“No, let me tell you jackass” Maria said as threatening as possible into the phone as she sat at the park and watched as Mia and Bree played on the swings and the play set, as she tried to lower her blood pressure despite this phone call she was undertaking. It wasn’t working. “Those two girls are your children and I will not let you play games with them to get to me, do you understand? I have the judge’s order that tells you that you will have to pay their tuition, I know, my lawyer faxed me a copy so pay up otherwise you won’t be happy with what I do to you” she said in a heightened manner. “I don’t care what some test told you because they both are your children and they deserve to be treated to the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to whether we’re together or not. Do you hear me, otherwise I can make it pretty miserable for you Richard?” she threatened. “Don’t laugh because I have people who can make your life a living hell and hide the body if I need them to” she threatened as she pictured a very sexy individual. “No, I am actually very serious, so tell your lawyer I threatened you because I am here in New Mexico and you’re there whoring yourself around so I don’t care whether you love me or not Richard because I will be in hell before I allow myself to love you, but those two children won’t get any less than what they deserve, you got me” she asked cursing as she hung up her cellphone and tried to concentrate on the two blonde little girls playing in the playground as she tried to right her sinking ship.
“So, who do you have that will hide the jackass’s body?” came a voice and she whipped around and saw her stepbrother Kyle. “Yes, it’s me…” asked Kyle sat down on the bench and watched Mia and Bree play together. “So, was that the deadbeat?”
“Yes,” Maria allowed. “He’s trying to stiff me, and he stopped paying the tuition for the girl’s school…”
“The ass,” Kyle muttered as he thought of the two warm little girls who were thrilled to be in Roswell and spending time with their grandparents.
“Yeah,” Maria nodded. “My lawyer got a judgement forcing him to pay up on next years tuition while we deal with the details of the separation and eventually the divorce. It’s a small victory, but it’s one and I need them right now…”
“So, you’re leaving the guy?” Kyle asked.
“I almost have to,” Maria muttered as she heard, “Mommy” from the swing set and she walked over with Kyle following and started to push the swing. “Push Bree could you Kyle?” as she smiled at her kids and felt her blood pressure lowering as a result of two little girls who needed her to be strong for them, and make sure everything stayed normal.
“Sure,” Kyle nodded. “Having fun girls?”
“It’s a blast Uncle Kyle,” Mia smiled. “I love this town; I wish we could live here year around…”
“Who knows what the future will be,” Kyle smirked as she looked at Maria as across the park,
Michael watched as Maria and Kyle pushed the girls on the swing set. It did tug on his heart to see Maria the mother of two cute little kids as he turned around and headed for work at the Crashdown.
Maria had seen him from across the park as she pushed Mia on the swing and deeply sighed as the girls wanted to do it themselves and so Maria and Kyle went back to bench as they continued to observe. “Don’t say it okay Kyle”
“I couldn’t help but overhear…”
“I know you did,” Maria muttered. “You can’t tell anyone okay, no one knows…” she sighed of her deep secret. “Not even Liz…”
Kyle seemed surprised that not even her best friend knew her secret “If he’s serious about providing no support than it’s going to leak,” Kyle offered. “You will need the support system to fight him because trying to fight him alone won’t work...”
“He’s going to have to provide support whether he likes to or not. Bree is his, it’s Mia who isn’t…” Maria revealed as she still cursed the DNA results that had shocked her out of the happy existence she had been living. “Yeah I know,” she said of Kyle’s shock.
“How is that possible? They are twins… Identical…” Kyle asked.
“Apparently not identical enough despite their eerie similarities” Maria muttered. “Its rare but apparently it can happen if you sleep with more than one man in a short period of time which I unfortunately did back when I got pregnant with the twins. Of course, I assumed Richard was the father, well, apparently, he is of only of Bree… Now, he wants to reneg on the support for both children…”
“Jackass,” Kyle muttered.
“Yeah, I tried that one” Maria muttered. “I need to protect the girls from the fallout” she muttered as she feared the resulting media circus.
“Do you know who Mia’s father is?” Kyle asked.
“Maybe,” Maria muttered as she thought back all those years ago but didn’t want to dwell on it and just wanted to try to figure out how to move from day to day as a single mother. She had seen her mother do it for years, but the reality was a shock to the system. “I don’t want to deal with it right now, because those two over there are more important”
“I get you,” Kyle nodded even know she was opening a hornet’s nest with her silence as they watched the twins play oblivious to the tensions that existed in the world.
