Part 4

It was almost midnight when Michael stopped the old Jetta in front of Maria’s house. No lights were on in the house, so he figured Maria was probably not back from her date yet. He knew her mother wasn’t home this weekend, that was why they could take the car without a problem. And Maria… He chose not to think about what she might be doing at that moment. That thought had been causing him stomach aches all night.



He got out of the car and locked the doors. He thought about leaving the key under the doormat, but someone could see him putting it there. And obviously Maria wouldn’t know it was there anyway.



He was just about to walk away when he heard the shattering glass.



He walked to the back of the house where the sound was coming from. It was coming from the kitchen. It didn’t make sense, why would a thief make that much noise in the kitchen?



Focusing on the lock, he wasn’t surprised to see it open easily. He had been practicing since that night in the motel room. He was pretty good with locks now, though he couldn’t dare to try anything more complicated. It wasn’t like him to be superstitious, but he almost believed he could do it now only because she had said so.



He entered the dark kitchen and saw the figure standing in front of the sink. The moonlight was enough for him to recognise the person, but he would have known it even with his eyes closed.



Maria.



What was she doing?



She reached up to a shelf calmly and took a glass. Then hitting it forcefully to the counter she let it shatter in her hand, and dropped the remaining pieces on the floor.



Seeing the blood that was oozing down her hands, Michael let all the frustration he’d been suppressing throughout the night loose.



“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”



Maria jumped at his yelling and turned sharply to face him. “Why are you here?” she asked accusingly. It was the first and the only thing she could think of.



Michael turned the lights on and grimaced at the sight. Blood, and shattered glass, and tear tracks on her face… Grabbing a towel, he rushed to her side. He pulled her hands roughly, not listening her protests, and felt like punching a wall. There were glass pieces buried in her skin, and she was going to be needing stitches for some of them.



“Why the hell did you do this?”



Maria tried to pull her hands away. She couldn’t deal with him now. It wasn’t a good time. She was way too confused.



“It doesn’t hurt.” She said, defending herself.



“What do you mean it doesn’t hurt? You're in shock or something, cause believe me it will hurt. A lot!”



Maria pulled her hands one last time and got them out of his tight grip. “Go away.”



Michael shook his head and clenched his jaw. That stupid, stubborn Blondie! “I'm not going anywhere.”



“Michael, please…” she begged, on the verge of tears and hating it.



Michael’s chest tightened. She looked so sad. “Okay. Just let me take care of your hands, then I’ll go.”



- - -



Maria sat on the couch and thought about running away as she waited for Michael to bring the first aid kit. Where would she run away? This was her house, where else could she go?



Michael kneeled in front of her, and gently pulled her hands. Looking at her palms, he winced again. Carefully and slowly he started to pull out the pieces. Maria didn’t seem to feel anything, but Michael was having a hard time holding himself together.



“Why?” he asked through gritted teeth.



She shrugged. “I was angry. Breaking things helps…”



“Why were you angry?” he asked while cleaning the cuts.



She shrugged and looked away. She hated it when those tears came like that, out of nowhere.



Suddenly a disturbing thought flashed through Michael’s mind and his eyes flared with anger. “What did he do to you?”



Surprised at his tone, Maria turned to look at him. “He didn’t do anything.”



But Michael wasn’t listening. He was holding a bottle of antiseptic in his hand way too tightly and talking to himself. “I’m gonna kill him. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him! Isabel’s friend, what do you expect? I shouldn’t have let you go like that! With that thing… It’s not even a dress. Way too revealing… “



“MICHAEL!”



Turning towards her, he stopped talking. “Tell me what he did.” He demanded, and Maria could see he wasn’t joking around.



Thinking about the night’s events, two tears coursed down her cheeks. “He… He took me out to dinner. Bought me flowers. He said I was beautiful. He… he even held the door for me.”



“And?” Michael asked waiting impatiently for the part where the a-sshole had tried to rape her.



Looking down at her hands like she’d never seen them before, Maria continued in a low voice. “He was a perfect gentleman. We danced, and he kissed me.”



Michael tried to not grimace and ignore the twinge of jealousy in his stomach. “That’s it?” he asked, dreading the answer with all his being.



“Yes. I told him to take me home, that I didn’t feel good.”



