Blood
Brothers…..
Maria met Michael in the hallway, both of them slowing
their steps to a pause.
“Hey.” Maria said.
“Hey.” Michael replied, shifting on his feet. The
silence was becoming awkward. “Better go. I'm gonna be late for class.”
“You're avoiding me.” Maria said. He was avoiding her
because of the attempted kiss? Her eyes narrowed shrewdly. No, it was the
discussion…the honesty. Maria stood her ground not letting him get away. It
was no big deal. They came too far from the early days of knowing each other to
let that ruin the slim understanding they were building.
“I'm not avoiding you.” He looked beyond her, to
escape, to freedom.
“Oh, the classic signs, Michael.” Maria said drawing
his attention back. “Not looking me in the eye, lying about motives...”
“You know what? Fine.” Michael stepped to go around
her. “If it's gonna shut you up, I am avoiding you. Watch me continue that
thought, all right?”
Maria’s cell phone rang before she could respond.
Grabbing his arm, she held him in place. “No way. Stay.” Maria answered her
phone. “Mom, I told you to stop calling me...”
“No, it-it's me. It's me.”
“Liz?” Maria said quickly seeing her trapped prey
shifting on his feet, readying to beat a hasty retreat. “Gotta get back to
you, babe.”
“No. Look, there's been an accident with me and Max.”
“You and Max were in an accident?” Maria repeated,
concern deepening her voice. That stopped Michael’s struggle to leave. He took
the phone out of Maria’s hand.
“What the hell's going on?”
~~~
Isabel and Michael strode purposefully through the
hospital’s emergency doors going straight to Max's room. Michael, after
talking to Liz went to find Isabel, as Maria hurried to inform the school.
“Oh, my God. Max.” Isabel rushed to her brother’s
side. “Max. What happened?”
Liz quickly offered an explanation. “We were on the old
highway. There was this horse but Max swerved to avoid it and then we
crashed.”
Isabel ignored Liz. “Max.”
The phlebotomist looked at the people around the bed.
Finishing her task of drawing Max’s blood, she pointedly looked at the
teenagers. “There are too many people here.”
“I'm his sister.”
The woman shook her head. It was an emergency room, not a
convention hall. “No one's supposed to be here.” Michael, needing to talk to
Max, turned on his charm. Shocking as it might seem to the others, the woman
seemed attracted to it.
“I realize you're just trying to do your job,” Michael
offered with a rare smile, “but we're all in shock right now. I'm really
sorry.” Politeness 101, always worked. Got him out of all kinds of trouble.
Sighing, the phlebotomist nodded. “Just keep it low
key.” Michael smiled again, checking out her name badge.
“Thank you...Susan.”
She gave Michael a quick smile, ignoring the others. Walking off with the
vial of Max’s blood, Michael looked over at Max.
“I'll get the blood.” Michael quickly followed the
woman and vial, not letting either out of his sight.
~~~
At school, Alex was holding court speaking to a group of
potential musicians. Maria immediately spotted him and quickly went to cull him
from the pack. Liz had called. They needed a blood donor, preferably human, to
replace Max’s sample. Alex was the obvious choice.
“See, I mean, my point is...is that there's no garage
band scene here at
Alex’s friend shook his head. “I think I'm tone
deaf.”
“You are tone deaf, Lester,” Alex said agreeing with
the boy. “That's why I was thinking the drums for you.”
Maria interceded herself between the boys, gaining Alex’s
attention. “We need your help.”
Alex allowed himself to be pulled away by Maria. She was a
definite hottie, and this worked to his advantage. “Ok, I'm making a point
here. The point here is, musicians get the ladies.”
“Now.” Maria said dragging Alex away as his friends
watched suitably impressed.
~~~
Maria and Alex arrived at the hospital, and entering Max's
room, Maria stopped short.
“Oh, my God.”
Liz looked crossed over to her friends, relieved. “Alex,
I need you to do me a huge favor.”
Alex nodded, his eyes kept going to Max Evans in the
hospital bed. “Of course. Anything.”
Liz squeezed his arm and whispered in his ear, “I need
your blood.”
~~~
They were in an empty waiting room. Liz had all the
materials needed to remove Alex’s blood, but Alex looked a bit scared as Liz
was about to stick a needle into his arm.
“Ok, I have any number of reservations at this particular
moment.”
Liz looked at her friend. “No, it's fine, Alex. I
volunteered here last summer. I saw them do this a thousand times.”
Alex shook his head noticing Isabel Evans. He trusted
Maria, and he trusted Liz, but this was beyond what he expected from Liz. “Oh,
God. What are you people hiding?”
