Tonight (UC,Mi/L, MATURE) {COMPLETED}

[citrustwisted]

Thank you for all the bumps and fb.. sorry this took so long, but its done... finally YAY.
Lyrics are from "Tonight Tonight" by the Smashing Pumpkins
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Part 11 - el fin
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Maria raced down the stairs from Liz’s apartment to the Crashdown hell bent on erasing the images that had tainted her vision from her mind. Her Michael kissing her best friend with that much passion was too much, even for Teflon Deluca to bear. Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed that she had hit a hard body and landed on the ground. Looking up, she saw Alex’s bewildered face staring down at her, surprise painted on his face. Reacting quickly, she got up from the ground and launched herself at him, deciding that the best way to forget about Michael Guerin was to kiss the first guy she saw, who, in this case, was Alex.

Her supple lips were pressed firmly against his, the immediacy of the moment ridding it of any remaining protests on his part. He knew that he should break off the kiss, but all he could think about was how right this felt, the two of them, like this. He wondered why it had taken them so long to figure it out, when they had been friends for so long. They had only done this once before, a week ago in fact, when the two of them got a little riled up on Bacardi Silver and teen movies. But, they had never mentioned it again, probably in fear that the other one would have regretted the whole thing, and left the other party heartbroken and alone.

He felt her hands wander south, toying at the hem of his t-shirt and he knew, no matter how much he enjoyed the time they were having together, that there was something else forcing Maria on. And while he did want to keep on making out with her, he did not want it to be all that fast. He knew it was sort of silly, but he still believed in old fashioned romance, and while fun, this definitely was not it. Pulling back, he met Maria’s impassioned green eyes and quietly asked, “What’s… What’s the hurry?”

“I saw Michael and Liz upstairs, you know, making out, and I got to thinking” she hegan, trying her best to disguise just how much the scene upstairs had upset her. Because, although the scene was upsetting to her, she was not angry like she would have assumed she would have been. But, instead, it just made her want to be with Alex even more, she remembered the electricity of their night together and seeing Michael and Liz in that impassioned embrace showed her that she and Michael never had what she and Alex did, so it was kind of silly for them to continue to date when they obviously had more of a connection with other people.

“So I’m just the fall out guy” Alex questioned, deciding to skip the long and somewhat more painful point that Maria would eventually get to. She was jealous, and he was there. It was not because she had seen him as anything more than a friend, but instead, she had just seen him as a willing participant in her latest scheme to get back at Michael… and possibly Liz for breaking her heart. And if that was the case, he wanted no part in it.

“NO! No” Maria stammered, somewhat taken aback that Alex took her forwardness that way. If he were the fall out guy, she would already be naked and screwing him senseless. That was definitely not in her plans, a little heavy petting, yes, but full blown out revenge sex? Absolutely not, she did have standards after all.

“Then why… wait I thought you were over Michael” Alex stated, remembering a very drunk and deliberate proclamation that she was over Michael, and that he could go and fuck himself for all that she cared. He knew at the time that it was most likely bullshit, but he kind of hoped that was not the case. He would like to try and see where he and Maria would end up, as a couple, but only if they were going to do it in a way that was just them, and not some vain attempt at getting back at their ex’s.

Maria sighed, she knew that she was mostly over Michael, but a part of her did not want to just give up on what she thought she and Michael had together. “So, so did I” she stammered, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She was at a crossroads, and she could either hold on tightly to the illusion that there was something there with Michael and ruin a friendship, or give into a new thing, that could or could not work out with Alex. She had a decision to make, and while it seemed easy, it definitely was not.

“Well are you or aren’t you?” Alex asked, knowing that he was putting an ultimatum on this potential relationship, but he was just sick and tired of sitting around and letting the girls determine the terms of the relationship, while he pined in silence. He deserved better than that, and it was about damn time that he made that known.

