Timelord31 – Thanks for reading.
Flamehair – Tess will be here. But read the very first post, dreamers have nothing to fear.
Ashleyt –
Amy has had other boyfriends in the past and Maria, as a child, had been insecure enough for Amy to hesitate introducing her to the men she was dating, after a while. With Gabriel, Amy herself had problems with the relationship, due to the fact that he was much younger than she was and Native American. She was afraid of Maria’s reaction. When the relationship progressed to the point of Amy being in love and Gabriel wanting the whole package (marriage and children), Amy was trapped: she hadn’t introduced this very important man in her life to her daughter and now she had to tell Maria. Not only about the relationship with a younger man (barely 10 years older than Maria) but also the fact that he wanted to marry her and have children with her.So... Amy didn't tell Maria much about this guy she wont even allow her to meet and now she wants to have his kid? I'm not really understanding how anyone should take that well. Why doesn't Amy have Gabriel and Maria meet and get to know each other first? Or at least tell her more than the fact that he's younger and Native American?
Cjsl8ne – No, Maria expected to hear about a boyfriend, not about a potential step-father and more siblings in the future.
DeDe PR – Tess is going to come to Roswell and cause problems. She is good at that.
Part 80
Doubts and old insecurities began to creep in as the hours slowly crept by and Maria glanced at the clock on her nightstand, groaning silently at the late hour before shifting to stare at the ceiling once more. The next day was Sunday so she knew she could sleep in, but she had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen. She’d be lucky if she could just fall asleep at this point, she thought.
She had gone to talk to her mother after her conversation with Michael and when she had reached the doorway to the kitchen she had paused. Her mother had been talking to her mystery man and she had listened for a few minutes, really hearing the difference in the older woman’s voice as she spoke. This guy wasn’t a passing phase like the rest of her mother’s short-lived relationships and that realization made her nervous.
She knew her mother loved her, but knowing that there was someone else in the picture who she would have to share her with scared her. It had been years since she had felt so insecure about her place in her mother’s life and she didn’t like the feeling. Sure, she had known that realistically it was unlikely that the woman would remain single for the rest of her life. And, yeah, she wanted her mother to find someone to be with so she wouldn’t be alone and lonely after Maria went away, whether to college or just stepping out into life, but she honestly hadn’t considered that a husband and more children might be a part of that scenario.
Her mother had never been that interested in marriage; the woman enjoyed the freedom of being a free spirit and the ability to come and go as she pleased. Maria rolled over as she forced herself to acknowledge the real fear that was keeping her awake and she stared at the digital numbers on her alarm clock as the late hour mocked her. It would be bad enough if her mother got married and she had to share her with the new husband, but what if they really did have children together? She was almost 18, she was mere months away from striking out on her own; a new husband, maybe a new baby or two… how easy would it be for her mother to forget her and replace her with them?
You’re being stupid, Maria, she thought. Damn insecurities! She forced her eyes to close and tried to concentrate on sleep, but it only took a matter of minutes before her eyes were open again and her mind was going over the possibilities again.
It’s easy to forget someone once they’re not in the picture anymore, her mind taunted. Look at your father; he forgot you pretty quickly once he left, so what makes you think it’ll be any different once you leave and your mother has another child? Out of sight, out of mind, isn’t that the way it works?
“It’s not the same thing,” she whispered into the darkness.
She just needed to stop thinking about all of the what-ifs and get some sleep. She had heard her mother invite her boyfriend over for dinner on Sunday night and she had to pull herself together before meeting him. She was obsessing over all of the negative things that could occur from a permanent relationship between the man and her mother instead of considering the positive things.
Michael was right – not that she was about to tell him that – but, he was right; she didn’t want her mother to be alone when she left to start her own life. It was only a matter of months before she moved out and she wanted her mother to be happy, she didn’t want her to be alone, but she didn’t want to be replaced either.
She knew her thoughts were unfair, but she couldn’t seem to control them and she knew she couldn’t meet her mother’s boyfriend with the biased thoughts at the front of her mind. She sighed and turned over again, pulling the blankets up over her shoulders and running over some meditations in an effort to put the negative thoughts away so she could sleep.
*****
Alex glanced at Isabel in the dimly-lit interior of the car, wondering where her thoughts were. She had been silent for most of the drive and she had said very little when they had stopped to eat several hours earlier.
He was sure her mind had to be racing with the possibilities that suddenly existed. She was probably in shock after learning that there were two others out there somewhere who were like her and Max. He could only imagine what learning that there was a fifth alien out there who had planned to make sure they followed some sort of predestined plan was unsettling.
“We’ll be home in about half an hour,” he said quietly.
Isabel turned her head when he spoke and she suddenly realized that she had basically ignored him since they had left the code talker. “Oh, Alex, I’m sorry…”
“For what?” he asked, genuinely confused.
“You’ve done all this work, given up half of your weekend, and – “
“You’re not tryin’ to apologize, are you?” He couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across his face. “Because it’s not necessary, Isabel, and like I’ve told you before, we both did the work.”
Isabel shifted a little so she could look at him. “How do you think Max and I got separated from the others? Do you think they were found by someone else?”
“Well, as for how you guys got separated, I’m not sure about that. But, I think we might be able to look for them since if they were found out in the desert like you guys were it more than likely made the papers.”
Isabel thought about that. “I’ll bet you’re right. And they had to be found in the same general vicinity, right? I mean, that’d make the most sense if we were all together at one point.” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “Why don’t I remember them though? Max and I have no recollection of others like us, but we were six years old when we were found, Alex.”
“Well, it was a traumatic event for you, Isabel. We don’t know what happened before you guys were found wandering in the desert; how you got separated from the others, how long you were out there alone, or even where you were before you ended up out there.”
