The first thing Mr. Skinny did was check the bag that had held the scrolls. When he realized that they weren't there, he began swearing, and throwing things around. Alex hurriedly turned down the volume. A moment later, Isabel opened the door to their room and came inside. She took a quick look at the sleeping couples, and said, "What happened to them?"

"It's a long story," Alex whispered. He held out his hand, and Isabel gratefully stepped into his embrace. "How'd it go? Find out anything?"

"Nothing useful. He spent the day looking for them." She nodded toward Max and Liz.

"Well, Max and Michael took out the other one, so this guy's all alone here now."

"Great. How did they do that?"

Keeping his eyes on the monitor, looking for the alien who had stepped into the bathroom, he quickly filled her in on everything that had happened while she'd been out.

A short time later the man returned to view. They watched as he quickly packed up his belongings and carried them out to the car. Just when it looked like he was ready to leave, and they were preparing to follow him again, he came in and closed the curtains. With his back to the camera, he held one hand out in front of his body. Suddenly a brilliant white light filled the room as he began to shape-shift. When the light faded, he was already moving out of their line of view. 'Who was he now?' they wondered. With no need for words, the two were up and sprinting around the building trying to get a look at him before it was too late.

They pulled up short as his car came toward them. They stared in disbelief at the man behind the wheel. They had been assuming he'd be another stranger, some faceless person to blend in with the crowd. But that wasn't the case. They knew the face he was wearing now. They ran back to their motel room to wake Michael and Max. They had to hurry or it might be too late.

At the Valenti residence, Kyle was flipping channels, wishing there was a basketball game on, or anything else he could lose himself in. He couldn't get the picture of Liz standing with Max inside that blue light thing out of his head. The way he'd held her so protectively close was forever burned into his mind. Then, later, when they'd been healing Max, and Kyle saw the energy flow from out of the alien's body into Liz's was also something he'd never forget. And afterwards when the alien held her so close and whispered to her of his fear... Kyle had come to the realization that whoever or whatever Max Evans was, he genuinely cared for Liz and would truly not hurt her.

He also began to understand what the attraction was for Liz. Of course she'd choose someone with special powers and abilities and that blue energy thing over a plain human. Kyle had never stood a chance, not since the day that Max had saved her life in the CrashDown. Strangely, he couldn't even be bitter over it.

He still wasn't able to bring himself to completely trust the alien, and vowed to keep an eye on them. From what he saw yesterday, Liz was putting herself in danger just by knowing him. She was obviously not willing to stop seeing him even for her own protection, so he would make it his business to make sure she was safe. Her voice echoed in his mind, "This is none of your business..." That had been last November when he'd followed them across the state line into Texas. Well, maybe whatever the five of them had been doing in that motel room was none of his business at the time, but Liz's welfare was a different story. He was making all things relating to her his business as of right now. He knew that the others wouldn't like it. 'Just try and stop me,' he thought in response.

Behind him, the door open, and Kyle looked over his shoulder. "Hey."

Sheriff Valenti came inside and looked to where Kyle was sitting, "Hey. What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Ok." Valenti closed the door and headed down the hall in the direction of his bedroom.

A minute later, the front door opened again, and Kyle was on his feet to greet whoever was coming inside, only to see his dad enter. "Hey."

"Dad." He shook his head. "Well, that was weird. I didn't hear you go out."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well, you came in, and I didn't hear you leave again."

"Kyle, I didn't leave. I only came in just now."

"I know, but then... never mind." Kyle decided to let it drop.

"Kyle, come away from there!" Both men turned toward the voice that came from down the hallway, and stared in astonishment as Valenti number one hurried out of the bedroom toward them. Then they were standing less than twenty feet away from each other with Kyle right in the middle. Two identical sets of blue eyes locked.

Dumbfounded, Kyle looked from one to another and back again. He backed up a step away from both of them and said, "Ok, what the hell is going on here!" Valenti number two said softly, "Kyle, come here."

"No Kyle, don't go any closer to him."

"If you touch my son, I'll kill you."

"No, you've got it wrong, I'll kill you if you so much as move." He took a small step forward and said, "Actually, I'm going to kill you either way... Nasedo."

"Nasedo? What kind of game are you playing? I'm not Nasedo, you are."

"Nasedo? Who the hell is Nasedo?" Kyle was completely lost.

"I can't be Nasedo, I'm the sheriff."

"Like hell you are."

