Roswell Fanatics

Winner - Round 7





Out With The Old…
Author: Lindsay
Category: AU Michael/Maria with heavy dose of M/L
Rating: MATURE – just to be safe.
Disclaimer: The characters of Roswell belong to The WB, Melinda Metz, and UPN. No infringement intended.
Summary: Sequel to Home for Christmas, featuring our favorite candy couple.

Author’s note: Well, here it is...as promised. The sequel to Home for Christmas, but with a candy New Year's twist. I must warn...this is pretty much my first attempt at candy, so I hope I don't disappoint anyone. You guys will hopefully let me know.

As before, this is pre-written and three parts long, so look forward to frequent updates and MERRY CHRISTMAS! I have a Gazer fic planned, so stay tuned if you enjoy THIS delve out of dreaminess...




<center>Out With The Old…</center>



At the sound of the tolling midnight bell
a brand new year will begin.
Let's raise our hopes in a confidant toast,
to the promise it ushers in.

-New Years Cheer


<center>Part One</center>



“…that was Frank Sinatra, singing his version of Jingle Bells on this crisp December afternoon. We’ll be back with more of Old Blue Eyes himself, after this quick weather update…”

Maria DeLuca’s eyes stayed firmly trained on the road in front of her, despite the nearly overwhelming urge to glance around at the incredible scenery that surrounded her. However the heavy snowfall and the ice that periodically crusted the Colorado winter roads made it necessary to survival to pay attention. Especially for a desert driver like herself, who was definitely not acclimated to this type of weather.

As it was, she’d long ago forsaken style in favor of the warmth of a woolen toggle coat and mohair mittens. The heater in her Jetta was on full blast so that there was almost a haze inside the car. Maria didn’t care; she was big on comfort and being cold rated high up on her list of things that were distinctly uncomfortable.

She was extremely proud of herself for even making this venture in the first place. Colorado, with its rugged mountain terrain and chilly climates, definitely qualified as “The Great Outdoors” for a bonafide city girl like herself. If she hadn’t been so eager to visit with Liz, and okay…more than eager to set eyes on the man who had effectively stolen her best friend’s heart in less than a month, then she probably would have remained back home in Roswell, warm, and in no immediate danger of running herself off the road into a snowy abyss.

But the lure of Max Evans was too much for a self-proclaimed busybody to pass up. She loved Liz like a sister, and she would make sure this smooth-talking mountain man was up to par.

“…patches of ice continue to turn up along the major highways, and the backroads are a hopeless cause at this point. It’s definitely a good time to snuggle up with someone you love in front of a roaring fire, drink some champagne and prepare to ring in the New Year.”

The image sounded nice enough to have her sighing, even as she acknowledged the commercial trap it was. Nothing was as good as it was portrayed in the movies; when the girl got the guy and they drank hot toddies under the mistletoe and declared everlasting love, ending in a passionate embrace as the fireworks exploded in the distance.

Some might have called her a cynic, but it just wasn’t so. She simply…knew better. Knew better than to expect what would never happen. Sure, Liz and Alex thought they were happy and in love now…but what about a year from now?

The thought of Alex had her scowling as she worked the windshield wipers, swiping away a glistening coat of snowflakes. She wasn’t sure what was going on in her male best friend’s mind, but she was sure he’d lost it. Absolutely gone crazy. She knew Liz believed her to be suffering from some sort of latent jealousy, and Maria had found that thought beyond entertaining.

No, she and Alex were long finished. She didn’t care whom he was shacking up with, honestly! But now he was talking about getting married, something that they had always agreed was a complete waste of an independently successful twenty-something’s life.

Liz had always been the romantic of the trio, which was why it had been such a surprise when Maria and Alex had gotten together. Maria had tried to explain to her friend that it was just sex, something that she and Alex were actually pretty damn good at, but Liz had twittered and fluttered and woven romantic dreams for the both of them that she and Alex privately laughed over with affection.

When work had finally gotten the better of their relationship of convenience, it had been a mutual breakup with absolutely no tension whatsoever. They’d parted as and remained the best of friends, and the only thing that had truly suffered was Liz’s fantasies.

No, she wasn’t jealous of Alex, nor did she begrudge him his happiness. But when said happiness came encased in long legs and sleek blonde hair, pouty lips and seductive brown eyes…something was fishy in the town of Roswell and for once, it wasn’t the sushi bar down the street from her apartment.

She just knew there was something off about Isabel Evans. She didn’t care that she was related to Liz’s new boyfriend, or that Liz had sworn that Max’s family was completely on the level. When gorgeous modelish women started paying extreme attention to her lanky, goofy best pal…things just weren’t adding up.

Unfortunately, Alex had quickly caught on to her plan to completely annihilate the Ice Queen, as she not so fondly referred to his new fiancee, and had spirited her away to visit his parents in Florida quicker than you could say “Bitch, say whaa?” Which was why she was putting stage two of her plan into effect.

For Maria had an idea. An awful idea. Maria had a wonderful, awful idea. She knew that Alex and Isabel planned to make time to visit her brother around New Year’s, so she’d go to Colorado, too. She’d visit Liz, meet the infamous Max, and be there with bells on when Alex and the She-Devil arrived. She was sure Liz would be on her side once she set eyes on Isabel Evans, and together they would finally knock some sense into Alex’s thick head.

Her lips tightened in a smile of anticipation and she tuned back into the radio broadcast, hoping to hear further news on the weather and upcoming traffic. As if there’d be any. She’d been driving down this highway for over three hours, capping off a near ten-hour trip, and she’d seen only a handful of other vehicles about. She assumed most residents knew better than to go out and freeze their booties off.

“…and that’s all we have for you right now. Be safe, and have a happy rest of the holiday. Stay tuned to KOTO, your source for the best in oldies in Colorado. So kick back for now, relax, and enjoy this next set of holiday music we have for you, kicking it off with a little Mistletoe and Holly from Bing Crosby…”

“Damn,” she muttered, realizing she’d missed nearly the entire broadcast because she’d been spacing once again about Alex’s wacky relationship. It would be better for all concerned when that was put to rest.

She leaned forward, squinting through the foggy windshield as she caught sight of an approaching road sign. Was this finally it? She’d passed numerous exits, expecting each one to be the way to Telluride, but had been disappointed each time. She was beginning to wonder if Liz’s beloved mountain-town even existed.

Fortunately, the sign was indeed proclaiming that Telluride was roughly 3.4 miles down the next exit. With a small yelp of satisfaction, she carefully turned onto the ramp and began to sing along with Bing. She couldn’t deny the excitement at the fact that she’d soon be seeing her best friend again.

She glanced down at the coffeenapkin where she’d scribbled down the address of some bar that Liz had agreed to meet her at. She’d have rathered just shown up at her place, avoiding the idea of complete strangers seeing her after a ten-hour drive from Roswell. Her hair, which had felt bouncy with curls at her departure, now felt flat and mangled. But Liz had explained over the phone that she and Max were still in the process of moving their things into the new apartment they shared, and that she didn’t want to get Maria lost in the backroads of Telluride. She’d simply pick her up at the bar and take her, herself.

Whatever. At this point, Maria figured she could almost use an alcoholic beverage. She definitely was not big on travelling long distances without the benefit of a plane and bottled water. Maybe they’d pick up a nice bottle of wine and take it back, get smashed and pour out all the dirty secrets they’d acquired over the past year. Liz had said that Max was working that night, so she probably wouldn’t meet him until the next day. Maybe she could get Liz to tell her just how the suave Mr. Evans rated in the sack. What else were friends for?

Twenty minutes later, thanks to a rapid decline in the already dawdling speed limit she was driving under, Maria pulled up in front of a quaint little building with the sign labelling it as To-Hell-You-Ride Bar and Café.

“Cute,” she snorted, noting the play on the town name. She remembered Liz speaking of it and decided she was in the right place. Pulling her keys from the ignition, she stepped out of the car and was immediately blasted with freezing cold that made her squeak. She pulled a woolen cap over her head, wrapped a heavy scarf around her neck and pulled on another, even heavier coat before trudging towards the brightly-lit front doors.

It was hard to walk in all the clothing she had on her person, but the alternative – being cold – was simply unacceptable. So she tried to ignore the fact that she was waddling like a duck, and tried not to slip on the newly salted walkway.

It was the scents that reached her first. Gingerbread, hot chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla…they all mixed together in a delicious aroma that pierced the biting cold and seemed to warm the air around her. As she opened the doors, she heard the laughter. She stepped inside and promptly stared in blinking shock.

“All right, I bet I can take two more. Whaddaya say, ladies?” a familiar voice chuckled. A tall, handsome man with coffee-colored hair tied back in a low ponytail was standing behind a gleaming bar where several women were crowded. He was in what she assumed was a uniform, but he’d obviously put his own spin on the attire, rolling his sleeves up to show arms that were thick with ropy muscle and leaving his collar undone. She caught the hint of a plain white apron tied at his waist, but it was hard to see much of anything through the horde of drooling women.

“Take another!” one of the bunch breathed, tossing her blonde hair back in a blatantly flirtatious gesture that made Maria want to gag.

“Do it, baby!” another woman cried, this one a curvy little brunette who was eyeing the bartender like he was a particularly sweet piece of Christmas candy.

The bartender mock-frowned, shaking his head and tsking as he leaned forward to chuck the anxious woman beneath the chin. “Now, this is a family establishment, darlin’. Watch that pretty little mouth of yours.”

The woman, and the others with her, all sighed as if he’d spouted poetry. Maria wrinkled her nose and couldn’t keep from saying, “Oh…ick.”

Apparently, she’d forgotten she wasn’t alone in her car anymore, because her voice had been slightly louder than a yelp. Heads turned towards her, including the surprised bartender as she stood there, unable to put her arms all the way against her side because of her double coats.

The man took one look at her, raised a brow and made a face that Maria interpreted as, “Who are you, and what the hell are you doing in my bar?”

Well, hold onto your shot glasses, bub, she sneered inwardly as the wave of women parted to reveal a collection of half-empty glasses littering the bar. Maria smirked, wondering if Max Evans was aware that one of his employees was getting “happy” on work-hours. She waddled closer, intent on demanding the man point her towards the nearest courtesy phone.

“Excuse me,” she began, pushing a sleek redhead and another blonde aside to better face the bartender head on. She flashed him a smile and asked, “I need to use your phone, please.”

There. No one could say she wasn’t polite. She didn’t know what Liz was talking about, saying she needed to work on her people skills. She was perfectly capable of handling conversations with strangers, in fact she was—

“Aren’t you frying in that getup?” was the man’s response, and several of the women giggled. “You do realize we have heat in here.”

Maria’s eyes narrowed into thin slits beneath her cap as she placed both palms on the walnut bar and leaned forward menacingly. “Where’s. The. Damn. Phone?” she clipped off, forgetting niceties in her fatigue and annoyance.

“Merry Christmas to you, too…ma’am,” the man sneered, crossing his arms across his chest. She didn’t miss the extra emphasis he placed on the word “ma’am”, and she frowned darkly at his obvious attempt to put her in her place.

“Christmas is over,” she stated bluntly. “Phone?”

He pointed towards a nearby corner and made a mocking bow. “Waddle on that way, ma’am.”

She resisted the urge to growl, knowing it would only deepen the smirk already coloring his features. He was really too damn gorgeous for his own good. Too bad he was also an insufferable bastard. “Just wait, buddy,” she promised in a saccharine voice. “I have an in with the owner, and I doubt he’d appreciate knowing the way you treat newcomers in his bar.”

Okay, so she didn’t exactly know Max yet…but surely Liz had influence over the guy. She’d use the Best Friend Card to make sure this guy got what was coming to him. And she’d be there to smile and wave as he and his smart-ass mouth were dumped outside on a snowy corner.

She allowed herself a moment of pleasure, imagining him naked and freezing his nuts off as he hopped from foot to foot, trying to flag down cars for a ride back to whatever rock he’d crawled out from under. She was just imagining herself walking by, snug and cozy in her coats and scarves as he begged her to let him borrow just one mitten, when she caught the disbelieving look on his face.

“You know the owner?” he asked in a voice that clearly stated, nuh uh!

“Yes,” she replied, primly adjusting her cap to cover her unspectacular curls. “And like I said, Max is not going to be happy when he hears about the way you’ve treated—”

The man guffawed, literally leaning over the bar as he laughed so hard Maria had to wonder if he would start to cry. When he finally met her gaze again, his brown eyes were indeed shining with tears of mirth. “You think…Max…would fire me?” he choked out, wiping his eyes with one hand. “Jeez, lady…who put you up to this? Was it Kyle? That bastard has thought up some lame ideas in the past, but this takes the cake!”

Maria frowned as he continued to laugh. “I don’t know who Kyle is…is he another bartender?”

The man stopped laughing when he realized she was serious, trailing off into little hiccups that she refused to find charming. There was absolutely nothing charming about this man. She took back everything she’d thought earlier about him being goodlooking. He was a toad, a worm, a shit-covered—

“Wait a minute,” he interrupted with a thoughtful frown. “You say you’re friends with Max, but you don’t know who Kyle is? And you don’t know me.”

Maria groaned in irritation. “What does that matter? Why should I know some idiot pair of bartenders? Look, why don’t you just be a good boy and—”

“Listen here,” he interrupted – again! – in a voice that simmered with hostility. “I don’t believe for one minute that you’re anything to Max Evans, and I can prove it. Then I’d appreciate it if you’d go shovel that shit someplace else. We don’t give out free meals here, all right?”

“Free meals?” Maria was incensed now. People were beginning to stare and while she didn’t mind being the center of attention, she preferred it being when she looked less like a bundled marshmallow and more like the stylish diva she naturally was.

“Max isn’t the sole owner of this place, sweetheart.”

“I don’t care if he…wait, what did you say?” Maria was honestly confused now.

“I mean, he shares ownership with two other people,” the man smirked, obviously realizing he had her now. “And those two people happen to be one Kyle Valenti and one—”

“Oh, no.”

“One me,” he finished with flourish. “So either explain who you are, and what you want or else I’m going to—”

“Maria!”

Liz’s voice broke into their staring contest and Maria quickly whipped around to find her petite best friend moving towards her, cheeks flushed and dark eyes brimming with excitement.

Momentarily forgetting her ire at the stranger behind the bar, she squealed and rushed forward as well as she could. “Liz! My God, look at you!” she cried out, grinning at the sight of her best friend. “You look amazing! This place obviously agrees with you.”

Liz giggled, catching her in a tight embrace. “Max agrees with me,” she admitted proudly, and Maria felt her mouth drop open for the second time in under a minute. She’d never known Liz to be so blatantly expressive of her feelings, but she’d all but proclaimed her love for Max Evans in front of the twenty or so avid patrons of To-Hell-You-Ride.

