Analecta (Mi/T, UC, M) 1-12; New Part 13 COMPLETE 9/29

[hauntedd]

Title: Analecta
Author: hauntedd
E-Mail: citrus_twisted@yahoo.com
Rating: M
Couple: Mi/T
Summary: an'a'lec'ta - a collection of short stories.
Disclaimer: These characters are property of 20th Century Fox/Melinda Metz. The lyrics in part 1 are to "Your Cloud" by Tori Amos.
AN: I was asked to bring this over here by a few people, so I am. I'm pretty sure I started posting this here a while back, but it was deleted and purged when I took a break from writing. But I'm baaack.

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Part 1
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do you think
just like that
you can divide
this you as yours
me as mine to

before we were us


She sighed and forced back her tears as the scene played over and over in her head. She'd been heading down to the Crashdown to hang out with her friends if you could even call them that.

It started out like any other meeting. Max and Liz were engaged in their usual dalliance, oblivious to the rest of them. However, something was different this time - it was like last May, when she had first come to town. They sat close together, limbs intertwined, eyes fixed toward one another. It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. She could sense it, they all could, they were going to date in earnest and rush toward romance.

Tess realized then that he was looking at Liz the way that he was supposed to be looking with her. And she was where Liz should be, on the outside of their little coterie.

They had all gone out of their way to exclude her ever since she came to town. Granted, she had come to town on a bad note, she got that now. But it was September now, a whole five months had passed. Certainly she had served her penance - hadn't she?

Apparently not. She was still on the outside looking in, a stark contrast to what Nasedo had promised when they had started their sojourn in search of the other members of the royal four. He had promised her that they would all accept her unconditionally, that Max would love her as Zan had and their lives before her coming would be insignificant.

And yet, she was the insignificant one. Max had illustrated that point very clearly this evening. When Maria had ripped into her, he had failed to come to her defense.

In fact - neither had Isabel. The two of them were scared of her and what she represented. She was the unfamiliar - the alien. No one cared that she had feeling too, that she hadn't ever asked for destiny. They were all quick to judge, that since Nasedo had told her to integrate herself, to love Max, that she actually wanted it.

She didn't. But at the same time she couldn't deny it The whole concept of destiny had been ingrained in her since childhood. And it left her here, at the impasse - she was too scared to denounce it, to move on from her past and those in it, but at the same time she couldn't accept it, because they refused to accept her.

"Damnit!" She cursed as she felt the soft sting of fresh tears at the back of her eyes. She didn't want to cry, not again. She had too many tears in the past five months, more than they deserved.

All she had wanted was to be accepted, was that too much to ask?

And instead, she had to settle for dismissals, heartbreak and the occasional forced greeting. If this was destiny, she sure as hell wanted no part in it.

"WHY?" She screamed, staring up at the v constellation, the stars shining down at her. The five of them twinkling in the navy sky, mocking her. She hated feeling like this, like her entire existence had been a mistake.

"Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't... if they hadn't recreated me," she choked out, the tears falling hard and fast now against her cheeks. It was the one thing she had thought, but not acknowledged verbally, ever since she got here. But now the words were sputtering out, acrid on her tongue.

Michael watched, from the shadows as she sat down on the curb, her body hunched over as her sobs carried in the wind. He'd come upon her accidentally, having left the Crashdown because of Maria's persistence. There was a reason he didn't want to get back together with her, well, more than one, to be precise - and despite her claims, none of them have to do with his DNA.

It was then that he heard it, the choked hypothesis spilling from her lips. Did she actually think so little of herself that she could wish herself out of existence? It was completely strange - she seemed, at least in his limited time around her, to be stronger than that.

She always was so determined, so self-assured, so brazen. She didn't seem like the type, she was Tess. And, although he had admittedly kept his distance from her, he could not help but notice her.

She was an enigma, not the one dimensional person that Maria and the rest viewed her as, that much he did understand. But, at the same time, he was now seeing just how deep her intricacies went.

She had always been alien to him, even more alien than he or the others were. He understood that they did not belong, which was more than he could say for Max or Isabel, but at the same time... she was different. She got their status far better than he ever could, in a conceptual sense, especially with Nasedo always there to reinforce it.

In that way, he was envious of her. But seeing her now, sad and alone, made him realize that her existence was a lonely one. Although he had a shitty father, he at least had Max and Isabel through it all.

Frowning, he scratched at his eyebrow as her body continued to be wracked with sobs - he needed to do something. He just wasn't sure what.

Finally, without really contemplating it, he began walking toward her. He was not great at dealing with crying girls, but he figured it was better than nothing - she definitely looked like she could use someone right now.

"Hey," he greeted as he came closer, before sitting on the curb next to her. He wasn't sure if she wanted company, but he didn't want to leave her alone either. Especially not now that he saw just how vulnerable she was.

"What do you want?" she snapped, tired and sad. It wasn't that she didn't like Michael, she did, she even found his multifaceted personality something that she could relate to, however she didn't want anyone to see her like this. Especially Michael. He was the only one that showed her even a modicum of respect, and that was now going to be shot to hell. He didn't seem like the type to take well to tears.

"Are you ok?" he asked, half wondering if this was what he was supposed to be doing. He'd only dealt with Isabel when she was like this once or twice. And he normally was the cause of Maria's tears, so he did not have that much experience with this sort of thing.

She bit her lip as she met his gaze. Her first instinct was to shout at him and brush him off, because clearly the word yes was not a valid option. But considering that this was Michael, and he normally did not show concern for anyone, especially not her, she reconsidered. After all, he wasn't the problem, not really. He at least acknowledged her, that was more than most.

"No." she whispered, the word foreign to her. Tess didn't admit her feelings, they were a weakness, one that she hoped to avoid. But there was something about his concern and her desire to be more human that made her soften. She wanted to be like the others, she wanted to feel freely, to embrace more of her human genetics. She was just afraid.

Michael nodded slightly in understanding, but said nothing, letting her response sink in. He hadn't expected this, for her to be honest with him, for her to trust him with this admission - that she too was vulnerable. His surprise, he knew, was a combination of his belief that Tess acted the same way he did with her emotions and the others, especially Maria's and Max's, assertions that everything she said was a lie.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked finally, realizing that he had been quiet for too long. Her aqua eyes were now fixed on him, awaiting for him to respond to her admission.

"I... no, not right now. I'm sorry, it's just... it's just hard," she stammered, trying to find a way to not make this about Max Evans. She knew now, sitting here with Michael under the night sky that she had to give up the idea of happily ever after.

After all, if all those fairytales taught her anything it was that happily ever after only existed when the story was left unfinished. There never is an explanation of the elusive happily ever after, it just existed.

And yet, she'd been gunning for it since she was old enough to grasp the concept. She put her heart and soul into the idea of it, using Max Evans as her prince charming. And she was finding out, the hard way, that perhaps she had misjudged him somewhere along the way. She needed to give him up, to surrender her hopes of being with him.

It was just going to be hard. But it would be worth it.

"Is there anything I can do?" he prodded, hoping that she would elaborate on her words. He was curious now, she intrigued him. And not just because he found her attractive. The whole idea of her was interesting, as was her life and everything about her.

"About this? No." She answered truthfully and cursed silently as she saw his face fall. Yes, it was true, he couldn't help her get over Max, that was on her, but it sounded so mean. She sighed and brushed a stray curl out of her face. "All I need for you to do is try and be my friend, Michael. I don't really have any of those" she added softly, hoping that she hadn't overstepped whatever relationship they had. But he had asked her what he could do, and that was it.

Michael opened his mouth to protest, then shut it. She was right - she didn't really have any friends. She had seven people whom chance had linked with her, but none of them had really extended themselves. Isabel had, at the beginning, but now that she knew the truth, she had grown to fear Tess, preferring instead to spend time with Alex, Maria and Liz. The rest of them had tolerated her with varying levels of success, but none of them had bothered to get to know her.

Mentally cursing, the guilt rose within him. He of all people should have tried harder, she had all the answers he so desperately wanted, and he knew exactly what it was like to be treated the way she had been.

He should have done better. And she was giving him a second chance.

"I can do that." He answered, and took her hand in his, giving it a small squeeze. He felt a little bit better when she looked up at him with a genuine smile on her face. She was so appreciative of something so small, it was different from Maria, who demanded things that he couldn't always give, and he kind of liked it.

"Well it's late, do you want me to take you home?" he asked, hoping that she would agree. Although she looked a lot better than she had before, he still did not want to leave her alone.

Tess smiled at him, it was nice to know that Michael was going to try. It wasn't lip service either, he wasn't the type to say something without actually doing it. "I'd like that," she said and dusted herself off.

She might not be getting the prince charming, but she now had a friend and that was something. That was what she thought to herself as they made their way back, the stars shining down on them as they walked home.

[SurvivorMars24]

I've read your story of FF is gonna be different???? I really like it and wanna see it finished!!


Kia

[hauntedd]

Hey -- It's actually the same story. Someone just asked me to repost it here, so that is what I'm doing. hope that clears it up - G

Lyrics are to "Frozen" by Tegan & Sara

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Part 2
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there's not much said that I don't know
the difference between frozen hands and feet
you come right out and you ask me
nobody ever asks me

“Hey!” Michael greeted as he slid into the booth across from her. He’d been thinking a lot about what Tess had asked of him last week, but hadn’t really found time to spend with her until now. Mr. Parker had been giving him double shifts to cover for Jose, who was visiting family in Arizona. Michael couldn’t complain, he needed the money after all, but at the same time he felt a little guilty for not being able to spend time with Tess.

“Hey yourself,” Tess said as she looked up from the menu and met him with a small smile. She had been looking for something different to order, but so far had found nothing else that she really wanted. The Crashdown was weird that way - everyone had their one meal that they ate day in, day out. She was determined not to be like that.

“I thought uh, we’d do something today,” Michael stalled, unsure if she’d be up for lunch now that she had been studying the menu so intently.

“You don’t have to work?” Tess asked, trying not to get her hopes up. She knew that Michael was not the type to lie, he had worked a lot the past week. But it was the last week before school was supposed to start and she wanted to have some fun this summer, since she had basically spent it all watching soap operas and going to movies by herself.

“Nah, Mr. P gave me the day off. Plus Maria’s working and I’d rather not be around.” Michael admitted, scratching at his eyebrow as he looked at her, hoping that she would get the hint.

“She still trying to get back together with you?” Tess asked, even though she knew the answer. It was painfully obvious to everyone in Roswell that Maria Deluca was desperate to have Michael back. Tess felt bad for her, she knew what it was like to have the guy you thought you wanted not want you at all. But, the fact that Maria was a bitch to her kind of took away from her sympathy.

“Yeah, it sucks,” Michael supplied and got up from the booth, hoping that she would follow his example. He knew that Maria would start her shift soon, and that meant that he needed to leave now, or he’d play round 47 of what went wrong.

He couldn’t even hang out with Max anymore without that coming up, he and Maria had “bonded” over this. And it had only gotten worse since Liz got back, Max’s insistant proclamations that he “could have this too if you talked to Maria,” were annoying and self absorbed.

Max, like Maria, liked to think that everything would be perfect again in their group if he got with Maria. It wasn’t that simple. He never really even was with Maria in the first place. It was just convenient, and he was sick of arguing with her. And she was cute, when she shut her mouth.

“Most guys would love to have a woman fawning all over them.” Tess teased as she shut the menu and got up from her seat, glad that she didn’t have to stare at the menu any longer. Plus, the prospect of eating alone really wasn’t one that she was all that excited about. She was self-confident, sure, but she had never really lived in a small town before, and she was afraid they would talk.

“I’m not most guys, Harding. Let’s go.” Michael smirked and led her out of the café and toward his motorcycle. He wondered, idly, what she would think about riding the bike, but it was a nice day and he wanted to take it out before it got to be too windy.

“Ok,” she shrugged and followed him out to where he was standing, his left arm draped over the bike. She gave him a small smile, she knew that this was his baby, and he didn’t take everyone out on it.

“You’re not going to say anything about the ride?” Michael asked as he straddled the motorcycle, inching up so that she could seat herself on it.

“No.... not everyone is afraid of motorcycles,” Tess answered, taking the proffered helmet from Michael.

“Yeah, but all chicks dig them,” he added, watching as Tess pursed her lips together, contemplating if she was going to smack him. He didn’t know the limits with her, but he knew that if he said that to Maria, she’d smack him.

“Some do,” she agreed, brushing a stray curl out of her face and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She was glad that she had grown her hair longer, she realized now. Even if Nasedo hated it, it was much easier to deal with than the shorter, tighter curls that he preferred and thought were more attractive. It may have been, if it were the 1950s. But this was the year 2000! And she really doubted many boys had a Shirley Temple fetish.

“And which some are those?” Michael questioned as he started the bike, feeling her hands wrap tighter around his waist. He groaned inwardly as he felt her breasts push against his back, trying to control his body’s reaction. She was an attractive girl, but they were barely even friends, and he’d ruin that if he got a little too excited.

“You think I’m going to betray the sisterhood for you?” She responded with a question, deciding not to tell him that her last pseudo-boyfriend rode a motorcycle, and that was the reason she even started dating him. Not only was that, as Nasedo would say, inappropriate, but it really didn’t matter.

“Whatever,” Michael shot back and started the bike, speeding off toward their destination. He frowned as he felt her nails dig into his chest, for someone who wasn’t afraid of motorcycles, she seemed to be holding on awfully tight. Then again, he didn’t mind... it felt really good. He hadn’t felt a woman’s arms around him like this in a long time, and even then it was Maria, whose every move with him seemed forced. Maria, he sighed in relief as the tightness in his pants lessened. It was funny how things changed.

Tess felt the bike slow and she looked around at her surroundings as she dismounted the bike. She hadn’t really spent that much time in this area of town, but it was basically a strip mall, with a restaurant attached. “Um, where are we going?”

“Lunch.” Michael shrugged and walked ahead of her, heading off toward the restaurant.

“At... Cheese Encounters? What, giving up one alien themed restaurant for another?” Tess asked as she registered the name of the restaurant. Granted, it wasn’t the Crashdown, but at the same time it was still alien themed. Nasedo would be less than thrilled.

“When in Rome...”

“I guess... Nasedo would be so pissed if he knew I was here. Like the Crashdown was different, it’s convenient... but this... he would find repulsive,” she shrugged and opened the door to the restaurant, leading him inside. She couldn’t help but admit that it did feel good to do something that Nasedo disapproved of, she hadn’t really done that since the boyfriend.

“Well he doesn’t have to know, does he?” Michael asked as he slid into the booth, giving a slight smile to the waitress who handed him a waitress. He realized how bad this conversation sounded, but his question was a legitimate one.

“And yet he always finds out,” Tess supplied with a shrug and shut the menu, already sure what she wanted. She knew her pizza well, she didn’t need to scrutinize every type.

Michael frowned at the way that Tess shifted in her seat, noticing that she was getting uncomfortable.

“So, got any idea what you want to order?” he asked, hoping that it would change the subject. It was getting too close to uncomfortable territory. Because if she started to talk about Nasedo, then Hank would come out and he was pretty sure she felt the way he did. Some things were just better off left unsaid.

“I’m a cheese pizza kind of girl,” she answered and reached back to play with her hair, freeing it from the ponytail. She didn’t like to keep it up for very long, it just felt awkward. She was glad that he had changed the subject though, she wasn’t ready to talk about her life with Nasedo. He seemed to get it, though, and she wondered idly if that had to do with his upbringing or just because he was more perceptive than Max, who needed everything spelled out for him.

“Oh,” he frowned, hoping to get what he wanted for once. Maria always ordered Hawaiian pizza, and he hated it. He had been looking forward to peppers on his pizza, but apparently Tess didn’t share his love for toppings.

“Michael, if you want something else, we can get half and half,” Tess stated, brushing her hair off her face.

“They do that?”

“Um... yeah?” Tess answered, confused why Michael hadn’t already known that. He had been here before, that she was sure of, so it was strange that he didn’t know about Pizza toppings on only half of a pizza.

“Really, Maria never let me you know... do that,” Michael muttered as he scratched his eyebrow. He figured it was easier to just say Maria instead of Hank and Maria. Tess got that Maria could be a bit of a reformist at times, she didn’t need to hear about Hank - not yet anyway.

“She seems like she’s pretty controlling and demanding,” Tess prodded, hoping that he would finally say something about their relationship, or lack there of. All she knew was from observing and a few comments that were said in her presence. She knew that he hadn’t been happy, but Maria was, probably because Michael did what she wanted most of the time.

