"She should have been her by now. She said she would."

He looked at the clock, just to check that the time was right. It was 9:24.

"I was obviously wrong. She must really be dating that jerk!" Michael said, bitterness obvious in his words.

"She really isn't coming!"

For a moment, he was filled with sadness, then fury ripped through him.

"Damn her!" he shouted "I don't need a bitch like her for a girlfriend. The little slut!"

Michael's fist connected with the wall, causing a big hole to appear. The couch suddenly burst into flames, and Michael realised that he still hadn't got his powers completely under control yet.

He quickly grabbed the jug, which was filled with water, and doused the whole couch with it, causing the fire to stop. * * * Nobody noticed that Maria was missing until Monday night. Amy was sitting on the couch watching some movie with Matt Damon in it, when she suddenly recalled that she and Maria were supposed to have dinner that night. She picked up the phone and rang Liz.

"Liz, hi, it's Amy DeLuca. Is Maria there?" "Hey Ms. DeLuca. No she isn't here." "So you haven't seen or heard from her?" "Not since Friday. Why?" "Oh, just asking. Thanks for your help anyway. Bye."

Amy hung up. She went into Maria's room and got her address book and started to call all her friends. But she got the same answer from everyone.

"Not since Friday."

Amy came to last name in the book. Michael Guerin. She picked up the phone, with a heavy heart and dialled his number.

"Hello?" a gruff voice said. "Hello? Michael?" "Yeah? Who is this?"

Relief flooded through Amy. He would know where her daughter was, she was sure of it.

"It's Amy DeLuca. Maria's mom. Is Maria there by any chance?" "No she's not!" "Oh, well have you seen her since Friday?" "No I haven't. She didn't show for our date, so It's over between us. So why would she be here?" "Oh, I didn't know. Look, sorry to have disturbed you. Bye."

Amy hung up, her heart heavy with worry again. She was beginning to get really worried. Maria hadn't showed up for her date with Michael, and she had been really excited about their date too. Tears made their way down Amy's cheeks, and she picked up the phone for one more call. * * * Jim Valenti quickly hurried to grab the phone, before whoever was ringing hung up. He got there just in time.

"Hello?" "Jim? Jim, oh thank God you're home! It's my baby, it's Maria. She missing!"

Jim could hear Amy trying to control her sobbing.

"What?! Maria's missing? I'll be over as soon as I can!"

Jim quickly hung up, grabbed his coat & car keys. Kyle was standing in the doorway, watching him.

"DeLuca's missing?" He asked. "Yes, she is. I'm going over to Amy's now. You'd better come too." "God dad, do I have to? I mean I know that you're dating Amy, and I know that Maria and I are on vague speaking terms, but really?"

Jim gave Kyle a warning look, so Kyle just followed is dad out to the car. On the way over, Kyle looked at his dad. "Okay, so like I said before, I know that you're dating Amy, but why are you so concerned about Maria?"

Jim took a deep breath and glanced at his son.

"Okay, I knew that this was going to have to come out one day, but I didn't realise that it would be this hard."

He looked over at Kyle again. Kyle had a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Almost 17 years ago now, I guess it would be, there was a demonstration here in town. Amy was a part of it. I, of course was one of the cops keeping everything under control. Anway to keep a long story short, I arrested Amy, and after I let her go, we kind of, well you know."

Jim figured that his son wouldn't need to hear any of the details.

" Basically, I'm Maria's real... Biological, father." "So when did you find out?" Kyle's voice was rather distant. "After I started dating Amy."

Jim looked over at his son again, Kyle was staring out the window, face ashen. Then he saw anger cross his face.

" What?!" Kyle exploded. He'd always wanted a little sister, but not like bubble-headed DeLuca. 'Not DeLuca, I mean come on! We're mortal enemies, now I find out she's my sister? My younger sister?' A mental war raged in Kyle's head. 'Wait a minute? I have a sister? I have a little sis! Wait, wait, wait, it's DeLuca!'

"Was this why mom left?" Kyle asked, a little afraid of the answer. "No, I dont know why she left. But it wasn't anything to do with Maria." * * * Just as they were finishing their conversation, they pulled into the DeLuca driveway. The front door threw open and a hysterical Amy flew out the door and into Jim's arms. She sobbed into his shirt as he led her and Kyle inside. He attempted to calm her down.

" Now, honey, I need some questions before we can start searching, okay?"

