Thank you Mary Mary for taking the time to make a banner for me!!
Disclaimer: I don’t own or profit from the theme or characters of Roswell
Pairing: M&M
Rating: Mature
Summary: Everything up to the end The Departure. Unfortunately, Michael didn’t get out of the Granolith before it’s fateful departure. But the warriors epic saga on earth is not close to being finished.
Author’s note: So this is my first M&M story, so please be kind. I hope you all have the patience to stick with me, I want to set a good back ground before jumping into the thick of things.
~~~ 1 ~~~
Maria DeLuca was fit to be tied.
Falling to her knees, while pushing her Moroccan style comforter out of the way, she peered under the bed for her missing shoe. Already running fifteen minutes late, the last thing she needed was a wardrobe malfunction. Not when the future of the only tie she had left to her mother was on the line.
It was hard enough living with the guilt. There was no one else blame for the rapidly declining profits. Stupidly she’d ignored the kind and well meaning advice from Liz’s parents, suggesting she enroll into a few business courses at the local Community College.
Did she listen? No of course not. She’d been so full of stubborn pride, telling herself and anyone who would listen how she’d worked with her Mother since she was eight and she could run the store with her eyes closed.
Yeah, run the store into the ground. She thought bitterly. Giving up her search under the bed, she scooted across the room to the closet on her knees, becoming more frantic as every second passed. In less than thirty minutes she had a meeting with a Personal Banker about a loan to get her through the next few months.
Having taken pity on her after a particularly spectacular melt down, Jeff Parker had taken a weekend off from running the Crashdown to go over the books with her. After the first hour it had been crystal clear she was screwed in a monumental kind of way. Half a bottle of Tylenol later, Jeff rubbed the back of his neck and gave her look that said it all.
Remembering the look of regret on his face, she had broken down again. It had seemed so unfair. Everything important to her was sooner or later was ripped away. But to his credit, Jeff sat with her, patting her hand while supplying her with tissue, telling her not to give up hope. That all shop owners found themselves in the red, especially in a declining economy. Most of the town was getting hit hard and she needed to learn how to adapt.
Promising to look into a few leads, Jeff asked her not to worry. Like that was even an option. True to his words, he worked some kind of magic. Her Mother’s New Age-slash-Alien-slash-Native American themed store was in for a complete overhaul. If the loan wasn’t approved there were a few back up plans she could choose from.
Glancing over at clock she almost hyperventilated. She’d last seen the shoes two days ago. She’d been hyped knowing how perfect they would look with the outfit she had in mind for this fateful meeting. The added bonus was not having to spend a dime. Not that she really had luxury to go out and buy a new pair, seeing how she had to raid the piggy bank she’d received on her ninth birthday to put gas in the Jetta.
Blowing at a stray curl out of her face, she scanned the room one last time before heading back to the living room. Not making it far she felt a sharp screaming pain shoot up from her toe after slamming to up against the dresser.
“Holy-son-of-a-biscuit!” Shouting out in agony her fingers clamped down on the edge of the dresser, she forced herself to take a deep breath and push past the pain. “Crap. Crap. Crap.”
A whimper from behind made her turn to reassure her six month old puppy Mommy was ok, Maria groaned out loud instead. Dangling from his little puppy mouth, and probably soaked in puppy slobber, was her missing shoe.
“Bad Spaceboy. Bad.” Careful not to shout, knowing the little squirt would run and hide, Maria approached carefully. Talking to the fluffy yellow butterball in a sing song voice, she tried to smile in reassurance. “Give Mama her shoe and I promise to take you for an extra long walk tonight.”
At that moment, the puppy’s eyes brightened and with a playful growl he bolted to the living room. “Mommy is so going to get you for this!”
Five minutes and a game of tug of war later, Maria hurried out the door. Her oversized purse swung over her shoulder, sunglasses perched on top of her head, and large travel mug of coffee in hand she nervously jingled her keys as she made her way to the Jetta.
If she bypassed Main street, instead taking Elm, she’d avoid at least two sets of traffic lights. But that meant driving past Michael’s old apartment. Something she tried to avoid unless she there was no other option. Maybe she could take Cherry Street instead. Yanking the car door open, ignoring the loud creaking noise it made, she tossed the bag onto the passenger seat before getting in.
