Author's Note: A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Three Roswell episode Control.

Part 22

The snowy path to the cabins had been difficult enough to traverse earlier that day when the hybrids had been stone cold sober. The wind wasn't helping, the occasional gust of wind easily nudging them off of their course until Liz or Kyle reached out to steer them in the right direction again. The night was silent with the exception of the snow crunching underfoot, the sky a light whitish-grey with a full moon that lit their path.

"'m not as drunk as I was last time, Liz," Max said, giving her that goofy punch-drunk smile that she recognized from the last time he'd been drunk. "Thee, my tongue'th not as numb thith time…" The words were mumbled as he attempted to feel his tongue with his gloved hand.

Liz smacked his hand away, earning her a frown as he repeated the gesture. "Fine, you have no idea where that glove's been, but stick it in your mouth."

He seemed to consider what she had said, but after a moment he shrugged and continued. "Lith, can you feel my tongue?"

Kyle rolled his eyes and shifted his weight to keep Isabel going in the right direction. "You know, this was a lot more fun when I was trashed with him." He stretched to shoot a look at Liz. "Who would've thought back when we were datin' the summer before our sophomore year that six months after graduation we'd be on the run from the FBI an' luggin' two plastered aliens around in nearly two feet of snow in the frozen wilds of Michigan?"

"Um-hmm, plastered on beer battered fish."

"I know! Remember that summer when I finally convinced you to go to a party? Even you had a few sips and it didn't even phase you." He snorted. "Yeah, hear that? Your wife can out-drink you, Evans."

Max just shook his head and grinned. "Least she's never seen me barf after a beer blast."

"That's gross, Kyle," Isabel mumbled. "You better not do that tonight."

"What?" He glared at Liz. "You told him about that?" He glanced at Isabel. "Keep it up an' you're gonna be on the couch."

"Max just happened to mention it and I simply… concurred. Besides, you're the one who announced to an entire crowd the night of that stupid blind date contest that you were gonna go puke."

Isabel wasn't following the conversation, stuck on the last thing Kyle had said to her. "Only one of us is short enough to fit on the loveseat… and it's not me," she said, lifting her head imperiously. She ruined it a moment later when she started giggling and collapsed against his shoulder. Her voice was muffled as she said, "Kyle has Mickey Mouse sheets."

Liz pinched her lips between her teeth to keep from laughing at him.

Max started humming and he pushed his wife's hand away when he opened his mouth and she tried to cover it to keep him from belting out his song. "M-I-C… K-E-Y…"

"M-O-U-S-E," Isabel joined in.

"Well, it's been real an' it's been fun," Kyle muttered with a glance at Liz when they reached the path that led up to the honeymoon cabin, "but it hasn't been real fun. We'll see you guys in the mornin'."

Liz smiled and nudged Max to the right. "G'night, Kyle."

"G'night, Kyle," Max repeated in a sing-song voice.

Liz let go of Max so she could focus her attention on getting the key in the lock but a moment later the light she had been using changed from white to green and she looked around in confusion. Her eyes widened when she saw the light bulb Max was proudly eyeing and she hurried to shove the door open and slap the light switch for the porch light. She shook her head at him when he looked at her with a frown.

"Don't do that, Max!"

"You don't like green? It's for Christmas." He reached out to the bulb again. "Want me to make it red?"

"No, I want you to make it normal like it was before."

"Normal," he mused as his outstretched hand hovered over the bulb for just a moment. "I think normal's nice."

Liz sighed in relief when his hand came away to reveal a plain old white bulb once more. "C'mon inside, it's cold out there."

He obediently walked into the cabin but he got away from her again, wandering off while she was locking the door. She made a face at the little rectangular bits of snow he was leaving all over the place as they fell from the treads on the bottom of his boots. He finally stopped in the center of the room, his gaze thoughtful as it moved over the furniture and the wall decorations.

What was he thinking? she wondered. It had been a long day and spending it with the Stevens family and then going fishing with Edward and the boys had probably brought up memories of his parents. She knew it had for her and Maria. Kyle and Maria were both gonna have their hands full tonight, she thought.

"My parents used to be proud of me," he said finally, his voice low.

"They're proud of you, Max."

