Liz dropped her bags and went straight to Max. Isabel hugged Michael, then Alex. Maria and Kyle stood back, watching their friends.

"So what'd we miss last week?" Liz asked as they walked to the car.

"Oh, the usual." Michael said. "Tests. Work. Getting Pierce under control."

"How did you do that?" Isabel asked. "Michael, if you killed him..."

"Hey, I had nothing to do with this!" Michael shouted. "Why do you automatically accuse me?"

"Hey!" Maria said. "What kind of homecoming is this if you're all arguing?"

"She's right," Max said, "and it wasn't Michael. It was Valenti's doing. He told Nasedo that all and any test subjects had to have his consent. If they don't have it, there will be no tests."

He turned to Kyle. "Your father will never let them test you. You're safe."

After a few hours of driving, Liz got out at her house. Without her and her luggage, there was more room in the car for everyone. The same thing happened after Maria got out. Her hand brushed Kyle's arm, but nobody noticed but them.

Kyle was the next to be dropped off. He grabbed his gym bag and opened the door. "Thanks," he said. "For everything."

He slowly approached his house, wondering what his father would say about THIS one.

Valenti opened the door before Kyle even got near it. The look on his face erased all doubts from Kyle's mind.

"Where did you go?" Valenti asked when he let go of his son.

"Jamaica. I got a job as a masseur at this spa, and I lived there, too."

"What made you come back?"

"I ran into someone I knew, and she found me out." Kyle didn't feel like telling the whole story just then.

"I noticed Max and Isabel gave you a ride home. Did they tell you what happened?"

"Yeah."

Valenti's face got that protective look. "I will do anything to keep you safe, no matter who or what you are."

Two months later, Maria blew out the candles on her birthday cake. Liz, Alex, Kyle, Max, Isabel, and Michael cheered. "So what'd you wish for?" Liz asked as they passed out pieces of cake.

"Like I'm telling and jinxing it!" Maria laughed.

Alex was wearing the "My girlfriend went to Jamaica without me and thinks this T-shirt will make up for it" shirt Isabel had bought him in Jamaica. "Come on. You got them all out at once, so there's no way it's not coming true."

Maria sprinkled some drops of oil under her tongue. "No. No, no, no, no, no."

Everyone laughed. "Well, at least open your presents," Isabel said. "This one's from Max and me."

Maria got a glowing scented candle from Max and Isabel ("from our alien and human sides", Isabel explained), a CD from Alex, a gift certificate to her favorite aromatherapy beauty shop from Liz, and a little stuffed alien from Michael.

"Wait a minute, Kyle," Maria said. "Where's yours? If you tell me you just came for free cake..."

"Oh, I got you something," Kyle said quickly. "I just wanted you to open it in private."

Isabel, who had taken a bite of cake as Kyle spoke, made a face. "Guys, this is a good cake and all...but it's not the same without Tabasco sauce. Max, Michael, you want to come find some with me?"

The three aliens disappeared into the kitchen.

"Dang, I left your card in the glove compartment!" Alex said.

"I'll come help you find it." Liz left with Alex.

Maria turned to Kyle. "Is this private enough for you?"

He pulled a box out of his jacket pocket. "This is the first part."

Maria opened it-and had her breath taken away. The crystal was shaped like a heart. It was red on one side and sky blue on another, and the colors swirled to become a beautiful shade of purple at the center. The chain looked too delicate to support such a stone, but, as Kyle fastened it around her neck, it proved surprisingly strong.

"I found it at a store in Jamaica," Kyle explained. "The gemologist said it's really rare for two colors to blend like that."

"Just like it's really rare for...?" Maria didn't know if there was a tactful way to finish the sentence.

"Just like that. Think of it as a 'Heart of Kyle' necklace."

Maria blushed. "You heard that stupid excuse?"

"It was funny, and I needed to hear something funny when I didn't know what was going to happen." The red shade of Kyle's face matched Maria's. "I've always loved you, Maria. When I saw you in Jamaica, I knew I had to tell you soon."

Maria's heart swelled. "Is that the other part of my present?"

"Well, I guess it can be another," Kyle admitted. "But this is the original other part."