Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) [COMPLETE]

[Double Trouble]

Alien_Friend: Nope, not good. And, oh, boy, are they gonna be mad!

Well, it’s advice they both want to take…

(And on a side note, congrats on your win!)

destinyc: That’s definitely one theory!

nibbles2: LOL, agreed! Alex, Mr. Strong Arm of the Law! A conversation is… possible.

Hmm… let’s find out…

kismet: This situation will definitely bring them together. We can only hope that their little talks will lead to better communication.

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

begonia9508: Thanks for reading!

sarammlover: Ms. Judy rocks, huh? She’s one of the few people he trusts to give him an opinion that is unbiased. Brooke’s explanation is coming up. Resolution… let’s just say that it’s coming.

tequathisy: Um… well… um…

Eva: We’re glad you like Ms. Judy!

Brooke will definitely be a part of it.

April: Yeah, probably a choice Brooke’s going to really regret!

Well, at some point it’s gonna pay to get your hopes up with these two!

No worries! We love all feedback and we totally understand how school tends to interfere with the really important things in life… happens to us, too!

mary mary: It’s funny you should mention that… True, a little suffering won’t hurt her, and let’s hope it does make her think twice the next time!

chanks_girl: Not really any doubts there, huh? He’s Alex, lol!

Michael and Maria… we know. But, if it helps, we are getting closer to them finally getting past that verbal blockage they seem to be suffering from.

Don’t give up on Brooke… even she had to stumble just a bit. Luke was a good boy… which says a lot about his character and is also very good for his health.


Part 51 – A Giant Leap For…

Michael glanced at the caller ID on his cell phone when it rang and he debated for three rings whether or not to answer it. On the fourth ring he finally hit the call button and lifted the phone to his ear. “What?” he growled.

“Hey...um, it’s me.” He knows it’s you, Maria told herself.

“Yeah, the caller ID kinda gave that away.” He wasn’t giving an inch.

“Brooke’s here – “

“What’s she doin’ there?” he asked, unprepared for her response. According to Alex their sister was spending the night at a friend’s house.

“She called and asked me to pick her up from a party. She’s drunk – “

“What d’you mean, she’s drunk?”

“Are you deaf? I just said I picked her up from a party, and when I say she’s drunk, I mean drunk, Michael. Drunk – like drinking way too much.”

“Is she okay?” he demanded, already grabbing his keys and heading for the front door. Brooke wasn’t used to drinking and he knew from first-hand experience how easily one could get alcohol poisoning… or worse.

“She wants you to be here.”

“Is she okay?” Nothing else was important. He just needed to know that she was alright.

“Yeah, she threw up, but she’s okay.”

Michael nodded to himself. Throwing up was good – not fun by any means, but at least it would start getting the alcohol out of her system.

“You’re coming?”

“Of course I’m comin’ to get her... what the hell kinda question is that?”

Maria winced at his rough question.

Michael mentally kicked himself for being so harsh. They had both said a lot of things the day before, things that he was fairly certain neither of them had meant, but he didn’t know how to just let that hurt and anger go.

“Okay, um, just knock on the door when you get here.”

“Yeah, it’s good you told me that ‘cause I thought maybe I’d just stand outside your door and your psychic powers would tell you when I got there,” he muttered sarcastically.

“I’m gonna hang up now,” Maria told him, ending the call before he could hurt her even more. She had made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t yell at him again because they had already done too much of that.

“Fuck!” Michael shouted into the cool night air as he closed the phone and threw it without thinking. His eyes widened in shock when the phone hit his windshield and he saw the tiny chip appear in the glass. “Sonofabitch!”

He leaned over and picked up the phone... or rather, the pieces of what was left of his phone, and shoved them in his pocket. He slid in behind the wheel and made a mental note to make arrangements to have the windshield repaired and to go by and pick up another new phone the next day. He had to get control of his temper because this wasn’t helping either of them. And if he kept up at this rate he was gonna end up spending a fortune replacing his damaged phones.

He was sick of fighting with Maria, sick of the hurtful words that they kept flinging back and forth; all he wanted was to go back to Saturday night and erase that moment when he had fucked everything up. He might as well accept that he had taken a gamble and lost big. There wasn’t much he could do about it now; there was no way of erasing the events that had led up to this but at the same time he didn’t know how to stop acting like an ass either.

Every time he was around Maria all he could hear was that unforgettable “no” followed by her telling him that he was selfish and only thought about himself. All they had to do was be close enough to see, touch, or speak to each other and his defenses slammed into place. As soon as she entered the picture it was like his internal fight or flight instinct kicked into overdrive and he had never been one to run from hurt – he reacted by going on the attack and causing as much damage as possible before he could get hurt again. Problem was that he didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t seem to stop the reaction.

Michael pulled up in front of the girls’ apartment and cut the engine, climbing out of the car and hurrying up to the second floor. He knocked on the door, his knuckles striking the wood three times before he lowered his fisted hand to shove it in his pocket.

*****

Maria put the phone back into her bag and took a deep breath. She had considered trying to talk to him when he came over but with his reaction on the phone she should just leave it alone. She walked over to Brooke again and took the bowl out of her lap. Eww, that was disgusting. “Take another sip of the water and lay down, Brooke. Michael’s gonna be here soon.”

Brooke did as she was told and then curled up around the soft pillow again. Michael would be here soon and then everything would be better, she thought.

Maria went to take care of the mess the teenager had made and then hurried back to place the bowl within easy reach. She smiled at the girl when she began to snore lightly a few seconds later and she sat down in the armchair next to her, waiting for Michael to arrive.

Her heart started to pound when she heard the knock on the door. She wasn’t ready to meet him again, not after that phone call, but it didn’t matter now because he was already there. She stood up and walked to the door, taking one last deep breath before she opened the door. “Hi.”

Michael bit down his automatic response and nodded. “Hey.”

“She’s sleepin’,” she said quietly and stepped aside to let him in.

His heart jumped up to lodge in his throat as he looked down at her, reading the hesitation in her eyes. Her perfume mingled with the scent of her skin to tease him mercilessly as he eased past her. He crouched down beside the couch and placed his hand against his sister’s forehead. “How long’s she been here?” he asked, his tone gruff.

“Half an hour maybe.”

“She been sick since I talked to you?”

“Well, she threw up right before I talked to you and then she fell asleep.”

“A simple ‘no’ would’ve sufficed,” he snapped.

Maria stayed silent at his harsh remark and moved a few things around, carrying them to the kitchen. Just keep yourself busy if you don’t wanna cry in front of him, she told herself.

Michael gently tapped Brooke’s cheek to wake her up and he studied her eyes when they cracked open. “Hey, brat,” he said quietly, “how’re you feelin’?”

Tears welled up in Brooke’s eyes at his gentle tone and she launched herself into his arms, knowing without question that he would catch her. “Feel bad, Michael...”

“Yeah, you smell pretty bad too,” he teased. “I’m gonna take you home, okay?” He glanced down at the top of her head when she shook it negatively. “No?”

“No, Alex will kill me... he’ll yell...”

“I’ve got news for you, brat, I’m gonna yell... but I’m gonna wait until you’ve had a good night’s sleep because I want you to remember what I’m gonna say. And then, yeah, I can pretty much guarantee that Alex is gonna yell at you, too. This was a stupid thing to do.”

“Why?” she asked petulantly. “You did it... still do it.”

“It’s stupid because if our parents found out about it, Alex could lose custody of you... you understand that?”

“No, I don't wanna go back with them.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll talk about it tomorrow when I know you’ll remember it.” He straightened up and lifted her up in his arms. “C’mon, I’ll take you home with me; I’ll let Alex know there was a change of plans and tomorrow you and I will go over to his place and you will explain tonight.”

Was he even gonna say goodbye? Maria wondered.

Michael shifted Brooke in his arms and he felt her sweaty forehead settle against his neck. Ungh... that felt great, he thought as he repressed a shudder and just hoped that she wouldn’t puke on him... or in his car. He paused at the front door and his eyes met Maria’s when she pulled it open for him. “Thanks for... y’know, goin’ to get her an’ callin’ me.” Would she try to say something, explain what had happened?

Maria wondered if she should say something to him. She held onto the door tightly and managed to look up into his eyes. Say it, she pushed herself. “I’m sorry, Michael.” The words came out slowly and she had to force her tears back. Would he know what she meant?

Michael studied her for several seconds before nodding and backing out to stand on the other side of the door. “I’ll be at the party early tomorrow; we’ve gotta get set up before things really get started. Maybe we can talk if you get there early?” He held his breath, scared of her response.

“I’ll be there.”

Not knowing what else to say he nodded and turned towards the stairs.

She stepped out of the door and watched him leave. Maybe they would be able to figure things out now.

*****

The sun was shining brightly when Brooke opened her eyes late the next morning. She swallowed with difficulty and felt like her mouth was filled with cotton… really bad-tasting cotton, she thought, her eyes barely slitted open as she looked around. She recognized Michael’s room, but he was nowhere to be seen and she was glad for the temporary reprieve; she had a bad feeling that he was NOT going to be happy with her.

She sat up and looked down at herself when the blankets slid off of her shoulders and she realized that she was wearing one of her brother’s tee shirts. She carefully stood and made her way over to the bathroom door and pulled on it, frowning when it didn’t open, and then yanking on it.

“Hold on a second, girl.”

She winced when Max’ voice carried loudly from the other side and she took a step back just in time to avoid the door swinging open.

“Now that is an interesting look,” Max commented with a teasing grin. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you put your hair up that way.”

“Fuck off,” she groaned as she pushed past him. One glance in the mirror revealed her hair standing up in a dozen different directions and she didn’t even want to think about the rest of her appearance. She glared at Max when he laughed and walked out on his side of the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him.

After spending some time with the shower, a toothbrush, and a hair brush she started to feel like something at least resembling a human being. She dressed in an old pair of her jeans and a tee shirt that her brother had found somewhere and left on the bed for her and then crept out of the bedroom. She knew she was going to have to face him, there was just no way around it, but that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it.

The apartment was surprisingly quiet and she assumed that meant that the others had already cleared out and left her alone with Michael. She could hear him in the kitchen and she followed the sounds, feeling her stomach turn over when she caught the scent of food cooking.

“Well, look who finally decided to drag her ass outta bed,” Michael muttered, glancing up at her when she pulled herself up to sit on one of the barstools at the counter.

“You can just go on and yell at me, Michael,” Brooke murmured and rested her head on her folded arms.

“Oh, well, now that I have your permission to yell at you, let’s get started.” He pulled the frying pan off of the burner and turned the stove off. “What the hell were you thinkin’ last night?!”

Brooke winced. She hadn’t expected that he would be quite that loud. “I’m sorry,” was all she said. What else could she tell him? She knew that last night was stupid.

“You’re sorry? Sorry?!” he yelled, slamming the frying pan down on the back burner. “Do you have any idea what you could’ve put in jeopardy last night with that little stunt?”

“I didn’t mean to... I...” She sighed. Why had she done it again?

“What if Dad caught wind of that bullshit? Do I give a rat’s ass what he thinks? No, I don’t, but the fact of the matter is that I’m over 18 and you’re not; if it looks like Alex isn’t able to take care of you, he’ll lose custody and you know where that’ll put you?”

Brooke just nodded and hid her face in her hands.

“You wanna go back to live with Mom an’ Dad? Or maybe you just wanna spend the next couple years in boarding school... which is it, Brooke?”

“I... I just didn’t know who to talk to.”

He shook his head and braced his hands on the counter. “About what? Because let me tell you somethin’, brat, the answer isn’t in a bottle.”

“I was upset after we fought yesterday. You’re not only my brother, Michael, you’re also my best friend here. And I felt like trash after I got out of your car; I wanted to talk to someone.”

“And you thought ol’ Jose Cuervo would have the answer? You’ve got two other brothers, Kyle, Max, and the girls to talk to... how did you think getting drunk would give you someone to talk to?”

“Brendan was busy studying, Alex and Isabel were talkin’ about stuff and they didn’t want me to hang around with them when I got home. And come on, I’m not so about to discuss my problems with Kyle or Max. That leaves Maria, but obviously I couldn’t talk to her, ‘cause you said you don’t want me to talk to her about you and you already said that I’m not bein’ loyal to you.”

“So, that left alcohol as your only option?”

“I didn’t plan to get drunk when I went to that party.”

“What were you plannin’? And why were you even at a party on a school night?”

“I was just planning to maybe make some friends my own age, Michael. I don’t really have any and I feel so lonely sometimes.”

Michael sighed as he realized the truth of her statement. “Brooke, I know that you spend most of your time with people who’re older than you and I guess maybe we don’t always think about that, but you can’t go out and do stuff like that. And it’s not just because we could lose you to Mom an’ Dad; d’you know what could’ve happened to you at that party? You were drunk, by yourself, and surrounded by people you don’t know. And at least half of those people were guys who were hangin’ around just lookin’ for a good time... not all guys give a fuck whether you’re drunk or not. D’you understand what I’m sayin’? There are plenty of guys out there who don’t care whether or not you’re drunk as long as they can get you in the sack.” He ran a hand over his face as he stared at her. “Have you forgotten what happened the last time you went to a party that you shouldn’t have been at?” It was something he wished he could forget, but unfortunately it was forever burned into his memory and he never wanted to repeat the events of that night.

“No, I haven’t forgotten, and I know I made a mistake; I’m not denying that, I know I did, Michael. I... I just don’t want to feel so lonely anymore. I really like to hang around with you guys, it’s always fun and you will always be my best friend, but in school I’m just that smug girl from New York, who lives with her older brother.”

Michael wasn’t sure what to say to that. He didn’t know much about high school girls... well, he thought, nothing that would help his sister, anyway. He reached up to scratch his eyebrow. “So, what about that guy you’ve been hangin’ around with? What’s his name, Buck?”

“Luke!”

He hid a smile as he turned back to the stove. He knew the kid’s name; he was just trying to get a rise out of his sister. “You want some toast?”

“God no, I can’t eat right now.”

“You sure? Plain toast isn’t that bad when you’re hungover. It’s a helluva lot better than that raw egg mixture that Max puts together.” He chuckled when her complexion turned a light green.

“Thank you!”

“If you’d prefer that I can give Max a call.”

“Shut up or I swear I’m gonna puke all over the kitchen.”

“You pretty much took care of that last night... in the livin’ room. You’d better be glad we’ve got hardwood floors and not carpeting.”

She slid off of the stool and stood on her own two feet. She walked around the counter to her brother who was busy preparing his own breakfast. When he turned around to look at her she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly

“Don’t think this gets you outta talkin’ to Alex,” he mumbled, hugging her. He was sure she had scared a dozen years off of his life the night before.

“I love you, Michael,” she whispered against his chest. Yeah, she really loved her big brother.

“Yeah, I love you too, kid.” His tone was gruff and he patted her back before he released her and took a step back. “Alright, let me eat because I have no intention of goin’ over to face Alex on an empty stomach.”

Yeah, Alex... she really wasn’t looking forward to that... “I think I’m gonna go lay down for a little while longer.”

Michael nodded. If he didn’t have to get to the beach to help Kyle get everything set up he would’ve let her recover a little more before taking her home. He had actually been surprised that Alex hadn’t insisted on him bringing her home the night before, but his older brother had sounded distracted on the phone and he hadn’t pushed it. Alex had gotten on his ass more than once for drinking too much and last night he’d had plenty to say on the subject once he had warmed up to it.

He leaned against the counter as he watched his little sister weave her way back to his bedroom. Alex was right, he realized in a moment of clarity. His brother had pointed out that Brooke idolized him and that she was mimicking his behavior and after talking to her he knew that he needed to straighten his act up a little bit. Hanging out over the weekend while they were all drinking had been one thing, but she obviously didn’t understand the difference because it wasn’t the same as going to a party and getting shitfaced with a bunch of strangers.

He turned around to finish fixing his plate and then set it on the counter, taking the seat Brooke had vacated, and digging into his food. How had his easygoing life gotten so tangled up and complicated? he wondered. “Like you don’t know,” he muttered. His life was suddenly overrun by girls and not in a good way.

*****

Max pulled his tee shirt over his head and tucked it in, running his hands over it as he took a step back and surveyed his appearance in the mirror. He nodded in satisfaction, deciding that he was as ready as he was going to get. Normally he would be looking forward to going to the party, but since he had blown things with Liz he wasn’t really interested in hanging out and dodging the girls that were sure to be waiting for him. He was only going because it was Tess’ birthday and since she was dating his friend he was kind of obligated to be there.

He frowned when the doorbell rang, knowing his roommates were already gone because they had to get things set up before the party really got started. He left his room and walked down the hall to pull the front door open, leaning against the doorframe when he saw one of their neighbors standing on the other side. Stacy Duncan lived in an apartment on the second floor and she had been trying to hook up with him since she had moved in six months earlier.

“Are you going to the beach party?” she asked, green eyes sliding over him.

Max barely suppressed a shudder at her less-than-subtle appraisal of his body and he shook his head. “I’ll be there,” he answered noncommittally.

“I don’t have a date, so I thought maybe we could go together.”

“No, I’m not lookin’ for a date for the evenin’, Stacy.” He forced his expression to remain polite. “Thanks for thinkin’ of me though.”

“Oh, c’mon, Max, I can guarantee you’ll have a good time.”

Her tone was sultry and he was sure that it had probably drawn more than one man in, and under the right circumstances – say, too drunk to see straight – he might have let her convince him, but he wasn’t interested. He hadn’t been interested in any other women since Liz Parker had entered his life and wasn’t it just his luck to have fallen for the one woman who obviously wasn’t interested in him?

“No thanks, Stacy.”

The woman shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Your loss.”

Her snide comment only served to piss Max off and he took a step back so he could close the door. “I’m sure it’ll be someone else’s gain.” The door closed, cutting off her gasp of shock and he shook his head as he crossed the room to enter the kitchen and grab a beer from the refrigerator.

He leaned against the counter and took a long drink, wondering when he had lost control of his life. Not that he would have been interested in a woman like Stacy even before Liz had caught his eye, he thought. He turned his head to the side when the doorbell rang again and he sighed, knowing it was his pushy neighbor again. Damn, didn’t the woman ever give up? He walked back to the front door and jerked it open, unprepared for the sight of the woman standing on the other side.

Liz Parker stood there in a light green skirt that came to mid-thigh and a snug-fitting white top with flowers on it. She looked like she was as surprised to be there as he was to see her, and his heart immediately started to pound in his chest.

“Uh, Liz… What, um… what’re you doin’ here?” Smooth, Evans, real smooth.

“I...um, wanted to talk to you before the party.”

“Okay,” he said slowly, taking a step back and motioning for her to step inside.

Liz’ palms were sweaty as she entered the guys’ apartment. She couldn’t hear any sounds from the other rooms so she assumed that the other guys were already gone.

He wondered why Liz was at his door; they hadn’t talked to each other since Sunday morning when she had said that she had no memory of the night before.

“It’s very nice here.”

He didn’t know if she really didn’t remember it or if she was just consumed by guilt and had chosen to pretend it had never happened. He closed the door behind her and nodded when she spoke. “Thanks.”

“Okay, um…” She rubbed her hands against her skirt and tried to find the right words. “I have to ask you something.”

What’d she want? “Okay... ask me anything.”

“Please, don’t be mad at me, Max, but can you tell me what happened between us the night I was drunk? All I remember is that we went outside together and even that’s pretty hazy.” She closed her eyes for a moment and desperately hoped that he wouldn’t be angry.

Max rubbed his hands against his jeans as sweat broke out on his palms. She really didn’t remember... he was unbelievably relieved by her admission. “You, uh... you sure you wanna know?” He paused, watching her.

Oh God, what had they done? “Yeah, I... I have to know, Max.”

Did she wanna know because she felt guilty? Because she was afraid they had done something unforgivable? Or was there some deeper meaning behind her suddenly wanting to know what had happened? Max took a drink from the bottle he still held in his hand. “Why? For your benefit... or Sean’s?”

“What? It’s not for anyone’s benefit.”

He was still dealing with his own guilt over what he had done – he didn’t hold her accountable for what had happened because she had been drunk. “No, what I’m askin’ is if you wanna know for yourself because you wanna know, or if it’s because Sean accused you of cheatin’ on him and you’re only here to get an answer for him.”

“This isn’t about Sean, okay, Max? I’m... I’m just scared I did something that I’ve never done before and I don’t remember it.”

He smiled gently when he heard the fear and confusion in her voice. “You’re worried we had sex on Saturday night?” He shook his head. “No, things didn’t go that far.”

Relief washed over Liz. “Then, what did we do?”

Max flushed guiltily. “We talked, kissed, made out... but, we didn’t go any further.” He paused, staring at the label on his bottle as he slowly peeled it off. “We both wanted to, but you’d had way too much to drink and we would’ve both had some major regrets the next mornin’.”

Liz slowly walked over to him and took the bottle from him, reaching past him to place it on the breakfast bar. Their hands made contact and both could feel the warmth rushing through their bodies. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Max stared down at her hand where it was covering his and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He forced his gaze up to meet hers when he heard her whisper of gratitude. “For what?”

“For not goin’ any further.” She took a breath before speaking again, shocked at what she was about to reveal. “Y’know, I want to go farther, but I would prefer to remember it the next day.”

“I took advantage of you, Liz,” he grated out, guilt eating away at him. “D’you understand that? You were drunk an’ I should’ve kept my distance, but I didn’t... an’ if that’s not bad enough, you’re engaged to another man... I had no right to touch you.” He forced his mind away from what she had said because whether or not she wanted to go farther, that had nothing to do with him. That right belonged exclusively to the man she was with... and that man wasn’t him.

Liz raised her left hand to eye level. “I’m not engaged anymore.”

“What’re you sayin’?” he asked hoarsely. A dozen thoughts were racing through his head faster than he could form the words. “You ended things with Sean... why? Hell, when?”

“Yesterday morning.”

“Because you thought we had done somethin’ up at the cabin?” Was he responsible for her relationship ending?

“No! Of course not! ‘Cause I know now that I never really loved him.”

Max was shocked and he wasn’t sure what to say next. Was it too soon to ask her out? Too soon to hope for more? “Um... how d’you feel about that?”

“A little weird. It’s all different now. But, I also feel relieved.”

He reached up to run his fingers over his goatee, a nervous habit that had started when he had grown it out. “So, you guys were together for a long time... how long should I wait before I ask you out?” He looked up at her through his eyelashes and he smiled as he caught her watching him. “I don’t wanna rush you or anything, ‘cause I’m sure you probably need time to adjust, so, I just need to know what my boundaries are.” He shrugged self-consciously. “This’s new territory for me, so help me out here, Liz.”

Liz smiled a little. “Well, I was hoping you would suggest goin’ to the party together.”

His heart started to slam against the wall of his chest. “So, if you wanna go to the party together, does that mean I’m free to ask you out? I’m serious about you lettin’ me know what boundaries you wanna set, Liz, because I don’t wanna screw this up.”

“You’re totally free to ask me out, Max Evans,” Liz said with a big smile on her lips.

“And am I free to pursue you in every way?”

“If you’re not gonna be a stalker about it, yeah,” she laughed.

“Liz, when I say ‘every way’... you do understand what I’m sayin’, right?”

“Yeah.” She stepped closer to him. “Let’s just not take things too fast, okay?”

Oh, hell... she had just given him the green light and then moved in closer. Don’t rush, don’t rush, don’t rush, his mind chanted as he slowly raised his right hand to cradle her soft cheek in his palm. She hadn’t set any boundaries, just requested that he not rush things. He knew she didn’t have any sexual experience and that meant he was going to have to exhibit super-human control because he wanted it all with her. “Yeah, we’ll take things as slow as you need to, darlin’,” he assured her and he meant every word.

“For now, can you kiss me?”

Could he kiss her? Oh, hell yeah he could kiss her! He brought his other hand up so that he was framing her face in his hands and he studied her expression for several long seconds, memorizing it before his right hand slid down to curl around her neck. He tugged her closer and lowered his mouth to hers, careful to keep it gentle at first. As soon as he felt her move against him restlessly, seeking more, he deepened the kiss.

Liz couldn’t believe how good it felt to kiss him again. And now she didn’t need to worry about Sean or how her behavior would affect him.

Max could feel a difference in her, as if she had suddenly discovered a freedom that was allowing her to really open up and let herself go.

“When do we have to leave for the party?” Liz murmured against his lips

He hadn’t been in any rush to get to the party before her arrival and now he really wasn’t in a hurry. “Whenever you wanna leave,” he murmured. “Leave it up to me and we’ll never make it.”

She chuckled. Yeah, she could stay here for a while, too. “If it wasn’t one of my best friends’ birthdays, I would agree. But, I guess we’ve got at least an hour before we have to go.”

An hour could lead to all sorts of interesting situations, Max thought.

*****

Maria looked in the mirror for the thousandth time and checked her appearance. She was wearing her favorite shorts and a black tank top and yeah, she looked good, she thought with a grin at her reflection. A glance at her watch told her that she had to leave soon; Michael would already be on the beach to get the stage set up for the band. She was nervous; what if he yelled at her again and refused to listen? What if he told her that he didn’t have any feelings for her? But what if this was the last chance for them to get things straight? She knew she had to admit her feelings for him if they were going to get past this.

The phone ringing brought her back to reality and she walked over to her bed to pick up her cell phone. “Iz, what’s up?”

“Hey, Maria, I know I said I could pick Anthony up at the airport, but his flight was delayed by an hour and I’ve got that doctor’s appointment... so, I was just wondering if you could pick him up? I already called Tess and asked if you could use her car to run an errand for me and she’s cool with it.”

“What? Um... can’t Liz go get him?”

“No, apparently she had to take care of something. She wasn’t really very clear about whatever it is, but she definitely said she couldn’t do it.”

God, she had three best friends and where were they when she needed just one of them? She couldn’t ask Tess to do it; she was already at the beach where her party would be starting soon. Not to mention, Anthony was flying in because it was her birthday. “Okay,” Maria said quietly.

Isabel bit her bottom lip. “I’m really sorry, Maria, and y’know I wouldn’t ask if there was any way around it. But, Alex has already arranged to get off early from work and if I miss my appointment today I won’t be able to get in until next week because of the holiday.” She sighed in relief when Maria agreed.

“I know, Iz. It’s not your fault, I just had something important to do, but it’s okay, I’ll just postpone it for a little while, so don’t worry.” She just hoped that Michael would understand that.

“Okay, thanks, Maria. I appreciate it – and I owe you one.”

“Oh, yeah, and I’m gonna collect, girl! Okay, I’m gonna hurry so he doesn’t have to wait at the airport.”

“Alright. Thanks again, Maria.”

“Later, Iz.” Maria ended the call and sighed. “Great.” Maria threw her cell into her bag and headed for the door. Wait, maybe she should at least call Michael and tell him she wouldn’t be there in time for them to talk before the party started. But he might not hear his phone anyway; a text message might be better. She grabbed her cell again and typed in a quick message:

Hey, Michael, I had an unexpected situation come up. I’ll be there as soon as possible.

Satisfied that she had bought a little extra time she grabbed the duplicate ring of keys that Tess always left hanging over the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Tossing one last look around the apartment she hurried out the door and pulled it closed behind her.

[Double Trouble]

Alien_Friend: They do need to begin fixing this thing between them… how much can their poor hearts take?

You did wait a long time for that moment… a little over 500 pages, actually! There is hope here.

Brooke, poor kid. She’s in a difficult situation. It was something that made Michael stop and think and it was a wake-up call he needed.

(Looks like we’re off on a new and exciting adventure!)

begonia9508: Michael definitely deals with the girls in completely different ways. He and Maria bring out the best and worst in each other… okay, the readers haven’t seen them really bring out their best in each other yet, but it’s coming, promise!

Yeah, Max wasted no time with her, huh?

Things are heating up!

kismet: Hmm… will they make it to the party? Good question.

Chances are good that there will be some jumping to conclusions.

sarammlover: The apology was important.

Well, this is actually Tony’s first appearance… he hasn’t been mentioned before now.

nibbles2: Yeah, you pretty much called that one right on the money.

Michael has his moments… and when he and Maria finally talk (and it IS coming) and get things sorted out, we’ll see some of that sensitive side really focused on Maria.

mary mary: Well…

Liz and Sean may have a difficult time with the parents… especially if they continue with their plan to pretend that the engagement’s still on.

keepsmiling7: It was past time for that to happen, huh? Max is pretty perfect, you’ll get no arguments from us.

Natalie36: Not good…at all.

destinyc: Well, with Michael and Maria… the learning process is not a fast one!

tequathisy: Um, in his defense… he had no idea he was fucking things up.

We’ll see what happens there.

chanks_girl: Teenagers can be cruel… most of us probably experienced that at some time or other when we were in high school. It was an action that could create a serious problem if her father were to learn of it, so hopefully he’ll never know. You’re right, she’ll be bouncing back very soon!

Unfortunately, you’re right on target in regards to Michael’s reaction.


Author’s Note: Song credit for “Take Me Away” goes to Plain White T’s – lyrics obviously don’t belong to us!

Link to Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xECo-0nwTt0


Part 52 – And Things Begin To Come Together

Maria arrived at the airport five minutes late because, surprise, there had been an accident on the freeway. But she had known Anthony for a lifetime, and she knew he wouldn’t be mad; they had grown up together as best friends and they were also cousins. Damn, where was he? She wanted to get to the beach as soon as possible.

Maybe she should just look for the group of drooling women, fanning themselves and listening to whatever incredible tales he was spinning. Anthony was like the best looking man she had ever known – well, until she had met Michael.

Anthony Vinson was slouched down against the ticket counter, flirting with the girl at the computer while he waited for his ride. At six foot one, he had had blond hair and striking blue eyes and he hadn’t had a problem getting a date since puberty.

He glanced around, looking for one of the girls and he smiled when he recognized his cousin running around frantically, looking like a chicken without its head. “Yo, DeLuca... lookin’ for someone?” he yelled, drawing her attention.

Maria tried to glare at him, but she couldn’t force the big smile away. “Tony! How many phone numbers have you collected since you landed in California, huh?” She walked over to him and hugged him tightly, grinning at the girl behind the counter who was looking at her jealously.

He grinned widely and pulled her into his arms for a bear hug before swinging her in a circle. “Hey, cuz!” He chuckled at her question; she knew him too well. “Enough to keep me busy for a day or two.”

“I knew it.”

“Uh-huh, like you don’t have a dozen guys waitin’ for you to call.” He rolled his eyes. He wasn’t the only one in the family who didn’t have to hope and pray for a date.

“Yeah, but there’s only one I want to call me,” she whispered more to herself as she checked her cell phone once more.

Anthony frowned at the sudden shift in her mood and he reached out to press his fist under her chin, lifting her downcast gaze to his. “Hey, what’s up?”

She had hoped Michael would answer her text, but he hadn’t so far.

His cousin had a penchant for getting involved with guys who treated her like shit and he had really hoped to meet the guy Aunt Amy had been talking about. She had been impressed with the guy and that was saying a lot because the woman did not impress easily! “I thought you were datin’ a decent guy for a change?” He frowned as he flipped through his mental file, searching for the guy’s name. “Michael, right?”

She snorted. Michael and decent were two totally different things. “Well, I wouldn’t call him decent, y’know?”

That brought the frown back. “Aunt Amy seemed to think it was a good descriptive for him. What’s not decent about him?”

“Well, maybe you should just get to know him and you’ll see what I mean.”

“This guy do somethin’ to you? He not treatin’ you right? ‘Cause I’ll kick his ass if he’s hurt you, Maria.”

“I guess you could say that we hurt each other.” They finally reached the car and started to creep through the maze of twists and turns that would lead them out of the parking garage so they could go to the party.

Anthony unconsciously clenched his right hand into a fist at the thought that she had been hurt again. If this guy had fucked with her he’d get his ass kicked... it wouldn’t be like he was the first ex of Maria’s that had met the wrong end of his fist. “So, what’s up with this guy, cuz? Aunt Amy didn’t say how she met him.”

“When my mom visited me, well, she kinda surprised us.... making out.”

He watched her closely, taking in every nuance of her expressions. This wasn’t the same way she had reacted after that low-life Billy. “Really?” He chuckled. “Well, he must’ve done somethin’ right considerin’ the glowin’ review he got from your mom.”

“But we weren’t a couple or anything, we just had this ridiculous thing.... makin’ out but not getting involved, y’know? I didn’t want a relationship with a bad boy again and he didn’t want a relationship either.”

“Ah, hell, Maria,” he sighed, shaking his head. “You deserve better than that, girl.”

“I know – look he has a twin and he’s like the total opposite of Michael… decent, nice, loyal… but, well, I dated him but it didn’t work, Michael’s just irresistible.”

He knew she was attracted to guys who had a reputation as bad boys, but there had to be something different about this one. It was easy to see that the guy had affected her differently than any of her ex’s and he was pretty sure that had to mean something. “So, Michael is none of those things? Decent, nice, and loyal? C’mon, cuz, this guy’s got you tied up in knots.”

“Well, not decent, but he can be nice if he wants to be and he’s loyal, too. I mean, he never lied to me or pretended to be anything he’s not, y’know?”

Not decent, huh? he wondered speculatively. The guy had to be decent to some degree; there had to be something about him beyond the obvious that attracted her to him. “Then what’s the problem between the two of you?”

“Things changed… I fell for him. I’ve just been denyin’ it for a long time now.”

“And how’s he feel?”

“I’m not sure about that. We kinda fucked things up this weekend.”

“Uh-huh. What’re you gonna do about it?” She remained silent and he realized that she really had no clue where to begin damage control. “He gonna be at this party we’re goin’ to?”

“Yeah, he’s the singer for the first band that’s playin’, but I’m not sure if he’ll talk to me.”

“So, he’s a bad boy and he’s in a band?”

“Uh-huh.”

He chuckled. “Hell, no wonder you jumped him.”

“We didn’t have sex.”

His mouth dropped open at her admission. “Like, not at all? Or, not the first night?”

“Not at all, we were just... God it’s really weird to be tellin’ you this... we were just getting each other off.”

He snorted at that. “Tell me you didn’t honestly think not fuckin’ him would keep you from fallin’ for him.”

