Roswell Fanatics

AN: Hey all, here’s the next part.
Lyrics for Freakish belong to Saves The Day.
Enjoy…


Previously

"What do you think?" asked Max.

"Like what I think matters", he replied. Max had ignored everything he had lectured him about concerning his growing relationship with Maria over the years. Of course now finally meeting her, he could safely say he had been wrong, but he wanted to make Max squirm a little.

"Zan."

"She's a'ight," he feigned a begrudged acceptance.

"She's more than that."
Don't I know it, it agreed wholeheartedly.

She possessed an innocence and a life shaped by experience all at once. Her smile, laughter and energy was contagious but as he had watched her throughout the evening especially through her interaction with Robin, Zan had noticed that behind her eyes lay a haunted past that he only caught glimpses of. A past that Max had full access to.

Maria was definitely more the "a'ight", she made him want to let his guard down immediately and tell her everything about himself. He had never met anyone like that before.

Too bad Max had met her first.

****
Part 7
****

Well here I am. I don't know how to say this.
The only thing I know is awkward silence.


Maria closed the door behind her signifying the end of a long day. She had made a trip to her campus to familiarise herself with her new surroundings and also had explored the city on her own. Even though Max had taken her on a tour, she had wanted to do it alone - she liked doing things alone; as an only child it was something she was used to. It was natural to her.

All throughout the day, as she explored, she had felt as if she was being watched. But every time she tried to find the eyes that she knew were watching her, she found nothing but nameless faces, never the eyes. She had long abandoned the notion that she was being paranoid. She had felt the same eyes watching her sporadically ever since she was 16. It just surprised that whoever or whatever was watching her had followed her all the way to NYC.

The sound of the soft guitar strings drew her out of her thoughts. It was a sound that when she heard it, always brought a nostalgic smile to her face. Whoever was playing was pretty good, she noted as she followed the sound.

As I'm talking my words slip to the floor
and they crawl through your legs and slide under the back door
rendering me freakish and dazed.

It was now accompanied by a husky male voice - the melodious blend of guitar and voice gave her goosebumps.

Well here I am. I don't know how to say this.
The only thing I know is awkward silence.
Your eyelids close when you're around me to shut me out.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise to find out that the voice and guitar skills belonged to Zan. He sat with his back to her on the chair next to the piano. Max had mentioned that he could play, but she no idea that he was goose-bump good.

So I'll go walking through the streets until my heels bleed
and I'll sing out my song in case the birds wish to sing along

Not wanting to disturb him, she quietly sat cross-legged on the floor and listened.

Well here I am. I don't know how to say this.
The only thing I know is awkward silence.
Your eyelids close when you're around me to shut me out.

“Nice,” she said when the last notes died down. She smiled in amusement as his head snapped in her direction.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” he said in what he hoped was a natural relaxed tone. He’d had the house to himself so he had ventured out with his guitar to play the song inspired by Maria. The lyrics had plagued him, the sound had haunted him in what little time he had known her. There was something about her that captured his imagination and, if he dared to delve into it, his soul.

“You were pretty busy,” she said getting up from her position on the floor.

“I don’t want to hear it,” he told her curtly. She didn’t know that the song was about her, but he knew it was and that she’d heard it. He didn’t want to hear what she thought about it.

“Hear what?” she asked innocently.

“Whatever sarcastic comment you have lined up,” he replied tonelessly.

“I’m too tired for that, maybe later,” she responded lightly following him to the sofas. She got a kick out of annoying him and she could tell that she was well on her way.

“How did baby-sitting go?”, he asked.

“I didn’t know you cared,” she replied surprised. Zan did not strike her as a person who wanted to know about her life willingly.

“Just making conversation,” he said heading into the kitchen. “I’m fixin a sandwich you want one?”.

Maria was grateful that she was sitting down. Zan had of his own accord, willingly, offered to make her something?

Maybe he and Max had had words, she reasoned.

“I’m good,” she replied. “I’ll do with a cool glass of H2O thanks. What’s with the niceness all of a sudden?.”

