Michael's querulous question caused everyone present to pause. He had only voiced aloud the question that had been revolving in all their heads for the last hour. At first Maria had done a fairly good job of keeping everyone distracted to the fact that Liz and Max weren't there. But after twenty minutes the constant question in the room was,

"Where's Max and Liz?" or "Has anyone seen our newlyweds-to-be?." On and on, over and over, speculation as to where they were and what they were doing circulated around the room. Maria was exhausting herself trying to keep up the pretense. And what made matters even worse was that Tess hadn't left. The little bitch had actually remained for the party! She watched Maria with a satisfied smirk, obviously enjoying the juggling act Maria was putting on with the truth. Maria wanted to punch her. Unfortunately, she couldn't, not while Miss Thang was in her delicate condition. Now that was really distasteful, Maria thought with a mental scowl.

Michael had stirred up the pot of speculation again and everyone was looking at Maria in expectation of her explanation. Maria resented that. Why did everyone always assume that she knew what was going on? It was true that she usually did and this situation was no different. But still Maria resented the assumption.

"Maria, do you know where Max and Liz have disappeared to?" Nancy Parker asked, hovering over Diane Evans as she rocked their granddaughter in her arms.

"The last time I saw Max and Liz they were upstairs asleep in bed," Maria admitted, fed up with keeping up the charade. She could tell them that much without revealing the whole truth. Besides it was worth the devastated expression on Tess' face to have revealed a small bit of the truth, Maria thought with an inward smile.

"Well, they were really tired when they got back," Nancy Parker commented, unconsciously backing Maria up.

"Did they find an apartment," Isabel asked anxiously, "I've been waiting to find that out all day."

Again everyone looked in Maria's direction. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Yes they did," Maria sighed, "In fact you all should probably know that Max and Liz eloped tonight."

The coke Jeff Parker was sipping spewed from his mouth. "They did what?"

"Liz told me when I was upstairs," Maria clarified, smiling. She was actually getting a kick out of everyone's shocked expressions.

"But we made so many plans!" Nancy burst out, "They couldn't wait three days!"

"Well, it wasn't as if any of us were turning cartwheels over their getting married," Philip Evans pointed out reasonably to the group.

"I was happy for them," Isabel spoke up mutinously, glaring at her parents.

"And so was I," Alex seconded glumly, "Always a groomsman, never a groomsman." He muttered the last of this under his breath.

"I guess that means the party's over," Jeff declared, hopping to his feet, "I'm going to bed."

"Diane and I should be heading home as well," Philip added, "Nancy, you'll tell our son to give us a call in the morning when he wakes up?"

"Sure thing," Nancy assured.

"And we'll take Claudia with us tonight," Diane Evans added, obviously reluctant to relinquish her only grandchild, "I haven't had a chance to baby-sit yet."

"I'm too exhausted to argue, Diane. I'll just have the kids swing by and pick her up in the morning, ok."

The parents eventually all said their good-byes leaving only the young people behind. Michael's astute gaze drifted back and forth between Tess and Maria, who were occupied with throwing dirty looks in each other's direction. "Ok, you two are going to tell us what the hell is going on," Michael ordered in his usual abrupt fashion.

"Why don't you ask your sweeter than sunshine sister," Maria shot out sarcastically.

"Just what exactly are you doing here, Tess," Isabel demanded, frowning, "I know damn well Nancy didn't invite you."

"I didn't come for the party," Tess clarified, glaring at Isabel. Tess resented the fact that Isabel acted like she couldn't stand her now when at one time the two of them had been friends. "I came here to talk to Max."

"I didn't think the two of you had anything to talk about, Tess," Alex pointed out quietly, "If I remember correctly Max dumped you right after Claudia was born."

"Yup, he did," Maria seconded cheekily.

Michael tossed them both a glacial stare. "This doesn't involve either one of you," he said coldly.

"Wrong as usual, space boy," Maria shot out angrily, "When it involves Liz, it involves us."

"What involves Liz?" Isabel wanted to know, "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

"I'm pregnant."

Four pairs of startled eyes swiveled to Tess. They were left speechless by her incredible statement. All except Maria, that is, who had expected her to pull just such a stunt. She narrowed her disgusted gaze on Tess' face. "You've just been itching to tell that all night, haven't you, Tessie?"

"Don't call me Tessie!"

