She didn't know what to do and she had no one to talk with about it. Her mom was off on a trip with Jim and her friends were all in their own worlds with their partners. She couldn't talk to Michael because she didn't want him to feel trapped or tied down. She knew how much he felt he had to avoid getting attached to people or places, you know that whole "stonewall" thing.

"Oh God, what am I going to do? If I tell him will he stay...forever or will he find the clues he needs and leave us to return to his home planet?" she sighed. She had been thinking about her present dilemma for a week now and she was still clueless as to what she should do.

Maria jumped as the phone started to ring. "I know it's Michael, wondering where I am, what am I gonna say to him?" she thought as she trudged toward the phone.

"Maria, you okay?"

"Yes, spaceboy, I'm fine. Just had a few stragglers. You know how that is."

"Yeah, I know so how much longer are you gonna be? Are you coming by when you're done?"

Why does he have to sound so eager right now? Of all times for him to looking forward to seeing me. Maria thought, he wants to be with me and I'm avoiding him.

"Maria? Are you still there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry just got sidetracked for a sec."

"So are you coming over?" Michael repeated, beginning to wonder what was bothering her, she had been sidetracked for about a week now.

"Um...Not tonight, I'm beat and I still have to finish up here, plus I need to finish my project for class on Friday." She finished up lamely, knowing that he knew she wasn't being completely honest with him. Well, she was tired and still had to lock up but her project was finished and had been for two weeks. They both knew it, cause Michael had been her subject and she had been so proud of the way the pictures had turned out when she had finished developing them she had skipped the rest of her classes to rush home to show them to Michael.

"Oh God...I hate lying to you Spaceboy...but I don't know what else to do." she thought as she absently rubbed her belly. "Don't worry lil guy, momma will figure out what to do"

"Okay well I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the Crashdown then. Good Night Maria."

"Yeah good Night Michael." She hung up the phone and slumped into a nearby booth, putting her face in her hands and sobbing quietly, loathing herself for lying to the man she loved.

The next morning she was up with the sun after a long night of restless sleep and the strangest dream. The same dream she had been having since she discovered she was pregnant.

*Flash* She was in the desert and she was trying to find something or perhaps it was someone. But at the same time she felt like she was trying to avoid it. It was eerily quiet and very dim, like the sun had been erased and a universal mute button had been pressed. There were symbols on the ground like the ones in the cave, but these were different.

More pronounced and almost decipherable. Then in the background all of a sudden there was a low haunting wail...>>

This was the place that she always woke up. **End of Flash**