When Max had phoned her the other night and gave her the news her heart shattered into a million pieces. Alex, her Alex, had fallen in love with someone else and was getting married. He was getting married to someone who wasn't her. They had tried to keep in touch over the years. Alex even made a trip out to see her that first year. But, their lives were so different and in the end they gradually lost touch. It had been nearly two years since she had spoken to him. Max always updated her on the important happenings of their lives, but she always felt out of touch. Max was one of the only people she still kept in contact with, mostly because he was her brother. She wasn't able to make it to his wedding to Liz. She had really wanted to, but it conflicted with her filming schedule. They were both angry with her, but in the end, they understood- her work was her passion.

In the ten years she had been away from Roswell, she felt like she had lost herself in trying to discover who Isabel Evans really was. Was she the talented actress, the confused woman, or an abandoned alien? She really didn't know who she was anymore. That was one of her reasons for coming home. That and the fact she needed to tell Alex that she still loved him, hoping there was a way that some part of him loved her too.

When she pulled into her parent's driveway, it was close to 8 pm. She knew her parents were somewhere in Europe, they seemed to travel a lot after her and Max graduated high school. So, no one would be there to greet her or tell her how happy they were that she was home. She had told no one she was even coming home. It was a split-second decision on her part to come back to Roswell. She had just decided on leaving two days ago. She threw some stuff in her car and drove towards New Mexico, not thinking of anything, but Alex.

She unlocked the front door with the key she always kept on her key ring. She carried the key with her everywhere, to remind herself that she did have another life she could return to at anytime. She immediately went upstairs to her room and opened the door. She looked around to discover everything was just how she left it, like if they had changed anything she would never come home. Isabel walked around the room taking in everything. On her dresser there was her Prom picture of her and Alex. To the right of it was the picture of all six of them together. She walked over to her closet and looked inside to discover all of her clothes still hanging there. That's when she remembered it.

"I know it's back here." She said to herself. "A-ha! There you are." Isabel said as she grasped the book's binding in her hand. She pulled it out of her closet and looked at the cover. My Astronomy book. She thought to herself. She looked at it lovingly remembering the day nearly 13 years ago that Alex had given her this book. "He never thought I'd keep it. He never really new how much I loved this book." She could feel the tears flooding her eyes as she wiped ten years of dust from the cover.

Isabel sat on her bed remembering everything they had shared. The time she had went into his dreams and discovered how he really felt about her. Their first kiss on his front porch. Her dragging him into the eraser room. Alex giving her the space she needed after she discovered the truth about their destiny. She remembered when she thought she was pregnant by Michael and how Alex had told her he'd be there for her no matter what. She thought about Prom and the first time they made love. She thought about the way Alex looked when they last saw each other.

Isabel was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't hear her bedroom door open.

"Isabel? What are you doing here?" Max asked his sister shocked.

Isabel startled from her thoughts quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Max, I didn't hear you. What are you doing here?"

"The neighbors called me when they noticed lights on and a strange car in the driveway. They know that Mom and Dad were gone and that you don't come home. They were worried, so they called me. What are you doing here?" Max asked again puzzled.

"I just wanted to come home, Max. Aren't you happy I'm back? You've been asking me to come home for years. And now you're acting like you're pissed at me." Isabel said to her brother. "Aren't you even going to give me a hug?"

Max grinned at his sister and crossed the room to give her a hug. The embrace between the siblings went on forever. They didn't want to let go of each other, both fearing that it was a dream and soon they'd wake up. It had been nearly a year since Max and Liz had went to Los Angeles to see Isabel.

"I'm sorry, Izzy. It's just weird to see you here. Not just here as in the house, but in Roswell. I thought you didn't want to come back. Did something bad happen?" Max asked his sister, worried.

"Yeah, something happened. Your phone call woke me up."

"What? What do you mean?"

"It woke something up inside of me, Max Something I haven't felt in so long. I realized how much I missed everyone and everything in Roswell. Max, I missed home. After talking to you, I thought about the last ten years and then it hit me- I was wrong, I'm not happy in L.A. At least, not like I was here. Then, I took a real good look at myself and I didn't like what I saw. The whole celebrity thing, that's not me and we both know it. I missed being myself around people. I missed having real, genuine friends. The ones you can hang around with in sweats and just watch the same videos you've watched a million times with before. And who know every little thing about you and don't care if you're different. I missed having someone who truly loved me, and really listened to what I had to say. Someone who was always there when I needed them. Max, I realized just how much I missed Alex being in my life." Isabel told him saying the last sentence in a whisper.

"Isabel, I glad you came to this self-realization, but things have changed. Alex waited for you to come back here for eight years. Eight years that took a toll on him, Isabel. Every time there was a new article about you and some other guy, he took it all in stride, because he believed that you truly loved him. And because he loved you so much. He took a lot of ribbing about it. You weren't here to see the pain in his eyes. Now, just when you find out he's getting married, you decide to come back to Roswell. You made the choice not to be with him, Isabel. You crushed him. It's taken forever, but he's finally over you. He's happy. You need to just leave the guy alone!" Max had rarely said harsh words to his sister, but he had seen Alex go through hell over Isabel once and he didn't want that to happen again.

