Songs About Rain (CC,M/L,MATURE) Ch 6 - 05/25/04 {WIP}

[ISLANDGIRL5]

Hey guys. I know what you’re thinking…another one! You haven’t even finished Chasing Arizona or Falling Back To Me! I know. I’m a slacker, really. I’ve recently started redoing CA again, and will start posting when the whole thing’s re done. There are still a few more chapters until the story’s done. And as far as Falling Back To Me…the idea’s still there, I just can’t get that stubborn muse of mine to finish it I’m not sure when, or if that one will ever be done. This one, though, is steadily swimming around in my head….and I’ve even got the outline to prove it! I hope on updating it once a week. It’s pretty much thought all the way through.

The idea for this fic came about the first time I ever heard Gary Allan’s “Songs About Rain.” The song struck a chord with me, particularly because I love playing in the rain. Rain isn’t always a gloomy depressing thing….I love to go out and skip around and play in the light sprinkles that come when the sun is shining, and leave behind a rainbow after their departure. But you never know how differently people can feel about rain. So, hope you enjoy my story. And if you ever have the chance, and you see it raining while the sun is shining, kick off your shoes, pull a loved one outside with you, and have fun! It’ll bring out the kid in anyone.

Without any further rambling, enjoy!

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Title: Songs About Rain
Author: ISLANDGIRL5
Category: CC Starts out K/L, but ends up M/L.
Rating: MATURE
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, we all know who does. The title came from the Gary Allan song of the same name. And the idea of the fire, in the first few chapters, is based loosely on the fire at the Port Charles Hotel, as was seen on the last few episodes of General Hospital. The rest of the plot is mine.
Summary: A story, within a story. Really very confusing, unless you read it. And if I can get onto paper what's floating around in this jumbled brain of mine, it will be quite angsty and tear jerking at times. So I’m warning you now…but just so you know, I’m a sucker for happy endings….*hint, hint*
Author's Note:Thanks to LPorter for being my beta, without her help, you’d probably be wondering how I ever passed grammar in the first place, lol.


Songs About Rain
Prologue


Serena Jackson breezed through the front door of The Back Shelf bookstore and dropped her bags on the counter.

“Lily, I swear. Valentine’s Day now is like being in the middle of the after-Thanksgiving Day Sales traffic! Why so many people want to celebrate a day that was clearly dreamed up by the chocolate companies as a way to make quick money is beyond me. Really, does everyone in the world honestly believe in true love?”

The little grey haired woman behind the counter looked out above the rims of her little gold glasses and raised an eyebrow. “Well, don’t you dear?”

Serena shook her strawberry colored hair, and her green eyes danced with amusement. “Not even a little. I learned it the hard way. A whole slew full of unfaithful boyfriends has taught me my lesson: true love doesn’t exist.”

Lily shook her head. “You’re so young, Serena. Don’t give up on love yet. It may not have found you, but there’s someone out there for you. Someone is out there for everyone.”

“Maybe it was supposed to be that way. But I’m sure all the good ones have been taken.” Serena looked down to keep Lily from seeing the brief dark cloud that had passed over her features, but by the time she looked up, it was gone, her happy smile covering her underlying sadness. “I thought Jeremy was the one for me, but look what happened there. If I couldn’t love him, then I’m convinced it doesn’t truly exist at all.”

Lily stepped from behind the glass counter and walked to the other side. She reached out a wrinkled hand and rubbed the young girls arm. “If it’s meant to be, Serena, you and Jeremy will find your back to each other. Things will work out like they’re supposed to.”

Serena sighed deeply and forced her eyes to hold back the damn of tears she knew were begging to be freed. “It wasn’t meant to be. We’re far too different right now, and our lives just aren’t going the same way.”

Lily smiled softly and turned to go back to her side of the counter. “I wouldn’t be so sure. I’ve seen him in here with you, remember? I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. I saw some pretty serious vibes floating between you two.”

Serena clicked her teeth and smiled at the frail old lady and scrunched up her nose. “Well, Lily, then you need those glasses more than I thought you did. What Jeremy and I had was great while it lasted, and it was fun, but he’s a lot like you. He believes in love and soulmates. He thought I was his, but I’m not anyone’s soulmate. Love is not my thing.”

“Don’t you believe in love at all? The premise of boy meets girl? The romantic aspects of fighting to be together? The idea of chivalry and soulmates, and a passionate love that defies all odds?” Lily asked.

“That stuff only exists in books, Lily. Why do you think I spend so much time here? Because the world people create in writing is often more desirable than the one that we've been given the chance to experience"

Lily shook her head. “Don’t give up on love yet, Serena. It’s way too precious to turn away.”

“I’ve already given up. Love, like I read about in the books, doesn’t exist in true life.”

“Oh, contraire, my dear. I’ve seen my share of monumental loves in my lifetime. And they definitely were not born in a book.”

“Well, I don’t believe they’ve ever existed. I mean, I’m 29 years old. If love existed, I think I would have found it by now. Soulmates are a thing of fiction.”

“Would you like to read a book that is not fiction, but based on real life events?” Lily asked as she turned and reached to the back of the shelf behind her. “It’s not a published book, but it was written with great care and bound by hand. It’s a story I’m sure you won’t soon forget. Not too many people have.”

“Lily, if you’re trying to make a softie out of me, forget it. I’ve made up my mind about love, and I know how you are. If you’re trying to get me to see things in a different light you might as well give up now.”

Lily chuckled, a deep, hearty giggle from deep in her chest. “You’re right, Serena, I am trying to change your mind. I just don’t want you to give up on something so precious, especially when you haven’t even found it yet. You’re gonna lose it before you’ve got it!”

“Well, then, no thanks. I’ll stick to my fantasy books of fairy tale romances. Knights and Princesses, Lords and Ladies are the way to go for me.”

“Do an old lady a favor, huh? Read it. If it doesn’t change your mind about love, I’m sure nothing will. So if you don’t have a change of heart after you read this story, I promise. I’ll leave you and your thoughts of love alone.”

“Lily…”

“Please? I promise you it’s not your run of the mill fairy tale story. It’s an ordinary boy meets girl story about a not so ordinary love.”

“Why do you want me to read this story so much, huh?”

Lily smiled at Serena, and her eyes took on a dreamy look. “Because there was a time when I didn’t believe in love. And because you remind me a lot of myself. But this story, about this boy and this girl, it inspired me. And I found my true love. If it could change my mind, it can change yours.”

Serena rolled her eyes and stared at the old lady for a minute. “Fine, Lily. I’ll read your book. But when it doesn’t turn me into a sappy romantic, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

Six hours, and a long ride through traffic later, Serena was back at home in her studio apartment. She put away her groceries, checked her messages, and headed to the bathroom to run her bath water. As she was undressing in her room and pulling on her robe, she spied the loosely bound novel Lily had given her lying on the kitchen counter where she had dropped it on her way in the front door. Pinning her hair up and resting her hands on her hips for a second, she sighed and stepped over to the counter, picking up the worn volume.

What the heck, she thought. I’ve got free time anyway. Might as well humor the old lady and read her love story so I can prove her wrong. Love is for the birds.

Back in the bathroom, Serena flipped on the gentle light over her tub and let her robe fall to the floor as she stepped into the foaming water. She put a towel behind her head, and leaned her arm on the side of the tub to hold the book in a dry position. She looked at the title and had to admit it wasn’t your ordinary romance book title.

Songs About Rain

She pondered on the meaning of the title for a minute, then noticed the inscription at the bottom of the page. Unlike the title, it had been handwritten in a neat, cursive script.

To M and L, whose story is the stuff of real fairy tales. You’ve shown us all it’s possible.

Serena wondered who M and L was, and who they had inspired so much that the author was compelled to write a novel about them. She flipped the page, and read the prologue.

I’ve always heard rain had healing powers. That if you stand under a pouring rain and close your eyes and turn your head up, the pureness that falls from the sky can do wonders. It can drown out your fears, wash away your worries, wipe away your troubles, and be your salvation in a world where salvation comes few and far between. Then again, on the other hand, I’ve always heard that rain is a sad, sad thing for the world. That it means someone in the heavens is crying...because of a broken heart. That if you’re sad, to go outside, and that you’re not alone…because the world and the heavens are crying with you. I never knew which one to believe.

I remember a girl who used to go out and stand in the rain, not because it washed away her sorrows, but because it disguised them. Because when she was standing in the rain no one could see her tears or hear her muffled cries. The rain was her solace, her comfort, her shoulder to lean on in times of need. It was her way of holding on, but oddly enough, her way of letting go. One day, when she least expected it, and when she’d all but given up hope, the rain really did provide her salvation.

Rain or not, February is a rough time of the year, both for myself and for everyone I love. It’s a time of year for people to celebrate loving and being loved. Everyone thinks of pink hearts, chubby little angels, fragrant roses, and creamy chocolates, but for me, it’s different. For me, I see fire. Red hot and relentless, burning its way through everything it touches, and destroying everything in its path. It’s like an uncontrollable rage. It’s not selective in its victims. It just takes them. It doesn’t ask, it just claims.

It was Valentine’s Day, oddly enough. We were celebrating the holiday of love. With flowers, candy, hearts, the whole nine yards. We were smiling, we were happy, and we were in love. But happiness is few and far between. I learned the hard way not to take things for granted, that they can be gone in the blink of an eye. And I do mean that literally.

There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. There is always a silver lining. Even if you don't always know that you'll have to learn it the hard way like I did. But don’t let the rocky path deter you from taking the road less traveled, because in the end, I’ve learned that the grass really IS greener on the other side. It doesn’t matter how rough the road is or how long the journey down it takes, it’s what you find at the end of it that counts.

So this is my story. A story of love, heartache, and tears. It’s the story of a girl and her Prince Charming. It’s the story of how a small town girl came alive the day Kyle Valenti walked into her life. And of how her heart stopped beating the day the man she’d given her heart to fell 12 stories through the unsteady floors of a burning building. It’s a story of healing, and how the man with the amber eyes brought her back to life.

This is a story of love found and love lost. It’s a story of friendships tested, and bonds that were strong enough to overcome life’s cruel ways. And it’s a story about beating the odds, and playing the best game you can with the cards you’re dealt.

Serena sighed softly and settled herself in more comfortably. Without even realizing it, her curiosity was already piqued as to what lay on the following pages of the book.

[ISLANDGIRL5]

Hey guys! Sorry this update took a while. I sent it off to my beta, then was sick for three days, and didn't even check my e-mail or get online at all. But here it is. Hope you like. Thanks for the FB. It makes writing easier and worth it. Thanks to Lorastar for the banner, and as always to LPorter for betaing.




Songs About Rain
Chapter 1



“La da da da da dun dun….Mmm hmm hm hmhum hum… My head started reeling it gave me the feeling the room-”

“Liz, darling, please. You’re singing a fairy tale song and dancing around the room in your underwear. You’re like a lovesick teenager, and the gag factor right now is excruciatingly high. You look like a dork.”

Liz Parker stopped her humming and pulled her long brown hair from her face. She looked down at her pink camisole, blue underwear, and bright red socks and then back up to her best friend. “I know,” she said dreamily. “Isn’t it wonderful?” Liz smiled into the air and giggled, then turned back towards the mirror. She pulled her hair up and started playing with it, turning her head every different way to see how it looked.

Maria rolled her eyes and made a big show of gagging and coughing as she fell backwards onto the bed. “Here lies Maria Deluca,” she said in a somber voice, “taken from the world by the toothache she got from the sappy sweetness of Liz Parker being in love. May her sparkling personality and amazing fashions sense rest in peace.”

“Oh leave her alone,” came a muffled voice from the closet. “I think it’s cute.”

“Isabel Whitman, you hush up. You are on old married lady, and have sickening gag factor of your own. You don’t have the right to make comments here.”

The closet doors swung open and a tall blonde with sparkling brown eyes emerged, dropping a large black trash bag on the bed in front of Maria. “Aha! I knew I had it around here somewhere!”

