Author: Susan

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

Improv Challenge #5: possess -- breeze -- maudlin -- cotton
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the other characters they
belong to Jason Katims and UPN.
Spoiler: Everything up to Departure

Summary: Forth part of the Unexpected Series

Brief recap: Michael has been avoiding Maria. Maria and Kyle slept together. Michael asked Maria to marry him. Maria found out that Michael and Isabel slept together. And Kyle admitted that he loved Maria.

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.

We sit across from each other, neither of us saying a word. Michael hasn’t even looked at me since I told him about Kyle. As for me, I am just trying to register that Michael slept with Isabel. Neither one of us has been faithful but yet we both love each other very much.

“Kyle, as in Valenti?” Michael asks.

“Yes.”

“When did it happen?” He asks.

“Last night.” I answer him but am unable to meet his eyes.

Michael just nods his head. I really don’t want to know but a part of me has to ask. “And you?”

“Last week.”

Things make a little more sense to me now. Michael had been acting weird for about a month but this past week he had been more withdrawn even to the point of avoiding me all together.

“So where do we go from here?” Michael asks.

“I don’t know Michael. I love you. I will always love you.”

“But?”

“But I don’t know what to do now. We have both done things that can’t be taken back and maybe deep down neither of us want to.”

“That isn’t true…” Michael starts to argue with me but I cut him off.

”No let me finish Michael. We have always known that you and Isabel were connected. You were together in your past life. Maybe whatever they did to you to bring you back biologically makes you need to be with her. I don’t know.”

”Maria I love you no matter what either of us have done.”

“I know Michael.” I look at Michael and see the unshed tears in his eyes. I go and sit next to him.

He wipes the tears away that are on my cheeks.

“So we are breaking up?”

I nod my head and touch his face with my hand. I can feel the wetness on his cheeks. We move closer to each other and our lips meet. I kiss Michael with all the love that I feel for him. We both know that this is good-bye, at least for now. I pull away from Michael and stand up. I reach my hand for his. Michael looks at me with a questioning look but takes my hand anyhow. I help him up and lead him to the bedroom. When we are next to his bed he pulls me close and turns me so that he can look into my eyes.

“Are you sure?”

I smile at him and kiss him before saying Yes.

We make love for what could be the last time. All the love we both possess for each other is evident in every touch and kiss we share. We stay in each other’s arms for along time afterwards. Neither of us wanting to let go because once we do it would mean it would be over.

I pull away first because I know Michael will not. He would have held on to me till the end of time.

“I love you Michael.” I whisper as I walk out of the room. I hear him whisper back “I love you too Maria.”

I don’t look back because if I do I may never walk away and that is something I have to do for both of us.

As I walk home I feel the breeze blowing through my hair and I know it is getting cold out but my body can’t register any of it. I can’t help wondering what my life is going to be like now. For the longest time I saw Michael in my future but now it has all changed. I’m not sure if he is still a part of my future and it makes me very sad. A life without Michael Guerin just doesn’t feel like much of a life at all. Maybe someday, soon hopefully, that feeling will go away. I am so engrossed in my maudlin thoughts that I don’t even realize I have arrived home.

I stand in front of the door for what seems like hours before I finally get up enough nerve to walk in and face my unknown future.

Kyle is the first to see me walk through the door. I see the hopeful look on his face. My mom asks me if I am all right and I nod my head yes. I can tell she wants to ask me more she doesn’t. I walk to my room turning once to let Kyle know I need to talk to him.

I go and sit on my bed my mouth suddenly so dry, feeling as if it is stuffed with cotton. I don’t know what to do or where my life will go from here.

Kyle knocks on the door as he walks in.

“Hey.”

I clear my throat to try to get my voice to function properly.

“Hi.”

“You ok?” He asks noticing that I am obviously upset.

I shake my head no and start to cry. He sits next to me pulling me into his arms. I sink into his embrace letting go of all the pain I feel in my heart. He whispers in ear that everything will be ok and that he is here and will always be here for me.

After awhile I pull away from him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to breakdown like that.”

“It’s ok Maria.” Kyle says kissing me on the forehead.

“We broke up.” I finally tell him.

“Because of me?” Kyle asks.

“Yes and no. It is more complicated then that. It seems that Michael and Isabel started having the dreams again and this time they actually did sleep together.”

“What?” he shouts.

“Shhhh. Keep your voice down. I don’t want my mom to know about this.”

“Sorry. So they slept together?”

“Yes. I don’t blame him Kyle so don’t you. They couldn’t help what happened. It is their destiny after all.”

“Maria…”

“No Kyle don’t ok. I already had this conversation with Michael. Maybe they need to be together. I don’t know. I just think maybe they should find out.”

I start to pace back and forth because I am so nervous all of a sudden. “Plus I need to find out what exactly is going on between the two of us.”

Kyle stops me from pacing and pulls me around to face him.

“What are you saying Maria?”

“Kyle I care about you, a lot. I may even be in love with you. I’m not sure but I think I want to find out.”

He lets out the breath he had obviously been holding and pulls me into his arms. Our lips meet in a gentle kiss that begins to become more passionate until we hear a loud gasp beside us.

“What the hell is going on here?” My mom shouts at us.

TBC…Until the next Improv.