Truth By Bonnie (SpikeheadB@hotmail.com)
Truth (continued from previous page...)
~*~ The Game Goes On
"Okay, maybe we should just go around and tell our answers, so we won't give ourselves any more near heart-attacks. Personally, this whole guessing and suspicion thing is killing me." Alex tried his best to lighten the mood.
Liz and Max nodded in agreement, as did Isabel. Michael and Maria heard Alex, but their attention was on each other. The last thing on Michael's mind was mud, unless it was violent mud related deaths. Aaron would have to pay for what he did to Michael's Maria. At this point Michael would kill him and not even blink. Maria had to admit that it did help a little to have told her friends, but no one can move on that quickly. She had held her guilty little secret for almost an entire year, one conversation couldn't rid that entirely.
Max and Liz were both concerned for their best friends. Max reached his hand out to gently brush Liz's hair away from her shoulder, hearing Maria's story made him angry. Angry that some asshole had done that and angry that something could ever happen to Liz. At that moment Max needed to touch Liz to know that she was okay. Not just because of the entire world of what-ifs, but also because he knew he had hurt her. And he would fix that tonight. Feeling Max's soft touch on her shoulder and hair brought tears to Liz's eyes, even though Maria's story didn't explicitly speak of violence, everyone knew it to be true and this soft touch of velvet on her shoulder only served to emphasize for her how hurt Maria must be.
"Oh, now I am looking forward to hearing these answers." Isabel flashed a brilliant smile, she and Alex both wanted to ease the tension in the room. Isabel was also concerned for the guys, especially Michael and Alex. Alex's friends were so important to him and now they had not only kept one secret from him but Maria had another. Isabel could tell how much he wanted to reach out and help Maria, but he just didn't know how. And Michael, oh God, how Isabel saw the fury behind his eyes. Michael still held onto Maria but his eyes were with another. His eyes held a window to his violent mental outbursts. Isabel and Max were definitely going to have to keep an eye on him or he would end up getting himself arrested or worse.
"Isabel," Alex waved his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her spaced-out eyes.
"What is your most embarrassing moment?" Isabel read quickly to cover her blush at being caught so out of it. "Alex, let's hear yours first."
Now it was Alex's turn to blush and Liz laughed loudly and with feeling. Even Maria cracked a smile until slowly and gaining volume she joined in Liz's heartfelt laugh. It felt good to laugh because they both knew Alex's most embarrassing moment. It had happened at his 12th birthday party.
"Alright hyenas, shut up and I'll tell them. Okay at my 12th birthday party Maria and Liz convinced my parents to leave us alone in the basement. Um, there were four guys and four girls so she," pointing to Maria, "had the bright idea of playing spin the bottle."
As Alex retold the story Maria and Liz dissolved into another fit of giggles at their own memories.
"Anyway, after Maria insisted on going first," Michael grunted in opposition but quickly forgot when Maria rubbed her non-casted leg against the inside of his own leg, as his arms and legs encased her, "and when she was finally finished--"
"Get to the good part, Alex." Maria shot him a look, Alex looked up at her innocently but one glance at the dark face behind her and he rushed to continue.
"So I went next, Abby Donovan, I had a crush on her and technically this would have been my first kiss that wasn't one of these two."
"Yeah, Alex, we don't need to get into that." Liz was the one to rush him now. Max raised his eyebrows at Alex.
"Um, okay, she had this strawberry lip gloss on and it tasted nice. So we uh, opened our mouths and--" Alex stopped, his ears were bright pink.
"Alex" Liz and Maria warned at once.
"Fine, and our braces got stuck together." Isabel and Max joined Maria and Liz in their laughter. Michael smirked and snorted at the thought.
"No, no, just wait. I've told you this much, so let me finish at least."
"It gets worse?" Isabel couldn't imagine how it could get worse.
