Title: Another Kiss

Author: Dontia

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything but the plot.

Spoilers: Viva Las Vegas. This is set after it so anything past it is nonexistent in this storyline.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Everyone knows about Michael and Tess’s kiss, and Michael’s nude sketches of Tess. This is what happens next.

Feedback: It’s the circle of life. I love to write, you love to read. Tell me you love reading, I’ll continue to love writing.

Dedication: To all Mental Vibrators. Isn’t it fun to be us?

***************************************

It’s a week after Michael’s sketchbook is found. Everyone except Jim is at the Crashdown after closing time for the alien club meeting Max called.

"It’s probably nothing," says Max, wrapping things up. "But everyone needs to be on guard just in case."

"I’m gonna finish the kitchen," says Michael, walking away.

Maria notices Tess look at Michael. "Get your eyes off him."

"What’s your problem?" asks Tess, standing from the booth she was sharing with Isabel, Alex, and Kyle.

"You’re my problem," says Maria. She gets in Tess’s face and glares at her. "Michael and I are together. If you don’t stay away from him, I’ll make you regret it."

"He drew the nude sketches of me, NOT the other way around."

"And I bet you were happy to pose for him."

"I didn’t pose for him!"

"Maybe not, but you made him have those dreams."

"Riiight."

"You’re not denying it."

"There’s nothin’ to deny, which you’d see if you stopped blaming everything on me."

"I blame you because it’s your fault.

"So Michael has no free will."

"You used your powers to take it away!

"Is this how you’re gonna do it? Make me the scapegoat so you can forgive him without questioning his actions at all? No wonder you and Liz are friends."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" asks Liz from her seat at the counter next to Max.

"Figure it out."

Kyle steps between Tess and Maria. "I think everyone needs to calm down."

"Not until she admits she made Michael have those dreams," says Maria. "Not until she admits she made him draw her."

"Tess didn’t make me draw her," says Michael from the kitchen.

Maria goes to the window behind the counter. "Then why did you?"

"I told you. I had some dreams and felt like it."

"Yeah, dreams Tess gave you."

"She didn’t give me the dreams."

"How do you know that?"

"Same way I know when Isabel tries to dreamwalk me. I can sense when anyone alien messes with my head."

"That’s true," says Isabel. "Michael and Max have always been able to tell the second I looked in their heads."

"And dreamwalking isn’t Tess’s power," says Alex.

"Mindwarping is," says Liz.

Maria grins triumphantly. "Exactly!"

Tess rolls her eyes.

"I wasn’t mindwarped," says Michael, frowning at Maria.

"Why’d you kiss Tess?" asks Kyle. "What did she write that made you wanna kiss her?"

"Stop discussing me like I’m not in the room," says Tess.

"Why don’t you leave?" says Maria. "Then you won’t have to worry about it."

"What did you write Tess?" says Max.

"That’s none of your business," says Tess.

"It’s my business when my boyfriend kisses you," says Maria.

"It was just a stupid kiss!"

"If it’s so meaningless, why won’t you tell us why it happened?" asks Liz.

Tess glares at her. "I wanted him to kiss me because he’s the only male that sees me."

"What’s that mean?" asks Max.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Michael sees Tess, the whole person. He doesn’t just see the alien who reminds him of a destiny he doesn’t want. He doesn’t just see a confidante or friend, or someone he can ignore when it suits him like you do."

"I don’t-"

"Yes, you do Max."

"I don’t see you that way Tess," says Kyle.

"No Kyle, what you see is a girl who’s a friend and a potential girlfriend. Every time I use my powers for anything other than saving the world, you freak out."

"What does that have to do with Michael?" asks Isabel.

"He actually sees I’m a combination of the two, and more. He took time to notice who I am instead of who he wants me to be."

"Fine, Michael knows who you are," says Maria. "What’s that have to do with kissing you?"

Tess shrugs her shoulders. "Kissing is intimate, maybe the most intimate thing there is. How can you truly be intimate with someone who doesn’t know you?"

"So you wanna be intimate with my boyfriend."

"You’re missing the point, as usual," says Tess before leaving.

Maria glares after her before stomping into the kitchen.

Isabel turns to Alex. "Thank you."

"For what?" asks Alex.

"The reason Tess kissed Michael is why I love spending time with you. Thanks for seeing me."

"Thanks for letting me."

Isabel leans over and gently kisses Alex on the lips.

Max moves closer to the kitchen to hear Michael and Maria. Liz does the same.

***************************************

"We need to talk," says Maria.

"You mean you need to talk," says Michael, finishing with the grill. He starts to prepare the kitchen for the next day.

"I wanna know why you kissed Tess."

"She just explained it."

"No, she gave some warped excuse why she wanted you to kiss her. And I still don’t buy it, that blonde tramp is up to something. But why did YOU kiss her if she wasn’t forcing you to?"

"Because she wanted me to."

"That’s your answer?"

"Yeah."

"So you go around kissing every girl who wants you to?"

"No."

"Then why Tess?"

"She sees me as clearly as I see her. Tess likes me the way I am. She doesn’t think I need to change."

"What, and I do?"

"You complain every time I deviate from what you think a perfect boyfriend should be. I jump through hoops and do things I don’t want because of you."

"That’s called compromise. You do those things because you care about me and they make me happy."

"But I don’t see where you make compromises."

"What do you call the ILLEGAL things I do to keep your secret?"