“Well…apparently so,” Maria managed, shaking her head as she stepped back to further regard her friend. She took in Liz’s shoulder-length brown hair, tied in a pragmatic yet fashionable french braid. Tiny wisps framed her oval-shaped face, gifting her with a sexy cuteness that had always surrounded her friend.

She was wearing a simple powder blue bomber jacket with a polka-dotted scarf and matching mittens, and a pair of well-worn boots that were still covered in snow and ice. In her hand she held a cashmere merino cap that appeared brand new.

“Well, well…aren’t we picture of rugged-glamour,” Maria teased, flicking the edge of her coat with one finger. A tiny piece of holly was adorned to the lapel, and it so fit Liz’s romantic personality that Maria couldn’t stifle the grin. “You just look…great, sweetie. Really great.”

“I feel great!” Liz answered with a bright smile. “You just have no idea…” She trailed off with a giggle. “Maria, what in God’s name are you wearing?”

“Huh?” Maria glanced down and pouted. “Well, I didn’t know how cold it would be outside…”

Liz burst out laughing and grabbed her arm. “Maria! Come here, take some of this off before you fry yourself from the inside out.”

That reminded her…

With a glance over her shoulder, Maria found the bartender staring at them with utter shock. “Liz, do you know this guy?” she thumbed in his direction, a smug smile on her face as she prepared to tattle. “He claims that he’s partial owner to this joint, but I bet he’s just a begging, mooching sonofa—”

“Hey Michael!” Liz called, waving to the man as she offered him a bright smile. “Max should be here soon to take over. Just a few more hours and you’re free.”

“No problem, doll,” the bartender replied with a fond smile as he gazed at her best friend. “You know I don’t mind the extra hours.”

“Wait just a damn…” Maria trailed off as something truly horrible began to form in her mind. “You do know this guy?”

“You do know her?” the bartender echoed, tossing her a dark look before glancing back at Maria.

Liz looked back and forth between them, then blinked. “Yes…” she started slowly.

“Liz, this guy is a complete menace!” Maria gasped. “He was rude and condescending and tried to make me believe that he actually owns the place—”

“I do own the place,” he interrupted. “Well…partly.”

“He does,” Liz frowned. “Maria, you remember me telling you how Max is a part owner, right? He shares with his two best friends, Kyle Valenti and Michael Guerin.”

It was obvious the exact moment Maria remembered, because her face alternately drained of color then filled with blood as she turned to glower at a similary stunned Michael. “You,” she whispered in a dark voice.

“Oh shit,” was his answer. “You’re not…?”

“Michael, meet my best friend,” Liz smiled, apparently oblivious to the sudden and heated tension between the two. “You’ve both spoken before on the phone, I think. This is Maria DeLuca.”

This time, it wasn’t just Michael who snapped, “ Oh, shit.”

<center>Part Two</center>



Michael Guerin considered himself an extremely patient and understanding sort. Having practically raised his little sister since their mother’s death when he was only twenty, he’d had to learn endurance early on in order to keep from strangling himself or the younger Tess. To make matters more formidable, Tess had contracted the measles early in her adolescence and the disease had been bad enough to damage her hearing beyond repair.

It had hit Michael hard, and he’d questioned a lot of things during the time Tess was being hospitalized. He’d wondered if maybe she wasn’t better off without him, and had almost agreed to have her live with some of their relatives down south. But in the end he couldn’t bring himself to leave his bright-eyed sister. He’d never be like his father, abandoning two children and a wife in search of “bigger and better things” at the first sign of trouble.

As a result, he and Tess shared a special bond. Both knew they could count on each other for anything and everything, and they took care of each other no matter what. When Michael had been forced to drop out of college and finish his courses online, Tess had been there every step of the way – offering to help him study, even if at the time that had been more of a hindrance than a help.

When Tess had gotten the lead role as Little Red Riding Hood in a school play, despite her obvious handicap, Michael had been in the first row, applauding and generally making a fool out of himself due to pride for his sister.

Things began to change as the years went on. Little Tess grew from a sweet, adorable child to a beautiful young woman, and Michael wasn’t the only one to notice. Suddenly, boys were everywhere – knocking on the door at all hours of the day and night, showing up at church for the first time in their lives to take communion with Tess…it was enough to make an older brother want to scream. Or lock her away until she was old and gray and wrinkled so badly that no man would ever look at her in that way that made his blood pressure begin to rise.

Tess took it all in stride, including Michael’s overwhelmingly protective instincts. She was kind to everyone she met, but there was always something about her that seemed distant and untouchable, which was probably the reason why most of the young men in Telluride were so captivated by her.

Only with Michael did she completely let her guard down, and more recently, with the rascally Shon Valenti. The two, despite a three-year age-gap, had forged a strong friendship that consisted of mutual trust and affection. Since Shon was only fourteen, Michael wasn’t too worried about it. Yet. If and when the young man started taking after his older brother, and one of Michael’s best friends, then he’d have to do something.

But all in all, he was for the most part, patient. And understanding. Which is why he couldn’t figure out just what it was about Maria DeLuca that made him want to throw patience and understanding to the wind and turn her over his knee and—

Okaaay…that was enough of that. Sure, the chick was hot…he was a healthy male speciman, and he had eyes. Even with the bundles and bundles of clothing she was wearing and the exhaustion that paled her features, he could still tell that she was an exceptionally attractive woman.

She was also a complete and holy terror. Good God, he’d never met a woman who made him want to do her bodily harm. He wasn’t as big a ladie’s man as Kyle, and he didn’t have the dark and sexy thing going like Max, but he managed to do a fair share of dating when he wanted to. He was always charming and polite, and he’d never had a problem with women before.

But this one…he wanted nothing more than to engage her in mortal combat! She was so damn provoking and it made all those testosterone driven, primal urges to battle rise up inside of him. Putting her in her place was almost better than sex with other women. Which was completely ridiculous, seeing as how they’d only known each other for about twenty minutes. It was dislike at first sight. And who could forget the phone call he’d answered on Liz’s cell Christmas Eve, where they’d spent a brief amount of time bickering and generally being disgusted by each other.

If only her eyes weren’t his favorite shade of green. They reminded him of the color of the grass on the mountain trails that he and the guys hiked every spring, rich and bursting with vibrancy. They were framed by a thick curtain of blonde lashes that fluttered when she blinked. It was an unconscious action, but one that struck him as incredible sexy, especially when she was shooting green fire at him through those incredible eyes.

What the hell was wrong with him? Since when did he get turned on, and he couldn’t deny that he was, by arguing with some demented blonde pixie who didn’t have the sense to know what kind of clothing to wear to a rugged mountain town? There was absolutely no reason for the way she was making him feel…hot-blooded, light-headed with unadulterated lust.

It was all he could do to hide the boner he’d acquired, hiding behind the bar and hoping like hell that no one questioned the hot flush that was coloring his cheeks. He needed ice water. Maybe down his pants…

He glanced over to where she sat with Liz, both women chattering excitedly by the window as they sipped from mugs of steaming hot chocolate. Chocolate he’d made. And had she said thank you? Hell no, she’d simply glared at him and snatched the chocolate away without further acknowledging his presence.

That was the only reason he’d done it. Really. He hadn’t gone over there with the express intent of spilling her drink in her lap. But she’d made him do it, with her frosty attitude and stupid clothes that made her look like a stray goose late for heading home for the winter. Who in their right mind really wore three layers of coats? They were in Colorado, for Christ’s sake, not Antartica. You’d think she was freaking planning on taking a trip up the San Juan range and sleeping on the damned highest peak. Without a blanket.

Still, he’d almost apologized after he’d accidentally bumped her hand and the hot cocoa went splashing over the rim and onto her outerwear. Not that she even felt it through all those layers of down and cotton. But the look on her face as she’d stared up at him had made it all worth it. He’d take that expression of flabbergasted outrage to his grave.

Liz had given him a funny look and that had slightly put a damper on the moment and made him feel a little bit guilty. Which was another thing he couldn’t understand. Just how the heck did someone as sweet and classy as Elizabeth Parker befriend a hell-spitting firecat like Maria DeLuca? Even her name made him think of wildness; hot, sultry nights on the Spanish Riviera, exotic women with heavy-lidded eyes and lush curves…

Completely aggravated at himself, he swore then and there that he’d never let her know how she effected him. Knowing her, she’d use it against him mercilessly in this war they’d waged, and he damn well wasn’t surrendering, even if she did have the plumpest, pinkest lips he’d ever…

“No!”

His sharp denial caught the attention of Liz and Maria, as well as several of the lingering customers who all turned to face him with questioning expressions. He blinked, realizing he’d spoken aloud, and forced a smile for the familiar small-town faces before meeting Maria’s smug gaze. Great, now she probably thought he had Tourettes. Or that he was just an idiot. But no, he didn’t care!

He worked up a sneer for her; pleased to see her stiffen before she turned to say something heatedly to Liz. Liz frowned, glancing from her towards him before shaking her head and whispering back. He leaned forward, wondering what was being said about him even as he silently repeated, I don’t care. Still, he momentarily wished for Tess’ skill in reading lips as he nearly strained his neck to catch the excited movement of Maria’s mouth. Christ, the woman could yap.

He was concentrating so fiercely that he didn’t register the sound of bells jingling as the doors were pushed open and a gust of cold air permeated the warmth of the bar. Only when a throat cleared did he remove his gaze from the table in the corner, to meet the slightly amused expression of Kyle Valenti.

“You look…red,” Kyle observed with a raised brow. “What’s up?”

Michael flushed even deeper as he struggled to appear nonchalant, shrugging his shoulders and affecting a casual tone while turning to pick up a rag. “Not much. What’s up with you?” He started wiping down the bar, refusing to let his gaze wander where his friend would grow curious.

Kyle, who knew him only too well after years of friendship, easily read the irritation brewing in Michael’s hazel brown eyes, and flashed him a wicked smile as he hooked a foot around the bottom of a bar stool and dragged it towards him.

“Not much,” he answered in a tone that stated that he wasn’t buying Michael’s air of indifference for one second, but he’d let it rest for the time being. “I’m picking up a little something for dinner, then hooking up with Tracie later.”

Sufficiently distracted, Michael stopped wiping the bar and smirked. “Tracie, huh? Again? Could it be, the end of an era?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Kyle refused to rise to the bait, simply grinning widely as he ran a hand through his hair, further disheveling it. He was a delightful rogue, according to the female population of Telluride. With sandy-colored hair and twinkling blue eyes, it was no hardship for Kyle to charm the pants off a woman – and he did it quite often.

Michael and Max often joked that Kyle switched girlfriends more frequently than he changed underwear, and it was surprisingly close to the truth. Michael wasn’t sure which that spoke worse of: Kyle’s dating habits or his hygiene. Maybe both. Either way, it was a nearly every day occurance.

Only recently, Kyle had met someone who he hadn’t had been able to brush off with a simple, “Hey babe, it’s been great. How’s about one more for the road?”

During the first annual Secret Santa contest that he, Kyle, and Max had hosted at To-Hell-You-Ride this past Christmas Eve, Kyle had been “won” by a local woman who had successfully enthralled their playboy friend to the point that other women were blatantly pouting over Kyle’s latest indifference towards the fairer sex, aside from Tracie.

As for Max and Michael, they were amused by Kyle’s fall from “grace”, but they wholeheartedly approved of Tracie, who was the perfect match for Kyle’s wild ways. Michael figured it was only a matter of time before Kyle’s heartbreaker attitude was completely wiped out and the two were married or living in sin together. He bet on the former, knowing that Kyle never did things halfway.

Of course, Max wouldn’t take the bet. Max didn’t do much of anything lately, besides talk about Liz. It was enough to make a single guy want to poke both eyes out and spear them on a picket fence. Then again, Michael actually liked Liz. So…he didn’t really mind hearing about her. It was just that Max never really mentioned the interesting stuff, the juice that guys really wanted to know, like, what positions they’d tried. The good shit.

Now if only he could get rid of the idea of him and a certain someone rolling across the sheets…oh, hell. He was never getting rid of this boner. And Kyle would notice, for sure. Kyle always noticed embarrassing things like a hardon during work hours, and he always made sure to make a smart-ass comment about it.

“Um, earth to Mike. Earth…to Mike. Am I gettin’ through to you, at all?”

Michael started in surprise, blinking as Kyle narrowed his gaze suspiciously. Before he could start asking questions, Michael blurted out, “Take this to Liz.” He thrust a shaker of cinnamon into Kyle’s empty hands and shoved his friend away from the bar, and away from him. And his boner.

“Liz is here?” Kyle wondered absently. “I figured Max hadn’t let her out of the bedroom yet. I thought I saw him buying a pair of shackles at the hardware store the other day and—”

“Just take this to her.” Michael rolled his eyes, but shared a grin with his friend as Kyle tucked the sweetener beneath his arm like a football. He remembered one other pertinent detail before Kyle wandered away, and leaned forward to impart the needed information in a low murmur.

“Watch out for her friend. She’s crazy.”


<center>***</center>


“I can’t believe that guy,” Maria seethed, taking turns sipping from her second cup of hot chocolate – the first nothing but a stain across the front of her one-hundred and thirty dollar coat – and glaring at Michael Guerin as he whistled to himself and tidied up the bar across the room. “He tried to burn me! I wouldn’t be surprised if he also maims and tortures cuddly animals on his off time! You saw him, Liz, he’s crazy!”

“I saw nothing of the sort,” Liz retorted, calmly stirring the remains of her own drink with a tea straw. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a tad? It was an accident.”

“An accident?” Maria hissed, snatching her drink and bringing it up to her lips, forgetting to cool it down before taking a long swallow. As a result, her coat wasn’t the only thing that burned. “God, Liz, you’re so naïve. It was a total maneuver.”

“A maneuver?” Liz wrinkled her nose. “Maria, I know Michael, okay? He’s one of the nicest guys—”

“Bullshit,” Maria coughed sweetly. Then she shook her head, the limp curls slapping her in the face and just adding even more to her annoyance level. She abruptly shoved the tendrils behind her ears and scowled.

Liz managed to stifle her grin, but it played along the edges of her lips. “Maria. Why would he intentionally spill a drink in your lap?”

“Because…” Maria leaned forward, tapping the table with her nails as her voice dropped into a loud whisper, “…he’s crazy!”

“Michael is not crazy—”

“I think he’s crazy,” a new voice joined in. “He turned down the chance to neck with Tina Lupino back in tenth. Not impressed, huh? Well, if you knew Tina, you’d understand.”

Maria spun around to stare into the face of a Greek God. Really, there was no other way to describe the male now hovering over their table, a dimpled smile stretched across his lips. Navy eyes twinkled with amusement and just a touch of devilry, and his body was covered in muscles that even a layer of down jacket and faded jeans couldn’t hide. She knew her mouth was hanging wide open, and vaguely began to wonder if she was drooling.

