The spot wasn’t far off, and Maria stepped next to Michael quickly. “Well?” she asked. She knew it was probably nothing, but what if it was a clue? Much as she wanted Michael to stay on Earth, she also wanted him to be happy. And if finding the planet of Czechoslovakians would make Michael happy, she’d search out every clue. Even if it meant finding a million dead-ends. Sometimes she thought she was even more dedicated to that as Michael himself. Before she had time to ponder any longer, she saw Michael bend down and pick up something she couldn’t see off the sand, placing it in the pocket of his ratty jeans.

“Michael? What is it?” she asked.

“Damn. Damn, damn, damn,” he said, ignoring her question.

“Aren’t you going to let me see?” she asked, wondering if she had been right about Michael not showing her alien-related items. Michael sighed and removed the thing from his pocket. “Happy now, nosy?” he asked Maria, trying to sound carefree, but failing.

“Well…” Maria said, upon seeing the small piece of metal in his hand. “I suppose any chance of lying to Max and Liz about our little rendezvous is pretty much shot to hell.”

“You think?” Michael asked.

“Well, it’s not like we could keep it a secret anyway, if we are going to have a relationship. We’d have to tell them sometime… it’ll just suck more for us this way, I guess,” Maria said, trying to see the silver lining.

“Or…” Michael trailed off.

Maria recognized the look on his face, and instantly got worried. “Michael, tell me you are not planning something stupid.”

“I’m not planning something stupid.” Michael repeated obediently.

“Why, then, do you have your ‘I’m going to do something stupid, and drag you along for the ride’ look on, Michael?” Maria asked, not trusting his words.

“Look, Maria, I’m not going to get us killed or anything. I’m merely suggesting that we put off telling Max about this until after paying a little visit to River Dog,” said Michael, sounding pissed.

“There’s a better chance of him knowing what to do than Max or Liz, right?” Maria added, trying to reassure herself, and calm him down.

“A much better chance. Come on, let’s go. Before someone misses us.” Michael started for the car, not waiting for a reply from Maria.

“That’s a little late, considering we cut half our classes, all of which at least one person who is sure to notice our absence is in, don’t you think?” Maria shouted, straining to be heard above the loud wind as she hurried to the car, afraid her impatient ride would leave without her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five minutes later, after they were well on their way to the reservation, Michael finally found time to answer her. “They might miss you, but certainly not me. Liz’ll probably think you got sick or something.”

“And when she finds out I’m not home, who will she call?” Maria asked, not sounding surprised that he had waited so long to answer a question she hadn’t been sure he’d heard.

“Max?” Michael guessed, not realizing what Maria was leading to.

“Exactly. And he’ll tell her that he can’t find you, either. They will surmise…”

“That we are together?” Michael guessed, catching on.

“And then they will assume we are…”

“At the cave?”

“And when we are not there, they will look for us…”

“At the hotel on 285?”

At this, Maria couldn’t help but laugh. “No, spaceboy, guess again.”

Trying to hide his hurt at this private nickname that left no doubt in his mind as to how Maria thought of him, Michael turned back to the road and quietly said “The reservation?”

“Probably. If they’re smart. Let’s see…” Maria said, looking at her watch. “They get out of school in fifteen minutes. It’ll probably take at least half an hour for them to start heading to the reservation. We have about a forty-five minute lead on them. More if Max takes time to go to your apartment… and even more if they call Alex, my mom, and anyone else they can think of first.”

Instead of replying, Michael grunted. Still feeling the sting of Maria’s insult (as he thought of it) he decided not to talk to her unless absolutely necessary. He could feel her waiting, wondering if he was going to respond.

Eventually, she gave up. “If you are going to go all Lone-Ranger again, Michael, just turn this car around and bring me home. I am way past waiting for you.”

Michael sighed. She didn’t even know how much he disliked her calling him spaceboy, what was the good in throwing a fit? He knew in the back of his mind he was being weak, but suddenly, he didn’t care.

“I was just thinking. You said they’d look for us at the reservation in about an hour. What if, instead of heading there right now, we wait until they would have already checked there? You know, fool them into thinking we were really gone?” he suggested.

“Yeah, but where would we go until then? They’d find us at the cave, my house, or your place,” Maria informed him. Instead of answering, Michael just raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“Let me guess. You know a good motel not too far from here? Right. In your dreams, bub. You are not getting me anywhere near that place, not a chance. We’re going to the reservation now, asking River Dog what that thing means, and heading back to town to tell everyone, including Max and Liz, that we’re together.”

Michael wondered if, at this, he should put up a fight or just agree that the suggestion sounded pretty good to him. Before he could decide, Maria leaned over and gave him a kiss. It was the first physical contact they’d had since finding the metal, and he turned into it, momentarily forgetting everything but Maria.

“Michael! You idiot!” Maria screeched. “Keep your eyes on the road. I plan to live long enough to at least have children. I most certainly refuse to die a vir-”

“Die a what, Maria? A virtuous maiden?” Michael asked, grinning.

“Yeah, Michael, that’s me. But turning our attention back to the fact that we almost died a second ago? I’d love it if you concentrated more on the road then my tongue.”

“Something I never thought I’d hear you say, dear.”

“Really? That’s funny. I never thought I’d hear you suggest that I’m virtuous.”

“You said it, I didn’t.”

“How does a conversation about safe driving turn into you insulting me this way?” Maria asked.