"Vilandra, come back with us. We need you. He needs you. Betray your brother once more and return with us to your lover. He will protect you."

"No," she shouted back. "I love my brother. I would never betray him!"

"You did before. You knew it was what was right for your people."

"My brother is what is right for my people."

"He's not strong enough. He is weak. He will fail."

"No!"

Isabel woke up screaming once more. She looked around her room in a panic. It was still early, she must have fallen asleep while she was studying. It was understandable considering that she barely got any sleep at all lately. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her heart was thumping in her chest as she wondered if it had really been a dream or if the Skins had the same ability that she did--to 'walk' in people's dreams. When they couldn't reach her in this world maybe they began trying to reach her on the dream plane.

How could she fight them when they wouldn't even leave her alone in her own mind? When Senator Whitaker had told her that she betrayed Max in their previous life to be with her love she hadn't believed her. Nothing and no one would make her betray Max. But the more assaults to her mind she took, the more she was beginning to believe.

"I can't breathe!"

She stood up and went to the window. It was suddenly so hot in her room. She yanked the window up and saw them--the four Skins from her dream, standing in her backyard. * * * * * * * Liz Parker was crouched behind a boulder, staring at the remains of her car, wondering exactly how she was going to explain to her father how it got so many bullet holes in it. When she had gotten Maria's Jetta shot up Sheriff Valenti had gotten it fixed up before anyone could ask any questions. She supposed she could ask him to do the same for her, although she couldn't even explain to him how it happened because she wasn't certain why.

"You're sure you aren't hurt?"

Liz turned and looked at Agent Mulder. The moon was full and it illuminated the desert well.

"Yeah, I---"

Then she noticed the growing red stain on the shoulder of his jacket.

"Oh my God, you've been shot."

Mulder glanced at his shoulder and nodded.

"Yeah, I noticed."

Liz scrambled up behind him and began peeling off his jacket.

"We need to get you to a doctor."

"It's only a scrape. What we need to do is get out of here."

Liz nodded in agreement and looked around.

"Where is here," she asked as she returned her gaze to the wound on his shoulder.

Agent Mulder had shoved her head down when the gunplay started. He'd grabbed the steering wheel and told her to keep her foot on the accelerator. She figured she'd break her neck if he hit anything but a bullet hole wasn't going to be good for her health either so she'd obeyed. He'd managed to get away from whoever had shot at them by pulling off the highway and going out into the desert but now she didn't know where they were.

"I don't know but we have to keep moving."

"Let me at least bandage this to keep it from bleeding." She pulled her apron off and began tearing it.

"It's almost like you've done this before," Mulder observed.

"Oh, I use to be a volunteer at a clinic."

"A lot of bullet wounds at the Roswell clinic?"

Liz smiled nervously at him. "Nothing this exciting."

Mulder shifted uncomfortably as she began to wrap up his shoulder. "I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of this."

Liz gave a start.

"They were shooting at you?"

"Did you think they were shooting at you?"

Liz laughed that demented, uncontrollably laugh again.

"No, I--I just assumed it was some sort of drive by, or something. After all, who would shoot at us on purpose?"

"If you had a piece of paper I could make you a list."

Liz considered that with a bit of relief. She'd been wondering who was trying to kill her now. The Skins wouldn't be using guns and the Special Unit had been disbanded. If they'd been shooting at Agent Mulder then that was good--good in the way that she wasn't the primary target anyway.

Mulder glanced up at his teenage companion and considered her. She seemed eerily calm for someone who had almost gotten her head blown off. It almost seemed like it wasn't that big of a deal to her.

"How does that feel," she asked when she finished wrapping his shoulder. He moved it a little and grimaced.

"Like I've been shot," he replied. He stood up carefully. "But it's not like it's the first time. Come on." * * * * * * * "I asked what the hell are you doing," Maria said in an angry whisper.

Michael picked up Liz's journal and looked around nervously.

"I'm looking for Liz," he lied.

"Bull." She stomped over to him. "What's that?"

Michael shoved it behind his back but not before she caught a glimpse of it.

Maria stopped cold.

"Oh, do not tell me that is what I think it is."

"It's none of your business, that's what it is," he said, pushing past her and climbing out the window onto the roof. Maria scrambled after him.