Maria smoothed out her hair and slowly exhaled, holding her hands tightly. She was about to make a decision, and she hoped to god that it was the right one. She could not lose both Liz and Alex in the same night. “I guess, but Liz… Liz shouldn’t have been…”

Alex sighed and resisted the urge to punch something. It was like she had just ripped out his heart and stomped on it. She had made her decision and it was definitely not him. Again, Alex Whitman is the friend and not the boyfriend. “Maria, it doesn’t matter, they obviously did and probably will continue to do so even after you witnessed it. But, you have a choice here, you can either be the bigger person and swallow your pride, or leave now and give up on years of friendship. Whichever you decide I’ll support you” he finished, hoping that she would just be the bigger person and not go on a personal quest to make Liz’s and Michael’s lives a living hell. He did not want dissention in their small group, especially when they were the only nine people who knew about the existence of aliens.

“Ok, um Alex but what about…us?” Maria questioned, biting her lip in anticipation as the question hung in the air, unanswered and daunting. She hoped that she had made the right decision by alluding to something more between the two of them. Granted, she was mad at Liz and Michael for making out, seeing as Liz was her best friend and Michael was her, well ex-boyfriend, but she would get over it, eventually. She just felt bad for Max, Michael was a damn good kisser and there was no way he could compete with that.

“There is an us?” Alex asked skeptically, wondering what exactly had changed, seeing as she had just been upset about Liz making out with Michael and vice versa five seconds ago. If he did not know this from experience, he would just say that girls were weird and not even bother, but something told him to stick around to hear this.

“I had kind of hoped so” she whispered, her voice laced with hurt. Obviously he did not see her the same way that she saw him, and that was alright, but she had kind of hoped that they were on the same page about this aspect of their relationship. But then again, he had pulled away, so, maybe he did just see her as a friend and was still holding out for Isabel.

“This isn’t some fucked up revenge fantasy?” Alex blurted out, cursing inwardly at how rude and mean spirited that sounded. But, he knew how Maria could get when it came to her heart, and she may try to do something stupid just to try and hurt both Michael and Liz. And that would not be good for anyone.

She looked at him, her green eyes filled with confusion as she simply answered, “No.” This was not based on revenge; this was based on a genuine desire to pursue a romantic relationship with Alex. She knew it was harder to be friends than lovers, and since they were darn good friends, she figured it would work between the two of them.

“Then why did you throw yourself at me?” Alex asked, hoping that she would give him a straight answer, because although he enjoyed that little display of passion earlier, Maria must have known in the back of her mind that it was just not the way he went about things, and neither did she for that matter. She liked the white picket fence and the dutiful boyfriend, who always would do his best to make her smile, which is why he never understood her attraction to Michael.

Maria twirled a strand of hair between her fingers as she explained, “because… seeing Liz with Michael, I realized that I was giving up a good thing in you and um…”

“Then you know what you have to do” Alex interrupted, knowing that if he did not stop her now, she was just going to spend the rest of the night overanalyzing every minute detail, when she really did have to talk to Liz.

“Yeah… I know” she said finally, looking upward, realizing that she was about to do one of the hardest things in her young life, give up any last waning feelings that she harbored for Michael in order to move on and possibly get what she always craved, a stable, normal high school relationship with Alex.

Time is never time at all
You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth

Tess groaned as she felt Liz’s arm on hers, dragging her back into the apartment. She really did not need to come back inside, what she had to talk to Liz about could wait, seeing as she had just interrupted a very heated make-out session between the two of them. And, she sincerely doubted that this would be a good time to be like “Hi Michael, you don’t know this, but I’m your sister.” He would probably kill her, or just be completely annoyed or something, plus, she would be completely disgusted if he walked in on her and Kyle, and then proceeded to tell her something serious. Yeah, so she could see how this was not going to be a good idea.

“Look, Liz, you really did not have to drag me back here” Tess stated, trying to hide her amused smirk as she watched Michael straighten out his lipstick stained shirt. Obviously Liz was not nearly as reserved as their fellow classmates tended to believe. Because, while she was relatively composed, Michael looked like he had quite the time with Liz.