“I'll tell you everything later.” Liz said, preparing
his arm.
“Ok, look. I know best friends are supposed to trust each
other on everything...” Alex looked at the needle with increased anxiety.
“Alex, I can do this.”
“Incoming!” said Maria from her post as lookout.
Isabel, losing her patience, took the needle from Liz.
“Here, Liz. It'll be best if you don't look.” Isabel
put the needle and her hand over Alex’s arm as Alex shut his eyes anticipating
pain.
“Thank you, Alex.” Liz said.
“Come on, let's go!” Maria whispered loudly as voices
were approaching.
“This'll sting a little.” Isabel quickly used her
powers to fill the vial, finishing the task quickly.
~~~
Michael kept a careful watch, when Susan left the room, he
slipped into the door, searching for Max’s vial. Before he could find it, he
was interrupted. Hiding behind some shelves, he noticed an orderly entering the
room searching through the vials. Michael’s face creased in worry, uncertain
of what he should do when Susan returned and expelled the man.
Michael kept an eye on the vial with Max’s name, and when
Susan reached for it, he reacted quickly, going to stand in the doorway.
“Susan?”
She stopped what she was doing to respond to the call.
“Can I help you?”
“I wanted to talk to you in private.” Michael said,
leaning against the door jamb, his one hand behind his back. Maria came up
behind him, and quickly placed the vial in his hand, the name already fixed by
Isabel. She moved off leaving Michael to do his thing. Feeling the vial, Michael
straightened and entered the room.
“I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me,”
Michael situated himself between the woman and the work table, “...on a date
sometime.”
“You seem a bit young.” Michael switched a tube filled
with Alex's blood with the tube with Max's blood while Susan was distracted with
looking in a microscope.
Michael scratched his brow. “Age doesn't matter to me.”
Keeping an eye on the woman, he slipped Max’s vial of blood into his pocket,
continuing to talk to her while she worked. “I mean, besides, you know, I've
always been more mature than most people I know. I've always found it easier to
relate to a woman. They have so much more in common. They understand. Girls my
age, they just don't do it for me, you know? I can't relate to them. But, a
woman like you, on the other hand...” He was rambling.
Susan straightened. “Something isn't right.”
“It's not?” Michael allowed fear to move down his
spine, fearing she saw him switch the tubes.
Susan looked at him, her face slightly pink, obviously
flattered by Michael’s attentions. “I appreciate the thought. I really do.
But I can't do this.”
“I understand.” Michael smiled charmingly, breathing
through his relief. Turning to leave, he suppressed a smirk.
“Hey,” Susan called to him, “call me when you turn
eighteen.”
“I will.” Michael left the room smiling.
His smile didn’t last long. Maria was leaning against the
wall, her eyebrow lifted. He hated it. He was coming recognize a teasing glint
entering her eyes.
“You’re good.”
Michael lifted a brow. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t going to
be too repulsive. “You’re just upset because you missed out on me kissing
you.”
“That must be it.” Maria made a face. “I’m sure my
life is forever altered. Imagine all those rabies shots I missed out on. I was
so looking forward to the full series.”
“That’s a two way street, Earth girl. How do I know you
aren’t toxic to me?”
Maria wiped a dramatic hand across her brow. “Barely
escaped.” Looking at him, she bit back a smile. “Girls your age don’t do
it for you?” she teased. Michael scowled. Okay, so she was going to be
repulsive. “You have more in common with women?”
“Shove it! I got the job done.”
Maria laughed softly making a uh-huh noise in her throat.
“You did.”
“And I got a date out of it when I turn eighteen.”
“Be still my heart.” Maria laughed at his expression.
Taking his arm, she pulled him with her. “Come on. Let’s go check on Max.”
~~~
In hospital lobby, everyone was waiting for an update on
Max. Alex’s eyes kept flitting between Michael and Isabel, the speculation in
them hard to miss.
Liz bit her lip. “Alex...maybe you should go home.”
Unreal! Alex looked at his best friend, and shook his head.
“Liz, what I just did I could get arrested for. And that's all you have to say to me? Any of you?”
“Alex...” Liz pleaded.
“She said go home.” Michael’s voice was hard and
cold.
Alex ignored Michael looking at Liz. “Well...great new
friends you've made, Liz.” He shook his head walking off, Liz looked
helplessly at Maria. Maria shrugged. Hard call. Liz asked for the blood. She
promised to explain everything. Sighing, Liz quickly followed. Michael
would’ve as well, but Maria put out a hand stopping him.