They sure didn’t make guys like this back home in the desert.

A quick glance at his left hand showed no sign of a ring and Maria’s hormones began a happy little dance of lust. Not that she had the time to start a new fling, what with the pressing details of saving Alex from the engagement-from-hell looming on the horizon, but it was always fun to dream.

“Kyle,” Liz cried happily, rising from her seat to embrace the cutie with the sexy smile. Said smile widened impossibly as he returned the hug, patting her fondly on the bottom in a way that made Liz blush and twitter, slapping him lightly on the arm before she sat back down. “What are you doing here?”

“Got a date,” he wiggled his brows. “Just grabbing something to eat before I pick Tracie up. My fridge is depressing this time of the month.”

“Tracie, hmm?” Liz’s tone was playful and the guy groaned lightly, hanging his head forward in submission.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” he pouted his lower lip in a way that made Maria want to hang on and nibble. Down, girl.

“I think it’s great,” Liz stated firmly. “I really like her a lot, Kyle.”

“Thanks,” he grinned, then turned to acknowledge Maria. Realizing she was staring, she quickly closed her mouth, discreetly checked for traces of saliva, and offered him her most winning smile.

“Hello.”

“Back at ya,” he answered in a flirtatious tone that spoke more of a second nature than any real interest on his part. It was almost sinful, really. No guy should have that much blatant charisma, and if they did…they were usually gay.

“Kyle Valenti, Maria DeLuca,” Liz quickly made the introductions. “Why don’t you sit down and join us, Kyle? Maria’s thawing out before we head back to my place. Our place,” she corrected with a dreamy smile, obviously thinking of Max.

“That right?” Kyle grinned, taking in the pile of clothing that sat in the chair next to Maria, the stained coat heaped on top. “Not a snow bunny, huh sugar?”

“Ha ha,” Maria grimaced goodnaturedly. “But no, I’m from a different extreme. New Mexico, actually.”

“Maria’s my best friend from back home,” Liz added, motioning for Kyle to take the seat across from her and next to Maria. “And she absolutely hates anything outdoorsy. It’s a miracle I managed to get her here, at all. Of course, it did take a year.” She mock glared at Maria, who shrugged her shoulders.

“Hey, you know what I always say. My idea of the great outdoors is rolling the windows down in my car—”

“—on the way to the mall,” Liz finished with her. The two friends looked at each other and started giggling uncontrollably.

“Well, you should have loads of fun here,” Kyle interjected teasingly. “Nearest mall’s about thirty miles away, not that you could get there in the blizzards that’ll probably start up sometime next week. How long are you planning to stick around?”

“Not really sure,” Maria admitted, not really wanting to explain that she was staying until Alex showed up with his fiancee so that she could put Operation Kiss-Off in effect. “I guess until Max and Liz get sick of me and decide to kick me out.”

“Who, Max?” Kyle held his hand to his heart in mock astonishment. “Mr. I-Am-a-Wealth-of-Peace-and-Serenity-Not-To-Mention-Patience Evans? Coupled with Liz I’m-Too-Nice-to-Scare-the-Cat-Who-Takes-a-Crap-In-My-Front-Yard Parker…”

“Hey, that wasn’t Fluffy’s fault,” Liz objected while Maria laughed. “She didn’t know any better.”

“Give it up, Liz, he’s right,” Maria shared a wink with Kyle. “You’re just too nice. Admit it.”

Liz opened her mouth as if to retort, then pursed her lips and humphed. “Well, really. What’s so bad about that?”

“Not a thing, sweetcheeks.” Kyle reached over and squeezed her fingers with his own. “Well ladies it’s been fascinating, but if I wanna eat before I get busy, then I’d better hit the café before they close for the night.”

“Say hi to Tracie for me,” Liz said as he stood up and stretched. “And what are you holding, anyway?”

Kyle glanced down at the object in his hands and blinked. “Oh, yeah. Mike sent this over, said you guys would need it. Personally, I’m more of a chocolate sprinkles kind of guy.” With that, he placed a shaker of cinnamon on the table and moved to turn away.

Just before he left, he paused and threw one final parting comment over his shoulder, glancing in Maria’s direction. “And Michael’s wrong…you’re definitely not crazy.”


<center>***</center>


Michael was interrupted from a very good dream featuring the cast of Desperate Housewives, to the sound of his landline ringing crazily on the table beside the couch. Sitting up, he saw the credits of a late-night sitcom rolling across the screen and realized he must have fallen asleep while watching TV when he’d gotten home from the bar.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he reached over and picked up the phone receiver as it jangled for the fifth time. “’Lo?” he managed in a voice husky with sleep.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Max? What’s up, man?” He stood up, stretching his free arm over his head then rubbing his stomach as it growled. Damn, had he forgotten dinner? Usually Tess woke him up for that. He looked over and noticed a quilt lying across the couch that hadn’t been there when he’d lain down. He must have been too out of it to awaken, so Tess had just let him sleep.

“I need a favor,” Max sounded slightly panicked and Michael could hear the distant sounds of people talking and laughing. “I’m at the bar.”

“I know,” Michael raised a brow. “I left when you got there. What’s the deal?”

There was a slight pause before Max sighed. “It’s Liz. She and Maria, I told you about Maria right? Liz’s best friend who’s visiting for a few days—”

“Oh, I know Maria,” Michael grumbled darkly.

Max didn’t seem to notice his tone, or didn’t care. “Oh, good. Well, apparently the two of them were watching some documentary on serial killers or whatever on TV and, well, you know girls…”

“They freaked out,” Michael surmised with a faint smirk.

“Yeah,” Max sounded similarly disgusted. “I don’t get it, Mike. She’s addicted to horror movies, then sleeps with the lights on and jumps at every sound for days after she sees one. Why put yourself through the torture, you know?”

Michael didn’t bother to try to figure out how Max already knew so much about Liz, considering they’d only been living together about two days, and they’d only known each other a handful more. Instead, he hummed an agreement.

“Anyway, she called and apparently they’re both completely positive that some guy is hanging around outside the apartment and making threatening noises. What could I do, you know? She was nearly in tears, and you and I both know it’s bullshit but—”

“Do you want me to go over there, check things out?” Michael decided to cut to the chase. He was already heading towards his bedroom, stripping off his shirt along the way. The faint sounds of Tess humming to herself could be heard through the door across the hall, and Michael paused to smile to himself as he recognized the tune.

It was old, one that his mother had sung to them both when they were younger. Before she had died of cancer and Tess had gotten sick, as well. It was probably one of the last things Tess remembered hearing before…

“Would you mind?” Max asked in a relieved tone, unknowingly breaking him out of a journey down darker roads. “Man, you know I wouldn’t ask you…you’ve been working all day, but Kyle’s off with Tracie and not answering his phone, and—”

“Maxwell, chill,” Michael laughed, cutting his friend off mid-diatribe. “It’s fine. Just call and let them know I’ll be about twenty minutes, all right? And not to bean me with any metal objects when I come in.”

“I owe you one,” Max’s breath left in a whoosh. “I tell ya, man. I was this close to calling in sick and just closing early. You don’t know what that girl does to me.”

Michael thought of the way his best friend’s eyes lit up every time Liz was around, and the way hers grew filled with excitement and affection, as well. The way they hardly noticed anyone else when they were together, the mutual looks of love and longing…

“I think I do,” he murmured softly, surprised to feel a pang somewhere in his own heart as he wondered if he’d ever find someone he could care that much about. He tried to imagine rushing over to one of his ex-girlfriend’s houses in the middle of the night, just because she’d heard a sound outside, and just couldn’t see himself doing it.

The sudden thought of blonde hair and vivid green eyes forced its way into his mind, and a scowl crossed his features. Not freaking likely. He said goodbye to Max and tucked the phone into the back of his jeans, still brooding as he turned towards his sister’s room.

He pushed the small button above the doorknob, waiting for the answering flash to light inside Tess’ room. When she called out for him to come in a second later, he pushed the door open and caught sight of her sprawled across the bed, studying.

“Hey, pulling an all-nighter aren’t you?” he questioned affectionately, signing with his hands at the same time as he moved to sit on the bed beside her. She sat up, all blonde curls and heavy-lidded blue eyes. She definitely had their mother’s exotic eyes.

“Am I bothering you?” she asked worriedly, only a slight garble affecting her speech as she spoke clearly and confidently. It still amazed Michael just how quickly she’d adapted to her circumstances.

Right after the illness had taken her hearing away, Michael had watched helplessly as his sister struggled to learn the ways that would be necessary for her to communicate for the rest of her life. He’d half-expected her to rage and complain, but she’d never done either. She simply accepted her life as it was, and conquered every problem thrown at her with grace and class. He was insanely proud of her.

Overwhelmed with a wave of tenderness, he wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. When he pulled back, he noted the slightly surprised smile that hovered along her lips, and the question in her eyes. He simply shrugged and signed, “I love you kiddo.”

She rolled her eyes, but smiled brightly before answering, “I love you, too. Now what’s the problem?”

Michael had to laugh. “No problem,” he spoke normally, but making sure she could clearly read his lips. “I need to head over to Max’s for awhile, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Since it might be late, I was wondering if you’d go over to Shon’s until I can get back. Not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that—”

“I know,” she interrupted. “And you’re right. It’s too dangerous for me to stay here by myself. Will you call Shon?”

“I’m way ahead of you, kid.” He yanked the phone out of his back pocket and waggled it in her face. With a mock air of superiority, he started dialing the Valenti’s number as Tess giggled at his antics.

“Hey, Michelle. I need a favor…”

Ten minutes later, Tess was safely ensconced in the Valenti household and he was on his way to Max and Liz’s apartment across town. Luckily, town was small enough that it only took another ten or so minutes before he pulled up in front of the stylish little apartment complex just off the downtown area.

He tossed his bag across one shoulder, locking the car before he clomped across the slushy pavement towards the building. When he turned the corner, he smirked at the sight of one home where all of the lights were turned on, the television echoing noisily from inside. He knocked on the door, wondering if he’d even be heard over the rerun of Seinfeld that was currently broadcasting.

A shadow passed through the peephole, then the sound of a lock scraping. Michael chuckled to himself as he heard Maria’s voice say, “Oh my God, Liz…check the peephole first!”

“I did! It’s Michael,” Liz called back from the other side of the door. Seconds later, the door swung open and Michael stared at the vision before him. All of the lights in the place were indeed burning brightly, including the blinding overhead lamp and the ones sparkling on the Christmas tree. They’d even lit a fire, and so poorly that it was more sparks than flames.

The place was littered with bags of chips, half-eaten ice cream cartons and used soft-drink cans. Pillows had been tossed across the room, landing in places that they just wouldn’t find themselves in by themselves, and there was a pile of DVD’s lying haphazardly on top of Max’s expensive entertainment system. Michael only knew one thing to say.

“Holy shit.”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Liz admitted, grabbing his arm and pulling him further inside. She stuck her head out the door behind him, looked both ways, then slammed the door and slid the deadbolt closed before spinning around to face him. “I was so scared.”

“I think you should be more scared of what Max is gonna say when he sees this place,” Michael replied, scanning the living room with wide eyes, shaking his head in complete and utter astonishment. How was it possible that two females that size had caused such a huge mess? He thought only guys were capable of this kind of destruction.

“Max?” Liz wrinkled her nose, apparently not concerned in the slightest. Her next statement proved it. “Oh, he’s already seen it. It was pretty much like this before he left.”

“Pretty much,” Michael turned to stare at her, raising a brow. Aw, hell. Who was he kidding? Whether or not Max knew anything about what awaited him, there wasn’t a damn thing his friend could do in defense of the sight of Liz Parker, wearing a pair of flannel pink and white striped pajamas and a matching set of fluffy pink slippers. To add another thousand points to the cuteness quotient, she had her shiny hair pulled back in a ponytail that sat on top of her head and made her look like a high school cheerleader.

Max was meat.

And then he made the mistake of glancing towards the fireplace, where Maria was currently attempting to revive the dying embers. His heart stumbled to his feet, then lodged somewhere in his throat as his loins took over his brain.

Holy. Mother. Of. God.

If Liz was cute, then Maria was pure seduction. Mind-numbing. So damn hot he almost burst into flames, himself, as he watched her bend further over the fire. The movement pulled the seat of her indecently short pajama shorts higher and tighter against the shape of her ass, revealing just the hint of a dimpled cheek.

Coupled with the make-you-wanna-howl shorts, she was wearing a silky something-or-other that barely covered what was decent up top. And she had a lot that was decent – more than he would have guessed beneath all those coats. She was also wearing slippers, but hers were arched and feathered and looked like something out of a freaking fetish catalogue.

“What the hell are you wearing?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself, sounding choked and bewildered and, yes, gruff with serious lust.

She turned slowly to face him, and his eyes followed the sensuous movement like it was in slow motion. She’d obviously washed and dried her hair, because it fell in loose waves to her shoulders, nothing like the limp and rumpled mass from earlier that day. Michael longed for that limp and rumpled mass again. And the damn coats.

“Pajamas” she answered in an offended tone. Her eyes cast off warning flashes that he should have heeded. But since he no longer had control of his brain…

“Well, where’s the rest of them?”

Obviously wishing to avoid a confrontation, Liz smoothly forced herself in between them and smiled innocently up at Michael, attempting to draw his gaze away from where Maria fumed nearby.

“Michael, you’re so sweet to come check on us. I know you probably think we’re a couple of idiots, scaring ourselves silly with some television program.”

He found looking at Liz to be much less hazardous to his nerves, not to mention his dick, so he kept his eyes on the petite brunette and relaxed by slow degrees. “Hey, like I told Max…it’s no problem. I know how these things go. Girl stuff, I mean.”

Liz’s expression softened and she laid a hand on his arm. “How is Tess?” she smiled, sincerity lighting her features. Liz had only been around Tess a few times since they’d all become friends, but she’d immediately clicked with the younger Guerin, and Michael truly appreciated the female influence Liz provided.

“Tess?” Maria broke in, a sharp edge to her voice. “Who’s that, your girlfriend? Do you spill drinks all over her, too? Or just poke her eye out with a pencil?”

Michael had to bite his lip to keep from grinning at the obvious ire in her voice. And there was something else…jealousy, maybe? He didn’t know, but he was interested enough to find out. Or maybe he just wanted to piss her off. Again.

He looked over at her, blinking innocently as he answered straight-faced, “Yeah, sorry about that. I’m all thumbs sometimes.” He let her soak in that statement for a moment, enjoying the way her eyes grew darker with boiling rage, then added, “And Tess is my sister.”

“And is she a complete idiot, too? Must run in the family,” she snapped in response, stalking across the room to snatch up a flimsy scrap of material that Michael assumed to be a robe.

As she jerked it around her shoulders, he calmly replied, “Actually, I’m the one you gotta watch out for, sugar. Tess is the Golden Child.”

