Melinda Metz - The Vanished

"Comforting," Isabel muttered.

"Unfortunately, we can't rely on the collective consciousness for help," Max said. He closed the glass door of a display case. "I'm not sure how long it will take for them to recover from opening the last wormhole, but I got the impression that it would be a few months, at least. So that's out."

"Wait, you connected to the consciousness?" Liz asked, paling. "When?"

Max paused and looked quickly around the room, not really focusing on anyone. "Last night," he said quietly.

Isabel jumped off the stool and grabbed his wrist. "Why didn't you tell us?" she asked. "How's Alex? Did they say anything about him?"

"He's… fine," Max said, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans as his eyes flicked from one face to the next. "Alex is fine. But we still have to get him out of there."

"Well, obviously," Isabel said, crossing her arms over her chest. "But at least he's okay."

"Yeah… so…" Max said.

Adam had the feeling there was something that Max wasn't telling them. His aura hadn't changed much, but there were a few minute flecks of oily yellow-green marring the rich jade.

"Wait a minute! If we all connected, could we open a wormhole ourselves?" Maria asked.

"Doubtful," Michael said. He walked over to the small sink behind the counter and started rinsing rags. "It takes a huge amount of power… Right, Max?"

Max sighed, staring at the floor. "It was a struggle even with the whole consciousness working hard at it," he confirmed, running a hand over his blond hair.

"Well, what about the Stone of Midnight?" Liz asked. "Isn't that what that Stone is, really… a huge source of power?"

Wow, she's amazing, Adam thought as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek. He wasn't able to stop the weird turmoil she caused inside him. Being near her made his mouth dry and his palms sweaty. Adam kept losing track of the discussion because his attention always seemed to return to Liz… and not to what she was saying, either. There was something about her warm, amber aura that made him feel both thrilled and queasy and made his knees weak.

"I don't think using the Stone is the best idea," Maria said. "I still see those bounty hunters in my nightmares."

The words bounty hunters got Adam's full attention. "The bounty hunters got sucked through the wormhole with Alex, though," he reminded everyone.

Not that any of them could have forgotten the sight of those two creatures getting pulled into the vortex, their tentacle-lined mouths open wide.

"You're right," Michael answered. "But we don't know how many bounty hunters were tracking the use of the Stone's power for DuPris. DuPris could have a whole battalion of them out there."

A tiny shudder crossed Liz's body. Max moved closer to her and slid his arm around her shoulders.

Get off her. The thought blasted through Adam's mind, and he reminded himself for the billionth time that he actually liked Max and that Liz actually loved the guy.

"It's Alex. It's worth the risk of using the Stone," Isabel said.

"Agreed," Michael said. He turned away from the sink and leaned on the counter.

Max cleared his throat. "I hate to be the voice of reason here, but-"

"You do not," Isabel interrupted. "You live to be the voice of reason."

Everybody laughed, and Adam couldn't help noticing Liz's happy, musical sound. He wanted to hear it as much as possible. He wanted to be the one to make her laugh.

Something was definitely wrong with him.

"You were saying?" Liz asked Max.

"Before I was so rudely interrupted," Max continued with a smirk at his sister. "Yeah, maybe we could use the Stone. But we don't have it. DuPris does. And we have no idea where he is."

Adam felt a chill. Max was right. DuPris could teleport-he could be anywhere. He could be halfway around the world… although that concept was a bit fuzzy to Adam, who had only taken his first steps outside a few weeks ago. Still, he understood the distance enough to know that DuPris could be far, far away. Unreachable.

Or he could be right nearby, Adam realized, hugging himself to ward off the wave of ice that had invaded his body. DuPris, with all his poisonous hatred, could be right here in Roswell, with someone else's face.

Michael could at least have the decency to look dumpy sometimes, Maria thought. It would make being around him a little easier.

She watched him out of the comer of her eye as he drove Ray's car along the boring stretch of Route 285 north toward Albuquerque. Michael had decided to check out the old ranch house in the desert where they'd had the showdown with DuPris. It was possible, if unlikely, that DuPris was holing up there, using the ranch house as a base. If they found DuPris, they'd find the Stone.

Maria stared out the window at a reddish tan ridge of rock that ran along the highway, jutting up from the desert in the distance. Like a wall, Maria thought. Like the wall that stood between her and Michael now.

Which was the reason she had volunteered to keep him company. She had to see if she could fix the mess that lay between them.

They rode in silence. Usually Maria would be chatting to fill the chasm of quiet that separated them, but she and Michael had always talked so easily before…

Before she told him she loved him.

Oh, that was a great idea, Maria thought glumly. You told him how you feel about him, and now as punishment you have to sit in silence forever.

Maria peeked at him again. He was staring straight out the windshield, his mouth and eyes grim with concentration. What's he concentrating on? she wondered. Driving? DuPris? Cameron? Keeping me shut out of his life?

Say something, Maria ordered herself as he reached a junction and turned off Route 285 to Route 60 west. This is your Michael. Just talk to him. Say anything!

"Uh…" Michael said suddenly. He glanced at Maria and gave her a weak smile. "So…"

"Yeah?" Maria prompted. Talk to me! she screamed at him in her head. Can't you see I'm dying over here?

"Isabel seems really focused on getting Alex back," Michael said. "I guess she misses him after all. More than I thought she would."

"Why?" Maria shot back, more sharply than she'd intended. "I'm not surprised. Alex is a great guy. Of course she misses him. We all miss him."

"Yeah, but that's not the kind of missing…" Michael began. He adjusted his hands on the steering wheel. "Forget it."

Maria slumped back into the car seat. Isabel. Michael would have to mention her name, wouldn't he? Maria knew that Michael and Isabel had decided just to be friends, but hearing her name had made Maria remember the disgustingly embarrassing scene in which she'd tried to force Michael to choose between them.

He'd chosen Cameron instead. It had been one of the most humiliating, devastating moments in Maria's whole life.

Feeling more depressed now than when they'd started the trip, Maria turned to face the window as Michael pulled up in front of the ramshackle ranch house.

"What do we do now?" Maria asked.

"Have a look around," Michael said. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Maria answered.

Together they walked up to the house. Maria found herself tiptoeing across the dirt yard, even though she knew it was impossible to sneak up on DuPris. At the front door Michael took a deep breath and turned the knob. The door swung open, and they both froze.

Nothing.

"He's not here," Michael said, stepping inside. Maria followed. The air smelled stale, like no one had walked through to circulate it in over a week. The large front room echoed with emptiness.

"I don't think he ever came back to this place," Maria said.

"I'm sorry for dragging you out here," Michael said. "This was a total waste of time."