“Just trying to be sociable,” he replied.

His honest tone brushed away her scepticism. He was trying. She should do the same.

“Sorry,“ she apologised. “You’re welcome to try again.”

“So…baby-sitting,” he offered.

“It went great,” she replied brightly.

“Yeah?.”

“Weirdly great. Robin, did anything I wanted her to.”

“That’s weird, she’s a handful.”

“I know,” she agreed. But Robin had been a complete and Maria had known exactly what she had wanted when she cried or fidgeted. In between the babysitting, she had also managed to council Summer on her relationship with Dan. Coming back home, she had felt somehow drained of energy, of emotion. Maria realised that tonight, she had crossed the beyond the realm of normal because there was being empathic and then there was her. She had begun to connect with people on a different level, even people on the streets, and had no idea how to explain it.
She had always known that she was slightly different, but had attributed it to the unconscious effects of her mother’s I-was-abducted-when-I-was-pregnant-with-you stories, but after being in Paris, she was more aware of it and whatever it was, was growing in strength.
It wasn’t bad, she knew that. It was just a little scary and a lot different. Nothing she couldn’t handle.

Zan brought her drink and sat on the couch opposite her. A silence descended as she drank her water and he ate a tabasco drenched sandwich. She felt him watching her, he was probably glaring or whatever the heck he did, but when she met his gaze, he looked away. She was had had a long day and was in no mood to feel awkward and uneasy so she decided to fill the silence.

“So what are you doing at home, even Max is out,” she told him.
She loved Max, she really did, but he wasn’t a party animal or stay-out-into the-early-hours-of-the-morning kind of guy. It was 11:30pm and he was out while Zan, the party brother, was indoors.

“I was enjoying the peace and quiet, playing my guitar till you came along,” he replied.

His tone irked her, but she let it go. She was going to try and be nice.

“You can still play, just pretend I’m not here. Besides, you play at that club, Behind The Music, so no need to be shy around me.”

He fixed her with a hostile stare. “I’m not.”

She was fast reaching her limit. She clenched her jaw to hold herself back.
Usually she got get along with any kind of person, but there was something about Zan that grated on her.

“Then play,” she challenged locking eyes with him.

When all she did was concentrate on his eyes, she was shocked to discover that she saw Max. Of course they were identical twins so he did look like Max, but there was something in his eyes, if you looked hard enough that carried a certain something that she had only seen in Max and it was-

“Julia’s coming around in a bit,” he said suddenly breaking their lock, “we’re going out.”
He got up to leave. “I better go get ready.”

He didn’t follow through with his plans to leave though. Instead, he just stared down at her.

Again, he it was aggravating.

Maria got up. “I’m gonna go…away.”

She turned, made her way over to the stairs and into her room.

He was such an ass!

****

"Your brother is a total ass! Have I mentioned that?".

"Only a few times since we've been catching up," replied Max.

He had come in late after spending the evening out with Liz, Rath and Courtney to find Maria watching t.v. She had planned on an early night but had had a nightmare.
She never told him what it was about, but he assumed it was about the baby. It saddened him to think she after all this time, the nightmares had started again. That was one thing she didn’t need when her life was finally becoming better, he wished he could make them go away, but he couldn’t. So he did the only thing he could to help. He stayed with her, as he always did and with his tired eyes closed, they talked in the soft-light.

"Well he is,” she told him.

Max nodded knowingly. Despite the busy goings on, he had noticed the way Zan reacted when he talked about Maria, or when he was around her. No girl had ever managed to get his brother so worked up. He had also noticed the way Maria constantly complained about him so passionately and Rath's take on the situation, which he had freely given him that evening.

“Zan wants in her pants in a bad way. She don’t wanna know plus she’s off limits because she’s your girl,” he’d summarised,” which means I’m gonna have a good time watching this play out, Duke.”

While he had agreed that Maria didn’t want to be involved with Zan, he did think that she had feelings for him.

" 'Ria, do you like my brother?“ he asked.