“Yes, yes I did” Liz replied, catching Future Michael’s shadow in the doorway. She was doing this for him, to give Michael the family that his future self never had. He had been doing so much to help them; it was about time for her to do something for him. “Michael, Tess… she… she has something to tell you” she stammered and left the room, giving her new friend a squeeze as she left the apartment, deciding that it was best that the two of them had this time alone.

And our lives are forever changed
We will never be the same
The more you change the less you feel

Maria watched as Liz walked down the stairs of her apartment, glad that she had waited around instead of just leaving like she had wanted to. Alex was right, they needed to deal with this now, before it became an issue. “Hey Liz, can we talk?” she greeted, hoping that Liz would not just run at the mention of the dreaded can we talk.

“Sure” Liz replied as she smoothed out her dark locks. She knew that this discussion was inevitable, so it was probably best that they talked about this now instead of later. “What’s up?” she questioned, already assuming that Maria knew about her and Michael, because, judging from her facial expression it was hard to not assume that was what she wanted to discuss.

“Look, I saw you and Michael” she began, raising a hand in protest when she saw Liz move her lips to respond. She was not finished and she did not want Liz to say anything without first hearing her side. “And, I’m not going to lie to you, ok? I honestly am a little hurt by it, but… I’ll get over it, eventually” she finished, noticing the way that Liz relaxed her body upon hearing that statement.

“Ok, because, I don’t want to lie to you either” Liz began, clenching and unclenching her fists in an attempt to relieve some stress. “I… think I want to pursue it, but, I also don’t want to hurt you, you know? I know we’ve always said, chicks before dicks, but… my heart it just tells me that this may be it for me” she finished, hoping that she was not going to lose a friend over this. She wanted more than anything to just tell her about Future Michael, but he said that no one could know about his presence.

“Ok, go ahead… I guess I should tell you, Alex and I are dating” Maria replied, unable to find anything else to say to Liz at that particular moment. She had laid her cards on the table and it was time for Maria to either accept or reject the deal presented to her. And since she did not want to lose a friend over this, it looked like she was going to be accepting the offer. “I, I just don’t want to lose a friend over this” she finished, hoping that Liz felt the same way.

“Me either” Liz agreed, and then added, “So you and Alex, I think that you guys will be a good couple.” She flashed Maria an approving smile, glad to see that the two of them had finally realized that they were perfect for one another. She had thought that for a long time, so it was nice to know she was not the only one.

“Come here” Maria stated as she wrapped her arms around Liz’s small frame. With a mischievous smirk, she whispered, “Just let Guerin know that if he messes with you, I’ll castrate his ass quicker than he can say Lorena Bobbit.” Then, with a wink, she turned on her heal and left the Crashdown, she wanted to talk to Alex and let him know how the conversation turned out.

Believe, believe in me, believe
Believe that life can change
That you’re not stuck in vain
We’re not the same, we’re different tonight
Tonight, so bright
Tonight

:”So, now you know… but I’m sure that you have something you want to do with Liz, and I have to do something too so” Tess rushed out, in an attempt to stop them from having an awkward conversation. It had been an emotional half hour for the two of them, and now that they were getting to a point where they couldn’t emote anymore, it was awkward. Plus, all this had shown her that she did not want Max at all, she never had. And she had to do something about that before it was too late

“You better not be with Valenti” Michael warned, frowning as his protective nature kicked into gear. He had seen how Kyle had looked at Tess, and now that he knew that she was his kid sister, he certainly did not want her near him. Especially not until he got the talk. Michael knew that it would not stop her, but he would feel better telling Kyle that if he hurt her, Michael would take pride in killing him, possibly with a visual demonstration.

“Oh whatever, you just found out you’re my brother thirty minutes ago and you’re already being annoying.” Tess teased, her hands firmly placed at her hips, glad that they had this time now. Sure she would have liked to have spent time with him when they were younger, but that was not an option, and now was all that really mattered.

