PART 1

"Today's November 14th. I'm Liz Parker, and when I imagined Maria and I
growing up together, I always pictured both of us falling in love with nice
normal guys, getting married, and having our kids play together as they grew
up. I don't think either of us ever thought that those nice guys would end up
being from another planet..."

Max Evans hummed a tune to himself as he arranged the "other wordly beings"
around a styrofoam UFO. His job didn't really bother him as much as he
thought it would, considering the irony. His boss was a pretty decent guy.
You just had to overlook the bizarreness of his personality. Despite all that
he was more than willing to answer questions and give details about any type
of UFO sighting. In fact that was part of the reason Max as in such a good
mood.

His boss had told him about a sighting just two nights ago. Usually he'd end
up searching up there with Michael since Isabel didn't really fancy going
into the desert and getting her hands dirty. So, he and Michael would go and
look for anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately finding such things were
hard, and they just ended up stargazing. But, Max wasn't going with Michael
this time.

Liz Parker had heard about it too, and had seen his interest in it. Max was
pleasantly surprised when she seemed genuinely fascinated and asked if he
wanted to sleep under the stars together with her. Max felt his body tingle
with excitement as he thought about seeing her tonight...The stars reflecting
in her eyes as they locked gazes and he reached for her soft little
hand...Oh, but he knew it was wrong. His heart was proving too strong though,
and had took rank over his brain when he had agreed. So, after he finished
arranging the silly props he was off to pick Liz up for their first real date.

Max hummed a little louder as a smile broke out across his face.
**

Liz wiped her sweaty palms across her jeans as she inspected the contents of
her
backpack. Sleeping bag, flashlight, matches, two cans of coke, pillow, bag of
Lays potato chips, sweatshirt, tic tacs, and chapstick. Everything looked
ready, but there still was a part of her that wasn't.

A real date with Max Evans. The possibilities were endless, but so were the
complications. She knew it was bad to get her hopes up. Max was a good
friend, and she hadn't pushed it further than that. Sometimes it seemed that
he wanted more , and God knows that she did too, but other times Liz felt
like such an outsider to the alien trio. She hoped Max would start letting
her in. After the trip to the dome, she had told him "no more secrets," and
she meant it. She couldn't be with Max with sometihing huge like that
standing between them. Their relationship was already complex enough. She
didn't want whatever they had to end
before it even started.

Liz took a few deep breaths and glanced at her watch. He would be there any
minute now, and there was no turning back.

"Hey! So, where you going?"

Startled, Liz looked up as Maria DeLuca bounced into the room. "Hey Maria,"
she said quickly recovering with a big smile.

"Hi," she smiled, plopping herself down on Liz's bed. She looked over at her
backpack. "Oh good! I just remembered that I need to borrow your History
book. Mr. Potinski assigned a killer project. I'm sure it's going to take me
hours to finish. I totally hate that guy. You know, I heard that he used to
be in some type of satanic cult. Doesn't surprise me one bit."

Liz bit her lip anxiously as Maria started to unzip the bag. "Wait!"

Maria opened the bag and peered inside with a confused look on her face. She
reached in and pulled out two items in particulat. She gave her best friend a
look.

"Okay, spill it. Where are you going?"

"Oh yeah, um, that's right. I forgot to tell you that my cousin, Charlie, is
in town and we're going camping tonight."

Maria shook her head. "Uh uh, try again." She held up the chapstick and tic
tacs. "Unless you and Charlie have become very close, I'd say that you're
telling a big fat one. Liz, it's me. You don't have to lie."

"What makes you say that? Just because I packed breath freshener and
chapstick?" Liz crossed her arms defensively.

Maria nodded, fluffing her short blond hair. "Exactly. Chapstick implies you
want soft lips. Tic tacs mean you want fresh, inviting breath. It doesn't
take a rocket scientist to figure this one out."

"Uh..."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Liz, just drop it. Chapstick and tic tacs, well
sometimes breath spray, are the universal tools to a major makeout session!
So, with the big secret out now...Where are you and Max going?"

Liz pursed her lips. "Fine! Okay. I wanted to tell you anyway, but I was just
so nervous."

Maria raised and eyebrow knowingly. "And you should be! Liz, hon, we talked
about this. In fact I think we talked this particular subject to death. Human
girls and alien boys, no matter how really cute they are, just do not mix. I
mean, I like Max. He's a good guy and all. But he isn't normal. And we need
normal Liz. You and I can't fall for any type of....," she lowered her voice,
"Czechoslovakians."

"I know... I just. Maria, he's different..."

She snorted. "No, he's not. Just because he's not from this planet doesn't
mean he won't act like a typical male. You know, get under your skin and
drive you crazy. He who has a penis, often thinks with it. It's just how it
is."

