Control……
Max woke to the smell and sound of a fire crackling.
Sitting up with a hand to his head, he saw the film burning. “Mmhhh!” He
could feel a large bump on the back of his head.
Kal came to stand over him. “Why are you here?”
“I'm looking for our ship from the '47 crash.”
“Who are you working with?”
“No one.”
“Don't lie to me. I will kill you.” Kal warned Max.
“Like you killed Ferrini?” Max got to his feet.
“How did you get to
“I-10 west, then straight north.” Max said flippantly.
Kal held up a hand. “Don't get cute with me, you
prick.”
“Do you murder everyone who discovers you're an alien, or
do they get a warning first?” Kal used his powers on Max, who fell to the
floor again in pain. “Unnhh!”
“Why do you think I know where this ship is?”
“You knew it was in
“Who else knows?”
Coughing, Max struggled against the Shapeshifter’s
powers. “Please, the …”
“Answer me!” Breathing hard and coughing as he tried to
get free of the power holding him, Max struggled as Kal stood over him. “So,
this is the mighty king of Antar, a low-rent Tom Cruise with a $10 haircut?
Buddy boy, you have no idea what you're gettin' yourself into.”
“I came all this way to find you.” Max told Kal. “I
need your help. You're our protector.”
Kal shook his head in disgust. “Don't call me that,” he
ordered in anger. “Yeah, I was put on that ship to protect you. But that was
50 years ago.” Max continued coughing as the pressure held him almost choking
him to death.
“Boys!” Kal called to a few large men. “You're
leaving.” Kal told Max, “Or you're dead.” He nodded to the two large men.
“Take Mr. Evans to my airplane.”
~~~
“Max!” Liz screamed into the phone. “Max!”
Michael stood up from where he had been sitting on
Maria’s chair to take the phone from Liz. He listened for a moment. “It’s
disconnected. Max was disconnected.”
“Oh, my God! He was in the vault and he saw the
Shapeshifter, the form he used.” A near hysterical Liz grabbed Michael’s
arm. “He said it was a producer he met at a restaurant.”
“Did he tell you the name?” Liz shook her head, Michael
made a face dropping Liz’s arm. “You have to toss a stick in
“I’m going to
“No! Liz, that is crazy!”
“Crazy is Max out there alone! He’s out there with a
murderous Shapeshifter and …”
“You can’t go!” Maria insisted. Oh, God. Liz in
“I have to.” Liz argued with Maria.
“Michael! Stop her. Reason. Restrain. I don’t care,
just stop her before she does something stupid,” Maria ordered.
Michael shook his head. “You can’t go.”
“You are not the boss of me, and …”
“You go, Liz, and you can kiss your relationship to your
father goodbye.” Michael was deadly serious. “So far you have lied, broken
rules, defied his orders to continue seeing Max... You go to
“I don’t care. He’s out there alone!” Liz was damn
near hysterical. “He could be dead.”
Michael sighed rubbing the back of his neck. Rolling his
eyes, he nodded. “I’ll go.”
“I’m going with you.” Liz told him.
“No. No you’re not.” Michael was pretty emphatic.
“First, I have a few days off since I was excused from school during Maria’s
illness. Two, I am not taking you, so you can forget it. You’re father is my
employer, and he finds me transporting his rebellious daughter over state lines
to her forbidden boyfriend, I’m toast. You are not trouble I want. And third,
forget it. No.”
Liz’s face took on a stubborn look, one that they
recognized from when she was investigating Alex’s death. Maria groaned.
“Michael’s right,” Maria told Liz gently. “We need you here.”
“Maria, I’m going.”
“No. I am. I’m going with Michael because he’s my
partner and I have the same excuse.” Maria informed Liz. “You get to stay
here and contact us when Max contacts you.”
“My cell works here or on the way to
“Once you leave
Michael didn’t like this either way. “Maria, you’re
sick. Barely over it, and you want to go to
Maria got up. “I better go pack us a few days’ worth of
clothes. We’ll stop at my place on the way. You can call the airlines and find
us a flight.”
Maria got up as Michael stopped her. “Maria,” he said,
but then she turned, and her hand went to the naked expanse of his chest. Their
eyes met, and they stared while Liz watched. Liz frowned at them, the way they
seemed to be trapped in a look, talking without words, and she drew in her
breath sharply when Maria’s hand went up Michael’s front, her hand slow and
caressing, too intimate to be a touch of just a friend, or even a close one.
“Go get packed,” Michael said thickly. “I’ll call
for tickets.”
Maria went into the bedroom.
~~~
They landed at LAX, and found a taxi to the hotel that
Maria had booked. Michael lifted a brow. Nice room. “Um, how are we affording
this?”
“Vegas money. I dipped into the savings.”
“I thought we used it all this summer on Daytona and
“Nope. We ate a big chunk of it, but I was saving at
least half to use when we graduate for relocation.” Maria made a face. “That
and reconnecting your electricity.”
