Roswell Fanatics

her belly was uncovered. He snuggled closer to the child she was carrying. He slid down a little and began softly kissing her belly that was protecting the precious life inside. His hand glowed softly as he ran it all over the exposed skin. He could feel Liz's fingers running through his hair. His eyes were growing heavy when something caught his attention. A little dot of glowing light on her tummy was following his hand as it moved. "Uh, Liz?"

"I see it, Max. It's the baby. She knows her daddy already," Liz told him as tears gently fell from her eyes. She had her soulmate and husband, a son in the other room, and soon she would be holding their new child. She wore a smile as she slowly drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

~

Part 22

Isabel reached for her purse and pulled her wallet out of it. Inside was the only picture that she had kept from her past life, her wedding picture. She traced her finger along the outline of Jesse's face. He was so young. They had all been so young then. It was so long ago. She looked over at the scrap of paper on the table that he father had given her. On it was scribbled Jesse's home phone number in Boston. She glanced up at the clock on the mantel. It read 12:40 AM. Max had told her tonight that Cal had given him the all clear yesterday. The agent that had been keeping an eye on Jesse had recently been reassigned with no replacement. It was time to get on with her life. All she had to do was pick up the phone and call him. Her hand reached for the phone and froze there, hovering just above it. She jerked her hand away as if it had been bitten. Could she really do this? Would Jesse even want to try? And if he did, would she have to leave here? Leave her brother and her family behind? They were all she'd had for the last 15 years. Could she just walk away from them? Or would Jesse be willing to move here? Would he want to give up his practice and set up shop in a little town in Idaho? Would he be willing to jump back into the alien abyss? Was it right to ask any of this of him? Did she still love him? Did he still love her? Did he still want a life with her?

She rose and walked slowly around her neat and tidy little townhouse. In many ways it brought back memories of her and Jesse's apartment, her first home away from her parents. It was small and tastefully decorated; most of the decor came to be compliments of her powers. She turned scrap metal into wall sconces, wall art deco, and candlesticks. Cheap cotton cloth, at a touch, turned into tasteful curtains and table linens. Walls changed colors often. Everything was well made, tasteful, and clean. Everything was perfect and always in place. There was no one here, but her, to ever move anything out of place. Sometimes though her house felt cold and superficial. Sometimes it was too quiet. On those days when it was all too much and the walls closed in, she would flee her perfect little house and seek salvation in the chaos of her brothers' homes. Homes. They had homes with laughter, confusion, and mayhem. The space in their homes was filled with people, with family. She looked around again. House, her little townhouse was just that... a house, four walls and a roof, and she wanted a home. She decided to reach out and take a chance. To open herself up to the possibility of having a home, or to the possibility of being left homeless. She stopped in front of the telephone and abruptly sat down at the little table next to it. She could dreamwalk Jesse, but that wasn't real. She needed real and solid. She needed an honest conversation, not a dream.

She steeled herself and forced her fingers not to shake as they punched the numbers from the scrap of paper. It rang once, twice, three times. She heard the machine click on. She was about to leave a message when a sleepy "hello" cut in. Her lips quivered. He said “hello” again. "Jesse. Jesse it's me...Isabel." She trembled as the words tumbled out. "Jesse. Oh God, Jesse. It's...it's over. It's all over. We're all safe. Oh Jesse, I've missed you so much. Jesse, I...I love you so much," she choked on her words as the sobbing took over.

Jesse sat bolt upright in his empty bed. This was it. This was the call he had hoped for, had dreamed of, for more than a decade. It was real. It was really happening. He heard her voice and his heart soared. It took him a minute for her words to register. It was over. She said it was all over. He wasn't sure how that could really be true. She was still part alien. It would never really be over. But he had thought about it a lot over the years and decided that it didn't matter. He had fallen in love with Isabel Evans. She was his wife, and he, her husband. "Isabel. Sweetheart. I...I love you too. Where are you? Can you tell me? Is it safe? Can I come to you?" He couldn't stop the questions. He wanted to know everything. He had to know. They talked for hours and didn't even realize that the sun was rising. Jesse called into work that morning. He was owed a sabbatical and decided that now was the time to take it. Besides, he had just won a major case and hadn't taken on another major one yet. The timing was perfect. So he was packed, and on a flight to Boise, Idaho by that afternoon.

~

Liz just couldn't get comfortable, and she wanted...something. They'd only been asleep for a couple of hours, but she had awakened suddenly and just couldn't get back to sleep. Max, on the other hand, was out like a light. The little smile he still bore made her smile in return. She tried shifting a little more to the right, then maybe a little bit back towards the left. She put a pillow under her knees, then under her back. Nothing worked. She wanted something, but what? She sighed in frustration. What was it that she wanted? She felt the baby kick. She ran a hand over her belly. "Sorry. Mommy didn't mean to wake you. I don't suppose you have any idea what it is that I want, do you?" she asked her belly softy. The baby kicked again. She tried to think, a glass of water? No, that wasn't it. Something to eat maybe, but what? She thought of her late night binges with Maria when they'd dish about their lives and their men. Ice cream, they always had ice cream. She licked her lips as she thought how incredible that chocolate fudge ice cream used to taste, especially late at night. That's it. That's what she wanted. She looked over at her soulmate still snoring away and frowned. He'd blow a gasket if he woke and she wasn't there. "Max. Max. Max, wake up. Max?" She scowled as he snored on. She gave him a little shove of impatience, but he still snored. She thought of various ways that she had woken him throughout the years and decided that there was one way that never failed to get a rise out of him. His stomach muscles twitched as she ran her fingers lightly down them and then slipped them underneath the waistband of his boxers. She noticed that small grin of his widen as her tender strokes brought her husband to life.

"Mmm, Liz hon, what are you thinking about?" Max sleepily asked his wife. His body was waking up very fast, but his brain was still playing catch up.

“Ice cream," she replied honestly.

Max's eyes popped open at that. "What does ice cream have to do with what your hands are currently doing?" he asked and cocked his eyebrow at her.

"Hmm, just a little wake up call, but if you're really a good boy you just might get a special treat yourself," she told him in merriment as her finger ran along that special spot, near the tip that always drove him crazy. She smiled with satisfaction as her lover groaned. His hand reached out and pulled her closer to him, his lips on hers. His hand ran along her back, giving her added support, while her hands sweetly tortured him.

"Mmm, Liz...Liz, if you don't stop...I...I...Liz. Oh God," Max exclaimed into her hair as his release suddenly came upon him. It had been a long time for both of them. Once they had confirmed Liz's pregnancy they simply didn't want to take the chance. They had still pleased each other in other ways, but with everything happening lately, even those alternatives had been few and far between. Basically he had been horny as hell for a while now, but didn't want to push Liz with her being this close to giving birth, and he hated cold showers, so it hadn't taken much to send him over the edge.

Liz kissed and held him, as the last of his need was released. She knew him too well, knew just what to do to make him lose control. Her other hand ran through his hair. "Max, do you know what I would love you to do?" she sweetly purred in his ear.

"Hmmm?" he mumbled in reply with his eyes closed. He was still riding out the waves of his climax. Alien orgasms lasted longer even though the physical evidence of it worked the same and for about the same amount of time. It was the emotional euphoria that took a while to come down from. His heart was still racing and his lungs were working on overload to pump enough air.

"Ice cream. I would love some ice cream. Chocolate fudge," she whispered and kissed his ear.

"Mmmm, I think we're out of ice cream," he replied as he tried in vain to get his body back under control. It didn't help that Liz still had one hand on him and was doing some very wicked things to him.

"Could you go get me some?" she innocently asked him while her hand was doing very naughty things to her husband.

"Some what?" He was in the hands of a goddess... or a devil. He wasn't sure which, but at the moment, he really didn't care.

She raked her fingernail down a very sensitive side of his ...'YELP!' She batted her eyelashes at him. "Ice cream, Max. Ice cream," she told him as her nail rake down the other side.

Max threw his head back into the pillow and groaned. His body was throbbing again with a growing arousal. His head was still floating in the clouds from earlier and had refused to come back to earth. It begged for his body to join it in the heavens. He wasn't capable of conscious thought at the moment, let alone speech. The best he could do was another groan as the pressure built.

Liz stopped the chuckle that threatened, but her smile was that of a conqueror. He was hers and he knew it. She could feel his body tensing, his flesh becoming engorged in her hand. She caught his mouth with hers just as the last shred of his control was stripped away from her husband. She loved that she could make him lose control like this. She laid back and watched the emotions playing across his face as he rode the waves of love. She wiped the sweat off his brow with her clean hand. She had read all the books about sex. She had thought that she had known what to expect on their wedding night, but nothing had prepared her for what making love to an alien would be like. The protective walls fell away and all that was left were raw emotions. And with the climax came a rush of euphoria that held you locked in its grip and you never wanted to leave. After several minutes his breathing was still hard, but evening out. She traced her finger along his jaw line and gently kissed him. "Coming back to Earth yet?" she asked and nipped at his chin.

"Mmmm, in low orbit maybe," he murmured with a sigh. It took a great effort but he finally managed to open his eyes. He ran his thumb over her lips. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he lazily asked.

"Ice cream. Chocolate fudge ice cream," she patiently told him once again.

"And they say that junk food has no uses," he quipped. "Give me another minute and then I'll be good."

"Oh Max, you've always been good...even when you're bad," she teased.

"I love you. You know that don't you?" he asked, and then kissed her before slipping out of the warmth of their bed. She pulled the blanket back and he spotted the large wet spot on the sheets, and then looked down the front of his boxers. Maybe a quick shower would be in order. He waved a glowing hand over the sheets and blankets, and over his wife's hand. He kissed her again then headed for the shower.

Sammy had drunk too much soda before bed and was just heading back from the bathroom when he thought that he heard his dad. He sounded like he might be sick or something. Sammy didn't figure it out until he heard the shower turn on. His eyes almost bugged out of his head. How could Dad do that with Liz that pregnant? That was just disgusting. Yuck! He threw the blanket over his head and hoped he could get the mental image out of his head and wouldn't be scarred for life.

Max dressed and grabbed his keys off the dresser. "Chocolate fudge, right?" he asked his wife who was smugly sitting there in the bed.

"Uh-huh," Liz replied. "Hot fudge topping, whipped cream, and chopped nuts would be good too."

"What? No cherry?" Max teased as he walked over to give her a kiss before leaving for her ice cream treat. He had always thought her cravings were cute, especially when she asked so nicely.

Liz wrinkled her nose at him. "Mmm, no, I had a cherry once. Lost it. Don't miss it," she retorted with a mock pout.

Max's eyes flew open in shock. "Liz! Behave!" he told her with a kiss.

"That's not what you said just thirty minutes ago," she pouted. "Now go. Ice cream!" she commanded.

"Okay, okay. I'm going." He laughed as he left.

~

The next morning Sammy came into the kitchen to find his dad fixing breakfast and whistling. He gave his dad a disgusted look as he helped himself to some juice.

"Morning Sammy. Sleep well?" Max asked as he beat the eggs.

"Mostly. I thought I heard something though when I got up to go to the bathroom. Then I heard someone in the shower," he said accusingly then looked down.... not really wanting his suspicions to be confirmed.

Max froze for a moment. He and Liz had been alone for so long that he hadn't even thought of having to be quiet, and he was pretty sure that Liz hadn't either. He'd have to be more aware of such things in the future. "Um, yeah. I was having a hard time getting to sleep and I thought that a hot shower might help," he lied lamely and started beating the eggs in earnest.

"Right. So... so did you go somewhere last night? I thought I heard the door open and close," Sammy inquired. He was still trying to get a handle on how things worked in the house.

"Oh, uh, well, since I was up, Liz asked if I could get her some ice cream. You know, pregnant late night cravings and all," Max tried to pass it off. He heard a car pull up and was relieved to see his parents coming up the walkway. "Mom, Dad, Morning! Have a seat. I'll get you some coffee. Breakfast?" he greeted them as they entered the kitchen.

"Yes, please. That smells wonderful, honey," Diane commented as she and Philip sat down around the table with their grandson. Max put cups of coffee in front of both of them along with the cream and sugar. A few minutes later plates of scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage and... biscuits and gravy appeared. She took a bite. It melted in her mouth. "Mmm, this is delicious! Max, where in the world did you learn how to cook biscuits and gravy?" she asked in surprise. Max had rarely cooked anything at home.

Max grinned as he sat a plate down for himself and joined them. "Oklahoma," he replied and took a bite. He added Tabasco to the eggs. "We found ourselves in a little farming town in Oklahoma. This little diner had a 'cook wanted' sign posted, so Michael applied. He got the job and a little later another cook quit so Michael got me a job. I set the stove on fire a couple of times. Good thing Michael was working with me at those times so we were able to use our powers to put it out and repair the damage. Eventually I got the hang of it. But it was only a breakfast place so that's pretty much the limit of my cooking talents," he elaborated and dug in with gusto. He was hungry this morning.

"Where'd you learn to tend bar, Max?" Philip asked after washing his mouthful down with some orange juice.

"Belize. Not too long after we left Roswell the Special Unit caught wind of our whereabouts, and we headed south of the border, and kept on going. When we found out Belize had no extradition agreement with the US, we headed there. We doubted that the legal issues would really hinder the Special Unit all that much, but every little bit helped. Anyhow, we were there for close to a year. We found this little... well, shack on the beach that we shared. It had running water, and electricity wasn't a problem for us. Most of us got jobs at the various hotels and resorts. I got hired as a bartender. Lied to get it. It didn't take long for the manager to figure out that I hadn't a clue of how to mix drinks. But I always showed up for work and on time so he cut me a break and took me under his wing. It wasn't all that hard and I was a quick learner. That was the longest that we ever stayed in one place," he recalled nostalgically.

"Why'd you leave?" Sammy wanted to know.

"Hurricane. Hurricane Felix hit Belize head on. We decided that it was time pack up and head out, before it got there," Max answered. He took his plate to get seconds. He turned when he heard the front door open and Isabel walked in. Isabel had gotten into the habit of stopping by for a cup of coffee with Mom before work. She normally took the kids to school as well. "Morning, Iz. Everything okay?" He wondered why she looked so excited.

"Yes, yes, everything's great! I talked to Jesse last night... actually it was more like this morning. Anyhow, he's coming here! His plane lands in Boise just after 2:00 PM today so he'll be here tonight!" She was still floating on cloud nine. She had gotten no sleep at all, but adrenaline and excitement were keeping her going in high gear. She had no idea what her lesson plan would be today. She was just going to have to wing it.

"That's great Izzy. I'm so happy for you," Max told her sincerely and hugged her. He knew how difficult all these years had been for his sister, and how lonely she had been. He wanted her to find the same kind of happiness he now had. Their parents followed his hug and well wishes, and then came Sammy's. Max looked out the widow and saw Megan, Chase, and Ryan heading over. "Iz, the kids are coming," he informed her.

Isabel checked her watch. "Oh, I better go or we'll be late. Mom, could you let Maria know that that I won't be able to drop the kids off after school and that they'll need to take the bus home? I didn't have a chance to call her this morning," she explained as she quickly finished her coffee, figuring that she'd need the caffeine later, and took her leave.

Max watched her leave. He hoped she and Jesse could work something out. "Well, I better get going too. I need to get the bar ready. John is coming in at 3:00 today, so I can take the afternoon off, but I'll need to finish the shift from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM. Sammy, do you want to give me a hand today?" he asked and got an immediate affirmative reply. "What about you, Dad?" he then inquired.

"Actually, I might catch up with you a little later. I was going to stop by the motel and go over the draft of the custody documents with Simon," Philip informed them.

"Okay. I'll just go say good-bye to Liz and then we'll be going. Oh Sammy, don't forget to grab the paper so we can check the ads for puppies," Max told them before heading back upstairs. Liz had still been sleeping when he got up this morning. He smiled and tiptoed over to her and bent down to give her a kiss, being careful not to disturb her too much. She needed her sleep.

She'd known that he was there the second that he walked in the room. She felt his lips lightly touch her temple. She smiled as her arms shot out and grabbed him around the waist, pulling him to sit on the bed, closer to her. "Mmm, come back to bed and keep me warm," she demanded.

Max was smiling when he kissed her pouting lips. "Can't. I have to go to work," he reminded her.

"I don't want you to go to work. I want you to come back to bed and play," Liz told him.

Max laughed outright and kissed her again. "Unfortunately, I can't give in to your request, no matter how tempting it may be. Besides, we're not alone anymore. Sammy's here, and Mom and Dad, too."

She didn't feel like being reasonable right now and continued pouting. Her hands got busy unbuttoning a couple of buttons on her husband's shirt and she slipped her warm hands underneath the fabric to caress his skin. Max didn't move a muscle as her hands roamed his stomach and then up to his chest. His eyes closed and a smile graced his lips. He jumped when her nails scratched over his nipples.

"Liz..." Max warned. She had to stop. He had things to do, people to take care of. He had to stop her. He needed to leave. God, were her hands hot, tantalizing, and talented. His breathing quickened as he felt the snap of the top button of his jeans being undone. One of her hot little hands slipped down inside of his waistband. His body started to ache as her hand slipped lower, almost to....

"DAD, you comin'?" echoed up from downstairs. Max's eyes snapped open. Shit! He quickly stood up and backed away just far enough to be out of reach of those incredible hands. His wife was scowling at him as he buttoned his shirt back up, fixed things, and tucked his shirt back in. "Yeah. Be there in a second," he called back. "Liz, behave!" he scolded.

"Don't want to. I didn't hear any complaints last night," she retorted. "Max, I'm going nuts stuck in bed by myself all the time. If I must stay in bed, I want something to play with!" she informed him as she reached for him once more.

Max laughed again. She was just too adorable not to. He easily caught her hands in his and brought them to his lips, planting little kisses on them. "So that's all I am, eh? A plaything for you," he accused. He kept her hands in his and bent down to kiss her properly. "I'll be back this afternoon. Maybe we can... take a nap together then. I love you." He beat a hasty retreat out of there while he could. He honestly had no idea what had come over his wife, but he liked it.

Liz's hands smacked the bed in frustration and she growled. She needed to do something... anything! She didn't want to be alone in bed anymore. She wanted to get up, and get moving. She was going to go insane if she was stuck here much longer. It took some effort, but she managed to roll over enough to sit up and then headed over to the bathroom. Along with fresh under things, she grabbed a pair of Max's sweats and a maternity top on her way.

~

"What took you so long?" Sammy asked his dad on the short drive to the bar.

"Just making sure Liz was okay. So... why don't you see if anything looks good in the paper?" Max replied, hoping to distract his son.

Sammy was quiet as he carefully read the pet section of the classified. He was still reading when they parked the car. "Nothing looks that great, Dad," he announced as they headed into work.

"We'll stop by the pound after work," Max told his son as he flicked on the lights in the bar. They had a lot of work to do. He hoped that he'd get a chance to talk to Michael in private for a moment.

~

Maria was surprised to see Liz sitting on the sofa downstairs when she stopped by. "Hey Chica, how's it going?" she asked as she eyed Liz critically. Something was different today.

"Fine, I guess. I don't know," Liz admitted. Diane had given her a long stare when she had simply walked downstairs after Max left this morning, with her hair still wet from the shower, and sat down at the kitchen table to eat breakfast. Liz loved Max's biscuits and gravy. It was total fat and calories and it tasted wonderful. Her mother-in-law drew the line though when Liz had tried to wash the dishes. Diane was now in the basement starting a load of laundry after cleaning up the kitchen. Diane had straightened Sammy's bed and picked up his dirty clothes. The nursery was all ready and waiting. All this left Liz with nothing to do, and she was rapidly going crazy.

"You don't know?' Maria slowly asked. "No contractions?"

"No, nothing like that. I feel great. In fact, that's the problem. I feel great and want to do things, but there's nothing for me to do. And I can't stand to be in bed by myself any more!" Liz told her best friend. Her ire rose just thinking of having to spend one more second banished to that bed.

"Liz. Stand up," Maria commanded. The second that she did, Maria had a very good idea of what was happening. "Liz, the baby's dropped. And I think you've entered the 'nesting' stage. You should call the doctor. He might want to check to make sure that you haven't dilated," the mother of four told her friend. She wasn't sure if this was good or not. Liz was barely thirty-four weeks.

~

A little before 11:00 AM, Max managed to corner Michael in the back office for a moment. "Um, Michael. I need to ask you something," Max told him hesitantly.

Michael shrugged. "'Kay, shoot," he simply said.

"Um, well, when... when Maria was pregnant and it was getting near her time... did she... did she get....uh..."

"Spit it out, Maxwell," Michael impatiently coaxed. He needed to check on the rolls before they burned.

"Did she get more... playful?" Max asked as he felt his ears burning.

"Playful?" Michael replied and waited. Then it finally came to him. "Oh, so Liz is horny. You're saying that's a problem?" he asked with a smirk.

"No! No, I mean. Is it normal?" Max asked. Liz had never carried a baby this long. He didn't have a clue of what to expect. He'd read all the books that the doctor had recommended, but he wasn't sure how applicable any of that information was to an alien/human pregnancy.

Michael grinned and slapped his friend on the back. "Maxwell, just be happy and enjoy it. You really need to quit worrying so much," he reassured his friend. He made mental note to give Maria a call to tell her to check on Liz. If Liz was anything like Maria was, then Max was going to be a daddy again real soon. The last couple of weeks of Maria's pregnancies had produced some of the most imaginative and incredible sex he had ever had in his life. Something that he'd never forget.

~

His dad arrived at the bar around one and they paused in their work to have lunch. Philip told them that the documents were in order and being Federal Expressed out today. Max was alarmed when one of the busboys came over with the phone and told him that he had a call. "Liz, are you okay?" he asked without preamble.

Liz chewed her lip. He was going to panic. She knew he was. There was no way that he wouldn't. That was why she hadn't called him sooner. "Max, I'm fine. I'm fine. Um, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to my two o'clock doctor's appointment?" she asked as calmly as possible.

Max was confused. Liz had just gone to the doctor last Friday. He'd been there, and he didn't remember anything about having to come back again today. Why did she have another one today? "Liz, what's this appointment for?" he asked. His concern was growing. Something wasn't adding up.

"Oh, well, you see, after you left we realized that the... baby had sort of dropped," she cautiously told him.

A mental picture of a baby dropping on its head filled his thoughts. "The baby... dropped?" he asked, while trying to figure out what she meant.

"Yeah, you know...dropped into position....for delivery." Liz could tell he was starting to freak because he wasn't getting it. Maria held out her hand for the phone.

"Max, hand your dad the phone," Maria ordered him. Nothing happened. "Max... hand... your... dad... the... phone," she instructed him again, very slowly. It was a full minute before she heard another voice. "Oh good, you're there. Mr. Evans, Liz has a two o'clock doctor's appointment with her OB. She's not in labor. She's not even having contractions, but the baby has dropped into position and he wants to check her over. That's all. Could you do me a favor and get Max there at 2:00?" she asked.

Philip looked over at his son. All the color had drained from Max's face and his eyes had a wild look to them. He looked ready to bolt for home at any instant. Philip took out a pen and grabbed a napkin. "No problem. Give me the address and directions," he instructed. He wrote it all down and told Sammy to get Michael as he hung up the phone. He then turned his attention to his son, who was still pale, but his eyes were calmer. "Max, Liz is not in labor. The baby has dropped into position. We're going to meet her at the doctor's office, where he's just going to check her over. That's it. Then we can take her home," he calmly reassured his son.

Sammy filled Michael in on what he knew. He got the rest from Philip. Michael was relieved that Philip and Diane were here to handle their son. "Maxwell, from first hand experience I can tell you that it could be days or even weeks before she goes into labor. You need to keep it together, man. Go ahead and take off with your son and dad. I'll finish up here. Go on, get out of here," Michael told his best friend.

Max only nodded. He had been quiet while he'd waged an internal battle for control. Having won it, he turned and followed his dad and son to the car.

~

Max’s heart pounded when he spotted Liz's car in the parking lot of the doctor's office, which was now full. They had to park on the street and it was all Max could do not to run to the door. It seemed to take forever to walk over to it. He took a deep breath, turned the knob, shoved the door open, and walked in. He did a quick scan of the waiting room and there was his mom, with Liz next to her. His mouth dropped open. Liz was sitting there, calmly eating an ice cream cone, with a king sized Baby Ruth lying across her lap. "Liz?" he asked as he approached.

"Oh, hi Max. Want some?" Liz offered and held up the candy bar.

"Uh...no," he said as Mom scooted over so he could sit down. "Are you okay?"

"Um-hmm, I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach though, which is quite an accomplishment lately." She smiled, trying to make him smile instead of wearing that worried frown. It didn't work. "Anyhow, after a triple scoop I don't think I can manage the candy bar. Are you sure that you don't want it?" she offered again. It wasn't good when Max turned down chocolate. He just shook his head and continued to look at her like she had grown an extra head or something. She sighed and looked over at her stepson. "What about you, Sammy? Want it?" she asked.

Sammy looked at his dad then over to Liz. He knew that Dad was worried, but Liz looked okay to him. "Sure," he replied and smiled as she handed it over to him. He liked chocolate too. One more sign of whose son he was.

"Max, honey. Relax, she's fine," Diane tried to reassure him. He still looked dubious.

"What's taking them so long to call her name? She shouldn't be sitting here," Max lamented after twenty minutes of waiting. As a self-healing alien he wasn't all that familiar with what happens when you're 'squeezed in between appointments' at a doctor's office.

"Mrs. Evans," the office assistant called.

Philip watched as Max got up to follow Liz only to have Liz tell him to go sit back down, that they'd call him when they were ready. "Are you sure that we can't slip Max a shot of something... just to help him relax?" he asked his wife.

Diane smacked her husband's arm. But she wondered if it wasn't such a bad idea. Max looked miserable as he sat back down next to her. She patted his arm. "She's fine, Sweetie. You'll see," she consoled him. He nodded and gave her a half-hearted smile for it. For the next half hour she watched Max's leg rapidly tap up and down. Maybe Philip could take her out for a drink tonight, or perhaps several. She was pretty sure that she was going to need it. It was a relief when the nurse finally came to get Max.

Max immediately went to his wife and kissed her as she sat on the exam table in the hospital gown, swinging her legs. "Everything okay?" he asked and didn't start breathing again until she beamed a smile at him.

"I'm fine. The baby's fine, Max," Liz told her worrywart husband.

"She's doing just fine," the doctor reiterated as he scanned her chart again. "Have a seat Max," he offered and brought the spare plastic chair over next to the exam table. He looked evenly and calmly at the expectant couple. "Everything is fine, just a little quicker than normal. The baby is doing fine. Good strong heartbeat. No signs of distress. Liz hasn't dilated past the 2 centimeters she was two weeks ago when she went into early labor, so that's good. You could go a few more weeks without any problems, providing you stay off of your feet, Liz," he told them and looked pointedly at his patient. They had a talked a little more in-depth before calling Max in. He was very familiar with 'nesting' and Liz had told him of her strong urge to be doing things lately. He pitied Max. Liz was a very strong willed woman. It wasn't going to be an easy couple of weeks. "We need to give the baby as much growing time in the womb as possible."

Max was still worried, but it was lessening. "Doctor, how much longer do you really think it'll be?" he wanted to know. This was maddening. He had no idea how Michael and Maria had done this four times.

"Two-three weeks maybe? You can never really tell for certain with these things. Nature has a mind of its own," the doctor kindly told him.

"But...that's okay? I mean it... it'll be healthy?" He and Liz had lost three children. He didn't know if he could stand to lose another. It just hurt too badly.

"It should be. It's healthy, but small. The closer it is to 5 pounds the better I'll like it. The lungs are the last thing to develop so we'll need to watch out for colds and upper respiratory infections. It might need a short stay in an incubator, but you should be taking a healthy baby home before too long," he assured them. He could see some of the worry slip away, especially from Max. "Do either of you have any more questions?" he asked. Neither did. "Okay, I'll see you again Friday, Liz. Max, I'm sure that you'll take good care of these two," he said with a warm and friendly smile. His grandfather had been an old country doctor. He hoped that he was something similar.

~

Liz listened to the sound of the steady soft snores coming from her husband. When they had returned home, she had insisted on the nap that he'd promised her this morning. Of course she had to tire him out first. She studied his face. His worry lines smoothed out when he slept, taking years off of him. Sleeping, he looked much more like that boy who had showed her his real self, who had showed her his soul. Through all the pain and heartache of the years that followed, she never let go of the memory of how wonderful and loving that soul could be, even when he did. It took time and a strong will, but eventually he'd found his way back to himself and to her. It wasn't always easy. There had been times of arguments and yelling. And she was just as stubborn as he was, more so actually. But eventually they would talk and things would work out. She ran her finger along his cheek. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead." She smiled at his mumbled reply. "Come on, time to get up. You promised Sammy to take him to look for a puppy. Max, Sammy needs you." That did it. His eyes slowly opened.

"You're beautiful to wake up to. Nice to go to sleep with too," he added with a grin. He loved it when she laughed like that. He didn't want to, but he glanced over at the clock. The pound closed in a half hour. He gave her a kiss then sighed and threw the covers off as he slid from the bed. It wasn't just them any more.

~


Part 23

Max truly hated this place. He hated seeing anything locked up in a cage. That had almost been his fate once upon a time. Looking around at the various creatures here, he hoped that they all found good homes. He knew that it was wishful thinking, but he would probably try to take all of them with him if he thought otherwise. "See anything that catches your eye?" he asked his son as they peered in cage after cage.

Sammy stared at the golden colored dog. It was about six months old and it was good sized, but it still had that ungainly puppyish clumsiness..... and its leg had been caught in a steel jawed animal trap. It was a miracle that it hadn't snapped it right off. The leg had healed badly and the poor thing walked with a severe limp, the caretaker, who was accompanying them, told him. Its eyes spoke to him. "Dad, do you think that you could do anything for him?" he whispered as the puppy hobbled over to him and licked his hand through the cage bars.

