Til We Meet Again (CC, Mature) - Chapter 84 - Completed - 09/01/2022

[Parker1947]

Liz did not know what she was doing. She was staring at the man who was the boy she left at eighteen and her heart was all a flutter. And she did not know which end up, and whether she could deal with it all again. Especially because she was dealing with the fact, she was a mother, and she had responsibilities. So that she did not lose her children in this madness, especially since her son was taking to the sudden changes in their life with a degree of rebellion that was so recently being exhibited in his sister, and she did not need to see it again which is why she was resorting to these methods.

She was hoping time away would do both her son, and her some good. So, she did not need to be standing here and looking at Max like she should be giving it all up, and jumping into bed with him, and willing away the complications in their lives.

When she knew there would be no willing it all away…

With Maria melting away, where is she? Liz was asking herself as she came back to reality as she had not even registered her daughter coming downstairs or her best friend moving away from them, but here she was staring at Max. “Why did you come?” she asked common sense came back to her brain.

“I needed to see you,” was all Max could say.

“Why?” Liz murmured. Why does a simple smile make me melt like this?

She did not know why and yet she was here and wanting to drool like the fifteen-year-old she was, and not the almost thirty-five-year-old. The 35-year-old who had two teenage children, and she should be better than this.

But here she was.

So, yeah why? she was asking herself and watching Max’s eye look at her in joy. So much time gone in a flash, and so much history she thought. “I would have probably come and said good-bye before I left.”

“Would you have?” Max asked You did not in the past he thought of how she just most of the time vanished without much of a warning. Or a goodbye.

But I cannot say that to her, but he would think it. And it was almost like Liz knew what he was thinking. “I would have seen you before,” she said softly. “Only because to make sure you would keep an eye on Mariah for me.”

“Of course, I will look after her…” Max said softly. “If she wanted me too?

“She is not going to want you too, that is the point” Liz said with a smile. “She is going to be staying with my parents which means she is going to feel like she has a lot more independence than she does under this roof,” she said with a sigh. “While I do trust Mariah, but she is coming off a time of a turbulence.”

“She will be fine,” Max assured Liz.

“I hope so,” Liz sighed.

“But I will keep an eye on her for you,” Max murmured.

“Thank you,” Liz smiled which is why she was confident that leaving now would be the best thing for her daughter, because Mariah would be fine, and she could go off and help her son and then hopefully come home and life would be different.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Max could not help but ask.

“Yes, I am” Liz said softly. “I have to do this for my son. Because I do not want him to think I am picking his sister over him.”

“He would never think that?” Max asked.

“Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but if I force to deal with all this while still in this town, then he will” Liz murmured. “After spending the last few months grieving his father and the temporary loss of his independence while I was forced to deal with his sister’s teenage crisis. So, I was not able to concentrate on what he needed. I let the hospital do that. But he is home now, and with everything coming to a head. I figure that we will go on this road trip and hopefully he will start to adjust, and we can come home, and he will be doing a lot better.”

Understanding her need to do this. Ever the good and considerate mother. Although it was still painful to know she was going to be gone for unknown period of time. “And I will be here when you get back,” Max said softly, and it was more of a blurting out statement than anything more meaningful.

“Max, I wish you would not say something like that,” Liz said softly.

“Why not?” Max asked. It is the truth. “It’s true”

“Because I am leaving to get away from all the complications.” Liz said softly. “And it is the last thing I need.”

“But still, you are coming back, right?” Max asked.

“Max,” Liz said.

Smiling and knowing they could get in an endless of loop of this, and it probably is not what she needs he was forced to realize. “Okay, I will go” Max said softly as he turned and was going towards the door and saw his daughter.

So, lifelike, and so much like her mother.

“Hello,” Max murmured.

“Hello,” Mariah said with a smile as Maria was watching from behind, and Liz walked towards her best friend. And they all knew that Liz could leave, to try to get some normalcy back for her son but too much had gone down, and there was no changing what had happened. And how it might be useless to ignore it.

*

A lot had changed, and Isabel knew it back at her home as she parked her car in the driveway of the home she shared with Kyle and their girls. She almost wished for that life they were leading back in December. Life changes she thought. But still things were going pretty well. Both of their daughters were growing up and leading normal lives. Jessica was dating Alan. And while Isabel might have qualms for the relationship still her daughter seemed happy with her life. And her relationship, which was normal.

And didn’t dare go into any dangerous areas that they did not want to see, and the accident everything, and secrets were revealed, and every part of their family, and its branches were affected. Still Isabel knew that she had it easier than her brother, Max she thought, I have it easier than him for sure she thought as she got out of the car, and locked the door to the car, and looked around and saw her daughter coming home. “Hello, honey.”

“Hello, Mom” Jessica murmured. “I was coming back to get a change of clothes.”

“She’s gone you know?” Isabel asked.

“Are you sure?” Jessica asked, weary and unsure.

“Sometimes you have to accept that there are people who need help, and that is what I was trying to do with Roxy, but yes, I know she is gone. And she has not come back because Jim is on the hunt for her…”

“She can stay gone for all I care,” Jessica muttered.

Sighing, Isabel did not say anything more. Knowing her daughter was going to feel what she was going to feel, and there was nothing going to change it until Jessica came to some realizations herself. “Are you okay?”

“Sure, why would I not be?” Jessica asked as she watched as her mother unlocked the door of the house. “Is no one home?”

“No, Jaime is visiting Lex, and Kyle is out with buddies,” she said softly as she opened the door and they walked in as she remembered what her brother had told her. “Honey, is everything alright with you and Alan?”

“Why, what did you hear?” Jessica asked.

“I was talking to your uncle and he method he heard some things,” Isabel said as she put down her bags on the floor and put her jacket in the closet. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What did you hear?” Jessica asked, ever cagey.

When did my daughter become a moody teenager, Isabel thought? She had always known she and Kyle had gotten lucky with the children they had, because given their situation it could have been so different, and until now their children were model children. Growing up in the shadow of her generation but taking it all in stride.

And now it was clear there were parts of her daughter that were coming to the forefront. “If you want to talk, you can talk to me?”

“I am fine,” Jessica muttered.

“You might well be, but if you and Alan are having problems?” Isabel asked. “You can ask me for advice if you want.”

“I do not know what is going on with Alan,” Jessica admitted. “I thought things were fine, going good until last night, and now everything is different, and I do not know what to do or what to accept.”

“What do you mean?” Isabel asked.

“I caught Alan kissing someone else. One of Roxy’s friends. Although Roxy was not around so I cannot blame her for that one, but it was still one of her friends and therefore she is partly responsible.”

“Oh, honey” Isabel sighed.

“We have talked, and maybe that should be a sign,” Jessica muttered. “The fact that he wanted someone else because I was not putting out,” she sighed. “I thought he was better than that, I really did, and just because I might have been distracted as he said I was does not mean he has the green light to be with someone else,” she sighed.

“Were you distracted?” Isabel wondered.

“Yes,” Isabel sighed. “But it does not mean he go with someone else because I thought we were exclusive.”

Isabel nodded.

“I am over guys,” Jessica said. “It is all too much. So, I am thinking of taking a break because I do not have any energy to deal with their issues,” she sighed. “And what girls that might want, or do not want.”

Love sucks Isabel thought. I love Kyle. I got lucky she thought. But it was definitely not easy she thought. “Relationships are never easy,” she sighed. “Even the happiest ones have issues. So, you should not take it out on someone else who might not deserve it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just a gut feeling I have, call it a mother’s gift” Isabel said softly.

“Or were you rooting around in my dreams again?” Jessica accused.

As one of the clear disadvantages of being who she was, was having a mother who was exactly like her, and had abilities to go into someone’s mind and scout any landmines and while she and Jaime knew that it was hard to keep secrets in this family because of Isabel in their lives, and what it meant. Although Isabel was trusting and did not going in looking for anything unless she truly was worried, and until recent days, she never really had a reason too once the children were growing up, and in command of their own lives.

She and Kyle trusted their kids.

“Of course not,” Isabel smiled. I did not even think of that she told herself Honest. “It is just the feeling that something is going on…”

“What do you know?” Jessica asked suspiciously of her mother?”

“What do you want me to know?” Isabel asked as they moved into the living room, and she sat down but her daughter was pacing.

“Jeez,” Jessica muttered.

“Honey, I know you cared a lot about Alan. You invested a lot in that relationship even though you had not gone as deep in a relationship before, and Alan was different. I know something about that,” Isabel murmured. “We always think the relationship we are in is the right one for us…”

“You?” Jessica asked. “And Dad?” she asked even though she did not know why she called Jesse Ramirez, dad because he was not a father to me. Kyle has been more than one than my other father she thought. Still, he is on my birth certificate and in my name.

“I was single for a long time before I met your father. I dated sure, but they came went while your uncle and Michael were different. They seemed to find the right one for them on the first try. Although with your uncle in particular. It was complicated, still, and Michael against all odds found something with Maria, and they were able to work it out even when it did not look like they would. Anyway, I was different. I did date, and there were those who might have been possibilities if life had gone a different way than it did, but then your father came into the picture. And I was in love. And I wanted it to work. We tried, we probably rushed too much but we ended up with you, and unfortunately, he was taken from us before he could meet you.”

“But were you not basically separated?” Jessica asked. “Obviously it was not working?”

“Only because of other issues that were bigger. We loved each other. But we did not love each other enough to make it through those days. Fortunately, for me, and for you, Kyle was there, and he knew loved me, and while he was not like any of us, still, he knew what it meant to be who we were, and he made it safe to be together. So, you should not force yourself to be with someone because it might be easy.”

“Are you referring to something?” Jessica asked.

“I might be,” Isabel conceded. “When Roxy vanished. She returned your sweatshirt, it’s in the clothes hamper if you care,” she said softly. “I do not know why you did because you have not worn that thing in ages.”

