Author: Vix
Email: Vix_Chic@h...
Rating: PG
Summary: Read it and you won’t need one.
Spoilers: After Surprise, I haven’t been spoiled at all about the next one.
(Except for trailers from www.thewb.com)
Category: Friendship
Disclaimers: If I owned them Maria would be plotting Courtney’s death! (Like
I am LOL)
Dedication: To those who are tired of Max and Michael fighting so much.
The bell over the front door at the CrashDown jingled as in entered a
disturbed Tess.
“Hey Tess.” Isabel called to her as she sat down beside her.
“What can I get you?” Maria asked as she came up beside them at the bar.
“A gun would be nice.” Tess said through gritted teeth.
“What’s a matter?” Isabel asked looking up from her book.
“KYLE! I swear I’ll kill him. I doubt anyone will miss him.” Tess screeched.
Maria silently thanked god everyone had cleared out except Isabel and the
cook in the back cleaning up.
“What did he do?” Isabel asked.
“He threw my underwear around, saying ‘my bathroom isn’t a substitute for
Victoria Secrets’ or something, then he stole the remote. ” Tess said. “To
top it off I spent the entire night begging Kyle to turn off his music. It
was blaring through out the entire house.” Tess said.
“You know how many time I have had to repeatedly steal Max’s ‘Counting
Crows’ CD?” Isabel asked with a small smirk.
“OK, first of all I like that CD. Give it back you’ve had it for like two
weeks and his music isn’t half as bad as Michael’s is. I mean come on,
Metallica?” Maria said.
“Oh really? I had to listen to ‘I Need You’ by Leeann Rimes, on repeat.”
“Oh, I am so sorry.” Isabel said that as she placed her hand on Tess’ back,
even Maria looked genuinely sympathetic.
“Why don’t you break the CD?” Maria asked before going to fetch some ice
cream from the back.
“I tried. He tied me to the bed and turned the volume up.” Tess said as she
rubbed her sore wrists.
“Why didn’t you use your, ‘you knows’.” Maria said coming out of the back
with chocolate ice cream and two new bottles of Tabasco.
After setting the ice cream and Tabasco in front of the two other girls, she
left to get them each a bowl and spoon.
Upon her return Tess answered her question, “I did before he tied me down,
but you won’t believe what he has.” Tess said with bulging eyes.
“A back up.” Isabel and Maria said in unison.
“How did you know?” Tess asked confused.
“Michael has three copies of each Metallica CD he has, it’s like pathetic.”
Maria said handing them each a bowl.
“I know. Last time I broke Max’s Counting Crows CD and hid the parts so he
couldn’t put it back together, he just broke out a new one. Now I learn to
hide them. Every time he brings out a new one I take that one too. I have
like 7 Counting Crow CD’s and 4 Vanilla Ice tapes.” Isabel said as she began
to scoop ice cream into her bowl.
“Vanilla Ice?” Tess asked wide-eyed.
Maria on the other had couldn’t stop laughing.
Michael exited from the back to look at them quizzically.
“What’s so funny?” He asked Maria.
Maria instantly stood up ramrod straight.
“Nothing, why, why would you think that something’s funny?” Maria said
nervously as she busied her self with finding an extra stool to sit across
the bar from the other eating females.
Michael looked from Tess to Isabel and to Maria suspiciously before he
dropped his gaze to the ice cream.
It was one thing when he thought Pierce and Valenti had joined forces, which
had scared him. This, this terrified him to no end. There was no telling
what they were planning, against him.
The thought sent an involuntary chill down his spine. He looked back over to
the girls. When his eyes hit Maria’s angelic face the spoon hit her ample
lips.
‘Bad timing,’ he told himself ‘very bad timing.’
He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.
“If you want some that bad I’ll fix you some.” Maria offered bringing
Michael out of his trance immediately.
“Some what?” Michael asked confused and suddenly scared.
“Ice-cream?” Maria said as her brows creased in confusion as she pronounced
each word carefully.
