Author: DocPaul

Author email: DocPaul2002@yahoo.ca

Rating: R

Spoiler:  After Destiny

Disclaimer: All mine...not. They belong to TPTB who don’t deserve them.

Warning: Death of a minor character, but essential.

Summary: After a summer of Destiny breaking apart the humans and aliens, a tired alien group tries to recoup what they lost, but circumstances made it harder than it needed to be.

Author’s note: I wrote this story as one of survival, of growing up and learning to cope with grief. It wasn’t just for the Maria character, but the Michael one as well. Angst and problems in a story doesn’t have to be something as predictable as another person, or a triangle.  Special thanks to Sheila for looking at this.

NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE

The long hot summer seemed endless. Isabel sat looking outside Michael’s window wishing for winter. She missed Alex, and the rest of the gang. Destiny was such a stupid word if you really looked at it. Michael was once again watching a hockey game and eating a bowl of cereal. Isabel tried to get him to go out or do something other than watch television. He was still working at the CrashDown, but he avoided talking to Maria all summer by working opposite shifts. She used to call, but after he refused to talk to her, she stopped.

Isabel ran into Maria a few times. They talked a little, but Isabel felt weird. They were trying to look into the whole destiny thing, and so Alex and Maria had been left on the wayside. Isabel couldn’t imagine how this whole destiny thing was going to work if she and Michael could barely stand spending time together let alone even try kissing or anything else. Her parents were concerned because of the amount of time they were spending together, and the absence of Alex and the others from the picture. All Max did was work and hang around home. He was suffering from depression from the Pierce thing, Tess thing, and especially the Liz thing. Her and Michael spent most of their time talking about Max. Tess was living with the Valenti’s and actually enjoying having a real home life.

Michael spent time with Tess working on his powers, but most the time he sat at home, mooping. Isabel knew that he was becoming impatient with trying to find more about their past. The best they had achieved was walking around each other, sort of holding hands, but truthfully, they communicated better as brother and sister. Lovers? It wasn’t going to happen. They both seemed to realize it instinctually, but they felt obligated to try.

God, could her life get any more boring? She was running out of things to do with Tess, and Michael was a lost cause. He didn’t want to go to the movies. He didn’t shop. And his idea of dinner was cold cereal and milk. Isabel thought about their human friends with a great sigh. Alex, he was out there somewhere living his life without her.

Isabel heard from others that Maria and Alex had performed all summer with Alex’s band. A friend told her that Alex was actually singing some of his own songs and that they didn’t totally suck. Actually, if she could believe her friend, Alex and Maria were becoming very popular. Maria was left working at the CrashDown during the day and singing with the band at night. Michael tended to work at night while Maria was not around. And the summer kept getting longer and longer, and hotter and hotter with no relief in sight. And suddenly everything changed. Liz came home.

~~~

Maria slowly pulled herself out of bed. The early shift at the CrashDown was becoming a real drag. They were up so late last night working an out of town gig. The trip home seemed endless. She hated driving though the desert at night where all she could see was the stars. It made her think of Him, and she promised to not do that anymore. The whole singing thing was getting her so much attention from boys in all shapes and sizes, but she was resisting. It was too soon. If she took the chance and started dating it would be too much like a rebound and she couldn’t afford to take any more chances with her heart.

How tired could one person feel? She got in so late last night, something like four in the morning, and here it was already seven and she was going to be late. A nice long hot shower might shake the cobwebs out of the old brain. Maria moved to the bathroom already counting. If she could finish her shower and morning bathroom run in the count of one thousand, she might make it to work. She couldn’t afford to stand under the spray and space out thinking about Him. She wasn’t going to do that anymore. Maria ran herself straight into Valenti. Looking up in horror, there he was, Sheriff Valenti exiting her bathroom wearing nothing but a towel.

“Oh my God.”

“Oh, morning, um..., Maria.” Jim could feel himself starting to blush, but Maria’s expression couldn’t be mistaken for anything short of horror. Her shock was obviously paralyzing her. “Did you need to use the bathroom?”

“Hmm?” Maria just stood there dumbfounded.

“The bathroom? If you need it, I’m finished.” Maria rushed around him and shut the door quickly breathing quickly. Oh my God, Valenti, in her house at seven in the morning, and wearing no clothes. There should be laws against old people being able to warp young people's vulnerable minds. Maria rushed to the drawers at the sink looking for some kind of herbal relief from stress. Breath, just breath, just breath, oh my God, oh my God. Maria turned on the shower, jumped in and drowned her stress in the spray. Her life couldn’t keep sucking like this. It was going to have to rain sooner or later.

Jim went into Amy’s room and watched her sleep. She was really cute, sexy, funny, and really beautiful. Hating to do it, but having few options, Jim shook Amy awake. She was so cute, so beautiful, and he loved the way the first thing she did was smile when she woke up.

“Hi, handsome. Is it time for you leave already?” Amy stretched in the bed and smiled at him.

“Maria.”

“What about Maria?” Jim watched Amy’s eyes clearing and become more intense.

“I just ran into her on my way out of the bathroom.”

“Oh no. Umm, did she say anything?”

“Oh God and hmm. She looked at me like I was her worse nightmare.”

“Uh oh. Is she still in the bathroom?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you better let me handle this. Do you want to wait until I talk to her first and then come in, or would you rather wait to talk to her later?”

“I really wanted to do this with all the kids present. We’re going to have to talk to both Kyle and Tess later.”

“I know, but I can’t wait. With Maria working all the time and then going to all these gigs at night there hasn’t been the time. We really need to take care of this today.”

“Okay, you go first and I’ll slide in when the screaming starts.” Amy slowly extracted herself from the bed and gave him a quick kiss. Lordy, that man was kissable.

Maria was going to be a problem. She was especially down on men every since the whole Michael thing. Amy didn’t blame her. She never wanted to see her daughter so heart broken. If she could’ve found Michael she would’ve broken his arm or something. She really wished that she hit him harder that morning she found him in Maria’s bed.

Jim stopped her from hunting him down. He told her that Michael wasn’t having an easier time either. According to Jim, Michael had so many issues due to his upbringing and he didn’t feel worthy of Maria, and that he was afraid that he would hurt her. Well, he was right. He did hurt her. Actually, Amy was beginning to wonder if the wounds would ever mend. They were right on top of the wounds left unhealed by her father’s leaving.

“Maria.” Maria started as she entered the kitchen. She was hoping to get out of the house without running into either her mom or Valenti. There was no Liz to talk to and this was just too much on top of everything else. Maria stopped dead in her tracks closing her eyes and groaning. Why did she expect to get out of the house without some kind of confrontation? Her life had sucked since May, so why did she expect it to change now?

“Mom.”

“About Jim.” Amy rushed on when Maria looked like she was going to bolt from the house. “Maria, I need to ask you to listen to me, and not to interrupt until I tell you everything.”

“Mom, I’m already late for work. Can’t we do this later?” Desperate? Was her voice really that desperate sounding?

“No, we can’t. Maria, Jim and I are getting married.” Maria fainted.

“Jim!” Valenti entered the kitchen quick. He was listening for the arguing and was surprised at the silence and finally Amy calling him. He tried to enter the kitchen but something was blocking the door. Looking around the door, he saw his future stepdaughter passed out on the floor and his future wife frantically fanning her. Damn.

Jim finally got into the room and picked up Maria to take her into the living room. Amy grabbed a wet towel and followed him. Maria regained consciousness to the dripping of water over her face. Looking up into the worried faces of her mom and Valenti, she had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn’t just a nightmare.

“Married? Did you say, married?”

“Yes. Maria? Are you okay, Honey?”

“This isn’t like a belated April Fool’s joke, right?”

“Sorry, Honey.”

“So Kyle’s going to be my brother?”

“Well, him and Tess are going to join the family. Jim and I were going to look around for a new house. If we both put our houses up for sale, we can afford a much larger place.”

“Tess?” Maria quickly looked at Valenti. He gave her a little nod. She closed her eyes and groaned. Great now she was going to be related to His sort of sister. He was never going to leave her alone.

“I need to get to work. Can we talk about this some more, later?” She watched as Valenti and her mom shared a look. She felt sick. “I guess you don’t want me to mention this to Kyle or Tess?”

“No. We’re hoping to have a family dinner this weekend and tell everyone. So please be home this Saturday, Honey. It’s really important to me.”

“Okay, mom. I’ll try. School starts in three weeks, so when are we talking about?”

“When what?”

“Wedding. When’s the wedding?”

“Oh, we’re thinking about a wedding in October. I know it’s coming up fast, but I wanted something more than a register office or a Reno special which would be quicker, but not as romantic.”

“I really need to go.” Maria slowly got up from the sofa.

Jim reached down to help her. She barely stopped herself from shaking off his hand. It wasn’t his fault that she was losing her mom. It was, but it wasn’t. She wasn’t really losing her mom, but everything was changing too much. It was getting too hard to keep up.

“I’ll give you a ride to work.”

“That’s okay. I’ll take the Jetta.”

“Sorry, Honey. The car is in the shop for new brakes. I won’t get it back until tomorrow. Let Jim give you a ride.”

“Sure, okay, why not?” They both started to leave. Maria left the house without looking back because she didn’t want to see them kissing goodbye. That was just too much right now.

Jim looked over at his future step-daughter. She was plastered against the far door, and purposely staring out the window. Jim took a deep breath and decided to enter the breach. He couldn’t put it off forever.

“Are you okay with this Maria?”

“Is it okay for me to say no?” Maria wasn’t sure how honest he wanted her to be.

“Sure. You can say no. I just want you to know that this isn’t a sudden thing between your mom and me. Believe me when I say that I just want to make her happy.”

Maria climbed out of the truck and shut the door. Looking back at him through the open window Maria hesitated before heading into work. “Thank you, Sheriff. If it makes my mom happy, then thank you. You know she hasn’t ever had it easy, but despite all the hardships, she has always been there for me. I just want her to be okay.”

“She will be, Maria. I promise. This is going to be for keeps. If it makes it any easier, just think about how you knew before Kyle. That should keep you going all day.”

Maria actually smiled at that. Jim was right. Kyle was going to be pissed when he found out that Maria was already informed of the engagement.

“Do you have got a concert tonight? Will you be home before it gets too late?”

“Hmm, already playing the dad? Yes, we’re playing a private party in town. We should close down no later than two. Is this so you know when I’ll be home, or are you really concerned?”

“If you ever need a ride, you can call, okay? Just arrive safe. Your mom wouldn’t be okay with you out there not being safe. If I even think you’re taking chances I’ll make Kyle become your bodyguard.”

“Chill, daddy Jim! Alex always makes sure I get home. Later.” Maria waved and walked away chuckling at the horror of having Kyle following her everywhere. Oh, the horror that was her life stuck in Roswell. It would almost be worth it to see the expression on Kyle’s face, not to mention everyone else’s.

