Sheriff Valenti and Michael Guerin made a decision right then and there, one that could land them both in a bunch of trouble including dismissal and/or jail time. On the other hand it would probably keep Michael and the others' secret safe. Jim drove the 4x4 as close as he could to the mangled body of Miles Lefton. Together, they put the body in the back, covered him up with a tarp and shut the down. Jim looked at Michael and shook his head. "Do you have any ideas?"

Michael shook his head; he hadn't been able to string three words together since seeing the handprints.

"Michael, I need you with me on this." Jim pulled up in front of Tally Ruiz's house and got out. "I'll be right back." Jim walked up onto the porch and knocked. Tally answered immediately, her eyes full of anticipation. "Well, we found your body. It wasn't a real one, though."

"What do you mean?"

"A mannequin," Jim forced a laugh. "Damn near scared the hell out of me."

"A mannequin? It looked so real." She shook her head.

"I know," he shook his head, feeling beads of sweat under the brim of his hat. "Just wanted to let you know. You'll have to come by Amy's sometime and see Leia when she visits."

"Oh, I'd like that," Tally smiled. "Thank you."

Jim tipped his hat to her and strode back to the 4x4. He got in, dust filling the air as he drove back towards the highway. "Why are the handprints so light?"

"They're going away." Michael looked at his hands in his lap. "They should be gone by tomorrow."

"Okay, you know that what we're doing is against every law known to man, right?" Jim asked and Michael nodded. "I don't want to see either one of us without a job and in jail."

"No, that would be bad."

"Real bad. Until these prints go away, Mr Lefton's not going anywhere."

"You're going to leave him in here?"

"Not exactly. My neighbour's out of town for the holidays and he has a van in back of his house."

"We're going to put him in a van?"

"Until the prints are gone. Think about it Michael, do you want to take him into the morgue with silver prints that are going to disappear? We'll probably have every government agency here before we could spit. Do you want that?"

"No. I want to know who's here." Michael punched the dashboard. "Someone's here and they killed someone, I want to know who. And I want to know why."

"You're going to have to find out."

"No shit. Everything was as normal as it gets and now..."

"We'll fix it, Michael. I promise." Jim sighed and said a silent prayer that he'd picked up the phone at the department. He drove through town and to his house. Michael helped unload Miles Lefton.

* * *

Rath was still watching Isabel when he saw the Sheriff's Department Blazer drive past. He nearly choked when he saw Michael in the front seat, complete with uniform and hat.

"Little Mikey working for the law," he sniggered. He started the car and drove past Isabel, watching her stub out another cigarette on the ground. "Maybe later, babe."

He drove to Michael's house and sat in the car looking up and down the street. There was no one outside and no sounds coming from inside. He watched the window as a light came on. Bingo. Sometimes things were just too easy. He ran his hand down the length of his body and suddenly he was Michael Guerin, in uniform. He tried to remember his bitch's name. Mary? Marie? Maria. Sweet Maria, how could he forget? He made his way up the porch and turned the knob on the door. It swung in and he stepped into the room. Maria's back was to him and she swung around.

"Hey, what are you doing back so soon?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Missed you..." he smiled sideways and took a few steps towards her.

* * *

"March," Liz said and rolled over to face Max. "Let's get married in March, over spring break."

"Really?" His eyes lit up. "Are you serious or are you going to change your mind?"

"Serious. I can't wait to be Mrs. Max Evans." She hugged him and kissed his cheek. "So, is March good for you?"

"March is perfect. Middle of March, right?" he asked and Liz nodded. "Oh God, there is so much to do. We have to plan the ceremony and the reception, the honeymoon..."

"Okay, let's try to make this a simple affair." Liz laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Simple? This is going to be the best day of my life. I'm going to marry the person I've been in love with since grade school." Max laughed. He swatted at wetness in his eyes. "You make me so happy!"

"How happy am I going to make you when I tell you we have to be out of here by noon?"

"Shit." He looked at the alarm clock; it was just after seven. "It's a good thing we did a lot of packing yesterday. Kyle'll be here at nine. Morgan was going to help too, but in light of recent circumstances I don't know if she will be coming."

"Give her some credit, she might not be as freaked out today as she was last night."

"Were you better the next day after you found out?" Max asked.

"Well, I had extenuating circumstacnes. I was almost dead." Liz nodded. "I was freaked at first, but then I thought it was kind of cool. An alien had a crush on me."

"Is that really what you thought?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Okay, no. I was scared," she admitted. "But it was you, MAx. You can only scare me so much. I was more afraid of Isabel than either you or Michael."

"She can be frightening, can't she?"

"Well, yeah. Especially if she doesn't like you." She flipped the covers back then pulled them back up. "I have to talk to you about something."