“Yeah.”

“So what kind of pizza is this, anyway?” Tess asked, realizing that she wasn’t going to get anything else out of him. She was realizing, rather quickly, that “Stonewall Guerin” wasn’t just a rumor or hyperbole. He had his secrets, and she respected that. She wasn’t going to prod.

“Pizza.” Michael dead panned, wondering what she was getting at. There was only one type of pizza as far as he was concerned, and it went by the word “pizza”.

“Well, I mean like is it New York style or Chicago style?”

“What’s the difference?”

“Well, New York style is thinner and Chicago is deep dish,” Tess explained, wondering how anyone could be sixteen years old and not know the difference in pizza styles. Then again, this was her favorite food and she kind of got protective about it.

“It’s probably the first one,” Michael answered, trying to reconstruct the pizza in his head.

“Ok,” Tess breathed, wondering what they were going to talk about now. Both of them had said, without saying it, that they didn’t want to talk about their upbringing or significant others. And she wasn’t going to bring up the alien thing first. She wanted this to be about more than that.

“Is that something you picked up on living... wherever you were before?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait, where did you live anyway? I don’t think anyone has ever bothered to ask.” Michael asked, realizing that no one had ever bothered to ask her where she had been before Roswell. All of them had, to varying degrees, avoided her after their destinies had been revealed.

“Um, yeah,” Tess agreed awkwardly, trying not to make a big deal about her treatment before this. Michael was at least making an effort now, and she was sure they’d revisit this later.

“Well we moved around a lot. One of the last places I lived was Northern Virginia, but Nasedo was uncomfortable with being so close to DC, so that didn’t last long, even though I loved it there. I don’t remember much before Massachusetts, when I was like 8. It was definitely cold up there, but I loved it... when I was allowed outside to play.”

Tess frowned for a moment, remembering the arguments she would have with Nasedo when she was younger about having friends. She didn’t quite get it then, she was young, but Nasedo failed to understand that. So, instead of having first sleep overs and birthday parties, like she had wanted, she had to practice. And one of her lessons was mindwarping her friends into hating her. Of course she hadn’t realized it at the time, and Nasedo had used the lesson to teach her that she was better than humans. She didn’t like to talk about it much.

“Then we moved closer to you guys, to Texas for a little bit, but Nasedo hated it, so then up to Chicago, that was right before Virginia, then Arizona and finally Roswell.” She finished, hoping that Michael hadn’t caught the frown on her face. It was nice that he was interested, but he was also bringing up memories she had tried to forget.

“What tipped you off?” Michael asked, curious to see if his fire in the desert had actually had an effect on anything.

“Nasedo saw a tabloid in DC, when we were up there for the weekend, about what Max did. So, we stayed for a little bit, until Nasedo got paranoid and we moved to Arizona. Turns out, though, he was right that time, because he saw that sign in the desert that I guess you made... and well, the rest is history.”

Michael opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when he caught Tess’ eye. She was indicating that the waitress was coming back. He liked that about her, she understood subtlety.

“Are you guys ready to order?”

Tess smiled at the waitress, she seemed nice enough. Probably back from college, given that she looked a little older than they did. “Yeah, We’ll have a half cheese... half...”

“...Peppers and sausage.”

“Pizza... and I’ll have a cherry coke with lime if you have it,” Tess finished, trying not to make a face at Michael’s order. She didn’t understand how people could ruin food like that.

“What size pizza?”

“Large,” Michael answered, figuring they could take the leftovers home. He didn’t feel like cooking later and she didn’t really seem like she cooked very often.

“And sir, what did you want to drink?”

“Coke.”

“Ok great, I’ll be back with your drinks.”

“What about you, how did you meet up with Max and Isabel?” Tess asked when the waitress left. She was sick of talking about herself, there was something invasive about laying herself bare, even if it was to one of her own.

“They were just there one day... at school. I felt you know, drawn to them.” Michael answered, wondering what she was getting at, exactly. It had been pretty straightforward, they had recognized one another immediately. Isabel had run over and given him a hug - and half of her lunch. She still looked out for him, even now. But he just couldn’t see her as anything more than an overprotective sister.

He looked up as the waitress came back and set down the drinks, and he nodded his head slightly to acknowledge her.

“Oh,” Tess mouthed, then smirked as she watched him scratch his eyebrow again. She found it endearing that he did that, it was something so distinctly Michael. “So what did you do this summer?”

“Not much, I wanted to you know, prepare, but Max, he disagreed.” Michael answered, deciding not to tell Tess exactly what Max had said She didn’t need to know that her prince charming had basically abdicated the throne at least twenty times this summer.

“Oh, is that something you still want?”

“Yeah, but I mean... Nasedo’s in Washington,” Michael answered, wondering what she was implying. Yeah, he’d like to develop his powers more, but it kind of meant nothing when their protector was busy getting the special unit closed.

“Well, I could, you know, help you,” Tess breathed, trying to broach the subject carefully. Although she knew that Michael was more willing to embrace his alien side than the others, she didn’t want to push. That had not exactly gone over well last spring, and she wasn’t all that interested in making the same mistake again.

“Shit, you’d do that?” Michael scratched his eyebrow to contain his excitement. He was glad that she had the ability to teach him, and he wondered why he hadn’t asked her earlier. He was sure that part of it had to do with his fear of what he was capable of - if he was honest with himself, he still thought he was at fault for Pierce.

“Yeah.”

“When could you start?” Michael asked, eager to take her up on her offer. Especially after Pierce, he wanted to have a better grasp on his powers, that was a mistake he didn’t want to make twice.

“This afternoon?” Tess shrugged, it wasn’t like she had anything else to do. Her plans were basically non existent. She needed to buy some clothes before school started, but that could wait.

“Ok.”

Tess opened her mouth to say something, but as soon as she did, she shut it because the waitress came over and dropped their pizza off in front of them. It smelled amazing. She reached for a piece and took a bite, it was really good. “This is really good, Michael,” she stated and watched as he relaxed. It was cute, he had been concerned that she wouldn’t like it.

“I know,” Michael smirked and took his own piece of pizza from the pie and bit into it. He loved this place, it was better than any chain pizza joint in Roswell. And it was even better when he got the toppings he wanted.

They ate in comfortable silence and paid the bill, both of them enjoying their food and the company. Michael, however, was growing anxious to start training. It was what he imagined Christmas Morning was like, hoping for something so bad and then getting it. It was a strange feeling in him, as Hank hadn’t really bothered with Santa or presents.

“So do you want to go to my place and you know, give me a lesson?” he asked, hoping that she would say yes. He wanted to spend more time with her too, but right now he was more focused on actually doing something for once.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Tess smiled, glad that this wasn’t over yet. Without another word, she hopped on the bike after him. She liked this, what they were doing, and the reassurance that she did have something for her in Roswell. It was nice.

“This is your place?” she asked as she stepped inside. It was a decent size for someone who worked behind the grille at the Crashdown. She wondered if the Evans helped him out at all, they must have to. She knew enough about real estate from moving around so much that this apartment was not cheap.

“Yep.”

“You know, you’re really clean for a single guy living alone.”

“Powers.”

“Ah.”

“So, how does this work exactly?” Michael asked, wondering if this was like those movies where he was the apprentice and she was the master. Not that he wouldn’t mind that, but he did have a reputation to maintain.

“Well... do you have any rocks?” Tess drawled, deciding that the best avenue to pursue would be to go with his aggressive powers. He was more than likely concerned about their strength, given that he had attacked Pierce. While she knew it wasn’t his fault, he probably didn’t agree with that assessment. He seemed to have a lot of guilt, otherwise he would have been around more this summer.

“Tess, this is the desert, of course there are rocks.” Michael deadpanned, and smirked when he saw her eyes narrow at him in annoyance. He liked when she was pissed off, it was kind of hot. Michael frowned as he registered his last thought. He was not attracted to Tess Harding, that was for sure. It was worthless anyway, she was hung up on destiny.

“Well then, Sergeant Smartass, why don’t you get some?”

“Cute, Harding,” Michael muttered as he headed to the back porch.

Tess smirked as she took in the appearance of his place. It was definitely something that she would have pictured him owning, with the Metallica posters on the walls and the demure browns of the pillows. But, it still had a touch of Isabel, from the photographs to the plaid blanket. She liked it - it definitely looked lived in, which was more than she could say for the places she lived, but it still seemed very Michael.

“So you going to tell me what the rocks are for?” Michael asked as he laid them out on the table. When she had said practice, he hadn’t thought that this was what she meant.

“You’re going to blast them.” Tess shrugged and lined them all up in a row. There were five of them, it was a good number. Just enough for him to use his abilities without tiring himself out. She had seen, first hand, how inexperienced they all were, and he needed to build up stamina.

“Uhh... in my house?” Michael asked as he mentally calculated the damage this would cause. He didn’t like the sound of Tess’ plan. Not only would the neighbors hear, but he didn’t have the money to pay for repairs.

“Yeah,” Tess breathed and watched as he scowled. He was nervous. “Look, I promise, you’re not going to do anything. And if you do, you can always... fix it.”

“Tess, I don’t know if we’ve met. I’m not good at this.” Michael retorted as he shifted slightly in place. He knew that she meant well, it just wasn’t the best idea for him to be doing this in his home, at least not at first.

“Well this is how you get better!” she huffed and brushed the stray piece of hair off her face. Realizing that screaming at him was not going to help, she gave him a small smile and said, “Look Michael, I know you can do this.”

Michael opened his mouth to disagree with her when he saw the faith that she had in his abilities shining back at him. It was so rare that he got a look like that, not even Max or Isabel really showed that much trust in his actions. And he didn’t want to disappoint her.

“Ok, what do I do?” he asked, and couldn’t help but smile when she jumped up and down in excitement. Obviously, his trust in her meant as much to Tess as her trust in him meant to him.

[hauntedd]

Lyrics are from Tori Amos’ “Taxi Ride”
-------
Part 3
-------

she smiles
way too much but
i'm glad you're
on my side, sure
i'm glad you're on
my side still

“Michael is in jail.”

The four words ran through her head over and over again. Tess had forgotten who broke the news now, or even what was said. All she could do was think about what that meant. From the little he had said about his history with Hank, along with the guilt complex, Michael wouldn’t be dealing well. And yet, Max had been here criticizing Michael for his careless dumping of Pierce’s bones.

“You told him it was a good idea to hide them there!” The accusation flew out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she winced at the glare that Max gave her. He’d been like this to her ever since he had caught the two of them practicing. She didn’t understand him sometimes - he was so hot and cold. Also, his leadership skills were lacking, something that Nasedo had never said about Zan.

Max turned and glared at her, his eyes hardening as he realized she wasn’t backing down. Ever since he had seen her with Michael practicing their powers, something had been different about her. She was questioning, not merely trying to gain their acceptance.

“Whatever,” he huffed, running a hand over his face, trying to wipe away some of the stress that Michael’s incarceration had caused. “It still doesn’t change the fact that he was out there, investigating.”

“Yeah, because he was trying to protect all of us. You know, doing what he was supposed to do!” She hissed, knowing that it was better to keep quiet, they were in the back room of the Crashdown after all. At least Nasedo had left to further investigate the Congresswoman’s role in all of this. He wouldn’t appreciate her questioning the ‘once and future king’.

“Tess.” Isabel groaned as she saw the anger flash across Max’s face. This wasn’t solving anything, it was just an alien pissing contest. Michael was still in jail, and he had a better shot at getting out if they all worked together. However, Tess failed to acknowledge her and Max looked about ready to rip into Tess again. So much for everyone just getting along.

“What he’s supposed to do is follow my lead. I’m the king.” He stressed the last word and glared at her, reminding her of the destiny she had inflicted upon them all. Isabel’s attempt to calm their tempers falling on deaf ears as they continued to glare at one another.

Tess scowled, resisting the urge to slap him across the face. How dare he now accept his destiny just because it benefitted his argument! “Like you’ve been leading for the past three months? Gee Max, it’s no wonder Michael went off and did his own thing!”

She blanched as she felt his eyes narrow and focus in on her. She didn’t know where those words had come from, in fact, a part of her wished she could revoke them. This defied everything that she had ever been taught, she had insulted the king. It wasn’t her place to do this, she thought to herself, her role was to support him.

Yet, here she was, opening her mouth and arguing. If it had even been a few weeks ago, she would have been mortified and apologizing right about now. In fact, she doubted that she would have said anything at all. But, it was different now. Max had basically showed no concern for Michael, her one true friend in Roswell.

Isabel looked over at Tess, who had a mixture of embarrassment and indignation painted on her features, as if she couldn’t decide if she should apologize or embark on another tirade. It mirrored her own conflicting emotions, she didn’t know where to side on this one. She agreed that maybe Max should have done more when they realized that Grant dug up the bones, but at the same time, Michael should have come to all of them first before camping out there alone.

Her point was, this was getting them nowhere. And judging from the hateful looks Max was sending her way, he was merely coming up with a response to her last comment and not ready to move on.

She opened her mouth, desperate to change the subject, to let the sharp words stop, when she heard Max’s voice. It was stoic, devoid of emotion, and she knew then, this argument was far from over.

“You have been telling for months to accept my destiny. And I have. Be careful what you wish for Tess.”

Tess clenched and unclenched her fists, trying her hardest not to slap him across the face. This was below the belt, even for him. Granted, he was mad, but his words stung. He was taking destiny, the thing that she had been told to appreciate and strive toward for years, and twisting it, throwing it back in her face.

“Whatever.” she huffed, swallowing hard to force back angry tears. She didn’t want to let him see how his words had affected her. Emotions were a weakness, she thought bitterly, one that she didn’t feel like exposing. Without another word, she brushed by them, racing out the back door of the Crashdown. What Michael needed right now was a friend, someone who would help him out of this. And since Max and Isabel were content to let him suffer for daring to protect them, it was up to her to do something. And she would, even if that meant mindwarping the police department to get him out of there - it sure would be more effective than arguing with Max.

Tess scowled as she scanned the parking lot, looking for her car. “It’s gone,” she muttered, cursing Nasedo for taking it to go away from here.

“Figures,” she scoffed, then took off running toward the police station, hoping to find Sheriff Valenti there. They hadn’t really interacted much, but he at least knew the truth, and she had a better shot of actually talking to Michael if a friendly face was on duty.

Busting through the door of the Roswell Sheriff’s Office, she didn’t care what anyone thought of her display. She was out of breath and had grown more and more determined to see him as the seconds dragged on, she just didn’t know why.

“Tess?” Sheriff Valenti asked as he watched the small girl rush into his office, wondering what exactly had brought her here. He knew that it had something to do with Michael, but she seemed like the least likely of the group to come. She, like Kyle and himself, were on the outskirts, whereas the other 6 had a long history between them.

“Can I...” she paused, gripping the table as she greedily inhaled, needing the oxygen. “Can I see him?”

Valenti stared at the girl, taking in her disheveled appearance. She looked genuinely upset that Michael was there and, unlike her father, filled with emotion. However, he was reluctant, the last thing that any of them needed right now was for her to use her powers and break Michael out of there. It would raise far too many questions, and he viewed that as a last resort. Michael had agreed with him when they’d talked in private a few moments ago.

“Please,” she stressed, noticing the doubt that streaked across his face. “I promise, nothing... you know, weird, is going to happen,” she added, hoping that her vague reference to not using her powers would be enough to win him over.

“Fine, but only for a few minutes,” he acquiesced, trying to be stern while a grin spread across her face. It had been too long since any of them had really smiled, and he was glad that something so small as seeing her friend made her happy. From his brief encounters with Nasedo, he had come to realize that she didn’t experience that very often.

“Thank you,” she stated, blushing slightly as she realized how much of a grin was painted on her face. She then watched as Valenti got up and led her down the hall, opening up a door and revealing the empty cells, until they landed at one on the end that housed Michael. She frowned, hating this - it was too dark, too depressing and not the place to put someone who had saved their lives.

If only the people of Roswell actually knew what their own were doing, she thought bitterly. It wasn’t that she shared Nasedo’s blind superiority complex, but she had to admit that humans definitely feared the wrong people.

“Tess, what are you doing here?” Michael asked as he watched them approach. He was surprised to see her there, and a little glad at the same time to have company. He didn’t really understand it, but whenever he was around her he felt more like a person. She actually seemed to care about him and his well being, and not just because they were bound together by their heritage.

“I’ll leave you two for as long as I can,” Valenti interrupted, then turned on his heal and left. He had work to do and for whatever reason he actually trusted the two of them to not violate the law.

