CandyliciousLovah: There’s more golf ball mischief to come.
Earth2Mama: Yep, it’s a very important factor.
Kyle and Tess, they’re definitely taking their time and letting things develop at their own pace.
Philip and Diane stepping in have made a big dent in their worry but Max and Liz really want Aaron back home with them. That process is in the works and these recent arrests may just help out.
Natalie36: We’re glad to be back and all of those things are in the works.
keepsmiling7: Thanks!
They’re all so ready for normal to come back to their lives.
L-J-L 76: Thanks! We’ll be getting back to them soon and seeing how they’re doing.
Eva: Things are finally looking up for our group.
Knowing that there are some positive turns really has changed the mood for them and it’s easily visible in their tone and actions.
We’ll be spending more time with Michael and Maria today.
begonia9508: Ah, he was trying to deflect attention from Sam’s remark that Maria kinda looked like Hawk’s ex by mentioning that she was the one in the ad that was shot in his tat studio.
We may catch up with them briefly.
Midnightdreamer: Welcome to our little corner of the world!
Lol, we’re glad that you’ve stuck with TT. Yep, Max and Tess were never intended to make it as a couple in this story. They just kinda had a moment and it passed quickly enough. Now they’re just good friends and they’re both happy with that. Richard and Trent do deserve to be mowed down by a bulldozer… or any other vehicle of choice. Thanks, PTSD is such a problem for vets and there is a huge stigma attached to it. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t more research into it and that there isn’t better treatment for it.
Unfortunately, Courtney won’t get a clue until she’s ready to face what she already knows to be true. Common sense says you don’t go into a relationship with a guy you know deep down has feelings for another girl… but she’s hoping to defy the odds. She has witnessed their relationship and she’s not comfortable with it, that right there is a red flag, but she’s doing her best to ignore it. She wants that closeness with Michael, but she’s blinded herself to the fact that she’s not Maria so she’ll never have that place in his life.
Yes, Trent’s abuse goes so much deeper than bruises. It’s a big part of the reason why it took so long for her to get out.
Power and control are weapons of choice for abusers like Trent, and he knew exactly how to wield them with Liz. Lol, we would’ve loved to see Max go off on him but he’s tried his best to keep it under control for the sake of Liz and Aaron. The little guy sensed right off that Max was one of the good guys and he sure took to him right off, didn’t he? Max does have his issues in this story but he’s got a big heart and he’s fighting to get everything right. Liz has lost a lot of her self confidence thanks to her toxic relationship with Trent, but with the help of her new friends and Max she’ll find her way back from that. Like you said though, it does take time.
We’re pretty sure if Liz’s grandmother back home in Roswell was able to help she would’ve, so there must be some reason she was unable to do so. Liz has never said, but maybe one of these days she’ll reveal why nothing was left to them after the accident. As for the university job, she probably wasn’t able to dedicate the hours necessary after bring Aaron home with her and the job was given to someone who could.
The little guys in this story have some very good guys in their lives. The three of them are a lot of fun to write. Liz has faced a lot of disappointments in the past but like the others, she’s seeing a turn in her luck. Michael is the proverbial bull in the china shop, but his intentions are good, and bringing Liz into their group is something that’ll be good for all of them. Lol, Aaron has no intention whatsoever of letting Max get away. He just knows he’ll be so good for Liz and him. Liz’s job shouldn’t be a reason to take Aaron away from her, but the judge seemed to be biased against them and their situation from the get-go and he didn’t give them much of a chance to plead their case. The therapy he’s insisted on for Max isn’t necessarily a bad thing though.
No, Philip never imagined his boy would end up in the middle of a warzone. His only intentions were to keep his son from ending up in prison, from having a record that would follow him for life. It was a good deal and we think deep down Max knows that. He was coming to grips with that before he ended up going to war, but that set his progress back on that front. Alex will have the help he needs to recover from his ordeal. The relationship Max and Liz have is so good for both of them and Aaron gets a lot of credit for the changes that both of them have gone through, but especially for Max. After all he’s been through, little Aaron’s innocence reached something inside of him that was closed off and shut down after coming home.
