Roswell Fanatics

keepsmiling7 Thank you for the sweet words! I will definitely continue this, and will make Evangeline (Michael’s deceased friend) a healer.

begonia9508 What happened to you, Eve? You’ve been so very loyal with your reviews!

Grace52373 In a way, yes. But he is in no way married anymore! I know it is hard, but I like having input from y'all!

sonia62 Thank you for your comment. I promise that this chapter will reveal answers for everyone that is asking after them.

Author’s Note: For those that have been so patient, Michael’s BIG secret is about to be revealed! Sean will also have his long-awaited talk with wife Jenna then has one with Maria at the rehearsal dinner.

Chapter Ten

Paris, France

The next morning, Michael eased his daughter off of him in slow motion before climbing out of the queen-size mattress and placing her gently back onto it. He smiled as he watched her curl up to her mother and Maria’s arm came around Mercedes’ small body, pulling her close. After pulling on a white V-neck T-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants, Michael makes his way out of the suite he, Maria and Mercedes were going to stay in during their stay with Amy and Jacques. He heads downstairs in search of something to eat and found Jim sitting at the kitchen’s large island, nursing a cup of coffee. “Good morning, Michael. Did you sleep well last night?” the older of the two asked as Michael made his way over to where the coffee pot sat, as well as several coffee mugs.

Amy must have done that before she left this morning, Michael thought to himself as he poured himself a cup before joining Jim, sitting down across from him and taking a sip of coffee. “Actually, yes, I did. It was a new experience in a bed bigger than the one back home or the one…” Michael said, trailing off before he could tell Jim any more details about his life “after” Maria, after the White Room. It was something he hadn’t even talked to the woman sleeping upstairs about.

But Jim had immediately caught on to his unfinished thought, taking another drink of coffee before asking, “Or the one what, Michael? You can talk to me, you know. I’m just an ordinary man right now.”

“I know,” Michael said quietly as he stared down into his coffee mug. Jim could hear regret in the younger man’s voice but he could also detect a hint of sadness. His head shot up and his eyes met Jim’s; there were tears flowing down Michael’s cheeks. “If Maria finds out I was married after her, she’d never forgive me.”

Jim nods in understanding, one hand coming up to settle on Michael’s shoulder and squeezing gently. “Why don’t you tell me about it while I cook breakfast?” he suggests in a soft question. Michael nods in response as his hand come up to wipe away the tears and Jim nods back before finishing his coffee and dumping out the remaining contents.

While Jim began to cook a deluxe meal – pancakes, bacon, eggs and biscuits & gravy – for everyone that was sleeping upstairs, Michael began to tell him the story of his “life” after Maria. “I met Evangeline shortly after I killed all those FBI agents.”

2008 – Somewhere in West Virginia

Michael eased the Honda Accord into the first available parking spot he spotted in the parking garage. His hazel eyes fell onto a small billboard, one that seemed to call out to him. Michael glanced this way & that and didn’t see anyone so he quickly memorized the address before he started the engine of the car he’d driven from Maryland with Kyle’s help. To escape the law, Michael and Kyle had decided to switch identities. After leaving the parking garage, Michael delivered a text message to Kyle once he came to a complete stop at a stoplight. ‘I forgot to thank you for helping me and for not blabbing to Maria about where I am,’ he wrote.

‘You’re welcome, Michael. Did I mention I got an unexpected visitor today?’ Kyle writes back. Michael sends him a confused smilie and waits until the next traffic light to read the follow-up text message Kyle sent him. ‘Cute, blonde, petite…ring any bells?’

‘That has to be impossible, Kyle. She is supposed to be dead,’ Michael wrote back. Unless Tess faked her death… ‘Ask her something for me when you have the chance but DO NOT tell her I was the one who said it.’ He quickly pressed SEND then turned his phone to silent as he pulled the car up to the memorized address. It had to be the wrong place but it had the same sign from the billboard, it wouldn’t lie to him.

