“Wow, I can’t believe Kyle’s so good!” Maria called out to Tess and Isabel as they moved in time to the music reverberating through the auditorium. “I mean, who knew he could sing?”

“And play the guitar at the same time?” Isabel added.

“I knew he was learning to play the guitar, but I never knew how talented he really is!” Tess gushed, never taking her eyes off of Kyle.

Isabel and Maria exchanged a smile over Tess’s head at the shorter girl’s words. They had all seen it coming, but it looked like Tess just might be ready to finally admit that she had feelings for Kyle. Feelings he clearly reciprocated, as he sang the next phrase while looking directly at Tess.

“She’s everything to me
Yeah yeah
She’s everything to me
You know she goes boom boom boom
I go crazy crazy yeah
She goes boom boom boom
She annihilates me
So completely.”

As the three girls continued to dance along with the rest of the audience at the school’s yearly talent show Maria thought about her group’s own performance about a half an hour earlier. She, Isabel, and Tess had performed The Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl” and the audience had really seemed to enjoy them, Maria thought happily to herself. Even if Kyle had looked a little nervous when Tess had once sang the chorus while looking directly at him. She didn’t think it was anything personal, though. She knew Tess had been nervous and had just decided to find the friendliest face in the audience that she could and focus on that. Not that her nervousness had shown. With the Whits providing the music and Maria on lead with Isabel and Tess providing backup, their rendition had been a huge success.

And now Maria was content to sit back and watch the rest of the acts. All of their friends were involved in some way or another, even though no one had told anyone else what they were doing. Which was one of the reasons Kyle’s performance was such a surprise to the girls. The other surprise was that he was good. He finished to loud cheers and applause, but none so loud as that which came from the small blonde girl standing between Isabel and Maria.

“Oh, wasn’t he just fantastic?” she asked the other girls as Kyle and the guys who had been playing in the band behind him left the stage.

“Just super!” Isabel said, sounding for all the world like a pre-adolescent boy band fan.

“I think he was oh so dreamy,” Maria added.

The girls’ teasing seemed to go right over Tess’s head as she nodded agreeably. “I know, wasn’t he, though? Hmm, Max and Liz are next. Do we have any idea what they’re doing?”

“None whatsoever,” Isabel said. “He even blocked me from dreamwalking to keep me from finding out.”

“All Liz would tell me was that it was something we wouldn’t expect from them,” Maria added.

“Well, I guess we’re about to find out,” Tess said as Max and Liz walked onto the stage.

Upbeat music started playing in the background and after Max and Liz had positioned themselves on opposite ends of the stage, they pulled out bowling pins and started juggling them back and forth. The audience began cheering as they picked up speed, and got even louder when Max deftly pulled some plates from a stack at his feet and exchanged them for the pins they had previously been juggling. The two began walking towards each other as they juggled, and suddenly Max was juggling all four of the plates at once by himself.

Liz crossed the stage and quickly returned to Max’s side holding two long poles in her hands. As Max was juggling the plates he suddenly tossed one in Liz’s direction. She caught it expertly on one of the poles and began spinning it on the end. Another plate from Max’s hands made its way to the other pole and soon Max and Liz were standing side by side while he juggled the two remaining plates and Liz spun a plate on each of the poles that were balanced on her palms.

The crowd cheered as the two kept it up, moving faster and faster. A few moments later Liz somehow managed to toss the plates from the poles back to Max. He caught each and was soon juggling all four plates again. Liz discarded the poles and returned to stand across the stage from Max once more. They began juggling the plates between them again, each moving closer to the wing on their respective side of the stage until finally they were both out of sight. Plates ceased flying across the stage and the audience clapped and whistled for them.

“Okay, Liz wasn’t kidding,” Tess said. “I would never have guessed in a million years that they could do that.”

Maria looked skeptical. “Do you think Max used his powers?” she asked the other two girls.

Isabel shrugged. “Possible, but you know the two of them. I bet they just practiced really hard,” she said, making a face.

Maria nodded and the three girls began talking again as they waited for the next act to set up. “Have you guys seen Michael anywhere?” Maria asked, wondering where her on again off again boyfriend could be. “He promised he’d take part in this show. I’ll kill him if he’s backed out.”

“Haven’t seen him,” Tess said. “But there’s Kyle. Hey, Kyle!” she called across the gym, waving to get his attention.

A smile split Kyle’s face when his eyes landed on Tess waving to him and he made his way over to the girls. “Hey,” he said when he reached them. “I never got a chance to tell you three how great you were up there.”