*
Max spent the afternoon with his son but all he could think was Liz. She hadn’t called but he didn’t expect to hear from hear from her because he knew last night had been extra-ordinary but was out of both their comfort zones and especially Liz. Still memories flooded of their kiss, and much more…
“Daddy,” Zane asked as he looked up at his father as he was putting a puzzle together and was fixated at it until he looked up and saw his father distracted. “Are you sure you have to work tonight?”
“Sorry bud, yeah I do, I am working the night shift because there is some kind of convention tonight” Max acknowledged. “But you will be staying with you Aunt Isabel tonight, okay. I’ll pick you up tomorrow and I have the day off.”
“Really?” Zane asked.
“Yup,” Max nodded.
“Did you have a good time last night?” Zane asked. “You were looking sad before you went out with Uncle Michael and Aunt Isabel…”
“I am fine bud; you don’t have to worry about me” Max assured his son. “I had a great time with your aunt and uncle, and you’re going to have a great time with your aunt tonight and when you come home tomorrow, we can go to the zoo, how about it?”
“Cool” Zane smiled as there was a knock on the door and Max went and answered. It was Isabel of course but he had been hoping for Liz, even thought he had to have known it would have been a fantasy but his sister sensed who her brother would have been hoping for and she could only shake her head at the disappointment on his face.
“God, you are hopeless you know that,” Isabel muttered as she walked into the apartment. “You had to mess with the past, didn’t you?” she murmured because she had tried both of her brothers for hours the previous night and neither of them answered either at the apartment or even their cellphones and that meant they were up to no good, and that usually meant that there would be a mess to clean up come daylight.
“Be careful with what you say Isabel, because Zane can hear” Max muttered. “And plus, it is none of your business how I might conduct my life because I am a big boy who can deal with it on my own. So, you don’t have to worry about me, okay?” he sighed as he dreamt of beautiful Liz was.
“Well I do,” Isabel muttered. “With
her back in town, it’s not hard to…”
“Stop it,” Max said simply and sharply, and Isabel nodded as Zane looked up at his father, and aunt. “Zane, say hello to your aunt.”
Zane hugged his aunt and Isabel melted, which she usually did with her nephew. “Hey handsome, it’s you and me tonight. Are you game?”
“Is Uncle Kyle joining us?” Zane asked.
“Nope, he’s working” Isabel smiled. “I have a collection of movies calling our name…”
“Cool,” Zane smiled. “Daddy are you going to that wedding you were invited to?” he asked, and Max wanted to curse but knew better in front of his son. “What did I say?”
“I don’t know bud,” Max smiled or tried to. “I may have to work that day…”
“It’s a Sunday,” Isabel quipped. “You usually don’t have to work that day…”
“Enough Isabel,” Max asked. “I haven’t made a decision one way or another” he muttered as he knew he would be trying to stay away from the wedding if he had a choice but who knows would happen come August.
Isabel knew it was a sore point, so she stopped and concentrated on her nephew. “Let me know when you’re headed home…” as Zane went to pick up his duffle bag that he was going to be dragging to Isabel’s town house she had bought with some of the settlement from her divorce from Jesse.
“Will do,” Max nodded as he watched as his son walked out of the apartment as she sighed as he thought of the previous night and knew his sister had cause to worry but he knew what he was getting into.
Of course, he was lying to himself because he had no way of knowing what was coming…
*
Liz was walking into the Crashdown and was greeting as the long-lost daughter returning to the castle as she laughed at the regulars who greeted her return. She hadn’t stopped by since her return as she always went in by the stairs to the apartment above the restaurant, so this was the first time in the restaurant portion of the building. “Good to see you too Louise,” Liz smiled. “I am seeing my parents and meeting a friend” she murmured as she saw her father come out of the back. “Hey Dad.”
“Finally, I though we would never see you in here…” Jeff Parker smiled as he hugged his daughter and welcomed to the Crashdown. “When is Brian getting in?”
“He’s in Europe on a business trip so he doesn’t know exactly how long it will take him before he can come, as it was a last minute thing” Liz muttered as she forced herself to think about her fiancé and not her antics the previous night. “But he’ll be here in plenty of time for the wedding.”
“He better,” Jeff smiled as he didn’t know if Brian knew what he was risking by allowing Liz to be here in Roswell alone when her ex-boyfriend was still in town given he was quite aware how much a combustible pair his daughter and Max were and he could sense trouble was on the horizon if his future son-in-law didn’t make it to town until the wedding.
