March 2013
Near Caracas, Venezuela

Michael shifted restlessly in the passenger seat of the jeep. Suddenly, he was jolted awake as the vehicle lurched to the side when the front right wheel dropped into a large pothole in the road. He snapped his eyes open and glanced over at the driver, who virtually ignored him. Michael merely folded his arms over his chest and rested back against the side of the car. The suspension was definitely worse than Max’s old jeep, but he had to get back to town some way and paying a local for the ride was the only choice. Michael closed his eyes, his brain wistfully recalling what had occupied his mind. He’d dreamed of Maria again.

The memory of her was so strong, he could practically smell her cedar oil in his nose. Even the humidity of the forest and the smells of the damp earth after the earlier downpour couldn’t drown out the smell. He sighed a little as he tried to practice his own words of advice that he’d given to Max.

He remembered writing the words. He’d even believed them, at least a little, when he’d penned them to paper. Sometimes he wondered if there was something they could do. Or something they could have done different that morning. Michael even realized that it had been his idea to leave Roswell, to protect the others in the first place. Max hadn’t wanted to leave, and Michael knew that. At the time he felt it was their only choice and he’d convinced Max it was the right thing to do.

Michael also knew that ever since they’d left, Max had been lost. That was why when Max had left South America for New York Michael hadn’t objected too much. He sometimes wondered if Max felt trapped in the forests of Venezuela, despite all the quiet and dense trees. Michael didn’t feel trapped, but he also didn’t feel at home. The only place that had been truly home for him was with Maria.

Michael’s thoughts were interrupted at the jeep screeched to a halt just outside of town. He swung down from the side and grabbed his tattered canvas backpack from behind the seat. He handed the driver some bills and turned to trudge into town. He shifted the weight of the pack over his shoulders and followed the road, knowing he had some distance to travel.

His eyes trained on the road under him, Michael’s thoughts returned to Maria. He missed her constantly. No one other than Max and Isabel had ever cared what happened to him until Max had saved Liz in the Crashdown. From that day on his life had changed. He was grateful that Max had been stubborn enough not to listen to him as he’d tried to pull his friend away from Liz as she bled on the floor. If he had, Michael never would have gotten to know Liz, Maria and Alex.

He wondered what they were all doing now. He could guess, but unless he ran into them someday, he’d never know. He and Max had vowed never to contact anyone from their pasts and he’d kept his promise. After ten years he wondered if it had been the right choice, but it was the choice he would stand by. It didn’t make it any easier though. When Max had been with him at least he had someone to talk to. Once Max had left Michael kept to himself. Corrine, who kept the apartments where he lived running, kept her distance because she sensed that he needed it.

Maria had been the first person to cross that distance. And she crossed it loudly and without apology. She called him on all the crap he put up to the rest of the world. And she made him feel like he belonged, like he had a family. She made him long for what Max and Liz had had and she made him realize that they could have that together. The night they’d spent together after Prom had made Michael look forward to so much more. Topolski had taken that all away in just a second.

Michael sometimes wondered how he’d come to do what he did in South America. Max had called him crazy, hunting after UFO sightings and cave drawings. Michael let him, knowing that Max couldn’t really concentrate on learning more about where they’d come from. Max had his own way of coping. But it was the only way Michael could think of coping. He’d spent years searching for artifacts and pieces of their past, hoping that something would be familiar, that something would provide some of the answers. He smiled to himself. And he’d found it a week ago in a cave near Angel Falls.

As street lights began to flicker on along the buildings, Michael glanced up as he approached the dark brown apartments he lived in. Ditching his bag just outside the front office, he caught his reflection in the glass window. The years of time spent out in the forests and climbing through caves to collect samples had developed the muscles in his chest and arms. He wore camoflage and a hat over his spiky hair in case it rained. He rubbed his chin where a beard was starting to grow since he’d left three weeks ago. Rubbing his forehead, Michael pulled on the front door handle.

