke with big questions in your eyes, like you've done for the last month, Kyle thought icily, but again; he simply shrugged without a word and finished his coffee, eager to get away from his father.

A little while later, Kyle was on his way to pick up Johnny. His teammate had lost his driving privileges when he'd come stumbling home that night with Evans after yet another fight. Kyle honestly didn't know which one of them was most irritated about that fact. Johnny was a really big complainer. And that's all he did during the ride to school; every single day.

Maybe he's sick today, Kyle thought hopefully. Of course, the hope crashed and burned when he turned a corner and spotted Johnny standing by the road in front of his house.

"Yo Man," Johnny greeted when he jumped inside Kyle's car, "you're cutting it kindda close. At least call me or something when you know you're gonna be late."

Okay, Kyle commented – again internally – who died and made you my date for the day? He nodded once to Johnny and just continued driving.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kyle observed Johnny's profile. He was no longer red, yellow and blue in the face, but after the night of the infamous fight, his nose now sported an unflattering crack in the middle that gave him the mother of all hooknoses.

Turning up the music to avoid actually talking to Johnny as he mumbled something about missing his car, Kyle's mind drifted to where it normally went these days.

It went to the evening where Liz had chewed him out in public and left, never to look at him again. Kyle still felt a bit defensive about all that had happened during their non-date. He'd only been trying to warn her after all. But Kyle hadn't been able to forget some of the more valid points the brunette girl had made during her rant. Why did his friends engage in a fight with Max Evans of all people? He was the most unassuming guy in school.

Or, Kyle amended with a sigh; at least he used to be. Lately, he's been showing up to school wearing something else than his usual sweaters, he never looks away anymore. He meets people's stares head on and he practically screams danger. It's kindda freaking me out…

Although, Kyle continued to himself as he neared the high school, it's funny that he and Guerin always go out of their way to nod at me whenever they see me. And let's not forget about Isabel.

Kyle frowned as the image of Isabel Evans popped into his head. If he hadn't seen how Isabel's eyes always followed Alex Whitman around with something akin to adoration, he'd have sworn she had a thing for him.

Isabel's eyes were mostly big and shiny when they landed on Kyle. She seemed like she wanted to talk to him and one time, during a free period that him and his friends had spent in the quad outside, she'd walked by as he'd finished telling a pretty crude joke. Unceremoniously, she'd reached out and slapped him in the back of the head without a word and scarcely a glance like a long time friend.

While his friends had laughed and tried to get him to admit he was "hitting that", Kyle had felt this weird déjà vu. Like this hadn't been the first time she'd hit him or reprimanded him for his usage of the English language.

"Dude, are you alive over there?" Johnny's voice ripped Kyle out of his ponderings and he looked over at his teammate. That was another peculiar thing, Kyle had realized; he no longer felt like Johnny was his friend, let alone his best friend. More and more lately, he'd wanted to keep chatting with Whitman after P.E, or oddly enough, actually return one of Evans and Guerin's nods with one of his own.

But he didn't, instead Kyle simply tried to ignore those urges and focus more on his old friend – no matter how annoying said person was. "I'm breathing and my hearts beating, so yeah I'm pretty sure I'm alive," Kyle finally answered his impatient looking teammate.

"Good, 'cause you're weirding me out." Johnny spat and jumped out of the car and that's when Kyle noticed that he'd arrived at the school, parked the car all without really seeing. Luckily I didn't run over someone, Kyle thought with a wry smile and exited his car as well.

Ten minutes later, he entered his first class of the day and spotted Johnny and his other friend, Damien, sitting in the back. Johnny gestured at the empty seat next to him and Kyle grimaced on the inside; he really wasn't in the mood to sit next to them today. He looked around the classroom and saw an available seat next to the new girl, Tess.

Tess was a conundrum to Kyle. On her first day he thought he'd been making a decent headway into getting the girl to like him, but then she'd never looked at him again. In fact, he was sort of convinced that the curly haired newbie was doing her best to avoid him.

Well, either I sit next to the idiots in the back or the weird chick in the front. Kyle thought before quickly falling into the seat next to Tess.

