Michael had no time to explain, "Have you seen Maria?"

"She's supposed to meet me here later when she and Liz get back from Dexter," he replied.

"Michael!" Liz and Kyle came bursting through the door.

"Liz, where's Maria?" Michael demanded.

Liz hesitated for a second, "She's in the car, you better hurry." Michael and Alex followed Liz and Kyle out to Maria's Explorer. "Kyle and I disappeared and when we came back from wherever it was we were…we found her lying there." Liz opened the back door and Michael saw Maria lying lifelessly on the backseat.

"Maria," Michael stroked her face and he found that she was warm. "Wake up baby."

Kyle spoke up, "She had told me that there was a chance she wouldn't make it, but I guess she's stronger than that."

"Is she going to be okay?" Michael asked softly.

Liz was the one who answered, "She may have a concussion, she needs to see a doctor, but I know that was too dangerous and out of the question."

"We were hoping to find Max, but we found you first," Kyle told him.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on!" Alex cried out in frustration. "Why do I have the feeling that I missed something big?"

* * * Maria heard thunder rolling in the distance, and she knew that a desert storm was brewing. She tossed and turned while kicking the covers off her legs. Then she realized she didn't remember getting into bed, in fact she remembered that she didn't even have a bed. The last thing she remembered was blasting the billboard on the outskirts of Roswell into pieces.

She felt something cool and wet against her forehead and for a second she thought it was the rain. She softly moaned in her sleep, and that was when she heard the gentle calling of her name. "Maria, I'm right here baby."

"Michael," she said slowly opening her eyes.

Michael breathed a sigh of relief as she came back to life; "I'm right here."

Maria found herself in Michael's bed wearing his Metallica shirt that she loved, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Asleep," Michael lightly laughed. "More like unconscious, I'd say for a good six hours."

"Is everything okay? Did you find Isabel? Was Nicholas stopped?" Maria felt her energy returning to her.

Michael took her in his arms, "Take it easy, everything is okay…everyone is fine."

Maria wasn't convinced, "Michael I can read you like a book, I know you're hiding something from me."

Michael was quiet for a moment before he could confess, "It's Courtney, she killed herself."

"Oh my God," Maria held onto him tighter. "I'm really sorry, Michael."

Maria figured that this was a sensitive subject, so she decided not to press him on it. "I know she and I weren't the best of friends, but she did help us…a lot."

"She did help us, but the Harding sisters saved the day," Michael responded.

Maria turned to look at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well Tess saved us from the Skins, but you saved every human in Roswell, and I'm really proud of you," Michael shared with her.

"I truly understand now Michael," Maria started to tell him.

Michael looked puzzled, "Understand what?"

"Why you do what you do," Maria laced her fingers with his. "I wanted to go with you guys so badly, and when Max gave me a direct order. I just wanted to…"

"Smack him in the back of the head," Michael finished for her. "I know what you mean."

She rested her head on his shoulder, "But I couldn't, I couldn't go through with it, because I don't have that extra courage like you."

"Yes, you do," he said to her as he stroked the hair away from her face. "You have the power to do great things, and I wonder why you are wasting your time with me."

"Because I belong with you," she sat up and cupped his face in her hands. "And you belong with me." Tears sprang to her eyes, "I have been waiting for you my whole life, and now that I have you…I'm never going to let you go."

Michael wiped away a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb; "You couldn't get rid of me even if you tried."

Maria's face broke out into a smile; "At the risk of sounding so Jerry Maguire…you complete me, Michael. Cheesy as it seems, it's the truth."

"I love you Maria, and you don't have to worry about anyone coming between us because there will never be anyone else but you," Michael said taking her hands in his.

Maria rested her forehead on his, so that the tips of their noses were touching, "Ditto." They both lost themselves in the soft kiss.

"You know what is almost better than stargazing," Michael started.

"What?" Maria asked sweetly.

A smile played on Michael's lips, "Watching lightening in the sky with the person you love."

"Well that's something we've never done," Maria felt completely reenergized as she and Michael got out of bed. He grabbed a blanket off the bed as they made their way to the front porch.

Michael wrapped the blanket around them as Maria snuggled against him. A bolt of lightening streaked through the sky as Michael and Maria held each other.

"I'm going to remember this moment forever," Maria said to him.