*****

Alex Whitman arrived around six that evening. He was in desperate need of coffee. He helped his wife out of the car, then he sighed and led her to the familiar door.

Maria looked up from the photo album when the doorbell rang. Why did the doorbell work? It was driving her crazy. Max got up to answer it. She sighed and closed the album, trying so hard to close up the memories too. Because the memories were drowning her.

But Isabel had wanted to see pictures. Pictures of the last few years. It didn't matter, he looked the same as he had when he was sixteen. He never grew older. And yet, here they all sat, years older than they had been a couple of days ago. Their Peter Pan had left, and he had taken with him their youth.

Max opened the door and came face to face with the man who had so long ago saved his life. Why had they bothered? It didn't seem to matter now.

"Hi, Alex," he said, looking past him to the beautiful and very pregnant woman standing behind him.

"Max," Alex nodded. He reached back and took the woman's hand. "I'd like for you to meet Audrey, my wife."

Max extended his hand to the short brunette woman standing before him. "Nice to meet you," he said. Not really. He didn't want to be meeting anyone. He wanted to close his eyes and have it all disappear. But he had tried that. And powers or not, he could not escape this place.

"Nice to meet you too," she replied. "I've heard a lot about you." Alex knew what Max was thinking. She didn't realize how much she didn't know about Max Evans.

Max moved aside so that they could enter the house. Isabel and Paul had stood up to greet them. Maria was still sitting on the couch, holding the photo album. Trying to block the memories.

"Audrey, this is Isabel," Alex said. Isabel smiled at the woman. This was what Alex had always wanted. A wife, a child. Isabel couldn't give him that. She was glad that he had found it.

Isabel shook the girl's hand and introduced them to Paul. Maria couldn't help but watch the reactions with interest. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be introduced to her husband's high school sweetheart, and in turn come face to face with an Elle MacPherson look alike. But Audrey handled herself well. Maria supposed that when you're the one carrying the man's child, you feel some security. She would never know. But it didn't matter anyway, nothing did.

*****

Liz Parker was not prepared for the wave of memories that washed over her as they drove into town. She had come home to Roswell many time over the last eight years. Her parents still ran the cafe, plus she visited Maria and Michael on a somewhat regular basis. Chicago was far, but she managed to visit. Still, this time was different. This time was about saying good-bye. And she realized that it would be true in more ways than one. She was saying good-bye to Michael, yes. But Max would be there. It would be the first time in four years that she had seen him. Everything had changed. She wondered what it would be like, all of them together again for the first time since graduation. Not all of them, she reminded herself, and her thoughts turned to Maria. The only ones who had managed to stay together had been ripped apart.

She closed her eyes and she was back at the Crashdown. She heard the gunshot, she felt the bullet. She saw him leaning over her. She saw his soul. She was supposed to be dead. She wasn't supposed to have lived these past ten years. It was no wonder that her life had twisted itself into a pretzel. She looked over at him and wondered how they got here. What would it be like to stand in the same room as Max Evans? She would soon find out.

*****

The last car pulled into the driveway around seven. They had eaten dinner. Maria had made turkey sandwiches. She didn't eat any of it though. She didn't eat anymore. Isabel had opened her mouth to say something about it, but then she thought better of it. Arguing would get them no where.

Maria heard the car pull into the driveway. She started toward the door. She wanted to open it before the doorbell rang again. She turned the porch light on.

Liz Parker squinted as the bright light came on. She somehow managed to get out of the car. She took a deep breath and tried to prepare for everything that was about to happen.

She looked at the doorway and saw her best friend. Maria looked so lost. Her eyes didn't completely focus. Alex stood behind her, cradling a coffee cup in his hands. He managed a weak smile as they made their way to the door.

Liz reached out and grabbed her best friend as soon as she got through the door. She could just faintly smell the lavender. Liz never wanted to let go.

But then she saw him come out of the kitchen. Isabel followed. Here they were, together again. His eyes met hers. She couldn't read them anymore. Too much had happened. He looked tired.

She finally released Maria and looked over her shoulder. Kyle looked at Max and nodded before hugging Maria himself.

Kyle's hold was tight. Maria couldn't help but smile faintly at the irony. Kyle Valenti was hugging her because Michael Guerin was dead. And the earth was water, and the sun was the moon, because somehow nothing was as it should be.

Liz hugged Alex and Isabel. Isabel introduced Paul, Liz knew Audrey. Kyle needed no introduction. He stood back. He felt out of place, but he had known that he would. He didn't care. Liz needed him and so he was here.

Liz had come to Max. "Hi," she said quietly. It was still there. The connection. She supposed that it would never go away. She slowly slid her arms around his neck and felt his arms tighten around her. She felt his breath on her neck. She pulled back.

He looked into her eyes. Things were different. They were still connected, but it wasn't as it had been. Maria had lied when she had called them soulmates. What they had was somehow more and less than that, all at the same time. It had been love. Maybe it had been fate. But it had died four years ago. Things had changed.