Everyone packed up for the afternoon after that. Isabel and Max left, after a brief conversation with Liz. Kyle and Tess left with the Sheriff and Alex drove Liz home. Maria had left with Brody to make sure that he was ok with everything they had told him. As they arrived at her car, they just stood there talking for awhile. Michael watched from his window and couldn't believe it when Brody kissed Maria, and she let him.

Maybe he deserved this, after the way he had hurt her. He quickly dismissed that idea. How could she? She must have known he could see her. Oh, this must be another tactic to get him to come around, he thought to himself. Well she wasn't going to get to him. He didn't need her. He had more important things to do. The more he argued with himself the angrier he became until he was in a full-blown rage. He never heard her come in, which was probably a good thing or he might have actually hurt her at that moment, his powers being as unpredictable as they were. When Maria entered the apartment it looked as though a tornado had hit it. She immediately began to panic, as her imagination pictured Michael being attacked by skins. Then she heard sobbing from the bedroom. Michael was kneeling on the floor on the far side of the room. His face was distorted with pain and tear streaks. Maria slowly walked up to him and enveloped him in her arms.

He held onto to her as if his life depended on it. He let out all the emotion that he so carefully always held in. When he finally could speak he said, "I saw you….with Brody."

"You apparently didn't see everything.", she said. "He kissed me and I pulled away. I told him that I was in love with someone else."

She was met with silence, a long silence, and as she rose to her feet she added, "Someone who apparently doesn't love me in the same way." With that she turned and started toward the door. She wasn't going to do this anymore. Michael just sat there watching her walk away, he somehow knew that he couldn't let her go this time. A real fear came over him that this time, might just be the one time, she didn't come back.

Before she knew what happened, Michael had grabbed her and spun her around into his embrace, speaking with an emotion she had never heard before from Michael, "Yes, he does." She melted into his arms. He kissed her with such passion she thought she might black out, but she didn't. They spent several minutes engaged in the most intense make out session of their lives, more intense than that first night at the Crashdown. When they finally came up for air Maria looked completely ravaged. Michael thought she looked wonderful. They were about to move this to another level when Maria's phone rang. Michael begged her not to answer it as he kissed her neck, then her shoulder, then her neck again. She answered it anyway.

Liz - "Maria? Where are you?"

Maria - "Mmm, I can't talk to you now babe, have to.. uh…get back to you."

Liz - "Maria, your mother just called me, hysterical. You have to get home right now."

Maria - (Becoming fully alert at this point) "What's wrong with her?"

Liz - "I don't know. She was screaming"

Due to his close proximity to Maria, Michael had heard everything, and said, "I'll drive." Once in the car he noticed Maria's appearance and waved his hand over her to make her look more presentable. If her mother was that upset, the last thing he wanted to do was add to her hysteria.

When they arrived at the De Luca home, the Sheriff's vehicle was parked on the front lawn. Maria's panic grew in intensity. Michael, too, was beginning to feel quite apprehensive. He held onto Maria's hand as they walked toward the house. Maria was embraced immediately by her mother. Amy kept saying, "I can't believe it. I can't believe it." Maria just began sniffing her oil with one hand, while holding her mother with the other.

Michael walked over to Sheriff Valenti and asked him what happened. He was so concerned about Maria, that he didn't notice the look on the Sheriff's face. When he finally looked at Valenti, his concern shifted from one of danger to amusement. The Sheriff was smiling. Not just a smile, he was grinning from ear to ear.

Michael asked again, this time with a more condescending tone, "Sheriff, what happened."

Sheriff Valenti - "She said yes!"

At this, Michael just closed his eyes, shook his head and sat down.

* * * * * *

Kyle and Tess were watching TV. Not sports - an actual movie, a movie with a plot, a romantic movie. They had stopped at the video store on the way home and tossed a coin to see who would be allowed to pick the movie. Tess had used her powers to win. As they were watching the movie, Kyle had placed his arm around Tess and to his surprise she had snuggled up next to him. He would steal glances at her every once in a while. It was during one of these glances that she turned and looked up at him. They stared into each other's eyes for only a brief moment, before leaning closer and sharing a kiss. When the kiss began to intensify … the phone rang.