Maria opened her mouth to answer, but Liz quickly moved across the room and said something in a low voice in her friend’s ear. Michael was pretty sure he knew what. When Maria turned back to look at him, he assumed he was right judging by the faintly pitying expression in her eyes.

No, that wasn’t right. He knew pity; he’d experienced plenty of it during the months after Tess’ diagnosis. This wasn’t pity. It was…something else. Acceptance, with a touch of sympathy? Somehow that seemed even worse, coming from someone like her. Someone he didn’t want effecting him in any way.

He quickly turned away from her, clearing his throat and hoping to clear out the thoughts churning around in his mind. God, what was going on with him? He didn’t like this woman! They’d known each other a day and he’d already wished her to hell and back more times than he could remember. It was perfectly obvious she despised him as well, so why did he even care what she thought about the fact that he had a hearing-impaired sister and had to scrimp and save to support them both?

He didn’t.

The awkward silence continued until a faint scratching occurred from somewhere in the kitchen. Maria and Liz immediately squealed and grabbed each other, staring at Michael with wide eyes filled with fear.

“That’s it!” Maria hissed. “Oh my, God…”

“It keeps happening,” Liz explained rapidly. “Every few minutes. Michael, what are we going to do?”

Pleased to have something to distract himself from his troubling thoughts, Michael started across the room. “You two aren’t doing anything. Sit down and I’ll check it out.” He didn’t wait for their reply, simply headed for the kitchen and picked up a stray rolling pin along the way. Not that he believed there to be anything dangerous, but better safe than sorry.

The scratching happened again, this time just outside the door that led outside. A strange sound followed, something resembling a moan, and Michael frowned as he placed a hand on the doorknob.

“Don’t you think you should check the peephole first?”

The sudden whisper nearly made him jump out of his skin, and he spun around to glare at Maria. “I told you to stay in there,” he pointed towards the living room where Liz was standing by, shifting from foot to foot with an anxious expression.

Maria humped. “Fine, if you want to die all by yourself.”

“I’m not going to die,” he rolled his eyes, the mumbled, “Freaking chicks.”

“Is that your way of saying you prefer men?”

“Get out of here before I clobber you with this rolling pin! Christ!”

“Well, don’t get all huffy! I’m going,” she sniffed, but only fell back a few feet. Michael sucked in a deep breath, wondering where all his patience and understanding had gone. It seemed to have deserted him all in one day.

Deciding to ignore her, he turned back and pulled open the door despite Liz and Maria’s simultaneous gasp. A blanket of snow met his gaze, moonlight sparkling on the newly fallen flakes. Michael shook his head and was about to chalk it up to the wind, when something appeared from inside a nearby bush.

His fingers tightened on the rolling pin, but the figure was too small to be human. Entirely too small. “What in the…”

A soft meow filled the air, sounding just like a low moan, and he blinked in shock as a haggard looking cat pawed quietly towards his legs. It was obviously seeking the warmth from inside the apartment, as it had apparently been stuck outside God only knew how long. Before he could move, he heard footsteps behind him.

“Aw, poor thing! He’s probably starving! And half-frozen…Liz, we have to let him in.”

Soft blonde hair flew past his nose, carrying the faint scent of lavender, and then Maria was scooping up the gaunt feline in her arms. She began murmuring in low, soothing tones that obviously comforted the cat as it switched from the moaning meow to a rumbling purr.

Liz was already heating up a can of tuna and a dish of milk as Michael closed the door. He turned around, taking in the sight of the two women fawning over what they had assumed to be a dangerous prowler. He couldn’t help but grin.

“What, nothing for the hero? I did risk my life, you know. It could have been a lunatic on the loose.”

“You weren’t scared,” Liz pointed out. “Poor baby…” She scratched behind the cat’s ears, practically melting as the ugly thing turned its head to lick her hand. “I bet you’re just starving.”

“I’m kind of hungry,” Michael mumbled, remembering that he’d still had nothing to eat since lunch. “Not that anyone cares…”

“If you showed up on the back doorstep, frozen through and half-starved, then we’d feed you, too,” Maria smacked him upside the head as she walked by with the saucer of milk. Then she tossed him an evil grin. “Then again, maybe not.”

But for the first time, her words were more teasing than meant to bloody. Michael found himself grinning back at her before Liz interrupted the staring contest with a loud exclamation of, “Oh my, Gosh! This is the Thompson’s cat! I remember, because when they were staying at the Bear Creek Inn, Blair used to complain about the cat hair when he worked there. He’s allergic.”

Maria and Michael both scowled at the mention of Liz’s ex-boyfriend who was, in Michael’s opinion, a complete and total asshole. Not only had he cheated on Liz, but he’d also tried to brush it off and get back together with her the next week. Luckily by that time Liz had already met Max and was well on her way to falling in love.

Michael had filled Max in about Blair’s attempt to talk to Liz during the Christmas Eve festivities at the Town Square, and his best friend had not been happy. But at that time he already had Liz and decided there wasn’t any point in worrying about a loser like Blair McNab. Not that it stopped him, Michael and Kyle from sending the sonofabitch death looks whenever they happened upon him.

He tuned back in to hear Liz add, “…but that was nearly a month ago.”

“People bring their cats to Colorado?” Maria wondered.

“Some people see their pets as members of the family and don’t want to leave them behind,” Liz explained.

“And some people are nuts,” Michael tagged on. “You’d have to be, to bring a cat to this small town and then lose him.”

“So you’ve been on your own for a month?” Maria stroked the cat’s wet fur as he licked the plate and saucer of food clean. “Poor, poor baby. We need to get you warmed and then feed you again.”

“I’m still waiting,” Michael called as the two hurried away, taking the contented feline along with them. But he was still smiling, even when he heard Maria blow a raspberry at him from the living room.


<center>***</center>


Maria tossed and turned, staring at the ceiling as the clock ticked on the table beside her. She leaned over, read the time and groaned before falling back and staring some more. The ceiling fan made a shadow as it whirred, and she started counting the slow rotations out of pure exhaustion.

She hated when this happened. She was so tired she felt like she could fall asleep standing up, but now that she was warm and snuggled in Max and Liz’s comfortable guest bed, she just couldn’t sleep. She was just too comfortable. But hey, no one ever said Maria DeLuca liked things easy.

Case in point, take Michael Guerin.

The guy was a continuous surprise to her. After their disastrous meeting at To-Hell-You-Ride, she’d figured that they’d spend the rest of her visit in polite disdain publicly, and if the unfortuntate situation occurred where they would be forced to spend a private moment together…well, they’d probably end up killing each other.

She’d thought she had his number from the beginning. He was one of those guys who acted all laid back and understanding, but the second you did something they didn’t approve of, they were on your ass faster than a teenage virgin. It had only been a day, and Maria had already found herself on the end of that disapproval more times than she cared to remember.

If only she could figure out why it bothered her. It hadn’t at first, when she’d assumed him nothing more than just another jackass prick. She had not been happy to learn that he would be coming over that night, and had deliberately put on her skimpiest pajama set just to offend his so-called “sensibilities”. Oh, and it had worked like a charm. Only…he hadn’t appeared all that offended. More like…interested.

She wasn’t a dope. She knew when a guy was checking her out, and Michael Guerin had definitely liked what he’d seen, despite the crap he’d spouted off. Oh, she had his number all right. Disapprove, but secretly enjoy. Hypocritical bastard.

Only, he wasn’t. She’d learned that much over the night as they’d cared for Boots, the poor cat they’d all saved. She liked to think it was a joint effort, seeing as how Michael would have never been there to find him if Liz hadn’t called Max because Maria had just known that someone was outside stalking them.

It made her smile to think of the way Michael had outwardly acted indifferent to Boots – Maria had won the distinction of renaming the affectionate feline – yet when he’d thought no one was watching, he’d snuck him an extra saucer of milk. It was things like that that had her quickly reevaulating her opinion of Max’s best friend.

Well, if she was completely honest with herself - and why not be? – it also had something to do with the way he made her feel. Whenever he looked at her with those hazel eyes that were capable of expressing such emotion – mostly anger, or so she’d seen – it made her skin sizzle. She couldn’t deny it, the man was hot.

He wasn’t as obvious as Kyle, or as exotically handsome as Max, whom she’d had the distinct pleasure of meeting, and approving of immediately, earlier that night. He was perfect for her best friend, she’d known it within seconds of speaking to him. Just the way he looked at Liz, like a lovesick puppy…it made her giggle. She’d dubbed them Moondog and Gidget right then and there, enjoying it immensely when they erupted into similar blushes.

Max was dark and gorgeous, with eyes that were like liquid gold and a body that belonged on a calender, not wrapped up in flannel and denim. But he had nothing on Michael Guerin. Michael’s appeal was more subtle, but there all the same. In heavy, heavy doses.

God, if he gave her that half-smile with the cocked brow look one more time…she just might throw herself at him, damn the consequences. Who cared if they couldn’t stand each other? There was a thin line between love and hate, right? And anger was a form of passion. If he was aggreeable to it, then maybe they could just get it all out of their systems in a much more constructive way than fighting all the time.

It was this thought that had her perking up, a slow smile spreading across her lips as she sat up in bed. Her eyes immediately traveled to the bedroom door, open just a crack. Without giving her time to think, she got out of bed and grabbed her robe.

As she padded down the hallway, her pulse was racing, her blood pounding in excitement. Wild thoughts began to whirl about in her mind. Did Michael sleep naked? What would his lips feel like on her? Would he—

She entered the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. She’d expected to walk in and find him asleep on the couch. She could handle waking him up, then seguing into something…more.

He was, indeed, lying on the couch, but his eyes were wide open and focused on the fire in the corner. The flames flickered across his angular features, highlighting the intense expression that covered his face. A frown pulled at his lips, and his gaze seemed a million miles away.

She swallowed, quickly making the decision not to bother him, and turned around to head back to her own bedroom. The floorboards chose that moment to creak and she froze, unable to glance over to see if he’d heard. When he said nothing for a long moment, she released a quiet sigh and took a step forward.

“Raiding the kitchen for a midnight snack, Blondie?”

She froze again, plastering a casual expression on her face before turning to face him again. This time he’d trained that powerful gaze on her, and she felt the effects of it down to her bones. She shivered slightly.

“Cold?” His voice was husky and rough, like a fine Irish whiskey. She wondered if he got women based on his voice alone. Then he added, “Maybe you should bundle up in some of those clothes you brought.”

The mood was instantly shattered and she scowled. “Har freaking har.” No longer intimidated by him, she stomped in and threw herself in a chair by the fire, uncaring of the fact that the position afforded him a generous view of her legs. “I couldn’t sleep, for your information.”

He was quiet for another moment, and Maria almost began to wonder if he was ignoring her. Then that same husky tone, “Me either.”

She paused, reading something in his voice that she wasn’t sure she was supposed to. He sounded…utterly exhausted. And vulnerable. But what could a man like him have to be vulnerable about?

Okay, so Liz had taken her aside and explained about his younger sister. Maria had been shocked to learn that he was raising a handicapped teenager all on his own, and the things she’d said in the heat of anger had come back to haunt her and make her feel guilty. But at the same time, she could so see it. This man seemed too capable of doing anything he set his mind to, even if it was pissing off newcomers to his town. She had no doubts he did an awesome job with Tess, and from what Liz had told her, he had.

So was that what he worried about? Or was it something else? Or maybe…someone else? She didn’t particularly care to know that, but at the same time she found herself suddenly wanting to know everything about him. No matter how much he angered her, he was probably the most fascinating man she’d ever met.

She stayed quiet, not sure how to respond, when she caught him fiddling with a small piece of paper in his hand. It resembled a photograph, but she couldn’t be sure in this light. “What’s that?” she nodded towards his hand, her curiosity taking over her sudden shyness.

He glanced down at the object, blinked, and something in his gaze softened. “My sister,” he murmured. “I carry it around in my wallet.”

Maria raised a brow. “You sleep with your wallet?”

“Well, how was I supposed to know you wouldn’t try to come cop a feel then rob me blind?”

He was teasing, but it cut a little too close to the truth for Maria’s comfort. Well, not the robbing him blind part. But she’d definitely wanted to cop a feel. Several, in fact. Still did.

She cleared her throat and managed to retort in a snotty tone, “Not likely.” Thank God he couldn’t see the blush now crawling up her cheeks. And if he could, he’d just chalk it up to the fire.

“You’d be surprised,” he continued with a wry smile. “I’ve been told my money and my ass are my two best features.”

“Oh, give me a break,” she rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep from giggling. She turned, letting her legs fall to the ground and pushed her hair back from her eyes. “Can I see what she looks like?”

He gave her that raised-browed look that she loved/hated, and then stated in a slightly surprised voice, “Why?”

“Because I want to see if her mug’s as ugly as yours,” she volleyed. “Come on, show it to me.”

“Well, come over here. I’m comfortable already.”

“Ugh, men are so freaking lazy,” Maria groaned, but got up anyway. He sat up and made room for her beside him, but they still had to sit so close together that she could feel the heat of him seeping into her bare legs and side. In a desperate attempt to ignore her once again surging hormones, she grabbed for the picture. “Gimme.”

“God, women are so freaking nosy,” he mimicked her tone, holding the picture just far enough away that her fingers grasped thin air. “Now look at me and say, Michael, I apologize for calling you a lazy bum.”

“I didn’t call you a bum!”

“You were thinking it,” he sniffed in exaggerated upset. “Come on, let’s hear it.”

“If you think you’re going to get me to apologize to you for anything…just to see some dumb old picture, you’re crazy! How do I know that’s not some naked photo of yourself that you like to carry around to make yourself feel…feel virile!”

She knew she was the one who sounded crazy, but she couldn’t quite function properly this close to him. Her eyes had gotten stuck somewhere around his mouth and they weren’t moving, no matter how hard she tried.

“Oh, so that’s why you’re so hard-up to see it then,” he answered with a wicked grin. “Well, baby, all you had to do was ask…”

“Oh, please!” she cried out, then cast a look in the direction of Liz’s bedroom. Lowering her voice she hissed, “Oh, please. You are sooo full of yourself. I don’t know what I was thinking even coming in here. I obviously am crazy, for even thinking for one second that you weren’t a complete, stubborn bast—”

She suddenly found herself cut off as warm lips covered her own. She trailed off with a squeak as she felt his tongue dart out to wet her lower lip. Her fingers clenched in the cushion below her and she blinked dazedly as he slowly pulled back.

His own eyes were heavy-lidded and burning with something other than the reflection of the fire. Only then did she notice he was staring at her mouth, too, and probably had been for awhile. When they both looked up at each other, breathing shallowly in the still room, Maria wondered if she’d somehow ended up drunk after all.

Of course, the first thing out of his mouth was, “I needed to shut you up.”