"Oh yes, because my orthodontist, Dr. Donovan, as in her father, had to unstick us. Yeah, I think that I'm still not allowed to speak to her." Alex laughed along with his friends as he remembered the look on her dad's face trying to untangle his daughter's mouth from Alex.
Eventually the laughter died down. "Alright, enough laughing at me. Someone else go."
"Fine, I'll tell mine. This summer Eric and I went to the movies."
"I'm sensing a theme here." Michael cracked but Maria fell silent. Realizing his mistake, Michael cursed at himself. "Shit. I didn't mean it that way. Just you know, Alex's story and now yours."
"Yeah." Maria's voice was soft and she felt Michael's exasperated breath on the back of her neck. Maria had practiced ignoring that night for eleven months, doing it now wasn't that much harder. "As I was saying, we went to the movies. You guys know how the place has double glass doors, a glass panel, and then another set of double glass doors. Well, one of the glass doors had been propped open and okay, I swear that I was walking into the open door. But I was wrong. I wasn't paying attention and between trying to walk in my new platforms and talking to Eric I didn't even notice until I ran smack into the glass panel. I hit it so hard that I literally bounced off. And, oh my God, get this. He walked away! Yeah, he left me there and pretended to not even know me!"
The laughter had started up in the room and Maria felt Michael's chest and abs constricting as he tried to hold in his laughter. *I can't believe that hard-ass Guerin is actually laughing, even if it is at me!*
"Well, let's hear yours now." Maria turned her head slightly to look at Michael, the movement was stiff and jerky because even though the laughter felt good emotionally, her body still ached.
"Um, I don't think I have one." Michael wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Oh yes, you do." Isabel stated pointedly. "And if you don't tell then I will."
"Shut up, Izzy."
"No way, Michael. I know this too." Max liked the feeling of this normalcy, of joking with his friends.
"Fine, you guys know that nurse from the hospital. When Max and Mr. Ed had their little run in? I used my immense personal charm to distract her. We had to switch the blood samples. Apparently she liked me more than she let on because--"
"Because why?" Maria tried to sound amused but only managed to sound pissed off.
"Because later that night I walked in to find the ugly hag naked on my bed."
Liz had been taking a sip of soda then and sprayed it out all over Alex. Without even thinking Isabel waved her hand over the mess and it disappeared.
"Thanks." Alex was amazed every time he witnessed one of their little 'displays'.
"No problem, Alex. Keep listening, there's more." Isabel's evil smile had a delicious quality to it and Alex couldn't wait to hear what happened to Michael next. Even though Alex had been the first to step up in the cave, he still felt unsure of Michael. Maria's uncertainty only strengthened his queasiness.
"She had these, uh, candles burning and when I walked in she kept dripping the hot wax on herself." Michael stopped, hoping to indicate he was done sharing this little moment of his with the group.
"Well, what an interesting little tale. Amusing, but where's the embarrassing part?" Maria was not pleased about this at all. Granted it was pre-heatwave, it was after their first kiss.
"That would be when Michael's social worker stopped by for a surprise visit and found a very naked woman in his bed!" Isabel couldn't contain herself any longer it was just too damn funny for her. At this point even Maria forgot to be jealous and saw the humor in it all. Okay, she was still jealous but a little less so.
"Just remember, I know yours too." Michael shook a finger in Isabel's direction.
"Oh, please. You do not."
"Um sorry, Izzy, but I--" Max figured it would be better to break the news that he had told Michael, than Michael himself telling her.
"You *told* him!"
"Why don't you share now?" Isabel's was just as embarrassing as Michael's was, at least in the personal embarrassment factor. He thought his was a testament to the stupidity of humans.
"Fine, I will. It's about when I first got my period."
"NOOOO!" Alex threw his hands up over his ears and ran into the bathroom.
"He doesn't handle feminine issues well." Liz confided to Isabel. Maria was looking at Isabel with curiosity.
"What?"
"I just, I guess I never thought about whether or not you were, you know, normal like that."