Kyle couldn't believe it when the person on the other end was Liz. "What do you have against me?, he said. "I give you my last shred of dignity and this is how you repay me!!"

Liz -"I'm sorry! Maria called and said your father is at her house and you have to get over there right now. Her exact words were IMMEDIATELY."

Kyle felt fear, not that it was a new feeling. He seemed to feel that a lot since learning about the whole "aliens among us thing". He grabbed Tess and ran out the door, briefly explaining on the way.

When Kyle and Tess arrived at the De Luca house they found Jim and Amy sitting calming on the sofa. Michael was sitting in a chair with a strange undecipherable grin on his face. Maria was pacing back and forth, stopping every once in awhile to sniff her cypress oil.

* * * * * *

In the mean time, Liz had called Max. Maria had insisted that he and Isabel and Alex come to the house also. They were all sure that it had something to do with aliens and they became even more worried when they couldn't reach Michael. They stopped and picked Liz up, swung by Alex's house and practically broke every traffic law to get there. They arrived seconds after Kyle and Tess.

They were all relieved to see Michael. Kyle was the first to speak. "So what's the emergency?"

Michael started to answer, - "Nothing much, just…" Maria abruptly turned and gave him a look to kill, as if saying, 'don't say it out loud' As if not saying it would make it less true.

Liz walked over to Maria and put her arm around her friend, "Maria what is it?" Maria - (Barely composing herself and speaking slowly) "Kyle's father, **sniff ** Kyle's father just, **sniff, sniff** he… ."

Alex - "Ok, I can see we're going to need the Maria filter for this one."

Kyle was beginning to look a little sick at this point and sat down in a chair. He had seen his father around Amy just a few weeks ago and it wasn't a pretty sight. Isabel - "Will someone tell us what is going on."

Max looked at Michael who was still wearing the same odd grin. Max gave him a questioning look, but Michael just shook his head giving Max no indication.

Tess finally spoke up in a tone of voice reminiscent of someone guessing the answer in a game of Charades, "Kyle's father just ….asked Amy to marry him."

At this Maria broke into loud sobs, again. Kyle just put his head between his knees to stop the blood from rushing from his brain too quickly.

Liz just began to smile as she held her sobbing friend. She looked at Alex who was beginning to grin as well. Max just looked relieved. Tess was rubbing Kyle's shoulders trying to calm him down.

Isabel - (With her usual disgusted tone) "That was the big emergency."

At those few words, Maria disentangled herself from Liz's arms and flew toward Isabel. Michael was on his feet in an instant and had her in an embrace before she could do anything she would regret later. Maria began babbling that maybe Isabel might feel differently if it were her mother, that were going to be having sex with a stranger in her house. Then leaning toward Isabel, she whispered, "Oh wait, she kind of is your mother too."

Max grimaced at that comment, but the look on Isabel's face was priceless and caused Alex to actually laugh out loud.

Tess and Liz were the first to congratulate Amy and Jim. The two girls actually shared a sincere smile between them, enjoying the look of adoration that Jim and Amy had for each other. Max was next to congratulate them. Then Alex, giving Amy a big hug. Isabel made a few quick remarks and quickly stepped back.

Jim stood and walked over to Kyle who was still sitting down, though he no longer had his head between his knees. "I hope you will be my best man?", Jim asked. Kyle just stared at him for a moment before spouting more from the Buddha. In the end he agreed and shook his father's hand.

Amy also got up and walked over to her daughter, "Maria I would like you to be my Maid of Honor." Maria looked at Liz and then back at her mother. Liz just nodded her head, while Amy waited for an answer. Seeing the look on her mother's face, seeing how happy she really was, brought Maria back to her senses. She grabbed her mother in a big bear hug, "Of course I will. I love you, Mom."

The next thing that happened probably shocked the group more than learning there were "aliens" or seeing Amy possessed by Max and Isabel's mother.

Amy walked over to stand in front of Michael. "As an important part of my daughter's life", she began, "It would mean a lot to me if you would give the me away."

Michael was speechless. He just stared at down at her, then, finally, finding his voice said, "Sure, what the hell." She instinctively threw her arms around him and pulled him into the first real parent-child embrace of his life. He didn't realize it at the time, but he was smiling, really smiling.