Roswell Fanatics

Title: The Beacon
Author: RedLionAle
Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, and/or form own the rights to Roswell or anything related to it. All rights belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox, Regency Entertainment, etc…They are being borrowed solely for entertainment purposes.
Rating: Mature (Mostly for language and sexual references.)
Setting: Several weeks after the end of the episode ‘Graduation’.
Summary: After leaving Roswell, the group finds themselves still pursued by the FBI, however what they are unable to realize is that they now face a threat far larger than anything they’ve encountered before. Meanwhile, Isabel copes with leaving Jesse behind, and Kyle comes into his new powers.
AN: Let me start by stating that the CC listing on this story is in no way a guarantee. The only thing it means, in this case, is that the couples will start as they were when the show ended. As the story progresses, relationships may change, and that's all I'll say on the subject. (If that means this would probably fit better in a different forum, just let me know.) Also, as a slight warning to all you readers, this is my first attempt at writing something like this, so I'm fairly sure things will only get better from where they start, and since this is my first story, any feedback or suggestions you guys have for me would be very much appreciated.

That being said, here we go.



The Beacon


-Prologue-

It’d been an event weeks in the making, but it had finally arrived. He’d accomplished his goal and caught up with the Antarians… It was only matter of time now before the FBI would be called in, they’d be rounded up like the animals they are, and humanity would have, unknowingly, been saved from yet another threat. Ha! You’re actually trying to convince yourself that you’re doing this for all of humanity now? Get over yourself, you know you’re only doing this for yourself… He wasn’t about to deny it… The fact of the matter was that he had a personal vendetta against these… people. However, he’d still go down as one of history’s unsung heroes for completing his mission, for personal reasons or not.

Alone he stood, leant up against the signpost at a bus stop, not 30 meters away from the beat-up, now green van with the ‘Thanks for Visiting Roswell!’ bumper sticker that he’d been quietly tailing for the past two and a half days. He continued to steal glances over at the momentarily stationary vehicle as he tugged the brim of his hat closer to his face… His eyes shot downwards when the sound of a phone ringing pierced through the silent night air, emanating from the left pocket of his torn-up jeans. He responded with a few choice curses before he quickly grabbed the phone and flipped it open, speaking into it with a hushed tone…

“What!?”

“You know exactly why I’m calling. You haven’t been checking in as scheduled. We were beginning to get worried,” the conversation’s other half replied in a chillingly calm manner.

Worried. Right… “Excuse me for not thinking it wise to be yakking on my phone in the middle of the night around these people!” He once again spoke in a hurried, borderline nervous, whisper.

“Trust me, with the recent events of their lives… They’ll be focusing more on making themselves appear completely normal than they will on the actions of the people surrounding them. More importantly, I take it that your newfound sense of mortality means you’ve found them?”

Huh. Well, he’s a quick one, isn’t he? “Yeah,” he paused for a moment before elaborating, “it was surprisingly easy, I kinda felt my way to them. I’ve been observing them for the last couple days. Can I go ahead and make my move, yet?” The fear in his voice was quickly replace by a sense of anxiousness as the words left his mouth…

“No-”

“But I only have-!”

“I realize your situation makes you very eager to make your move, but we must first wait for everything to be positioned in a manner that gives us the highest possible chance of success… We’ll only get one attempt to capture them with this strategy, so it must be successful. You will continue to observe them and check-in at three-day intervals, until directly ordered to do otherwise, understood?”

My situation? Situation!? Well, leave it to the feds to put such an eloquent spin on the fact that I’m dying, all because of… He shot a glance over at the van…

Them. He quickly opened his mouth to give his response, but hesitated for a moment. Finally, his reply came in a disheartened, defeated tone…

“Fine.”

And with that, he slammed the phone shut, shoving it angrily back into his pocket. He glanced over at the beat-up green truck, where he could now see the people who had been identified to him as ‘Max Evans’ and ‘Elizabeth Parker-Evans’ sharing a quick kiss before climbing back into the van as the engine started up. His face wrinkled up into an expression of hatred as he hissed at them from under his breath, “One day, I’ll make all of you pay for what you did to me…”

As he spoke, he pulled a small, tattered, 4x8 photo out of his pocket, staring down at it intently.

“And for everything you took from me.” As he spoke, a single tear streaked down his face and splashed on the image of a little girl’s face below…

-End-



AN:I realize that this is by most standards, a very short entry. However, the Prologue was written to contain just the one scene that would set up a basis for the rest of the story, that being that the group is still being actively pursued by the FBI. Also contributing to the general lack of length is the fact that I didn’t want to give away too much info about the man spying on the group. Beginning with Chapter 1, the entries will being longer and more in depth as they will contain characters I can delve into completely as well as multiple scenes. I hope to have Chapter 1 up sometime within the week.

Ah, I felt inspired today, so I went ahead and wrote out the rest of Chapter 1. But before we get to that...


Natalie36: As posted in the original Author's note, there's no insurance, however Max and Liz are very much together right now, as you'll shortly see.

cardinalgirl: It's good to know that not everyone reads into length too much! As far as posting this in the Alien Abyss goes, that's the other forum I was considering posting it in, but I ultimately decided on this one due to the fact that the description said this is where post-episode fics belong. That being said, should it get to the point where it needs to be moved, I'll PM a mod about it. On the subject of Alex, all I'll say is that Alex is one of my favorite characters, so who knows if he'll show up...

behrinthecity: Glad to know that the title was enticing. And it's definately reassuring to know that the prologue worked in getting people hooked. Also, the Dupes being involved is quite an intersting theory...

Moving on! It's time for...

The Beacon


-Chapter 1: A New Day Cometh-

“Hey Driver” – Lucky Boys Confusion

Sparks fly, I hit the ground running!
Thumb in the air on the side of the road,
Good work… Never comes easy.
Hey Driver to the top of the world! [x2]
Put my life over my right shoulder with confidence…

And here I come,
Westbound!
Leave the motor running because I'm on the run,
in this crowded world I'll be high waiting when the last train comes!

Dark Skies, I feel my heels burning,
False “Hi”s to the end of the road.
No doubt, I've got a lot of learning…
Hey driver to the top of the world!
Put my life over my right shoulder with confidence…

And here I come,
Westbound!
Leave the motor running because I'm on the run,
in this crowded world I'll be high waiting when the last train comes!
Westbound!
Leave the motor running because I'm on the run,
in this crowded world I'll be high waiting when the last train comes!

Sparks fly, I hit the ground running!
Thumb in the air on the side of the road,
Good work… Never comes easy.
Hey Driver to the top of the world!
Sparks fly, I hit the ground running!
Time stops at the end of the road!
The big life, big deals, beginnings,
Hey Driver to the top of the world! [x9]


”So, that’s all I got for you today, True Believers! This was D.J. Dan, bringing you the latest in the Paranormal and the out of this world, this time straight from Aurora, Colorado! Don’t touch that dial, coming up next we ha-” The voice speaking a ridiculous accent died as Max switched the radio off, glancing around the van for a moment before saying anything.

“So, with all the odd occurrences reported in Aurora lately, am I the only one who thinks we should be heading up to Colorado?” Max raised the question in a tone that was oddly optimistic for him while glancing at the rest of the group in the rearview mirror to gauge their reactions. He was currently driving the van they’d all been piled into down I-25, in the direction of Colorado. He had one hand firmly gripped on the steering wheel while the other was lightly clasped around Liz’s left hand. Michael was first to reply to Max’s open question, and he leant forward, positioning his head in the space directly in between the newly married couple before speaking.

“Lemme ask you this, Maxwell… If the idea is to be avoiding anything that might make us stand out to the FBI, should running head first towards ‘odd occurrences’ really be our course of action here?” While Michael spoke, Max smiled as he looked past him at Liz, unable to keep his eyes off of her. It was such a euphoric feeling to him to know that they could just be together now, not worrying about the definitions and limitations of a normal life, they we free to just be. Max Evans had honestly never been happier than he was at this moment…

“Max?”

The way his name rolled off of her tongue… Max’s smile grew even wider as he answered, “Yeah, Liz?”

“Are you planning on answering Michael anytime soon, or am I going to have to get used to him being up here?” Liz giggled as she finished off the sentence, alerting Max to the fact that he’d spent more than just a few seconds appreciating his current situation. His face turned a light shade of red as his mind raced back to the conversation at hand. Michael was, for once, definitely on the right track in assuming that any weird happenings, that the FBI may or may not be involved in investigating, were probably among the last things they should be associating themselves with, but Michael was missing the bigger picture.

“Michael, you’re forgetting that we’re not planted in Roswell anymore. Not a soul in Aurora knows any of us, and the FBI are going to be way too busy investigating what was already there to notice a couple of the UFO nuts D.J. Dan just sent to Colorado. I mean, there’s not a whole lot of risk involved, and with there being a possibility that we might get some information about us or Antar out of this, I can’t see how you of all people would want to pass this up.”

Michael held his position between Max and Liz for a moment before dropping himself back into the backseat next to Maria, wrapping his arms around her as he did so. “Alright then, Maxwell: Colorado it is. How long until we get there?”

“I’m not entirely sure, I know that Aurora is up in the northern half of Colorado, somewhere near Denver, so it’s gonna to be a while. Speaking of which, whose turn is it to drive next?” As soon as Max uttered the question, he was hit with a barrage of answers…

“Not mine! I pulled driving duty all last night.” Michael.

“And I drove before Michael did.” Maria.

“And it was me before that, Max.” Liz… Which left only two candidates remaining.

“Hey, Isa-” As Max began to speak, he stopped himself and looked in the rearview mirror for Isabel. He quickly found her, and much to his dismay, she was still staring out the window at the passing scenery, completely removed from the conversation. She’d been like this ever since she’d been forced to leave Jesse behind… Seeing his sister this miserable was enough to make him feel guilty about the his newfound happiness with Liz… In any case, Isabel was hardly in any frame of mind where driving would be a good idea, which left Kyle. Max’s eyes began to dart across his mirror, searching for where Kyle had ended up… It took him a moment, but before long, his eyes landed on the lump that was steadily rising and falling underneath the blanket settled against the back of the van.

“Hey, Michael, can you wake up sleeping beauty back there and tell him it’s his turn to drive next?” The question garnered a smile from Michael.

“No problem, Maxwell.” Michael replied as he swung a leg over the back seat to get into the small area Kyle was still sleeping in. Michael smiled as he crept over next to Kyle’s head and put his fingertips on the wall of the van, not 6 inches from Kyle’s head. Michael’s eyes narrowed for a moment before a metallic pop echoed throughout the van. Kyle head immediately shot up as he woke up.

“What the hell is going on!?”

Michael smiled and rapped his knuckles against the wall of the van a few times.

“Just straightening out a few dents back here… By the way, it’s your turn to drive next, Valenti.”


-----------------------------------------------------


General Charles Okram stood along the railing that bordered the window of his office, looking down at his numerous subordinates as they scurried around in the large open office, hurriedly trading information to one another so that everyone was informed of the operation’s current progress, or at least as informed as they needed to be. General Okram’s unit was one where a certain level of secrecy was needed. There hadn’t been a unit that tied together military and FBI operations like this since the recently disbanded “Special Unit”, a group that was formed with the object of gathering information about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. The Special Unit had also laid the groundwork for the formation of Okram’s unit - they’d uncovered such life existing within the United States. General Okram had, of course, been skeptical about the goals his new unit had been given, but the skepticism had been quieted two days into the group’s existence. The ultimate piece of evidence proving the existence of life from other planets, and the only remaining trace of the Special Unit’s existence had been found… A DNA sample from one of the extraterrestrials the Special Unit had kept in custody for a length of time several years ago, the vial had a named attached to it – Max Evans. Upon further research, it was uncovered that Max Evans had just left his adopted family in Roswell with his sister without saying a word. The Evans’s were 2 or the 6 disappearances reported among Roswell high students in the last few days. The others included Maria DeLuca, Kyle Valenti, and Elizabeth Parker, who all had viable birth records and had been living with their birth parents up until their disappearance, as a result it was currently assumed that they had been taken hostage by the alien group. The only other disappearance was a Michael Guerin, a hotheaded teenager who’d recently been emancipated. Reports from other Roswell High Students said that he was only ever really seen in contact with the Evans siblings and Maria DeLuca. The lack of birth records had led the group to assume that he was the third and final alien in the group. Regardless, the Special Unit was the beginning of their current operation, one that would hopefully lead to the capture of the Alien group with little-to-no loss of life. A smile came across Okram’s face as he envisioned what would surely be another great triumph in his near future. However, Okram’s daydreaming was interrupted by a knock at his office door.

“Come in.” Okram’s voice came out a very rough, but calm tone. Not a second had passed between the words leaving his lips and the door opening, and in rushed a man who looked to be in his later 40’s with light brown hair, adorned in a white lab coat. The man was holding a clipboard with several sketches of double helixes, the blueprint for DNA molecules, surrounded by complex equations and a plethora of notes that the General didn’t care about in the slightest. Okram looked the man over a few times and was unsuccessful in putting a name to the face. His eyes flitted down to the Scientist’s ID badge, which identified him as George Harrison. Okram paused for a moment as he composed his thoughts… George Harrison, the nation’s leading molecular biologist, and a graduate of Stanford University. 47 years of age. Existing family- Wife, Marla - age 43, Son, Jeffery – age 20, Son – Kevin – age 18, and daughter, Kelly – age 6 - All currently being held at a safe house in Eastern hemisphere. More importantly, he’s also the Project’s leading scientist. The 3rd leading scientist they’d had since the project’s inception. Okram didn’t bother to greet Harrison or give him a fake smile; he wasn’t the kind of man who felt the need. Instead, he got right down to business.

“What is it, Harrison?”

“Sir, I know the must be mistaken, but I’ve heard that you’ve sent the test subject out into the field. I just needed to make sure that they were incorrect.” Harrison’s voice wavered as he spoke, making it clear to Okram that he was intimidated by the General and did not want to be perceived as someone making an accusation. Okram’s face remained devoid of expression as he replied.

“No, your sources are accurate. The subject is in the field completing its preliminary objectives as we speak.”

“But-!” George Harrison caught himself and calmed his voice before continuing, “But the subject hadn’t been cleared for use in the field, yet! We need to continue tests to derive a more permanent way of dealing with the malignant cells that its body is creating as a result of the operation! As it now, using the subject in the field is dangerous!” Harrison had been speaking in a hurried tone, obviously believing every word he’d spoken. Okram’s face still had yet to show any sign of emotion, other than a possible flicker of annoyance.

“Your research has been coming along too slowly, Harrison. The subject was needed in the field, so it was sent into the field, that’s all there is to it. This discussion is over.” Okram’s voice carried a tone of finality with it as he sat down at his desk, beginning to rummage through the files laid on top of it. However, none of that sent the message clearly enough to deter George Harrison from continuing.

“But he could die!”

The room fell silent. General Charles Okram did not like to be disobeyed, especially by a bookworm who’d spent enough time in the library to climb to the top of his field. Harrison’s status as the 3rd lead scientist here was proof enough of that. The muscles in the General’s neck tensed as he turned his attention back to the scientist opposite the room.

“I want you to think about your response very carefully to me before you answer this, George…” There was a long pause as the General let his words sink in before continuing, “What are you being paid to do here?”

Harrison remained silent for a moment before answering; “I’m paid to lead the research and development teams working on classified projects for Unit 17-B. But-!” Harrison was cut off as Okram continued.

“So you are not paid to make decisions regarding military action?” Harrison was quickly becoming frustrating with the General, now.

“No, but-!”

“No, you are not. In fact, I’m the one who is paid to make any and all decisions related to this entire project. The subject will remain in the field because that’s how it best serves the Nation’s interests, am I clear?” Okram’s voice had grown in volume with every word he spoke, increasing the tension in the room. Harrison remained silent for a moment before replying.

“Yes, sir.” The response brought a small smile of victory to the General’s face.

“Now, Harrison, if you need another test subject to complete your research, we can arrange for one to be brought in for you within the next few days. Until then, you will do whatever you can with the current tools at your disposal. You can let yourself out.” The scientist gave a disgusted nod as he turned around and left the room, slowly closing the door behind himself. Now, again left alone in this office, the General’s thoughts turned back to his current objective… Capturing the alien subjects by any means nessacery.