“It’s the principal,” Jessica muttered.

“More like jealousy,” Isabel asked. “Because there was a note she left,” she said picking the note off the table, and showing to her daughter.

“You read it?” Jessica asked.

“Why would I not?” Isabel asked of her daughter. “I had no idea what it said until I did,” she said as she saw her daughter frowning when she read the note. “Do you have something to say to me?” Isabel asked

Did she?

*

Mac was now at the basketball courts shooting hoops. My game has improved he was thinking as he saw River approach him on the court. As he did not want to stay home and once his mother was gone, and his father still was not home. Mac went his merry little way, and found himself at the courts, trying to give some aggression into shooting the ball, even if he was not actually playing the games. Because all of his friends were busy. “I would have thought you would be spending time with Sierra,” he asked as he threw the ball up and through the hoop. “You have been spending all your time with her lately?”

“Not all my time,” River muttered. “Stopped by your house and found no one home.”

“Mom is at Mariah’s house, because they are planning on going on their little trip.”

“What are you talking about?” River asked.

“You have not heard?” Mac asked. A lot is going on in our little world. “Yeah, Mariah’s mother is taking her little brother off to Chicago for god knows how long. Mariah is still going to be back here, and staying with her grandparents, on the Parker side I mean,” he said with a quick clarification.

“I assumed that would be what you meant,” River murmured. Given Mariah would not be at that point with Grandma and Grandpa Evans he thought. “That is a turn in a development,” River admitted, and now wondered how his father had to be reacting. This cannot be a good thing he thought as he immediately worried that he might see a reversal of his father’s mental health. Although if Mariah was sticking around.

But her mother was not River sighed.

“Anyways, Mom wanted to make sure everything was alright on that front and Dad is off doing whatever he does when he’s not at home.”

River nodded, the benefits of a two-parent household he thought. “Want a partner and make it a game?”

“Maybe I do,” River said throwing the ball to his best friend and he immediately threw the ball and made a basket, “I am surprised you are not home, because you did not have to work today, right, and you have been working all week.”

“I needed some fresh air,” Mac admitted. “Thank you for putting your house out for me last night,” he asked. “I did not want to be at home, and it was a nice opportunity to go to your place.”

“I know,” River said. “Often it is me needing a place to crash,” he asked as they found themselves in a game, or more like seeing who could shoot the most balls. Both were quite even on that score, even if they did not use their abilities to give the ball more amplitude, which they were not, “So, I appreciate being able to offer you a place of refuge. Are you any closer to knowing what you are going to do?”

“Hell no,” Mac muttered “Going there would be upsetting the whole arc of our families.”

“It is not the easiest of basis I grant you, but neither of you share any blood. So, why not go and try to see if you can make it work?”

“It would go against my whole mantra you know,” Mac murmured. “You know the whole causal relationship bit and everything, and only going for girls who know that I am not looking for a commitment,” he said with a laugh. “Although it is quite easy given, I am only fifteen. So, there are plenty of girls out there…”

Oh, I know River thought. There were those girls when I was myself fifteen, but I was not looking for anything at that time “But if they do not interest you?” River asked.

“But there are those girls who are into relationships, and Jessica is one of those…” Mac muttered. “I am really not looking for something right now.”

“I was not looking for Sierra either,” River smiled with a tender smile as he remembered how he was in the beginning. And it was a look that made Mac want to vomit. “Sometimes they find us,” he said softly. “Sure, so, not everyone needs a romance, or a woman to make their life whole. You once told me, and it rings true for today. We are not our parents. You are not your parents. They were always going to be different. Same with my parents, assuming you want to hold my parents up to be a model of anything,” he said with a sigh. “Still my father found his one at your age, but it did not work out, and he has…”

“Been a shadow of himself, all because of love” Mac muttered. And the opposite of all that, is of my course my parents. So, yeah, I am not my parents.

“Look at your parents, who actually have made it work. So, why not try, I am not saying it has to be Jessica, but if she interests you?”

“And we are back to how we begun the conversation,” Mac muttered. Jessica. “It is way too complicated for either of us to go there,” he said softly. “Given how close our families are, because if it goes bad?”

“It might, or it might go right too,” River thought. “You are only trying to cause trouble for yourself if you go in looking at end. You know each other, and you do not share blood. Sure, it is confusing and probably not the most ideal relationship for you to be looking for, but you can love who we love,” River murmured.

“Hey, who says anything about love?” Mac muttered as he bristled at the idea of love as they were finishing up the game, which ended as a draw.

“Okay, I should clarify it as, we care about those we care about?” River said in his response as he could not laugh as how on edge his friend was, over a girl, what the thought, who saw this coming? “Given how unique our families are, this probably will be dealt with a degree of acceptance. After all, if the gods had their way, before…”

“Yeah, I know” Mac said with snarl. “My dad and Jessica’s mother, which is another way of telling me that it is bad to mess up friends, and chemistry of family. And how do I know I or she would want it, or whether it is being forced on us?” he asked. “Because of whom we are and because it did not happen the first time around?”

“I guess you do not,” River sighed. I did not think of it like that “You can only figure that out for yourself.”

“Then I am out,” Mac muttered because he did not know how to deal with it, because of all the complications. “I am heading home; do you want to come with me?”

“No, I am meeting up with Sierra,” River admitted even knowing it would not sit well with his buddy.

“Naturally,” Mac muttered but kept silent.

“Get over your resistance to it because Sierra is not going anywhere. And maybe if you were not so resistant than you might figure out whether you do want to go there with Jessica.”

“Whatever,” Mac sighed as he watched his best friend walk off. The last thing we need is for me and Jessica to try anything.

[keepsmiling7]

Of course Max will look after Mariah whether she wants it or not.
Isabel has her hands full!

[Parker1947]

While River went to spend time Sierra. Mac went home and barricaded himself in his bedroom and played videogames on that new computer he had gotten for Christmas. The one that was being purchased the night of Armageddon. And he tried to forget his problems, and River was across town at Sierra’s house, and down in her room. Kate Cruise was not the happiest of parents, but she had a business dinner, so she had to leave the house to the two teenagers.

So, River and Sierra made themselves at home and they took advantage.

While Jessica was back at home. She elected not to seek out her grandparents for room and board and was confident that Roxy was gone from their lives, thankfully but she was still rocked by the note that her mother had handed her, and neither she nor her mother said anything, and her mother simply allowed her to go her own way.

But the note said anything, and now she was back in her bedroom, sitting on her bed, and she wondered why it was Roxy’s job to upset a perfectly good thing she had going with Mac. She, River, and Mac were the three musketeers, who had been best of friends ever since she and Mac were babies because of course River was older, and even then, age did not prevent them from being close.

After all, you needed to be close to people who knew who you were and were the exactly the same way she told herself. Until Mariah came to town, and then Sierra and most troubling Roxy infiltrated their ranks, well it had only been the three of us she thought. The three new generation alien human hybrids, all different in different ways.

Because she and Mac had a parent who was normal. And River had two biological parents who were the same, and still, we are all the same in different ways.

She, Mac, and River were able to be friends, and because she and River were family, so, they were able to be close like siblings, because until Mariah came to town, River had no one. Not even his father was a help she told herself. That has changed, but for the majority of the last sixteen years, well…

Mac was as close as family she thought, but he is not family she told herself. Okay he is, but still…

Why mess things up? Jessica was wondering. Why did Roxy have to come to town and mess things up, because we had something good.

As there was a knock on the door. “What is it?” she asked.

“It is me Jaime,” came the fourteen-year-old, and Jessica felt relief because she did not want to go over it again with her mother, because there was too much on the line. “Can I come in?”

“If you want too,” came Jessica and the door opened, and in walked the sister she had because of their parent’s relationship. A relationship that had still had not ended in marriage, but still they had been in each other’s lives forever, and they were family, and it gave Jessica a notion of a family. Because her mother was happy.

And Kyle was the best thing to happen to herself and her mother, and she desperately wanted them to finalize their wedding plans. They have been too lax with scheduling that wedding she thought. Still, she knew Kyle loved her mother, and he would not be walking away.

Neither would her mother. “You are home?”

“So, are you?” Jaime murmured as she had just gotten home from Lex’s house because he was not in the mood for any more games. “Isabel told me you were home, and that Roxy vanished.”

“That she has,” Jessica acknowledged.

“Are you okay?” Jaime asked, as she knew Jessica’s moods and knew when she was a little bit off, but she could see her stepsister mind was somewhere else.

“I am okay,” Jessica said as she tried to get her mood back to where it was only a few months before, when things were a lot simpler.

“What is that?” Jaime asked as a piece of paper on the bed and was quick to snatch it before Jessica could stop her. “It cannot be that important, right?” she asked. But she took a double take when she saw it was Roxy, what is she doing writing this note to Jessica, she asked herself. “Is she serious?”

“I don’t know,” Jessica murmured. “I do not know what to think about any of it.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Jaime asked as she handed the note back to her stepsister. “I know I have been razzing you lately because I see what is going on with you and Mac, but you should not put any stock in what Roxy has to say.”

“Why not?” Jessica asked. “And why would you know anything different, because after all, you are not a part of this.”

“Sure, I might not be one of you,” Jaime murmured. I might like some of those abilities but there are days I do not want to be burdened by it, so I am perfectly happy being who I am she mused. And this is one of those days. “You do not have to remind me. But I am in this family because your mother loves my father, and it was my father who took a chance on making us a family.”

“Sorry,” Jessica said softly as she knew she was crabby and was being unreasonable. “I love you, you know, and I love that your father and my mother are together, and maybe one day they will finally get married.”

“Maybe, that would happen if the drama became a little less” Jaime teased.

“Yeah,” Jessica smiled.