"Well, I am. At least I think I am." Isabel shrugged her shoulders. "Should we wait for him or just keep going?"
"You should probably finish because he won't come out until we get him to let him know you are done." Liz smiled at Alex's sheepishness.
"Anyway, there's not that much to tell. Just that my mom was out of town and I was stuck with my dad and my brother. And when it happened, the two of them went to the drug store and bought every single product there. I mean, from the way they were acting you would think I was bleeding to death. And the worst part is they both stood outside the bathroom door asking if I was alright and if everything 'fit'. I mean, my God, is privacy nothing to men?"
Liz nodded, "I so understand, my dad has this thing where he doesn't even knock. I mean, he just walks right into my room! The other day I was in my underwear!"
Max had to shift in his seat and cross his legs at the thought of Liz in her underwear.
"But I guess the most embarrassing time was recently when I caught him rummaging through my backpack because he thought I was doing drugs and that Maria was my drug dealer."
"You're kidding, Lizzie."
"Nope dear old Dad actually suspected you of dealing out of the back of the restaurant!" Liz laughed when she remembered seeing the look on her dad's face when she caught him going through her backpack. Still, it might be funny now, but there was a lot that Liz didn't want him to know about, her journal just being the tip of the iceberg.
"Um, Max what's yours? Liz turned around to ask Max and her eyes were level with the evidence of his feelings for her. She blushed and scooted back a little to help him hide it from everyone else. The feeling of her shoulders between his thighs just made him ache for her even more.
"I guess, you know, being on stage during your blind date."
"Max, no. Don't be embarrassed because I'm not." Liz turned and knelt down in front of Max between his knees. "I'm glad you were there and I'm glad you kissed me."
Max's head was down but his eyes were focused on hers. Liz suddenly realized that there were another four people in the room with them. She forgot about everyone else when she was with Max, that was part of the problem, Max forgot too and it worried him. Liz quickly turned and sat back down. *I must be strong. Maria was hurt and she still said no. Granted they look pretty cozy now, still, I will be strong.*
Max knew he would have to eradicate this, nothing was normal now, even for him. He would change all that tonight. Later. He had a plan.
"Hey! Is she done yet?" Alex called through the bathroom door.
"Yes, Alex you can come back in now." Liz laughed, a fake laugh for Max's sake, and because they had forgotten about Alex.
"Can we do another question?" Alex didn't even care that he had missed Liz and Max's most embarrassing moments. He just didn't want to hear about cramps or periods anymore. "I'll read it. Here we have a request for our pet peeves. Well, that's easy enough. I actually have two. One, when girls feel the need to share about their cramps, and two, that damn Cyprus oil bottle."
"Well, I'm glad to be so annoying to you." Maria's sarcastic snap to Alex.
"Hey, you're annoying to me too. Especially those damn alien things your mom makes." Michael liked to be the one annoyed by her, no one else.
Maria just huffed and sat stiffly between Michael's legs on the couch. Only those two could go from boiling hot to dry ice cold in 2.0 seconds flat. And just as easily could heat back up. Michael rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and Max had to stifle his grin. They were ridiculous. *Of course, Liz and I aren't much better. But we will be.*
What everyone else in the room couldn't see was while Michael's outside arm was dangling off the couch, nowhere near Maria, it was his hidden hand that spoke for him. Like earlier, Michael never knew the words to say but he tried to communicate with his body instead. His hand hidden by her body and between their two hips and thighs pressed closely to one another had slid down her shorts' waistband, sliding and touching her smooth hip, massaging her flesh fully with his hand. Maria felt her muscles relax at his hot touch and she tried to adjust herself subtly to allow him more space. At that moment she tried to forget his words, and tried to believe his body. Maria pretended to shift her leg but her back rubbed further against Michael. He bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from kissing her.
"My pet peeve is when the cap is left off of the Tabasco bottle." Max answered this question easily, hoping that at least one of these questions could be answered without a fight.
