Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, yada yada, I’m just borrowing them.
Category: Michael/Maria
Rating: PG
Summary: A violent robbery causes Michael and Maria to divulge their secret to Sheriff Valenti.
Author’s Note: It’s my first fanfic, so be gentle. Constructive criticism please!

Maria DeLuca walked through the student parking lot after the final bell, dragging her feet. She was disappointed that Michael hadn’t shown up for school again. She hadn’t seen him since she and her mother had bailed him out of jail, and she was worried about him. During her shifts at the Crashdown Café, she’d been keeping an eye on the front door, expecting him to walk in any minute. Every night she kept looking out her bedroom window, thinking he’d show up to let her know that he was okay.

She’d thought of going by the Evans’ house to check on him, but was too afraid of being embarrassed in front of Max and Isabel if he gave her a cold reception. If would just be *so* like Michael to pretend that nothing had happened between them.

She was so preoccupied with her moping that she almost didn’t see him leaning against her car, waiting for her. She’d been so sure he was avoiding her that it took a moment for his presence to register.

Isabel had told her about what had happened with Michael’s foster father, and about winning his emancipation from foster care. It had only been a week since she’d seen him, but a lot had changed. He looked different somehow, not as tense and guarded. She tried to read his expression as she slowly walked up to him.

“Hey,” he said, straightening up as she approached.

She stopped a few feet from her car. “Hi,” she said warily.

He obviously wanted to say something to her, and Maria braced herself for another one of his “I can’t get intense” and “it didn’t mean anything” speeches.

“I thought you might be worried about me,” he started awkwardly. He quickly corrected himself. “I mean, Isabel thought you might be worried about me. She wanted me to let you know I’m okay.”

“Well, that was thoughtful of Isabel,” Maria said sarcastically. She immediately regretted it. “So, you’re okay.”

“Yeah.”

Maria nodded and started digging for her car keys as an excuse to avoid looking at him. She finally pulled the keys out of her book bag and looked up. “Well, good. I’m glad. I was a little worried about you,” Maria admitted, trying to sound casual and cringing when it didn’t come out that way at all.

“I also wanted to say...thank you,” he said.

She was momentarily speechless. Those were two words she never thought she’d hear him say voluntarily. She smiled. “Well...you’re welcome.”

He was looking at her so earnestly, she was having trouble meeting his eyes. She’d been expecting an angry and resentful Michael, complaining about being indebted to her again. She wasn’t quite sure what to do with this grateful and human-sounding Michael.

“And I wanted to say I’m sorry,” Michael continued, stepping away from the car to stand in front of her. Maria didn’t know what, exactly, he was sorry for, because she could think of quite a few things he *should* be apologizing for. But before she could ask him, he was wrapping his arms around her and hugging her.

In broad daylight. In front of a parking lot full of students. In a public display of affection.

When he finally let her go, Maria just blinked up at him in astonishment. His hug had been so sweet and genuine that she was powerless to do anything but stand there, staring at him. Just when she thought she had him figured out, he had to go and do something totally unexpected.

Michael took advantage of her confusion by grabbing the car keys out of her hand and hustling her into the passenger seat of her Jetta. Before she knew what was happening, he was behind the wheel and driving out of the parking lot.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked, nervously smoothing a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. “Please tell me you’re not abducting me to Texas again. I have a math quiz tomorrow!”

“I want to show you something,” he answered, pulling onto the highway.

“Okay, we are NOT going to the MesoLiko Reservation, are we? Because I’m still having nightmares about that cave, Michael.”

“No, not the cave.”

“So where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

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

Michael drove for half an hour before pulling off into the desert. “We’re here,” he announced, parking the car. “Do you have any blankets in the trunk?”

“Why, uh...what are we going to be doing out here, exactly?” Maria asked, trying not to let her imagination run away with her at the mention of blankets.

Michael laughed as if he knew what she was thinking. “Stargazing,” he said innocently.

“We had to drive all the way out here to look at the stars?” She tried to sound annoyed, but they could be out here to watch turtle races for all she cared. She was just happy that Michael wanted to spend time alone with her.

“There’s a special place I want to show you. “ He popped the trunk and poked around until he found a couple of blankets. “Bring your jacket, it’s going to get cold when the sun goes down.”