Tess nodded her head and met Michael’s eyes, her concern shining through her blue orbs. “I... I just needed to see you. I thought you might want someone to talk to, given the circumstances.”

“So Maxwell didn’t send you to ream me out?” he teased, then groaned as he watched her frown at the mention of Max’s name. Great, Guerin, the girl comes to see how you’re doing and you piss her off, he thought to himself as he clawed at his eyebrow.

Tess blanched at Max’s name, was that all he thought she was, even after the time they had spent together? Max’s bitch? She steeled herself, trying not to show how disappointed she was in Michael.

“No.”

Michael frowned as he heard the tone that her voice had adopted in her reply. The one word answer spoke volumes to what she was thinking, even if her face was devoid of emotion. She was mad at him, upset that he thought she was just doing it for Max. He thought about adding a “just kidding” but reasoned that she would just be more offended by the offhanded justification.

She sighed in resignation, running a hand over her hair and smoothing it against her head. It was clear that he wasn’t going to explain himself or even initiate conversation with her. A small part of her didn’t really blame him, it had to be rough to be here, in prison. She’d be lying if she hadn’t heard the negativity surrounding Michael’s reputation and his life with Hank - a lot of people at school thought this was where he would end up, and she wondered if a small part of him thought that as well.

Looking into his tired eyes, Tess whispered, “I came to see how you were holding up. Are you okay with everything?”

Michael frowned as he idly scratched his eyebrow, deciding whether or not to give her the same speech he had given Valenti earlier. It was a version of the truth, at least, he had killed a man and this was where killers went, like he told Valenti. But at the same time, he wasn’t nearly as indifferent to the situation as he had acted.

“No," he said finally, tired of feeling her eyes on his flesh, trying to divine an answer to her question. “All I can think about is the fact that I killed someone. He may have been out to kill us, but at the end of the day he’s still... gone and I wonder how long it’s going to be before I do it again.”

She bit her lip nervously, mulling over what he had told her. Tess wanted to comfort him, tell him that it would be okay, but she, probably better than anyone else, knew that he’d never be the same again.

“I can’t begin to understand what dealing with that is like for you, and I’m not going to try,” Tess began, watching as Michael gave her an appreciative nod.

She had read him right, he didn’t want to be placated. “And I’m not going to talk about destiny and Nasedo’s mantra of how we’re better than everyone else. But what I will tell you, Michael, is that what you did that day, it saved all of our lives.”

She raised her left hand as he began to interrupt, her blue eyes begging for him not to interrupt. “I’m not finished, I didn’t spend this morning arguing with Max about this to be interrupted.”

She paused, smirking at Michael as he took in the weight of her words. “Anyway, while you may not trust yourself right now or even believe that you did good, I just want to let you know that I will always trust you not to hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it.” She whispered, taking his hand in hers through the bars of the cell.

A small bit of relief washed over him as he looked at her small hand in his. Tess trusted him even now, after he had killed someone and was in jail. She was willing to argue with Max, her destiny, because she believed in him. “You fought with Max?” he asked, deciding that they were done with the serious tone of their conversation. He would consider what she had said, but for now he was more interested in her argument.

“Yeah, he was being a dick. I decided to say something about it. He really didn’t appreciate that much, surprise, surprise,” she explained rolling her eyes to emphasize her point.

“He went on a power-trip, huh?” Michael asked, already sure of her answer. Max had taken to his new role as king easily, often using it as a justification for his actions, which were not always well thought out. And while he had gotten the brunt of Max’s actions, he was sure that Tess had received a lot of it as well. Max never really stopped blaming her for Liz’s departure this summer.

“Yeah, you could say that,” she admitted as the first few notes of her cell-phone interrupted them. She reached into her pocket, retrieving it and looking at the display.

“Speaking of his royal pain in the ass,” she groaned, flipping the phone open and placing it against her ear with an apologetic look. “Are you calling to apologize or are you going to scream at me some more Max?”

Michael smirked at her answer, she really wasn’t taking any crap from him anymore and he found that amusing, and a little intriguing. She had opened up a lot more since they had begun talking, becoming more assertive and less willing to just sit around and wait for things to happen.

“You what? Max, please tell me you’re joking!” She exclaimed, glad that Michael was currently the only occupant of the cell block. She couldn’t believe that the congresswoman had taken the bones to have them examined.

“Well do you have a plan, or what?” she snapped, not really willing to get into a long winded discussion of how much worse this all had just gotten. She knew, they all knew.

Michael frowned, from her tone of voice and the scowl on her face, whatever had happened just got monumentally worse. He wanted to ask her what was going on, but she was too angry to really pay attention. As the silence continued, he watched as her features softened slightly, but the worry was still evident on her face. Maybe Max had come up with a plan after all.

“That could work, yeah, I can meet you now. Bye Max,” she rushed out, flipping the phone shut before Max could say another word.

She turned to Michael and gave him an apologetic look, sorry that she had to cut this short. “I have to go, we’re going to get you out of here.”

“Okay.”

“Bye Michael,” Tess whispered and gave his hand a small squeeze before she turned and left.

Michael watched as she left and just before she opened the door, he called out to her.

“Tess!” he shouted and watched as she turned around to face him. “Thanks.” he finished earnestly, needing to let her know how much the visit had meant to him.

Tess gave him a shy smile, touched by his gratitude, especially since he didn’t normally give it to people. “You’re welcome,” she stated, before exiting the cell, more determined than ever to get him out of there.

[hauntedd]

Lyrics to this part are from “Recoil” by Ani DiFranco
-------
Part 4
-------

yes i have my father's heart
it may or may not keep on trying
can't really tell you what it is
keeps me this side of that dark line
but i'm not there to take care of him
and i'm not here to take care of me
i'm going outside to watch the house burn down across the street

He'd been watching her earlier, swaying to the music with Maria, Liz and Isabel. She had been off to the side at first, but as the music continued to play she moved closer to the group. It was then that he had noticed her smile as her hips swayed inviting him to dance. But he was rooted in place, struck by the ethereal glow that seemed to surround her.

He moved to leave his seat at the counter and in that moment he forgot about Maria, who was on the periphery now, laughing and joking with Liz about something. He put his foot down on the linoleum floor, deciding that maybe if he started dancing with Tess, Maria would stop looking over at him like he was a piece of meat.

There was a loud crash as the door and he recoiled, turning his attention away from Tess and toward the door. Max was there, in the center of the restaurant bloodied and bruised, and instantly the party was forgotten.

"Nasedo's dead." The two words fell from his lips as he collapsed to the ground, as if the weight of the news had knocked him over. If what he said was true, everything was going to change.

It all had been a blur after that - Isabel’s teary eyes, Max’s assertions that everything would be okay, Maria, Alex and Liz huddling together trying to figure out what they could do. But he had barely noticed them, he was too focused on her.

She said something, her voice was strong, but somehow the words weren’t registering in his head. All that he could think about was that she had lost a father, just like he had. And here Max was, telling her that he was dead and his eyes indicated that there was nothing any of them could do. He never was good with sympathy.

Pausing, he thought about the irony of it all. They were the two people within their group who had the worst parental figures, and they both were now the only two to have lost them. But then it occurred to him, it didn’t have to be this way. They could try and save Nasedo, it was a long shot, yes, but at the same time, he didn’t want to see Tess like this if it could be helped.

“We have to get Nasedo to the pod chamber...use the healing stones to revive him. Max, where is he? Where's Nasedo?” he shouted at him, not caring that his normally stoic demeanor had given way to a frantic tone. This was for Tess, and while he didn’t understand why he was this determined to spare her more heartbreak, he didn’t care either. They had to move fast if there was even a small chance of saving Nasedo.

“In my room,” Max answered and he withheld the urge to scream. Max could be so irresponsible, leaving Nasedo’s body in his bedroom for his parents to find was a prime example of that. But one look at Isabel and he knew that she shared that opinion and would admonish Max for his lack of discretion. Instead he turned to Tess, who was frowning as she looked at Max, displaying minimal emotion.

Then he heard Maria, asking something, trying to take attention away from the matter at hand. She had a way of going off on tangents and this just wasn’t the time. They had to get Nasedo to the pod chamber, every second they wasted here was one that made it more difficult for him to live.

“I’ll handle it,” he barked finally, not really sure what he was agreeing to handle. He just wanted Maria to stop talking, they had more important things to deal with at the moment.

“You’re not in charge here Michael!” Tess snapped and Michael winced at the force behind her words. He knew all too well that she didn’t mean it, she was lashing out at him because she was angry, sad and scared.

“Well someone has to be,” he responded, glaring at Max who was staring at his hands, trying to pretend that this hadn’t happened. Some leadership skills he had.

From there they’d gone to the Pod Chamber, attempting, in vain to revive Nasedo. She’d cried and asked over and over why it wasn’t working, but none of them had an answer for her. But then, when Nasedo had dissolved into dust, she’d steeled her features, burying all of her emotions behind a layer of indifference. Max and Isabel hadn’t noticed, and why would they? If he hadn’t gotten to know her, he would have been fooled as well and he knew, in that moment, this wasn’t the first time she’d masked her feelings like this.

He scratched his eyebrow, burying his concern for her under a false calm, the practiced gaze of a soldier coming back from battle. She didn’t want to see his worry for her etched on his face, he hated the way that Maria would look at him after Hank died and knew, instinctively, she would despise it as well. It had been nice at first, but after a while her looks had turned pitying and he didn’t want to do the same thing to Tess.

“Let’s go,” Max suggested, heading toward the door. It was so like him, Michael mused, the second that there was something out of the ordinary, something alien, he got as far away from it as possible.

“Okay,” Tess whispered, her voice devoid of the normal force behind it, but Max didn’t seem to pay it any attention. Michael frowned slightly as he followed them out, Max was supposed to be the one who did this sort of thing, he was the ‘girlfriend’, the one who was in tune with his emotions. Even Isabel would be better at this than he was, because she was supposed to be Tess’ friend, the only other female on the planet who could understand what it was like to be a girl and an alien. Michael didn’t really do emotions, and the kind of conversation that he knew that he’d be having later with Tess wasn’t really his forte. He’d barely ever talked to anyone about Hank’s death and now here he was, about to discuss Nasedo’s.

The drive back to Roswell was long and tiring. Max and Isabel were talking idly about the start of their junior year and basically ignored Nasedo’s death. Michael just wasn’t saying much of anything at all and she just wanted to be anywhere but here. She guessed Max and Isabel’s reactions were typical, as long as they ignored everything around them that didn’t fit into their view of the world, they could continue to delude themselves into thinking that they were normal. Half of her wanted to scream at them, to make them see that they had a purpose, one that Nasedo had just died for, but the other half was telling her that their purpose died with Nasedo and so did everything that she believed in.

So she sat there in the backseat next to Michael, shoving herself further into the cushion, hoping not to be noticed and dragged into a conversation. There was just too much going on in her head and all of it was more important than what Vicki Delaney did to try and win Kyle back and who Jessica Conner slept with.

The closest person she had to a father was dead, and there was no trace that he’d ever been there in the first place. But instead of sharing her pain, her supposed family was making like nothing had even happened. It was like she could feel herself crawling out of her skin just listening to them. This wasn’t nothing, this was their protector and he’d died trying to warn them.

The car jerked to a stop finally in front of her house, giving her a reprieve from this car and the banality of it all. She slid out of the seat, without a word and started walking even before the car had moved. The goal was to get as far away from that car and this night as possible.

Michael watched as Tess walked off, frowning for a moment as he looked first at Max then at Isabel, both dumbfounded by her quiet departure. Max gripped at the key and slowly started the ignition, without a word. “Max, I’m going to just walk home from here” he interrupted, his concern for Tess hidden under a veil of indifference.

“You sure?” Max asked him, not particularly caring either way what he did. He was concerned about Nasedo, sure, but there was nothing they could do now and the best thing would be not to draw attention to themselves. Michael, of course, would disagree, which made the reprieve from his accusatory glare welcome.

“Yeah,” Michael answered and exited the jeep, heading off after Tess.

Tess tensed as he heard heavy footsteps hurrying after her. Praying that it was just coincidence and not the same person who killed Nasedo, she turned quickly and noticed Michael catching up to her, concern etched on his features.

“Tess wait up!”

“Michael I’m fine,” she stated, more for her assurance than his. Fighting the urge to cry she hurried ahead of him - this was no way for her to behave, she was supposed to be the strong one. And yet all she wanted was to go home, but the way that his eyes burned into her skin, even now that he was behind her suggested otherwise. It was ironic, she mused, because Michael was the one with her and he was the person who she would have assumed appreciated personal grieving the most.

Michael scratched his eyebrow as he looked at her, noticing the exhaustion in her stride, even as she moved faster and faster, determined to maintain a distance from him. “No you’re not,” he called after her, deciding to forgo the sugarcoating and niceties, they were never really his style anyway.

She spun toward him, angrily wiping the tears from her face. She knew he was right, but at the moment, she just wanted to be left alone. “I’m fine,” she stressed the last word, her blue eyes focused on him, a glaring sign of her displeasure toward his inquiry.

“Tess,” Michael huffed as she marched ahead, unsure whether or not to follow behind. When he went through this, he wanted to be alone, to come to accept this on his own terms. But this time it was different, it was Nasedo, it was Tess. It wasn’t adolescent fears of moving away that they were dealing with, but fears about their own demise, the reality that life could be ripped from them at any second, that the enemy was out there. The implications of Nasedo’s death were much more dire than anything they had faced, and the thought of her internalizing that scared him.

“Michael, please,” she begged, his features blurring beneath her watery gaze as she tried to hide her embarrassment. She had to be strong, stoic, focused, now was not the time to give into emotion. Nasedo wouldn’t want her crying over his death, he would want her to prepare for the worst, assume a leadership role because it was clear that Max was not ready for this fight.

Michael sighed and watched as she walked away, her small body shaking and filled with unshed tears, a million sentences jumbled in his mind, left unsaid. He wished, in that moment, he was more eloquent, that he had something to say to lessen her grief.

Hadn’t he gone through the same thing, a father he’d never wanted dying? Wasn’t there something one said to this grotesque initiation into abandonment that he had entered only months ago? But as he watched her leave he simply let out a resigned sigh and made his way to his own apartment feeling inadequate for not being able to say anything to get her to stay.

[hauntedd]

Lyrics are to Ani Difranco's "Anticipate"

-------
Part 5
-------

Someone you don't know is someone you don't know
Get a firm grip girl, before you let go
For every hand extended, another lies in wait
Keep your eye on that one
Anticipate.

She felt stupid. There were only seven numbers, and her fingers would hit them, one after another, stopping at six before promptly returning the receiver to its cradle. It was just a call, she chastised herself, and it wasn't that big of a deal. They were still friends, right?

"If Nasedo could see me now," she huffed and picked up the phone again, her fingers punching the plastic in a familiar pattern. And just like the other twenty times she had performed the ritual, she slammed it down after the sixth number.

"Tess, it's only Michael." She sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair and rolling her eyes as she stared into the mirror in her, well Kyle's, bedroom. She had been here a little over a week now, and she still felt strange about it, even though Kyle and the Sheriff were being extremely kind to her. Although she could deal without Kyle's dad, who had started insisting she call him Jim, asking her where she was going, or the imposed curfew, it was nice to know that he cared.

Although most people in their small club had chosen to avoid her, she really hadn't minded that much. The only thing that hurt was that Michael wasn't talking to her, at least not the way that he used to, before Nasedo died. She wasn't sure what had happened, and maybe he had taken her request to be left alone to mean forever instead of the night, but it was still weird.

Which brought her to this current dilemma. To call or not to call. She already knew he wasn't at work. Liz had helped her figure that out, it seemed she could be a nice person, when they weren't competing for Max's affections. But who knew if he even wanted to be friends with her anymore. While she didn't think that he was one to just cut off people from his life, even if he appeared that way from the outside, she still didn't know if he wanted to hear from her.

"Hey Harding, the point of a phone is that you push the buttons and you talk to someone." Kyle barked and she jumped, the receiver hitting the floor. She hadn't even realized that she'd picked up the phone again. Great, Tess, now Kyle thinks you're an idiot too.

"Sorry." She called back, putting the phone back as her cheeks burned. This was just what she needed, Kyle thinking that she was just some pathetic girl. Of course, that might play into whatever sick fantasies he had, which was not exactly what she wanted either. He was cute and everything, but getting involved with someone while sharing a house was far too Brady Bunch for her tastes.