“I know now that it was stupid, believe me.”

“So, you guys have been together for a couple of months and you’ve never...” He frowned. “Is he screwin’ around on you with other girls?”

“Well, I asked him, but he didn’t say anything.”

“Damn, cuz, if the guy didn’t say anything then he practically said everything.” He shook his head at her look of confusion. “He might as well have admitted that he hasn’t been with anyone else. The guy’s gotta care about you if you haven’t been puttin’ out and he hasn’t stepped out on you.”

“You think so?”

“I’m a guy, DeLuca... we do not spend months with a girl who isn’t givin’ it up if we’re not attached emotionally.”

“Do you even know how to spell the words emotionally attached?” she asked with a smirk.

“We’re totally led around by our dicks if it’s just about sex, but if there’s more involved there’s somethin’ above our belts that takes over and that becomes secondary. Hey, I’m not a complete man-whore,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve got feelings too... I just choose to ignore them most of the time.”

“You sound like him.”

He grinned. “You’d better hold onto him then because I know me... and if he’s anything like me then he’s gotta be worth holdin’ onto.”

“Okay, Tony, you have to promise me something – “

“Slug bug!” Anthony leaned over and hit her shoulder lightly with his fist when he spotted a Volkswagon Beetle driving past them.

“Hey!” Maria laughed and shoved him.

“A promise about what?” he asked, getting serious again.

“That you won’t fight with him even if he acts like a jackass, okay?”

Anthony cleared his throat and became serious once again. “You want me to promise that I won’t fight with him? Are you serious?”

“Yeah! Look, it’s all complicated enough, okay? And if you two got in a fight, everything would get even more complicated. And besides that, Michael’s just as strong as you, so you’d both end up getting seriously hurt.”

Promise to not fight with the guy? Anthony shook his head and slouched down against the door. “What if he throws the first punch?”

That was a good question. “He won’t do that!” Maria denied even though she wasn’t really sure about that.

“Has he got a bad temper?” If the guy started any shit and he had a bad temper, Anthony knew he could easily provoke him into a fistfight.

“Yeah,” Maria admitted, “you should’ve brought Billy, maybe Michael could’ve kicked his ass; he deserves it”

He snorted. “Billy got what he deserved.”

“What d’you mean by that, Tony?” She studied him for a few moments. “You hit him, didn’t you?”

“I mean he’ll mind his manners if you ever cross paths with him again.”

Maria couldn’t hide her grin. “Well, thank you, I guess.”

“Believe me, it was my pleasure.”

“Okay,” Maria said as they finally pulled into the parking lot in front of the beach where the party was being held. “We’re here.” She took a nervous, shaky breath. “I have a feeling this’s just gonna be a wonderful evening,” she added sarcastically. A last glance at her phone let her know that Michael still hadn’t answered her message.

Anthony’s eyes roved over a group of bikini-clad blonds passing by the front of the car. “I am sooo movin’ to California!”

*****

Michael felt it just as soon as she arrived. He couldn’t explain it; he couldn’t see her yet, he sure as hell couldn’t hear her, but he knew she was there and wherever she was, she was watching him. He was glad that he knew the songs well enough to sing without really paying any attention because he was busy scanning the crowd in an effort to locate her. As he neared the end of the song he spotted her and he nearly strangled the microphone when he located her standing at the edge of the crowd… with some other guy’s arm around her.

He glanced at the others in the band as he turned to snatch his guitar off of its stand and a couple of quick signals let them know he was switching to a song that wasn’t supposed to be in the set. Kyle sent him a questioning look as he automatically launched into the rhythm for the song with a flawless transition and Michael shook his head as he adjusted the strap and turned back to the microphone.

His blood began to boil when the jackass with Maria made it a point to make eye contact with him as he moved to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her. What really pissed him off was the fact that she didn’t even look the slightest bit uncomfortable as she leaned back into the guy’s body like it was where she belonged. She seemed to be perfectly fine flaunting the prick right in front of him and he didn’t have any regret at all for picking this song.

I know we just got here
but I think it's time to go
I didn't want to believe it but now I know
you know who just walked in
and she didn't come alone
I can't stand to see this get me home

Take me away
I'm gonna hurt somebody
take me away right now
how could she say
she wanted more you better
take me away right now

Maria felt the words cut through her and she knew in that moment that Michael thought she had blown him off to be with someone else. She had sent him a text message, but for whatever reason he didn’t believe her. She was so glad that Anthony had decided to fly in for Tess’ birthday because she really needed support tonight. She had a feeling that Michael was going to be even less pleasant than she had been expecting.

I thought she was perfect
she thought I was perfect too
perfect until she found someone new
now I'm stuck here watching her
I can't take this abuse
what does this guy do
that I can't do?

Even though Maria hadn’t specifically pointed him out, Anthony knew the guy singing had to be Michael. The way he had been glaring at both of them since they had arrived would have given his identity away even if she hadn’t told him the guy was the singer in the band performing at the party. He kept his gaze locked on the guy, easily reading the jealous, possessive, and challenging gleam in the other man’s eyes. He didn’t like that Maria was hurting over this, but as someone not involved in the situation, it was easy to see that she wasn’t the only one with emotions involved.

He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wind the other guy up and he pulled Maria back to lean down and ask something of no consequence, something that made her laugh a little, and he smirked at the singer just to get a rise out of him. The guy was totally into her, he thought when Michael looked like he was ready to snap his guitar in half. Well, he amended silently, either that or beat him over the head with it.

The set ended and Kyle informed the crowd that they were taking a short break. It hadn’t taken long to realize that Maria was there and that she wasn’t alone and he had immediately known that he wasn’t the only one who had noticed that. He had recognized the signs of Michael’s temper reaching the crucial boiling point and he knew he needed to get him offstage before he had a meltdown.

He jumped down off of the end of the stage and he kept pace with Michael as he stalked through the sand, thankfully heading away from Maria and the new guy. He was shocked when Michael’s direction took them to where Tess was holding court with a group of people, the birthday girl radiant in a red mini skirt and a matching halter top. Her minions scattered when Michael approached them and for a moment she looked irritated at the interruption. Her expression quickly shifted when she glanced at Kyle and he gave her a go with it look.

“Hey, I’m sure you’ve already heard it but, happy birthday anyway,” Michael growled.

Tess wrinkled her nose at his less than gracious birthday wish and narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you and Maria still fighting? Because if you weren’t my birthday would be perfect.”

Michael glared at her, but inside he was grinning. The girl could always be counted on to give him an argument over anything. “You have the entire party under your thumb; how could you need anything else?”

She grinned. “Well, maybe you could do a strip tease onstage and humiliate yourself? That would really make my night.”

“You could always get your ass onstage and take it all off… there’re a few desperate guys out there who might throw their beer money at you.”

“Well, that’s better that the bottles they’d be throwin’ at you, I guess.” She looked past him when movement caught her attention and she suddenly squealed and shoved him out of her way to get to the guy with Maria.

Michael glanced at Kyle when his girlfriend launched herself at Maria’s… he clenched his teeth together… Maria’s… date. He leaned around Tess, who was doing an impression of an octopus as she literally wrapped herself around the guy, and he made it a point to ignore Maria as he motioned to Kyle and tapped his forefinger against the face of his watch. “Hey, we need to finish our set.”

Maria took a deep breath and stepped into Michael’s path when he started to walk past her. “Hey, can we talk for a minute?”

“No.” He turned to look at his best friend. “Kyle, you comin’?”

His cold tone hurt and she was grateful when she felt her cousin’s arm settle around her shoulders. She leaned against him and felt the anger that he was trying to control in his tense frame. “Don’t be mad at him, Tony…” She sighed as she watched the band launch into their next set. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Hey, Tess, happy birthday!” Brooke yelled enthusiastically as she bounced up to them like a hyperactive rabbit and threw her arms around the birthday girl. “We just got here; Alex an’ Iz went to put your gift with the others.” She glanced at the guy next to Maria, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she tried to place him.

“You must be Brooke,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “I’m Maria’s cousin, Anthony.”

“Oh, good,” she laughed, relieved to know who he was. She shook his hand before pointing at Michael. “I thought for a minute there that you were in serious danger of getting your ass kicked by my brother.”

“That has yet to be seen.” Anthony smiled at her, appreciating her loyalty to her brother even if he didn’t care for the way his cousin was being treated by the guy.

“Hey, Maria, you wanna grab a drink and talk while the guys finish their set?” Brooke asked, hoping that she would say yes. It was easy to see that the older girl was upset and while she hadn’t been close enough to hear what they had said to each other, she had seen her brother brush Maria off before going back onstage.

“Yeah, sure.” She looked up at Anthony. “Do you mind if I leave you on your own for a little while?”

“On my own? Cuz, there’s a virtual buffet of fine-ass, half-naked women on this beach and after where I’ve been for the past few months… let’s just say I’m a starvin’ man who intends to enjoy that buffet.”

“You’re such a slut,” Tess laughed, hugging him again. “Y’know I love you, right?”

Anthony chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, but his eyes followed his cousin as she was led away by the teenager. “I don’t wanna be a downer on your big day, but, what’s goin’ on with Maria and this guy? Do I need to be worried?”

“I think they’ll work through it, but it’s gonna take time because they’re both in denial about their real feelings.”

He nodded, but he still wasn’t convinced. He’d keep an eye on things as the night progressed and see if he needed to intervene.

*****

Brooke sat down in one of the chairs she and Maria had confiscated and she glanced at her friend, taking in the distant expression on her face. “So, thanks for comin’ to get me last night.”

Maria turned her head and smiled at the girl. “You’re welcome. You look like you’re feelin’ much better tonight.”

“Yeah, much better than last night and earlier today.” She rolled her eyes. “Geez, you’d think my brothers had never drank too much the way they were yellin’ at me. I think I’ll probably be avoiding a repeat performance anytime soon though.”

“Well, that’s a good thing. So, you’re here… did you avoid getting in trouble?”

Brooke snorted at that. “Hell, no. Alex actually grounded me for like, two weeks. But, since it’s Tess’ birthday he let me come out to play tonight… after this, I’m not allowed to go anywhere but to school.” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, I’m sure he’ll let me go to Michael’s game, too, but other than that I’m stuck at home.”

Maria smiled. “Well, it could be worse than bein’ grounded for two weeks.”

“Getting yelled at for the entire mornin’ by both of them was bad enough.” She sighed. “I just couldn’t believe how mad Michael was, especially after getting trashed this past weekend.”

“He was probably just scared for you, Brooke; some people react like that when they’re scared.”

“Yeah.” She took a drink of her soda and watched her brother for several minutes. “Y’know, a couple years ago I went to a party that I wasn’t supposed to go to. My parents would’ve had a fit if they’d known that I was sneakin’ outta the house to take off with some friends to spend the evening at some college party.” She shrugged at Maria’s look of concern. “One of my friends had an older sister in college, so we just kinda showed up because she wasn’t the type to rat us out or anything. She was actually pretty cool about it and we all felt like we were kinda important bein’ allowed to hang out with the college kids.” She rolled her eyes. “Not exactly the brightest thing to do, right?”

“No,” Maria admitted.

“Well, we had been there a couple of hours I guess, when I started feelin’ really weird. I had only had a few sips of my drink, so it never occurred to me that the way I was feelin’ and the beer were connected in any way. But, I felt hot, dizzy, and sick to my stomach, and I remember walkin’ around, trippin’ over things and everything around me sounding distorted.” She shuddered at the memory. “I kept tryin’ to ask for help and to this day, I don’t know if they were ignoring me or if I wasn’t really getting the words out.”

“Did someone put somethin’ in your drink?” Maria asked, knowing how likely that was.

“Yeah, but at the time I didn’t know it.” She pulled her feet up, hooking them on the edge of her seat and resting her chin on her raised knees as she watched her brother onstage. “I finally found my purse and I don’t even know how many times I tried to put Michael’s number in before I got it right, but he finally answered and I remember thinkin’ he sounded so scared when he realized it was me on the phone and that somethin’ wasn’t right. I was cryin’, scared out of my mind because I didn’t know what was wrong, and I don’t even know how he understood me well enough to figure out how to get to me… but, the next thing I knew he was there.”

“That explains a lot. Y’know, he was so worried about you last night and he was yellin’ at me on the phone – well, to be honest, that might have also been related to some other things, too, but I was wonderin’ why he sounded so scared.” Maria glanced up at the stage and looked at Michael. He really cared about his sister; how could she have told him he was selfish?

“One of my friends told me that he just about tore the place apart lookin’ for me when he got to the party.” She shook her head. “He took me home and got me in the house without our parents findin’ out… they would’ve shipped me off to boardin’ school for sure if they had found out about that. He stayed with me and took care of me all night… and he never once complained or made me feel bad for it.” She sighed as she thought about what could’ve happened to her that night if her brother hadn’t shown up. “We found out later that there was a group of guys on the campus who were slippin’ the date-rape drug into girls’ drinks… and chances are good that my drink had been spiked with it.”

“That’s why you two are so close,” Maria mused.

“Yeah, ever’ since that night we’ve been really close.”

“You can count yourself very lucky to have a brother like Michael.”

Brooke smiled and turned her head to look at Maria. “Yeah, I know, and I do.”

A tiny flare of jealousy washed over Maria but she tried to ignore it. They were siblings; she couldn’t compare what they had with what she and Michael had… if they had even anything anymore. “I think I totally fucked up with your brother,” she admitted.

“He cares about you, Maria.” She smiled slightly. “I know he’s bein’ a total ass right now, but what you guys have is different than anything he’s ever had with anyone else.”

“Y’know, I’ve heard that a lot lately. When he picked you up last night he told me we could talk today, but a few minutes ago… well, I guess you saw it.”

“Yeah. I know it’s none of my business, well, other than bein’ concerned for you guys, but, what happened? He didn’t seem quite so on edge this mornin’, so I thought maybe you guys had started talkin’ again, but when we got here a little while ago, he wasn’t lookin’ very friendly.”

“I was supposed to get here before the party started so we could talk, but then I had to pick my cousin up from the airport because the others girls were busy so I sent him a text message to let him know I wasn’t gonna make it here early.” She sighed. “I was gonna call him, but I figured he wouldn’t hear the call with all the noise from the sound checks, so I sent the text instead. I just don’t know why he reacted so angrily when I got here.”

“Oh, my God,” Brooke muttered. “Maria, he didn’t get that text… he was supposed to go down and get a new phone today, but between him an’ Alex readin’ me the riot act and him tryin’ to get ready for tonight he never made it to the place to pick his phone up.”

“What? What happened to his phone? I just talked to him last night on it.”

“You guys didn’t get into an argument by any chance, did you?”

“He was yellin’ but I managed to stay calm.”

“I found his phone on the table this mornin’… in about half a dozen pieces.” She rolled her eyes. “He has a severe love/hate relationship with phones; he throws them when he gets mad.”

“Oh, my God, now he thinks I stood him up and to make things even worse, he probably thinks Tony’s my date.”

Brooke laughed at that. “Yeah, you showed up late with this hot blond-haired, blue-eyed guy and he has no idea that you guys are related. Girl, he totally thinks he’s been replaced.”

“This’s bad,” she murmured. “Really, really bad.” Maria shook her head. “It’s a nightmare, it has to be.”

“How pissed off does your cousin have to be before he gets pushed into a fight?”

“He and Michael have the same type of temper… need I say more?”

“Oh, boy.” Brooke whistled quietly as she glanced between her brother and Maria’s cousin. “I hope you can beat some sense into Michael’s thick head before the two of them run into each other again.”

“I’m gonna try to talk to him when the band takes another break.”

“Well, they’ve got a couple more songs to do and then they’re closin’ with a new song they’ve been workin’ on. After that, there’s another band comin’ on.” She smiled and turned back to Maria. “So, what’s the story with Tony?”

“Like I said, he’s my cousin and we grew up together; he’s really cool and I love him, but he’s a total womanizer.” She rolled her eyes. “He was flirtin’ with the woman behind the ticket counter at the airport when I got there.”

Brooke snorted at the description. “Yeah, he sounds like Michael… or at least like Michael a few months ago.”

“He looks like Paul Walker, don’t you think?”

She snapped her fingers. “That’s who he looks like! I knew he looked familiar!”

“Yeah, he’s a lot like Michael, but he’s more open than your brother.”

“Hmm, yeah, Michael and open aren’t exactly two words that can be used together.” She sighed. “But, he’s been hurt a lot, y’know? He’s scared to really let anyone in because he doesn’t think he’s good enough to be loved.”

“Who made him think that? Your parents?”

“Yeah,” she answered sadly. “My father’s never made any secret of the fact that he thinks Michael’s the biggest screw-up on the planet and that he’s worthless, and my mother just sits back and doesn’t say anything in his defense. My mother has never stood up to my father; if anything, there are times when it’s like she’s backin’ him up and puttin’ Michael down too.”

Maria turned to glance at Michael again. He was watching her and Brooke as they talked. “Y’know, I really want your brother and me to be… more, but what if he pushes me away?” she asked, keeping eye contact with Michael.

“Maybe the real question is; do you care enough to fight back?” Brooke nodded when Maria looked at her. “He’s gonna push you away, Maria; it’s been drilled into his head that no one’s ever gonna love him. He always pushes people away when they get close… and trust me, no one’s ever gotten as close as you have.”

“But, what am I supposed to do to make him believe in us?” She sighed raggedly and shook her head.

“Just don’t give up on him. Michael thinks that if he pushes people away long enough they’ll eventually give up fightin’ back, and most of the time he’s been proven right. There aren’t very many people who have made it past his defenses and been accepted as permanent fixtures in his life. Me, Alex, Kyle, Max… I wish I could say Brendan, but their relationship is so shaky right now.” She smiled. “I have a feelin’ that Isabel’s gonna make it onto that list soon; she mothers him whether he wants it or not and he needs that.”

“Yeah, Isabel has a way of just knowin’ when people need special care.” And she’s gonna be a mother for real pretty soon, she added silently. “Y’know, it’s kinda hard to miss the tension between the twins; what happened?”

The smile disappeared. “My father drove them apart. They were really close when they were little, but as they got older he started pitting them against each other. He wants Brendan to take over the family business one day and I think he knew that if Michael and Brendan stayed close that he’d eventually learn that Michael’s right about our father and he’d lose his favored son.” She shook her head. “It’s the same reason he got rid of Karen. I can’t prove it, but I’m sure he’s responsible, that he did somethin’ to make her leave. I know Bren thinks that Michael’s the reason she left – and that’s only because my father put that thought in his head – but, it’s not true. Michael never would’ve done that.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe that either. Maybe I should believe it because he did make a play for me while I was with Brendan, but, it doesn’t fit with what I know about him.”

“While I don’t approve of what Michael did – or you, for that matter, because you stayed with Bren longer than you should have knowing that you didn’t have feelings for him – it’s not somethin’ he would’ve done with Karen. She and Brendan were totally in love and she was pulling him out of his shell; Michael never would’ve fucked with that.”

Maria was sure that the teenager was right. “Alright, Brooke, we’re at a party; maybe we should try to have some fun. Whatcha think?”

“Okay… you think Cousin Tony would dance with me?” she asked, grinning.

“Probably,” Maria laughed. “Just ask him.”

“Hmm… I think I will.” She waggled her eyebrows playfully and jumped up, grabbing Maria’s hands and pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go party!”

[Double Trouble]

nibbles2: No, we promise, we’re not trying to make you crazy!

Tony’s not trying to make things worse for Maria.

Hmm, how he made that leap… that’s just the way Tony sees things. Tony and Michael have a lot in common and he knows the last thing he’d do would be to admit he hadn’t been with anyone else in that situation, so he’s basing his opinion on his own experiences.

begonia9508: LOL, it couldn’t hurt, right?

Eva: The evening probably won’t end the way you want it to.

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg, but the insight will help.

Alien_Friend: We’re glad you love Tony! He’s a rock for Maria. We’re thinking you’re right about Cousin Tony and Michael.

Learning when to push and how hard to push is the key and Maria definitely can’t give up now! She and Brooke do have some pretty great conversations, don’t they?

Michael can be painfully frustrating, but it would be hard not to love him. It would kill him if anything happened to his baby sister.

Well, they’ll talk, but it’s not gonna go the way anyone wants it to go.

destinyc: The sign’s a great idea, but we’re not sure it would help at this point.

mary mary: Us? He’s really not looking for a fight. His only interest is seeing his cousin happy. He’s trying to get Michael to react, to fight for Maria, and if that means a little provoking, he’s not above using it to his advantage.

sarammlover: They are frustrating, but we’re getting closer to them talking. We’re glad you think you’re gonna like Tony… we think you’re right!

keepsmiling7: We’re glad you’re enjoying the ride!

April: LOL, no worries… we understand.

We’re glad you’re liking Tony despite his… questionable timing. Hmm, we’ll take that as a high compliment as it’s coming from the Queen of Frustrating fics, lol! And they say truth is stranger than fiction… hmm…

We’re total tune junkies, too!


Part 53 – Advice From An Unlikely Source

Maria waited until the band had finished up their time onstage, watching as they switched places with the next group. Tess was waiting for Kyle and they walked off together, heading for the rest of the group, and she felt her nerves begin to unravel when Michael noticed her. She felt her heart sink when he draped his right arm around Courtney’s shoulders and held her against his side.

Michael watched Maria as she came closer to him; he wanted to be anywhere but where he was and with anyone else, but Courtney had been the closest woman so he had wrapped an arm around her and forced himself to act as if he actually enjoyed her company.

Maria stopped a few feet away from them. “Hey, Michael, um... can we talk?”

He was pissed that Maria had blown him off and then showed up with some other guy, but more than that he was hurt. And now she wanted to talk? No way. “Not really interested, Maria, but y’know, if you’ve got somethin’ to say... hey, feel free to say it.”

“It’s not somethin’ I really wanted to discuss with… company,” she said, sending a pointed glare in Courtney’s direction. He was gonna turn her down, she already knew it.

“Cool, so it’s not important then.” He looked down at Courtney. “You wanna get outta here?” He had no intention of going anywhere with her, but he wasn’t about to let Maria show up with someone else and get one up on him.

Maria had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. She was not gonna cry in front of him and her, but she didn’t know what to say either so she just took a few steps forward until she was face to face with him. She scanned his eyes for just a trace of an emotion.

Michael could see the tears shimmering in her eyes, turning them to a deep emerald color and he felt his resolve melting. Don’t let her get to you! his conscience screamed at him. She was supposed to be meeting you and she showed up with some other guy... does that sound like someone who gives a damn about you? His features hardened into a granite mask and he stared at her emotionlessly. “Don’t think you can just turn the tears on an’ think it’s gonna change anything, Maria. Maybe that works with other guys, but your emotions don’t matter to me, remember? I’m selfish and I don’t care about anyone but myself. You’re the one who said it, so you shouldn’t be that shocked to hear it. You got somethin’ to cry about, go find your date,” he snarled.

He threw her own words back in her face and Maria felt as if he had crushed her heart in that moment. She lifted her hand and slapped him across the face. “You bastard,” she whispered as a sob escaped her lips. She turned away and left, her feet quickly taking her in the direction of the public restrooms. She locked herself in one of the stalls and couldn’t keep the tears from falling any longer.

Michael felt like a bastard and as much as he wanted to go after her he forced himself to stay where he was. He looked down when he heard Courtney laughing.

“What a crazy bitch,” she muttered. “What’d you ever see in her?”

Michael dropped his arm from around her shoulders and pushed her away. “Get lost, Courtney.”

“What? You’re the one who just annihilated her and sent her off crying.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself, Courtney. It doesn’t matter what I just said or did because it had nothin’ to do with you.” His dark gaze raked over her coldly. “That woman’s got more class, intelligence, and beauty in her little finger than you’ve got in your entire body.”

Courtney huffed indignantly and stalked off and Michael took a deep breath. His chest felt constricted, it hurt to breathe, and he easily recognized the symptoms of a panic attack. Brendan had suffered from them when he was younger, when he had been terrified of the water and their father had always insisted on making them go sailing. Damn it, why had he said those things to her? Why hadn’t he just accepted her peace offering and talked to her? Why did he have to be such a first-class bastard? The band around his chest squeezed tighter at the realization that he was turning into the very thing that he hated more than anything else on earth... he was turning into a hateful, calculating sonofabitch just like his father.

He turned to look in the direction Maria had taken off in and he saw her walking out of the building that housed the restrooms. She looked like she was devastated and he had done that to her. He sighed. Now what? She wasn’t gonna wanna talk to him, he had pretty much taken care of that. She wasn’t gonna try to talk to him again, not tonight at least. He needed a beer and he needed to get away from everyone. He turned with the intention of doing just that and he took an involuntary step back when he came face to face with the guy Maria had showed up to the party with. “What the fuck d’you want?” he demanded, immediately feeling jealousy and anger shoot to the surface.

“Are you happy now?” Tony growled at him as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Man, what the fuck is your problem?” His hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Matter of fact, who are you?”

“Someone who would never hurt Maria!”

“Yeah,” Michael snorted, “because that’s any kind of an answer.” He took a step closer to the guy, getting in his face with the intention of intimidating him. “What the fuck are you doin’ with her?”

“Hmm, I don’t know... but I’m thinkin’ I’m gonna be sleepin’ over at her apartment tonight.”

“You’re not sleepin’ anywhere near that apartment,” Michael growled menacingly. “I don't know who you are or where the hell she found your raggedy ass, but you can get lost.” His gaze slid over the guy and he shook his head. “You’re not the kinda guy she’s lookin’ for.”

Tony grinned at Michael, easily seeing the jealousy in his expression.

His temper flared when the guy grinned at him as if he knew something he didn’t know. “She’s not gonna sleep with you... the only reason you’re even here is to make me jealous. She has no other use for you so you might as well just leave… like, now.”

“Oh yeah, Michael, she just dragged me here to make you jealous and then tried to talk you. She’s smarter than that.” And it was true, Tony thought. Maria hadn’t had any intention of trying to make Michael jealous. She’d had nothing to do with his instigation.

His eyes narrowed when the guy called him by name as if he had any right to know it or use it. “You don’t know anything about her, you dumb fuck. Where’d she find you anyway?”

“I know more about her than probably anyone else at this party, jackass.”

“Uh-huh, crash course in Maria DeLuca? How much is she payin’ you? You get paid by the hour?”

Tony laughed at that. “As if she would have to pay any guy,” he snorted. “I can show you at least 50 guys at this party who would be glad to date her and who would treat her better than you are.”

The guy had to be from an escort service. He had to be. Where else had she found him? If he was a student, there’s no way Michael wouldn’t have known about him; the guy would have been major competition. Uh-huh, his little voice supplied, and you’ve been off the dating circuit for months now, haven’t you? “You show me 50 guys who would dare to cross me and put a move on her and I’ll show you 50 guys who’re gonna need a ride to the emergency room tonight.”

“Are you even listening to yourself? A few seconds ago you practically told her to go to hell while hangin’ all over that keyboard-playin’ bitch and now you’re defending her as if she was yours!” The guy had it really bad for Maria. Tony could see that; it was too obvious. But, why was he hurting her? That just didn’t make any sense.

Michael was fast losing control of his temper. “I don’t need to explain our relationship to you,” he snapped angrily. “You don’t know what’s goin’ on between us, you don’t... damn it, you don’t even know us and you have no right to be here stickin’ your big nose in my business.”

“When it involves Maria, then it’s my business, too.” Tony reached out and gave Michael a little shove on the shoulder.

“Better make that 51 guys who need a ride to the emergency room,” Michael snarled as he shoved the guy back and curled his right hand into a fist.

Maria suddenly stepped between them, and turned to face Michael. “Don’t you dare hit him!” She stared into his eyes, well aware of the fact that he could see now that she’d been crying.

Michael felt the fight drain out of him when he got a good look at her ravaged features. He felt like someone had just punched him in the gut and forced all the air from his lungs. The fight may have been pushed into submission, but the anger and jealousy were still simmering just below the surface. “Who is this guy, Maria?”

“He’s my cousin, Michael. I was about to tell you that he was the reason I couldn’t be here earlier like we agreed last night, but you made it perfectly clear that you were busy with Courtney!” she hissed at him. She didn’t want the entire beach to hear their problems. She held a hand up when she realized that Tony was about to say something. “Back off, Tony.”

Her cousin?! “Wait... your cousin? Why didn’t you say somethin’ earlier?” He winced at that; he hadn’t exactly been receptive when she had tried to talk to him.

“Are you kidding me? I tried to talk to you twice!” she yelled. So much for being quiet, she thought.

Great, now on top of the mountain of anger, hurt, rejection, and jealousy, he could add stupidity. “Why didn’t you just make me listen the first time?” he snapped.

“Oh, great, now it’s my fault.”

“I’m not...” He was no good at explaining himself and it was frustrating him all over again. “No, Maria, listen to me, I’m not tryin’ to place blame... I just...” He shrugged helplessly. He didn’t even know what he was trying to say.

“Y’know what, this time, I’m the one who isn’t gonna listen, Michael.” She turned around and walked away without looking back.

“You won’t listen?” he echoed stupidly. “Oh, no, you’re gonna listen ‘cause I’ve got somethin’ to say!” He had no idea what that was, but he knew it needed to be said. He took two steps before a hand settled on his arm and he looked back at Maria’s... He winced. Maria’s cousin.

“She’s stubborn as hell and she’s not gonna listen to you right now. How about we get something to drink?”

Michael glared at him. “Do I wanna get somethin’ to drink?” Did this smug prick honestly think they were gonna hang out and drink together now? It wasn’t like he had any better offers on the table. “What the fuck,” he muttered. Could his life get any weirder at this point? “Why not? But you're buyin’.”

“Alright.” They walked over to the bar, both of them aware that pretty much everyone was staring at them. “Whatcha want to drink?” Tony asked.

Michael’s first thought was whiskey, straight up, but he had realized that morning that he needed to set a better example for his sister. “Just a beer,” he answered.

“Two,” Tony said to the guy playing bartender.

“So, you’re here for Tess’ birthday?”

“Yeah, we all grew up together in Roswell. I heard about you from Aunt Amy,” Tony said with a smirk.

Michael shifted uncomfortably. Yeah, that had probably been a rave review, he thought. “Uh-huh,” he mumbled noncommittally.

Tony reached out for their drinks when the bartender brought them over and he handed Michael one of the bottles. “She was impressed with you.”

Michael choked on his beer and quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “What?”
There was no way he had impressed Maria’s mother; he wasn’t the kind of guy that impressed anyone’s parents. She had caught them in bed together, for cryin’ out loud! She knew what he had named his dick, he thought, fighting down the immediate blush that surfaced. No, the guy had to be trying to make points with him or something because he may have made an impression on Amy DeLuca, but there was no way it had been a good one.

“Yeah, I can’t believe it now that I’ve met you, but she really thinks you’re good enough for Maria. And she’s never said anything like that about a guy before, ‘cause, well, all Maria’s boyfriends have been losers.”

Michael felt the heat turn up under his simmering temper. “You wanna get started on that again?”

Tony smirked. “No offence, man. I’m just sayin’ you weren’t the Michael I expected from Aunt Amy’s description. But, that’s okay. Maria would never be satisfied with a decent guy.”

“Hey, I’ve got some decent qualities,” Michael defended himself.

“For example?”

“What, you want a resume?”

“Yeah, maybe I’ll put in a good word for you with Maria.”

“Okay, well, not that I need any help from you, but I’m a good older brother, I work hard, I treat old people with respect... those are decent qualities.” There were a lot more, he consoled himself, but really, there was no reason to brag. The guy would just think he was conceited then... and conceit wasn’t a decent quality. Assured, he took another drink of his beer and nodded to himself.

“Well, at the very least I believe you’re a good older brother. Your little sister talked about you most of the time while I was dancin’ with her.” He lifted his hand when he saw the look in the other man’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I didn’t touch her.”

“So glad you believe that I have a single decent quality,” Michael muttered.

“So, whatcha gonna do about Maria?”

Good question... what was he gonna do about Maria? “I don’t know.” He leaned back against one of the tables.

“You have to do somethin’, y’know that, right?”

Truthfully, he didn’t have an answer. He didn’t know how to fix what had broken between them. It was the first time that he had ever been in a position where he cared enough to even try. This was all new to him and while he wanted things to be right again, he had a bad feeling that he would only fuck it up. “I realize you’re her cousin and you’re obviously concerned about her, but this’s between us.”

“I know and I don’t wanna come between you, but I saw how hurt she was and I’ve seen that same look in her eyes before… it’s the same look she had when she found out her last boyfriend had been fuckin’ around on ‘er.”

His ears perked up when Anthony mentioned the ex-boyfriend and he straightened up. “What happened with the ex?” he asked, hoping the guy would tell him something that would help him.

“Well, he was doin’ another woman when she dropped by his place and when she confronted him about it he had the audacity to ask her if she wanted to join them or somethin’ like that.”

“Motherfucker,” Michael growled. “Let me guess, this guy... he’s the typical bad boy, right?”

“Yeah, he is, but he’s also a stupid fuck.”

“So, she fell for him and he treated her like shit and cheated on her.”

“Yeah, he was cheatin’ on her from day one.”

“You knew?”

“I found out after it was all said an’ done. And when I did, I beat the shit out of the bastard.”

Michael rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Why would any guy cheat on her? They hadn’t technically had sex and he couldn’t even imagine doing that. “How involved was she? Did she really love him?” Say no, he thought. Tell me it wasn’t the real deal with that other guy.

“No, I wouldn’t say she loved him. They never had any chemistry that I could see.”

“And no one bothered to try to get her to see what an asshole this guy was?”

“Oh, believe me, everyone told her, but she didn’t care at first. If you ever come to Roswell, feel free to kick his ass.”

Yeah, he might just have to look the bastard up. “Were they together for very long?”

“A few months.”

“You said she didn’t love him... but, did she think she loved him?”

“I guess she did.” Tony took a sip of his beer. “Can I ask you somethin’?”

“You can ask.”

“Were there other girls while you’ve been with Maria?”

“What the fuck would I need with other girls?” Michael responded without thinking.

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure!”

Michael’s curiosity was still seeking satisfaction and he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Has she told you much about... us?”

“Well, we did have some time to talk when we drove from the airport to the party.”