She blinked again, trying to process his words in her mind. Had he really just…did he actually have the nerve to…oh hell, he did. He had. “You unbelievable jackass! How the hell dare you, are you some kind of—”

Once again, he kissed her, only this time she was ready. She opened her mouth under his, feeding him her tongue as his fingers buried in her hair. He slid his palms down her neck, lower across her back and pulled her closer as they both let out a long groan. He pulled away again, panting as he gulped for breath and stared at her through shocked eyes.

“I did that to—”

“Shut up,” she grumbled, yanking his head back down to hers. “Just…don’t talk.”

“Yes ma’am…” he managed before their mouths were too occupied to speak again.

She wasn’t sure how long it lasted; it seemed like hours they spent on that sofa while hands caressed, breaths heaved and lips trailed, but just as things were getting interesting the horrifying sound of a key being inserted inside a lock broke through their content bubble of lust.

Maria was the one to pull away this time, gasping as she practically fell on the floor in the attempt to move away from Michael. She ran her fingers through her hair, refusing to glance at him as the door opened.

Max didn’t see them as he shut the door behind him, locking it and briefly resting his forehead against the panelling before turning around. He took one step then froze, blinking at them through tired eyes. “Um…hey.”

“Hi,” Maria chirped in an unnaturally high voice. Michael remained silent. “We were just…looking at pictures. Michael was showing me pictures of his sister, weren’t you, Michael?”

When he still didn’t answer, she discreetly dug her heel into his foot and was pleased to hear him curse beneath his breath before muttering, “Yeah. Whatever.”

She was aware of him and Max watching each other, somehow communicating in some sort of man-code without words. Feeling desperate, she stood up and yawned so loudly that she feared she might have cracked her jaw. “Well, I’m pooped. I guess I’ll head to bed. Night, Max. Michael.”

“Goodnight,” Max echoed politely, but Michael just grunted. Feeling decidely irritated with and at him, she tossed him a frigid look before turning and stomping towards her room. She planned on shutting the door and crawling beneath the covers to relive every torrid detail of their…encounter. God, torrid?? They hadn’t even made it to third base, so to speak.

But the sound of low voices caught her attention as her hand stayed frozen on the knob. She held her breath, trying to catch the snippets of conversation as Michael got ready to leave. Max’s deep voice spoke first, followed by Michael’s.

“Um…should I even bother asking?”

“Probably not.”

Maria’s face flamed and she silently cursed herself a million times over. Great, now Max was going to think she was some slut out to seduce all of his friends. The fact that she actually sort of had planned to seduce Michael was beside the point. So was the fact that she’d originally found Kyle beyond sexy. Oh no, she was a slut!

“Listen, don’t say anything to Liz, all right?” Michael was speaking again, and Maria struggled to determine his words through the crack of the door. “This was…I don’t know what the hell it was, but I don’t want her to worry. You know, about Maria.”

“She’d worry about you, too,” Max insisted. “But Michael, are you telling me there’s something to worry about?”

“NO!”

She caught that word loud and clear. A scowl darkened her features even as her heart sunk. Stupid jackass. What the hell did she care what he thought? So what if he could kiss like a freaking god…

“I mean, it’s just…I don’t know, all right?” he continued in frustration. “Look, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re not on the clock,” Max pointed out and Maria smirked. Obviously that kiss had shaken him up some. Good.

“Oh…right.” What. An. Idiot. She was starting to feel much better.

“Michael, have you been drinking? Are you sure you should drive?” Max’s concerned voice reached her eavesdropping ears. “You seem a little…”

“I’m fine,” Michael replied in a totally choked voice. “Believe me, a little driving won’t hurt me. Especially if I drive with all the windows open.”

Maria snickered, then clapped a hand over her mouth and wondered if they’d heard her. The only sound that followed was that of the door quietly closing, and she stepped back as Max’s footsteps approached. She heard him enter his bedroom and Liz’s soft voice, clouded with sleep, called out, “Max?”

“It’s me, baby,” he replied gently, then the door closed and she heard no more.


To Be Continued...

Okay guys! Here it is...final chapter. HUGE thank you to everyone who went along for the ride, especially all you who have never read candy before. If you've enjoyed this fic, I encourage you to try more candy in the future. It's always fun to experience a change, and there are many wonderful candy writers out there.

I'm pleased to say that this is NOT the end of this series. There's still one more, featuring Alex and Isabel. I'm not sure when I should start posting it, seeing as how it's a Valentine's Day fic, and we're nowhere near February. Oh well, you guys let me know if you want me to wait, or go ahead and start posting. In the meantime...enjoy.

hugs,

Lindsay


<center>Part Three</center>



The next several days Maria really had a chance to see Liz in her element, which was Max Evans. It was almost disgusting how good the two were together, but she couldn’t deny the surge of pleasure that filled her heart everytime she saw Max sneak a kiss or cop a discreet feel. She thought about making fun of them, but decided it was the season to be jolly, so she let the inclination pass. After all, she could always save it up for later, then really make them both blush.

As Kyle had predicted, the weather took a turn for the worse as heavy snow flurries descended upon Telluride on New Years Eve. Roads were closed and Alex and Isabel’s flight was canceled, much to Maria’s frustration. She’d hoped to enact her plan and then get the hell out of town before she went absolutely bonkers.

Surprisingly enough, the threat of going crazy wasn’t due to the atmosphere. In point of fact, Maria had fallen in love with the cozy little mountain town, however reluctantly. But she couldn’t imagine anyone who could look out their bedroom window and see the frosted caps of the Rockies jutting majestically in the distance, seeming to reach up to the heavens themselves, and not fall in love. It was a moving sight, and one that she simply couldn’t get enough of.

Of course, she could have done without the snow. She hated having to bundle up every time she set foot out of the door, but she did it with only minimal grumbling, much to Liz and Max’s amusement. It seemed her friends knew of her secret adoration for Telluride. And why shouldn’t they? They felt it themselves.

No, it wasn’t the scenery that was making her wish she’d never come. Rather, it was one incredibly sexy yet absolutely clueless bartender by the name of Michael Guerin. Just his name could make steam start to rise from inside her.

She’d spent the days after their “encounter” casually pumping Liz and Max respectively for any and all information on their friend, and Max hadn’t seemed to mind divulging a few juicy facts. But Liz had immediately caught on to Maria’s interest, and had considered the news extremely surprising, seeing as how she remembered their mutual distaste not even a week ago.

Of course, Maria had told her best friend everything, and the two had squealed and giggled like schoolgirls. Liz had claimed, “I just knew there was something there…you two were acting so strange! It was all those hormones bouncing around.”

Maria had been inclined to agree, although she couldn’t resist pointing out that it had been Michael who had been acting strange. Not her.

She’d used every excuse imaginable to find herself at To-Hell-You-Ride whenever Michael had been working, and dragged Liz along for moral support. She wasn’t sure why, but while she couldn’t wait to set eyes on Michael again after their steamy session on the couch, she was equal parts nervous anxiety. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect from him, which was something new to her. She was used to wrapping men around her fingers, to being the one in charge of the relationship. To knowing what to expect. It was how she worked, and she’d be damned if she gave Michael Guerin an edge. Even if he did have the sexiest lips…

Of course, their first meeting after “the event” had been less than stellar, in Maria’s opinion. Michael had all but ignored her, deciding he needed to go and check the keg lines in the back room and having another employee man the bar as soon as Maria and Liz had walked in. Maria was put off, but shoved aside any feelings of insecurity and plopped down at the bar, waiting for him.

When he’d come back out, he’d seemed surprised to see her. And nervous, as well. That cheered her up slightly. Perhaps he was confused, as well. After all, she could admit to herself that his kisses had thrown something inside of her off course. Hopefully he was experiencing the same.

As it turned out, he had been. It had taken her three days, and Liz had finally decided to leave them to their awkward and halfhearted bickering and had stayed home, but Maria had finally managed to bring up that night they’d met. It had been almost amusing, his horrified expression.

“What about it?” he’d brazened, eyes narrowed and muscles tensed like he was expecting an attack.

Maria felt like attacking him, he was so damn clueless, but instead she’d offered him a smile and answered, “It was fun. Don’t you think?”

He’d stared at her, and from the absolute bafflement coloring his features she assumed he definitely hadn’t expected that reaction. Sure enough, he’d stammered out, “W-what?”

She’d heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes for extra emphasis and spoke slowly and clearly. “I said, it was fun. Jesus, do you need a white flag?”

That had broken him out of whatever daze he’d been immersed in, and he’d given her that sexy smirk that she turned her on more than she ever wanted to let him know. “I think you’ve already given me one, sugar,” he’d murmured in a husky drawl, raising his brows pointedly enough to make her blush. Her! Blushing! It was ridiculous.

After that, everything they’d said had a flirtatious undertone that excited and frustrated her. Excited, because she just could not wait to get her hands on him again – to enjoy the feel of those ruggedly carved muscles beneath her fingers – and frustrated because there didn’t seem to be a time soon that it would happen.

As it had turned out, he was working all week until New Years and was pulling double duty helping his sister with her winter youth projects. He didn’t have any free time available for play, much to Maria’s disappointment. Then he’d suggested, oh so casually, that if she wanted to stop by his place later that day, they could hang out while he and Tess worked.

It was embarrassing how quickly she’d jumped at the chance. Well, inwardly at least. On the outside, she’d managed to nod casually and reply in a flippant tone, “Maybe I’ll be there. What’s the address?”

So that was how she managed to find herself, driving through a freaking blizzard, on New Year’s Eve. As the windshield wipers swiped at an astonishingly rapid rate, she squinted to see ahead of her while mentally going over the directions he’d given her.

“All right, turn left on 306 Adams Ranch Road…this is it,” she mumbled to herself, steering the wheel towards a charming row of townhouses. Flakes pelted her as she jumped out, squealing against the wind and cold as she trudged through the snow towards Michael’s home.

She pounded on the door, feeling much like a Popsicle wearing Gap as she waited for someone to answer. She knew her lips had to be blue…and oh God, had she lost the feeling in her legs? She must have been crazy to have come out here in this! Liz and Max had looked at her like she was nuts for it, and no doubt she was! She was already imagining the onset of hypothermia when Michael’s voice filled her ears.

“Maria?”

She blinked, turning to stare at the door that was now spread wide open, Michael’s tall frame standing there watching her. She opened her mouth to speak, and managed, “I think I have frostbite.”

His reaction was swift. “What? Come here,” he reached for her, lines of worry creasing his brow as he pulled her inside, shutting the door afterwards. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s…cold,” her teeth chattered. “Need…something…warm…”

“Good God, tell me you didn’t walk here,” he demanded, helping her out of her coats and rubbing her arms gently to restart circulation. “Did you?”

She frowned. “N-no, I drove. So cold…”

He paused in the action of removing her second coat. When he spoke again, there was a hint of exasperation coloring his tone. “Are you telling me, you think you have frostbite because you walked from your car to the door?”

She nodded quickly, not recognizing the absurdity of her claim. All she knew, was that she was freezing. And she hated snow. And winter.

Michael let her go and started laughing so loudly that Maria was abruptly pulled from her desperate imaginings. She glared at him as he bent half-over, hands resting on his knees as tears filled his eyes. “Just what the hell’s so funny?” she demanded in a frosty tone that rivaled the weather outside. “I could have been frostbitten, you know! It’s cold outside!”

He only laughed harder. Annoyance began to burn hotly inside of her, melting away any lingering chilliness better than a fire could have. She huffed, yanking off a heavy sweater so she could cross her arms over her chest and give him her most evil glare. “My lips are probably blue!”

That seemed to pull him out of his fit of hilarity. He wiped his eyes, slowly righting himself as he took a step closer. His eyes had darkened, and she took an unconscious step backward at the expression on his face. She swallowed, and he grinned. “I bet I could warm them up,” he whispered in a devilish tone.

She couldn’t help it; she moaned. Oh, for shame! He was already taking the upper hand, and she wouldn’t have it. She steeled herself, setting her shoulders and staring up at him. “Prove it.”

He blinked in fleeting surprise, then his grin vanished and he took another step closer. They were nearly touching, and he reached a finger up to play along her lower lip. He began to speak lowly, with a touch of surprise in his voice. And confusion. “You make me want…”

Heart beating rapidly, she licked her lip and the action wetted his finger in the process. This time, the groan was his. She leaned up on her toes as he lowered his head…

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Maria whipped around to find a smalll blonde watching them with a mixture of amusement and apology. She took in the age of the woman and quickly released a silent sigh of relief. This must be Tess, Michael’s sister. He wouldn’t have to die.

Sure enough, Michael cleared his throat and walked over to the petite blonde, throwing an arm across her shoulders and grinning proudly. “Maria, meet my sister.” He turned slightly to the younger woman and added, “Tess, this is the one I was telling you about.”

Well, if that didn’t make her wonder…

Tess’ gaze grew knowing and she nodded quickly. “Nice to meet you, Maria. I hope you didn’t have too much trouble getting here, with the blizzard and all.” Her voice had a musical quality to it, and was slightly affected with a waver that she assumed was due to her hearing impairment.

Michael snorted at her words, and Maria felt her face flush as she shot him a dark look. Turning back to Tess, she offered Michae’s sister a smile, not exactly sure how to proceed. She’d never been around anyone who was handicapped, although she didn’t hold anything against them, of course. She simply didn’t know how to act, afraid something she said or did would come across as rude. Of course, there were those who would say that was because she had a tendency to be rude…

She caught Michael watching her with an unreadable expression, and she knew that whatever her reaction towards his sister would be, it would determine a lot of what he thought of her as well. She tried not to think of that, and instead concentrated on Tess. “Thank you,” she replied sunnily, making sure she spoke clearly enough as she noticed the woman reading her lips. “It’s nice to know some people care. I could have run off the road and landed in a ditch, buried until next summer or whenever the hell the snow dries up in this place!”

By the end of her diatribe she realized she’d gone from speaking directly to Tess, to turning and yelling at Michael. Her gaze bounced back to Tess, but the blonde didn’t appear offended by her inability to allow her to lipread. Instead, she was giggling behind her hand and flashing her brother amused glances. Michael looked smug, as well.

“Now don’t worry about that, darlin’,” he assured her with a wink. “We’d have found you sometime around April, for sure.”

Maria stuck out her tongue. Childish, she knew, but really…she couldn’t say what she truly wanted in front of young and impressionable eyes. Tess didn’t really need to know what a pain in the ass her brother was. At that, she probably already knew.

The phone chose that moment to ring, and Michael squeezed Tess’ shoulders before walking towards the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll make this quick.”

Maria nodded while Tess moved to the couch and began rifling through several sheets of paper spread across the coffeetable. Maria took this opportunity to study Michael’s sibling. Despite Tess’ bright blue eyes and golden hair, she resembled Michael in a way that made it obvious the two were related. Added to that, the easy comfort that existed between the two of them made it equally as obvious.