“Great. Just what I’ve always wanted to wear on a blind date to a military ball. A giant Hefty bag will be the perfect accessory to my formal,” Maria said a she set up and leaned her elbow on the bag.

Isabel rolled her eyes and reached for the yellow ties on the bag. “What I was looking for is inside the bag, drama queen. Now you guys don’t have to buy shoes and purses. I’ve got a whole bag of matching sets!” Isabel said triumphantly.

Liz turned from the mirror and squealed. “Yes!” she exclaimed. “I hope the one you wore to your Senior Prom is in here. It would go perfect with my dress.” Liz picked the bag up and dumped all of it’s contents onto the bed, groaning when she realized everything in the bag was wrapped in brown paper.

“Don’t worry, Liz. You don’t have to unwrap them all. They’re all labeled, with a Polaroid picture of whatever’s wrapped inside taped to the paper,” Isabel said. “The paper keeps them from getting scuffed.

“Isabel, it’s not normal for someone to be as organized as you are,” Maria said as she picked up and discarded package after package. “Have you ever seen anyone about that condition?”

“This remark coming from someone who has underwear in her closet and tennis shoes in her drawers,” was Isabel’s reply.

“If I moved anything, I wouldn’t know where anything was….but since you are organized and all, I might as well take advantage of it,” Maria said as she held a package up in the air. “I’ll take these. My dress is dark teal, so this silver should go perfect with it. Plus, the shoes are strapless, and that means if this guy turns out to be a total loser, I can pull these babies off and run!”

Liz threw a reprimanding look in Maria’s direction. “Maria, you said you’d be nice. He can’t be that bad, he’s Kyle’s new room mate, and Kyle likes him. Don’t be so negative, or you’ll convince yourself into not liking him before you even meet him.”

“Honestly, Liz, I don’t know why I agreed to go on this blind date. I’ve heard horror stories about these things. Rumor is, 99 percent of the time, they turn out terrible.”

“I met Kyle on a blind date, don’t you remember?”

“Actually, Liz, you already knew him. He was at that party your parent’s restaurant catered for Alex at the radio station, remember? He was Alex’s high school friend.”

“But that doesn’t count,” Liz said. “I’d only seen him before. I’d never even talked to him until that night of our first date. Remember, the night of the party, you two kept trying to get me to talk to him?” Liz sat down and smiled, remembering how nervous she was. But, her nerves were short lasted, and the date had been the most fun date she’d ever had.

**********
After spending hours on her hair and makeup, Liz was finally ready. Her cousin, Alex had convinced her to go on a blind date with a friend of his from high school who was looking for a little companionship. It was her first blind date, and she was more nervous than she’d ever been in her life. After she checked and double checked herself in the mirror, she drove the short way to the restaurant where they were supposed to meet. She parked her car and walked in, and the maitre’d showed her to her table, where her date was already waiting. When she rounded the corner and saw the guy from the radio station that she’d seen and had been convinced was the cutest guy she’d ever seen, she almost squealed in delight.

After their initial nervousness, the two young people found themselves deep in conversation about the many things they had in common. They had ended up talking and laughing and getting to know each other, and before they knew it, they had been at the restaurant for four hours, and completely missed all the movies. Instead, they went to the local playground and played on the swings until almost 2 in the morning. And by the time he dropped her off, Liz Parker was head over heels in love with Kyle Valenti.

**********

“Yeah, well, you were the lucky one,” Maria said, snapping Liz out of her reverie. “Vicky Delaney went on a blind date, and ended up at the Police Department, because her date started a fight with the waiter because he cooked the steak wrong.”

“Maria, not every blind date ends up bad.”

“How do you know that for sure, Isabel? Have you ever been on one?”

“Of course not. Alex was my first boyfriend, remember?”

“Well, then how do you know for sure how blind dates are?” Maria asked.

“I’ve heard, Maria. Not all of them turn out bad. Just keep an open mind, like Liz said. Anyone has got to be better than that band camp boy of yours.”

“His name is Billy, and he wasn’t that bad.”

“Maria, he passed gas at the dinner table at my parent’s anniversary and then sniffed the air to see if he could smell it. He was that bad.”

Maria was about to defend her ex-boyfriend when Liz started jumping up and down. “I found them! I found them! Yes, yes, yes!”

Maria was watching her friend with a raised eyebrow as the petite brunette jumped up and down and swayed her hips as she danced with her brown paper package. She was about to remark on how absolutely ridiculous people act while they’re in love when Liz shushed her.

“Shhhh….listen do you hear that?” she whispered.

Maria strained her ears, but all she could hear were the soft notes of Babyface’s Every Time I Close My Eyes from someone’s radio. “I don’t hear anyt-”

“Quick, it’s my cell phone, find it, find it!” Maria jumped out of the way as Liz made a diving leap under the bed to search for the missing gadget. She scanned the bed and dresser quickly for her friend’s phone, then was shoved out of the way when Liz jumped up and barreled past her.

“It’s on the nightstand…in my makeup bag!”

Isabel turned to the nightstand behind her to grab the phone, but Liz moved around her and beat her to it.

“Hello?” Liz answered frantically. “Hello, Kyle, are you there?”

Isabel and Maria gave each other funny looks as Liz smiled and started gabbing to the man on the other end of the phone.

“Since when did cell phones start playing actual songs?" Isabel asked.

“Who cares,” Maria asked, shrugging her shoulders. “The real problem is since when did Liz Parker go this gaga over a guy?”

“Since she fell in love, I guess.”

“Well, if I ever start to fall, you sure as heck better put out a net and catch me before I hit. Because the day I put Babyface on my phone to announce a guy is calling, is the day that Carrie Bradshaw wears white after Labor Day.”

“See, Maria, that right there is why you don’t have a boyfriend. Because your hero is a fictional character from a TV show whose main subject is Sex. You’re never going to find true love.”

“That isn’t because of what I watch on TV, it’s because I don’t believe in true love.”

Isabel turned to Maria and all but gawked at her. “You don’t believe in true love? How do you explain that?” she asked, gesturing towards Liz.

“Puppy love. Infatuation. Call it what you want. She’s not in love. If, by some far fetched miracle, it were to ever find me, then you can kill me and make me into a heroine so someone can write a fairy tale about me, because fairy tales are the only place true love really does exist.”

“Maria, one of these days, true love is going to come knocking at your door, and hit you so hard right upside your stubborn head that you aren’t going to know what happened. You’ll regret you ever said that!”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Isabel,” Maria said with a wave of her hand. “But I believe true love just isn’t for everyone.”

“Aaah!”

Both Isabel and Maria turned toward Liz when they heard her squeal out.

“What in the world?” Maria asked to no one in particular.

“They’re here. Kyle and Michael. They stopped off at for gas on the bypass. They’ll be here in an hour! I have to go home and get dressed. Quick, quick, come on, Maria! Let’s go!”

Maria jumped out of the way as Liz ran to Isabel’s closet to pull on the clothes she’d worn over to Isabel’s house. “Thanks for the shoes and the purse, Isabel,” she said as she rushed past Isabel and picked up her keys. “Sorry we didn’t get to try on your dresses. We’ll do it soon, I promise, and whichever ones can be altered for me, I’ll take them. But I have to go, see ya soon!” Liz disappeared out into the hallway with a quick wave behind her.

“What is her rush?” Maria asked as she started to gather her stuff to follow Liz home. “You’d think she didn’t live right next door.”

“You’d want to be home quick to get beautiful if you’re boyfriend were on his way too. But you know, Kyle is bringing a friend, so maybe you should be rushing back too.”

“There’s no need,” Maria said as she walked out into the hallway. “I’m not trying to impress anyone.”

Almost exactly an hour later, true to his word, Kyle Valenti pulled into the Parker’s driveway. Liz squealed and was down the stairs in a matter of seconds, opening the front door before he’d even had a chance to knock.

“Well, hey browneyes,” Kyle said as Liz jumped into his arms. He chuckled as Liz kissed his cheeks and hugged him again. “Well, I missed you too!”

“Oh my gosh…I missed you too. This has been the longest three weeks ever!” Liz said as Kyle half walked her, half carried her into her house.

“That it has,” Kyle said as he motioned for his friend to come inside. “Liz Parker, this is Michael Guerin. My room mate. And Michael, this is Liz. The love of my life.”

Liz jumped down from Kyle’s arms, a slight blush on her cheeks. She turned around and saw the man Kyle had motioned to standing just inside the doorway. “I’m sorry Michael. I’m a little excited that my boyfriend’s back. But it’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Thanks,” Michael said. “Thank you for having me.”

“Don’t be silly. Any friend of Kyle’s is a friend of mine. So, how do you like Fort Bragg?”

Michael shrugged his shoulders. “Haven’t really had a chance to find out. I was only here for three weeks before the Army hauled us off to school.”

Liz nodded her head. “Well, I understand that. Not only am I dating a soldier, but I was a military brat too. I know how demanding the military is, and how you can be sent off with no notice at all. But, I hope you like it anyway. Maria will show you around. Speaking of…hold on a second, and let me go get her.”

Liz kissed Kyle lightly on the cheeks as she bounded up the steps. “Maria? Maria, they’re here!”

Liz found Maria in her bedroom, sitting on the bed. “Please tell me that the guy who got out of Kyle’s car just now is not the guy you’re setting me up with.”

Liz looked at Maria funny, and nodded her head. “Well, it is. Why?”

“What’s wrong with him?” Maria asked.

Liz laughed. “What do you mean what’s wrong with him?”

“I mean his hair. Why is it so long? I thought the Army made you keep your hair short. And he’s wearing a Metallica T shirt. Metallica!”

Liz rolled her eyes. “They’ve been in school, Maria. Some military schools they won’t let you leave even to get a haircut. And leave his t shirt alone. If you say one thing about it, I swear, I’ll tell them about your Nelly pajamas. Now come on. Let’s go meet them.”

“Fine,” Maria said as she got up from the bed. “I’ll meet him. But if I don’t like him, I’m not going to the stupid ball with him.”

Liz rolled her eyes as she grabbed Maria’s hand and pulled her towards the staircase. “Whatever, Maria.”

“Michael, this is Maria Deluca. Maria, this is Michael Guerin,” Liz said as soon as she made it to the bottom of the steps.

“Hey,” Michael said, nodding his head.

“Hey yourself,” Maria said. She grunted when Liz elbowed her in the stomach. “Nice to meet you,” she muttered under breath.

Michael smirked at her. “Feelings mutual, I’m sure,” he replied smugly.

Maria’s mouth formed a huge “O”, and she was about to make a smart remark back when Liz stepped into the middle of them.

“Well, I know you two must be starved. Let’s go to the kitchen, I’ll fix you something to eat,” Liz said.

Liz took Kyle’s hand, and the two headed towards the kitchen, engaged in a lively conversation.

“Don’t look so happy to be here. I promise I don’t bite,” Michael said to Maria as soon as Kyle and Liz were out of the room.

Maria rolled her eyes. She looked Michael up and down taking a quick consensus of his appearance. You cant’ always judge a book by its cover. But sometimes you sure can learn a lot. His hair was a bit on the shabby side, and it looked like he’d been riding with the window down all day, because what looked like spikiness had fallen out of it. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a couple days, and the rugged look definitely didn’t work for him. His t-shirt was plain black, with “Metallica” written in white letters across the front. His jeans were neatly pressed, which almost made her giggle out loud, because his shirt looked like he’d picked it up off the floor and thrown it on in a hurry. At least he had nice shoulders, and underneath his stubble, he didn’t look to be too bad looking. Maybe being his double date wouldn’t be so bad.

“I bet. So. Do you always wear T-shirts, or do you branch out for special occasions?”

“Are you always this stuck up?” he retorted. “Or do you just up the snootiness every once in a while. You know, for special occasions?”

Maria snorted and crossed her arms. “I hope you know I’m only doing this for Liz. Because Kyle is so important to her, and she asked me to. If I had it my way, someone like you would definitely not be my first choice.”

