Maria grabbed her gym bag; she was already late for her Tae Kwon Do class

Maria: Alex, I'm going now

Alex: 'Kay, I'll see you later Ria

She picked up her keys and rushed out the door, her trainer Mr. Han Sang Wu was going to be angry, he was forever lecturing her on discipline.

Before she could get very far though she ran into what felt like a stonewall and landed on her but.

Maria: Hey watch it

Michael: I wasn't the one barreling down here like a bat outta hell

Maria got back on her feet, angrily facing the 'stonewall'

Maria: look, spiky, get out of my way, I have better things to do with my life than swap insults with you

She tried to push past him but he continued to block her way

Michael: I'm waiting

Maria: For what, a personality? 'Cos in that case you'll be waiting a long time.

Michael scowled, this women was impossible

Michael: An apology

Maria spluttered, she couldn't believe the audacity of him

Maria: Well in that case you'll be waiting even longer than you would have for that personality of yours

She shoved her way passed him, this time sending him flying on to his butt. *Argh! That man is so exasperating* she thought as she rushed out of her apartment building, that was the third time she'd had to endure his annoying presence in as many days.

* * * * * *

Michael stormed into his apartment; Isabel looked up from her book and laughed at the murderous expression on his face.

Michael: What’s so funny

Isabel: You, my guess is you had another episode with the mystery woman

Michael continued to scowl as he flopped down on to the sofa

Michael: She's just so annoying.... and rude

Liz walked into the living room then, she took one look at Michaels face and guessed

Liz: The mystery woman again?

Michael: Nice to know you two find my life so amusing

Liz: Speaking of life, lets get back to our non-existent one, what did you get from the Conspiracy Theory book Issy?

Isabel: Personally I still think this is a bunch of hogwash, but from everything I've read, there's this one place that stands out the most, It's called the Eagle Rock Military Compound.

Liz: I still believe that some of these theories are based on fact, so what about this compound?

Michael sat up showing the first sign of interest in days

Isabel: The first interesting fact is that it's close to Roswell, and in theory is where they study alien life forms and anything UFO related.

Michael: So you think that's where they have Max?

Liz: It's a possibility, lets find out more about it. Okay, now onto the fourth alien...Michael, anything?

Michael: Nothing so far, all we know is that she moved here in the nineties and changed her name after that stalker episode.

Liz: So no new leads on her new name? Damn, for all we know, she doesn't even live here anymore.

Isabel: What about her brother? I mean we know her adoptive parents died in that car crash, but her brother is still alive isn't he?

Michael: I'm working on it, his last known job was as a computer science teacher; maybe he's still in the same line of work.

Liz: Well I still haven't found any pictures of her, which is really weird don't you think? Anyway I did manage to find a picture of him.

Liz passed the photocopied picture around.

Liz: Sorry, that's the best I could do, It's an old yearbook picture.

Isabel: If it’s an old yearbook picture how come you couldn't get one of her?

Liz: Apparently she refused permission, I think it's because she was hiding from her foster father who'd been stalking them for years, so I'm guessing she didn't want pictures of herself to in any way help him find her. Unfortunately he managed to find her anyway, it was in that car chase that her parents died.

Isabel: She's had such a rough time.

Michael: Yeah.

Liz: Guy's I hate to sound like the insensitive one here, but the next Tae kwon Do class starts in an hour. I want to make sure that we are prepared for everything, and that’s why as annoying as I may sometimes seem to you I keep bugging you to practice your powers.

Isabel: Yeah In a couple of weeks we'll be ass kicking aliens……and humans

She winked at Liz

* * * * * * *

Maria turned the shower on and stepped in, she let the water run over her hot and sweaty body, it had been a great work out and now her trainer Mr. Han Sang Wu had asked her to take the next class. She reached a hand out of the shower and picked up her watch, noticing she had 15 minutes till her next class she quickly turned the shower off and climbed out.

* * * * * *

Michael: ISABEL! This is a form of Karate; it does not require you to have perfect hair and perfect makeup.

Liz pulled on her jacket and looked at her watch, just as a perfectly made up Isabel joined them

Isabel: That doesn’t mean we have to look like homeless uneducated people

She looked pointedly at Michael and flicked her hair behind her shoulder.

Isabel: Lets go.

Michael sighed and grabbed the keys for the second hand jeep they'd bought when moving here.

* * *

In the jeep Liz continued to page through all the information on the Whitman family, or whatever they were calling themselves now, their parents had died two years previously in the car wreck and there were no other relatives, Liz sighed this was turning into another dead end. She chewed on her fingernail an idea forming in her head; she tapped Isabel on the shoulder

Liz: Issy, what if you tried dreamwalking Alex Whitman, we have a picture of him.