“We need to hit Vegas again sometime for restock the
coffers. Michael grabbed the remote to check the TV.”
“Later.” Maria took out her phone and called Liz.
Michael watched her for a moment before digging into his bag. He took out her
medicine. Going for ice while Maria talked to Liz, he came back with sodas from
the machine and ice. He handed her a drink and her antibiotics with two
Tylenols. “Listen, Liz, Spaceboy is medicating me again. Give me a second.”
She put her hand over the receiver. “I don’t need Tylenol. I don’t think I
have fever.”
Michael felt her head. “Take them anyway. You’re
slightly warm.”
Maria gave up and took the pills. Michael took the phone
from her. “Liz, did Max call?”
Michael listened as Liz said no. He quickly wrote down all
the information about where Max had been so they could track him. They were
going to Ferrini’s agent, and Max’s first, then they would find Ferrini’s
girlfriend. They were hoping the agent would remember what producer Max saw at
the restaurant, so Bunny would be unnecessary. Michael wasn’t too excited
about Maria meeting Bunny, so she could give Liz a detailed description. Max had
enough trouble. “Okay, I’ll give you back to Maria. Call us if Max calls, or
better yet, tell him to call us.”
Michael gave Maria the phone back going off to take a
shower. He grabbed fresh clothes. Jet lag was catching up to him. He needed a
nap before he could think straight. A nap and food would be a good start.
“
When Michael came back into the room he was wiping moisture
off his bare shoulders, wearing on a pair of jeans. Searching for a clean shirt,
he watched as Maria connected a laptop to the hotel computer line. “What are
you doing?”
“Searching for this Joey Ferrini in the movie database.
If he has a sheet, it should list his agent.” Maria found the information on
the man. “Is this him?”
Michael came to sit next to her, to look at the screen.
“That’s the man.” Maria found a link for agent and manager information.
Michael grabbed a piece of paper and wrote the information down as Maria sat
back getting up.
“Did you mess up the bathroom?”
“No more than usual. I decided to get in there before all
your girly junk took all the counter space.”
“Moisturizing is essential to good skin health. You going
to look through the computer a bit?”
“Yeah. I want to see what kinds of parts the guy
pulled.”
“Look at his face. It is evidently not Brad Pitt roles.
He was born to be a gangster.”
Michael nodded his eyes on the screen as Maria hit the
bathroom with her huge bathroom bag of essentials. “Does your mom know you
took the laptop?”
“Why are you trying to ruin my first
“Uh-huh. Sure.” Michael smirked. Amy would find out.
She always did. The only secret Maria ever managed to keep from Amy was the
alien one.
~~~
Michael reached for the phone, irritated. “Yeah?” he
growled in the phone squinting at the time. Three in the frickin’ morning!
“This better be good.”
“Michael?”
Michael sat up. “Maxwell? So you live.”
“Apparently. I just called Liz, she told me that you and
Maria came to
“Well to find you or recover your body before the FBI
does, one or the other.” Michael glanced at the sleeping Maria. She was dead
to the world. Still recovering, the travel left her more exhausted than she
expected. They had gone out and messed around, checking out the area, but when
they got back she crashed. “Where are you?”
“Just outside of
“Okay, where’s the Cheville?”
“Parked at the motel I rented.”
Max admitted. “I’ve got the room for another three days, so it should be
okay there.”
“Can you get to our hotel room?”
“I’m out of money.”
Michael reached over to dig through Maria’s bag.
“We’ve got money. Take a taxi to our hotel. I’ll be out front to pay off
the taxi.”
“That’ll be expensive.”
“Okay then walk.”
“I’ll take the taxi.”
~~~
Michael had to wait over an hour for the taxi to arrive
with Max. Leaning in, he passed the money and waited for Max to get out. They
walked back into the hotel, and Michael nodded to the breakfast room that was
just setting up for early breakfast at six.
“Nothing’s open, but we can sit in here for the next
forty minutes until something is open.”
“What are you doing here, Michael?”
Michael scoffed. “What do you think? You find the
Shapeshifter, and then the phone goes dead. Liz was hysterical, ready to come
herself.”
“Did you tell Isabel you were coming?”
“Is she here?”
Michael had a point. If Isabel knew she would’ve insisted
on coming. “Thanks for not telling her.” Max rubbed the back of his neck
tiredly. “You shouldn’t have come, especially with Maria. This guy is
serious. He’ll kill anyone that knows, remove any exposure.”
“I have no intention of exposing Maria to him.” Michael
couldn’t let Max keep him so far out of the loop. “What’s the Shifter’s
name?”
“Kal Langley. He’s pretty big here I guess.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Go back.”
“He’ll kill you.” Michael pointed out.
“I can’t not go back. My son, he’s out there, and he
needs me.”
“Okay, Maria and I will stay, to watch your back from
afar, but he makes any move on you, and we take him out. No hesitation, Max.”
Max nodded. “No hesitation.”