“Well, it’s not really my cup of tea either. But I just got here, and figured I might as well make some friends. You wouldn’t exactly be my first choice either.” Michael turned and headed towards the kitchen, then stopped at the last minute. He turned back to Maria, and smirked again. “But it shouldn’t be that bad. You’re not a bad looking broad to have on my arm at the military ball.”

Michael turned and pushed through the kitchen door to where Kyle and Liz were waiting, leaving a flabbergasted and for once, speechless, Maria Deluca standing at the bottom of the stairs.

[ISLANDGIRL5]

**** Once again, thanks to LPorter for betaing. ****

Songs About Rain
Chapter 2

“Do you think there is life on other planets?”

Liz leaned up and turned around so she could see Kyle’s face. “Tell me you’re not serious, Kyle,” she said, giving him a skeptical look.

“I am. I mean, look,” he said, pointing towards the sky. “Look at all that space out there….all that room. Do you think it’s just wasting out there? No one living in it?”

Liz turned around and looked towards the sky. The night was crisp and clear, each of the millions of stars showing up bright and silvery against a black sky. There was a lot out there. Could it really be inhabited? Liz closed her eyes and shook her head, giggling out loud. Had that thought actually entered her mind?

“What’s wrong?” Kyle whispered into her ear, the hints of a smile evident in his tone. “The thought of some little alien cities, with UFO highways, and aliens that don’t believe in humans, strike you as funny?”

Liz laughed out loud then, and lay back against Kyle’s chest once more, giggling as she felt the light rumble of his laughter against her back. She closed her eyes when she heard his laughter, deep rich tones that she’d missed dearly in the past year.

Not only had Kyle been in Iraq, serving overseas for 6 months, but when he’d come back, he’d only been home about a month when he’d been sent to Airborne school. At least now he was back for good, and his jovial mood was spreading.

“You don’t really believe that do you?” she asked.

Kyle’s arms tightened around her waist and pulled her closer. “Nah, I was just trying to make conversation.”

“We don’t need conversation, Kyle. I’m just happy to be together.”

Liz leaned up as Kyle shifted behind her. He pulled away from her, and she turned to face him.

“I’m happy too, Liz. You have no idea how happy you make me.”

Liz brought her hand up to cup his cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy. Because you’re stuck with me.”

Kyle shook his head, his face a mixture of contentment and disbelief. “Some people never love anyone, Liz. But I do. I love you more than I ever thought I’d love anyone. You know that, don’t you?”

Liz nodded, her eyes misting over.
“These past few months, when we were separated for so long, they were so hard. Especially when I was overseas. You have no idea how hard being that far away from home is. For me, though, I wasn’t counting how long I’d been there. I was counting how long it was until I came back; to you. You were on my mind every single minute of every day. Even when it was a hundred degrees outside, and my lunch was full of sand, and the only thing I had to drink was warm water, you were on my mind.” Kyle shifted a bit, so his arms would be comfortable. He picked up Liz’s right hand with his left, and cupped her cheek with his free hand. “You’re the one for me, Liz. The one I’ll love forever. I thought I knew that before I left for Iraq. But those 6 months out there without you only confirmed it. Not once did I stop loving you. All that distance between us, I felt like you were right there with me.”

Liz closed her eyes, and squeezed Kyle’s hand. “I was, Kyle, right here.” Liz brought her free hand up and placed it over Kyle’s heart. “Those months were hard for me too. But I got through them, because I knew when it was over, you’d come right back to me. And we’d be right back here. Wrapped in each others arms, in my backyard. With the dampness soaking through the blanket making our butts wet and with mosquitoes biting the crap out of our arms.” Liz laughed as Kyle erupted into giggles. “But you know what?” she asked, her smile bright and shining. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Kyle hook his head. “Me either.”

“So, was I really on your mind all the time?” Liz asked.

Kyle grinned and his eyes sparkle. “The only time I wasn’t thinking of you was when they handed out the MRE’s for us at meal time.”

“Because you were so hungry?” Liz questioned.

“No. Because I was trying to figure out how I was gonna use the scrap of tissue they put in them to wipe myself next time I had to take a crap.”

Liz threw her head back and erupted into laughter. “It’s refreshing to know that my only competition was toilet paper.”

Kyle brought both of his hands up to cup Liz’s face, as his eyes turned serious. “Since the day I met you, you’ve never had any competition, Liz. It’s always been only you.”

Liz smiled and leaned into his touch as Kyle closed his eyes and softly met her lips with his own. The next few minutes were filled with intimate whispers and soft giggles as the two young lovers kissed and talked . There was much time to be made up for.

**********

“My favorite TV shows are Alias and CSI. But I like all cop shows. What kind of TV do you watch?”

Maria and Michael were sitting across from each other at the dining room table, waiting for Kyle and Liz to come in. It had only been a few hours since Kyle and Michael had arrived, but dinner was over, and the movie didn’t start for another hour and a half. Liz and Kyle had headed to the backyard for a little alone time, leaving Maria and Michael alone in the house.

“I don’t watch much TV.”

“Okay.” Maria said. “Well, I read a lot, but never those icky romance books. I like drama. What kind of books do you like to read?”

“I don’t like to read. It’s boring,” Michael responded, clearly annoyed.

“Well, what kind of sports do you like to play? I don’t play, but I love to watch baseball,” Maria said, a bit frustrated. She wasn’t happy in the first place after being left alone with Michael, but now that she’d been trying to engage him in some type of conversation for the last fifteen minutes with no success, she was getting downright angry. He was being outright rude.

Michael looked at Maria over the rim of his cup as he took a sip of his drink. “I don’t play sports.”

“Well how about this. Why don’t we talk about what you don’t like, because it seems like we’d have a lot more to talk about,” Maria said through clenched teeth.

“Who says I want to talk?” Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s it!” Maria said, slamming her cup down on the table and flinching when some of the liquid inside splashed out and onto the front of her shirt. “I promised Liz I’d try, I did. But that’s because I didn’t expect to have to deal with a completely unsociable person like you.” Maria got up and stood in front of Michael, hands on her hips and nostrils flaring. “I love Liz, but I will not put up with your flippant attitude and cockiness one minute longer. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going up to Liz’s room to wait until they come inside. I’m going to turn off the lights, and sit in the dark, talking to the stuffed monkey she keeps on her bed. He probably talks more than you anyway!”

Michael stared after Maria as she stomped out of the kitchen and punched open the swinging door. At the last minute, she flipped around, and glared at Michael. “And you can forget that stupid blind date thing. You have fun at the ball all by yourself! Maybe you can find another broad who won’t mind being on your arm!”

Stomping up the stairs, Maria was fuming inside. As soon as she got inside Liz’s room, she slammed the door behind her and flung herself onto the bed. She lay there on her back, with nothing but the light from the street lamp filtering through the window to light the room.

Thoughts of the previous few hours drifted through her mind. Michael Guerin was an insult to the male community. Sure he had a cute smile, and was pretty blessed in the nice body department, but he was definitely one person whose flaws outnumbered his good points.

First off, he was dressed like a teenager from the 80’s. Secondly, they’d already been home for hours, and Kyle had changed and showered, whereas Michael hadn’t even run a comb through his unruly hair, much less bothered to put on some decent clothes! He was rude, inconsiderate, and cocky. During dinner, his only comments were argumentative, and after dinner, he’d sat at the table while Kyle cleaned it off, insisting the girls take a break after having set the table in the first place.

When it was over, he burped at his seat, and didn’t offer so much as an ‘excuse me’ afterwards. And then, when they’d been left alone, he’d sat at the table with her for almost fifteen minutes, not bothering to involve himself in any conversation at all. His social skills were definitely lacking, that’s for sure. Kyle Valenti was going to pay for trying to set her up with his roommate in the first place. Michael was a monster.

Sighing heavily, Maria turned over to her side and grabbed the overstuffed pillow from the head of the bed. If she was going to wait on Liz and Kyle to come back, she might as well be comfortable.

Sometime later, Maria woke up, realizing she’d drifted off to sleep while waiting in the dark. She got up from the bed, and stretched her arms. Looking at Liz’s bedside clock, she noticed she’d been asleep for almost an hour and a half. Frowning, she wondered where everyone was. As she opened Liz’s bedroom door, she felt something flutter from the doorknob and land at her feet. Bending down to pick it up, she reached back inside the bedroom door and flipped on the light so she could see what it was.

In the glow of the light from behind her, Maria was surprised to find herself holding a flower. It was some type of wildflower, blue with a white center and a light fragrant smell. Maria pulled on the piece of paper wrapped around it’s stem and unrolled it. She arched an eyebrow when she read what it said.

I don’t do apologies. But I’ll admit I’m an idiot. Hope you like the flower. The old geezer from across the street practically bit my head off for stealing it from around his mailbox.

Maria smiled. Maybe Michael Guerin was human after all.

**********

“So, I think we better get back inside. Maria hated Michael the minute she saw his Metallica T-shirt. She may have already done something with him and hidden the body.”

Kyle smiled and shook his head. “It may be the other way around. Michael is no pushover. He can fight his own battles, and he’s pretty good at arguing too.”

Liz looked questioningly at Kyle. “Even with Maria?”

Kyle thought for a minute, then jumped up and held his hand out for Liz. “You’re right. Maybe we should go check on them.”

Liz took Kyle’s hand and they both headed inside, but not before stealing a couple moments for another kiss.

“Maria? Michael?” Liz said into the dark house as she and Kyle made it inside. She waited for an answer, and flipped on the lights as she continued to walk through the house.

“Hmmm…wonder why it’s so quiet in here?” Kyle said as they walked into the living room.

“What time is it?”

Kyle spun around, and as Liz flipped on the lamp on the end table, they saw a disoriented Michael laying back in the reclining chair.

Kyle looked at his watch. “Uh…it’s almost ten.”

Michael rubbed his eyes and raised his head as he ran a hand through his hair. “I must have dozed off,” he said, his voice thick with drowsiness.

“Where’s Maria?” Liz asked.

Michael grimaced. “She’s upstairs. I sort of made her mad. She stomped up the stairs and never came back down.”

“You kind of made her mad?” Kyle asked as Liz went up stairs and he stepped over to sit on the chair opposite Michael’s.

“Yeah. I was testing her out, you know, trying to see how much she could take before she got mad at me. I thought she’d cuss me out or something. I didn’t expect her to get so ticked off.”

Kyle smirked at his friend and shook his head. “That famous Guerin charm didn’t work on her, huh?” he asked.

“I thought you knew me better than that,” Michael said. “Charm hasn’t worked yet, but the nights still young. She’ll be apologizing to me before you know it.”

Kyle scoffed. “I can tell you don’t know Maria that well. I bet she’ll have you apologizing to her.”

Michael shook his head. “What’s my motto, Kyle? ‘I don’t do apologies’. I won’t be apologizing to anyone tonight.”

Kyle studied his friend carefully. “You like her!” he said.

“I do not!” Michael said defensively, grimacing slightly when he realized he said it a bit too quickly.

“Yeah, right. That look just gave you away,” Kyle said.

Michael sat back in the recliner and let out a deep breath. He didn’t like her like her. He wasn’t sure how he felt about her. But he’d spent the entire time since they’d been there practically staring at the girl. He’d never seen anyone like Maria, and he sure as heck had never met anyone like her. She was the most gorgeous girl he’d ever seen.

“I don’t know her well enough to know if I like her or not,” Michael said, raising back up to lean his arms on his legs.

“Buuutttt….” Kyle continued.

“Buuuutt,” Michael said. “She’s….I think she’s the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen in my life. I just sat and watched her all night long. I couldn’t even talk, I was so caught up in her cute little nose and her sparkling eyes and her bouncy hair. That’s why I wasn’t talking to her-not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t. I was too dumbfounded to stop staring at her. I’m…..I’m intrigued by her.”

Kyle shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, Michael. You’re gonna have fun with her. She doesn’t even believe in love.”

