"Maria, are you ok?" Deluca shrugged and shook her head. Of course she wasn't ok. Her mother's funeral was less than 5 hours before. Amy Deluca had died on her sleep. The doctors said she had an aneurysm. Three days later she was buried. That day was December 10th and it had been three days since the last time Maria had talked to her mother to say goodnight.

Maria looked down at her mother's music box. It was very old, made of wood. It had three little drawers and it opened on top, where a couple danced a valse. But it was also very big. Maria never knew what her mother kept on that box. Fingering the flowers imprints lightly, she raised her eyes to look at Liz and sighed.

"I'm ok, Lizzie. I just miss her so much..."

Liz put down her cup of tea and put her arms around her friend. The Parker's had to make a trip right after the funeral to straight some things out at the new restaurant they were opening not very far from there. They would be back on Christmas eve.

"I know you do, honey. I know...but listen, everything is going to be ok, Maria. Max's dad said the judge will talk to you after Christmas. Everything is gonna be okay. You have the house, you have me..."

Maria smiled and hugged her friend tightly.

"Thanks, Lizzie. Thank you so much." * * *

WASHINGTON, DC
13:23 PM

Fox Mulder thanked the guy who had just delivered his paycheck and another envelope. The young agent just nodded and left as quickly and possible. Sighing, he put his paycheck down and looked at the brown envelope. It had nothing more than his address and name. The address of the sender was Roswell, New Mexico. No names. But somewhere on the corner of his mind, Mulder remembered. He remembered a time before he went to Oxford. He had gone to Roswell to visit a friend from highschool that lived there. And he remembered this friend's cousin. Bright green-goldish eyes, dark hair and a sweet, sweet smile.

She was his sweetheart for the whole summer that year. They spent every hour of the day together. Including the ones when he jumped her window at night. But for some reason, he couldn't place her name. She had a very easy one, but the last name was what got to him. Opening the envelope slowly, he was totally shocked to see that it was that same sweetheart that had written him.

Dear Fox,

I don't know if you remember me, I'm Amy Deluca, the girl of the 1982 summer. Remember? God, I hope you do. I'm gonna go straight to the point. Fox, I went to the doctor today and found out I have an aneurysm. It's the size if a lemon and it can "explode" any second. If it does, I'm dead. And if you're reading this, I already am. Fox, I can't describe to you what that summer meant to me, but someone can. I want you to please, please, grant me a last wish. I want you to go to Roswell and look for that necklace you gave me so long ago, remember? Look for it and you'll find the most precious treasure I kept for all my life. Please, take care of it. Once you find it, you'll also be finding the truth.

Take care Fox, and have a happy life. Love, Amy.

Fox Mulder was shocked, to say the least. Suddenly, the image of a smiling Amy Deluca, hugging his neck, her pigtails waving back and forth came to him and he smiled. She was only seventeen when they started dating. She was so sweet, but people were so mean to her. Even her cousin. She said she wanted to leave Roswell. God, she had so many plans! Putting the letter back on its envelope, he looked up to see Scully, looking straight back at him.

"Mulder, what's wrong?"

He smiled at her and placed his hand on her seven months pregnant belly. He had lost four months of her pregnancy and when he returned, in a coma, she had fought for him. He had fought for her and grabbed life with all strength he could get. To get back to her. To them.

"I received a letter from someone I haven't seen for seventeen years. She died. And as her last wish, she wants me to look for a bracelet I gave her. She said I'll find a truth. A treasure."

Scully's eyebrows shot up and she grinned.

"Past lover, honey?"

Mulder grinned back and put his arms around her, touching her nose with his softly.

"She was a summer sweetheart. 1982. God! We spent the whole summer together. She was seventeen."

Scully yelped and became wide eyed.

"Seventeen! Mulder!"

He shrugged as if to say he was young and obnoxious.

"Care to go to Roswell for the holiday, baby?" * * *

PARKER'S RESIDENCE
3:21 AM

Maria looked at the box right next to her. Her mother had given a letter to the lawyer telling it was very important for her to know the contents of the box. But Maria didn't have the nerve for it. Looking up at Liz's bedroom ceiling, she sighed and closed her eyes as tightly as possible. She was alone. Totally and utterly alone. Isabel was still with Alex, giving shit to destiny talk. Max and Liz were back together and Tess had finally moved on and started warming things up with Kyle. And Michael...well, Michael now had a girlfriend. Victoria. She was a leggy brunette with boobs the size of Mount Rushmore. Everyone was too wrapped up on their own relationships to pay attention to hers and Michael's get together-break-up-then-get-together-again thing.

But this time, Maria was too heartbroken to pay attention even to herself. All she could process on her numb brain was that she was alone. It wasn't quite self pity. It was more a feeling of 'I knew it was going to happen'. Maria Deluca was always so strong, but sometimes, even stonewalls crumbled. And she was crumbling to fast with no one to help her put the rocks back into place.

Getting off the sleeping bag she had brought from home, Maria took the music box from under Liz's bed and jumped out the window to the balcony. Moonlight bathed everything in sight. Everything she could put eyes on. The moon was full and glowing on the sky, surrounded by thousands, billions of stars.

Maria sat down on the recliner where Liz always sat to write on her journal and put the music box on her lap, looking at it as if it was gonna burn. Feeling anxious and short breathed, Maria got up again and not even processing what she was doing, climbed down the stairs and ran through the dark streets on nothing more than a blue tank top and matching sweatpants. She ran and after over half an hour found herself in front of Michael's apartment building. Panting, she climbed the stairs and stopped in front of Michael's door. She sighed and knocked twice. He didn't answer. She knocked again, stronger. Nothing. Losing her patience, she started banging and only stopped when a very sleepy and disheveled Michael opened the door.