Isabel had never seen Max so angry. Usually, he was the one who would have encouraged her to go after what she wanted. Maybe he is right, Isabel thought to herself. I probably would only hurt him, again. He deserves so much more. Isabel felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Max saw the tear and his heart lurched. He could never bear to see her cry. His anger passed and he pulled her into a hug.

"Is. Isabel, don't cry. Please don't cry." Max begged her. "I'm sorry I was so harsh."

"Max, you're right. I turned him away. I'm the one that left. I don't deserve him. I never deserved him. I won't bother Alex while I'm here."

" That’s not what I meant. It's just that I don't want to see him hurt again. I don't think he would survive it. How long will you be here?" Max wondered out loud.

"I really don't know. Maybe a few days. Maybe a week. Maybe forever. I just know that right now I want to be here. Home."

"Won't that hurt your career?"

"Right now, Max, I really don't care. I probably have enough money to last me the rest of my life. If worse comes to worse, I could get a job at the Crashdown." Isabel said with a chuckle making Max laugh out loud also.

"Yeah, I can really see you in that uniform again." Max teased. "Do you want to stay with me and Liz? I know it'll get lonely being in this house alone." Max said to her. He just realized how much he missed having Isabel in his life.

"No. I want to stay here in our house, in my own room, and in my own bed." Isabel said to Max as he nodded, totally understanding her need to be home.

"What about if Liz and I came over here and stayed with you?" Max asked. He wanted to keep an eye on her.

"You would do that?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure Liz would want to. Let me call her. I'll be right back."

"Take your time. I'm in no hurry to go anywhere." Isabel said meaning every word.

***** "Wait, Max, what do you mean Isabel's home?" Liz asked.

"She's sitting in her room right now. She looks so sad and alone, Liz. I've never seen her look like this before. It's scaring me. I told her that we'd stay with her at the house while she's here." Max told her and then added, "But it's totally up to you."

Liz smiled. "Max, you knew I'd say yes before you ever asked me. Let me grab some things and I'll be right over."

Max grinned at himself as he hung up the phone. He really had no idea how he got to be so lucky. He had the perfect marriage. When he healed Liz the day of the shooting at the cafe he had truly connected them for life. Even when she selflessly walked away after learning his destiny, the connection did not break. She was there for him when he came to her after finding out that there was no home for him to go back to. She was always there for him. She truly was his soul-mate.

"What are you smiling about? Oh, no! Not the soul-mate-gushing-lovey thing. I so did not miss that!" Isabel said to her brother teasingly.

Max laughed out loud. "Caught! You know, Is, you should be encouraging it, that is if you want to have any nieces or nephews." Max saw the look of surprise on Isabel's face when he said that. He then quickly added, "Liz said okay. She's packing some things for us, so she should be here in a little while. Have you eaten? You looked starved." Max said looking at her too-thin body. "I could make you something."

Isabel shook her head at him. "You know what would be really good right now? A burger from the Crashdown." Isabel said as her mouth watered at the thought. Being around the other actresses in Hollywood, she never really had the chance to pig out. Her agent was always telling her she needed to lose five more pounds.

"Are you serious?! You are serious. You really have been gone a long time. Let me call Liz and tell her to meet us there." Max said chuckling at his sister.

***** Isabel walked through the cafe doors and quickly scanned the room. It hadn't really changed that much, she thought. It still had all of the alien memorabilia and it still smelled the same as she remembered. But, in the cafe she felt at home, like she had never left. She saw that the booth they had normally used as teenagers was free so she walked towards it and sat down. Max followed her, amazed that she still remembered. He motioned for the waitress to come take their order.

"Hey, Max. What'll it be tonight? The usual?" The waitress asked him and then looked towards Isabel and shrieked, "OH, MY GOD. You're Isabel Evans, right. The actress. Isabel Evans, eating at the Crashdown Cafe. A movie star eating here."

"Calm down, Jane." Max said to her. "We kind of were hoping to keep a low profile. This is my sister. Why don't you just give us two of the usual. Remember, low profile."

"Your sister? I didn't know you had a sister. You want it low-key, okay. But, only if I could get an autograph, later."

They both agreed and she left them alone.

"So, I thought you were supposed to be doing some major movie. What happened?" Max asked her, making small-talk.

"I quit." Isabel said plainly.

"You quit? Why?" Max looked at her puzzled.

"The director was being such an asshole. He had the script rewritten so I had to strip in nearly every scene. He wanted me butt naked throughout the whole movie, which is something I promised mom and dad I would never do. So I told him he could take his script and shove it up his ass. And I walked out."

Max looked at her smiling. "Sounds like my Isabel." He said to her thinking about her "Ice Princess" days in high school.

"I guess so." She said as she lightly giggled to herself.

