Michael. Now there was a different problem entirely. Anya and Xander had stayed for a week or so after the battle with Cole's vampires. A battle that none of her friends would talk about. From what little Maria had gotten out of them, she was glad she hadn't been there, but Michael had withdrawn from her just as he had after accidentally killing Pierce. He'd been badly shaken by what he'd seen and done that night. They had all been affected. That much was obvious, but none of them would talk about it. Michael was in his protect-by-withdraw mode. He had gotten over his fear of hurting her with his powers by practicing them with Tess, but this was different. Now, he was trying to 'protect' her from something he had absolutely no control over.

Michael doing it was bad enough, but Liz had started to pull away as well. Whatever they weren't telling her about must have been bad. They had won, Liz said, but the price had been terrible. Maria could only guess that the battle had been as devastating for the vampire hunters as it had been for the vampires. Liz had looked pale and nervous for days afterwards. Her father thought she was sick, and Liz hadn't disabused him of the notion. She couldn't exactly tell him the truth.

Liz had gotten better, but she still kept her distance from her old friends. She flatly refused to let them patrol with her or to help her in any way even if it was something safe and simple, like researching a demon in one of the books Xander had brought for them.

She really missed Liz. Her best friend had been working for congresswoman Whitaker for less than a month, but it felt like a lot longer especially because the two had only seen each other at work since the Slayer business began. Liz had been keeping a regular patrol schedule since the night of the battle between Cole's vampires and Seth's hunters. When she wasn't patrolling she was training, training hard.

Spike had even convinced Michael and Max to get involved. The vampire had been getting more and more inventive with the training. A few days ago Maria had found the four of them playing hide-and-seek in the factory. He must have been impressed by whatever Max, Michael, and Isabel had done during the battle, and decided that they would be useful, or at least interesting. For Spike it sometimes came to the same thing.

Apparently the business with Cole had put Roswell on some sort of supernatural tourist hot spot list. There had been several types of demon poking around town since that night, ranging from the standard vampires to what Spike identified as a slime demon. That one had been vicious, and it had had a stink that could send a skunk running for cover.

"Maria!" She looked around and saw Michael pushing a plate through the window towards her. "Come on. Hungry people waiting." She glared at him for a second then picked up the plates and moved off. Michael was already turning back to the stove, but he stopped and glanced back at her. What now? He thought they had worked out a lot of their couple issues, so why was she suddenly angry with him? He shook his head in frustration and focused on the grill and the burgers that were threatening to burn.

***********************************************************************

Liz frowned in concentration as she reread the last few sentences on the print out of the campaign pamphlet. That didn't work at all she decided, and marked through them. After a moment's thought she penciled in a correction and set it aside to pull up the file on the computer. The new job with Whitaker might look good on a resume, but it was turning out to be a real snooze. Editing campaign literature, making appointments, answering phones, and running errands for the congresswoman were things that anyone could do. It did have its pluses though. Looked good on a resume, paid better than waiting tables, and it left her evenings free to train and patrol. Actually, I'm not sure if that last is a plus or not. For an added bonus it allowed her to keep an eye on someone who had shown a special interest in the late unlamented Agent Pierce's work.

Contrary to what they had believed at the time, Nasedo had been doing more than killing FBI agents. He had been destroying evidence and diverting government money. He had also made sure that the General Accounting Office got wind of it. When it came time for an audit, the Unit was shy several million dollars with nothing to show for it and no sign of the man who'd diverted the money. The Special Unit was dissolved amidst a scandal that people were comparing to Iran/Contra and Pierce was wanted on a list of charges as long as Liz's arm.

Congresswoman Vanessa Whitaker had been the only one to speak up on the Unit's behalf, not that it had done any good. Now she was in Roswell, conducting an investigation of her own. The idea made them all nervous, and when a job opening had cropped up in her office Liz had applied for it immediately. She hadn't had to work very hard to get it either. Apparently enough of the real Pierce's suspicions and or evidence had reached Whitaker that she jumped at the chance to have someone close to her primary alien suspect under constant observation.

"Parker." Liz looked up, her reverie broken, and smiled at her boss as the congresswoman stuck her head out the door. "Set that aside for now. I need you to run some errands for me."