Evangeline Montebello may not have had her sight but all of her other senses were in full swing. She let her hands on the wall guide her way to the foyer and the front door. With her soft and angelic touch, Evangeline stepped out onto the porch, letting the railing continue to guide her out to where the gentleman had parked his car. Michael jumped slightly from inside the car at the shadow approaching it, waiting with bated breath until she finally stopped. “I have been waiting for your arrival with some anticipation, Monsieur Guerin,” she says. Her voice was heavily accented with a French dialect. “Come inside with me, and I will see what I can do about healing the wound on your abdomen.”

Michael waited until the shock wore off and she had gone back to the porch before he hesitantly followed her. “How do you know my name, and more importantly, how did you know about my wound?” he asked her softly after they were safely tucked into her two-story house that also seemed to double as her clinic.

“You are different, Monsieur Guerin. I do not know how but your vibes tell me something else entirely,” Evangeline replies with a knowing smile. “So why don’t you go settle on the bed in the first room down the hall to your right and I will join you as soon as I gather up my supplies?” Michael did what she had instructed, remembering to ease in because of his wound.

Present Day – Roswell, New Mexico

Liz opens the door and lets out a soft squeal at the sight of her favorite cousin, startling a sleeping Annie and causing her crying to begin once more. Liz bounces her daughter while gesturing for Cassandra to come in. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming for a visit, Cassie?” she asked after putting Annie in the bassinet next to the couch.

Cassandra only shrugs. “It was a spur of the moment kind of visit,” she replies. She and Liz sat down with Liz staying close to Annie just in case. “Sam is back overseas and…I don’t know. I suppose I get lonely if he isn’t home, especially with J.R. on the way.” At the look her cousin gave her, she laughed softly. “I don’t mean that way, dearest Lizzie. It is only when he’s home that I feel comfortable enough to stay home with him.” Then she remembered Liz hadn’t heard her good news. “Oh! I forgot. You asked me for a favor and I’m here to pay up on my promise. So, I want you to go upstairs & get dressed; you and I are going shopping. And before you ask, we will be taking my goddaughter to visit her Auntie Tess on the way.”
Paris, France – Now

“So Evangeline is – was – a healer?” Jim asks Michael, who nods in response.

“Yes. And the day FBI found out was also the worst day for me,” Michael tells him quietly.

2008 – West Virginia

Evangeline’s slim hand reached out and turned the knob of her front door, her other hand resting protectively on her pregnant belly. She smiled at the two men, the dimples of her cheeks nearly reaching her cobalt blue eyes. “Can I help you, gentlemen?” she asked softly.

“Yes, ma’am. We’re looking for a man that killed a handful of FBI agents. Have you seen this man?” the agent on the left asked, holding up a photo of Michael. Evangeline shook her head no in a brief response.

“I have never seen that man before in my life, sir, so I will think you kindly to get off my property,” Evangeline hisses and slams the door in his face.

Michael came from out of his hiding spot in the front hall closet and rushed quickly to Evangeline’s side, embracing her the best he could with her protruding belly. “I think I should start moving on, Eva. It’s not safe for me to stick around here,” he tells her softly. He frames her face in his hands and cringes inwardly at the sight of her recently-healed eyes welling up with tears. “I’d take you with me, but it’s not safe – for you, me or the baby on the way.”

She nods slowly, the tears still falling down her rose-colored cheeks. “I understand, Michael. But…” She says, her voice trailing off as her gaze shifted down to her feet, groaning at the sight of the puddle beneath her feet.

Michael lets a groan loose as well. “After I deliver our baby, I am going to ask your neighbors to help get the baby to the local orphanage,” he tells her as he guides her onto the couch in the parlor. “Then you will turn yourself into the authorities like we discussed.” Picking up the hand that was rubbing gentle circles on her stomach, Michael pressed a soft, tender kiss to her knuckles. “But if you want to go to the hospital, I would be more than happy to get one of your such kind neighbors for you.”

