“It’s… good.”

“You don’t sound convincing.” The blonde poked Liz teasingly.

“No, no… it’s fine. Really.” Liz chuckled. “I’m studying what I love, I’m actually enjoying the classes I’m teaching. Just lately things have been, a little odd.”

“Lately, as in the past three days?”

“Yeah, kinda like that.”

“Kinda?” Isabel asked. She studied her friend’s face. It had the same confused, conflicted look that she saw earlier in the parking lot. Isabel took one last look back over her shoulder as Michael pulled her away, and she saw the way Liz was staring at Max comforting Maria. “Are things okay with you and Max?”

“Oh, of course.” Liz shook herself out of her daze. “We’re actually doing well.”

“And Maria? She doesn’t seem to have too many friends around here.”

“No, well, you know how it is. New place, new people.” She shrugged, trying to ignore Isabel’s prodding.

“Do they hang out a lot?” However, Isabel wasn’t giving up. There was something bothering Liz, and she wasn’t going to let her brother screw up a good thing. “Max and Maria, I mean.”

“Oh, sure. They were close back in Roswell – the last few years, anyway.” A tinge of jealousy coloured her words. “And they don’t really have too much of a support system here… so, of course they hang out a lot.”

“I still can’t believe you let Max come out here.”

Liz started laughing, then sighed, remembering their big blow-out arguments that followed Max’s declaration. “I *was* pretty angry.”

“Just angry?” Isabel teased again.

“I wanted to *kill* him. Your brother is not an easy boy to get over. Or try to get over.” Sliding down, Liz rested her feet on the coffee table. “And just when I thought that I might possibly be capable of doing it… he shows up, telling me that he’s coming out here with me.”

“I’d have killed him.”

“You have no idea how tempted I was.”

“But you let him come.” Isabel said softly, smiling.

“It’s Max.” Liz looked over and bit her lip. She thought of the way he wrote her everyday that she was gone. The moping he did as he helped her pack, without complaint. The image of him standing at the airport, watching her get on the plane to leave. He loved *her* - he wanted to be with *her* - only *her.* Sometimes she needed to be reminded of that. “How could I be without him?”

**

“Hey.” Max turned out of the hallway and slid in on the other side of Liz. “Did I miss any good girl talk?”

“Nope.” Liz smirked at Isabel, who returned the mischievous grin. “Where’s Maria?”

“Watching Michael sleep.”

“Ah,” Liz snuggled into Max, relaxing for the first time that day. “I’m surprised that~”

“MARIA!”

The three jumped up, and immediately ran to the back room. No one was quite sure what had happened, or even had the most remote idea of what they were about to see. They crowded into the doorway of the darkened room, the hall light barely illuminating the two figures on the bed. Michael was curled up around Maria again, she sitting against the wall and gently rubbing his back.

“Itsokayitsokayitsokay… I’m here,” she kept repeating, her words stumbling over each other. After a few minutes she noticed their audience – shocked into standing in one place. “You can… come in.”

“How… how did you know what to do?” Liz asked, stepping in, but quickly moving against the wall.

“I didn’t. I mean, I still don’t know what I’m doing.” Maria brushed her left hand against his face. “But this seems to calm him down.”

“Is this his… dream?” Isabel whispered hoarsely. Everything she’d heard had been second hand, but she’d never considered anything like this. Michael was in near-convulsions, sweating profusely – all the time clenching tightly onto the woman next to him.

Maria nodded, looking down at him. “Yeah, but this is actually better than the other night.”

“Better?” Max asked incredulously, tears stinging his eyes. His sister grabbed his hand stiffly. He could feel her overwhelming fear – would this happen to them? Could they stop it from happening to Michael? “How could this be better?”

“I can’t explain.” She cocked her head at Liz. “Can you get me a cool washcloth or something? He’s burning up.” The brunette nodded and ran out of the room, returning just as fast with a soaking wet hand towel. She sat at Michael’s feet, amazed at Maria’s ability to be so calm. “He’ll be okay in a little while. At least, he was the other night. Maybe in an hour.”

“An hour?” Isabel sobbed. Max let go of her hand and hugged her to him. It was bad enough they didn’t know what was causing it – and they were wracked with guilt over their inability to stop it. All their attempts at protecting him in Roswell… this seemed to be a worse evil than they could imagine. Fear kept them glued in place – fear of doing the wrong thing, fear of not doing anything, fear of losing Michael forever.

“I know you don’t believe me. I wouldn’t have believed me either.” Maria tried to laugh. “But he’ll wake up, not remember a thing and just go on with his day.” She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair. Michael’s convulsions had already begun to change into slight tremors, and his skin was starting to cool ever so slightly. “He’ll have no idea what he was dreaming about.”

Dream. Before Max could even say it, Isabel knew what would be asked of her. And for the first time, Isabel was terrified of going into someone’s dream. Aside from the fact that they had a pact never to dreamwalk in each other’s slumber, she didn’t know if she could face whatever was causing this horrific effect on Michael. But looking at him, so vulnerable and small, so enveloped in a dream-state that was dragging him away, Isabel pushed her fears down and stepped away from her brother. “Okay.”

Max kissed her on the temple and joined Liz at the foot of the bed. Isabel walked around to the other side of the bed and laid down next to Michael. Her fingers slid down his arm and she buried her face in his back – mostly to keep them from seeing how fearful she was. Hot tears mixed in with his sweat, causing her to remember those nights when she was young and she cried herself to sleep every night, not knowing where he was sent to live. Isabel grasped onto Michael’s arm tightly, her body finally beginning to relax.

“We’ll let you… do your thing.” Max got up and took Liz’s hand. She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Maria edged over on the bed, trying to release herself from his embrace. Michael, feeling her move away, instinctively rolled towards her. Helpless and torn, she looked up at Max, then over at Isabel who was stirred out of her daze by Michael’s sudden movement.

“Stay, Maria.” Isabel whispered. “He’s calmer when you are around. I don’t think I’ll be able to get in if he goes back to that frantic state. I need you to be… He needs you to be here.”