She looked over at him with shock in her eyes, and something more that he couldn't decipher. Happiness? Apprehension?

"Mornin' Tess," he greeted calmly and started looking through his bag for some pencils. He knew from experience that the teacher in this class expected them to take decent notes during his lectures.

"Hi Kyle," Tess's answer was quiet and he almost couldn't hear it, but at least she did respond. Before he got a chance to do much more than send her a small smile, the teacher walked in and began the lesson.

When the class ended, Tess dropped her book as she was putting her things away and Kyle quickly bent down to get it for her. When he looked up at her from his kneeling position, he spotted a blush on her pale cheeks and smirked. Maybe she's not avoiding me because she doesn't like me.

Tess sent him a smile that did things to his nether regions that he hoped she didn't notice. Fortunately for Kyle, Tess' gaze never left his so she didn't note anything out of the ordinary with him. "I'm glad you're not mad at me or anything," Kyle stated when he stood back up to his full height. "I was a bit worried about it."

"No," Tess blurted out, "I'm sorry. I just don't do well with…well, I actually thought that I was meant to be with someone else; but err…he didn't really want me and I don't think I'll be changing his mind any time soon."

"Well, whoever he is, he's an idiot," Kyle said, inwardly cheering over the fact that Tess was single.

Tess' answering smile did strange things to his insides, so he tried to keep chatting amiably with her, but just as he was about to ask her what she'd been up to lately, Johnny came up to him with Damien in tow.

"Come on, Man," he demanded, "no time to chitchat the ladies; it's time to hang with your friends."

Kyle smiled sheepishly to Tess, who waved him off with an understanding look on her face. Inwardly hating himself for his lack of backbone, Kyle followed his two "friends."

They basically ignored him and Kyle wished that he'd just once plainly stated that he didn't want to hang with them; Johnny in particular. But I never say anything, Kyle thought angry at himself, I just keep on bottling things up and go right along with whatever it is they say or do, like some stupid coward.

Trying to cheer himself up, Kyle thought about the halfway decent talks he'd been having with Whitman after P.E. sometimes. Then he rolled his eyes mentally; oh yeah, big whoop; I only talk to the guy whenever Johnny or the rest of them aren't around. I'm so not a badass that it's getting ridiculous.

Damien punched his shoulder and brought Kyle out of his thoughts a moment later, apparently the jock was supposed to meet his girlfriend outside so he had to go. Kyle swallowed a groan of disappointment, now he was once again alone with Johnny. Tess would've been so much better company than this…

"Whoa, check that out," Johnny nudged Kyle hard and the sheriff's son was once again forced back out of his mind in into the present.

They'd just entered the computer lab, and save from one Michael Guerin, they were all alone. A fact that seemed to make Johnny's day, the jock turned to Kyle with a vicious look in his eyes, "That's Evans' best friend over there, Valenti. All alone if you get my meaning."

Kyle's eyes darted over to the large teen, who was staring intently at his screen, completely ignorant of their presence. "Err…so what?"

Johnny rolled his eyes and stepped a bit closer to Kyle, "Dude, this is the perfect set up to get back at that loser, Evans for what he did to me. He's extremely protective of his little poor friend over there. Come on, follow my lead."

Kyle watched with trepidation how Johnny strolled casually over to Guerin's seat and then unexpectedly reached out and slammed the other guy's head into the keyboard. "Dude," Kyle began hesitantly, looking around for some sort of excuse to put an end to things before they got too nasty.

"Shut up, Kyle," Johnny ordered and put a bit more weight on Guerin's surprisingly immobile head. "I'm busy right now. Just keep a look out or something."

Kyle had the wildest urge to slam into Johnny and start beating on him, but once again, his desire to just stay out of things got the better of him. Instead, Guerin spoke up for the first time; his voice a bit muffled from being squashed into the keyboard, "You are going to regret this if you don't let go of me right now, asshole."

Johnny had the audacity to laugh at that, and he leaned forward to see what Michael had been so focused on. "Oh, look here Kyle," he taunted, "It looks like little Mikey here gets his rocks off by looking at pictures of little girls."