"Really?" Liz smiled. It made her happy that something so small would bother him, it seemed so simple and, well, and it seemed normal, petty even. Max smiled shyly back at her.
"Well, I hate it when shirts are buttoned up to the top button." Isabel reached over to undo the top button of Alex's shirt.
"I hate it when people always match." Maria took her own little dig at Isabel, who smirked back.
Liz picked up the next question but stopped when she read it. *There is no reason to get into this again.*
"What is it, Liz?" Almost as if Max could read her mind.
"Um, nothing. Is anyone else getting hungry? It's almost nine and we haven't eaten dinner yet." Liz racked her brain for another question to make up but Michael snatched the paper from her hands and held it up to read. Since Maria was sitting in front of him they could both see the words on the page.
"Oh yeah, I think I already answered this one."
"Wait, guys, what does it say?" Alex was confused about everyone's reaction.
"It asks how far you've gone, Alex, and I don't think that I need to get into that again."
"Why?" Isabel asked.
"Why?" Maria's voice sounded incredulous.
"Yes, before that was how far *he* went, not you." Isabel spoke with a purpose, she was not going to allow Maria to wallow in this self-pity. "I'll even go first."
Alex held his breath. *Why do I feel nervous?*
"I use my pass." Max couldn't help but smile. He didn't want to hear about his sister's love life, however far it has gone. Alex let out his shaky breath. *What does that mean? No sex obviously, but just how much?*
"Yeah, I think I am going to pass too." Liz really couldn't see herself sharing with Max that Kyle had felt her up. She thought he would appreciate her choice in passing, but in all honesty Max's mind swirled around the possibilities of not knowing.
"I saw into Liz's soul." Max spoke quietly trying to shut off the whirlwind of horrible Kyle and Liz images.
"Doesn't count, Maxwell." Michael had to admit that he was curious about how far Max had gone with his 'love'.
"First." Max admitted shyly. Michael smirked at the awkwardness in both Max and Liz's posture.
"Alex, what about you?" Maria was still a little miffed about his whole 'Cyprus oil' comment.
"Oh, um, second." Alex's voice was muffled by his hand.
"What?" Maria spoke in mock surprise, "Alex, you touched a booby!"
"Bite me, DeLuca. What about you and Deathray eyes? And remember, complete honesty." Alex wasn't going to be the only one sharing because, quite frankly, Max's admission of first didn't really seem to count much.
Maria's eyes opened wide and her mouth opened, but no sound escaped. Michael ran his unoccupied hand through his hair. He turned to stare down Alex, looking him directly in the eye. "Third," he spoke calmly and collected.
Now it was turn for everyone else's mouths to drop in shocked expressions.
"You what!" Isabel could not believe that they would have gone so far. "You gave him a blow job?"
"Isabel!" Max was surprised at how 'complicated' things had gotten in that brief time between them, he would've never guessed. Even with that thought it was inappropriate for Isabel to ask that. Her bluntness was a little too much this time.
"What, Max? I mean, how do we know that, that was safe? What if something happened?"
"Well, apparently nothing did so now you know." Maria figured at this point there was nothing else to be embarrassed at and besides they were finished now. Weren't they? *Michael's hand makes me feel like I'm on fire.*
"Last group question, guys." Liz was feeling that trying to change the subject smoothly just was not possible during this game. "Why don't we read the last question and then take a dinner break before starting the individual questions? Our three chefs can cook for us."
After the agreement of everyone else, Liz picked up the last group question, reading it over to herself.
*Oh my God. This question could make or break our friendships with Max, Isabel, and Michael, and vice versa.*
~*~ Forging Friendships
"This isn't really an entirely group question. It is sort of two different but similar ones. One for Czechs and one for non-Czechs. Do you wish that we didn't know about your 'origins'? And do we wish we didn't know about you guys?"