Michael waited until Maria had pulled her jacket from the backseat, then locked up the car. He held out his hand to her, and she took it without hesitation, letting him lead her out into the desert. Maria surprised him by going along without an argument. His hug had rendered her completely, uncharacteristically docile.

Maria immediately recognized the mesa from the dream plane, when she, Max, Isabel and Alex had performed the balance ceremony to save Michael’s life. It was the mesa Michael had stood upon during his vision quest, where he had decided whether or not he wanted to come back to them. It was the same mesa where he had hidden from Max and Isabel after they had broken out of their pods. She hadn’t thought it was a real place, but she could tell from Michael’s reaction as they approached it that it was a very special place to him. It was where he had made two life-altering decisions to trust.

The sun was just beginning to set as he helped her climb up the gradual slope to the top of the mesa. The far edge abruptly dropped down to the desert floor. They had a sweeping view of the desert, which was rapidly being painted by the soft colors of the sunset. For a few minutes the desert seemed to glow, and the air itself seemed diffused by the delicate colors that melted across the horizon.

Michael spread out one of the blankets for them to lie on, and rolled up the other one to use as a pillow. Pleased with his efforts, he looked around for Maria. He felt a twinge of anxiety when he saw that she was standing at the very edge of the drop, staring out over the horizon. Her blond hair was glowing like a halo in the light. Michael walked up behind her and put an arm around her to ease her back from the edge. He led her over to the blanket and pulled her down beside him. “Trust me, it’s much safer from down here.”

As the sunlight gradually faded, Maria got comfortable reclining on the blanket. By the time the stars started to come out, she was nestled under Michael’s arm, her head on his shoulder. They held hands and quietly watched the stars spin overhead. She could feel Michael’s contentment, and she was happy that he trusted her enough to share his special place with her. Maria felt more relaxed than she had in a long time.

She smiled, remembering Lizzie’s concern over her early infatuation with Michael, asking her if they even talked. She’d lied, telling Liz that of course they did. But she and Michael weren’t like Liz and Max. Where Liz and Max discussed their feelings for one another, and were tender towards each other, she and Michael bickered and exchanged insults. She didn’t expect Liz to understand. She and Michael talked with their hands, their eyes, and their lips. It was in their silence that they really spoke.

When Michael had shown up outside her window, soaking wet and looking like a lost puppy in the rain, the depths of her feelings for him had shaken her. Against her better judgement, she had pulled him in out of the rain, and when he’d broken down crying, all she’d wanted to do was start sobbing too. She knew better than to ask him any questions. The only important thing was that he had come to her for comfort. After she’d finally calmed him down, and he had fallen asleep in her arms, she realized it was the first time she’d ever seen him look peaceful. It made her sadly aware of just how tense and guarded he usually was when he was awake.

Afterwards, when she’d found out about Hank’s abuse, she’d been anxious that Michael would regret his vulnerability and withdraw from her again. But instead here he was, revealing even more of himself. Sharing his special place with her, sharing his longing for the stars that circled above them. It gave her hope that he really did care for her as much as she cared for him.

She savored this peaceful time together, trying to memorize the feel of his body against hers, the warmth of his hand curled around hers. Usually when they were alone together they seemed compelled to kiss madly, to lose themselves in such crazed passion that they forgot to come up for air.

Not that that was such a terrible thing, and Maria blushed slightly at the thought. But just being held was something special too. She hoped that it meant a softening of his resolve to be “a stone wall.” That it wasn’t just sexual tension that drew him to her, but a desire to show his true self to her, to maybe even...love her.

Maria shivered suddenly. The desert heat was long gone with the daylight, and despite Michael’s body warmth, it was getting pretty cold. Michael’s arm tightened around her, and he bent his head to her ear. “Are you all right?”

Feeling his breath against her neck only made her shiver again. She looked over at him, seeing the spray of stars behind his head as if they were an extension of him somehow. The thought upset her. She didn’t want to think of him belonging to the stars, to anything or anyone but her.

She tilted her face to his and he answered her unspoken request with his lips. She was gently pulled against his chest, and she felt the familiar spread of warmth through her body as every cell responded to his touch, his kiss. This time the madness that usually sent them into a frenzy of necking was absent. He held her and kissed her tenderly, with long, slow kisses that made her feel dizzy. She slid a hand into his hair and let the spiky blond strands slip through her fingers. His lips moved to her neck, and she thought she was going to start melting. Then he found her mouth again, and she sighed and wished that he would go on kissing her like this forever.

