THE SHADOW

 

By Belit

 

 

 

Rating: NC-17
Summary: All aliens left in "Departure"... Only one returned.
Author's Note: I know I shouldn't be writing this right now but I couldn't help it, I needed to get away from Timeless, it's suffocating me. This will be short. Three short parts, maybe ten pages total... Well, hope you'll like it.

Now beta’d. Thank you Charlotte!!!

 

 

 

 

PART 1

 

I walk down the dark streets inconspicuously, dressed in black from head to toe. I enjoy the feeling of the wind on my face, the smell of thrash coming from a nearby container, even the sound of an occasional passing car. It’s been over a year since I came back, but I still can't make myself believe that I am here. To stay.

 

Earth. Who could have guessed that I would miss it that much? Not me. I worked my ass off to get off this planet. And I did. But for what? I’ve been so blind. I would have done everything so differently if I could see things the way I do now.

 

It’s surprising how people you think you know so well turn out to be something so different. I thought I knew Maxwell. I once thought I knew Isabel. But once we got to that damned planet, I figured things weren't always as they seemed.

 

Royalty. Being a royal isn't what it’s cracked up to be. There are always people telling you what to do, how to act, what to say. It’s just one big puppet show really. Why else would they let four teenagers rule a planet? Of course it was a show.

 

We had the faces they needed; we inherited the names they wanted to call us. And then we were ready. Ready to rule a planet. Yeah, right.

 

Max was a natural. Really, he could be an actor, a really good one. He acts his part so well. He gets into the character. He let himself be called Zan in a day, and started to call me Rath in a week. He said it was only appropriate, but I knew it was bulls-hit. A part of him wanted to be Zan. King Zan.

 

Isabel wasn’t as enthusiastic about being a princess. She became one soon though. A cold, distant one. She wasn’t the Isabel I saw laughing with Alex Whitman. She wasn’t the Isabel who wanted desperately to share her deepest secret with her human parents. She was Vilandra, the ice queen. I think it was Alex’s death that pushed her over that edge. She had lost faith. So she stayed there, where no one knew who she really was, and no one cared. Where no one knew about Alex Whitman and what loving her cost him. Where she could punish herself without being interrupted.

 

I feel bad about leaving her there. But I had to. It was hard enough to convince them that I wanted to come back, pulling an unwilling royal with me was impossible. And I honestly didn’t know what awaited me here, even if I could make it all the way back. I don’t trust their technology, I never did. I have no reason to trust something I don’t understand.

 

I never understood Maria though, but always trusted her. Everything gets mixed up when it comes to her…

 

Anyway, I left Isabel behind. With Max. Or Zan. Whatever. I would have liked to hope that she'd be happy, but I know she won't. So I just hope that she'll be safe.

 

I walk slowly, all my senses on alert. That’s the only thing I gained from my four years on Antar. Control and focus. I can use my powers now. I can do things I couldn’t even imagine before. I can't dreamwalk or heal though. Not like them anyway. My powers are different. Much more powerful, but in a destructive kind of way. Not surprising, considering the source of my genes. Rath. The big warrior.

 

Tess made a great queen. She was made to be one. Come to think of it, of course, why not, right? She was designed to be The Queen Of Antar. Well, they did a great job then. It worked perfectly.

 

Max and Tess didn’t even get a wedding, since they already were married in that other life. “Till death do us apart” doesn’t mean s-hit to those guys. They made a good couple though; they are both good at acting appropriately, although they were never really together. But they will be, I know. As long as they are stuck there, they will give in. Not like giving in to their feelings, since they don’t have any towards each other, but they’ll give in to the image. Who would understand them better than each other anyway?

 

Isabel and I refused to get married. They were a little scared of me –they thought I was Rath I guess- so they couldn’t push. Isabel wasn’t any less frightening though, I have to admit. She managed to even scare me sometimes.

 

Max gave me a letter with a ring as I was leaving. He asked me to give them to Liz. I don’t know if he promised her a return or not, but I knew a part of her would always wait for him, refuse to move on. Max knew it too I guess, but I'm not sure of his intentions of giving me those things. A ring? A ring meant promise. What could he possibly promise her when he had decided to become Zan? I took them with me, and simply nodded to him. I didn’t promise him anything. I hate breaking promises.