Max's heart went out to the poor thing. He knew the deal was sealed when the pup licked Sammy's hand. "I can try, but not here," he told his son.

"Okay, let's take him home then," Sammy said as he scratched the top of the pup's head, just behind the ears.

The caretaker was surprised that the puppy was so lovable with the boy. Usually he cowered in the back of his cage. He was glad that this one was getting a good home. They had all felt so horrible when it had been brought it. The veterinarian had worked a true miracle by saving the pup's leg...thought there were limits, even to miracles. Normally they would have just put it down and out of its misery immediately, but the man that normally did that unpleasant chore was out of town that night, and no one at the shelter wanted to see the poor little thing suffer, so they'd taken it right over to the veterinary clinic. The vet was a softy too and donated her services and supplies. It was a miracle that the pup had survived at all.

"What are you going to name him?" Max asked his son as he filled out the adoption paperwork and paid the fees.

"I suppose Max might be too confusing." Sammy smirked at his dad's pained expression. "Okay, okay, Zan?" he tried. Dad's eyebrows shot up at that. "How about Jake? Yeah, Jake," he said, finally settling on a name.

"You're a real comedian tonight, aren't you?" Max observed dryly as he filled in 'Jake' on the paperwork.

"Come on Jake. Let's get you home," Sammy told his new puppy. They waited patiently for Jake to hobble along to the car with them. The second that they walked in the front door at home, Sammy couldn't take it any longer. "Dad, do something, please? He's in pain. I can feel it," he pleaded.

Max looked at his son critically for a moment. He had every intention of trying to heal the puppy and Sammy knew that already. However, something else was going on here. He could tell that Sammy was getting more and more upset as he held the Jake on the drive home. Almost like Sammy was in pain himself. "Sammy, what exactly do you mean when you say you can feel it?"

"It.... it throbs and there's a shooting pain when he puts weight on his bad leg. Dad, do something," Sammy begged.

Max stared at his son for a moment, trying to tell if his son seemed any different. "Okay Sammy, settle down. Put Jake on the floor and stay close to help calm him. He obviously trusts you," Max instructed. His parents and Liz held their breath as Max made himself comfortable on the floor and waited until the puppy had practically crawled into Sammy's lap and relaxed. Max moved slowly and told Sammy to pet him. Max had healed a few animals in the past. They really weren't that difficult to heal. It was not getting bitten in the process that was tricky. Max ran a softly glowing hand over the injured leg to get a feel for the damage. It wasn't getting enough blood flow, and the muscles and tendons weren't healed properly. The bone was still mending, but was straight. He glanced up to make sure that Sammy was still distracting Jake and then gently laid both glowing hands over the injured leg. He felt blood vessels expand to allow more flow, the severed tendons and muscles reconnect, nerve endings were soothed as they finally received the neural pulses correctly, and finally the bone finished knitting itself back together. Max let out his breath as he let go of the leg. "How about now? Better?" he asked as he gulped air a few times from the exertion.

Sammy kept petting and stroking Jake, whom he knew had been oblivious to what his dad had been doing. As he kept petting him, he felt no pain. Jake started to lick his face and finally knocked him over backwards. Jake just wagged his tail and kept licking.

Max grinned. Jake was standing on all four legs without a care in the world, and his son was laughing. "I think that I'll take that as a yes," he declared and joined his wife on the sofa. It didn't take long before three little cousins discovered the new addition to their aunt and uncle's household, and before long a game of keep-away was being played out in the front yard.

"Max, how did Sammy know exactly what sort of pain Jake was in?" Liz asked as she strained to watch the kids through the front window without getting off of the sofa.

"I think that it might be one of his powers starting to develop," Max replied.

"Can any of you do that?" Diane asked as she watched a tennis ball being thrown. Chase caught it, but that didn't deter Jake. He just jumped up on Chase, knocked him down, and took it. Chase took off after him, but Jake easily out ran him and headed right to Sammy. "Max, do you think that puppy senses something.... special about Sammy? I mean look at him. That dog adores Sammy already and he just met him a few hours ago. How can he trust him this quickly?" she wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure. Maybe because it was injured its senses were kicked up a notch to sort of help protect it and it picked up on Sammy being different," Max hypothesized.

"Do you think that others could do that to? Humans? Maybe someone with a disability or special needs?" Diane asked.

Max looked to Liz. The Christmas after Alex had been killed. The year he tried to find his son. The memories flooded them both. "Yeah Mom. I think that it may be possible," he admitted.

Diane looked at her son. Something in his tone told her that he knew this for a fact. "How are you going to help Sammy work on this new skill, this ability to feel others' emotions?" she asked instead.

"I'm not sure. I'm a little surprised though." Max commented.

"Why do you say that, son?" Philip asked. Jake was running after the ball, chasing the kids, and being chased by the kids as if he had never been hurt. His kids and grand kids were remarkable.

"Mine and Michael's gifts are more..... physical, healing, a shield, and blasting. Kyle's developed along the same lines. But Isabel and..... Tess' are more mental, dream walking and mind warping." He winced as he thought of the last one. "Liz's too is more in the mental plane, astral projection and foreseeing the future. I had thought that things sort of lay along gender lines. Males more physical, females more.... men-tal." He smirked as he placed a faint stress on the last word in that sentence. He didn't have to turn around to know how well *that* comment went over with Liz. Suddenly a sharp, white-hot pain smacked his butt. "Ooowww!" He spun around to face his wife.

Liz blew on her fingers as if they were a smoking gun. "Not all of them are mental," she challenged him. She held her hand out again in his direction. Green energy crackled slightly. She was daring him to dispute her.

"I take it back. I take it all back. You're right," Max quickly conceded. He was no dummy. They'd been married too long for him not to know how dangerous it could be to really piss her off.

She withdrew her hand. "Thank you. I'm glad that you agree," she said as she put her dainty hands on her lap and smiled sweetly at her husband.

Philip was laughing his ass off, as Diane was too.

~

After dinner Max looked in on his son. Sammy was stretched out on his bed with Jake next to him. Jake was sound asleep. "I think that you guys really wore him out today," Max commented.

"Yeah, but I think he enjoyed it," Sammy told his dad as he petted and scratched the dozing dog. Sammy was unsuccessful in stifling his own yawn.

"Looks like he's not the only one that's worn out," Max told him as sat on the bed. "Sammy, I wanted to ask you something. You said that you could feel Jake's pain. You even described it. Can you feel anything from him right now?" he asked carefully. It was possible that Sammy didn't even realize what he had done earlier and Max didn't want to upset him.

Sammy sat up and thought about it. He looked back over at Jake and tried to see what, or if, he could feel something. After a moment he shook his head 'no'.

"Try touching him. See if you can feel anything then," Max suggested.

Sammy reached over and stroked Jake's fur. He was shocked when a mélange of feeling swept over him. "Contentment. Drowsy comfort." He looked up at his dad for an explanation.

"Okay. That makes sense. Sammy, think hard. Have you ever been 'sensitive' to other peoples' moods?" Max queried. He wanted to get some sort of gauge of his son's abilities.

Sammy tried to think. There was that time when he'd known that that girl at school had cheated on the history test. And that time when he just knew that Mom was really upset that Uncle David had shown up for a visit unannounced, even though she'd smiled the whole time and bent over backwards to make him welcome. But was that being 'sensitive'? "I'm not sure, maybe? Dad, what's going on? What's happening?" he asked uncertainly. He was starting to get alarmed. He was just getting past feeling like a freak over what he did to Uncle David, and now more weird stuff was popping up. He didn't know if he liked all of this.

Max placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Now, it's nothing to get upset about. I just think that you may be developing a new power, that's all. One that none of the rest of us have. That's pretty cool, isn't it?" he asked as he tried to put a hopeful spin on it.

Sammy looked doubtful. "So what is it? Feeling other people's pain? That doesn't sound so great." He didn't mean to sound defensive, and he knew immediately that his idea was incorrect. He *had* felt Jake's pain, but then he had also felt his happiness just a minute ago as he slept

"That's probably part of it. Sammy, I think you're becoming an empath, that you can feel the emotions of those around you. It's possible that you might even be able tell if someone is lying or trying to cheat, or perhaps if the mean to harm you." Max needed to tread very lightly. He could tell that Sammy was having serious doubts about this. Sammy's frown deepened and Max floundered for a way to help his son.... then he hit of the perfect cultural icon to use. "Sammy, did you ever watch the old 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' show?"

"Yeah, why?" Sammy replied, curious now in spite himself.

"Well, do you remember Counselor Troi?" Max offered.

"Oh..... you mean like how she could.... read people?" Sammy asked. He thought he was getting what his dad was trying to tell him.

"Something like that," Max confirmed.

"So what do I do?" Sammy wanted to know.

"Actually, I'm not really sure. None of us can do this. But I think that a good place to start would be to test you. First, see if you can get readings off of people, and from how far away, or whether or not you need to be touching them. See how much you can get from them, just emotions or an idea of their thoughts, or what. We can start with the family and if it works, then you should try it on a stranger, nothing drastic though. You'll also want to work on how to block it, too. You might not want to know what everyone is feeling, all the time. You don't want to get overloaded," Max told him. While none of them had this particular talent, they had all practiced enough to know the basics of developing a new skill.

Sammy wasn't sure, but it didn't sound as bad as he had first thought. "Okay," he finally told his dad.

"Good. We were going to go out to the practice area again late tomorrow afternoon anyhow. We can test some of this out then. I'm going to invite your Aunt Isabel to come along. She might have some more ideas since this power lies more along the lines of her talents. Liz's too," Max told him. He was careful not mention the anything about females being more mental. He didn't want it to get back to Liz again or, God forbid, Isabel. His butt was still a little tender even after he'd healed it.

Sammy was touching his dad's arm and decided to concentrate. He was immediately flooded by a swirl of emotions, love, loyalty, honor, compassion, worry, fear, joy, pain, and hatred. They were all there deep inside. They threatened to overwhelm him and he instinctively withdrew. Backing out quickly. As he exited he skimmed the surface of what his dad was feeling at the moment and was surprised at what he sensed. "Dad, why are girls dangerous?" he asked.

It was Max's turn to be surprised. He looked down, realized that his son was still touching him and what Sammy must have done, and what he had just been thinking. He then took in Sammy's surprised expression and broke into a grin. "You'll figure it out the first time one gets really mad at you," the father informed the son. "Now get some sleep. You know how tiring practice can be. Good night, Son."

"Night, Dad," Sammy called after him as he left the room. He yawned again and got ready for bed. When he fell asleep, Jake was still crashed out next to him.

~

Max climbed into bed with his wife for a few hours. He still needed to be at work by 10:00, but he couldn't resist. He snuggled close and wrapped his arms around her. He always felt the same thing when he did this, the same thing that Jake had been feeling tonight, contentment.

Liz rubbed her fingers along his arms lazily. "Max, I've been thinking."

Max's first thought was 'uh-oh', but he wisely remained silent.

"You may be right about the gender thing and powers," she admitted.

"Hmm, then explain Sammy's new ability," he responded softy. He didn't doubt her. He just wanted to hear her reasoning. Besides, he liked the idea that he might be right.

"Everyone here got their powers from just one alien. You original four from your Antarian predecessors, Kyle and me from your healing, only one way to inherit and when the resulting powers manifested themselves, they took the easiest route, along gender lines," she reasoned. She was still figuring it out, but it was starting to make sense. "Michael and Maria's kids are the same. They get it only from Michael so they are developing along the same lines."

"But Megan can blast as well as her brothers," Max countered.

"That may have more to do with having Chase and Ryan for brothers than anything else. Remember though, they're still developing and she had no problems the couple of times that Isabel took her dream walking, but it was harder with Chase, and Ryan couldn't do it at all," she reminded him.

"Okay, go on. Explain Sammy." he asked her. He loved it when she was being the scientist.

"Tess. Sammy got this ability from Tess," she stated and felt him tense up. "Max, Sammy is the only one that inherited potential abilities from both parents, sort of a double dose, two sources. We already knew that he was developing differently since he has just now started to show signs of his powers, of being alien," she pointed out. She could feel the tension in Max, as he remained quiet for several minutes.

"I don't want to think he got anything other than lighter hair from her," Max finally ground out through a clenched jaw.

"Max, I'm not saying that he's going to be like her. For one thing, he wasn't raised anything like her. And he's open and honest, things that she never was. Max, he's your son, through and through, but he's just as likely to inherit some of her abilities as he did yours. It's also possible that they will have morphed into something slightly different. Instead of mind warping and control, they're more about emotions, empathic. What do you think?" she asked. She could feel the rush of his breath on her neck and noted when it slowed a bit as his body relaxed.

"I don't know," he admitted warily and fell silent as he mulled it over. "But.... if our powers are gender based unless there are two..... donors, then wouldn't most Antarians have both powers? And if you inherited from just me when I healed you, then why do you have powers similar to Isabel's?" he asked. The concept seemed valid, but he was still fuzzy on the details.

"Max, even humans have gender based instincts, women to nurture, and men to protect, that sort of thing. That doesn't mean that men can't be nurturing or women protective, but those instincts, those traits are still in us. We inherit them from both our parents as a part of our species architecture. But what if there's only one parent to inherit from? You would have gotten what Zan and your human DNA donor had. Both, I would assume, were male, so your powers would follow the path of least resistance, a male gender predisposition. But you still have something of the female suite of powers, sort of a recessive trait and when you healed me, since I'm female....."

"It followed the path of least resistance again and the 'recessive female' trait in me emerged," he finished for her. He cocked his eyebrow at her since he could tell that she was dying to tease him about it.

Liz bit her lip. This really wasn't the time or place to joke, but God was it hard not to. It was the perfect opening. She cleared her throat. "Um, I think that you've got it." Turning serious again she said, "And since Sammy inherited the 'powers' trait from both parents, he is more likely to be able to do both," she told him.

"I still don't like it, but I suppose that it's possible," he admitted. "Liz, I don't think that Sammy should know about this aspect of things. He's rather sensitive when anything is mentioned about his.... about Tess. He knows what she did and if he thought that he had those same abilities, he might be afraid that he could turn out like her," he suggested. He wanted to protect his son at all costs. And he knew that Sammy was not capable of being a cold-blooded murderer. He was nothing like Tess.

~

The bar was hopping with the Monday night football crowd even though the game was over. All the free food had been devoured so the patrons turned to the salty peanuts, pretzels, and chips, and pitchers of the local micro brew to wash them down. Max grinned as Kyle walked in and took a seat at the bar. "You missed the game," he commented as he poured his friend a draft.

"Yeah, I was over at Guerins 'til just a few minutes ago. Got that go-cart for Chase all up to par. He'd better not crash it again," Kyle told him. He took a sip of beer. "How's Liz? Maria was saying that she's getting close."

"She's fine," Max replied and then added, "Getting a little moody, though."

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, I heard that she nailed ya in the ass."

"Funny. You're a regular laugh riot." Max scowled. "Jesse's back," he commented.

"Yeah, I heard. Seen him yet?" Kyle asked.

"No, Iz wanted him all to herself for the first twenty-four hours. They're coming over for dinner tomorrow night," Max told him.

Kyle shrugged and took another sip of beer. "How's junior doing? Heard he got a new dog. Man, never been over to such a quiet Guerin home ever. Those kids were dead to the world. I hate to think what that poor dog went through," he said with a whistle and a shake of his head.

"He was out like a light, and Sammy wasn't too far behind," Max told him and grinned. "Sammy's doing good. He...." He stopped as a couple of blonds came up to the bar. "What can I get for you ladies?" he asked in his best friendly bartender manner.

"A couple of margaritas on the rocks," Blond #1 told him. She and her friend had been watching the bartender for some time now. He sure was a hottie. They'd liked watching him work, especially when he had to bend over to change a keg underneath the counter. "So.... what time do you get off?" she asked as he measured the tequila and limejuice.

"Too late," came his standard reply. Max had heard it all before. He slid their drinks over to them. "That'll be seven."

"It's never too late to have a good time," Blond #2 told him and gave him her most seductive look as she slipped him a ten. "Keep the change," she said as she licked her lips.

He could smell the booze on her breath. "I'll be sure to let my wife know that," he said smoothly. It always amazed him that some women can be so brazen, especially when they're out drinking. He always wore his wedding band and everyone in town that knew him knew he was happily married.

"The wife doesn't have to know," Blond #1 pointed out. He was just too cute not to try.

Kyle laughed. "You don't know his wife!" he snorted. "Give it up ladies. He's very happily married with a teenage son and another one due any day. I, on the other hand, am footloose and fancy free... and I own my own business. Let's grab a table, shall we?" He told them. They were kind of cute and he was at loose ends. They readily agreed.

Max grinned and shook his head. Kyle had been looking for someone special for a while now. He just kept looking in the wrong places. A half hour later Kyle came back for another round of drinks for the ladies. "Two of them at once?" Max inquired with a raised brow and nodded in the direction of the women.

"Like I'd be so lucky. Just hedging my bets, Evans." Kyle told him.

Max looked over at the two blonds and watched them for a moment. "Kyle, I think they're at their limit. This is their last round," Max informed him. As co-owner, he could be held liable if he saw that they were obviously drunk and they got into an accident when they left.

Kyle looked back over at them. "Yeah, you're probably right. Most likely I'll just end up driving them home," he admitted with a sigh.

"You free tomorrow afternoon for a few hours? I was going to take Sammy for a little practice. Nothing too intense, but... uh...." Max wasn't sure how Kyle was going to feel about this. "Never mind."

"But what?" Kyle asked, curious.

"I think that Sammy may have inherited...... a version of Tess' abilities. We were going to test them out. Since Sammy doesn't know you that well...." He couldn't ask this of him, not after the number Tess had played on him with Alex's death. Max knew that it still got to him sometimes. "Forget it. Bad idea," Max quickly amended.

"Mind warp?" Kyle asked quietly.

"No, nothing so...invasive. What Sammy seems to be developing is more passive.... more empathic." Max could tell from his confused expression that Kyle was trying to figure that one out. "Sort of like Counselor Troi on Star Trek," he offered helpfully.

"Oh, okay, got it," Kyle said and started to breath again. He thought about it for a second. Sammy was a sweet kid, and the total opposite of the mind warping bitch that bore him. He was already more like Liz's son than anyone else's. "What time?" he simply asked.

Max looked at him steadily for a long moment. "About 3:30," he told him.

"M'kay, I'll be there. I need a bit of a workout anyhow. Been getting a little rusty. See ya then," Kyle told him. He'd been right. He wound up escorting the ladies to their homes and sleeping in his own cold and empty bed that night.

~

Max thought that he heard the doorbell, but he decided that he must be mistaken, the alarm hadn't gone off yet and who could be showing up before 6:30 AM, at his door? He heard it again and opened a blurry eye to look at the glaring red LED numbers on the alarm clock. They slowly came into focus. "Oh shit!" he bolted upright with a surge of panic.

"Max, relax . I turned the alarm off after my twentieth bathroom trip. You needed your sleep," Liz told him as she rolled over. She wasn't ready to get up yet.

Max heard the front door open and close, and voices downstairs. Sammy must have let his parents in. He heard a puppy yap. Jake was up. Sammy probably needed to let Jake out. He frowned at that. He'd worked a long time on his backyard. The grass was lush and thick with flowerbeds as borders. He'd even put in raised beds for a garden in a corner last summer. He hadn't gotten around to planting the garden yet, but he kept the weeds down just the same. He wondered if Jake liked to dig? Of course he did, all dogs did. His yard was history. He slipped on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, brushed his teeth, and headed downstairs. He needed coffee. "G'mornin'," he mumbled as he kissed his mom, and went for the coffee and filters.

"What time did you get home last night?" Philip asked as Max poured the water and got the coffee brewing.

"A little before three," Max told him as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He heard Sammy's voice in the backyard and an answering bark. He watched Jake squat on his nice green lawn. "Great," he grumbled.

Philip followed his son's line of sight and shook his head. "You might want to build a dog run and maybe a dog house," he suggested.

"Mmmm, yeah, you're probably right," Max agreed as he poured himself a much needed cup of caffeine.

"Honey, why don't you just go back to bed and get some more sleep. It's only a little after eight. We'll be fine down here," Diane told him.

Max shook his head. "I need to get the bar ready. John and Kevin are splitting a shift tonight, but it doesn't start until three," he explained.

"Max, I'd be happy to lend a hand and I'm sure Sammy would too. We'll help you get it ready to go in no time. Now do as your mom suggested, go get another couple hours of sleep," Philip ordered his son. Just to make the point stick, Diane took his coffee cup away from him and pointed upstairs. Max obeyed.

~

By two in the afternoon the three generations of Evans men had the bar ready for its patrons. And Max was feeling almost.... human. Those two extra hours of sleep were just what he'd needed. He kept glancing over at his dad, who was sitting at a table with Simon reviewing the documents that had arrived via FedEx that afternoon from New York.

"Don't worry, Max. Sammy's staying," Gary reassured him from his perch on the barstool.

Max gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Sammy perused the selection on the old-time jukebox and wrinkled his nose. It was mainly older stuff. He finally spotted a couple of songs that weren't too bad. He turned around and asked, "Dad, can I have some quarters?"

Max started to go to the cash register then thought better of it. He looked around for a moment and, satisfied the coast was clear, he replied, "Nope, you don't need them. See if you can make the coin lever inside move like you just paid."

Sammy scowled for a moment then nodded. His hand started to glow softly against the coin slot as he concentrated. Behind his back, many eyes watched his efforts. It took a little longer than he'd like, but he was still proud when he heard the click, as if coins were dropping down. A new techno-tune was soon blaring from the speakers.

Max gave his son a 'well-done' smile and a wink.

Simon knew that he would never have been able to help Sammy learn to do that. He didn't have a clue about alien powers. It helped him justify in his mind that letting Sammy stay was the correct decision.

With the music now filling the room, Philip returned to reading through the documents and cross referencing key points with his notes. Everything seemed to be in order until he came to one section. His back stiffened and a scowl appeared.

Max immediately noticed when his dad sat up straight. "What's wrong?" he asked as he came over to join them at the table.

"It's not really something wrong, exactly. We just hadn't discussed it. Max, you do understand that legally and physically you are sharing custody with Simon, with you having primary custody?" he asked in a carefully worded query.

"Yeah," Max cautiously replied.

"In the event that.. that something happened to you, Simon would have sole custody, both legally and physically," Philip explained and saw the uneasy look his son flashed in Simon's direction. "Max, it's pretty customary for that to happen," he added, trying to soothe his son's growing anger.

"Not Liz," Max stated quietly, just to be sure he was reading this correctly.

"No," Philip confirmed.

"Max, like you dad said. It's customary. I wouldn't try to keep him from visiting or anything. I'd take good care of him and keep him safe," Simon assured him. A knot formed in his stomach as a look came over Sammy's father. As if a cold hardness had taken a hold of Max. It was quickly masked, but Simon, in courtroom warrior mode, could tell that it was still there, buried beneath the surface.

"Was there anything else Dad?" Max asked with an even, business-like tone.

"Everything is exactly as we decided," Philip confirmed, and then handed Max a pen and showed him where to sign. He slid the document to over to Simon, who also signed it in the appropriate places.

Simon did another double check of everything to make sure that nothing had been missed before tucking three of the copies into his folder and handing the fourth to Max. He then extracted another folder and handed it over to Max. "Here's a copy his school transcripts, a copy of the custody agreement, and the name change document. They aren't valid until they've been officially filed, but this should be enough for you to be able to register him in school. I'll put a rush on it with my clerk, but it'll still take a week or so for copies of the officially stamped documents to be returned. I've put my business card in there as well, in case the school feels a need to verify anything," He explained.

"Thank you," Max said sincerely with a nod. He glanced over at his son and smiled. "Could you go ask Michael to come here for a moment?" he requested. Sammy nodded and quickly returned with his 'uncle'. "Michael, Sammy and I were going to get in a little practice around 3:30 today. Do you think you could join us for a short while?" he inquired.

Michael was immediately on guard. He had no problem reading beneath Max's calm exterior. Underneath that genial mask of calm civility, Max had his 'game face' on. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it was obvious that Max needed his help. "Sure, for a short while," he replied. He looked at all the faces. They seemed happy, even Max seemed happy. But something was amiss. "Is everything set with Sammy?" he asked, trying to figure it out.

"Everything is fine. Sammy's officially staying." Max grinned. "Oh, and I asked Iz to meet us at the practice field, along with Kyle," he told his second-in-command. He knew Michael had picked up on the undercurrents. Michael grunted in response.

"Well, I'll go call Maria and let her know that I'll be home a little late," Michael explained and left. He knew that Max would let him know what he wanted when the time was right.

~

Sammy kept looking over at his dad as they drove along the bumpy road to the practice field. He should have been ecstatic, but Sammy knew that something was..... off. He was sitting on his hands. The temptation to just reach over and find out what his dad was feeling was so strong. It was hard not to give into it. "Dad, what's wrong?" he finally asked.

Max checked the rearview mirror to make sure that Gary and Simon's Town Car had made that last turn. "Nothing's wrong, Sammy," he replied as he continued watching the road.

Sammy frowned. "You said that you'd never lie to me," he reminded his dad.

Max glanced over at his son, saw the frown and sighed. "Sammy, I don't think that Simon totally understands what you being my son and having powers really means. I could explain it to him, but I don't think that will be enough," he told him.

"What are you going to do?" Sammy asked. "You're not going to hurt Uncle Simon, are you?" he added with alarm.

"No, I would never do that," Max quickly reassured his son. "I happen to think a demonstration would make things a lot clearer than any words could, but I would never hurt him." Max glanced back over and saw that Sammy was still frowning, but after a moment he finally nodded 'okay'. Isabel and Kyle were already there when they arrived.

"Hey Evans and little Evans," Kyle called out with a smirk when the father and son stepped out of the Jeep. Kyle kept his smirk in place, but he too noticed Max's 'game face' below the surface and was immediately on guard. He got an inkling of what might have put it there when he saw that lawyer guy and Gary pull up next to the Jeep.

Simon was curious about why Max had wanted him to follow he and Sammy out here to their practice field. The place was a small clearing in the middle of an isolated grove of trees with a small shack and a broken down picnic table. As he stepped out of the car, his shoes immediately sank down into the soft earth. He had a feeling that it was a bad omen. He scraped what mud he could off and walked over to where the others were standing.

Max waited until Gary and Simon had joined them. "Sammy, why don't we start by seeing how much you remember? Go stand behind that fallen log and aim for that rock formation. See how much damage you can do," he instructed.

Kyle and Isabel shared a look. They were supposed to be working on Sammy's emerging empathic abilities. The game plan had obviously been changed.

Max watched as Sammy managed to hit the rocks, but he barely made a dent. He glanced over at the road to see if there was anything approaching yet. Nothing. "Kyle, you're supposed to be human," he grinned. "Why don't you give it a shot as a comparison?" he suggested.

Kyle returned the smirk then lined up next to Sammy and took aim. About a third of the rock facing was blown away.

Simon remained silent, but watched intently.

"Iz, you want to give it a go?" Max asked.

Isabel looked at her brother hard for a moment to try to get a reading of what he was doing. It was no use. His guard was up too high. She nodded then took her turn. The outcropping was three-quarters gone now.

"Impressive," Simon calmly acknowledged. His insides felt like jello, but his exterior gave no hint. Max smiled at him for a moment then looked past him. Simon turned and watched as Michael's truck pulled up behind their car. Michael just sat in the truck and returned Max's gaze. As Simon looked back and forth between the two, he knew that some sort of communication was passing between them. Without warning Max spun and released his own blast. Simon missed the blast, but witnessed the destruction. The rock was completely obliterated. He looked back at Max. He was a good twenty yards further away than the rest had been yet...... he heard it first. His eyes were automatically attracted to the movement. Michael had fired. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He could actually see the destruction happening as the blast of raw energy penetrated the first, then the second, and finally the third row of trees that had surrounded the rocks just a moment ago. They were blown into toothpicks and kindling wood. Wood splinters flew all around. Max raised his hand in front and above. A shield of greenish-blue energy protected them as the wood shards and slivers hit and bounced off harmlessly. It was a good thing too for none of them even had time to duck. As the bits of wood, dirt and shattered rock finished their fall back to earth, Simon took a few staggering steps backwards. He felt Gary grab his elbow for support. It took a moment for his knees to become sturdy. He looked back over at Michael. He was still standing next to his truck, some fifty plus yards behind them. Michael held his eyes for an instant before joining them.

"How can you keep Sammy safe from that?" Max finally asked.

Simon opened his mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. He glanced back to where the rocks and trees had been, and then at Sammy, who was still standing by the log with Kyle and Isabel. He could tell that Sammy was upset. Isabel had wrapped her arm around him for a hug. He looked finally looked back at Max, who was still waiting for an answer. "Are you saying that if something happens to you that Sammy should stay with.... Michael?" he asked.

"No," Michael replied. Michael caught Simon's puzzled look and explained, "If they get to Max, then I won't be here either."

Simon took in the absolute surety of tone in that statement. He had no doubt that it was true. He felt a chill race down his spine.

Max nodded firmly, confirming what Michael had said. "Michael isn't just my business partner, he's my second-in-command. If they get to me, it'll only be because they've gotten *him* first." Max paused for a second to let that sink in. "And then they'll be after my heirs," he informed Simon.

Simon was glad for the jacket that he that he was wearing, so they wouldn't see his goose flesh. "Who... who's 'they'?" he managed ask.

"My enemies. The ones responsible for me losing my crown, and making me a king in exile," Max replied.

Simon's mouth went dry. "Enemy.... aliens?" he croaked out.

