Home Is Where The Heart Is

By Danielle

Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters portrayed within this fic- they belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, The WB, and whoever else had a hand in inventing them, which sadly was not me.

Notes: This is the (long-awaited?) sequel to my fanfic "Past, Present, & Future" which detailed the lives of our favorite characters 10 years into the future. The original was written this past summer, before any of the season 2 episodes played, so I will stick with that continuity. You will probably want to read the original to understand this fic- you can find it here.

Prologue

The blond stood at the back of the church, nervously awaiting the procession. "Ave Maria" was being played on the organ. "How appropriate," she thought and smiled to herself. Looking toward the front of the church she saw the minister lighting the candles and preparing the altar. Her parents were a few pews from the front of the church, and she caught her mother's eye and smiled as the music suddenly changed.

The groom and his best man came out from wherever they'd been hiding and moved toward the front of the altar. She watched as the best man walked toward the foyer and led the mother of the bride to her seat in the front row. As she watched them go, she looked behind her to see Kaitlin Valenti and her own daughter, Alexis Guerin, holding hands, wearing matching dresses and holding identical baskets filled with rose petals. She smiled down at the girls. "Are you ready?"

Alexis nodded and Kaitlin gave a resounding "Yes." They were both thrilled and petrified at having been given such an important duty.

She looked up again, and the minister gave her a nod. "Okay, girls, good luck."

"Thanks, Mama!" Alexis said cheerfully, as Kaity led her down the aisle. They sprinkled flowers as they went, and as they got halfway there, she turned to the next two people in line. "Jimmy, are you sure you have Maria's ring?"

The younger brother of the bride nodded solemnly. "Yep. I have it right here in my pocket. I wouldn't ever lose Maria's ring." Isabel turned to her son Phillip, and straightened his boutonniere.

"You have daddy's ring?" He nodded as well, smiling at her.

"Uh-huh. I got it, Mama."

"Okay, then, go ahead, boys. Don't trip." They nodded and headed down the aisle solemnly.

She looked up at the Maid of Honor, Liz Valenti, who had just entered the foyer of the church followed by the bride, Maria DeLuca, soon to be Maria Guerin, and her step-father Jim Valenti, who was giving her away. Together, she and Liz watched as the 4 children made their way down the aisle, smiling. On impulse, she turned and hugged the darker-haired woman. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Isabel." Liz smiled and then headed off down the aisle herself toward the front of the church where her husband, Kyle Valenti, a.k.a. the best man, and Michael Guerin, the groom waited. Then Isabel turned to Maria, who looked absolutely gorgeous in her long white gown.

"You look beautiful, Maria. Thanks for letting me be a part of all this."

Maria hugged her. "I wouldn't have had it any other way, Izzy. Thank you." Straightening her father's tie one last time, Maria took his arm. "Ready, dad?"

He nodded, and Isabel motioned for the organist to change the music once again, this time to "Here Comes The Bride", and she began to cry happily as she watched Jim Valenti escort Maria down the aisle towards her own ex-husband. She smiled through the tears as she watched the happy couple take their vows.

~~~~~

The reception, like the wedding, was very small. In fact, they held it at the Crashdown, which had been closed for the event. The Parker's were there, as well as the Evans', the Valenti's, both older and younger, and of course the new Mr. & Mrs. Guerin. Jimmy, Kaitlin, Alexis & Phillip sat at the head table with Maria, Michael, Liz & Kyle, and Isabel sat with her parents. A few other people were there, like the guys from Valenti Construction that were on Kyle & Michael's crews and their wives or dates, and some of the waitresses and kitchen staff from the Crashdown who Maria had known forever. But aside from Max and Tess, there was one notable exception. Alex.

Maria had invited him; she had made sure to. He was one of their best friends, and she knew he would want to be there to see her get married at last. But Alex was extremely busy in LA- he was in the middle of laying down bass tracks for the latest Liz Phair CD, and he wasn't sure he would be able to get away for the wedding. He had promised to try, but it looked like he hadn't been successful. He was really the only person that should have been there that wasn't, and Isabel couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at missing the chance to see him again.

Isabel was brought back to reality as Kyle Valenti stood to make his best man toast. "Can I have everyone's attention please?" The small crowd quieted as Kyle raised his glass. "Well, I know I never thought I'd be the one making this toast, but here I am. See, up until I was sophomore in High school, I never really knew Maria or Michael. But when my father married Maria's mother, I got to know her really well, really quickly. And I have to say that for the past 10 years, Maria has been just about the best sister a guy could ask for. Now as for Michael, when he moved back here, I was skeptical about giving him a job because he and I were never really friends. But when my sister asked me to think about it, how could I refuse? And I'm glad I didn't. Michael, you're the best crew chief I've ever hired, and you've become my best friend. And when the two of you got together again after all these years, I knew it was right because I'd never seen either of you so happy. So it is with great pleasure that I ask you all to raise your glasses to my sister and my best friend, the new Mr. & Mrs. Michael Guerin."

Liz was wiping at her eyes as she sipped her champagne and Maria leaned over and gave her brother a hug and a kiss. Isabel was pretty moved by Kyle's speech herself. She would never have guessed that Michael and Kyle would become so close, but she was more than glad for him. He really needed a best friend now that Max wasn't around and since Liz and Maria were so close it was kind of perfect.

Later, after dinner, the DJ had started off the dancing portion of the evening by getting Maria and Michael to dance their first dance as a married couple. Maria danced with Jim and Kyle, and Michael danced with Liz and Amy, and he'd even dragged her out onto the floor once. But mostly Isabel had stayed with her parents and looked after the 4 children to make sure they were behaving. The reception was half over when the DJ cued up another slow song for all the couples. As "Always & Forever" poured out of the speakers, Diane Evans convinced her husband to join the other couples on the dance floor. Isabel remained at the table watching everyone sway to the music in the arms of the one they loved. Even the kids were dancing- Jimmy with Alexis and Phillip with Kaitlin, who appeared to be leading him. She sighed happily, barely feeling the tap on her shoulder. "Would you like to dance?"

She turned to decline the invitation; sure it was one of the guys who worked for Kyle and Michael trying to take pity on her. She spun around and looked into a familiar pair of warm chocolate brown eyes. "Alex?"

He smiled at her, holding out his hand. "Hi, Isabel." She stood up quickly and threw her arms around his neck, crushing him in her warm embrace.

Part 1

"Oh my god, Alex, it's been so long! How are you?" Isabel pulled away long enough to look at him. He really hadn't changed too much. He'd filled out a little and he had a goatee, but he was still Alex.

He looked a little wistful, but answered with a smile. "I'm good, Isabel. How about you?"

"I'm great actually. Everything is really good. Finally." She smiled at him again, unable to pull her eyes away from his. It had been almost 9 years since she'd seen him, and it was sort of as if she was seeing a ghost.

A few more moments passed until Alex cleared his throat. "Um, did you actually want to dance? Because the song's half over."

Isabel shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Oh sure." She took his outstretched hand and let him lead her to the floor. Being held in Alex's arms again after so long was a bit of a shock, but a welcome one. Slowly they fell into an easy pattern, swaying back and forth to the music. The silence was tangible, so Isabel decided to break it. "I didn't think you were going to make it."

"Me neither, actually. The plane was delayed at LAX or I would have been here for the church, too. As it is, I came right from the airport. My luggage is in the back room."

Isabel chuckled. "Well, I'm sure Michael and Maria will be thrilled. She wanted you here so badly."

"Well, how could I miss it? It's Maria and Michael." He smiled as the music ended and pulled away from her. Across the room, the bride's head lifted off of her husband's shoulder, and she spotted him.

"ALEX!" she screeched, bounding across the floor towards him. Liz, upon hearing his name, pulled away from Kyle and started running toward him as well. Soon enough he was enveloped in Maria and Liz's arms, laughter cascading from all 3. "I'm so happy you made it, Alex."

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Maria's cheek. "Me, too. I really didn't want to miss this. Congratulations, Maria."

"Thanks, Alex." She smiled at her best friend, as he enveloped Liz in a hug and kissed her on the cheek, too.

"You both look amazing. If you weren't already married, I'd have to try to marry you myself."

Michael's voice echoed across the restaurant. "I think you'd have a fight on your hands Whitman." Then his face broke into a grin and he stepped forward to extend his hand. "Hey, Alex. Thanks for coming."

Alex smiled at the groom. "I had to see it to believe it. Michael Guerin and Maria DeLuca, together at last." Alex shook Michael's hand, and on impulse, drew him into a quick hug. "Congratulations, Michael."

Kyle soon appeared behind Liz and the quickly growing group. "Where's my hug?" He asked, laughing.

Alex joined the laughter. "You got yours at your wedding. One manly hug per wedding. It's my policy." He shook Kyle's hand and looked around the room.

"Wow. The Crashdown should hold wedding receptions everyday. It looks amazing in here."

Maria, Liz and Isabel groaned. "It should. We spent a week scrubbing this place."

"Well, it was worth it." He looked at Liz. "Now where's my Kaity-did and little Jimbo?"

As if on cue, he felt two pairs of arms and legs encircle his legs. "Alex! Where have you been?"

He reached down and enveloped Liz and Kyle's daughter in a hug. "I've been working really hard, Kaity-did. But I'm home for 2 weeks, so we'll have plenty of time to spend together."

The little girl grinned at him. "Thank goodness. I missed you so much!" She pressed a kiss to his cheek, but was quickly shoved aside by Jimmy.

"Hi Alex. How are you?" He smiled as Jimmy eagerly shook his hand.

Alex made his voice an octave deeper. "I'm good, Jimbo. How's Roswell treating you?"

Jimmy followed suit. "Not bad, not bad. You know how it is- school and all. I started playing baseball this spring."

"You did? Wow. Well, if you're anything like your brother, you'll be the starting centerfielder in no time." He looked behind Isabel to see two new faces peering out at him. "And who are these two munchkins I see?"

Isabel and Michael each took one of their children by the hand and brought them forward. "Alex, this is Phillip and Alexis."

Phillip looked Alex up and down. "You're tall. How come you were dancing with my mommy? Do you know her?"

Alex burst out laughing. "He gets right to the point, doesn't he?" Michael nodded and Isabel grinned first at her son and then at Alex. He turned to the twins, crouching down to get down on their level. "Hi Philip. I'm Alex. I was a friend of your mommy and daddy's a long time ago. Hello, Alexis. You look very pretty in that dress."

Alexis smiled shyly. "Your name sounds like mine."

"I know it does. That's pretty cool, huh? Does anyone call you Alex?"

She shook her head no. "That's a boy's name. But sometimes Maria calls me Lexi."

He smiled at both of them. "Well, I'm very happy to meet you both. I've been looking forward to it for a long time."

Phillip scrunched up his little face. "Why?"

The adults burst out laughing, and Phillip shrugged his shoulders, and dragged his sister off to eat some ice cream with Jimmy and Kaitlin. Alex looked at Michael and Isabel. "You've got two cute kids there."

Michael nodded. "I know." Then he placed his hand on Maria's abdomen. "Soon to be three."

Maria turned on Michael. "I wanted to tell him, Michael!"

Alex immediately grabbed Maria in another hug. "You're pregnant? How far along?"

She smiled. "3 months. I wanted to have the wedding before I started showing too much. You can't tell, can you?"

Isabel rolled her eyes and Liz grabbed her hands. "Maria, we've told you a million times. You can't tell at all."

Maria's face broke into a frown. "Are you sure?" At everyone's collective groan, her face changed. "Well, I'm sorry if I'm paranoid, but I don't want to look fat in my wedding pictures!"

Michael grabbed her from behind. "You look beautiful. I promise." He planted a quick kiss on her neck, then looked at Alex. "Come on, Alex, I bet you have a lot of people you want to say hello to. And I've got a beer over here with your name on it." Michael started to leave followed by Kyle.

Alex looked at Maria. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up when you get back from your honeymoon, okay? Right now I have to go be a guy." She smiled and he walked away, leaving her with Liz and Isabel.

Maria smiled as she watched the guys congregate. "I'm so glad he made it." Liz nodded in agreement, then looked cautiously at Isabel, who was smiling happily.

"Me, too, Maria. Me, too." Liz grinned at Isabel's obviously ecstatic reaction to Alex's arrival. This was going to be an interesting two weeks for sure.

~~~~~

Later on after most of the guests had departed, Isabel sat at her table cradling a sleepy Alexis in her arms. "Mama?"

"Yes, baby?"

"How long are daddy and Maria going to be gone away for?"

Isabel smiled at her daughter. "Only a week, Alexis."

"And who's going to baby-sit us and put us to bed when you're at work? Because I need someone to sing to me like Maria does."

Isabel giggled. "I think Grandma will sing to you. And if she can't watch you guys, then I think Liz or Gramma Amy could. Is that okay?"

Alexis snuggled closer to Isabel. "Yep. And maybe Mr. Alex can come too?"

She nodded. "Maybe. We'll have to ask if he's busy, okay?"

"Ask if who's busy?" Alex's voice resonated behind her, and Isabel turned to see him looking down at her and Alexis with a smile.

Alexis perked up. "You Mr. Alex! Can you come put me to bed this week while my mama's at work?"

He laughed. "I can't promise, but I'll check my schedule, okay? And you don't have to call me Mr. Alex, Alexis. Just Alex is fine."

She grinned mischievously. "Okay, just Alex." She laughed and he reached over and tickled her under the chin. Isabel let her slip off of her lap.

"Honey? Why don't you go find Phillip? I think it's time for you guys to go to bed, okay?"

"Okay, mama. But daddy won't leave without saying goodbye will he?"

"No way. Maria and daddy aren't leaving until tomorrow morning, so they're going to come say goodbye before they go. Now, go find your brother."

Alexis scampered off and Isabel turned to Alex. "You know you don't have to come over and help baby-sit them, right?"

"I know I don't have to. But maybe I will. I'd like to hang out with them. The seem like they'd be a lot of fun."

"Okay, Just Alex." She broke into laughter as she said it. "Seriously, though, you must have things to do the next couple of weeks, you don't have to…"

"Isabel," he interrupted, "I want to. I'd love to spend some time catching up with you, too you know."

She actually blushed. "Oh. Okay then. But only if you really want to."

"I do. I swear. I'll give you a call tomorrow, okay?"

She pulled her chin up off the floor, and tried not to look too shocked. "Um, sure. My number's in the book." He nodded and she spotted the kids across the room. "Well, I better get going. I really do have to get them to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. It was good to see you tonight Izzy."

Her heart melted. He'd called her Izzy. She hadn't heard that endearment from him in what seemed like forever. "You, too, Alex." She smiled again and he watched as she walked away across the room to find her kids. Alex Whitman, back in Roswell after so long. Isabel's heart leapt at the possibilities.

Part 2

Isabel Evans (she'd reverted to her maiden name after Michael & Maria had gotten engaged- there should only be one Mrs. Guerin and that was going to be Maria) awoke to the sounds of her son saying goodbye to his father and Maria in the next room.

"Be a good boy for your mother and grandmother while we're gone, okay?

"Okay, Daddy."

"And be good at pre-school, Phillip, and remember, no using your powers!"

"But daddy..."

"No buts young man. The other parents are going to think their kids are crazy if they keep coming home with stories about how Phillip Guerin changed his milk from regular to chocolate at snack time. Got it?"

Isabel smiled as she rolled out of bed and headed toward her children's room. She looked in and saw both Michael and Maria, dressed and ready for their trip to Hawaii kneeling next to Phillip's bed.

"Uh huh. I got it. When will you be back?"

Maria brushed Phillip's unruly spikes out of his eyes. "In a week, okay sweetie?"

"Will you bring me back a present?"

Maria smiled. "Of course we will! And one for Lexi, too. Now gimme a hug before I miss you too much to leave. I love you."

"I love you, too, Maria" She released him and Michael reached out and pulled his son close, kissing him on the cheek.

"We'll see you soon, okay buddy? Love you."

"Love you too, daddy." Phillip lay back down and they moved to Alexis' bedside. Michael shook her gently to wake her up, and after a few seconds her eyes fluttered open.

"Is it time for you to go already, daddy?"

"Yes it is, baby. So give me a hug and a kiss and promise you'll be good and listen to your mama and grandma, okay?"

She put her little arms around his neck and drew him into a tight hug. "Bye daddy, I love you and I promise to be good."

"Good girl. I'll see you soon."

Without waiting, Alexis launched herself into Maria's arms and gave her a big kiss. "Bye, Maria. I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too, honey. And I'll try to learn a new song to sing to you while I'm away okay?"

"Thank you, Maria. I love you."

"Love you, too, Lexi." Together, Michael and Maria stood and walked toward the hall. At the door they stopped and waved to the kids.

"Bye guys!"

"Bye daddy, bye Maria!" the kids said in unison then snuggled back under the covers. Michael and Maria stepped out into the hall to find Isabel waiting for them.

"Are you guys all ready to go?"

Michael yawned and Maria nodded. "Yeah. As ready as we'll ever be."

"How long did the reception last after I took the kids home?"

"Oh, we were there until about 11 with Liz's parents, my parents and Liz and Kyle cleaning up. For a small reception we really made a mess."

Isabel grinned. "Well I would have stayed and helped, but you know those two when they get cranky, it's best to get them right to bed."

Michael looked at his ex-wife. "You did enough for us yesterday Isabel. Thanks for everything." He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the cheek.

"You're welcome. Have a good time, and don't worry about anything. We've got it all covered."

Maria smiled at her friend. "I know you do." She hugged the taller woman, whispering in her ear, "Have fun with Alex." Isabel blushed as she pulled away and she walked them down the hall to the door.

