Sequel to "Belong to me"

Author: becky rttavi@aol.com
Rating: R
Distribution: please ask first. always.
Pairing: M/M primary
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Roswell or the characters of Roswell. Original story is solely mine.
Feedback: send it to rttavi@aol.com
Notes: Uhh…Sequel. Damn! I can't stop.
"Belong to Me" can be found here: beckyrocks.com
** lalala thanks to BobbyC for agreeing there was more of a story. Thanks to all who wanted a sequel :) Special thanks to Susan & Shavona *hugs*.

*first chapter, just a little bit. More? I'm still writing it, but I won't post it here if it's not wanted. Y'all know I hate to flood!


Chapter One


For five months we've been living in paradise. And it really has been wonderful. I never knew that such happiness really existed. I never imagined I'd ever experience anything like this. Hell, I should probably be dead by now. Here I was still Maria, a bunch of ex's: convict, addict and slut living in this heaven on earth with the man I never wanted to be without. The man I would never be without. Okay, all man, but part alien. That's how I deal. >
We spend our days in the sun playing and our nights are as steamy as steaminess gets. I still have a few more fantasies to work out on him; I'm just waiting for a carnival to come to town with cotton candy. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever picture myself here. But here I was and I was fucking ecstatic!

Isabel and Kyle were our frequent guests and I savored every second they were here. We haven't seen Alex since his and Isabel's honeymoon, but he sent cheery emails almost weekly. Max and Liz hadn't been down either, but planning that huge wedding and everything was time consuming. At least that was what Isabel said. Hmm, I wonder if she was being sarcastic? Kyle's been down more than Isabel and I love it when he's here! We have entirely too much fun together. We play. But he won't be coming down as much now though, he went back to work. Bummer. There are some very sad points to being so far away from my friends. I miss them.

Haven't heard much from Tess, but that's okay. It's not like I didn't like her, I did. But she was just kind of there; hanging out with Max and Liz all the time. I know Michael misses her, though. Or maybe he just feels sorry for her. I think she emails him from time to time; he hasn't said anything about it, but I think I've proved by now I'm not stupid.

I did get an email from Liz one day and I about fell over with shock. It was to me and me alone, no less. She sent me pictures that  she had taken all around Roswell. I think I actually had tears in my eyes when I saw them. She was thorough; she hit everything from my old flat to the park with the really big fucking dip. She must have enlisted Kyle's help for that one. I even smiled when I saw the outside of the Crashdown, that stupid theme restaurant. I missed Roswell and I missed my friends.
I knew it was in everyone's best interest that we stay away, but damn! It was hard. Thank God for email. That kept me smiling. Well, that and a few other things...

Michael and Max were still communicating everyday and I think Michael was beginning to appreciate his alien side a little more. He used those freaky abilities around our little bungalow and I have to say some of the things he came up with…Wow! Sometimes I see him looking sad and I know why. He didn't want to leave his new 'family' so soon. There was so much to learn and try to understand and we were so far away. He looked to Max as a teacher, but the miles made it difficult. When he tried to tell me things he learned from Max I know I had that blank stare thing going on. I couldn't help it. Some of this was very cool and some of it freaked me out. I still can't quite accept the whole pod chamber idea. He needed to be around the others someday. Soon.

I hoped we'd be able to go back sooner or later.

Today didn't seem different than any other at all. We woke up late, played a little, had breakfast and then ventured out the front door to the beach. Our chairs were where we had left them for months. A few hours baking in the sun and then we took a little dip in the water. I didn't venture in too far; water scared the shit out of me. I guess it was kind of like the not dealing with part of Michael's alieny things. The unknown and not completely understood scared me.

When Michael got the email after dinner, I was floored. We had been gone from Roswell for over five months and never expected anything like this. It wasn't right, there was nothing fucking right about this. I read it over his shoulder and put my hand on him. I felt his body quiver and knew he was feeling the guilt, probably, okay definitely, more than I was. Damn!

Michael and Maria. I don't want to use the phone and I'm sending this from the library's computer. Something's happened, and I don't know what to do. We thought we were safe, but we were wrong. I can't ask you to come here and help because of your own safety; but any suggestions would be appreciated. We've never had to deal with anything like this. I don't know who it is, I don't know if it's Section, but they have Tess. Tess is gone. I'll be using this email account to talk to you from now on and I'm destroying my hard drive at home. Max.

I knelt down next to my husband and tried to read his thoughts. I came back with 'fuck.' My sentiments exactly. Max didn't give us enough information, but I knew enough to realize that he was probably right in his assumption. It was Section and they had Tess and who knows what was happening to her. Fuck!

I watched as Michael typed a quick message back:

We're on our way. Michael.

Oh shit. Here we go.

*        *          *

Chapter Two

Everything was happening too fast for me. All these months of living in beach-mode and now I was getting ready to be thrown back into action. I guess it was only fair. Technically I had been doing nothing but resting for months. Michael was pacing the room and it was making me nervous. I don't think he wanted to leave the beach either. But this was what we had planned on someday. Well, not exactly like this, but we knew we wouldn't be safe here forever. We never said it out loud; but it was always implied. At least I thought it was implied.

I really, really didn't want to leave the beaches. I didn't want to leave almost naked Michael visions on the beaches. But I knew we had to. I was happy we were going back to Roswell, but I wish the circumstances could have been different. I had actually believed that we wouldn't go back until Max and Liz got married. But now, Tess was gone. Shit! Definitely not a good.

I read the email again as I know Michael was after he quit pacing. Tess was just gone. Maybe she met someone and ran off. I mean if Max could be any vaguer…I watched Michael on that laptop of his while he made our travel reservations. I assumed we'd be able to stay with Isabel and Alex. Okay, I hoped we'd be able to stay with them. There were some bright points to going back even under dire circumstances. I would get to see my friends again.

Our bags were packed in a couple of hours. I didn't know what we should take with us or if we'd be back. I stuck with clothing and that's about it. I hope we can come back here when we find out what happened to Tess. I hope we were still alive when we found out. I put Mr. Bear on top of my clothes and sighed. Michael looked at me across the bed and it was a worried look. I hated the worried looks. I liked the 'I love you' and the 'let's have sex' looks much better.

"Michael…"

"This is my fault," he said quietly and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I led them…God, if anything happens to her."

"Nothing is going to happen to her, okay?" I tried to reassure him but it was hard when I wasn't sure myself. "Tess is going to be fine and we're all going to live happily ever after. Just like we've been doing here."

"I don't want to leave either," he smiled that sideways smile at me. "I don't think I ever want to see you in anything except that little black bikini you've been wearing."

I smirked. "You want to see me in it or you want to see it on the floor where it usually ends up?" He laughed but it wasn't a real one. I knew there was nothing to laugh about right now. Couldn't blame a girl for trying.

"I don't know what's going to happen."

I sat next to him and squeezed his hand. "It might not be Section." Yeah, riiiight.

"Damn it!" He ran his hands through his hair and it was still sexy even given the circumstances. "I didn't leave anything behind, Maria. I covered our tracks completely. I don't see how they could have found anything out. I don't know why Tess. Why would they take Tess?"

"Rena?" I asked and actually got goosebumps. Damn! Did she do or say something to Section before she was 'taken care of'? Did we really put all of their lives in danger? Shit!

"I don't know." He closed his eyes and I could feel the guilt rolling off of him. "I had everything planned and I thought it worked out pretty good, but now Tess…I have to find her."

"No," I shook my head and got the surprised look from him. "We have to find her, Michael. Don't forget, we're in this together."

"I love you," he kissed my nose and I smiled. "My Sweet Maria. What would I do without you?"

"Suffer and die," I shrugged and stood up. "Are you ready to get this show on the road or what? I feel like putting my badge back on and crossing out alien hunter and writing in Tess finder. What do you say? Ready to go back to Roswell?"

He stood and wrapped those arms around me. Those soft callousy hands rubbed my bare shoulders. "Yes Maria, I'm ready to go back to Roswell."

He carried our bags to the Jeep Cherokee we'd been driving. I still didn't know if we owned it or leased it or whatever. I left all that stuff up to him. The less I knew about our finances the better. All I know is that we always have plenty of cash and we're never in need of anything. He put our bags in the back and I got in the passenger side. As we drove away from my heaven on earth something caught my eye and I almost screamed. Instead I sighed.

"What's wrong?" He asked and slowed down.

I pointed to a poster plastered on the side of a brick building. "Now the carnival decides to come to town!" I folded my arms over my chest and I might have pouted. Some things in life were just not fair.

I undid my seatbelt and knelt on my seat looking out the back window. Brilliant streaks of lighting lit up the sky. A storm was moving in from the south. I hoped it wasn't a fucking omen.

*        *         *

We flew into Roswell Industrial Airport and I remembered the last time when I was new and scared. Now as I flew in, again with Michael, I was wiser. I was hip to what was going on. I wasn't scared. I squeezed my husband's hand as we landed. I will never like landings.

As we got off the plane the first face I saw was Kyle's. I dropped my carry-on and ran to him throwing my arms around him. He picked me up and spun me around setting me back down as Michael walked up to us.

"Are you happy to see me?" He asked and kissed the corner of my mouth.

"Kyle," I sank into him. "You have no idea." I looked around. "Are you here alone? Hey, how did you know when we'd be here?"

He nodded towards Michael. "Cryptic email from him and yes I'm alone." He took a bag from Michael as we walked downstairs to get our luggage. "So, how was your flight?"

"Tell me what's going on," Michael stepped in-between Kyle and me. It was incredibly rude, but I had to let it slide this time.

'I don't know much," Kyle sighed and I walked around to his other side and looped my arm through his. "Today's what, Monday? Max hasn't heard from Tess since Thursday. Which is actually kinda strange for her." He took a deep breath. "He went to her apartment on Friday and it had been ransacked. I saw it, the place was completely torn up."

"What were they looking for?" I asked but didn't get an answer. I don't think I really expected one, but some type of acknowledgement would have nice. I was walking right fucking here next to them. "Excuse me. Does anyone have any idea what the fuck is going on?"

"It's Section, Maria." Michael glared in my direction. Is he actually glaring at me? "You know it as well as I do. They have Tess and I have to get her out."

"Michael…" I trailed off. I didn't have anything else to add.

"How can you be sure?" That was Kyle. Hopefully Michael would answer him with a little more civility than he did me.

"I'm sure. Who else would it be?" He ran his free hand through his hair. "I screwed up somehow and they found out. They know about the others."

Neither Kyle nor I said anything. I guess we didn't know what to say. What was there to say? Michael was right, in some convoluted way.

"Will you take me straight to Tess's?" Michael asked.

"No." Kyle shook his head. "We're going to Isabel's house. Max wants you there-"

"I have to see-"

"Later." Kyle looked at Michael and I wondered if we were in for a war of the interruptedsentences.

I guess it really didn't matter to me; I was going to see Isabel. Yeah me! We walked the rest of the way to baggage claim in silence. Great. Testosterone at it's finest. We claimed our bags and Kyle walked us to the parking lot. I started scanning the lot for his foreign car and oh my God! My Mustang was in front of us. My pony! I started grinning.

"I found it at a used car lot last week," Kyle smirked. "So I traded in my piece of shit and now I'm cool." He cocked his head to the side and I laughed. I wish Michael would have at least cracked a smile; but he was being Mr. Stoic. Kyle popped the trunk and we put our bags in. I climbed in the backseat and hung over to the front, just like a little kid. "I've been taking good care of it, don't worry."

I had wondered what had happened to my pony; I just never got around to asking. There were a lot of things I never got around to asking about.

"When was the last time anyone heard from Tess?" Michael asked and I knew this car ride was going to be from hell.

"Thursday," Kyle snapped. "I told you Max hasn't heard from her since Thursday. My dad dusted-"

"Your dad?" Michael interrupted. I sat back and looked out the window as things became more familiar. "Your dad…Knows?"

Uh-oh. I knew Kyle's dad knew, but I guess I forgot to mention that to Michael. Oops.

Kyle nodded. "Oh yeah, he knows and he has for longer than me. It's cool so, get over it."

I thought I might gag on the tension.

"It's not cool." Michael snapped.

"Listen, you're new to this whole alien game. I don't care that you are one of them. I've been playing a lot longer, so has my dad. He won't make mistakes. Which is more than I can say about some people I know, huh?"

Damn! "Kyle." I put my hand on his shoulder and I could feel the tension. This was not working out the way I planned it. The two most important men in my life sounded like they were going to kill each other.

"It's fine Maria," he looked over his shoulder and smiled at me. "I'm sorry, but I'm a little stressed right now. I just don't want anything to happen to Tess."

Was I detecting something a little bit more than friendshippy feelings here? "Neither do we." I squeezed his shoulder. "We'll find her and we'll get her back." Or we'll die trying. Damn! I hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

"We'll get her back, Kyle." Michael seemed to relent in his pursuit to be the world's biggest asshole.

"I know," he looked at Michael and I got the goosebumps. "If it's not already too late."
*     *       *

Chapter Three

When we pulled up in front of Isabel's, I saw her on the porch waving; Alex was standing beside her. I couldn't get out of the car fast enough. I pushed Michael's seat up slamming him into the dash as he opened the door. I ran to the house and almost tackled Isabel. Who would have ever thought I'd be this happy to see a friend? Amazing.

"How are you?" I gushed. God, I was beginning to miss the old me. The old me never gushed. I hugged Alex quickly and went back to Isabel. Oh God, her expression was happy on the outside but she radiated with fear. "We're here to help."

She nodded and I think I knew she was thinking. Probably the same thing the others were thinking. This was our fault and it was only a matter of time before they came for the rest of them. Shit! They were so right.

"Isabel, we'll get Tess back and make sure you're all safe." I tried to reassure her. "We'll do it."

She nodded again. "Is it this Section?"

"Michael thinks so."

"So, he didn't cover your tracks as well as he thought and now they have Tess?" Isabel's eyes narrowed and I knew she wanted to go off on me. Hell, I couldn't blame her. I'd go off on me too. Not only that, but I'd probably kick my ass while I was at it.

I nodded. "We'll fix this Iz, I promise."

"Maria, I'm happy to see you. I really am, but I'm scared to death right now. My brother is walking around like a psycho zombie. Liz is being Liz-like and I want to backhand her. Alex is scared and Kyle…Kyle's not acting right." She shook her head. "What now?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Max walked up in back of her.

I stepped back when his eyes went to my tits. If I ever thought I'd regret pitching all my bras, now would be the time. I was wearing a button down black shirt of Michael's and jeans. But sure as hell, Mr. Perv was back in action. I swear if he talks to them and not me…

"How do we get her back from Section?" Max asked and looked at my face. Good thing. "Where is it? How do we get to her?"

I wasn't prepared to answer those questions, that seemed like a Michael duty. He was busy with Kyle taking luggage out of the car. Okay they had been doing that for entirely too long now. I waved to them and they came obediently, Michael was smiling. Nice to see they were playing nice together again. They carried the bags in the house past the stares from the remaining two aliens and then came back outside. Now Kyle was smiling too. Me thinks I didn't like the smiley bonding. First I'm not happy with the arguing and now I'm not happy with the camaraderie.

"Michael," Max shook his hand. "Where is Section, when can we go and how do we get her back?"

"I'll go." Michael met the eyes of brother and sister. "I'll get her back."

"We'll go," Max stood up straighter probably trying to compensate for his height. "Tess is my responsibility."

Okay. I saw some recognition of fact flash through Michael's eyes. Someone's keeping secrets, I thought it in a sing-sing voice.

"If they catch you they'll kill you." Michael didn't look anywhere near me for that one. Gee, I wonder why.

"What the fuck are you saying?" I stepped in front of him and forced his attention on me.

"Maria-"

"Don't Maria me. I want to know what the fuck is going on around here. Is this a suicide mission? Are you going to tell me later that you love me and then run off and die?" I felt the heat surge through me. "Is that it?"

He closed his eyes. Damn! "I don't know."

"Well, that's not good enough!" I fought back the tears. Damn it! I would beat them this time. "I won't let you go that easy Michael. You go to Section, I go to Section. We die? We do it together!"

"I won't let you get hurt." He met my eyes and the love might as well have been written on his irises.

"I know and you'd die to protect me and all that other crap," I waved my hand in the air. "Well, let's just say it's a two way street. If you try to go without me, then…" Shit! I was on a roll there for a minute and now it was gone. "I'll divorce you." There. Ha!

"Divorce me?" He almost smiled.

"Yeah, I'll divorce you." Instead of tears now I fought with a smile. "I got your back, Michael." I winked. "If anyone can find Tess, it's me. Remember, I am the only official alien hunter in the bunch."

He nodded with a grin and I knew I had won. What I had won, a possible one way trip back to Section. Okay, not the vacation of my dreams; but if it gave us some more time together, Section could have my left lung.

"I go too." Max folded his arms over his chest.

"Me too." Isabel stepped up next to her brother. I don't think she noticed the look of surprise on Alex's face. I wonder where Liz was.

"Forget it." Michael shook his head.

"This isn't up for discussion," Max looked from Michael to Isabel. "Tess is one of us and we have to get her out. Isabel and I will be going. It's all of us on the line now."

"I'm going too." Kyle stood next to me and I wanted to kiss him. God love Kyle Valenti.

Michael pointed at him. "You? No way."

Kyle hung his head. "Fine, but I am going to whatever city you are. I can be the human lookout."

Alex took a deep breath and joined Kyle. "Yeah, me too. When do we leave?"

Michael suppressed a smile, he knew he was losing this battle. "Soon. Tomorrow. Tomorrow night? I have to get into Section Intel and see what I can find out." Michael looked to the crowd of people around him. "We'll bring Tess home. All of us will come home."

I sure as shit hoped he meant that. I couldn't lose any of these people anymore than I could lose Michael.

"What about Liz?" I asked. I asked?

"She won't be going." Max stated and I took it as gospel. I guessed she wasn't here tonight. Maybe there was trouble in paradise.

"Isabel," Michael looked at her and I saw something pass through them. "I need some outlets."

She smiled and led him inside leaving me out here on the porch with the boys. "So, I guess we're going on a little trip, huh?" I asked and raised my eyebrows. Alex smiled and Kyle laughed but Max just stared at me. I don't think Max particularly cared for me all that much. However that didn't seem to stop him from leering at my tits though.

"What's it like?" Kyle asked causing the mood to become incredibly serious. "At Section. What's it like?"

"It's big, scary, sterile and I hated it." I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. "I don't know everything, Michael's the one to ask about Section. I know they're supposed to be doing good things, but at the same time I can't tell the difference between good and bad. Tess isn't a threat. None of you guys are."

"Regardless, she's gone." Max stated and cocked his head to the side.

I nodded and tightening my hands into fists. Max Evans was starting to piss me off. I thought for sure we were going to throw down and I was going to have to kick his alien ass. I held my ground and I hoped he felt the anger rolling off of me. I wasn't taking the blame for this and I sure as shit wasn't going to let Michael take the brunt of it either. I know in my heart that Michael did everything he could to make sure they were all safe. He just found them; he wouldn't risk any of them getting hurt or worse. There was more going on that we knew about and I bet Michael didn't know about it either.

"I'll say it again, we'll get Tess back." I said it between clenched teeth and Kyle touched my tensed arm. "I'll say it every ten seconds until we do if it will make you feel better."

"Maria," Kyle said softly, I think that it was a warning.

"Kyle," I smiled at him and hopefully let him know I knew what I was doing.

"You're not strong enough-"

"Stop right fucking there!" I interrupted Max and stepped towards him. "You don't know how fucking strong I am. I'm probably one of the strongest people you're ever going to meet in your entire life. Why else would I be here? Don't treat me like a stupid human Max. I'm not stupid, I found you guys, didn't I?" He only stared at me so I thought what the hell and went on. "I'm just one little person and I found you within days. You're not as slick as you think Max. Think about a giant government run facility with a boatload of resources; if you thought you'd always be safe then I'm sorry but you were wrong. Deep down I bet you knew it was only a matter of time. Don't look for a scapegoat and don't fuck with me again!"

I turned my back on him and walked down the porch steps, my blood boiling. I heard someone behind me and knew it was Kyle. I walked to the Mustang before I looked at him. He was clapping.

"Nice work, Maria." He smiled. "I love it when people put Max in his place; especially when it's done so eloquently."

"He's pissing me off Kyle."

"He pisses everyone off."

"It wasn't Michael's fault…" I looked to the ground.

"I don't think so either. I mean, sure, he may have brought attention to Roswell by coming here with you, but shit, this is the alien capital of the world. You were right, it was only a matter of time." He shrugged. "Can this be done? Can we get Tess back?"

I picked up on those more than friendshippy vibes again and nodded. "We'll get her back. I don't care if I have to tear apart Section one brick at a time. I'm not scared of them anymore. I've already gotten more out of life than I ever thought possible."

"Don't talk like that."

"I mean it. I'm not throwing in the towel, but I think I might see a little of the old me peeking through and she's pissed." I held out my hand to him and he took it in his. His soft warm hands. "We're not going to let these aliens have all the fun are we?" He shook his head and smiled. "No, we're all in this together and Section better watch out because they're going to have one pissed off ex-operative to contend with now."

He pulled me into him and hugged me and it felt good. I smiled into his shoulder and prayed like hell I really was as strong as I let on. Shit! Of course I was. No one was going to get the best of me ever again.

I looked at Kyle and winked. "Section? Fuck'em." I smiled and he laughed.

*        *        *

Chapter Four


When Isabel came back outside I could tell she was more relaxed. Michael must have said something to her to calm her down. He had that effect on people. Okay, he had that effect on me. Kyle and I rejoined the others on the porch but I averted my gaze from Max.

We moved our little party inside and I smiled as I saw my very own computer nerd hovered over two laptops with drives and wires and such scattered across the dining room table. He looked up as we entered and I caught him smiling at me. Here we were getting ready to go battle some big bad government agency and he was smiling at me. God, I really did love him.

"Michael." That was Max. Even his voice was getting on my nerves.

"Max." Michael swept his hand through his hair. He hadn't had a haircut since we hit the beaches and he looked hot. I guess I wasn't so bad myself. I did darken my hair a little but I was still the same Maria on the inside.

"What did you find out?"

"That using a modem takes awhile when I have to rig it through about six different scrambled lines," Michael cocked his head to one side. "I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything else."

Max, who looked most defeated, walked into the kitchen with a cell phone in his hand. I smiled knowing he had to be calling Liz to get some support. God knows he wasn't getting any here.

"You and Michael," Isabel stood next to me. "You'll stay here tonight, right?"

I smiled and nodded towards Michael. "I think he's already set up the mobile command unit here." I met her eyes. "You all right?"

She shook her head. Dumbass, of course she wasn't all right. No one was all right. "Can we talk?"

Okay. Those were probably the worst three words in the English language when they were strung together. Alone, they were fine. Together, sudden death. I followed her into the bedroom she shared with Alex and sat cross-legged on the bed. She sat next to me.

"I don't pretend to know exactly what's going on," she sighed. "I don't know if I want to know for sure, but this is really bad. I don't want to be on the run for the rest of my life nor do I want to end up on a dissection table. Is this doable? I mean to get Tess back from Section?"

I nodded slowly. "It's not only doable, it will be done. I'm sorry Isabel." I pulled a rubberband from my wrist and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. "I'm sorry that we brought this on, and I know we partly did but it wasn't intentional."

"I know that," she smiled sweetly and the mood seemed to be shifting.

"Michael needs you guys, so do I. Michael did cover our tracks, but I think there's something else going on. That woman, Rena? Maybe she reported something back to Section before she…Died. There could be more to this than any of us realize."

"You're right," she looked at me and I think she was starting to see things from my side. "It could have been anything. Michael's not stupid and I believe he really did do everything to protect us."

"He did," I nodded. "And he'll keep doing it. He's the most dedicated man I've ever known."

"You really love him," she grinned and I felt the blush. Damn! "Thanks for coming back so soon; Max didn't think you would."

"Really?" I let my sarcasm hang. Max was her brother after all and she was probably biased.

"He's acting like…"

"A royal ass?" I asked and raised my eyebrows. I smiled when she did. "Why?"

Isabel shrugged. "He thinks he's in charge of everything; like we're all his wards. He's a little uppity because here's Michael, the new guy, and he's obviously more intelligent than my brother is. He's been in the real world and he's kept his true identity a secret forever. I think Max is threatened by Michael, actually." She wrung her hands and I felt sorry for her. "I know technically Max should be in charge because he was in our other lives."

Back up. Back the fuck up. Other lives? I stared at her and found myself speechless. She must have caught on that I didn't know what the fuck she was talking about because all of a sudden she got the look. The look that says she knows she said something wrong. "I'm sorry, did you say 'other lives'?"

"Oh…God." She put her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes.

"Isabel."

"I don't know how much Michael knows," she started out. "I only know what Max has told me."

"Go on." I felt my nerves go haywire. I swear if Michael is keeping shit from me, all hell's gonna break lose in Roswell.

"We don't know much about where we came from, are you sure you want to hear this from me?"

I nodded. "Oh yeah."

"We only know a little. We know that we were sent here in the--You know what, because something happened. I don't know what. Anyway, the little info we got was already with us and that was that Max was and had been in charge. Well," she put her hand to her chin. "Well, that a male was in charge. At the time, though, the only male was Max but now there's Michael…"

Okay, that wasn't too bad; I can deal with that. I can see why Michael didn't tell me. He knows I'll still freak if he tells me about where he was hatched from. I was better, but I still didn't want to know all the gory details about it.

"This is actually making some sense now." Isabel was smiling and nodding. "Now I know why Max is all bent out of shape! Maybe he wasn't the one, maybe it was supposed to be Michael but because he wasn't around, Max assumed the position!" She laughed and I stared wide-eyed at her. "Oh God!"

I was not seeing the humor in this entire situation but I had to smile along with her. I was just like that around Isabel.

"Max is threatened! That's why he's acting like an ass. He likes being in charge and he's scared Michael's going to take over!"

"What exactly would Michael take over?"

"Nothing really," Isabel shrugged. "Max just always feels so responsible for us, I guess it makes him feel important. I mean, Tess and I listen to him and he's usually right, but…Tess. Poor Tess. God, this is so bad."

Way to swing the conversation, Isabel. I was still trying to get through the Max/Michael controversy and now she was doing a 180 to the Tess factor.

"Where are we going?" She asked and I wondered if she was talking about location or conversation-wise.  "Where is Section?"

Okay, location. "D.C. Don't ask me where in D.C. because I have no freaking idea. I'm assuming Michael will take care of everything. Hey, where is Liz? Max said she wouldn't be coming."

"You're worried about Liz?" She asked with her eyebrows arched.

"I'm just curious, I thought her and Max were joined at the hip."

"They are. I'm sure she couldn't get away from school. Actually, it's too bad because as much as she gets on my nerves, she might be able to help. She's brought up some valid points since Tess disappeared."

"Like how it was our fault?"

"No, she defended you." Isabel shrugged. "I know, I didn't see that coming either. Her thoughts were the most probable. Even if you and Michael did come here to find us while working for this Section, there's no way to know what they already knew or planned. She said it was just a matter of time before there was any conflict. We thought we were untouchable."

Wow. So Liz and I were actually on the same wavelength? That was a scary thought. "She won't mind being left behind?"

"Hell yeah, she'll mind." Isabel said. "She'll be highly pissed and if I know Liz at all, she'll find a way and be there."

Great. "It's going to be okay, Isabel. It really is. Michael knows Section like the back of his hand. We'll find Tess and we'll get her out and then we'll worry about what to do next."

"You mean where we're going to go?" She looked around her room and I knew she didn't want to leave Roswell. Hell, I didn't want to leave Roswell either.

"I don't think anyone's going anywhere. We're going to take care of this, okay?" I stood up. "It's under control and we're going to deal. Michael's taking care of it as we speak, and I have his back. We won't go down without a fight."

"Do you know any other way?"

I shook my head. "Nope." I'd go down kicking, screaming, biting and fighting before I ever let anything happen to Michael.

*        *         *

Chapter Five

Isabel stood up and faced me. "You're a very strong person Maria and I trust you. I'll stand beside you. I'll be proud to stand with you."

Oh boy. More confidence boosters. "C'mon," I looped my arm through hers. "We've got husbands in the other room and I bet you miss yours as much as I miss mine." And I did miss mine. There was nothing on this planet that I wanted more than to feel naked Michael skin next to me. To run my hands through his hair and whisper 'I love yous' in his ear and tell him everything was going to be okay.

We walked into the dining room to find Michael and now Alex both hovered over the computers. They looked up and each smiled at their respective wife. Sweet. Isabel and I, we were very lucky women.

"We're set to go tomorrow night, late." Michael said and motioned to Alex. "He's good at this."

Alex blushed. "He's just saying that."

"No, I mean it." Michael looked at him and I thought I saw what could be the beginning of a new friendship. Life was good.

"Flying out of Roswell?" I asked and Michael nodded. "Then what?"

"Checking into a hotel in DC. We have three rooms," he added with a smile.

Isabel and I looked at each other and grinned. Max and Kyle were going to have to share a room. Poor Kyle!

"And then…?" I swear, sometimes getting a real answer out of a man was like pulling teeth.

"And then we plan what to do," Michael ran his hands through his hair and I knew he'd probably get a haircut tomorrow before we left.

I guess I could kiss the days of fun in the sun good-bye. No more restless nights on the beach getting sand where it had no business being. No more romps at noon when we got up. No more black swim trunks that rode low on his hips exposing that beautiful thin line of hair. Nope. Those days were over and I was going to have to accept it. My man in black was back.

"Isabel, Alex, thank you for letting us set up all this tonight and for letting us stay here." Michael smiled at our hostess.

"I offered too," Kyle stated walking up behind us. "But they didn't think it was a good idea you staying in the same building as before."

I smiled at him. "Thank you and you're probably right. Has anyone moved in yet?"

He nodded and then shook his head. "An intensely old woman who bakes me cookies. Every day. She keeps calling me Billy, too." He sighed. "I wish you guys were still there."

"I wish we were too," I smiled at him and I know he knew I really meant it.

"Okay," Kyle clapped his hands together in anticipation. "I'm gonna go home and pack and when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow night," I answered and tried to suppress a grin.

"What?" Kyle was on to me and Isabel and I laughed. "What's going on? What did I miss?"

"You're sharing a room with Max!" Isabel blurted out and laughed. Sometimes I found it hard to believe they were related at all let alone brother and sister.

Kyle shook his head and I felt incredibly sorry for him. "Man, what did I do…" He trailed off as Max entered the living room.

"Did I miss something?" Max looked from Kyle to Michael. Well, at least he wasn't staring at my tits…Never mind. Damn!

"No," Michael met the other male alien's eyes across the table and I felt a ripple of something. I heard Isabel gasp so I guess she did to.

Man, I hope we weren't in for an intergalactic power struggle. I wouldn't want to have to call Liz and tell her Michael kicked Max's ass. I hadn't planned on really taking what Isabel had told me about their 'other lives' to heart, but now I can see where there might be a problem.