Michael smirked as he scratched his eyebrow, trying to find a way to argue with her. “Hey, I’m trying to make up for the years I missed” he replied, letting her know that he genuinely did want to create a relationship with her. He may not show it much, but he did care a great deal for his family, and now that Tess was his blood relative, he wanted them to be close more than ever. He just wanted to do this right.

“I know” Tess replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “Thanks” she added, a genuine smile spreading across her face. Sure, it may be awkward now, but she had a feeling that in time, they would adjust to their new roles in each other’s lives and build a strong bond as brother and sister.

“You’re welcome” Michael replied and watched her make her way to the door. Just as she opened it, he added, “if he hurts you, I’ll kill him”, knowing full well that if he said it any sooner, she would have reamed him a new asshole for being too overprotective. But the point needed to be made; he would protect her in any and all circumstances, now more than ever.

And you know you’re never sure
But you’re sure you could be right
If you held yourself up to the light
And the embers never fade in your city by the lake
The place where you were born

“Kyle” Tess called as she entered the household, glad to see that he was still there, sitting on the couch and not out doing something with one of his friends. She wanted to have this talk with him now before she lost her nerve.

“Yeah?” Kyle questioned, wondering what exactly she was doing home. He had thought that she would be out banging Evans or something instead of coming home to him. It was beyond clear that she had the hots for him, so it was strange to see her here. Maybe he was dreaming and did not realize it yet, because obviously Buddha never listened to his prayers for a woman.

Tess made her way over to where Kyle was sitting and flipped off the television. This was an important conversation and she was not going to have him be distracted by the football game. “Kyle, I’ve been thinking a lot lately… and I’ve realized that I’ve done some really stupid things” she admitted, hoping that he would catch the meaning behind her words so that she did not have to go into full detail. There had been a lot of long drawn out conversations tonight, and while she valued them all, her voice was giving out.

“Oh?” Kyle questioned, folding his arms across his chest, he was going to make Tess work, and work hard to apologize to him. He was sick of just being a lame duck in all of this.

Tess let out a sigh and questioned, “You seriously aren’t going to make this easy are you?”

“Nope” he answered, popping a potato chip in his mouth.

“Great, lovely, fantastic” Tess breathed. She clenched and unclenched her fists to hide how unnerved she was by the entire discussion; never had she expected it to be this hard to tell Kyle exactly what she felt for him.

“I try” Kyle teased, only to be silenced by her icy gaze.

“Anyway, I’ve been thinking, and the more that I thought, the more that I realized that I don’t want Max and I’ve been hurting the one person I do want…”

“What?” Kyle interjected, making sure that he heard right. Had Tess just said that she wanted him and not Max? This was impossible, inconceivable, he always lost out to Evans, and for one of his girls, especially the one practically made for him, to shoot Evans down, for him was monumental.

“Basically, Kyle, I am saying that I… I want you.” Tess finished, her arms hugging her chest in an attempt to hide her nervousness. She watched as Kyle’s eyes grew wide, and at first, she assumed that it was because he was excited that she liked him, but then she noticed where his eyes landed, right on her breasts.

“You… wait, say that again… just like that with the boob push and everything” he stammered, hoping that she would just push her boobs up because his penis would enjoy that very much, very much indeed. Not to mention, he would like to hear the words ‘I want you’ come out of her mouth again, seeing as he had wet dreams about her saying that a lot.

“You are such a pig” Tess stated, throwing up her hands in disgust.

“Do it” Kyle interrupted, moving a pillow over his private area, to hide just how excited he was with her breasts.

“Isn’t it good enough that I apologize?” she questioned, both amused and a little disgusted by Kyle’s bravado. If he was not so darn funny and nice and genuinely good to her, she would smack him for being such a horny bastard. But then again, that was one of the many things that she liked about him, even if she would never admit it.

