Him.

Maria looked up at her glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling, and saw the V constellation. Hmm...that probably was a bad idea she thought to herself. Then she started to think about Michael again. Oh, she would never get any sleep now! Why did she have to think about Michael?

Whatever happened to the old Maria? The wacky, zany Maria that everyone always loved. Alex talked about how he would have to put everything through the "Maria filter." I guess what happened to her was a space-boy named Michael. Well, and learning that three people in her high school were aliens. You would never think that something like that would actually be true. Especially in Roswell. Tourist trap extrordinaire.

She always knew Michael was special. I guess she never knew just how much he was. And the fact that someone she had a crush on ever since 5th grade, was an alien was a little hard to take at first. They had drifted over the years. Before they would always fight and come up with practical jokes together. But then they weren't in any classes together. And he was just another person in the hallways that she once knew all to well.

But then that fateful day when they drove to Marathon, she had gotten to know him again. He was still the same Michael. And she had gotten under his skin. At least that's what Liz told her.

And then, she realized. That Michael had changed her forever. She now new what love was like. She decided that she would do anything for Michael and would always be there for him. But he kept pushing her away. Never letting her close. Which really hurt. Why does she put herself through all this? He's just going to run away again she told herself. Did he even care about her? What if she had never met him? Did she make any difference whatsoever in his life as he had done to hers? Maria then decided that it was way to late. And she had work tomorrow in the morning. She had thought about Michael to much for one night. And if she didn't stop, she would start to cry. With that...Maria started to fall asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maria heard a noise in the house and suddenly woke up. Sleepily, she looked at the clock and saw that it was 10:15.

"Ah man! And I was having a good dream too! Liz is gonna kill me!" Maria got up and ran to the bathroom. Her hair wasn't too bad this morning so she just combed it quickly. Then she realized, that she forgot to change out of her Crashdown uniform last night. Liz would kill her if she didn't leave soon and her other uniforms were being washed today.

"Well, I guess I'll just look like crap today." Maria quickly grabbed her keys and antenna's and ran to the car. Speeding her way to work she saw a few people from school drive by with a strange look on their faces.

"I'd like to see how good you look with only 5 minutes to get ready!" she yelled at the group of people. Thankfully, she didn't hit any of the lights so she wouldn't be as late. Maria ran to the back entrance of the Crashdown and walked into the employee's lounge area. She heard someone coming down the stairs, and figured it was Liz. Maria quickly tried to present herself a little better by fixing her hair a little and tried to smoothen the wrinkles in her uniform. She really wasn't in the mood to hear the speech Liz was going to give her about being late for work. Not to mention not looking presentable for work.

"Yes yes...don't even start. There's no need to give me the speech. Yes I know I'm late for work and I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about how I look but I just woke up and got ready in 5 min. You see, I fell asleep in my uniform last night cause I thought about Michael and then I got all...distracted. So I ended up going to bed really late last night because of him! My life, is never going to be normal! I swear, he just tries to mess up my life in any way possible. I mean, me knowing he's not from around here isn't enough. He just has to mess up my life some more. Which is why I think he's been coming here so much Lizzie. Just to annoy me. 'Cause he knows that him just being here makes me want to scream. And he asks me for tabasco sauce bottles all the time! I think we should charge him a lot more for those baby's cause I'm sick of having to go get him some more. Liz, are you even listening to me? I said I was sorry Liz! Don't go giving me the silent treatment like he does! Liz?" Maria had been babbling too much about Michael in her conversation with herself to even notice Liz with this look of shock on her face with her jaw dropped. All Liz did, was look at her with a blank look on her face.

"Liz. What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost! Your starting to freak me out. Is everything ok with Max?"

"I....." And with that. Liz fainted.

"Oh my God! Liz! Are you ok? I better call Alex." Maria put Liz on the couch and quickly looked in the cafe to see if there were any customers yet. Nope. The place was clear. Maria grabbed the phone and frantically called Alex.

