Author: Susan

E-mail: susanandtad@cs.com

Distribution: Anyone can have it if they want it. Just e-mail me and let me know.

Category: AU, FF, CC/UC, M&M centered, A/J, M/L and I/K, Maria’s POV

Rating: PG – R

Disclaimer: The characters and story all belong to 20^th century Fox and the writers and creators of Roswell.

Summary: Maria’s dad took her away from Roswell when she was 10. Her mom got close with Jim while he was helping her in her search for daughter and they were married a couple of years after Maria’s disappearance. Everything that happened on the show has happened in the story, minus Maria, even Alex dying L. Maria is on her way back to Roswell, she is now 20.

Part 1

Welcome to Roswell

I glance at the sign as I drive towards a place I have not been in 10 years. I didn’t really expect to feel so nervous. Yes I was going to see my mom, who I have missed so very much, but I was also going to meet my new stepfather and brother. Who would have believed that her mom, Amy Deluca, would have married the Sheriff of Roswell or that Kyle Valenti, her childhood bully, would now be her brother. Of course she wasn’t the same person she was 10 years ago either. At 10 she had been bubbly, full of life and so very innocent and naïve. My father had wiped that person from the face of the earth a long time ago. When I found out I was going back to Roswell I looked at myself in the mirror and wondered if my mom would even recognize me. Over the last couple of years he had worked extra hard to instill strict rules of conduct in me. He removed all joy and happiness from my life and taught me that Discipline, honor and duty were the only things important in this world. So gone was the young girl with fire in her eyes who floated around on a cloud and the hard woman with dead eyes took her place. I was also no longer Maria Deluca I was Maria Fisher. Father had changed our name a long time ago so that Amy could not find us.

As I drive down the main street of Roswell I recognize some of the places. The UFO Center and the Crashdown Café stand out most in my mind. I remember a young girl with long brown hair whose father used to own the Café. Liz Parker was her name. She had been my best friend. I remember aching for her for the longest time after my father took me away. It seems like an entire life time ago not just 10 years. I look at the sheet of paper on the seat beside me and see that I am almost there. Two more blocks to go and I will be home. Now that is a funny word, Home. Sounds so foreign and unattainable to me.

I see her standing at the window. She is waiting for me. I told her when I talked to her on the phone that I would be there at 12:00 and it was precisely 12:00 now. I am always exactly on time. My father made sure that I was that way. Father would be very upset at me if he knew how I was reacting right now. As I reach for my purse I notice that my hand is actually shaking. I have to stop that now. I take a deep breath, close my eyes and think of my father’s words about remaining in control. Once again I have regained my composure and step out of the car to meet my family.

The door is opened before I reach it and Amy Deluca-Valenti throws her arms around me. 

“My baby girl.” 

I hesitantly reach my arm up and pat her on the back but then bring it back to my side. She doesn’t seem to notice my lack of response. I glance over her shoulder and see her husband, Sheriff Valenti. Actually he isn’t the Sheriff anymore. He lost his job a couple of years ago and decided to go into private security instead of going back into law enforcement. I also see my stepbrother Kyle who is standing off to the side a bit. He has noticed my lack of response to my mom and glares at me. I guess we aren’t going to have a loving brother/sister relationship. Just as well that isn’t what I am here for. Amy finally lets go of me and starts talking a mile a minute. She says how much I have changed, how tall and beautiful I have become and she can’t believe her little girl has grown up. She continues for what feels like hours before her husband pulls on her arm and says to invite me in. 

“Oh my. I am so sorry. Please Maria come in.” 

After we get in the house there is a minute of awkward silence until I hold out my hand to my new stepfather. 

“Mr. Valenti it is a pleasure, I am Maria Fisher.” 

He takes my hand. “Please call me Jim.” I nod my head at him. I notice my mother grimace when I say the name Fisher. He pulls me over to Kyle. “This is my son Kyle.” 

I smile. “I remember. He used to pull my hair in elementary school.” Kyle smiles back, however, his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. I can tell that he doesn’t like me disrupting his perfect little family. 

We sit down and my mom talks for hours. She pulls out old photo albums of me when I was younger. She keeps asking me if I remember this and that. I want to scream that I have been away for ten years I don’t have amnesia. I remember everything about my time in Roswell. Why wouldn’t I, it was the only time I was ever truly happy. Then she pulls out photos from the past ten years. I see the pictures of the Valenti family Christmas’s. They seemed quite happy. There are also pictures of Liz Parker and Alex Whitman. Alex and I had only been friends for about a year before I left Roswell. I was genuinely sad to hear that he had died in a car accident three years before. Liz looked as beautiful as I remember. But it was her eyes that caught my attention. They looked like they should belong to someone who was much older. Then she showed me pictures of Kyle’s friends Max and Isabel Evans and Michael Guerin. She explained that they were part of the family. Isabel is actually Kyle’s girlfriend, soon to be wife, and Liz and Max are also an item. They were all very close according to my mom. I had told her on the phone that I really didn’t want to talk about Father or my time away from Roswell and so far she has respected my wishes. For the most part she has just discussed everything I have missed. After awhile Jim decides to ask me a few questions. My mother gives him a look. Evidently she must have told him I didn’t wish to discuss my past. 

“So Maria are you in school?” 

“No I work for my Father.” 

“And what does your Father do?” Kyle asks speaking for the first time since I walked into the room. 

