"Well, well. Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence. Sleep well?" Lonnie looked down at Maria and smiled.

"I'm glad you could join us. See we're on this mission. It's very important. We need to get the Granolith and we know that you know where it is. Now, we were gonna take your little friend Liz instead, but, well we didn't quite have a chance to catch up with her as easily as we did you." Rath looked at Maria and laughed.

"What? Did you think we were the good guys?" Maria looked at both of them. She looked around and saw four pods like the ones Michael, Max, Isabel, and Tess were born in. She looked back at Lonnie, then at Rath.

"So what? You think that I'm going to tell you where the Granolith is? What makes you think I even know?"

"You're part of their little group. You must know. Besides, Max is a corn ball, he tells all you stupid humans everything." Lonnie kicked Maria out of her way. Rath put his hand on her head and she felt an intense throb from the back of her head to her eyes.

"Come on! Don't make this any harder on yourself gorgeous." Maria screamed at the intensity of the pain. She tried to think of anything but the Granolith. Of Alex, Liz, Michael. After a couple of minutes he let her go.

"She's being complicated." Rath looked over at Lonnie for help.

"That's fine. Leave her. We'll have to pick up little Lizzie. Then we can try them both. If worse comes to worse, us having them will force Max to give it up. He probably can't go a day without his little buttercup." As they walked out into the night, Maria sat in her agony and eventually passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in Roswell:

Isabel and Max got up and went to talk to Michael. As they walked into his room, they heard him talking and moaning. Isabel turned to Max and they ran into the room. Michael lay sweating and panting. All of a sudden, he abruptly awoke.

"Maria!" He was breathing heavily as he shot up in the bed.

"It's ok! It's ok. Michael, we're here." Isabel hugged him and looked over at Max for help.

"Michael... are you ok? What did you see? Was it another dream?"

"I... I don't know. She was calling me, it was like she was calling me from wherever she was and I could hear her." Isabel looked at him as if he was hallucinating.

"Michael are you sure? I mean, it was probably one of those dreams, you know?"

"No Isabel. I know the difference between a dream and what I just felt. I felt like she was in my head. Like I felt when you dream walked me, you know, when I was sick?"

"But she can't do that. She's human, you know that." Max looked at Isabel and signaled for her to let Michael finish.

"I think... I think something else is going on. Like maybe there's somebody helping her or something. Yesterday when you tried to dream walk her, it didn't work right? She wasn't letting you in. Did you try it again lately?"

"No Michael I haven't." Suddenly the front door bolted open with a loud jolt. The three jumped up and scrambled to stand. They were ready to use their powers on the person walking through Michael's bedroom door, when Liz practically dropped to the floor. Michael and Isabel stopped, not knowing what to do, and Max ran to catch her.

"Liz? Are you ok? What are you doing here?" He looked at her and saw her puffy eyes as she cried even more in his arms.

"Maria... I could hear her. Like she was in my dreams or something. She's calling me, she needs help!" She looked at Michael and he went to hug her.

"I know. It's ok." He looked over at Isabel. "Isabel, you're the only one with the gift to dream walk. I know three people is a lot, but please. We need to speak to her. Or at least try."

"I don't know if I can. I mean, I can try but..."

"That's fine! Come on Liz." Michael grabbed Liz's hand and Isabel's. Liz grabbed Isabel's other hand with her free hand. She looked at Max, and he nodded in approval. She closed her eyes and her mind was sent in what felt like a whirlwind somewhere else.

The three were in a dark room. It was cold and seemingly empty. They found Maria in a corner, sitting against a wall. She held her knees up to her chest and sat singing to herself. Michael ran over to her and kneeled down to look her in the eyes.

"Maria! It's me Michael. Maria? Are you ok?" She slowly looked up at him, and looked back down as if he wasn't there.

"Maria! Hello! It's me, come on, what's wrong?"

"You're a dream, that's what's wrong! You're not really here. I'm in this dark place all by myself!" Liz went over to Maria and sat next to her. She looked at Liz with confused eyes. Liz smiled and gave her a hug.

"I FELT that! How is that possible! You're just a dream!" Isabel came in from the darkness.

"We're here to help you. You need to tell us where you are. We don't have a lot of time to stay here. We're in your mind, and we need you to tell us as quickly as possible what happened."

