[I shouldn’t have done that.] He thought. [I shouldn’t have kissed her.] He ran his hands through his hair and turned away from her.

Maria hugged herself. [He kissed me.] She thought. [He kissed me and I… I saw everything. He let me see him.] She looked at him. [He needs me.]

“Oh, Michael,” Maria whispered.

“You see? Or at least now you know why I’ve been sitting out here in the dark like a dumb ass,” Michael sighed.

“I know. But why--” Maria started.

“Don’t you get it, Maria?” Michael yelled. “ You know, I said that this whole thing wasn’t about you. But that’s the whole problem. It is about you. I am not supposed to be in love with you. Before I fell in love with you, I would have been fine with everything. I could have left Roswell and never looked back. But… now I can’t do that. I can’t leave you, but I can’t leave Max or Tess or Isabelle. I can’t leave the only girl I’ve loved, but I can’t leave the only family I’ve ever had. I can’t be all human, but I can’t be all alien. I can’t…” His voice began to break as it trailed off. He ran his hands through his hair and turned his back to Maria. She didn’t realize that he was crying until his shoulders started shaking. He fell to his knees and put his face in his hands.

Maria stared at him. She had seen Michael cry once before, but his tears still got to her. She couldn’t stand to see any man cry, let alone Michael. She watched him and wondered if she should go to him. She was still stinging because of what he said to her a little while ago. But she was still floating because of that kiss. And she was still shocked by what she saw during the kiss, and by what he had just told her. [He left because he’s in love with me?] She wondered. [Or he left because he just can’t go through this whole destiny thing? Or he left because he’s scared, and confused, and because he’s just being… human?]

Maria walked over to Michael. He reached up, wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her stomach. She held him and stroked his hair.

“Shh… it’s all right. I’m right here.”

***

They held each other for a while before Michael got up and walked a few feet away from Maria. He ground the tears out of his eyes with his fist and looked down at the sandy earth.

“I’m… uh… sorry. I didn’t mean to do that,” He said softly.

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“No. I should.” He looked up into Maria’s eyes and then looked away. “Do you remember what I said?”

“About what?” She asked.

“When I… um… The last time I saw you, I told you something. Do you remember what it was?”

“Do you honestly think I could have forgotten something like that?” She asked with a small smile on her face. She wondered what he was going to tell her now. [Please don’t let it be another ‘I love you but I must leave you’ kind of thing.] She thought.

He looked into her eyes again. “It’s true. I love you, Maria. You know that. Or at least, you know that now.”

She took a deep breath. [Here it comes.] She thought.

He took a deep breath. [Here goes nothing.] He thought.

“And I told you that I loved you too much to let you get hurt.”

She nodded.

“That’s true too, Maria. You can’t get in too deep. I’m not gonna let you get hurt.”

She walked up to him. “Honestly, Michael, I was in deep when Liz told me your secret. I was in deep after I realized that I couldn’t turn you and Max and Isabelle in to Valenti.” She lifted his chin and looked him squarely in the eyes. “And now I’m in deep because I’m in love with you.” She smiled.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Maria.”

“I know you don’t.”

“And I know that I… I said some things that I really shouldn’t have said,” He looked away again. “And I’ve been acting like…”

“An asshole?” She asked. She couldn’t help smiling.

He almost smiled. “Yeah. I have. But you know that I never wanted to hurt you.”

“I know.” Her smile got wider.

“And you know, I wanted to push you away from me. I didn’t want it to work out, at first. I mean, you deserve so much better than me.” His voice was barely audible. “And you could have walked away. But you stayed. And… and I’m really glad that you did. I’m glad that you came, Maria.”

“I am too.” She said softly.

“But, Maria, I still don’t know what--” She put a finger to his lips.

“Shh… And you say that I talk too much.” She giggled. “Look, we don’t have to figure out everything right now. We can do that later. But… can you do me a favor?”

“Anything.” He said.

She walked to the riverbank and sat down. “Come sit with me? The stars are so bright tonight.”

He sat down with her on the riverbank.

The light of the moon reflected off of the surface of the water and surrounded them.