“Seriously, you really should not take that note seriously because whatever is going on with you and Mac is not some plan engrained in a world that you two have no connection too,” she said. “Your mother and Mac’s father rebelled against that life because of love, free will, right, that is all the stories tell us. I mean, even River’s father could have gone that route.”

“Well, he did for a time, because River is proof of that?” Jessica reminded Jaime.

“But that was a fling because he had someone else who was the one” Jaime reminded Jessica. “Which is why he has been miserable all these years. If he and Mariah’s mother did not have something that was real, or human, well he would have been able to live life better and been the father River needed and deserved, but he did not, and he was a mess because the one he loved was Mariah’s mother, and he went against what his world would have wanted and chose who he wanted to love.”

“So,” Jessica asked.

“If you guys were to want to go there, then it would be about you guys, and what you want, and not something that elders wanted,” Jaime counselled. “That would be just a lucky bonus.”

Some lucky bonus Jessica thought. Why rock the boat? “There is nothing between me and Mac, because we are only friends” Jessica muttered.

“But you cannot tell me that you do not want it to be more between you and Mac?” Jessica asked. “I see the way the two of you are, and especially with the arguing you two have been doing in recent days,” she said a smile. “You were definitely jealous.”

Jealousy, yeah right Jessica bristled “Of course I am not, when we are only friends,” she said with a mutter. “What I wanted was for Alan not to disappoint me because I cared about him, and he took that put it in a crapper, so I should no trust anything I might feel, because whatever I do might feel will blow over.”

“Then why are you so upset with Roxy said?” Jaime asked. “You could simply choose to rip the letter up and ignore the implications.”

“I am not,” Jessica muttered. I could care less what that girl has to say, “Why should I be made about what it might say,” she said softly. “I just hate to think that this was all a plan, and we have no choice but to follow it.”

“At the end of the day, you always have choice,” Jaime murmured. “You can choose to not go there, because in the end that is what your mother and Mac’s mother chose, but often your heart will tell you want you want, even if you still have to follow it, and activity go for it,” she said.

“You are way too wise,” Jessica muttered.

“It helps not being one of you, so I have perspective” Jaime laughed. “Seriously Jessica. Do not take what Roxy said personally,” she said. “She likes to cause trouble and she knows you will take the bait of whatever she throws at you,” she said with a smile. “You should do whatever you want to do. And you should not let anyone force you into it. Personally, I would take some time. If you do not know what or how you feel. You should take your time. Maybe then you will know which way it should be…”

Jessica muttered.

“Life always has a plan for us,” Jaime said softly. “But we do have free will. We can make our life the way we want it to be, so, we do not have to follow it,” she said as she headed for the door. “Personally, I think you and Mac make a good couple, but that is only because your personalities mesh,” she said with a smile. “You both are a mix of different DNA, so I doubt there is a grand plan to continue whatever they were planning on for your parents,” she sighed. “Your mother wanted my father, and your father before him, Michael set his eyes on Maria on day one, and little got in the way of it.”

Jessica nodded as Jaime turned and around and exited the room.

Maybe I need time Jessica thought. That has to tell me what I want?

She picked herself up and headed downstairs as her mother got off the phone. “Your grandmother called?”

“Which one?” Jessica asked, I do have three she thought. As she thought of Amy Deluca Valenti as her grandmother.

“Your father’s mother,” Isabel said with a smile. “She wanted to speak to you, but she was running late, and I knew you did not want to talk.”

“I will always talk to my grandmother,” Jessica said softly. A grandmother she did not get to see except in the summers. “What did she want?”

“She wanted to invite you to her place next weekend,” Isabel said softly. “She knows it is not your usual visit time frame for a visit, but it was important to her that you were come.”

“I know, I usually go during the summer,” Jessica said softly. “Did she ask for me to visit or did you engineer it?”

“Jessica, I would never” Isabel asked.

“You would,” Jessica said with an air of amusement in her voice, I know Mom’s tricks. “If you wanted to get rid of me,” she said with a smile.

“I would never want to get rid of you,” Isabel said softly. I love being Jessica’s mother after all, it is all I wanted, was to settle down and be happy.

“I know you don’t, so why was my grandmother Ramirez calling?” Jessica asked as she was looking for a diversion and wondered if she had found it. “She also knows she could email me, or even text me, instead of dealing with the old fashion way.”

“Your grandmother is not very together in the tech world,” Isabel said with a smile. As she thought of her former mother-in-law, or maybe current mother-in-law given that she was not yet married again, but still she and Jesse’s mother had a complicated relationship. Although it was also one of respect, and mutual love for Jessica, but still Jesse’s mother needed to move away after her son’s death, and thankfully they still could talk even though there was so much her mother-in-law did not know about herself, or even her granddaughter.

Which is why she did know her daughter had to put a mask or facade on when she often visited. Because there was so much her daughter could not be, when she was in Arizona.

Herself.

“Mom,” Jessica asked as it looked like her mother was in her own space, once again.

“Oh, sorry” Isabel said softly. “What did Grandma Ramirez want?”

“She won some award being awarded by her woman’s group or something. She was not specific. But coming with the award is monetary reward, and your mother is choosing to donate the money in the name of your father to the Law Society, because she knew how much your father had a respect for the law” even though he fell in love with someone who routinely was flouting it along with her family and lying up a storm. But Isabel had mostly gotten over any feeling of guilt because she knew it was the only thing she could do, and she was doing it for her own good, and Jesse did not understand it, but he knew it by the end.

“Wow,” Jessica said. “So?”

“There is some ceremony next week to make the donation official, and she wanted you to join her and because it is in the honor of her son, and your father. She felt like you would want to be there for it.”

“Not you?” Jessica asked.

“She knows it will be too confusing, and she knows I am happy with Kyle, but you are your father’s daughter, and it is in his memory, so, how about it, would you want to go there? Isabel asked. “And maybe make a long weekend of it?”

Did it? “It is usually not my usual visit.”

“I know, but maybe you can shorten your usual visit this weekend because it might be around the time of the wedding.”

“Have you and Kyle made any official plans, yet?” Jessica asked.

“No, but the feeling is we are narrowing down a time frame,” Isabel said softly to the amusement I her daughter’s eyes because she knew that she and Kyle were the kids’ patients in setting the plans for the wedding it has to happen sometime, does it now? “It is coming.”

“Should you not make a decision and stick with it?” Jessica asked with a smaller smile now. “It takes time to stage a wedding and get a venue.”

“We do not want it to be too large, and we want it to be tasteful because it will be both of our second weddings.”

“That is what you say now,” Jessica asked with a smile.

“It will be perfect, whenever the day comes, so do you want to take up your grandmother’s request, and go down for the donation ceremony?” Isabel asked.

“As you said it is a request, so I do not have my of choice,” Jessica sighed.

“You always have a choice sweetheart, no matter what happens in your life” Isabel murmured. That goes for a lot of things in our lives, and Jessica could sense the double meaning in those words “I am sure your grandmother would understand if you do decide to pass.”

“It is not like I know my father. He died before I was born” Jessica muttered.

“And I am sorry about that, and I know your father would have loved you and you would have loved him.”

“Even if you would have likely been divorced?” Jessica asked. “And Dad did not exactly get you.”

“When your father and I were together. It was a different time. A lot was just beginning to be known, and I mislead your father about who I was when we entered the relationship. Which of course was in the wake of some stressful times in my life, and your father was good for me, and he made me grow up, but unfortunately, I did not tell him who I was when we got together, or even got engaged…”

“Why keep it from him?” Jessica asked. “I understand a new relationship, you never tell the other person everything but once you were engaged and were preparing to get married. Why not tell him, so that both of you could fully know what you were getting into, and whether Dad did want to be with you, knowing who you are…”

“Because I liked the under the radar state of our relationships. Very few people knew until we started becoming dangerous, and after Alex died and everything that went down with that, we felt that letting someone else in was not going to be good for them or us” Isabel murmured. “The danger Liz and Maria were also facing were growing intense, and we did not want that for your father, and I know once we got engaged. I should have told him. And I wanted to for a long time, but always found a way not too, and by the end, when he did find out, it was all the more painful.”

“Because he did not get you?” Jessica asked.

“Partly,” Isabel murmured. “But it was more the fact I deceived him, and I took his choice to be with me knowing who I was away from him,” she sighed “I even entered our marriage deceiving him. Although in the end, we were married, and he did take our marriage seriously and so did I and we did try to keep it going and we both thought his job in Boston was going to be good for us, to get away but unfortunately, it did not save us, and in the end, it took him from us,’ she sighed.

Jessica sighed. “Which is why Grandma never did know about you?”

“Right, and the fact she moved away, gave me an out” Isabel sighed. “I am sorry you did not have your father in your life…”

“I would have liked to have known him,” Jessica conceded. “So, I will think about Grandma’s request,” she sighed.

“I am sure she will appreciate it,” Isabel sighed. “Maybe a few days away from Roswell with do you some good?”

“Mom,” Jessica muttered.

“I will not speak of it, partly because I do not want too,” Isabel said with a sigh. “But at the end of the day, you will decide what is best for you, and only you. I will not put any pressure on you for what to do.”

“Did you ever want to go for it with Mac’s father?” Jessica blurted out.

[Parker1947]

Isabel could only sigh. Because it was truly a complicated and loaded question. Why must I answer this question? she asked herself, but she did have to answer it. Jeez Jessica she sighed Really? “I never wanted Mac’s father like that,” she murmured, and she meant it. Because she knew she had never looked at Michael like that, okay, maybe for a moment but that was because of those weird dreams she thought. So, that was a momentarily blip in time. “And he never wanted me. By that time, he had met Maria, and while they were doing their seesaw and off and on, still, it was plainly obvious how much Michael did love Maria, and vice versa and they were meant to be together. They had too much fire for each other to think it was anyone else for Michael Isabel murmured to herself. I was never a close second.

Not that I wanted it.