He shook his head. How can they be proud of me when they don't even know me? There were so many times that Isabel wanted to tell them. She trusted them that much but every time I said no… reminded her that they weren't our real parents. It was understandable for Michael to throw that in her face; he had only known Hank so his distrust and suspicion made sense, but I grew up with them, I knew them. They took me and Isabel in and raised us like we were their own, they loved us unconditionally, and I couldn't let them in."

Max stared at the wall as he went over the last year and everything that had happened. It was funny… his mind was fuzzy, but at the same time his memory had never been more clear. "When things were fallin' apart Isabel told them about Tess, that I had gotten her pregnant. All it did was make them suspicious of her. They probably thought she was just tryin' to protect me." He crossed his arms over his chest. "When she came back with Zan," he swallowed hard, "with my son, and I held him in my arms…"

Her stomach twisted nauseatingly when one of the subjects she preferred to avoid suddenly reared up before her. She forced the feelings down, knowing that as much as she hated dealing with them he usually buried his feelings about them because he knew it bothered her.

His eyes misted at the memory and he glanced at her. "Sorry, I know you don't like to talk about them."

"No, go ahead."

He watched her for a moment, his eyes seeming to see right through her. "I wanted to hold onto him and never let him go but I knew I couldn't. He wouldn't have been safe with me. At least with another family he has a chance at a normal life. You wonder sometimes, ya know? What kinda people just give their kids up… but sometimes there's no other choice."

"Everything's a choice, Max. The options may not be that great but it's still a choice."

He shrugged. "If the FBI hadn't come after us and I'd kept him…"

She held her breath, scared that he was going to voice one of the questions she didn't want to think about much less answer. Would they still be together? Could she have looked past the fact that Tess was Zan's mother? She wanted to think she was above that kind of behavior, but the truth was she didn't know if she could've dealt with seeing the little boy every day and being reminded constantly that Max had been with Tess. It didn't matter that she and Max had been broken up at the time. It wasn't like he had cheated on her but it didn't change the way she had felt when she had seen them together or when he had told her about sleeping with Tess."

"My parents would've supported my decision if I'd kept him and they would've loved him just as unconditionally as they loved us. And now they'll never know their grandson and he'll never get to know his grandparents."

She could hear the pain in his voice when he talked about his son and she wished there was some way to make it better for him.

"I would've taught him all kinds of stuff," he said with a sad smile. "I'd have taken him out on the same lake where my dad taught me to fish… my dad would've been there too." He looked down when Liz took his hands to pull his gloves off. "He would've loved that."

"I'm sure he would've," she agreed as she unsnapped the snaps and worked the coat over his arms.

Max draped his right arm over her shoulders. "Ya know, Isabel hated campin' when we were kids."

"Shocking." Liz rolled her eyes as he revealed that not-so-well-kept secret. "Here, why don't you sit down so we can get your boots off?"

"Okay." He grinned but continued on past the couch she was trying to guide him to, heading into the bedroom instead and sitting on the edge of the bed.

She shook her head at him and gave him a shove, pushing him over onto his back. He stared at the ceiling while she unlaced his boots and set them aside.

"I think the last time I was drunk was more fun," he mumbled through a yawn. He laughed quietly. "I beat Kyle when we raced."

"You and Kyle raced against each other?"

"Um-hmm." He smiled as he remembered Kyle looking up at him, trying to figure out how he'd gotten on top of that building without a ladder. "I beat him."

She couldn't stop the smile at the smug undertone in his sleepy voice. She was grateful when she started rearranging his limbs and he shifted around cooperatively to help her out.

"Hey, Liz?"

She braced her hands on either side of his body as she looked down at him. "Yes?"

"This'll never be normal, huh?" he said quietly.

"What's so great about normal anyway?" she asked even though they both knew the answer.

He reached up to cradle her cheek in his hand and his eyes were startlingly clear when he spoke again. "I'd give you normal if I could."

"We'll find our version of normal one day, Max. Until then we'll just take it as it comes and hope for the best."

"I love you." He took her hand and tumbled her down to lie next to him. He stared at their intertwined hands, his eyes locked on their wedding rings. "I always have," he whispered as his eyes slid closed.