 

The journey back wasn’t the most comfortable, but the relief of stepping on the desert sand was worth it. I remember back on Antar waking up everyday wishing to see a blue sky. But it was never there. The green clouds mocked me with their beauty every time I looked at them longingly. They were beautiful, magnificent, but always seemed bland to me. They lacked something. They weren't the blue and white ones I was so used to. They weren't the ones I looked up at, as I dreamed about home. They weren't surrounding a planet I wanted to be on.

 

The first thing I did was to look for Liz. First came duty, always. I would find Liz, give her Max’s stuff, and then start the rest of my life without interruptions or hesitations. Then I could find her. My reason.

 

I found Liz in LA. I got her address, and walked there impatiently. I wanted desperately to get it over and done with. But when I reached her house, and caught a glimpse from her window, I knew it was over.

 

Liz was sitting next to a fireplace with her husband’s arms around her. They looked peaceful together. Liz was happy. Not almost happy like the way she was when she was with Max, but happy, really happy and serene. And she was pregnant.

 

Her husband was older than her, but he looked like a nice guy, just like she deserved. He was rubbing her stomach lovingly, as he spoke kindly to her ear, making her giggle. Liz never giggled.

 

I left her place in a daze, and threw Max’s stuff in a trashcan on my way. She didn’t deserve to get all f-ucked up again over the alien crap. Or over Max. Max was dead anyway. Liz had loved Max, not Zan. There was no Max anymore.

 

I walked and walked that night, until my legs refused to carry me any longer. Then I collapsed on the pavement and thought about her. All I could do was picture her as I had seen Liz. Happily married. Pregnant maybe.

 

Happy. Something I had never managed to make her.

 

Could I make her happy this time? Or just f-uck up her life again? Could I just watch her from afar as I did Liz, and leave if she was okay? Could I walk away without holding her once? Could I walk away with my heart still beating?

 

No, I decided. I couldn’t.

 

So I stopped looking for her.

 

Then came the question. What was my reason now? I simply didn’t have one. I was still alive, but there was no explanation as to why I kept breathing. I slept on the streets for a week, just surviving, trying to numb my brain to avoid thinking…

 

Then the reason found me one night. I wasn’t looking. I was simply sitting on a sidewalk, pitying myself, and wishing for a quick death. I heard the girl scream, ask for help, and saw two guys pulling her towards a dark alley, one of them grabbing her purse, the other tearing her clothes.

 

Something inside me snapped. The next thing I knew I was standing over the guys, both of them passed out. I had used my powers in front of her, but the girl wasn’t freaking. She looked grateful, and gave me a smile that warmed my freezing heart a little.

 

That was how it started. That was how I became who I am now. The Shadow. Don’t get me wrong, I'm not Superman. More like Batman maybe. I'm not doing this from the goodness of my heart. I need to do this.

 

They taught me who Rath was when I was in Antar. They showed me how he fought. They made me watch his battles. They made me see how much he killed. How much I killed. I hated them for it. But I hated myself more than anything. Even though I don’t remember it, I am that guy. They are my sins. I am the one to pay.

 

So since I can't have my heaven on earth, I decided to carry my hell to it. I'm not into charity, everyone knows that. This is simply my redemption.

 

The papers surprisingly didn’t call me a freak. They called me a gift of god; they called me LA’s salvation. Each of them gave me different names, different stories. But now, after a year, they all call me The Shadow, the hero rising from darkness, the saviour of all things pure. Whereas I’m simply Michael Guerin, the alien who chose to be a human.

 

 

PART 2

 

I look deep into the eyes of the man in front of me, and find my heart empty once again. There’s a huge void in me I can’t fill no matter what. There's just one big nothingness where my heart should be. My life is great, it’s beautiful. I have everything I’ve ever dreamed of, but the one thing I’ve never dreamed - but somehow found nonetheless - is missing.

 

I never cried for him. I didn’t shed one drop of tear after he left. I refused to sacrifice my life to a lost love. He left me to fulfil his dreams, I gave him my heart for the journey, but vowed that it was all he could get from me. I wasn’t going to waste away, I wasn’t going to struggle to hang on to something that simply wasn't there. I moved on with my life and built myself a safe home, where I could give myself the life I craved as I grew up.

 

I learned to not depend on anyone. I tried to be like my mother, and became more. I have money, I have a family, I have a home, a daughter, a mother… that’s all I need to go on.

