Chapter one

Isabel lifted her head at the sound of a motorcycle engine outside. The new day was just beginning to dawn and she was awake; had been all night as she’d snuggled with her friend and lover. She was bone tired, but she knew sleep would elude her until she was back in her own bed, alone. That was just the way she was.

The noise from the motorcycle grew louder as its rider pulled into the apartment complex and rode to a spot nearby. Then it shut off. Silence again permeated the small room. To her fanciful imagination, the hushed stillness that remained was filled with an air of expectancy. If her lover had been awake, it would have been because they all knew what the sound meant.

Michael was home from whatever bed he’d slept in. Things were just about to change.

Part of her was saddened by the realization that the night had finally ended. It was time to get dressed and go home. Michael would be wanting to come in.

She leaned up on one elbow and looked down at the beauty sleeping so trustingly beside her and her breath caught.

Maria was flushed with sleep, her entire body was radiating heat as she cuddled up next to her, and the pink on her cheeks gave her an angelic appearance. Isabel’s heart twisted with love and she felt profoundly relieved that Maria’s pain over the confusing situation with Michael had also come to an end.

This time, the initiation had apparently worked.

Isabel could feel that Maria had become a part of herself at some point during the night. Brushing the hair away from Maria’s reposed face, Isabel bent over and pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. In her sleep, Maria smiled peacefully. Isabel couldn’t help but smile in return, sharing her friend’s contentment.

Regretfully, Isabel disentangled herself from the bedclothes and stood. The dawn streaming through the window painted her nude form in beautiful shades of pinks and oranges as she stretched languidly. She rounded the bed and shook the shoulder of the girl sleeping on Maria’s other side.

Mumbling a little about the hour, Tess rolled over and sat up. Unmindful that the sheet was pooling around her waist, leaving her torso bare, she stretched her arms above her head and yawned deeply. "Isabel, what is it?" she asked, wondering at the enigmatic expression on her friend’s face.

"Michael’s here."

Those two words said it all. Tess’s eyes flew from Isabel to Maria. Michael was home, they had to leave and give Maria, beautiful, passionate, loving Maria, over to him. Tess frowned. Troubled, she said the first thing that came into her head. "He doesn’t deserve her."

"I know. I was just thinking the same thing, but she wants him. And he wants her." Isabel’s voice held just a touch of sadness. "Come on. Let’s get dressed. We’ll let him wake her up."

Tess nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, she’ll like that."

The second alien climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb the human they’d exhausted during the long night. She and Isabel quietly pulled on their clothes. Soon they were ready, and Tess leaned over to kiss Maria goodbye. "Thank you," she whispered so quietly that neither of them could hear her. ‘I love you,’ she added in her head, gazing at her one last time in worshipful silence.

She was straightening as Isabel returned carrying a red silk scarf, which she loosely knotted around Maria’s wrist as a reminder of what the three of them had shared the night before. The trust and bond the three of them had formed were symbolized in the small strip of fabric.

"Come on. Let’s go," Isabel said as she finished, despite how much they both would rather stay.

The night had ended, but the day had dawned bright and full of promise. Maria was finally a part of the family. It was cause to celebrate.

Outside the apartment, they found Michael leaning against his bike, his arms folded across his chest, his legs crossed at the ankles. He looked dangerous, sexy. He’d obviously been watching old James Dean movies.

Straightening at the girls’ approach, he looked at them in silence; the question he most wanted to ask was stuck in his throat. ‘Had it worked? Could he go inside and BE with Maria?’

Some part of him already knew the answer. He could feel it. Had felt it; the change in their circle, all the way across town, at the Valenti’s, where he’d spent the night.

Desire had poured through him as the first blush of dawn had streaked the horizon. It was strong enough to wake him up out of a sound sleep. He’d lain there on Jim’s comfortable sofa, fighting it for a few minutes, telling himself there was no reason to hurry. He had plenty of time to claim Maria as his own. He figured they’d spend the day together doing whatever she wanted, then they’d spend the night doing whatever he wanted. It sounded like a fair trade, he’d thought as heat latently moved through him, pooling and eddying around inside of his body until he was edgy with a sexual hunger he couldn’t ignore.

A VERY cranky Kyle Valenti, standing in the entryway, after having gotten little to no sleep during the night, had shot that plan to hell. "Dammit, Michael. What are you doing over there?"

"Kyle?" Michael looked up, confused at his sudden appearance in the living room. "It’s dawn, man. Why are you up?"

"Funny," Kyle said derisively. "I was just asking myself the same thing." He gestured with one hand at his crotch, where Michael could plainly see he was definitely ‘up’ in more ways than one. Kyle suggested, "Why don’t you get your ass up and go make love to your woman before I go do it for you."

Michael’s eyes widened in realization, "You felt that? I mean, I woke you up?"

"Damn straight. Not that I’ve gotten any sleep to speak of. What with you laying out here the whole time. I feel like I've been awake all damn night."

"Sorry, man."

Kyle managed a good-natured grin. "Don’t worry about it. It was a special circumstance and besides, there’s plenty of time for sleep when we’re dead, right?"

Michael nodded humorously, "Can’t argue with that."

"Good, now I’m giving you a choice: go home and kiss Maria good morning, or come over here and kiss me good morning. Either way you’re off the sofa, got it?"

The alien quirked an eyebrow at him. Deciding to tease him a little, Michael stood and sauntered over to him. "Good morning," he said leaning in for a chaste kiss. He crowded Kyle against the wall and nipped playfully at the other boy’s lips.

Chuckling, Kyle pushed him away, saying, "Get going, Guerin. We both know you’d rather be climbing into your bed, not mine. If you could just send my girlfriend this way when you see her, that’d be great."

"Deal," Michael agreed.

Turning back toward his bedroom, Kyle waved toward the bathroom saying, "I’d recommend a shower before you go."

Less than ten minutes later, Michael had been on his bike, heading toward his apartment with nervous butterflies twisting in his stomach.

Now, he stood in front of Isabel and Tess waiting for confirmation that everything had worked as it should. Was Maria to be his?

Tess took pity on him and said solemnly, "Yeah, she’s one of us now."

"How is she?"

Isabel shrugged and answered, "Still sleeping. We haven’t had a chance to talk this morning."

Michael couldn’t help but ask, "How did everything go? I mean, was she ok with it?"

"Why don’t you go in and ask her?" Isabel suggested wryly.

"Yeah. Ok. We’ll see you guys later," he said as he eagerly started to walk away. They heard him mumble, "Much later."

"Michael," Tess stopped him. "Tell Maria we'll see her for dinner."

Nodding, Isabel added, "Both of you. My house. 6 o’clock. Don’t be late.

"Got it."

"And Michael," Isabel warned, "Be good to her."

"Or you'll be answering to us," Tess added.

He stopped and looked at the two girls. They were both completely serious. Michael didn’t take offense, though normally he would. It was like Kyle said: ‘special circumstances.’ Their attitude was understandable because he and Max had felt possessive and protective of Kyle and Alex after their initiations, too. They didn’t have to worry, though. Michael had every intention of treating Maria like the goddess she was.

Nodding briefly in acknowledgement of the warning, he turned and continued on into the apartment.

Tess and Isabel watched him until he disappeared inside, then with a yawn, Tess asked, "So, do you wanna get some breakfast or something?"

"Nah, I think I just want to go home and get some sleep."

"Were you awake all night?" she asked. At Isabel's nod, she said, "Well, no wonder you're tired. Come on, let's get you home."

As they walked to Tess's small silver car, Isabel said, "I wonder how things went with Max and Liz last night."

"Oh, that's right. They were going to go have a talk."

"If I know my brother, he probably had more than talking on his mind."

Looking at her nervously, Tess asked, "Do you think he told her, you know, about us?"

Isabel shook her head, "I doubt it." They climbed into the car and fastened their seatbelts. "Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Chapter two

Michael entered his apartment quietly, closing and locking the door before turning toward his bed and the figure that reposed there. Maria looked so serene laying against his pillows that he was loathe to disturb her. Isabel had warned him the events of the previous evening had worn her out and he wanted to let her sleep as long as she needed to.

His body was tight with anticipation, but his heart held him back as it had outside of Max’s window last night. Today was special for Maria, and he wanted to make sure there would be nothing to tarnish or diminish her memory of the first awakening after her initiation. So, he buried the predatory instincts that were driving him to join her in the bed, his bed, and instead, he sat down on one of his kitchen barstools and watched her.

He noted each breath she took. He envied the air around her, wishing he could be that close to her skin. He noticed how the sheet moved as her ribs expanded to accommodate the air she inhaled. The way it fell around her was intoxicating. She was laying on her side facing him, the sheet firmly tucked beneath her armpit. He could make out the shadow of her cleavage, enhanced as it was by her position in the bed. He could see the curve of her hip, outlined by the thin material covering it. One small foot, with brightly painted toenails, peeked at him from the bottom of the sheet. As he watched it, she flexed her muscles, pointing the toes, before relaxing again into slumber.

The one hand he could see was laying quiescent against his pillow. There was something about it that struck him with her vulnerability. He wondered if Tess and Isabel had noticed it, too. If her defenselessness had caught their attention before they’d left her there for him to find. Considering the warning they’d delivered to him before taking off, he figured it had.

Then he remembered what happened previously with the guys and realized whether they had seen it or not was a moot point. The warning would probably have come regardless.

He and Max had gone into super-protective overdrive of the guys until the female hybrid had been present to claim her chosen one. As near as he could figure, it had something to do with finishing the ritual: the aliens had both been reluctant to leave Kyle and Alex in the early morning hours after their initiations.

Michael shuddered in remembrance.

The savage instinct to guard the newly claimed humans had almost cost Sheriff Valenti his life…

Jim had arrived home at around four in the morning after pulling the graveyard shift the night before. He’d instantly become alarmed when he noticed the sofa in the living room, where Kyle’d been sleeping since Tess had come to live with them was empty. Fortunately, he’d found the note that Tess had left for him, stating that she’d been invited to a sleepover at Isabel’s in the kitchen and was immediately relieved. He figured Kyle’d taken the opportunity to sleep in a bed, so he went to Kyle’s old room in search of his missing son.

Max had awoken at the sound of the car in the driveway as Kyle’s window faced that direction. Uncaring of his complete state of undress, he was on his feet instantly, peering outside. Seeing that it was only the good Sheriff arriving home from work had done nothing to relieve the burning tension he was feeling. His feelings communicated themselves to Michael who’d sat up, alert and ready for action.

"What is it?" he’d whispered.

"Someone’s here," Max replied softly, adding after a beat, "It’s the Sheriff."

Michael could still feel the rush of emotions that had engulfed him until he couldn’t think, couldn’t see, could only react to any incoming stimuli. He’d gotten to his feet and positioned himself so that he stood between their human who continued to sleep, unaware of what was happening around him, and the bedroom door. His powers, juicing up inside him, were stronger, more volatile than he’d ever felt them. He was prepared to kill to protect Kyle from anything and anyone.

Max, only slightly less explosive, realized that the danger the sheriff presented could be more lasting and less immediate if he and Michael were discovered naked in his son’s bed. Jim had been very understanding about the four aliens in his midst, even allowing one to live under his roof, but Max had known he would never understand the necessity of what had happened there that night. They had to hide.

He kicked their clothes under the bed and shoved Michael toward the sliding closet doors just as they heard Jim’s boot heels clearly approaching in the stillness of the otherwise quiet house. It was obvious he was attempting to move stealthily down the hallway, probably in an effort not to disturb Kyle’s sleep.

Max and Michael had both stiffened as Jim quietly entered the room. Their powers were churning uncontrollably inside their bodies, gaining strength and momentum, like a hurricane building force above a rioting ocean as the older man had approached the bed. Their eyes seemed to glow brightly in the moonlight that penetrated the slats of the door as they waited.