"See you in a week." They waved and headed out to their car, which had been appropriately decorated with tin cans and streamers and had a "Just Married" sign in the window. She was pretty sure that had been the work of Jimmy and Kaitlin since the S and the R's were backwards. Smiling she headed back to bed, knowing the kids would be up for real in a few hours. As she crawled back beneath the covers she couldn't help but wonder when Alex was going to call her. She feel back to sleep with a grin on her face, thinking of how amazing Alex had been when she'd had to leave him so long ago…

~~~~~

They were leaving in the morning. And she knew she had to see him one last time. He was her best friend, her greatest ally, and so much more. In the past 2 years, Alex Whitman had somehow crawled inside her hollow heart and completely filled her up. They weren't together- they'd never really had a chance to be. But she loved him. More than she knew how to express. And she had to let him know.

Instead of tapping frantically at his window, she simply reached her hand up and unlocked it using her powers. Alex was infamous for sleeping through anything. Pulling herself up and over the window ledge, she dropped silently on to the floor of his bedroom. Padding over to him in her sweatshirt and pajama bottoms, she shook his arm to try and wake him.

"Mm… mom, let me sleep 10 more minutes, okay?"

"Alex, it's me Isabel."

He smiled in his sleep. "I'm having a good dream, mom let me sleep."

Isabel continued to shake him. "No, Alex, it really is me. Wake up."

Groggily he opened one eye. "Now I know I'm dreaming."

She pressed her finger to his lips to quiet him. "Shhh. You'll wake your mother. I need to talk to you."

Finally opening both eyes, Alex looked at the vision that had invaded his room. "Isabel? What is it? Is something wrong? Should I call Liz and Maria?"

Isabel shook her head fervently. "No. It's just… I came to say goodbye, Alex."

Pushing himself into a sitting position, he looked her in the eye. "You're leaving?" At her almost imperceptible nod, he asked, "When?"

"In the morning."

"All of you? Are you going to tell your parents?"

She shook her head in the negative. "We can't. Not yet. It's still too risky with our enemies around. They might try to use them to get information about us."

"So you're just sneaking out without saying goodbye to them?"

She looked and felt ashamed, but answered him honestly. "We can't say goodbye, but we're at least leaving a note. So they don't blame themselves or something. But that's not what I came to say Alex." She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, willing herself the power to say what she had to. "I… came to tell you something Alex. Something that I'm not sure you know."

He swallowed; maybe thinking it was something bad. "What is it?"

"I know that sometimes I'm cold. But I want you to understand, now, in case we don't make it back, how much you really mean to me, Alex. Before I met you I didn't know how to smile. I'd do it, but it was always fake, you know, something I'd do when I was pretending to be happy. You always made me smile Alex- a real smile that I felt through my whole body. I never knew having a friend was supposed to be like that until you."

He blushed, embarrassed at her outpouring, and thinking that this would turn into another of her patented you're a really good friend speeches. "Izzy… you don't have to…"

"Yes I do. Now let me finish. It started out that I just loved being around you because you actually made me feel like I could let down my walls for a minute and actually relax. But since I haven't been able to be near you as much since we found out about the whole destiny thing, I realized something. I love you Alex. As much as Max and Michael, but different. I mean, the brotherly part is there, but there's something more. I think if things could have been different, I would be completely in love with you. But since I can't change what I am and what you are, and my purpose in life, I just can't let myself love you like that. That's why I push you away. Not because I want to, believe me. But because I have to. I think if I let myself feel what I could, there's be no way in hell I'd ever leave Roswell to complete our destiny. So what I'm saying is that I do love you Alex, and maybe someday I'll actually get to let myself be in love. And when and if I do, I want it to be with you."

He stared at her openmouthed for a minute, watching as a single tear formed in the corner of her eye and trickled down her cheek. Then the weight of what she'd just said came crashing down on him, and he pulled her to him, holding her against his beating heart. "Oh, Isabel, I love you, too."

She took in a ragged breath. "I had to tell you. I don't want to hurt you anymore, and I don't want you to wait for me, because I don't know if I'm ever coming back. But I just wanted you to know how much I care about you."

He smiled against the crown of her head. "I think, deep down, I already knew. But it was nice to hear."

"So you don't hate me?"

"How could I hate you Isabel, when I love you so much? I think I'll die if I don't ever see you again. I can't even imagine my life without you in it anymore."

"I'm sorry that this is the way it has to be Alex. I really wish things were different."

He pulled her away from him and once again looked her in the eye. "But they're not."

She looked down into her lap where she was wringing her hands in agony. "I know."

His hand moved up into her hair and drew her head toward his. "We can pretend things are different. At least until the morning, Isabel." His lips captured hers in a passionate kiss, lasting for a few moments of pure bliss. He lay back against the pillow and drew her head down to rest on his chest. Her body curled into his naturally, and holding each other tight, they fell into a peaceful sleep.

When he woke in the morning, she was gone, the only sign that she'd ever been there was the open window and the lingering scent of her hair on his pillow.

Part 3

Isabel practically jumped out of bed a few hours later when she heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen. She turned the corner to find Phillip on the floor, under a pile of bowls that had been in the now open cabinet. Alexis stood by the pile, a worried expression on her little face.

"I told him not to do it, Mama."

She knelt down and removed a bowl from on top of her son, thinking to herself that she was glad she'd purchased plastic bowls. "Are you okay, honey?"

He nodded. "I'm okay."

"Phillip, what were you trying to do?"

He got an annoyed look, explaining, "I was trying to make cereal for me and Alexis."

She raised an eyebrow at the little boy. "Oh, you were, were you?"

He took a bowl off of his head. "Uh-huh. But I couldn't reach the bowls, so I floated myself up there to get some. But after I got 'em I didn't know how to get down, an' I got scared."

"And you looked down to see how high up you were and then you fell, didn't you?"

Alexis nodded vigorously. "Yep. I told him not to do it, mama, but he wouldn't listen to me."

She dusted off her little man and placed him back on his feet. "You are just like your father. He never used to listen to me when I told him things were dangerous. I know you are getting very good at your powers, Phillip, but I just don't want you to get ahead of yourself. Alexis just wants to look out for you, and so do daddy and I. You have to learn to listen to the people who love you when they don't want you to do something, because they are just trying to keep you safe. And they would miss you a lot if something happened to you. Do you understand?"

He nodded grimly, and Isabel placed a kiss on his cheek. "Okay, then. Apologize to your sister for scaring her and give her a hug."

Phillip dragged his heels, but finally made it over to where Alexis was standing. "Sorry, Lexi." He pulled her into a quick hug and then looked up at his mother. "Now can we eat breakfast?"

Isabel chuckled. "Yes. What do you want to eat?"

In unison, the kids yelled, "Count Chocula!"

Isabel shook her head knowingly. "I should have guessed." She grabbed two of the bowls that Phillip hadn't knocked on the floor and poured each of the kids a bowl of their favorite cereal. As they stuffed their little faces, she threw some bread in the toaster for herself, and sat down with a cup of tea, eager to spend time with her children before she had to work this afternoon.

~~~~~

It was around lunchtime when the phone finally rang. Isabel ran in the house from playing in the sandbox with the kids and grabbed it in a huff, thinking it was Alex.

"Hello?"

"Izzy? You're all out of breath. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing mom. I was just outside and I forgot to bring the cordless with me. What's up?"

"I was just making sure that you still needed me to baby-sit this afternoon. You do, right?"

"Yeah, definitely. I have to work at 3. So can you come over around 2 so I can get ready?"

"Sure honey. Tell the kids I say hello and I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay, bye mom." She hung up the phone; disappointed that is hadn't been Alex. When the phone rang immediately again, she picked it up on the 1st ring, assuming her mother forgot to tell her something.

"What is it mom?"

"Um, actually it's Alex."

She nearly dropped the phone in embarrassment. "Oh god, Alex, I'm sorry. I don't usually answer the phone like that. My mother just called and I thought she forgot something."

She could hear the smile in his voice. "No problem. So, are you and the kids busy for lunch today? I thought maybe we could go drop by the Crash Down and grab a bite to eat."

"I'd love to, but I promised Phillip I'd make him Peanut Butter and bananas."

Alex chuckled on the other end of the line. "And I'm guessing that's not on the Crash Down menu?"

"Not the last time I checked." On impulse, she blurted, "Why don't you come over here and have lunch with us?" Immediately she winced at her presumptuousness. "Or if you're busy or something you don't have to."

After a brief pause on the other end of the line, Alex responded. "No, um, that'd be great. But I don't have to have Peanut Butter and bananas do I?"

Isabel laughed. "No, of course not. I'll make whatever you want. What do you like?"

"Oh, you know me. My tastes haven't changed much. Just nothing with Tabasco, please?"

"Sure. Um, so when do you want to come over?" She rolled her eyes at herself. She sounded like a lovesick teenager instead of a grown woman with 2 kids. But Alex had always made her feel that way.

"Well, it's 11:30 now. When are you serving this peanut butter and banana filled feast?"

"Whenever the kids ask for it. Which should be soon."

"Okay, then I'll head over now. As soon as you give me directions."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot. Well, you head down Calypso Rd., and you take a right onto Lincoln Parkway and we're about ¾ of the way down on the left. It's a cream house with red trim, and it's a duplex. My side is number 346."

After a pause in which she assumed he was writing, he finally said, "Okay. See you in a few minutes."

She grinned. "Okay, Alex. See you soon." She hung up the phone and walked out into the back yard. "Hey guys, guess what? We're having company for lunch."

Alexis looked up from building her sandcastle. "Is it Grandma?"

"No, but she'll be here to watch you when I go to work."

Phillip looked confused. "Then who is it?"

"It's mama's friend Alex. Remember you met him last night at daddy and Maria's wedding reception?"

Alexis dropped her shovel and clapped her hands. "Just Alex! Just Alex is coming for lunch!"

"I remember him," added Phillip. "Why is he coming?"

She smiled at her son, who had so obviously inherited his father's skepticism. "To talk to me about things. We haven't seen each other in a long time. And get to know you guys. Is that okay?"

Alexis nodded. "It's okay with me, mama. I like Alex."

She leaned over and scooped her daughter into her arms. "Me too, honey. Me too."

~~~~~

When the doorbell rang 15 minutes later, Isabel had to grab Alexis' hand to keep her from running to open the door. As it was, her daughter was in such a hurry to see Alex, she practically dragged her there. "Hurry up, mama! Just Alex is here!"

Isabel laughed at her daughter's exuberance and at the name she'd given Alex. Just Alex was obviously going to stick, so he'd have to get used to it. Finally she reached the door and opened it to find Alex standing on the stoop, hands in his back pockets. Alexis launched herself at him.

"Just Alex- you came for lunch!"

He swept her up into his arms and balanced her on his hip. "Yes I did. And I hope you made lots of food, because I'm hungry!" He kissed her on the cheek and placed her back on the ground, watching as she went sprinting off to tell her brother of his arrival. He looked up at Isabel, her long blond hair pulled back just so. It was like looking at a memory. She smiled at him shyly, and he grinned and pulled her into a hug. "It's so good to see you, Isabel."

Isabel wrapped her arms around him. "You too, Alex." She pulled away, a little embarrassed. "So, I made us sandwiches. Cold cuts are okay, right?"

"Perfect. Where's Phillip?"

"If I know my son, he's in the kitchen trying to eat all the bananas I just cut up for his sandwich."

"Ah, a boy after my own heart. You just have to try to get away with things when your mother isn't looking. It's the key to a boy's existence." He followed her towards the kitchen.

"Speaking of mothers, where's yours? I figured you'd be spending time with her today."

He shook his head in the negative. "She went to church this morning, and then she has her Sunday afternoon gardening when she gets back, so it frees me up until at least 4. It's a good thing, too, because I got to sleep in." They reached the kitchen, where Phillip was precariously balanced on a stool picking bananas off the cutting board on the counter.

Isabel turned to Alex. "See, I told you." Then she walked over behind Phillip and plucked him off the stool and placed him in a seat at the table next to his sister, who was patiently awaiting lunch. "Phillip, stop eating and say hi to Alex."

Phillip lifted his fruit-filled face to their guest. "Hi, Alex."

Alex sat down next to the boy. "Hi, Phillip. Good to see you again. I see you like Bananas."

Phillip nodded his head. "'Nanas are good! You want some?"

"No thanks, buddy. Your mother already made me a sandwich. But thanks for asking."

Isabel placed a sandwich in front of each of her kids with a glass of milk. She handed Alex a plate and got him an orange soda from the refrigerator. "You still like orange, don't you?"

He nodded, touched that she remembered. "Yeah, I do. Thanks." Then Isabel sat down to Alex's right and joined the group with her own plate of food. The meal passed mostly in silence, neither adult wanting to get into their reminiscing in front of the kids. Finally they finished and Isabel told them to play on the back porch where she could see them. They headed out the door, and Isabel turned to Alex.

"So. Tell me about LA. How are things going?"

He swallowed his last bite of food and answered, "Really good actually. I can't believe I've actually been able to make money as a musician. I figured I'd be some corporate computer geek by now."

"Why would you think that? You were always a really good bassist."

"I don't know. I just figured I wasn't good enough to do it for a living. But it's so great. I get paid to do something I love, which is amazing in and of itself, but sometimes, if you really click with an artist, they ask you to go on the road with them. And let me be the first to tell you, life on the road is good."

She looked down at the table. "I never like life on the road myself. I always wanted to be home, where I felt safe." She picked up her head to see the pained expression on his face. What an idiot, she thought. You made him think that he brought up a bad subject. "Not that my experience was anything like yours, I'm sure. You must have a great time."

His smile came back and he continued. "Yeah, I really do. I've gotten to see so much of the country, and I got to go to Europe and Australia a few times, too."

"That's really great Alex. I'm glad that you're happy."

"I am. I really am, Isabel." He took a deep breath. "And I kind of owe it all to you."

Part 4

Her eyebrows knit together at his statement. "You owe it all to me? How?"

Alex took another sip of his orange soda, then started to explain. "I don't know how to say this without hurting your feelings, but believe me it isn't meant to hurt you at all, okay?"

Isabel nodded and Alex continued. "If you hadn't come to me the night before you were leaving I would have never really known how you felt about me. I probably would have spent my college years moping around, waiting for you to come home. But because you were honest with me about your feelings, it kind of gave me self-confidence that I never really had before. And yes I was upset that you were gone- extremely upset. But instead of wasting my time feeling sorry for myself, I channeled my energy into my music."

She smiled, but her eyes betrayed that fact that what he said had stung a little. "That's great Alex. I'm glad that something good came out of my leaving."

He reached across the table and touched her hand. "I knew it was going to be hard for you to hear this, but I want to be completely honest with you, Iz."

She nodded, trying to hold the pain in. "No, I understand Alex. I wouldn't have wanted you sitting around wasting your life waiting for something that you weren't sure was ever going to happen. I would never want that for you, and I'm happy that things turned out well."

He grinned. "Things are so amazing, Isabel. I mean, college was great. I think I really found myself once I got away from Roswell. I was playing music all day, every day. And not just bass. I learned guitar, drums, and piano. Anything I could get my hands on. The only time I even went into the computer lab was when I checked my email. Not what you'd expect from Alex Whitman, huh?"

"You always had such a low opinion of yourself, Alex. I always expected great things from you."

He blushed. "Thanks."

"So what happened after school? How did you end up doing session work?"

Alex chuckled. "Actually it's kind of funny. I was in a few bands while I was in school. But there was one that was more important than the others- Axis. We were low key, low fi rock, with a female lead singer- kind of like the Whits were before we all left for school. We played a few clubs and some on campus parties and stuff. Nothing too major. One night, about 5 years ago, right before graduation, we happened to be playing out one night when some studio exec wandered into the club. He came up to us after the show and said he loved our stuff. Garbage was coming to town in three weeks and he asked us if we wanted to open for them."

"Really? That's so cool!" She sat forward intent on his story.

"I know! So we played, and it went over really well. And the next thing you know we were booked at some of the bigger clubs in LA. Things were going great, and for 6 months we really lived it up. We were finally starting to take off and get a little airplay when our lead guitar said he'd gotten a better offer from another band. Of course the rest of us were pissed, but what were we going to do? We found a new lead, but he wasn't the same. And then the drummer wanted out, and it all turned into a big rock & roll sob story. I went to the studio exec that had originally given us the offer and I asked his advice. He told me that he thought I was one hell of a bass player, and he was sure he could get our lead singer and me some session work. And here I am 4 years later, still doing studio stuff, occasionally signing on for a major tour here and there, and basically loving every minute of it."

"Unbelievable. And you never wanted to get back to making your own music? Playing your own stuff with your own band again?"

Alex frowned. "No, not really. Once it was over I realized how much of a hassle the entire thing was. Trying to work out schedules and sound checks and attitudes and all that stuff never really appealed to me. But I loved to make music. This way I get the best of both worlds." His expression changed to a happier one. "Yeah, only two good things ever came out of Axis. My career being one of them."

Isabel raised an eyebrow. "And what's the other?"

He actually blushed and stammered a bit before answering. "Stacy."

Isabel fumed internally. Stacy? Who the hell is Stacy, and what the hell is she doing with my Alex? Then she regained a sense of perspective. She'd been married for crying out loud. She had no claim on Alex, and if he had a girlfriend, then good for him. She would never begrudge Alex any happiness. She swallowed her pride and asked, "Who's Stacy?"

He paused, but then decided there was no getting out of this conversation. "Actually, she's my fiancée."

Her jaw dropped. "You're engaged? Wow, I mean... Maria never mentioned..."

"She doesn't know actually. We only got engaged about 2 months ago. I'm going to tell her when they get back. I didn't want to steal their thunder or anything."

Isabel tried to wipe the look of shock and disappointment off of her face. "Oh. I get it. So how long have you and Stacy been dating?"

"About 3 years. But I've known her forever. She was the lead singer of Axis. We met in a music class sophomore year in college, and we just... clicked, you know? She kind of filled up the void I had without Maria and Liz around. You know me- I've always just related better to women."

She smiled sadly. "Yeah, I remember."

Alex continued to wax poetic, oblivious to Isabel's discomfort. "She and I were best friends all through the rest of school. She was a music major, too. We formed Axis together. She sang, I played bass, and we recruited a few guys from our classes to play guitars and drums. She was the only person I wouldn't leave behind when the band broke up. Not that they wouldn't have wanted her anyway- she's got an amazing voice. She's been doing backing vocal tracks and touring as a backup singer since I got us the initial start."

"But you've only been dating for 3 years? What made you wait to get together?"

Alex scratched at his goatee. "Well, I guess I just never thought about her like that. I mean she's beautiful, but she was always with someone or I was seeing someone. It just never worked out that both of us were free until more recently. We were already roommates, and we spent so much time together in the studio, that one night it just kind of happened... and we've been together ever since." He looked up at Isabel. "So I guess she's another thing I have to thank you for."

Isabel looked completely confused. "Why?"

"Well, you were always so far out of my reach. I just never thought I'd have ever had a chance with you until you came to say goodbye. Made me realize I had more to offer than I thought. It was a real ego boost, you know?" He gave her a silly grin and she couldn't help but smile back, even though some small part of her was supremely disappointed.

She shook herself out of the little fog she'd drifted off into. "Well, congratulations, Alex. I'm really happy for you. It seems like things have worked out almost perfectly. That's pretty rare these days."

He smiled. "Don't I know it? I thank the powers that be every day that my life has turned out as well as it has. Now what about you? Maria told me some things... like that you guys actually got to go home. What was that like?"

She stood up suddenly, the pain of that period of her life flashing brightly in her heart. "That's a story for another time. Why don't we go see what the kids are up to, okay?"

He stared at her strangely, the look on his face one of obvious concern. "Okay, I guess. I could use some playtime. We can talk about it later." He walked past her headed for the porch where the twins were playing with their Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head.

"Right...later. Like never." Isabel muttered before following him outside. She'd spent the last year trying so hard to work past the pain of her life before coming home to Roswell. There was no need to dredge it up again, even if it was Alex doing the asking.

~~~~~

When the doorbell rang around 2 PM, Alex looked up from his game of Chutes and Ladders with Alexis and Phillip at Isabel. "Expecting more company?"

"It's probably my mother. She's watching the kids while I'm at work this afternoon & tonight."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Where are you working?"

She smiled. "Promise not to laugh if I tell you?"

"Is it laugh worthy?" At her look of exasperation, he agreed. "Okay, fine, I promise not to laugh. Where do you work?"

Isabel took a deep breath before answering, "The Crash Down." A silly grin broke out across his face as he watched her get up to answer the door and he fought to contain his laughter. "Alex, you promised."

"What? I'm not laughing. Not laughing at all." And suddenly his control broke and he began rolling on the floor with laughter. The kids, not knowing why he was laughing, but deciding it was fun to laugh at Mama, joined his hysterical cackling.