Corrine, an elderly English woman who had come to Venezuela twenty years ago and knew the area better than the locals, looked up as he entered. She graced him with a smile and stood to greet him. He gingerly gave her a hug, trying to keep his dusty clothes away from her. With her usual abandon, she hugged him tight before stepping back to examine him closely. Michael smiled at one of the few friends he had left. Corrine had been like a mother to him and Max when they’d both been living there. With Max gone she sometimes doubled the efforts with him.

"Michael, I am so glad you’ve returned! It’s been much too quiet since you left," she said, beaming at him.

"You’re just happy to have someone to play chess with again," Michael teased. Corrine laughed, partially because it was true. She turned to hand him his mail and messages. Michael knew there wouldn’t be many, he interacted with very few people and the only person who knew where he was was Max. He started to flip through the envelopes and papers and stopped as he came to a folded piece of stationary. Puzzled, he opened it and scanned the words quickly.

He held up the paper, showing Corrine as he raised his eyebrows in a silent question. She slapped her forehead, and rolled her eyes.

"I completely forgot to give that to you right away. Max called earlier today and he said to give you that message as soon as you returned," she said. Michael studied the words for a minute, trying to figure out what they meant. They were purposefully vague, Michael knew that Max wouldn’t want to divulge too much to Corrine. Even though they trusted her, they didn’t tell her everything about them. Not by a long shot.

He knew he wouldn’t get anything else from the seven words on paper, so he pocketed the note and turned to Corrine.

"Did Max sound okay?" he asked. She nodded thoughtfully.

"He sounded purposefully casual. Something was bothering him, but I could tell he didn’t want to be pushed. You know how Max can get awfully closed off and quiet," Corrine responded. Michael nodded, knowing how Max would shut himself off whenever he was thinking of Liz. He wondered what was so urgent that he come to New York right away. He also knew that Max would not have made such an obvious demand unless it was important. Shrugging, he resigned himself to a plane trip north.

"Will you be leaving again?" Corrine asked, her eyes disappointed.

"I’m afraid so, as soon as I can. Sounds like Max needs me for something," he said, already planing a plane route.

"Do you think you should phone Max first?" she asked curiously. Michael shrugged, not really seeing the point.

"He knows I’ll come, I might as well just leave now. You’ll watch the place for me?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course I will, darling. Just keep me posted if you need anything," she replied. Michael gave Corrine a quick hug and departed the office. He climbed the shaky metal stairs to his apartment and quickly dumped his bag on the bed. He traded out the clothes he’d taken to Angel Falls for another set and was tying the bag closed when he picked up the bag carrying his findings in the cave. Thinking carefully, he made some quick changes to his travel plans. He knew it might not be a good idea, that he might be discovered, but he had to take the chance.

He tried to tell himself that he was excited about the prospects of what he might discover and not the chance that he would see her again. He packed the bag in with his clothes, showered and changed quickly and then left the apartment again not an hour later. He began to hike through town, looking for a taxi to hail to the airport. He wasn’t going straight to New York.

First he’d make a stop in Roswell.

March 2013
New York City

Maria was folding the load of laundry she’d just brought up from the basement when she heard a faint screeching noise. She finished pairing up the two socks in her hands before she walked over to the window. The sound had come from just outside, through the open window. She pushed the glass open further and leaned out into the warm spring air. She looked up and smiled at the darting flashlights on the roof. Beth had climbed up the fire escape to meet Max again. It had become a ritual of sorts for the two of them. They loved to watch the sky. It couldn’t be called stargazing because the stars were usually harder to see with all the city lights, but they still liked the solitude.

Maria walked quietly down the hall towards the kid’s rooms and she eased Mike’s door open, letting a stream of light in. She smiled at the sight of her son, curled up in bed and sleeping soundly. She closed the door quietly and returned to her basket of laundry. It was still warm as she separated the kid’s clothing and folded shirts and pants. She reached for the phone and hit the number one for memory dial. It rang once until Liz’s voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hola Chica, it’s me,"

"Maria, have you seen Max?" Liz asked. Maria smiled, Liz worried so much about her son.