Michael does have a hard time recognizing when he’s the one who needs help, but he’s got good people around him who’ll make sure he has the help he needs.
kismet: Those things are all in the works.
The gang is growing and Max’s Army buddies do seem to fit with the group.
sarammlover: Lol, he wasn’t gonna miss that and neither was Maria. Disappointed, yes, but mad at him? Nah, not over this one. Thanks, it’s good to be back!
SmileeUk: Thanks!
Lol, Michael was just not happy to the reference to (or the idea of) blue balls.
We’ll be catching up with the guys very soon.
Alien_Friend: Lol, we can't leave this fic alone for too long, can we?
Our couples all deserve a break from reality and they will get it just in time.
Just believe in the good, lol. PS: Our new fic "The Assassin" is starting today as well!
Part 171
First Date
As expected, the ball missed its goal several inches.
“Um-hmm,” he muttered as he lined up for his next shot. He paused to grin at her before judging the distance between her ball, the border and the hole. With a careful swing he banked off of the border behind her ball, smacked into it, and sent both of them rolling towards home. His mouth dropped open when her ball disappeared into the hole and his balanced right on the rim before stopping.
Maria laughed. “Well, thanks, babe.”
“That doesn’t count,” he grumbled as he walked up to the hole and smacked his inside before leaning over to retrieve both of them.
“For me, it counts.”
He shook his head when she marked it on the scorecard as a point and he rolled his eyes when she put a big fat zero in his box for Hole Two. “That’s okay, you can have that point.” God knows she’d need it.
“Gimme my ball,” she held out her hand when they got to the third course.
He held it out to her but jerked it back at the last second. “What’re you gonna give me?”
Hands on her hips, she glared at him. “Give you?”
“Well, you want something and I think I should get something in exchange. Nothing’s free, Sexy.”
“Nothing’s free?” She tipped her head to one side and studied him. “Not even for me, huh? Gotta remember that next time you ask me for something.”
He just grinned and waited. “C’mon, what’re you gonna give me?”
“Dude, I hope she gives you blue balls,” a teenager muttered as he tapped his putter against the ground in annoyance.
“Randy!”
The kid turned to look at the girl with him. “What? If he thinks he’s gonna score like that he’d better think again.”
The girl rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. “Let’s just skip this hole and go on to the next one.” She glanced apologetically at the man who had been engaged in the teasing conversation with his girlfriend. “If you guys don’t mind if we cut in front of you?”
Michael gestured to the next hole with his putter and shot a look at the teenager when he passed by and shook his head. “See that attitude? Bet he’s not getting any,” he said as he turned his attention back to Maria.
“I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek,” she teased.
“Oh, so this’s a G-rated date.” He nodded and leaned in closer. “I’ll remember that.”
She giggled and gave him a peck on his cheek. “You said it’s okay to take it slow.”
“I can do slow,” he assured her and gestured to the green. “I think it was your turn.”
“It was,” she took the ball from him and went over to place it at the starting spot once more. This course had a little barrier in the middle and you had to guide the ball over a small bridge to reach the hole at the other end. Maria prepared herself and then made her move, following the ball when it started nicely, but dropped on its way halfway over the bridge.
Michael shook his head. They had been playing mini golf since... hell, for as long as he could remember and she wasn’t much better at it now than she had been at the beginning. “I’m never gonna make a golfer out of you, am I?” he asked with an affectionate smirk.
“And I won’t ever make a model out of you.”
“No, but I might be persuaded to pose for you once in a while.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe even do a little striptease.”
She laughed. “I’ll be happy to return the favor.”
He grinned and sent his ball racing over the bridge, fisting the air when it bounced off of the short wall behind the hole before dropping inside. “I’ll be happy to be your audience.”