Michaels face brightened at the idea, but Isabel looked doubtful.

Isabel: I don't know Liz, you know I haven't done that since that time I tried when Max was taken

Liz: Yeah, but the reason you didn't get through to him is because we suspect he's being drugged, otherwise he would've already used his powers to escape. It had nothing to do with you, in fact if anything your powers are stronger than ever before.

Isabel: I don't know, I guess I could try

She still looked doubtful, but at least she was willing to try

* * *

Maria waited for the beginners class to file in, it was a sea of unknown faces, until that is her eyes fell on those of Michaels, she couldn't believe her luck *I must have really bad karma or something* she thought to herself.

When Michael looked up and saw Maria's shocked face he actually smiled until he realized she was taking the class, his smile immediately fell from his face *oh boy, something tells me this is going to hurt*

After an hour of immense torture Michael realized he'd been right when he predicted it to be a painful experience, the lady of torture herself had used him numerous times for examples and he was already beginning to feel the after effects of it, and it hurt. He had so many aches and pains he couldn't even count them, not to mention the decided limp he now sported.

Liz giggled at the pained expression on Michaels face, when he heard her giggle he threw her a glare before storming out of the room.

Liz and Isabel hung around after classes hoping to get a few words with this woman who had not only beaten Michael up, but who had somehow captured his interest, maybe even his heart.

She was tiny, with long strawberry blond hair and piercing green eyes.

Maria: Is there anything I can help you two with?

She looked up from her task of packing away the mats; she recognized them as the girls who had come with that annoying guy from her apartment building. She briefly wondered if either of them were his girlfriend before reminding herself that she didn't care.

The blond one was very tall and striking, the smaller one was a dark beauty with dark soulful eyes.

Isabel: Yeah, um, we were wondering if it would be possible to get extra lessons from you

Maria: You guys looked very advanced to me, why would you need extra lessons?

Isabel: We have done some of this before, and we were hoping to get into advanced classes, they were unfortunately fully booked and this was the only one we could get into, and, well frankly it's just a waist of time, no offense, you look like a really good trainer and all.

Maria: None taken, okay, if you're serious about it be prepared to train hard, I’ll meet you here every evening at 7:30

Liz: Thanks Miss..?

Maria: Deluca, Maria Deluca

Liz: Thanks Maria, by the way, I'm Liz Parker and this is my friend Isabel Evans

* * *

That night Isabel tried dreamwalking Alex, she got into his dream easy enough, but the most she could get from him was that they were still in the city, even though he was in a dream state it was like he realized the importance of keeping his sisters location a secret. She saw him sitting in a room strumming at a guitar, somewhere in the shadows stood a woman, she was singing to the tune that Alex played on the guitar. All too soon the song ended and the dream shifted to Alex sitting at a computer, he seemed to be talking to an unseen person called ‘Ria’. *Could this ‘Ria’ be her sister?* she wondered.

Isabel’s eye’s shot open as she left the dream, her breathing was ragged and she was perspiring from the effort, after all this had been her first dreamwalk in what, three years?

That same week she also had another vision of her sister, all she could make out was her blond hair, she couldn't see her features or location, but she did seem to be crying, and Isabel could read immense sadness from her, when she came out of the vision she realized that she had been crying too.

* * *

Liz opened up her bedside drawer and slipped the picture out, it had obviously been held many times over the years by the worn look it had. She lightly ran her fingers over the image silent tears running down her cheeks as she cried for the man she loved, the man who had been gone for over three years now.

She had no doubt in her heart that he was still alive, the very fact that her heart was still beating was testimony to that fact. But alive or not, he was still out there somewhere, probably in a lot of pain, who knew what the FBI were doing to him?

It had been a hard decision moving to LA, but the three of them had agreed that it was a good place to start looking for both of the missing aliens. Isabel had had a vision a year ago indicating that her sister was somewhere here in the city. As for Max, well he could be anywhere, but they would never give up looking, and maybe if they found this fourth Alien, she would be able to combine her powers with Michael and Isabel thus hopefully aiding them in finding Max.

She gently placed the worn picture back into her drawer and shut it. Climbing under the covers she said another prayer, the same one she had recited for over three years for the safe return of her man, her soul mate.

* * *

They'd been coming to the gym for a month now, the three girls got along very well and even Michael was somewhat cordial, although when he'd first found out about the extra lessons he'd been furious to say the least.

Michael: You did what?

Isabel: Watch the road Michael. I don't see why you're so upset, I mean we're never going to get anywhere if we stay in the beginners class.