It was into this stand-off that Max, Michael and Isabel appeared. They stepped into the glass patio door and crossed the living room. "Kyle," Max's tone was calm. "Come over here by us."

Both Valentis smiled to see them there, for different reasons. One was relieved to see that the cavalry was here. He was worried that the shape-shifter would hurt his son. The other was glad to have another one of his targets here. It made his job easier. Once he killed Kyle and Max, that would leave only Liz to deal with... Little did he know that all three of the aliens he had been searching for all this time were now standing right in front of him.

When Isabel and Alex had returned to the motel room to tell the gang that the alien had shape-shifted into Valenti before driving away, they figured he would be on his way here. Leaving Alex to guard Maria and the still sleeping Liz, they'd hurried over. It was no oversight that they left the right Shield where it lay gleaming on the motel floor. It would be a long, long time before Max would try to use it again.

On the drive, Max reminded them that the evil alien was under the misapprehension that Valenti was Nasedo and Kyle was Michael because they'd been there to rescue him and Liz from them yesterday. He'd be looking to kill them both if possible, he'd told them. They'd grimly sped to the Valenti residence as fast as possible.

Now they were confronted with two Valentis. Which one was which? The Valenti who was standing in the hallway approached and said, "Max, thank god you and your friends are here."

The other Valenti said, "Max, get Kyle out of here."

Michael said, "Great. Now what do we do?"

"Kyle," Max stood next to the other boy, "Do you know which one is your dad?"

Again the sheriff's son looked from one to the other but not able to tell them apart. "No."

"Michael, cover that one." Max pointed to Valenti number one. Michael went to stand nearer to the man in the hallway. "Be ready," Max instructed Michael who nodded. "Isabel, watch him." Max motioned at Kyle.

"What are you going to do?" he asked Max as Isabel came to his side, and took his hand in hers.

Looking into his eyes, she suggested, "Why don't we stand back here together." She forced her will over his just like she had done to Deputy Fisher the night they followed Sheriff Valenti to the carnival where Nasedo had taken Liz.

Like a sheep, he said, "Yeah, ok," and allowed her to move him into the living room where they could watch from a cautious distance.

Max came to stand in front of the Valenti who was still near the front door. They locked eyes. From behind them, the room was filling with crackling static electricity. It was emanating from Michael who was preparing to use his powers if need be. From the expression on the older man's face, as well as the fact that of the two it was this man that had asked him to protect Kyle, Max was pretty sure he was standing in front of the real Valenti. So as he reached out, he said, "We have to be sure." Sheriff Valenti slowly nodded, and Max placed a palm against his neck. Sensing that things were about to fall apart, the alien behind them reached for his gun. At the same time, Michael raised his arm, and sent him flying backward into the wall, then held him pinned there.

Looking into the sheriff's eyes, Max formed a connection. Instantly a rush of images came at him. He saw Valenti as a child, neglected and resentful of his father. The swearing in ceremony when he took up the badge. He saw him kissing a beautiful woman with brown hair, then a wedding followed by scenes of Kyle as a baby and growing into adulthood. Max could feel his sadness over the loss of his wife, and his pride in his son. More scenes flashed by. The night of the Crash Festival. The night he shot Hubble. There was Amy Deluca and Kathleen Topolski. Then the night he rushed to save Max from Pierce. He saw again Kyle laying on the floor of the UFO Center, shot in the chest, and felt Valenti's pain and desperation and how it turned to wonder as Max watched himself healing Kyle's wound. It was over in a matter of seconds.

Releasing him, he stepped back. Off balance, Valenti took stumbled backward and leaned against the door for support.

"Max?" Isabel's voice was questioning.

"This one is the sheriff."

"How do you know?" Kyle demanded. "What did you do to him?"

Max didn't answer, but instead went to stand beside Michael who released the alien. "It's over."

The alien couldn't take his eyes off of Michael, as he answered, "It's not over. It'll never be over until you're dead. All of you. If you get rid of me, more will come looking for you. You've already alerted them to your presence here in Roswell. It's only a matter of time."

"What do you mean?" Max asked, frowning.

"Didn't he warn you what would happen if you activated the orbs?" Mr. Skinny nodded toward Valenti, still thinking that he was Nasedo. "By using them, you've set off a beacon that can be heard around the globe. All of my people will be receiving the signal, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Max." Isabel sounded frightened.