-----------------------------------------------------


“DEMARTE!”

The bellowed name ringed in Jake’s ears as his head shot up from where it’d been laid on the desk in front of him. Jake remained still for a moment as he gathered his bearings. Argh. McLaney’s class, 3rd period. Economics. I must have been sleeping again… From the look on Mr. McLaney’s face, Jake had indeed been sleeping. He struggled to clear his vision as he turned his head forward, looking at Mr. McLaney, who was standing impatiently at the front of the class. Jake let out an inward sigh as he prepared himself for whatever lecture or quip McLaney could cook up. He’s only been enrolled at South Aurora High for a few months, but he was already beginning to grow tired of it. The teachers all seemed to be on a serious power trip, and were trying to force feed knowledge down his throat. All Jake wanted to do was keep up with football, win the state title when the time for that rolled around, make it out of his Senior year unscathed, and enroll at whichever college he ultimately chose to continue his football career at. It didn’t help that he’d never really gotten used to the concept of schoolwork at his old school… The teachers already knew exactly who he was back home; Jake DeMarte, the nation’s top Pro-Style quarterback, hailing from East Madison High in Columbus, Ohio. Back in those days, his status as a future Buckeye was almost set in stone. Before he moved. Before he was uprooted and thrown into a life filled with grades and GPAs.

“Have I made myself clear, Mr. DeMarte?” Mr. McLaney was standing at the head of the room, impatiently waiting for Jake’s response. Jake gave another small sigh before replying.

“Crystal.” Jake’s response had an air of confidence about it, just like everything else he said or did. Jake’s inherent confidence was a huge part of his being a successful Quarterback, possibly even more so than his natural born abilities. Jake’s confidence made him a natural leader, which is exactly what a quarterback needs to be on the field. Of course, Jake’s natural charisma also had other uses that he wasn’t shy about taking advantage of… As Jake glanced around the room, his eyes landed on a girl seated on the other side of the room, two rows over from him. He continued to look in her direction for a moment, almost as if evaluating her… Nice, long, brown hair… Equally amazing brown eyes, coupled with a killer smile. As Jake thought, his eyes wandered downwards… And most importantly – a killer body. Ding, Ding, gentleman! I think we have a winner. Jake continued to look in her direction for a moment, waiting until she noticed. After a few moments, their eyes met, and Jake gave her his best smile, upon seeing it, she returned the smile while blushing a little bit. Yup. She’s definitely gotten word about my arrival already. This is too easy… And so Jake continued with the routine he’d used so many times back in Ohio, and already a few here in Aurora. He mouthed out messages to her across the room, made playful gestures, flashed the pearly whites when needed, and before he knew it, he had plans for later that night. Just as Jake was about to lay his head down for another well-earned nap, the bell rang. Jake groaned and got up to his feet, tossing his head to flip his long hair out of his face. As he turned around to leave the room, the girl he’d been talking to was standing behind him. Jake was feeling kind of awkward now, because his “conversation” had only told him a small bit about her. 1. She would go out with him later that night. 2. She was really, really hot. 3. Her phone number. And that was it.

“Hey… Uh…” The girl gave a smile, and Jake took it as a good sign that she wasn’t annoyed by the fact he didn’t know her name.

“Hi.” Her voice was a little bit high, but all things considered, it was more than worth it. He gave a smile and began to walk towards the door, motioning for her to follow him…

“So, since I’m not exactly able to get the entire story sending messages across a classroom… You wanna fill me in?” Jake turned down the hall and continued walking, and the girl kept following him. She nodded as he raised the question and began to answer him…

“Well-” However, she was stopped mid-sentence as Jake’s small collection of books and papers went flying across the hall. As Jake’s eyes followed the papers, they landed on the reason they were flying to begin with – Jake came face to face with another guy, about his height and age, who was standing defiantly before him, adorned in all black with several facial piercings. Jake had faced this issue before. This guy was a member of the “anti-social crowd” and was looking to impress his buddies by showing off in front of the school’s newest “Jock”. Jake just smiled as the other guy gave a laugh and walked past him, presumably heading toward his buddies down the hall. Jake leant down and gathered his things… Then he paused for a moment and looked up at ‘Mr. Anti-conformity’. Jake smiled for a moment before the kid’s legs fell out from under him, causing him to fall face first to the floor, which then in turn, caused the people gathered in the hall near him to point and laugh as they walked by. Jake’s smile grew wider as he stood back up and turned towards the girl, who had been quietly standing beside him the entire time…

“Well…?” He asked, motioning for her to continue…

“Well, my name is Stacey…” Stacey… He liked the sound of the name, it had a very… ‘Cheerleader’ feel to it.

“And I just moved here from Roswell, New Mexico.”


-End of Chapter 1.-



AN: Whew! It feels good to get that written out! Anyways, if you notice a few gramitcal errors here and there, it's mostly because I'm still only using word to find and correct these things, and anyone who's written something longer than three lines in a word document knows that the corrections on word are hardly fool-proof. Also, this is going to be about the average size of every chapter I post, so updates will come on a fairly frequent basis, depending on my free time. As far as Jake goes, he, as well as the good General are original characters to this story... Stacey is not. She wasn't a part of the show (That I'm aware of.) But she was in the Roswell High books, so if you've read those, you may remember her. If you haven't read the books, it doesn't really matter since this is a continuation of the show's storyline and not the books, anyway. It's just a little Easter Egg for people who remember these things like I do. Finally, the Lyrics at the opening. You can expect Lyrics to kind of help set the mood at the begining of each chapter. I can't help but add them, seeing as on a personal level, I'm musically inclined.

Well, I got started last night and couldn't stop myself, so I actually managed to finish Chapter 2 within a day of finishing Chapter 1. I was fairly suprised when I realized that fact, but I'm starting to really enjoy writing this, so looking back, it's not horribly suprising. All that being said...

cardinalgirl: Jake, the mysterious goverment subject, the Roswellians... It'll all come together in good time. As far as Stacey goes, I'm glad someone noticed it.

xmag: Yeah, Stacey was the head Cheerleader that Isabel didn't get along with in the novels. If memory serves me right, she and Alex had a thing going for a while near the end of the series.

behrinthecity: Thanks a ton for the reminder about changing the title of the first post, I competely spaced on that. As far as Okram goes, one can assume that despite his high and mighty view of himself, that he's still not being let in on every single detail of the situation. Remember, all Okram got from the Special Unit was the DNA sample and knowledge of the Aliens' exsistance, meaning he was not a part of the Sniper operation and is still currently oblivous to it. On the subject of Jake, I'm glad you like him so far, he's going to be a large part of the story, so I'm sure you'll see him meet the group soon enough.


The Beacon


-Chapter 2: Revelations-

“Changes” – 3 Doors Down

I'm not supposed to be scared of anything, but I don't know where I am.
I wish that I could move, but I'm exhausted and nobody understands. (How I feel.)
I'm trying hard to breathe now, but there's no air in my lungs.
There's no one here to talk to and the pain inside is making me numb…

I try to hold this under control,
They can't help me 'Cause no one knows…

Now I'm going through changes, changes!
God, I feel so frustrated lately,
When I get suffocated, save me!
Now I'm going through changes, changes…

I'm feeling weak and weary, walking through this world alone…
Everything you say, every word of it, cuts me to the bone.
I've got something to say, but now I've got nowhere to turn,
It feel like I've been buried underneath all the weight of the world.

I try to hold this under control,
They can't help me 'Cause no one knows…

Now I'm going through changes, changes!
God, I feel so frustrated lately,
When I get suffocated, save me!
Now I'm going through changes, changes…

I'm blind and shakin',
Bound and breaking,
I hope I make it through all these changes.

Now I'm going through changes, changes!
God, I feel so frustrated lately,
When I get suffocated, save me!
Now I'm falling apart, now I feel it.

Now I'm going through changes, changes!
God, I feel so frustrated lately,
When I get suffocated, I hate this.
But I'm going through changes, changes…


Jake stood in front of a mirror, alternating between holding two different t-shirts in front of his torso. It was obvious that Jake was used to doing this sort of thing on a fairly regular basis, as he was fairly comfortable studying himself in the mirror. Finally, after a couple of moments alternating between the two shirts, he tossed them back on the bed behind him and gave a sigh of frustration. I’m thinking about this way too much. Come on, Jake, you know you’ll end up looking good, just pick a damn shirt, already. Jake took another look at himself in the mirror… It was hardly surprising that he’d managed to keep himself in such good shape, with football being his meal ticket, but he’d managed to keep his overall appearance very well, too. His body was slightly on the skinny side, but toned to perfection after hours in the weight room across the hall. His hair was long, but very neatly kept at a length just reaching his neck. Jake knew how important appearances were in every facet of day-to-day life… Whether it was attending a dinner and having to present himself as the face of a football program for various alumni, or trying to win a date with the girl he’d mostly recently become infatuated with, looks were a key factor in the equation. Jake’s eyes flitted over to his clock radio as he stood there… Damn, Jake! You’re gonna be late it you don’t just hurry up and pick a shirt! Giving in to his impatience, Jake stumbled into his closet and grabbed a shirt from its hanger, then quickly slipped it on. He then paced back over to the mirror and gave himself a quick once over. He’d grabbed a fairly plain olive green shirt that hugged his arms and chest fairly tightly, showing off his definition ever so slightly… American Eagle. Not bad… It looks good, but not good enough that it screams ‘I’m trying to make an impression’. Perfect. Now it’s time to go. And with that, Jake tucked his wallet and his phone into the pocket, and left the room, half-jogging down the hall until he reached the living room. When he arrived, his pace slowed and his eyes immediately landed on an older woman who was sitting on the couch, watching the TV. The woman’s hair was completely unkempt, her eyes were red and watery from a lack of sleep, and she was wrapped in a blanket, simply staring at the TV with a black expression upon her face. Jake sighed as he walked over to the woman, kneeled down next to her, turned his head to see what she was watching… Old home videos. A small frown came over Jake’s face as he turned back towards the woman.

“Hey, I’m heading out for a while tonight, alright?” Jake’s tone was significantly softer and more gentle than usual. He got no reply from the woman, but didn’t seem too surprised by the fact.

“I’ll cook something real quick for dinner when I get back, I promise.” Again, he got no response. Jake sighed and gave the woman a hug, followed by a quick kiss on the cheek as he got off of his knee and began to head towards the front door. As he did, he looked back over his shoulder and tried one last time…

“I love you, Mom.” This time, Jake’s comments elicited a response. Continuing to stare blankly at the TV, she replied in an emotionless, empty tone…

“I love you, too, hon.” Jake’s mouth stretched into a weak smile at the fragile woman’s response before he turned, grabbed an old, red and white East Madison Letterman jacket from the coat rack, and slipped it on before heading outside into the cool Colorado air. Feeling uncomfortable out in the open, he immediately made a beeline for the car positioned in the driveway – a blue 2003 GMC Canyon. He climbed into the driver’s seat and put his key in the ignition, turning it to be greeted by the ear-shattering volume of his stereo, and the thumping of the bass accompanying the music. He relaxed in the car for a moment, letting the music wash over him as he cleared his thoughts and took a few deep breaths.

“God, Mom… It’s been a year, and you still haven’t been able to move on. I really wish there was something I could do something for you…” Jake’s words were drowned out by the Rap music blaring over his radio. He straightened up in the front seat and adjusted the mirror, staring at himself for a moment…

“But there isn’t.” Shaking his head, he twisted the knob on the dashboard, quieting the music that had been playing… He pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open, scrolling through the numerous names stored in its memory.

“R… S… There we go! Stacey…” He smiled as he highlighted the name and hit send, raising the phone to his ear. Ringing… Here we go. The smile on Jake’s face widened as he began to pull out of the driveway…

“And now, we get to the fun part.”


-----------------------------------------------------


“You sure you’re not hungry? We probably won’t get another chance to stop like this for a while…” Max was, as usual, looking out for the group’s best interest as he directed the question at Kyle, but Kyle simply shook his head.

“I’m alright, I think I’m just gonna stay out here… Y’know, get some air.” Max gave an understanding nod and turned, hurrying to catch up with Liz and the rest of the group, who were already heading inside the diner they’d stopped at for a quick bite. Kyle cast his gaze upward at the stars, and sighed, letting his mind wander freely. Eventually, it all came back to the same question that had been haunting him ever since he learned of Liz’s new ‘abilities’… How long is it going to take? Kyle had already given up on hopes that he might be able to somehow overcome the situation and lead a normal life, and while he wasn’t looking forward to dealing with whatever was coming his way, he knew that the sooner it came to be a reality, the less time he’d spend driving himself insane thinking about it, which had been his pastime over the last couple weeks. He was sleeping half the day because he couldn’t get a good night’s sleep through the nightmares about what might happen, or what he might accidentally do when he changed, and then he was spending the other half daydreaming about the exact same thing while half-heartedly throwing a joke out every now and then. After all, that was his biggest worry – Letting anyone else see how much this was affecting him; he felt like the odd man out enough as it was. Liz had Max, Maria had Michael, and Isabel, for obvious reasons, belonged here… But Kyle? He’d ended up tagging along because of the mere possibility that he might gain a crazy Alien ‘gift’ or something, and his inability to deal with the situation by himself. He shifted his gaze down back to the earth, where it landed on a nearby tree… There we go, Valenti. A nice, normal, tree. You see those all the time on Earth… Kyle shook his head and gave a snort of disgust…

“Come on… Who the hell am I kidding?” Kyle continued to shake his head for a moment before he heard a voice come from his left.

“Not yourself, apparently.” Kyle quickly turned his head to look over at… Michael. Perfect. I’m sure Michael of all people will understand… Glanced through the window back into the diner, at the table where the group was sitting. None of them were looking in Kyle and Michael’s direction… Kyle’s eyes moved back to Michael, who was now leaning up against the van, eating French fries from a napkin he’d used to cup them in his hands.

“So… Did Liz or Maria send you out here to talk to me? Because if they did, they could have picked someo-” The remainder of Kyle’s sentence drifted off as Michael held up his free hand, asking for a moment. He quickly swallowed and replied.

“No, Kyle. They think I went to the bathroom.” Kyle was now puzzled… Michael wasn’t the type to just slip out of a meal to chat.

“Why’d you come out here, then?” Kyle asked as he walked over to Michael, taking a fry from the napkin. Michael’s expression turned to one of seriousness as he spoke.

“Listen, I might not exactly be the most touchy-feely person here, but I can tell when somebody’s got a lot on their mind… Now, Max might not feel like pressing you about it, but if there’s something we should know, Valenti… I suggest you spit it out now and clear the air.” Kyle was slightly taken aback by the fact that Michael had just accused him of putting the group in danger. He took a step away from Michael and put his hands together to form a ‘T’ shape.

“Woah, woah… Time-out here, buddy. I’ve got a lot on my mind, I’ll give you that much, but I would never do anything that puts any one of us in danger, if that’s what you’re getting at.” It was fairly easy to tell from Kyle’s voice that he was offended by the accusation he assumed Michael was making.

“I know you’d never put anyone here in danger on purpose, Kyle… All I’m saying is that keeping secrets, even with the best of intentions, has put us in danger before. You just need to keep that in mind, is all.” Michael was still leant up against the van, looking pretty calm, so Kyle assumed he was honestly looking out for the group and not accusing him of anything…

“Y’know, it’s funny that I’m standing here talking to you about this…” Kyle shook his head and gave a weak laugh, “But I’m scared.” Michael’s brow furrowed as Kyle spoke, obviously worried.

“Of what? Did you see someone following us, or-” Kyle shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing like that… What I mean is that I’m scared of what’s going to happen to me. Liz… Liz changing kinda proved that something’s gonna happen, but I don’t have any idea what it is.” Michael’s body visibly eased as he popped another fry in his mouth.

“Oh, that all?”

“Yeah, should have seen that coming. Thanks for that, I’ll make sure to come see you next time something comes up.” Kyle turned away to head into the diner, but was stopped as Michael grabbed his arm and turned him around.