"Do you think that you can just break into my best friend's room, steal her most personal possession and I'd let you get away with it?"

Michael turned on her. "I'm not stealing it, I'm borrowing it."

"Borrowing it?"

"Something went down between Max and Liz and whatever it was has thrown Max for a loop. I need to know what it was."

"So you can't ask her? You have to resort to petty theft? Do you know how hideous this is? A girl's journal is where she puts her most private, most personal thoughts and feelings. Things she wouldn't admit to anyone else in the world, not even her best friend. Leave it to you to be caveman enough to paw through it."

"Hey, she didn't mind all that much the last time!" The moment the words left his mouth he wanted to snatch them out of the air.

Maria's eyes got so big he thought for a moment they'd pop out and roll around on the ground. Her mouth moved up and down but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat. Finally, she shoved him so hard he fell backwards onto a lawn chair. The journal flew open on his lap.

"It was you?!"

Michael cringed.

"You stole her journal the last time? She told me some friend returned it. Oh you are slime!" Maria reached over and snatched the journal away from him.

"If you'd done that to me I would have kicked your---" She glanced down at the open book in her hands and gasped.

"What?" Michael was on his feet instantly.

Maria slammed the book shut.

"Nothing."

"Like hell." He reached for the journal but Maria backed away from him, holding it above her head, even as she scrambled up on a folding chair. "What did it say?"

"Nothing," she repeated but it wasn't nothing. It was another galaxy away from nothing. "I just caught a glimpse of something about Kyle and how she--slept with him."

Michael's jaw fell open.

"No way."

"I'm sure it was out of context."

Michael grabbed the journal out of Maria's hand and opened it.

"No! This is wrong."

"Then don't read it," he said. He turned his back on her and started to read. A second later he felt Maria peering over his shoulder. * * * * * * * * I have never felt so horrible in my life. And even though I know I did it for all the right reasons I still feel so ashamed. Max Evans, the love of my life, will got through the rest of his life thinking I betrayed him with my soul and my body.

When FM (I'll call him FM to avoid confusion) showed up on my rooftop he terrified me but even then I didn't realize to what degree he would end up destroying my life. How he got there I'll theorize about later, all I'll say now is that he convinced me who he was with the mariachi's and roses. Then he told me if I didn't break if off with Max for good it could lead to the end of the world--literally. He wouldn't give me details but he convinced me what he was saying was true.

So I tried everything--I coached Tess on how to attract Max and I even begged him to let me go but nothing worked. I think because I didn't want it to. But FM kept telling me about our future together--some of it sounded wonderful--even the wedding at the Elvis Chapel. I never imagined myself getting married like that but he made it sound so incredible.

But after he told me what would happen to Isabel and Michael if I didn't do what he asked I was convinced. When Maria, with tears in her eyes, told me how she felt when she found Michael with Courtney together I realized what I could do. So I went to Kyle. I didn't know if he'd agree but he did. He told me he'd found Buddha so maybe that had something to do with it. We went back to my bedroom and Kyle got undressed while I was in the bathroom with FM. He didn't approve of my plan--I think he was a little jealous. I had to ask him to look away when I finally got undressed--he thought nothing of it, I guess because he had probably seen me without my clothes a hundred times.

Wrapped in a towel, I went out to find Kyle waiting. I clarified the rules once more just in case--nothing was really going to happen between us, it was all a show. Then we crawled into bed together and the whole thing was pretty awkward at first but Kyle put me at ease so I was actually laughing when Max finally came. Kyle saw him first because I could see it on his face. I looked at the window and Max was there. His face---oh God, it was awful. He had the Gomez tickets in his hand, and he was just standing there, so still. He finally turned and ran and if I hadn't been naked and if Kyle hadn't been there I would have ran after him. I would have babbled that I had staged the whole thing, I would have kissed him, I would have done anything to take that look off his face. Anything. But Kyle was there and I have to live the rest of my life with that memory.

Kyle left after that and I got dressed. FM stayed with me a little longer. He tried to make me feel better and so I asked him to dance. I told him I wanted my wedding dance and he smiled--that wonderful little boy smile that I'll probably never see again. We danced on the rooftop outside my window, me and the thirty year old man from my future, and in those few minutes I was truly happy. And then he was gone and I was alone for what I think may be forever. *