“You can do this.” Looking at herself in the review mirror, Maria gave herself a well needed pep talk. “You’re dressed for success. No one will even notice the teeth mark on the shoe straps. What ever you do today, no matter if you get the loan or not, keep your cool chica.”
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to force the anxiety to lessen, Maria looked one last time in the mirror. Placing the key into the ignition, she prayed for the almost antique car to turn over. The moment the car came to life, Maria sighed in relief.
Until of course the stupid thing sputtered and died.
~~~*~~~
Trying to ignore the sound of his cell vibrating on the night stand next to his bed, Kyle groaned and burrowed his head under a pillow. He only got two days a week to sleep in and anyone who knew him, knew calling before ten was only asking for an ear full.
Sighing when the annoying noise ceased, he tugged at the blankets and rolled over. Shoving the pillow back under his head, he was almost lulled back to a really nice dream with skimpy swimsuits and lots of oil, when the damn thing went off again.
A disgruntled growl vibrated through his chest as he flipped over on his back and reached blindly for the offending object destined to keep him from his dream world. With the coordination of a one year old he struggled to open the phone while putting it up to his ear. “Whoever this is, I officially hate you.”
“Kyle I need you.”
“Those words coming out of any other woman’s mouth is my ultimate fantasy.” Rubbing at dry tired eyes, Kyle kicked at the covers knowing from her desperate plea the Jetta had once again died at the most inconvenient time. “Coming out of yours makes me -.”
“Kyle I can’t take our usual banter this morning.” The mournful way she said this was all it took for him to swallow the rest of his words. He hated hearing her so miserable and would do anything to have the old Maria back. “I can’t be late to the bank, too much is riding on this.”
It‘s all he needed to hear before jumping out of bed. “Give me five minutes.”
It took him six and from the intense look on her face, Kyle was wondering if taking a morning piss had been the best idea. It wasn’t until she reached the truck when he noticed her clothing. Still staring when she’d pulled herself into the cab and shutting the door with an impatient bang, he raised a brow when her annoyed expression turned to him.
“Any reason you’re dressed like my second grade teacher?” Shifting the truck into drive, Kyle bit the inside of his cheek to laugh at her look of outrage.
After years of being friends with Maria, there was an expectation when it came to her choice of clothing. Sure she’d gone through her phases over the last few years. Phases he’d rather forget.
After the Pod Squad had taken their final exit she’d become a shell of her former self. Baggy had become the cornerstone of her expression. Oversized shirts and pants, had replaced her hip sheek look. It didn’t get any better when Liz had bailed on the town and anyone associated with the Czechoslovakian secret. After a year of this unflattering look, she’d started to become Maria again.
But when Amy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Maria slipped into her dark phase. Black clothing and severe hair styles spoke of her inner suffering. It was during this time when Maria really took a turn for the worse. A time when he’d been put in a position of driving Maria to a clinic to treat a depression that was killing her slowly.
He’d also been the one to pick her up, relived beyond words to see a slight twinkle in her eyes again. From that day she’d adopted what he liked to call her costume chapter in her life. Brightly colored clothing replaced the drab depressing attire. It fit in well with the wacky store she was now running, and it reminded him a little of the old Maria.
So to see her in a plan tan, knee length skirt, with an obnoxiously crisp white blouse made his skin crawl. The look was not Maria.
“Oh I’m sorry, did I forget to mention my future is riding on this meeting?”
“I think you might of.”
Crossing her arms across over her chest, her index finger tapping on her arm, Maria tried to ignore the burning desire to chew Kyle‘s face off. What she needed to do was focus. To empty her mind, to think positive thoughts. Concentrate on keeping her cool. Present herself as a well put together business woman. A woman who had a plan, a plan -.
“You know what Kyle Valenti?” Twisting her body to face him, Maria pointed her finger inches away from his face. “This is a perfectly put together outfit. I spent three days, three, deciding what to wear. Do you have any idea how important the right image is? I need to look the part of a professional and successful business woman.”