Jim was relieved to find Kyle asleep in his bed exactly as he’d hoped he would. Being a police officer, he appreciated the peace that came with knowing your family was safe and sound in their bed. He reached down to brush a stray hair away from Kyle’s forehead.

Less than three feet away, both Max and Michael, acting on an instinct so powerful they had no will to combat it, raised their hands, preparing to blast the intruder into oblivion. No one was permitted to touch their human until his mate had come to him and finished the initiation. No one.

Jim’s fingertips were reaching.

Michael and Max’s palms were tingling as the rush of energy continued to fill them until a muted glow emanated from them. Their skin was sizzling in reaction.

Closer, he’d reached.

Brighter, they’d glowed.

…Until the high-pitched beeping of the sheriff’s pager sliced through the stillness of the night. Swearing softly, Jim silenced it and read the display. Muttering something about Hanson and cleaning coffeepots, the sheriff turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Max and Michael remained unmoving until after the sound of his cruiser had faded away. Their powers were slowly reabsorbed into their bodies.

Coming out of their stupors simultaneously, Max opened the closet door and looked around as Michael said, "Holy shit, Max. Did you feel that?"

Max didn’t bother to answer, saying instead, "Maybe we’d better call Tess."

"Ya think?" Michael asked sarcastically, his hands planted on his bare hips.

Sitting in his apartment now, Michael still had trouble recalling that morning without shaking. He would have killed Valenti without blinking; the instinct to protect Kyle had been that strong.

Wiser, they’d taken no chances with Alex. As soon as the first rays of dawn pierced the morning sky, they’d woken their exhausted charge and delivered him directly to Isabel’s bed. He and Max had chuckled for hours over his comical amazement to the sudden change in scenery.

Michael wondered briefly how long it had taken Isabel to convince her chosen one that he wasn’t dreaming. And how much fun she’d had doing it.

His attention was drawn back to the bed as Maria’s fingers twitched slightly. The girls must have heard him coming and had decided to leave Maria to him, he thought. Still, he marveled they’d been able to go at all. He would never have left her.

She made a small sound and nuzzled deeper into his pillow. He hoped she would wake up soon. The wanting that had awoken him hadn’t diminished one bit, and he was growing impatient to hold her in his arms. The only thing holding him back was his concern for her. Isabel had said she was tired, so he didn’t want to disturb her much needed slumber.

* * * * * * *

With a sigh, Maria rolled over onto her back and stretched her arms languidly over her head. Her brain was heavy with sleep as she struggled to wake up, and sensations were only making vague impressions on her consciousness.

She had a crick in her neck, and her limbs felt unusually heavy this morning. Rolling again, she leaned up slightly so she could punch her pillow into a less flattened condition. Satisfied, she flopped back down with a groan and pulled the sheet up to her neck. Through it all, her eyes had remained shut against the bright sunlight that beckoned her to awaken fully.

Her state of undress was the first thing to really register. Since when did she sleep completely naked, she wondered idly? Her skin felt ultra-sensitive where the rough sheet touched her. Her thoughts drifted in a haze as she considered the benefits of fabric softeners.

An itch on her nose was the next thing to penetrate. She reached up to rub it and as she did so, she fuzzily became aware of something tied around her wrist. Moving slowly, she reached over with her free hand to investigate. It seemed to be a band of some silky fabric. Its presence there was so strange that it prompted her to open her eyes.

All she could make out was red as her eyes tried to focus on her wrist. She frowned slightly as she pulled her arm further away from her face to aide in allowing her eyes to adjust. Why was there a red thing tied around her wrist? It looked familiar, she thought. The last time she’d seen anything like it was…

"Oh my god."

She surged upward, suddenly wide-awake, staring at the scarlet scarf like it was another life form. The night suddenly came rushing back to her. Isabel had…

And Tess had…

And then she had…

"Oh, my god!"

Maria buried her face in her hands. She was completely at a loss to pinpoint what she was thinking or what she was feeling at that moment. A thousand emotions and sensations were all clamoring for precedence in her brain. As she struggled with it for several seconds, she realized that over everything else, she felt a deep sense of euphoria and well being.

Michael hurried over from the fridge where he’d been getting a cup of water for her, thinking she’d probably be thirsty when she finally awakened. He set it carefully on the table before sitting down to face her on the bed. He tentatively reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. "Hey Maria," he said softly, "Are you ok?"

"Michael!" she exclaimed, remembering suddenly where she was. Looking around wildly, she could see no sign of Tess or Isabel. Her eyes flew back to Michael’s concerned gaze. ‘Did he know?’ she asked herself before remembering. ‘Well, duh. Of course he knows, I’m the one who called him and told him to find some other place to sleep.’ He knew everything that had happened last night. She blushed.

Well, he didn’t know EVERYTHING, but he knew enough.

"Oh my God," she moaned again, blushing even more. The redness was now covering her from her hairline to her pert breasts… which, she suddenly noticed, were just hanging out there in the cool morning air.

With a gasp, she jerked the sheet back up to her chin.

"Maria. Talk to me babe," Michael implored, worried by her upset reaction to seeing him. Torn between wanting to comfort her and being afraid to touch her, he dared to stroke her soft hair. She didn’t outwardly flinch away from him, which he decided to take as a good sign. Damn Isabel. ‘Why don’t you go ask her,’ he silently mimicked. He was still in the dark over whether Maria had fully accepted the situation, or if she was about to go into full freak-out mode. Her next question didn’t help any.

"Where are they?" she asked, looking around this time more in an avoidance maneuver than because she thought Isabel and Tess were hiding in the apartment.

"They went home a couple of hours ago," he told her honestly, aware that she had probably wanted to talk with them.

It would have been impossible to miss the look of saddened disappointment that crossed her face in light of her apparent abandonment. He raised her face to his with a finger under her chin. "Hey, they gave me strict instructions to bring you to Isabel’s for dinner tonight, so you’ll be able to see them in a few hours."

That one sentence made Maria feel a thousand times better. Before she could fully puzzle out the implications of that, her mind seemed to focus suddenly, and she became dizzily aware of the touch of Michael’s skin against her own. She looked into his warm brown eyes, noticing how the morning sun brought out the rust colored flecks until they seemed to glow with a reddish hue. They looked like liquid amber and she was willingly drowning in them. He had a look of adoration on his face that she’d long ago given up the hope of ever seeing there. It was just as beautiful as she’d imagined it. He was just as beautiful. She was so lost in him that she nearly forgot to breathe. Her first breath was full of his unique scent mixed with an unfamiliar soap odor. She frowned, put off by the smell of Zest masking Michael’s natural scent. Swaying toward him, she put her nose against his neck and inhaled again, looking for and finding the tangy aroma that was uniquely her alien.

That smell was all it took.

A yearning so deep, so profound that it brought tears to her eyes flooded her senses, erasing everything but the thought of him, the need of him. There was a fire suddenly burning in her belly, and she knew instinctively that only Michael could put it out. She needed to feel all of him all over. She needed to be encased by him, surrounded by him and his heat and his scent. Maria reached for him and pulled him down onto the bed beside her.

Michael, sensing the change in her, moved willingly but cautiously toward her until he was lying stretched out fully on the bed. His arms went around her as she crowded closer until they were touching everywhere.

Linking her fingers behind his neck, Maria pulled his head towards hers for an urgent kiss. As soon as their lips touched, fireworks exploded in her brain. A hungry need was claiming her. She had to have him right now. The urge to become one with him was primal; instinctive and she had no will to stop it. She moaned hungrily and pressed closer to his body.

As stimulating as the contact was, it just wasn't enough. She needed to feel him against her skin but was thwarted by the fabric that was twisted around her. She grabbed at the sheet that was covering her, clawing at it violently and frantically twisting her body to get it out of her way, unmindful of the way her own fingernails were digging into her soft skin in the process. She didn’t care about any of that; the only thing that was registering in her brain was that she had to get it off NOW.

"Woah, Maria," Michael said, reaching a hand out to steady her. "Maria, stop." He was shocked at the wildness he could see in her eyes. He forced her hands away from her body, holding them above her head with one large hand. The other hand he used to pull the offending sheet away from her. It was summarily flung to the floor at the foot of the bed.

As soon as it was gone, she relaxed against him again and he cupped her face between his two large hands staring down at her, searching for a reason behind her actions. He saw nothing there except an untamed desire and need for him. Hoping to calm her down, he leaned in, seeking out her lips once more. Their rose petal softness parted for him and he sent his tongue tentatively into her mouth. He lightly stroked the flesh she’d unwittingly scratched trying to soothe the reddened skin.

Having forgotten the entire incident, Maria was once again questing for a closer contact with him. His clothes were chafing her overheated skin. She pulled her lips away from his, and he immediately sent them to her neck. "Michael," she implored. "I need…." She ran her hand up his shirt looking for and finding the bare skin of his neck at his collar and touched it lovingly with her fingertips.

He groaned, and tilted his head forward to give for better access. "I know baby, I know. I'm right here."

She slipped her fingers into the collar of his shirt continuing to seek out more of his hot skin. She was starting to get frustrated. Why was he teasing her like this? Didn’t he know what she wanted?

With a sound that was suspiciously like a growl, Maria began pulling on his shirt, trying to force it off his body. Michael wasn’t laying in much of a position to help her other than rolling this way or that, so it took a moment, but eventually the shirt was gone and she had all of the skin on his chest to bask in.

"Mmm, Michael," it was a sigh as she cuddled against him.

He stroked her hair enjoying the feel of her warm body touching his. He ran his hand down her bare back, marveling at how silky her skin felt to him. He wondered inanely if she had a bottle of that skin-softening bubble bath that girls used. Maybe he would buy her another one, just in case. He wouldn’t want her to run out if this was the result.

Maria’s contentment didn’t last long. The fire burning deep in her belly wasn’t relenting and she needed to be closer to him, as close as she could possibly be. So close that she became him.

She reached a hand between them and fumbled with his buckle.

Michael, who had been moving in a cautious ‘let’s-wait-and-see’ mode, sprung fully erect behind his fly from her innocent motions against his crotch.

Feeling him harden against her hands, she abandoned the useless buckle to stroke him instead. Michael groaned softly and rocked his hips forward in an effort to increase the contact. She cupped him through the soft fabric of his slacks, stroking him from base to tip as best as she could.

Michael rolled onto his back, and eagerly opened his belt and fly. Lifting his hips, he pushed the rest of his clothes past his hips and off his legs. No sooner had he lain back than Maria was climbing on top of him. Straddling his hips, she rubbed against him provocatively. His hands reached up to cup her breasts. He loved the way she moaned and arched into him, deepening the contact.

Her hands had gone between her legs to stroke his burning length. She rubbed her thumb over the drop of wetness that appeared at the tip, smoothing it over the entire head of his cock. Her own wetness had gotten on the shaft, too and she spread it around, too, driving him insane in the process, but she wasn’t done yet. There wasn’t quite enough moisture already on him to coat his length entirely, so holding him steady with one hand, she brought her fingers to her soaked passage with the other. Gathering up more of her own feminine liquid, she soon had plenty to completely cover him. Which she did. Thoroughly, until he was moaning and shifting beneath her.

Michael watched all of her actions with astonished delight. Though he and Maria had never had sex before, they’d done some fooling around with each other in the past, but she’d never been this open about herself and her needs before. Watching her touch herself like that made him hungry for more. He suddenly remembered the flash he’d gotten from Liz last Friday night, and realized that she’d been touching herself quite a bit lately, and he thought it was sexy as hell. He decided then and there that one day soon he would have to watch her take herself all the way.

