And her imagination would surely put the alien hunters to shame...

Another deep breath.

Quick lecture on the purity of her friendship with Liz and how she should remain calm despite all appearances.

And opening the door to Liz's room, she still wasn't prepared for what she saw.

No Liz. And a largely incapacitated Alex.

He lay sprawled against the wall, barely stirring.

"Alex," Maria yelled, throwing her bags on the bed and running over to him. "Are you okay?"

Alex groaned.

"Oh god..."

"What- what is it? Are you okay," Maria helped him sit up.

Alex groaned again and bent his head over, resting his arms on his knees.

"God, why do people ask the stupidest things when you've been knocked unconscious? Do I look okay to you," he snapped not too unkindly.

Maria was taken aback but she knew that he was just trying to deflect her concern off of him. What had happened? She couldn't even think straight...

"No, you don't look okay. And Liz... she isn't here," she asked tensely as she looked around the room.

"Bingo. Grand prize for the little lady with the slow powers of deduction," Alex winced and pushed himself to his feet. "I guess what we're having here could be deemed a 'Michaelpalooza.' 'Cause, dammit, he's everywhere you don't want him to be."

"Alex," Maria grabbed him by the arms. "Where is Liz?"

"Oh, she's down the fire escape, which was the only route out of here not covered by the deranged kissing bandit," Alex intoned and waited politely for her to catch up.

"Michael," she said, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. "He tried to kiss her again? And, so what, you tried to stop him and he- he hurt you?"

Please say no, she begged him silently.

But Alex watched her carefully before nodding.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'hurt' exactly," Alex thought out loud. "It was more of a handshake, really... with a very firm grip."

And for some reason, as she nodded, Maria felt two tears just spring from her eyes. She ducked her head, feeling her chin start quivering.

God, she hated to cry in front of anyone.

But why, why couldn't he keep his damn hands off of her friends? He could do anything he wanted, just about, and she'd be fine. But her friends? They were all she had besides her Mom.

Alex's arms came around her, just like she knew they would.

So her voice came out muffled when she finally managed to squeeze out the words, "how long ago?"

Then a voice came at the door, surprising them both, "Maria, are you okay?"

Maria panicked as she and Alex turned. Mrs. Parker stood there with a worried look on her face. She looked from one face to the other for a quiet moment.

"Where's Liz?"

Alex kept one arm around Maria as he gestured nervously with the other.

"In the bathroom. I think she's not feeling very good."

Maria felt her heart constrict as she watched Mrs. Parker's face. What if she asked to see her?

"What's wrong with her," Mrs. Parker asked quietly, moving into the room and picking a pillow up off the floor.

"Migraine!" "Female problems!" Maria and Alex blurted out at the same time, then glanced nervously at each other.

Putting the pillow on the bed, Mrs. Parker stopped and stared at them before asking, "Which one is it?"

"Migraine, probably related to female problems," Maria said quickly. "You know she's been having them more often lately. Migraines, I mean. She's probably in there taking her migraine medicine."

Shut up, Maria, she told herself. The less information, the better!

Mrs. Parker looked puzzled.

"Migraine medication? Did she go to the doctor without telling me?"

"No," Maria said slowly, a pinprick of fear starting to grow. "You didn't give her that medicine? I mean, I think I remember her saying that you did."

Nancy Parker hesitated, "Nooo, I didn't. Where did she get it from? Alex, do you know?"

Alex shook his head, looking a little lost.

"It's in her bathroom, Alex," Maria suddenly brightened as she remembered. "Last time, you got it and gave it to her, remember?"

Alex frowned at her.

And then it hit her- hard.

That hadn't been Alex.

Maria felt her smile freeze on her face.

She forced herself to look at Mrs. Parker.

"I'll have to ask her where she got it when she comes out."

Alex agreed with her vaguely and Liz's Mom looked satisfied.

"Oh, Maria, are you alright," she indicated Maria's tears with a nod.

What?

"Oh. These tears?"

You mean the ones I'm crying because my alien boyfriend is more obsessed with my best friend's lips than mine right now?

"Um... just had an argument with my Mom. But it's that time of the month," she said in embarassed voice.

Did that just come out of my mouth?

"Yeah," Alex agreed. 'You know what Aunt Ruby's visits do to Maria... mood swings, irritability, bloating-"

Maria's well-placed jab finally made him shut up.

"Okay," Mrs. Parker said as she turned to leave. "Tell Liz I had to run out to the store and I'll be back in about an hour. If she needs me, I'll have my beeper. Bye."

Maria sighed with relief as she left, then glared at Alex.

"Did I just say the word 'bloating'," Alex asked with a grimace. "I've been hanging out with the girls a tad too much."