~~~
Isabel and her mother were meeting with the wedding planner
discussing Isabel’s wedding themes. The wedding planner and Isabel were more
into it than Mrs. Evans who listened with increasing ill ease as Isabel created
these huge plans for a wedding that was ill advised.
The wedding planner was impressed by all the ideas that
Isabel had and mentioned that Isabel and her mother must have been
brainstorming.
“Oh, not me. I, um …” Diane Evans could hardly wrap
her mind around the idea of her daughter marrying at eighteen. “...Can hardly
get used to the fact that I’m here.”
“Mom, you said you'd be supportive.” Isabel reminded
her mother.
“I didn't exactly have a choice.”
The wedding planner smiled sympathetically at Diane.
“It's always a surprise when your little girl takes this step.”
“Mmm,” Diane said appreciating the sentiment, but it
hardly eased her trepidation.
The wedding planner got distracted and went to handle other
things while Isabel sighed at her mother.
“Why are you being so negative?”
“Isabel, I am in shock. I mean, I've barely gotten used
to the idea of you graduating high school.”
“Mom,” Isabel didn’t bother to take the exasperation
out of her voice, “we have been discussing this for forty-eight hours
straight. I mean, you were the one who hired the annoying wedding planner.”
“Well, I mean, if you're actually gonna go through with
this, you need to have a realistic plan.” Diane pointed out.
“If?”
Diane didn’t get to comment as the wedding planner
returned her attentions to Isabel and Diane. “Sorry.” She smiled perkily.
“So, where were we?”
Isabel put her mother’s protest aside and went back to
her dream wedding. “Well, I was thinking that I’d like to have the wedding
in a freshly mown field. Maybe next to a pond, and then have the reception in an
old barn.”
“Oh, that's a lovely notion.” The wedding planner was a
professional, she was use to off the wall romantic ideas, but hardly realistic.
“Really, it is, Isabel, but when you go country, you open the door to a host
of logistical nightmares. Plus, the insect population-- very hard to control.”
The woman flipped through her planning book of previous weddings that worked
wonderfully. “You want to know a wonderful venue? The lobby of the Springfield
Inn. I have done so many weddings there.”
“But I don't want someone else's wedding.” Isabel said
shaking her head as Jesse came up behind her chair. He stood over her and
commented to the three women.
“Maybe we could light the barn with torches. Not …”
Jesse offered helpfully hating to see Isabel already getting irritated by the
arrangements. “Not like tiki torches. I mean … maybe torch is the wrong
word. More like candles. Oh, there's nothing more flammable than an old barn.”
“Yes, well, that's why we need the pond.” Isabel
pointed out to her fiancée who was obviously not seeing the beauty and grandeur
of her idea wedding. “Wendy, this is my fiancée Jesse.”
“So, when do we want to have the big day?” The woman
asked the happy couple.
“This spring,” Isabel told her smiling pleasantly.
Diane Evans sat up straighter. “What?” Shock was clear
on her face.
“Yeah.” Isabel told her mother seeing the reaction.
“We figured … why wait?”
“This is not a race.” Diane looked at her daughter and
then at Jesse. “I mean, the two of you just got engaged. Let's …”
“Mom …” Isabel reasoned, ignoring everyone else, but
her mother. “It's what we want. Can’t you just be happy? We're planning my
wedding. I mean, it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be great.” Isabel reassured her
taking Jesse’s hand in hers.
“Oh … so cute, so in love.” The wedding planner
breathed. Diane Evans rolled her eyes wondering if she could get a damn whiskey
neat.
~~~
Michael grumbled as he and Maria walked the streets of a
pretty brisk shopping district. She was definitely feeling better, and it was
mean of him, but he missed her being sick, dependent on him.
“Why do we need to shop? This is insane, and a waste of
money.”
“If we’re going to crash a
Maria stopped in front of a store, her hand grabbing
Michael’s arm tightly as she was mesmerized by the sight. “Michael,” she
said hoarsely and passionately. Her eyes were trapped on the display. “Those
shoes!”
Michael swore. He could give up a left testicle to have her
say his name that way again, but for a totally different reason … for him.
Shoes? She’s going to get all excited over shoes? “Maria,” he said as he
peered at the overpriced tooled leather, too skimpy for that damn price.
“They’re expensive!”
“They are perfect!”
“Maria, you want to waste more of our relocation money on
a pair of shoes?” Michael shook his head, but then his eyes found something so
unexpected he could hardly breathe. “What is that?”
“What?” Maria followed his glance. “The boots?”
Michael stared at the most incredible black bike boots he
ever saw. “We need to go into this store!”
“Finally,” Maria motioned between the two of them,
“we are totally in sync.” Michael didn’t care about that right now.
Someone might buy his boots.
~~~
Michael, Maria and Max crashed a party at Kal's mansion.
Max took the direct approach, but Maria and Michael mixed into the glamorous
crowd, blending in while keeping near enough to watch over Max.