Evangeline grits her teeth against the mind-numbing pain and shakes her head no repeatedly. “I cannot allow you to risk your safety, Michael Guerin,” she tells him softly, removing her hand from his to reach out and gently scratch his close-shaved scalp. “I want you to just help me get through the labor. I will coach you.”

Present Day – Paris

“So did she turn herself into the authorities?” Jim asked Michael as he wrapped up fixing breakfast and sat down with the younger man at the large table in the adjoining dining room.

Michael nods silently. “Yes. And I got the baby to the hospital, where she was eventually adopted by a local wonderful couple,” he replies softly.

Jim nods, feeling the emotions in Michael’s words and repeating his earlier motion of laying his hand on Michael’s shoulder and squeezing firmly but gently.
Roswell

Liz wobbles slightly on the low heels Cassandra encouraged her to buy so they would match the midnight-black strapless cotton dress Liz had bought to wear for her “date” with Max as she climbs out of the limo. Her smile is wide when she spots Max holding a single red rose.

Author’s Note 2: This chapter kind of took on a life of its own after Evangeline “arrived” in it and I know that some Candy lovers came out of hiding to protectively claim their couple! And for all you “Dreamer” lovers out there, hope you enjoy the last part of this chapter!

keepsmiling7 But that’s a good thing, right? I truly hope it is. I’m so glad! I know you’ll enjoy the next part, with confrontations and conversations and such. It is definitely a tough call, for many of the parties (people) involved, and you’re right. It won’t be a smooth road, and yes, even though Candy will miss each other and she wants him to know Mercedes.

I promise I will, Carolyn!
Katie

begonia9508


Grace52373 I know you are, Grace. I may have mentioned that he was married, but would it be better if I said they were only dating or even engaged? That way when he came back to Maria, there would be no ties to Evangeline. And y’all never know…that baby could have just as easily been someone else’s. So that’s what I will do; I’ll make someone else the father so you’re not yelling, getting angry or fighting the inevitable towards me.

sonia62 Yes, to both questions, Sonia, and yes, all in a year. But he and Evangeline had discussed her turning herself into the authorities for hiding an ‘alien’ so their baby would go to a safe home. Maria won’t accept the truth so easily though. She’ll turn to another (I won’t give away who; you’ll have to wait until the appropriate chapter to find out!) but I promise she’ll learn the cold, hard truth, possibly in the next chapter. Yes, Maria will definitely be crushed.

Author’s Note: I am not looking for Michael to be made into the bad guy; Maria would just as easily stray into someone else’s arms, if you know what I mean. I will also be keeping up with updates more than I have in the past; I won’t go more than two weeks, I promise!

Chapter Eleven

“Do you think Tristan will be mad at us when he finds out we didn’t tell him the truth about where we were taking Annie or making him stay behind with Cassandra?” Liz asks Max as they headed out to the private hangar area where Jacques was waiting to take them and Annie to Paris for his upcoming wedding to Amy.

Max pulls his worry-wart wife to him, kissing the side of her head with soft affection. “No. If he does get mad, I will just explain to him that we needed some time with Annie, and I know he’d understand about it. Besides that, he’ll also have Alex to hang out with,” he replies.

Liz snuggles into Max as the luggage is loaded into the private jet and Jacques takes Annie’s carrier. “He does adore Alex, that’s for sure. And Jeremiah can include him in some stuff too,” she says softly. Max nods and hugs her close before they climb aboard the private jet, which belonged to Jacques and Amy.
Paris

Before Michael headed upstairs, Jim felt compelled to ask one final question. “Do you know who the father of Evangeline’s baby was?” His voice was soft and full of compassion as he quietly waited for the answer while playing with the coffee cup in front of him.

Michael nods. “Yes. He was the local police chief, but he managed to get smack-dab in the middle of a shoot-out the night their daughter was born and she turned herself in,” he tells Jim quietly.

Jim smiles a little. “Were they eventually reunited?” he goes on to ask the young hybrid. They both glanced over when a weary-eyed Maria walked in carrying Mercedes. Michael nods his response at Jim before standing up and walking towards his former wife and gently easing their daughter into his arms. Jim watches from his seat as Michael guided back out of the room.