"I don't know where I am exactly. But I'm with those twins of yours. The punk rockers."

"New York. God Maria, how'd you get so far?" She looked at Michael.

"I don't know. It was like I was at school one day and the next I was here. Like, someone had control of my mind."

"Ok, so you're in NY with Lonnie and Rath. Are you ok?" Liz looked at her, and noticed she hadn't stood up.

"I'm, well, they did something to me. I think they're after the Granolith. You have to be careful. Liz, you know what I mean, you need to tell Max to be careful. They want him dead. They may come after you to get it." Maria was getting hysterical.

"Ok, we have to go. Guys, come on." Isabel looked at Michael and Liz. Michael grabbed Maria, hugged her, then kissed her softly.

"We're gonna get you outta here ok?" She nodded in agreement.

"Liz, come on." Liz looked at them.

"I don't want to. I don't want to leave Maria alone."

"What!! Liz you have to. You can't stay here. This is her sub-conscience. It's not a literal place! Come on."

"Maria, don't worry we're going to get you ok?" She hugged her friend and turned reluctantly to Isabel. In an instance they were gone, and back at Roswell.

"About time! I thought you wouldn't make it out of there! What happened? Where's Maria?" Michael looked at Max worried.

"She's in NY. She also said something about the Granolith. Liz, what was she talking about?" They all looked at Liz. Max looked at Liz most intently.

"Liz, you've never even seen the Granolith. And twice, I've gotten the impression you know more about it than you seem to. What's going on?" She looked around nervous, not knowing what to say.

"Nothing. I think Maria was just saying stuff, maybe they told her things. I mean, anything is possible."

"It didn't sound like it. Liz, Maria is in trouble and if she's sitting back making up stories we're not gonna be able to help her. You have to help us out too." Isabel looked at Liz, hoping she would at least intrust one of them with the information they needed to help Maria. The clock said 4:30 AM and there was school the next day.

"Look, I have to get home. We'll talk tomorrow." Liz grabbed the coat she had unknowingly taken off and started heading out. Michael followed and ran after her. He grabbed her elbow and turned her around to face him.

"I know me and you were never close. But we do have something in common. We both care for someone. Maria was...well, Maria. And she made me feel...."

"Human?" Liz eyes looked back at him sadly as she realized what she had just said.

"Yeah. She's only been gone for like a day, and I miss that already." Liz nodded her head in agreement and walked outside. As Michael walked inside, Max was walking out.

"Take Isabel home. Please." Michael nodded. Max ran after Liz. When he finally reached her, he walked in pace with her quietly.

"Max, what are you doing here?"

"It's cold and dark and late out. I didn't want you to walk home alone." He looked up at her and she was smiling shyly.

"Thank you." Shortly after they reached Liz's house. He stood at her front door looking at her.

"What is it?" She looked down from his glare.

"Nothing, I was just... thinking."

"Oh. Ok, well, have a good night.'

"Liz?"

"Yea?"

"Are you really planning to go through the front door?" She looked at the door and then at her watch. They couldn't help but giggle.

"No, I guess I'm not." They walked over to her balcony. He lifted her up and climbed up himself.

"Well... good night."

"Good night Liz." She started walking into her window and Max went after her.

"What's wrong Max?" She looked at him, and saw something wrong. "I'm your friend, you know you can tell me." He looked at her, thinking, as if searching for just the right words to say, but not easily finding them.

"Lately, I keep telling myself that there's no way I could ever regret what happened between me and you. That day when you got shot, saving you, well, my life really began that day."

"Max... please...."

"Just let me finish. What I didn't expect was for all of this to happen. For you to even accept who I was... never crossed my mind. But then for you to love me back...it was just, more than what I bargained for. But, ever since we broke up, I just feel like, all I'm doing is endangering you. Ever since you really got to know me, you and all of your friends have been completely in and out of ridiculous situations you wouldn't have been in, in the first place. So I'm sorry, for everything. For Maria, for Alex's broken heart, for Tess, and for telling you the secret that completely messed up your life, and all of our chances at something...normal." Max's eyes watered up, he leaned in for a kiss but aimed for the cheek instead. Liz stood speechless, amazed that he felt that way.