“You know, I wonder why you chose mini golf for our first date.” She rolled her eyes with a smirk and then went to the next number.
“Well, it wasn’t my first choice.”
“Wonder what the other option was. What else are you better than me at, hmm...?”
“Can’t think of any competition factor in that other option, but I’m not sayin’ what it was. You’re just gonna have to wait.”
“I’m good at waiting.”
“But not so good at mini golf,” he said and made a face when she missed the hole. Again. “Here, look.” He leaned over and placed his ball on the mark and hooked his putter over the sign for the Fourth Hole before taking her hand and tugging her over to stand behind his ball. “You’ve gotta get your stance and swing right otherwise you’re just gonna have the one... two points,” he corrected when she shot a look at him over her shoulder, “that you’ve racked up so far.” He stood right behind her, his front pressed against her back as he covered her hands with his, controlling her swing. “You’ve just gotta kinda move into it,” he breathed as he took a practice swing without actually touching the ball. There wasn’t a lot of movement required with mini golf but he wasn’t complaining. “Take this shot for example. You’ve got the obstacles blocking the hole from two sides and a hill in front of it so either you’re gonna bank off the wall to the right or from behind.” He’d never understand how she could be so good at pool and suck at mini golf. “We’re gonna bank it off the wall on the right and to do that we’ve first gotta get it there, so aim for the left wall, take it over the hill, bounce off of the left wall, connect with the right, and right in the hole. Got it?”
“Didn’t hear a thing you said after obstacles,” she admitted with a smirk.
He shook his head. “Then I guess we’re just gonna have to keep doin’ this until you get it right.”
“This’s gonna be a long night,” she mused and then hit the ball with her putter gently.
“Got nowhere else I wanna be.” He watched the ball race over the hill, hit the left wall, and in a move that he was sure defied logic and physics, made a detour to bounce off of one of the obstacles.
“I guess I’m un-teachable.”
He snorted softly and shook his head. “Doesn’t mean we can’t have fun practicing.”
“Yeah,” she looked over her shoulder at him and detected another pair of players waiting for them to free up the course.
Michael turned to follow her gaze and after a moment he collected their balls and nudged her aside as he gestured to the course. “You guys go ahead.”
“We’re holding people up,” Maria rested her chin on his arm while she looked at him, amused.
“Only if we hog the course and I’m in a generous mood tonight. I said they could take their turn and move on.”
“Tell me about Alex. How are things looking right now?”
“He’ll recover. He’s in the early stages of pneumonia but they started treatment immediately and he was dehydrated. The guy who kidnapped him took a few kicks at him and he has a fractured ankle. All in all it could be a lot worse. Isabel stayed with him so he’s not alone.”
“I’m so glad he’s been found.”
“Yeah, me too.” He nodded at the couple when they finished and moved on to the next course. “Now maybe with him safe we’ll see a few more things fall into place.”
“I like it when you’re positive.”
He gave her a lopsided grin and shrugged. “Well, the guy’s gonna spill his guts first chance he gets. The truth’s gonna come out about Kennedy and Dick, and I figure Dick’s gonna just about knock himself out cooperating so he gets out of this mess with minimal jail time. That’ll knock Evans’ drug case right outta court. Unfortunately it won’t stall out the custody issue, but it will take the other thing off the table and that’ll help their case.”
“I really hope you’re right about all of that.”
“I’m right,” he said confidently. “After that scene at the restaurant and knowin’ that his lackey’s been arrested? Dick has nothin’ to lose. He has no choice but to give it up about Kennedy or face heavier charges.”
“They can both rot in prison for all I care,” she shook her head and placed her ball down on the starting spot once more. “If this ball goes in I’ll walk around naked in Times Square,” she said and sent it off, grinning when it missed.