 

I left Roswell right after he did, to come to LA, and become a singer. It didn’t work out. I had some really bad times, without any money, or a job. Then life threw more obstacles in my way and made it impossible for me to perform. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. I love Alice so much, she's my everything. Music seems so unimportant next to her.

 

I became a song writer, something I love more than singing if that’s possible. And it worked. Success makes me happy. I write songs about worlds that are far away, loves that are doomed to perish, babies that save lost souls… People usually don’t get the meaning behind them, but who cares? It’s okay as long as I get to pour them out, instead of bottling it up inside.

 

I have lots of men in my life. People think I'm a slut I guess. No. I'm not a slut. I'm just looking for the one to fill the void in me. When I find him I'll stop searching, and hang on to him tightly. I don’t think I can handle losing my heart twice.

 

That’s what I'm doing with Richard right now. We’re sitting on the couch sipping our wines and watching my magnificent backyard. I know he's not the one though, I realized it the moment my hand brushed his as I handed him his wine. It doesn’t matter really, I'm used to this by now. I'll just have some fun chatting with him, then tell him that I need to wake up early tomorrow.

 

When I first started this search, I used to spend the night with the guys. I hoped to feel a spark as I let them touch me more intimately, but after a couple of nights with different men, I realized it wasn’t going to work. They were all great people, but I felt even more empty as I felt them get lost in me while all I could do was watch.

 

No passion, no great ecstasy, no love…

 

I remember how he made me feel. That night, our first and last, I felt my love and passion bursting out of me, threatening to tear my body apart with its intensity. I never felt that again, but I refuse to believe I never will. There has to be someone out there. There has to be…

 

- - -

 

Michael jumped on the roof of a big beautiful house to follow the running guy. It was amazing the things he could do with just a little bit of energy in the right direction. People thought he could fly. They cracked him up.

 

He was in a neighborhood he usually didn’t come. It was a neat place, where rich people lived, in their big houses with security. They could take care of themselves, they didn’t need him.

 

The guy was running fast and the roof wasn’t the greatest place to run. He extended his hand and sent him flying down to a backyard. He hoped there wasn’t a pool, or the guy would probably drown. But it wasn’t his fault, he should've stopped running dammit!

 

He jumped down and landed on his feet. It was a reflex now, he didn’t even have to think about it. He grabbed the guy from his collar and put on the handcuffs. They were the only solid weapon he carried. His powers were all he needed, but since he preferred not to face the police, handcuffs were a necessity.

 

Dropping the unconscious guy on the ground, he felt something behind him. Something familiar. His sixth sense was something he had learned to trust. Was that the sixth though, he wasn’t sure. He suspected to have much more than humans.

 

He turned back facing the house, and found himself face to face with a woman and a man, standing in front of the glass door with wine glasses in their hands. Then he saw the woman drop the glass in her hand. It landed on the white carpet, spilling the red liquid around.

 

He raised his head to meet her eyes and stopped dead in his tracks. Her hair was long but not blond anymore, but those eyes… His heart knew those eyes too well. He was in love with those eyes.

 

Maria stood still and watched his face. She was scared to move. What if he left? What if it was a dream? What if she had finally lost it?

 

She took one step in his direction and sighed with relief when he didn’t move. She placed her shaking hand on the glass door, looking in his eyes, begging him to not leave her once more.

 

Michael looked at her palm as if in a daze and placed his larger hand to cover hers. He saw her smile, and step a little bit closer. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t talk… He just stood there, and savored the moment. He wasn’t even touching her but he could feel his skin tingling. Then he remembered the other person in the room, and his eyes found him. He looked at the guy, then at Maria, and then their hands. He was about to pull his hand back when he heard her voice.

 

“Richard, leave!”

 

It had been so long since he'd last heard her talk. Too damn long. Her voice surrounded him like a blanket and warmed his trembling body.

 

Richard looked at Maria, and was about to protest, but Maria turned her gaze from Michael to him and her death glare made him forget what he was about to say. “Right,” he croaked out, and grabbing his jacket he left the two strangest people he'd ever seen alone.

 

 

 

PART 3

 

Time stood still as Maria watched Michael from the other side of the glass. Her body had gone numb except for her hand, which was tingling slightly. A sweet tingle that told her it wasn’t a dream or a fantasy. He was real. Knowing that she could touch him just by opening the door was making her knees tremble. Her breathing had become erratic. She had to do something soon, or she was going to collapse.