Isabel couldn't help but smile as she walked out of the room to let her mother in the house. The sound echoed through the house, and upon opening the door, Diane Evans had to comment.

"Well, the kids seem like they're having fun with whoever is visiting." She gazed at her daughter meaningfully. "Whose car is that parked in the driveway, honey? Alex Whitman, perhaps?"

Isabel rolled her eyes as she shut the door behind her mother. "Oh for crying out loud, mom, you know it's Alex's car. And don't look at me like that- he's engaged."

Diane smiled. "Oh he is? That's so nice for him. He was always such a sweet boy. Why don't you go get ready and I'll chat with Alex." She put her pocketbook down and started to walk toward the sound of the laughter.

Isabel grabbed her mother's arm. "Mom, please don't tell him anything about... the past. He doesn't really know yet and I'm afraid that he'll just feel sorry for me if I tell him. Things are going really well for him and I don't want to wreck his visit by telling him all my depressing issues. Okay?"

Diane Evans turned and gave her daughter a hug. "Sure, honey. Now, go get ready." Isabel had been through enough in her lifetime, and if she didn't want to share that with her old friend, then that was her prerogative. She watched Izzy start down the hall toward the bathroom and then walked through the kitchen and out onto the back porch where her grandchildren sat laughing and playing a game with Alex Whitman.

"Hi Alex! How are you? It's so good to see you again!"

He stood up and gave Mrs. Evans a quick hug. "Hi Mrs. Evans. Did you have fun at the wedding last night?"

"Oh yes. Phillip and I both enjoyed it. It was nice to see Michael and Maria so happy. Especially after everything..." She caught herself. "So what are you all playing?"

Alexis looked up at her grandmother. "Chutes & Ladder, grandma. Do you want to play with us?"

Phillip nodded. "Yeah- we can start over and you can play!"

Alex looked down at the kids. "Phillip only wants to start over because Alexis is winning."

Diane tried to hide her grin. "Oh, I see. Well, Alexis, do you mind if we start over?"

Alexis considered it for a minute then shook her head in the negative. "No, Grandma, I don't mind. After all it's only a game!"

Phillip clapped happily, and Alex and Mrs. Evans shared a smile as the kids cleared the board and got their Grandmother a game piece. 20 minutes later, when Isabel reemerged from the bathroom, hair wet and pulled up into a long ponytail wearing her Crash Down uniform, she was surprised to hear the house so quiet.

As she stepped out onto the porch, she saw Alexis sitting in Alex's lap and Phillip seated next to her mother, all of them absorbed in an intense game of Chutes & Ladders. Quietly she leaned against the doorframe, watching, until Alexis looked up and saw her. "Mama's done getting ready. Do you want to play, too, mama?"

Isabel chuckled. "No, sweetie, I don't think I have enough time. Why don't you guys finish and pick up, and I'll put you down for your nap before I leave, okay?"

Phillip pulled his eyes away from the gameboard. "Okay, mama. We're almost done anyway."

She waited as they all took their last few turns, and finally Alexis jumped up, happily flaunting her victory to her brother, who seemed pretty grumpy. Isabel knew the look on Phillip's face- he was getting cranky. Alex and Mrs. Evans helped the kids pick up and then Isabel put them down for their nap. As she walked out of their bedroom, she grabbed her purse and coat, ready to head off to work. Alex waited for her as she said goodbye to her mother and then walked her out to her car.

"Well, thanks for a fun afternoon. I think the kids really like you, Alex."

He grinned as he thought about the exuberant hugs he'd gotten from both the twins before Isabel led them off to bed. "Yeah, well, I really like them. Like I said last night- you've got two great kids."

Isabel smiled sadly. "I know. I thank god for them everyday."

Alex looked at her, concerned. "Why do you seem so upset when you say that? What's wrong, Isabel?"

She quickly transformed her face to a happier one. "Nothing, Alex. I'm fine."

His eyes narrowed. "Why don't I believe you?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Alex, really. I have to get to work."

"Ah, yes, the Chili Rocket Dogs can't serve themselves. So, can we get together again? We didn't even get to talk about you."

Isabel swallowed hard. How was she going to avoid this subject for 2 weeks? "Uh, sure, Alex, if you want to. I don't have to work until 6 tomorrow night if you want to stop by again tomorrow."

"As much fun as that would be, I don't think we'd get to talk too much with Alexis and Phillip around. Why don't I come to the Crash Down tomorrow night before you close and we can eat something and maybe go for a drive or out for coffee or a drink?"

Isabel's breath caught in her lungs. It almost sounded like he was asking her out on a date. If only he was. She nodded mutely. This was going to be difficult. "That sounds good, Alex. I get off around 11 or so." She looked down at her attire. "And I'll bring something else to wear so I don't have to go out like this."

"Why? You look great in that uniform."

She swallowed hard. He was affecting her so much without even meaning to. "Well, I'd just feel kind of dumb wearing this out in public when I wasn't working," she answered, quickly avoiding the rush of warm feelings his compliment inspired. "I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?"

He nodded. "Tomorrow night it is." He pulled her into a hug before she even knew what had happened, and she was assaulted with memories from so long ago. Reluctantly, she encircled him with her arms, wishing that he would just go before she got all weepy about the past and what would never be. Finally he did pull away, and as he walked toward his car, he gave her a little wave and a smile. "See you later, Izzy."

"Bye, Alex," she murmured almost to herself. She watched him pull out of the driveway and got into her own car, trying very hard to think about the customers she would be waiting on at work instead of the sweet, dark haired guy who's heart was no longer hers.

Part 5

It felt like weeks had passed. Her feet were sore and she felt like tiptoeing across the diner. She looked at the large wall clock- 8:53 pm. How? How in the world was it only 8:53pm? She shook her head in anguish. He was going to show up soon. She felt it in her bones. And there was nothing she could do to stop him.

She didn't want this anymore. She'd wanted him to come and make her smile for a week or two, make her remember the good days. Not make her fall in love with him all over again. Not make her jealous that he'd found somebody to take her place. Not be the same old irresistible Alex who made it so damn hard to stay distant.

She didn't want him coming in there reminding her of what she couldn't have. Who she could never be to him. And she didn't want him feeling sorry for her after he'd broken down her defenses and finally made her deal with what had happened to her in the past. But it was going to happen, no matter how she would try to stop it. After all… this was Alex.

Isabel shook her head hard. Sometimes it was really a burden to have a slight predilection toward perceiving the future. She refused to think about the possibilities that this was what was going to happen after Alex came to see her tonight. She swept a Sigourney Weaver onto her tray and brought it to the lone diner in the Crashdown on a Monday night at 8:54 pm.

After serving the plate to the embittered middle aged man seated in her section, Isabel floated over t the counter and poured herself a cup of hot tea. It always relaxed her, and if she was reading her feelings right, she wanted to be as calm as she possibly could when Alex arrived. Alex was very hard to resist, but more so when he wasn't even trying.

As if on cue, the bell over the door rang and he appeared. He gave a curt little wave and strode purposefully across the floor toward the stool where she was seated. "Hey, Iz. How's work?"

She looked around the diner and then over at Alex. "Business is booming, obviously. Pull up a seat."

He did so, and she hopped off her stool and went behind the counter to grab a plate and a knife. Lifting the glass tray she cut him a slice of Amy Valenti's special peach pie, slipped it onto the plate and flung a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of it. She slid it down the counter towards him and he stopped it effortlessly with one hand. Picking up his fork, he looked into his food. "And how 'bout a shot o' red eye to go with that, barkeep?"

Giggling like a 10 year old, Isabel grabbed a glass and sunk it deep into the ice cooler, filling it to the top, then spun and set it under the fountain arm, pressing the button for orange soda. When it was full, she slid it down the counter as well, and as he caught it, he tipped his imaginary cowboy hat at her. "Thanky kindly, ma'am."

They burst into laughter as he ate his first bite of pie, and Isabel came back around the counter to sit next to him. "It's been so long since I've done that."

He grinned. "I could tell. You were a little rusty with the ice cream scoop."

She whacked his arm playfully. "Oh shut up. You could never even figure the slide out. All those nights we hung out here late and you still would spill the dishes off the end. Poor Maria must have had to pay for about 3 dozen plates."

"Okay, fine. I never got the slide right. But I did get really good at a few things."

"Such as?"

"Such as knowing when something was bothering you." He paused. "What's making you feel so bad, Isabel?"

"Nothing, Alex. Nothing you can fix anyway. That part of my life is over. I don't want to think about it anymore." She sighed and got up to check on her customer and when she returned his pie was half finished. He set his fork down and looked at her seriously.

"You know that answer isn't acceptable. Isabel, you're obviously hurting about something. Can't you tell me what it is?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, Alex. I can't. I can't share that part of me with you. It would be different if we were… if you and I… but we're not. So, no I can't tell you. I'm sorry if that hurts your feeling."

He coughed to clear his throat and sat up a bit straighter. "No, Isabel, that's fine. I understand. It just seems to me that you should talk to someone. Soon. Even if it can't be me."

She nodded and walked toward the front of the store to ring out her customer. The she bussed his table and collected her tip. Mr. Parker poked his head out and saw that the diner was empty. "Isabel, why don't you take off. I can handle the rest of tonight."

She shook her head. "I can't Mr. Parker. That wouldn't be fair to you."

"Fair, schmair. I own this place and I am telling you to go home. Or at least go out and have some fun. You and Alex can catch up."

She winced internally, but decided to take Mr. Parker up on the offer. She walked back to when Alex was finishing his pie and told him she was getting finished early.

He looked up solemnly. "So, do you still want to do something? Get a few drinks? Maybe take a ride and see the stars?"

"Drinks. Definitely drinks. I have to go change." She really didn't need to go stargazing with Alex Whitman. Talk about stirring up memories. She only hoped that she'd make it through the rest of the night without losing it.

~~~~~~

They ended up going across the street to a bar that had just opened up 6 months ago. It was called Alien Encounter and Alex had never been. They'd chosen seats at the main bar, facing an enormous silver mirror shaped like an alien. They'd been sitting idly for a while until they got the conversation rolling. Finally, they'd gotten around to talking about Isabel's kids again. "So what is it like being a mother?"

Isabel grinned. "Being a mother is easy. Just love your kids the best way you know how. The hard part is disciplining them. It's not like when I was a babysitter, because those weren't my kids, and I didn't really care if they went to bed on time. But with Phillip and Alexis, sometimes it's so hard to stay tough. Especially when they're upset and a bottom lip starts to quiver. Makes me want to just give them a hug and forget all about what they did wrong." She sipped at her iced tea, Alex listening intently as he drank from his beer.

He smiled at her. "I can't wait to have kids of my own."

"You'll be a great dad someday, Alex. The kind who'll actually listen to your problems and give cool advice."

He blushed. "Thanks. Stacy only wants one kid, but I think about 5 will be good."

Isabel stiffened at the mention of his fiancée. She'd almost forgotten about her. The way they'd been talking it was as if they were the only two people in the world. She cleared her throat. "So... do you think Maria and Michael are having fun in Hawaii?"

"It's their honeymoon. Of course they're having fun! Though I bet Michael's being all over protective about Maria wanting to lie out in the sun all day. It's probably not the best thing for the baby."

Isabel nodded. "No, you're probably right." She paused, then asked, "Do you think Maria and Michael will be happy? I know I never thought any of us would ever get to be after we found out about our destiny, but I think they really have a good shot. What do you think?"

"I always thought they belonged together. When they broke up, I'd never seen Maria so heart broken. Not even after her dad had left her and her mom. I don't think she ever got over it completely. And then when I saw them together the other day, it was like magic- the old Maria was back. It was like a fairy tale ending to their story." He looked over at Isabel and saw her staring into her drink. Mentally he kicked himself for being so stupid. "I'm sorry Isabel. I'm sure he was happy with you, too."

Her head jerked up. "Don't worry about it Alex. I know he wasn't. Neither was I. It's why we got divorced in the first place. I never loved Michael like Maria does. And he never loved me like that either. We just made the best of our situation. And even if it didn't work out, at least we have Alexis and Phillip. Neither of us is bitter. It's just the way things are. I don't have any hard feelings toward Michael. And of course I still care about him. That's why I pushed them to get back together."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You did? That's awfully generous of you Isabel."

"No it's not. I just want the people I care about to be happy." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Including you Alex. So if marrying Stacy and living in LA is going to make you happy, then I'm all for it, even though it would be nice to have you here at home."

He smiled genuinely at her. "Thank you, Isabel. You just made my day." He threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a half-hug, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead. Isabel had stiffened at his initial contact, but feeling his lips on her skin melted her. She rested her head on his shoulder comfortably for a minute as Alex rubbed her back. This was so familiar, so comfortable. The room suddenly seemed to shrink until all she could feel were the soft caresses Alex was touching her with.

And just as suddenly reality cam back to her. This was Alex, who was engaged to another woman, and she wasn't going to let herself have feelings for him again. She pulled her head off his shoulder quickly and then moved out of his personal space. His look was questioning, but to keep him from asking her what was wrong for the 2nd time that night, she asked him a question. "So, do you want to hear how I got Maria and Michael back on track?"

Alex cleared his throat and stifled his need to ask what was bothering her. "Sure. I know how stubborn both of them can be, so it couldn't have been easy. Did you lock them in a closet together or something?"

Isabel smiled. She really had missed having Alex to talk to, so while he was here, she planned to take full advantage of his listening skills. She only wished that wasn't all she could take advantage of. "Well, it all started after Michael and I decided to separate. I knew we'd have to come back to Earth, and I knew where we should go. Roswell was the only place we'd ever really considered our home, but as long as Maria might be here I knew he'd balk. So I started to sneak into his dreams at night to try to bring out his memories of her."

"That was kind of extreme, wasn't it?"

"Of course is was. But I knew the only way we could ever come back to Roswell was if Michael agreed to it, and the only way he would agree was if he wanted to see Maria again. So I did what I had to do."

"So was that all it took, or was there more overt convincing that took place?"

"Oh, man, once we got back here I had to push him nearly every step of the way. And Maria- god I didn't realize how much she was in denial about still loving him until she came over here to meet the kids. This is a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

He smiled. "I have all the time in the world, Iz."

She grinned back and continued with her story, all the while pushing her own resurgent feelings for Alex out of her mind.

~~~~~~

"So finally I just grabbed her hand and poured all the memories that he had of her in to Maria's mind. After that there was no way in hell she could back down. I've never seen Maria run so fast."

"And then they just made up? And they've been together ever since? Very well done, I must say, Isabel. It's like Dangerous Liaisons." He smirked and then a hiccup came bubbling out of him.

"Alex? Are you okay?"

He waved his hand in the air. "Me? I'm fine. I just think it's very sweet what you did for them, you know in an evil mastermind of manipulation way." He grinned again and leaned his chin on his fist.

Isabel was a bit taken a back. She hoped he didn't think badly of her. "Well, I mean, I only set a few things up. If neither of them wanted to be together, then they wouldn't, right?"

He looked at her through his lashes. "Oh, totally. They wanted to be together, they were just too stubborn to admit it. I for one think it was an excellent thing you did, Izzy." He pointed a finger at her, brushing it over her nose playfully. "You should be a matchmaker."

Isabel burst out laughing. "Alex, are you drunk?"

"Me? Drunk? No… I can't be. I only had 3 beers. I can't be drunk. It's imposshible," he slurred.

"You really don't live the rock and roll lifestyle do you?"

"No. I can't play at all after I've been drinking. I get too shloppy. In fact I don't really drink very often."

She chuckled. "No, really? I never would have guessed." She looked at her watch. It was after 11. Her mother would be wondering where she was. She pushed away from the counter and stood up, grabbing her coat in the process. "Come on. I have to get home. Maybe you'll sober up on the ride." He stood up and pulled his keys out of his pocket. "I'll take those."

He smiled as he shrugged his jacket on. "That is probably a very good idea, my dear. Ha- that kind of rhymes. Maybe I should write a song with that as a lyric. What do you think?"

Isabel grabbed his arm to steady him. "Sure, Alex. Go right ahead. I'm sure it'll be a huge hit. Come on, Paul McCartney."

He smiled drunkenly. "Whatever you say, Izzy. Anything you say goes." She followed her out the door to the car, and after helping him into the passenger seat, she started the short drive to her house. She'd get her own car tomorrow after work. Alex babbled the whole way home, which made her laugh, and he kept changing the radio station trying to find songs he'd played bass on. When they reached the house, she looked over at him despondently.

"Oh, Alex. You're still a mess. What are we going to do with you?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Isabel. Just point me in the direction of my house and I'll be on my way."

"Yeah right! And have you get arrested or kill someone? No way. You're staying here tonight- on the couch." He started to open his mouth to protest, bust she silenced him with a look. "No buts, Alex. I don't want you getting hurt, okay?"

He rolled his eyes but agreed. "Fine. But I have to call my mom." He laughed out loud. "God I sound so pathetic. I'm 27 years old and I have to call my mom to tell her I'm crashing at a friend's house. It's so funny to be home."

"Alright, let's get you out of the car. But be quiet going inside- we don't want to wake the kids up."

He laughed again. "That sounds even funnier. Isabel- you have kids! And they're great kids. I love them. It's so weird to be grown up." She smiled at his drunken logic as she unlocked the door. Her mother was curled up on the couch asleep with the late news flashing on the TV screen in front of her. Gingerly she walked toward the couch and gently shook her.

"Mom, I'm home. Thanks for watching them. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon?"

Diane Evans came out of her slumber groggily. "Oh, right, no problem dear. Tomorrow afternoon." She stood and went to grab her purse when she saw Alex standing in the doorway. "Oh, hello Alex." She looked questioningly at Isabel, who was turning red even in the dim light.

"Alex is going to stay on the couch, mom."

He nodded and waved. "Hi, Mrs. Evans. I'm drunk so I have to stay. Isabel said."

Diane Evans chose not to ask, but simply nodded, gave her daughter a look that read 'you better explain this tomorrow' and said her good-byes before leaving.

Isabel shut the door behind her mother, and looked at Alex, who had already peeled off his coat and had taken her mother's warm spot on the couch. "Uh, do you want some sweats to wear or something? Because I can run over and get some of Michael's clothes from next door."

He shook his head. "Nope. Just need to call mom and then I'll go to sleep. I don't want to be any trouble."

"It's not any trouble, Alex." She handed him the cordless phone. "I'll be right back." She quickly went to check on the kids, and then ran to get the keys to Michael and Maria's. In the other room she heard him speaking to his mother.

"Hi, mom, it's me Alex. I'm drunk. Gonna stay on Izzy's couch so I don't get in trouble. See you in the morning. Love you." He hung up the phone as she grabbed the keys from the top drawer of her desk in her bedroom, then walked back down the hall to tell him she was running next door to get him something more comfortable.

When she got to the living room, he was passed out sound asleep on the couch; phone still clutched in his hand. She smiled, then crossed the room, took the phone out of his hand, and covered him up with the blanket her mother had been using earlier. On impulse, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead, maybe letting them linger a little too long. "Goodnight, Alex."

"'Night, Stacy," he murmured in his sleep. Disappointed, she returned the phone to the base and walked down the hall to her room to get ready for bed.