Liz sat down on her bed, feeling weak. "Yeah, I guess so... But Max-"

Maria shook her head. Liz, listen to me. It's only for the best." She looked
at her friend feeling a twinge of guilt. "I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"You need backkup, Liz. Reinforcement. Your head is totally clouded around
Max, so you need someeone there with you watching and evaluating the
situation."

"Evaluating the situation? You mean, whether Max and I should kiss?"

"Yes! Okay, when's he picking you up?"

"Right now actually..."

Maria chewed on her bottom lip excitedly.. "Ack! I better get ready. Can I
borrow your mom's sleeping bag?" she asked, as she dashed about the room
getting ready.

"Sure," Liz said slowly, trying to process what just happened. Maria could be
such a whirlwind sometimes. One minute she was nervously excited about the
prospect of a first kiss from Max. Now, the romantic evening was now a buddy
night, with her buddy watching and 'evaluating' her and Max's every move. Liz
sighed. How could she fall in
love if she never let herself?
***

Max stuck his hands in his pockets nervously, waiting for Liz to open the
door. He had picked out a green button down shirt and comfortable jeans.
Isabelle had even helped him put a little gel in his hair, even though she
had laughed the whole time. He wanted to look good and give off a confident
look because his stoomach was twisted into nervous knots inside.

The door opened suddenly, and he prepared a big smile, then blinked in shock.

"Oh hey Max. Liz is almost ready. I'll just go put my stuff in the car,"
Maria said, hurrying by him.

"Um...okay," Max managed to recover from the shock. Was Liz having second
thoughts? Did she invite Maria as some type of back up buddy? Maybe he'd just
plain misunderstood Liz. She never did say that they were going alone. He
cursed inwardly, feeling his hopes dashed. He felt like such a fool for
getting so excited.

Max turned to go to the Jeep when Liz appeared.

"Hi. Um, I hope you don't mind Maria coming. She seemed interested when I
told her where we were going, so she kind of invited herself. So...," she
trailed off looking at him uncertainly.

"No," Max assured her with a smile. "It's okay."

She nervously tucked a stray lock of hair away. "Okay, good."She dared a look
up at him again. She smiled. "I like your hair."

He flushed. "Oh yeah. Iz kind of forced me to try it. You sure it looks
alright?"

Liz patted his arm reassuringly, touched that he cared. She suddenly wondered
how Maria had gotten her to believe that being with Max was wrong.

"I like it," she repeated.
***

The site they had picked was out in the desert, near a large mountainous
formation. It was about a half mile from any real road. Pulling up in the
Jeep, Max realized he had been there before. It was nice and peaceful. And
really beautiful too. He felt a twinge of sadness. He'd hoped that he would
be sharing this beautiful night with just Liz.

"Okay, so I brought marshmellows and I figured you could make us a fire
quickly with your magic powers and all, right Max? Oh, this is going to be so
much fun! I haven't camped out for years," Maria exclaimed from the backseat.

Max stole a quick glance at Liz in the rearview mirror, and smiled when he
caught her looking back at him.

Having decided this was the very best spot Max stopped the car and began to
help the girls unload their things. After gathering everything they headed
over a small hill to his favorite spot near a hidden cave.

"Oh! I forgot my jacket," Maria blurted, suddenly running back to the Jeep.
"You guys go set up. I'll be right there."
***

Maria slowed down her pace as she walked back over the hill, jacket in hand.
She was feeling guilty about being here and lying to Liz. But she knew that
if she didn't freak out or say something sarcastic about Max and
the...Czechoslovakians..., Liz would definitely know something was up.

It wasn't like anything really was up, though. One spontaneous kiss with
Michael Guerin wasn't earth shattering. It was just what it was. A kiss.
Maria didn't even like Michael that much. He was arrogant sometimes, rude,
and totally a loner rebel type. And the way he teased and goaded her drove
her crazy. There really wasn't much to tell. But for some reason she hadn't
told Liz, who she usually told everything.

There was definitely something about that kiss, though. Maybe it was the whold
Czecoslovakian thing. Maybe genetically they were really good kissers. Maybe
it wasn't Michael that had made her feel lightheaded and hot. It could have
just been his Czecoslovakian DNA. Or whatever...

Maria shook her head to clear it, and continued up over the hill. She could
hear Max and Liz talking. As she got closer she realized they weren't talking
to each other. Someone else was there.
***

"What are you doing here with her?" Michael exclaimed.

Max sighed, feeling annoyed. "Camping for the night. Same as you it looks
like. And she has a name, you know. I'd like to hear you use it," he warned.

Michael shrugged. "Sorry, Liz. No offense. I just wasn't expecting you. Max
and I usually go to these sighting things alone."