“Dad be good” Liz said as she was aware of her father had got to be thinking and she didn’t want to hear it. “I am waiting for Maria,” she laughed. “I’ll take one of the booths, okay?” she sighed as she didn’t want to hear anything negative from her father, so she walked off
If he only knew how I screwed up, and the mess I am on cusp of making she mused to herself
“Sure, go ahead” Jeff nodded as he watched his daughter walk to one of the booths and sit down and take out her phone and checked her messages, frowning, as he turned and went back to work as over at the table
Liz was listening to a voice mail message from Max,
I am thinking of last night. I know we shouldn’t have done anything, but I am here for you if you need me, because Liz all I want is for you to be happy, and I know you will be… That is all I want, but I am here if you need a friend. Liz sighed to herself.
I am so screwed as she hung up and glanced into space.
“So how is Mr. Dark, Handsome and Mysterious?” Maria asked as she sat down at the table as she knew the look her friend had on was only one of those she got from Max, and only Max as she laid off the “married” and added the “mysterious“ part in case there was ears around them.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Liz muttered as she looked around. “The kids, where are they?”
“Spending time with their grandparents” Maria admitted as she sat down. “I have to head back early tomorrow, and they are staying here…”
“What?” Liz asked as she was surprised. “I thought you were sticking around longer?” she asked.
“I will be back, but I am needed for re-shoots for the film I was working on before all hell cuts loose and they need me as soon as possible, and Richard has gotten the court to look at his appeal to the judgement for alimony and child support while we deal with the divorce” Maria sighed. “So, my lawyer indicates me actually appearing in court might help my cause…”
“Whoa,” Liz murmured as she dealt with the state of her friend’s life. “He’s actually fighting the child support?”
“The idiot,” Maria murmured as she saw a shot of Michael through the widow of the kitchen at the same moment he looked out and saw her, and she sighed and focused on her best friend. “And because I basically threatened him today, earlier, well I am worried he might use that to hurt my case…”
“What did you do?” Liz asked.
“He knows I didn’t mean it,” Maria sighed. “I am here, and he’s there… I basically told him if he didn’t stand by the kids then I would make sure his body would disappear, and I knew people,” she sighed.
Which I do she mused.
“Oh Maria,” Liz laughed. “You mean by sticking your personal hit squad on his ass?” she asked leaving out the word,
alien.
“I was tired of the crap, so I spoke before thinking…” Maria sighed as the door opened and Kyle walked in and nodded. “As much as I would love to do it, I know it’s impractical and I doubt Michael would do anything to help me…”
“You would be surprised,” Liz muttered as she looked at Michael heading into the back for a break.
Something tells me for Maria, he would do just about anything as Kyle came by and asked to sit down. “Hello…”
“Hello?” Kyle smiled. “What’s going on?”
“Maria is heading back tomorrow,” Liz murmured. “Kids are sticking here…”
“I told you I would be back, but the kids don’t need the tension and they will be better off without the press hounding them” Maria murmured. “I have re-shoots, and fighting Richard in court, so I have to go back” as the phone rang. “Let me take this, do you think your parents would mind my going into the back to take it?” she asked Liz who smiled.
“You are family, and my parents love you so you’re more than welcome” Liz sighed as Maria got up to take the phone call. “Okay, what isn’t she telling me. Do you know?”
“She’s troubled,” Kyle remarked.
“Why?” Liz asked. “It’s not like Richard is some great love so for the marriage to be over is not something I would think would get to her?”
“It’s not that,” Kyle admitted. “She should be the one to tell you…”
“Tell me,” Liz asked. “I can’t help her without knowing”
“Something tells me Richard will be fighting paternity of the twins” Kyle admitting as he knew Richard would be trying to write off support of Bree so not to have to support Mia… and the question will be whether he will be able to get away with it and his protesting how much he was obligated to give his estranged wife given Maria now has the income to take on the kids herself so he might try to cut off all support since she didn’t need his money to live on…
“Are you kidding me,” Liz asked as she herself had questioned the twins’ paternity but she didn’t know it was a legitimate concern.
“You should ask Maria,” Kyle murmured.
*
“Fine, I’ll be flying out in the morning” Maria sighed as she talked to her attorney in the back room and didn’t know the back door was open. “He doesn’t have a chance, right?” she asked her attorney. “He has to support them, right?” she murmured. “I didn’t know,” she murmured. “I legitimately wasn’t lying to him, how am I supposed to know that something like this can happen” she sighed as she had no idea’s twins could have two different fathers. “Yeah, I know,” she murmured. “Yeah tell the director, I’ll be back on set on Monday.”
Maria sighed.
“I didn’t mean to threaten him Mary,” Maria murmured. “I was just angry, and I have no intention of actually following through with my threat. I would love to lose him from my life which is why I am not fighting the divorce but come on, all I want him to support the kids and not to be given a pass because of a mistake I made.”
Maria sighed, “Yeah I know” she murmured as she didn’t see Michael coming through the door and overhearing her words. “I’ll check in with you when I get home” as she saw Michael now and as she hung up, “You heard?”