"Yes. For the last several years they've seemed perfectly willing to leave us alone. Cal had gotten word back to them that I wasn't interested in taking the crown back. So I'm not a direct threat. But, as I understand it, if the political tides change, I could once again become a rallying point for those wanting change on Antar. In such a case my..... removal would be to the advantage to those wishing to remain in charge. As well as the removal of any heirs that I may have produced," Max explained.

"So Sammy, and your and Liz's baby would be next on their hit list," Simon stated as his mind started churning over the possibility of Sammy having to suddenly disappear somewhere. It would be difficult to keep that a secret for very long.

"Yes. If something happens to Michael and I, then Liz and our baby, as well as Maria and her kids will disappear with Isabel and Kyle. We already have contingency plans for that. Sammy would need to go as well," Max told him.

Simon nodded. "I agree," he conceded. "I take it that you have some ideas that I should be aware of?" he asked.

"Cal does. That's why I wanted him to have a base to operate from, in New York. I've already given him a direct order that his priority is Sammy, Liz, and our baby. But Sammy is the one who would be in immediate danger. They wouldn't bother going out of their way to kill Liz and our child until Sammy, the first in line of succession, had been...accounted for. And even then they might decide to take out Isabel first. Regardless, Cal cannot disobey my direct order," Max informed him. "He will have to see to Sammy's safety, even above his own."

Simon looked over at Sammy. He was working with Isabel and Kyle on levitating the fallen log. It was currently about three feet off the ground. "So you're telling me Sammy should go with Cal?" he asked, just to make sure that he understood clearly.

"If Cal shows up to take him, don't argue, because it will mean that both Michael and I are dead, and that Cal will be carrying out my final fail-safe orders. Cal won't do anything to interfere unless he perceives a direct threat to Sammy's life, and only *after* he's exhausted *all* other options," Max clarified. "Cal seems to have a bit of a soft spot for Sammy, but I seriously doubt that abandoning the life that he's built for himself and going on the run with a teenager would be Cal's first choice," he added.

Simon was quiet as he mulled that over. He nodded in agreement. There really wouldn't be any other option. "Where would they go?" he asked.

"I don't know and I wouldn't tell you if I did. If we get hit with the worst-case scenario, it would only put you *and* them in danger," Max told him.

Simon had already figured that would be the answer. "Would he ever be able to come back?" Simon knew that he was grasping at straws.

"Only if, in Cal's estimation, it was safe," was the only possible answer Max could give him.

Simon looked over at Sammy. The log was now on the ground and a pile of wood chips from the blasted trees was swirling about and merging together. Sammy's hand was glowing brightly. "Okay Max. I think that I've got the gist of things. Do you have any objections to me contacting Cal about some.... offshore accounts and things? All of you are going to need access to large amounts of ready cash if you have to run for whatever reason," Simon pointed out.

Max smiled a little. "I know that Cal would welcome it," he answered him.

Simon returned the smile then looked back over to see what Sammy was doing. He jaw dropped. More and more bits of wood were now joining the others. The bits of wood were starting to take form. "What's he doing?" he asked.

Max looked over at his son and sighed. He doubted that Sammy would have enough energy to work on his empathic powers tonight. "Whatever we.... blast, we have to repair. It's a part of the drill. No trace of what we've been up to can be left," he replied.

"So he's.... they're creating trees and boulders?" Gary spoke for the first time since they'd arrived.

"Yeah. If we're lucky the trees will survive." Max looked around. Most of the trees in the grove still stood and grew, even after a few onslaughts by some young and growing Guerins.

"Who owns this place?" Simon asked.

"Cal does, indirectly. He was thinking of putting up a ski lodge or something here," Max told him as they headed over to help the others. "But I understand that it's a popular hangout for teens on Friday and Saturday nights. There's a great view through the trees just over that way," he said as he pointed over to the right. "We find quite a few beer bottles and condom wrappers here on Mondays. We usually try to.... tidy things up a bit, turn them into flowers and plants." He watched for a moment as a fully formed tree floated back to its proper place with Isabel and Kyle's assistance. "Well Michael, you up for a little nature building?" he asked.

Simon and Gary looked on with awe, as, within an hour, the destruction earlier was completely undone. No one would ever have found a trace of the previous damage. The blasts had been incredible to witness, but it was the lengths they went to, to rebuild, that made the most lasting impression.

~

Part 24


Max glanced over at his son for a moment as he drove them home. “You did really good today with your powers, Sammy,” he said, praising his son.

“Thanks. It was cool putting the trees back together. Do you think they'll survive after you healed them?” Sammy replied with a yawn. It had been tiring work.

They'd reached the place where the dirt road joined the blacktop of the state route, and Max stopped to wait for traffic “Hopefully. They should,” Max replied as he checked the cars coming from both directions and waited for a clear spot to pull out onto the road. “Tired?” he asked as his son yawned hugely again.

“A little,” Sammy conceded. “Dad, d'you think that Jake was okay today without me?” he asked.

Max was finally able to pull out onto the main road. “I'm sure he’s fine. I bet that, between Liz and Mom, he got spoiled rotten. Wanna bet on whether he had leftover roast for lunch?” he asked with a smile.

“Yeah,” Sammy replied between yawns. “Are we going to practice my new power tonight?” he asked as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

“Maybe…if you're not too tired,” Max replied then looked over sharply when he thought he heard a soft snore. Sammy was out like a light. Max grinned and then yawned himself. A nap before dinner didn't sound like a bad idea right at the moment. Twenty minutes later he pulled into his driveway and woke Sammy up. The boy was still sleepy, but he seemed to perk up somewhat when Jake began jumping all over him the second that the door opened.

“Hey Jake,” Sammy said as he ruffled his fur. “Was he good today?” he asked his grandma.

“Yes, he was fine. Amy and Maria were over for most of the day and they had Alex with them," Diane said with a smile. "Alex just loved Jake to pieces,” she continued as she got a good look at her son and grandson. “Okay, it's only a little after 5:00 and dinner's not until 7:00 so I think that I see a couple of guys who could use a nap," she told them and pointed them firmly upstairs to bed.

“I think that this was how my morning started,” Max grumbled as he obeyed and climbed the stairs, with his son and Jake following behind.

“So when do you get to *not* listen to your Mom?” Sammy asked between yawns.

“When you get married. Then you get to listen to your wife,” Max told his son with a smirk. “And they're usually right,” he said with a yawn. He gave his son a quick kiss on the forehead. “Get a nap in and you'll feel better." Max soon followed suit and climbed into his bed next to his wife, who had been sitting in bed reading.

Liz put her book down and curled up with her husband. She had been tempted to play a little, but he was already snoring. She sighed, pushed his bangs off of his forehead, and kissed him gently on the cheek. “Sweet dreams, Max.”

~

Jesse took a few deep breaths as they stood on the porch. He caught Isabel's arm just as she was about to open the door. “Wait…wait. I…I just…” His lips grabbed hers. They'd spent most of the day in bed, talking, making love, and getting reacquainted. The only time that they had been apart was when Isabel had gone out to practice her powers. She'd called in sick to work, simply to have uninterrupted time with him, but he'd encouraged her to answer Max's call for help. Then he'd used the time to take a much-needed nap. He'd forgotten just how addictive, not to mention exhausting, loving an alien could be. He started to get the sense that someone was watching them. He opened his eyes, looked around a little, and then looked down. Their lips broke apart and he couldn't help but grin at the little angel staring up at him. “Hello there,” he greeted her with a grin.

“Why are you kissing my Aunt Isabel?” Megan inquired.

“Because he’s your Uncle Jesse. Megan, this is my husband, Jesse Ramirez. Jesse, this Megan Guerin, Michael and Maria's daughter,” Isabel introduced them.

Jesse was grinning from ear to ear. The idea of Michael and Maria having kids was more than a little daunting. He had no doubt that they kept things lively. And the one standing before him looked the perfect mixture of Michael and Maria, and God help them all. Since Isabel had formally introduced them, he decided to keep it formal, just to see what she would do. He stuck out his hand for her to shake. “It's very nice to meet you Miss Guerin, or may I call you Megan?” he asked as she looked at him funny for a moment and then shook his hand.

“It's nice to meet you to Mr. Ramirez. And you can call me Megan if I can call you Uncle Jesse,” she informed him then giggled. This elicited a laugh from him.

“Deal. And will you be joining us for dinner tonight, Megan?” Jesse continued.

“Nope, Mom says that we're supposed to give you guys a break tonight,” she told him earnestly.

“MEGAN, GET OVER HERE NOW! MOM SAYS YOU STILL HAVE HOMEWORK TO DO!” Ryan shouted from across the street.

Maria walked out onto her own porch, where her middle son was standing, and tapped him on the shoulder. “I could have done that myself. I said go get her, not shout at the top of your lungs at her,” she admonished and gave him a slight push in the general direction of the Evans home.

Megan scowled at her brother and then turned back to her new uncle. “That's my brother. I have three of them. They're… o-kay… sometimes. Alex isn't too bad, but the other two are jerks mostly,” she informed her new uncle. She looked back over at her brother's approach. "Look, I better go."

“Okay, I’ll be sure to see you and meet your brothers, even the jerky ones, later on,” Jesse told her, then he laughed quietly as she departed. “God, I don’t know who she takes after more, Michael or Maria.” He laughed some more. “She's adorable,” he added. And he would love one just like her.

“Ready?” Isabel asked as her husband watched the brother and sister race each other back home.

“Yeah,” he replied a little wistfully. He turned around when he heard the door opening.

“Hello. Were here,” Isabel announced as she opened the door. She stood back as her parents warmly greeted her husband.

After hugging Diane and shaking Philip's hand, Jesse stood looking at his brother-in-law. They had never exactly been what you could call close, and they hadn't had much of a chance to reconcile things after Jesse had found out their secret. But Max was his wife's brother so he needed to try. “It's good to see you again Max, alive and in one piece,” he said with a smile and stuck out his hand to shaken.

Max returned his smile and warmly shook his hand. “It's good to see you too, Jesse. It's been a long time. I'm glad you could come,” he told him as he directed Jesse into the living room to greet Liz and Sammy, and Jake.

Jesse's grin broadened when he spotted Liz. He hadn't really known her any better than he had Max, but he'd always liked her. “Wow! Isabel wasn't kidding when she said you were very pregnant. Congratulations! You look beautiful,” he told her sincerely and he bent down to give her a hug and a kiss.

Liz hugged him back. For a long time she'd felt like she had gotten to know him a little better through the stories that Isabel had shared, during their early years on the run, of their all too brief married life together. “Thank you," she replied honestly, and then beckoned Sammy over. “Jesse, this is little Zan, now called Sammy. Sammy, this is your Uncle Jesse,” she said by way of introduction.

Jesse had gotten the lowdown on Sammy from Isabel. He was still shocked to find out that not only did Max have his son back, but also that Zan was now one of the wealthiest individuals in the country. Hell, he had his retirement fund with Connor Investments. “Sammy, hi,” he said simply, while shaking his head in amazement." Man, you were about yay big the last time that I saw you,” he told him while holding his hands a few feet apart to demonstrate.

“Yeah,” Sammy replied shyly, not really knowing what to think of this Uncle Jesse.

Jesse took a seat on the love seat, next to Isabel and across from Sammy. “I bet this is a big change from New York,” he said as he tried to make conversation with the boy.

“Yeah…I guess,” Sammy said, still feeling uncomfortable.

Max had gone into the kitchen for a moment. He now brought a tray of iced tea over and sat it on the coffee table. He hadn't missed the awkwardness in the room. “You know Sammy, Isabel and Jesse offered to take you when you were little,” he mentioned as he poured everyone a glass. He noted Sammy's confused look as he handed his son his tea. “Sammy, you have to remember, I was an unmarried teen father who was still in high school. Isabel and Jesse were married with their own place, and Jesse was educated and employed,” he pointed out.

“Oh,” Sammy replied. He knew the reason why he had been given up for adoption, but he hadn't considered what his dads life would have been like if he had become just another teen father, still in school, his life put on hold to raise an unplanned child on his own. He looked over his uncle and aunt, “You would've taken me and raised me?”

“If Max would have allowed it, yes,” Isabel told him. “Of course, we would have had to fight Mom and Dad for you,” she added. “But its not like Max was just going to hand you over and go off to school.”

“You had school too, Iz,” Max recalled.

Isabel smiled at her brother, and then looked back at her nephew. “That's true too, but even if you'd stayed in Roswell with Max, Mom and I could have worked it out. You would have been one spoiled rotten little boy, I promise you,” Isabel told her nephew.

She threaded her fingers with her husband's. Children. Jesse and she had talked about them. When she and Jesse had married, she wasn't certain that children were even possible. Her brothers had proven that concern to be unfounded. She wanted children, and so did Jesse. Not tomorrow, but not too far off either.

Philip witnessed his daughter and son-in-law’s closeness. He was delighted to see his little girl happy. “So how long are you here Jesse?” he asked, cutting right to the chase.

Jesse looked at his wife, and they smiled at each other. “For a while, quite a while actually. I took a nine-month sabbatical…well, not exactly a sabbatical. My firm has some big clients on the west coast and we’ve been looking at setting up an office close by. I talked to the partners, and I’ll need to pass the Washington State Bar, but they're all for me heading up their new Seattle Office. We’re thinking of a mid-July official open date,” he explained proudly as he watched Sammy petting Jake.

“That way I can finish out the school year and help Jesse get the office set up and…” she paused for a moment, “and find a new place for us in Seattle.” Isabel still had a lump in her throat about leaving Sandpoint and her family, but it was time to finally live her own life.... with her husband. She turned concerned eyes to her brother. He had told her that he had only wanted her happiness. Now she waited to see his reaction.

Max glanced over at Liz. Their lives had been so interlinked with each other's over the past fifteen years that it would seem… unbalanced without one of them. He looked at his wife, really looked at her. She was carrying their child, and they already had a son. They had a nice house, a good business, even a dog. Max had what he had always dreamed of, a home with Liz as his wife and a couple of kids. He was happy. How could he stand in the way of his sister finding her own happiness? “That's great Iz...and you too Jesse. This is long overdue, and Seattle's not *that* far away,” he grinned at them both.

“That's right! I mean we could come and visit on the weekends. And maybe Sammy could come and stay with us once in a while. We could take him on the ferry to Victoria. “ Isabel was thrilled with her brother's tacit blessing. It was going to work. She just knew it.

“Don't forget that we're supposed to go shopping in New York next summer,” Sammy reminded her. He was happy for Aunt Isabel. She wasn't so bad once you got to know her, and Uncle Jesse seemed all right.

“Oh, and maybe Chase, Ryan and Megan could come for a visit, too. The kids would love the Space Needle,” Liz chimed in. A house full of rowdy Guerins 24/7, even for just a few days, would really break a new home in fast, especially the picture perfect sort that she knew her sister-in-law liked.

“Sure,” Jesse responded with a smile before his wife could stop him. He’d learn soon enough.

“Uh, okay," she looked at her sister-in-law, and knew a set up when she saw one. There was nothing to do, but gracefully accept it... and talk to Jesse later. So she went on, saying, "but we're going to be here until early next summer at least. And I’ll need to see about getting my teaching credentials for Washington State. That way, after we get all settled in, I could go back to teaching,” Isabel explained. She had been lost for so long with no clear path until she'd found teaching. She loved children and the look that came over a little face when they finally got something was incredible to witness. She wasn't ready to walk away from that.

“Well, it sounds like you've got some planning to do. Honey, please let your father and I know what we can do to help,” Diane offered.

“Oh, maybe after Christmas we can go look at property. You know, get a feel for the different neighborhoods and schools.” Isabel had various ideas of what she was looking for swirling around in her head.

“Oh, I’d love that,” Diane said as she rose to check on dinner. She and Philip hadn't had the chance to help them with their first apartment when they were first married. Now she was being offered a second chance.

Philip had been thinking of retiring for some time. He and Diane had been considering doing some traveling. In the back of both of their minds had been the much-cherished dream that they might run into their children at some point in their travels. Now they didn't need to worry about that. Maybe they might want to consider a retirement cottage nearby or something? They could still do some traveling, but from a home near Sandpoint instead of Roswell. It was something to consider and talk about. It'd take some time though, to make all the arrangements. He set the thought aside for later and turned his attention back to enjoying a family dinner. Something that none of them would take for granted, ever again.

Jesse felt more and more relaxed as the evening wore on. He couldn't keep himself from checking out Sammy a bit throughout the evening. He reminded him quite a bit of Max, but without that… pressure and stress that always seemed to surround Isabel's brother. Max looked happier than he had ever remembered him being before, and he was glad for it. “So Sammy, what do you think of being a card carrying member of the ‘I know an alien’ club’?” he asked to make conversation.

Sammy waited until he'd swallowed his mouthful of the ice cream that they were having for dessert. “It's still kinda weird, but its growing on me,” he replied and smiled. “And I'm learning how to do some pretty neat stuff,” he added.

“Really? Like what?” Jesse asked. He already knew the basics from Isabel, but he was curious to see what a second-generation alien/human hybrid could do.

“Well, I can blast things, though not anything like Uncle Michael can do. I can levitate stuff and change the molecular structure of stuff…and I can do a shield like my dad,” Sammy told him proudly. “Oh, and I'm starting to get empathic powers. At least we think so. We were supposed to test those out today, but we didn't get the chance,” he explained.

“Test them out how?” Jesse asked curiously.

“Oh, we were going to see if I could… uh… read Uncle Kyle. I could do it on my dad, but we wanted to try it on someone that I didn't know that well yet. Just to make sure that it wasn't a fluke,” Sammy answered.

“How exactly were you going to do this?” Jesse asked.

“Well, I… uh…” Sammy scratched his ear. He was still pretty new at this. “Dad?”

“Nothing too drastic. This power, if it is a power, is totally new to us. We were just going to... test it's boundaries I guess you could say. Sammy was going to see if he could pick up on what Kyle was feeling and/or thinking without touching him, and if he could, from how far away, or if he needed to be touching him to get a reading, or if he could pick up on anything at all. Like I said, nothing too painful.” Max casually explained.

Jesse thought about it for a long moment. He'd just been getting used to the idea of being married to an alien when all hell broke loose all those years ago. But he'd had fifteen years to come to terms with it. Aliens were about to become a part of his daily life again. They were nothing to be afraid of. They were his family, one that he wanted. He took a deep breath. “Well, since we're just starting to get to know each other, maybe I might qualify as a…test subject,” he offered.

Max felt his son's eyes on him as he studied his brother-in-law. He knew that Jesse hadn't taken too readily to having aliens in the family, but he'd stood by them, he'd even been prepared to go into exile with them... before Isabel had cut him loose, and now he was voluntarily reentering into their lives. “If you're sure,” he said at last, and then waited until Jesse nodded before turning to Sammy to make sure that he agreed. It was obvious that he did, so Max turned to his sister. “Iz, I think that you might be the best one to monitor this,” he told her.

Isabel looked her husband in the eyes, to make sure this was really okay with him. Seeing his determination she agreed. “Okay. Sammy, lets start this with you a little further away. Go stand by the stairs well away from everyone and then concentrate on Jesse. Picture him in your mind. See if you can pick up on anything. If you can't, move closer and then closer still, until you can read something that you can make sense of,” she instructed and then turned to her husband. “Jesse, pick something, anything at all, but once you settle on something, think only of that. It could be anything, an emotion, a favorite tv show or song, a memory, but think only of that. And then we'll see if Sammy can pick up on it,” she coached.

Sammy did as she suggested, and got.... nothing. He took a few steps closer and tried again. Same results. He tried again from the edge of the sofa. He thought for a second that he had gotten something, but then realized that Jake had come over to see what he was doing and brushed against his leg. He tried standing right in front of Jesse. He stiffened as he caught hint of something. He tried harder. There, just barely, an impression, but very faint. With a sigh he opened his eyes. "Something about baseball? But funny?” he inquired, not at all sure if he was right.

“No! Don't tell him,” Isabel stopped Jesse before he could confirm or deny anything. “Sammy, take Jesse's hand and see if you can get a clearer reading,” she told him.

Sammy took his hand and concentrated. He skimmed only the surface. He got a clear reading, but he was still confused about it. His eyes popped open and he asked, “Who's on first?”

Jesse laughed with the rest of them. “It's an old Abbot and Costello routine,” he explained. “You'll have to rent the DVD of it. It's some pretty good classic comedy.”

“Oh,” Sammy replied, unsure. He thought that, maybe he'd heard of Abbot and Costello somewhere.

Isabel rolled her eyes. Apparently her husband's penchant for old TV and radio shows was still intact. “Well, I guess that proves that Sammy's empathic abilities are limited to close proximity, at least at this time.”

“At this time?” Sammy asked.

“You're still growing and developing. Until just a short while back, you didn't have *any* powers at all. And this one is completely new, so don't be surprised if it takes a while to grow, son. Most likely it and your other powers will grow stronger as you mature,” Max told him.

Jesse spent a lot of time watching his brother-in-law and his family that evening. Max was older. His eyes spoke of seeing far too much in the last fifteen years, but his smile still managed to reach those eyes. He was obviously still head-over-heals in love with Liz. And Liz had no problem holding her own with her husband. He was glad to see that she seemed to have genuinely accepted and loved Sammy. She also seemed to love ice cream, and Jesse chuckled as she polished off what was left of the last quart in a hormone driven 'to hell with the calories' splurge. Jesse turned serious again as his assessment of the Evans household continued, and a tinge of envy grew. But only a tinge. Sammy was such a sweet kid, and a son for any man to be proud of. Maybe one day he and Isabel would have one or two of their own. He just hoped he would be able to keep up with them. Kids were always challenging, but one that would most likely have alien powers was going to present a unique set of obstacles, to say the least. And he wasn't getting any younger. He and Isabel had a lot to do, and a *lot* of lost time to make up for. Tonight had been a good start.

~

The next morning Sammy entered the kitchen and was confused by who he found there. “Morning,” he said as he looked around.

“Good morning,” Amy replied and watched as Sammy got a mug down and was about to pour himself a cup of coffee. “Oh no, young man. Sorry, but you are just not old enough to drink coffee. You can have milk, juice, or hot chocolate,” she informed him.

“Huh? But dad lets me......” Sammy started to tell her.

“I’ll need to speak to your dad about that,” she told him as she put the French toast on the griddle, and Sammy poured himself some orange juice.

“So, how old do I have to be before I can drink coffee?” he asked as he took a seat at the table and sipped his juice.

“It's not your age, its mine,” Amy replied.

“Your age?” Sammy asked with a raised brow.

“Yes. See, if you're old enough to drink coffee, then that means that Max is old enough to have a son who's old enough to drink coffee. And since my daughter, Maria, is almost the same age as Max, that means she's old enough to have a son that's old enough to drink coffee, which means that *I* would be old enough to have a grandchild old enough to drink coffee. And I definitely am *not* old enough for that.” Amy explained and flipped the French toast.

Sammy was careful not to spit his juice out when he chuckled. “So how old are you?” he asked.

Amy removed the French toast from the griddle and then pointed the spatula at him, as if to make a point. “A word of advice, grasshopper. NEVER ask a lady her age. Just take my word for it. I am *not* old enough,” she emphasized as she brought him his breakfast plate. ”Now, eat up.”

“Aunt Maria takes a lot after you doesn't she?” he observed between bites.

“Yes, she does,” Amy concurred.

Sammy grinned as she joined him for breakfast. “So, where're my dad and grandma?” he asked.

“Your dad went to work early with Michael. And your grandparents are taking the day off to look over the town. So I volunteered to come over this morning. Maria will be over in a little bit. Oh, and your dad said that he'd be home for lunch, and then he wanted to take you to get registered for school,” she answered.

~

Sammy looked the school over as he followed his dad to the administration office. It seemed a little odd not to see uniforms. No jackets and ties. He'd been in private schools all his life, and he'd always had to wear uniforms. But jeans and t-shirts seemed to be the norm here.... and mini-skirts he noticed...

When Max turned the corner into the hall that held the administrative offices, he realized that he'd lost his son somewhere. He retraced his steps and ran into Sammy watching the cheerleaders’ practice through the open gym door. He grabbed Sammy by the sleeve and dragged him along. Max rolled his eyes and hoped he was ready for this. High school administration offices hadn't changed much in the last fifteen years, he noted. “Hi, I need to register my son for school,” he told the youngster that greeted him at the counter. Had he, Liz, and the rest ever really been that young? He was handed some forms to fill out while the little girl went to go call an administrator to help them. He glanced at his silent son and noticed that Sammy's attention appeared to be glued to the little girl as she walked away. From the way he was staring, he appeared to be trying to read the printing on the rivets of her jeans. Max sighed and decided that he really wasn't ready for this. He opened the folder that Simon had given him and began to fill out the registration forms.

Judy had been with the school for over twenty years and, as she looked over the paper work, she was pleased to see a student of Samuel Evans' caliber join their school. She wasn't familiar with the academy that he'd previously attended, but it was obviously private and his transcripts showed him to be a serious student. She loaded the classes that he had been taking into the computer and hoped that they could come close to matching them. She had to tweak a few things, but she managed to get him into similar college-prep classes. She then went over the various forms and checked them against the school's requirements. She was curious about the custody paperwork, but she held her tongue since they did seem to be in order. When she was done, there was only one thing missing. “Mr. Evans, do you have his shot record and the results of his pre-admittance physical required for high school?” she asked.

Shot record? Physical? Oh shit! Max leafed through the folder again and found a little booklet. It said ‘shot record’. Whew! “Here's his shot record.” He said as he handed it over.

She perused it and checked it against the school board's requirements. “Hmm, it looks like he’s missing some boosters. And his physical?” she asked.

Sammy shrugged as his dad just looked at him, silently asking him. “I…uh, don’t remember having one recently,” he finally admitted.

She handed him the forms that listed all the board's requirements for all entering freshmen and transferring students. “Just take this along with his shot records to his doctor and he'll know what needs to be done. Or you can take him to the county clinic and have it done there,” she paused as she handed him the clinic information sheet, “and just have him bring the completed, signed, and stamped form when he starts on Monday. He'll need to come in here to pick up his locker assignment and finalized class schedule then,” She told them with a smile. He seemed like a nice boy.

“Right, thank you,” Max said and ushered Sammy back towards the car.

Sammy waited until they were in the car before asking, “What now?”

Max studied the form and frowned. He could fake a signature, but he hadn't a clue what that stamp looked like. Damn. He pulled out his cell phone and called the only other person he knew of who had faced something like this. “Hey Maria? I've got a question for you. Sammy needs a physical and booster shots before he can start school. Didn't the kids need this stuff when they started? How'd you get around it?” he asked.

Maria listened and wasn't surprised. She should have been expecting it. “I took them to the doctor and got them their shots and a physical,” she told him.

“But what about blood work? How'd you get around that?” he asked. The shots shouldn't be an issue. After all he and Iz had had to have them before they started school too. It was the physical and blood work that worried him.

“Let me give you the name of our kids’ doctor. He's a private doctor that's not on staff at a hospital so he has to have you go to a private blood draw clinic, which he wouldn't get around to for several days anyway, and then you can just conveniently forget to go. In the meantime, there shouldn't be a problem with him filling out whatever he needs to so Sammy can start school immediately,” she explained.

“You're sure? I mean he won't follow-up or anything?” Max asked, wanting to be certain.

“He hasn't so far with mine. Got a pen and paper?” she asked and gave him the name and number.

About an hour later they were sitting in a doctor's office waiting to be ‘squeezed in between appointments’ again, and surrounded by coughing, sneezing, and crying kids. It was a pediatrician's office. Max watched as a little boy whose mother had called him Bobby sneezed and blew his nose in his hands, then grabbed a magazine. Max figured that if he'd been totally human and he hadn't been sick before arriving, he probably would be by the time he left. Max stopped Sammy from picking up any more magazines. It was another hour before the nurse finally called them. He watched as the medical assistant took Sammy's blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. She noted he had a very slight temperature, but that everything else was normal. She handed Sammy a hospital gown, told him he could leave his underwear on, and that the doctor would be in shortly. Forty minutes later the doctor arrived.

Doctor Sanders’ partner was on vacation and it seemed that the flu was hitting especially hard this week. “Hello, I'm doctor Sanders. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but this week has been crazy.” He shook Mr. Evans hand and then Sammy's, and then checked the chart. “It says here that you need a pre-admittance school physical and possibly some booster shots,” He said while still reading. “It also looks like you've got a slight temperature. How do you feel?” he asked.

“Fine,” Sammy replied. He glanced over at his dad, hoping that he'd be able to explain away his ‘fever’ somehow.

“He's been a little out of sorts with the move from New York just this week. It's been pretty tiring getting moved and settled,” Max offered, hoping that the doctor would buy it.

“Well, as long as you're feeling fine, I suppose that the stress of the relocation could explain it,” the doctor conceded. “Let's have a look at you then,” he said, and proceeded to check Sammy's lungs, heart, ears, nose, throat, sight, and reflexes. “Well, everything seems to check out just fine,” he concluded. He double-checked the shot record and made some notes on the chart. He took out a form and filled it out, then took the form that the school had provided and checked off the appropriate boxes before signing it. “Okay, Mr. Evans here's a blood draw form. There's a clinic not too far from here. There's nothing to worry about. I just want to make sure that there's nothing hidden. He does need a couple of boosters though. I’ll send in the nurse to do those and stamp the form, then he’s all set for school,” he told them with a smile.

Sammy frowned when the nurse walked in with a tray. His frown deepened when he saw the two needles. The nurse didn't need to prompt him to look away. An “Owww,” slipped out when he felt the second one. He listened as the nurse gave his dad a piece of paper and explained that the injection site may swell and become warm to the touch and be sore for a few days; and to give Sammy a couple of Tylenol for any discomfort.

Max looked on apologetically as his son got dressed after the nurse left. “Sorry about that Sammy. Does it hurt?” he asked.

“Yeah. A little,” Sammy conceded.

