Roswell Fanatics

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

begonia9508: Thanks!

Believe it… ‘cause he did! Well, the beach house belongs to Kyle’s parents, but we’ll see how well this last-minute addition goes over with the others.

The little guys should have lots of fun.

Earth2Mama: You just never know…

Lol, well, we’ll see what happens with Maria and Tony.

Oh, wouldn’t that be interesting to have Tony point that out?

Think we’re in for a hurricane, huh? We’ll see.

Ilonka.Green: Thanks! We’ll be getting to the beach with this update.

Eva: Michael, well… he’s not thinking with the head on his shoulders, that’s for sure.

In a few chapters… we’ll be asking.

Rodney: Well, technically, there’s no reason why Michael shouldn’t invite her, lol.

Kyle isn’t likely to have any problems with the last-minute invitation.

Interesting prediction for the Maria/Tony flirtation… you just never know.

Lol, well, we never know what these characters will do.

Alien_Friend: Oh, you just never know what might be revealed with this addition to the beach weekend.

Max and Liz are slowly trying to find solid ground. Aaron, he’s gonna have a great time.

Cody doesn’t understand why Michael isn’t there. Maria probably does believe that although she may feel some doubts start to creep in over time. Nothing wrong with dreaming, lol.

sarammlover: Really… he really did. Michael’s being stubborn and for the moment at least he isn’t cooperating and allowing us to fix it.

keepsmiling7: Thanks!

Ups and downs, coming right up!

Aaron is enamored of Max and if he has anything to say about it his sister will like Max as much as he does, lol.

We’ll have to wait and see what Liz packed. She hasn’t revealed anything yet.

Liz may not immediately open up to other options, but Max will keep pushing.

mary mary: Lol, another vote for Courtney and Tony.

Cardinal: Ah, yes… beach weekend will indeed be quite momentous for some of our characters. It is quite possible that an epiphany will be coming soon.

So, did you decide which of the guys you’d like to see unleashed on Richard?




Part 51

Children and Fools Tell the Truth

Michael glanced in the rearview mirror to check on Chase as he stopped at a traffic light a couple of blocks from Courtney’s apartment. The little boy had decided to go quiet on him when it had become apparent that they weren’t going to go pick up Maria and Cody in spite of his arguments. “C’mon, little man, it won’t be long before we get to the beach house and you’ll see Cody.”

His nephew shrugged and focused his attention on the stuffed animal he was holding. “I wish we was there now,” he mumbled.

“Hey, Kyle’s bringin’ Leo.”

“His doggy?” Chase asked with interest. “I want a doggy but Mommy said not till we got a house.”

“You’ll get your dog one of these days, Chase.” He shifted the car into gear and moved through the light when it turned green. He turned the corner and he grinned when he saw Courtney walking down the steps to the sidewalk in front of her building.

Her heart did a little flip flop when Michael parked the car at the curb in front of her building. He had just sent her a little message that he would stop by in a few minutes and she had no clue why, since he was about to leave for the weekend. “What’re you doin’ here?” she asked happily when he opened the door and pulled his sunglasses lower on his nose to look at her with a smirk.

Michael rested one arm on the roof of his car as his gaze swept over her bare legs, nicely encased in short jean shorts. “Nice outfit.”

She glanced down at herself. “Oh, well, I was just relaxing, ya know…” Damn, should she have changed? But there had practically been no time between his message and his arrival.

“Hell, if ya look like this while you’re only relaxing I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

She started to reply when suddenly the backseat window was rolled down abruptly and a little boy stuck his head out as much as the car seat restraint would allow. “You are not M’ria and you don’t have a dog.”

Courtney looked at the boy, confused. “Um, well,” her gaze swept to Michael for help.

“Courtney, this’s my nephew, Chase.” He reached in through the open window to ruffle the little boy’s hair. “Hey, show the lady you’ve got some manners. Say hi.”

Chase ducked out from under his uncle’s hand and pushed it away. “We gotta go, Uncle Mike.” Why was he talking to some dumb ol’ girl anyway?

“He says hi,” Michael said with a roll of his eyes.

“Hello to you too, Chase,” Courtney said with a smile.

The little boy made a face and looked around, reaching over for his backpack and unzipping it. He pulled out one of the toys Mommy had let him bring with him and he pressed the button on the back of it, smiling when it lit up and made growling sounds.

She winced at the noise and shook her head. “You’re gonna be listening to that for the next hour, huh?”

“He’ll settle down after a while.” Michael laughed. “Probably about the time we pull up to the beach house.” He scratched the back of his neck. “So, you ever make any plans for the weekend?”

“Nothing more than watching some new movies and talking to some friends back home on the phone. New York can be very lonely when you’re new in town and all alone, ya know?” She walked over to him and bumped his side with her hip.

He snorted and reached out to pull her against him before she could back off again. “How fast can you pack?” His lips met hers in a tender but teasing manner before she could answer.

Chase watched his uncle and made a gagging sound when he saw him kissing the girl who wasn’t Maria.

“Huh?” Courtney asked when Michael pulled his mouth away again.

“Wanna come with me to the beach?”

“Do I wanna…” she started in surprise and then a big smile appeared on her lips. “You’re sure?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, why not? There’s enough space and my room has a king size bed.” His eyebrows waggled up and down.

“Give me about 15 minutes to throw some things together?”

“Take your time.” He glanced at his nephew when Chase sighed loudly. “Of course, if you can be ready in 15 that’d be awesome.”

“You guys wanna come inside?”

“Nah, he’s already settled in the car and he’s a little bit pissy about not ridin’ out to the beach with Cody, so we’ll just wait here.”

“Okay.” Courtney gave him a quick kiss and turned to run back inside. She couldn’t believe he had asked her to go with him for a weekend where he would be around his family and friends! She really hadn’t expected anything like this so soon.

Michael leaned over to brace his forearms on the open window and he reached in to poke the little boy. “Hey, what’s up with this attitude, little man?”

“It’s boring,” Chase complained and kicked the seat again. “I wanna go to see Cody.” Tears welled up in his eyes and spilled over.

The older man sighed and opened the door of the car to crouch down in front of the boy. “We’ll be there in no time.”

Chase ignored him and went on crying, his breath heavy and halting. “M… M-ommy.”

Great, Michael thought, perfect way to start a weekend. He should’ve known that his little nephew would make a drama out of it. He glanced around and smiled when he saw the little ice cream stand on the other side of the street. “Alright,” he leaned in the car to unfasten the seatbelt and cradled the boy up against him. “How about I buy you some ice cream and you promise to be a good boy until we reach the beach?”

The boy’s tears stopped immediately when he looked across the street and noticed the little hut shaped like a huge ice cream cone. “Can I get chocolate on it too?” he asked, amazed.

Michael grinned knowingly. It was so easy to bribe the kid with ice cream. Hopefully Ava wouldn’t find out that he’d bought it only a few minutes after leaving home.

“Uncle Mike?” Chase asked a few minutes later.

He looked at the little boy, now placated with ice cream and making a mess of himself. He dug around in the bag Ava had sent with him knowing somewhere inside would be a bucket of wet wipes. After having Chase she never went anywhere without them. “What?”

“How come that girl’s goin’ with us?”

Michael paused in his digging to look at his nephew, absentmindedly wondering how he’d managed to get the chocolate sauce all over his face so quickly. “Uncle Mike likes her, little man.”

“Don’t you like Maria no more?”

“What? Of course I like Maria.” He scratched his head and went back to searching for the wet wipes. Where did kids get these questions? “Guys like girls in different ways, Chase.”

He wrinkled his nose and started eating his ice cream again. “Is it like you like Gramma?”

Michael winced. Neither Maria nor Courtney should be ever compared to his mom! “You’ll understand when you’re older, buddy.” Hopefully the kid would give up on the subject soon.

“When?”

“Sooner than you think,” he said and wiped the little boy’s face to get rid of the chocolate before he spilled it over his cheeks again.

“I like Maria more.”

“You don’t even know Courtney yet.”

Chase shrugged and concentrated on his ice cream again. The day hadn’t gone the way he wanted it to and it still wasn’t going the way he wanted.

“Hey,” Michael tipped the little boy’s chin up. “You will be nice to her, understand me?”

“Okayyyyyy,” Chase dragged out with a long breath.

He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face as he leaned back against the side of the Avalanche. Of course his nephew would pick today of all days to show his little ass. He shook his head and snorted at that thought. It was probably to be expected since this was the first time he’d ever invited a girl to come along on an outing when his family was going to be there. He just hoped this wasn’t a foreshadowing of the other’s reactions.

“I don’t think I’ve ever packed so fast,” Courtney said as she came out of the building carrying a half-full bag packed with her stuff.

Michael nodded, impressed that she was only carrying a single bag. He knew there was no way either of his sisters would be bringing only one bag each. “You travel pretty light,” he said with a grin.

“You said beach, right? So I guess the main thing I need this weekend is a bathing suit and a towel.”

“I definitely said beach.” He took her bag and leaned over his nephew to put it inside. “And I can’t wait to see the bathing suit,” he said as he faced her again.

“Ditto,” she winked at him. Michael in only his trunks… must be a good view.

He opened the passengers’ side door for her and leaned against it. “What makes you think I wear anything to swim?”

“You don’t? Well, even better.”

He shrugged one shoulder and grinned as his gaze moved over her. “You should try it.”

“Uncle Mike, we gotta go now,” Chase whined.

Michael sighed and glanced at his nephew. “Alright kid, we’re goin’ now.”

“He’s certainly got a one-track mind, doesn’t he?” Courtney said with a smile.

“I guess all kids do. It’s gonna be a fun weekend.”

She chuckled as she slid into the seat, taking the opportunity to brush up against him. “I think you’re right.”

Hell, he couldn’t wait to finally get her naked and in his bed. She wouldn’t put him on hold the whole weekend, would she? “I’m normally right,” he teased and leaned in to take her lips in a short but hot kiss while he started the engine.

“I’m sure that’s true,” she said while rolling her eyes.

****

“You’re gonna love the cabin. It has everything for summer and winter,” Maria told Tony when they left the highway in the direction of their destination. “Beach and the ocean to cool off or the hot tub to get warm when it’s cold.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s a chick magnet and I’m sure it won’t take long until the neighbor’s daughters get active and come over to drool over you guys.”

He snorted and checked Cody in the rearview mirror. The little boy had slept in a few miles ago and smiled in his sleep. “Uh-huh. No problem for you to distract Kyle, I’m sure.”

“Oh, well, we broke up or whatever you wanna call it.”

“You did?” Tony asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” she shrugged.

“Why?”

“It was time to move on,” she lied, not really interested in revealing Kyle’s real reasons because they still made no sense to her. “We knew it would lead to nothing in the end and we decided it was time to get over it again.”

“Any problems between you now?” he asked skeptically.

“No, we’re friends and that’s all we ever were. I’m totally okay with it and so is he.”

“So does that kinda put an end to the friends rule?” he asked, smirking without looking at her.

“Definitely,” she laughed, knowing what he meant. She glanced over her shoulder to check on Cody when she heard him waking up.

He turned to look at her to say something, but at that moment she pointed at a small street. “That way.”

Tony’s mouth dropped open when Maria directed him to turn into the driveway of a house that couldn’t possibly be listed as a beach house. “Are you sure you got the address right?”

“Relax, Tony, I’ve been here before,” Maria said, laughing at his reaction. Her jaw had hit the floor the first time she had been out here too. “This is where the wealthy come to play, my friend.”

“Obviously. I mean, my family’s pretty well off, but certainly not on this scale.” He pulled up in front of the attached three-car garage and shifted into park. “Maria, this place is huge!” he said as he got out.

Maria chuckled and got out to release Cody from his car seat before setting the little boy on the ground and turning to follow him when he ran after Tony. She found them around back, walking along the wide deck that ran the length of the house. Stairs at the end led to the upper deck and she smirked when Tony leaned back against the railing to look up at it. He turned to point at the pristine beach that was surprisingly not packed with sunbathing bodies.

“Private beach too?”

She snorted and nodded. “Of course. There are neighbors who will show up but it’s not public so that keeps the foot traffic down.” She pointed back at the house. “The way they had it built you can see the ocean from three sides. It’s pretty incredible.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Jeez, when Valenti suggested hangin’ out for the weekend at his parents’ beach house I figured most of us would be sackin’ out on the floor.”

“Seven bedrooms, six bathrooms. Sleeping on the floor’s optional.” Her gaze shifted back to her brother and she smiled when he carefully made his way down the steps at the end of the deck to step down into the warm sand. He crouched down and put his hands together, scooping up a handful of the soft sand.

“Will we see dolphins this time?” he asked, his excited voice a little breathless.

Maria looked out at the ocean. “We might.” She turned her head when she heard a car door shut.

“Sounds like we’ve got company,” Tony said.

“Too bad”, she teased and took a few steps so she could see who it was.

Max got out of the jeep and walked around to give Liz a hand. They had been making good time, missing the worst of the early evening traffic when Aaron had suddenly been hit with a major case of motion sickness and they’d had to stop. Twice. “You sure he’s okay?” he asked when she leaned in to start unbuckling the little boy.

“Yeah,” she said quietly because the boy had just drifted off to sleep. “He’s just not used to long drives.”

“Somebody’s already here so why don’t I go find out where we can put him down. Maybe he’ll sleep the worst of it off.”

“Sure, you can do that,” she agreed.

Max glanced at the Escalade parked in front of the Jeep, running through the vehicles his friends drove. He knew it wasn’t Michael, Kyle, or Isabel, so that meant it had to be Tony. “I’ll be right back,” he said, letting his hand trail over her back as he passed her.

She shivered from his light touch but tried to push the thoughts away while she tried to get Aaron out of his seat without waking him up.

Max rounded the corner of the house and nearly ran into Tony. “Hey, man, how’s it goin’? You guys already got the place opened up and scoped out?”

“No, we just got here like half a minute ago.”

“Then let’s get a move on. I’ve got a kid who’s finally sleepin’ after getting sick twice and we need a place to put him down for a while.”

“You’ve got a kid?” Tony teased, amused. It was fascinating how Evans had gone from hating the waitress to taking care of her and the child in little more than a heartbeat.

Max glared at him. “You wanna get a move on before I bring him over and let him blow chow all over you?”

“Relax Maxie-Max,” Maria squeezed his shoulder. “I’ve got the perfect room for Liz and Aaron. There’s a bedroom downstairs with a small bed and a smaller room attached with a kid’s bed.”

“Hey, Maria. Thanks. I’m gonna go grab the bags and send Liz around.”

“Sure,” she smiled and waited until he went back to his car, before she turned to Tony and rolled her eyes. “He’s totally whipped. He didn’t even complain about his nickname.”

“If I was him I’d completely ignore that too.” He snorted. “Maxie-Max. You know he’d slug anyone else who called him that.”

“Any doubts I’m special?” she asked laughing and disappeared into the house after unlocking the door.

Cody ran up the steps and smiled at Tony when he turned and caught him, lifting him up and setting him down on the deck.

“Hey, buddy, Aaron’s here.”

“Aaron?” the little boy asked, a moment of confusion washing over his face before he remembered the boy from the hospital and he smiled.

“Yeah, but I think the little guy might need a little time to recover before you two can go down to the beach and hang out.”

“That’s okay,” Cody nodded and leaned his head against Tony’s shoulder. “I need to rest sometimes too,” he explained and pressed his little hand against the older man’s chest where his heart was to show why.

Tony patted his back. “Yeah, I know, buddy. One of these days you’re gonna outrun us all though.”

“Mike says that too,” he smiled.

“Must be true then, huh?”

“Hey,” Liz greeted quietly when she came up to join Tony, Aaron half-asleep in her arms.

“How’s it goin’?” Tony asked quietly. “You need anything for him? Maybe a Sprite or somethin’ to settle his stomach?”

“No, I think he just needs to sleep a bit.”

He nodded and motioned to the wide double doors mid-deck. “Just go in through there, Maria’s already inside getting the room ready. Past the living room, take a right in the hall.” Which he only knew because there were windows everywhere and he had been watching her.

“Alright,” she nodded and went into the house.

Cody lifted his head to look at Tony. “Can we go to the beach?”

“Sure, but maybe we should take our shoes off first, huh? I don’t like getting sand in my shoes... what about you?” he asked as he sat on the top step with the little boy in his lap.

“Yeah, let’s take the shoes off,” he babbled.

“Okay.” He kicked his shoes off and stuffed his socks in them before untying Cody’s shoes and repeating the process. He placed their shoes on the deck, out of the way, and stood up again. “Let’s go check out the beach.”

“Otay,” Cody grasped Tony’s hand with both hands.

“You ever find a starfish? I’ve got a couple that I’ve found. Even found a seahorse skeleton once.”

“A seahorse?” the little boy asked, amazed.

“Yup, got it at home. It’s pretty cool.”

“Can you show me?”

“Sure, next time I come by I’ll bring it. Did you know seahorses don’t have any teeth?”

Cody frowned. “No teeth?”

“Nope, not a single one. They have to eat all the time to stay alive.” He looked down at the little boy. “Do you have any fish at home?”

“I’ve got a shark poster. It’s sooooo big,” Cody lifted his arms to the sky and as far away from his body as possible.

“You’re into sharks, huh?”

“Mike and me go to the ‘quarium,” he glanced back at the house. “Maria too sometimes, but she is scared of them.”

“Scared of the sharks?” Tony asked with a smirk.

“Yeah, Mike or me have to hold her hand when we go there,” he whispered.

“Really?” He chuckled and rested his hand on Cody’s back to keep him from wandering off. “Guess it’s good she’s got you there to keep her safe, huh?”

“Girls need boys,” Cody said matter-of-factly.

Tony nodded in agreement. “Think boys need girls too?”

“Hm…” the boy chewed on his lips. Mike had never said anything like that.

“Gotta think about that one, huh?”

“Do they?”

“Yeah, I think so. Girls make pretty good friends and then sometimes there’s that one special girl.”

“Do you know a special girl?” the boy asked curiously while they sat down on the beach.

“I’ve known a few in my time,” he answered with a nod.

“Known?” The boy frowned. “Did they die?”

Tony laughed and shook his head. “No, nothin’ that dramatic. They’ve just moved on.”

“Is Maria special for you?”

“Your sister’s pretty special.” He leaned back and planted his hands in the soft sand. “What d’you think?”

“She’s the best sister in the world,” Cody agreed.

He dropped his head back to look up at the sky. “Yeah, she loves you a lot, buddy.”

“I love her too,” Cody mimicked the man’s move and looked up as well. “I think Mike loves her too.”

“Think so?”

“Yeah, but he says they won’t get married,” the kid tried to remember what the man in question had told him not that long ago.

Tony made a quiet sound before glancing at his little companion. It amazed him how intuitive kids were. “Would you like it if they did?”

The boy shrugged. “I don’t know.” He looked at Tony. “They don’t kiss the way they should kiss, that’s what they say.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Cody rolled himself onto his stomach, his clothes covered with sand. “Kyle and Maria kiss, but they won’t get married neither,” he thought out loud. “I don’t understand that.”

“I’m not sure any of us really understands that one, buddy.” Tony rolled onto his side and propped his chin in his hand. “How are you at buildin’ sand castles?” he asked, deciding it was time to derail this topic before it moved into territory he had no knowledge of navigating.

“He’s very good at it,” Maria said, when the last of their conversation carried to her. She walked over to them, sandals in her hand and her long blonde hair flying in the slight warm wind.

“Awesome, we’ll have to do that. I’m pretty good with ‘em too.” He lifted his gaze to her and smiled. “You get everyone settled in so far?”

“Yep.” She sat down in the sand next to them. “You better pick the bedroom you want before the rest of the gang gets here. The two locked rooms belong to Kyle and Michael, so we have no chance to snag the best rooms. Bastards.”

“Guess that means one of them must’ve come by earlier.” He grinned at her and shrugged. “Got a room open close to yours?”

She grinned when he gave the answer she had hoped for. “Well, there happens to be one right next door.”

“Guess I’d better run up and stake a claim on it then because I’m sure we’ll have more company before long. Direct me,” he said as he reached over to brush a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

“The hallway on the right, go to the end, and there’re two rooms on the left.”

“You put Liz up at that end too?” he asked curiously.

“No, that’s at the other end.”

“And Evans?”

“He just took the room next to hers, surprise, surprise.”

He snorted and got up when he heard car doors slamming shut. “Okay, I’d better get movin’ before someone grabs my room.”

She smiled and stood up to get rid of her tank top, just to reveal her olive colored bikini top. “Hurry.”

“Yeah, hurry, Tony, ‘cause we can build a sand castle when you come back,” Cody called after him when he got up and hurried up to the house. “He’s got a seahorse skeleton, Maria, an’ he’s gonna let me see it!”

“Really?” She lifted her brother up onto his feet to help him out of his pants and tee shirt. “That’s pretty cool huh?”

“Yeah, I like Tony. Do you like him a lot, Maria?”

“I do,” she nodded and remembered the talk with her Mom earlier. Tony had bonded pretty fast with Cody, which was just amazing. Could there be any more between them?

Cody played with the sand for a few minutes before looking up at his sister. “Do you like him more than Mike?”

She chuckled. “You’re asking too many questions, young man.”

He made a face at her and then giggled as he turned to look up at the house when he heard familiar voices. “Mike an’ Chase are here!” he shouted and got to his feet to wave his little friend over. He frowned when Michael came around the corner of the house behind Chase and he saw some girl with him. “Mike brought a girl!”

“What?” Maria asked, confused as she turned as well. She was sure the shock was written all over her face when she saw Courtney on the deck next to Michael.

mary mary We have a feeling… and an outline, that suggest he will end up with a nice one.

Natalie36: That’s what we’re counting on.

secretk: It is normal that a guy would want to invite his girlfriend on a weekend trip… but no one’s expecting this to happen, lol.

No, Courtney isn’t a bitch… and yes as Candies, that can be a challenge, lol. However, the little guys make up for it.

Tony’s a really good guy.

We are seeing some definite thawing between Max and Liz.

We’ll see how Kyle & Tess and Isabel & Alex make it to the beach house in this part.

Eva: The little guys are something else, aren’t they? Unlike adults, they say what they mean and mean what they say.

begonia9508: Thanks!

The weekend will have its tough moments, but there will also be a lot of fun as well.

Healerfan: Thanks!

There’s quite a bit to happen over beach weekend.

Earth2Mama: Lol, oh, we’ll see what happens over the weekend.

sarammlover: Yeah, he’s taken that step so it only makes sense that he’d invite her along… even though he’s making life difficult for the Candies. Chase is an opinionated little guy and he’s not ashamed to let people know what he thinks. Tony is a sweetheart and we just love him too. Hmm… well, we checked the outline and while we do see resolution for Tony before the end of the fic… her name is… oops, we can’t reveal that just yet!

morethenwords122: We’ll have to wait and see if the gang can keep those comments to themselves around Courtney. She’s not the enemy and she just wants to be with the guy she likes. Alex/Isabel and Kyle/Tess will be making their arrival in this part.

HypnotiqBlueEyes: Lol, no, Michael didn’t give a whole lot of thought to their reactions. Max and Liz… well, things are thawing between them and if Max has his way that warming trend will continue. Nah, Max and Tess ended things in a recent part because he was hoping the weekend would allow something to develop between him and Liz.

keepsmiling7: The poor little guy isn’t getting off to a great start but it’ll get better for him.

Yeah, we all wanna hear more about that!

Cardinal: Max and Tess did put an end to things.

Tony is a very smart man and you could be right about him.

killjoy: Lol, as soon as Maria figures out the answer to that question she’ll get back to you.

That’s what Max is hoping for.

Well, we’ll catch up with Kyle and Tess in this part but um… it’s probably not what you’re hoping for, lol.

Alien_Friend: That’s the great thing about the little guys – they say exactly what they think. They’re honest to a fault. Count on the little guys keeping it real, lol.

Hard to resist a protective Max.

We’ll see how things go for Tony and Maria.


Part 52


Man’s Best Friend


“Who’s she?” Cody asked as he leaned against Maria’s shoulder.

“Well,” she sighed, “that’s his girlfriend.”

He shook his head in denial. “Huh-uh, he don’t got no girlfriend. Mike never brings no girls.” He crossed his arms over his chest and kicked the sand. “I don’t like her.”

“Ah, c’mon, you don’t even know her. She’s not that bad.” It was still a shock that he had brought her, but she was sure it would be fine.

He bit his bottom lip as he searched his sister’s features. “You like her?”

Maria nodded, but the nod didn’t come all that naturally this time. “She works with me. You’ll see, she’s nice.”

“Can I go play with Chase?”

“Sure, but first we’re gonna put some sun block on you.”

“Do we gotta?”

“Um-hmm, and no complaints about it.”

He huffed impatiently and moved back a couple of steps. “Okay.”

“Maybe Chase needs some too, huh?” She waved at the people up on the deck. “Hey, CB, bring the kid down for sun block.”

Michael scooped Chase up in his arms, tickling the little boy. “C’mon, little gremlin, let’s get you coated down with some sun block so you can go play.”

“Hey, little man,” Maria smiled and took Chase from Michael to hug him. “How was the ride?”

“Boooring,” the kid complained immediately. “Mike had to go to pick some girl up,” he sighed deeply. “She’s not as cool as you, M’ria.”

Michael groaned. “He’s been like this the whole time.” He leaned forward to kiss his best friend’s cheek. “You aren’t mad I dropped you on Tony, are you?” He checked carefully and bent down to hug Cody, who was already clutching his leg.

“No, I’m not mad. I would’ve been mad if you’d dumped me on Isabel, but Tony, hell no,” she teased.

He snorted and looked at Cody. “You okay with it, too?”

“He’s got a seahorse at home and he wants to show me,” the kid babbled instead of answering the questions and held Michael’s tee shirt tightly in both fists.

“Means yes, they got along pretty well,” Maria said, amused.

Michael nodded, relieved. “Good.”

“So you brought company?” his best friend asked before she could stop herself.

“Yeah,” he glanced up at her. “That’s okay?”

She shrugged. “Sure, you’re the one who told me to keep it a secret for now.”

“I know…” he looked back at the girl on the deck. “They’ll know soon anyway, right? So, I thought, why not now?”

“Don’t you like Maria no more?” Cody asked. He couldn’t help it. It was weird that his friend had brought someone else other than his sister.

Michael snorted. “How could I ever not like her, huh?” He reached out to pull Maria into a tight hug, squeezing her to show just how much he liked her.

The boy giggled and ran over to them to get in between them. When Chase saw them, he mimicked the move and ran towards them too.

“Alright,” Maria shouted breathlessly, “you’re all squeezing me.” She laughed when they finally let go and she grabbed the sun block from the ground. “Alright, little buddies, show me your backs.”

“You can handle them for a while?” Michael asked.

“Sure, go help your girlfriend,” she said, dragging the last word out to tease him before she turned to the kids to put sun block on their little bodies. She was about to wipe the last bit of cream on Chase’s face when her attention was pulled away suddenly. “Hello,” she mumbled under her breath when Tony appeared back on deck, wearing just his trunks now.

“M’ria,” the little boy complained when she accidently brushed her lotion-covered hand over his mouth.

“Oops,” she laughed when the boy made a face. “Sorry. You’re ready.”

“Let’s go then,” Cody said impatiently and both kids took off to play in the sand.

“Hey, and who’s gonna put some lotion on me now?” she complained, but smiled when she watched her brother and Chase together.

Tony stepped down off of the deck and nodded at Michael to get his attention. “Got a sec?”

“Sure, what’s up?” he asked as he moved to stand beside the other man.

“Maria…”

Michael turned his head to look at her, smirking when she made a face at the tube of sun block in her hands. “Yeah? What about ‘er?”

“You cool with it if we hang out?”

“You an’ Maria?” He shrugged. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be cool with it?”

Tony shook his head. “Just checkin’.” He motioned to the woman waiting on the deck. “She with you?”

“Yeah, we’re together.” He narrowed his eyes as he waited to see if Tony was going to bust his balls over that statement.

“Cool. I’m gonna go hang with a certain cute little blonde that looks like she might just need some help with that sun block.” He pushed his sunglasses up higher on his nose and grinned as he called out to Maria. “Hey, you look like you need a hand… and I’ve been told I have very good hands.”

Michael rolled his eyes and watched Maria smile up at Tony, wrinkling her nose in that cute way she had when she was trying to figure something out. He shook himself after a minute and loped up to the deck to join Courtney. “Wait,” he suddenly muttered to himself and turned again. “Yo, Carter.”

Tony stopped and looked at him.

“You might wanna talk to Kyle about it,” he said a little quieter.

The other man nodded. “No worries.” Obviously Michael didn’t know about the situation between Kyle and Maria, but it wasn’t his place to tell him. Not at all. He turned again and jogged back to the beach, stopping in his tracks when the woman in front of him bent over to take her jean shorts off to reveal the bikini bottom that was colored in black, with a small print on the front the same olive color as the top. It sat very low on her hips, revealing every inch of her well toned flat stomach.

Maria smiled to herself when she heard Tony whistle under his breath. Um-hmm, that was the right reaction, she mused as she shot a flirtatious smile at him over her shoulder.

“Need some help with that?”

“Tony, come build the sandcastle with us,” Cody called when he noticed the man. He looked at Chase. “Maria said he’s really good at making sandcastles.”

Chase turned around to look at the man. “As good as Mike?” he asked doubtfully.

“Gimme just a minute and I’ll be right back,” Tony said with a smile at Maria.

“If you say so,” she said, laughing because she knew once the boys got his attention they weren’t going to let him go easily.

*****

Max leaned in the doorway of the connecting bedroom suites that Maria had shown them to and he rested the side of his head against the frame as he watched Liz with Aaron. She leaned back and brushed the little boy’s hair back off of his forehead and he smiled slightly when he saw her pause long enough to check for an elevated temperature. “He’ll be fine in a couple hours, Liz,” he said quietly.

“I should stay with him in case it’s something else.”

“He was just carsick, darlin’.” He pushed away from the doorframe, coming up behind her and resting one hand on her shoulder. “C’mon outside and get some sun, let him sleep it off.”

Liz tried to ignore the shiver that raced through her at the endearment and the gentle tone in his low voice. “I don’t want him to wake up and be scared. He doesn’t know where we are and if I’m not here…”

“He can see you right through that window,” he pointed at the other end of the room. Large windows showed a perfect panoramic view of the beach and the ocean.

“But he’s still in an unfamiliar area, Max. Maybe other kids are more… adventurous at his age, but not Aaron. He needs time to get used to new things.” And the last thing we need is for him to have another epileptic fit, she added in her thoughts.

“Alright, then we…”

“You can go.”

Max frowned. “What?”

“Go to your friends, Max. I’ll come out as soon as Aaron feels better.” She looked at him directly and nodded to the door.

He looked back at her without saying anything. Why was she making things so damn complicated? It wasn’t complicated. At all.

Michael’s eyebrows lifted in surprise when he nearly collided with Max coming out of one of the bedrooms. “What’s goin’ on, Evans?”

“Not much.” He controlled his surprise when he saw the woman with the other guy. She had backtracked to look at a picture hanging on the wall. “You brought company,” he said quietly.

He shrugged. “So did you.”

Max glanced back at the door that was now closed and he shook his head. “We just rode out here together. It’s not the same thing.” He continued on his way and nodded at Courtney as he passed her. He walked out on the back deck and looked around, sliding his sunglasses back on and crossing the beach to stand near Maria.

“Why’re ya puttin’ on that face, Maxie?” she teased with a smile and bumped her hip into his side. “The sun is shining, we’re on a perfect deserted beach, and we have a weekend full of relaxing and hanging out ahead of us.”

He couldn’t help but smile a bit. Maria had a way of making people smile even when they weren’t happy. “Shut up.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’,” he said, but knew Maria wouldn’t believe it. “Just a situation…”

“Liz?”

He didn’t deny it, but he didn’t agree either.

“Hey, she’s here, isn’t she? Take it easy, Evans. You know you can always have fun in the sand with the boys,” she pointed at Tony, Chase and Cody, who were all into building a huge sandcastle.

Max snorted. “Nah, I’m not a builder.” He made a quick move and a moment later he tossed his tee shirt in the sand, revealing his half-tattooed naked upper body. “So Guerin brought a girl… his girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Weird, huh?”

“Does it bother you?”

“Max, I don’t know how often we need to say that we’re not like that.”

“Hey, I didn’t even mean it that way.” Okay he did, but she didn’t need to know that. “I mean, you two are close and you spend practically every free minute together. You’re not worried that’ll change?”

Maria glanced up at the deck when the couple in question appeared outside again, laughing about something. “Well, it probably has to change, doesn’t it? It’s only normal that you spend a lot of time with your partner and sooner or later it was bound to happen.” She looked at Max with a smirk. “Wouldn’t have bet it would be him first, but yeah…” Okay, admittedly it was weird to picture Michael with Courtney on a long term basis. “It probably won’t last anyway,” she shrugged.

“You don’t think so?”

“Hell it’s still Michael, right? I bet he gets bored soon.”

Max wasn’t as sure as Maria about that, but he decided it was better to stay quiet. “You’re getting a lot of attention these days.”

“Huh?” She looked at him, puzzled.

“Just saying your bikini works for guys,” he nodded in Tony’s direction with a laugh.

Maria smiled and waved at them, laughing when Chase enthusiastically lifted his hand to wave back and ended up throwing sand all over Tony.

“Good shot, kid,” Max snorted.

Tony brushed sand from his face and chest before flicking a little back at the boy. It wasn’t long before he was wrestling with Chase and Cody but he was careful to not be too rough with them.

“Think this weekend’s gonna be good for you,” he said when he saw the look of happiness on her face as she watched her little brother.

“Maybe it’ll be good for all of us, huh?” She nudged him with her elbow.

“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” he muttered under his breath, but ruined it with a grin. It was hard to ignore the happiness in his chest because he and Liz had made finally a move forward. But on the other hand he was still scared that one wrong word could set them back and make everything worse than before.

“You’re probably thinking too much about it,” Maria said and pointed at the ocean. “Hit the water with me?”

“Huh-uh, maybe later.”

She groaned. “You’re no fun,” she said and turned to look around. Michael was busy showing Courtney around and he didn’t look like he was planning to go for a swim anytime soon. “Hey, boys,” she called to get the attention of Tony and the boys. “What about a little water for your moat?”

*****

Kyle shoved things around to make room for the two bags that Tess had insisted she had to have. He hadn’t bothered commenting since Isabel had twice that much still wedged into her trunk when he had pulled Tess’ bags out. He pushed her bags into the trunk and looked over his shoulder when he saw the nerd king clipping shades to his glasses. “Hope you don’t plan on bringin’ much ‘cause she didn’t leave you much room.”

Alex looked up when his neighbor actually spoke to him like a normal human being. He shrugged and motioned to the backpack slung over his right shoulder. “I’m a guy; I don’t need half a dozen bags to survive a weekend.”

“You girls hear that?” Kyle hollered, making sure Tess and Isabel both heard him. “Guys do not need all this shit to survive a weekend away from home!”

Isabel just rolled her eyes as she flipped through the CDs she had brought with her. She selected one and slid it into the deck before getting out of the drivers’ seat and walking around to the trunk again. “Wearing the same pair of jeans or shorts for the next two days is nothing to brag about, Valenti.”

He just snorted. “Whatever.”

Tess paid little attention to their playful argument as she watched him putting the top down on his Mustang GT. Her eyes traveled over him when he leaned over to… well, she didn’t know or care what he was doing. Whatever it was, it presented her with a very nice view of his ass.

“Alright, lemme grab one last thing and we can get on the road.”

Alex was admiring the sleek lines of the BMW Z4 Convertible that Isabel drove when she straightened up and called him. It was a damn nice car. Probably cost more than what he made in a year, he thought with a mental snort. “Nice car,” he said as he joined her.

“Thanks,” she said with a smile. “Dad bought it for me when I graduated from college. And if you’re just gonna make some rude comment about my family having money you can just keep it to yourself.”

He shrugged. “No, that’s a helluva graduation gift.” Okay, yes, he had his moments where that rubbed him all wrong. Most of the time it didn’t bother him that plenty of people had more money than he did, but some days it was a little harder to deal with… days when he was busting his ass working two jobs and still couldn’t see the light at the end of the financial abyss he was trapped in for the moment. Today was one of the days when he was just taking it in stride. He had long ago accepted that it wasn’t a life he was cut out for; pursuing a career in social services wasn’t likely to bring home the big paycheck. But it would provide its own rewards and he knew it would be heartbreaking at times, but worth it in the end.

“What the hell is that?” Tess shrieked as she climbed into Kyle’s car and slammed the door shut.

Isabel and Alex both turned to see what the other girl was screeching about. “You didn’t tell me you had already picked Leo up,” she said when the large dog ran up to her. She leaned over to rub Leo, scratching behind his ears and laughing when he growled happily.

“Yeah, ran by and got him about an hour ago. Hey, thanks for recommending that couple to keep him for me.”

“Are you kidding? They were excited about keeping him for a couple days. Leo’s breed isn’t one we see much around here.”

Kyle rubbed the dog and snapped his fingers. “Ready to go for a ride, Leo?” He laughed when the dog barked deeply and ran over to the car, jumping up and placing his front paws on the doorframe next to Tess. “You’re in his seat,” he said, scratching the dog’s ears and looking at the girl staring wide-eyed up at his dog.

“What do you mean I’m in his seat?”

“Leo has this thing about ridin’ in the front seat and since he can’t reach the pedals... that means he rides shotgun.” He waited for a few seconds. “Which means you’re gonna have to sit in the back.”

“You want me to sit in the backseat?” she asked. He was kidding, wasn’t he?

Kyle leaned back to glance at the backseat, his expression thoughtful. “Well,” he said, scratching his chin, “I guess you could sit up here, but Leo’s not gonna give his seat up so that means he’d be in your lap.” He patted the dog’s head. “He does weigh in around 165 pounds, but if you’re cool with it he won’t really care.”

“The dog can sit in the back, not me,” she said stubbornly.

Leo leaned further into the car to sniff her and after a moment he stopped with his muzzle just a breath from her ear and snuffled loudly.

“Yeah, he disagrees. Last chance, Tess.”

“Would you have let Maria sit in the backseat?” she growled angrily and didn’t bother to use the door, climbing into the back from the front.

Kyle just shrugged and stepped back when Leo jumped over the door. “I don’t know... that kinda depends on his mood.”

“…kinda depends on his mood,” she mocked in annoyance and pulled her cell out to check a mail.

He grinned and turned to find himself facing Isabel. “What?”

“You’re seriously making my sister sit in the backseat?”

“She’s smaller than Leo and the front seat gives him room to breathe. So, unless you wanna let him ride with you and your new boy toy can ride in the backseat, giving Tess the front seat, then Leo stays up front.”

Isabel could only imagine how Tess felt right now. Her blood was probably boiling with a mixture of anger and hurt. “Better watch your back while we’re up there, Valenti,” she warned and went to her car again.

“Hey, Leo’s never been in a BMW,” he called after her.

“Can we just go now,” Tess yelled from the backseat. “Your dog stinks so it might happen that I puke in your car.”

He ignored her bitching and leaned back against his car, arms crossed over his chest. “So, care to put any money on who’s gonna get to the beach house first?”

“I can’t tell you if there’s anything I care less about,” she said and slouched down in her seat. Maybe she should’ve just stayed home.

Kyle glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, well, I was talkin’ to your sister, so...”

“With a heavy dog in your front seat…” Isabel laughed and started the engine.

He just snorted. “Weighs less than your ego,” he said as he slid in behind the steering wheel and revved the engine.

“We’re not racing, are we?” Alex asked uncertainly.

Isabel adjusted her sunglasses before resting her hand on the gearshift and glancing at him. “Scared of a little speed?”

“Care about staying alive.”

She shook her head. “Then tighten that seatbelt and get ready to enjoy the sound of Kyle’s engine struggling to keep up.”

****

“Are you tired?” Cody glanced up from where he and Chase were sitting on the ground on the deck, playing with the fire trucks when Michael yawned widely.

“Just a bit,” he said and lifted his head from the comfortable deck chair when he heard two cars at the front of the house. The sound of skidding tires on loose gravel made him smirk the moment he heard his sister’s voice shouting triumphantly.

“They made a bet again, huh?” Tony asked from another deck chair, knowing Kyle and Isabel all too well.

“Pretty sure,” Michael nodded.

“Wouldn’t be right if they hadn’t,” Max said, not even looking up from the new tattoo design he was drawing.

“That wasn’t fair, Isabel,” Kyle’s voice could be heard before they came around the house and into everyone’s view. “The traffic light went red right after you and there were cops behind me.”

The girl laughed, amused. “You had an advance when you started too early after our pee break, so don’t wine like a pussy. You lost!”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Runnin’ that light was cheating!” Okay, she had hit it as it turned yellow and it wasn’t like there had been much traffic. Hell, he would’ve pushed it if it weren’t for the fact that he had cops on his ass. He moved aside when Leo nudged him and as soon as he was out of the way the dog took off in the boys’ direction. Leo was a very big dog, but his breed was gentle with children and he knew how to behave himself with them.

Cody snickered when Leo snuffled at this hair and nudged his head slightly. “Stop dat, Leo,” the boy used his hand to prevent the dog from licking his face.

Chase leaned against Leo and laughed when the dog turned to snuffle his chest. “That tickles,” he said as he squirmed around.

“What took you so long?” Michael asked and got up to go after Kyle, when he saw his younger sister with a bag.

“He made me sit in the backseat!” Tess grumbled before he could answer.

“And you obeyed?” Normally his sister would fight until the end if necessary. He looked up when Alex stepped into his view as well, noticing that he was carrying a few of Isabel’s things in both of his hands.

“She’s fully capable of carrying her own shit, you know,” Tess muttered. The least her sister could’ve done was speak up for her when Kyle had insisted that his damn dog was riding in the front seat.

Michael gestured to the door when Alex glanced around, trying to decide where to put the stuff. It was weird to have him here. He didn’t belong and for now he really didn’t know why Isabel had chosen to bring him here. The guy was everything they weren’t and vice versa. “Forget that shit now and enjoy the beach,” he said to his sister. Well, thinking twice about it… Maria was on the beach, probably not the best choice.

“Maybe in a little while. Where’s my room? I’d rather put my stuff away before Kyle or his dog take the room and I get stuck sleeping on the beach.”

“You can choose one of the rooms downstairs that aren’t already occupied.”

“Okay, cool,” she said, appeased for the moment. “I know it’s not like a party weekend, but please tell me we have beer.”

He snorted. “Hell, of course we have beer.”

“Thank God.” She ignored Kyle as she brushed past him. “Hi, Max, how’s it goin’?”

“It goes,” he answered and looked up, hugging one arm around her when she leaned down to greet him.

“Where’s Liz?” she asked quietly.

“Inside. Aaron’s sleeping after being a bit sick in the car.”

Tess made a face. “It’s not something contagious is it?”

“No, pretty sure it was just the long drive.”

“Oh, just carsick. That sucks, but if that’s all it is he’ll be fine before long.”

“Okay, I’ve got a few beers and water,” Courtney said when she stepped out on the deck after searching for drinks in the kitchen.

“I’ll take one of...” Tess trailed off as she turned and realized that the person offering the drinks was not a usual part of their group. “Um... hi.” Since when did Michael bring a girl on one of these outings?

“Hi,” Courtney greeted back. She knew everyone was surprised to see her here, but well that was a good sign, right? It meant Michael didn’t bring just anyone. “Beer or water?”

“Beer.” She deserved one for putting up with Kyle and his stupid dog.

Isabel turned to his brother, her eyes wide open. “You brought her?” she asked quietly almost at the same time as Kyle.

Michael bit the inside of his cheek when they both pinned him at the same time. “Yeah, that a problem?”

“No…. just unusual,” Kyle said.

“For you,” Isabel added.

killjoy: LOL, well, Kyle’s blind to what, or rather who, is right in front of him.

Well, in Max’s defense, he hasn’t spent a lot of time around little guys, but he wasn’t suggesting she go far. He gets credit for accepting her decision though.

Earth2Mama: Aaron will be feeling better soon and he’ll have fun with the other little guys there.

Ah, c’mon, Max is trying. He’s never spent much time around little guys so he’s got some learning to do. But we think he’s up for the challenge.

Oh, Maria’s still in denial.

Alien_Friend: Lol, Michael and Maria still aren’t ready to acknowledge anything to themselves or anyone else.

Max is learning. He has his moments of impatience where he does push, but he’s trying to curb that response.

Lol, yeah, Courtney’s handling the situation very well.

We’re baaaaaaaaaaack!! Thanks, the nominations and awards mean so much to us!

We’ve missed you guys too!

mary mary: Nah, Aaron won’t be sick all weekend. He’s just having a bout of motion sickness that’ll pass soon.

Cardinal: Lol, Max is trying to let things unfold at a pace that Liz is comfortable with. He’ll push at times, but he’s still learning when to push and when to back off. He’s used to his own company and being on his own so giving her room so hanging out with the others rather than hovering over her and Aaron suits him. It works for both of them and gives them a chance to spend time together comfortably.

Oh, eventually those partial secrets will come out… maybe in an unexpected manner.

sarammlover: Lol, believe it! And no, he probably wouldn’t have done that with any other woman but he and Tess have been antagonizing each other for a while. Tony… yes, think Paul Walker.

IceQueenMay: Welcome to our little world! Liz couldn’t have said no when it came to taking custody of Aaron. Trent… yes, someone does… and will.

keepsmiling7: The little guy has had a rough start, but it’s gonna get better.

Gotta have beer, lol.

begonia9508: Yeah, he’s had a rough start.

Oh, there’s gonna be drama, but there’ll be fun too.

Funny you should mention that…

Eva: Well, other priorities at least where Tess is concerned.
We think someone’s gonna make sure to involve Alex…

secretk: Let the games begin!

Aaron will be feeling much better soon.

Oh, yeah, we’ll see opinions coming out from many of the characters, Alex included.

Lol, well, if it’d been anyone else in the car with Kyle he probably would’ve been more polite and understanding.

morethenwords122: We’ll see Alex opening up a bit over the weekend.

Healerfan: Thanks!

We’ll start seeing some interaction between the characters in this part.

zaneri1: Yes, look for it to get complicated in the future.

Kyle may avoid relationships for a while… maybe.

Natalie36: Real life is calming down a bit and now we’re back… slowly, but we’re back.



A/N: Thanks again for the nominations and votes for our fics in Part C and D! We are still amazed about our awards. You rock! THANK YOU!



Part 53

Drop the Pretense

Michael shrugged and glanced back at Courtney. “Yeah, well... things change.”

“Obviously,” his friend said a little skeptically. “Where’s Maria?”

“She’s down on the beach. I told her I’d keep an eye on Cody so she could have a little time to herself.”

Kyle’s eyes moved down to the ocean, scanning the area for her and after a moment he pinpointed her slim figure sitting near the ocean. She seemed to be lonely, but he knew that there were times she preferred a few minutes to herself.

Isabel quickly grew tired of standing there holding her bags. “Okay, has anyone claimed my usual room yet?”

“You’d better hurry, Tess just went inside to choose one,” Michael said and shot a thumbs-up to Kyle when he looked at him questioningly. “Our rooms are safe.”

“According to Maria one of you got out here earlier and made sure those rooms were locked. She’s never struck me as a particularly suspicious person, so there must be some truth to it.” Tony said as he popped the top on the beer he had just taken from Courtney.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” both men said at the same time.

“Um-hmm, sure you don’t.” He tipped his head back to look up at Isabel when she passed him. “Cozyin’ up with the nerd king tonight?” he asked with a smirk that quickly turned to a glare when she intentionally smacked him with one corner of her bag.

“Using your hand tonight?”

He just shrugged. “Whatever works.”

“Uncle Mike,” Chase called to get his uncle’s attention. “What does it mean when Aunt Isabel said Tony’s using his hand?”

“We seriously need to work on my name, buddy.”

“Yeah, what’s it mean, Mike?” Cody asked.

Michael just grinned. “You guys know what? You should really ask Isabel what that means ‘cause she’d just love to explain it to you.”

Isabel glared at her brother before she turned to the boys with a smile. “Ya know how you like to be scratched on your back and belly when Mommy says good night to you? It just means Tony has to scratch himself to sleep, sweetie.”

Tony grinned at her explanation when he leaned back in the deckchair and took a sip of his drink.

The boys exchanged a look before shrugging and going back to their fire trucks.

“Nice save there, Iz,” Max said with a shake of his head.

She shrugged. “I’m smart and I think quickly on my feet.” With that she left to go into the house to see what Alex was doing alone.

“Okay, what’s really up with her inviting the nerd king along?” Michael asked. He looked at Kyle. “She give you a reason?”

“No clue,” Kyle shrugged and took the last empty deckchair, sitting down and leaning a bit forward to grab a beer.

“Maybe she really likes him,” Courtney suggested.

Michael and Kyle looked at each other and then laughed. “Noooo.”

“Oh, c’mon, opposites attract, right? How can you say with such certainty that she doesn’t like him?”

“Because she’s my sister and that’s not the kinda guy she dates,” Michael explained and took her hand to pull her into his lap. Isabel’s never dated anyone like Alex, she wanted a more masculine figure in her life, he was pretty sure about that.

She smiled and settled into his embrace, pleased that he seemed fine with showing affection openly around his friends and family. “And maybe she’s looking for something different.”

“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Michael said, playfully apologizing for his girlfriend’s thoughts before he turned to her again, laughing and silencing her with a kiss before she could protest.

“This’s great,” Max muttered. “An entire weekend watchin’ Guerin and his girlfriend suckin’ face and playin’ grab-ass.”

“Could it be that you’re just frustrated ‘cause you’re bein’ held at arms’ length?” Michael asked back without looking at him. He knew the man had a totally weak spot for Liz. “So are you and Tess over again or what?”

Max frowned. “Yeah… We’re better as friends.”

Michael nodded in satisfaction. He had already thought that whatever had been going on between Max and Tess couldn’t last long and he couldn’t say he was sad about it. “Well, thank god you’re not marrying into this family.”

“Bite me,” Max growled.

The other man grinned. “Be my pleasure.”

He lifted his head from the sketch he was working on and shook his head. “You’re a sick man, Guerin.”

“You’re just now realizing that?” Tess asked when she came back out on the deck.

“No, just some days it’s more obvious than others.”

“Pretty obvious to me all the time,” Maria said when she came up the few steps to the deck, winking at her best friend. She had taken another short swim in the ocean and was now looking for a towel while dripping water all over the floor.

Tony got up and snagged a towel that was hanging over the deck railing, shaking it out and holding it open for her.

“Thanks,” she smiled, enjoying it when he wrapped her up in the towel.

“How’s the water?” he asked as he rubbed his hands over her towel-covered arms.

“Awesome. Just the right temperature.”

“I might have to hit the water pretty soon then. Been a while since I took a swim in the ocean.”

“You should do that,” she agreed and loosened the towel around her again when the worst of the water was gone. She ran her hands over her wet hair and squeezed the water out of it as well before she sat down on the wooden steps and stretched her legs out to enjoy the warmth of the sun on her skin.

“Did you see any dolphins, M’ria?” Cody asked. He was lying down on the deck, his head resting on Leo.

“No, not yet,” she turned to look at her brother, leaning one arm on the deck and reaching out with the other to caress his hair. “Maybe tomorrow, huh?”

He smiled tiredly and nodded. He played with the dog’s hair absentmindedly as he stared out at the ocean.

“You tired, little man?” she asked gently. She didn’t really need to ask, it was obvious.

“A little,” he admitted, hating it. He wanted to run and play like other kids his age.

“Wanna come up here?” Tony asked, holding his huge hand out to the boy. “Much better view of the ocean,” he said with a smirk.

Cody glanced up at Michael, who was sitting behind him, staring at the girl sitting in his lap. “Okay.” He got to his feet slowly and stood up, reaching for the man’s hand.

Maria smiled slightly when her brother took the invitation. She knew that Cody wanted to spend time with Michael, but he was obviously a little distracted at the moment. Her eyes met Tony’s and she mouthed a thank you.

Tony nodded and lifted the little boy up, settling him in his lap and wrapping his left arm around him to keep him steady as he leaned back against his chest.

“You’re in my room,” Isabel came out, pointing at Max.

“Just ignore her, she already took another one,” Tess played it off.

Max just shrugged. “Wasn’t decorated with all those grandma decorations you like so I figured it was a safe bet.”

Tony almost choked on that comment as he laughed. “Ya talking about her ugly pillows?”

“Hey, there is nothing wrong with my grandma pillows.” She glared at Max when he nearly choked on his own beer at her comment and she realized what she had said. “They are NOT grandma pillows!”

“They are pretty ugly, Iz,” Maria admitted.

“Oh really, you took a look at your own apartment lately?”

Tess closed her eyes, just waiting for some comment about how Maria’s crappy apartment was her fault. And it wasn’t, but no one believed her.

“It could be worse... it could be decorated with those pillows.”

“Yeah, besides you got the financial resources Maria doesn’t,” Michael said.

“Oh, see, Mr. Suckface actually listens to what we say,” Max couldn’t help but tease the man.

“Yeah, and he’s so full of wisdom,” Tess bit out. “Especially since he doesn’t know what he’s talkin’ about.”

Michael took the cap off of his coke and threw it at his sister. He smirked when it hit her forehead directly. “Shut up.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I think I’m gonna go for a walk.”

“Alone?” Courtney asked.

Tess frowned at the girl. “Yeah, why not?”

“Well, if ya don’t mind I’d like to come with. You could show me the surroundings a bit?” Hopefully she wouldn’t say no, she thought afterwards. She had just thought it was a good idea to get to know Michael’s sister a bit better.

“Yeah, okay. I guess the company would be nice.”

Courtney smiled in relief and got up. “Cool.”

“Well, looks like your girl’s makin’ an effort,” Tony said when the girls stepped off the deck and took off along the beach.

Michael shrugged. “She’s cool.”

Max turned his head when he heard his name and he smiled when Aaron peered around the doorway, his sleepy gaze moving over the people gathered on the deck. “Hey, buddy, c’mon out here.”

The boy hesitated, there were just too many unfamiliar people on the deck.

Cody crawled out of Tony’s grasp when he heard a familiar voice and he stood on the deck chair carefully to look around. “Hi, Aaron,” he said happily when he saw the other boy.

Aaron bit his bottom lip and shuffled his weight from one foot to the other before he spoke. “Hi,” he said quietly. “Who’s all them people?”

Tony helped Cody down on the ground so he could walk over to Aaron. He took his hand in his and pulled slightly on it. “Friends.”

“All of them?” he asked uncertainly.

Michael turned in his seat to look at Aaron, smiling when the look on his little face lightened up a bit. “Hey, kid.”

“Where’s your sister?” Max asked as he crouched down next to the boys.

Aaron was grateful for his presence and leaned against his side. “Sleepin’.”

“Well, she probably needs the rest, huh? You feelin’ better now?”

“Yes,” he hugged Rabi, the well-loved stuffed rabbit hanging over his right arm.

“You want somethin’ to drink?”

Maria got up from the steps and walked past them. “I’ll get a few drinks out for the kids.”

“You wanna play with the boys for a while, Aaron?”

The boy glanced around uncertainly, not knowing what to say.

“C’mon, you little critters, let’s go to the beach and search for jellyfish,” Michael got up and grabbed Cody first, laughing when the boy squealed. He sat him on his shoulders before lifting Chase up in his arms. “Got one arm left,” he said when Aaron looked at them.

Max reached up and tugged on Rabi’s ear when Aaron started chewing on it. “You can go if you want to. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Liz.” He winked at the little boy. “Ever seen a jellyfish?” He smiled when Aaron shook his head. “They’re pretty cool as long as you’re just lookin’ at ‘em.”

Michael waited patiently for the boy’s decision and smiled in satisfaction when he took a step forward. Carefully he lifted the third kid up and then walked down to the beach slowly.

“One of these days when he settles down he’s gonna have a houseful of kids,” Isabel predicted.

“You should warn his girlfriend,” Kyle snorted and took a sip of his drink. He hadn’t paid much attention to the rambling between his friends. His thoughts were occupied with other things at home.

She took a drink of her own beer and shook her head. “Like he’s ever gonna marry her. She’s new and exciting, but we all know it’s never gonna last.”

“Why is everyone so sure it won’t last?” Max frowned. “He’s never brought a girl with him, so she’s obviously not the same for him as other girls have been.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “Because she’s not Maria,” she hissed at him. Please, everyone knew that the two of them were supposed to be together.

“He couldn’t even wait until the kids had a drink, huh?” the woman in question said when she came out with drinks. She located them and followed Michael down onto the beach so the boys could have a drink.

Max waited until she was gone before he spoke up again. “Maybe they really are just friends,” he shrugged when Isabel glared at him. “Hell, they’ve been hanging out since forever and nothing’s ever happened between them. Not even when they’ve slept in the same bed. Just saying that maybe we’re wrong.”

“And maybe the ink really has seeped into your brain,” Isabel snorted. “I’d bet good money that the two of them will eventually end up together. Courtney’s nice and she’s got his attention, but,” she shook her head, “it’s not gonna last.”

“Let’s make a bet then,” Kyle said, distracting his mind.

Isabel looked at him, surprised. “You gonna bet against them?”

He shrugged. Seriously he believed they were made for each other, but he couldn’t bet the same as Isabel, and Max had good reasons too. “Hell, I told her we’re over because I don’t wanna stand between her and Michael one day… when they get their heads outta their asses. What can I say, she thought it was ridiculous.”

Isabel gasped. “You two are…”

He scratched the back of his neck and looked out at the ocean. “Over, done, finished, finito... whatever. It was time.”

Tess will be happy to hear that, she thought. “Wow, well now I understand the flirting with a certain man on the deck.”

Kyle just smirked at that. “Hell, she’s just givin’ Carter the time of day ‘cause I’m outta the picture.”

Tony snorted without even looking up. He had no problems getting women and Kyle knew that perfectly well.

He turned his head when a tennis ball bounced across the deck and Leo pounced on it. He held his hand out and the dog brought it to him so he could throw it across the beach.

“So where’d you get that big furball?” Tony asked.

“Lives with my parents.”

“Cool. I had a dog but my ex took the dog when we broke up. Miss that damn dog,” he said with a grin.

“Why’d you break up?” Isabel asked.

“Irreconcilable differences.” He shrugged one shoulder. “She decided she wanted an open relationship and I wanted marriage and kids. Not right at that moment or anything, but she wasn’t interested. And hell, I’m not gonna be in a relationship with any woman who thinks it’s okay to sleep with other people while we’re involved like that.”

“And now he’s just going for sex as well,” Kyle said knowingly.

“I’m not in a relationship so that gives me carte blanche with the ladies.” He grinned unrepentantly.

“U-huh, you make sure Maria knows that,” he told his coworker and friend. He wished though, that the girl wouldn’t jump on it. Not because it was Tony, he was a good guy, but she needed someone who cared beyond sex.

“Hey, we’re just hangin’ out, havin’ a good time.”

“I just mean, don’t let her think it’s more if it isn’t for you,” Kyle said.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Valenti. Relax, man, I’m not gonna hurt ‘er.”

“Just makin’ sure. You’ll probably get the lecture from Guerin too.”

Tony stretched his legs out. “Yeah, I’m sure I will.”

Max used the time while everyone was distracted and got up to slip in the house.

“Sneakin’ in for Liz’?” Isabel teased when she saw the man and his desperate move to get away unseen.

He grumbled something under his breath and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Any of your business?”

“Oh, well, I just can’t help it, ya know… seein’ your desperate flirtations with the waitress while you’re also involved with my sister.”

Kyle leaned forward in his seat. “Yeah, what’s up with that?”

“Tess and I are just friends and nothing more,” Max snapped and then remembered the show the two of them had put on the past few days. No wonder some of them were confused about his actions. Not Isabel though, he knew she knew the truth and now she was just in a bitchy mood because she hadn’t gotten her usual room. “I mean, we talked and decided we’re no more than friends.”

Isabel just snorted and let him go inside before she could make a comment about the poor show Tess and Max had put up to fool certain people.

He wandered along the hallway quietly and saw that the door to Liz’ room was slightly open. He stopped in front of it and breathed in a few times before giving it a gentle nudge.

He smirked when she lay only halfway on Aaron’s bed and the position she slept in seemed to be quite uncomfortable.

Liz stirred slightly when he shifted her around so that she was lying fully on the bed. He crouched down beside the bed to study her relaxed features and reached out to brush her hair back from her cheek.

Her hand came up to brush him off, wrinkling her nose at the disturbance.

Max smiled and caught her hand, tracing his thumb over her palm. “You gonna sleep all day?” he whispered.

Her eyes opened wide when her brain registered the owner of the voice. “Max…”

“Relax,” he said when she sat up quickly and her eyes darted around the room. “Aaron’s fine. He’s with Michael and the boys, exploring the beach.”

“Wow, for a moment I didn’t even know where I was,” she sighed.

“Good thing or bad thing?”

“Good thing,” she tried to smile.

“Yeah? So why’re you havin’ such a hard time smiling?”

“Just trying to wake up,” she rubbed her face with both hands.

He leaned in a little closer. “I could give you a hand with that.”

She swallowed, not knowing what to say. “I think… I think I need to pee.”

“Not exactly what I had in mind,” he said and shifted to let her get up.

Liz knew exactly what he had meant, but she ignored it and tried to not even think about the possibilities. They had been down this road already and it hadn’t worked out.

“We could give each other another chance, Liz. It sure couldn’t hurt.”

“Does Tess know you’re trying to cheat behind her back?” she countered to get rid of him and this uncomfortable topic.

He sighed. Man, this lie was coming back on him for the third time today. “We’re just friends.” Max lifted his arms before she could say anything. “I know, I know, it didn’t look like that, but it was just…” His voice went quiet as he tied to figure out if the truth was the best thing to say or not.

“It was just…?” she asked, confused.

“The hell with it,” he muttered and looked away while he talked to her. “We were just playin’ it off to make you jealous.”

“Um… what?” She stood in the room, frozen.

“Look, I know it was stupid and we ended it.”

“You did it to make me jealous?” Liz snorted, amused. “Biggest line of bullshit I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s the truth.”

She looked at him for several long moments. “Wow… I really don’t know what to say. How the hell did you talk her into that?”

He shrugged. “She had her own interests in this dilemma.”

“Ya know, this group’s really messed up in so many ways,” she shook her head, almost a little amused. The plan had been immature, but in some way she couldn’t really be mad about it. “Stupidest idea ever.”

He relaxed when he noticed her reaction wasn’t violent. “I just wanted you to react to it, and well, it did work a bit…”

“Max…” she stopped him and turned to look at him. “…I’m not ready for this, okay?”

He held his hands up and nodded. “Okay, I’ll accept that if you’ll just... just let me in. I’m willin’ to start out as friends.”

“I’m trying,” she said and pointed at the door. “I’ll be outside in a minute.”

He nodded and stood up to stretch. At least it was a place to start. “Alright, I’ll go wait outside.”

begonia9508: Thanks!

Yes, problems will crop up along with the development.

Alex and Liz are the outsiders but they’ll slowly become part of the group.

Natalie36: Well… in time.

keepsmiling7: Thanks!

It’s definitely a big step to getting Max and Liz back on track.

Aaron’s on his way to having a good time.

Earth2Mama: Thanks!

Yes, it makes us nauseous too, lol. Well, we can’t promise quickly…

Tony’s ex obviously isn’t very bright. Lol, it might be a win-win situation, but Courtney only seems to have eyes for Michael right now.

mary mary: The little guys should have a great weekend. We’ll see some things ironed out… and probably see a few crop up. Things are slowly getting back on track, thanks!

Rodney: Lol, yeah, hard not to enjoy it when they’re picking on Isabel and her ‘grandma pillows’.

Alien_Friend: Finally, we might be seeing some forward movement with Max and Liz.

Lol, yeah, Courtney is providing a bit of distraction for Michael.

We think Aaron’s gonna have a good weekend.

Any guy (or girl) would be smart to consider the obvious bond between Michael and Maria before pursuing anything serious.

Thanks!

Smac: Oh, there’ll be drama, lol! Things should progress between them at a decent rate and Liz will have the opportunity to observe Max with Aaron over the weekend… and probably the occasional run-in with just Max.

secretk: The addition of Liz and Alex to the group should have its fun moments.

True, as his girlfriend, Courtney does deserve to be treated a certain way by Michael.

This group gets plenty of time to party and hang out, but they also like to get out of the city for the occasional weekend and take the kids. And you’re right, it gives the little guys a chance to become friends and they can all use that.

Max and Liz are trying to move beyond their past and work towards something more but yeah, it’ll take some time before they’re finally there.

Courtney will definitely be the catalyst for Maria’s realization that Michael isn’t just her best friend.

Kyle won’t be wearing those blinders for long. Lol, we’ll see more interaction with Alex soon.

Cardinal: Max is a bit impatient, but who knows, he could outgrow of it to get the woman he wants.

The next TIC TAC generation, huh? Hm, could be, but there is a lack of girls, lol.

IceQueenMay: Definitely wasn’t their best idea.




Part 54

Makeshifts or Separation

Liz was slowly making her way along the hallway when she stepped out into the living room and saw the bank of windows on three sides. She hadn’t really had time to appreciate her surroundings when they had arrived. Other than noticing that the room where Aaron was sleeping was nice she hadn’t really thought much about the house they were staying in for the weekend. She walked up to the windows and looked outside, smiling when she saw Aaron running through the surf with another little boy while Michael chased them. She recognized the boy perched on his shoulders as Maria’s little brother so she assumed the boy running around with Aaron must be his nephew.

She could see a couple of girls walking further down the beach and the rest of the group slouched down in chairs on the deck. She turned her head when she heard something hit the floor somewhere in the house and she wandered through the halls looking for the source of the noise. She wondered how many bedrooms the house had because it was huge! The two bedrooms she and Aaron had been given had a private bath and that was something she hadn’t had in longer than she could remember.

She heard the quiet muttering before she actually found him but since she had seen everyone else outside she knew it was Alex. She poked her head around the open doorframe and chuckled when she saw him standing in front of the open closet with his arms crossed over his chest. “Having a problem with difficult clothes?” she asked, her voice teasing.

“Everything in this house is just so high-tech,” he complained, but smiled at her.

“Well, if we didn’t suspect that our new friends come from wealthy families this would pretty much cement it.”

“I wouldn’t call them friends.”

“You’re here, aren’t you?”

“I am, but for other reasons… as you know.”

“Well, okay, but... they’re really not all that bad. Inconsiderate at times, pushy at times, some of them are pretty opinionated, but most people have at least one of those flaws.”

“They may not be that bad, but they’re not my friends either.”

“That might change if you get to know them.” She shrugged when he gave her a baleful look. “What? I’m an optimist, sue me.”

He just rolled his eyes and threw the unpacked bag into the closet. “I’m a realist.”

“So... you don’t believe that getting to know them might make a difference? Maybe make you see them a little bit differently? Make them see you differently?”

“I don’t know… maybe. But I need to worry about other things than them liking me or not.”

“Things like rent and groceries? Bills? Working and going to school?”

“Yeah, for example,” he sighed.

“I know how that goes,” she said with a sympathetic smile. “But... it helps to have friends.” She shrugged. “I don’t really have any friends here either.”

“So at least we have each other, huh?” Alex teased. He was here and there was nothing he could do about it, so why not just enjoy the beach if not the people on it.

“See, if you look at it like that, it’s not so bad. Wanna take a walk, maybe take a look around?”

“Sure, couldn’t hurt.”

“It’ll give us a reprieve before we’re thrown in with the group.”

“Sounds good. Lead the way.”

Liz led the way back through the house, enjoying the expansiveness of the rooms. “Can you imagine having this much space to live in?”

Alex snorted. “My whole apartment isn’t as big as my room here.” His eyes lifted, there was no ceiling between the living room and the second floor. He could see the stairs leading up to even more rooms.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” she said with a quiet laugh. “Try sharing that space with a four-year-old.” And a jerk who wouldn’t give an inch and who had made it his personal mission in life to make her miserable since they had broken up.

“You haven’t seen my apartment then, obviously,” Maria said when she overheard the others. She was in the open kitchen, preparing coffee and snacks for everyone on deck since the kids were hungry and it was still a bit of time until the boys would start the grill.

Alex glanced up at the unexpected voice and he studied her for a moment. He knew she didn’t live in their building but he had always assumed she lived in one just as nice, if not nicer. “You don’t live in an upscale apartment?” he asked cautiously.

The blonde girl snorted. “No, I live in a shithole.”

“No lie,” Michael agreed when he came inside and wandered over to join his friend in the kitchen.

“Hey,” she complained when he agreed without hesitation.

“What? It’s true, RP. She doesn’t have to,” he said, pulling her to him to drop a kiss on her head before continuing on his way to the refrigerator, “but she’s stubborn and independent and insists on makin’ things difficult.” He winked at her to take the sting out of the words.

Maria laughed. “Don’t forget to add smart and breathtaking.”

Liz watched the two of them for a moment, wondering why they weren’t together. Was it possible that they really didn’t see each other like that? “We were just about to take a walk but if you need some help we could wait a bit,” she said, looking at Maria.

“No go ahead, I’m almost done. We’ll have fresh coffee and some snacks outside in a few minutes, so come to the deck then.”

“Great.” She slipped her arm through Alex’s and gave it a tug. “C’mon, let’s go.”

“What’re you doin’ at the refrigerator, CB, I’ve got the snacks.”

“Just checkin’ the contents. I think I’m gonna head into town and get more stuff for the grill since we’ve got a few more people than usual.”

“Well, if you’re plannin’ to ask if anyone wants to go with you just remember not to use the word r-i-d-e, otherwise Leo will think he’s going with you.”

“Uh-huh, how about you comin’ with me? I need some healthy stuff for Courtney and we all know I wouldn’t know stuff like that.”

“Um-hmm, so why don’t you just take her with you?”

“You remember Stella, right?”

Maria frowned. “The one who works at the little shop in town?”

“She hates me since we had something a few years ago. I don’t want her to meet my girlfriend.”

“You had something,” she snorted. “I’m not sure a one-night stand counts as ‘something’. But, alright, if Isabel doesn’t mind keeping an eye on Cody I’ll go with.”

Michael grinned. He knew Maria could hardly say no to something he asked her for. “What’s your boss say about you stealing that bikini from a set, by the way?”

“I didn’t steal it... it’s just on permanent loan.”

“Uh-huh,” he said doubtfully and grabbed the coffee. “C’mon, let’s have some snacks before we head into town.”

“Do you have any idea how much this would cost in a store?” she asked as she grabbed a platter of sandwiches and followed him.

*****

“Okay,” Maria said, turning in her seat to look at Michael while they drove down the road to the shop. “Whatever you’ve got on your mind, spill it.”

He frowned and looked at her. “What makes you think I’ve got somethin’ to say?”

“Well, let’s see. First, you’re too quiet. Second, your eyes do that little bouncing when you’re thinking about something too much. Third, your jaw’s making that weird move, the move it always does when ya wanna say something, but don’t know how to start.”

“You’re crazy, woman,” he said in amusement and looked at her. “Fine, there might be something I wanna talk about.” He scratched his eyebrow. “I talked to Kyle earlier…”

“And?” she asked, not sure if he would mention what she thought he would.

“He told me you two are over,” he continued.

“The Stella story was just a fake to get me to take a ride with you, right?” She rolled her eyes.

He grinned. “Would you have come with me otherwise?”

“No.”

“Then I made the right decision,” he teased.

“Okay, so things between me and Kyle are over, what’s the big deal?”

“No big deal,” he denied. “Actually I’m kinda glad it is.”

“What? Why?”

“You know I never had a problem with you an’ Kyle,” he started. “But I know it’s not what you really want and we both know you deserve better than that.”

She snorted. “Better than what, nothing? It wasn’t a real relationship or anything but at least it was something.”

“Are you mad at him?”

“No. I think his reasoning is a little off, but he’s entitled to his own opinion.”

“Yeah,” Michael sighed, “told him his reasons are bullshit.” He shook his head. “I mean, how often do we have to tell them we’re not like that? When are they finally gonna believe it?”

She snorted. “I don’t know. It’s like they refuse to believe anything else. I mean, I think if anyone would know we were attracted to each other, it’d be us!”

“Exactly.” He tapped his hand on the steering wheel. “Everyone’s always telling me: Look at her, man, really look at her,” Michael turned his head. “I’m looking at you and I don’t deny you’re sexy or beautiful, but I just see my friend. We’ve slept in the same bed, we’ve walked around each other almost naked, but it doesn’t make me think about havin’ sex with you.”

“Right?” She laughed and shook her head. “And I have zero interest in having sex with you. I think if we were gonna screw up our friendship over a little sex we would’ve done it by now.”

“I don’t know why it’s so hard for them to believe we’re not gonna be more than friends,” he sighed. “I just hope they keep their mouths shut about it in front of Courtney.”

“I think they’ll keep that to themselves around her.” She rolled her eyes. “I doubt they’d be that obnoxious about it.”

“Let’s hope so,” he nodded. “Last thing I need is her thinking that too.”

“That’d make things awkward.”

“So, back to you, DeLuca. I have the feeling someone else is happy Kyle’s outta picture.”

“Hmm? Oh, Tony,” she said with a smile. “He should be happy. Without Kyle there it gives him an opportunity.”

“What kinda opportunity ya looking for?”

She shrugged. “I don’t really see Tony as anything permanent, but he’s a lot of fun. And you never know where things will lead, right?”

He nodded. “He was in a long-term relationship not that long ago, so I have no clue what he’s lookin’ for. He says he doesn’t want anything serious right now though.”

“That’s alright. I’m not necessarily looking for more right now.” But it would be nice, she thought.

Michael looked at her skeptically. “You know, even though I’m a man, I do actually listen to what you say and I know that’s not necessarily true.”

She shrugged. “Sometimes you have to take what you can get. And if that’s something that only lasts for a little while, at least you have the chance for happiness in that time.”

“Are you really happy when you know it won’t last?” he asked doubtfully.

“Are you?” she countered.

“I’m just making my first attempt here, and well, for now I can say that it feels like the right decision.” He shrugged. “I was always happy to say goodbye the next morning, but you’re not like that and maybe I’m starting to change as well.”

“Yeah, I’d like something more permanent, but I knew that was never gonna happen with Kyle and no, I don’t really think it’s in the cards with Tony either.” She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “I’ve got a lot going on, Michael, and it’s so much to bring into a real relationship.”

“People say you get something out of it too though,” he added with a smirk.

“Yeah, but is it really fair to get involved with a guy when I’ve got so much going on? My life isn’t my own and there are times when Cody has to take first place... what guy’s gonna be content to take the backseat when that happens?”

“Ya know, if he’s supportive he doesn’t have to be in the backseat,” he reached over to pull her against his side. “All you need to do is accept that there’re people who wanna help.”

“You’re different, Michael. You’ve grown up around the situation and you can...” She winced internally. No wonder everyone said the two of them belonged together. “Maybe someday the right guy will come along and he’ll be able to handle the baggage I’d be bringing with me.” She shrugged. “Until then I’ve got you and the others.”

He nodded. “All I’m saying is, don’t sell yourself short and stop believing you can’t have something you want just because of your situation.” He shut the engine off when they reached the little shop in town. “That’s bullshit Maria, so for once, please think of yourself first. Cody won’t suffer for it.”

“Can’t make any promises there, Michael. If the right guy magically appears then I’ll consider it, but until then, what’s wrong with having a little fun?”

“Nothing wrong with it,” he said. He just had a feeling she was holding back what she wanted because of her brother and only because she was too stubborn to accept help sometimes.

“Good. Then let’s get our supplies and get back to the house. No need to leave Tony alone any longer than necessary.”

He rolled his eyes. “As if he’s alone up there.”

She snorted. “Exactly.”

*****

Michael took a couple of steps back to take a look at the volleyball net he and Kyle had just put up. After coming back from the store and putting everything away Maria had suggested getting a game together so he and Kyle had dragged the equipment out of the storage shed and gone to work.

“I think we’re good to go,” Kyle said, reaching out and tugging on the net.

“Alright, who’s up for a game, people?”

“I’ll keep an eye on the boys,” Isabel said as she filed one of her nails. The boys were sitting at one end of the deck, playing with Legos they had found in the game room.

“Afraid you might break another nail, Guerin?” Kyle teased as he leaned over the railing to grab his beer and take a drink.

“Kiss my ass, Valenti.” She held her hand up, showing off the nail she was working on. “This one’s your fault.”

“Hey, the kids brought the bucket of blocks to me. You’re the one who said you could get it.”

“You were in the middle of plowing through that box of cheese crackers, which are totally gross by the way.”

“Whatever. Fine, sit up here and pretend it’s not because you know I’m the better player,” he taunted with a grin.

“Kyle, you’re not even a worthy opponent,” she said with a lofty air. “I always get the ball past you ‘cause you can’t reach it.”

He paused and turned to look at her. “Now you’re gonna pick on my height?”

She sighed and gave him a smirk. “Size matters. You know it, I know it… we all know it.”

He grinned as he walked backwards. “I’ve got the size that matters,” he boasted.

She went back to filing her nail and her tone was bored when she spoke again. “I guess we could ask Tony about that.”

Tony flipped her off as he leaned over to grab up the volleyball off of the ground in front of her. “I’m not rattin’ the guy out. You’ll just have to use your imagination.”

Isabel rolled her eyes and glanced up when her sister dropped down into the chair beside her. “If you guys wanna cover for each other, it’s okay. Locker room code or whatever, I get it.”

He paused for a moment. “So, you girls, you’ve got that too?”

“Um-hmm, sure. Although we only discuss who’s bigger in reference to guys. We have no reason to compare our own body parts. Women aren’t that insecure.” She just grinned and waved when he shook his head at her and turned to join the others.

“Looks like your boyfriend’s been dragged into the game,” Tess said when she saw Liz pulling him towards the others. She rolled her eyes. “He probably has no idea how to play, and if he does he probably isn’t any good.”

Isabel shrugged and lifted her gaze to watch them. “I don’t know, he might play pretty well.”

Alex sighed when Liz pulled him over to the others, insisting that they get in on the game of volleyball that was getting ready to start. Well, this would be fun, he mused. As a rule he got along with people but he didn’t know them and they didn’t know him, and to be honest, they didn’t really want to know each other so what was the point?

“C’mon,” she urged, “it’ll be fun.”

“Okay,” he said doubtfully.

“Hey, you guys got room for a couple more players?”

Michael hooked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up against his side. “We’re takin’ Liz. Evans, you get…” he looked at his neighbor. “What was your name again?”

“Alex,” she spoke up before he could take offense to the slight.

Max was watching Liz, taking in the way she had sort of ‘adopted’ Alex and was trying her best to get him involved. For some reason it had become important to her and if it was important to her, well… “C’mon, Alex, let’s talk strategy. Tell me you’re good at spiking the ball, ‘cause Valenti’s not gonna give us much of an edge there.”

“Well, this should be fun,” Tess muttered as she slouched down further in her chair. She was watching as the others divided the teams up and forcing back the urge to throw up when the guys all started to fight over which team was getting Maria.

“Could your jealousy be any more obvious?” Isabel shook her head at her younger sister.

“Well, there’s no one here to see it but you so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“You have to stop that, Tess. It won’t get you anywhere if you always hate her because she gets the most attention from the boys.”

“I don’t hate her,” she grumbled. “I just... hate that she has HIS attention.”

“Oh, yeah, they broke up by the way.”

“What? When?”

“I don’t know, yesterday maybe.”

“When did you find out about it?”

“Earlier, when you were out for a walk with Courtney.”

“Why’d they break up?” Her eyes narrowed as she studied the two of them. They were laughing at something and Maria gave Kyle a shove as the two teams broke apart to take their own sides. They didn’t appear to be upset over the change of status in their... relationship or whatever.

“Apparently Kyle’s afraid that he could stand in the way of Maria and Michael one day.”

“Like the two of them are ever gonna get their heads outta their asses and wise up. I mean, now out of nowhere Michael’s suddenly decided to give an actual relationship a go.”

“Yeah, that’s a real shocker, isn’t it?” Isabel’s eyes narrowed at Courtney. “How is she?”

“I don’t know, she’s nice enough I guess.” She shrugged. “I didn’t really get the chance to learn anything interesting.”

“Hey, Guerin, how come you’re on the girl’s team now?” Max teased, realizing the guy was on a team with Courtney, Liz, and Maria.

“Yeah, that’s pretty unfair,” Tony agreed. “Maybe the teams oughta be divided up a little more fairly. Otherwise when Guerin’s team loses he’s gonna blame it on the girls.”

“We want Maria,” Kyle decided.

“Sorry, you can’t have her,” Michael denied. His friend just wanted Maria because she was probably the best of the girls.

“That’s not fair,” Max muttered. “You just know Maria’s a great passer.”

“Yeah, you can have Tony,” Kyle added.

“What?” The man glared at him.

“Hey, I’m sure you’re good at the game, but we need a good passer. Maria’s short enough to get under the ball.” He made a waving motion at Tony. “You’re too damn tall.”

“I like tall,” Maria said when she ducked under the net and came up on the other side, giving Max a shove. “C’mon, Evans, go to your girl,” she whispered.

Max grinned and slapped Kyle on the back. “Looks like you get to be captain... and you’re keepin’ Tony. No more trades.”

“You cheating on me, DeLuca?” Michael said acting hurt, but smirking. “Alright, let’s get this thing started.”

Maria stuck her tongue out at him and took up her position. “Get ready to eat sand, Guerin.”

He snorted. “Yeah, sure,” and threw the ball up in the air before he let his hand collide with it.

“How’s that sand in the face, Maxie?” Maria laughed and high-fived the guys on her team. “Nice move, Alex.”

He nodded with a slight grin and returned the high-five. “Nice pass.”

Kyle went back to his position and shoved Tony slightly. “Stop staring at her ass and take your position.”

“Hey, it’s a great view,” he said with a grin.

“Your turn,” Maria threw the ball to Tony, well aware of the comments between the guys. She shook her head in amusement when he almost failed to catch it.

“Jugglin’ your balls, Carter?” Kyle just smirked and took up his position. “Let’s give Guerin’s team another mouthful of sand.”

Tony nodded and tossed the ball up a couple of times before setting it up for an overhand serve.

“I got it,” Courtney called as she watched the ball flying over the net. She moved two steps backwards quickly, but suddenly tripped over something in the sand. Before she knew it she flew backwards in the sand and the ball hit her head. “Or not,” she said after a moment of silence.

Michael scooped the ball up and tossed it to Max as he leaned over to help Courtney up. “You okay?” he asked, trying hard not to laugh.

Tony snorted and shook his head. “I’ve got a feelin’ volleyball’s not her best sport,” he said, giving Kyle a shove.

“It’s okay, you guys can stop trying not to laugh,” Courtney said when she sat up. She rubbed her head slightly. “That looked pretty dumb, huh?”

“Well...” Michael nodded, “yeah,” he laughed. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet.

Natalie36: Oh, the fun is just beginning!

keepsmiling7: These little fellas are gonna make the weekend fun… the rest will be making it interesting, lol.

Earth2Mama: Nope, neither of them see what’s so glaringly obvious.

begonia9508: Lol, there will be drama mixed in… always is when there’s a group scene, lol.

Alien_Friend: It won’t be much longer before we start getting a look into Courtney’s point of view where all of this is concerned.

Liz has definitely adopted Alex… and it looks like Max has too.

Lol, they should see it, shouldn’t they? Somewhere deep inside, where neither of them has allowed themselves to go, they must suspect it’s there… considering the level of denial they both engage in on a regular basis.

IceQueenMay: Lol, and because Liz has taken an interest… so has Max.

mary mary: Oh yeah, beach weekend is under way.

sarammlover: Lol, you just never know what’ll happen on one of these big get-together weekends! Eventually Tess is going to have to figure that out.

Cardinal: Yes, that’s exactly right!

True, and Liz would really benefit from having some friends of the female persuasion.

Hmm… we’re waiting to see who cracks first too, lol.

Healerfan: Thanks!

Liz is trying to put herself out there, something she hasn’t done in a long time. And Max, lol, he’s noticed that Liz has sort of adopted Alex so he’s making an effort with him too.

Tess does need to just go for it.

xilaj: Thanks!

There’s plenty more beach party to come! We’re just getting started, lol.

pandas2001: Soon enough?


Author’s Note: Song credit for “Because of You” goes to Kelly Clarkson – lyrics obviously don’t belong to us!


Part 55


Underneath the Cool Exterior


Max strummed the strings on the guitar he had brought with him and he looked up when he felt a light tough on his shoulder. He was sitting on the steps and Aaron was standing behind him, his eyes tracing over the neck of the guitar as he reached out tentatively to touch it. “You wanna try it out?”

Aaron nodded and smiled when Max shifted the guitar out of the way and wrapped his arm around his waist, lifting him up and settling him on his lap. The little boy placed his hands in the position Max told him to and his mouth formed an O of surprise when he heard the sound of the music as his fingers played over the strings.

“You got another guitar?” Alex asked from the deck chair he had claimed after dinner had wrapped up.

“I think there’s one in the game room.”

“Would you mind if I joined you?”

“Nah, grab it an’ let’s jam.”

“Wha’s that mean, Max?” Aaron whispered as leaned back against his chest and looked up at the man.

“Just means we’ll play together.”

“Le’s jam,” the little boy repeated quietly. “Tha’s funny.”

Alex returned and settled down on the steps on the opposite side, taking a few minutes to tune the guitar while Max started playing a tune. He looked up when he recognized the music and after several minutes he shook his head. “Kind of a sad song,” he commented when he was finally able to put a name to it.

Max nodded, but didn’t stop playing.

“Not somethin’ you really expect people our age to know,” he mused, not sure if his observation would be welcome or not.

He shrugged. “No, not really. Had a buddy that really had a thing for Pink Floyd and Wish You Were Here was his all-time favorite song.”

“Let’s liven it up, boys,” Maria said as she came out on the deck with the others. “No sad music, Evans.”

He just nodded and glanced back at her. “We’re takin’ requests.”

“Maria, you should sing,” Cody said. He was lying in one of the deck chairs, obviously not too far from being asleep.

Tony scooped the little guy up and settled into his chair. “Your sister sings, huh?”

“She is really good,” the boy nodded and snuggled into the man’s embrace.

“Well, she’s got my vote then. Let’s hear you belt somethin’ out, Maria.”

“Hey, that was our secret, buddy,” Maria pulled on her little brother’s ear playfully. It was amazing how easily Cody had accepted Tony as someone he could trust. He wasn’t that open with many people and she truly hadn’t expected that the fireman was so good with kids.

Cody giggled and wiggled around in Tony’s arms. “M’ria.”

“C’mere, gremlin,” Michael said as he caught Chase up in his arms. “Somethin’ tells me your mommy was right about you not wantin’ to go to sleep at night. Let’s be still and listen to Maria sing for a little while, huh?”

“Hey, I didn’t agree, did I?” she complained.

“You didn’t disagree either,” Max said as he looked down at the little hand resting on top of his as he strummed the chords.

“Yeah, c’mon, Maria, your voice is beautiful,” Isabel encouraged. She was the last to join everyone on deck and was surprised to see Alex with a guitar.

“Fine,” the other girl sighed and grabbed a pillow, sitting down on the floor of the deck, her back resting on the chair her brother and Tony were sitting in. “Which song?”

“Depends on what you’re in the mood for,” Max said. He stuck his tongue out at her. “Nothin’ sad, right?”

“Maybe somethin’ that’s not too loud since this little guy’s still wired,” Michael added before she could comment. Chase was starting to wind down but he knew from experience that the kid could go from drowsy to full-on hyper in a heartbeat.

“What about Because of You by Kelly Clarkson?” Liz suggested. “You could do that one? Aaron loves it.”

“Kelly Clarkson?” Kyle made a face. “We’re gonna have to do somethin’ about that, little dude.”

Max shot a look at Kyle where he had taken possession of the swing at the end of the porch. “There’s nothin’ wrong with his choice of music.” Okay, it wasn’t his preference, but he wasn’t three years old either. He glanced at Alex. “Know it well enough to play?”

“I’m good,” the guy nodded.

“Alright,” Maria got her cell out and googled the exact text. The song was on the radio all day but it wasn’t her taste in music so she wanted to make sure she remembered everything.

“Cheater,” Michael sang under his breath.

“Yeah, sorry, I’m not the pop queen, CB.” She nodded to the boys with the guitars to start.

He snorted at that. “We’re about to find out.”

“Shut up now,” Isabel hissed.

Maria closed her eyes to wait for the part where she would start.

I will not make
The same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
'Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break
The way you did
You felt so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Because of you – I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you – I learned to play on the safe side, so I don't get hurt
Because of you – I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you – I am afraid

Liz listened to the words, giving them careful attention. Depending on which of the lyrics you were listening to they could be interpreted in different ways. Her gaze was drawn to Max, and Aaron, resting against him so trustingly. Part of the reason for keeping Max at arms’ length was because she was afraid. There was no way to deny that truth. But she wasn’t just putting herself at risk by giving a relationship a shot. She had Aaron to think about as well.

Deluca was full of surprises, Tony thought as he listed to her voice. He hadn’t known she was this good.

Kyle wasn’t listening to the words of the song as much as he was just letting Maria’s voice wash over him. His right foot, propped on the railing had been keeping the swing in motion and he dropped it after a minute and got to his feet. Before, he had chased the loneliness away by hanging out, but tonight it just didn’t feel like enough. He slipped away and went down the steps behind the swing to take a walk on the beach.

Tess glanced up when movement caught her eye and she frowned when she saw him leaving the group by going to the beach all alone. What did that mean? His face was serious, kinda sad too. Was he regretting his break up with Maria? Maybe hanging out with the group in peace and her voice in the night made it clear to him that there was more? Did he break up with her because his feelings had developed into more and she wasn’t responding them, she wondered, horrified, and the more she thought about it the more convinced she was that she was right. What else could be on his mind if not that? He had everything in life that he needed and there hadn’t been anything wrong with him before. Her gaze went to Isabel questioningly, but her older sister shrugged as well, obviously not knowing what was going on.

Maria finished the song slowly and stared after Kyle. She knew that the thing with his parents was eating him up inside and she wondered if she should go after him or if he would prefer to be alone right now.

Isabel caught her attention and motioned in the direction that Kyle had taken, letting Maria know where she was going. She disappeared into the house and grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator before going out through the front door and following the sidewalk around to the path that led down to the beach. She paused when she caught sight of him standing in the surf, the waves rolling up on the beach and over his bare feet. He looked isolated and his shoulders were slumped like he was carrying a heavy weight on them. She watched him move his left hand for a few seconds before opening it up and plucking something from his palm.

When he drew his right arm back and threw something out across the water she realized he was holding a handful of small rocks. The loneliness of the scene struck a chord of familiarity in her and it only took a moment for her to remember why. The first time she had met him he had been standing alone, looking much like he did now.

She had stopped by Michael’s apartment to check on him, knowing that the adrenaline that had been fueling him for the past few days had reached its limit. Their family was still reeling from the pain of losing Matt and the shock of the attacks. Michael had thrown himself into doing whatever he could to help out and she had stayed with their parents and sisters, trying to hold things together.

Tess had gone with Maria fairly regularly, offering help wherever they were needed. She had left their family to go and see Michael after learning that he had been ordered home to rest. She knew once he crashed he would be out for hours as his body recovered from the ordeal. She had quietly let herself into the apartment and stopped when she saw the solitary figure standing outside on the balcony.

She had slowly moved to the doors, sliding them open and studying the profile of the young man standing at the railing. His eyes had been locked on something in the distance and as her gaze moved over him she decided he must be the guy Michael had told her about when she had seen him briefly the day before. He was filthy, probably from combing through the debris and searching for survivors. She guessed his age to be around 17 or 18 years old, the dirt and grime streaking his handsome face making him appear several years older. “You must be Kyle,” she said quietly.

He turned his head slowly, giving her the once-over before nodding. “You must be Isabel,” he commented tiredly. “Hell of a few days, huh?”

“I’ve had better… we all have.”

He braced his hands against the short wall that bordered the balcony and inhaled deeply. “Michael hasn’t said much but… I’m sorry about your brother. That’s gotta be tough.”

“It fucking sucks,” she admitted through clenched teeth. “All of those people who died, all of the children left without parents, families left without loved ones… it’s senseless!”

He had looked at her and in the silence that followed her outburst understanding had passed between them. “Can I get you anything?” he asked after a moment.

That had brought a small smile to her lips and she shook her head. “You look like that wall’s the only thing holding you up and you’re asking if you can get anything for me? You should grab a shower and some sleep. If you’re anything like my brother you’ll need the rest because as soon as your body’s recovered you’ll be back out there.”

And he had been back out there just as soon as he had woken up after sleeping for nearly 12 hours straight. It had felt good to just let her guard down for a few minutes with him and over time she and Kyle had formed a solid friendship. She knew something was bothering him but she didn’t know if he wanted to talk about it. He and Michael were best friends, but they were guys. Sometimes he would open up with her and say what was bothering him when he needed to talk and sometimes he would act just like her brother and tell her where she could stick her sympathy.

She decided to risk it and took a step towards him. “Hey, Valenti, how ‘bout a beer?”

He didn’t answer right away, trying to decide if he was willing to have company at the moment. Honestly, he wasn’t in the mood for talking, but on the other hand it was only natural that one of them would come after him. “Probably not strong enough, but since ya already brought it…” he finally said and turned his head just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye.

She smiled slightly, knowing that accepting the beer meant he wouldn’t send her away immediately. “I would’ve brought tequila, but somehow there wasn’t any.”

He snorted and turned to her fully to grab both bottles to open them and handing one back to her. “Probably better with the kids around. We haven’t figured out yet if your new boy can hold his liquor.”

“Alex is not MY boy,” she denied.

“If you say so,” he told her, his tone doubtful.

“I’m serious. I just wanted to do him a favor, since…”

“Yeah, because you screwed him over with his job, I know.” Kyle shook his head. “You can’t fool me, Guerin. You wouldn’t bring a guy here if there wasn’t more to it.”

She looked at him and chuckled softly, tapping her beer against his and taking a sip. That was all the gesture he would need to know he was right. “I’ll tell you if you tell me what’s going on with you and your depressed mood.”

Of course she would come straight to the point so quickly, he thought and looked out over the ocean again. “Don’t know if your story’s good enough.”

“Oh, it is,” she laughed, “believe me. Worst thing I’ve ever done.”

“That good, huh?” he asked, his interest awaking slightly. “Who knows about it?”

“Well, Alex of course, Maria, and my sister. Oh, and Liz too, I think.”

“Makes the news not so exclusive…” he taunted, but grinned when she made a face. “But alright.” He walked a few steps away from the water before he sat down in the sand, digging his feet into it.

Isabel wasn’t really looking forward to sitting down in her new jeans, but standing wasn’t really an option. The things I do for my friends, she thought and dropped down next to him. “Searching for the words or you want me to guess?” she asked when he hadn’t said anything after a minute.

He looked up, surprised. “You have a guess?” Did she know something? But only Maria knew and it was hard to believe she had said anything to anyone.

“I can try.”

“Guess away then.”

“Alright,” she looked up at the sky for a moment, pretending to think very hard. “I think your break up with Maria has something to do with it.”

Kyle looked at her, puzzled. “What? My… Why?”

Isabel shrugged. “Well, maybe one of you developed stronger feelings for the other and now it’s all messed up. Considering that Maria’s been flirting with Tony all day that kinda makes it clear it’s not her. So my guess is that you’ve developed feelings for Maria while she didn’t develop feelings for you, and you ended things to avoid being hurt.”

He looked into her eyes seriously, trying to determine if she really meant what she was saying.

Oh, yeah, I hit a nerve, she thought when his expression remained serious. What a mess. Tess would be very depressed over this news.

She was so sure she was right, he thought in amusement and couldn’t pretend to be serious anymore. A snort slowly turned into a laugh quickly ruining the moment of shock between them. “Not bad, Guerin.”

“So I’m wrong?”

“Totally and completely wrong, yep.”

“Thank God,” she said, relieved. She hadn’t wanted to think about the problems that would’ve brought for the whole group.

Kyle used his bottle to dig a small hole in the sand and then wedged it firmly into place. He brought his knees up, resting his elbows on them as he spread the fingers of his right hand to stare at a scar that ran across the two middle knuckles. He reached over with his left thumb to rub over the slightly raised scar tissue. “You know, I got this in a fight back in high school.”

Isabel took a drink of her beer and then brushed imaginary grains of sand from the knees of her jeans. He was taking the lead in the conversation so she followed, taking the change in topic in stride. “High school, huh?”

“Yeah. Busted it up pretty good. Had to have stitches to close it up.” He was quiet for a moment. “My best friend told me the girl I was seein’ was screwin’ around on me and I was naïve enough to think that it couldn’t happen to me.” He sighed and locked his fingers behind his neck. “You never think your parents are really capable of that… even when you know it’s happening you still find ways to ignore it.”

“Oh, Kyle…”

He shrugged. “I’ve known for a while. Heard ‘em arguing about it more than once so it’s not like I knew she was cheatin’ and hid it from my dad. I just… I guess I wanted to think they could work past it.” He shifted slightly when she started to reach out to him and he relaxed when she picked up a handful of sand instead, letting it sift through her fingers.

“They’re getting a divorce?” she asked sympathetically.

“Yeah.” He took a long drink of his beer before putting it down again. “Yeah, I guess Dad couldn’t find it in him to work past an affair she’d had with his best friend. Can’t imagine why,” he muttered derisively. “And now she’s pissed at him for filing for divorce.”

“Shouldn’t be a big surprise, huh?” She sighed. “I don’t know what to say. I remember when our parents divorced. Tess and Ava didn’t want it to be true, Michael pretended as if he didn’t care at all, but you know he did, and well, I saw it a long time coming. It wasn’t that they really fought or anything. To be honest they didn’t really have anything to say to each other anymore.”

Kyle looked out on the ocean while he sipped on his beer. “Guess as their kid ya never really wanna think about that possibility, even if you know it’s comin’.”

“Yeah, that’s probably true, and I know it was the right decision for my parents. My father’s happy again and well, Mom’s… Let’s say she’s living a different life now. Not much of a family life at all.”

“I have enough sense to know that the only right decision for my parents is to split up. It’s just a shock now that it seems to be final.”

“Can I ask you something?”

He looked at her. “You can try.”

“Did you split up with Maria because of that? You know, because of the knowledge your mom had something going on with your dad’s best friend.”

“I guess it was the final push I needed,” he nodded. “Right now I doubt Maria and Michael will ever get over their ignorance to see what’s really between them, but if it happens one day, I don’t wanna be in the way.”

“Good choice,” she teased and bumped his side lightly. “I bet the ladies will be happy that Maria’s outta the way.”

“She was never in the way,” he denied.

If you only knew, Isabel thought. “Alright,” she lifted herself up from the sand again. “I’m gonna go back to the others and you come back whenever you’re ready, okay?”

“Sure,” he nodded. “Can this stay between us for now? Maria knows, but not the others.”

“I’m not gonna say anything,” she promised and turned to walk back to the house.

“Hey, Guerin,” he called after her. “Don’t think I forgot about the things you wanted to tell me about Whitman. That’s just delayed.”

She just snorted and held her beer up in his direction. “I never said I wanted to tell you about him.” She waggled her eyebrows playfully. “I only said I would.”

“Semantics,” he said and waved her off.

*****

Michael was slouched down in his chair, hands linked and resting on his stomach as he listened to the guys playing guitar. One of them was humming but it just added to the serene moment. He rolled his head along the back of his chair when Isabel stepped up on the deck and he nodded at her when she motioned to the empty seat next to him. “He okay?” he asked quietly.

“He will be.” She glanced around, mentally placing everyone. “Where’s Courtney?”

“Went to get a drink.”

“Chase?”

“Crashed and burned about 20 minutes ago. I put him down in Cody’s room. Figured they’d like bunkin’ in together.”

“Maria?”

“Puttin’ Cody to bed.”

“Tony?”

“Probably wonderin’ if he can convince Maria to let him put her to bed,” he said with a snort.

“And you’re cool with that?”

He rolled his eyes. “Not gonna dignify that with a response, Iz.”

“Ooookay,” she said, dragging it out. Her gaze moved around the deck again and her eyes settled on Liz, who was watching Max and trying not to be obvious about it. “There’s definite history between our new waitress friend and Evans,” she said, her voice low. “Initiations should be interesting.”

Michael grinned and nodded. “Tell me about it. Can’t wait to see who goes through with it and who chickens out.” He nodded at Whitman and shook his head. “He’ll never do it.”

Isabel just smirked and shrugged one shoulder. “We’ll see.”

“There is no way that dude’s ever gonna do it.”

“Care to put your money where your mouth is, little brother?”

“Why do you need to bet on everything?” Michael complained.

“Just because,” she shrugged, her eyes following Liz when she moved past her and crouched down in front of Aaron.

“Someone needs to go to bed, huh?” she asked with a smile after watching him yawn widely. His eyes were heavy and his features told her he was more than ready to go to bed.

“Not yet,” Aaron said, but his tone was quiet to really be a protest.

“Um-hmm, what about now?” She shook her head in amusement and cradled him up in her arms, nodding to herself when the boy snuggled close against her tiredly.

“Want me to help?” Max looked up questioningly.

“No, it’s okay. Considering how tired he is, I’ll be back in no time.”

He wanted to protest but knew it was pointless and he had no right to be adamant about anything. “Okay,” his hand touched the boy’s ankle lightly. “Good night, Aaron.”

The kid turned his head slightly to look at the new man in their lives. His tiny hand opened and closed a few times, intending to wave good night.

“Okay, let’s put you to bed, huh?” Liz said gently and walked up the steps and across the deck into the house. She was glad that she had already sent her brother in earlier to brush his teeth, knowing it would have been a difficult, whining process now.

She kicked the door to the bedroom open slightly and walked towards the bed to place Aaron down softly. Her hand came up to switch on the small nightstand lamp. “Now help me get you undressed, sweetie,” her voice was hushed while she peeled the light clothes off of him. He didn’t even bother to open his eyes for more than a few blinks.

Within a few minutes she had put him into his pajamas. With both hands she lifted his legs and pulled the thin blanket out from under him, tugging it loosely over his body since it was still comfortably warm in the room. Liz leaned on the bed next to Aaron and stroked his hair a few times in a gentle manner.

“Don’wanna-go home-again,” she heard him whisper, almost asleep, and she smiled sadly.

“I know,” she answered, knowing he wouldn’t hear it.

*****

Max rested his palm over the strings of his guitar as he turned his head to look at Alex. “You’re good. How long you been playin’?”

Alex glanced up from the strings he was plucking and he smiled faintly. “I started playin’ when I was a kid and I was in a band in high school.”

“Didn’t pursue it?”

“Thought about it for a while, but…” he shrugged and drummed his fingertips against the guitar. “But, God, fate, somethin’ had a different plan in mind.”

Max snorted at that. “Tell me about it.” He stood up and stretched. “I’m gonna grab a beer, you want one?”

He looked up in surprise. “Yeah, thanks.” His right eyebrow quirked when he realized that his aggravating neighbor was the only one left on the deck and he wondered where everyone had gone.

“They’ll be back before long,” Michael said as he lifted his legs up to brace his feet on the railing. “So… you an’ my sister… how’d that happen?”

Alex dropped his gaze to the guitar to hide the smile on his face. The man wasn’t subtle in the least. “I can only imagine you’ve already asked her and she hasn’t given you a straight answer.”

“I’m not askin’ her, I’m askin’ you.”

“If your sister hasn’t answered your nosy questions then I think I’ll refrain from feeding your ego by handing out free information.”

“Whatever.”

“Is this where I get the threatening warnings?”

Michael frowned at him. “What?”

“The threats about kickin’ my ass if I hurt her?”

He shrugged. “That’s a given.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Maybe you oughta be a little more concerned about her ex,” he said quietly. “She blows it off but the guy isn’t getting the message that things are over between them. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think it’s a situation that should be watched.”

Michael stared hard at him for several long minutes. “Are you wrong?”

“No.”

His eyes narrowed and he snorted after a few minutes to cover the sense of unease he could feel when Whitman basically said Dick was dangerous. “Isabel can hold her own. Dick knows better than to cross her.”

“Just sayin’,” Alex shrugged before Max came back out and handed him the beer. Hell, he’d passed along his concerns. If they didn’t listen it wasn’t his problem.

Michael let his thoughts play over Alex’s warning and he wondered how much he really knew about the situation. There had been no hesitation when he had asked the guy if he was wrong about it, and he certainly had his own reservations about Dick, but if Isabel felt her ex was dangerous she’d say something. He shifted in his seat and stared out at the moonlight playing over the ocean. Yeah, he decided, she’d tell him if she felt Dick was a threat.

“Did your girlfriend go to bed?” Max asked his friend when he glanced around the deck and everyone seemed to be gone.

“No, she didn’t,” Courtney answered when she walked out of the house at that second.

Isabel walked back out on deck and handed Michael his cell phone. “Here, you left this in the kitchen... Ava wants to know all about Chase’s day.” She smirked at him when he made a face. “I told you to call her earlier before he went to sleep so he could tell her about it himself, but did you listen to me? No, you didn’t.”

“He never does,” Maria said dryly when she came back outside as well. Alex frowned when he saw the stack of towels she was carrying but he shrugged it off when she placed them in a corner of the deck and left them there.

“No, he doesn’t.” Isabel rested one hip against the railing and looked up, taking in the full moon hanging low in the cloudless sky. “Perfect night for a swim,” she commented to no one in particular.

“You’re not considering what I think you’re considering, are you?” Tess asked when she joined the group again after taking a shower.

Max glanced at her, wondering at the question. He followed her gaze to Isabel and he knew what was up when she just shrugged one shoulder and grinned.

“What’re they talkin’ about?” Alex asked quietly, feeling an odd sense of foreboding.

He shook his head. Wasn’t really his place to let the cat outta the bag, was it? “No clue. What’s up, Tess?” he asked.

“Nothing good,” she groaned.

begonia9508: Lol, that’s a very good possibility!

Natalie36: A big possibility. Pretty sure the little guys are down for the count.

mary mary: Glad you enjoyed.

Alien_Friend: If Aaron has anything to say about it Liz will be rethinking her position. He’d do good to have these guys around on a regular basis.

Don’t think Max or Alex saw that one coming, lol.

We’ll have to see if Michael listens.

Isabel and Kyle also have a great friendship, something good that came out of a horrible time in their lives.

Earth2Mama: You just never know, lol.

Thanks! True, but Michael seems to think that she’ll come to him if something’s up… little brothers can be delusional at times.

keepsmiling7: We’ll see some interesting things develop from this weekend.

Divorce is difficult on everyone.

Aaron agrees with you and he’ll do whatever he can think of to get Liz to accept Max in their lives.

Rodney: Lol, that would’ve been an interesting conversation to happen between Tess and Kyle at this point in their ‘relationship’.

Cardinal: Lol, could be correct, and we’ll see what happens.

Oh, the fun will wait for everyone!

In spite of Max’s limited group interaction, he has actually been out with the group before.

lilah: Awesome you’re all caught up! Hey, at least we’re updating this weekend!

secretk: Pretty sure no one saw that one coming, lol.

The little guys are great. Aaron’s getting to experience life from a different perspective and Cody, that little man’s very proud of his big sister.

Isabel and Kyle have a very special friendship, forged from a very dark time in their lives.

Oh, Michael’s likely to ask her. Alex does have his concerns even if they’re not welcome.

Lol, get ready to read.




Part 56

Initiations

“Hope ya got a nice pair of boxers on tonight,” Maria teased Tony when he came outside. Cody had insisted on him staying a bit and telling him everything he knew about seahorses.

“Who says I wear boxers?” he asked with a smirk.

Kyle rolled his eyes when he came up from the beach. “Yes, he does. Calvin Klein, always. You’d think he just has the one pair.”

