Liz took a bowl of strawberries out of the refrigerator and set them on the counter. Her face flushed when she remembered the last time she and Max has been alone in the kitchen with a bowl of strawberries. It seemed like an eternity had passed since that romantic encounter. It would probably be another eternity before Max would ever touch her again, especially since he still believed she had slept with Kyle. Her throat went dry when she pictured the expression of confusion and hurt on his face when he had come to her window. She wished she could tell him the truth.

Obviously, Max had experienced the same thought process as Liz. Their eyes locked for one brief moment. Liz had sadness in her eyes while Max's were filled with curiosity.

"Liz, do you remember what you said to me before I left for New York?"

Liz broke their gaze and dug into the strawberries. "I said a lot of things."

Max grabbed her hand and she instantly stopped fidgeting. "You told me that the granolith would be dangerous in the hands of others."

"Yeah?" LIz knew what was coming next.

"How did you know that?"

She sucked in her breath, her mind racing for an adequate explanation that wouldn't break her promise to Future Max. A thought suddenly entered her mind.

"Max, what if the granolith can be used to kill the alien parasite--I mean, the ganderium?"

Max realized that Liz had avoided his question, but her last inquiry caught his attention. "I--I don't know."

"Well, we keep hearing about the importance of the granolith. From what you told us about your summit meeting in New York, Kavar wanted the granolith. Maybe it's powerful enough to destroy his enemies, mainly you."

Max began to show signs of understanding where Liz was going with her speech.

"Maybe if YOU have control of the granolith--"

"I'd have the power to destroy MY enemies," Max finished.

Liz nodded, a slow smile playing at her lips. "The alien parasite is an enemy, right?"

Max grinned. "I think we may be on to something, Liz."

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

Michael listened to the rings, getting more and more impatient. "Nobody's answering," he told Maria, about to push the end button. Suddenly, the ringing stopped and a male voice said, "Hello?"

Michael was caught off guard, expecting Liz to answer. "Uh, Max?"

"No, this is Sean Deluca."

Michael sighed. "Why do you have Liz's phone?"

Maria gave him an inquiring look. Michael mouthed the word "Sean."

"Give me the phone," she said, holding out her hand.

He reluctantly handed it to her. "Sean, where's Liz?"

"Hey, cousin. Having fun on your little trip?" Sean said cheerily.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Just put Liz on the phone."

"Can't," he said simply. "She left awhile ago with Max. She must have been in a real hurry because she forgot her phone."

"Damn," Maria muttered under her breath, glancing at Michael. Obviously if Liz and Max were together, something vital was happening in Roswell. "Okay, forget about it, Sean. Just tell Mom that we'll be home tonight, okay?"

Michael's eyes widened at Maria's last statement. While she was hanging up, he yelled, "We're not going back yet! We have to get Laurie!"

Maria walked around the car and opened the driver's side door. "We have to get back to Roswell. Something's going down." She expected a long, drawn out argument from him, but Michael only hesitated for a moment before going over to the other door. "I've got a plan. Let's haul ass back to New Mexico."

Maria noticed he still clutched the sack of money in his hands. "We're not actually taking that money, are we?"

"We have to if we want to get Laurie back," Michael said simply, ducking into the car.

Maria furrowed her brows. "Uh, okay. You better have a really good plan or else we'll be in even more trouble with my mother if she finds fifty thousand dollars on us."

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

"I can't believe Grant would actually do that," Isabel murmured as Sheriff Valenti explained to her what happened in Frasier Woods. "So my visions were true? He DID do that to Laurie?"

Sheriff Valenti nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, yes. But if this parasite has attached itself to him, then he didn't know he was doing it."

"I still don't understand WHY he would do it, though." Isabel rubbed her temples, a headache beginning to form.

Max and Liz had come back into the dining area of The Crashdown. Max heard her last statement. "Is, remember what you told me Laurie said to you when you were talking to her at Sheriff Valenti's house?"

Isabel looked up at her brother. "Yeah."

"You told me she was ripping at her fingernails and saying that 'that's how it got in.'"

"She was talking about the parasite!" Liz interjected, following the conversation .

"That's right. Laurie obviously knew that the parasite had taken over Grant's body and made him do those things," Max said.

"But WHY?" Isabel prodded.

Max scratched his head while he mused over the question.

Liz put her hand on his shoulder. She he looked at her, she whispered, "Tell them about our plan. Whatever happened with Laurie can be figured out later--AFTER we destroy the ganderium."

Max nodded. "You're right."

Before he could begin, though, there was a pounding on the door, startling everyone.

"Open up!" Sean Deluca was standing in the street outside the restaurant.

Alex ran up to the door and unlocked it, looking back at the group nervously.

Sean walked in, heading straight for Liz.

"What are you doing here, Sean? We're closed," Liz said.

"I'm not here to eat," Sean retorted, looking at the group inquisitively. His gaze focused on the sheriff. "Uh. . .I just wanted to give you your phone."

Liz quickly took the phone from him. "Oh, thanks. I totally forgot to get it back from Ms. Deluca."

"Well, I guess a tricky science assignment was more important," Sean said sarcastically. "That IS why you left, right? To do homework with Max?"

The sheriff stood and smiled politely at Sean. "Thank you for returning Liz's phone. As you can see, we're in the middle of something here. Maybe you can talk more with Ms. Parker tomorrow."

Sean stood still for a moment, a suspicious expression plaguing his features. "Yeah. . .well, I wouldn't want to interrupt anything. I'm getting used to people asking me to leave." He gave Liz one final look before turning toward the door. "Don't worry, I'll show myself out. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your private conversation."

Liz and Max exchanged worried glances as Sean opened the door.

"Oh, one more thing--" Sean turned back around. "Michael and Maria are coming back to Roswell."

Liz raised her eyebrows in surprise. "They are?"

"Yeah. Michael called your phone earlier tonight," Sean said. "I guess they're eager to get in on your secret society meeting, too." He smiled condescendingly. "Later, Liz." With that, he walked out the door.

"That guy is a pain in the ass," Kyle spoke up, a touch of annoyance in his voice.

"He's going to be trouble for us," Tess agreed.