"Uh-oh," Max hated those words. It was never good.

"About the other day, you remember?" Her eyes widened.

"Oh, yeah..." He looked away from her. "I remember and I'm still so sorry."

"No, don't apologise. You remember when you said you thought you were getting all that from me? The fighting and 'Warrior'?" Liz took a deep breath as Max nodded. "You were. It's in my dream."

"What dream?"

"The dream I didn't want to tell you about because I thought you'd have Isabel dreamwalk me and I still consider that a form of privacy invasion." Liz sat and propped herself up against the headboard with her pillow. "I've been having this dream for a few months, maybe a couple of times a week." She shrugged. "I thought it was really no big deal at first. People have recurring dreams all the time."

"Then?" He rolled onto his side.

"Then you said 'warrior' and it freaked me out." She sighed. "It's always the same. You and I are in a house, I think it's ours and we're older, I don't know how much. We're clutching each other and we're scared. There's all this noise outside the house. You're talking but I can't hear what you're saying, I can only see your lips moving. On the mantle there's two pictures. One is of this beautiful girl who looks like she's eighteen or so and the other is a younger boy who looks sad. I don't know them, but you point to the girl. Right before I wake up I hear you say one thing: 'Warrior.'" Liz looked out of the corners of her eyes at him. "Well, what do you think?"

"Shooting at the walls of heartache, bang bang, I am the warrior!" Max sang briefly, stoppping with the evil glare from Liz. "I don't know sweetheart, it could be anything or it could be nothing. Does the dream bother you?"

"It bothers me that I have it all the time."

"It doesn't scare you?"

Liz thought about the many times she'd woken up from it bathed in sweat. "Sometimes. Do you think it means anything?"

"No, don't worry about it. I'm sure it will go away." He kissed her cheek and got out of bed. "This is going to be a long day." He walked into the bathroom and Liz could hear the shower running seconds later.

"Don't worry about it," she mocked and got out of bed. She looked to the bathroom door and changed her mind. She was going to get dirty moving all day, why bother with a shower first? She dressed and made the bed out of habit. Sighing deeply she went to the kitchen and packed up all the gadgets and dishes.

After a short break for a small breakfast, Max and Liz continued on the quest to finish packing before Kyle arrived. At precisely nine o'clock a knock at the door signalled Kyle. Liz answered it and was surprised to find Morgan at Kyle's side.

"Wow, hi." Liz let them in. "Kyle and Morgan are here!" she called to Max in the bedroom.

Max ambled down the hall and waved stupidly at them. Morgan looked to Kyle who nodded in return. Morgan took small steps towards Max and then reached out to him and pushed him on his bare arm with her finger. She repeated the step on his face, chest and stomach; the last one caused Max to laugh. She looked him in the eye and proceeded to pull his skin out from his neck until he yelped and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So your skin doesn't come off and you're not reptilian underneath?" Morgan asked cautiously. "You're made of flesh and blood just like everyone else?"

"Yeah," Max nodded and smiled.

"And you're not evil and want to destroy Earth?"

"No, then were would I live?" Max grinned and Morgan finally smiled. "Does this mean you're okay with us?"

"I think so. Kyle's been a big cheerleader for you this morning." She cast a loving glance over her shoudler at him.

"Is he pretty good with pom-poms?" Liz asked.

"Oh, you have no idea." Morgan smiled at her then turned back to Max. "Okay, last night freaked me out, I'll admit that. I'm still a little freaked, but I liked to think of myself as open minded. I can deal with this; Kyle, Liz and Maria do. I can, too."

"I'm really glad to hear that," Max smiled. "Otherwise I might have to maim you with my ray gun."

Morgan looked back to Kyle who was shaking his head. "He's kidding, they don't have ray guns."

"You are not funny." Morgan pointed in Max's face. "Probably the only reason you're happy I'm not flipping out completely is so I'd help you move!"

"She found out the truth." Max hung his head in defeat.

"How do you live with him?" she asked Liz, still pointing at Max.

"I don't know what I'd do without him," she answered dreamily.

* * *

"So you missed me, huh?" Maria asked breathlessly as she backed up running into the back of the couch. She hooked her thumbs under her nightshirt and gave the man in front of her a quick flash. "Is this what you were missing?"

"You have no idea." He narrowed his eyes and advanced towards her until he was inches from her face.

Maria looped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her, kissing him. Her hands slid over his arms and around his waist. She undid his belt and licked his neck. "So, how much did you miss me?" She toyed with his zipper until it came down. She reached inside and brought her other hand to her mouth. "Oh, you really did miss me!"

He grabbed the bottom of her nightshirt and pulled it over her head and tossed it on the couch in back of her. He ran a finger along the top of her panties before yanking them to the floor. He jutted out a hip and his pants fell to the floor with a jingle. He lifted her onto the back of the couch and drove himself into her. She placed her hands on his shoulders for support and he hammered into her again and again, never looking in her eyes.

