"Liz, what do you mean, you where shot that day?" Nancy asked her daughter, confusion knitting her eyebrows together. Liz sighed and looked over at Alex, who nodded at her with encouragement. She knew that her parents needed an explanation about Michael and all the things that had happened since she was sixteen. She just hadn’t counted on it being as hard to tell them as it was.

"Okay, just listen to me. That day there was a shooting, and when the gun went off, the bullet hit me in the stomach. I fell to the ground and I was bleeding, I could barely stay awake. I probably would have died if Max hadn’t come over to me. Max healed me. He put his hand on my stomach and he patched the hole and repaired the damage left behind by the bullet," Liz said, finally getting everything out. Jeff and Nancy looked at each other, both trying to gauge if their daughter might be playing a joke on them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Parker, Max, Isabel and Michael aren’t like us. They can change the molecular structure of objects, create energy fields and even track certain thoughts and emotions in a person’s mind," Alex said, trying to offer more explanation before they jumped into the "alien" part of the story.

"But-but how can they do that?" Nancy asked. Liz reached out and held her parents’ hands in her own.

"Mom, Dad, Max, Isabel and Michael are aliens. They came here in the 1947 crash, staying in incubation pods until 1989 when they broke out and the Evans found Max and Isabel," Liz said, her voice calm and steady as she looked her parents straight in the eye, wanting them to realize how serious she was. When they didn’t even blink for a few seconds Liz held her breath.

"I’m not sure what to say," Jeff finally admitted.

"But you believe us?" Liz replied hesitantly. Both her parents nodded.

"Yes, honey we do. If there’s one thing that we learned when you were in high school, with all those strange things going on, it's that nothing is quite exactly what it seems to be," Nancy said. Liz finally smiled, relieved that they didn’t object or question what she had told them. She glanced at Alex and found her smile mirrored on his face. They were interrupted when Isabel came out from the bedroom, followed closely by the kids and Max. Her face was flushed and excited as she practically yelled to them.

"Liz! Alex! Max and Beth can read the cave drawings!" Isabel exclaimed as the group crowded around the table where Max spread out the sketch of the drawings and brought Beth and Max over. Both kids still held the blue stones in their hands and Max reached for Beth’s hand as they looked at the drawings.

Liz looked up as Max sat next to her, his arm encircling her shoulders. She glanced at her parents who were obviously curious, but willing to keep quiet as Max and Beth explained what was going on. Max pointed to the top of the drawing.

"The first marking is a warning, which doesn’t serve much of a purpose because you can’t read it without the stones. What is says is that anyone who tries to use the blue stones, actually touching them with their skin will be denied access unless the presence of many aliens is sensed. I think that’s why Michael was knocked out, he touched the stones when he was there only be himself. When Beth and I touched them we had Belle, Mike, Isabel, Dad and Michael nearby," Max commented. Alex was perplexed.

"But, why would it do that? What purpose would that serve?" he wondered aloud.

"It keeps the rest of the drawings a secret. That way any average person can’t just walk up and pick up the stones and read the history and secrets of our planet. There has to be more than three people of alien heritage in close proximity to read the drawings," Beth noted. Isabel’s eyes widened as Beth spoke.

"It has the history of our planet?" she asked breathlessly. Beth smiled and nodded at her aunt.

"It also tells how you three came here in the first place," Beth said. The others leaned forward, ready to hear what the drawings said.

"The drawings say that our planet was going through a bad civil war between the two most powerful groups on the planet. Both sides were heavily involved in foretold events and mythology that predestined the people and events. Apparently there was a prophecy told that twins would be born, one fair and one dark, and that they would act as the catalyst in the war. They would be born to one side while a second set of twins would be born to the other side almost as a reaction to the first set. According to the myth, these four people would result in the ultimate destruction of the planet. It’s not very clear about how exactly, just that if the twins were born and raised apart, they would be intense enemies. Dad, you and Isabel are the first set of twins, while Michael and his sister are the other set," Max said carefully. His father’s head shot up and he met Isabel’s eyes.

"Michael has a sister? Where is she?" Max whispered.

"The drawing doesn’t really say what happened to her, only that she got separated somehow and she’s still alive. Or that she was when the drawing was made. The next section describes the efforts to change that destiny. There was a resistance force, which kidnapped the two sets of twins, and decided to get them away from the planet so they could not fulfill their destiny. The resistance put them on a spaceship with four adults and they plotted a course far away, to Earth. According to the drawings, the babies were put in incubation pods to slow their growth with plans to let them out when they all arrived on Earth. What the adults wanted to do was raise the four children together, ensure that they would not be enemies and break the pre-told myth," Max continued. Isabel looked at her brother, her eyes sad. He met her gaze and nodded slightly, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She and Max were supposed to be Michael’s enemies. She closed her eyes, unable to imagine thinking of him with anything but the love she felt towards him as one of her brothers.

"What happened next was that the spaceship crashed on Earth, killing most of the adults on board. Only two actually survived, Nesado and one other. The pods kept the children safe, except that Michael’s sister’s pod broke and she had to be released. This is the part where what happened to her and the other adult is unknown. It just says that they escaped and that Nesado was also forced to leave the spaceship after he hid the children away. He wasn’t able to keep them safe on their own, since the other adults had died, so he hid the three of you. The pods must have run out of power and shut down, which is why you woke up. Nesado thought that might happen, which is why he left these drawings behind, so that you three could know what happened," Beth said, picking up where Max left off.