Kyle stepped closer; his eyes briefly glanced over at the computer screen, where a picture that seemed like a school id badge showed a little girl, no more than seven or eight years old. He didn't get a chance to read the name fully, only noticing that it started with "Se".

Johnny's mocking voice interrupted him, and he looked back at his former friend with what he just knew was contempt. "Do you like little girls, Guerin? Is that why you're never trying to hook up with that hot piece of ass, Isabel? Huh?"

Kyle found himself meeting Michael's eyes and what he saw in them, finally broke that wall inside of him that would rather avoid confrontations. They were full of rage and something that Kyle saw in the mirror every day and did his best to conceal; sadness.

"Stop it, Johnny – this is low, even for you!" Kyle yelled out and walked over and pushed the other guy hard in the chest, making him stumble backwards a few steps.

Michael immediately leapt to his feet and made a sound that sounded more like a snarl. Kyle had the distinct feeling that if Kyle hadn't been present for the whole incident, Johnny wouldn't have been allowed to finish his first mocking sentence at all.

In the next moment, Johnny had regained his footing and he glared at Kyle with incredulity written in every feature, "You're actually gonna help the trailer trash dweeb over there? Valenti, you're gonna regret this!"

"Stop talking before I make you," Michael threatened and Kyle didn't doubt for one second that the larger teen was capable of doing it.

"Stay out of this," Johnny hissed, "this is between Valenti and me, Loser!"

And then Johnny slammed his fist into Kyle's face and the pain from the punch ignited Kyle's temper. He roughly pushed back his once upon a time friend, and was about to reciprocate, when he felt the air shift with something and distractedly turned to look at Michael behind him.

Instantly, the hairs in the back of his head stood up and although, he'd just wanted to hurt Johnny himself, he knew that Michael's intent was a lot deadlier than his own. So, instinctively, Kyle put up his hands and tried to keep the other two boys from attacking each other.

"You're gonna pay for that," Michael had just finished growling at Johnny, when the air suddenly seemed to become choking, making it hard on Kyle to breathe.

Time seemed to slow down, and Kyle watched what happened next as though in slow motion. The door burst open and Max and Isabel Evans stormed in with matching looks of danger; they seemed a lot older all of the sudden. Isabel gasped when she caught sight of Kyle's bloody face and seemed about ready to throttle whoever did it.

Max, in return, seemed to take in every last detail with one glance and he barked, "Michael, relax." When Michael's killer intent didn't seem to lessen, Max did something that would forever change Kyle's way of thinking. He reached out a hand and suddenly the blinds on the windows all fell down, enveloping the room in darkness, lit up only by the computers.

"Stay out of this, Max," Michael's voice was low and still full of a rage, that quite frankly creeped Kyle out.

"Yeah, Evans," Johnny choked out angrily, too busy glaring at Michael to really notice how the blinds had come down, "I'll get to you later."

Things happened pretty quick after that; Michael took a step forward, raising his hand and Kyle wanted to close his eyes because something inside of him told him that Michael's hands were a lot more dangerous than on a usual teenager. He needn't have worried though, because out of the corner of his eye, Kyle spotted Max move a fraction and the next thing he knew, Johnny and he were surrounded by this freakishly green, shimmering wall.

"Isabel, go get Maria, she'll make him get back to his senses," Max's voice was soft and quiet in the following silence.

Johnny was now blubbering and staring at the surrounding green with horror on his face. Kyle wanted to do the same, but he just had this inkling feeling that he wasn't about to be harmed, so he took a laid back attitude for once and waited. He couldn't quite stop sending a few concerned looks over at Max though.

Michael wasn't as calm as the rest of them; he kept pacing and muttering curses while alternatively sending glares of death at Johnny and a serene looking Max.

Kyle didn't know how long it had been when the door opened again and Isabel entered with not only a seemingly frantic Maria DeLuca, but to his surprise, a determined looking Tess as well.

Two minutes later, Maria had gently coaxed the still furious Michael out of the room to try and calm him down, and Isabel, Max and Tess were now having a heated discussion amongst themselves.