“So, uh, what happened with Tiffany? Did she walk?” an
unknown man asked Kal.
Maria stared over her colored glasses, her lip gloss shiny
and ultra pink, she whispered to Michael, “That’s him! God, he’s so …
normal looking. Is Max sure?”
Michael made a noise in his throat glaring at a man who
came by and put his hand on Maria’s butt. Letting Maria get a new outfit was
obviously a mistake. She wasn’t blending, but rather drawing a lot of
attention compared to Michael’s full black outfit and shades. A man bumped
into him and handed him a card.
“Call me.” The man gave him a smile and kept on
walking. Maria took the card and saw the name checking out the man as he walked
away.
“He’s gay.”
“What?”
“I’m sure. He just gave you his number.” Maria
explained. Michael made a face, turning to find Max in the crowd.
“How do you know?”
“He walked by and didn’t even look at my breasts.”
“Maria, you don’t have breasts.”
“In this number, that hardly matters.” Michael glanced
at the tight short dress with a top that did something to her front. It made her
look … stacked.
“Your point is noted. He’s gay.” Michael looked at
the guy standing next to him talking to a group of women. “Hey, dude. That
guy,” Michael pointed the man out, “wanted you to have this.”
The man looked at the card and the person Michael pointed
out and he lost his color as he exclaimed to his ‘friends’ over the number.
Obviously, the man was ‘somebody’, who, Michael wasn’t sure.
“What, are you kidding?” Kal was telling the people
hovering around him. “She's an actress. I bumped up her per diem. I put her in
a bigger trailer. I got Brian to rewrite the part.”
“That was my finest hour.” Brian told everyone. “Now
the hooker's a part-time yoga instructor.”
“You'll open 30 million easy.” Max said coming up to
the group smiling at Kal. He was dressed in the same ensemble that Michael was.
“Sorry I'm late. I …” Max took a drink from a passing tray. “Was on the
phone with Variety.”
Kal was obviously unhappy at seeing Max back in his world.
“I thought you were on an airplane.”
“Nah. I wanted to keep talkin' about our project.”
“Project?” Kal huffed, laughing charmingly for his
guests. “You're killin' me, pal.”
“Max Evans.” Max said to Brian. “Antar films.”
Maria lifted a brow. She hit Michael in the stomach.
“Hey, he’s not too bad when he tries! We might have to let him hang with us
a little more.”
“Nah. Smoke and mirrors.” Michael said. “He’ll get
back in the Parker zone, and revert to type. He’ll suck again.”
Maria made a face at Michael. “Eat dirt.”
~~~
Liz was in the kitchen at the Crashdown baking cookies
while talking to Maria who was giving her a blow by blow account of the party.
Maria called her every half hour with an update. Liz listened as she took the
cookies out of the oven.
“So I am making a special cookie for Max. M&M Tabasco
swirl cookies. I came up with the recipe all by myself.”
“Is this like a care package?”
Maria asked listening to Liz’s ‘Uh-huh’ as she made a face at a woman who
walked by with multicolored hair. “Max is so spoiled, man.”
“No, he is not.” Liz told her while transferring the
cookies to a rack to dry.
“Liz, he hasn't been gone more than a week.”
Maria pointed out seeing a star she knew. She whispered excitedly in the phone,
and Liz begged her to get an autograph if possible. “Autograph? I’m going
to make Michael take our picture!”
“Oh, I bet he’ll love that.” Liz said. “Is Max
still there with you? He’s supposed to be calling in less than an hour.”
“Yeah, he’s here still smoozing with Kal. I’m sure he
will be on the phone a.s.a.p. just to tell you how unreal this place is. Michael
keeps getting propositioned, and three agents offered to handle me! Unreal.
I’m not even wearing my good lip gloss!” Maria caught Michael’s eye as he gave her a look
pleading for her to rescue him from this group of people that caught him,
thinking he was someone.
Maria waved at him all sassy leaving him to his social
doom. It would build character. “So this phone call from Max? Are you guys
gonna talk, or are you just gonna breathe heavy into the phone? Are you gonna
repeat each other's name back and forth and back and forth?”
“Stop it!” Liz laughed. She looked over to the door and
saw Isabel. “Oh! Hey!”
“Who is it? Your dad? God, don’t tell him that Michael
and I are in
“Hi.” Isabel said looking around. “Have you seen
Maria?” Liz waved the phone at her. “You’re talking to her?” Liz nodded.
Isabel straightened her shoulders. “Can you tell her that I am … um, … I'm
getting married to Jesse Ramirez.”
“What?!” Liz said at the same time that Maria on the
other end said, “What?!”
“Yeah, and you know weddings are full of all kinds of
stupid traditions, like the garter toss and that--that chicken dance and, well
… bridesmaids, and since you guys are the closest thing I have to girlfriends,
I was wondering if you would be mine?” Isabel took the phone from Liz.