“Hey, hey. She's not gonna tell him. Just give her a
second.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, yes I do.” Maria looked at where her two friends
were talking, obviously heatedly. “Trust Liz. She hasn’t let you down
yet.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “That remains to be seen. She
told you, didn’t she?”
Maria met his eyes solemnly, “Yes she did.”
Their eyes met for a long moment, neither moving away. They
missed Isabel making a disgusted sound in her throat and taking herself off.
Finally Michael gave a slight nod, and broke the stare.
He’d trust Liz in this…for now. Maria knowing about
them hadn’t turned out that bad.
~~~
They all walked with Max through the corridor leading to
the exit.
“I was so scared.”
Max smiled at Liz. “I'm ok.”
Isabel sighed waiting impatiently. “Let's go. Mom's
waiting in the car.”
Maria stopped in her tracks. “Oh, my keys are in my purse
on the table in Max's room.” Michael gave her an exasperated look. Maria
pulled a face at him. “We were in the middle of a crisis, remember?”
“I'll go get it. Get him to the car.” Michael wandered
back to the room Max had been in, seeing a silhouette of someone who looked like
he was searching for something, Michael approached cautiously.
He pulled the curtain to find Agent Moss and the other
agent who had been dressed as the orderly searching through the trash.
“Forgot her purse.” Michael said picking up Maria’s
bag on the table.
~~~
In Max’s bedroom at home, Michael, Isabel and Max were
discussing the men searching Max’s room.
“I'm telling you it was the same guy. The one that
followed me into the Crashdown the other night. He was going through the
garbage. And the other guy, the one I saw looking for blood, he was going
through Max's charts.” Michael couldn’t sit there. He moved around agitated,
feeling the trap slowly closing on them.
“There's nothing for them to find.” Max reasoned,
wishing Michael would calm down.
“This time.” Michael said his jaw flexing. “But this
is the closest call we've ever had.”
“I'm sorry...”
Isabel frowned at Michael, glaring at him. Max was just out
of the hospital. “It wasn't your fault, Max.”
Michael flopped his hands, irritated by her censure. “I
didn't say that. But somebody's closing in on us. And unless we do something
about it...”
“The only thing we can do is run.” Isabel worried,
picking at her fingernail polish.
“No, that's not true. We can figure them out before they
figure us out.”
Isabel could believe him. Michael was going to get them
into trouble. “This is already so out of control and you just wanna make it
worse?”
“I wanna know my enemy. That's the only chance we'll ever
have.”
~~~
Outside the UFO Center Maria, Isabel, and Michael waited to
tail Moss. Maria and Michael were in the front seats with Isabel in the rear.
“There he is,” Michael said, pointing out Agent Moss.
“Him?” Maria pushed her glasses down to peer closer at
the man.
Michael looked at Maria, angered at her attitude. “What,
you think I'm wrong?”
“No, he's just so...avoidable.” Maria’s brows furled.
Guess she was expecting….oh, she didn’t know, Mulder? This man was
completely forgettable.
“If we didn't need your car...” Michael muttered.
Isabel looked around quickly. “There's nobody around for
a couple of blocks. I think we're safe.”
“Safe is not the word I would choose.” Maria said,
staring at Michael.
Making a sound of irritation, Isabel leaned forward between
the two seats and enunciated carefully, “Safe to follow him.”
“Oh.”
“But not close.” Michael cautioned watching her start
the car. Dammit, he should’ve driven.
“Relax.” Maria phished at them. “God, you guys act
like I've never tailed someone before.” Shoving her sunglasses into place, she
started forward. The car went in reverse.
Isabel groaned. “Subtle, he'll never notice us going
backwards.”
Shrugging it off, she put the car into gear.
Michael just shook his head.
~~~
“How long is this gonna last? Us waiting here like
this?” Maria whined. Damn, it seemed adventurous to tail someone, do a
stakeout, but she never counted in a whiney alien girl or pissy space cadet.
“Why? You got a date?” Michael smirked, knowing her
views on dating high school boys.
Maria met his eyes lifting a brow. “Maybe.”
Isabel came through the seats, again. “You know, I'm the
one who should be complaining, stuck out here with you two.”
Maria ignored her. She would flirt with Michael all she
wanted. He was safe. “He is never gonna leave that room.”
Michael lifted a brow at her when Moss exited his room.
“Never?” Maria made a face, but refrained from sticking her tongue at him.
The three of them quickly ducked as Moss drove by.
~~~
Maria looked both ways down the front of the motel room
crowding into Michael, who was taking a long time to open the lock.