Speaking of ‘all the way’, Maria was beyond ready to get there. She leaned into him and kissed him hungrily, once again squirming impatiently over his erection, teasing him with her slick folds. Moving her hips, she rubbed and teased his sensitive cock where it throbbed against her.

Her urgency was starting to stoke his own lust until he could think of nothing except being buried inside her. He had to know what it would feel like to have her slick skin holding him tightly. But, first, he needed to make sure she was safe. Fortunately, he’d thought to remove his wallet from his pants earlier while she was still sleeping. It was on the table, easily within reach.

While he was retrieving a condom, Maria was making soft little needy noises in his ear. She nipped at his skin, and tongued the lobe into her mouth. She bit down lightly before moving on to his mouth. She kissed him voraciously, darting her tongue in and out in a suggestive motion that mimicked the rhythm of her hips against him.

Michael dropped the condom on the bed and reached for her head to hold her there. Her kisses were making him crazy and he didn’t want it to end any time soon. His own tongue joined in the dance and he was so caught up in it that he didn’t immediately notice that her hands had once again wandered south.

Her first touch brought him back from the brink and sent him right back over again, higher this time than before. Suddenly, he realized that she was holding him tightly in place so that she could guide him into her softness. Gasping in pleasure and anguished frustration, he grabbed her hips and pulled her forward, again away from his straining flesh. "Wait, Maria," he said, his voice low and gravelly from desire. The sound of it shot shivers up her spine. "Not yet."

"Michael, I need you," she said, trying to look at him through the desire that was clouding her vision. All she could see was his burning cock, its red tip glistening with wetness and teasing her with its size. She had to have it inside of her. She knew that it was the key to the fire threatening to burn her from the inside out.

"I know, baby," he said as he reached with a shaking hand for the previously abandoned protection. As quick as he could, he opened the package and rolled it onto his hard length. "Come here," he said softly. She was helpless to resist, and she leaned into him one last time. Michael rolled them over; glad to know there was nothing keeping him from completing the connection with his beautiful little pixie this time. She was finally going to be his. Resting his weight on his elbows, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips before seeking out her waiting entrance down below.

At his first touch, Maria widened her knees. This was what she’d been wanting. With her feet planted on the bed, she raised her hips to help, meeting him half way. She gasped at the incredible sensations she felt as he slowly entered her. Millimeter by millimeter Michael pushed himself into her. Occasionally, he backed up and started over. Finally he was in as far as he could get without breaching her maidenhead. There was a frown between her eyes as she fought the uncomfortable sensation.

"Are you ok?" he asked worriedly. He didn’t ask if she wanted him to stop. It was way too late for that for either of them, had been before he’d entered his apartment this morning.

"I think so," she said even as she tried to press her hips closer. The discomfort she was feeling increased and she whimpered but didn’t relent. She needed to end this. Their coupling was destined be more than a coming together; it was a completion of the ritual Isabel and Tess had started last night. She was powerless against the instincts that were driving her. If they told her to get up and run around the streets of Roswell naked, she’d be heading for the door right now. Fortunately, all they wanted was for her to complete this union with her amazing alien. "Michael," she whispered, clutching at him in desperation.

Michael was starting to feel the same things she was as a connection slowly formed between them. Her need was quietly echoing in him along with the anxiety she was experiencing. "It’s ok, babe," he reassured her. "Just hang on. I got you, I promise. Look at me," he commanded softly.

Raising her lashes, she looked into his eyes. She lost her sense of self as she floated in their gentle depths. The fear in her was supplanted with a calmness that she somehow knew came from him.

Locked in each other’s gazes he pulled back nearly to her entrance and plunged forward swiftly, tearing through her thin membrane, irrevocably finalizing her passage into the family.

Maria cried out at the sharp pain, and he held himself still until he knew it was ok to continue through their connection. She smiled up at him, moving her hips experimentally. The pain was soon gone, leaving only a delicious fullness.

That smile told him all he needed to know, and slowly, cautiously, he began to move inside her. In no time, she was moving in counterpoint to him, and they were soon flying toward that elusive pinnacle they were both seeking. Sweat broke out on their bodies as they picked up speed. Their breaths were gasping in and out, their hearts pounding in tandem in their chests while they strained against one another.

Maria felt it coming first. Her climax was getting closer with every motion. Her muscles were tightening around him, pulling him tighter into her body.

"Shit," he softly swore, amazed that the incredible sensations actually got better. His own climax was just a few strokes away, and his thrusts became shallower, and more forceful as he rocked against her, fully intending to send her over the edge with him.

"Oh my god," she panted, "Michael!" She was ready to explode. Just another couple of seconds… Then it happened.

They came simultaneously; their frantic motions against one another driving them both to completion.

"Michael!" Maria gasped as the world fell out from underneath her. Her passion and his passion both broke over her consciousness. She was flooded with so many sensations that she went into sensory overload and her brain actually had to shut down in order to process it all. Then it began to realign itself to the new world that awaited her.

Coming down from his cloud of sexual bliss, Michael opened his eyes. Maria was laying lax and unmoving beneath him, her eyes slightly open and unfocussed. He called her name softly, nuzzling her neck, but she didn’t respond to either his voice or his touch. Looking at her again, his heart stopped and he panicked when he finally realized that Maria was out cold. Shit! "Maria!" He pulled away from her and sat up.

Lightly tapping her cheeks, Michael called her name loudly several times. He was seconds away from leaping to the phone and calling Max when she finally began to come to. Her eyes closed tightly, then fluttered open, eventually coming back into focus on him.

Maria had never known it was possible to feel the way she was feeling at that moment. She felt complete, finished. Like she’d been taken apart and put back together in a way that made all her parts fit together where there used to be gaping holes before. As she looked silently at him, there were tears sparkling on her lashes caused partly from ecstasy, partly from the beauty of finally being with Michael as she’d always wanted. The smile teasing about her lips was radiant. Michael couldn’t resist kissing her tears away, whispering, "I love you, I love you," over and over until her heavy arms came up to embrace him.

"I love you, too," Maria said against his neck.

Time stood still as they grinned at each other wordlessly communicating what they didn’t have the energy to say out loud.

Finally, he said, "I’ll be right back." Pulling away from her, he stepped into the bathroom to toss out the condom and wet down a washrag. He cleaned himself, rinsed it out and returned to the side of the bed. Maria had already fallen back to sleep, laying exactly as he’d left her. He smiled tenderly as he used the towel to gently wipe away any evidence of her lost virginity.

He marveled at the connection they’d shared briefly while they were making love. It had been incredible. Too bad it was a one-time deal; he could have grown addicted to it. Both Isabel and Tess said something similar had happened with their chosen ones the first time, but it went away and never returned.

Returning from the bathroom a second time, he pulled Maria into his arms, and covered both of them with the discarded sheet. He had a need to take care of her, to guard her from everything, even the early afternoon breeze coming in from the window.

Chapter three

Liz ran her tongue from the base of Max's spine up to the nape of his neck. She moved her mouth across each shoulder, alternately nipping or kissing his hot skin. Her hands kneaded the sexy muscles of his back as she worked. Her eyes were closed in concentration as she labored to please him, not that it mattered; the room was nearly pitch black. The pale light coming through Max's open window barely illuminated Max's powerful back. The rest of the room was cloaked in hushed darkness.

Liz loved the feel of his bare skin against hers, and took ample opportunity to rub against him with her sensitive breasts. Moving up his body, her lips unerringly found the soft skin just beneath his exposed ear and she delicately tongued the whole area, stopping once to draw his cute little earlobe into her mouth.

While giving her attentions there, she moved again so that she was now straddling his body. Her womanhood brushed against the top of his pelvis, sending a cacophony of sensations through her nerve endings straight into her brain. Widening her legs, she settled her wet heat upon him more fully, and experimentally rocked forward and back once, dragging her breasts and clit against him in a full body caress. He felt incredible against her, but she reluctantly stopped the torment, turning her attentions to pleasing him.

Getting up, she settled on his left side, and began a sensual massage on his left leg using a bottle of scented body oil that was conveniently at hand. She must have used it on his back already. Slowly, firmly, she rubbed and massaged the thin liquid up the leg closest to her, kneading, rubbing, stimulating as best she could. She started on his foot, meticulously getting between each toe, working the tired muscles she found there, then on up his calves. She enjoyed the abrasive feeling of his coarse hair beneath her soft fingers as she smoothed more oil on him.

Soon, she was working the firm muscles of his thigh. His legs were so powerful that Liz had a fleeting thought about him joining in some of the athletic events at school. She was certain he was more fit than any of the other boys on the Varsity teams, even Kyle. He was always so afraid to get close to the humans he lived with day in and day out that he'd practically wasted his whole life. Liz realized how fortunate she was that she'd been let into the exclusive 'I-know-an-alien' club. If it hadn't been for getting shot, Max would never have come out of his shell enough to approach her and she would never have gotten to know him for the caring, loving, sexy, passionate man that he was.

Who would have thought a person would be glad that they’d nearly died?

Having finished with that leg, she climbed over him to the other where she started all over again. Toes, calves and thighs all got her loving attentions. The oil she'd applied caused his skin to glisten faintly in the muted moonlight. It was somehow natural that though the light illuminated his shining back and the bottom part of his legs, it left the tops of his thighs and buttocks in shadows where she couldn't see them at all.

She poured more of the sexy oil into her already slick palms and began applying it to Max's warm ass. Up the slopes and back down again, over the sides of his hips to the cool sheet and back. Feeling daring, she teased the dark cleft between the tight mounds of muscle with her fingertips, running their lubricated tips further and further downward, amazing herself with her boldness.

She smiled sexily in the darkness, feeling all kinds of turned on.

"Max," she said softly. "Turn over and I'll do your front." He didn't immediately move, so she leaned up to whisper in his ear, "If you roll over, I'll do all of your front." Sitting back with a grin, she waited. And waited. "Max?"

A soft snore reached her disbelieving ears.

* * * * * *

"You’re still sleeping? Liz, honey, don’t you think you should be getting up?" Mrs. Parker stood in her daughter’s doorway frowning at her only child.

"Mom?" Liz asked sleepily as she rolled over. What a dream she'd been having…

"It’s after noon, honey. How late were you out last night?"

"Late." Liz confirmed as she stretched her arms above her head. She’d stayed with Max until after one in the morning, before reluctantly dressing and driving herself home.

"Hmm." Was the non-commental reply. Nancy knew better than to ask questions to which she might not like the answer. She was just happy to know her daughter did have enough sense to come home at all. Speaking of which, "Amy called earlier. She was looking for Maria. I told her you’d call her back when you woke up."

Liz sat up, immediately concerned for her friend. "Maria?" Last time she’d seen the blond girl, Tess had promised to see that she got home ok. If anything had happened to her…

Liz was instantly on her feet and pulling a robe over her pj’s before heading to the phone. Her mom said that they'd see her downstairs later before closing the door, allowing Liz some privacy. She tried Maria’s cell first and was surprised it was turned off. Breaking the connection, she tried Michael’s apartment next. Granted he was the last person she wished to talk to while her body was still all tingly from Max’s caresses the night before, she thought maybe he might have some idea where her erstwhile friend had disappeared to.

"Yeah?" was the short answer after one ring. His voice was low and huskier than usual. It made her think of things better left unsaid.

Despite the fact that he was on the other side of town, Liz flushed at the intimate images the sexy timbre of his voice created in her mind. ‘Get it together Liz. You love Max. Not Michael. He does not sound like he’s still in bed, so just forget it.

"Hello?" Now he sounded irritated, Liz noticed with relief. An irritated Michael was a Michael she could deal with.

"Um, yeah, um, Michael, it’s Liz. I’m sorry to be calling you."

