Martin stood gazing out the huge front window of the Los Angelas Mother ship. His mind far from his dutys as security officer. He drifted back to yesterday afternoon.

He had met Tari Donovan once again,this time for a bicycle lesson and picnic in the park. It had proven to be a humerous outing. Martin had felt rather silly as Tari coached him on how to ride the two wheeled contraption,especialy when he attemped to stop and ended up in the bushes along side the bike trail.

Tari had tryed in vein to supress her amusement,but her gigling could not be held back.Martins embaresment soon trigered his own laughter.

They had spent the day riding along the bike trails,once Martin learned the propper way to ride and stop. Then finaley coming to rest by the side of the duck pond that centered the area.The place was beutifuly landscaped. Adorned with trees,flowers.lilac bushes. Ducks and Swans swam in the pond,coming up to the bank as Tari threw bread crumbs to them.

Tari had fixed them a small picnic lunch.Mostly containing raw vegtables and fruits,bread and cheese.Tari had never been much of a meat eater and when she had asked Martin what he liked he had told her he was a vegitarian.

It had been a relaxing and enjoyable day,as all time had been the last few weeks when he had spent it with this human girl.

Martin knew he should stay away from her.He was only playing with fire.But he could not help himself.He could not resist her company,he liked the feeling he had when he was with her.She made him feel happy,at ease,content. Feelings he had not known for such a long time that they felt strange,yet...comforting. Martin found himself looking forward to another day again,to forget what his people had come to do, forget what had been done on other planets before,things that had sickened him, guilt nawed at his insides. But with Tari Donovan each new dawn became a day to look forward to.

***************Three days later**************

Martin set the shuttle down in front of Tari's apartment buliding. He walked beside her as she excited the shuttle.

They had just spent the last few hours walking along the beach, talking about the sea and its maney wonders,Martin had told her of how much he envied her people with such a plentiful planet.He asked her why she felt as she did about the sea and its creatures.It mustified him how pasionate Tari seemed about the ocean. For her answer she recited a peice from one of her favorite poems.

* "They say the sea is cold, but the sea contains the hottest blood of all, and the wildest, the most urgent."

Martin had looked at her confused.

Tari smiled."It's a poem by D.H.Lawrense,about whales. I think when i first read it as a teenager it gave me the insentive to studie the ocean and the life with in it. Do you like Poetry Martin?"

"I don't know." He shrugged "I've never read any."

"If you'ld like I can lend you one of my poetry books. You could read some of it and tell me what you think." She offered.

Martin smiled. "I would like that." *

As they reached Taris front door she unlocked it and went inside,inviting Martin to fallow her. She retreived a black hard bound book from the book shelf and handed it to Martin. He thanked her and she walked with him back out.

As they stood just ouside her doorway thier eyes locked. Martin felt his heart pound against his chest as he faught back the urge to press his lips to hers.To hold her in his arms,feel her close to him.For an instant he thought he could read the same want in her eyes as well.

So deep into thier trans neither had herd the taxi pull up,nor saw the man exit it.

"Ackem." the clearing of a throat breaking their revere.

"Uhh..Sorry,I didnt mean to interupt." Mike Donovan smiled giving his sister a teasing wink.When she quickly looked up. He apologized with a sheepish grinn."I didn't know you had company.Or i would have called first."

"Mike!..Hi.." Tari smiled surprised and with a touch of imbaresment showing threw. Though nothing had traspired from the longing look she shared with the man next to her.The want had been there,at least she knew it had for her.

"Martin...,this is my brother Mike." Tari introduced them. While she worked on stediing the nerves she felt twisting in her stomich.

Martin held out his hand in what he knew to be the traditional earth greeting. And moved down the two stairs to meet Mike.

"I remeber meeting you breifly at your mothers party several weeks ago."

Mike smiled taking the Visiters hand. "Ya,I remeber that to.Nice ta see you."

As the hand shake released Mike looked up at his sisster who still stood at her door. Amused by her imbaresment he couldnt resist the chance to tease her more. It had been to long since he had seen that look in her eye's and he was happy it was finaley surfacing again.How he felt about it coming to life with the presense of an Extraterestial ,that was a difrent matter.But he would reserve his judgment until he knew more.

"Nice to see you keeping company with more than just those dolphins and gurus at that health club." He grinned.

"Mike!" Tari scolded with embaresment.