"He’s on the roof with Beth. I heard her go up a few minutes ago," she replied. Liz sighed a little with relief.

"Good, I was just going to call and see if he was over there. How was your day at the studio today?" Liz asked.

"Pretty good, I sold quite a few of my Central Park spring pictures. People must be in the mood for warmer weather," she commented.

"It was so beautiful in the Park today, so warm and green. The kids had a lot of fun," Liz replied. Maria stopped her folding, catching the slight hesitation in her friend’s voice.

"What happened?" Maria asked.

"I don’t know. Probably nothing. The kids separated to find items for the scavenger hunt. Max and Beth went off together, and when they came back they were very quiet. I asked Max, but he was kind of distant. It just wasn’t like him," Liz said thoughtfully. Maria nodded.

"I’m sure he’ll tell you eventually if there’s something to tell. Max knows he can talk to you. And he knows he can talk to any of us," she replied.

"I don’t know, I think if he’s going to talk to anyone, it’s going to be Beth. They’re getting awfully close," Liz observed. Maria snorted.

"Liz, they’ve been joined at the hip since they were born. Although I do think your son is developing a little crush on my daughter," Maria pointed out. Liz laughed out loud.

"As if I haven’t noticed your daughter’s adoring eyes gazing at my son! I’m glad he can talk to her too. Could you—"

"I’ll ask Beth and see if she can tell me anything. Now, you get some rest. After this nice day off, chasing kids all over the Museum and the Park, you have to go back to real work tomorrow," Maria teased gently. Liz laughed and said goodnight before hanging up the phone. Maria replaced the handset in the cradle and listened through the window for the sounds of Beth and Max. They were pretty quiet, usually she heard constant laughter coming from above.

Must be a lot to talk about tonight, Maria thought.

"So, what’ll we do?" Beth asked breathlessly, huddled under a blanket with Max. It wasn’t too cold out, but the breeze was beginning to pick up. He shrugged.

"We wait until tomorrow and see what he tells us," Max said, trying to sound confident. Beth nodded, seemingly satisfied. She turned to smile at him.

"He looked just like all the pictures, didn’t he?" she asked. Max turned and found her eyes with his.

"Yeah, yeah, he did,"

"Awfully handsome too," Beth commented quietly. Max’s head snapped up.

"Beth!"

"Oh, come on, Max! Not like it’s a bad thing, since you look so much like him when he was your age!" Beth laughed. Max was speechless for a minute, realizing Beth was paying him a compliment of sorts.

"When he hugged me, I could feel all the things he felt towards my mom. He still loves her. And he’s been so lonely, Beth," Max whispered, feeling sober. Max felt the silence from Beth, heavy in curiosity. He cursed himself, realizing he’d just revealed to her how much he could sense from people around him. He hadn’t told anyone yet, hoping to develop his powers more.

"How did you know that Max?" she asked, her voice low and next to his ear. He sighed, realizing he had to tell her.

"I can sense people really strongly, their thoughts and feelings about things or people of events. When things get really intense I get flashes of what they’re thinking about. When I’m touching someone, that’s when it’s the strongest," Max explained. Beth nodded slowly, and then she smiled at him.

"You should tell Aunt Isabel, she’d love to know what powers you’re getting. I know! You can tell her tomorrow, when we meet in the Park for our weekly session," Beth exclaimed. Then her face fell. "Oh, Max, how are we going to meet your father tomorrow if we have to stay with Isabel?"

Max groaned, remembering the weekly two hours they spent with Isabel in the Park, honing their powers in a secluded area. Normally he looked forward to the meeting, but not when he had the chance to talk with his father.

"We’ll think of something. We have to be back at that bridge tomorrow afternoon," Max said, his face set in determination. Beth studied him and she smiled, reassured as she rested her head on his shoulder. She knew he could do anything. And if her Max could do anything, maybe his father could do the impossible.

Maybe he could bring her father back.