Michael backed down and relayed the itinerary to Max and I guess the moment of authority passed.  Max accepted the travel plans and promised he'd return the following evening; he said something about wanting to spend time with Liz before we left. I managed to ignore him and his leering; but I did get that crazy urge to lift my shirt up and scream at him to take a picture, but I resisted. For now.

Kyle left right after Max and promised he'd be back in the morning. When I asked about the job he had just gotten back not all that long ago, his answer was simple: "Fuck'em". See, that's why I loved Kyle. Alex and Isabel said goodnight soon after that and promised their guestroom was always welcome to us. She also hinted about pancakes for breakfast and I wondered if these too would have antennas like last time.

I walked around the table towards Michael and leaned over his shoulder letting my hair brush against his cheek. "So, what are you doing now?"

"Trying to hack into Section. They changed a lot of the passwords and my backdoor in has been blocked." He tapped away on the keyboard. "I can get in part of the way, but it might take awhile to find out the rest."

"Like all night?" I sighed and let my breasts rub against the back of his neck. I noticed he wasn't typing as fast now.

"Maybe," he said quietly and I heard his voice catch. I could get him; I could always get him. "I want to see where they have Tess…"

"Do they have her?" I whispered in his ear and ended it with a slick tongue dart along the lobe.

He nodded. "There's an 'extraterrestrial' entry in a supplemental log, but that's as far as I can get."

"That's as far as you can get, huh?" I unbuttoned my shirt and let it slide off my shoulders to the ground. "I bet you can get a little further." I leaned back into him and saw his shoulders relax. "What do you think Michael," I unzipped my jeans and slid them off. "Do you think you can get a little further?" I stepped in front of him and watched him look at me. I loved it when he looked at me. Look wasn't exactly the right word; it was more like admire.

He smiled and slid his chair back from the table. I reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head and dropped it to the ground. I could look at that perfect chest until I was dizzy. The smoothness and lack of bullet holes always amazed me. I reached to that sun-kissed skin and my body ached. He stood and unzipped his pants, let them fall to the floor and stepped out of them after slipping off his black loafers. I went to him, as I always do and kissed him as our naked bodies mashed together. The perfection of our lines as the melted into each other, almost like we were made for each other.

I gently pushed him back and subtly ordered him to sit back down. He did with out question. One thing Michael has learned is not to question me, especially in this kind of situation. I straddled him and felt his warm callousy hands on my breasts, my waiting nipples saluted his arrived. I leaned into him and brought my lips to his neck, I ran my tongue down the slope to his shoulder blade and saw the goosebumps I was leaving. I smiled.

"Sweet Maria," he said somewhere between a whisper and a moan.

I raised my eyebrow and looked at him. Our eyes met and I felt more in that one second of intimate gazing. His lips parted and he looked like he was going to say something but inside I got that wicked little grin.

I lifted my body above him and guided him into me. The first sensation of having him inside of me was always the best. I rode him up and down while he ran his hands through my hair, then along my shoulders.

"I love you Maria." He whispered and brought his head to my chest.

"I know," I whispered and kissed the top of his head. I knew we shouldn't be having sex on Isabel's dining room chair but there were computers all over the table.

"Let's go…" He raised his head and motioned towards the hallway leading to the guestroom.

I nodded. I guess he was right. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around me and picked me up. I giggled, and I still hated that, as he walked carrying me, still inside of me, with my legs clamped around his waist.

We stifled our laughter as we passed the Whitman's bedroom but I bet they heard us anyway. When you try to be quiet is when you end up being the loudest. He stifled a yelp when he stubbed his toe on the doorway and I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

We finally made in inside the guestroom and I shut the door behind us. He carried me to the bed and laid me down breaking our bodily bond. I scooted back on the bed and gave him my best come hither look and crooked my finger at him. He gave me the sideways smile and licked his lips before he pounced on me.

For the next hour we were nothing but a tangle of arms and legs and sweat. My hair was matted and his was slicked back. I curled up next to him and slung my leg over his while running my hand along his arm. I felt every muscle, every pore, and every hair. I knew his body as well I as knew my own. This was what life was all about. This was the good.

"Are you ready to go back to Section?" He asked and pushed sweaty hair off my forehead.

I gazed up at him and saw the nervousness he had been hiding. "Yeah, Michael, I'm ready to go back. Are you?"

He didn't answer me but the look I got made my overheated blood run cold. Fuck.

*        *          *

Chapter Six


I woke up with my head on naked Michael-chest. His strong arms were holding me tight against him. From how I was laying, it actually felt like my neck might snap in half, but after all, it was naked Michael-chest and I didn't want to move from it. I tilted my head towards him and noticed he was awake.

It was almost sunrise and I could see the purple/orange hue of a new day creeping underneath the blinds of the window. A new day all right, but it may be our last day in Roswell. Ever. I wonder if Michael had been thinking the same thing, I wonder if Michael had slept at all. He looked at me and our eyes locked. That was one of those moments where time stands still without the knowledge of the next step. Shit.

"Good morning," he whispered. He released the grip on me and smoothed down my bed head hair with one hand. Those two words sent a thrill through me, but it was a good one. Maybe I was reading entirely too much into this sense of foreboding.
Maybe everything was going to turn out real good and this whole Tess mission was going to be a snap. Riiiight.

"Hi," so I'm not the best conversationalist in the morning.

"I have a few things to do today…" he ran one hand through his hair.

I nodded and was fairly confident that getting a haircut was probably high on that list of things to do. Damn!

"Alex is good with computers," he sighed. "Not as good as Section, but still good. We might be able to break in and find out exactly where they have Tess. There's still a few routes we haven't tried yet."

"Do you think she's alive?"

He nodded with confidence. Okay, if Michael had confidence, then so help me God, I did too. "Good."

I saw him fight that smile. "Can you amuse yourself today? I want to stay with Alex and try to get as much information as we can before we go."

"Of course I can amuse myself," I smiled and wondered what Kyle was doing today. "What's going to happen?" I heard my voice catch and I know Michael heard it too. Damn!

"We're going to find Tess, get her out and then kill all information related to her and Roswell in general." He broke his gaze away from me and I felt sick. "It's going to be hard, I mean we've got some serious alien abilities on our side but you know how Section is…"

"No, see Michael, I don't know." I sat up and covered my nakedness with the sheet clasping it underneath my arms. "What little I saw of Section and what you've told me are the only things I have to go on. I don't know shit about Section."

"Sweet Maria," he placed his hand on the small of my back which he knows always drives me crazy. "I think Section may have been holding information back. I can no longer access any of my father's files. They're locked. I have to assume that they know we're alive because that's the only reason I can think of that they would lock them. No one else knew his security codes besides me."

Fuck. We were off playing house on the beach thinking we're in the clear and now to find out Section probably knew we were alive. I saw a movie once in the pokey, and I remember a line from it. Something like 'sometimes the shit comes down so hard I have to wear a hat.' I felt like putting on a hat. A big fucking hat.

"Would your father have kept anything you know," I waved my arms in the air and felt like an ass, "related there?"

He smiled and I giggled. "I don't know anything anymore Maria. Anything's possible. My father was a brilliant man, but he was also devoted to Section. It was his other child."

His other child. "So…I guess anything is possible is right." I lay back against him and felt his heartbeat. "Could it still be the Rena angle? I really want to blame all of this on her."

"It could be. Her Roswell files were locked but we got through. There are gaps in her information, like some things have been taken out. We were working on hacking into her personal files last night." He sighed and I shivered. "The last entry we recovered was only half there. She said there was more to our mission that originally believed. She said aliens were real."

I let that hang there. I knew I was right. It was Rena. The wicked bitch of the East was the reason Tess was gone and the others, myself included, were on Section's hit list. Damn, if she weren't already dead I'd kill her with my bare hands. How Michael could even be thinking there was any other reason was beyond me.

I got out of bed and stood in front of him with my hands on my hips. "You know what your problem is?"  I saw the corners of his mouth turn up towards a smile and I couldn't help reciprocating.

"No Maria, what is my problem?" He sat up and let the sheet fall of him completely. I stared and I forgot what his problem was. I knew my problem. I was entirely too far away from him.

I shrugged and pounced onto him. I went straight for his neck and wanted to leave the biggest freakin' hickey in the history of the world. I thought better of it knowing it wouldn't look too professional. Instead I lowered my head and hit the inside of his thigh. I smiled knowing he thought I was going somewhere else. When a girl has got to get a hickey out of her system, watch out. I suckled and then looked at my work of art smiling.

"Did you just give me a hickey?" Michael asked and I gave him the 'duh' look. "I can't believe you, I've never had a hickey before."

I wasn't at all shocked by that revelation. There have been a lot of things that Michael has never had or done until he met me. I was teaching him slowly with lots and lots of examples. I swear if that carnival would have come to the beach just a few days earlier…

"C'mere," he drew me into his arms and I felt safe. "We're going to figure this out and we're all going to go home happy. Okay?"

I nodded but it wasn't all that convincing. "Okay."

"Do you trust me Maria?" He looked in my eyes and I knew I did. I always trusted Michael. If there was someone at my back, I prayed it would be him.

"I trust you," I said and kissed his lips. "I trust you with my life, always." I sat up and sniffed. "Pancakes." I withdrew from him and slipped on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt from my suitcase. "Pancakes."

"I can smell them," he nodded and laughed. "I love you Maria. Don't ever forget that. My life began the minute I met you and you've kept me on my toes ever since."

I winked and walked out of the room. Not much can take me away from naked Michael; Isabel's pancakes were, however, one of them. I walked down the hall into the living room and was surprised to see Alex already at the computers.

"Michael coming out?" He asked without looking up.

"I think so, find something?"

He grinned and his eyes twinkled. "As a matter of fact I did. I restored some of Rena's files about a half hour ago."

My eyes widened as I heard Michael behind me. "Alex restored files."

Michael breezed past me and took the seat next to Alex while I meandered into the kitchen. Isabel stood at the counter with a plate of pancakes in front of her.

We said good mornings and I ate. Halfway through breakfast the back door flew open and Kyle came in with a duffel bag. He set it on the floor and helped himself to breakfast.

"Are you ready to go?" Isabel asked him and motioned towards the duffel.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am." Kyle smiled in-between bites of pancake. "I called my work and told them I was taking off for a few days and if they didn't like it, I didn't care."

"What did they say?" Isabel smiled.

"Oh, something about how I should feel lucky to have the job and yada, yada, yada."

"Did you get fired?" Isabel struck the matronly pose with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Nah, I quit." Kyle looked at me. "I took a lesson from Maria and said fuck'em."

I laughed and eventually Isabel joined in. This was going to be a good day for me in Roswell. While Michael was hard at work with Alex being all computer dorked out, I was going to get to play with my friends.

*        *         *

Dusk rolled around and everyone's nerves were on edge. The fun day of playing I had with Isabel and Kyle seemed almost distant. The wrath of Section was upon us now and there was nowhere to run. We sat around the living room waiting for an answer to unasked question. I was happy that Michael hadn't left the house all day hence no haircut. He was running his hands through it constantly and I knew it was only a matter of time. Max and Liz showed up as the dying sun was all but gone. Liz clung to Max's hand when they walked in; but I could see there was something else there. I'd seen the look before on many other faces including my own. She was pissed.

She gave me what seemed to be an obligatory hug but I was surprised when she leaned in to me and whispered in my ear. "I want to help but Max is being over protective, okay? I don't want you to think I'm being a sissy."

We met eyes and I think we actually found an understanding. She was a lot stronger than I had given her credit for. Liz had come a long way from being 'that Liz'. I watched her walk over to Michael and Alex and pull up a chair next to Alex. I should have known she was a computer dork too.

"You ready to go Maria?" That was Max standing behind me. I got shivers from the closeness and almost turned around and whacked him.

Instead I just turned around. "Max, yeah, I'm ready to go. You?" I caught his gaze and held it. Something about Max really pushed my buttons. I held his eyes and almost dared him to look at my tits, which were standing at attention underneath my T-shirt. He didn't and he might have gained about an inch of respect back from me. No more though.

"I'm ready," he glanced towards Michael. "He going to be able to do this?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "If Michael says he an do it, then he can do it."

He nodded and walked away to stand by himself in the corner. Isabel joined me shaking her head. "He's getting depressed, I think. He feels left out; I told you he was always the one in charge and now he's even ranking under Alex and Liz."

I closed my eyes and sighed. I walked to Michael and whispered in his ear for a minute before I rejoined Isabel. She looked curiously at me but all I did was smile.

"Max," Michael called across the room. "Can you come over here and join us? I'd like your input on a few things."

We watched as Max scurried over to the others and pulled up a chair on the other side of Michael. The underlying smile behind the mask of authority made me all warm and fuzzy.

"That was very nice of you," Isabel whispered in my ear.

I shrugged. Sometimes, if you can and are willing, you have to make everyone feel included. I knew this and I needed to know that I could trust Max. Completely. If it was Max at our backs, I had to make damn sure he wasn't going to fuck up because his feelings got hurt.

I eventually fell asleep on the couch as did Isabel. Kyle was stretched out on the floor in front of us. I woke up first with the bustle of activity, the other two followed. Bags were being moved and computer equipment packed up. This was it. We were going back to Section. It was fucking showtime.
*         *           *

Chapter Seven


The bags were packed and Max was kissing Liz good-bye. I watched them and could see she was worried to see him go, but she was still pissed. I would be too if I were her. I remembered what Isabel said about her and wondered if we'd see Liz show up in DC. I shrugged and waved to her as she walked away from the rest of us.

We took two cars and somehow Michael and I ended up in different ones. I was in the backseat of my, I mean, Kyle's Mustang with Max beside me and Isabel and Kyle in the front seat. Michael ended up with Alex. I fought all urges to look over to Mr. Evans and see where his eyes were lingering. No doubt, they had at least glanced at my tits. I don't know if I even cared anymore. If all he was going to do was gape, fine, I could deal with that. We were on the same side after all. Right?

"Maria," Max said quietly and in my ear. I turned to him and waited for the words of wisdom. "Is Tess okay?"

Wow. I thought there was going to be something else instead of that. Maybe I read Max a little wrong, I mean I have been known to do that before a few times. He seemed genuinely concerned. I caught Kyle's eyes in the rearview mirror and wagered he was wondering the same thing. I knew there was something going on with Kyle. Even throughout our day of playing with Isabel he seemed distracted. What's that old saying, you don't know what you got until it's gone. Me thinks Kyle has much more affections for Tess than even he knew about it. Well, now there was another reason to make sure Tess came back home, for Kyle.

"I hope so," I said and met Kyle's eyes in the mirror. "I really hope so. If she is, we'll get her back. I promise." Now I was making promises I prayed I could keep.

Max accepted my answer and lounged back in the seat for the short little ride to the airport. No one else spoke the rest of the way, we were all nervous. I wasn't sure who topped the list, but I was a close second if I wasn't already in the lead.

Kyle parked in long-term parking and I thought that hopefully we'd be able to come back in a day or two and he would have wasted the money. We waited for Alex and Michael and when they arrived I almost ran to Michael. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest. I felt his hand on my back.

"Maria," he lowered his head and whispered in my ear. I looked up at him and felt the first sting of a tear. Damn. "Why…?" He brushed my cheek with a finger.

"I'm scared Michael," I whispered and led him away from the others. "I'm scared. I'm trying to be all big and brave but in reality I'm about ready to pee in my pants. I'm scared for Tess, but I'm really scared for you."

"Don't be scared for me Maria," he leaned over and kissed the corner of my mouth. "I'll be fine. We'll all be fine. Section won't even know what hit them. Remember, we're the good guys and good guys always win, right?"

I actually thought of a million 'good guys' that didn't win at that moment but didn't say anything to ruin his momentum.

"Maria, we have brains and knowledge and alien gifts galore," he smiled and I had to smile back. "We have so much in our favor I don't see how we can lose. Besides, we've got something that should make even Section shiver in their boots. We have a secret weapon that Section couldn't control. We have an enigma who won't give up, who doesn't know how to give up.  A power not to be reckoned with."

I looked at him with complete puzzlement on my face.

"We have you, Maria."

I laughed through those stupid tears and made a horrible snorting noise. I laughed more at the noise and snorted again. I turned away from him and wiped my face. Enough of the snorting. When I faced him again he was smiling. He flashed the white gold wedding band on his finger and then kissed it. I stepped into him and took his hand and laid my own kiss on the band. "You're crazy my dearest husband."

"I didn't used to be," he grinned and kissed my tear wet lips. "You made me what I am today Sweet Maria. And have I thanked you recently for it?"

I shook my head and felt a new wave of confidence rush through me. My Michael was right. Section wouldn't know what hit them, they had no idea that a few aliens and one pissed off ex-Operative were on their way to kick some Section ass! Once again, Section? Fuck'em.

"Let's roll, baby," I looped my arm through Michael's and we strode back to the others. I hoped my face didn't show the confused tears but instead the resolve. There was no backing down now and I was all for it. Section could bring it on, I was ready. I was not going down without a fight and no one; not one of those fucking Section characters better lay a hand on Michael. Then I was going to have to kick ass and take names later. We walked back to the others and stood in front of them. "You guys ready to get Tess out and all go home happy?"

They nodded at me and I thought I might have to start cheering, too bad I left my pom-pons at home because I felt like the biggest cheerleader in the history of mankind. Or alienkind, whichever one came first. I smiled at each of them and I hope they all got some of my fighting vibes from me. I met Kyle's eyes last and it almost crushed me. I broke away from Michael and pulled Kyle aside.

"You okay?" I asked and put my arm around him. He nodded but I could tell he was full of shit. "Don't lie to me Valenti."

"Tess. Tess is gone." He looked at me and there was nothing friendshippy about the way he said Tess's name.

"We'll get her back. Have confidence young man," I kissed his cheek. "Have I ever let you down before?" I grinned knowing that was not exactly the type of conversation you had with someone you've known not all that long. But it was different for Kyle and me. We counted all the years we should have known each other.

"No Maria, you haven't." He finally smiled. Finally. "I didn't know that I…"

"I know," I looped my arm through his the same way I had Michael's a few minutes earlier. "Some people spend their whole lives looking for something that's right in front of them the whole time." I shrugged. "It's all good, Kyle. It'll be good. But you have to make me a promise."

He hesitated and eventually nodded. "Will I live to regret it?"

"Don't be such a smart ass." I thwacked him on the back of the head. "When we all go home, tell her. Okay?"

He smiled and nodded. See, all was going to be good. We rejoined the group and made our way to the gate. Isabel was uncharacteristically quiet, but at least she smiled at Alex's goofiness. Max was different. He wasn't acting like the reindeer who wasn't invited to play with the others anymore. He strode next to Michael and they actually seemed to be discussing tactical maneuvers. Okay, I don't know what they were talking about; it could have been a deep discussion about salt for all I knew. I just hoped it was the other. I hoped we were going to have a plan. I stayed with Kyle. His posture was straighter and all that sappy shit was gone. Kyle was going to fight for his woman. Okay, his soon to be woman. Woo-hoo!

We didn't wait long at the gate and boarded easily. The flight to Dulles was near empty and we scattered about the plane in little groups. Kyle and Isabel were flipping through magazines and Alex was a few rows behind them on his laptop plugged into the skyphone. Michael and I were with Max and I eventually fell asleep listening to them bandy about strategies. Ha! I had been right after all.

*        *         *

The flight was uneventful as well as the picking up of rental cars. No waiting, no nothing. These boys know how to get their shit done ahead of time. We broke off into two groups and met at the hotel. It was nice; but not too nice where you had a hotel employee trying to do everything for you. We would blend. That was a good. Our rooms were on the second floor and in a row. I hid my smile as I watched Kyle roll his eyes before walking into his room after Max.

"Did you and Max come up with something?" I asked as I plopped down on the king-sized bed. "Like, maybe, a plan?"

"Of sorts." Michael sighed and sat down next to me. "I don't think they're waiting for us, so that's a good." He stopped and grinned. "You know I'm even beginning to talk like you? I would have never said anything was 'a good' before you. That's bad English."

I rolled my eyes. "Just get on with it." >
"The element of surprise will always work in our favor. They don't know what they're up against." He smiled. "I never knew anything about surprises until you Maria, you know that, right?"

Of course I knew that. Michael barely had a life at all before me and there was still so much to teach him. I laid back and propped myself up on my elbows. "Michael."

"I think I can get to where they might have Tess, but I don't know for sure if she's there," he paused and I felt completely sick. "But I can't find a way in. You remember the security at Section."

I nodded and remembered the retinal scan to get into the gym. Definitely not a good. "I guess they would have taken your eyeballs out of their system by now, huh?"

He smiled and nodded. "Probably."

"So, how are we going to get in? Break in? Melt the doors with alien vision?"

"First, there is no 'we'. You're not going." He backed away from me when he said it and it was probably a damn good thing. I wasn't the violent type but right then I wanted to beat him.

"The fuck you say?" I yelled and stood up.

"Maria-"

"Oh, no. Fuck. This." I started pacing in front of him. "I'm going. There is no way in hell you're going and I'm not. I'm the only other person here who has even been there before and you're not shutting me out of this."

"I can't let you get hurt."

"I won't get hurt Michael," I snapped. All this talk about me being a secret weapon had apparently been lies. He nodded and smiled. Damn, it was that wicked little grin. I narrowed my eyes at him. "What?"

"Maria, do you honestly think I would do that? I just wanted to get a reaction out of you."

Oh. My. God. A reaction? He wanted a reaction? I shook my head and pounced on him. I pulled that black shirt out of those black pants and attached my mouth to his chest. He was laughing and trying to push me away but I would not give up. The hickey on his thigh would be nothing to the mark on his stomach.

I came up for air and we locked eyes. "Hi," I stammered and felt like a girl with a crush. I guess I still did have a crush on Michael. I'd always have a crush on Michael; it didn't matter that he was my husband. He was the love of my life.

"Hi," he smiled and licked his lips.

"Nothing's going to happen to us, right?" Sudden dread? Nah, just needed a little reassurance.

He shook his head. "Nothing at all. We're here for a job, think of it like that. Remember how nervous you were when you were sent to Roswell? It was just a job. This is the same."

"But the stakes are higher and I won't get another husband out of it…" I grinned and kissed him. The feel of those hot full lips on mine made me giggle. "Tonight? Do we go tonight?" I felt the fire in my eyes. I was so fucking ready.

He nodded. "Tonight, Sweet Maria, tonight."

I nodded as the phone rang. Michael answered and I could tell it was Max. When he hung up he had a strange look on his face. Fuck. "What?"

"They're all coming in here," he sat up. "Max said they need to talk to me for a few minutes. There's more he has to tell me about the alien side of things."

The alien side of things? What the hell?

"He said there's a few things I don't know about and he wants to tell me now in case…"

"Some of us don't come back." I finished the sentence for him. Shit.

*        *        *
Chapter Eight


I paced while Michael lounged on the bed waiting for the others. I looked at him and blurted out a laugh when I saw that stupid Atlanta Braves hat on his head. My Michael. Sweetest man in the world. They came in a group and I immediately I hooked up with Kyle, if things got too alienesque I wanted to be around a human. God, I swear if anyone else could hear my ramblings they'd lock me up for good.

Kyle and I pulled up chairs and sat across from Michael with Isabel and Alex on one bed and with Max alone on the other. Tension seemed a little heavy but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. I looked nervously at Kyle and he smiled and nodded. See, sometimes that's all it takes; just a smile and a nod.

"Maria, can you handle this?" Max asked me.

Okay, yeah, I married a freaking alien I think I can handle a little shoptalk. I nodded and smiled demurely. Okay, as demure as I could get without actually getting violently ill.

"She can handle it," Kyle shrugged. "It's Maria, she can handle anything."

God love Kyle Valenti; I knew I sure did. My life without Kyle just wouldn't be the same. I sent him an award-winning smile. I turned and faced Michael, Isabel and Alex; they each were smiling and I knew whatever Max had to dish out I could take.

"Okay," Max nodded at me and turned to Michael. "I've told you some things about us, but not everything."

Michael nodded and turned that baseball hat around backwards. Suddenly he looked younger and eager to learn and I was falling deeper and deeper.

"The phone and even through email isn't exactly where I wanted to have these conversations. I guess in a way it was a good thing you came back to Roswell, even under these circumstances. We didn't get a lot of practical time together before."

"Max," Isabel looked at her brother exasperatingly. "We don't have all day. We're going to Section tonight, right?"

"We're going tonight. Late." Michael answered and glanced in my direction. Why? I couldn't tell for sure.

"Okay, when we came out of the pods," Max looked at me and cringed. So my aversion of knowing anything about 'pods' was well known. "Sorry. When we came out we knew things, Isabel and me. Tess wasn't with us. But we knew we were brother and sister and we knew we weren't alone. After Tess there was an empty pod, yours. You told me before you didn't know anything, or don't remember."

"Still don't." Michael nodded. I watched the intensity on his face and tried to put myself in his situation. He was getting ready to learn about his alien past. Man, I would be heaving. Big time.

Max nodded and folded his hands on his lap. "I was in charge, I was supposed to be a leader," he glanced at Isabel who raised her eyebrow at him. "A male was the leader. At the time I was the only one, but now I know it could have been you. Probably it was you."

I think I admired Max Evans at that moment. Knowing what I did about him and knowing that what he just said must have killed him; he jumped up a little in my book. He was now just directly over a slug.

"I don't know…" Michael shook his head. "It could have been either of us."

Max nodded but I don't think it was in agreement. "Tess knew things about our home planet, wherever the fuck it is." Max got a cigarette out and lit up. I inhaled the smoke and almost asked for one myself. "She was-"

"She is," Kyle stressed the 'is'.

"I'm sorry, Tess is very intuitive. She's quiet, but she knows a lot of what's going on past and present. There was a  male leader and a female second. A back up."

A female second. Like second in command? Cool.

"I thought it was Tess for a long time," Max shrugged. "I always saw Isabel as just my sister."

Michael looked at Isabel and nodded. I could feel the electricity ripple in the air. It was Isabel who stood behind Michael without a doubt. Even me, as a mere human, could tell that.  

"Then as we grew up I knew it was Isabel. She's so strong and her abilities are phenomenal." Max inhaled deeply and shook his head. "It's you and Isabel."

"Don't make it sound like that, no one's pulling rank on anyone here Max." Michael said and I found myself nodding. "I don't want to be a leader of anything. I can't be. I haven't mastered these alien powers at all. I can do parlor tricks, not much else."

"You'll learn." Max tapped ashes into a glass.

"I need someone to teach me," Michael looked to Isabel then at Max.

Max nodded and sat up straighter. "There's more." He glanced at me and I sat up straighter too.

I knew I was so not going to like this. If it was more fucking pod-speak…

"If you are, which I now believe so, the man in charge, the reason Tess came here with us was to be with you. We always thought it was me, but…"

Tess? To 'be' with Michael? Alrighty then, that was a big fat wrong. I tried to catch Michael's eye but he was looking at Max. I turned to Kyle to see if he knew this or anything. He was waiting for me to look at him. He smiled slyly and shook his head. Okay, all was good. I think.

"Then why you?" Michael asked and I think I actually saw the hair on Max's neck stand on end. It was an honest question, but still…

"Max is my brother," Isabel jumped right in there to save this conversation from going into the crapper super fast. "I'm your right hand man, so to speak, and Max is mine."

I thought Isabel might be doing some fancy reworking on this one but I let her slide. What else could I do? This was completely out of my league.

Michael nodded. "Okay. So why tell me this now? I mean, this happened on another planet, right? It doesn't mean anything here, does it?"

Max and Isabel exchanged a glance I didn't exactly like all that much. I saw Alex shake his head and even Kyle seemed to pick up on some of the awkwardness.

"It might, Michael." Isabel said quietly. She didn't look at me and I wanted to know why. Right fucking now! "We think that we'd be able to be stronger and more protected if…" Now she looked at me and I really didn't want her too.

"If what?" I shouted before I could stop myself.

"If Michael had some type of bond with Tess," Isabel said to me and only me. "Not exactly like what you're thinking, really, Maria."

"And what am I thinking?" I stood up and only sat back down only because Kyle grabbed my wrist.

"Maria," that was Michael. I looked at him and waited for him to say something pertinent. "Isabel's right. I can feel the power now when the three of us are together, I think we're stronger together."

"Okay, so, what are you going to do about it now?" I snapped. "You can't bond when she's in Section prison, can you?"

"We have to stick together Maria," Max said and I wanted to hurt him. "There's four of us here on Earth. If the situation was now as it was before on our other-"

"I don't want to fucking hear it, okay? You're talking about my husband and some fucking life he doesn't remember. I don't give a shit if he was supposed to be with Tess or not. He's not. Period. End of discussion."

"You don't have a right to say-" Max started to stand.

"Yes, she does." Michael came to my defense. Finally. "She's my wife. She has just as much at stake here as anyone else. There is no discussion about that."

Max nodded and I could sense the power struggle again. Damn! I looked at Isabel and I if I was any good at reading people I'd say she agreed with Michael.

"Michael's right." That was Alex. He was in the same position as I was, kind of, and he was standing up for me. I knew I liked that lanky man for a reason.

"Fine," Max stubbed his cigarette out. "You had to know this and act on it accordingly."

"I'll act on nothing like you're suggesting." Michael crossed his legs resting his ankle on his opposite knee. "I don't care what happened on another planet in another life. That wasn't me as far as I'm concerned. I know there's a lot I don't know or understand, but if it even remotely plays a factor in my life now it's not going to work. Maria is my wife, my life. I can bond with Tess and we can be stronger together, that's it. If you think I'm going to give up my life because of some ill-fated fairytale that you don't even know all the facts too. Forget it."

"Okay." Max looked pissed. "Fine. You had to know especially now since you're in charge-"

"I don't want to be in charge Max." Michael shook his head and laughed. "Are you not listening? I don't care about any of that. Right now all I want to do is get Tess out of Section and go home with my wife and live happily ever after."

"That's what we all want," Isabel said and sent the warning look from hell to her brother. "We just want to survive."

"And you will survive!" I stood up and wondered what the hell I was going to say now. "All of you. All of us. Don't pull this 'other life' card out now. It's irrelevant. Sure, you guys are stronger together, but frankly who cares? We're here to find Tess and bring her home. You can be stronger together when we go home. I don't know what any of this has to do with the now."

"Me either." Kyle cocked his head to one side. "Seriously. Who cares about all this alien fate shit? Does it help get Tess out?" There were those non-friendshippy feelings again. I wonder if anyone else knew.

"No," Michael stood and faced down Max. "It doesn't. Is this all you had to tell me?"

Max shook his head. "No. When we get inside none of us know what we're going to come up against. We have to be ready to use our powers to our advantage. Can we count on you Michael? Can we trust you that you'll come through with the powers you're still learning to use?"

I saw the vein in Michael's neck begin to throb. That was not a pretty sight. He took the hat off his head and looked down at it. I wondered what he was thinking. I hoped it was about me but I doubt it was right then. "I will do everything I can to get her back. I'll lay down my life to help, I'm the reason we're all in this predicament and I will rectify it."