“He is in the Security business.” 

“So are me and my Dad.” 

“Oh really. Didn’t you use to be Sheriff of Roswell Jim?” 

“Yes until about three years ago. I decided to go into business for myself.” 

My mother seems uncomfortable and decides to change the subject. 

“Maria honey I told Liz about you coming home and she is so excited to see you again. Kyle why don’t you take your sister over to the Crashdown.” She looks over to me. “I told Liz that I would send you over after we caught up a little. She is probably waiting for you.” 

“Ok.” 

Amy hugs me tightly and welcomes me home once again. Kyle has already walked out the door and is waiting by his SUV for me. On the trip over to the Crashdown he doesn’t say a word. As I reach for the door handle he presses the lock so I can’t get out. 

“Your mom is the only real mother I have she is happy that you are back. Don’t hurt her or you will regret it. Do I make myself clear?” 

“Crystal.” The lock is released and he jumps out of the car and heads through the Café’s doors. 

I am actually impressed by Kyle’s show of loyalty. I hadn’t expected that from him. He sure is different then the little boy I knew before. He seems to have turned out to be a good man, very much like his father. 

As I walk through the Crashdown’s doors I am surprised to see that not much has changed in ten years. It is still the alien themed restaurant that I adored as a child. I remember running through the tables and booths with Liz with not a care in the world. Liz sees me and rushes over and envelopes me in a hug. I don’t hesitate with Liz; I hug her back with genuine enthusiasm. I have missed her. For a brief second I feel like we are little girls again but then the reality of the situation hits me. I am the first to pull away. I notice the group of people who are standing behind her. There is a look of wariness and distrust on each of their faces. I can tell just by looking at them that they don’t like new people coming into their group and they are very protection of their own. When I pulled away from Liz both Kyle and Max Evans gave me a look. A look that said I better not hurt her feelings. Isabel and Michael are harder to read. Isabel seems to hide herself behind an Ice Queen façade. She shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. Michael Guerin’s face is completely blank except for a slight show of indifference. He is going to be a challenge. Of course, I excel at challenges. Max Evans is completely obvious. He is madly in love with Liz Parker and worships the ground she walks on. 

“Maria I want to introduce you to my friends. This is my boyfriend Max Evans.” Max shakes my hand. And this is Isabel Evans who by the way is Kyle’s fiancée.” Isabel says hi. “And finally this is Michael Guerin.” I guess you can say he nodded his head. It could barely be registered as movement. 

“Guys this is my childhood friend Maria Deluca.” 

“Fisher. It is Maria Fisher.” I say a little to forcefully. I hadn’t meant to but it just kind of slipped out. I need to be more careful. Father would not be pleased. 

 “It is a pleasure to meet you. My mother showed me pictures of all of you earlier at the house.” 

We sat down and Liz told her friends about some of the things we did as children. I smiled at Liz. She really hadn’t changed that much. Her eyes were still to old and wise for her years but her heart and spirit were the same. Liz did most of the talking as she sat and remembered and also tried to read Liz’s friends. These three noticed a lot more then the normal person did. It seemed like they spent a lot of their time reading other people also. Liz went on to tell her about what she and her friends did for a living. Liz was the manager of the Crashdown. Her parents were in semi-retirement. They were doing a lot of traveling. Max was the manager of the UFO Center across the street. He had worked there since high school and when the millionaire who owned the place decided he needed to spend some more time with his daughter he left Max in charge. Isabel worked for her father as a Paralegal and Michael worked for Jim Valenti along with Kyle. It also seemed that Michael’s sister, Laurie, helped fund Valenti Security.  Liz didn’t seem to have a problem sharing all this information with her, which was kind of surprising since she hadn’t seen her in ten years. Max, Isabel and Michael were keeping an eye on Liz to make sure she didn’t tell me anything that I shouldn’t know. It was actually kind of refreshing. These people openly show they don’t trust me whereas most people are the complete opposite. I am actually finding myself respecting these friends of Liz’s. They obviously care about her very much to allow her to include me in their lives especially considering how mistrusting they seem to be. 

After awhile Kyle says we should head back to Amy’s house where she is having dinner for all of us. Liz and the others follow us. The night was actually pretty enjoyable. Amy and Jim obviously cared about them all. They were very comfortable around each other so it was obvious they got together often. Amy and Liz made conscious effort to include her in most of their conversations. I just sat back and soaked it all in. Once in awhile one of them would ask me something about myself and I answered them as vaguely as possible making it obvious I really didn’t like discussing myself. I didn’t act as if I was trying to hide anything just as if I wasn’t comfortable. I explained to them that part of my job if to go into places and observe security problems with very little actual interaction with people. That is actually a pretty good explanation to how I am. Father spent years teaching me observation techniques. He says it makes you more in control of a situation and control is the most important thing to my father, in any given situation. As the evening winds down and the others leave my mother lets me know she has set up a room for me. I tell her that I actually have rented an Apartment near the Crashdown. I will be staying there. The Valenti’s seem surprised and my mother is noticeably disappointed. I explain to her that I plan on staying around for a bit. I have taken a leave of absence from work and plan to get to know my family and friends here again but I would feel more comfortable staying in my own place. She says she understands but is obviously a little upset. I notice the disapproving looks from both Jim and Kyle but I choose to ignore them. 