Part 6

The sound of little footsteps padding along the rug caught him offguard. He opened his eyes and saw Alexis carrying a doll. "Hi, just Alex."

"Hi Alexis. What are you doing up?"

"I heard you snoring and I though my daddy was home from Hawaii." She looked so innocent as she said it, but it was so funny he had to laugh.

"Well sorry to disappoint you, honey, but it's just me. It's too early to wake up, don't you think?"

"Yes, but I was just excited because I thought daddy and Maria were here. I guess I'll just go tell Phillip to go back to sleep."

"Wait. Phillip is up, too?" The little boy was so rambunctious, and he wanted to make sure Isabel got her rest. "Why don't you go get Phillip and bring him out here and we can all share the couch, okay?"

Alexis clapped her little hands together in delight and ran off to go get her brother. She looked so much like Isabel sometimes, it was scary. He waited and she returned dragging Phillip, her doll, and two little pillows. Without a word, he scooped them up onto the couch and made them comfortable on his chest. Then he drew the blanket up over the three of them and kissed each on the forehead, and promptly fell back to sleep.

~~~~~

The morning sun shone brightly in her face, and Isabel rolled to cover her eyes. She opened one eye to look at the clock and almost fell out of bed when she realized it was 8:30 am. Where were the kids- they were always up by now.

She flew out of bed and grabbed her bathrobe, pulling it on as she headed down the hall t their room. Both beds were unmade and empty. She continued down the hall, hoping that Phillip hadn't broken both their necks with his latest scheme. What she saw as she rounded the corner into the living room almost took her breath away.

Alex lay on the couch; the twins curled up on him like he was a giant bed. He was snoring lightly and each child had its heads buried in his shirt. It was so cute, she wanted to take a picture. She must have made a noise, because seconds after she entered the room, Alexis picked her head up and jumped off the couch, running towards her mother.

"Mama, I woke up and just Alex was asleep on our couch! He said that Phillip and I could sleep with him."

Isabel put her finger to her lips. "Shhh, honey. Why don't we let Alex and Phillip sleep and we'll go make them a special breakfast, okay?"

"Okay, Mama. Can it be pancakes?"

Isabel smiled down at her daughter, then scooped her up in her arms. "Sure thing, baby. Let's make it a surprise!"

Alexis hugged her mother back as they headed into the kitchen. "This is fun, mama. Can Alex stay here again?"

She kissed her daughter's cheek and put her down in a chair. "I wish he would, honey. I wish he would."

~~~~~

When the boys had finally "woken up" (in reality Alexis jumped on them) Isabel presented them each with a plate stacked high with pancakes at the breakfast table. Phillip dug in without hesitation, tearing through a half of a pancake without stopping. Alex watched the boy with laughter in his eyes, then took his own first bite. "Wow, almost as good as the Crashdown."

Isabel smirked. "Alex, I work there. Where do you think I got the recipe?"

He grinned back at her. "Well that explains it, then, doesn't it?"

"Yup," added Phillip with a mouthful of syrup and pancakes.

Isabel burst out laughing and wiped some of the food off her son's face. "Oh, Phillip, you're always so messy."

Instead of answering, he simply smiled. Alex finished his plate and declined Isabel's offer of more. As soon as Phillip was done, Isabel sent the kids off to get dressed. "So how are you feeling this morning?"

Alex grimaced. "Oh, I've felt better, believe me."

"I do. I thank god we can't drink. I am really sure I wouldn't be able to handle the hangover." She paused and then touched his hand lightly. "See, I told you you were going to make a good father someday."

He blushed a bit. "Yeah, well, we'll see what happens."

"Alex, you're engaged. It's kind of a probability."

He smiled at her, but looked a little upset. "Look, Isabel, I completely appreciate you letting me stay here last night. I know it must have seemed like I got drunk on purpose so you would take pity on me, but I promise you, that wasn't my intention. I know in the past, that maybe I was a bit too attached to you, and that maybe this sounds like something I might have done in the past to get close to you."

Her eyes bugged out. "No, Alex-"

"Let me finish. I swear on my bass that I have no romantic feelings for you any more. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't feel comfortable hanging out with me for the rest of my visit. I love Stacy, and I would never try to take advantage of you because of feelings I may have had in the past. I'm faithful. I don't want you to think that I'm some musician scumbag waiting to put the moves on you. I care about you, but not like that anymore, okay?" He let out a deep sigh as he finished. "So do you forgive me?"

Her voice caught in her throat. "Of course I do, Alex. I'm just glad we got that out of the way. I was worried about that too. I mean you're engaged and I'm just recently divorced, trying to make a life for myself for the first time. We're so completely wrong for each other… it's just ridiculous. Right?"

He chuckled, completely oblivious to her agony. "Right. So glad we got that out of the way. I wouldn't want you thinking I was some crazed stalker who, like held this flame for you for years or whatever."

Isabel sighed. "Let's just pretend we never had this conversation, okay?"

"Done," he nodded. Phillip came waltzing into he room right then, his shirt on backwards and inside out. Isabel grabbed him by the hand to help him fix it while Alex grabbed his coat. "So… I'll talk to you later this week, alright?"

Isabel nodded mutely. "Yeah, that sounds really good. Fine with me. Later this week." She picked her eyes up from buttoning her son's now fixed shirt. "Thanks for last night. I had fun."

"Me, too." He knelt down in front of Phillip and gave the boy a quick hug. "See you later, buddy."

"Bye Alex. Come visit us soon."

"Sure thing." Isabel called down the hall to Alexis to come say goodbye to Alex. She came bounding out of her room her socks still in her hands. Running like her life depended on it, she flung herself at Alex, who scooped her up and tossed her in the air. "Bye, Lexi. I'll see you soon, okay?" He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Bye, just Alex. Come back anytime."

He nodded and looked up to Isabel. "See you later."

She nodded. "Yep. Later." She gave him a slight wave and watched him walk out the door. What the hell had just happened? She thought she was finally making a connection with him and he tells her that he doesn't have feelings for her anymore? It was torture. She couldn't see him again. That was for sure. She wiped a stray tear from her eye and sat Alexis down on the couch to help her put her socks on.

On the other side of the door, Alex smiled. God, it felt good to get that off his chest. He was glad that she didn't think he was a psycho stalker. He wanted to be close to her again, be real friends this time. Without any pressure. None of that will they or won't they tension. They both knew where they stood, and as far as he was concerned, nothing could ever get in the way of their friendship ever again. Not evil aliens, ex-husbands, not wives. Not even being hundreds of thousands of miles away. They were friends again. His chest swelled with happiness as he walked away.

Isabel, not Stacy, was on his mind on the drive home. When had she gotten even more beautiful? How was it possible, even? He wasn't sure but it had happened. That hair, so soft, her eyes so intense. And watching her with her kids… he saw how much she loved them, and that was a feeling he saw so rarely in her when he'd known her, it was just captivating.

As he got out of the car and entered his house, his mother yelled to him that Stacy had called before work this morning. He felt his heart pang as he realized that he hadn't even though to cal her last night, and that's he'd just been completely daydreaming about Isabel. Stacy was going to be his wife, not Isabel, and as much as waking up with her and her kids and eating pancakes with them made him insanely happy for some reason, he had someone else to think about. How was he going to explain this one?

Part 7

It was Sunday. Maria & Michael were due back from Hawaii this afternoon. Isabel had been avoiding Alex like the plague since Tuesday morning, the morning he'd completely killed any hope of hers that he might still see her as more than a friend after all this time. He'd called Thursday, Friday and Saturday to spend time with her, but each time she'd made up some flimsy excuse not to see him.

The kids were asking for him. He'd spent time with Liz and Kyle- she knew from Liz's daily updates and inquiries as to why she wasn't spending more time with Alex while he was home. She brushed off the questions by saying she didn't want to monopolize his time while he was here, and that she'd see him when Michael and Maria got home. And they were coming home today which meant no more hiding. She'd have to see him, have to deal with what he'd said. She'd have to be strong.

She assumed Stacy had forgiven him for sleeping on her couch the other night, or he probably wouldn't have called her at all. He was right- he was the faithful kind, and if Stacy was mad at him for seeing her, then he wouldn't have made the effort to spend more time with her. In any case, he was off limits. Completely. They had a big welcome home party planned for Michael & Maria tonight at the Crashdown after their usual Sunday dinner with Maria's family. How was she going to avoid him? He'd be there, alone, and she'd be there, alone. Everyone would expect them to be alone together. But she knew she couldn't handle it. There was only one solution. She picked up the phone and called Liz.

"Hello?"

"Liz, thank god you're home."

"Isabel? What's the matter? Are the kids okay?"

"Oh, they're fine. They're out playing in the sandbox. I need a favor."

Liz paused, digesting the information that everyone was safe and sound. "Okay, what can I do for you?"

Isabel sighed. "I kind of need a date for the party tonight, and I was wondering if Kyle had the number for that guy Roger from his crew who's always asking me out?"

"Roger Hammond? Why would you want to take him to the party tonight? Alex is going to be there, and I'm sure he'll want to spend time with you."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't do it, Liz. It's too hard to spend time with him, completely appreciating him, when I know he's engaged. I know it must sound stupid, but I'd feel much more comfortable taking someone with me tonight."

Liz seemed kind of awe struck, but reluctantly agreed to give Isabel Roger's number. As she recited the number from her husband's Rolodex, she frowned to herself, knowing that there was bound to be some friction tonight at this happy welcome home party.

~~~~~

At precisely 3 PM Isabel's doorbell rang, and knowing it was much too early to be her date, she figured it must be Maria & Michael to pick up the kids. She walked to the door and opened it to find her ex-husband and his new wife kissing on her stoop. She cleared her throat, and reluctantly the two pulled apart.

"Hi. Good trip?"

Maria smiled and enveloped her friend in a big hug. "Of course it was! Now where are they?"

Isabel smiled at the other woman, knowing she was dying to see Phillip and Alexis. "They're out in the back yard. Why don't you guys go surprise them?"

Michael nodded his agreement and gave Isabel a quick kiss on the cheek on the way by. She followed them out onto the back porch, and when Alexis and Phillip saw the couple, they dropped what they were doing to sprint to them, crying out "Daddy! Maria!" as they went.

The children were scooped up into 2 pairs of waiting arms, and immediately began asking all about Hawaii. Alexis was asking Maria if she learned a new song for them to sing, and Phillip was busy searching his daddy's pockets for a present.

Isabel stood back watching how happy the four of them looked. It hurt a little to see her children love someone other than her like a mother, but she was glad it was Maria, a close friend and a very good person, who she knew would love her kids as if they were her own. And Michael beamed as she hadn't seen him do since Phillip and Alexis were born. He was so happy now, and she was very happy for him. It seemed everyone in her life was happy now. Everyone but her.

She faded back into reality as she heard Michael ask the children, "So are you guys ready to go to Gramma Amy & Grampa Jim's house for dinner?"

Phillip nodded, his eyes bulging. "Yep! I'm hungry. Are you going to give me my present after we eat?"

Michael smiled at his son. "Yes, Phillip, if you are a good boy, you can have your present after we eat, okay?"

Phillip grinned. "Okay, daddy."

Alexis was smiling as well. "Are Jimmy and Kaitlin going to be there?"

Maria looked at her stepdaughter. "I think so, why?"

"Because Kaity will want to learn my new special song, too, and you can sing it to us both!"

"That's a very good idea, Lexi. What do you say you and Phillip go get your nice shoes on and let me and Daddy talk to mommy for a few minutes, okay?"

The kids hit the ground running, and Maria and Michael sat down on a nearby bench. Isabel took a seat in the plastic lawn chair across from them. "So you both look very tan. I guess you convinced him to let you lay out Maria?"

"Yeah, blackmailed is more the word. But it was great."

Michael nodded. "The beaches were so beautiful. They made me want to paint again."

Isabel looked surprised. Michael hadn't held a brush to her knowledge since before they found out about their destiny. Maria really was a good influence on him. "And how was the food? You must have gone to a luau, right?"

"Oh, yeah. I even learned how to hula." Maria smiled mischievously at Michael. "Didn't I, baby?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "Yes, you definitely did. Isabel if you ever want to entice a guy, just have Maria show you the hula. Believe me, it works."

Isabel laughed at Michael's tortured but happy face. "Well, I'm glad you had so much fun. Things here were fine. No problems at all."

"Did you get to spend time with Alex? What did the kids think of him?"

Alexis stepped out onto the porch at that moment carrying her jacket, and before Isabel could answer, she launched into a diatribe on the wonderment of Alex. "Just Alex is so much fun! He came over and ate lunch with us and played Chutes and Ladders and then he slept on our couch and me & Phillip snuggled with him and me and mommy made pancakes for just Alex and Phillip. He's my best friend and when I grow up I want to marry just Alex!"

Maria burst out laughing. "You want to marry Alex, honey?" She looked up and winked at Izzy. "Well it sounds like you might have to wait in line for him."

Isabel blushed nervously. "It's not what you think..."

Michael interrupted. "Okay, Iz, if you say so. But I can't remember the last time you had a date, never mind let a guy sleep on your couch."

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Can we talk about this later?"

Maria smirked at Isabel. "Oh you can count on it, my friend."

Isabel grabbed Alexis's jacket and helped the little girl get it on. Phillip came outside in the meantime and Michael bent to help him tie his shoes. After the kids were all set, Maria looked up at Izzy. "So, we'll see you tonight at the Crashdown, right? And I expect full details of the past week, Isabel, no holding out on me."

Sighing, Isabel walked them all to the door. "Yes, I'll be there. And I promise I'll tell you everything, okay. Just make sure you talk to Alex first. He has something important to tell you."

Maria looked at Isabel strangely but nodded. "Sure, I guess. See you later, Isabel."

She waved as they four departed the house, and walked back in the house to get ready for her date with Roger. Boy were they in for a shock when they heard about Alex and Stacy. All their matchmaking plans would be killed. She was just glad she'd at least look like she didn't mind about Alex being engaged. She looked into the mirror in the hallway and practiced the fake 'I'm so happy to be here smile' she'd perfected in High School and had barely had to use since.

~~~~~

It was later, around 6 PM, when her doorbell rang again. She fixed her earring and headed for the front door. Opening it, she put on her fake smile, ready for this ridiculous date to start.

"Wow. You're all dressed up. You look great." Isabel's eyes widened in amazement as she realized it was Alex standing on her front porch, not Roger.

"Um... Alex. What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might want to go to this party for Michael 7 Maria at the Crashdown tonight together. You know, since we'd both be going alone otherwise."

She smiled uneasily. "Oh, Alex, I wish you'd called me-"

"Ahh, but see, every time I've called you this week you've been busy, so I though I stood a better chance of catching you if I just came over here. So you look ready. Do you want me to drive?"

A deep voice resonated from behind Alex. "Actually I thought I'd drive."

Alex spun on his heel to look at the owner of the voice. He was a good-looking guy, around 30, built and tan. He looked like he worked with his hands. As he extended his hand to shake Alex's, he was sure of it from their clean but rough skin. "Hi. I'm Alex Whitman. I'm an old friend of Isabel's. And you are?"

"I'm Roger Hammond. Isabel's date for the party tonight." both me looked up at Isabel expectantly.

She smiled awkwardly at her date. "Hi, Roger." He smiled in response and she turned to Alex. "If you'd called I would have told you not to stop by. As you've probably already figured out, I have a date tonight. Roger works for Kyle and Michael. He was nice enough to agree to take me tonight."

Alex was dumbfounded. He hadn't known Isabel was seeing anyone. She never mentioned it. He looked at Roger critically, then back at Izzy. "Well, I guess I'll just go then, since you've already got a ride. See you both at the party. It was nice to meet you Roger." He extended his hand to the other man once again.

"You, too Alex. See you later." As Alex walked away, he shook his head in confusion. What the hell had just happened here? Isabel had a date. He'd thought she said she wasn't ready to date since she was just getting her life back together. This was very strange. He didn't like it one bit. As he sped off toward the Crashdown, he frowned. He meant to get to the bottom of this.

Meanwhile, Isabel had invited Roger in and he was helping her on with her coat. "I was so glad you called me, Isabel. I've been wanting to take you out for quite some time."

She smiled at him; a bit nervous that he was thinking this date was more than it was. "Well, I've just been so busy since we got back to town, and now I have my job, it's tough to find time for myself, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Are you ready?" She nodded and he extended his arm for her. She took it and let him lead her to his car, all the while preparing herself for what would probably turn into an extremely miserable night.

Part 8

At the party, Isabel was trying very hard to enjoy herself. Roger was at least an attentive date, who seemed to find her company pleasant. She couldn't help but notice that Alex was now avoiding her. When she had arrived, she watched as Alex made his way over to the newlyweds, presumably to tell them the news of his engagement.

She turned away and spent most of the next hour talking to Kyle and Liz while Kaitlin and Alexis played together in the corner. Phillip was off with Jimmy, so at least she didn't have to worry about him too much. Roger was at her side almost the entire time, and when he excused himself to talk to Michael for a moment, Alex made his way over to her. She groaned inwardly, and prepared herself for the interrogation.

"So, you never mentioned that you were seeing someone."

She cleared her throat. "I wasn't actually seeing anyone. This is my first date with Roger."

"Oh." He paused, concerned. "So what made you suddenly decide to re-enter the dating world?"

Isabel smiled, prepared to lie her ass off to make it look like she wasn't doing this date thing out of spite. "Actually it was our conversation last week. I know that I said that I wasn't ready to date since I've only been divorced officially for 3 months, and that I was trying to get back on my feet so it wasn't a good time. But after you left, I thought about it, and I decided that maybe I'm already back on my feet. Things are really well settled now that Michael and Maria are married and back from the honeymoon, and I figured I'd better do something before I lost my nerve, so I called Liz and asked for Roger's number. I mean, he's asked me out a few times before, but I didn't have time or it didn't feel right, you know? Maybe now things will work out."

Alex stood quietly, his mouth in a little o. "I see. Well, how's it going so far?"

She plastered on her fake smile again. "Actually pretty well. He's certainly good looking, and according to Kyle he works really hard. I guess I'll just see how it goes."

He nodded mutely, while inside he was seething. Who the hell was this Roger guy to show up on Izzy's doorstep while he was in town? He wanted to spend time with her and her kids, and Michael and Maria and Liz and Kyle like old times. And now this Roger guy? He was definitely not a part of the plan. Alex didn't like him, and he didn't like the way he stood so close to Isabel the whole time she was talking to Kyle and Liz. Jeez, the guy could give her some breathing room for crying out loud!

And then he looked up at Isabel. What was he doing? She has a right to be happy, he thought. I know she's happy for Stacy and me. Why wouldn't I want her to get on with her life as well? How selfish can I be? He smiled at her, his heart softening. "Well, Roger's on his way back over here, so I'll let you get back to your date." He turned to go, then turned back and hugged her. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Isabel."

