Disclaimer: If they were mine I’d be co-staring with Jason Behr not Shiri.

Summary: Michael messes up again. Where will he find comfort?

Rating: R (Some swearing.)

Spoilers: First series.

***

Michael Guerin walked for what seemed like hours along Roswell’s empty streets. The bright glare of the street-lamps was too much for him, so he walked on the edges of the pools of light they made.

Alone. Michael Guerin was alone. It had never been this bad before, even when he’d lived with Hank. At least he’d always had Max and Izzy. Even when he couldn’t stand their sympathy and pity, at least he’d known they cared.

But he’d screwed that up now. Way to go, Michael, he chastised himself.

And then there was Maria. But he’d managed to screw that up too, again.

It’d been a big night. In less than two hours he’d managed to push away every single person that had ever cared about him. Max. Isabel. Mr. & Mrs. Evans. Maria. Even Liz and Alex wouldn’t want to see his face again, let alone talk to him once they knew, whether in loyalty to Maria or to Max and Isabel.

Alone. The sky was overcast, cutting him off even from the stars. But that didn’t even matter anymore because Michael Guerin didn’t belong anywhere. He wasn’t human, but he wasn’t alien either. He was a genetically engineered cross. There would be no spaceship coming to take him home. The orbs had told them that, they had also told them that they were an enslaved world’s last hope. But then they’d told him he was meant to be with Isabel-- like that was ever going to happen! Hell would freeze over first!

Michael didn’t know where to go. He didn’t want to go back to his apartment because that would only make him think of Maria. He couldn’t go back to the Evans, that haven was gone now. He could always go to Tess. Yeah, that would really give him comfort. Not.

So he walked. Somehow his feet took him to the Crashdown, the stupid restaurant that had somehow become the centre of their existence. His feet took him past the front entrance and around to the steeps of the apartment above. He was up the steps before he even knew what he was doing. It was only after his hand had reached up and knocked on the door (seemingly of it’s own accord) that the numbness faded away to be replaced by a sudden dread. What the hell was he doing?!

***

Liz Parker couldn’t sleep. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. Liz tried to push away the sense of distress but it wouldn’t go. The connection between the members of their little group had gotten stronger and stronger over the past few months and Liz knew it was somebody else’s distress that she was feeling. More than one somebody.

Liz glanced at her alarm clock. 2:28 am. How the hell was she going to cope with work in the morning? She rolled over and buried her head in her pillow.

Just come and talk to me, damn it! Somebody tell me what’s wrong so I can get some sleep! She didn’t know who she was aiming the thoughts at so she just sent them in the general direction of the connection. Talk to me. Maybe I can help. Don’t shut me out, I’m here, I’m willing to listen. Come on, guys, just pick up the phone, do something. This brooding is killing me.

She kept aiming thoughts at the connection in the hope that somebody would do something, and then maybe she could sleep. The knock on the door was no surprise when it came.

***

Michael swallowed nervously as a sleepy Jeff Parker answered the door. “Michael?” The older man looked over the younger one carefully in search of an explanation for this late night visit. “Michael, what are you doing here, what’s going on?”

Michael didn’t know how to answer Mr. Parker’s questions, after all even he didn’t know what he was doing there. Thankfully he was rescued by Liz. “Michael! God, are you okay? What happened, what’s wrong?” Liz fussed as she pushed past her father and guided him out of the doorway.

“I, um… I had a fight with Max and Iz… and then I had a fight with Maria… I’m sorry… I just… I didn’t know where to go… I didn’t want…” Michael let his voice trail off.

Liz listened intently as he tried to explain, he sounded so lost, so distant. “You didn’t want to be alone,” she finished.

Michael nodded mutely. Liz gently put an arm around his shoulders and guided him into the lounge. “You better tell me what happened. Dad, go back to bed, you have to open up in the morning and I don’t need to be worried about you burning yourself because you’re half asleep.”