Amy nodded. "When did you first notice that she was missing," Jim asked, Amy still clinging to him. "Today," Amy's voice was barely a whisper, and sobs still racked through her body. "Okay, when did you last see her?" "Friday. All her friends say the same, including Michael. Maria was on her way to his place, and he says that she never showed up!" Amy's voice started to get a slight hysterical edge to it.

Kyle watched as his father helped calm Amy down. He knew that she was hurting. A lot.

"I'll get an APB out immediately, as she's been missing over 24 hours, and I'll also send some people round to question Michael. This means that I have to go use the phone, & to do that, you are going to have to let go of me, okay?"

Amy nodded, and slowly let go. * * * Michael was cleaning his apartment, he hadn't cleaned it up after his little attack on the wall.. A knock at the door, caused him to become suspicious, especially as no-one walked inside straight after. Max, Izzy and Maria never bothered to knock, and the others all knocked, then walked straight in. Michael opened the door and was surprised to see two official looking people standing there, in uniform. Cop uniform.

"Michael Guerin?" One of the cops stepped forward, the man. "I'm Detective Tallon, and this is Detective Bostwick." The cop motioned to the lady behind him. Michael nodded.

"Yes?" "We're here to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of Maria DeLuca." "Maria?" Michael felt, and looked, shocked. "What do you mean 'missing'?" "You didn't know?" The detective was stunned. " Wait a minute! You think I did something to Maria, don't you?" His voice was accusing. "Can we please take this inside and we'll discuss it there?"

In answer, Michael opened his door wider.

'Maria, missing!' It was inconceivable. Michael desperately hoped that she wasn't hurt, cause if she was, he was going to hurt the barstard who did this to her. And if she was... he couldn't even think it, but if she was...dead, he knew he would die too. All that vivaciousness that made Maria, if that was gone forever, Michael knew he wouldn't be able to go on. He shut the door. * * * By the next day, everyone in Roswell knew that Maria was missing. Liz was in pure, utter shock, and Michael was just plain devastated.

Liz was in the Crashdown, trying to work, when the phone rang.

"Hello, Crashdown Cafe?" Liz tried to sound cheerful. "Liz, it's Michael. They found her! They found Maria," Michael's excited voice came down the phone. "What? When? How?!" Liz asked in a rush. "Where are you?" "At home, but I'm about to go to the hospital now. Amy just rang me. They had just told her, and she's on her way to the hospital right now. I figured that you would want to know straight away." "Yeah I do. I'll go straight to the hospital. I'll be right there!" Liz quickly hung up and dashed upstairs.

"Mom, Dad! They found Maria! She's at the hospital, I'm going there now."

Liz quickly got changed, then grabbed the car keys and raced out the door. For once Liz found it hard to keep to the speed limit. But she did, just. Liz knew it wouldn't help Maria any if she was given a ticket.

Liz picked up her cell phone, and quickly dialled Max's number. She knew that everyone would need to know.

"Hello?" Good, Max had picked up. "Max, it's Liz." "Hey Liz, what's up?" "It's Maria, they found her!"

Max let out a whoop, startling Isabel, who was right next to him.

"That's great! Where is she?" "At the hospital, I'm driving there now." "Iz and I will meet there as soon as posible. Who else knows?" "Michael, and that's it. I havent had time to ring anyone else. Oh and I think Kyle knows, well of course he would." "Okay, that means Tess will probably know too. I'll ring Alex and we'll meet you at the hospital." "Great. Bye Max." "Bye Liz."

They both hung up. As soon as he'd hung up Isabel started to give Max the third degree.

"What? What's happened?" "They found Maria!"

Max quickly explained and rang Alex. They went to pick him up, and the three drove to the hospital. * * * Amy arrived at the hospital as the same time as Liz, Max, Iz and Alex. Michael had arrived a few minutes earlier, and Tess, Kyle and Jim had arrived about 10 minutes before that. Within minutes they had all meet and were now awaiting news of Maria. Finally the Doctor showed up. Everyone stood, eager for news. Amy searched his face, hungrily, for sign of good news, but his face remained impassive,

' like a stonewall' Amy thought to herself.

"How is she?" Michael blurted out. "Maria has suffered extensive head trauma. She has concussion, and a lot of bruising. Due to the head trauma, Maria may have amnesia, or even be brain damaged. We'll have to wait until she wakes up before we can be sure of anything."

"And when will that be?" A pale faced Amy asked. "We don't know. Unfortunately Maria has slipped into a coma, due to the head injuries."

A collective gasp rose from everyone in the room.