“That’s OK, I’m going to get going.”
With that Michael turned and walked right out the door on to the sidewalk.
He was walking at a very quick pace, so quick he barely noticed the jeep
pull up beside him.
“What’s the hurry, solider?” Max asked smiling.
“Nothing, oh great leader.” Michael growled back harshly.
“Bad timing, very bad timing’ thought Max as he put the jeep in park.
“Why don’t you get in?” Max said as he starred straight out the windshield.
“I’d rather walk.” Michael said gruffly.
“I didn’t say we were going to your apartment.” Max said casually.
Michael jumped in and looked at Max who didn’t even bother to turn his head.
They were soon at the quarry, just the two of them like old times.
“Why are we here Max?” Michael asked as he walked over to the edge.
“We need to talk.” Max said walking up beside him.
“Well, talk.” Michael said not looking directly at Max.
“We have some… problems.” Max said tossing a rock out into the open space in
front of them.
“Really? Didn’t notice.” Michael said sarcastically.
“Michael, we need to fix this. We’re going to have to be able to work
together. Right now we aren’t working together, were fighting against one
another, and on top of that we’re putting Isabel in the middle. I know you
don’t want to do that, cause I don’t either.” Max said grabbing Michael’s
arm and making him look at him.
“What do you expect me to do? Max, you’re our leader and you want to sit
here and do nothing. Max, Isabel has killed one of them. I’m betting it’s
not the last we have to defeat either. You just want to turn the other cheek
and go back to your old life. Sorry Max, but it isn’t possible. We can’t go
back, ever. You were the one who wanted to stay here and get our lives back
under our control, but now that we have them you’re not doing anything to
stop them from being taken away again.” Michael yelled ripping away from
him.
“Michael, what do you expect me to do? I don’t know what to do! I know just
as much if not less than you!” Max yelled back with great intensity.
“What do you mean, less?” Michael asked turning back in Max’s direction.
“Michael, we don’t tell each other everything anymore. None of us, I mean
Michael, you found evidence of something not of this earth and you kept it
from Isabel and me. Isabel kept that geologist guy from us both and I…” Max
raged.
“…have been keeping powers from us in return.” Michael interrupted.
“Michael, we can’t work like that. We use to tell each other everything,
what happened?” Max said looking his long time friend in the eye.
“Destiny.” Michael said off-handily.
“Destiny? Michael, choices, not chances, determine our destiny.” Max said
some of his intensity burning away.
“Yeah, well, we don’t have a choice.” Michael said looking Max in the eye.
“Yes we do,” Max turned and picked up a rock chunking it out into space.
“How do we have a choice?” Michael asked confused. “If we get back together
with them, and we have to leave, we lose. If we get together with them and
they die, we lose. If we don’t get together with them, we still lose.”
Michael said angry.
Max knew he wasn’t angry with him but at the way things were going.
“Michael, what if we still can’t get home? What if there isn’t a home to go
to?” Max asked.
“But if there is any chance we have to stay away from them. I couldn’t
handle losing her.” Michael said looking at the sinking sun.
“Would it hurt any less if you were a part?” Max asked.
Michael remained silent, thinking.
“It’s getting late. Are we clear one this? I trust you, you trust me?” Max
said starting to turn towards the parked jeep.
“Max, if I trust you with her, what makes you think I wouldn’t trust you
with everything?” Michael had to ask.
“I know it. I wanted you to know I feel the same. You know for future
references.” Max said as he started the jeep.
“Yeah.” Michael said turning to the automobile and jumping in.
Max looked at his best friend in this world, and supposedly in the last. His
friend trusted him blindly at times, just as Maria has. Never really
questioning his judgment or advice, just believing and having faith in him.
They were so much a like and so stubborn.
‘If they can trust me, why can’t I trust my self?’ Max wondered as he turned
on the radio and let the music fill the silence of the night. Finally
realizing they weren’t led by him, they were led by their faith in him.
The End