When he stopped, it took her a moment to open her eyes in disappointment. She tried to nuzzle against his neck, making faint protesting sounds, but he gently held her away from him.

“We have to stop now, Maria.” His voice was strained but firm, a tone she’d never heard before.

“We do?” she managed weakly, still too disoriented to put up much of a fight.

“We do.” He held her tight against his chest again, and she could hear his heart pounding away beneath her cheek. She started to say something, but he made a shushing sound. She laid against him quietly, listening to his heartbeats gradually slow to normal.

“Are we being too intense for you again?” she asked finally, concern battling with hurt in the tone of her voice.

“Lets just say I need to stop now if I want to be able to walk back to the car.”

Maria laughed softly in relief and relaxed against him. “Oh yeah, that guy thing. Okay.” She stopped feeling hurt and focused instead on how good it felt to be held by him. This was definitely a side of Michael she hoped to see more of.

Eventually the warmth generated by their kissing faded away, and the chill of the desert invaded. They reluctantly went about getting up and stretching, slowly gathering the blankets for their return to town.

It was probably a good thing Michael had stopped things when he did, Maria decided as he helped her climb down from their stargazing perch. She was already head over heels for the rough, passionate Michael, but this new tender side could definitely topple any reservations she had about taking things to a more physical level.

Besides, it was a good idea to get back to town before curfew. No need to give Sheriff Valenti another reason to focus attention on them.

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

They walked back to the car holding hands and juggling blankets. This new silence between them was so comfortable that Maria wasn’t even tempted to fill it with her usual chatter. Their kissing had left her in a happy daze. They stowed the blankets in the trunk, then Michael opened the passenger door for her. Maria was glad that he was driving back because she wasn’t ready to come back down to earth just yet. She settled into the passenger seat and concentrated on turning up the heater and finding a good song on the radio.

They were almost back to town when the low fuel warning light came on. Michael didn’t even make a fuss about pulling into the kitschy U.F.O. Gas Station, with its fake alien standing by the first pump. It was cheesy, but the gas was relatively cheap.

They both got out of the car, and she went inside to pay while Michael did the guy thing and prepared to pump the gas. Maria was privately amused at how considerate Michael could be when he was alone with her. If the rest of the gang were here, he probably would have left her to pump the gas herself, making some rude comment about women’s lib. Or maybe not, maybe the new Michael was finally ready to act like a human being.

There was another car parked by the door that looked vaguely familiar, but it wasn’t until she was inside the mini-mart that she realized it was the sheriff’s personal car. Maria was nervous enough around Sheriff Valenti to begin with, considering that he suspected the truth about Max, Michael, and Isabel. But when he had started dating her mother, it just took Maria’s agitation to a whole new level. She resisted the urge to pull out her vial of calming cypress oil. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

The sheriff was dressed in civilian clothes, finishing a cup of coffee while talking with Walt, the station owner. Although she avoided making eye contact with the sheriff, he still greeted her warmly. Maria wasn’t sure, but she suspected that Sheriff Valenti *enjoyed* making her uncomfortable. She forced herself to smile in his direction as she fumbled in her pocket for money.

“How are you, Maria?” Sheriff Valenti asked. “Kinda late to be this far from town. But you should make it back before curfew.”

Maria nodded at him and said, “I’m fine, thank you. Just...uh...heading home.” Inwardly she rolled her eyes at the mention of curfew. What *did* her mother see in him?

She heard another car pull up outside as she exchanged greetings with Walt. Walt was a regular at the Crashdown, and he also sold a lot of her mother’s alien paraphernalia at the mini-mart. Maria liked to repay the favor by buying gas from him whenever she was out this way. He was a sweet, lonely widower, and she usually spent time visiting with him, but she tonight couldn’t get out of there fast enough with the sheriff breathing down her neck. She passed a $10.00 bill across the counter and told Walt the pump number she was parked at. She turned to leave just as a stranger walked in the door. Maria was in the middle of saying good night when she saw the large gun in the man’s hand.

“Don’t anybody move,” he snarled. “I just want the money in the register.”

Walt blanched and put his hands up, wildly looking over towards the sheriff. Maria backed away from the gun straight into the sheriff’s arms. The robber’s scruffy appearance and the agitated way he waved his handgun screamed “desperate, dangerous and unpredictable.”