 

She looked at the handle of the door, but hesitated. Would he leave? She raised her eyes to meet his once more, but his face was unreadable as always. She watched him close his eyes, and a moment later their fingers met. The glass was gone.

 

Maria twined her fingers with his, reaching with her other hand to touch as much of his skin as possible. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she pulled him closer. His leather jacket was in the way, so she pushed it back on his shoulders and hugged his waist. Burying her face in his chest, she cried the tears she hadn't let spill for the last five years.

 

His arms enveloped her and she felt his face drop on top of her head. She wanted to move, raise her head and look at him, kiss him, feel his skin against hers… But she couldn’t. Her heart was beating so fast, she feared it would burst out if she had more of him. So she stood in his arms, smelling his masculine scent and wishing with all her heart for it to not end.

 

Her tears dropped on his chest, wetting his black t-shirt, and he found himself really breathing for the first time in five years. His chest tightened when he felt her place a small kiss on his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to still be standing.

 

“Maria…” he said in a hoarse voice, and wondered how long it had been since he had last said her name out loud. She tilted her head up and met his eyes. So close… She was so close, yet he couldn’t move and kiss her.

 

“Michael…” His name left her lips in a whisper and her annoying tears sped up as she gazed deep in his eyes. It was almost a prayer, his name. It was the most precious word that had ever left her lips. She loved Alice to death, but this was different. He was always the most loved, even if he could never let himself acknowledge it.

 

Her trembling hand trailed up his chest and touched the skin of his neck, the familiar contact making her gasp and hold her breath. She stopped thinking. He was there, in her arms. For real.

 

She pulled back from the hug slightly, and cupped his face with her hands. Their eyes met and the air sizzled between them with the barely contained passion, making it even harder to breathe. Maria's eyes dropped to his lips. Her heart picked up speed and she bit her lip in anticipation.

 

Michael watched her lips and groaned. That was the exact picture he’d had in his mind. This was how he'd dreamt about her for the last five years. And it was too much to resist.

 

His arms around her waist tightened and his lips touched hers in an excruciatingly soft kiss. He felt her let out a small sigh in his mouth, and her tongue met his. The silky touch sent shivers down his spine. He felt light-headed; all he could feel was Maria. His head was spinning, it was too much. Too much Maria, too suddenly…

 

Maria pulled back from his lips, her hands still tightly holding his face. She wasn’t ready to let go yet. Her eyes searched his desperately. Sobs were building up in her, threatening to erupt, but she swallowed them. She would cry later, when he left her again. Cause he would… wouldn’t he?

 

“You're here?”

 

“Yes…” he sighed with a pained expression.

 

“How…?” she started, then her eyes flew to the unconscious figure lying in her backyard. When her questioning gaze found his eyes again, she knew her guess was true. He had guilty written all over him.

 

“You're The Shadow?” she asked incredulously, then her face changed into an expression he knew too well. She was pissed. Really pissed.

 

He tightened his arms, trapping her in his embrace. He knew she would try to get away from him, but he didn’t want to lose the soothing warmth and the heavenly scent of her.

 

Maria tried to get away from him, but he wasn’t letting go. He had tightened his hold on her, and her strength couldn’t even compare to his. It was hard to act on her anger when they were so close. She closed her eyes and hissed through gritted teeth. “How long Michael?”

 

Michael tried to form a lie to get himself to stay in one piece, but his mind was too fuzzy to pull off such a complicated thing. “A year…” he mumbled softly, hoping maybe she wouldn’t hear.

 

“A year?” she shrieked. She pulled herself away with a surprising strength only anger could give her, and glared at him. “You’ve been on Earth a year, and you didn’t come to me? Why exactly is that?”

 

Michael sat down on the couch Richard vacated. This was going to take long. Maria kept ranting, seeing that he wasn’t going to answer her. “Haven't you at least wondered what I've been doing? If I was dead or alive? Huh? Weren't you even curious? But, oh no, of course you were too busy playing the damn FREAKAZOID, WEREN'T YOU? You know what, you haven't changed one bit since you left! You were just saving strangers, but couldn’t find a minute to visit your… your…”

 

“WILL YOU SHUT UP!”

 

Maria stood in front of him in shock. He was shouting at her? God help her, she was going to kick his shadowy ass!