"You’d do the same for Max."

"I do ‘em for YOU."

"Then there’s the way you freak out when I wanna be by myself."

"I do not freak out. I just wanna know why you wouldn’t rather be with me."

"Because I don’t. There are things I’ve had to deal with by myself, things I’ve never told anyone, not even Max and Isabel. I can’t let you all the way in, I’m not built that way."

"But you can let Tess in."

"No, I can’t. She understands because she has similar needs."

"So you’re basically saying Tess is perfect. No, you’re saying she’s perfect for you. Answer me Michael!"

"Tess and I are just friends."

Maria slaps him. "You wanna be with her!"

"I think your right hook’s getting better," says Michael, rubbing his face.

"You still haven’t denied wanting to be with her."

"Would you believe me if I did?"

Maria slaps him again. "We’re over Michael, for good this time. Don’t bother to come crawling back. I can do so much better than you."

"I’m sorry."

"You’re an asshole."

Maria grabs her purse and runs out the back. Liz bursts through the swinging door. She glares at Michael, then follows Maria.

Max walks in. He stares at Michael silently. Michael meets his gaze without flinching.

"You’re going after Tess," says Max finally.

"Maybe. If you swing on me again, I’m gonna hit you back."

"You broke up with Maria on a maybe?"

"She broke up with me. And this has nothing to do with you."

"The hell it doesn’t."

"You had your chance Maxwell, and you threw it away. You were too busy chasing Liz to see what was right in front of you."

"And now you figure it’s your turn."

"Yeah," says Michael. He waves his hand and the kitchen becomes pristine, ready for the morning crew. He gets his jacket and again faces Max. "I hope you’re happy with Liz because if I have anything to say about it, Tess is off the market."

Michael walks out the front. He gives Isabel a slight smile before leaving.

***************************************

Tess is walking home. Anger is evident in every stride of her step. "Things go wrong in their lives and I’m to blame. I didn’t make him draw me. I was doing him a stupid favor."

She looks up when she hears the roar of an engine. She recognizes Michael’s motorcycle. Tess waits for him to stop next to her and take off his helmet. "Are you following me?"

"Yeah," says Michael. "We need to talk."

"What about?"

"The drawings and everything."

"So talk."

"Would you come to my place?"

Tess shakes her head. "Michael-"

"Please?"

"Fine."

Michael hands Tess a helmet and helps her on the back of his motorcycle. He revs the engine and they speed off.

***************************************

Ten minutes later, they enter Michael’s apartment.

"What did you wanna talk about?" asks Tess.

"I haven’t been completely honest with you," says Michael nervously.

"About what?"

"About…everything. Last week, when Maria found the sketches, she didn’t find everything."

"What didn’t she find?"

"My painting of you."

"She saw it, I showed it to everyone."

"Not that painting, the other one."

"What other one?"

Michael goes into his bedroom. A minute later, he returns holding a painting. The front is facing away from Tess.

"Are you gonna show it to me?" asks Tess.

"Promise me we’ll talk after you see it."

"What’s the painting of?"

"Promise me."

"Fine, I promise. Let me see it."

Michael turns it around. Tess sees herself stretched out on Michael’s bed wearing nothing but a seductive smile.

"Say something," says Michael.

"You never said how you knew about my mole."

"It was in my dreams. When I was painting, I included it."

"What did you dream of, exactly?"

"The two of us, together."

"As in together?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Tess moves to the window and looks out. "When did the dreams start?"

"When I kissed you."

"So it is my fault."

"You didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to."

"Michael, those dreams started when you read my notebook and kissed me. They’re ruining your relationship with Maria."

"Maria and I are over."

"Since when?"

"Tonight. She figured out the reason I kissed you."

"And what’s that?"

"You know how you say I see you? That’s how you see me."

"Oh."

"Maria doesn’t see me like that. She sees parts of me, more than most people ever have, but…it’s kinda like you and Kyle."

"How do you mean?" asks Tess, turning to face him.

"Maria likes to ignore who I am unless she has to."

"She calls you Spaceboy."

"I’m not talking about the alien part. Unless we’re involved in something to do with us being aliens, Maria likes to call the shots. We have to go where she wants for dinner, or rent the movies she likes."

"She’s just…telling you what she likes."

"I care about her, she’s one of my best friends. The first human friend I ever made. But if we don’t stop dating, I’ll end up hating her. Or I’ll do something to make her hate me."

"If it’s what you want."

"It is."

"I’m just sorry I’m the reason. I’ll never hear the end of it."

"How ‘bout I make it worth your while?"

"How are you gonna do that?"

Michael walks to her. He awkwardly leans down and kisses her.

Tess lets herself enjoy the sensation for a moment before she pulls away. "Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to. I’ve wanted to since the first time we kissed."

"You have?"

"Yeah."

"So now what?"

"That’s up to you Tess. I wanna be with you. I wanna see if a relationship with you will work."

"Michael, you’re confused. The dreams are making you think you feel something you don’t."

"If you don’t wanna give me a chance, just say so."

"It’s not that I don’t…everyone’s gonna be against us."

"I don’t care what they think, I care what you think. Do you wanna be with me?"

"Yes."

"Then we’ll work out the rest."

He picks her up and braces her back against the wall. Her legs wrap around his waist as he lowers his head. They kiss, their tongues meeting and mating.

***************************************

THE END

One more story for this series, an epilogue of sorts.