He sighed with relief. He hadn't touched her. She hadn't let him touch her. “Then why are you angry?”



“You can't understand.” She murmured.



“Can't understand what?” Michael asked in his annoying sarcastic manner.



Maria jumped up from the couch and started to pace furiously. Her hands were flying around. She had turned back into her usual animated self again. “All this effort, all the shopping, clothes, the hair… All for nothing! I'm so stupid. I HATE MYSELF! I can't believe that I'm… this… gullible… thing! I’m so easy.” She stopped abruptly in front of him.



“I hate you. And I want you to go.”



“I'm not going until you tell me what's going on.” Michael folded his arms and stood menacingly in front of her.



They stood there, daring each other to do something. Maria looked in his eyes and just knew that her resolve was crumbling. She was so miserable, all she wanted was to crawl in his arms. But wasn’t that the main reason she was miserable? Sobs caught in her throat. She was stuck. Desperate. Defeated.



Suddenly feeling like she’d been hit by a truck, Maria let her body drop to the couch. Her shoulders were shaking against all her efforts to not cry. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally. How had that happened? How had her life gotten so out of control, so suddenly? All because of one boy… Man… Alien…



Michael didn’t know what to do. She was crying but she was also claiming that it had nothing to do with Jake. Then why? How could he help her? He wasn’t experienced in this. Humans… Girls… Emotions…



He went with his instincts as usual. Grabbing her shaking form from the couch, he made his way to upstairs, her bedroom. She was crying so hard now, even her protests were unintelligible.



He put her down on the bed and pushed her hair out of her face. How did she manage to affect him that much? Even when she was bloody and crying, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her face was crumpled and her chin was quivering, there were dirty tear tracks down her cheeks where her make up had run down… But she somehow looked sexy.



He must have scared her with his staring, she stopped crying. She looked at him just as intently, like she’d asked him something and was still waiting for the answer. “My hands hurt.” She said in a small voice, unable to take her eyes away from his, and at that moment unable to find the strength to care.



Looking down at her still bleeding hands in his, he muttered. “You did all this for Jake? He’s not worth it.” His heart was hurting almost physically.



“You don’t understand.” She said shaking her head in silent tears.



He looked up and met her eyes. She could see he was hurting, but refused to believe it was because of her. “I don’t understand what? That you changed yourself into something you're not? That you hurt yourself out of anger? Just because of some stupid guy? You're right I can't understand that!”



Maria had an unreadable expression, something between smiling and crying. “I didn’t do anything for Jake.”



“Don’t be ridiculous! I may be clueless at times but even I could see the way you looked at him.”



“And how exactly did I look at him?” Maria was losing her temper again. He was the only person that could make her feel such extreme emotions in so little time.



“Like… like he was important.” Michael said, and hated to have voiced it.



“He was important.” Maria said enjoying the irony of the situation.



Michael knew he had to stop talking to her about this, because with every passing minute he could feel his heart constrict even more in his chest. “So? What went wrong? Why are you home breaking glasses if he was so damn important and such a perfect gentleman? What kept you from jumping his bones?”



Maria begged her tears to stop, it wasn’t helping the strong façade she was trying to keep up. “If you're trying to deliberately hurt me, it’s working.” She said, surprised at her calm voice. “And for your information, all that happened, and ever will happen for that matter, was a simple kiss. It wasn’t right, so I told him to take me home.”



Michael welcomed the relief that washed over him. It was easier to breathe now. “What do you mean not right?”



“It didn’t feel right. He didn’t taste right. Now if you'll excuse me I want to sleep.” Maria turned to her side, not letting him see her face. She was embarrassed. She had never meant to tell him that much.



“Maria will you look at me?” Michael asked with exasperation.



She turned angrily. “What now?”



“Not that I understand all those things you said… But I just wanted to know. Is that why you don’t let me touch you? Cause it doesn’t feel right?”



He had that vulnerable, innocent puppy look that he probably was unaware of and which made him irresistible for her. She grabbed his chin and kissed him furiously. Thrusting her tongue in his mouth, tasting him…



She pulled back quickly before she got lost in feeling him, and looked him in the eye. He was surprised. So clueless and cute. “No Michael, you taste right. That’s why I don’t let you touch me.”



She let her head drop back on the pillow. Her body’s awakened desire was now making her head hurt, combining with the ache of her heart, and the pain of her hands.