It is 10:00 when I get to my new apartment. As I walk through the door I hear the phone ringing. It will be Father. He was going to call at precisely 10:00. 

“Fisher.” 

“Have you made contact yet?” 

“Yes, everything is going as planned.” 

“Good. Make me proud Maria.” 

“I will father.”

Part 2 

After I hang up with my father I think about why I am really here in Roswell. I always knew that Father was involved in some dangerous things but it wasn’t until three years ago that I found out what his work really was. When I told the Valenti’s that Father was in Security I wasn’t lying he is; national security. He works as a special consultant for the FBI. He sat me down three years ago and told me that he along with another man were in charge of a special division of the FBI, one that investigates extraterrestrial activity. Daniel Pierce, my fathers pupil and friend, was the other man and according to Father he had been compromised. Pierce had gone to Roswell to investigate a teen by the name of Max Evans. They had suspicions that he was not of this world. Pierce took it upon himself to capture Max and to do testing on him. Father had received the results of the initial blood tests but didn’t receive further communication from him. A couple of weeks later Pierce was back in Washington but Father still had no contact from him and this is something that would never happen. Daniel Pierce and my father were very close. Father respected Agent Pierce very much and wanted him to be part of our family. Father assumed that Pierce was most probably dead and had been replaced by an alien. When he began his story I had my doubts but when he said that Daniel Pierce had been replaced with an alien I seriously doubted his sanity. Father showed me all the information that the government had gathered for over 50 years including the testing done on one of the aliens found in the 1947 crash. It was all so amazing. Right out of a science fiction novel. The evidence was convincing. I was a believer. Father spent the next three years training me for the mission I am now on. He knew of my friendship with Liz Parker and that my own mother was married to a man, who Father suspected not only knew about the aliens but also was protecting and assisting them. It was an ideal situation. I was now a member of the special unit, an alien hunter. My job is simple. I am to infiltrate them, to get their trust and once I have concrete evidence, I am to bring them into custody for testing. The aliens thought that the special unit had been shut down three years ago but they were sadly mistaken. Pierce had been shut down but not my father. See Father’s involvement was even more classified then Pierce’s. So much so that Pierce, or the alien that replaced him, never even knew of his existence. It had been decided years ago, to protect the integrity of the unit, that Father would stay completely autonomous from those involved. In all honesty Father was the real man in charge. Pierce and several of his predecessors had been killed while Father remained safely hidden and totally in control. If I was able to feel I would probably feel ashamed for what I am about to do but Father made sure that any glimmer of feeling I had was squashed immediately. Father says feelings are a weakness and if you are weak than you can’t be in control.

Weeks passed… 

Liz and I have spent a great deal of time together getting to know each other again. The friendship we had shared as children was easily found again, at least on Liz’s part. While spending so much time with Liz I also spent a great deal of time with Max and the others. They were gradually beginning to let their guard down. Jim asked me to check out his business since we were in the same line of work. I went with Kyle and Michael to several businesses that were looking to upgrade their security. Valenti Security was a brilliantly run operation. Each man brought a uniquely different approach to the running of it. Where one was weak in an area another made up for it. Michael was better at seeing security flaws, whereas, Kyle was definitely the people person of the operation. I found myself growing more and more impressed and had to remind myself with more frequency that I had a job to do. Whenever I was finding myself losing perspective I always remembered Fathers instructions. His nightly calls were also a good reminder of my mission here. 

“Maria what do you say to movie night at Michael’s tonight?” Liz asks as she sits down across from Maria. 

“As long as they throw a good movie in between the blood and guts.” 

Liz laughs. “Agreed. I got to get back to work. Come over to Michael’s at 7.” 

I leave the Crashdown and go visit my mother. It seems to make her happy when I come by and the happier that Amy is the more open Kyle and Jim are to me. After a few hours of helping my mother bake some of her legendary pies for the Crashdown I leave to meet the others for movie night. 

I always feel a little anxious every time I get together with Max, Isabel and Michael. They have started to act less unsure of my intentions and have really started to be more open around me. Well at least Isabel and Max have. Michael is still very cautious and he doesn’t try to hide his mistrust of me. Father had investigated all three of the aliens very thoroughly. When they were six Isabel and Max were adopted by the Evans and have a very loving and stable family. Michael, on the other hand, fell into foster care and had a very unsettled and abusive childhood. According to his file Michael had only been involved with one girl, Courtney Banks, who disappeared. Father thinks she may have been another alien. He believes there are actually a couple of different races on the planet and he hopes that by bringing Max and the others in he will discover just how many are here and why. Michael bothers me more than Max and Isabel. Sometimes I catch him staring at me and I could swear he is trying to see right into my soul. I think he is just trying to figure me out. That is why I always feel a bit uneasy around them. I’m afraid that Michael will somehow figure out my real agenda to being here. I take one of my long calming breaths and clear my mind as I knock on Michael’s door. 

Michael opens the door and as usual doesn’t say anything to me as he steps to the side so I can enter the room. 

“Hey Maria. On time as usual.” Kyle says. He was the first to notice that I am always precisely on time whenever we get together. It has now become a joke with him. 

I smile at him and go and sit by Liz and Max on the sofa.  

“Isabel and I convinced them to rent the new Julia Roberts movie.” Liz tells me. I smile at her. I don’t have the heart to tell her that the Julia Roberts movie probably isn’t much better then the usual blood and guts action movie that Kyle and Michael prefer. 