Jeff Parker couldn’t help but smile. God, his daughter was so like his mother. Yet he was concerned. “Lizzy…”

“Dad! Michael just needs a friend, okay? Go to sleep. I can handle this. Okay?”

“Okay, honey, if you need anything…”

Liz nodded and then turned all of her attention back to the distressed young man sitting beside her.

Jeff had to wonder how she was his daughter sometimes. She’d always been so mature, so sensible. He’d watched as she all but mothered her best friend Maria over the years, and then there’d been Alex. Alex had been a lost little puppy until Liz had decided he needed her, and he had needed her, just like Maria had.

Then there was Kyle. Kyle’s relationship with her had worried him. It was obvious that Kyle needed a mother more than a girlfriend. He’d been relieved when Liz broke up with the boy.

Max Evans had been another issue. Although their complex on-again-off-again relationship had been the reason why his little girl had cried herself to sleep on more than one occasion, it was obvious that they were good for each other. Max tried to protect his friends just like Liz did.

Jeff had almost been relieved to see Liz act like a teenager when she’d gone off into the desert with Max that night, almost. Liz was always so worried about other people’s problems that it was good to see her doing something for herself for once.

He smiled as he remembered when Liz had asked him to give Michael a job. “…just give him a chance,” she’d pleaded. “That’s more than anybody’s ever done for him. He’s a good guy in a bad place. He just needs a little help to get on his feet. He just needs a chance.”

How could he argue with that? He shouldn’t really be surprised that Michael had come to her for comfort tonight. Why wouldn’t he? Jeff had watched the quiet friendship that the two shared. It wasn’t really anything one could put their finger on, but there was an unspoken bond between the two of them. An I wont get in your way but I’m here if you need me sort of thing.

And he knew it went both ways. Whatever demons Michael had to face, Liz would help him, just like her Grandma Claudia would have. It was just who she was.

***

Michael lay in bed looking up at the ceiling. It’s going to be okay. he thought to himself. Liz had just listened as he’d ranted and raved last night. She didn’t judge him, she didn’t pity him, she just listened. When he’d finished she’d sat there quietly for a minute and then she’d sighed.

“So what are we going to do, Michael? How are we going to fix this, do you want to fix this?”

It wasn’t the response he’d expected, but it was the response he’d needed. She hadn’t passed judgement on his actions like Maria would’ve done. She hadn’t just tried to clean up his mess without even asking him what he wanted to do, how he wanted to go about it like Max would’ve done. She hadn’t tried to smother him with her care and attacked the others for disagreeing with him like Isabel would’ve done.

But she hadn’t just sat back and waited for him to tell her what he needed her to do like Mr. & Mrs. Evans would’ve done either. Instead she’d gently pushed him towards making the decisions he needed to make without actually making them for him. She’d given him help and comfort. She’d given him friendship and in her own quiet way she’d given him strength.

It had been after four in the morning when they’d finally worked out what they were going to do, what he was going to do. He’d felt guilty about keeping her up so late with his problems but she’d just smiled and said Max wasn’t letting her sleep anyway. That was when he’d realized how strong the connection between them all was, especially between Liz and Max.

“You called me, didn’t you?” he’d asked tentatively.

“Yeah, I didn’t know it was you I was calling to, but I knew it was somebody. And I knew I wasn’t going to get any peace until I did something about it.” She’d flashed him with her sweet smile. “Now,” she’d continued fraining impatience, her hands on her hips. “Bed.”

“Yes, Mama Liz,” he’d replied cheekily.

“Well I don’t know about ‘Mama’,” Liz had replied, frowning. “How about ‘Sis’?”

“Okay, Sis.” He’d replied with a wink. “Night.”

Yeah Michael told himself as he stared up at the ceiling of the Parker’s guest bedroom. It’s going to be fine.

And he knew that it would be. After all, it’s not every day you gain a sister. Especially one like Liz Parker.

The End.

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