~~~

Maria worked that morning and it was a day like all others. It was two weeks since her mom and Valenti announced their engagement. This summer has been the worse of her life. Liz was gone over the summer, the aliens were staying away from the CrashDown, except Max, and Alex was becoming lost in music and his computers.

Having to give up Isabel to her destiny really was hard for Alex, but it was almost like he was waiting for it. It was like his thing with Isabel was not real. It was such a dream come true, so that when it ended he acted like he had just awoken from a nice fantasy.

Alex seemed determined to find himself in music. Maria was tired of trying to keep up with his lyrics and musical angst until finally she told him that nobody should sing his songs but him. Now he was turning into a teenage rock star before her eyes. The day he wore leather pants she thought she was having heat stroke. It was a real shock to realize that not only was it leather, but he actually looked good in them. Shocking! Then came a nipple ring, a tattoo, and finally that indescribable scruffy beard that just made you ache to shave it off.

She almost started to give him lectures on trying to change his image to attract Isabel, but stopped herself. Looking into the mirror, Maria could see her own hair and it’s longer length. What was she doing? Trying to have flowing locks like a certain alien bombshell?

She hadn’t seen Him in so long that it really was ridiculous worrying about her looks. The music was really invigorating. It was all the tight skimpy clothes and salivating men that kept her from totally thinking she was a zero. But it really didn’t help that the only person she wanted didn’t want her back.

Time to grow up, face the facts of life and go on. Like Alex, Maria started writing music to express her anger and hurt. It was either that or end up in therapy sharing a couch with Max. No matter how totally fucked up she and Alex was, Max was worse.

Max’s depression hit rock bottom around mid-summer. He stayed in bed for three days and refused to leave because he was too tired. His parents finally decided that it was too much and dragged him off to see someone. Max finally came and found Maria.

At first she really didn’t want to talk to anyone related or anyway connected to Him. But the state that Max was in was just too hard to ignore. Maria finally took him on a long walk around Roswell. He didn’t say anything. She reached out and held his hand and literally dragged him around the park. When they found a park bench she pushed him into the bench and pulled him into her arms. She let him cry softly for a long time. It was strange to be a female walking a guy home, but after she saw him safely home it occurred to her that he hadn’t said a word. She suspected that he was having nightmares about Pierce and Liz’s absence wasn’t helping.

Max wanted to talk to Liz, try to convince her that he only wanted her, and to assure her that she is his destiny. Tess realized early that Max wouldn’t be able to take much more pushing of the whole destiny thing. He was the leader so she backed off and tried to settle into Roswell and make a place for herself among the others.

Maria was confused by the whole situation. She loved Liz more than a sister, but seeing Max it was hard to understand how her best friend could just walk away. If He would let her, Maria would’ve stayed with Him through thick or thin, but He wouldn’t even talk to her or return her calls. It was time to call it quits. But Max couldn’t do that. He needed the hope that Liz would come to her senses and that they were truly meant to be together.

Three weeks ago Max came to one of their gigs. He walked Maria home afterwards and at her house gave her a medallion from him. It was a symbol of their new friendship and growing love. It was a necklace much like the one found at Atherton’s house, but the symbol was different. She didn’t know what it meant and doubted that Max did either. The thought and gesture was so touching she couldn’t refuse the gift, even though she swore off Czechoslovakians.