Michael: But why her? She's like a..a...sadist!

Liz: Yeah whatever, it's called sexual tension Michael.

At this point Michael had turned around to glare at Liz and no doubt offer her some choice words on his thoughts, although before he could Isabel had screamed and grabbed the wheel as the jeep started to veer off the road narrowly missing a head on collision.

But if Michael had been angry, Maria had been positively seething when she saw him walk in the next evening, she'd put on a calm face and had used Michael for some more 'examples', needless to say he'd walked out of there that night with plenty of bruises, but he'd gone back the night after, and the nights following that.

After their nightly training Liz and Isabel had left to go and shower, Michael hung back and waited for them to leave before walking back.

Maria was still there packing up her stuff, humming a song as she worked; he cleared his throat attempting to get her attention. She looked up at him, her face devoid of all or any emotion.

Maria: Yes Michael, is there something that you wanted?

Michael shifted his weight and looked down at his feet

Michael: Uh yeah, I was wondering about, if..um..well...

He looked up at her, her eyebrows were raised and there was a look of amusement on her face, he lost his nerve and started to back away nervously

Michael: Never mind.

A fleeting look of disappointment flashed across her face before she masked it.

Half an hour later, the trio freshly showered were walking to their jeep

Liz: Hey isn't that Maria? Maybe she needs a lift

Liz looked up at Michael who shrugged and looked away *what was with him tonight?* She asked herself, frowning she grabbed his arm and lead him and Isabel to where Maria was standing

Liz: Hey Maria, do you need a lift?

Maria turned around her eyes briefly locking on Michaels before she averted them. Liz smiled *Ah! So that's what's going on*

Maria: Uh no thanks, my brother should be here any min...Oh, there he is

Alex pulled his jetta to the curb and climbed out, a beautiful blond woman next to his sister gasped

Isabel: You!

Alex looked around, confusion written all over his face, there were two other people standing there, they were also starring at him in amazement.

Alex: Excuse me?

Isabel stood there, her mind working overtime as she realized that Maria had to be her sister, she couldn't control herself as she pulled Maria into a hug sobbing the whole while.

Isabel: I can't believe we found you; do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?

Alex: Hello! Anybody care to explain what's going on here?

Maria pushed herself out of Isabel’s embrace repeating her brother’s question.

Liz: This is going to be difficult to explain..

Alex looked at her then at Isabel and Michael, clearly waiting for some explanation no matter how hard it was for them to explain

Liz: Maria is uh Isabel sister

Alex: How do you figure?

Isabel: We were separated when we were six; we also have a brother who's been missing for the last three years

Maria: Look, I'm sorry about your missing brother and sister it must be really hard, but that doesn't explain why you think I'm your sister

Maria made as if to leave but Michael stopped her with a hand to her arm

Michael: Hear us out.... please

Maria looked at his pleading face before sighing and crossing her arms

Maria: Fine, speak fast or I’m outta here

Liz: Do you remember anything from your childhood?

Maria: Just that I was found wondering around when I was six, nothing before that

Isabel: You were found by my adoptive parents...outside of our house.

Maria: That doesn't prove anything

Isabel: We've done the research believe me, and I've also had visions about you

Maria: Visions? Okay I wasn't sure before, but now I’m convinced you guys are crazy, goodbye, see ya in another life

Isabel: Wait! Have you ever noticed something different about yourself, like special powers?

Maria's eyes narrowed

Maria: You work for Henry don't you? I can't believe I almost fell for your story, how did you find me?

Michael: Henry was your foster father wasn’t he? How did he find out about you?

Alex: Find out what?

Maria looked close to tears

Maria: Please, I just want to be left alone to lead a normal life, why can't you people understand that?

Isabel: We know, we're just like you trying to live a normal life, but we can't 'cos we're different, and it's because of those differences that Max, our brother was kidnapped

Alex: What differences? Kidnapped?

Isabel: I know you remember something, I can see if in your face.

Just then all Maria's long buried memories came unbidden to the surface and she remembered, she remembered everything. She remembered a sac of some sort, she remembered climbing out of it only to find they'd already left and she was all alone and very frightened.

Maria: I was so scared, but I could feel you, I walked for two days until I reached this house and I just knew you were inside, hoping you'd come outside and find me. But these people came and took me away, and I...I tried to tell them but they just kept telling me it was a dream...and I eventually came to believe them.

Maria's body shook as she sobbed; Alex put his arms protectively around her keeping everyone else at bay.

Tears poured down Isabel's face.

Isabel: Maria please

She begged as she reached out a hand to Maria imploring her only to be stopped by an angry look from Alex.