“How could you guys have known?” Jessica asked, interrupting her mother’s thoughts. “I mean it was in that bible of sorts, that you and Michael were paired back on your home planet, and yet here on earth, you did not go there, why not?”

“Because we were different people here on earth. Sure, we had our alien DNA, but it was mixed with our human donors, and there was a level of free will entering the equation. It was obvious we had a choice we could make on this land, and in the world. It was not going to be made for us, or stuck in stone,” she said softly. “We could make the choice. Sure, by the time we knew more about who were because we were oblivious to it all, Michael was like a brother to me, and we did not want to consider changing, and we never had those feelings for each other. Michael had that for Maria, and once it was clear what was happening, well, we never felt the need to change how we saw things,” she sighed. “Honey, I never felt for Michael like that, even knowing what we knew, it did not change things for us.”

“Even though you were single for a time?” Jessica asked. “Why would it not be a sign?”

“It could have been one yes, if you were to take it a certain way” Isabel reasoned. “But neither of us. And we were never tempted. Because at the end of the day. We always have free will. We can make our own choices. And that goes for anyone. And it certainly applies to you, River and of course Mac. You are a different generation, and you live on this planet. We are not wanting you to be anything other than who you are, and that goes with who you want to pair up today, tomorrow or in the future. Because you should want what you want, and you should be forced to want anything you do not want,” she sighed. “If you and Mac…”

“Mom,” Jessica muttered. Please not this…

“Seriously sweetheart, I will not say it would not be complicated given how close our families, and yes because of the past, and because Michael is basically a brother to me, but he is not a brother, and neither you nor Mac are related. All you are, are two close friends. Although at the end of the day, it is always hard to change a friendship into something romantic, but do not let how it was for me at different time in our lives and creations prevent you from being with whoever you want too…”

“I do not think I want Mac like that,” Jessica muttered.

“That for you to decide, only you.” Isabel murmured. “But do not say no to an idea because of the past, or because of who we are, because yes, it is complicated and would be messy but sometimes messy does work out, so perfectly.” she sighed. “Michael and I were nothing but some idea on another planet, that we do not even really remember so do not let that stop you…”

Nodding, Jessica did not know how to take all this. It is too much, and she could not help but wonder. “Maybe, yeah, maybe I do need time.” Jessica wondered.

“Maybe you do and maybe you should take it” Isabel said as Jessica just mumbled something under her breath, “I will go and call Grandma.”

Isabel nodded.

*

Word rode the pod squad gossipvine faster than any prior piece of gossip, and of course it made way to Michael and Maria’s home, and Michael had to take a double take when he heard it, and boy it was not something I expected as he walked into the house, after getting off the phone with Isabel, yeah, the kid’s lives rarely stayed their own. And Maria was making dinner when Michael come into the house.

“Where is Mac?” Michael asked immediately as he walked into the kitchen, and only finding his wife.

“Upstairs, barricaded himself in his bedroom” Maria admitted. “I have not seen much of him since I got home, but I do know he is at home,” she said. “What is going on?”

“Nothing,” Michael muttered.

“It is something, right?” Maria asked as she watched as her husband walk out of the kitchen. “Please do not tell me that he did something?”

“He’s safe in that regard,” Michael muttered as he did not know how to deal with it. It is too bizarre to even contemplate…

Why do I even care? Michael asked himself as he found himself climbing the staircase to the upstairs, and knocked on his son’s door, and the music was blaring which meant his son was home, likely Michael amended.

You never know with a son who has the abilities he does Michael thought. A very different life than I had he thought when he had too much independence for his own good, and no structure, not that I wanted structure to hold me down he told himself. After all, I wanted off the planet, and thought that was my destiny.

But nope, it was Maria he thought now. And that boneheaded son of mine.

As he checked the door, and found it locked. When will we learn he thought? Of course, it meant his wife would not be able to get through if she had tried, the curse of being normal he thought. I have no wish to be normal.

Why would I want that? When I like the ability to disrupt the world with who I am. But still he knew he had to keep quiet about his true nature.

Because too many people would have a problem with who I am.

No one could be as enlightening as Phillip and Diane, he told himself.

“Son,” he called as he opened the door.

“Man,” Mackenzie mumbled as he stopped what he was doing and turned around and spotted his son. It would be easier to have two parents who would not be able to get through whatever barricades I set he told himself. But then I would not be who I am? “What is it?”

“What are you doing?” Michael asked, a little relieved to know his son was actually at home. Instead of roaming town limits given he did not have to work today.

“Playing a game, what is wrong that?” Mac asked.

“Just curious,” Michael asked and looked around his son’s room, and spotted everything that normal. No deviations. “Are you okay?”

“Sure, why I would not be?” Mac asked. “I even won a bundle.”

“You are not gambling, are you?” Michael asked, a little wearily because he knew that was exactly what his son was doing. “You are underage, and if they catch you?”

“What are they going to do?” Mac asked. “I win more often than I lose,” he said.

“That is not the point,” Michael muttered.

“Do not tell me you would not do the same thing?” Mac asked. “If you were as advanced technology wise as we are today back in your day.”

Probably I would he conceded because I had rent to pay, he thought. Of course, I would have risked eviction if caught.

“We will be not bailing you out if you get caught,” Michael warned.

“So, you say now” Mac muttered. “You will because you will be worried what I might do behind bars,” he warned. “Assuming Grandpa allowed it to happen.”

“Jesus,” Michael muttered as he once more cursed the newest generation, and how his son was straying the lines that even he thought were too far Of course I had Max and Isabel telling me not to go too far but then we had our secrets. Mac does too, but he does not have the same compulsion to be careful he cursed. Because he knew his grandfather was the guardrail. “Are you finished, if you are not, shut it down” he sighed. “We did not get you that new computer to misuse it.”

“Whatever,” Mac muttered but he did shut down his computer set up and turned to face his father. Because he knew to see his father in his bedroom, then it meant it was serious because his father tended to leave it to his mother to be the concerned parent. And rarely Michael showed up in his bedroom. “What is it?”

“What is going on with you and Jessica?”

“Damn it,” Mac muttered and wanted desperately to be still on his computer… “What did you hear?”

“More than I wanted too,” Michael muttered as he wondered if he should have allowed the under the take gambling session to keep from questioning his son’s love life. Yet he needed to know what was going on. “What is going on?”

*

While Michael was trying to figure out his son. And the level of his attachment to Jessica. Although initially getting only push back, still he was curious, but Max was having an easier time of it as he was across town, but not at Liz’s any longer because he took ownership of how complicated it was and how his presence was upsetting Lex. Mariah was taking it all in stride. Quite the change from her earlier treatment of which I will take any day of the week he thought, but anyways, he knew Liz had a lot to deal with, so he and Maria had departed her house. Leaving Liz to deal with both of her children.

While Max and Maria went different directions. Of course, Maria had gone home, while Max was not that anxious to be going home. Being home lately, was to be alone, and he was not up for that at least not right, which was a vast departure from the previous sixteen years. When he lived for the loneliness, he would feel in his house.

He lived for it, and now he was trying to forsake it, and wanted company and knowing his best friend had his own life. Which Michael was quite happy within, well, Max decided to go to where he knew he would be instantly accepted, and it would be not be awkward, and that was his family home?

Although it was awkward in the ways of his mother trying to coddle him, and resistance to it but on this day, he knew he was seeking out the company of people who had given him home and shelter all those years before. “Are you okay son?” Phillip Evans asked as he had let in his son, after being surprised to find him on the doorstep.

Of course, his wife face lit up at the arrival of their son. Phillip knew how much their son’s detachment from his life had hurt his wife, and even him, so he was hopeful that he would not sink back again. “I hear Liz is leaving town again.”

“Only for a short time,” Max said simply as he was holding onto hope that it was only for a short time because he could not imagine his life if she was from his life once again. “Lex is having some difficulties, so she is taking him back to Chicago to spend some time, and see his grandparents, and try to adjust.”

“And Mariah?” Diane asked.

“She is staying with Jeff and Nancy,” Max said simply.

“Not you and River?” Diane asked and Phillip only shook his head because he knew the answer to the question.

“Mom, Mariah barely knows me, and it would not be the wisest thing for our relationship for her to stay with me, so staying with grandparents will be better for the both of us. If we are going to know each other, then it will have to be on safe ground.”

“How is going with her, son?” Phillip asked.

“It seems easier than it was before, still, it is only the beginning so while I am happy, she is not going with her mother and brother, still, it is awkward between us, and I do not know how it will end up with her” Max said sighing because it had been that usual awkwardness between them when he had been at the house.

And how they danced around each other, not trying to offend the other until he was finally relieved to leave. And he knew that his daughter felt the same relief.

“We are happy you came to join us,” Diane smiled. “Do you want to join us for dinner?”

“You were only expecting it to be the two of you, I would be crowding you,” Max said murmured. “I should be getting home myself.”

“We could call River, and have him join us?” Diane asked.

“River is off with Sierra,” Max said simply. Doing gods knows what he muttered, and he did not want to be thinking of it, when he knew how intense it was, and it was getting serious. “The last thing he will want to do is leave her, and come here for dinner,” he said with a smile. To my son, Sierra is a more appealing answer than spending time with his father and grandparents.

“It does not bother you?” Phillip asked.

“What?” Max asked.

“That your son is getting serious with Sierra?” Phillip murmured.

“Why should it?” Max asked. I know why I should, but I do not have a lot of ground to be standing on with my son he murmured to himself. “My son is seventeen and will be eighteen in a few months and the last think he will do is listen to me if I show any disapproval of him and Sierra. I learned the hard way what disapproval does to both sides of a relationship,” he said softy as he would always be rocked with how intense it had gotten for him and Liz during senior year, and how Jeff’s disapproval had rocked their relationship and separated them for a time even if it had been Liz decision to leave, before they tried again, only for that to end in disaster. So much should have been different he told himself.

