"Surprise!" Everyone yelled when Isabel entered the Crashdown in a beautiful strapless red dress with her hair swept up off her face.

Mrs. Evans gave her daughter a hug, "Oh, happy birthday, sweetheart!"

"Oh my God!" Isabel was surrounded by most of her friends. "Oh! I could kill you all."

"Kill your brother. He's the one, who planned the entire thing," Mrs. Evans informed her.

Max gave Isabel a big hug; "I had a lot of help. Happy Birthday, old lady."

"Max, I can't believe you did this with everything that's happening," Isabel whispered to him.

"It's still your birthday," Max shrugged.

Isabel put on a smile and laughed, "Max, you're the worst, really. I don't know what to say."

"Say that your surprised," Maria gave Isabel a birthday hug. "Cause he was totally, totally stressing that you'd figure it out."

"I had no idea," Isabel was really surprised.

"Really?" Max was glad that it worked out.

Michael came up and put his arm around Maria's shoulder, "Alex told you to come by so he could give you back a book. I mean, what a lame excuse. How could you not figure that out?"

Isabel looked around, "Where is Alex, anyway?"

Maria cleared her throat and sneaked a look over at Max, "He's, um, he's still getting dressed."

"Maybe we should go check on him," Max pulled Maria away from Michael. "Where's Liz? I thought she was coming."

Maria rolled her eyes playfully, "Relax Romeo she had some stuff to take care of at Whitaker's office. She'll be here later."

"How much later?" Max questioned.

Maria didn't want to get annoyed with him, "Max, go have fun or I'm going to kick your ass."

"Point taken," Max wandered off as Maria noticed another absence.

Maria looked down at her watch and began to wonder where her sister was. "Kyle, have you seen Tess?"

Kyle was sitting at the counter with a bunch of his buddies, "Not since this morning."

"Well let me know when you see her," Maria instructed him.

A sound of glass shattering gave Maria an uneasy feeling. Isabel had accidentally dropped her drink, and she was relieved to see Courtney was already cleaning it up. Isabel looked at Maria with worry in her eyes, and Maria sensed something was wrong. She wanted to see what was up with Isabel, but she felt the sudden urgency to talk to Tess. Maria grabbed her cell phone off the table and quickly dialed Tess's number.

She saw Max follow Isabel into the break room just as Tess's voice mail came on. "Tess, it's me, where are you? You completely missed the big surprise. Please call me when you get this message."

"Hey Maria!" Kyle called. "Roswell's new deputy just arrived!"

Maria quickly rushed over to the break room to get Isabel. "Ahem," she had to interrupt Max and Isabel's conversation. "Isabel, you better come out. There's a policeman here to see you."

Isabel looked surprised, "A policeman? What's going on?"

A smile broke out across Max's face; "You better go." Max winked at Maria as they followed Isabel out onto the serving floor.

There Alex was standing in the center of the floor wearing a police uniform. Isabel wore a laughing smile as Alex hit the button on the stereo he brought with him. The fast beats of "Come and Ride the Train" filled the air and Alex began his birthday striptease for Isabel.

Alex lost his shirt as he yelled, "You love that!"

Isabel's mother was not too thrilled on Alex's behavior and the mood changed when she angrily glared at him. "Hi, Mrs. Evans. Great party." Maria, Max and Isabel never laughed so hard in their lives.

* * * Michael never before made a cake in his life and he had no idea why Maria wanted him to attempt such a task. He just ruled it under as one of those things guys do for their girlfriends.

He was in the kitchen mixing the cake batter when Courtney came in. "So, did you, uh, make that all by yourself?"

"No. Betty Crocker came on by and whipped it up," Michael responded sarcastically.

Courtney looked at the batter; "Betty Crocker would've used eggs."

"Eggs," Michael repeated, the though never occurred to him.

Courtney nodded, "Sorry."

Michael felt a little embarrassed and he hoped it didn't show, "My first cake."

"Well, guys don't make cakes for just anybody. In fact, guys don't make cakes at all," Courtney flirted, as she stuck her finger in the cake batter.

"Hey!" Michael protested.

Courtney wrinkled her nose, "What flavor is this anyway?"

"It's a combination of a few things," he admitted now mixing the frosting.

"It tastes like Tabasco," Courtney realized. "Did you put Tabasco in a cake?"

"Well, what if I did?" Michael questioned.

Courtney smiled at him; "I like that."

"Just move," Michael sneered so he could get past her so he could put the cake in the oven.

Courtney jumped on the counter, "So, what's a chick got to do to get a cake out of a guy like you?"

Michael wanted her to go away, "Nothing you could handle."

Courtney didn't take the hint, "That's too bad." She tasted the cake frosting, "Mmm. You gonna frost it or what?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna frost it," Michael snapped.

"How's the cake coming?" Maria entered the kitchen where she found Courtney standing a little too close to Michael.

"It's coming," Courtney didn't sound guilty at all.

Maria glared at Michael; "I need you to find my camera it's out there somewhere."

"Maybe you should finish it," he handed Courtney the spoon he was holding. When he passed by Maria he briefly touched her arm with his finger in reassurance.

Maria moved so she could stand directly in front of Courtney, "Michael. Taken. Or haven't you noticed?"

"I noticed he didn't make this cake for you," she fired back.

Maria replied, "It's not my birthday."

