Maria was sitting by her window looking up at the stars. She was looking for the constellation that formed from the rocks Michael put together in the cave.
"It's a map," Michael had said.
Maria was so happy when he came out of the cocoon he was trapped inside. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Michael had come back. He was going to live. She didn't want Michael to leave without knowing how she felt about him. At least Isabel knew that Maria cared about Michael.
"I care about him too you know," Maria said sitting at the side of the bed.
"I know you do," Isabel replied grasping Michael's hand.
Isabel was always protective of Max and Michael like that. As soon as Michael came back she hugged him, but Maria saw the look in Michael's eyes. He finally looked at her the way Max Evans looked at Liz Parker.
"The soul mate look," Maria said to herself outloud.
"No more running, no matter what," Michael said looking at her.
Maria wanted to hug him. To kiss him like she did when she helped saved him in the cave. However, when Michael found the map and Maria knew he was one big step closer to going home.
"Maria!" she heard someone calling her name in a loud whisper from below.
Maria looked out her window. "Michael!"
"Can I come up?"
"Sure, hold on. I'll open the door."
Maria went downstairs. Fortunately, her mom was out of town on some craft show. Maria ran her hand through her short blond hair before she opened the door.
"Hey," Michael said softly.
"Hey," Maria replied equally quiet.
The both of them just stood there for a few seconds staring at each other for lack of a better word to say. Maria was the one to speak up first.
"Well don't just stand there letting the breeze in. Enter."
Maria let Michael slip inside. "Sorry, the house is kind of a mess. My mom was making crafts."
Michael raised an eyebrow at the inflatable alien dolls, keychains, and other UFO paraphernalia. All of them had long green faces and opaque black eyes.
"I never looked like that," he said matter-of-factly.
Then Michael gave a small smile to lighten the mood. He knew Maria and him had come to some unspoken truce back at the cave. Still it felt weird. It felt weird because he knew he wanted to be with Maria. For the first time with anyone Michael Guerin truly wanted to be with somebody. Michael felt his stomach become unsettled and his entire body seemed to come alive at the sight of her.
"So you're okay?" Maria asked Michael breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I went to Max's house and they looked at me to make sure everything was fine."
"All body parts functioning?" Maria asked with a sly smile.
"I'm in top form," Michael answered coming closer to her. He couldn't hold it inside himself any longer. Not when Maria's sweet eyes were looking into his own.
"I heard what you said to Isabel when I was . . . . gone. That you care about me." Michael held his breath anticipating Maria's answer.
Maria took a deep breath and pulled the hem of her short T-shirt a little lower. She went right up to where Michael was standing close enough for him to smell mangoes in her hair. She looked up at his face and right into his tortured eyes. For a second Michael thought she was going to put her full lips on his own. But she just took his hand and led him up the stairs without a word.
"Her hand feels warm," Michael thought. He got the feeling a person would get as a child if their parent held your hand after a long tiring journey.
"Come on, I want to show you something," Maria explained.
Maria led Michael inside her room. She saw him look around taking in the surroundings: her unmade bed, her collection of cds, a flyer from the Crash Festival where they all came together.
"Sit down here," Maria instructed. They both sat down by the window. The moonlight cast a whitish glow giving Maria's blonde hair a translucent color. Maria had never let go of Michael's hand.
"When I saw you sick I was so scared that you were going to die, but thank God you came back," Maria briefly squeezed Michael's hand.
"It wasn't the possibility of you dying that scared the hell out of me. It was the possibility of you going home and me being left here without you knowing my true feelings for you . . . and I would be left alone."
Maria's mouth opened a little and a few tears escaped her eyes. Michael reached forward with his fingers and wiped her tears gently away.
"What are your true feelings for me?" He asked simply. "She was so close," Michael realized. If he moved a few more inches in he would be kissing her.
Maria didn't answer right away. She usually didn't have a problem talking, but what she had to say to Michael could barely form on her lips. Maria closed her eyes and heard the wind blowing softly through the window curtains, the crickets chirping outside, and Michael's labored breathing. Michael, who was waiting for her words.
"That I love you Michael Guerin," Maria slowly opened her eyes to see Michael smiling with that rare look of contentment in his eyes.
"Can I tell you a secret?" He ask her quietly.
"That you're an alien? I already know that ET," Maria cut back with her humor.
Michael laughed his teeth showing briefly.
"I figured you did," he answered. "Can I tell you my secret?" Michael pleaded letting his face within inches of Maria. She found the proximity dizzying.
"Yeah, what is it?"
Michael pressed his forehead against Maria's and looked directly into her light eyes. He gathered her cheek in his palm and started rubbing his thumb tenderly against her skin.