"Don’t worry about it. What’s up?"

"Nothing. I mean I’m sure it’s nothing, it’s just… Have you seen Maria today?"

"Yeah," Michael admitted. "She’s here. She, and Isabel and Tess had a sleepover thing here last night. I just got in a little while ago myself."

Liz was surprised. No one had said anything about a sleepover before she’d left the club with Max. It took a second to think up a response to that piece of information. After a short silence, she said, "Well, her mom’s looking for her. Could you…"

"Yeah, I’ll tell her to call."

"Thanks," Liz stated and hung up. Stretching her arms again, she headed for a shower. Best to let Maria call her mom first, she decided. She’ll call Amy as soon as the cobwebs cleared. She still needed to shake off that odd dream. A cold shower was definitely in order.

* * * * * * *

"Hi, Ms Deluca. It’s Liz."

"Oh, hi, Liz. How was the sleepover last night?"

Years of covering for Maria had her answering seamlessly, "Oh it was great. Lots of fun." Fortunately, Liz was a much better liar over the phone than in person. There was no way Amy could see the red creeping up her cheeks. Wanting to change the subject, Liz said, "So, Dad wants me to ask you if you have any more of those glow-in-the-dark coffee stirrers. We’re down to our last box."

"Yeah, of course I’ll bring some over later this week."

"That’ll be great."

"Ok, so I’ll see ya later, then."

"Bye, Ms Deluca," Liz said before hanging up the phone. After going downstairs and eating some lunch, Liz returned to her room and grabbed her journal. So much craziness had happened recently that she hadn’t really had a chance to put her thoughts into words yet.

First and foremost, she and Max were back together. They’d kept each other awake most of the night kissing and cuddling on his bed after he’d found her at Hanger 54 where she and Maria were having a girl’s night out.

Her brow furrowed as she wondered how her and Maria's night had turned into a sleepover that had excluded her. Of course she'd been otherwise occupied, but still… it was just strange. At least that's what she told herself. She wasn't jealous or envious or anything… just because she and Isabel and Tess had started getting closer lately, didn't mean they wouldn't want to hang out with Maria sometimes, too.

What was wrong with her, she wondered. First she'd had that sexy/disturbing dream about Max, and now these ambiguous feelings about her female friends. And don't get her started on the Michael situation… Lately, it seemed the whole world had gone crazy, no not the whole world, only her. She was officially losing it.

Opening her journal, she began to write and the hours passed swiftly as she tried to put on paper what had been happening with her in the past week.

Finally, she just gave up the struggle, and putting her pen down, she sat on her sunlit balcony and dreamily remembered the previous evening.

Max had been such a gentleman, as usual. He'd told her that they were just starting over and it was too soon to rush into anything. He wanted to take it slow. He was so romantic. Liz sighed in a mix of happiness and frustration. She'd been ready to take the next step, and when she said 'ready', she meant 'READY', as in all set for some 'mattress dancing' all the way down to her sexy black lingerie, painted nails and shaved legs.

But she’d been no match for Max's legendary control. He'd said they'd wait, so they’d waited, despite her best efforts to convince/seduce him otherwise. The only thing that had happened last night was some incredible foreplay. Max had even kept his jeans on the whole time, and she'd stayed in her underwear, to her regret. The only thing that had come off aside from her outer clothes was her garter belt.

Speaking of which, she suddenly remembered, it was still in her purse – which was out in the living room where anyone could see it.

Liz hastily climbed back through her window, dropping her journal on the floor and kicking it under her bed for temporary safekeeping. She tiptoed to the hall table where she'd dropped her dad's keys this morning. She was relieved to see her purse was laying there right where she’d left it. Snatching it up, she scurried quickly back to her room. Once there, she searched through the small bag, but didn't see the tiny scrap of lace that had held up her silky stockings last night. Fighting back a panic, she dumped the entire contents of the small bag on her bed and searched through it again, but alas, her garter belt was not there.

Which could mean only one thing: she must have left it at Max's. An embarrassed flush swept up her cheeks at the thought of someone finding it. A glance at the clock told her it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon. If someone was going to find it, they would have it by now, she knew. She just prayed Max had seen it first and had hidden it away in his room.

Chapter four

"So, how’d it go last night with Liz?" Isabel asked Max over a glass of lemonade.

He grinned and replied, "Great. I guess we’re officially back together now."

"Well, that’s a relief."

"Yeah."

She smiled at him, sharing his happiness for a moment before asking the question that had prompted her to start this conversation in the first place. "So, did you tell her about the initiation?"

Max looked away and said, "No. I… I just couldn’t. I mean, we’re just now starting over, you know. I didn’t want to rush things." He sounded so convincing, he almost believed himself.

Isabel wasn’t fooled, however, "You mean you didn’t want her to run screaming from the room."

Bullseye.

Max blushed and said, "Something like that."

"Max…" she warned, "Liz is not stupid. She’s going to figure out there’s something going on, and think of how hurt she’s gonna feel about being left out. Remember how upset Alex was when he was kept in the dark about us? Liz is going to be more than upset if you don’t tell her, and I mean soon."

"I know," Max agreed. "It’s just…"

"You’re afraid. I know, Max. We all were, too, but we did it, and we’re all a lot happier now because of it. It’s only been a week, but I feel closer to Alex than I ever have, I can’t imagine ever being without him again. I know Tess feels the same way. And now with Maria…"

Max’s head snapped up. "What about Maria?"

Isabel smiled softly and admitted, "She’s one of us now, too."

"Since when?" Max asked in disbelief.

"Since last night. After you took Liz from the club, Tess and I initiated her at Michael’s."

Max had thought something had felt a little different this morning, but, lost in his general euphoria over how well things had gone with Liz the night before, he hadn’t really paid that much attention. "How… I mean, is she ok?" he asked anxiously.

"We haven’t talked to her today, but she was completely fine with it last night. Remember, this was her second time so it’s not like it was a big surprise or anything. Everyone’s coming over for dinner tonight, so I guess we’ll find out soon enough how she’s dealing. Since mom and dad won’t be home until late tonight, I figured it would be ok."

Typically cautious, Max was silent as he turned the situation over in his head, weighing how Maria’s change in status would affect the whole group. It was a good thing, he decided, in more ways than one. Hopefully, having Maria to concentrate on would take Michael’s mind off of his ‘Liz obsession’.

Max was still in jealous/possessive mode over Michael having kissed Liz last Friday night at Kyle’s. He was profoundly grateful that Kyle and Tess had come to him right away and told him about Michael’s dare followed by his actions. Last night as they’d kissed, Max had gotten a couple of flashes from Liz that told him she had gotten just as caught up in the moment as everyone else, apparently. Rather than saying anything to her about what he’d seen, he’d placed the blame exactly where he figured it belonged: on Michael, who had instigated the whole thing. They were going to have to talk - soon, he decided.

Which reminded him…

"If you guys were at Michael’s apartment, then where did he sleep?" Max asked his sister.

"He didn’t stay here?"

Max just looked at her.

"Oh, right. Liz. Well, I have no idea. Maria called him from the club last night to tell him we were using his apartment, since you brought Liz here, thank you very much," her tone expressed her irritation over her brother’s timing.

Max smiled, unrepentant. His night with Liz had been well spent and he didn’t regret it, even if he’d upset Isabel’s plans in the process.

Isabel continued, "Michael showed up first thing in the morning. I don’t know where he’d been. Why?"

"I thought I felt something last night, you know like he was nearby, but by the time I even noticed it, it was gone. It could have just been my imagination, I guess." He could swear that he’d heard something, too, but then the sprinklers had kicked on right about then, so he chalked it up to an overactive imagination.

"Hmmm. Well, you can ask him. Everyone’s coming for dinner tonight at six, so…"

"Everyone?" Max frowned. He thought Liz had to work.

"Well, everyone except Liz," she clarified. "Which brings me right back to what I was saying in the first place. We need to tell her, Max."

"Why are you so worried about this? I would think you’d want it to be a secret for as long as possible. Look at how you decided to break it to Alex."

"With Liz it’s different…"

"Yeah. It’s not you she’s gonna dump when she finds out," Max stated harshly. Last night, when he’d been with Liz, he’d thought he was ready to tell her about the initiation, but now, all of his old fears were coming back. He didn’t want to risk losing her again; he’d just gotten her back.

She tried to reason with him, "Max, she’s going to understand. She always has about everything else. You’ve got to give her a chance here. What is it she always says to you? ‘Have a little faith’ in her."

"Just stop it, Isabel. Why are you pushing this?"

"Because we need her!" Isabel declared heatedly, then caught herself, amending it to, "You need her, and she’s only going to be hurt if you continue to deceive her."

Max stood and stared at her in sudden comprehension. Her insistence wasn’t about him at all. "You want her," he stated. Just like Michael, Isabel wanted Liz for her own, not just for the initiation.

Isabel glared at him. Of all the stupid… "Of course I want her. I’ve wanted her as long as you have. Just like you want Alex and Kyle."

"No, this is different."

"What are you saying Max?" Isabel asked hotly, only to be cut off by the ringing of the doorbell.

After giving her a look that clearly said this discussion was far from over, Max hurried to answer it and found Alex standing on the doorstep.

"Hey, Max. Looks like I’m the first one here."

"Come on in," Max invited, holding the door open. "Isabel’s in the kitchen.

Alex hurried into the kitchen and swept his girlfriend up in his arms.

"Hey, Alex," Isabel said grinning from ear to ear in his embrace.

"Hey. You look like you’re in a good mood."

"I’m in a great mood," she answered. "How was ‘family fun night’ last night? I heard there were slides."

"Yeah, about a million of them. Who knew there were so many ways to photograph the exact same stretch of beach?" Alex rolled his eyes.

"Gee, I’m sorry I missed that," she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Uh huh," Alex wasn’t fooled. Looking around the spotless kitchen, Alex said, "Uh, I thought we were having dinner here."

"We are. I ordered Chinese takeout."

"Thank god," he said, only half kidding.

Offended, she swatted him on the arm, "Hey!"

"No offense, honey, but you must have learned how to cook from your mom."

Huffing now, she pushed herself out of his arms. "Just for that, see if I ever cook for you again."

"Promises, promises."

"Hey guys," Max said from the doorway. "Isabel, did you want me to go pick up dinner?"

"That’d be great." Isabel looked at her watch. "It should actually be ready any time."

"On my way. Alex, you wanna come? You can help me carry. If Isabel shops for food like she shops for clothes, I’ll need the extra hands."

"Uh, yeah," Alex said at the same time Isabel snarked, "Ha ha. Very funny Max."

Just as they headed for the door, the doorbell rang again. This time it was Kyle and Tess who waited there. "Hey guys," Tess said.

"Hey. Come on in." Max invited, telling them where they could find Isabel.

Seeing Max standing there holding his keys, obviously on his way out, Kyle asked, "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Dinner," Alex informed him. "Isabel ordered take out."

"Oh, praise Buddha," Kyle exclaimed. "I was worried."

"Hey!" Alex objected. "That’s my girlfriend you’re insulting, and what would you know about her cooking?"

"More than I want to, believe me. I had to go with my dad to some community retirement Christmas thing two years ago, and Isabel was there, passing out cookies she’d baked herself." Kyle shuddered in remembrance. "I think they’re still using them as doorstops and coasters." Throwing an arm around Alex’s shoulders, Kyle teased, "I pity you, man. Now Tess, on the other hand, Tess can cook." He dreamily closed his eyes in anticipation of the next sumptuous meal his girlfriend was planning to cook for him, making appreciative noises in his throat as he did so.

"Well, we’re off the hook for tonight," Max said, "Come on, Alex. We should be going."