“Hey, don’t hate on Calvin just ‘cause you don’t have any style,” Tony said. “Is it my fault if you choose to wear some crappy department store brand?”

Courtney turned in Michael’s lap to look at him. “What’s goin’ on here?”

“Just our way of initiating newbies into our group.”

“Uh-huh,” she said skeptically.

“It is,” he insisted. “It’s all about seeing how honest you can be with us and yourself.”

“And here she comes,” Maria said when Liz walked out.

“Huh?” The brunette looked puzzled.

“We’re just waiting for you to make the group complete.”

Liz looked around at the others, feeling like the spotlight was on her. “Um... why?”

“Don’t look at me,” Alex lifted his hands helplessly. “I don’t know what they’re planning.” Suddenly he didn’t like the towels Maria had brought.

Between Michael’s answer and Maria bringing the stack of towels outside Max had figured out what was going on. How had he forgotten about it? He wondered how comfortable Liz would be with it. “It’s not that bad,” he said with a shrug. Okay, the first time he had come out here with them and they’d explained the initiation to him he’d thought they were insane.

“Well,” Maria walked to the steps that led down to the beach. “We kinda have a thing for taking a bath in the ocean at night,” she started with a cheeky grin.

Okay, it was official, Alex decided, they were nuts.

“It’s a variation of a ritual kinda thing that Maria’s mom told us about years ago. Kinda got that hippie vibe goin’ on. Anyway, it’s just a way of getting to know each other without any barriers... complete and total honesty,” Michael explained.

“Okay, still makes no sense to me,” Liz admitted and wrapped her arms around herself. She hated moments like this when she didn’t know what was going on.

“Basically we’re gonna strip down to our underwear and hit the water,” Tess explained. “Once we’re in the water, the rest comes off and gets thrown back on the beach. Then the questions start. Like they said, it’s a very straight-forward question and answer game... if you can’t or won’t give an honest answer then your naked ass swims to shore to collect your clothes.”

Tony laughed. “Only people like you would come up with shit like this.”

“Hey, it’s not like we sit around in a circle on the beach in our birthday suits,” Isabel countered. “At least we do give you the ocean as some cover.”

“I’ve got nothing to hide,” he waggled his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes at him. “It’s about being completely honest, not how good you look naked.”

“Though it’s definitely a plus to look good,” Maria laughed and pulled up her tank top to reveal her black bra. She had known this would come and that was definitely a plus too. That way you could at least wear matching panties.

Courtney lifted her eyebrows as she glanced at Michael. “You guys do this a lot?”

He just grinned and nudged her to get her to stand up. “C’mon, no puttin’ it off... let’s get those clothes off, people. Oh, RP, you got the handset?” He nodded when she pointed to the portable speaker they could take with them so if any of the boys woke up they would know.

“Hey, I could stay here and watch over the boys,” Tess tried. “I’ve already done this several times before.”

Michael shook his head. “It’s an initiation, little sister... how do the newbies really get to know you if you don’t participate?”

“Yeah, that would be such a shame,” Maria said and rolled her eyes.

Tess bit her lip to keep from snapping at Maria. She just knew getting in the water tonight was gonna be a mistake. One of them was gonna bring up any of at least a dozen questions that she’d rather walk naked through New York City than answer.

“How do we get out of the water afterwards?” Courtney asked. She had no problem with her body, none at all. But she didn’t knew these people very well.

“Michael will be happy to present everyone with a nice view of his ass so he can throw our clothes back to us,” Maria answered. “Well, our underwear anyway. Unless someone can’t handle the questions, and in that case, that person hangs out on shore and saves us from a Guerin full moon.”

The guys made a face. “Girls, you won’t do that to us, right?” Kyle asked and laughed when Michael glared at him.

“Why do you just assume it’s a girl that’s not gonna answer a question?” Isabel asked. “Maybe one of you guys will be the first to chicken out.”

“First, the question should be: who’s in?” Michael asked as he stood next to Maria and got rid of his tee shirt.

“This’s really how you initiate people into your select little group?” Alex asked.

“This’s how we find out if people are worth initiating,” Kyle corrected.

They certainly thought highly of themselves, didn't they? “How do you know your limits?”

“There are no limits,” Michael answered. “It’s a no-holds-barred question and answer session. If you can’t or won’t answer the question... you have to be honest enough to admit that and hit the shore. It gives you the option to answer or not, and it lets everyone else know what their boundaries are with you.”

“So,” Maria, who was sandwiched between Kyle and Michael, opened the buttons on her jeans, “who’s afraid of some questions?”

“Not me,” Isabel said, reaching for the hem of her tank top.

“Hell, I’m in,” Max said as he stood up. He glanced at Liz, waiting to see if she would participate.

“Do we have to undress on deck?” she asked.

Maria turned to look at her. “Nah, you can wait till we get down to the water if you want.”

They couldn’t ask questions about things they didn’t know, right? Alex thought and got up. This was really ridiculous in his opinion, but Isabel would give him hell over it later if he chickened out.

“I’m in too,” Tony said. “Hell, how many guys can say they got naked with five hot girls at the same time?”

“Better stay away from mine,” Michael shoved him slightly and walked down to the beach.

“And Liz too,” Max grumbled as he followed his friend.

“Hey, any other hot naked girls I need to avoid while we’re at it?” He glanced at Kyle. “Got any warnings for me?”

“Guess the girls can speak for themselves,” he said.

“Well, not all of them apparently.” He pulled his tee shirt off and tossed it over the railing before stretching.

Courtney glanced at the others and slowly made her way towards the ocean as well. Maria and Michael were already down to their underwear, waiting for the others to strip off as well. “Pull yourself together, you look good,” she told herself and unbuttoned her shirt.

Michael’s attention was pulled away from his conversation with Maria when his girlfriend started walking towards them. His eyes followed her every move as she worked the buttons free on her shirt, slowly revealing more skin. “Huh?” he said when Maria gave him an unsubtle shove.

“You’re drooling,” she said with an eye roll.

“Whatever.” He motioned to Courtney. “You’ve gotta admit she’s hot.”

“As if I care if she’s hot,” she said and made a face.

Tony and Kyle looked at each other when Michael started talking about his girlfriend like she was the newfound ideal of a woman. “She’s no hotter than the rest,” Tony said.

“My sisters, my best friend, and the girl Evans is hung up on... yeah, I think she’s hotter than the rest,” he insisted.

“Ya know instead of finding out who the hottest girl is, we could actually get in the water,” Maria said, shaking her head at the guys.

Tony looked at her and nodded. “Ladies first.”

“That’s just so he can get a look at your ass,” Max said.

Maria just grinned and turned to run into the water, which was surprisingly colder than she had expected it to be. “Oh, man,” she hissed to herself but kept running into it.

Tony walked backwards to the water, his hands held up as he smirked at Max. “The girl has no problem with me admiring the view.” He hit the water and dove in, surfacing a moment later with his boxers in hand. “Okay, the water’s a bit cooler than I thought it would be for this time of year.”

“Somethin’ getting smaller?” Maria teased while she opened her bra under water.

“Let’s just say it would be rude to pass judgment right now,” he said with a grin.

Max looked up at Liz after he had undressed down to his boxers. She seemed to be a little lost as she fumbled with her jeans. “You don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable with it.”

“It’s a little unnerving,” she admitted, avoiding his gaze. It had more to do with being naked with him so close than anything else. Yeah, it was an odd way of getting to know each other, but it was harmless. It wasn’t like they would hound anyone who didn’t want to answer a question. Okay, that whole naked walk to grab clothes would be a bit embarrassing, but overall it was harmless.

Isabel looked at Alex, amused when he walked into the water slowly and hissing when he noticed how cold it was. Admittedly she was a bit surprised to see that there were muscles under his tee shirt.

Alex couldn’t believe the situation he had found himself in. Hanging out with the very same people who made his life miserable whenever it suited them. He moved deeper into the water and felt his body beginning to adjust to the temperature.

Slowly but surely everyone was making their way into the water. Clothes flew through the air and hit the beach with a wet smacking sound. Some of them were standing close together, while others preferred to leave a safe distance between them and the others. “Ready?” Michael called.

“I think there’s something left,” Maria called, looking at Tess meaningfully. “I smell a cheater.”

“And how would you even cheat at this game?” Tess asked, annoyed.

“Well, by pretending to be naked, but still having your panties on.”

“I don’t see why it matters,” she grumbled. “It’s not like anyone really knows.”

Kyle made a chicken sound and then coughed slightly when she turned to glare at him.

“You’re such an ass,” she growled as she stripped her panties off.

“So who’s gonna ask the first question?” Tony asked when everyone was waiting to see what would happen. He could see that some of them weren’t really comfortable with the situation and he wondered if it was because of the nudity or the questions that could come.

Michael glanced around and settled on Alex for a moment before moving on to his older sister. “Okay, Iz, looks like you’re up first. Do you think your ex is a threat?”

Her eyes narrowed on her brother. Someone had said something to him, she just wasn’t sure who. “No, he’s just dumb.” She rolled her eyes. “He may be a bit of a stalker right now, but he’s harmless.”

Michael nodded, accepting her answer as the truth. “Okay, guess the next question’s yours.”

“Hmm, let’s see,” she looked around the people in the water until her eyes focused on one of the new girls. “Alright, Liz, have you had sex with Max in the past?”

“Fuck, Guerin, why don’t you just go for the throat?” Max growled.

“Iz and subtle just don’t go together,” Kyle said with a laugh.

Liz met Max’s irritated gaze and gave a subtle nod of her head, letting him know she was okay. “Yes, Max and I have a past sexual history.”

“I knew it,” the tall blond crowed and clapped her hands.

She cleared her throat self-consciously when most of them nodded in agreement. God, were they that obvious? “So, it’s my turn now?” she asked, hoping to get out from under their knowing looks.

“Sure. Go ahead and ask what ya wanna know,” Michael nodded. He wasn’t surprised about the news. Question was, how had they ended up as antagonists?

She had no idea what to ask. She didn’t really know any of them very well and it just seemed so intrusive to blurt out a question that might offend someone. “Okay, why did you become an EMT? I mean, it’s pretty obvious you don’t have to work, but... you didn’t choose a career that’s high-powered or would keep you in the public eye. You chose something difficult, something that has to take a piece of you at times, so... why?”

Oh, hell, she would pick a question like that, Maria thought, knowing that it was a very personal question for her friend. A question whose answer was what he tried to push away most of the time. And not only him, but his sisters as well. She tried to smile at him encouragingly when their eyes lock briefly, which didn’t go unnoticed by Courtney.

“Alright,” Michael released the air from his lungs and looked back at Liz. “Our brother died on 9/11. He made it out of the tower alive, but there just weren’t enough doctors and EMTs who could get to him in time, so he died on his way to the hospital.” He swallowed hard before he continued. “Probably wouldn’t have if he’d been taken care of from the moment he was found in the remains. So yeah,” he scratched his eyebrow, “that’s why I decided to become one.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, knowing that dredging that subject up had to hurt.

He forced a smile. “No need to be.”

Maria splashed Michael with water to get his attention. “Keep the game rollin’, CB,” she said, trying to get his mind back to the present.

“Sure,” he looked around while he thought about a question that he was interested in its answer. “Sorry, dude,” he said when his eyes focused on Alex again. “Why’re you really here?”

“Hey, that was my question for Isabel,” Kyle complained.

“Isabel invited me and I figured it was an opportunity to find out what you guys are all about since she insists there’s more to you than parties and keepin’ your neighbors up at all hours.”

“Bullshit,” Kyle said. “That’s not the whole story.”

“If there’s more maybe you should enlighten us,” Alex countered.

“Stop it,” Isabel said. “You asked, he answered. End of story.”

Alex debated which one to question as his gaze bounced between Michael and Kyle. He finally settled on Kyle since the other guy had already answered one. “How do you work in the field that you’ve chosen, seeing the damage you must see on a daily basis, and then drive through the city at almost 100 miles per hour and party like an irresponsible teenager several nights a week?”

Ouch, Maria thought, that was payback.

Kyle took in a deep breath before he started. “As you said, I see a lot of crap during my job, WE see a lot of things you can’t imagine, and if you don’t keep your mind busy after the really bad days, you go crazy from thinking about what happened and what you could’ve done differently that might’ve resulted in a better outcome. Partying is our way of working past the shit real life throws at us now and then, and I’ll correct you with that irresponsible shit. We may be loud and maybe you don’t like some of the things we have going on, but we’re not irresponsible. We don’t take drugs. We don’t drink till we poison ourselves, and we watch out for each other.”

“Your behavior’s inconsiderate of your neighbors.”

“Normally our neighbors join us,” Kyle countered with a smirk. Okay, maybe they didn’t care about their neighbors.

“We live in the same building... not everyone goes to your parties. And just because people are invited or normally show up doesn’t mean that you have the right to disrupt the peace.”

“It’s not like we do it every damn day,” Kyle growled. “To be exact we did it once in the past two weeks if I remember right.”

“My point isn’t the frequency of the parties,” Alex said, knowing he wasn’t getting anywhere. “The whole point is that you show no consideration for others with those parties. I could live with it if you just raised the roof on the weekends, but during the week is disruptive.”

“Ya know, this water isn’t getting any warmer, so if you could postpone this discussion until later,” Tony said.

“I’m with him,” Tess agreed, shivering slightly.

“Guess the ball’s in your court,” Alex said with a nod at Kyle.

“So Courtney,” his eyes focused at the newest interest of his roommate and best friend. “Do you see Maria as a threat to your relationship with Michael?”

Maria and Michael both groaned at that. “Kyle!”

Courtney glanced between Michael and Maria. It was a valid question considering how close the two of them were. There was a strong connection between them but as far as she could tell it was just friendship. As long as they had been friends she was sure if there was more to it they would’ve pursued it before now. She shook her head. “No. They’re best friends, right? Why would she be a threat?”

“Exactly,” Michael said and nodded.

Isabel and Kyle exchanged a look and shook their heads at the same time.

“Well, good for you then. Some people would have a problem with them being so close,” he said and motioned for her to go on with the next question.

“Okay. Hmm...” Why not follow the subject that had just been opened? “Am I wrong, Maria? Is there any validity to the belief in this group that you could pose a threat to my relationship with Michael?”

“See what you did, Kyle? Now she’s started to think about it,” Maria complained and splashed water at her friend. She looked back at Courtney. “No, there’s no reason for you to worry. Michael and I are close but only in a friendship way and as long as you don’t expect me to not see him anymore or anything, we’re good.”

Courtney nodded in satisfaction. “I’m good with that.”

Either she hadn’t seen the signs that were so glaringly obvious or she was just choosing to ignore them, Isabel thought.

Maria nodded and smirked at Michael when he mouthed a thank you to her. She looked at her other friends in the water before her eyes narrowed on Tess. “Time to ask something real uncomfortable, huh?” She looked at the younger girl sternly. “Why’d you leave New York a few months ago?”

Tess squirmed and shook her head. “You’ve just been waiting for this, haven’t you?”

“You’re right about that,” Maria admitted.

This could be bad, Isabel thought and bit her lip. There was no way Tess would spill that in front of everyone. Question was if she would come up with a lie that would just make everything worse or if she would take the naked walk.

“That’s between me and you... it’s not everyone’s business,” she bit out, hoping Maria would pick a different question.

“Oh, so it has something to do with me, now that’s a start, isn’t it?” the other girl snapped. She wasn’t gonna beg no matter how uncomfortable it was for her ex-best friend.

“You know what happens if you don’t answer the question,” Michael reminded her.

“Thanks for the reminder,” Tess growled but didn’t look at him. She felt trapped like an animal in a cage and everyone was waiting for her to do something. She couldn’t tell the truth, not like this, and not in front of everyone.

“Maria,” Isabel swam towards the other girl, hoping she would change her mind and think about it again.

The younger blonde looked at Tess and for a moment she considered just leaving it alone when she saw the trapped and hurt look in the other girls face, but then her own hurt from the past pushed the feelings back again. “Tell the truth or go and do the naked walk.”

“Fine, I’m outta here.” She turned and started to swim to shore. This was so far out of hand it wasn’t even funny.

“You know, one day you’re gonna have to suck it up and face the truth,” Maria called after her. She was sick of this. If she would only tell the truth so she could make peace with it.

“Hey, look at it this way,” Tony said with a teasing grin. “Now you can ask me a question.”

Maria tried to smile but failed. “Yeah.”

Michael turned when his sister started to walk out of the water, not interested in seeing any of it. “You better do the same, Carter,” he warned.

“You wanna look at my ass in the moonlight, Guerin?” Tony asked, deliberately misunderstanding.

“Shut up,” the other man said and made a face. “Ungh.”

“Okay, so if little sister forfeited her chance to hit me with some deep-into-my-soul question... who gets to hit me with it?”

“I’ve got a question for you,” Kyle called. “Are you over your ex-girlfriend?”

Tony didn’t really have to think about that one, but he pretended to consider the question. “Not 100%, no,” he said finally.

Michael glanced between the two men. Was there some rivalry because of Maria or not? He couldn’t quite decide.

“You guys don’t pull any punches with these questions, do you?” he asked as he looked over at Maria. He wasn’t looking for anything serious and neither was she... at least not with him.

“No punches,” Kyle denied.

“Yeah, walking around on eggshells in this group doesn’t get you anywhere,” Maria spoke up with a glance at Tess where she was sitting on the beach, wrapped up in a towel.

“Now it’s my turn, right?” Tony asked and glanced at the others. It was tempting to ask Kyle if his bad mood had anything to do with Maria and their break up, but he would save that for a private conversation later. His gaze focused on the little troublemaker again. “Hey, Mr. Conscience, why’re you stayin’ in the apartment if those parties disturb you? There are other apartments, and in fact, a lot more that’d be cheaper to get.”

Michael nodded. “If I remember right we had a party going on when you first came there to have a look at this apartment. You were there with the owner, so why’d you even take it when you’d already heard the noise?”

Alex nodded after a moment. “The first time you saw me with the owner, that’s not the first time I was in the apartment. The reason the girl who had the apartment no longer lives there is because she overdosed on drugs. She was big on the party scene and she got into drugs pretty heavily over time. I know she went to your parties at times, and no, I’m not accusing you of havin’ drugs at your parties.” He inhaled deeply. “I don’t hold anyone but her responsible for the drug use. The fact is, I took over the lease on the apartment when she overdosed ‘cause she loved it and I guess part of me thought if I held onto it she’d come back from wherever her mind went. She’s been in a vegetative state since that last overdose.” He took a deep breath. “She’s my sister and I couldn’t leave her here alone.”

They all stared at each other in shock when Alex revealed the story. “Sandy was your sister?” Michael asked with a frown.

“IS my sister,” Alex corrected him. Even though he knew it was only a matter of time he refused to think of her in the past tense. Not yet.

“She came to a few of our parties, but hadn’t shown up for a while before she overdosed,” Michael said quietly.

“Yeah, well... that last couple of months before that overdose she started hanging out with a pretty rough crowd, mixing it up at parties where drugs were everywhere.” He shook his head. “There was no reasoning with her and she just didn’t want help.”

“I tried to talk to her once,” the other man said, earning surprised looks from his friends. “She didn’t listen though, which is normal. People with any kind of addiction tend to ignore what others say, you can’t help ‘em as long as they won’t admit it to themselves.” He looked up to meet Alex’s gaze. “I was there the night she overdosed. She was at a club downtown, pretty bad place to be, and it was my shift at the department.”

Alex glanced at him, trying to determine if he was being straight with him. “You were with her when she... Did she ever regain consciousness? Say anything?”

Michael tried to remember that night, but it had been a while. “I think she mumbled something about being sorry, but it wasn’t long before she was unconscious.”

“I did everything I could think of to help her, but she just didn’t want it.”

“Why don’t we get outta the water, people? It’s getting cold.” Isabel tried to make the others move since Alex was on the spot and seemed pretty uncomfortable. This really wasn’t a conversation that should be done in a situation like this.

Tony grinned and motioned to the shore. “Ladies first.”

“Well, you know, since I doubt Tess will hand me back my underwear, why don’t you go and get it?” Maria asked.

“Yeah, go on, Carter,” Kyle agreed. “Take your fuzzy ass to shore and go get the girls’ underwear.”

“Just don’t put it on,” Michael snorted.

Maria laughed at that. “If Tony fit in my underwear I’d just drown myself right here and now.”

keepsmiling7: Lol, did you find him?

Max is doing his best to make Liz see that he’s a good guy and that he’d be a great addition to her and Aaron’s lives.

Rodney: Lol, glad to hear you’re able to think straight again!

You’re right about Tess, and so right that it wasn’t the right time to let that cat outta the bag.

Alien_Friend: Max didn’t get a turn… but questions may arise later that put him on the spot.

Alex is new to this group but he’s handling things well so far.

Lol, yeah, that really wasn’t the right time and place to get that story out.

Losing his brother played a huge role in Michael’s career decision.

Even though they may antagonize and annoy each other, this group also supports each other. Yeah, Courtney really isn’t seeing what’s right in front of her.

Thanks!

Earth2Mama: Sandy is his sister, yep. It is a waste and far too many people throw themselves into that pit.

The truth will be coming out here pretty soon.

begonia9508: Thanks!

Lol, not a game for everyone. Oh, Max may have missed his chance in the water, but he’s likely to get put on the spot eventually.

xilaj: Thanks! This was a chance for us to really get a better look into some of the characters. They should have a better understanding of each other and hopefully more tolerance.

Cardinal: Oh, Tess wasn’t about to reveal that answer at that moment. Max’s story will come out in time.

Lol, well, they’re not getting back into the water but we will see more things revealed.

sarammlover: Thanks! Lol, Liz and Max will get there but they’re gonna have to work for it. Tess is gonna get it out, and soon. Tony is impossible not to love, lol. Not that we’re biased or anything.

We have someone planned for Tony… someone great.

mary mary: Thanks! Lol, the beauty of fanfiction, right?

secretk: Lol, most of us probably are.

Yeah, you’d have to wonder what was coming with this group.

Addictions do punish the addict, but unfortunately there are always other people who suffer because of it. Alex is holding on even though he knows the reality of the situation. No, he doesn’t hold any hard feelings for them. He knows it’s not their fault that his sister overdosed. He and Isabel are slowly making some headway.

Tess will woman up, but when she does it’ll just be between her and Maria. As it should be.

Michael isn’t perfect, but he is pretty awesome. Michael is probably the one Liz is most comfortable with at this time, so you’re right, makes sense that she’d ask him. Max did well, being supportive.

Lol, we can understand Maria’s comment too.



As promised, we are updating all three fics today – and the parts are all extra long.

Our summer break will be a bit longer than normally (blame Steffi), so we hope you guys will have a wonderful July and we will be back on August, 5th.

Take care!

Angel & Steffi





Part 57

I Want More

The hands on the clock were inching past the midnight hour before some of them started to call it a night. Michael leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms high over his head. “I don’t know about you guys but I’m about ready to call it a night.” He glanced at Courtney where she had made herself at home in his lap. “What about you?”

She played with the hair at the back of his neck as she smiled up at him. “I think that’s a good idea.”

He turned his head to the side when he heard Maria and Tess snapping at each other again and he sighed. They had been back and forth all evening, making snide comments and digs at each other. He knew Maria was baiting her, trying to make her give up her reason for leaving but Tess was stubbornly holding onto that information.

Alex stood and picked up his empty beer bottle. He paused when Isabel reached over to touch his hand, her gaze inquiring as she looked up at him. “I’m fine,” he said in response to the unasked question. “Good night, everyone.” He smiled slightly as he stepped into the house with a chorus of good night’s following him. Yeah, maybe he had judged them too harshly.

Isabel ignored her brother’s speculative look and turned her attention to her sister and Maria where their argument was picking up volume. Her eyebrows lifted when Tess stood up and whirled around, ignoring Maria’s last taunt. She waited until the girl had stormed off into the house before getting up and following her.

“Well, this has been real and it’s been fun,” Maria said as she glared after Tess’ retreating back, “but it hasn’t been real fun.”

Tony joined her on the swing and draped his arm over her shoulders. “Just give it a rest, girl. You’re getting all worked up and the whole point of this weekend is to kick back and relax.”

“Easier said than done,” she muttered as she picked at the label on her bottle of beer.

Max got up to follow Liz into the house once they had said their good nights, knowing that he wouldn’t be invited into her room. Couldn’t blame a guy for hoping though, right?

Kyle stretched his legs out and lifted them to prop his feet on the railing as he stared out over the ocean. “Ah,” he mumbled quietly, “alone at last.” He wrapped his hands around his beer and rested it on his stomach.

“You’re not alone Valenti, so if you start farting now, I’m gonna kick your ass,” Maria said from the other end of the deck.

“Hey, I get my amusement where I can,” he said with a shrug.

“Yeah, I know, that’s why I put out the warning,” she got up and glanced at Tony. “New beer?”

“I’ll take one,” Kyle said even though she hadn’t been talking to him.

“Alright,” she went over to him to snatch the empty bottle out of his hand.

Tony snorted at their antics. “I’ll take a beer and if you wanna grab a bag of chips too I’ll love ya forever.”

“Offer them the little finger and they take the whole hand,” she muttered, but winked at him when she disappeared in the house.

Tony grinned and slouched down, using his right foot to keep the swing in motion. “So, Valenti, your mood’s been a bit off all day. That got anything to do with Maria?”

“No, man,” Kyle shook his head. “Nothin’ to do with her.” Great, another one with that suspicion.

“You sure? ‘Cause if I’m steppin’ on your toes just tell me.”

Kyle turned to look at his friend and coworker. “Pretty sure. I don’t have feelings for her. Not in a romantic way anyway.”

“Cool. Interested in any girls romantically?”

“Around this house?” He laughed a bit. “No.”

“I get Isabel, I mean the two of you are like buddies. And Liz, well, she and Evans are locked in a sexual tug-o-war, which is pretty damn entertaining to watch. Maria, well, okay, that’s obviously over. So what about Tess? She’s kinda cute.”

“And she’s also annoying and Guerin’s sister,” Kyle told him. “What about you? Are there any real intentions behind your flirting with Maria or is it just a weekend thing?”

Tony snorted a laugh. “Sure none of that annoyance isn’t maybe sexual tension? Me an’ Maria, we’re just havin’ fun and enjoying each other’s company. Pretty sure neither of us is lookin’ for anything else. Not with each other anyway.”

“Definitely no sexual tension,” Kyle denied and turned in his seat to look at the other man. “I wouldn’t be too sure about what you said about Maria.”

“You think she’s interested in somethin’ serious with me?”

“I don’t know about that, but she’s not really the type for just sex.” He laughed a bit when Tony looked at him as if he was crazy. “I know, I know, hard to believe after my past with her, but despite our agreement that we could hang out with others… I’m pretty sure she didn’t.”

“Really?” Somehow that didn’t really surprise him. “You tellin’ me I shouldn’t hook up with her?”

Kyle shook his head. “Guess that’s her decision.” Alright, maybe it wasn’t really his business but he knew her pretty well. “Look, Maria thinks that no guy will stay with her because of the complications she has in her life. That’s why she doesn’t allow guys to get close enough for it to be a real relationship.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Tony said dismissively. “If she’s the right girl a guy will stick with her no matter what.”

“Not the way she’s thinking.”

“Well, one of these days that guy will come along and she’ll realize she’s got it wrong.”

“You should really try the chrome rims on the Escalade,” Kyle said when Maria came out again.

“I like the black rims,” Tony disagreed, nodding at Maria when she handed him a beer and a bag of chips. “They blend in perfectly with the custom paint job.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong,” Kyle insisted.

He just snorted. “Those rims cost a fortune to have the trim customized.”

Maria sat down on the steps of the deck that led to the beach, not interested in a talk about cars and very aware of the fact that it was just a pretend talk. She had heard a few bits and pieces of their earlier conversation and was wondering now how true it was. Did she want a real relationship? Probably, yes. Did she deny herself? Well, maybe sometimes. But what was the point in thinking about it? Obviously there wasn’t a guy who was really interested in her. Not beyond sex and having fun.

“I can’t believe you let Isabel beat your ass today. How do you let a BMW leave your Mustang in the dust?” he teased as he shot a glance at Maria. He wondered about what Kyle had said and if he and Maria were just wasting time with each other.

“She did not leave me in the dust. She got the yellow signal and I had to stop because it turned red and the cops were behind me, man.”

“Uh-huh, for her to hit that light she had to have the lead on you though.”

“Girl plays very unfair,” Kyle shrugged. “Besides that, you don’t wanna put up with a pissed Guerin.”

Maria snorted and shook her head. “Yeah, that’s no lie. A pissed off Guerin isn’t any fun... no matter which one of them it is.”

“You were really pushy tonight,” Kyle said when his gaze wandered to her.

“Me?” she asked, her voice dangerously low.

“Uh-huh, trying to get an answer from her, weren’t you?”

“I’ll have an answer before this weekend is over. I don’t care what it takes; she will tell me why she left. I’m sick of not knowing.”

“Maybe there isn’t a really straight answer.”

“No. Kyle, do not do that. Don’t you dare take her side in this!”

“I’m not taking anyone’s side here. I’m just saying that maybe there’s no really great surprising secret she has that’s gonna make sense and give you peace about what happened.”

“It doesn’t matter whether there’s anything revealing to her reason or not, all that matters is that she be honest with me about it. That’s all I ever wanted.” She shook her head and blinked back a few tears that had surfaced. “Just forget it. You don’t understand.”

“Hey, I’m not saying that to hurt you,” Kyle said quietly.

“No, but it doesn’t change the fact that if you understood you’d know just having an answer will give me some peace.”

“What if she never gives you an answer?”

Tony watched the scene, not really knowing what to do. Why was Kyle not leaving her alone about the situation?

“She will give me an answer,” she snapped. “I won’t stop until she does. She was my best friend and then out of nowhere she just packed her shit up and left. Something about that whole situation isn’t right... the girl I had gotten so close to wouldn’t have just done that without a damn good reason.”

Kyle glanced up when there was movement on the beach and someone called his name. His eyes narrowed on the tallest person for a few seconds until he recognized who it was. “I’m gonna tell the guys no party tonight,” he said and got up to talk to a few of the guys from the neighborhood. His hand reached out to squeeze Maria’s shoulder lightly as he passed her.

“Friends of yours?” Tony asked, watching Maria as she stared at the ocean.

“Just some guys from the beach house on the left. He’s probably already makin’ plans for a beach football game tomorrow.”

“Cool, sounds like fun.” He stretched his foot out to nudge her. “Hey, you okay?”

She ran her hands through her hair and let her head sink down a bit. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“You look a little tense.” He got up and moved to sit down behind her. “Why don’t we see if we can work some of it out,” he suggested as he brought his hands up to rest on her shoulders.

“You can try,” she agreed.

He massaged her shoulders, using the heels of his hands to work on the knotted muscles. “You know, I get that getting an answer from Tess is important to you.” He chose his next words carefully. “Did you ever have any idea about why she made that decision? Any suspicion at all?”

She relaxed a bit at his touch. “I had an idea, but she said it was bullshit.”

“What was it?”

“I thought she had a crush on Kyle.”

“When did you confront her with that suspicion?”

“As soon as she started to act weird. I knew something was wrong with her, but I didn’t know what. The only thing that made sense to me was Kyle, because her weirdness started with me telling her about me an’ him.”

“So she denied it. Did you believe her?” he asked, his eyes following Kyle as he talked to the other guys. It would make sense, he thought.

“At first I didn’t,” she shrugged. “but I kept pushing her. She said I was talking bullshit… I remember it pretty well. We were together in our apartment one night and we were watching a movie. I started in with it again, but she sighed and took my hands and made me look at her…

Maria frowned at her friend. She had been awfully silent for what supposed to be fun girl’s night and she couldn’t pinpoint what was suddenly wrong with Tess.

“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked again when the other girl joined her on the couch after a restroom break.

“Nothin’,” Tess replied for what felt like the tenth time that night.

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Maria commented and turned in her seat, feet on the couch, to look at her fully.

“M’ria, I’m good, okay? Why don’t ya believe me?” Tess shook her head and her curly hair bounced against her shoulders.

“Because I know you and you’re acting weird. As soon as I told you about me an’ Kyle you…” Maria fell silent as she realized what she had just said. “Oh my God, it’s because of him, isn’t it? Babe, I am so sorry, I didn’t know you…”

“Stop it,” the other girl said quickly and held her hands up. “You’re rambling, girlfriend, and you usually come up with a lot of bullshit when you do that.”

“But… It’s the only explanation for why you’re so silent. Do you have feelings for Kyle?”

“Bullshit,” Tess repeated again and waved her hands in front of her friend’s face. “No, I don’t have feelings for him, DeLuca. That’s ridiculous.” How could she admit it now that Maria had already slept with him? It would be just a mess and it’d make everyone feel guilty or weird… Not to mention that Michael would find out sooner or later as well.

“It’s not. I mean, he’s a very sexy man and he definitely has his qualities…”

“I AM NOT INTO HIM.”

“You sure? I could…”

“Totally sure. Maria, I have no problem with you an’ Kyle, okay? I’m just not feeling so good today.”

“But…”

“Give it up…”

Maria closed her mouth and leaned back on the couch while her thoughts were running over that moment earlier again. Had Tess been mopey before she had mentioned Kyle? Somehow she wasn’t sure anymore. Maybe there was something going on with her mother in California again? Her friend had mentioned often enough that she missed her and how much it sucked that the woman lived on the other side of the country.

Tess sighed and tried to relax. Now what, Guerin? How long can you hide the fact that Kyle was the reason? How long before the whole gang found out and started to act weird around her? Maybe she should tell Maria? She was her best friend and could hold a secret. She snorted inwardly. Yeah, but Kyle would wonder why Maria backed off after they had just started their… deal and that would just lead to the next….

No, she couldn’t tell anyone. Maybe one day her feelings would finally go away for good.

“Look me straight in the eyes and tell me this has nothing to do with me an’ Kyle,” Maria suddenly said and straightened up again.

Tess turned to her friend slowly, while she tried to collect some strength. She rolled her eyes to downplay the uncertainty in her features. “Fine DeLuca,” she sighed dramatically. Be strong now, be convincing! “I’m just exhausted today for no reason.” Her hands grabbed Maria’s while her eyes focused on the pair across of her. “This has NOTHING to do with Kyle.”

She had believed her and now she really wondered why. There had been a red flag over the whole situation and maybe she should’ve known that Tess had been lying the whole time.

“She was so sincere so I believed her.”

“And now? Do you still believe your theory was wrong?”

“I don’t know. If it really was Kyle she could’ve told me. I told her I’d end things with him immediately and she knew I wouldn’t have said a word to anyone.”

“It would make sense, ya know.” His thumbs met at the base of her neck and he pressed against the knot of tension. “Valenti’s pretty clueless where she’s concerned. Plus, she’s Guerin’s little sister and guys kinda have rules about that. Kyle’s a great guy, and I trust him with my life, but I wouldn’t want him datin’ my little sister.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that she could’ve told me,” she sighed. “I believed her that it wasn’t about Kyle.”

“Would it change anything now? I mean, if you push her and she breaks, reveals that the reason she took off was because you had the guy she wanted... what does it change?”

“I don’t know. It’s all fucked up now anyway.”

“Do you think you can ever get your friendship back? Say you both put all your cards on the table and you get everything out between you... could you be friends again? Would you even want that?”

She just shrugged when a lump in her throat built up quickly and it was just too difficult to swallow it down.

Tony dropped the questions and wrapped his arms around her, tugging her back against him and rocking her. “It’ll work itself out.”

A few silent tears ran down her cheeks while they sat on the steps without any conversation. She hated to cry, it was a sign of weakness, and she hated weakness even more.

“You wanna watch a movie or somethin’? I’ll even let you pick it out,” he said as he propped his chin on her shoulder.

She turned her head slightly to look at him, a small smile on her sad face. He was pretty sweet, she thought, even if he wasn’t interested in anything. That one had hurt. It wasn’t like she had expected anything or that she had really considered something real developing with him, but hearing him say that it was just for fun had been weird. “It’s probably already pretty late.”

“Wanna just go to bed?”

“Yeah, Cody will probably be up by 8am at the latest.”

“I've been told I snore, but if you don’t care...”

“If you don’t care about getting slapped when you snore,” she teased.

He laughed quietly. “Just don't break the nose.”

“And I need to be scratched on the back to put me to sleep,” she added.

“Is that so?” He chuckled and rubbed his chin against her shoulder. “Any other little quirks I should know about?”

“Hmm, nah, I think that’s it. Been a while since someone shared my bed, so no guarantees.” Well, anyone that wasn’t Kyle, she thought.

“I’m willin’ to risk it.”

“Yeah?” She looked at him. “Then come on.”

He took her hand and stood up. He had no expectations about where the night would lead but either way he would be sleeping with a beautiful woman.

****

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in a beach house this size or with this kind of equipment,” Courtney walked around the room she was sharing with Michael for the weekend and looked at the different furniture in the room before she decided to sit in one of the fluffy dream white armchairs in front of the TV and the room’s fireplace. “My best friend’s parents back home in California had a beach house. We went there together now and then during the summer and I thought it was pretty cool, but compared to this it was… Well, a joke. Matter of fact, the whole house would probably fit in this room here and one balcony here is bigger than all of theirs together.”

Michael snorted at that. He leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, watching her as she took in every detail in the room. “Kyle’s parents tend to overdo it now and then, but hey, this way we always have a nice hangout for the whole gang.”

“Definitely an advantage,” she agreed. “You think they’re cool with me being here?” It hadn’t been difficult to see the shock on everyone’s faces when she had shown up with him. And the group hadn’t really tried to hide it anyway. Most of them were straight forward in the things they thought and on the one hand it was refreshing, but on the other it was also a bit nerve-wracking when you were new.

“They’re fine,” he told her and pushed himself from the wall to cross the room in her direction. “Shocked you’re here of course, but you know my history so that’s the reason.” He took a blanket from the shelf next to him and threw it on the floor at her feet. “Besides, I don’t think you earn the title for biggest surprise of the week. That award goes to Whitman.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “He doesn’t seem like your sister’s type.”

“Sure as hell not,” he crouched down, using his hands on her thighs to guide her legs apart just enough for him so slip into the space and kneel on the blanket directly in front of her.

She watched him, feeling her body react to him with a vengeance. She could see the intent in his dark eyes and knew how easy it would be to give in to him. She also knew he was used to girls who gave him what he wanted, when he wanted it. She smiled at him. He was going to learn fairly quickly that she wasn’t like every other girl he had hooked up with. He had admitted that he wanted things between them to be different but she wasn’t born yesterday and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize the look on his face.

There was something going on behind her cute face, he thought when he studied her face and saw her smile turn into a mischievous smirk. He knew better than to ask about it, so he did what he did best and leaned forward even more to take her lips in a gentle but heated kiss.

She rested her forearms on his shoulders, playing with the hair at the back of his neck as she returned his kiss. She had a feeling he knew exactly how difficult he was to resist.

Her soft murmur against his lips encouraged his hands to wander up higher on her thighs, taking a little journey up over her sides with the intention of brushing her top up just slightly, before they wandered back down to squeeze her hips. Within a second his grip tightened around her and he pulled her lower body towards his until they came into contact.

The moan escaped before she could stop it and in spite of her best intentions she found herself melting against him. Her hands started their own exploration, moving over his strong back and shoulders.

He liked the way her little hands felt on his much bigger body, he decided and gentled the kiss. His tongue swept over her bottom lip before he pressed his lips against hers shortly and repeated the move from the beginning.

Courtney rasped her fingernails lightly against his neck. She was fast losing her grasp on all of her reasons why it was too soon for them to have sex. He was very convincing without saying a single word and admittedly, she wasn't putting up much of a defense against him.

Her response to his touch made him more sure that she wanted this as well, but he knew he couldn’t move too fast or she’d think he was just doing all these things to get laid. Well, okay, it was partly true because he really wanted to get laid, but another part of him was doing all these things just to get that amazing answer from her. He leaned forward a bit more, putting more of his own weight against her body on the armchair to feel her against his upper body as well.

She gasped at the feel of him against her and if it felt this good with both of them fully clothed she couldn’t wait to feel him with nothing between them. Her hands slid down over his back to settle on the strip of skin visible where his shirt had ridden up and she teased him with the lightest of touches.

Quiet laughter escaped his mouth and was absorbed by her kiss when her fingernails crept along his bare skin and reached his sides. He wasn’t ticklish all the time, but every now and then it happened, most times it was after sex though.

Courtney filed that little discovery in the back of her mind. One just never knew when that information could come in handy, she thought and trailed her fingertips over his sides once more. She smiled when it made him squirm again and she shifted when the movement caused him to press closer against her.

He growled low when she brushed up against the bulge on his jeans, which was getting more uncomfortable with each passing minute. While he used one arm to balance himself out on the armchair, he brought the other one down under her to get a good hold on her body and guide her movements.

“Michael,” she murmured against his lips. She could feel the insistence in his touch and knew if they continued for much longer there would be no question where this night would end.

He ignored her call for him at first, thinking it was just a response to his touch. When he heard his name again though, he forced himself away from her just enough to look at her.

“I think we should slow down,” she said with difficulty. She really wanted to tell him just the opposite but she wasn’t going to give in to him so easily or so soon.

He looked down at them with a slight smirk. “We haven’t even started anything yet.”

“We just haven’t started losing clothes yet,” she said, shaking her head at him.

“See, totally safe territory.”

She bit her bottom lip as she studied him, trying to determine if he was giving her a line or not. He was smooth, practiced, and he knew exactly how to charm his way into a girl’s panties. “For how long?” she asked, meeting his gaze directly.

Seemed like she was damn serious about this, he thought and moved around a bit to get more comfortable, resting his upper arms on the armchair on each side of her, while he steadied his head on his hands to look at her. “As long as you want it to be.”

She ran her hands up over his chest when he gave the perfect answer. How far should she let him go before she stopped him? Damn, she couldn’t just stop him and then start again because she was going to lose credibility. And she wasn’t going to be one of those girls who constantly sent mixed signals. “I’m not ready to go all the way,” she said finally. She met his gaze and traced her thumb over his lips. “Not yet.”

He studied her for several long moments, trying to not sound disappointed or anything, since he knew it was her right to tell him no, and it wasn’t like they had known each other for very long. “Okay.”

She bit her lips in an effort to keep from laughing at him. He was trying not to sound disappointed but she could see it in his face and hear it in his voice. She took it as a good sign that he wasn’t trying to convince her to change her mind.

“So maybe instead of talking about what I’m not allowed to do with your little body,” his eyes lowered when he picked at the hem on her jeans, “why don’t we talk about what I am allowed to do to you?”

And there it was, she thought. “I guess that depends on what you have in mind.”

He smirked. “You know what I have in mind but you said no, so I’m open for a new plan.”

“Guess we’ll just see what happens. But just for the record if I say stop...” she shook her head. “It’s not an invitation to see how much farther you can go.”

She wasn’t offering much to work with, he realized and looked at her directly. “I’d like to know my boundaries before. That way neither of us has to stop in frustration at one point or another.” His eyes moved over her. “So we scratch sex… And I guess that also minimizes the quantity of clothes we should lose… so what about touching over the clothes? Am I allowed to do that?”

“You’re serious,” she said, surprised. “No, I’m not making fun of you,” she denied when she saw the look on his face. “I just wasn’t expecting that. Yes, I think clothes should be left on because otherwise... even I have my limits and if we start losin’ clothes I’m gonna cross my own lines. And to answer your question, yes, you have free rein to touch as long as our clothes stay on.”

He nodded and shifted his weight on one arm, while he used his free hand to capture her face. “I’m talking openly about sex and what should or should not happen between the sheets and I want you to do the same okay?”

“Okay.”

“Alright,” he was satisfied with her answer and leaned forward to kiss her shortly. “So when you say I’m allowed to touch above clothes,” he said, his lips brushing hers while he talked, “does that include everywhere?”

“Maybe we should keep it above the waist for now.” She studied his features. “Are you okay with that?”

“Denying me all the fun, huh?” he asked.

She smirked at his tone. “Well, I wouldn’t say ALL the fun.”

“Well, all the fun that would make you come,” he whispered against her lips. “But it’s okay, if ya don’t want to…”

She squirmed. “Okay, now you’re just being unfair.”

“Not unfair,” he denied. “Just pointing facts out.”

“Well, while you’ve made a very good point I still think we keep it over the clothes and above the waist for tonight.” She reached up to touch his face. “I don’t deny I want more, but I still think we should take it slow.”

****

Tony leaned in the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Maria checking on Cody. Since he had moved to the City and started working at the department he had become a part of this rowdy group of friends. He wasn’t oblivious to Maria but she had been with Kyle and even though they weren’t exclusive he wasn’t interested in crossing swords with the other guy.

She straightened up and his gaze followed her as she moved to check on Chase before heading towards him. “It always takes him a little time to get settled in when he’s not sleepin’ in his own bed.”

“He’ll probably grow outta that,” he said with a grin. “I’ve gotten so I can pretty much sleep anywhere.”

“My brother isn’t gonna be some bed-hopping Romeo,” she said, smacking his chest with the back of her hand.

He caught her hand and pulled her up against his side, draping his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the hall. When they reached her room she slipped out from under his arm and ducked into the room, turning the bedside lamp on and turning to look at him. He had shifted to rest one shoulder on the doorframe, waiting to see if she would invite him inside.

Maria looked at him and tried to force a smile while hundreds of thoughts were running through her mind. Tony was probably one of the hottest men who had ever stepped into her bedroom and yet she was unsure what to do.

“I take it the sexy slouched pose isn’t workin’ for you?” he asked, his tone teasing.

“Workin’ for me more than you think,” she said and it wasn’t a lie. She sure as hell wanted him but somehow all the talking to Amy and Michael and Cody today had made her start to think about what she really wanted.

“Um-hmm, so what’s stoppin’ you from inviting me inside?”

“Just the bad timing of my conscience speaking to me,” she tried to make a joke.

He could sense something was on her mind and he had a pretty insistent feeling that he wasn’t gonna be having sex tonight. “Wanna talk about it?” Four words that no guy liked to hear, much less say aloud.

“It’s just,” she shrugged and looked away. Now that she had been flirting back and forth with him… it felt completely stupid to tell him she had doubts.

“Wanna just hang out for a while?” he asked when she couldn’t seem to get the words out.

Talk to him, she told herself. He deserved the truth and nothing else would really work anyway. “Ya know I overheard your talk with Kyle back there on the deck…”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

She chuckled at his trapped expression. “Yeah.”

“So that conversation... bothered you?”

“Not bothered,” she shook her head. “Just made me think, ya know?” She went to the window to look out on the beach, trying to remember the earlier scene. “When you said you didn’t want anything serious in a pretty clear way….” Oh hell, how was she getting outta this now without making him run away screaming?

He reached up to scratch his neck, clearing his throat again. “No, I’m not ready for anything serious. I thought you were just lookin’ for a good time, no strings attached.”

“It’s not like I expected you to want that,” she hurried to say, “and it’s not like I was looking for that with you either.” She dared to look at him again. “People keep telling me I should look for more than just casual and ya know… finally I’m starting to believe I should.”

“Right.” He nodded and sighed in relief. “A guy would have to be stupid to not want you like that and while I’m far from stupid, I’m just not lookin’ for that right now.” He grinned and shrugged when she just looked at him. “Which you pretty much just said. If I was in a different place personally maybe I’d want that but... I’m still a little screwed up after my last failed relationship and hell, girl, you wouldn’t want to deal with that baggage too.” He laughed quietly. “I actually enjoy bein’ in a relationship but I know myself well enough to know I’m not ready for it right now.”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. Why was she feeling so lonely all of the sudden, she wondered and tried to push the thoughts away because they were ridiculous. She wasn’t alone, she just wasn’t in a relationship, and that was nothing new.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, girl,” he said gently. “Wanna use me for a human teddy bear tonight?”

Maria looked up at him. “Well, if you’re cool with that...” an image of Michael flashed though her mind. He used to be there on nights like this, but he wasn’t available now. “I’d like that.”

“I’m cool with it.” He made a face. “Just no givin’ me goofy nicknames like Teddy or your little bear or anything like that.”

“What about T-man? Am I allowed to use that one?” she teased.

“That one’s allowed,” he said agreeably. “You got a TV in here? We can always kick back and watch a movie or somethin’.”

Instead of answering she walked over to him and gave him a hug. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” he said, returning the hug. “If you’re lookin’ for somethin’ serious, make sure you hold out for the right guy, Maria. It really will be worth it in the end.”

She looked up at him without letting go. “And you of all people is sayin’ this.”

“Hey, I’ve been there and it was worth the wait. Right now I’m tryin’ to figure things out and find my way back. Cut me some slack, okay?”

“Just saying it’s a pretty optimistic thing to say after your last break up. You should say things like: Fuck stupid relationships, they’re bound to fail.”

“I probably should but I’ve already been through that phase. And now I’ve moved on to the next step.”

She sighed. “Why couldn’t you just be another step forward and looking for something real? It’d really boost my ego if you wanted that and I could tell you no.”

He chuckled. “We could play it that way if it’d make you feel better.”

“Not really, because I know it’s not true.”

“I could feel you up and you could tell me to keep my hands to myself,” he offered with a smirk.

She snorted. “I wouldn’t count on that one, boy. When I said I’m looking for more, I didn’t say you weren’t my type.”

“So... if I feel you up you’re likely to return the favor?” he teased. “’Cause I’m always up for a little messin’ around with a hot girl.”

“Should I rethink the teddy bear thing?”

He laughed. “Okay, I’ll behave myself. Pick out a movie and let’s just relax.”

Natalie36: Thanks!

begonia9508: Thanks!

She probably should but all she can think about is getting the truth.

Cardinal: Lol, thanks. We’ve got a bit of Liz and Max in this update.

keepsmiling7: Thanks!

We think Aaron’s enjoying himself.

Earth2Mama: Lol, well, as long as you’re happy.

Yep, they both share the fault.

mary mary: LOL!

xilaj: Tony’s a good guy. Michael… hopefully just temporary… it has to be! Hmm, yes, we’ll be checking in on Max and Liz this update. Isabel’s growing, slowly but surely.

Yes, we will come back to Max’s parents. He still has to deal with his past and a big part of that is settling things with his parents.

Vacation was great, thanks!

Alien_Friend: Thanks, lol!

Aww, we don’t want you to be bummed! Just remember, it may be a rough ride, but we’re Candies! Maria deserves more and in time she’ll get it. Michael will get there.

Nausea we can totally understand, lol. No guarantees, but there’s nothing wrong with holding onto that hope.

Tess and Maria both could’ve handled that situation better, but we live and learn, right?

A Max and Liz scene… we can promise that! Hopefully there’s a little something in this week’s update to make your dreamer heart happy.

zaneri1: Thanks! We appreciate it when lurkers come out of lurk-dom to drop off a review! Lol, we’re back and ready to roll!

CandyliciousLovah: Michael and Maria have a strong friendship and in time we’ll see that develop into more. Thanks for reading!



A/N: Hey, so we are back after our long summer break and we are updating all three fics today. As for the future update schedule: We are going to update two of the three fics each week.




Part 58

Meet A Need

The sound of the deck door sliding open caught Max’s attention and he looked up from his perusal of the moonlight reflecting off of the ocean to see a solemn figure slipping out of the house. Sleep hadn’t come yet so he had walked back outside when he had been sure everyone else was in bed. It didn’t take more than a few moments for him to recognize Liz’s silhouette but he stayed where he was, slouched down in his chair in a shadowed corner of the deck.

He watched her pace back and forth for several minutes and he wondered what had driven her from her bed. He took a drink of his beer and his eyes followed her hand when she reached up to brush her hair back. She tugged her tee shirt away from her body and as soon as she released it the material returned to cling to her breasts. The night was warm and muggy and the only relief came from the occasional breeze.

She shifted restlessly as she leaned against the railing and he smirked to himself as he realized what was keeping her up. She was keyed up, too frustrated to sleep, and he had a feeling it had been a while since she had experienced a satisfying sexual encounter. He set his bottle down and got up, crossing the deck soundlessly and coming up behind her.

Liz almost screamed when she felt a very male body press up against her from behind but the hand covering her mouth prevented a sound from escaping. She relaxed slightly a moment later when his familiar voice rasped hotly in her ear.

“It’s me, Liz.”

She bit back the cutting words that leapt to her tongue when his hand fell away. She could feel his heat burning her at every point of contact and she could tell he wasn’t wearing a shirt. She was hot and wet, her throbbing center begging for his touch and she cursed her body when it pushed back into him without her permission.

His right hand slid up over her hip and skimmed across her abdomen to flick his thumb over the snap on her denim shorts. When she didn’t protest he popped the snap and nudged the zipper down, his fingers trailing over the soft flesh of her belly.

Liz covered his hand with hers, intending to stop him. All rational thought fled when he stretched his fingers out, the tips grazing the top of her mound. She moaned and instead of stopping him she found herself guiding him, encouraging him to continue.

Max sighed in relief and his breath ghosted over her ear as he spoke. “Spread your legs.”

She whimpered and followed his gruff order, widening her stance and dropping her head back against his shoulder when he cupped her, pressing the heel of his hand against her. Her hips rolled against his hand, using it to build the pressure.

He brought his free arm around her waist to still her movements and she nearly sobbed in frustration. He quickly slid two fingers between her slick folds, coating his fingers with her moisture before moving to her entrance and thrusting inside.

Her fingernails clawed at his arm as her hips fell into rhythm with his thrusting fingers and her breath stuttered in her throat when he brought his other hand into play. He separated her folds and teased her clit mercilessly.

“Max, Max, Max…” His name came out as a ragged chant as her body helplessly responded to his touches.

“Kiss me,” he demanded roughly.

Liz turned her head, welcoming his hot mouth on hers. Her tongue tangled wetly with his as her orgasm hit her hard and fast and her body jerked uncontrollably in his arms.

Max gentled the kiss as her hips continued to move, letting her slowly ride his fingers and draw her pleasure out. “I want you to come for me again,” he murmured against her lips.

She shook her head. Her body felt wrung out from the orgasm, her clit too sensitive for more stimulation.

“Once more, Liz,” he insisted. “You need it, darlin’. Trust me, you’ll sleep better if you’re completely exhausted.” While he was talking he was keeping his touch gentle, his fingers stroking without touching her clit. “You remember that night we spent in my bed?” he whispered raggedly. “You were so hot and tight… we must’ve made love three or four times that night and the only reason we stopped was because we were exhausted.”

Liz whimpered at his words and the feel of his erection pressed against the small of her back. With every word he moved closer to her clit until she was begging for his touch again because the pressure was so intense that she needed release again. With every thrust of his fingers she imagined him between her legs, his hot, heavy erection pumping into her with every move of his powerful hips.

She squeezed her eyes shut as her hips went wild. His long fingers pistoned in and out of her and his other hand teased her clit until she was sure she would go insane. That gossamer thread suddenly snapped and his lips captured her cries of completion as her body slumped in his arms.

He was careful as he disengaged from her and put her clothes back together. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her back inside to the room she had been given. He laid her in the bed and stripped her out of her clothes. “Don’t move.”

She was too sated and drowsy to utter a single word of defiance when he left her on top of the covers completely naked. He returned less than a minute later with a warm damp cloth that he used to gently clean her up. He tugged her into a sitting position when he was finished and pulled a large tee shirt over her head. She poked her arms through the short sleeves and looked up at him, seeing the tension in his features.

“Max,” she whispered as her hand fumbled in his lap.

“You don’t have to,” he said in a strangled voice.

“I want to.”

“Later. You’re exhausted, you should sleep while you can.”

She looked at him intensely, knowing that there wouldn’t be a later. “Max...”

Before he could think of another argument he shifted to jerk his zipper open and he gritted his teeth when her small hand surrounded him. His hand covered hers and he guided her strokes, adding pressure when he needed it. He grabbed the rag to cover himself when he came and he became aware of her gentle strokes a few moments later.

“Once more?”

He turned and braced his hands on either side of her head. “Once more and it won’t be my fingers between your legs,” he warned huskily. She was still drowsy but he could see the awareness in her eyes as her fingers gave a few more strokes before releasing him. “Didn’t think so.” His fingers brushed over her cheek in a gentle caress before he pulled away. “Get some sleep, Liz.”

She sighed in resignation but her eyes were already sliding closed when he slipped out of her room.

*****

Michael walked into the kitchen in search of the coffee he could smell brewing and he shook his head when he saw Maria leaning on the counter. “You look like I feel,” he muttered as he leaned on the counter across from her.

“Hungover without the benefit of alcohol?”

He yawned widely. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

Her gaze moved over him. “So why aren’t you still in bed?”

“Can’t sleep.” He rubbed his eyes and looked at her. “You?”

“Me either.” She glanced over her shoulder at the weak light beginning to come through the windows. “I was thinking about going for a run. You up for that?”

“Sure, why not? Coffee’ll be ready by the time we get back and if we’re lucky someone else will be up and cooking breakfast.”

They high-fived each other and headed back to their rooms to get ready, meeting up again on the back deck just a few minutes later. They stretched before setting off down the beach, heading into the sunrise.

“So, what’s keepin’ you awake, RP?” he asked as they fell into a pace that worked for both of them.

“I don’t know. Everything and nothing. Seems like my mind’s running over every thought it gets the chance to and refuses to let me rest.”

“Huh. So, nothin’ in particular?”

Yeah, who’re you kidding, DeLuca? She shook her head slightly. “Well, a big part of it’s my non-existent love life.”

“I thought you were gonna hookup with Tony.” He glanced at her. “No?”

“No, I didn’t.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Why not?”

She made a face at the words she was going to say. “Guess you were right.”

“About what?”

“About what you said yesterday. In the car…” She rolled her eyes, knowing he was so enjoying that she thought he was right. “You know, about the things I really want and stuff.”

He smirked. She hated to admit he was right. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

“Nothin’.”

“You’re not gonna change anything if you’re not gonna do somethin’ about the situation.”

“What should I do? It’s not like I’ll just decide to have a serious relationship and poof, there’s a guy for it.”

“Hell, I don’t know. Are you givin’ up sex in the meantime?”

She wiped her forehead with the end of her tank top, revealing her flat stomach for a moment. “Guess I’m gonna try to not pay too much attention to it and see where it goes, but yeah, probably not much sex at all in the end.”

“Well, that sucks.” Give up sex? He made a face and shook his head.

“Maybe not as much for me as it would for you,” she shoved him slightly. “Slut.”

He laughed and shoved her back. “Hey, I could give up sex if I wanted to... I just don’t want to.”

“Well, you definitely limited the circle of women you’ll be having sex with though, Mr. Monogamous,” she snorted.

“Okay, I could do monogamy. If I was getting any,” he grumbled.

Maria lifted her eyebrows, interested in his mumbled complaint. “You’re not?”

“No, and I don’t get it. I mean, she’s into me, right? And she gets into it when we’re makin’ out but then outta nowhere she just throws the brakes on.”

“And does she tell you why?”

“Just that she wants to take it slow. She’s killin’ me with this slow shit, Maria. I don’t see what the big deal is. We both want it, so why wait?”

“Maybe she’s just worried because she knows about your wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am history. I would be.”

“Okay, but it’s not like I asked her to marry me or anything. Although I damn sure wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t getting laid.” He shuddered. “Not that I ever intend to do that, but still...”

“Are you babbling, Guerin?” She grinned. “You must be really suffering from excessive sperm pressure.”

“You think? Seriously, Maria, she’s gonna kill me. I’m used to getting laid on a regular basis.”

“It has not been THAT long since you had sex, CB. Stop complaining.”

“Long enough,” he grumbled.

“Wait a minute,” she stopped and flexed her leg when she got a cramp in the left calf. Running in the sand was definitely different from the hard ground in the city.

“Need a hand?” he asked as he stopped next to her.

“Got a cramp,” she said and massaged the hurting muscle.

He knelt down and brushed her hands aside. “Here, lemme get it.” He could feel the tension in the muscle as he started to massage it. He glanced around as the sun started to rise and he blinked against the blinding light.

“Maybe you should talk to her about it,” Maria said, picking up their former conversation. “If sex is that important to you – and we both know it is, then tell her that and make sure she knows you’re not trying to get laid quickly so you can move on.”

“I’m not about to beg for sex.”

“Nobody said you had to beg. I’m just saying you should point out your perception of things.”

“I don’t sit down with girls and talk about sex. We just... we just do it. There’s no need to talk about it.”

“Well, if you want another week without sex,” she shrugged.

“Another week?” he yelped and nearly fell backwards in the sand. “She can’t hold out another week can she?”

She laughed and kneeled down to tighten her shoelaces. “Maybe even two.”

“Well, that’s just fuckin’ stupid. I know how to read girls, Maria, and she wants it, so why’s she holdin’ out? I mean, I invited her out here, I took her out, and we’ve slept together, but still... nothin’!”

His list of things he had already done for Courtney made her realize how much he had been acting out of character lately. Was he really going through with this relationship? “I guess she knows the things you’ve already done, and hey, maybe it won’t be a week. She could give in soon.” Ungh, now she would have his sex life on her mind all day.

“Right, another week would just be ridiculous,” he laughed.

She placed one hand on his shoulder and looked at him. “Well, sometimes you have to make scarifies to get what you want.”

“Well, this’s a big damn sacrifice.”

“Worth it in the end,” she said and tried to push the thoughts away. She didn’t want to think about when and how the two of them would have sex.

“Man, I hope so.” He looked down when his stomach growled.

“Wanna head back?”

“Yeah, probably oughta.”

*****

Liz blinked against the sunlight when she opened her eyes just long enough to see it was already day. A light groan escaped her lips when she rolled over to face the wall to go back to sleep quickly. Aaron didn’t seem to be up yet so she would take the time and relax as long as possible.

A slight frown appeared on her relaxed features when she brushed some imaginary thing from her thigh and suddenly realized that she was only wearing a big tee shirt. Quickly, she sat up at the memories of the night before hit her. Had she really…? No, it had been just a dream, right?

Her gaze fell to the small stack of clothes next to her bed – the clothes she had worn before Max Evans had put his hands on her. Twice. She winced and pressed her legs together tightly when just the thought about it made her wet again. “Gosh,” she ran her hands through her long dark hair that was messed up.

Why had she let that happen? It would only cause more pressure between them. She stood and stretched before she quietly walked over to the little separate bedroom at the other end to check on her brother.

“Aaron?” She opened the door fully when she couldn’t see him in his bed. He wasn’t in the room.

“He’s already up with the other boys,” Isabel said and apologized when she had obviously startled Liz. “He came out a while ago, saying you were still sleeping.” She held up his pajamas. “We got him dressed and ready for breakfast.”

“Oh,” Liz glanced down at herself, thankful that the tee shirt was big enough to hide everything. “Thanks. I didn’t hear him.”

“No problem.” Isabel was biting her tongue to keep from commenting on the brunette’s choice of sleepwear. She knew for a fact that shirt belonged to Max. “Sleep well?”

“Okay for an unfamiliar bed,” she forced a smile. “Can I help with breakfast?”

“Max and Alex have double-teamed breakfast.” She rolled her eyes. “Who knew the two of them would find so much in common? They’re only allowing everyone else to do whatever they feel is necessary.”

“Guess I’ll grab a shower then,” Liz decided, just to hide from Max for a while longer. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Aaron?”

“Sure.” She handed Aaron's pajamas out to Liz and gave a little wave as she backed out of the room.

“Whoa,” Alex jumped to the side when he crossed the hallway at the same time Isabel came out of Liz’s room. He did his best not to trip over her or himself and caught her with both arms before she could hurt herself.

“What’re you doing?” she asked, looking down at his hands.

He dropped them as soon as she had a good stance. “Um, preventing you from getting hurt.”

She frowned when she could still feel his hands on her even though he was no longer touching her. “I suppose it’s the least you could do after nearly running me over.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he shook his head and headed for the kitchen when once again she showed the face he couldn’t stand.

Isabel breathed a sigh of relief. What was wrong with her? She tossed her hair over her shoulder and took her time joining the others in the crowded kitchen.

“Where’s Michael?” Kyle wanted to know when he took a stack of plates to carry them to the big table on the deck.

Everyone looked at Courtney, where she was getting mugs for everyone from the kitchen. “I don’t know. He was already up when I woke up.”

“Maria’s gone too,” Isabel informed them. “So knowing them they’re on the beach for a run.”

Tony looked up from the dominos he was standing up around the table in the open dining area. “Out of the city for a lazy weekend and the two of them are still up at the crack of dawn.” He shook his head and motioned for Chase to hand him another domino. Cody and Aaron were on the opposite side of the table, putting little plastic soldiers in between the dominos.

Chase leaned forward, bumping against one of the dominos and the boys held their breath when it wobbled for a moment before steadying.

Courtney glanced out on the beach but couldn’t see either of them. There was no way he’d have gotten her into a run this early in the morning. Not that she cared about that kind of sport anyway.

Max shook his head and tried to keep his attention focused on the griddles set up. He had pancakes going on one and sausage and bacon on the other. It was the only way to cook for this many people. He kept shooting quick glances at the doorway, hoping to catch a glimpse of Liz. He had no idea what to expect after what had happened the night before.

“Looking for someone?” Isabel asked as she leaned against the counter next to him.

“No.” He took the glass of orange juice from her hand and took a long drink from it. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Hey, that was my drink,” she complained and slapped the back of his head.

“You realize you have violent tendencies,” he said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his free hand.

“Tendencies?” Alex snorted when he walked past them to check the batter for the next stack of pancakes.

“See? Someone who understands,” Max said with a smirk. He set the glass on the counter after he offered it to her and she stuck her nose up at him. He turned his attention to Alex. “Hey, check that cabinet to your right. I saw a package of chocolate chips earlier when I was nosin’ around.”

“Got it,” Alex said after looking for them and threw the package at Max who caught them as if they did this routine every day.

Kyle glanced at the two men in the kitchen with lifted eyebrows when Isabel joined him. “Are nerdy boy and Evans becoming friends or what?”

“I have no idea,” she said as she sat down beside him. “I think it’s just a bit disturbing how well they’re getting along.”

“Yeah…” he agreed but let go of it again. “So you owe me the true story about you and Whitman, remember?”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “Why is it you always remember things at the most inconvenient times?”

“Because I have a penchant for ruining moods,” he grinned.

“Obviously,” she said, her tone dry. “It’s no big deal anyway. Just a beneficial... transaction. That my nosy little brother does NOT need to know about.”

Kyle choked on his sip of coffee. “A beneficial transaction? What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m paying him for sex.” She smacked his arm sharply. “What the hell do you think it means?”

“Um… You pay him for… what exactly?”

She sighed, resigning herself to just telling Kyle the truth. The man was like a damn dog with a bone when he wanted something. “Fine, I’m paying him to hang around and...” she swallowed hard, knowing he was going to laugh, “and pretend to be my boyfriend,” she muttered so no one else would hear the truth.

“WHAT?” he almost screamed and everyone looked at him. He just shrugged and waited until the others turned their attention back to whatever they were doing before he looked at Isabel. “What?”

“Excellent show of control there, Valenti.” She shook her head at him. “You heard me. It’s just to discourage Richard until he finally accepts that I’m not getting back together with him.”

“And that’s the way you do it?” He shook his head. “He’s not gonna believe that. Why Whitman out of all the guys in New York?”

“Because... because he was there at the right time.” She shrugged. “Besides, he’s a decent guy.”

“Maybe someone needs to talk to Dick and make him believe it’s over between the two of you.” And by someone he meant himself. That asshat needed to stay away from his friend.

“Kyle, stay out of it. I love you for wanting to get involved, but there’s no need. Richard will eventually get the picture. Besides, he could file charges against you and you don’t want that on your record.”

He looked at her intently and then nodded. “I’m keepin’ an’ eye on him, though.” With that he got up to get more coffee, grinning at Tony, who was beleaguered with all three little boys.

Tess was standing apart from the others, her eyes focused on the dog rolling around on the couch in the living room. She made a face when Leo suddenly flipped himself over and landed on the floor, shaking his big body before pushing past her to wander into the kitchen.

She followed the dog and leaned against the counter next to Kyle. “I think your dog’s hungry,” she said when Leo started nosing the floor around Max and Alex.

“He always is,” he shrugged. “Fed him an hour ago.”

Leo gave a low bark and walked up to Tess, sniffing her leg before snuffling loudly and wagging his tail.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Seems like he likes the way you smell.”

Great, the dog liked the way she smelled and Kyle was completely oblivious to her. Dogs enjoyed any number of offensive things so she wasn’t sure that could be taken as a compliment. “I feel so special,” she muttered.

“C’mon, Leo, leave her alone,” Kyle nudged the dog, but he kept Tess as the focus of his interest. He shook his head and placed his cup aside to grab Leo’s collar, stopping right in front of Tess and leaning in to sniff on her neck. “What’re you sniffing at? She doesn’t smell like meat or anything.” He grinned and dragged the animal away from her, out on the deck where he could throw a few sticks on the beach to play with him.

Tess tugged on her collar, feeling ridiculous for the blush she could feel heating her skin. How embarrassing! She had more of an effect on his damn dog than she did on him. What the hell was the point?

“Tess, you want chocolate chip pancakes?” Max asked, motioning for her to come over to him. He had been watching her and Kyle and he could see the look of disappointment on her features.

“I’m not very hungry,” she said and pushed her back from the counter to walk over to him.

“You should still eat.” He motioned to the pancakes he was dropping chocolate chips into. “These things are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.”

“If you say so,” she shrugged and leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. “Think you can make some that put a sexy look on me for men and not dogs?”

“The guy’s not as blind as he wants you to think he is,” Max said quietly. “You’re on his radar but he doesn’t know what to do about it.”

“Yeah,” she snorted. “You don’t need to just say that so I feel better, Max. But thanks anyway.”

“Yeah, that’s what I do,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Have you forgotten that I’m a guy?”

“And I would know if there was something there. Women can feel it.”

They were interrupted when something pushed between them and a little hand came up to tug on Max’s shirt. “When is breakfast?” Aaron asked impatiently.

“Not much longer.” Max reached over and snagged one of the pancakes he had already slid on the waiting platter, checking to make sure it wasn’t too hot before he offered it to Aaron. “How ‘bout you munch on that while we get finished up here?”

He nodded happily and took the food with both of his hands. “Thanks, Max.”

“Welcome.” He patted the little boy on the back and watched him as he bit into the pancake and chewed it. “Taste okay?”

“Yeah,” he nodded with a big smile on his face.

CandyliciousLovah: Lol, we’ll catch up with them this week.

sarammlover: Thanks, good to be back! Lol, yeah, seems like she did. Jeez, that sounds like three strikes for Courtney. Oh, well, they will… in time.

keepsmiling7: We kinda suspected you might enjoy that scene.

Well, we’ll see if Liz is willing to have that talk.

Lol, not much gets past Isabel.

Thanks, we’re glad to be back!

Natalie36: Thanks! Liz is stubborn, so we’ll see. Don’t expect that clue to smack them in the face too soon. Aww… you’re voting Tony off the island too?

Alien_Friend: Thanks, we missed you too and we’re glad to be back!

Um-hmm, we thought you might like that. We’ll see what happens.

Oh, lol, that conversation will come up.

These two guys are an unlikely pair but we have a feeling they’re gonna be fun.

Richard needs to be watched in spite of Isabel’s certainty that he’s not a threat.

mary mary: Thanks, it’s good to be back!

Lol, Courtney does have that in her favor.

That’s true… maybe you could have a talk with Liz.

Isabel is both… but a little too confident where Richard’s concerned, lol.

Earth2Mama: Lol, yeah, that was just waiting to erupt.

Kyle hasn’t revealed what he plans to do with this information beyond keeping an eye on things.

He’s not exactly the type Tess is looking for but he is loyal and he loves her already, lol.

begonia9508: Thanks, we’re glad to be back!

Neither of them want to lose their friendship, but that friendship is also blinding them to other possibilities.

Rodney: We’ll see all of them evolve over the course of the story.

besomeoneyoulove: Lol, well… as much as we’d like to comply with that request, we’re not quite that far ahead of ourselves. Oh, we’d like to say our Candy couple will actually open their eyes and see what’s right in front of them soon, but they’re being stubborn. One will begin to question sooner than the other, but it’s going to be a while.

Cardinal: Max is a good guy, and one who is actually that thoughtful – with Liz, anyway. Now if only she would see the potential there. Not that she doesn’t have valid concerns, because she does, but the two of them have to get to a point where they talk and listen to each other.

Pretty sure Michael’s unaware of the ledger, lol.

Max is the outsider, possibly even more than the newcomers. He’s a part of the group, but at the same time stays at the outer edges. He’s cautious and doesn’t reveal anything personal so the others actually know very little about him.

Good point about Tess and Kyle.

xilay: We will get a bit of an insight what Liz has to say to Max about the night before.

Yeah, little Aaron is probably not excited to get back home as well.





Part 59

Avoidance

“Hey what’d I tell you about not speaking with your mouth full?” Liz asked when she walked into the kitchen. She picked him up from the floor, making a face when he touched her arm with his greasy hand.

Aaron held the pancake out to her, offering her a bite. “S’good, Lizzie. Want some?”

Max tried not to stare at her but he wanted to know if she was okay after what had happened between them.

“No, I’ll wait for breakfast, and you should have too, huh?” She smiled, glad for the distraction, because otherwise she’d have had to face Max and she didn’t know how.

“But I’m hungry now,” he said and took another bite. “Max said I could have some.”

“That’s just because Max doesn’t know what a piggy you can be while eating,” she laughed and tickled his side.

He giggled and squirmed around. “Huh-uh,” he denied.

She looked up at the man in question briefly and shivered when she caught him staring at her. Damn, what was she going to do about last night? Would he expect her to say something?

“Mornin’,” Max said gruffly, unsure where her thoughts about the night before were. He couldn’t quite decipher the look in her eyes but he hoped it wasn’t regret.

“Morning,” she repeated and turned her attention to Aaron again when she wasn’t sure what to say or do. “Come on, let’s wash your hands.”

She was pushing him away. He turned back to the last batch of pancakes and his right hand clenched painfully around the spatula he held. Maybe she just didn’t know what it had meant to him. Maybe it just hadn’t meant anything to her. He inhaled deeply and shook his head. Focus on breakfast and deal with it later, he ordered himself.

“Everything okay?” Tess asked when she looked at him. Something was definitely bothering him, but what?

“Yeah, just thought maybe things would be different this mornin’.” He shrugged one shoulder.

“About what exactly?”

“Nothin’ apparently. Spent a little time with Liz last night and I thought it might at least open things up but I guess not.”

“What’d you guys do?” She studied him. “You had sex,” she guessed.

“Let’s just say there wasn’t a lot of talkin’ involved, okay?”

“Max!” she smacked his arm.

“What?”

“Why did you do that?”

He frowned at her. “What do you mean?” Why the hell was she making it sound like it was one-sided?

“Having sex with her without talking first is not the way to fix things,” she hissed so nobody could hear them.

He frowned at her. “You’re gonna tell me about talkin’?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Really?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“When was it again that you talked to Maria?” He looked away as if he was really thinking about it. “Oh, that’s right, you haven’t.”

“I didn’t have sex with her either,” she said and stuck her tongue out at him.

He snorted at that. “It wasn’t like we put a lot of thought into it. It just... happened.”

“And now?”

“I don’t know.”

She sighed and leaned against his side. “We’re fucked.”

“At least we’re in good company.” He grinned at her and flipped the last pancake onto the platter. “Ready to eat?”

“Not really, but bring it on.”

He laughed and held the platter out to her. “Here, put this on the table.”

“Sure,” she took it from him and started to walk out on the deck. She took the first step out and looked down when Leo appeared at her side. “You again.”

The dog stretched his neck as far as possible, making an effort to sniff at the platter she held. He whined and backed up a step, sitting down and then pushing his upper body up, assuming the begging position.

“Forget it, buddy,” she denied and walked over to set the plate on the table. “And don’t even consider jumping up here.”

He dropped his front feet to the deck and edged closer to the table, licking his chops and thumping his tail.

Kyle leaned over and snatched one of the pancakes, tearing it in half and tossing one to Leo.

“Don’t waste the food on the dog.”

“I’m not.” He leaned over to pat the dog’s side and hand off the other half of the pancake. “The big guy deserves a little somethin’ extra.”

“Yeah, sure,” she rolled her eyes and sat down at one of the tables since the rest were already set. It only took a few seconds before Leo walked to her again, placing his big head in her lap and looking at her with big dark eyes.

“Looks like you’ve made a friend,” Max said when he came out with a platter piled high with crispy bacon, sausage patties, and ham. He shook his head when the dog tipped his head back to sniff in his direction. “Guard this with your life.” He put it on the table and winked before he disappeared back inside.

Tess looked down at the dog. Okay, he was cute and all, but why was he suddenly following her? Without even realizing she lifted her hand and scratched Leo’s head lightly.

The dog tipped his head into her hand, making a quiet sound that was somewhere between a growl and a grunt deep in his throat. He lifted one large paw up and placed it on her knee.

“Hey, you’re not sitting in my lap. Understood?” she asked, amused.

Leo barked and wagged his tail when she spoke to him in a tone he recognized.

“Uh-huh, I mean it.”

“Don’t worry, he’s not a lap baby,” Kyle said as he threw himself down into one of the chairs. “Considering how much he weighs that’s a good thing.”

“Yeah, probably.” She glanced at the dog again. Well, at least you like me, she thought sadly.

“So, you like it out here?” Kyle asked after a few minutes.

“Sure, what’s not to like?”

He shrugged. “Nothin’ I guess.” He slouched down in his seat and rested his head against the back of his chair as he stared out at the ocean. “How weird is it to have parents that’re divorced?” He knew anymore it was common, and it wasn’t like he was a little kid whose parents would be fighting over him for custody, but it was still weird to think of his parents not being together.

“What?” She frowned at him until realization suddenly hit her. “Are your parents…?”

He rested his temple against his fisted hand and shrugged his other shoulder. “Yeah, guess the paperwork’s already been filed.”

She nodded dumbly and forced her gaze away from him. “It’s weird at first, but you get used to it, I guess.”

“Look, don’t say anything, okay? I don’t even know why I brought it up.” He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “It’s just stuck in my head and I can’t get it out.”

“I won’t,” she agreed quietly, disappointed that he had already stopped opening up.

“My mom didn’t want Leo around this weekend,” he said after a few minutes. He stretched one bare foot out to rub the dog’s side.

“I bet he’ll have fun with us. And he gets pancakes.”

He smiled faintly. “You hear that, Leo? You can have pancakes, just not any of the ones with chocolate chips.”

“And only after we eat,” she added and straightened up when the others started to join them on the deck.

“Not just after we eat,” he whispered as he snatched a pancake off of the platter and tossed it to the dog.

“Kyle,” she complained. “Now he’s drooling on my leg.” She made a face when something wet ran down her bare thigh.

“It’s just a little dog drool,” he said, rolling his eyes as he leaned over and wiped it away. He made a face as he dried his hand on his jeans. “Okay, it is kinda gross.” He reached over and ran his hand over her leg once more, making sure he had gotten it all. “Save my seat. I’ve gotta run wash my hands.”

She waited until he was gone, before she breathed again. His touch had felt beyond good, but the disappointment that he didn’t seem to care outweighed the excitement at his rough hand on her thigh.

Tony walked outside and looked around for a spot to claim. Before he could make a decision a little hand latched onto his shirt and tugged. He looked down at Chase and lifted an eyebrow in question. “What’s up, partner?”

“Where do we sit?”

“I think if no one’s sittin’ there, that spots up for grabs. Why don’t you pick out a place and we’ll have a seat?”

Chase pulled on his shirt and led him over to a chair near the railing, crawling up in Tony’s lap as soon as he sat down. “Hungry now,” he said, looking at Tony expectantly.

Cody walked out on the deck and glanced around, his breathing heavy after a game of catch with Chase. “Where’s M’ria?”

“Think she went for a run with Michael, little man,” Tony said as he pulled out another chair for him. “You wanna sit down and catch your breath?”

He nodded and walked up to them, his little hands grabbing the chair while he tried to climb up on it.

Kyle came up behind him and lifted him up, settling him in the chair. “There ya go, Cody.”

“Ah, I was looking for you,” Isabel said and sat down next to him. “Whatcha wanna eat, Codeman?”

“Pancakes.” He chewed on his bottom lip and stared at the breakfast meat. “Can I have one bacon?”

“We tan have lots of bacon,” Chase said and waved the piece in his hand happily.

Cody bit his lip and looked up at Isabel.

“You can have one, okay?” She reached over to put it on his plate, feeling sorry that he had to watch what he ate at his age because of his condition. It just wasn’t fair.

He nodded and got up on his knees to reach for his juice glass with both hands. He looked up when Aaron climbed up on a chair across from him and waited for his sister to fix his plate.

“Looks like we made it back just in time,” Michael said as he took the steps two at a time.

“Why’re you all wet?” Courtney asked when she looked at him.