“I didn’t mean it like that… Think of it this way, alright? You’ve got Max, Isabel, Liz, and me,” Michael counted off the members on his hand as he spoke, “who have all been through what you’re dealing with at some point. We can all help you get through this, Kyle. Whatever ‘this’ is.” Kyle paused for a moment, mulling over what Michael had said… After a moment, Kyle let out a sigh of relief and a little laugh.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Now it was Michael’s turn to smile.

“Of course I am. Now, let’s head inside.” Michael turned to head back into the diner as Kyle followed him. As he left, Kyle turned back around and had one more look around the landscape… His eyes once again fell on the tree he’d been looking at. He stopped and turned around, looking at the tree, and Michael, noticing Kyle stopping, also turned around.

“What is it, Kyle?” Kyle’s brow furrowed as he pointed at the tree…

“Doesn’t something look weird to you about that tree…? Like it’s made out of a buncha dots or something…?” As Kyle spoke, Michael came closer, trying to get a better look. After a moment, he gave a small shrug.

“I don’t see anything.” Kyle responded by walking closer to the tree, still pointing at it.

“No… There’s definitely something not right about it-” Kyle was cut off as there was a bright flash in front of his eyes and he felt an arm wrap around his chest from behind and pull him down to the ground, unfortunately for Kyle, his head hit the ground hard, and he felt a familiar darkness setting in as his vision blurred, and Michael’s shouting was the last thing he heard before he lost consciousness.


-----------------------------------------------------


Jake brushed one final stray strand of hair behind his ear before leaning forward and knocking on the large wooden door that loomed before him. Jake was a believer in going about a date in the old-fashioned way, which meant picking his date up. He was used to the routine by now. He’d knock, someone would answer and tell him his date wasn’t ready to leave quite yet, and then invite him inside. This would of course be followed by a good few minutes of small talk, and then his date would leisurely walk into the living room, he’d comment on how good she looked, and then they’d leave. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited in front of the door, only looking up when it was finally answered. Jake put on a smile and began his part of the routine, but what he saw caught him by surprise. My God! This guy is FREAKING HUGE! And the man who answered the door was indeed very large, especially considering that Jake was a fairly big guy in his own right. After looking him over a few times, Jake settled on the fact that the man before him was at least 6 feet 9 inches tall, and 300 lbs. The man who answered obviously noticed Jake’s surprise because he let out a hearty laugh and gave Jake a pat on the shoulder.

“You must be Jake, come on inside!” The man practically pulled Jake into the house, and Jake made no effect to resist, still amazed by the man’s sheer size. As they reached the living room, the man took a seat on the couch and looked over at Jake.

“Go ahead and take a seat, Stacey will be out in a minute.” Jake complied and sat down in the seat furthest from the man, whom he was now assuming was Stacey’s dad. Finally regaining some of his composure, Jake decided it was about time to start with the small talk.

“So, Stacey didn’t tell me much about her family… What exactly is it that you do…?” Jake’s voice carried a slight trace of nervousness as he spoke… Please don’t be a Pro Wrestler… Please don’t be a Pro Wrestler…

“Oh! I coach the football team at Goodson Middle School!” Jake’s entire body eased as he heard the word ‘football’ come out of the larger man’s mouth. Alright, now I’ve got something to work with…

“A football coach? That’s pretty cool. I play for the team at the high school.” Jake spoke very casually, very careful not to come across as arrogant about the fact. Stacey’s dad on the other hand, nodded.

“I know. You play quarterback… I’ve heard a lot about you.” Now Jake’s neck tensed a little bit again…

“You have?” If he’d heard about Jake, it was for one of two things… His accomplishments on the field, or the general ‘attitude’ he displayed during games that had caused some coaches to ignore him completely…

“Of course! I heard that my Alma matter offered you a full ride your Sophomore year!” The muscles in Jake’s neck once again loosened…

“Really? Where’d you go to school at?” Jake let his mouth curve into a smile small, making it appear he was a great deal more interested than he was… Perfect. Just let the old man rattle off some old stories, talk to him about playing for his old team (as if!), and I’ll have him won over before Stacey gets out here. I don’t have a thing to worry about.

“I went to Colorado, played Guard for a couple of years, hell, I even got to block for Kordell Stewart!” Jake raised an eyebrow in feigned interest at the name drop, growing slightly impatient. Really? You got to block for a quarterback who started in the league for a couple of years before folding and losing his job all together? That’s just swell.

“It must have been a really great experience to play with a quarterback like that.” It was now time for Stacey’s dad to shock Jake for the second time that night…

“Like hell it was! That bum never knew what the hell he was doing out there! If he hadn’t been so quick on his feet, he’d never of completed a pass in the first place! That’s why he bombed out of the NFL!” Jake fell back into his chair, in a state of shock. This was a situation he’d never run into before… A dad who agreed with one of the snide remarks Jake made to himself during their chat. Jake rolled his tongue in his mouth for a moment, trying to figure out how to go on…

“I guess it’s easier to see those kinds of problems from the inside than it is just watching. I mean, I never would have guessed that about Stewart, but it does make sense.” Perfect. Jake had managed to continue the conversation without making any of his early comments sound like complete bull, and he’d respected the opinion of Stacey’s father. The slight smile and nodding from Stacey’s father was indicative of that. Jake was just about to ask more about the Colorado football team of the early 90’s when he was interrupted by Stacey’s entrance into the room…

Sweet Jesus in Heaven…

Jake’s mouth hung agape for a moment as Stacey walked into the room… She wasn’t particularly dressed up, wearing a pair of faded denim jeans and a tight-fitting red sweater… But something about the way she came out looking was just… Amazing. Stacey looked over at Jake and smiled as she walked over to where he was sitting. Stacey looked over at her father and then turned back towards Jake.

“So, I take it you two found something to talk about?” As she spoke, Jake realized that sitting there gawking probably wasn’t the best move. In fact, he’d already missed his chance to get in a compliment, which she certainly deserved… He quickly shut his mouth and stood up, moving next to Stacey; ready to leave once the formalities had been exchanged. He looked back and forth between Stacey and her father for a moment before responding…

“Yeah, your dad was just telling me about his college days playing at Colorado.” Stacey gave her father a knowing smile and then turned back towards Jake…

“I suppose he was going on about how you should play there as well, huh?” Before Jake could answer, Stacey’s father did.

“I most certainly did not! We were just talking.” Stacey’s father spoke in a light-hearted tone as Stacey walked over to him and gave him a hug.

“If you say so, Daddy… I think we’re going to head out now.” Stacey then walked back over to Jake and began to lead him towards the door…

“Alright, have fun, you two!” Stacey’s father called out at them as Stacey led Jake through the front door. As the door closed behind them, Stacey looked back at Jake…

“I’m sorry… I should have given you a heads up about my dad.” Jake, however, was back in the zone now. For the most part. He just smiled at Stacey and moved past her, leading her towards his car…

“It’s no problem, I’m used to all those big football guys, remember?” Stacey returned Jake’s smile as he opened the passenger-side door for her, motioning for her to get in.

“Yeah, I guess so.” That was her reply as Jake gently closed the door behind her and then walked around to the other side of the car… His night was just getting started, but he already had a feeling it was going to be a good one.


-----------------------------------------------------


Kyle Valenti groaned as he slowly opened his eyes to a gathering of familiar faces.

“You guys aren’t gonna believe the dream I just had… There was this weird tree and Michael had emotions, and-” Kyle’s babbling recollection of the events that had put him in his current position was cut off as his vision cleared and he felt the throbbing lump on the back of his head. A quick glance at his friend’s concerned faces made Kyle realize that it hadn’t been a dream. Kyle slowly pushed himself up to his feet and then looked over at Michael.

“What happened…?” Michael looked ready to answer, but Max got to it first.

“From what we’ve gathered you were rambling about a tree outside the diner looking weird, and then it just kind of…” Max’s voice trailed off as he looked at the other members of the group. Finally, Michael gave a sigh and finished Max’s thought.

“The tree exploded, Kyle.” Kyle responded by giving Michael a bewildered look…

“Guys, I must be really messed up, because I could swear I just heard Michael say that-” Kyle was interrupted again, this time by Michael.

“You heard me right, Kyle. The tree blew up. I did my best to pull you back away from it, but you hit your head on a rock when I did.” Michael explained the events in very matter-of-fact tone, not sounding at all puzzled by what he’d just described. Kyle then looked around the group, as if searching for anyone else who was surprised by what Michael had just said…

“Uh, guys? I hate to be the voice of reason here… But in my experience, trees don’t just randomly blow up.” Michael shrugged.

“Well, this one did.” Kyle paused for a moment, trying to remember everything he could about the moments right before he blacked out… We were heading back inside… Then I noticed the tree was made out of little dots. When I moved closer, the dots started moving faster and faster and then there was a flash, and then… Nothing. Blank. Kyle’s brow furrowed as Maria handed him a small ice-pack, which he gladly took and placed on his head.

“So what made it… Y’know, go nuclear?” Now Michael frowned and turned to Max, who decided to field this one.

“Well, Michael said he smelled gas right before it blew, so we’re guessing that it hit a cigarette butt or something near the tree and went up. We didn’t exactly stick around to get the details.” Kyle nodded… The explosion would have brought police in, so it made sense that the group gathered and left.

“A gas leak… Wow.” Kyle was at a loss for words… After all he’d gone through in the last couple years, the idea that something as normal as a gas leak killed him was almost absurd. He shrugged the notion off and looked around himself… They’d pulled the van over on the side of the road to let him get some air. The landscape around them was a lot different from that near the diner, so Kyle assumed they must have driven quite a distance away… He then turned his attention back to Max.

“Give me the keys, Max.”

“Huh?”

“It’s my turn to drive.” Max’s expression remained blank for a moment before a small smile came across his face and he tossed the set of keys over to Kyle, who caught them out of the air. He turned around and began to walk towards the driver’s side door, but Liz cut him off.

“Are you sure you’re ready to drive? I mean, you’ve been unconscious for a couple of hours…” Kyle just smiled and put a hand on Liz’s shoulder.

“I appreciate the concern, Liz, but I’m fine.” With that, Kyle walked past Liz to the door of the van, behind himself, he heard Michael call ‘shotgun’. He laughed to himself as he climbed into the car and took a look at the dashboard. It was a couple hours past midnight… He really had been out for a while… He shrugged and put the keys into the ignition as Michael climbed in the passenger’s seat and the rest of the group climbed in the back. Kyle looked over at Michael, who looked back.

“Looks like we’re steering the ship for now, Valenti.” Kyle smiled and gave a nod as he put the van into drive, pulling out onto the road. The two remained engaged in silence for what seemed to be an eternity, until everyone in the back of the van had drifted to sleep. Then, Michael abruptly turned towards Kyle.

“There was no gas.” Kyle, slightly confused, checked the fuel gauge on the dashboard.

“What are you talking about? We’ve still got half a tank left.” Michael’s expression remained deadly serious…

“The tree, Kyle. I didn’t smell any gas.” Kyle frowned. I really don’t like where this is going…

“So why’d you tell the others you did?” Michael shrugged.

“I didn’t think it was my place to say anything.” The two remained silent for a moment as Kyle rubbed his temple. He was fairly sure he knew exactly where Michael was going with this…

“So… You think it’s finally happening to me?” Michael responded with a nod…

“Yeah, it’s happening.”



-End of Chapter 2.-



AN: Wow. Two in two days... that's gotta be a record or something. >_< Anyway, don't expect this kind of thing all the time, this was probably a one shot deal. Also, for those of you who are fans of Isabel, don't be worried by her current lack of doing anything productive, she'll be coming in very soon.

Well, it's that time again. Time for me to post, that is.

behrinthecity: Nice to see someone pick up on the subtle references. as far so the military/FBI goes, we can probably assume they wouldn't just up and quit their search for the Roswellians, makes you wonder how all of them are going to coexist when they cross paths... And of course Michael pulled it off! He's like a ninja! That or nobody really thought he was going to the bathroom in the first place.

cardinalgirl: Yay for more subtle reference recognition! As for Jake and his mom... They do present an interesting enigma, don't they? And I didn't think anyone would pick up on what the 'dots' were this quickly. >_<

xmag: Yup. gotta love Michael's 'Do as I say, Not as I do' kinda logic.

And now...


-Chapter 3: Misfired-

“Skin Deep” – TRAPT

This attraction only to appearance,
becoming your religion, looks are everything,
the only thing that means something to you.
Satisfaction only on the surface, your eyes are always focused,
go on and let it show, that there is no exception to the rule.

So, fill the empty space,
with another pretty face…

You're skin deep, skin deep!
No one will ever be perfect in your eyes…
You're skin deep, skin deep!
Only scratching the surface for your prize…

First impressions,
are over in an instant.
You make your decision before you speak a word;
you end your search, the page already turned…
Every conquest filled with disappointment, lacking any substance,
Now you're out of words, the lines are blurred, you're never gonna learn…

So fill the empty space,
with another pretty face…

You're skin deep, skin deep!
No one will ever be perfect in your eyes…
You're skin deep, skin deep!
Only scratching the surface for your prize…

You're skin deep, skin deep!
No one will ever be perfect in your eyes…
You're skin deep, skin deep!
Only scratching the surface for your prize…

Look all your life for beauty this fine,
so rare, so hard to find…
Look all your life for beauty this fine,
never mind what's inside.

You're skin deep, skin deep!
No one will ever be perfect in your eyes…
You're skin deep, skin deep!
Only scratching the surface for your prize…


Lub-dub… Lub-dub… Lub-dub…

Jake relaxed as he felt Stacey’s heart right next to his, beating at regular intervals… It was a soothing position to be in, sitting on the hood of his truck with Stacey resting her head on his shoulder as they looked out at the city’s flickering lights… Jake took a deep breath, enjoying the moment. This was one of the 'Date Activities' he'd really lucked out when he'd found out about it. It was romantic enough to pass as material for a date, and it was also something he didn't absolutely loathe doing. It’s really a shame I can’t just sit here and do this forever… It makes me feel so… Normal. Jake sighed. There it was again. Normalcy. Something he’d been unable to enjoy his entire life. Having his father walk out on his family when Jake's crib was barely worn in had started that trend, and the rest of his life just seemed to nonchalantly follow along… Not that he'd led a life filled with nothing but bad events, because he certainly hadn't. He had football to thank for that; it was his childhood's one saving grace. At first it had been an outlet for all the pent up rage he had... He'd go out and line up on the defensive side of the ball and barrel into all the other eight year-olds with the sole intention of knocking there heads off. It hadn't won him any points with the parents, but that probably had more to do with the lack of tolerance for physical contact in flag football. Never-the-less, as time progressed, he began to fall in love with the nuances of the game, spending hours in front of the TV watching John Elway and Dan Marino hurling the ball down field... That's when his career as a quarterback was born, and since then, he'd been on the fast track to NFL glory, just like his heroes. Sure there were large expectations and a mock ‘celebrity’ status dumped on him as a result, but all that was made worthwhile when he stepped on the field and made things happen. The natural high he got from raising an entire school to their feet in simultaneous celebration – There was nothing, nothing like it. Even with all of that, there were still times he wished his life was a quiet, simple, mundane one. That he had a mom and a dad, all living happily under one roof... But it didn't work out that way, did it? He let another deep breath escape his lungs as he shifted his attention back to the city lights twinkling before him…

“This is amazing, Jake…” The voice interrupted his thoughts, almost annoying him at first... But after a moment, he remembered he was still in the middle of his date. As soon as he remembered , a small smile came across Jake’s face… She’s having a good time… That’s good for me. “Did you do this thing back in Columbus, too?” Jake gave a slight nod as he responded, still gazing out into the night.

“Yeah… I’ve always really been into this kind of thing. I guess I’ve always liked how it makes everything down there seem so far away… So distant.” His smile faded a bit as he spoke. He probably shouldn’t have made the comment; it only would have confused her. Sure, they’d shared a nice meal peppered with all the usual talk about their respective backgrounds, Stacey’s in Roswell, Jake’s in Ohio… But he, of course, hadn’t really gone into much depth. He wasn't the kind to just 'open up' to people, in fact, as things stood now, only two people in the world really understood him, and one had confined herself to an old couch in their living room. He didn't resent his situation, though. He liked to keep his home life and his social life very distinctly separated. He’d received more than enough pity from people as a toddler because of his dad’s vanishing act, and he’d since decided that he didn't enjoy the way it made him feel – weak. You pity those who can't control their own lives and suffer because of it; Jake wasn't ready to admit that anything was out of his control.