There was a collective gasp of breath in the small DeLuca living room. This was the one question that everyone feared because, even though there was no turning back now, this one particular what-if had a world of meaning. It's true that the tentative friendship had been thrown together by a series of tragic acts and emergencies. By answering this question they would be answering whether or not this had all been worth it. Had being chased by the FBI, almost dying, shot at, been worth the price of these other three people or aliens' new place in your life? That was the true question that was being asked here.
"Um, who wants to answer first?" Liz asked, even though in truth, she didn't want anyone to answer as much as she wanted to hear whether or not Max still thought she was worth it. *Looking back now, does he regret his action on the day of the shooting?*
"I will." Alex spoke up first, like the balance in the cave, Alex stepped up first. He was loyal to his friends. "I am glad I know. My only regret is that I didn't know sooner."
"As much as I wish that things would go back to normal, no more Sheriff or Topolsky, I wouldn't change you guys knowing. It's hard to admit, but sometimes we need your help. Alex, you even helped us without knowing first. So no matter what, it's nice to have friends." Isabel spoke from the heart, not the ice cold bitch persona, but the special place she kept her family in, and maybe a few new friends.
"Liz, when I told you that, for me, it was only natural to tell you, I meant it. I wouldn't change that now and I will never regret telling you. I'm grateful for that day, because for the first time in my life I knew that everything would work out. I knew that the three of us wouldn't be alone anymore. That I wouldn't be alone anymore." Max stopped speaking and looked at Liz. Tears rimmed her eyes and her heart felt full for the first time since their kiss on the stage. She felt complete.
"Me too, Max. Me too." Liz reached up to hug Max tightly around his neck. He smiled into her hair, *This is better, but later things will be right. I will make this right.*
Maria and Michael just sat there watching everyone, as they one by one accepted and acknowledged the bond formed, the friendships forged. But Michael couldn't get himself to admit this, because he wasn't sure if it was all worth it, was their so-called friendship worth all the hurt it brought? He had done nothing but brought hurt into this group and however many (or few) good times they had. How could that be worth the pain, the heartache, the hurt it brought along with it? Especially to Maria, she was right, he trampled her like a mack truck every time.
"Yes. Yes, I wish you didn't know." Michael voiced the fears in his head but not the truth in his heart.
Maria sucked in her lower lip and blinked her eyes rapidly, hoping to stop the inevitable tears. Liz let go of Max and sunk to the floor. She slowly turned to the sight of her best friend dying before her very eyes. Then as if by magic a hard, stony, and cold expression overtook her hurt features.
In that brief moment Maria had fought a battle in her head on whether or not the hurt the three of them, especially Michael, brought was greater than the friendship. It was, the hurt won, Michael had hurt her more than any friendship that had been brought by their knowledge. In that instant Michael could feel the physical shift in her body. It was a feeling he knew well, Maria had just constructed the same wall he had tried to put up against her. She could always manage to crack his, but could he do the same to hers? He slowly stopped his private searching of her hip and released her. Once again he had hurt her by letting his fear dominate him and this time Maria had let the hurt win.
"I agree. We shouldn't know. We weren't meant to know. Everything has been wrong because of it."
"Don't agree with me. That's not what I said." Michael was growing angry at her words. And he knew that this time he would have to explain himself better.
"What? You said you wished we didn't know."
"Yeah, I did, because I know that all that has happened, all the fuck-ups and the hurt, has been because of who we are, who I am. But we can't change that, so yeah for your sake I *wish* you didn't know. But that doesn't matter because we can't change that." Michael paused and slid his body out from under Maria's and knelt by the couch looking at her in the eye. "Now that you do, I just," Michael looked down then, "I just don't want you to hurt anymore."
"I don't want to hurt anymore either."
Michael nodded, not knowing what to say or do next. His eyes darted around nervously like they had in the hallway after he gave her the napkin holder. Maria saw this and decided to help save him from this uncomfortable feeling, at least in front of everyone else. The two of them still needed to talk more in private. The problem with that is every time they "talked" in private, very little talking ever occurred.
