"What's she doing here?" Michael looked at Max's dismal face then to Isabel, who was seated in a wooden chair adjacent to Tess.

"She wouldn't say. Not until we all were here." Michael looked away from Isabel and focused on Tess's blonde curls. She was evil. Anyone who would want to break the bonds he, Max, and Isabel held with the ones they loved was evil.

"Well, were all here now." He said gruffly watching her like a hawk. She lifted her head to expose her red eyes and tear stained cheeks. Still keeping his guard up, Michael sat against Max's dresser.

"It's all happening." She wiped a tear from her cheek "I didn't know about it-I swear-if I would have known I would've tried to stop it. You have to believe me." She brushed a disobedient curl off her forehead.

"What's happening?" Max came closer keeping his voice calm. She reminded him so much of Isabel. The way she spoke, the way she looked at him. It was all so familiar to him yet not.

"Everything." She took a ragged breath.

"What are you talking about?" Michael stood up straight from his uncomfortable seat on Max's dresser. Anger was the only kind of emotion he could produce.

"He's-" She stopped for a second but couldn't hold back the surge of sobs that came out. Isabel quickly sat next to her on the edge of the bed. "He's dead and I-" Michael's shocked gaze faded and fury set in. Fuming, he tore through Tess with eyes and before anyone could stop him, shot forward grabbing her roughly by her arms.

"Who's dead! Who did you kill?!" He shook her violently listening to her loud cry. Isabel felt her stomach curl into a pretzel. Who was dead? Alex? She snapped realizing what was going on right next to her.

"Michael, no!" Isabel yelled trying to put a hand between them while Max came from the distance and pulled Michael away from the now sobbing Tess.

"I didn't kill anyone!" Tess placed her shaking hands between her knees and brought her focus away from Michael.

"Tess," Isabel leaned closer to the blonde beside her, feeling horrified tears sting her eyes. "-who's dead?"

"River Dog." She sniffed, wiping another tear away. Isabel let out a sigh, but quickly sobered.

"What?" Michael came close again and Tess flinched preparing herself for another attack. Again, Max's hand tightened on Michael's shoulder.

"He killed him." She trembled, holding her sobs back. "Nesado killed River Dog." Her head lowered, letting her eyes follow a tear that fell from her cheek to the floor.

********************

Maria looked over the edge of the crib to see the slumbering baby nibbling at its fingers. Sitting her chin on the side, she smiled running her finger over its small, soft hand.

"I want one just like you." She whispered watching its back rise and fall. A baby would be the greatest, someone to love unconditionally and take care of. But to have a baby you needed a father. She couldn't even begin to think of what would come out if she and Michael ever decided to have one, but whatever happened she knew she'd always love it.

The light taps of rain hitting the window brought Maria's attention to the bed on the other side of the room.

"Maria?" She smiled at the 4 year old girl she was babysitting.

"What are you doing up Megan?" Maria pulled a blue blanket over the baby and sat a small teddy bear in the crib.

"I have to go to the bathroom." She looked from Maria to the crib. "What's wrong with Mickey?"

"Nothing, he's just sleeping." She gave the baby one more glance before taking Megan by the hand. "Come on, let's go to the bathroom."

******************

"But why? Why would Nasedo kill him?" Max tried to comprehend what Tess was saying. River Dog was no threat and had even helped them discover where they came from.

"Because he wasn't needed anymore." Tess swallowed and continued. "His job was to just tell you about your past and help you make contact-that's all."

"So what, after his 'job' was done, Nesado just-" Isabel turned, letting a leg hang off the bed, looking straight at Tess. She nodded making eye contact with her.

"You're lying." Michael, who was leaning against a bare wall spoke, raising an eyebrow at Tess. There was no need to kill innocent people who knew about them. The more trustworthy people that knew about them would only benefit in their fitting in on earth.

"I'm telling the truth and you have to believe me." She stood, coming closer to him.

"I don't have to do anything." He stood up straight, looking down at her.

"But it's the truth-what do you want from me?! I am trying to help you!" She turned to Max and Isabel.

"Yeah help us, help us right off a cliff." Michael was hushed by Max's questioning stare.

"But why do you care? You never knew River Dog. He doesn't mean anything to you." Max took Tess's seat on the edge of his bed beside Isabel and watched Tess blow out a deep breath.

"River Dog is dead and…don't you understand what Nesado is doing?" She looked at their puzzled faces and gave a frustrated sigh. "He's doing what he was brought here to do, protect us."

"What does killing River Dog have to do with protecting us? River Dog didn't want to hurt us-all he did was help us." Isabel pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and looked bizarrely at Tess.

"You're not listening to me. River Dog is human and in Nesado' eyes humans cannot be trusted. Sooner or later River Dog could have been a threat to our destiny."

"A threat?" Tess turned to around to face Michael, ready to address his question. "Nesado is here for one reason and one reason only: to make sure we are safe and to make sure NOTHING gets in the way of our destiny."