“Maria, did you catch that?”
“Ok.” Maria said stunned, and not sure what else to say as a guy walked by
and literally flashed her, and even that seemed more normal than Isabel’s
future nuptials.
Isabel gave Liz a look with a tip of her head. Liz agreed,
“Yeah, sure.”
“Great!” Isabel smiled and mentally clicked off that
task. “Good. Ok. That's done. Ok.” She looked at the tray of cookies. “Is
that for Max?”
Maria, who was still listening in interest, knew
immediately Isabel was talking about the special M&M Tabasco swirled cookies
answered, “Uh-huh.”
“Yeah. Sure is.” Liz said.
Isabel made a face. “He's so spoiled.” Isabel still had
the phone to her ear still needing to talk to Maria.
“Mm-hmm.” Maria mumbled. Max Evans was definitely spoiled.
“You know what?” Isabel told Maria on the phone while
staring at Liz so she was killing two birds with one stone. “Max doesn't know
about the engagement yet, so let's just … keep it that way. And, Maria,”
Isabel said directly in the phone, “I'm gonna need you to tell Michael for
me.” Isabel handed the phone back to Liz who was speechless. “Ok. See ya.”
Liz held the phone loosely in her hand staring at the empty
door with Maria’s voice on the phone. “Did that just happen? Um, Liz?
Liz, are you there? Um, Liz? Liz, snap out of it and check your damn cookies!”
~~~
Michael frowned at Maria who moved over to a quiet corner
and was talking to Liz on the phone. He needed to go over her investigative
priorities a little better. She obviously was having a hard time keeping her
attentions from being distracted. Michael gave her a bit of some slack due to
the Parker suck zone. He was sipping a cola standing with his back to the
Shapeshifter listening to Max talk to the group about his project with Kal.
“An alien stranded on earth,” said Max as he ate the
olive out of the martini he couldn’t drink, “tries to find his way back
home.”
“Like E.T.,” said a woman with large hair and toxic
hairspray, as Michael tried not to breathe in the fumes.
“Yes. But …” Max stared at Kal remembering his
reference to him as a bad Tom Cruise with a ten dollar haircut. “Think Tom
Cruise.”
“Sounds more like Starman,” commented the man next to
Brian.
“Exactly,” Max smiled charmingly his eyes continually
falling on Michael’s back as the other alien boy’s reaction were
expressively demonstrated by the movement of his shoulders under his shirt.
“That picture didn't open.” Kal informed Max making a
subtle threat.
“Oh, it gets better, Kal. See, our guy hunts down another
alien, also stranded on earth.”
“He's the only person who can help him on his quest.”
Kal guessed, rolling his eyes at the originality.
“How?” Ask the man next to Brian, who Max remembered to
be Scott.
“I'm glad you asked, Scott. There's a ship.” Kal
laughed, but the amusement wasn’t in his eyes. Max ignored it and continued.
“And this other alien might know where it is, or at least have the resources
to find it. You see, this other alien is a big …”
Kal chuckled and made a huge sarcastic guess. “
Michael swore under his breath as Maria came to join him.
There was dancing where couples just seemed to move to the music while standing
around talking in groups. Michael quickly nabbed Maria and whispered in her ear
what was happening while she looked over his shoulder, her eyes meeting Max’s.
They stayed close, never more than a few people away until
it was evident that the crowds were thinning. Michael took Maria’s hand and
they ducked into a quiet alcove, where Maria wrapped herself suggestively around
Michael in case someone happened upon them.
“Can you still hear them talking?” she whispered in
Michael’s ear. He didn’t respond as he moved her closer against him, pinning
her to the wall his head moving to her shoulder. “Michael?”
“Hmmm?”
“Can you hear Max and Kal still talking?”
Michael tried to concentrate, but his natural instincts
were reacting nicely to Maria’s body and the position they were in. Shaking
his head a little, he cocked it to the side to listen carefully. The final
stragglers were leaving, wanting to get as much of the producer’s attention as
possible.
“Mmm.” A man called to the Shapeshifter. “Call me
tomorrow? Do lunch?”
Kal smiled, his hand on Max’s shoulder keeping him in
place. “Max. That picture of yours, stick around. I got somethin' I'd like to
throw at ya.”
Brian, who was following the other man out, stopped not
sure he should leave, afraid Max was going to get a jump on him. “You sure you
don't want me to stay?”
Kal smiled pleasantly. “Good night, Brian.”
Brian smiled, not in the least bit happy, but unable to
find a reason to stay. “Ok.” As soon as Brian was gone Kal raised his hand
and Max flew across the room.
“You come to my home. You taunt me in front of my
friends. You threaten to expose me!”
“I have a son.” Max explained.
“You mated with another alien hybrid?” Kal shouted in
disbelief. He made a face. Oh, this got even better.
“My child is back on Antar. He's in trouble. That's why I
need the ship … and one of its pilots.”
“The Air Force reassembled that ship. But it will never
fly.”