Alex: Don't you people think you've done enough already?

Isabel looked helplessly at Liz and Michael as Maria pulled herself out of Alex's arms.

Maria: I need some time alone, to think. Do you think we could all meet at my place tomorrow for dinner to talk about it?

Isabel smiled gratefully and nodded, Liz grabbed Isabel’s hand for support and Michael put an arm around her.

Alex obviously wasn't pleased but kept his thoughts to himself, instead he grabbed Maria's hand and helped her into the Jetta, Maria's tear streaked face looked out at the trio as the car pulled away.

Liz, Michael and Isabel hugged each other, joy evident on their faces. Isabel started jumping up and down in excitement; one look at her and Liz was lost to a fit of giggles, immediately joined by laughter from Michael. Both girls stopped what they were doing and looked at Michael.

Michael: What?

Liz: It's just that, well I’ve never..

Isabel: ...seen you laugh or really be happy, it’s just, well it’s weird, like someone just changed the whole structure of the universe or something without filling me in on the changes..

Liz nodded in agreement.

Liz: What she said.

Michael grinned and walked away from them to the jeep, he lifted his eyebrows and asked

Michael: Well are you two coming or not?

Isabel and Liz looked at each other and smiled, things were finally starting to look good.

Liz burst out laughing again in the jeep, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, Michael was singing at the top of his voice 'Man I feel like a woman' her laughter soon stopped when a grinning Isabel joined in.

Finally deciding she didn't want to be left out she also joined in.

The Best thing about being a woman
is the prerogative to have a little fun...

Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I’m a lady
men’s shirts-short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style
Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction
Color my hair-do what I dare
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel
Man! I feel like a woman

Liz wished she had a camera to film Michael in a falsely high voice singing 'Man I feel like a woman'

* * * * * * * *

Isabel picked up the phone

Isabel: Hello?

Phillip: Issy is that you sweetheart?

Isabel: Yeah, hi dad

Phillip: How are things going up there?

Isabel: It's going really well, we found my sister - can you believe it?

Phillip: Oh Is, I'm so happy for you honey

Isabel: We're having dinner with her tonight

Phillip: Well good luck, I just wanted to let you know that I've sent up all the information on the Eagle Rock Military Compound for you, but it's not much I didn't want anyone getting suspicious.

Isabel: Oh daddy thank you, I'm sure it will be enough

Phillip: What makes you think that that's where they're holding Max?

Isabel: We've basically ruled out everywhere else

Phillip: Well okay, but please honey be careful, I couldn't handle losing you too

Isabel: We will, and we'll bring Max back to you

Phillip: Okay then, bye honey, remember we love you

Isabel: Love you too dad, bye

Isabel put down the phone and walked into the kitchen.

Isabel: Hmmm, what smells so good?

Michael turned around and grinned.

Michael: Tabasco flavored pancakes.

Liz: Eew yuck!

Michael: Don't worry Liz; I've got bland flavored pancakes for you too.

Liz: Well that's a relief, but how long is it gonna take? I have to be at work in an hour.

Isabel: Speaking of which, how is work going?

Liz: Not too bad, it's not the Molecular Biologist stuff I wanted to do, but at least I’m working in a lab environment. Anyway it's only temporary until we find Max, then I'll go back to college.

Isabel smiled at Liz, she was such a strong giving person, she'd put her whole life on hold so that she could have time to look for Max and for the fourth alien - Maria.

Michael: Stop chitchatting girls, grubs up and I didn't slave over a hot stove all morning for you two to stand there and attempt to look beautiful.

He grinned

Isabel: Little did we know that hiding behind cynical Michael was a comic gremlin attempting to kill us painfully with his terrible humor.

Isabel ducked when a dishcloth came sailing towards her head.

Isabel: Hey! This is war buster

She grabbed a sponge from the sink and sent it flying in Michael’s direction only to have him stop it midway with his powers and sends it flying back towards her. Isabel screeched when it hit her on the forehead.

Isabel: No fair, you cheated!

Michael: Hey, all is fair in love and war

Isabel gave a sly look in Liz's direction, silently communicating with her, Liz nodded and moved toward the sink, Michael saw them join forces, his grin slipping from his face as he slowly started to back away from them.

Isabel: Remember Michael, All is fair in love and War!

She slowly advanced on him a wicked grin forming on her face; she grabbed his arms as Liz poured a glass of water over him. Michael spluttered at the cold water ran down his face, before chasing the now squealing girls into the living room. He looked around for a weapon, his eyes immediately falling on a cushion, which he used to attack the girls with. After some time the three fell on the sofa in a temporary truce desperately trying to catch their breaths as they laughed.