When Maria and Michael walked through the door of the Crashdown, Michael had a strange feeling. And when he saw Max sitting in a booth with some blonde woman, laughing. Michael looked a bit closer and stopped in his tracks, and he knew why he was having the feeling. "Isabel." He said out loud, not believing his eyes.

"It can't be. She said she'd never come back. Why would she come back now?" Then it both hit them at the same time--Alex. She knew he was getting married.

"Well, let's go get some answers." Michael said, hoping that she was back for good.

As Michael and Maria were walking over to their booth, Max spotted them and warned Isabel. She just sat there, not knowing what she was going to say. She really didn't have to worry. When Michael reached the booth he wasted no time, he pulled Isabel up to a standing position and gave her a huge hug. Maria joined him.

"It is so good to see you." Michael said to her. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"Hey! You aren't the only one. I can't believe you're really here, Isabel!" Maria shrieked at her. "How long are you going to be here? Are you back for good?" Maria rambled on at Isabel as they all sat back down.

"I don't know how long I'll be here. But it is so great to see you, both. I've really missed you guys. Now, you have to tell me about that baby of yours." Isabel said to them. Michael and Maria had impulsively gotten married right after high school, against everyone's wishes. No one had ever expected them to last this long together, but then their friends knew that deep down inside they would never have lasted apart.

"Oh you should see Bella! She's just learning how to walk and talk." Maria gushed about her daughter. Michael just sat and smiled. Isabel watched him listen to Maria talk about their daughter. I've never seen him so look so happy. He was so stupid to even think about letting her go.

"Did you say Bella? I thought her name was Anna?" Isabel asked them, looking at Max.

"It's her middle name." Maria told Isabel and then added, "We named her after you."

"What? Why me?" Isabel asked her.

"Because we wanted her to have a connection to you, even if you weren't here." Michael explained.

"Speaking of which, where is she?" Max asked.

"Thank heaven for grandmothers!" Maria said. "My mom is in her "grandmother" mode. She wanted to take her for the night, and we needed a break. So, we gladly handed her over."

"I just think she wanted to give us time alone, so she could have more grandchildren." Michael jokingly said.

"Only if you're the one who has the next one, okay." Maria said to him jokingly.

Jane appeared with their order soon after Michael and Maria arrived at the cafe. The light-heartedness that they had been sharing was broken by the time that Liz had arrived at the cafe.

"Isabel, why did you stay away for so long?" Michael half-said and half-sighed.

"I don't really know. Stupidity I guess." Isabel said to him, finally realizing it herself. I should have came home a lot sooner. I should have never let go of Alex and my friends. That was when she began to cry.

"Isabel, don't start crying again." Max said trying to comfort his sister.

"How can you even stand to talk to me? I abandoned everything-you, my home, and Alex! For what? To be famous. I'd trade it all in a minute if I could. I should have never left." Isabel sobbed.

Liz walked through the back door of the cafe with Alex in tow. As soon as Max had hung up with her, she immediately went over to his apartment and told him Isabel was in town. Shocked, he told Liz he was going to the cafe with her. They both looked through the window in the swinging door. Alex looked at her wondering what was being said. He could tell it was intense just by watching Michael and Maria's faces, but then he heard Isabel's voice raise and saw her fling herself into her arms on the table. She's crying, he thought to himself. Anger rose in him, Nobody makes Isabel cry. His desire to protect her again surged through him once more and he rushed through the door.

Alex walked over to the booth and pulled Isabel into an embrace. "Don't cry. Isabel, don't cry. Shh. Shh." Alex said comforting her. Am I dreaming? Isabel asked herself. Alex is holding me. Alex is here. What is Alex doing here? Isabel started to panic. Then she noticed Liz whispering to Max. Isabel wanted to know what was said, but she didn't want to break this embrace.

Finally, after a few minutes, Alex pulled back and looked into her tear-streaked face. She is still so very beautiful, he thought. When he tried to look into her eyes, she quickly adverted them, but not quickly enough. He saw the love still blazing inside of her. He saw His Isabel still in there. His Isabel. He hadn't thought that phrase in ages.

Isabel started to feel constricted, so she pulled away from him.

"Liz, how are you?" Isabel asked, trying to compose herself once again.

"Fine. Are you okay, Is?" She asked her sister-in-law.

"Yeah, I think I am." Isabel said, more to herself than any body.

After a few minutes, Isabel started yawning and her eyes grew tired.

"I'm sorry guys. I'm really tired. I practically drove straight through. Do you mind if we picked this up tomorrow?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah. Why don't we go up to the lake or something like that?" Liz said.

"Why don't we go to the quarry." Alex said. They all looked at him in shock. The quarry was the one place that they went to talk alone. It had been a while since they had all been there. At least together.

"The quarry? Why not the quarry. We could have a picnic and catch up." Isabel said, remembering all the times that her and Alex had spent there alone.

"Is noon good for all of you?" Alex asked. To the rest of the group it would appear as if they were trying to set up a group date, like they did when they were in high school.