“Riiiight.” Nodding, Kyle took a right onto Cherry Street knowing if he took Elm, Maria may have a Chernobyl sized melt down. “So did that shipment of bobble head aliens come in yet?”
“You just crack me up.”
“Maria, you own the Meta-Fiction store in a town. A town, by the way , you grew up in. Half the population could probably could pinpoint the exact date you were potty trained.”
I strange look crossed Maria’s face as all the fight drained from her slender frame. “What am I doing? I’m so screwed.”
Not liking the turn of the conversation, Kyle watched Maria out of the corner of his eye. He knew from past experiences her moods were unpredictable. The last six years had been rough on her. Emotionally she’d been chewed up and spit out.
“So who’s your meeting with?”
“Scott Mitchell.”
“The booger eater?” Pulling into the parking lot of the Roswell Credit Union, Kyle shook his head chuckling. “When did that dumb ass move back to town?”
Scrunching her nose, Maria tried to forget exactly how Snotty Scotty got his nick name. She needed to stay focused on getting the loan to save her Mom’s store. The last thing she needed was to be caught staring at the guy’s nose.
“How should I know?” Collecting up her things, she hated the panicked pace of her heartbeat.
“Do you need a ride home?”
“I’ll give you a call.” Scooting out of the cab and hopping to the ground Maria almost closed the door before stopping. “Kyle, thanks. You’re a life saver.”
~~*~~
The inside of the Roswell Credit Union looked like the wild west had regurgitated one idiotic cliché after another over any surface that dared to be bare. Pictures of legends like Butch Cassidy and Jesse James hung on the walls. The irony brought a slight smile to her face.
“Maria DeLuca?” Turning at the call of her name, Maria looked in the direction the voice came from. Trying to school her features into what she hoped looked like the picture of pure calm, Maria mentally lectured herself to be the professional business woman no one thought she could be.
“Scott.” Heading over to the office he was standing in front of, Maria didn’t miss the way he looked down at the watch on his wrist. It was a calculated move, showing her he noticed she was five minutes late. For a man who’s lively hood also depended on people skills she wondered if his lack of manners was how he treated everyone, or if his ignorant power play was reserved only for her.
“Ms. DeLuca.” The smile on his face was definitely forced, giving him a look of painful constipation, then an expression of greeting. “Why don’t you take a seat here in my office, I have a few pages to get off the printer.”
Cocking her head to the side as he brushed past her, Maria huffed in annoyance. Out of all the ways this meeting could start, going down hill fast was one she was wanting to avoid. Firmly under the impression she was fully capable of submarining her own future. She wasn’t overly thrilled knowing she now had competition.
Deciding to take a seat and not push her luck, Maria studied the small office, trying to find any possible proof the person in charge of her fate had a human side. The prospect looked grim.
There was a spider plant dying in the corner, it’s poor appendages a sickly brown. The ground littered with shriveled up leaves. A picture sat on the corner of his desk and from where she was sitting it looked like his graduation picture from whatever college he went to.
“Perfect.” Muttering under her breath, Maria considered grabbing her purse and throwing in the towel.
“Sorry about that Ms. DeLuca.” Sounding anything but sorry, he made his way around to his seat behind the desk. Taking his time to sort out the pages in front of him, he pulled out a file from his desk. The silence in the office was oppressive.
Clearing his throat, he looked up and her stomach clenched at the almost concealed smugness in his eyes. “There’s a few, concerns with your loan.”
This wasn’t a shocking surprise, Jeff had warned her the bank wasn’t going to be an easy hurdle. What he didn’t say was that the personal banker was going to be a butt face.
“Obviously, the last year has been hard. But let’s be honest, with the economy the way it is, everyone is having a tough time.” Congratulating herself on how relaxed she sounded, Maria ignored the knots in her stomach. “If I honestly believed the store was unsalvageable I wouldn’t have come to your bank. I believe in my application I also submitted my projected business plans to you.”
Silently thanking Jeff Parker for giving her the right words to use, Maria scrutinized Scott’s expression, seeing if what she said had any impact.
“Yes, I received the projections.” Picking up one of the folders off his desk, he didn’t even bother looking down. “Ms. DeLuca -.”