“I still don't understand why I have to do this.”
Michael glanced at her, and then down the front of the
motel. “I told you I need a lookout.”
“Isn't that what Isabel's doing?”
“Ok, so I need two lookouts.”
The lock clicked open and Michael went in.
Maria’s mouthed opened as her eye squinted in irritation.
“You don't trust me. That's it, isn't it? You don't trust me. You give Isabel
the real job because I...”
Michael swore under his breath and grabbed her by the lapel
of her jacket, dragging her inside. “You're gonna get us caught is what you're
gonna do.” Pushing her to the window, he closed the bedroom door. “Now stay,
watch and shut up.”
“This is the second time you've dragged me to some cheap
motel.”
“Yeah, well, don't spread it around. You'll ruin my
reputation.”
Maria snorted at that. Yeah right. More like she would make
his reputation from strange freaky guy to someone worth knowing.
“What exactly are you looking for?”
She looked around in interest.
“ID maybe? Something to tell us about this guy?”
Michael was pilfering through the man’s hanging clothes. “Anything
that will tell us who he is.” He started checking out the luggage.
“Luggage tags.” Maria suggested.
“No tags.
Maria checked a few drawers as Michael went into the
bathroom. Her mouth opened in shock as Michael smelled the man’s underarm
deodorant. “You think smelling his deodorant is going to tell you who he
is?” Michael just made a face at her. “You know, um, toiletries say a lot
about a man, which, by the way, you
should take note of, but I'm guessing you will have more luck by the phone. You
know, notepads, messages, that sort of thing.” Maria said then continued under
her breath. “Like that would help.”
“Nothing.” Michael’s voice full of disgust. Just keep
looking out the window, would you?”
Maria sat on the bed, ignoring the rude beast. Check.
Czechoslovakians had the manners of wildebeests. Look at the damn hair. Check
out the smell. Proof. Going through the drawer by the phone, she picked up the
trash can.
“What are you doing?”
Maria shrugged. “Listen. Any baby-sitter worth her salt
knows that the best place to find good trash is the garbage can. It's always
revealing.” She dug around.
“Moss. His name's Moss,” said Michael, locating a
receipt.
“First name or last name?”
“I don't know.”
Maria gave him an irritated look at his tone. Shrugging it
off, she went back to her search. “Keep looking, Sherlock.” Michael moved
closer when Maria stopped to read something. “What? What is it?”
“Looks like a phone number. Local.” Michael
said joining her on the bed. A piece of paper. Phone number. “It’s a
“What are you doing?”
“Calling it.” Maria pushed the numbers. “You want to
find out who's on the other end of the line, don't you?”
The phone was picked up at the other end, and Michael
leaned in to listen.
“Topolsky. Hello?”
Maria’s eye widened as she hung up the phone. “That was
Ms. Topolsky. Ms. Topolsky as in school Ms. Topolsky. All right. Either she's
taking her job way too seriously, or she's not exactly a guidance counselor.”
Maria looked at Michael nodding her head. “I knew it! Guidance counselor my
ass. No one’s hair looks that good all the time. Obviously she’s a plant.”
~~~
At the Crashdown, Michael was explaining what he and Maria
found out at Moss' room at the motel while Maria was explaining it to Liz.
“So, I checked the garbage cans, ‘cause that's the best
place to look for information.” Michael told Max and Isabel.
Maria delivered an order with Liz on her tail listening.
“Anyway, so Spaceboy is looking at this guy's after-shave, so I tell him to
look in the trash ‘cause, you know, that's where you find the best trash. And
what do we find?”
Michael popped in a fry, shaking another one at Max. “A
phone number. So I put it together and I figure the best way to find out who's
on the other end of the line is to call.”
Maria looked over at Michael talking to Isabel and Max,
huffing loudly. “Huh. We'd still be there if I hadn't picked up the phone and
dialed.” She shriveled up her nose distastefully. “And of course he takes
this opportunity to lean in as close to me as possible.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “So I could barely hear, because
she was hanging all over me trying to listen, but there's no way I wouldn't
recognize that voice.”
“Clear as a bell, no mistake.” Maria put another order
up on the wheel, turning it dramatically.
“Topolsky,” said Michael.
“That's right. Ms. Topolsky,” said Maria.
“All-American guidance counselor and big, fat liar.”
Michael shot a look over at Maria. “Never trust a
blonde.”
Max looked at Isabel, sharing a look of concern. “Are you
sure?”
“Positive,” said Maria. “I smelled her from day one,
remember?”