In the hall, Maria turns a tired gaze towards Michael, her voice soft and groggy from sleep as she asked him, “What were you and Jim talking about so heavily in there?”

“A woman I pretended to be engaged to,” he replied bluntly, half expecting her to get angry at him for telling someone else before her. But she just nods and snuggles into him as he kisses the side of her head. He hoists Mercedes higher onto his right shoulder as her head nestled further into his neck and he & Maria headed back upstairs. Once in their issued bedroom, Michael gently settled Mercedes back onto the bed before easing on next to her, smiling at Maria as she settled on Mercedes’ other side. “So, I heard that Jacques and Amy have arranged for a special surprise for you and I hope you’ll be surprised.”

Maria is curious. “What kind of surprise?” she asks. Her blonde hair falls back over her shoulder when she turns her head and finds two familiar faces in the doorway. “Lizzie…you came!” She jumped up from the bed and ran to embrace her friend in a fierce embrace. Max and Michael both chuckled as they headed out of the room with Annie. Max joins his friend on the bed, silence falling so easily between them.
Liz and Maria settled into the room down the hall with a nursery. The blonde watched as her friend settled her newborn daughter into the white lace-covered bassinet with minimal fussing from Annie. Liz glanced over her shoulder and frowned at the sad anger in Maria’s eyes, which were staring off into the distance. “Maria, are you having second thoughts about giving Michael a second chance?” she asked quietly as she settled into the rocking chair.

Maria didn’t answer for a few minutes, letting the silence embrace the atmosphere of the room before she turned her hazel eyes to look at Liz. “Am I wrong in thinking that Fate thinks we deserve a second chance?” Maria asks with her voice slightly shaky, as if she’s attempting to hold back the tears.

“No. Doubts will always come to attempt in driving the happiness we are trying to create away but you learn to fight it with every thing you’ve got,” Liz replies, sending a soft, sweet smile in Maria’s direction.

The two women turned when they heard Kyle’s voice from the doorway. “Liz is right, Maria. Fears will soon come stomping in to take the place of doubts and you have to keep that from happening,” he says as he sits down next to Maria. She allows him to put a gentle arm around her slim shoulders and leaned into him, her head settling onto his shoulder. Maria sighed shakily and finally let the tears begin to fall.

Another shaky breath is released before Maria glances between her friends. “I will admit that I am scared,” she tells them both. She didn’t notice when her ex-husband joined the private conversation between the three but she could sense his presence.

It wasn’t until she heard Michael say softly, “It’s perfectly okay to be scared, Maria…” that Maria leaped up from her seat on the bed and ran into her ex-husband’s arms. He caught her easily and held her so close, knowing if he let go, she might disappear from sight. But she was still in front of him when he pulled back to glance down into her eyes. “Marry me, Maria? I want us to grow old together, and watch our kids do normal stuff and all that. So what do you say, DeLuca Guerin…will you marry me, again?”

“YES! Oh yes,” she says as she brings his head down and connects their lips. They lingered for a few minutes before turning to look at their friends.

“Yay, I am so happy for you two,” Liz says as she and Maria clasp hands.
“You mean it?” Amy asks them later that evening once she got the news. Her question was mostly meant for her daughter but her gaze was centered on the couple. Around them, Kyle held Annie with Liz supervising, while Max and Michael conversed quietly behind the women they loved and Jim had gone upstairs to give them privacy, mentioning to his oldest son about making a phone call to home. “Because you and Michael have my and Jacques’ blessing, and I know your father would give his blessing to you two as well. In fact, I am going to call him right now and invite him over.”

But before Amy was even reaching for the telephone, Maria was out of her chair and freaking out. “Why…why would you lie about where he was this whole time? I asked you repeatedly and you always lied to me!” she yelled. All conversation came to a screeching halt as mother and daughter faced off in an intense staring contest. “I just want to know why, Mom…” Her voice changed from a hoarse yell to a soft, shaky plea as tears blurred her vision. Maria welcomed the firm hold Michael had on her waist, her slim hands settling over his as she got her breathing slowed down.