I didn't like hearing Michael say that. No. I believed him and that's the part I hated. So help me God if Michael went down he wasn't going alone.

"Good," Max stood and I wondered if this so important meeting was over. I didn't learn much and I didn't know how this trip tonight was going to pan out. I felt confidant going there with Michael and Isabel, but Max worried me. "What time do we leave?"

"After eleven." Michael said evenly. "Are our powers really stronger together? I can feel the energy, but I don't know…"

I knew Michael didn't like saying he didn't know anything; I hated the way Max got that cocky look again.

Max nodded. "They are. The parlor tricks you can do will be amplified. Can you handle them?"

"Can you handle hand to hand combat?" Michael shot back.

"Boys," Isabel stood and chastised them both. "Michael, we all have confidence in you. We know you won't let us down on the alien side. Max, chill out. We're a little otherworldly family so get off your high horse and be constructive and tell Michael what he needs to know. Okay?"

I saw the pride in Alex's face as he listened to his wife. I hoped I could look half as proud when I listened to Michael. I bet I did.

"Michael will be fine, hopefully some of the instincts that we all share, he has them too." Max looked form Isabel to Michael. "You should know how to react in a situation and use your power. If you're the true leader, you'll know."

Me and Max were going to throw down. I stood and begged off Kyle's somewhat vocal pleas to stay seated. I could only take so much and Mr. Evans was pissing me off. "You know what Max."

He looked and me. "What Maria?"

"You have a problem. Your sister's right, get off your fucking high horse and be helpful. I don't think anyone cares who's in charge around here. Everyone is going to do everything they can to get Tess back." I caught a smile on Michael's face out of the corner of my eye. "So Max, keep your egomaniacal remarks to yourself until this is over. We're a team here, okay? If you can't play well with others then…Fuck you, get off my team!"

I put my hands on my hips and heard Kyle trying not to laugh in back of me. My eyes were narrowed at Max and I waited for him to do something. Anything. I glanced to the other bed and saw the back of Michael's shaking head. Isabel was smiling and Alex was doing that silent Muttley laugh.

"You've stated your case Maria and I'll try to play nice," Max walked towards the door. "You're right, we are on the same team. But I don't know if you're the captain or not." He walked out of the room.

"Max is…" Isabel started as soon as the door closed. "He's not exactly sure where his place is in all of this." She sighed. "I am trying to defend him because he is my brother and this taking a back seat is killing him. He cares about Tess and I know he's worried about her. He's just being an ass."

"Can we trust him?" I asked and wondered why Michael wasn't. Maybe he already knew through one of those alien type connections.

"You can trust him." Isabel nodded with vigor. "I promise."

If Isabel promises then I believe her. She did know him a hell of a lot better than I did. "Okay, so can you guys work on your powery thing before we go or what?"

Michael raised his eyebrows at Isabel and I knew right then that they had been friends for many more years than either of them had been on this planet. This was cool.

The two of them huddled together while Kyle, Alex and I stood and watched. It was actually kind of cool watching Isabel work with Michael. I mean he was getting better, but he wasn't anywhere near her expertise. I didn't feel the slightest bit of jealousy when she held his hand or when she whispered in his ear so we couldn't hear. I saw a teacher and a student. My friend and my love.

Alex was soon bored with the show of shrouded powers and went back to his room to work on the hacking into Section thing. Kyle stayed and watched but I think it was for a different reason. Well, I knew he didn't want to go back to his room and deal with Max; but I also think he needed to be around me.

I could understand that. I needed to be around him, too. I guess we were so much alike and the level of comfort together was beyond expectations. I think I calmed him down in his fear for Tess's safety and he calmed me in the fear of our own safety. We were good for each other.

*        *         *

Alex returned to our room around ten o'clock. Kyle and I were snoozing on one of the beds and the door opening nearly made me jump out of my skin. Michael and Isabel had left the hotel for a few hours and they walked in the room behind Alex. The mood was somber with the knowledge of the unknown and unexpected upon us. Damn!

I slipped into the bathroom and changed into black leather pants and a black baby Tee. The pants had been a present from Michael and he loved it when I wore them. If we were going in all ninja-like, then damn it, I was going to look good. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail and tied it off with a strip of black suede. I checked my eye makeup and leaned over the vanity. "It's all going to go as planned, Maria. We're going to bust in and get Tess and kill evidence about her and Roswell. It's a simple plan and nothing ever goes wrong with simple plans, right? Fuck."

I walked back into the room and noticed Max had joined us. He didn't look in my direction and frankly, that was a good. Isabel was gone and I imagined she was at her room changing into her ninja clothes. Max was in dark blues, which was okay; it wasn't as cool as black, but he'd do. I checked out Michael and smiled. He had on his black leather pants too and they fit him so nicely. I swear if we weren't getting ready to go on a mission I would be peeling them off of him and licking his legs. His tailor cut black T-shirt outlined every muscle, every curve and I was getting severely turned on. I had to tear my eyes away from him before I jumped him right there.

Isabel returned dressed in black jeans and a black button down shirt. She had on dressy black boots and just shrugged when she caught me looking at them.

"Ready?" I asked and looked pointedly at Max. I'll show him who's fucking captain of this team.

We said our good-byes to Kyle and Alex and promised updates ASAP. Alex gave me a little palm type computer and I almost laughed. "What is this?"

"A direct link back here. Just in case." Alex tried to give me one of his happy smiles but it fell flat. He pointed out the essentials and I played along like I knew what he was talking about.

"Be careful," Kyle hugged me after he hugged Isabel. He whispered in my ear and I got goosebumps.  "Come back Maria, no matter what, promise you'll come back."

I nodded and hugged him tight. Then we were off. We took one of the rental cars into downtown DC and nothing looked familiar to me at all. Of the whole twelve seconds I had seen of the city months ago I remembered nothing. Michael drove and I sat shotgun. He parked in a public lot that despite the late hour was still half full of cars.

The four of us got out of the car and we followed Michael. I caught up and latched onto his hand as he led us through a maze of alleys and small side streets. I'd swear we'd been walking for hours when we arrived at a building that looked almost familiar. Then it was familiar. It was the exit Michael and I had gone through on my first night out away from Section. This was the way in and here we were right in front of it. I wondered if the doors were strong enough to withstand the crazy powers of the aliens.

I watched as Michael walked to the door and looked to the side. He tapped a brick and it slid away revealing one of those retinal scanner things. I held my breath while Michael leaned in close to it. I jumped when I heard the buzzer and the door opened.

Michael faced us and I think I could read his mind. We were wrong. They were waiting for us. They were welcoming us with open arms. Shit!
*       *        *

Chapter Nine


"Oh my God," Isabel put her hand to her mouth and I searched Michael's eyes.

"Michael, no." I stepped towards him and shook my head. "We were wrong. This is all wrong."

"We have to, I have to…" He looked over his shoulder at the open door. "Tess."

"Not like this. This is all fucking wrong. Okay? There is nothing right about this. We have to do something else. We can't break in and get her when they're inviting us in."

"Maria's right," Isabel whispered.

"It's a fucking set up Michael." I whispered harshly at him. "If we go in we're all dead."

"Tess is in-" Max pointed towards the open door and I knocked his hand down.

I pointed in his face as I spoke through clenched teeth. "Max, shut the fuck up! Do you really think Tess would want us all to get killed trying to save her? I know Tess is in there, but if we march in with their fucking welcome, then we all die. Do you want to die tonight Max? No, actually, you'll be cut open and examined. You want that for yourself and your sister?" I knew I was being mean, but I had to say it. I had to make him understand who he was dealing with. "Got it?"

He relented and I think he understood what I was trying to say. This wasn't a brush with the local law, this was Section. "You're right."

"Thank you," I smiled sarcastically. "And I just became captain of this team." Ha! I knew I'd win in the long run. I turned back to Michael and he was nodding. "Well?"

"You're right," he said softly. "We're gone if we go in like this. They know I'm here but they can't know about the rest of you." In the middle of a crisis, he still smiles at me. "Well, they might know about you."

I shook my head and smiled back. "We have to regroup. We have to rethink this and then go in, right?" I don't know why I was asking anyone anything. After all, I was the captain.

"Is there another way in?" Max asked.

"Several." Michael looked over his shoulder again. "This could just be a coincidence." The door shut as we watched.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. Okay."

He smiled at me. "I know. We're coming back tonight. In a few hours. I have to look at the floor plan again. Let's go."

So here we go away from Section. They know Michael's here and we're walking away. This was not right either. We couldn't walk away and come back later. That was a stupid idea, although it was Michael's, it was still stupid. Us not going in was my idea, but that was stupid too. Damn! I stopped walking and stood still with my hands on my hips. Eventually the others stopped too and looked at me.

"Maria?" Michael said slowly and I think he saw the gleam of adventure in my eyes. Either that or the sudden fear evident in my wet underarms. "Maria."

"Fuck this." I shook my head and I think I might have smiled. "We're not going to back away now. So they know we're here? So what?"

I stood my ground and actually rewrote everything I had said minutes before. That was the new Maria talking back there. The one who wanted safety and comfort. This was the old Maria now. The one who wanted to push it as far as it would go. Maybe it wasn't exactly the old me, but was the new and improved new me.

"I think she's right." Max said quietly and oh God, walked over and stood next to me. See, I knew we were on the same team. But I was captain, damn it!

"Me too," Isabel said without conviction. I sensed the fear in her and I couldn't blame her. I was scared too. Okay, I was more pissed than scared. She stepped towards Max and me.

Michael shook his head and bit his lower lip. "I swear, sometimes…"

I could only imagine what he was going to say next. "So, Michael. You in?" I cocked my hip to the side and pursed my lips. I winked and I knew I had him. I'd always be able to get him.

He stepped towards us and then swung around, a previously unseen gun was now in his hand. It was pointed at a familiar face. Well, two familiar faces.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Max demanded looking at his fiancé standing next to Kyle Valenti.

"Hi," Liz Parker waved and I laughed. I knew she'd show up here. Well, not exactly here here. Isabel had been right. "Max-"

He walked to her and pulled her by the arm out of our earshot. I cringed knowing she was going to get a tongue lashing, and not the good kind either. I looked to Kyle and saw that face and wanted to hug him. Being someone who usually does what she wants, I did. "What are you doing here and how did you find us?"

"Liz," he looked nervously at Michael. "She got into Sections mainframe."

"How?" Michael asked slowly while putting the gun back into an undisclosed location. Gun? Where in the hell did he get a gun from?

"From the other night, she paid attention and got in." He said slowly. "Well, that and Alex left her a copy of the files to work on while we were gone in case…You know."

"She got in." Michael smiled and looked over at the couple who were arguing. I could tell that from all the hand gestures from both parties. Whew! Glad I wasn't over there.

"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "I don't know what she knows exactly, but you're still in the computer."

"I'm sorry?"

"Still in their system? I don't know." Kyle fidgeted and I felt sorry for him. I looped my arm through his and gave him a smile. "She blocked you with some thing but the retina thing is good. Fuck! I don't know, you'll have to ask her."

Michael nodded. "Liz, could you come here for a minute please?"

Kyle and I watched as Liz came over with Max trailing behind her. He was fuming. I guess I would be too if I were him. Thank God I'm not. I stepped away from the group and was surprised when Kyle and Isabel joined me.

"Are we going in or what?" Isabel asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I have no idea. If Michael finds out from Liz what she learned…Fuck! I don't know!"

"I thought you were the captain," Isabel smiled and I laughed.

The three of us watched as Liz talked animatedly to Michael. Max stood next to her and nodded occasionally. Michael smiled and I knew this was all a good. Liz Parker had come through for us. They walked over to us and Michael took my hand.

"We're coming back tomorrow." He nodded. "Liz, wonderful Liz, has hacked into Section. What Section said couldn't be done, Liz did."

"Alex started it for me. I just found a loophole…" Even in the dark I knew she was blushing.

"I have to see what she has to show me before we go back." Michael led me towards the way we came. He bent and kissed my cheek. "You're still the captain, but this way we'll be more prepared. Okay?"

"Sure," I shrugged. "One more night at a hotel with you, I can deal. I don't know if I'll be dressed as cool for a new adventure, but I'll probably be able to come up with something."

"I'm sure you will." He looked down at my chest and I felt my nipples harden. Sometimes it only takes a look.

We walked back through the maze of alleys and side streets to the public lot. Max and Liz opted for the other rental car. We piled in and went back to the hotel. I think each of us was thinking the same thing. A slight relief that we didn't have to deal with Section tonight. I hoped this delay wouldn't be harmful for Tess.

When we got to the hotel, Isabel went to the room she shared with Alex and promised she'd meet up with us for breakfast. Everyone else came to our room. Michael and Liz huddled over her laptop and I could tell from the expression on Michael's face that he was excited.

Max sat on one bed while Kyle and I sat on the other and flipped channels on the TV. Okay, he flipped and I watched like three seconds of everything that was on. I glanced over at Michael periodically and I saw Max doing the same. This went on until well after two in the morning.

When Kyle, Liz and Max finally left our room I didn't even ask what Michael had learned. Maybe I could share my captain chair with him. We could be co-captains. Michael was almost giddy and I knew he would tell me everything, but there was no rush. The only rush I was concerned about was how fast I could get Michael out of those leather pants.

He locked the room door and then turned my way. He un-tucked his shirt and pulled it over his head. I watched in amazement as always. That chest would always get me.

I kicked off my shoes and took a step towards him. I slid my shirt over my head and tossed it at Michael and laughed. There we were standing in the middle of the hotel room both only clad in leather pants. Mine came off first and I stood in front of him letting him look at me.

He had that wicked little smile on his face as he undid his black on black belt. The lights were on and I wanted to keep them on. I wasn't shy, at all, and I liked to look at Michael as much as he liked to look at me. Our relationship was perfect.

He kicked off his shoes and slid those leather pants off. I still don't know where he was hiding the gun. I stepped towards him and our bodies melded together. Our lips met and his hands slid down my back resting on the small of it. His fingers traced imaginary lines and I felt the heat rising inside of me. There was no other place in the world I would rather be than in Michael's arms. It didn't matter to me if we were on a beach or not. As long as we had each other I was happy.

I ran my hands through his hair and said a silent thank you for him not getting it cut. Our tongues coursed over each other's and when he broke away from me I almost screamed. I didn't but sighed instead when his lips found their way to my neck and the sensitive skin just above my shoulder blade.

"I love you Sweet Maria," he whispered into the hollow of my neck.

"God, I love you too, baby." I closed my eyes as he lifted me off the ground. I will never tire of him carrying me. That alone makes me feel like a princess in a fairy tale. Something I never felt like before. I was a princess to him.

He carried me to the bed and laid me down. He stood in front of me drinking me in with his eyes. He seemed to be memorizing every inch of my body. That smile was still on his lips and I couldn't wait to suck it off. He lowered himself to me and I reached for him. I felt his body quiver when I touched him. Still so shy sometimes, my Michael. Still bashful with me on occasion. I let all of my inhibitions go when I'm with him; but sometimes I feel like he's holding back. There was still so much for him to learn from me. And I was so willing to teach.

I guided him inside of me and felt the tingles. Each time was new for me. Each time he was inside of me I felt closer to him. He was mine. He really did belong to me and I to him. There was nothing in the world that could ever keep us apart and I went to sleep each night with that knowledge. I'm sure that was one of the reasons the nightmares never came back.

He thrust so deep inside of me that I yelped. He smiled and rolled onto his side taking me with him. We laid on our sides face to face and the intimacy was so strong. This was where all my dreams came true. This was the place that storybook romances were born from. This was bliss.

I held his hair off his forehead as our eyes never broke their gaze from each other. Our breathing became synchronized and we were one. Two people sharing the same heart.

"Michael," I whispered.

"Maria," he whispered back.

He broke the gaze first and wrapped his arms around me pulling our bodies even closer. We quit all moving and laid together as one. Neither of us wanting to break away. Neither of us wanting to move from the place we loved.

"I love you," we said it at the same time and smiled.

A thought of this being our last night together hit me like a bullet train.

*         *           *

Chapter Ten


When I woke up I was alone. The sun was up and I was literally alone. Michael was no where to be found. I sat up and noticed a note on his pillow:

Sweet Maria. I'm downstairs with the others in the restaurant having breakfast. I couldn't wake you. You looked so peaceful. Join us. Always, Michael.

Breakfast? Did he seriously go to breakfast and not wake me up? I got out of bed and grabbed a pair of shorts and one of Michael's long sleeved shirts from our suitcases. I got dressed and nearly screamed when I looked in the mirror at my hair. Sleeping in a ponytail? Not a good. I pulled the strip of suede out and saw Michael's Braves hat on the bureau. I put it on and felt like I was twelve again. After a quick brushing of my teeth I ventured downstairs and found my party as their food was being served. I looked at Michael's plate of pancakes and salivated.

"I didn't want to wake you," he smiled and cut off a piece of pancake for me. I took it off the fork and took my seat next to him.

I looked at Kyle and man, did he look tired. I wonder how his night with Max and Liz went. Poor Kyle. The woman he might be in love with was being held prisoner and he had to spend the night cooped up in a room with those two.

"Maria," Isabel touched my hand across the table. "We were talking about tonight. Liz was telling the rest of us what she told Michael already. Pretty cool, huh?"

I must have had the confused dog look again.

"Didn't Michael tell you?" Alex asked and raised his eyebrows at me as a knowing smile came into view. "Ahhh… Never mind."

"Would someone just fucking tell me?" I rolled my eyes and called a waitress over. Our waitress? I don't know. I ordered a big breakfast and sipped Michael's orange juice while I waited for it.

"I got into Section's computer network," Liz said from across the table. "Michael's information is still there. It wasn't deactivated when he was presumed dead. Rena's files are still pretty much locked as well as Michael's fathers. But as for Michael himself? I think he could have walked into Section last night and had the same security clearance as before. He wasn't touched."

Shit, did I really fuck up last night? First we don't go in then we do then we don't.  "So, Michael could have found Tess last night?" I shook my head and felt guilty. I couldn't face any of them.

"No, Maria." Michael put his hand on my arm. "It's not definite. Section could be making it look like they forgot about my security and then strike. We have no way of knowing that."

"Was there a trigger effect of some kind that sent off warning bells when Michael did the eyeball thing?"

"I blocked any recourse from the scan," Liz said all professionally and she was beginning to grow on me a little more. Plus she did have to put up with Mr. Egomaniacal Max all the time, gotta give the girl a little credit for that. I would have turned him into hat by now if I were her.

"Good thing you showed up in DC, huh?" I smiled and raised my eyebrows in Max's direction. Either he wasn't paying attention or he was ignoring me. I was banking on the latter.

She smiled demurely, she could do that, I couldn't. I listened to incessant computer babble for the next twenty minutes. I understood not even half of what she was saying. As long as the others got it, I was good. When I eventually asked if I was still in Sections network, or whatever, she didn't answer me right away and I got nervous.

"Well?" I pressed and set my fork down.

"Not exactly," she looked at Michael and I assume he nodded. Damn straight, he better not keep things from me. "You're deceased. Your profile ended when you left Section."

When I left Section? "Fuck me! They were going to kill me regardless, weren't they?" I demanded and looked at Michael. I saw the answer in his eyes; I didn't need a verbal confirmation. Those fuckers were going to kill me no matter what happened in Roswell. See, now it was real fucking personal.

I was done eating. Another bite of anything would have made me gag. My stomach was in knots and I was getting more and more pissed by the minute. I needed to relax, I needed to chill out or I was going to snap.

After breakfast Isabel and I did a little shopping while the boys and Liz played computer hacker geeks. Isabel didn't get into the whole computer thing either. I guess the men were in charge of the planning for our raid on Section this evening. Hopefully it would go just a little bit better that the last time. A door opens and we all freak out. Yeah, I would be scared of us too.

"Do you think this is going to work? Us just waltzing in, finding Tess and getting back out?" Isabel asked nervously while I tried on a pair of black boots.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. They weren't waiting for us; they just never took Michael out of their network. Maybe they were waiting for the prodigal son to return." I shrugged. "You never know with these secret government places." I tried to make light of the situation and keep her slipping confidence up. That's what captains were for.

I ended up buying the boots along with a cute little black shirt that would look awesome with my leather pants. So I was shopping for a little B&E and so I was going to wear the same pants as last night. So what. If I was getting arrested or worse I was going to look good. I talked Isabel into buying some lingerie promising Alex would go crazy for it. All men went crazy for lingerie. I didn't own much, but I still didn't wear much.

We got back to the hotel around dinnertime and found the others in my room. There was a plan and we weren't backing down tonight. Tonight we really were going into Section.

The plan was set in stone by nine o'clock. None of us ate dinner except Kyle who ordered room service; nerves were getting too rattled. I tried to remain the pillar, but it was damn hard looking at the faces of Alex, Liz and Kyle. They weren't going. They were going to have to wait it out and wonder.

By ten we were ready to go. Isabel was back in black with those dressy boots on, Max got with the program and was in basic black. He didn't look nearly  as good as Michael did in black, but hey, who did? Michael and I were the leather pants twins again. He had on a long sleeve shirt this time and I wore my new one along with my new boots. They were comfortable for now, I hoped they stayed that way.

We said our good-byes and I saw the faraway look in Kyle's eyes. "Don't worry about us Kyle, we'll be fine."

"I made you promise me you'd come back last night," he hugged me. "I'm making you promise it again."

"I-"

"Don't make a promise you can't keep," he whispered in my ear.

I met his eyes and nodded. "I'm coming back, okay? We're all coming back and we're toting along that little blond thing you have the hots for, okay?"

He blushed and I kissed his cheek. "I don't want to lose you Maria."

"You think I'll give up without a fight?" I smiled but my heart ached. I didn't want to lose Kyle.

"I know you'll fight," he motioned to the aliens going with me. "Take care of them, okay? If Max gives you hard time, kick him in the balls and take him out. Okay?"

I smiled but I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. We said our good byes to the ones staying behind and we were off. We were going to try it again. Back to Section. I wanted to put more emphasis into it, but after last night I couldn't.

Michael drove and we parked in the same parking lot as before. He snaked us through alleys and side streets. I held on to his hand with a grip so tight that I wondered why he wasn't saying anything. Isabel and Max stayed close on our heels.

We arrived at the same nondescript door and Michael slid the same brick back. If I didn't know better I'd say I was having déjà vu. Everything was like it was last night. Nothing was out of place, nothing out of order. I didn't have a sinking feeling in my gut and that was a big good. Liz Parker really did come through for us and I was her biggest fan right now. I hoped she hadn't fucked up somewhere along the way and got us all killed. If she did, I swear I would come back and haunt the hell out of her.

We stood behind Michael as he retinal scanned. I do believe I was the only one with my hand on that leather-clad ass though. The door clicked and the buzzer sounded. I hated the buzzer. Michael reached for my hand and the four of us went into Section.

Liz had gotten a general idea where Tess might be, in something called the 'containment area'. If that didn't make her sound like a lab rat I don't know what would. We were on the other side of Section, probably as far away from the containment area as we could get. That meant going through the entire fucking place before we got to where we thought she was. It wasn't even positive that's where she was. But we had to start somewhere and Liz was pretty sure that's where we'd find her.

Michael took the lead and I was at his back. Just like I told him, I'd always have his back. Isabel was behind me and Max behind her. We looked like a little parade of Zorro wannabes. Sad, but true.

The steel gray hallways looked as I remembered them. Cold, oppressive and confining. I was fighting the urge to slide back into the state of frenzy I had been in when I was first here. I know I was breathing harder, but I couldn't help it. Being back inside of Section was surreal. We were getting close to my old hamster cage and I wondered if there was a new operative living, or being confined, in there. Michael squeezed my hand and looked over his shoulder at me. He winked and mouthed 'I love you'.

I didn't have time to react, Fuck! I didn't see it coming. A bright light blinded us from all sides and I dropped Michael's hand to shield my eyes. I heard Isabel scream and Max swear. I tried to find Michael but the light was too fucking bright.

"Michael!" I yelled but I didn't get an answer. I reached around for him but he was gone. Michael was just gone. "Michael!"

That's the last thing I can remember. I felt something on the back of my head and I was out.
*         *           *

Chapter Eleven


I could feel the softness of pliable flesh under my head. I reached around for Michael and felt denim. Denim? I sat up and felt the nausea. I looked in back of me. It was Isabel and she was crying. I looked around the room and everything started to fall into place. Section. We were at Section and there was a bright light and Michael…Michael? "Where's Michael?" I demanded.

Isabel shrugged. "Maria-"

"What the fuck happened?" I felt light throbbing on the back of my skull. I looked around the small room and saw the door. I went to it and it was locked. Of course it was locked, there wasn't even a fucking handle on this side. Fuck! I looked to Isabel who was on the floor; her knees pulled up to her chest. "Isabel." I sat down and took a few deep breaths. "What happened?"

"There was a light," she said in a voice much calmer than I expected. "A bright light. I couldn't see anything." Okay, I remembered the light. "Then the light was gone and you were on the floor and Max and Michael were gone."

"Both of them are gone?" I stood up and paced the small confining room. Michael was gone. Section had their prodigal son back but God only knows what they were doing to him. I smelled a set-up and I was thinking if that Liz Parker was involved she was going to get her ass kicked. But Max was gone too. Fuck! "Tell me what happened?"

"The light went out and I was trying to adjust my vision and I saw you on the floor. Max and Michael…" Isabel shook her head and I felt for her. "You were carried in here and I was led in, they shut the door and I patched you up. We've only been in here about ten minutes."

"Who brought us in here?" I had to know what to do. This was all me now. This was all Maria.

"Three men in black, I couldn't see them that well…" She stood and faced me. "What can we do Maria? Where are Max and Michael?"

I didn't have a fucking clue what to do. Not a clue. I started to pace again and I think a light bulb popped over my head. If there wasn't one there literally, then there should have been because I was a damn genius. "Alien mojo, Isabel. Can you get us out of this room?"

Isabel looked around and nodded hesitantly. "I think so. I can open the door but I can't knock down all the walls, well, not alone." She halfway smiled at me and I was glad it was her stuck in this prison with me. "Then what Maria? What do we do if we get the door open and there's a hundred armed men outside?"

"Duck?" I shrugged. "I don't know Isabel but we can't stay in here and wait for them to come back. They know who I am, but maybe they don't know about you. Who knows what the fuck they know?" I threw my arms in the air and went back to pacing. "We have to get out of here, so go ahead and do your thing."

Isabel nodded. I watched her with admiration. She walked to the door and placed her hand on it where the doorknob should be. A strange indigo light permeated through her hand and into the door. I stepped back and watched as the door slowly popped open. She stepped back and together we opened it the rest of the way. There was nothing waiting for us on the other side. That was a good. I think. I was having a hard time telling the difference between a good and a not good lately.

"Maria?" She whispered and took my hand.

I know we must have looked like two grade-school girls out in the dark for the first time. Holding hands and watching our step, scared of the bogeyman who was undoubtedly waiting for us around each and every corner. I led her slowly up a corridor I know I have never been through before. This was apparently a part of Section that I hadn't been privy to during my last stay here.

"How far did we walk to the room?" I asked.

"Only for a minute, maybe a few seconds more."

"Any steps?"

"No, a slight decline on the way there, though." She pointed to the inclining floor in front of us. "Like this."

"So you think we're going back the way we came?"

"I think so," she looked down the corridor in the other direction. "No. This is definitely it. I think after the next turn we should be where the lights went on."

"Any idea what that light was?"

"Something to blind us I assume," she shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"

"Sure as hell did," I stopped walking and faced her. "Thanks for doing your thing on me, Isabel."

"No problem, I needed my captain back." She smiled.

I shook my head. "I'm not really captain material…"

"Bullshit." She whispered harshly. "You're a hell of a good leader, look how easily you got all that important information from me. If were up to me I would have been sitting in that stupid room until they came for me. You're it Maria. I'd tell you that you were the man, but it would be oddly inappropriate."

I wanted to burst out laughing but figured that would probably give us away. I was kind of surprised that the alien mojo trick didn't do it. We walked a little further down the hall and heard voices.

"Shit," I said under my breath as we froze. The voices were close but seemed to be getting further away. I picked up a little car racing talk and sighed. "Getting any vibes where they be holding Michael and Max?"

"I can't feel them," she shook her head. "I never can, really. I wish I could be more help Maria, but…"

"Whatever," I smiled at her and led her forward. She had been right. This was the place the lights came on. I shielded my eyes just in case, but there was nothing. Just an empty hallway. The sterile steely walls were just as we had left them minutes ago. I looked around and wanted to cry. This was where I had last seen Michael. I was holding his hand and then he was gone.

"Now what?" Isabel leaned into me and whispered. "Do we go in further or try the door to get out?"

Options? I hadn't thought about options before. I wasn't all that familiar with the term. Stay and look for Michael or get the fuck out and run like hell. "We stay." I saw the worried look on her face and was quite sure it matched mine. "For a few minutes at least."

She nodded and I knew she'd back me up on whatever came our way. She may have been Michael's back-up in some otherworldly alien-type life but today, she was mine. We walked down the main hall and I tried to remember the maps. Michael had all the information on him so I was going at it from memory. I remember we were as far away from the 'containment area' as humanly, or alienly, possible. I didn't want to go in much further without having some type of clue as to where we were going. If only we had…

"Holy shit!" I stopped walking and I think scared Isabel. "Last night Alex gave me a little computer thingy," I looked at her and the blank stare I got back was not exactly what I was looking for. "I guess you don't have it?"

She shook her head and I wanted to cry. I didn't have it either. So either Michael or Max did and they were gone or it was back at the hotel. Okay, my money was on that it was back at the hotel. "Fuck." I couldn't even come up with anything better to say. "I don't know what to do." I shook my head. "I can't leave Michael in here."

"I know," she looked around the hallway. "We need help Maria, I don't know if we can do this alone or not. We need the others."

The others? No way. I was not going to put Kyle in the thick of this. Not a chance. Alex? I didn't know him all that well, if Isabel thought he could do it…Liz? I was back to not being all that sure about Liz. I didn't know if I trusted her or not.

"Not Alex, though…" Isabel trailed off. Damn! We were on the same page. "Kyle I don't know...And Liz? Does it, never mind."

"Seem too convenient that she just showed up and told us what we had to do to get in and then we walk right into a fucking ambush?" I finished the thought for her. Trust me, that had crossed my mind about a billion times in the last few minutes.

"I can't even imagine that Liz could have…Any of this. Plus Max is gone, too." Isabel shook her head. "I mean, I've known Liz forever and I don't think she's got it in her to be like this."

"You know her better than I do, so I back you on this." And I did. I trusted Isabel's judgement. Hell, she picked me for a friend didn't she? I glanced down the hallway and saw a camera. It was scanning the area slowly and facing away from us, for the moment. Damn! I pointed to it. "Can you do that? You know," I waved my hands in the air.