Max was fast becoming one of her closest friends. He was the only person she had to talk with about Him, or at least could understand her pain. Max understood her and how hard it was because he was living through the same thing. It was hard not to place blame on Liz, not to see her action as nothing more than His actions. They both seemed to think they were sacrificing their own feelings for the good of Maria and Max, but why were Maria and Max, the ones left destroyed by the summer?

“He still loves you, Maria.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Max.” Maria looked away to avoid Max’s eyes.

“He’s just afraid. Looking for his destiny all his life, and then finding it and it betrayed him. It wasn’t what he expected or even wanted.”

“Max I’ll not talk about this. If he loves me, then why is He with Isabel? I’m sure He doesn’t treat her the way He always treated me. Do you know how hard it was just to keep talking to you? All I wanted to do was slam that door shut, but I couldn’t and sometimes I hate myself for that. I wanted to be stronger.”

“Thank you, Maria.”

“For what?” She finally looked at him as the sincerity of his voice reached her.

“For not closing that door. You saved my life. All the therapist in the world couldn’t make me want to be me, to get up and join the living, but you did.”

“You’re welcome.” Maria took Max’s hand into hers and held it tight. “I love you, Max.”

“I love you too, Maria.”

“It amazes me that when I finally find myself a brother my mom goes and gets me one, too. But I have to tell you, Max. I enjoy having you as a brother more than Kyle. That boy is like having a large sweaty dog in the house. He takes up all the room, dominates the television for stupid sports, and sits around glaring at everyone in his pissed off manner. I dragged his worthless ass home three times last week totally plastered. He even had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to get nasty with him in the back of his car.”

“He didn’t?” Max was trying to decide whether to be outraged or amused.

“Yep, he did and then he just sobered up really quick. Of course that was after I turned the water hose on him. He apologized for being so nasty, and that it was just hard for him. It seemed like he never had time with his dad and now he was gonna have to share the small amount of time he did get with even more people.”

“That’s kind of tough. What did you say?”

“I told him that if it mattered so much I’d happily give him my share of Jim Valenti. The creep grabbed the water hose and wet me down. He’s gone right now. Jim sent him to visit a cousin or aunt of someone for the next week, something about an annual fishing competition that they always enter. I wasn’t paying attention. It sounded too boring. So Big Jim is stuck home babysitting our girl Tessie.”

“Tessie?” Max didn’t even try to keep the amusement out of his voice.

“It’s what Jim calls her. She seems to like it. I guess Nasedo wasn’t big on terms of endearment or even nicknames. I had to take a pie over the other day and found them having a large argument. Something about Tess keeping her room clean and stop changing the color of the furniture every few days. It was actually kind of interesting. Tess seemed to be enjoying herself arguing with him.”

“Remind you of anyone we both know?”

“I’ll not talk about Him, Max. Let it go. It’s over.”

Maria wasn’t sure how she was going to take seeing Liz again after this summer from hell. It was just too much having to watch Max suffering. Last year was so much easier for him. He sat and watched Liz from afar, but the last spring he finally was able to actually have his one greatest desire, and then to have that dream torn away by his own nature, his own destiny. It was killing him. All around, it sucked for everyone. No one was getting what he or she wanted and it looked like it was never going to rain. And then everything changed. Liz came home.

~~~

Everything felt different that morning. Maria woke up late for work, again. She was almost happy about school starting in one week. At least the late nights would end and her work schedule at the diner would even out to allow for studying. Max was coming to the diner today for lunch. He made her promise to save him the summer special of watermelon alien blast, which was so disgusting that Maria almost gagged every time she had to make one. But somehow whenever Max put Tabasco in it and drank it with gusto Maria felt the need to flee the room.  She was glad that today was the last day that this summer special was being offered. Trust Max to figure out that this was it for his little reign of terror at the CrashDown.

Max went to work earlier than usual. He made Isabel, Michael and Tess promise to meet him at the CrashDown for lunch. Summer was almost over and once they were back at school it was going to be hard for Michael and Isabel to avoid meeting Maria and Alex.

It seemed kind of cruel, but Max needed all his friends back. Michael tried to worm his way out of the meeting, but Max made up a story about finding some stuff at the UFO Center and that he would bring it to lunch. It was time for Michael to come back out of his shell. He literally stayed hidden inside for the entire summer. Isabel hated it. She wanted to go places and do things. It was time for Michael to live up to his responsibilities if he wanted to date his sister, then he needed to start treating her like a real person and not a mole.

As he was opening the Center a car drove up to the CrashDown and stopped. There was a young woman getting out of the parked car. She looked familiar to Max. He stared harder. Oh my God, it was Liz. She was back. Max wanted to cross the street, but Liz entered the diner. Lunch, he could wait until lunch to see her. She looked so different from even across the street. Liz was wearing a tailored suit with a jacket and she was with an older woman. They had entered the diner together without looking around.

Maria looked up at the new customers entering the CrashDown. An older woman and a younger woman came in and looked around. It actually took Maria a few seconds to recognize Liz. Oh my God, it’s Liz. She looked different, almost grown up. Maria hurried over to her best friend.

“Liz?”

“Maria!” Liz quickly hugged Maria tight and slowly pulled back to take in all the changes. It seemed like a lifetime since she saw her best friend, not just a summer.

“Maria your hair is long. I love it. How are you?”

“Fine. So, the hair, does it work?”

“It’s great. You’re like this total babe. God I missed you. Oh, this is my new boss, Congresswoman Whitaker. I’m doing an internship with her.”

”Please to meet you. So you’re going to be doing work in Roswell? It’s kind of a small town, not much to do. So I’ll just tell you how nice it was to meet you now because after you spent a few days here you’ll start looking for the ways out of town.”

“So you are Maria. I heard so much about you. It’s so nice to finally put a face to the name. Liz? We need to get this paper work done with your parents. The rest of the staff is meeting us here at lunch so let’s get this done so we’re ready for them. Maria, it was a pleasure.” The older woman walked off towards the back room and stopped to wait for Liz.

“Sorry I can’t talk right now Maria. But I need to get all the forms and permission slips done today so I can continue to work for the Congresswoman. Can we get together tonight?”

“Alex and I are playing at a party in an abandon warehouse tonight. I’ll leave directions in your locker if you want to come and see us both. Alex is really getting good and has his own little groupie fans started. And…”

“Maria. I really have to go. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Sure. Later.” Maria watched Liz take the older woman through the back door to meet her parents.

Liz was home and yet Maria still felt alone. She went over to the phone by the cashier’s desk and decided to wake Alex up before his usual noontime-waking hour and give him the skinny on the return of Liz Parker.

~~~

“Michael, we promised that we would meet Max. This is getting ridiculous. You can’t spend your life avoiding Maria.”

“I’m not avoiding Maria. I spend enough time at the CrashDown working there every night. I don’t want to spend my off hours there, too. This isn’t about Maria, okay?”

“No. It’s not okay. I can’t believe that we’ve stayed cooped up in your dirty apartment just because you can’t stand to face your old girlfriend. No one told you to avoid her, not to talk to her. That was your decision.”

”If you don’t like my apartment Isabel you can either clean it to your standards or leave. No one is forcing you to stay.” Michael looked at his..., Isabel critically. He didn’t see her rushing to talk to Alex. This whole summer was a waste, and they were no closer to understanding themselves then before, only difference was they were lonelier.

