The voice wasn't attached to a physical body. It just existed. There was nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to feel, taste, or smell. It was all a mental aberration. The world was a black nothing.

*****

Ashtar quietly stuck his head in the door to check on them. He sensed that the connection had been made, but he wanted to make sure everything was going all right. This was afterall a new thing to them. And it was dangerous. He had sensed that Michael was not exactly good at controlling his emotions, so he had neglected to say anything when Michael had asked if it would kill her. But Michael had been right. There was a possibility that this kind of ritual, a Dilana ritual, could kill the human girl. They didn't know and that was what worried him. He was more worried than he had led the rest to believe.

He saw that the two had in fact merged. They sat staring into each other's eyes and burning bright in between their hands were the Asarra orbs. As far as he could tell, they were in deep which meant that they wouldn't be easily distracted. That was good.

He decided to go into the room and supervise until they came out safely.

*****

The dark was fading. A light was growing. "What's happening? Ssshhh.! Fine! Watch."

***Flash***

Michael opened his eyes but saw nothing. He tried to move but he was bundled up. He was slamming his hands all around him, but he was fully encased. He cried out something unintelligible and then heard a hissing noise. It was loud and it hurt his ears. The top of his casing began to rise. He clumsily stood up, his limbs flimsy, and looked around. It was still dark. He saw a light up in front of him. It hurt his eyes. He walked towards it and slipped out of the crack in the cave.

***Flash***

"Mommy?!" the five year old, pig-tailed Maria called. She had just got home and was crying.

"What honey?" her mother called from the other room.

"Get in here right now, Mommy!" Maria stomped her feet with every word.

"What?" a twenty-two year old Amy Deluca entered the room. "Hey, what's wrong, honey? Why are you crying?"

Little Maria talked in between her sobs. "Look at my hair! Danielle White stuck gum in my hair, and I...and then she...and so I... and she said I was weird because next week it's daddy day at school and I didn't know what a daddy was. Then she told me what a daddy was and then put gum in my hair."

Amy stood listening with her hands on her hips. The more Maria went on, the faster her toe tapped. When Maria was done she said, "Look baby, calm down we'll take care of your hair." and then under her breath she muttered "...and I will be calling that little bitch's parents."

"Wait. Mommy?" Baby-Maria turned wide, round eyes up at her mother. "Where's is...why don't I have a daddy?"

Amy sighed, picked Maria up and placed her on her lap. "Maria, baby, your daddy abandoned us."

***Flash***

"Maria and Mikey sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love, than come marriage, then comes Maria with a baby carriage." Maria looked around at her second grade classmates, her face red.

It was Valentines Day. Maria had just opened up her card mail box and found an extremely large heart with lace trim. It was signed 'your secret admirer.' Pammy Troy saw it and said "Oooh. Hey everyone! Someone loves Maria." The entire class then joined her and she was surrounded by a whole chorus of oooooooh's.

"I bet is was Johnny Randall!" one child called and Johnny shook his head fiercely and said "No way, Maria's gots cooties."

"No I think it was Murray," another child called. Murray made a face and said "Yuck! It wasn't me!"

"I know, it was probably Mikey Guerin!" Pammy Troy said and all of the girls went "Eeew!"

Mikey didn't say anything. He just sunk lower in his seat and shook his head no, his face turning a little red. He had sent her the valentine -Maria Deluca was the prettiest girl in the whole world - but he wasn't going to admit it.

That is when Pammy began to sing, the entire class joined her. "Maria and Mikey sitting in a tree...."

***Flash****

"Where the hell are you, boy? I'm gonna give you a whipping you wouldn't believe!"

Eleven year old Michael was hiding under his bed, his breathing labored. Hank was mad this time because Michael accidentally spilt his last can of beer when he was running in the house. He jumped when his door flew open.

"Where are you, you little shit?" Hank called.

Michael put his hands over his mouth and closed his eyes tightly. He jumped when he heard Hank's belt slap against the metal frame of his bed. "I know you're under there, boy! You best come out now or I will just drag you out and beat you twice as hard!"

Michael slowly crawled out and began to cry. "Please don't hit me. Hank I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! Please, please, please!" he put his hands over his bottom.

"Move you hands now, boy!"

"No! Please! I'm so-so-so-so sorry! Please!" Michael pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

"I'll give you one more chance, Mickey. Move your hands! Now!"

Michael couldn't speak. He shook his head no, and then squeezed his eyes shut as the belt came crashing down on his bare back.

***Flash***

Maria was thirteen and it was time for the eighth grade Sadie Hawkins Dance. Liz Parker, Maria's one and only best friend had just asked Bryan Jenson and he accepted. Liz was now trying to help Maria pick her date.