 

“I thought you wouldn’t want me to come to you,” he said in an irritated tone he hadn't used in five years. Only she could summon up that tone from him.

 

Maria looked at him with disbelief, her hands resting on her hips. “What gave you that idea Michael? Was it my begging for you to not leave, or was it the way I said goodbye to you, giving you my virginity and all?”

 

“I left you, Maria. Remember? We didn’t just break up. I chose to leave you.”

 

“Thanks for reminding me,” she said looking deep in his eyes. “Where are the others?” she asked, after a minute of staring.

 

“They're still there as far as I know.”

 

“Why did you come back?”

 

He shrugged, avoiding her eyes intently.

 

She sat on the couch next to him. She could see the vulnerable look in his eyes. The look that made her fall in love with him in the first place. The look she had seen in his eyes in the motel room on 285 South. The look he had managed to hide from everyone except her.

 

“Do you know how many times I thought about finding The Shadow, and asking him about you? They kept saying how he was blasting people around, and I figured that he had to be from Antar… I couldn’t though. I… have responsibilities now. I have people to take care of… But I always wondered…” her voice caught in her throat. “…and you were here all the time, and you didn’t even care…”

 

He closed his eyes in pain. Not seeing her didn’t make it go away though, if anything his heart was clenching even more. He wrapped his arms around her shaking form and placed a kiss on top of her head.

 

“That’s exactly why I couldn’t come. I didn’t want to f-uck up your life even more. God knows I did it enough in the past. I just wanted you to have the life you wanted.” Words weren't coming easy, but he couldn’t just let her think he was an a-sshole. Back in high school he wanted her to think like that, he wanted everyone to think like that. He didn’t care. Because back then he had dreams… Dreams that didn’t include Earth, or Maria. But now… Now she was his only dream.

 

She cried to his chest, her hands clutching his t-shirt. She felt him touch her fingers when her sobs subsided, as if he was looking for something. Looking up in his eyes, she figured what he was trying to find.

 

“I'm not married,” she said softly, and watched in fascination as he tried to hide his glee. “I have a daughter though...” she added, causing the gleam in his eyes disappear.

 

“Oh,” he said, nodding his head softly in acknowledgment. He met her eyes and forced his voice to sound civil. “Her father?”

 

“Left me,” she said looking in his eyes.

 

Why did everyone keep leaving her? He couldn’t get it! She was… perfect. So why did everyone in her life had to be so f-ucked up?

 

“You wanna see her?” she asked hopefully, and he felt like he had to nod. He wasn’t really up to seeing the proof of her love for some other guy, but she was impossible to say no to when she looked like that.

 

She pulled him upstairs, bouncing as she walked, just like she used to do whenever she was giddy. “Here…” she whispered opening a door painted in pink. They entered a dark room, the soft light coming from the corridor illuminating the small bed next to the window.

 

It was a baby. He had no idea how old she could be, he had never seen a baby grow before. But she was so tiny and beautiful. Her light brown hair was a surprise to him, since he had always pictured Maria's kids with golden hair like she used to have. Her lips were the same as her mother’s, and he could picture her bright green eyes clearly in his head. She had a small scowl on her face as she breathed evenly.

 

Maria watched him watch their daughter, and smiled when she saw the unconscious smile she loved to catch on his face. He only smiled like that when he was deep in thought. Touching his arm, she leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear. “She's four years old.”

 

He kept looking at the little girl, like he hadn't heard her statement. She softly turned him around to meet his eyes. “Michael. She’s four and she likes Tabasco Sauce.”

 

Michael’s brow furrowed and he looked confused, but then Maria noticed his uneven breathing. She smiled. He was excited.

 

She pressed her cheek on his shoulder, and linked her fingers with his. “She has your hair,” she whispered, watching her daughter’s chest rise and fall. His fingers tightened their grip on her hand, and his body stiffened next to her. She could sense a storm coming, so she tugged him to the direction of the door.

 

Once in her bedroom, she let go of his hand and closed the door, careful to not make a sound. Then she turned around and found Michael sitting on her bed, his face buried in his hands in defeat. Her heart skipped a beat. What was he thinking now? It was so hard to read him sometimes, while sometimes she just knew exactly what went on in his head.

 

She walked closer, and stood in front of him. Whatever it was he was thinking, one thing was for sure, he was sad. She stroked his hair, and let him pull her closer and bury his face in her stomach. He hugged her tightly, making it hard for her to breathe, but she wasn’t about to protest. It was good to feel his need again, just like old days.