Alarmed at the prospect of being stuck in the house with only the two girls for company, Kyle, immediately offered to go along and shortly afterward, the three of them took off.

* * * * * * *

"Hey, Tucker, over here," Jeff Parker called out across the busy bus station to the handsome young man who had just climbed off the Greyhound that had brought him to Roswell from Dallas.

"Uncle Jeff!" the younger man hurried over to shake Jeff’s had, his light blue eyes lighting up in his face. "It’s great to see you."

"You, too. I haven’t seen you in years. How’s your mom?" Sally Walton was actually a distant relative of Jeff’s, but they’d grown up together like siblings and kept in touch over the years.

"Busy as always," Tucker answered as they picked up his luggage. Soon they were on their way to the parking lot to where the Parker’s sedan was waiting. "Thanks for helping me out and everything. I appreciate you letting me stay with you. Mom was really insistent that a change of scenery over the break would do me some good."

"Don’t mention it. My sofa isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but you’re welcome to it."

The two men tossed Tucker’s bags in the back seat. Tucker opened his door as Jeff was getting into his seat. There was a sweater on the passenger’s seat, which Jeff grabbed up. Turning around, he tossed it back with the luggage, saying as he did so, "Sorry about that. My daughter, Liz, borrowed the car last night, and she must have left this in here. I forgot that it was sitting there."

There was a small scrap of lace still on the seat, which had been hidden by the sweater. Tucker picked it up as he sat down.

Holding it up, he wondered out loud, "Hmm, what’s this?"

He figured it out at the same time Jeff turned back around, saying, "There now, that’s better. Sorry."

Without thinking, Tucker jammed the lacy little garter belt into his pocket.

"No problem," Tucker assured him, feeling his fingertips tingle where they’d touched the lacy little nothing. He was instantly deeply intrigued by the prospect of a woman who not only wore sexy clothes around town, but apparently wasn’t afraid to take them off when the time was right. Maybe this short sojourn to the sticks wasn’t going to be so bad after all, he thought optimistically. He wondered if Jeff’s daughter lived with them, or if she had her own place. He was undecided which would be better for getting to know such a woman as the interesting Liz Parker.

To say that Tucker Walton had a bit of a love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation back home would have been the epitome of understatement. His mother, lord love her, knew nothing about his peccadilloes, and he preferred to keep it that way, but if he could pass some time making time with the ladies of Roswell, then that was more than fine with him. He would just need to tread lightly around his host. It wouldn’t do for Uncle Jeff to catch wind of his escapades and report them back to her.

This situation would require a little more finesse than usual, but Tucker didn’t mind; it was all about the chase anyway. He was already a master of seduction, knew when to tell a woman that he likes her mind or that he’s interested in her opinion or any of that other feminist bullshit that would help him get a woman where he wanted her. It was all too easy. Frankly, he’d recently come to the realization that the whole game was starting to bore him. And a guy could only screw so many women before it became redundant and routine.

Yeah, he’d been shocked, too.

So, he’d come to Roswell - at his mother’s insistence, hoping for a change of pace, and fingering the garter belt in his pocket, he was hoping he’d found it.

"So, Uncle Jeff, Mom told me you ran a restaurant. Does your whole family work there?" Tucker asked to fill space as the car headed back to town as well as to get information about his soon-to-be latest conquest.

* * * * * * *

Maria timidly reached out and rang the doorbell by the Evan’s front door. Beside her, Michael shuffled his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I don’t see why we have to stand here at the front door. We could just go in the usual way."

"Michael, I am not climbing in Max’s window."

"I meant through the garage," he said, pointing to the garage door which was hanging open, empty of vehicles. The Jeep and Alex’s silver hatchback were both parked in the driveway.

"Oh," Maria said, then added at the sound of approaching footsteps from inside, "Too late now."

She quickly smoothed the wrinkles out of her clothes and patted her hair nervously.

The door finally swung open, and Isabel stood there, drinking in the sight of Maria. "Hey."

"Hey," Maria responded awkwardly, dimly noting her friend was wearing her trademark leather pants and white sweater.

"Hey," Michael said, pushing his way into the house, pulling Maria with him. "Where’s Max?"

"Um," Isabel finally dragged her eyes away long enough to answer. "He went with the guys to get dinner."

Michael nodded, but didn’t answer. He wanted to talk to Max about what happened to Maria this morning, but it looked like he would have to wait a while longer. So, giving Maria’s hand a squeeze, he went onto the living room and turned on the TV, looking for the sports channel, leaving her with the girls.

"Why don’t you come and join us in the kitchen," Isabel invited to fill the awkward moment.

"Sure," Maria agreed, following the taller girl to the back of the house. "What are we doing?" she asked as Tess came into view, standing by the fridge. There didn’t appear to be anything in progress as far as she could tell.

"Waiting for you, actually," Tess said, coming over. She stood awkwardly in front of Maria, trying to read her thoughts by watching the emotions flitting across the human’s face. Finally, she quietly asked, "How are you? I mean, is everything ok, you know, between Michael and you?"

Maria blushed profusely and nodded. Isabel stepped closer behind her and lovingly touched her hair. "Good. That’s good. We just want you to be happy."

Maria looked from one beautiful face to the other, remembering the uncharted heights of pleasure she’d explored at their hands just hours ago and said softly, "I am…"

Her voice clearly held a ‘but’, causing Isabel to prompt, "What is it?"

"I wish…" Maria started, then stopped again. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted, her emotions were suddenly all a jumble inside of her, but she hoped they would understand what she was having trouble putting into words, so she tried again, "Last night, when we…" Again, she faltered, her head filled with visions of heated skin and the scent of feminine arousal on the air. She shuddered in response. Suddenly, she knew what she needed to ask them.

Tess and Isabel exchanged worried looks. Now that she had Michael, was Maria hoping to forget the whole initiation? To start over as friends and nothing more? That possibility had never occurred to them before. They still wanted Maria, maybe now more than ever. What were they going to do if she demanded a strictly platonic relationship from them from now on?

Looking directly at Tess, Maria put their fears to rest by asking softly, "Can I… kiss… you?"

Relief flooded the aliens as they realized what Maria was saying. She still wanted them.

Smiling warmly, Tess took the step necessary to bring her within touching range of Maria’s warm skin. Sliding her hands up the other girl’s arms, she slowly brought her into an embrace until they were bosom to bosom, hip to hip. Blue eyes searched green, looking for any hesitation and found none, only desire. Caressing the back of Maria’s neck, with one hand, she gently placed her lips on hers.

Maria’s arms came up to encircle her body as she responded eagerly to Tess’s mouth, opening hers and allowing Tess’s tongue inside, twining it with her own.

Isabel crowded close behind Maria, and lifting her lover’s hair out of the way, sprinkled kisses up her neck, to her ears where she breathed, "It was so hard to leave you this morning and we’ve been thinking about this all day, seeing you again, holding you, loving you… Maria. Our Maria."

Isabel’s hands were on Maria’s hips and she pressed into her, effectively trapping the other girl between herself and Tess. Sliding her hands up, she cupped Maria’s breasts, lightly pinching the soft pink nipples as she did so.

Tess’s own nipples tightened in reaction as the backs of Isabel’s hands unwittingly caressed her. She rubbed her breasts against the two other girls, heightening the sensations. When Maria slid one hand down Tess's front to touch her aching core through the thin skirt she was wearing, Tess thought her knees might give out, and she moaned loudly in response.

Maria smiled.

* * * * * * *

Michael, sitting on the sofa, was scratching a random itch in his shorts when he decided he was thirsty. He wondered if there was any orange juice in the Evans’ fridge. At the next commercial break, he thought, he’d go see what there was to drink. Besides, Maria had been so nervous earlier, he wanted to see how she was holding up with Isabel and Tess.

* * * * * * *

"Isabel," Maria gasped out, "My legs… I can’t stand anymore."

"Lean back on me," Isabel said. "I’ve got you. Always."

Maria was lost to sensation as she struggled to remain upright. Tess and Isabel were once again working their magic on her with their soft hands and lips and she gave no thought to their somewhat public location.

Her blouse was on the countertop next to them since Isabel decided it was in her way. The taller blonde had braced herself against the fridge in an effort to support herself and Maria. Her hands continued to ply the other girl’s peaked nipples as she pressed loving kisses on her exposed shoulders.

Tess’s panties were on the floor at their feet, and she was undoing the button at the top of Maria’s shorts with shaking fingers. It was hard to concentrate on the task with Maria’s fingers slowly gliding in and out of her core. Every time Maria’s thumb hit her clit, she stopped and shivered violently. Eventually, she worked the plastic button through the hole and slid the zipper down.

Before she could reach inside the gaping fabric, Isabel’s hand was already there, claiming Maria’s softness. Maria jumped against her and moaned, her eyes closing in ecstasy.

"Hey," Tess pouted at her friend. "That was mine."

"It was?" Isabel teased. "Well, finder’s keepers, losers weepers."

Maria smiled at the sound of the two gorgeous, generous aliens fighting over her. She’d heard this same argument a few times last night and it amazed and humored her at the same time. Widening her legs to give Isabel better access, she said, "Now, there’s only one of me so you two are going to have to learn to share."

"Share?" Tess asked huskily. "Like I get to make you come now and Isabel can make you come later?"

Isabel tightened her fingers on Maria’s soft flesh in silent protest. She wasn't about to give up her prize.

Maria flushed and shook her head. She knew Tess could come up with a better solution, though that last one had merit. Hoping to inspire her smaller friend, she pulled her hand back, almost removing her fingers completely from Tess’s beautiful body before plunging them back inside.

"Ohhh," Tess said, needing to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest and the world was starting to lose its focus.

Isabel offered to Tess as a compromise, "How about if I take the outside and you take the inside?"

Tess smiled. "Sounds fair to me. What do you think, Maria?" she asked while sliding her hand to join Isabel’s inside Maria’s clothes.

"Sounds incredible."

* * * * * * *

Kyle turned on his blinker and easily turned into the Evans’ subdivision, his Mustang purring with the acceleration. The back seat was practically filled with food, and it was Alex’s job to make sure none of it fell over. Beside him, Kyle noticed Max suddenly stiffen and sit up.

"What’s wrong?"

"I don’t know, I think that I feel something…" he frowned, trying to analyze what he was sensing. "Can you go a little faster?"

"Sure," Kyle agreed. "Hold on back there, Alex," he warned before hitting the gas pedal.

* * * * * * *

The TV was in its third spot of the commercial break before Michael woke up out of his sports induced trance. Climbing to his feet he stretched his arms above his head, trying to work out the kinks he’d gotten while sitting there waiting for Max. How long did it take to go pick up some food, anyway? What, was the restaurant in China?

Turning from the screen, Michael became aware for the first time of the slight heat prickling against his skin. He turned his head, suddenly narrowing his eyes down the hallway. Goosebumps chased themselves over his arms as he pointed the remote at the TV, and hit the mute button.

A soft feminine cry reached his ears from the direction of the kitchen.

Chapter five

In the Mustang, Kyle’s body jerked like he’d been struck by a live wire. His breath sucked in and his eyes rolled back in his head. In a reflexive motion, he stomped on the brakes, sending the expensive car into a skid. The wheel was slick beneath his suddenly sweaty hands, and he realized he had no control over it just before he was incapacitated with a wave of lust that nearly made him come right there in his shorts.

In the passenger seat, Max was holding on for dear life, trying semi-successfully to maintain control of his own body while his mind was flooded with visions of pert breasts, and small hands stroking against soft flesh.

The car was as out of control as the driver, heading for a mailbox two doors down from Max’s driveway. They were in big trouble.