"Please be home...please be home...."

"Hello?" It was Alex. He sounded.....different.

"Alex! Thank God your home! Liz just fainted on me at the Crashdown. You gotta come over here and help me!"

"Ha-ha. Very funny. You know, people like you should get a life. And while your at it, grow up! What kind of a person would do a practical joke like this?" Click. Alex hung up on her.

"What is going on with everybody? Who else should I call? I guess I'll call Max...." Maria quickly dialed Max's number.

"Hello?" Max sounded different too.

"Hi, Max? You gotta get over to the Crashdown asap! Liz just fainted!"

"Liz? Is she ok?? Wait. Who is this?"

"Maria. Who else would it be? But you gotta get over here."

"Maria?!?"

"Maybe you should use your powers or something on her to wake her up."

"Powers?!?"

"Yeah! Get over here! Now!" Click. He hung up on her too. Maria then returned to Liz's side. She just hoped that he would come over. What if there was something seriously wrong with Liz? She didn't know what she would do without her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Alex? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Hey Max. What's up?"

"You wouldn't believe the phone call I just got. It was supposedly from~"

"Maria. Yeah that jerk called me too. I mean what kind of a joke is that?"

"Yeah I know. But...whoever it was sounded really worried. Do you think something really happened to Liz?"

"I don't know. It did kinda sound like Maria but how can that be??"

"I know! And you won't believe what she said to me. She said, 'Maybe you should use your powers or something on her to wake her up.'"

"Powers?!?"

"Yeah. That's what I said. Then I hung up because it was getting too freaky. I mean, Maria never found out about us. How could she? Liz and you found out a few months after the shooting."

"Woah. That's weird. And I hate to tell you this Max, but I just checked my caller-id and the call was from the Crashdown. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah. Let's go check it out. I'll come pick you up."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Maria heard the bell ring on the door of the Crashdown. Meaning, someone was here. Hopefully it wouldn't be a customer. Then she saw who it was. Max and even Alex came after all! Maria ran out front to talk to them.

"Thank God you guys came! I'm starting to get really worried. She's been out for a while." Before Maria started to babble on again, she saw the look on their faces.

"Don't you guys give me that look too!"

"It's you." Alex said strangely.

"Of coarse it's me. What's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Alex sounded somewhat hostile. Maria didn't understand where that was coming from. Before they said anything else Maria dragged them both towards the back of the Crashdown. Max went immediately to Liz. How long has she been like this?"

"I don't know. It happened right before I called Alex." Then Max touched her forehead and she started to come to.

"What's going on? Where am I?" she asked weakly.

"It's ok. Don't worry. We're here with you. Your at the Crashdown."

"You gave us a big scare Liz." Alex said.

"You wouldn't believe what I saw! I could have sworn I saw....." Liz looked up and saw Maria standing there. "Oh my God...."

"What is wrong with all you people? Did someone brainwash you or something? What is going on? You guys are getting all freaky on me for showing up to work."

"She doesn't know does she Max?" Liz said looking at Max and Alex. They all kind of shared a strange long look.

"Hello? Guys? Remember me? I'm still here..."

"Maria, what's the last thing you remember?" Alex asked her with care.

"I was um....thinking about Michael..um..last night. And..um..I fell asleep. Then I got up this morning and got ready really fast so I wouldn't be late to work. Why does that matter?" Max looked at the others.

"You were thinking about Michael? Why would you think of him?"

"Maybe because that space-boy of a 'brother' of yours broke my heart." Max looked at the others again. And they again shared a knowing look.

"Maria, when did you find out about us?"

"You mean you guys not being 'from around here?'" Max looked at them again. "Liz told me after the shooting."

"The shooting?" Alex asked showing more concern.

"Yeah..don't tell me you guys forgot. The day Liz was shot and Max healed her. The day that changed the six of our lives forever." They all looked at each other again. "Hello? Could you guys stop doing that? I'm getting really confused here..."