“Yeah they are. You are. This whole destiny crap is getting on my last nerve. It sucks. You suck, and I suck. We collectively suck. We’ve spent the entire summer staying away from the very people we want to be with, and for what? Tell me Michael, for what?”

“Isabel, you know why. We’re engineered for each other. The book, the dreams, and the message they all tell us what we’re supposed to be together. I waited my whole life to find out why I was here. I can’t throw that away, Isabel. I need to know.”

“Fine. Then let’s just get this knowing out of the way. Kiss me.”

“What?” Michael looked at her in shock. He wasn’t ready for this.

“You heard me. Kiss me right here, right now. Take me in your arms and kiss me, pull me onto the sofa and get at it. I know you can because I’ve witnessed you actually wrap yourself around Maria with her clothes all over the place. So if we’re destined to be together, to make babies, and then let’s get it on. Because I swear Michael if I have to watch another hockey game I’ll kill you in your sleep.”

“Isabel, I can’t.”

“You can’t what? You can’t kiss me, or you can’t throw me down on the sofa and suck face with me with half the passion you’ve got for Maria? What Michael? What can’t you do?”

“Maria has nothing to do with this.” Michael anger was increasing and Isabel wasn’t looking to calm herself with her arms wrapped around her waist and tapping her foot in that annoying manner she had.

 “Maria has everything to do with it and you know it. So either admit it or prove me wrong.”

Isabel hardly got the challenge out of her mouth before her mouth was engaged with Michael’s. She could feel his frustration and anger like a wave, and in that split second she felt Maria, everything Maria. It was like Michael’s whole life and feelings were overrun and conquered by his love for one little earth girl. As suddenly as he grabbed her, they both pushed away breathing heavy.

Isabel stood still in shock with her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, Michael?”

Michael moved even further away from her and covered his eyes with his hands. Oh that was bad. Wrong. Weird. It actually made his stomach upset.

“That was just wrong. Oh, yuck, did you have to put your tongue in my mouth. This is going to haunt me for years. Just so my life can really get bad, maybe Max will kiss me too, then I can really be disgusted.”

Michael wasn’t looking at her. He was so quiet, so non-responsive just standing there with his hands shielding his eyes from her. She noticed the tremors in his body. Oh please don’t tell me he felt something from that kiss. Finally a chuckle escaped from behind Michael’s hands and Isabel’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“What’re you laughing at? Michael?”

“God Isabel, no man should have to see his sister’s internal lust for Alex Whitman. That was damn disturbing.”

“Shut up. You’re a fine one to talk, Mr. ‘I feel nothing and Maria has nothing to do with it’. Excuse me for saying, but you’re so full of it. Maria is everything. Everything Michael. There’s so much of her inside you that you can’t even think straight. Why?”

“Why what?” Michael finally looked at Isabel comfortably for the first time this summer.

“Why did we waste this summer staring at each other when we could’ve been having fun with the people we love?”

“I had to know Isabel. I needed to know.”

Isabel could understand that, and she promised to be there for him, but still...“Damn you Michael, did you have to use tongue? That was disgusting.” Isabel was moving around flopping her arms to make a point.

“Spare me, Isabel. It wasn’t a walk in dreamland for me either. What are we gonna do now?”

Isabel threw herself down on the sofa and pulled Michael next to her. They both stared intensely into each other’s eyes. It was there, all of it. Their collective past, the connection they might once had, but it was different almost in a language that was barely recognizable, and the connection they shared now as brother and sister, as family. They both started to laugh at the outrage, the pure ludicrous though of them being together as anything more than family. If they were engineered to mate and be together, their makers made a mistake. Something had gotten lost in the translation.

“It’s so good to hear you laugh again, Michael.”

“I missed you, Iz. I missed my sister. Sitting here all summer trying to think of you in another way wasn’t cutting it. All I could think of was strangling you if you changed your nail polish one more time or rearranged the furniture again.”

“Yeah, and what about you? You weren’t the paragon of my lust either. I was going to strangle you with your own bandana if you ate one more bowl of cereal. I would’ve explained to the authorities that I was saving you from yourself and an endless fascination for fruit loops.”

They rolled around the sofa hitting each other and laughing. Michael finally settled back with Isabel in his arms hugging her close. This felt so much more like home than all the hugs of the last few months. Those hugs were cold and lacked any true connection, but this hug was like coming home. Isabel, his sister was finally back.

“What are we gonna do, Isabel?”

“I’m gonna meet our demented brother Max for lunch, and then I’m gonna go meet my destiny head on.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Alex. I understand that over this summer he’s made a sort of name for himself and his band. I also hear that he has a following of little groupies hanging off his every note. Time to take out the garbage.”

“Think it’s gonna be that easy?”

“No. But maybe I need to prove something to myself and to him. Maybe I need to prove that I choose him and want only him. If I have to crawl, then I will. He’s like my childhood sweetheart, and whether we stay together forever, one year or six months doesn’t matter. I just know that I feel happy, safe, and not alone when he’s near. I want to feel that again. Somehow Alex always made everything feel like it was going to work, that if I could just hold onto him that he would see me home.  It’s really dangerous when a woman starts thinking of a man as safe and harmless. Alex is more than that and I think I let myself ignore the parts of him that are masterful and tough. I want to see those other parts of him that he saves for his music.”

“You know Isabel. It’s nice talking to you and all, but please refrain from giving me any real details on the seduction of Alex Whitman. I’m still your brother and I’d hate to hafta beat the man to a bloody pulp especially after what we did to him this summer.”

“Fine. But what are your plans? Involving Maria?”

“I don’t know. She’s not gonna be easy, actually I was thinking about getting some kind of protection before I approached her. Maybe I could find ways of just easing back in under her guard, where one day she opens her eyes and there I am.” Michael was already giving this some thought. Maria had never been easy, and he broke faith with her.

“She was really hurt, Michael. Bad.”

“I know. But, I left her for a real reason Isabel. I can’t live with the fear of something happening to her. I think about alien hunters and evil aliens all the time, and then I think of her. If anyone wanted to break me, she’s my weakness. Harming her would destroy me. I don’t know what to do.”

“She is your weak spot, Michael. But she has also been your strength. When she stands near you, I can feel your focus, your control. The two of you are hotwired together like some kind of primitive team. I think that maybe it’s time to let go of those fears and trust her to make her own decision, and all you’ve got to do is love and protect her with your last dying breath. It’s all anyone could ever do.”

“God I missed you, Isabel.” Michael hugged Isabel so tight she actually squeaked. She pushed hard to escape him.

“I’m out of here, out of the dungeon. I’m almost afraid to walk in the sunlight, maybe I should take it slow and let my eyes adjust.”

“Funny, Isabel, really funny. Where are you going?”

“I’ve errands to run, people to see, places to go, but I’ll see you at noon, at the CrashDown.” Isabel grabbed her light jacket, smoothed the wrinkles out of her clothes, and moved to the door. “By the way Michael. You might want to take a quick shower. You’re about to meet your destiny face to face at lunch and you know how she feels about your personal hygiene. And with the way she feels about you right now, I’d suggest not giving her any fuel for the fire.” And with that Isabel was out the door and walking among the living.