"Kyle, look out," Max shouted futilely. He grabbed the wheel in an effort to turn it, but knew they’d never make it. Reaching his other hand out his window, Max erected his powerful shield just in time to protect the front bumper of the car and its passengers. The mailbox bounced off it and landed in the next yard over.

When the car finally came to a stop, the three of them sat there in shock. "You guys ok?" Max asked.

Kyle was the first one to react. "What the hell was that?" he demanded. Before he could answer, another wave of lust crashed over the group.

"Jesus," Alex swore from the back seat. "Max, tell me that wasn’t you."

"That was NOT me."

"Then what…?"

Seeing Michael’s motorcycle parked by the jeep, Max guessed, "Michael."

"Michael?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"But we don’t get this way from Michael, only you," Kyle argued.

"Well, since Maria was initiated last night, maybe…"

"Wait, Maria was initiated?!" Alex asked, sitting forward so his face appeared between the two seats.

"You didn’t know?" Kyle turned around to ask.

Alex shook his head and Max informed him, "It happened last night. That’s why we’re all having dinner. I guess it’s kind of a ‘welcome to the family’ thing for her. Isabel set it up."

The dark haired human was just about to complain about always being the last to know these things, when the breath was knocked out of him again and for a second, he lost his train of thought along with his mind. His hands were clenched tightly and his cock was throbbing painfully in his jeans

Max jumped out of the car when he was able to move. "I better go see what’s happening. …Put a stop to it."

Kyle and Alex exchanged glances in the rear view mirror. Ten to one they could guess what was happening.

Of course, they’d be wrong…

As Max jogged over to his driveway, disappearing inside the garage, Kyle carefully put the car in reverse and backed out of the neighbor’s lawn. He slowly pulled into the Evans’ driveway next to the Jeep and killed the engine. Hands shaking he turned around to look at Alex.

"They said it would get better after the initiation. Did you ever feel like this over Maria before?" Kyle asked.

"No," the dark haired human answered. "With Maria it was more of a warm fuzzy feeling and a sense that she was, well, attractive. Nothing like this."

Kyle was nodding. "Yeah, me too. If this is their idea of ‘better’ I think we’d better reconsider allowing Liz to be initiated."

Alex would have agreed, but he didn’t get the chance to because right then the bottom fell out of his world. Max had reached the kitchen.

* * * * * * *

The door in the garage that led to the house opened into the laundry area that was attached to the kitchen, so Max hadn’t gotten the door shut behind him before he was brought up short by the sight of the three girls in the kitchen. Tess and his sister were all over Maria, who was standing in front of the fridge almost completely nude.

The only thing she was wearing was her bra, which was opened at the front and hanging uselessly from her shoulders. And her shoes. It was one of the sexiest things he’d ever seen, and he stood rooted to the spot, unable to tear his eyes away.

Isabel had one arm around her ribcage, apparently supporting the dazed human, and she was using her free hand to rapidly stimulate the small bundle of nerves peeking out of Maria’s darkly golden curls. Tess was standing directly in front of her, tonguing one of the other girl’s tight nipples. The other nipple, he could see, was glistening faintly, so he knew it had received a similar treatment. One of Tess's hands was cupping the underside of Maria’s ass, the other was in the same spot as Isabel’s, only lower. From where he was standing, it looked like Tess was working two fingers in and out of the beautiful human’s hot center. It could have been three.

Maria was squirming between the two aliens, crying softly, "Isabel, Tess… don’t stop… don’t stop."

Max’s erection sprang to life as he envisioned pushing the two others away, and burying his cock in Maria’s tight passage. There would be no need for foreplay; Maria was ready. No need to be gentle or slow; she was no tender virgin. She could take him hard and deep, he was certain of it.

When the thought occurred to him that he actually could act out his fantasies, instead of waiting here in an unresolved tangle of desire, he unconsciously took a step forward. Since Maria had been initiated, she was officially a part of them now. That meant the sexual restrictions which held him back from Liz didn’t apply. If he wanted to, he could have sex with Maria right now on the floor of the kitchen, or on the counter, or the table, or in his bed… for hours and hours. He had to fight hard to keep his feet from moving closer.

Maria was nearing her peak. She had no idea what she was doing, but she’d needed this, and her body had taken over. Isabel and Tess were moving in perfect sync with each other as they played her, her body had become a delicate instrument on which they conducted their sensual symphony and her brain was processing nothing except incoming sensations. Her head lolled bonelessly against Isabel’s shoulder as her breath sobbed in and out of her lungs.

Never having seen Maria as anything other than a friend before, despite Michael's desire for her, Max stood entranced. The lust he’d gotten from Michael before he'd entered the kitchen had been completely drowned out by his own desire for the blond girl. His hands clenched into fists while his senses were inundated with the sight, sounds and smells permeating the small room.

Sensing the end was near, Isabel whispered to her lover, "I’ve got you, Maria. Let it go. I’ve got you."

Those words, reminiscent of her and Michael’s first union this morning were all it took to send Maria over the edge. Her whole body stiffened, and with a glad cry, Maria came apart against Isabel and Tess’s hands as they worked to bring her to completion.

Watching, Max’s entire body began to tremble.

* * * * * * *

Outside, Alex and Kyle had made no effort to get out of the car. The lust they’d gotten from Michael, though alarmingly strong, was nothing compared to what Max had sent them as soon as he’d gotten inside. They were just sitting there gasping for every breath while rocked by wave after wave of desire so strong it was a wonder they didn't spontaneously combust.

Kyle thought briefly about driving away, knowing the aliens’ proximity was making it worse. If he could get some distance between them and the Evans’ house, they’d be fine. The only problem was, that would involve driving, which he was incapable to doing right now.

So, instead the two of them were just sitting in the car, looking like lord-knows-what to the neighbors peeking out of the windows, having been alerted that there was something amiss by the earlier squealing of tires. Which is why they were still there, like sitting ducks when the furious owner of the newly demolished mailbox came storming over.

"Goddammit! I hope you’re planning to pay for that! I just had that one put in last year, and now look at it!" The man gestured toward his mailbox remains.

In a daze of sexual desire, Kyle looked at the man. "I’m sorry sir, we were just…" Suddenly the guy’s irate face came into focus. "Judge Walden! That was your mailbox?!" Kyle knew this guy. The good judge had long time been a pain in Sheriff Valenti’s ass. Every time Kyle’s dad had to face him in a court of law, the judge usually ruled in favor of the defense just to piss Jim off, or so, that’s what his dad told him. Of all the mailboxes on this street he could have taken out, it had to be Judge Walden’s. Naturally. His dad was gonna be pissed.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Sheriff Jimmy’s son. Why am I not surprised?" He looked at the two boys sitting in the expensive car with several bags of Chinese take out in the back seat. "What are you two doing sitting out here?" he asked suspiciously noticing their flushed faces, the sweat on their brows and glassy eyed looks. "What’s going on here?"

"Nothing, sir. We’re just waiting for our friends." Kyle said as respectfully as he could considering his teeth were clenched against the crashing desire inside of him.

"You look like you’re sick or something," Walden stated just as the two boys simultaneously bent over, inhaling sharply for no outwardly apparent reason.

"Cramps," Kyle managed to grit out, using the same excuse he’d come up with in gym class last week.

From the back seat, wanting to help, Alex agreed, "Yeah, must have been something we ate. Maybe it’s food poisoning. Might have been the fish, right Kyle?"

Wrong kind of cramps, but under the circumstances, stomach cramps made more sense than a muscle cramp, so Kyle went with it. "Yeah fish, right."

Judge Walden was not a stupid man. He didn’t believe a word these two were saying. Watching their hands shake, and their eyes roll around in their heads, he came to a revelation. "Kyle Valenti, you’re on drugs, aren’t you, son?"

If Kyle could focus, he’d be laughing hysterically. A guy with his kind of future would have to be several kinds of stupid to get mixed up in drugs. Instead of laughing, the best he could do was stammer out, "N-no-no, sir."

The violent tsunamis of lust were getting worse, not better. Kyle doubled over as Alex reached his breaking point. The lanky teen flung himself out of the car, falling on his hands and knees on the hard pavement announcing, "I’m gonna be sick," as he did so. Fortunately he had the wits to jump to the side opposite of the middle aged gentleman who seemed to have nothing better to do than stare at two guys apparently so completely destroyed by ‘food poisoning’ that they could barely move.

It was probably the first time anyone had ever used the word ‘sick’ interchangeably with the word ‘orgasmic,’ Kyle thought erratically as he fought for breath. One more surge like that, and it would be all over, he knew.

Taking Alex at his word, and not wanting to be in anyway involved with vomiting whether from drugs or otherwise, the judge edged away from the car. "You two should get yourselves to a doctor," he recommended.

"We’ll be fine sir," Kyle disagreed his voice hardly more than a ragged hiss. "Just as soon as our friend comes out…" and we kill him, he added to himself.

"Alright then. You tell your dad I’ll be sending him the bill for my mailbox."

Unable to respond vocally since the only sounds he was capable of making at this time were guttural moans, Kyle only nodded and waved him off.

Muttering about illness in general, sick kids in particular and the price of mailboxes, the older man hurried away.

Finally! Kyle gripped the steering wheel with both hands and rode out the final wave of lust as it claimed him, sending him over passion’s edge and he came… in his car… without ever having unzipped his fly. He wouldn’t have thought it was possible.

From the side of the car, he dimly heard Alex gasping and wondered if that was orgasm number two for Mr. Whitman.

Alex was soaked inside his shorts. He’d heard of some men having multiple orgasms, but he’d never been one of them. Alex couldn’t believe what had just happened. This would be the last time they'd ever do that, he vowed to himself, realizing belatedly the stupidity of sending Max in to see what Michael was up to. That had to be the all-time worst decision ever made.

With one last shuddering breath, feeling the warm semen soaking into his shorts, Kyle exhaustedly exclaimed, "Dammit!" and laid his forehead on the steering wheel, causing the horn to sound.

* * * * * * *

Inside the house, Max had been slowly backing away from the kitchen. The clean-up committee was in the process of putting a very relaxed Maria Deluca back together. The three of them were giggling and whispering softly to each other as they redressed the sated human in her underwear, shorts and blouse. Max spotted another pair of underwear on the floor and his eyes flew to Tess and her skirt in comprehension.

He watched in amusement as Maria grabbed them away after Tess scooped them up. She whispered something in the shorter girl’s ear; the only word Max caught was ‘later’. Then she stuffed Tess’s panties in her own pocket.

Tess put her arms around Maria and they kissed passionately until Isabel said, "Alright, break it up," smacking Maria’s ass lightly.

The two girls broke apart, grinning at one another before Maria turned to Isabel to tease, "You just want one, too."

Isabel agreed, "You’re right," before pulling Maria into her arms for a long languid kiss. It looked like it could have gone on for a while, except for the sudden noise of a loud horn blaring outside in the driveway caused them to spring apart.

"The guys must be back," Isabel said, stating the obvious.

Max backed up one more step and reached behind him to pull open the door and close it again, noisily. Then he walked forward, looking for all the world like he’d just gotten there. "Hey guys, we’re back. I hope you’re hungry ‘cause it looks like Isabel ordered one of everything."

"Famished," Tess agreed, straightening her hair.

"You didn’t help carry any of it in?" Isabel asked.

Chapter six

Tucker looked around in interest as Jeff navigated through the streets of the small tourist town. Everything was ‘aliens’ and he rolled his eyes at the ridiculous signs and slogans posted on the quaint buildings. The CrashDown was no exception, he saw, as they pulled up in the alleyway next to Jeff's restaurant.

Jeff had been talking non-stop about the café and living in Roswell which had made the trip from the bus station go a little faster. He was still going even as they gathered up Tucker's few bags. "Nope, we're a quiet little town. Probably the most exciting thing that's happened around here in the last five years was a couple of yahoos shooting off a gun in my restaurant."