Isabel smiled and walked underneath the camera staying close to the wall. She stood on her tippy-toes and touched the bottom of the moving lens. In about a second it wasn't moving anymore. Rock on! She grinned and walked back to me, an air of confidence was all around her. I hope she'd share it.

We stared at each for a few seconds and then I cocked my head in the opposite direction of the door. "A few minutes? See if we come up with anything; if not, we try to leave."

"Sure," Isabel nodded and took my arm. When I looked at her she smiled. "You go down, I go with you." Now that's what I liked to hear. "How are the boots? Still comfortable?"

"Yeah, soft leather I guess." I nodded as we walked down the scary corridor. Things became almost familiar to me as we neared where my hamster cage was. I knew the way to there from where we were, but not much else. I could get us to Rena's office, but why in the hell we would want to go there? And I could get us to the gym. "I don't know where we're going."

"Okay."

"I need the map, damn it I need the map!" I looked around the corridor and felt like screaming the same way I had when I woke up in this dreadful place. It had seemed like years ago, but now, being inside again, it seemed like yesterday. "Fuck it."

"Fuck what?"

I looked at her and giggled. Hearing something so vulgar coming out of her mouth was just plain funny. "We have to get out of here." As I said it, I hated myself. I didn't want to leave Michael here by himself. I knew he was alive, I could feel he was alive. But we weren't equipped to deal with this. We didn't even have a gun. Sure, we had Isabel and me but…Yeah, fuck it.

"Are we coming back?"

"Of course," I wanted to thwack her on the forehead for that stupid question. "I need to know where we're going. I need Alex's help, and Liz's I suppose. I have to know what they know about Section," I cursed at myself and my stupidity of not paying attention, letting Michael know all of the information while I lounged around the room. Now I needed that information to get him back. Fuck! And he was coming back to me. He was going to return to me. So help me God, there was nothing that was going to keep me from finding him, but I couldn't go off all half-cocked either. I needed to know about Section and their security. I needed help. "Can we get back in if we can get out?"

"Maria, I've been opening doors since I was six. There isn't a door made that I can't get through." Isabel put her hands on her hips. "So we go, we learn and we come back and get them all out?" I nodded.

We walked back the way we came and at the door, Isabel did her thing and we were out into the DC air in a few seconds. No alarms, bells or whistles went off so I assumed we made the great escape.

I didn't know if we were doing the right thing or not. They'd know we were gone when they came for us. Maybe they would think we just left and don't plan on returning. Well, I guess Section has another thing coming if they think that. We're coming back as soon as I know what to do. We're coming back and we're going to kick some serious ass to get to Michael. I was all high-strung and the adrenaline from my personal pep talk was pumping, but you could have knocked me over with a fucking feather when we got outside and I saw what was waiting for us.

*        *         *

Michael's head hung, his chin on his chest. His shirtsleeves were ripped and he was siting upright in a chair, his arms and legs were bound to the chair with metal strips making him immobile. He didn't flinch as a needle punctured his skin.
*         *         *


Chapter Twelve


"Max!" Isabel cried and ran to her brother.

I stared at Max Evans and wanted to punch someone. I swear if Michael was set up I was killing everyone. "What the fuck are you doing out here?" I asked and tried to keep my voice even. So I was clenching my fists at the same time, so what?

He walked towards me and I got even more pissed. "The light, the bright light…"

"Yeah, yeah, we all saw the light. What are you doing out here and more importantly, do you have any of the maps?"

No," he shook his head and I could see the sweat on his forehead glistening in the streetlight's beam. "Michael had everything."

"So how are you out here?" I watched as Isabel stood in-between us. I knew her loyalties would lay with her brother, okay I thought that, I wasn't really sure about anything anymore. The only thing I knew for a fact was that Michael was still inside Section with Tess and we were outside. Not a good.

"When the light went on I stumbled back down the hall and made it to the door. I got out here the same way as you did, I suppose." He looked to his sister and she nodded.

"So, you just ran away and left us in there?" I knew my blood pressure was rising and if Max started smoking I was probably going to rip that nicotine goodie right out of his mouth and smoke it myself.

"I didn't know what was going on." He was trying to defend himself now. "I just acted on what I thought was right. I was hoping you all were behind me."

"Yeah, well we weren't." I kicked at imaginary rocks. "Michael's still in there." I stepped away from them and tried to collect my thoughts. A) I didn't trust Max very much right now and B) that Liz Parker better have a damn excuse for everything otherwise she was going to meet my new boots up close and personal. I stepped back to them. "We have to go."

"Go?" Max looked at me and it took every bit of self-control I've ever had not to smack him.

"Yeah, we have to go back to the hotel and look at the damn maps and I have to know what Liz and Alex know. I have to know everything so I can get Michael out."

"And Tess?" Max asked and I actually raised my hand. Okay, I put it back at my side but I was very close to the edge and Mr. Evans was going to push me right over it.

"Yes, and Tess." I took a deep breath. "Let's go." I walked a few feet before I heard them behind me. I was relieved when Isabel took my side then I stopped abruptly. "Damn it to hell! Keys. Michael has the fucking keys to the car!"

"It's okay Maria," Max stood in back of me. "We can start it without keys."

I nodded and kept walking hoping I was taking the right way through the alley's and side streets. Of course they could start the car. I should have known that. Traveling with aliens was like having your very own locksmith. I continued walking with Isabel at my side and Max at my back. I didn't trust him there, but on the street it should be okay. However, I did not want him to return with us to Section.

I took long deep breaths and eventually we stumbled upon the car. I let Max do his thing and we got in. I let him do his thing again and we were mobile. Not all that comfortable with driving without keys, but it was an emergency. I kept my hands on the wheel as tight as I could while I cruised through the semi-busy streets of DC. I didn't care that we were in the capital of our nation. I didn't care that the White House was only a few miles away. I didn't care about that big phallic symbol in the park. I cared about getting my husband back one way or another.

We drove in silence and I was thankful. If Max would have said anything I might have pulled over and beat him just for fun. I stopped the car in front of the hotel and then thought better about using the valet service. I parked the rental and we went inside and straight to my room. I knew that's where'd they be; the mobile command unit had been set up in there.

I opened the door with my card key, see, I could open doors too, and walked in followed by Isabel and then Max. Kyle, Alex and Liz all looked at us, but I only had eyes for one of them. I walked to that Liz and saw the fear in her eyes. Good. I pushed her against the wall and crossed my arm over her throat.

"Maria!" That was Isabel.

"Stop!" That was Max.

Frankly I didn't care what anyone else had to say right then. "What the fuck did you do?" I asked with my face less than an inch away from hers. "Tell me." I felt a hand on my shoulder and knew it was Kyle. I flashed him a look he read quite nicely and he backed off. I heard some quiet shit going on in back of me and chose to ignore it. I figured it was Max trying to get to Liz and Kyle keeping him where he was. See, that's why I love Kyle.

"What are you talking about?" She asked but she didn't look in my eyes. "I didn't do anything!"

"Then why is everything so fucking convenient as soon as you show up?" My breath was hot on her cheek. "You suddenly hack into Section and tell us we have the all clear when your bony ass should have been back in Roswell."

"Maria-"

"Shut up, I'm not done." I interrupted her. "You tell Michael he can get us in by using the retinal scan and that there are no alarms on it. You tell us everything is good. You send us to look for the 'containment area' which is about a million miles away from where we went in. And then we get ambushed almost as soon as we walk in the damn door? But miraculously Max walks away completely unharmed." I didn't hear anything behind me now. I think I had everyone's full attention. "So, how did you do it? Was it Rena, did she get to you?"

"No…" I saw the tears well up in her eyes and yet I just couldn't seem to care.

"What was the deal, you turn in Michael and they get Tess as a bonus? Tess who follows your fiancé around like a puppy. What else Liz, what else did you get out of it? Money?"

"I didn't do anything!" She cried out as big wet tears slid down her cheeks.

"I don't believe you," I pushed her back into the wall. "I never did like you either. You better tell me right fucking now what's going on because I swear if one hair on my husbands head is touched I will kill you Liz."

I stepped away and felt my arms quivering. I don't remember ever threatening anyone like that. Maybe in another life when I was high on something, but not someone I had trusted a few hours before. I took deep breaths and heard that Liz crying in back of me.

"Maria," Kyle was in front of me and I didn't even see him move. He took me by the arm and led me out of the hotel room. He hugged me and I held on tight to him. "What the hell was that all about?"

"Liz. I think she sold us out. I think she sold Michael and Tess out." I met his eyes and felt those stupid tears. Damn!

Kyle rubbed my back and all that did was make me feel worse.

"I have to go back, now. I have to find Michael."

"What do you need?"

"I need to know if Liz was telling the truth about anything. I need verification."

"Her and Alex have been in front of the computer all night," he shook his head. "I don't know if Liz could do this…I mean, I've known her my entire life and she's not like that Maria. You barely know her at all and you've never liked her."

"What are you saying? That it isn't her? That I can trust her?" I didn't want to hear this from Kyle. There were only two people in the world that I trusted implicitly. Kyle Valenti was one of them; the other was MIA. Isabel was a very close second in the running; if Max wasn't her brother she'd be…Fuck it. I did trust Isabel.

He shrugged. "I don't think Liz has that much control over anything," he kissed my cheek. "I mean everything makes sense what you're saying, but I don't think Liz did anything on purpose."

I shook my head. "But Kyle, I can't explain any other way about it. Section knew we were coming and we were ambushed. Liz was the one who showed up and told us what to do."

"Maybe Liz was set up. Maybe Section knew they were trying to be hacked into and they set her up with information to trap you." Kyle cocked his head to the side. I think he was as surprised as I was to hear that plausible idea.

Damn! Did I just choke that Liz for no reason? "Son of a bitch!" I broke away from him and paced the hall. The room door opened and Alex walked out, a laptop in hand. He looked nervously at me, I guess I couldn't blame him.

"Hi, can I show you something?" He nodded at me and sat on the floor. I sat next to him and Kyle took his other side. "Something was altered in…Okay, I won't go all computer geek on you."

"Thanks," I smiled but I could tell he was still nervous to be this close to me.

"Liz's information was correct," he spared the glance to me. "She wasn't lying to you Maria. She did get into Section and here," he tapped the screen at what looked like a boatload of numbers to me, "it doesn't flow. There's a break and restart. Half of the information was correct. The second half after the break wasn't. I think that maybe they were on to her at that point and let her see what they wanted to."

I looked across to Kyle and raised my eyebrows. Kyle might have hit the nail on the head and I might have thought about killing Liz Parker for no reason. Damn. This was so not my night.

"What's the truth?"

"The 'containment area' was the first thing she accessed. The retinal scan, but that's not relevant now. The maps are good."

"So we can use the maps and get to the containment area?" I asked as my heart began to race.

"It looks like it." Alex nodded.

"That little computer thing…" I made a square with my fingers."

"It's in the room," Alex almost smiled. "You left it here."

"Whatever, can all this real information be downloaded or whatever into it?"

"Yeah," Alex's eyes lit up. "I can do it right now." He stood up and tucked the laptop under his arm before looking back at me. "It wasn't Liz, Maria."

I nodded and stood up. Now I had to go back in there and face Liz and the others after apparently making an ass of myself. Screw it. I strolled back into my room and looked at Isabel and nodded. "You in?"

"I'm in," her eyes glimmered with excitement.

"Me too," Max announced but I was already shaking my head.

"Forget it. Even if I hadn't just tried to strangle your girlfriend, I'd still say no. I need someone I can trust to stay with me and not run away like a little girl." I saw him open his mouth to speak but I put my hand in the air. "I want you outside of Section. If something big and bad goes down in there I want someone on the outside. I can't have you in there Max."

He nodded and I think he might have realized that running away and leaving us behind had not really been a good idea. I looked at Isabel and saw the agreement in her eyes. Okay, so a couple of chicks were going to bring down Section? Sounded like a kick ass plan to me.

I didn't look in Liz's direction but I could hear that persistent tapping on her keyboard. I wondered if she was just typing 'I hate Maria' over and over. I would have been if I were her. God, I didn't even apologize. Maybe later.

"Okay, yeah," Kyle stepped towards me and I knew the next words coming out of his mouth. "Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and go with you guys, okay?"

I nodded and smiled. Okay, so a couple of chicks and Kyle Valenti were going to bring down Section? Even better.
*         *           *
Chapter Thirteen


After our good-byes to Alex and Liz, we left. Okay, I didn't say good-bye to Liz and I think she was cowering from me. Good. I still didn't trust her very much. I am still not convinced that she's not behind this. I mean, but if she is, then we're totally screwed.

I drove with Kyle riding shotgun and Isabel and Max in the backseat. I could feel the electricity in the car and I think Kyle could too if the hair standing up on his arms was any indication. Kyle turned on the radio and I was actually able to drown out my missing Michael thoughts in some music. I didn't know the song, but it had a nice hard beat to it that prevented any serious thoughts from invading my brain.

I tried to keep my mind clear of badness. That wasn't going to help anyone or anything. I glanced in the rear-view mirror as I drove the streets I shouldn't know. Isabel was looking out the window and Max was looking at me. I wanted to stick my tongue out at him but thought again. Technically he could zap me into Maria-toast if he wanted to.

"So, did you make a new plan, Stan?" Kyle asked turning down the radio and looking at me with a classic Valenti smile.

"You don't need to be coy, Roy." See, I knew the song.

"Just hop on the bus, Gus." Apparently so did Isabel.

We all waited for Max to chime in about 'dropping off the key, Lee' but we were let down. Either Mr. Evans wasn't playing or he didn't know the words. I bet he didn't know the words.

"Seriously," Kyle said and I looked at him. "Do we have a plan? Or are we just going to bust in with our non-guns aimed?"

"I have an idea," I glanced back at Max and saw him paying attention. That was a good. "Max stays outside, for reasons we don't need to mention right now-"

"Because he ran way like a little girl." Kyle sniggered.

"Anyway," I fought the smile and thwacked Kyle on the thigh. "Can you guys take out the security cameras from the outside? Find the wires and do your thing on them?"

"I can do it," Max leaned up and rested his arms on the back of my seat. "What else."

I didn't want to admit that was as far as I had gotten so I bluffed. "We go in the same way as before. I can find my way to the gym from there; the 'containment area' is in that direction according to the maps. I guess we'll go in fighting and get Michael and Tess out. Then we'll have a couple more on our side."

"So that's it?" Max snickered and I almost flung my fist back into his perfect smile. "Go in fighting? That's not a very good plan, Maria."

"You got a better one?" Kyle reacted before I did on that one.

Max was silent, but only for a minute. "Can you get there?"

"To the area where we think Michael and Tess are at? Yeah, I can get us there." I said it with a confidence I hadn't known was there. It was different when we were going in to get Tess. Now it was Michael I had to rescue and I didn't have time to be scared or worried. I was being forced to be strong.

"Get Tess and Michael and get the fuck out," Max lit up a cigarette and I inhaled the smoke wafting from the backseat. "Get everyone out."

I looked in the rearview mirror and thought I saw a nod of acknowledgement from smoking Mr. Evans. Acknowledging me for what? I don't know. Wait, maybe he finally realized I was the fucking captain after all. Ha! I parked a hell of a lot closer to Section that Michael had, but I didn't care anymore about all the secrecy. I needed in and I needed in fast. We walked to that same stupid door and I felt like I was in that stupid movie about Groundhog Day where the day just keeps repeating. I swear the next time I go into Section it will be by the fucking front door! Well, if there is a front door.

I watched Max as he did his alien thing on the cables outside. It was always a cool thing to watch. He looked to me when he was done. "Security cameras, cable TV and the Internet are out of service," he smiled. "Do your thing Maria and see if you really deserve the title of captain."

I nodded to him and waited for Isabel to open the door. I went in first, then Kyle with Isabel pulling up the rear. We walked quietly and quickly without the worry of cameras. The corridor was silent and we went through it fast. Now I know why I didn't smoke anymore, I bet Max would be wheezing by now. I led Kyle and Isabel through what seemed like a maze. I passed by the hamster cage and it was empty. We cruised soundlessly though the main atrium where I had seen the men in suits up above in the glass encased catwalk; it was now empty. I got a sick feeling in my stomach. Section was never just empty. Something was up.

"Maria," Isabel whispered and touched my arm. She held out the little computer thing from Alex, thank God someone that had remembered it this time! I looked and shrugged. She rolled her eyes at me and pointed to an incoming message:

I hope you get this. There is an outage at Section, I hope it's you guys. I can get into some more files right now, but I need Michael's password. I can get into his father's and Rena's through Michael's. I think. Help! Alex.

Password from Section? Oh God, like I would know. I had no flippin' clue what the password could possibly be. I looked blankly at Isabel.

"No ideas? We could find out what they know about us." She pleaded with me and I wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry.

"Maria, c'mon!" Kyle held my arm. I wonder if I was swaying, I thought it was just in my head.

I thought back to every conversation Michael and I ever had about Section. Did he change his password before he left Section? Of course he did. Michael was brilliant and brilliant people changed their passwords all the time. "Hamster cage."

"I'm sorry?" Isabel whispered.

I nodded and remembered how amused he had been when I picked it for my own password. "Hamster cage. Tell him to try it."

Isabel typed on a tiny keyboard and we waited. We didn't wait long before we got a message back from Alex. All it said was: Woo Hoo!

I smiled and led them further into the depths of an apparently evacuated Section. Isabel handed me the virtual map as we passed the gym that held all my fond memories of Michael kicking my ass in there.

Something was up and I didn't like the way it felt. This was too easy. Why was this so easy? There should be operatives all over the place working and doing whatever else they do. But it was like a ghost town. I knew it was late, but…

Isabel touched my arm and pointed to a steel gray pillar. I didn't see what she was looking at but when she put her finger to her lips I knew there was someone there. Okay, obstacle number one. I pointed to Kyle to stay put while Isabel and I went on either side of the pillar. Sure as hell, armed man in black.

"Hey stud," I whispered in his ear. He turned to face me and Isabel did something to him from the other side. He fell to the ground with a thud. "Bye stud."

Obstacle number one? We kicked its ass!

Kyle hurried over to us and picked up the gun from the zapped man. He cocked his head to the side. "Do you think I can keep this?"

"Honey, you can have whatever you want!" I smiled and then pointed to lump o' black on the ground. "Did you kill him?"

"Nah," Isabel made a gun with her thumb and forefinger and blew on the tip of it. "Just think of me as an walking stun gun."

Now we were armed. We walked all stealthy like through yet another empty corridor and I'll be damned but obstacle number two was there. I pushed Kyle out for bait this time and I used one of the tactical movements I had learned from Michael on him. Oh yeah, he was disabled. Isabel zapped him and we were off.

This still wasn't sitting to well with me and I was waiting for some really big bad to jump out and make me pee in my pants, but there was nothing. Okay, technically, I knew there was something because we've already been assaulted twice. Well, we assaulted twice.

I followed the map and it was almost too easy. Everything was too easy. The containment area doors were in front of us. Big steel doors with small windows with embedded chicken-wire in them. I peeked through the window and saw nothing but darkness.

"Maria?" Kyle stood behind me and peered over my shoulder.

I looked at him then Isabel and shrugged. Isabel got us in and we went down yet another hallway then some steps. Okay, now we were going down. Never go down, right? Never go up and never go down, always stay on the first level. I led them down the steps and prayed I wasn't leading them to…I didn't even want to think about it.

We turned the corner at the bottom of the steps and there she was. There was Tess.

Behind a wall of plate glass we were able to see into a room and there she was. Those unmistakable blond curls weren't quite as bouncy and she was paler than a ghost. She was in a glass box and she was nude. Silver metal bands bound her hands and feet to manacles. Her head lolled to one side and I think she was breathing. Fuck! I couldn't tell. Please be alive Tess. Please be alive.

"Tess," Kyle whispered and walked closer to the glass. I reached for his arm and yanked him back.

"Wait!" I hissed at him and scanned the room for Michael. Tess was in there alone. Fuck! Where was Michael?

"Operative DeLuca, how nice of you to join us." The voice boomed from behind us and I think my heart skipped a few beats. There were two men in dark suits in front of us now along with six men with guns. Things were now officially not looking up for the two chicks and Kyle Valenti. Son-of-a-bitch!

Chapter Fourteen

I saw Kyle get a better grip on the semi-automatic gun he was holding. I prayed he didn't try to take them out because that would seal our deaths right here, right now. I knew the men in suits; they were the ones on the catwalk from a long time ago. I chanced a look at Isabel and thought she looked okay. Pissed maybe, but not the cowering crying woman I expected. She was standing strong and right beside me.

"You got this far, we're impressed." The younger of the two suits said. "I'm Mr. Smith and this is my associate, Mr. Smythe."

Right. Smith and Smythe, the cartoon characters that Michael said weren't very funny. Great. I sighed and it felt good. Never let them see you sweat or be afraid. I forced a yawn and I saw the older suit's neck turn crimson. Fuck'em.

"Are we boring you Operative DeLuca?" Mr. Smith asked.

"First off, my name is Maria." I said and was quite proud that my voice came out so authoritative. I didn't want to tell him my last name; frankly, it was none of his damn business.

"Okay Maria," the older one, Smythe, said and smiled. Not a 'happy to see me and you're so cute' smile, more like an 'I don't care what you say because you'll be dead soon' smile. "We'd like to talk to you for a moment. In private."

I looked at the gunmen and then to Kyle and then Isabel. Both of them were sending me signals telling me not to. I shook my head. "Nah, why don't we chat here?"

"Very well," Smith glanced towards the gunman, no, hold on, gunwoman flanking him and nodded. She raised her weapon at Kyle as Smith spoke. "Please lower your weapon sir."

Sir? So they didn't know who Kyle was which probably meant they didn't know who Isabel was and that was a big good. If they didn't know who she was then they didn't know what she was. Or maybe they didn't want us to know that they knew. Maybe they thought that I didn't know that they knew. Maybe I was beginning to sound like an episode of 'Three's Company'. Kyle laid the gun on the floor and kicked it over to them. I would have done the same thing, too many movies.

The gunwoman picked it up and it disappeared somewhere behind her. At least they didn't point that one at us, too.

"Maria," Mr. Smith said and I hated the way he said my name. Maybe Operative was better after all. "You've caused quite a stir here tonight. We have no cameras and our mainframe has been tampered with along with several other electrical problems. I don't know how you and your ragtag army here did it, but job well done. You might have been an asset to Section after all."

I laughed. "Like I would ever want to work for a bunch of murdering fucks like you?" I hate it when I say out loud whatever I'm thinking.

Smith was amused. "You didn't have a choice, Maria."

I thought back to waking up here straight from the pokey. He was right about that. I hadn't had a choice. I didn't have anything. Except for Michael. "Where's Michael?"

Smith and Smythe looked at each other and I got chills. "Michael Guerin is of no importance to you right now." Smith finally answered.

"The fuck he's not. Where. The. Fuck. Is. He?" I asked slowly and deliberately. I needed an answer.

"Maria," Kyle touched my arm and I shook it off. He grabbed my arm and I let him.

"Michael Guerin is being taken care of." Smith, obviously the talker of the two said smoothly. God, everything about them was smooth.

"Where is he?" I asked again, my fists were clenched. If they were going to tell me Michael was dead then I was going to rush them and it didn't matter if I had to bite my way through, I was pulling out a heart. Michael…

"Maria," Smith shook his head in that condescending way. "We need some help from you."

"Help?" I laughed bitterly. "You tell me where Michael is right fucking now and I might help you. Where is he?"

"He's been contained."

"Like her?" I pointed over my shoulder to Tess. "He's not in there."

"No, he's not." Smith grinned. "Now, we need some help from you. One of our associates, Rena, has been missing and presumed dead for five months. We need to know the rest of the information that she gathered. We've been unable to successfully open her files, some of her files."

"And you think Rena and I were tight?" I asked and put my hands on my hips. So Section didn't know everything? For a top government institution, they needed better computer hackers. All we had was this ragtag army.

"I don't care if you were or not." The harshness in Smith's voice sent shivers down my spine. He motioned to Isabel and Kyle. "Get them out of here."

"What?" Isabel stepped forward but I grabbed her arm. She looked at me and I nodded. God if only she could read minds…

"You'll let them go?" I asked and wondered if that really was the brightest move, for anyone.

"We'll escort them out of Section." Smith's demeanor had shifted and I picked up on it. Yeah, they were going to be escorted out of Section all right, probably in a freakin' body bag.

"Forget it, they stay with me." I glanced to either side and was proud to stand with Isabel and Kyle. "Either we all stay or we all go. Which is it?"

Smith and Smythe conferred and I looked to Kyle. I mouthed words to him, "we have to stay together. Are you okay?" I got a nod back and smiled. I did the same to Isabel and she smiled and tapped her pocket. Holy shit the computer thing! We could communicate with Alex and he could…what? What exactly could Alex do? Come down here and get shot?  Fuck!

"Fine, then you are all guests of Section." Smith smiled an evil smile. Maybe it wasn't actually evil, but I just didn't like him. At all.

"Wonderful." I smiled as sweetly as I could. I could suck up a little, and I mean a teeny tiny bit, to get Michael back. I could do anything to make sure I got Michael back. My heart was pounding and from here on out we were going to have to play a game. I didn't know the rules, but that didn't matter; I was never very good at following them anyway. I glanced over my shoulder and felt sick. Tess hadn't moved since we'd been down here. "So, can I see her? Can I talk to her?"

"Miss Harding isn't accepting visitors right now." Smith clasped his hands together as two of the gunmen stepped in back of the suits. One stood on either side of us and the other two took position by the steps.

"Oh yeah, why is that?" I asked and looked over my shoulder at the helpless pile of Tess. I thought I saw her bare chest rise, but I couldn't tell for sure. "What the fuck have you been doing to her?"

"Experiments." Smith answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I nodded slowly as the realization set in. Michael was here and they might know what he is and…oh, God. No! "I want to see Michael. Now."

"Or what Maria?" Smith asked. Maybe I should have let him keep calling me
Operative DeLuca because I hated the way he said my name. "What will you do?"

I shrugged. "I guess I'll have to take down Section one fucking brick at a time until I find him," I started out quiet but my voice was rising with each word.  "And then I'm going to take those bricks and ram them down your fucking throat if you've hurt him."

"The young Guerin has a friend, how quaint. That was something we never expected," Smith looked to Smythe who nodded in confirmation. "We always assumed that he would end up half crazy like his father with all his talk about aliens. Funny how things turn out, isn't it?"

Okay, so now I was banking on them actually knowing Michael's true identity. "Do you believe me when I tell you I'll destroy this whole fucking place if you don't tell me where Michael is? I promise, I'll see you dead if I don't get what I want."

Smith and Smythe conferred again and I wanted to scream. I don't know who had who on this one. I needed to know what Section knew about Michael and the others. I needed to see Michael. I looked over my shoulder again at Tess and then I saw Kyle and the pain in his eyes as he looked at her through the glass. He loved her; I could see it in those sad puppy eyes. He loved her and now I made it my mission to make sure he had the chance to tell her. Soon. Damn. Like I don't have enough on my plate already.

"Let her go." I said and shook my head wondering what the hell I thought I was doing. "Let Tess go. Now. Take me and let her go."

"That's a very lucrative offer, but unacceptable. Miss Harding is of the extraterrestrial descent and you are just a human. It wouldn't be a fair trade." Smith answered.

"Let her go, look at her." I jabbed my finger into the window in back of me. "It looks like she's dying in there." I couldn't even imagine what was happening to Michael. I cast a quick glance to Isabel to make sure she wasn't going to make the same offer I had. I needed at least one full-strength alien out here with me. She stood motionless staring at the men in suits. Hate gleaming in her eyes. "You're killing her."

"Not yet, we still need more data." Smith looked over my shoulder. "She's been most cooperative."

This was going downhill really fucking fast.  I couldn't think of way out of this and it was pissing me off. I had to get Tess out before they killed her. I had to find Michael. I had to find Michael. He was strong and I knew he could withstand a lot, but…I needed him. It might sound selfish, but I needed Michael and I was going to get him back. No matter what I had to do.

"What do you want," I put a quiver in my voice and thought it sounded authentic. I wasn't scared, nope, not at all. I was way beyond scared and angry. I was…I don't even know the word for it. But this was not ending like this. I had a life I wanted to get back to. I had a life with Michael that had really just begun. I wasn't giving all that up, not for a couple of clowns in suits who thought they had won.

"We want the others."

"The other what?" I teased.

"We want the other extraterrestrial life-forms." Smith said calmly glancing at Kyle then Isabel.

"Besides Tess? Who else is it?" I asked coyly and even managed to get a few eyelash battings in there.

"Besides Miss Harding and Mr. Guerin, we don't know."

Fuck me. "That's it as far as I know." I shrugged and looked at Isabel then Kyle. "You guys know of any others?"

"Michael's an …alien?" Isabel stammered and I wanted to hand her the damn Oscar.

"You're not running this game, Maria." Smith said slowly and seemingly dismissed two of the gunmen who vanished around the corner. "We are. You won't win, we will."

"Can I be the hat, though? I was always the hat when we played Monopoly in the pokey." I felt the old me roil through and she felt good. The Maria who didn't care if she lived or died. When I moved I didn't even realize it. I was like so fucking fast it was unreal. I took everything I had learned from Michael and everything I had learned on the streets and rolled it up into one. I was in back of Smith within an instant. The gun guys didn't have a chance to shoot without seriously maiming or killing one of their bosses. I had him around the neck with my arm and I could have killed him instantly. "Okay bitch, now you're going let Miss Harding go and you're going to take me to Michael or I'm going to snap your fucking neck."

"Maria," he said my name calmly but I could sense the surprise.

"Never tell me I won't win, asshole." I whispered in his ear. "Because I'll win just to prove you wrong. Let her the fuck go!"

I could feel Smith look to his counterpart and nod. I glanced at Kyle and Isabel and saw the shock wearing off.  They were with me on this; sure, I might have surprised the shit out of them, hell, I surprised the shit out of myself!

Kyle smiled at me and winked. "Hey Maria," he called over to me. "Section?"

"Fuck'em," I said it as coldly as I could and winked back at my friends.

*        *         *

His upper body was bare except for the electrodes taped to his chest. Every vital sign was being monitored. Bruises on his arms from all the needles were blurring together. The metal straps holding his arms and feet in place were stinging his skin. He looked up through blurry vision and red eyes and made a silent prayer to a God he didn't know if he believed in. A prayer to stay alive. To stay alive for Maria.
Chapter Fifteen

I Had Smith by the neck and now the guns were pointed at Isabel and Kyle. I probably should have been more concerned than I was, but for the moment I think we were winning.

"What are you waiting for Smith?" I whispered in his ear and tightened my grip on him. "Let Miss Harding go and tell your lackeys here to take their aim off of my friends or I will kill you." I looked to Smythe. "Then you. Don't doubt me."

"We're not doubting you Maria," Smythe said. His confident composure slacked.

"I think you may be."