"Sure, what do you need?" Whitaker handed her a list of mundane chores that included picking up her dry cleaning, filling a prescription, and delivering a package to a law firm whose office was across town. "This'll take most of the afternoon," she pointed out, scanning the rest of the lengthy list.

"Don't worry. You're still on the clock," Whitaker smiled winningly. "You can start right after lunch."

Accepting that as a dismissal, Liz tidied up her desk, shut down her computer, and quickly departed. By the time she arrived at the CrashDown, the lunch rush was already on. She glanced at the crowd, then at Whitaker's list and frowned. It would take too long to have lunch and run the errands, and she still had to finish proofreading and correcting the new campaign pamphlet. It was due at the printer no later than 10:00 the next day. Best to get started.

The errands went far more quickly than she had anticipated. She found the man she was to deliver the package to having lunch at the CrashDown. The line at the pharmacy was short. Similar bits of luck saw her back at Whitaker's office shortly before 2:00.

She entered the office quietly and was about to announce herself when she heard heated voices coming from the congresswoman's office. One of them was Whitaker's. The other belonged to a man Liz didn't know.

"You were supposed to have prepared the way for us," the angry sounding man was saying to her. "We cannot begin our work on this planet without laying the proper groundwork, and eliminating the royal four is not the most important of these tasks. E'tahr and I came to oversee the final preparations. You haven't accomplished one tenth of what needs to be done."

"The situation here is more complex than we were led to believe. Their guardian, Nasedo he was called here, did too good a job of hiding them. They weren't even out of the maturation pods until about 12 of this world's years ago."

"Meaning the royal four were helpless for decades and you did nothing. You've failed miserably and all of our plans have been jeopardized because of it. The entire operation could fall apart. At the very least we'll have to delay the occupation."

"The occupation can't work," Whitaker interrupted, "not as originally planned. This world…, there's so much more here than we knew."

"No excuses," he cut her off angrily. "Do not seek to conceal your incompetence by whining about how hard your mission is." He took a moment to calm himself before continuing. "Is the harvest at least on schedule?"

"Yes sir," Whitaker responded in a subdued voice. "Just in time too. The husks we wear now won't last out the year, but the new ones will be ready in just a few days." Her tone changed, becoming more confident as she moved to a new topic. "There is good news however, I'm certain I have identified the royal four. A girl in my employ here, Liz Parker, is close to one of them, the leader. We can use her and his attachment to her to set a trap for him, just as we did before."

"You think he'll fall for it again? He's not stupid."

"He doesn't remember his previous life. I've determined that. Once the heir is dead the rest will be easy to deal with. His second is as much a hothead now as he was then. I'm certain one of them will give up the location of the granalith." Granalith? Liz listened closely for a few moments more before backing out slowly, quietly closing the door behind her. She had to find the others.

***********************************************************************

"Whitaker?! As in congresswoman Whitaker?" Maria's voice rose several octaves, and Michael put a finger in his ear, wincing. Maria noticed and elbowed him in the side. "This is serious Michael. She's an alien!"

"And not on our side judging by the conversation they were having," Liz confirmed. "So what do we do now?" They all looked to Max expectantly while he considered the problem. It had been short notice to pull everyone together, but the entire group was present with the exception of Spike. No one but Liz really felt comfortable with the vampire.

"Oh, I know," Michael said sarcastically, "nothing, right?" Max ignored him. Michael's confrontational attitude was becoming more and more of a problem. He questioned every decision, and took matters into his own hands without consulting the others. He was desperate to do something, but he didn't have any better idea what that something should be than anyone else. Max knew how frustrating it was for him and could sympathize. He was just as frustrated in his own way, but couldn't let that frustration affect his judgment.

"We don't know enough to act intelligently." Michael loosed a frustrated sigh. Max spared him an annoyed glance. "How many of them are there? What powers or weapons do they have? Thanks to Liz we know where they're based, but not what this 'harvest' is. We need more information. Getting it is our first priority."

"What about Whitaker? Maybe we could get some answers out of her," Liz suggested, "with a little persuasion." Max noticed her tone, a tone that didn't promise anything good for the congresswoman, and looked at his girlfriend sharply. That was something he was still getting used to. Before she became the Slayer Liz would never have suggested such a thing. She simply wasn't that assertive, and she was never violent. As hard as the change was to accept though, she was still Liz, and she was being practical as she always was.