“I’ll take care of it once we get back home, okay?” Max told him sympathetically.

“Okay,” Sammy agreed and carefully slipped on his jacket. His arm was already sore. It felt like someone had slugged him.

“Are you still going to dinner with Simon and Gary before they leave tonight?” Max asked his son on the drive home.

“Yeah. That's okay, right?” Sammy replied.

“Sure. Just don’t stay out too late. I've talked to Dad and Jesse. We were thinking about going fishing tomorrow morning, and Dad always likes to ‘get an early jump on the fish’,” Max told him. “So that means being up and ready to go by 6:00AM. I’ll get my tackle box, poles ready tonight,” he added with a smile. A day of fishing with just the guys was a rare treat.

“Sounds great…well, everything but that 6:00AM thing,” Sammy told his dad.

“Did you…uh, ever do much fishing?” Max asked.

“Yeah, with my…dad, Sam, from the yacht,” Sammy said.

Yacht? “Oh. Um, this is more like a basic fishing boat with an outboard motor, tackle box, thermos of coffee, and a lunch cooler,” Max clarified.

“Cool. Hey Dad, I need to talk to you about that coffee thing and Aunt Amy,” Sammy informed his father.

~

Part 25

The dinner was at a nice, slightly upscale restaurant. "One that's about as upscale as we could hope to get in Sandpoint, Idaho," Simon thought wryly as he took a sip of the Merlot to wash his steak down. "So, is everything set for school Sammy?" he asked.

"Yeah. I had to get a physical and a couple of booster shots today, but I'm all set to start on Monday," Sammy told them between bites of his chicken. He was looking forward to school, but he had a few misgivings. This would be the first public school that he'd ever attended and he wouldn't know anyone. He'd be the new kid.

"So what'd you think of the place when you were there today?" Gary asked Sammy between bites of his meal. "They have some pretty good salmon here," he thought.

"It looked okay. They had some pretty good classes," Sammy said with a shrug. "And they allow mini-skirts," he added with a sly grin. There were a couple of girls on the cheerleading squad that were pretty cute. And the one in the office hadn't been too bad either. Going to a co-ed high school definitely had some advantages.

"Sammy. Don't get distracted," Simon cautioned. He wasn't sure if this was going to be a good thing. He figured that, as a matter of course, Sammy would be interested in the opposite sex, since he'd caught him *looking* a time or two, but in the same school? Dating? Dances? Make out session behind the bleachers? For once, he was glad that Max would be the one dealing with all of that, and not him.

"I won't," Sammy assured them and wondered what there was to do in this town. Movies? Miniature golf? Skating? Paintball? Dances? He scowled a little. He'd have to learn to dance first. He took a sip of his Coke through the straw, and then he reversed direction and blew some bubbles into his soda. He saw Simon scowl at his behavior, though Gary was biting his lip to keep from laughing. "Sorry," he said lamely.

Simon scowled, but mentally he breathed a deep sigh of relief. Sammy wasn't so grown up after all. "So your classes are on a par with what you're used to?" he asked, trying to get back on track.

"Yeah, pretty much. I pick up my new schedule on Monday when I start," Sammy replied in between bites of food.

"On Monday, eh? So what are you doing until then?" Gary asked and as he sat back let his meal settle a bit.

Sammy smiled. "I get to get up and be ready to go by 6:00AM tomorrow, so I can go fishing with my dad and grandpa, oh, and Uncle Jesse, that's Aunt Isabel's husband. He just came in on Monday from Boston. He's pretty cool," he told them.

"Fishing, that sounds like fun," Gary commented then turned to his partner. "We should plan a fishing trip somewhere," he suggested. Simon didn't look too thrilled at the prospect.

"Maybe in the Bahamas," was the most Simon was willing to commit to at the moment. "At a nice resort," he silently added. "So how's Liz doing?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Okay, I think. Dad says that she's getting moody, but I haven't seen it. It'll be weird having a little brother or sister around. But I can't wait," Sammy enthused.

"Well, I hear that you're already getting some baby-sitting experience in advance. Are you still taking your, uh, cousins trick-or-treating?" Gary asked. He had been the oldest of three kids and he knew well the 'joy' of baby-sitting his younger siblings. Usually they had been a pain, but now that he was older, he cherished every memory of those times.

"Yeah. Aunt Maria says that she needs to stay home to answer the door, but I'm not sure why Aunt Amy can't do that. It's okay though. I really didn't have anything else to do Friday night. I know that during the day Grandma and I are decorating the house. And Grandma will be handing out the candy at our house," Sammy informed them.

Simon and Gary gave each other a long look and smiled at the 'our house' mention. "It sounds like you're settling in okay," Simon observed.

"Yeah, it's different from my life before now, but it feels...right," Sammy said, assuredly.

~

BUZZZ. Sammy groaned and blindly grabbed for the source of the offending racket. He finally raised his head off of the pillow to look for it. "Rats," he growled when he saw his alarm clock sitting on the dresser across from the foot of the bed. "How'd it get over there?" he wondered sleepily as he grudgingly got up and went over to shut the damn thing off. It read 5:30AM. He hadn't realized that time really existed. He grabbed his clean clothes and stumbled into the bathroom to get ready.

Diane heard the shower start and smiled at her son as she finished packing the ice chest. "See, I told you that moving the alarm clock out of arm's reach would work," the mother informed the son.

Max grinned as he filled the thermos with coffee. "Yeah. You did that to me a few times, as I seem to recall."

"Like father, like son," Diane chuckled.

"Mom, thanks for coming over so early," he said and gave her a quick hug.

"Like I had a choice? Your father was up over an hour ago. Max, you have no idea of how excited he is to be doing this with you and Sammy, and Jesse. He's missed doing these sorts of things with you so much, and now..." she trailed of as she started to get choked up.

Max hugged his mom again and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I've missed this too. And now we get to make some new memories with the next generation. Why don't I go check on how dad's doing loading the gear into the Jeep?" he said and gave her another kiss as he left to go out front.

"It's too early!" Sammy announced when he entered the kitchen and flopped in a chair.

Diane chuckled and smoothed his damp hair out of his eyes. "Good morning, dear," she said as she bestowed a kiss.

He yawned. "G'morning, Grandma. Hey, do you happen to know how my alarm clock got all the way over on my dresser?" he asked as he yawned again. How was he supposed to catch fish if he couldn't even keep his eyes open?

Diane poured him some juice. "Isn't that where you usually keep it, dear?"

"Nuh-uh." He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Where're Dad and Grandpa?"

"Loading the Jeep. Have some cereal and fruit before you go," she said as she got him a bowl and the milk out.

"Why can't the fish sleep in?" Sammy lamented.

Philip was just coming in and chuckled at the comment. "They *are* sleeping in and we need to get a jump on them before *they* start breakfast, and that's at the crack of dawn," he explained. "Diane, is the ice chest all ready?" he asked.

"Yes, now make sure that Sammy eats more than just junk food today, and that goes for you and Max, too. I packed sandwiches and I expect them to be eaten," she stated firmly as she dumped that last of the ice on top and closed the lid.

"All ready?" Max asked as he popped back in to check on things. "Morning, Sammy."

"Morning," he grumbled as he put his bowl and spoon in the sink.

Max watched his son, who looked like he was still half asleep. "Not a morning person, are you?" he noticed.

"No," Sammy firmly clarified.

"Like father, like son," Diane reminded them both. "Max, aren't you going to tell Liz that you're leaving, now?" She asked as the three of them started filing out the door.

"Not before 6:00AM, I'm not. She'd so kill me." Max answered as he carried the ice chest out to the Jeep. "Or try to drag me back into bed," he added silently as he slid the chest into the cargo area and closed the door. Sammy was already in the back seat using an extra jacket as a pillow.

"You boys have fun and good fishing!" Diane called out to her three fishermen. After they left she headed upstairs to the twin bed in the nursery. On her way, she looked in on Jake, who was still sacked out in Sammy's bed. Jake had the right idea. It really was way too early to be up.


~

After picking up Jesse, they stopped at the local bait shop to pick up one-day fishing licenses for everyone who needed them as well some lures and weights, and the miscellaneous fishing gear that always seemed to get lost, especially that last time that they'd gone out with Ryan and Chase along, and Sammy threw in some requisite
junk food. Philip had come by the house the night before, and helped Max put some new line on his and Michael's rods and reels. Michael was loaning them a couple of his for the visitors to use for the day, along with his tackle box. It was after 7:00 by the time they'd rented the boat, loaded the two ice chests (one for drinks and food, and one for the fish that they hoped to catch), a bag of snacks, two tackle boxes and the poles onto the little tin boat and were heading out onto the lake. The boat rental place had stated that this boat could hold up to six people, but Philip seriously doubted it. The four bodies that they had in it looked like one too many. Max obviously knew the lake and guided the boat over towards a cove where he knew there was a sharp drop off leading into submerged trees just below the surface, the perfect place for fish to hide.

Philip helped himself to a lure and some bait from Max's tackle box and had his line out in the water in no time. He poured himself a cup of coffee from the communal thermos and looked on as his son helped his grandson with his tackle. Philip had known, when he and Diane had decided to adopt all those years ago, that nothing of he or Diane would ever be passed on in terms of genes, but he had hoped that other sorts of things would. He watched now, with no small feeling of satisfaction, as Max show Sammy how to tie on a new lure and how to bait the hook, how to cast and how to tell when he was getting a bite, all the things that he had shown Max when he was young. Max looked up at him, caught the look on his face, and gave him a smile, which he returned. It felt good to know that he had been right. He'd been a good father.

"So Max, what was life like out on the road? You've got to have some great stories," Jesse inquired. Isabel had given him the basic rundown, but she hadn't gone into any details.

"Oh, there's nothing in the world like six adults and up to three kids, some still in diapers, living in van and traveling all over the place. Nope, nothing like it. You have no idea how hard we *all* worked to get those kids potty trained," he told them with a chuckle, then he sobered. "It was hard a lot of the time. And tiring. But there were some good times too. Belize was a one of those. We basically lived in t-shirts and shorts on the beach for
almost a year. The little shack we rented had four rooms, a little living room, a cubbyhole for a kitchen, and two bedrooms about the size of closets." He laughed at the memory. "We fought over the bedrooms for about a month then went with the 'first come, first served and you had to be up and out by noon and the sheets had better be clean', method. It actually worked out pretty well, too. Once we got jobs at the nearby resorts, we ended up working all kinds of odd hours. When we had time off we'd venture over to some ancient Mayan ruins or into the local markets," he recalled fondly.

It sounded fantastic to Sammy. He wondered if he could talk his dad and Uncle Simon in to letting him taking a year off before college, just to travel. "But you had to leave because of a hurricane, right dad?"

"Yeah. Hurricane Felix. The weather people forecasted that it would hit Belize head-on so we decided that it was time to go. So we packed up the van and headed out northwest. We ended up heading all the way over to the other side, the Pacific side of Mexico. We had decided to head back into the US. Belize had been good to us, but it was never home. We figured that Tijuana would be a good place to cross since it was so busy. There was just one problem." He tugged on his line to see if he had a bite.Nothing.

"What was the problem?" Jesse coaxed.

"Money. Belize didn't pay too well and we ran out of cash around Mazatlan. We had barely a peso between us." He noticed Sammy's pole dipping down a bit. "Sammy, check your line. I think you might be getting a bite," he instructed his son.

His dad and even his grandpa showed him how to reel it in, playing the fish so that it wouldn't break the line. He beamed as Dad used the net to scoop up the first catch of the day a nice brown trout. It wasn't too big. Just barely over the 2 pound minimum, but it was a start. Uncle Jesse showed him how to get the hook out, which he promptly cut his finger on. Dad took care of the cut with a glowing hand and the fish went into the other ice chest, as they congratulated him. Grandpa helped him tie on a different lure and bait his hook with some more salmon eggs. As things settled back down, Sammy was ready to hear more. "So, Dad, what did you guys do for money in Mazatlan?" he asked.

Max was busy for a moment trying to cast his own line out to a likely spot. "Hmm," he replied absently as he finally got it where he wanted and made himself comfortable with another cup of coffee. "Oh.... yeah, Mazatlan. Well, it was Maria that noticed it first." He said as he sipped his coffee. "There was this touristy restaurant and bar and it was hosting a.... well, a salsa dance contest with a $500 grand prize, $250 for second and $100 for third."

Jesse spit his coffee out before his choked. "You have got to be kidding me? Maria and... Michael? In a salsa dance contest? God... do you have pictures?"

Max laughed and shook his head. "No, because it wasn't Michael. We were desperate and hungry, so we all took turns practicing that day, trying to figure out who were the best dancers.... and Michael definitely didn't qualify."

"Okay, so... wait a minute. You mean *you* and...Daaaad! No way!" Sammy was shocked. His dad in a salsa dance contest with his Aunt Maria? Ewwww! That's gross.

"What? Kyle tried it, but... well...they couldn't stop arguing long enough to finish the dance, so that left just me. Liz is a good dancer too, but her dancing isn't.... well, it doesn't exactly have that Latin beat that they were looking for. She did enter though, with Kyle, just in case," Max said defensively.

"Did you win?" Philip asked with a raised eyebrow. He couldn't really picture his shy son entering a salsa dance contest.

Max laughed. "Second place. It's amazing what you can accomplish if you're broke enough and hungry enough. But, to this day, I think it was more because of the outfits."

Jesse really needed to be careful when drinking coffee around his in-laws. Man, it burned when it went up his nose as he tried not to laugh. "Outfits?" he finally managed to choke out.

"You okay there, Jesse?" Max asked as his dad gave Jesse a couple of whacks on the back to help him out.

"Yeah, so what were these outfits?" Jesse asked again.

"Oh...well, Maria thought that we should look the part, so Isabel uh, changed our clothes into something appropriate. For Maria it was a skirt with lots of layers and one of those off the shoulder tops," Max explained then went silent.

"Don't hold us in suspense here, Max. What about yours?" Philip asked with a grin.

"Let's just say that I was fervently wishing that Isabel had *never* watched Saturday Night Fever," Max elaborated and studied his pole, wishing that one of them would get another bite as a distraction, as it was now his dad's turn to snort and laugh outright, with Sammy following his grandpa's lead.

"Hey, I think I got a bite," Jesse exclaimed suddenly as his pole bent down sharply and there was a definite tug on his line.

"Thank God," Max mumbled and grabbed the net. Jesse landed a nice rainbow, maybe an 8-10 pounder. After a mid-morning break for a breakfast of sandwiches and some sodas, it was Max's turn to land a nice 4-pound brown and his dad was just as lucky a little later on.

"So Dad, after all of you went on the run when did you run into Cal?" Sammy asked as he ripped open the pack of Twinkies. He looked over as his dad fell very quiet. "Dad?"

Max looked over at his son for a moment then cast his line again and took a sip of soda. "We'd just gotten back from Mexico and Belize, and we'd headed up through the Midwest. We thought that the FBI would be looking for us in the West, since that was where we'd last lost them. We were wrong. We ran a roadblock outside of Cedar Rapids. It was.... bad," Max remembered and had to pause. They had been forced to do things that day that were still too difficult to talk about, but it had been an 'us or them' confrontation. And the 'us' had been family. He took a deep cleansing breath and continued, "We had no idea that Cal had been keeping track of us, but he was suddenly just there. He bailed us out and got us to safety; and then gave us one hell of a dressing down." Max still had to smile at that memory. Only later did he realize just how much Cal had enjoyed being allowed to chew him and Michael out like that. Cal had called them every name in the book. The memory brought Max a slight smile and a snort. "Anyway, he'd been a soldier on Antar and gave us some pointers on tactics, evasion, and a few other things. He left us a little cash and told us to try to stay out of trouble and, as he put it, 'not screw his life up too badly' in the process. We did try, and we succeeded... most of the time," he finished and grew silent again as he saw Sammy's pole jerk a little. Sammy brought in a brown this time, about a 5 or 6-pounder.

Lunch was more sandwiches and a liberal helping of the snacks that Sammy had picked up in at the bait shop. They silently agreed not to mention those to Diane. "So Dad, what did you think of the town?" Max asked as he munched on his second pack of HoHo's.

"It's a nice quaint little town. I noticed that they have a country club with a golf course. Are you and Michael members?" Philip asked he popped a couple of beers for himself and Jesse.

Max chuckled. "No. While Michael's a bit more...civilized, he's not exactly country club material. That place has a lot of the 'out of town' crowd in it."

"Well, you should both be members. You can make a lot of business contacts there. Just a suggestion," Philip advised.

"Yeah, I know. I'll think about it and check out what the fees and dues are. Maybe we could write it off as a business expense or something," Max replied.

"So, what are the winters like here?" Philip wondered.

"Cold and wet with lots of snow. We are a ski town after all, even if we aren't a Vail or an Aspen," Max reminded them.

Philip nodded and smiled. "The real-estate prices aren't too bad here," he observed.

Max washed his HoHo down with a Coke. "You were looking at real-estate?" he asked.

"Are you and Grandma moving here?" Sammy piped in.

"Thinking about it. We've been thinking of retiring for the last couple of years and so that we could do some traveling. And right now seems like a good time. I've had an associate inquiring about buying me out. In fact, he made me a very good offer a few months ago. I'm pretty sure that we could reach an agreement," Philip told them.

"That's great Dad. So you and Mom are looking for a vacation place around here?" Max asked.

"More of a retirement home. With you and everyone else here, and Jesse, and Isabel moving to Seattle... well, your mother and I want to be close by to sit back and enjoy our family... and spoil the hell out of our grandkids," Philip said with a wink to his oldest grandson. "And we can still do some traveling if and when we want to," he added.

"You mean leave Roswell?" Max asked in surprise.

"Not right away, certainly. But why stay there if everything that's important to us is here?" Philip asked in reply.

Max was so surprised that he didn't know what to say at first. "Dad, that... that would be great! We'd love it."

"Yeah, it'd be great for us too. And cheaper in the long run because there is no way on Earth that your mother would be able to stay away," Philip said with a grin. His pole bent a little. He ended up landing what had to be at least a 10-pound brown trout. By two in the afternoon they had met their limit and headed for shore. "So, what are we going to do with all of these?" Philip inquired as he helped show Sammy how to gut and clean his fish.

Max paused in cleaning his own and looked at the 20 fish that they had between them, all between 2 and 12 pounds. "Well, if no one minds, Michael could make use of these at the restaurant," he suggested.

"My mom has some great recipes, maybe Isabel could give her a call and make something with one of the smaller ones," Jesse thought out loud.

Max almost busted a gut he laughed so hard. "I hate to tell you this, brother-in-law of mine, but we have all come to the conclusion that cooking is NOT a female alien trait, at least not one that Isabel possesses. Your best bet is to write down your mom's recipe and give it to Michael. I'm sure that he could make it for you at the restaurant," he advised with a snort. He was right too. Michael was thrilled with their fishing success and had Jesse call his mother and get her favorite recipe... lime trout with cayenne over rice. Jesse and Isabel had 6:30 reservations for dinner. Max took one of the medium sized trout home along with a box of shake and bake. He figured that was about as elaborate he could manage.

~

Liz grinned archly at her husband as he slipped into bed with her. "My intrepid hunter. Now what should I reward you with for a successful hunt?" she teased.

Max could not help, but return her grin. He was starting to love her 'playful' moods. "Fishing isn't exactly hunting, but don't let that stop you. What'd you have in..." Max groaned as her hand slipped south of... everything else. "Mmmmm..." he sighed deeply.

"You know what I was thinking about?" she asked as her hands worked their magic on her husband.

"Humm?" he replied absently, his mind focused on what she was doing to him.

"South Carolina. Remember that summer that we wound up in South Carolina, and that hot, sticky night with a full moon and... a hammock?" she took his grin as a yes, "and remember how the only way that we could manage to make love in that old hammock was with me on top and..."

"I remember," he quickly confirmed, ending in a barely stifled groan.

"You were so hot and sweaty. Your skin just glistened in the moonlight. You were looking so incredibly sexy that night," she recalled.

"Just that night?" he teased back, half joking. At least he hoped it was a joke. Her hand seemed to confirm it. "I remember looking up at you, outlined by the moon. Like you were an angel sent just for me," he groaned as her hand hit *that* spot. "Although sometimes I think that you're a devil in disguise," he told her. "God, I love you."

"I love you too. My lover and husband," she told him and kissed him hard. She made sure that he was too exhausted to do much more than sleep... that is after he had gotten her an ice cream sundae.

~

"Sammy, time to rise and shine!" Diane called out. "Come on, up and at 'em Adam Ant," she said as she peeked into her grandson's room. Sammy had the blankets thrown over his head and Jake was lying across his feet. "Come on Jake. Time to get Sammy up," she instructed the half grown pup as she walked over and started tickling her grandson through the blankets. Jake couldn't resist the suddenly squirming mass underneath the
blankets and pounced.

"S-s-stop!" Sammy cried with laughter and threw the blankets off. He was definitely awake now.

"Come on. Time to get up. We've got a ton of work to do today to get ready for Halloween. And you need a costume for tonight," she informed him.

"A costume? I'm too old to actually *go* trick-or-treating. I'm just taking the kids around to help out Aunt Maria," he told her.

"Right. Sure. All that candy being handed out and you're just going to walk right on by? Not a chance... Now hurry up and get a move on," she coaxed and swatted him on his backside with a pillow. Sammy grumbled all the way to the shower. He really wasn't a morning person.

Philip stayed home with Liz, and baby-sat little Alex while she, Sammy, Maria, and Amy quartered the local stores for Halloween supplies. They picked up a few decorations, some extra face paint, a black robe with a hood, some pumpkins to carve, and a ton of candy for tonight. Philip then went back out, with Sammy along, to the hardware store, mentioning something about an idea for a coffin. She couldn't stop grinning as Philip and Sammy worked side-by-side, sawing, painting, and hammering. She wasn't sure who was more excited Philip or Sammy. When they finished with the construction, they put in a glow-in-the-dark skeleton, that Philip had picked up, inside the coffin and did some creative wiring with a couple of electric motors and pulleys, and hooked the result up to a
scavenged electric train transformer. She was very impressed when, at a touch of a button, the hinged coffin door slowly creaked open with a skeletal hand hanging on to the inside of it and the rest of the skeleton rose. It took a few hours before they managed to get the recording of the eerie cackling laugh to coincide with its rising. They put it out in the yard and surrounded it with a couple bales of hay, where those came from she didn't want to know, and set it off with some portable yard spot lights. Bag lights lined the walkway, and she and Sammy carved the pumpkins and hung some more bat-lights around the porch, placed spiders and their webs strategically around the entranceway, and with an eerie orange glow light bulb for the porch, they were all set. Of course their afternoon snacking meant that they were down two bags of candy. Those Milky Ways had just disappeared somehow. As dusk approached Sammy and Jake went over to Michael and Maria's to get situated with the game plan for the evening, and Philip was busy 'practicing' with the coffin. "Philip, I think that you're looking forward to this evening, even more than the little kids are," she commented.

Philip beamed as he looked up at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Check this out. I got Bone's eyes to light up," he proudly informed her.

"Bone's, eh? You named the skeleton?" she commented, clearly amused.

"We had to call him something. Do you think that we have enough candy for tonight?" he asked. He didn't want to see any little kids go away empty handed tonight.

"Yes, I snuck some extra bags of Milky Ways when no one was looking, so we should be fine," she assured him. "Max is going to love this. What time did he say he would be home?"

"Six-thirtyish. He said that he'd get everything set up for the Halloween Bash at the bar. He said that Isabel had it all planned out, and that she'd kill him if he didn't make absolutely certain that her plans were carried out to the letter. She was supposed to come by for an inspection around 6:00, so he figured a half hour of trying to 'fix'
anything not up to par, and then he was out of there even if he had to plead ignorance. You know Izzy, about a half hour of fumbling and she won't be able to stand it. She'll just take over and do it," he reminded his wife. It had been many years since he had witnessed the Christmas Nazi in action, but she hadn't changed a single bit, other than to enlarge her holiday coverage. Diane shook her head and smiled before returning to the house to make sure that Liz had a good view of the front door. She had wanted to be sure to see all the kids in their costumes.

"Okay, Sammy, here's the game plan. A three block radius in each direction, no eating of candy until it has been thoroughly checked, no going to unlighted houses, make sure they all stay together, no letting them take off with any of their friends, jackets stay on, do NOT let them change anything, I'd better not hear about any glowing hands... and are you sure that you're up to taking Alex with you?" Maria asked the teenager.

"Yeah, we shouldn't be gone too long, right?" Sammy responded. He was currently dressed as a ghoul. He was wearing the long black robe that he'd bought earlier that day and his face was covered with various shades of greenish-gray goop and accented with white and black. Aunt Amy was quite good at applying makeup. She had done great with Chase's pirate paint, and Ryan's Dracula fangs looked like they really were dripping blood. She was currently putting rouge on Megan for her ballerina getup. Jake even wore a kerchief around his neck.

"No," Maria replied, "you all should be back here no later than 8:00. Do you have your watch? Flashlights? Cell phone? Call if you get lost. You should probably take the stroller. Alex is going to get cranky. I'll pack a bottle of juice for him and an extra blanket in case he gets cold," she said and then couldn't suppress the grin as her youngest, dressed from head to toe as a clown, ran around madly, already on a sugar high. She hadn't been able to stop the kids from sampling the goods meant for tonight. Twenty minutes later they were headed out the door. "BEHAVE!" she called out one last time. She hoped that the neighborhood was safe tonight.

The shouted phrase "Trick-or-Treat!" announced them as the door opened. Mrs. Becket squealed in mock fear and told them what a scary bunch they were, except for the adorable ballerina and precious little clown, to whom she slipped a few extra pieces of candy. Of course, she recognized the Guerin kids, sweet kids and so full of life.
Mrs. Guerin always seemed to keep a close eye on her kids. She wondered who the teenager was that she trusted enough to take them trick-or-treating. He certainly was a polite boy.

An hour later they were using their flashlights to check out their booty. "Yuck," said Chase, "candy corn. Doesn't Alex like candy corn? Hey Alex, trade ya your Baby Ruths for some candy corn," Chase offered his baby brother.

Sammy scowled. No one really liked candy corn. It was just 'filler' candy. He was pretty sure that Alex would prefer his Baby Ruths. Sammy peered into Alex's bag. "Nah, no trading with Alex until you get home," he said. He was the adult tonight and had to look out for the youngest. "Come on, one more block, then we head over that way," Sammy informed them, as he pointed. He didn't want to admit it, but he was enjoying this, a lot. He'd trick-or-treated when he was little, at the apartment building. But that hadn't been all that much fun. The people that lived in their old apartment building were mostly adults and they were usually either gone or having a party, and were too preoccupied to hand out candy.

Ding-dong! "Trick-or-Treat! AHHHHHH!" All pretense of bravado was abandoned as a man with a knife protruding from his chest and a bloody bandage around his head stumbled and moaned, and slowly staggered to open the door. Sammy laughed his ass off as Chase, Ryan and Megan slowly grumbled their way back to the door. The man chuckled and handed them a generous amount of candy. Sammy had to present Alex's bag so he'd get a share, because no amount of coaxing would get Alex to come near that door. "Sorry about that. I didn't realize there was a little one there," the man apologized and threw in a couple of suckers as well.

Jake was having a blast. He was firmly secured to the stroller and loving all the attention that he was getting from all the kids. Sammy stuck Alex in the stroller and gave him his juice as they headed to their last street before they hit their own. "Okay guys, let's hit these, and then start heading towards home." He heard music rumbling through the closed door and it quickly opened to reveal a nice woman with a bowl of candy and behind her...was that one of the cheerleaders from the other day? Sammy grinned. She sure made a nice I Dream of Jeannie. "Hi," Sammy said, and his voice cracked. To add to the embarrassment, the cheerleader had wandered over to check out the trick-or-treaters. He hoped his reddening cheeks didn't show through his make up. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"What's wrong with your voice, Sammy? Are you getting sick?" Megan asked, full of concern.

"No, nothing's wrong. Let's keep going. We've got to cover as many houses as possible before 8:00," he reminded them, and he hurried up the pace.

The house on the corner wasn't decorated and no kids walked up to it. The porch light was on. There was evidence of eggs hitting against the second story. Sammy looked at the house for a moment. "You know who lives here?" he asked.

"Just some old guy. He's mean though," Chase informed him.
"Mean, huh? What's he done?" Sammy asked. And looked from face to face as no one said anything. "Well?"

"Don't know. Just everyone says he's mean," Ryan told him.

"Well, the porch light is on. That usually means that he welcomes trick-or-treaters. Do you want to give it a try?" Sammy asked them. The house was a little unkempt. The lawn needed mowing and weeding, and maybe the siding could use some paint, but he couldn't see anything to be afraid of. His cousins gave him uncertain nods. "Okay, I'll knock, you guys stay behind me. If it feels wrong, we'll just leave, okay?" They all nodded again. Sammy took a breath then led them up on to the porch and rang the doorbell. An elderly man with a cane and a scraggly beard answered. Sammy was immediately flooded with a sense of loneliness, so profound that it made his eyes sting. It took him a moment to overcome the feeling. ""T-trick... or-treat," he finally managed. He glanced back to his young charges and gave them a smile and a nod. They had nothing to worry about. He was sure of it.

It had been a long time since he'd had any trick-or-treaters. He always bought a couple of bags of candy every year, and then took the unopened bags to the food bank the following day. He blinked his moist eyes as four adorable little kids stepped around the youth that had original knocked. "Oh - oh, here... I... you like... I have Butterfingers and Crunch Bars, what do all of you... tell you what, how about some of both?" he finally
suggested as he hooked his cane on the little table that he kept next to the door on Halloween, so he had both hands free to hand out candy. He was very generous. He noticed the youth bending down and saying something to the little ballerina.

"Thank you, Mr..." Megan trailed off, not knowing his name.