“Thanks,” Maria said. “You were pretty great yourself. I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Neither did I,” Tess said. “You were fantastic.”

Kyle flushed with pleasure. “Thanks. Glad you guys thought so.”

“Oh, I’d definitely say that was the general consensus,” Isabel teased, watching both Tess and Kyle turn pink this time.

The lights in the auditorium went down then as the next act made its entrance. “Hey, I know that song,” Maria said as the band began playing. “Oh, what’s the name of it?”

Isabel shook her head. “I can’t think of it either.”

“It’s that Eve 6 song,” Kyle said. “You know, that one about being on the roof.”

“That’s right,” Maria said, snapping her fingers. “On the Roof Again. What a cool song. Wonder who's doing it.” Her question was answered a moment later when the stage lights went on and the four friends saw a very familiar figure standing at the front of the stage in front of the microphone.

“Michael?!” they all gasped.

“Well, I guess he didn’t back out, Maria,” Tess said.

Maria just shook her head, shocked, as Michael began to sing.

“In the throes of young love, Leroy
Didn't think to think and in the blink of an eye
Tied the knot not knowing how to not know.
He was the prodigal son; this girl had brought him home.”

Maria stood there, trying to keep her mouth from hanging open. Michael, her Michael, was up on stage in front of the whole school with the Whits, with her band, and she hadn’t had any clue he was going to do it. Hell, she didn’t even know he could sing. And judging by the spirited reaction from the crowd she wasn’t the only one who thought he was pretty damn good. The audience members began dancing along enthusiastically as Michael sang, and across the room Maria saw that a few guys and girls seemed to think a mosh pit was a really good idea. She made a quick mental note to herself to stay away from that area of the auditorium as she watched bodies slamming into each other.

“Maria, he’s amazing!” Tess called to her over the noise in the auditorium. “Did you know he could sing?”

Maria shook her head. “Seems that our male friends are really good at keeping that a secret,” she said, looking pointedly from Michael to Kyle.

“The best part is they’re so great at it,” Tess enthused, moving closer to Kyle as they began grooving to the music together.

“I just can’t believe that’s Michael up there!” Isabel exclaimed. “I mean, we all know how anti social he is. And he hates being the center of attention.”

“Looks like he’s enjoying it just fine right now,” Maria muttered, narrowing her eyes as she watched Michael eyeing several of the more enthusiastic females in the audience who were pressed up to the front of the stage, moving their bodies sensuously in time with the music. “Skanks.” The words of the song penetrated her consciousness once more and an idea came to her. Her eyes lit up with a decidedly wicked gleam and she pulled Tess, Kyle, and Isabel closer to her and began whispering to them as Michael continued singing.

“He moved out of his step dad's apartment
He moved in with this cute Guatemalan.
Things were copacetic 'til she caught him,
Things were cool and collected
Till she caught him, erected with another.
Shit, went bad, he's on the roof again
She flipped, he flipped the bird
And then he went to the roof where his threats ring
loud and clear.
"Gonna jump, gonna jump, gonna die this year!"

Isabel, Kyle, and Tess looked over at Michael and then at the girls he was looking at, then turned back to Maria. They nodded and began dancing again as Michael and The Whits continued up on stage. Kyle and Tess began dancing together again, facing each other. Then Maria and Isabel joined them as the four danced together.

Michael’s eyes shifted from the girls falling out of their tube tops in front of him to the place he had last seen his friends standing. His eyes widened at what he saw. Kyle and Tess were still dancing together and Tess had her arms draped lazily around Kyle’s neck, but now Maria was standing behind Kyle with her body pressed against the length of his back. Isabel stood behind Maria dancing very close to her with her arms reaching around Maria and her hands resting on Kyle’s hips. Kyle’s own hands were behind him, resting on Maria’s waist. The four moved together in perfect sync, their bodies grinding sensuously against each other as Michael could only watch from the stage.

“Got screwed by the horse that he rode in on.
Riding high on his whims had only gotten him down.
He moved back to his stepdad's apartment
Where he put himself back together till

She came back, he's on the roof again.
She flipped, he flipped the bird.
And then he went to the roof where his threats ring
loud and clear.
"Gonna jump, gonna jump, gonna die this year!"

Maria grinned to herself as she heard the force Michael put behind these words. She knew he had seen them and was channeling his feelings into the song now. Holding her arms in the air Maria slowly lowered them, running them lightly down Kyle’s sides and then resting her head against his shoulder. They continued dancing until Maria was dancing with her back to Michael. Then she glanced over her shoulder at him and winked, slowly running the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip.

