He thanked them for their reassurances, but he still felt a twinge of guilt at their present circumstances. He spoke to the conscious kids before he left the hospital to make the return trip to Palenque.Once he was satisfied that they were all safely out of surgery, he felt more at ease. When he arrived in the small town, he went to their rooms to retrieve their things. He packed up all their bags, making sure he left nothing behind.

He called the Chiam's to allay their fears and they promised to pass on the information, sending their best wishes with him to the teens.He even stopped by the tiny newspaper office and placed a large add thanking all the people for their assistance and telling them that the kids were going to be fine. Then he went to the local children's society, and left a large donation for their use.

Finally, he went in search of Carmen. She had been terrified when he last saw her. She had travelled to the site to see if she could be of any help, and had stayed throughout the night and the next day, helping to feed the volunteers as they toiled through the long hours. He thanked her for her help and told her that the kids would fully recover. She breathed a sigh of relief at the news.

They said their goodbyes, promising to contact each other soon. Brody waved goodbye to her sadly, as he peered through the window of the helicopter. She blew him a kiss as she waved frantically from the ground.

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He returned their luggage to the hospital in Merida, along with their passports, which he gave to Jim for safekeeping. He sat with the kids, speaking with them individually. He wanted to make sure that they were all feeling well. He still felt responsible for their well being and did this to satisfy his own need for closure. He said he would see them back in Roswell later in the week. Then he left to catch his plane.

He had thought of a wonderful plan to surprise them when they arrived home and he was anxious to return to set the wheels in motion.

Christmas morning dawned. It was hardly the day they had imagined it would be, but they were grateful to be alive and that's what mattered.

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Max lay next to Liz on top of the covers. It was a tight squeeze since she took up most of the space because of her legs being in traction, but he somehow managed to maneuvre his body up on the mattress.He had to be careful, since his left hand was still throbbing from its injury and his right foot hung precariously from its cast, over the edge of the bed.

She giggled at his preposterous position, kissing his cheek as he hung on for dear life.

"They should make double beds," he grumbled good naturedly.

"I don't think they expect the patients to entertain visitors in their beds," she reminded him with raised eyebrows.

"Well, they should. After all, that's when you need someone the most. Merry Christmas," he mumbled, as he kissed her on the lips.

"Merry Christmas, Max," she sighed as she kissed him back. "I never thought I'd say those words to you again. It's so good to be alive!" she admitted.

"Yeah, probably the best Christmas present we'll ever get," he remarked, seriously.

"Mmmm," she agreed as she snuggled into him.

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"Merry Christmas Muffin," Alex said as he kissed Isabel tenderly on the lips.

"Merry Christmas, Alex," she crooned. "You know, I've been thinking. I don't have a nickname for you," she said seriously. "But I think I've finally come up with a good one."

"Oh, yeah. What's that?"

"Ace!" she exclaimed, as she flicked his bandages, grinning widely.

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"Hey Baby Cakes," Kyle said as Tess wheeled herself into his room.

"Hey Buddah Boy," she returned, winking up at him. She brought the chair as close to the bed as possible. She held something in her hand and raised it over her head. It was a sprig of mistletoe that she had taken from a bouquet of flowers that had arrived from home.

"Merry Christmas, Kyle," she grinned. She brought her fingertip to her lips and reached over to place it on his. He kissed it as he grinned back at her.

"Merry Christmas," he said. "Just you wait until I'm better. Then I'll give you the Christmas kiss you deserve, " he warned her.

"I can't wait," she giggled.

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Maria stood at the end of the long corridor, staring out at the busy parking lot as relatives came and went with trays of homemade food and gifts for their loved ones. She glanced up at the approaching footsteps.

"Hey Spaceboy," she grinned, as Michael came up to her. "Ain't you a sight for sore eyes!"

"Hey to you Blondie," he smiled as he took her in his arms. "Merry Christmas," he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Merry Christmas," she moaned as she clung to him.

"Love you," he sighed as he nuzzled her neck.

"Love you right back," she replied, kissing him again on the cheek.

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They all managed to share Christmas dinner together. They moved the bedridden into a larger ward down the hall from ICU, and they all joined in on as celebratory a mood as was possible under the circumstances. Somehow, a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, had been provided, which they later learned was courtesy of Brody.

They ate and laughed, toasting their good fortune with glasses of grape juice. Jim and Philip had come up with some hasty purchases in the gift shop for Christmas presents, which they opened eagerly. The hospital staff had even provided some little items for them., since their rescue came on the heels of such a joyous occasion.

Talk was spreading of the miracle that had occured and unbeknownst to the kids, camera crews would soon be descending from the various T.V. Networks, across the country. They had made the National news already, as the miracle Christmas story, and news was rapidly spreading to the International circuits. However, for today at least, they were left in peace to enjoy the holiday.

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They were unable to leave until Thursday, since Kyle's condition was still so delicate, and they were determined to leave together. Those that could walk, helped wheel their friends down the corridor where they would leave the security of the hospital for the first time. They had been warned of the media interest in their story but were still unprepared for the chaos that greeted them as they opened the hospital doors.

Microphones flew at them from everywhere, and they had to close their eyes at the harsh t.v. lights and flashbulbs that assaulted them. They were rushed into their waiting ambulances as they were whisked off to the airport, where they were met by even more newspeople. The ambulances, at least had the authority to enter the runway grounds, where the media were kept at bay.

They boarded them onto the plane, safely esconced in first class, as the passengers eyed them curiously. The last thing they wanted was all this attention! They would have to come up with a strategy to deal with this intrusion into their privacy. Brody had dealt with their friends in Palenque, who assured them that they would not gossip about their trip there.

But, there were so many volunteers helping with the rescue, that news was bound to escape, sooner or later. It was just too good a story to turn down. Everyone loved a happy ending. Combine this with not one, but eight successful rescues, and the good looks of the teens, and it was impossible to keep this under wraps.

The whole country was mesmerized by the story, wanting to know all the details. Offers for interviews were coming in from all the big networks. This made the teens sick with worry. They agreed to keep silent for the moment until they had a good cover story. They would pose for some pictures but would give no interviews for now.