Great, the guy was gonna drag it out.

“She told me about that stupid no sex thing.”

Michael reached up to scratch his eyebrow. She had told her cousin about that? “Uh, yeah, right, well...”

“You guys really haven’t had sex? Man, it’s gotta be really hard for you to resist the temptation to step out on her, huh?” Tony turned around and ordered a couple more beers.

“No, it isn’t.” Michael sighed. “Look, she made the rules... I was just respectin’ the boundaries she set.” He had a bad feeling he sounded defensive.

“But the plan didn’t work out like you guys had expected it to, huh?” He handed Michael the second beer.

“Plans like that never work out.” He nodded in thanks as he accepted the fresh beer.
“You really have to make up for tonight.”

Michael sighed. He knew that, but he also had no idea where to start. “You do know that I’m not the only one who’s wrong, don’t you?” He held a hand up when the other man opened his mouth to disagree. “I’ll take the blame for tonight, but overall, this isn’t just on me.”

“I don’t know the whole story, so I’ll keep my mouth shut. I know Maria can be very... feisty.”
Yeah, feisty was a good word to describe his girl. “So, about that makin’ up thing... got any suggestions?”

“Well, talking and listening to each other would be a good place to start.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed and he tipped his head to one side as he studied Anthony. “How many relationships have you been in?”

“None,” Tony answered honestly.

“Uh-huh, and you think your advice will work why?”

“Oh, ‘cause I’ve known her for a lifetime.”

“And the answer is talkin’ and listenin’?” he asked skeptically.

“Yeah, if you want her, that would be my advice.”

“Y’know what’s funny? I’ve never bothered to get involved before; I’ve always preferred to keep it casual... sex, no strings, no commitment, and no getting to know the girl on a personal level. But, with Maria, it’s... it’s the first time I’ve been with one girl exclusively. I’ve had real conversations with her, we’ve gone out and done stuff together, and I’ve never really felt trapped.”

Tony was surprised by Michael’s level of commitment. Did he even know what he’d just said? “She isn’t the kind of woman who tries to change anybody in a relationship. She just wants to be respected.”

“She drives me fuckin’ crazy sometimes, but I do respect her.” He frowned. “I’m sure after that earlier display you probably don’t believe that, but it’s true.”

“Well, you thought I was her date and she had replaced you, so I’m willin’ to forget about what was said earlier. You did defend her when I showed up.”

“Did she uh, did she tell you anything about our fight?”

“No, why, you wanna tell me somethin’?”

“No, just wonderin’ if she had said anything.” Damn, the woman could run her mouth about every-damn-thing else, why not that? He really wanted to know what she was thinking, how she felt about what had happened, and if they even had a chance of fixing this thing.

“Looks like you’ve got some questions,” Tony observed when he noticed his companion’s pensive face. “She’s blaming herself for some things she said to you, that’s all I know,” Tony offered.

“I’m just in a position I’ve never been in before,” he muttered. “A position that I never really thought I’d find myself in.”

“Talk and listen, Michael, remember that.”

“When you say talk... What, uh... what’re we talkin’ about exactly?” How much of himself was he gonna have to reveal?

“I hate to say it, but you’ve gotta tell her the whole truth, man.”

Okay, now that thought caused a feeling of panic to settle over him.

“But, I guess an apology for tonight would be a good start.”

Michael tried to hide his grimace by taking a drink of his beer. Start with an apology? He sucked at apologies. “An apology?” he asked finally.

“Yeah, you think you can do that?”

Oh, yeah, no problem. He could write it out, hell, he could even come up with somethin’ pretty fuckin’ eloquent in his head, but when it came to getting the words out of his mouth... that’s where the problem came in.

“You don’t?” Tony asked.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I suck at apologies.”

“Yeah, we all suck at those, believe me. But, I guess Maria will understand what you mean; she’s probably used to translating your rather limited vocabulary.”

“The last time I tried to apologize it was to a cop and he thought I was insulting him so he arrested me.”

Tony laughed at that. “Maybe you should write a song then.”

“Yeah, let me just put myself out there to be completely humiliated when she laughs in my face.”

“She would never do that,” Tony denied.

“You’ve never heard me try to apologize.”

“And we’re not gonna change that, right?”

“Fuck no.” He shrugged his right shoulder. “Well, I doubt I’m gonna see her again until after Thanksgiving, so I’ve got time to figure somethin’ out.”

“Maybe Thanksgiving would be a good time for you; she’s pretty upset about not goin’ home.”

“Yeah, that’s right... I forgot about that.” He winced. Damn, as if it wasn’t enough that they were fightin’, and he was bein’ a dick, she was gonna be alone for the holiday.

“You’re goin’ home?”

Michael held his arms out at his sides. “I am home, man.”

“Your parents live here too?”

His expression turned dark. “No.”

Tony nodded and dropped that line of questioning, sensing that further probing wouldn’t be welcome. “So, you’re spendin’ the holidays here without your parents, so, you can ask her to spend Turkey Day with you or somethin’.”

“Well, I’m gonna be at my brother’s place.”

“Your twin?”

“No, my older brother, Alex.”

“Ah, the one Isabel’s with.” He nodded in approval. “Maybe you could ask him if it’s okay if Maria comes too?”

“Yeah... I don’t know, maybe,” Michael hedged. “You’re not gonna hang around to spend Thanksgiving with her?”

“No, I’m leavin’ tomorrow; flyin’ out in the afternoon.”

Michael stared out at the ocean. It bothered him that Maria wasn’t able to go home to be with her family for the holiday, but what were the chances they were gonna be able to fix this thing between them before Thanksgiving? “I’ve thought about it, believe me. I know everyone else has plans and she’s not gonna impose on anyone, but... how much is she really gonna enjoy it if we’re still at each other’s throats?”

Anthony didn’t get the chance to answer because Brooke showed up next to them, her hands on her hips as she glared at her brother.

“Michael, what’d you do to Maria? She left without talkin’ to anyone, but I could see she’d been cryin’.”

“We’ve already discussed this, brat; it’s between me an’ Maria, now go mind your own damn business.”

Tony could tell that Michael wasn’t in the mood to talk about Maria any longer. “Hey, Brooke, how about another dance?”

Brooke glared at her brother once more just to let him know she wouldn’t forget about this before turning to smile up at Tony. “Sure.”

*****

Max felt like he was on top of the world as he and Liz walked down to the beach, joined hands swinging between them. They paused at the edge of the sand and he turned his head to look at her, intending to ask her if she was ready to face their friends. But before he could get a word out someone shoved him from behind and he moved, putting himself between Liz and potential danger.

“Finally got what you wanted, didn’t you, Evans?” Sean slurred.

Liz started to speak up but Max took a step towards him and reached out to snatch the half-empty bottle of liquor out of his hand. “You’re not doin’ yourself any favors actin’ like this.”

“This’s really what you want, Liz?”

“I’ve already told you, Sean, it’s over between us.”

“I can’t believe what a bitch – “ He hurriedly stepped back, swaying drunkenly when Max suddenly moved closer.

“Max, don’t,” Liz said as she reached out to wrap her hand around his upper arm.

“This was your one and only get out of jail free ticket, Harrison, and you’ve got her to thank for it. You ever call her another derogatory name or make another rude remark to her, about her, or anything else and I will put you down.”

Sean took another step back at the threatening tone in Max’ voice and he tripped over his own feet and landed on his ass in the sand.

“Why don’t you go on down and hang out with everybody,” Max suggested as he turned to look at her. “I won’t hurt him,” he promised. “I’m just gonna see if I can find someone to take him home.”

[Double Trouble]

mary mary: We’ll see…

Alien_Friend: Oh, yeah! We like that Evans swagger, too. Where are these guys hiding?

It’s hard not to love Michael. Yeah, he can be a major ass at times and he does make things more difficult than they need to be, but he has to get past that barrier that his past keeps throwing up in front of him. He keeps tripping over it and at times uses it as something to hide behind, but he’s eventually going to have to deal with it and realize that opening himself up isn’t a bad thing. We’re glad you can’t hate Michael! He and Maria are getting closer to reaching a place in their relationship where the truth comes out and they finally deal with each other in a mature way without hiding behind their walls.

We’re so glad you enjoyed Michael and Tony’s talk!

begonia9508: Good advice, but unfortunately, Michael has a tendency to speak without thinking it through.

Nope, Sean wouldn’t have been quite so bold without having a few drinks first.

kismet: A translator might not be a bad idea for these two!

Max is pretty perfect.

Hmm… good question. We’re not sure.

sarammlover: I think we’re all glad Liz broke the engagement to Sean! That talk is coming and it’s not too far away!

nibbles2: They are going to talk, and soon.

Well, Michael knows he doesn’t treat everyone with respect and he doesn’t pretend otherwise.

Eva: You’re so right – it couldn’t been much worse! Hope is close!

Maiqu: Cool, we’re glad you like Tony! Michael and Maria are gonna get it worked out.

destinyc: No, no, not a lost cause!

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

April: LOL, they did have quite a talk, didn’t they?

No arguments, Max is totally awesome!

chanks_girl: It’s difficult to choose which one is worse.

Hmm… how badly should she make him suffer?


Part 54 – Not the Response He Was Hoping For…

Brendan drove along the coastal street looking for Maria. He was a little worried; she hadn’t sounded very good on the phone. He finally saw her and stopped the car next to her. She opened the door and dropped down into the seat, avoiding his concerned gaze. “Maria?”

Maria had felt relief rush through her when she saw Brendan’s car. She shouldn’t have started walking since that had probably made it more difficult for him to find her, but she just hadn’t been able to stand still. She pulled the door shut as she settled into the seat. “Thanks for the rescue, Brendan.”

“You’re welcome. So, where d’you wanna go?”

“Can we just go back to your place? I don’t feel up to facing anyone just yet.”

“Of course. You wanna tell me what happened?” he asked as he pulled into a parking lot and turned the car around to go back to his place.

Maria sighed. “Well, long story short, Michael and I got into it at the cabin; things were goin’ great and then he decided to push the limits, break the rules, cross the lines, decimate the boundaries – “ Her voice was climbing in volume and pitch as she ranted about Michael.

“Okay, okay, wait!” Brendan stopped her. “What does that mean?”

“It means your hard-headed, stubborn, irritating, asshole of a brother tried to change the game plan and he’s pissed at me because I reminded him of the rules.”

“You’re talkin’ about the no-sex rule, right?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and slouched down in her seat. Was there anyone who didn’t know about the no-sex rule? They were two of the most sexual people on the planet and how ironic, they weren’t having sex! she thought sarcastically. “Yes, that’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

“Okay.” Maria fell silent for the rest of the drive and Brendan wondered what had happened at the party, but he didn’t want to push her. He led her into his apartment a few minutes later and closed the door behind him. “Have a seat. You want somethin’ to drink?”

“Sure, what’ve you got? That isn’t chocolate,” she said when she remembered that he was addicted to the stuff. “The last thing I need to deal with right now is an acne outbreak.”

“Uh... water, Coke, orange juice, and there might even be a beer in the fridge.”

“I think I’ll just stick with water for now.”

“Okay.” He got a glass out of the cupboard, filled it with ice and water from the refrigerator and walked over to the couch, where she had sat down. “Here ya go.”

Maria accepted the glass from him and smiled in thanks before taking a drink of the refreshing liquid. “I don’t know how to deal with your brother. I thought I had a handle on it, but now I’m not so sure.”

He could see that her eyes were still puffy from crying. “What happened at the party?”

“Next long story short... I was supposed to meet him while they were setting up for tonight’s gig so we could talk, but Iz called me and asked if I could go to the airport – she was supposed to be picking my cousin up, but she wasn’t able to make it, Liz couldn’t do it, and he was comin’ in as a surprise for Tess so she couldn’t do it. So, I sent him a text message because I figured he probably wouldn’t hear his phone if it rang. Anyway, I sent the message and then ran to the airport to get Tony, but I never heard back from Michael. I thought it was odd, but I figured I’d be seeing him soon so it’d be okay, right? Wrong. I got there and he turned into Mr. Freeze, ignoring me and pretending that I wasn’t even there. I finally went up to him...” Her voice slipped before she managed to catch it. “He was with Courtney and he had his arm around her... and I tried to ignore that because I was sure that it didn’t mean anything, but he was just mean when I tried to talk to him. He accused me of bein’ there with another guy and we went back and forth for a while before I was finally able to tell him that Tony’s my cousin, not a date, and that didn’t even make a difference. He said...” She couldn't stop the tears this time. “He said...”

Brendan couldn’t just sit there any longer and let her suffer all alone; he wrapped her arms around her and rubbed her back to calm her down but he stayed silent. What had his brother done to her?

“I told him the other night that he was selfish and he didn’t care about anyone but himself... and he threw that back in my face a little while ago... and then I slapped him and ran away...” Her hands clenched tight handfuls of Brendan’s shirt as sobs wracked her body.

He didn’t know what to do, so he just held her against his body until she started to calm down a little. “That’s when you called me?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know who else to call.”

“No, that’s okay, Maria; y’know you can call me anytime. And you can stay as long as you want, y’know that, right?”

She nodded. “I don’t know what to do about Michael, Brendan.”

“It sounds like he was really pissed about the other guy – your cousin,” he said, laughing a little.

“Which could mean absolutely nothing... Michael’s very territorial.”

“He is, but that just shows what you mean to him.”

“How? How does that show that I’m anything more than a possession to him, Brendan? He’s territorial about his car, his music, and his guitar... that doesn’t prove anything.”

“Maria,” he pushed her back a little to look at her, “it proves a lot, believe me. He’s never cared about any girl and he wouldn’t give a shit about who his ex lovers are dating now...”

“Why d’you defend him?”

“Well, maybe because I know that he means so much to you and as much as I wish I could say forget him, I can’t. And, because he’s my brother, y’know? And even if we don’t exactly get along... he still deserves to be loved, ya know?”

“It would be wasted advice anyway,” she muttered. “I couldn’t forget him now even if I wanted to.” She froze and looked up at Brendan. “What? I never said I loved him.”

Brendan chuckled. “You didn’t have to.”

“I can’t love him,” she whispered.

“I wish I could tell you everything’s gonna be okay, but with Michael... it’s hard to say.”

“D’you think he’s capable of really loving someone?” She sighed and shook her head. “That’s not exactly what I meant,” she said. “I know he’s capable... I guess what I’m askin’ is if you think he could feel like that about me.”

“I’m sure he could, Maria, and maybe he already does. But, with Michael there’s always the question of whether or not he’ll allow himself to feel those emotions. Y’know what I mean?”

“So, you’re sayin’ he could feel that way about me and be unable to show it.”

“Yeah. He doesn’t show his feelings to anyone, at least not in the last... like five years.”

She latched onto that. “Five years? What happened five years ago?”

“That’s about the time he started turned his back on our parents ‘cause he didn’t want to follow their future plans for him.”

“That’s somethin’ he doesn’t talk about.” She sighed. “Matter of fact, now that I think about it, he never talks about anything personal... he always turns the conversation around so we’re talkin’ about me.”

“Yeah that sounds like him. I guess he thinks if people don’t know anything about him they can’t hurt him.”

“Why can’t I make him understand that I don’t want to hurt him?” she asked, frustrated. Because you’ve already proved him right, her conscience taunted.

Brendan could see her mouth turning down in a grimace. “Well, I’d guess he’s already feelin’ hurt right now.”

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I’ve already proven him right. Why should he bother trying to make this thing work now?”

“I’m sure he knows that he’s made mistakes too, and hurt you as well. Has he ever said anything to you that made you wonder about his feelings?”

“What? Like, wonder if he has feelings for me?”

Brendan nodded, knowing that there had to be something.

“Yeah, and that’s what gets me. He can be the most thoughtful, generous, and caring man I’ve ever known, but all it takes is a single wrong word and it all disappears.”

Yeah, Brendan knew that. He had gotten into so many fights with his brother over the years. “I know, Maria. He’s not easy to handle. Well, unless you’re Brooke.”

Maria snorted at that. “Well, I’m sure as hell not interested in bein’ his sister.”

Brendan laughed at that. “I’ll bet he thinks the same way. Wanna lay down for a little while? You look like you could use some rest.”

“Yeah, thanks.” She resituated herself on the couch so she was lying down. “He’s just so damn complicated,” she grumbled.

“I know, but if it helps any, I’m sure you know him better than I do these days.”

She reached out to pat Brendan’s leg in a consoling gesture. “I don’t think you guys are as far apart as you think you are.”

“Right now I don’t know how to get through to him.” He ran his hands through his hair.

“That makes two of us.” She sighed. “But, I really want to, Brendan. I want him back and I want him all the way.”

“I guess you’ve gotta fight then.” Brendan knew that sounded weird coming from him, but it was the truth.

“Tell ya what,” she said tiredly, “I’ll fight if you’ll fight.” Her eyes drifted closed. “That man needs both of us no matter how much he thinks he doesn’t need anyone.”

Brendan stayed silent, but her last sentence stayed in his head long after she’d fallen asleep.

*****

Tess was sitting on the stage, watching as the stragglers from the party gathered their things together and began the journey to the parking lot where their cars were waiting. Her birthday couldn’t have been any better, she thought, leaning back on her hands and looking out at the moonlight playing over the ocean. She had received a small mountain of presents that had been moved to Kyle’s car and she was still waiting for one from her boyfriend. She knew he hadn’t forgotten; he was probably waiting until they could be alone so he could give it to her.

“Hey, birthday girl.”

She smiled at Anthony’s deep, smooth voice and she turned her head to look at him. “I still can’t believe you flew out here just for my birthday,” she said, hugging him when he sat down beside her.

“Like I’d miss a Tess Harding birthday party?” He chuckled and motioned at the beach around them. “I’ve gotta say though, this pretty much blew all your past parties outta the water, girl.”

“Kyle does know how to throw a party.”

“So, it seems like you’re pretty happy with this one guy.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “I can’t say I ever thought I’d see the day.”

“That makes two of us.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Who knew bein’ with one guy could be so satisfying? I’ll admit that I didn’t think it was possible; hardly anyone I know has family members with successful relationships, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know.” He had grown up in Dysfunction Junction too. “Y’think our parents ever consider how much they fuck up our perceptions and our chances for actually havin’ successful relationships?”

“I doubt it.”

“Where’s Kyle at?”

“Oh, he went to give Michael a hand getting Sean to his car; Michael’s gonna take him home.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Apparently Max got him a ride home earlier but he managed to find his way back.”

“Ah, yeah, he was pretty wasted,” Anthony agreed. “He’s not takin’ the breakup with Liz very well, is he?” He took a drink of his beer and set it on the stage beside his hip. “Gotta say, I like the new guy.”

Tess laughed. “Yeah, it figures you’d get along with Max. Are you hangin’ around to go to the guys’ game tomorrow afternoon?”

“What time?”

“Game’s at three.”

“Cool, I’ll call the airline and see if I can change my ticket to Thanksgiving mornin’.” He rolled his eyes. “My mom’ll be okay as long as I’m there in time for dinner.” He glanced up when he heard his name being called and he waved to let Isabel know he had heard her. “I’m catchin’ a ride home with her an’ Alex,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I’m guessin’ you won’t be comin’ home tonight, so happy birthday, Tess.”

“Bye, Tony.” She winked at him as he started to walk away.

The pit fires on the beach had been extinguished so the lights strung around the stage provided the only illumination when the moon became obscured by clouds. She looked up when she heard movement off to her left and she smiled at Kyle when he loped across the sand to join her once more.

“Sorry ‘bout that, babe, it took longer than I had intended. Sean is a belligerent drunk and he wasn’t happy about ridin’ home with Michael.” He shook his head. “I swear he’s gonna get his ass severely beaten if he doesn’t shut his mouth; for some reason he seems to blame you an’ Maria for Liz breakin’ up with him.”

She shrugged, unconcerned. “He needs to take a look in the mirror. He just doesn’t like the fact that she’s changin’ and he wants things to stay the same. I think there’s more goin’ on, but I’ll leave that speculation for another day.” She leaned to one side when she noticed that he was holding his hand behind his back. “Whatcha got back there, Kyle?”

He took a deep breath as he moved to stand in front of her, feeling his nerves settle when her knees pressed against his thighs and her hands moved to settle on his hips. She hooked her thumbs in his belt loops and looked up at him expectantly. “Y’know, I’ve waited all day for this,” he said as he brought his hand around to offer her the single red rose, the deep red petals glistening with a few drops of moisture that clung to their velvety edges.

Tess brought the rose up to brush against her nose as she inhaled its sweet fragrance. “For what?” she asked curiously.

“It’s 11:42pm,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her. “Happy birthday, babe.”

11:42pm, she thought, shocked that he had remembered. It was the time listed on her birth certificate as her time of birth. “How did you even remember that?”

“Because that’s the moment my soul knew that its other half had been born.” He grinned and nodded. “I know, it’s corny, right? It may have taken me 20 years to find you, but I really do feel that much of a connection to you, Tess. Hell, I didn’t even know I was missin’ anything until we met and started spendin’ time together, and then one day I realized that when I’m with you…” He shrugged and smiled self-consciously. “I feel like I’m complete with you, I really don’t know any other way to explain it.” He watched her closely, sincerely hoping she wasn’t about to run screaming into the night; she had never been in a serious relationship and he didn’t want to scare her off, but he wanted to let her know what she meant to him, how important she had become in his life.

Tess watched him, unsure what she was supposed to say. She wasn’t exactly sure of what he was saying and when he took a deep breath she had a feeling she was about to find out. Was she ready for this? she wondered, terrified and excited at the same time.

“What I’m tryin’ to say is, Tess, I love you.” He held his breath, waiting for her reaction.
Oh, boy, that’s what she had thought was coming. What was she supposed to say? Did she even feel the same? How did you even know if you were in love or not? She had to say something, anything, before he felt like she was rejecting his declaration. “Um, wow, that’s the nicest thing anybody said to me today.”

Okay, that wasn’t exactly the reaction he had been hoping for, but on the other hand, he had expected it. “Uh, well, I’m glad you feel that way.” He held a small, wrapped gift out to her. “Here, I got you somethin’.”

“Really?” Okay, she had expected the present, but she was so relieved that he wasn’t mad at her for her pathetic response that it came out sounding a lot more surprised than she had intended. She looked down at the small box, running her fingers over the shiny red paper. Even with the wrapping she could tell it was a jewelry box, but thankfully it was too large to be holding a ring.

Kyle closed his eyes, hoping she would like his gift.

She ran one manicured finger under the edges of the paper, pulling the wrapping paper open and painstakingly peeling each piece of tape off of the paper. She glanced up at Kyle from beneath her lashes and smiled when she realized he was holding his breath. Once she had finished tormenting him with the paper she traced her fingers over the soft, deep blue velvet box. She slowly lifted the lid and her eyes widened when she saw the bracelet lying on the satiny lining inside.

If there was one thing Tess knew, it was jewelry. The link bracelet was white gold with a hanging heart, most likely imported from Italy. She lifted up the little heart that had been engraved with her name and she looked up at her boyfriend. “Kyle, it’s beautiful,” she whispered as she lifted it up out of its resting place and held it out to him. “Put it on me?”

“Okay,” he said, relieved that he had made the right choice with the gift. “Um, I wanted to ask you somethin’.”

Tess relaxed at his nervous, fumbling attempts to close the clasp. His low voice caught her attention and she raised her head to meet his gaze directly. “What’d you wanna ask me?”

“Well, y’know the holidays are comin’ up and I’ll be flyin’ home on Thursday mornin’ and… um… well, I talked to my mom on the phone today and…” He ran his hand through his hair nervously. “I guess I’ve talked about you a lot, and she wanted to know if my girlfriend was comin’ with me, so…” He gulped a few times before he dropped the question. “You comin’ with me?”

Tess swallowed hard. Uh-oh… go home with him for the holidays? To meet his parents? She could feel herself beginning to panic as she tried to figure out her best possible escape scenario. “Um, wow, Kyle… you’re, uh… you’re just full of surprises tonight.” She was scrambling for an answer that didn’t sound like she was trying to avoid his question. “Y’know, um, can I let you know tomorrow? I’m waitin’ for my dad to call me back and let me know what’s goin’ on at home and…” Crap, she had just backed herself into a corner! She needed someone to tell her what to do in this situation. She needed… yes! “I have to get home for that thing with the girls… I told you about that, right?” God, she was babbling like an idiot now; he was gonna see right through it.

Kyle knew that she was in a total panic and that she wanted to escape and as much as he wanted an answer tonight, he played along. What else could he do anyway? “Okay, I’ll drive you home then, I guess.”

She winced and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him in place. “Kyle, you’re not mad at me, are you?”

He avoided her eyes. “No, I’m not.” And he really wasn’t; a little hurt and disappointed, but not mad.

Tess felt terrible. No, he wasn’t mad – he was hurt, and that was even worse. “I’m sorry, I just… I just need some time to…” She sighed. He wasn’t stupid, he was seeing right through all of her bullshit; he had from the very beginning. “I just wanna be able to give you the answer you deserve, and I want to give it to you for the right reasons. Can you understand that?”

“Yeah, of course! Look, I’m sorry, maybe it’s too soon for you to do this, so you don’t have to do anything just to make me happy. It’s okay if you don’t really wanna do this, okay?” He took her hands in his. “C’mon, let’s go so you don’t miss your girl’s night.”

Damn, now she really felt bad. “Okay. I’m sorry, Kyle. I feel like I just let you down.”

“No, you don’t have to feel bad,” he whispered, caressing her cheek.

She nodded, but she knew that she had hurt him by not accepting his invitation… by not telling him that she felt the same way when he had said he loved her… God, she sucked as a girlfriend! This was probably why she had never done the whole dating thing, she thought.

Kyle pulled her to her feet and started to lead her to the car. “C’mon, birthday girl.”

*****

Max glanced at Liz as they pulled up in front of her apartment and he took a deep breath when he noticed her absent gaze. “Is everything ok?”

Liz was startled out of her thoughts by Max’ voice and she tried to compose her features before she turned to look at him. “Yeah, everything’s fine... I was just thinking...”

“About Sean?” he asked.

How did he do that? she wondered. “Yeah, he’s not taking things very well.”

“Yeah, I saw that. He had a few too many drinks tonight.”

She winced, hoping it wasn’t a sign that Sean was going to continue this behavior. “He’s never really been much of a drinker,” she admitted. “I didn’t expect him to come back after you got him a ride home.”

“Don’t worry about him, Liz. Michael’s gonna take him home and then he can sleep it off.”

“I just hope he doesn’t drink like this when we go home for Thanksgiving.”

Max frowned at that. “I thought you said you broke up with him?”

“I did.” She felt nervous as she tried to explain the situation. “It’s just that, our families have always spent the holidays together and they don’t know... they don’t know that I broke the engagement. They, um... they think we’re still together and since it’s Thanksgiving we didn’t think we should – “

“Wait, are you tellin’ me you’re spendin’ the holidays together, pretending that you’re still engaged?”

“Well, see, Max, the thing is – “

Max rubbed his eyes with one hand. “The thing is you can’t let him go, can you?”

What? No, no, no, he was totally misunderstanding the situation! “No, Max, that’s not it... it’s our families. You don’t understand what they’re like... the entire weekend will be a disaster if we tell them, so we agreed to wait until after we get back.”

“So, you’d prefer to pretend that you two are still engaged for more than three days than to tell your parents the truth? What difference would it make if they know now or later?”

Liz could feel the tears that were trying to push to the surface when his voice took on an angry tone. The truth was that she would prefer to never tell her parents because once they knew they were going to be disappointed in her. “It’ll make the holidays insufferable, for one thing. And for another... it’s not just my parents, it’s Sean’s too, and once they know, we’re gonna be their biggest disappointments.”

Max saw the tears in Liz’ eyes and his anger began to fade. “Liz, look,” he said as he took her chin in his hand. “I can understand why you’re scared, okay? But, don’t expect me to be happy with the fact that you’re goin’ home with him and you’re gonna be together, acting as if nothing’s changed. I’m not mad, I promise, and if you really have to do this, then do it, okay? And then come back to me, as soon as you get things straight with your family.”

“My parents are gonna be sooo mad when they find out that I broke the engagement.”

“I’ll be there for you, Liz… anytime, anywhere.”

Liz watched him, surprised that his anger had faded so quickly. “I love my parents, but they’ve planned everything out, and when I go against them they never fail to let me know how much it disappoints them.” She reached out and placed a tentative hand over his where it rested on the gearshift. “I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, Max; I just didn’t want you to think that I still have feelings for Sean. Well, not the same ones that I have for you.” She blushed, just knowing that she had to sound so stupid to him.

Max smiled at her confession and he wanted to kiss her so badly, but on the other hand he wanted her to tell her parents the truth about Sean and him. He was falling for her more and more with every kiss and touch. “I guess you’d better go if you’re gonna make it for your girl’s night before it gets started,” he suggested quietly.

Liz stared into his eyes, trying to read the expression there. She had expected him to kiss her, not wish her a good night and then wait for her to leave. Was he waiting for her to make the first move? Could she do that? He was probably used to girls who were more aggressive; what if he got bored with her because she wasn't more like that?

Max looked at her and knew she was waiting for a kiss. He leaned in and brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give you more than this right now, Liz.”
Would she sound like an idiot if she asked why he was holding back? Liz nodded and worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. “Max...”

“Yeah?”

Damn, why couldn't he be psychic or something? she wondered and then quickly retracted that thought. The last thing she wanted was for him to know some of the rather... she blushed... sexual thoughts she’d had about him. “Um... it’s just that usually when you kiss me it’s... um... different.”

“I know. But, right now... I really want to get things straight before we start a relationship between us.”

Liz nodded, relieved. She felt much better after his explanation. “Okay.” She opened the door and turned to look at him, smiling softly. “G’night, Max.”

“G’night,” he whispered, watching her as she walked into her apartment.

Hopefully the guys were still awake because he needed a drink right now.

[Double Trouble]

Alien_Friend: Max is trying very hard. For Liz, wanting to go through with the disaster of a plan that she and Sean concocted has more to do with her parents than Sean himself.

Tess has to understand her own feelings for Kyle before she can honestly return those three little words and it would’ve been a disaster for her to say it when she wasn’t sure.

Oh, we think they will… and truthfully, in some ways it may not be as difficult as it seems.

begonia9508: Hmm, think so? Remember, Sean doesn’t really want to tell his parents either.

Max made a difficult choice, but it was the right one.

keepsmiling7: The decision to hide the truth instead of dealing with their parents is a mistake and it isn’t going to solve anything.

It wasn’t easy, but Max stuck to his guns!

pandas2001: We agree and hopefully Liz will find the strength in herself to stand up and deal with her parents instead of hiding the truth from them.

kismet: Well, it could get ugly, but we’re gonna hope it doesn’t.

Tess is very lucky to have a guy who was so mature about her reaction!

We’ll see soon what Liz is going to do about Sean and the parental situation.

We’ve got another girls and guys scene coming up!

AnnViolet: We’re glad you love Liz and Max!

Think there’s gonna be a confrontation?

mary mary: We’ll see… They both have good reasons for being hesitant about telling their parents the truth, but is it worth Liz risking what could be with Max? Hmm…

destinyc: We agree and we’re going to start seeing a change in Liz here pretty soon.

Michael’s reaction… we’re gonna assume that it’s expected that things will go badly?

Tess has never been in this deep before and she wasn’t expecting his declaration.

sarammlover: **Authors ducking and running for cover while furiously typing up ‘fix-it scene** LOL, things are about to start looking up… keep hanging on, we’re almost there!

sunrise102: Sean has just as much reason as Liz to keep from revealing the truth to their parents… we’ll learn more about that over Thanksgiving. Liz is getting there and she’s already made some pretty major steps… more are coming! Just not all in one day, but she’s changing and we think Max will have a pretty positive impact on that change!

Michael is a work in progress and it’s going to take time for him to change some of his behaviors.

Maiqu: We hope not, too!

Natalie36: Liz says to please be patient… she’s working on it.


Part 55 – Time For A Reality Check

Brendan had been sitting in the nearly dark room for almost an hour when the doorbell rang and he glanced at his watch. It was nearly midnight and there was only one person he knew who would bother showing up at his apartment that late. He stood slowly to avoid disturbing Maria and walked over to pull the door open. He had expected to see his brother, but what he hadn’t expected to see was his brother supporting Sean. His roommate was obviously hammered and passed out, so without a word he took Sean’s free arm and helped Michael carry him inside to his room.

It wasn’t until they came back into the living room and Michael was heading to the front door that he noticed the woman sleeping on the couch. He hadn’t exchanged a single word with his brother and he hadn’t intended to now, but Maria’s presence made him turn to look at Brendan. “What’s she doin’ here?”

“Recovering from your earlier behavior, I guess.”

Michael wasn’t in any mood to deal with Brendan’s holier-than-thou attitude. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“You know what it means, bro.” Brendan was trying to stay quiet. “You treated her like shit.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher his brother’s words. “First, we treated each other like shit, so get your facts straight before you go makin’ accusations, bro. Second, why’s she here and not at her place?”

“She called me to pick her up from the party. She didn’t want to go home.”

“Finally decided I was too much to handle, so she came back to you?” The words were hateful but he couldn’t seem to control his mouth.

“If you could hear yourself talk,” Brendan growled.

“That your way of not answerin’ my question?”

Brendan shook his head in disbelief. “She’s hurt and she needed a friend, Michael; she wasn’t lookin’ to get back with the loser brother.”

Michael frowned. Did his brother actually think that he thought he was a loser? No, Brendan wasn’t that insecure and he didn’t care what Michael thought anyway; his opinion didn’t matter one way or the other to his twin. “I swear to God, the next person who puts words in my mouth is gonna get hit. I’ve never called you a fuckin’ loser, Brendan.”

“You think you could keep your voice down?” Brendan hissed. “You’re gonna wake her up.”
Brendan could see the worry in Michael’s eyes, worry for the girl sleeping on his couch. But his brother would never admit it, he thought.

“It’s funny how you’re the one she called when she got hurt,” Michael observed. “And she looks pretty fuckin’ cozy on your couch... you makin’ a play for my girl, Brendan?”