He turned and went to rejoin Maria and her mother. Isabel watched him go, while muttering under her breath, "I already have, Alex. But you're taken." Roger appeared at her side and she smiled as he handed her an Iced Tea.

~~~~~

Liz and Kyle and Maria and Michael stood together in the corner later that night watching as Isabel and Alex attempted to not notice one another.

Maria rolled her eyes. "God, they're hopeless! I thought with us gone, maybe they'd spend some quality time together. Didn't they re-connect at all?"

Liz shrugged her shoulders. "I know they spent some time together at the beginning of the week, but the past few days she's been blowing him off."

"Why? What happened? Does it have something to do with the fact that he spent the night on her couch the other night?"

Liz nearly choked on her drink. "He did? He didn't mention that to me. Who told you, him or her?"

Michael sipped his cherry coke. "Actually Alexis told us. But Isabel promised to give up the details later."

Maria thought about it. "Something must have happened." She turned on Liz & Kyle accusingly. "And did you two know that he asked Stacy to marry him?"

Liz shook her head vigorously. "No. Not until after you left. He told us on Wednesday."

Kyle scratched his head. "Do you think that's what happened? He told her he was engaged and she got pissed and decided to ignore him?"

Maria nodded. "I bet that definitely had something to do with it. Damn, I never thought he and Stacy were serious. I just thought they were together because it was convenient. He just never really talks about their relationship that much." She glanced back and forth between Alex & Izzy from across the room. "Would you look at the two of them? They can't stop sneaking looks at each other. There is no way you can convince me that Alex isn't in love with her, and that he's actually going to go through with getting married to Stacy, who he couldn't possibly love as much as Isabel." She looked at Isabel and Roger off in another corner, chatting quietly. "And Isabel? Please, it was obvious from the moment Alex got to the reception that she's still crazy about him. What is their problem?"

Michael laughed. "Maria, 9 months ago, people probably would have said the same thing about us, and look where we are now. You have to give them time."

Liz downed her drink. "Time? We do not have time, Michael! He's only going to be here for another week, and then he's going back to LA. Back to Stacy, where it will be much too easy for him to forget about Isabel." She looked at her best friend in the world. "Maria, we have to do something. Now."

Maria nodded. "I know. We've let them falter on their own long enough. We have to take major action." She took a deep breath. "Okay, first things first, we have to get the details of what's happened so far. I think I can manage that since Isabel promised she'd tell me everything that happened while we were away."

Liz smiled. "Good. So we have Isabel covered." She turned to her husband and his best friend. "Now, Michael and Kyle. Tomorrow night take Alex out for a beer. Get it out of him how he feels about Isabel." Kyle and Michael both started to protest, but Liz shushed them with a look. "I don't care what you have to do- get him drunk if you have to. Just remind him why he fell in love with Isabel in the first place, okay?"

The two men nodded, a little afraid of their wives' scheming. Kyle stroked his wife's hair soothingly. "Liz, honey, are you sure we should be messing around in their love lives? I mean, Alex seemed pretty happy when he told us he'd gotten engaged."

Michael nodded, agreeing with Kyle. "Yeah. And Isabel is fine- she's happy with the way her life is going right now. I'm sure she's completely over Alex."

Maria and Liz looked at their husbands. Maria grabbed Michael's face and turned it across the room. "Look at the two of them, both of you. Do those look like two people who are happy?"

Liz looked at Kyle. "No, they don't look happy, do they? And we don't intend to let them stay that way. Now do as you're told or get out of our way, got it?"

Michael and Kyle nodded vigorously. They were on the job, whether they liked it or not.

~~~~~

Isabel hadn't even gotten her coat off when Maria burst through her front door. "Okay, Iz spill it. What happened with you and Alex?"

"Maria! It's after 11. Were you waiting up for me? Aren't you supposed to be jet lagged or something?"

Maria shook her head in the negative. "I slept the whole way home. I want details."

Isabel took off her coat and hung it on the coat rack next to the door. "You know you should really be asking me about my date with Roger and how that went. And where are the kids?"

Gritting her teeth and crossing her arms over her chest, Maria glared at the taller woman. "The kids are in bed, asleep, and Michael's over there with them. Your date with Roger was an excuse to not have to spend time with Alex. You are avoiding him for some reason. Now quit stalling and talk to me."

Sighing, Isabel walked to the kitchen and turned on the water for tea. "Fine, we can talk. But can I at least change into my pajamas or something?"

Maria nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Go change. But hurry up. Because I need to know what's going on."

"Fine." She walked down the hall, yelling out, "The decaf tea is in the cabinet above the refrigerator."

"Thanks," Maria replied. "You want decaf or regular?"

"Decaf. I need to get some sleep tonight if I'm going to be chasing the kids around all day tomorrow and then work 5 to 11." Maria pulled out two tea mugs and two tea bags and sat down, waiting for the water to boil and for Isabel to get the hell out there and talk to her.

~~~~~

"…And basically before he left on Tuesday morning he apologized if it seemed like he'd gotten drunk on purpose to try to get me to let him stay here. Then he told me that he didn't have feeling for me anymore. Of course he still loves me, but not like that anymore, and that he was a faithful guy and he would have never tried to take advantage of me, you know, if that's what it seemed like."

Maria was dumbfounded. "So what did you say?"

"What was I supposed to say? I reassured him that I didn't think he was some stalker who was trying to get me to sleep with him by pretending he was drunk and that I didn't have those feelings for him anymore anyway. That I understood he loved Stacy and that I was happy for him.

"You did what? Isabel… you ruined everything!"

Isabel rolled her eyes at Maria. "Ruined what? There was nothing to ruin. I just wanted to see Alex and spend some time with him, you know to remember how things used to be. And now I've done that. We've renewed our friendship and the kids love him. What else did you think was going to happen?"

"The same exact thing you did, you big faker! You can't tell me that you don't still feel something for Alex. I saw it in your eyes when you were dancing with him at the reception."

"Maria, come on. Even if I did think there was a possibility that Alex and I could have gotten together, and believe me, I didn't, that idea went completely out the window the second he told me he was engaged. I wouldn't want to ruin anything for him. He's Alex- he's spent his life looking out for other people's happiness and now that he's found some of his own you'd want to ruin that for him? Even if I did want Alex, I'd never do anything to hurt his relationship with Stacy. And if you're his friend, you won't either."

Maria grimaced. "Isabel, I am his friend, and I'm yours, too. And I know how you feel about him. You can deny it all you want but whenever we mention his name or we find some old picture of the whole group of us, your eyes get all watery. You still feel something for him. And you haven't even met Stacy- why are you so worried about her? I'll tell you, I have met her and she's nice and all, but she's not you. I never even thought they were serious enough to talk marriage. When Alex told me, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I've always though of their relationship more as a brother/sister thing. He's a great guy, and they have a nice relationship, but believe me when I say that Alex is with her out of convenience. She's there and she cares about him. Maybe he thinks that's all he needs from life. But, he underestimates himself- maybe he doesn't think he deserves a mad, passionate, fireworks-type relationship. But he does. And I love him too much to let him have mediocre. You are what he needs Isabel. And somewhere down inside of yourself you know that."

Isabel dropped her head to her forearms. "Maria, please don't tell me you're going to do anything crazy to try and get us together. It's not going to happen. He loves her. He told me so."

Maria took another sip of her tea. "Yeah, well he told me he was over you once. I almost believed him until I found out he'd been staying out all night, every night looking at the stars. And just tonight, he never took his eyes off you the entire time you were with Roger. When you were leaving, he watched you walk out the door with Roger and then walked to the window to watch you get in the car. This from a guy you say doesn't love you."

"I never said he didn't love me. I know he loves me. Just not like that anymore. He was watching out for me, like a friend. Because that is exactly what he is, Maria, my friend."

Maria finished her tea and stood, placing both her mug and Isabel's in the sink. "Yes, Isabel, you are right, he is your friend. But I'd bet my half of the store that that's not all he wants to be. And I know how you feel. Don't bother to deny it to me, 'cause no matter what you say, I'll never believe that you aren't dying to be with him. I know you too well."

"Okay, if you know me so well, what am I thinking?"

"You're thinking, get out of my kitchen and let me get some sleep, you prying, nosy, and absolutely correct woman!"

Isabel laughed and pointed toward the garage, which had a connecting door to Maria and Michael's half of the house. "Go away, you're crazy. It must be the hormones of pregnancy."

Maria smiled. "Yes, I may be crazy, hormonal, and pregnant, but that doesn't mean I'm not right about this, Isabel." She quickly gave the taller woman a hug and walked toward the garage. This was going to take some major scheming. Good thing Liz was in on this one with her. And with Michael and Kyle working for them, there was no way they could lose. Isabel and Alex would be together. No matter who she had to pester, annoy, and set up to do it, Maria meant to get them together and happy before this week was over.

Part 9

"So, Alex, how's LA?"

Alex lifted the beer Kyle had bought him to him mouth and took a long sip, then looked at Michael, who'd asked him the question. "Good, man, really good."

"Do you ever miss it here? You know, family, friends, familiar places?"

Alex smiled. "Are you trying to get me to admit that I miss you Michael?"

Kyle burst out laughing. "Great job, Mr. Subtlety."

Michael elbowed the shorter man. "Shut up, Valenti."

Alex turned to face the husbands of his two best friends. "So what's really going on? I know Maria and Liz had to put you two up to this little guy's night out. What are they planning?"

Kyle swallowed and looked at Michael for reassurance. Did Alex know something? "What do you think they have planned?"

"Oh I'm guessing the plan has something to do with a surprise goodbye party for me, and maybe to also figure out if I am going to stay in California forever or if I'm planning to move home after I get married."

Michael exhaled loudly. He didn't know. But he decided to play into what Alex was saying, hoping he'd reveal something about how he felt about Isabel. "Yep, you're right, Alex, we can't put anything by you."

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. How'd you figure it out?"

Shaking his head in triumph, Alex grinned. "Guys, I have known Maria and Liz since we were kids. They can't fool me. I know when they're up to something."

Michael grinned, making Alex think he had the upper hand. "So, what are your plans after you get married? Are you going to keep doing the session work or are you going to try to do something more permanent? You know, start saving up for a house or something?"

Alex took another swig of his beer. "Well, I know Stacy is happy singing, so I think we'll stick to what we're doing right now. But I dunno, maybe someday, you know in the future when we start trying to have kids, I would maybe like to move home. Maybe start a music school and recording studio."

Kyle downed his first beer and ordered another. He didn't like being a spy. "That sounds cool, Alex. Do you want to have a lot of kids? I mean, is it something you and Stacy talk about a lot?"

"I don't know how many I'd like. A bunch, anyway. Stacy only wants one, but I think maybe I could convince her to have more."

Kyle grimaced. "Ooh. That's a tough sell, believe me. I wanted to have another baby right after Kaity was born, but Liz wasn't up for it. She wanted to get her career on track first. Are you sure she's flexible enough to actually consider more kids?"

Nodding, Alex looked at Kyle. "Of course. Besides once she has one baby, I'm sure she'll be so happy, she'll want a dozen more."

Michael shook his head. "I don't know, man. I said something to Maria the other day about having more after this one, and she very firmly said, 'Let's get through one first, okay?'"

"Really?" Alex looked a little perplexed. "Maria always said she hated being an only child when she was young, so she wanted a lot of kids."

"Alex, things change once they get pregnant, trust me. But you work through it. I'm sure things with Stacy will work out fine."

Kyle clapped Alex on the back. "Yeah, dude. No worries. So have you guys set a date yet? It'll be tough on the crew for both Michael and I to take time off right now, but I'm sure they'll work it out."

"Oh, don't worry about it, guys. We haven't really even talked about when. We just know we want to wait at least 2 years."

Michael sipped his non-alcoholic beer. "Wait. You got engaged two months ago, and you haven't even started planning the wedding yet?"

"No. Stacy said she wanted to wait to plan it until she had a break in her schedule. Of course, she's usually working constantly, so it might be tough, but I'm sure we'll work it out eventually. Even if we wait another few years, what's the difference?"

"What's the difference?" Kyle looked a little surprised. "Wow, you're way more relaxed than I was. I was so nervous I just wanted to get it over with. Plus I guess I just couldn't wait to start a more permanent life with Liz. I knew she was the one from the first time I met her."

Michael nodded in agreement. "Yeah, same thing with Maria. Back in high school, right after we first met each other, we had to do that plan at the Crash Festival to throw Kyle's dad off the trail. Isabel pretended to hit Maria with the car, and I was supposed to go up to her dressed as an alien and 'heal' her. The second my hand touched her skin, I felt it. It was like a jolt of electricity hit my spine and I couldn't breathe. And when I came home after all those years, and I saw her again, it was just as strong as ever. It was all I could do not to throw her to the floor of her mother's store and make love to her right then and there."

Kyle chuckled. "I'm sure Amy would have loved that." He paused, seemingly thinking back about his relationship with Liz. "Yeah, love is like that. Makes you want to jump feet first into everything." He looked up at Alex. "I just can't believe you haven't set a date yet. If I was engaged to some good looking singer, I'd want to marry her ASAP before any big rock star could come in and steal her from me." He laughed nervously, looking at Alex, who was frowning. "Hey, it was only a joke man. I'm sure you and Stacy know what you're doing, right? She wouldn't have said yes otherwise."

Suddenly Alex seemed to snap out of his stupor. "Right. We're fine. We're just a little older than you and Liz were, Kyle, so I'm sure that's part of it."

"But what about me & Maria? I mean, I proposed, well sort of, the morning after we made love for the first time. And that was only a little less than a year ago. And my divorce wasn't even final."

Alex's eyebrow seemed to rise of it's own accord. "Really? Maria never told me that. Well, I suppose it's because it took Stacy and me so long to get together in the first place. I mean, I was always attracted to her, but it was never the right time, you know? And then, one day, it just seemed like it was the perfect thing. You know the next step to our friendship. So I kissed her."

Kyle grinned. "Sparks flew, eh?"

Alex shook his head. "Not exactly. But it got better the more our relationship evolved. Maybe we're just not sparks type of people."

Michael nodded. "Maybe. Sometimes people kind of ease into love. But let me ask you this- have you ever had sparks with anyone else?"

He paused, the question catching him off guard. "Um, well, kind of."

"What do you mean kind of? There is no kind of. It's a yes or no question." Kyle was getting impatient with this conversation, never having learned tact.

"Yes, I've had sparks with another girl. I just always though that went away when you got older. I just always thought Stacy and I were just too mature to be crazy in love."

Michael quickly nodded. "I'm sure that's it, man. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you two are fine." He took a huge gulp of his drink to prepare to ask the next question. "So who was it?"

"Who was what?"

The alien rolled his eyes. "The girl who gave you sparks, bonehead."

"Oh." Alex cleared his throat nervously. "It was Isabel. But that was probably because it was a first kiss/first crush/first love thing, right?"

"Maybe. Describe it."

Alex finished his beer, loosening up, and tried to figure out how he'd gotten himself into such a strange conversation. "Well, it was kind of like you said with the electricity, but it was more, too. It felt like my heart was going to burst right out of my chest, I was so happy. And I remember not being able to wipe the smile off my face for days. And that was before she even dragged me into the Eraser Room."

Kyle nodded. "Sounds like love to me. What do you think, Michael?"

"Yep. Sounds familiar."

Alex turned to Michael. "You don't think it was just because it was Isabel, and I'd been totally gone on her for so long? It could have happened with any girl that I was that infatuated with, right? I mean, you were married to her, Michael. You must have felt that spark with her at some point, right?"

"Actually, no. I've only ever felt it with Maria. With Izzy, I mean, I definitely loved her. But not the all-consuming, mind-blowing type of love. There are definitely different ways to love somebody. But having experienced both, I'd much prefer to have the passionate, crazy kind. It seems so much more... intense and beautiful and perfect and right, you know?"

Alex frowned and stood up. "I have to go, guys. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Without another word he walked out the door.

Kyle smacked Michael in the arm. "Nice going, Michael. Could you lay it on any thicker? He probably figured out exactly what we were really doing and went straight to Maria and Liz to tell them to cut it out."

Michael finished his drink and shook his head in the negative. "I don't think so, Kyle. I think we just scared the crap out of him. He's completely fooling himself that he's in love with this Stacy chick, and maybe he's starting to realize it. I don't want him to end up like I did- with an amicable divorce, still afraid to be in love. Do you?"

"No. I guess not."

"Then, as much as I am later going to regret saying this, I suggest we keep helping Maria and Liz with their plan. I'd hate to see the guy miserable, and it sound to me like he remembers those sparks with Isabel all too well. I think he's convinced himself that he doesn't love Isabel like that anymore, and that Stacy is exactly what he needs."

"When probably the truth is that he needs Izzy more than he knows, more than she knows, and more than either of them are willing to admit. Okay, fine, I'm in. I just hate doing the dirty work." Kyle finished his beer and picked up his keys. "But at least I'll be getting rewarded for it." He smirked and Michael followed him out, both heading out to report to their wives.

~~~~~

Maria and Liz meanwhile, sat at Liz's house discussing what Isabel had said and whether or not they thought she really wanted to be with Alex.

"I don't care what she says. It's in her eyes. And maybe she's given up on the idea, but that doesn't mean she doesn't love him."

"She said herself the first thing she thought when she heard about Stacy was who the hell is this chick and why is she stealing my Alex."

Maria nodded. "That's what she said to me. I think we have to come up with a plan. Something to get them alone. I know Isabel hasn't told him what she went through at home yet, and I'm sure it's because she doesn't want him to feel sorry for her. She's really very proud, you know."

"Oh I know," Liz concurred. "But I think it would be so good for her to tell him. You know, really open up to a man in a way she hasn't since long before she and Michael separated. Michael was really the one who told you all the bad things that happened to her since they left Roswell, and you told me. So we already knew- it was easier for her to avoid the subject completely once she knew that we knew. She's still never spoken to me once about the baby she lost."

"Me neither. Or course, I'm probably not the ideal person to open up to about it, since it was my husband's baby, too."

"And you know Isabel, she'd never tell her mother things like that. She wouldn't want to upset her. She actually really should talk to someone."

"It should be Alex. They always had a special connection. She could tell him anything. She always said so. And I know she still loves him. It would be too perfect."

Liz shrugged. "So there's the plan. Get Isabel to open up to Alex, and hope it will trigger something inside the both of them."

"Sounds like it could work. But how are we going to do it?"

At that moment Kyle, followed by Michael, entered the house. "How are you going to do what?"

Liz stood up and kissed her husband. "Get Isabel to open up to Alex so that they both realize how they feel about one another."

Michael sat down next to Maria on the couch and she pulled him into a tight hug. "That is, assuming you got him talking about how he feels about Izzy and how much he still loves her?"

"Oh yeah. We certainly planted a few seeds of doubt in his head about his feelings for Stacy."

Michael chuckled. "You should have seen how fast he ran out of the bar once we got him to admit he felt no spark with Stacy, but he used to feel one with Iz."

"Ooh, good job," Maria cooed at Michael. "So you think the mission was successful?"

"Without a doubt," Kyle added. "Of course you may have to throw Alex a surprise going away party this weekend, but that's another story."

"A party? Why..." Maria paused mid-sentence. She stood up and began to pace across the floor. "Oh, I've got it! The plan! This is going to be perfect!" She sat back down, this time on Michael's lap. "Now tell me everything that you guys talked about and don't leave out any details."

Michael and Kyle exchanged glances across the room; both knowing it was probably going to be another few hours before either of them got rewarded for their deviousness. Liz got up to make some more tea for Maria and herself, and to grab a beer for Kyle and a coke for Michael. Planning to break up an engagement and rekindle an old flame was thirsty work. And it looked like they were in for some overtime.

