The story begins shortly after Sexual Healing ends. Max and Isabel are in Max's room before school. They are looking at something on Max's desk. Michael appears at the window and climbs in.

Max points towards the orb.

Isabel picks up the orb and hands it to Michael. Michael holds it through the rest of the scene.

Max looks uncomfortable and shrugs.

Michael turns the orb over a couple of times.

Michael studies the orb for a moment.

Isabel waits on his answer with concern and anticipation.

Max raises a quizzical eyebrow at her, surprised by her reaction.

Silence from Max.

Max has difficulty looking at her in the eye.

Looks at both of them alternately.

Michael's silence causes Max and Isabel to look at him sternly.

Cut to:

Liz and Maria are at the coffee maker.

Jeff enters from the back room. Liz and Maria stop talking. Liz stiffens when she sees her father.

Turns to her father.

He pushes the door open and calls out.

Jennifer enters the room, dressed in a waitress uniform.

Camera focuses on Liz and Maria's surprised looks, as we cut to commercial.

Valenti is at his desk, which is covered with papers. There's a knock at the door.

Deputy Blackwood comes in holding a file. Valenti struggles to close an overstuffed file that he is working on.

Owen produces a blurred picture of a fake alien from the file he is holding and hands it to Valenti.

Valenti smiles slightly. He glances at the paperwork on his desk.

Cut to:

Several students are milling about the hallways, at their lockers, etc. in between classes. Kyle sees Isabel and approaches.

Kyle gives her a charming, and genuine, smile. Isabel smiles back, then her attention is caught by a couple going into the eraser room.

Hold on Kyle's smile as we cut to Isabel entering an empty classroom.

The classroom is empty except for the rest of the gang who are already there. Max is leaning against the teacher's desk, his arms around Liz, who is leaning against his chest. Michael is sitting in one of the student chairs, Maria is sitting on the attached desk; in close proximity to one another but not as openly affectionate as Max and Liz. Alex is sitting in a student chair not far from Michael and Maria.

The others turn to look at Isabel. Alex looks stunned.

All eyes turn towards Liz.

Liz puts her hand in Max's as everyone reacts to this.

Cut to:

Larry is doing a search at the computer. As the camera pulls back we see he's at the UFO Center. Milton enters the room. Larry changes the screen to a main menu.

Milton starts to turn to go, then stops.

Milton leaves.

Larry returns to his original page on the computer.

Cut to:

Max is lying on the bed listening to a "Counting Crows" CD; the song, "Amy Hit the Atmosphere" has finished playing and "Four Days" is starting. Isabel bursts into the room.

Max sits up and turns off the CD player.

She sits on the edge of the bed.

Max looks surprised.

She gets up and starts to leave the room.

Isabel stops, and responds with her back to Max.

Isabel turns around and looks defiantly at Max.

She leaves the room. Max smiles for a moment, then gets up and walks to his desk. He flips up his calendar to reveal the month of March, which has a wallet size picture of Liz replacing the square for March 8th: Two weeks from the 23rd of February, when their grounding began. Max reaches out and gently touches Liz's picture, sighing deeply. Then he returns to his bed, lies down, reaches over to his CD player and turns it on. He turns down the volume, so as not to disturb Isabel.

Cut to commercial.

Liz is sitting in her lounge chair, writing in her journal.

Liz closes her journal, climbs through her window, and places the journal behind the loose brick in her bedroom wall. There is a knock on her bedroom door.

Liz walks over to the wall calendar by her desk and checks off another day, until her grounding is over. She lifts the calendar page to reveal the month of March. March 8th is enclosed in a heart with the word Max in the middle. Nancy comes in, holding some papers, and sees her checking off the days.

Liz remains in her desk chair, Nancy sits on the bed.

Nancy tries to hand her the papers.

Nancy raises her hand to stop Liz from interrupting.

Liz has gone through a myriad of emotions during her mother's narration, which register on her face and in her body language: shock (my mother has such feelings!?), suspicion (has she been reading my journal?), interest (she's never talked about her feelings for Dad before) and finally the realization that her mother is right. She needs to be careful; she can't let her hormones guide her decisions.

Liz nods knowingly.

Cut to:

Jeff is preparing an order of pastries and muffins for delivery.

Liz sees Jennifer through the window to the back room.

Jennifer comes in and we see scenes of Liz pointing out various things behind the counter. Jennifer is asking questions and Liz is answering them but we don't hear the dialogue. Instead we hear this.

Maria comes in as the voice-over ends. She takes a tiny bottle out of her apron pocket and starts to hand it to Liz.

Jeff walks toward the back with supplies for the order. Liz goes over and opens the door for him.

Maria looks at the bottle.

Liz and Maria speak almost simultaneously.