Liz smiled and stretched up to kiss him. "I love you too, Max." Her fingers traced over his sleeping features and she hoped he would sleep peacefully tonight.

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Kyle wondered if Liz was having this much trouble with Max as he did his best to corral Isabel one more time. It reminded him of the time his parents had taken him to the county fair when he was a little kid and he had participated in the greased pig contest. Maybe he wouldn't share that little thought with her, he decided. She wasn't that happy. He breathed a sigh of relief when he turned her loose inside the cabin. At least now she was contained within four walls.

He got her out of her coat and shrugged out of his own, hanging them up before getting a glass of water and leaning against the kitchen counter as he watched her wander around. She was tapping her chin thoughtfully as she studied the room, taking in the furnishings and making a face at them. He suddenly remembered the prank he had set up earlier and he walked into the bathroom, reaching up to catch the clown when it swung down from the ceiling where he had suspended it. He released the string he had attached it to and wrapped it around the clown, hiding it under his arm as he snuck into his room to hide it.

He walked back into the living area and his mouth dropped open as he glanced around at the changes Isabel had made. The room looked surprisingly like the living room in her childhood home… and nothing like the home she had shared with Jesse for a short time. He took in her appearance as she stood in their newly remodeled living room. She was as beautiful as ever, her long blonde hair falling perfectly over her shoulders. He glanced down at her feet, noticing the trail of melting snow left in her wake.

She was tapping her chin as she glanced around. "Something's still missing." Her gaze fell on the empty spot next to the fireplace that had taken the place of the wall furnace.

"It's not the little water trail you've tracked all over the place," Kyle said.

She basically ignored him as the proverbial light bulb came on. "The Christmas tree," she said suddenly. "Mom and Dad would have ours up by now. There'd be a wreath on the front door…" she moved to the fireplace and brushed her fingers over the mantle. "The mantle would be decorated with lights and fresh garland and there would be candles lit. Oh, and stockings! There would be stockings hanging from the mantle too."

Kyle kicked his boots off by the door and went to get a towel from the closet. He followed her around, mopping up the wet spots. "Here, you should take your boots off."

A wide smile graced her features as she whirled to look at him, grabbing onto his arm when the room spun crazily. "Who's up for getting a tree tonight?"

"Oh, no," he said, drawing the words out when he saw the manic gleam overshadow her buzz-bright eyes.

"Oh, c'mon, Kyle, we've already got our boots on an' everything!"

Kyle made a futile wish for a cell phone. Cell phone, house phone, bat phone… whatever. He could call Max for help. Yeah, that'd be a big help. Talk about your happy hybrids. He went into his room and grabbed a pair of socks, unrolling them as he walked back into the living room. "Tell ya what," he said, deciding to negotiate with his own happy hybrid. "How about we look for a tree in the mornin', huh? Tonight we can make our stocking and hang them over the fireplace." The fireplace that would have to cease to exist when morning came, he added silently. There was no reason to take the moment away from her tonight.

Isabel stared at the socks dangling from his hands as he held them up, hoping to entice her to see things his way. All she could see was Jesse's ugly brown stocking that she had tried to hide on the backside of their tree. While they had been with the Stevens' earlier and even the night before she could only think of home and how much she missed her mom and dad. They had accepted her, helped and loved her. Home… it wasn't the house she had shared with Jesse. She looked down at the rings on her left hand and her vision blurred with tears.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked as he tossed the socks on the coffee table.

She swallowed hard and shook her head as she tried in vain to make out the design on her rings. Her thoughts took her back to the day she had gone to Max and Michael to ask permission from them to tell Jesse the truth, to let him in on the big secret. Why had she gone to them? Had Max asked their permission before he blew their cover with Liz? Had Michael ever asked anyone's permission for… for anything? She knew why she had gone to them and she pushed that thought away, not wanting to face it.

Her mom and dad had viewed her marriage as a mistake and they had almost not attended. How was it everyone around her had seen it? Everyone but her? You did know, her mind whispered and she tried to silence that quiet voice. Unwillingly her mind diverted to the conversation with her mom as she twisted the rings on her finger.