"Can we see her?" Michael asked, his eyes pleading, betraying what he felt. "Not at this point, but in time, yes. It will do her good to have familiar people around her. Maria needs to feel that she is loved. She needs to want to come back to you." Amy sat down, feeling as if all her strength had been drained from her body. Her baby was in a coma, and there was not a damn thing that she, or the Doctors could do about it. She had never felt so helpless in her whole life. Maria was her whole life. Jim sat down next to her, and took her hand. She squeezed it gratefully, and smiled at him. It was only a small smile, but that was all that she could muster up. * * * Michael listened to what the doctor had to say. When he heard that she was in a coma, his heart sunk.

'I should have realised that something was wrong when she didn't turn up, I should have! I could have done something, or I could have listened to her earlier. Just, Something!' Michael mentally beat himself up.

Right now, he hated himself so much that it was overwhelming. He looked up to see Max looking at him. Michael smiled crookedly, and Max walked over, he sat down next to Michael.

"Don't beat yourself up over this. There was nothing you could have done," Max said. He knew his friend well, and knew what he would be thinking.

"I should have listened to her Maxwell. She wouldn't be in that room, lying in a coma, if I'd had listened to her earlier. If I hadn't been a jerk, if I hadn't walked away. She wouldn't have come to see me, and this wouldn't have happened!"

"But how do you know that. You don't know who did this to her. Whoever did it, could have been planing this for a while. Or he could have grabbed her off the street. And if it wasn't Maria, then it would have been some other girl lying there, while some other mother was sitting here crying." Max gestured to Amy.

"Or it could have been someone who didn't have a family." "Yes, but then it wouldn't have been Maria!" "All I'm saying is, that Maria is lucky." "Lucky! Maria is lying in a coma after, after... God knows what, and you're saying that she's lucky?!" "She has her family here, and she's alive."

Max stood up and walked back over to Liz, who was quietly crying, hiding behind her hair. * * * Amy peeked around the door. The doctors were finally letting her see her baby. She saw Maria, lying, still, in her bed. 'She looks so peaceful.' Amy stepped next to the bed, and finally noticed all the machines around Maria. One keeping check of her heart rate, another of her brain activity. A tube was in her nose, another in her mouth, and another one in her arm. Morphine was being dripped slowly into her arm, through the tube. Amy also noticed the big purpley-blue bruise under her eye.

" Oh my God, who did this to you Maria, who?" Amy held onto her daughters cold hand, and sunk down into the chair next to her bed. She felt tears slid down her nose, but they weren't the painful sobs that Amy had felt earlier, they were quiet, somehow peaceful tears.

They felt right, they told of her.. her pain, pain of what had happened to her daughter, her joy, joy that Maria had been found, & of her scaredness, scared of what might happen to Maria.

Jim walked into the room then, shocking Amy out of her silent reverie. He stood in the doorway for a while, just watching Maria. He watched her chest rise and fall, being helped along by the tubes in her nose and mouth.

'God, she can't even breath by herself now. I'll make sure that the bastard who did this to her pays!' Jim thought vehemently.

He walked over to Amy, interlaced his fingers with hers, and laid his other hand on her other hand, which was grasping tightly to Maria's.

"She's going to be fine Amy. Our Maria is a fighter. She going to pull through this, and be exactly as she was before, you hear me?" He said, keeping his voice strong, for Amy's sake. He had to be strong, someone had to, as Amy wasn't capable of it herself at the moment.

"She's going to be fine," he repeated, with convicton. "I know," Amy whispered, softly, so softly that he almost didn't hear her. "I know." * * * Liz entered the room, she was finally able to go in. Amy has spent the last few hours by Maria's side, convinced that she would wake up. Jim had finally gotten her to go home and get some rest, said it wouldn't do Maria any good to have her mother passing out from exhaustion.

Liz gasped when she saw her best friend, all the tubes going into her, the bruise on her face, and the paleness. In all her life, Liz had never seen Maria that pale, not even when she told her Max, Izzy's, & Michael's secret. And so still, Maria was never that still for more than 5 seconds, or so quiet. It was such a shock from the intensely vibrant person she usually was.

Liz sat down and started talking to her. She'd read somewhere that someone in a coma can still hear, just not see or respond.

"Come on Maria, snap out off this! You have to come back to us! You have to, you hear? We all need you, me, Michael, your mom, all of us," Liz scolded, then pleadingly, like a child for a biscuit, she said, "Please Maria? I need you, I do, I need your vibrant personality, your jokes, everything, I need it all. I need you!"