Liz looks at Maria nervously.

Jeff comes in from the kitchen.

Jeff and Maria leave for the errand. Liz goes behind the counter to get some cleaning rags. She hands one to Jen, who moves to the tables in the middle of the Café and starts wiping one of them down. Liz starts cleaning the counter.

Liz stops in mid-sentence when Valenti comes in. He approaches Liz.

Valenti looks around while Liz is getting his coffee and spots Jennifer.

Cut to Liz's concerned look when she learns Larry has been talking to the Sheriff.

Valenti wanders over to the area where Liz was shot. Liz nervously watches him out of the corner of her eye. He looks around and we flashback to Larry asking Valenti about the bullet (from the Pilot).

Valenti is being purposely vague, but Liz can read between his lines; she knows he and Larry didn't talk about the weather and she is chomping at the bit to tell Max, already calculating how she can get out of the Café. Jen is less aware.

Jen turns and smiles at Liz, who forces herself to smile back.

Valenti takes the thermos.

The Sheriff leaves. Liz spots an envelope by the cash register and gets an idea.

Cut to:

Liz sees Milton and approaches him.

Milton points to an exhibit toward the back.

Liz rushes over to Max. Max looks surprised to see her and smiles.

Max stops smiling at the look on her face and tone in her voice.

Cut to:

Max is silent for a moment as this sinks in.

Max holds Liz. Liz reluctantly pulls away.

Max watches, with a wistful look in his eye, as Liz opens the supply room door and exits.

Cut to:

Liz enters the Crashdown and finds her father standing there.

Jeff heads for the back. Liz breathes a sigh of relief, walks over to Maria, pulls the envelope out of her pocket, and surreptitiously hands it to her.

Liz turns at the sound of the front door opening, as the morning regulars start to pour in.

Cut to:

Another empty classroom at school. Max is sitting on the teacher's desk; Liz is sitting beside him, leaning against him. Michael is sitting in one of the student chairs, Maria is sitting on the attached desk; Isabel is sitting in a student chair across from Michael and Maria. Alex enters and heads for the desk next to Isabel, trying to make it look casual, although the desk on the other side of Michael and Maria would have been closer.

Michael half smiles.

Michael, Max, and Isabel look at each other.

Everyone looks at him quizzically.

Isabel turns to Max, who shakes his head.

Maria exchanges glances with Liz and Isabel.

Maria looks at Isabel.

Michael looks at Alex and Max for support. First Alex, then Max, nod in agreement with the others.

Cut to commercial.

Michael slouches in his seat, looking sulky and angry.

Michael sinks lower in his seat.

Maria sees Jennifer and Larry enter the restaurant. She waves at them and they approach their booth.

Jen gives Larry a worried look. Larry and Jen sit.

He stares at Michael with a slight smirk. Michael stares back.

Cut to:

Phillip and Diane are preparing dinner. Phillip goes to set the table and takes out three plates.

Diane gives him a knowing look.

Cut to:

Max, Liz, Alex and Isabel are seated in the Jeep. Liz's cell phone rings; she answers it.

Liz puts the cell phone back into her jacket pocket.

They leave the Jeep and head to Jen and Larry's apartment door.

They reach the door. Max uses his powers to open the lock, and they all enter.

They step into the entryway.

Liz sighs and nods, saddened that circumstances force them to take such measures. Max scans the apartment. Straight ahead is the kitchen and dining area. To his left is a hallway, presumably leading to the bedroom and bath. To his right is the living room, which has a sofa, reclining chair, an entertainment unit holding a large-screen TV, a stereo system, CDs, videos, etc, and in the corner is a desk, chair and computer setup.

Alex heads straight for the computer and sits down at the desk. His back is to the wall, and he is facing the interior of the living room. He turns on the computer. Liz heads towards the kitchen and Isabel towards the bedroom and bath. Max starts searching the desk.

Cut to:

Maria is putting her phone back in her purse. She leaves the ladies' room, spots their waiter, out of earshot of their booth, and walks over to him.

She hands him a bill and smiles.

As Maria turns to head back to the booth, she notices that Larry is talking to Michael and Michael is ignoring him by pretending to read the menu. She picks up her pace to rescue them.

Michael remains silent, continuing to look at the menu, but Maria arrives at that moment.

She slides into the booth next to Michael and glares at him. He notices out of the corner of his eye.

Michael jerks slightly, as Maria kicks him under the table.

Maria does one of her "Why do I bother" looks and shakes her head; Jen laughs nervously.

Larry and Jen pick up their menus. Maria picks up her water and starts to drink. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Michael wave his hand over his menu. Jen and Larry are engrossed in their menus and do not notice. Maria glances at Michael's menu and sees that he has added a cartoon spaceship to it, along with a cartoon alien abducting a cartoon Larry, who looks terrified. Maria starts to laugh and chokes on the water. Jen and Larry look up from their menus, concerned.