"Luke. Just call me Luke, little Lady," he replied with a smile.

"Okay, Mr. Luke," Megan said shyly, but she was beaming. He didn't seem too bad, and definitely not mean.

"Goodnight, sir. Happy Halloween," Sammy called back as they left. He'd have to ask his dad if he knew anything about Luke, the man that lived on the corner on the street behind them. Maybe him and Dad could do something about those egg stains and maybe even the yard?

"Okay Max, here they come. Looks like they're pretty loaded down with goods," Philip observed. He and Max had taken turns scaring the crap out of the kids that came to the door and had loved every minute of it. It had been a genuine 'father and son' bonding experience. The ladies had teased them about being just like big kids themselves, but the women folk had laughed right along with them when they 'got' the kids. It was Max's turn at the controls this time. It wasn't going to be easy with Sammy along with them, but hopefully he hadn't spilled the beans about the coffin. Max knew it was going to work when he saw Sammy hang back at the curb as Chase and Ryan simply walked right on up the driveway with Megan advancing a bit more warily. Max timed it perfectly. The boys froze as the creak of the coffin lid caught their attention. Their eyes grew huge at sight of the skeleton rising up at them, and then... HAHAHAHA - red skeletal eyes flashed brightly - HEHEHEHE, cackled loudly.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" They ran, not walked, to the safety of the porch of their aunt and uncle's house. Where they were met by their Uncle Max and Grandpa Philip, both of them convulsing in hysterical laughter. "That's not funny!" Chase announced.

"Yes, it was." Sammy said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes as he came up behind them. He loved Halloween!

~

Part 26

Max came downstairs on Saturday morning to find the TV tuned to some sort of robot war cartoon show. He spotted Sammy stretched out on the sofa with a big bowl of... Max paused and looked closer, "....damn, he found my stash of Coco Puffs." He cleared his throat. "Good morning," Max greeted him.

"Oh, morning Dad," Sammy replied with his eyes still glued to the screen as he took another spoonful of cereal.

Max shook his head and went into the kitchen for some coffee and hopefully, if Sammy had left some for him, Coco Puffs. After bringing in the morning paper he joined his son on the sofa to finish off his very small bowl of cereal. Max still couldn't figure out what was happening on the TV screen so he started perusing the paper instead.

"Hey Dad. Do you know that old man that lives on the corner behind us? In the blue two-story house? You know, the one with the white trim?" Sammy asked during a commercial break.

Max thought about it then shook his head. "I don't think so. Why?"

"We went trick-or-treating at his house last night. We were the only ones to go there I think, even though his porch light was on. And I think that someone egged his house. He...he seemed really happy that we stopped by. I could... sense how lonely he was. Chase said no one ever went there because he was mean, but he didn't seem that way at all. I was just wondering if you knew anything about him," Sammy explained.

"No, sorry, I don't. But Mrs. Smithers next door makes it her business to know everything that she can about everyone in the neighborhood. If you really want to know, you could ask her. But, of course, then she'll want to know all about you in return. What exactly are you thinking of, Sammy?" Max was asked.

"I'm not sure. He was just so...lonely. No one should be all alone like that," Sammy stated.

Max sighed sadly. "There are lots of lonely people in the world, Son. You can't help them all."

"I know and I'm not trying to. I just thought we could do something nice for Mr. Luke." Sammy said.

"Like what?' Max asked.

"I don't know," Sammy replied in a disheartened tone.

"Well, maybe we could do something about those eggs. We'd have to wait until cover of darkness though," Max suggested.

"Yeah," Sammy acknowledged and considered some more. "His yard needed some work, Dad. The lawn needed mowing and weeding. That kind of thing," Sammy thought out loud.

Max nodded his head. "Sounds good, and today would be a good day to do it, because there's no rain forecast," Max suggested.

"Oh...I...uh, Dad, I grew up in New York City. I've never mowed a lawn in my life," Sammy informed his dad.

Max grinned. "Well, I can show you how it's done, and then you can get in some practice on our front and back yards. Starting with the back yard... after you pick up some... presents that Jake left for you back there," Max said helpfully and grinned at his son's suddenly pained expression.

~

Sammy looked over at his helpers, Chase and Ryan. They still weren't overly thrilled about being volunteered, but their mom thought it was a simply wonderful idea when Max had suggested it. He took a deep breath and rang the door bell. It took a while before the door slowly opened. "Good afternoon Mr. Luke," Sammy said. "I'm not sure if you recognize us, but we were here last night and we thought..." this was where his greeting faltered. Dad had told him that Mr. Luke might be offended by an offer of charity, because of his pride. "We, uh, noticed that your yard could use some work and we thought..."

"I'm sorry son, but I just don't have any money to pay you for any yard work. It's nice of you to offer, though," the old man said. They were such nice boys. He was touched that they had remembered him, and impressed that they were business savvy enough to come back to make a few bucks.

"Oh... but we weren't... Mr. Luke we just thought it would be..." Sammy was floundering. His dad had been right. Mr. Luke was a proud man, and he wouldn't let them do it for nothing.

Megan came walking down the sidewalk, made the turn onto the front walk, and marched right up to the door with a purpose. Since Sammy probably had little practice at this, and boys generally weren't that good at conning grownups anyway, she'd figured that they'd blow it and it looked like she'd been right. "Hi Mr. Luke. What my cousin was trying to say is that we want to trade you. Yard work for... the rest of those Crunch Bars and Butterfingers from last night," she told him.

Mr. Luke grinned at the little girl. Somehow she didn't seem to be the delicate little ballerina she had been the night before. "Candy, eh? You kids work awfully cheap."

"I don't. They do," Megan smugly informed him as she tossed her thumb in her brothers' direction. Mr. Luke laughed. "So is it a deal?" she asked.

"Deal. Why don't I get you kids some lemonade to wash down that candy that you'll probably be snacking on while you work," he offered kindly. He was chuckling as he went to get the lemonade while the kids got to work. That little lady was dynamite.

Mr. Luke sat on the porch swing with Megan, sipping lemonade and watching the boys work. "So the older one is your cousin and the other two are you brothers?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Megan answered, sipped lemonade, and swung her legs. "Sammy just came from New York to live with his dad, my Uncle Max, and Aunt Liz."

"Things weren't working out in New York?" He inquired. Sammy seemed like such a nice boy.

"No. His other Mom and Dad died in a car accident so he came here. He's pretty nice. I'm glad he's here. He's not a jerk like my brothers," she pointed out.

"Oh, I'm real sorry to hear that his folks died, but you're right. He does seem like a nice boy. But, then again, your brothers don't seem like such jerks to me, either," he told her. "Sammy's parents must have been divorced and his mom and step dad had died, such a shame," he thought. "He *is* such a nice boy."

"Trust me, they are," she remained adamant about that point.

"Well, maybe they'll grow out of it," he suggested.

"Hmm, I doubt it," she said. "Mr. Luke, is there a Mrs. Luke?" she asked.

"Not any more. She passed on. Been almost twenty years now," he told her nostalgically.

"What about your kids? Don't they come to visit?" she asked innocently.

He smiled sadly at her. "The innocence of youth," he thought. "My son can't come home yet," he finally answered.

"Why?" she inquired.

Mr. Luke had forgotten how inquisitive children could be. "He did something bad and had to go away for a very long time."

"Oh," Megan said quietly. "You must miss him."

"Yes, I do," Mr. Luke, concurred.

She thought about it a little. "Can you go visit him?" she asked.

"I have no way to get there. My eyesight's too poor to drive anymore and a taxi won't take me that far," he told her. He was touched by how sad that made her look. "But, with some luck he might get out... I mean, get to come home in a month or so. And in the meantime, we write to each other often and call occasionally."

"Oh, that's good!" Megan brightened considerably. Mr. Luke wouldn't be alone anymore.
"Do you think he'll be home for the holidays? My Momma says that holidays are for family, and this year is going to be great cuz our Grandma Amy's here! And Grandma Diane and Grandpa Philip, and Sammy too!" she said excitedly. Christmas was going to be so awesome!

Mr. Luke grinned at her enthusiasm. "That sounds like a quite a house full," he commented. "As for my son, Jason... well, maybe. There's a hearing the first of December and if all goes well, he could be home for Christmas." He gave a melancholy sigh. He so wished it would happen. "I would love to be there for the hearing, to offer some sort of support, but he needs more than I could offer."

"Like what?" she asked.

"I can give him a place to stay, but he needs to show that he can be gainfully employed. He'll need a job and those are hard to come by around here, at least in the long term," he explained.

"Maybe my daddy can help. He and Uncle Max own a restaurant. I could ask him for you," she offered.

He was shocked by her offer, but he knew that it was too good to be true. Plus it would be unfair to take advantage of her family this way. "Thank you Sweetheart, but you, your brothers, and your cousin are doing more than enough as it is."

It was getting close to dinnertime when Max decided that Jake needed to go for a walk. He just *happened* to pass by the house where the kids were working. He paused and smiled. The kids were sweaty and filthy, but the yard was neatly trimmed and weed free, and four chocolate smeared faces were drinking glasses of what looked like was lemonade. "Hey," he said with a friendly smile as he walked up the path the porch. "Hi, I'm Max Evans," he said, as he offered his hand in greeting. "That one's dad," he added and nodded towards Sammy. God, did it ever feel good to be able to say that.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Evans. I'm Luke Emerson. And you have a wonderful son and a couple of terrific nephews, and a wonderful niece as well." He returned the friendly smile as he shook the young man's hand. He glanced over at Sammy. He certainly was his father's son, but his mother must have been a blond. "I can't think them enough for the hard work today. I wish I could pay them something more than a bit of candy and lemonade."

Max looked over at the chocolate loving kids, and even Sammy had more than a spec of chocolate at the corners of his mouth. "Actually you couldn't have picked a better form of payment, but their mom's are expecting them home for dinner," he told them.

"Oh, of course. I hope that I didn't ruin their appetites. I forgot what time it was getting to be," Luke admitted and turned to his young helpers. "I can't thank you kids enough. You have no idea how much you've helped me out." He waved as they headed home, before he headed back into his once again quiet home.

Max paused for a moment before leaving to get an idea of just how much damage the eggs had done to the house. Not too bad, but all on the second floor. He'd come by late tonight after work and see what he could do. Megan jumping on his back interrupted his thoughts as he took her weight with an "ugh!". He had no choice, but to loop his arms around her legs for support, or she'd have choked him.

Once Megan got situated on Uncle Max's back and wrapped her arms around him she spoke up. "Uncle Max..."

Max boosted her up a bit. "Yeah?"

"Mr. Luke said his son couldn't come home unless he has a job," she whispered in his ear.

"Huh? Why's that?" he asked. He hadn't even known that Mr. Everson *had* a son.

"Cuz he has to... I don't know. Mr. Luke said that he had to have a... 'hearing'...and for that he had to have a job, and then he could come home for Christmas," she explained, as Uncle Max remained quiet. "Uncle Max, do you think my daddy would give him a job?" she finally coaxed.

Max didn't know how to answer that. Michael was not going to be thrilled with this idea of Megan's. He wasn't sure if he was either. Damn. An ex-con? "Megan, I'm not sure. Did Mr. Emer...uh, Mr. Luke tell you what his son's name is? " he asked. If he could get a name then he could have Cal check him out. See what crime he had committed.

"Yeah, it's Jason. So, do you think I should ask Daddy?" Megan tried again.

"I...uh...I guess you can ask him, but Sweetie, don't be surprised if he's not too thrilled about it. It's something that we're going to have to check out first and talk about. Okay, Honey?" he tactfully explained.

Megan sighed and slid down his back when they got home. "Okay, but I'm still going to ask," she informed him.

"I never doubted that you wouldn't," Max commented softly and grinned as the Guerin kids headed across the street to their home. Then he and Sammy turned to their own home. "Come on, you did good today Sammy. I'm proud of you," he told his son as he swung an arm around his shoulder and helped him guide the lawnmower into the garage. "So, have you got any plans for tomorrow?"

"No, at least none that I'm aware of," Sammy replied cautiously. He was starting to understand that that *particular* question usually meant someone *did* have plans for him.

"Good. We need to get down to Home Depot first thing in the morning. So we have plenty of time to work before it rains in the afternoon. I figure that we can get the dog run in by early afternoon and build the doghouse in the garage if it rains. With a little alien know how, Jake will have his very own part of the yard to call his own by tomorrow night," the father informed his son.

Sammy was thoughtful for a moment. "Owning a pet is a lot of work, huh?" he remarked as he ruffled Jake's fur. "But they're worth it," he decided as Jake started licking him excitedly.

"Yeah, kinda like kids," Max teased as they went inside. The aroma of Mom's stew filled the air, and it had been driving him nuts for most of the afternoon. Mom was pleased to see how hearty an appetite her son and grandson had. The stew was practically wiped out by the end of the meal.

~

That night, Max worked the 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM shift at the bar and, at a little after 2:30 AM, he stealthy slipped around Luke Emerson's house. He knew that he was taking a risk, but he figured that it was minimal. Even if someone did spot him, he could always say that his son had lost his watch or something, and that he was just stopping by after work to give it a quick look. No one would guess that he was using alien powers to remove the affront of some delinquent's attack on a nice old man. Now, the problem was that he couldn't directly reach the dried egg on the second story, which meant that he was going to have to do a bit more than just wave a hand at it and make it disappear. He looked around again to be sure that he was alone and then he placed a softly glowing palm against the wooden siding. A faint sheen of energy spread along the walls and eventually blanketed the house as it stripped away years of dirt and neglect...and just incidentally the dried egg. It was over in less than three minutes. Max cautiously looked around again to be sure that the coast was clear, it was and he smiled. He had done the equivalent of power washing the house, alien style. It was as clean as it could be without painting, and he could have done that as well if it weren't for the fact that it would have been too noticeable. Hopefully the neighbors would simply think that the kids had washed the outside walls as well as cleaning the yard. Otherwise, it would just be one of those mysteries of life. He felt pretty good about things as he walked home. It had been some time since they had done any good deeds for anyone. Maybe they could find non-alien related ways of helping people out. Like the kids had done today. Max frowned again. From the sound of it Luke Emerson had a son who was about to be paroled and who would probably be coming home to live. An ex-con would be living just around the block from them, from the kids. He'd called Cal from the bar that night and given him what information he had. As a concerned parent, he wanted to know if this guy posed any sort of threat to their neighborhood. He had the feeling that everything would be fine, but he had to be sure. He was a father now, and he couldn't allow a risk of that sort, not even a thin risk.

~

Sunday dawned gray and overcast with the clouds threatening rain. Home Depot opened at 9:00 and Father and Son where there for it. Max checked the home improvement how-to book against the rows of fencing and scratched his ear. "Don't they have kits or something?" he wondered out loud.

Sammy shrugged. "Don't know. It's that 'lived in a New York apartment' thing again," he remarked.

Max looked up at the rows and rows of fencing and lumber of all descriptions. He spotted the 'Need Help' banner with an arrow pointing down a pole. "Sammy go call for a 'helpful' clerk." Fifteen minutes later some kid wearing acne and an orange vest told him that he normally worked in plumbing, but he'd go look for the guy who worked in this department to help Max out. Max just shook his head. Some things never change. It was over an hour later when they finally managed to make it home with the correct amount of chain link fence, a gate, bags of concrete, and framing for the dog run, as well lumber, nails, dowels, paint, and even some roofing shingles for the dog house. At least the dog run was going to run along the fence that separated his and Michael's property line. There would be fewer prying eyes to witness how he got the cement to dry so quickly, especially in the damp weather. Not surprisingly, it was pretty easy for the aliens to put the fencing up, a little glow of the hand here, a little there, a few good blasts of heat for the cement, and they just finished just as the crackle of lightening rumbled and the sky opened up on them.

~

Kyle walked up to the open garage door. "Hey," he greeted Father and Son.

Max looked up for a moment. "Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"Nothing. I was just bored, so I thought I had nothing to lose by stopping by. Whatcha got going there? A doghouse?" Kyle asked in reply.

Max smirked. Kyle never changed. "Yeah," he answered before returning to the task at hand. "Okay Sammy, use some wood glue in the holes before putting in the dowels," he instructed.

"You do know that you can buy one of those Igloo dog houses a lot cheaper, and certainly easier," Kyle remarked.

"Yeah...so...what's your point?" Max shot back. They both watched Sammy smear the dowels with glue and then line up the pieces of wood, and they both gave him a hand fitting them together. "Looks good, Sammy. Let's take a break." Max went over to flip on the little portable TV that sat above the workbench and tuned in the half time report. "I'm going to grab a soda. Sammy, do you want one? Kyle?"

"Yeah," Sammy answered

"Got any brews?" Kyle inquired hopefully.

"I might have a couple left over from the fishing trip. Be right back," Max told them as he headed into the house.

"How'd you and my dad meet?" Sammy asked as he sat in a plastic chair. He'd been curious about that for quite a while.

Kyle shrugged. "We've known of each other since grade school. All of us have. But he and I didn't...bump into each other until he stole my girl friend."

"Dad stole your...who was she?" Sammy hadn't heard this one before.

"Liz. Who else?" Kyle told him.

"Wait, you dated... Liz?" Sammy was shocked.

Kyle smirked. "Yep, but then he did that 'saved her life' thing and... well, how's a guy going to compete with that?" he commented wryly. "Actually for a while there, even your dad and Liz were broke up. That's when Maria entered Liz into a blind date contest, so she could get her mind off of your dad, and she won," he recalled with a grin. "Your dad wasn't taking the break up too well. I sort of knew what he was going through so, the night of the date, I stopped by his house to commiserate with him." Kyle beamed as Max picked that time to come back with their drinks. "Yep, your dad and I bonded that night over a flask of Black Velvet." Kyle watched as Max leaned against the wall and scowled at him, but remained silent.

"A flask of... Dad, I didn't know that you drank?" Sammy commented.

"There's a reason for that," Max said and glared at Kyle. He was going to pay Kyle back for this if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Yeah, and that would be because he took one sip and he was toast...for hours!" Kyle snorted, clearly enjoying telling the tale. "See, he can't hold his liquor, not even a drop. So there we were, out in front of some cafe, watching Liz, all dolled up, and having dinner with this...Doug....?" he looked at Max.

"Shallow," Max offered.

"No, Shellow..." Kyle grinned at Max for a moment and they said in unison, "Dogboy!" and both smiled. "Anyhow, so there were Liz and Dogboy trying to have a date with a radio crew recording every move and every word. And there we were outside in the cold, ticked off, and watching. As they finished and were about to leave the cafe, the radio announcer talked them into a kiss, which they did and then... made their escape. They took off out the back way. Now, being the softy that I am, I couldn't take your dad's obvious pain." Kyle paused as Evans snorted at that. "So I offered him a bit of something to ease the pain. One sip and he was drunk off his a..." he heard Max clear his throat, "his butt. And I, being a jock, decided on a friendly competition, a race to the corner mailbox. Of course your dad cheated."

"I did not cheat. I won," Max corrected.

"He cheated," Kyle countered. "And then he promptly got himself lost. Since I felt a tad bit responsible for getting him drunk..."

"You were," Max interrupted.

"It was NOT my fault that you were such a wuss," Kyle shot back. "Anyhow, I thought that I should go looking for him. I found him sitting on the roof of a local club and made him come down. Ah, the bonding we did over our love and loss. That's when your dad came up with the brilliant idea that WE would win Liz back." Kyle was grinning like an idiot at the memory.

"WE?" Sammy said and looked over at his dad, who was trying hard not to smile and kept looking straight at Uncle Kyle. "So how'd you do that?"

"Your dad, who by the way is a total sap, painted a big heart on her balcony wall with M.E + L.P. inside of it. Of course I was slightly tipsy too and didn't pause to wonder how he did it without any spray paint," Kyle continued. "Then we broke into....

"That was YOUR idea," Max stated.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm embarrassing you." Kyle took a breath and tried again. "So then we broke into Liz's room..."

"Why'd ya do that?" Sammy asked.

"Cuz it seemed like a good idea at the time. Can I continue?" Kyle waited until Sammy shook his head. "Anyhow, we were just checking things out..."

"You were going through her underwear drawer," Max elaborated.

"Cuz it was there!" Kyle told him before Sammy could ask 'why?' again. "As I was saying, we were checking things out when Liz and Dogboy came running in to hide from the radio crew, who had caught up with them. Liz was just a little surprised to say the least, especially to find her number one alien here totally ripped. She of course blamed me right off the bat for getting him drunk and was trying..."

"YOU gave it to me," Max pointed out.

"I didn't exactly force it down your throat!" Kyle countered. "As I was saying, she was trying to make all these excuses to Dogboy about Max having a drinking problem and not to believe anything that he said. Of course, he was a big help by informing everyone that this was the first time that he'd ever drunk any alcohol. About that time Liz decided that she needed to get Max out of there before he...exposed himself, so..."

"KYLE!" Max warned.

"Exposed himself as an alien I meant....happy now?" Kyle didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "Since he and I had bonded a little, I decided to help him and Liz out. So I tackled Dogboy so Liz could make her escape with Evans to the balcony and down the fire escape. About that time the radio crew showed up."

"And...?" Sammy wanted to know. He was having a hard time picturing his dad doing anything like that.

"They took me and Dogboy with them as they drove around Roswell looking for Liz and her 'abductor'. It turned out that your dad was quite helpful with that when he actually flagged the van down for a ride about a half hour later," Kyle smirked.

"But I thought that Liz was trying to get you away from them. Why'd you flag their van down?" Sammy asked his dad.

Max thought for a moment then said, "Cuz it was there."

"But what'd you do for the half hour, Dad?" Sammy wanted to know.

"Yeah Dad, what'd ya do for that half hour?" Kyle encouraged and grinned broadly.

Max glared at Kyle even harder. Valenti was a dead man. "I tried to convince her to run away with me... I think. The details are a little sketchy, but I remember turning a streetlight into a mirror ball and making parking meters into sparklers. Anyhow, Liz was calling for a taxi to take us somewhere safe until the alcohol wore off when I saw the van and we needed a ride, so... it seemed like a good idea at the time," Max defended as best he could.

Kyle picked up the story again. "So there we all were nice and cozy, Liz, Dogboy, me, and Evans, and the radio crew in the van, on the way to the big concert in town, which had The Whits playing. That was Alex's garage band with Maria as the lead singer. They were the opening band. And since the radio station was a show sponsor, part of the deal was the blind date couple had to go up on stage and tell how they liked their date, or some such bullshi...bull. And since Liz now had three dates, we all got to go up on stage so she could announce which was her preferred blind date."

"And she picked Dad, right?" Sammy hoped he was correct.

"Kyle was a real catch that night, with him announcing to everyone that he was going to puke," Max commented dryly.

"Well you gotta admit, Dogboy was about as exciting as watching paint dry. But then, come on, who could compete with a guy that can turn parking meters into sparklers? Not to mention that big wet full out kiss you laid on Liz that night on stage to convince her to pick you, and in front of the entire school!" Kyle shook his head. "Nope, once you get sucked into the alien abyss, your love life is ruined for anyone else," Kyle purposely exaggerated.

Snorting and sputtering, "Bullshit!" Max spit out. "You've never let it get in your way. What about Rosita?"

"Now Evans, that was different. And besides, I still had to give her up for the good of the cause!" Kyle professed.

"The good of the cause?! That's a load of crap and you know it," Max countered. He looked over at his son and decided that he was old enough for most of it. "We were in Belize and Kyle was dating this local girl named Rosita. Michael and Liz had warned Kyle to be careful, because Rosita's father had been coming around the resort where Rosita and we all worked, looking for the guy who had been... 'dating' his daughter. But did Kyle listen to them? Nooooo."

"Evans," Kyle warned this time.

Max ignored him. "So one evening, Liz and I got off work at the same time and stopped at this little take out stand on the way home. And when we got there, one of the bedroom doors is shut with some rather...distinct sounds coming from behind it. Not caring to hear any more, Liz and I grabbed a blanket and had a picnic in front of the house on the beach." Max broke into a huge grin. "We were just finishing dinner when we heard all this crashing and banging coming from the house." Max snorted again, trying not to laugh until after he got it all out. "Suddenly the front door burst open and Kyle comes running out, wearing nothing but a panicked look, and followed closely by Rosita's VERY irate father, shouting and waving his fists in the air as they both headed off down the beach with Kyle in the lead." Max lost it then and laughed his ass off, right along with Sammy. "By then I knew enough Spanish to know that Kyle's life depended on him *not* being caught."

"You and Liz could have helped, you know," Kyle pointed out, deadpan.

"But we did! A few minutes later a very hysterical Rosita appeared wearing a sheet. Liz took her back inside, calmed her down, and had her dressed and in a cab before anyone got back," Max responded. "And then I made sure that the house was secure. After all, Rosita's father *had* broken in, which was very disturbing to us." Max bit his lip so he wouldn't lose it again.

"Secured the house... right. You used your f...friggin' powers to seal all the windows and doors shut," Kyle accused.

"Yeah. Like I said, I made sure that it was secure," Max reiterated. A snort slipped out though.

"You were inside. I heard you and Liz. You both were laughing you butts off, and then later you were getting down and dirty yourselves. And there I was just outside with no way to get in since my powers weren't developed enough yet to undo the seals," Kyle recalled.

"That's not my fault. You could have gone for a walk or something," Max pointed out.

"Wearing what? A palm leaf!" Kyle retorted.

"That also wasn't my fault. Besides..." Max snorted, "Iz let you in when she got home." He lost it again. "Oh God! I don't know who screamed louder, Iz or you, Kyle!" Sammy almost fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard.

"Is everything okay out here?" Diane asked as she popped her head into the garage. "Oh Kyle, I didn't realize that you were here." She paused as she saw her son wiping his eyes and Sammy doing the same. "Are...uh, are you staying for dinner? It's spaghetti," she offered. She had no idea what was going on and thought it best to keep it that way as she looked from one to the other.

Kyle cleared his throat. "Sure, that sounds great," he said in a surprisingly level tone. "So Evans, need a hand with that dog house?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Max was still grinning as Mom went back inside. "Sure. Let's get this finished," Max replied. Jake loved his new house once Max put an old sleeping bag in it. It was large and comfy, and it even had his name painted above the entrance.

~

Part 27

Max felt a sharp jab in his ribs and grunted.

"Max, get up. Come on, you need to get up," Liz said as she elbowed him again.

Max slowly opened one bleary eye and peered at the clock. "It's 6:00 AM, Sweetheart. I don't have to be in to work until 9:00 this morning," he reminded her and yawned.

"Max, you need to drop Sammy off at school this morning, and that starts at 8:10. So get up, and make sure that he gets up and gets ready on time. You don't want him to be late on his first day, do you?" she asked and gave him a shove this time.

Max scratched the stubble on his chin and reluctantly dragged himself out of their nice warm bed to start his day extra early. He showered quickly, hoping that it would help get the blood flowing and clear the cobwebs. Freshly showered and dressed, he knocked on Sammy's door and made sure that he was up before heading downstairs for the paper and some coffee. He made a point to flip on the computer and check his email. He was expecting one from Cal. And sure enough, Cal didn't disappoint. He printed it out before starting a quick breakfast. Sammy appeared downstairs about a half hour later. "You all ready?" Max asked as he poured him some orange juice and got him a plate.

"Yeah, I think so," Sammy replied and started in on his scrambled eggs.

"Good. Don't forget your cell phone, in case you need anything. And don't forget to call with what time school lets out so someone can come pick you up," Max reminded him.

"Okay, but I'm fine walking home," Sammy told him.

Max shook his head. "No, it's supposed to rain all day. There's no reason for you to get soaked like that. Just call and someone will come for you," Max reiterated. Diane and Philip showed up a little before 8:00. And a few minutes after 8:00 Max pulled up in front of the high school. "You remembered the forms, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, they're in my backpack. I'll see ya tonight, Dad," Sammy said as he slid out of the Jeep and into the rain.

"Okay. Have a good day," Max said, as he watched his son disappear into the crush of student bodies before he pulled out into traffic and headed to work.

~

Michael kept glancing at the bar area, waiting for Max to get in. He had not been a happy camper when he arrived home Saturday afternoon and been waylaid by his daughter. His scowl deepened as the object of his irritation finally showed up. "Maxwell, I have a bone to pick with you," he stated as he marched over to the bar and closed the door behind him.

Max looked over at his friend and noted the sour look and tone. "Morning to you too, Michael. What's up?" he asked.

Michael folded his arms in front of him, ready for the confrontation. "It seems that Megan has it in her head that I'm going to give some ex-con a job. She said that you knew all about it. Care to fill in the blanks?"

Max pulled the printout of the email from his jacket pocket and handed it to him. "The old man that lives on the corner behind me, the one that the kids did the yard work for on Saturday..." He paused until Michael grunted in acknowledgment while continuing to read the email. "That's Luke Emerson. His son, Jason Emerson, is up for parole the first of December and if he had a job lined up, it would help his chances of being granted parole," Max explained.

Michael frowned at the report. "You aren't actually supporting this idea, are you?"

"I don't know," Max admitted. "From what Cal says, this Jason has a good shot at being granted the parole regardless and will be living with his dad soon in any case. If he was gainfully employed, it might help keep him out of trouble." Max saw that this didn't improve his friend's mood. "It's just a thought."

"It says here that he committed armed robbery when he was a eighteen," Michael pointed out.

"I can sort of understand that," Max replied.

Michael's head shot up at that. "I doubt that he was looking for the space ship that brought him here," he responded dryly. "Besides, the store clerk was killed."

"Yeah, but not by him. Look, you have the report. Read it in more detail and talk to Mr. Emerson. Cal noted that he has experience working in the bakery at the prison. And baking was never your strong suit. It might not hurt to interview him," Max suggested.
Michael still looked skeptical. "Look. We agreed when we opened that you run the restaurant. It's your decision. All I'm asking it that you think it over."