"Hey, didn't someone promise me a home cooked meal? Alex, why don't you and Max go into the kitchen and see what you can find. I think that we might have the ingredients for lasagna. Ooh, and Liz, can you and Isabel got to the store for some ice cream, please?" Maria gave Liz the "get the hell out of here look so I can talk to the hottie" look.
"Sure, let's go, Isabel. Alex, you can show Max where everything is in the kitchen." Liz gave Maria a side-ways glance and smiled in knowing at her. *I just hope Michael can be honest with her for once. I can't wait to really talk with Max now.*
Isabel watched all this unfold between Michael and Maria, and between Maria and Liz. "Fine, Max, can I have the keys?" Max tossed her the keys and the two guys went into the kitchen as the girls left for the store.
"Alright, spaceboy. Let's go."
"Go where?" Michael didn't know what she was talking about.
"We can go in my room." Maria spoke as if he should know what she meant.
Michael raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a naughty question in his mind.
"Oh, please. You wish. It's just that you can hear everything that is said in here from the kitchen. Right, Alex?"
"Yep. Now go away!" Alex joked with Maria from the kitchen.
"See. Now pick me up." Maria waved him over impatiently. Michael turned around and carried her through the hallway piggyback style. He didn't know if he could handle having her that close to the front of him. Of course he was realizing that her chest plastered to his back wasn't any easier.
"Second door on the right." Maria pointed him towards her bedroom. She felt his shiver against her body as he walked into her room. Michael carefully released her on her bed and stood up, feeling out of place in her room. His eyes traced the walls around her room until they came to rest on the nightstand next to her bed.
Maria let her own gaze follow the path of his. "I told you I kept it." She cherished her napkin holder, it was all she had that proved he ever cared. "Listen, about everything I told you guys--"
"No, now I know I don't always say the right things but I will fucking kill him for what he did to you."
"No, you don't understand." Maria felt the panic rising again.
"No, you don't. It wasn't your fault. Why do you keep thinking it is?"
"I just--" Maria stopped, this was difficult to explain. "I'll tell you what I'm afraid of."
"What?" Michael knew she had promised to tell him she would.
"All my life I've seen my mom in her disastrous relationships. It started with my 'dad'. Guys just use her and then move on. They get what they want and then they're gone."
"Like I was."
"Yeah, like you were, and I guess like Aaron was."
Michael felt like she had hit him in the chest with a wrecking ball. *I'm like that ass hole.*
"No, Michael I mean...forget it. I don't know how to explain it to you."
"Try."
"When you and I were, when we were, you know, sort of together I didn't feel like I did that night with him. I mean, with you I felt safe."
"You felt safe with me?" Michael couldn't believe it.
"Yeah, I did, and when you told me that you don't get intense I guess it felt worse in some ways because I, I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet. And so I feel like with Aaron I should have known. I should have trusted my gut, not try to impress him, I didn't feel safe with him."
"Maria, that makes it bad judgement on your part, but not your fault. He did this, he is an ass hole." Maria turned her head away and Michael sat down on the edge of the bed. For once they both felt completely comfortable in their silence, and they actually talked.
A thought occurred to Michael and he was so at ease with her in private this time that his usual mental blockers didn't have time to filter it first. "Do you still feel safe with me?"
Maria furrowed her brow and brow contemplated the question. "Physically, yes. I know you would never hurt me but, but my emotions have been trampled so many times that, well, you need to work on your track record a little, pal."
"Okay." Maria did not honestly expect that from Michael.
"Okay?"
"Okay, I will."
Maria smiled. "Good, you can start by getting me more Tylenol, 'cause my killer headache is back."
Michael shook his head and mumbled to himself. He went into the bathroom and found some Tylenol and filled a glass of water for her.
"Here you go-- Oh shit! Maria wake up!" Maria's eyes were closed and her mouth had dropped open a little. Michael dropped the water and leaned over Maria on the bed. "Maria! Maria! You have to get up now!"