The night went as smoothly as all the others nights I had spent with Liz and her friends. As I walk into my apartment the phone is ringing. 

“Fisher.” 

“What is your status?” 

“They are starting to feel more comfortable around me but I haven’t discovered anything new.” 

“You are taking to much time Maria. I am disappointed in you. I have put too much into this operation for you to fail. Do you understand what I’m saying Maria.” 

“Yes Father.” 

“I am giving you two more weeks and than I am going to take this operation into my own hands.” 

“I understand.” 

As I hang up with my father I wonder what Father means by his last comment. Knowing him I’m not going to like it at all and neither will Max, Isabel and Michael.

Part 3

A week went from that fateful conversation with Father. As he insisted I tried even harder to get the aliens to trust me. I spent time with all of them. I even went with Liz to help Isabel pick out a wedding dress. It really gave me time to get to know Isabel. She talked to me a bit about Alex. She had loved him and was hurt very deeply by his death but Kyle had helped her a lot and she had gradually fell in love with him. Isabel told me that her and Kyle had become friends first and she even had dated someone else pretty seriously before she realized that Kyle was a very important person in her life. Now she doesn’t know what she would do without him. A couple of days after our shopping trip I saw something that will forever change my view of the world. I was going to meet Liz to go out to dinner with Max, Michael, Isabel and Kyle. The Crashdown was near closing when I walked in. I heard a very loud noise from the kitchen and heard Liz scream. When I walked up to the counter to see what was going on I see Max looking at Liz’s arm. She is crying and in obvious pain. Max is extremely gentle with Liz and says something to her very quietly. They look into each other’s eyes for a moment and then when Max removes his hand from her arm the burn is gone. I was absolutely amazed. I had never seen anything like it before. I caught myself before I gasped in surprise and stepped away from the window. After I had taken a couple of deep breaths I called out to Liz. Max and Liz came out a few seconds later. I told them I heard a noise and was concerned. They explained that the deep fryer had shot a bunch of hot oil into the air but luckily Liz was not near it. It just startled her. That night when I went home and received my nightly call from my father I did not tell him of what I had seen. The proof that Father had wanted I had but I did not give it to him. I sat for hours thinking about all I knew about Max, Isabel and Michael. I liked these people. They were good and caring individuals. They loved their families and friends very much and showed more affection for each other than I had even known or seen. Then I remembered the files that Father had showed me of the tests that were done on the alien from the 1947 crash. And based on those tests she can only imagine what Max went through back when Pierce captured him. Finally I considered my father. He was not a kind or gentle man and for the most part is totally void of any feeling except for maybe hatred. He hated the aliens as he had made clear from the start. After taking all these things into consideration I could not in good conscience hand Max, Isabel and Michael over to him. In one night I went from being an enemy to a supporter. It seems truly amazing to me that nothing life shattering occurred just a grease burn on a friend’s arm and now everything that I had been taught to believe in the last three years was brought into question. It made me consider that this was not the only thing in my life that I needed to reevaluate that not everything Father had told me my whole life was valid. So that little grease burn has changed my very way of thinking. 

Two days later I had a conversation with my father that disturbed me. He asked me if I had become important to Liz Parker. I wasn’t quite sure what he was asking. I answered him that Liz thought of me as her best friend once again. All he said was very good and hung up. I should have known that he was going to do something but I didn’t until a week later when I was getting into my car to drive home from the Crashdown. It was late at night and only the seven of us were around. We were all getting into our cars and Liz was standing at the door to the Crashdown. All of a sudden a car came around the corner driving very fast and erratic. It swerved and the next thing I know I am being propelled six feet into the air and land very near Liz’s feet. As I lay there feeling; for lack of better description, like I had just been hit by a car, I think back to that conversation with my father. It made perfect since why he asked if I was important to Liz and it so obvious to me that he set this all up expecting Liz to ask Max to heal me. Liz did not disappoint him. I heard her hollering to Max to please help me as she cradled my head in her lap. 

When Max leaned down beside me he told me to look into his eyes but I shook my head and grabbed his hand. 

“No. You can’t.” 

I hear Michael shouting that Max needs to hurry up. 

“It is ok Maria I can help you.” 

Again I shook my head. 

“No you don’t understand.” It was becoming painful to speak. “They set this up Max. If you heal me they will know.” 

“Who will know?” 

“FBI.” I struggled to say. Before I lost consciousness I was barely able to breath out. “My Father.” 

When I wake up again I am in the hospital. I hurt all over. In that time I sit in the bed waiting for someone to come in my room I think about all the events that have occurred the last few weeks. I can hardly believe that my own father would run me down by a car just to prove that Max and the others were aliens. I knew that he was a hard emotionless man but I never suspected that he would stoop so low for his cause. For the first time in along time I feel tears in my eyes and I don’t even try to stop them from falling. The control and discipline Father taught me is shattered and it is all his doing. With one hit of a car he has changed me forever. I begin to sob uncontrollably and this is how Liz and the others find me when they come into my room. Liz rushes over to my bed and throws her arms around me. She whispers comforting words into my ears. Years of control and pent up emotion seep out of me and I do not care who witnesses it. After awhile I pull back from Liz. I can barely look her and the others in the eyes knowing what I could have done to them, what I would have done to them if I hadn’t seen how human they really were. 