“That’s a shame and then again it’s not.” Michael chuckled and dropped his ball on the green, nudging it with his foot to bring it back to the mark. “If this one goes in you can walk around naked when we get home.” He swung his putter lightly, sending the ball on the path he’d tried to teach her and grinning when it hit its target. “Looks like you’re gonna be naked.”
“And you think the others will enjoy the view as well?”
“Some of them might.” He retrieved their balls and led the way to the next course. “But we don’t wanna start a riot so we’ll have to contain your nakedness for my eyes only.”
“And how’re we gonna do that?”
He shook his head. “We’ll figure it out.”
Maria chuckled and placed her ball on the mark once more. “If this goes in, I’m gonna make breakfast tomorrow.” She knocked it off extra hard, intending to miss again, but her eyes grew wide when the ball went over the course furiously for a while and then slipped into the hole like it never had been a question it wouldn’t. “Damn.”
“Breakfast, huh?” He dropped his ball on the ground at his feet and nudged it into place. “Ever cooked naked? ‘Cause I’m thinkin’ if I make this shot that’d be a nice incentive to get up early.”
“If you think I’d ever fry bacon naked, then you’re surely mistaken, Guerin. I like my body the way it is... smooth and unburned.”
Of course, he loved bacon and eggs for breakfast and he’d hate to miss out on that. She always got the bacon just right. Crispy bacon or naked Maria? Damn, what a choice to have to make. He laughed and shook his head. “Doesn’t have to be anything fancy.”
“Well, first ya gotta bring that ball in, buddy.”
“Like that’s gonna be a problem.” He lined the hole up, pulled the putter back, and took his swing. But just before it came in contact with the ball a child on one of the courses behind him screamed shrilly in excitement and he misjudged the force behind his swing and the ball hit the hole and bounced right back out. “You can’t count that,” he insisted when he saw her pencil drawing a zero for his point on the scorecard.
“You bet.”
“Then you agree I get a do-over,” he said as he went after the wayward ball.
“Nope. We move on to the next.”
He shot a glare at the family trailing a few courses behind them. He loved kids, but sometimes they just needed to not be so distracting. “Fine.”
“Don’t glare at the poor kid, Michael.”
“Naked breakfast, Maria.”
“Shut up,” she snorted.
“What’s the score?” he asked, certain the way this game was going they had to be about even.
“Three to three. I guess I’m not that bad, huh?”
“Yeah, well, the mini golf gods must be on your side tonight.” He gestured to the course. “Your turn.”
She studied it for a while, looking at it from different angles. “Hmm, so how do you suggest taking it?”
He doubted any of his advice would help her on this one. But then again, she’d surprised him a couple times tonight already. He studied the course and scratched his jaw. “Well...” This one was a little more complex, with barriers, two hills, and a small waterfall. “Bank off of the wall on the right,” he moved forward to tap the bricks. “Hit it right here. This one that has the notch in it. Hit it right there and it’ll bounce over to the rock on the other side of the hole and rebound to hit your goal.”
She did as he had suggested, but the ball went in a totally different direction as soon as it hit the wall. “You’re cheating.”
“I’m not cheating!” he denied. He shook his head at her and snatched up the ball that was now sitting on the wrong side of the course. “Watch me.” He took the shot he had just outlined for her and it sailed across the turf to drop in the hole. “See? That’s exactly what I told you to do.”
“That’s exactly what I told you to do,” she muttered under her breath. “My ass.”
“Wanna see it again?” He dropped his ball on the ground and repeated the shot once more. “If I’m cheatin’ how am I makin’ the shot usin’ the same directions I told you to use?”
“You’re such a mini golf nerd,” she complained and used her ball to throw it at him.
He caught the ball effortlessly and moved to collar her with his right arm, lowering his head to give her a quick kiss. “And yet you still love me.” He winked and handed the ball back to her. “Your shot again.”
“I’m a total mini golf loser.” She made a face but went for it anyway and wasn’t surprised when she missed once more, but at least the ball went close to the rim this time.