She looked down, at her hand intwined with Maria's. She knew that if she looked up she'd start crying, and that wasn't what she wanted Maria to wake up to, if she ever woke up at all that is. Liz quickly shook that thought from her head. 'Of course she's going to wake up you bimbo, she just has to.'

Liz heard a sound, she looked up, thinking it might be...

"Maria?" "Sorry Liz, it's only us." Liz turned in her seat at the sound of Max's voice. "Hey guys," she said softly.

Max, Isabel, Alex, Tess and Michael filed into the room.

"The sheriff has his men out looking for anyone who could have done this. So we thought we'd try to help out by connecting with Maria, see if she can tell us who did this. Is that all right Liz?" Isabel asked, her voice soft and soothing. Liz smiled weakly.

"Of course, I need her back."

Liz burst into tears and quickly moved away from Maria. Max wrapped his arms around her and she cried onto his shoulder. He just held her, stroking her hair. Michael walked up to Maria, and took her hand. He kissed her on the cheek.

'Please come back to Maria, I'm sorry, really, I need you, and... and I love you,' he confessed to her, in his mind. "How about one of us tries dreamwalking first?" Tess suggested.

Everyone nodded, so Isabel stepped up and took Maria's hand.

"Wait, I want to be the one who goes in," Michael grabbed Isabels hand. "Okay."

Michael held onto Maria's hand and sat down in the empty chair next to her bed. He felt himself slowly drift to sleep, and tried to connect. Nothing. He tried again, still nothing, no images. Just nothing. Plain darkness. Not even a bit of pain.

He opened his eyes and looked at the group standing around Maria's bed.

"Nothing." He said it. Hollowly, painfully and slowly, but he said it.

More tears cascaded down Liz's cheeks, and Isabel and Tess looked painfully near to tears themselves.

"Nothing. No images, no... no, no nothing?" Izzy asked, her voice cracking,

Michael shook his head wearily.

"Okay, lets try connecting all together." Michael could tell that Iz was putting on a brave front. They all took hands, Michael holding Maria's and Izzy's, Izzy, holding Alex's, Alex, Tess, Tess, Max, Max, Liz, and Liz holding Maria's other hand.

They all closed their eyes, sending out images, images of Maria, smiling, crying, waitressing, in a play in the 3rd grade, dancing about while Alex was spraying her with water and felt pen was trickling down her arms, legs, face, everywhere, singing on stage, and making out with Michael in the eraser room.

This last one was sent by Michael, but there was no reaction from Maria, just nothing. They all pulled out of the connection and looked around, defeatedly.

"Lets try again," Tess said, optimistically.

They did. And this time they got images back.

Images of Maria being forced into kissing James by the crashdown, being grabbed from behind, being beaten up, fading into unconsciousness, and they felt her feelings too. Her pain at Michael running off, her anger at James, her fear of the figure in the shed.

They were concentrating so hard that they didn't hear the door swing open. They didn't hear Kyle walk into the room, or his sharp intake of breath. But they did hear him cry out...

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Their heads all snapped up and looked at him, all but Maria's. Tess looked around at the group, and sighed when they all nodded. It was time. She got up and led Kyle out of the room and into an empty one near by.

"Kyle," she began, but he cut her off. "What the hell was that? What kind of a secret do you have? I know that Maria knows about it, and that what happened to her wouldn't have happened if she didn't know your secret.

"Kyle... Max, Isabel, Michael and I, well, we aren't from around here. We're different to you." "What do you mean 'different'?"

Tess held out her hands, palm up.

"Take my hands Kyle, and I'll show you," she instructed.

He took her hands, hesitantly. And she showed him, the pods, her being found, the other three being found, the shooting, Max saving Liz, Tess meeting Isabel, Max and Michael, everything. It only took about 5 seconds to show him.

"Whoa! You really are different!" he exclaimed, "So what are you? Where are you from?" "We dont know yet, but Alex, Liz, and Maria are helping is find out, and now so are you!" "Wow!" "Yeah you could say that!" Tess laughed. "Anyway, we better get back."

The two walked in to the room.

"He knows." Everyone nodded. Liz stretched, tears still sliding down her cheeks. What they had seen, it had affected them all. Liz was crying, Iz barely holding the tears back, Alex and Max were trying to comfort them, but the pain and the fear had overwhelmed them, and Michael. Michael's face was etched in worry, his brow crinkled, eye's only for Maria, clutching her hand tightly, lips saying a silent prayer for her. Max looked at Liz,

"I think we all need a break. How about we all go down to cafeteria and get something to eat and drink?" They all nodded, except for Michael.