Michael pondered it for a moment before nodding. "Fine, I'll think it over," he said and returned to work without another word.

Max watched him. He would lay a bet that, come December, they'd have a new baker working for them. There was no way that Megan was going to give her father any peace otherwise.

~

Sammy made his way to his first class, American History. He looked around the class as the teacher checked his admittance slip to make sure that he was in the right class.
"Let's see. Class, this is Sammy Evans," she introduced him. "Sammy, why don't you take the seat over there," she instructed as she pointed to the vacant desk next to the wall and towards the back, right in front of a couple of giggling girls.

"He's cute!" Cheri whispered to Tiffany, her best friend, sitting next to her. She had several best friends. It all depended on whom she was with at the time and what she needed at that moment.

"Did you see his eyes? They're incredible," Tiffany whispered back. "Maybe we should invite him to lunch?"

Cheri noted the designer jeans and trendy sweater that the new boy was wearing, as well as the latest running shoes. Obviously he came from money. And he was cute too. She needed to make sure that he was introduced to the 'right' group of friends. "Yes, it's the least we should do to make him feel welcome," she said quietly and
giggled again.

Sammy frowned. He wished those girls behind him would stop giggling. He could hardly hear what the teacher was saying. The bell rang forty-five minutes later. He consulted his schedule and school map again to see where his next class was.

"Hi, I'm Cheri," she introduced herself as the new boy paused at his desk to look at his schedule. "Tiffany's right, he does have incredible eyes," she thought to herself. "Like amber and smoke."

"And I'm Tiffany," the other girl added and cast a glance at her friend. She could tell that Cheri was all ready wanting to claim this one. "Well, not this time!" she mentally screamed at her 'friend'.

Sammy looked up and smiled at the two girls. They were cute. "Hi. I'm Sammy. Um, does either of you know where room 134 is?" he asked. As the girl named Cheri bent over to look at his schedule he couldn't help but notice that her top was rather low cut. A jolt raced through him as she touched his arm. Her touch was ice cold.

Cheri grinned seductively, as with just a touch she made him jump. They were going to get along great. She just knew it. "Oh, that's Mr. Proctor's Bio class. I got stuck in that too. Why don't you just follow me? My locker is just down the hall and then we can go," she purred at him.

"Okay," Sammy tried not to grimace as he replied.

Cheri couldn't help but gloat as she walked down the hall with the new boy. She'd snatched him away from Tiffany's clutches cleanly. "So Sammy, where are you from?" she asked as they stopped at her locker.

"New York," he replied and hoped that she'd hurry so he could get away from her gracefully... before she could touch him again.

"New York! That's great. Mom took me there last summer. I just loved all the wonderful shopping there," she said as she purposefully missed a number on her locker combination, wanting to drag out her monopoly on him as long as possible. "Oh darn! I'm always doing that," she exaggerated and giggled. Boys liked it when she giggled.

"God that noise is annoying!" Sammy wanted to shout, but he smiled politely instead.

"There's a rally before the football game on Friday night. That would be a good way for you to meet some of my friends since most of us are on the cheerleading squad and the football team," Cheri casually mentioned as she finally got her locker open and pulled out her biology textbook. "Ugh, this thing is so heavy," she commented and looked at Sammy, waiting expectantly.

"Oh...uh... I'll have to see," he said, and tried not to blanch as her hand 'accidentally' touched his when she dumped her textbook in his hand. Her touch was like ice water. He held her book in one hand and stuck the other in his pocket to keep it warm...and out of her reach, as they headed to their next class.

Cheri felt like it was her duty to introduce him to Mr. Proctor and waited impatiently for the old science teacher to get done with that Kelly girl. "God, what a low life! Always wearing old jeans and t-shirts. Hair always down and little, if any, make up. She should at least highlight that red mange of hers." she thought and rolled her eyes and started tapping her foot. That finally got the teacher's attention. "Mr. Proctor, this is Sammy Evers from New York." She beamed a smile at Sammy for a moment before frowning. Sammy was looking at that Kelly girl. "How dare he!" she wanted to scream, and with that she stomped off to her seat in a huff.

"Wow!" was the only word that Sammy could think of while staring at the girl, whose hair reminded him of a sunset over the ocean, as it lay in soft waves, framing a face with eyes the color of emeralds and sweet looking lips that flashed a shy smile at him as she took her seat. He dimly heard the teacher say his name, or rather something close to it.

"Evans, sir. It's Sammy Evans," he corrected as he looked over the class. He hoped that he got that vacant seat next to that girl.

"Well, Mr. Evans," Mr. Proctor stressed the correct pronunciation and shot a look at Cheri Thompson for a moment, "welcome to Bio 101. Now, let's see where we can seat you," he commented and checked the seating arrangements. "I see Miss Kelly McPherson is still without a partner. Why don't you take a seat next to her?"

He was gesturing at Sammy's dream girl!

"She's one of my best students and I'm sure that she can help you get up to speed in no time," he pronounced.

Sammy gave her a smile as he tried to remember her name. Karen? Carrie? Kelly? Kelly, that was it. "Hi Kelly, I'm Sammy," he said softly as she moved her things over so he had space to work.

"Hi Sammy," she replied and then blushed for some reason. Boys didn't usually look at her like that, especially cute boys. Sammy and Kelly worked efficiently together to finish their lab assignment, which left them some time to quietly compare their class schedules and get to know each other a little. Sammy was thrilled to discover that Kelly was in four of his classes and that her locker was just down the hall from his.

Cheri was seething as she watched and mentally noted every detail of the interaction between the two, the shy smiles, the blushing, the lingering touches, and the back and forth glances. She was NOT going to be shown up by some...some unwashed tomboy in ratty clothes.

Sammy jerked with surprise when the bell rang. He glanced up at the clock on the wall just to make sure that it really had been forty-five minutes. Where had the time gone? He and Kelly gathered their things and were walking out together. "So I heard about a rally and football game this Friday," he said. "Do you ever go to those?"

Cheri couldn't get out of that classroom fast enough and was just walking past them when she heard Sammy ask Kelly about Friday night. She was fuming by the time she got to her locker. She was going to have to get with the other girls and come up with something. No way was she just going to let this pass. That boy belonged in her group, not hanging out with the mutants!

Geometry was next and it started off with a test. The teacher told him that she wouldn't hold the test against him grade wise, but would use it to get an idea of where he was at compared to the rest of the class. Sammy finished it in no time and knew that he'd aced it. Math came easy for him. That left him the last ten minutes of class with nothing to do, but flip through his new math textbook and glance over at Kelly. She sat two rows away, too far, he thought.

Kelly could feel his eyes on her. She was certain that her cheeks were burning bright red. All this attention from a cute boy was new to her and she didn't know what to do. Her body was giving her all these weird signals. When he had walked in to Mr. Proctor's class with Cheri Thomson, she had thought that he was just another jock. But then she had looked at him and couldn't believe it when she found him looking back. And what a look! She could feel her temperature rising just thinking about it. She jumped when the bell rang. She had no idea of how she did on the test, but she wasn't too worried. Her previous grades meant that her average could withstand one or two chinks in it. She bit her lip to keep from grinning like an idiot when Sammy was suddenly standing next to her desk.

"So...um...uh, do you want to go to lunch?" Sammy asked nervously. He was doing his best to keep his tongue untied, but it wasn't easy.

"Um, sure," Kelly replied and gathered her things.

Theresa was listening to Cheri rattle on about how Kelly McPherson, of all people, was making a play for the new boy, while she scanned the cafeteria looking for them. She gasped when she spotted them. "Oh my God! Girl, you weren't kidding. She is reaching way too far out of her league. That boy is fine!" she announced to the group, who nodded in agreement. They were going to have to do something about this.

"I think that I did okay on that geometry test," Sammy commented as they looked for a place to sit and eat. They found a spot at the end of one table. "How about you?"

"Umm, I'm not too certain. I couldn't seem to concentrate," she replied. "But I can make it up on the next one. Mrs. Trinton is in love with tests. So there's plenty of opportunity to make up one that you've blown," she joked and smiled at him.

"Breathe in and out, in and out," he had to remind himself when she smiled at him like that. "Yeah, um...maybe we could study together for the next one?" he offered. A shadow fell across them, and it caused him to pay attention to their surroundings. A group of girls suddenly seemed to surround them. He looked around, startled. "Uh, hi," he said, trying to be polite, while not missing how nervous Kelly was getting.

"Hi Sammy. You remember Tiffany?" Cheri said as Tiffany gave him a smile. "And this is Theresa and Brittany, and Monica." Each girl gave him her best seductive smile as they were introduced. "So, we were wondering if you'd like to come with us on Friday to the rally and game. We're all on the squad and can get you some great seats, and afterwards we all can go to Wilson's for a party. What do you say? Can't pass on an invite like that," she confidently offered.

"Oh...um, Kelly and I were thinking of going to the game. Maybe we can meet you there?' Sammy suggested politely.

"Uh," Cheri's fake smiled slipped for a moment. "I don't think that would work. I mean she probably has to get home and baby-sit all those brothers and sisters she has so Mommy can finish...how do they say it? Slinging hash? We wouldn't want to do anything to upset her...domestic situation," she snidely finished.

Sammy wanted to put his arms around Kelly to comfort her as Kelly just stared at her hands in her lap. He looked up angrily at Cheri, "No, thank you. I think I have to baby-sit my cousins Friday night, now that you mention it." He told her and glared at her until she had the sense to leave along with her pack. He realized that that was what they were, a pack of hungry jackals. He then turned to his lunch companion. "I'm sorry Kelly. That was...that was...actually, I'm not sure *what* that was," he said and managed to get a small smile for it.

"It's okay. Besides, she's probably right. Most likely I will be baby-sitting my little brothers and sister," she admitted. She always had to baby-sit, ever since her dad had left them.

Sammy took a sip of soda trying to think of something to say. "So how old are they?" He tried.

"Bobby is ten, Kevin is seven, and Ellen is six. I do have an older brother, Patrick, who's nineteen, but he works nights and goes to college during the day. So that leaves just me. Mom works most Friday and Saturday nights, when there are better tips," she explained. "What about you? You said that you had to baby-sit your cousins. Do you live with them?"

"Oh, no. They live across the street. I live with my parents, and right now my grandparents are there. They're staying until my little brother or sister is born," he told her.

"Oh WOW! Your mom is having a baby? That's exciting! When's she due?" she inquired.

"Soon. The doctor said maybe another week or two at the most. But yeah, it's exciting. Everyone keeps saying that it's going to be a girl. That'd be cool," he said with a grin and sipped his soda. He really was looking forward to being a big brother. They ate lunch in silence as they both tried to think of something else to talk about.

"This must be...different than your school in New York," she guessed.

"Yeah, for one thing, no jacket and tie, and well...it was an all boys school," he told her.

"All boys? Like a military academy or something?" She had lived most of her life in the area and only knew about the rest of the world from what she'd seen on TV or the read on the Internet, or in books.

Sammy laughed. "No, nothing that drastic, just a private academy for boys. Public schools in New York can be...well...overcrowded and stuff," he explained.

"Oh," she said, but her mind was reeling. He had gone to a private school, which means that his family has money, which means that Cheri Thomson was probably right. He would fit better into Cheri's world of football games and parties than he would into Kelly's, in a four-room apartment on the wrong side of town. "Well, lunch is almost over so we better start heading to our lockers. P.E.'s next and the gym is clear across campus," she explained. Her smile was forced. She really liked Sammy, but she knew that she didn't have anything to offer. She had friends, but she wasn't in the 'in' crowd, and obviously someone like Sammy should be in the 'in' crowd and meeting the 'right' sort of kids. And she wasn't one of those.

"Okay, fine with me," he said and smiled back. The rest of the day zoomed by. In addition to biology, geometry, and P.E., Kelly was also in his sixth period French II class, the last class of the day. He walked with her to their lockers and then to the pick up area for the buses and parents. He scanned the arriving cars, but didn't recognize any yet as they waited together underneath an overhang to stay out of the rain. "I'm not exactly sure who's picking me up."

"Oh, my mom said that she's going to be running a bit late, but to wait for her," Kelly said and bit her lip. It was a lie. Mom wasn't picking her up. Her car had broken down last week and it was at a local garage waiting for them to come up with the cash to get it fixed, and racking up daily storage fees until then. They were stuck. And they
lived just close enough that school buses didn't stop anywhere near her home. But she didn't want him to know that, so she lied.

Sammy heard someone call his name and spotted a familiar face. He smiled. Uncle Kyle was picking him up, and in his 'baby' no less, a fully restored 1964 Ford Mustang. He was amazed that Uncle Kyle would take it out in the rain. "That's my uncle. Are you sure that we can't give you a ride?" he asked again.

Kelly shook her head. "No. Mom will be here soon. Besides, she'd kill me if she found out I got into a car with... well, I just met you and I don't know your uncle at all," she pointed out. It was true. Mom was very strict about things like that.

"Oh, okay. I can understand that. So I'll see you tomorrow. Bye," he said, but he still hated to leave her just standing there in the rain. He was still looking back at her as he slid into the black upholstery.

Kyle had noticed the girl that Sammy was standing with when he pulled up, and gave her a second look when Sammy continued to look back at her. "She's cute," he commented and finally got his nephew's attention. "What's her name?"

"Kelly," Sammy replied and turned to give her a quick wave as they pulled away.

Kelly waited until the car had turned the corner, and then she started walking home in the rain. She was immediately soaked to the skin.

"So Kiddo. You've got three choices. Home to bossy women, since your grandpa is out meeting with a real-estate agent, or to the bar, where you'll most likely end up helping wash dishes or some such fun activity, or you can hang out at the garage with me until your dad picks you up when he gets off around 5:00. What'll it be?" Kyle asked.

"Duh, the garage," Sammy replied. It was a no brainer.

Kyle grinned. Ten minutes later he pulled into a vacant service bay and grabbed a couple of chamois, and tossed one to Sammy, then they wiped down his baby before putting the car cover back on. Once they were done, Kyle directed him to the back office. "You can put your stuff in here and use the desk for home work," he suggested as he slipped into some coveralls. He had an engine overhaul to work on. "Unless you want to watch? You might learn a few things."

Sammy thought about it for a moment, and then followed his uncle out to the service bays. After Uncle Kyle made him slip a coverall on, he watched as Kyle pointed out the various car parts and what they did on the car that he was working on, and explained what he was doing and why. Sammy got the distinct feeling that Uncle Kyle was enjoying himself. "Which is nice, because I know that I am," he thought. "This beats sweeping up or washing dishes at the bar, any day."

After about an hour Uncle Kyle told him to take a break and get some sodas out of the mini-fridge in his back office. Sammy found the sodas no problem, but then he spotted something else lying on top of the refrigerator. He quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching before picking up the magazine.

Kyle was wiping his hands on a shop towel as he stood at the entrance to his office. He'd come looking to see what was taking Sammy so long. After waiting a few more minutes for the boy to peruse the Playboy, he cleared his throat. He smirked as Sammy jumped and tried to stuff the magazine underneath the Popular Mechanics.

"Whatcha got there Little Evans?" he asked.

"Uh...um...why do you call me 'Little Evans', and for that matter why do you call my dad, 'Evans'?" Sammy asked, trying to change the subject.

Kyle chuckled and walked into the office. "I've called him worse. As for you, well...we could go with 'Junior'," he suggested.

"Uh...no," Sammy replied and shook his head.

"M'kay, well, we'll work on it," he said as he walked into the office and pulled out a drawer full of candy and chips. "I was going to let you know that I keep some snacks in here and to help yourself... but I see that you already have." He smirked again.

"Oh, that... it a... it sort of fell open when I was getting the sodas," Sammy lamely tried to cover his interest.

"Um-yeah. Well, just make sure it doesn't 'fall open' in front of any of your aunts, Liz, or your grandma or they'll skin me alive... and then they'd get pissed," Kyle informed him.

"But my dad wouldn't care?" Sammy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, he'd care. But he was fifteen once upon a time. At most I'd get a glare, and you, I bet, would get a stern lecture on respecting women, at the behest of any or all of the aforementioned aunts, wife or grandma," he said and reached into the snack stash. "Mars Bar or Nestle Crunch?" he asked. Sammy took the Mars Bar.

~

Max was just getting ready to leave when Michael approached him. "Yeah?"

"Okay, I've thought about it. And I don't like it, but you and I both know that Megan isn't going to stop. So I want more information," Michael informed him.

"More information from...." Max waited for Michael to fill in the blank.

"From the one person in this town who knows everything about everybody, and just happens to live right next door to you... and tonight *is* garbage night." Michael almost smiled at the scowl Max was now sporting. "You know that she's dying to find out who Sammy is, not to mention getting to know about your parents and.... everything. I'm sure that she'd be more than happy to chat with you. Besides, you're the one that got me into
this. I could very easily tell Megan that I was willing to consider it, but Uncle Max wouldn't help. Care to guess who'd be camped out at your place until you changed your mind?" he threatened.

"You'd use your own daughter to blackmail me? What kind of example is that setting?" Max shot back.

"Desperation. Besides, you started it. Yes or no, Maxwell?" Michael demanded.

"Fine," Max growled back.

~

Max kept looking out the window until he saw the old biddy from nextdoor start to wheel her big blue garbage container out to the curb. It was the moment of truth. He took a deep breath and went to go get his own garbage.

"Hi, Mrs. Smithers," Max called out in a friendly tone.

"Oh, Mr. Evans. Nice to see you!" She had been dying to run into him, but he always seemed so hard to catch. "My, you certainly have a busy house lately. How's that adorable wife of yours? She must be getting close to her due date?'

"She's fine and yeah, she's due very soon." Max forced himself to stay and chat. Mrs. Smithers was nice lady. He would often help her clear her driveway and sidewalks when the snow got deep, or carry in something heavy, but other than that, he avoided her like the plague, she was too nosey for his comfort. "We sure got a lot of kids this year trick-or-treating."

"Oh, yes. And you certainly had them screaming with that coffin. That must have taken a lot of work... was that your father who made that?" she said, probing gently for information.

"Yeah, my parents are here helping us out until the baby comes, since Liz has to stay off of her feet as much as possible, and I imagine that they'll staying for a while afterwards too," Max filled in the obligatory blanks.

"And your little brother certainly looks a lot like you," she said, tempering her guess with a smile.

Max couldn't stop his mouth from dropping open in surprise for moment. "Uh, he's not my brother but... our son, Sammy," he corrected. He hated doing this. "He took Michael and Maria's kids trick-or-treating. You know they stopped by Mr. Emerson's house around the corner. I understand his son might be coming home soon," he hinted while Mrs. Smithers recovered from her shock, and hoping to direct her *away* from Sammy.

Mrs. Smithers was reeling inside. That boy had to be old enough to be in high school. And her neighbors looked to be in their early thirties that meant... they were teenage parents! His words finally interrupted her train of thought. "Oh, really? I hadn't known that Jason was getting out. Mr. Emerson will be thrilled," she shook her head. "Jason was such a nice boy, but after his mother, Doris, died, his father just lost all interests in things for a time, including what his son was doing. It was such a shame," she commented and shook her head sadly.

"What happened? I heard something about a robbery?" Max coaxed.

"Oh, yes. Jason fell in with some older boys who talked him into robbing the Circle K out on Badger Flat Rd. From what I heard, Jason didn't even know that one of the boys had a gun, and that he wasn't even in the store when it went off. He was driving the car. His poor father tried everything to get him off. But the clerk died and that made Jason was an accessory to murder. He had just turned eighteen the week before, and the prosecutor was out for blood. He's spent his entire youth in prison paying for it too. I know that his father used to visit him quite a bit, but I understand that he hasn't been able to drive for the last few years. His father is going to be overjoyed to have him home. Hopefully now he can make something of his life. He's still a young man, you know... about your age or thereabouts." Her mind returned to her neighbor and how young he must have been when his son was born. "Will Sammy be returning home with your parents after the baby comes?" she asked, anxious to hear the answer.

"No, this is his home and he's staying," Max informed her. He had no doubt that his family was going to be the latest topic of the bridge circle, or the sewing club, or whatever gossip group his neighbor belonged to. "Well, I better be getting in. Have a nice night. Bye." He left before she could ask him anything else. "Michael, you owe me for that," he mumbled on his way in. "You owe me big."

~



Part 28

Sammy's first week of school simply flew by. He made friends with John and Eric from his PE class, and they introduced him to their group of friends, who were somewhere between the brainiacs and jocks. Some were on the second string frosh football team, some were in band, and some were in the debate club. Sammy enjoyed hanging out and kidding around with them, but what he looked forward to the most each day was being Kelly's biology partner and having lunch with her. "So, how do you think we did on that lab report?" Sammy asked his lunch date as they took a seat on the steps of the quad. It was a rare, sunny, fall day in the Pacific Northwest.

"Okay, I think. We gave the facts. I mean how much more can you say about dissecting a frog? It's not like we could dramatize it," she commented as she pulled a bologna sandwich and a soda out of her backpack.

"Yeah, that's true. Are you ready for that French test tomorrow?" he asked. He wasn't and he knew it. He needed to practice and no one in his immediate circle of friends or family spoke French.

"Not really. I could use some practice," she admitted. Her nose wrinkled as she started to take a bite of her sandwich. Frowning she brought her hand near her nose. She could still smell the faint odor of formaldehyde on her hands even after numerous washings.

"Yeah, me too. Um, maybe we could practice together after school?" he asked, while his stomach was busy tying itself up in knots as he waited for an answer.
Kelly thought about it for a moment. She wanted to be his friend, actually she was hoping to be more than friends, but that wasn't realistic. She was glad to see Sammy making friends so easily and a little relieved when those friends didn't include Cheri or any of her entourage. It gave her hope that maybe he wouldn't care about her money or rather her lack of it. "Okay, but where?" she asked, deciding to chance it.

He opened his mouth to offer his house since it was usually pretty quiet there, unless his cousins were around. But, then again, Grandma and Liz.... were there, and any or all of the rest of the extended family could be there. And, while he was certain that they wouldn't disturb his and Kelly's study session, he didn't really want to play 20 questions about Kelly later on. "We could go to your place?" he suggested.

"My place? With two little brothers and a sister pestering us? Nope, I don't think so. And the library is clear across town," she sighed. "We need a neutral place. Some place public, so my mom won't freak about me going somewhere 'with a boy'."

'Somewhere with a boy' kept echoing in his head and a smile crept into place on his face. "I think I know a place and it's not too far from here either. We can walk there from school," Sammy said, as he resumed eating his lunch.

After their last class the headed to the touristy part of town. Sammy took a deep breath and shyly reached for Kelly's hand as they walked, and only started to breathe again when she didn't yank it away.

Kelly's mouth dropped open when they entered one to more popular and trendy, not to mention expensive, places in town. "Uh, Sammy, I don't think this is..."

"Hi, a table for two?" Suzie the hostess asked politely. "Oh wait, aren't you Sammy, Max's son?" she asked when she finally recognized him.

"Yeah, is he here?" Sammy asked only to have Suzie shake her head 'no'. "Oh, okay," he paused. "Well, is my Uncle Michael here, then?" he asked and was relieved when Suzie told him 'yes' and to go on back. He firmly held onto Kelly's hand as they walked through the restaurant and into the kitchen.

Suzie smiled at the two teens. Everyone had been shocked to learn that Max and Liz had a teenage son. They must have been kids themselves when he was born. Sammy was such a nice boy, who helped out occasionally when they were short handed. Sammy and that little girl certainly made a cute couple.

"Hey, Uncle Michael," Sammy said when they walked through the swinging doors into the kitchen.

Michael hadn't been expecting him and looked up in surprise. And got an even bigger surprise when he saw Sammy standing there with a little redhead...holding hands, no less. "Hey. What's up?" he asked.

"Um, Kelly and I were looking for a quiet spot to study for our French test tomorrow," Sammy explained. Man, it must be hot in the kitchen. His hands were getting sweaty. He hoped Kelly didn't notice.

Michael looked at the two. The girl was nervously biting her lip and Sammy's eyes were pleading with Michael not to say anything to embarrass him. Michael clamped down on the smirk that was begging to sprout and gruffly told them, "Sure, use the small banquet room." Then he added, "And grab a couple of sodas to take with you." Michael waited until the two teens were out of sight before grinning. "Oh Maxwell, have you got trouble heading your way," he said to himself and chuckled. He fixed a plate of fries and onion rings, along with a few pastries, and decided to deliver them himself. He wanted to see for himself just how much trouble was awaiting his friend.

"Are you sure that the owner won't mind us being here?" Kelly asked as they spread their French textbooks and notebooks on the table.

Sammy looked up in surprise. "Owner? No, I'm sure he won't, don't worry about it."

Michael paused at the door to the banquet room and watched for a moment as Sammy and his girlfriend... girlfriend?..... spoke French to each other. He saw how Sammy looked at her and recognized the lit. Boy, did he ever. It was a real trip down memory lane. He'd seen his friend sport that look for years, every time he looked at Liz Parker. "I thought you two might be hungry," he said, announcing his presence, as he set two big plates in front of them. "All the calories and cholesterol that teens like. Bon appetite," he said then shook his head on his way back to the kitchen. "I wonder how Maxwell will feel about redheaded grand kids someday?" he mused, and chuckled softly as he headed back to work.

An hour later Michael looked up when Max walked in. "What'd the doctor have to say?" he asked.

"She's dilated another centimeter, but still no contractions. We have an appointment for Monday if she hasn't gone into labor by then," Max said excitedly, and then scowled. "Liz threw me out. She said that I was driving her nuts," he lamented.

Michael smirked. "Yeah Maxwell, I'll bet you were. Glad you're here, though. Could you get a pitcher of soda and a couple of fresh glasses ready, and then take them to the small banquet room?" he asked. Max was so distracted over the doctor's visit that he didn't even question why he was the one doing such a menial chore. When he left, Michael just grinned, and waited for his return trip.

Max hefted the tray with the pitcher and ice filled glasses on it, and walked into the banquet room... and almost dropped the tray. Sammy was in there with...a girl. "Hey Sammy and...."

"Oh hi, Dad," Sammy said and then swallowed. "Um, Dad this is Kelly. Kelly, meet my dad, Max Evans," he said, introducing them as his dad set the tray down.

"Hi Kelly. It's nice to meet you," Max said with a smile and pondered the best way to kill his second-in-command for not warning him. Drowning him in a kettle of chili was looking pretty good at the moment.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Evans," Kelly said shyly. She couldn't help, but to look back and forth between father and son. They certainly looked alike, except for the hair.

Max had no idea what say after that. She was cute and the way that she chewed her bottom lip reminded him of Liz. She was lightly built and petite like Liz, but she had thick, wavy red hair and startling green eyes. "So...so, what are you two up to?" he asked, as he inwardly cringed, not at all certain he was ready to hear the answer.

"We're studying for our French test tomorrow," Sammy explained and then nervously babbled on for some reason, "we're both in the same French class. Actually we're in a lot of the same classes, we're even biology lab partners."

OH SHIT! Max swallowed and plastered a smile on his face. "That's nice. Um, Sammy just yell if you two need anything else, okay," He offered, and then he made it a point to leave the door open as he left. As soon as he was out of the room, he made a beeline for the kitchen, and his soon to be dead second.

"Bastard! You set me up!" he accused the second that the kitchen door swung shut.

"Yep, took your mind off of Liz though, didn't it?" Michael replied with a smirk.

Max faltered and then scowled again. "Not anymore. Thanks for the reminder. Do you know that Sammy and his... girl are biology lab partners? Like Liz and I were...and look where that got us! Jesus friggin' Christ! He's a kid! There is just no way I am ready to see history repeat itself. They're both too young!" Max said in a raised voice, just shy of a shout as he paced nervously. "This just can't be happening. Not now, and not so soon!"

"I hate to point it out, but you were a sophomore in high school, and only a tad bit older, when you and Liz connected," Michael replied as he delicately swirled some chocolate sauce around on a dessert plate.

"Thanks a lot Michael! You're a big help," Max shot back. "You do know that you're just a few years away from all of this, twice over... no three times over. I can't *wait* to see your reaction when some guy with long hair and tattoos, who's living on his own, rides up on his motorcycle ready to take Megan out on a date."

Michael's hand contracted convulsively and a big blob of chocolate shot out of the pastry bag he was using, as the chef looked like he was ready to belt his best friend. "Won't happen," Michael replied through clenched teeth. Not with his baby girl. She was going to go to college, get her degree, have a good career, and not date until she was at least thirty, if then. He had it all planned out and would zap anyone to Kingdom Come who dared to interfere with that plan.

"Right!" Max said then his shoulders slumped. "I'm not ready for him to be this old. I missed all the bikes and GI Joes, and the baseball games. Instead I get to jump in right at the dating and girls part," he sighed dejectedly.

"Well, at least he's comfortable enough to bring her here, where you can keep an eye on them," Michael tried to console.

"Yeah, and I bet Jeff and Nancy Parker thought the same thing," Max replied. "Thanks though. You're right. He's not sneaking around or anything....yet."

"Yeah, well, just wait until Maria and everyone else finds out," Michael responded with a pitying tone. "Poor kid, oh the hell they'll be putting him through." Michael chanced a rare grin. Which got a slight smile from his friend in return. Maria was going to have a field day with this one.

Back in the banquet room, Sammy checked his watch. "It's almost 5:00. My dad gets off work then. We could give you a ride home so your mom doesn't have to pick you up," he offered.

"Oh, um, that's okay. I can walk it," Kelly replied, as they were busy stuffing their books back into their backpacks and cleaning up.

"I'm not going to just leave you to walk home. I'll wait with you until your mom gets here to pick you up. Are you gonna give her a call and let her know you're ready?" Sammy asked.

Kelly refused to look him in the eye. "She can't pick me up. Our car broke down and we don't have the cash to get it fixed, yet," she admitted quietly.

