Maria had no reason to be scared of change. She liked trying new things. The thrill of doing something new and exciting sent a wave of contentment through her system. So, why was she freaking out?

It wasn't until she turned out her lamp, and saw the shadow outside her window, that she started to catch on. It was only there for a second, but she had seen someone.

Normally, if you saw someone creeping outside of your bedroom window, you would flip out and call the cops. But she didn't want to do that. Something was telling her it was ok, that he belonged there, watching over her.

Maria slowly climbed out of bed and walked to her bedroom door. She made her way down the hallway, trying to be extra quiet so her mom wouldn't wake up. Ever since her little 'sleepover' with Michael, Ms. DeLuca was more intuned to her daughters life; and Maria actually liked it.

How freaky was that?

As the door loomed in her vision, Maria took a deep breath and placed her hand on the doorknob. Her mind was screaming for her to go back, or to at least grab a weapon, but her heart was telling her to just go. Not wanting to be put into a bad situation, Maria grabbed a baseball bat from the hall closet and slowly walked out into the night air. Sometimes it paid to listen to that little voice in your head.

The January air hit her and Maria shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Roswell, New Mexico didn't get very cold, but her nightgown was just a tank top and shorts, so it was a little chilly. She stealthily made her way to her window, bat in aim, trying to get a good look at the culprit. One look told her it all: It was Michael Guerin.

Maria let her baseball bat fall to her side, walking up behind him. "This is illegal," she said, trying to make her voice sound hard.

Michael spun around quick, bringing his hands up in a defense move. He took a good look at her and scowled. "You scared the shit out of me," he said darkly, but he's eyes were shining with emotion.

"I scared you? You think your little stalker routine didn't scare the hell out of me?" It was a lie, but she wasn't gonna just collapse into his arms, saying all was forgotten. She wanted to know why he was there.

His eyes looked over her face, and Maria thought she saw something in them. "Sorry," he mumbled, finally looking away.

A few, very few, things made Maria DeLuca speechless: When she met a date of her mothers she actually liked; A brand new dress she absolutely had to have that was on sale for five bucks; finding out that aliens were real (ok, technically, that case of speechlessness only last about five seconds, but it was there) and when Michael Guerin actually says he;s sorry.

"Um...ok," She got out, not really knowing what to say.

Michael nodded and looked up at the stars, the trees, even the house. He looked everywhere; everywhere, that is, but her face. And Maria noticed. She could tell how stiff he was, the way he kept removing then replacing his hands in his pockets. rotating from front to back pockets, then back again.

"Ok!" she finally said, not being able to take much more.

"What?" Michael asked, not seeming to notice his actions.

"Micahel," she said, taking a deep breath, "you're at my house; it's after midnight. Do you wanna tell me what's going on? Or did ya just come over to shoot the breeze?"

As if trying to decide on what to say, Michael scrunched up his face, causing Maria to pick the bat back up, starting to play with the tape wrapped around the handle.

"We found something out."

The words were just blurted out of his mouth, as is it was the most casual thing in the world. "We?"

"Me, Max, Isabel, and Tess," he clarified, looking at the ground at the mention of the last name.

Maria silently seethed as he mentioned Tess; but held it in. She knew it would be pointless to voice her concerns. Michael refused to listen to anyone mouth about Tess, his only sister. Well, that's not true. He let Liz get away with a little bit. And little was the key word. Not that Liz really took advantage of the opportunity. Was she crazy? Maria would've pulled her little blonde curls out by now!

"What did you find out?"

Michael got a far away look in his eyes as he spoke. "Nasedo was...the Unit found out he was a traitor. After realizing he was an alien, and that the original Pierce was killed...." His voice wavered a little, but he just shoved it aside and kept going. "They tortured him. Letting him get the brink of death, only to let him rehabilitate himself and then do it all over again. Eventually...he gave in and told them what they wanted to know."

Maria could feel the tears in her eyes as she realized what he was saying. "They...they all know about you?" she whispered, her biggest fear coming true.

Then it all hit her. Her worry about change; it had nothing to do with her, but with Michael. He was what was changing.

"We made a decision."

Maria took in a shaky breath and waited for him to say it. When he just stood there, she stared at him. "Say it."

"Say what?!"

"Say you're leaving! Tell me how you'll miss me, but have to go. Tell me how you're breaking my heart, but are doing it for my own good! Or is that all a lie too!" she screamed, not caring if her mother, or anyone, heard her.

"Why are you being like this?" Micahel asked.

"Were you even gonna tell me goodbye, or just watch from the window?" Maria asked, her voice low as her tears flowed down her face.

She saw Michael take a step toward her, intending on pulling her into a hug. "No!" Maria jumped back, putting her baseball bat in between them. "Answer me," she ordered. Maria knew as soon as his arms were around her, she'd forget everything except how much she loved him.

Michael gazed at her with pleading in his eyes and simply nodded. Maria knew he was implying that he wasn't gonna say goodbye, and her sobs overtook her body, causing her to slide down to the ground.

A moment later, his strong arms were around her, pressing her up against his body. Maria intended to pull away again but just sat there, letting her sobs come in full blasts.

"Why?" she got out, trying to catch her breath.

"I've never been good with expressing my emotions," he admitted.

Maria actually felt a laugh escasping into her sobs and pulled back, looking up into his face. "That's the understatement of the year."

Michael gave her a little smile, running his hands through her hair. "I suppose it was."

Maria felt a breeze flow through the area, and a bolt of lightning shoot out over the desert. Without much thought, she snuggled up closer to Michael, trying to get away from the cold. His arms tightened around her, and she actually sighed. This was how it was supposed to be. As soon as that thought left her brain, another one entered: Micahel felt the same way.

"You're shaking," Micahel said, pulling back slightly and taking off his coat. He gently slipped it over her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. "That better?"

She only nodded, not knowing what to say. Again, Michael was the cause of this. He seemed to do that a lot. He smiled and pulled her back down to him. She wiped the last of her tears away, taking another deep breath.

"I love you..."

Maria's head froze on his shoulder, new tears forming in her eyes. The words were barly audible, but they had been said. I love you...Those three words were only spoken to her once; and ever since then, she had been yearning to hear them again.

"Did you hear me?" Michael asked, rubbing her back.