The alien continued, "And today I added my own message to yours. They will sweep in here without warning, like a plague. Before you know what is happening, you'll be dead. They won't need to waste weeks trying to figure out who you are like we did." He gave a malicious laugh and added, "I've already told them who each one of you are." He looked at Valenti, Kyle and Max. Then he looked back to Michael and frowned. "Except for you." His eyes darted from Kyle to Michael and back again, clearly confused why Michael had powers if Kyle was the fourth alien.

"What is he talking about?" Kyle wanted to know.

"Max?" Sheriff Valenti also wanted an explanation. It sounded like the alien thought that Kyle was one of Max's people, but of course that was ridiculous.

"Oh my God!" Isabel interjected "That's what you were doing out in the desert today. Max, I saw him sending out some sort of message. I didn't know what he was doing, but he must have been communicating with the other aliens." She, Michael and Max exchanged concerned glances.

Mr. Skinny looked momentarily non-pulsed at having been followed, then recovered and said, "It'll be all over. Your people have tried and failed. You can't stop the inevitable. In fact, you're already dead."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Michael.

Sensing that the conversation was over, the alien again reached for his gun. He knew he wouldn't be leaving this house in one piece, but if he could take one of the others out with him, then so be it. As quick as he was, Michael was quicker, as again he used his powers to push him into the wall with enough force to stun him. He held him there like a bug on flypaper. Then the static electricity in the air intensified as he reached out his other hand and pulled the gun out of the alien's slack grip. It flew through the air to him, and he caught it deftly. Without a word, he turned and held it out to Sheriff Valenti who was too surprised to move. It had all happened in a blur. One moment the guy had been going for his gun, and the next he was against the wall and disarmed.

As before, the sheriff froze at Michael's display of alien abilities, then his police training came to the fore. He reached over and removed the weapon from Michael's palm. "Nice work, Michael," he said, disabling the gun and unconsciously comparing Michael's adeptness at controlling his powers to the two previous times he'd seen the alien in action.

At the complement, Michael smiled and said, "Yeah, well, I've been practicing." He returned his attention to the alien. Seeing that he was done for, Michael released him, and the stunned alien dropped to the floor.

"What can we do with him?" Isabel asked her brother.

"Hold him, I suppose, until Nasedo can come get him."

"That could be days." Michael put in, though unable to come up with a better solution. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of executing an unconscious person any more than the others. Behind them, Kyle moved closer to Sheriff Valenti. "Dad?" Kyle's voice was uncertain.

The sheriff went to embrace his son. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Dad, what was that? Who is that guy?"

"I'm not really sure." He looked to Max and the others for an explanation.

"Why would Nasedo come here? What was he looking for?"

"That wasn't Nasedo. He left town late this afternoon."

"Who is Nasedo?" Kyle asked for the second time that evening only to be ignored again.

"Then who is he?" Valenti asked.

"The last of those other aliens I told you about."

Valenti knew there had been two others yesterday, and asked, "What happened to the other one?"

Max gave him the abbreviated version of what had happened earlier in the afternoon, leaving out all references to Liz and Maria. He also explained why the alien had thought that the sheriff and Kyle were aliens, too. While they were talking they moved a little way away from the body laying on the floor of the foyer. They didn't notice when he gradually regained consciousness. He gathered his powers together, and prepared to send a blast of fire at them and make his get away. After a minute, he was ready. He jumped to his feet and raised his arm.

Valenti saw the alien move out of the corner of his eye. Kyle was standing between him and the alien, so the sheriff wasted precious seconds pulling his son out of the way. He shouted a warning, but it was too late. The intuition of incoming danger that had been plaguing Michael constantly for nearly two weeks sat up and howled. Instinctively, he turned, and at the same instant the alien released his deadly energy surge at them, Michael sent out a counter blast that reflected it right back to its source. With a scream of pain, the alien went up in flames. Hurt but not out of the game yet, he was already using his powers to put out the fire, when Valenti shot him in the chest once, twice.

Everyone gagged on the stench of burning flesh and hair. Max walked over and put out the rest of the flames.

"Is he dead?" Valenti asked. It was unnerving for him to see himself lying dead on the ground.

"Mostly."

"Mostly?" Kyle asked with disbelief. "Mostly... Did you just say he was mostly dead? What is this, 'The Princess Bride'?"

Isabel explained, "Someone could use the Healing Stones to revive him, if they wanted to."

Valenti put a reassuring arm around his son's shoulders. "We'll need to make sure that that doesn't happen."