"I don't wanna die," Johnny whimpered next to him and Kyle sent him a look that clearly stated that he wasn't really impressed with the bully's sudden show of fear. He didn't say anything out loud, instead opting to try and listen in on the three people over by the door.

"…not understand! It's the only way; if I don't do it then they're gonna get us all in trouble. Especially the crying mess that isn't Kyle."

"No," Isabel's response was just as heated as Tess', "Mindwarping isn't the answer to everything, Tess! There's got to be another way!"

Kyle watched with growing unease, how Max suddenly raised his hand and said with a never before seen authority to him, "No matter how we might feel personally, Isabel; Tess does have a point. Johnny isn't capable of handling the truth. She's going to use her powers to help everyone involved."

"And then I'll use them on Kyle as well and-" Tess began but to Kyle's relief (and confusion), Isabel once again spoke up on his behalf with a passion that frankly puzzled him.

"Not a chance in Hell, Tess! I'll late you use your powers on Kyle the moment you're stepping over my cold dead body!"

"You're being completely irrational!" Tess roared and she cast a look over at Kyle. "I have to do this, guys; if not, I'll have to see the one person in this school that actually likes me for me, look at me with that look of fear. I won't do that when I can easily make him forget this whole thing."

Max looked over at Kyle and then back at Tess with a frown on his face. He still didn't say anything, letting the two girls vent their frustration on each other.

"I don't care if he looks at you with hate, Tess," Isabel stated coldly, her voice back to normal level, "he can handle the truth so don't lay a hand on him. Concentrate on Mr. Weepy instead. Max, take down your shield."

A second later, Kyle watched in a mix between fascination and nerves, how the shimmering wall around him evaporated soundlessly. Johnny immediately went for the door, but Max stopped him with one stare that seemed to penetrate Johnny more effectively than any punch could have.

"Do it now, Tess," Max ordered quietly, and Kyle swallowed with shock as he watched the small blonde reach up and place her fingertips on Johnny's temples and close her eyes.

It didn't take long, whatever it was she was doing, before she reopened her eyes and stepped back. Johnny seemed to shake off his earlier terror like a dog shaking out the water in its fur after a walk in the rain. Then he frowned and looked around at them, his eyes settling on Kyle.

"Are you coming or what, Dude? I can't be late for math today, I'm seriously about to flunk and I'm not interested in summer school this year. I'll save you a seat." And then he left the room, not even commenting on the fact that Kyle's face was covered in dried blood from a punch he'd delivered himself.

It's like he didn't even see it, Kyle thought and eyed the three people in front of him warily. On some level he just knew they weren't about to hurt him, but still, it never hurt to be cautious. Also, he was beginning to tire of that internal part of him that kept just knowing things.

Tess wouldn't meet his eyes and she was the first one to leave. Max stepped forward, only to be stopped by Isabel's hand on his arm. They shared a look and then Max walked out of the room as well, leaving Kyle alone with Isabel for the first time since…well, ever really.

Isabel looked at Kyle with so much warmth that he had to remind himself that she was hung up on Alex Whitman and not him. She looked around the room and grabbed an abandoned notebook, and then Kyle got yet another shock as he watched the thing turn into a bag of tissues.

"Here," Isabel said and handed them to him, "clean your face and I'll fill you in on what you just saw." Her smile turned teasing, "So, it all began with a little thing you probably know as the 1947 crash incident."

Maria's POV

Rage. Fury. Wrath. It came at her from all sides, completely out of the blue.

Everything just happened so fast that Maria was up and moving before her mind had made a conscious thought to do so.

She felt as though every part of her was on fire; that part of her that was somehow connected to Michael was sending out waves that burned through her insides like a distress call. Maria didn't know how she knew, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Michael needed her at that moment.

She muttered something about needing a bathroom immediately, not even waiting for the teacher to give her a hall pass. The moment that she'd closed the door to the classroom, Maria broke out into a run.

She was running down the hall, letting her instincts lead her towards the boy she felt something for. As she turned a corner, Maria almost ran head into Isabel, who'd been running as well.