"Where's the door?" Kyle asked. "I'd like to get Tess out now." Even though there were two guns trained on him, he was asking about Tess. Once again, another reason I loved Kyle Valenti.

Smith nodded, well, as much as he could with my death grip on him, and one of the gunmen stepped away, then another. The first one ran a card of some kind down something in the wall I couldn't see and I watched as a door next to the glass opened. I would have never seen the door on my own. Kyle took a step towards it and had a gun in his face. I didn't see fear on him now, I saw anger. I hoped he didn't do something stupid. Yeah, as I'm standing here about ready to kill a man with my bare hands. No, nothing stupid going on around here.

"Tell your men to back the fuck off, now!" I was losing my patience. I knew we had to get Tess out and find Michael and in not a lot of time. We didn't have time for this bullshit and I wondered if Smith and/or Smythe was planning something. Or better yet, already had something planned. Man…

Isabel. I looked at Isabel and knew what she was. I knew who she was then I knew what she was. Rena had turned in two of the four aliens. Tess and Michael. At least that's the way my thinking was going. If Rena knew about Tess and Michael and not Isabel and Max…Why? How? I doubt Tess got chummy with her and told their deep dark secret. Rena found out about them somehow and now I was going to make damn sure that I would too.

The gunmen let Kyle pass and I was relieved to see Isabel not moving. I didn't want her too far away from me in case something happened. I watched as Kyle ran to Tess and opened the door to her cell and lifted her head up. She was alive! Thank God Tess was alive and well. Okay, not well, but alive none the less.

"She's leaving Section," I stated.

"I don't think that would be wise." Smith said and I slammed my knee into the back of his.

"I don't care what you think." I rolled my eyes and watched through the window as Kyle tried to unfasten the restraints. He wasn't getting it and I could see the frustration on his face. "How does he get her out?"

"A release on the side of the holding tank." Smith said calmly and I wasn't sure if I believed him or not. It could be a trap; it could be a bomb. This was when I needed some reasoning going on. This was when I needed someone to tell me everything was going to be okay. This was when I needed Michael.

"Tell her to do it." I pointed the gunwoman who was now closest to Isabel.

Smith did as I said and we all watched as those metal bands came loose and Kyle swept the little blond up into his arms. He managed to get off his button down shirt and lay it over her nakedness. He carried her out to us and I felt all warm and fuzzy.

"Tess," Isabel was at her side. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"

Tess looked to her and with red-rimmed eyes and uttered words I wasn't expecting. "Who are you?"

Oh fuck. That's it. It's over. We might as well have the fat lady singing because we are screwed.

"Did you fucking brainwash her?" I snapped and pulled Smith closer to me. "Is that what you did? Tell me!"

"Miss Harding was an extra ordinary specimen, we learned a lot from her." Smith said quietly. I could feel the vibration of sound through my arm. "Her loyalties were deep and I'm afraid there might have been some complications with a memory retrieval experiment."

Son of a bitch! I looked at Kyle who still held Tess in his arms. "Can you get her out of here? Can you find your way?"

He nodded slowly." Yeah, but I'm not leaving you here."

Chivalry is so not dead. "Okay Smith. Here's the plan. We're walking out of here with Miss Harding and Mr. Guerin and you're going to let us. Okay? If not, everything I said that would happen, will begin. I will start with breaking your neck. Does that sound fair enough?"

I didn't see it coming and I should have. I've seen in before in movies and I should have known. I was holding up Smith now, I knew there was a bullet in his head; I had felt it when it went in. Smythe was holding a black gun in his hand with a silencer on the end. He killed Smith and now we were seriously screwed. I dropped the dead weight and stood there in the open like a freakin' target.

"Now Maria," Smythe said coolly. "Why don't you and your friends join me where we can discuss a few things and then maybe we can sort this whole thing out and you can go. We don't want you, we want the extraterrestrial life forms."

All the guns were aimed at me and I understood. I knew why they didn't know about Isabel and Max. I knew it all and now I was even more pissed. "Son-of-a-bitch!" I shouted and put my hands on the back of my head. I looked over at Kyle who was still holding a now shaking Tess. I looked at Isabel and saw the confusion on her face.

"Why don't you come with us," Smith touched my arm and I flung it off, fury in my eyes.

"Why don't you kiss my ass?" I was answered with a deftly placed gun butt to the cheek. I crumpled to the floor while severe pain ravaged my face.

I was looking at the ground and trying to gather my wits when something happened. I don't know exactly how, but I knew it wasn't a good. Before I could stand up I saw Kyle and Tess on the ground and then Isabel. Well, we were ahead for like a few seconds there and now we were back to being screwed. I guess the only thing keeping us alive was the fact that we knew who the other two aliens were.

I was helped up by a gunman and I let him do whatever he wanted. It was time for a new plan; a better plan. Okay, a plan, period. Kyle helped Tess walk once he convinced her he wasn't there to hurt her. The four of us were led back up the stairs and down a different hallway to a room where we were promptly shoved into. Smythe and his gunmen and woman followed us in.

I looked around and didn't like the set-up. Two chairs, plenty of wires and controls coming off them along with wrist and ankle restraints. And of course, no waiting.

"Maria, since you seem to be the one in charge, we'll let you decide who goes first." He pointed to the chairs and I felt sick; aside from the blinding pain in my face. Smythe nodded at me and I wanted to rip his eyes out. Given the opportunity, I would do just that. "We will find out the identities of the others that you are protecting by morning; by any means necessary. If you cooperate, we'll discuss letting you go."

Riiiight. Like I believed a single word that came from that mans mouth.

"I have something to show you, maybe it will help you change your mind." He motioned to gunwoman and I was really beginning to hate her. She pulled back a curtain I hadn't even noticed before. There was glass, and I stood and walked to it as bile rose in my stomach. Michael was behind the glass.

He was in a chair similar to the ones in here with us. His wrists and ankles were bound. His bare arms littered with bruises. My whole body was shaking as I raised a hand to the glass. His head was sagging but I could see his chest, oh God, his flawless chest rise and fall. His hair was hanging down obscuring his face. I wanted to see his face.

"Michael…" I whispered and put my hand to the glass. I don't know if he knew I was there, if he could see through the glass or maybe he just sense me. Either way, he raised his head and looked straight at me. I felt the tears rolling down my face when I saw him. In such a short time, Michael looked beaten. His eyes were deep sockets of darkness, bruising on his neck and wires taped to his head. Oh God, Michael… I think he could see through the glass because he met my eyes and then I saw something that scared the hell out of me. Zero recognition.   

I swung around and met the unreserved happy face of Mr. Smythe. "What do you want to know?"
*        *         *     
Chapter Sixteen


Smythe looked at me and waited. My heart sank when I glanced at Isabel. Was I really getting ready to turn her and her brother over to Section? At that very second, I didn't know. Anything to save Michael. I knew I had to do something and fast.

Michael…I couldn't even look over my shoulder at him again. The emptiness in his eyes ate away at me. Did he really not know me? Did he succumb to the same fate as Tess with Section's memory retrieval experiments gone wrong?

I weighed my options and I thought they all sucked. I didn't even know if Michael could see me at all. Maybe the room he was in was one where we could see in but he couldn't see out. Like a police station interrogation room, I was quite familiar with those. I wanted to ask Smythe, but that would be stupid. That would make him think he was winning again; and that was so not an option.

Kyle! Kyle was in the room with Tess that seemed to be like the one Michael was in. Maybe he actually paid attention to the window when he was trying to save Tess. Riiiight. I swirled and looked at him as he stood holding Tess close to his body. She was drowning in his shirt but at least she had something on. I would have paid good money to clothe her. Her expression was lost. She didn't have a clue what was going on around her; that was obvious, but she held on to Kyle's arm like it was a freakin' lifeline. In a wasteland of confusion lay a ray of light. I met Kyle's eyes and I saw something unfamiliar in them. Disappointment. He was disappointed in me. Damn!

I guess if I were being honest that I would have to say I was pretty disappointed in myself as well. Technically I only thought about telling for like a nanosecond. There was no fucking way I was going to turn over Isabel and her stupid brother to a fate worse then death. Hell, I wouldn't turn in Isabel for eating grapes in the grocery store.

It was only a matter of time before this whole thing blew up in our faces. We had to react. We had to do it fast and I was still without a plan. So Section didn't know who the other aliens were and I knew why. Oh fucking well, I had a feeling everyone was going to find out sooner or later. I had to know about Michael and the only way was if I could telepathically communicate with Kyle about the windows. Part of me knew that Michael could never forget me. I considered myself unforgettable. The pain from my cheek was getting worse; the blinding pain was almost enough to knock me down to my knees. But that would be giving up. I didn't know how to give up.

I bored holes through Kyle with the slim hope he was a secret mind reader. All I got from him was the confused dog look that I had mastered a long time ago. I sighed and felt sorry for him. Hell, I felt sorry for all of us.

"Maria," Smythe got my attention back. "You were going to tell us something?"

"Oh yeah," I put my hands on my hips and knew it was do or die. I was hoping for the 'do' part though. "Yeah, I was going to tell you to kiss my ass."

"Maria-"

I cut him off with an elbow through the glass in back of me. Oh God, the pain in my face was nothing compared to the one shooting through my arm. I think I nearly ripped it to shreds.  I could feel the cool air hit the open cuts.

The gunmen responded by covering their boss, guns pointed at each of us. I wasn't sure exactly what to do next, but I could sure use an Isabel-fix-me-up right about now. The pain was excruciating and the only thing I accomplished so far was getting the guns aimed at us.

I looked at the group of Isabel, Kyle and Tess huddled together and saw something that I thought was un-fucking-believable. Isabel's eyes were closed and her hands were on the back of Tess. Holy shit, she was trying to cure her! In the middle of all this bullshit, Isabel was exposing herself, although quite clandestinely, and trying to cure Tess. This was a big fucking good in my book. As long as there were no freakouts by Tess and Isabel kept her cool, things were looking up. For the second at least.

I still didn't look over my shoulder through the now broken glass at Michael. I couldn't see him like that. I needed my strong guardian angel back. I needed my knight in black leather. To see him now…It would kill me. I didn't need that to kill me when there was a whole room full of other things that could do it.

"Maria," Smythe made that horrible tsk-tsk sound and it really took everything I had in me not to pounce and beat. Okay, that and the fact that many guns were pointed and me and my friends. "There is no need for violence."

I pointed to the gunmen. "And they are…?"

"Necessary evils, I assure you."

So he assured me. I could assure him a thing or two. I chanced a glance at Tess and she looked even more confused. Either it wasn't working at all or it was and she was legitimately confused. I was hoping for the latter; just on that slim chance that Michael was…Like her.

"Turn over the other ones." Smythe was losing his patience. Something I would have done a long time ago. If I was in charge, I would have popped me when the first smart-ass remark came out of my mouth. Good thing I didn't run Section, huh?

"Tell me why you think there's more." I stood my ground and a plan was formulating in my throbbing skull.

"We have reason to believe from Rena's files-"

"Yeah, okay. Rena's dead." I interrupted. "Give me something better than that. Tell me why."

"I'm not sure I follow you, Maria." He said slowly and I think we were just about on the same page.

"You follow just fine, asshole."

"We have reason to believe-"

"Blah. Blah. Blah." I was either feeling very brave or I was losing a lot of blood from my arm. Between the blood loss, the pain of my ripped up elbow and my throbbing face I'm sure that I couldn't be held accountable for anything else I said. I wasn't even sure if I was thinking clearly or not. I just wanted to turn around and see my husband, but I fought it.

Smythe moved his head in the direction of Michael and it hurt for me not to turn around and look at him. It was a trick, I knew it had to be a trick. Get the girl to turn around and then whack her. Man. My knees were vibrating and I was about to do something very stupid. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to work, but I had to try. I had to do something.

"The jig is so up, Smythe." I began to pace in front of the broken window, still refusing to look at Michael. Not yet.

"What are you referring to? It seems to me that the jig is far from being up." Smythe spayed his hands towards me. "It seems you and your friends have hit a roadblock. You can break all the windows you want, make all the demands you want, but none of it will matter in the end."

"You're right, Smith-"

"Smythe." He interrupted me.

"Right, I tend to confuse dead guys." I cocked my head to the side and gave him my very best toothy grin. "Now, what you were saying about nothing mattering in the end? You're right. For you, nothing will matter. I can guarantee you one thing here tonight. I will step over your body when I leave."

I hope he saw the flash of serious anger that was in me. I hoped he was really wasn't as calm as he appeared because then we really might be fucked. He smiled at me and I got chills. Damn it! Weren't we ever going to get a break?

I looked to Kyle first, then Isabel. I wish I knew what they were thinking. I wonder if they thought we were as screwed as I did. My eyes met Tess's and I saw the glimmer of familiarity. I saw the cosmetologist. I saw the blond number that followed Max around. I saw Tess and she was back. I thought our break must be just around the corner.

"Now Maria," Smythe began speaking again and I wished I had a sock to shove in his mouth.  "If you tell us what we need to know, you're all free to go."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Heard that one before. People just don't [i]leave[/i] Section. I wondered briefly what the fuck Max was doing outside. Maybe I should have let him come in with us; he could have been a help. Maybe. Maybe not. He still had that whole captain issue to deal with. I wondered if he was just standing around outside. He was probably smoking and I envied him.

Isabel caught my gaze and I knew something was up. The aliens were planning on fighting back. Woo-hoo! I didn't know exactly what that meant, but if I could get some medical attention it was all good to me. My arm was now hanging lifeless at my side and it was going to take an aspirin the size of Montana to make the pain in my cheek go away.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Isabel raise those slender arms; Tess was along side of her and I wondered what the fuck they were doing. I didn't dare tip off Smythe and his Operatives to alien activity happening right under his nose.

"Would you care to tell us who the other ones are now?"

"Nope." I shrugged. What's the worse that could happen? They kill me? At this point I would take it over being in this room any longer. My arm hurt, my head hurt and my heart was broken. There wasn't anything left to take from me.

"Are you sure?"

I shrugged again and somewhere in the recesses of my mind; I knew I had to react. I had to distract attention away from Isabel and Tess. Somehow I mustered up the energy to spring forward and throw myself at Smythe. I didn't know I had that kind of strength left in me, I guess it was hiding underneath the pain. The newly formulated plan was going into effect. The gunmen didn't know which way to point their guns or at who. I was a tangle of arms and legs with Smythe on the floor and I prayed something was being done so I could get up soon. My bet was on Isabel to lead.

I looked up and saw Isabel and Tess side by side. Something was going to happen but they were waiting for something. Oh God, please don't let it be…I turned as fast as I could and looked to the broken window. When I turned I felt the sharp cool metal of a gun barrel under my chin. It was the gunwoman, the bitch, and her finger was on the trigger. I knew Isabel could fix a gunshot wound to the chest, but what about one that takes off half your fucking head?

I released my grip from Smythe and bowed my head. They had me. I had nothing else to give. I finally looked towards the broken window and saw Michael. He was looking directly at me. I couldn't hear him, but I'd know the words he was saying a million miles away. "Sweet Maria."

I stood and grabbed the gun barrel in one ninja like fluid movement. It only took a second for me to aim and fire. The gunwoman was now the dead gunwoman. Woo-hoo! I was getting my second wind and most importantly, Michael knew me. Things were looking pretty good in the Maria-verse. I didn't think, I aimed. I took out two more of the gunmen before I felt the pain from the first bullet as it ripped through my thigh. Right through my leather pants. Shit!

I went down on one knee. I may be down but I wasn't out.
*         *          *
Chapter Seventeen

All the guns and anger around me and it turned into a moment of nothing but reflection. I hate reflection, but I'll be damned if it didn't sneak up on me and bite me in the ass. I don't even count the time in-between my dad dying and waking up in Section as part of my life anymore. My new life started the day I met Michael Guerin. Sure I hated him at the time, but he saved me in so many different ways.

I remembered the training and exhaustion. The bitterness of deserting me and the happiness when we reunited. The battle that almost killed him in the parking lot of a bar. Getting married. The chocolate syrup. Oh God, the chocolate syrup. Running away to the beach and living happily for awhile. Dreams of a future that were about to be cut short without cotton candy…

I saw the barrels of the guns pointed at me and then the lights went out. The fucking lights went out and I knew I was dead.

I felt bare legs brush against my arms and knew it was Tess; her being the only one in nothing but a shirt. Broken glass sounds came from behind me. She was going to Michael! Oh God, could she get him free? Gunfire erupted over my head and I ducked. My body was broken and I honestly didn't think I could move another inch. What I said about being down and not out? A slight overstatement. I was as close to out as I could get.

I felt arms around me and I fought. I was close, but it wasn't over yet. I bit at the offending arm and heard a familiar yelp. Kyle.

"Damn it, stop biting me!" He whispered harshly in my ear. My body sank against him as he pulled me towards where he and Isabel were standing before. Well, I think it was there, but my orientation could be a little off because of the blinding pain I was in.

I felt hands on my leg and I hoped it was Isabel. No, it wasn't Isabel, she didn't have manly hands. Why the hell was someone touching my leg and who the fuck was it? I kicked with my good leg and hit home. I heard a muffled shout and thought the tone sounded familiar. Max? Holy shit, I think it was Max. It's about fucking time.

"Ma-" I started but felt a hand clamp over my mouth.

"It's Max," Isabel whispered in my ear. Oh God, did that mean everything was going to be okay? She released her hand.

I looked to where I thought her face was. "What's happening?"

I didn't get a response so I took that for 'shut the fuck up.' See, I pay attention.

"Maria, tell me!" Smythe bellowed and I swear I felt the walls vibrate. Gone was all the niceties, he meant business now.

"Fuck you," I whispered against my own better judgement. I knew Kyle was rolling his eyes.

"Tell me now!" Smythe boomed and I yelped. "I can hear you." The voice was directed over at us and I knew I blew it.

I struggled to stand and with help from Kyle, I did. I leaned on him as a crutch. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt these people. This was my fault and I wouldn't let them take the fall for me. I'd never been one for honor or principle or any of that other crap, but now was my turn.

I wondered how Max got in and found us and then I wondered about Michael and Tess. I was in the dark, literally, and things weren't adding up. I really thought I knew what was going on. Well, only one way to find out.

"Why don't you know who you're trying to find?" I called out as a bullet whizzed by me. I fell to the ground and took Kyle along for the ride. "Quit shooting, you ass!" I screamed into the dark.

We waited for a minute and without further gunshot, Kyle helped me stand again. If I could have seen Isabel, I would have told her to get the fuck out as fast as she could. I took a deep breath and wondered if I would ever be whole again. Hell, at this point I wondered if I'd ever see daylight. Period.

"Tell me why you don't know." I said it quietly and looked over my shoulder into darkness. I squeezed Kyle's hand and leaned in close to him. "Tell Isabel and Max to get out anyway they can."

He wavered and until I balanced on my one good leg he didn't leave me. He was only gone a few seconds before he returned as my crutch. "She can't." He whispered in my ear.

"Why not?" I hated whispering. I was so not meant to whisper.

"She won't leave you."

Son-of-a-bitch! I turned around. "Isabel! Get the fuck out of here, now!" I yelled. I didn't even care about being all secrety. I wanted them out. I wanted Kyle out, but I knew he'd never leave me there. I wanted everyone out and safe, then I could take down Section. That was still my plan. They just don't know who they were fucking with.
I heard scuffling and then running and then nothing. Oh God, I hope Isabel took her stupid brother and ran. Please!

The lights came on and I was blinded, but only for a second. I forced my eyes open and looked around the room. Holy shit. Everyone was gone except for Kyle and me.
The room was completely empty. My hear began to pound. I spun as fast as I could on one leg and looked through the broken window for Michael. The chair was empty, the restraints looked ripped off. He was gone. Tess was gone. Fuck me! I grabbed a gun from the floor and stuck it in the back of my totally ruined leather pants. Kyle did the same. Woo-hoo! We were so armed.

"Maria?" Kyle's voice was shaky. Or maybe it was my ears. This pain thing was killing me.

"I don't know Kyle. I have no fucking idea what's going on," I looked around the room again to make sure I didn't miss anyone. Nope. No one else was here.

"What do we do now?"

Good question. Didn't have an answer, but it was still a good question. I guess the first thing I wanted to do was cut off my leg and then take that Montana sized aspirin.

"Maria?"

"Damn it Kyle, I'm thinking!" I didn't mean to snap at him, but my body really did hurt. "I'm sorry." I shook my head and something caught my eye in the corner where Isabel and then Max had been. It was rectangular and holy smoke, it was the freaking little computer! I pointed to it. "The computer thing from Alex, can you get to it?"

"If I drop you," he rolled his eyes. Gone was the shakiness, back was my brother-in-arms. We hobbled over to it together and Kyle picked it up. "Now what?"

I shrugged and wished I would have paid more attention. Then again, what was Alex going to do? I've been over that before. "Just hold on to it. We have to find the others. We have to find them all."

"Do you think they made it out?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know. Everyone is just gone and here we are all alone." I looked around. "We're alone in the big bad Section and I feel like I'm dying."

He kissed my forehead. "You'll live Maria, I'd bet my life on it."

I wish he wouldn't have said that. Maybe letting Kyle come along had been a mistake. I could only make so many before I really ended up getting someone hurt.

"Well Mr. Valenti, ready to do a little hunting?"

"Wrascally Wrabbits?" He grinned and I laughed and that felt good.

My confidence level just stepped up a few notches and I thought I could make it. No, fuck that. I was going to make it and so was everyone else. I wasn't lying when I told Smith or Smythe or whoever that I would tear down Section one brick at a time. "Rock on."

We, okay, I decided to check out the room Michael was in first, maybe him and Tess were just hiding. Riiiight. Kyle helped me over the broken glass that was streaked with blood. I knew some of it was mine and I gathered some of it was Tess's. The room was empty.

We walked to the chair, Michael's chair, and I could smell that wonderful Michael smell. I inhaled deeply and sighed. We walked around the room and now I knew I was going on pure adrenaline; there was no other way I could be doing this at all. Okay, adrenaline and the drive to see my husband again.

We walked to a door in the back of the room and I tried the handle. It opened and we were in some other hallway. I glanced up at the cameras and it wasn't moving, that was probably a big good meaning they haven't been restored yet.  We walked down the hall and eventually came to a stairway. I didn't know if I could do the stairs, but we had to, according to me, we were still below the first level. I tried and I failed. Kyle picked me up and carried me up the flight of stairs and I felt helpless.

Things started to look familiar to me as we reached the top and then I saw another stairway. I pointed and Kyle feigned that I weighed too much. My turn to do the eye rolling. He carried me up the steps and I realized we were headed towards the glass-enclosed catwalk. Could this be the real deal?

Kyle set me down and the computer thing he had shoved down the front of his pants beeped. I almost screamed. He handed it to me and I stared blankly at it. After five minutes of fiddling around I finally got the bastard open. There on the little screen it said incoming message. I read it and then handed it to Kyle who read it with worry lines.

I hope you get this. Isabel and Max are out. She's pissed and wants back in. No sign of Michael or Tess. Be careful in there. Maria, I think you were right. Alex.

I was right. About damn time I'm right about something.
*         *         *
Chapter Eighteen


Kyle looked at me and I knew I was going to end up hurting him. "What were you right about?"

I took a deep breath. "Liz. I was right about Liz."

"Liz? No way. Why would she…?"

"Look at it from my point of view Kyle," I leaned against the wall. "I don't know Liz. I didn't grow up with her and we're not friends. I have nothing to gain from this, okay?"

"Maria-"

"Listen to me, I don't know how much time we have." I lowered my voice. "Who else could it be? Who else would turn Tess and Michael in to Section? Why not Isabel and Max, too? I don't know what Section offered Liz or threatened her with; maybe it's against her will. I don't know. She didn't tell them about Max for obvious reasons and then she couldn't say anything about Isabel because she's Max's sister."

"Liz wouldn't do something like that!" Kyle whispered in a not so quiet way. I couldn't blame him; I would be just as upset if I were him.

"Rena's files had to have contained names. Rena knew that aliens were real and she was going to prove it. We might not ever know how Section got a hold of Liz." I ran a hand through my hair. "It might not be her fault, but out of the four, who are the two most likely in Liz's case? Michael, someone she barely knows and Tess, the one who follows them around all the time."

"This is unbelievable. I can't believe it." He shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. She wouldn't let Max come here tonight if she thought Section might find out about him."

"She's tight with her family, right? Maybe they're threatening them, I don't fucking know Kyle. Max was staying outside tonight. Even when Michael got taken, Max was the first one out. I'm not saying that he had anything to do with this, because I know he didn't." Okay I didn't know, but I thought. "Why is Liz here anyway? Didn't Max tell her to stay in Roswell?"

I could see Kyle was trying to let his brain work like mine. If he succeeded then I felt sorry for him; my brain was a work of modern art. Understanding it was all in the eye of the beholder.

"How convenient was it for her to just show up with all the maps and informational shit about Section. How could she just hack into them? I'm sure she's good, but give me a fucking break."

"This is bad," Kyle shook his head. "I can't believe it."

"Alex might have found out something and that's why we got the tip off. Maybe she broke down and spilled, maybe she was scared something was going to happen to Max. Fuck! I don't know." I looked towards the glass catwalk. "All I know is Alex said I was right and that's all the confirmation I need."

"How do you know that's what Alex was even talking about?"

Yeah, he had me on that one. "I just do, okay. There's nothing else to plug in there. Alex was there when I went all girl-gang on her and accused her." I sighed. "Kyle, I have to know. Can you deal?"

"Deal?" He laughed and it was very bitter. "I don't know what I can and can't deal with. I just can't…Liz. Fuck Maria, I don't know what's going on but I'm really freaking out."

Didn't I know that feeling? "I know Kyle, me too. Here's the scoop; we'll deal with the Liz issue once we're out of here. Right now we have to find Michael and Tess and get the fuck out of Section."

"We're just two people Maria, no special powers. Just two ordinary people." I saw him fall and it was crushing. Kyle wanted to give up.

"The fuck we are," I grinned and hoped my little pep talk here was going to work. I couldn't have Kyle give up on me now. "We're two people who have people we love stuck inside of here somewhere. Two people who don't need magic to make Section cave. Two very strong people who are going to find out what's going on and fix it. We're together in this Kyle, okay? I wish it were some other way, I wish I was in here alone-"

"No you don't." He looked at me through the tops of his eyes and I saw some of that Valenti charm seep out. "You'd miss me."

I smiled. "I hope I'm wrong about Liz, but I don't think I am, okay? Right now we have to find Michael and Tess." I pointed towards the catwalk. "I want to start there. You're okay with computers, right?" I got the blank stare for an answer. "Kyle?"

"I can play Doom." He took my arm and put it over his shoulder. "C'mon, we'll crack this place open and shake them out if we have too."

That's what I was looking for. We'll deal with the Liz issue later. Okay, I'll kick the ass of the Liz issue later once I have feeling back in my leg. The pain didn't seem to be as bad and I wondered briefly if I was going into shock. That would seriously suck.
We hobbled up a few small steps to the locked door. I didn't have time to fuck with it. I told Kyle to take off his shoe and turn around. He did as he was told and I smashed the glass door and handed him back his shoe. I shrugged and reached through the glass and opened the door.

"You are seriously in need of mental help," Kyle smiled.

"No shit," I shrugged. "C'mon."

We walked through the catwalk and it was actually quite amazing. It very well could be the nerve center of Section. I couldn't see them from the floor, but there were walls of computers and monitors along side filing cabinets. Holy shit. I didn't even know where to start nor did I have a freaking clue what I was looking for.

"What are we doing?" Kyle asked leading me to a chair. He helped me sit and the pain from my leg came back with a vengeance.

"I don't know." I looked up into those soulful eyes and started crying. I covered my face with my hands.

Kyle got on his knees in front of me and rubbed my thigh, the one that did not have a bullet lodged in it. "Maria, don't cry."

"I don't know what else to do," I sobbed. "I don't know what the fuck else to do. I can't find Michael, we're stuck in here with all this information in front of us and I have no idea how to fucking access any of it! I've put everyone's lives in danger and it's all my fault!"

"Maria," he sighed. "Don't say that. Nothing is your fault. Okay?" He stood and walked in back of me and draped his arms over my shoulders. "You are the strongest woman, hell, the strongest person I've ever met in my entire life. You got us further than I ever would have thought possible."

I strained my neck to see him.

"I would have gotten us killed by now. I would have gone in like a cowboy and we'd all be dead. I've listened to every word you've said and I've believed you. I put my total faith in you, as did Isabel. Even Max, to a certain extent. Tess is no longer trapped in that fucking glass cage and Michael…"

"Right. Where are they? If Isabel and Max got out, where are Michael and Tess? Why didn't they get out too?"

"Michael wouldn't leave here without you." Kyle said quietly.

Oh. My. God. Of course he wouldn't! The fact of the matter was Michael and I were one. I wouldn't leave without him and he wouldn't leave without me. Once again, I love Kyle Valenti! "You're right! Come down here so I can kiss you." He grinned and lowered his face to mine and I planted a wet one on his lips. "Of course he wouldn't leave without me."

"And Tess would stay with him," Kyle nodded. "She's loyal."

"And she's going to find out very soon that she's lucky, too. To have a guy like you."

Kyle blushed and I laughed. Beside the pain, I was giddy. Thing's were looking up again. Not greatly, but slightly. I didn't know where Smythe and his posse were at and I didn't know where Michael and Tess were. Section was like a giant fun house without the fun. I looked at blank computer screens in front of me. "Alex. Can we get a message back to Alex?"

Kyle nodded and handed me the computer. "Remember, hamster cage? Isabel sent that to him."

"Did you happen to notice how?"

Kyle closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding slowly. "I think so."

I handed him the gizmo back and promised myself I was going to take a computer class when, not if, I got out of here. See, things were a changing. "Ready?"

Kyle nodded and squinted at the mini screen. "I think so…"

"Ask him if Liz is being restrained."

"Restrained?" He repeated as he typed.

We waited and sure as hell, a little beep came back with a message: Liz is here, crying. Where are you?

"Tell him we're in Section and we need to get their cameras working."

"Are you serious?" Kyle looked at me. "Won't that…Wait, we're in control here, right?"

"That's right Mr. Valenti. The new game of cat and mouse just started."

*        *         *

"We can get out, the two of us." Tess whispered into Michael's ear.

"I won't go without Maria." He held her hand and led her down a hallway.
*         *         *


Chapter Nineteen


Kyle nodded. He understood where I was coming from. He looked around the catwalk office and set the little computer down. He rummaged around in a drawer and within seconds found what he was looking for. "A-ha!" Masking tape.

He pulled a chair over and covered up the lenses of the two cameras that were in the office. All that and smarts too!

"Good call." At least someone was thinking about the details. We had no idea if there was another camera-room anywhere. Hell, I was banking on some of these monitors in front of me to be camera screens but I didn't know for sure.  I smiled but the pain was now excruciating and I winced. At this point I was quite sure my leg was going to have to be cut off.