Sammy didn't know what to say. "So...um, where is it? Your car, I mean."

"It's at the City Auto Shop. It needs like $2,000 in repairs and until we get the money they're storing it for us, at $20 a day," Kelly explained. "It's been there for almost three weeks and we can't even get it out without paying the storage and towing fees."

"Oh, that doesn't sound right," he thought out loud. "Maybe my uncle could help?"

"Your Uncle Michael? I thought that he was a cook?" Kelly asked.

"No...er...I mean he is a cook, a great cook, a chef actually. No, I was thinking of my Uncle Kyle. He owns the Expert Car Repair. Maybe he could...I don't work out a deal or something," Sammy explained.

"Uncle Kyle? You sure have a lot of uncles, don't you?" Kelly teased with a slight smile. She was relieved that Sammy hadn't just said 'too bad, see ya', but rather he seemed genuinely concerned and wanted to help. She hadn't been expecting that.

"And a lot of aunts to go along with them," Sammy kidded back. "I can ask him. Come on, let's see if my dad's ready and we can give you a ride, then I'll talk to my Uncle Kyle."

~

Max eyed the apartment complex. He rarely drove anywhere near this part of town, and he'd been surprised when Kelly had given him the address. The city had announced a new effort to clean up this area not too long ago, but from the looks of it, they weren't having too much success.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Evans," Kelly said. She could sense his unease with where she lived.

"You're welcome, Kelly," he replied. He and Sammy both watched her to make sure she got into her apartment safely.

"Thanks Dad," Sammy said as they pulled out.

"No problem," Max replied, and they sat in silence for a while as he drove.

"Her mom's car is at the City Auto Shop. It's being stored until they get the two grand to get it fixed. In the meantime they're being hit with twenty bucks a day in storage fees. That doesn't sound right," Sammy said.

"No, it doesn't," Max concurred.

"Dad, do you think Uncle Kyle could help?" Sammy asked.

"Help, how?" Max asked back.

"I don't know. Maybe cut her a deal on the work or something? I mean, they're obviously having a hard time and it's already been in storage for three weeks, that's twenty-one days. They'll have to pay $420 in storage fees as it is right now. If they leave it there much longer, they're never going to get it out, are they?" Sammy asked.

"Not likely. Do you want to swing by Kyle's place? To see if he's still there?" Max offered. Kelly seemed like a nice girl and Sammy was obviously pretty sweet on her. What could it hurt? They pulled in just as Kyle was locking up. "Okay, this was your idea, you go and talk to him about it," Max told his son. Sammy nodded, got out of the car and headed over towards Kyle wearing a determined look.

"What's up, Grasshopper?" Kyle asked as he pulled the last bay door down and locked it.

"Grasshopper?" Sammy cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I've decided that's you," Kyle told him. "So, what can I do you for?"

"Um, do you know anything about the City Auto Shop?" Sammy asked.

Kyle's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, they're my competition. They do okay work, but I understand that they'll add on a bunch of extras to your bill if you're not careful. Why?" Kyle asked. He shot a look over at Max who was patiently waiting by the Jeep.

"Well, um, a friend of mine...her mom's car was towed there and now... well, they don't have the money to get it fixed and they're being charged $20 a day for storage, and it's been there for three weeks and...Uncle Kyle, I don't think they have the money to get it out or get it fixed. Her mom's a single mom and she's got like four brothers and sisters.... and I was hoping that you might have some ideas on how to help her," Sammy explained.

Kyle looked over at Max again. They had spent fifteen years together on the run. And during those years they had often gone out of their way to help others. It had usually been Max's idea, but they'd all gone along with it. And Kyle had to admit that it had felt good. However, he had a business to run, and he had to do it at a profit. "Sammy, I can't fix it for free," Kyle told him.

"What if you used your powers, I mean that wouldn't cost anything, would it?" Sammy persisted.

"No it wouldn't, but not everything is fixable with a wave of a hand," Kyle reminded him. "But, I'll tell you what, give your friend my business card and have her mom call me. She'll probably have to pay the storage fees and the original towing, there's nothing that I can do about that. But I can send my tow truck over to pick it up and take a look at it, no charge and no storage fee. And we can work something out on the repairs. Okay?" Kyle offered.

"Thanks Uncle Kyle," Sammy beamed as he took the business card.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, go on, get going. I've got things to do tonight," Kyle told him. He glanced over at Max as Sammy headed back to the Jeep. "Damn Evans, your kid is just like you. You can both get me roped into all kinds of crap that I should know better than to be involved with," he thought as Max gave him a friendly nod.

"So how's Liz?" Sammy asked his dad as they finally headed home. He figured that she was okay or his dad wouldn't have gone back to work after the doctor's visit.

"She's getting close. She's dilated to three centimeters, but no contractions yet. He thinks that she might have it this weekend," Max said. His brow was once again pinched in worry. He didn't understand how Liz could be so calm about it.

"She's okay dad or he wouldn't have sent her home...right?" Sammy reasoned.

"Yeah, right," Max agreed. But he was still worried.

~

Max was surprised to find that he had a house full tonight for dinner. Apparently Michael, Maria, and their brood were invited over for a potluck, along with Isabel and Jesse. He was privately relieved to see the bucket of KFC that Isabel had contributed. And Maria did make some of the best vegetarian firehouse chili he'd ever tasted. Kyle had declined the invite, saying something about a date.

"So Maxwell, did you get Sammy's girlfriend home okay?" Michael asked between bites. He said it just loud enough for everyone to hear his question. The result was a torrent of follow-up questions from the ladies, with Maria leading the charge.

"Girlfriend?"

"Sammy you have a girlfriend?"

"What's her name?"

"How'd you meet her?"

"Are you in any of the same classes?"

"What does she look like?"

"Oh, how cute. You have a girlfriend."

"When do we get to meet her?"

"Yuck, a girl?" was the sole contribution from Chase and Ryan. They were both looking at their cousin as if questioning his sanity.

Sammy glared at Uncle Michael. What a mean, dirty, rotten thing to do. He noticed that Dad just kept shoveling food in his mouth, so he wouldn't have to say anything. He basically left Sammy alone to answer. So, Sammy took a deep breath and faced the music...

~

The tow truck driver watched the front wheels being lifted off the ground. He'd worked for Kyle for about six months. He wanted to learn from the best and the Expert Car Repair had the best reputation in town. He smirked a little as he locked everything into place and the nice lady paid the bill. It was nice to be taking business away from the City Auto Shop. They were a pack of thieves anyway. As Kyle had instructed him, he gave her a ride over to Expert Auto with her car.

Sandra McPherson had been shocked when her daughter had given her the business card yesterday. She didn't understand why a perfect stranger would be willing to help, but she was too desperate to look a gift horse in the mouth. She'd just spent almost $500 simply to get her broken down car out of hock and she still needed to get it fixed. As they approached Expert Auto Repair, she saw the medium height man with dark hair direct the driver to back into a bay. She waited until they came to a stop before getting out. "Excuse me, are you Kyle Valenti?" she asked the man who seemed to be in charge.

Kyle turned got a good look at Kelly McPherson's mother, for the first time. She was petite, maybe 5'2", with reddish brown hair and green eyes. She was still pretty trim, especially when he recalled that she had a bunch of kids. It's a good thing that he liked kids. She must have been a fairly young first time mother, he decided. "Yes, Ms. McPherson, that would be me," he answered and offered his hand, after he wiped the grease off.

"Mr. Valenti, I don't know what to say. I mean this is incredibly generous of you," she told him.

Kyle smiled. "I'm happy to help. Now, do you have the estimate from the other shop?" he asked and wondered idly what she was doing for dinner tonight. Probably feeding the kids. "And please call me Kyle...Sandra?"

She smiled. He certainly seemed like a nice man, a little younger than her maybe, but not overly so. For a moment, she thought he might be flirting with her, but she dismissed it. Surely he knew that she was a mother of five. That tended to discourage most men's interest. "Sandy."

"Sandy. Well, it says here that they were looking at putting in a new transmission, along with a new fuel pump, and a distributor. They've also have noted other recommendations for future repairs. I'll take a look and run a complete diagnostic on it, and then we can discuss how best to proceed," he smiled at her and his eyes communicated his suddenly obvious interest.

"Oh, thank you." His eyes were sparkling at her, and she felt her cheeks grow warm. He *was* flirting with her, and he was damn good at it too. And he was definitely cute. God, what was she thinking of? She was a mother of five!

"Well, I'll give you a call later today...or maybe tonight?" he asked.

"That...that would be fine, Mr. Va...Kyle." She said.

"Good," Kyle said smoothly. "I'll have George give you a ride home." He watched them pull out a few minutes later. If the daughter was anything like the mother, no wonder Sammy had wanted to help, he thought as he got to work, hooking it up to a diagnostic meters.

~

Liz had been going completely nuts the whole weekend. So much so that she'd almost hit her husband. Max was driving her up the infernal wall. She was on the verge of violence by Sunday night, as they were getting ready for bed. "I swear to God, Max Evans. If you give me one more worried look like that, I'll...I'll zap you where you won't have worry about this ever happening again. Now, knock it off!" she yelled at him.

Max blinked in surprise and gave her a hurt 'what did I do look'. "But I didn't...." He looked at her again. Damn, she was serious. "Yes, dear," he amended his reply meekly and slunk into the bathroom to brush his teeth before climbing into bed. When he finally came to bed he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, too afraid she that might bite him if he got anywhere close to her lips and teeth, and then he quietly scooted underneath the covers. He didn't think that she'd be in one of her 'playful' moods tonight. He watched her toss and turn without saying a word, he didn't dare.

She couldn't get comfortable. Her back ached. Her side ached, her other side ached. Nothing worked. Plus she was hot and kicked the blankets off down around her feet. Ten minutes later she was freezing. She looked over at her husband. He hadn't said a word, not even when he no longer had any blankets on him. "I'm freezing," she said. He simply reached down and pulled them back up over them both.

"Better?" he finally chanced.

“Yes Sweetheart, and thank you." She sighed. "I'm sorry Max. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just can't get comfortable tonight. Nothing's working! But I shouldn't take it out on you, though," she told him and pulled him closer for a kiss. "Umph," she groaned.

Max pulled back and looked at her. "What?"

"Back spasm," she told him.

"Here, turn around and let me see what I can do," he said. He helped her roll over and was rather proud that he didn't even snicker at her needing his help. His warm hands slipped underneath her nightshirt and started glowing softly as they traveled over her rear and lower back. He could feel her muscles tensing up. "Liz, are you sure this is just back spasms?" he asked as his hand glowed a little brighter, helping her muscles relax.

"Ummm, you always did have the most incredible hands," she murmured. "And yes, that's just back spasms. I'm getting close, but not yet. Just help me relax and get a little rest. Then *you* get some rest too. I have a feeling that we're both going to need it later on," she told him and felt his hands slip around her spreading their relaxing warmth and love. She sighed contentedly as her husband drew her close and kissed her neck before they both relaxed into slumber.

Her eyes opened under protest and focused on the clock. Not even 3:00 AM yet. She squirmed a little and felt the dampness between her legs. Her eyes opened wide. "Uh-oh." She struggled, but finally managed to get out of bed without waking her husband and rushed, waddled really, to the bathroom. She had just reached the tile when she felt it. A gush of water soaked her gown, followed quickly by her first contraction. "MAX!" she gasped as she tried to take a cleansing breath.

"Max!" He heard his name called out in alarm through the haze of sleep. He was immediately awake and quickly realized that he was alone in bed. He scanned the room and saw the light from the bathroom. "Liz," he called out in panic as he threw off the covers and ran to the bathroom. "Liz?"

She took a deep breath, grabbed his hand and squeezed as another contraction hit.

"Liz?" he tried again as his hand turned red, then slightly purple.

She took another breath after it was over. "Max, my water broke and I'm having contractions," she calmly told him. She had to remain calm or there was no way he would. "Go wake Sammy and call the doctor, but first can you clean this up a bit? I want wash up a little and put on a clean gown."

He thought she was crazy. As if anyone would care if her gown were wet? But he wasn't about to argue. He waved a glowing hand over the bathroom floor and then quickly down his wife before getting her a clean gown. He held her face in his hands. "I love you and everything is going to be all right. Remember that, okay?" he told her and kissed her with all his love.

"I'll remember and I love you too. Now go," she told him and he ran down the hall. She heard him bang on Sammy's door as she slipped her gown off. Even though Max had dried it, it still smelled funny to her and she wanted it off. She quickly washed up a little and slipped the new one on.

"Sammy. Sammy. Get up." He opened the door and saw his startled son looking at him with alarm. "Sammy, Liz's water broke and she's in labor. Get dressed. We need to head to the hospital," he said in a rush and then went to the kitchen to call the hospital. His heart was pounding as he rushed back upstairs to see how Liz was doing. He'd been gone less than five minutes, but a lot could happen in five minutes. He found Liz coming out of the bathroom and helped her sit down on the bed. "How are you?" he asked as he ran a glowing hand down her. He couldn't sense anything wrong, but the baby was definitely coming and quickly too. "We need to get you to the hospital." He saw the worry his words brought her. "No, no, everything is fine. I promise you. Everything is fine,
just happening very fast and I'd rather not have to deliver the baby."

She closed her eyes as she rode out another contraction and then took a cleansing breath. "Chicken. Maybe you should call Kyle?" she teased as her husband helped her up and grabbed her coat out of the closet.

"Yeah. He'd appreciated that," he told her as he guided her downstairs. Sammy was waiting at the door with the suitcase that had been packed for the last month.

"Dad.." Sammy started when he saw his father.

"What?" Max replied anxiously.

"Um, you might want to...I don't know, get dressed or something," Sammy suggested.

Max looked down at himself, standing there clad only in boxers, and then over to his wife accusingly.

"Well, I think you look adorable," Liz giggled. She wouldn't have actually let him get to the hospital dressed, or rather undressed, like that but... well, he did have the cutest, slightly bowed legs.

Max led her to a chair by the door and tossed the car keys to Sammy. "Go get the car warmed up. Remember how?" Sammy nodded and ran out the door. Max turned back to his wife. "Please behave. I'll be right back. I love you," he told her again just for good measure. He ran upstairs and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, pulled on some shoes, and grabbed his wallet and jacket, then he ran downstairs to find his wife in the midst of another contraction. "Liz, honey?"

She took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm fine," she told him. "Let's go."

Max had to resist the urge to break every traffic law in the books on the way to the hospital. Stupid early snow shower. The roads were too slick for high speeds and cutting corners. He kept glancing at the review mirror at his wife lying in the back seat, alternating between panting and clenching her teeth, sometimes both at the same time, something which he wouldn’t have thought impossible. He wasn't really sure how she did that. "Honey?"

"Just drive," she bit out as another contraction took hold. Damn, this happening fast.

The hospital was expecting them and wheeled her right into admitting while Max parked the car and Sammy followed Liz's wheelchair, praying she wouldn't give birth before Dad got back. How long could it take him to park the car anyhow?

"Sammy, why don't you go call your grandparents?" Liz suggested as the nurse helped her get situated in the labor room and into a hospital gown.

Sammy gratefully nodded and beat a hasty retreat to the waiting room and its banks of pay phones. He fished in his pockets and came up empty. He looked up and down the hall, the coast was clear. He placed his glowing hand against the phone and smiled when he heard a dial tone. He knew the phone number to his grandparent's motel room by heart.

The phone rang twice before he heard a groggy, "Hello?"

"Grandpa, it's me, Sammy. We're at the hospital. Liz is in labor!" he excitedly explained.

Philip had to grin at how excited Sammy was. "Okay, Sammy. Take it easy. We'll get dressed and be there in just a bit," he told his grandson and then he and Diane rushed to get dressed and head down to the hospital to await the arrival of their new grandchild.

Max passed by the pay phones and saw Sammy just hanging up the phone.

"Grandma and Grandpa are on the way," Sammy informed him.

"Good. Do you want to call Aunt Isabel and Uncle Jesse? And Uncle Michael and Uncle Kyle?" Max asked Sammy, who nodded as his dad gave him the numbers and then left to check on Liz. Sammy's hand glowed again against the phone as he began to dial.

"Hi honey," Max said to Liz as he took her hand in his and kissed her forehead.

"Hi, yourself. Ugh," she squeezed his hand as another contraction hit.

Sammy paced in the waiting room. He had no desire to go back in there. Thankfully, Grandma and Grandpa showed up about twenty minutes later to keep him company and little later they were joined by Aunt Isabel and Uncle Jesse.

"Are Michael and Maria, and Kyle coming?" Isabel asked her nephew.

"Uncle Michael and Aunt Maria are coming. Aunt Amy was going to baby-sit the kids. But I don't think Uncle Kyle is coming yet. He asked if my dad was there and when I told him yes, he said that he'd played stand-in enough and would be by after it was all over with," Sammy replied.

"So, what's happening?" Michael asked upon arrival.

"Liz is labor and Max is with her," Isabel quickly explained. For some reason it was reassuring that Michael was there.

"No problems?" Michael asked.

They all looked at each other. "No...none that we know of," Sammy finally replied.

Michael nodded curtly and took a seat. He was there because his best friend, and brother, was going to become a dad again. He was there because there was no way that Maria would stay away. He was there in case something went wrong. If something happened, he knew without a doubt that Max would do whatever he had to, to save his wife and child, and to hell with the consequences. And Michael wouldn't blame him. He was there for damage control. He was also a father four times over and settled in for a long wait.

Almost two hours later things were finally progressing in the delivery room. Max heard the doctor tell Liz to push with the next contraction. He held her hand, wiped her brow, and it took all he had not to interfere and use his powers to try to ease his wife's pain. He felt Liz tense up. He was amazed that she didn't break his hand, as she was holding it so tightly. And if she *had* broken it, he wouldn't have cared. He glanced to where the action was and was amazed, "I...I can see the head," he said in an excited rush.

"That was good, Liz. We need another good push just like that last one," the doctor coached once his patient had caught her breath between contractions. He saw Liz take a deep breath as another contraction started.

Max blinked several times as he saw their baby slip out. It was so tiny. They both waited for that first cry of life. The doctor quickly cleared the mouth and nose and thumped it on the feet. They heard a faint mew at first, but it quickly built into a lusty cry. He heard the doctor say, as if from far away, "Say hello to your little girl." Max kissed his wife's tears and had to wipe away his own so he could see to cut the cord. The nurse wrapped a receiving blanket around their baby and placed it in his arms, to carry to his wife. "Oh may God, Liz. She's beautiful," he told his wife as they both shared more tears of joy as they held their baby girl together.

Twenty minutes later Sammy approached his dad standing at the entrance of the nursery with a bundle in his arms. "Dad?"

"Come here, Son. I want to introduce you to your sister," Max said with a grin and carefully placed her in her brother's arms. "Sammy, meet Molly Marie Evans."

Sammy had never been around babies. The closest he'd come was little Alex, and he was a year and a half old already. She was so...tiny. Her arm moved and he grabbed her little hand. "God, she even has little tiny finger nails," he said in amazement. "She's so tiny. Is she okay?" he asked, then looked up at his dad with concern.

"Yeah, she's fine, small, but fine," Max assured him as he saw the rest of his family start to crowd around to welcome the newest member. His mom and sister were a flood of tears as they vied for who would hold her next.

"Is Liz okay?" Maria asked through her own tears of joy. She already knew the answer. Max wouldn't be standing there calmly if anything was wrong with Liz, but she had to ask anyhow.

"She's tired and a little sore, but otherwise fine," Max assured all of them.

Michael came over and clamped an arm around his shoulder. "Congratulations, Maxwell. She's perfect," Michael told him then surprised him by giving him a full hug. Max and Liz had suffered so much, it was about time something went their way.

The family watched as the nurse took little Molly to the nursery, got her situated in a cradle underneath the warming lights, and placed the little card on the cradle that identified her as Molly Marie Evans, 5 lbs.1/2oz., 17-1/2".

"She has your ears, Max," Isabel observed of her niece as the nurse put a little pink knit cap on her almost baldhead.

"Poor kid," Kyle remarked as he came in. "What?" He asked at the surprised looks. "Sammy called me and said it was safe." He looked again at his tiny new niece, "Congratulations...Max."

~

Part 29

Max was completely exhausted, but he just couldn't tear himself away from his wife and daughter. Mom and Dad had taken Sammy home as the sun was rising. And the rest of his family followed them home around the same time, but Max couldn't bring himself to leave. He was still in awe of it. When Liz finally fell asleep he spent the time in the nursery holding his daughter. Molly was incredible. She was a perfect little image of her mother and he was totally and completely in love with her. She wasn't even twelve hours old, and yet she was already Daddy's little girl. Eventually the nurse came to take Molly to Liz. It was lunchtime.

Liz smiled contentedly as she felt Molly take hold and began to nurse. The nurse showed her the best ways to hold her for nursing and when she should be burped, and told her what to expect in the first few days. Basically Liz figured that she wouldn't be sleeping very much. Molly was small, which meant that she would be nursing even more often than most newborns. She heard a discrete knock at the door and amber eyes peaked around the doorframe. "Come on in Max. You're just in time for the burping part. You remember how that works, right?" she asked as she handed him a burp rag.

"Yeah, I should, after having been spit up on many times by little Guerins," he said, still sporting the same goofy grin that he'd had ever since he first laid eyes on his little girl. He was enthralled as Molly finished her lunch. He had never seen a baby actually nurse before. It was amazing. Liz carefully handed Molly to him. He was a little rusty at it, but it quickly came back to him as he arranged the rag and then Molly on his shoulder, and gently patted her back.

"You're a natural, Mr. Evans," the nurse commented as she was leaving.

"Thanks," Max replied and grinned a little more as he heard a little 'burrrp'. "I think that she might have a little of Uncle Michael in her," he teased.

"Nope, that would be her dad coming out in her," Liz joked back. She watched as Max gently cuddled Molly in his arms. "Max, I want to call them," she told him. Max looked at her and nodded in reply. She dialed the number from her childhood.

"Crashdown Café," she heard over the receiver. "Hi, is Jeff or Nancy Parker there, please?" she answered and waited for one of them to pick up. "Hello," she heard the familiar voice say. She tried hard not to get choked up, "Daddy, it's me."

Jeff blinked several times against stinging eyes when he heard the voice that he had almost given up hope on hearing again. "Lizzy, baby. Oh God, are you okay?"

She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "Yes Daddy, I'm fine. Great actually. Daddy, you have a new granddaughter. She's...she's perfect, just perfect. She was born this morning. Her name is Molly Marie Evans. Oh Daddy, I want you and Mom to come and see her."

"Oh Honey, can we? I mean, is it okay? Is it really okay?" Jeff was almost afraid to hope.

"Yeah, it is. It's over. We're safe. Sammy, Max's son from...before, is even here with us. He's a great boy. I can't wait for you to meet him...and everyone! Can you believe that Michael and Maria have four kids?! And Jesse and Isabel have reunited and...Molly. Oh Daddy, when can you and Mom come?" she asked again.

"We'll make the arrangements today. A couple days? Where can we call you? It's..it's Idaho, right?" Jeff asked excitedly. Their dream was coming true. They were going to be part of their daughter's...and now granddaughter's lives again.

"We're in Sandpoint, Idaho. Spokane, Washington is the closest airport and then it's about a four or five hour drive. Let me give you Max's cell phone number," she explained. She was in tears by the time she hung up. They were tears of joy. She felt Max put Molly in her arms and wrap his arms around both of them, as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

It was mid afternoon when Sammy softy knocked on the hospital door and heard an answering "come in". He walked in with his hands behind his back. "Hi," he said to Liz and grinned at his little sister soundly sleeping in one of those hospital cradle things. He looked over at his dad, who was in a chair, snoring.

"Hi, Sammy. What do you have behind your back?" Liz asked. She saw Sammy break into a wide grin and to her surprise he gave her a big kiss on the cheek before showing her a big white teddy bear. "Oh Sammy. Molly's going to love this, especially coming from her big brother," Liz couldn't help, but hug him again.

Max woke up to see his wife hugging his son. "Hey," he said sleepily.

"Hey, Dad," Sammy greeted him. "Grandma sent me. She said that you had to come home and get some sleep now, because you won't be getting any when Molly gets home," he relayed with a grin.

Max yawned and chuckled, and then checked to see how Molly was doing. Perfect, she was perfect, as expected. He ran his hand over his stubble. "A quick shower and a nap do sound pretty good," he admitted with another yawn. He looked at his wife again. It felt weird leaving her alone in the hospital with their brand new baby girl.

"Max, you need to go and get some sleep. And your mom's right. Neither of us will be getting much sleep once we're all home. Go get some rest, and a good meal. We'll be fine," Liz tried to assure him.

"Hello, I heard that two of the loveliest ladies on Earth are hanging out here," came the greeting behind a big bouquet of white and pink flowers.

"KYLE!" Liz beamed. The flowers were gorgeous.

Kyle put the flowers on a table and looked over at a very happy alien king. "Okay Evans, scram. I'll take it from here. You've got some shut eye to catch up on, and I've got a little princess to get to know," Kyle said, as he was looking pretty pleased with himself. He always enjoyed a chance to order the king around. After looking at Liz for permission, he picked up little Molly. "Liz, she looks just like you... except for the ears... well, it's the little flaws that makes us human. Fortunately she only has one... or rather two." He looked over at Max and smirked. "Are you still here? I thought that I told you to scram," and then he returned to cooing over his newest little niece. "Ah Molly, now you're going to grow up and be just like your mommy, the better half of the gene pool, aren't you?" he told her as Max laughed and gave Liz a kiss, and then another kiss to Molly before following Sammy out the door.

~

Max was acting like they both were china dolls as he carefully stayed ten miles under the speed limit when he drove them home two days later. "Max, I demand that you drive the speed limit," Liz insisted from the backrest, next to the infant car seat that held their sleeping daughter.

"Liz, the roads are slick from the melting snow," Max reasoned as he putted along. The last thing he was going to do was get in a wreck bringing his wife and new daughter home from the hospital! Liz growled at him, but his foot remained level on the pedal.

"Finally!" Liz said as they turned onto their street. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as they pulled up in the driveway. A big "WELCOME HOME BABY MOLLY" sign hung from their front tree, and everyone seemed to be on the lawn waiting for their arrival. "Oh my God, I can't believe that they did that!" Liz exclaimed as they pulled to a stop in the driveway.

"They wanted to welcome her home properly," Max said with a grin as he opened the door to help Liz out. He had been touched when he saw the sign going up before he left this morning. He beamed as he saw his mom with her camcorder recording them coming home for the first time with their baby girl. Mom had bought several extra tapes and an extra battery pack, not to mention the Costco pack of 35mm film she'd picked up for her regular old camera. He quickly ushered Liz and Molly into the house before they got chilled from the cold. "We're home," he said. He and Liz were immediately mobbed by a throng of people, all wanting to hug them and hold Molly.

Max sat on the sofa eating a plate from the buffet spread Michael had brought over from the restaurant and watched as Sammy sat in the recliner holding Molly with Megan hovering close by, just itching to get a hold of her newest little cousin.

"I can hold her while you go and get something to eat," Megan offered.

Sammy looked over at Liz, saw her fixing a plate, and started looking for someone else to help him out. He finally spotted someone. "Megan, go tell your mom that I need some help."

"I'll help you," Megan replied.

"But you're already going to be holding Molly. I need someone to help *me*," he told her and breathed a little easier when Maria come over. "Aunt Maria..." he glanced quickly at Megan and hoped Maria caught on, "uh, could you help me hand Molly over so Megan can hold her?"

"Sure." Maria had understood Sammy's problem immediately. "Here, why don't I take her so you can get up and then Megan can sit down and hold her for a bit." The mother of four smoothly held her little niece and had to smile at those little ears... they were just so Max. Sammy gave her a grateful smile as he lined up at the makeshift buffet. "Okay Megan, take a seat and get comfortable," Maria instructed. "Okay, now you have to hold her like she's your most special baby doll. You have to be sure to support her head and neck," she instructed as she very carefully laid the precious bundle in her daughter's arms.

Megan just beamed at her new little cousin. "I'm glad you're here Molly. Now Aunt Isabel just has to have another little girl, and then we'll be even with the boys. I'd say that Mommy could have another one, but I'd probably end up with another brother, and I have enough of those already," she reasoned as she kissed the top of Molly's head.

Maria bit her lip so as not to laugh as she hovered very close by. Grandma Diane caught every minute of it on tape.

Max grinned big time at a knock at the door. Most of the rest of the family was finally here. He opened the door to his in-laws. "Jeff, Nancy, welcome," he said simply as they entered the door and were greeted with shouts of joy. Liz was immediately in her parent's arms.

"Oh Lizzy," Jeff cried as he held his daughter after his wife let go of her.

Max quietly walked over and took Molly from Megan, then came back over to his wife.

"Oh my God! She's beautiful!" Nancy sobbed again when she saw Max holding a baby.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Molly Marie Evans," Liz proudly said as her mother took Molly from Max. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sammy holding back, and staying close to Diane and Philip. "Sammy, Sammy, come here. I want you to meet my parents." She could tell that Sammy was nervous as he went to stand next to his Dad. "Dad, Mom, this is Sammy...our son."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Parker," Sammy said shyly. He was glad that his dad had his hand on his shoulder for support.

Jeff shook his hand and looked from father to son. There was no doubt who was the boy's father that was for sure. He glanced over at his Lizzy. Max was important to her. If he rejected Max's son, he would be rejecting Max, the father of his granddaughter, and the man that his daughter had chosen all those years ago. He gave Sammy a solid look. Lizzy had called him 'their' son. "It's good to meet you too, Sammy. I...I'm not sure what you should call me, but I don't think that Mr. Parker is it. My first name is Jeff." He glanced at Lizzie again, “or Grandpa Jeff, maybe? Whatever you feel more comfortable with," Jeff said and smiled as he looked up at his son-in-law. "Max, you look good... a bit older maybe. It's good to see you."