"Maria, there you are," Isabel panted, she took a firm hold of Maria's arm and started dragging her in the opposite direction.

Normally, Maria's nervousness around the tall Evans girl would probably have made her a quivering mess of excuses to be anywhere else, but she recognized the look of desperation on Isabel's face and simply followed suit.

They'd been jogging for a few moments; when out of nowhere, Maria saw the new girl come running towards them with a confused frown on her face. "Isabel, what's going on? I felt something ali…err," Tess stopped talking when she spotted Maria, who'd been halfway hidden behind the hybrid.

Maria knew that Tess was another hybrid, because…well, Liz was her best friend and told her pretty much everything of course. But she'd not talked to the fourth alien since her first day at school, so she would have preferred to meet her on more normal ground, but at that moment in time, everything inside of Maria was itching to find Michael, so she didn't say anything.

Isabel cut through Tess' awkwardness and simply stated with a quick nod in Maria's direction, "She knows." And then they started running again.

Maria could feel they were getting closer, so she didn't outwardly react when she heard Tess pant at Isabel with irritation in her voice, "Do you people tell every random human you come across?"

Isabel just told the curly haired hybrid to keep quiet and then slammed open the door to the computer lab and everything other than Michael, flew out of Maria's mind.

The sight before her was not one she'd expected. For the first time, she really witnessed legitimate proof of the whole group's out of world origins. The glowing green wall between Kyle and Michael was kindda hard to miss.

Maria only glanced at the shield for a second, before letting her eyes land on the pacing Michael. He was practically growling in rage, his eyes switching from the jock, Johnny and over to Max.

Maria reacted on instinct yet again. She stepped closer into the room and for one brief second, Michael's eyes landed on hers and softened a fraction. I can do this, she thought, at the same time as Isabel whispered in her ear.

"We have to calm him down or else his powers will manifest psychically and cause even more damage. We need your help, Maria."

Maria took a deep breath and took the last few steps over to Michael's side. For once she didn't allow her thoughts as to why she was apparently a better solution than Michael's lifelong friends, she just went with her gut. When Maria reached the angry hybrid, she placed her hand on his bicep and he froze. "Michael," Maria whispered, "let's go take a walk, okay?"

Michael seemed to hesitate, looking behind her at Max and then over at Johnny with his upper lip curled in distaste, "I have to-"

"Michael," Maria tried again, speaking softly as though to a wild animal, "I need you to take a walk with me, right now. You're scaring me."

It was as though she'd uttered some kind of magic words, because the second, Michael heard that she was feeling fear around him, he deflated with a heavy sigh and pressed his free hand over hers. He didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he no longer worried about getting his hands on the crying jock on the floor behind him. Maria was too preoccupied with getting through to Michael that she didn't notice the heaviness in the air return to normal once Michael was focused on her.

"Come," Maria whispered again and started making her way out the computer lab. Out of the corner of her eye, Maria noticed the look of sadness and understanding on the Evans' faces. She didn't see Tess' face, but promised herself that if the new girl had a problem with any of this, she'd make damn sure to change her mind. Once she'd talked some sense into the big teenage boy trailing along next to her like a lost puppy.

It didn't take long for Maria to find an empty classroom and she gently led Michael inside and closed the door behind them for privacy.

She stood there immobile for a moment, trying to calm herself down and distinguish which emotions inside of her were her own and which belonged entirely to the large male behind her.

Evidently, her small moment of attempted soothing didn't exactly have the same effect on Michael. He seemed to suddenly send waves of anxiety through their bond and Maria spun around on the spot.

Michael stood without moving a little behind her, he hadn't moved since she'd released her grip on his bicep to close the door. His eyes were following her every move and Maria somehow understood that he was deeply worried about having frightened her.

"Are you okay?" she asked and watched in amazement how the 'Czechoslovakian' actually flinched at the question. Feeling concerned, Maria hurried over to him. "Talk to me and whatever is going on in your head won't be so bad, I promise."

Michael's eyes closed as though he was in pain, but they snapped open, when Maria suddenly flung her arms around him. She could feel him tremble for some reason and the myriad of feelings that stormed through her from his end was too confusing to name, so she focused on simply sending calm back to him.