Kyle must have seen my wince because he was back at my side. I watched as he took off his belt. He looked at the bullet hole in my pants and I was thankful they were black. I knew I was bleeding heavily because I could feel the blood pooling in my boots. I groaned.

He slid his belt under my thigh above the bullet hole and looped it around twice tightly before fastening it. "Tourniquet." He shrugged and placed his hands on my cheeks. "You okay Maria? You're hot."

"I always said I was hot," I smiled feeling the sweat on my forehead. "Seriously, I'm fine. Tell Alex what we want and see if he can do it, or if he'll have to call Max to fix…"

"Do you trust Max?"

I looked at Kyle and couldn't answer right away. I thought I trusted him; it was Liz that I never trusted and apparently for good reason. I shrugged. "I have to."

Kyle sat back down and typed up the message. We waited with bated breath; the few minutes seemed like an eternity before Alex wrote back:

I can fix it, I think. I called Max's cell to help. What are you planning?

"Tell him this: We're taking down Section and all of us are walking out of here." I smiled and wiped the sweat from my brow. "Ask him for the commands to start that." I pointed to a computer that's only movement was a blinking cursor.

Kyle did as he was told and I waited. I didn't know what the hell to expect from this little plan of mine since all of the other ones had gone so smoothly so far. All I know is that I had to get to Michael. I wish Michael would have just left with Isabel and Max if he'd been able to. I knew in my heart that he wouldn't leave me here. But shit! If he was out, then Tess would be out and Kyle and I could shoot our way out if need be. But now because of Michael's devotion, we were all still in Section. Hell, I wasn't chastising him; I did the same thing. I don't leave without Michael Guerin next to me.

Kyle relayed messages back and forth between me and Alex and somehow, after giving him some port number and following explicit directions, the computer in front of me came to life and the cameras were on. I'd seen enough movies to know how to switch between cameras and I scanned the hell out of Section looking for any other signs of life.

After twenty minutes there was nothing. Empty halls and rooms. No one I was looking for and no Smythe and posse. Fuck! I slammed my hand down on the desktop in disgust. Wonderful, now my hand hurt. Someone was going to have to shoot me soon. Again.

"Look at this…" Kyle trailed off and pointed to the computer screen in front of him. He was still communicating with Alex via the little computer thing and apparently was much better at following directions than I was.

I shrugged and tried to focus on what had Kyle so interested. It took me a minute, but then I saw it. He was in Rena's files. Holy shit! I looked to where he was tapping his finger and read out loud. "Subjects observed: Tess Harding, Kyle Valenti, Isabel Evans, Max Evans, Liz Parker, Operative DeLuca and Michael Guerin. Must talk to S&S about suspicions. They were right. Aliens are real.'"

"That's what there was only half of from before. Here's the rest…" Kyle read from the screen and I closed my eyes. " 'Reason to believe that the aliens in question are as follows: Tess Harding, Kyle Valenti, Liz Parker and Michael Guerin.' Damn! You thought I was one too! Do I give off some type of alien vibe?"

I rolled my eyes. "Keep reading."

"Okay," he touched the screen. "'Operative DeLuca will be exterminated. The others will be brought in for testing.'  She was really going to kill you."

Kyle looked at me and I nodded numbly. It was one thing to think you know someone was trying to kill you, it was another thing all together to read it. I'm glad she's dead. "Anything else?"

Kyle shook his head. "I think that about covers it, huh?"

"I guess so," I sat up straighter. "Well, I guess I showed her, huh?" I smiled and it hurt. "What else did Alex tell you to look for or do or whatever?"

"He said…" He trailed off and looked past me. I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "Look." He pointed to one of the monitors in front of me.

Sure as hell, there was Smythe being well guarded by his depleted band of merry men walking down a hall. I had no fucking clue as to which hall it was. It could have been on the other side of Section or it could be right below us. The whole freakin' place looked the same.

"Why did they get out of the room?" Kyle asked and my shoulders sank. "I mean, why? If Max did the lights, why did they bolt? Why not just stick around and keep shooting? What was the point of them leaving?"

I let out a deep sigh. "I don't know Kyle, I have no fucking idea." I shook my head and wanted to slam it into a wall. If I thought I could make it over to one, I would have done it. I looked back to the monitor and saw the point man with something in his hand. Some electrical thingy. It looked like a GameBoy; we had those in the pokey, but why…? "Oh no…No!"

"Maria!" Kyle grabbed my arm; I was trembling. "What? What?"

"They're being tracked." I closed my eyes. "They're tracking Michael and Tess. They'll get to them before they ever know what hit them."

Kyle followed my thinking and we both slumped back into our chairs. "They're not showing up on the monitors." Kyle tried to keep his voice upbeat but it wasn't working. "They could be…I don't know. How are they being tracked?"

"I imagine some kind of homing device is imbedded in one or both of them." I shuddered and wondered if I'd ever get to see Michael again while he was still alive or in one piece.

"Okay," Kyle spun around and started typing commands or something into the computer. I imagine he was going by what Alex had sent him.

He clicked and henpecked away with two fingers while I switched from camera to camera. I followed Smythe and the posse but I never came across Michael or Tess.

*        *         *

Michael pulled Tess into a crevice in the wall she hadn't seen. He clamped his hand over her mouth. "I want you to get out of here." He whispered in her ear and took his hand off her mouth.

"I told you I won't leave you," Tess narrowed her eyes at him. "You stay, I stay."

"I won't leave until I find Maria." Michael stared into her startling blue eyes.

"I won't leave until I find her either," Tess put her hands on her hips and stood as defiantly as she could in Kyle's button down shirt. "She risked her life to save me, I'll do the same for her."

Michael closed his eyes and nodded. "Are you sure Max and Isabel are out?"

Tess nodded. "I'm positive. But Maria and Kyle are still here, Maria…"

"Maria what?" Michael asked his attention was tight on her.

"She needs to get out of here," Tess peeked her head around the indentation in the hall. "We should go, they have to be here somewhere."

"What happened to Maria?" He grabbed her arm. "Tell me right fucking now!"

"She was shot in the leg, Isabel didn't have time to treat her."

"Shot…" Michael ran a hand through his dirty, stringy hair and looked at the blond next to him. "Let's go." He took her by the hand and led her out back into the open.  "Maria!" He screamed and heard the empty echo around him.

*        *         *

"Okay," Kyle said slowly and got my attention back from the emptiness of the hallways. "Alex took me into Michael's father's files. He said he unblocked some of them." Kyle scanned the screen in front of him. "Here we go. 'My son Michael has so many options for his life and yet he chooses to stay at Section. Maybe I should tell him the truth and then let him decide. I know I must do it soon, Section is falling apart and I fear it won't be too long before I am turned over to the extermination team. I know it won't be like that, but it might as well be. Smith and Smythe are fighting me on everything and I don't believe in their causes. They're not what Section is about. They are self-serving and I won't be a part of it.' Do you know about his father?"

"A little," I nodded and waited for him to go on.

"Okay," Kyle found his place and kept reading. "'I'm leaving this in my files with the hopes that one day my son, my pride and joy, will access it and set the record straight. I devoted my life to two things, my son and Section. One is being slowly taken away from me and the other one…I don't know what will happen; not when he learns the truth.' So his dad knew he was an alien?"

I nodded. "I think so, but he never came out and said it to him. Go on."

Kyle nodded. "'Smith and Smythe are working against me and thus means they will be working against my son. They think I don't know what's going on, but I do. I may be getting older, but I'm still as sharp as I've ever been. I have put in my request for my successor and it has been accepted and noted. Without complications arising from Smith and Smythe, my son, Michael Guerin will run Section the way it's supposed to be run. He has a long road ahead of him and I hope he chooses not to take it alone. Michael, if you ever read this, you'll already know the truth from my notes. I love you, son. Be careful.' " Kyle whistled.

"Michael is supposed to be in charge of Section…" I whispered. Son-of-a-bitch! See, nothing ever turns out the way I think it's going to. I don't even know why I bother to speculate when I am always dead wrong.

"Wow." Kyle looked around the room. "They won't study him, Maria, they'll kill him."

"I know," I wanted to start crying again but I knew we were still slightly in control and that was a big good right now. Smythe decided that we were the lesser of two evils and decided to go after the big game instead. Kyle and I didn't count. That could be called mistake number fucking one. We did count. I smiled and either the pain really was going away or I was just dying.

"What are you smiling about?" Kyle asked grinning back at me.

"I'm smiling because we don't count." I glanced at the monitors and there he was! He was in a hallway with Tess; holding her hand. "Here." I pointed to the screen. To my husband in ripped leather pants and no shirt. To my husband covered with bruises. To my husband with dirty hair and streaks of blood on his face. To my husband, the one I was willing to die for; just not today. I watched them walk and had to change cameras twice. I watched as they passed something familiar. Oh God, I knew where they were and I knew how to get there from here. Woo-hoo! The Maria Calvary was on her way! I stood and promptly fell back in my chair. "Fuck!"

"Where are you going?" Kyle asked.

"I'm getting them out of here, but I need your help." I grinned as the new foolproof plan sauntered into my head. It's about fucking time!

*         *          *
Chapter Twenty

I watched the monitors and wondered if Michael had any clue where we were. All he had to do was follow the same hallway just a little further and he'd be below us. Of course Michael would do exactly opposite of what I thought. Okay, after my computer class I'm signing up for telepathy class.

"So, you have a plan?" Kyle asked with trepidation. Hell, could I blame him? I was seriously sliding down on the 'I have a plan' scale.

"Yeah, I got a plan." I rolled my eyes at him and glad he was there. "Tell Alex to make sure Isabel stays outside. We'll need her once we get out; I'll need her when we get out. And under no circumstances are her and Max to even attempt to come back in here. I can't worry about them, too."

Kyle did as he was told and I added obedient to the list of things I loved about Kyle. My thoughts drifted back to the whole 'hoping I don't get him killed' dilemma. I watched as he typed on the tiny keyboard and tears came to my eyes. I remembered meeting Kyle when I moved in across the hall. I remember meeting his dad and thinking of my own. I remember the times he put me first and kept me there. I don't know if I'd ever find another friend like Kyle Valenti. I know I wouldn't be looking anytime soon.

"What are you looking at?" He asked quietly.

Busted. I shrugged. "Just admiring how damn smart and strong you are."

He blushed and it made me smile. "Shut up. You're the smart and strong one around here, Maria, and everyone knows it."

I shrugged again. "We're a team, Kyle."

He out stretched his hand to me and I took it. "You got that right, now tell me about this plan of yours," he winced.

"Did you just wince? I saw you." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why did you do that?"

"Because any plan that involves you moving from here means I'm going to have to carry you." He smiled.

"Kiss my ass, Valenti. Nobody has to carry me. I'll walk out of here on my own two feet and…" I bowed my head. He was right, he might have to carry me. Damn! "Whatever. Look," I tapped the monitor of Michael and Tess. "I know where they're at. I can get there from here. I can get to them."

"What about Smythe? How far away is he from them?"

"That's what I can't figure out; I see him right there, but I can't tell where he's at."

"They could be anywhere…"Kyle nodded.

"Yeah, well, they're not worried about us so that's in our favor. Did Alex write back?"

Kyle nodded and read from the screen. "'Isabel will be waiting.' That's it. I guess Liz is still there, huh?"

I shrugged having momentarily forgotten about the little traitor. God, she was in for a major ass kicking when I got out of here. "Screw her."

"I still can't believe…I know, we'll talk about it later." Kyle looked away from me but I caught the gleam of sadness before he did.

"Kyle, we'll get to the bottom of it. Okay?" I reached to him and squeezed his arm. "First things first. I don't my plans don't hold much water right now, but here it is…"

*        *         *

"Was she okay?" Michael whispered down to Tess as they walked down a slight inclination.

"I think so," Tess nodded and squeezed his hand. "She's strong Michael. She won't give up."

"I know," he half smiled thinking about how strong his wife actually was. "Sshhh."

Tess looked to him and froze. Voices. They heard voices and they were close. He pulled her quickly along the hall and into an office he used to be familiar with.

*        *         *

"Are you sure you can pull this off?" Kyle asked after taking a deep breath.

"No. I mean, not alone. We can pull it off." I nodded entirely too enthusiastically. My face was beginning to hurt again.

"Will you be okay down there alone?" He asked and I saw the worry in his eyes.

"I'll be fine. But this is the most important part. If something goes wrong, get the fuck outta Dodge. Tell Alex to have Max and Isabel at the door, the way we came in. If something goes wrong, you haul ass and bang on the door until one of them opens it for you."

"I can't leave you in here."

"You won't have to unless something goes wrong." I sighed. "I know that is a huge possibility, but think positive. I can't be wrong all the time, right?"

"Kyle Valenti: alien." He smiled.

"Shut the hell up. Will you promise me that you'll get yourself out if something goes wrong?"

"How will I know?"

"Oh, you'll know. I'm sure of that." I smiled and hoped it was comforting, but with the pain in my cheek I bet I looked more like a lopsided jack-o-lantern. "So, promise?"

He nodded reluctantly. "I promise."

"Alrighty then," I forced myself up into a standing position. "Ready? You know what to do?"

He nodded. "I hope I don't screw up."

"Yeah, me too." I held out my arms to him. "Now come give me a hug."

Kyle stood and hugged me holding me tight against him. He kissed the corner of my mouth. "You better come out of here Maria."

"I plan on it, but do me a favor if I don't." I tried to make light of the grave situation with humor. "Kick Liz's ass for me."

He laughed and maybe I succeeded. Or maybe he just wanted me to think that I had. That was probably it. I stepped away from him and felt giant ice picks stabbing my leg. Oh man, I don't know what the fuck I was getting myself into. I was actually afraid I was going to wipe out on the steps before I ever had a chance to put my plan into action.

"Are they still on the monitor?" I asked limping towards the broken door we had come in.

"No, no one is." Kyle said slowly. He walked over to me and I hoped my body wasn't sagging as much as it felt like it was. He handed me the pistol from the waistband of his jeans. "Take this, too."

"I can't leave you unarmed, Kyle."

"I'm up here in a glass box office. If need be I'm sure I can find something to fight with. I saw some pretty mean tape dispensers in there."

I took the pistol from him and slid it down the front of my pants. Okay, leather? Not meant to have to two firearms shoved into it. I smiled and limped away from him. I was back on the stairs and they looked frightening.

I took a deep breath and thought about all the reasons I was doing this. Michael. That was the reason that I'd be able to pull this off. I struggled on the first few steps and cursed Section for not installing elevators. Hell, they probably did have them, but I wasn't about to go hunting one down. I had enough hunting in front of me for now and elevators were not on the list.

I hit the floor and hopped on one leg out far enough so Kyle could see me. I looked up and there he was, pressed against the glass in all his cuteness. I waved and then saluted. He saluted me back and I was on my way.

I ambled against a corridor wall and tried to control my breathing. The last thing I needed was to get caught because I was breathing too loud. The lights in the hallway went out and if I hadn't been expecting it, I would have screamed and probably shot myself. Phase one of the plan was working. So far so good. I put all my faith in Kyle, as I know he had done the same with me. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Alien babies? All of them will be named Kyle.

I tried to keep my mind focused on what I was doing but the environment was dragging me back down. I didn't know Section all that well. I was guessing on a lot of things. I did know for a fact where Michael and Tess had been minutes ago. Michael knew the place a hell of a lot better than I did and I prayed he didn't duck into some hidden tunnel or passageway like I suspected Smythe and posse had done.

They were hiding. The thought hit me like a bullet train. Smythe was hiding out tracking the aliens. He was scared. No, maybe that wasn't the right word for it. He was not as sure as he was before. Not as blatant about his mission; his theory. He was losing and he knew it. Ha! He didn't quite know what he was up against anymore. He may be tracking them with his hit men, what three of them were left? I had taken out three all by myself and if the plan succeeded I'd be taking out the other three as well.

The blinding pain was down to a minimum as I drew the gun out of the front of my pants and cocked it. Shoot first; ask questions later. Unless it was Michael or Tess I was going for the headshot. I attributed the momentary pain loss to adrenaline. I knew that was the only way I could do this. The only way that I could get them out. The only way that Michael would return to me.

I smiled wickedly and felt stronger. I banged the pistol on the wall and waited. I didn't hear anything. It was too damn quiet in here!

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" I yelled down the hallway and waited. Nothing. "Come on Smythe, you spineless bastard! There's a new Sheriff in town and she's pissed!"  
*         *           *


Chapter Twenty-one

I waited for a response and got, once again, nothing. Damn! I banged the pistol on the wall a few more times. It echoed and I knew if anyone was even close to me that they'd hear me. They had to hear me.

"What are you Smythe? Scared?" I screamed into the emptiness. I was really banking on him not standing next to me in the dark. That would suck. Big time. "You're not scared of me, are you?" I laughed my best maniacal laugh and hoped I didn't sound too much like the Count from Sesame Street. "I'm just one little woman out here all by myself!"

I waited and then went further down the hallway. Phase two had begun and this was the important part. I had to get Smythe to follow me. If I could get him to follow me then Michael and Tess could follow him. Right? Man, I hoped Michael and I were on the same wavelength here because if I draw Smythe and posse out and there's no Michael and Tess…I guess then it's 'say goodnight Maria.'

"I'm here Smythe!" I screamed. "I think we need to talk!"

I kept my weight against the wall and wondered if Isabel would leave a scar on my leg from the gaping hole. I know Michael didn't get one, but he was different. I was just your normal average run-of-the-mill human. I'd probably scar. Damn! I hated that my mind was wondering when I should be totally alert to my plan. I seriously think it had everything to do with pain and blood loss.

"Smythe!" I yelled and had to stop walking and catch my breath. "I know something you don't know I know!"

I heard the static of a loud speaker and smiled.

"Attention Section shoppers!" Kyle's voice over the loud speaker system was amazing. "We're having a sale in our weaponry department. Get everything you need for the Operative on your list!"

I started laughing and kept my fingers crossed for a stroke of good luck. I needed the fucking good luck fairy to come knock me on the head at this point. I knew there would be a break from Kyle announcements so onward down the hall I went. Okay, not exactly moving at the speed of light, but still moving none the less. The pistol in my hand was getting heavy and that bothered me. The pain in my leg and face were killing me. But like I said, it takes a lot more than this to take me down. Never underestimate the strength and stamina of a woman trying to get her husband back. Or one who might seriously need professional mental help. Maybe I'll add that to the list of things I want to do when I get out of here.

"Smythe!" I screamed and felt confident he must know by now he hasn't won anything yet.

I heard no fucking fat lady singing.

*        *        *

"Oh God." Tess covered her mouth as Kyle's voice came over the speaker. "Kyle!"

"What is she doing?" Michael shook his head and smiled. He knew Maria was behind this; that meant she was okay and she was thinking. The first feelings of getting out with all bodies intact were now evident. He listened to the rest of Kyle's message and laughed. "We're getting the hell out of here Tess."

"Yeah?" She cocked her head to one side. "Why are the lights out?"

"Because my wife is brilliant." He smiled and reached for her hand in the dark. "She's drawing them out and she's going to take them down."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know Maria and that's how her brain operates." He shook his head and felt around in the dark. "This used to be my office, I don't think they'll come here…"

"But they might?"

He shrugged but knew it was useless, she couldn't see him in the dark. "My father taught me too well Tess, I know Section like I know my own hand. Maria doesn't though…How many were with Smythe?"

"Three I think. Maria took out three within seconds."

Back-up lights flicked on leaving them standing in a sickly dim yellow glow.

"Three?" Michael smiled. "That's my girl. C'mon, we're going back in the main corridor. I imagine Smythe is tracking us somehow so if he pops up in front of us, don't be surprised."

"I can handle it." She nodded and squeezed his hand. "Maria's a lucky woman."
No," he shook his head. "I'm a lucky man."

*        *        *

The back-up lights clicked on and that nearly did me in. Kyle said there was a chance of a generator and he was right. It was okay; I could use a little light. And when I say little, I mean little. The yellow lights were so dim I couldn't see much more than in the dark.

"C'mon Michael, I know you heard Kyle. Read my mind. Read my mind." I chanted my new mantra. "Read my mind…"

I was only a few minutes away from where I had last seem Michael and Tess on the monitor; but in the crippled state I was in I knew it might take me longer. So I banged my trusty pistol on a steel pillar and liked the effect. A much more buoyant sound than beating it on the wall.

"Hey!" I screamed. "I'm waiting Smythe. I know a lot more than you do at this point! Wanna share?"

I got nothing but dead silence. Okay, back up, I'm going to leave it at just plain old silence. Now I had possibilities. Smythe might not hear me, but I know he heard Kyle's announcement. He might be on his way here to kill me. He might be on his way here to hear what I have to say, fat chance. He might be on his way here backing off Michael to allow my masterminded plan to work. I was liking the last one the best. Okay, anything else and I was probably dead unless of course he just didn't hear me. Hmm…Maybe I should be louder.

"Smythe!" I screamed and wondered if my throat was suppose to burn like it was. One more thing to add to my list of ailments. "I know everything and you're fucked!"

Nothing. Shit!

"I dare you to come out and play asshole!" I yelled and then banged my gun. "I can play all night and I think you might want to hear what I have to say!"

I heard a noise and I drew my gun. Holy shit, the noise was coming from inside the wall. This was not exactly a good. No, this could very well be a big fucking bad. I was pretty sure that they were in some secret type tunnel or something and for all I knew they could be watching me right now. I knew it wasn't Michael, he'd be yelling back at me.

Fuck it. I aimed and fired into the ceiling. Of course plaster did fall on me, did I really expect anything less? I dusted my shoulders off and shook out my hair. Just a little plaster dust to mix with the blood. Maybe I could get a nice paste going on here soon. If I was McGuyver I could probably make a bomb with it or something. Unfortunately I was just Maria and all I was making was a mess.

I didn't hear the walls again so maybe they moved on. Riiiight.  I moved on down the hall but I kept my ears open for anymore rat noises.

"Attention Section shoppers," Kyle was back and I smiled. "We are now having a sale in our physical fitness department. Please stop by and check out the savings you can receive on training dummies and barbells."

I smiled and wondered if Kyle had missed his calling by not being a tour guide. His voice was perfect.  I was close to the gym now and wondered if anyone else picked up on our innuendo. Here's to hoping they did.

"Smythe!" I yelled and fired again into the ceiling. I fired in back of me this time. Ha! "I know about Liz Parker!"

*        *         *

"Did you hear that?" Tess stopped walking and pulled Michael's hand.

"What? I heard Kyle." Michael said with agitation. "We have to get to the gym."

"No, after Kyle. I think I heard someone yelling."

Michael cocked his head to the side and waited. His heart pounding. Maria?

*        *         *

"I know about Liz Parker so I know why you can't figure the rest out. I know it all Smythe!" I shouted. I couldn't scream anymore; I was going to have to stick with shouting.

I was only about thirty yards from the gym when I saw something at the corner up ahead. In the yellowy light on the floor, I saw the toe of a boot. A-ha! So they were paying attention and now I really hoped Michael was too.  I aimed at the tip of black and fired right before I plastered myself against the wall behind one of those sunk in steel pillars. I heard the scream and knew I made contact. He wasn't out, but he was hurt. Woo-hoo!

"Smythe!" I shouted. "I know it all. I even know about Michael's father!"

*        *         *

Michael was running trying to get to the gym dragging Tess along with him. Her short legs trying to meet his long strides. He heard a gunshot. He stopped suddenly, out of breath, and put his finger to his lips.

"I know it all. I even know about Michael's father!" He heard Maria's voice and felt his heart flutter. She was so close.

"Your father? What about him?" Tess asked.

Michael shook his head. "I don't know. C'mon, we're almost there and-"

Another gunshot.

*        *         *

I fired again at the corner and chipped away part of the wall. I grinned and knew it was coming down to the wire. I felt no pain. I felt nothing but vengeance and vengeance was so mine.

"So, you wanna talk or what?" I yelled when I knew a shout was sufficient.

"You think you know everything Maria, don't you?" Smythe yelled to me.

"Well…Yeah, pretty much so."

"Do you know what is happening to the young man with the microphone as we speak?"

Fuck me. Kyle. Fuck! "Do you know how many people are going to be alive in the next hour?" I think he was bluffing about Kyle. Besides, Kyle did say he had some mean looking tape dispensers, right? Fuck!

"We can play games if you want," he called out from around the corner. Pussy.

"Show yourself asshole, then we'll play games."

"It's over Maria."

"Kiss my ass."

"I won't let you walk out of here with all this so-called knowledge."

"I won't let you live knowing all this so-called knowledge."

We could play this all night, for everything he said I had a comeback. No one would ever get me on comebacks.

"Let's talk Maria."

"Nah…" I pulled out my other gun and held them straight out. I felt like an old West gunslinger. I staggered down the hall and as I neared the corner I heard something that I almost wish I hadn't.

"Kill'em all." That was Smythe and I don't think he was talking to me. Son-of-a-bitch!  
*        *         *

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kill'em all? Fuck me. I hit the floor and bit back a scream of pain. I inched my way on my back up until I was only inches away from the corner. Both arms in the air, guns raised and cocked, I was ready. Bring it on!

I didn't have to wait long. They were above me and they fired down the empty hall where I had been standing only seconds before. I fired up at them and hit both of the gunmen that had tried to kill me. I don't know if they were dead, but I really didn't care either. Fuck'em all.

I heard clapping and that sinking feeling of being seriously fucked came to mind. Smythe stood over me and I should have fired. I should have kept firing until I was out of bullets. What stopped me? Oh, yeah, the gun guy with his toes gone was jabbing a really big fucking gun into my side. Yeah, that'll do it every time.

"Nice work Maria, I'm most impressed." Smythe took one gun from me then the other. Damn.

Okay, this was so not part of the plan. He offered me his hand but I politely declined. "Fuck you." See, polite.

He watched me struggle to get to my feet with a look of amusement. I hated him even more. Mr. No-Toes kept that gun jabbed in my side even though I was now unarmed.

"Maria, we're here together now. So, what do you want to talk about?"

I shrugged and looked around. The GameBoy tracking thing was on the floor next to him. I could see something moving on it but I had no fucking clue as to what. I didn't think, I just reacted. Putting all my weight on my bad leg, I lunged forward and cracked the screen with the heel of my black boot. Ha! Comfortable and efficient.

Smythe shook his head at me and made that tsk-tsk sound. I regained my balance and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Okay, so what were you saying?" I smiled, a big toothy one, at him. I was completely aware of the gun in his hand and the awkward hanging of his suit jacket; no doubt my other pistol was in his pocket.

"You called this meeting, Maria."

Oh yeah. "I really just wanted to tell you that you're a murdering, threatening mean bastard. Oh wait, let me add coward to that list."

I didn't see his hand lash out, but I felt it on my cheek. Of course, could it be the one that doesn't already hurt? Of course not. I staggered backwards but didn't fall on my ass because gun guy saved me with the weapon in my back.

"Are you ready to be civil?" Smythe asked and I wanted to cry.

This was not exactly how the plan was supposed to be going down. So far it had worked for the most part. I had lured Smythe and now lone gunman from tracking my Michael and Tess, but they weren't here. Damn! I think I was going to be dead soon and that was a seriously big bad. I sighed.

"Giving up Maria?" Smythe asked.

"No, just thinking about things." Okay, I was stalling and thinking about giving up but he didn't need to know that.

"Hmm. Well, I guess it all comes down to this. I'm going to kill you and then I'm going to kill your friends, not Miss Harding though. There's still lots of research to be done on her."

Research. I shuddered thinking about Tess locked up in that little glass box and Michael strapped to a chair. "No."

"I'm sorry."

"I said 'no'. I think your research days are over." I stretched and felt the gun barrel in my back. Just seeing if he was paying attention, yup, he was. Bummer. "I was thinking you might want to change occupations Smythe."

"What did you have in mind?"

Okay, I was amusing him and that could work in my favor. Stall. Stall. Stall. "I was thinking something more in the line of being worm food?"

He laughed and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I looked down the hall in back of him but with a stupid turn not too far up, I could only see so far. I was keeping my fingers figuratively crossed that Michael and Tess were right around the corner waiting to jump in any moment and save my ass. I was about all out of ass-saving for awhile.

So I had Smythe in front of me looking in back of me and Mr. No-Toes in back of me looking in front of me. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. I was seeing this ending very badly for me. I prayed with every ounce of inner strength I had that the others would make it out okay and Michael would never forget me.

I knew he wouldn't forget me, that would be almost impossible, but in those same prayers I asked that he find happiness some time. There wasn't anyone else in this world that I thought deserved true happiness more than Michael. There were a few runner-ups, but I think they were covered.

The seconds seemed like minutes and if I wasn't able to lean on something pretty soon I was going to fall over.

"Worm food?" Smythe repeated and smiled.

"Yeah, you know six feet under? Sleeping with the fishes?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Interesting thoughts you have, but I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'll be remaining here at Section and running it the way I see fit."

"Riiiight. Now that Smith is gone you pretty much have carte blanche on everything around here. You can hold little experiments and be as self-serving as you want. I mean, that's why you had Michael's father killed, right?"

His eye twitched. Woo-hoo! I struck a nerve. Here's hoping that he didn't decide to blow me away for it. After all, I had nothing to bargain with and I wasn't an alien. I had nothing and yet here I was, still alive and breathing. No where close to kicking, though.

"The elder Guerin didn't know how to run Section to the fullest of its abilities." Smythe said and quite prickly at that. "I do."

I nodded and wondered what the hell Michael was doing. "So, you're going to kill me and Michael and keep Miss Harding around as a guinea pig. Does that pretty much cover it?"

Smythe nodded. "Yes. I'd say that covers everything quite nicely. Don't forget your friend at the microphone. Although I'm sorry he may have already met his fate."

Kyle. No. I shook my head. "I think you're bluffing." I don't know for sure if I really meant to say that out loud or not. I really did think he was bluffing, but I'm not sure if I wanted him to know I thought he was bluffing.

"Do you?"

Great. More games. I shrugged. "I guess anything is possible now, huh? I mean who would have ever thought that you'd be able to get information so easily from a little law student. I mean, man, Section must have called out the elite troops to wrangle info from Liz Parker. What's she weigh? Like twelve pounds?"

Smythe nodded. "Liz Parker was more than helpful."

I waited for more but that was all I got. That did not let me know if they threatened her or not. Damn!

"Yeah, but what about the others? Aren't you curious as to who they are? You really had a hard on for finding out earlier."

"I'll find out and then they'll be my new pets."

Pets? Whatever. "They know about you." I teased.

"What?" I saw the surprise. Ha! Hook, line and sinker. Keep him talking Maria, the more we talk the longer I live.

"Yeah, actually they were all here tonight with me; but they got out."

Smythe reddened. I knew it was safe to tell because deep in my heart I knew he wasn't coming out of Section, ever. "No."

"Yes." I put my hands on my hips and grinned. "What's the matter Smythe? Cat got your tongue?"

He nodded once at Mr. No-Toes.

*        *        *

Michael jogged through the halls dragging Tess with him. They were so close, only a couple of more turns.