“I think it’d be perfectly expectable for you to call me Maria.” No longer able to hold her tongue on his lack of small town manners, Maria could feel her face growing hot. “We went to school for thirteen years. I think we’re well past you needing to address me by my last name.”
The corners of his mouth turned down as he stared over his desk at her. “Right. As I was saying, the bank has a few concerns with your request.”
The room grew quiet again. She remained silent, knowing without any doubt he was waiting for her to ask him what these concerns were. It was clear by his rude behavior and non-existent people skills, he was using his leverage to make himself feel important. She may not be the great business owner her Mother or Jeff Parker were, but she wasn’t brain damaged either.
The loan had been a long shot. She knew that and so had Jeff. That’s why there was a back up plan. A plan she wasn’t overly in love with and it would mean losing the store, but it was a plan. Her heart felt heavy and the loss made it hard to swallow. If she had been approved she wouldn’t be on the receiving end of what seemed to be years of pent up aggression hidden behind a façade of passive aggressive.
Well she sure as hell wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of breaking down in his office so he could gloat about it later. For all she cared, they could sit here all day staring at each other. She had her pride, and that wasn’t something this two bit bank could take away.
It only took a few minutes before Scott started to fidget.
Clearing his throat again, a habit that was starting to get on her nerves, Scott tapped on the desktop. She could almost see him trying to figure out how to turn things around again.
“The bottom line is, due to the economy the bank isn’t in the position to take on any high risk loans.” The smug twinkle was back in his eyes. “The unique theme of your business doesn’t scream profit.”
“Which unique theme are you referring to?” She asked sweetly, purposely playing dumb. “The New Age one? The Alien one? Or are you talking about the Native American theme?”
“A little bit of each.” He answered dryly. “But mostly the alien one, which seems to be the most prominent theme of the store.”
Her mouth dropped open and she nearly lost the ability to speak. “You are kidding right?”
“Ms. DeL-”
“Maria.” Glaring over at her from across the desk, clearly put out for having his lack of respect shoved in his face. Maria only felt a moment of a moment of victory. She knew at the end of this encounter she wasn’t going to win. “Every year the town’s tourist rate drops, even the Crash Down festival is dangerously close to being canceled due to low funds and attendance. Let’s be realistic, there hasn’t been a sitting in six years.”
Like she needed captain obvious to point that little fact out to her. She lived everyday of her life with an gaping hole inside of her soul. What the little prick didn’t know, it’d been nearly seven years since the last sighting.
She would know, because there hadn’t been a day when she hadn’t scouted the net for the possibility of a sighting. Her favorites was jammed full of every site she could find. Some were more reliable than others. But she was at the point she’d take a lead from any aluminum foil hat wearing freak. It was getting a little unsettling that there hadn’t been a sitting since they left.
None. Zip. Nada.
“So basically Ms. - Maria.” Scott went on. “At this time the bank isn’t in the position to approve your request for a business loan.”
“Fine.” Smiling back at him with gritted teeth, Maria felt her blood pressure begin to rise. “How about a personal loan?”
“I also took a look at that.” The slight smirk was back, he reached for another stack of papers “From what I can see your utilization is high. Debt to income ratio is way off. Not to mention the medical collections you have.”
“You really enjoy this job dontcha?” Maria felt the last thin shred of self control snap.
The frown on the banker’s face made her feel good knowing she’d successfully turned the conversation in a direction he wasn’t anticipating. “I don’t understand.”
“Oh, I’m sure you do.” Standing up while snatching her purse from the floor, Maria glared at him. “You were a booger eating looser in school. Now you’ve gotten your golden opportunity to dish out your revenge. I could’ve handled a simple ‘you didn’t qualify’ response over the phone. Instead you had to bring me in here and do your best to humiliate me.”
Not feeling better in the least, not even at the look of utter shock on his face, Maria spun on her heel and heeded for the nearest exit. Stopping at the door, she looked back. “Oh and for the record, your plant is in serious need of watering and only a momma’s boy has pictures of himself on his desk.”
Even though Snotty Scotty had a few shots, Maria took him down a notch or two.