ROSWELL SHERIFF'S STATION

As Cade Foster walked into the Sheriffs office he couldn't get over the irony of him a wanted man freely walking into a Sheriffs office.

Sheriff: Mister...?

Cade: Uh Jackson, Cade Jackson

Sheriff: Well Mister Jackson, what can I do for you?

Jim Valenti reached out and shook the mans hand before seating himself back in his chair and indicating the other chair for Cade to sit in.

Cade: Sheriff, look, I don't want to mince words, it's imperative I find Max and Isabel Evans and I was hoping that you knew where they were.

The Sheriff leaned back in his chair silently looking over the man in front of him.

Sheriff: Maxwell Evans disappeared over three years ago Mister Jackson

Cade sighed and rubbed the back of his head as if he'd just experienced an immediate headache from the news.

Cade: I was hoping that was just a ruse, you know so that the Gua wouldn't find him

Sheriff Valenti had no idea what he was talking about, but decided to play along; maybe he would finally get the information he had been looking for.

Cade: This complicates things, obviously the Gua don't have him or they would've done something already, that must mean the FBI know about him and are holding him somewhere.

He looked at Valenti who nodded in reply.

Cade: We have to find him and reunite him with the other three before the Gua find him, because if that happens we're all dead.

Cade had come there presuming the Sheriff was in the Aliens confidence. Eddie, his partner had come to this conclusion because of how much the Sheriff obviously knew and because he hadn't gone to the Feds with the information, he had no idea that the Sheriff was keeping the information he knew to himself for personal reasons until had found more proof.

Sheriff: Mind telling me why these kids are so important to you?

Cade: A while back we managed to decipher another quatrain of Nostradamus's prophecies; basically these four are our only hope for survival.

Sheriff: You're mistaken; there are only three of them, and what is it that you mean by only hope for survival?

Cade: No there are four, but this means you've found the third one too. Which one, the boy or the girl?

Sheriff: Look Mister Jackson, I'm not about to divulge this information to you until I know that I can trust you.

Cade: All right, I'm willing to tell you what I know, but only because they trusted you

(Pause)

Some time ago I was convicted for the murder of my wife, I was framed by the Gua of course, it was part of some of their experiments on the human mind and endurance, anyway I escaped and with some information managed to find these journals of Nostradamus's, he predicted me, he predicted the Gua and he predicted the destruction of earth in three terrifying waves, the first wave is already here. The Gua are an evil race of aliens, they are here to destroy us and take over earth, I've been fighting them for some time now, but I’m only one man and the truth of the matter is that they're too powerful, we don't stand a chance.

Or so I believed until I deciphered the quatrain predicting four aliens as our only hope, it is remarkable what they are capable of and I need to find them so that I can set their destiny in motion, I'm willing to believe that they don't know about their destinies or even how powerful they are. Sheriff, I can't stress to you enough how important it is that we find them, our whole world is at stake.

Sheriff: How would I know that you're not one of those Gua people setting up some sort of trap?

Cade: You don't, we're going to have to trust each other here, and you have to realize that I am also at risk here, you could be Gua, and even if you're not, you are a Sheriff and I am a man wanted for murder.

The Sheriff smiled, he could not believe his luck, naturally this guy could be a nutter, he was also not surprised by the fact that Max was an alien, he'd long since suspected it and probably even had enough evidence to prove it. And now sitting before him was a man verifying his suspicions and a felon to boot. This was too good to be true.

Sheriff Valenti decided to sit on all this information and see where it took him.

Sheriff: Okay Mister Jackson, I'll help you find these kids, but I want to be involved with everything from this day forward. Cade: Deal

* * *

Phillip Evans opened his door to find Sheriff Valenti and another man standing there.

Phillip: Sheriff?

Sheriff: Phil, mind if we come in and talk to you?

Phillip let the men in and led them to his study.

Phillip: What can I do for you gentlemen?

Sheriff: How's Diane holding up?

Phillip: She's doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, how about your boy, how's he doing?

Sheriff: Kyle’s good, he's in college now on a football scholarship

Phillip nodded.

Sheriff: I need to talk to you about your kids Phillip, or rather Mister Jackson here needs to talk.

Cade: Well firstly, I may as well come clean seeing as we're all going to be spending some time together, my name is Cade Foster and I’m afraid sir that what I have to tell you may come as a shock.

He began.

When Cade had finished repeating the same story he'd told the Sheriff earlier Phillip Evans was dumbfounded, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, they were talking about his children and the burden that they were now forced to carry at such a young age, it just wasn't fair.