Martin supressed a small smile lowering his gaze to the ground. Then looked up at Tari his expresion composed more serioulsy.

"I should go now,I will see you again soon."

"Don't go on my account."Mike told him goodnaturedly. "I just came by to see if you wanted to go camping with Sean and I" He directed the question to Tari.

"Just over night.Thought we might get in some fishing.I'm on my way there now to pick him up."

"Oh Mike I'ld love to " Tari told him appologeticly. "But I can't,I have to work at the health club. Maggie's disapeared and Jim and Marla have gone to visit relatives. I'm all thats left."

"Maggie?" Mike questioned with concern. "Disapaered?"

Tari nodded her face contorted into worrie. "I dont know what happend to her. She took over at the club the night of mothers party and noones seen her since. I'm realy worried about her Mike."

Mike tryed to be supportive. "Well,try not to worrie,maybe she met some nice guy and is out having the time of her life."

"Mike! for this long?" Tari was not amused by her brothers teasing guess.

"Im sorry kid,just try not to be to concerned." he tryed to reasure her." I'm sure thiers some logical explination.Now I need to get going..The meaters running and this cabby isnt loking to happy right now.I'll give you a call when we get back."

"Mike." Martin who had been silent listening to the conversation all the while fearing he knew what must have happened to Tari's freind.It turned his stomich,but he hid his concern.

"can I drop you somwhere?" He offered. "The shuttle would be faster,less trafic."

Mike accepted and retreived his things from the cab. He kissed his sisster on the cheek and fallowed Martin to the shuttle after he and Tari had once more said good bye.

As the shuttle lifted off Martin was quiet.Somwhat uneasey with Tari's brother and concidering what he had herd about her freind's disapearence he had even more misgivings about his involvment with the human girl.More importantly now,he wondered just what Mike Donovan thought about an alien being involved with his sister.Thinking that if he himself had a sisster he would be a litle more than apprehensive.

Most of the way the two conversed with small talk.Not realy saying much of anything until they reached the car lot, Mike wanted to rent a car for his camping trip with his son.

"Thanks Martin,I appriciate the lift."

"I was glad to do it."Martin told him. "I have wanted to meet you again for some time now. Tari has told me alot about you."

Mike smiled proudly."Yeah ..well she kept you pretty much a secret,I mean she told me she had met somone she just didnt tell me...." He let the words die relizing he was about to put a inconsiderate foot in his mouth.

Martin gave him a small timid smile. "That I was not from your planet?"

It was Mikes turn to look embarressed. "Yeah..I guess so.I didnt mean anything... I mean..she talks about you all the time.Im just happy to see her smiling like that again. "

"She's a very nice girl.I enjoy being her freind. I hope that you and I can become freinds as well Mike." Martin said holding out his hand.

Mike took it. "You bet,any freind of my baby sisters is a freind of mine.thanks again for the lift."

Tari picked up the phone shortly after watching the shuttle with Mike and MArtin lift off. She dialed Maggies number. The familur ringing went on,still there was no answer. She set the reciever back on its cradel and leaned back against the wall with a heavy worried sigh escaping as her thoughts voiced themselves.

"Damn it Maggie,where the hell are you?"

Maggie was thinking a similar question about Tari as she sat close to the small fire, hoping her friend was okay, that the Visitors hadn't grabbed her too. She still had a hard time believing it had been two weeks since that night in the gym. Two weeks that consisted of pain, terror, hope, and, looking at Leary out of the corner of her eye, love. She tried not to think about that emotion because she'd seen nothing from him that indicated he felt the same about her. Which, considering they'd only known each other for two weeks, she couldn't blame him. They'd barely had time to talk, let alone get to know much about each other, since the night he and his 'team' had rescued her. She still smiled as she remembered meeting his team . . .

As Maggie saw the shadows move toward her, the only thing keeping her from screaming was the sure knowledge that she was surrounded by an unknown number of Visitors.

"Maggie. Its me, Leary," Was all she heard seconds before a warm hand settled briefly over hers, giving her hand a small squeeze of reassurance before slipping away.

Maggie gave a shaky sigh as she realized the shadows were actually three other men. She couldn't make out their features, only that they too seemed to be covered in black and carrying what she hoped were weapons of some kind.

"Ok, guys this is Maggie. She wasn't being treated very kindly by our 'guests', so I decided to show her how a lady should be treated," Leary commented, making Maggie smile slightly.