Amy stepped forward, forgetting about the phone as she pulled a hesitant Maria into her arms. “Your father was constantly living life on the run, Maria. And the day he left, he made me a promise,” she tells her daughter. “He…he promised me he would tell you the truth when you were ready to hear it. I know you’re ready, Maria. Would you like to know why?”

Maria can only nod mutely as she pulls back to look at her mother and seeing the compassion in her eyes for the first time in a long time. “Can…”she started to ask, pausing to let her tongue moisten her suddenly dry lips, before she continued. “Can Michael stay when he comes? I want my two favorite guys to meet face to face.” Amy lets a soft laugh fall from between her lips, tears stinging in a forceful manner at the corners of her eyes, nodding in response to her daughter’s question.

“I don’t see why not, baby. I’ll call him then go get your children ready,” she told Maria, who nodded her permission to go get M.J. and Mercedes from upstairs.

Author’s Note 2: And I am stopping it there! In the next chapter, you’ll get a brief glimpse of the father Maria never really knew and what he has been up to since leaving Roswell. We will also be jumping ahead to November, since I’m behind on updates. I hope you enjoy!!

keepsmiling7 But that’s a good thing, right? I truly hope it is. I’m so glad! I know you’ll enjoy the next part, with confrontations and conversations and such. It is definitely a tough call, for many of the parties (people) involved, and you’re right. It won’t be a smooth road, and yes, even though Candy will miss each other and she wants him to know Mercedes.

I promise I will, Carolyn!
Katie

begonia9508 Ha, ha, it’s a good thing I don’t have a mom like Amy! I am very close to my mom, and we have a good relationship. There is a good possibility that he could be, but you’ll just have to tune in very soon!

You’re welcome KATIE

sonia62 I can assure you that Michael & Maria will get through their wedding plans with eyes wide open.

Grace52373 I am not in the least bit offended, Grace. Sure, your comment caught me off guard, but I need the harsh criticism every once in a great while, so thank you for that. No, there was and will not be a second marriage for Michael, and I might have a kiss between Maria & Billy, but won’t go as far as a one-night stand. I never really cared for Billy’s influence on Maria!

keepsmiling7 I’m the girl who seems to leave everyone reeling with every chapter I’ve written. Don’t worry, you will in the next chapter!
Katie

Author’s Note: I survived a holiday visit from my oldest sister without having gone and “killed” her – figuratively speaking, of course! I also made it through my first day of work, and you know what? I’m glad they are being cautious ever since the shooting in Newtown, because it means that no one bad can get into our school and open fire on any of our students. We’re a tight-knit community, and we’d protect anyone in our path – no matter if we know them or not.

Chapter Twelve

If someone had told Maria 3 years ago that she would be fussing over the gorgeous princess-style wedding gown her mother wore on the day she renewed her vows to Maria’s dad, she would have called you a liar. But that was exactly what Maria found herself doing on the day of her parents’ second wedding. “Mom, how do you know when you’ve found the one?” Maria asked her mother in a soft murmur as she sat down in one of the chairs and not caring that she was probably wrinkling her crimson red gown.

Amy grabs another chair and sat down across from her only child. “The first time I saw your father, he almost ran me over,” she told Maria, who snorted and giggled in disbelief. “No, I’m telling the truth!”

1982 – Roswell, New Mexico

Amelia “Amy” Edwards brought a shaky hand up to her face and winced when the pain of the bruise didn’t ease. She was more angry at herself than anyone else for letting herself believe that Travis Reynolds was a good boy when he really wasn’t. He was abusive, he was controlling and he was always with another girl whenever they “broke up”. She had finally learned to stop asking or confronting him about the other girls, knowing it only made him even angrier every time she brought it up. Amy’s attention was brought away from examining the developing bruise in the small compact mirror she always kept in her favorite shoulder bag when she heard the young male voice yelling in her direction, “GET OUT OF THE WAY!! I can’t seem to slow down!”