"Small detail," Courtney retorted.

Alex came in and found Maria and Courtney staring down at each other like two cats ready to attack, but that didn't stop Alex. "You know, I can't believe I let you talk me into that!"

Maria was aware that Alex was there, but she and Courtney were in the middle of something, "Me and Michael go way back."

"That was the most humiliating experience of my life!" Alex continued to rant.

Courtney ignored him; "You sew your name into the back of his jeans?"

"You'll never find out," Maria was up in her face.

Alex's voice raised a few decibels; "I did a striptease in front of her mother!" Alex realized that his presence hasn't been acknowledged. "Are you listening to me?"

Maria turned to him; "One nipple does not constitute a striptease, Alex."

Alex looked appalled; "She saw my nipple? Oh God."

"Chill out, NYPD blue," Courtney spat.

"Chill out? Chill out?" Alex looked like he wanted to wring her neck. "I spent $150 to rent this costume. And do you have any idea how it feels to walk around all day with a thong up your ass?"

"Yes!" both Maria and Courtney glared at him and Alex decided there was way too much estrogen so he backed off.

* * * While Alex was getting his head bitten off by Maria and Courtney, Michael was sitting at the counter listening to Kyle ramble on about Maria and Tess.

"Seriously, so they got their underwear and their bras and their girlie things all over the bathroom. Every time I go in to shave I feel like I'm walking into Victoria's Secret," Kyle explained to all his buddies.

"So what's not to like?" Michael joked even though he wasn't too thrilled about Maria living with him.

Isabel overheard Kyle talking about Tess, "Kyle, where is Tess?"

"She went to Jensen's to get your present." Kyle went back to his story, "Anyway, they've taken over the television, the computer, my phone. If some chicks are gonna be yelling at me about keeping the toilet seat down they better a least be doing me." Kyle then noticed that Mrs. Evans was in earshot. "Doing me…a favor."

"You better watch what you say Kyle," Michael warned, but Max grabbed him and pulled him away.

"I need to talk to you," Max told him.

Michael snapped, "We have nothing to talk about."

Max pleaded, "I need you to back me up on something."

Michael was not happy about helping Max, "You make decisions without asking my opinions, and now you expect me to back you up?" Michael was still peeved about the Brody situation even though Max was right.

Max blurted out the magic word that would change Michael's mind, "I think Isabel's getting serious with that Sorenson guy."

"So what should we do about it?" Michael asked the moment he mentioned Isabel's name.

Max was glad Michael was on his side, "I think you should talk to her, she always wants to know your opinion."

"Yeah even if you don't," Michael saw the perfect opportunity so he took it. "I'll go find her."

Once Michael found Isabel he made her sit down at one of the booths and hear him out. "He gave you an order," Michael told her.

"I don't take orders from Max," Isabel replied with annoyance in her eyes.

Michael kept on pressing, "He's our leader. He's right."

"Since when?" Isabel chided. "You two are barely speaking, and when you do talk, you don't agree."

"Well, we agree on this," Michael pointed.

Isabel's voice cracked, "Am I supposed to be alone for the rest of my…of my life."

Michael could tell she was really upset, "Isabel, you are not alone."

"You have Maria," Isabel went on. "I have no one, I can't even talk to other guys."

"Works for me," Michael responded not seeing the unfairness.

Isabel shook her head; "I don't think so."

"Isabel, you do not belong with him," Michael declared.

"No, I belong with you," Isabel angrily reminded. "But I don't think either one of us wants to think about that too much." Isabel was trying to get up, but she staggered a bit, "Unh!"

"What's going on?" Michael had a concerned look on his face.

Isabel waved him off, "Nothing, nothing. It's just my headache. Where's Maria? I need to talk to her."

"She was helping with the cake, I think," Michael said that just as the cake was being brought out.

Everyone began to sing "Happy Birthday" to Isabel, but Michael noticed that she looked almost sickly. She started to sway back and forth and Michael could see beads of sweat glistening on her forehead from the lighted candles on her cake. Just as she finished blowing out the candles Isabel touched her temple and bolted to the break room.

Michael and Max came in after her and they found her disheveled and breathing heavily, "Isabel, what's wrong?" Max asked his sister.

"It's Tess, she's in trouble," Isabel finally told them. "I saw her. It was like she was really here. She was hurt and crying for help."

"Who was the last person to see her?" Max questioned taking control of the situation.

Michael grew concerned because Maria didn't know yet, "Kyle said she went to Jensen's to buy a present."

"She's in danger," Isabel announced.

Michael agreed, "Yeah, it's got to be Nasedo's killer. We have to tell Maria that he's after Tess."

Courtney came out of the kitchen obviously hearing the last part, "Trust me, nobody's after Tess. All that blond hair and eye shadow? She's like Dolly Parton, without the jugs."

"Could you just go refill the ketchups or something?" Michael tried to get rid of her and it worked because she left.

"We've got to find her," Isabel wanted to get back on track.

Max spoke up, "I think we should start with Sorenson. He showed up her bleeding. Could've been struggling with someone."

"Grant has nothing to do with this, Max," Isabel fumed.

Max retorted, "I'll be the judge of that."

Suddenly the double doors swung open when Liz and Maria entered. "We've got a problem," Liz declared as if they didn't know.

"I know," Max assumed it was the same problem. "Tess is missing."