"You going to Isabel's thing tonight?" Kyle asked as he entered her room. She blanched as she racked her brain for what ‘thing’ was tonight.

"What thing?" Tess asked, flopping down on the bed and inviting Kyle to come further into the room. She crossed her legs Indian style as she stared up at him, expectantly.

"Her surprise party. I thought Liz said something about it to you." Kyle replied and she inhaled sharply. That was today? She had lost all track of time apparently, probably because she was wasting too much of her energy worrying about whether Michael was mad at her or not.

"Good going Tess," she mumbled under her breath, hoping that Kyle wouldn't pick up on her self deprecation. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot about it. I have to go down to Hondo to get her a gift, I guess."

"Yeah, do you think if I give you some money you can pick something up? I'd go with you but I've got practice." Kyle asked and she smirked at him to hide her disappointment.

Driving to Hondo was the last thing she wanted to do, even if she had a nice car, the drive still sucked and walking around the mall alone wasn't her ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Plus, she had no idea really what Isabel even liked. She knew that the girl was into fashion and liked expensive things, but other than that, she had no clue. They'd only been friends briefly, before destiny and everything else that was associated with last summer.

"But Kyle, I thought you said I was your favorite Martian," she drawled, brushing an unruly curl from her face. "Why don't you buy me any presents?"

"What about that bedroom you're in, I think that was a pretty nice present you know," Kyle returned, flashing her a smile to show that he was kidding. "Tell you what, I'll get you breakfast at the Crashdown before you head out."

"Kyle, it's 11:30." Tess smirked, her blue eyes dancing in amusement as he faltered slightly, before grinning at her.

"Okay, fine, lunch it is!" He announced and grabbed her wrist, leading her out of the house before she could protest. She rolled her eyes as he handed her the keys to her car before picking up his football gear. No need to make him think that she appreciated his humor too much, it would make the burp and fart jokes even more common.

*****

The second that she walked in she saw him. He was sitting down with Max and Isabel at one of the booths. She sighed and sat down in another booth, not wanting to spoil the conversation or her lunch with Kyle. She would talk to Michael, she would. It was only a matter of time. And she could waste a little more of it by talking to Kyle, not that she was avoiding Michael or anything.

"That was the least convincing thought ever, Harding," she mumbled, rolling her eyes as she stared blankly at the menu. It was another stalling technique. She already knew what she wanted, it was just that she felt nervous.

"Hey guys," Liz greeted, her ebony locks pulled taught and high off her face. Tess always wondered if there was some special technique the dark haired girl employed to make her ponytail bounce as she moved, or if it was just inherent in her walk. It used to aggravate her, the way that even Liz's hair seemed so happy, but now it was just idle curiosity.

"Hey," She heard Kyle greet her, his blue eyes shining in that friendly way of his. It was hard to believe that only months ago they weren't speaking. He was the scorned lover and she was the one who had broken his heart. But now that the two of them shared a secret, her secret, it seemed like it had all faded into distant memory. How convenient for them, she mused silently as she twirled her hair between her fingers.

"The usual?" Liz asked and Tess found herself nodding her head, despite a wish to order something different. It was always this routine. She'd want to try something else, and wind up with a Cherry Coke and Lime, hamburger, well done and plain, with french fries. Kyle must have agreed as well, because Liz was gone without another word.

She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it, instead focusing in on Michael. He was sitting with his back toward her, but she could see his right hand moving up and down, dabbing french fries mindlessly in tabasco sauce. His shoulders were knitted together, as if he was upset about something, and she had half a mind to go over there and talk to him, but decided against it. Kyle was talking and she wasn't listening, the least she could do was engage him in some conversation. He was paying, after all.

"...so that's why I don't want to go to class on Monday." Kyle finished and she smirked, glad that there wasn't too much thought required to follow the conversation.

"But then you'll miss all the girls. I know they're not busty college co-eds or anything, but since you like busty biker babes, clearly you don't discriminate." Tess volleyed, hoping that he wouldn't notice that she had been watching Michael only seconds earlier.

"When are you going to let that go?" Kyle whined, his blue eyes dancing in amusement as he met her gaze. Exhaling, she pushed her blonde hair back off her face and smirked, watching with little interest as the new blonde waitress dropped their drinks off at the table.

"Whenever you let your issue with my 'bewitched crap' drop. You know, I could always make your Jugs turn into milk cartons." It was a low blow to go after the porn, but it was Kyle, and he liked their repartee. Plus, his constant wariness with her powers was off-putting.

"Fine, fine, whatever. Just leave the ladies alone."

She smiled at that, catching the fearful look on his face. It was porn, not his anatomy, that she was threatening.

"Because two bags of silicone in a person's chest makes someone female."

"Harding, don't ruin this for me."

"And isn't it against Buddhism anyway to look at naked women in magazines?"

"Don't bring him into it,” Kyle interjected just as Liz set down their food. Tess watched, with interest, as Liz glanced between the two of them. She suspected something was happening, that much was obvious. And she suspected that Liz wanted something to happen. Although she had made no move toward Max, she was sure that Liz would be happier if she was paired off with another strapping young lad.

Ha, too bad that was the last thing she wanted.

“And now you’re getting defensive over the fat bald man. Why Kyle Valenti, I never knew before but your need for full contact tackling, adoration for seemingly wise old men and vast assortment of hair products makes sense. It’s okay, we’ll keep it between us, your dad never has to know that you’d rather have Playgirl under your sheets.”

Her eyes danced as she watched Kyle’s mouth fall open in shock. It was similar to the way she’d walked past him and grabbed his boxers, the first day she was in the Valenti’s house. She’d almost regretted it, but she knew better. It was like Nasedo had said, keep everyone at arms length. If anything, her experience with Michael was a clear reminder. The second things had gotten rocky, they pulled apart and hadn’t spoken. And if only she’d kept him from getting too close, she wouldn’t be this upset.

“One of these days, Tess, I’m going to show you how much of a real man I can be.” Kyle returned, his blue eyes darkening as he looked up and down her body.

She felt the warmth rise to her face and she groaned inwardly. This was not how it was supposed to go, not at all. Stupid human hormones. Raising an eyebrow, she silently shoved a fry into her mouth, willing herself to regain her composure. She didn’t even like Kyle, did she?

No, she totally didn’t like him. She didn’t like anyone like that, it was stupid anyway. She was destined for Max, and although she was not really a big fan of his right now, he was the only one she was going to end up with. Or at least that was what Nasedo said over, and over, and over.

Sighing, she bit down on her lip as she watched Max and Liz eye one another. As much as she didn’t want Max, a small part of her wanted someone to look at her that way. “I must be getting on the rag or something,” she mumbled, turning back to her meal. It was the only way to explain her need for companionship.

They ate in silence for a moment, while she continued to steal glances at Michael, Isabel and Max. It didn’t matter what she did, she’d still be on the outside, and maybe she shouldn’t be too quick to brush off Kyle’s advances. He at least was still talking to her, more than she could say for her supposed family.

“So, are you actually looking forward to this thing tonight?” Tess asked, watching, with interest, as the new blonde waitress circled around the aliens’ table. Her skirt was too short, as in, shorter than every other waitress’ skirt and her boobs were much too high. It was a walking advertisement for cheap and easy, but Michael sure seemed to be enjoying the view.

Biting down on her lip, Tess watched as the skank moved closer to their table, leaning deftly over the Formica. She clenched and unclenched her fists under the table, willing herself to force back the urge to make her slip and fall on the floor.

“Because I’m totally not.” She finished, flicking her hair over her shoulder for emphasis. And she really wasn’t. It’d be different if she and Isabel were actually friends, but they weren’t, and it would just be weird. Plus, she’d have to be around the rest of the group, and they’d all find some way to leave her off to the side.

“I am. Whitman’s stripping!” Kyle hissed, and she opened and shut her mouth in shock. How did she not know about this? Fuck awkward moments, this might just make her night.

“How do you know?” Tess whispered, returning Kyle’s conspiratorial smirk with one of her own as she leaned in closer, lunch long forgotten.

“I had to take him to the store to buy that shit. They don’t card you at the porn store if you mention you’re the sheriff’s son and you appreciate their fine operation. Don’t tell anyone, he wants it to be a surprise.”

“Oh, I won’t. I’m just finally glad to finally have a secret to keep.”

“I know the feeling,” Kyle muttered and met her gaze. Maybe he felt it too, the way that they were both the new people, on the outside, looking in on the rest of them. She flashed him a demure smile and took another bite of her meal.

The sea foam green caught her eye, and she looked over at Michael. The slut was now not only leaning on him, but whispering in his ear. And it looked like he was enjoying it! Rolling her eyes she turned away. She didn’t care, not really, it was just some ugly gangly human. And her relationship with Michael wasn’t like that. They were friends, and he had Maria and Isabel, and she wasn’t about to get involved. Not that she would anyway, because it was none of her business.

“Anyway, I’ve got to go. We’ve got a big game next weekend and Coach is going to be on us all week.” Kyle stated, breaking her away from her thoughts. She smiled and nodded her head in understanding. Right, he had to go to practice and she had to buy presents.

“Okay, have fun. Can’t wait for the show later.” She winked at him, and she watched in amusement as he gave her a shy grin. Who knew that Kyle had an introverted bone in his body? Frankly, she didn’t.

“Yep, here’s some cash. Keep the dollar bills for the private show.” Kyle smirked and handed her some money, before turning and leaving her to pay for their meal. His departure must have been felt, because seconds later Liz was back over at the table with the bill. Handing the brunette some cash, she watched as Michael and the slutty waitress continued to talk, much to the annoyance of Isabel and Max. And she was sure, if she was sitting at that table, she’d be annoyed too. Tess knew that she was well endowed, but at least she didn’t go around spread eagle in a hiked up velcro uniform and a trashy push up bra.

“God,” she huffed, picking up her purse and headed over to their table. She’d feel better after she talked to him, she reasoned. It was just because she was mad that he hadn’t called her back. That was it.

“Hey, Michael?” Tess greeted, groaning inwardly as she heard her voice raise the last syllable of his name, as if it were a question. He wasn’t really looking at her though, which was nice, she could only imagine what sort of look she was giving the blonde slut who was currently commandeering Michael’s attention.

“Yeah?” Michael asked, still refusing to look at her. She scowled at that, and for the first time, got what Maria bitched about all the time. She was sure it was a product of his time with Hank, but it’d be nice to be actually acknowledged.

She opened her mouth and shut it, forcing herself to keep her cool. There were two ways to go with this, and the proper one was not to scream in the middle of a crowded restaurant. “Um, I think we need to talk.”

She watched as Max and Isabel muttered excuses and left, their bills already paid. But the skanky waitress, whose tacky silver nameplate read Courtney, still hovered. And although she wasn’t talking, it was clear that she wasn’t leaving either.

“In private.” She huffed, glaring at the leggy blonde girl. Tess watched as the waitress raised an eyebrow, but left the table. Sliding into the booth that Max and Isabel had vacated, she stared at Michael, who was angrily scratching at his eyebrow.

“She seems awfully friendly.” Tess smirked, unable to resist the barb.

But it seemed that Michael wasn’t too pleased with her comment. His face darkened as he shifted in his seat to face her, and for that moment, she wished she’d managed to keep her mouth shut.

When he didn’t say anything, she pushed her hair off her face and tried again. “So, long time no see, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He replied, barely paying attention to what she was saying. Michael was already searching out the waitress again, and she was growing more annoyed by the second. He was supposed to be her friend, and that meant at least acknowledging her whenever she was sitting across from him.

“I’ve missed hanging out with you.”

“Yeah, well you’ve had Kyle to fill that void in your life.” Michael muttered, still not looking at her.

She raised her eyebrows in shock as she registered what he was saying. How dare he! She was actually making friends other than him, and he was pissed about it? At least Kyle was in on their little secret, something she certainly couldn’t say for the blonde whore.

“Whatever, Michael. At least he looks at me when we’re having a conversation.”

“Uh huh.”

Tess rolled her eyes at the brush off. He was still following the slut in mint green around the Crashdown. Chewing the inside of her cheek, she forced back the urge to scream at him. She needed to get out of here, it was clear that Michael was too busy with his friend walking tits and ass to look at her. Maybe if she had a growth spurt she’d get the attention she needed from her friend.

“Look, we’ll do this later when tall, ugly and skanky isn’t around to get the attention of your far less intelligent head. I’ll see you tonight.” Tess sighed, and got up from her chair, when she felt Michael’s gaze fall on her for a moment.

Hopeful that she had gotten through to him, he simply smirked at her. “Jealous?” He asked in that irresistible husky tone of his and she groaned. He wasn’t getting it at all. What the hell was up with him?

“Hardly.” She barked, and marched out to her car, letting the restaurant door slam behind her.

Jamming the key into the ignition, she felt the car roar to life when she looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was already one thirty. Shocked that she’d wasted an hour and a half at the Crashdown, she peeled out of the parking lot. She still had to get to the mall and back before Isabel’s party.

She found the highway easy enough, a perk of being in a small town, and found herself flying down the highway when Michael’s final shot played in her head. She wasn’t jealous, was she? Michael was her friend, her mildly attractive, very fun to be around friend. And sure, they had similar family histories, and had been spending a lot of time together, but that was it.

She just missed him, his sarcastic comments, the way that he would play Metallica even though she hated it to “educate” her. The way that he could say more without speaking than most people could say in thousands of words.

Pulling off the exit, she felt her muscles tense as she remembered the way that Michael had been watching the waitress, Courtney. She’d never seen anyone look at someone like that, and as much as it disgusted her, she wanted someone to look at her like that.

Maybe she was jealous, just a little. But no one would have to know, and Michael was her friend, it wasn’t like that between the two of them. Max was her destiny. Or more aptly, Max and his ego were her destiny.

“What a fucking winner,” Tess huffed, still speeding down the empty road. She didn’t care, she had to be back soon, and she was annoyed. Speeding was a great release that way.

Although she’d never admit it to anyone, she never saw what her past self had seen in Zan. Especially if he was anything like Max. Max was attractive, but that was it. And he had funny ears. Liz could have him. But she totally got why Vilondra liked Rath. Michael was smart, sarcastic, mysterious, interesting to talk to. And that smirk was really, really sexy.

If they weren’t friends, she totally would go for that.

“Oh god.” Tess moaned, her face flushing as she thought about Michael and that smirk of his. The playful glint in his eye whenever they joked about something.

“I like Michael.” She whispered the confession, even though she knew she was alone. It was one of those unmentionables, if Nasedo was alive, he would flip out on her. And it wasn’t like she could do anything about it anyway, could she? Although she liked Michael, he couldn’t possibly like her back, right? At least not when std-infested blonde waitresses were busy throwing themselves at him.

She floored the gas, not paying any attention to the road or her surroundings as her confession danced around her head. She liked Michael. She really, really, really, liked Michael. And she might just do something about it. Someday.

Suddenly, she heard the shattering of metal against metal and felt the world around her start to spin. Her lithe body, unable to get its bearings, smashed against the steering wheel and everything faded to black.

[hauntedd]

Lyrics are to "Creep" by Radiohead

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Part 6
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I wish I was special
But I'm a creep,
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here

Michael walked up to the door, and stepped back. He didn't know what he was going to say to her. Hell, he didn't even know if she wanted to see him. The only thing he did know was that he wanted to see her.

Shuddering, he remembered the last time he saw Tess. She was crying and frail as Sheriff Valenti carried her to the cop car. Her bruises were fresh and marring her porcelain skin, while her clothes were covered in blood. And he could only watch in abject horror as the petite girl looked around, haunted by what had happened to her. Max had gone to her after that, healing the damage, then he had been pulled away by someone, leaving Tess to go home with Valenti.

And now, three days later, he was standing outside her doorway, trying to figure out a way to knock. He wasn't the type of person to come to the door, but with the way the two of them had gone at it he didn't feel comfortable barging in.

But Kyle had begged him to come, saying that maybe she would talk to him. He doubted it, but wasn't about to turn his back on Tess now, not when she had nowhere else to turn. Inhaling, he scratched at his eyebrow, and raised his hand to the door, only to second guess himself. Tess was analytical, she would know that he was more likely to barge in uninvited. She would see that his polite request for entry for what it was, he felt sorry for what had happened.

And although it was true, Michael knew, more than anything else, Tess hated pity.

Determined, he cupped the knob, forcing a little energy into the lock, and it lifted, effortlessly. Without a word, he entered the home, and noticed the petite blonde sitting erect on the couch, the television blaring in the background as pictures flickered and reflected back on her face.

