Once, she managed to hide to her the "truth" about Max and the others but then she understood she needed Maria so she told her everything. It was difficult to accept but without Maria's help she could never had handle it.

Alex noticed her troubling: he moved to meet her and took her hand.

-Don't be pessimist... you know, Maria can't stay away from you and Roswell.

-It isn't that... not only. I know what she had decided to renounce by leaving, and I only hope she would find what she's looking for and than that she could come back.

-She need a break to find out her link with the "old" Maria and then she come back stronger, you'll see that.

Liz smiled -Yeah... maybe you're right! /********/

The bus were disappeared and the guys decided to go home.

Max took Alex home at first, then Isabel and Tess (who was invited to sleep to the Evan's) and at the end, Liz. Max decided to take Liz home after all the others because he wanted speak to her.

To not awake her parents, Liz climbed in her room using the fire-stairs in the house's back.

Alone on the flat roof with Max, Liz was deeply embarassed. From when they were been there the last time, in fact, it was passed a "century".

-Only few minutes, don't worry. I just want to know if you're ok.

-Oh..., I don't know. I'm confused, and you?

-Me too. For a lot of things saying the truth...

Liz wasn't ready to face that argument: she was feeling too much vulnerable and preferred to change subject. -So, have you seen Michael?

Max didn't want to see her getting upset so apcetted that change. -I spoke to him only for some minutes then he went away.

-Where do you think he's gone?

-Somewhere... even if he told me he was coming back to his apartment.

-What are we doing, now?

-...for what? (Max was hoping she was referring to the two of them).

-In general...

-Ah! Well, nothing I think. I mean, we'll return to school trying to act normally. If that "skins" who Nacedo talked about are looking for us... they certainly will find us so it's useless to get in trouble before the time. Before that time.

-But how do you think you'll protect yourselves, Max?

-The most important thing is to stay together because that's our big strength... then, then we will invent something.

Liz was clearly worried. If something happened to Max she'll never finds peace anymore; but at the end she was ready on doing everything he was saying.

-With Michael, what should we do?

-We must let him in peace. He was very, very...

-... distressed?

-Yes, he was. I can understend his feelings 'cause if you really were moving away "for ever"... I would feel the same.

Liz blushed and begun to make her way to her room's window.

-Sorry Max... I'm really tired.

Now, Max was embarassed and without a word he went back to his jeep.

Liz was in her room feeling something strange in her stomach. In that moment she wanted hang up the phone and dial Maria's number to tell her what was just happened... but that time it was impossible.

*I must superate this crisis by myself*. She put off her clothes and stretched out on the bed.

She took from the drawer a little bottle of cedar oil Maria gave to her at the beginning of that summer saying that she had to smell it everytime she was "boiling" for "who you know"... . Liz begun smelling and little by litlle she calmed down. *Ah Maria... I have to thank you again!*

/********/

Streams of moonlight shined through the window illuminating Michael's face.

He was stratched out on his couch with his arms crossed under his head and his eyes fixed to the ceiling. His hair was wet and he was wearing only a pair of old grey trousers he put on after a quick shower. His breath was calm and deep but his eyes were full of sadness...

Michael closed them and pressed together his lips recalling all his memories: he saw Maria that first time they kissed and tasted again on his lips the flavour of hers. Michael quickly licked his now opened lips going on passing under his closed eyes his life with Maria: Maria at the Crashdown speaking and smiling to a customer; Maria parking the Jetta; Maria in the school's hall with her books; Maria smelling her oil; Maria laughing heartily; Maria crying; Maria gazing at him; Maria huging him; Maria angry; Maria scared in his arms; Maria consoling him; Maria with an expression of curiosity following him in the eraser room; Maria the "temerarious"; Maria the "sweet"... always his Maria.

How many times ha had hug her and kissed and caressed on that couch? Not enought. When he was with her, he stopped being the "normal" Michael (even if he doesn't know what "being normal" means). In the past he was already been interested in girls... but from Maria, he wasn't able to detach himself. She's got something special he needed to feel live.

Everytime he kissed her, he felt the need to feel her body under his hands... her skin gently slide under his fingers and with his lips taste the soft curve of her neck. One evening, after work time, she took him home with her Jetta but in the middle way they drilled a tyre and he had to change it. It was really nice lye under the car unscrewing bolts while Maria, leaned against the door and discussing about how much unlucky she was, didn't noticed that from where he was he had free access to her legs...

Maria was wearing her short uniform and he could see her little foot beating nervously the ground; her thin ankles, her white calfs and, upper, her smooth skin behind her knees. He was enchanted by the perfection of her skin and legs... but his dream vanished when Maria went out of his sight and he had to finish his work against his real will.

Then, under Michael's apartment, Maria asked for the bathroom and suddenly they were on that same couch making out. Michael remembered again her fingers sinking in his hair and her mouth tracing a wet path on his chest. That night there were flames of passion between them and Michael felt that everything could happen... but then her mother called her on the mobile and she had to go home. When Michael took her to the car and she gave to him a disarming smile, he understood he was became her accompliance for all his life remaining. All of this, happened a long time ago... just before finding out about Tess and everything that then came after. Since that moment, they hadn't have much time to spend alone together. That was a really difficult period and Michael had to thank Maria for her strong support. She was always near him even when he didn't deserve her help.

Now she was gone and he was alone again.

TOC TOC

-Are you in here, Michael?

TOC TOC

-It's Max, open the door.

*What the hell is he doing here?* Michael was really bothered: he was thinking about Maria and his were personal thoughs not to share with anybody. For this reason, he remained on the couch without moving or speaking so Max, after few minutes, went away from where he came.

/********/

The night was warm and Michael decided to went out. He got into the Jetta, where an hard smell of cedar oil hit again his nose, and left. Michael drove out of Roswell to the desert and near the pod chamber he turn the car off.

In the desert, alone with the full moon, Michael went off the Jetta and took from the boot an old red and grey blanket he brought there from home. He put that blanket on the bonnet and then stratched out on it crossing his arms under his head and bending his legs.

The radio was broadcasting an old song and after some seconds the ColdPlay started singing "Yellow"... and that song became the sound track of that Michael's starry night.

Michael was looking at the stars all above him when recognized the lights of a plain.

*Are you on that plain Maria?* Probably now she was really flying between the stars but he felt like she were here with him on that bonnet looking at the sky.

*I promise you Maria: I'll fight for us and you'll be proud of me... and when I'll can assure you what you need I swear I will come looking for you wherever you will be*.

/********/

Maria didn't know where she was or on what she was flying... the Earth's lights were too far and were becoming blurred under her plain. Her mother was sleeping while she was looking out the little round window.

*Michael... I will always wait for you*.

They needed to be separate for some times and when they will meet each other again they would be stronger... Maria was sure of it! Then the plain entered a cloud and everything become black.

Maria closed her eyes trying to sleep. /********/

In the same time Michael was wondering if that were Maria's plain lights, they disappeared.