Part 10

"Just come over tonight, okay Alex? I'm making a special dinner for the 6 of us and I want to hang out like old times. Is that so wrong?"

On the other end of the phone she heard him sigh. "Of course it's not wrong, Maria, it's just, I dunno, I feel bad. You guys have been going all out for me since I got home and I think you should spend some time with the kids and your parents or something. Show them picture of the honeymoon and stuff."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Alex, we'll have plenty of time to do that later. You never come home, and I want to spend as much time with you as possible. Everyone does. It'll be fun- like old times. We'll be silly and watch movies or play cards or just hang out, okay? Please?"

"Fine. As long as you're sure you're not neglecting anything else to make time for me."

She practically growled into the receiver. "That's what friends do when friends they haven't seen in forever come home, Alex. Be at the house at 7:30, okay?"

"Okay. 7:30 it is. See you later, Maria."

"Bye." She hung up the phone and looked across the store to her mother who was restocking the shelves. "God, could he be anymore stubborn?"

Amy Valenti smiled. "I'm sure he could, Maria, but you would always out-stubborn him. So what's going on tonight? I get the impression it's more than old friends getting together for dinner."

Maria smiled at her mother, who'd always been perceptive. "It is. We're trying to get Alex and Isabel back together."

Her mother stood up straight, a little in shock. "Maria, are you sure that's a good idea? What if Isabel isn't ready for another relationship? And isn't Alex engaged?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but you saw them together at the reception and then again the other night. You can't tell me they don't still have feelings for one another."

Amy put down the case of Alien trinkets she was holding and turned to face her daughter. "Of course they still have feelings for one another- that's obvious. But it seems like the timing is really off, here, Maria, and I hate to burst your bubble, but I think you're going to get yourself in over your head with this one. You shouldn't mess with people's love lives."

"This from the woman who practically had me married off to Michael Guerin 10 minutes after he walked back into my life."

She smiled knowingly at her daughter. "Yes, dear, but I never meddled. I just hinted and suggested."

"And what would you have done of neither of those approaches worked out?"

"Okay, fine, I would have meddled. I just hope you're really sure about what you're doing, Maria."

Maria nodded as she picked up the phone. "Oh I am, mom, trust me. No one on this earth deserves each other more than Alex and Isabel. And I mean that literally." She quickly dialed the number to the other side of her house and grinned when the other end was picked up after a few rings. "Isabel?"

"Hi, Maria. What's up?"

"Listen, you're not working tonight, right? Because I was thinking that you could come over and have dinner with us and spend some time with Alex and us and Liz and Kyle? You know, like the old days?"

Isabel took a sharp breath at the mention of Alex's name, and in response, sounded really uncomfortable. "Oh, Maria, I don't know... who'll watch the kids?"

"Bring them- I'll tell Liz to bring Kaity with her and they can play while we hang out. It'll be really fun, I promise. Please?"

Across the room, Amy shook her head and went back to stocking the shelves. She knew the tone in her daughter's voice all too well. Isabel and Alex would both be there, and if she was right, there'd be more to the night than either of them bargained for.

~~~~~

Kyle pushed himself away from the table. "God, Maria, you outdid yourself. That was great."

Alex nodded as he finished his glass of wine. "I know. It was amazing. Are you sure you didn't take cooking lessons while I was gone? Because I don't remember you ever being able to cook like that."

Maria grinned as she stood up to clear the table. "Live alone for a few years, Alex, and you get pretty bored with Mac & Cheese. You learn how to make dinners more tasty very quickly."

As she walked away, Michael leaned over conspiratorially. "Don't let her fool you. I've taught her everything she knows."

"I heard that, Michael Guerin, and I don't appreciate your lies!" She bellowed from the kitchen, causing the other 5 adults to break into laughter.

Liz looked around the table and smiled. "So, what do you guys want to do now?"

Alex looked at Liz, one of his oldest friends in the world with a big grin on his face. "Ok, Liz, if I know you, and I think I do, that smile means you've already got something planned for us, right?"

She nodded vigorously. "I was going through some of the old stuff in my parent's attic the other day and you'll never guess what I found."

Kyle looked at his wife. "Old dust balls?"

Liz rolled her eyes at her husband and shook her head, annoyed. "No, besides that, you goofball."

Isabel, who'd been extremely quiet up until now, looked up questioningly. "Um...old pictures of everyone?"

"Better."

Michael looked at his wife's best friend, pretending not to know what she was going to say. "Uh, your old Crashdown uniform?"

"No. I found that video we made the summer between Sophomore and Junior year."

Maria reappeared just in time to hear what Liz had said. Pretending to be surprised, she looked at everyone in shock. "Oh my god! You mean the one where we were hanging out at Izzy's that weekend when her parent's were away?"

Michael rolled his eyes at Maria's pathetic attempt at acting. "You mean the one where you girls decided we needed time to re-bond after the whole destiny thing and Kyle getting shot. Oh, yeah, that was REAL fun."

Alex perked up. "Hey, I think I remember having fun. Didn't we go swimming and hang out and watch movies and stuff?"

"Exactly," Liz said. "Which is why I think we ought to watch it tonight. It'll be cool!"

Isabel looked more than a little hesitant. "Oh guys, I don't know..." She looked at Liz. "Isn't it going to be kind of weird?"

Maria jumped in. "No way, Isabel! I think it'll be really funny to see us how we used to be, don't you?" She thought for a second, and then yelled down the hall to the kids, who'd eaten earlier. "Kaity, Phillip, Lexi, come here!"

After a few sounds of scattering toys and happy laughter, the three children came tearing down the hall to the dining room. Kaity looked up at her aunt. "What is it Auntie 'Ria?"

"Do you guys want to see a videotape of all of us when we were in High School?"

Phillip and Alexis laughed, and then looked at Michael. "That was a really long time ago, wasn't it daddy?"

He broke out in laughter and scooped his inquisitive son into his arms. "Yes. So long ago you weren't even an idea. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Alexis and Kaity exchanged glances and smiled. "Yeah!"

Isabel had to give in when she saw her children's enthusiasm, though she still held reservations about seeing such a vivid reminder of the past. Max and Tess were both in that video. She wasn't sure this was something she was going to handle all that well.

The group moved from the table to the living room, and seated themselves comfortably around the TV. The kids made themselves comfy on the floor, while the adults positioned themselves on the various pieces of furniture around the room. Liz retrieved the tape from her purse and inserted it into the VCR. Almost immediately the face of Isabel Evans, age 17 popped onto the screen.

Alexis and Phillip jumped up. "It's Mama!"

Isabel laughed and motioned the children over to come sit with her. "Shhh, everyone knows it's me, guys. Come sit down."

The image of herself on the screen finally looked up to see the camera. "Alex! Shut that thing off! I don't want to be on camera."

She laughed at herself, as did the rest of the group. Alex's voice could be heard immediately following. "Oh be quiet, Isabel. You know you love it."

"I do not. Go shoot Maria and Liz."

Suddenly Max walked onto the screen, laughing. "Forget it, Alex. You'll never get her to admit she likes being videotaped. Even though we all know she does."

Isabel froze at the sound of her brother's voice and the sight of his face. He was so young, so relaxed. She was immediately distracted from the screen by Alexis pulling on her sleeve. "Mama? Is that Uncle Max?"

She nodded absently, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen.

Alex also seemed to be absorbed by the sight of the girl he used to be in love with. The rest of the adults were more concerned with watching Isabel and Alex than the video itself. Maria and Liz especially were holding their breath, hoping things would work out as planned.

Finally, the camera seemed to get passed from one person to another, and suddenly Alex appeared on the screen with Isabel. Alexis clapped, and exclaimed, "Just Alex!" The adults giggled, and continued to watch as Alex approached Isabel and grabbed her by the arm.

"Come on, Isabel, you know you want to!"

"No Alex, I don't! Leave me alone!" Finally, he just launched himself at her, pulling her out of her chair and bear hugging her to keep her from escaping. "Come on, Alex, let me go!"

"Dance with me. Do it or I'll tickle you." He began to sway to some music in his head, and the Isabel on screen began to laugh hysterically. Hearing the laughter obviously brought the entire gang into the house from outside, as Maria, Tess, Liz, Michael and Kyle appeared.

Kyle looked from Max, who still had the camera, to Alex and Isabel laughing, and back. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

Alex looked over at the newest member of the group. "I'm trying to get Isabel to have some fun. Turn on the radio."

Maria practically skipped over to the radio and switched it on. The extremely loud sounds of Christina Aguilera came wafting out of the speakers. She clapped excitedly. "Perfect! Michael, dance with me."

Michael grimaced. "I don't dance, Maria. You know that."

"Fine, whatever. Kyle. Come dance." Looking over at the rest of the group, he shrugged then moved to the middle of the floor with Maria. Alex nodded his approval, and released Isabel a bit. She moved to run away, but he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

He smiled at her and waggled his eyebrows, and began singing to the music. "Come on over, Come on over Baby!" Isabel laughed hysterically as Alex began to drag her all around the room, eventually getting everyone but Michael and Max involved in the dance. The scene continued for another few minutes and finally the dancing ended with the song.

Isabel watched as the group on screen continued to laugh and joke and sing. It made her think of a time before she had had to deal with death on a regular basis. Before she had to leave everything she loved behind. Before she was married and had kids and went home to the one place in the universe that completely crushed her spirit.

Silently, she stood and placed Alexis next to her brother in the armchair. "I, um, does anyone need anything else to drink?" When no one responded, she silently she headed out of the living room toward the back porch. The group exchanged glances as Alex rose to follow her.

As he exited the room, Maria turned to the other adults. "Here we go, guys. Keep your fingers crossed."

Kyle grimaced. "I can't. I have to keep them over my ears to keep from hearing Liz singing Christina Aguilera on the video."

His wife whacked him on the arm and settled in to watch the rest of the tape. It was nice to remember a time when they'd all been mostly happy. She only hoped Alex and Isabel could break through their obstacles to find that happy place again.

Part 11

Out on the porch, Isabel wiped at her eyes, brushing away the tears that had come on as soon as she was alone. It was hard enough to be confronted with the pictures of Max that her parents still had hanging up at their house, but seeing a live happy version of both him and Tess was just too much. It brought her thoughts right back to the worst period of her life. When she'd lost her baby, her brother, and had her world pretty much turned completely upside down.

"You know you might feel better if you talk to someone about it." The voice she loved and hated to hear at the same time echoed behind her.

Stoically she shook her head. "No, Alex. I really don't think I would."

She heard him step closer and then she felt his hand rest gently on her shoulder. "Isabel, please, talk to me. It's obvious that you're hurt and upset. I just want to help you."

She shook her head in the negative without turning to look at him. "You can't, Alex. I don't think anyone can. Please, just go back inside."

"Not with you out here alone and in pain. I don't know exactly what's wrong, Isabel, but I know it has to do with what happened to you between the time you left Earth and came home, and why Max and Tess didn't come home with you and aren't ever going to. And if you don't want to share that with me, that's fine, but please talk to someone about it. You can't keep everything bottled up inside you like this. It's not healthy. Can't you talk to Michael? Maybe your mother?"

She shook her head again. "No, Alex, I can't. My mother... I can't tell her things like this. She'd get all worked up, and I don't want to do that to her. It's better to let her think that Max and Tess are fine and happy where they are and that I've dealt with things. And Michael. Well, it wouldn't be fair to him. He's dealt with almost everything, and I don't want him to start dwelling on things again. He's happy now and he has Maria and the baby to take care of- it's not his place to worry about me anymore."

Alex spun her to face him. "Isabel. Just because you and Michael are divorced doesn't mean he just stopped caring about you. And what about Maria or Liz- can't you talk to them?"

"No, I can't. I love them both, but they'll just want me to move on and get over it. And I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. Besides they have their own lives to live and their own problems to deal with. They don't need to hear about things I still haven't dealt with 2 years later." She finally looked up into Alex's warm eyes. "I just don't know if I'll ever get over what happened, Alex."

As the tears started again, he pulled her into his arms. "I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong, Isabel."

"And I can't tell you because I don't want you feeling sorry for me, Alex. I'm not your problem anymore. You have Stacy and a great life. That's all I ever wanted for you, and I don't want my pain and problems to jeopardize that life in any way. Do you understand?"

He nodded solemnly. "I think so, Isabel. But I wouldn't be any kind of friend if I didn't want to try to help you. You can lean on me you know."

"I appreciate that you want to help, but I think I have to try to stand on my own, if I can. I need to come to terms with the way things are on my own if I can. But the fact that you came out here after me means more to me than I can say. I miss you, Alex. I didn't realize how much until I saw you again. You were always my rock. But I want to be my own person, now, my own rock. Do you understand?"

He nodded. "Yes. But if you can't handle this, do you promise to call me? I care about you too much to just leave you hanging, Iz."

She tried to smile in response. "Okay, I promise." On impulse, she leaned in and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Pulling back and looking into his eyes, she added, "You're the best friend I've ever had, Alex."

He was quiet, but his hands slowly began to move from her shoulders up to her face. His thumbs brushed the remaining droplets of tears from her cheeks, and before he knew what he was doing, he pulled her slowly toward him, placing a soft kiss to her lips.

Isabel's heart thumped in her chest as their lips met. It had been so long, and she had missed this so much. She quickly deepened the kiss, winding her arms around his waist. It lasted a few more seconds before Alex realized what he'd done.

Pulling himself away slowly, he looked into her eyes. "Oh, god, Isabel. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... it just happened. I better go." And before she could even respond, he'd already rushed back into the house leaving her alone on the porch again to think about what had just happened.

~~~~~

About 10 minutes later, Isabel finally gathered her thoughts and courage enough to go back into the house. As she entered, Maria and Liz both stood up.

"Isabel, are you okay?"

She nodded mutely, and looked around the room for the one face that was no longer there. "Where's Alex?"

Maria cleared her throat. "Um, he left. Said he forgot to do something at home, thanked us for dinner and took off. Is everything okay?"

Isabel nodded again, speechless at Alex's quick exit. Was he that upset about the kiss? Was he mad at her for responding to it? Was he angry that she wouldn't open up to him? She looked around the room at her friends. "Did he say anything else before he left?"

Liz spoke for the group. "No, he didn't. Why? Did something happen on the porch? Did you guys have a fight?"

"No. Everything's okay. I just think I'm going to go home. I'm tired and I'm getting a headache. Thanks for everything. I had a good time." She headed for the door, but was stopped about a foot away by Maria.

"I'm sorry about that tape, Isabel. I guess we just didn't think about how much it would bother you. We just thought it'd be fun to watch."

Isabel gave her a weak smile. "It's okay, Maria. It was fun. It's just seeing it reminded of a time when things were a lot easier. I almost forgot we were that young once."

Maria smiled gingerly. "I know. Me too. And sometimes we all forget how hard things have been on you. You put on such a brave front, but you know you don't have to, Isabel. We're all here for you."

She quickly hugged the shorter woman. "I know, Maria. That's what Alex said. I just think I need some more time. Maybe someday we'll all be able to watch that tape and laugh about it. Hopefully someday soon."

Maria nodded hopefully. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow before I go to work. I'll try to keep the kids busy for a while so you can get some sleep."

"Thanks. See you later." She quickly waved to Michael, Liz and Kyle, and then headed out the door back to her side of the house. Maria shut the door behind her, looking a bit defeated.

On the couch, Michael sighed. "Well, I guess that blew up in our faces. The way Alex ran out of here, I don't think he had any luck getting to her."

Kyle nodded. "Me neither. I think all we succeeded in doing was making them both miserable."

Maria sighed. "Maybe my mother was right. Maybe we should just butt out."

Michael's jaw dropped. "I never thought I'd hear you say either of those things, never mind both at the same time. This is a day to mark on the calendar!"

Gritting her teeth, Maria picked a pillow up off the chair she was nearest to and heaved it at Michael's head. "Pipe down, Spaceboy. I could have sworn it was going to work."

Liz, quiet up until now, nodded her agreement. "Me, too. I guess some things just aren't meant to be."

Kyle shook his head in disagreement. "No, I think some things are meant to be, they just take their own sweet time happening, and nothing the two of you do is going to make them happen any sooner. So why don't we just leave them alone and let Alex and Izzy sort themselves out, okay?"

Maria sighed again. "Fine. But let the record show that a little meddling always helps." She walked over and sat on Michael's lap. "And we're living proof, aren't we honey?"

Michael kissed her quickly. "Yes we are. I only hope Isabel and Alex end up as happy as we are, whatever happens."

