**I can't get involved. You're already involved. It's too dangerous. I need her. No, I can't need her. I gotta be a stonewall. I miss her. No! I gotta tell her we can't even see each other. I want her. NO! I can't let her in. She's already in. She's mine.**

When he heard her voice down the hallway he casually turned his head towards it, scanning the crowded hall with his eyes. When she came into view, he pushed himself off the locker bank and headed toward her, smatterings of her conversation drifting toward his ears.

"God Liz, you have to hear us," Maria related enthusiastically. Her long golden hair was tied up in two braids that draped over her shoulders to tease the top of her breasts. "We sound awesome! Last night we were so tight, the walls even hummed." She was so engrossed with her conversation that she didn't even notice the brooding young man striding purposely toward her. Maria stopped suddenly, and turned Liz to face her. "Babe, tell me you're going to be there tonight. I mean you have to be there."

Liz chuckled and brushed a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. "Maria, you are my best friend. I wouldn't miss.," Liz halted mid-sentence as Maria was suddenly spun around.

"I need to talk to you. Now." Michael's grip on Maria's forearm shifted to grasp her hand and began to tug her away from Liz. He didn't get far though because as quickly as Michael grabbed her, Maria violently yanked her hand from his causing him to stop. When he turned to look back at her, he wished he hadn't.

"Rude much, Jerk Face!" she taunted and continued to tell him off. "You don' t get to do that anymore." Maria's eyes looked at him sharply, like bright green shards ripping into him. "You can't deal with this! Remember! Or at least that was what you told me a week ago."

Liz's eyes widened at the display before her. You could almost see the intense vibes being radiated off of the two people in front of her. She knew that Michael and Maria were in the 'off again' phase, just as she knew it never lasted long. The events of the past week had their entire group on edge, especially Michael. She knew Michael loved Maria but whenever things got tough or even remotely dangerous, Michael's first reaction was to push Maria away. But somehow, they always wound up together again. **He's scared of losing her,** she thought.

Maria's tirade continued to list his many faults when Michael threw up his hands, yelled at her to forget it and stormed off down the hall away from her. "That's right buddy, keep running away," Maria hollered after him, gesturing pointedly with the hand that still tingled from Michael's grasp. **You're mine.** echoed in her head. **Ditto.** Stunned by the mental connection, Maria staggered slightly and she felt Liz's hand clasp her shoulder from behind to steady her. Instinctively Maria's hand reached across her chest to put her it on top of Liz's. "This hurts." She whispered to her friend, now remembering more of the dream.

The crowd that had been drawn to watch the display began to disperse as Liz squeezed her friend's shoulder sympathetically. Loving someone was never easy to begin with; let alone adding the element of loving someone literally not of this earth.

******

Michael violently slammed open the door to the boys bathroom. Pacing back and forth in front of the sinks, he struggled to control his rage, literally fighting the urge to explode something. He was just about to compromise and slam his fist into the mirror instead, when he saw the expression reflected on his face. It wasn't rage.. It was pain. Michael walked closer to the mirror gripping the edges of the sink as he starred at himself. **What the hell!!?**

"Looking for a pimple?" Max jeered.

Michael didn't even flinch, but he schooled his face into its typical distant mask. "What are you doing here Max?"

"Uh. it's a bathroom. what do you think?" He replied and walked over to stand next to him.

"I'm not in the mood, Maxwell." His voice was harsh, and he watched as his lip curled in a snarl.

"That's not what I heard." Max completely ignored Michael's unspoken request to leave and instead turned to lean his hip against the other sink. "You two are fighting again?"

Michael smacked his hands against the sink edges and cursed. "I don't know why I even bother.. I mean she doesn't shut up long enough to get a word in edgewise."

Max tried not to grin as he nodded his head at Michael's rant. It was the same thing over again. "Well what did you want to tell her?"