Walking further into the room, he realized that she was watching sports, and not any sport, football. It was a game from the eighties, probably a Super Bowl, rebroadcast on ESPN Classic. Tess hated sports, football worst of all. Realizing she hadn't bothered to change the channel, he stared at her for a moment, catching a sideways glimpse of her face. Her eyes were dull and emotionless, her face blank as she continued to stare at the screen.

Michael felt the familiar guilt rise within him. If only he hadn't been so intent on investigating Courtney, this might not have happened. Or, at the very least, Tess might have reached out to him instead in her time of need instead of thinking that he was angry. Her parting shot at the diner danced around in his head. And to think, he'd found Courtney's comment about her make-up mildly amusing.

That was the worst part, he was laughing at Tess while she was being tortured. He was no better than Isabel, who passed all of Tess' cries off as a headache. He liked to tell himself that he wouldn't have hesitated, that he would have listened, but the more he watched her, he felt like he was becoming more and more like Max, falling into denial.

Cursing under his breath, he scowled, watching as the Steelers scored a touchdown. So, it had to be the 14th Super Bowl, Michael mused. None of them had even been alive then, so she obviously wouldn't care too much if he turned it off. With a wave, he watched the screen go black, and inhaled, expecting Tess to yell at him.

Instead he was met with silence. In fact, Tess hadn't even moved or reacted to him.

"I heard you haven't been into talking lately." He said finally, standing in front of her now. It was the only thing he could think of to say, and he realized, right then, what a bad idea coming to her had been.

He watched as Tess shrugged her shoulders, the hollow look of sadness that had become a fixture of her expression more pronounced than it had been previously.

"Well you know where to find me." He scowled, turning away, mad at himself that he hadn't been able to do anything for her. Who was he kidding, he was a fuck up, a nobody. It only made sense that he failed her again. He was supposed to be her friend, and more than that, he was supposed to be the protector. And, as this exchange with Tess showed, he was terrible at both.

He watched as she lamely nodded her head, her blonde hair, which normally framed her face fell flat, and he wondered when she had last bothered to wash it. Kyle had said that she just sat around the house, either her room or the living room, but she never really did anything. Valenti let her skip school because he had no idea what else to do for her.

It seemed to be a standard line, no one could deal with Tess. So they left her alone, and he was about to do the same thing.

"You know what, fuck that." Michael snapped, turning back toward her. Without a word, she turned toward him wide eyed, her shock palpable in the quiet house.

"Get dressed Harding, we're going to my place. You don't have to talk, but you sure as hell are going to listen."

Anger momentarily flickered in her eyes, only to fizzle out seconds later. It was a sign, not the one he'd been hoping for, but at least she wasn't cationic.

Tess slowly got up from her spot on the bed and followed him, and Michael wondered, again, what they'd done to her. He had just left her there too overcome with guilt and helplessness to do anything. Isabel had been the one who saved her, and Max had healed her. More proof that he was the expendable one in the group. And, not only that, he was incapable of doing his own duties. He should have known that Whittaker was a threat, and he also should have realized that physical healing does nothing for emotional trauma.

Michael Guerin, eternal fuck up. It made sense why Tess didn't want to be around him anymore. And once he got her to talk, he'd grant her that wish.

They made it to his place fast enough, no words were spoken the entire way there. He’d borrowed the rental Valenti had gotten for Tess, figuring since he walked, it was easier for her, since she barely seemed mobile at this point.

Waiting until she found a seat, unsurprisingly in the center of his couch, he mulled over what to say to her. There were so many things he could say at a time like this, that he was sorry for being a dick a few days ago, that he wished there was something that he could do. But everything hinted that he was apologetic, a move that she would interpret as pity. And since when was he one for apologies anyway? She’d been just as bad at this as he was, not talking to him, hanging around Kyle like his newest trophy blonde.

But the guilt and nervousness were too much to ignore. He had fucked up, and fucked up badly. Tess was hurt, because he couldn’t do what he was created to do. Protect her, protect all of them.

And now he was in his shitty apartment, with her, feeling even more on edge than he had when he first saw her. Some fucking intervention.

"Are you okay?" He asked finally, hoping that she would respond.

"Why does everyone ask me that when they know the answer?” She seethed, her blue eyes trained on him, shooting hateful daggers invisibly through him. At least it was a start. “No, I'm not physically hurt. We both know Max is able to fix that. But it's pretty fucking obvious that I'm not okay."

"And she speaks." Michael drawled, unable to think of anything else to say. Tess was angry, and it was better than that blank stare of hers. So, then, the best thing to do, it seemed, was to keep her angry. Maybe then he’d get a glimpse of what was wrong.

"Fuck you. I'm leaving." Tess barked, shooting up from the couch. The anger and hatred in her voice resonated loudly in the small room, and it took him a second to recover.

With a start, he raced toward the door, ready to block her exit. He couldn’t let her leave, not when she was actually listening for the first time all day.

"To do what? To go back to being a mute again? Because that's a great plan."

Almost as great as your idea to piss Tess off, Michael scoffed, wordlessly bracing himself against the doorframe. She may have stronger abilities than him, but he was far bigger in size.

"I'm leaving." She stressed the last word, bringing a hand back to challenge him.


"No you aren't, because as much as you don't want to hear this right now, you don't want to be alone more."

The words fell out of his mouth before he had any chance to think them over. He was never good at empathy, in fact, he sucked at it. Words would get jumbled and he’d inevitably piss someone off, when all he was doing was trying to help. But he was good at reading people, sensing what they wanted. And he knew that the last thing Tess wanted was to be alone right now.

"So now you’re going to say that you know me?"

Forcing back the urge to comment sarcastically, he unlocked his arms and met her angry gaze with sad eyes. Her face softened, slightly, but still a lot of her emotions were kept under a wall. It seemed that when Nasedo had told her that emotions were for the weak, she’d learned all the tricks.

“No, but I know what it’s like to be abused.”

His words hung in the air, untouched for a few minutes. Michael was too blown away by his confession to say anything else. He’d never really used the words before in reference to Hank, but there was nothing else left to say to get her to listen. He’d seen girls act like this at the trailer park, their husbands would come home after nights with JD and pummel them to shit. And they’d just sit there the next morning, on the stoop, not saying a word. The more he thought about Tess’ behavior, the more it was beginning to remind him of that.

And it scared him.

“So, then I guess this is where I tell you everything that I’ve been going through, and you say it’s all going to be okay?”

The question was jarring, hardly what he would have suspected from her. And if it weren’t for the desperation and the sadness peppered in her inflection, he’d think she was mocking him.

“Tess, this isn’t some movie.” Michael drawled, unsure of his next move. This seemed like the twilight zone version of their first conversation. And instead of her crying on his shoulder and admitting that she wasn’t okay, she was angry with him for even asking.

So, he figured, it was best to wait to see if she was comfortable enough to show her hand, how she was feeling about it all.

“I know, it’s my life.” Tess screamed and he moved closer to the shaking girl, placing a tentative hand around her shoulders. She stood stiff for a moment, before finally leaning into him. Guiding her to the couch, Michael felt her warm tears on his skin, as his fingers combed through her matted hair.

They sat in silence, her soft cries the only noise in the quiet apartment, and Michael realized how effortless this was for him. Although tears usually set him on edge, especially Maria’s, this felt right to him. It confused him. But before he had a chance to think about it any further, Tess shifted against him, and he turned toward her.

“I don’t know where to begin.”

“The beginning is always good.”

“Gee thanks smart ass.” Tess returned, a soft smile playing at the corners of her mouth, which he returned without a second thought. It was good to see her smile, if only for a second.

Tess shifted in her spot on his couch, inhaling deeply as she looked at the carpet. “I learned some things about Nasedo. About what a fucking great protector he was, turns out the only person he was out to protect was himself.”

She shuddered, and clenched her fists, her soft body sitting ridged beside him. Curiously, Michael cocked an eyebrow but held his tongue. She was beginning to open up to him, and he was not about to stop her.

“He cut this deal, 40 years ago. I get knocked up with Max’s kid and we all go home with the granolith. Khivar lets me and Nasedo live, kills the rest of you, and we spend the rest of our lives on Antar. Some fucking great guy, huh?”

Michael opened his mouth only to shut it again. He felt his own anger rising at Tess’ bitter words. He was supposed to protect them, not try and sell them all out and force Tess to be the unwitting pawn in this game. He had trusted Nasedo, they all had. Hell, he had put the little faith he had into what Nasedo had said, their purpose, their people.

Turns out he was just like everyone else he knew, he was in it for himself. And not only that, he was willing to use the closest thing he had as to a daughter to save his own hide. If he weren’t already dead, he would have loved to have the chance to beat the shit out of him.

“Maybe they were just fucking with you. They had just killed him, and probably knew that you had spent so much time with him.” It sounded weak, even to him, and he knew from the sarcasm in her voice that there was no doubt left. She knew what Nasedo had done.

“Michael,” She huffed, and he caught the distraught look in her eye. “They called me Ava, sat me down and fed me. They talked to me like an equal, like I was one of them. It wasn’t until they knew that I had no idea what they were talking about, that I wouldn’t betray my family that they started going at me.”

“Fuck!” Michael bellowed and forced down the urge to hit something. That was the last thing Tess needed to see right now, as much as he wanted to drive his fist through the wall, all the while imagining it was Nasedo’s head. How the fuck could he have done this to them, to Tess? She was a good fucking person, and if she wasn’t, she would have taken them up on that damn deal of theirs. If not at first, then after a few rounds of beating. He knew, better than anyone, the desire to just give in when you were being attacked, and he was sure that otherworldly blasts hurt a lot fucking worse than a drunk with a belt.

“What did they do to you?” He asked, his fury contained for the moment. As much as it angered him, he had to know. The beatings were obvious, he’d seen them, but he doubted that was all they had done. If they were even half as cunning as Nasedo, he was sure there was more to this.

She looked quizzically at him for a moment, only to turn away as her breath hitched in her throat. Tess’ blue eyes were dark and filled with tears when she turned back toward him, and he noted how frail she looked next to him. This wasn’t going to be good.

“They... they held me down, after you know,” She trailed off and he nodded, knowing what she was getting at. It was probably some little bitches who had beat her for a while. Those real men, too pussy to actually hit someone who matched their strength so they took it out on teenage girls.

“I... I tried to use my powers, but they had this thing that stopped them from working. I didn’t really get a good look, my vision wasn’t really doing too well. They were too... too strong, and I was held in this chair and...”

Tess was rubbing violently at her eyes now, which were shedding tears freely. It unnerved him, he’d seen Tess cry before, but this was somehow more than that. Whatever they had done to her had really gotten to her, destroyed all the strength that her tiny body possessed.

“Someone went into my mind, Michael. I don’t...don’t know how, but I felt this burning sensation, and all my memories being violated. Things I didn’t even remember were being taken from me. My favorite color when I was eight years old, that I hated my first grade teacher, the first time I successfully used my powers, meeting the three of you.

“I didn’t have control of anything, and my private thoughts aren’t mine anymore. Do you know what that feels like? Everything I’ve ever felt before is now known to this... this asshole.”

Tess inhaled sharply, her eyes darting wildly around the room, and he opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again when he realized that she wasn’t finished. “But that’s not the scariest part. He told me that he’d give me some time to think the deal that Nasedo made over, but if I didn’t agree, he could make me more willing to comply. And to prove his point, he made me blast myself in the stomach. It was like I was some marionette doll and he was pulling the strings.”

Michael pursed his lips as the rage built within him. He wanted to kick things, blare Metallica as loud as it could go and forget about it all. He had seen more than his fair share of the dark side of people, but this just made him angrier than anything else ever had. He’d grown accustomed to the idea that there were humans out there who wanted nothing more than the four of them, but aliens, not even just aliens, but their guardian, turning against them was entirely new.

“How the fuck can they do that?” Michael seethed, unable to understand how any alien would have the power to control another person’s mind, their actions. It just didn’t seem fair, making people see things is one thing, but controlling everything they do is bullshit.

“I don’t, I don’t know.” Tess stammered, shifting in her seat. She ran a hand through her hair and frowned, biting on her lower lip as she thought something over.

“I can show you, if you want. But... you have to trust me enough to form a connection.” The words fell from her mouth in a whisper, as she stood up, facing him.

Michael nodded his head and ignored Tess’ outstretched hands, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into him. She stiffened in his arms, but he didn’t think anything of it, what they were about to do was awkward, for both of them. They were friends, good friends, but there was nothing romantic about it. It wasn’t some epic bullshit like Max and Liz, they were just two people who needed to figure out that next move. And if he had to kiss her, so be it. She wasn’t ugly or anything, she was actually kind of hot.

Not that he was looking.

Groaning, Michael realized that he was just prolonging the inevitable, he leaned down, cupping her cheek in his palm. He felt her breathing pick up slightly, blowing soft pockets of air onto his skin. Why was he thinking so much? Didn’t Max always bitch at him for not thinking?

Whatever.

Pressing his lips against hers, he urged them open, teasing her and begging for entry. Ignoring her inability to soften against him, he worked on satisfying her mouth. She probably just didn’t have a lot of experience.

She eased into him, her lips gently sucking on his as tentative hands began to roam up and down his back. Within seconds he felt a warm sensation rush through him as a connection flared to life.
However, instead of images of what happened to her, they were all feelings for him. How she valued their friendship, how hurt she’d been after Nasedo’s death, her jealousy toward Courtney, and how she’d realized that she wanted him.

Michael should have stopped, realized that this was wrong, but he was so overwhelmed with her feelings that he continued to kiss her, their mouths moving together as they fell to the couch. His tongue clashed against hers, as his hands slipped under her shirt.

“Michael,” she moaned, staring up at him with darkened eyes, desire painted on her face. Pausing, he listened to her breathing and blanched. Somewhere along the way they had forgotten about what’d she had gone through, the whole reason they’d done this in the first place.

She wasn’t ready for this, she was still hurting and he’d taken advantage. What was it that Hank used to say? Bitches were always easier when they were crying? He had vowed never to do that to anyone, especially no one he cared about. But here he was, on top of Tess when she’d been crying on his shoulder an hour ago.

Getting up from the couch, he frowned as anger raged within him. He couldn’t even think right now, not when Tess was staring at him in concern, her eyes which had been filled with need moments ago were watery and she’d grown uncertain.

“I... I need to go,” Michael stammered and shot out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. He knew that if he waited a second longer, he’d blow something up, possibly even her. The only thing that would accomplish was Tess finally realizing that she didn’t want a fuck up like him, although he was sure that whenever she was thinking clearly, she’d see just how much of a jerk he was and that she was stupid to find him desirable.

Maybe that’d be what he would do, make the decision for her. He liked Tess, and she deserved better than some asshole who would take advantage of her like that. Yeah, he just needed to get as far away from Tess as possible.

[hauntedd]

Lyrics are to "Human Behaviour" by Bjork

-------------
Part 7
-------------
There's no map
To human behaviour
They're terribly moody
Then all of a sudden turn happy
But, oh, to get involved in the exchange
Of human emotions is ever so satisfying

Tess was beginning to hate the passage of time. The feel of seconds drifting away without any real awareness of what was going on frightened her. She assumed that if anyone cared to classify it, they'd claim that she was just going through the motions. And they would be right, but it was so new to her, the overwhelming weight of conflicting emotions on her shoulders made everything worse.

Nasedo was onto something, emotions were a terrible affliction of the weak, and she had never felt so helpless in her life. Angrily forcing a stray curl back behind her ear she cursed herself for thinking about him, for thinking anything he'd said was right. He was the one who put her in this mess in the first place.

Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her body as she headed to her locker. It was Monday; a fact that would have been lost on her if it weren't for Kyle asking if she wanted a ride to school. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she stared at her books in an attempt to focus. The lack of sleep was catching up with her, the facade weakening with every passing second.

School was unbearable, the stares of others we driving her crazy. Although she knew that they had no knowledge of what was going on, she couldn't help but feel trapped, her secrets on display. Her thoughts had already been taken from her, who was to say what her enemies would do with them?

Tess shifted her weight from one foot to the other, frowning in displeasure as she scanned the halls. She'd given up on seeing Michael a few days ago. He'd made it painfully clear that he wasn't interested in talking about whatever had happened between the two of them. But it didn't mean that a little part of her wasn't hoping he'd prove her wrong.

Exhaling, she made her way to class, hoping that she didn't get detention for being late. The last thing she needed was to spend more time in this place. Tess didn't trust her powers to work right, so mindwarping the teacher into forgetting her tardiness was out of the question.