"Michael?"

"I'm staying. Maria needs someone here at all times."

Max nodded understandingly. He ushered them all out of the room. * * * Michael kept his eye's on Maria, certain that if he took them away for a moment, something would happen. He wasn't sure what, she'd wake up maybe, or... he couldn't say it, or even think it. It was too much.

He held her hand tightly, sure that if he let go, so would she. He prayed, he didn't do this too often, but if this was going to keep her here with him, well, he'd do it. So he just stayed, stayed by her side, watching, holding, praying, what he hadn't been doing before, before when James had kissed her.

There was suddenly a small noise in the quiet room, one that wasn't from the monitors, or from the door, or himself, but from the bed. Maria's hand tightened in his, and his heart leapt. He looked at her closely.

Were her eyelids really fluttering, or was that a trick of the light? Did she really groan, or was that just his imagination? Did her hand really tighten against his, or was he just hoping?

Her eyes opened, and he could see her eyes trying to focus.

"Maria?" he said softly. She turned her head towards him, her eyes taking focus, on him.

"Michael?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from not being used, and from the tube being down her throat. They had finally taken it out yesterday, when she seemed to be doing fine on her own. "Hey baby," he said, his mouth grinning. "Where... where am I?" she licked her dry lips. "You're in the hospital," he saw a look of confusion pace across her frail face. "Don't you remember?" he asked gently.

A look of recognition came into her eyes. And a look of scaredness replaced the look of confusion.

"What's wrong," he asked concerned for her. She was really scared, he could tell.

"Tell me, please?" he pleaded. She wouldn't look at him. "I can't!" Maria burst into tears. Michael pulled her into his arms, hugging her, running his hand through her hair.

She held onto him tightly and cried, realising it all. The door suddenly opened, and Maria pulled away, quickly brushing her tears away. She obviously didn't want the others to know about what had happened. * * * Liz gasped.

"Maria, you're awake!" She wildly threw herself at the bed, grabbing her best friend into a big hug. Liz pulled back moments later, and saw the remnants of Maria's tears. Liz was instantly filled with concern.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" She asked worriedly. "No, you didn't. I'm fine, it's nothing. I'm just so happy to see you," Maria said quickly, to cover up the real reason. Michael felt his brow crease, something was wrong, he knew.

He wondered why Maria was lying to her best friend, and wouldn't tell him what was wrong. Everyone came over and gave her a big hug, then found somewhere in the room to sit, mainly on the bed. Then Kyle walked over.

"Hey Maria."

"What are you doing here?" Maria sounded really surprised. For a moment Kyle looked confused, then he remembered.

"Oh right, you don't know yet. I'll just go get your mom."

Maria looked really confused now, as Kyle walked out of the room. Moments later and he was back, her mom in tow. Amy grabbed her daughter in a bone crushing hug.

"Honey, you're alright!" "Mom, I'm fine, but I might die if I don't get some air soon!" "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie!" Amy quickly let go and stepped back. She perched herself on the side of the bed.

"I'll go get a doctor," Max offered. "Oh, right, of course," Amy agreed.

Max walked out, then walked back in about 5 minutes later with a doctor. She looked around the room, and at all the people in it.

"Okay, everyone out, so I can examine my patient. Who seems to be looking very well." Everyone quickly dispersed, Michael being the last one out. The doctor quickly checked all of Maria's monitors, then the eyes, ears and throat.

"Well?" Maria asked impatiently. The doctor laughed. "Well... all of your vital signs are good, stats are good. But I think we'll keep you in a few days longer, just to make sure. And you'd better lay down, you're still pretty weak, and some sleep will do you good."

Maria groaned. She lay back down though, feeling a little to weak to argue with her. Sleep consumed Maria within minutes. The doctor left, smiling. Another patient well on the way to recovery.

The moment the doctor walked out of the room though, all of Maria's friends and her mom quickly rose.

"Your daughter is just fine, Ms. DeLuca. All her stats and vitals are good, and we're going to keep her in for observation. Just for a few days though, then she should be fit to go home." "You'll be begging us to take her back!" Amy joked.

Everyone laughed. It felt good to do that, after the week they'd all had.

"Can we go back in and see her?" Liz asked "She's sleeping right now, so I suggest that you all go home and do the same. Maria has a phone by her bed, so if she gets bored, I'm sure she'll ring you up. But right now it's best that she sleeps, she needs it." The doctor walked off, and all of them headed home.