“I know you do,” Phillip muttered. If things had been simpler back, then he told himself as he remembered the actions of both families had impacted that time in their children’s lives. But we did not know until we did know.

“It is the past, and I have made peace with it” Max said softly. Like hell you did he told himself. So much that happened these past decade and half was because of what happened back then, and what was prevented from happening. “Anyway, Sierra is a nice girl, and I think she has been a good influence on my son so I would be a fool to mess that up.”

Phillip nodded.

“So, I am not going to disrupt it,” Max murmured.

“So, do you want to stay?” Diane asked.

“Sure, why not” Max muttered. “I have nothing better to do.”

“Why don’t I call your sister and see if she and Kyle want to come to dinner?” Diane asked as the thought of a family dinner sprung to her mind.

“Mom, I think Isabel has too much on her mind to want to come to a last-minute dinner,” Max muttered.

“What do you mean,” Diane asked as she stopped in her place. “What is going on with her…” she asked of her daughter.

“Jessica,” was all Max was willing to say because it truly was not even his story to want to tell because it was not happening to him, I have my own issues to deal with it, he thought. Which is why I am hands off on my son’s love life. Because it does not rise to the level of problematic.

“What is going on with Jessica?” Phillip asked.

[keepsmiling7]

Jessica was right, she had three grandmothers. Some kids now have 4 sets of grandparents.
Interesting that Max is staying out of River's love life.
Thanks for the new parts!

[Parker1947]

Max did not answer his parents’ questions about their granddaughter because he knew it was not his place to do, and it was so simple even though our romantic lives are never simple he told himself but as it was said before, it is not my place to do so, so he stayed for dinner and spent time with his parents and gave them the chance to relish in spend time with him. As over at Isabel’s house, Jessica called her grandmother in Arizona and accepted the offer to visit the following weekend and told her grandmother that they would talk when she made bus reservations for the travel. Her grandmother Ramirez planned to pay for the travel because it was her idea for her granddaughter to visit.

To honor the father Jessica did not know which is a lot she thought, and it gave her the need to get out of the house, and then getting a text from Alan, who finally decided to pop up after breaking her heart the day before, and told her, they should talk, which Jessica knew was something they needed to do. Talk she thought.

She did not know what she wanted to do about it, but at least their relationship meant that they should at least see each other, to decide what came next.

“I am going out,” was all Jessica muttered as she came back downstairs after calling her grandmother and receiving the text from Alan. “Alan wants to get together.”

“You want to see him?” Isabel asked, surprised.

“I do not know what I want but seeing him is better than getting pestered by his texts which is something I have been getting all day now,” Jessica muttered. “Do you mind?”

“No, go” Isabel murmured as she wondered what was going to happen now, and almost as soon as her daughter was out the door. Kyle came through the door as he had gone out and done some errands, and other things out of the house, and was now getting home. “I saw Jessica heading for the bus stop,” Kyle said as he leaned to kiss his fiancé. “Where is she going, she is not joining us for dinner?”

“Nope, plans with Alan” Isabel muttered.

“Is she okay?” Kyle asked.

“She is not in the greatest mental shape,” Isabel muttered. “Hopefully she will get some clarity,” she muttered. “Dinner is only takeout,” she murmured. “I was not in the headspace to cook,” she said with a smile because her cooking had come remarkably far since those early days of her marriage to Jesse. So, often times, it was ended up being delicious, according to my family she thought.

Kyle smiled. Although he never personally had to taste those days because by the time, they got serious, she had gotten some lessons from her mother, and her cooking was often delicious. “Did you happen to talk to Jessica about you know, the note?”

“Could not help it,” Isabel murmured. “Which is why my mind was not on cooking. She is going to see Jesse’s mother next weekend in Arizona.”

“Really, did you kick her out?” Kyle asked with a laugh because that was the last thing, he knew his fiancé would do, even when she was testing them.

“No, Jesse’s mother won some award, and she made a donation with the reward in honor of her son, and she wants Jessica there for the ceremony.”

Kyle nodded.

“She figures she should get out of town,” Isabel muttered. “Because she does not know what end is up these days,” she sighed. “Jaime is in her bedroom.”

Kyle nodded.

“I am beginning to think we need to schedule that wedding,” Isabel murmured.

“Tell me when to show up,” Kyle said softly as they smiled at each other. “I have been wanting to marry you for ten years,” he sighed. “Okay, maybe not all that time, but still, we are very much together, and the kids are getting older and are too close to being an adult for my taste, so yeah, we might want to make things official?”

Isabel smiled and was at least happy that something was going right in their lives.

“You never said, did you talk to Jessica about you know, Mac?”

“Unfortunately,” Isabel muttered, and we are right back there.

“Why does it bother you?” Kyle asked. Because he was secure in their relationship “You know your daughter and Mackenzie Guerin?”

“I am not bothered,” Isabel sighed.

“Yes, you are.” Kyle muttered. “Sure, it is messy, and I would not be endorsing such a pairing because I believe Mac has a lot of growing up to do before a relationship,” he muttered. A little like his own father, and even me Kyle admitted. “And it is complicated given how close our fraternity truly is, but it is not the end of the world,” he asked. “Or are you thinking of the past?”

“I want the best for my daughter, and no, I have no regrets about not pursuing that potential back when we were in high school. It was clear early on how Michael felt for Maria, and by the time we knew more about who were, and what kind society we came from, well, he was like a brother to me. And there was never any potential for it to turn.”

“Really?” Kyle asked.

“Okay, maybe for a quick second there but we were discovering what everything meant, and we did not even really want it to mean anything as I said Michael had Maria, and I was thinking of maybe Alex,” she said softly, wincing at the memory of Alex.

So much potential, and it was all lost way too soon.

“It’s okay,” Kyle asked, because of so much unsaid about consequences that would come later. Over the loss of Alex from their lives. “Then why are you so rattled about the possibility?”

“I am not,” Isabel muttered.

“Yes, you are.” Kyle sighed.

“What is going on?” came a voice from behind them, and they turned around and noticed that it was Jaime who had come downstairs. And they were both reminded of present day, and what they had now. And Isabel did not want that to change at all for a life that could have happened back in high school, I have no regrets she thought as she smiled at her stepdaughter. Because she knew life with Kyle and Jaime made her family whole. “What’s for dinner?” the teenager asked, and the adults were kicked into the present.

*

While back at the Guerin household. “What is going on?” Maria was first to ask when her husband came downstairs from their son’s bedroom. She sensed that something was brewing, and she knew it, and she knew she did not know anything about it, and Michael had not been upstairs long before coming back on downstairs. You do not have to have abilities to know when your husband is fretting about something Maria told herself. All I need is to my Space boy. And twenty years gives me a good base to allow for that “Tell me Michael, what is going on?”

“Nothing,” Michael muttered because he had gotten nothing but a sullen teenager willful against his father.

“Space boy, come on” Maria muttered.

“It’s nothing,” Michael muttered.

“It is something, and I know it and wish you would tell me, okay?” Maria asked because of the unique circumstances of their marriage, Michael tended not to leave her in the dark, and that is one quality she felt comfortable in that they could talk to each other about anything. After all, she went through the fires of their early courtship, and when you are dealing with aliens, and past lives you tend to know your relationship and later marriage is going to be unique, and to be honest because who knows what will come up, and it was something that they promised each other, total honestly. “If it is something bad, tell me.”

“It is nothing bad, I promise” Michael muttered. “It is just a little disconcerting,” he would admit.

“Then what is it?” Maria asked. “I assume it is about our son?”

“Yes,” Michael muttered but knew there was no reason not to tell his wife. “It would seem as if things between our son and Jessica might be getting intense.”

“Intense, what do you mean?” Maria asked, unsure of what her husband was referring too.

“Feelings might be starting to be fester,” Michael muttered.

Holy hell. “What are you talking about?” Maria asked, unsure of what her husband was saying. Sure, she heard the words, but she did not know what it meant. He’s kidding, right? she asked herself because she had never seen anything between their son and Jessica.

“I think you can figure it out,” Michael muttered. “Things might be developing, and neither of them are ready to deal with it.”

“That is crazy,” Maria muttered. “I mean it is not out of the realm of possibility as they are the same age, but there have been no signs, not that I have been looking,” she admitted. “Where did you get this idea because we both know our son, and the last thing he would want to do is find someone that might be serious?” she muttered because they both knew their son and the last thing, he was looking for a relationship that was serious, and they also both knew Jessica, she was not a girl who would settle for how their son dealt with his relationships.

Which was a contrary to how thing she had been for both of them back when they were young, but then Michael might have been the kid, if he had dated, she thought. But Michael like Max had a no dating policy, and nothing seem to intrude with it.

Until I got in his way and made him notice me Maria smiled with a smile as she recognized how me, and Michael surprised to heck out of me.

“It all seems so ordinary,” Michael sighed. “But Roxy has been up to her tricks, and…”

“And what?” Maria asked.

“She has gotten into their heads, thinking that it’s meant to be, and they do not have any choice about it” Michael conceded. “You know what the old world wanted for me and Isabel,” he said of the note that Isabel had informed him off. “The feeling is maybe Lonnie might have filled Roxy’s head with a lot of nonsense because it is clear it did not work out for her and Rath, because he would eventually marry Sierra’s mother.”

And she would eventually have Roxy Maria thought, because they did not who the father could have been. “But you and Isabel did not go there,” Maria muttered as she remembered back in high school that there was a moment of doubt but that was only a bunch of dreams, that were found to be just awakenings, and you still had to decide whether to act, free will and all that she thought. Although it was a little tension worthy she thought as she thought of that momentarily pregnancy scare, she noted when too much was unknown, she thought of how little Max, Michael and Isabel had known about their history, and how things went. Because it was also before she and Michael seemed to get their act together and figure out how to make a relationship work. “No one are forced to do anything or be with someone they do not want to be with.”