Not to mention that it was something Nasedo would have endorsed, and she was on a fast track to purge her psyche of everything related to Nasedo, and his teachings. Plus, recent circumstances had made her less willing to manipulate the minds of others.

Hustling down the hallway, she prayed that the second bell wouldn't ring until after she found her seat. She gripped at her books as she ran, ignoring the dark eyes that watched her every move. Whipping past the eraser room, Tess felt herself fall forward, into the closet, and her screams die in her throat.

This isn't happening. The thought raced through her head like a silent plea as she grasped for things to throw at her assailant. Tensing as she backed herself into the darkest corners of the small room, she prayed that whoever had pushed her in here would fail to notice her.

Her body jerked and stiffened as the door opened and slammed shut once more. Biting down on her bottom lip and forcing back the tears that threatened to spill, she willed her powers to work. She was a fighter, she thought to herself, and this moping thing clearly was getting old, fast. The stakes were too great to be a victim, not when it meant betraying her family.

"Tess."

She had to get out of here – she had to do something, and her emotions were getting in the way of her powers. Her hands clawed the handle of a broom that was inches from her body. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to seek out her attacker's face, but was unable to get past the shadows that marred it from view.

"Tess."

"Leave me alone." She shrieked, shooting up from the ground and whacking her attacker in the face. Her blue eyes grew wider as she watched him fall, relief rushing through her.

Except, it seemed too easy. They hadn’t given up, last time. And they’d be more than willing to use their powers in a school. They’d just kill anyone who witnessed the exchange. Glancing down at her would-be attacker, she blanched as she noticed the crop of sandy brown hair on his head.

Shit.

She had just hit Michael. All because she was being paranoid and stupid – maybe they had been right, getting her to agree would be easy, she was already hurting her friends, physically and emotionally.

No wonder Michael had run out on her. She was bad news, like pseudo-father figure like daughter, she mused. Uncertain what to do, she stood motionless as he came to, bracing herself for whatever barrage of insults he would sling her way.

"Damnit Tess that hurt!"

She nervously dragged a strand of hair between her fingers in an attempt to dim the thump of her heart beating wildly in her chest. She had really fucked this one up, and now he was going to think she was nuts.

"Are you okay?"

God, could she have sounded more pathetic if she tried? She’d just hit her friend – err ex-friend, since he totally wasn’t going to talk to her after hitting him like that – in the face. And all she could think of was to ask how he was after just bitching about how it hurt.

"Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” Michael asked her as he rubbed his face. She groaned as she looked at the red mark on his face – that was definitely going to leave a mark.

“Wh…What?” Tess stammered, finally registering what he’d said. He was asking her about her well-being? Hadn’t they had this conversation already?

She brushed her hair back as he waved a hand over his face, his injury healing itself instantly. Well, at least he hadn’t asked her to heal it, she thought to herself, her insecurities once more bubbling to the surface.

What good was an alien that didn’t know how to control their powers, anyway?

“You look like shit."

His words cut through her thoughts and Tess felt the indignation rise within her. She did not look like shit, did she? And why did his appraisal mean anything to her? She’d just decided that she was bad for him, and he clearly wasn’t interested, so who cared what he thought, right?

Except, she kind of did.

"You're such a charmer." Her dry delivery caught him off guard, and for a second she saw something flickering underneath his cool exterior. She missed these moments, the ones where they acted like actual people, and weren’t trying to hide the fact that they felt things from the other.

"Whatever. We're ditching school."

"I'm fine." She stressed her words as she tried to move closer to the door, only to have him shift and block her exit.

Great, they were going to have this conversation, after all. With his wall up and her tolerance for his chauvinism was wearing thin.

"You hit me with a broom. You're not fine."

“And I’m sorry about that. But I have class."

"I don't care. You need to rest."

"Are you always this much of a Neanderthal?" She winced at her acrid tone, but she had barely gotten any rest in the past few days, and he was being a prime asshole. She may have hit him with a broom, but some unseen force had shoved her in here to begin with, and there was reason for alarm.

Not to mention, his brush off was one of the reasons that she wasn’t sleeping -- even if she’d never tell him that.

"I’ll carry you out over my shoulder if you want."

Michael smirked at her and she glared in response. How dare he find this funny! He kissed her and then ran out and now all he could do was make fun of her. She didn’t need this, not from him. Her fragile pride was already taking a beating from thinking he was an attacker earlier, and now he was mocking her.

"I can walk." She spat, her gaze never leaving him. It was easier to stay mad at him than to entertain the notion that she had to eventually grapple with the feeling that Nicholas and the skins were everywhere.

"Why aren't you doing it then?"

He was infuriating, absolutely infuriating. The devilish look in his eye as he looked over her, the way that he refused to listen. She knew, deep down, that this was his way of being concerned, but it wasn’t helping. She was fine, she just wasn’t sleeping.

"Because I want to go to class."

"Since when do you care about school?"

Never before had she wanted to be normal, human. She’d valued her gifts, reveling in the things that made her different, made her Tess. But ever since she’d been attacked, had someone go through her head, her thoughts, she’d been praying for some sense of normalcy. And school was the closest that she’d get.

"Excuse me? You’re the one whose attendance record has improved by leaps and bounds lately."

She watched in triumph as the smirk faded from his face. Michael scratched his eyebrow and stared at her, probably thinking of something to say to her dig.

"Touché."

"So why are you really here Michael?" Tess asked as she hopped onto the small desk in the room, accepting that they weren’t going anywhere for the time being.

"Why are you?" Michael returned, his wall once more firmly in place and she groaned, sliding her feet back to the floor. She didn’t have time for this, not when her grades already were going to suck from the week of homework she didn’t finish.

"I'm not playing this game with you." She huffed in reply, her eyes wild as the rage bubbled up within her. This was about to degenerate into a warped esoteric philosophical discussion, something she wanted nothing to do with. And if she was having a crisis like that, she’d go to Kyle, reigning expert on all things philosophical and pornographic.

Why am I here she rolled her eyes at his question. She tripped over something, and then fell into the room. Unless, he was seriously asking her what she was doing here in Roswell. And that, she couldn’t answer.

Max and Isabel trusted her even less now, Michael was avoiding her and the only person who cared about her was Kyle, who probably would be happier with his room back than he would with her staying in Roswell.

Maybe that was why he wouldn’t let her leave. He was going to read her the riot act. Tell her to pack her bags and go. Michael had reason to say that, they all did. She couldn’t even protect herself from the skins, from Nicholas; a man who wanted nothing more than all of them dead and a ticket home raised her. Destiny was her only tie to them, and they wanted nothing to do with it – and neither did she, not anymore.

"I’m serious. Do you even know what happened?"

“Yeah, I tripped and fell.”

Tess watched nervously as he mulled her answer over, the incredulous look never leaving his face. She hated when people looked at her like that, it made her feel stupid, a non-entity.

"Stop looking at me like I’m an idiot! I just haven’t been sleeping, ok?”

"I'm not... you haven't been sleeping?" He looked at her with genuine concern now, his guard gone, and it made her uncomfortable.

He was supposed to be asking her to leave Roswell, not looking at her like she was a person with feelings, that she still had value to him. This was a whole new level of weird, one that she was unsure that she wanted to participate in.

"These dark circles aren't for vanity." The sarcasm dripped from her mouth and she hoped that he’d take a step back. It was easier to keep people at arm’s length; it kept her from hurting them.

Plus, self-deprecation was the only way that she could think of to deal with her insanity. It would all make more sense after a good night’s sleep. Too bad she doubted that would happen anytime soon.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Her face softened at his question and she felt the familiar sting of tears at the corner of her eye. Why was he being nice to her? She hit him with a broom, he had rejected her the last time they’d talked, and now he was being nice again? Anger coursed through her as she steeled her features. He was part of the problem here, her sleepless mind argued and she needed to keep it that way.

"You. Running out on me. Ring a bell?"

"So that's what this is about?" Michael returned with that insufferable smirk of hers and she narrowed her gaze. He thought that she was some pathetic puppy who couldn’t handle rejection! How dare he!

"Don't flatter yourself. You weren't that good and it was only a matter of time, right? I was the only blonde in our little group you hadn't kissed."

"What?"

"You heard me." Tess spat as the bell rang overhead. Rolling her eyes as he continued to look at her dumbfounded by her assertiveness, she pushed past him and grasped the handle to the door.

"I'm going to class now. I already missed one today, and I’d rather not have it in writing that I’m a failure." She declared and opened the door, ignoring his dark eyes boring into her flesh.

She found her way into the throngs of students rushing to their next class, when she felt someone grab her arm. Spinning herself around, she met Michael’s warm gaze with steely resolve. He found her ear and leaned down and breathed four words that made her want to end this argument, but her pride wouldn’t let her. "This isn't over."

"Yeah, Michael, it is." She returned and tried to wrench herself out of his grasp as he pulled her to a dark corner of the hallway, which only served to have him pull her closer.

Inhaling sharply, she felt him grasp at the sides of her face and draw her in. Before she could register her next move, his lips were crushed against hers and any objection she had was gone.

Her body molded itself into his, needing to be closer to him, her heart beating wildly as his thick fingers entwined themselves with her hair. Their tongues clashed and they continued to kiss one another, oblivious to the stares and whispers of their classmates. Tess hissed as she felt his hips meet hers, his warmth a stark contrast from the cool metal of the lockers at her back.

She felt him shift against her, gently taking her bottom lip into his mouth, and she let out a grunt in response. Her dark eyes met his for a moment and she willed him to continue. She wanted this – the feeling of being desired, of feeling alive. “God, yes!” she moaned and pressed her puckered lips against his neck.

He let out a guttural moan in response to her ministrations and she paused for a moment to smile in the crook of his neck. Why was she fighting him before? She liked what she could be with him and she certainly liked what he could do to her.

She shifted her focus again, only to have him pull away. Bewildered, she brushed her matted hair off of her face as she tried to get her bearings. Why had he pulled away?

“Michael, what the…”

He smiled down at her and pointed to the bell that was ringing overhead. Had he seriously made out with her in the hallway? How could she be so stupid! He had a destiny; he had an ex-girlfriend who still wanted him. She was just some dumb girl with a crush and a lot of emotional problems.

Not to mention, after today an even more tarnished reputation.

“You can’t say I’m not good at this.” Michael replied – his ego more inflated than it had been in a while. And why shouldn’t it be? He was a good kisser and a part of her was counting the seconds until she could do it again.

Not that he was going to hear about that.

“That… that is so not the point.”

God, could she be any more pathetic? It was the smirk, the damn smirk and the cocked eyebrow and the knowledge that his ruffled hair and wrinkled shirt were all her doing. And that turned her on, as much as she didn’t want it to.

She was supposed to be better than this. She was supposed to be a queen, not some sixteen-year-old girl who loved to see what her little bit of sexual prowess could do to a man.

Not just any man, she mused silently, Michael Guerin – sexiest hybrid on earth and kisser extraordinaire.

She was done for, and he totally knew it.

“Yeah, the point is you’re not dealing with being kidnapped.”

What? Why were they back on this, again? She’d said she was fine and he kissed her and that was the end of it, as far as she was concerned. Time to show him just how articulate she could be, how little of a victim she truly was, underneath it all.

“No, the point is that you… you do that and…”

…all I can think about is how much I want you. Tess thought to herself as she tried to calm the emotions that were rolling around within her. This was quickly going from the most perfect moment of her life to most awkward, and she couldn’t think of a way to make this better.

“And?”

“This is pathetic, Michael. I’m supposed to be with Max and you’re supposed to be with Isabel. And this,” she paused, waving her hands between the two of them for emphasis. “Is not supposed to happen in the hallway.”

“Ditch school with me then.”

He made it seem easy. That they could just go and leave school and work out all their problems, and she wanted to believe him.

“Michael.”

“We need to talk more than you need to practice how to sleep with your eyes open.”

He was right, plus he said that they were going to talk, which maybe meant there would be a resolution to whatever they were doing together. And she really didn’t want to hear about the gossip surrounding her at lunch today.

“You’re insufferable.” She huffed as a smile danced across her face. He gave her a half grin in response before leading her out of the classroom and to a playground nearby.

Tess walked toward the swings and sat down before brushing her hair back into a low ponytail. She was sick of it billowing around her face and marring her view of Michael’s face, plus it gave her more time to collect herself before they had to actually talk about whatever it was they were going to talk about.

Her feet dangled close to the ground as she slid her body back and forth, playfully grinning at Michael, who was still standing in front of her, not wanting to move. She loved playgrounds, the carefree feeling was contagious and it made her forget all her problems.

Like her time with Nicholas and her current situation with Michael, who did not seem to share her momentary free-wheeling spirit. Frowning, she pursed her lips and stopped propelling herself forward, inviting him instead to join her on the swing next to hers.

“So… talk.” Tess drawled as he took a seat in the swing next to hers. She bit back a smile as he scowled, trying to find his balance. He could be so adorable when he was frustrated, she ruminated as her cheeks flushed and her brain drifted to their make out session earlier.

“This is awkward.” Michael huffed as his body fell backward slightly and she stifled a laugh. Tess couldn’t tell if he was talking about sitting on the swing or about their inability to have a meaningful discussion lately.

“You think?”

Sarcasm was her crutch, the way to add something to a conversation without saying much of anything at all. And it was working now, when she really couldn’t gage what Michael wanted to talk about

“Why aren’t you sleeping, Tess?” Michael asked her as he jerked himself upright, the swing clearly made for children and not people of his stature.

“Don’t you think that’s pretty self explanatory?” Tess huffed, feeling vulnerable. She didn’t want to have this conversation and the quickest way out of it was to insult him until he got tired. She had very few thoughts of her own lately, and she didn’t want those last few to be shared. Plus it was no big deal, she lied, she was just scared of Nicholas coming to get her in her sleep and make good on his threat. She’d be fine; it was just a matter of getting her bearings back.

“Hostility doesn’t suit you, Harding.”

Damn. Why did he have to look at her like he knew she was giving him the brush off? People never used to care when she lashed out, why was he changing the stakes? It made her uncomfortable. Although a part of her just wanted to admit her fears to him, too many years of guarding her emotions made her wary.

“What do you want from me? I’ve been dragged from school because we needed to talk, and all you can say is ‘this is awkward.’ I’m allowed to be annoyed, Michael. I didn’t ditch for stating the obvious 101.”

She cringed as his face fell and she silently wished she could take some of it back. She did appreciate his effort, but she hated looking like she was the victim here. She just wanted to be treated like she was normal – like she was on the same footing with him as Max and Isabel.

“Fine.”

She scowled at his rebuff only to shrug it off seconds later. It wasn’t worth it to her to act hurt when he was respecting her wishes, in his own way. Shifting her weight, she stared at him, her blue eyes focused and well aware of what she had to do – ask the question that neither of them wanted to broach.

“Michael why did you kiss me?” She questioned, suddenly developing an interest in the wet sand beneath her feet.

“To shut you up.” He returned with a grin and she glared at him, only to have her lips turn upwards into a smile seconds later. He flashed her an awkward grin and she felt the laughter bubble up within her. This was just… so weird.

“No, jerk, the first time.” She teased, now twisting her body from side to side in the swing in an attempt to ease her nerves.

“Because.” Michael replied with a shrug and she rolled her eyes. Clearly he wanted to have this conversation about as much as she wanted to talk about how she wasn’t sleeping.

Too bad she was going to force the issue – if only for her own sanity.

“In full sentences please.”

“You sound like my English teacher.”

“Consider this the lesson you won’t be getting in class today.”

“Are you going to wear a catholic school uniform and spank me with a ruler if I don’t answer?” Michael leered, swinging himself closer to her.

How was he able to turn an innocent conversation into something, well, not? It threw her off her game, and she was not one to concede the upper hand. Except with him, which was so not fair.

"Just answer the question,” she sighed as she tried to get a handle on her nerves.

Michael was quiet for a second and she felt her stomach do summersaults as he continued to stare at her with his honeyed eyes. This was the moment of truth, she knew it, he was going to say it was a mistake and that she should leave him alone, or worse, leave Roswell. That he was just trying to comfort her the best way he knew how, and he didn’t want her, not the way she wanted him.

“It seemed like a good idea.”

That was it? It seemed like a good idea? What idiot planet did he fall off of – it was totally not the one that she came from. Seeming like a good idea never came into the equation.

In fact it had seemed like a bad idea, no, a terrible idea that she wanted to engage in over and over and over again.