Michael scoffed. “How can anyone not believe in love?” he asked. “Even I believe in love.”

“Maria’s different. She sets her own rules, goes with her own beliefs. She doesn’t care that everyone else believes in love. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her dad took off. She’s never fallen in love. She doesn’t believe it can happen to her.”

“That’s crazy,” Michael said. “A beautiful girl like that should have every guy in the neighborhood in love with her.”

“Every guy in the neighborhood is scared of her.”

Kyle got up then, and left Michael in the living room, alone, with his thoughts. Michael found It oddly disturbing that they were all about Maria.

**********

“Good Grief, Maria! You just about scared the death out of me!” Liz exclaimed as she bumped into Maria while walking down the pitch black hallway towards her room. “What in the world are you doing standing around here in the dark?”

“Look!” Maria walked past Liz and flipped the light switch on the wall behind her.
She walked back over to Liz and thrust the flower in her face.

“It’s a flower, Maria, we have those around here,” Liz said. She stared at Maria with a funny expression on her face.

“ I know what it is, Liz, but it’s my flower. For me.” Then Maria leaned in closer to Liz, and cupped her hands around her mouth as if she had a secret to tell. “It’s from Michael,” she whispered.

Liz grinned. “Oooookkkkaaaaayyyyy.”

“Liz!” Maria exclaimed. “I’ve never even gotten a flower from a guy I liked before, much less one I hated. What do I do with it?”

Liz giggled, and watched Maria with interest. “What is up with you? Do you like him?”

Maria scoffed and crossed her arms, all but glaring back at her.

“Then why were you walking around in the dark, figuring out what to do with his flower? And why did he even give you a flower in the first place?”

“Don’t even ask. That’s why I can’t stand him. He was so rude and unsociable, and now, he expects me to be okay cause he gave me a flower that he stole from the little old mad across the street!”

Liz stepped back and smirked at Maria. “I’ve never seen you this worked up over a guy before.”

“That’s because I’ve never hated a guy this much before.”

“Are you sure ‘hated’ is the right word?” Liz asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Liz Parker, if you imply one more time that I like that moron downstairs, I swear, I’ll never speak to you again!”

Liz held up her hands. “Fine, fine, you win. I’ll never say another word about you liking Michael.”

“Thank you. So, what’s the deal now. Are they leaving?”

Liz shook her head. “Theyr’e showing late movies this week, because it’s the anniversary of the theater’s grand opening. Kyle and I are going, thought you might like to go.”

“No, I’ll stay here. You’ll probably make me sit next to him anyways.”

“The new Vin Diesel movie is on.”

Maria squinted her eyes at Liz and pointed her finger in her face. “Fine. I’ll go. But only because Vin Diesel is worth the sacrifice.”

Maria turned and headed down the stairs, leaving Liz alone.

Watching Maria walk away, Liz giggled when Maria stopped halfway down the stairs, almost panicking when she realized she still had the flower in her hands. She frowned, then pulled the neckline of her shirt out and stuffed the flower inside. She took another minute to adjust her bra, then headed down the rest of the way.

It was only later on, on the way to the movies as she glanced in the backseat and saw Michael and Maria both looking everywhere but at each other that she realized Maria never came right out and said no, when she had asked her if she liked Michael.

[ISLANDGIRL5]

/N…first of all, sorry for the long wait, guys. I’ve been back and forth to the doctor, and the dentist, and found out I have TMJ, and have to have my wisdom teeth pulled. Yuck! I’ve been in PAIN!!! Hopefully, I’ll get them out soon, and my misery will be over.


Story Note: Just so you guys know. Max and Michael are in the military. Maria and Liz are both 20’ish…in their second year of college. Isabel and Alex are a couple years older then Maria and Liz, but they are all still close friends.


So, without further ado, here is the next part.


Uhhh....author's note number 2....dedicated to the readers...who all love Michael and Maria....this story started out to be dreamer, but I think it's going to be just as much candy as well!
Beautifully Radieant....thanks for the awesome feedback. YOu made my day, heck probably even my week. I just hope it's not longer than this new part, lol. Thanks, doll. You've made me a very happy writer.


**********




“This place is gorgeous!”

“Liz, look!”

Both girls all but squealed in excitement, causing Michael and Kyle to look at each other and shrug. All this excitement over some Christmas lights and fake waterfalls?

“Ooooh! Look at the waterfall!” Maria said.

“This place looks so much better than it did the last time we were here,” Liz commented.

“That’s because the last time we were here was for our Senior Prom 2 years ago. Vicky Delaney was in charge of the Prom committee, and they hung bright pink streamers and decorated with silver fishnet. Not exactly a great combination,” Maria said with a scowl on her face. “Not to mention the fact that it totally clashed with my dress.”

Liz giggled as the four made their way around the room to find the table that had been set aside for them. When Kyle found the table, all four sat down after rearranging the name cards. Someone had placed Kyle with Maria, and Michael with Liz, and that just wasn’t going to cut it.

They sat down, still looking around to take in their surroundings.

The last week had been spent making preparations for the military Ball. The girls had last minute errands to run, the guys had tagged along, not having anything better to do. But because of it, they’d all been involved in little details, such as picking the restaurant they’d eaten dinner at, choosing what kind and color of limo to rent. The week had been fun filled and exciting, with lots of free time and chances to go out on the town. It had relaxed them all, and Michael had become part of the group.

Now, at the ball, Maria and Liz were having a blast taking in the decorations.

“I just can’t believe it’s so pretty in here. Everything is so sparkly and…romantic,” Maria said.

Liz raised her eyebrows. “Since when did romance get you all dreamy eyed?”

“I think it was me,” Michael said smugly.

Maria turned towards Michael and narrowed her eyes. “You’ve got a mighty high opinion of yourself, Michael.”

Michael ran his hands through his hair. “Yeah, well, with looks like this, who wouldn’t?”

“So, ummm…how about dancing? Those people look they’re having fun,” Liz said, gesturing towards the dance floor. She was trying to change the subject in an effort to quench Maria’s obviously bubbling anger.

Kyle scoffed. “Yeah, right, have you ever seen Michael dance? He looks like one of those bobble head hula girls that you see on people’s dashboard. His head moves, and he shakes his butt. That’s about it.”

“Hey, if my girl wants me to dance, I’ll dance,” Michael said,

Maria spun around again, almost screeching in Michael’s ear. “I am not your girl!”

Michael smirked and scooted his chair closer to Maria’s, placing an arm over her shoulder. “Awww, honey, come on. Don’t deny our love.”

Maria elbowed Michael soundly in the side, causing him to bowl over. “Michael, I do not love you, there is nothing to deny!”

“Maria, I know we agreed to keep it a secret, but their our friends, they’ll understand.”

“Uhh! Michael, what are you talking about?”

Michael snuck a look at Kyle and Liz, both watching with growing interest the exchange between their two best friends.

“Me, you, us!”

“There’s an us?” Kyle asked, leaning forward.

“Michael…” Maria said, letting her sentence drop off, hoping Michael would catch her warning tone.

“Of course there’s an us,” Michael said, leaning over to kiss Maria’s cheek. “She just wanted to keep it between the two of us for a while.”

Maria reached out and grabbed the glass of deep red punch that was set in front of Michael’s place card. “So help me, Michael, if you don’t tell them right this minute that you are lying, you will walk around all night long with your shirt the color of this punch!”

Michael held up his hands in surrender, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Fine, fine, you win,” he said to Maria. Then he turned to Liz and Kyle. “There’s nothing going on between us. It was just a joke. There is not us…”

Maria hmmphed triumphantly and raised her chin.

“…yet,” Michael finished.

Maria’s eyes widened, and she stood up out of her seat, stomping off towards the bathroom without another word.

“Well, looks like I better go do damage control. That last time she stalked off towards the bathroom, Pam Troy ended up with a prom dress that had to be pinned together with safety pins.”

Liz kissed Kyle on the cheek, and took off after Maria.

“What was that,” Kyle asked Michael.

Michael shrugged. “Who’s Pam Troy?”

“Nuh uh…don’t try to change the subject, Guerin. What is going on?”

Michael was silent, but it was obvious to Kyle that he was contemplating and answer. “You like her, don’t you!” Kyle asked incredulously.

“Not like, so much…I don’t think. I’m interested in her. This past week, with you and Liz dragging us everywhere with you guys, we talked a lot. Got to know each other. I’ve never met anyone like her. I want to get to know her better.”

Kyle shook his head. “You’re going about it the wrong way, man.”

“What way am I supposed to go about it?” Michael asked. “Flirting is my specialty.”

“Sure it is, but not with Maria. Her last guy broke her heart, that’s why she’s all tough. Man, she’s shot down every guy that’s asked her out since. Don’t come on so strong.”

“Dude, strong is the only way I know.”

“I’m telling you, man, strong won’t cut it with Maria. She’ll just pick up her guns and shoot you down…time after time after time.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “So, what, let her come to me?”

Kyle leaned back in his chair. “If Maria likes you, she’ll come to you.”

Michael shook his head. “That’s not good enough, Kyle. I’m too impatient to sit around and wait. I’ll tone it down a few notches and not come on so strong, but I won’t just sit here and wait for her to make a move that might never be made at all.”

Kyle shook his head. “Man, you’re playing with fire, I tell ya. She’s libel to just quit talking to you at all. She’s pretty mad at you right now.”

Michael pushed his chair back and stood up. “Well, I might be, but I can’t just wait.”

Kyle shook his head and smirked at himself. Michael was in for a treat.

***

“Maria, you’re going to wear out the carpet,” Liz said, as she sat on the couch in the waiting area of the women’s bathroom. She was watching Maria pace back and forth in front of the mirrors, chewing on one of her perfectly manicured nails.

“He’s impossible, Liz.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “You’re such a drama queen, Maria. It was a joke. Lighten up.”

“He kissed me, Liz!”

“On the cheek!”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s not even my boyfriend. I don’t do those kinds of things with guys who are not my boyfriend.”

Liz raised an eyebrow. “What about that guy we caught you making out with at Alex and Isabel’s wedding, huh? Alex’s cousin from New York?”

Maria threw her hands up in the air. “Liz, that was different. He was Italian, and I couldn’t understand one word he said!”

Liz giggled then. She watched Maria, noticed the intensity in her blue green eyes. Something was going on here. The last time Maria got so worked up over a guy, was the first night she met the guy who broke her heart. She’d always said it was love at first sight. That was it. Maria liked Michael! She just didn’t know how to handle it. “Maria, just face the facts here. You like Michael. And you’re scared because he likes you back.”

Maria stopped pacing, and looked back at Liz, trying to hide her scared expression, but Liz caught it. She got up and went to turn Maria towards the mirror. Both girls stood there for a few seconds, looking at themselves. “Look at yourself, Maria. Your gorgeous, you deserve someone. Don’t let what happened with Billy after high school ruin your chances at love.”

“Hmmppphhh. What Michael and I share is hardly love.”

“Aha!” said smugly. “At least you admitted you share something.”

“Fine. So I might like him. A little. But he’s just so stubborn! He’s like…borderline chauvinistic sometimes!”

Liz shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t doubt you’ll be able to set him straight, though, right?”

Maria nodded. “Right.”

Maria turned back towards the mirror to look at herself. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t realize Liz had snuck out the door to give her a minute to compose herself.

“Well, this is it, Deluca. You like him. Don’t let a broken love two years ago ruin your future. You’ve been dwelling on it long enough.”

***

Liz walked back to her table and sat down with an exasperated sigh. “Where’s Michael?” she asked.

Kyle shook his head. “I tried to warn him, but he went after her.”

Liz clicked her teeth. “Those two, it’s inevitable. Why don’t they just kiss and get together already?”

“She likes him too, huh?”

Liz nodded her head. “But you know Maria. Still hung up over how badly Billy hurt her. She doesn’t know how to act around Michael now.”

“This is going to be fun,” Kyle said.