Liz chewed on a nail. “Maria, this is bad. Really bad.”
“Who knows how much she's found out about us already?”
Max shook his head. Not good. Not good at all.
“Or who she's heard it from.” Michael reminded Max.
“Or who she'll tell.” Isabel worried, feeling sick.
“Alex was with her.” Liz turned worried eyes on Maria.
“I heard them talking about Max.”
“He's not a snitch.” Maria reassured Liz, sticking up
for one of her best friends. “Besides, he doesn't know anything to tell. Does
he?”
“Liz told him we were into drugs.” Max confessed.
“Just to get him to stop asking questions.”
Isabel made a face at that, her voice sarcastic. “Great.
That'll be a lot easier to explain to mom and dad.”
“He's not gonna say anything.” Max hoped that was true.
It sounded good, but…
“He's not gonna say anything.” Liz reassured.
“Right.” Maria agreed taking her cedar oil out for a
large whiff. Sure he wasn’t.
“Stick a fork in us, Maxwell,” said Michael, sitting
back dejectedly. “We're done.”
“So you and Maria did okay together.” Max commented
noticing how Michael’s eyes kept darting to the blonde.
“She was okay once she stopped bouncing off the walls.”
Michael eyed the remainder of Max’s dessert.
Maria walked by with a pan of dishes, joined by Liz behind
the counter. “So anyway luckily I was there or he’d still be there sniffing
things.” Maria rolled her eyes.
“Sounds like a partnership.” Liz said casually.
“Sure. One forged in hell.”
~~~
“What are you doing here?”
Maria jumped at the sound of Michael’s voice. Looking at
him, she glared, though it was doubtful he could see that in the dark.
“What are you doing here?”
“I asked first.” Michael came to stand next to her.
“Moss?”
“Yeah, he’s bugging out. Took that fake, Topolsky, with
him.” Maria watched the room for a few more moments.
“When did they leave?”
“Half an hour ago.” Maria said.
“Then what are you still doing here?”
Maria looked at Michael. “Same thing you are. Making sure
they stay gone.” Her eyes met his. Yeah, she had seen him standing in the
shadow of a tree for over two hours watching the same scene she had.
“You shouldn’t be out here this time of night.”
“You are.”
“I’m a guy. You’re a chick.”
Maria snorted. “And you’re a dinosaur! Chick? You
called me a chick!” Maria shook her head. “Unreal.”
“Whatever.” Michael had watched her over an hour.
“You still shouldn’t be here. I was on it.” Michael suspected she wasn’t
listening to him. “This is about me, Isabel and Max. It has nothing to do with
you.”
Maria moved away from the tree she was leaning against.
Staring at him, she shook her head. He was so damn clueless it wasn’t funny.
Clueless, conceited, arrogant, and a racist against humans to boot.
“Sure it is. Max made it my business that day in the
Crashdown when he saved Liz, and changed our lives. Today, whether you like it
or not, you added Alex to the mix.”
Michael didn’t say anything. What was there to say? It
was confirmed. The FBI had been in
Maria nodded. That was all he was going to say, and Maria
seemed to know that instinctually. Maria looked at the now empty motel room.
“They’re not through here. They’ll be back, and today, Alex and Liz
stepped into it with the FBI for you.” Maria peered over at him. “You used
me, my car, and still you think we aren’t in any way involved. Unreal.
Completely unreal.”
“I just saying…”
“I know what you’re saying, and it’s stupid, so stop
saying it.”
“It’s dangerous. I’m saying that knowing us is
dangerous.” Michael stressed the point. Yeah, great unconditional soulmate
love. He almost sneered aloud. Nothing like exposing that person to a lifetime
of danger. If love existed, Max should walk away, disappear and never look back.
Maria rolled her eyes. “Duh! But how do we take it back?
It’s not just you exposed now, but us too. They’re looking at us all.”
Maria looked at him. “I can’t lose Alex or Liz and more than you can lose
Isabel and Max. So I’m staying.”
Michael looked at her stubborn profile. She had been there
before him, but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t leaving either. “It could be
a long wait, watching for their return.”
Maria shrugged. “I know. I’ll wait anyway.”
“Got any food?”
“Water and snacks are in my bag.” Maria handed Michael
the binoculars. “You keep watch. I have to pee. Be right back.”
Michael watched her disappear to a public restroom part of
the motel. Yeah, she had that bladder thing. Rubbing his face, he sat watching
her walk away and back, forgetting the empty motel room. They weren’t coming
back tonight, but she was right. They would be back.