All of a sudden Maria woke with a start and screamed. "Nooooo! Get off of me! Don't! Please don't!"
Maria was shaking and sweat was beading on her forehead. Michael grabbed her shoulders to stop her from falling off the bed and hurting herself further.
"Maria, it's me. It's Michael. Shhh. It's okay." Slowly Maria stopped struggling and realized where she was and whom she was with.
"Oh, God. I'm sorry." Her face was pale and the sweat now rolled down her face and plastered her hair to her head. She buried herself into Michael's chest, his own body couldn't stop shaking. Seconds later Max and Alex were standing at the doorway. They had heard Maria's screams.
Alex came over to the bed and Michael carefully transferred her hug to him. Alex lay next to Maria on the bed, holding her shaking body. Michael stood up and dragged Max into the hallway.
"Maxwell, I have to go."
"What? Michael, how can you leave her now?" Max didn't think that even Michael was ever that much of an ass hole.
"I'll be back. I'm gonna go fill that painkiller prescription. We forgot to have Isabel and Liz do it, that's all."
"Michael, are you sure?" Max knew something was wrong. He couldn't remember ever seeing Michael that tense. Something had happened.
"Positive, Maximilian. I'm just taking care of things." With that Michael left the DeLuca household with a purpose.
*Dead. You are FUCKING DEAD!*
~*~ Revenge is Sweet and Spicy
Aaron Shane stood in his garage flexing his 235-lb. body. He kept his weights in there and spent hours working on his body. He has been described by some as a 'roid rager. But those could just be rumors. His back was turned away from the open entrance to his garage, so he never noticed the second presence behind him until Michael spoke.
"You Aaron Shane?"
"Yeah, who the fuck are you?" Aaron turned looking the visitor slowly up and down. Aaron's natural reaction whenever meeting anyone was to judge how easily he could take him or her. *Huh, 5 minutes tops. Man, I wouldn't even bruise my knuckles.*
"Call me curious." Michael stood leaning against the frame of the garage door with his hands in his pockets, carefully choosing the course of his planned 'conversation'. Michael had heard the rumors of Aaron's steroid use and Maria's story sounded like more than alcohol was involved.
"About what?" Aaron put his hands on his hips, flexing his chest in a display of 'I'm the biggest male in the room'.
Michael shrugged and walked into the garage, casually observing his surroundings. He stopped and turned slowly towards Aaron's Greek god act. "I was told you would be the one to help me with a certain acquisition."
Aaron took a step towards Michael and cocked his head to one side, "What sort of acquisition are you referring to?"
"Let's just say I need some help with a chemical imbalance."
Aaron's face slowly widened into a knowing smirk. "One that needs a little loosening?"
"Exactly."
Aaron nodded and walked over to a bench in the back of the garage, reaching under he shoved a dusty box out of the way, revealing a small duffel bag. Pulling the bag out and resting it on the bench, he unzipped it to reveal a dozen or so prescription bottles and another half a dozen or so baggies filled with various brightly colored pills and capsules. Turning towards his newest client he asked, "How 'easy' do you want it to be?"
"How easy can it be?" Michael's nostrils flared at the word easy but he hid his rage inside, letting it fester and grow.
Aaron laughed, it was deep and Michael could feel his chest vibrate from the hideous sound. "You have no idea. Man, this summer I had pussy lined up almost every night. Shit, I fucked so much I thought my dick was going to fall off. Let me tell you, during the August pool parties alone I went through two full bottles." Aaron held up a small orange plastic prescription bottle. Michael could read the doctor's label on the side from where he was standing, Rohypnol. *Roofies.*
Michael swallowed, physically forcing the anger down into the pit of his stomach. He tried to control the venom in his voice as he asked, "Summer, huh? Yeah, I bet that it will come in handy during Spring Break as well."