"Maybe," he allowed reluctantly, more to mollify her than because he was considering it, "but we don't know what she's capable of either. We have to proceed carefully. We spy on them first." He looked at Michael. "I need you to get into her office tonight and find out everything you can learn about her." Michael nodded, glad to finally see Max being decisive about something. "That'll mean getting her out of her office and making sure she stays away from it." He turned to Liz. "You say this man wants Whitaker to set the trap tonight? That doesn't give us much time to prepare."

"I know, but her boss, whoever he is, was pretty insistent. They're in a big hurry, and that may give us an advantage."

"Maybe," Max allowed, "but it doesn't give us a lot of time to find that advantage and act on it."

"Then we should get started." The next hour was spent making plans and remaking them when inspiration struck, as it did several times. Finally, they thought they had a workable strategy and even a contingency plan or two, dependent on what they learned. Then each of them was dispatched on a separate errand. Liz didn't have the luxury of protesting the involvement of Alex and Maria, although she wanted to, and for once Maria wished she had. Maria, as it turned out, was the lucky one dispatched to the factory where Spike lived to tell him the news and his part in the plan.

***********************************************************************

Liz made a point of accidentally dropping the pill bottle from the pharmacy when she came in, just in case Whitaker's boss was still there. Whitaker poked her head out of her office. "Oh good, you're back. Get everything done?" Liz nodded, handing over the various packages she was carrying. "Good. When you're done with that pamphlet I could use your help with something else. I hope you don't mind a little overtime." Liz managed to look a bit disappointed even though she had expected the request.

"Well, I have a date with Max, but I suppose I can cancel. What do you need?" As predicted, Whitaker smiled at this bit of news.

"There's no need to cancel your plans for the evening," she assured Liz, trying to sound magnanimous. "This won't take very long. Why not call him and have him pick you up? I'll give you the address and he can meet you there at 8:00." Liz smiled.

"Thanks. I'll call him now." Liz called Max and gave him the address of what would was certain to be an ambush. Max understood that and would take the appropriate precautions, which would include informing the others. The plan was makeshift, but it should get them the information they needed. And, Liz noted, makeshift or not, it was working out perfectly, so far.

***********************************************************************

Maria entered the old building nervously, looking around for the vampire. I'm looking for a vampire. Even if he can't hurt humans this is too weird. Maria was of the firm belief that vampires, slime demons, and other things that went bump in the night should be confined to the movies. She looked around the small loading bay where she'd come in. The door by the big roll-ups was always left open so the Scooby gang as Spike sometimes called them, and what is that about? could come and go as needed. Spike didn't really worry about thieves.

She considered calling out, but couldn't manage it. Spike intimidated her, neutered or not, and the only thing that gave her the courage to face him was the fact that she knew he enjoyed the affect he had on her. That made her mad. Squaring her shoulders she walked as confidently as she was able through the factory to the room where Spike kept his television and favorite chair. She could here voices as she approached the door and paused for a moment before she realized what she was hearing.

The television was on and Spike was griping at the characters. "Oh come on, can't you see he's using you? He doesn't love you." Huh? Maria moved closer and listened to the show for a second. Passions? A vampire who watches soap operas. Just when I thought life couldn't get any weirder. She knocked on the door, and the TV quickly went off. Spike appeared at the door a second later.

"What do you want?" he asked grumpily. Maria quailed a bit, but rallied quickly when she saw the spark of amusement in his eyes. She briefly considered making some wisecrack about interrupting his soaps, but decided to get straight to the point.

"We have a problem. Congresswoman Whitaker's an alien hunter, and Liz heard her talking to her boss about an occupation and… and she wants to use Liz to catch the others and… Mmff!" The hand over her mouth didn't hurt her in any way, Spike had gotten good at judging such things, but it did cut off her frantic babbling.

"All right. Start again. Is Whitaker hunting aliens or is she an alien who's hunting?" He took his hand away from her mouth.

"Both. Whitaker's an alien, but she's one of the bad guys."

"And she's in congress? Isn't that taking affirmative action a bit far?" Maria glared at him. "Okay. Okay. Give me the details, and remember to breathe once in a while." He led her into the room and had her sit on the couch. Maria told him everything that had happened and outlined what they planned to do about it.