"Make me," Maria challenged angrily. Alex grabbed her shoulders, pulling her backwards.

"Hold on there, Goldberg! She'll flatten you in two seconds."

Maria shrugged off Alex's hands in anger and annoyance. "Whatever. I guarantee you I'd get in at least two good licks before she zapped me with her alien gifts."

Michael held his hand out for silence. He regarded Tess with a dumbfounded expression. "You're pregnant?"

If Tess had found it difficult to lie to Max she found it especially more difficult to lie to Michael. Michael, her foster brother, who loved her, championed her when no on else would. He had loved her unconditionally when Max and Isabel could not, would not. Perhaps it was because she was alone, or perhaps it was because he saw some of himself within her. Tess would never know. All Tess did know was that he'd been loyal to her ever since the pod chamber incident. He had been her best friend when she had no one else. So yes, it was difficult for her to lie to him. But she managed it anyway.

Tess nodded slowly, swallowing down the lump of guilt that rose in her throat.

Across the room Isabel scoffed, glaring at Tess with scorn. "That's such a load of crap! You're no more pregnant than I am!"

"Isabel, stop it!" Michael ordered angrily, "You're wrong about her! All of you! You've always been wrong! She is not what you make her out to be!"

"I've always been wrong?" Isabel gasped out in disbelief, "I befriended the little liar, Michael! I found out the hard way she can't be trusted!"

"She helped us save Max's life!" Michael burst out loudly.

"And she ruined it in the process!" Isabel countered just as loudly.

Michael deflated, his anger suddenly seeping away. His expression was full of supplication when he looked around at the angry, embittered faces around him. "Don't be angry with Tess because she brought you a truth that you didn't want to hear. She was just the messenger. She didn't write the message."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be too sure about that one," Alex muttered under his breath.

Maria suddenly whirled around to face Michael. She resisted the urge to slap some sense into him. "Truth? Hah!" Maria spat out sarcastically, "When has she ever uttered anything close to the truth? Tess wouldn't know the truth if it took a big, whomping bite out of her ass! She's manipulated us all from the first day she arrived in Roswell!"

"That's a lie, Maria!" Michael yelled out, stabbing his index finger at her nose, "Tess is one of us!"

"And that makes her trustworthy?" Maria burst out in angry hurt, "I saved your fucking life, and it took you months to trust me, Michael!"

"That was different, dammit!"

"Why? Because she's an alien and I'm not? That doesn't matter, Michael. I'm willing to bet that she doesn't love you half as much as I do!"

A strange hush fell over the five of them. Maria's impassioned words continued to reverberate in the emptiness of the Crashdown. It was too late for her to call them back. They were already echoing over and over in Michael's brain.

"You love me?" Michael repeated softly, all his anger draining away again for the second time in moments. Maria didn't see any point in further denial.

She was incapable of speech, however, and only managed to nod her head. "God. . .Maria. . . What about Alex?"

At his question Maria found her tongue. "Alex is still in love with Isabel, the way I'm still in love with you." Michael swallowed, feeling as if someone had just kicked his knees out from under him. "Don't you see what's she's done, Michael? She broke us all apart, not just Max and Liz."

Michael looked to Isabel helplessly but only found cold agreement stamped on her beautiful face. "But. . .it was our. . .destiny. . ."

Isabel laughed bitterly. "What destiny, Michael? You're alone. I'm alone. And Maria and Alex are alone. We've all been miserable for years and it is all her fault," Isabel accused, pointing her finger at Tess.

"But that's the past now, Isabel," Michael pointed out resolutely, "We can't change it. The fact remains that Tess is pregnant now."

"I told you. I don't believe for a second that lying little runt is pregnant!" Isabel retorted in fury, "She's playing her mind games again!"

"NO! THAT IS NOT TRUE!"

Tess had withstood all she could bear. Perhaps she could have gone through with her plan if they weren't all hammering Michael with accusations. He was standing there, defending her against them all. And she didn't deserve it. None of it. Maria had been right about one thing. She probably did love Michael a great deal more than Tess ever could. There wasn't any point in continuing anyway, Tess realized, Max was already married to Liz. Tess had enough sense to know that Max would never let Liz go no matter what happened.

Tess looked at Michael, her eyes full of silent apology. "Michael, everything their saying is true." Again every eye in the room was trained on Tess' face. "I lied. It is a mind game. I'm not pregnant."