Michael sat on the sofa long after Isabel left. That kiss said it all. How stupid could one person be? Spending an entire summer avoiding the issue of intimacy when all of the confusion could’ve been avoided by just facing it head on.

Kissing Isabel was nothing short of disturbing. It was unmanning, like taking an ice cold shower with all those squiggly feelings included. Isabel was right. They should’ve just got it over with and spent the rest of the summer coming to terms with the others.

Getting up from the sofa, Michael went over to a cabinet and opened it, inside on the shelves where drawings, hundreds of them, all of Maria. He dug through the pile to look at the one picture that kept getting buried deeper and deeper into the stack. Michael knew that he was hiding it from himself because the pain was too great to look at.

The picture of Maria was one done from memory. The memory of how she looked the last time he saw her. He told her that he loved her and then walked away, and kept walking towards what he thought was his destiny. Leaving her behind, she stood devastated. He walked away from her towards his destiny and the slap in her face was that it wasn’t her.

It was that last look on her face that he couldn’t erase or hide from, the look that woke him at nights. He could lie in bed late at night and close his eyes and still see her face and hear her cries as she cried herself to sleep working her way through the pain. It didn’t matter if Maria hated him now because she couldn’t hate him anymore than he hated himself. He spent a lifetime learning the art of self-hate. It was the very reason he found it so hard to understand Maria’s love.

These repressed feeling and fear-motivated responses were a nightmare. He was a psychologists walking dream of passive aggressive behavior with self-inflicted destructive behavior hidden behind anger and pain. All those years of taking the chances and pushing himself closer and closer to the edge, never caring if he fell or stumbled along the way, Michael lived his life on that sharp edge welcoming the pain. The pain was the only way he knew he was alive. It was all he understood, until Maria.

She moved in so easily because he didn’t understand the emotions, he never felt them before. He understood needs, wants, desires, pain, and anger, but love. Michael didn’t know love until one day it slapped him hard in the face. She wouldn’t talk to him, she wouldn’t sit next to him, and she was through with him all because he didn’t thank her for saving his life. He made the napkin holder in retribution, but really, he made it for her.

Waking up one morning and finding that someone has moved into your life, that they filled up all the empty places, and made the pain and anger of living worth working past. Being in love with Maria was too hard. It was filled with all those scary things you fear all your life. It wasn’t the fear of love as much as the fear of losing that consumed him. She made him want to step back from the edge, live a little safer, a lot longer, and with her. When he pushed himself back on the edge to prove that he didn’t need her he turned to find her standing there with him ready to fall if he fell, ready to die with him. He ran.

Damn Max was going to have to move his self-pitying ass over. Michael was going to have to join him on the loser’s sofa at the psych doctor’s office. They could start their own Alien Losers At Love dysfunctional support group. He knew that Max was trying to conquer his issues of torture, losing control of his life, and losing Liz. He could see and feel his friend’s pain.