Max shook Jeff's hand again. "Thank you. It's good to see you and we're really glad you're both here to enjoy this time with us," he said sincerely. The rest of the day was a blur of family getting acquainted and reacquainted with each other. It was late when everyone returned to his or her respective homes or motel rooms for the night.

~

Max almost jumped right out of his skin when the irate squall first woke him at a little after midnight. He awoke with a start at 2:30AM, and was blurry eyed at 3:00AM as he burped his daughter for the second time that night. At 5:00AM he threw the pillow over his head and prayed that he had just imagined it. He hadn't. The alarm clock had a particularly cruel sense of humor as it went off at 6:30AM and woke the baby. He fried that sucker on the spot.

Sammy looked in on his parent's bedroom at a quarter to 8:00. He decided to let them sleep and got himself a bowl of cereal. Grandma and Grandpa were due at 8:00, and could give him a ride to school since it was snowing this morning.

~

Max had no idea what time it was, his alarm clock was a melted glob of plastic and circuitry. But Molly didn't care about that. She was hungry again. He looked over at his daughter while she was chowing down. Which actually didn't sound like a bad idea. "I could use some coffee. And I should probably make sure that Sammy got off to school okay," he said as he ran a hand over his morning stubble. After visiting the bathroom and brushing his teeth he gave his wife and daughter a kiss then started downstairs.

"Take what's left of the alarm clock with you. I hate the smell of burnt plastic," Liz said with a wrinkled nose.

Max smiled as he collected the plastic glob and went downstairs. It was startling to find his and Liz's parents sitting around his kitchen table. "Morning," he said as tossed the alarm clock in trash and reached for a coffee mug.

"Morning, Max. What was that?" Philip asked, as he nodded towards the trashcan.

"Our alarm clock. It...malfunctioned this morning," Max said deadpan.

"Hell of a malfunction," Jeff smirked.

"Yeah," Max smirked back. "Did Sammy get off to school okay?" he asked the group of grandparents.

"Yeah, I dropped him off in time," Philip told him.

"Mmm, did he remember to pack a lunch?" Max asked.

"I slipped him a twenty to buy his lunch," Philip said.

"Dad, school lunch is less than five bucks," Max replied.

"And your point is...?" Philip replied back.

"How'd Molly do last night?" Nancy asked.

"She's fine. Sleeps one and a half to two hours, wakes up hungry, it takes a good hour to nurse, burp, and get back to sleep, and then she's up again in another hour and a half to two hours. She's like clock work," Max mumbled, as he actually laid his head on the kitchen table and closed his eyes.

Four pairs of eyes couldn't help, but look at the trash again. The clock must have committed the unpardonable offense of waking a newborn, and thus her parents. Jeff laughed as he refilled his coffee mug.

Max opened his eyes and looked over at his father-in-law. "You're enjoying this," he accused.

"Damn right I am. How does that saying go? Grandchildren are a parent's revenge upon their children." Jeff laughed again and saw that the Evanses were rather enjoying this as well. "And that other one. Revenge is a dish best served cold..... well Max, this particular serving of revenge has been in cold storage for fifteen years." Jeff relished the pained look that elicited from his son-in-law, and laughed again.

Philip gave his son a friendly slap on his back. "And you're getting a double whammy all at once, a newborn and a teenager just discovering the opposite sex. What's that girl's name again that Sammy's sweet on? Karen?"

"Kelly, and thanks for the support, Dad," Max remarked and took a sip of his morning dose of caffeine.

"Well, this looks like a lively bunch," Liz said as she walked into the kitchen with Molly over her shoulder. She glanced at her husband with the dark circles underneath his eyes. "Well, most of you anyway. Max, she needs to be burped."

"Oh here, let me. I might be a little out of practice, but I think I remember how this goes," Jeff said, anxious to get his hands on his little granddaughter.

Max yawned and looked at his daughter and father-in-law. "If everyone's done picking on me, I think I'll go back to bed and get a little more shut eye," Max announced, then he gave Molly a pat on the back and Liz a kiss as he headed back upstairs.

"You know Liz, if you had a breast pump I could give you a hand with the feedings," Nancy told her daughter as she poured her a glass of juice.

Liz moved carefully as she sat down. She was still a little sore even after Max did a little healing last night. He couldn't do too much, though, or the doctor might get suspicious. But he did do just enough to take the worst of the pain away. "That's a good idea, Mom. I'll need to get one."

"Liz, you don't look like you're up to going shopping anytime soon. Maybe Nancy or I could go for you if you give us some idea what kind you'd like," Diane offered.

"That's true. The doctor said that Molly would want to nurse almost constantly. And he wasn't kidding. It would be nice to get more than a couple hours of sleep at a time," Liz admitted. "Mom, how long are you and Dad staying?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, I need to get back to the Crashdown this weekend," Jeff told her.

"What about you, Mom?" Liz asked as she looked up at her mother. "I need you," she said softly.

Nancy looked at her daughter, and felt her heart swell. She'd felt so alienated from her daughter during those last few years that she was home. And they hadn't been especially close for a long time before that. Now her daughter needed her. She glanced over at Diane Evans. She knew that Diane had been here helping for that last several weeks. Weeks that her daughter had needed help to hold on to her precious grandbaby. "I would love to, but..."

"It's okay Nancy." Diane glanced at her husband and smiled. "Philip and I will be heading home this weekend as well. We need to make some arrangements and start packing. We've found a wonderful townhouse right on the golf course here that is just perfect for us. Besides, mine were well past those two AM feedings when we got them. I'm afraid that I'm a little inexperienced with newborns. Don't worry. We talked about this. And we'll be back for Thanksgiving." She glanced at Jeff. "We all will be, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Jeff said and grinned as Molly let out another good burp. He knew he'd remembered how this worked.

~

"So how's your new sister?" Kelly asked as she and Sammy carried their lunch trays to a table.

"Pretty good. My other grandparents came in yesterday from Roswell. I think my parents could use the help. They were still sacked out this morning when I left. Grandpa

had to give me a ride to school this morning," he said with a smile.

"Hey, my mom gave me a ride to school this morning, too. I can't believe how great your Uncle Kyle was about the car! He only charged Mom costs and it was only like a third of what the other place was telling her, plus he did all those things that the other mechanic recommended, too. And he's even letting her make payments!" Kelly told him.

"That's great! Uncle Kyle's pretty cool!" Sammy agreed.

"Yeah," she said, but frowned a little. Maybe Mom thought he was a little *too* cool.

"Your Uncle Kyle likes to go out for coffee an awful lot, though. Have you ever had an... aunt to go with Uncle Kyle?" she asked with some concern. This could be bad, Sammy's uncle seeing, she refused to think of it as actually dating, her mom.

"Nope," Sammy replied with some concern of his own. From the stories he'd assumed that Uncle Kyle liked to have a good time. He didn't want Kelly to get hurt and if her mom got hurt then so would she.

Cheri Thomson glared at the couple from across the cafeteria. It was just wrong. Sammy had missed the first two days of school this week. Of course the rumor was that Kelly had given him something Friday night, since they had missed the rally and football game that night. They had to be out at The Point making out and she had given him something, and he had to miss a couple of days while the antibiotics took effect. At least that was the rumor that was spreading around. She'd made sure of it.

"Can you believe it? He's back for more," Theresa commented as she sat down next to her best friend Cheri.

"Yeah, I guess he's a glutton for punishment," Cheri agreed.

"I guess he likes what she...offers," Theresa said in a catty tone, and saw an answering smile spread across her friend's features.

"Tommy! Tommy!" Cheri called out and waved as the captain of the football team came over. She scooted over so Tommy could sit down. "Tommy, I just wanted to congratulate you again on your win Friday night," she said, as she sipped her soda.

"Thanks!" Tommy beamed. Cheri was cute and hung out at with a cute bunch of friends.

"You deserve it," Cheri said, then she purposefully looked over at Sammy and Kelly, making sure that Tommy followed her gaze. "Look at that. From what I hear, what she... puts out is quite unique. You just have to be careful that you don't catch anything. And judging by the fact that he recently learned the hard way to be careful and is already back for more... I wonder what it is that she does," she said and gleefully watched Tommy watching Kelly and Sammy.

~

"Hey, Evans!" Tommy called out as they raced around the track during P.E.

"Hey," Sammy panted out as he ran/jogged the track.

"Hey, I was wondering..." Tommy said as they jogged side by side.

"What?" Sammy replied, curious. He really didn't know Tommy Walters.

"How she does it?" Tommy asked.

"How who does what?" Sammy replied.

"Kelly McPherson. What does she do differently?" Tommy asked as he and Sammy came to a stand still in the middle of the track. "You know, how she puts out? I heard it was incredible, but to use a condom. So how was it? I was thinking of asking her out after the game Friday to work off a little extra steam," he said with a smirk. He never saw the right cross that knocked him flat. Before he knew what was happening he was involved in a hell of a fistfight with a boy that he barely even knew.

~

Max looked at his son sitting outside the principal's office. Sammy was holding an ice pack to his puffy eye. The other boy was sitting across from him also holding an ice pack to his nose and a swollen lip. The other father who was also in the principal's office wasn't any happier about this than he was, but had decided to take it out on the principal instead.

"I don't give damn what Tommy said, that other boy threw the first punch! I want him expelled," George Walters bellowed.

"From what I understand your son instigated it," Max said, defending his son. He knew Sammy was most likely going to be staying home for a few days, but he wasn't going to let his son take the total rap for this.

George Walters spun and faced Max. "Your kid slugged mine, and I'll be damned if Tommy is going to be expelled for it! He won't be eligible for Friday's game! I won't let this jeopardize his shot at a football scholarship!"

"Actually Tommy did *that* when he slandered Miss McPherson to Mr. Evans," The principal pointed out to Mr. Walters and held up his hand to stave off another outburst from Mr. Walters. "Both Samuel Evans and Thomas Walters are suspended for the rest of the week. Since this is the first altercation for both, we'll leave it at that," the principal said. "And Mr. Walters, one missed game this early in the year won't throw off that scholarship, if he really has a shot at it," he pronounced as he closed the file on the incident. "But Mr. Walters? I suggest that if you can't teach your son decent manners, then you should at least teach him when to keep his mouth shut, otherwise that hypothetical scholarship isn't going to do him any good at all."

Walters looked as if he were about to burst a blood vessel, but simply nodded curtly and left the office to take his son home.

Sammy looked up worriedly as his dad came out of the principal's office. He didn't look happy.

"Come on. Let's go home." Max said as he gathered his son to take him home.

Sammy nodded and waited until they were in the car. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"I know," Max told his son as he drove. "Sammy, I understand what you did, and why, but...Sammy, the terms of the custody agreement... this doesn’t reflect well on either one of us. I promised Simon that I wouldn't let anything interfere with your schooling. This is only your second week, and you've missed two days already because of Molly's birth. Simon understood that, but how do you think it looks that you're missing the rest of the week for fighting?" Max calmly pointed out.

"Oh. I... I didn't think of that," Sammy admitted. "Dad, should I call Uncle Simon and explain?"

"That might not be a bad idea. Now, what are you planning on doing the rest of the week?" Max asked.

Sammy looked at his dad, and sighed. "I don't suppose that watching TV and goofing around is the answer you want to hear?"

"No, I don't suppose that it would be. I do believe that Michael could use a hand at the restaurant," Max suggested.

"Great, washing dishes," Sammy commented gloomily.

~

She felt awful, and having to tell her mother what had happened only made it worse. No one knew how the rumors had started, but the result was that there had been a fight about her and the principal felt that it was his duty to inform her mother. While she was furious and embarrassed beyond belief, it did have one benefit, her mother thought it proper that they go explain and apologize for any trouble caused to the Evans. Kelly's heart pounded as they pulled up in front of the two-story, neatly kept house. She was surprised that it was so modest. Sammy had always worn the latest styles from New York, and gone to a private school while there. She took a deep breath of air as they walked up to the porch and rang the bell. She heard a baby cry as the door opened and looked up into beautiful amber eyes, even if they were slightly older eyes than she'd been expecting... and hoping to see. She glanced back at her mother, whom she was grateful to see standing behind her, lending support. "Mr...Mr. Evans... I...I wanted to come over and...and..."

"Kelly, isn't it? Why don't you come in?" Max said kindly and opened the door to allow them into the house.

"Thank you, Mr. Evans. I'm Sandra McPherson, Kelly's mother, and we came over to apologize for any trouble Sammy might be in for... for what happened at school today," Sandra said as she stood tall, wanting to do the right thing and stand by her daughter, whom she knew had done nothing wrong. A boy had defended her daughter's honor, a boy that she had overheard her daughter talking about to her friends, and she wanted to meet him and his family.

Max extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Max Evans, Sammy's father," he said and turned to find his wife standing there holding their baby girl. "And this is my wife, Liz Evans and our baby girl, Molly," he said as they came forward. He then went to get Sammy, who was in his room with Jake.

Kelly and her mother were busy cooing over Molly when Kelly looked up to see Sammy standing there, and sporting one hell of a shiner. "Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed as her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God, Sammy. Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

Sammy shrugged. It hurt like hell, even after his dad helped him get over the headache that had gone with it. But he couldn't heal the shiner itself though without raising suspicion. "No, it looks worse than it really is," Sammy said, downplaying it.

"Sammy, I... I'm so sorry that this happened. I heard that you got suspended. I hope this didn't cause you too much trouble," Kelly said. She wanted to... do something, maybe kiss it and make it all better or something. But she doubted that her mother would understand if she did that, so she took and held Sammy's hand instead. "Thank you for what you did, for standing up for me. No one's ever done that before," she told him sincerely, as she looked deeply into those incredible amber eyes of his.

Liz watched the scene play out and bit her lip so as not to grin too broadly at the adorable 'aww-shucks' look that Sammy sported, as he turned five shades of red. "So Sandra, would you like a cup of tea?" Liz offered as she headed into the kitchen with Kelly's mother to give the two teens a little privacy. She had to grab Max's shirtsleeve as she went since he was a little slow on the uptake. The two mothers chatted as Max held little Molly and paced around, trying to give Sammy some privacy while at the same time trying to keep an eye on what was happening in the living room between the two teenagers.

"I can't believe you did that Sammy," Kelly said as she sat on the sofa with him.

"He shouldn't have said that," Sammy replied. "I still don't get why he said it. He had no right to."

"I think I do. Eric, who's the backup center on the frosh football team, overheard the varsity guys talking about it. Apparently some nasty rumors got started about me... and you. It seems rumor has it that we spent a wild Friday night at The Point and that you..." she blushed deeply, both from embarrassment and anger, "that I gave you... something and you had to miss a couple days of school this week to give the medication time to work."

Sammy's draw dropped. "You're kidding! Who would make up something like that?"

"I don't know for sure who started it, but I understand that Cheri Thomson wasn't above passing the rumor along," Kelly told him.

"Cheri Thomson? Why would she do that? I hardly even know her," Sammy said, truly confused now.

Kelly looked down at her hands as she spoke. "She's jealous Sammy. She...she wants to go out with you. She thinks that you seeing me is... beneath your... your 'social' class."

"My social class? What's that supposed to mean? She doesn't know anything about me!" He still was very confused. How could Cheri know about his money?

"Your clothes and... a private school in New York. Those all cost money. Money like what Cheri comes from and I... don't," she said, finally spitting out the truth as she held her breath waiting for his response.

Sammy was speechless. He had never even thought of it. All his friends in New York went to private schools, and wore the latest fashions, when not wearing school uniforms. He didn't even think about it. He just hadn't seen it. "Kelly, I... I admit that I did have family in New York that were well off, but my dad's... not. I mean he does great. He and Uncle Michael started the Out of the Way Bar and Grill, and Uncle Kyle started the Expert Car Repair. But Rockefellers, they aren't," he said with a grin. It was technically true. His dad wasn't as wealthy as the Rockefellers. He was, but Dad wasn't. He hated lying to Kelly, even by omission, but maybe one day he could tell her the whole truth.

"Oh," she said and thought about it. The Out of the Way Bar and Grill had been open for a few years, and Sammy had just started school. "Sammy, can I ask why you left New York?"

Sammy sighed. "My parents were real young when I was born, still in high school even, and well...I was sent to live with family in New York. They eventually even adopted me... but they died a few years ago and... well, I lived with another relative for a little while, but my parents wanted me and I wanted to come here. So here I am. I... uh, I hope that you're okay with that... with me being here?" he said, as he wondered why his mouth seemed to insist on babbling onward.

Kelly smiled. "Oh I am. After all, you're my hero." Her kiss on his cheek surprised both of them, but neither seemed too upset by it.

~

Part 30

Liz looked over at her husband as he sipped his morning coffee and read the paper while he ate his breakfast. There had been more than a few times when she hadn't been sure if either of them were going to survive the last two weeks, but thankfully Molly had started showing some mercy on them, and she was gradually moving up to three, and every once in a while even four, hours between feedings. Even with her mom staying with them full-time it had been challenging. But they had survived. Now they just needed to survive their next test. "Max, have you considered 'talking' to Sammy?" she asked.

Max turned the page of the paper. "Sure I talk to him," he replied not really paying attention.

"Max, I think you need to have a 'talk' with him," Liz persisted.

"Okay," he agreed.
She put a glass of juice right on his paper to get his attention. "Max, you're not listening. I said that you need to 'talk' to Sammy," she insisted.

Max looked at her. "I said okay. I'll talk to him." She finally nodded and removed the juice glass. He turned the page and then looked at her again, perplexed. "Just what am I supposed to talk to him about?"

Liz rolled her eyes and wondered if mankind would still be living in caves if it weren't for women. "Max, he and Kelly are very cute together, but..."

"But what? She's nice. I like her," Max said.

"I like her too and I have no problem with him seeing her or even getting more serious...eventually. But not anytime soon." Liz sighed when she saw her husband was frowning. "Max, I think you need to sit down and talk to him about...sex." Max was definitely frowning now.

"Liz, he's fifteen. I'm pretty sure he's been through a 'sex talk' once already. Besides, he's a smart boy. He's not going to do anything stupid," Max responded.

"You were a smart boy too, Max. And Sammy is an awful lot like you. Care to be a grandpa in a couple of years?" Liz pointed out. She knew that it was a low blow, but this was important. She got the expected hurt look from him. "Max, I think he should know about...well, that he's not going to be able to hide who he is... what he is... from his sexual partner."

"That really is hitting below the belt...any which way you take it. Okay, I'll talk to him... and I'm sure that I'll embarrass the hell out of him while I'm at it," Max told her.

Liz patted his arm. "Well, that's what dads are for," she said, and then she changed the subject. "When will your parents and everyone else be in?"

"Mom and Dad will be here sometime this afternoon with the U-Haul. They stayed in Salt Lake City last night. I still can't believe that they're really moving here. And the Sheriff and and your dad's flight should land in Spokane at four this afternoon, so they won't be in until late. I wonder what the Sheriff will think about Kyle seeing an older woman with five kids?" Max asked.

"Well, we'll know soon enough. Maria told me that Kyle made reservations for eight tomorrow night at the restaurant," Liz reminded him.

"Kyle with five kids. Who'da thunk it?" Max shook his head in amazement.

"Well, who'd have 'thunk' Michael and Maria would stay together long enough to have four and still be going strong," Liz pointed out.

~

Max took a deep breath as he grasped the doorknob to his son's room. He so did *not* want to be doing this. He remembered how totally embarrassing it had been for him and his dad both back when he was eleven. But he also remembered clearly how devastated and terrified he had been when Tess had told him that she was pregnant. And that was before all the lies about the baby being sick and needing to leave Earth. He'd do anything to spare his son from following in his footsteps on the score. So what was a little embarrassment against that? Gathering himself, he knocked on the door. "Sammy, can I come in?"

"Yeah, Dad," Sammy said from his sitting position on the bed with his schoolbooks scattered about him.

"Hey, Sammy. Um... studying?" Max asked as he rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms on his Levi's.

"Yeah. What's up?" Sammy asked.

"Funny you should ask that..." Max almost said, but he shook his head. "No, no that's not the right way." He mentally debated. He nervously scratched his ear, trying to figure out how to do this. "Um, did you and Kelly have a good time the other night at the football game?" he asked, playing for time as he hoped silently that somehow things would just sort of come around to it.

"We had a great time! We won. Then we went to Denny's with some friends for burgers and some pie afterwards," Sammy said. He left out the part about missing most of the game because he was too busy concentrating on how sweet Kelly's lips tasted.

"Good...that's good," Max said, even as he wished that Sammy would offer up more. He doubted that the date had been quite as chaste as Sammy stated. His and Liz's never were, that is, when they had actually been dating. There usually was some making out in there somewhere. "So, that's good. I'm glad that you had a good time. Kelly's a nice girl." He patted his son on the knee as he chickened out and got up to leave.

"That's what you wanted to see me about?" Sammy asked, in disbelief.

Max paused at the door, sighed deeply, and turned back around. He could do this. He had to do this. "No, it's not," he said, and sat down on his son's bed. "Sammy, Liz and I like Kelly. We think she's a nice girl and... well, it's pretty obvious that you think so too." He saw Sammy's eyes narrow as he nodded in agreement. "Sammy, at... at some point you're probably..." he thought about it, remembering what it was like for himself so long ago. "At some point you *are* going to want to take the relationship further, both of you are, and I just thought we should... talk about that, about what the consequences will be."

"This is a sex talk, isn't it, Dad?" Sammy asked as his cheeks colored a bit.

"Yeah. It is. Sammy, I know that you're a smart kid and you'd never do anything stupid on purpose but... well, as I was recently forcibly reminded, I was considered a pretty smart guy myself and... I was a father before I graduated from high school," Max reminded him.

"Dad, I'll use my head. Don't' worry," Sammy assured him.

Max ran his hand through his hair. "Sammy, that's just it. We don't always use our heads to think with when we're teens, or even older. And I'm not saying that you're going to do the same things as me. I don't think that you will, but I want you to understand." Max paused to see if any of this was likely to sink in or not. He couldn't tell, but he was committed now. "Sammy, although I know it would be best, I can't tell you to wait until you're married to have sex, not when I obviously didn't. But I will say this, wait until you're sure it's with the *right* girl and for the *right* reasons. It's...it's especially important... for people like us."

"What do you mean, 'like us'?" Sammy asked with a raised eyebrow. His dad had his attention now. "Do you mean aliens? We're the same, aren't we? I... I mean... I've seen other guys in the gym showers and I look the same as they do. And... and from... from what I learned in health ed class... I think I'm the same... aren't I?" Sammy rushed out with growing alarm.

Max chuckled a little. "Calm down Son, um yeah, we look human and it works the same way but... well, the effects are a little different. The uh... climax can take longer to come down from for both you and your partner... whether hybrid or fully human. I'm not sure of what it's like for or with a pure Antarian, though. I never cared to have a conversation with Cal about it, but ...uh, I'm getting a little off track here." Max took a breath and went on. "And there could be flashes...when things get...*intense*, she might get some flashes from you about your life... your memories. But, the again, she might not. Liz could always get them from me, but surprisingly Michael was able to control his, and Maria only got them when he was ready to share them.... and, as far as I know, Jesse never got them from Isabel at all. What I'm saying is that, most likely, your sex partner is going to know that something isn't... well, that it's not normal. So you'll need to be extra careful whom you choose as your partner," he explained. The message was obvious. Casual sex wasn't just a no-no, it was dangerous. Sammy remained quiet for a few minutes.

"Dad, is that why Liz had problems carrying the baby? Because you're not fully human?" Sammy finally asked. The thought of Kelly enduring one miscarriage after another...

Max sighed and shook his head. It was easier to talk about it now that he had a healthy little girl lying in her bassinet in their bedroom. "I honestly don't know. I don't think so. Maria never had any difficulties. She had very normal healthy pregnancies. But Liz.... I just don't know. But we did finally have Molly and I couldn't be happier about it," he told his son.

"Yeah, me too," Sammy concurred. "So... it, uh, takes longer to come down from... from... orgasm? Always? Even if you use a condom? I mean, there's no difference?" Sammy asked, curious now.

"Uh..." Max had to pause to think about that one. It'd been a while since he and Liz had had any need for birth control. "Um... I... uh, okay, I won't lie to you. Yes, there's a difference with a condom, but not on the alien side of things, but...look, unless you're ready to be changing diapers in nine months, and having that woman as a major
part of the rest of your life, use a condom. Or ask yourself why you're with her in the first place. This is where using your head to think with instead of your... uh, hormones comes in to play," Max told him and then softened his tone some. "Sammy, you know that I love you and I am everlastingly glad that you're here. I admit that your mother and I never had a... strong relationship, but I was going to stand by her, and do the right thing when she told me that she was pregnant. But... well, you know there were a hell of a lot of mitigating circumstances involved. But even if it had been Liz who was pregnant with you, we would have been forced to completely rearrange our lives and our plans for the future. We were simply too young and too scared. I just don't want to see you having to make decisions that I had to, at the age that I had to make them."

Sammy shook his head. "Okay, Dad."

Max waited until his son met his eye. "But that doesn't mean that I've ever regretted having you in this world. You know that, right?"

"Yeah... I just sort of... complicated your life," Sammy finally said. "That's all."

Max looked at him and sighed as he smiled fondly. "Sammy, I am an alien/human hybrid clone of a deposed king that spent almost 50 years in an incubation pod in a secret cave in the New Mexico desert after crash landing on Earth. My life was complicated before I ever took my first breath. Complication or no, if I could have, I would have kept you in a heartbeat. You know that, right?"

Sammy finally smiled. "Yeah Dad, I do know that. And I'm glad that I'm here with you now."

"Yeah, me too," Max told him and put his arm around him for a hug. "Just don't make me a grandfather before I'm forty, and preferably not until I'm forty-five or fifty, please."

Sammy chuckled. "Okay, deal."

"Good. Now, I come with strict orders from a higher authority, namely Liz... clean your room before Grandma and Grandpa get here. And you need to start making your bed before school," the father informed his son.

~

"But Kyle, FIVE kids?" Sheriff Jim Valenti sat stunned on his son's sofa. "Are you really sure about this?"

Kyle took another sip of the single malt scotch that he and his dad were sharing. "More than I have ever been about anyone else. Dad look, I've had more than my share of... dates and Sandy is... different. She's not... flighty. She's smart, and she doesn't ruffle easily. If she gets involved with me, with us, she'll need that. And she has the
most incredible eyes," he said and paused. "And I don't mind kids. Hell, if I can survive living in a small van with three little Guerins, five normal kids will be a cakewalk," he joked, and saw his dad's doubtful look. "Okay, maybe not a cakewalk, but at least I don't have to worry about little silver hand prints on everything and everyone, or about them accidentally melting something because they're cranky," Kyle reasonably pointed out and then smiled. "Oh, the things that Evans has to look forward to. I can't wait."

Jim shook his head. His son wasn't a teenager anymore. He'd grown up in the last fifteen years. His son was a man now... who was dating a woman with five kids, the oldest of which was attending community college. In the end he knew that there wasn't anything that he could do, but swallow his misgivings and support his son. He was just getting back into his son's life and he didn't want to do anything to alienate him. He smiled at the new topic. "Max and Liz finally had one. I bet she's just like them, quiet and shy."

Kyle snorted. "As someone who's spent *way* too much time living in close quarters with them, I can tell you that, left to their own devices, they are neither quiet nor shy."

"Uh...I'd rather not know that," came Jim's retort.

"Yeah, me neither, but I'm stuck with it." Kyle sighed. "But Molly is adorable, and she even makes the Evans ears look good. And, with a pack of Guerins as neighbors and close cousins, they'll make sure Molly knows the ropes before too long. Although, from the dark circles that Max's eyes have been sporting lately, she's doing just fine on that score all on her own at the moment," Kyle proclaimed with a big grin.

~

"Lizzy, what do you have there?" Jeff Parker asked his daughter as she sat with a pillow laid across her lap, and a baby on top of the pillow having dinner, a receiving blanket draped over her shoulder and part of the baby, and a stack of papers on the other side.
He nodded towards the papers.

"Oh, print outs of some investment recommendations that Simon Shapiro, he's the lawyer that oversees Sammy's estate, sent us. He also had some ideas that he got from a friend of his in Vail about expanding the restaurant, even though Max and Michael had initially turned that idea down. With a relatively minimal investment we could expand with an outside eating area. And, in the winter, we could use outdoor heaters, like they do at the major ski resorts. That's not a bad idea. I think I'll work it into the long range plan to see how that might work out," Liz told him.

Jeff sat down with his daughter and looked over the printouts. "I thought that Michael and Max ran the restaurant and bar?" he questioned.

"They run the everyday stuff, but it's just as much mine and Maria's as it is theirs," she explained and turned her attention to Molly, who had just finished eating. She quickly adjusted things underneath the blanket and handed Molly, along with a burp rag, over to her dad. "I wouldn't dream of telling Michael what to put on the menu, or who to buy food or kitchen supplies from, nor would I try to tell Max what beer to stock, but I *do* handle the long range planning. Stuff like adding the stage area to the bar, along with doing the taxes and budgets, and managing the accounts. Max does some of it, more recently with me laid up pregnant. And Maria is great at planning the entertainment, and the special events and promotions. We all pitch in since we all own a stake in it, and in Kyle's shop as well." She couldn't help the grin as she watched as her dad kept patting Molly's back even though Molly was already sound asleep.

"That's my Lizzie, always with a plan," he said proudly. "So how exactly does it work, this partnership arrangement I mean?" Jeff asked.

"Michael and Maria own 40%, and Max and I also own 40%, of the Out of the Way Bar and Grill. Also Isabel owns 10%, as does Kyle. In return Kyle owns 70% of the Expert Car Repair, Max and I have 10%, Maria and Michael have 10%, and Isabel has 10%.