She had just barely moved out of the way before she heard him crash in the alley just around the corner from where she’d been standing. Amy couldn’t feel her feet touch the ground as she ran around to check on the young man for injuries. “I am SO sorry. Are you okay?” she asked in a shy, quiet voice.

He groaned in pain, his hand coming up to clutch his nose. “No, obviously I am NOT okay. You do know that it is dangerous to be on this side of town, don’t you?” he asked gently and quietly. His eyes were soft and kind when he finally glanced up at her, their eyes locking as he shakily stood up on wobbly legs.

Amy nodded in the same shy, quiet manner she had used before when she’d asked if he was okay. “Yes, actually, I do know that. But, unfortunately for you, I live in this side of town,” she replied. He gives her a skeptical look so she continued on to explain more. “I live here with my family, and it’s kind of crowded at our house.” She reaches up and tucks a strand of her dark hair behind her left ear. Her tongue darted out quickly to lick her suddenly dry lips, tuning every other noise out but the soft swish, swish of his leather jacket as his hand lifted and he softly caressed her cheek after cupping it.

Present Day – Paris

Soft squeals of laughter and giggles greeted Jim from the other side of the mahogany door of the cathedral where Amelia and Marcus were having their vow renewal. He raised his hand to knock when the door suddenly burst open to reveal Maria. “Oh! Is it that time already? Mom, it’s time!” she calls to somewhere behind her, stifling a giggle at the response. “Okay, Momma, I’ll tell him!” She turns back to smile at Jim. “She’s almost ready; is Dad getting anxious?”

Jim chuckled. “If you consider anxious pacing back and forth and glaring at his former son in law, then yes, he is,” he told Maria. “But I do have a favor to ask. Can you give me a few minutes alone with your mother? I have something for her that Charlotte wanted me to give to her personally.”

Maria nodded. “Of course, Jim; I’ll just gather up Mercedes, Liz, my sisters and Annie and we’ll be out of your hair in a jiffy,” she says with a smile. She surprised Jim moments later when she steps forward and engulfs him in a fierce embrace. “Thank you, Jim.”

“What are you thanking me for? I haven’t done anything special,” he said with a frown.

“Are you kidding? Just by keeping Max’s, Michael’s, Isabel’s and Tess’ secret, you’re pretty special to us,” she says when she pulls back to look at him. “That took courage, Jim. You made us all believe that we could be brave and that we were full of honor – even if we didn’t believe either of those things. I am sure that the rest of them would thank you as well. If it hadn’t been for you stopping the van that night, none of us would have been able to come back to Roswell. So, yes, you have done something special.”

“Well, then I have to thank you as well. You kids brought Charlotte and I back together and I am the happiest man alive,” he tells her as he pulls her in for another hug. She returns it then turns to her daughter when she gently tugs on the skirt of her expensive bridesmaid’s dress.

“Momma, can I go find Uncle Kyle? PLEASE?” Her chocolate brown eyes were soft and pleading and both Maria & Jim had to laugh as Mercedes leaned on her.

“Of course you can, baby. In fact, why don’t we go find him together with your Aunt Lizzie? Liz, are you almost ready? You can talk to Mom later,” she called back behind her.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” is Liz’s grumbling response. “You’re always in a hurry to go somewhere, aren’t you, Maria…” She pauses when she sees Jim and she smiles at the former sheriff. “Oh. I’m sorry if I was interrupting something.”

Maria waved her comment off. “Jim is actually here to give something to Mom from your Aunt Charlotte,” she tells Liz before grabbing Annie’s baby-seat from her friend’s hand then took Mercedes’ hand and headed off to find her husband, dad and one of her dearest and best friends.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Liz says with a smile before hurriedly rushing after Maria. “Maria! You’re in big trouble!” Jim chuckles at Maria’s soft response before stepping into the bridal suite and smiling at the vision that was Amy as she hummed to herself and admired herself in the mirror.

“You look beautiful,” he finally tells her with a grin.