“Yeah… It does…” Stacey’s response came softly spoken, and elicited no reaction from Jake. Is she even listening to me? Jake already knew the answer to his question, though… The night was panning out just the way he’d been hoping it wouldn’t. She'd displayed all the tell-tale signs of being exactly the same girl he'd dated his entire life. The way she presented herself to him. The way she spoke to him, baiting his mind with double meanings and suggestive tones. It all pointed to one fact. Yup. She’s one of those girls… One of the ones who is in love with the idea of dating me and being seen with me, all the while caring less about who I am, or what I'm like. Jake had been trying to deny the reality of the situation all night, but it had definitely been there. JESUS! Get a GRIP, DeMarte! You’ve got an amazingly attractive woman practically crawling over you, and all you can do is feel sorry for yourself because she doesn’t ‘love’ you! There are millions of guys who’d die to get in the position that you’re in right now. Be a man. Jake’s lips curved upward ever so slightly as the thought crossed his mind… He shifted his gaze downward at Stacey’s face, staring intently into her soft brown eyes, only to have her look back up at him a moment later. The two stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed to be an eternity before Jake slowly lowered his head so his lips met hers. They’d only been kissing for a moment when Jake pulled his head back up… Nothing. A small look of concern crossed Stacey’s face as she righted herself…

“What is it? What’s wrong…?” Jake paused for a moment, running his fingers through his hair... He couldn't back out. He had a reputation to uphold. There was no reason he had to feel bad about just playing around with her; she knew exactly what she was getting herself into. Time to add another one to my ever-growing collection of 'toys'... Jake once again forced a well rehearsed smile to cross his face as he looked at her.

“It's nothing... I just can't get over how beautiful you look.” Perfect. Feed her a classic... Now it's time to seal the deal, Jake. Their lips met again, and remained that way until an overwhelming sense of nausea came over Jake. He jumped off the hood of the car and began to pace back and forth. What the hell are you doing!? You do this all the time! Now is not the time to be pulling a stunt like this!

“Are you feeling alright, Jake?” Stacey's voice was sugarcoated with a fake feeling of concern for him. She was still trying. Still shaken and unsure how to respond, Jake once again ran a hand through his hair, staring out into the infinite darkness that loomed above the dim, flickering lights of Aurora, Colorado. He turned back towards the truck and offered a hand to Stacey, which she accepted as he helped her down…

“It’s starting to get really late…” Jake continued staring out into the night sky, not at all eager to make eye contact with Stacey right now…

“It’s not that late…” She spoke in a playful tone, but it only served to make Jake sigh. Typical answer for her type. Three in the morning is defiantly not too late, is it? What was I thinking!? He shook his head and walked around to the other side of his truck and opened the driver’s side door.

“I wouldn’t want your parents to worry about you.” Really, he didn’t care, but he wasn’t sure he could stomach another minute of this… He climbed into the truck and turned the key in the ignition, patiently waiting for Stacey to get in, which, after a couple seconds hesitation, she reluctantly did. He twisted the knob next to the radio, hoping that turning the music up a bit would reduce any attempts to make conversation on her part. It probably wouldn’t, given her current mindset, but it was worth a shot… He pulled out onto the road and started the long drive back down to Aurora…


-----------------------------------------------------


Isabel's feet gracefully glided across the floor, keeping in perfect synchronization with both the pair of black dress shoes opposite of them, and the faint music playing in the background. She smiled as she pulled her head up off of her dance partner's chest, gazing longingly into his eyes.

“I love you, Isabel Ramirez.” The words enveloped her, wrapping her in a warm embrace that corrected everything that felt wrong about the crazy world she was living in...

“I love you, too, Jesse Ramirez.” The smile already stretched across his face broadened as she spoke... And the two continued to dance, content to remain silent and enjoy the moment.

“I'm so glad you finally came back to me.” Jesse's words of thanks were immediately followed by a kiss. It only lasted seconds, but it might as well have lasted for a lifetime, because in that instant, he alleviated all the pain Isabel had endured, just so she could enjoy this moment... “I'm never going to let you get away from me again...”

“I'm never going to leave you again, Jesse.” She believed every word she spoke as well... Her heart had ached so much since she'd left Roswell, all she wanted to do now was be with him. To hold him. To have him hold her. To have moments like these everyday for the rest of her life.

“Then it's settled. We never leave each other alone again, right?” Isabel's face brightened as a tear streaked down her face... She lowered her head back into Jesse's shoulder, letting him wipe away her tears.

“Right.” Meanwhile, while observing from a safe distance, the real Isabel Ramirez had to wipe them away herself.

“How much longer is this gonna take!?” The yell startled Isabel and brought her tumbling back from inside of Jesse's dream. Her eyes slowly drifted over in the direction of Maria, who had been the one asking.

“Trust me, we're less than a half hour outside of Aurora right now.” Kyle responded in a generally defensive tone, probably because he was the one driving. Michael chimed in next...

“We'd already be here if you'd hurry up. It's three in the morning, I'm sure there's no one around to notice if you go, I dunno... One mile an hour over the speed limit?” Normally Michael's unique brand of humor would have brought a smile to Isabel's face... But nowadays, there wasn't anything he could say that could make her forget that she was alone.

“It's not my fault, alright? The guy in this blue truck in front of us is the one sticking to the speed limit, alright!?” Kyle's tone was still defensive. Michael just turned and grabbed the knob on his door, rotating it as quickly as he could, causing the window to slide down. As soon as there was enough room, Michael stuck his head out the window and turned it in the general direction of the truck in front of them.

“HURRY UP!” After delivering his message, Michael pulled his head back in the car and turned to Kyle. “There you go. No need to thank me, Valenti.” Kyle, on the other hand, just laughed as he pointed forward, at the truck. Not only had the truck slowed another five miles hour, but the driver had responded to Michael's 'suggestion'.

“Did he just...!? He didn't just do that!” Despite Michael's disbelief, there had been, just a moment ago, a hand extended out of the driver's side window, with a finger firmly extended. Maria's reaction to Michael's anger was simply to join Kyle and burst out laughing. “This isn't funny, Valenti! Pull up next to this guy!” Kyle's laughter subsided as he exchanged a nervous glance with Maria...

“Why? What're you planning on doing?” Even as he spoke, Kyle was accelerating and moving over into the lane for oncoming traffic, hardly in a position to be arguing with Michael.

“I'm just going to teach him a little lesson about respecting others while on the road, that's all.” As the van came up alongside the truck, Michael turned his head forward and stuck his arm outside the window, extending his fingers in the direction of the truck. A few moments later, a smile stretched across Michael's face as a loud pop was heard from outside the van. 'There, that oughta do-”

“Shit!” Michael was cut off as Kyle slammed on the brakes and did his best to maneuver the van to the side of the road... Upon doing so, he put the van into park and turned his gaze to Michael. Michael, still confused, looked back at the van's other occupants for an indication of what might have happened. His glance was met with an icy stare from Isabel, the same from Maria, and nothing from Max or Liz, who had both just woken up, and were both far too busy checking on each other to notice Michael. Finally, he turned back to Kyle.

“What the hell happened?”

“We got a flat. Two of them, from the feel of it.” Kyle gave Michael a sarcastic smile as he climbed out of the van. “Good going, you really taught them.” Before Michael could answer, Kyle closed the door and began to head around back to get the spares. Befuddled, Michael turned his gaze back to the road, where he saw the blue truck still coasting. As Michael looked, he saw a hand once again emerge from the driver's window, this time waving back at him as the truck drove off. As it sped out of sight, Michael looked down at both of his hands, and then back up at the road...

“What the hell?”

“Well, you never really were able to get a handle on your powers, Michael.” Isabel's voice caused Michael to quickly turn around and look behind himself, his face contorted into an expression of fake shock.

“It speaks!” Another lame attempt at a joke. Isabel's face remained rigidly emotionless as she shifted her gaze back out of the window, looking at the flickering lights just outside...

“Just get out of the car and help Kyle fix this so we can get a move on.” Not eager to mess with Isabel in her current mood, Michael did just that, leaving Isabel alone in the middle seat of the van, with both Max and Liz now awake behind her. Max was the first to turn his attention to her...

“So, what happened?” Isabel answered without even turning around.

“Michael got into it with another driver, and then tried to give them a couple of flats.” Max's brow furrowed as Isabel stopped speaking...

“Then why-?” Isabel still didn't turn.

“He missed.”


-----------------------------------------------------


“Well...” Jake stood at the doorway to Stacey's home, feeling incredibly awkward. It was unusual for him to feel like this, especially at this point in a date... But he wasn't trying to end this date with her wanting more. In fact, he was perfectly content to never see her again and leave the feeling of nausea that had overcome him on the hill outside of town. Stacey, on the other hand, was still interested in ending the date on a good note.

“Well, I had a nice time tonight, Jake...” Jake gave her a weak smile and responded in the most sincere tone he could muster up.

“I'm glad you did, Stacey.” Unfortunately, Stacey took his sincerity as an invitation to move in closer. Jake remained exactly where he'd been standing, now able to feel the faintest traces of air escaping Stacey's lips hitting the bare skin of his neck. This was the last position he had wanted to find himself in, but he'd still somehow managed to stumble his way into it. He sighed and met her lips as they approached his. What is it that they say? That a kiss is more than two sets of lips touching because of the way it sends our minds and hearts spinning? He parted lips with her and gazed into her eyes, searching for any indication that this bothered her as much as it did him. His search, unsurprisingly, came up empty. He took a step away from her, making his intention to leave soon known.

“So... when can we do this again...?” Jake was caught off-guard by the question. Jeez... Don't you have a sense of empathy? She just doesn't get it... I tried to do this the easy way. Any trace of happiness fell from Jake's face as he responded...

“We'll see.” Code for: Never. If that one doesn't get across, then I'll have to deal with this more definitively later...

“Alright, I'll call you later then...” Jake nodded an turned on his heels, heading back down to the spot on the curb where he'd parked his truck... He climbed into the driver's seat and just sat, content to relax for a while. That was, until his eyes fell on the digital clock above his radio. 4:00 AM had already come and gone... Damn, I've gotta get home and get to bed. At best, I'll be able to come away with an hour and a half of sleep tonight... As he thought, Jake started up the truck and put it into drive, ignoring speed limits for the most part in his haste to get home. Finally, after what had seemed to be the longest fifteen minutes of his life, Jake turned onto the familiar street that his home was situated along. He sloppily parked his truck along the curb in front of his house, and dragged himself inside.

“Mom? You still up...?” Jake made sure not to ask too loudly, just in case his mother had managed to get to sleep... After a moment without an answer, Jake shrugged, assumed she'd done just that, and began to make his way to his room. However, he was stopped dead in his tracks as the hall was filled by an irritating, high-pitched beeping sound. Jake's eyes immediately shot upward as he covered his ears.

“What the hell!?” Jake received his answer as his eyes fell on the fire alarm on the opposite side of the hall, back in the direction of the living room and kitchen. The kitchen! Jake bolted back down the hallway, throwing open the door to the kitchen as he stumbled inside. He was greeted by an intense heat, which he quickly gathered was coming from the large flames licking at the stove top and the surrounding area. Instinct quickly leaped in front of logic, and Jake leaped into action. Maintaining a safe distance from the flames, he began to stare intently at them... A second later, Jake was staring at a large collection of dots, all of which were moving at speeds way beyond his ability to comprehend. God! There's so many! No! Can't think about that now. I need to get to work... As he thought, Jake did his best to focus on a single portion of the dots. As he did, he reached out to them, and they began to slow down ever so lightly... Come on! Stop! Stop, already! Jake's vision began to blur as the dots stopped, remaining firmly in place. He continued his process, moving over to the next section, again willing the dots to stop moving... By the time he'd gotten to the last section, Jake's vision had completely left him, aside from the sight of the dots, which seemed to taunt him, gleefully dancing around the room. He narrowed his now bloodshot eyes as he focused on extinguishing the few remaining flames. God, they're moving too fast! No! I have to stop them. I have to protect Mom... Finally, the dots ceased, and Jake fell to one knee, unable to stop a weak smile from crossing his face. I did it...I did- Jake's thoughts were interrupted as he felt a bitter liquid enter his mouth. What? Using what little strength he had left, Jake put a hand up to his mouth. It was wet to the touch... Jake quickly brought the hand up to his eyes. His vision was still shot, but he could just make out the tips of his fingers, and more importantly, he could make out the dark crimson stained on them. Blood.

“Fuck...” The word barely managed to escape his mouth as his arm went limp by his side, and his body fell to the floor, remaining motionless upon landing.


-----------------------------------------------------


“We're an hour behind thanks to you!” Maria exclaimed as she burst out from the back of the van, landing in the parking lot of a cheap motel. Michael directly followed her, trying to slow her down.

“I can only apologize so many times before it starts to lose it's meaning!” Michael did his best to keep the traces of frustration on his part out of the comment, but they were still easily found. Maria kept walking, heading towards the front office to get a room for the night.

“You'd better get started, then!” Michael threw his arms up in defeat and stopped following her. He turned back around, where he saw Kyle's head emerge from the still open doors of the van. “What the hell's her problem!?” Michael asked, looking at Kyle.

“Michael, in case you haven't already realized this... I'm probably the last person in this van who can give you advice about girls.” Kyle, never missing the opportunity to joke, pointed back at Max and Liz to emphasize his point. It was true... Kyle was the only member of the gang that had made it this far without developing a significant relationship. Michael's response was to let out a frustrated snort.

“Well, you can consider yourself lucky that you don't have to deal with this, Valenti.” as Michael spoke, Kyle hopped out of the vehicle and took a step closer to Kyle, glancing back at Liz and Max as he did so... He continued the conversation in a hushed tone...

“Speaking of dealing with things... what are we gonna do about my...” Kyle looked back at Max and Liz again before putting his hands together, “My explosive personality?”

“I don't know, Kyle. None of us can do anything like that...” Michael's response accompanied a shrug as Max and Liz climbed out of the van. Max wrapped his arms around Liz as he shifted his attention to Michael.

“None of us can do what?” A small bead of sweat began to form on Kyle's forehead... He knows. Max knows.

“Go clubbin'.” Michael's response came out of thin air, saving Kyle. Michael continued in a matter of fact tone, “Y'know, since Kyle's the only member of the group left without somebody to call 'Honey', he's gonna have to find other ways to entertain himself.” A smile came over Max's face as he turned to Kyle, offering his sympathies.

“Don't worry, Kyle, I'm sure things'll work out.” Kyle gave Max a thankful smile as he responded.

“Thanks, Max. Now, onto more pressing matters... What's the plan for tomorrow? How do we get to the bottom of this?”Max gave a small shrug as Liz fielded the question.

“Well, it makes the most sense to investigate some of the weird things that have been happening here. Y'know, like go interview people who were involved, have a look around... That kind of stuff.” Kyle jumped up and clapped his hands as Liz finished.

“And when I'm done, do I get a Scooby snack!?” The entire group's eyes fell on Kyle as he waited for a response... “A Scooby snack?” Kyle did his best to add emphasis to what was obviously an attempt at a joke... The now returning Maria was the one who finally enlightened them.

“Come on, guys. Six people in a van, a.k.a. The Mystery Machine, are going off to investigate the paranormal? Didn't any of you watch Scooby Doo?” Maria tossed a small key to Max as she spoke. Kyle just shook his head as there was a collective murmuring of realization.

“I swear, my comedic brilliance is wasted on you guys.” Max smiled as he held the key up in front of the group, dangling it.

