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Blxgyrl18 - Amy is going to face problems with her boyfriend's parents. She is white, older and she has an 18 year old daughter. Not easy to swallow.

Jana1977 - Isabel did what she felt she had to do and she told her brother off. But in the end, he knew that she was right to do what she did.

Emadaps - Max is afraid of things changing. That's why he is behaving this way.

Sweetandspicy999 - Max can't help being who he is, someone in control and who worries about everyone.

ItsMeSila - The thing is it's not easy to be the leader. A leader has to consider all the points of view, the consequences of every action. It's not an enviable position.

Marsis - Yeah, Maria herself isn't that confident about her mother's relationship with that younger man but she is the only one, in her mind, who can criticize her mother.

Part 82

Max was still reeling from all of the information that his sister had gathered the day before and he blindly followed her as she led the way to the kitchen where their parents were having coffee. How had he missed things that had been going on around him? Had he been so involved in his new relationship with Liz that he had completely ignored the signs that his sister was making dangerous decisions without even consulting him?

She and Alex had continued with the translation of the letter even after he had declared it to be too risky; despite his belief to the contrary Alex had managed to locate someone who had been able to read the code and now they had more information than he knew what to do with. And if all of that wasn't enough, Isabel had taken it upon herself to confide in their parents about her search for their biological parents.

"Mom, Daddy, can we talk to you?"

Philip and Diane looked at their children when they entered the kitchen, surprised to see the concerned look on their son's face.

"Sure, what's going on?" Philip asked.

Diane crossed the room to hug her daughter and she leaned back to search the girl's face. "Your dad said you got back late last night," she said, searching for any sign that her daughter was in distress over anything that she had learned. "How was your trip?"

"It was very informative," Isabel answered. "Alex and I ran across some information and that's what I wanted to talk to you about." She made a waving motion towards her brother when he sat down heavily in one of the chairs at the table. "I've already told Max about me and Alex going out to Arizona yesterday, and now I need to talk to you guys."

"Everything alright, honey?" Philip asked.

Isabel hesitated. She didn't want to put such a weight on her parents' shoulders or to make them feel guilty about the fate of the other children. What had happened to them? Had they been adopted? Or had they ended up in the foster care system, bounced around from one place to the next? "Oh, yeah, everything's fine. I was just wondering what you guys remember from that night… the night you found us in the desert."

Diane glanced uncertainly at her husband and he moved to stand beside her when she sat down across from Max. "We've told you about that," she insisted. "Why do you ask?"

Isabel chewed on her bottom lip, unsure about going on because she was worried about her mother's reaction to her news. "The man Alex and I talked to said he remembered hearing about two other children being found wandering in the desert around the same time and it made me wonder if you remembered anything else from that night… maybe something that you never told us because you didn't want us to be upset."

Diane stilled, horrified at her daughter's words. She had had nightmares about that night for years, about a third child that she had thought she had seen. Had she been right? Had her subconscious been trying to tell her that there was another child that night and she had unwittingly turned her back on him? She nervously picked up a dishtowel and twisted it nervously between her hands. "When we saw you that night…" She swallowed with difficulty. "I thought for a moment that there was a third child, but when we pulled over and got out of the car it was just the two of you." She grabbed her husband's hand, squeezing it spasmodically. "I was so sure it was just an illusion, a trick of the moonlight… Oh, my God, Philip, we just left that child out there! What if he died because we didn't take the time to look around?"

Philip wrapped his arms around his wife's trembling shoulders, doing his best to comfort her even though he was having the same thoughts. It suddenly occurred to him that his daughter had said the other children had been found, but she hadn't said what condition they had been found in.

"When you said other children had been found…" He let the sentence dangle, uncomfortable finishing the thought aloud.

"Oh, no, Daddy, no… he didn't say they were dead," she rushed to reassure her parents. "He just said that they had been found in the desert as well."

"So, this other kid that you thought you saw when you found us," Max said slowly. "You think it was a boy?"

Diane glanced at her husband before nodding slowly. "That night I thought I saw another little boy, but it happened so quickly and then when we stopped it was just the two of you…" Her right hand fluttered nervously at her throat as she considered the possible ramifications of them not searching the area more thoroughly that night. What if that other child - children, she reminded herself - had some of the same abilities that her own children had?