As she stood there, tightly holding him, Maria had the sudden urge to just press her lips against his and she finally admitted something to herself. I have feelings for him…

"Maria," her name flew from Michael's mouth in a groan and slowly, but surely, his arms came around her as well. At first, he held her like she was a delicate flower, and Maria wondered if he was afraid she'd break or something, but then he just muttered her name again and took a much more firm hold of her.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he whispered into her hair and Maria took a deep breath from his shirt; it smelled clean and it had the scent of Michael himself that Maria hadn't realized that she kindda loved. She smiled into his chest briefly before lifting her head upwards to meet Michael's troubled gaze.

"I wasn't really afraid of you, Spaceboy. I was afraid for you." The moment she said the little nickname that she'd internally called him for weeks, Michael's eyes lit up, as though hearing her call him silly names was the highlight in his life.

There was just something so vulnerable and open in his face that Maria couldn't resist placing her hands on his cheeks and gently press her lips to his as a way to portray her feelings of whatever it was she was feeling that she just couldn't quite say out loud yet.

The kiss started out innocently enough, but then it seemed like things happened all at once. Maria loved the feel of Michael's warm lips and she was about to put a bit more pressure behind her kiss, when suddenly, Michael deepened the kiss with far more expertise than she'd have thought him capable of. And before Maria even got a chance to really enjoy the experience, there was a sudden onslaught of images rushing through her brain with pounding speed.

A little boy standing alone in the desert, a little boy standing in the shadows all alone while other kids played, the same kid bent together in a curled up position to avoid some beating from a sweaty older guy with a beer in his hand, the boy, older now blasting rocks in the desert with Tess Harding by her side, Michael holding a smaller woman in his arms, who was bleeding, and gasping for air and…

The visions abruptly stopped when Maria felt Michael stiffen and she no longer saw anything. The kiss continued on for a few seconds more, before Michael slowly edged away from her. When Maria opened her eyes again, she was panting and trying to get all the flashes straight in her mind.

"What was that?" she said and licked her lips; a big part of her didn't really give a damn about those images, she just wanted to launch right back into the kiss that had literally rocked a part of her world.

"I wasn't expecting that," Michael replied with an echo of his usual smirk in place. His eyes lingered on her lips and Maria had the distinct feeling that he too wasn't entirely against kissing her again.

"Yeah, me neither," Maria murmured and ran a hand through her short hair. She walked over to one of the desks and sat down heavily. "Those things that ran through my mind…is that gonna happen every time? And also, that kid was you and that older version of you is that the future? Because, you looked a lot older than you do now and-"

"Maria, calm down," Michael was back to normal. At least that is one piece of good news, Maria inwardly thought, but she couldn't enjoy her success to the fullest, too focused on whatever it was that had taken place during that really, really intense kiss.

"Liz told me what happened between all of you the other night, but she didn't mention anything about this! And I'm starting to freak out, Michael, because I think that that bleeding woman in your arms that looked like she was really hurt was me! And I don't enjoy being injured, you know! Oh, where are my drops? Did I forget to bring them today? That's so typical of me."

A warm hand in front of her mouth finally brought an end to Maria's growing rambling and she blinked. Michael smiled and crouched down in front of her with a lot more grace than she'd thought he possessed.

"First things first; that wasn't the future, Maria. It was just a fear of mine; something I'll work really hard to never see happen. Don't worry. And the kid was me and I'm sorry in advance for whatever you saw, because I know my childhood doesn't exactly resemble anything remotely fluffy. It won't happen again, I promise. I just didn't expect it to happen, but now that I do, I'll make sure you won't see anything truly bad. I'm sorry."

Why do I have the feeling that he's not telling me everything? Maria thought, taking deep breaths to get some of her tranquility back. I know he's lying or at least not telling me the whole story. Should I demand answers? No, what if I'm making a big problem out of nothing? Remember, Maria told herself, you once promised him that you'd listen and not demand to know all his secrets, so stop acting like the drama queen everyone always says that you are and just take deep breaths.