“If anyone can get it up and running, it would be you.”
“I told you …” Kal warned Max as he asserted force on
Max’s throat with a thought. “I told you I would kill you.”
Choking, Max gasped against the threat to his esophagus.
“You're gonna have to. Uhh!”
Kal shook his head in disgust. “The Commander! Why am I
surprised? Of course you couldn’t do this alone.” The Shapeshifter said to
Max. Kal stood to his feet and advanced towards Michael and Maria, stopping in
front of Max.
Max slowly found his feet. “You can’t kill me, can you?
You've had so many chances.
Kal stared at Max for a moment, then at Michael. “Pod
people,” he said in disgust as he went to get something to drink. They were
not only disrupting his life, but giving him a damn ulcer.
Back at the hotel, Max and Michael argued while Maria
ignored them and went to bathe. She felt a little out of sorts from meeting the
Shapeshifter. The man had probing eyes, and his kept going back to Maria. It was
enough to make Michael uncomfortable. It was obvious the man wasn’t going to
take much more, so they left.
“You need to go home, Michael.”
“Not without you. He has spent the evening threatening
you, and …”
“He’s not going to hurt me. I think I nailed that one
tonight.” Max glanced over at Maria as she came back into the room from her
shower. “But, I think he could hurt Maria. He seemed inordinately interested
in her, and you saw what he did to Ferrini. He doesn’t like humans knowing his
secret.”
“Do not use Maria to control me.”
Max grabbed his jacket. “Not that I’m not grateful. I
am.” He stared at Maria. “I can’t be responsible for anyone else dying
because of me. Alex was more of a stain on my soul than I could afford, and
Maria would be impossible.” Max saw his remark hit home. Maria might have
thought he forgot Alex, but he had not. It was something he carried inside him
every day. It was the one wound … and endless pain that would never heal, and
for his life he would bleed his own duplicity, his unknowing part in Alex’s
death. That was his burden. He didn’t want Maria to be Michael’s. “Go
home. I can handle this.”
Michael and Maria were silent as the door shut behind Max.
Moving into the room, she went to stand beside Michael. “What now?”
“We go home.” Michael said. Max was right. This was no
place for Maria, and given his position on protecting Max or protecting Maria
… Maria just won.
“Home? Tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” Michael glanced at her. “Let’s take an
evening flight so we can spend the day at
Maria made a happy sound as she tossed herself in
Michael’s arms hugging him.
~~~
The next day while Michael and Maria were making themselves
sick on rides at
Kal sighed when he saw the pain in his ass. “That'll be
all, Giselle. Thank you.”
“Why would someone who can’t feel get a massage?” Max
asked out of curiosity.
“Excuse me?” Kal got up from the table and went to the
wet bar.
“You had your finger in a lit candle last night, and you
didn't even flinch. See, I don't think you can smell or taste, either. You must
have a thousand lemons in your fridge.”
“I like tea.”
“See, I don't remember much when I first came out of the
pods, but I do remember this-- the first few months, I couldn't smell or taste
anything except for strong flavors, sugar, lemon …
Kal was not only disgusted with the boy, but envious.
“You don't know how lucky you are to have even a fraction of human DNA inside
you?”
“You have human envy?”
“There's not a sensual pleasure on this planet I can’t
afford, but I can’t experience it, not like they can.”
“If your life is so limited, then how can you stand
living here?”
Kal shrugged. “I've learned to diminish my alienness.”
“How?” Max was curious about what the Shifter was
trying to protect.
“I don't shapeshift. I haven't done it in years. Gives
the body organs a chance to function.”
“That seems impossible.”
“Well, first thirty years, it was.” Kal admitted.
“Then, in 1978, I smelled chlorine in the pool. Soon after that, lemons. Last
twenty years was a bust, but don't you feel sorry for me. I love my life. Can
you say the same?”
“I need to find my son. He's in danger. You can help.”
“No, Max.” Kal wasn’t going to do it. “This is my
home-
“Oh, yeah?” Max said impressed. “Let me see it.”
“Huh?”
“The phone.” Max explained. “If it's that amazing,
hand it over.”
Kal tossed it to Max. “It's yours.”
“What? I mean …”
“You just--you said …” Kal seemed to suddenly realize
what he was giving away, so he quickly covered. “Hey, you said yourself I
should be more giving. Stick around. Have a sandwich. Take a swim. See you
later, Max.”
~~~
After school the following day, Maria went to find Liz. She
and Michael had gotten home real late the previous night, so they both missed
yet another day of school. On the flight home, Maria remembered Isabel’s news,
and that she was supposed to tell Michael. It made the flight a nice memory to
store in her mind for future nightmares.
“I still can’t believe Isabel's getting married. This
is, like, a disaster of epic proportions. If you think Michael freaked when he
found out, Max is gonna go ballistic.” Maria told Liz as she leaned against
the table talking to the working Liz. Maria was still off work since her
sickness, and she wasn’t looking forward to the shift the next day or all the
catch up homework she had to do.