Isabel was studying her mother's reaction, trying to understand it; being upset about overlooking a child that had been abandoned in the desert was one thing, but there was a look of something that seemed more like fear in her mother's eyes and that confused her. "Mom, is there something else?"

Max turned his head to look at his sister. Something else? But as he looked back at his parents he realized why she had asked that question. There was something in their expressions that didn't quite fit in with the conversation and Isabel rarely considered subtlety when she had something to say.

Philip rubbed his wife's shoulders as he cleared his throat. He had been so sure that this conversation wouldn't be necessary so soon, but it was only fair since he had brushed Diane's concerns aside when he had assured her that there was nothing for Isabel to find in Arizona.

"It's just troubling to learn that there may have been one or two more children out there that night," Diane said as she reached up to take her husband's hand. "Not only because it would mean that they had been left in the desert, but because…" She swallowed hard and nodded gratefully when Philip picked up the conversation.

"We've never been able to locate your biological parents," he started, "and beyond the first few months of intense searching we let it drop. We can only imagine what kind of people abandon their children in the desert and the fact is that the two of you have some differences that we didn't want to draw attention to."

They didn't miss the looks of shock and fear that passed between their children and she rushed to reassure them, but before she could utter a word Isabel turned to look at her.

"You know?" she whispered hoarsely.

"We know that there are some things that set the two of you apart from others; we don't know why the differences exist and we've always been careful to avoid drawing attention to them because we wanted to give you the most normal lives possible."

"When did you know?" Max asked when his mouth finally caught up with his brain.

Diane gave a short laugh. "There were a few things that gave it away immediately but we didn't really connect the dots until later. The two of you have never been sick a day in your lives and that's practically unheard of, you healed a bird with a broken wing when you were little, and Isabel's sense of fashion has always been just a step above what her allowance provides. There have been other small things through the years, and we have no explanation for these occurrences, but we didn't want to do anything that would bring the wrong kind of attention on you or make you feel like you had to hide who you are from us."

Despite Isabel's preference for controlling her emotions she could feel them fighting to be free at the realization that their parents knew they were different and that they still loved them. They didn't understand the differences, didn't know that they weren't from here on Earth, but they had accepted that their children were different and they had never treated them any differently because of it.

She lost the battle with her emotions when her parents came over and pulled her and Max into their arms, hugging them tightly and reassuring them that nothing could ever take their love away.

*****

Gabriel stepped out of his car and stared up at the house that Amy shared with her daughter and he took in a deep, calming breath. He didn't deal with a lot of teenagers, but they were just adults with a little less maturity and common sense. He smoothed his hand over the carved turquoise arrowhead that rested near his throat at the top of his bolo tie and he went over his earlier conversation with Amy.

He had met Maria, but at the time she'd had no idea that he was the man involved with her mother; he had just been the nice man who had given her directions on the Rez. Amy had warned him that her daughter was having a difficult time accepting that her mother was seriously involved with a younger man and he knew he could only do his best to convince her that he was no threat to their relationship.

He tried to ignore the nervous feeling as he neared the front door, but it was difficult to do. He couldn't remember ever being this nervous about anything in his whole life! He had a feeling, based on his talk with Amy that Maria was going to do her best to test him, but he had every intention of keeping his calm. It had only been her and Amy for most of her life and she was possessive of her mother; their roles were well-defined and he was coming in to challenge those roles as far as she was concerned. Maria had a strong personality and she was quite a character so he knew dinner was most likely not going to go as smoothly as he had hoped.

Stepping up on the porch he knocked on the door and waited patiently for it to be opened. His nerves flared to life again when he heard the lock being turned and he found himself hoping that Amy would be the one standing on the other side for more than one reason. He was relieved when the door was pulled open and he was greeted by Amy's smiling, welcoming face.

Maria stared at her reflection in the mirror, rolling her eyes when her mother called her to come and join her and her boyfriend. "Boyfriend," she scoffed, taking her time before deciding to leave her bedroom. She waited until a couple of minutes had passed and then she made her way down the hall to the front of the house where she could hear them talking.

"Sorry, I'm late," she said airily as she rounded the corner.

Amy gritted her teeth at her daughter's insincere apology; it was apparent that not only was Maria not sorry for being late, but that it had been quite intentional.