"Michael," her breath was unsteady. She tried to look in his face, but he turned from her. "Michael, how did you get off work?"

He ignored her words. Words. Words. Words. Thrust. Thrust. Thrust.

Maria's heart began to pound. Something was wrong. He wouldn't look her in the eyes. The one thing he always did, he wasn't doing. Without seeming insensitive, she tried to push him away. He didn't go and he didn't look at her. Maria felt goosebumps on her back, something was definitely wrong. Her mind began to search for an alternate plan; one was not needed. The still air was interrupted by a scream.

Leia, standing against the mesh sides of her playpen was screaming. There were no tears, only the scream. Maria looked over her shoulder as Leia lifted one arm in her direction. "Leia?" Her green eyes were directed past her mother.

Worry for her daughter surged through her. The thrusting had paused, then a shudder. She turned back to the man she thought was her soulmate. Her mouth went dry as he stepped back from her. Leia's screaming echoed in the room as Maria watched Deputy Michael Guerin modify into his evil twin, Rath. His leather pants on the floor around his ankles. He was stunned.

"No," Maria whispered and scampered over the back of the couch to her child. She scooped her up in her naked arms and turned to Rath. "No."

"What the fuck is with that kid?" He pointed to Leia; all coolness was gone. He pulled up his pants and took a few steps backwards. "Shut her the fuck up!"

Maria clutched Leia tighter and tried to make her quit screaming, but couldn't. Like her mother, she was strongwilled and vocal. Maria stroked her daughter's head; her hands were trembling.

Rath shook his head, nothing like that had ever happened to him before. He had never changed back before he was ready. It was that fucking kid! He backed up to the door, never taking his eyes off Leia, who was watching him the same way. He opened the door and was gone. Leia quit crying.

Maria set her back in the playpen and grabbed her nightshirt from the couch. She slid in on inside out and sat on the floor next to the fabric-covered pole. Pulling her knees up to her chin, stretching out the shirt, she cried. She rocked back and forth and wept.

* * *

Michael was glad the day was drawing to a close. It had been bad enough to find out another alien was in town and that he or she was killing people, but he was then informed he'd be working New Year's Eve. Retribution for being off on Christmas. He sighed as he got in the baby blue Tempo. He glanced at the clock on the dash, he was already a little later than usual. He stopped for some take-out Chinese and waited while they prepared it. He hummed as he made the short drive home. Dropping his keys twice while trying to carry the bags of food before he made it to the front door. He turned the knob and nudged the door open with his knee.

Something was wrong.

He set the bags on a table and looked in the living room. He saw Leia first, sitting in the middle of the playpen looking at him. His gaze travelled past her and saw his beloved on the floor. She was rocking back and forth, a vacant look in her eyes. She didn't acknowledge his presence.

"Maria?" He walked to her and knelt in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Baby? What's wrong?"

She looked at him and he saw a wave of fear wash over her. She backed up using her hands for leverage. "No! No. No," she was crying.

"Baby, tell me what's wrong." Michael heard the urgency in his voice barely over his own heartbeat. "Maria?"

She looked from him to Leia and back to him. She curled up in the foetal position and moaned. Michael crawled slowly towards her. He touched her shoulder; she recoiled. He kept his hand on her and felt the trembling. The trembles became the shakes and he thought for a moment that she might be having a seizure. He lifted her body to him and held her against his chest, murmuring in her hair.

"Maria, tell me what happened, please. Are you hurt?"

Maria looked at her daughter again. Leia was watching Michael intently, soakin gin his every move. He was Michael. He was her daddy. Maria looked up into his eyes and saw the way he saw her. She let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "Michael?" her voice cracked.

"I'm here baby." He kissed her face. "I'm here. What happened?"

* * *

Rath lay on his bed in the motel, still shellshocked by the events that morning. Everything had been going exactly as he thought it would. He was screwing the bitch and she was digging it. At least up until the little bitch starting screaming. Michael's brat, no doubt. Something happened then, he felt a jolt of electricity run through him. He changed back to himself, but not by himself. He hadn't been ready to. It never happened like that. Lonnie had taught him very well. Things didn't change until he made them change.

"It had to be that little bitch." He lit a cigarette and blew smoke rings above his head. He pounded his fist on the bed. "Fuck!"

Plans to play just got more complicated. He had wanted to screw the hunnies and then find Michael and the Zan-bitch, Max, and go a round with them and then go back home. Now, all bets were off. A whole new game had opened up in front of him. His first instinct was to get the hell out of Roswell, but he never listened to those. He was staying for a while, and everyone had better get used to it.

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