She convinced Michael to have their picture taken, so that way they could always remember that night. Maria had the best time, she lost track of Liz, Max, Tess, and Kyle, but she danced with Alex a couple of times while she let Isabel get her toes stepped on.

Once the prom ended Michael and Maria walked hand in hand out the door. Since they didn't have any transportation they decided to walk. Maria slipped off her shoes and walked across the cool grass in her barefeet. "So tell me the truth, did you have a good time?" she asked him.

Michael brought her hand to his lips, "I was with you, and that is all I wanted."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "For giving you a hard time."

Michael also apologized, "I'm sorry too. I should have been honest with you to begin with."

"Well now that we have put that all in the past I propose that we concentrate on the future," Maria declared.

Michael joked, "Maria, are you proposing to me?"

Maria laughed as she quickly kissed him on the lips; "Do you see me down on one knee?"

Michael kissed her back, "When the time is right."

"But right now I just want to be with you," Maria confessed. "We need to stop having these stupid arguments."

Michael stroked her cheek, "Well, we need to have the fights, so we can have the great make ups."

"Have I told you this evening how annoying you are?" Maria teased him.

"I think you're due," he said as Maria leaned her head on his shoulder.

Maria sweetly said, "Well you're not, you're perfect."

"That's because you make me that way," Michael told her honestly. "I would be nothing without you."

Maria smiled brightly, "Come on, let's go."

"Where?" Michael let her guide him.

Maria winked her eye at him, "Back to your place."

* * * "Where are you going?" Tess asked as Maria was getting ready.

It was a couple days after the prom and Maria had been on cloud nine ever since. Her life had really fell into place in Roswell and she had been thinking a lot about her future. "I'm going to pick Liz up and then we are going over to Alex's before our shift tonight."

"Oh," Tess said feeling a little uneasy.

Maria sensed this, "Do you want to come with me?"

Tess shook her head, "No, their your friends anyway."

"Tess," Maria called after her, but she already left the room.

Maria figured that she was able to relate more to Liz and Alex because half of her was human, and all Tess ever had was the alien side. But then Tess never really made the effort. "I'll see you guys later!" she called to Kyle and Tess who were watching a video.

"Bye," she heard Kyle say, but Tess remained silent.

Liz was waiting for her outside of the Crashdown, and she got in when Maria pulled up. "Girlfriend! What's shaking?" Maria greeted.

"Oh nothing, just my life," Liz replied as she fastened her seat belt.

Maria tried to cheer her up, "Just forget about that right now we have bigger problems to deal with. Alex told me that Isabel has it…bad."

"I guess that trip to Sweden was the best thing he ever did," Liz pointed out.

Maria laughed, "Are you kidding me, he's a stud. Now it's his turn to have Isabel begging."

"I just want him to be happy," Liz said sincerely.

"Yeah, you and me both," Maria agreed.

"Girlfriends," Alex greeted when they met him at the front door.

"Give me some sugar," Maria said as she and Liz pounced on Alex for a hug.

Alex beamed, "See girls are just chasing after me like I'm some kind of rockstar."

Liz playfully warned, "Just don't let it go to your head."

"With you two around constantly reminding me that I'm just a simple man, never," Alex escorted them into his room.

"Yeah, a simple man who has the ever so popular Isabel Evans panting after him," Maria said as she sat down on his desk chair.

Alex sat down on his bed and pulled out his guitar and he lightly tapped his fingers against the surface, "Yeah, she's trying to suck me back in."

"So how do you feel about that?" Liz asked curiously.

Alex thought about it, "The big C; confused. I care about her, but I don't want things to end up like before."

"Well, honestly I think Isabel has changed since you guys have last been together," Maria shared her opinion. "But the struggle to find herself will always be there."

"Yeah, for someone who is so confidant, Isabel does have a lot of hidden insecurities," Liz included.

"Ok, time out," Alex made a T with his hands. "I thought you guys were here to hang out and not just talk about my love life."

"Fine, topic aside…for now," Maria told him.

Alex felt a slight sense of relief, "Good, because I have this new song I want you to hear."

"I'm all ears," Maria giggled, she guessed all that annoying tapping he was doing was a part of his song.

Alex was relieved for the distraction and he enjoyed spending time with Liz and Maria. Maria felt the same way and she considered Alex to be the brother she never had. He was the one she confided in, and he was the one who was always there for her.

She shared a special connection with Alex through music and that was a bond she shared with no one else. "Alex, you rock," Maria complimented after hearing his song. "We should go on tour."

"Yeah, we can jump on the stage and say, 'Hi, you don't know us, but we're going to play some songs for you,'" Alex joked which left both Liz and Maria laughing. "So we will end up getting booed off the stage."