“Did he really freak?”
“Oh, boy, did he! A total rant about exposure, who was
this person, and what the hell was she thinking adding another potential victim
to their ever growing list.” Maria sighed. “And who is Jesse Ramirez?”
Diane Evans didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she heard the
end of Maria’s comments, and decided to draw attention to herself. “Hi,
girls.”
Maria was startled, then embarrassed. “Oh, hi, Mrs.
Evans. You're here!” Mortified by her outburst Maria rushed to cover. “I--I
mean … How are-- how are you? Good?”
Mrs. Evans smiled, charmed by the embarrassed Maria. “So
… what's new?”
“Uh, nothing. You know
“Hmm. Well … actually, I, um … I was looking for
Michael.”
Liz jumped in to answer before Maria went off again. “Oh,
I'm sorry, but he's not working today.”
“Oh. Well, Maria, would you kindly remind him that he
still has my 9-by-13 casserole dish?” Mrs. Evans asked. “Isabel took
something over weeks ago for Max, and I'd like it back.”
Maria knew the dish well. “I--well, I'll remind him.
Definitely.”
Diane thanked her and turned to Liz, nonchalantly. “So,
Liz, how is Max?”
“Um, he's fine.”
“I was wondering if you happen to have his new cell phone
number. Apparently, he, um, he changed it when he moved out. I've left a couple
of messages at Michael’s, but I'm not even sure he's living there anymore. I
just want to talk to my son. I want to know that he's safe. I'm sure you can
understand that, can’t you?”
“I'm sorry, but I can’t help you.” Liz told the older
woman, unable to give out the number without Max’s permission.
“Well …” Diane was upset, but she hid it well.
“I'll let you girls get back to work. Ok. Bye.”
Maria waited until she was gone to look at Liz in shock.
“Open defiance of a parental unit. Whoo! This is just so twisted and …
romantic.” Maria made a dramatic gesture. “You and Max are totally Romeo and
Juliet against the world. I will be hiding that hemlock.”
“Well, actually, Romeo never called last night.”
Maria stopped. “No? I mean, he called the previous one
right?”
“No.”
“What?” Maria’s face cleared. “He was at the party
late the previous night.”
“That doesn’t excuse last night.”
“What? Last night too?”
“Yeah.” Liz went back to work with Maria following her.
Liz took a man’s plate before he finished.
“Hey! I'm not done!” Liz didn’t seem to hear as she
walked away. The man in anger walked out without paying his bill, but Liz was
oblivious.
Maria made a grimace at the unhappy customer, as she
hurried after her friend. “He'd better be in a ditch somewhere.”
“Maria, do not say that.” Liz begged her, unable to
take any more anxiety over Max’s health or possible death.
“I'm just saying blowing off a phone date is
unacceptable, that's all.”
“Look, I am just trying to convince myself that he's not
hurt or worse, that he is just busy.”
“Call his alien butt.” Maria suggested crossing her
arms. The boy had been alright over twenty-four hours ago, and from her view,
his damn speed dial finger looked fine.
“No. No, I am not gonna become the codependent
girlfriend, not when he’s on this whole quest.”
“Ok, I respect that.” Maria said seeing it from that
view. “But, I mean, how long is this thing gonna take? He may never find his
son.”
“Thanks for the pep talk, Maria.” Liz dumped a bunch of
dirty dishes into the sink slumping depressed on the side of a table in the back
of the diner.
“No. Ok, there's no doubt in my mind that he is madly in
love with you, but, I mean, you're half of this couple. You know, you can’t
forget that.”
~~~
Michael didn’t bother to knock when he went to visit
Isabel. Too angry to care, he just entered the house and went straight back to
her bedroom hulking in her doorway.
“Why is it you feel you're above doorbells?” Isabel
asked when she startled at his sudden appearance.
“Got your message,” Michael said coldly. “Is it a
joke?”
“No. I'm getting married.”
“We agreed not to bring anyone else into this.”
“Michael, I don't want to put my life on hold. This is my
one chance to be happy … to love someone and have him love me back without all
of this garbage that has made us miserable our whole lives getting in the
way.” Isabel tried hard to plead to his humanity, to the side of him that had
everything she wanted … a relationship. “I've put a lot of thought into it,
and I don't see any reason why Jesse has to know the truth.”
“Well, knowing what I know about alien sex, he's gonna
have major questions after the honeymoon.” Michael rolled his eyes. Jesse
looked old enough to have had other sexual experiences, and a one hour orgasm
was going to be something different.
Isabel couldn’t take this. Not now. Not from him. Not
from anyone. She had only so many nerves about keeping Jesse outside the truth,
and Michael was making an argument that was one she didn’t want to consider.
“Ok, Michael, get out of my room.”
Michael ignored her. “What did Max say?”
Isabel sighed heavily. “I'm gonna tell him when he gets
back.” She needed someone on her side, someone that would believe in her.