“I’m sorry.” My voice cracks. 

“It is ok Maria. You will be ok.” Liz says. 

“No Liz. I mean I’m sorry for what I almost did. It would have been so wrong. I just didn’t know. He told me it was my duty. I believed him. I believed everything he told me.” 

“Your father?” Max asked. 

“Yes. I still can’t believe he did this to me. I could have died but that didn’t matter to him. He is obsessed with bringing you in. I should have saw that three years ago but I was a fool. I am truly sorry.” 

“Why did you stop Max?” Michael asks. 

I am momentarily surprised that to hear him speak to me as he never has done so.

“I saw Max heal Liz’s arm a week ago.” I hear Liz and Isabel gasps “That night I sat and thought about what Father had told me about you and what I personally knew about you. I knew he was wrong and I made the decision that I was not going to turn you in. I never told him what I saw.”

“But how do you know he did this?” Liz asks.

 “ A week ago Father asked me if I was important to you Liz. I answered him as honestly as I could. When I heard you ask Max to help me I knew why he asked me that question. He had warned me weeks ago that if I didn’t come up with any information soon he would take the matter into his own hands. I still can’t believe he would go so far.”

 “You knew there was a chance you could die but you still didn’t let Max heal you. Why?” Michael asks me again.

 “You three have people who care about you: Liz, Kyle, my mother, Jim and the Evans. You deserve to have your future and to live your lives peacefully. I came here with the sole purpose of bring you in. I believed in the things Father said to me. I deserved what I got. If I died then I died. What I did was wrong. I’m just sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. I’m sorry.”

 Michael nodded his head and for the first time since I had known him he seemed to almost look like he believed me.

 Max is about to say something when we hear some arguing outside of my door. I recognize my mothers voice just as the door is opened and in walks a very tall, menacing looking man with a seemingly permanent scowl on his face. I cringe at the site of the man and I feel the façade of control return. I sit up in bed and take a deep breath. I am once again completely in control and I address the man standing in front of me.

 “Father.”

Part 4 

I hear Isabel gasp when I identify the man standing in front of me. 

“Leave us.” Father orders. My mother is protesting but Jim is pulling her out the door. Liz and the others follow him. 

“You told them?” 

“I don’t know what you are talking about Father.” 

Father is getting that look on his face, one that I am very familiar with, he is about to loose control. Something he hates and something that he always blames me for. 

“You stupid girl.” Father shouts as he backslaps me across the face. 

Out of nowhere Michael comes charging through the door and throws my father up against the wall. 

“Don’t ever do that again. Get the hell out of here and don’t come back.” Michael shout and throws my father out the door. 

I can’t do or say anything. I am completely shocked that Michael attacked my father. I have never seen anyone fight back against him. Most people are too afraid of him to even think of it. Michael must have been standing outside the door listening and heard the slap I received. 

My mother then comes running in the door. She sees the beginning of a bruise on my face and starts to go after him. 

“Mom, No. He will hurt you.” I shout. Everyone in the room looks at me. I think they are wondering just how much Father had hurt me over the last ten years. That is one question I don’t ever plan on answering. No one needs to know what my life has been like. It would serve no purpose other for them to feel sorry for me and I will never let that happen. I am to Proud, which is actually one lesson Father taught me that I appreciate.  

My mother starts to cry and hugs me as tight as she can. It hurts a lot but I let her do it anyway. I needed her hug as much as she needed to give it to me. I close my eyes and remember how it felt for my mother to hold me when I was a little girl. When I was being held by her, I felt like I was completely safe and no one could ever hurt me. Then Father ripped me out of the safety of my mothers’ arms and took me away with him. I did not feel safe after that and hugs were replaced by hits and berating tirades. Before I know it more tears are falling down my face and I am clutching onto my mothers for dear life. After awhile I pull away from her and look around the room. The others have left us alone. I guess they thought we needed the time together and they were right. For the first time since I have been back in Roswell I really feel like I have Come Home. 

Part 5 (Michael’s POV from the beginning) 

Amy Valenti told us tonight that she had gotten a call from her daughter, who she hadn’t seen in ten years, and she was coming home tomorrow. It was very obvious that Amy was thrilled. Kyle had told us how Amy had looked for years for Maria after her Father took her away. Jim had been Sheriff then and he had tried to help her. That was actually how they got together. Amy had lost a daughter but she had gained a son and now years later she had a large extended family. Amy and Jim had taken care of Max, Isabel and myself ever since the day Max saved Kyle’s life. Jim swore that he would always be there for us from that day on and he has. He even lost his job helping us. That is something that I will forever be sorry about so much so that it was my idea to ask my sister Laurie to help finance Jim’s security company. She had been glad to help especially since Jim had helped to save her life from Grant Sorenson. It seems like someone is always in trouble or someone’s life is needed to be saved with us. Well at least it had until the last couple of years. Things had been quiet. There hadn’t been any attacks from our enemies and the Special Unit was shut down. For once things seemed to be feeling normal, as normal as it ever could be for three aliens trying to hide their existence from the world. Now someone new would be around them and it was making me very nervous. I just had a bad feeling about this but for Amy’s and also Liz’s sake I am keeping my mouth shut. Liz was Maria’s best friend when they were children and she is almost as excited to see her as Amy is. I can tell Max is also concerned. 