 

“I'm sorry…” he whispered in a pained voice. “…I'm so sorry.”

 

“Ssshh… It’s okay. It’s okay.”

 

She felt him shake his head. “I wasted five years. Five f-ucking years… away from you, away from… my family. And for what? Just to find out that my dreams were just… childish fantasies.”

 

Michael felt low. He was lower than scum. He was lower than Max. There was no paying for his sins now. He deserved the depths of hell, Earth wasn’t going to cut it anymore. His family. The words had scorched their way through his lips. He had a family. And he had screwed it up. He had left them, just like his family had once done.

 

“No, Michael, you needed those five years. You needed to find out if they were real, or just dreams. You did the right thing. Except last year and you playing super hero of course.”

 

Michael chuckled. He knew he wasn’t going to hear the end of this. At least he didn’t have a costume or anything. That would've been real material for her. He met her eyes with expectation. “I wouldn’t have left, you know, if I knew…”

 

“It doesn’t matter. It’s okay now. Everything will be okay.”

 

 

PART 4

 

He was keeping her so close, she had to straddle his thighs and sit on his lap. It was the most comfortable she'd felt since he had left. Their bodies entwined together felt right. They belonged to each other. They were made to be with each other.

 

“What's her name?” he whispered into her hair.

 

Maria smiled. “Alice.”

 

“Like Alice In Wonderland?”

 

“Yeah,” she said. He could hear the smile in her voice. “Remember the day we watched it together? At your apartment?”

 

“Yeah, and you said our lives were like that. A f-ucked up fairytale.”

 

Maria sighed and let her hands stroke his back soothingly. He'd remembered. She had always wondered if he would.

 

She felt his lips touching the exposed skin of her neck, and his hands making their way under her dress, up her thighs. She shivered with the knowledge of what was to come. Her hands found the hem of his t-shirt and lifted it up over his head, leaving his back bare to her touch. His body had changed so much. She remembered every inch of it the way it used to be, now it was more muscular and a little rougher under her palms. But her effect on him hadn't changed, she noticed. His body still reacted with the same fire to her touches.

 

Excitement, anticipation, passion, love, desire… All those feelings washed over her, making her body tremble and ache for him. She knew he wasn’t any better from his hurried touches and uncontrollable moans.

 

“I missed you…” he groaned, as he laid her down on the bed, and attacked her lips. “God, I missed you so much…”

 

She tried not to sob, and focused on the feeling instead. Everywhere his body touched was on fire. He trailed kisses down her neck and his hands traveled up her sides, bringing her dress up as they went. Soon the dress was thrown away, leaving Maria lying on the bed, her body writhing under his gaze, clad only in her black thong.

 

He gazed up and down her body, noticing the changes. Her hips were curvier and her breasts were slightly bigger. She still had the long, slender legs he worshipped, and the ivory smooth skin. With her long hair curling around her shoulders, she looked sexy as hell. He tried to picture her pregnant, but couldn’t. He had to do something about that.

 

Kicking off his shoes, he crawled up her naked body, and ravished her lips as his hands found her breasts and started kneading them. Her skin was like a baby’s, not that he could really know. But it was so soft and warm. Just like the baby sleeping in the next room looked. Their baby. Alice.

 

Her nails raked down his back as his lips and tongue found the softness of her breasts. He wished he could've been there to see how his daughter had suckled that breast. There was something so sexy about that picture. Something strong and wild. Something primal.

 

He had missed out on so much. Her first step. Her first word. But at least he could be there for her first crush now. Her first boyfriend. Michael growled at the thought. He definitely was going to enjoy being there, but he doubted the poor guy would.

 

Maria pulled him up, needing to feel his lips and let her hands travel down to take off his jeans. She pushed them down with her feet and smirked when she realized he wasn’t wearing any boxers.

 

“Still no boxers?” she asked against his lips, trying to catch her breath.

 

“You used to like it…” he mumbled looking in her eyes.

 

“I still do,” she said, feeling her heart beat even faster. She could remember bitching all the time about how he never listened to her. How could he remember little details like that if he didn’t listen? Why would someone pretend not to listen? Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

 

Bringing his knee up between her legs, he let her grind on it just like she used to do… He used to love feeling her rub herself on him and make the cutest little noises. That had been his favorite Maria moment before they’d had sex. Then, it had changed into a picture that was burned into his memory. A moment he was planing on creating once more real soon.