“Aww,” he said and then grinned at her. “We could always head over to the go cart track. You’ve always been damn good at that.”
“I was indeed,” she grinned, remembering the last time they had hit a track and she had managed to beat him almost every time. Of course, he had blamed the carts for it, but still... she had rocked it.
“So mini golf’s not your greatest strength.” He tried not to laugh when she took her next shot and managed to hit the hill too hard and launched the ball right out of the course and into the next one.
“Sorry,” Maria muttered when the people there glared at her.
“Ya know what? It’s alright, folks. She just gets a little spastic when she’s off her meds.” He grinned as he jogged over to retrieve the ball.
She stared at him in disbelief. “You did not just say that, CB!”
“I did.” He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked at her. “Gonna do somethin’ about it?”
She walked over and stood right in front of him with their bodies almost touching. “Not immediately.”
His gaze traced over her features. “That a threat?”
She smirked. “That’s a promise, Guerin.”
“Then I look forward to it.” He glanced over her shoulder when someone cleared their throat. “Guess we’d better move on.”
“I’m curious if you’ll still think that later.” Maria grinned to herself and then moved on.
He frowned as he followed her. “Why?”
“Just sayin’. I have my ways of punishing you, ya know? And maybe then you’ll wish you would’ve just shut up.”
That made him snort. “You wouldn’t want anything to do with me if I was content to behave all the time.”
“An’ you wouldn’t want me if I didn’t react to it.”
He chuckled and took his next shot. “You couldn’t be more right.”
“And that’s where we agree.” She grinned at him but it fell when his next ball went straight to the hole. “The hell with mini golf. I saw an ad for an outdoor movie. Let’s go there.”
“What? You wanna quit in the middle of the game?”
“Problem?”
“Well, no...” He glanced over the rest of the course. “I guess a movie’s cool. It’s not some chick flick is it?”
“No clue. Didn’t get the chance to check.”
“Alright, let’s go see what’s playin’.”
“If it’s just some bull we’ll find something else to do.”
He laughed as they wound their way back to the rental counter and turned the equipment over to the bored looking girl sitting there. “Well,” he hooked his arm around Maria’s shoulders as they headed back out to the car, “we’ve never had a problem findin’ somethin’ to do.”
“No, and we just extended our possibilities.”
“How’s that?” He opened the car door for her and waited, one hand resting on the roof as she stood between him and the car.
“Well, we’re not limited to just friendly things only anymore.”
“Uh-huh, and what could we do that’s outside the friend zone?”
“If I really need to answer that question then I think we don’t know each other at all,” she snorted.
Oh. She wasn’t talking about places they could go. Right, he knew that. “I think we’re gonna be getting to know each other a lot better on certain levels.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, her gaze dropping to his lips.
She was temptation in the flesh and his resistance was at an all time low where she was concerned. He leaned in closer to her. “Y’know,” he murmured against her lips, “I’ve got the big screen at my place and more movie channels than I know what to do with.”
“And you have no roommates at the moment.”
“Nope.”
“Did you get rid of my extra pair of sleeping shorts when Courtney came into picture or are they still there?” She had slept countless times at his place but it seemed like a lifetime ago.
“Why would I get rid of them?” He kissed her again. “And who says you’re gonna need them?”
“Let’s go then.” She shivered.
He helped her into the car and shut the door before hurrying around to his side and sliding in behind the wheel. Her place was a lot closer than his, but he wasn’t about to complain.
Maria walked into the apartment, throwing the keys on the little cabinet next to the front door and kicked her shoes off at the same time as Loco shot out of Michael’s room towards her. She chuckled and cradled the pet in her arm, walking with it through the living room. “You haven’t been getting a lot of love lately, huh? But that’s going to change. I’m planning on spending a lot of time here now.” She set him down on the ground again and threw a small plastic ball across the floor. Loco took off after it quickly.
“The cleaning lady did a good job, huh?” she mused aloud with a snort and went to the kitchen for some drinks.