"What do you mean 'gets in the way'?" Isabel stood watching Tess pause and stare at the ceiling holding back tears.

"He killed Hank-because you let Hank find out what you were. He killed River Dog because he knew your secret-our secret. So what do you think he is going to do to Liz?" She looked at Max letting a warm tear run its course down her cheek. "…Maria?" She stopped noticing Michael's blazing eyes turn glossy and vacant before he turned away to face the window. "…and Alex?" She finished flashing Isabel a look of pure horror.

"Oh, God." Isabel frantically stood and was cupped in a hug by Michael. Max stood in a trance from his warm spot on the bed.

"Okay, let's just keep our heads about this." He looked at the 3 in front of him.

"Okay so-" Michael looked up from Isabel in his arms "-let's say she is actually telling a fraction of the truth." Tess flashed him a hurt glance. "Who's to say she's not in on it? Here to help Nesado finish whatever he was brought here to do. No matter what, we can't trust her. We have to stay strong and know our enemies."

"Enemy? What do I have to do to earn your trust?! I am just like you except I have no one." She came closer to Michael blazing holes in his eyes with her own. "I didn't have Max or Isabel-I had an emotionless-heartless-horrible…alien."

*****************

"Okay, Maria-so I'll be at your place in about an hour." Liz held the phone to her ear as she leaned against the counter top, letting out an exhausted sigh. With a hand in her hair, she scanned the Crash Down. [Yes!] She couldn't hold her excitement in. [Only 2 tables left!]

"Yeah, okay." Still babysitting, Maria held the black portable phone close to her ear, trying to get Megan into bed. "Stop." Maria pulled the blue nightgown drenched in water off Megan's wriggling body as she squealed.

"What?" Liz filled herself a glass of soda and took a long gulp, feeling the carbon bubbles crackling on her tongue.

"Nothing, it's just that the little angel that I am babysitting decided to take a dip in the toilet instead of doing her business in it." She looked up at Megan, just in time to grab her slippery arm before the nude culprit had a chance to run down the wooden floored hallway. Maria put her free hand over the phone. "Do it and you're toast."

"Oh." Liz laughed, spewing some of the soda she had just swallowed back up her nose.

"You know, I leave her alone for one second and there she is, with her arm stretched into the toilet, trying to get some stupid little toy that she dropped in."

"It's not stupid, it's pokemon!" Liz pulled the phone away from her ear at the sound of Megan's screeching holler.

"Pokemon my a-"

"Maria!" Liz cut her words right out of her mouth and smiled at the sound of Maria clearing her throat.

"Sit still-gosh, you need a 'slippery when wet' sign." Maria ran a towel over Megan's wet body. "Okay, ready to roll." She said yanking the now dry Megan from the floor. "Now we have to find you some clothes."

"Well, it sounds like you are having fun." Liz took a lollypop from under the counter and popped it in her mouth.

"Fun?" Liz rolled her eyes at the sight of one of Maria's famous tantrums coming on. "Oh, well believe you, me-this is the last babysitting job that I am taking. It's the end. No more changing diapers, no more running after little brats, no more feeding-and having globs of applesauce getting plastered into my hair…" Maria went on with her horror stories and Liz remembered the day Maria had come to work with about a pound of what looked like applesauce in her hair. "…I mean it-it's the last time."

"Yeah, okay." Liz wiped down the counter with a white rag and looked to the door at the sound of its bell. "Crap, gotta jet Mrs. Hosmer is here."

"That crabby old lady? Good luck. Later." Maria listened for the click before hanging up the phone.

"But Maria, I'm thirsty."

Maria let out an exhausted sigh staring at the naked child in front of her. "There's the toilet." She pointed to the open bathroom door.

******************

"So what's the plan then?" Michael broke the silence and looked to Max, who in return shrugged his shoulders, giving him a bewildered look.

"Well, for sure, we can't tell them what's going on." Tess nodded to Isabel. "And you all have to stay away from them-" Max cut Tess off.

"Stay away? We need to protect them." He crossed his arms over his chest and stood tall. "Max is right. I mean, what good is staying away from them going to do? You said it yourself-they are in danger threat-they know what we are."

"Yeah, but maybe if we just sever all our contact with them, Nesado will spare their lives." She looked urgently at Max's pale complexion.

"But what's to say he'll stop?" Michael spoke stepping closer to the group. "Our relationship doesn't change the way Nesado sees them-whether it be friendly or not-he wants them dead." He paused looking each of them in the eye. "Our secret is what's risking their lives. We have to protect them." He looked at Tess, almost feeling normal including her in the 'our'.

"So then it's agreed. We don't tell them-" Max finished the sentence before another word left Isabel's mouth.

"And we look out for them."

"Don't leave them alone for more than a second." Michael added feeling a little like James Bond.

"Yeah, but that's not going to be easy, they're going to get suspicious." Isabel stole a quick glance at Tess's blank expression.