“Your girl?” Brendan teased lightly. “I didn’t know that. From what she told me you pretty much ripped her heart to shreds tonight.”

“That’s right,” Michael growled, not even realizing what he was admitting as he crowded Brendan and poked his finger into his chest. “MY girl... trust me, you couldn’t handle that woman right there.” His irritation grew when Brendan just stared at him, silently assessing him. “So, as the better twin, you’ve swooped in thinkin’ you can put her back together like one of your little models, and she’ll fall in love with you?”

“No, but that’d be a hell of a lot better than hurtin’ her and makin’ her cry. I don’t want her love, Michael.”

Michael cringed at that description. He couldn’t deny what his brother was saying because he knew he had hurt her, but why did everyone keep throwing that in his face? Didn’t anyone realize that he had been hurt too? Maria does, his conscience whispered. His brother’s words brought his attention back to him. “Don’t lie to me, Brendan.”

“I’m not lyin’; all I want is for her to get what she wants.”

“And what is that exactly?” Tell me what she wants, he begged silently. Everyone was happy to tell him what she didn’t want, why wouldn’t anyone tell him what she did want?

“You,” Brendan said simply.

“Okay, but she has me!” he snarled, his voice low.

He knew it wasn’t his business to tell him, but Michael needed to know. “Really? Does she know that?”

He was really getting sick of people answering questions with more questions... wasn’t anyone capable of an actual answer? “What the fuck does she think the past couple of months have been?”

“This has nothing to do with the last few months, Michael. It’s about right now… and look at her, Michael. Right now she’s alone, hurt, and about as far away from you as she can get.”

Michael ran his hands through his hair. He felt like he was trapped in a nightmare that he just couldn’t wake up from. “I didn’t mean to... She deserves better than I’m ever gonna be, so, maybe it’s better that I just walk away now.” He tensed up when he realized he was on the verge of revealing personal things to his brother.

“You really wanna do that to her?”

“Do what? All I keep hearin’ is how much I’m hurtin’ her and she deserves better than that, right? Well, I keep fuckin’ it up... we get in an argument or she gets too close, I get defensive and I go on the attack. She’s gonna keep getting hurt if she stays with me.”

Brendan sighed. His brother was so difficult sometimes. “Go home, Michael, and think about what you really want. And then tell her on Thanksgiving.”

“Tell her what I really want,” he muttered. “D’you even know what you’re askin’? I can write song lyrics that’ll rip your heart out of your chest, I can be cruel and heartless in an argument, but when I try to get out the words to tell her... anything...” He shook his head in irritation. “See? I can’t even get the words out with you!”

“Maybe you could just give her some small signs; that’d probably be enough for her. She knows you well enough that she doesn’t expect you to be completely open. Just let her know you care; stop touchin’ other women and keep her close.”

“I do not go around touchin’ other women! Where the hell did you get that information from?”

“You touched Courtney tonight.”

Michael winced. “Okay, but that was... it was... I didn’t mean it!”

“It doesn’t matter if you meant it or not, you did it.”

When had his world gone so crazy? He was getting relationship advice from his younger brother. “Okay, yeah, y’know what? I did do that and to be honest, I regretted it the second I got one look at Maria’s face. You satisfied now?”

“You think I’m getting satisfaction from this? Look, Michael, there’s just one simple question to answer here – are you willin’ to care about her and are you willin’ to let her care about you? Okay, so, technically, that’s two questions.”

“Simple,” he scoffed, shaking his head. “This is anything but simple. I don’t doubt that we care about each other; there’s no way the time we’ve spent together hasn’t made that happen, but it hasn’t stopped us from hurtin’ each other.”

“Maybe because neither of you has admitted your feelings yet.”

“Uh-huh, and admittin’ that will magically erase our ability to hurt each other?” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what little fairy tale world you’ve been livin’ in, but that’s not the way it works.”

Brendan was frustrated by Michael’s reaction. “Listen, Michael, we can discuss this all night and it won’t change anything. I’m sure you two will be careful to try not to hurt each other anymore once you get past this situation. But, you won’t get past it if you get all pissy and angry every time you talk to her. That’s only gonna push one of you over the edge again and you’re gonna end up hurtin’ each other all over again.”

“Hey, I’m the one who suggested meetin’ at the party to talk an’ then she showed up late... with her cousin. Apparently she had time to hang out with him, but not enough time to show up to meet with me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! She had to get her cousin from the airport ‘cause the other girls were busy and she sent you a text message. What should she have done, Michael? Left her cousin at the airport?"

“I think I’d know if she’d sent me a...” He trailed off and winced, remembering that his phone was in pieces on the bar at home and he hadn’t had time to run by the store to pick up the new one. “Oh.”

“Let me guess? It’s all just a big misunderstanding?”

“I didn’t have my phone; I was supposed to go by and pick the new one up today but there was so much that had to be done to get the party ready to Kyle’s satisfaction, not to mention havin’ to take Brooke back home for her lecture from Alex...” He ran his right hand over his face. “See? One fuck up after another.”

A noise coming from Sean’s room pulled Brendan’s attention away. “Excuse me, I should check on him,” he said to his brother and then hurried to his roommate’s bedroom door.

Michael stood rooted to the spot for several long seconds after Brendan had left the room and before long his gaze wandered to his girl. Even though they were fighting and they couldn’t seem to find any common ground at the moment he couldn’t stop from thinking of her as his. He glanced back towards Sean’s room and when he couldn’t see his brother he edged closer to the couch.

He stared down at Maria, seeing the recently dried tear tracks on her face and his heart thudded painfully in his chest. He had done this to her, he thought sadly. He glanced over his shoulder once more before crouching down beside the couch and hesitantly reaching out to brush his fingertips over her cheek.

“You’re beautiful when you sleep, y’know that? Hell, you’re beautiful all the damn time.” Michael sighed heavily as he watched her, wondering if he was ever going to have the ability to open up to her. Well, she was asleep right now, so he could give it a shot. “I never meant to hurt you... I know you have no reason to believe that; I haven’t exactly given you any reasons to think that this mess is my fault too, but I know it is.” He turned his head to the side when he heard movement and he knew Brendan was on his way back. He leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead before easing back and running his thumb over her lips. “Find a way to hold onto me, Maria, because the only thing I’m good at is pushin’ people away,” he whispered. He shoved himself to his feet and moved back to his position by the door just as Brendan walked back into the room.

“He fell out of bed,” Brendan said, pulling the door closed behind him.

“Probably should’ve just left him there.” Michael shrugged. “He’s only gonna do it again.”

“Yeah, well, it’s the first time he’s gotten that drunk.”

“You need to get a woman, Bren... you spend too much time takin’ care of your roommate.”

“The last time I got a woman you fell for her,” Brendan said with a smirk. He hoped his brother would understand that he wasn’t blaming him.

Michael snorted at that. “You were never gonna fall for Maria, not while your heart’s still in New York. And I think we both know that Maria was mine from the very first time that I kissed her.” He grimaced and reached up to scratch his eyebrow. “I never should’ve made a play for her while she was with you though; that wasn’t cool and you probably think I did it just to hurt you, but I didn’t.”

“Well, I may have thought that at first, but not anymore.” Brendan knew that Michael had seen more in Maria from the very beginning; she had never been just another hot chick, so he couldn’t blame him for going after the first woman he had thought he was interested in.

“Yeah? I wouldn’t really blame you if you thought that.”

“I will blame you if you don’t figure things out with her after everything that’s happened the last few months.”

“I’ll be blamin’ myself if we don’t get this worked out.”

“Maybe you can start workin’ on it over Thanksgiving. She’ll be over at Alex’ place, too.”

“No, she won’t.” She would’ve mentioned that, right?

“Did she change her mind?”

Michael shook his head. “She mentioned that she wasn’t goin’ home, but she never said anything about bein’ over at Alex’ place for Thanksgiving.”

“Maybe she was hopin’ for an invitation from you?”

Michael cleared his throat and reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb. Well, that was one more thing he could add to the list of things he had fucked up recently. “You said she’s gonna be there, so obviously she’s already been invited.” Yeah, that doesn’t get you off the hook for not extending the invitation yourself, his conscience reminded him.

“Isabel asked Alex if it’d be okay if Maria came too, ‘cause otherwise she’d be alone. But it doesn’t matter who invited her. She’ll be there if you wanna talk to her.” He motioned to Maria. “Should I tell her you’ve been here when she wakes up?”

“Oh, uh... well, no, I guess not. She might just think I’m accusin’ her of runnin’ to you or somethin’, so... y’know, just don’t say anything.”

Brendan nodded. “Okay.”

“So, tomorrow’s the day before Thanksgiving... and, y’know, we’ve got that big rivalry game in the afternoon...”

Yeah, I’ve heard about it.”

Michael nodded. Of course he’d heard about it; it was only one of the biggest games of the year! “So, I thought maybe, y’know... you might wanna go.”

“Will they be sellin’ any good chocolate at the game?” Brendan joked to cover his surprise. Michael had never invited him to one of his games and he wasn’t sure how to react to that.

Michael just stared at his brother and he suddenly realized just how much he had missed talking to Brendan and how much he wanted him to be at the game. “Chocolate? I don’t know... but, I’ll spring for chocolate if that’s what it takes to get you there.”

Brendan smirked at that. He hadn’t talked to his brother for so long now; well, at least not in this way, and he hoped that it wasn’t just a passing moment and then they would be back to their usual no-talking-just-fighting-situation. “I’ll be there.”

Michael hid his shock when his brother accepted his invitation. “Yeah? Okay, cool.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder and motioned at the door. “I’m just gonna go now.” Before one of us says or does something to ruin this unexpected truce, he thought as his hand settled on the door knob.

“Guess I’ll see you tomorrow then. And it’s Thanksgivin’ on Thursday, so try to get out of the game without an injury this time.”

“Yeah, well, as long as Shepherd stays outta my way it’ll be fine,” he said, frowning at the mention of the guy who had been responsible for the injury the year before that had ended his season early.

“I wouldn’t count on that, so be careful.”

Michael nodded and pulled the door open. “I will be,” he promised. He shot one last lingering look at Maria before stepping outside. “Make sure she gets home safely, Bren.”

“Of course.” He watched Michael as he stepped outside and started to walk down the hallway. “Oh, hey,” Brendan called after him, “wait a minute.” He disappeared back into the apartment leaving his brother to wonder what he wanted. A minute later, Brendan was back again and he pressed something into his hand

Michael glanced down and looked at the cell phone; it was the same model as his broken one at home.

“I got a new one last week, so you can take this one if you want. Just try to not break it.”

“Oh, uh... thanks.” He smirked and shrugged one shoulder. “Can’t make any promises about not breakin’ it though.”

Brendan laughed. “Yeah, I know. Well, I don’t need it back anyway, but if nothin’ else it’ll give you a backup.”

He stood in the open doorway for several minutes after Michael walked out to his car and drove away. How long had it been since they had really talked to each other without it ending in an argument or with accusations being flung back and forth? It didn’t matter, he realized, because they had made progress tonight. He knew Maria’s appearance in their lives had a lot to do with that and he was grateful that he and Michael had maybe started to work their way back to their old relationship.

*****

Tess took one more tub of ice cream out of the refrigerator and joined Liz and Isabel where they were sitting on the floor around the coffee table in the living room. “Does anyone know where Maria is? I tried to call her, but she isn’t answering her phone.”

“She and Michael got into it after the band finished up their last set,” Tony mumbled, reaching around Liz to grab an untouched bucket of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream off of the coffee table.

“What does that mean?” Isabel and Tess asked at the same time.

Tony rolled his eyes and dug his spoon into the ice cream as he resumed his position on the couch. How many different ways were there to translate the phrase ‘they got into it’? he wondered. “It means they had a fight and she left.”

“She left? But where did she go? And what happened between them? C’mon, Tony, just tell us the whole story. We’re girls, we need the details!” Tess eased closer to the couch and propped an elbow on it.

“I don’t know.” He savored a big bite of ice cream as he pretended to think over her request. “Gossip is such a chick thing and y’know, as much as I love hangin’ with my girls I’m really not a chick.”

Tess smacked his shoulder. “Listen buddy, you’re in an apartment where all of the occupants are girls. AND it’s girl’s night. So, you can either give us some information, or get lost.”

“I think my nuts are shrinkin’,” he complained and then spoiled it by grinning.

“And we’re worried about her,” Isabel added.

He sobered when he heard the concerned tone in Isabel’s voice. “She was upset with Michael, and with good reason, but I set his ass straight.”

“You didn’t punch him, did you?” Tess asked, horrified at the prospect. She took a large spoonful of the ice cream in front of her.

Tony pushed himself up so that he was leaning on his left elbow. “Seriously? No one’s concerned about the effect all this estrogen is havin’ on my masculinity?” He huffed indignantly when they just stared at him without the slightest bit of sympathy. “Fine,” he grumbled, “no, Tess, I didn't punch him.”

“Did he punch you?” Isabel asked, knowing Michael’s temper.

“Do you see a mark on this handsome face?”

The girls rolled their eyes. “So, you just talked to him? God, I wish Maria was here; she would give us the whole fuckin’ story,” Tess complained, grabbing her phone to check and see if her friend had called back.

“That’s right, we just talked. Guy’s are capable of talkin’ without resorting to violence.”

“Hard to imagine what a conversation between you and Guerin must’ve been like,” Tess snorted.

“We discussed lots of stuff,” he tossed out. “Sports... sex… cars... sex... women... sex...” He knew that would have all of them on his case, but he couldn't resist.

The girls looked at each other with a nod of agreement they all grabbed the pillow closest to them and threw them at him. “Jerk!”

“Hey, don’t be like that!” He snatched up one of the pillows up and whacked Tess over the head since she was the closest to him. “I oughta give you a birthday spanking,” he growled threateningly.

“Don’t you dare!” Tess laughed, trying to arrange her hair again.

“Why not? Kyle already got that under control?”

“Of course not!” she answered resentfully, but they could all see the playful sparkle in her eyes.

Liz’ eyes widened as she listened to the conversation bouncing back and forth between Tony and Tess.

Tess sighed quietly. Kyle... the mention of his name brought back the memory of the last few minutes she had spent with him... God, she had so fucked up and she wanted to discuss it with the girls, but she needed Maria to be here.

They all looked up when they heard a key in the lock and a moment later the door opened and Maria stepped inside. “I am sooo sorry I’m late; I was... doin’ somethin’ and lost track of time.”

“Maria,” Tess squealed, getting to her feet and rushing to her friend so she could hug her.

Maria stumbled back a couple of steps, unprepared for the enthusiasm in Tess’ greeting. “Hey, Tess.”

“Where have you been?” She checked her friend’s face and she could see that she had been crying recently.

“I was over at Brendan’s... he came to get me after his ass of a brother put his arm around Skanky Courtney.”

“Sonofabitch!” Tess murmured.

“I wanted to talk to him, but no... he had to humiliate me in front of her.”

“Go on and get your pajamas, sweetie. And then you have to tell us the whole story over some ice cream. The jerk,” she motioned to Tony, “won’t tell us anything.”

“Hey, it wasn’t fair to talk about it without Maria here.”

Tess went back to the couch and dropped down to sit on the floor so lean back against it. Maria hadn’t looked too good at all. Hopefully the girl’s night would help her.

Maria hurried to her room to freshen up and change into her pajamas. She knew there was no avoiding Tess on the Michael subject; the girl was like a bloodhound tracking down an escaped prisoner. She sighed. Oh well, maybe the girls would have some good advice. Tony... well, she wasn’t talking to him right now, so he could just keep his stupid... man advice to himself.

“Are you comin’?” Tess called from the living room.

“Yeah, yeah, keep your panties on, would ya? I’m here,” Maria grumbled as she scanned over the available selection of ice cream.

“I’ve got the pistachio right next to me.” Tess said with a smirk.

Maria pointedly ignored the pistachio in favor of taking the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough out of Tony’s hands and moving to sit on the opposite side of the coffee table. “No, this’ll do, thanks.”

“Hey, that was mine,” Tony complained.

“Yeah, well, I asked you to stay out of what’s goin’ on between me and Michael and you went and stuck your big nose right in the middle of things so now you can just suffer.” She glared at him and took a bite of the ice cream.

“You just asked me not to punch him.”

“It was implied,” she snapped.

Tony shrugged. “I didn’t punch him and really I didn’t get involved in anything. I should’ve, but after you slapped him – “

Tess immediately latched onto that piece of information. “You slapped him?”

Maria wanted to slap someone else right at that moment. “He was hangin’ all over that skanky bitch Courtney. And he said things... mean things.”

“And then she slapped him.” Tony made a gesture. “He was really shocked, and Maria, you leavin’ with that parting shot where you told him you weren’t gonna listen to him? Damn, that hit home.”

“It hit home,” she scoffed. “Whatever. He didn’t care.”

“He sure as hell did care.”

“Uh-huh, and you think you know Michael Guerin well enough to know that he cared.”

“Well, let’s just say we get to know each other a little better after you left.”

“Wait... you made friends with him?”

“We had a couple of beers together.”

“Guy language for ‘we bonded’.”

Tony shrugged. “I didn’t appreciate his earlier behavior, but after spendin’ some time with him, I guess he’s okay.”

“You guess he’s okay,” she repeated incredulously. “Hell, I guess the two of you will be picking out your wedding china next.”

“C’mon, Maria, he was just pissed ‘cause he thought I was your date and you had replaced him.”

“Well, if he’d stop being so fuckin’ stubborn and listen for five seconds he would’ve known who you were.”

Tess looked between Maria and Tony. She couldn’t believe she had missed all the action at her own party.

“He knows that now, believe me.”

Maria shook her head. “Let’s talk about somethin’ else.”

Tess was willing to let it go... for now. “Okay,” she sighed, “I guess I’ll just say it – Kyle used the L word tonight.”

That had the girls talking over each other and Tony just shook his head and got up to go find something else to eat.

Liz looked at Tess, studying her expression and after a few moments she spoke. “So, did you tell him you love him too?”

“Tess?” Isabel asked after a minute has passed without an answer.

Maria paused with her ice cream-laden spoon halfway between the tub and her mouth. “Tess?” She groaned when she saw the look in her best friend’s eyes. “You didn’t say it back?”

“I couldn’t...” Tess said and stuck the spoon into the ice cream, frustrated.

“But, you do love him, don’t you?” Liz asked. “I mean, you guys are so happy together.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been in love. I don’t know how you’re supposed to feel when you’re in love.”

“Y’know, people can describe it,” Tony said as he came back with a bag of chips, “but, it’s not the same for everyone. You just have to ask yourself if you can imagine your life without him, can you imagine bein’ with another guy, does he make you happy... crap like that.”

Maria grabbed a remote off of the table and threw it at him. “You’re such a guy.”

“Isabel,” Tess said, “you’re the only one in a happy relationship, so, tell me; how d’you know if you’re in love?”

“Well, I have to admit, it’s like Tony said. Are you happy with him? Do you want to be with him most of the time? You don’t have to be scared to admit it. Be honest with yourself and you’ll know.”

“Yeah, that’s right... it’s like Tony said,” he muttered, stretching his right leg out to nudge his cousin with his foot.

“It’s not as easy as it sounds. And you guys don’t know the whole story. He also asked me to spend Thanksgiving with him... and his family.”

“Whoa, he asked you to spend Thanksgiving with his family? Like, in New York?” Maria asked. “That’s huge!”

Tess nodded. “Yeah.”

Liz dragged her spoon through her vanilla ice cream. “Are you going?”

“Honestly, I have no clue.”

Isabel pulled her knees up and rested her forearms on them. “Do you want to?”

“I don’t want to hurt him, that’s what I want.”

“You should go,” Tony said.

Maria cleared her throat and shook her head when Tony spoke up. “No one asked for your man opinion.” She turned back to look at Tess. “I think you should go. You’re totally into him, Tess, and he wants to introduce you to his family. That’s a good thing.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. You told me your dad’s takin’ his new girlfriend on a cruise since you’re in college and you told him you were fine not goin’ home for Thanksgiving, you love bein’ with Kyle and I suspect that you love him as well, and it’s New York!”

Tess grinned. “New York, huh? I’ve never been there.”

“Exactly!”

“But, no sweetie, you’ll be alone then. I can’t do that…”

“She’ll be with us,” Isabel said.

“I don’t know, Iz,” Maria hedged. “I know I said I’d think about it, but with everything goin’ on with Michael... I don’t wanna ruin his holiday with his family; if I’m there we’re just gonna fight.”

“Come home with me, Cuz,” Tony said, his mouth full of chips. “Mom’s makin’ the big Turkey Day feast an’ y’know she always makes way too much. I know Aunt Amy’s gonna be workin’ but you’d be able to see her in the mornin’ at least.”

“Yeah, come home with us; I’ll probably need you to get away from my parents.” Liz felt like a specimen under the microscope when they all turned to stare at her. “I... um, I broke up with Sean.” She watched them exchanging glances and knew the interrogation was about to begin.

“Wait, when did this happen?” Maria asked, shocked.

“WHAT?!” Tess shrieked.

“You’re kidding!” Isabel couldn’t believe it.

“Yesterday morning after you guys left.” Liz jumped when they all shouted at once, expressing their disbelief.

Tony sat upright on the couch, bag of chips temporarily forgotten. “You dumped Harrison?”

“Well, I had to. OrIcouldn’tseeMax,” she mumbled. “And we don’t really have those kinds of feelings for each other... it was past time. I knew for sure after this past weekend.”

“So, you’re officially dating ‘Mr. Hot’ Max Evans, now?” Tess asked, certain she was hearing wrong. What happened to innocent little Liz Parker?

“Um, well, I’m not really sure that we’re actually dating yet. I mean, he wasn’t happy that Sean and I will be pretending to be engaged while we’re home and – “

“WHAT?” they all shouted.

“Um... well...” Liz looked around at their shocked faces. “Yeah, so, I don’t think we’re technically dating yet. He wouldn’t even kiss me when he dropped me off tonight because he said he wants things to be straightened out before we start anything.”

“How very noble of him,” Tess said, trying to not roll her eyes.

Maria frowned. “Let’s go back to that part where you an’ Sean are gonna pretend that you’re engaged while you're at home.”

“Yeah,” Tony intervened, “that won’t work, Liz. And it’s totally crazy, you’re gonna have to tell them anyway.”

“Our parents are gonna flip out. And we’re both agreed that it would just be wrong to tell them on a holiday.”

Isabel raised a speculative eyebrow. “Uh-huh, so when are you gonna tell them? Because Christmas, New Years’, Easter, July 4th... the entire year is full of holidays, Liz.”

“I’ll tell them right after Thanksgiving, I promise.”

“Oh, you should just tell them and get it over with,” Tess suggested.

“You guys know my parents! You can all sit back and say that, but your parents haven’t had you practically married since before you were born. I prefer to tell them when I’m far away from them and don’t have to go back there anytime soon.”

Tess shook her head. “Pffff, and I thought I was in trouble. But, compared to you guys... A slap in the face, a big break up... I guess I should count myself lucky, huh? Only our Ms. I-have-the-perfect-life Whitman came out of the last few days without a disastrous story.”

“I’m pregnant!” Isabel closed her eyes. Had she really just said it? Or had she just thought she said it?

Tess had thought she had reached a point where nothing else could shock her that night, but Isabel had just proved her wrong. “Are you serious?”

Okay, she had definitely said it. “Uh-huh.”

“I’m guessing congratulations are in order since you don’t look like you’re freaking out?”

“Well, I already had my freak out.”

“Uh-huh.” Tess glanced at Maria who didn’t look at all surprised by the announcement and then at Liz who had been shocked into silence. “So, Maria already knew?”

“Yeah, she found out at the cabin and she helped me with the test when we came back.”

“What’s Alex think?” she asked cautiously.

“Well, he’s happy about it. He had already figured it out and by the time we talked he was over the shock, but he’s happy.”

“How d’you feel about it?” Liz asked.

“Um... surprised, of course, shocked and scared.”

Tony sat up and leaned forward with his elbows braced on his knees. “So, what’re y’all gonna do?”

“Go with Kyle to meet his parents, I guess,” Tess started and looked over at Maria with a questioning look.

He rolled his eyes and gave Tess a gentle shove. “I was talkin’ to Iz, but it’s good to know you’ve got your head outta your ass and you’re gonna go with Kyle.”

“Well, we’re keeping the baby,” Isabel answered.

“So, are you guys like, getting married?” Liz asked.

“Uh, no. I mean, not yet, anyway. We didn’t talk about that.”

“See, I told you he’d be great about it,” Maria said as she took another bite of ice cream.
Isabel smiled slightly. “Yeah, he really is.”

Tony leaned back. “Girls, I can’t believe all that’s happened to you. Two months and you all have your own little dramas goin’ on.” He grinned. “I’m so proud of all of you.”

Liz glanced up at him, wondering if that included her. She knew her parents were going to be anything but proud of her once they found out that she had dumped Sean.

“Glad that you’re so happy that our lives are all disasters,” Maria snapped at him. She was still a little mad at him for intervening in the Michael situation.

“Mine’s not a disaster,” Tess complained.

“Yeah, mine either,” Isabel spoke up. “Unexpected, maybe, but not a disaster.”

“Well, mine’s kind of a disaster,” Liz add, “but, I think it’s about to change for the better.”

“Great,” Maria muttered, huggin one of the pillows.

“Oh, c’mon, Cuz, things are gonna get better. You’ll come home with me for the next few days...” He held up a hand when she started to protest. “I know, big game tomorrow, but I’ve already been invited, so I’ve rescheduled my flight for early Thanksgiving mornin’.”

“WHAT?”

Tony slouched down in his seat. “Y’know, I think my feelings might be hurt by your less than enthusiastic reaction to my announcement.”

“You’re going to the game? Who invited you? Oh, let me guess...”

He smirked at her suspicious tone. “Think it was Michael, smarty-pants?”

“He’d do that just to annoy me.”

“Well, not denyin’ that, but it wasn’t Michael.”

“Fine. I don’t care. Go to the stupid game.”

“Y’know, it’s pretty obvious that what he did an’ said hurt you, but the guy’s pretty confused right now, Maria.”

Maria stood up. “I don’t care about his confusion.” She turned to Tess then. “Sorry, Tess, I know I’m kinda ruining our girl’s night, but I really just wanna be alone right now,” she said and then walked down the hallway to her bedroom. She didn’t want to cry anymore, but she couldn’t help it.

Tony listened to the girls as they debated who should go after Maria and he pushed himself to his feet. “Y’all stay here an’ go on with your girl’s night; I’ll go talk to her.”

He stopped in the kitchen to grab a couple bottles of water out of the refrigerator and then walked down the hall to her bedroom. He didn’t bother knocking on the door because she would just tell him to go to hell or kiss her ass or both, so he just pushed it open and walked inside.

She was lying on her bed with her back turned to him so he kicked the door shut and crossed the room to sit on the bed beside her. He handed her one of the bottles and she glared at him when she noticed that it was water. “Beer after ice cream is one regret you don’t want tonight.”

“And water after ice cream is so much better, huh?”

He nudged her with his elbow. “Why’re you tryin’ so hard to pick a fight with me, girl?”

“Why don’t you just leave me alone? All I want is to be left alone.”

“I think what you want is for all this shit between you and Guerin to be over. I think what you want is for him to admit that he has real feelings for you. I think that you’re terrified of telling him how you feel because you’ve never been in this deep with a guy before. I also think you want him to say he feels the same way and for him to say it first so you know you won’t get shot down.” He took a drink of his water. “That’s what I think.”

“Good for you. Think what ya want, Tony. The only thing I know right now is that he’s not willing to listen to me, he’s not able to talk to me in a normal way, he’s an asshole, and he’ll probably fuck that bitch tonight.”

“Cuz, that man’s not interested in that chick; she was a convenient smokescreen and you fell for it. I’m not defendin’ his behavior, but as a guy I know how terrifyin’ it is to put yourself out there knowin’ that you could get shot down. I don’t know him well at all, but it seems to me that the guy’s carryin’ around a lot of emotional baggage.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I know he hurt you with what he did and said, but he wants to make things work...” He rolled his eyes. “He just sucks at the whole ‘let’s talk about our feelings’ thing like every other guy in the world.”

“Well, too bad, ‘cause I’m never gonna try to talk to him again.”

“Does that mean you’re not gonna go to the game tomorrow?”

“No, of course not. Why should I go? To watch him and suffer even more?”

“C’mon, we can all go together and hang out... remember when we used to do that back home? Huh?” He grinned at her and threw out something he knew she wouldn’t be able to resist. “We can make fun of Courtney...”

“How’re we gonna do that?”

“How? I know your imagination goes into overdrive every time you see her. And, seriously, the girl just has so many flaws that we can point out...”

“That’s true. But, still... I don’t know if I want to see him again so soon. God, he saw me totally messed up a few hours ago.”

“Y’know what he saw, Maria?” he asked, his voice low. “He saw that he hurt you... and I know you didn’t see it, but knowin’ what he did to you crushed him.”

Maria really wanted to believe him. “You think so?”

“Trust me on this, girl... I may fuck around about a lot of stuff, but never where your heart’s concerned.”

“You think he’ll talk to me again? Because I really can’t be the one to take the first step again, Tony.”

“So, go with me tomorrow... dress to kill and wait for him to come to you.” He patted her shoulder and smiled. “He’ll come to you, Maria... he’s runnin’ outta reasons to stay away.”

“I don’t think he’ll come to me with so many people around, Tony. But, it’s nice that you’re tryin’ to raise my spirits.”

“He might surprise you. But, you’re never gonna know if you don’t take the risk.”

Maria’s brow furrowed in concentration. “He didn’t tell you anything, did he?”

Tony laughed and shook her head. “No, there’s no devious plan for me to get you to the game so he can talk to you. I’m just sayin’ that to expect him to take a risk, you’ve gotta be willin’ to take one as well.”

Maria sighed. “Okay, I’ll go to the game with you. But,” she looked him straight in the eyes, “don’t try to force me to talk to him or anything, ‘cause I’m not taking the first step, Tony.”

He held his hands up. “Promise.”

“Okay.”

Tony leaned over to kiss her temple and then stood up and stretched. “I guess I’ve got the couch for the night, so if you wanna tell me where the blankets and pillows are…”

“What makes you think you get any of that?”

“Because I’m your favorite cousin and you love me.”

“You’re my only cousin and I tolerate you.” She smiled at him and pointed toward the hall. “There’s a closet halfway down the hall; everything you need’s in there. And Tony?” she called when he stepped out of her room, “do not leave the toilet seat up!” She heard him muttering about women and rules as he moved down the hall and she wrapped her arms around her pillow. Was he right about Michael? She really wanted him to be right, but she was afraid to get her hopes up. I guess I’ll know more tomorrow, she thought as she reached up to turn the bedside lamp off.

[Double Trouble]

begonia9508: Thanks for reading!

Eva: The twins made major progress with a single, meaningful conversation.

Now if Michael could just get things like that quote out while talking to Maria, huh?

sarammlover: Michael’s admission was very heartfelt. He and Brendan have taken a huge step here and they will continue making progress going forward.

We’re glad you enjoyed that last update (and thanks for the compliment)! Tony did provide Maria with a little insight that will help the situation. Michael and Maria are working their way back together.

sunrise102: Well, Liz hasn’t quite become independent yet, but she’s working towards that goal. You’re right though, playing ostrich won’t make the situation disappear.

Well, LOL, we didn’t say his progress was fast. Michael has had years to build the walls he hides behind, whether it’s his attitude, his behavior, or his fear of people getting too close. It’s going to take time for Maria to get through to him.

nibbles2: Michael is certainly not the only one at fault and we’re not excusing his behavior either. Yeah, he was provoked and he reacted without consulting his brain, but that doesn’t mean his actions should be condoned or excused at all.

The twins made a giant leap and you can definitely count it as being a good omen for upcoming conversations.

We’re getting much closer to the candy love!

Alien_Friend: The talk between the twins was definitely the start of good things to come.

We love the scenes with the girls and Tony makes for a hilarious addition.

You can look for Michael and Maria to start doing some patching very soon.

mary mary: Every girl should have their group of girlfriends!

destinyc: It may be slow, but it is progress! Nope, that would be too easy, lol! Isabel needed her friends to know what was going on – that would’ve been a heavy secret to carry around for too long.

Maiqu: The twins are finally getting somewhere! Tony has his helpful moments, lol.

kismet: Michael and Maria are going to be moving forward – Thanksgiving will be the turning point for them.

Will Max and Liz talk at the game? We’ll see. Hmm, telling her parents the truth sooner rather than later… we don’t want Max to be tortured for too long either.

Well, Tony has been around these girls all their lives, so he’s got a little bit of insight into the girl’s side of things.


Author’s Note: Song credit for “Radios in Heaven” goes to Plain White T’s – lyrics obviously don’t belong to us!

Link to Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzqegGgf ... L&index=13



Part 56 – Maybe I Do Love You

Kyle grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and walked back to the living room to sit down in one of the armchairs. How had the night ended so fucked up? “Damn it!” he muttered, using the edge of the end table to pop the top off of his beer. Maybe he should’ve kept his mouth shut. Maybe it was too early to ask Tess such an important question.

He heard a car pulling into the parking lot in front of the apartment and wondered which of the guys had gotten home first. Right now, he would prefer Michael; the guy was probably in a bad mood just like him.

Max unlocked the front door and shoved it open, annoyed with the most recent turn of events. He had not expected to learn that he was free to pursue Liz and then discover that she intended to go home and pretend to be engaged for the long holiday weekend. He slammed the door shut behind him and paused halfway to the kitchen when he noticed Kyle sitting in the living room. “Hey, man... what’s up?”

“Besides possibly fuckin’ everything up with Tess, you mean? Nothin’.”

Uh-oh. Max hurried to grab a beer and shrug out of his jacket, tossing it on the couch as he sat down. “Whatcha mean? What happened with Tess?”

Before Kyle could answer the door opened again and Michael stomped inside, ignoring both of them as he went to the kitchen. He bypassed the beer and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, slamming it down on the counter as he grabbed a short glass and filled it with ice. He turned to face them as he uncapped the bottle and poured the whiskey over the ice. “What’s wrong with the two of you?” he growled.