“But, you really think we can find those answers?”
He smiled at her curious tone. “Hey, we’ve already found out so much that you probably never thought we’d find.” He caught her hesitant movement when her hand crept across the console between them before stopping and moving back towards her again, and he reached out to wrap his hand around hers. He looked at her as he came to a stop at the first intersection in their hometown. “We’ll do everything we can to find the answers, Isabel,” he promised.
She met his gaze, reading the sincerity and determination there and she suddenly realized just how much she was coming to rely on him for advice, reassurance, and friendship. She was glad when the light changed from red to green and he had to look away because she had enough to deal with at the moment, she didn’t need anything else to try to figure out.
They arrived at her house several minutes later and her right eyebrow lifted when she noticed that his car was still in the driveway.
“My mom asked one of her friends to pick her up since I knew we’d be getting back late and she didn’t want me walkin’ home at this time of night.”
“I could’ve dropped you off, Alex.”
“Call me old-fashioned, but I always walk my dates to their front door,” he said with a teasing grin.
Isabel rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t complain when he did just that.
“You know you can call me if you need to talk or anything, right?” he asked as they stood on the porch.
She nodded. “I’ve gotta figure out what I’m gonna tell my parents and Max, but… keep your phone close, okay?”
“Always do,” he said, winking as he walked to his car.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside, waiting in the open doorway until he had gotten into his car and pulled out of the driveway. She walked inside and locked up before going to look for her father. He was stretched out on the couch, sound asleep with one of his law books lying open on his chest.
She smiled fondly and picked the book up, closing it and putting it on the coffee table before grabbing the throw lying over the back of the couch and shaking it out. She placed the light cover over him and kissed his cheek before quietly going through the house to her bedroom and leaning back to rest against the closed door.
*****
Elaine looked up from the program she was watching when her son walked into the kitchen mid-morning on Sunday. She reached out to mute the small television at the end of the counter so she could give him her full attention. She had heard him come in a little after midnight, but she had only checked on him to make sure he had made it back safely and that everything was alright before leaving him alone so he could go to bed. He had been exhausted and it had only been a matter of minutes before he had fallen asleep and he had slept straight through the night and well into the morning.
“Mornin’, Mom,” he greeted as he shuffled over to the cabinet to pull down a glass.
“Well, good morning to you, too sweetie; although it’s nearly noon.” She smiled as she watched him get a glass of orange juice before going over to sit at the breakfast table.
“Really?” Alex glanced at the clock on the wall, verifying the time and he was suddenly wide awake. “Wait, did you hear my phone ring? Did Isabel call?”
“No, there weren’t any calls from Isabel; the only call you missed was from Nicky wanting to let you know that he’s back from Denver and for you to call him when you have time.” She tipped her head to one side, studying her son before she joined him at the table. “You were expecting a call from Isabel?”
“Not expectin’ one, but…” He shrugged. “Did you know that Isabel and her brother were found in the desert when they were six years old?”
Elaine’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. That story had been in the newspapers for weeks when it had first broken and it wasn’t likely that she would ever forget it. “Oh, my goodness! I remember reading that story in the paper, but the children were never named so I didn’t make the connection.”
“We’ve talked about it… I’ve been helping her look for any information that might give her some answers about her past.”
“So, it was in the papers? Did you ever read anything about any other kids bein’ found?”
She frowned. “No, not that I recall. It was a big story around here at the time, so I’m sure that if more children had been found in the desert that it would’ve been reported.” She paused, wondering about his questions. “Sweetie, I know you’re trying to help her, but that might be something that’s best left to her parents.”
“Oh, no, she’s talked to her parents about it, Mom. She just wants some answers, y’know?”
“Sometimes the answers that you want aren’t the ones that you get,” she said, concerned that the girl her son cared about was going to end up getting hurt.
Alex bit the inside of his cheek, knowing that he couldn’t tell his mother everything about Isabel’s quest. The alien secret was a heavy one and he knew it had to be even more of a weight for Isabel. “We both know that, Mom; it’s one of the things we talk about so much. Can you imagine what it must be like for her? Not knowing anything about her past, not knowing where she came from, or why she was left out there like that, abandoned by the people who should’ve done everything in their power to protect her?”
Elaine smiled, proud of her son and how dedicated and passionate he was. “Are you also prepared for the possibility that you may never find the answers? I’m sure her parents and the authorities must have exhausted just about all of the options to find her biological parents.”
“You’re right,” he conceded, “and she’s prepared for that possibility. Her father doesn’t think we’ll find anything, but she needs to know that she’s turned over every stone. I hope we find somethin’ because I really don’t wanna see her get hurt, and realistically, I know she could get hurt whether we find somethin’ or not.” He laughed quietly. “She’s stubborn though, and she wants the answers regardless… and I think she has that right, Mom.”
“Sometimes I forget that you’re practically an adult.” Elaine sighed as she reached out to place her hand alongside his cheek, looking at him for several long minutes. Her baby was almost a man and as much as she wanted him to be independent and do things and make certain decisions because he felt they were right she also wanted to know that he still needed her in some way. “I can’t believe next year at this time you’ll be in college.”
Alex smiled at his mother. “Next year at this time I’ll probably be sittin’ right here, wishin’ I hadn’t finished off all the Thanksgiving leftovers,” he teased. “I’ll see you for the holidays, Mom.”
Elaine blinked back the tears that suddenly pushed to the surface and she patted his cheek before standing up. “You must be hungry; why don’t I fix you something to eat while you tell me all about your visit with the code talker,” she suggested.
He nodded and turned in his chair so he could watch her move around the kitchen as she started to pull things out of the refrigerator and cabinets. When she started to cook he launched into the story, going over all that they had learned about code talkers during the war and some of the colorful stories the old man had shared with them.