“I feel beautiful, Jim, and happy and excited and nervous,” she tells him as she slowly turns around to look at him completely.

Author’s Note 2: Although I didn’t want to leave it here, I felt bad because I hadn’t updated in over TWO MONTHS! So this is your update for the new year, I hope y’all enjoy it!!!

keepsmiling7 I’m glad that you were, and I apologize for its shortness. Yes, I’m terrible with those cliffhangers, aren’t I? Yeah, life is plenty busy for a lot of us Roswell fans, but I promise I’ll be around for as long as I post my fan fictions! I’m basing Mercedes’ personality after my niece – with a bigger talkative nature.
Katie

begonia9508 Thanks for stopping in, and yes, it’s better late than never! I had to give Amy a back-story – I think they didn’t give her much of one on the show, so you’ll get to see brief glimpses of hers and Marcus’ life as teenagers and when they were settling down through some of the fan fiction. I think you may be right about that. I’ve never really had that experience, but I’ve seen the ones my sisters have been through and it feels as though I was living that through them.

KATIE

sonia62 I’m glad you’re coming to me with the constant questions, Sonia. No, they are not the same person, and NO, Jacques was just a cover name for Maria’s father, whose real name is actually Marcus DeLuca. He took Jacques as his second identity when he was on the run. All your questions will be answered in time, I promise!

Grace52373 I need the criticism every once in a while, so thank you, Grace. And since we’re at this point in the story, Jacques is actually Marcus. While he was on the run, he picked one identity that his former wife and daughters wouldn’t recognize, living under that identity and in a place where none of his former enemies could find him. I might have a flashback somewhere in this chapter, so be on the lookout!

Previously on All We’d Ever Need:

“I feel beautiful, Jim, and happy and excited and nervous,” she tells him as she slowly turns around to look at him completely.

“I, Amelia Katherine, take thee, Marcus Henry DeLuca, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to honor, obey, cherish and love him for the rest of my days. With this ring, I thee wed,” Amy speaks her vows in a clear voice.

“I, Marcus Henry, take thee, Amelia Katherine Edwards DeLuca, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I promise to honor, obey, cherish and love her for the rest of my days. With this ring, I thee wed,” Marcus repeated in the same clear voice Amy had used just moments earlier.

“I now pronounce that you are man and wife…again,” the minister tells them in his heavy French accent. “You may kiss your bride.”

“Maria! You’re in big trouble!” Liz had hollered after her best friend, stopping at the playful, teasing look in her own husband’s eyes. “No!” She squeals and tries to run back the way she came but he easily caught up with her and scooped her up into his arms, kissing her soundly. “Be careful, Max, you’ll tear my pretty new dress…”

“Uncle Kyle, is Daddy the prince charming that Mommy has always dreamed of?” Mercedes asked her lawman godfather.

“You know, that’s a really good question, Mercedes and do you want to know what I think?” he asked her in a soft voice. She nodded, her eyes sparkling almost as bright as Maria’s did often. “I think your mom would definitely say that your dad is her prince and that their family is their kingdom. That’s what I think.”

Author’s Note: All of the above stuff I left out of Chapter 12 because I felt really bad for not giving you all an update sooner but for the next chapter, we’ll be doing a leap in time, to Mercedes’ birthday party. You’ll also be getting a surprise reappearance of a past character or two at the end but until then, I’m keeping you all in suspense!

P.S. I guess this fan fiction took a bigger part of me than I thought, so I’ll be sticking with it until the very last word!

Chapter Thirteen

January 2013

Roswell, New Mexico

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Mercedes, happy birthday to YOU!” A chorus of party attendees sang – most of them slightly high-pitched and off-key – to the birthday girl as Michael and Kyle carried the large birthday cake her mother, godmother, two aunts and two honorary aunts had worked hard to make earlier that day. Maria, who stood close to her daughter, smiled at how her stubborn ex-husband almost got his ass kicked when he didn’t leave like he was supposed to:

Earlier That Day

Former DeLuca House

“I’m serious, Michael!” Maria squealed in protest when he attempted to kiss her neck as he also tried to walk them both back towards the bedroom. She placed her slim hands on his broad chest – feeling the muscles jump beneath her fingers – and gave him a gentle but still forceful shove backwards, pointedly guiding him towards the front door. “If you don’t get your butt out that door right now, you are going to miss that chance to finally get to know your daughter – and what she likes.”

