Breathless
By Allie
Disclaimer~I don't own 'em prolly never will! The songs are not mine so don't
sue me they belong to Meredith Brooks and another band that I can't remember
right now :)
Summary You don't get one! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Dedication: To FerhKitten for checking it and encouraging me to post it and Najia {Swthrt2131} Cammi {Dayzie2646} and Khurram {Connectel316} for being good friends and putting up with my illogical babbling

***

Maria looked up as the door chimed and rolled her eyes. It would do no good telling Michael the Crashdown was closed. He had no problems with being the only customer in the tiny cafe. *Well, he can sit there for an hour but I’m not gonna serve him, we're closed and I’m off duty* she thought, moving over to the jukebox and using the key to listen to some music.

He sat there watching her. He hadn't come to the Crashdown to eat; the food was good but the service was what kept him coming back. He silently scolded himself for letting this happen. He had lost another argument with himself and here he was, doing exactly what he had warned Max about. He was falling in love with a human. Of course she had no idea, and that’s how it would stay, at least for now. He was content to just be near her and to watch her. He knew she loved him and that he was being selfish, but he couldn't tell her he was in love with her. It would put her in danger to be so close to him.

Maria sang along with the jukebox, dancing around the Crashdown and ignoring Michael. "He's everything you want, he's everything you need, he's everything inside of you that you wish you could be. He says all the right things at exactly the right time, and he means nothing to you and you don't know why," Maria wiped up the counters, swinging her hips to the music and not missing a beat. She could feel Michael's eyes following her every move, and she knew this was killing him. She smirked evilly and walked over to the jukebox, her eyes glinting. She selected the song carefully and walked over to the fridge. The first notes of the song filtered out of the old jukebox and she smiled with satisfaction as Michael's eyes widened. She pretended to ignore him and grabbed a large tub of ice cream out of the freezer. Michael watched her as if she were a goddess, and Maria had a hard time trying not to laugh.

Maria smiled and sang along with Meredith Brooks. "E-lec-tricity, eye to eye. Hey don't I know you? I can't speak. Strip my senses on the spot, I've never been defenseless. I can't even make sense of this, you speak and I don't hear a word. What would happen if we kissed? Would your tongue slip past my lips, would you run away, would you stay or would I melt into to you mouth to mouth, lust to lust, spontaneously combust."

Michael felt his mouth go dry as she began swaying to the music. She was so beautiful, so graceful, so sexy. Michael clenched his hands and tried to stay in control. If he lost control now there would be no turning back.

"The room is spinning out of control, act like you didn’t notice. brush my hand. Forbidden fruit, ring on my finger. You're such a moral, moral man would you throw it away no questions? Will I pretend I’m innocent..." Maria glanced at Michael out of the corner of her eye as she scooped a large hunk of mint cookies and cream into a bowl. She knew she was being selfish, but it felt so good. At least this way she could get him to admit he had feelings for her, even if he wouldn't say it. She could see it burning in his eyes. No matter how much he tried to hide his feelings, his eyes always betrayed him. Maria smiled and took a bite of her ice cream. She opened the fridge to grab the chocolate syrup and stopped when she heard the door chime. She turned and looked around the Café. Michael was gone. Maria frowned and muttered under her breath, "You always run, huh, Michael," Maria found herself wishing he had stayed,but she immediately banished the thought from her head and scolded herself for thinking it. Why should she care if he left, it’s not like she needed him to be with her. Maria shook her head and tried not to think about it.

"Oh well, at least now I can leave," Maria said to herself. She finished her ice cream, washed the bowl,and walked over and set the last chair on the table. With one last glance around the now empty café, she flipped off the lights and walked into the back room.

Michael ran until he felt a burning in his chest; he breathlessly leaned against a tree and caught his breath. He had almost lost control, and that was against the rules. God, the things she did to him, the things he felt just by watching her or smelling her. Michael mentally hit himself. Here he had been lecturing Maxwell about Liz and he hadn’t even thought to worry about Maria. Liz was a kitten compared to Maria and he hadn’t been prepared. Michael felt a drop on his nose and he realized that it had started raining. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked home to his lonely apartment.

Maria walked out the back door of the Crashdown to her car and quickly slid inside. The last thing she needed right now was to catch a cold. She drove slowly through the alien-themed town and soon arrived at her house. Dashing up the steps, she let herself in, calling, "Mom, you home?" No one answered. Maria shut the door and walked into the kitchen. She picked up the note on the table and read it quickly.

Maria,

Hey sweetie! Sorry you had to come home to an empty house. I just found out that there is a convention in Albuquerque, so I won’t be home for a couple days. I’m sorry if that messes up any of your plans. You can call me at the Best Western in Albuquerque if there are any problems, and I asked Jeff if he would keep an eye on you. I’ll miss you and I love you.

Love, Mom

Maria sighed and tossed the note into the trash. Another night alone! *Oh well, it’s not like you're not used to it* she thought. Maria grabbed a bag of dried apricots and went up to her room. She opened the door and screamed.

Michael looked up from the Cosmo he was reading and frowned. "Do you mind? I’m reading a very interesting article about the difference between white and off-white."

Maria raised her eyebrows and frowned. "OK, spaceboy, let me explain this to you one more time. Whenpeople lock their doors, it's so that people like you can’t get in."

Michael nodded and snidely retorted, "Well, ya see,that’s a human thing and since I’m not exactly human, it doesn’t apply to me."

Maria shook her head and waved her arms around. "Privacy has nothing to do with what species you are! Whether you’re an intelligent human like me or, a peabrained alien like yourself, locked doors mean STAY OUT!!!!!"

Michael stood up and waved towards the window. "Ah,but you see I used the window, and it wasn’t locked!"

Maria shrieked in frustration and glared at him. "God you are soooo illogical! Why are you here? Because if you came here hoping to drive me insane, it’s working!"

Michael smiled and moved closer to her, "Oh, see this is just payback for earlier in the Crashdown."

Maria smiled sweetly and tried to look innocent. "What on earth are you talking about? I did nothing to you."

Michael walked slowly towards her and she backed up until she hit the wall. Maria opened her mouth to tell him that he was delusional to think that she would waste perfectly good flirting techniques on him, but was silenced by a very persistent mouth.

Maria pushed weakly against his chest, wanting him and yet trying to resist. He had done this to her before and she had ended up with a broken heart. She felt herself giving in to his arms and losing the battle. She wove her hands through his spiky hair and he pulled her to him, his arms encircling her tiny waist. Michael pulled back from her suddenly, gasping for breath. Maria leaned her head against his shoulder and caught her own breath. Michael smiled down at her and she laughed. He kissed her again.

Maria pulled back and pretended to be angry. "Michael! I don’t know how many times I have explained the concept of personal boundaries to you, but it obviously isn’t getting through to you."

Michael grabbed her again and cut her off with a kiss. "You talk too much."

The End