“Do what he says, Walt,” Sheriff Valenti said in a calm voice. He had one arm around Maria, practically holding her up.

Apparently the robber decided they were just customers, nothing to worry about, and turned his full attention to Walt. “Open the register and put the money in a bag,” he ordered.

Walt started to comply, his hands visibly shaking as he kept looking at the gun pointed at him. Maria could feel her legs shaking in sympathy, and was grateful for the comforting grip the sheriff had on her. She felt him moving behind her, and realized that while his left arm was holding her up, his right hand was moving towards his holster. It dawned on her that the robber hadn’t really seen Valenti, that she had blocked his view of the armed off-duty sheriff. The robber still had his full attention on Walt, evidently thinking they were harmless.

Maria felt like all this was happening in slow motion and far away. She was absolutely paralyzed with fear. Was the sheriff really going to pull his gun? What was he thinking? She and Walt were sitting ducks if a gunfight broke out.

She was relieved that Michael was safely outside, busy filling the tank of her Jetta. But what if he finished and walked in here wondering what was keeping her? She silently urged Walt to hurry.

Walt handed the bag of money across the counter, and Maria held her breath, willing the robber to take the money and run.

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

When the robber fired his gun at Walt, Maria was too stunned to even scream. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Valenti moved with astonishing speed, spinning her around behind him, shielding her with his body as he pulled his gun and fired twice at the robber. The robber was already swinging his gun around to shoot at them. Although Valenti’s bullets hit their target, the robber still managed to squeeze off a shot at them before the bullets forced him back against the front counter. The robber went down as if he was boneless, the gun falling from his limp hand. Maria screamed as Valenti was knocked back against her by the force of the robber’s bullet and together they tumbled down to the ground.

Maria was tangled up with Valenti on the floor, his weight heavy across her body. The loud gunshots and her screams were still echoing in her ears. Valenti was groaning as she rolled out from under him and tried to get up. She couldn’t breathe, and her legs wouldn’t support her.

Suddenly Michael came charging through the door, taking in the scene with wild eyes. He stepped over the motionless body of the robber, almost unconsciously kicking the gun away, and then he was over her, his arms reaching down for her, lifting her up.

“Maria! Maria, are you hurt?” His hand went to the streaks of Valenti’s blood on her shirt, then he touched her face, seeking reassurance that she was okay. She grabbed onto him and looked up into his eyes, and suddenly there was just – a connection.

The air between them was humming, and she saw his fear for her, his relief that she was unhurt, and ever so clearly, his love. There was such tenderness in his expression that it almost hurt to look at him. Somehow she knew Michael saw the love in her eyes that he’d always been afraid to look for there. The walls between them were gone, and everything they felt for one another was silently expressed and acknowledged.

And then it was over.

They stood together, almost holding one another up as the connection broke and they were suddenly jolted back into the moment. Valenti lay at their feet, a huge bloodstain flowering across his chest. His eyes were open, but he was obviously going into shock.

“Check Walt,” Valenti managed to say. “Call 911.”

Michael reluctantly left Maria with Valenti to check on the other two men. Maria shakily kneeled beside the sheriff, trying to remember basic first aid. “We’ve got to stop the bleeding,” she told him. She wasn’t sure if he heard her. Maria put her hands on his chest, tentatively at first, and then gradually applying more pressure, but blood kept pumping up around her fingers.

Michael came back shaking his head. The other men were dead.

He kneeled down on the other side of Valenti, taking in the extent of the man’s injury. They were at least 5 or 10 minutes from the nearest ambulance, even farther from the hospital. From the amount of blood Valenti was losing, his gunshot wound looked fatal too.

Valenti would die if they didn’t do something. Michael locked eyes with Maria and realized that she had already reached the same conclusion.

But if they saved him, he would know their secret.

They exchanged a long agonized look. Precious moments passed while they silently debated what to do.

“He saved my life, Michael,” Maria said finally. “He pulled me behind him to protect me. If he hadn’t, I...I might have been shot instead.” Maria looked away from Michael and into Valenti’s eyes. Valenti gazed back at her, and somehow she knew that they were both thinking of Liz Parker, and how Liz had been shot last September at the Crashdown Café. Valenti had never believed their story that Liz had just fallen and broken a bottle of ketchup on herself. He’d found her waitress uniform with the bullet hole in it. He knew that Max Evans had somehow miraculously healed her.