"Well, we didn't have any plans. That's why I came with Liz."

"Fine. Whatever..." Michael rolled his eyes. He just didn't get it. Why was
Max so mushy over this girl? Their ship could come to take them away and he'd
miss it because he was making eyes at Liz. Michael stared down at the ground.
He didn't feel like being a third wheel tonight, and was beginning to
consider leaving when a loud 'THUMP' broke him from his thoughts. He chuckled
as the blond girl tumbled down the hill and landed beside him.

"Hi," he smirked.

Maria looked up, cheeks flaming. "What are you doing here? I thought we...
Wait, how'd you get here?"

"Hitched," he replied offhandly.

Maria snorted. "Figures."

They stared at each other for another moment before Liz interrupted.

"Maria, are you alright?"

Maria stood up quickly, wiping the dirt from her denim jacket. "What? Oh. Oh
yeah, I'm peachy." She looked between the four of them.

"Well, this is going to be fun," she said.
*** PART 2

"I can't stand you!"

"Oh, that hurts Maria. Almost as much as my ears do. Now stop squaking and
help me start the fire," Michael yelled, running his hands through his spiky
mess of hair in frustration.

"You know, we wouldn't have this problem if you had some control, and could
just poof something into a roaring fire."

"I'm going to poof you into thin air if you don't shut up. Go look for some
sticks or
something," he muttered, annoyed. This was turning into a bad B horror movie.
Max and Liz had wandered off exploring...probably exploring each other, he
thought wryly. Max had all the luck. He got the normal home and family, and
now Liz, the sweet normal girl. It just figured he'd got stuck with the
shitty homelife and that whiny, stubborn, talkative weird girl. Maria was so
damn irritating with her constant ragging on him and pointless blabbing. He
just wanted to grab her in his arms, slide his fingers through her silky
golden locks, give her a good shake...

...and then kiss the life out of her.
***

Liz ventured a look over at Max, whose hand was securely wrapped around hers.
He had grabbed it on a whim, suggesting they go explore because Michael and
Maria's constant bickering was getting to him. But once they were out of
earshot, she hadn't let go. Holding his hand made her feel warm inside. A mix
of nervousness and excitement was brewing deep inside her belly. His touch,
as always, was gentle. Max Evans really was an extra-ordinary...being.

"So," Liz began slowly breaking the comfortable silence. "What do you usually
do on these sighting trips?"

Max looked up toward the sky. He felt close to home at night. The star
patterns and his home planet out there somewhere over his head like a
blanket. "Well, Michael and I hike all over the place, and keep a journal of
what we find."

"Wow, what kind of things do you find?"

Max gave her a small smile and released her hand. "I don't know. Sometimes
pieces of metal we assume came from the ship. We mainly look for things that
don't belong...," he trailed off, looking back at the sky.

Liz stood beside him, looking upward also. "I bet you know a lot about stars
and
constellations, huh?"

He shrugged, sticking his hands in his jeans pockets. "I guess so."

A memory hit her, and she turned to him suddenly. "I remember this one
science project I had in the seventh grade. I took all the planets and-"

"put them into alignment and theorized about life on each one. I guess I
remember," Max finished quietly.

'He must have felt so alone,' she thought to herself. There she was, so
blissfully ignorant almost her whole life. And he was isolated, looking on
from afar. It just wasn't fair. Why hadn't she ever seen it? Had he really
loved her that long?

"Max," she said softly, leaning toward him so their eyes met. "I'm sorry I
didn't know sooner. You must have really needed someone."

"I didn't need a friend Liz. I needed you."
***

Michael laid on the desert ground with his black leather jacket bunched up
beneath his head. Maybe if he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, she
wouldn't bother him.

A sharp pain to his abdomen told him otherwise.

"Ow!" he yelped, holding his side. "What's your problem!?"

Maria stood over him, hands on hips. "Get up. I called your name five times
already. Can you just be decent and help me for once?"

He angrily brushed himself off and stood up. Maria motioned to the fire.

"Okay, can you...Michael, what are you doing?" she stammered out nervously as
he advanced on her, until their bodies were inches apart.

"You are driving me nuts," he said slowly, eyes piercing hers.

She opened her mouth to retort back with her tart tongue, but instead grabbed
him by his spiky hair and captured his lips with hers for another taste of
his sweet and spiciness.
***

The features on Max's face softened as he attempted to open his heart to the
girl he'd always loved.

"Max, I'm here now," she whispered close to his ear, reclaiming his hand and
smoothing the back of it with circular motions of her thumb. She wanted so
much to understand. To help heal his pain, the way he had healed hers.