“Come on, Michael. Just congratulate me.”
“On what?” Michael asked coldly. He didn’t bother to
say goodbye.
~~~
“Okay, so you’re angry. I’ve got that.”
“I do not want to talk about this.” Michael told her.
He was not looking at her. He was in a foul mood, and if he glanced over at her
in her new Mickey Mouse ears with the name Maria on the damn pink cap, he would
lose it.
“Sure you don’t.” Maria continued to eat out of the
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream container waving a spoon at Michael. “So is it
the whole … ‘Isabel is my destiny, she can’t do another man’ thing or
what?”
Michael sighed. Oh, that would be so much easier if it was.
Nope. He was stuck here in relationship hell with a girl that climbed all over
his body platonically, wore a pink Mickey Mouse cap, and spent too much time
seductively eating ice cream a mere foot from him. He was slowly going insane.
Michael couldn’t even remember the last time he wasn’t aroused, and the
fantasies and sexual dreams were increasing. Sure, he’d love to have a damn
cold, passionless destiny with Isabel … that way, he could actually get some
sleep.
“This is the whole respect thing.” Michael told Maria.
“Respect enough to actually frickin’ tell me herself, and not send my
faithful sidekick.”
“Faithful sidekick? Now why does that sound like a puppy
to me? Man’s best friend?” Maria’s face infused with color and she shook
her hand dropping dollops of ice cream on the floor. “What is this? Maria,
alien’s best friend, does stupid Maria tricks?”
“I don’t think of you as a pet.”
“Well good! I am not Liz or Isabel.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Michael asked his voice
biting.
“It means …” Maria went over and climbed on him,
straddling his legs as she faced him holding her ice cream still shaking her
spoon at him. “I do not take orders from you and Max, and I would never let
you order me about like some second class citizen waiting to be given permission
to love.”
Michael’s eyes moved over her and he took her weight, her
body wrecking havoc on his. He shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help it. He said
huskily, “Feed me.”
Maria’s eyes darkened, and she put the spoon in her mouth
upside down holding the curve against her soft palate. Her hands slowly
unbuttoned Michael’s shirt as her fingers trailed along the skin. Taking her
hands, she moved up his skin to his mouth were he pulled her fingers into his
mouth as he sucked on the digits his one hand removing the spoon from her mouth.
Maria moaned and moved in his lap brushing up against his erection hard, her
mouth moving forward to replace her fingers as Michael pulled her tongue hotly
into his mouth.
“Excuse me? Did you say, feed me?” Maria asked for
clarification as Michael’s darkened eyes seemed to focus on her again. She
frowned when he seemed to mentally shake his head.
Michael quickly lifted Maria off his lap and stood up to
get some distance from her. “Yeah. I’m hungry.” He took Maria’s spoon
and ate some ice cream, his mind very conscious of the fact he had something
that had been in her mouth, now in his. Ever since the night she had been drunk
and kissed him, he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stop fantasizing about
having her do it again.
“C’mon, I’ll buy you dinner.” Michael suggested
ignoring the face that Maria had just eaten ice cream and a half a bag of chips.
“Get your shoes.”
“Right.” Maria said following his instructions. “I
mean, you and me, we have this equality thing going, and I wouldn’t want to
change that.”
“Hmm.” Michael glanced around. “Is that warm enough?
You should change.”
“Right you are.” Maria went into his bedroom to find
something else to wear. “Michael? This?”
“No. The one with the matching sweater,” he said.
“Okay.” Maria came out and held onto his arm. “I
mean, I love you, Spaceboy, but I’m not going to let you order me around.”
“Gotcha,” Michael said taking her arm. “You know, I
think you should stay away from spicy food until your stomach is a little more
settled. I don’t want you sick again.”
Maria kissed his cheek. “Whatever you want. You always
are so thoughtful.”
~~~
Diane Evans almost felt guilty. She had taken Max’s
number from Isabel’s planner, and as she waited for Max to answer, she
straightened her shoulders. She was his mother. She shouldn’t have to beg to
hear from her son.
“Hello?”
“Max. It's Mom.”
Max voice was guarded. “Hi.”
“How are you?”
“Good. I'm good.”
“Where are you, honey?”
“I'm in
“
“Just … because …”
“What is happening to our family?” Diane questioned
herself more than Max. “Do you know about your sister?”
Max stood still, his interest piqued. “What about
her?”
“She and Jesse Ramirez got engaged.”
“Wait. W-what?” Max stared to pace, not in the least bit able to
comprehend what she just said. “And you're ok with this?”
“Oh, doesn't much matter what I think.” Diane grieved.
Now would Max expect them to be able to control Isabel any better than they
could control him? “But, Max, Isabel values your opinion. Will you talk to
her?”
“Ok.” He could do that. He would do that.
Diane was afraid to ask, but could resist. “Do you need
anything?”
“No, Mom.”