Maria nods, as she hides her smile with her napkin.

Jen and Larry go back to reading their menus and Maria looks back at Michael's. Michael waves his hand again and the alien spaceship starts to beam up both the alien and Larry, whose speech balloon says "Help me, help me!" Maria bites her lip, then brings her napkin back up to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. Larry looks up and eyes them suspiciously. He reaches out and grips the top of Michael's menu.

During the following exchange, they have a minor tug of war with the menu. Jen and Maria, embarrassed by their companions' behavior, quickly look to see that no one else in the restaurant is paying attention.

Larry leans in.

Michael releases his grip on the menu and Larry takes it, but not before Michael surreptitiously waves his hand and removes all traces of his artwork. Larry glances at the menu and frowns when he finds nothing unusual. Jen gives Larry a puzzled look and turns her attention back to her menu, relieved that this battle is over.

Jen looks up from her menu and makes eye contact with Maria.

Jen and Larry exchange disgusted looks.

Jen turns to Michael and shakes her head.

Michael scowls; perturbed that his suggestion was ridiculed. He opens his mouth to say something, but Maria jumps in before he can respond.

Larry and Jen look shocked at Michael's admission. Maria glances nervously at Michael.

Not waiting for a segue, Maria decides to steer the conversation into a different direction.

Cut to:

Isabel is standing by the entertainment unit, holding an alien figurine bud vase, with a look of disgust on her face. She puts it back on the shelf, wiping her hand distastefully, and looks around, with the same look of disgust, like she can't believe all the crap they have. Alex is still at the computer, Max and Liz are peering over his shoulder, having completed their search.

Isabel rushes over to him; Max and Liz lean in closer.

Cut to:

Maria smiles, then glances at Michael. Michael and Larry seem to be engaged in a staring contest.

Cut to a picture on the computer screen in the apartment.

The picture is fuzzy at first but as Liz speaks we see the person in the picture clearly. Max looks stricken.

No immediate response from Max, who continues to stare at Hubble's picture.

Liz puts her arms around Max, holding him like she never wants to let go. She can't believe she almost lost him.

Liz pauses and relaxes from her embrace enough to look at him.

Alex scrolls down and we see the information on the Silo Murder that Max found previously on the Internet.

Alex scrolls down a little further.

Alex types on the keyboard.

Alex smiles.

Cut to:

The food has arrived and Michael and Larry are eating without talking. Maria pulls a bottle of cypress oil from her purse surreptitiously, sighs, then openly sniffs it. She offers it to Jen, who takes it gratefully.

Cut to:

Alex turns away from the computer.

Liz and Isabel shake their heads.

Liz notices Larry's collection of music CDs.

Liz points to Larry's music CDs.

Max is disheartened as he looks at Larry's vast collection of music CDs.

Isabel waves her hand over the CDs, playing each one briefly, until she gets to one that doesn't play. She holds it up triumphantly; it's the soundtrack for the TV series "Secret Agent Man."

Cut to commercial

Max, Liz, Isabel and Alex are in the Jeep heading for the Roswell Weekly Record. Max drives past the office.

He parks the Jeep and they all get out and walk back towards the office, approaching it from the back. Max spots the alarm system and heads for it.

Max uses his powers to disable the alarm and nods to Isabel, who uses her powers to open the lock.

They enter the building, which is in total darkness.

Max cups his hands and uses his powers to create a small beam of light (as he did in River Dog); Isabel does the same.

Max and Isabel spread out, checking the name plates on the desks. Liz heads for the front window.

Alex rushes over to the desk Isabel is standing at, and turns on the computer and monitor. Isabel and Max each extinguish their lights. The login dialogue box pops up on the monitor.

Alex is typing on the keyboard.

Alex watches the monitor. A smile spreads across his face as the hour glass disappears and Gold's desktop appears.

Alex turns back to the monitor and clicks on the e-mail icon.

Cut to:

The waiter brings them their check and places it on the table.

The waiter leaves.

Michael is shocked and ticked off.

Flashback to a scene in the Crashdown.

Back to scene.

Michael takes a $1 bill from his wallet, waves his hand over it and changes it into a $50 bill.

Silence from Michael.

Camera focuses on Michael, who is at a loss for a comeback line, and we cut to:

Deputy Blackwood is patrolling the area. He notices a flicker of movement in the newspaper office and decides to investigate.

Cut to:

Liz spots the cruiser approaching.

Alex turns off the monitor and they all find a desk to hide under. Blackwood looks through the front window, doesn't see anything but heads for the front door anyway. We see him standing outside the glass door and the handle moving; cut to the terrified looks on the kids' faces.