"'M 'in 'ow," Maria managed to get through her lips and Michael immediately removed his hand with a raised brow in question. Obviously, he hadn't quite understood her. "I'm fine now," Maria repeated with as much dignity she could muster up.

"Good," Michael replied, getting to his feet. "So am I by the way. You're welcome to hold me anytime you wish, you know and not just when I'm acting like a raging bull."

Maria couldn't quite keep a chuckle from escaping her and she nodded with a big smile. "Well, now that you're okay again, let's get going to our next class. I think we're a bit late already. And the others must be worried sick about you too."

"No," Michael smirked and took her hand in his with such ease, as though he'd done it for years and didn't give a crap about who saw them, "it's a Czechoslovakian thing, but trust me; they already know I'm back to my old self so there's nothing to worry about."

"Okay, is it a trick you could like teach me and Liz in the near future, because," Maria grinned and made it obvious that she was teasing, "it'll be a nifty trick once we have finals. Liz is way smart and as her best friend I bet I can persuade her to give me a few answers."

Michael laughed loudly at that and the kids around them that weren't too busy staring in wonder at the image of them walking casually down the hall hand in hand were looking on in amazement, pretty sure that they'd just heard Michael Guerin laugh for the first time ever.

"Oh yeah, knowing Liz, I'm pretty sure she'd just give you the wrong answers and then lecture you on the importance of following the rules."

Maria smiled, a bit baffled on the inside. How does he know Liz that well? I'm not sure I've ever seen them exchange a word in all the time we've known each other.

Too tired to really care, Maria put the issue out of her mind and simply enjoyed the fact that she'd just had the most intense kiss of her young life and, odd mental images aside, it had been pretty awesome.

Tess' POV

Sometime later, the same day.

It was dark outside and there weren't any people on the street, but Tess still glanced around cautiously to make sure, before she knocked on the door in front of her. She hoped that she wasn't gonna have to come face to face with his father; the man was the sheriff after all and although Nasedo's teachings had proven to be a bit biased, the one about avoiding the law had stuck with her.

Fortunately, it was Kyle that opened the door as she'd hoped. He just stood there in silence as she looked at him closely. It's already begun, she thought, noticing the dark shadows under his eyes and the look he was sending her. It wasn't the fearful one that she'd been afraid of, it was something else entirely that she couldn't quite name at that time. She only knew that it touched something within her and that she wanted to make everything normal again. Make things easy and uncomplicated again.

Finally, when the silence had turned uncomfortable, Kyle spoke, "Evening Tess. What are you doing here at this time a night?"

Tess swallowed; she was battling her instincts internally. She had the strangest desire to just go into the human boy's arms and let him hold her tight, and then she could pretend to forget all about aliens, destinies and all that. On the other hand, Tess knew that leaving yet another human with the knowledge of their existence was extremely dangerous and that only her specific power could make it all okay again.

I have to do this. Tess told herself and straightened up a bit, more determined than ever. "I wanted to apologize properly," she explained and stepped closer.

Kyle frowned, but to her secret joy, he didn't move back as she drew closer. Standing on her toes, Tess kissed Kyle's lips briefly and then she placed her fingers on his temples with a whispered, "I'm so sorry."

A minute later, Tess stood by the window to the Valenti's living room and listened in. Kyle came into the room with a relaxed look on his face. His dad looked up at him, ignoring the game briefly and Tess heard him ask who'd knocked on the door.

Tess didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she heard Kyle's reply. "It was just some tourist asking for directions. I'm off to bed."

It's for the best; Tess told herself when she started walking back to the home she was sharing with Nasedo. This way Kyle won't have this huge secret trust upon him and I get to keep the friend I was getting. I'm sure the others will see reason when they realize just how much more calm he is tomorrow at school…

Despite her inwardly pep talk, Tess couldn't quite keep the anxiety at bay. She had a feeling that no matter how many reasons she'd give come morning, none of the other hybrids were going to be very happy with her.

TBC…

A/N Let me know what you think:) Oh, and Jana - are you happy now? Consider the 'incident' a birthday wish! lol.

Until Next Time

Ditte Mai