Still staring at his reflection, Michael opened and closed his mouth several times, not wanting to let Max in on his recent Maria 'urges'. What did he want to tell her? How about how much he missed her chatter. How about how much he loved the way she called him on all of his shit. How about how he wished things were different. How about how he regretted once again pushing her away again. How about how he couldn't stand the thought of her standing on a stage enticing the male masses. How about how real that dream was. How about how much he wanted to make it a reality. To cover his lack of response, he reached down into his back pocket then smacked his hand against Max's chest. "Here. Bring a friend," he supplied and walked out.

Max looked at the two tickets he caught in his hand and had to laugh because it pretty much explained everything. He knew Michael and Maria had had a huge fight after he and Isabel came back from their expedition to the hospital Laurie had been living in. Michael's passion for finding answers to their past often 'rubbed' Maria the wrong way, especially when he left her out of the loop. He could still remember the fight.

//One week earlier - Crashdown, after closing//

Max and Liz were talking quietly in the back booth, while Maria was humming to herself spinning lazily around on the counter stool. Michael and Isabel walked into the Crashdown to face six pairs of inquiring eyes.

Maria was good at reading Michael's lack of expression and without a word she hopped down off the stool, walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her for the briefest moment, his eyes closed, inhaling deeply as though memorizing her scent. Then he set her aside without a word and walked toward Max.

"Hey!"

"Hey what?" Michael turned around to face her.

Maria starred at him. "What the hell was that?" One hand rested on her hip while the other gestured wildly at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh no buddy, you're not getting off that easy!"

"Maria! WHAT is your deal? I gotta talk to Max!" he turned away again and began heading toward the back booth.

"Oh sure, that's just typical. Talk to Max," she made shooing motions at his back. " Go right ahead. It's not like I've been sitting here for hours worried that something bad happened or that you ran away and oh, I don't know, joined a cult. By all means 'talk to Max'."

Michael ignored her until she started muttering about dogs, trees, and insensitive aliens.

"Alright that's ENOUGH." He shouted and cut the air with his hand as he spun back around to face her. I have something important that Max needs to see, something about who I am and I really don't want to deal with your..your..," he searched for the right word. Didn't work. ".relationship issues."

"Uh -oh." Isabel muttered. She had slipped into the booth with Max and Liz just as Hurricane DeLuca began her next storm.

Maria looked hurt, and she expressed that pain in her typical style. "Issues? Issues!!? You know what Spaceboy? You can take your poor excuse for a heart and skip town anytime. I am SO out of here!"

"Ouch." Max whispered.

She didn't move, giving Michael a chance to let her in, to tell her what was so important. Someday, she'd learn.

"Fine!"

"Damn straight, FINE!" Maria's eyes glared daggers at him, snatched her bag off the counter and stormed toward the door.

Michael ran his hands down his face. "I can't deal with this now!" he called after her.

"DITTO!" she yelled, throwing his favorite expression back at him.

"DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT!" Michael hollered over his shoulder resuming his original course to the back booth.

Michael sat down next to Isabel and dared Max with his eyes to say something. He was doing a good job torturing himself. He knew he was cold to her. **Maybe I should have told her.. no, it's for the best. Safer that she leaves. Better this way. Crap, this sucks.** Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out the picture of Laurie's grandfather and placed in front of his almost-brother.

Liz looked over at Max as he studied the picture, and glanced at Michael who didn't quite hide the hurt in is eyes, then back at Max still hurting from her 'betrayal'. When would they realize that being 'Czechoslovakian' didn't protect their hearts either.

//Present//

Max shook his head and tapped the tickets against his hand, the bell ringing loudly, reminding him that he had class. Leaving the restroom, he wondered what was going on in Michael's head. Maria was the only person who seemed to tie his friend in knots and untangle him at the same time. Max thought about the last time she had performed, or what he had heard about it. Anytime Maria got up on stage she froze solid at first, but when she warmed up all the boys were putty in her hands. Michael was doomed.

As Max made his way toward biology, he heard his sister call his name.