"How could something important happen, we were all asleep." Kyle mumbled sleepily.

"Let me explain first. For about a week now I have been having this strange dream and apparently Michael had been having it too. We were in the desert and there were these symbols on the ground but we didn't know what they meant and the whole time there was this wailing in the background almost too low to hear it, you know what I mean? Well, anyway tonight when we fell asleep we were able to figure out what the symbols meant." Maria said trying to catch her breath so she could continue.

"Hold on Maria, let me tell them what it means." Michael said as he put a finger to her lips to quiet her. "They say that we can come back!"

"What? How? Was there anything else?" Everyone asked at once.

"That was all it said. That we can come back. It doesn't say how or when but we can come home when we save our people. It's not much but it's more than we had a few hours ago." Michael said, yawning.

"Well, that answers one question now how are we going to explain this all to our parents?" Isabel said quietly. Wishing that Max would agree to tell their parents the truth. She had wanted to tell them her entire life, she knew they would understand. She also understood why Max was afraid to tell them but she just felt that it would all be fine if they could just tell them the truth.

"Izzy, I know you want to tell mom and dad but I'm not sure this is the time." Max said quietly. He hated to disappoint Isabel but he was worried about how their parents would take the news. Especially if they weren't around to help them through it.

"When is the time Max? Huh, when we return? When the sky falls on our heads? When Max when?" Isabel said losing control of her emotions yet again. Alex pulled her to him and held her close while she cried about keeping the truth from her parents. He hated to see her like this especially when there was nothing he could do to take her pain away.

"I'm sorry Isabel but we still have to be careful. Particularly right now when we are preparing to leave. To go save a planet that has yet to be discovered in a galaxy not in any astronomy book. If we tell them and they slip up we will lose. Our people will die. Everyone who is depending on us right now will be disappointed. We will fail. I know I don't want that. Do you?" Max said getting tired of always having to defend his reasons for not telling their parents.

"Max, please calm down. Getting upset is not helping anything. We are all on edge and we all need to get some sleep. We can figure everything out in the morning. Let's all just go to bed. Okay?" Liz said pulling him away from the others back to their pallet on the floor.

With that everyone went back to their beds and went back to sleep. They were all tired and worn out both physically and emotionally. It would do them no good to try to work any of their questions out now.

The next morning they woke up to Michael and Liz banging around in the kitchen. "Michael, Liz, man, what are you two doing? Isn't it too early for this kind of racket?" Kyle asked as he came in the kitchen rubbing his eyes.

"We are making breakfast for everyone. I want to take a tray to Maria before she wakes up. I think she needs a few surprises before I have to leave." Michael said thinking how much he loved her. He put the finishing touches on the tray he was taking to Maria. As he left the kitchen he thanked Liz for her help and he sauntered down the hall to his room where Maria was still sleeping. He hated the idea of leaving her but the fate of his planet was at risk. He just hoped that she knew he would never leave her, especially now when she needed him most, unless it was of the utmost importance. This was something he had to do. There were so many people depending on him and he was at odds with himself over what he should do.

"Rise and Shine, Maria. It's a beautiful day, are you going to sleep through it all?" He said coming into the room and setting the tray on the bedside table. She was sprawled acrossed the middle of his bed and he couldn't help but think that she looked like an angel while she slept.

"Michael, it isn't polite to stare. Quit gawking and get back into bed." Maria mumbled sleepily as she rolled and smiled up at him. "What smells so good?"

"Breakfast. Brought to you by the people in my kitchen. Well, just me and Liz but she said I could take all the credit. I wanted to surprise you. I'm not too good at this stuff but you're worth it. I hope you like something on this tray. Liz said you would." Michael said smiling back at her.

Maria lay on the bed looking up at the man she loved and wanted nothing more than to spend the day curled up in bed with him. She knew they wouldn't because there were other things that had to be dealt with but she allowed herself a few moments to dream of what it would be like if he were to stay. She knew the others were doing the same thing but it would only last for so long. She saw Michael climbing in bed next to her and she knew she had his undivided attention, for a while anyway.

"You are going to eat everything in front of you. I've noticed you haven't been eating right lately. You have to take better care of yourself. This is a very important time right now, you know." He chided her gently while absently rubbing her belly where their baby lay hidden. He was going to miss out on so much. He wasn't sure how much because he didn't know when they were coming back, but he did know that he was coming back. If it was the last thing he did he was going to come back to Maria and their baby. He was going to be the father he never had.

"I know. I have to do better. Lately nothing has even sounded good, unless it was doused in Tabasco sauce. Our baby deserves the best and we are going to give it to him." Maria responded, looking over the tray that he had set on her lap. It was loaded down with everything you could imagine. There was fruit, cereal, pancakes, toast, bacon and scrambled eggs. "Uh Michael, I'm supposed to be eating for two not two hundred." She continued laughing at the amount of food he had placed in front of her.

I wasn't sure what you liked so I started making a little of everything before Liz came in. Besides I need to eat too, Don't I?" he replied grinning sheepishly. He felt so awkward trying to do these kind of things. He was never sure how they would end up, which is why he hardly ever attempted them.

"Yeah I guess you do. I hope he lets me keep some of this down. He hasn't agreed with what I've been eating lately. We didn't have any Tabasco in the house so I was using a different hot sauce and he must know the difference. I guess I'll have to go buy some so he can get his daily intake of Tabasco sauce." She wondered out loud.

"You keep saying he, why is that?" He asked. He thought he knew the reason but when it came to Maria and the way she thought it was normally better to ask than to assume.

"Because the baby is a boy." Maria stated matter of factly, leaving no room for argument.

"Oh, how do you know?" He asked.

"I just do. It's a feeling I have." Maria replied. They both became quiet and started eating. After they were finished Michael put the tray on the floor near the door and they both just laid there in the morning sunlight. Until Liz came knocking on the door. When they said to come in Liz peaked her head around the door and said "I hate to interrupt but everyone is waiting for you two to come forth from your love nest."

"Okay we'll be right there." Maria said climbing out of bed. They got dressed and went into the living room to join the others. "So what are we doing now?" Maria asked Max who had been pacing the floor like an expectant father.

"We have to figure out what to tell people. I mean we can't just disappear off of the face of the Earth, and I mean that quite literally, without coming up with some story to tell people. That would be to suspicious, not to mention that our parents would send out the National Guard to look for us. We can't just disappear."

"How's this, for a change we could tell our parents the Truth." Isabel stated vehemently.

"Isabel....Please do not make this any harder than it has to be. I don't like lying to them either." Max said quietly, wishing that he could give in and tell them.

"I know Max..I just really wish....." Isabel never finished because Max came over to her and embraced her roughly. There was so much emotion in the room that there was not a dry eye to be seen. They all joined in on the hug and just held on as if to keep their friends from leaving.