"Roswell" is copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Jason Katims Productions. All rights, characters, and plots are theirs.

***

Shaking her had no effect. In fact, it just caused her to sigh even louder. Liz knew there would be only one thing that could wake Maria.

Digging into Maria's backpack, she got it. Careful so as not spill the precious contents, Liz uncapped the vial underneath her friend's nose.

The Cyprus oil did the trick. Maria was awake, although none too happy.

"Where am I?" she growled.

"The Library," Liz whispered. "Remember, we're doing our History report."

"History report?" she said. "You woke me up for a lousy History report?!"

"It's due tomorrow," Liz said. "And counts as two test grades."

"Yeah, you would wake me up from one of my best dreams in the past month just for some insignificant homework."

"Two test grades, Maria," Liz said, holding up a couple of fingers for emphasis.

"Yeah, yeah, two test grades," Maria said. "So what?"

"So what? How can you say that?"

"Like this," Maria said slowly. "Soooo whaaaat. Some of us aren't going to be going to Harvard or Yale, or one of those colleges where you play tennis between classes. For some of us, our dreams are all we have to go on."

"So what was so special about this dream?"

"I'll tell you," Maria answered.

"You know how in your dreams, you sometimes see yourself doing stuff? Like through someone else's eyes, but not your own."

Liz nodded.

"Well, that's how this dream started. I was walking into the Crashdown, but it wasn't the Crashdown. On the doors it said 'Crashdown Casino', and when I walked through the doors the whole place was done up real snazzy."

"Snazzy?" Liz asked.

"You know, all stylish and fancy but most of all - clean."

Liz started to protest, but stopped herself.

"Anyway, against one wall was a row of flashing slot machines, poker tables where the regular tables are, and in the back, Jose. Imagine this, Jose was in this dealer's suit and was overseeing the craps table. That's when I noticed this guy, really cute, in this tux with a carnation in his lapel. Then I saw myself, dressed in the same dorky uniform we always have to wear, delivering drinks to people at the various tables. You'd think I'd be able to get something better to wear in my dreams, but nope. There I was wearing the same alien apron over that waitress-blue dress.

"The next thing I knew I was me. You know, no longer looking at me, but actually seeing out my own eyes. And I saw that cute guy at the craps table wave me over.

"'What'll it be, sir?' I said as I pulled out my notepad and pencil, hoping my palms wouldn't sweat all over the pages.

"'Sir?' he laughed confidently. 'Don't be so formal, sweetheart. The name's Guerin. Michael Guerin.'

"Now I know I should've recognized him, but his hair was all combed down, he was wearing nice clothes, and he was, for the lack of a better word, 'smooth'.

"'What'll it be, Michael?' I asked.

"'Tabasco Martini,' he recited. 'Shaken not stirred.'

"'Yes sir, err...I mean Michael,' I said. 'Coming right up.'

"'That's a good girl,' he said, and patted me on my butt."

"Did you deck him?" Liz interrupted. Last time some customer tried that little maneuver on Maria, he found himself picking up teeth instead of just being in town for a convention about them.

Suprisingly, Maria had a smile on her face.

"Actually," she said. "It was kinda nice."

"Then what happened?" Liz said, unable to believe what she just heard.

"All of a sudden Valenti walked in with Kyle. But it wasn't really the sheriff, because in one hand he had a large white cat he was absently petting.

"'Come on Mini-Valenti,' he said. 'I want to introduce you to our arch rival. Michael Guerin.'

"'I'm not exactly mini, Dad,' Kyle said. 'I mean, if you want to take over the world, that's fine with me. Just stop calling me mini, ok?'

"'So we meet again, Valenti,' Michael said as Valenti sat down at the table.

"'It appears that way,' Valenti sneered. 'Let's see how well your luck holds out tonight.'

"Valenti was a bad loser. Especially when, in the last toss of the dice, he lost the last thing he had to bet. His cat.

"'I will gladly exchange your cat for the microfilm,' Michael told Valenti.

"'Never,' Valenti sneered. 'Mini-Valenti, attack!'

"Kyle just looked at his father. 'Didn't I tell you to stop calling me Mini?'

"He then walked out.

"Valenti was shamefaced, and couldn't contain his anger.

"'This isn't the last you'll hear of me, Guerin. You can count on it.'

"He too stormed out of the place.

"Michael just yawned at the whole spectacle.

"'Say, dollface,' he asked me. 'When is your shift done? Care to join me in a bite to eat?'

"'Right now,' I said, and tossed the alien apron behind me.

"The next thing I knew we were walking into this office that looked like it had been imported straight from England.

"'M,' Michael said to the man sitting in a padded leather chair turned away from us.

"The man swiveled to face us and it was Max.

"'Agent Guerin,' he said. 'Who's your traveling companion this time?'

"I could tell by the tone in his voice, that he had come to expect Michael to be quite the ladies man, and to him I was like any other of Michael's 'traveling companions'.

"After brief introductions, M's mood became more serious.

"'Your mission has changed slightly,' he said. 'We have recently discovered that Valenti has in his possession a device of such magnitude that it could destroy life as we know it.'

"It was at this point I had to leave the room.

"'Sorry dear,' M said, 'it's classified.'

"That's when I noticed that you had returned from a coffee break."

"A coffee break?" Liz asked, puzzled. She didn't even drink coffee.

"Yep, I know. It's crazy, isn't it? But in my dream, you were M's secretary Miss Lizpenny or something like that. When you came back we made some pleasant conversation about weather or some such nonsense. I really don't remember that part so well.

"After that, I found myself crouched down beside Michael as we were stalking around an ancient castle, which I know was really Valenti's lair. I don't remember much of that though. All I remember was that we beat Valenti, got the world-destroyer dohickey, and basically saved the day. And speaking of hickeys, that was the next part of the dream.

"I was sitting in math class, and I had this note passed to me. When I unfolded it, it said:

"'Meet me in the eraser room on the second floor. Wish to celebrate our victory over Valenti.
-- Michael.
P.S. This note will self-destruct in thirty seconds.'

"The thing burst into flames the moment I finished reading it. Oddly enough, I didn't get burned.

"When I opened the door to the eraser room, I saw Michael loosing his bow tie on his tux. When he saw me, he flashed that smile of his, and I melted.

"He then took off his shirt, and tossed it aside.

"I smiled suggestively back at him and had just started unbuttoning my blouse, when there was this earthquake and I fell up against him. He held me close in his strong arms, and we stared deep into one another's eyes. We leaned in for a kiss, and then..."

"Then what?" Liz asked anxiously

"For a brief moment I smelled trees, then I realized what had happened."

"What happened?"

"Some putz had woken me up for some lousy history report."

"Sorry," was all Liz could come up with.

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