“Alright, enough joking. We need to get some sleep... I've got a feeling tomorrow's gonna be a long day...” Their was a collective nod of agreement throughout the group as Max let go of Liz and nodded in Kyle and Michael's direction, motioning for them to follow him. They'd used these arrangements every time they'd stopped at a motel during their trip. The guys would stay in one room, and the girls in the other. It was cheaper than individual rooms, and it'd helped in the 'male-bonding' department. Max was really beginning to trust Kyle as someone who he could be completely open with, and expect the same in return. He just hoped that Maria and Liz could help Isabel recover the swagger she'd lost since they'd left Roswell. That was on a whole different level by itself though... Max was still putting it off, but sooner or later... Isabel would have to straighten herself out, for everyone's sake. The three ladies gathered their meager belongings and headed in the direction of their assigned room, making little conversation along the way. Liz's gaze fell on Isabel as Karia opened the door to the room. She really wished their was something she could say or do to help make her feel better about the whole situation, but she knew that there wasn't a whole lot she could do. If she'd been forced to leave Max behind, she'd be just the same way, maybe even worse. Maria swung the door open and the girls all moved inside. Isabel immediately walked over to one of the open beds and laid herself down, struggling to go to sleep as quickly as she could. The other two girls just calmly went about getting themselves prepared for a brief rest; they were used to the routine. Isabel always tried to sleep as much as she could when given the chance... It let her dreamwalk Jesse. Liz couldn't blame her for wanting to get all out of the gift she could. She turned to look over at Maria, who was still visibly steamed due to Michael's latest miscue. She gave her friend a comforting smile.

“It was an accident, Maria... And he did say he was sorry...” Maria wasn't about to let him off the hook, though.

“Yeah, after a couple hours of persuasion. Besides, he knows better than to do something like that in public anyway! He had no idea who was in that truck, Liz. It could have been anyone. Anyone.” Liz walked over to Maria and placed her hands on her shoulders.

“But it wasn't anyone who's looking for us. We're all fine. That's all that matters right now, Maria.” Liz's smile broadened as she saw Maria begin to relax as she sat down on the nearest bed...

“Yeah, I guess you're right... As usual.” Liz giggled as she walked over to the wall and put a finger on the light switch.

“Of course I am. Now, let's get some sleep.” With that, she flipped the switch and felt her way over to the couch where she'd be spending the night. Meanwhile, the three guys entered their room, and Michael immediately flopped over on the coach, grabbing the TV remote on the end table nearby while doing so. He flicked the TV on and was greeted by the morning news.

“In a piece of rather bizarre news this morning, local football star Jake DeMarte was found unconscious, suffering from severe internal bleeding, in the kitchen of his suburban home. He was discovered when Firefighters were called to the scene by an automated alarm system. However, by the time the firefighters arrived, there was no fire to put out.” The scene quickly cut to a middle-aged man in a fire fighter's uniform, who was identified by a scrolling bar at the bottom of the screen. “I swear, it was the weirdest thing! We responded to the call as usual, but when we arrived, we found Mr. DeMarte unconscious, and the walls and stoves were burst to a crisp. It's like the fire just put itself out!” The scene cut back to the news anchor it had been on earlier. “It seems that Jake is just another one of the many people in Aurora who's lives have possibly been saved by strange occurrences. Now to Chuck Noalth with the weather.” The room went silent as Michael pressed the power button on the remote. Max looked across the room at it's two other occupants.

“Well, it looks like we've found a starting point.”


-End of Chapter 3.-


AN: Is it just me, or does Lub-Dub sound weird for a heart noise when you actually say it? Those are the official names for the two sounds though, so I guess they'll have to do. Also, in case you didn't guess, it's only a matter of time until the Roswellians and Jake meet! Gasp!

xmag: It would appear Jake is indeed alien, from what's been seen up to this point. With Michael, maybe it has more to do with who he was aiming for than his control.

cardinalgirl: In regards to the tire incident, remember that Jake had a 'long drive back to Aurora' from the spot outside of town he'd been at with Stacey, it was after he dropped her off that he really started putting the pedal to the metal to make his way back. Jake's powers, as far as being careful goes, it could be that he doesn't really care if he gets caught. See Nicholas in the Roswell High novels. that is assuming that all the events in Aurora are him, however. You're right to assume I haven't seen 'Life as we Know It', but I might just check it out for myself, now. Jake's mom, the title of the fic, and Kyle's love life? We'll see what the future holds.

Now...


-Chapter 4: Converge-


Jake smashed the buttons down with the tip of his index finger, pressing as hard as he could without breaking the remote itself. He'd been confined to this bed all day, and his patience was beginning to wear thin. It would have been one matter if he was being helped by these people, but they weren't. Jake was already back on his feet, hadn't undergone a single test or treatment, and was growing tired of being held at Aurora's finest hospital against his will. The whole thing seemed to be, from what he'd deciphered, a horribly executed attempt to get his permission to run a few tests ad such. That wasn't about to happen, though, Jake had made sure of that. A smile appeared as Jake thought back... It had been his Sophomore year in High School when he'd realized that he couldn't allow himself to be openly operated on, that would only raise questions about his heritage and, more than likely, a ban from football due to his... 'Unique' genetic make-up. So, he did what all hair-brained teenagers do, he formulated a plot to help him in preventing just that. It really hadn't been hard for him, either. He'd had contacts all over East Madison, so it was easy to track down the kind of person he needed. He just asked around. No one asked him why he was looking for someone with an in-depth knowledge of medical law practices; they were afraid to. He ran the school there, just like he was beginning to in Aurora, and people knew getting on his bad side would only make the rest of their High School careers a nightmare. As a result, he was left with a list of about ten names when all was said and done. Once again, it was hardly a difficult matter to get them all together to help him figure out what he could do to solve his problem, and then create the necessary legal documentation, all free of charge, of course. Well, not exactly free. Thanks to one particularly annoying transfer student, Adam or Alex something-or-other, he'd ended up doing a single favor from each member of his 'legal team'. Most of the favors were fairly simply to arrange; things like getting them a particular date for the upcoming dance, which had only involved dating the girl and asking a favor of her, and other general high school problems. Others had been more complicated. A new cell phone, a new car, ridiculous material things of that nature. Despite his better judgment, Jake went ahead and did his part; he broke into several popular electronics stores, swiping an item here and there. Of course, with his abilities, it was easy to get the items, deliver them, and get away with it... Security cameras tended to miss things right after their lens had been shattered. When it was all said and done, it had taken minimal effort on his part to acquire what he fondly referred to as his 'Get out of Jail Free' card. That had been the first time he'd really exploited others for personal gain... He hadn't been able to stop. It was too easy to make them do things, to manipulate them. Over time, he'd come to terms with the fact that the human race was, as a whole, dishonest and self-serving, with a few exceptions he'd met along the way. People he could honestly form a bond with. People he could care about. Still, he had no qualms about using the rest of them as tools, they'd done it to each other long before he'd been around.

“Mr. DeMarte, how are you feeling?” The nurse walked into the room carrying a tray with the usual assortment of bland hospital foods on it. Jake's smile faded as he looked up at her, shooting a piercing glance in her direction. The nurse did her best to maintain her composure.

“I'm perfectly fine. Just like I was five fucking hours ago when I was told you I wanted to leave.” Despite his profanity, Jake's tone remained level and showed no obvious traces of anger. One look at Jake spoke volumes other-wise. Jake wasn't used to having things taken out of his control. He didn't like it. In fact, it typically caused him to act rather irrationally. Jake would never admit it, but his fear of anything out of his control made him dangerous. Not just to those he felt were responsible, either... But to everyone. He'd first learned that the hard way.

“I'm sorry that you're being held here, Jacob, but there's nothing I can do about that,” she was nervous, he could hear it in every word she spoke. She raised the tray up to put it down on the end table next to the bed in the room, “I'm just going to leave this here in case you get hungry, alright?” She then turned on her heels, quickly making her way to the door. She didn't want to spend any longer in the room with him than necessary. Jake's eyes flitted down to the linoleum flooring just in front of her feet, staring at the spot for a moment. As the nurse reached the spot on the floor, the tip of her shoe fell into a small crevice, causing her to lose her balance and fall forward. Jake smiled as the nurse tumbled to the ground... Serves her right. Jake was just about to make a sarcastic remark when an image flashed before his eyes.

She stood in front of him, smiling as she looked up at his face. Her long brown hair being pulled up by the wind and thrown wildly against the pale complexion of her neck. Her blue eyes studied him, making him uncomfortable. She just laughed as she saw him trying to avoid her gaze. The 14 year-old girl ran across the room and hopped up, wrapping her arms around his chest, hugging him tightly as he looked down at her, unsure of what to make of the sudden display of affection. After a moment, a 14 year-old Jake wrapped his arms around the smaller girl and lifted her off her feet in a heart-felt embrace. The two smiled and laughed as he put her back down on the ground. She spoke, her smooth voice echoing in his mind like the words of an angel...

“Jake. I missed you so much!” She giggled as she wrapped her arms around him again. He smiled as a tear raced down his cheek, falling innocently to the ground.

“I missed you, too...”

“Alia...”

As quickly as it had come, the image faded, and Jake was back in the hospital room. He could hear the small whimpers of pain escaping the nurse's mouth as she adjusted herself on the ground, tightly clutching her ankle. His hostile expression faded as he quickly made his way over to where she'd fallen, quickly looking at the ankle. Twisted it. Nothing major, it's a quick fix. Jake slowly extended his hand toward her ankle, looking up at her face, perfectly meeting her eyes as he spoke.

“Do you mind if I take a look...?” Set as ease by Jake's new demeanor, the nurse removed her hands and allowed Jake to gently place the tips of his fingers on the top of her ankle, which had already begun to swell. Jake frowned and looked back up at the nurse...

“Alright, I can fix this, but you're going to have to trust me, alright?” Still captivated by his peaceful tone, the nurse again nodded. I gotta make this seem realistic. Jake turned his attention back towards the ankle, “You're going to hear a small pop, alright? It's nothing to be worried about.” The nurse remained calm, and Jake wrapped his hands around her ankle, ignoring the tensing of the muscles in her leg as the ankle broke down into dots... Thank god I paid attention in bio... Jake quickly corrected the positioning of the muscles and tendons inside her leg and then let go, tapping his foot on the linoleum behind him to create a small 'popping' noise. He shifted his gaze back to the nurse and smiled.

“You should be alright, now.” Not entirely sure, the nurse tentatively moved her foot around for a moment before climbing up and putting her weight on it. Finally assured of her 'recovery' she smiled at Jake.

“Thanks... I'll see what I can do about getting the hospital to let you go.” Jake smiled and waved as the nurse went down the hall, thankful for her generosity. He wasn't out of the woods yet, though. Even if they couldn't legally examine him without his consent, they could hold him for observation until a Parent/Guardian arrived to get him. In his case, there was a good chance no one would ever show up. His mother was still so absorbed in what they'd lost that night... She wouldn't notice him missing. Not until the power shut off and her stomach began to growl, anyway. Jake sighed and flopped down onto the hospital bed in the room, taking the opportunity to rest... He'd been able to patch up his insides for now, but what he'd done was hardly a permanent solution. The sooner he got home and was able to 'fix' the problem for good, the sooner he'd be able to get back to a normal routine. He grabbed his phone and began to scroll through the names stored in its memory... He needed to find someone who could get him out of here. After almost an entire minute of scrolling, he stopped. Perfect. He pressed send on the phone and held it up to his ear. The phone on the other thing rang for a moment before its owner picked up.

“Hello?” Jake smiled as the voice greeted him.

“Hey, it's me. In case you haven't heard, I'm being held prisoner up at the hospital. Do you think you could...?” There was a laugh on the other end.

“Stage a jailbreak? Sure thing, I'll be right there.” Jake's smile broadened as he rolled over on the bed, burying his face in the pillow. Only a matter of time, now...

“Thanks, Jess. I owe you one.” Another laugh.

“I'll add it to your tab. See you in ten.”


------------------------------------------------------------------


Kyle pushed his foot down on the brakes, causing the van to come to a gradual stop in front of a rather large suburban home.

“This is it. 67748 Crescent Ave.” Kyle turned his head to look at the other two occupants of the vehicle, Maria and Michael. He frowned as he turned the keys in the ignition, killing the motor. “So, how to we go about this, uh, interview-thing?” Michael shrugged and turned to look at Maria, seeing him do this, Kyle also looked in her direction.

“God, do I have to do everything?” Maria rubbed her temples for a moment, formulating a plan... We need a reason to approach her and ask her about her accident... Reporters? No. The story is too old... Unless, we're redoing the story to connect it with the other 'miracle'! The one with the football guy. Maria smiled and looked at the two guys, “Easy. We're reporters.” Michael gave Maria a sarcastic smile.

“Nice try, but the story is months old-” Maria cut Michael off mid-sentence.

“We're covering the story again to run it as part of an investigation of the mysterious rescues of both her and the football player.” Maria smiled and began to climb out of the van as Michael fell silent. Kyle turned towards Michael and patted him on the shoulder.

“She's good.” Kyle then climbed out of the van and began to follow Maria up to the front door of the home they'd stopped in front of. Michael sat in his seat.

“I could have thought of that.” Kyle passed Maria up on the pathway leading to the door, eager to get the 'interview' of sorts over with. As he reached the door, he extended his arm, preparing to knock on the door. However, this proved unnecessary as the door swung open, revealing a short, petite woman with long blond hair. She looked to be either 18 or 19, and had a pale complexion that was complemented by her light blue eyes. She stood in the threshold of her home for a moment, staring at Kyle.

“Uh, can I help you?” Kyle nodded for a moment, trying to buy himself time to think. Dammit, Valenti! REPORTER! Kyle snapped his fingers and pointed at the woman.

“I'm here to interview you about your accident.” The woman stared blankly at Kyle for a moment before the light bulb went off in her head.

“Oh. You're a little late there, Junior. The story's already come and gone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be going.” Before she'd finished speaking, the girl had already started down the pathway, stopping only when she bumped into a very annoyed Maria. The girl gave Maria an apologetic look, “Oh! I'm sorry.” Then she noticed something odd about the scene... “Do reporters usually work in pairs?” As she spoke, pointing back at Kyle, Michael arrived at Maria's side, slightly winded. He straighted himself up and look the woman in the eye.

“Jessica Winthrop, we'd like to ask you some questions.” The girl, once again, remained silent for a moment.

“Wow. A trio of reporters... Why the sudden interest in the accident?” Michael began to reply, but was cut off by Maria, who slid in front of him.

“We're going to be running it as part of a series of stories about miraculous recoveries. It's not everyday someone gets shot twice and lives to tell about it, y'know.” Maria gave a large, fake smile as she pulled out a pen and notepad, mentally thanking god she happened to have them on hand. Michael stared down at the objects... Wow. She came really prepared for this. Meanwhile, Kyle rushed back over to the group. Jessica nodded in response to Maria's explanation...

“Alright, what do you wanna know? But please, keep it quick, I've really gotta get going.” She tapped her foot on the pathway, emphasizing her impatience. Maria jumped into the questioning...

“Lemme just double check the basics with you... You were shot twice in the chest during an attempted mugging downtown earlier this year, right?” Jessica nodded and Maria continued, “You were then rushed to the hospital in a doubtful condition. Minutes later, your wounds vanished. You told police that one of the doctors laid a hand over the wound and you felt yourself being 'healed', correct?” Jessica again nodded, becoming more impatient. “I guess I'll start with the most obvious question... What did the doctor look like, were they male or female? Short hair or long? Ethnicity?” Jessica took a step back, somewhat startled by the sudden rush of questions. She took a moment to compose herself, and then answered, looking at Kyle while doing so.

“I didn't really get a good look at him, he was wearing a medical mask and everything. I'm pretty sure it was a black woman, though.” Jessica nodded as she spoke. She then turned her attention back to Maria. “So, do you need anything else?” Maria began to shake her head and respond when Kyle beat her to it.

“Your phone number!” As he spoke, a dumb grin came across his face. Maria and Michael, on the other hand, both shot him intense glares. As soon as Kyle noticed, the grin faded from his face, and he turned back to Jessica, speaking in a completely serious tone of voice. “Y'know, in case we have any more questions for you.” Jessica stared at him for a moment before giving a laugh.

“Nice try, Junior.” She smiled and gave Kyle a once over, winking at him, “Keep at it, though... You've got potential. Now, I've gotta go, I've got a friend waiting for me.” With that, she quickly turned around and climbed into the car par in the driveway; an orange Nissan 350 Z. Maria and Michael watched her leave, dumbfounded as the stupid grin returned to Kyle's face. He turned towards the amazed couple and smiled.

“I've got potential, guys.”