“Wha… What?”



“Michael please… I need to sleep.”



“No. No.” he was shaking his head so furiously, it almost scared her. “You can't just…”



“I can't what?” she sat up angrily. “I'm aching all over. I'm not in the mood for chat.”



“You're not making any sense! I don’t understand!”



“I told you, you can’t!”



“There's nothing to understand! First you kiss me out of nowhere, then you sleep with me, and then you don’t let me touch you again, and now you're saying it’s because it feels right. What is that supposed to mean?”



“It means you'll have to find another girl to f-uck!” Maria yelled.



Michael looked at her threateningly, fuming with and anger. “Why are you doing this?” he asked through gritted teeth.



Maria chuckled bitterly. “Trust me Michael, just turn around and leave. Please. Don’t let me have a choice. Just leave.”



Her hurt face pushing him over the edge, he grabbed her wrists in one hand and yelled at her. “I SAID WHY?”



“Because I'm falling in love with you!” Maria shouted, angry tears in her eyes.



Michael froze looking at her. World stopped spinning. Her words echoed in his head. Every emotion he’d ever felt and even some he didn’t know or name rushed to the surface, and overwhelmed him.



“Now leave!” Maria yelled, still trying to be strong and failing.



He considered leaving. He was so scared, it was tempting. But something was stopping him. He was having the worst inner struggle of his life. Even worse than his first night in the desert when he'd left Max and Isabel. That had been just pure instinct. But now, instincts and reason were clashing in his head.



“Leave.” She said one last time with the last shred of dignity she had left.



Michael stood up, and at a loss for words nodded his head. Then he left. Without once looking back to the heap on the bed shaking with silent tremors.



- - -



Maria woke up to what she expected to be the worst day of her life. Or maybe the night before was the worst and that was just second worst… She wasn’t sure. All she knew was she was yet to open her eyes and was feeling like s-hit already.



She opened her bloodshot eyes with difficulty. Sudden daylight hurt all the way to her brain. Quickly closing them again she turned away from the window. Facing the wall she tried again. It was easier this time.



Everything was blurry though. She waited patiently till her sight was restored. But when it was, she sighed in anger. Now she was hallucinating. She had finally lost it completely.



Michael was sitting with his back to the wall and staring at her. He was still wearing his clothes from the night before, not really surprising since he didn’t seem to have much of a wardrobe. He was dishevelled, and his eyes were bloodshot too, almost matching hers.



See, it had to be a hallucination, cause it was more than probable that aliens didn’t get bloodshot eyes.



Then the hallucination Michael moved. He stood up, walked towards her and sat on the bed. His hand reached out to touch her face and lingered on her cheek. She knew this touch. His calloused, gentle touch.



Okay, so it wasn’t a hallucination.



“Good morning.” He said hoarsely.



“I thought I told you to leave… As in don’t come back.” Maria said, trying to hold onto her remaining anger. If only she could find it…



“I know. But I couldn't.” he whispered. He was too still. Too unlike himself.



“Couldn't what?”



“Couldn't stay away.”



“Oh.”



“Why did you come back?” she asked after a pause.



“For this.” He kissed her. It was unexpected, but she wasn’t about to protest. He kissed her slowly and thoroughly, not leaving any part of her mouth untouched.



He pulled back too soon for her liking though. He leaned his forehead to hers and looked deep in her eyes.



“You taste right.” He said. Closing his eyes he kissed her once more. “And sleepy.”



Maria smiled. She didn’t know what to do. She was either going to punch him or jump around from happiness, but she lacked the energy. She faced the reality instead and tried to save herself from further heart break.



“You're not ready Michael. That’s why I asked you to leave. I understand, really. I mean I'm pissed, but I understand.”



“I'm not ready for what?”



“You know. To be a boyfriend?” she said shyly, looking down at her hands.



Michael grinned. Tilting her head up, he asked her playfully. “I'm gonna be a boyfriend? Your boyfriend?”



“No, I was thinking about Liz.” She said sarcastically.



Michael pretended to think about it. “I don’t think she does it for me.” He said seriously.



“Oh great. Finally there's something I'm better at than Liz. Getting Michael Guerin’s attention.”



“You can't be serious. I know a ton of things you're better at than Liz.”