Tess was by all means beautiful, and Maria had the fleeting wish that she’d been as amply endowed when she’d been that age. She’d looked more like a boy than a girl. She still remembered the day she’d finally grown into a C cup and she and Liz had gone out for drinks to celebrate her growing boobs. Of course, Liz was even less curvy than she was, but her best friend possessed a gentle femininity that naturally drew men, whereas Maria was all fire and flash.

Tess must have felt her eyes on her, because she glanced up with a smile. She tucked a few blonde curls behind one ear and said, “He was worried, you know. Kept watching the news and pacing the floor and looking out the window. I think he almost called Max and Liz to tell them not to let you come, but then you were already here.”

Maria beamed at that. “Really,” she drawled in a pleased tone. “Good…”

As if reading her thoughts, Tess grinned and looked back at her papers before glancing back up. “By the way, I love your coats.”


<center>***</center>


After Michael hung up with Max, he walked back into the living room to find Maria and Tess sitting cross-legged on the floor, Maria enthusiastically explaining something or another while Tess sat by, avidly reading her lips and nodding.

He leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed and a smile on his face as he watched the two of them. Tess spoke, an excitement evident in his sister’s voice that he’d never heard her use around new strangers. Not even with Liz had she warmed up this quickly.

As for Maria, she was laughing and interacting with Tess like she was her new best friend. It gave Michael that same funny clench, and he absently rubbed his chest. He’d had a passing moment of concern when he’d first introduced Tess to Maria, having read the abject fear in Maria’s vibrant green eyes. He’d worried she wouldn’t be able to handle Tess’ handicap, and he’d been surprised at the disappointment that had filled him at the thought.

It wouldn’t have been the first time. He couldn’t remember the number of times he’d met a woman, enjoyed her, then she’d either met or found out about Tess and had a freak-out of epic proportions. They never came out and said it, but he knew what had made them feel uncomfortable enough to break it off.

Personally, he couldn’t imagine why. It wasn’t as if Tess was crippled, and even if she were, that shouldn’t be a reason to make anyone feel awkward. Handicaps weren’t something to fear, they were as much a part of life as anything else. Maybe he’d lived among it for so long that he simply couldn’t understand some of the average person’s concern of those who were considered “inferior”. And what a load of bullshit that was.

Tess wasn’t inferior. Hell, she was smarter than he was. She made better grades in school, participated in several extra-curriculer activities during the school year and summer, and still found the time to help out in several organizations across town. People who saw her life as a struggle just didn’t have a clue.

“But are you sure that will work?” Tess bit her lip nervously, and Michael tuned back into the conversation with interest.

“Duh!” Maria chortled. “He’ll be—”

“What are we up to in here?” he interrupted slyly, stepping inside the room and making his presence known. Tess saw him and her face turned a dark shade of red. She averted her gaze and started twirling her hair around one finger, a sure sign she didn’t want him to know what had been said.

He raised a brow, turning to Maria with question in his eyes. “Well?”

Maria raised a brow back. “It’s private, big boy. Who was on the phone?”

His eyes returned to Tess, who had read Maria’s words and was looking at her with something akin to hero worship. Michael’s gaze narrowed, and he vowed to find out one way or another what their conversation had been about. He wasn’t nosy, he just didn’t like being left out of the loop. But for now, he decided to let it go. He knew he’d have more luck coercing the truth out of Maria than Tess. His sister could get lockjaw when she didn’t want Michael to know something.

“It was Max,” he answered Maria’s question, “calling to check up on you and make sure you got here all right. Then we talked a bit about how crazy you are to even bother coming out in this mess in the first place.”

“You invited me!” she retorted hotly, but he detected a hint of hurt in her voice as well. She stood up, turning to grab her extra clothing. “Forget it, I’ll just leave. It’s obvious you’d rather me not be here. Goodbye.”

His mouth dropped open. Good God, she was something else! “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he called out as she started jerking her coat across her shoulders. Tess was back to grinning at him like the Cheshire Cat, obviously enjoying his fluster. She’d never seen her brother act this bumbling around a woman. As it was, he never had.

“Goodbye,” Maria repeated, sniffing delicately as she snatched up a sweater and attempted to pull it over her head. It wouldn’t budge and she yanked on it angrily. “Dammit! What the…”

“It might help if you took off your coat first,” Michael answered in as calm a tone as he could manage, seeing as how he wanted to burst out laughing. What was it about this woman? She could make him irritated and turned on at the same time, and she made him laugh more than anyone he’d ever known. She was quirky and full of fire, and God help him…he adored her.

Maria humphed in indignation at his remark, but spots of color burned in her cheeks as she removed the sweater and started pulling off her coat. “Right. I’ll be just a moment.”

Michael’s mouth worked like a fish. He wanted to yell at her to stop being silly, that of course she wasn’t going any damn place! But he seemed incapable of speech, having just come to the startling realization that he liked her. Okay, he’d already known that. But he was terribly afraid his admiration and attraction of her had morphed into something…else.

Noting his distress, Tess spoke up from her spot on the floor. “Maria, it’s too dangerous for you to go out tonight. Please stay.”

“Yeah,” he added inanely.

Maria paused, turning to stare at him through hard eyes even as she directed her comment to Tess. "He doesn’t want me here.”

Michael resisted the urge to roll his eyes with frustration. “You know I do,” he grumbled. “Look, I didn’t mean for it to sound like I didn’t…”

“Then why did you?”

He still had his mouth open, and when she interrupted he stared at her dumbly. Tess cleared her throat, excusing herself to her room and leaving them both alone. “Why did I…wait, what did I do, exactly?” he demanded.

Maria squealed with irritation. “What did you do? First, you exist. Do you think I planned on this? No! I came here for the express purpose of breaking up Alex and his bimbo fiancee, and visiting Max and Liz. And then you started in with your asinine rude comments and all-around idiocy—”

Michael blinked. “Wait a second. Who the hell is Al—”

“—and furthermore,” she continued as though he’d never interrupted – boy, she was on a roll now, and all he could do was sit back and watch – “why did you have to show up that night? Huh? Why couldn’t it have been Max? I could have handled Max. But nooo…he had to send you, with your stupid smirk and your…your freaking mouth, and well, that ended up happening. And I never asked you to kiss me! And what did you say? Oh yeah, ‘I did it so you’d shut up’, or some stupid crap like that. Well, listen up bucko! No one says that to Maria DeLuca. And then, then, you had the absolute nerve to try and avoid me? You can’t just go kissing people and then taking it back! No one does that to Maria De—why the hell are you smiling?”

“You like me.” It was said with every bit of smugness she’d attributed to him.

Her mouth dropped open and her face turned beet-red with anger. And embarrassment, probably. “I do not!” she roared in a frightening voice.

Michael just grinned. “Do too. That little soliloquy just proved it.”

“Oooohh….you are out of your mind! Like you? Please. I can’t stand you! I was only in it for the kissing, which I’ll admit was above-average…”

“Uh huh.” He took a step closer.

“…but no. I’ve decided it’s not worth it. You…you…you’re…I…I’m leaving. Now. Goodbye.”

“I don’t think so,” he growled, catching her arm and pulling her back against his chest. When she opened her mouth to blast him, he quickly covered her lips with his hand. “Now you listen to me…ouch!”

She’d bitten him! She’d actually bitten him. He moved his hand away and glared at her before looking down at the teethmarks puncturing his palm. “Oh, you’re gonna get it now, sugar.”

“I don’t want it,” she sneered.

“Oh yeah you do, and I’m gonna give it to you.” He didn’t care how cliché that sounded, he was beyond pissed and turned on more than he ever remembered being. “Christ, you make me want to…to…”

“What?” she scoffed. “What is the big, mean bully going to do to the poor, hapless woman?”

“Hapless?” he laughed. “Baby, look at my hand.”

“You deserved it! Trying to suffocate me—”

“I wanted to get a word in edgewise!” he broke in. “And I damn well will. You think you’re a picnic, sweetheart? I’ve never wanted to strangle a woman so bad, or fuck her either. Yeah, fuck, and I know you’ve heard the word so don’t go gasping like a little prude.”

“How dare—”

“How dare I, blah blah blah,” he used his hand to illustrate her jabbering on. “Yeah, I’ve heard it already, okay? Point is, you like it. Oh yeah, you think I can’t tell when you’re excited? Your nipples get harder than a cement block, and I can even tell through your five sweaters.”

“I am not wearing five sweaters! And my nipples are none of your business!” she exclaimed, but she was flushed and her eyes were glazed with desire.

“Yet,” he purred in a dangerous voice. “Now, you’re going to shut up for five seconds so I can tell you something. No more of these dramatics, or I really will strangle you and just think of all the above-average kissing you’ll be missing out on.”

“Pig!”

As if he hadn’t heard her, he added, “How do you think I felt when I saw you walk in that day? You should have looked ridiculous, standing there in all those clothes. Couldn’t even lower your damn arms. Hair all messy and so tired I nearly thought you’d pass out on your face. And those eyes…you looked at me like I was something you’d found growing on your bathroom tile. So yeah, it pissed me off, because I wanted you even then. You and your smart mouth. And I didn’t want to want you, not some fiesty out-of-towner with more brawn than brains.”

“Hey!”

“But I did. And I still do, which I think I proved the other night. As to that, you weren’t exactly begging me to stop, so don’t try to pull that ‘I didn’t kiss you!” garbage on me. You were into it, sugar, and if Max hadn’t walked in when he had, we would have both been a little more satisfied, and there wouldn’t be this insane tension going on. So…I’m going to fix that. Then maybe you’ll realize a little something else.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” she demanded, eyes narrowed and hot, but her tone was breathless, giving her away.

“That I like you, too.”

Maria froze, eyes trained firmly on him as he uttered the words in a gutteral admission that rang in his ears. For the first time since they’d started arguing, there was a moment of silence, punctuated by heavy breathing on both sides. They watched each other warily, as if knowing it would only take a sudden movement for either to pounce.

The not-so-subtle sound of Tess locking her bedroom door made Michael wince, and he felt a flush creeping along his neck as he imagined his seventeen year old sister knowing just what he was up to. Lord, what an influence he was.

Maria spoke first, unable to meet his gaze. “So…you like me, huh?”

It was such an innocuous question that he wanted to laugh. He felt like he was back in grade school, being asked to bubble in yes or no. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Her eyes darted to his and she answered in a crisper tone, “You think, or you know?”

Amusement fled at the insecurity evident in her tone and eyes. “I know,” he answered quietly.

She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay. All right.” And then she started removing her coat. Michael watched in silence as a sweater followed, until she was clad in only a long-sleeved thermal shirt.

“Uh, what are you doing?” he asked in a raspy voice as her fingers went to the hem of the shirt.

Maria looked at him like he was the slowest kid in class. “Getting ready to fuck our brains out. You?”

“Oh,” he answered inanely as a slow heat infused him. Then, “Wait, what? Here?”

“Where’s your bedroom?” she asked softly, turning her gaze up to his.

“Oh shit,” he practically groaned. “Uh, follow me.” He almost skipped to his room, continuously throwing looks over his shoulder. She looked as eager as he did, but still he had to be sure. “Maria…are you sure you want to do this? We don’t have—”

“I…I want to, Michael. I can’t stand it anymore,” she interrupted, biting her lip.

“Thank God.” He threw open his door and grabbed her, pulling her inside as they both fell onto the bed in a torrent of laughter. Then his lips were on hers and they were both moaning, hands skimming over clothing and pulling it away.

“Gotta…get…naked,” Maria managed between kisses. Michael just shook his head, unable to believe she was making his laugh even now. He’d never had so much fun in bed, just one more aspect Maria DeLuca obviously brought out in him.

“I can help with that,” he responded silkily, catching her mouth again as his hands went to the button of her pants. She pulled away long enough to drag both of their shirts off, then lifted her hips so he could yank her pants down her legs. Michael sat back on his knees and took a moment to admire the figure laying across his bed. “Goddamn, I love your underwear.”

“Thanks. Now, take it off.”

“No problem.”

They wrestled around for a few more minutes, and Maria used her teeth again – in a much better way, Michael thought – to remove his boxers. He flipped her over so that he was on top and growled into her neck, “So, how do you want it?”

“You’re letting me decide? Awesome!” she stated happily.

“Yeah well, don’t get a big head about it.”

“There’s only room for one “big head” in this bed,” she replied naughtily, making Michael’s eyes cross as she used her hands to demonstrate. “And I wanna be on top.”

“Once again, I do not have a problem with this.”

She crawled over him, and they both went quiet as the sound of a wrapper being torn filled the air. She helped him cover himself, then without preamble, got to work.

It was the best sex of his life. The feel of her, and what she made him feel blew him sky-high as they twisted and writhed together across his plain jersey sheets. He ended up on top, driving her into the mattress as she begged throatily for more. He’d never felt better.

When it was over, they lay side by side and out of breath, staring at the ceiling. Michael cleared his throat, momentarily blushing over some of the things that had come out of his mouth in the heat of the moment. He wasn’t really given to dirty talk, but with her it made him hot, and she seemed to like it as well. Still, he couldn’t imagine doing it with any other woman.

The stray thought of other women made him frown. It was surprising for him to realize he didn’t want any other women. He was a healthy twenty-six year old male; he should be wanting women, women and more women. But the idea didn’t appeal to him, and in truth it never had. Plus, the idea of himself with other women made him think of Maria with other men, and that image was just…unacceptable. He’d kill anyone who tried to touch her.

The protective instinct that came over him at that moment sort of reminded him of the way he felt about Tess, minus any and all romantic feelings. But that need to defend and take care of…he glanced over at her and saw that she was nearly asleep.

He grinned and nudged her with a shoulder. “What, no pillow-talk? A guy could feel used around here.”

“Mmm…” was her sleepy comment. “You wore me out, stud.”

Michael shifted to his side and studied her, head propped on one fist. His free hand drifted down her side and across her hip, leaving a trail of goosebumps as she shivered. A smile crossed his lips. “You loved it, though,” he whispered sensually, bending down to brush a kiss against her lips.

“Mmmhmm,” sighed, opening up to kiss him more deeply. Her lashes fluttered, revealing smiling green eyes. “Ready for round two?”

“Uh, not quite,” he laughed. “I know I’m incomparable, but I do need some time to recuperate.” She blew a raspberry at him, but snuggled closer and threw one leg over his hip. He stared at her for a long moment, strange feelings pounding in his chest and stomach. Feelings he was afraid to put a name to. Clearing his throat, he tried for a new subject. “So, what were you and Tess talking about earlier when I walked in?”

“She likes…” Maria trailed off in a gasp, sitting up and nearly bumping his head as she glared at him. “Nice try!”