"Don't. Please don't try to defend yourself. I ran into Wendy today and she told me that a spot opened up at Emden Pond, which I specifically said that I wanted, and you told her no. And then you go and tell Max, knowing full well that he won't approve. God, Mom, you're acting like you don't want this wedding to happen."

Her mom had shocked her with her response.

"Maybe I don't. I thought if I could just slow things down that maybe you'd come to your senses."

"Why?"

"Because you're making a mistake, Isabel."

"A mistake? I love him."

"Then date him. Get to know him. You don't have to marry him, Isabel. Not like this. Not in six months. For God's sake, Isabel."

Isabel squeezed her eyes shut. "Who gets married in six months at 18," she muttered. "Alex…" she looked around, lost. "How is it that we didn't get to have Christmas together?"

Kyle heard the barely whispered word, sensed the shift in her emotions and he knew where she was going. "Hey, c'mere, let's get out of those boots and go sit in front of the fireplace."

She wasn't even paying attention as he took her arm to guide her over to the loveseat, barely aware of it when he knelt before her to remove her boots. Her mind was already back on the conversation she'd had with her mom about her pending nuptials.

"It hasn't even been a year since Alex. You graduated from high school without a firm plan for your future. I mean, your brother – look what's happening with Max. We don't know. Your whole world has been torn apart. It only makes sense that you would grab hold of the first stable thing that came along."

"No! That is not what he is to me."

She nearly knocked Kyle over when she shot to her feet and started to pace around, her steps agitated. "What kind of person am I, Kyle? My mom and dad saw it, Michael and Max saw it… and Jesse, look what he's had to do for me. I love him, he's a great guy…" She trailed off, biting her bottom lip to hold the rest of the words in.

"But you're not in love with him," Kyle said slowly, giving voice to her thoughts. "Isabel, look, you're buzzin' pretty good right now and you can't rely on what you're sayin'. Look at Max, he got up on stage and kissed Liz right there in front of all of Roswell radio and half the town." He made a face. "Okay, maybe not the best of analogies."

"I'm so tired, Kyle," she said as she looked around, her heart heavy.

He watched her for a minute, picking up on every nuance in her voice. She was tired. But not just from a busy day. She was tired of running from her past, running from her thoughts, and running for her life. "C'mon, Iz, you'll feel better after you've had some sleep." He took her hand and led her into her room, gnawing on his bottom lip as he glanced around. "You um, you probably wanna change into somethin' more comfortable to sleep in."

She shook her head and weaved slightly as she made her way over to the bed and flopped down.

"No, no, no, no, no," he said, trying to catch her when she started to lie down. He sighed when she deftly avoided him and made herself comfortable on top of the blankets. "You know you're on top of the blankets and it's gonna get cold in here the later it gets, right?"

"You won't let me get cold," she murmured sleepily. "You always watch out for me, Kyle."

"That's me, Mr. Reliable." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go grab a blanket for you." He ran into his room and snatched up his blanket before checking the front door one more time to make sure it was locked. He turned the lights out before going back to Isabel and unfolding the blanket, shaking it out and spreading it over her.

Isabel caught his hand when he leaned over and whispered a good night. "'s your blanket, Kyle."

He smiled at her slurred voice. "Yeah, Mickey didn't want you to be cold."

"Hate bein' alone."

"Yeah, that makes two of us." He looked down at her hand, wrapped securely in his and he glanced back at his lonely room. Neither of them wanted to be alone and it would be freezing in his room by morning. Not to mention the thought of sleeping on the loveseat or the bunk bed wasn't all that appealing. "Shove over, Evans."

She laughed quietly and shuffled over, making room for him. He settled in next to her and before long she gravitated towards his warmth, seeking out the comfort of his embrace.

Kyle's arms came around her in a loose hold as she settled against his side and he smiled when he heard her sigh easily for the first time that night. He grabbed the corner of the blanket and pulled it up higher over them.

"Don't ever leave me."

"Never," he promised as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and stared up at the ceiling in the near dark. "I could never do that, Isabel."

"Thanks for bein' my best friend, Kyle." She shifted to get comfortable and she closed her eyes as her mind once more retreated to that conversation with her mom. "I wanna go home," she whispered as she rested her head on his chest.

Her breathing began to even out into the gentle rhythm of sleep and he wished there was a way he could give that to her.