 

His hands played with the waist of her thong and he looked up at her for permission. It was a reflex. When he looked up he remembered she wasn’t a teenager anymore. They weren't a couple of kids making out. She was a grown woman. A beautiful, strong woman. She was a mother.

 

He wondered why every damn thing about her made him want her more… She had been perfect. How had she managed to become more? He had loved her with all his heart. How was it possible that now he loved her even more?

 

He kneeled down next to her without letting their mouths part and pulled down her thong. She pushed it with her feet all the way down and parted her legs a little to let him know she was ready for him.

 

His hand traveled down her navel towards her curls, and started to softly caress her, making her bite his lip. She arched her neck and moaned loudly, her hand clutching his thigh. “Oh god…”

 

He watched her body writhe on the bed and plunged two fingers deep inside her heat. “God, Michael…” She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming. Her breathing was getting faster with every thrust of his fingers and her body was arching off the bed. He kissed her neck softly and leaned down to her ear. “Ssshh…”

 

“God I missed this so much…” she said, her voice hoarse because of her moans.

 

He bit her earlobe. “I'm sure you could do it yourself. You taught me after all.”

 

She raised her hand, showing her fingers to him. “They're too short I guess…” she said and groaned when he took them in his mouth. “Or there's just something about your fingers…”

 

Michael bent down to take her nipple into his mouth, and felt her body curl around his. He knew she was trying hard not to shout, so he brushed the thumb of his free hand on her lips and let her bite his fingers instead of her lip. Her body arched off and stilled, and with a muffled scream fell back on the bed; spent, but still slightly shaking.

 

Lying down next to her, he pulled her body close to his. They had changed, that was true, but their bodies still completed the other just perfectly. He tried to behave himself, but found his hands roaming her body. His Maria. So perfect.

 

A content smile spread across her face, and her eyes seemed to light up the whole room when she opened them. “Hey…” he whispered, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the sight of her face so satiated and angelic.

 

“Hey…” she said, rubbing her face on his naked chest like a cat. She looked so innocent. Her hand traveled down, and he decided maybe not that innocent. Her fingers circled his erection and they both sighed at the familiar touch.

 

Michael pulled her body on top of his, and groaned when she draped on top of him like a human blanket and started nibbling on his nipple. His hands gripped her hips and pulled her towards his erection. She stopped, realizing what he was doing. She looked at him questioningly, her brow furrowed in confusion.

 

He wanted her on top? He never did that. He liked being in control. He liked guiding their movements. He was doing something new. That meant he learned something new. That meant he had some practice… With who, she wondered. Batgirl? Her heart clenched, seeing a picture of him in her mind, with a long haired blond, dressed in tight black leather. No… Don’t. Not now. Don’t go there now…

 

He kissed her palm, unaware of her inner struggle. “I want to watch you…” he said, and couldn’t understand why she looked so moved by his words.

 

She sighed. So there was no Batgirl… That was good.

 

She lowered herself on him, and froze with her hands resting on his navel, savouring the feeling. Then she slowly laid down on top of him, letting herself just feel him. His heartbeat thumping under her breast, his ragged breathing tickling her neck, his fingers caressing her hips and his throbbing length inside her, setting her body on fire.

 

Michael thought about asking her if she was on the pill. But he lacked both the words and the voice to do it. Did he really care? No. He didn’t. A part of him even wished she wasn’t, so he could see how she looked pregnant.

 

Lifting her chin up, he kissed her softly, enjoying the feeling of her hair draped on his shoulders. But they had to do something about the color. His hand trailed up and she felt a tingling, then she saw him smile with mischief. Her eyes opened wide at the sight of her hair on his chest. It was blond. Just like it used to be.

 

He was expecting a rant, that was what she’d always done when he did something without consulting her first. So her words caught him by surprise. “I love you.”

 

“Still?” he asked, his voice shaking slightly.

 

Her head dropped on his chest again. “Isn't it weird? I think I love you even more now.”

 

He kissed the top of her head, and whispered to her. “Me too… I love you more… Much, much more…”

 

Hugging his body close, she ignored the tears spilling down her cheeks, and her body started rocking softly, her moans drowning the sobs building in her throat.

 

She was in heaven and had no intention of coming back any time soon.