"Like him how?,” she asked slowly.

Max cracked one eye open to see her reaction. "Do you like him, like him?" he teased.

Maria sat up, her eyes as wide as saucer. "No you don't!”, she exclaimed.

Max chuckled. At least she wasn’t thinking about her nightmares anymore.

“You're not thinking that- Zan is the kind of guy who I would fall for as you probably remember. But do you also remember where that left me?”.

He nodded at the memories. Maria liked the bad boys but boys funnily enough, were bad for her.

“He's not too awful,“ she continued, “but he's not for me."

"Just throwing it out there.”

"Now you know,” she told him.

He was somewhat relieved at her answer because as much as he loved his brother, Zan wasn't interested in the kind of relationship Maria deserved.

"Wanna hit bed?" she asked.

Max held out his hand to her and she took it. Everything between them always felt natural, always felt right.
That was something Zan could never give her, he told himself. Maria deserved everything he gave her and more.
He kissed her softly on her forehead. "Let's go."

****

****

It had been nearly a week since she had arrived in New York and Maria could comfortably say that she was settled in. She had sorted out her course details, she had a place to live and she had friends.

“All I need is a job,” she told Liz.

They had spent the day shopping and getting to know each other better. Everyday for the past week, every one of Max’s friends had made efforts to get to know her. She knew sounded ridiculous, but as well as wanting to know more about her for curiosity’s sake, she got the feeling that they wanted to make sure that she was…safe, that she wasn’t a threat of some kind.
Today it was her turn with Liz who, from what she could tell and what Max had told her, was almost his female counterpart. She was a goodie goodie, science-geeky, completely unaware of my beauty kind of girl…in the best most possible way. She was this and a lot more as Maria had discovered that day. Liz was funny and a total girl. She liked her a lot and that feeling seemed mutual because, in the hours they had spent together, Liz had told her about her whole life story. She always spoke vaguely of some events, the same as Max did, Maria noted. In return, she too had told Liz about her life and had vagued up certain aspects of it - they all had secrets, she reasoned and it wasn’t yet the time, if ever, to reveal them.

“So what about you and Max?” she asked. They were seated comfortably in a coffee shop, taking a break from shopping. She figured this would be the best time to confirm her suspicions.

“What about Max and I?,” she asked.

Maria flashed her a knowing smile. “Liz, come on.”

Much to Maria’s delight, Liz’s cheeks burned a deep shade of pink.

So I am right, she thought gleefully.

“We had something before he left for music camp the summer he met you. After he came back,” she shrugged, “he didn’t feel the same way I guess and he got together with you. Then you guys became whatever you are now and him and I are just friends,” she finished sadly.

Oh.

Maria didn’t know where to look or what to say. However gently Liz had put it, she was the reason that she and Max weren’t together now.

And they just might be perfect for each other, she thought to herself. Who knew?.

“Sorry,” she apologised, “I kinda put a spanner in the works.”

She shrugged like it was all water under the bridge. “You’ve helped make Max into the guy he is now, I can’t fault that.”

Out of nowhere, a surge of emotion rammed into her forcing the air out of her lungs.

What was that?, she wondered dazed.

“Maria, you okay?” she heard Liz ask.

My heart hurts…nooo, she glanced up at Liz.
The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. It wasn’t her hurt that hurt, it was Liz’s. She was in intensely in love with Max.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“What?” asked Liz.

“Nothing.” She shook her head lightly trying to get herself to focus her thinking and get a handle on her emotions. “I just remembered something I forgot to do. It’s fine.”

“You sure?”.

“Positive,” she replied.
This was getting out of hand, she could feel Liz’s concern, she could feel the irritation of the guy sitting on the next table.

What was going on?!

“I just need to go to the restrooms,” she said rising from her chair. “I’ll be right back.” She turned to go and accidentally ran into someone with a drink in their hand.
She cringed as the orange drink splashed and soaked into a white shirt.

“I am so sorry,” she apologised. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“That’s okay.”