“Right but tell that to two teenagers who do not know how they feel” Michael muttered. “I tried to talk to Mac about it, but he refuses to talk about it.”

“This is so crazy,” Maria muttered as she thought of Roxy. “Why would she think that a generation removed from you and Isabel would care whether you got together, or not?” Maria asked.

“Blood lines or something like but I am only guessing,” Michael sighed. “A lot of crap like that happens in old worlds and royal families, and it never truly does make sense, but in this case, it is crazy, but it is making Jessica and Mac unsure of what they feel or if they are actually feeling it or its being forced on them by the mere suggestion.”

“This is too much,” Maria thought as she thought of her little boy. Even though he was a big boy unfortunately. “I am going upstairs to speak to our son.”

“He’s not going to want to speak of it,” Michael warned.

“Well, he might want too, to me?” Maria muttered as she walked upstairs and wondered if her son’s love life was better than dealing with his misbehaving in other aspects of his life, yeah, it is better she thought as she knocked on the door.

“Mac,” she called out.

She got nothing, and she checked the door, and found it frustratingly locked. And she did not have the key handy, “Michael,” she called. “Our son is keeping his door locked again.”

One of the few times being a human mother was at a disadvantage she ranted to herself as Michael came up behind his wife, “I need you.”

“Obviously,” Michael smiled. Although there was a time where she needed me for more than being a door opener he smirked. We have some good times when we have the time “I knew he had it locked before, but I told him to keep it unlocked,” he sighed as he tested the door and found it locked, Mackenzie he muttered. “And of course, he did not listen to me.”

“When has he listened to us?” Maria cursed, as Michael did his best and opened the door for her, and the opened it together, and they did not like what they found.

An empty room, messy bed, and a window opened.

Shit both Michael and Maria muttered together. “Where is he?” Maria asked. “Where did he go?”

They had no idea.

*

Mackenzie had no idea why he had snuck out. Gone through the window when he could have just walked out of the house the old fashion way although he knew he might get some resistance from his parents, but still, why he had done what he had done. He had no idea, could not tell you he thought as he walked down the street.

Unable to drive, and not feeling the bus, he decided to walk. And found himself walking towards the park.

And spotted Jessica talking to Alan. So, he tried to stay out of the way.

“I am sorry,” Alan was saying, and Jessica could only look unhappy, and she was sensing that since she and Alan had met up and had dinner at the Crashdown, it was only silence between them as neither of them knew what to say. And now they were sitting in the park, trying to have a talk about the state of their relationship. “I never intended to do it, and it was the first time, and it was nothing more than what you saw.”

“Really?” Jessica asked, wearily of Alan’s protest.

“It was in the state of the moment, and I was not really thinking. I was feeling sorry for myself, because it felt like you were pulling away from me, and I could not handle it, and so in a weak moment, Lena was here, and well…”

“Yeah, obviously I saw what you were doing,” Jessica muttered. Because she knew she had been distracted for days, not necessarily pulling away but she knew that she had not been putting her all into their relationship, and she did not know why. “It does not give you a right.”

“No, it does not” Alan admitted. “And I am sorry, and I wish I had not gone there with Lena,” he was saying. “Can you believe me, and can we try again?”

I do not know Jessica muttered as she did not know what she wanted. She liked Alan. They had something easy, before the day before she muttered but still, she did not have to worry about it complicating her life, because she knew they were not long-term, but still they had been happy, until now.

“Jess,” Alan asked.

“I do not know,” Jessica voiced. “I believe you, I think” she said. “That it was one time only, but if I had not come?” she asked. If Mac had not forewarned me. “What would have happened, would you have stopped yourself from doing anything more than kissing her?”

“I was not thinking, that was obvious” Alan muttered.

“I think I know that” Jessica muttered. “But you obviously do not know what you would have done, and I do not know if I can trust that the next time that he has a funk, when we did not even have a fight this time. Yes, I was distracted, and I may have been distancing myself and that is on me because I things on my mind that were not about you,” and about someone else entirely, she told herself. “But still, it did not give you a right to go there because the moment worked out and because I was not around,” she sighed.

“Jess,” Alan said.

“I think we need to take some time apart,” Jessica said. The last thing I need is a relationship. I need time alone, “A lot is going on and I do not know what I want in my life. I do like you Alan and you are a sweet guy, and maybe the right one for me, but I do not know if we can work right now, not with my mind still on what you did,” she muttered. And someone else.

“I wish this were not happening” Alan muttered. But was not trying to dissuade her, which meant she knew this was right decision for herself.

“Me too, but it is” Jessica smiled as she got up from the bench, and they learned in and exchanged a simple kiss. One with fizzling passion she noted.

A kiss that Mac was seeing, and although he did not know what was going on nor did he know how Jessica was feeling but he also had a good sense that it was not good for his friend.

Jessica and Alan stepped back from each other, and Alan walked away, leaving Jessica at the bench for a moment, before turning around and frowning when she spotted Mac out of the corner of her eye. “Why?”

And she was annoyed.

“What are you doing here?” Jessica muttered out loud.

“It is the park, a free area. So, you and Alan?” Mac asked.

“What about it?” Jessica asked annoyed that she was being spied on again by Mac. Why cannot I get some privacy, “You cannot help it, can you?”

“I did not know you were here until I came upon you, because I had no idea that you and Alan were even together. I needed some fresh air myself, and I found myself walking, and I ended up and once I saw you and Alan, I did not give into temptation to disrupt, so what happened. Did he gravel, and did you forgive him?” Mac asked.

“Why do you even care?” Jessica asked.

“I don’t,” Mac muttered. “I just curious that is all.”

“Are you?” Jessica asked.

“Sure, we are friends after all, and I do not want you to be hurt by Alan,” Mac muttered. “I never did trust him.”

“Jesus,” Jessica muttered. “I do not care what you think, and today was not about you,” yeah right, she told herself when it might be she conceded to herself. “This was about me and Alan, and this was not about whether I trusted him,” she sighed yes it was she thought to herself. “I felt we needed to take a break, so today is on me and not on him. He promised that it was only a kiss, and I believe him.”

“But he might have gone further if you had not stopped him,” Mac sighed.

“Oh, stop it,” Jessica muttered even though it was exactly what she had voiced to Alan herself, and she did not like that she and Mac were on the same wavelength. “Go home and leave me alone.”

“Told you this is a free space,” Mac said with a smile. “I have a right to be here. You have a right to be here,” he murmured, and Jessica did not like that he was getting her riled up once more, “I can be here if I want too, you cannot stop me.”

“You cannot stop me, but I can walk away” Jessica muttered. As she knew she needed to defuse this situation, and walk away from it, and head home and deal with the state of her life. Which was a shambles, and she could not handle it.

I should just concentrate on school she thought as she for once was looking to going back to classes on Monday. This week has been going on way too long she thought. Spring Break should not be like this…

Or feel like this she thought.

“Jessie,” Mac muttered. Speaking the nickname that was more in the past than in the present.

“What?” Jessica muttered.

“Look, I am sorry” Mac muttered. “I am sorry if being here puts you in an uncomfortable position because it was not my intention.”

“Yeah,” Jessica muttered. “I am still getting out of here…”

“Wait,” Mac muttered. Not wanting Jessica to go. He did not care for the implications or what he was feeling because he would rather think of girls in the way he was before when a relationship was a kiss of death. Having fun is the answer, no tying yourself down he thought. But I hate it all he thought.

Because he hated how he was feeling. He did not know if it was being forced on him and it was alien voodoo brought on by Roxy but all he knew that he was looking at Jessica differently, and he wished it could be like it was before, but it was not. “Wait,” he said once again.

“What?” Jessica muttered. As she wanted to get out of here…

“Hell,” Mac muttered. Because he wanted the thoughts he had to get out of his mind and they could go back to what they were before, friends, she told herself. Simply friends. “I need to do this,” was all he said as he leaned, and gave her a quick kiss…

And a kiss that maneuvered into something more, and deeper, as neither walked away from it…

[keepsmiling7]

"what's for dinner"........how many times have I heard that question???
This part made me so glad I no longer have teenagers at home.
The drama is never ending!

[Parker1947]

Or knew what they were doing and it only last a few more seconds until finally Jessica broke from the embrace and ran away, not staying to question it or to talk to Mac because neither knew what to think and so the best thing to come to her already confused mind was to run, and Mac did not know what to do either, as he continued to sit there, while Jessica rushed home, and barricaded herself in her bedroom.

Not letting anyone into her room, and she ignored all texts from Mac, which came shortly after she arrived home, sorry, I do not know what I was thinking he wrote.

Neither of them had been thinking but she could not stop thinking of the kiss, and she was thankful that Alan had already gone and that she had put the brakes on it, but it did not mean she was looking for anything to happen, and she did not know what to think about it as she tried to get through the night, without thinking of it.

She could not, but she tried.

And it was the next morning before she felt comfortable to leave her bedroom. She knew her mother and Kyle were looking at her with suspicion that was warranted. It was rarely that she barricaded herself in her bedroom, and it was becoming more in vogue over the last few days. “School is back in session tomorrow,” Isabel was saying to both girls. “Are you all set?”

“Sure,” Jaime said as she got up from the table. “I am headed over to say good-bye to Lex,” she said simply.

“Go ahead,” Kyle said. “In fact, I will go over with you, because I want to say my own good-byes,” he said as he saw tension all over Jessica’s face and knew she was troubled about something, and he was not sure what was going on, but he wondered if it was about Mac, so he chose to take the chance and head off with his daughter.

It left Isabel with her daughter, but Jessica did not want to talk about and resisted all attempts by her mother to get answers. “You know you can talk to me?”

“I know, but I do not want to talk about it to anyone,” Isabel said softly as she got up and walked out of the kitchen and headed up to her bedroom and slammed the door.