Maria looked sceptical. “Such as?”



“I don’t think she can kiss like you, not that I can know for sure, but it doesn’t seem possible. She can't say my name like you do, like it’s something important, something more than just a name. And she's not half as pretty as you are. She doesn’t smell as good as you do, like flowers and rain. She is not fun to mess with, she's too… textbook. Boring. She's a good person, but she would never trust me enough to give me a chance like you did. She can't make me think about her 24/7 like you do. And she definitely wouldn’t be able to look that good in this dress.” Michael listed playing with her hair and avoiding her eyes. “And I don’t think she would taste right.”



Maria just sat there and looked at him, unable to utter a word. She was speechless. Was he doing what she thought he was doing?



“Heal my hands.” She said when she found her voice again.



“What?” he looked at her with horror. “No.” he shook his head with determination. No way in hell.



“I know you can do it.”



She’d said it again. You can do it. She somehow believed in him. He had no idea why, but it felt good. Like he really could do anything. Like he really could deserve being loved by someone.



He took her still bloody hands in his shaking ones. He was scared out of his mind. He didn’t know how to start.



“Michael?” he heard her soft voice call him.



“It’s okay, just concentrate on me like Max said he did. Then try to give me this energy, this power thing you have, okay? It’s okay, you can do it.”



Michael looked in the eyes that made green his favourite colour, and thought about the moment when all he could feel had been her. Her warmth, her softness, her smell… He tried to recall the way she’d whispered his name. It wasn’t hard considering that it had been etched in his brain.



Then he felt it. Her essence was there, with him, in him. Or maybe he was in her. It felt like their souls were wrapped around each other. He felt her weaknesses, her lack of energy, the wounds her body was too weak to heal… He gave his energy to repair her, put a piece of himself where she was hollow. He filled her holes with himself, and when it was done he pulled himself out again to see if she was okay.



She was smiling. Her face was shining from happiness, like a ray of sunshine finding its way through a cracked wall. “What did you do?” she asked in awe.



He shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”



“Come here.” She pulled him down on the bed next to her and plastered her body to his. “I felt you.” She said, her face only a breath away from his. “In me.” She hugged him close, squeezed him to get the feeling back. “Now I feel lonely.” She pouted playfully.



“I… I did it. I connected you.” He said starting to grasp the meaning of what he'd done.



“I know. I told you, you can do it.”



He snuggled closer to her and rested his head on her chest. Maria played with his hair, and felt secure and content as she’d never done since that night. That night when she’d found the real Michael Guerin in a filthy motel room. Kissing the top of his head, she could feel sleep taking over their bodies.



- - -



Michael woke up feeling refreshed. He looked down and found Maria sleeping peacefully in his arms. He was sleeping much better when she was there. He knew it, it was going to become an addiction.



He watched her face as she slept. She was smiling in her sleep, looking innocent like a baby. He checked his watch, it was almost noon. He hadn't eaten anything for almost a day. Reluctantly leaving her bed, he went downstairs to prepare breakfast.



He was setting the table when he felt her arms wrap around his waist. She placed a kiss at the back of his neck and moulded her body into his. “You scared me…” she murmured.



Turning around in her arms he looked at her questioningly. “I woke up and you weren't there…” Her voice trailed off, and he chided himself for being so stupid.



He kissed her lovingly as an apology. “You thought I left you?”



She nodded sadly. “But then I heard you downstairs…”



“I was just… preparing… breakfast.” He was talking between kisses. It was so hard to not kiss her when she was this close. And even just kissing wasn’t enough. Her lips, they were beautiful, sensual and they tasted good, but he had to feel her body, her warmth. A kiss didn’t feel complete without her body plastered to his.



“You should call Liz and Isabel.”



She looked at him, her eyes big with wonder. “You checked the machine?”



He shrugged and kissed her again. “Isn't it the boyfriend thing to do?” he said playfully, not mentioning the message Jake had left which he’d accidentally deleted.



“Oh it is.” She said kissing a trail of fire down his neck. “So you think I can have sex with my boyfriend?” she asked unbuttoning his shirt.



“Right now?” he asked hissing at her touch on his chest.



“Yes” she said pulling back a little. She pulled the towel from her head and let her wet hair plaster down her face. Then slowly she dropped the robe she was wearing, revealing her naked body to him.