The group agreed with his last statement wholeheartedly, and then moved to the kitchen for coffee and dessert, all of them hoping against hope that Alex and Isabel would still end up together despite their bumbling attempts at matchmaking.

~~~~~

When she woke up the next morning, Isabel felt less than refreshed. She'd tossed and turned all night thinking about Alex and their kiss. It felt so familiar, so sweet, and so right. But at the same time she felt so guilty. He was engaged- he was happy. What right did she have to kiss him and ruin things for him?

She threw back the covers, annoyed. Why was she so mad at herself? It wasn't like she made a move on him. He'd kissed her, after following her out to the porch to see if she was okay. And she wasn't the one who was engaged. She took a deep breath, trying to convince herself that she'd done nothing wrong. She hadn't, had she?

She got up and walked to the kitchen to make herself something to eat, thinking about the situation as she headed down the hall. Who was she kidding? She'd participated in that kiss just as much as Alex had. Hell, she was the one who prolonged it. She hadn't been thinking about what was right for Alex at the time, only about how amazing it felt to kiss him again, and have him touch and hold her. She wanted to melt into the floor at the first touch of his lips to hers, and she was still reeling.

She was mad at herself, not because she hadn't wanted to kiss him, but because she'd liked it so much. How could she still feel so strongly about him after all this time and all that had happened? To tell the truth, she had very much wanted to open up to him last night, to tell him everything. A part of her was so scared to talk about it- scared that if she even said aloud what had happened she would completely break down. She didn't want that. But at the same time, she knew if she told Alex she would have felt better, as if the burden had been lifted just a little bit. In fact, she had a very strong feeling that if she let him, Alex might be the only person who could truly help her get over this.

But at the same time, she didn't have the right to put that kind of pressure and responsibility on him- he was her friend, nothing more. She had no right to expect him to help her though this. It's not as if he was in love with her. He loved Stacy, and she didn't want to get in the way of that.

Sipping at the mug of tea she'd made for herself, she groaned inwardly. How had things gotten into such a state of confusion in just over a week? She felt awful- like his whole visit had been nothing but a complete burden on Alex because of her and her aloofness. It wasn't fair to him. She bit into her toast and picked up the phone, dialing the number to his mother's house. She needed to talk to him about last night and about how selfish she felt for ruining his visit with her problems.

A female voice answered the phone, and right away Isabel knew it was Alex's mother. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Whitman. This is Isabel Evans. Is Alex there?"

"No dear, he's not. He left early this morning."

"Oh, okay then. Do you know when he'll be home? I really need to talk to him about something."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Again a pause, then Mrs. Whitman spoke. "Isabel, dear, he left to go home this morning. Back to LA."

"He what?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. He came home early last night and called the airline right away to change his flight to this morning. I thought you all knew, and that last night was a goodbye dinner for him."

Isabel stood speechless until she heard Mrs. Whitman on the other end of the line calling her. "Isabel? Are you still there?"

She cleared her throat. "Oh, yes, I am. Thanks Mrs. Whitman. I'm sorry I bothered you."

"No problem at all, Isabel. I'm sorry you missed him."

"Me, too. Bye." She hung up the phone in a daze. He left? Without saying goodbye? She sank into the nearest chair trying to wrap her mind around the fact that he'd left so suddenly without even talking to her.

Part 12

20 minutes later, Isabel still sat in the chair, mouth agape, brain trying to process that Alex was gone. She knew he must have thought the kiss was a mistake, but to run away without even talking to her? That was so unlike him. Alex was always a very direct and honest person. Or at least he used to be. Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.

The sound of Maria, Phillip and Alexis coming in the front door was what brought her out of her stupor. She rose as they entered, intent on making things seem normal. "Hi guys. How are you this morning?"

Phillip shouted "Fine, mama!" as he ran past her to his room to grab some toys. Alexis stopped in front of her mother and looked her up and down. She cocked her head to the side and frowned a little.

"Are you okay, mama? You look sad."

Isabel looked down at her daughter. How could a 4-year-old be so perceptive? She knelt in front of Alexis and drew her into a hug. "I'm fine honey. Why don't you go keep Phillip out of trouble for a few minutes so I can talk to Maria."

Her beautiful baby smiled and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Okay, mama. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything he's not supposed to." She watched as the little girl raced off down the hall after her brother, then stood to face Maria, who'd remained quiet while the children greeted Isabel.

"Were they good?"

Maria nodded absently. "Yeah, they were fine. What's wrong?"

Isabel swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening. "Nothing. Thanks for keeping them so long today. I needed the rest."

Her ex-husband's wife raised an eyebrow at her and looked skeptical. "Isabel, something is wrong. What is it? And you better tell me because I have no problem staying here all day and bugging you until you do tell me."

With a sigh, Isabel sank back into her chair, her head cradled in her hands. "Alex kissed me last night."

Maria practically flew into the seat across from her husband's ex. "He did? Why didn't you tell me? When? On the porch? How was it?"

Isabel's resolve crumbled. "Oh, god, Maria, it was amazing. He was trying to make me feel better about things that happened when I wasn't on Earth and he doesn't even know what happened. He was being so sweet, saying that I needed to talk to someone even if it wasn't him- but I could always count on him. And I cried and he hugged me, and I kissed him on the cheek and told him he was the best friend I ever had and then he kissed me... I mean really kissed me, and it was... indescribable. I haven't been kissed like that in about 10 years."

"So, what's wrong with that, Isabel? You still have feelings for him- and maybe he still has feelings for you, too."

The tall blond threw her head back in frustration. "The problem is that he ran away- he started apologizing and then he ran back in the house and left without even talking to me. I have no idea what he was thinking. Was he upset that he kissed me? Mad? Glad? Sad? I have no idea and now he's gone and I can't ask him. What if he hates me? I don't think I could handle that."

Sighing, Maria leaned forward to grab one of Isabel's hands in a comforting gesture. "Calm down. I'm sure he doesn't hate you, Isabel. He probably just needed time to think things through- you know, why he did it, and what it means for him and Stacy. Give him some time. I'm sure he'll come to see you before he leaves."

"No, Maria, he won't. I mean, he didn't. I mean- he's already gone! I called his house this morning and his mother said he flew back to LA this morning! I feel horrible- what if I ruined his relationship and his life with one stupid kiss? What am I going to do?"

Maria was quiet, which was so rare it made Isabel feel almost worse. Finally, she stood up. "The way I see it, there's only one thing you can do, Iz. You have to go to LA and talk to him. Now." She pulled Isabel forward and began to direct her down the hall.

Isabel resisted. "What? I can't just up and go to LA! I don't even know where he lives. And who will watch the kids? And I have to work- there's no way I can go to LA, Maria." She finally pulled out of the smaller woman's grasp and stood firm, crossing her arms over her chest.

Maria wasn't to be deterred, though. She immediately began listing off the answers to Isabel's problems. "I have his address and phone number, obviously, for starters. You can call Mr. Parker and ask for some time off- you know you have it coming to you and he'd be more than happy to let you have it. And I'll take time off from work to stay with Phillip and Alexis. My mom owes me about a million times over for all the long weekends she's taken in the past 5 years, and besides, I think it would be good for Phillip and Alexis and Me to spend some quality time together before the baby is born. So there- go get dressed."

She shook her head in the negative. "No, Maria. I can't. I cannot ruin his life like that just because I want to talk about one stupid kiss that probably meant nothing to him."

The other woman practically growled. "Isabel, if it meant nothing to him, then why did he run away? Wouldn't he have stayed and said he was sorry that he did it and it was no big deal? And you can't go on with the rest of your life thinking that he hates you- you two need to talk about this. It's obvious that there is still something between you, and even if it's just friendship then that needs to be discussed, don't you think? I do. You owe it to the both of you to make sure things get resolved this time around, Isabel. I don't think either one of you has ever dealt with being separated all that time ago. And take it from me, that is just about the worst feeling in the world."

"But..."

"No buts, Izzy. Wasn't it you who wouldn't let me give up on Michael when he wanted everything from our relationship all at once? You came to me and showed me what was in his heart the whole time we were apart, and you made me see that no matter what else has happened to either of us, that we still love each other and we belong together. Won't you let me do that for you, now?"

Isabel's jaw hung open, moving slowly, trying to form words that would validate her choice to stay in Roswell, but what Maria was saying just made so much sense. Maria capitalized on the opportunity.

"You have to go, Isabel. You have to talk to him and work this all out. Once and for all. Even if he still marries Stacy and you never speak to each other again, won't it be better to have things all out in the open? And you do need someone to talk to about losing the baby and leaving Max and Tess and the divorce, because no matter how much you pretend that you're over it, we all know you're not, Isabel. You need someone who you'll feel comfortable sharing stuff like that with, and I think the only person you've ever really completely shared yourself with is Alex. You two have a connection- something special that hasn't gone away, even after all this time. Don't give that up without a fight."

Maria took a deep breath and Isabel's face fell. Maria was right- she needed to go to LA and find Alex. It was the only way she was ever going to feel better about what happened last night. And she was pretty sure that Alex was the only person who could ever help her feel like her old self again. There was just something about him- something so pure and special. She could tell him anything and not feel like a bad person, or self-conscious. He was Alex. And she loved him.

After what seemed like forever, she pulled her face up to meet Maria's hopeful gaze. Sighing, she said, "Can you watch the kids for a little while longer while I take a shower and pack?"

Screeching in joy, Maria flew at Isabel and hugged her. "I promise, you won't regret doing this, Isabel. Everything is going to work out for the best- I know it."

"Okay, okay, just stop talking before I change my mind." She turned to walk down the hall to her bedroom, but stopped on a whim and turned back to face her friend. "And by the way, you should really learn how to transfer memory flashes- it's so much faster than that speech you just gave."

Maria laughed. "Okay, I'll look into it. Now, go get ready."

Nodding, Isabel smiled at Maria. "Thanks, Maria. For not letting me give up."

"You're welcome." Isabel turned again and walked into her room, while Maria beamed out in the hall. Her heart was so full it was bursting. They had a chance- she only hoped it would work out as they all hoped. She turned and walked down the hall to the kitchen and grabbed the phone, dialing her mother at the store, only too happy to be calling in for a few days off.

~~~~~

It had taken her 20 minutes to shower and get dressed, 15 to pack, 5 to book a flight, and 2 each to call Mr. Parker and her mother. 44 minutes and she was ready to do something that would change the rest of her life. She avoided thinking too much during the entire time period, otherwise she might get cold feet and stay home. Of course, Maria in the background nagging her to get moving helped. She hugged the kids and kissed them goodbye, telling them she'd be back soon. In reality, she had no idea how soon she'd be back. If things didn't work out she'd probably be back tomorrow. If they did… well she almost didn't want to think about it for fear of jinxing herself.

The ride to the airport was tough. She thought about turning the car around every 10 seconds. Of course she thought about seeing Alex and making things right every 5 seconds, so the good thoughts outweighed the bad. Once she got to the airport, she found her terminal and bought a magazine. The flight was only an hour long, but she still had about 2 hours before she could board. She tried reading, but her thoughts were drifting too much to concentrate. Finally she put the magazine in her bag and started to think about what she was going to say to Alex when she got there.

What could she say? "Hi Alex, so what's new?" Yeah right. "So… about that kiss. I really liked it. Will you ditch your fiancée for me?" For some reason only the most bizarre things she could say were coming to mind. Shaking her head she tried to clear her thoughts and get serious. What was she going to say?

Well first of all, she was definitely going to ask him why he ran away without talking to her. She still couldn't get over the fact that he'd done that- it seemed so unlike him. And she was going to be honest about her feelings- that she did still love him even after everything she'd been through and all their time apart. She was going to tell him the truth about what happened to her- about the baby especially. He would want to know about the baby. He would want to know about everything- and not because he was nosy or because he thought he deserved to know but because he knew it would help her. She felt as if she was on the verge of something. Like even deciding to find him and talk to him was such a step in the right direction that the heavy feeling around her heart was already starting to lift.

She thought about her life for a while, and the extraordinary things she'd done and experienced. It was strange to think that after all that her life was finally hers again. Maybe that was part of her problem- she never really expected to be able to live a normal life, and now that she was faced with it, she wasn't sure how to handle it. But she knew she wanted it- now more than ever. And she knew that whatever happened to her in that normal, everyday life, she wanted Alex to be a part of it. Whether he was her friend or more, she knew she needed Alex in her life.

When she finally boarded the plane, she was calm. Calmer and more certain about things than she had ever been. She was doing the right thing- she knew it. She felt it. The flight went quickly. Before she knew it they were already landing, and then she was collecting her bag at the baggage claim. She found a cab, and gave the driver the address. There was no way she was calling him first- that would ruin the element of surprise. Besides, what if he decided to run away again? No, she wouldn't give him the chance to escape this time. Isabel Evans had put her mind to something, and when she did that, no one got in her way.

It was only as she was standing on his front doorstep that the pangs of nervousness washed over her again. What if this was all a mistake and he asked her to leave him alone? She took a deep breath. Even if he did, wasn't it better to get everything out and off her chest once and for all? Yes, she was sure. She'd made her decision, and she was going to stick to it. Hesitantly, she pressed the doorbell, and heard it resonate inside the house. Closing her eyes, she waited for the person moving around inside to answer the door.

Part 13

She heard the person inside the house walk toward the door, and her breath caught in her throat. The door opened in what seemed like slow motion, and Isabel held her breath, eyes squeezed shut in anticipation. After several seconds of silence, she finally opened them to see Alex standing there, eyes wide with surprise. "Isabel?"

She exhaled and spoke with a certainty she hadn't known she possessed. "Okay, where is she?"

Alex looked confused as Isabel stormed past him and began looking around the house. "Where's who? Isabel, what are you doing here?"

"Stacy. Where is she? Did you tell her yet? I know that's why you came back here so fast. Why did you run away from me Alex? Away from us?"

Alex's jaw dropped open in astonishment. What could he say? By now Isabel had taken off her coat and dropped her bag, and he'd followed her through two or three rooms on her search. Finally he caught up to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him. "Isabel, calm down. Stacy's not here."

"Oh," was her only reply before she looked down at her feet. Then seeming to gather all her courage, she looked up into his eyes. "Good. I'm glad she's not here. Because I came to tell you something. I love you, Alex. I don't think I ever stopped. And I'm sorry that you're engaged but I don't regret that kiss last night. In fact, I think it was the best thing I've felt in forever. And I don't care if you hate me for coming here and ruining your relationship with Stacy, but I just had to tell you that. And I'm ready to tell you everything that happened to me while I was away from you, because for the first time in a long time, those things just don't seem that important. At least nowhere near as important as you are to me, Alex. I want to tell you everything. I want to share everything with you for the rest of my life, and even if you don't feel the same as least I came here and was honest with you and with myself." She sighed as she completed her thought and looked up at him expectantly.

Staring into her liquid blue eyes, which were so hopeful and misty, his heart soared. She came for him. She wanted him. It was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. Gingerly, he reached out his thumb and wiped at her cheek, where some errant tear had fallen. His hand came closer and cupped her cheek, and his other hand did the same. Holding her face gently in his hands, he stared deep into her eyes. "I came home to break up with her."

Isabel's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. "What did you say?"

He took a deep breath and continued. "Stacy. I came here to break up with her. She just left a half-hour ago. She'll be back for her stuff tomorrow. She took it pretty well. In fact, she didn't even seem surprised. We'll always be friends, but Stacy and I were never meant to be together."

Isabel's mouth still hung in amazement, but she forced her jaw and lips to work. "You broke up with her? Why? I mean, you didn't even really discuss it with her, did you?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Iz. As soon as I kissed you, I knew. She wasn't the one I was meant to spend forever with. You are. Without a doubt. I love you, too. And I couldn't let any of us go on living a lie for one second longer." He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, and immediately that beautiful, wondrous feeling washed over both of them.

He broke away from her a few minutes later to look into her face for a reaction, but her face was a mask of astonishment. As the tears that had been threatening began to roll softly down her face, she leaned forward, her head resting on his shoulder, and let his arms come up to encircle her tightly. "You really love me?"

"Always, Isabel. It just took me a little while to remember what that felt like."

She smiled through the tears. "Good. Because I couldn't stand the thought of you marrying anyone else. I was so jealous of her. I never even met her but I wanted to do typical girl fight things like scratch her eyes out and pull her hair until she let you go."

Alex chuckled. "Wow. The Ice Queen considering such low behavior over little old me? Talk about an ego boost."

Isabel leaned back and looked into his eyes again, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "All I know is that if you ever look at another woman again, you're going to get worse behavior than that, mister."

He smiled back at her. "That will never happen. There's no one on earth who could compare with my Isabel." He leaned in to kiss her again, and this time it was quite a bit longer and more serious. Isabel drew a sharp breath as Alex's hands rubbed gently over the tense muscles of her back as he kissed her. Her arms wound up and around his neck, pulling his body flush to hers. It almost seemed as if they were made for each other, each curve and bump of themselves fitting snugly into the other.

It was as he was working his way from her mouth down the column of her throat that Isabel regained a sense of her surroundings. "Alex?..." she asked breathily.

He continued kissing, but pulled away long enough to reply. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Are you sure she's not coming back today?"

"Who- oh, Stacy." Secretly she was very pleased that he barely even remembered that he'd had a fiancée until this morning. "No, she won't be back. She has a gig in San Francisco tonight. Why?"

She cleared her throat. "Well, cause I was just thinking it might be a little strange if she came home and you were already with another woman."

He began to nibble on her ear absent-mindedly. "Isabel, I could care less if the entire population of Roswell walked in on us right now. Now quit thinking and kiss me."

She giggled like she hadn't in years, but complied with his request. Her lips found their way back to his and she let him part them easily with his tongue. Kissing Alex was so amazing- she wanted to feel this way forever. And now she might actually have that chance. Her heart soared as his mouth moved over hers and his fingers buried themselves in her hair. Their foreheads pressed together and they looked into each other's eyes at the same time. Alex kissed her lips again quickly, then began running his hands up and down her arms. Electricity tingled all over her body at his touch, and her eyes fluttered closed.

Softly he whispered her name. "Isabel?" She didn't respond except to mumble a hmmm? He took a deep breath. "Would it be okay… I mean, since we're together officially- we are together officially right?"

She opened her eyes to look into his uncertain ones. "Definitely."

He exhaled in relief. "Okay. Then since we're together, and we've also established that I love you, and you love me… what I'm trying to say is… god, I've been waiting so long to touch you like this again, I just don't know if I can wait… to make love to you Isabel. Can I, please?"

Even with his cool, goateed musician exterior, he was still Alex. Her sweet, adorable, beautifully uncertain Alex. Asking if he could make love to her. She swallowed hard before responding. "I… I want to so much Alex. It's just been so long since… well the last person I slept with was Michael when we were still married. Actually he's the only one I've ever been with. And I wouldn't want to disappoint you if I seem… distant or uncertain."

"Oh, baby, you could never ever disappoint me. That you've only been with one man, and it's been so long, well that kind of makes it like it's your first time all over again. And I'd be honored to be your first if you'll let me."

Her heart fluttered and another tear flowed down her cheek. She nodded in response, knowing that Alex would take extra special care with her. He looked her in the eye one last time, asking, "Are you sure?"

She nodded again, this time adding, "Yes, I'm sure. Please make love to me, Alex?"

He grinned. "I think I've been waiting my whole life to hear you ask me that." His hands moved around to begin unbuttoning her shirt. As he unbuttoned each button, he placed a kiss on her freshly exposed skin. Her sharp intake of breath as he did so, and the feeling of her fingers entwining in his hair let him know he was definitely pleasing her. As he finished unbuttoning, he stood back up and slid the shirt off of her, bringing her creamy skin into his view for the first time in what seemed like eons. Immediately he caressed the smooth expanse of her stomach, his fingers brushing so lightly that they tickled. He took in the sight of her, face flushed, body bared to his gaze and touch and was awed. "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

She blushed redder, and began twining her fingers together like a schoolgirl. "Stop it, Alex. You don't have to try to flatter me."

"Are you serious? Flatter you? No way. I'm being completely honest here- you take my breath away, Iz." Without another word, he swept her into his arms and carried her toward his bedroom. As they were about to enter, Isabel held out her hand and grabbed the doorframe. "Wait."

Alex halted, confused. "What's the matter?"

She looked at the bed that he'd shared with another woman up until a few hours ago. "Not here, Alex."

He looked at her in confusion for a few seconds before it dawned on him that she didn't want their first time to be in a bed he had shared with someone else. "Oh man, I'm sorry. I just wasn't thinking." He spun on his heel and headed down to the other end of the hall to the guest bedroom. "This was my room before we were…you know. She and I were never together in here. Better?"

Isabel nodded silently, a little embarrassed at having even brought it up, but happy that he'd understood her feelings. He laid her down and immediately covered her body with his own. Having Alex touch her like this felt so amazing, but she wanted to give as much as she got. Silently she began tugging at his long sleeve T-shirt, until he pulled away enough to let her inch it up and over his head. Gingerly, as if she'd never done it before, she began to place soft kisses over his well-toned chest. He sucked in a gasp of air, shivers running down his spine as her lips touched his body. She pulled away from him to help him unbutton and remove his jeans, leaving him lying there in just his boxers. His hands moved to cover her breasts over the smooth silk of her bra, then reached behind her to unclasp it. Pulling the ends forward, he slowly took it off of her, leaving her even more exposed.

He stared down at her for a second with a crazy grin on his face. "I always hoped that we'd get to do this someday. I guess I just never knew it would be this amazing." She smiled back up at him, and then gasped as he bent and pulled a rosy aureole into his warm mouth. She moaned at the sensation. It had been a long time, but she didn't remember it ever being like this. He teased her nipple with his tongue as he caressed her other breast with his strong hand. She nearly screamed in pleasure as he rolled her between his lips and fingertips simultaneously. She was in another world- Alex her sweet, amazing, gorgeous, intelligent Alex was touching her and tasting her and loving her as no one on this earth had ever done before. If one could die from happiness then Isabel Evans was about to. She didn't remember the disappearance of the rest of her clothes, but what she did remember was the feeling of pleasure and happiness as Alex continued to caress and massage her body with his own until finally she was whispering his name as he brought them to their final destination.