The next day… 

Liz is waiting anxiously for Kyle to arrive with Maria. Amy just called and said they left a few minutes ago. She seems so excited. I don’t think I have seen her this excited since before Alex died. It was actually pretty nice to see. Liz runs to the door as soon as Kyle walks in. And behind him the most beautiful woman I have ever seen walks in. Maybe others would not say so but to me she was absolutely perfect. Then she lifted her head and I was able to see her eyes. They were beautiful, however they were absolutely dead. There was no life, no emotion whatsoever in her eyes. It seemed impossible that they belonged to such a beautiful girl. Liz hugged her and the girl, Maria, hugged her back for a bit but then pulled away. Max and Kyle give her a look that clearly says that she better not hurt Liz. Liz introduced us and started telling us about things they did together as children. Liz was extremely happy but Maria seemed to be just going through the motions. She smiled a few times but other then that she didn’t display a bit of emotion and barely talked at all. After the meeting at the Crashdown we went to the Valenti’s for dinner. For the most part it was like our normal dinners except this time Maria was there. Amy and Liz doted on her. Whenever one of us would ask her any questions about herself she always answered us but I had the impression that she was being intentionally vague. I don’t know if she has anything to hide from us but she definitely has a story. Maybe her job has a lot to do with it but I think there is more. I will continue to try and figure her out. She intrigues me. 

Weeks later… 

Yet again we are at my apartment watching movies. Liz made us pick up the new Julia Roberts movie because Maria asked if we could see something beside the good Action movies we usually watch. I really don’t think she is impressed with that movie either. I haven’t been watching the movie instead I have been watching her. She is definitely more interesting then any chick flic. Over the past couple of weeks I have seen moments where Maria has let her control slip. I have seen her respect for Jim Valenti and Valenti Security and her fondness for Liz slip out on occasion. I have even seen glimpses of respect for us, that is Max, Isabel and myself. I think she appreciates how we stick together and look out for each other. I have a feeling this is not something she is used to. 

A couple of weeks later… 

I saw the car swerve and head towards Maria and I yelled but she didn’t have time to react. She is hit with enough force to propel her in the air, about six feet, where she lands at a frantic Liz’s feet. I am completely stunned. I hear Liz shout to Max to help Maria. He looks to both Isabel and myself and we both nod our heads. She has become one of us, we can not let her die. I know she is hurt bad. There is blood coming from her mouth and she has a hard time talking. Max tells her to look in his eyes but she tells him no. Max thinks she is just scared and tries to let her know that he can take care of her but I can see her eyes. They are full of fear. At that moment I know that she knows about us and she is trying to tell Max to not do it. Her next words prove me right. She tells him he can’t do it that it is a set up, they expected Max to heal her. Isabel and I are both shocked when she says who “they” are: The FBI.  Then she shocks us more when she says it is her father. I put my hand on Max’s shoulder. He looks me in the eyes and I know he wants to heal her but he can’t, too much is at risk. 

We followed the ambulance to the hospital in complete silence. None of want to talk about the implications of Maria’s words, that the FBI was back and that her father was apart of it. And we especially did not want to think about Maria’s, a person we had begun to trust and genuinely like, possible involvement with the FBI. It is obvious that she knows about us and about the FBI but how far involved she is involved we wont know until we can talk to her. If we can even talk to her. Her injuries seemed very severe. By the time we pulled outside of the Hospital they had already hustled her up to surgery. So now we wait to find out what exactly the future holds for us. One girl, who is fighting for her life, holds all the answers to our questions. I just hope she pulls through. 

Next day… 

The doctors say she should recover. She has broken bones, a lot of bruises and they had to remove her spleen. Liz turns to us before we walk into her room. 

“Let her heal a bit before you ask her questions.” 

“We have to know how much they know Liz so we can run if we have to.” I say. 

“I know Michael but she did just get hit by a car and almost died.” 

“An accident that was obviously set up.” Isabel says. 

“Liz is right let’s just give her a little time.” Max says before he opens the door silencing any protests we may have had. 

She is awake and we are shocked to see her in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.  Liz runs over to her and hugs Maria. None of us have ever seen her display so much emotion and it is frankly unnerving. She glances over to us and I actually see emotion in her eyes: regret, fear and even a bit of anger. She says she is sorry. Liz tells her she will be ok. Maria tells us that she is so sorry for what she almost did to us saying how her father had told her it was her duty and that she believed him. Max asks her if she is talking about her father and she says that she can’t believe that he did this to her and that he was obsessed with bringing us in. I could almost feel the regret seeping out of her. 

“Why did you stop Max?” I had to ask her. 