Suitcase in on hand, Tucker was just about to close the car door when he remembered the tiny scrap of lace he’d shoved into his pocket earlier. Shooting a quick glance at Jeff to see if he was looking, he checked to make sure it was still there. It was. He hoped the owner was somewhere inside. He was looking forward to meeting her.

Meanwhile, Tucker said conversationally to Jeff, "Really?"

Jeff nodded and continued the story.

Smiling devilishly from behind Jeff, Tucker climbed the steps that led to the Parker’s living quarters above the restaurant.

* * * * * *

"Maxwell, we need to talk," Michael said, pulling Max aside.

Everyone was just getting ready to sit down to dinner, but Michael had already waited long enough. He unceremoniously pulled Max into the living room. "What’s going on, Michael?"

"Well, last night, Maria was initiated."

"Yeah, Isabel told me. She said it worked this time." It was more of a question than a statement.

"You bet it worked," Michael nodded emphatically.

Max smiled. "Well, that’s great Michael. She seems to be ok with it," Max added ironically, thinking back to the kitchen scene he’d accidentally walked into.

Remembering the same thing, Michael grinned. "Yeah. She’s not freaking or anything like that."

Max knew Michael must have been watching too, because of the amount of desire his friend had projected prior to him entering the house, but they couldn’t see one another because of the way the kitchen was laid out. Max was feeling kind of embarrassed because he’d been spying in a completely inappropriate way, but he didn’t regret it. And not just because it had been beautiful, but because it made him feel better about telling Liz the truth. Since Maria was taking it so well, then perhaps he was wrong to worry about Liz’s reaction.

Grinning, Max asked, "So, uh, what’s the problem?"

Blushing Michael said, "Well, I was kinda hoping you could check Maria out."

‘Been there, done that,’ Max thought with a secret grin. He’d checked her out pretty thoroughly in the kitchen less than ten minutes ago.

Unaware of Max’s wandering attention, Michael continued, "You know, to make sure everything is fine… that she wasn’t hurt in any way."

That simple statement put a stop to Max’s internal banter. "Why would she be hurt? Did something happen?"

"No," Michael stated, moving his hand to punctuate the statement.

Max wasn’t fooled. Michael wouldn’t be worried if nothing had happened. "Michael…" he said warningly.

"Well, there was this one thing," he hedged, scratching his eyebrow nervously. "At the end, there, Maria… well, she sort of fainted."

All traces of humor fled his body as Max asked, "What do you mean she fainted? You mean, fainted as in…?"

"As in lost consciousness," Michael clarified. "What do you think I mean?"

"Jesus, Michael!"

He hurried on to say, "Look, it didn’t last very long, only a couple of seconds. That’s why I just want you to check her out. You know, to make sure she’s all right."

Isabel entered the room right then to call them into dinner. The words died on her lips as she saw the confrontational way they were faced off. Max looked shaken and pissed. Michael just looked guilty. Concerned, she asked, "What’s going on here, guys?"

"Nothing," Michael said defensively.

"Nothing?" Max echoed incredulously. "He just told me that he fucked Maria until she passed out, and he says it’s nothing."

"What?!" Isabel asked, shocked. "Michael! What does he mean by that?" she demanded.

Michael was already trying to explain, "It wasn’t like that. It just happened. I swear, I wasn’t doing anything to hurt her."

Their loud voices had alerted the others and Tess came to stand in the doorway with everyone right behind her. "Uh, guys," Tess interrupted in an attempt to break them up, "Food’s getting cold."

Maria pushed her way through the crowd so she could see. Taking in everyone’s body language, it was immediately apparent that Michael had done something to piss off Max and Isabel. It looked like the ‘Alien Smackdown’ was about to take place right there in the Evans’ living room.

The trio turned and saw her standing there. "Maria, could you come here for a second?" Isabel asked.

"Sure," she replied, moving forward. "What’s going on in here?"

Max reached out and took her small hand in his. "Nothing," he lied. "Are you ok? I mean, how are you feeling?"

Maria couldn’t resist sending one hot look at Michael and another at Tess and Isabel before replying, "I’m terrific. Never felt better."

"Are you sure, because Michael told us about what happened this morning, and we’re worried about you."

"This morning?" she questioned with a frown. What could they be worried about from this morning? Her first time with Michael had been beautiful, passionate, urgent… Urgent? she thought, remembering. "Oh, you mean about the scratches." She waved her hand, unaware of causing the dark looks Max and Isabel were shooting at Michael. "They were nothing, and faded away in no time. Really. I’m fine," she said.

"May I, you know…?" Max asked, lightly trailing a finger down her temple, pleading silently for her cooperation with his golden eyes. "You’re a part of us now," he explained. "And I just need to know that you’re ok. You know, inside."

Maria misunderstood, thinking Max meant inside her body where Michael had torn through the thin membrane of her maidenhead. He was so overprotective, she chuckled to herself. Rolling her eyes, she said, "I guess, if it will make you feel better, but I can tell you that I’m fine."

Max silently stood in front of her. Without further delay, he pushed his fingers through the hair at her temples, one on either side of her face, whispering soft instructions about relaxing and breathing as he did so. Focusing his energy, he was in.

*He saw her confusion and rioting emotions as she awoke to a whole new world. He felt her need and the mindless, animalistic lust that had poured through her with Michael’s touch, controlling her actions. How the need to mate with Michael had caused her to hurt herself needlessly as first she’d clawed away the sheet then as she’d painfully tried to push him through the membrane of her innocence. And lastly, he saw how she went violently into sensory overload, and how her brain had reactively shut down, causing her to lose consciousness.*

Blinking, Max pulled back and ended the connection, his face devoid of color. He was shaking in reaction to the harsh images he’d seen as he gathered Maria’s delicate body against his own. He filled with guilt, thinking of what she’d had to go through to become a part of them. Max hadn’t realized how intense things could get; even to the point that Maria had lost her free will and the instinct to mate had taken over. On some level, he realized he must have known it would be that way, considering the deep changes that had to happen for her to be accepted, but the brutal savagery he’d seen when he connected with her was much worse than he’d let himself believe. It was too horrible to contemplate.

Maria, standing stiffly in his arms, was at a loss. Max’s reaction to something as simple as a torn membrane she’d neither needed nor wanted seemed a bit extreme. "Uh, Max?"

Her voice brought him back from his remorseful thoughts. He hugged her tighter, saying, "I am so sorry you had to go through that. I swear that if I could undo it, I would."

"Max what are you talking about? Undo what?" Maria asked pushing away from him in confusion. Her eyes darted from one alien in the room to another, trying to figure out what was going on here. Everyone seemed as confused as she was.

Isabel interrupted to ask anxiously, "What did you see, Max?"

"It was…" Max started before he realized he didn’t know how to describe what he’d seen without embarrassing Maria who’d already been through enough for one day. Giving it up, he finally said instead, "It should never have happened. We never should have initiated her."

"What are you talking about?" Tess asked, stepping forward. As far as she could see, Max was talking crazy. Unless something really awful had happened with Michael this morning.

"Michael?" Maria asked, going to grab her boyfriend, fisting his shirt like she was afraid he would be ripped away from her at any second. Suddenly she was terrified that with a word, Max could take back what she’d finally gotten after waiting for so long: her acceptance by Michael. "What is he saying?" she asked her alien, trying to see in his eyes.

Michael had no idea what was going on. All he’d wanted was to make sure Maria was all right after fainting this morning. Now, Max was losing it on him. "Maxwell?" Michael asked. Maria was beginning to tremble against him and he held her tighter.

Tess and Isabel were glaring at Michael over Maria’s head, certain that he’d been the cause of all of this. They’d warned him that if he’d hurt Maria in any way they’d… Well, they didn’t know what they would do, but it would be something he wouldn’t like.

Knowing he was being hyper-reactive, Max couldn’t seem to stop. He felt terrible for Maria, but that wasn’t all. There was something else prompting him to continue. "We shouldn’t have done this to her," Max said again. "It’s wrong. It has to stop."

"Well it’s a little late for that, Max. It’s done. She’s belongs with us now, and we can’t just put her back. And even if we could," Michael continued, holding Maria tightly against him, "I wouldn’t."

Max nodded stiffly, agreeing. "We can’t take back what’s happened to her, but that’s it. There will be no others. I will not subject any other innocent humans to this situation. There will be no more initiations." Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned to stare at a painting on the wall.

A silence followed Max’s declaration, where the only sound was everyone’s soft breathing. Humans and aliens alike were all stunned at Max’s passionate declaration. Tess and Isabel looked wildly from each other to their boyfriends to see if they were all thinking the same thing. The smallest alien was the first to say it out loud.

"But what about Liz?"

"No." His voice was reflecting his determination.

Isabel put her hand on Max’s shoulder arguing softly, "What do you mean, ‘no’? Max, you can’t just…"

"Yes, I can," he cut her off.

"Come on, Max. You can’t be serious," Tess argued.

"Try me," he dared them.

Kyle tried to help by pointing out, "What happens when she finds out about it? What if she *wants* to be initiated?"

"She won’t find out," Max finally turned around to say. "None of you are to say anything to Liz about any of this. Got that?" He glared at everyone in general, the intensity of his golden gaze feral and domineering, lingering on the three humans in particular forcing them to nod in agreement. "Not a word from any of you," he commanded. "Liz and I will find another way, but there will be no initiation."

Chapter seven

A dark pall hung over the group as the sound of the front door closing echoed from the empty hall. Isabel opened her mouth to rip Michael’s head off when she noticed the frightened way Maria clung to him, her face buried against his chest. She realized then that despite what Max had seen, Maria’s actions since entering the house had not been those of someone how’d been subjected to some kind of ordeal, which confused her even more.

Tess, arriving at the same conclusion, stepped over to her friend and put a hand against her shoulder. "Maria," she asked softly. "What was Max talking about?"

"I don’t know," came the muffled reply.

Frowning, Tess persisted, "Did something happen this morning?"

"No," Maria stated, pulling only slightly away from Michael. "I mean, we, you know, but nothing else really happened."

Isabel joined them, tenderly tucking Maria’s hair behind her ear. "Michael said that you fainted. What happened?"

Maria’s brow creased. "I fainted?" she asked Michael who nodded.

"You don’t remember?" Tess queried.

Maria shook her head. "No. Not really. Most of this morning is blurry. I remember waking up. You two were gone. Then we were talking and…" Maria frowned some more. "…That’s all I really remember. I mean I remember being with Michael, just not with too much detail. The first real memory of the morning I have is Michael waking me up to call my mom."

Alex entered the conversation saying, "You mentioned some scratches before."

"Oh, those. I accidentally scratched myself trying to untangle the sheets."

The two female aliens flushed guiltily at having blamed Michael for the small injury before.

"What about the two of you?" Michael asked Kyle and Alex trying to decide if her reaction was his fault or if it was common to all inductees. "Did anything weird happen to you guys after your initiations?"

Kyle said, "I couldn’t tell you. The morning is just gone. I mean I can remember every second of the night from the time you two climbed in the window until you left, but I only remember bits and pieces of Tess coming in. Her scent. The feel of her hair. Her lips - everywhere. That’s all I can remember."

Alex was nodding. "Me, too. I don’t even remember how I got to be in Izzy’s bedroom. Last thing I really remember is noticing how the sky was growing lighter outside my bedroom window." He flushed slightly, recalling with perfect clarity how the coming dawn, signifying the end of the most incredible night he’d ever spent, had upset him. It had taken Max’s gentle kisses to calm him back down.

"Michael, Max can’t uninitiate me, can he?" Maria had to ask. They’d already said as much, but she needed to have it reaffirmed.