The british accent drew her attention to his face. He looked to be in his late twenties, with spiky blond hair and an ear piercing at top of his right ear.
He was kind of cute.
And she had just stained his white shirt.
And she was feeling other people’s emotions.
She felt like screaming but she couldn’t. So she focused her energies on solving the problem in front of her.

“No it’s not,” she told him. “You’re wearing white and that’s orange and that’s not good.”

“I’ve got a t-shirt under it, I’ll just take it off,” he told her.

“Well let me take your shirt and dry clean it for you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” she told him.

“It’s fine really.”

She knew that she should just leave it alone, but she was feeling a lot of guilt. Guilt that wasn’t hers but that she needed to get rid of.

“I could pay for the cleaning...“

Why am I saying this?
Why am I saying this?
Why am I feeling this?

“…I feel like I should repay you somehow”.

“You wouldn’t happen to be a waitress looking for work would you?” he asked in a joking tone.

And just like that, she felt at peace. She wasn’t feeling other people’s emotions, her body was hers, completely again.

“I certainly am,” she answered.

He held out his hand. “I’m Brody Davis.”

She shook it. “Maria Deluca.”

“Why don’t we take a seat?” he asked.

This was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She mouthed ten minutes to Liz who nodded with a smile. If things went her way with Brody, her life was just about to become complete.

****

“You gave her a job?!” asked an incredulous Jezhau.

“It’s the only way we can keep an eye on all of them,” replied Rainos. He hadn’t planned on bumping into her. He just wanted to watch her and then the next thing he knew, his shirt was stained and he offered Maria a job and took her down to the club.

“You are far too attached to her,” he scolded.

“Does it matter?” he retorted. The fact that he was attached to her motivated him to do his job to the best of his capabilities. He didn’t want anything to go wrong, or anyone to hurt her.

“No I do not suppose it does,” replied Jezhau.

****

Maria quickly ran down the hallway. She was late for babysitting. After convincing Brody to give her a job, he wanted her to take a look at the place, so she’d had to part ways with Liz. Brody was the new owner of Behind The Music. The open forum laid back club where Max and the gang went to. The one where Zan performed on a regular basis. It was an amazing coincidence and Brody was a complete sweetheart. She had spent the day talking to him and before she had known it, she had to dash home to drop off her shopping and head over to Summer’s.

She raced into the apartment and came to a screeching halt long before she noticed that the gang were assembled in the living room. She registered the extreme irritation, fear and anger first. . She had obviously interrupted a meeting.

“Hey ‘Ria, I thought you were babysitting tonight,” said Max, his voice an octave higher than usual.

“I am,“ she responded. “I’m late. I’m just gonna dump my stuff and head back. You can resume your meeting once I leave,” she added running up the stairs.

****

Puzzled dumbfounded looks were exchanged as the momentary silence reigned amongst the group.

“Doesn’t she want an explanation?” asked Kyle finally.

“Apparently not,” replied Isabel.

“Does she know?!” asked Zan in an accusatory tone.

“No,” replied Max. “I haven’t told her. She’s curious, but she doesn’t ask. That’s what I love about her.”

He could tell that the group were surprised by his answer. But then again, so had he when Maria had told him point-blank that she knew he had a secret that he wasn’t ready to tell her yet and that she was fine with it. He had been tempted many times to tell her, but there never seemed to be a right time.
Besides, to tell her that he was an alien king. That Zan was his clone - that she had just interrupted their discussion of whether or not to attend an alien summit with an alien skin who wanted them dead - was something he didn’t want to burden her with. She had already had enough to deal with in her life.

Maria ran back down the stairs and waved farewell to the stunned group.

“I really like her,” said Rath.

****

Well here I am. I don't know how to say this.
The only thing I know is awkward silence.
Your eyelids close when you're around me to shut me out.
Don't shut me out.

“Hey about that thing you walked in on-”

“Zan, don’t explain or worse, make up some lie,” Maria told him.