She tells us that she saw Max heal Liz’s arm a week ago. We all are very surprised and I fear that we are done for. If she told her father a week ago then we are all but through. But she tells us she didn’t tell him, that she had decided she wasn’t going to turn us in.  Liz asks how Maria knew that her father was responsible for the accident. Maria tells us about a conversation she had with him a few days ago. He had asked if she was important to Liz. The man was obviously no fool. He knew that if Maria was hurt Liz would ask Max to heal her and then he would finally have proof. He just didn’t count on Maria telling Max not to do it. I just can’t believe that she was going to die for us so I ask her why? Why did she stop Max from healing her even if it meant that she was going to die? She says we have people who care about us and we deserve to live peacefully. She also says that she deserves to die for what she was going to do to us. I don’t need to hear anymore. I believe her. I believe that she thought she was doing the right thing and that when she realized she was wrong she wasn’t going to do it anymore. She would have died to protect us. For this she will forever be apart of my family no matter what happens next. We hear arguing outside the hall and in walks this man. I instantly don’t like him. He sends off a major evil vibe. I watch Maria as she goes from the repentant girl of moments ago to the stern, absolutely in control, emotionless women that walked into our lives weeks ago. I know who the man was even before she says anything. And I know that I hate him and that this man had hurt Maria. He told us to leave and I don’t want to but I follow the others out. I can hear Amy complaining to Jim about her ex-husband. Max and Isabel are talking silently off to the side. I can tell that they are very worried. Liz and I are standing by the door. I am listening to their conversation and not because I don’t trust Maria because I do. I don’t trust Brian Fisher. Fisher shouts at Maria calling her stupid and then I hear a loud slap. That son of a b*tch hit her. I don’t even think as I barge into the room and shove him up against a wall. 

“Don’t ever do that again. Get the hell out of here and don’t come back.” I throw him out the door. 

That man not only wanted to capture him and his family now he had hurt Maria. I really wanted to kill him. I looked at Maria and she seems shocked and not of her fathers action but mine. I think this isn’t the first time that he has hit her and this makes me want to hurt him more. Amy looks at Maria’s face, sees the forming bruise and tries to go after him. Jim and I are about to stop her when Maria shouts not to go that he will hurt her. The others now come to the same conclusion that I had earlier. Her father had hurt Maria, badly. Amy doesn’t say anything she just pulls Maria into a fierce hug. I see Maria wince from the pain but then hugs Amy back just as hard. Maria needs her mother right now. I motion to Max and the others and they nod and we leave Amy and Maria alone. Amy truly has her daughter back home where she belongs. 

Part 6 

I am coming home from the hospital today. This time I am going to stay with my mom and the Valenti’s. I am not going to go back to the apartment that Father rented for me. I can’t even think about getting near anything that he has touched. I feel like my life has been a lie and for the first time in a long time I am able to open my eyes to the truth. Father was not a nice man and an even worse parent. Jim decided it wouldn’t be wise to leave me alone so someone has been with me every second of the day. For the most part it has been nice to be around people who care but I also kind of miss my usual solitude. The only time it is quiet is at night when it is Michael’s shift to watch me. He doesn’t talk, he only watches over me. I actually think he understands that I need the quiet time to think and decide what to do next with my life. Father decided everything for me for the past ten years. He decided what activities I was involved in, who were my friends and what my future would be. Now it was up to me to decide and frankly I didn’t know where to begin. So this quiet time is good for me. Sometimes I catch Michael looking at me with a strange expression that I can’t read. After all this time Michael is still a mystery to me. Michael is very protective of his family and it seems as if I am now included as one of them. I still can’t believe that he stood up to my father for me especially knowing what I came to Roswell to do. No one has asked me about Father or his plans for the aliens since the incident with Father but I know that when I go home I will need to tell them what I know. I just hope they don’t ask me any questions that I am not ready to answer. 

We arrive at the Valenti’s around lunchtime and I am not surprised to see all the gang there. We sit down and have a nice lunch. When everyone is done eating I get up and walk to the window trying to get myself ready for the conversation yet to come. I take a deep breath and gain control of my anxiety and go and sit down on the couch once again. I notice out of the corner of my eye that Michael has watched my every move. He knows that I am about to tell them what they have wanted to know the last three days. 

“What do you want to know?” I ask. 

“Maria honey you don’t have to do this now, it can wait.” My mom tells me. 

“No it is time.” 

Max is the first to speak. “What do you know about us?” 

“More then you can imagine. I know about the crash and the four aliens that were found. Two were dead and two alive. One escaped, I believe you know him as Nasedo and one was held captive at Eagle Rock Military Base for three years, where an array of tests were done on her. Nasedo spent the next 50 years going around the world leaving corpses in his wake. He was responsible for the death of at least five of the heads of the special unit. In September of 1999 there was a shooting at the Crashdown where witnesses saw Liz go down. They saw a young man go up to her and speak to her quietly for a few minutes while his friend keep people from seeing what was going on. A minute later a stunned Liz gets up with a stain on her uniform where she supposedly spilled ketchup on herself. Neither the bullet nor a bullet hole was ever found. Sheriff Valenti investigated the shooting and found out that Max Evans and Michael Guerin were the two young men who fled the scene before the ambulance or cops showed up. He also found Liz’s discarded, stained uniform and had the FBI analyze it and as expected blood was found on the uniform. Kyle Valenti, the sheriff’s son, witnessed a silver handprint on Liz’s stomach the day after the shooting but when the sheriff investigated it the print was gone. All of this evidence had the special unit interested and then with the shooting of Everett Hubble, the UFO nut, it became apparent that their involvement was necessary. Daniel Pierce, the new head of the special unit, came to Roswell personally and impersonated a bumbling, yet eager Deputy. Then a serious of events led to the capture of Max Evans and the testing that followed at Eagle Military Base. As for the results of the testing, we don’t know what they are other than the initial blood test and X-rays. Anatomically Max is human but the blood sample was anything but. These are the only facts they have. Father has a lot of theories. He assumes that Pierce was killed by either you or Nasedo and then later replaced. He also assumes that it was Nasedo that took his place and that it was he who eventually had the Special Unit shut down.” 