“Not when you can do that” he interjected, hoping that she would just entertain him with her gorgeous breasts. She had already rid him of sports, so all he had was her body to keep him up, and if she did not do something fun soon, he would show her just how much he wanted her, thus loosing the upper hand before she fully admitted what she felt, or before she did the whole song and dance with her breasts again.

“Fine, Kyle, I am saying that I, Tess Harding, am an asshole. I have been chasing after this idyllic fantasy when all I really wanted what was right in front of me. So, Kyle, what I’m saying is… I… I want you” she finished, her hands shaking at the sound of her words. She could not believe that she was here; standing in front of Kyle and pouring her heart out about how much she genuinely wanted and cared about him. It was against everything she was brought up to believe, and yet, she was ok with it.

“Well why didn’t you just say so?” Kyle questioned as he wrapped his arms around her small frame, drawing her closer. He saw the desire reflected in her soft blue eyes and without another word, lowered his mouth to hers.

Tess shut her eyes as she felt his lips on hers, and for the first time in a very long time, she realized that she was home.

Believe, believe in me, believe
Believe in the resolute urgency of now
And if you believe there’s not a chance tonight
Tonight, so bright
Tonight

Michael turned, catching sight of a bright light in the background and sighed, realizing that whatever needed to be done, was done, and it was time for him to leave the reality that he and Liz had helped to create. Walking toward the light, he saw an older version of Liz Parker, no, Liz Guerin, materialize in front of him. “Liz, is that you?” he questioned, hoping against hope that it was indeed his wife.

“Yeah, it’s me Michael” she replied, just as Michael wrapped his arms around her, clinging to her for dear life. “You did… you did really well honey, you fixed it, you fixed everything” she stated, trying not to get too wrapped up in the feel of Michael’s arms around her body. Their timeline did not exist anymore; it was only a matter of time before they faded away.

“What happens now Liz?” he questioned, looking into her dark eyes, still trying to absorb that he was here, in a different timeline, holding Liz, his Liz in his arms. It seemed too good to be true, and yet, here they were, waiting what was to come

“We disappear” she answered simply, already noticing the way that their feet were growing more and more transparent by the second. She wanted to hold onto Michael, to screw the timelines and just get back the years with her husband that Khivar had stolen from them, but she knew that it was impossible. She was merely sent to make it easier on her husband.

“And then?” he asked, already knowing the answer. Neither of them existed, their timeline had ended, and moments from now, it would be like they were never even there.

“Michael, our timeline doesn’t exist anymore, you fixed everything” Liz explained, hoping against hope that he would just accept her answer, because they had no choice in the matter. They were going to disappear, regardless of whether they liked it or not

“I know, but just seeing you again, it makes me not want to go” he answered, pulling her petite frame even closer to his own. He wanted to feel her in his arms, it had been way too long, and in these last moments, there was nothing more that he wanted than to have the woman he loved with him.

“Michael” Liz breathed, only to be silenced by the feel of Michael’s lips against her own. Their mouths hungrily clashed together, filled with a passion and a fire all their own. They were too wrapped up in the moment to notice that their bodies were fading rapidly into nothingness.

We’ll crucify the insincere tonight
We’ll make things right, we’ll feel it all tonight
We’ll find a way to offer up the night tonight
The indescribable moments of your life tonight
The impossible is possible tonight

Liz stared out at the night sky, noticing the way that the light shimmered across the sky before disappearing into nothingness. She let out a soft sigh, realizing that Future Michael had disappeared, his purpose fulfilled, the timeline had forever changed. From now on, things were uncertain, to be determined, and they would have to forge their own way. She did not have any answers, none of them did. But somehow, she was alright with that.

Gently leaning into Michael as he slipped an arm around her small frame, she smiled content with the general direction that her life was now taking. She was embarking on a new relationship, forging new friendships and finding her own way. She had no way of knowing what tomorrow would bring, but right now, she had all that she needed. She let out a yawn as Michael placed a feather-light kiss on her forehead, letting sleep claim her, feeling more secure than she had in a very long time.

Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight