Part 2

There was just the dimmest glimmer of light on the east side of the highway as they started their trek and they agreed to head towards it. They hadn't been prepared for this type of weather, at least not as far as getting out and facing the elements. Inside the mini-bus was one thing but outside was a different story. They were huddled up inside of their sleeping bags, the bulky material wrapped around their bodies and providing little protection against the bite of the freezing wind blowing out of the north.

The wind whistled through the trees as the group carefully made their way along the side of the highway. They had been walking for nearly half an hour when Isabel spotted the lights up ahead. They had lost sight of the light they were following when they had reached a slight dip in the road but it reappeared when they stepped over the rise. Multi-colored bulbs outlined the roof of a house in the distance and she elbowed Michael and nodded when he glanced at her.

He made a quick motion to let her know he had understood and he pulled Maria closer against his side. He could feel her shaking as they approached the mailbox standing at the end of the driveway like a frozen sentry guarding its post. He glanced at the name but couldn't make it out with the snow covering most of it.

Maria lifted her head just enough to look up at the house when the lights reflecting off of the snow caught her attention. Christmas, she mused. Funny, it seemed so distant. Or maybe she was the one who was so distant. Was it like that for all of them? Christmas was only two weeks away and she couldn't recall any of them mentioning it. She stumbled and was thankful when Michael's arm tightened around her and kept her from making an upside-down snow angel.

Michael glanced at the weathered sign hanging from one of the beams over the railing: Welcome to Stevens' Sanctuary on the Lake, Est. 1987. He reached out and shoved Liz forward. "Go knock on the door." He shivered a shrug when Max glared at him. "She looks the youngest and the least threatening," he mumbled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The distant sound of knuckles rapping against the front door disturbed Julia Stevens' sleep and roused her just enough to make her open her eyes and glance around. Silence once again settled and she strained to hear it again and just as she had decided it was her imagination she heard it again. She glanced at her sleeping husband, rolling her eyes when the knocking became more insistent and he still didn't move.

"Edward, are you asleep?"

She waited.

"Did you hear that?"

And waited a bit more.

"Edward! I think someone's on the front porch!"

Edward rolled over and snuffled loudly. "I don't hear – " Loud knocking interrupted him before he could finish and his eyes snapped open. "I heard that though."

On their way into the living room he stopped long enough to grab his shotgun and the shells. He leaned it up against the wall to the right of the door as he reached out and flipped the switch for the floodlight, temporarily blinding whoever was on the other side of the door.

Julia inhaled sharply when she peered through the window next to the door and she saw the group huddled around the front door. Edward's intention with the floodlight had produced the desired effect; they were blinking rapidly and looking away, trying to regain their sight that the flash of bright light had taken from them. She glanced from one bundled figure to the next, her eyes taking in the weary expressions and their shaking bodies. "Oh, Edward, they're just kids! For God's sake it's freezing out there, open the door!"

He opened the door cautiously, turning on the porch light and killing the floodlight. His gaze moved over them one by one, frowning at the use of sleeping bags as protection against the winter weather. Their clothes were of little use against the temperatures and wind and he wondered why they were out in this weather dressed as they were.

He paused when his eyes landed on the taller kid standing at the back of the group. There was something about him that made him stand apart from the others. He was unsmiling, his face set in a determined scowl, but it was the way the boy watched him as if taking stock of the situation that had his attention. His eyes lowered to the girl held against the boy's body and he noticed the way he had his coat opened up and wrapped around her, his gesture and expression protective. The girl was pale and visibly shaking in spite of what little warmth she was getting from the boy.

Edward's gaze finally came to rest on the two girls standing at the front of the little group and he wondered how these people came to be traveling together. The girls couldn't have been more different. One tall, blonde, and obviously the one most used to getting what she wanted. The other was short, brunette, and likely the smartest one in the group. Book smart, he amended silently just as she opened her mouth to stutter out an explanation for their presence.

"Our van… b-b-broke… d-down and we – "

"Edward, bring them inside," Julia insisted, not needing to hear anymore. She poked him and motioned to the shotgun resting against the wall before hissing, "And put that thing away!" She ushered the kids into the living room as they filed inside, their movements stiff from the bitter cold.

"So, where're you kids from?" he asked. "And what're you doin' up here?"

"Miami," Maria piped up, her voice slightly shaky.

"We were on our way to Lake S-S-Superior State University to visit a f-f-friend for the holiday since he couldn't m-make it home," Liz answered, ignoring Michael when he leveled a gaze at her that could've melted steel.

"Uh-huh," Edward repeated, eyes slightly narrowed. "Where's the university?"

"Sault Sainte Marie," Maria rasped tiredly. Staring at maps for hours on end really did have its advantages.

"Right," he said slowly when her pronunciation had it sounding like Salt Sainte Marie instead of Soo Sainte Marie. "Most people stay in hotels when they're travelin'."

Julia saw right through the paper-thin story and quickly decided it didn't matter. "Oh, Edward," she said with a warm laugh, "don't you remember back when we were dating and we got into your old '79 Mustang and drove all over the place? We slept in state campgrounds for a week before we finally shelled out cash for a hotel room."

"Well…" He nodded, dropping the line of questioning when she motioned to the wood burning stove.

She was pushing the couches closer to the wood burning stove when the smaller blonde's knees buckled and the boy with her quickly caught her and lifted her up in his arms.

Edward immediately moved to add wood to keep the fire burning but his gaze followed the tall kid, watching his every move as he carried the girl across the room and ever so gently lay her down on the couch closest to the heat.

Maria reached out to Michael, placing her hand on his arm. "I'm okay, just tired and cold," she tried to reassure him.

His worried expression didn't ease, the frown line between his eyebrows deepening when she started to shake in earnest. He glanced up when someone reached past him and he relaxed fractionally when he saw that it was just Liz.

"She's warm, Michael." She gave a slight roll of her eyes when he brushed her hand aside to check Maria's forehead for himself. "She's been fighting off a cold for the past few days but I think she might have a fever."

"Edward, go and get extra blankets from the hall closet," Julia ordered, rushing him out of the room and following him. She hurried into the kitchen to put the kettle on and turned to get the tea when she bumped into her husband.

"That story wasn't true."

"No, it was pretty flimsy. But does it really matter? For whatever reason they ended up on our doorstep and it's easy to see they need a little TLC." She waved him out of the room. "Now go get those blankets. Those poor kids need to warm up."

In the living room Michael was still on edge as he studied their surroundings, quickly locating every entrance into the room and mentally mapping potential escapes. "We need to call a tow truck," he said as he sat on the edge of the couch next to Maria, holding her hands between his and rubbing them to warm them up. "We can't leave that piece of crap out there on the road all night." He glanced at Maria, checking her forehead once again as she dozed restlessly.

"You're not gonna get a tow this late," Edward said as he came back into the room, laden down with a stack of blankets.

"Don't really wanna get a ticket for it bein' out there either," he muttered. He glanced up when the older man paused beside him to offer a couple of the blankets.

"The one time I needed a cop out here it took an hour an' a half to find one. Besides, as long as you're pulled off of the road and you're not hindering traffic no one's gonna bother your vehicle. I'm Edward, by the way. Edward Stevens."

Max found his voice and he introduced each of them in turn as he rubbed his hands together over the wood burning stove.

"Guess when you kids were plannin' your trip up here you forgot to check the weather report," he said with a slight smile. He nodded when not a single one of them blinked at his suspicious tone. "Well, not to worry. We'll put you up for the night. You boys can bunk down here in the livin' room and the girls can sleep in the den. It's actually an office but we've got a queen-sized futon in there that they can share."

Liz smiled and nodded. "We can move Maria in there – "

"No," Michael interrupted. "She stays where I can keep an eye on 'er." She wasn't feeling good and he needed to be close by if she needed anything. He kicked at the sleeping bag lying on the floor next to his right foot. "I'll sleep on the floor next to her."

"I think that'll be just fine," Julia said as she came back with a tray of mugs filled with tea and hot chocolate. "Edward, I'll go get that futon ready. Why don't you grab some fresh towels and washcloths from the storeroom. You kids would probably enjoy a nice hot shower to help you thaw out and relax. It might make sleeping in a strange place a little easier too," she said with a warm smile.

The couple finished getting things sorted out and by the time they turned out the lights and left their guests to sleep it was well after midnight. Julia paused in the doorway, watching the moonlight play over their young faces and she wondered about the circumstances that had brought them to their door. They couldn't be more than 18 or 19 years old but they were bone-weary and seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. It didn't matter, she decided. They had been brought to their door for a reason. It wasn't necessary that she understand it, just that she did what she felt was right in her heart. And her heart was telling her that these kids had wound up on their doorstep because they needed help.

"Julia," Edward called quietly, drawing her attention. Her mothering instincts were in overdrive and he knew the wheels were already turning. After 15 years of marriage he knew her well and by morning she would know what needed to be done.

She turned and nodded before casting one last glance over the bundled figures sleeping around the living room. She had her faith and she knew the answer would come to her in time. She joined her husband and as they settled under the covers she knew he wouldn't sleep much with their unexpected company sleeping under the same roof.

Michael released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding when he heard a door close and he slowly sat up, reaching up to gently stroke Maria's cheek. He was relieved to realize that she felt a little cooler than she had earlier. Julia had given Maria something for the cold and he determined that it must be working.

"Get some sleep, Michael," Max rasped tiredly from the sleeping bag lying in front of the other couch.

"We need to keep watch," Michael insisted. "They seem nice enough but we don't know them and they could turn around and call the cops at any time."

"I'll take the first watch. I got some sleep earlier while you were drivin'."

"Yeah," Kyle whispered as he rolled onto his side on the second couch. "Me too, so I'll take second watch. Get some shuteye, Guerin. You wanna be at your best if she needs you," he said, knowing that would be the best way to get Michael to get some sleep.

"Alright, but we take short shifts. None of us need to take watch for too long. We're all beat."

"My vote's the same. El Presidente takes first watch an' I'll take the next one. We'll take good care of her, El Capitan," Kyle said and raised his hand in a sloppy salute.

Michael grunted and settled down again, his back against the floor reminding him of all the nights he had spent sleeping next to Max' bed after a fight with Hank. No need to get lost in those memories, he thought. Turning them loose on his exhausted mind was just a recipe for disaster. He shoved them back into the little box in the back of his mind and let his eyes drift shut.

Max lay awake long after the others had fallen asleep, his eyes locked on his wedding ring as he twisted it on his finger. They needed a break from the road. A break from each other, he thought as his thumb brushed over a nick in the band from the time his hand had gotten slammed in the door of the mini-bus.

He sighed as he wondered if there was a way for them to hide out and stay off of the road, even for a little while. The close proximity was creating distance between them and tensions were running higher than usual. Arguments between two of them quickly escalated into group arguments because there was no privacy and it was hard to carry on an argument with one other person with everyone else around. It was only a matter of time before the others got involved and from there it just went downhill.

His gaze moved around the room, pausing when he noticed the swath of moonlight that came through the window to illuminate the hand-carved cross on the wall. He had told Liz once that he didn't believe in God but sometimes he couldn't help but wonder. There had been several close calls since they had escaped Roswell and a couple of times he hadn't had an explanation for how they had managed to elude their pursuers and escape capture. He rubbed his eyes and grumbled under his breath when Kyle started to snore softly. He relaxed slightly at the sound and he chuckled quietly at the realization that the sound was something that indicated normalcy in his life now.