"What's the matter Smythe? Cat got your tongue?" He heard Maria around the next turn.

"Maria-" He started towards the corner until Tess drew him back.

"You don't know what's going on!" She whispered harshly. "Don't run around the corner and get yourself killed. I can't save you!"

"Maria. You heard her!" Michael's expression was caught somewhere between fear and joy.

He pivoted on his feet when he heard Maria scream.

*        *        *

I screamed as Mr. No-Toes jammed the huge freaking weapon into my back. I fell forward and landed on my hands and knees with the barrel in my face.

This was it. I looked up towards the gunman and saw him looking at me with hate glimmering in his eyes. Of course he hated me, I shot off half his damn foot and killed three, maybe five of his friends. I spared a glance at the fallen gunmen and saw them still motionless. Dead? Dunno. I looked up to Smythe and if I were the begging type, this would have been the time to do so.

I began to breathe heavier; I was scared. I didn't even feel the pain anymore. I thought I saw movement in back of Smythe and for fear of more gunmen, my body sagged. My legs were shaking from the pain and I looked up again.

No. Yes! My knight in black leather was in the hallway! I saw him peek his head around the corner in back of Smythe. Michael was here and my plan fucking worked. Ha! I couldn't control my smile.

"Something funny Maria?" Smythe asked.

"Not yet," I grinned and licked my lips.

It was almost over. The knight had come to rescue the maiden in distress. Who said fairytales can't come true?
*         *          *

Chapter Twenty Three

Fairytales? I should have held that thought off for like half a second. Sure Michael and no doubt Tess, were right around the corner ready to save me; but now with Smythe pointing one of my guns at my nose it was looking bad. I don't know how I even get myself into these predicaments.

I was just a messed up little girl sitting on death row a year ago waiting patiently to die. And now here I am with two guns pointed at me, kneeling on the floor like a dog, in the place that got me off death row. It's almost poetic justice I guess. Well except for the fact that my knight was right around the bend. Those figurative fingers I had crossed? Still crossing.

"You shouldn't be smiling Maria," Smythe shook his head.

I tried to shrug, but on hands and knees it didn't work out quite right. "Can't help it."

"What is so amusing?" Smythe was still amused with me, but the gun in my face told me my charm was wearing off.

I had about one second to react so I did what any super hero would do; I fell to the floor, shut my eyes and screamed. They weren't shooting so I guess I was doing something right.

"Stop that racket!" Smythe shouted at me.

I stopped. Didn't want to get my head blown off for screaming. I looked up at, flat on my stomach, leg throbbing, and waited to die.

"Attention Section shoppers!" Kyle's voice came over the speakers loud and clear.

Kyle. Thank God Kyle's okay. See, I knew he was bluffing. I watched as both Smythe and Mr. No-Toes instinctively looked to the speaker in the ceiling above them.

"We're having a blowout sale in our dead gunmen department!" Kyle's voice was so good to hear.

I saw Smythe's face get even redder and then he was on the floor next to me. Holy shit! My Calvary had arrived. I saw bare legs next to me and then the gun man was on the floor completely disabled. I don't think he was dead though, maybe Tess can so that human stun gun thing like Isabel.

I looked at Smythe and saw Michael holding him down. His muscles bulging; his chest heaving. I reached towards Smythe and removed my gun from his suit pocket. I saw the other one in the back of Michael's leather pants. We both needed new pants.

"Hi honey," I smiled as my eyes got wet.

"Hi," Michael smiled at me; that wicked little one no less.

All was getting to be good in my world again. It was about fucking time!

"Michael," Smythe wheezed. I saw Michael had his arm across his throat. "I think we'll be able to work this out."

I rolled my eyes. "Kill'em." I placed my gun on Smythe's temple.

"Wait!" Smythe held up his hands.

Michael looked at me and I shrugged. "He's going to lie to you no matter what he says. He's behind your father's death, Kyle and I read it in the files." Not exactly the way I wanted to tell Michael this; but sometimes things don't quite work out right for me. I felt small hands under my arms helping me to sit up. It was Tess and I was damn glad to see her too.

"You're hurt pretty bad, Maria." She let me rest against her and touched my cheek.

"Isabel's waiting outside." The gun in my hand wavered for a second. Just a second, then it was back at Smythe's temple. "Not fun being on that side, is it?" R>
"Michael," Smythe ignored me and that was just as well; I was about done here.

"Isabel?" Tess whispered. "They know?"

"To an extent, let's just say no one will be telling anything after tonight." I kept my gaze hardened on Smythe. I hated him. I mean, I actually hated him. "It's hard for a dead man to talk."

"Where's Smith?" Michael asked and I met his eyes. His beautiful eyes.

I wiped away the wetness in my own before I answered. "Dead."

"You?" Michael raised his eyebrows in what could be called admiration.

I almost hated to tell him the truth. I motioned to Smythe. "Nope. Him."

"You are a cold hearted bastard aren't you? I thought Smith was your partner."
Michael sneered and I loved him even more.

"He was, but I think we'd make good partners, don't you? Me and you?" Smythe nodded his head as much as Michael would let him.

"He's stalling." I said. Trust me, I know a stall tactic a mile away by now. "Before you kill him, though, why don't you ask him about your father? I learned some interesting things from his files."

"My father's files?" Michael asked.

I nodded. "Go ahead."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know, just don't kill me." Smythe pleaded. No, I think he was actually begging. I saw the sweat on his forehead. Good.

"Who's supposed to be in charge? Who is it that's supposed to be running Section? Tell him that." My voice was quivering now. Not from fear, I think it was sheer exhaustion. If anyone was going to tell me I had to stand up and walk, I might turn the gun on myself.

Smythe didn't answer so I did it for him. "It's you Michael. Your father named you successor and this loser and his little friend held onto the information and took over themselves."

"Is that true?" Michael pushed his arm deeper into the man's larynx. He was going to kill him.

Smythe nodded and I think it was a last attempt at saving himself. I knew it wouldn't work. Honesty is not always the best policy.

I turned away, not wanting to watch him die. I had seen, and caused, enough death for one day. A thought struck me and I yelped. "Wait!"

"What?" Michael looked at me.

"They were tracking you." I sighed. "With the GameBoy by your foot."

Michael fought back a smile and I knew it was because I called the tracking thing a GameBoy. I shrugged and raised my eyebrows at him. I couldn't wait to get him home. I couldn't wait until Isabel fixed me up.

Michael kicked the GameBoy up to his hand and he picked it up. He looked at it thoughtfully for a full minute before tossing it down the hall over his shoulder. He felt the back of his neck and then looked to Tess. "Tess. Feel the back of your neck and tell me if you feel anything like a small scab."

Tess did as she was told. "Yeah, I feel it."

Michael nodded and turned back to Smythe. "That was not was those were made for." I saw the veins popping from his neck and in some type of sinful way, I thought it was kind of sexy. "Everything my father worked for, you and Smith tried to take apart. Everything he believed in, you destroyed."

Now I turned away again. I hated Smythe, but I didn't really want to see Michael kill him.

"You killed him. You might not have pulled the fucking trigger, but you were behind it." Michael's words were trailing off into a whisper. "You killed him and I'm going to kill you. You should never have fucked with me or my wife, Smythe."

"Wife?" I heard Smythe croak.

Then nothing. Sad to hear that your last word was 'wife'. Oh well. I looked back at Michael as he raised his arm from the dead mans throat. I was crying again, but damn it, I think I deserved a little tear shedding.

I felt familiar arms around me and I was safe. I was back in my husbands arms and we were both safe and alive. I sighed as the big tears rolled down my face. I guess Tess scooted out of the way to make room for Michael. I was glad. I felt those full lips on my bruised face and it didn't matter how much it hurt, to me, it was the best feeling in the world.

"I didn't know if I'd ever see you again." I cried into his bare flawless chest. "I was scared."

He ran his hands through my hair and kissed my forehead. "I knew I'd find you."

"You should have gotten out when the other's did."

"I wouldn't leave you here, Maria." He kissed my lips. "God, you're so hot. We have to get you out of here."

I nodded. "I can't walk anymore. My leg. I got shot."

He smiled at me. "I love you Sweet Maria."

I nodded and closed my eyes. Safe.
*        *          *

Chapter Twenty Four


The last words I heard before I blacked out were from Kyle over the loud speaker. "Woo-hoo!"

When I came to we were walking down the hall. Actually, Michael and Tess were walking and Michael was carrying me. I felt those strong arms around me and knew everything was going to be okay. The bad guys were dead and we were alive. A good day in my book.

"Michael," I whispered and was surprised at how thick my voice was.

"It's over Maria," he smiled and kissed my forehead.

I looked to Tess and she was smiling. She touched my hand. "Thank you."

"It was nothing," I tried to smile but my face hurt entirely too bad. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I think so. I don't remember a lot. But you can hear all about that later, when you're well."

I nodded slightly. "Kyle?"

"Haven't seen him yet. We're going towards the control center, hopefully he's still there." Michael said.

I nodded again and relaxed in my husband's arms. Safe.

"Hey!" That was Kyle's voice. I perked up and smiled even though it hurt like hell as I saw him running down the hall towards us. "Hey!"

I watched as he closed in over my face and kissed my tender lips. "You were awesome, Maria. You are my hero."

I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously," Kyle rattled on, "I was watching the whole thing on the monitors and you were amazing. Absolutely amazing." He looked at Michael. "You should be proud of her."

"I am," Michael laughed. "You have no idea how proud."

I motioned towards Tess and watched as Kyle stood in front of her. "Tess." Without another word, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. I smiled at her initial resistance and then how it turned into a reciprocated thing.

"We have to go, sorry." Michael stated and started walking onward with me in his arms. I hoped I wasn't getting too heavy.

I was so content in his arms I didn't even ask if he was all right. I didn't even know what he'd gone through. "Are you okay?"

"Now, I'm perfect," he gazed down at me as we kept moving. "When I didn't know what happened to you, I was crazed. I was beyond crazed. The worse case scenarios came to mind, but deep down I knew better. I know how strong you are…"

"Hey, is that the door?" Kyle interrupted and I looked over at him. He was holding Tess's hand. Aww…Sweet. "Do you need anything else before we go?"

It sounded like a stupid question, but it was a good one. I looked to Michael and he was thinking. There were still two commando guys lying somewhere in the hallways that had to be dealt with. I mentioned that to Michael and he smiled.

"They've been taken care of," Tess chirped. God, how could someone be so damn chirpy after all this?

I took their word for it and enjoyed being carried to the exit. "Why is it so empty in here?" I asked suddenly.

"Smith and Smythe." Michael answered casually. "They wouldn't want anyone involved with this kind of thing. This was too big to be shared. All they had with them was hired muscle. I don't believe they were Operatives."

I nodded. Michael knew the goings-on of Section better than I ever would, I trusted him. We made it to the door and Tess did the honors of opening it. She walked out first, and then Kyle followed by Michael carrying me. It was a strange feeling to be outside. One I didn't think I'd ever get to enjoy again. The night was giving way to dawn and it was hard to imagine that all this happened in one night. The whole world slept while we fought. No, we kicked ass!

I saw Isabel as Michael lowered me to the ground. They all crowded around me and both Michael and Kyle held my hands. It was a good feeling to know so many people cared about me.

"Maria," Isabel whispered in my ear and I turned to look at her. "Where are you hurt?"

"It'd be easier to tell you where I wasn't hurt." I smiled and got one back in return. "Seriously, my leg. Where I was shot. And my cheek. And my arm. My elbow."

"I think she has a fever," Kyle added and I wanted to kiss him. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to Kyle.

Isabel nodded and gently pushed away the two most important men in my life. I laid on the sidewalk and waited. I didn't know what to expect from this, but I saw the result on Michael and knew it was all going to be okay.

I kept my eyes open because I really didn't want to miss any part of this alien experience. Her hands roamed over my leg and I could feel the heat coming off of them. The heat turned cool and I felt my leg being put back together again. I think I could feel the muscles rebuilding and the tissue attaching. This may be the single most coolest thing I have ever experienced in my life. The pain was going away and I was smiling.

Her hands glided over my body, almost from top to bottom. Had I still been in the pokey I would have said I was someone's new bitch. But I wasn't and it was just Isabel. Her hands radiated heat on my bare skin wherever they touched. The heat turned cool when I felt my self being restored to health. Fascinating.

At some point I must have closed my eyes because now I was opening them. The first face I saw was Isabel's and it was beautiful. She had tears in her eyes.

"I was so scared!" She knelt over me and hugged me as I tried to sit up. Hello? Sit up pain-free. Woo-hoo!

I felt arms in back of me helping me sit up and realized it was Max. Michael was at my side and Tess and Kyle were hovering over me on my other side by Isabel. Holy shit, all I needed was a spotlight and I might break out into show tunes.

"Me too," I finally acknowledged Isabel's admission. "Oh God, me too."

"You should have seen her, she was a pro." Kyle kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand. I squeezed back. "I don't think any of us would have made it out of there if it wasn't for Maria."

I know I was blushing but I couldn't help it. I've come a long way, baby. "I had help."

I think I had lost a bit of time somewhere in the middle of immediate recovery. I looked around and noticed we were no longer on the sidewalk in front of the secret Section door, I was on grass. "Where the fuck am I?"

"In back of Section," Michael was at my side his lips inches from mine. I reached to him and kissed him and felt my whole world fall right into completeness. I pulled away from him and touched his cheek. "How long was I out? Why was I out?"

"You were hurt pretty bad, Maria." Isabel answered for him. "It took a lot out of you to heal good. It's only been about ten minutes."

"Man, what did I miss?"

Max smiled. "You missed all of us watching you."

I smiled at him. "Glad I was so entertaining."

"Talk about entertaining!" Kyle laughed. "You should have seen her in there. She'd been shot, her face crunched, her arm ripped to shreds and she took Section to the wall! It was so fucking cool!"

I looked at Kyle and noticed he was holding Tess's hand. Very nice to see. "I wasn't in there alone Mr. Valenti."

"I was the sidekick. You were Bullwinkle and I was Rocky. You were Chico and I was the Man." Kyle smiled.

There was so much to tell and try to explain and be explained to that I didn't even know where to start. Liz. Oh. God. "Did anyone call Alex?" I asked and looked pointedly at Kyle. He caught my meaning straight up and shook his head. I had forgotten that Michael and Tess were around at the time I was yelling to Smythe. I didn't know for sure if they heard that part or not. I was a little fuzzy on how to ask that all secret like. I'd have to wait.

"There's no answer," Isabel answered. "He's probably in the shower or something. Maybe getting something to eat."

"No answer in our room either." Max added.

"We should go." I looked to Michael who helped me stand. I could have done it alone, but I liked the way those soft and callousy hands felt around my bare waist. I stood in front of him and looked him in the eye. "I love you Michael."

"I love you Maria." He kissed me then and it was a kiss that would go down in the history books. Woo-hoo!

We finally broke away from each other after some snide remark from Max about getting a room somewhere. Just when he wasn't getting on my nerves…

I looked at Michael and mouthed the words to him. "Do you know about Liz?"

He shook his head and I knew we had to get back to the hotel. "We gotta go." I turned around and faced Isabel. I hugged her tight against me. "Thank you Isabel. Thank you so much for fixing me up. That was…Amazing."

"Anything for you Maria," she cried and met my eyes. "I really thought you weren't coming out. When I got the message from Alex that you and Kyle were taking down Section I got so scared. I wanted to go back in, but I followed your orders. I swear this has been the longest night of my life."

Mine too, sweetheart. Mine too. "You guys ready to head back to the hotel? We can share war stories there and tie up a few loose ends?" I was getting antsy. I had a tremor thing going on in my hand and it had Liz Parker's name all over it. I was so going to kick her ass.

"You okay?" Tess asked.

"Fine. Hey, the homing thing? Removed?" I pointed at the back of my own neck.
She nodded and motioned towards Isabel.

"Maria," Michael took my hand and led me through the grass back towards where I had parked. Once we were out of earshot I looked at him. "Liz? What about Liz?"

"She sold you and Tess out." I whispered. "And I'm going to kill her."

Michael didn't question me and that was a good. There was a whole mess of things that had to get straightened out this morning and Liz Parker was number one on my list.

We reached the car and I smiled at the people around me. These were my friends and my family. I was a lucky girl.

"Hey Maria," Kyle called over the roof to me. I looked at him and waited, "Section?"

"We fucked'em!" I laughed.

We, and I mean all of us, piled into the car. Michael drove and I sat in the front seat on Max's lap. How that worked out, I don't know. Kyle, Tess and Isabel were scrunched into the back, but I noticed that Tess had shifted Kyle's way and was almost on his lap. His hands were resting on her bare thighs. I swear that girl better get some clothes on soon.

As we neared the hotel I saw a banner above the street that almost made me cry. My plans were so made for later this evening. Nothing was going to interrupt my date with my husband tonight. I read the banner again in the side mirror as we drove on: DC Carnival Tonight! Rides! Food! Beer!

I almost drooled at the thought of cotton candy…
*        *          *

Chapter Twenty Five


The drive to the hotel went by fast, I don't know if it was the anticipation of beating the hell out of Liz or the knowing that Michael would be cotton candy coated later on. Either way, I had two things to look forward to. I wish I could say the same for everyone else.

Max. As I'm sitting on his lap, already feeling tremendously awkward at this situation, now I was going to have to tell him that his fiancé was a lying, traitorous little bitch. Not going to be fun.  He shifted underneath me and placed his hands on my leather-clad hips.

"Do you mind?" Max asked. "I don't have anywhere else to put them except here or in your lap."

I shook my head. Did I mind? Well, yeah!  I think there were at least a million other places he could have put his hands besides on me, but what the hell? Michael was sitting right there and Max's world was getting ready to be turned upside down, so a little touchy feely on my hips? Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Michael parked the car and we piled out, I would almost swear that Max touched my ass as I got off of him, but I could be mistaken. I mean, I have been known to be wrong before. I took Michael's hand and pulled him aside before entering the front doors.

"How should we do it?" I whispered.

"Kill her?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, how should we bring this up. Should we tell Max, Isabel and Tess now or wait until I confront Liz?"

"Are you sure about her, Maria?" He touched my face.

I nodded. "Yeah, she knows she's busted too." I briefly told him about Alex and the conversations with him. "See, I knew there was a reason I never liked her."

"Let's go to the room and see what develops, okay?" He kissed my lips.

I smiled and once again thanked my lucky stars that we were all alive and well and kicking. Oh God, my leg felt great! I could do some serious kicking now. Woo-hoo!
We caught up with the other four at the elevator doors that they were holding for us. Kyle was still holding Tess's hand. Sweet.

"You know," Max stood close to me. "You really do deserve the title of captain, Maria. You showed some real bravery and leadership in there."

"Thanks Max," I smiled and felt sorry for him. "You weren't so bad yourself. The whole light thing? Nice."

He shrugged and blushed. "I hated waiting outside not knowing what was going on. It was the first thing I could come up with. Even though I did run away like a little girl, again."

I touched his arm and smiled. "Hey, it got your sister out and for that I'll always be thankful."

"Not that I wanted out, mind you." Isabel looped her arm through mine. "I wanted to stand at your side and fight until the end."

I smiled at the woman who I once considered the all-American normal human woman. She was a fighter, just like me. She was brave, fearless, and amazing. I was proud to have her as a friend. "You were there, Isabel. You were. Couldn't have done it without you. Not without any of you."

"Okay Maria," Kyle laughed. "You are a lot of things, but modest?" He laughed harder and I punched him lightly in the stomach. "Modesty is not exactly high on the list!"

I rolled my eyes as the elevator stopped and got a sick feeling in my gut. I had tried to block out the whole 'no one's answering in the rooms' thing and had totally succeeded until now. I swear, if that Liz did anything to Alex, I really would kill her.

I noticed Kyle had left Tess's side as we walked down the hall. He was now at mine and I was glad. I didn't ever want to have to walk alone again. I held my breath as Michael opened up the door to our room. I saw Alex and I let out the breath I was holding. Thank God, he was okay.

"Isabel!" He jumped out of the chair and bolted to her. We watched as he smothered her with kisses. Talk about sweet. "Thank God! Is it over?"

Isabel looked to me and I shook my head. I ignored her questioning eyes and scanned the room looking for that Liz. "Where is she?" I directed my question at Alex.

He motioned towards the bathroom. Ha! So she decided to stay and face the music, huh? I ignored the looks from the ones who didn't know and walked to the bathroom door and pounded on it.

"Liz! Get out here, right fucking now!"

"Maria!" Max was at my side. "What the hell are you doing?"

Kyle took Max's arm and pulled him away despite the arguing from him. I was on a mission and I didn't have time to deal with Max being a crybaby. The time for that was much later.

I didn't risk looking at Isabel; but I did have the feeling that she might already know. We both had suspicions before. She was silent, as was Tess. I pounded on the door again and heard water running. "Liz! Get your ass out here right fucking now or I will drag you out!"

I stepped back as the door opened. Didn't want to be directly in the line of fire in case she decided to pelt me with hotel-sized soap. She stood in the doorway and if I didn't know she was a traitorous bitch, I would have felt sorry for her. Her normally silky hair looked greasy and dirty. Her complexion was mottled with red and her eyes were puffy. Good. She stepped in front of me.

Without thinking I raised my arm to her neck and slammed her into the wall beside the open door. She didn't try to fight me. I rammed my knee between her legs and she was immobile. I could have snapped her neck within seconds, but I didn't. I heard Max in back of me as Kyle tried to hold him back. I heard another noise and knew Michael had joined in.

"I'm sorry," she croaked as tears began to fall again.

"Sorry?" I yelled in her face and slammed her head against the wall. "You're fucking sorry? Michael and Tess could be dead, we all could be dead right now and all you can say is that you're sorry?"

"You don't understand," she looked past me at what I assumed was Max. "I had to."

I slammed her back into the wall again. My arms were vibrating with excitement? Fear? No, I think it was anger. I looked into those pretty almond shaped eyes and wanted to rip them out. I wanted to break her nose and twist her neck for everything she'd done. I wanted to kill her for putting Michael through whatever the fuck he went through. I wanted to to shoot her the same way I got shot. I wanted her to be afraid. I wanted her to feel the fear that I had felt all those hours of not knowing if Michael was alive. Not knowing if we were going to stay alive or if I was going to get everyone killed.

"I should kill you," I whispered in her ear.

I think she shrugged. Man, no fun to kill someone who's ready to die. I knocked her head into the wall again before I felt hands on my arms. I turned around, it was Isabel. Oh no, she wasn't going to tell me not to, was she?

"Liz," Isabel leaned in next to me and I saw a side of her I didn't think I'd ever see. "You turned in Tess and Michael." Her breath was hot against my cheek and I was glad I wasn't on the other end of violent-Isabel. She was scary. "You turned in the only two other people like Max and me to a place that was going to turn them into guinea pigs. To a place who would have figured out about Max and me and done the same thing. To a place that would have killed us all. I'm standing behind Maria no matter what. She decides to kill you? I won't try to stop her."

"Isabel-" Liz's voice was breaking as tears flowed down her face.

"Shut up. We were friends Liz, and now? We're not." Isabel stepped back and stood next to her brother who had quit fighting.

I looked over my shoulder at Max and saw his heart breaking. Man.

"Max." Liz whispered.

I shook my head, turned back to her and met her eyes. "Why? Why did you do it? Why did you risk everyone's lives?" She shook her head and I knocked it back into the wall. "Tess, Michael, Kyle, Isabel and Max. Aside from Michael, they were your friends. You risked all their lives and if it hadn't been for some really fucking good luck they'd all be dead. Including myself, but I know you weren't worried about me."

"I was," she nodded. "I was worried about everyone."

Riiiight. I smiled and if it looked even half as evil as it felt I would have been scared.
"I stayed here and waited," her voice was shaking. "I waited after Alex told you that you were right about me. I didn't run away and I could have."

Okay, she had me there. Not excused, but almost worth listening to the explanation.
"Why?"

"Could you let up on my neck a little?" She asked. "I want to explain but you're hurting me."

I thought it over and released her. But one false move and she wouldn't even know what hit her. She rubbed her neck and I rolled my eyes. She looked at Max and I was almost giddy that he looked away. Ha!

"When you and Michael left Roswell, I was glad." She looked from me to Michael and back at me. Man, I hoped she wasn't going to tell this whole story just to me. "I was so glad you were gone. I was so jealous of you Maria."

Me?

"I hated the way everyone looked at you. I hated the way Max looked at you. Max didn't want either of you to go; I knew that. I knew why you had to go and I could have cared less."

At least she was being honest. Not exactly scoring any Brownie points with me, though.

"So then you were gone and all was back to normal. Well, as normal as anything ever was." She laughed and it was bitter.

"Liz…?" Max said from across the room. I could hear the resounding shock and pain in his voice.

"I'm sorry Max," she looked past me. "I never meant for anyone to get hurt."

"When did they contact you, or did you contact them?" I asked. I was ready to get this show on the road.

"A few months after you were gone." She admitted. "I got a phone call. They said they wanted to discuss you and Michael. I freaked out and hung up. Then I got a few more over the next few weeks. Then nothing. About three weeks before Tess was taken, I was at my parent's restaurant closing up. I went to my car and they were waiting for me."

"Who?" Michael walked closer to us.

She shook her head. "Two guys in black suits."

I looked at Michael. "Cartoon characters?" He nodded.

"They said some thing's to me that they couldn't possibly know. About Tess, Michael and Kyle. They thought I was an alien!" She would have laughed if she weren't already thinking I was going to kill her. "I tried to convince them I wasn't and I guess I succeeded. They started questioning me on everything and I got scared. Then they threatened my parents."

"How?" I asked and hoped it was good.

"They had a computer with them and it showed my parents. Everything about my parents. They were going to kill them if I didn't help."

"Would they have?" I asked Michael. He nodded and raised an eyebrow at me. Damn.

"They were graphic and I was scared."

"So you turned over Tess and Michael without even blinking?" Kyle joined the interrogation. Yay Kyle!

"I didn't know what else to do. They were already convinced it was them, anyway."

I was so not liking her defense. "So that makes it okay?"

"How could you Liz?" Max said softly. "Why didn't you come to me? We could have stopped this before it went so far. Before you turned on everyone." He spat out the last part bitterly. Oh yeah, Max and I were on the same team now. Big time.

"I didn't know what to do." The tears were back. "I'm sorry."

"Do you know what they did to me?" Tess asked. Oh God, I had almost forgotten she was in the room. "They tortured me. They messed with my head to try to get me to turn the others in and I stayed strong. I would have died with the secret."

"I'm not like you!" Liz yelled.

"You're right, you're not." Tess shook her head.

I could feel Liz's life falling apart around her.

"I couldn't lose…" She looked to Max. "I couldn't lose Max."

"But it was okay for Tess and Michael to be subjected to Sections experiments?" Isabel asked.

Liz shook her head. "No. They knew so much already. Rena, that's how they knew. She kept them informed on everything right up to the end. They knew who she was following, she had seen more than we knew about."

Not exactly a news flash. I had gathered that a couple of days ago. I cocked my head to the side and waited to see if Liz was even going to attempt to dig her way out of this.

"When I came to DC I had their plans, but I didn't follow them completely. I added a few things to help you guys." She was beginning to talk faster and I wanted to ram my elbow into her mouth. "I helped you get in with what they told me, but not the way. I knew they were going to ambush you, but they promised they'd only take Michael!"

"I should kill you," I stepped towards her and clocked her. A mean right hook right across that face.

"I was scared." She wiped her eyes and touched her jaw; she was beginning to sob. I wanted to tell her she knew nothing about being afraid.

"You don't know what fear is!" Tess yelled. Rock on Tess! "You don't know what it's like to be afraid until someone strips you, pricks you with needles everywhere that there's skin. Talks about you in front of you like you're some type of animal and you know you'll never see the outside world again. That's fear Liz!"

I watched as Kyle put his arm around Tess and held her while she cried into his shoulder. After all that she had been through, I think she deserved a little crying and comfort. Damn that Liz!

"I'm sorry," Liz said and she did mean it, I could tell that. Did it count? Not in my book; and since I was the only one with a book? Fuck her.

"Let's go Liz," Max walked towards her and motioned to the door.

Oh. My. God. Was he seriously considering staying with her? After all she'd done to the others?

Liz's eyes lit up and she nodded. She walked to the open door and stepped out into the hall. Max closed the door on her, locked it, and looked at us. He shrugged. I smiled at him.

"I'm sorry, too." He said and I got a bad feeling. "I'm sorry for Liz. This could have been avoided if she'd come to me first."

Okay. I could deal with this. Max sat down on one of the beds as a new mood took form in the room. The new mood of survival. We did it. We beat Section and lived to tell the tale. We kicked its ass!

Isabel sat next to her brother and picked up his hand. She spoke quietly into his ear and I hope she was telling him everything was going to be all right. It was now. I knew it was.

"Okay," Kyle let go of Tess and clapped his hands. "So who wants to hear about Maria's heroism?"

I blushed and shook my head as hands went up around the room. We all sat on the two beds and Kyle and I took turns telling our story of the rescue. I was proud. I was proud to be sitting with this group of people knowing that I gave something back. Michael squeezed my hand and I squeezed back. I didn't think I was ever going to let him out of my sight again.

I looked at Tess sitting next to Kyle trying to cover herself in his shirt and smiled. I walked across the room to my suitcase and got her out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and handed them to her. She scuttled off to change while Kyle relived the horror of having to carry me up the stairs. When Tess came back out of the bathroom I heard the hitch in Kyle's voice when he saw her. She had pulled her hair up on her head and in my clothes, she looked damn cute. I think she was self conscious about not having a bra and such a tight shirt, but hey, that's all I had and it was definitely working for her.

We told stories and let our adrenaline wear down for a couple of hours. Max was quiet for most of the time, but I guess that was expected. I didn't know what he was going to do now, about Liz, but since he was related to Isabel; I trusted him to make the right decision.

Alex called the front desk and got another room, for Kyle and Tess. She was such a lucky girl. At the door she hugged me and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you Maria. Thank you for getting me out." Her eyes were wet. I pushed her away otherwise I would have started crying too.

I overheard Isabel telling Max to come to their room; good.  We parted ways with our friends and promised to meet up for dinner. After dinner though? No one was interrupting my fantasy.

I watched as Michael went to work on the laptop and I slid off my ruined leather pants. I was exhausted. All this intrigue and alien shit really takes a toll on you. I took off my ripped shirt and admired myself in the mirror. I was so whole again. No scars, no battle wounds, nothing. I was just plain old Maria.

I saw Michael in back of me and watched as he slid his hands around my waist.

"Thank you Maria."

I shrugged as the tears fell. Damn! I turned and hugged him feeling his heartbeat next to mine.

*          *              *

Chapter Twenty Six


I broke away from Michael and shook my head. There was something I had to do first. I let him watch me with those inquisitive eyes as I got dressed. Jeans and one of his button-down shirts was good for what I had to do. I didn't even bother with shoes.