He had woken up to get a drink to find Maria sat in the darkness. She did that a lot. Max had told him it was because she had trouble sleeping, but that was all he told him. Zan hated the fact that he didn’t know why she had sleepless nights and that Max did.
He wanted to know things about her too, so he had taken tonight as an opportunity to…he didn‘t know what. He just hadn’t believed Max when he had told them that Maria didn’t want to know about their secret. She had to be suspicious and he couldn‘t understand why she had never demanded an explanation.

“I’ve known Max since he was 16. I know you’ve obviously known him for longer because you’re twins and all, but I know he’s different. I know that there’s things he can’t tell me about, things that all of you are involved in. I know it’s not illegal or part of the mob and that’s all I need to know. So don’t okay?”.

It amazed him. She was actually telling the truth. She really didn’t need to know.
“You’re a weird one Deluca.”

“Yeah, I actually am and guess what?” she asked suddenly sitting up. Her eyes sparkled joyfully. “ I didn’t get a chance to tell Max, so you’ll have to do. I’m gainfully employed at Behind the Music.”

“What?” he asked tonelessly.

“Brody the new owner? Totally bizarre but I ran into him, spilled orange on him, he offered me a job!”

In the week that she had lived with them, he had gotten used to filtering through the Maria filter.

“Jason sold BTM? He loved that.”

“He must have loved the money Brody offered him more. So I’ll get to see you play tattoo boy.”

Zan’s muscles tensed as she patted the foursquare tattoo on his arm. Her simple touch made him want to grab her and kiss her senseless. He pushed that thought aside and concentrated on the news of Jason’s sudden change of priorities. They had been going to his club for two years now and as his regulars, he usually told them about any big changes. Selling his club was one hell of a change.

“Who is this Brody?” he asked suspiciously.

“Dot com millionaire who’s branching out,” replied Maria. “He’s got a british accent, so sweet, nice guy. He‘s the reason I was late for babysitting, we just hit off and-”

“I’m going to bed,” he said coldly suddenly getting up.

Maria looked up mystified at his change of attitude. “Are you schizo?” she asked.

“What?” he asked..

“We converse in a normal fashion and then you just change and become a jerk again.”

“Hey,” he shrugged, “take it or leave it blondie.”

The warmth she had felt earlier from him was gone. He was back to being annoying and stone-wall like.

She rose up from the sofa. “Goodnight”. She didn’t wait for a reaction, she turned and headed up the stairs.
She would rather go to bed and have another one of those vividly unrealistic dreams about some planet called Antar, than waste time thinking about Zan and his mood swings.

I'll make my way across the frozen sea, beyond the blank
horizon,
when I can forget "you and me" and get a decent night's sleep.

****

AN: Hey all, it's been a while since I updated this. Thanks for all the wonderful feedback.

Here's the next part....

PREVIOUSLY

“Who is this Brody?” he asked suspiciously.

“Dot com millionaire who’s branching out,” replied Maria. “He’s got a british accent, so sweet, nice guy. He‘s the reason I was late for babysitting, we just hit off and-”

“I’m going to bed,” he said coldly suddenly getting up.

Maria looked up mystified at his change of attitude. “Are you schizo?” she asked.

“What?” he asked..

“We converse in a normal fashion and then you just change and become a jerk again.”

“Hey,” he shrugged, “take it or leave it blondie.”

The warmth she had felt earlier from him was gone. He was back to being annoying and stone-wall like.

She rose up from the sofa. “Goodnight”. She didn’t wait for a reaction, she turned and headed up the stairs.
She would rather go to bed and have another one of those vividly unrealistic dreams about some planet called Antar, than waste time thinking about Zan and his mood swings.

I'll make my way across the frozen sea, beyond the blank
horizon,
when I can forget "you and me" and get a decent night's sleep.

****

It only hurts when I breathe - part 8

"Hey Maria, when are our drinks getting here?"

She flashed him a smile as she breezed past. "When table nine gets their food Jack," she replied.

"Do I get a kiss on the cheek for the delay?"