“Alright, bossy mama, I’m going. I just hope that I won’t regret this later,” he tells her before bestowing a soft, smacking kiss unto her soft lips and turning to flee out the front door before she could admonish him further. The squeals of surprise and excitement that came from Mercedes and the cheers & applause that came from everyone else attending the party as the now 4 year old blew out the candles on the birthday cake had Maria breaking free of her memories to kneel down next to her daughter. “So…what did you wish for, Princess Mercedes?” she asked softly as she let her chin rest on the set of knuckles on her right hand.

“My wish already came true, Queen Maria,” Mercedes replied honestly before looking to her other side to smile at her father as he too knelt down beside his two favorite girls. “Can we open presents now?”

Michael gently slaps the table next to his “princess for a day” daughter and gave her his signature smirk. “I don’t see why not,” he told her as he ignored the pointed glare from his former wife. “Which one do you want to open first, Princess Mercedes?” She pointed to a large, heavy box then came over to unwrap it so he didn’t have to bring it to her. “Alright, let’s open the card first and see who it’s from, okay?” Mercedes giggled and nodded her silent, giddy permission before Michael gently tore the envelope that had been taped onto the top of the wrapped package and opened it, only to find that it wasn’t signed. “Hmm…it doesn’t have a name so let’s save it for last, okay?” His daughter didn’t look satisfied with that answer and looked as if she was about to get angry so he set aside the card before he knelt down in front of her. “Mercedes Charlotte Guerin, don’t you dare start out your birthday party by throwing a temper-tantrum in front of all your guests.”

“It’s from us,” Tess spoke up from where she sat on the armchair, a blanket draped over half of her upper body as she sat breast-feeding her and Kyle’s new baby boy, William Connor Valenti – also called Liam for short. “I asked Charlotte to deliver it yesterday while Maria & Liz went to the grocery store and I didn’t realize either of us hadn’t signed the card until now.” Michael nods briefly at the curly blonde and assists his daughter in tearing away the lilac purple wrapping paper, revealing the box beneath that advertised a dollhouse.

“Thank you, Uncle Kyle and Auntie Tess!” Mercedes squealed gleefully as she ran up to her godfather and hugged him pretty fiercely after the lawman knelt down to accept her thank-you hug.

“You’re very welcome, Princess Mercedes,” Kyle says softly before bestowing an affectionate kiss unto her small forehead. “I’ll help you and your dad set it up later after the party.”

She nodded and rushed back to the table with the small stack of birthday gifts and her dad watched and waited until she picked out another present to help her with it again. “Alright, this one is from Sean & Jenna and the boys,” Michael said after he opened the card before helping Mercedes with unwrapping another present.
As Marcus DeLuca continued to record his only granddaughter’s birthday, he let himself drift into a memory – the one where his beautiful wife gave birth and they were trying to decide on a name for their newborn daughter: “I kind of like Maria for her first name. What do you think, honey?” she had asked as they admired the tiny pink bundle sleeping in her father’s arms.

“It suits her, Amelia. But what should her middle name be?” he asked in reply as she snuggled closer to the warmth of his body. “What was one of the names your grandmother mentioned when we told her after she had that vision of us when she touched your stomach?”

“Gillian,” was Amy’s soft, blunt reply before she tilted her head back to look into the soft, loving eyes of her husband. “But I think Katherine would be so much prettier.”

“Well, I think we should have them both or just one. It’s your decision, Amelia,” Marcus tells her as he kisses her forehead affectionately.

“Maria Gillian DeLuca sounds like a good name for her,” Amy replies, her fingers caressing the skin of her daughter’s small cheek and feeling so very blessed.