"I'll be right back." I said over my shoulder as I walked out of the safety of our room. I padded down the hall and stopped in front of a door. I took a deep breath and then banged on it. I waited and after three seconds I banged on it again. Patience is so not a virtue for me. "Liz!"

I wasn't quite done with young Miss Parker yet.

"Are you going to beat me up again?" She called from behind the door.

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe." Patient? No. Honest? Yes. "Just open up the fucking door!"

I heard her slide the chain back and as soon as she turned the knob I pushed my way in. I looked at her startled and bruised face. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail that made her look like she was about twelve. Her eyes were still red. I guessed they would probably stay like for awhile. A long while.

"What do you want?" She asked entirely too gruffly for my liking. I looked over her shoulder and saw she was packing. I walked to the suitcase and dug out a bra, a pair of underwear, jeans and a sweatshirt.

"For Tess. You don't mind, do you?"

She shook her head and tossed me a pair of socks and tennis shoes. "They should fit, we wear about the same size."

I nodded and set down the pile of clothes on a table. I put my hands on my hips and looked at that Liz. I mean I really looked at her. "How could you do it?"

"I already explained it to you." She resumed packing and I felt like I was intruding. So what.

"Explain it again, I don't think I liked the other explanation."

She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I was contacted by Section and told what to do…"

"Or your parents bit the dust, right?" I shook my head at her.

"Right. That's all there was to it. I was a bitch. I was an ass. I turned over Tess and Michael without blinking." Liz threw her arms in the air. "End of story."

"Okay, that's a good start. Now tell me the rest."

"I already-"

"Don't fucking lie to me." I sat in one of the straight-backed chairs and crossed my legs. "What else. What else happened?"

That Liz let out a deep breath and I knew I was on to something. It was just one of those little nagging things at the back of my brain.

"Liz." I prodded.

"It was bad, Maria." New tears rolled down her face. "I didn't want to, I swear I didn't want to tell them anything. It didn't matter how much I didn't like you; I still wasn't going to hand over anyone to them! They forced me!"

"How?"

"My parents. They were going to kill them. They showed me pictures of a couple who resembled my parents, kind of. A man and a woman and what they did to them. Then they showed me these horrible pictures of what they did to people who didn't cooperate with them and I was scared."

"Okay, fear factor. But you said before that they thought you were an alien. How did you convince them you weren't?" I leaned forward and wondered if Section really did stoop to the level of low class visual terror.

She cocked her head to the side. "I just did."

"You're going to have to do better than that." I was pushing her, but I didn't care.

"I told them I wasn't one." She shrugged.

"Oh, sure. I can see that now. You just said 'hey there Section, I know you just showed me pictures of dead people and by the way, I'm not an alien.' And they totally excused you, right? Bullshit."

"Leave me alone Maria."

"No. Tell me the rest Liz. Tell me now." I kept the calm in my voice on maximum overdrive while hiding the anger.

"They threatened Max. They said they'd kill him with my parents and leave me all alone if I didn't cooperate. Okay? I couldn't let them have Max!" She cried.

"How did you convince them?" I said it slowly to make sure she understood my fucking question.

"I gave them…" She started crying harder. "I gave them Michael."

Michael. She gave them my husband. God, I really hated her.

"What would you have done?" Her voice rose and I wondered if I was going to have to smack her again. I hoped so. "What would you have done if the only person you'd ever loved was in danger? What would you have done if you were given the choice of saving the only man you've ever loved or surrendering someone you didn't even know?"

Okay, she had me on that one. For a second. "What about Tess? You've known Tess for a very long time."

"What's that called?" Liz smiled. Oh. God. She smiled. "A casualty of war?"

This little cold-hearted bitch was actually going to sit there across from me and call Tess a casualty of war? She was so getting slapped.

"I had to Maria, I had to do it to save Max. Wouldn't you have done the same?"

"Turn over my friends for Michael?" I thought about Kyle and Isabel and shook my head. "No. I would have done everything I could to make sure they never got put in danger to start out with. But I'm just like that."

"So, if you were given the choice to either keep Michael safe for at least awhile or turn in say…Max, you wouldn't do it? Max, the one who gets on your nerves and stares at your boobs all the time. That Max. My Max."

So she noticed the whole tit-staring thing Max did, huh? "No. I would still find a way. I would have told someone. This could have been avoided Liz. This whole thing could have been avoided, but because of you, people almost died." I tried to keep my voice even but it was hard when all I really wanted to do was pop her in the face again.

"I'm not like you, Maria."

No shit. "You're right." I stood up and picked the clothes and shoes for Tess up. "I still have friends."

I let that hang there and walked out of the room with a casual slam of the door behind me.

Okay, so Liz really was just evil. She turned over Michael to save Max and apparently tried to get rid of Tess just for fun. A casualty of war. What a bitch! I knocked on the door almost at the end of the hall and Kyle answered. Yay, right room!

"Maria," he stepped into the hall and hugged me. "Hi."

"Hi yourself," I handed him the clothes. "For Tess. They're Liz's, but it's all I could come up with. She okay?"

He nodded and smiled. "She's in the shower."

"Yeah, that's where I'm headed. I'll see you in a few hours, okay?"

"What about Liz? What are we going to do with her?" Kyle whispered.

Do? Oh, shit. I didn't know. I think her punishment would be just. "I don't think we really have to do anything. She's alone now Kyle. She has no one. She has nothing but the memories of what it was like to have friends."

Kyle nodded and went back inside his room. I whistled as I walked down the hall to my room. The room I shared with my husband. I had only been gone less than ten minutes, but already I could feel my heart rate quicken. I waited outside the door trying to come up with a reason why Michael wouldn't be on the other side. Why he would be gone and how hard it would be for me to get him back.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Michael was there, with a towel around his waist and a smile on his face. He wasn't anywhere but where he was supposed to be, with me. I ran to him and hugged him. The heat from the shower radiated through me.

"I thought you'd be gone." I whispered holding back tears of unknown origin.

"No, Sweet Maria. I'll always be here with you." He kissed my lips.

*        *        *
I regained my composure and took a shower while Michael worked on one of the laptops. I don't know what he was doing exactly except I figured it probably had a lot to do with our future. Something I really didn't want to know about before a shower. He mentioned something about housekeeping and I bet he wasn't talking about a maid showing up with a bottle of Windex.

After the shower left me devoid of feeling and my mind was numb, I laid down on one of the beds and fell asleep listening to the tap tap of Michael typing and thinking about dinner. I was starving. I drifted off to sleep and that's when I had the first nightmare I'd had in months.

The nightmare that left me speechless and afraid. Shaking and crying. Unable to form a sentence and scared to try. I rocked back and forth on the mattress until I felt strong arms around me. Safe.

*        *         *

Chapter Twenty Seven


Michael's arms held me tight as I tried to shake off the remnants of a nightmare I knew would come back. After last night, I'd be an idiot to think I wouldn't have some repercussions.

In my dream, I was alone. Truly alone. Michael was gone and I spent my nightmare trying to find him and I never did. I was running and screaming and tripping and falling. But I could never find him.

My heart was still beating rapidly when I looked into the depths of his eyes. "I had a nightmare."

He nodded and smiled. "I know."

"I don't think I ever want you out of my sight, okay?" My voice was shaky and I hated it. "At least not for awhile, okay?"

He kissed the top of my head. "I promise Maria, I'm not going anywhere."

I believed him. "What time is it?"

"Dinner time?" He smiled and I was so in love with him.

I got out of bed and stood on shaky legs taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down. Michael was in front of me. He was right freakin' there and I believed him when he said he wasn't going anywhere. I believed every word he told me.

He watched as I changed out of his now wrinkled shirt and into a different one. I had to wear something of his tonight. After everything we'd gone through in the last twenty-four hours I had to have all things Michael around me, on me and later on, in me.

"Did you get done what you needed to?" I asked as I tied the shirttails underneath my breasts.

He nodded and licked his lips. Yum. "Actually I did. I made a few calls and I have some things to take care of here…"

"Here, like in DC?" My heart began to pound again. Not with utter fear this time but with the realization that I didn't think we were headed back to the beach anytime soon.

"Here, like in Section." He cringed.

"We're not leaving are we?"

He didn't answer me at first; but I could understand why. I knew what this meant to Michael. Okay, I didn't know exactly, but I had a pretty good idea. Kind of like every time a Braves game was on…

"Can we change our last name to Guerin?" I asked with a coy smile. See, I could give a little. "You know, since you're officially back and we're alive."

"I'd like that Maria," he came to me and embraced me. Never could get enough Michael smell. "Are you…?"

God, the poor man couldn't even say it out loud.  "I'm good Michael." I nodded to reassure him as well as myself. "I can deal. I can deal with a lot."

"But Section?"

"Like the way your father ran it?" I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Just like that; but I don't have to-"

"Bullshit." I interrupted him. "You do have to. He named you successor and so help me God, you shall success!"

"I want to clean it up. I want to bring it back to where it should be." He was nodding now and the look of excitement in this new endeavor was making me hot. "I want to keep my father's name clean and untarnished. I want, God, I want so much and I haven't even asked you what you want."

I smirked and thought about cotton candy. "I just want you happy, Michael."

He nodded and as far as I knew, everything was set in stone. Looks like Michael Guerin was back. The man in black was going to run the show and he'd have his trusty little sidekick with him. Always.

I grabbed his hand. "Let's go meet the others, okay?"

*        *        *

We arrived in the restaurant downstairs and I immediately smiled at Tess. I couldn't help it. For such a petite little thing, she was strong as nails. I gave her full credit for surviving Section and not leaving me behind.

"Hi guys!" I waved and laughed at myself. I felt so stupid. Here we are right off this big bad adventure through Sectionland, and I was waving and feeling like a dork. Aw…Fuck it. I didn't care anymore.

"Maria," Max stood and walked to me and surprised me with a hug. His voice was wet in my ear. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

I nodded and followed him back out into the lobby. We sat on a cushy couch and I waited.

"I talked to Liz, this afternoon, after you did." He said and dug a pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket. He ignored the 'No Smoking' signs and lit up.

I nodded and waited. After a minute of silence I prodded with an inept throat clearing.

"Sorry," he smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "I love her. Part of me hates her right now, but I still love her."

I nodded and inhaled the smoke. Even though I doubted I'd ever smoke again, I would always love the smell of it.

"She did all that for me," he said and shook his head. "I'm like torn. I love her for trying to save me but I hate her for the rest of it. You know?"

No, I just pretty much hated her for the whole thing. "Why didn't she come to you? She knows what you're capable of. She has to know what the four of you together could do." That nagging was going on again. "Why would she just let this prized secret go?"

Max shook his head slowly as if he was coming to terms with what I'd told him. "She should have known. I mean, she did know." Max stood and started to pace. Damn! "We talked about how strong we would be if we were together. Damn it! Why did she do it? To get Tess out of the picture? To get rid of you and Michael? Hell, you weren't even there!"

I stood and wanted to pace with him, but I knew we'd look entirely too stupid, so I just stood. "What did she have to gain?"

"Gain?" Max stood still and turned around to face me very slowly. So slowly that I wanted to grab his arms and tell him to hurry the fuck up.

"Max?" He was making me nervous. "Max?"

He didn't answer me but bolted through the lobby towards the stairs. I waited a half a beat and followed. Damn! All I wanted was dinner and cotton candy; I so did not want to be chasing aliens through the fucking hotel. I followed him up the stairs and marveled again at the job Isabel had done on me. I felt great!

"Max!" I yelled to him, but he kept going. I followed him out of the stairwell on to our floor and down the hall.

He stopped in front of Liz's door and waited for me to catch up.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I panted.

"She didn't have anything to gain!" Max exclaimed and I thought about thwacking him in the forehead. "Liz had nothing to gain and everything to lose."

"Yeah…" I wasn't getting it.

"Maria," Max's eyes were blazing. "Liz Parker had nothing to gain from this. She lost her friends and she lost me. Why? What would make someone do something like that?"

I shrugged. I had no fucking clue to what he was talking about. But if we didn't clear this up soon, I wouldn't mind getting an appetizer.

"She was scared, Max. She thought she was going to lose you." Duh. Been over this already Mr. Evans.

"There's more Maria, there has to be more. She wouldn't have done it because they threatened her parents…" He looked thoughtfully at the door. "Her parents."

Oh shit. Here we go with Mr. Cryptic.

"Her parents, Maria! That's why she did it!"

"Okay Max, you're speaking in code now and I left my fucking decoder ring back in my room. English. Please."

He ignored me and knocked on the door. No response. I waited and actually began tapping my foot. Max held his hand over the door and opened it. I shrugged and followed him inside. The room was empty. Liz Parker was gone.

I followed Max to the bed and watched as he picked up a piece of paper from the pillow. A note. Of course it was a note.

"Well, read it." I urged. Frankly I could care less whatever Liz had to say. I just wanted dinner.

Max looked at me and nodded. "It's addressed to me. 'Max, I'm sorry. I did what I did because I didn't have a choice. I wanted to keep you alive and I had to help my parents. I got money for information on Michael. They really only wanted him at first, and I knew how to get him back here. I could almost taste the integrity on him and Maria both. Sometimes it made me sick to my stomach. I could never turn you in, or Isabel, but it was easy for Michael and Tess. That might make me a bad person, I don't know. The money went to my parents, they were about to declare bankruptcy and I had to help. I couldn't let them lose the diner. I wish now I would have made a different decision, but I did what I had to do for my parents. I'll always love you Max. I knew you'd figure it out and I bet Maria's with you. My love, Liz.' Wow." Max shook his head. "Her parents. Money. She did it for money. She helped them for money."

I was floored. Money? Money makes the world go around. Money makes a crazed man sane and a sane man crazed. Money is the root of all evil. For her parents she gave up two people to the enemy. Liz Parker had better never show her face around me again, this time I swear I'll rip it off.

"Money," I spit the word out. For money I almost lost Michael. For money Tess was tortured. "Money." Right now it was the dirtiest word in the world.

"Maria," Max was beside me and I saw wetness in his eyes. I swear if Mr. Tit-watcher started bawling I was so out of here. "I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry."

I nodded. He was sorry. It wasn't his fault, but he was going to end up paying a price as well.

"Well, now we know the truth." I nodded. "Do me a favor Max. I know we don't always get along." I saw him smile. "Okay, we never get along. Anyway, the next person you date. Let me screen her first, okay?"

He nodded and smiled. I smiled back at him and was glad I was able to do it. This wasn't his fault. I placed all the blame on one person. One person who literally sold out her friends.

I chucked him on the shoulder, yes, I chucked him. "Let's keep this between us, okay? The others don't need to know."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Life is hard enough for you anyway Max. I don't want you to be treated differently because your fiancée was a selfish, backstabbing money hungry little bitch. Okay?"

"When you put it that way…" he smiled and shredded her note.

That Liz Parker was officially history.

We returned to the restaurant and more tales of Section were told. Michael kept quiet about his plans of taking his place in Section, so, I kept quiet about it too. I figured I'd tell Kyle and Isabel in the morning.

I was relieved to see the past days events not leaving scars on anyone. Not visible scars at least. I didn't know everything Tess went through, I'm not sure if I really wanted to know. Michael would tell me his experience in his own way at the right time. Alex was still trying to explain computers to me and how he was able to access the information we had needed. Yeah, maybe in another life I'd understand all that. Or at least after a computer class. Or ten. Isabel was perfect. Strong and beautiful and my friend. Kyle was Kyle and I loved him for it. All was good in the world. All was good in my world. Maria soon-to-be Guerin was a happy woman.

A happy woman who was done with dinner and ready to go. I whispered in Michael's ear and she stood without hesitation. We said our goodnights and I dragged Michael to the front doors.

"Where are we going?"

"Just follow me," I led him to the parking lot and we got in the car. "Go back towards Section. Just trust me."

He did as he was told. As we neared the carnival I told him to stop and wait for me. I ran across the street and looked frantically for the cotton candy vendor. Score! I bolted over to him and bought myself seven bags of the sugary, fluffy goodness. The vendor put them all in a big black trash bag for me and I darted back to the waiting car and got in. I tossed the bag in the backseat.

"What is that?" Michael pointed over the back of his seat.

"Dessert." I smiled wickedly and licked my lips.

*        *        *

Chapter Twenty Eight


Michael didn't question me again on the bag of 'dessert' in the backseat. I guess he learned sometimes its better not to question the Maria. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face if I would have tried. Fantasies of cotton candy were streaming through me and I was giddy. I was actually giddy.

The drive back to the hotel flew by, I think Michael was just as anxious as I was and he didn't even know why. But he knew me well enough by now to expect the unexpected. He parked, for some reason I think he has an aversion to valet parking, and I grabbed the bag. I caught him staring with those wide questioning eyes at the lightness of the bag I slung over my shoulder. We walked through the hotel looking like the typical drug dealers. Me with the bag and Michael, the man in black. Fuck it, I didn't care as long as no one stopped us. There would be no delay.

We arrived at the room and Michael let us in. I dropped the bag on one of the beds and it landed with a little "poof".

"What's in the bag?" He finally asked as I took off my boots and jeans.

"I told you," I rolled my eyes playfully," dessert. Get naked."

He laughed and did as he was told. I was out of my shirt in like half a second and I watched as he took a little longer to get naked. I don't think I'll ever tire of watching him strip. That chest. Oh God, I can never get enough of that chest. He stood and waited for instructions, gotta love that. I glanced to the lights and decided we had entire too many on. I turned off a lamp and tried to figure out if we had a dim switch on the overhead. I didn't need total light, but I still wanted to see.

My head involuntarily cocked to one side as the confused dog stance came over me when the lights dimmed. I turned and looked at Michael, he shrugged. There were so many ups to having a husband with special powers. I walked to him and took his hands leading him to the other bed until his knees were up against it. I let go of him and pushed gently. He fell back on the bed and scooted back until his head rested on the pillow.

I didn't move for a minute, just took in the vision of my husband in all his hotness. There was a feeling deep inside of me that struck a nerve, the feeling that I had when I thought I'd never see him again. The fear of losing him when I really just found him. I'd have that feeling for awhile I imagined. The fear of loss.

I shook my head and pushed away the fear, there was time for that later, right now was cotton candy time. Woo-hoo! I went to the other bed and shielded the bag from Michael's line of vision with my body. I reached in and untied all seven bags of sugary goodness. Leaving the wrappers in the bag I gathered a few bunches in my hands and turned around.

He smiled at the colors of pinks and blues. "Cotton candy?"

"Cotton candy," I nodded and stepped closer to him. I got on the bed and straddled him covering my breasts with the fluffiness.

He reached for me and started picking at the fluff. He put a piece in his mouth and stuck out his tongue. I watched as the sugar dissolved on it and I was even hotter.

"May I?" He asked and nodded towards my breasts. Or maybe it was the cotton candy, either one was a good.

I shrugged not knowing exactly what he was planning, but hey, I had cotton candy and that was the important part. He reached a hand towards me and I felt the fluff warm and then melt just a little. Pink sugar dripped from my fingers. Holy shit! He melted it! My baby rocked.

I leaned forward and smothered his body in the candy goodness. Leaving nothing but his feet and head uncovered. I thought briefly how glad I was not to be the chambermaid. The melted candy was coating my breasts, but my nipples had made their way through and I resembled something like a circus porn star.

I started at his ankles and stuck out my tongue. I made one lick going the length of his body and met his lips as I lay down flat on top of him. Our bodies sticking together like sugary glue. Our mouths melting into one with the sweetness. I broke away and went back to work on the pastel palette in front of me. Never one for the creative, I just dove right in and put my tongue to work. I followed his neck down to that perfect chest and felt him get so aroused underneath me I thought he might burst.

The taste of Michael underneath the candy was intoxicating. I didn't know which way was up as I took him in my mouth and sucked off the sugar. Talk about a sugar high! I was going to need Michael inside of me within minutes; there was no question about it. His body was so sticky I could barely slide against him. I glanced over at the bag on the other bed and then met his eyes.

"More?" He raised his eyebrows.

I nodded as he rolled out from underneath me and opened the bag of cotton candy. He grabbed the remaining bundles and stood over me. Without asking, I knew what he wanted. I rolled on my back and waited to get coated just like him. I was so not disappointed. He didn't do his little melting trick; maybe he thought my body was hot enough to do it for him. I think he was right. He piled the fluffiness in-between my legs and then went to painstaking efforts to top off my breasts. My chest was heaving by now making it harder, but he succeeded. He covered my tits completely and sat straddling my thighs. He plucked a piece of candy from my abdomen and held it to my mouth. I took it with my tongue and then sucked his finger clean. If I didn't have a cavity by morning I'd be surprised.

I watched with bated breath as he lowered his head to my breasts and lapped up the melting sugar. Rolling my nipples with his tongue, getting the sugar off every ridge and bump. He backed away and admired his work. Two mountains of pinks and blues with entirely too pert nipples peeking through. He smiled and licked his lips. I knew I could always get him with nipples. He left my breasts that way and by now I was dying. He was much better at this whole teasing thing than I was. I was ready to get down and dirty.

His head moved further down and my legs spread as I felt the cotton candy from in-between them being eaten away. The melting sugar was blending with me and I wanted to scream. I looked down, past my pastel mountains and saw him look up. His mouth glistening in color. I beckoned him upward with a crooked finger. He smiled, licked his lips and was in my face within seconds. Our mouths met as I helped slide him into me through all the stickiness.

The first thrust as I was almost done for. I would never tire of two things: Michael's chest and the way he feels inside of me. This was my heaven. My utopia. This was worth all the bullshit.

He rocked on top of me and I was bubbling with excitement. His hands were all over me, sticking in some spots more than others. All I could taste was the sweetness in my mouth.

"You amaze me Maria," he whispered in my ear. I felt my hair getting stuck to his mouth.

"You amaze me too, Michael." I forced the rollover and was back on top. If I wasn't so turned on and knew that Michael was too, I would have felt ridiculous with cotton candy breasts and bare nips. But as is it stood, I was felt anything but ridiculous. I knew Michael didn't think I looked anything but hot because his hands were on my tits in a heartbeat.

I rocked back and forth on him, when I rocked forward, our bellies smacked and stuck. I ran my hands over his chest and leaned forward to lick the honey-sweet mess off his nipples. They hardened under my touch and I smiled.

"I'll always love you Maria," he panted as my rocking rhythm kicked up a notch.

I couldn't take it any longer. The heat, the candy, the Michael. I felt him come and warm my insides even more. I was right there after him. I lowered my head to his chest and briefly wondered if I would ever get the cotton candy out of my hair. I didn't get off him and I didn't know for sure if I ever would. The way I was feeling right now was…God; I can't even describe it. Bliss. Yeah, that's it, bliss.

I raised my head to look at him. The face of an angel, the mouth of a sinner and all candy-coated. I licked his chest once more while he watched and I smiled.

"So, how'd you like dessert?" I asked and winked.

*        *        *

The shower was frightening. Well worth the cotton candy escapade, but frightening none the less. We scrubbed each other down, but those stupid little sugary granules just refused to come off in certain locations. I could deal and so could he.

By the time we got out of the shower, my fingers were pruny. I hated that. Nothing is as unsexy as pruny fingers. I laid on the other bed; Michael laid next to me and rested his head on my chest right above my breasts. I felt his hands kneading into me and I was good.

"Did they hurt you in there?" I asked quietly.

He nodded and kissed the expanse of my flesh. "You kept me going, Maria. Just the thought of you was enough."

I smiled and ran my hands through his wet hair.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me in there to die, or whatever they had planned." He kissed the tip of my soft nipple and I don't think it was soft anymore. "I knew you'd save me, and you did."

"I couldn't lose you," I shook my head and wiped away the tears as they side down the sides of my face towards my hair. "I would have done anything to get you out of there."

"And you did," he kissed my breast again. "You came through for me."

I shrugged and cleared my throat. "It's all going to be different now, isn't it?"

I waited and eventually felt him nod on me. Great.

"I have friends here Maria, in Section. People who remained loyal to me and my father, even after he passed away. I have to take back Section and make it right." He spoke but he didn't face me, just kissed me again. "It won't be like it was when you were there."

I sighed. "I know Michael."

Then I broke my promise to Max, okay, maybe it wasn't really a promise, but I broke it anyway. I told Michael about that Liz. The fucking little money hungry lying bitch that she was. I had to; he had a right to know.

"Money?" He looked up at me. "Amazing."

I agreed and made him promise to keep quiet about it. I felt bad for Max, real bad; his life wasn't going to be easy for awhile. I didn't want to make it worse. Why I had the sudden interest in Max Evans was easy. He had been betrayed and his heart was broken. He was still a perv, but I felt sorry for him.

We laid in bed and talked for hours. Michael made me promises of a wonderful life and I nodded a lot. So we were going to do the Section thing. Who cares? I was going to be with Michael and that's all that really mattered to me.

I'd really come a long way. As Michel rambled about the changes to Section I thought about my life. Okay, not my entire life, but the last part of it. Less than a year ago I was going to die. I was ready to die and I was saved. I came back from having nothing to having everything. I had a husband who I loved more than anything else in the world and I had friends that I was willing to get seriously injured for, if not killed.

Baseball? "What?" I heard a couple of words from Michael and snapped back into the conversation.

"You weren't listening to me," he chided and kissed my throat. "I said, while you were sleeping today I ordered a couple of tickets to a baseball game."

"A baseball game?"

He nodded and I loved him even more. "A Braves game. Next week in Atlanta." He smiled and brushed the hair out of my face. "I know it won't be the same as when you were younger, going with your dad, but maybe it might bring back a few good memories."

Tears, big fat ones no less, rolled down my cheeks. My knight in black leather.
*            *             *

Chapter Twenty Nine


We said good-bye, again, to Kyle, Isabel, Alex, Tess and Max and again, it sucked. I would never get used to good-byes. Making a crying scene at the airport? Most embarrassing.

It wasn't quite as bad this time because after much discussion between Michael and myself, we came up with a deal. Okay, I think Michael would always go along with whatever I said. He's good like that.

After saying good-bye we spent the next week at Section. We cleaned house. The old ways of Smith and Smythe were now nothing but a distant memory. Michael was restoring Section to what it was before. An anti-terrorist organization to better the world. I was proud to be a part of it. Damn proud.

The first thing to change was the catwalk. The glass came down, so now I can hang my arms over it and wave down at people which I thoroughly enjoy doing. Some things I'll never get used to, like the admiration in the eyes of the Operatives when Michael speaks. The attentiveness of everyone involved with Section when Michael walks in a room. The resurrection of Michael Guerin was a success. The tagging along of his wife was another story all together.

I wasn't exactly received all to well at first. I guess my antics from when I first got there still hung around the walls. People gave me that look. The look that says 'I know about you'. Yeah, I used to get the same thing in the pokey and it kept me alive. Sooner or later, they'd all fall in love with me. I was sure of it. Riiiight.

Michael spent long hours at Section the first week after the cartoon character crucifixion. Destroying files was number one on the list. There was no record of any alien activity at Section or in Roswell New Mexico. The secretness that Smith and Smythe had kept made it a lot easier. All parties involved were gone.

Michael learned more from his father through written words and I think he misses him more now. I know I miss my dad a lot lately. Michael taking me to the Braves game? Wonderful. I couldn't ask for anyone better than Michael. He is my world and I've proved myself to him and everyone else. Maria Guerin is not to be reckoned with.

The nightmares come every night. I finally shake the ones from the pokey and a few months later I have a whole new set. These are always the same. I can't find Michael. I can't find him anywhere. I spend my nightmarish hell running and falling and crying trying to find him. But he's never there. I wake up in sweats and shakes but always with Michael's arms around me. His lips near mine telling me he'd always be here with me. It'll take time to get over them I'm sure, but I can deal. I can deal with a lot.

I know Michael will go out a few missions here and there, but he promised me it wouldn't be for awhile, a long while. Not until my nightmares are gone. Hopefully I'll be able to deal with that when the time comes.

So we're still staying at the hotel and the morning after the cotton candy experience we got several stares and whispers from the chambermaids in the hallway. All I could do was smile.

The hotel is nice, but I miss our place on the beach. I miss almost naked Michael on the beach. I miss a lot of things. He promised me we wouldn't spend all of our time in DC and then let me in on a little secret. The place at the beach? It's still there and it's ours. Oh yeah, we'll be going back to the beach. I salivate just with the thought of it.
I kind of like hanging out at Section while Michael works on Sectiony things. I work out in the gym and play around on the computers. Getting quite good at scanning my tits and emailing them to Michael. The rest of the time, I wait. I wait until my friends come back.

The deal Michael and I made? It was simple. Kyle Valenti had said 'fuck you' to his job to come here and help. He needed a job and so help me God, he was going to have one. Woo-hoo!  What exactly he was going to do for Section? I had no freaking idea. I was hoping he could take Rena's place in the 'getting the Operatives ready to mingle' department. Who else was better for that job? Well, besides Isabel. Alex was being placed in the techie computer department for a good reason. He was brilliant and he'd be an asset to Section. Plus he promised he'd be my teacher. Bonus.

I called Max the other day, just to check up on him and see how he was doing. Eventually our awkward conversation turned to that Liz Parker. She was gone. She was gone from Roswell by the time the others got back with no forwarding address. At least that was what Max said, he could have just told me that so I didn't hunt her down and kick her fucking ass. Oh, I will. Someday. Max was staying in Roswell, for awhile at least. I think he'll make his way here soon though. He won't have anyone left in Roswell after next week. I'm sure we can find something for him to do here. There might be an opening for a titty-watcher around here somewhere.

Kyle was going to be here with Tess in just a few days and I couldn't wait! I found them an apartment in Michael's old building. Okay, Michael actually did it, but I liked to take credit for it. Oh yeah, an apartment together. All things in Kyle's world were looking pretty good. He was bringing his dad with him to help them move and for some reason I couldn't wait to see him either. I guess it's the nostalgic feelings about my own dad that I've been having lately.

Isabel was house hunting online, at least that what she told me, I can still barely get past email let alone look for a house. A house. Wow. A house for Michael and me to live happily ever after in was somewhere in our future, but for now I was happy in the hotel. I didn't have to clean and we had new sheets on the bed every night.

All really was good in my world. I had Michael. I had my friends coming here to live and work and the worry about discovery and sudden death was all but a distant memory.

I'd never forget the night we spent rescuing Michael and Tess. I'd never once doubt the strength of Isabel or Kyle. Hell, even Max. I relive that night over and over, usually when I'm awake. Usually when Michael's not around me. Which isn't all that often these days. He knows I'm scared and he does everything he can to make me feel safe.

So as I wait anxiously for Kyle and Tess to arrive, I look to my husband as he leans over the catwalk and looks at the new Section below him and smile. He knows what I'm going to ask before I say it out loud. It's the same thing I ask him everyday and every night.

"Michael," I smile. "Will you always?"

He nods as I fall in love with him again.

See I knew it. Michael will always return to me.

*         *           *

end


Thanks for all the feedback on this :)   becky




beckyrocks.com