Maria quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail. She did not want to be late for the rehearsal and sound check. "The Grammy's," Maria said out loud as she paused for a moment stared at herself in the mirror. She'd dreamed about such a day for as long as she could remember. Still, something about the day didn't feel right. She felt something was missing....the fairytale.

Since she was a little girl singing her heart out into a hairbrush, Maria dreamed of the perfect life. In her daydreams, everyone knew and loved Maria. She lived in the perfect little house with a white picket fence. She was surrounded by loved from the perfect family with 2.3 kids. After a sold out concert, Maria returned home to the perfect husband and the perfect...daughter. Maria shook her head in an attempt to bring herself back into the real and very rushed world. "I have the perfect daughter," Maria thought glancing quickly at a photo of she and Hope that held its permanent position on a stand next to her bed.

Though Maria had never daydreamed about motherhood the way she had about singing, the job was one she would never trade. Motherhood was more than a job, it was a privilege for which she had not exactly volunteered, but would never give up. Though Maria had not originally welcomed her unexpected pregnancy, she soon accepted her fate and grew to love her pregnancy. She was amazed when she allowed herself to focus on the bundle of joy that grew within her womb. The baby was, after all, the best of both Maria and Michael.

"Michael," Maria sighed as she reached for a pair of earrings.

For the past seven years, Maria struggled to forget the name. Nightly, she reflected on her day to count the number of times she'd thought of him. Though she'd hoped the test would help her forget him, Maria found her number never decreased. She realized each night that she loved him even more than the night before. Slowly, but surely, She accepted the fact that Michael was gone, but her emotions for him could never be buried the way she'd buried Maria DeLuca. Maria accepted the fact that she loved a man she could never be with.

Maria had indeed succeeded in burying Maria DeLuca. Unlike Maria's desperately dreary life in Roswell, Marianna's life was focused around achievement, fame, and stardom. Marianna had a career and a social life, and was happy. Happy. Was Maria happy? Marianna was happy...just ask any television reporter, any writer at Entertainment Magazine, any of the media relations people at (name of the record company). Everyone knew Marianna was one a fast track to celebrity and happiness.

But did the glory of Marianna bring happiness to Maria? Throughout the course of her singing career, Maria learned that life in the entertainment world was one thing, but life in the real world was quite another. Maria had all the material things she'd ever hoped for. She could travel anywhere in the world, she could buy anything her heart desired. But the love her fans gave was the not the love she'd imagined in her childhood dreams. The reality of the fan's love left her wanting. Though the fan's appreciation gave her temporary highs and provided her with energy for concerts and the desire to continue singing, the love Marianna lacked was the love Maria felt for Michael and remembered each time she closed her eyes.

Maria snapped her watch in place and rolled her wrist to look at the time. Again, she'd allowed herself to get caught up in thought and reminiscing about Michael. It seemed that happened a lot lately. She dug through her jewelry box and found the sparkly baby blue charm necklace Hope had given her last Christmas. The necklace matched perfectly with the casual jeans and tank top she'd thrown on to run out for the sound check. She dropped to her knees to look around on the floor for the baby blue purse Liz had given her the day she left Roswell. She rarely went anywhere without it. Luckily, Maria recalled kicking it beneath the bed last night and did not have to look for it very long.

"Alright Lupe, I'm off." Maria said as she zoomed through the house gathering last minute necessities. "Adam is coming shortly. Please don't let them go outside unsupervised. Last time those two got together, they wound up painting the walls with mud. If I choose to have the house painted, I'll hire professionals," Maria said smiling at Lupe who returned the smile. "Oh, and please take care of Hope. She's the only thing that keeps me going, you know. And if anyone calls, tell him or her I'll be right back." Maria told Lupe, Hope's nanny.

Lupe came to work for Maria a year and a half ago when Maria and Alex could afford extra help. Since then, Lupe had become part of the family.

"Yes, M'ija. Have fun. Y no te preocupes por la niņa. La tienes en buenas manos," Lupe told Maria as she always did each time Maria left the house.

"I know, I know. She's in the best hands possible," Maria smiled. She ran to the counter and picked up her purse and checkbook. "Call my cell or page me if anything's up."

Maria hurried into her daughter's room for a quick goodbye kiss and behave speech. As she entered Hope's room, she was graced with the opportunity to witness her daughter partaking in one of her favorite pastimes. Hope held a white crayon drawing on a piece of black construction paper. Maria marveled at how such a young artist knew so much about complimentary colors.

Maria smiled as she stood silently watching Hope's seven-year-old hands. She was growing up to be a wonderful artist....just like her father. Maria sighed at the thought of just one of Michael's many qualities Maria saw in Hope. Hope had inherited so much from her father and Maria often wondered if Hope had also inherited her father's Czechoslovakian powers. Maria had never observed Hope act abnormally, but Hope had said a few things that worried Maria. Hope had said on more than one occasion that she could do anything if she concentrated hard enough. Other children her age played make-believe all the time. Make-believe was normal for children Hope's age. Still, Maria could not help but wonder if Hope's imaginary game may be a very real beginning of her adapting to the use of her Czechoslovakian traits.

Maria could not be sure if Hope would ever develop any of her father's extra abilities. She wasn't sure if human and alien hybrid's were normal human babies or normal alien babies. And it wasn't as if she could run out and ask the local pediatrician. "Hey, do you know if all seven-year-olds babble as much as Hope? Oh, and do you know at what age human-alien hybrids begin developing their powers...that is, if they have powers?"

Maria grinned at the ridiculousness of the idea. Not only would she be put in a mental asylum and be taken away from what she loves most, but if the FBI ever found out, they would undoubtedly experiment on her daughter the way they had done on Max in the White Room. Maria would never allow that. It was dangerous enough for Hope's mother to be a celebrity, which assured Hope's celebrity. Maria refused to allow her on curiosity to be the reason Hope's life would be put in danger. She subconsciously adored the idea that Hope may possess some of the very qualities that led to Maria falling in love with Michael. Then again, those very qualities would be a daily reminder of why Michael was forced to abandon her...and the baby he didn't know existed.

Maria looked at her watch again and scolded herself for running late. Maria tip-toed into Hope's room to take a closer look at Hope's drawing. Tears began forming in her eyes as she stared at the drawing of her daughter standing between Maria and her daddy. The words "Daddy," "Mommy," and "Me" were neatly printed under each corresponding figure.

Hope drew her father as a tall, bold man with wings. "Hope," Maria spoke.

"Hi, Mommy!" Hope said turning around in her seat to look at Maria. "What's wrong, Mommy?" Hope asked when she saw her mom's glassy eyes.

"Nothing's wrong, Honey," Maria said touching Hope's soft hair. "Why did you draw this person with wings?" Maria asked and pointed to the drawing.

"That's my daddy," Hope said proudly. "He has wings because he can fly. And sometimes he takes me with him and we fly in space."

The irony was more than Maria could bear. She hugged her daughter and said goodbye. "I'll be back in a little while." She walked towards the door, but stopped to say one more thing before leaving. "Don't forget we have the ball tonight. Prince Alex will be here later to pick us up."

Hope smiled and said, "I won't forget."

Maria always wanted Hope to grow up in a happy and prosperous family. She figured she was in the norm as a mother who wouldn't be satisfied until her daughter had the best of the best. Though Maria worked hard to be both mother and father to Hope, she felt her attempts weren't enough. Hope did at least have a male figure in her left with Alex, but Maria wanted to provide more for Hope.