"That I love you, Maria. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone." Maria felt such a release of happiness, but at the same time her heart broke as well.
And then Michael did what she needed right then. He leaned in and touched her lips with her own. Just a brushing at first then more and more urgent until he took Maria inside his muscular arms. Maria made a whimpering sound as Michael stopped kissing her mouth and started sucking her lower neck. Maria ran her hands through his soft spiky hair.
"I can't believe this is happening," Maria thought. She lowered her right hand and let it snake across Michael's chest up and down and side to side briefly touching the top of his jeans. Michael groaned deeply in response and bucked himself closer toward Maria.
"I love it when you do that," he breathed. Michael led Maria towards the bed where they fell back with a loud creak from the mattress springs. She smiled as Michael laid back on the bed. Maria put her tongue inside Michael's mouth and let it flick back and forth against his own. Suddenly Michael's hands were traveling up and down her back. One hand moved to the front to cup her breast. Maria gasped.
"Are you okay?" Michael stopped what he was doing.
"No I'm fine." Maria assured him.
"Are you positive?" He implored sincerely.
Maria couldn't stop the nagging voice in her head warning her what she would get into if she went into a serious relationship with Michael.
"What are you going to do now that you're found the map?" Maria blurted out.
"What am I going to do?" Michael stalled surprised by the question.
"Yes, because I know you're obsessed with going home."
"That was because I had nothing here in Roswell. I didn't want an anchor keeping me grounded to earth. I always thought of reasons why I said to you those things at the soap factory. I didn't think it was possible to get myself attached. I didn't want us to get intense. Just in case . . . I know you're realizing it now."
"Michael I'm so scared about loosing you." Maria whispered.
"It's you who broke all the rules Maria. You. I used to think all there was valuable to my life was the past . . . you showed me there's more to living than that."
"I didn't think people like you existed." Maria said wonderingly.
"What do you mean?" Michael asked skeptically. Maria rolled her eyes at him in a teasing manner.
"Besides the obvious," Maria looked at Michael without a trace of humor. "People who made me feel like belonged." Maria said simply. She shook Michael's hand back and forth a little in a playful gesture.
"If someone asked me though if I would do this all again about Liz telling me the three of you were aliens and all that followed. I would say yes, because then I would never had truly met you." Maria took a deep breath.
"I'm just realizing a lot of things right now. That I want to push you away before the hurt comes and that I need you right now more than my fear. All I want is you, Michael."
Michael held Maria in his arms for a long time. Neither one dared to say anything more. After awhile he heard her slow breathing as if she were sleeping. Michael looked down at Maria to see if she fell asleep.
"She's asleep," he confirmed to himself. "She's more exhausted by what happened than I thought." Michael watched the way the moonlight came across her face. The way her eyelashes curled out.
"Who you knew you could get so much pleasure out of just watching someone sleep?" Michael thought. But he knew it was one of the only times he had when he could just stare at Maria and not have to worry about her reaction.
He looked at Maria's sleepy form until she awoke with a shake.
"Michael," she called out looking up at him to make sure she wasn't dreaming this.
"Hey Maria, I figured out how we could deal with this situation."
"How?"
"By taking the world one day at a time," he answered.
"Excellent plan," Maria commented. She kissed Michael's lips and lingered there until she had to pull away for a breath five minutes later.
"I love moments like this," Maria confessed looking fully into Michael's eyes.
"Me too, this is a great night or early morning." Michael contemplated.
"It is either way. Let's stay up until we see the sunrise." Maria suggested.
"Okay," Michael agreed. "But first," he kissed her lips softly again. "Let's finish what we started before." Michael saw Maria smile inside her eyes before he closed his own. He let himself lay back again in her bed as Maria settled herself on top of him.
And just like that Maria let Michael in that night . . .
. . . and woke up with the sunrise next to Michael feeling like she finally found someone.
Maria looked at Michael sleeping soundly next to her on the bed. The morning coming through her window seemed to make his skin glow within the sunlight. Maria was lying on her side her head propped up by one hand. With the free one she let her finger trace the outline of Michael's jaw and traveled down towards his chest in a whispering touch. Maria felt Michael stir and a smile form on his lips.
"That tickles," Michael woke up.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," Maria apologized.
"No, that's okay," Michael held his head up at an odd angle to look at Maria.
"I had a good time last night," Maria admitted.
"Or early morning," Michael replied sitting up. "C'mere," he opened his arms to let Maria cuddle close to his bare chest.
"Ready for today?" Maria asked Michael.
"Yeah," Michael answered. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see us together." Maria smiled and kissed his cheek.
"I think they knew we'd be together before we did," Maria let out.
Then Maria and Michael shared a look that could only be described as Maria put it: 'the whole look into my eyes soul mate thing going on.'
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