"I'd have to charge you extra for that!" she called over her shoulder.

Stopping by table 9, she delivered their meal with a flourish. "There you go guys, enjoy."

"Thanks Maria," they replied.

Zan smirked as he watched the table of college guys followed her retreating figure. In the two weeks she had worked at Behind The Music, she had the customers eating out of the palm of her hand. She was already on a first name basis with the regulars and walked around like the club was her second home. He thought that it had to do with the fact that Brody treated her more like a friend than an employee. She had introduced him to the them. Zan had given him the quick once over...he seemed on the up and up. He also seemed quite taken with Maria, an issue which irked him somewhat. It was an issue he thought Max should have been bothered by too.

"Why should it bother me?" he'd asked.

" 'cuz she's your girl that why," Zan had replied.

"Maria is not my girl. I thought we'd explained that you guys. She can date whoever she wants, so can I."

That news had taken him by surprise. "Who said anything about dating? She's dating him now?".

Her appearance by their table drew his attention. He stared as her and Max exchanged quick but deep kisses and hastily looked away when she caught him watching them.

"You guys okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're fine thanks," replied Isabel.

Maria bit back a smile as she caught Kyle stealing at glance at Isabel. They were all so obvious. They spent their time dating other people when the perfect people for them were either sitting next to or across from them. Thanks to her newly developed sense, she knew that Isabel and Kyle, Alex and Ava, Michael and Vilandra, and Rath and Courtney, Max and Liz, were meant to be. They were all either too dense, scared or in Max's case, completely unaware.

Basically, they were all in need of her help. She hadn't told anyone about her newly acquired skill, not even Max. She didn't know why, but it just didn't feel right to tell him just yet. The whole group seemed pretty tense about something, and she had lost count of the number of their private meetings she had stumbled into.
She was curious to find out what they were involved in, but she didn't want to press it. She believed that everything would come to light at the right time.

It had been overwhelming during the first couple of days, but she had managed to control how she sensed people's emotions. Her increasingly mystifying life didn't stop there, in her dreams; her mind had created a whole different alien world. When she dreamt, she always dreamt of King Zan, his bride Ava, second-in command Rath, princess Vilandra and Khivar to name a few. Though the royal family had the names of her New York friends, they didn't look like them. Every time she closed her eyes, she would pick up right where she'd left off and not wake up till the saga came to a part where she could stop.

So far, she was up to the bit where Khivar had just stormed the palace. She wasn't looking forward to going to sleep because it wasn't looking too good for the royals.

****

Over the past few days, Maria had noticed that something wasn't quite right with some of her friends. Isabel, Michael, Ava, Vilandra, Rath, Tess and Zan to be precise. She felt their emotions when she didn't want to, their sexual energy pulsated off them in waves. She felt their wants and needs to the point where she couldn't walk around the apartment in anything but t-shirts and shorts because she was too hot.

Unfortunately, she'd come to realise that her minimal clothing didn't help the guys and therefore her. She felt their heated gazes rake up and down their body every-time she entered the room. They had tried their best to avoid her, Zan and Rath were away from the apartment most of the time - they were the ones who exuded the most energy. Max was on a medium level compared to their high ones. She guessed it was because she had reduced their physical activities to just kissing.

"Why?" he'd asked when she broke the news.

"Because I've found someone for you. So no sex," she told him.

"You've found someone? who?" he'd asked.

"I just need to tweak out a few things, you'll find out soon enough."

In truth, she wasn't sure how she was going to get him and Liz together, she hoped inspiration would come her way some time soon.

****

Zan fought the urge to turn and run right out of the building when he spotted Maria and Brody in front of the door to their apartment. He had managed to lower his level of heat after a few hours at Julia's, but seeing Maria made it flare up again.
He noticed her blush and bite her lip.

It should be against the law to do both those things.

She looked his way.

No way out now, he thought to himself as he made his way over.

"Hey," he greeted them.

He didn't like the way Brody held her hand. Suddenly he was glad that he'd stayed.

"Hey," they greeted him in unison.