Cut to:

Suddenly Blackwood's radio crackles.

Deputy Blackwood rushes back to his cruiser and peels off, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

Cut to:

The kids all expel their breath, as if they had been holding it forever, and climb out from under the desks.

The others look at her as though they are not sure if she is joking or not.

Alex returns to Gold's computer and turns the monitor back on. He begins to type on the keyboard. Max joins Liz by the window and puts his arm around her.

Cut to:

Michael is looking out the window. Maria is sitting on the sofa, looking at her watch.

He turns away from the window and faces Maria.

Maria gets up and walks over to a clock. She compares the time on the clock to her watch.

Michael rolls his eyes in exasperation, leaves the window and approaches Maria.

Michael interrupts Maria in mid-sentence by enfolding her in his arms and kissing her soundly.

They kiss again, a little more passionately as we cut to:

Isabel is pacing back and forth in front of Gold's desk, anxious to leave.

Max starts to laugh, tries to cover it up, but then Isabel and the others join in. They hush each other as they all head out the back door.

Cut to:

As Max, Liz, Isabel, and Alex drive up to Michael's building, they notice the lights on in Michael's apartment.

Alex and Isabel get out of the Jeep. Max and Liz drive off. Isabel starts walking toward the building. Alex takes her arm to stop her.

He stops and looks at Isabel's face as if trying to figure out what she's thinking. She looks serious and attentive, but a little nervous.

Isabel takes a step toward Alex and kisses him lightly on the lips. They look at each other, then hear a loud noise from the building. Michael is banging on the window. They go into the apartment.

Cut to:

Max and Liz climb the ladder. Max goes first and takes Liz's hand to help her up.

They stand face to face on the balcony, still holding hands.

He takes her hand and kisses it gently.

He leans in closer to her and they kiss as though they are the only two people in their world. Lost in their kiss, they have no warning as Jeff comes barreling through her bedroom doorway. Just as he reaches the open window, Nancy turns on the light. Max and Liz are startled, and turn towards the light, seeing Jeff's angry face staring at them from the window.

Max turns and heads for the ladder.

Max freezes in his tracks at the sound of his father's voice, turns back towards the window and blanches at the sight of his parents in Liz's bedroom. He walks back to Liz. They reach out to take each other's hand, ready to face the music together, but they both jump apart when Jeff yells.

Cut to:

Larry is on the phone with Ross Gold.

There is a click on the other end of the phone. Larry turns to his computer and tries to open the file on the computer. He gets a page of boxes and mathematical symbols.

Tries again; same result.

Larry gets the CD from among his music CDs, puts in it in the CD drive; receives the same garbage.

Jen rushes in, holding a cleaning rag in her hand.

Larry checks a few files.

Jen leaves the room.

Cut to:

Liz is lying on her bed, wearing the same clothes as last night; clearly she has been crying most of the night. She gets up slowly, walks to the calendar, takes it down from the wall and tears it up while we hear Jeff's voice-over.

Liz looks down at the pieces of cardboard that were once her calendar; she takes a deep breath then walks slowly to her dresser. She opens a drawer and pulls out a shirt, uncovering something that had been hidden there. Distracted, she lets the shirt fall and pulls out the picture Max had altered when he was drunk. It brings a brief smile to her lips, but then a new flood of tears. She carries the picture with her to her bed and lies down, in a fetal position, clutching the picture to her chest.

play "Donegal Rain" by Andy M. Stewart (streaming audio):
Real Player           MP3

My darling, do not break your heart
Though I leave this Irish shore
Though their cruel laws may force us to part
Fate may join we two once more

Take this farewell kiss as a token
Of my love while far I stray
For true love will never be broken
Let me kiss your tears away

Like the rain, like the rain
When he turned his back to Donegal
Her tears fell like the rain

Don't let your eyes fill with sorrow, love
Don't wet your pretty cheeks with tears
There will come a bright new tomorrow, love
There will come an end to fears

Dark may seem our lives' December
Time will bring to us the May
Love will guide me back, remember
Let me kiss your tears away

Like the rain, like the rain
When he turned his back to Donegal
Her tears fell like the rain

Take this jewelled ring to wear, my love
While I am o'er the wave
Next my heart you know I will wear, my love
This lock of hair you gave

Kiss me once before we sever
For my safety, say you'll pray
You will be my dearest, forever, love
Let me kiss your tears away.

Like the rain, just falling like the rain
When he turned his back to Donegal
Her tears fell like the rain

Like the rain, like the rain
When he turned his back to Donegal
His tears fell like the rain

"Donegal Rain" Andy M. Stewart
Lyrics: A.M. Stewart / Traditional

Fade out.