If that pain was even one iota of the pain Maria experienced when he walked away, he was dead in the water. Thinking of never seeing her smile again, never kissing her again, touching her, smelling her, holding her close, feeling her skin against his own, and the anguish of losing her to someone else sent Michael rushing for the shower. Isabel was right. Time to meet destiny head on, no more pissing around to let some other person discover the treasure he so carelessly tossed away.

~~~

Maria was in the back room taking a short break before the noon rush hour started. Looking up she saw Isabel watching her from the doorway. “Isabel? Did you need something?”

“Hi Maria. Yes, I need to see you. Can I sit down?”

“Sure. I don’t have long, but what I have you may have. So what do you want to talk about?”

“Michael. Destiny, and all stops in between.” Maria paused and saw her hand actually shook a little at the mention of his name. Her hands clenched in anger.

“There’s nothing to say or talk about Isabel. It’s over. Let’s just leave it alone.” The anger left her voice quiet and cold.

“It’s not over Maria. It’s not over for you, it’s not over for me or Alex, and it’ll never be over for Michael.”

“What is it you want Isabel? Do you want me to be okay with this? Well, fine, then I am okay with it. This is what it looks like me being okay with everything.” Isabel watched Maria flopping her arms around angrily. “I’m fine. I’m fine.”

“Is it okay if I’m not fine, Maria? Is it okay for me to tell you that I miss you? Or how about I mention that I miss Alex so much that I cry myself to sleep sometimes. That if I have to spend another minute locked up in Michael’s disgusting apartment watching him try to lose himself in anything but the thought of you, I’ll start opening up in random firing.”

“What do you mean?” Maria stopped moving at Isabel’s words.

“This destiny thing. It was a mistake, a huge mistake. We finally did it this morning.”

“Okay, that’s it. I am out of here. I can’t, no, I won’t stand here and listen to details about…” Maria headed for the door in a dead run. She could just hardly stomach the thought of them together all summer, alone in His apartment, cuddling, kissing, touching, being a couple, but having intimate details told to her was beyond cruel.

“We finally kissed.” Maria stopped on her way out the door. Turning around she looked at Isabel with confusion.

“You finally kissed each other? This morning?” This was too confusing to walk away from.

“Yes.” Maria puts her hand up in the air to stop Isabel from talking.

“Let me get this straight, you spent the entire summer doing what? Something other than kissing?”

“We were working our way towards it.” Isabel had the foresight to actually be embarrassed about kissing Michael.

”Three months, Isabel? You worked your way towards it over three month?” Maria stared at her like she was insane.

“Pathetic, I know. What can you say when two people are forcing to do what neither of them really want to do. I really pissed him off this morning because he was being a jerk about meeting Max here for lunch. I told him that he was pathetic, that he was only trying to avoid seeing you.”

“And?” Maria could hear that voice in her head telling her to not care, to run away, to not get involved again. She stayed.

“He denied it, of course. So I dared him to kiss me, which he did. It lasted mere seconds before he pushed me away.”

“Seconds? He stopped kissing after just seconds. That doesn’t sound right.” Maria was confused. She spent hours trying to unwrap Michael from around her in the past. He was a sort of get into it guy that liked the sensation so much that gluttony was his middle name. She remembers a few times telling him that she needed to go and finally getting out of his apartment a few hours later, not moments.

“Oh, it was right. The kiss was wrong. It was the most disgusting thing I ever did. It was like kissing Max, which would’ve been okay, but the tongue thing just pushed it over the top.” Isabel looked over to see Maria laughing her ass off trying to appear sympathetic.

“Stop laughing Maria. It was gross. I don’t mind the thought of kissing my brother on the mouth in a closed mouth kiss of affection, but no girl should have to even imagine her brother’s tongue. Oh God, I’m going to need therapy to get over this. Great, Max is going to have to move over and share the couch. And as far as Michael goes, that psycho needed therapy a long time ago. It can’t be normal sitting around watching endless hockey on ESPN and eating cold cereal. It’s deranged.”

“This is all amusing Isabel, but why tell me?” Maria wiped the mirth from her eyes, but curiosity was a strange thing.

“Because I missed you, and I wanted you to know that this destiny thing is over. That what was confusing before just took a leap into reality, and the reality was not confusing. Michael and I are family. We’re brother and sister and we’re staying that way. I don’t want there to be any tension or barriers between us.”

“I appreciate that Isabel. I tried to break all my ties with your people, but Max kind of nullified that action. I’ve spent so much time with him that it is silly to even imagine that I can’t and won’t be your friend, too.”

“I know. I saw you walking him home a few times. It’s really great the way you helped him out. I saw you kiss him the other night.”

“It’s not what you think.” Maria was shocked that someone had seen her with Max.

“I know. I asked Max. He says that you gave him the best sisterly pecks on the mouth with a good dose of genuine affection he’s ever felt. You’re helping to mend his broken heart.”

“No, I’m not. I’m just offering him support from a person who understands how he feels. I always knew that your brother was special. Before it was all surface stuff, like he’s so hot, isn’t he dreamy and intense, but now I know that there’s so much more deep inside him worth knowing. I like him. He’s one of the good guys, but he is troubled. I am afraid what this whole destiny thing will cost him.”

“So is Michael, Maria.” Isabel paused for dramatic effect. “He’s one of the good guys, too.”

“Isabel, I won’t discuss Him.” Maria finally gathered her wits and tried to remind herself that she was suppose to be strong.

“Him? You mean Michael when you say, Him?” Isabel felt a sinking feeling in her gut. This was worse than she imagined. Michael and she had left it too long and Maria had already pulled away, and god only knew how far Alex had journeyed away from her.

“Yes. He’s like the devil. If you say his name he may come, so it’s just safer not saying it at all.”

“When I kissed him, I saw you Maria. I saw only you.” Isabel was desperate to impress Maria with how much Michael thought of her, how much she was a part of him.

”You got a vision when you kissed Him?” Maria whole body went into a state of stillness, waiting for the answer.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, that just tears it. He can’t give me a vision, but He can give you one? Maybe you should reconsider this destiny thing. It sounds like a match made in heaven.” Maria turned angrily and headed for the door again.

“It’s not that. I’m like him. He has known me forever, and he needs no protection, none of his stonewalls. But you, you scare him. His emotions for you run so hot and deep that he forgets to breath sometimes.” Isabel was suddenly realizing her mistake. “He didn’t give me a flash because he wanted to. He gave me one because he’s so emotionally torn by missing you that he can’t control himself.”

“Thanks, Isabel, but you don’t have to try to make me feel better. Would that be the first month when He kept hanging up on me? Or the next month when He refused to even answer the damn phone? Or return my calls? Yeah, I can see how torn He is.  I’ve come to terms with this so many months ago. It’s over. End of story.”

“Please don’t say that Maria. It can’t be over. There’s so much left unsaid between you. I know that he was impossible to talk to this summer. But don’t write him off yet, Maria. Give Him a chance to prove himself.” Isabel swore under her breath. Now Maria had her emphasizing personal pronouns.

“I can’t, Isabel. I can’t. He didn’t leave me for his destiny, Isabel. He left me because he was afraid. He was afraid that his out of control powers would hurt me, but he didn’t worry about you. So it must have been just an excuse to get rid of me. So I’m tired of trying. He wins again. It’s always about him, his wants, his needs, and his fears. I’m letting it be about him again and moving on.” Maria dropped the emphasis in the heat of the moment.

“Maybe this’ll convince you.” Isabel grabbed Maria and kissed her on the mouth. Shocked it took Maria a few seconds to realize what Isabel just did, and pull away weary and shocked. “Well did you feel it?”

“Isabel? You just kissed me. What do you mean did I feel it?” Maria had her hand at her mouth staring at Isabel like she was really the alien she was.

“The vision. Did you see and feel the vision of Michael’s, about how he feels and sees you?”

“No.” Finally what Isabel was trying to do made sense. She wanted to pass the vision to Maria. “So the kissing thing was you trying to share Michael’s vision you saw earlier?”

“Sure, what else?” Isabel suddenly saw how it must have looked to Maria, but desperation made her try.

“I was just worried that the long hair was coloring how you saw me.” Maria smiled in relief.  “Not that there’s anything wrong with two people sharing a kiss, but I never thought about you that way.”

“Sorry, Maria. I’ve only seen flashes when I’m kissing. Maybe it needs to be more intimate than the mouth peck. But to tell the truth, after the whole Michael tongue thing, I don’t think I’m up to it.”

“You know what Isabel, that’s okay with me. You don’t need to share the vision.” Maria had to appreciate what Isabel was trying to do.

“I just wanted you to understand how he feels so you’ll give him another chance.” Isabel finally was seeing what Michael meant about Maria not being easy.

“Thanks, Isabel, but you know what, I don’t want that vision. I definitely don’t want it second hand and through a third party. It was my right to be given insight into him, one on one. He should’ve let me in himself, but he didn’t. Getting it this way is like plagiarism. It feels false. I don’t want any of it. Thank you anyway.”

“I think I understand. Sorry about the kiss thing, but I wanted to ask. What’s with the hair anyway? I like it.”

“Oh, I decided I needed a change. So I had hair extensions put on. They’re a pain because I have to keep going back to the salon every once in a while. I’ll have to keep doing it until my real hair grows out. It’s just barely to my shoulders.”

“I could help you.”

“What do you mean? You could grow my hair out?”

“Sure.”

“That is so cool. I really missed you Isabel. Bathroom.” Maria grabbed Isabel by the arm and hustled her into the break bathroom. “You know I was thinking about pink hair for one night while performing. You know, we should have girl’s night with Tessie.”

“Tessie?”

“Sure, I’ll tell you all about it later, but first let’s grow some hair. You’re going save me a fortune at the salon.”

~~~

Tess was the first to arrive for lunch. She saw Isabel immediately and headed for the table. Sliding in across from Isabel she noticed that Isabel seemed different.

“So where’s Michael and Max?”

“Hi, Tess. Max is probably still at work and Michael is more than likely pacing around out front trying to get the nerve to come in and eat.”

“I don’t understand. Why should he need nerve to come in here? He works here and comes in all the time.”

“Not when Maria is working. He has managed to avoid her all summer, so this will the first time either has seen the other since May.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Maria is awesome, but they aren’t together anymore. He’s with you now, and it’s crazy to think that he’s going to be able to avoid her forever. It’s time to get it over with, especially before school starts.”

“I agree that he needs to face her, but you’re wrong about the two of us being together.”

“What? But the two of you’ve been together all summer. You’re fulfilling your destiny; you belong together.”

“I think that’s for me and Michael to decide don’t you?  I love him like a brother, Tess and all the destiny in the world doesn’t matter when it comes down to that fact.  I know I love him as a brother, but anything else from the past is gone. I can’t explain it, but I just know that whatever love was in our native form, if how we felt was love, it’s very dissimilar, and not what I want to feel. It’s like something is lost in the translation and it becomes very different. Today is a brand new day in a brand new life with a brand new world, and here, Michael Guerin is my brother. Destiny is no longer written. We’re going to determine our own destinies from now on.”

“But, …” Tess wanted Michael and Isabel to work, to maybe make Max understand where they belonged.

“Hey you two, can I get you anything, or are you waiting for others?” Maria interrupted them standing at the table with her order pad poised and ready. Tess could feel her face turning red. She really liked Maria and knew how hard the break up with Michael had been. It felt wrong trying to keep Michael with Isabel at Maria's expense, especially since neither Michael nor Isabel were interested in each other.