"Does it say why Nesado left them there? Why he would have left what was so important to his people alone in the desert?" Liz asked.

"It says that he had to find the other adult alien and Michael’s sister. And it says that he would come back once he’s found them," Beth replied.

"I don’t understand how we were supposed to know all this without the blue stones. The amber stones certainly didn’t help us read the drawings, but these do," Isabel said, tracing the drawings with her finger.

"Nesado left the amber stones behind with River Dog because they have healing properties and can restore energy. The blue stones he hid in South America because he wanted to make sure that if anyone found them, they would have to be specifically searching for them and would have to make the connection to the cave drawings that only the survivors of the crash here would have seen. The blue stones actually drain the energy from anyone who tries to hold them when there isn’t the presence of other aliens around. That way only a group of crash survivors could use them without damage and only they could read the drawings," Max said, finally lifting his eyes to look at the group. He set his blue stone down on the table, and Beth did the same.

"That’s it, that’s all it says," Max finished, looking to Beth, who nodded. Max leaned back against the sofa, trying to digest all the information they’d just heard.

"I never would have thought that Michael was supposed to be my enemy," he remarked. Isabel nodded her head in agreement.

"And that there are still more of us out there. Who knows what has happened on our home planet since we left? What if war is still raging on? I wonder why Nesado hasn’t come back with Michael’s sister and the other adult alien," Isabel said out loud. Beth stood up, catching the group’s attention.

"We do have to hurry though. The blue stones actually sap the energy, almost the very life, from anyone who uses them as my father did. We have to use the amber stones to fix the damage, and we have to do it soon," Beth said, her voice urgent.

"You did bring them, didn’t you Isabel?" Max asked his sister. She nodded and went to grab her bag, where the amber stones were carefully wrapped.

"I wasn’t about to leave then in New York," she commented, pulling the five stones out. She handed the stones to Max, Alex, and Liz, with two remaining in her hands.

"Why is it that whenever we use these things, it’s always to save Michael’s butt?" Alex sighed, rubbing the stone with his hands. Isabel led the way down to the guest room and entered slowly. Maria looked up from where she was staring at Michael, her eyes wide and worried.

"What did you find out?" she asked hopefully.

"It’s a long story, and we’ll tell you and Michael when he wakes up. First, we have to get him awake," Isabel said, handing Maria the other stone. They stood in a circle around the bed, around Michael’s still form. Liz looked at Max, across from her and then she closed her eyes. She could feel him smiling at her, at her ready response to help. She had hesitated years ago, but there was no hesitation now. She tried to remember the chant that they had spoken all those years ago and found that as the stone warmed in her hand, she began to hear the rhythm of the words in her mind.

Her eyes were closed, but through the darkness she suddenly saw a flash of bright light and then she opened her eyes to see the desert surrounding them. Michael was standing in the middle of their circle, and he looked up at the blue sky, his eyes searching the clouds. Liz watched as they all approached him slowly, even though she knew they all wanted to run to him. She watched as Isabel slowed her steps, allowing Maria to reach Michael first. Michael finally looked over at her and a smile spread over his face as she launched herself into his arms, clutching him tight.

Liz smiled at the couple, she could tell Maria was crying, but she couldn’t hear a sound. Somehow, the air blew in her ears and seemed to snatch away any sound. Maria finally pulled back and Michael caressed her face gently before he leaned over and lightly kissed her lips. Still holding onto Maria’s hand, Michael opened his arms for Isabel to step closer. Isabel came quickly, borrowing into his right shoulder. Michael released Maria’s hand and reached out towards Liz, his eyes finally finding hers.

Liz felt a lump in her throat at the sight and she couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face as she ran the rest of the short distance to Michael. He caught her in his arms and held both her and Isabel tightly. She had been so worried that they wouldn't be able to find him, or that he wouldn’t be happy to see them. She was so relieved that he was safe. Isabel and Liz finally stepped back, after Isabel gave Michael’s spiky hair an affectionate pat. The two women naturally gravitated towards Maria, and they found each other’s hands, holding one another close as they watched Michael reunite with Max and Alex.

Isabel laughed to herself as Michael reached out a hand to Alex, and then Alex immediately bypassed his hand and embraced Michael tightly. They shook each other, the laughter on their faces soundless as the wind seemed to whip the noise away. Alex finally pulled back and Max walked forward. The two men hugged tightly, Max holding onto the man he’d always thought of as a brother with all his strength. Liz had just begun to notice that whenever Michael had hugged one of them, he glowed for just an instant, as if the contact transferred something to him. Just as the image of the desert was beginning to fade, along with the others around her, Michael looked up at all of them and smiled. Liz felt desperate, not sure if they’d done what they needed to in order to save him. She didn’t have anymore time to wonder as she opened her eyes and found herself looking at Max, still standing across from her in the guest room.

Alex was shaking his head, as if he was trying to clear it. Maria had immediately sunk down next to Michael on the bed, looking for any change. She glanced back at Max, who stood behind her.

"Now what?" she asked, trying not to sound frantic.

"Now we wait," Max replied, holding out his hand for Liz. She immediately walked over and put her arm around his waist. She felt his lips on her forehead and she closed her eyes, putting a hand over his heart where she could feel the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Her own heart ached for Maria as she sat next to Michael. Waiting was so hard, and ten years had been long enough.

How much longer would they all have to wait?