“The ball?” Liz asked.

“No. Michael and Maria. It’s like fireworks,” Kyle said. He giggled softly, then looked towards the dance floor when he heard the first few notes to a very familiar song.

“Hey, listen, it’s the first song we ever danced to,” Liz said.

“It is. That was when I knew I was in love with you.”

“That was on our first date, Kyle,” Liz said.

“Yes, it was. But when you stepped on my feet and broke my little toe, I knew it was love.”

Liz giggled and slapped him playfully on the arm. “I did not break your toe.”

“But you definitely stepped on my feet,” he replied.

“Fine, I’ll give you that one. But I’ve gotten a lot better.”

“I think we need to make sure of that,” Kyle said. He stood up and held his hand out to her. “Care to dance, Ms. Parker?”

“Mr. Valenti, I’d be honored,” she said.

Kyle grabbed her hand and squeezed it as he pulled her towards the dance floor.

***

Maria sighed, then picked up her purse, and headed out the side door of the bathroom. Making her way around the corner, she stopped short and stepped behind an oversized potted fern when she saw Michael standing outside the bathroom’s front door. He was muttering to himself, and she was sure she heard him mutter her name. Was he standing out there to apologize? Smiling mischievously, Maria turned back around and snuck back in the side door before he saw her. If he wanted to grovel, she didn’t want to ruin his chance!

Stopping at the mirror behind the door, Maria smoothed her hair and her dress, then opened the door. She pretended to be surprised to see Michael standing there.

“Oh, what are you doing here,” she asked nonchalantly.

“Well, I came…I mean, I wanted to say….well, I wanted to catch you so…I was going to…”

Maria raised an eyebrow. He looked so cute, standing there, stuttering and nervous. “Apologize?”

Michael laughed nervously, and ran a hand through his hair. “Right.”

“Looked like you needed some help,” Maria said. She smiled at him then. “For the record, I don’t do apologies either.”

Michael stepped towards Maria and shrugged. “Look, I was way out of line. I shouldn’t have come on so strong.”

“Look, Michael. Despite the fact that you like Metallica, and order your BLT’s with no ‘T’, I like you. But don’t rush me. When I’m ready, you’ll know I’m ready. Then you can make your move. Okay?”

Michael nodded. “Okay,” he said. “It’s a deal.”

“Good,” Maria said, nodding. She stood there for a few more seconds, then in true Deluca fashion, she acted on impulse. She stepped up to Michael, pulled his face down to hers, and kissed him. Afterwards, she stepped back and pulled out her lip gloss. She applied a thin coat of the shiny liquid, then smacked her lips together and put it back in her purse. She headed back towards the lobby doors, and stopped when she noticed Michael hadn’t followed her. She turned around, to see him still standing there, staring after her in shock.

“What?” she said. “I told you that you’d know when I was ready. So, I’m ready.”

Michael smirked at Maria’s bright flirty smile, and followed her into the ball room.

If Kyle was right, and Maria was like playing with fire, then it was going to be a fun night.

Because with that one little kiss, Maria had just lit the match.

[ISLANDGIRL5]

“They’re so cute,” Liz said. “I think we made a love connection.”

Kyle turned his head towards the other side of the dance floor, where Michael and Maria were dancing. Maria had her head resting on Michael’s shoulder, and whatever it was he was saying to her was making her giggle.

“Who would of thought?” he asked. “They’re so mismatched.”

“Which makes them perfect for each other. They did the hard part, and just in time for the big lover’s holiday.”

Kyle stopped dancing then, and pulled away from Liz, so that he could look her in the eye. “Liz, I thought you were okay with not celebrating…I thought that with the ball and shopping and getting ready and all that you-”

Liz put her finger up to Kyle’s lips to quiet him. “I’m fine, Kyle. I don’t mind…we both had a lot going on this past week. It’s fine to let this one slide by.” Liz smiled, then narrowed her eyes. “But don’t think you’ll ever get out of Valentine’s day again,” she said playfully.

Liz didn’t want to make Kyle feel bad, but deep down, she was a bit disappointed that Kyle had suggested they not celebrate Valentine’s this year. True, they had a lot going on, but they’d been apart for so long, she was looking forward to celebrating the special day with the person she loved. Kyle didn’t notice the brief frown that fluttered across her face.

Kyle smiled, eyes twinkling. “Okay. It’s a deal.”

Behind Liz’s back, Kyle made a face at Michael, and both of them took their girl by the hand and led them toward the back of the room without saying a thing.

“Where are we going?” Liz asked.

“Michael! What are you doing?” Maria asked at the same time.

“We’re getting some air,” Kyle and Michael said in unison.

Both Liz and Maria looked at each other funny, as they’d gotten close enough to each other to hear what the other guy was saying. Maria shrugged her shoulders, and Liz mouthed back that she didn’t know either. They both decided to go with the flow.

“Oh!”

As soon as they stepped onto the balcony, Liz sighed and stopped dead in her tracks. The railings were wrapped in pink and red streamers. The ficus trees in the corners had been draped with red and white lights, and the two tables were draped with red table cloths, and set with glowing candles and fragrant rose bouquets. There were red, pink, and white paper hearts strung across the walls, across the railings, and hanging in the trees. It was the perfect Valentine’s Day setting.

“Kyle, I thought…”

Kyle chuckled, and kissed Liz softly. “Sweetheart, I wouldn’t have actually made you go without celebrating Valentine’s Day. I know how much this sappy stuff means to you.”


“How did you do this?” Liz asked in wonder.

“They were going to close this balcony off for the ball, and leave the main one open. Amazing what a little bribery and some cash can do,” Kyle said.

Liz threw her arms around Kyle’s neck and squealed when he picked her up and twirled her around. “Thank you, I love you, I love you, I love you!”

“I love you too,” Kyle said. He put her down and pulled her next to him in a tight embrace.

“Uhh, I hung the hearts,” Michael said shyly.

Maria was obviously surprised as she turned to look at him.

“I wanted to help…you know, for you.”

Maria smiled, flattered by Michael’s shy demeanor. Was she making him nervous?

“So, you wanna dance again?” Michael asked, holding his arm to Maria. “We kept a little corner free so we could have our own private little dance balcony.”

Kyle chose this moment to add his piece. “We wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day with you two. Away from everyone else.”

“I think I have the sweetest and most romantic boyfriend ever!” Liz said. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed Kyle’s cheek. They both turned to watch Michael and Maria as they headed to the corner of the small balcony. Michael stopped briefly to start the CD player, and the couple wrapped their arms around each other as the soft notes of a slow song started to play.

Kyle chuckled softly. “I know you know that we’re not going to let them out do us on the dance floor, right?”

Liz nodded. “Right. So let’s go.”

Kyle and Liz headed to the dance floor and for the next several minutes, the two couples danced and whispered softly to each other as the party inside the hotel raged on without them. But that didn’t matter. The four young people on a private balcony were having their own magical night.

The two couples had been dancing and laughing for about 15 minutes when Kyle and both girls turned suddenly to look at the small portable stereo on the corner table.

"Is that…Metallica?” Kyle asked. “Michael! I told you love songs!”

Maria promptly stepped back and put her hands on her hips. “And you were doing so well, Michael,” she said.
"Maria, don’t…”

“Don’t Maria me,” she said. “You put Metallica on a slow mix CD? I thought you were going to try and seduce me or something. But I can see that’s not the case with Metallica on the CD!”

Michael ran his hand throught his heair as Kyle and Liz both chuckled. “Wait, you’re mad because I’m not trying to seduce you?” He turned to Kyle and Liz. “Does that sound a bit odd to anyone else?”

“Just forget it,” Maria said. “The mood is ruined now.”

“I just thought that we might be ready for something a little more…upbeat after all those mushy love songs Kyle picked out.”

“Metallica goes right past upbeat to insanely noisy,” Maria said. She stomped off the dance floor, headed towards the other side of the balcony.

“I got you a present,” Michael said, his voice hopeful and expectant.

“You did?” Maria asked suddenly, turning around to face him. “A present, for me?”

Michael nodded. “I asked Liz what you liked. So I could give you something for Valentine’s day that you would like.”

That was why Michael had asked her all those questions? Liz turned towards the other couple with a raised eyebrow. Seemed like Michael Guerin surprised them every day. How many layers was there to this guy?

Michael pulled a small red paper bag from one of the tables and handed it to Maria. “Uhh, Liz said you like that kind of stuff, so…”

Maria opened the bag and pulled out the tissue paper. Inside was a box of chocolate, with a little green alien keychain tied to the box. The alien was holding a small red heart. When you squeezed it’s tummy, the alien’s antennas lit up, and the heart glowed a bright red.

“Michael, I don’t know what to say. This is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Liz almost doubled over in laughter when Michael’s face fell.

“I love it. Aliens have been my thing ever since my dad took us to visit New Mexico when I was 12. I’ve never gotten one as a Valentine’s Day gift. It’s perfect, thank you.”

“You think…I mean, you said it’s ugly,” he replied.

Maria rolled her eyes and stepped up next to Michael to kiss him on the cheek. “It is. But with aliens, the uglier, the better. I love it, really, thank you,” she said sincerely. Michael hugged her back, and mouthed a thank you to Liz. She’d told Michael what Maria was like, and she liked when he’d asked about her. He was able to get her the perfect gift.

“Now, watch Kyle. His gift takes the cake.”

Maria turned to watch Kyle and Liz, and Michael stood next to her. She smiled when Michael put his arm across her shoulders, and he smiled when she didn’t pull away.

“Liz, I didn’t get you any chocolate,” Kyle said. His voice sounded like the perfect voice of panic.

“Oh, oh, well, that’s okay. I-I didn’t expect anything at all, really. You’ve outdone yourself with this. No present it’s..is fine.”

“Well, maybe you’ll be happy with this.”

Liz looked up to see what Kyle was holding out to her, and her sharp intake of breath and surprised expression was all the reaction he wanted.

Liz reached out and took the small box from his hand. Inside the red velvet fabric was a sparkling diamond ring, not to big, not too small. “Is this…”

“Yes, it is.” Kyle interrupted Liz’s outspoken thoughts, and dropped to one knee. “Liz, I love you. I love the way you make me feel, the way you treat me, the way you look at me. I’m 24 years old, and you’re the first girl I’ve ever loved. After being away from you for so long these past few months, I know you’re the only girl I will ever love. I may not have much. But I’ve got my heart, my soul, and the rest of my life. So if you’ll have me, I want to make you the most cherished wife any man’s ever had. Right here, right now, in front of my best friend and yours, I want to ask you. Will you marry me?”

Liz closed her eyes and put her hands over her face as the tears started to fall. This is what every girl dreams of. Their proposal. And hers was perfect. Kyle was perfect. Together they were perfect. How could she not say
yes?

Liz pulled her hands from her face and was about to speak when a loud explosion shattered the silence and the building beneath them shook heavily.

"What in the world was that?” Michael said out loud. He turned to Maria, who had grabbed his arm when the shaking caused her to stumble. “You okay?” he asked her.

Maria nodded her head, and turned to Kyle and Liz.

Liz was helping Kyle up, who’d lost his balance and tumbled to the side. “Kyle, what was that?” She asked, her eyes wide. “Was it an earthquake?”

Kyle shook his head as he stood up and brushed off his pants. He slipped the small velvet box into his pocket, the prior proposal in progress temporarily forgotten. “I don’t think so. North Carolina doesn’t have earthquakes. At least I don’t think they do.”

Kyle walked over to the edge of the balcony and looked over the edge. What he saw made his heart lurch wildly.

The streets 20 stories below, which should have been clearly visible, were blocked from his view by a thick, dark cloud of heavy black smoke.

“Hey, come look at this,” Kyle said.

Michael, Liz and Maria all walked over to the balcony and peered over the edge.

“Something’s on fire!” Maria exclaimed. “What is it?”

Michael took a deep breath. “I think it’s the hotel.”

“The hotel!” Maria exclaimed. “Michael, if it’s the hotel, how are we going to get out? We’re on the top floor. That means the fire is below us and the ground!”

“Maria, calm down,” Michael said, taking Maria’s hand and squeezing it gently. “This hotel has hundreds of stairwells and elevators. We can find a way down if we need to.

Michael and Kyle looked at each other, and both turned back towards the doors that led back into the main ball room. They pulled them open, and found themselves staring into the room, hundreds of faces looking as lost and confused as they felt. They turned their attention to the front of the room as someone, obviously a hotel employee, stepped up to the microphone and turned it on.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please have a seat. We don’t know what the problem is, but we have someone checking it out and we will give you more information as we get it. For the time being, we are asking everyone to stay in the room until we know more,” the man said. He then paused, as a woman, also in hotel attire, came up to him to whisper something in his ear. He turned and looked back at the people in the room, then switched the microphone off and followed the lady through a door at the far end of the room.

“Come on,” Kyle said, grabbing Liz’s hand. “Let’s go sit down. See what’s going on.”

After finding the table that they’d been seated at earlier in the night, the four friends sat down, to wait for more information from someone who knew what was going on. Everyone in the room seemed to be quiet and still, looks of worry and apprehension present on each face. Despite the fact that no one seemed to be talking, there was a soft murmur of hushed voices as people whispered quietly amongst themselves.

They had only been sitting there for about ten minutes when the muted voices in the room were all silenced by another loud explosion. Furniture was knocked over, and the lights flickered. People started to scream and talk loudly, then the building rocked once more, and the room was plunged into total darkness.

That’s when chaos erupted.

[ISLANDGIRL5]

“Kyle!”

Liz called out Kyle’s name, as her hands blindly and frantically searched the area in front of her for any human contact. It was pitch black dark in the room, and people were screaming from every direction. She could hear furniture hitting the floor, and glass dishes breaking into pieces, and the brief thought of Kyle being knocked over by something flitted across her mind.

“Kyle! Where are you? Kyle!”

As Liz called out for him, she realized her voice was being drowned out by the hysterical screams of the men and women around her. Always one to keep calm in a stressful situation, Liz was beginning to feel like she was going to lose it if she didn’t hear Kyle’s voice, and know he was okay.

“Liz! Liz, where are you?”

Liz whirled around in the darkness, in the direction of the familiar voice, but she could see nothing but pitch black. As the screams started to die down around her, she could feel the people in the room moving around, and she knew things were starting to calm down. “Maria! Maria, I hear you! I can’t find you!” Liz called into the darkness.

Liz jumped when a hand grabbed her arm. “Maria?” she asked.

“No, it’s Michael. Maria’s got my other hand. Where’s Kyle?” he asked with as much calmness as his frazzled nerves would allow.

“I’m right here,” Kyle said. Liz looked in every direction, unable to tell where Kyle’s voice was coming from.

“Kyle, where is here? Are you all right?”

Liz breathed an audible sigh of relief when she suddenly saw Kyle’s face in front of her. He was illuminated by a small beam of light, and she had never been happier to see him. “Kyle! I couldn’t find you! I didn’t know where you were, and….” Liz’s voice faded out as she rushed the few steps over to him and threw her arms around her neck.

“Ssshh, it’s okay. I’m okay. It’s fine. The lady from the next table grabbed me when the lights went out, and she wouldn’t let me go until I used my keychain light to show her that I wasn’t her husband.”

“What’s going on, guys? What’s happening?” Maria asked frantically.

“I think we were right. The building is on fire. I can smell it,” Kyle said.

All at once, Michael, Maria and Liz turned their noses up to sniff the air. The all breathed in the unmistakable smell of something burning.

The room burst into noise once again when the overhead lights started to flicker. The flickered all at once, then burst into darkness. Seconds later, the emergency lights on the walls and in the corners flickered on, illuminating the room in an eerie dull glow.

“Are you all right?” Kyle asked Liz, slipping his keychain back into his pocket. He took her face in his hands, and kissed her forehead.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I freaked out when the lights went out and you disappeared. But I’m fine. I’m okay.”

“You guys?” Kyle asked, looking over Liz’s shoulder at Michael and Maria.

“I’m fine. Maria, are you okay?” Michael asked, squeezing her hand.

Maria shook her head. “I’m okay.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please, stay calm. Have a seat, please.”

As everyone turned their attention back to the front of the room, the same man from earlier stepped up and was addressing the crowd as best he could with no microphone.

“There’s an emergency. There’s a fire, on some of the stories below us. The elevators are not working, and we don’t know exactly where the fire is. We’re going to close off the doors to the hallways, and keep everyone inside. The balcony will stay open. Until we know further, we are asking for everyone to cooperate with us. Thank you.”




As soon as the man had stepped away from the microphone, he the room filled with hushed voices and the occasional sob. For the several minutes, noone said or did anything, people just talked quietly amongst themselves. Some people, clearly not worried, even straggled up to the refreshement table and helped themselves. As more minutes ticked by, Maria was getting more and more nervous. They’d been sitting in the room, for some time, and noone had come in to tell them anything. Below them, they could hear sirens from the fire trucks and police cars that had gathered on the ground. Few people ventured outside to look, but everyone came back inside, not sure whether or not they wanted to watch what was going on below them.

“I don’t get it. There should be stair wells. Why can’t we use the stairs to get down?” Maria asked. “They really need to come in here and tell us something. I can’t sit here much longer, Michael, I can’t. It’s driving me crazy being kept in the dark. And I mean that literally.”

“Kyle, she’s right. I’m getting antsy too. They’ve got us in here like sitting ducks. If the floors below us are on fire, we should be trying to get out.”

Kyle looked around, then looked at Liz. “What do you suggest we do? Make a run for it? Where do we go? How do we go without every other person in the room following us out and causing a panic?”

Michael was about to answer, when the emergency lights flickered, and the building shook slightly. The electrical sockets on the walls, and the lights in the ceiling all popped, and blue sparks shot out everywhere as the women in the room once more started to scream.

“Here’s our chance, Valenti,” Michael said. “GO!”

Michael grabbed Maria by the hand and pulled her from her chair, grabbing her elbow to steady her as she tripped over the legs of her chair. She turned around to glance behind her, and was relieved to see Kyle and Liz following them, Kyle pulling Liz along much like Michael was pulling her. Maria turned, and followed Michael to the far end of the room, and through a door marked for employees only.

“What is this?” Liz asked, looking up and down the long corridor.

“Some sort of employees corridor. I’ll bet we can make it to the main hallway from here.”

“Which way?” Maria asked.

“That way,” Kyle said, pointing towards the far end of the hall. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

The four made their way silently down the hallway, stopping occasionally at random doors to listen to see if they could hear anything. Or anyone. When they got to the end of the door, Kyle put his hand on the doorknob to pull it open.

“Wait!” Michael said.

Kyle stepped back, and Michael stepped up to the door. He put his hand flat against it, and felt it for a second. He moved it to another place on the door, then pulled it away.

“Okay. It’s cool. There’s no fire out there. Let’s go.”

“Where’d you learn that?” Kyle asked. “You take firefighting courses?”

Michael shook his head. “Nope. But I’ve got Backdraft on DVD.”

Kyle smirked and patted Michael on the shoulder, then turned to open the door. He stepped out into the hallway, and looked around. It was completely deserted. There was a slight haze of smoke gathering at the top of the ceiling, but it was still clear enough to walk around without coughing.

“We need to find a stairway,” Kyle said. “You guys see the right door, let us know.”

Kyle made his way down the hallway, Liz, Michael, and Maria right behind him.

Michael stopped in the hallway when they got to the elevators. “The generator’s might work on the elevator’s too. What if they’re working?” he asked. “We could use them to get down.”

“No, Michael,” Liz said. “If they are working, with all the electrical problems, they could go out. We could get stuck in there.”

“She’s right,” Maria said. “I’ll chance the stairs.”

“Kyle, help me open this,” Michael said, trying to pry the elevator doors open.

“Michael…”

“Just humor me,” he said, cutting Kyle off.

Reluctantly, Kyle stepped up next to Michael, and eventually they pried the doors open, they pulled the rest of the way apart on their own. Michael stuck his head in, and gasped.

Liz, Maria and Kyle all lifted their heads over the edge, and Maria almost yelped.

They couldn’t see the bottom. All they could see were bright orange flames, licking their way up the walls of the shaft.

“Oh my…” Liz’s voice faded out, and she grabbed Kyle’s shoulder.

“Kyle, we’re going to die!”

Kyle turned around and took Liz’s face in his hands. “No, Liz, we’re not. Michael and I will find a way to get down. We’re going to be fine. Don’t think like that.”

“The building is on fire! And we’re twenty feet in the air!” Liz cried. “You guys can smell the smoke and feel the building rumbling. We’re in trouble!”


“Liz, don’t, okay?” Kyle said. “A little adventure never hurt anyone. I won’t lie to you…we could be in trouble, and it might be hard, but we’re going to make it out of here.”

“But….”


“Not buts, Liz,” Maria said, stepping up to touch her arm. “You can not freak out on me now, okay? Listen to Kyle they’ll get us out.” Maria stopped, long enough for Liz to nod at her. “Besides, they have to,” she said, a knowing smile on her face.


“Why?” Liz asked hesitantly, a small smile already tugging at the corners of her mouth. She knew that look on Maria’s face. It meant that she knew something the rest of them didn’t.


“We have Isabel’s shoes, remember?” she said, pulling her dress up and lifting her leg. “She threatened bodily harm if they don’t make it to her safely. And I remember what happened to Alex when he took her palm pilot to that convention with him last year and lost the nifty little pointer thingy. It was not pretty.”


Liz giggled then, and wiped a lone tear from her cheek. “Okay, Maria, you win.”


Maria smiled then. “Of course, don’t I always? No one can resist me.”


“Come on, Maria,” Michael said, grabbing her arm as he rolled his eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”


After almost ten minutes of wandering the hallways, they’d found no stair well doors, and come across no other people. Michael was about to scream in frustration, when they rounded a corner, and found what they’d been looking for on the wall opposite them.


It was a door to the stairway.


Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Michael touched the door, and after feeling for it to make sure it wasn’t hot, he opened it. Instantaneously, a heavy cloud of thick smoke billowed from the stairwell, and caused them all to have a coughing fit as they scattered across the hallway trying to get away from it. Michael jumped back to the door and pulled it shut.


“Is it….is it on fire?” Kyle asked, trying to catch his breath after the smoke started to clear.


Michael shook his head. “I don’t think so. There’s no heat. I think it’s just smoke.”


“How are we going to go in there? We’ll die of suffocation,” Liz said.


“I know,” Maria said. Tearing at the bottom of her dress, she removed a scrap of fabric about as big as a bandana or a small scarf. She looked around the hallway, and her eyes fell upon a water fountain hidden in a tiny recess in the wall. She walked to it, and completely soaked the fabric. Then she rung it out slightly, and tied it around her face, completely covering her nose and mouth. She turned around to the others, who were watching her intently and held her arms out. “Ta da!”


“What does that do?” Liz asked.


Maria pulled the fabric away from her mouth. “I don’t know,” she said. Then she looked at Michael. “It’s something I saw in a movie once. It helps with the smoke.”


“How do you know that?” Liz questioned.

Maria shrugged. “Well, they got the pregnant lady out, and no one was hurt by the smoke,” she said. “I don’t even think they started choking and coughing on the smoke until after they got outside and took the rags off their faces.”


Kyle smirked and shook his head. “Well, then, it’s worth a try, let’s do it.”


Liz ripped the bottom of her dress, taking a piece for herself and handing one to Kyle. Maria ripped some of hers and handed it to Michael. After all four had tied the wet scraps over their faces, they all went to the door.


“Here goes nothing,” Kyle said. He pushed open the door, and stepped tentatively into the stairwell. Liz followed closely behind, and Maria and Michael soon after.


“We’ll I’ll be,” Kyle said after a few seconds. “It does work!”


“Ye of little faith,” Maria said. She pushed past Kyle, and started down the stairways. “Now come on. I just ripped into a three hundred dollar gown to make a bandana to cover my 50 dollar makeup job. I’m getting the heck out of here before I have to damage Isabel’s shoes too.”


Making her way down the stairs, Maria went quickly but cautiously. They made it to the 19th floor, then the 18th with no problems.


It wasn’t until they made it to the landing on the 17th floor that they were forced to stop. There was a loud explosion from below, and the building rocked so violently that the walls started to crumble, and they had to cover their heads from falling plaster from the ceiling above. Just as an intense wave of heat exploded upwards, Kyle jerked open the door to the 17th floor.


Right before they hit the floor in the deserted hallway, Maria let out a high pitched scream.


**********


Sighing in frustration, Serena slammed the book shut, and threw it to the other side of the bed.


She’d started the book, not even an hour ago, while she took her bath. She’d only meant to read a chapter or two, but after she took her bath, she had resigned herself to call it a night even before 8 o clock, and was going to finally get a good night’s rest. As she was getting ready for bed, though, she found herself drawn to the book again. She resisted, and tucked herself in, but had lain in bed for almost two hours. After reciting the alphabet, in two different languages, backwards and forwards ten times, and counting so many sheep that she was sure the pasture was empty, she had picked the book back up. In less than twenty minutes, she’d read two more chapters.


Serena was oddly drawn to the Maria character, and she supposed that was the reason she’d been unable to put the book down. She was so much like herself. She was strong-willed and confident, with the good sense to keep her mind and her sense of humor when things got tough. It was obvious that Maria believed in the realistic things, and didn’t let herself get sidetracked with notions of true love and happily ever after. What an incredibly smart woman, Serena thought.


Sighing softly, Serena shut the bedside lamp off, and turned on her side, facing away from the book. She had an early meeting, and her day was full. She needed to get her rest. She was staring into the darkness when her eyes fell upon the slight movement of light as the numbers on the clock changed. Noting the time, she found herself staring at the picture propped up behind the clock.

It was her and Jeremy. Taken on her birthday, just a few months after they’d begun dating. She had a floppy sombrero on her head, and her eyes were sparkling with happiness, her mouth open in laughter. Jeremy was sitting next to her, watching her with a smile that matched her own, his own green eyes shining with laughter. Around them, the waiters and waitresses from her favorite Mexican restaurant had gathered to sing their version of Happy Birthday.


Serena found herself smiling softly at the memory. It had been good while it lasted. She’d had relationships before, and they’d all ended on bad terms. She’d been cheated on, left for other women, and been tricked into being with a married man. Her relationships had all been unhappy and had left her wanting. But her time with Jeremy was different. It was fun, and satisfying. They’d dated for almost six months, and she was happy. But when he told her that he was falling in love with her, she knew she’d made a mistake. She broke it off with him, and hadn’t offered an explanation. He’d come to her the next day, wanting to know why. She tried to tell him. Tried to make him see that he couldn’t love her. Because real love doesn’t exist. It’s just an illusion. It’s something that does nothing but hurt people in the end, when the illusion falters, and real life rears its head. She told him that he’d thank her one day, for turning him away before he’d gotten so caught up in the idea of love that it would scar him forever when he found out it didn’t exist. He didn’t believe her, and he told her so. He left her that day, silent tears running down his face, after no success in convincing her that he really did love her. He didn’t leave her, before letting her know how much she’d hurt him, though.


She cared about, Jeremy. She cared a lot. She’d never wanted to hurt him. She just wished he hadn’t let his feelings get out of control. Why couldn’t they have just dated? Why couldn’t it have been fun and carefree, the way it had started out? Then maybe they’d still at least be friends. It had been two weeks, though, and they hadn’t spoken since. She wondered if they ever would again.


Staring at their picture, she realized how much she missed him.


Serena fell asleep that night, staring at the picture, wondering if Jeremy would ever be able to forgive her for breaking his heart.

[ISLANDGIRL5]

Dun dah dun....Here it is, folks. Finally, and update! Extremely sorry about the long wait. I got a new job recently. After wrapping up loose ends from my old job, starting my new one, a surprise out of town visit from family, and a huge performance with my dance group that we've been waiting for, Real Life just didn't leave my hardly any time at all for writing. But, I made it through this chapter...and through Kyle's hard head, lol. Thanks to LPorter. Apparently, I have a wierd attachment to comma's, and she helps me with my fixation, lol.

Hope you guys enjoy this part.




*@*@*@*@*@*@

Songs About Rain
Chapter 6

The minute Michael hit the floor, he was on his feet, feeling around blindly in the thick smoke.

“Maria! Maria! Where are you!”

He heard a groan come from somewhere behind him, and despite the fact that he couldn’t see anything, he threw himself in that direction, the tips of his outstretched fingers hitting someone else.

“Maria! Is that you?”

“Yes,” she answered. “It hurts, Michael, my arm.”

Michael pulled himself over to Maria, and as the smoke started to dissipate he saw her and stifled a gasp. She was on her back, her right arm thrown across her chest, her left hand bloodied and grasping her right wrist tightly. He saw a deep gash on her right arm with dark blood coming from the wound and seeping through her fingers onto her shirt.

“Something cut me when I fell through the door…I can’t raise myself up…” she said faintly.

Michael pulled himself up to his knees and reached behind Maria’s head. He gently pulled her up, and grimaced when his arm hit hers and she groaned.

“What’s wrong?”

Michael, with his arm still behind Maria to hold her up, turned to look at Kyle, who’d pulled himself over to them on his knees. Liz was right beside him, watching Maria with wide eyes. He shook his head and turned back to Maria. “Maria’s arm. She’s hurt pretty bad. We need to find somewhere to clean this up. I think she needs to sit down for a minute and get out of this smoke.”

Kyle nodded. “I’ll go look for somewhere,” he said. He got up to check the hallway for a water fountain, or a bench or corner where they could sit down.

Liz scooted closer to Maria, and touched her leg gingerly. “Maria, you okay?” she asked softly.

Maria nodded and leaned her body from Michael’s embrace to Liz’s. “I think my arm’s going to fall off. And I landed flat on my butt, probably flattened it out. Other than that, I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine.”

Liz had fallen and hit her head pretty hard. It felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, but despite the fact that her brain felt like it was pulsating out of her skull, she had to smile at Maria’s wise cracks. “At least your sarcasm is intact,” she said. “You never lose your spirit, Maria.”

Michael chose that moment to enter into the conversation. “And we all know we couldn’t do without Maria’s sarcastic….spirit,” he said with a smirk.

“I’ll handle the sarcasm in this family,” Maria said. “And don’t forget that my sarcastic spirit can still kick your butt.”

“Well, well you-”

Michael stopped mid-sentence as he, Liz, and Maria turned towards the opposite end of the hallway. A loud crash and the sound of something breaking had gotten their attention.

Kyle was standing at the other end of the hallway, with a fire extinguisher in his hands. He saw his friends looking at him and shrugged. “Couldn’t find anywhere to sit down,” he said as he put the extinguisher on the floor next to the door he was standing in front of. “But this room’s open.”

Maria rolled her eyes and let Michael help her to her feet. “Way to be prepared, Kyle,” she said. “Were you a Boy Scout?”

Kyle ran back to them and grabbed Liz’s hand to lead her to the door. “Nope. A soldier.”

Maria smiled as all four made it inside the hotel room. Kyle had busted the doorknob from the room door, and in an effort to keep the smoke out he closed the busted door behind him. Michael and Maria headed straight for the bathroom to clean and try to doctor her arm as best as they could. Liz went to the window, and stood there staring out of it.

“Liz, darling, you okay?” Kyle asked tentatively. “You hit your head pretty hard out there.”

“It looks so pretty,” she said absentmindedly. She scoffed, and as a tear ran down her cheek, a wry smile formed on her lips.

“What does?” Kyle asked with a frown. He stepped up to the window, standing slightly behind Liz to look over her shoulder.

Stories below them, through the wisps of smoke making their was across a clear blue sky, Kyle could see what Liz was talking about. The ground below them was sparkling with flashing red, white, blue, and yellow lights. He knew instinctively that they were the lights of the emergency vehicles called in because of the fire.

“If we didn’t know why they were here, it’d be an amazing thing to watch.”

Kyle realized Liz was right. Because of the smoke, the vehicles themselves were shrouded from view. But the bright flashing lights were visible through the whispy trails coming from the building. The glittering sea of colors truly was a beautiful sight, but the reason for their being there was anything but beautiful.

“We’re going to die in this building, aren’t we?” Liz asked. She turned to Kyle then, her eyes wide with fear, brimming with unshed tears.

Kyle shook his head and framed her face with his hands. “Liz, don’t say that. We are not going to die in this building. I am going to get you out of here,” he said.

A sob escaped then but she held the onslaught of sobs back. Instead, she watched Kyle as the quite tears slid down her cheeks.

“Liz, I will not let you die in here, do you understand me? Those lights down there, those trucks that are making the streets sparkle…they’re here to save us. People are here, Liz, and they’re going to put out the fires and come up here to get us. You’re going to make it out of here, okay?”

Liz nodded as Kyle pulled her into his embrace. She put her cheek against his chest and cried as he held her there. He stroked her hair and whispered soft reassuring words to her until her crying subsided. They stood in front of the window for several minutes embracing each other quietly. They didn’t move until Michael and Maria emerged from the bathroom.

Liz let Kyle go and ran to Maria, and both girls embraced each other, Maria doing the best she could with only one arm.

“Maria, are you okay?” Liz asked frantically.

Maria nodded her head. “I’m fine. Michael helped me clean up the gash on my arm. He tied it up with the ties from the shower curtain,” she said, motioning to the bright red nylon straps holding her arm still at her side. “Can’t say much about his fashion sense, but he does a pretty good doctor impression,” Maria said.

“How do you do it, Maria?” Liz asked, shaking her head. “How do you manage to crack jokes in the midst of a terrible ordeal like the one we’re stuck in?”

“Honey,” Maria said, squeezing Liz’s hand. “It’s in terrible ordeals like this that jokes help me keep my sanity. If I wasn’t able to crack a joke, I might go crazy. I have to keep my sense of humor. Or the Maria Deluca that’s freaking out and going crazy might just make her way out.”

Liz smiled then, taking her cue from Maria. “Well, then, I guess that’s a good thing. Because if you freak out now,” she said as she inched closer to Maria. “You might scare Michael away.” Liz whispered the last part so no one but Maria could hear her.

“I’m not worried about scaring Michael away,” Maria said non-chalantly.

Liz narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me you don’t like him and don’t care if you scare him away,” she said.

Maria rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Of course I like him. But who in their right mind would walk away from Maria Deluca?”

Liz giggled as she stepped back from Maria. “Well then, that settles it. No freaking out. Because I’m not so sure Michael is in his right mind.”

Maria and Liz both laughed out loud then. “Goodness help Kyle Valenti,” Maria said. “Because I think I’m rubbing off on you.”

“Hey! I heard that,” Kyle said, coming up to the girls and putting his arm around Liz’s shoulders. “I love you and all, Maria, but don’t go corrupting my girl or anything,” Kyle said.

“I’ll have you know that some people wouldn’t mind me rubbing off on them,” Maria said smugly.

Michael stepped up next to them. “You can rub on me anytime you want, Maria.”

Maria turned her head. “If you weren’t standing on the side of my bad arm, I’d elbow you in the ribs for that remark,” she said.

“Strategic placement,” Michael said. “Gotta love planning ahead.”

“Whatever,” Maria said, rolling her eyes. She stepped away from her friends and went to sit on the side of the bed. “So, what do we do now?” she asked.

Michael shrugged his shoulders. “I say we sit tight for a minute and take a breather then start our way back down,” he said.

Kyle nodded. “Sounds good to me. A breather is just what I need.”

