"Okay, why don't we all go into the living room and let Liz have her space." said Jeff, shooing everybody out of Liz's bedroom.

Max on the other hand didn't want to leave Liz alone in her room, and was thankful when Maria said that she would stay with her. Max then noticed a look that was passed between Maria, his sister, and Michael, and he wondered what was going on. He took one last look at Liz, just to make sure that she was still okay, and left.

Maria watched everybody leave, and then she shut the door. She looked at Liz on the bed, and wished that she would wake up soon because she couldn't stand seeing her best friend like this. Maria walked over to Liz's closet, grabbed a big quilt, and laid it on top of Liz. She tucked it in, and then sat and watched Liz, as she thought about everything that had happened.

Maria still had not gotten over the fact that Max, Michael, and Isabel were here and it had been 2 weeks since Maria had found the three of them on her apartment door step, during a terrible thunderstorm.

**FLASH**

Maria jumped as the lightning streaked across her window, and then heard the roar of the thunder. She looked back down at her books that she was studying, because she had finals all next week. Then she heard a knock on her door.

"Who in the world, would be out in this weather?" Maria muttered under her breath, as she walked to the door and opened it. "Well, that answers my question, obviously people not of this world!", then Maria's mouth dropped open, and she just stood there starring at the three aliens who she had not seen since her junior year of high school.

"Typical, Maria. Are you going to let us in out of this rain or not." said Michael, shivering.

Maria nodded her head, and for once in her life she was speechless. She moved out of the way, and let them in. After she had shut the door, she turned around and just stared at them, then she realized that they were wet and freezing.

"Hold on." said Maria, as she went into her bathroom and grabbed three big, dry towels. She handed one to Max, one to Michael, and the last one to Isabel.

"Thank you." said Max, softly.

"Yea, no problem. Oh, let me start a fire." said Maria, as she went into the kitchen to get some matches, but when she got back she saw Max put his hand over the wood and then there was a fire blazing. "Oh, forgot...so...?"

"How is it going, Maria?" asked Isabel, looking at the strawberry blonde haired women in front of her.

"I'm okay." Maria replied, as she wiped the wetness out of her eyes.

"I've missed you so much." said Isabel, as she threw her arms around Maria's neck, in a big hug that Maria threw right back at her.

"Me too." said Michael, as he watched this little scene unfold right infront of him.

Then Maria look at Michael, and before he knew what was happening, Maria had already wrapped her arms around him.

When Maria was done hugging Michael, she looked over at Max, who was already looking at her. "Hey Max."

"Hi, Maria." he said, as he too gave her a hug. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you guys too! Do you know how long you have been gone?" asked Maria.

Max answered her question. "Yea, almost three years...three long years."

"What happened? What was it like in Antar? What have you all been up to? Oh my gosh, I have so much to tell you guys!" Maria said, as they sat around the fire and talked all evening and until the wee hours of the morning, about everything that had happened to the pod-squad, and Maria.