It was darker than usual.

Usually, when Maria lay on her bed, even with her eyes closed, there would be bright light coming through her eyelids. During the day, this light was the sun. At night, it was a streetlight. That she couldn’t even close her eyes without light invading them, was an issue that she had been annoyed at, for all of her life. And yet, she still slept with the curtain open. When she was little, she used to do it so that when her father arrived in his limousine, to sweep her mother and herself out the door, she wouldn’t have anything impeding her view of him. Now, she just kept it open out of force of habit.

And if it was darker than usual, then something had to be blocking the streetlight. Maria opened her eyes, and came face to face with her Michael-phantom. He stared at her, and she stared right back. He gave her that pathetic look he always gave, when he was so close to giving up.

Maria blinked, and the Michael-phantom disappeared.

Or maybe she just woke up.

Maria sighed, sat up, and ran her hand through her hair as she looked at her clock. 3:58. Still dark.

And she knew exactly what had happened.

***

Wandering the streets of Roswell at four in the morning was not Maria’s idea of fun. But by now, she was used to it, and she would do it. Fortunately, she was prepared this time. Other times this had happened, she had been completely unprepared, forced to attend school in a shirt she had found lying on the floor. Sometimes, she had been forced to not attend at all.

But this time she was prepared.

Well, she thought she was.

But this time, it was a little different.

***

Maria let herself into Michael’s apartment with her key. He’d had it made for her after the third time.

She quietly shut the door, even though it didn’t matter how loud she was.

Through habit, and intimate knowledge of the setting, she navigated her way through the dingy living area into the kitchen, where she put the milk that she pulled out of her bag. As she had expected, there was next to nothing in the fridge.

She sighed as she shut the fridge door.

She slowly walked down the hall, knowing that no matter how slowly she walked, or how fast she walked, the situation in the bedroom would be exactly the same.

Maria opened the door, and, true to her memories, was greeted by the sight of Michael curled up in the foetal position, shivering, and squealing in his sleep.

Maria dumped the bag she was carrying next to the door, and pulled off her sandals as she walked. She had worn her slip-ons for this very reason. She tugged her shirt over her head, leaving her in just a bra and a pair of shorts, and threw the shirt towards her bag. She missed, but she didn’t care. All of her attention was focused on the alien shivering on his bed.

"Michael" she whispered as she reached for him. "Please Michael, it’s Maria."

Maria wrapped her arm about his shoulder as she sat on his bed, and, true to every other time, he unfurled himself long enough to curl his body around hers, still whimpering, and still asleep. Maria fell back onto the bed.

"Shhh. It’s okay"

She didn’t know what was wrong. She never knew what was wrong. All she knew was that, ever since he had left Hank, he would... well, she assumed he was getting nightmares, but he had never told her. Which was fine, except that it was affecting her. Everytime he’d have his nightmare, she’d get a vision. Of him. The first time it had happened, she had shrugged it off, but, when he hadn’t shown up at all the next day, had decided to go visit him, and discovered him like this. And she didn’t know what to do. She’d toyed with telling Max and Isabelle, but never did. It just didn’t seem like her secret to share. Through trial and error, and over time, she’d learnt what to do to calm him. She would get her visions, go to him, calm him, and sleep the remainder of the night by his side.

In the dawn light, he would stare at her. She knew that he did. She could feel his stare on her always. She could sense where he was, what he was doing. And it was getting disturbing.

She stroked his head and his back as he shivered around her. But she noticed his shivers slowing down, and he was whimpering less. It was a good sign.

In the mornings, after they had both woken up, they would just lie there. They had never, ever talked during this time. Eventually, she would get up, and go to school. Sometimes he would go too. Sometimes, he would just stay lying in his bed. Once she learnt to come prepared, she would have a shower in the mornings, and come out smelling of rosebuds and lavender. She would stand beside his bed, and stare down at him, and stroke the back of her hand down his cheek before leaving. Once, he caught her hand and kissed it. She had been so surprised that she couldn’t conceal the shock on her face. They had never shown emotion during their nights and mornings together. His kiss, and her shock, was a first.

She felt him stop shaking. Maria relaxed into the bed, and curled her arms tighter around Michael as he fell into a peaceful sleep. In a move borne of practice, she pulled the sheets up with her feet, and with one hand pulled them up over the top of the two of them, so they were covered up to their waists. Maria shut her eyes and let herself fall asleep, one hand slowly stroking Michael’s back.

***

Had anything changed? It was hard to tell. They still fought the same, but their fighting was softer, and lacked the same passion. They still acted the same: Maria was flighty, pulling out her cypress oil at every opportunity, leaving herself wide open to Michael’s character attacks; Michael was still broody, a loner, leaving himself wide open to Maria’s bitching.

But they were closer. They instinctively knew what the other wanted, doing what was necessary in an ease usually only borne of years of familiarity. It didn’t really worry them. It just felt right. And even though Michael felt ashamed, and Maria knew he felt ashamed, she didn’t hold it against him. Because she also knew that he felt comforted by her presence, and was grateful that she was coming to him, unconditionally, whenever he needed her. And, almost the most important of all - he was grateful that she hadn’t told anyone about it. Not that she could have. What could she have said? That she was having dreams everytime Michael needed someone to hold him whilst he slept?

And as for Maria herself…she was confused, to say the least. She felt no anger towards him for inflicting this duty on her. She felt only concern…and affection. And love, which was perhaps the least surprising feeling to come out of it. She had always known that she loved him. Perhaps the most surprising thing of all, was learning that he loved her also. He had never said it, but thanks to their…connection, she knew.

***

Max, Isabelle, Liz and Alex were concerned. Neither Michael nor Maria had turned up for school that day. Michael, now, that usually would be no surprise. But since his emancipation, he had been coming to school on a regular basis. And there was a test today. The four of them knew this, because Michael had been whinging about it on an hourly basis for the last week. So they were all surprised when he failed to show. More surprising, however, was Maria. She of the spotless attendance record, second only to Liz’s own perfect attendance record. Liz rang Maria’s house, where no-one answered. Michael didn’t have a phone.

Max thought they should check on Michael. Liz thought that they should check on Maria, because Michael had probably just felt like taking the day off. Isabelle thought they were being stupid, and that the two of them were probably just lost. Alex thought that their absences were nothing but a coincidence.

An argument broke out. Max used his eyes on Liz, who caved and gave in.

At the final bell, they went to check on Michael.

***

Maria had awoken, as was usual when she was in Michael’s bed, to find Michael staring at her.

"Good Morning" whispered Michael.

Maria’s shock was palpable.

"I wanted to thank you."

Maria struggled to answer.

"Shhh" whispered Michael, who had yet to raise his voice. "You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to thankyou, and to ask you to spend the day with me."

Maria nodded slowly, mutely, and Michael gave her the sweetest smile she had ever seen.

Michael curled back around her, she on her back, and he with one leg over hers, his head on her breast.

Maria played with his hair as the two of them slowly drifted back to sleep.

And that was the compromising position Max and Isabelle, Alex and Liz found them in several hours later. Asleep, and peaceful.

Isabelle broke the peace with a yell of outrage.

***