His breath caught in his throat and for a moment his brain and body completely lost communication. He’d seen her naked before, but it clearly didn’t change the fact that he was entranced. Thanks to the throbbing of his erection, he got out of his daze soon enough. Letting out an animalistic growl, he thought screw breakfast. He wasn’t really hungry anyway.



Crushing her small body to his, he kissed her fiercely, almost bruising her lips. But she wasn’t protesting. She was moaning in his mouth, her hands busy with his jeans’ buttons. Grabbing her buttocks he pulled her up his body and carried her inside, to the living room.



They collapsed on the couch in a heap. They were both pushing Michael’s jeans and boxers down hurriedly, all the while kissing each other as if they were starving. Reaching down to touch his erection, Maria noticed that they were forgetting something.



“Michael… condom?” she said breathlessly, while cursing silently that they’d now have to get up and go upstairs.



Michael reached down and took out his wallet from his jeans. Pulling out the package he’d stashed there earlier, he placed it in her hand.



“God, I love you!” Maria said giddily without even realising what she’d said. She proceeded to rip the package while Michael just looked at her, amazed. Failing to notice Michael’s bewilderment Maria wrapped her legs around him and guided him inside her.



Michael watched her face and enjoyed her hands on him as the words echoed in his head. She was bewitching, enchanting, enthralling… And she loved him.



His kiss full of desire and need caught Maria by surprise, but she let him take whatever he wanted, he needed. Satisfying him felt good. Making him happy was her priority now. Because she loved a happy Michael. Because his smile was rare and precious.



Placing his hands on her hips, he slowly glided them up. Touching her skin softly, caressing all the way up to her breasts, he prayed to not wake up from this dream. If it was a dream, he preferred to stay there.



He held her arms up over her head. She was surrendering to him so easily. She was trusting him. He pushed himself all the way inside her, and watched her face change with awe. Her ivory face shining with sweat, her sparkling green eyes struggling to stay open to watch his face and her lips forming his name over and over…



As he thrust into her again and again agonisingly slow, all Maria could do was watch his face and marvel at his beauty. She couldn’t touch him since he hadn't let go of her hands, but still this was more than enough.



She caressed his inner thighs with her feet and bit her lip to not scream as his thrusts picked up speed. As he got lost in the throes of passion, he let go of her hands. Her arms immediately wrapped around him without a thought, and she felt more than heard his shuddering breath as she unconsciously raked her nails down his back.



They moved in tandem as they neared their mutual orgasm. Michael was feeling out of control but the fear of hurting her wasn’t there this time. He knew he wasn’t going to hurt her. He had healed her. He had fixed her. He wasn’t just the guy that made things explode, he was the guy who could make Maria DeLuca happy. He could make her writhe from pleasure. He could make her content.



As everything in the room except her blurred, Michael felt like he had died and departed from his body. He was floating. He could hear her cries and moans, she was pretty vocal as usual, and his own ragged breathing met his ears combined with his heart beat, informing him that he indeed was still alive.



Michael couldn’t stop his body from collapsing on top of her as his world exploded into millions of bright colours. Her arms welcomed him, as her heaving chest cushioned his head. They laid on the couch their bodies entwined together, much like their essences had been a couple hours ago, and they enjoyed the soothing touches of the other.



“Is it just me or was this… wow…” Maria asked when her body calmed down a little, lacking the vocabulary to describe what she was feeling.



“Yes it was.” Michael said, playing with her nipple with one hand.



“Is it an alien thing? Cause even when I kiss you, it’s… explosive.”



“I wouldn’t know since you're the only girl I’ve ever kissed.” Michael said with an honesty that even surprised himself.



“Oh that saves me some serious ass kicking.” Maria said happily.



Michael couldn’t stop his hands from exploring her skin, trying to get different reactions. “Am I crushing you?”



Maria tightened her arms around him. She didn’t want him to move, and even the thought of him pulling out was unacceptable. “No. Stay. I don’t wanna move.”



Michael chuckled at her child-like protests. “It’s cold and we’re both naked. We can't stay here forever.”



“We can always try…” she said drowsily.



Looking at her face, almost asleep and content, he wished they could.



“Let’s try…” he said and placing a kiss on her breast, let a peaceful slumber carry him away.

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