Maria gave Kyle a sarcastic smile.

“Hate to burst your bubble, Kyle... But I don't think we can believe a word she said.” Now, both Kyle and Michael's eyes darted towards Maria, begging for an explanation. Maria sighed and looked down at the notepad.

“Let's take this step by step. She described the 'doctor' as follows: he was wearing a medical mask and everything. I'm pretty sure it was a black woman, though. Now, what's wrong with that statement?” Kyle's smile faded as he looked at Jessica's car, which was now turning off the street.

“She wouldn't have called him a he if she thought it was a woman.” Michael nodded as Kyle spoke.

“So, do we follow her?” Maria shook her head in response.

“No, she's already too far off. Besides, who's to say that she's about to go see her 'savior'?”


------------------------------------------------------------------


Jake's eyes began to flutter, and he'd almost managed to drift to sleep when he heard footsteps coming his way, entering the room. Damn. Jake pushed himself up off the bed and turned around, looking to see who'd come in the door. His eyes landed on three people, roughly his age. Two were girls. The one guy had shorter black hair and stood at the head of the group, obviously leading the way, in his own mind, at least. He was pretty average as far as height went, and there wasn't too much to set him apart from any other Joe. The first girl had long, dark hair, and was following closely behind the guy. She had a petite build, dark eyes, and, while not amazing, was rather attractive, making it a shame she'd been holding the guy's hand up until a minute ago. However, it was the third entrant that really caught his interest... She had short, brown hair, which after glancing at for a moment, his 'expert' eyes told him was probably dyed. Her face was throughly expressionless as she walked into the room, but her eyes told a completely different story. Her soft brown eyes gave the impression of someone who was honestly being torn up inside, probably due to a romantic issue. Then again, I could be wrong. Appearances aren't always a good way to judge things. Right? Never-the-less, she was quite aesthetically pleasing. No. We're not going to do this thing again. There's more to them than hips and C cups. Remember the other bad thing you had to deal with last night. Jake focused on the reminder as he forced his eyes back onto the 'leader' of the group.

“Can I help you...?” Jake hadn't necessarily intended it, but the question came off sounding sarcastic. He shrugged it off and kept his eyes on the other guy. Weird... This guy seems really calm. Normally people rushing in here either want to ask a million question right away, or want to leave.

“Hi, my name is... Bill Finley. This is Li... Lisa Sommers,” he pointed to the smaller girl, “and Eliza Smith.” He pointed to the more attractive of the two. “We'd like to ask you a couple questions about the fire last night...” Figures. Jake sighed and turned his attention away from them, looking up at the TV he'd left on...

“I've already answered questions for a million different people... Police, radio, local news... Go ask them.” 'Bill' frowned and turned to 'Lisa', who just shrugged. Then, the girl who'd caught his interest, 'Eliza', seemed to surprise both of them by stepping towards Jake, placing a hand on his shoulder. Jake turned his head to look at her, and their eyes met. Jake paused for a moment... He then shifted his gaze away from her eyes. I'm not sure why, but looking into her eyes, seeing that empty, sullen gaze... It makes me feel bad about something.

“Please? We really need this story... Our editor has been riding us for months, and if we don't come up with something good...” Jake frowned and let out a deep breath... Well, I've never been one to disappoint a pretty face... He let out a sigh and nodded, looking back up at her...

“Alright, just a few questions.” The girl stepped back and Bill swooped back in, taking the lead.

“We just need a basic run down of what happened, to start.” Jake gave the guy another once over... This guy is really young to be a reporter... Jake shrugged off his feelings and began to speak.

“I came home after a date with a girl from school, and when I got in the fire alarm was going off. I wasn't sure why, so I went into the kitchen to check things out, and then I saw the fire. I must have freaked out or something, because I think I passed out at that point. Next thing, I'm arriving in an ambulance, and everyone's freaking out over me, but I feel fine.” Bill frowned as Jake spoke...

“So you have no idea how the fire was put out?” Jake shook his head and gave Bill a apologetic smile. A fake one, but apologetic none-the-less. Bill sighed, “I guess that'll pretty much do it, then. Just one more question... It was reported that you suffered severe internal injuries, but you seem fine. Any idea how that happened?” Jake frowned. This guy is beginning to annoy me. Just as Jake was about to open his mouth, a small girl pushed past the trio, and got over to Jake.

“Hey! I've pulled all the necessary strings, you're free to go.” The girl flashed a smile at Jake and turned, beginning to leave the room, “I'm guessing you'll need a ride, so let's go.” Jake's eyes moved back over to Bill and the two girls.

“Sorry, Uh... 'Bill', but I've gotta jet.” Not waiting for a response, Jake made his way around the group and next to the girl who had interrupted the conversation. The two exited the room and began to head down the hallway, walking towards the elevator that would get them back to the ground floor.

“Thanks, Jess. You really came through this time.” Jake gave her a genuine smile as he pressed the elevator's call button, causing the doors to spring open. The two entered the elevator, and Jess pressed the '1' button.

“Don't I always?” She flashed Jake a quick smile, “But who were those people in your room?” Jake shrugged.

“Reporters, I think.” Jess turned her head, staring straight in front of herself...

“Huh. That's weird. I just had a trio of reporters come to my house to ask me about... Well, y'know.” a concerned look came across her face as she turned to look over at Jake...

“You don't think they know-” Jake cut her off, shaking his head.

“No chance. They're just digging for a connection so that they can make a story, it's nothing to worry about. Trust me.” Jake gave her a comforting smile as he spoke, trying to put her mind at ease. His smile widened as the concern left her face and the elevator's door opened. The two walked out of the door and began to head toward the entrance of the hospital, making their way through the lobby. Jake's gaze fell on Jessica as they walked... God, what would I do without you? Jessica was one of the only people that Jake would do anything for... It still made him feel dishonest that their relationship had started because Jake wanted to take advantage of her family's considerable wealth, but he was still glad that they met. He'd originally approached her with the intent of dating her, but upon actually meeting her, he found her dominating the conversation and making him laugh. It had been odd for him at first, but it was only a matter of time before the two had forged a strong friendship. By their Freshman year of high school, he was closer to her than almost anyone, and, despite his better judgment, let her in on all the details of his life. All of them. The family woes, his fake attitude towards most of the people he knew, and, most importantly, he told her about his 'gifts'. When he'd first told her, she hadn't believed him, that was, until he gave her a display of his abilities by 'melting' the necklace he'd given her for Christmas two years ago. Actually, it hadn't melted exactly, he'd just loosened the bonds between the individual molecules of the necklace, causing it to slowly fall apart. Still, Jessica was understandably freaked out. That was why he feared the worst when she avoided him like the plague for the next two weeks. Those two weeks had been among the darkest in his life... His only real friend was afraid of him, and from the look of it, likely to turn him in to the feds. He became increasingly paranoid of everyone, and it seemed like even the smallest of things not going his way send him into a rage. He was living each moment in complete uncertainty, all because he'd trusted someone, and he was beginning to question himself. That was, until she showed up at his door. It had been an awkward moment at the time, and they remained completely silent as they walked to his room, looking for somewhere private to have their conversation. Jake wasn't able to get a word in once Jess got started... She basically told him the only thing he'd ever wanted to hear; He was still the same person she cared about, regardless of what he could do. She told him that she would always be there for him. From that moment on, she'd been the one he confided everything in, and the two became inseparable. That's why the move to Colorado had been such devastating news to him when he first found out. He couldn't fathom the thought of living halfway across the country from the only person who knew him... And luckily, he never had too. When he told her, she simply moved along with him. For anyone else, it would have been an impossible thought, but Jessica's family was rich. After a long discussion with her parents, who she didn't mind moving away from anyway (They were never that close...), they finally agreed to buy her a house in Aurora and fly her out there, sending along Maggie, Jessica's Maid/Cook/Babysitter, to keep an eye on here. So the two moved to Aurora, and things were peachy for a while, that was, until he messed it all up. He still felt guilty about it... There was no way he could have known what was going to happen, but he should have been there. Instead, he had to deal with the memories of hearing two shots ring out across the street, piercing his ears. The memory of turning and watching her fall to the ground, bleeding on the concrete. The memory of being absolutely helpless. Jessica was dying right in front of him, and he couldn't do anything. That was why he rushed to the hospital, recklessly racing past stop signs and traffic lights to get there before the ambulance. That was why he did everything he could to get a hold of a doctor's uniform and get into the E.R. while they were prepping for surgery. That's why he did his best to heal her in the middle of that room, knowing all too well what could happen if anyone saw. Luckily for him, they didn't. He finished doing all he could for her and fled, running back home, doctor's garb, bloody hands and all. He sat in his room, bawling for hours that quickly became days, unable to shake what had happened... Similar thoughts ran through his mind as he sat in his room. What would have happened if I wasn't 'special'? I should have made her stay in Ohio, then she wouldn't have... His thoughts were interrupted when she burst into his room and wrapped her arms around him in a heartfelt embrace. 'Thank you.' That's all she said. That's all that needed to be said...

The two reached Jessica's car, and Jake let out a low whistle as he climbed into the driver's seat, catching the keys as Jessica tossed them to him.

“C'mon, Jake. You've seen this car a million times.” Jake shook his head as he started the car up.

“And it's still amazing every time I see it.” he laughed as he threw the car into reverse and backed out, turning onto the road just outside the hospital.

“I've told you before, I can get you one if you really want it...” Jessica let her words drift off as they sped down the road. Jake shook his head and sighed...

“Nah. I'm alright with the truck for now...” In reality, he didn't like to accept gifts from her... In a weird way, the idea of getting something like that from her made him feel guilty, as if everything up to now had just been a part of his plan to take advantage of her. And that's the last thing I'd want.

“So, how did the date go?” Huh? Oh, Stacey. Jake sighed again.

“It sucked.” Jessica nodded and looked forward.

“Well, sounds like you just had a great night.” Jake laughed as he made a right turn. Jessica looked out the window and then turned to Jake, 'So, where are we headed?”

“My place, I've got to take care of some things.” Jessica nodded, not pressing the issue any further That was one of the things he loved about there friendship, Jess never pushed him. She trusted him to tell her anything and everything on his terms... Jake glanced over at her, smiling, “Did I ever tell you how lucky I am to know you?” Jessica smiled at him.

“Probably, but feel free to do so again.”


------------------------------------------------------------------


Max, Liz, Isabel, Kyle, Maria and Michael all sat down in the nearest booth and had menus handed to them. Only Michael picked his up as Maria turned to look at Max.

“So, what'd you guys manage to find out from the football player?” Michael continued to flip through the menu, which Kyle was now glancing at over his shoulder, as Max replied.

“Not much. He didn't see how put out the fire, and didn't get a chance to explain his 'recovery'.” Maria's eyebrows raised as Max mentioned DeMarte not being able to answer...

“Why didn't he answer?” Maria turned to Liz as she began to speak.

“A friend of his came in and practically dragged him out of the hospital room. It looked like they were in a rush to get somewhere.” Max and Isabel gave general nods of agreement as Liz spoke. Michael tried to flag down a waiter as Kyle stole the menu from his hands, starting to leaf through it himself. Maria continued to question the other team of 'investigators'.

“Did you manage to catch the name of the friend, or something?” Liz started to shake her head, but was cut off as Max replied.

“He called her 'Jess' when they were leaving.” Max was met with a confused look from Liz, “I followed them out into the hall a bit.” Meanwhile, Maria racked her mind, trying to find any information that had been gained... Jess... That's gotta be short for something. Jessica, probably. Jessica! Jessica Winthrop was the name of the girl that we interviewed earlier today, the one who got shot! She said she was running off to meet a friend who was waiting for her, too!

“Jess as in like short for Jessica, right!?” Max shrugged as a waiter began to make his way over.

“I guess so, I didn't really get a chance to catch a full name.” Maria frowned for a moment as she thought, then questioned again.

“Was she short, with blond hair?” Max nodded as Maria asked, causing her face to light up, “Oh my god! The woman who was shot's name is Jessica Winthrop. She was in a really big rush when we saw her, she said that her friend was waiting for her. To top it all off, she's a short blond.” Kyle turned around.

“A hot, short blond who thinks I have potential.” Kyle was met with a few blanks stares, and a glare from Maria. He shrugged, “Alright, I'll just go back to getting my food...” Kyle turned around, joining the ongoing conversation between Michael and the waiter, which apparently had something to do with the price of a hamburger.

“$15.95 for a burger is ridiculous, I don't care how good it is!” Max continued the serious discussion taking place at the other end of the table...

“Alright, I think we can assume that there's more than meets the eye with this, now. Two people are mysteriously healed, and they both seem to know each other, which means...” Liz finished Max's sentence...

“They both probably know whoever is responsible for all the weird events in Aurora.” The group's attention was shifted away from Liz as Isabel added another thought...

“Or one of them is responsible.” There was a momentary silence among the group as the waiter left, finally having received an order from both of the group members who were looking to eat. As he left, Michael and Kyle both rejoined the discussion. Michael was the one to break the group's silence.

“So, we're going to have to keep an eye on both of them until we know what's going on, right?” Michael's question was directed at Max, who sighed and rubbed his temple for a moment, weighing their options... Finally, he raised his head and nodded in Michael's direction.

“I don't see many other options, so that's what it looks like, Michael.” Michael nodded as Kyle lent in...

“Fine by me, I call the blond, though.”


------------------------------------------------------------------


Jake pulled the bright orange car into his driveway and hopped out of the driver's seat, rushing towards the door. He didn't have to worry about Jess being upset that he was rushing into the house without her, she'd understand his eagerness to get inside. He stumbled into the building and glanced around, only really able to see the living room, where his mom was sitting on the couch, watching TV. A huge sigh of relief escaped Jake's lungs as he continued down the hall... Thank god she's alright... Moving on... Jake turned into his room, knelt down next to his bed, and began fishing through the various articles that had found their way under his bed. Great Expectations... No. Old yearbook... No. Old tank top... No. Where is it!? Still searching several minutes later, he was stopped by a tapping on his shoulder. He quickly spun around to see Jess, who was standing behind him with a small black box in her hand. She handed him the box as he stared at it in disbelief...

“Where...?” Jess shook her head and laughed.

“Under the East Madison helmet in the corner, where you put it after last time.” Jake smiled at her as he opened the case, checking its contents...

“Thanks.” Jessica just nodded and left the room, leaving Jake alone with the contents of the box... He put his hand in a slowly extracted a long syringe filled with a clear liquid... He grabbed the old tank top he'd found from the ground and quickly tied it around his arm, just above the bicep. He shook his arm for a moment, causing blood to rush down his arm, enlarging the veins below the tank top. After doing all of this, he looked down at the syringe... Here it goes... Glancing down at his arm, he plunged the needle into a vein, slowly pushing down on the top of the syringe, forcing the liquid into his blood. As he did so, his arm began to shake. Swearing, he did his best to use his legs to keep the arm still. Then, just as his vision started to blur, the shaking stopped, and Jake was overcome with a euphoric feeling... He could feel his insides beginning to repair themselves. He smiled and stood up, closing the black box as he did so. He walked over to the corner and slip it under the football helmet that was, just as Jess had said, sitting there. He then cast his glaze down at the syringe. He focused for a moment, nudging the molecules of the object apart... Moments later, it was gone. Good. Another successful recovery. Jake jumped up and down a couple times, making sure he'd regained all control of his body, and then exited the room, walking down the hall into the living room, where Jessica was sat down on the couch next to his Mom, trying to make light conversation with her, to no avail. Jake smiled at her as he walked past the couch towards the door, motioning for her to follow him, which she did. The two walked back outside, heading towards Jessica's car, Jake ran his fingers over the hood before opening the driver's door... Jessica's brow furrowed.

“Where are we going now? Shouldn't you be talking to your mom, making sure she's alright? Finding out what started the fire?” Jake just turned around and flashed her a smile while shaking his head, his eyes wild with excitement.

“No. We're gonna have some fun for a change.”


