Author: Susan

E-mail: susanandtad@cs.com      
Rating: PG-13 - R, for language and sexual situations. Nothing explicit.
Pairing: Maria/Kyle and Michael/Maria with mention of Michael/Isabel

Improv Challenge #4: pathos -- daydream -- ruby -- bright
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Spoilers: Everything up to Departure and a slight mention in Significant Others

Summary: Part 3 of The Unexpected Series

Brief recap: Maria and Kyle slept together. Michael asked Maria to marry him and now she has to tell Kyle about Michael’s proposal and has to decide what to do about it. 

Author’s note: I have decided I am going to do a whole series based on Improv. Challenges. It will be a little unconventional as well as conventional. Not sure how it will end.

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“I have something to tell you.”

Kyle comes in and sits on the bed. I stay on the other side of the room. I can not afford to get to close to him right now. I need to tell him about Michael’s proposal and we need to talk about everything that has happened the last two days.

“You look like someone took your favorite Aroma bottle.” Kyle tries to make light of the situation but now is really not the time and I give him a look letting him know it.

“I talked to Michael today.”

Kyle’s face drained of all color. I think he believes I told him about us.

“Not about what happened last night Kyle.” I saw Kyle let out the breath he was holding. “I needed to know why he had been avoiding me this last month.”

“And what excuse did he have this time.” Kyle said showing his contempt for Michael and the way he treats me.

“Well actually… It doesn’t really matter Kyle but he gave me this.” I pick up the box that was lying on my nightstand and give it to Kyle. He opens it and I can see the surprise written all over his face.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“Yes.”

Kyle stands up, all emotion void on his face, his eyes, which I had always thought were so bright were now so very dull. “Well congratulations”

“Kyle I haven’t answered him yet. I can’t right now. I have to tell him about what happened between us. What is happening between us.”

Kyle looks at me in the eyes. “And what is happening Maria?”

I sit down on the bed, defeated. “I don’t know Kyle. I just don’t know.” Kyle sits down beside me, mere inches from me.

When I was kid my favorite story was the Wizard of Oz. I used to daydream all the time about clicking my red slippers, or tennis shoes in my case, together and saying there was no place like home. Of course, my dream home had a mother and father who loved me and maybe even a brother or sister. And here I am years later with all that I had dreamed about and I couldn’t help wishing I could take it back.

Kyle brushes his hand against mine. One simple little touch and my body feels like it is burning up from the inside. I move away from him quickly. We need to talk not act, especially not now.

“Kyle you are not making this any easier. We need to talk about this.”

Kyle stands up and puts his hands on each side of my face. “Ok you want to talk then lets talk. I love you Maria. I thought… I thought it was Isabel but this morning I realized that I was just fooling myself. It was you that I had been dreaming about, you that I wanted to make mine. I know you feel something for me to or what happened last night wouldn’t have. Now I guess it is up to you to decide what you want from this.”

He kisses me; a deep, long and passionate kiss that makes my toes curl and ruby colored stars to float in front of my eyes. He then walks out of the room leaving me to stare after him. My knees buckle and I reach for the bed before I fall.

Kyle was not making this any easier on me. So now there are two guys in love with me and I now realize that I was in love with them both. Oh no my life isn’t complicated at all. It is impossible.

I flip on the stereo to one of my favorite song’s Bif Naked’s Lucky Ones. Her voice is alive but the pathos of pain is overwhelming. However, it isn’t her pain that I am hearing it is mine.  Suddenly I can’t take being in this house any longer. I feel like the walls are crumbling in on top of me and I can’t breath. I run out of the house hearing my mom shout after me. I don’t stop to talk to her or anyone I just run. I don’t even get in my car because I know that I am in no shape to drive. I run for what feels like hours until I find myself in the park, my favorite spot in all of Roswell.

I sit down on a swing and look down at my hands. I hadn’t even realized that I had grabbed the ring that Michael gave me on the way out. I couldn’t help but look at it once again. It truly was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen and what made it even more beautiful was the fact that Michael had made it.

What was I going to do? There was Michael who I have spent the last two years loving with all my heart. We may have not been together for that whole time but he was always there in my heart. Now there was Kyle, who once I wouldn’t have even considered a friend. After Alex he became so much to Liz and I. We both needed that extra person in our lives. Then our parents were married and he became my brother as well as my friend. But what I feel for Kyle isn’t sisterly. I could blow it off as just lust because I can’t deny that I want him. Just being in the room with him now makes my blood boil and it is all because of last night. It must have been there, right below the surface, for a while or last night wouldn’t have happened. All it took was it, this unexplainable thing between us, to be brought out into the open.  But I know in my heart it isn’t just lust. I love Kyle and even worse I am in love with him. But yet I am still very much in love with Michael.