“Uh...” Kyle glanced at the glass in Michael’s hand. “I guess we could ask you the same.”

“You could, but I’m not ready to fuckin’ talk about it.”

“Well, then you’re not welcome in this living room, buddy, ‘cause Evans and I were about to spill our guts to each other.”

“Oh, well, let me grab the Kleenex... I feel a Hallmark moment comin’ on," Michael snarled, throwing himself down in the recliner across from them.

“Did you manage to get Sean’s drunk ass home?”

“Yeah, he’s all tucked into bed, safe and sound.” He slouched down in his chair and took a drink of his whiskey, remembering the sight of Maria lying on Brendan’s couch.

“Good. I guess Brendan will get to hear a lot of complaining tomorrow.” Kyle raised an eyebrow when Michael took a long drink from the glass in his hand. “Hey, Guerin, be careful with the whiskey, okay? We need you to be sober for the game tomorrow.”

Michael stared into the amber liquid for several long minutes, missing the glances shooting between his roommates. “Don’t worry, I’ll be ready for the game.” He sighed. “It’s one of the few places where I don’t fuck everything up.”

“I guess you’re talkin’ about Maria?”

“Have you seen me with any other girls since she entered the picture?” he snapped.

“Calm down, Guerin; you’re not the only one who’s good at fuckin’ things up today.”

That caught his attention. “Spill it.”

“If you guys are gonna laugh, I swear I’ll kick your asses.”

“I’m about as far from laughin’ about anything as I’ve ever been,” Max muttered, taking a drink of his beer.

Michael remained silent, but he tipped his glass in Kyle’s direction.

Kyle sighed heavily. “Okay. The thing is I told Tess that I love her and she said something like… God, it was humiliating to even remember the words! “’Oh, wow, that’s the nicest thing anybody has said to me today’.”

“Ouch.” Max winced in sympathy.

“Fuck, man... that’s...” Michael shook his head because he didn’t know what to say.

“Yeah, I know. NICE! I can’t get that word out of my head.” Kyle took a long sip of his beer and propped his feet up on the table in front of him. “At least she didn’t say ‘Thank you’.”

“True.” Max nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that would’ve just sucked ass.”

“Well, I should probably add that I asked her to go home with me on Thanksgiving and she didn’t give me an answer.”

“Damn... you dropped the L bomb AND you asked her to go home with you to meet the parents?” Michael shook his head.

“Well, at least she’s not goin’ home for the holiday and pretendin’ to be engaged to her ex-fiancé so her parents don’t get pissed at her,” Max mumbled.

“Huh?” Kyle looked at Max, puzzled. What was he talking about?

“Liz broke up with Sean yesterday. She came by and told me today; we spent the day together and then when I took her home a little while ago she mentioned the fact that she and Sean would be pretending that their engagement is still on while they’re home for Thanksgiving.”

“She broke up with him?” Kyle asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. She said she didn’t have those kinda feelings for him and she wants to see where this thing between us goes, so...” He shrugged.

“Well, I think that’s a good thing. You shouldn’t read too much into her choice to act like she and Sean are still engaged while they’re home.”

“How would you feel if Tess was goin’ home for the holidays and she was gonna pretend to be engaged to an old boyfriend?”

“If I knew that she wanted me and not the other guy, I guess I wouldn’t feel as bad as I feel now.”

“I don’t know... this feels pretty shitty.”

Michael shook his head. "Y'know, I don’t know what the fuck you’re worried about, Kyle; Tess loves you. And, Max, your girl’s situation with her ex doesn’t mean anything. Seriously, she broke up with the guy for you. Besides, didn’t you say a while back that her parents told her to handle things on her own when her car was fucked up?”

“Yeah, I guess they did.” Max wondered what that had to do with anything.

“Well, obviously if they weren’t willin’ to help her with somethin’ that small and she didn’t wanna push it, can you imagine her tryin’ to tell them that she’s rebelling against their plans for her future?”

“But, she’s gonna have to do it anyway.”

“Yeah, but not everybody enjoys pissin’ their parents off.” He shrugged. “Now, if it was me and I was in that position, I’d take advantage of the holidays to spring it on my parents.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you hate your parents,” Kyle interrupted.

“Exactly. I don’t care one way or the other if they’ve got a problem with anything I do. Liz, on the other hand, the girl’s got a major hang-up about bein’ the perfect daughter and not disappointing her parents.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Look, you already know she’s not doin’ anything with Sean, so what’re you worried about?”

“It just feels weird, okay? Look, what would you say if Maria was going home over the holiday weekend and she took Brendan with her instead of you, ‘cause he’d probably make a better impression on her parents?”

“What could I say?” Michael slouched down and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He was in a completely self-pitying mood at the moment and out of everyone on the planet, Max had to use Brendan as an example. “She’d be right about that.”

Max and Kyle lift their eyebrows in question. They hadn’t expected an answer like that… it was so honest.

“Was she happy about goin’ home and puttin’ on that act with Sean?”

“Didn’t look like it.”

“Then what’re you worried about?”

“I worry that maybe she’ll spend time with him over the weekend, with their families, and rethink her decision to break up with him. What if she decides it was a mistake and she comes back and tells me that she’s goin’ back to him?”

How could he argue with that? Hadn’t he wondered about the same thing earlier with Maria and Brendan? “I guess it all comes down to a matter of trust,” he said finally.

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Michael?” Kyle asked, puzzled.

“I’m just sayin’ trust is important.”

Max held his hands up when Kyle looked like he was about to snap back. Michael was getting defensive and it wouldn’t take much for Kyle to push him into a fight. ‘Hey, c’mon, you guys... just let it go.” He looked up when they heard voices outside and a moment later the doorbell rang. “You guys expecting anybody?”

Kyle shook his head. It was after midnight, who would come over now?

Michael tipped his glass in Kyle’s direction. Nope, he certainly wasn’t expecting anyone either.

“Probably just that chick from the apartment above us; let’s just act like we’re not home because I’m not in the mood for her stupidity,” Max said, leaning back again.

“Stacy hittin’ on you again?” Kyle asked, grinning at his roommate’s annoyed expression; Max had been ducking the woman for months. He got up to go answer the door, pulling it open and standing there in shock when he saw Tess standing on the other side.

“Um, hey, Kyle.” Tess looked at the ground nervously. What was wrong with her?

“Tess, what, um... what’re you doin’ here?” He shook himself out of his stupor and took a step back. “Sorry, c’mon inside.”

She nodded and stepped inside. “Can we talk?”

Could they talk? he wondered. Hell yeah, they could talk! “Yeah, of course,” he answered, taking her hand in his. It wasn’t until he started to push the door closed that he noticed that she hadn’t arrived alone. “Oh, hey, Tony, didn’t see you standin’ there.”

“I just drove her over here ‘cause I was the most sober outta the group.” Not exactly the truth, but close enough, he thought.

Tess elbowed him in the ribs – hard. The last thing she wanted Kyle to think was that she had come over to talk to him and that she’d had to drink too much first to get her courage up.

“Owww,” Tony complained, rubbing his chest, “can I go back home?”

“I don’t know...” she glared at him, “can you?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Okay, man, she’s all yours,” he said in Kyle’s direction as he turned to leave.

Michael placed his glass on the coffee table and pushed himself to his feet. “Hey, why don’t I walk you out,” he said, stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind him.

“She’s home,” Tony said, anticipating Michael’s question.

He chewed on his bottom lip as he walked beside the other man. “She okay?”

“Yeah, still hurt and totally mad at you, but she just needs some sleep to calm down.”

Michael snorted at that. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that it’s gonna take a helluva lot more than sleep to calm Maria down.” He hid a smile as he thought about at least one of the ways that he could calm her down, but the smile disappeared as he realized that he might have lost any chance he had of ever being with her again.

“You’d better come up with some damn good words to say to her ‘cause she made it very clear that she wouldn’t try to talk to you again.”

“So, you talked to her after she got home?”

“Yeah.”

Michael leaned back against the car and folded his arms over his chest. “She gonna be at the game tomorrow?”

Tony shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn’t want to play the matchmaker, but maybe they both needed a good nudge or two in the right direction. “I managed to convince her to go.”

Michael sighed and looked at Maria’s cousin. “Guess the ball’s in my court now, huh?”

“Yeah, and just so you know, we’re goin’ home on Thanksgiving mornin’, so tomorrow’s gonna be your last chance to talk to her until probably Sunday.”

That information hit Michael like a punch in the gut. “She decided to go home?”

Tony nodded. Maybe she hadn’t agreed yet, but if things didn’t change between her and Michael pretty soon he was confident they would. “She doesn’t wanna ruin Thanksgiving dinner at your brother’s house with a fight, so she was just gonna stay home. I can’t let my cousin stay all by herself during the holidays, man.”

He sighed and nodded. “It’s good that she won’t be alone.” Yeah, it was good that she wouldn’t be alone, but he didn’t want her to leave for Thanksgiving. She was supposed to spend it... Damn it, he wanted her to spend it with him.

“You’re not very happy about that, huh?” Tony asked with a smirk.

“Ya think?” Michael snapped.

“Well, it’s all up to you.”

“Is she, uh... is she interested in talkin’ to me at all?”

“Don’t worry, Michael, she won’t let you down if you find the courage to go to her”

Michael reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb. “She’s for sure goin’ back home for the weekend?’

Tony shrugged. “Nothing’s for sure.” Maybe Maria would stay if there was hope that everything would be fine between her and Michael, but he wasn’t gonna say that to him.

“Well, you’re just full of helpful information, aren’t you?” Michael growled. “You’re like a fuckin’ fortune cookie!”

Tony laughed at that. “You got a new cell phone yet?”

“Yeah, my brother gave me his old phone.”

“Then maybe you should think about a genius text message to send her to soften her mood for tomorrow. I’ve gotta go now, but I guess I’ll see you at the game.”

Michael just barely pulled his thoughts together in time to move before Tony pulled out and dumped his ass on the ground. A genius text, huh? Hell, it was a written message and he was pretty fuckin’ smart when it came to writing things down.

*****

Kyle closed the door behind him after following Tess into his bedroom. “Whatcha wanna talk about, babe?” He was trying to stay cool and not show that he was hurt.

Tess cleared her throat and moved around his room, pausing at his weight bench to run her fingers over the weights resting on the rack over the bench. He was sooo hot when he worked out – all the time really, but, damn, when he was bare-chested, dripping with sweat, and pumping iron... She shook her head. Focus, girl!

“Tess? If you wanna talk you’re gonna have to say somethin’.”

“Um, Kyle, the thing is...” She turned around and sat on the bench, forcing her mind to stay focused on what she needed to say. “I know I hurt you earlier and I didn’t mean to. I’ve never been in such a serious relationship, so when you said... y’know, what you said, it kinda freaked me out. And, asking me to come with you to New York is huge. It’s... it’s seriously huge, Kyle.”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed and sat down beside her, “and if you don’t want to, if it’s too early, then it’s okay.” He took her hand in his. It would hurt to go home alone, but he wouldn’t admit it to her. Not yet, at least. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her feel guilty.

Tess turned to look at him and she reached up to frame his face in her hands. “No, it’s not that I don’t want to, Kyle, but it was something that I wasn’t prepared for. I’m not ready to say... y’know, what you said, but, I do want to go with you to spend Thanksgiving with your family. I mean, if you still want me to go.”

A big smile appeared on his lips. “Are you serious?”

Tess felt something she couldn’t explain when she saw the look of happiness and relief on his face. It was that important to him that she meet his family? “Yes, I’m serious.”

He leaned in to kiss her cheek before he hugged her tightly. “My family will love you.”

She felt the panic begin to set in. His family... what if she wasn’t what they were expecting? What if they didn’t like her? “Um... is your family big? Like one of those extended families with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins that just come out of the woodwork for the holidays?”

“I do have a big family, but don’t worry, they’re not all from New York, so for Thanksgiving it’ll only be my parents, my sister, my aunt and uncle, and my little cousin.”

Tess was relieved. Okay, so, only six people to impress. Hell, she could do that in her sleep. “Okay, well, that doesn’t sound too overwhelming.”

“You don’t have to worry, babe. My family’s really cool; my parents aren’t like some who think no girl is good enough for their son.”

Tess frowned. “So, just any girl’s good enough?”

“No, Tess, that’s not what I meant. I just... they’ll love you ‘cause they know I wouldn’t bring home just any girl.”

She relaxed fractionally and leaned into him. “So, what’ve you told them about me?”

“Just that you’re nice and a little crazy, but a very smart girl. My parents are really excited to get to know you.”

Tess swallowed hard, feeling that panic pushing to the surface again. “Really?”

God, I should just shut up. “My mom’s a shopping freak, so she’ll show you the best places to spend your money, and my sister is adorable; she’s a cheeky little thing with a lot of energy.”

“Shopping?” The panic began to subside. “How little is little?”

“Summer’s five.”

Five years old? How hard could it be to impress a five-year-old? Yes, the panic was going away.

“You’ll get along very well, trust me.”

“With your little sister?”

“With all of them!”

“Oh.” Tess appreciated his attempts to put her at ease about this terrifying excursion, but she really didn’t want to think about it anymore right now. “Kyle?”

“Yeah?”

“I really do wanna go with you to meet your family, but it’s honestly scary for me, so could we maybe do something else for a while?”

He chuckled. “Y’know, there was another present I wanted to give to you”

Tess clapped her hands together excitedly and her blue eyes lit up. “Really? What is it? Can I have it now?”

He stood up and got something out of his nightstand, but he hid it behind his back.

“Kyle,” she whined, “don’t hold back; give it to me!”

He grinned widely. “Get on the bed and close your eyes.”

Her heart started to pound and she jumped up to do as he asked. “You want me on my back?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows playfully.

“Yeah.”

She kicked her shoes off and jumped on his bed, stretching out and getting comfortable before closing her eyes. “Okay, I'm ready.” What did he have in mind?

He crawled up over her. “Make sure your eyes stay closed,” he said as he reached for her wrists and lifted them up.

The anticipation was killing her and feeling his big body crouched over her was only making her want to open her eyes to see what he was up to. Her blood rushed through her veins when she felt him lift her arms above her head. A new game? She heard a soft click and something that felt suspiciously like handcuffs locked around her wrists. “Kyle... you’ve been shoppin’ without me?” she whispered, knowing that with his position her breath would brush against his skin and drive him crazy.

“Happy birthday,” he breathed into her ear before he leaned back and waited for her to open her eyes again.

Tess glanced up at the fur-trimmed handcuffs wrapped around her wrists and threaded through the headboard. She was totally and completely at his mercy... and she was so turned on that if he weren’t holding her in place she’d be squirming like crazy.

“You like it, babe?”

“Like it?” she growled. “I love it.” Her eyes slid down his body until they settled on the bulge in his jeans. Uh-huh... he liked it too. “What’re you gonna do with me now?”

“Hmmm, I don’t know. It’s your birthday, d’you have any wishes?” He let his hands trail over her sides, up and down repeatedly. He was so aroused that he would’ve been happy to just rip off their clothes and skip the foreplay, but he wanted to take it very slow this time.

Did she have any wishes? She had a million of them! But, maybe she should see what he had in mind first. It was the least she could do after hurting his feelings. And besides, he was so imaginative. “Anything you want... just make it last.”

Kyle kissed a trail from her neck down to her belly button while he unbuttoned her blouse.
Tess squirmed as she realized that not only had she just given him complete control, but with her hands in their current position she wasn’t able to touch him.

He pushed himself up so that he could look into her beautiful blue eyes. “Tell me what ya want babe.”

Tess’ eyes sparkled, playfully challenging. “Really? Anything?”

“It’s your birthday, so tell me.”

“Have you ever stripped for anyone, Kyle?”

“Uh... nooooo.”

A genuine smile lit up her features. “Never?”

“No, never.”

“That’s what I want then... I want you to strip for me and then I want you to pick your favorite position and take me that way.”

“Um, you do realize that me strippin’ is gonna look like somethin’ out of a really bad porno, right?”

Tess had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. The man was smooth when it came to slow dancing and he had no problem getting out on the dance floor and making a fool of himself, but he had no rhythm. Something that she found interesting since his rhythm between the sheets was flawless.

“You don’t want me to dance or anything, do you?”

“Maybe it would be easier for you if I was naked first,” she suggested.

“Okay.” His tone was agreeable as he removed the handcuffs long enough to rid her of her clothes. He caught her hands when she sat up and reached for the snap on his jeans. “Huh-uh, no touchin’.”

“What’re you doin’?” Tess asked when he crossed her wrists over each other before snapping the handcuffs closed again.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said as he reached down to slide his fingers between her smooth folds to tease her. She bucked up against his hand the moment he touched her and she moaned in frustration when he didn’t give her the stimulation she wanted. “I think I’m ready to strip now,” he whispered, leaning down to gently bite her nipples before moving away from her.

“Damn it, Kyle,” she hissed.

Kyle shook his head when she pressed her legs together in an effort to find some relief. “No, you don’t,” he muttered, climbing back on the bed and working his way between her legs. He shifted up until his denim-covered erection was pressed against her center and her legs were draped over his thighs. “That’s much better, isn’t it?” He leaned over to grab the stereo remote off of the nightstand and turned the music on. “Whatcha think? Little bit of R&B?”

“You can’t strip like this.”

“I beg to differ.” He turned the volume up and the singer’s low voice filled the room as Kyle raised himself up on his knees. Her legs were hooked around his hips, keeping him pressed against her wet center but she didn’t have enough leverage to maintain control over his movements, so every time she started to approach orgasm he eased up on the pressure.

He started to grind against her, his movements agonizingly slow as he eased each button on his shirt free of its corresponding buttonhole. The only time she had known him to exhibit any type of rhythm had been during sex and now he was using it to his advantage. By the time he had shrugged out of his shirt and was reaching for the hem of his tee shirt she was climbing that elusive peak once more.

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted a striptease, so I want you to enjoy it,” he rasped, continuing his movements even as he eased off on the pressure once more.

“Kyle, please, if I don’t come soon…”

“If you don’t come soon, what?” He tossed his tee shirt aside and crouched over her on all fours. “You’ll be frustrated and on edge… a guy on the other hand can suffer serious damage from holdin’ off an orgasm.” He brushed her hair aside so he could suck on her skin where her neck met her shoulder. He leaned back and observed the mark he had made as he unsnapped and unzipped his jeans.

Tess’ hungry gaze followed his hands as he pushed his jeans down over his muscled thighs and took his erection in hand, slowly stroking it as he watched her. “Permanent damage,” he muttered, swiping his thumb over the head and rubbing the moisture over his tip. “Maybe I should just go ahead and jerk off to avoid any chance of hurtin’ myself… whatcha think?”

“You wouldn’t dare… you would never choose jerking off when I’m right here, ready, and spread open for you.”

He braced his weight on his left hand as the stroking motion of the other one sped up. “You said I could do it anyway I wanted to, right?”

“Yeah, as long as you were fuckin’ me… Kyle… please…”

Kyle met her desperate, pleading gaze and he squeezed the base of his dick to keep himself from blowing too soon. He lowered his mouth to hers as he lined himself up with her entrance and entered her in one hard, fast thrust.

Tess moaned into his mouth and wrapped her legs around his hips. She had been serious when she had told him that she needed to come and it didn’t take long before her first orgasm hit, quickly followed by the second.

His ears were still ringing from her screams of satisfaction as he withdrew and urged her to sit up. “My turn,” he growled, motioning for her to turn around.

Now she understood why he had told her to cross her wrists over each other, Tess thought. Once she turned around they would no longer be crossed. She wrapped her hands around the wooden spokes in the headboard and widened her stance so he could slide his knees between hers. It was one of his favorite positions and he steadied himself as she lowered her body down to take his erection inside.

His hands roamed over her body, taking his time to touch her everywhere while she rode him slowly. When his hand slid down between her legs to tease her clit she knew he was ready for more and she shifted her weight off of him so he could change their positions and take control. On his knees behind her, he pulled nearly all the way out before thrusting in again. His free hand came up to curl around her shoulder and his pace quickened; at the same time his fingers sped up and she felt her body preparing to come apart at the seams again.

As soon as Kyle felt her inner muscles clamp down on his dick he brought his right hand up to grasp her other shoulder and he did his best to keep her from shifting up the mattress as his thrusts became faster and harder. Sweat dripped off of his forehead to splash against her glistening back, mingling with her sweat to roll down her spine.

“I love you,” he rasped as he slammed into her one last time and came. He slumped against her back as his hips jerked and her body milked him dry, and he just barely remembered to reach up to release her wrists from the cuffs before he fell over onto his back.

Tess reached over him and turned on the small fan sitting on the nightstand, knowing that he wouldn’t want to cuddle until he started to cool down. One of her more brilliant purchases, she thought smugly as she stretched out beside him and propped herself up on her right elbow. “It’s official; today was my best birthday ever,” she said, bringing her left hand up to rest against his chest.

He chuckled as he covered her hand with his so he could rub her wrist where the handcuffs had pressed against her skin. “You’re just sayin’ that ‘cause I make you scream like a banshee.” He reached over to switch the fan to low and pulled her up against his body. “Seriously though, I’m glad you had such a good day. That means a lot to me.”

“I really am sorry I freaked out on you earlier, Kyle.”

He shook his head. “Don’t apologize. Yeah, it hurt at the time, but what I wasn’t thinkin’ about right then is the fact that the relationship thing is still new to you. Sometimes it’s hard to forget that you’ve only been in my life for a few months because what I feel for you… hell, it doesn’t seem possible that somethin’ this big could have developed over a few short months.”

Tess smiled at him as she looked up to meet his sincere gaze and her own turned curious when he placed his right forefinger against her lips.

“As much as I wanna hear those three little words, I don’t want you to say them until you’re ready, babe. It’s gotta happen on your own time and I understand that.” He raised his head to kiss her gently and then wiggled the rest of the way out of his jeans before grabbing a corner of the blanket and pulling it up over them.

*****

Maria rolled over and reached for her cell phone when it rang and she flipped it open to see that she had received a new text message. She scrolled down to the new message and sat upright when she saw Michael’s name on the display. Her heart was thumping madly as she opened it up and waited for it to load. She couldn’t believe that he’d had the audacity to try contacting her after his cruel behavior at the beach.

I’m sorry for being such a dick. Just hold onto me long enough for us to make things better. I know I’m asking for a lot here…

She couldn’t help it when her heart did a crazy flip-flop in her chest as she realized that he was making an attempt at an apology. Should she reply? Yeah, she decided, she should.

Give me something to hold onto…

She wondered if he would respond to that one. His response to challenges was always different, depending on the person issuing the challenge, the challenge itself, and his mood. She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang again, announcing another new message.

Me… the only thing I have to offer…

“Damn him,” she muttered, trying to think of a response. He was all the reason she needed and she really hoped he wasn’t playing on her feelings. Her fingers danced over the keys once more and she sent the message before placing the phone back on the nightstand and turning over to go to sleep.

Maybe I’ll see you at the game tomorrow.

*****

Tess studied Kyle’s face in the moonlight and she wondered what was making him smile in his sleep. He had been asleep for more than an hour but her mind was so busy going over everything that had happened that day that rest was impossible.

She had never expected to find a guy like Kyle. To be perfectly honest she hadn’t really believed guys like him actually existed. Sure, he had his faults, but compared to every other guy she had ever been with he was pretty perfect. Did she love him? Damn, did she even believe in the concept anymore? A lot had changed since those days when she had been a little girl and Daddy had read her fairy tales before bed… before her world had been turned completely upside down by a divorce that she had been too young to see coming. Her parents, Maria’s parents, so many parents of the kids she had grown up with had been divorced before they had even reached their teens. Liz’ parents weren’t exactly a couple that any of them aspired to emulate and even though Isabel’s parents were still together, happy and stable, she had become convinced that it was nothing more than a fluke.

She and Kyle had been together for several months and in that time he had blown all of her expectations out of the water. He was nothing like the guys in her past and from the very beginning he treated her like what she said and did mattered to him. At first she had passed it off as nothing more than a new method for the guy to get into her panties, but then she had realized that she was the one who had gone after him and sex had pretty much been a sure thing from the moment she had laid eyes on him.

She stared at him as she thought back over some of the things he had done while they had been together and she started to smile as she thought back to earlier that night. He had organized her birthday party, arranged for everything imaginable to be handled, and even picked the songs the band had performed. With the exception of the song Michael had decided to add into the set without much warning when Maria had arrived, she thought as she rolled her eyes.

Kyle made a sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh and she shook her head at him. He was happy even when he was asleep. She hadn’t expected it when the guys had neared the end of their set and for the final song Michael had turned the microphone over to Kyle.

Kyle switched his drumsticks to his left hand and reached out to pull his microphone closer as the last notes from the song died down. He cleared his throat as applause broke out around them and as it began to quiet he spoke.

“We wanted to introduce a new song to close out tonight’s set,” he announced. “As most of you know, today is my girlfriend’s birthday and...” He grinned when Tess and her friends started whooping and hollering and he waved his drumsticks in a request for silence. “And for anyone who wasn’t sure about who my girlfriend is, I think it’s safe to say you’ve made it clear, babe.”

“Yo, Valenti, you wanna get a move on? I’m fallin’ asleep over here,” Michael muttered into his microphone.

Kyle just rolled his eyes. “Anyway, as I was sayin’ before my best friend interrupted... tonight is Tess’s birthday and we’ve written a song for her.” He smiled at his girlfriend as he took a deep breath. “I don’t often do vocals, but it’s only right for this one... so, Tess, this one’s for you, babe.”

He nodded at Michael and they launched into the song. His eyes stayed locked on his girlfriend for every word and he knew the moment she realized the meaning behind the words.

Your time has already come and I don’t know why
The last thing that I heard
You were doin’ just fine
It seems like just yesterday
I was laughing with you
Playing games at Grandma’s house
Well you taught me well, didn’t you?
I hope I’m just like you

“Oh my God,” Maria clenched Tess’ hand, “they’re singing about Anna.”

Tess couldn’t take her eyes off of Kyle as he sang the lyrics with Michael and her vision began to blur as she took in every word. Her hand tightened around Maria’s as her free hand lifted to cover her mouth.

Your time has already come and I don’t know why

The last thing that I heard
You were doin’ just fine
It seems like just yesterday
I was laughing with you
Playing games at Grandma’s house
Well you taught me well, didn’t you?
I hope I’m just like you

Maria stared at the stage as well. She was searching for Michael’s eyes, but he wasn’t looking at her. The memories of her dead friend’s funeral crashed into her and made her eyes water.

“When did they have time to do this?” Tess wondered aloud.

Tell me you can hear me now
If not, then I can try to sing real loud
What’s it like up on the other side of the clouds?
I hope I’m just like you
I hope I’m turnin’ out to be as good as you

She felt the tension in Maria’s hand and she turned to look at his best friend. She didn’t know what was going on between Maria and Michael, but she knew that whatever it was had upset her friend, no matter how much she was trying to hide it. “You okay?”

Maria glanced at her best friend and shook her head slightly. “No, I guess not,” she whispered. She didn’t want to ruin Tess’ birthday, but she couldn’t hide her hurt any longer.

“I knew it had somethin’ to do with him!” she insisted. “What’d he do now?”

Maria took in a deep breath. “Nothing we need to talk about right now.” She gestured to the stage and turned to look at it again. “Listen to your man, sweetie.”

Tess bit her bottom lip, torn between pursuing the conversation and giving her attention to her boyfriend. “Okay, but you’ll tell me later?”

Maria nodded. “Girl’s night, remember?”

Do they have radios in heaven?
I hope they do
‘Cause they’re playing my song on the radio
And I’m singing it to you
I’m singing it to you

“Alright, so long as you don’t forget.” She focused on Kyle and listened to every word. He smiled at her as the song came to an end and the people in the crowd showed their appreciation by applauding and whistling.

“You’ve got a great guy there,” Maria said to her friend, carefully hiding any jealousy in her voice.

“I know,” Tess said, caught up in the heated look in his eyes.

“Make sure you don’t break up with him,” Maria added with a smile. Tess had never been into real relationships, but with Kyle that had kinda changed.

“Break up with him? Not a chance!”

They both chuckled and Maria wrapped her arms around her best friend. “I love you, you know that, right, birthday girl?” She didn’t know why she felt the need to say that right now, but she just felt that it needed to be said. They’d been through a rough time after Anna had died and it had taken a while for things to get better again.

“I know,” Tess assured her as she returned the hug. “And I also know I drive you crazy on occasion, but I only do it because I love you, too.”

Kyle watched his girlfriend hugging her best friend and he stopped a few feet in front of them to give them time to finish about whatever they were talking about.

Maria leaned back to look at Tess. “Okay. Now, go have fun at your party again,” she said and gestured at Kyle where he was standing close by.

Tess turned and ran to Kyle, throwing herself into his arms and kissing him. “The song was wonderful, Kyle!” she enthused.

“It was, huh?” he teased between kisses.

“Like you don’t know.” She slapped his chest playfully. “When did you write it?”

“We wrote it while we were at the cabin.”

“And here I thought you guys were havin’ some sort of ‘guy’ conversations when you kept sneaking off together.”

“Well, we’re just full of surprises, huh?”

“Um-hmm... got anymore surprises up your sleeve for tonight?”

“You can count on that, baby.”

“Wanna tell me what they are?”

“Nope, you’ll find out later.”

“Kyle...” She slid her hands up under his shirt, letting her fingertips tease his skin. “Tell me...”

He reached down to still her movements. “Not a good idea right now. You know how I react to your touch.” He pressed her against him to show her what he was talking about. “I need to get back to the stage to get our things together, babe. So, you’re gonna have to wait just a bit.”

She pouted at being told she was going to have to wait, but she tightened her arms around him when he started to move back. “I know you don’t think you’re getting away that easily, Kyle.” She stretched up to kiss him, making it a point to rub up against his awakening erection. If she was going to suffer, she wasn’t going to do it alone!

“You’re evil,” Kyle growled.

“I’m not the one holding the birthday surprise hostage.”

“Valenti, get you ass up here,” Michael said into the microphone.

“I’d better go... he’s already in a pissy mood and I’d like to avoid makin’ it any worse.”
Tess rolled her eyes. “Can’t you just tell him to get over it – whatever it is – and be nice to Maria?”

“Babe, I know you just want things to run smooth for everyone, but I know Michael, and he’s not the type to just ‘get over it’. Whatever's goin’ on between them needs to be settled between them.”

Tess sighed. “Okay, gimme another kiss and make sure you never turn out to be like him.”

“Ah, Guerin’s got his good points, babe; he just doesn’t let many people see them.” He lowered his head to kiss her as his palms cradled her face, holding her still.

“I can’t wait to get my present,” she whispered against his lips.

Kyle chuckled. “I can’t wait to give it to you.”

Tess smiled as she came back to the present and she reached out to trace her fingers over Kyle’s shadowed features. Maybe what she felt for him was love. People always said ‘you just know when you’re in love’, but really, what’d they know? She tipped her head to one side as she studied him, making sure he was still asleep.

He made that goofy snorting sound again and she chuckled under her breath. Sleeping beside him every night while he made noises like that… it must be love, she thought. She placed her palm on his chest and rested her chin on her knuckles. “Maybe I do love you,” she whispered, testing the words out. “G’night, Kyle.”

His only response was some unintelligible, muttered words that ended with yet another snort. She giggled and rested her head on his chest, listening to his slow, steady heartbeat and letting it lull her to sleep.

[Double Trouble]

Maiqu: Kyle and Tess are making real progress, huh?

Michael and advice… who knew?

keepsmiling7: Keep an eye out for Thanksgiving! Some very important scenes for the Dreamer couple!

sarammlover: He was sweet, wasn’t he? At least he’s trying in some small way to open communications between them again. We’re glad you’re enjoying Kyle and Tess – they’re a lot of fun.

kismet: Hmm, well, we can’t answer about how things will get better between Michael and Maria… or how things will turn out with Max and Liz. Although, we think you’re gonna be happy with it! Thanksgiving will be very important to both of these couples… things are going to happen that will explain quite a bit for all involved. We’re glad to hear that Michael’s earning some points on the positive side of the scorecard, lol!

Tess is on completely new ground with this relationship business, but we think she’s gonna adjust to it pretty well.

Keep hoping! 

begonia9508: Gotta love the guys getting together and having their own little bonding moments! Kyle certainly has no complaints about how his night ended, lol!

destinyc: Tess is making the effort and it’ll be worth it!

Max and Michael… Look for Thanksgiving to provide lots of answers for both of these guys!

Eva: It’s not easy for Tess to just accept that she’s got such a great guy because most of the time he seems too good to be true… but she’s slowly figuring it out.

Michael did well, huh? And he and Maria are going to begin working things out. Guess we’d better get that game started…

Alien_Friend: Tess has grown up so used to seeing what happens with bad relationships and seeing her parents and the parents of many of her friends getting divorced so she has a natural hesitation when it comes to relationships. We think Kyle’s definitely worth the risk.

LOL… hey, whatever gets them talking again, right?

Guys do have a unique way of… communicating.

April: He’s a smart boy!

We’re so glad you’re enjoying Tess and Kyle! They’re a lot of fun for us to write!

LOL, our lives are pretty tame in comparison, too! But, we’re both okay with that. 



Part 57 – Another Small Step...

Brendan was making a pot of coffee when Sean stumbled into the kitchen right before noon on Wednesday morning and he glanced over his shoulder to take a quick look at his roommate. His eyebrows shot up in surprise when Sean attempted to sit on one of the barstools and nearly fell on the floor when he missed the seat. “Maybe you should just take a seat at the table,” he suggested.

Sean dropped down in one of the chairs and immediately slumped over the table, forehead landing on his crossed arms. He moaned pitifully and turned his head away from the window when he realized the sunlight was streaming in and threatening to burn holes in his eyelids. “What the hell was I thinkin’?”

“Last night or for the past month?” Brendan asked, no longer worried about stepping over any lines. He was tired of spending several nights each week over at Alex’ house just so he could avoid dealing with his drunken roommate.

“I think I’m entitled to some sympathy, Brendan… I did just get dumped by my fiancé, y’know,” he reminded him.

“Yeah, I know about that.” Brendan shrugged

“Then get off my ass.”

“But you saw that one coming; you were just waitin’ for it to happen.” Everyone had seen that Sean and Liz hadn’t been in love for real.

“Doesn’t mean I like it.”

“No, but it’s past time for you to start facing the truth”

Sean raised his head, wincing against the sunlight. “What truth?” he asked warily.

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

He swallowed hard as he watched Brendan fill two mugs with coffee, his slightly fuzzy state allowing him to notice how sure the other man’s movements were. He quickly shook those thoughts off and cleared his throat. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” he denied.

“Fine, be that way, Sean. But, your life isn’t gonna get any better if you just stay in denial.” He handed him a mug and leaned back against the short wall that divided the kitchen from the small dining area.

“D’you have any idea what our parents are gonna have to say about this?”

“No, but it’s your life, Sean. Only yours.”

“That’s the problem! It’s not my fuckin’ life!” He held his head in his hands. “My parents have had it planned since the day I was born.”

Yeah, Brendan knew how that felt; it was the same way with his dad but he wouldn’t force him to do anything. Would he? He wasn’t so sure anymore. “Then it’s time for you to change that,” he said, addressing himself as well

“When they find out that my engagement’s off, they’re gonna wanna know what I did to screw it up.” He sighed and took a drink of his coffee. “My parents are gonna blame me and Liz’ parents are gonna blame her... you wanna know how much influence they have, Brendan? We’re both scared shitless to tell our parents the truth... we fully intend to pretend that we’re still engaged the whole time we’re there.”

“You’re kiddin’, right?”

“No, I’m not kiddin’!”

“Damn it, Sean, you’re gonna have to tell them anyway, so just get it over with.”

Sean shook his head. “I can’t... you don’t know what they’re like. They’re gonna make me feel like a failure.”

“I don’t believe that.” No parent would do that, Brendan thought and forced his thoughts to focus on Sean, not his own family.

He looked up at his roommate, his best friend, and wondered if Brendan was being honest with him. “I did everything right and still got dumped... for a guy who’s probably gonna try to convince her to have sex before long.”

“You may have done everything right, Sean, but you didn’t love her.” Brendan shook his head. “You can’t marry someone you’re not even attracted to.”

Sean pulled in a shocked breath. “What makes you think I wasn’t attracted to her?”

Brendan rolled his eyes. “It was just pretty obvious; you never talked about her in a sexual way, y’know? And even if you are a decent or shy guy, you’d make sexual comments about you girlfriend… not in a tacky way or anything, but…”

“I don’t recall you ever talkin’ about girls like that.” He shook his head. “Matter of fact, until a few months ago, I was under the impression that you’d never even been with a girl.”

“Because we’ve only known each other for a little over a year and in that time I haven’t had a girlfriend.”

“Uh-huh, so because I’ve never talked about sex and Liz you automatically assume that I’m not attracted to her?”

“Are you? Did you ever think about havin’ sex with her?”

Sean shifted uncomfortably. Had he ever really thought about Liz that way? Or, had he just been relieved that she had agreed that sex was something that could wait? When he and Liz had talked about it way back at the beginning of their relationship they had both agreed to wait until marriage... had they just been buying time?

“No, I guess I’ve never really thought about her like that. I mean, other than in the most basic what-would-it-be-like way.”

“So, you don’t think of her like that,” Brendan repeated. “See, here comes the big question, Sean, why?”

“Why? Uh...” He shrugged and busied himself with getting up to fill his mug again. “I don’t know.”

“Because you never really wanted her; you’ve just accepted you place in each other’s lives because it’s what your parents wanted.”

Sean was so relieved that Brendan wasn’t looking any deeper than that.

“But there have been girls who have really caught your attention, right, man?”

And his relief took a flying leap out the nearest window. He took a deep breath as he turned around, but his gaze stayed locked on the floor. “No.”

“No?” Brendan asked, shocked.

Sean shifted uncomfortably. What had he just done? “Well, I’ve been busy... y’know, with school an’... stuff.”

Brendan laughed at the absurdity of his comment. “You’re not gay, are you?” He had intended it to sound like a joke, but when he asked the question he suddenly realized that it could be true.

Sean choked on his coffee and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “What? Why would you ask that?”

Brendan took a deep breath. “Well, that could be a possible explanation.”

“What if I was? Would that be bad?”

“What if you...?” Brendan whispered. Did that mean he was? “Um... it’d be okay... surprising, but, okay.”

Sean could hear the shock in Brendan’s voice and he felt a little more confident when his friend didn’t laugh at him or make some derogatory comment and walk out. “It wouldn’t make you uncomfortable or anything? I mean, I’m not sayin’ I am... just askin’ how you’d feel about it.”

“Uh... no, it’d be a little weird at first I guess, but you’d be still my friend, Sean, so...”

“You think people would look at me differently?”

“Well, sure, I guess there’ll be some, I’m not gonna lie to you; some people are assholes. But, your friends will still be your friends.”

Sean sat back down and looked up at Brendan. “I’ve never even talked to Liz about this... and she’s the one person who deserves to know the truth.” He slumped down and rubbed his hand over his face. “She tried to talk to me about the way she was feelin’ and I know she didn’t do this to hurt me...”

“No, she just found someone who made her realize that the thing between you and her wasn’t real.”

“I’m not even sure she’ll wanna talk to me after the things I’ve said and the way I’ve acted here lately.”

“I’m sure she will, Sean; she’s not the vindictive type.”

He nodded and watched Brendan as he moved around the living room, straightening things up. It was something he always did before going out. “You goin’ somewhere?”

“Yeah, my brother invited me to one of his games yesterday, so I’m gonna go.”

Sean wasn’t fast enough to hide his shock. “Wait... your brother, Michael?”

“Yeah,” Brendan said, grinning at Sean’s shocked expression.

“I guess Liz will be there... since Max is on the team and I’d imagine they’re together now.”

Brendan shrugged. “Can’t say.”

Sean nodded, not wanting to put Brendan in the middle. “I guess I’ll just have to wait and talk to her on our flight.” He smiled weakly. “At least that way she won’t be able to walk off, right?”

“Yeah, you can count on that. Just think about that pretending-to-be-together-the-whole-weekend thing, okay?”

“You don’t think that’s a good idea?”

“No, it’ll just make everything worse, Sean.”

He sighed and nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. But, boy, my parents aren’t gonna be happy.”

“No, but the sooner they know the sooner you can live without worrying about it.”

“I’ll add that to my list of things to talk to Liz about. I know if my parents aren’t gonna be happy, hers are really gonna be pissed.”

“You’re both old enough to make your own decisions and your parents have to accept that.”

“You don’t know our parents. Defying their wishes isn’t somethin’ they’re gonna appreciate... doesn’t matter that we’re both over 18 and it’s our lives.”

“So, what’re you gonna do?”

Sean thought about that for a minute and suddenly realized that other than disapproving of their decision, there wasn't much their parents could do. “Hell, I guess other than bein’ pissed at us and buryin’ us under a mountain of disappointment and guilt there’s not a lot they can do, huh?”

“No, they can’t marry you against your will or anything. As a society, we’re beyond that.”

“I guess we can be thankful for that.”

“Oh, yeah. Parents can be really horrible, I guess. I’m kinda glad my own are in Europe.”

“I thought you got along with your parents?”

“Yeah, I do, but my sister and brothers, not so much.”

“Have you ever disappointed your parents, Bren?”

He thought about it for a while. “No, I guess not.” And now he really had to wonder how he had managed that.

“Well, I have... nothin’ major, but... it’s no picnic. I can’t put my life on hold to make them happy though, right? That would be wrong and it wouldn’t be fair to me... or Liz.”

“Right.” Brendan looked at his watch. “Sorry, Sean, but I think I’d better get goin’ or I’m gonna be late for the game.”

“Yeah, well, I should probably start packin’ anyway.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you in a few hours then.”

Sean nodded and watched Brendan as he walked back to his bedroom. Maybe this weekend wouldn’t be as bad as he had feared it would be. He had no illusions that it would be a walk in the park, but Brendan was right – it was his life and his parents couldn’t live it for him.

*****

The afternoon of the big day arrived with sunshine, a comfortable temperature, and an enthusiastic crowd eagerly awaiting the home team’s arrival on the field. The group took up an entire front row in their section on the 50-yard line and they all looked up when Brooke jumped up from her seat in the middle and nearly upset the empty seat next to her that she had filled with an assortment of munchies.

“Brendan!”

Alex’ eyebrows shot up in surprise when he followed her gaze and he saw his youngest brother standing at the end. “Hey,” he greeted, standing up and giving his brother a quick hug. “What’re you doin’ here?” Normally Brendan didn’t show up for a football game unless he had been dragged kicking and screaming and then he spent the entire time with his nose stuck in his laptop or one of his handheld video games.

“Uh,” he reached up to scratch his neck self-consciously, “Michael kinda invited me last night.”

“Yeah?” He hid his shock and motioned for Brendan to join them. He dropped back down into his own seat and glanced at his girlfriend. “Michael invited him to the game,” he whispered. “He hasn’t invited him to a single game since… I don’t even know… it’s been that long.”

Isabel reached over to take his hand in hers. “Your patience is finally paying off.”

“Where’s Maria?” Brendan asked as he gathered up Brooke’s munchies stash and sat down beside her.

“She went to get a drink.”

“Wow, you guys really do look alike, don’t you?”

Brendan looked at the guy sitting between Liz and Tess and he shook his head. “Who’re you?”

“Maria’s cousin, Tony,” he introduced himself, leaning around Liz and holding his hand out.

He glanced at his sister as he shook the guy’s hand. “Do we like him?” he whispered.

“Yeah, Tony’s cool,” she assured him.

He nodded and they got into a conversation about football, shocking everyone around them.

*****

Maria heaved a sigh of relief when she finally got her drink from the woman behind the concession stand and turned to hurry back to her seat. She was glad she had a tight grip on her cup when someone suddenly grabbed her arm and it was only her quick reflexes that kept her from tossing her drink all over her unexpected company.

“Michael!” Her gaze slid over him and she shook her head; he was already outfitted for the game, helmet held in his left hand. “Shouldn’t you be on your way out onto the field?”

“Fifteen minutes to kickoff… I had to duck the coach so I could come find you.” He pulled her into a quiet hallway and then just stared at her as he tried to figure out what to say next.

Maria stood there, her heart pounding wildly. He looked so damn sexy in his football uniform and she wondered how long it would take him to say something.

“So, I uh...” Oh, hell, what now? “You decided to come to the game.” Lame, he chastised himself.

Maria rolled her eyes internally. He was sooo bad with words, but she wasn’t giving in so quickly. “Well, I’m here, as you can see.”

She wasn’t gonna make it easy for him. “Yeah... well... so, you got my text messages last night...” You suck! his conscience yelled at him.

Was he just going to go on telling her what she already knew? Maria wondered. “I answered them... which you already know.”

Michael cleared his throat. “Right, well... yeah, I know that... I just, um... maybe after the game we could, y’know... get together?”

“Get together and do what?”

Michael controlled the urge to roll his eyes or say something smart... anything that she would take offense to. “I thought we could...” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Why was it so hard to say five little words? “Ithoughtwecouldtalk,” he said in a rush, wondering after getting them out if she had even understood any of it.

She wished that she could be a little stronger right now, but the way he was standing in front of her, unsure, nervous and a little helpless, let most of the anger from the last few days fade away. “If you promise me you’ll actually talk then... yeah, okay.”

Michael swallowed hard, partly glad she had been able to translate his mumbled response, and partly terrified because now she was actually gonna expect him to talk about... things. “Yeah, we’ll talk... y’know, about...” He winced. “About the last few days an’ stuff.” Damn, was she waiting for more?

Maria nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Right. Okay, well, um...” He held his helmet up. “I’ve gotta game to get to.”

“Okay, should I wait somewhere for ya?”

“I would say outside the locker room, but some of the guys have no respect and I wasn’t intendin’ to kick anyone’s ass today, so...” He held his hand out to her, palm-side up to reveal his car keys. “Maybe you could just wait in the car? I’m parked in the team parking lot.” He held his breath, waiting to see if she would take his offering.

“You trust me with your car?” she asked with a smirk.

Michael’s heart did that funny flip-flop thing it always did when she gave him that look. “I trust you with more than that,” he mumbled, staring at his feet.

God, right now she just wanted to lean in and kiss him, but she had sworn to herself that she wouldn’t give in first. “I’ll wait for you in the car, but I’m not gonna sit there and roast; I’m gonna turn the air conditioner on.”

He frowned and gritted his teeth. God, she would probably change all of the presets on his stereo, too. He forced his face into a neutral expression and nodded. “Okay.”

She shoved his keys into the pocket of her shorts. Michael’s eyes followed her movements and he wondered how badly she’d hurt him at that moment if he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His musings were interrupted when a hand settled on his shoulder and he winced when he turned and saw the coach staring at him.

“You gonna participate in the game today, Guerin? Or you got somethin’ better to do?”

“On my way, Coach,” he muttered, glancing back at Maria. “I gotta go... so, after the game?”

“Yeah, after the game,” she said and turned to walk back to their friends.

Michael watched her walk away, enjoying the sassy sway of her hips and he grinned when she paused to turn and look back at him. “You’re not gonna wish me luck?” he called.

She smiled. “Do you need any?”

Yeah, he needed luck on his side, he thought, just not for the game. “Never hurts.”

“Good luck, then, and watch yourself.”

Relief flooded his system and he had a bad feeling that his smile was as goofy as it felt, but at that moment, he didn’t care.

Maria watched him leave and thought that maybe things would be getting better for them very soon.

*****

Maria walked down the steps to get back to the others. “Excuse me,” she said to a group of students blocking the way as they discussed the upcoming game. She waited for them to clear the way for her so she could go back to her seat, and she nodded in thanks when they finally moved. She smiled in surprise when she noticed that Brendan was now sitting with her group. “Hey Brendan, I didn’t know you were coming, too,” she said as he stood up to give her a quick hug.

He nodded and sat down again. “Yeah, well, Michael asked me to come to the game, so... here I am.”

Maria was surprised by his words, but she didn’t say anything. She climbed over Tony’s legs, rolling her eyes when he tried to annoy her by blocking her path, and sat down between Brooke and Tess.

“Did I miss anything?”

Tony nodded and pointed at the field. “You guys have some very hot cheerleaders.”

“Speaking of the cheerleaders, does anybody have a slingshot? It would be my pleasure to hit Courtney in the head with somethin’ when she’s on top of the pyramid.”

“Huh-uh, they’re not gonna put her big ass on top of the pyramid!” Tony exclaimed in disbelief.

“Watch out.” Maria nodded in the direction of the performing cheerleaders.

“Y’know, any position’s a good one for Skanky Courtney,” Brooke said, glaring at the girl working her way to the top of the pyramid. “Top, bottom, mounting, being mounted... she does it all.”

“Do I detect some animosity in your tone, Brooke?” Tony grinned at the teenager when she shot a quick glance at him.

“I’m just sayin’ she’s the very definition of slut!” she shouted, catching Courtney’s attention at the crucial moment. She laughed gleefully when the girl missed her foothold and toppled head over feet to land on her back at the feet of the other cheerleaders.

Maria almost spit out the sip she had just taken from her cup seconds before. “Brooke, are you tryin’ to kill me?"”

“No, why?” Her expression was all innocence as she looked at her friend. “What? Tell me you didn’t enjoy that.”

Maria just grinned and high-fived her; there was no way she was going to deny that she had immensely enjoyed watching Courtney fall on her big ass.

Isabel patted her boyfriend’s arm in a consoling gesture when he just shook his head and covered his face with his left hand.

Maria stared out at the football field dreamily and leaned back in her seat. Now, with Michael talking to her again and the bitch falling on her ass, the day didn’t seem quite so depressing anymore.

“Hey, is there a Brendan Guerin in this row?” a young man wearing a concession workers’ uniform asked.

Alex nodded and pointed his brother out, glancing at the box in the guy’s hand curiously. “Whatcha got there?”

“No clue. I was just told to drop it off with him before the game started.”

“I’ll give it to him.” He accepted the small box and leaned around Isabel to call his brother’s name.

Brendan turned his head when he heard Alex calling him and he held his hand out when a box was passed along until it reached him. He elbowed Brooke when she practically climbed into his seat with him to see what was in the box. He popped the tape off of each end and lifted the flaps, picking up the note with the words ‘as promised’ in Michael’s scrawled handwriting. He didn’t bother trying to hide the smile as he pushed the blue and silver tissue paper aside to reveal a box of his favorite brand of chocolates.

“Hey, I didn’t get any chocolate,” Brooke complained. She smiled to let him know she was just teasing; she had recognized their brother’s handwriting too, and she knew this was a good thing.

“You had chocolates delivered to a football game?” Alex asked in disbelief. He knew all about his brother’s obsession with it, but seriously... here? At the football game?

Brendan shook his head and smiled. “Nope, not me.”

“From who then? I hope they’re not from Sean.”

“From Sean? Why would Sean send me chocolates?”

“Why would anyone send you chocolate out here?”

Brendan just grinned and shrugged. “’Cause I’m special that way.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “Can you two please talk about this later ‘cause I’m gonna go deaf if you don’t stop screaming in my ear.”

Alex smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, honey.”

“So, what’re we gonna do after the game?” Tess asked, changing the subject. Her voice was drowned out as the fireworks display started and the band picked up the pace. The announcer began to call out the players’ names and a moment later the team burst out onto the field.

Maria’s heart skipped a beat when Michael glanced up at her.

Liz could only stare when Max turned to look up at her and she wondered if he was really okay with her plans for the weekend. She felt her knees turn to jelly when he winked at her before turning back to the field.

When Kyle ran out on the field Tess jumped up and down, shouting excitedly when he mouthed the words, ‘I love you’. Tess glared at a group of girls behind her when they started gushing about Kyle. “He wasn’t talking to you,” she stated emphatically.

Tony laughed at Tess’ comment to the girls behind them. His cousin and her friends had gotten involved with the most popular guys on the campus – how typical. Back in high school it had been the same thing.

The opposing team entered the arena and ran out on the field amid a wave of hissing and booing. “I hate number 12,” Brooke muttered.

“Huh? Who’s he?” Maria asked her, wondering why Brooke would even know someone from the rival team.

“His name’s Matt Shepherd; he’s the one responsible for Michael’s broken collarbone last year.”

The crowed calmed down when the football players took up their positions on the field. “So, I guess nobody heard my earlier question,” Tess said loudly. She had no intention of being ignored a second time. “What’re we gonna do after the game? Kyle and me don’t plan to go to the party, ‘cause we’ll be leavin’ really early tomorrow morning, but maybe we can all go out to dinner or somethin’?” Tess looked at the others in question.

“Going out to eat sounds good to me,” Brendan mumbled as he picked through the chocolates.

Brooke rolled her eyes at her brother. “Food always sounds good to you.” She looked back at Alex and Isabel, listening to them discussing their evening plans.

“Sounds good to us, too,” Isabel answered. “We can’t stay out very late either... we have a lot of stuff to get ready for tomorrow.”

“Well, I can’t speak for Max, but I think it sounds good,” Liz said.

“Hell, I’m in,” Tony spoke up. “You guys have gotta have some awesome seafood out here, right?”

Maria ignored him and glanced back and forth when she realized everyone was waiting for her answer. “Oh, well... I’m not committing to anything; Michael and I are supposed to talk after the game, and if we go out to eat with everyone he’s gonna get sidetracked. That man is going to talk to me tonight, so, no group stuff for us.”

Tony grinned at her. “So, he talked to you?”

Maria couldn’t hide the small smile. “Yeah, he showed up while I was getting something to drink.”

“What’d he say?” Tess asked the question before Tony could say another word.

“Well, not much.” Maria rolled her eyes. “He’s still Michael, but he did ask me if we could talk after the game and he gave me his car keys.”

Brendan had been half-listening to the conversation while sorting the chocolate into the order that it should be eaten and debating whether or not he wanted to walk all the way to the concession stands for a hot dog... or two, when he heard Maria’s last comment. He slowly turned to look at her, eyebrows raised in interest. “He gave you his car keys?”

Maria rolled her eyes. “What is it with guys and their cars?”

“Women drivers,” Tony muttered and tried to cover it with a fake cough. He yelped when his shins got kicked by at least four irate females in close range. “Ow, ow, ow, ow!!” He leaned over to rub his abused legs and glanced at Brendan. “Would you let a chick drive your car?”

Brendan swallowed hard when five pairs of female eyes swung in his direction, pinning him to his seat, and he glanced down at the box of chocolates before quickly holding them out. “You guys want some?” He breathed a sigh of relief when that got him out of the hot seat since the girls attacked the chocolate, swarming on it like locusts on a wheat field. He glared at Tony. “You owe me chocolate... and it’s not the cheap stuff either.”

Tony was just about to tell Brendan that he didn’t buy chocolate for other men when he noticed the way the younger man’s attention had been captured by someone in the next section who had just arrived with a cardboard tray packed with hot dogs, nachos, and drinks. “Would ya settle for a couple hot dogs?”

“How d’you always manage to avoid these guy situations, Alex?” Tess asked, leaning far enough forward so that she could see past the others to look at him.

Isabel grinned and held up a ring of keys, jingling them and grinning.

Tony rolled his eyes as he followed Brendan out to the center aisle. The kid obviously didn’t trust him to get those hot dogs later on. “So, Alex, you just hand your nuts over on a silver platter, too?” he asked, shaking his head at Isabel’s ownership of her boyfriend’s keys.

Alex didn’t have time to answer since Isabel purposefully stuck her foot out and tripped Tony just as he was walking past her.

He just barely managed to grab onto Brendan’s shoulder in time to avoid a total nosedive into the aisle. “Damn it, Iz – “ He found himself staring into a pair of gray eyes that were suddenly mere inches from him and he hid his surprise. He hadn’t expected Alex to be capable of moving quite so fast. He nodded at the warning look in the other man’s eyes. “I respectfully retract that ‘damn it, Iz’,” he said, and then winked at her when Alex sat down once more, obviously placated. “Don’t let this one go.”

Isabel leaned against Alex’ shoulder and shook her head. “I don’t intend to.”

They all turned their attention back to the game when Brooke suddenly jumped up and started pointing at one of the players on the home team. “Did you see that? The guy’s on our team and he’s out there tryin’ to start a fight with Michael!”

Maria’s gaze shot straight out to the field when Brooke said something about Michael and she saw him shoving someone from the same team a few feet backwards. It seemed like they were arguing about something, but of course they couldn’t hear it from this far away. The coach suddenly got between them, yelling at them and then sending the other guy to the sidelines. He talked to Michael for a few more minutes before sending him back out to take up his position again. Maria smirked at the other player who was busy yelling obscenities before he finally fell silent and crossed his arms over his chest. Yeah, jerk, don’t ever mess with my man! She paused for just a moment and thought about that. Would he be her man someday? she wondered.

“I’m gonna go get another drink; it’s too freakin’ hot. Does anybody else want anything?” Maria asked as she stood up and looked at the others. She frowned when everybody shook their heads. “Great, I’m goin’ alone again then.” She managed to get out of the crowd and walked her way down to the area where she had met Michael before. “Could I just get a water please?” she ordered and then waited for the concession worker to get her drink. She could hear a groaning go up from the whole crowd and she wondered what had happened in the game.

Great timing, she thought.

[Double Trouble]

begonia9508: Well, they’ll face their parents together, regardless of whether or not Sean talks to Liz at this point.

Eva: Yeah, not exactly a shocker, lol.

Was Michael attacked? Let’s go take a look…

sarammlover: Nope, not cheating. Michael’s on unfamiliar ground here, but he’s trying to take steps in the right direction.

somewhere87: Welcome to the light!

We’re afraid you might be right.

Maiqu: You was right! LOL. Simply handing his car keys over was a huge step for Michael.

nibbles2: Um, not a real big chance.

They’re gonna talk, promise!

destinyc: We think you’re right about that!

Productive is what they’re working towards.

kismet: Um… because you saw it coming from way back when? LOL, you’re in good company!

Michael’s trying hard.

Hmm… new Max and Liz part… hmm… Thursday. Not a huge scene, but important.

Alien_Friend: Definitely explains a lot and Liz’ reaction, when Sean finally talks to her, will be good. Brendan does make it easy, you’re right about that.

Fierce is a good word for Michael and Maria!

Brendan fits in well with the others and we’ll be seeing more of him now that he and Michael are finding their way back to the close relationship they had when they were younger.



Part 58 – To Stay or Go…


Maria grabbed her water and was hurrying back to the stadium when Brooke and Brendan crossed her path. They seemed to be in a hurry. “Everything okay?” she asked, puzzled.

“That asshole hit Michael in the shoulder again,” was all Brooke got out before they disappeared.

Knowing that she would never be allowed access to Michael because she wasn’t related to him Maria rushed back down to join her friends. “Hey, what happened?”

Alex was standing up, leaning against the railing as he watched the activity down on the field, his expression one of concern. Isabel stood beside him, quietly trying to reassure him as she gently rubbed his back.

Tess shook her head as Maria sat down beside her again. “They were running a play and Shepherd plowed into him. They went outta bounds and straight into a bunch of the equipment down there where the television crews are set up. The coach and the team doctor were concerned about his shoulder, and he was bleeding, but we don’t know how badly he was hurt.”

“The guys said they’d let us know as soon as they knew what had happened,” Liz said, letting her right hand rest on Maria’s arm.

“Was he bleeding badly? Or was it just superficial?”

Before anyone could answer the large screens at the ends of the field ran the replay and she winced as she watched number 73 – Michael's number – being forced into several pieces of equipment. Shepherd seemed to take some perverse sort of pleasure in ramming into him again as he tried to get his feet under him. He staggered back several steps, his movements suggesting that he was disoriented, before collapsing on the ground.

Kyle had been the first to reach him and Max had jerked his helmet off and gone after Shepherd after getting a good look at his friend. It had taken several of the players to pull them apart and he had still had plenty to say to the other guy until Kyle had gotten his attention.

It wasn’t until Michael had sat up with help from the team doctor and the coach that she could see the blood on the right side of his jersey. She watched as he used his left hand to remove his helmet and she wondered if his lack of use of his right arm was due to the old shoulder injury or whatever new injury he had received. They hadn’t let him walk off of the field and that led her to believe that he was hurt badly enough that they didn’t want him injuring himself any worse.

“Hey, Alex!” Brooke yelled breathlessly as she ran back down to join them. “Brendan’s goin’ to the hospital with Michael; the team doctor doesn’t think there’s any major damage to his shoulder. He’s more concerned with the damage from that equipment he went through because he got cut in a couple of places on his right side. They said the biggest concern is some little piece of metal that impaled him and it’s lodged between two of his ribs. It’s a part off of one of the tables and it’s deep enough that they said they couldn’t risk just pulling it out.”

“Alright, get your stuff together; we’re goin’ to the hospital,” Alex said.

“Oh, Maria, Michael said to ask you to take his car ‘cause he doesn’t wanna leave it here overnight.”

Maria nodded and watched as Isabel herded the two of them out into the aisle before turning back around.

“You wanna follow us?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll ride with ya, Cuz,” Tony spoke up.

“We’ll wait here for Kyle and Max,” Tess said. “As soon as the game’s over we’ll join you guys.”

****

They had been waiting for over an hour, but no one had told them anything about Michael and how he was doing.

“Maybe we should go find one of the doctors?” Brooke said, nervously chewing on her bottom lip.

“They’ll tell us when they know somethin’; it takes time to run those tests, Sis.” Alex tried to calm his sister down a little, even though he was worried as well.

Tony pushed himself to his feet. “Who wants some coffee?”

“I’ll take a water,” Isabel said.

“I’ll go with the coffee,” Maria replied, pulling her feet up on her seat and wrapping her arms around her knees. Why did this have to happen? They were supposed to talk and now she was waiting for news about his health.

Suddenly the door of the waiting room swung open and Kyle, Tess, Liz and Max entered the hallway that led to the waiting room. “How’s Michael?” both guys asked at the same time.

“We don’t know. They haven’t told us anything yet; we’re just waitin’ here,” Brendan said and walked over to Tony. “I’ll give you a hand with the drinks.”

“Brendan, wait,” Brooke said and gestured to the doctor who was approaching them.

The doctor seemed to recognize Alex as the figure of authority in the group and he extended his hand in greeting as he came to a stop in front of the man. “You’re the older brother?” he asked, seeking clarification.

“That’s right, Alex Guerin.”

He nodded. “Dr. Lassiter. Your brother’s going to be just fine; somehow the piece of metal that impacted his side managed to miss any internal organs when it lodged between his ribs. I’m amazed that we were unable to locate any internal bleeding, but that’s a good thing,” he hurried to assure the man when he frowned.

“It took us a while to run the scans, but I wanted to be as thorough as possible.” He shook his head. “It's simply amazing, but it looks like the worst thing he’ll have to deal with will be getting through tonight. Your brother is an incredibly stubborn man and his answer to the piece of metal sticking out of his flesh was to just pull it out... so, we had no choice but to sedate him.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Michael,” Alex answered, calming down a little as the relief that there was no major injury washed over him.

The doctor shook his head. “The bleeding looked much worse than it actually was; the wounds have been stitched and as I said, he’s been sedated, but he can be taken home in a couple of hours. I’d like to let that sedative wear off just a little bit and then take another look at him. The sedative wasn’t strong enough to knock him out, but he’ll drift in and out of sleep with it. The nurse has his prescription and you’ll want to make sure you get it filled before you take him home. Like I said, tonight will probably be the worst; your brother won’t be down long since the injuries are fairly minor, but he will be in some pain.”

Alex was mentally taking notes as the doctor continued with his lengthy list of orders.

“I didn’t see any signs of concussion, but just to be cautious you’ll want to wake him every couple of hours and ask him a few questions... his name, the date, his birth date... simple things, but things he should know as well. If he exhibits any symptoms of disorientation, I want you to bring him back in. Other than that he should be fine.” The man smiled. “The painkillers will probably make him sluggish and a lot of people do react to it by sleeping off the effects of the medication. There is a small percentage that experience short periods of complete awareness of their surroundings and they’ll talk excessively... usually with no memory of it the next day.” He shrugged. “Either way, he should be fine; he’ll experience some discomfort over the next day or so, but based on his records, this is far from the worst injury he’s sustained.” The man smiled. “Like I said, your brother’s a very stubborn man, so I’d be surprised if wasn’t up and carrying on just like normal in a day or so.”

“Yeah,” Alex shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you, we’ll wait here and take him home with us when he’s released.”

The doctor nodded and motioned toward the nurses’ station at the end of the hall. “You can pick up his paperwork and his prescriptions from the head nurse before you leave. I’ll check in on him again in two hours, and if things look the way they do now, as I suspect they will, you’ll be able to take him home.”

“When can we see him?” Brooke demanded impatiently.

The doctor glanced over the group assembled in the waiting room. “I can see that you’re all concerned for your friend, but we like to keep it very low key, so family only. Just check with one of the nurses and they’ll take you to him.”

Alex nodded and the doctor disappeared. “Alright guys, I think it’ll be okay if you take off now.” He looked at Isabel. “Maybe you wanna go home with the girls? Get a little rest?” he asked meaningfully. “I can pick you up later.”

“We can give her a ride home,” Max offered.

“What should we do with Michael’s car?” Maria asked. She was relieved that he would be fine, but also sad that she wasn’t going to be allowed to see him.

Alex rubbed his hand over his face. “He left his car in your care, so why don’t you go ahead and take it home.”

Maria nodded. “Iz, you wanna ride with me?”

“You want me to drive?” Tony offered.

“You wish”

“Only if you wanna end up in here with your own stitches... Michael would have a fit.”

Tony glanced at Brooke when she spoke up. “That a fact?”

Isabel stood up before Brooke could engage Tony in a friendly argument that he would be only too happy to participate in. “Yeah, I’ll ride with you, and Tony, you’re sitting in the backseat.” She walked over to kiss Alex on his cheek. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

“No respect,” Tony mumbled. “Tell a guy he can’t drive and then stick him in the backseat.”

Maria walked over to Brendan and Brooke and hugged both of them. “You guys have a nice Thanksgiving and tell Michael to get well soon.”

They glanced at each other before looking at her. “I thought you were comin’ over?” Brendan asked.

“Yeah, I know... but things between Michael and me haven’t been so good lately and while we are makin’ a little progress, he’s not in any shape to deal with our issues right now... so, Tony asked me to go home with him.”

Brooke glared at Tony. “And here I thought you were such a great guy.” She shook her head. “Michael’s not gonna be happy about this.” She turned back to Maria. “Are you sure? I mean, you said he asked you to talk, and now he’s hurt... you can’t go away for Thanksgiving, Maria.”

Alex reached over and gently pulled his sister away as he nodded at Maria. “Brooke, why don’t
you go check in at the nurses’ station and find out what room Michael’s in,” he suggested. When she walked away he turned back to face Maria. “If you change your mind, the invitation’s still open. And if not, try not to worry about Michael too much; we’ll take good care of him. And if you do go home, have a nice Thanksgiving.”

Maria sighed. “Thanks, uh... it’s not that I don’t want to be with you guys, you know that, right?”

“They know,” he assured her, “and we all understand. You’re dealin’ with Michael and he’s about twelve different kinds of complicated.” He laughed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, Maria; you just do whatever you need to do.”

Yeah, the problem was, she didn’t know for sure what she needed to do.

Tony was watching the interaction between his cousin and Alex and he could see that she was torn between staying and going. He draped his right arm around her shoulders. “C’mon, Cuz, let’s get outta here and go grab somethin’ to eat so they can go see their brother.”

The waiting room had cleared out leaving only Alex and Brendan by the time Brooke returned with Michael’s room number. “Hey, he’s at the end of the hall; the nurse said we can go see him, but not to wake him up if he’s sleepin’.”

“Yeah, remember that when we’re in his room, Sis,” Brendan said with a grin. He knew his sister and her inability to be quiet.

Brooke elbowed him before leading the way out of the waiting room, knowing without confirmation that they would follow. When they entered the small room her confidence began to fade; Michael was lying in the bed, unusually still and quiet. The only sound in the room was that of the little beeps made by the heart monitor that he was attached to. She crept closer to him, nervously biting on her left thumbnail as she watched him closely, looking for some sign that he was conscious. “Are they sure he’s okay?”

Brendan stepped up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders. “He’s just sleepin’,” he whispered to calm her down and to convince himself that their brother was okay.

“Sedation,” Alex reminded them. He shook his head, his attention divided between his three siblings. They had come a long way in the past few months and he was confident that things were going to get even better. But, even so, he thought, they could stop doing things that were taking years off of his life.

“He’s gonna be okay, right?” Brooke asked quietly. Michael was such a force of nature that it just wasn’t right for him to be so... still. It scared her and made her feel uncertain.

He stirred as if on cue and he started to lift his right hand to rub his face when he noticed the monitor connected to his middle finger and he frowned in confusion. “Wha’s goin’ on?” he mumbled.

“Michael,” Brooke whispered and took his hand in hers

The sedative made him groggy and his movements were uncoordinated as he tried to sit up. He turned his head to the side when Alex appeared beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder and holding him down. “Why don’t you just stay horizontal for now, okay?”

“God, what’d they give me?” Michael groaned and lay down again as Alex had told him to do.

“They had to give you somethin’ to sedate you because you wouldn’t stay still long enough to let the doctor do his job.”

“Maybe you need to stop playin’ the day before Thanksgiving,” Brendan suggested. “Last year you broke your collarbone and this year you got stabbed by some piece of television equipment.”

Michael grunted and shook his head. “No chance.”

“You should rest a little more,” Alex said, well aware that his brother needed some more sleep. “We can take you home in a few hours.”

“Yeah.” He relaxed back against the scratchy pillowcase and tried to think through the haze of painkillers and sedatives he had been given. There was somethin’ he was supposed to do... somethin’ very important... His eyes were just starting to slide closed when an image of Maria appeared in his mind and he inhaled sharply.

“Hey, you okay?” Brendan asked, concerned that he was in pain.

“Where’s M’ria? I need to talk to her...” He was fighting the sedative, but he could feel it pulling him under again. “Gotta tell her...” He frowned as he realized that he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to tell her. It was important, though... he was sure of that.

“Relax, Michael. She was here, but wasn’t allowed to see you. You can talk to her later.”

“Yeah... talk to her later...” The reassurance had the desired effect and his eyes closed as he once again fell asleep.

Alex hid his surprise at Michael’s request to see Maria. He had never known his brother to call out for anyone when he was sick or hurt. Michael was stubborn and he had made himself believe that he didn’t need anyone as a way to protect himself, but it looked like Maria had actually found an opening in his defenses. He didn’t know what was going on between them, but from what he had picked up from listening to the conversations going on around him recently he knew they were in the middle of some sort of fight. He had seen the small changes in his brother and he hoped Maria would be able to hold on and fight back against Michael’s defenses. He’d had years to build them up and they weren’t going to come down easily.

*****

Alex left Michael in Brooke and Brendan’s care, letting them get him out of the car and into the house while he ran inside. He left the front door standing open for them and hurried down the hall, vaguely noticing that he could smell food cooking. He pocketed his keys as he turned into the den, pausing on the threshold when he saw that the sofa bed had already been pulled out and made up

Everything had been arranged so that it was within easy reach on the end table and after a brief moment of confusion he realized that Isabel had come home and gotten everything ready. He turned as he finally noticed that he could smell food and he hurried down the hall to the kitchen, leaning in the doorway when he saw her standing at the counter, cutting fresh vegetables.

“Hey,” he greeted, stepping into the room and wrapping his arms around her when she turned to look at him. “I thought you were gonna go back to the apartment with the girls and I was gonna come pick you up later?”

“I knew you wouldn’t leave the hospital until Michael could be brought home and it probably wouldn’t be good for him to have to wait around while you tried to put everything together.” She smiled and gave him a little kiss. “How’s he doin’?”

“Still weak and tired, but I’m sure he’ll be back to Mr. I’m-a-stonewall way too soon.” He glanced around the kitchen before looking at her again. “You’re amazing, you know that, right?”

Isabel smiled and shook her head. “D’you think he’ll feel up to eating a meal tonight? Or maybe just something light like soup so he can sleep that sedative off?”

“You can ask him,” he said, gesturing into the living room.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “You left Brooke and Brendan in charge of getting him in the house?”

“Hey, at least they’re workin’ together... all three of them.”

Isabel knew that it was a big dream of Alex’ for all of his siblings to get along better than they had for the last few years. “Okay, let’s go check on them.” She washed her hands in the sink and then they both walked out of the room.

Brendan and Brooke were in the middle of a discussion over where Michael should be when the couple walked into the living room.

“The recliner,” Brendan insisted.

Brooke rolled her eyes and shook her head. “He’ll be more comfortable on the couch.”

“No, he’ll – “

“I’m not a wishbone,” Michael grumbled. “I don’t care where you put me, but please put me down now.”

Isabel shook her head at them and snapped her fingers to get their attention. “You guys can take him in the den, the sofa’s already made up for him and he can either sit up or lie down depending on how he feels.” She followed them as they helped him down the hall and she and Alex stood back, watching them fuss over Michael as they did their best to make him comfortable.

Michael endured their fussing for several minutes but she could see that he was reaching the end of his rope where patience was concerned. “Okay, why don’t you two go get washed up because dinner’s almost ready, okay? Alex, would you go check on the roast? It should have about 15 more minutes, but I don’t want it to overcook.”

Michael sighed when his brothers and sister all vacated the room and he settled back against the pillows, relieved. “I know they mean well, but...”

Isabel nodded. “I know. D’you feel like eating anything? I’m making a roast for dinner, but I wasn’t sure if you’d feel like eating somethin’ that heavy or if maybe you’d prefer soup?”

“Roast will be fine, thanks.” He closed his eyes for a few seconds. God, when would the feeling of being knocked out by something heavy go away?

“You need anything else?’ she asked.

Maria. The thought was so unexpected it startled him, but he shook his head. “No, I’m good. I think I’ll just lie down for a while.”

“Okay, I’ll finish getting dinner ready and then bring you a plate.”

Michael nodded and slid down further on the mattress, wincing when the movement pulled at his stitches. Damn, that hurt! He reached up and rubbed his forehead, wishing the groggy feeling would go away. Maybe he’d just close his eyes for a minute or two...

*****

Michael forced his eyes open and blinked in an attempt to bring the dimly lit room into focus. He hated taking any kind of medication because it always left him feeling disconnected from what was going on around him, but he had taken the painkillers after dinner to satisfy his sister and ease her mind.

He tried to push himself up and pain flared in his injured side so he settled for grabbing an extra pillow and shoving it under his head. Damn, that hurt! he thought, wincing. He focused on his breathing, trying to keep it even in an effort to control the pain and after a few minutes it leveled out. Okay, that was better... not great, but better.

He looked around and quickly located Brooke curled up on the loveseat across the room and not far from her Brendan was stretched out in the recliner. They were both asleep, but he knew they were there to watch over him. As much as he liked to act like he didn’t need anyone, there was something kinda nice about them hanging around.

His fuzzy mind shifted to Maria and he wondered if she was worried about him. He didn’t think she’d be mad at him for getting hurt and not being able to talk to her, but what if she was? He wasn’t thinking clearly as he fumbled around to pull his cell phone out of his pocket and his movements were sluggish as he flipped it open and tried to find the text messaging application. When he finally located it his thumb didn’t want to cooperate with him and he kept pressing the wrong buttons, but he couldn’t be bothered to remember how to go back and make corrections; he was sure when it was finished that it looked like a five-year-old had written the message. He sent the message and dropped the phone on the mattress beside him, closing his eyes for a few moments while he waited to hear back from her.

Dmn,t go homf tonorsow. Stay heqe witth me.,-

*****

Maria woke up when her phone buzzed loudly and she grabbed it to check the caller ID, sitting up when she saw that it was from Michael. She hurried to open the message and frowned when she read the jumbled, misspelled words. It had to be the painkillers, she thought, remembering that Brooke had said they made him groggy when she had called earlier to let her know he was doing okay.

She smiled as she read over the message again and she felt her decision to go home begin to waver. What should she do? she wondered.

Maria sighed and stood up to go to the kitchen and get something to drink. She hadn’t slept well and now after his message, she doubted she would go back to sleep soon. She glanced at the clock in the living room as she tiptoed further into the kitchen; it was only shortly after midnight, and in six hours she was supposed to leave to go to the airport with Tony.

“Hey, Cuz, is that you?” Tony stretched on the couch as he looked at her through eyes that were only half open.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Can’t sleep?”

Maria grabbed the orange juice out of the refrigerator and took a glass out of the cupboard. “No, not very well anyway.”

“You’re worried about him, huh?” He sat up and patted the cushion next to him, inviting her to sit down. “Brooke said he’s fine, Maria. It wasn’t as bad as it looked at first.”

Maria sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, I know, it’s not just that.” She flipped her cell phone open and read his message again. “He asked me to stay.”

“And what d’you wanna do?”

Maria shrugged. She wished she had all the answers. “I don’t even know if he’ll remember sendin’ the message tomorrow.”

“I understand if you wanna stay, Cuz. And it’s totally irrelevant if he remembers or not; the point is, he wants you to stay.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” He shrugged. “He sent you a text, right? He say anything when you stopped by to see him earlier?”

Maria shook her head. “No, he was asleep the entire time. And speaking of sleep, I should probably get some.” She sighed and pushed herself to her feet so she could walk back down the hall to her bedroom.

Tony wondered what she would decide to do. Would she stay? Well, he thought as he stretched out once more, she would let him know soon enough.

Maria closed the bedroom door behind her and walked over to her bed. She sat down and stared at his message again, contemplating her response before her fingers finally began to move above the keys.

I’ll stay here with you.

She pressed the send button before she could think about it twice.

Hopefully he would remember this the next day.

[Double Trouble]

begonia9508: That might not be bad advice, but we doubt he’s gonna take it.

Maiqu: Of course… you had doubts?

Alien_Friend: No, Michael might do good to avoid football around Thanksgiving. We like the scenes where the siblings are interacting.

Hmm… you’re thinking Liz maybe?

kismet: They’re taking their time, but they are getting there.

We think you’ll like that little Max and Liz part.

girl afraid: The talk is coming.

sarammlover: It was sweet, huh? We’re glad you’re enjoying the story! The characters have grown since the beginning… some much slower than others, lol. The big talk is coming.

nibbles2: That might cause a drug shortage, lol. He’s gonna get there without being drugged… we’ve just gotta get him to deal with a few things first.

It will happen over the Thanksgiving holiday.

April: LOL, yeah, Sean wasn’t a big surprise.

The talk… did we say anything about a talk? **runs and ducks for cover** Just kidding, the talk is coming. We’re glad you liked Michael’s scrambled up text!

True, you just never know what rabbit we’re gonna pull out of our hat next.


Part 59 – Thanksgiving… And So It Begins

Since Kyle was the first one up on Thanksgiving morning he showered, dressed, and checked on his girlfriend before pressing a kiss to her cheek and leaving her bedroom quietly. He made his way down the hall to the kitchen, pausing when he reached the entrance and saw that the room was already occupied.

“Mornin’, Tony,” he greeted as he stepped past the other man to grab a glass from the cabinet. He filled it with juice from the refrigerator and leaned back against the counter to watch Maria’s cousin as he wandered around, opening cabinets.

“What’s up?” Tony mumbled.

“If you’re lookin’ for coffee, it’s in the cabinet over the stove.” He just laughed when the other man shook his head.

“Shouldn’t it be in the cabinet over the coffee pot?” He shook his head and retrieved the coffee, setting about making a pot of the necessary stimulant.

“No,” Maria denied, “it should be in the cabinet where you found it, and if you value your life I’d suggest you put it back where you found it when you’re finished with it.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Hey, it’s your apartment; if you want things put away where they make no sense, that’s completely up to you.”

“Whatever,” Maria muttered. It was way too early for this discussion.

Kyle shook his head and started collecting the things he needed to get breakfast going. “You guys hungry?” He knew Tess would be hungry and she had already told him that she would be too nervous to eat on the flight.

“A cup of coffee’ll be enough for me.”

“Coffee?” Kyle scoffed.

“Coffee.” Tony nodded in agreement.

“Although, if you wanna get breakfast started I’ll give you a hand with it.” He paused for a matter of seconds. “Maria's not likely to eat though... she slept alone last night, so she didn’t get a chance to work up an appetite.” He grinned at his cousin and waited for her next comment.
Maria glared at her cousin. “Just for the record, I’ve slept alone every night since we moved, and I’m not hungry ‘cause it’s too early to eat.”

She sat down on one of the barstools at the counter, not interested in helping them now.
Tony glanced at her over his shoulder and snickered. “Somebody’s sexually frustrated,” he teased.

“Shut up,” she snapped.

Kyle’s eyebrows shot up. He had a feeling Tony was playing with fire.

They glanced up when Liz’ bedroom door opened and within a few minutes she joined them, fully dressed and wide awake.

“Morning, everyone.”

“Little Lizzie Parker,” Tony murmured, shaking his head as his gaze slid over her. “Girl, you do realize that your parents would have to be deaf and blind to miss the fact that there’s somethin’ different about you, right?”

“I’m nervous enough, Tony, so just shut up,” Liz growled as she sat down next to Maria.

“Ooooh, the kitten’s discovered her claws.”

“Who?” Tess asked as she walked out of the bedroom, dressed in one of Kyle’s shirts. She stretched and then walked into the kitchen to brush a kiss against Kyle’s cheek. “You’re makin’ breakfast, babe?”

Kyle’s eyes trailed over his girlfriend’s body, loving the way his shirt molded to her curves. “Um-hmm.” It had to be some sort of primal, territorial thing, but seeing her wearing his shirt and nothing else made him want to do things to her that couldn’t be done in the middle of a crowd.

“When do we have to leave?” Tess asked between kisses.

Kyle glanced at his watch. “We’ve got about an hour before we need to be on our way out the door.”

“Hey, our flight actually leaves a little later than yours, but would you mind if me an’ Maria catch a ride to the airport with you?”

That got Maria’s attention. “Um, Tony, I’m... uh... I’m not goin’ home with you.”

Tony nodded, not really surprised by that little bit of information. “You sure, Cuz?”

Maria nodded. “I told him I’d stay,” she said with a quick glance at Kyle because she wasn’t really comfortable talking about Michael in front of one of his roommates.

He followed the direction of her gaze and quickly realized what she was trying to tell him. “That’s cool. So, what about Christmas? You’re comin’ home for that, right?”

“Well, I haven’t talked to my mom, but I’m definitely planning to come home a few days around the holidays.”

“Sweet, when you know more you need to gimme a call and let me know, okay? So we can get together and hang out.”

She smiled a little. “I will.”

Liz leaned in closer. “You’re gonna stay here with Michael?” she whispered.

Maria nodded. “Yeah, I... well, I don’t know what’ll happen, but I’ll tell you all about it when you get back.” She stood up and walked around the counter to get the cups out of the cupboard. “When are you guys gonna be back?”

“Sadly, it won’t be until Sunday afternoon for me,” Liz answered with a grimace.

“Saturday around lunchtime,” Tess replied, looking at Kyle for verification.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I could drive y’all to the airport since I’m not goin’ anywhere. You’d save the cost for the parking lot, Kyle.”

Tony shook his head. “You just want an excuse to get behind the wheel of Michael’s car again.”

“Hey,” she smacked his shoulder, “I was just offering, but if you don’t want a ride…” She shrugged. “Then that’s fine.”

“No, no, I’m just sayin’ that you’ve discovered an obsession with muscle cars.”

“Whatever,” she muttered. Sometimes Tony could be really annoying.

“Oh, yeah... whatever.” He rolled his eyes and snatched up a piece of bacon, leaning back on the counter and taking a bite of it. “So, what about Sean?” he asked, unprepared for it when Maria and Tess both hit him and he lost his grip on his piece of bacon. He stared at the shattered pieces lying on the kitchen floor for several seconds before looking up at both of them. “What? It was just a question!”

“Wrong question!” Maria hissed.

“Taboo subject in this apartment,” Tess added.

Liz rolled her eyes. “No, it’s okay; Sean’s gonna go to the airport on his own.” She shrugged. “Or, maybe Brendan’s gonna take him there, I don’t know.”

Tony’s gaze bounced back and forth between the girls, clueless as to why the subject was not up for discussion. “And for that you had to sacrifice my snack?”

“For some reason, I’m glad I don’t have to spend the next few days with you,” Maria answered with a smirk.

He frowned at that and shook his head. “That’s fine... there’s this cute little red-head that just moved to town and I’m thinkin’ of spendin’ some time with her.”

Maria poured coffee into her cup. “I don’t wanna hear anything about that.”

“So, I’ve heard about you an’ Michael, Tess an’ Kyle, and Liz an’ Max... but no one wants to hear about me an’ the red-head?” He rolled his eyes. “Seems unfair somehow.”

“Because it’s the same old story, just like always, Cuz.”

“Sooo not the point,” Tony grumbled.

“You might as well just give it up and let it go,” Kyle advised after rushing the girls out of the kitchen to finish getting ready.

“I suppose so... you did just get rid of my audience.”

“Your audience was about to become violent and castrate you, buddy. Besides, even though we technically have nearly two hours before we need to leave, they’re gonna use up every minute.”

“I thought you told them an hour?”

“I did tell them an hour... you can’t tell girls to be ready in an hour and actually expect them to be ready in that amount of time.” His eyebrows shot up. “You do know that, right? You have to give them extra time so that by the time they’re actually ready to go, you’re runnin’ right on schedule.” Kyle smiled, congratulating himself for being so smart. “C’mon, let’s get breakfast finished, so we can get on the road.”

Tony nodded and they got back to work, easily falling into a companionable conversation about sports, cars, and of course... girls.

*****

Max raised his head when he heard the boarding call for Flight 217 to Roswell, New Mexico and he felt his breath catch in his throat. He knew that was Liz’ flight and that she would most likely be boarding with Sean; at the time their tickets had been purchased they had been together so it only made sense that they would be traveling as a couple. He set his book down on the chair next to him and glanced at his watch as he debated whether or not he had time to make it to her gate and back before his own flight began to board. He had twenty minutes before they announced his boarding call and her gate was halfway across the airport terminal, but he could run fast when he had incentive.

She’s going home with her ex-fiancé and pretending to still be engaged to the guy while they’re gone, his mind taunted. Did you give her enough reason to avoid getting involved with Sean again? He shoved his book into his bag and glanced at the elderly woman waiting for the same flight before asking her if she could possibly be bothered to keep an eye on his bag for a few minutes. As soon as she smiled and nodded in agreement he was on his feet and heading for the gate where Liz was probably in the process of boarding.

A few minutes later he skidded to a halt at the gate where passengers were still boarding for Flight 217 and he wrapped his hand around the little podium where a tall blond woman was taking tickets. He leaned over to draw in a couple of deep breaths before straightening up and meeting her wary gaze.

“Look, this is gonna sound completely insane, but I’ve gotta talk to one of your passengers before the plane takes off.”

“Sir, I can’t allow you to board the plane without a ticket.”

“I know there are rules and regulations, and if this weren’t a matter of life and death, I wouldn’t even be askin’ you to bend them just this once, but…” He sighed when she shook her head. “Can’t you have someone escort me on an’ then back off of the plane? It won’t take long, but if I don’t see her – “

“This’s about a woman?”

Max smiled and shook his head. “No, it’s not about a woman, it’s about the woman, and I need her to know that before she goes home for the holiday.”

“Sir, I really think that it would be best if you step back.”

He took a deep breath and glanced at the people gathered around them. “Lady, she’s flyin’ home with her ex-fiancé and I’ve gotta make sure she has a reason to come back to me.”

“And I can appreciate that, but, without a ticket I can’t allow you to board the plane.”

Max was beginning to lose his patience with this woman who seemed to be stuck in repeat mode. “Look, all I need is two minutes – “

“What’s going on here?”

They turned to face the owner of the new voice and Max winced when he saw the uniformed security officer. Great, he was gonna get arrested on Thanksgiving Day. He could just imagine how that phone call would go; “Mom, Dad, I’m sittin’ in airport security, but I can explain…”
He suddenly realized that the ticket lady was explaining the situation to the security guard and he was shocked when she asked the man to escort him onto the plane with the understanding that he had two minutes and no longer.

He rushed along the center aisle looking for Liz, conscious of every single second that was ticking on his allotted two minutes. Relief flooded his system when he spotted her about halfway up, thankfully sitting in the aisle seat, and he nearly ran the rest of the way, skirting around a couple of passengers who were standing up to put their things in the overhead compartments.

“Liz!” He barely noted the fact that Sean was nowhere in sight as he leaned over to brace his hands on the armrests on either side of her body.

Her face was a mixture of shock and happiness as she realized that he was really standing there. “Max? What’re you doin’ here?”

“I had to see you before you left. You’re not gonna get involved with Sean again, right? I need to know that we’re good before I get on that flight to Dallas.”

Liz smiled as she looked into his eyes, pleasantly surprised to see that he was just the slightest bit insecure about her going home with Sean. “We’re good, Max.”

“And when you fly back on Sunday you’ll have dinner with me?”

“Of course.”

He nodded and shifted back out of her space. “You remember what I said about wantin’ things to be straight between us before I kissed you again?”

“Yeah… why?”

“Because I’m about to kiss you,” he warned just before he leaned in and covered her mouth with his. He groaned when she opened her mouth to give him better access and her hands came up to cradle his face. The kiss would have gone on but the security guard tapped him on the shoulder and cleared his throat, reminding him that he was running out of time. He eased back, satisfied when she moaned in protest and tried to pull him in towards her again, and he leaned in just enough to give her one last quick kiss. “I’ll see ya on Sunday, Liz.” He grinned at her as he straightened up and motioned at the guard standing close by. “If I don’t get outta here I’m gonna end up callin’ my parents to bail me out.” He winked and hurried back up the aisle to avoid that outcome, feeling more confident than before that she would be coming back to him after the weekend was over.

Sean had ducked back out of sight when he saw Max approaching Liz, not interested in dealing with the other guy. He couldn’t make his eyes look away as Max carried on a short conversation with her before he kissed her like they hadn’t seen each other in months. He sighed when he realized that what he was feeling wasn’t jealousy or even anger; it was a combination of resignation and acceptance.

He stood up from the seat he had borrowed when Max hurried to make his exit and he enjoyed the brief moment of shock that passed over the other man’s face when he appeared in front of him. “She likes you a lot, y’know,” Sean said, meeting his gaze evenly.

Max wasn’t interested in getting into a fight with Liz’ ex, but when the guys’ tone remained civil he relaxed and nodded.

“There’s a part of me that really just wants to kick your ass for takin’ her away from me, but there’s this other part that knows if she had ever been mine you never would’ve registered on her radar.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I don’t know you but I do know your reputation, and she deserves better than that. If bein’ with her is only about addin’ a new notch on your bedpost…” He shook his head. “Don’t do that to her.”

Max nodded again. If any other guy had dared to talk to him like this he would’ve put a serious hurt on him, but Sean’s concern was genuine and he was sure putting the guy’s mind at ease about the girl they both cared about was the least he could do. “I won’t insult you by defendin’ my behavior, but I will assure you that she’s not a conquest and she will never be treated like one.”

Sean nodded. “You’ll understand if I don’t congratulate on your new relationship.”

“Completely understood. And just for the record, you should think about the fact that you’re makin’ quite a show of standin’ up for her and you’re the one who’s been treatin’ her like shit.” Max stepped aside to let Sean pass and then hurried to make his exit when the security guard cleared his throat behind him.

Sean squeezed between Liz and the seat in front of her so he could get to his own seat and he hurried to belt himself in. “I saw your… boyfriend,” he said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

“I’m sorry, Sean. I know…” Her brow furrowed in question when he held his right hand up in a request for silence.

“You don’t owe me an apology, Liz; I’m the one who owes you an apology. I’m sorry for the way I’ve acted and the way I’ve been treatin’ you. I didn’t listen when you tried to tell me you were changin’ and you weren’t sure that you wanted to be engaged anymore. Everything was easier back home, y’know?”

Everything did seem easier when we were back home,” Liz agreed. “But, I think that’s just because everything there was familiar and we weren’t being challenged.”

“You could be right about that.”

They fell silent while the captain gave his pre-flight speech and when he was finished they glanced at each other, trying to figure out what to say or do next.

“Sean, I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Hell, I know that, Liz.” He looked down at his hands. “I’ve known for a while now that what we had wasn’t gonna last… even people who decide to wait until they’re married to have sex have to make an effort to resist temptation, and we’ve never really had to worry about that.”

“No, we didn’t.”

“I don’t think it’s gonna be that easy with Evans.” He could see the sparkle of excitement in her eyes. “You don’t want it to be though, do you?”

“No.”

He nodded. “Y’know, I talked to Brendan about this… well, he actually called me on my behavior, but I needed someone to make me face this so I could start to deal with it.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t think we should act like we’re engaged all weekend, Liz.”

“I don’t either. Part of me really wants to just so we don’t have to deal with our parents, but it’s not fair to us or…”

“Or Max,” he said quietly. “No, you’re right, Liz, and it can’t be easy for him knowin’ you’re gonna be spendin’ the weekend with me while we act like we’re still engaged.”

“Yeah.” She was relieved that she and Sean were really talking. “I really didn’t expect him to act so… I don’t know… insecure about this.”

“The guy may be very self confident and sure of himself, but no guy wants to hear that his girl’s spendin’ the weekend with an ex. Especially in this case.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll give him credit though; he handled it better than most guys would.”

“What should we tell our parents?”

“That you dumped me for a football player,” he said and smiled to let her know that he was okay. “Nah, you were right about us stayin’ together because it was familiar and comfortable, and neither of those are good reasons to stay together.” He slouched down comfortably and reached over to take her hand. “Hell, Liz, you’ve been my best friend our whole lives and I’ve always been able to be myself around you, but the past couple of months I’ve felt…”

“Alone?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah. You started to come alive the night Evans entered the picture; I think you woke up and realized what attraction is and if he’s the guy you’ve got your heart set on, he’s a lucky guy.”

Liz threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Sean.”

“I should’ve taken a page from your book and dealt with some things that’ve been hidin’ in the background for a while now.” He met her gaze and shrugged one shoulder when she shifted back into her own seat.

Liz studied him, seeing the confusion in his eyes. “Is it something you wanna talk about?”

“Not yet. I’ll find you when I’m ready to talk about it though… well, if you think Evans will be okay with it.”

*****

Michael came awake by degrees and in his groggy state he didn’t recognize the person leaning over him and his hand curled into a fist as he jerked away from the shadowy figure.

“Take it easy,” Alex said quietly. He had noticed it when Michael began to wake, but not in time to avoid startling him. His brother had reacted in the same manner over the past few years and it concerned him as much now as it did the very first time he had witnessed the odd behavior. “How’re you feelin’ this mornin’?” he asked as he finished taping a fresh bandage over the stitches. The damage hadn’t been as bad as he had feared considering the amount of blood that had stained Michael’s jersey the day before.

“Like I’ve got the mother of all hangover’s,” he mumbled, hoping Alex wouldn’t mention his reaction.

“I ran the others out a little while ago; Brendan went home to shower and he’ll be back in a little while and Brooke went to her room and most likely went right back to sleep.”

Michael nodded and glanced down at himself. There was something that he felt he should remember, but whatever it was had chosen to stay just out of his reach. “So, what’d the doc say? I’m okay, right? I feel sore and there’s a little bit of discomfort, but that’s about it.”

“Doc said you’ll be fine.”

“Just figures that when I’ve finally got things goin’ in the right direction with...” He frowned and checked the end table for his cell phone. That elusive memory suddenly tugged at the corners of his conscience and he checked the blankets, feeling around and finally locating it. He winced as he opened it up and checked the sent messages. He rolled his eyes when he read the garbled text he had sent to Maria at nearly three that morning. “Yeah, that had to impress her,” he muttered.

“Talkin’ ‘bout Maria?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, apparently I sent her a text at three this mornin’.” He held his breath as he scrolled up to the new messages and opened hers up.

Alex laughed and shook his head as he crossed the room to look outside, watching the waves rolling up on the beach. “Yeah, you weren’t very coherent when she stopped by to check on you last night either.”

“Huh?” Michael’s gaze lifted from his phone to look at his brother. “She came by last night?”

“Um-hmm. I think she waited as long as she could because she didn’t wanna bother anyone, but at some point she couldn’t take it anymore and she came over to check on you. Sat in here with you for a while before she seemed satisfied that you were gonna be alright and that we’d keep you safe.”

Uh-oh, he could feel that goofy smile trying to surface again. He looked down at the screen and he smiled when he read the text she had sent to him. She was staying!

“Good news?” Alex asked, hiding his amusement at the secretive smile on Michael’s face.

“Yeah.” He lay back against the pillows once more and he placed his hand on his chest, pressing the phone against his body. She was staying!

Alex nodded and grinned as he walked towards the door, intending to leave his brother alone. “I’ll tell Iz we’ll need to set an extra place at the table.”

*****

Michael walked into the kitchen slowly. His head and the stitches still hurt, but he couldn’t just lie around anymore. “Mornin’,” he mumbled to Isabel; she was standing at the counter, preparing the food for the early evening feast. He sat down on one of the barstools in front of the center island and rested his head in one hand.

“Hey, how’re you feelin’?”

“Like crap,” Michael answered honestly.

“Want somethin’ to drink? Some water maybe?”

“Uh-huh.”

“There are still a few painkillers left, if you want them?” Isabel asked. His expression made it obvious that he was still in pain.

“No, I’d rather deal with the pain than get dizzy and groggy again like yesterday. I can hardly remember anything.” He glanced around, looking for his older brother. “Where’s Alex?”

“Oh, he took the car to the gas station and then after that he’s gonna run by the store to pick up a few things we forgot earlier.”

Car... what... he had given Maria his car keys yesterday, but after all that happened… “Where’s my car, by the way?”

Isabel smiled internally. Guys and their cars. “Maria still has it; is that okay? She asked Alex if she should park it here last night and call Tess to pick her up, but he told her it’d be okay to use your car to get back to the apartment.”

“No, it’s okay,” he said, wondering why the fact that Maria was driving his car wasn’t bothering him in any way.

“Michael!” Brooke ran into the kitchen and stopped just a few inches in front of him. “Can I hug you?” she asked uncertainly. She didn’t want to hurt him.

“Yeah.” He turned in his seat so he could face his sister. “Just be careful.”

Brooke was careful to avoid his side but then she proceeded to nearly choke him with the death-grip around his neck. “You scared everybody,” she grumbled, slapping his shoulder as she stepped back away from him.

“Hey, c’mon, it wasn’t my fault! I didn’t run myself into that equipment.”

“No, but still... Hey, Shepherd got kicked out of the game for his conduct. He didn’t get to play anymore yesterday and I heard that he might be suspended for the rest of the season.”

Michael nodded. “Good.” He accepted a glass of water from Isabel and nodded in thanks.

“So, you an’ Bren are talkin’... what’s goin’ on there?”

He shrugged his left shoulder. “It’s past time.”

Isabel could see that Brooke was going into inquisition mode so she smoothly intercepted the teenager before she could get started. “Hey, Brooke, would you get those recipes off of the desk in the office? If they’re not on the desk then they’ll be on the printer.”

“Sure.” She stared at Michael for several seconds, as if she was trying to reassure herself that he really was alright.

He waved her off. “Go on, brat, I’m fine.”

Isabel watched them, smiling when Brooke finally left the room. “She was very worried about you.”

Michael nodded. “Yeah, well, she worries too much.”

Even though the words remained unspoken she understood the silent implication in them. He didn’t think he deserved to be worried about or that anyone should waste their time on him. It would take time, but they were going to see that change one day, she was sure of it. “You feel up to giving me a hand?”

“Sure, whatcha need?”

“Peel potatoes, chop vegetables, or you can make turkeys out of the linen napkins. I have the instructions.” She laughed when he made a face at that. “Oh, so, you don’t think you can do that,” she said, knowing he would take it as a challenge. It would require the least amount of movement so that was what she had decided he should do. Now she just had to make him see things her way.

[Double Trouble]

Maiqu: See, he’s making progress!

Do you think Max will be alright with Liz and Sean remaining friends?

Alien_Friend: No, they didn’t stay in Long Beach.

Sean’s behavior has been bad in the past but he’s finally starting to face the truth and dealing with it instead of ignoring it is allowing him to be more like himself.

Looks that way, doesn’t it? The Thanksgiving holiday will take several parts to get through – some very important things will be happening.

begonia9508: He is sweet.

Well, they’re gonna have some serious opposition, so let’s hope they’ll stay strong! No promises about the parents understanding.

somewhere87: He did get goofy smiley, didn’t he? Yeah, they’re gonna talk… it’ll happen over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

kismet: Max wasn’t about to let her take off without making sure she knew who she was coming back to. We will see Liz and Sean with their parents in this next part.

Michael’s reaction to Alex standing over him is related to the abuse he suffered at Hank’s hands.

nibbles2: We’re getting closer and closer… and no, lol, we promise, no misunderstanding that will prevent them from talking and pushing it back to Christmas! First, we’ve promised that the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is important to the Candy relationship, but also… well… we’ve already written 600 pages past this point and it would just be silly to go back and change it now just to mess with everyone!

Sean does need his friends and it’s important that he and Liz remain friends.

sarammlover: C’mon, did ya really think we’d send them back to Roswell to pretend that they’re still engaged? Michael’s relationship with Isabel is another connection he needs and she gives him something that his own mother never gave him.

April: Yes, we know… Michael’s making a snail’s progress… but, he’s Michael!

Hey, c’mon now! It’ll happen over Thanksgiving… seriously!



Part 60 – Letting Go of the Past and Reaching for the Future

Liz walked up the stairs to the apartment above the restaurant that her parents had owned and operated her whole life. She had been grateful to see that her father was the one who had been waiting at the airport to pick them up and she had enjoyed the short ride back into Roswell. Jeff Parker had caught them up on the local gossip and listened to them as they talked about classes and college life.