-End of Chapter 4.-



AN: Probably the first thing noticed is a lack of lyrics this time. I've decided that I won't be using them regularly anymore, and that when they do come up, it'll be integrated into a scene rather than just plopped in front of a chapter. Also, there will be a more substantial meeting and a good deal of interaction between Jake and the group soon, for those of you who might be slightly disappointed by the 'Ask a question, vague response, leave.' moment they had together. Also, here's a picture of Jessica's car. the name drop and general awesome-ness of the car was just to further emphasize the wealth of her family.

behrinthecity: I actually went to see the Transformers movie as I was typing that chapter, which made me laugh a bit when I noticed that I'd typed that line in there. On the subject of Max and Jake, it was interesting that he disliked Max, especially when his history has mirrored Max's up to this point. Future interactions between them are going to be... Interesting, to say the least. Anyway, I'm glad you like Michael and Kyle's... Uh... Michael and Kyle-ness? I'll have to think up a better way to describe that later. >_<


cardinalgirl: I am having fun building Jake as a Love him/Hate him kind of character. If you're worried about the nurse thing, though... >_>

On the matter of the Adam/Alex line, I'll just say that you might be reading into the 'Adam' part of it a bit too much. I do wish Alex had been in the show, though. It'd have been fun to see him running around making toast. Also, yay for more Kyle love. as far as Jessica letting Jake drive goes, it was a subtle reference to how well she knows him. Jake has obvious and fairly serious problems with not being in control of things. Jessica is close to him, and knows this, so she lets him let's him drive so that he'll feel 'in control of things' and as comfortable as possible.


Now, moving on...



-Chapter 5: Rave-



"So, where are they now?" Max asked as he sat on the edge of one of the beds in the guy's motel room. Despite his current position, the bags beginning to form underneath Max's eyes made it clear he hadn't been able to get any meaningful sleep since arriving in Aurora. His tired eyes were currently focused on Michael, who had been put in charge of finding Jake DeMarte and Jessica Winthrop. Michael's face remained expressionless as he shrugged and let himself fall on the couch.


"I have no idea, Maxwell. Valenti and I checked the hospital, their houses, local teen hotspots... Nothing. Zilch. Nada." Max let out a deep sigh of frustration as he shifted his gaze around the room, waiting to see if anyone had anything to add... Kyle didn't seem to have anything, and nobody else had any idea what to do, either. Max put his hands on his knees and pushed himself up, preparing to play his part as the group's leader, however, Isabel spoke before he could say anything.


"Parties." Isabel's remark was met with simultaneous 'Huh's from both Michael and Kyle. The remainder of the group, including Max, turned their attention to her, waiting for elaboration. Isabel sighed and continued, "They're both seniors in high school, and one is a major jock. It's a Saturday night. I'm willing to bet that there's a party going on somewhere, and they're both right in the middle of it." Max closed his eyes for a moment. Thank you, Isabel. He then leveled his head an looked over at Liz, their eyes meeting across the room... Max momentarily lost his train of thought, lost in her eyes. He soon, regretfully, caught himself and attempted to resume the conversation, but Michael got in before him.


"How the hell are we supposed to find the parties?" Michael's question caused a brief silence to fall over the group until Maria turned and gently grabbed Michael by the arm. She looked up at him, trying her best to keep her tone even and maintain her composure...


"Michael, sweetie, when there's a party like the one we're looking for... It tends to attract a lot of people, alright?" Michael nodded, still unsure where the conversation was going, "And all those people have to get there somehow, don't they?" The light bulb visibly went off in Michael's head, but Maria continued anyway, "Most of them will drive. So, when they get there, they'll park there cars outside... You see where this is going?" Michael nodded and replied in a very soft tone...


"Look for houses with lots of cars out front. Got it." As Michael spoke, his eyes met Kyle, who was barely able to contain his laughter at this point. Michael shot Kyle an angry stare, which only caused Kyle to laugh harder. Kyle's laughter was brought to a stop as Max spoke.


"Well then, it looks like we'll have to break into groups and look for parties going on tonight." Max's eyes remained completely focused on Liz as he spoke to Michael, "Michael, give me the map you were using earlier." Michael complied, handing Max a medium-sized, fold-out map of Aurora, Colorado and the surrounding area. Max grabbed one of the cheap pens from the end table next to the bed he'd been sitting on, and quickly divided the city into three parts. He looked down at the map for a moment, and then back up at the group, "We'll break up into three groups of two, then each group can take a section of the map and look for any large gatherings. When you find one..." Max's voice trailed off... He hadn't thought about that. They couldn't just barge into the party and start looking around, especially if they weren't sure it was the right one.


"Look for Jessica's car, it's a sleek, expensive-looking, bright orange one. Can't miss it." Max's gaze shifted over to where the comment had come from... Kyle. He wasn't the first person Max would have expected to bail him out, but Max was glad Kyle stepped in when he did. He gave a slight nod in Kyle's direction and then turned back to the group as a whole.


"Right. Look for Jessica's car." Max picked up the map and stood up... "Alright, Liz and I will go and look up here..." Max tapped the pen he was holding on a the northernmost section of the map. He then turned towards Michael, "Michael, grab two more maps, I'm pretty sure they had some in the font office." Michael nodded and got up, opening th door beside him, quickly exiting the room. Max turned back toward the group, "I'll let you guys sort out the rest of the pairings, then, as soon as Michael gets back, we'll head out." Liz stepped forward, looking at Max...


"Um, Max?" Max's eyes fell on her. Almost as a reflex, a smile stretched across his face as he responded.


"Yeah?" Liz frowned and pointed outside, causing Max to slowly turn his head and look outside, the smile quickly fading from his face. Not seeing anything unusual, Max turned back towards Liz, waiting for a little bit of elaboration.


"We're breaking up into three groups, but..." Liz took a few steps across the room in Max's direction, grabbing the map from his hands as she neared him. She pointed at the map, and then looked back up at Max, "We only have one van." Max looked down at the map, the problem with their plan slowly hitting him... She's right. None of us can cover a large section of the city without a car, powers or not. Max sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temple.


"I guess we'll just have to-" Max was interrupted as Kyle stepped forward for the second time during the conversation.


"I was a mechanic, remember? I could, uh... 'Borrow' a couple of cars for us to use for the night..." Kyle's voice trailed off as he looked over at Max. Max closed his eyes and continued to rub his forehead... The last thing we need to be doing right now is driving around in stolen cars... But there's no way one group can cover the whole city in the van. Before Max had a chance to respond, Michael re-entered the room, several maps in hand. He tossed them over in Max's direction and flopped back down onto the couch.


"Let's give moving, Maxwell... Time's wasting." Max sighed and shifted his gaze over to Kyle... He bit his lip for a moment before nodding.


"Just make sure that they aren't going to be missed if they're gone for the night, alright?" Kyle nodded and turned, leaving the room through the door Michael had neglected to close. Michael's brow furrowed as he turned back towards Max...


"Where's Valenti going?" Max gave another sigh and waved Michael's question off...


"Don't worry about it."



----------------------------------------------------------------------



Jessica sat in the passenger seat of her car, nervously biting at her fingernails as she waited for Jake to get back... He'd been ad before, but he'd never done anything like this before. She was beginning to get scared, as well... If her father's scientists had been right about the psychological effects their "wonder-drug" could have on a normal person, that was bad enough by itself, but combined with the way mind-altering substances had a much greater effect on Jake... Her thoughts trailed off as she stared out of the windshield, watching the door of the gas station they were parked in front of. She could faintly make out Jake's outline in the store, purchasing several cases of something. God... If that's what I think it is, this could get a lot worse before it gets better... Her attention was brought to Jake as he exited the gas station, carrying a twenty-four pack of Budweiser in each hand. As he got closer to the car, Jessica heard the driver's side door click, starling her at first. Seconds later, she realized that Jake was using his powers to open the door, probably because his hands were too occupied for the job. Probably. The driver's side door swung open and Jake leaned inside the small car, tossing the two cases of beer into the small space behind the driver's seat. He then hopped into the car, grabbed the door and slammed it shut as he started the engine up, revving it a couple of times while doing so. He then turned to Jessica and smiled...


"Now we're good to go." He then shifted the car into drive and his the gas, causing the car to peel out as he left the gas station... Jessica looked forward, no making eye contact with Jake as she spoke in a very calm tone...


"So, what'd you pick up?" She already knew the answer, but she was doing her best to keep Jake occupied for the moment. The second he got bored, he'd try to remedy the problem, and in his current state, that was the last thing she wanted him doing.


"A couple cases of beer. Can't show up at the party empty-handed." Jessica's brow raised as he mentioned a party. Jake hates parties. I mean, he openly loathes them. Jessica turned to look at Jake, who was intently staring at the road, slowly pushing down harder and harder on the accelerator of the vehicle.


"How did you manage that? You're only 18." Jake laughed, not just a chuckle, either. A full-on "throw-your-head-back-and-let-it-all-out" laugh. He turned to look at her, his attention completely diverted from the road now, and smiled.


"I'm the school's star quarterback. Not to mention, I'm me. That idiot clerk goes to our school, he was dying to sell me the stuff and get on my good side." Jake laughed again as he continued to ignore the road, engrossed in his conversation with Jess. Jessica's eyes darted down to the dashboard, glancing at the speedometer. 65 and climbing... That wouldn't be so bad. If it weren't for the fact that we're on a road in the middle of Suburbia where the speed limit is 30. Jessica forced her eyes of the speedometer and back onto Jake, trying to hide any sign of her mounting distress... Jake frowned as he looked at her, "What's your deal? We're about to go have some real fun for the first time in like... ever, and you look like your dog just died." Jessica sighed... Even when he's like this, Jake reads people like books.


"Jake... You know the drug you had me get my father to deliver, the healing one, right?" Jake nodded his head, giving her a look that screamed "Duh!". Jessica continued, doing her best to keep her voice even... "My father sent me an e-mail the day after I gave it to you. It turns out that some of the mice they were testing it on had reactions. Bad ones. Neurological patterns suggested that they developed God Complexes, Narcissistic personality disorders, and homicidal tendencies..." Jessica's voice caught as she mentioned the last affliction. That was the last thing she'd ever want to see in Jake... "I didn't mention anything because I was sure your genetic make-up would prevent anything serious from developing. That was before your first experiment with alcohol, after Alia..." Jessica's voice trailed off as she mentioned the name. She waved it off and continued, "The point is that it's starting to happen to you, and we need to get you somewhere were you can stay away from people and let this work its course, alright?" Jake stared at her blankly for a moment before chuckling to himself and turning his attention back to the road...


"I didn't catch a word of that after you mentioned Lab mice. Seriously, mice? Are you fucking kidding me!? You're honestly going to sit there and compare me to a rat?" Jessica quickly started to shake her head. Oh God... The last thing I need to do right now is get him riled up... Jessica spoke in a deliberately calm and soothing tone as her gaze shifted back and forth between Jake and the road...


"No. All I'm saying is that I think you might not be yourself right now... It might be a good idea to stop and let this thing pass before you'll do anything you'll regret, okay?" Jake's anger seemed to subside for the moment as he continued to look forward at the road, now reaching speeds nearing the 3-digit mark. Jessica's eyes flicked up at Jake... "Don't you think you should slow down?" Jake didn't respond. "Jake, I'm serious!"


"If you don't like how I'm driving, get out. Now." A flare of annoyance crossed Jessica's face as he spoke.


"This is my car, remember? So if you're thinking about tossing me out, remember that I can-" Jake gave a vindictive laugh as he continued to press down on the accelerator...


"Report it stolen? Go ahead. I'm not afraid of a couple cops. I mean, I figure I can close a bullet wound with a touch... It shouldn't be hard to open one. I'll tear right through them." Jessica fell silent as Jake spoke... Is he serious!? Is Jake really talking about killing somebody!? as the thought ran through her mind, the car began to near a fairly large home that had several cars parked in its driveway and along the street in front of it. Jake smiled as he suddenly hit the brakes, causing the car's tires to grab hold of the pavement, screeching as they did their best to slow the car down. Jessica's head jerked forward and she just stared out the windshield in a state of shock as the car lined up with the row of vehicles parked along the side of the street. Jake had lined them up perfectly to collide with the cars parked in front of the party. Didn't they say that your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die? Her eyes remained fixed forward, open wide in horror, despite her placid train of thought. You can start anytime, now. Just as the hood of her car was about to ram into the back of the Hummer parked at the end of the row, the Hummer began to fade and then disappeared. It just vanished from sight, out of nowhere. Still shocked, Jessica let out a scream as they neared the next car in the line, which also faded away during the moment right before collision. Jessica's scream continued until all the cars in the line had effectively been removed. Jessica's car finally came to a stop as she looked over at Jake, who's face showed no emotion as he stared intently into the rear-view mirror. Jessica whipped her head around to look behind the car, turning just in time to see each car coming back into existence... Unable to believe her eyes, Jessica threw her door open and got out of the car, walking back towards the car that should have brought her life to an abrupt end. She timidly reached out and ran the tips of her fingers along its hood, surprised when they actually hit the body of the car... What the...? She twisted her head back towards her car as the door opened, and Jake slowly emerged, holding the two cases of beer. He casually ambled up to her and tossed the keys in her direction, Jessica, still too shocked to react, let them fall harmlessly to the ground behind her. Jake stopped inches away from her, standing so that his mouth was right next to her ear...


"Find me a rodent that can do that. Until you do... I don't wanna see your fucking face again." Jake remained frozen in place for a moment, letting the words sink in before he turned and walked up to the door of the house, giving it two quick knocks... The door swung open, and a young man, probably a year Jake's junior, with a red plastic cup in hand appeared, accompanied by music blaring so loud that it could no longer be heard over the rumble of the bass in it.


"Hey, the QB's here! Come on in! I didn't know you partied, man!" Jake smiled and nodded, saying something unintelligible to the guy as they both entered the house. The guy looked out the door until his eyes landed on Jessica, who still hadn't moved... "Hey, dude... is she coming in or what?" Jake didn't even turn around before he answered.


"No. she was just leaving." The younger man shrugged and slammed the door shut, and the music's volume drastically lowered, leaving Jessica to fumble with her thoughts. I can't just let him walk around like that! He's dangerous, and it's my fault! Jessica began to take a step towards the door until part of their conversation in the car echoed back in her mind...


they developed God Complexes, Narcissistic personality disorders, and homicidal tendencies...


She gave the door another glance before quickly making her way to the driver's side of the car, quickly unlocking it and getting in, slamming the door shut behind her. She wasn't about to wait around in case he decided to come back. She fumbled with the keys for a moment before finally getting them put in the ignition, hitting the gas pedal the moment she put the car into drive.



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Maria slowly drove down a suburban road, taking great care not to damage the bright red Honda Civic Kyle had hotwired for them. Sitting in the passenger's seat was a silent Isabel, who'd been quietly staring out of the window for most of the drive... Maria had yet to attempt to make contact with her, unsure how to approach her, with the Jesse situation and all. She would have been much more comfortable doing this with Michael, but she'd didn't think it would be wise to leave Isabel paired up with Kyle, considering her current mood and Kyle's... Kyle-ness. Isabel was content just to sit where she was, letting her mind wander as the homes outside the car passed her by... They'd been more interesting thoughts than the ones she'd had recently, which had mostly revolved around how she felt she'd wronged Jesse by leaving him behind, alone. Now, sitting in the stole car, the thoughts running through her mind were definitely new and interesting ones, not that it was necessarily a good thing. Despite how wrong she knew it was, and how much she tried to force the thoughts out of her mind, she kept drifting back to the Football player they'd interviewed earlier that day... What was his name? Jake Something. It didn't matter; she didn't care about him anyway. She only reason she couldn't stop thinking about him was because of that oddly magnetic air he'd had about him in the hospital, which she'd more or less attributed to his physical appearance. Nothing more. Besides, even if she had been remotely interested in him being anything beyond eyecandy, she had Jesse for that. Keep telling yourself that, Isabel. Isabel sighed. She manage to convince herself of the fact, and then a random, negative thought like that would pop up. She had no idea why, but they just kept coming up, one after the other... Thoughts questioning Jesse's fidelity while she was gone, thoughts questioning her own, and thoughts asking her whether or not they were right for each other in the first place. She'd quickly shoot down the train of thought and dismiss it, but the thoughts were still there, making her think about it more and more... With Alex, she'd had something truly special. They'd grown close over time, slowly developing their romantic bond, all while he knew who she was. The air was open between them the entire time they were together. He always knew what he was getting himself into, and dove in headfirst anyway. And what did he get for all of his courage, for putting it all on the line by solidifying his place in the alien abyss? He died. Jesse was different from Alex, though. They'd jumped into their romance quickly; the two sped along at a fanatical pace, getting engaged before anyone even knew they were together, and married not that shortly after. All without Jesse ever having the faintest idea who, or what, she was. He knew now, of course, and had still accepted her... But his lack of a choice in the matter still bothered her. She definitely loved him, though. She knew that. It was more a matter of the way she loved him that caused her to listen to the faintest whispers of all the negative thoughts she'd been having since they'd left Roswell. She couldn't help but compare the way she'd loved Alex and the way she loved Jesse, it was only natural... She knew that she felt sick when Jesse wasn't around, she knew that she felt at home wrapped in his arms, and most importantly, she knew he made her happy. The problem was, that was the same way she'd felt about Alex, but with him, everything had been on another level. She didn't get sick when he wasn't around, little pieces of her died. She didn't feel at home when she was with him, she felt perfect, nothing mattered. There were no aliens, no FBI, none of that mattered when she was with Alex. God, Isabel. Listen to yourself, you're pining after a dead man. One who gave you his blessing to pursue a relationship with Jesse, no less. Still, she couldn't help it. Seeing that guy in the hospital today had just brought the difference between her feelings for Jesse and the ones she had for Alex to her attention. Isabel sighed and shook her head, trying to concentrate on the contents of the window. Her love life was complicated enough as it was without her trying to analyze it piece by piece.