I remember sitting in a bowling alley nearly a year ago saying I wanted anything but this, meaning how things were at the time with Michael but I think I would rather have that back than this mess that I call my life.  Why is it the older you get the more complicated things are? I mean if dating an alien wasn’t bad enough now I happen to be in love with two people, one of which is my stepbrother.

After about an hour of sitting on the swing arguing with myself internally over what to do next I know I have little choice but to go and give Michael the ring back and tell him everything. I take my time walking to Michael’s house, this feeling of the weight of the world on my shoulders slowing me down even more.

I am about to knock on Michael’s door, which is partially open, until I hear him and Isabel talking.

“I can’t believe you asked her to marry you.”

“Why is that so hard to believe? You know that I love her, that I have always loved her. No matter what else has happened.”

“But Michael you have to tell her about what happened between us. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“I can’t Isabel. She will hate me and I will loose her. I couldn’t stand it if I lost her Iz.”

I take a deep breath and open the door. I need to know what they are talking about even if I am pretty sure what it is.

“What happened between you?” I ask Michael. I can’t even look at Isabel at this point.

“Maria. How long have you been standing there?” Michael asks panic clearly written all over his face.

“Oh just long enough to hear that something happened between you and if I knew about it I would hate you. I think that was long enough.” The sarcasm in my voice was clearly evident.

“Calm down ok. It isn’t what you think.” Michael says. Isabel remains quiet and is standing off the side. I give her a look that clearly says she needs to leave. For once Isabel actually takes the hint and silently walks out the door. She does turn around as she is leaving and shares a look with Michael.

I know I am being a hypocrite but I can’t help being furious. I try to remain calm and listen to what Michael has to say.

“Maria we started having the dreams again. Only this time they were worse. I would see them when I was awake to and things were starting to happen and I wouldn’t remember how.”

“Things?” This time my voice was less sarcastic. I could tell that Michael was really upset about this. He was pacing back and forth and running his hands through his hair. Whatever happened I know he didn’t mean for it to.

“One day we kissed, Isabel and I, and I don’t know how or even why. We were just talking, nothing serious and I looked at her and saw the dreams. The next thing I remember is pulling away from her.”

I have to ask. God I wish I didn’t but I have to but I do. “Is that all that happened between you?”

Michael stopped pacing and closed his eyes. When he opened them I could see the tears in his eyes. “No.”

I sit down on the couch. I knew what he was going to say even before he answered me but hearing it really hit me hard. Again I am being hypocritical. I can’t yell at him for what he did because what I did was so much worse. I can’t use the alien card as an excuse. In my heart I know that Michael really didn’t mean for anything to happen with Isabel. I learned to accept along time ago that crazy things do happen sometimes with them. It is just part of them being who they are, aliens.

“Maria. I…”

I stop him before he can continue. “Shut up Michael. Just listen ok.”

“I know. Ok? I know that you didn’t mean for it to happen and I know that you love me. I won’t lie to you and say it doesn’t hurt because it does but I do understand.”

Michael comes over to me and kneels in front of me. He puts his hand on my cheek. “I love you Maria. I am so sorry.” He kisses me and I kiss him back for a moment but then I pull away. I see the hurt flash in his eyes.

I get up off the couch and stand on the other side of the room from him. “Michael I came here to talk to you. I have to tell you something. Now may not be the best time but then again it may be the perfect time. Why does everything always have to be so complicated with us?”

“Maria?” Michael has a confused look on his face.

I hand the ring out to Michael. He takes it from my hand.

“I can’t take it Michael. God I wish I could but I can’t. I have to tell you something and I’m sure that after you hear it you wont want me to have it anymore.”

“Maria is this because of Isabel?” Michael asks.

“No Michael. Listen to me. I was going to give you the ring back even before I heard you and Isabel. Michael, I… God this is so hard. Michael I slept with someone else. I thought you were breaking up with me and that is why you were avoiding me. But that isn’t an excuse and it isn’t entirely why I did it. I have feeling for this person. I love him Michael.”

Michael is the one this time who sits down. He is clearly shocked. When he does look up at me there is pain and anger in his eyes.

“Who?” He asks the anger very evident in his voice.

This time it is my turn to pace back and forth. I don’t know whether I should tell Michael that it was Kyle. I don’t want him to hurt him but I also want to be honest with Michael. After a few minutes Michael has enough of my pacing and grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me around to face him. He lifts my chin up so that I am looking him in the eyes.

“Who Maria?” This time he seems to be more in control over his anger. I look into his eyes, his beautiful brown eyes that I have always loved, and know I have to tell him.

“Kyle.”

The End… Find out in the next Improv what Michael does