 

- - -

 

Michael woke up feeling a warm naked body pressed against him. He inhaled deeply and smiled. Her scent was still the same. She had changed her perfume, but he could still smell the unique Maria smell there.

 

He wondered when was the last time he woke up smiling. He couldn’t remember. Not ever. Maybe for a short period of time, when he'd first realized he was in love with Maria. That had to be it. Because he was falling in love with her once again. Maybe even deeper this time… Was it possible? Was there a depth in him that she hadn't yet reached?

 

He felt the bed move, and opened his eyes. A pair of wide open eyes matching his in color stared back at him.

 

He looked at her, fascinated and not quite able to move. “Can I wake mommy?” Alice said with a small voice that fit her face perfectly. All he could do was nod.

 

The little girl smiled and leaned down to her mother’s ear. “MOMMY WAKE UP!” she shouted and Michael found himself covering his ears. She had his eyes, but that voice was definitely Maria's.

 

Maria, unbelievably, just stirred and grabbed the little girl without even opening her eyes. She mumbled something incoherent and went back to sleep. Michael thought it had to be some kind of a morning tradition.

 

Alice squirmed a little, but couldn’t get out of her mother’s embrace. She scowled and her fiery eyes turned in his direction. “Can you help me wake mommy?”

 

Michael leaned closer to Maria and kissed her neck. “Maria, wake up baby…”

 

Maria yawned, and opened her eyes slightly, her body leaning into his. Alice looked up at him and grinned. “Wow, it worked!”

 

He smirked at his daughter. She was just like a mini Maria, with his eyes and hair.

 

“Good morning baby,” Maria said, giving Alice a big kiss.

 

Michael watched them as they whispered some things to each other’s ears, Alice stealing glances at him. Finally she turned to him. “You came back from the stars?”

 

He couldn’t stop his grin. Only Maria would tell a four year old kid her father was an alien. “Yes, I did,” he said, realizing he actually wanted to make a good impression on the little girl.

 

“Why?” she asked in confusion. “They look so beautiful.”

 

Michael looked down at Maria's smiling face; her puffy eyes, tousled hair and swollen lips… “I think your mother’s more beautiful,” he said, making Maria blush and kiss his palm.

 

“No…” Alice said, shaking her head thoughtfully. “…I think the stars are prettier.”

 

Alice watched as they laughed at her words. What was so funny? She just couldn’t get adults. “I'm hungry…” she said, climbed down from the bed.

 

Maria snuggled deeper into her pillow and watched Alice leave the room. She closed her eyes and mumbled, “It’s your turn to prepare breakfast…”

 

He kissed her shoulder. “When did we decide this?”

 

“I've been preparing her breakfast for the last four years. It’s definitely your turn,” she mumbled, pulling the comforter.

 

“I demand my morning kiss first…” Michael said climbing on top of her.

 

“Oh all right!” she said in mock anger and kissed him, feeling her sleepy mind waking up slowly.

 

Holding her hands above her head, he pulled back to look in her eyes. “I want another one,” he said.

 

“Another what?”

 

“Baby. An Alex maybe this time?”

 

Maria's heart skipped a beat at her friend’s name. “You spend a week with her, then tell me if you want more.”

 

Michael nodded. “Fair enough. Then let’s get married.”

 

“You don’t waste any time, do you?” she said, a soft smile playing at her lips.

 

“I have some catching up to do,” Michael answered seriously. “So, will you marry me?”

 

“You're supposed to be kneeling in front of me, not on top of me,” Maria pointed, but Michael just shrugged. When had he ever done anything the conventional way?

 

“Nope. You can't get off that easy. I want the romantic dinner, and my Scooby plates, and the candle light… Just this time you won't leave in the morning, and instead you can propose…”

 

“Maria…” he growled.

 

“What?”

 

“Shut up and marry me!”

 

“Oh, all right!” she said, rolling her eyes. But all humor left her eyes once their lips met with the familiar burning passion, and her heart caught on fire, making it hard to breathe.

 

“MIIICHAEL!!!”

 

“You think we can get her to call me daddy?”

 

“Maybe she should call you The Shadow, or The Mysterious Hero of the Night, or… how does The Warrior from the Stars sound?”

 

“Oh shut up!” Michael said, throwing a pillow at her. Wearing his boxers, he headed downstairs to prepare breakfast.

 

It was his turn after all.

 The End