A crooked smile passed over her face.

Someone had broken in their apartment, and disturbed nothing except her journal, which should have been hidden so well that no one could find it.

Liz slumped in her seat.

Whoever it was had to have been watching her put it away. That was the only answer, and one that she wasnąt ready to handle.

She shivered.

Suddenly, she realized someone was saying her name; *he* was saying her name.

Oh yeah...Biology...the class from hell.

She glanced over at Max.

There was concern in his eyes, and she glanced away.

"It's nothing, Max" she whispered as she kept her eyes straight ahead. He had no right to be concerned.

She heard him sigh.

She was glad the distance between them was bothering him, too.

It just felt good to know it, even though it didn't really help one single bit.

******

Max sat in Biology class trying not to watch Liz hurting or Tess sitting there looking...attractive as always.

He let out a sigh.

He was sure guilt was going to wear a groove in his brain. It was an automatic reaction.

See Tess.

Feel Attraction.

Feel Guilt.

He was beginning to wish he could poke his eyes out. Or get a lobotomy. Anything to get his mind off the fact that he was a total jerk for treating Liz like this.

But, as always, the complications because of his 'other-worldliness' meant that he had to make sure of why he was attracted to Tess. She could be one of them. It was a long shot, but a remote possibility. It was the only positive explanation he could come up with.

From there, it all went downhill. Any other explanation meant that there was some danger to beware of and it was better to keep Liz out of the mix altogether.

So, with that thought firmly in mind, he decided to ask Tess over to study for the Biology test.

And maybe he could get some answers about her biology.

As in whether or not sheąs human, he quickly added with a rueful expression.

Maybe they'd better study downstairs in the family room, though...

******

After school at the Crashdown, Liz was going to tell Maria about the journal, but Maria had other things on her mind. She was singing lustily as she took off her uniform.

"What a girl wants, what a girl needs..."

"Maria, what has you in such a good mood," Liz peered at her curiously. "Does it have something to do with why Michael caught a ride home with you today?"

"He said that he wants me to come over and watch a movie tonight," Maria didnąt allow herself a full smile. "I warned him that dating was an extremely Śhuman' thing to do and it clashed horribly with his Śno entanglements' policy, but he just smiled. Can you believe it?"

Liz smiled, "Definitely something to be excited about, Miss Teflon."

Maria grunted at her. "Fine. Give it to me. I can take it."

Liz raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really? Well, then, let's just visit the subject of the alien abyss which you so readily climbed out of just recently, vowing to never return."

"Don't even go there, Lizzie," Maria frowned at her sternly. She pulled out a vial of cedar and sniffed it.

"Am I going to have to do an intervention with you," Liz tilted her head and looked innocent.

Maria tried to look mad, but she finally smiled. "I have done a 180 again, haven't I?"

"Yeah, it's funny how things keep...changing," Liz lost her smile momentarily.

Maria walked over and threw her arm around Liz's shoulder.

"Not you and me, babe. Not ever. We'll survive no matter what they throw at us," she kissed Liz on the cheek. "I've got to go home and shower."

She grinned maniacally before breezing out the door.

"Have fun," Liz intoned automatically, but her thoughts were already elsewhere. On the long, lonely night ahead of her.

******

Alex called her at about 6:00 that night, doing his usual cheer-up-the-girls thing. Except tonight, it was only Liz who needed cheering.

"Heard you were free tonight. How about taking in a movie," he asked without preamble. "I've heard that The Thomas Crown Affair has some pretty steamy scenes which have been purported to actually cause people to forget their own disastrous love life, or lack thereof."

Liz smiled. "I don't think so, Alex. I was just planning on-"

"Sitting around your room listening to Alanis Morrisette and torturing yourself with thoughts of a certain unworthy alien?"

"Yeah," Liz shook her head with a smile. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Perish the thought! Why do that, when you could serve your fellow man by pretending to be a hot date and rescuing me from the depths of total rejection," Alex's logic was flawless.

"Well-"

"I'll pick you up at 8:00, okay," Alex's voice was so hopeful that Liz couldn't say no. Besides, it sounded much better than sitting around wondering when someone might break into their apartment again. She was almost afraid to look at her journal tonight.