“We took a dip in the ocean,” Maria explained when she came up as well. “You guys are up early.”

“What happened is Maria came up behind me and shoved me in the water,” he said as he leaned in for a kiss. “I’m gonna grab a quick shower.” He reached over to tickle the boys. “You three better not eat all the food before I get back.”

“You tried to throw me in first,” Maria tossed back and walked around the table to get to her brother. “Not too much bacon, okay?” She kissed his cheek.

“Just one.” He looked up at her and smiled. “I got pancakes.”

“I’m gonna be right back, okay?” She glanced at Isabel and nodded thankfully at her for watching Cody.

Isabel smiled and reached for the dish of scrambled eggs Alex placed on the table. “These look pretty good,” she said with a glance at him.

“They taste even better,” he promised.

She smiled and scooped some onto her plate before glancing at Cody. “Hey, how about some eggs?”

He shook his head. “Syrup on the pancake, please.”

She passed the dish down to Tony and reached for the warmed syrup, pouring some over the pancakes on Cody’s plate. “Want me to cut those for you?”

“No,” he reached for his fork. “Alone.”

“Okay, go for it.”

“Independent little guy, isn’t he?” Alex asked as he took a seat and started filling his plate.

She smiled sadly. “He tries to be as much as he can.”

He wondered why she looked sad. “Guess we all go through that at a certain age.”

****

Max hung around on the deck, waiting for Liz to come back outside. She was putting Aaron down for a nap with the other little boys so he knew it was only a matter of time. She had managed to avoid being alone with him since breakfast and it was beginning to irritate him. He knew Tess probably had a point, but hell, Liz had needed to get off the night before otherwise she never would’ve gotten any sleep. She had been wound so tight it had been painful to watch.

He tipped his head back and squinted against the early afternoon sun when Maria came through the doors. “Nice top,” he commented with a grin.

Maria looked down at herself as she slipped her sunglasses on and she smiled. She had changed into a new bikini top before putting Cody down for a nap because lunch had gotten a little bit out of hand and someone – Michael – had slung ketchup across the table at her. She struck a sexy pose and flashed a grin at him. “Thanks.”

“Get the little guys down?”

“Max, are you really sitting here so you can stalk that poor girl?” She shook her head at him. “I’m gonna have to teach you a thing or two about women.”

He laughed quietly. “Maybe you should.”

“Well first: Stop stalking her. It’s extremely uncool and it’ll only make her avoid you even more.”

Max relaxed and leaned against the railing, arms crossed over his chest. “And second?”

“Hmm,” Maria tapped her cheek with one finger, pretending to think hard. “Second, you should relax and have some fun. C’mon down to the beach with me,” she held a Frisbee up.

His eyes moved to the door when Michael stepped out carrying a few glasses of soda with ice. Maria reacted quickly and took one of the drinks, poking two fingers in the liquid to get an ice cube out and immediately flashed it against her best friend’s bare back. “RP, damn it,” he hissed.

“That was for the ketchup, CB.”

Max looked at them and shook his head – sometimes they were like five-year-olds.

“Hey, is it okay if Aaron sleeps with Cody?” Liz asked as she stepped out. “He refuses to go to his own bed.”

“Sure, Cody likes company.”

“Thanks.” She rubbed one hand over the back of her neck. “Sometimes he can be incredibly stubborn.”

Maria laughed and nodded. “Tell me about it.” She held the Frisbee up. “Care to join us?”

“Oh, um… well, I’d rather stay close in case until I know for sure Aaron’s down for the count.”

Michael picked up the receiver for the baby monitor, waving it in front of her. “Got it covered,” he said with a grin. “C’mon an’ play with us.”

“Don’t say no,” Tess said, rolling her eyes as she walked past them. “He’ll just pout and trip over his bottom lip if he doesn’t get his way.”

“Shut it or you’re gonna get tossed out in the ocean,” he warned her, shoving her with his elbow.

“Whatever.” She shoved him back and snorted.

“Well if you’d rather dropout, nobody’s stopping you,” Maria glared at Tess.

“C’mon DeLuca, put the claws away,” Tony said with a smirk and hugged an arm around her shoulders before another bitch fight could break out.

Michael looked at Liz questioningly, trying to get an answer while he reached out to catch Courtney’s arm when she passed him, pulling her into his arms.

“Alright,” Liz nodded, “I’m in.”

So much for talking, Max thought when it was obvious she was just agreeing to the game to avoid him. God, he was sick of her not talking to him. “She’ll be there in a minute,” he said and walked towards Liz with long strides, grabbing her hand to pull her away from the others.

Michael frowned at them. “What the…?”

“Don’t ask,” Tess groaned and walked down the steps to the beach.

“Those two obviously have history,” Courtney mused. It was obvious even without the other girl’s confession the night before.

“They’ve got somethin’.” Michael shook his head and motioned to the beach where Maria and Tony were already getting involved in the game. “I hope you don’t throw like a girl.”

“If she does Leo’s great at Frisbee,” Kyle said as he shouldered past them and ran down the beach with the dog keeping pace.

****

Liz was only getting angrier the further they walked. “Max, damn it, let go of me!” She shook her arm free of his grip, almost surprised when he let her go so easily.

“You know, if you’d just talk to me this would be a helluva lot easier,” he snapped.

“I would’ve talked to you without all of this. You don’t have to drag me through the whole country for it.”

He snorted. “You’ve been avoiding me all day.”

“All day?” She placed her hands on her hips, knowing he had a point but she just couldn’t give in. “It’s only a little bit past lunchtime and if I recall we’ve all been pretty busy with stuff.”

“Oh, right, giving Maria, Isabel, Tess, AND Courtney a hand with the dishes was really necessary.”

“I’m new to this group. I don’t wanna come across as lazy.”

“Nobody thinks you’re lazy and you know that as well as I do, so stop with the bullshit and let’s get this over with. I wanna talk about what happened last night.”

“What shouldn’t have happened last night,” she corrected him.

He shook his head in denial. “How can you say that?”

“You’re an intelligent man, figure it out.”

“Are you intentionally tryin’ to piss me off?” he snapped.

“It shouldn’t have happened because nothing’s been resolved between us, Max.”

She was intentionally trying to piss him off. “How do you expect to resolve anything if you won’t fuckin’ talk to me?”

“Well, getting your hands in my pants wasn’t really a solution to it either,” she hissed and glared at him, her hands resting on her hips.

“I didn’t hear you complaining,” he said angrily, but there was also a little teasing smile around his lips.

“Not the point.” She knew she should’ve said no, but damn, her body had been longing for some touching since the last time had been so long ago.

Max sighed. “Look, we can’t change what had happened anyway, but we can try to figure it out…”

“Figure it out?” she echoed in disbelief.

He shook his head at her. “Quit puttin’ distance between us. We could work this out if you’d work with me.”

“Max...”

“Last night didn’t feel like a mistake to me.”

“Our worlds are too different,” she shook her head. Without Aaron she wouldn’t hesitate to take a chance with him again, but the situation was different and even though Max seemed to be good with the little boy right now, he didn’t know what it meant to have him around all the time.

“And, what? You think our situations bein’ different is somethin’ new? Is takin’ a risk on me so much worse than stayin’ in that situation you’re in right now?”

“If we fail...? Yes!”

He reined his temper in and when he spoke his voice was soft. “What if we don’t?”

She looked at him quietly for what felt like a whole minute. Her brain was working fast behind her confused brown eyes and it was hard to focus on something that made sense. “What about your problems, Max?” Her tone was challenging. “We met during grief sessions but you never said much about why you were even there. You got that all figured out?”

“Do you?”

“You know I was there because of my parents, so I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“Just because I didn’t spill my guts with a bunch of strangers doesn’t mean I’ve got anything to hide,” he snapped.

“Well, then tell me now why you were there.”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. What if she learned about his past and decided he wasn’t worth the risk? Hell, she already wasn’t convinced he was worth the risk, so did it matter? “I was there because someone I knew was killed and it fucked me up pretty bad.”

“Who?”

He gritted his teeth. He hadn’t intended for anything in his past to come out when he had pulled her away from the others. “A guy I became friends with when I was...” he swallowed hard. “It happened when we were in Iraq.”

CandyliciousLovah: Lol, you could be right.

Natalie36: That’s a tall order, but if these two ever cooperate with us we’ll get ‘em there.

keepsmiling7: Liz is stubborn, that’s true. She wants out of her situation but she’s afraid to jump out of one bad situation into another.

Max hasn’t been an open book either, so she’s right to be hesitant.

Max is really good with Aaron.

xilaj: Your wish is granted. Lol, we’ll check in again with Liz and Max this week. It is a good sign, but unfortunately Tess isn’t seeing it like that.

Earth2Mama: Max would possibly begin to open up more if Liz would just give him the time of day.

It’s getting close.

sarammlover: It does look like things are heading that way, doesn’t it? Lol, well, not quite yet. Sad story alert… maybe. With all the little guys in their lives being good with kids is a plus.

mary mary: Lol, there are some issues to resolve… and we’ll get there.

Thanks!

Rodney: Lol, she’ll be glad to know that.

They’ll get their act together eventually.

Alien_Friend: These two really do need to sit down and really talk things out. If they’re ever going to move forward and work their situation out they’re gonna have to really put all their cards on the table.

It’s a small step, but an important one. Leo’s is a sweetheart.

This whole group is great with the kids.

Alex isn’t familiar with Cody’s situation, no.

begonia9508: That’s it exactly! Sure, there’s some hesitation because she’s unsure of the situation with Max, but a lot of it is how it affects Aaron. And it’s pretty obvious that Aaron’s already infatuated with Max.




Part 60

You Have What I Want

Liz stared at him, trying to picture him in a military uniform, taking orders… killing people. It seemed inconceivable. She gave herself a mental kick. “I-Iraq?”

He forced himself to look her in the eye as he responded. “Yeah, I spent 17 months there.”

“What’d you do there?” she asked quietly. “I mean, was it some Special Forces thing or...?” Wow, she was speechless.

“I did what I was told to do,” he said, his voice hollow. “What I was trained to do.”

Her eyes focused on him. “Did you... kill people?”

“We don’t need to talk about that. We were talkin’ about us havin’ a chance to work things out.”

“Don’t expect me to work on US if you aren’t even able to get your own life in order.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“You don’t know anything about my life, Liz! You have no right to judge me.”

“This is nonsense,” Liz shook her head. “You want everything but you’re not willing to share who you really are, Max.”

“What do you want from me, Liz?! I’ll tell you what I want. I want you and Aaron out of that fuckin’ situation with that asshole you’re livin’ with. You can’t expect me to give you somethin’ when you’re not willin’ to reciprocate!”

“And you can’t expect me to give up my entire life to get out of my current and admittedly sucky situation, when I’m not convinced that my new situation will be any better. We don’t even know each other, Max. Just because we went out a few times doesn’t mean we’re able to live together. And just because you get along with Aaron doesn’t mean you can deal with him every day.”

“God, you’re so damn stubborn! You guys could move in with me and while I’ll admit I want more with you there wouldn’t be any expectations. I told you I’ll sleep on the couch and I’d be around to help you with Aaron. No, it’s not perfect, but maybe it’d be a place to start. And, hell, even if it didn’t work out it’d give both of us a place to start.”

“The problem is,” Liz began loudly but lowered her voice when she realized the others could probably hear them, “the problem is, if this doesn’t work out I can’t go back.”

“Hell, Liz, why would you want to?! If it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t work out, but it wouldn’t be because we didn’t try. If that happens then at least we gave it a shot. And if we can’t make it work then... hell, you guys can have my place.”

“It’s all so easy for you, huh?” She took a step back. “It isn’t that easy, Max.”

“You’re an infuriating woman!” he yelled. “You want a guarantee and Liz, you know there’re not guarantees in life!”

“I want a safe place for Aaron that lasts more than a few weeks and for that, Max, I need a little more than a night together and your promise to make it right.” She shrugged sadly. “It’s just not enough.”

“Then take the apartment, Liz. Hell, I’ll crash somewhere else if me sleepin’ on the couch is that big of a deal.”

“God,” she cursed. “THAT is not the problem, Max.”

“Then draw me a picture because obviously I’m missing the damn thing!”

“You are obviously not getting that this thing between us isn’t what I worry most about, Max. Do you have any idea what it means to raise a small child? Moving out would mean I’d lose my babysitter, lose the short distance to work. I work at least three nights a week, nights where someone has to take care of Aaron. I need to go to the campus another few evenings during the week. Again, time that needs to be covered for Aaron. Mrs. McGinty’s willing to take care of him, but she’s old and alone with no family in town. What about you, Max? Would you be willing to give up your carefree party life and change tattoo appointments to watch the little man? Your apartment would mean at least an hour more commuting most days, because it’s at the other end of Manhattan and I just can’t afford one hour less with my brother with the short amount of time I see him already.”

“Move into my place and quit that damn second job! That right there would give you more time with Aaron. I have the luxury of a flexible schedule and I’m willin’ to do whatever’s necessary to help out with Aaron.”

“This talk is over now. I’m not deciding this here and now, and sure as hell not so soon,” she said and turned to leave.

He threw his hands up in the air. “Fine, run away, Liz." “

“Gone,” was all she said

He wanted to shout in frustration but knew it wouldn’t do any good. The woman brought stubborn to a whole new level.

*****

It was late afternoon when the group found their way back together on the deck after a day full of activities on the beach and in the house. The air was still hot and humid, so Maria brought cool drinks out for everyone and sat them on the table in the middle of the deck. She glanced around slowly, squinting against the low hanging sun and enjoying the slight air coming from the fan they had set up earlier. “What’s up, CB?” She walked over to Michael and gave him a little kick when he didn’t seem to notice her. “Still wondering about the no sex rule?” she grinned.

“Perfect timing, DeLuca,” he groaned when Courtney came up the steps from the beach at just the right moment to hear Maria’s words.

“Sorry,” she mouthed and got lost before his girlfriend could get mad at her.

“No sex rule?” Isabel asked, amused when Maria walked past her.

“Shh, I didn’t say anything, okay?”

“Whatever,” the tall blonde rolled her eyes and got up. “I’m gonna take a walk on the beach, who wants to join me?” She looked at Alex directly. He was sitting across from her in a deck chair, reading a newspaper.

“Me,” Kyle said and was about to get up but was stopped when she raised her hand.

“Not you!”

He frowned. “What?”

Alex finally felt her eyes on him and he looked up when she kept staring at him expectantly. “Um, thought it was a question?”

“Well, kinda,” she shrugged and smiled sweetly. “Are you coming?”

“Take Leo with you, Guerin,” Kyle grumbled and threw the leash to her.

Alex took his time folding the newspaper up and setting it aside before getting to his feet. He had no idea why Isabel seemed so insistent about him joining her for a walk, but hell, she was paying him to hang out so he might as well earn it. “Alright,” he said, motioning for her to lead the way.

They stepped down to the beach and headed to the left. For a few moments they just walked in silence, but it didn’t take long before Isabel revealed her interest in taking a walk with him. “So, your sister… She’s the reason you’re struggling with money?”

“You work in the healthcare field so you know it’s not cheap.”

“Are you covering all of the bills?”

“She didn’t have insurance so…” he shrugged. “Even if she hated me towards the end she deserves to be in a facility with people who care.”

“And your parents?”

“My parents gave up on her several years ago.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “They had stopped trying to help before she overdosed and when she was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state I hate to say it but I think they were relieved that they wouldn’t have to worry about her any longer.”

He definitely had a lot more on his plate than she had imagined when she had first seen him, and slowly but surely, she was being convinced that he wasn’t the super square nerd they all thought. It was more like he just didn’t have time to enjoy his life. “That’s awful.”

He nodded. “It was a difficult situation. When I found out that she was going to need more than I could do for her I had to start looking for a long-term care facility that wasn’t some run-down shithole operated by people who didn’t care.”

“Where’s she at right now?”

“She’s in Glendale, so about 10 miles out of the city.”

“There’re more than a few of those facilities in town. Much easier to reach and some of them are really nice…”

“Everything I could find that was closer had a higher cost associated.” He shook his head. “I wish I could have her closer but financially I can’t swing it.”

Isabel bit her lip. Maybe she could do something for him. Thanks to her job, she knew a few influential people in the business and if she handled it right his sister could be transferred to the city without any additional costs for him.

“The cost of healthcare is insane,” he said as he rubbed a hand over his face. “And if you don’t have insurance... instead of just bein’ kinda screwed you’re completely fucked.”

“I can imagine,” she said but didn’t tell him about her idea. First she would make sure it was doable and then she would tell him. He didn’t need another disappointment.

“Sometimes I think about dumping her apartment because that damn thing costs a fortune, but... I just can’t do it.”

“Ever thought about a roommate? It’s large enough for a second person, isn’t it?”

“More than large enough but see I’ve got these neighbors below me who like to party and make a lot of noise,” he said with a slight smile, “and that’d be a killer unless I had a party animal for a roommate and that’d kill me.”

“We’ll try to keep the parties on weekends, and by the way, you should show up now and then. I know you have a busy schedule but sometimes hanging out is just the right thing after a stressful shift. You don’t have to drink and there’re definitely no drugs.”

“Y’know, I’m not a stick in the mud. I know you guys think that but I used to go out and, get ready to be shocked, I actually enjoy having a few drinks when I go out.”

“I won’t believe it until you prove it,” she said and chuckled, not even realizing how relaxed and actually bearable she was at the moment.

He snorted and gave her a little shove with his elbow. “I might just surprise you.”

****

Courtney lifted an eyebrow at the look on Michael’s face. “What exactly was that about a no sex rule?” she asked.

“Uh... just Maria’s weird sense of humor.”

She shook her head and looked at him. “I think we need to talk.”

Six words that struck fear in any man. “Why?”

Courtney looked around and saw that a few eyes were already on them even though they were all pretending to be busy, so she just walked back into the house, hoping he would get the message and follow her.

“This would be where you get your ass up and follow the girl, Guerin,” Tony said without opening his eyes.

“Shut up, Carter,” Michael said as he got up. “She probably just wants to make out without the rest of you droolin’ over her.”

Max snorted. “Yeah, that’s what it means when a girl says she wants to talk to you.”

“Like you’d know,” Michael growled and went inside before they could offer anymore words of wisdom.

Courtney was already waiting in the kitchen, back resting against the counter and arms crossed over her chest. “So why does Maria know about that little fact?” she asked when Michael joined her.

Not knowing what to say he fell back on what never failed him. He gave her his best confused expression. “Huh?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, Michael.”

“Me an’ Maria talk about everything,” he said with a shrug. “What’s the big deal?”

“Well, it’s private,” she said and wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t know these people here as well as you do and I don’t want all of them to know about what is or isn’t going on between us.”

“So, us not havin’ sex should be a secret?”

“The way you say it, it sounds like I asked you for something really bad,” she sighed. “I just want my sex life to be private.”

“Okay, but it’s not like we’re doin’ somethin’ kinky and I’m tellin’ everybody about it.”

“But I told you I want to take things slow with us and you ran to Maria and complained about it. If you’ve got a problem with it, then talk to me, not her.”

“I didn’t say I had a problem with it,” he protested. “We were just talkin’ and it came out.”

“So you’re totally okay with it?” she asked doubtfully.

“I’m still here ain’t I? Look, me an’ Maria, we’re best friends, and we talk about everything. We give each other shit, we insult each other, and we confide in each other, it’s just how our friendship works.”

“Nice how you didn’t answer the question.” Was she pushing too hard?

He scratched the back of his neck. What the hell did she want from him? She didn’t just expect him to be happy about not having sex, did she? “Let’s just say I’m dealin’ with it, okay? I’m not used to this kinda thing. I’ve always done the one-night stand thing. Okay, well, maybe on occasion it was a couple of hookups, but never anything that could be confused as bein’ serious. So yeah, I vent to Maria ‘cause it helps.” Did that make any sense?

“And what’d she tell you?”

“Basically told me I should talk to you.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Look, Courtney, I like you. I don’t ever invite girls I... ya know, sleep with, to spend time with my family, so bringin’ you out here for the weekend was a pretty big deal for me. I don’t know how else to say, ya know, what I’m tryin’ to say.”

She sighed but didn’t press any further. As he had said, it was the first time he had ever brought a girl just to hang out. Maybe she was expecting too much and her behavior was making him doubt if he really wanted this. “Okay, I guess I wasn’t really being fair to you either. I’ll stop asking now.”

Michael was relieved to be off the hook but he wasn’t sure about her mood now. “Are you pissed?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Okay,” he said uncertainly.

“Think we should head back outside, huh?”

He nodded. “Yeah, good idea.”

****

“I’ll be right back,” Courtney said when she pulled out her buzzing phone the moment they walked back out on the deck. It was work calling and she wondered what they could want from her right now.

“Looks like you just had to have an actual conversation, Guerin,” Tony teased as he slouched down and propped his feet up on the railing.

“Shut up, Carter,” he shoved him so that he almost slipped from the deck chair.

“Hey,” Maria complained when Tony almost fell on her where she was lying on the deck to read a magazine.

Max was watching them over the top of his book from his corner of deck where he had retreated after talking to Liz earlier. She was playing cards with Alex, successfully ignoring him since walking away from their earlier conversation. He was annoyed with the way she had walked off and he had no idea what to do about it. He glanced up when someone waved a bottle of beer in front of his face.

“Hey, Tess, what’s up?”

“Oh, you mean besides being ignored and denied?” she said quietly and plopped down next to him. “Nothin’.”

“That bad, huh?”

“No, worse.”

“Sorry. If it helps I’m havin’ a helluva time too.”

“She’s avoiding you,” Tess nodded and glanced at the woman in question. “You did talk to her, right? Seems like it didn’t go very well.”

“I tried to talk to her. She won’t give an inch.”

“I think she’s just unsure and scared of what could happen,” the curly blonde said, knowing that feeling all too well.

“Hell, I don’t know what to do to reassure her. I can’t give her any guarantees other than a safe place for her and Aaron.”

“Guess I’m the wrong person to be getting advice from.”

He shrugged. “Maybe, I don’t know. I feel like I’m beatin’ my head against a brick wall with her.”

“She knows what you want and what you’re offering. Maybe it’s time to let her come to you.” She sighed. “I don’t know.”

“That makes two of us.” He took a drink from the bottle in his right hand. “She’s so damn stubborn and sometimes it feels like she expects somethin’ from me that I have no way of giving.”

“At least she knows what you want,” Tess said and glanced at Kyle quickly. He was talking to Isabel and laughing at something she had said. “And you know that it’s not like she just doesn’t want you.”

He snorted. “Doesn't mean she’s gonna give in.” He glanced at Kyle. “You guys were talkin’ earlier...”

“Yeah, but it didn’t last very long,” she said sadly. “I think he’d rather talk to Isabel about it than to me.”

Max looked down when Leo ambled over to them and rested his big head in Tess’ lap. “Well, you’ve already made points with the man’s dog.”

“For some reason this big drooling teddy bear likes me,” she said, her voice a bit amused. She reached out to scratch the dog’s head, smiling when his head dropped lower and he sat down on the deck in front of her.

He smiled at the dog’s expression. “Yeah, hard to imagine,” he teased. “You’d think if you could get this drool machine to like you his master would be easy to manage.”

“That’s doubtful,” she sighed.

“Maybe the guy’s just too dumb to see what’s right in front of him.”

“Or he just doesn’t want me,” she looked at Max. “I know you just want me to feel better, but the truth is I’m probably not his type.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” He smirked. “The guy’s been watchin’ you an awful lot for someone who’s not interested though.”

“He’s not watching me,” she shook her head.

“Not when you’d notice,” he said with a shrug.

“That makes no sense.” Leo made a growling sound and wiggled around to get more comfortable.

“The guy obviously doesn’t know what he wants. And he’s gonna have to get past that mind block of seein’ you as Guerin’s little sister.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “I know you’re impatient, but give it some time.”

She snorted. “Yeah, that advice goes right back at ya, pal.”

He chuckled gruffly. “I should know better than to give you advice.”

Everyone glanced up when Courtney came out of the house, shrieking and yelling. At first Tess thought she was mad or something, but she quickly realized that it looked more like a happy dance. “What the…?”

Max’ right eyebrow quirked when the woman in question grabbed Michael’s hands and pulled him to his feet. “No clue but whatever it is, it must’ve been good news.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Michael asked, puzzled when his girlfriend came back from her call like crazy but happy fury.

“Looks like good news,” Maria said with a smile.

He rolled his eyes. “Well, if it’s so good, spit it out.”

“I got the cover!” Courtney screamed out enthusiastically. “I can’t believe it, I got the cover!”

Michael glanced at Maria, seeing the look of disappointment on her face that she tried to hide as she nodded at Courtney. “Congratulations,” he said. “That’s a pretty big deal.”

“It is and I didn’t even consider I might get it. I was just there for a few quick shots for someone who got sick, but Nancy said the owner of the magazine just loved them and here I am, on the cover now,” the girl said happily.

“I’m happy for you,” he said as he hugged her.

SHE was getting the cover? Maria thought and turned away from the others to hide her face. It was one thing to lose a cover to a different model that had probably been in the business a long time, but losing the money to HER felt just awful.

Kyle moved to stand behind Maria, rubbing her shoulders. He knew the cover was a big deal and he also knew what if would’ve meant for Maria.

“I can’t believe it,” Courtney said again and smiled brightly, unaware how much her happiness was affecting the other girl. “That’ll mean a lot of extra cash.”

“Yeah,” Michael agreed. “Feelin’ better about the move to New York now?”

“Definitely.” She tried to picture herself on the cover of a magazine, on a shelf in the stores. Wow, this was so cool.

Maria patted Kyle’s hand and got up, slipping away from the others because she wasn’t really in a celebratory mood. She knew it wouldn’t be long before someone came after her... someone who would’ve been Michael in the past.

“Wonder when she’ll notice not everyone’s happy,” Tess said and looked at her former best friend who had left to walk down to the beach. In the past she had felt happy to see her in a bad mood, but now sympathy was washing over her and she wished she could follow her.

“Go,” Max said when he saw her watching Maria walk away.

“She won’t talk to me.”

“Would it hurt to try?”

“Max,” she looked at him, “do you really think she wants to see ME right now? She hates me.”

He shook his head. “She’s pissed, she’s hurt, she might even wanna strangle you in her darker moments, but she doesn’t hate you.”

Tess looked at the stairs again, biting her lips. When it became apparent Michael was too busy to go after Maria because he had to be attentive to his girlfriend she got up and followed her.

Maria walked through the surf, letting the waves roll over her feet and wishing that call could have waited until Monday. Damn, things seemed to be changing fast all of the sudden. Getting the cover would’ve meant a hefty paycheck... it would’ve meant a financial ease with Cody’s new meds. She wiped a renegade tear away, hating the frustration she could feel building up.

“What am I doing?” Tess muttered to herself when she walked down the steps and kicked off her shoes before she jumped down in the sand. She wasn’t aware of Isabel’s proud gaze when she followed her former best friend, trying to come up with the right words to say.

Maria kicked at the little waves and looked out over the ocean, wishing for some of its tranquility to wash over her. She hated feeling so out of sorts. She turned her head when she caught movement from the corner of her eye and she cringed internally. What did SHE want?