Everyone in the room is surprised with just how much I know. 

Michael asks the questions that I’m sure everyone really wants to know.

“What is your father’s involvement with the Special Unit?” 

“Father was recruited by the head of the special unit over 10 years ago. His mentor, the man who recruited him, was killed by Nasedo a couple of years later. Father’s involvement with the FBI is not official. In the eyes of the government Father does not exist in any official matter. But when the next agent was put in charge of the unit Father became a consultant and worked side by side with the man. Father’s involvement has been kept totally top secret so that if the head was comprised in any matter someone would still be in charge. There had been several Heads of the Department by the time Pierce came in charge. Pierce and father we especially close. Father considered him a good pupil. He was by far the strongest and most intelligent Head of the Special Unit since Fathers mentor. Father knew something was wrong when he did not receive any further test result on Max after the initial ones. Then when the Unit and  Agent Pierce came back to Washington and he still had no contact from him he knew that the Unit had been compromised. It was then that Father brought me into the Unit. He knew of my friendship with Liz and wanted to use it to his benefit. He spent the next three years training me for this mission.” 

“What were you supposed to do?” Max asked. 

“I was to infiltrate your group and gain your trust. Once I had proof that you were actually aliens I was supposed to give the information to Father who would bring you in for testing. He wants to know how many of you are on the planet and what do you want. Father believes that there are quite a few of you, maybe even different races on the planet. He believes that Congresswoman Whittaker, Courtney Banks and the whole town of Copper Summit, Arizona were all aliens who you exterminated. He wants to know why?” 

I hear Isabel and Liz gasp. I guess Father was correct on his assumption. 

“So what now?” Isabel asks. 

“I honestly don’t know. Father only told me what he wanted me to know. I don’t know what he will do now. Don’t underestimate him. He is a very dangerous man. He has spent the last three years obsessed with your capture. I think he blames you for Daniel’s death and now that I am no longer under his control it is only going to make him more determined to bring you all in.” 

“Daniel? You knew Pierce.” Michael moves in front of me and asks.

I look into his eyes. It seems important for me to answer him. I am not exactly sure why.

“Yes. As I said he was Father’s pupil. Father treated him like a son. He was going to … that is he wanted Daniel to…” I have a hard time finishing the sentence. 

“It is alright Maria. What did your Father want?” my mom gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. 

“He wanted Daniel to become his son-in-law.” 

“What? You were only 16.” My mother shouts, outraged. 

“He thought Daniel was a good match for me.” 

“And what did you think?” Again Michael asks as if it is important for him to know. 

“ I would have rather died than marry him. I … I hated him.” I look into Michael’s eyes and for a moment I think I see relief flicker there as well as something else I can’t quite decipher. 

 I told them I hated Daniel but that didn’t come close to verbalizing the amount of disgust I felt when he was near me. Father wanted him to marry me and Daniel would have, for no other reason then to break me. Daniel was actually worse than Father. Father’s cruelty was nothing compared to how sick and vile Daniel was. 

“There is one thing I don’t understand. You said your father suspected that Congresswoman Whitaker was an alien. Well wasn’t Pierce involved with her?” Liz asks 

“Father knew that Whitaker was interested in the alien division of the FBI but he wasn’t sure of her agenda in it all. He had Daniel get involve with her to keep an eye on her. Father didn’t suspect her being an alien until after her death and after he did a little research on her and the town of Copper Summit. He was so mad that they had her in their mist for so long and never knew about her true origin.” 

I lean back against the couch as my energy and control start to fade. I had been dreading this conversation for the last three days and now that is was about over I was feeling exhausted. My mother noticed and told the others that the rest would have to wait, that I needed my rest. Everyone except for Michael left. He stayed behind. 

“Can I talk with Maria, alone?” Michael asks my mom. 

“If it is alright with Maria.” She looks to me to see if it is ok. I nod my head. She and Jim leave the room and let us talk in private. 

“I was the one that killed Pierce.” He says surprising me with his honesty.

“He was going to kill us. I reacted on instinct. I wanted him dead and I killed him. I really was never glad that I did it until today.” 

A tear rolls down my face. I know that he is glad that killed him because of me. 

“Thank you” I whisper. If he only knew how truly grateful I was. Daniel was a vile man capable of doing some really terrible things and did, to me. I can only imagine what Max endured during his stay at Eagle Rock. Looking back now, I should have realized that my father was wrong a long time ago. He knew how Daniel was and he never stopped him. In fact he encouraged him to take control of me. Father said I needed to learn discipline and that Daniel was a master at it and I could only benefit from his teachings. 

Michael starts to leave but I stop him. 

“Michael, wait. I want to also thank you for the other day, for standing up to my father. No one has ever done that before, especially not for me.” 

I walk over to him and reach up and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you.” 

Michael wipes away a tear from my cheek that I didn’t even know had fallen. “Your welcome.” 

He turns and walks out the door. My hand goes up to my cheek where Michael’s had been. I smile to myself thinking that things just might be ok and that it was really nice to Come Home.

The End of Story 1.

Author’s Note:

I decided to do this as a three-part trilogy. First part Coming Home, Second part (still untitled )will deal with Maria starting her new life and finally the third part( also untitled) will be the groups fight against Maria’s father and the others finding out just what kind of hell Maria endured at the hands of her father and Daniel Pierce.