“Hi, Maria. We’re waiting for the guys. Can I just get an orange alien blast?”

“Sure, Tessie. Isabel, something for you?” Isabel smiled at Maria’s nickname for Tess. Having the entire group of Valentis and DeLucas in one house with Tess was going to be fun.

“I’m fine for now, Maria. Thanks.”

“I’ll be right back with your drink, Tess.” They watched Maria walk away when Michael finally arrived and slid into the booth next to Isabel. Isabel looked him over. He hadn’t only showered, but he finally changed his clothes.

This summer was almost as bad for him as for Max. Michael was much more repressed and refused to acknowledge his own feelings if they made him uncomfortable. He, like Max, had spent the entire summer depressed over the Pierce thing, the destiny thing, and Maria. Isabel could feel his nervousness.

“Where’s she?” Michael looked around the diner trying to see Maria before she saw him.

“She was getting Tess an alien blast. Will you calm down?”

“I still don’t see her.” Michael noticed the waitress at the soda machine, but Maria was nowhere in sight. Then she turned around, and it was Maria with long hair.

Michael’s breath stopped in his throat along with his heart. The sight of her stopped his heart and then sent it pumping full speed. It’d been so long since he last touched her, seen her, talked to her, and kissed her. He actually felt slightly dizzy and disoriented, and God help him, deeply aroused. He’d almost forgot what that felt like except at night when he dreamed of her.

“My God, what’s wrong with you?” Isabel hissed in his ear angrily. “Will you get yourself under control she’s coming back to take our order. Don’t push her Michael, she’s not ready for that yet.”

“I’m calm. This is what I look like calm.” Isabel stared at him in horror. The man was literally jumping out of his skin clamoring to grab Maria and do unmentionables. She could literally feel the heat along her skin.

“Then put a book in front of it, Michael, or something! The woman is going to have you arrested for sexual assault if you don’t stop looking at her like your next meal.”

Isabel couldn’t believe how distracted and out of control Michael was. It was like all summer he’d been dead, but now he was suddenly animated.

“God, she looks so beautiful. I can’t believe that I almost forgot how she effects me …”

“Shush, she’s coming. Calm, stay calm.”

Michael turned and looked at Isabel like she was crazy. Calm wasn’t a word in his vocabulary. His heart was racing off the chart, the palms of his hands were sweating, his stomach felt hollow and empty, slightly nauseated, and was aroused beyond belief.

Fantasies were running fast and furious through his mind. Fantasies of picking Maria up, laying her down on the diner bar and feasting on her ran hot through his mind followed by the thought of dragging her into the back break room, pushing her up against a wall, lifting her into his arms with her beautiful legs wrapped around him, his tongue down her throat tasting her deeply while he opened her up and plunged deep into her hot core.

Michael was startled out of his sexual fantasy by the hit across the head that Isabel gave him. “Damn, Isabel, what’s wrong with you?”

He looked up to see Maria poised with her order pad waiting for his order. He mumbled something incoherent and stared stupidly after her as she left the table to put in the order. Isabel kicked his foot and Tess was staring at him with horror on her face.

“What’s wrong with you? Grabbing her and doing unmentionable things to her won’t convince her of your sincerity. She already knows that you lust after her, have no problem with using her to slack your sexual appetites, but you need to convince her that your emotions are more involved than that. I swear Michael if you grab the girl, I’ll take you down myself.”

Michael clenched his hands tightly. The things he wanted to do to Maria would send children running crying for their mothers.

Michael groaned deep inside his throat rubbing his hands across his face. His body was super heated from having her near. He could smell her from where she had stood next to the table. My God the table, he could lay her on the table and then… Isabel kicked him again.

“Jesus, Isabel, what’s your problem? That hurts.”

“Will you stop it? How the hell did you ever think for one minute you could pursue a destiny with me, is beyond reason. Any idiot can see the woman drives you nuclear by just being in the same room with her. I spent the whole summer in the same room with you and all you did was watch television and eat Tabasco laced potato chips. Now you need to get yourself under control before you totally blow this.”

Michael had the honesty to actually look embarrassed by Isabel’s words. It was true. He knew it now, and may god have mercy on his wretched soul, he knew it since he walked out on Maria.

What he was offering Isabel all summer was nothing, nothing but being second best and a pale imitation of what Michael really wanted, whom Michael really wanted, Maria. Isabel wasn’t a woman to accept being settled for or second best, and instinctually he knew that, so all summer he avoid the whole issue until this morning, and now finally he was back on track steaming full speed towards his destiny in the form of one smart-mouthed, wisecracking earth girl. God, she looked so beautiful, so kissable, so touchable, so…

“Isabel, Maria is coming back with your drinks. Michael, Isabel is right. Even I can read the passion in your eyes. You need to get some kind of control here before you start blowing up light bulbs or something.”

“Smile, Michael, say thank you.” Michael looks at Isabel in confusion.

“Smile?” He could barely clear his hearing with all the thoughts of kidnapping Maria and making love to her until she accepted him back in her life and forgave him.

“Yes, smile. Now,” Isabel said through clenched teeth.

Maria came with their drinks and put them in front of Isabel and then Michael. Michael looked up at Maria and smiled and quickly said thanks. Maria’s eyes widen with a strange look on her face she stepped back from him running into another customer.

“Oh jeez, Michael, stop smiling. You’re scaring the children, horrified Maria, and are making me and Tess uncomfortable.”

“What? What did I do wrong?”

“Umm, Michael you were smiling like a deranged psycho killer or something. It was scary.” Michael moaned and put his head down on the table. This was too hard.

Max came into the restaurant quickly searching for Liz, seeing his friends he went to join them. Pausing before sitting down his eyebrow lifted at the sight of Michael banging his head on the table. Looking at Isabel he gave a shrug and sat down.

“So what’s with space boy? Does he still have that space bug running mad through his system?” Michael looks up and gives Max a nasty glare.

“Funny, Maxwell, funny. What’s with you? You’re searching the place like you intend to find something.” Michael asked looking up from the table.

“I am. I saw Liz come home this morning.”

“She’s back? Maria didn’t mention it earlier.” Isabel too started looking around the diner. “What are you going to do Max?”

“I’m going to try to talk some sense into her. I’ve missed her. I want her back in my life.”

Tess reached over and gently touched Max’s arm to get his attention, “Max, I hope she’ll listen to you. I really do. I hate seeing you so unhappy these last few months. You know that you can trust all of us to support and back you up, right?”

“Thanks, Tess. I know this hard on you too. Being raised to think and believe in our destiny is a hard thing to overcome, but I really appreciate that you’ve let it go.”

“Oh, I haven’t let it go, Max. I guess I’m just redefining what it means, how much is pre-ordained, and what we control and decide. This has been the strangest time of my life between meeting all of you, and living with the Valenti’s. It’s been fun being part of a sort of family, even if one of the members is Kyle. Maria and I have spent these last few weeks ganging up on him. I think the poor guy’s terrified what will happen when all of us live in the same house. He thought I was bad, but next to Maria, I’m a walk through a daisy field.”