They had avoided the big subject, putting it off as long as possible and thankfully Jeff hadn’t asked anything about their engagement. She could hear Sean coming up the stairs behind her and her heart started to beat triple time as she thought about their agreement to get the big news out of the way as soon as all of their parents were together.

She could smell a dozen different scents, an aromatic blend of Thanksgiving goodies, but instead of enjoying it, her stomach rolled with nausea. She wasn’t looking forward to this talk and as she stepped through the front door she heard her mom talking to both of Sean’s parents and knew it wouldn’t be much longer before the shouting started.

Sean’s mother Sherry was the first to notice them and she rushed to embrace them, welcoming them home and ushering them into the kitchen where the others were gathered.

Liz hugged her mother, Nancy, saddened when the woman’s embrace felt forced even though it had been several months since they had seen each other. Her mother had never been a very physically demonstrative person and things like hugs had been few and far between.

Sean’s father, Darren, was a lot like her mother and even though she had known him her entire life, she wasn’t surprised when he shook her hand like she was a perfect stranger. She watched as he repeated the behavior with Sean and she hated the look of hurt on her ex-fiancé’s face at the cold, detached handshake.

Sherry threw her arms around her only child’s neck, hugging him tightly. Sean relaxed slightly as his mother welcomed him home and as much as he loved her, he was ready to go back to California. One of the main reasons he had chosen Long Beach was to get away from his father; his mother was never going to be able fix the rift that existed between father and son no matter how much she wanted to.

His father had never raised a hand to him, but in some ways that might have been preferable to the man’s cold demeanor. They rarely interacted unless he had done something that his father didn’t agree with and then the man made him feel like the smallest, most inconsequential thing on the planet.

Sean exchanged a look with Liz, not surprised to see her hanging back closer to her father. Her relationship with her mother was like his relationship with his father; it was weird how other than the role reversal, they basically had the same relationship with their parents. Maybe that was why they had always been so drawn to each other, why they had been each other’s confidants from such an early age.

Liz had insisted that she would be the one to tell their parents that she had ended the engagement, but now that the moment was upon them there was a little voice inside of him that was nudging him to help her out. He wouldn’t want to take all the heat for ending the relationship either, and the truth was he had known that it needed to end long before she had.

Liz took a deep breath and nervously tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. “So, um, I kinda have somethin’ that I wanted to tell all of you... y’know, since we’re all here...” She swallowed hard as she looked around. “Together.”

“Don’t tell me you’re pregnant, Liz,” her Mom said, her eyes widened in horror.

“What?” Liz asked, shocked that her mother had automatically assumed her news had to do with her being pregnant. “No!”

“Thank God,” she muttered, letting her hand rest over her heart and laughing in relief.

Sean barely controlled the urge to roll his eyes. Why was that always the conclusion parents jumped to when their daughter said she needed to tell them something?

“What is it, sweetie?” Jeff asked, concerned.

Liz glanced up at her father when he rubbed her back in gentle circles. “Well, the thing is...” Damn, this was even harder than she had imagined. “I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past couple of months... time to realize that there’s a lot more out there than I really knew, and... I broke the engagement,” she blurted out in a rush of words.

“What? Sorry, I thought you were saying you broke up with Sean,” Nancy said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Yeah, me too,” Darren said, glancing at his son for confirmation.

Liz suddenly felt like the room had shrunk until it was so small that she couldn’t breathe. Focus, Liz! she ordered herself. She couldn’t afford to start hyperventilating right now. She looked at her mother and Sean’s father, knowing that they would be the ones who would have a problem with the broken engagement. “That’s what I said,” she said, her voice shaking.

“Actually,” Sean stepped in when he realized that the yelling would begin soon and he didn’t want Liz to take the blame alone, “we agreed to break up.”

Darren frowned, fingers drumming in irritation on the counter he was leaning back against. “Why’d she break the engagement? What’d you do?”

“He didn’t do anything,” Liz defended her ex-fiancé. “You don’t understand! We just can’t get married because we don’t love each other the way you should when you’re gonna spend your lives – “

“And you think you know what it takes to make a relationship work?” Nancy demanded. She turned her angry gaze on her husband. “I told you sending her to that college was a bad idea!”

“No, it wasn’t,” Liz disagreed, “it was the best thing you could’ve done for me, ‘cause it opened my eyes.”

“It opened your eyes?” Nancy demanded. “To what exactly?”

“To the fact that Sean and I are only friends, best friends, but we’re not in love. We never were.”

Jeff watched the drama unfold and he was proud to see Liz standing up for herself. “You’re both okay with this?” he asked, glancing between them. The last thing he wanted was for his little girl to be trapped in a marriage that destroyed her spirit and her dreams. She deserved so much more than that out of life.

Liz and Sean glanced at each other and nodded. “We’re sure.”

Nancy wasn’t nearly as willing to just accept this sudden change. “You don’t just make a change like this so suddenly.” She narrowed her eyes as she studied her daughter. “Is there someone else? Is that what this is? You’ve met some city boy that’s turned your head and now you’re ready to just throw your life away?”

Sean sighed heavily. Now the verbal attacks would really get going and this was why they should’ve just gone with their original, cowardly plan and waited to tell their parents when there were hundreds of miles between them. “Nancy, we’re both adults, and we’ve been together all of our lives; we never knew that there was more out there and we deserve to live our lives the way we want to.”

Darren straightened up and reached out to give his son a hard thump on the shoulder. “Watch your tone, boy.”

Sherry studied her son and the girl she had always thought of as a daughter, seeing the matching looks of distress on their faces. She knew what it was like to marry someone because it was what was expected of you, knew what it was like to spend years with someone you loved but weren’t in love with, and she didn’t want that for either of them.

“Darren, they’re old enough to know if they’re happy together or not.”

Liz looked at Sean, biting her lower lip as she waited for the yelling to start in earnest. It wouldn’t be long; her dad and Sean’s mom understood, while the others wouldn’t accept their decision. She loved him for stepping in and taking part of the responsibility for their broken engagement, but she was the one who had ended things and he didn’t deserve to be punished for it. “Look, Sean doesn’t deserve this,” she said, moving to stand in the center of the kitchen. “I broke up with him, not the other way around, and you’re treating him like it’s his fault – “

Nancy shook her head. “You didn’t answer my question, Elizabeth Parker; have you met some boy at that school?”

Liz sighed heavily; she didn’t want to bring up Max yet, but on the other hand... maybe it would save another fight if they just got it all out of the way now. “There is someone else,” she said, her voice shaking.

“I knew it!” Darren shouted. “You just let some other guy come in and move in on your girl? What kinda man are you, Sean?”

Something inside of Sean snapped and he turned to face his father head-on. “The kind who knows when to let go,” he answered, his voice surprisingly steady. “The kind of man you aren’t.” He glanced at his mother. “I’m sorry, Mom, but you guys have never been happy together, and I can’t do that with my life.”

Sherry fought back her tears as she realized the truth in her son’s words.

“Liz and me, we deserve to be happy, and as best friends, yeah, we’re great, but if we got married we’d end up hating each other at some point.”

“Why is this marriage so important to you?” Liz asked, glancing at her mother and Darren.

“When the two of you marry we’ll merge the family businesses together and you’ll be set for life.”

“If you’re so interested in merging, then do it, but don’t do it for us,” Liz insisted.

Sean nodded in agreement. “Even if we had gone through with it and gotten married, we never intended to come back here to live. Liz is getting a degree in marine biology – that wouldn’t do her any good here in Roswell, and I wanna live in a city so big you can lose yourself in it; neither of us ever wanted to come back here. We’d suffocate in Roswell.”

Darren was irritated at his son’s easy dismissal of all that he had built in his life. “You think you’re better than this?”

“Not better, Dad, just different.”

Liz looked around at their parents, wishing that there had been an easier way to do this. “We want different things in life than what you wanted for us, and isn’t that what growing up is all about?”

Nancy shook her head. “No, the two of you are just confused, and until you come to your senses, you can just go to your room, young lady.”

“Go to my room? I’m not ten years old, Mom!”

“You don’t know what’s good for you,” her mother growled.

An image of Max came to mind and Liz straightened up. Her mother was wrong, she did know what was good for her, and it was time for her to act like an adult and stand up to the woman standing across from her. “And you know what’s best for me?” she asked. “You and Dad aren’t happy, but you’ve stayed together for all these years – “

“How dare you speak to me like that!” Nancy snapped.

“It’s true, Mom, you’re angry and bitter and I don’t want to marry Sean and turn into you... I don’t want him to become like Dad... accepting the fact that he’s married to someone who doesn’t really love him.”

The slap was unexpected and the in the shocked silence that followed Liz felt her eyes water and before she could stop them, the tears began to slip silently down her cheeks. “If you can't accept that I won’t do that to Sean, if all you can do is be disappointed in me then I’ll leave right now,” she choked out.

“Fine, leave,” her Mom said coldly.

Liz nodded and turned to look at her dad, hoping that just once he would stand up to her mom and her chest tightened with even more tears when she realized that he couldn’t do it. She moved past him slowly and bent over to pick up her bag, glad that she had packed light, and she forced her legs to carry her to the door. She paused and turned to look at them, wondering if there was any way to put her family together. “I love you guys; I know you think I don’t because I’m defying your wishes, but I have to follow my heart.” She nodded when the room remained silent and she walked out to the stairs and slowly made her way down to the first floor.

As she stepped outside and the cold wind nipped at her exposed skin the door behind her slammed shut and she turned to see Sean standing there, holding his bag in his hand. “What’re you doin’?” she asked.

“I’m gonna fly back to Long Beach with you.” He shrugged. “I called Tony; he’s gonna give us a ride to the airport.”

“I’m not sure I’m goin’ to Long Beach, Sean.”

“Headin’ eastward, maybe?” he asked with a smile. “Well, either way, you’re gonna need a ride to the airport.”

She forced a smile as well. “Yeah.”

“So, what now?” Sean asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. You think they’ll talk to us again someday?”

“Hell, they’re our parents, Liz, they’re gonna have to talk to us sooner or later.” He shrugged. “Probably only to tell us how disappointed they are, but they’ll talk to us.” He reached out to lift her chin up, his eyes tracing over her reddened cheek. “Wasn’t expectin’ that,” he said, wincing.

“No,” she breathed.

“You should’ve just let me take part of the heat like I intended to, Liz.”

“No, I couldn’t let you do that, Sean.”

“Ah, you shouldn’t be so easy to love, girl,” he said, pulling her to him for a tight hug. “You deserve to be happy, Liz, don’t ever let your mom convince you otherwise, okay? Promise me.”

“I’ll promise if you promise,” she answered with a slight smirk.

“You’re learnin’ to fight dirty,” he said with a fond smile. “As long as I’ve got you for a friend, I think I’ve got someone who’s never gonna let me believe that I should settle for less than I deserve.”

“No, I won’t,” she agreed. “So, is Tony comin’ here?”

“Yeah.” He nodded at the street behind her. “There he is now.”

Should I call Max? Liz wondered. “Y’know what, Sean? That’s pretty much the craziest thing we’ve ever done together.”

Sean laughed at that. “I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but I think you’re right.”

“Hey, heard you needed a ride,” Tony said, grinning at Liz when she opened the passengers’ side door.

“Tony, you’re a lifesaver,” she said as she slid inside and reached for the seatbelt.

“Yeah, that and a lot of other things, too,” he said, laughing. He pulled out into the street and turned towards the highway. “Sooo, let me guess, your parents loved your breakup, huh?”

Sean rolled his eyes and shook his head at the understatement. “Oh, yeah, they loved it, alright.”

Tony glanced at them, taking in their expressions and shaking his head at the scene he could imagine had just taken place. “You guys headin’ back to Long Beach?”

“Well, I am,” Sean said.

Tony’s eyebrows shot up when Liz remained silent and he looked at Sean who only shrugged his shoulders in response.

“I... well, I don’t know yet,” Liz said, unsure. How would Max react if she called?

“What don’t you know, girl?”

“Where I’m gonna go.”

“Thinkin’ ‘bout flyin’ to DFW? I saw the way that man looked at you, Liz, and you weren’t exactly subtle either.” Tony chuckled when she blushed.

“Well, I’m gonna call him, I guess.”

“Well, either way, you won’t be alone, Liz,” Tony said.

Liz suddenly turned to look at Sean. “But, what about you, Sean? You’ll be alone if I go to Texas; you shouldn’t be alone for the holiday.”

“Don’t worry about it, Liz.”

“What d’you think? Should I call him?” she asked, needing Sean’s advice.

“Of course you should call him, Liz.”

“And again, let’s visit Tony’s advice once more,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “I saw the way the two of you looked at each other; call that man and go to him.”

“Says the man who hasn’t had one single serious relationship,” Liz said, smirking.

“I have serious relationships,” Tony insisted. “They’re just very, very... very short.”

“Yeah, whatever.” She rolled her eyes.

“Hey, if I had someone like Max chasin’ after me...” He held a hand up when their shocked gazes flew to him. “Let me rephrase that... if I had someone who was a woman chasin’ after me with the same determination that Max has put into chasin’ after you, it might be a different story.”

“I just hope this theoretical woman appears soon, Tony.”

“Shhh,” he insisted. “Don’t say that too loud! She can’t appear too soon; I’ve got two dates this week.”

Liz laughed, glad for the distraction Tony was providing. “Of course you have.”

Sean watched the miles fly by and all too soon the airport loomed ahead. He gave Tony the gate number and he and Liz got out when he pulled up next to the curb.

“Thanks for driving us, Tony,” Liz said as she got out.

“Anytime. Gimme a ring and let me know how things are goin’.” He waved between the two of them. “That goes for both of you.”

“Okay,” Sean said and stepped up next to Liz to wave goodbye.

Tony watched them in the rearview mirror as he drove off, glad they had finally come to their senses and realized that they weren’t supposed to marry each other.

*****

Alex paused in the kitchen doorway, eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw Michael sitting at the table surrounded by what he knew was supposed to look like turkeys, but in reality looked like wadded-up napkins. Isabel had told him what she intended to do to make Michael feel as if he was participating while making sure he didn’t move around too much, but he hadn’t expected her to get her way on this one.

He chuckled when Michael scratched his eyebrow and shook out one of the ‘turkeys’ before referring back to the instructions and starting all over again. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes he never would’ve believed it.

After a few hours the arrangements for the evening were ready and Isabel decided to get some rest before Maria and Brendan arrived.

Alex knocked on the bedroom door lightly and entered the room. “Hey, honey, everything okay?”

Isabel smiled at him. “Yeah, Daddy, everything’s great.”

He chuckled and sat down next to her. “So, you’re ready to tell my brothers and sister about our baby tonight?”

“Yeah, I am. You think they’ll be happy for us?”

“I’m sure they’ll be happy for us. Maybe they’ll be a little surprised at first, but after that... yeah, I’m sure they’ll look forward to a little Guerin baby.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Okay, I’m gonna let you get some rest now and I’ll wake you when it gets closer to dinnertime.”

*****

Taylor Evans was waiting at the gate when her baby brother disembarked… alone. She sighed in disappointment and quickly put her ‘welcome home’ face on before he noticed her. Their parents always sent a second ticket on the off-chance that he might have met someone special that he wanted to bring home, but he had never taken advantage of it.

She studied him as he hefted the shoulder strap higher on his shoulder and unconsciously flirted with one of the flight attendants. He was just as charming as he always was, but there was something missing. She smiled when he suddenly turned towards her, noticing her for the first time.

“Tay!” He hurried to join her, pulling her into a breath-stealing hug that she returned. “Where’s everyone at?”

“Well, Mom’s keepin’ an eye on Dad to make sure he doesn’t set the house on fire, Jack’s helpin’ Dad with the turkey, and Kelly was feedin’ J.J. when I left.” She held him at arms’ length, hands on his shoulders as she studied him. “There’s somethin’ different about you,” she decided after several minutes. “You’ve met someone, haven’t you?”

“Not someone, Tay… the one.”

“No! Well, where is she?”

“It’s a long, complicated story.”

Her dark eyes sparkled with interest. “My favorite kind!”

They walked out to the parking garage and went up to the third level where Taylor had parked and Max rolled his eyes when he saw her car. “You’re still drivin’ this thing?” he asked, shaking his head.

“What’s wrong with it?” Taylor frowned at her brother as she unlocked the hatchback so he could put his bag inside.

“Besides the fact that it’s a deathtrap and it smells like dead fish?”

Taylor looked at her car and resisted the urge to tell her brother to take a taxi to their parents’ home. The car in question was a 1980 Chevy Chevette that she had bought when she was 16 years old and while it may have had a questionable odor back then that problem had long been resolved. “It is not and it does not!” she insisted.

“I’d think you could’ve at least driven Mom’s Escalade to pick me up,” he grumbled as he folded his tall frame into the tiny yellow car.

“Oh, I could’ve, but it’s so much more fun watching you try to squeeze in here.”

“How is it you’ve stayed married to Jack for the past seven years again?”

She smiled as she inserted the key into the ignition and threw the car into reverse. “We are a two-car household and he knows better than to insult my car.”

Max latched onto the doorframe through the open window when she hit the gas; the tires squealed as she peeled out, zipping around the parking garage as she headed for the first level and the exit. His sister drove like the proverbial bat out of hell and he already knew it wouldn’t do any good to advise her about speed limits or anything else when it came to driving. She hit the freeway at a speed that seemed impossible for the ancient car, and he was sure the fact that the frame was shaking was a bad sign.

She talked about her husband, business, their parents, their sister-in-law and nephew, and the warm weather they had been having as she moved in and out of traffic, the conversation interspersed with the honking horn and the few epithets that escaped her lips when someone would dare to cut her off.

Max was so glad to see his parents’ lakefront house coming into view; the large two-story five-bedroom house had been his home for as long as he could remember and he loved it. For a boy who had been shy and self-conscious for most of his young life the rambling house had provided him with everything he had needed. As soon as his sister slammed on the brakes, the stop so sudden that if he hadn’t been wedged tightly in the front seat that he might well have smacked his forehead on the windshield, he made a grab for the door handle and made his escape.

Sharp barking drew his attention and he turned in time to see Bella, his black and white Border collie race around the side of the house. He braced his feet and held his arms out as she launched herself at him and he laughed as her shaggy body squirmed around, trying to lick every inch of skin that she could reach.

“I just knew you had arrived when she took off like that,” Diane Evans said as she rushed towards her children.

“Hi, Mom!” Max placed Bella on the ground so he could hug his mother, lifting her off of her feet and swinging her around in a wide circle.

Diane laughed giddily as her youngest child greeted her with such enthusiasm before he set her down again. She reached up to cup his chin, turning his head left and right as she looked for any changes that might have occurred while he had been away from home. There was something in his eyes… something…

“He’s met a girl,” Taylor said in a sing-song voice as she headed for the back of the house.

“Maxwell Evans, have you been holding out on your mother?” Diane chastised.

“No ma’am, not holdin’ out exactly,” he denied. “Just didn’t wanna say anything until I knew for sure if she might feel the same.”

She sat on the hood of Taylor’s car and motioned for him to join her. “Tell me all about it.”

Max couldn’t keep the words inside anymore and he found himself sharing his feelings for Liz with his mother, unaware of her waving his father and other family members back when they came to greet him. He told her about the whole situation with Liz and Sean, as much of it as he knew, and about his feelings of guilt for being interested in the young woman while she was engaged to another man, and his overwhelming feelings of love for her.

“So, she’s ended her engagement to Sean?” Diane asked, understanding why her son was so torn over his feelings for the girl.

“Yeah, but…”

“But, despite her assurances, you’re scared that while she’s home with him she’ll change her mind.”

“Am I wrong to think that, Mom?” He scrubbed his hands through his hair. “Am I wrong for wantin’ her to come back to me?”

“No, sweetie, from what you’ve told me it sounds like she was ready to move on from that relationship, but had never really had enough reason to take that step.” She patted his cheek. “I’m surprised she was able to resist you for so long.”

“Mom,” he complained, embarrassed.

“What? I’m glad you’ve gotten out more and dated a few girls, but it’s about time that some girl actually made your heart beat faster, and I can’t wait to meet her.” She patted his leg as she stood up. “Now, c’mon, let’s go check on your dad and make sure he hasn’t fried that turkey too long and turned it into a piece of leather.”

Max rubbed his hands together in anticipation of Thanksgiving dinner; his parents always put a huge spread out and he knew they had bought several extra turkeys that his dad would cook and someone would be sent to deliver them to one of the local shelters before they cooked their turkey. He followed his mother around the house, leaning over to pat Bella as she barked and ran in circles around him.

“There’s my boy!” Philip’s deep voice boomed as soon as he saw Max round the corner of the house and he left his son-in-law in charge of watching the deep fryer as he wrapped his arms around his boy and pulled him into a bear hug.

“Hey, Dad!”

“How was your flight?” he asked.

“Uneventful. I’m just glad to be home.”

“You’re just glad to see the food’s already cookin’,” Philip laughed and slapped his son on the back. “Go put your stuff away and get settled and then come out here and give your old man a hand. We’ve got three more turkeys to fry and then Jack and Taylor are gonna run them over to the shelter before dinner.”

“Sounds good, Dad.”

“Hey, we caught the game yesterday,” Jack said, shaking Max’ hand. “That touchdown in the third quarter was sweet, man.”

“How’s your friend, Michael?” Taylor asked, hoping to jump in before the guys could get lost in sports.

“Oh, he’s doin’ good; had to have a few stitches after that run-in with that equipment, but he’ll be ready for the next game.”

“Well, look who’s finally here,” a new voice said.

Max turned to look at his sister-in-law as she stepped out on the deck with his nephew in her arms. “Hey, Lacey,” he said, moving to join her so he could give her a hug. He accepted the baby when she asked if he wanted to hold him. “And look how big this little guy’s getting. How’s it goin’, J.J.?” He looked at Lacey again. “Is he walkin’ yet?”

“No, but, he’s pulling himself up,” she answered proudly.

“Wow, I can’t believe he’s gonna be a year old next month. Major birthday party, buddy.”

The baby smiled in response to his uncle’s playful tone and he babbled as he reached out to grab the dog tags hanging around Max’ neck.

*****

Kyle took Tess’ bag from the conveyor belt and nearly fell over. Damn, what’d she have in there? It felt like she had packed her entire wardrobe! They were just stayin’ a couple days. He glanced at his girlfriend who was pacing nearby, nervously chewing on her nails. “Ready?” he asked with a little smirk on his lips. She had been like this since they got on the plane at the airport in California and the delay they had experienced due to the weather hadn’t helped her nerves, but he thought she was just adorable this way.

“Do I have a choice?”

“Don’t worry, babe,” he said as he took her hand in his. He leaned in closer to her and placed a light kiss on her cheek before shrugging the strap of his own bag higher up on his shoulder. His luggage was only a simple backpack, which was good because he was going to need both hands to wrestle her bag out to the car. “You don’t have to worry about anything. My parents are cool and they’re gonna love you. Now, c’mon, he’s probably somewhere outside waitin’ for us.”

“Uh-huh, maybe…” To be honest, she had her doubts about that; she had never really made a good impression on parents. Not that she had ever cared to or even really been in a position where she had been asked to meet a guy’s parents, but now things had changed. She really wanted to be accepted by Kyle’s family and she wanted them to like her. A cold wind blast of arctic air blew into her face when they stepped outside and she pulled her jacket closer to her body.

“It’s a big change from the weather in California, huh?” a male voice said from behind them.

She turned to look at the man, taking in his craggy features, welcoming smile, and it only took a moment to recognize Kyle’s kind eyes in his face.

“Dad,” Kyle called, and a moment later the men were hugging and slapping each other on the back.

“Hey, Son, good to see you again,” his father said, looking over his son’s shoulder at Tess. “And you have to be the famous Tess.” He let go of Kyle and stepped past the younger man to face her.

She smiled at him politely and was shocked when he pulled her into a hug, too. “Hi, Mr. Valenti, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, please, call me Jim,” he said with a teasing grin. “’Mr. Valenti’ sounds so old, don’t you think?”

“Okay, um… Jim”

He smiled at her and then turned to his son again. “Let’s go. The car’s just over there,” he said with a nod towards the monstrous parking garage. “Your mom and your little sister can’t wait to meet your girl, so we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

They started to walk to the car then and Kyle wrapped one arm around her. “Told you he’s cool,” he whispered while his father was occupied trying to get the keys out of his pocket.

“Yeah.” Tess smiled and relaxed a little bit. Maybe this wouldn’t be as awkward as she had expected it to be at first.

Jim opened the trunk and hefted Tess’ heavy luggage into it. Good God, what had she put in this thing? They were only stayin’ through Saturday morning weren’t they? He wisely kept those thoughts to himself as he turned to glance at her. “Your first time in New York?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You should’ve brought another bag. My wife’s planning to go shopping with you tomorrow.” He slammed the trunk shut and rolled his eyes as he glanced at his son. “Y’know how your mom is about those crazy sales the day after Thanksgiving,” he said as he shook his head.

Kyle looked at Tess and grinned. “You’ll fit right in, trust me. She knows where all the best sales are; just expect to be up and ready to go before dawn.”

Tess smiled at that; someone who understood the fine art of shopping on the most famous of all shopping days! Oh, she couldn’t wait!

*****

Liz’ hand shook as she stared at the receipt from the auto parts store where Max had bought the alternator to fix her car a while back and she thought back to his answer when she had asked how much she owed him.

“I know I shouldn’t be sayin’ anything like this to you because you’re with someone else and you’re engaged, but I wrote my cell number on the back of that receipt, Liz; if things don’t work out with you an’ Sean, call me.”

He knew she and Sean were no longer together, but maybe it was time to pick up the phone and call him, let him know that she was really ready for something more. Despite his actions on the plane she knew he wasn’t comfortable with her decision to accompany Sean back to their hometown or her intention to avoid the truth until after the holidays. Had it only been that morning? She glanced at her watch, realizing that it wasn’t even noon yet and feeling exhausted in spite of the early hour.

She looked up when Sean joined her with his ticket in hand.

“So, what’s it gonna be?” he asked as he sat down beside her.

“I’m gonna call him. Did you reach Brendan?”

“Yeah, he’s gonna pick me up when my flight lands.” He tipped his head to one side as he watched her. “You should call Evans; the flight for DFW leaves pretty soon.”

“Oh, well, my ticket’s not transferable, and a last-minute flight would be way too expensive, so I’m just gonna call him and let him know that we decided to tell our parents that we aren’t engaged any longer and that now we’re on our way back home.” She sighed and stood up. “I might as well go ahead and switch to an earlier flight while I do that.”

She flipped her phone open and dialed the number scrawled on the back of the receipt as she stood in line at the ticket counter, her heart beating so fast she felt light-headed and she wondered if she should sit back down. She lifted the phone up to her ear and listened to it ringing over the noise in the airport, resisting the urge to wipe her sweaty palms on her jeans.

“Evans.”

His deep voice carried down the line and suddenly everything else faded into the background.

*****

Jim Valenti parked the car in front of a large house in a suburb of New York City. They had spent almost an hour in the car since the traffic was even worse than usual because it was a holiday. Kyle and his dad had talked most of the time, so Tess had a little time to collect herself and prepare for meeting the rest of his family.

“Your house is beautiful,” Tess said as they climbed out of the car. His parents had to be very wealthy, she thought.

“Thanks, we spent a lot of time and nerves building it years ago,” Jim said and then turned to Kyle. “You two go on in; I’ll get the luggage.” No reason for anyone to watch him drag her bag in or struggle under the weight.

Kyle nodded and took Tess’ hand to guide her along the small path that wound up to the big porch where the front door resided. As soon as he opened the door, a small dark-haired girl ran to them and he quickly let go off Tess to crouch down. “Kyle,” his little sister squeaked, hugging him with her tiny arms.

“Hey, princess.” He picked her up to walk further into the house, gesturing for his girlfriend to follow them. “How’s my little girl?”

Tess’ heart melted as she watched him with his younger sister and she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she gazed at them.

After a couple of minutes he put his sister down on the floor again. “Summer, this’s Tess.” The little girl’s fingers clasped handfuls of Kyle’s jeans as she looked at the older girl shyly.

“Hey, Summer,” Tess said and bent down to shake her little hand.

“Summer, sweetie, where are you?” someone called and a moment later a door along the hallway was opened and a woman stepped into the large foyer. “Oh, I didn’t hear you come in,” she said, sounding surprised as she wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing.

“Hey, Mom.” Kyle gave her a kiss on the cheek and hugged her quickly.

“And you must be Tess,” she said with a grin when Kyle stepped aside. “Girl, you look great! And, where did you buy those shoes? They’re just awesome!”

The moment Kyle’s mom started to talk about her shoes she knew they were going to get along very well. “Uh, to be honest, I can’t even remember.”

“I’m Sharon,” the older woman said and hugged her just as Jim had done earlier. “Welcome to our home.” She turned to Kyle again. “I put some towels in the bath next to your room in case you two need to freshen up a little. Your uncle and his family won’t be here for a few more hours, so you’ve got enough time to rest a little.”

“Okay, thanks, Mom. I’m gonna show Tess the rest of the house first.” He glanced at his girlfriend. “If you wanna see it.”

Tess nodded in excitement. “Of course. This place is beautiful.”

“Wanna go with us?” Kyle asked as he looked down at Summer.

The little girl glanced back and forth between her brother and Tess before she nodded, giggling. “Can we show her my room first?”

*****

Max was wrestling with his brother-in-law when his cell phone started to ring and they stopped horsing around when he paused to pull it out of his pocket. He gave Jack a high-five as he brought the phone up to his ear without looking at the caller ID. “Evans.”

“Max?”

“Liz!” His heart was beating triple time in response to her voice and he made a furious waving motion at his sister when she moved to block the door into the house. “How’s the visit with your family goin’?” He finally gave up trying to get past his sister and settled for sitting on the wide railing that bordered the large deck.

Taylor listened to her brother’s side of the conversation with undisguised interest. She grinned when he looked up and caught her watching him and he made a face at her before turning his attention back to his conversation.

“Why’re you listenin’ in on his conversation?” Jack growled in her ear as he pushed his way past her.

Taylor smacked her husband’s shoulder and jumped when he took the opportunity to squeeze her backside. “Go get yourself a beer.”

“You want one?” he asked.

“No, but I’ll take a glass of wine,” she said, waving him inside. “Now, go on and let me find out what’s going on.”

Max was frowning as he listened to Liz’ account of the morning she had spent with her parents and he felt his blood boiling when he heard the distress in her voice. “Liz, change your ticket and come here; you could be here before it’s even time for dinner.” He shook his head at her response. “No, darlin’, trust me, my parents would love to have you join us.” He frowned again. “Non-transferable, huh? Don’t do anything with your ticket yet, okay? Just hang on a minute.” He dropped down off of the railing and hurried past his sister when she moved, granting him access to the house. “Mom!”

Diane looked up from the dough she was rolling out for a pie crust when Max ran inside, yelling for her. “Good heavens, what are you shouting about?”

“Mom, can that ticket you sent me be used from anywhere?”

“Oh, I don’t think so, sweetie; it was purchased for…” She took in his downcast expression and motioned for him to start talking. “What’s going on?”

He hurried to explain and by the time he was finished his mother was shaking her head, shocked once again at the behavior that some parents exhibited. “So, now she’s about to just take a flight back to Long Beach and spend the entire weekend alone.”

“Well, that won’t do, will it?” Diane wiped her hands on her apron and snapped her fingers to get her daughter’s attention. “Tay, go and get my purse. Max, let me have that phone.” Her children jumped to do her bidding and she lifted the phone up to her ear. “Hello, Liz, this is Max’s mother, Diane… yes, hello, dear. Max said that you were having a problem with your ticket?” She listened to the girl as she stuttered her way through an explanation and she shook her head at the sadness in her tone. “Oh, no, those things are always transferable; it’s all in the way you handle the person behind the counter. If you don’t mind handing your phone over, perhaps I could speak with the woman.” She nodded. “Okay, dear.”

Max watched his mother in action, awed when she took control of the situation. She walked over to the breakfast table at the end of the kitchen when Taylor came back and handed her the monster purse she carried everywhere.

“Hello, Cindy,” she greeted when the woman on the other end introduced herself. “Yes, I do understand that the ticket isn’t transferable, but for all intents and purposes, we’re going to act like it is. I would appreciate it if you would get to work on your little computer and find a flight that will get that that young lady into DFW today… Um-hmm, yes, I am aware of that…”

“It’s so obvious where your take-charge attitude comes from,” Jack said, nudging his wife as he handed her a glass of white wine.

Taylor smiled at him and gave him a small kiss as he headed back out to help her father. She exchanged a look with her brother as they listened to their mother’s end of the conversation and she was surprised by how anxious he looked. “She’ll get your girl on that flight, little brother.”

“You just wouldn’t believe what her parents did to her, Tay… if Mom can’t get her on a flight she’s gonna be stuck – “ He broke off when it became apparent that Diane was speaking to Liz again.

“No, it was my pleasure, dear, and don’t worry about the flight home; you can use the extra ticket that Max didn’t use.” She smiled and shook her head. “Don’t be silly, it was no trouble at all. I’ll look forward to seeing you in a couple of hours… I’m going to hand you back to Max now.” She held the phone out to her son. “You’ll want to talk quick; the flight she needs to be on leaves in less than an hour.”

Max hugged her tightly. “Thanks, Mom.”

“So, how much does a last-minute flight to DFW cost?” Taylor asked after Max hurried out of the room.

“Nowhere near as much as his peace of mind,” she answered, nodding at her son where he was pacing on the deck, his features animated as he talked to Liz. “We’re fortunate enough that we don’t have any financial worries and I have no reservations about doing something like this for my children.”

“I think he may be right, Mom; she might just be the one for him.”

“Well, she sounds very nice.” She smiled as she looked at her daughter. “And have you noticed the way he lights up when he talks about her?”

“When he talks about her? Have you looked at him in the past few minutes? Hell, Mom, the smile on his face can probably be seen from satellites in orbit.”

“What has got our son lookin’ like a lovesick calf?” Philip asked as he came in carrying the last turkey for the shelter. He placed it in the waiting pan and covered it up before glancing at his wife and daughter. “Well?”

“He’s in love,” they answered in unison.