"I was, but I wanted to talk to you first," she answered.

Isabel looked at Maria with concern and said, "Go head. You can talk to me."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me and see him?" Maria asked her.

Isabel sighed, "Maria I want to, but it's so scary for Max and I. I mean we've been looking for him our whole lives and if we go and see this man and then it turns out not to be him it'll be harder for us," Isabel told her honestly.

"Why me? Why are you sending me? Are you trying to get my mind off of Scully's disappearance?" Maria asked her.

Silence.

"Isabel."

"Maria, we're sending you because...you are the strongest one among all of us," Isabel said honestly. "And a little to get your mind off of Scully. I know you are still upset about it all."

Maria huffed as she plumped herself down in a chair. "It's not fair, Isabel. If she really did just leave Mulder like that than it's just not fair. I want to believe that something happened to her so that I don't have to think that she hurt Mulder like that on purpose. But, then I want to think that she did so I don't have to think that she is in some type of pain right now or worse...dead," Maria said to her.

Isabel sat down and put a comforting arm around Maria. "Maria, I know how you feel. It was really confusing when we would wonder where that little boy was."

"Yeah, but that is different. He didn't spend years with you and then up and leave. Mulder and Scully were together for so long and they loved each other. And then she is gone. And Mulder tries to act normal, but it's killing him," Maria said.

"Maria, nothing is ever easy. In fact, I think it's always confusing. But, I know you. You are strong and you'll get your answers. Just promise me you won't push us away to get them, because, I'm here whenever you need me...all of us are," Isabel assured her.

"Thanks Isabel," Maria mumbled and stood up, "Whelp, I better get going. I'll be back Sunday night."

"What are you going to do when you find him?" Isabel asked with curiosity.

"I don't know yet," Maria told her and began to leave.

"Good luck," Isabel said. Maria turned around and looked at her.

"I guess I should be saying the same to you. Bye."

"Maria, wait! Take 285 South through Marathon. I heard it's a lot faster," Isabel informed her.

"The road with that cheap porno-Aladdin looking hotel?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, that one," Isabel chuckled.

"OK, bye."

"Bye."

"Thanks for helping me with my project, Michael." Celina said, trying to make up for her procrastination.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Just don't forget to turn it in tomorrow. Wait a second, tomorrow is Saturday."

"I have Saturday school O' forgetful one," Celina teased.

"Oh that's right, to make up for all the skipping," Michael said. Celina huffed.

"Don't you start," she warned.

"Hey, I didn't say anything," he said with his palms raised.

"OK, big brother," Celina said, "So, how did the date take the rejection?"

"I actually don't think she cared much," Michael answered her.

Celina sighed, "You will find someone someday. You are too awesome for any woman to pass up." Michael hugged his little sister, "Thanks 'sis."

"No prob."

"All right, it's 12:30 P.M. time to get some sleep," Michael said.

"All right all right! I'm 15 not 5," Celina said.

"Night."

"Yeah, yeah."

Michael left Celina's room and decided to get something to eat. He stepped into the dark kitchen and turned the light on.

"Mom, what are you doing sitting here in the dark?" Michael asked.

"Just thinking, sweetheart," she said, giving him a warm smile. He grabbed the Ice Cream from the fridge and two spoons then went to sit with his mom.

"Thank you, mijo," she said as he passed her a spoon and they dug into the Ice Cream. "Celina is right you know," his mother broke the silence. "You really are too awesome to pass up."

"I don't know, Mom."

"What is there to know? You are ambitious, caring, intelligent, handsome, and a hundred other wonderful things," mom said.

"Those things won't matter to any girl when she finds out I'm some type of freak," Michael muttered.

"If it does matter than she isn't the one. See, the fact that you have your special talents makes it easier to find out who really cares for you," his mother told him. "Because only the right woman will love everything about you including the, as you call it, freak in you."

"I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right," she said.

"Well, I'm a true writer and usually writers are meant to live long and lonely lives," Michael told her.

"Bullshit," his mother snapped. "What is that writer you love so much?"

"James Joyce."

"Yes, him. Now, don't act stupid. He had a wife who he loved very much and they had two children. You know that," she said.

"But, his wife was an idiot," Michael told her.

"Michael, you are going to find the most beautiful and intelligent woman in the world," mom reassured.

Michael smiled.

"Cheesy, I know," his mother laughed. "But, true."

"Thanks for the advice anyway," Michael said.

"Shut up and eat your ice cream."

Maria cringed at the cheesiness of the motel as she stepped inside.

"Cana 'elp you, ma'am?" The hotel clerk asked as she stepped inside.

Maria turned to look at him and realized she probably looked really stupid standing there plugging her nose.

She stopped plugging her nose and walked towards him. "Uh, yeah sure. I'm in dire need of some snacks and I know there isn't a McDonalds for another 15 miles or so. Do you have any snack machines?" She asked.

"Why yes ma'am. Right o'er there," he said pointing to the machines.

Maria smiled at the man and headed toward the machines.

She pulled some change out of her pocket and wondered what she should get. She knew she should definitely get some Sprite. The nervousness was killing her stomach. She put the change in the machine and pressed for a Sprite. As soon as she grabbed her Sprite she went to the snack machine.

Her eyes went from one snack to another. She just couldn't decide. Then her eyes stopped. She had to close them and then reopen them to make sure she was seeing correctly. She looked down closer. It was real. The snack machine had a bottle of Tabasco Sauce. What was a bottle of Tabasco Sauce doing in a snack machine? Maria shrugged and pressed for some nacho cheese chips then started walking back.

"Sir?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I couldn't help, but notice that your snack machines have Tabasco Sauce in them? That is quite strange," Maria said.

"Nah strange at all, ma'am. 'Round desere parts we be getting' lots o' people eatin all dere food with the Tubasca Sauce," he said to her.

Maria smiled and shook her head, "You know what? I don't even need to know about that," she said and laughed as she walked towards her car.

"You have a good night, ma'am," he yelled as she left.

"You too."

Maria decided to sit in her car and eat her food before driving off. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to try and relax.

"And why do you have to be such a princess about everything?"

"Look I'm just tired and hungry and I really just want to go home right now."

The man stood up and for the first time that night he actually looked like he felt guilty.

"I'll go see what they have in the snack machines."

"Why is it so important for you to find out where you come from?"

"What number is that?"

"It's not on here. It's my own personal question."

"I don't answer personal questions."

"OK, than maybe it's the answer to number sixteen. What are you afraid of?"

"There's got to be something better for me than Roswell, New Mexico...You think that's funny?"

"No, no. It's just that when I was a kid I used to dream about my dad. You know, where he was, who he really was. I used to have a dream that he would come back someday in a limousine and take me and my mom to some great place because I always thought that there has got to be something better than Roswell, New Mexico."

"Substitute that limousine with a spaceship and you know what I mean."

Maria jerked herself awake breathing hard. "What the fuck was that?" She breathed. She closed her eyes for a second and had a strange dream, a dream with herself as a sixteen year-old and the man she was going to see. The one that could be one of Isabel and Max's.

But, it wasn't like a dream. It was like...déjà vu, a memory, or a vision.

Maria tried to control her breathing, but it was like the...whatever it was drained strength from her body.

BANG BANG BANG!

"AAAHHH!! GODDAMNAIT!" Maria yelled as she looked at the clerk standing outside her window. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Didn't mean ta scare yah. I jus wanted ta make sure you was alright," he said honestly.

"I'm fine," she snapped as she started the car and drove off.