What he wouldn’t do to just have his Liz back in his arms, so he could hold her and never let her go again. The day he could finally put that ring on her finger and call Liz his own forever would be the day he could die a blessed man. How he missed the simple pleasure of just touching a silky strand of her hair, or stealing adoring glances of her when she wasn’t looking. Even just witnessing her smile could make his heart flutter uncontrollably. And the blissful experience of her laugh… Max had to stop. This was going to drive him insane. There were other matters to deal with.

Like Maria. The moment she had actually woken up, Michael had attacked her. Max was sure Maria would have suffocated if he hadn’t peeled Michael off of her. But he couldn’t blame Michael for his reaction… Max would probably end up suffocating Liz in a tight bear hug the moment he would reunite with her. But then misery would knock on his door again because Liz ran out of breath and then Max would die an old, bitter man and he’d spend the rest of his life in an insane asylum blaming himself and wearing those disgusting white straitjackets where he could bounce off the walls of his perfect white room for the rest of his pitiful life.

Ok. Getting off track.

Something was still missing in Maria’s eyes when she had awoken though. There was… fear? Kind of. She wasn’t so much scared but apprehensive, she had said. But she left it at that. What she was nervous about, Max was completely clueless. And he had a feeling everyone else was pretty much left in the dark about it too. Like most things in this godforsaken situation. Except Alex. Max could tell both he and Maria knew more than they were letting on, and it just irked him. How were they suppose to be a team when no one knew anything, and if someone did, they weren’t willing to share? Max wouldn’t call on Alex and Maria though, in fear he would offend them or be completely wrong.

But he knew the moment Alex was sucked into the connection with Maria and Liz that it was a situation Max couldn’t have helped in. The three of them were best friends, and if Liz included Alex in on the connection, it was only them who could solve Maria’s problem. But still. It hurt. Liz hadn’t even connected to him afterwards. Granted, Maria relayed her message and he understood Liz’s apparent lack of energy, but he missed Liz more than anything. He needed her like air, and right about now, he felt like he was in desperate need of an oxygen tank.

Max gave a deep sigh and rolled over onto his side. The rigid flooring of Michael’s apartment was providing Max with an equally rigid back. They were all sleeping in Michael’s apartment that night, well, morning now. Liz’s apartment was now on their “don’t-want-to-die-so-can’t-stay-there” list. That list was getting awfully long. Max was starting to think Michael’s apartment was already on there.

They had decided to get a move on, and leave Roswell today. A night of rest and then it was the open roads for them. It was summer vacation so their absences wouldn’t be noticed by a single soul. But they had no clue where they were going. Liz’s location still being unknown to him, he just figured they’re travel until something happened. Not like they could do much else. They had few to none cards in their hand. So the open roads were the last option. Maybe they’d get lucky and end up in the same place as Liz. Or maybe Alex and Maria would just tell them where she was. Max grumbled.

Max felt guilty for dragging Kyle into the whole alien mess. Sure, he admits it, he never really liked the guy, but Kyle had handled the whole deal pretty well, apart from the lengthy session of stupidity when Isabel and Alex were first trying to explain their original heritage to him. Max wanted to apologize for making Kyle drop his entire life and forcing him to leave Roswell for a while, but there was no other choice. It was either he join them, or possibly stay in danger in Roswell. Max didn’t want the death of Kyle hanging over his head.

But Kyle was just so… dumb sometimes.

~Kyle sat idly on Michael’s couch, his eyes darting from corner to corner of the room. After Maria’s previous freak out, he had remained pretty damn quiet. This was all a little too bizarre to him, but way mind-blowing at the same time. Aliens. He knew real, live aliens. He had even dated one (despite not knowing at the time, but it still count… and she was a queen too!). Intergalactic wars, alien royalty, rebirth, it was all real. And really, how do you respond to being told all of that, other than wanting to ask billions of questions. But he knew from experience, testing Isabel Evans’ patience was something you avoided at all costs. AT ALL COSTS.

Michael and Max had carried Maria’s body back into Michael’s room and Michael was still in there. Isabel and Max were talking quietly in Michael’s kitchen about lord knows what, probably some funky alien shit. Michael was sitting with Maria again, and Kyle didn’t dare bother them. Kyle was worried about Maria, but he wasn’t willing to risk the wrath of Michael Guerin.