There were several kinds of beer stocked in the refrigerator as well as a lot of semi-healthy food. “An’ I see he paid her extra to go shopping.”
“Talking to yourself?” he asked as he walked in after squeezing into a tiny parking space since some idiot had taken his.
“I was just wondering what ya did to make your cleaning lady go grocery shopping as well.” She pulled two beers from the refrigerator and bumped it closed with her hip.
“She usually does the shopping. We just leave a list for her and I tip the doorman to have someone bring it up for her.” He made a face at a few of the items in the pantry when he opened it up to look inside. “Of course, she has a tendency to add things that she thinks we should be eating.”
“The woman deserves some credit for putting up with you two dickheads for so long already.”
“Hey, we pay her damn good for her services and she gets extra for doin’ the shoppin’.” He grimaced as he glanced around the apartment. He’d paid her double her usual rate to clean the apartment this time though.
“I wouldn’t want to clean your mess.”
“Hey, I’m not that bad,” he defended himself.
“You mostly aren’t,” she agreed. “But from now on ya gotta clean up behind yourself.” Maria smiled at him sweetly.
“I usually do. Well, kinda.”
“Uh-huh,” she pressed the beer into his hand.
He accepted the bottle and took a long drink, glancing down when tiny claws scratched at the leg of his jeans. He bent over to give the ferret some attention but before he could touch him Loco ran over to his bowl, jumping in it and then back out several times. He shook his head and grabbed the animal’s food, carrying it over and filling the bowl. Loco chirped happily before shoving his face in the bowl and scattering food all over the floor. “I’m not the only slob that lives here.”
“Poor Loco probably hasn’t had anything to eat in days.”
“I do make sure he’s fed and watered and cleaned up after regularly, Maria,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You know how dramatic he is about food.”
“Must be something in the water here.” She grinned and took a sip of her beer while leaning her back against the counter next to Michael.
He took another drink of his beer and glanced at the big screen television and the entertainment center bordering it. The equipment was all polished to a high shine, just waiting to be used. “So, you um, you wanna watch a movie?”
“Do you?”
“If you want me to be completely honest, no.” He shrugged and shot a grin at her. He also didn’t want to move too fast and screw things up. “I mean, I’m good with a movie if you wanna watch somethin’. I can always distract you. I’m good at that.”
“I want you to be completely honest,” she nodded and set the beer aside on the counter. “So tell me what ya have in mind.”
He stared at her, his expression completely serious. “Don’t let me fuck this up.”
She frowned. “What makes you think you would?”
“I just don’t wanna move too fast and screw it up before it even gets started.” He inhaled deeply and slowly released the breath. He didn’t wanna bring Courtney up right in the middle of their first date but he couldn’t just shut out the fact that he’d pushed ahead with things because he was trying so hard to make it work and it’d blown up in his face and he’d hurt her in the process. “I’m more than ready to take you straight to bed. Give me the right look or say the right thing and we’re there, but if it’s too fast...” he shook his head. “Is it too fast?”
She smiled at his worry – an unnecessary worry – and hopped up to sit on the counter. “Is it too fast?” she echoed his question and brought a hand to his chest before grabbing his collar. “I think we’re already ahead of any normal couple. We’ve had years of foreplay and getting to know each other. What else is there to know before we have sex?”
His hands settled at her waist as he considered her words but all of those thoughts fled the moment he realized their positions. “Wasn’t that long ago we were right here.” One hand dropped to her thigh and moved over her skin in a repetitive motion. “I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else and I knew I couldn’t have you.”
“Now you have me,” she said, leaning back and resting her weight on her hands while she studied his face.
“It’s kinda like stickin’ a man who hasn’t eaten in a week in front of an all-you-can-eat buffet,” he murmured as his heated gaze moved over her. Leaning back as she was brought more attention to her breasts and he snorted softly at her recent comment that there wasn’t much there.
“What’s on your mind now, Guerin?”