"You have it all thought out then?" he sounded a bit peeved at being left out. Maria picked up on it and felt a flash of sympathy. She knew what it felt like to be left out of things.

"It was kind of short notice, but I think so. Here." She handed him the props he would need to play his part. "We would have liked to include you in the planning, but there just wasn't time. We had to throw this together in under an hour. Whitaker's boss wants it done tonight."

"Okay, okay," he relented. "Time is a problem." He considered briefly and grinned. "I think I know a way to get you some of the information you need though. Leave it to me pet. Just be ready to pick us up." Maria nodded.

***********************************************************************

Max and Tess drove the route twice, looking for potential trouble spots. Once they determined that the most likely place for the ambush was at the address Whitaker had given Liz, they returned to the address itself and drove by slowly, as if lost, before driving away.

"Looks deserted," Tess observed as Max pulled off the road and drove behind a small rise. He parked there and looked at her.

"It's probably intended to look empty. We need a closer look."

"We don't have a lot of time Max, and there's no real cover. How are you going to sneak in?"

"That's where you come in. Can you hide me using your powers?" Tess looked uncertain.

"I don't know Max. I don't know how many there are in there or where they are, and I can't hide you from electronic detection, burglar alarms, security cameras."

"If they have an alarm, it's probably turned off during the day. People would need to be coming and going without having to worry about tripping their own alarms." He smiled in a way he hoped would instill confidence and opened his door. "Do the best you can. I'll be quick." Before Tess could protest, he was gone. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and began to concentrate.

Max approached the warehouse. The place was not actually in Roswell. The buildings weren't really part of anything. There had been plans for an industrial park a few years back, an attempt to bring new business and opportunities to Roswell by the chamber of commerce. A group of investors had been talked into funding it and several buildings had gone up before the entire project had fallen through. He didn't know the details. All he knew was that Whitaker had business here, and she would be bringing Liz around 7:00. That didn't give them much time. It was already 4:30. Liz had agreed to delay her departure for the trap as long as possible, but there was a limit to how long she could stall without making Whitaker suspicious.

He reached the side door he was aiming for and unlocked it. There was an alarm as Tess had expected, set to go off if someone opened the door. Max had expected that though as he was using an emergency exit, but the alarm wasn't that difficult to disconnect. The door opened silently and Max made his way inside. He listened for a moment, but didn't hear any voices, or anything else.

Lacking a better idea, he picked a direction and started to walk down the corridor he found himself in. The place was definitely being used by someone and not just for storage. There were signs that people had been there recently. He turned the corner and began to hear voices faintly from a room down the hall. He moved as close to the partially open door as he dared, not sure whether Tess could hide him or not, and listened to their conversation.

"There have been too many delays Nicholas. I expected better from you. Where is the granalith?"

"We don't know K'var," he paused, stopped by something Max couldn't see then he continued more carefully, "sir, but we may not need it. I believe I've found something on this world that will serve our needs even better."

"What do you mean? The people of this world are primitives. Their technology is centuries behind our own. If the occupation is to succeed we must have the granalith."

"The occupation of this world can proceed without a hitch, if we modify our plans. I've studied some of this world's…, peculiarities. I'm certain we can turn them to our advantage."

"You're not making sense. What peculiarities?"

"Magic. We can achieve through magic everything the granalith is capable of and more." There was a heavy silence following his assertion. Finally the other spoke.

"Clearly your time here has damaged your faculties." The one he called Nicholas began to speak but his superior, K'var Max realized, interrupted. "No. Not another word. You cannot mitigate your failure by feigning insanity. You are relieved as of now. I am assuming direct command of our operations on Earth. You will be lucky if I allow you to use the new husk you are growing for yourself at Copper Summit. When we have the leader tonight we will force the location of the Granalith from him. You can do that can't you Nicholas?"

"And if I can't?" Nicholas asked.

"If you are unable to get the information from his mind, if you fail in even that simple task, then it will be necessary to return to Copper Summit for the harvest. It is a simple thing I expect of you now Nicholas. Do not fail me or I will kill you."

Max had heard enough, and he had pushed his luck and Tess' abilities as far as he dared. It was time to go. Back through the warehouse, out the door, and back to the car where Tess was just shy of fainting from the effort, Max moved as quickly and quietly as he had come. He slipped behind the wheel, and started the engine. "Did you get what you wanted?" Tess asked faintly.