"Yeah, right," Came a soft, sarcastic reply.

"Leary, man, you are so full of it," Came from another, softer voice.

The last man only snorted softly, which made Leary laugh softly. At the sound of his laughter, Maggie felt her breath catch. Before she had a chance to analyze that reaction, she felt her hand being grabbed again as Leary pulled her to her feet.

"Ok, before we go any further we have got to get you covered up properly. Those clothes will make you too easy a target, Maggie," Leary said to her before turning to the men, "Dane you got an extra shirt on you? Ramos, give me those pants I told you to grab."

As Maggie stood she could here the soft sounds of the men following Leary's orders and then she felt the softness of cloth in her hands. "Here, I'm going to lead you over behind these boxes so you can change. Hand me your shirt and shorts when you're done."

For some reason, though she'd only know the man for a very short time, Maggie didn't even hesitate as she let him lead her through the darkness. It was only later, when she'd had time to think, that she would question why she'd trusted him to lead her safely.

Trying to be as quiet as the others, Maggie quickly changed into the pants, which were just a tad too short on her, and shirt Leary had given her. Then moving more on instinct than anything else, she found Leary in the darkness and touched his hand lightly to let him know she was ready.

He lead them back to the others, where she asked if anyone had something she could tie her hair back with. Seconds later, she found her self being offered a rubber band, a long black piece of cloth, that if she wasn't mistaken was a shoe lace, and baseball type cap. It was all she could do not to laugh out loud as she thanked them softly and used the rubber band to bind her long red hair before twisting it into a knot at the base of her head.

"Ok are we ready?" Leary asked.

"Well almost, doc," Came that soft voice Maggie had heard earlier. "What about her feet?"

"What about them?"

"Look."

Though Maggie couldn't see it, she could feel four pairs of eyes eyeing her sandaled feet. She heard Leary mutter a curse as she asked what was wrong. He explained that in the darkness the pale skin of her bare feet could make her a possible target, but that they didn't have time to search her out a pair of boots that would cover them.

"Well then, don't worry about it," Maggie said, trying desperately to keep the fear she felt at being seen and captured by the Visitors again.

"Don't worry about it?" Leary asked with a touch of disbelief in his voice.

"That's what I said," She began and before he could start to protest again, she said, "Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but I do know we're in danger and the sooner we get away from this place the better. It's very nice for all of you to be concerned about me and I appreciate it, really I do. But can we just go?"

Sensing another argument she added, "If I get spotted, it'll be on my head, not yours, ok?"

She sensed Leary was about to argue further, when one of the men said something and the next thing she knew she was laying flat on the ground with Leary's body covering her.

"Shhh," She heard him breath in her ear, as his warmth surrounded her. They could hear the vibrating tones of the aliens as a pair of them walked by their hiding place.

"I am telling you, those humans are too stupid to be allowed to live. Did you see that dark haired-one? He did not last five minutes. And those other two, they took off faster than the rats I have seen scurrying about this place."

"I still do not know why the tall, dark skinned one came back for the body of the one who had fallen? Why would humans carry off their dead? I have not heard that they eat the flesh of the fallen, have you?"

The two Visitor's voices faded as they walked further away from the five humans hiding just out of sight, but their words lingered after them.

"Dammit!" Came Leary's voice in Maggie's ear, seconds before he slowly let her up.

Over the next several minutes, Maggie listened as the four men discussed what they'd heard. It soon became apparent to her that the humans the Visitor's had been talking about had been the rest of the SEAL team the government had sent in to do reconnaissance, the team members that Leary hadn't been able to find when he'd left Maggie earlier. It also became clear that the four men were in a bind as to what to do: stay and try to find their comrades, thus endangering Maggie. Or take Maggie to a safer place before returning for their teammates, thus leaving them behind, something all four men seemed reluctant to do.

Maggie had offered to try and make her own way out, hating to be the reason they couldn't go after their friends. And though she'd never admit how scared that offer made her, she felt only relief as all four of them had looked at her as if she were crazy before going back to their discussion of what to do, basically dismissing her offer.

They'd finally decided that the four of them would take Maggie to someplace safe, but close by. They would leave signs for their teammates to follow, and if after a certain amount of time, they hadn't shown up one of the men would stay with Maggie, while the other three came back.