Liz woke up to the sound of the door opening. Max was home. He usually worked late on Fridays. She looked at her watch, 12:08am.

Liz heard him close and lock the door. When he went into their room, she sat up and greeted him warmly. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She could tell he was tired.

Liz got up to check on their baby girl, Claudia. She was sound asleep in her crib. Max came into the nursery, and wrapped his arms around Liz’s shoulders and they stood there watching Claudia sleep. After a few minutes, Max followed Liz into their bedroom and went to sleep.

The next morning, Max woke up late. Liz and Claudia were already awake and making breakfast. When Max came out of the bathroom, he could hear Liz talking softly and sweetly to Claudia. He smiled to himself and went into the kitchen. He covered Liz’s eyes and Claudia began giggling.

"Hmmm, who could that be?" she asked herself.

Liz smiled and Max took his hands off her face. She turned around and kissed him good morning. He responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled close to him.

She leaned in and they kissed. Claudia sat in her highchair and stared at them. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Liz went to answer it and Max lifted Claudia out of her chair.

Maria and Michael were standing in the doorway. Liz let them in and she took Maria into her room to show her a new dress she bought for Valentines Day. Michael and Max sat down on the couch. Michael had a worried look in his eye.

"She’s so beautiful. She looks just like her mom." Michael said, touching Claudia’s cheek. She started giggling.

Max laid out a blanket with toys on the floor and placed Claudia in the center of her little play station. Max could tell Michael had something on his mind.

"What is it? Something’s wrong, I can sense it." Max said, deciding to begin the conversation.

"Nesato has sent us another sign. I was at the cave with Maria the other day, and the map on the walls started glowing. It got very dark in the cave, and the symbols began glowing brighter and brighter. Of course, I didn’t notice until Maria interrupted our, um, well never mind that, but it was a sign I could sense it."

"Michael, Nesato hasn’t sent us a sign since High School. Remember, the day of the camping trip? Are you sure it was a sign from Nesato, and you were dreaming or something?"

Michael shook his head, and Max could tell it was real.

Back in Liz’s room, Maria sat on the bed looking at a fashion magazine. She was a designer, and she liked to see what other designers were busy creating. Liz came out of the bathroom dressed in a gorgeous, long, black dress. It was strapless and had a slit along the skirt. She had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders to match.

"Max promised he would take my out for Valentines, and I thought this would be perfect for the outing. I want to surprise him with it. So, what do ya think?" Liz asked.

"I love it! It looks like something you would wear. Wow, it must’ve cost a lot." Maria said feeling the material.

"Well, I had a some money left over from Christmas." Liz replied.

Max paced up and down his living room. Michael sat on the floor next to Claudia, playing with her rattle. Claudia giggled and crawled over to sit in his lap.

"This could be the 4th alien we’ve been looking for since high school. Too bad River Dog isn’t around anymore. He would know what to do." Max said, "we need to go there, maybe it’ll happen again."