Maria shook her head, "That wouldn't happen because we have talent."

As they continued to laugh the phone on Alex's nightstand rang. "Hello," Alex answered. "Oh hey Isabel."

Liz and Maria quickly quieted down so they could hear his side of the conversation. "Yeah, it was a great night for me too…tonight?" He looked at Maria and Liz for help, and the both shook their heads. "I can't do tonight…I have a…" He looked to Maria and Liz for an excuse.

Liz whispered to him, "Study, study."

Alex told Isabel, "I'm studying…yeah I know, but I got a…I got a monstrous final in…" Maria saw that Alex was in need of help, so she grabbed a book from his desk and pointed to it. "Robert Frost?" Alex gave her a confused look.

Maria shook her head and mouthed, "English."

"English?" Alex realized. "English, yeah, killer final. Uh, Mr. Brazzi's really puttin' the screws to us."

Maria and Liz saw in Alex's facial expression that he was considering Isabel's invitation, so they started flexing their muscles. "Stay strong," they whispered to him.

"I don't want to, but I have to," Alex told her. "Okay, well uh, I'll see you later." He hung up the phone and then fell back on his bed sighing.

Maria and Liz went and sat next to him. "I'm so proud of you," Maria said to him.

"This blows," Alex sighed again.

Maria pointed out; "Well at least you have the upper hand for a change."

"Yeah, you've got her chasing you. Who would have thought that," Liz added.

"Not me," Maria teased.

Alex still couldn't believe his life, "She's thinking about me. Even now she's on her bed and she's thinking about me."

"Okay, so are we done with this Isabel thing?" Maria asked curiously. "All right, Max kissed Tess."

"Maria, let's go to work," Liz didn't want to talk about Max.

"Okay," Maria decided to let it go.

Liz got up from the bed, "Come on." She pulled Maria up. "Alex, now Alex, you be strong. Okay?"

Maria flexed her muscles again, "Strong, strong, strong." They continued to try to build up his confidence as they walked to the front door.

"You be strong!" Liz called to Alex. "Okay? Good-bye."

Alex answered back, "Strong. Strong…yeah."

As Maria and Liz were leaving a delivery guy arrives at the doorstep. "Hey is this Whitman?" he asked.

"Yeah," Liz said to him. "Hey Alex! Your food's here."

Maria informed him, "Here, come in." The delivery guy followed them into the house as Alex appeared in the room. "Bye," Maria said as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she closed the door behind her.

* * * "I am so beat," Maria complained to Liz in a tired voice. "Why did the whole town of Roswell decide to come eat here tonight?"

"Just be glad that they left peacefully," Liz replied as she left to go clear the last table. Kyle, Tess, and Isabel were sitting in one of the booths looking at prom pictures.

Maria was gathering dishes on the counter when she accidentally dropped a plate. The loud breaking noise made her scream, "Ahh!" She had been on edge all night and she didn't know why. "Great," she said as she stood over the broken pieces. She grabbed an empty plastic bin and began picking up the pieces while she listened to Max and Michael's conversation.

"You are so full of it," Max told Michael.

Michael said honestly, "I just call it like I see it."

"You can't compare the Matrix with Crouching Tiger," Max had a serious look on his face.

"Crapping Tiger is a chick flick with kung fu," Michael stated with disgust.

"First of all crapping," Max shook his head. "Crouching Tiger is actually about something: love, honor, and duty."

Michael pointed out, "Matrix is about something: illusion, reality, gunfire."

Max refused to give in, "You simply cannot prefer Keanu Reeves to Michelle Yeoh. You can't, I won't let you."

Maria picked up the bin and went to the back to throw it away. When she got there she realized she wasn't alone. Sheriff Valenti was standing there with a sullen look on his face.

Maria knew something was wrong, because not only did she feel it but because it was written all of over his face. "What?" she managed to say.

Valenti hated to tell her, "It's Alex."

"Oh my God," Maria felt sick to her stomach. "He's dead, isn't he?"

He slowly nodded, "Yes."

"No," she didn't believe him, but she knew it was true because she felt it. "No!" Maria ran back out onto to serving floor and into Liz's confused arms.

Everyone became aware that something was obviously wrong when Valenti walked in. "There's been an accident," Valenti could see the pain in Maria's face. "Alex is dead."

"What?" Isabel was in a state of shock.

Valenti went on, "It was a car accident, they're taking his body to the city morgue."

"You have to help him Max," Maria pleaded as tears rolled down her cheeks. "You can save him." Michael went to her as Liz let her go. She buried her face in his chest, because she knew she would completely fall apart if she saw the anguished looks on her friends' faces.