"No, baby," Michael told her, stroking a finger down her cheek. "You belong with us now. No one can change that, not even Max." He leaned down a pressed a soft, chaste kiss to her pouty lips.

With the immediate crisis of Maria’s health over, Kyle reached out and grabbed Tess’s hand. "Come on guys, let’s go eat and we’ll figure out what to do with Max and Liz later."

* * * * * * * *

Max drove unhesitatingly to the place he always ran when he needed solace, understanding, wisdom; he went to the CrashDown, he went to Liz.

The restaurant was nearly empty when he entered, so he made a beeline for her and catching her by surprise, he spun her around to bury his lips in hers. He needed to feel her against him, to know that she was ok despite their evening of shared passion.

Max knew he’d gone off the deep end with his reaction to Maria’s initiation. She was obviously unharmed and happier than he’d ever seen her, but still the shocking images and feelings he’d gotten from her refused to leave his mind. The thought that Liz would have to experience the same thing turned his blood into ice water in his veins. She was everything good and pure and should never have to be put through anything like that, regardless of what the end result may be. It was wrong, cruel and he would never do that to her.

Despite her surprise at his unexpected appearance, Liz reacted instantly, throwing her arms around his sturdy shoulders. Pulling him against her, she returned the kiss, matching his passion. Was it only eighteen hours ago that she’d been in his arms? she thought wildly. It seemed like an eternity. Liz had been dreaming about this all day and now that he was here, she wanted to bask in the warmth of his loving embrace.

From the back of the restaurant, Jeff was coming through the swinging doors with Tucker right behind him. He was saying, "…introduce you to my daughter. She’s a terrific… Liz!" he exclaimed, shocked at catching her in a make out session in the middle of the restaurant.

Liz pulled away like she’d been shot. Blushing deep red, she tried to be blasé, like it was no big deal when actually she was mortified to her toes.

"Um hi, Dad. Um, you remember Max?"

Max was equally red. "Hi, Mr. Parker."

"Max," Jeff said it was both a greeting and a reprimand. Turning to his daughter, he said, "Lizzy, there’s someone I’d like you to meet." He pulled his young houseguest forward saying, "Tucker this is my daughter, Lizzy."

For a moment, Tucker, who was jaded beyond his years, was left speechless. Liz Parker, in all of her lovely innocence, was a sight to behold and he was instantly enamored. Oh yeah, there was not a doubt in his head, Tucker had to possess this beautiful creature. She looked so entrancing despite the obvious embarrassment she was feeling at having been caught kissing her boyfriend by her dad. Somehow, her distress endeared her to him even more.

Putting on a sympathetic grin, he stretched out his hand. "Hi. I’m Tucker." Inwardly, he was thinking, ‘Man, she’s just a hot little firecracker,’ after taking in her flushed cheeks and glistening lips. She sparkled with arousal, and he instantly responded in kind.

"Liz," she said in response as her eyes automatically took in his handsome face, blue eyes and trim figure. She figured him to be no older than twenty-five and already he had a certain air about him. Something about him put her senses on full alert. Not in an evil-alien-whose-come-to-end-the-world kind of way, but in a good way.

Max could barely keep from growling as he watched Liz put her soft little hand into Tucker’s. Under his censorious eye, it seemed to him that the other guy touched her longer than was necessary and he didn’t miss how the jerk caressed her sensitive skin as he pulled away. He stepped closer, and looked menacing. He would have shoved the other guy away from her if her dad hadn’t been standing there watching the entire exchange.

A slight smile touched Tucker’s lips at the obvious show of jealousy on Max’s part. Man, he was putting out all kinds of warning signs that, from one predator to another, were easy to read. It just gets better and better, he thought to himself. By herself, Liz would have been an easy conquest if the interest glimmering in her eyes was any indication, but add in the jealous boyfriend, and things could really get interesting. It was a challenge to look forward to, and Tucker just loved a good challenge. Besides, it would be fun to take Mr. High School here down a notch or two. Show him what a real man could do.

He stared down into her eyes, careful to keep only friendly politeness showing. "It’s nice to meet you," he said sweetly.

"Lizzy, Tucker’s going to be staying with us for a couple of days, so can I count on you to show him around?"

"Uh, sure, Dad," Liz agreed, before she processed what he’d said. "Wait, you’re staying with us?"

As Jeff explained that Tucker was practically family, Max came closer and put a possessive arm around her shoulders, dad or no dad. He didn’t like this guy, and wanted to be sure he knew that Liz was with him.

* * * * * * *

"What other way?" Alex asked Isabel over the other conversations that were taking place at the Evans’ kitchen table. Everyone had regained a bit of the festive air that was intended to mark the celebration of Maria’s initiation as they hungrily attacked the awesome Chinese food spread that Isabel had ordered for them.

Alex was the first person to mention what Max had said just before he’d left and the others cut their conversations short in order to jump in the topic that was really on all of their minds.

Isabel shrugged. "There isn’t one. They can’t be together if she isn’t initiated. There’s no other way. Except abstinence, I guess."

"So, we’re talking sex here," Kyle wanted to clarify. "I mean, they can hang out and kiss or whatever, but no sex."

"As far as we know," Isabel told him.

Tess added, "I don’t think he can do it, though. I mean, come on, we’re talking about *Max and Liz* here. They’ve been ready to do it as long as I’ve been in Roswell."

"Longer," Maria stated stabbing at a breaded piece of pork with her fork, dipping it into the sweet and sour dish.

"Much longer," Isabel agreed. "He’ll never last. With Alex and me, we got out of control just one night, and the look on his face when I had to push him away… He said some things about teasing him and leading him on… and he was right, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. Alex said to stay away from him until I could decide what I wanted."

Alex reached over and took her hand in his, placing soft kisses against her palm and wrist murmuring an apology. Isabel looked at him and the love she felt for him welled up inside her. She’d never blamed him for his harsh words seeing them for what they really were: frustrated desire turning into anger. He’d been right; she had needed to make a decision about him, it just wasn’t exactly the one he’d thought it was. Once made, though, she hadn’t regretted it. "I couldn’t stand the thought that I was hurting him, but I knew I couldn’t stop seeing him either. I sent Max and Michael to him less than two hours later."

"And the rest, as they say, is history," Alex grinned and kissed her lightly.

Maria sat looking at him, her fork arrested halfway to her mouth. A glob of sweet and sour sauce dripped from the fried pork she’d been about to eat and plopped back down onto her plate. Her mouth was half hanging open as it had been before she’d looked up across the table and caught sight of her friend… her suddenly extremely good-looking friend. The warmth in his eyes, though it was directed at Isabel, caused a shiver to travel down Maria’s spine.

Suddenly, she was fourteen again and with him for their kissing practices.

Without breaking their kiss, Maria and Alex pulled their friend closer until she was standing within the circle of their embrace…*

Feeling Maria’s eyes on him, Alex pulled his gaze back from where he’d been locked with Isabel’s expressive brown eyes which were promising all kinds hours spent in lascivious activities in her bed, and caught sight of the expression of stunned incredulity and want that crossed Maria’s face.

She’d never looked at him like that before and it made him vaguely uncomfortable. "What?" he asked defensively. She didn’t answer, just appeared to eat him with her eyes. Slowly he waved a hand back and forth in front of her face. "Earth to Maria."

That caught her attention. "Huh?" she asked as she suddenly came back to reality. Blushing, she dropped her eyes to her plate. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I was just thinking about…" ‘About what?’ she asked herself. About how long it had been since the last time she’d kissed Alex? About whether or not he’d improved on his techniques any? ‘Stop it, girl. Get a grip,’ she admonished herself. ‘You’ve got Michael now. There’s no need to roam in that direction. Alex is your *friend.* And besides, he’s with Isabel. He did the initiation thing and everything,’ she reminded herself.

Suddenly, her thoughts screeched to a halt.

And backed up.

Did Isabel just say…? She couldn’t have meant… Maria asked herself even though she already knew the answer.

The full dynamics of the initiation finally hit her. There’d been so much other stuff going on each time it was mentioned that she hadn’t really paid attention to what everyone was saying. Either that, or she’d only considered it from her point of view, not from Alex’s standpoint. Alex had been initiated…. But not by Isabel as she’d first assumed a week ago. If Maria had to be initiated by the other females of the group, then that meant, Alex had been initiated by…

Oh.

My.

God.

‘Surely that’s not right,’ she told herself. ‘It couldn’t be. I mean, Michael and *Alex*?’ she thought wildly, her imagination way too easily conjuring up an image of her boyfriend and best boy-friend locked in a passionate embrace.

Maria’s eyes darted from Michael to Alex and back again. Then over to where Kyle sat, feeding Tess a bite of his spicy noodle dish. She watched as the alien giggled and leaned over to press a quick kiss to Kyle’s lips, licking up a small drop of sauce from his full lower lip as she did so.

Instantly forgetting all about Michael and Alex, Maria licked her own lips, noticing for the first time how blue his eyes were, reflecting the blue of the shirt that he was… filling out very nicely, indeed. Kyle must have some workout routine, she thought absentmindedly as she continued to stare at him. She wondered how many sit-ups he could do. She imagined how the muscles in his back and arms must look when he’s doing his push ups. How many of those could he do, she wondered. Did he ever do them ‘girl style’ with his knees down? And if he did, what would it be like to be underneath him, legs spread wide, with his rock hard cock sliding in and out of her moist body as he did so. How many push-ups would it take to send her to orgasm, she wondered?

"Maria, are you ok?" Tess asked. She was trying rather unsuccessfully to ignore Kyle’s hand creeping up her skirt toward the apex of her thighs, where she was still throbbing from the girls’ earlier playing. Maria’s promise to finish what she’d started was keeping Tess on edge, and now, Kyle wanted to get playful, which was fine with her. If his hand roamed any farther, he was going to be in for a big surprise, she knew, because her underwear was still in Maria’s pocket.

It was that reminder that had caused her to look up and see Maria gazing at them with glittering eyes and a thoughtful expression on her face. It was the same look she got in Geometry, the one class the two girls shared together. Tess liked to call it her ‘counting’ face.

Unable to resist teasing her, Tess asked as she sometimes did in school, "So, what’s the answer?"

"Sixty-five, tops."

Everyone turned to look at her then.

"Sixty-five what," Isabel asked.

Maria’s head snapped around, realizing that she’d done it again. Taken a mental trip to ‘Fantasies ‘R’ Us’ and bought out the whole freakin’ store. What was happening to her today? "Uh, sixty-five, um, I uh, made sixty-five buttons for my mom earlier." Aware that her explanation had nothing to do with anything they were talking about, she quickly covered, "I was just thinking about this afternoon, and suddenly, I was trying to remember how many I did." She shrugged sheepishly. "I don’t know what made me think of it."

When did she get to be such a good liar?

Smiling, Isabel said, "You know, I was in your mom’s shop yesterday, and I saw the cutest…"

Maria tuned her friend out so her mind could go back to what she’d been thinking earlier…

No, not that; about the initiations.

Alex and Kyle had obviously been initiated into the family, and she finally realized that it wasn’t Tess or Isabel who did it, it couldn’t have been. Isabel had told her last night that she’d needed to be accepted by the "female members of the pack" which meant that the guys would have been initiated by the male members. That means the guys had each been with Michael and Max. As in *with* Michael and Max.

It took the blood pooling in her insides to realize that she didn’t find the idea completely abhorrent. In fact, the thought of them together was making her hot all over again; a feat she wouldn’t have thought was possible.

She scooted her chair a little closer to Michael’s and needing to touch him, put her hand on his strong knee.

Meanwhile, the conversation, having turned back to the topic of Liz and Max, continued around her.

"Y