“She likes who?” he demanded, narrowing his gaze warily. “Tell me.”

“No way, I’m no traitor. If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you.”

“She’s my responsibility,” he denied.

“She’s her own responsibility,” Maria corrected. “And she can handle herself. My God, the girl’s more stable than I am.”

“That’s saying something,” Michael snorted sarcastically. “Hey, ouch!”

Maria looked smug. “That’ll remind you to watch your mouth.”

He rubbed the back of his head with a pouty expression. “Stop manhandling me.”

She rolled her eyes and flipped onto her stomach. The sheets twisted, revealing the dip in her lower back and just the barest hint of the curves beneath. Michael’s gaze became immediately transfixed, and he nearly missed Maria’s next words.

“…nothing to worry about. Liz says this kid is completely awesome, all right?”

“Wait, what kid? The one Tess likes?” Michael asked. “Just tell me who it is, I swear I won’t do anything. I already know she likes someone, so what do you have to lose?”

“No!” Maria laughed. “Well, maybe if you beg…”

“Beg?” Michael’s gaze cleared and he grinned. “I can do that…”

He disappeared under the blankets and Maria let out a gasp that turned into a moan of pleasure. “It’s Shon Valenti! For God’s sake, Michael, don’t stop!”

His head reappeared and he tsked. “That was just too easy…wait a damn minute, did you say Shon?” He was on his feet so fast his head started to spin.

“Um…did I say that?” Maria looked sheepish. “Damn it, I do suck at secrets. I told her so.”

“Shon? He’s only…he’s…he’s fourteen!” Michael sputtered, shoving both hands through his hair as he paced the bedroom floor. “She can’t like him.”

“He’s almost fifteen, isn’t he?” Maria asked, amusement in her voice as she watched him. “And if he looks anything like his big brother, then I don’t blame her.”

“But that’s a two year difference and she’s almost…wait a damn…what did you say?”

She blinked. “Um. He’s almost fifteen?”

“About Kyle,” Michael growled, stalking towards her with a menacing expression. “What did you say about Kyle.”

“Oh please, don’t get your Jockey’s in a twist,” Maria waved a hand, then considered. “Not that you’re wearing any. You’re cuter than he is.”

That was the moment Michael realized he was running around fuming, absolutely butt-naked. “Shit.”

Maria narrowed her gaze, studying him. “You know, that seemed much bigger a few minutes ago…”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Oh yes, I…” she trailed off as Michael pounced, capturing her lips in a punishing kiss that turned hot and heavy within seconds. He was about to slide back inside her when fireworks suddenly exploded outside of the window and they both jumped in surprise.

“What the…” Michael started, then seemed to remember. “Hey, Happy New Year.” Then he moved to complete his objective, spreading her legs wider. A funny little gasp from her throat caught his attention, and he looked up.

Maria stared at him in horror. “Oh no…”

“What?” he wondered, disliking her tone and the expression on her face. “What is it?”

“I…we can’t do this,” Maria exclaimed, jumping out from under him and pulling the sheets tight around her.

“What the hell are you babbling about? We’ve already done that,” he pointed out. “Hey…”

“Don’t touch me!” she shrieked, then looked taken aback. “Oh God, I’m sorry. It’s just that…I…”

“What?” he asked, feeling his stomach sink at her face. “Did I…do something?”

She stared at the wall for a moment, then blurted out. “It’s a silly superstition, I know. But I’m superstitious and well…it can’t happen. I won’t be around after next week, and we…this can’t happen.”

Michael wasn’t exactly sure what she was talking about, but seven words echoed in his mind. I won’t be around after next week…

He’d known that was the case all along, hadn’t he? It wasn’t like he’d expected she’d suddenly fall in love with Telluride and want to stay…fall in love… with him? The random thought attacked his brain with all the subtlety of a sledghammer and he jerked as if he’d actually been struck.

Christ, is this what was happening? Had he been in love with her from the moment she’d walked into his bar, all flash and fire? Or had it been the first time they’d spoken, clashing with each other over Liz’s cell phone on Christmas Eve? Or had it been some time after, some undefinable moment this past week he’d gotten to know her better than he’d known any woman?

She kept talking, completely oblivious to the thoughts racing around inside his brain. “I don’t walk under ladders, I never spill the salt, and black cats make me run away screaming. So…I can’t do this with you, Michael. I can’t be with you that way on New Years Eve.”

Understanding dawned. “Because that means we’ll be together in the New Year,” he summed up.

She nodded rapidly. “Exactly.”

“And…that bothers you?” he asked softly, looking up beneath his lashes at her. His heart was pounding so loudly he could hear it echoing in his ears. Time seemed to be suspended as he awaited her answer.

She looked confused, and not a little sad, herself. “Bother me? Not exactly…it just isn’t fair, is it? To you, I mean.”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t.” His voice sounded dull and accusing, such a change from moments before when he’d been playful and exuberant. But he hadn’t known then…hadn’t been able to recognize what had been building steadily inside him. Apparently, he was the only one with the problem.

Something flashed in her eyes and she began to breathe harder. “Michael…” she reached out a hand, but he moved away.

“No, it’s fine. Forget it. I’m thirsty.” He pulled on his pants and moved towards the door, ignoring the silence behind him. His fingers were closing around knob when he cursed himself and spun back around. His gaze was sullen, his tone desperate. “And what if I wanted to? Wanted to try, I mean. What would you say to that?”

She released a shallow sigh, shaking her head. “It’s just this talking,” she motioned towards the mussed sheets. Her tongue darted across her lips and she added, “It’ll wear off, and you’ll be glad.”

Something wild and crazy went through him at that comment. Glad? She thought he’d be glad to see her go? Was she absolutely insane? He’d joked about it before, but now he wondered. It must have been this hot-blooded rage that was filling him that made him do it, much like the day he’d deliberately spilled hot chocolate all over her. “And what if I’m not? What if…what if I told you…I think I’m in love with you?”

She gasped, and he felt his entire face tighten with tense strain. She looked away from him, blinking rapidly before she managed, “Think, or know?”

“I know,” he echoed his earlier words, realizing his voice was accusing and angry. And hurt. She didn’t answer for a long moment, and he yelled, “Well? What do you have to say?”

She finally met his gaze, and he caught the hint of tears on her lashes in the moonlight that spilled from the window, across the bed. But she only shook her head and whispered, “I’d say…that’s not possible.”


<center>***</center>


Maria was in hell. Actually, hell was far preferable at the moment. She couldn’t get the memory of Michael’s hands out of her mind, the way they felt on her body. Coming in at a close second, were his lips. God, he could kiss like a master. Just thinking about it was enough to make her hot, and yes, that was a serious problem. Because Michael no longer wanted anything to do with her.

He hadn’t come back after he’d made his astounding announcement and disappeared into the kitchen. She’d finally garnered up the courage to go and look for him a half-hour later, and had found him sleeping on the couch. She doubted he was actually asleep, but he’d ignored her so thoroughly that she hadn’t had the nerve to approach him. The next day, he’d been gone before she’d risen, and Max had arrived to pick her up. It was obvious Michael didn’t want her company

Not that she could blame him. What the hell was wrong with her? He’d said he loved her. God, when he had, everything inside of her had threatened to burst into confetti and streamers. But just as quickly, that same old insecurity began to take hold of her. This was just his way of controlling her, trying to make her stay here when all she really wanted was to leave.

She didn’t acknowledge the fact that she herself had been thinking about how much she loved Telluride, that same day. Or the fact that she’d fleetingly considered the urge to move herself out there, to be closer to Liz of course. But how could Michael expect that she’d just give up everything she had back in Roswell for him? Just because of three little words?

She had a life, one she damn well liked. Okay, so she hadn’t made it quite as far as she’d hoped, and sometimes it grew tiring, playing the same old burnt out jazz clubs, but she was working on a recording contract! She figured in five years, give or take, she’d have enough money to set out for New York and really pursue her dream.

She couldn’t do that here, in Telluride. It was much too tempting to forget everything while you were here; your hopes, goals, aspirations. It became about simply…living. In a small-town, where everyone knew your name and welcomed you with a smile on their face. She’d only been there a little over a week, yet she was already acknowledged by name by several of the townspeople, and she couldn’t deny the warm feeling it gave her.

Sure, Roswell was arguably a small town, as well. But it had a completely different feel than Telluride. Roswell was nice, alien nonsense aside, but it didn’t give her that same sense of…contentment that she’d come to know up here in the mountains. God, even the snow was starting to grow on her.

And then there was Michael. He was, by far, the best asset Telluride had going for it. Of course, she’d ruined that. He’d made it clear that whatever had been between them was over, at least in his eyes. They hadn’t spoken earlier when she and Liz had made the trip to To-Hell-You-Ride to gather supplies for the New Year’s party taking place that night in the Town Square.

He’d met her gaze only once, and his had been so filled with disgust that she’d had to look away, tears threatening to fall. At the same time, it angered her. So he loved her, did he? How quickly that changed, or became weighed down by strings. She’d known not to believe him, but she couldn’t deny that it hurt.

Because she did love him. It had taken her all of the twenty minutes that it took Max to drive them back home, her gaze staring out of the car window, to realize the sick sad truth. She loved Michael, but she couldn’t stay for him. She’d be giving up everything she’d ever known, and that wasn’t fair to either of them. He couldn’t leave because of Tess, so they were really left…with nothing.

Tess. Maria hadn’t expected to like her so much. She’d never really bothered getting to know the families of her past boyfriends. Why bother, the relationships never lasted that long anyway, not that she was complaining. But Tess had something that made it unable to dislike her. As it was, Maria found herself desperately wanting the younger girl’s approval, which was ridiculous seeing as how she was twenty-three years old and should be past that kind of stuff.

When Tess had admitted her sudden crush on her best friend, Maria had been delighted when the girl had asked her for advice. It had made her feel on top of the world, and accepted. She hadn’t gone to Liz, who was arguably the better equipped with information. After all, look at her and Max. That was a match made in heaven, for sure. Whereas she and Michael were an unlucky spin on the roulette wheel.

She frowned, dabbing a few drops of her favorite essential oil on her wrists and behind her ears. She turned and glanced at the floor-length mirror propped against the wall, studying her reflection. Not too bad, she mused.

She thought the combination of fitted wool trousers coupled with a ruby colored cowlneck sweater and the confetti sprinkled within her curls made her look both stylish and festive. She would even try to wear only one coat out this evening. The absent thought nearly made her grin as she buckled a pair of boots, until she remembered Michael’s expression as he’d made fun of her for wearing all her “winter armor” as he called it. She refused to cry.

A light tap on the door broke her concentration on not thinking of Michael Guerin. She stood up as Liz slipped inside the room. As always, Liz looked lovely wearing a simple cardigan sweater and blue jeans, along with her favorite pair of snowboots and a down puff coat. Her friend’s hair was neatly pulled back in a ponytail, and she seemed the image of beautiful small-town girl.

“Almost ready?” she smiled encouragingly, but concern sparkled in her brown eyes. Maria knew her friend was worried over how she would react to Michael being there tonight. When she’d found out, Maria had thrown a teary fit and claimed she absolutely would not go and see him. That had been during her denial rage, when she’d yet to admit that the real reason she was mad at Michael was because she loved the great big idiot. Of course, he probably thought she was an idiot, too.

She offered Liz a small smile and nodded. “Yes, and I promise…no hysterics. Pinky-swear,” she held up her smallest finger and offered it to Liz, who giggled and shook her head before sighing.

“Maria, are you sure you shouldn’t just talk to him?” Liz wondered, nibbling her lip. “Max says—”

“You told Max?” Maria questioned, more sharply than she’d intended.

“Of course not,” Liz answered, wounded. “But he and Mike are best friends and he’s noticed some…changes.”

“Like what?” Maria asked quickly, imaging the worst. Was Michael not eating? Sleeping? Had he come down with some terminal disease that would kill him off before she ever had the chance to tell him…Good God, she’d seen him just yesterday!! “Never mind.”

“Max just mentioned he seemed quiet,” Liz soothed. “Which, around Max and Kyle, is nearly apocolyptic.”

“I hate it when you use SAT words,” Maria huffed, trying not to be happy over the fact that Michael was apparently as miserable as she was. Just what kind of person was she, anyway?

They met up with Max in the living room, and together set out for the Square. The party was already hopping, fireworks exploding in the sky in colorful bursts as children yelled and squealed in excitement. Maria caught sight of Tess and a young boy she assumed to be Shon Valenti, due to his nearly unbelivable good looks and generally rascally appearance. She bit back a smile. Just like his brother. She watched as Shon offered Tess a place next to him, in view of the fireworks yet still in the shadows, and Tess’ cheeks flushed as he grinned at her.

Kyle was grilling out with several of the other town men, one arm wrapped around a slinky brunette as he offered tips to the others. “No, not that way…you’ll burn the weiners.”

Maria rolled her eyes and laughed despite her sour mood. Kyle saw them and lit up, waving his spatula as Max kissed Liz on the lips before heading over to his friend. “Don’t go too far away,” she heard him murmur, and Liz’s answering giggle. Maria turned away, affording her friends a moment of privacy, and she saw him.

He was loitering just outside of the throng of men grilling, eyes firmly trained on Tess and Shon and a slight frown edging his lips downwards. Maria could practically read his mind. Watch your hands, buddy boy.

Liz excused herself, but Maria barely heard the reason why as she continued staring. As if he’d felt her gaze, he turned and looked straight at her. They both stiffened, and Maria felt like a cross between a furnace and a deep-freeze. She just knew her cheeks were flushed, but she couldn’t help it. His gaze traveled over her body and she tingled everywhere he glanced. Then he looked back at her, and turned away.

She felt that snub all the way to her toes. It made her heart break, even as she seethed at his nerve. All right, so he didn’t even want to pretend to be civil? Fine. She could act like a complete ass, too. Case in point…

Her gaze fell on an attractive dark-headed male who was heading her way. She plastered the biggest, most flirtatious smile on her face as he approached. “Hello,” she fairly purred. An inward voice drawled, Oh, ick Maria. She told herself to shut up.

“Hello,” the man answered in a pleasant voice that held just a trace of Ireland. “You look…cold.”

Maria glanced down at her where her hands were shaking, and briefly closed her eyes. Damn, Michael Guerin to hell and back. Outwardly, she laughed shrilly and shook her head, speaking in a louder voice than necessary, “Cold? Me? No!”

Sure enough, she saw Michael glance her way out of the corner of her eye, and he did not look happy. In fact, he was heading her way, a black scowl on his handsome face. Well, well. That had worked better than she’d thought. Who’d known Michael Guerin was such a jealous—

“Blair McNab,” he fairly spat as he came upon them. “What’s up, man?”