"Alex, skip it," Maria said, her breathing too panicked to allow her much more. "Hasn't Liz had medicine every time she's had a migraine? Think with me. I know she said that her mom gave it to her once, which Mrs. Parker just denied. And another time it was you, but not you that gave it to her. What about the other two times?"

"Well, that's a good question," Alex said with a frown. "I know she said she took two doses that last time, but Iım not sure who gave it to her. The second time... yeah, I remember now, Liz said it was you. You came up to see her during lunch or something, right?"

Maria felt her blood rush from her face.

"No. No! I went up to see her, but her mom said she was already asleep. I didn't give her anything."

To Maria's eyes, Alex seemed way too calm about this.

"Okay," he said. "So, Nasedo's been giving her something. Which means... either he really cares about her pain, or what he's been giving her isn't migraine medicine."

Maria didn't even want to let her mind go there, and she stood fighting off the myriad of horrible possibilities while Alex went into the bathroom.

She heard him searching through the cabinets, already knowing what he would say when he was done.

He flipped the light off and came out a minute later.

"Well, there's no medicine in there now, alien or otherwise. So we have no idea what he's... been giving her."

Suddenly, the reality of it seemed to hit Alex and he sat on the bed with his hands on his head. Maria shook her head.

"We have to find Liz... and Michael. Let's go."

Maria jerked Alex up by the arm and pulled him toward the fire escape.

There was no way in hell she was going to sit there and wait for the answer to come panting up to them and lay at their feet.

Liz's life could be at stake. And, oh god, Michael's, too.

******

"So, it's not likely that there's any way we'll complete the dig by the finish date. That's good news, because if it's continued next semester, I may get to come back."

Liz felt his glance at her and tried to smile.

"Yeah, that's great."

He had been droning on so long that Liz hadn't even bothered to see where they were going. Now she sat up and realized they were on the far side of town, in a residential section not far from Michael's apartment.

And Doug was slowing down, his lights illuminating a small, dark house in a wooded lot.

Liz looked over at him nervously.

"Doug, I thought we were going for a Coke somewhere?"

"Well, confession-time: I forgot my wallet, so I hoped you wouldn't mind stopping here. We don't have to stay, but I atleast need to go get my wallet. Sorry," he said sheepishly.

He waited for a moment obviously hoping that she would come inside with him, and Liz fought with herself as he finally got out.

But she just didn't trust him, and Max, Kyle AND Alex had warned her to stay away.

"I'll be right back," Doug said quietly, walking up the path to the door.

"Uh, Doug," Liz called, opening her door quickly and stepping out. "Do you mind if I use your car phone while you grab your wallet?"

He smiled at her.

"Not at all. Go right ahead..."

Liz felt a little guilty as she sat back down.

But she had heard over and over again that trusting your instincts was the best way to avoid getting into bad situations. The only reason she had gone with Doug anywhere was because she was trying to avoid Michael.

She took a deep breath of the slightly muggy air and tried to relax. There was no reason to be tense. Michael was way back at the-

"Liz, get out of the car."

Liz jumped at the voice and turned quickly.

"Kyle! God," she exhaled in frustration. "Stalk much? What is this, three times now?"

"Well, you know what they say, 'You always stalk the ones you love,'" he grinned maniacally, then opened the car door.

Liz raised her eyebrow as she looked up at him.

"So, what, you only stalk because you care," she said doubtfully.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kyle agreed in disgust. "Just get the hell out of the car."

Liz smiled and stood up as Kyle began to lecture.

"I thought you agreed not to go out with Mr. Dig Dork again because he's a psycho just waiting to happen."

"Well, yeah, I know, but things got complicated," Liz hedged again, knowing she couldn't explain the real reason that she was here.

"So you decided to ditch reason entirely and go with... what? Complete insanity," Kyle raised his voice in anger. "Do you know what he could have done to you?"

Liz was stunned into silence by his fervancy.

Then the door to the house opened and Doug walked up, smiling.

Kyle looked over his shoulder and turned back to Liz.

"Go get in my car. I'll deal with him," he said in a low voice.

Liz watched Doug approach with mixed feelings, but caution was winning out over sympathy. So what if she had said she would go out and get a coke? He'd get over it.

"Doug, I'm sorry," she began, a little startled to see him stop so close to Kyle. And Kyle sucked in a quick breath and his eyes went to hers in surprise.

"Kyle?"

"Don't mind me," he said with a strained grin as he looked over his shoulder. "I've just got a .33... oops, make that a .44 magnum stuck in my back."

Liz stiffened in horror.

"Doug, I'm impressed," Kyle continued. "That's one hell of a gun for such an asswipe like yourself. But, seriously, even though you couldn't get Liz to date you any other way, violence still isn't the answer."

"Kyle, shut up," Liz said tersely, watching Doug's smile. "He's going to shoot you."

"Hell, with that thing, he's gonna blow a hole in me the size of Miami," Kyle joked a tad too carelessly.