"Do you know what time it is?"

She just looked up at him.

"Honey, who's it?"

Michael looked down at the pixie blond and her outfit finally processed on his mind. She was shivering badly and her lips were a tidy purplish from the cold. Maria looked past his shoulders to see Victoria coming towards the door wearing nothing more than a bed sheet toga like. She rubbed her eyes with two fingers and looked at Maria with a confused expression.

"What's wrong, honey?"

Honey. Maria gulped down a wave of nausea as well as the tears she was holding inside since her mother's death. The tears she was holding inside since the day Michael had told her he was dating someone else.

"Go back to bed, sweetie. I'll be right after you."

Sweetie. He had never called her sweetie. It was always Maria or Deluca. Victoria smiled and nodded, smiling meanly at Maria. The blond looked down at the music box on her hands and then up at Michael again. He grabbed the door knob tighter to keep himself from reaching out and touching her.

"What do you want, Maria?"

He knew he was being a selfish, cold-hearted bastard. He knew he was being so cold, he was hurting her.

"I..."

She coughed to clear her throat and tried again.

"I just needed to talk to someone. I...I'm sorry...I'll go now."

Her voice was low and broken and when she turned away, he grabbed her hand. It was icy cold. She looked up at him and managed a small sad smile.

"I'm okay."

Trying to say something but not succeeding, Michael let her go. She turned her back to him and ran down the stairs. She walked till she reached the Evans residence. Apparently, Max's parents, who had become partners with the Parkers at the restaurant business, were traveling with them, so Isabel and Max were alone. Maria knocked on the door and waited. She rang the bell and knocked again a couple of minutes later. Finally, Isabel opened the door.

"Maria? What are you doing here?"

Maria shrugged and rubbed her eyes. She was losing her battle against her tears fast. Isabel looked at the girl in front of her open mouthed.

"God, you're shivering! Come in!"

Maria entered the house and waited for Isabel to close the door. The blond took her by the shoulders to the living room and told her to sit down.

"Izzy, what's going...Maria?"

Deluca would laugh if the situation weren't so crashing. Max was standing there wearing nothing more than gray sweatpants with green aliens all over it. "Maria? What's wrong? I thought you were at Liz's?"

Max asked, sitting next to her. Maria hid her face on her hands and shook her head. Max put a hand on her shoulder and she launched herself at him, hugging him by the waist. Awkwardly, Max put his arms around her and bit by bit, relaxed. He ran his hand through her now shoulder length hair and whispered comforting words on her ear.

"Maria, here..."

Isabel said, handing her a cup of hot tea and putting a blanket around her shoulders. Maria took the cup but never left Max's arms. As soon as the first sip of tea touched her lips she started shivering, the cold fighting with the warm of the blanket.

"Oh my god, you're shivering..."

Isabel pulled the blanket tighter around her and Max rubbed her arms.

"What happened, Maria?"

Deluca sobbed softly and handed Isabel the music box she hadn't let go. "My...mom...she...she...she..."

The two aliens knew what had happened to Amy Deluca, but they also had seen that Maria hadn't shed a tear since the day of Amy's death. They had never seen Maria cry. And now, she was doing so as though her heart was broken on a thousand pieces. Isabel took the cup from Maria's hands and hugged her tinny frame, sandwiching her between Max and her. Maria continued to sob brokenly until half an hour later her sobs turned to soft hiccups.

"What's wrong, Maria?"

Max asked sweetly, passing a hand through her golden locks. Maria's hands were closed tightly against his chest, her face buried on his neck. She had become as much as a friend to him as to Liz. And as much to Isabel as well. Specially when she left that note. The note that led them towards Michael when he had gone to meet Topolski. And Max had seen that girl go through a lot of things. All of them had, but at least they had their families. They had each other. Maria only had herself and her mother. Because they had been too preoccupied with their own lives to pay attention to her.

"My mom... she...left me this Music Box. She left a letter with the lawyer that said I had to open this after her funeral. But I can't! I can't do it!"

She said between hiccups. Isabel nodded and looked down at the wood box on her hands.

"You want us to open it?"

Maria nodded slowly and watched as Isabel matched her nod and opened the top lid of the box. A soft lullaby started playing and the dolls on top started spinning. Isabel grabbed an envelope with 'Maria' written on it.

"She left you a letter. Do you want me to read it?"

Maria nodded and hugged herself tighter.

Isabel opened the envelope and unfolded the piece of paper.

My baby

My sweet, caring baby. I'm so sorry I had to left you now. I hope you know how much I love you. How I'll always love you and cherish the time we spent together. Maria, I know I did some pretty stupid mistakes all my life, but the worst of them was the lie I made you live on. I have a secret my baby. A secret that may change your life forever.

Maria, a man is coming to Roswell on a few days. I know he will because I know him too well. He doesn't know you, so I want you to put on my necklace. The one with the pearl pendent. Wear it and never take it off. He'll come to you soon. And when he does, give the other envelope to him. But don't read it. It's his and his alone. He'll reveal my secret to you. I just hope you can forgive me after he does.

I love you so much. Take care. Love, Mom.

Maria was sobbing again. Heart breaking sobs she couldn't control. Max looked helplessly at Isabel, who put the letter back on the box and closed it again. She put the box on top of the coffee table and rubbed Maria's back soothingly.