Maria froze at the name, and inwardly beat her self senseless. Good God, she’d flirted, or nearly so, with the Devil?! Oh, of all the rotten luck…

She gave Blair an evil glare that he didn’t catch because he was too busy watching Michael with wary eyes. “Michael…I was just looking for—”

“I know who you’re looking for, and I’m here to let you know that if you don’t get the hell out of here, Max is going to come over and personally make you leave. Savvy?” Michael grunted threateningly. “You’re not getting a chance to hurt Liz again, so give it up man.”

Blair’s face turned bright red and he bristled before replying, “She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”

“Oh, I think she does,” Maria threw in. With a haughty toss of her head she added, “Max is much more of a man to satisfy her, she’s told me all about it. It’s really too bad, Blair. Maybe you need to see a doctor about your inability to…perform.”

He turned purple and sputtered before storming away. Meanwhile Michael chuckled quietly at her side.

“That was ballsy, accusing a guy who cheats of having performance issues,” he pointed out admiringly.

Maria shrugged. “Just because a guy gets play, doesn’t mean he’s the MVP.”

Michael stared at her, then made a strangled sound before shaking his head. “Right.”

They settled into an uncomfortable silence, simply staring at each other as people laughed and talked around them. The sound of another firework explosion made Maria jump, and Michael shifted on his feet.

“Later,” he mumbled.

She watched him move to walk away, then heard herself call out faintly, “Michael, wait.”

He paused, every muscle tensed before he turned back to face her with an unreadable expression. “Yeah?” His eyes were piercing, his lips hard.

She swallowed, not sure of what exactly she meant to say. She’d thought all night long of what she’d say to him if she had the chance, but every single line had escaped her mind, except the one she absolutely couldn’t say. It was also the one she wanted to say the most.

I love you, she whispered silently. He made a sound of disgust and moved to turn again, but she forced herself to speak. “I…I’m leaving,” she called out. “Tomorrow morning.”

This was obviously not what he’d expected to hear. His jaw went slack and something very close to pain flashed in his eyes before his expression went hard again. When he spoke, his voice was hostile and cold. “I thought you weren’t leaving until next week.”

She shivered at his tone, shrugging her shoulders. “Yeah well, the reason I came…” She trailed off, not wanting to get into the Alex and Isabel factor. As it was, she’d given up on the idea of ruining their relationship. What right did she have? If Alex was truly happy with the bimbo, then more power to him. If not, he’d come to his senses in time. She trusted that.

She cleared her throat and tried again. “Well, since the blizzard ended, the roads were cleared - which is amazing seeing as how it was yesterday. I swear, you people must be really equipped to handle this kind of—”

“Get on with it,” he gritted through his teeth.

“Oh, right.” God, she was nervous. He was now openly glaring at her, and she wanted to run away crying. But she refused to give him the satisfaction. “Well, since they reopened the highways, I decided I'd better get on my way before another bout of bad weather hits. I’ve imposed on Liz and Max long enough,” she finished lamely, unable to look at him.

He was quiet for a long time, too long. When she risked a glance up, she was shocked to see that tears were brimming behind those light brown eyes. Tears, and anger. He took a ragged breath and nodded. “Well, I guess that’s that. It’s been nice knowing you, Blondie. Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.”

“Michael,” she cried out, but he was already moving, disappearing into the crowd. She kicked at a pile of snow, which turned out to be a bunch of tree roots, and nearly fell on her ass in surprise. “Shit!” she muttered, glancing around and hoping no one had seen her display of emotion.

“Need some help?” A familiar voice asked, hands reaching under her elbows to help her up. “No one else saw that, by the way. Michael sure looks upset, though.”

She stared into Kyle’s eyes, and promptly burst into tears. “He hates me!” she wailed, using Kyle’s sleeve to wipe her nose as he stared in bemusement. His arm wrapped around her and he started patting her back.

“There there,” he stated. “Everything’s going to be fine. Look, gets mad really easily, and then he blows up and it’s over. Don’t worry, okay?”

“No, he hates me,” she repeated, sniffling as she stepped away from him. “Trust me, it’s better that I’m leaving tomorrow. He’d probably avoid Max and Liz just so he wouldn’t have to see my face.”

“Leaving?” Kyle echoed in dismay. “What’s all this?”

She glanced up at him, blinking through her tears. “Oh, I’m sorry, Kyle. I just…I can’t stay here anymore. I have a life, back in Roswell. I can’t just drop everything for him. Why can’t he understand that?”

“Uh…” was Kyle’s confused answer. But Maria didn’t care, she was too busy getting over her upset and moving onto the more satisfying burst of anger.

“It’s all about him! What he wants. Well, dammit! I don’t care if he hates me, I don’t! He doesn’t love me, he wants to own me. Protect me. I’m just another person for him to control. Fuck that.”

“Look, maybe I better drive you home,” Kyle glanced around uneasily at the people who were starting to look his way. He motioned towards a very concerned Liz, who was already making her way over. “I’ve got her! Now come on, beautiful. Let me get you home, and you can cry in your chocolate and tell Kyle everything. I’m a bartender, you know.”

She went without a word of protest.

An hour later, she finished her story and looked up to find Kyle staring at her.

“No, he did not!” he exclaimed appropriately. “What an idiot.”

“Exactly,” Maria threw her hands up in the air. “Now you can see what I mean.”

“Well, yeah,” Kyle nodded. Then looked confused. “But Maria, you love him. So why punish yourself? What’s really so great about Roswell?”

She stared at him. “You just don’t get it, do you? What is wrong with your species?”

Kyle quickly held up a hand. “All right, all right. But, what about a long-distance relationship? Have you even considered that?”

She had. “It won’t work,” she decided. “They’re extremely unlucky.”

Not knowing of her superstitious nature, Kyle looked mystified, but wisely decided not to comment. “Well, I think the bottom line is…you have to do what you have to do, Maria. This is your life, and you have to live it. If you think that a life without Michael is better than a life with sacrifice…then leave. But don’t sit here and bitch and moan about it to me, and then turn around and drive away tomorrow.”

With that, Kyle hugged her and left, leaving Maria to sit and ponder his words into the night.

<center>***</center>


(continued in next post)

(continued from last post...)


<center>***</center>


Michael wasn’t sure what brought him to Max and Liz’s apartment the next morning. He hadn’t slept the night before, tormented by images of Maria driving helter-skelter down the highway, wind in her hair and yelling the words, “Sayanara, sucker!” He’d nearly wanted to throw up.

Then he’d decided, screw her. He didn’t have to waste his life caring about the fact that she didn’t give a damn about him. Yeah, he loved her. But he’d love again. And this time, he’d take it slower and really get to know the woman. Make sure she wasn’t the love-em-and-leave-em type.

Even as he’d thought the words, he’d winced, knowing they just weren’t true. If he admitted it to himself, he was acting like an ass, maybe even more than Maria had. After all, did he really expect the woman to give up whatever she had back in New Mexico to pursue a weeklong based relationship with a man who hadn’t even said anything other than, I love you?

Okay, so he’d told her he wanted things to continue, but that could mean lots of things. She could have thought he meant, hey, let’s keep screwing our brains out, all right? That’s kinda cool. Or maybe she thought he meant, I lust after you. How dumb was it to claim undying love right after sex with a woman? God, no wonder she didn’t belive him.

He was an idiot.

Which was the reason why he was standing on Max’s front porch, debating on whether or not he wanted to ring the bell. This was it. He had one final chance to convince Maria to give what they had a chance, because deep down he knew this was it for him. He couldn’t imagine ever meeting another person who would made him feel even an ounce of what he felt for Maria DeLuca. Now he knew how Max had felt when he’d first discovered he loved Liz, and the freak-out that had ensued. He felt like climbing the walls, himself.

In the end, the decision was taken from him, as Liz chose that moment to pull the door open and stare at him through surprised eyes. “Michael…what are you doing here?” she questioned softly.

Michael abruptly found himself unsure of what to say, faced with Liz's shocked expression. “Is Maria still here?”

She frowned, looking bewildered. “Maria…?” she echoed, blinking rapidly. “But, I thought…”

“Look, I need to talk to her,” Michael interrupted desperately. “Just for a minute. I can’t let her leave without telling her…something.”

Liz stared at him, something softening in her gaze. When she spoke, the words were filled with sympathy. “But Michael, she’s already gone.”

The words reverberated through him like a punch to the stomach, and he stumbled back, staring at Liz in horror. Something died inside of him at that moment. “She’s…” He couldn’t even finish the sentence. “Oh, shit.”

“Michael, she’s gone to find you,” Liz added quickly. “She’s probably at your place right now. You must have just missed each other.”

Just like that, he came back to life. “My place?” he parroted, feeling like he was stupid, but unable to grasp her meaning. “You mean, she hasn’t left? In her Jetta? Or an airplane?”

“Or a jetplane,” Liz giggled, then sobered at his expression. She reached out a hand and squeezed his arm. “Go find her, Michael. Hear what she has to say, okay?”

He nodded slowly, turning back towards his car as if in a daze. He heard the door shut behind him as he pulled out his keys with numb fingers. His heart was racing the entire way home. Sure enough, Maria’s small Jetta was parked haphazardly in front of his house, and he flew from his car to the door.

“Where is she?” he demanded, throwing the door wide open so that icicles fell in a crash from the shingles. Three heads looked up at his noisy entrance.

Tess smiled brightly at him, and discreetly signed Good luck, don’t screw this up! to him where no one could see. Shon Valenti grinned, wiggled his brows in a move reminiscent to Kyle, and squeezed Tess’ other hand, which was caught in his own. Momentarily distracted, Michael narrowed his eyes at the pair, then he caught sight of the third person in the room.

Maria was watching him with wary eyes. She looked like hell, shadows lingering beneath her eyes and her hair messy and tousled. She looked much as she had the first day he’d met her, only without the bazillion layers of clothes.

“Michael,” she stammered, wringing her hands together as he stared. “We…need to talk.”

He nodded, aware of the fact that Tess and Shon suddenly made themselves scarce. He cleared his throat and moved to take off his coat, unable to keep looking her in the eye. He was too afraid of what she wanted to say. “Would you like anything to drink?” he heard himself ask in an oddly formal tone.

“No, thank you,” she answered just as politely.

“Oh.” They stood there, staring at each other hungrily, neither knowing how to start. Finally Michael couldn’t take it anymore, and he blurted out, “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry,” Maria said at the same time, and they both blinked before laughing hesitantly. She stood up from the couch and made her way towards him. “Michael, I—”

“Look, I know I fucked this all up,” he interrupted wildly. “I mean, God, talk about smooth right? I shouldn’t have told you I loved you.”

She looked slightly taken aback, and her expression fell. “Oh…so you didn’t mean it,” she whispered in a choked tone. “Oh, God…”

“No!” he cried out. “I do, I do, Maria. I love you…I love you more than I thought I was capable of, all right? But I mean, I shouldn’t have laid it on you like that. I shouldn’t have used it to try to make you stay.”

Her eyes were bright with unshed tears and he desperately wanted to wipe them away, but was unsure of his reception at the moment. “Why do you want me to stay, anyway? Don’t you know how screwed up I am? God, I’d drive you nuts in a month. You’d be itching to get rid of me, Michael. Don’t you know that?”

“What are you talking about?” he breathed in astonishment. “Get rid of you? Jesus Christ, Maria, I can’t bear the thought of you leaving! No, no I’d never want to get rid of you. As for driving me nuts, babe, you already do. And I’m a sicko, because I love it.”

“You…” she gave a choked laugh. “You drive me nuts, too.”

“And you love me, right?” he teased, then went still as he realized it really was something he needed to know. “Do you? Love me, even a little? Why didn’t you leave, Maria? Why did you come here?”

She swallowed hard and gave him her back as she stared at the wall for a long moment. Just when he was ready to strangle her, she turned back around and admitted, “I lost my directions. Okay, actually I threw them away, then told Liz I’d lost them. I just…I couldn’t do it, Michael. Not like this.”

His heart, which had slowly begun filling up with hope, plummeted to his feet. “So, you just wanted to make sure I didn’t hold anything against you before you left?” he questioned bitterly. He felt like crying, himself.

“Yes…no,” she cried. “I’m not leaving! Well, not for longer than it takes to sell my apartment and move all my stuff up here.”

He stared at her. “I don’t understand, honey,” he admitted softly. “What are you trying to tell me here?”

She nibbled her lips, then started speaking so quickly it made his head spin to keep up. “I’ve never been in a relationship that lasted longer than two months, and that was with my best friend. I just…I’m high maintenance, Michael. I know this. I want everything I can get my hands on, I’m selfish, and I don’t want to settle. I have my heart set on New York City, as a big-name singer, but the farthest I’ve gotten is The Pizza Pan during Friday night karaoke – there was a record producer there and, well, that’s a different long story. Bottom line is, I’m a bad bet.”

“I’ve always been a good gambler,” Michael stated slowly, a grin starting to spread across his face as he realized her intentions.

“Ohh…don’t you get it?” she huffed in a flurry of angry tears. “I’m giving you a way out, you big dope! A chance to wake up and smell the roses before you walk into a big pile of shit! Think about this, Michael. Can you really imagine the two of us together? We’d kill each other in two days.”

“I can’t imagine going any other way,” he admitted softly. “Maria, come here.”

When she didn’t move, he sighed, grumbled about lazy women, and walked over to embrace her. The second his arms came around her, she let loose the tears and sobbed into his shirt.

“I j-just don’t w-want to make a m-mistake here,” she bawled. “I couldn’t stand it if you h-hated me, Michael.”

“Shut up,” he kissed her brow tenderly. “I’d never hate you. I might want to strangle you, like I’ve said, but never, ever hate you.” She looked up at him then, and he couldn’t keep from whispering, “I love you.”

She sighed again, nuzzling into his neck and opened her mouth. He closed his eyes, knowing this was the moment he’d been waiting for.

“I won’t say I love you, because I think it’s too soon. Bad luck, you know.”

His eyes popped open. “God, you and your superstitions…”

She quieted him with a finger against his lips, and he playfully nipped at it to remind her of when she’d straight up bitten his hand. She smiled. “But I’ll say this much – it’s you and me, Guerin. I’m not letting you go, because I just…I just can’t. I don’t care how selfish that makes me, or even how you feel about it. So there. I’m staying, and you’re stuck with me.”

He made a show of kissing her, bending her over backwards nearly to the floor, pouring everything he had into her as their mouths caressed.

“Thank God, for that,” he murmured when they broke away, and the sound of hooting and clapping made them both turn around to see Tess and Shon eavesdropping shamelessly.

“There goes that New Years resolution of finding Mikey a girlfriend,” Shon sighed woefully, then flashed that Valenti grin. “Guess I’ll have to work on someone else.” The pointed gaze he shot Tess was enough to have her blushing, and Michael scowling.

“We’ll see about that,” he started, but Maria pulled his head back to hers, and promptly, shut him up.


The End.