"So, I guess what I'm saying is, you've got me here to talk to, y'know?" Maria's glance shifted over to Isabel, waiting for a response. Isabel just stared at her for a moment before realizing what had just happened... She'd been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed Maria trying to have a heart-to-heart with her. She quickly nodded and responded without turning her attention from the window, hoping to give the impression she'd been searching while Maria had been speaking.


"I know, Maria. Thanks." Isabel let her voice trail off at the end of the 'Thank you', still looking out through the window. Finally, her eyes fell on a string of cars not far up the road... She turned to Maria and pointed in the direction of the nearest car, a black hummer.


"There's our string of cars." Maria looked over to where Isabel had pointed and made a right turn, heading in that direction. As they grew closer, Maria began to inspect each of the cars individually, driving at a snail's pace while doing so. Isabel glanced over at Maria, slightly confused and slightly annoyed.


"What are you doing?" Maria didn't turn to look at Isabel as she answered.


"I'm looking for Jessica's car, we talked about it at the motel, remember?" Isabel sat there for a moment, surprised and annoyed with herself. She'd hadn't been paying attention during their 'meeting' either, she'd still been swimming through thoughts of Alex, Jesse, and the football player who's name escaped her. Now, it was time to do damage control.


"What if they went back to his house and ended up leaving in his car? Then her car wouldn't be at any of the parties around here. Isn't it worth just poking our heads in to see if we can find them?" Maria bit her lip and thought about it for a moment before nodding.


"You're right. We should at least check it out, give me a second to park." Maria followed up by doing just that, parking right behind the black hummer Isabel had pointed out. She opened her door and stepped out into the cool night air, waiting for Isabel to do the same. This wasn't Maria's usual type of shindig, so she'd figured it'd be better to let Isabel take the lead, and after a moment of standing, Isabel caught on and turned around, leading the way up the driveway and to the door. As she reached the door, she reached out and knocked twice, slowly. The door was answered several seconds later by a younger guy who was holding a red plastic cup, swaying slightly as he stood there...


"Hey! Wait, uh, do I know you guys...?" The guy began to inspect them more closely as Maria swore under her breath, but Isabel kept her calm. Her eyes drifted to the cup in his hand, and then back up to him, noting his inability to stand still.


"Well, I'd hope so, seeing as you invited us personally!" Isabel flashed him as smile as she spoke. The kid was pretty obviously drunk. All she had to do was take advantage of his 'manliness', and they'd get in fairly easily.


"Oh!" The guy uttered the word in an obviously exaggerated tone of realization, "I remember you guys now! Sorry about that, I've knocked a couple back, already." As he spoke, he pointed at the red cup in his hand. He then stepped out of the doorway and waved them in, "Go on in and enjoy, you picked a hell of a night to come... QB1 finally showed up." Isabel gave him a curious look...


"QB1...?" The guy made a throwing motion as he replied...


"Yeah, y'know, the starting quarterback for the football team. The QBs usually don't show, need to 'keep your mind clear to call plays effectively' or some shit like that. Anyway, he's out back somewhere." Isabel smiled at the drunk and turned, heading towards the back of the house... Was the guy in the hospital the QB? She shook her head, unable to remember. She glanced back at Maria, who was following closely behind her, covering her ears. Isabel tapped her arm, prompting Maria to remove one of her hands.


"Do you remember what position the guy in the hospital played?" Isabel had to shout the question to get it over the blare of the music, but a moment later, Maria replied.


"Yeah, Quarterback. Kyle was going on about how he's supposed to be the second coming of Dan somebody. Why?" Maria shouted the reply back at the same volume, causing Isabel to decide not to verbally reply to her question, electing to continue leading Maria to the backyard... Upon exiting the house and beginning her scan of the yard's occupants, Isabel froze in her tracks. There he was, no mistake about it. Standing in the middle of a gathering of the party's guests, wearing nothing but a pair of blue jeans. Despite her best efforts to avoid it, Isabel's eyes were inevitably drawn down to his exposed torso. His clearly defined, glistening, sexy, exposed torso. Isabel gawked for a few more moments before the sound of his voice drew her eyes back upwards.


"Alright, you've each got five hundred that says I miss, right?" There was a general nod of agreement in the group as one of it's members laughed...


"There's no way you hit it! You're completely shit-faced, and that can's gotta be at least 45 yards from here! Easiest hundred any of us ever made, bro!" The Quarterback just smiled as the guy spoke. It was a great smile, too... Snap out of it Isabel! You're hear to find out what he knows about the possibly of an alien in Aurora, not drool over him. Which you shouldn't be doing, anyway! Isabel forced herself to pay attention to everything that was going on instead of the football player. As she did so, he raised up one arm, his right, which was holding a football. He glanced around at the members of the group...


"So, everyone's in agreement, then? It's a bet?" Once again, the group gave a nod of agreement before stepping away from the Quarterback, giving him room to line himself up. As he did so, Isabel's eyes traced his alignment, finally landing on a beer can perched atop a wooden fence on the opposite side of the yard, like the drunkard in the group had said, at least 45 yards away. Her eyes darted back to the Quarterback as his arm flew forward, releasing the ball in the general direction of the can. Isabel's eyes followed it as the ball sailed to, and inches to the right of the can. Cheers began to rise from the group of onlookers, that was, until the can fell off of the fence, following the football to the other side. The Quarterback just turned and looked at the onlookers, smiling, "I guess that means I win, then." As he spoke, the drunkard from earlier stepped forward to voice his protests.


"No way! You missed! You must have cheated somehow, the throw was like a mile off!" The smile quickly faded from the Quarterback's face as he stepped towards the protester, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. The Quarterback pulled him a couple inches off the ground, bringing them face-to-face before speaking in a eerily calm tone of voice.


"You're drunk. You have no idea what you saw, and the can fell over. It fell over because the ball hit it, got it?" The protester responded by swatting at one of the Quarterback's arms, trying to free himself. However, the guy's hand failed to even budge the Quarterback's arm. All the attempt successfully did was cause a flash of annoyance to cross the football player's face. He turned, positioning himself, and the drunkard, up against the fence that had been just behind them. He pressed the guy against the fence and pulled one arm back, balling it into a fist as he did so...


"C'mon, Isabel! We've gotta stop him!" Isabel turned around, looking at Maria for the first time since exiting the house...


"What? Why?" Maria looked at Isabel with surprise...


"Because he did miss, and he did cheat. Which means there's a good chance we just found Aurora's little green man." Maria jabbed her index finger at the quarterback as she spoke... Isabel's eyes drifted to the player, who was preparing to unload a fist on the drunk kid, who was now begging off. His captor wasn't listening. Maria was right... If this was going to be avoided, they were going to have to step in... But what could the two of them do?



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Kyle sighed as he stood in the middle of the empty parking lot, staring back at Michael, who was standing a safe distance away. Kyle sighed and shook his head, tossing his arms up in the air, "I don't have an idea what I'm doing!" Michael shrugged.


"You're gonna have to figure out how to control this thing sooner or later, Kyle. I personally, for all of our sakes, hope it's sooner." Kyle sighed, obviously frustrated by his current situation...


"Trust me, I want to get control of this more than anything... But I don't have any idea how I did it the first time!" Michael bit his lip, trying to think of a way to help Kyle out...


"Well, what were you thinking about when it happened?" Kyle paused, thinking back for a moment.


"Well, I was thinking about how much the idea of getting powers was freaking me out, and then I saw the tree out there, and tried to focus on that to keep my mind off of things. Then you came out, we talked, and then I noticed the tree getting all... dotty." Michael crossed his arms and looked over at Kyle.


"Sounds pretty simple to me. You just stood there and focused on the tree. I'd say that's probably what triggered it... So go ahead and pick something out, like a coke can or something, and get to work." Kyle frowned as Michael spoke. I'm not sure this is such a good idea... Kyle's train of thought was interrupted as Michael cleared his throat behind him, making sure Kyle could hear. Kyle turned around to look at Michael.


"I dunno if this is a good idea, Michael. I mean, aren't we supposed to be looking for Jessica and that other guy?" Michael waved Kyle's protests off as he shook his head. He then pointed towards an empty soda can that was rolling along the pavement in the nearby street.


"We'll have plenty of time to look for them later, we just need to make sure you don't blow everyone up when we do." Kyle winced as Michael mentioned him "blowing everyone up". Kyle was still troubled by the knowledge that he was a danger to his friends. He gave a quick sigh and did his best to clear his mind as he turned to look at the rolling can... Alright, Kyle. Focus on the can... The red can. Hm... What is that, anyway? Dr Pepper, maybe? Kyle's thoughts were interrupted as he noticed the can starting to break up into small dots. His mind began racing as he shouted out to Michael, keeping his eyes firmly locked on the can.


"Michael! The can is turning into dots! What do I do now?" Michael's brow furrowed... I didn't think this through very well. He took a step back and shouted out to Kyle.


"I don't know, I'm not sure how this works!" Frowning, Michael decided it would be best to make a suggestion, "Try moving the dots around or something!" Kyle nodded and stared at the dots, doing his best to keep his attention focused on them. Alright, let's try... Pulling them apart, I guess. Kyle turned his attention to slowly forcing the individual dots of the can apart, that was, until his concentration was disrupted. A bright orange car, driving pretty recklessly, turned onto the road, drawing Kyle's attention mostly due to its engine's roar. What a sec, isn't that Jessica's car? As it passed in front of him, Kyle began to notice it breaking into dots... Oh shit! Kyle quickly turned his head to the side, hoping to stop anything from happening to the car by adverting his gaze. As he did so, his eyes passed over the car's back tire, causing it too to break up. Kyle continued to move his head, shocked when a fair section of the black dots moved along with him. Kyle heard a loud pop from behind himself as the black dots in front of him regrouped, forming a small piece of tire that fell to the ground 20 feet from Kyle. Kyle stared at the rubber in disbelief as he heard the sound of tires screeching behind him, causing him to turn around and stare at the orange vehicle as it skid to a stop. The next few seconds seemed to last forever, with everyone and everything remaining perfectly silent and perfectly still. Kyle just stared at the car as he struggled to breathe, the muscles in his neck tensing up. Did I just...? Kyle's worst fears were laid to rest however as the prolonged silence was ended by the sound of a car door opening, followed by the exit of an obviously distressed Jessica. As she stepped out of the car, Kyle let out a sigh of relief, staying put until he noticed that Michael had already made his way over to Jessica's car. Kyle swore under his breath and began to jog over in that direction, as he got closer to the stationary vehicle, he was able to hear the ongoing conversation...


"...Need to get back." Michael nodded as Kyle caught the end of Jessica's statement.


"Alright, I guess we could give you a ride, but are you sure that leaving a car like this sitting around in the middle of the night is a good idea?" Michael crossed his arms, more focused on the car than Jessica. Jessica gave Michael a slight nod and looked over at the car...


"It'll be fine. I just need to get moving... Like, now." Michael frowned and shifted his glance over at Kyle, who'd just gotten close enough to the conversation to be noticed by its participants. Kyle shrugged. It's my fault she' stuck out here, and it looks like she's in a really big hurry to get somewhere, so I guess we should... Kyle gave Michael a nod.


"We might as well help out, we're not doing anything important." Michael nodded and turned to look back at Jessica, who was now staring at Kyle...


"Alright, our car is parked over there, we'll give you a ride back to your place." Jessica continued to study Kyle, who nervously traded glances between her and Michael, who responded by shrugging and beginning his walk back to the car. Kyle turned and looked over at Jessica.


"We should get going, then.." He began to turn to follow Michael.


"Weren't you at my house earlier today?" Kyle stopped dead in his tracks. And here I was, hoping she wouldn't notice. He slowly turned on his heel and looked back at her, pretending to try and remember her face for a moment. After a couple seconds, he let a smile come across his face as he nodded.


"Yeah, I guess I was." Seeing the frown start to come across her face, he gave a slight laugh, "Don't worry, I'm not about to interrogate you. I'm off the clock, I was just hanging out with a friend." Jessica's expression gave no sign of Kyle's comments soothing her. Her eyes darted over to Michael, who had grown impatient and made his way back over to the other two, planning on hurrying them up. She stared at Michael's face for a moment...


"And he was there, too..." Kyle bit his lip for a moment, glancing at Michael, hoping for some help. Michael shrugged, leaving Kyle to turn back to Jessica, who was obviously waiting for an explanation. Kyle nodded.


"Like I said, I was hanging out with a friend." Jessica's face still didn't ease as she asked another quick question in response...


"Then why were you guys parked in the middle of an empty parking lot this late at night...?" Kyle opened his mouth, but quickly closed it, not able to come up with any explanation... Michael slipped in front of Kyle.


"We were on our way to a party. We stopped so that Kyle here," Michael jabbed a thumb in Kyle's direction as he spoke, "could get in a quick smoke. I'm pretty against the whole 'smoking thing', so we pulled over somewhere he could take care of it without getting any of the stuff near me. I think it's a really disgusting habit, personally." Kyle stared at Michael in disbelief as he gave his "explanation". Kyle's eyes quickly shifted back to Jessica, who was now looking at him with the look of suspicion that had been on her face now replaced by a slightly disgusted one. Kyle turned to shoot an angry glance at Michael, but he'd already turned, heading back towards the car, "Let's hurry and get you home. I'm counting on making it to that party sometime before it ends." Jessica nodded and walked past Kyle, following Michael towards the stolen car in the parking lot. Kyle sighed and slowly turned, trudging after the two... And here I was, thinking this might help my chances with her. Kyle's eyes landed on Michael's back as he followed behind the two. Thanks a ton, Michael. Kyle sighed as he walked around the car, getting into the driver's seat as Jessica and Michael sat inside waiting... He glanced down at the carton of cigarettes ironically sitting in the cup holder next to him for a moment before turning around to look at Jessica.


"So, what's that address, again?"



-End of Chapter 5.-



AN: This took me a while longer than it should have, mostly due to the fact that I got addicted to a weird online blog/show called lonelygirl15. I ended up unable to give writing my full attention until I got caught up with LG15, which admittedly took a bit of time. After I got caught up, I went ahead and finished up the chapter as quick as I could. Also, I'd just like to clarify one thing - The drug Jake is using caused his powers to grow stronger temporarily. As you read in the chapter, it causes issues with the brain, which in turn, causes him to be experiencing a lot more brain activity than normal, as Nasedo explained, the Hybrids' powers are directly linked to their brain activity. I just wanted to clarify that so that no one expects him to be driving through cars all the time. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

Ok. After being frustrated for a significant amount of time by a lack of internet, I finally called in the Pros, and things are sorted out now. Everything is now working the way it should, so I can get back to writing and all that good stuff. That being said, the next chapter can be expected sometime soon.

-Thomas.