"And I don't need a break? Max, do you have any idea what just went on back there after Michael killed Pierce, or have you been playing video games this whole time? God, I know he's trying to protect me but it hurts. The fact that he feels responsible, that he feels guilt... it hurts inside. You're not the only one who's thought about running away, you know. To be honest with you, it's sounding more and more like a good idea by the second. At least if I'm gone for awhile Michael won't have to worry about being a danger to me."

Maria takes a deep breath, and inhales a tiny vial of cedar oil. She then looks at Max and raises an eyebrow.

"So I'm coming with you, right?"

Maria doesn't care about Max's protests - she's going with him, end of story. There's no two-ways about it.

"Alex will watch over Liz. You can't stay gone forever. And my mom wants me to be a free spirit... that's all I have to tell her if and when she calls. Now don't you try to kick me out of the car now, Max... no way, buddy. Now I have to get some stuff from my house... do you mind?"

"Yeah. My mom's all about the free spirit thing. Works every time. And you'd better not be laughing at me."

They reach the DeLuca residence, and Maria holds her hand out to Max.

"Keys. You're not ditching me, no way."

He hands them over to her, and she puts them in her pocket, slowly creeping into the house. It's 11pm already, and her mom is most likely asleep. Maria sneaks into her room and packs a duffel bag as fast as she can. Crawling out her window, she runs to the jeep and carefully tosses her bag in the back before climbing back in the passenger's seat and handing Max the keys.

"Easy come, easy go. Speaking of go - let's."

OMG! There! Sniffing! Adult situation!

For as much as I checked, I couldn't find any sign of Max taking steroids though, so it must be a lie.

Seriously, nice. I like it. Guerin of course will be wallowing in self-pity as soon as he sees that. One thing though:

Now you know how Michael feels all the time.

I watch as she flips threw CDs over and over again. Inspecting, cleaning, fingering them. ( )

She stops as she rests her hands on one and starts talking about intruding and being a pain in the ass. Crazy maybe. But not a pain in the ass. Why would she even think that? I mean she was cute in her own way... full of life. Constent energy rotated around her all the time and one would be lucky to be involved in it.

She was different. Unlike Liz. Liz and I had something once.. a long time ago. Something that people only dream about. But she walked away. My destiny prevented me from having her ever again. It destroyed everything...

But Maria... here she was. She didn't leave, in fact she was the only one I had now. All that was left. The only one who cared about me. Enough to leave her own life behind.

I looked over at her and replied,

"You're not intruding... actually... I'm really glad you're here."

I could see her eyes widen with excitment at the acknowledgement and I couldn't help but to smile slightly as I continued,

"And you're not a pain in the ass either. But there is something you should know..."

She seemed so excited. Excited by this endevour. Only thing is she didn't know this was my life now. This was it. I didn't have any other choice, except to stay in Roswell and concede to my Destiny with Tess.

Personally, I hated her. I wouldn't touch her even if the world would come to an end. This was my choice... to hit the open road and go someplace else. Anywhere.

I glanced over at her and replied,

"I wasn't planning on going back.. I'm not going back Maria."

She looks a little concerned in the face as I continue,

"Are you sure you still want to go?"

I look over at her and grin at all her dramatics and reply as matter of factly as I can,

"Isabel won't kill you...besides, I'm not running away... I'm starting over. I don't have anything left in Roswell anymore... there's nothing for me to go back to."

Just then I see an exit sign and decide to pull off to fill up before it got to late. As we entered the gas station and I turned off the Jeep and I replied,

"By the way... I don't mind the Backstreet Boys so much. Lord knows Isabel has torchered me enough with them the past few years. Now go on inside and get something to drink or whatever."

( )

Maria cannot believe this. Max Evans, of all people, is trying to run away from himself. He won't admit it, but it's true - she has seen it before, in her mother. When Maria's father left them, Amy had left Maria in care of Mr. and Mrs. Parker, and she had tried to run away from Roswell. Thankfully, though, Liz's mom had talked Amy into coming back. Now, Maria was seeing this in Max and it broke her heart.

Maria looks over at Max, who is just about ready to exit the jeep and fill up the tank. He says something about her going to get something to drink.

"Liz loves you. And you, leaving like this... it's gonna kill her."

And she runs inside the store.

Maria grabs a 1-liter of Pepsi and a 1-liter or Dr. Pepper, Max can take his pick. She also picks up a fruit drink for herself, a bag of chips, two of those deli sandwiches, then heads to the counter to pay for everything. Going back outside, she spots Max putting the hose back in its place.

"Hungry?"

I'm here, I'm here... I've been tied up all night... I'm thinking... I'll post something as soon as I finish Kyle's part for Tess.

*"Liz loves you. And you, leaving like this... it's gonna kill her." *

It stabs me in all the wrong places. Forcing my heart to bleed again. Something I was trying to forget. Something that I could never have. She wasn't there though I kept telling myself... reminding myself that she never saw Liz run away from me, telling me it was over.

Pulled out of my thoughts as she appeared next to me, *Hungry?* she cheerfully sung.

"Not really." I replied solemnly.

I watched as she shrugged and got back into the Jeep as I finished closing the cover. I stood there for a moment wondering if it was really a good idea or not. No. I told myself. I wasn't going to fold. I wasn't going back and that was that.

Satisfied again I jumped in the Jeep and pulled out heading to nowhere... somewhere far away.

She sat there quietly for awhile. Munching on chips and slowly sipping on her drink. Her lips pausing in hesitation... I knew she wanted to say something, it was hard for her to remain quiet for so long. She bit down on the bottom lip as if to stop herself from ruining the silence. It was then I felt bad and spoke,

"Yeah... you know... I am now that I think about it... that is only of course the offer is still open?"

She grinned as she handed me the Pepsi.

"Except next time... Coke. I hate Pepsi."

I smiled teasingly at her.