She opened her mouth only to close it again. Her throat was tightening as she ran through what he had said again. The bottom line was – he didn’t want her. Not now, not then, not ever.

“I…” She stammered, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. She jerked her body forward in an attempt to get out of the swing that had tangled itself from her tracing circles in the ground, only to find herself locked in place. And she didn’t want to chance letting the swing spin itself out right now – she knew that she’d wind up throwing up.

She felt his gaze fall on her again and she bit down on her lip, determined to get out of there. She didn’t need his pity, not when she was the idiot who had dared to hope he felt the same way she did. Using all the strength that she could muster, she propelled her body out of the knotted swing and felt her body fall forward, yelping as she hit the caked earth beneath her.

Angrily, she banged her fists into the sand as the tears she had been so desperate to hide fell in earnest. No shit Michael didn’t want her, she was the idiot who fell in the sand and cried the second things got rough – or embarrassing. She was an idiot, just like she had always been, and now he had all the evidence he would ever need to prove that fact.

“Shit, Tess, are you okay?” Michael asked her as she pushed herself up from the ground. Hiccupping as her tears continued to fall, she simply shook her head no and bristled as his arms wrapped themselves around her lithe body.

She started to shake as tears continued to wreck havoc on her body. If her fall had been embarrassing – this was on a whole other level. The guy who had just rejected her was now giving her comfort because he had no idea what else to do.

She was totally becoming that damsel in distress who needed to be rescued. And that made her feel even worse.

“What’s wrong?”

She mulled over his question as she stared at him in disbelief. What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Well, Michael, first of all you rejected me, then I fell flat on my face, then I burst into tears, she thought to herself as she bit back the next bout of angry tears that threatened to fall.

“Nothing, Michael, nothing.” Tess replied and detangled herself from his arms. He didn’t need to be play nice with her, not when he’d already said that he had no interest.

“Bullshit.” Michael called after her.

Spinning around, she marched back toward him, her blue eyes wild with fury. He didn’t get to talk to her like that, not when he was the one who had caused her latest embarrassment. She wasn’t Maria Deluca; she wasn’t going to take it from him.

“Excuse me?” Tess screamed balling her hands into fists as she stared up at him, unable to focus through her watery gaze. “You were the one who just rejected me and I just fell flat on my ass, so I’d ask you spare the last bit of dignity I have and not talk to me like I’m incapable of feeling.”

She inhaled, “I’m already not sleeping because I’m fucking afraid that they’re going to come, I’d rather not have to worry about being played by you too.” Tess caught him try to get a word in and she shot him a glare, willing him to shut up. “You said it yourself, it seemed like a good idea. Am I that easy? Is that my fucking reputation in Roswell? Call Tess for a good time – here’s her number. Michael, you’re supposed to be my damn friend – my only friend. God!”

Her face was red by now, she could feel the heat of her skin against the cool air and the sting of her tears flowing down her face, but she needed to say this. It was the only way to get any of her pride back. “I liked you Michael, I legitimately liked you, and…” she trailed off, her voice fading behind her sobs.

“Tess you deserve better than me.”

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Michael’s eyes pleaded with her not to leave and Tess exhaled, indicating that she would wait for him to finish before leaving. More because she was tired than she gave a fuck what he had to say.

“I’m not good at this shit. Evans is the one who has the flowery language and the chocolates. But I do like you – even if I can’t make it sound nice. And yeah, kissing you seemed like a good idea, because it fucking was, Tess. You’re the first person who gets me – or at least tries to get me. And I just fucked it all up. But if you want to try, whatever this is, I’m game.”

“I’m an idiot.” Tess sighed as she stepped into his outstretched arms, content to just be held.

“No, you’re not. You’re tired.”

“Yes, I am.” Tess answered, stifling a yawn, not really sure if she was refuting his first statement or agreeing with his second. “So we’re dating?”

“Yeah.”

[hauntedd]

Lyrics are to “Fool in the Rain” by Led Zeppelin
*******************
Part 8
*******************

And the warmth of your smile starts a-burnin
And the thrill of your touch gives me fright
And I’m shaking so much, really yearning
Why don’t you show up, make it all right?

Michael shifted uncomfortably as he waited for Max to finish talking with Liz. He wasn’t eager to talk to him, but given that he was the resident romantic of the group, there really was no alternative. Max would ask fewer questions than Isabel, and even if he did figure it out, he’d probably be elated. Not that he was going to tell him.

Tess and he hadn’t talked about boundaries, hadn’t really talked about any sort of rules since that conversation two days ago. In fact they hadn’t done a lot of talking – a lot of kissing, yes, but not a lot of talking.

Not that he minded. In fact, he preferred it.

But Tess thought that they should go on a real date. And somehow he had relented, her lips, swollen from their previous kissing, and her disheveled hair had played a role in it.

So had the threat of no more make-out sessions.

Which was why he was here, in the back room of the Crashdown. Max and Liz looked like they were almost done with whatever they were doing now. He tried not to think about it or classify it in any way. In fact – the Max and Liz melodrama was what he was trying to avoid.

Except, he wanted to have some broad accept him. Well, not just any broad, Tess. It was ironic, he wanted to run away from Maria and their… whatever, but he was running to Max for relationship advice.

Proof that he wasn’t, as Maria so willingly put it, relationship challenged.

He hated that he did this, dwelled on Maria’s criticisms of their relationships, almost as if they foretold failure for him and Tess. Or any relationship, really. But when it came to his actions, he often acted first, then thought about the results later – suffering in silence. Isabel had told him once that he was too hard on himself, and while he might agree, he couldn’t help it – too many years of verbal abuse and a genetic predisposition toward military strategy had shaped this part of him.

He really doubted it would change. At least Tess wasn’t still berating him for his lack of flowery language, or that she had to ask him out. Soft teasing, yes, but she wasn’t being a harpy about it.

Clawing at his eyebrow his scowl grew deeper, he watched as Parker molded herself into Max. Turning away, he folded his arms across his chest as his annoyance grew. They certainly weren’t wasting any time; in fact, it looked like that stupid Gomez concert had worked to Evans’ advantage.

Of course, Evans getting some meant that he wasn’t going to get his for a little while longer. Or, even worse, he’d have to hear about all the details. Why was he even doing this? He wasn’t Max, he didn’t use flowery language, didn’t believe in soulmates, hell he didn’t even like PDA. Anything that Max would tell him probably wouldn’t be of any use.

He shifted his body, turning to leave, only to catch a better glimpse of Liz Parker. Her shirt was off and Max’s hands were buried under the waistband of her jeans, holding her firmly against him as they continued to make out. Groaning, he noticed the sly half smile and the knowing look in her eye as she expertly lifted his shirt off of his body.

Max Evans certainly wasn’t a virgin anymore. And this was his cue to leave. Great, another few hours wasted.

But, as he made his way out of the restaurant, what he realized was, more than anything else, what he noticed about the two of them was how they just worked. He wanted that, and he wanted it with Tess.

Yeah, he wasn’t about flowers and chocolates, but neither was she. Sure she had a slight need for fantasy, probably because of all the fairytale bullshit Nasedo fed her, but so what. She got him, and he’d make sure that he’d do right by her – even if it meant dates, real dates, in public.

With renewed determination, he started his motorcycle, gripping the handles as he raced down the open road to Valenti’s house. He hoped she didn’t mind the bike, her car was still in the shop, another reminder of what had happened to her on Isabel’s birthday.

He reached the doorway and waved a hand over the lock, not really wanting to deal with Kyle or the Sheriff giving him a hard time, and entered. Plus, what good were powers if you didn’t use them, once in a while?

“Tess?” Michael called out in a greeting. His whole plan rested on one thing – that she was home, and if she wasn’t, well, then, he didn’t exactly have a plan B.

He smirked as she stepped out from the bathroom, her hair tied up loosely in a haphazard bun. There was a toothbrush in her left hand, and a suspicious look in her eye. If it was anyone else, he would feel uncomfortable and awkward, but with her, he just felt nervous.

“Michael? What are you doing?” Tess questioned, her right arm finding her hip as she stared at him expectantly.

God she was so hot when she was undone. He sighed, scratching his eyebrow as he continued to stare at her. She was starting to get pissed – he knew that shift well, from his dealings with Maria and Isabel. He had to say something.

“We’re going out.” Michael declared, his pronouncement hanging in the air for a moment as he stared at the slightly wrinkled pink t-shirt that hung loosely off of her small frame and her tight jeans. Why was he acting like this? He was Michael Guerin, he didn’t get hung up on some girl. This was Maxwell’s department.

“I know, we had this conversation, remember? Screaming, crying, kissing – it was only two days ago.”

She was mocking him. He’d agreed to this date shit and she was mocking him. And with that incredibly sexy half smile of hers. Cursing he mused that between the bed hair, wrinkled clothes and the smirk, she certainly was getting a rise out of him.

“Funny.”

Finally, that damn smirk was gone. But now she just looked confused, he could deal with that, as long as little Michael wasn’t on the ready. He was sure that Tess didn’t want to see ole one-eye. He already sucked at romance, he didn’t need any additional help from his errant hormones.

“Thanks, I think. So, what’s up?”

“We’re going out.” Michael reiterated, watching as Tess nodded awkwardly in agreement. She wasn’t getting it. Great, he had to say the d-word. “You know, on a date.”

“Oh? Oh.” Tess answered, the shock in her voice was sincere, but she wasn’t annoyed at his flubbed delivery. If it were Maria, he was sure that he’d be bracing for a long diatribe on woman’s lib. And while he knew that Tess was a fan of Betty Freidan, at least she wasn’t going to lecture him on the finer points of the feminine mystique.

Thank god.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I mean, when do you want to go?” She was smiling at him now, her hand had slipped from her hip into the back pocket of her jeans and she was leaning into him. God – if she only knew how much her genuine innocence was making him hot.

“Now would be nice.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Why was she looking at him like he was an idiot? This was what she had wanted, a date, and he was doing it, without much protest. It was mostly because he wanted to go back to making out with her, but also because he did genuinely like being around her.

“No.”

She was frowning, trying to stifle an awkward laugh from escaping from her mouth. She thought he was an idiot – great.

“Michael, I mean, this is sweet, but. I mean, I don’t have a ton of experience here, but you know, there usually is like, planning. And fretting over what to wear, and like, makeup.”

She looked fine. Natural, happy. He liked that her hair was loose and not in the tight curls she usually wore, it made her seem less afraid, less uptight. She didn’t need that garbage. If he were a different guy, he’d be able to find the words to tell her just how beautiful she looked.

But instead he found himself tongue-tied for a moment before finally blurting out his reply. “I thought you were the one who wanted to go out on a real date.”

“I do! But, I’m not dressed.” She stressed the last word, waving her hands over her clothes for emphasis. He forced down the urge to roll his eyes at her – this was dumb. She wanted a date, he wanted to make out with her, and a goes before b.

“Uh, Harding, hate to break it to you, but you’re certainly not naked.”

Tess rolled her eyes at his reply. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Yes. The single word answer bounced around his head as he smirked at her. Tess’ blue eyes met his in a pointed look before softening to a grin.

“Don’t answer that.”

He opened his mouth to reply, only to see her grip her hair as she began to shift her weight from one side to the other.

“I just mean, I’m not dressed for a date.”

He bit back the laugh that threatened to bubble up within him at her indignation. Hadn’t she got it by now that he really didn’t care what she wore? Instead he drew her close to him and noticed as the air shifted between them.

Lowering his head, his lips grazed hers and he smirked as her eyes opened once more, this time much more self-assured than she had been before. “You look fine.”

He watched as she lifted an eyebrow in a challenge and pursed her lips. He was certain that she was thinking, trying to dig up a sarcastic rejoinder to his moment of levity.

“You look good, Tess. Can we go?”

“Ok.”

Her lack of protest made him stop for a moment, only for his dark eyes to meet her light ones. There was no doubt lurking behind her gaze, only excitement, and he couldn’t help but give her a half smile in reply.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. We’re taking your motorcycle, right?”

“Your car is still in the shop.” His response was a bit rushed, hoping that she wasn’t going to back out now. They hadn’t ridden the motorcycle since her accident and he hoped that wouldn’t be a deterrent.

“I wasn’t arguing, I was just asking.” Tess asserted as he fished his pockets for the keys.

“Sorry, it’s just…you know.” He drawled, trying to find something that didn’t make a reference to either Maria or his accident. He was defensive because Maria would have fought him on this, and because Tess had only been attacked a few weeks ago.

“I know, and I think it’s sweet, but I’m fine, really.” Tess answered before he said anything else. Her shy smile pricked at the corners of her mouth as she slid her small fingers into his, dragging him outside, into the warm autumn night.

His breath caught in his throat as the full moon glistened in the background, light found her blonde locks and produced an almost ethereal glow. How could she ever say that she wasn’t dressed or prepared for some date? She was stunning and her hand fit perfectly in his.

He wasn’t one for those kinds of romantic thoughts, but it was hard to ignore when she was touching him.

With a wink and a nod, Michael handed her the extra helmet before mounting the bike. Tess followed suit, her small body molding into his back as her hands circled his waist. He loved this, the feel of her body rubbing against him as he raced down the open road.

Unfortunately, the moment was short-lived. He pulled off of the road and into the parking lot of the only Italian place in town. La Stella di Terra was more upscale than Señor Chow’s, the Crash or Cheese Encounters and it was definitely more appropriate for a date.

Not to mention that he knew Tess was a fan of Italian food.

“You coming?” He asked, as Tess stood rooted in place, obviously hesitant about something.

“Uh, yeah.” Tess mumbled, standing immobile as her eyes watched the well-dressed patrons mill in and out. She wanted to say something, but was unsure. He hated this false shyness.

“What?” He sighed, idly scratching his eyebrow.

“Michael, I think we’re a little under dressed.”

Tess was twirling a strand of her golden hair between her fingers now, her other hand awkwardly resting on the hem of her shirt. She was definitely being ridiculous. So she wasn’t in a dress? This wasn’t some fucking ball, this was just dinner, and he was getting hungry.

“Women.”

He began walking toward the restaurant, hoping that she would follow his lead. As far as he was concerned, the worst that would happen would be a withering look, and if they did that, then, no tip. Problem solved.

“Machismo gets you nowhere.”

Tess huffed, catching up to him. Her hair haphazardly framing her face, thanks to the wind. He only wondered what she’d say if she noticed that – she normally wasn’t like this, and hoped that this wouldn’t be something that she picked up as a habit.

“Good thing I’m not Mexican.”

“You know we’re supposed to be a superior species, right?” She replied, her eyes dancing mischievously as she stared up at him.

“It’s the human side that’s ruined me.” Michael shot back before adding, “Now if you’re not going to go to dinner with me, you can get back to the kitchen and bake me a pie.”

“Oh, that’s sweet. We’re at the baked goods stage? Must have missed the memo.”

“I like apple pie best.” Michael stated as he wrapped an arm protectively around her, his palm resting openly against her waist as he guided her toward the entrance.

“I’m happy for you, really,” she deadpanned, feigning annoyance.

Michael frowned, noticing the sign on the door. This was fantastic. Fan-fucking-tastic. His plan was screwed up once more, this time thanks to some overpaid country club members.

“Shit.”

“What?”

“Restaurant closed due to private function. Fuck!” Michael exclaimed, wrenching his hand from her body. He couldn’t believe it. Another failure by Michael Guerin.

“It’s okay.”

Michael didn’t even hear her over the maelstrom of self-inflicted insults that were whirling around in his head. This was the one thing that he had wanted to do right – and he’d fucked that up. First, he had insisted that they go just like they were dressed, much to Tess’ chagrin, then when they got here, the restaurant was fucking closed to anyone without a big wallet.

“Damn it, this is the one nice restaurant in Roswell.”

He felt her hand on his shoulder and he stilled as he met her gaze. She wasn’t pissed at him; in fact, she looked determined, and a little touched at his indignation. He never would understand women.

“So? We can still have fun.”

He wondered if she was just trying to be nice, to fake like she wasn’t pissed. It was highly likely, she wasn’t as outward with her disaproval as Maria or Isabel, but there was something else she was trying to say. Not to mention that there really wasn’t much else going on. It was Roswell and it was already 7:45.

“Uh, doing what Tess? It’s Roswell.”

“We could go bowling.”

What the fuck? Had he just entered the twilight zone? He’d dragged her out for dinner at a nice restaurant. He had waited around in the Crash for no reason except to try to get relationship advice from Max. He had witnessed Liz Parker and her lace bra, which, by itself wasn’t bad, but he’d also seen Max in the heat of the moment! All to go fucking bowling.

