"How are my two favorite girls?" Max asked the two little blonde-hair blue-eyed beauties.

"Two handfuls as usual," Maria came into the living room wiping her hands on a towel. "I hope you're in the mood for spaghetti."

"Sounds good," Max took off his jacket and hung it up in the hall closet of their 3 bedroom apartment. "I stopped by my folks place on my way home from work."

"Oh really," Maria called from the kitchen. "How are they?"

Max sat down in his favorite easy chair as he watched Madeline and Madison play with their Barbie dolls. "They weren't home yet, but Isabel sends her love."

"That was sweet of her," Maria said.

Max knew he had to tell her, "Um, I actually received a letter today, and I have something to tell you."

Maria brought out a green salad and set it down on the dining table, "Well can it wait, because dinner's ready."

"Yeah sure," Max told her as he got up from his chair. He scooped up both Madison and Madeline and seated them in their booster chairs.

"I talked to my mom today and she said she might come visit us next weekend," Maria served him a plate full of spaghetti.

Max raised an eyebrow, "I thought your mom hated me."

Maria smiled, "It's been three years I think she's moved on to intense dislike by now. Besides I've decided to tell her the truth. It is time she knows the truth. I mean it is not like Michael is going to come back anytime soon." Max started choking on the piece of spaghetti he was chewing on. "Oh my God Max are you all right?" Maria panicked.

"I'm fine," Max reassured her after he swallowed the food.

"I fine," Madison said in a hysterical fit of giggles with then caused Madeline to spit out her spaghetti.

Maria laughed, " What I am going to do with the two of you."

Max couldn't help but admire Maria after all she's been through. The first blow came to them their junior year of college when Maria's best friend and Max's only love, Liz Parker died in a horrible car accident on a rainy night on her way home from Clovis. Max knew that was what caused Michael to leave Roswell, because he blamed himself for Liz's death. They had gone to a club in another city and Michael was driving them home, but the roads were slick and Liz didn't have her seat belt on. It was a miracle they weren't all killed, but Max felt guilty because he was unable to heal Liz. Michael left the day after Liz's funeral and the day before Maria found out that she was pregnant.

Michael left Maria heart broken and Max didn't know what to do. It wasn't until three months after Liz's death that Maria found the courage to tell her mother that she was going to have a baby. Max was there when Maria told her, and her mother first suspected that it was Michael's baby. However, Max could let Maria face this alone, so he blurted out that it was actually his baby and that was the reason Michael left. It took some convincing but Maria agreed to tell let everyone believe that Maria was carrying Max's baby. Isabel was the only other person who knew the truth, because he knew how much Max loved Liz, and how much Maria loved Michael.

Max stood by Maria her entire pregnancy, and when they graduated from college they moved into their own apartment. It would have made Maria's mother feel better if Max and Maria got married and Max had proposed but Maria didn't want to and neither did Max. They both liked the arrangement that had now where Max could be a father figure to the twins, but he has his own room. He felt somewhat like the twin's father because he was there for their birth, their first steps and their first words. Yet he knew that he was living the life his best friend should have. And Max knew that once Michael came back into Maria's life he wouldn't be needed anymore.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Maria asked as Max finished washing the dishes.

Max knew that it was now or never, "Um I got a letter from Michael today, and it said he was coming home."

Max saw the color drain out of Maria's face, "He's coming back…when?"

"Tomorrow," Max said.

Maria put her hand on her head, "I don't know whether to be extremely happy or extremely pissed."

"I know how you feel," Max wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't blame him," Maria said into Max's shoulder. "He blamed himself and he did what he usually does, he ran away."

Max reminded her, "That is how Michael deals with his fear."

"He doesn't even know about Maddy and Lynn," Maria used Madison and Madeline's nicknames. "How do we even know he would want to be a part of our lives?"

"We just have to have faith that he will do the right thing," Max said.

Maria pulled away, "I don't want him to feel like he has to do the right thing. If he stays it will have to be because he wants to and not because he found out he got his girlfriend pregnant."

"Michael would be a fool to give you up," Max told her.