Michael shook his head slightly, then smiled at her in spite of himself. He looked directly into her eyes as he sang the next few lines.

“Your heinous highness broke her hymen.
Hey, man, try to quit your crying.
I know she broke your heart but try to come,
Try to come down.

Your heinous highness broke her hymen.
Hey, man, try to quit your crying.
I know she broke your heart but try to come,
Try to come down.”

Maria raised an eyebrow at Michael, then leaned forward to whisper something to Tess and Kyle. They smiled and nodded and she broke away from them and began moving slowly toward the stage.

“Your heinous highness broke her hymen.
Hey, man, try to quit your crying.
I know she broke your heart but try to come,
Try to come down.”

Maria reached the edge of the stage and looked up at Michael. Then she raised her hand and he leaned down and easily lifted her onto the stage.

“Your heinous highness broke her hymen.
Hey, man, try to quit your crying.
I know she broke your heart

Try to, try to, try to, try to
Come down!”

Maria started dancing near Michael, mimicking the moves she had been doing on the floor with Kyle, Tess, and Isabel. Michael tried to keep from staring at her as she moved closer to him, her body moving with a fluid rhythm that made his mouth dry.

“Shit, went bad; he's on the roof again
She flipped, he flipped the bird
And then he went to the roof where his threats ring
loud and clear
"Gonna jump, gonna jump, gonna die this year!"

Michael turned suddenly to Maria and grabbed her, pulling her body tightly against his as they began dancing together. Several audience members whistled while others shouted their approval as they continued moving to the music themselves. Keeping one arm wrapped around Maria’s waist, Michael reached over and grabbed the microphone. He started in on the last verse of the song and after a line, Maria joined him.

“Gonna jump, gonna jump, gonna jump, gonna die this
year!
Gonna jump, gonna jump, gonna die this year!
Gonna jump, gonna jump, gonna die this year!
Gonna jump, gonna die this year!”

The audience continued singing the last stanza over and over again as The Whits continued to play and Michael and Maria danced together on stage. Suddenly Michael was grabbed from behind as someone yanked him away from Maria. Maria looked up in surprise and her eyes narrowed when she saw Michael dancing with a trampy looking bottle blonde from the audience. As Maria watched Michael and the girl moved closer to each other and began grinding their bodies against each other. Maria saw red. “Michael!” she screamed, throwing herself at him in a rage and smacking him with her fists.

Michael grabbed Maria’s wrists, trying to keep her hands from hitting his body. “Baby, stop, what are you doing? Maria? Open your eyes and look at me. Maria? Come on, Maria, stop!”

Maria opened her eyes and when she looked around she saw that she was sitting up in the bed in her and Michael’s bedroom. Michael sat beside her in his customary pajamas of boxers and a tank top holding her tiny wrists in his hands and looking extremely disheveled. “Maria, what’s the matter?” he asked.

Maria yanked her hands from his grasp and began hitting him again. “I’ll tell you what’s the matter, you alien slut! I saw you eyeing all those other girls when you were singing and you were enjoying having that skanky fake blonde draped all over you. Don’t deny it, I was right there! I saw you! Bastard!”

“Maria! Maria, stop! Ow!” Maria shoved Michael so hard that he ended up flat on the floor. “Ow! Shit, Maria, that hurt! Stop, please! That didn’t happen, any of it, I swear! You were just dreaming, I promise!”

Maria looked at him suspiciously. “I was just dreaming?”

Michael nodded his head emphatically. “Yes! Come on, you know I would never do anything like that to you. Besides, I can’t even sing!”

Maria seemed to be considering this for a moment. Then she pushed back the covers on Michael’s side and opened her arms invitingly. “Okay, you’re right, it was just a dream,” she said. “Come on, come back to bed.”

Michael eyed her warily as he slowly climbed into bed. Once he was back in bed Maria jumped on him again. This time, however, she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled up against his body. “Goodnight, Michael. I love you.” In moments she was asleep.

Michael looked down at his wife of five years as he settled himself back down against his pillows, still holding her tightly against his side. He brought a hand up and carefully touched a tender spot near his eye where she had caught him with her fist. He sighed and closed his eyes, praying Maria wouldn’t wake up attacking him again the way she had nearly every other night for the past two months. He loved his wife and cherished every moment of their time together, but if the next seven months didn’t pass quickly these alien pregnancy hormones were going to kill him.