Valenti’s eyes flickered over to Michael, and the two men looked at each other as though measuring one another up.

“He saved Max’s life too,” Michael acknowledged. He could see in Valenti’s eyes that they were both remembering the night out in the desert when the crazed alien hunter Hubble had almost shot Max. Valenti and Michael had barely managed to intervene in time, and Valenti had been forced to kill Hubble. Valenti’s guilt over telling Hubble about Max’s role in the shooting at the Crashdown Cafe had caused him to shield them from the police investigation. He’d sent them away from the scene, blaming himself for not realizing that Hubble had been so insane. Valenti had admitted to endangering their lives, and had ended up protecting them.

Michael would have to trust that Valenti would protect them again.

Michael took a deep breath and gestured for Maria to remove her hands. She sat back and watched wide-eyed as Michael ripped away Valenti’s blood-soaked shirt, then placed his hand over the gunshot wound. Valenti seemed to understand what was going on. “You have to help me,” Michael told him, frowning in concentration.

Suddenly Michael was rocked by the healing connection, overwhelmed by the strong emotional images that swept through him:

***A young Jim Valenti Jr. sitting with Valenti Sr. at the barber shop, squirming with embarrassment as his father ranted on about aliens hiding in Roswell to whoever would listen...***

***Jim Valenti throwing his football helmet across the high school locker room after a Friday game, angry that his father had missed watching him make the winning touchdown because he was too busy chasing strange lights out in the desert...***

***Jim Valenti holding the tiny body of his son Kyle in the delivery room, awe and love on his face as he looked down at the infant, promising himself that he would be the father his own hadn’t been...***

***Jim Valenti and Kyle on the father’s camping trip, Kyle telling him just how it felt to come second to his fanatical search for the truth about aliens. Kyle’s hurt words when he had caught him following Max and Isabel into the woods, “Just wanted to see what was more important than me...”***

Michael tried not to fight the emotional storm of the connection, concentrating instead on directing the healing energy through his hand into Valenti’s wound. Valenti gasped and shuddered at the energy sweeping through him as the bullet inside him disintegrated and the hole in his chest closed under Michael’s hand. When Michael finally took his hand away, breaking the connection, both men looked dazed and drained.

Maria realized that tears were streaming down her face. “Thank you, Michael,” she whispered.

Valenti slowly sat up, one hand going to his chest in disbelief. Michael and Maria helped him to his feet.

Valenti put out his other hand to Michael. “Yes, thank you, Michael,” he said.

“You know what I am now,” Michael told him, frowning as he shook the sheriff’s hand. “You know our secret. I'm trusting you to keep that secret, and not pursue it any farther.”

“All I could think about was Kyle,” Valenti said, almost to himself. “About how I’ve neglected him just like my father neglected me.” He shook his head. “You’ve given me a second chance to be the father I want to be. Whatever you are, what Max Evans is...well, it’s really not important, is it? I’m standing here shaking your hand, man to man, to thank you for saving my life. I promise you can trust me with your secret.”

Michael nodded at Valenti’s sincerity and turned to take Maria in his arms. “I hope so. Because a few months ago I could have left Roswell and not looked back. But now...” He gazed down at Maria’s face. “Now I wouldn’t leave without a fight.” Michael looked deeply into her eyes and repeated the words he had spoken in River Dog’s cave. “No more running.” he promised.

Valenti put a hand on his shoulder. “No more running from me, at least.”

Michael could tell by Maria’s expression that she understood that the words were really meant for her, and she smiled up at him. “No matter what,” she promised him back. She felt the air humming between them again, and knew no other words were necessary.

“You two had better get out of here,” Valenti said, going into sheriff mode. He was covered with drying blood, his shirt was hanging in tatters, and a silver handprint was slowly appearing on his chest, yet he still managed to take charge. “I need to clean myself up and call this in. You two can still make it home before curfew.”

Maria rolled her eyes at the mention of curfew. “Well, Sheriff, I can see you’ve recovered from your near-death experience.”

Valenti smiled and his eyes crinkled in a way Maria hadn’t seen before. Suddenly she thought she knew what her mother saw in him. “Drive carefully, you two. Arrive Alive.”

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