Liz felt her heart clench in fear for him.

"Funny, Kyle, but true. Now, in the house pronto. We only have a few minutes left. Liz?"

Liz crossed in front of them nervously, eyeing Kyle with a meaningful look.

"Now you, Kyle. Oh, but wait, why don't we fix my car, in case someone's looking for the old white roadster?"

Then Doug reached out his hand and the white paint on his Maxima swirled into blood red.

Kyle took two steps back, covering Liz with one arm.

"Holy sh**," he whispered. "What the hell are you?"

Doug turned with a smile.

"Let's all troop into the house now, shall we? I'm sure you both see the need to cooperate fully now, don't you?"

******

Finally reaching the ground, Maria shook her head to clear it and focus on finding them.

There was no one in the alley behind the Crashdown, either side. Maria looked at Alex hopelessly. "Wanna take the left side or the right?"

Just then, the wind picked up and Maria caught a whiff of a putrid smell. Someone must have just emptied the garbage from the kitchen, she thought idly.

"Garbage! That's it," she exclaimed, triumphantly dragging a very confused Alex through the back door of the Crashdown.

"Jose," she yelled, charging toward the kitchen.

"Si, mi adore," Jose stuck his head through the back window with a wide grin.

"Did you take the garbage out just a few minutes ago," she rushed at him with a slight flutter in her heart.

"Si, senorita."

"Did you see anyone climb down the fire escape because we are looking for-"

He frowned at her excited chatter and gestured to ask her to slow down.

"Sorry," she began more slowly. "Did you see Liz in the alley at all?"

"Ah, si! I seen her with a tall, dark gentleman leaving the alley. Right before Mike came through after them," he said with a grin.

"Was it Max with her," Alex jumped in hopefully.

"No, it was the other gentleman she has been seeing. Something like 'dug?'"

Maria felt herself fall back against Alex, closing her eyes in acknowledgement of the worst possible news.

Doug had her.

******

"So, let me just get this out in the open, Doug. I have this problem, see. My Dad is the Sheriff and he tends to be very protective of me and my friends. If I were you, I'd let us go now, or my Dad will make sure you go to jail for a very, very long time for this."

Liz had to hand it to him. Kyle was facing what he surely had to believe now was an alien, and he was still trying to put up a brave front. At least she thought it was a front. He didn't even look scared to her, and she knew him pretty well.

Liz, on the other hand, was completely petrified.

She'd read somewhere that most people die from shame in situations like these. They can't get their minds out of the rut of guilt and shame from letting themselves be so completely overpowered, and they forget to think, to work towards a solution.

And that was her first instinct, to be ashamed. How could she let Kyle get endangered like this? How could she be so stupid as to let herself get into a car with this guy when Max, Alex and Kyle had warned her off of him?

BUT, she refused to dwell on that.

Doug would make a mistake somewhere, and she had to be ready to take advantage of it. Soon.

Before something bad happened, like Kyle goading Doug into shooting them both, which looked like it might not be far from happening.

Had Kyle actually just asked him if he knew how to shoot that thing?

What, did he want a demonstration?

"Yes, Kyle, I do. Would you like a demonstration," Doug asked with a wily smile.

"Sure, if you'll untie me, I'll give you a hell of a demonstration. How would you feel about being a target," Kyle grinned. "You know, 50 points for an eye, 100 points for the nose, bull's-eye maybe being someplace lower and a little more... personal."

Liz looked at him in amazement. He was tied to a chair by a tight, thin cord which was wound around his chest and down around his ankles, rendering him completely helpless. But you'd never know it to hear him talk.

"Kyle," she said in a low voice, her eyes giving him a warning.

But the blue eyes that speared her back held no illusions. He clearly knew the desperation of their situation.

Liz swallowed.

"So, Doug, what exactly is your plan here," she forced the words past her choked throat somehow.

He turned from Kyle and smiled at her.

"You really don't know, do you," he stared at her a moment and then laughed. "Well, let me see if I can put it all together for you. You're in love with an alien, right?"

Liz couldn't make herself deny it, but she kept silent, very aware of Kyle's eyes on her.

"And he lost someone very dear to him not too long ago, right," Doug continued.

Liz frowned.

"No," Doug asked, looking surprised. "Okay, well, it's not like this stuff happens all the time. It's only happened once before that I know of, that a human is transformed for some reason. And that time, it was because of a death. Yours may be different. Well, we can figure that out later, there's only a few minutes left..."

Liz's mind was reeling. Transformed? Of course. The glowing hands, the migraines...

But who had died? The only person she knew of who had died in Max's life was... Oh... Tess.

Liz tried to breathe calmly as her mind raced.

"Wait," she exclaimed, straining against the cords. "A few minutes before what?"

Before Doug could speak, a glow from outside grew brighter and finally, the door imploded.