"How about Alex?" Liz suggested.

"Alex is our friend, I don't like him that way. I would rather ask...oh, nevermind. " she glanced quickly over at Michael Guerin. She could of sworn that he was looking at her and he had averted his eyes quickly when she looked at him.

"How about Doug Carsen?" Liz suggested. Maria considered it for a second, and then nodded. She walked up to Doug and asked, and he accepted.

**

Michael had been watching her. He had thought for a second that cute, blabbermouth, Maria was going to ask him. He would have gone with her if SHE asked, but not with anyone else. Instead, she got up and asked Doug. Michael muttered under his breath "Stupid Sadie Hawkins Dance. I didn't want to go anyways."

***Flash***

"Catch them!" Liz Parker cried.

"Catch them? Liz, were in a Jetta!" Maria yelled back. She thought she was going to be sick. Max Evans? An alien! Who ever would have thought?

She threw the car in to the alley that the jeep had just pulled into and slammed on the breaks when she saw they were stopped. Her and Liz exited the car. Maria wrapped her arms around her self.

"Okay," she said to Liz when she saw that Michael Guerin and Isabelle Evans were with Max as well, "What are they doing here? Don't tell me...."

"Well." was all Liz would say.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Michael Guerin?!!! Maria wanted to scream. Up until last year, she'd had the hugest crush on Michael. And now she was being told that he was an alien! She was surprised that she was able to remain conscious.

"Maria knows," Liz stated simply.

***

Great! Michael thought. Blabbermouth Maria knows. Can this get any worse? he wondered.

He looked at her full on and thought to himself, *God, she looks amazing in that tight green spandex thing. Damn Michael, focus.*

"Get out of here." he said to the girls.

***Flash***

*It's too damn hot. I can't stay here any longer.* Michael thought as he sat in his room. His shirt and jeans were sticking to him and he felt a trail of sweat running down his forehead. He got up and muttered that he was leaving for a while to a drunk Hank.

He walked without knowing where he was going. *It's ten o'clock at night and it must be a hundred fucking degrees out here* he thought.

He had been walking for a while when he realized where his feet had taking him. And it only took him a second before he realized why. *There she is. And damn, she looks good in that little blue top and tight cut-off's. God, I want her.* Before he realized what he was doing, he was standing outside the door. She had seen him. She put the broom aside, and then walked over and unlocked the door. He came in and then she kissed him. Hard.

***Flash***

"I'm gonna go get some air," Maria said to him, trying to keep her voice steady. The moment she turned around, she burst into silent tears.

She walked home in a teary stupor. Her mom had already gone to bed, so she quietly climbed up the stairs and then climbed on to her bed. She cried herself to sleep.

****

Michael watched her as she cried. He had followed her home, and climbed up the large tree in front of her house to watch her. He felt like a such a prick. He did want her, more than he'd ever admit. He just didn't want to hurt her later on. *Admit it you coward, you don't want yourself to get hurt.*

*****

More visions of their life came. Through their connection, Michael and Maria saw all. Not a single thought, feeling, moment or action from the last sixteen years was hidden.

****

***Flash***

"I've gotta be a stone wall around you."

***Flash***

"Not if you were the last woman on Earth"

***Flash***

"Not if you were the last alien on Earth"

*****

"It's too fast!!" The M&M voice cried. "It's hurting my head! I have a head!!! This time it was Maria's voice. They were returning to their bodies.

*****

***Flash***

"You mean human?"

"Yeah, and I don't want to feel that way."

***Flash***

"Mud, I'm thinking of mud."

"Why do I even try?"

***Flash***

**** "Michael it hurts!" Maria screamed. Now that she was back in her body, she was holding her head. The sound of their own voices, extremely loud in her head. "Make it stop!"

"I can't!" he screamed. He looked over and saw Ashtar. "Help!" he cried.

***Flash***

"I'm no Pollyanna. I don't think what we have is real."

***Flash***

"I hate you!"

"Ditto!"

***Flash***

"Be a guy!"

***Flash***

"We're you ever going to thank me?"

*****

"Michael I can't take it anymore. I..." Maria's voice stared out as a screech and ended as a strangled cry. Her body started to convulse and a trickle of blood began to drip from her nose.

"Help me, you bastard!" Michael called again to Ashtar.

"You have to let go of her hands!" Ashtar screamed as he approached him.

Just then the others came in. "What's going on?" Lana asked, her eyes wide.

"She couldn't handle it. She's hurt!" Michael said, as he released her hands. He body went still and she collapsed, the back of her neck resting on the edge of the bath.

Lana ran to Maria and propped her up. She put her hands up to her neck and gasped.

"What?" Michael asked.