Teenagers Isabel was left to think.

As she got her phone out and called her brother to see how he was doing but did not get any answers, so she got up and cleaned up the breakfast dishes and went upstairs and knocked on her daughter’s door. “Jessica?”

“I do not want to talk,” Jessica called out.

“I just wanted to say that I am going out to find your uncle and see how he is doing,” Isabel muttered because she did not get any answers at the house and knew while that was not unusual still today was the day Liz would be leaving, and she did not know how her brother would be dealing with it.

“Fine,” came the teenager, and Isabel knew her daughter was going through something.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Isabel called through the door.

“I said no, and I mean no,” Jessica called.

“Fine, I am headed out. Call me if something important happens,” she said before leaving the house a few minutes later while Jessica did not leave her room because this was not what she wanted, for her life to be in disarray.

She was not looking forward to school the next day.

*

While Isabel was on the mission to find her brother. Driving out to the house found it empty. Neither her brother or nephew was there, and she did not know what that meant, until she got a call from her mother who mentioned that her brother had stayed overnight at the family house, which surprised her because she knew Max had made it a rule to rarely stay there unless it was a socially sanctioned family event. Although she did not know why she would not have found her nephew at home, because it was still early, but she did not want to think what River could be up too.

But Max was no longer there, and Isabel went towards where she would have thought her brother to be, which was of course Liz’s house.

She did not call; in case her brother had not shown up yet.

She found Maria sitting in her car, finishing up a call from and getting out of the car when she pulled up, and got out of the car. “Morning,” Isabel murmured.

“Good morning,” Maria said as she got out of the car. “I did not figure you would be here?”

“I am looking for my brother,” Isabel sighed. “I want to make sure he is still functioning,” as another car pulled up, and it was Kyle who had been detoured by a call himself, and he was just arriving with Jaime. “I did not expect you,” he said with a smile and a kiss for his fiancé.”

“When is the wedding?” Maria muttered.

“Getting there, getting there” was all Isabel sighed. And Jaime burst out laughing. “I am going in,” she muttered as she walked away and knocked on the door.

Liz did not open the door, it was Nancy. “Jaime,” came Nancy Parker. “Come in, Lex was asking for you.”

The teenager walked in, and Nancy closed the door.

While Maria, Isabel and Kyle continued to talk. “Interesting call,” Isabel asked of the call that Maria was on when she arrived.

“Just making sure Mac was accounted for,” Maria said with a smile. “I was talking to Michael,” was all said. “Our son disappeared for a time last night, and did not get home until late, and refuses to say what he was doing. Michael is dealing with it, and I wanted to come over and say my good-byes.”

“I know the feeling. The kids are too independent for their own good,” Isabel muttered.

“Or we are trying to be too protective,” Kyle observed. “You guys had parents at home, but still a lot of independence.”

“We had parents who were clueless,” Isabel observed.

“That too,” Maria sighed. “But we know too much to be that way with this generation,” she murmured.

“Jessica was out with Alan,” Isabel murmured. “Last night I mean,” she sighed. “Then she came home and did not want to talk to anyone about it.”

“Mac is being silent too,” Maria muttered once again.

Uh oh Kyle thought.

And the woman thought the same.

“Where is Max?” Isabel said as she changed her topic to something that did not have complicated feelings towards it.

“Is he here?” Maria asked.

“Should be,” Isabel muttered. “He stayed at the family house last night, so maybe all hope is not lost” she sighed as she truly hoped that her brother stayed with them once this day was finished with, “Let deal with this…” as they walked towards the house.

*

Max was nowhere to be found at the Anthony house. Instead, there were two teenagers dealing with each other, “Are you sure you want to do this?” Mariah was asking her brother as he and Jaime visited. “You could stay, because you were just getting used to this place” she asked. “You do know it not going to be all sunshine to be back in Chicago,” she said. “Our lives are not there,” she said, and felt like a hypocrite because for months she wanted to head on back to Chicago and now she was advocating staying here, and was consoling her brother to want to stay, despite his own issues.

“Mom is the one who decided this, not me” Lex muttered.

“But you should stay,” Mariah argued. “Walking away, even if you were to return is not the answer. I am staying.”

“Probably because Mom did not ask that you come,” Lex muttered because he knew he was the problem child at the moment, and Mariah was in some kind of peace with their mother. “It will be fine. Getting out of this town will do me some good,” he muttered. “I want to see Grandma and Grandpa.”

“I do too,” Mariah muttered even though she knew she had more difficult worries in regards to their Anthony grandparents because of the new discoveries over the last few months, which is why she was glad she was heading towards Chicago because she did not know how she could face their grandparents knowing what she knew, and she did not know whether her mother was going to be willing to tell them because it might make her look bad, and cause them pain when they just lost their only son. “I just want you to say and deal with this together.”

“We are fine,” Lex muttered.

“Are we?” Mariah asked because they both knew there was tension in the air ever since he came to realize the differences in her, ones I have not fully come to deal with she thought.

“You are my sister, no matter what” Lex said even though he was the younger sibling. “It just a bit much,” he admitted. “So much has happened these last few months and I need time for it to sink in…”

“Take the time, but if you think Mom is going to forget about you know who,” Mariah muttered because she wondered if that was the reason behind why her mother was suddenly deciding to go because she knew Lex would adjust sooner than later, just like I did. Leaving town was going a long distance, and it seemed she wanted to escape whatever she might be feeling.

Very teenager-ish Mariah muttered to herself.

“I know she will probably be unlikely to forget what is going on back here, but I need time and I do not want him to be in my face all the time,” Lex muttered. “You might be able to deal with it because of what it all means, but I need time.”

“I am not okay with it, I just want Mom to be happy, and I know Dad would want that too” Mariah sighed as Jaime watched brother and sister battle back and forth. She knew how complicated it was.

She was the one once dealing with her father moving on, but of course she had been four, and had very little chance, and as a result she had grown up with Isabel as part of her life. She was fine with it, but she knew if it were happening now, she might have more of a problem with it. So, she could understand Lex’s issues with it.

Lex nodded, as he finished packing.

And Mariah only nodded and walked out, leaving Lex and Jaime to talk about upcoming movies, and summer plans.

Assuming Lex was back.

*

While downstairs Liz had opened the door and welcomed her best friend, Kyle, and Isabel into the house. Both of her parents were there, and she was finishing packing herself, and making sure that the house was going to be looked after by her parents, who accepted the task, and she knew her daughter was finishing packing for her transfer over to the restaurant.

Liz did not know how long she was going to be gone. They would be driving so that they could take more breaks, and sight-see, and so that her son did not have to worry about sitting in the cramp seats with his injuries still healing and driving gave them more flexibility. “I will back you know.”

“The traffic here suggests something else,” Isabel asked.

“Mariah is going to be back here, so yeah, we will be back” Liz swore. “This is a temporary change and hopefully we can come back here more settled?”

“We will miss you,” Kyle said.

Liz smiled. “I did not expect to see you, Isabel?” she asked because while they had been friendly since she returned to town, still, they were not especially close friends. We have never been she thought. Our only connection is her brother Liz thought.

“I was wanting to see my brother, I expected to see him here” Isabel said as she knew fully that she and Liz were not the closest of friends. Because they were different personalities, but they had a mutual connection in her brother, and despite everything Isabel knew how much Liz did care about her brother, whether she wants to admit it or not.

Isabel knew how complicated it was, because of the recent death of her husband.

Given that had been Isabel also, although she waited before she and Kyle gave it a go. You are never ready to move on but in this case, it was doubly hard given how intense it had been once upon a time for her brother and Liz.

“Max is not here,” Liz said. “I have not seen him since yesterday.”

“I am sure he will be around,” Maria snarked.

“I doubt it, because we said our good-byes yesterday,” Liz muttered as she remembered the understated good-bye, even though other things had been going on at the time. Still, she had no reason to expect that Max would be coming here…

The woman only laughed.

And Kyle knew chances of Max staying away was probably presently at nil. But he knew she would not want to hear it.

“I have to go into backyard and check on something for my father,” Liz muttered because she knew fully well that her friends were not believing her, but she had yet to see Max, and she did not see that changing.

Why would it happen?

We are over, right? We only have a daughter in common and even that connection was still too unstable she muttered to herself why would he come here when he knows this place is a zoo? So, she was muttering to herself, and heading not the backyard.

A place she had not done anything to yet, but had plans do some gardening come summer. She needed to fix it up and making it more at home.

Although the house was still so unorganized. She needed a better job of it when she came home. She hoped the drama would be over when she did come home. That her children would allow her to deal with her own life.

Checking the shed, she did not see what her father had asked if she or Brady had, and was going back into the house, because she and Lex had to get on the road.

Time was flying.

“Still here,” came a small voice. But a voice that was instantly recognizable because she had been warned that he might be around, but never would she had imagined he would be in her backyard.

“Max,” Liz said stopping. “What are you doing here?”

“Wanting to see you,” was all Max said.

Oh god, Liz muttered to herself.

[keepsmiling7]

Why did you stop here......?? This is going to have an interesting outcome I think.
PS......I'm still glad I don't have teenagers anymore!

[Parker1947]

Max should have left it alone. Despite being in town because he accepted his mother’s offer to spend the night at the family home. Even his first inclination had was to head home but his parents, and especially his mother was so happy to have him there with them, and it was hard to disappoint her, which is why I stayed away most of these last sixteen years he told himself. Why go around people you will only disappoint.

When he was already dealing with failing as a father because of his inability to be a father that his son needed at home, but still there were those days where he had to show up to his family, but they grew to be a rare occasion, and so showing up to his family home the previous night had made his mother so happy. And therefore, it was hard to disappoint her and head home. So, she took the opportunity to stay in his childhood bedroom.