He stood with them, doing his best to make the situation as awkward as he could.

"Brody gave me a ride from work," Maria explained.

I'm sure that's all he wanted.

"That was nice of you," he told him.

"It was no trouble at all," Brody responded.

Zan stood through the whole silence that followed.

"I guess I better be going," said Brody, "See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Zan waited with her till Brody disappeared down the hall. He frowned at the dreamy look on her face.

"What?" she asked defensively.

She'd had a good time talking with Brody and Zan had to come and ruin it as usual. Not to mention she needed to do something with the sexual frustrated energy they kept sending her way. Max was off limits, she needed something- someone else.

"Nothing." He unlocked the door and let her in.

If he could just make it to his room.

Maria dumped her bag on the kitchen tabletop. "Obviously, you have something to say."

An argument with Zan would be an excellent way to get the energy out.

Zan sighed. She wasn't letting him off the hook. He was hanging onto his self-control by his teeth.

"No, I really don’t."

"Hey, don't walk away from me!. Turn around."

He did and it was a big mistake.

She was leaning against the kitchen countertop, her look in a word was: flustered, her lips, plump for the picking. He couldn't stop himself. He went to her, pulled her roughly into his arms and crushed his lips onto hers.

It was like fire coming into contact with ice. As their tongues duelled, her felt the sexual energy flow out of him. It was like passing static onto someone else. Her skin was hot, but cooling at the same time. She tasted so good.

Maria shivered under his touch. Bright lights exploded behind her eyelids. Her hands hungrily roamed his body welcoming the electric charge that flowed into and out of her.

Burning need for oxygen forced her from him.

What the heck was that? she thought wildly. She had completely lost control.

Struggling for breath, she finally had enough to speak. "That won't happen again," she told him.

"Wanna bet?" challenged Zan.

She had just given him the best kiss of his life and curbed his alien desires. He had kissed a lot of girl and not one of them had had that effect on him before. That realisation stopped him from going in again.

" 'Night Zan," she told him.

He watched her head up the stairs. It was only when he heard her door close that he took a breath. He licked his lips, they tasted like her.

****

"Yo bro, we gotta talk about your girl."

He had been edgy all day expecting Max to burst into his room and at the very least punch him. He'd reasoned that Maria had to have said something to him, but according to Rath, she had left pretty early this morning.

Zan had decided to get in their first and tell him about the kiss...with Rath present in case things got out of hand.

"What about her?" he asked.

"You know how we're in our alien heat period and how, she walks around teasing us," he began.

"Uh huh?".

"Well, I came home last night and she was there and we argued..." he trailed off, bracing himself.

"And?".

"We kissed. She kissed me too," he added hurriedly.

He held his breath waiting for the explosion.

"Interesting," responded Max.

Zan and Rath shared a look of surprise.

"You don't wanna beat my ass?" Zan asked him.

Max shrugged. "If Maria didn't want you kissing her, you wouldn't be standing in one piece today."

"Oh. So you cool about it?" he asked.

"Maria does what she wants."

His reaction was surprising to say the least, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Summit weird happened. When we kissed," he continued, " it was like, she took all of my frustration. I mean, I'm chilled now."

"Best kiss of your life?" Max asked.

Zan felt awkward talking about it, but if he was willing...." Yep."

"That's Maria," Max grinned proudly.

"Man, I need to get in on this," said Rath, "Think she'll let me kiss her?.

Max glared at him. "I'm not going to start passing off my friend like some toy."

Rath held up his hands in apology. "Sorry, had to try."

"How well do you know her Max?" Zan asked.

"Well enough," Max answered testily.

"Come to think of it," mused Rath. "Since you did the deed with her, you ain't been as frustrated as the rest of us and we've got laid."

"What are you saying?" asked Max. He knew what they were saying. He had wondered all along. He knew Maria wasn't a threat to them, but she was a special, he just wasn't sure how special.

"We're saying that there's something not on the level about your girl bro," Zan told him, "and we gotta figure out what it is."

****