As both shuddered in the afterglow, Alex pulled her so close to him, leaning over so his warm breath tickled her ear. "I love you so much, Isabel."

Her face, had he been able to see it, was beaming with love and happiness. "I love you, too Alex. More than I could have known." There was a telltale catch in her voice that Alex knew meant she was about to cry.

He rolled to his side, so that he could look into her eyes, and as he did, he smoothed a few strands of stray hair away from her face. "What's wrong, baby?"

Isabel reached over and brushed her fingers over his face. "Nothing, really. It's just, that was so amazing, but I feel like I haven't been completely honest with you. There's so much I need to tell you. I've been holding onto it for a long time, so it's not the easiest thing to do, but if you want to listen, I think I'm really ready to talk about what happened when I was away."

Alex smiled sweetly. "Of course I want to listen. I've been waiting for you to talk to me since I first saw you at the wedding last week. I know that a lot of sad things happened, Iz, but I just want to help you try to see past them so maybe we can have the happiness we were meant to. Okay?"

She nodded mutely. How did he always know the exact right thing to say? Easy- he was Alex and he was all hers. She owed it to him to be honest about the events that had changed her from the girl he had known into the woman she was now. Taking a deep breath, she sat up a little straighter and leaned back on the pillow against the headboard. Immediately Alex did the same, but he pulled her closer to him so that her head rested on his chest and his arms encircled her. She heard his voice vibrate through his body as he spoke. "Whenever you're ready Isabel. I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled to herself and cleared her throat. This was going to be a long afternoon, but one that she hoped would end as well as it had begun. She loved Alex, and he loved her- there was nothing that could tear them apart now, of that she was sure. And that fact made it so much easier for her to begin to tell the tale of life after her disappearance form Roswell almost a decade earlier.

Part 14

"Well, I guess it all started right after we left Roswell. That last night I spent with you was so special to me, and it was hard to think we'd never see each other again. But we all knew what we had to do. Michael and Max were pretty miserable, too. Tess was fine, because we were finally following what she considered our true purpose. Though I think she was missing the stability the past 2 years in Roswell had given her."

"But anyway, Nasedo contacted us and said we needed to start eliminating the enemies- starting in Copper Summit, Arizona. He said a large group of them were living there, posing as a religious group of some sort called the Universal Friendship League. We were to stay camped outside of town for a while, just observing them, making sure we got to know their every move." She took a deep breath and looked up at Alex. "We watched them for months. And it seemed like every day was the same- Max, Michael and I were depressed, and we let Tess run the show."

"Which turned out to be a bad thing?" Alex asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, in a way. We were all so distracted that we let her have her way about a lot of things. Including her decision to sneak into town and try to capture one of them."

Alex grimaced. "Let me guess- she got caught?"

Isabel nodded solemnly. "Yes. And tortured. It took a day or two to figure out where they were holding her, but once we did, we went after her. But we didn't anticipate that it was a trap. They surrounded us. I thought for sure it was the end of all of us. I was so scared, and something inside me snapped. I broke away from the one that was holding me and somehow I knew what to do- I sent a wave of energy out from some dark part of me that killed them all. I mean, one second they were all around us, ready to kill, and the next second I opened my eyes and it was just the four of us standing there, surrounded by little bits of floating skin. I don't know how I did it, but they were all gone- imploded or exploded or something. I collapsed. I'd just killed 50 people without even thinking- and I didn't know how I'd done it or how to control it. It was like a rage came over me- and yes, they might have been our enemies and ready to hurt us, but I'd never killed anyone before. I think I cried for a week."

Alex held her tight as her tears threatened again, but said nothing, knowing she had to get all of this stuff out before it ate her up inside. She took a deep breath and continued. "I don't remember leaving Copper Summit. It took me a while to regain my energy and try to accept what I'd done. I think I was pretty out of it for a while. The next thing I remember clearly was Tess getting a communication from Nasedo that said he used the information they'd gathered and figured out our next destination. We had to go to North Dakota. It was like a ritual after that. Get to our location, spend a month or two researching our targets, then systematically formulating a plan to get rid of them. After a while I looked around and almost 4 years had passed."

Alex held her tight. "4 years? Just searching out and eliminating people? That sounds like a horrible life, Isabel."

She brushed her hand over his warm chest. "It was pretty bad. I think that every time I killed one of them a little part of me died, too." She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. "But there were good parts, too. I mean, Michael and I were always close, but after a while it just seemed so natural for us to pair off. I mean, if we were accepting our destinies, why not accept them fully, right? And don't get me wrong, I do love Michael. But not like I love you. It was never like that. I think all of us who were raised as humans just gave up hope that we would ever get a chance to live the life that we really wanted, so why not make the best of what we had?"

Alex nodded. "I get it. You were all trying to make the most of the little good that life handed you. I definitely understand that." It was obvious that he was referring to what he'd had with Stacy. It was a good comparison, and she knew that he understood the good intentions behind the pairings. "Go on- what happened next?"

She shifted in his embrace, trying to decide how to continue. "Well, we got married. It was a double wedding, Me & Michael, Tess & Max. And then, after a few months, I got pregnant. When Alexis and Phillip were born, it was the first time I'd experienced any real happiness since we left Roswell. Of course, it was hard to keep on killing Phylibans, or skins as they were more commonly known, while looking after two babies, but we managed to keep them safe. Plus, according to Nasedo, we were almost finished. There was only a few groups left to eliminate, and then we'd be able to go back home. We knew they had a ship somewhere on Earth, it was just a matter of finding it. Once we did, Nasedo would take us home. It was good to have a goal to work toward. It kept my mind off the fact that I was created as an agent of death."

He rubbed her arms comfortingly. "Come on Isabel. That's not why you were created and you know it. You were created to save your people. And you did that, right?" She nodded absently. He frowned, and decided to change the subject to happier matters. "So, tell me more about the kids when they were babies."

Isabel smiled, thinking about her two beautiful children. "They were perfect. Phillip was a little bundle of energy, and Alexis was the complete opposite- sometimes I had to wake her up to feed her or she would sleep the entire day away. It was so cute to watch Michael with them- he was so uncertain about everything. He loved them, and we all could tell, but it seemed like whenever he had to feed or change them, he was so afraid he was going to hurt them by accident. And Max. He just loved to scoop them into his arms whenever he got back from watching the Skins. I think it made him feel human again, instead of a killing machine. Tess was really good with them, too. She'd never been around babies, so at first she was scared, like Michael was, but once she got used to them… her mothering instincts really kicked in. She and Max started trying to get pregnant after that."

"But wasn't it hard to keep the babies away from the Skins? Didn't they try to kidnap them?"

She turned to look up at him. "Alex, they never knew we were there. We'd sneak up on them, kill them all, and then move on to the next group. Who was there to warn them that we were coming? Or to tell them we had a weakness?" His solemn expression was his only answer, so she continued. "So, time went on, and it was almost time for our last strike. The kids were almost 1, and we were almost home. It wasn't that hard to kill the last of them- we'd gotten pretty good over the past 6 years. As we were travelling to where they hid the ship, I found out I was pregnant again."

Alex stiffened behind her. "You didn't know? I thought maybe Maria or Liz had told you."

He was quiet as he whispered, "No, they didn't."

She simply replied, "Oh" and continued. "Nasedo met us in Africa. It was hidden out in the dessert. We found it, cleaned it up, and set off for home. We were about a month into the trip when I got sick. At first I thought it was regular morning sickness. I mean, I'd been sick with the twins, but nothing like this. I was nauseous all the time, and I couldn't keep anything down. About a week later, I started having dreams- dreams that the baby was trying to talk to me. She wanted me to take care of her. She didn't want me to leave her. I tried to tell her that I wouldn't, that I loved her, and that I would make sure she was safe. But it didn't help. I would wake up in a cold sweat every time, screaming about the baby. Tess, Max & Michael were afraid I was losing my mind. But Nasedo said I was fine- that it was all because of the space travel. That combined with the pregnancy was throwing my balance out of whack. For some reason, we listened. Two days later, I started having spasms in my abdomen. Max tried to heal me, and Michael and Tess added their energy, but nothing helped. I lost her. My sweet little girl that I promised to protect was gone."

She lay pretty still against him, and Alex said nothing. What could he say? That it wasn't her fault. On some level she knew that. But on another level she would always blame herself for the loss of her child. He knew that. And nothing he could say would change that for her. All he could do was listen and love her. He pressed his lips to her temple and let her cry for a little while, softly rocking her body to comfort her.

A while later, she quieted, and Alex quietly asked if she was okay. She nodded, adding, "I guess. I don't know if I'll ever really be fine about it. But I'm trying."

"You're doing great, baby. Do you want to stop talking for now?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm afraid if I stop I'll never start again. Are you okay with that?"

He nodded. "If you still want to talk I'm still here to listen. What was it like when you got there?"

"Well, we still had to free our people on the home planet. And to do that, we had to lead the insurrection. War is not a pretty thing, Alex. And people died- a lot of people, theirs and ours. But eventually we won and completely freed our people. After that it was great for a little while. They were happy to have us home, and they were thrilled that the threat was over. There were parades and everything. They treated us like royalty. But after a while, they needed a new leader, and most of us wanted Max. But some people weren't too happy about the idea of a part human running the planet. They insisted that we familiarize ourselves with their society and customs." She sounded disgusted and Alex wondered why.

"What kind of things did they make you do?"

"Well, first we learned about their true bodies, and how things were run before the take over. All their history and customs and stuff. Some of it was really pretty interesting. Remind me to tell you sometime about the ritual of Ascara."

Alex grinned. "The Ritual of Ascara? What's that?" She giggled as he punctuated the question with a tickle. "Doesn't sound too bad yet."

"No, that part really wasn't. It was when they started insisting we have our memories of Earth wiped out that we got upset."

"Why would they want to wipe out your memories?"

"So that we'd forget our human sides completely. They just didn't understand why we wanted to keep our memories of our life on Earth when we were finally home. But I wanted my kids to remember where they were born, and I wanted to be able to remember my parents and my friends. It was those people who helped make me what I was and I wasn't ready to throw that away. Michael and I refused the ceremony. But Max decided to go through with it."

"Why? Why would he want to forget his home and his family?"

"He didn't. But you know Max- always so self-sacrificing. He was afraid that if he didn't do it that they'd get rid of all of us. And Tess was pregnant. He didn't want to risk taking her home and losing the baby they'd been trying so hard for. So in the end, he gave in and became their king."

"Wow. That must have been really hard on you guys."

"Yeah. I mean, he barely acknowledged my existence, and he never visited and played with Alexis and Phillip anymore. And Michael was like a stranger to him. And to make it worse, after we backed out of the process, everyone started to resent us. The worst thing was when Max asked us to leave. He came to my room, and threw down a piece of paper marked with the Royal Seal. It was a signed request asking us to leave the planet and return to our other home. I looked at him- he was so cold throughout all of it- and I asked how he could throw away his family? I was his sister, and I loved him. He looked me in the eye and said, 'I no longer have a sister. Your presence here is no longer required. Please leave.' And then he turned his back on me and walked out of the room. That was the last thing he said to me. After all that we'd been though together and he could dismiss me with the signing of a piece of paper. They forced us to go- but we didn't fight too hard- I know I didn't want my children growing up in a place that didn't care about family connections. So we came home. On the way, Michael and I decided to get the divorce. We knew it was over, but we'd been pretending for a long time. I hadn't let him touch me since I lost the baby. As if that was his fault."

Alex interrupted. "Isabel, it wasn't your fault either- none of it was. You know that. It's not your fault Max had to choose, or that you lost the baby, or that your marriage didn't work out. Life has dealt you a pretty bad hand, but look at all the positive things that have come out of it. Alexis and Phillip, getting to come back and lead a life of your choosing, Michael and Maria getting to be happy together, and now us. Isabel in my opinion, there's no one to blame here because you've gotten what you want out of life. You might have had a lot of obstacles in your way- ones that you didn't think you'd survive sometimes. But in the end, would you change any of it if it meant that you wouldn't be here with me now?"

She sat up straight and turned to look at him. He was right. If she changed any of the events in her life, she wouldn't be here now, with a chance at true happiness knocking at her door. A slight smile broke out on her face. She knew she wasn't done healing, but with Alex on her side, she was pretty sure she'd get there someday soon. "You're pretty amazing, you know that?"

He grinned back at her. "Oh yeah? Why don't you let me show you amazing?" He pounced on her like a cat, and immediately began kissing her neck, which made her giggle uncontrollably. The shrill sound of a phone ringing interrupted them. Alex stopped teasing her and rolled to his side of the bed to answer it. "Hello? Oh hi. Yeah, everything's fine. Why do you ask?" At the shrill screech from the other end he began to chuckle. "Hold on, don't get upset. There's someone here you should talk to." He held the phone out for Isabel to take, and she looked at him in confusion. "Go ahead."

Taking the receiver, she held it to her ear and asked, "Hello?"

Immediately a barrage of excited words came flowing out from the other end. "Isabel? Is that you? I'm sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't wait any longer? What happened? What did he say? Are you two together?"

She rolled her eyes at Maria's exuberance. "Maria, I'm lying here in Alex's arms, completely naked. How do you think it went?" She didn't wait for a response, instead deciding to hang up, but not before she heard the extremely loud shout of "YES!!!!!!!" from the other end of the line. She looked over at her beautiful, sweet boyfriend. "Maria's happy that we worked things out. She's really a sucker for happy endings."

He laughed. "Me, too. Now get over here so I can make sure this day has one." Again he pounced on her, this time kissing her breath away. She sighed in contentment. Yes, this certainly was going to be a happy ending. She was counting on it.

Epilogue

6 Months Later

"Thanks, everyone for coming. I just wanted to get you all together and thank all of you for your support, and your money, because without that, your support wouldn't really be too helpful." Alex paused as the small crown broke into laughter. "No, but seriously, I really appreciate the way everyone has gotten together to help me out. If it weren't for you guys, the Whitman Recording Studio and School of Music would still be a dream that I can't imagine would have ever come true. And I know it's still a week away from the grand opening, but I just wanted to tell you all that coming home and starting to rebuild my life here was the best decision I could have ever made." He caught sight of Isabel out of the corner of his eye. "Um, well, that is except for one thing."

Ignoring the confused faces of his friends and family, he walked over to his beautiful girlfriend and kissed her quickly on the cheek before taking her hand and kneeling in front of her. Reaching into his pocket and taking out a small, black velvet box and flipping the cover open, he looked up at her and said simply, "Isabel Evans, will you marry me?"

Her eyes widened, as did the eyes of many of the people in their little audience at the Crashdown. She looked down into Alex's smiling face, and without even having to think about it, answered, "Yes." The crowd around them broke into happy applause and cheering as Alex slipped the ring on her finger, then stood up and kissed her soundly. She held him tight as he did, knowing that there was no way the answer would have been anything else. The past 6 months of her life had been just about the happiest she'd experienced since leaving Roswell 10 years ago.

She'd spent 4 ½ wonderful days with Alex in LA before flying home on a Sunday night. Alex had stayed in LA so he could start dealing with his decision to move home to Roswell to be with Isabel. After that first day that they'd spent making love and talking, they got to know each other all over again, and in new ways, of course. They'd decided that Alex was going to wrap up things in LA and then come home to try to start up the music school he'd always wanted to try his hand at. He'd quit his job at the recording studio that he'd been working for, having to finish only a few more contracts that he'd agreed to. Of course, many of the people he'd worked with over the years were more than disappointed that they'd be losing his talent as a bass player, but he promised that a couple times a year he'd still go out on tours, just to keep his fingers fresh. That seemed to appease many of them, and within a week, he'd had a timeframe for when he'd be coming to Roswell to visit and when he could come home permanently.

They also talked about living arrangements, and while it was decided that Alex would move in with his mom so he could put all the money he'd saved over the years toward the studio, everyone knew he'd be spending a lot of nights over at Isabels'. He'd visited almost every weekend, bringing more and more of his belongings home, until finally, almost 2 months to the day since Isabel had taken her trip to win him back, he was home for good.

The last 4 months had been blissful for both of them. Isabel had continued to work nights and weekends at the Crashdown, while Alex had spent his days searching for a good location for the studio, setting it up, buying equipment, and hiring teachers. Most of their free time had been spent together, with their friends, or with Phillip and Alexis, who was especially pleased that Just Alex was going to be in Roswell for good.

Eventually, Alex had run out of money, and Kyle & Liz, Michael & Maria, Amy & Jim, as well as Alex's mom, The Parker's and Isabel and her parents had all eagerly offered to help him out rather than see him going to a bank for a high interest loan. But instead of promising to pay any of them back, he'd made sure that they could all profit from his venture as well, by making them part owners of the school and studio. Which was what had originally brought them to the Crashdown today to celebrate. Instead, what they got was an even happier occasion.

Maria, who had agreed to teach vocal classes on the weekends at Alex's new school, smiled from her place at one of the tables, holding she and Michael's 2 week old daughter, Skye. The baby fussed in her sleep, and Maria placed a kiss on the small forehead before turning to look at the happy couple she had known would get back together someday. Liz smiled at her from across the room, both happy in the hopes that they'd had at least a little something to do with Alex & Izzy's reunion. Michael and Kyle stood together by the counter, sipping at their drinks and grinning happily. Jim & Amy, Mr. & Mrs. Evans, The Parker's, and Alex's mom all seemed happy, especially that all of their children had formed such beautiful and lasting friendships.

Isabel pulled away from the kiss to see Phillip and Alexis come rushing toward her and Alex. "Mama! Does this mean Just Alex is going to come live with us?"

Isabel chuckled at her daughter's question. "I hope so, honey. It also means that Alex and mommy are going to get married like daddy and Maria did. Is that okay with you guys?"

Alexis nodded, eye beaming, but Phillip seemed a little upset. Alex knelt down in front of the boy who would be his step son and asked, "Phillip, what's wrong? You don't want me to marry your mom?"

Phillip's eyebrows knit together. "No, it's okay if you get married. Just promise that if you have any babies they'll be boys. Skye's okay, but I think I need a little brother to play with. There's already too many girls around here." Somewhere off in the corner where Jimmy and Kaitlin were up to no good, a resounding, "Yeah- no more girls!" was heard, followed by a, "Oh be quiet- you know you like us!"

The adults laughed and Alex scooped Phillip up. "I promise that if your mom and I have any babies, I'll do my best to make them boys, okay, buddy?"

Isabel leaned in close to Alex's ear. "And what if I want girls?"

He placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "We'll just have to keep trying until we get exactly what we want."

Isabel looked around the room at all the smiling faces of her family and friends, and leaned her head on her future husband's shoulder. "I think we've already got it." Grinning ear to ear, she accepted the hugs and warm wishes of those around her, and silently thanked whatever powers were in charge of her destiny for leading her back to Alex, the only man she'd ever loved, and for finally giving them the wonderful life they'd both wished so hard for for so many years.

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