And all he could think of the dreams and the very imaginative imaging he had done when he had been a teenager and living in the house and thinking of the one, he could not have until I could he told himself, and then it went south, and before that he had been on his own even though technically living with Michael.

Life had been full of too many disappointments, and he hated that he had been one of them, and now today was a new day.

But it was also a day Liz was going to be leaving, and he found himself driving over, but parking several streets away so that to be noticed, and walked, and found him in her backyard when it was obvious, she was busy scurrying around inside. I did not want to be a bother he told himself.

He was going to observe and go on his merry way because they had said their good-byes the day before, but then when the door open and he saw the familiar brunette who was the love of his life, he got out of the way, and watched as she went to the shed to check on something, and then he made the impulsive move to show his face before she reentered the house and got on her way.

“I could not resist,” Max said simply.

“You could have knock on the front door or rang the doorbell” Liz offered.

“Then Lex might have seen me, and I know my presence upsets him and I am trying to avoid it,” Max said voicing Liz’s responsibilities these days, we are no longer 16 he thought.

“Well, he has to deal with a lot of realities these days, and he has to get used to them” Liz murmured.

“And you are taking him on a road trip?” Max asked with a smile.

“I know I am,” Liz said softly.

“When are you leaving?” Max asked.

“In a few minutes,” Liz murmured. “The car is packed up, and I just checking on last things before we get going.”

Max nodded. “Who is looking after the house.”

“My parents, or probably if I am being realistic, Mariah” Liz said with a smile that Max was able to respond to because after all, her smile is always a ray of sunshine he thought. It always got me through the day he told himself.

“That should be fun,” Max said.

“I know,” Liz said. “But Mariah of last week might have taken advantage but hopefully she knows to be careful.”

Max nodded. We never were ones to take advantage of those free moments that we were given he thought. So much might have been different if we had thrown caution to the wind and behaved contrary to our A plus roles in life.

Although there were times we did rebel, and it turned out bad he thought and knew Mariah had almost gotten to that same point but fortunately had many safeguards to keep her from straying. “You might want to hurry back so she does not see the freedom of an empty house,” Max said softly.

“Maybe I will,” Liz said with a smile.

But both knew she likely would take her time.

“But you can keep an eye on her if you are worried about her,” Liz murmured.

“I promised you, did I not,” Max asked.

“You did,” Liz said softly and knew they were only delaying the inevitable which has to stop. “Max, I have to get going. We have a long drive to start on, because I want to get some good distance today.”

Max nodded. “I only wanted to say hello…”

Liz nodded.

“And good-bye,” Max said.

*

“Of course,” came the first words out of Maria’s mouth as she was in the kitchen helping Nancy wash the breakfast dishes, and she happened to look out the window. “No wonder she did not come right back in,” she muttered and Nancy who had been checking to make sure the fridge was cleaned out, looked to where Maria was looking, and she saw who Maria was referring too. “Oh,” Nancy murmured.

“Isabel knew he would be around here somewhere,” Maria commented.

“I wish he would stay away from here,” Nancy muttered. “Has he not done enough?”

Probably not Maria thought but knew it was not wise to say it because he knew how Jeff and Nancy had complicated feelings about Max, warranted in some ways but time has moved on she thought. You have to get passed the past she told himself. “They will never be completely able to be untangled, even before recent discoveries,” she said softly. “Too much happened back them or them to ever really leave each other alone, but now that they share Mariah together…”

“He will never go away, huh?” Nancy asked.

“Nope,” not on your life Maria sighed. While she herself had some complicated feelings about everything that went down, and a little on the man himself, but still you cannot deny destiny she thought. What is meant to be is meant to be at the end of the day and she said as much “At the end of the day Nancy you should want your daughter to be happy no matter who she chooses for herself and her life. I know for a fact, and me you do too, that for a long time, she was trying to be happy for herself, and for the kids, and sure Brady was a good guy and an unbelievable husband, and I do believe her when she says that she was happy, but nothing will ever be able to match what Max brought to her life,” she murmured. “Sure, no question, there were bad times, but there were good moments in there too, and now they are connected by the best moment of all, in Mariah.”

Mariah sure Nancy muttered. But there was so much more. “She landed in jail and could have ended up in prison because of knowing him” Nancy muttered. While she knew her husband had largely moved on by the time graduation happened, still, she had always harbored some ill thoughts of the boy who had almost become her son-in-law. Thankfully he did not.

“I know what he did, and what they both did, and there is a lot you do not know about that time…” Maria muttered just as she knew she was getting into a truly dicey conversation and Isabel chose that moment to walk in and she could not help but overhear the tone of the conversation, and knew it had to be about her brother, and knew how much the Parkers still did not know about those days. Which herself and her brother relieved that their parents did know, but she cognizant of the fact only select people knew the truth.

“Even so,” Nancy muttered. Can someone be on my side? “My daughter changed from the girl she was because of him,” she sighed.

And so would any teenager out there muttered Isabel to herself given I have my own teenager she thought. And Maria had the same frame of thought, “She was a teenager,” Maria muttered. We all change “You cannot blame her for changing,” she sighed. “I changed drastically during that time,” she allowed. Albeit not as drastically as Liz did for simple reason that I was not shot but when you love a bunch of aliens from another planet, Maria muttered to herself. You would change. Anyone would change.

“I have my own teenager,” Maria muttered once more. “They all change. Even the most normal of them, but we change, and you know that, and you cannot blame Max for all the changes Liz went through,” she sighed. Some of them sure, but not all. Because Max did not know what he was doing she told herself.

So much of that was by the seat of our pants she told herself once again. So, he did not know most of the time. Sure, sometimes.

But not always.

A lot changed once the shooting took place.

She had her own issues with Max, but certainly she knew that Max was catapulted into a situation he did not ask for, even if he jumped into the fire and saved Liz’s life and everything from then on was one surprise after another.

“I just wished it had been easier,” Nancy muttered.

“We all do,” Maria said as she noticed Isabel, and they eyed each other and knew as mothers of teenagers, it was never easy and there were always surprises, and they had not even contemplated what was going on with their own children’s romantic life. “But we cannot prevent them from their own disappointments.”

As they spotted the discussion that Max was having with Liz was ending, as Maria knew she had to get out there, and she be there for her friend, and she opened the door, and stood on the back porch, and heard Max and Liz say their good-byes.

“Until we meet again,” came Max said with a smile, and Liz smiled, and Maria knew it was going to be hopeless.

If Liz was getting away, to get away from Max.

It was not going to be work.

“The car is waiting, and so is Lex” Maria called out, and both Max and Liz nodded, and smiled at each other, and Max stayed back while Liz approached her best friend.

“You do not have to say anything,” Liz said. “I know what you want to say.”

“No, you do not, but I will leave it for a different day,” Maria said simply. “Your mother saw the two of you, and she is not very happy.

What else is new Liz said. She knew her parents had issues with her and Max, and that had not cleared itself much in the years since she was 18. “It is over with…”

“So, you say,” Maria smiled as Liz nodded.

“Lex, come on, we have to go…”

*

Twenty minutes later, the crutches were in the car, and Lex was sitting in the passage seat, and Liz was saying good-bye to her daughter. “You behave yourself for your grandparents, okay?” she asked of her daughter. “I know this is a unique situation?”

“What isn’t unique,” Mariah murmured as she hugged her mother, and waved her brother. Who nodded, and sat contently in the car and waited? “Call when you get your first stop over?” Mariah asked of her mother. “You know that I will be at Grandma and Grandpa’s.”

“I hope so, Liz said with a smile. “I cannot help but warn you that not only your grandparents will be keeping an eye on this place Mariah. So, please no parties,” she said with a chuckle, do not give her ideas Liz. “The Sheriff’s department is on notice,” she said with a smirk,

“Really?” Mariah asked, unsure if her mother really meant it.

“Do not tempt me,” Liz smiled.

“I thought so,” Mariah said with a laugh.

“Still the place is under surveillance,” Liz warned of her daughter as she knew her husband and in the wake of December her father had put the house under a lot more surveillance given, she and the kids would be home alone.

Like I would not be able to get passed that Mariah was thinking, and Liz knew who she was talking, and knew what her daughter was likely thinking. “Okay, “I am going” she said softly. “You are on suspension from school so please mind your grandparents and let me know how work is going.”

“It cannot be too stressful?” Mariah smiled as she had almost forgotten that she was not welcome back at school for the next two weeks because of her own recent rebellious period. “It is Roswell after all.”

“Roswell can be really stressful,” Liz said as if she did not know she had eyes on her, because a car was watching her and their daughter talk. “Pace yourself.”

“I will,” Mariah promised. “Come home soon.”

“We will try to,” Liz said softly as she hugged her daughter once more and turned around and spotted the car, she knew had been observing her, and smiled, and then she turned back, and got in the car, and started it, and drove off.

“Your grandfather is closing up the house, do you want to come to the car with me?” Nancy asked of her granddaughter.

“Give me a minute,” was all Mariah could say, and watched as her granddaughter nod and because she had seen the way her mother had smiled, she knew who was watching, and she walked across the street, and found the car still present because he had watched the love of his life drive away.

And watched as their daughter walk towards him, Uh oh. Max did not know what she was going to say to him. “Hello,” he said softly as he rolled down the window to talk to his daughter. “Are you okay?”

“Sure, fine” Mariah murmured as Isabel and Kyle spotted Mariah talking to a car, and noticed Max through the window, and they knew things were going alright, for the moment. Tomorrow might be a new day. But for now, Isabel felt confidence in this position and got in the car to go, while Kyle and Jaime got int the other car. “Are you okay yourself?” Mariah was asking. As she knew her biological father’s history and did not want him falling apart because her mother had departed the scene.

For an unknown period of time.

“I will be fine,” Max promised because now knew he had too much to fall apart again.

“I hope so,” Mariah murmured as she walked away, and they both knew everything was different. Nothing was the same.

What would happen next?

No one knew.