He looked back into her heartfelt gaze and felt himself drowning. He'd lose
himself there, and she'd get hurt if his defenses went down. He would not
allow that to happen. He had risked his life to protect her. He had to
continue doing so no matter how much it killed him inside.

Max took a deep breath. "Let's go back," he said, releasing her soft hand.

Liz nodded inaudibly, trying not to let her disappointment show. She
shouldn't have been caught so off guard by that. Everytime they got close, he
pushed her away. He had told her it wasn't safe and she'd agreed.

It wasn't safe, but Liz Parker didn't care anymore. He had seen it in his
eyes. He needed her as much as she needed him.
***

Maria's knees were weakening. His kisses were about to knock her off her
feet. She gasped for air as their mouths moved against each other. Michael's
arms were wound around her waist and he had bunched the bottom of her shirt
in his hands.

"Oh Michael,..." she moaned.

He smiled against her lips, happy to know he was pleasing her. Michael pulled
back for a moment to see her face. Her green eyes were bright and her
luscious pink mouth was severely swollen from being kissed so passionately.
He stifled a laugh when he saw what a mess her short blonde hair was.

Maria felt her hopes being crushed. He was laughing at her! Feeling self
conscious, she pushed him away and attempted to fix her hair and tuck her
shirt back in.

He stared at her, sad the moment was over. What on earth had that been? One
minute they were fighting and then they were kissing...again.

And he had liked it again.

"What?" she insisted, feeling flustered by his stare. She felt so embarrassed
for flinging herself into his arms like that.

Her tone surprised him. She sounded so hostile. Immediately, the walls he
built between them went back up. "You look like you got struck by lighting.
Nice hair."

Angered, she frantically smoothed her flyaway strands. "Nice hair?" she
echoed, mocking him. "I'm not the one who cuts their hair with a weed wacker!"

He rolled his eyes, turning away from her.

"Ugh! Why are you like this? Show some emotion. Feel something. REACT! I
can't take it when you're like this totally unreadable rock."

He shot her a look. "I'm a rock?"

"Yeah, hard and rough around the edges, and on the inside-"

He held up a hand. "Stop right there. I can guarantee you're not going to
find diamonds on the inside if you crack me open, so don't even try. You're
just wasting your time," he said angrily, averting his eyes and reclaiming
his spot on the ground from earlier.

Maria stared at him a moment, feeling a twinge of sympathy. Michael didn't
really mean the irritating and rude things he said. He was just one of those
bully's on the playground, who said mean things and pulled girls hair because
they were just too insecure to say and act how they really felt.

They were scared.

She quietly took a spot beside him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't... Let's just not do this, okay?"

She turned her head to the sky, observing the stars. "There," she pointed.

"What?"

"That's my Michael star," she announced.

Curious, he followed her finger to the star she indicated. "What do you mean?"

"That's you. See that cluster of stars nearby. You're not a part of that.
You're like the loner star of the group, and that's cool. You don't have to
be a part of the cluster if you don't want to be. But don't ignore them
completely. They may not be like you, but they could still be friends
or...something like that," Maria finished quietly, removing her outstretched
hand. She was very still hoping he'd understand what she meant. After a
moment he pointed his own finger toward the sky.

"That's my Maria. She's bright and shiny. Kind of persistent and annoying
that way
sometimes. You don't want to look, but you just have to. She's so bright it
blinds the other stars sometimes. But you can't help being drawn to her."

Michael put his hands back behind his head. He didn't dare glance her way
because he could feel the heat of her body if he moved any closer...and then
there would be no turning back.

'Oh god, I can't believe he said that. Just when I thought I had him pegged
as some slacker jerk, he has to go confusing me again by being really sweet.
Oh, I hate him so much.'

'But I wouldn't mind kissing him again,' she thought. Quickly, she tried to
push those naughty thoughts out of her mind. What if he could read her
thoughts!?

As if reading her mind, Michael rolled over and leaned down close to her
face. She
suddenly giggled as his face moved in to hers.

"What's wrong?" he whispered nervously.

"You have lipstick on your nose," she giggled again.

"Thanks so much," he said, giving her a look as he rubbed his nose.

"Sorry, you have such a cute nose. I couldn't help myself before."

He grinned. "That irresistible, huh?"

She groaned, pushing him off her. "Oh, shut up." She looked around for
something to take her mind off of him. The bag of marshmallows caught her
eye. "Let's roast some!" she exclaimed, picking up the bag. Michael grabbed
it out of her hand, retrieving a few, smiling at her with an evil glint in
his eyes.

"Oh no you don't..."

"Think again," he smirked, holding the marshmallow over the fire until it was
warm and gooey.

"No, Michael!" she shrieked as the white sticky mess landed on her cheek.

"You are SO going to pay for that!"
***