“Why are all of you gonna share a house?” Michael was confused, but the mention of Maria had pulled him out of his current erotic thoughts and scheming plans.

“God, Michael could you be any more self-involved? Sheriff Valenti and Amy DeLuca are getting married in October and then Tess, Kyle, and Maria are going to become the Valenti Bunch.” Isabel actually started laughing at the thought. “It boggles the mind, law enforcement, bad boy jock, Czechoslovakian girl, and hippy yippy new-agers all living under the same roof. I’m hoping for lots of sleep overs.”

“When did this happen?”

Michael couldn’t believe how out of the loop he was, or how much happened in Maria’s life without him. Looking over at her, the new sexy short hemline and hair, he felt sweat break out on his skin. He was worried about what else Maria experienced this summer without him.

“Two weeks ago, Maria found Valenti coming out of their bathroom with nothing on but a towel. They announced their engagement a few days later. I mean Valenti and Maria’s mom announced their engagement and not … oh, never mind.” Isabel gave up. Michael was distracted from the conversation.

Michael looks over and sees Maria having a long friendly conversation with the customer she ran into when she backed away from their table. She was laughing and the customer was a young man only a few years older than them.

“Who the hell is that?” Michael starts to rise and go over and forcefully remove the other young man’s hand from his Maria. Isabel quickly pulled him back down into his seat.

“Will you just cool it? She’s going to really think that you’re a raging beast staring at her like you’re going to feast upon her, smiling at her like some kind of loon, and then charging across the diner to take out an innocent customer. Could you get any more insane?” He was exasperating.

“What’s going on?” Max looked from one to the other.

“Oh, well it seems, Max, that our Isabel and Michael finally decided that following our destiny was a big waste of time, too. They called it off, mutually, and now, now we’ve Michael in the thralls of raging hormones. He just saw Maria again for the first time since May and he’s been trying to get his hands on her ever since. It’s actually interesting to watch. Kind of like when a large airline plane crashes and there is all this debris everywhere with mangled dead bodies, it’s this total horror and yet you’re glued to it in fascination.” Tess took a sip of her drink and continued to watch Michael like a bug under a scope. He glared at her, and then with a small smirk actually sticks his tongue out at her. She responded in kind with scrunching up her nose and crossing her eyes.

“When did this happen?” Max looked over at Michael worried.

“This morning. Michael and I finally kissed.” Isabel’s word brought Max’s attentions back to her. What the hell?

“What do you mean you finally kissed? You’ve been hanging out together all summer.”

“So, we were taking it slow, okay? Anyway, this morning we decided it was time to end the misery and really decide whether we could continue. Michael kissed me and it was disgusting.”

“Thanks, Izzy, it wasn’t like I had much pride or male ego left anyway. Would you mind not going on and on about how disgusting the kiss was?” Michael finally decided to finish the discussion. “What it came down to Maxwell is that Isabel and I are family, not mates. It’s not gonna happen, ever. So we decided,” Michael gave Isabel a glare when she snorted, “that we needed to stop hiding from our true feelings and start living.”

“Revisionist history, Michael, but basically true. So anyway, now Michael is going to dedicate himself to the long, hard task of getting Maria back or at least becoming a first rate stalker.”

“Leave her alone.” The three other podsters went still at the deep commanding tone of Max’s voice.

“What? What do you mean leave her alone?” Michael could feel his hackles rising at not only the tone, but also the order. Now Max was going to wake up after a summer of sleeping and weeping over Liz Parker and order him around?

“You heard me. I mean it Michael. She took it really hard. You broke her heart and she’s just now starting to come out of it. It’s not right for you to come in and mess with her when she’s finally finding some balance and peace. She won’t survive much more pain in her life and she can’t trust you.”

“Yes, she can.” Michael clenched his fist under the table and refrained from going across the table and punching the crap out of Max.

“For how long? Until you take off on another destiny hunt, until things become too intense and you feel the need to run? How long, Michael? How long until you hurt her again? I’ll take you on myself before I let you hurt her. She’s had enough of her share of pain, anymore might just break her.”

“It’s none of your damn business Maxwell. I’m not leaving her again. This time it’s forever, forever as in a real commitment.”

“Here’s your order.” They all startled to see Maria standing at their table with their food. “Max, hi. I brought you a watermelon alien blast, may you choke on the disgusting thing. Did you want your usual?”

“Yeah, that would great Maria.” Maria smiled at him and started to leave not even noticing the groups’ embarrassed faces.

“Hey, Maria?” She turned to see what he wanted. “Was that Liz I saw this morning? Is she back?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry Max. I should’ve called you. She came in this morning from Florida with a Congresswoman that she’s going to be working with this year as an intern. They should be down soon. The rest of the Congresswoman’s party is sitting over there at that table eating endless amounts of Saturn rings. I really can’t tell you much since we didn’t get a chance to talk. Liz promised to try to come to watch Alex and me sing tonight. I’ve got to go. I’ll be back with your order.” Maria tried to rattle off as much information as possible in a short time. It was lunch rush hour and she didn’t have time to chitchat.

The group sat silently eating. Max was watching the table of strangers and Michael was brooding. Maria had barely glanced at him let alone talked to him. He needed to corner her in the back room and talk some sense into her. Michael started to rise to go find his wayward girlfriend when Isabel grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his seat.

“No. Stay. There’s a right way, Michael, and a wrong way. And I’d say that you’re heading in the wrong way. Are you trying to destroy any chance with her?”

“I just want to talk to her.”

“I know, but believe me, trapping her during the busy lunch rush is probably not the best time or the smartest move.” Michael had to agree that Isabel was probably right so he sat back down and tried to eat his food. It was the stillness of Max’s demeanor that brought his attention back on line. Following Max’s gaze he found Liz Parker moving across the diner to join the strangers at another table. Max started to get up and go over to see Liz.

“Sit down Max.” Max looked over at Michael. “If it’s a bad idea for me to bug Maria when she’s busy, then I suspect this isn’t the idea time for you to plea your case with Liz. So let’s all just try to eat our lunch and pretend to be normal teenagers.” Michael looked down at his fries. “Someone pass me the Tabasco.”

The group remained talking though the meal, but both Michael and Max continued to track Liz and Maria. Michael was becoming more and more agitated at one of the customers. The young man that she had fallen against seemed way too chummy. Maria was at his table talking to him again. Occasionally he would make eye contact with the man and give him a dark evil glare.

“So, Maria. Who’s the tall Neanderthal that keeps giving me hate stares? Friend of yours?”

Maria looks over to see Michael staring at them. “Nope, old boyfriend. We just broke up before summer started.”

“Looks like he’s not quite over it yet. Some guys can’t figure it out that when a girl tells him it’s over, it’s over.” He let a warm appreciative glance move over her body. “He’s not causing you problems is he?”

“Actually he’s the one who dropped me for the beautiful blond sitting next to him. They sort of have been brother and sister for most of their life and then something happen last spring that made them redefine their relationship. I was just one of the casualties. But now after a summer spent in each other’s company I guess they decided that it wasn’t for them.” Maria shrugged and searched through her order pad for Matt’s bill. “This is the first time I’ve seen him this summer.”

“Harsh.” Matt looked over at Michael.  “He doesn’t look all that over you.”

“Well tha