Maria was shocked when she came face to face with her mother's significant other; she really didn't know what she had been expecting, but it wasn't this! He was the man she had met on the Rez, the man who had helped her to locate River Dog when she had been desperately seeking a way to help Michael. She was annoyed as she realized that her mother had to have realized that they had met when she had talked about him at Michael's house the day before.

Damn it! In some way she was kind of indebted to him, she owed him for his help that day on the Rez… it was because of him that she had been able to find River Dog and help Michael.

"I know the two of you have already met, but let me make formal introductions."

Maria had accepted the unappealing fact that she was going to have to make an effort with the man because she did owe him in some manner, but as she sat down across the dinner table from him she realized that she was lost for words. She studied him throughout dinner, easily seeing the difference in her mother's age and Gabriel's age. How was it possible that she could have… would have, if her mother's indications were anything to go by, a stepfather who was only ten years older than she was?

Gabriel made it a point to try to talk about things that appealed to the teenager, but he could see that he wasn't getting anywhere. Amy had tried on several occasions to start conversations that they could all participate in, but Maria had stubbornly refused to become involved. He could see that it was beginning to wear on Amy and he knew she was getting upset, so as dinner came to an end he decided it was time to take action.

"Amy, would you mind if Maria and I took a few minutes to talk amongst ourselves?"

Maria was surprised by his question; she had expected him to be fed up with her behavior by now. She had not anticipated him wanting to talk to her without her mother present, but as she glanced over at the older woman she realized that maybe she had taken it too far and she reluctantly agreed.

Gabriel stepped out onto the front porch and waited for Maria to move past him before he leaned back inside and pulled the door closed. He turned to face the teenager, resisting the urge to cross his arms and shoving his hands in his pockets instead. "This is very hard for your mother, you know. She's put our relationship on hold because she's scared of hurting you. I know I'm not your father, and you probably won't appreciate any advice I have to give you, but I think you need to understand that your mother has a right to live her life as a woman, not just as a mother. Your place in her life and the way she loves you will never change; those things are as true and reliable as the sun rising and setting each day."

"I know that," Maria insisted mutinously.

"Do you?"

"You know, you're full of good advice, but why don't we switch the focus to you for a minute or two? Have you introduced my mother to your parents? No, you haven't, so why don't we have this talk after you've done that… after you've been in a similar position."

Gabriel paused, startled by the girl's perception. It was a bit of the same thing, he realized as he watched her. His parents had been in their forties when he had been conceived, so they were considerably older and they were very traditional. He knew they were going to have concerns and reservations about him marrying a White woman, a woman who already had a grown daughter from a previous relationship, and a woman who was also ten years his senior.

Maria watched him, suddenly understanding that her mother and Gabriel had a long, tough road ahead of them. They would have to face opposition from his family and society, but they shouldn't have to face it from her as well. She didn't want to be just one more burden for them to have to deal with. "Maybe we can call a truce," she offered.

"A truce?" he asked, surprised.

"I know it probably doesn't seem like it, but I love my mom and I want her to be happy; it's just gonna take some time to get used to all this. And it's definitely gonna take some time to get used to you. I know it's not fair to my mom to try to keep her all to myself, but you have to understand that I can't just hand her over to you either."

"I just want you to understand that it's not an either/or situation, Maria. Your mother doesn't have to choose between us." He laughed quietly. "Which is good, because there would be no choice and I know I'd lose; you don't have to hand her over to me, your mother has enough love for both of us."

"We'll work on it," Maria said and searched for a new subject because she couldn't take much more of the current one. "So, how well do you know River Dog?"

Gabriel accepted the change and went with it, discussing his acquaintance with River Dog and the old man's family. He knew them well enough that he was familiar with who was who and he spent enough time with River Dog that he was able to carry on a conversation with the teenager about her boyfriend and his family.

They talked for a little while, until Amy opened the door and poked her head out to check on them. "Anyone ready for dessert?" she asked tentatively. She breathed a sigh of relief when they nodded and followed her inside.

"I got into the chocolate cake she made for dessert earlier and Mom made me go out and buy one from the store, so if she tells you she made this one, don't believe her," Maria said, her voice lowered so that her mother wouldn't overhear her comment.

Gabriel laughed at the girl's mischievous grin and nodded. "Deal."

Maria settled down at the table, feeling a little more confident than she had at the beginning of dinner. She still wasn't completely sure she was ready to deal with a stepfather, but she was a little more ready to give him a chance than she had been earlier.