Not that bowling was that bad. He could help her with her throw, his hands all over her body, helping to guide her swing – this had definite possibilities. But, seriously? Bowling?

“Bowling? What happened to wanting a real date?”

“Yes bowling!” Tess exclaimed, her excitement building at the prospect. “What I meant by having a real date was like, doing something with you that didn’t involve your couch. You don’t need to blow thirty bucks on some dinner for me.”

Michael paused, trying to come up with a response to that. He wasn’t about to bare his heart to her or tell her that it was humbling to know that she really just wanted time with him. Instead, he focused on the second half of her reply.

“I thought you were a feminist.”

“So?”

“Who said I was paying.”

He caught her pointed glare and her annoyed posture. But instead of apologizing, Michael started to laugh. And she joined him, their voices joining together in boisterous fits of laughter as he held her close.


Waiting to catch his breath, he felt Tess collapse against him, her blonde hair splaying across his chest. His arms encircled her waist as he stared down at her. The more he thought about the feel of her in his arms, the more this bowling thing sounded like a great plan.

“So, where’s the bowling alley?”

She shifted against him, but didn’t untangle herself from his grasp. Raising a well-manicured finger Tess pointed at something behind her. He turned his head to follow her movement, noticing the garish pins glowing in the moonlight. Why hadn’t he noticed it before?

“Right across the street. C’mon.” Tess answered, slipping her hand in his and leading him toward the building. This dating thing wasn’t so bad after all.

[hauntedd]

Lyrics are to “Organeum” by Girls in Hawaii

-----------------------
Part 9
-----------------------

Don't go away from me
Don't go away from here
I had not enough
I know we're not ready
Our things are not easy
Oh not easy

The meeting went off without argument. In fact, the eight of them had worked quite well together, when they’d all heeded her advice to settle the personal crap on their own time. Of course, that was because most people were staring at her with questions in their eyes – no doubt privy to the rumors that had been running around school since she and Michael had made out in the hallway last week.

Had it only been last week?

Pressing her fingers to her lips, she couldn’t stop the smile from dancing across her face. It had been the best week of her life. Tess just hoped it would continue when they got back from Copper Summit.

Lips turning downward for a moment, her blue eyes sought out Michael, who was standing in the corner, nodding every so often while Max droned on. He was so cute when he was bored.

He was so cute, period. Err – hot. Or both.

She bit her bottom lip as he gave her a predatory look – definitely hot.

It was probably better that he was staying here – investigating Courtney. Maria and Liz had really come through with that lead – they’d caught the blonde skank leaving dried skin behind. At first, the two of them had just thought it was the paint peeling, but when Michael had pressed them – the four of them had come to a solid conclusion.

She liked that she was a part of that deduction. That her simple line of questioning as to schedules and who was on duty whenever the dried skin appeared had proven one thing.

Courtney was not to be trusted.

So, now Maria, Kyle, Alex and Michael were going to stay in Roswell. Michael to investigate Courtney, the three humans to stay out of harm’s way, while she, Max, Isabel and Liz, because she was their in with Whittaker’s family, went to Arizona – she didn’t like being without Michael, but she would be okay.

As long as she didn’t run into Nicholas – who knew, he might be waiting for her in Arizona – he’d been a more than willing participant in her capture.

Shivering at the thought, she ran her hands over her arms, willing herself to ward off the fear that was creeping over her. She was strong, she could do this – and the 7 of them were counting on her. She could do this, couldn’t she?

Weak, Tess, weak she thought as she forced an errant curl from her face. She was a fighter – she could do this. And he probably wouldn’t be there anyway. Why was she doing this? Emotions were for the weak. She was strong.

She was – still reciting the bullshit that Nasedo taught her.

“Fuck,” she whispered, forcing back tears as she began to pace, willing no one to notice her distress. This was fine – it was a little creepy how the Universal Friendship League had behaved on the phone, but maybe they were just a cult or something. Nothing to fear but fear itself – right? Wasn’t that what JFK said?

And JFK was a good President.

Except that he was assassinated.

Blanching, she stood still as mulled that thought. She could die, she could die, she could be kidnapped and kill everyone.

Why had she agreed to this again?

She stiffened as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and another one guiding her chin upward, until she met Michael’s concerned gaze. If only he could hold her closer – if only they were out in the open, she could really use his arms around her right now.

Ugh, when had she become such a sap? And why didn’t she care that much about it?

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Michael asked her, and she found herself nodding. She would be okay. She would be fine.

In fact, she had to do this. Try to reclaim some of her dignity, her independence – even if she was scared out of her mind. Tess couldn’t let Nicholas control her every move, if she did then he had already won – even before he’d taken control of her mind, like he’d threatened to do.

“I’ll be okay, Michael. I have to do this, for myself.”

It was the honest truth. She needed to do this – it wasn’t something she’d asked for, nor was it something that she wanted, but she had to start taking charge of her own life again. She’d spent too long wrapped up in destiny, and just when she was beginning to break away – create her own future – Nicholas had made her change course again, taking her independence from her, if only for a little while.

She was going to go with Isabel, Max and Liz and she was going to be fine. Better than fine, she was after all, a great actress. She was going to be great. She was going to be a part of the team. And then, when they got home after realizing that the Friendship League was some silly organization that had nothing to do with aliens or Antar or stupid, manipulative skins, she was going to find her boyfriend and make out. Lots and lots of making out.

“Tess, you ready?” Liz asked, interrupting her train of thought. And she blinked, realizing that Michael was still touching her and the scene they were probably causing. Fantastic.

Oh well, it was another thing that was going to have to come out, when they all got back home.

She simply met the curious eyes of the brunette and nodded, mouthing a plea for one more moment with Michael. Which, surprisingly, was met with a nod of acquiescence.

Had that just happened? Was Liz okay with this? What the hell?

“Be careful – okay?” Michael whispered, his voice husky and his eyes filled with unsaid words and emotions.

God, she couldn’t wait to get back to Roswell. The concern that he was showing her without saying anything – the looks that he was giving her – it made her feel loved. Wanted.

Like she mattered.

“You too.” Tess whispered, biting the inside of her cheek as she looked up at him with unshead tears. He was doing something dangerous, legitimately dangerous, in going after Courtney – and while she had no doubt of his abilities, she knew just how powerful the skins could be.

And what if he never came back?

Ugh, she couldn’t think like that. She couldn’t. Michael would be fine, she would be fine, and then they’d be fine – together. But the nervousness wasn’t going away, neither was her concern.

Was this what love felt like?

Oh god, she hoped not. They’d only been dating a week.

One week.

Too soon for these thoughts. Way, way too soon. But, she still wasn’t sure what else to make of it – probably concern. That was it. Genuine concern for someone that she cared about – and obviously she didn’t want anything to happen to Michael.

Man, she wanted to kiss him right now. For good luck. For anything. But everyone was watching and they had to go and do their respective duty. And no one knew about them yet.

Damn it, why couldn’t anything be easy?

Reaching for his hand, she took it in hers, squeezing it in earnest. She then lifted their clasped hands to her mouth, placing a soft kiss to his skin, willing no one else to see. Blue met brown and she willed him to see the promise of later reflected in her gaze.

She had faith in him, in herself, nervousness or love or whatever be damned. Without another word, she headed outside and hopped into the jeep, taking her seat next to Liz Parker.

It was game time.

*****

They found Courtney’s apartment without much trouble. It’d only taken a quick look through Mr. Parker’s paperwork on the girl to find her address – and there they were. In the dark, under the stars, about to enter Courtney’s place.

Not exactly how he wanted to spend his Friday night.

He wanted to be with Tess – on his couch, pretending to watch a movie but mostly watching her and making out. He was going soft. And he kind of liked it.

Not that he’d ever admit it.

But Tess had a job to do – and so did he. Why Maria was here was anyone’s guess. But she had helped him find the employment records and she had a car – two things that were critical so far.

“Michael! I feel like we're Scully and Mulder or something.” Maria stated as she took the proffered flashlight and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her.

Everything he was just thinking about Maria being useful? Pointless if she couldn’t keep her trap shut.

“Shhh. Would you shut up?”

“Ok,” Maria huffed. Why she couldn’t just nod was beyond him. If Tess were here – he wouldn’t be this agitated.

Mostly because he wouldn’t be investigating Courtney while worried about what was going on in Arizona. But, still, she wasn’t helping matters any.

“Nobody's home,” he grunted, unlocking the door and rolling his eyes as Maria went off in another direction, away from him.

He heard the tell tale sign of plastic meeting plastic as Maria’s flashlight illuminated some CDs. “Culture Club? Wham? The Backstreet Boys? God, she really is an alien, this one.”

He scratched his eyebrow as he forced back the urge to laugh. Maria was at least able to laugh about this – something that was sort of keeping his mind off of the danger that Tess was in, at the moment. But not solving the Courtney mystery, which could, of course, help Tess. “A little help here?”

He heard Maria throw down the CDs and march over to him. And, if he actually bothered to look at her, he was sure she’d be shooting daggers at him.

“Fine. What are we looking for?”

What are we looking for? What was she? Blonde? Oh right. “Clues? You know...an address book or a calendar somewhere.”

Ugh and he needed to find a new insult. Tess was blonde – and she was smart, smarter than him, definitely. And Maria wasn’t that stupid, really. She was just, Maria. And from his brief time as her boyfriend – he knew that she liked to play stupid to mask her intelligence – to try to fit in.

Something that he thought was retarded, but he wasn’t a girl. And if he were a girl, he certainly would not act like Maria.

“Of course. Like she's going to write her hideout in an address book, oh ho!” Maria mocked, her hands finding her hips as her annoyance shown through. She was sarcastic and fiery, two things that he had liked about her – things that he loved about Tess.

The two of them would probably get along – if Maria didn’t get psycho when she found out about the two of them.

And as much as he liked the mental image of two hot chicks fighting over him, something told him that Maria wouldn’t fight fair – and Tess couldn’t handle that right now.

Soft. He was going fricking soft.

“Hey, are you just gonna rag on me or are you gonna help?”

“Eww, ohmigod.”

Women Michael groaned – she probably saw a spider or something. “What?”

“Scratch the probably a skin – she totally is one! Ugh, I hate this stuff!! It's so gross! Eww!” Maria whined holding the dried skin up for emphasis, before it turned to dust. She was forcing back tears as she swatted his shoulder – trying to wipe off the residue. Something told him that Liz had been the one holding the skin in the Crashdown.

Michael rolled his eyes as she continued to wipe her hands on his shirt. Like he really was that excited to have Courtney-residue on his clothes. But whatever. At least they were back to searching now.

And he was that much closer to solving the Nicholas problem. He reached for something when he heard it – a loud, piercing scream that he was sure would raise the entire neighborhood.

Maria Deluca, queen of subtlety.

But shit – she might be in danger. This wasn’t good. He turned, running toward her, noticing how tense she looked and the wide-eyed genuine fear reflected in her gaze. This definitely was not good.

His eyes left her for a moment, catching sight of what she was looking at. Jesus fucking Christ. This was something out of one of those fucked up movies where the girl is so obsessed with the guy that she up and kills him – thinking that if they’re alone, then they’ll be fine.

Fuck that shit, he’d kill her first. Especially since she was a skin, and he wasn’t going to let one of those things get close to his friends – allow them to do what they did to Tess to anyone else.

“That's the shirt I lost at work. What the hell is this?”

He knew what the hell it was. He wasn’t fucking stupid – it was just really ridiculous. And he was scared. It seemed that Tess wasn’t the only alien that they were obsessed with now.

“It's Graceland...and you're Elvis.” Maria replied, her own words masking her fear.

This was nuts. This was not happening. Not only did Tess have an alien that wanted to take control of her mind – he had a fucking alien stalker that would probably kill Tess when she found out about them. Not to mention Maria – who would probably kill them both.

Why was his life so fucking complicated?

“Wow.” It was all he could say. Three letters – that was all that was coming out of his mouth on the matter. His thoughts were another story entirely.

“Wow? Is that all you can say right now, is "wow"? She's obsessed with you. She's, like, an alien stalker. She's been spying on you for weeks. She's been dreaming about you, fantasizing about you...”

Ugh – she was not helping. In fact – as she continued to ramble, he couldn’t help but stare at the pictures, willing there to be no evidence of Tess.

But, yet again – his hopes were dashed. Wait. Fuck. No. Really?

Maybe something good was coming out of this weird fucked up fangirl wall of him after all.

“Hey, shut up for a second. Take a look at the pictures. They were all shot from the apartment across the street from my building.”

“So? Oh! That's where she goes to spy on you.” Maria interjected her excitement growing as she realized just what he was seeing – and by extension the gears turning in his head.

“Yep,” Michael nodded, his left hand clawing at his eyebrow, quickly formulating a plan of attack. He wasn’t about to let Courtney get away – not when Tess was in Arizona, tracing down leads on who, exactly, covered up that Congresswoman’s death for them. And especially not when Courtney might be the key to it all.

“Ohh,” Maria drawled, like a light bulb going off. He then felt her grip on his arm, dragging him out of the apartment and back to the jetta. Blondie was finally getting it – and he liked it.

Now if only she continued to be assertive and accepting and willing to help after she found out about Tess – they’d be all set.

*****

The car ride was long and boring – filled with minimal chatter and lots of awkward silence. They were supposed to be a team, but they couldn’t even begin to talk like civilized people.

She supposed she had a hand in that. But Max and Liz were on the mend – and the meeting had gone well.

And now they were here, in Copper Summit, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. It had started with that random comment about a harvest – it sounded familiar, like she should know what it was, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. And now Max and Isabel had gone to talk to the Friendship League crazies and she and Liz were in the car.

And Liz looked like she wanted to say something.

God damn it.

“I just um, want to tell you Tess, that Max and I are back together.” Liz announced, shifting slightly in her seat as she brushed a strand of brown hair off her face.

Ugh, why did Liz think that she would care? Oh right, destiny.

“I’m happy for you, honestly.” Tess answered, a genuine smile playing across her face, which the other girl returned with a confused look in her eye. “I’ve been meaning to apologize to you for you know – everything. I just didn’t know better, at the time.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

Ugh – was she always this selfless? And what was she supposed to say to that? Fucking Nasedo, never teaching her how to do the normal, sane, humane thing. Maybe because he was trying to make your transition to evil-Tess easier, she thought to herself.

“Yeah, I do. I’m sorry – for everything. You and Max are so much better suited for each other than Max and me. I realize that now.”

God that felt weird to say. And if she didn’t have Michael, she never would have admitted it. But she did have Michael and he was great. Everything she wanted.

“Thanks, Tess. Um… friends?”

“Yeah, friends.” She answered as Liz wrapped her arms awkwardly around her shoulders – a gesture that she returned before smiling again. She could use another friend – a girlfriend to share tampons and ice cream and gossip and stories with. Things that she and Michael couldn’t share.

“So what’s up with you and Michael?”

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. What was she supposed to say? Maria was Liz’s best friend. But she’d resolved to out her relationship – and this was a perfect opportunity.

“He’s great, he’s been really…great.”

Ugh. Tess – you’re the one who loves English, and all you can say is that he’s great? Why not wonderful, fantastic, a perfect boyfriend? Her mind was racing with reprimands and silent rebukes to her more than lame response.

“Great, huh?” Liz teased, a knowing look in her eye. But at least she wasn’t glaring at her – yet.

“Yeah, um, we’re dating. He’s – you know…” Tess drawled, waving her hands emphatically as the other girl continued to stare at her in obvious amusement. There was something up – definitely. She’d imagined telling the others a thousand times, and this was definitely not how she imagined Liz Parker reacting.

“Great?” Liz supplied with a grin and a wink.

Tess could feel the blood rush to her cheeks as she opened her mouth to say something in response, only to shut it again as Max and Isabel returned to the car. Their somber looks and determined stance indicated one thing – there was something definitely going on in Copper Summit. And from the looks of it – it wasn’t good.

“Liz – you’re on, we’re going to the Crawford’s.”

The brunette turned with wild eyes toward her and she met them with concern. This was not working out, and poor Liz was being thrown in the middle of it all.

“Max what…”

“Not now Liz,” Isabel snapped and Tess couldn’t help but feel that pit in her stomach grow larger – this certainly was not going to end well.

And, eyeing Isabel, she didn’t think that she was the only one with secrets and apprehension and fear eating at her.

Great, just fucking great.