"Let's check out some of the windows," Alex suggested.

The group split up. Liz, Max and Maria went one way and Alex and Isabel went the other.

Kitchen. Breakfast area. Bathroom. Laundry room. Isabel counted the windows off as she went past them and peeked inside. She rounded the corner of the house and looked in the next window.

There was Kyle lying on a bed. Definitely not asleep. He was bound and gagged. Isabel tapped on the window and Kyle's eyes met hers. She held up one finger and looked at him intently. He nodded his understanding.

Isabel motioned to Max and the others as they rounded the side of the house, and Max trotted to her side. She put her hand to the window frame and used her powers to make the latch slide free. Max pulled it open quietly and Isabel climbed through the window and rushed to Kyle's side. She pulled off the gag and started to free his hands.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

Kyle worked his jaw and swallowed hard. "Nothing damaged except my pride."

"Did your charming relatives do this to you?"

"Yeah," he replied rubbing his wrists together as Isabel started untying his feet.

"Where are they?" Max asked.

"They figured out the information about aliens in Roswell was missing from Dad's files. I think they've gone to the school to pry open my locker. Did you take care of that?"

"Yesterday," Max replied. "How long before they get back?"

"I don't know. They've been gone about a hour."

"I'm going to stay outside while I say this because I don't want to get pounded," Alex said. "But Kyle can't be loose when they get back or they will definitely suspect something."

Isabel gave Kyle a sympathetic look. "He's right. But what we came over here to tell you is that we have a plan. There isn't time to explain, but Michael is going to take your place here, and we're going to hide you pretty much in plain sight. At least until these guys leave."

"How is Michael going to take my place?" Kyle asked.

"Just take our word for it, he can do it and they'll never know," Max said picking up the rope and started to tie Kyle up again.

"We'll all come over tomorrow after school and do it then. Wear some plain jeans and a black T-shirt so the clothes will be easy to duplicate. OK?" she asked.

Kyle nodded his head and put his hands behind his back so Max could tie those as well.

"Isabel?" Kyle said.

She stopped retying his feet and looked up, 'Yeah?"

"They drugged me last night."

"What?" she said. "Why?"

"They kept asking me questions about missing files and about aliens in Roswell. Isabel, I didn't tell them about you." He didn't mention the part about the spiders. The macho part of him didn't want to confess being so scared of bugs. The honest part of him didn't want to even think about the experience. When they couldn't get any more answers out of him, Fred had left him writhing on the floor still trying to get the spiders off of his body. As the drugs started to wear off the hallucination receded, but the shivering hadn't. No matter how many blankets he piled on his bed he couldn't get warm enough to stop the shaking. Definitely not something to confess to the most beautiful girl at Roswell High, who by some miracle was showing an interest in him.

Isabel looked at Max and back to Kyle. "I believe you."

"We're getting you out of here tomorrow. Everything will be OK," Max said as he retied the gag.

"Just hang in there," she added.

They heard the garage door open. Max headed toward the window. "Come on, Isabel, we gotta go," he said climbing through.

Isabel didn't move as she held Kyle's gaze a moment longer. "We'll be back," she promised. She got up and climbed through the window as footsteps started down the hall.

Kyle nodded.

They slid the window closed and Isabel used her powers to engage the lock again. She ducked below the sill as the door opened.

"Have a nice nap, kid?" she heard one of the men ask Kyle as they all crept away.

@@@@@@@@@@

That evening after the Crashdown had closed, they all gathered and filled Michael in on the visit to the Valenti household.

"They drugged Kyle for God's sake! And they tied up!" Maria exclaimed. "I'm really wishing I hadn't opened my big mouth. I don't want Michael to hand himself over to people like that."

"Nothing will happen," Michael soothed pulling her into the curve of his arm.

"You don't know that. You can't know that," she argued.

"I can defend myself. You said so yourself," he reminded her.

"Please don't throw my words back in my face," she wailed. "I take it back. I take it all back!"

"Maria," Liz said, "Michael is right. Everything will be OK. I think these agents have gone through everything there is to go through. They've taken all the files and searched Kyle's stuff at school. There isn't anything else to find, so they will leave soon. They don't want Kyle, they just wanted the sheriff's files."

Maria looked doubtful.

"We don't want Michael in danger any more than you do, but I'm sure he can handle this," Max said.

"I know he can handle it. I just don't know if I can," Maria said.

Michael felt overwhelmed. She was the first human who had really cared about his wellbeing. Sure, there had been various Social Services workers who had checked up on him and had worked to see him through the foster care system. There had been more foster homes and foster families than he had cared to count. But those people had been paid to take care of him. It was their job. Maria had a choice, and she chose to care.

Maria sighed heavily but then squared her shoulders. "OK, we're going to do this, so we need to figure out the best way to minimize problems for Michael. And we also need to agree on a set amount of time for him to masquerade as Kyle. Then, no matter what, we get Michael out. Agreed?" She looked around and everyone nodded. "How long?" she asked.

"They have had Kyle home, what, three days? It has taken them this long to go through the files and basically ransack the house. I can't imagine that they have that much more they can do. I'd give it to the end of the week," Isabel said.

"I agree," Liz said.

"It makes sense," Max said.

"I want to name a day. Saturday?" Maria asked.

"Saturday," Michael repeated. Everyone nodded in agreement.