:: ‘In the dark of the moon, we have our dreams to light the path.’ I don’t quite remember who said that it’s just something I recall from English class a few years ago. I feel like the author’s name is on the tip of my tongue, I just can’t quite grasp it. Kind of goes with the whole theme of the evening. We sat around for a bit tonight talking about what happened and it’s apparent what Nasedo said is coming true: we only have vague memories of what occurred even ten minutes after Maria woke up. Isabel doesn’t remember anything after touching Maria. You can tell that fact completely upsets her, so we tried to fill her in with what the rest of us remember. Max’s strongest memory of the dreamscape is that Nasedo looked like me… something I also found rather freakish. Taking all of our memories and pooling them together, we’ve reconstructed most of the dream. Have you ever woken up after a bizarre dream and tried to tell it to someone? It’s like… the more you try to describe it, and the more and more ridiculous it sounds. Maria remembers Michael saving her from falling off the cliff. As far as memories go, I guess that’s a fairly nice one to have. He remembers having to tell Isabel not to be afraid, though he can’t think of why. That leaves me… what do I remember? ::

“Liz?” Her flow of writing was broken when Max called up to her in a loud whisper. In a heartbeat, the dark-haired alien was at her side.

“Checking up on me, Max?” Liz asked jokingly.

“I just wanted to wish you sweet dreams.”

She smiled, “Oh they will be. After tonight, I'm ready for a good nights sleep. You should be too."

As to validate her statement, he involuntarily yawned. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just wanted to see you."

"Thank you, Max… thank you for helping Maria tonight…" she began to say all in a rush, though she didn't know why she felt the need to say it so urgently.

And he hushed her, "There's no need, Liz…"

Liz wanted to tell him everything in her heart, but a muffled sound of movement inside her house stopped her. "You should go before my parents realize you're here, and yours realize you're not."

Leaning in to kiss her, he whispered in her ear, "Sweet dreams, Liz Parker."

She closed her eyes, savoring the nearness of his body, the sensation of his warm breath on her cheek, and when she opened them, Max was gone. "Sweet dreams," she whispered in reply.

After a moment, the teen settled back into her lawn chair and began writing in her worn leather journal again.

::As for me, I remember it all. Everything. Though, like the others, my recollection of the events are fading too… more and more they're seeming like a hazy distant memory. I wanted to get it all down in here before it was all gone. Nasedo is their protector… makes me wonder who they are to need protection… or what they need protection from. But nothing makes me wonder more than one word the alien said tonight. DESTINY. It's amazing how one word can seem so big… so ominous. He said they have one – a destiny. Five hours ago, destiny was just a word… a predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control… but now it was so much more… too much more. Everything is fading now and I'm fighting just to stay awake. I guess it means I should go to bed, though I know when I wake up, all my memories of tonight will be gone. I should have told Max what I remember, but I didn't. Why? I'll never know. It’s time, I can't fight sleep any longer, but I just have to keep writing… What is this destiny Nasedo talked about? When they find out will there still be room for me in his life? Who was that blonde girl on the edge of the ravine past Nasedo? And why was I the only one to see her?::

Liz finally surrendered to the overpowering fatigue. She placed the journal in her secret safe spot, climbed back into her room and curled into a ball, falling to sleep immediately.

***

Michael sat back comfortably on his bed, waiting for Maria to finish in the shower. He ran over the few details of the night that he actually remembered. The one that was stuck in his head, he never mentioned to the group and no one else seemed to remember it. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

FLASH: “Because I love you… If anything… being with you makes me… good.”

The words were true, he meant them with all his heart, but he didn't know if he could say them again to her… He wanted to, more than anything he wanted to. Michael didn't know what to do because he knew by tomorrow he knew the memory of his confession would be gone.

"Penny for your thoughts, Space Boy…"

He looked up, startled out of his reverie by Maria walking into the room. //Now's your chance, // he thought, but chickened out. "Nothing."

She crossed the short distance to his bed and settled down next to him, her mood turning somber "So, uh, I almost died tonight, didn't I?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you saved me, didn't you?" Maria continued, edging closer.

Michael intertwined his fingers with hers, hoping it would soothe her. "Uh-huh," he repeated.

"I really owe you big time, don't I?"

"Uh—" the diminutive blonde shushed him by placing her index finger on his lips. Maria ran it over his bottom lip playfully, then leaned in engulfing his mouth with her own in a passionate kiss that took his breath away.

The alien gasped for oxygen as she broke contact. "It's nothing you wouldn't – or haven't – done for me. I want to tell you, Maria… I –"

"Michael, you don't have to," she interrupted.

This time he shushed her. "I need to. There's something about you, DeLuca. It smashes down all my walls… makes me break all my own rules… it makes me wonder what I could have possibly done so right to have you feel this way about me so that I can keep doing it all my life. I – I …" //Say it you wussy, those three words. You said it once tonight, just do it.//, but the boy passed the chance up again. "That night you overheard me and Max talking, you missed what I really said. I said no, but what I meant was, I wouldn't have back then… not something I'm proud of. But now… now I would risk everything I have… I would risk the world knowing who – what – I am to save you. I would trade my life for yours in a heartbeat."

"I – I don't know what – I'm speechless…"

He smirked, "That's a first."

Maria smacked him playfully on the arm, "I'm speechless and frankly a bit tingly."

"Good," he smiled, this time not a sarcastic smirk or a smug Michael grin, but a real smile. "Now don't go telling anyone. I have a reputation to uphold."

Laughing, they both realized it seemed like forever since the last time they did that. Maria grabbed the spiky-haired boy's hand and hauled him to his feet. "Don't worry, Stoic Boy… your secret's safe with me. Now come on and drive me home. I'm still a little shaky and I'm gonna need an amazing story to tell my mom."

***

They entered the DeLuca household hesitantly, not knowing what to expect from Maria's mom. What they found was Amy sitting in the reclining chair, the phone cradled in her lap.

Maria decided to speak first. "Mom…"

But Amy had other ideas, "Don't you 'Mom' me. Do you realize what I've been going through all night? It crossed my mind more than once to call Jim and have him track you down."

"I'm sorry… I am." The frail blonde still had not truly recuperated from the events of the past week, so she seemed lost and small… not to mention she leaned heavily on Michael, who had yet to speak. "There was just this thing I've been going through—"

The eldest DeLuca interrupted again. "This thing? This thing seems to be an overwhelming theme on your life lately, Maria. This thing… is it the same thing that keeps you out until all hours of the night? Or makes you have to leave work in the middle of a shift? Or what about this… is this thing the same reason you've put about ten thousand miles on my car in less than nine months?"

Michael squeezed her hand for support and reassurance, causing her to look into his eyes. "Maybe you should go, Michael… this is going to be a long one…"

Before he could answer, Amy swiftly stood from the old chair. "You're not going anywhere… we're going to sit down at my kitchen table, I'm going to listen to your carefully crafted story, then we're going to eat pancakes."

The last thing she said threw the teens through a loop, "Uh, what?" Michael asked.

"I said we’re going to eat pancakes and that's when I thank you for bringing my little girl home, Michael. Now sit down." He did as he was instructed. "Let's just think of this as a 'Get to know Michael' breakfast… So what are your plans in life…"