Kyle and Liz sat down on the small couch on the opposite side of the room, and Maria laid herself back on the bed while Michael sat at the foot of the bed and leaned against it. They sat there, taking a moment to catch their breath and try to relax.

“Liz?” Kyle asked softly.

Yeah?” she answered.

“This is yours.”

Liz turned to look at Kyle, and gasped when she saw what he was holding.

“Oh, Kyle….I’m sorry. Your proposal. I didn’t answer you….that’s when it started…and we got scared…and then-”

Kyle lifted a finger and touched Liz’s lips, silencing her abruptly.

“It doesn’t matter. I know what your answer was going to be. I saw it in your eyes the minute you saw the ring. We got distracted. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t hear you say it. I saw you say it.”

Liz shook her head. “Wait, Kyle. Wait until we’re out of here. Ask me again. We both know how important this is. It should be somewhere romantic, somewhere special. Somewhere we’ll never forget.”

Kyle leaned in and kissed Liz’s forehead. “Liz, I love you. Anywhere I ask you will be special, because I know you’ll say yes. As far as unforgettable…how many people do you know can say that they were proposed to on the 17th floor of a burning building, in a hotel room that they broke in to, with a sea of sparkling lights below them? I know I’ll never forget this proposal. Besides…this is the happiest moment of my life. And I could use a bit of joy right now. Let me do this.”

Liz sighed, and threw her arms around Kyle’s neck. “You’re right, Kyle, you’re right. So, ask me, again,” she said pulling back and holding out her left hand.

“Elizabeth Parker, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Liz squealed. She was still long enough for Kyle to slip the ring on her finger, then she threw herself into his arms and showered his face with kisses.

“You two are sickening!”

Liz and Kyle both looked towards the bed, where Maria was now sitting up, and Michael was now on the bed next to her. They hadn’t realized they’d had an audience.

“Maria! I’m engaged! I have a fiancé! I’m a fiancé!”

“So, I heard, Liz,” Maria said. “Congratulations, Liz, you deserve to be happy.”

Maria pushed herself off the bed and walked across the room to hug Liz and to kiss Kyle on the cheek. “Take care of her, Valenti,” she said playfully.

“Hey, you two. I’m happy for you. Congratulations to you both,” Michael said. He shook Kyle’s hand, and gave Liz a hug and a kiss on her forehead. “I’d say that this calls for a celebration, but looks like that’s going to have to wait,” he told her.

“Thank you, Michael,” Liz said.

Michael and Maria went back to the other side of the room and gave Kyle and Liz a few more minutes to themselves.

Some time later, Liz woke up coughing and realized she must have dozed off. Kyle was at her side, and she was leaning against him. Maria and Michael were thrown across the bed, both fast asleep as well. As she started to choke and cough, she hit Kyle in his side. Smoke was filling the room. They had to get out.

“What!” Kyle jumped up, startled awake by the sudden punch to his side. “What’s wrong?”

“The smoke,” Liz said. “It’s filling the room. We have to leave.”

Kyle grabbed Liz’s hand and yanked her off the couch into the floor where the smoke was the lightest. They crawled towards the bathroom, and on his way by the bed Kyle grabbed Michael’s leg and shook him awake.

Minutes later, after they’d all put wet rags over their faces in the bathroom, the four headed out of the room into the hallway. As they made their way down towards the opposite end from which they had come, they noticed that the smoky wisps came and went. Some sections were filled with the thick smoke, while other spots in the hallway were clear from any sign of fire, except for the unmistakable smell of burning wood.

“Here!” Maria said suddenly.

Kyle, who had been leading the way down the hall, turned around, to see what Maria had found. He noticed an employee only doorway, and after making sure it was safe, watched Maria open it. It revealed a long corridor and other doorways, and there was no smoke at all.

“I walked right by this!” Kyle said to noone in particular.

“Well, come on, let’s go. There has to be a stairwell in here somewhere!” Maria said. This time, she pulled Michael behind her as she led the way.

Halfway down the hallway, Maria and Liz both saw the stairwell entrance at the same time. The girls ran towards the door, and felt it, making sure it wasn’t hot. Surprised that it wasn’t, Maria eased the door open and peeked inside. The stairwell was completely smoke free, and the burning smell that had permeated every part of the building was almost undetectable.

“We can make it down!” Michael said. Quickly, without word, the other three followed Michael down the stairs. They had made it to the landing between the 12th and 11th floors when Liz tripped and fell. Kyle turned to help her up, and saw that she had tripped on the bottom of her dress. The material, ragged and ripped, was hanging in shreds, and one of the shreds had become wound around her foot.

“Let’s sit down for a minute. Liz’s foot is tangled,” Kyle said.

Maria and Michael stood against the wall while Kyle leaned down to untangle Liz’s foot.

“Wait a minute! Do you hear that?” Liz asked. She cocked her head to one side and strained her ears.

“I don’t hear anything,” Michael said. “Except for-”

“Wait!” Kyle said. “I hear it. Voices. There’s someone on this floor!”

Kyle and Michael both jumped up to stand next to the door. Kyle put his hand against the back of the door and felt for heat. It was warm, but he could tell that there was no fire behind it. It wasn’t that hot.

“It’s warm, Kyle, don’t open it.”

“It’s okay, Michael. It’s not hot enough for any fire.”

“Kyle, what if it’s on fire, don’t!” Liz said.

“Liz, it’s warm. It’s not hot. There’s a fire somewhere on this floor, but it’s okay. I can tell it’s not near this door.”

“Kyle, come on. Let’s just go. If it’s warm, it could be dangerous to open it.”

Kyle was about to voice his objections when they heard a high pitched scream come from the other side of the door. Making a split second decision, Kyle swung the door open and all four people were all but thrown backwards from the sheer intensity of the heat that came flooding out of the opening. The stairwell immediately filled with smoke. Coughing heavily, but making his way inside the doorway, Kyle tripped over something in the floor. Looking down, Kyle was stunned to see someone lying at his feet.

“Hey! Hey, are you okay?” Kyle asked loudly.

The person groaned and rolled over, and Kyle realized it was a young girl, in a hotel uniform. “I can’t find the door,” she said weakly.

“Look, we’re going to help you out,” Michael said. He knelt down opposite Kyle and helped him sit the girl up.

“No, my friend. Stacey…she’s here. She fell, and hit her head. I can’t get her up. Too heavy,” the girl said. She looked from Michael to Kyle, begging them silently to help her friend.

“Look, you’ve hit your head, too” Michael said, pulling the hotel vest from around the girls shoulders. “Hold this on the cut,” he said, pressing it to her forehead. “Now let’s go.”

“No, I have to get Stacey,” the girl said, attempting to stand up.

Kyle pushed her gently towards Michael. “No, you go with them. I’ll get your friend, where is she?”

The girl pointed down the hallway, and Kyle could barely see the outline of a slumped form up agains the wall. The hallway on the other side was engulfed in flames.

“Kyle…” Liz said warningly. “It’s on fire.”

“Liz, I have to. We can’t just leave her there.”

“But…”

Kyle stood up. “Liz, you know I have to.”

Liz nodded her head. She knew that whatever she said wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t Kyle’s nature to leave an injured person behind. She knew that not only was it his military training, but it was Kyle. He always did whatever was needed to help someone out.

Liz turned and looked down the hallway. There was smoke everywhere, and there was no light whatsoever except for the eerie orange flickering from the glow of the fire at the end of the hall. There was plaster on the floor, and beams and wires hanging from gaping holes in the ceiling. It was clearly unstable, and the flames licking their way up the walls only screamed out that it was dangerous.

“Well, then I’m going with you,” Liz told him stubbornly.

“Liz, no, you stay here.”

“No.”

“Liz, look down that hallway. It’s not safe. I’ll get her and bring her back. Stay with them.”

“Kyle, I’ve made up my mind. You promised you’d get me out of here. I’m not leaving your side. If you go, I go.”

Kyle sighed, and just as Liz had moments ago, realized that he was fighting a losing battle.

“Fine,” he said, holding out his hand. “But stay behind me, and be careful!”

Liz nodded, and as Kyle pulled her down the hallway behind him, turned to offer a small smile at Maria.

Taking what seemed like forever, after picking their way carefully down the hallway, Liz and Kyle found themselves standing right in front of the injured girl. Kyle leaned down and took her hand, then felt at her neck. He kept his hand there for several seconds, and Liz leaned down on the opposite side of the girl.

“Kyle?” she asked.

Kyle looked up, anguish apparent on his face. He shook his head. “She’s dead, Liz,” he said solemnly.

Liz’s hand flew to her mouth, and she stood up, backing away in the opposite direction. A loud creaking sounded, followed by a crash, and the floor just inches behind Liz’s feet collapsed.

Maria screamed at the other end of the hallway, and Kyle eased to his feet, locking his eyes with Liz’s.

Liz, paralyzed with fear, froze in place. She hadn’t realized she’d stepped so far away from Kyle, and so close to the fire at the opposite end of the hall. But as she heard the crash, and felt the floor beneath her feet give way under her weight, she knew she was treading on dangerous ground.

“Liz, don’t move. I’m going to walk over there, slowly. Reach out your hand, but don’t move your feet,” Kyle said, whispering loudly, as if talking would cause the unsteady floor at Liz’s feet to collapse.

Liz nodded her head and stretched out her hand. It was still inches from Kyle’s hand, and Liz held her breath as Kyle took a step towards her. They both paused, and let out an uneasy breath.

As he took another step towards her, the floor creaked, and Liz’s eyes widened. Kyle stopped suddenly, and waited for the creaking to stop. He flinched as more debris fell from above, hitting the ground right next to Liz. Liz started to cry silently, her shoulders shaking from fear.

“Liz, it’s okay. Don’t move.”

The floor creaked once more, and Liz felt it shift beneath her feet. Her eyes widened as she felt a blast of heat hit her from behind. She screamed out Kyle name, and saw his anguished _expression as he called out her name too. In a split second, without even realizing what had happened, Liz felt herself hurling towards the more stable part of the hallway. She hit the floor with a loud grunt, and curled into a ball to cover herself from falling debris as the building shook once more, and the floor bent and wavered under her.

Standing up just as another explosion caused the building to rock beneath her feet, Liz whirled around to find Kyle.

“Kyle!” she screamed. She waited for an answer, and got none. “Kyle! Kyle, answer me!”

When Kyle didn’t answer her, Liz squinted her eyes to look through the smoke. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that the floor behind her had given way. The part of the hallway where they had been leaning over the girl slumped against the wall was gone, and she knew instantly what had happened.

As realization dawned on her, she threw herself to the edge of the hole and screamed his name.

“Kyyyllllleeee!” Tears fell down her cheeks, and anguished sobs racked her body as she screamed his name over and over. She hollered into the hole in the floor, but saw nothing except floors below her, and wires and cross beams crossing in every direction. The only sound was creaking and cracking, and the hissing of the flames as they burned everything in their path.

Liz screamed into the hole, hollering Kyle’s name, and was still screaming when she felt herself being pulled up from behind.

“Liz, come on! We have to go!”

“No!” Liz wriggled free of Michael’s grasp and fell to the floor once more.

Once again, Michael grabbed her from behind and pulled her to her feet.

“Look, Liz, there’s nothing we can do. Kyle fell, and all we can do now is make it down to see if he made it down. Come. On!”

“No! Let me go! I’m not leaving here without Kyle!”

Liz screamed and hollered, and pummeled Michael’s chest with her fists. When Michael picked her up, she kicked and screamed at him to let her down. One good kick to Michael’s shin, and he doubled over, dropping Liz to her feet.

"I will not leave him! You hear me, Michael!”

Liz turned to run back towards the hole, but Michael grabbed her and spun her around. She slapped at him, and kicked with one foot. She was frantic, and lashing out, not willing to believe that Kyle had fallen through the open floor.

“I’m sorry, Liz,” Michael said.

Liz barely had time to register Michael’s apology before she saw his hand in her face and everything went black.