“You’re going back?” Michael asked.
“Work calls me,” Maria murmured. “I didn’t know you were back here…”
“Taking a break,” Michael murmured. “I was coming back in, so I didn’t mean to overhear,” he murmured. “Sorry for interrupting if you wanted the call to go longer.”
“No, it’s fine” Maria nodded. “Yeah, I have to go back. The girls are sticking around to spend time with my mother.”
Michael nodded. “So, how is everything?” he asked because he knew they hadn’t talked given everything that happened the previous night and how quickly she left that morning. “I hope everything is okay.”
“All is peachy,” Maria lied. “About last night…”
“Don’t think about it,” Michael nodded. “We both were drinking and that is never good for someone like me and am I not about to expect anything…”
“Good,” Maria muttered.
“Maria,” Michael asked. “I know the past is the past, but I do want you to be happy, and I don’t want you to be hurt and I hope you know that you deserve only the best” he sighed. “I just wish it could have been me, but that is the past…”
“You deserve the best too,” Maria smiled. “I have to get back to Liz and Kyle, we’re having dinner,” she murmured as she left Michael looking at her walking away from him as she also had to take a deep breath due to the past, and choices she had made as she came back to the table and saw the concerned look on her friend’s face.
“You told her?” Maria accused her stepbrother.
“She forced me,” Kyle sighed.
“It was not very hard, and he didn’t tell me everything. Why couldn’t you have told me?” Liz asked as her friend sat down. “We tell each other everything.”
“It’s just embarrassing,” Maria sighed. “I screwed up, and stand to lose everything, and I can handle that because I am grown woman, but I hate that my daughters will be facing the truth one day.”
“Those girls are Deluca strong, so you don’t have to worry about them…” Liz said as encouragement to her best friend.
“Thanks, I don’t really want to talk about it right now so let’s eat, and we’ll talk later” Maria sighed as she didn’t want to think about the past or her disasters as the door opened and Isabel walked in with Zane and Liz paled, and Kyle muttered something under his breath as he got up as Maria tried to bring some life back to her friend. “Even better, let’s get out of here, because I know you’re not going to want to see this…”
Liz muttered something under here breath as she nodded as she witnessed Max’s son, and remarked to herself that he was such a little carbon copy of Max as she said quietly, “He looks just like Max.”
“Fortunately,” Maria acknowledged as they got up, and Isabel noticed the quick retreat and the paleness on Liz’s face as she sighed as this wasn’t the intention as she wanted to get something to eat with her nephew, who also noticed the brunette starting at him with strange eyes. “Let’s go”
*
“That wasn’t the intention,” Isabel insisted to Kyle moments later as he sat down with Isabel and Zane as he had about thirty minutes before his shift at the bar. “I do feel for her you know. I am not that cold hearted.”
“I know you are not Isabel,” Kyle said smoothly. “It was bound to happen, as I know Zane loves the burgers, here, right?” he asked the five years old.
“Yes,” Zane nodded. “Was that that Liz person Uncle Michael was talking about?” he asked of the brunette who left with the blonde.
“Yes,” Isabel nodded. “I don’t know where they are going…”
“Maria’s dealing with some personal news,” Kyle admitted. “So, I think they realized it was better to get out of here and go somewhere else.”
“Why?” Isabel asked.
“You know,” Kyle sighed as he glanced at his girlfriend. “Neither want to be here because of the past…”
“Why?” Zane asked.
“Because Zane, Maria is to Michael what Liz is to your father” Isabel muttered as Zane looked interested as he saw Michael cursing around the kitchen and then he saw
a flash of two little girls with blonde hair, but one girl in particular had a glow in her hands, while her sister didn’t
“Zane,” Isabel asked.
“What?” Zane asked.
“Where were you?” Isabel asked as both she and Kyle saw him zone out, and she didn’t like the vibe she got from it.
“Nowhere,” Zane shook his head. “Can I have a milkshake?”
“Sure,” Isabel muttered. “Why don’t you go up and ask Mr. Parker if you can order one,” she sighed as the boy walked away. “Kyle…”
“You don’t have to say it,” Kyle nodded. “Has Max said anything?” he asked of the thought that Zane had powers. Tess had told them the boy was human,
but then Tess was also a killer, and a bitch.
“No, but then I don’t know how present it is,” Isabel muttered. “We came into it later when we were slightly older so it’s game changer if he’s younger and already expressing them” he sighed. “This is the last thing we want…”
“Tell your brother!”
Question, what exactly did Max and Liz get up to in the car? 
Yeah I can see that happening 
That fire is burning alright.