Alex was sitting next to him, with a far-off, spacey look on his face. He was in deep thought, obviously. He was paying no attention to anything around him, just thinking and concentrating. Kyle was bored, so he watched Alex. Maybe if Kyle threw paper at the guy, he would come alive again.

Then Alex’s eyes rolled back, and his head hit the top of the couch. Kyle stared at the brief and sudden scene that had taken place right in front of him. He could have sworn Alex was alive two seconds ago. Crap. Maybe Kyle’s presence killed him. Maybe aliens couldn’t be in the presence of humans. Wait. They walked among humans everyday. At school, in the street, at work. Well then. What the hell was wrong with this guy then?

“Hey Alex, buddy, I don’t think your eyes are suppose to roll back like that,” Kyle commented, wondering whether he’d get a response from him. He didn’t. Damn it.

“Alex? I know I said I was cool with this alien thing, but going all horror-movie on me is not helping. Whitman?” Kyle poked Alex gently at first, and then really rammed his finger against Alex’s arm. No response. Shit.

Was he even alive? Kyle glanced over at Isabel and Max who were still talking in hushed voices. He sighed and took another peek at the comatose Alex. Kyle inched closer to Alex, afraid that if he got too close Alex would intoxicate him with one of those evil alien belches or farts. Some kind of sick, cruel joke or something Whitman was playing on Kyle.

But Alex’s appearance gave no indication that he was going to rouse anytime soon, to fart or otherwise. Figures that Kyle would have to deal with something like this on his first shift of alien bullcrap. Damn.

Kyle had found out that poking the guy wasn’t going to do anything, so he had to consider his next option. Maybe a quick inspection? He had been to the doctor millions of times. This should be easy.

Kyle leaned over and looked directly into Alex’s ear. He called out, “Anyone in there? Hello-o-o-o?” He was unsure of what he was looking for or even why he was looking there, he just remember his doctor always did that. Except his doctor had one of those ear probe thingies. Damn, anal probes, ear probes… aliens always had something to do with probes. Kyle was going to have to watch his orifices at all costs.

Finding nothing of interest, Kyle rolled his eyes. This really sucked. He came up with another idea, but he needed to shift his body in order to do this. He moved so he was kneeling on the couch, facing Alex. He leaned towards Alex’s eyes and lifted his eyelids. Kyle immediately let them shut though, because the sight sort of freaked him out. Eww…

“KYLE! What the HELL are you doing?” Isabel’s voice screeched. Kyle behind him and found a very horrified Isabel. He looked guiltily at her. He didn’t think she would appreciate him mauling her boyfriend. Kyle figured Max would probably be laughing if he didn’t look so damn disturbed. Damn, what the hell was up with these aliens? Maybe the anal probes weren’t just for unsuspecting humans. Eww…

“I, uh… your boyfriend… he, uh, sort of passed out on me.” Kyle quickly turned around and sat on the couch. Properly. He gently placed his hands in his lap. They were safer there.

Isabel stepped towards Alex, eyeing Kyle suspiciously. She couldn’t even leave him alone for ten minutes before he’s getting into mischief. But wait…Alex passed out? That wasn’t right. She took a closer look at him, and Kyle was right, Alex didn’t look conscious at all.

“He’s probably in a connection,” Max said, tiredly. “Liz went to Maria’s mind, and I bet she pulled him in.” Max walked towards Michael’s bedroom, lightly rapping on the door before entering.

“Oh.” Kyle avoided Isabel’s glare. Man, that chick really needed to chill out, before her ice crown froze the rest of her body.~

Max glanced over his shoulder and found Kyle snoring heavily a few feet away from him. Isabel was lying stretched out on Michael’s couch, peacefully dozing. Michael and Maria were probably still sleeping in his bed- wait. Alex. Where the hell was Alex?

Max sat up immediately, glancing around the room hurriedly. Last time he had checked, Alex had been on the couch with Izzy. The guy was probably just in the washroom. Max needed to calm down. But just for good measure, he stood up and checked over the apartment, turning up with a still missing Alex and an empty bathroom.

Max was about to go into Michael’s room when the door opened before Max could even put his hand on the doorknob. Michael’s frantic eyes met his, and Max knew things had just gotten worse.