"Oh shit, no kidding dude. Let me tell you last Spring Break I bagged myself a nice little freshman unused pussy, if you know what I mean. I'm saying, man, there is no hotter sight than an easy tight, dry bitch. And to fuck a first-time freshman, oh fuck! Breaking them in is always the best part. Like popping cherries in a barrel. Man, this one little blond had a tight bod and a fuckable ass. Let me tell you just thinking about her makes me wanna go back to that shit hole of a restaurant and look her up again."
Aaron never even saw Michael as he launched himself at Aaron. Caught off guard, Aaron landed on his back with Michael sitting on top of him, holding his hands to Aaron's neck. Michael's anger was releasing itself in intense shockwaves of power. Michael's normally unreadable face was nearly unrecognizable, twisted and contorted in rage.
"Her name is Maria DeLuca, and if you ever even think about or dream about going near her again, I will fucking kill you! Because that little blond happens to be a friend of mine, a friend that you hurt. And now it's time for you to hurt."
Michael released one of his hands from Aaron's neck and withdrew his fist back before pounding it into the temple of Aaron's head. Michael was going to do this the old-fashioned way.
*I can't just wave my hand over a problem and make it go away. But I can do a lot more than wave.*
Each blow met Aaron's head sending it snapping back and forth like a tumbleweed rolling across the desert. Aaron's arms and hands were scraping on the concrete until he had scraped them down to the bone, leaving bloody fingerprints on the ground. Aaron's right arm found what he had been searching for, using all his strength he swung the crow bar knocking Michael off of his chest with the strong blow.
Aaron's breath was ragged and he was couching up blood into his already bloodied hands. He sounded like a dying coyote Michael had found in the desert once. The thought of Aaron like a dying dog made him happy. Michael sank to his knees trying to catch his breath as well but Aaron was already swinging his crowbar again. This time he hit Michael with his brute force in the ribs. Michael felt the painful snap of a rib on impact. The force of Aaron's blow threw him back into a tool bench. Aaron quickly drew the crow bar back again bringing it down against the side of Michael's head. He could feel the hot, sticky, warm blood running into his ear as he felt around the bench. Michael reached out on instinct and picked up a hammer to defend himself against Aaron's attack.
Michael's face snarled and sneered as he raised the hammer above his head and swung the tool hard into the shoulder blade of the animal in front of him. Aaron dropped the crowbar in surprise. Michael could feel the solid connection as the iron of the hammer slammed into the all too delicate human bone. The 'crunch' at the time of impact echoed throughout the garage and hearing this Michael raised the hammer again bringing it down onto Aaron's back, once, twice, three times more. Each impact tore into the fleshy back, ripping the skin like a vulture's claws into a desert carcass. Michael never even paused to wipe his own blood or the blood splatters from his face. Aaron pitched forward at the final blow onto the cold, hard floor but Michael wasn't done yet.
He reached down low to the floor and slowly pulled back Aaron's head by his hair. Michael roughly twisted his neck back to look into the beast's eyes and spit with force into them before slamming his head solidly into the concrete. Aaron's nose splattered with an explosion of blood. Standing back up Michael loomed over the pitiful creature on the concrete, then he looked down at his own feet. *Steel toed boots you son of a bitch!* He reared his leg back and with all his force kicked and rocketed his foot into Aaron's side, stepping and crunching on every rib. Aaron's arm was barely moving but he was making himself to try and reach the dropped crow bar. Aaron reached it and swung it into Michael's legs.
But Michael was too quick to be caught that off guard by Aaron again. He grabbed Aaron's wrist with one hand as he stepped on his forearm. With a quick snap! Michael cleanly broke his wrist and arm, leaving it dangling and useless. Aaron tried to scream but couldn't as the blood had backed up in his throat. He only managed to spurt more blood and wretched, gurgled sounds. Michael watched the blood flowing from Aaron's mouth with each gagged scream, he lifted his boot and drove his heel down hard directly onto Aaron's mouth, shattering his teeth and separating his jaw with the quick blow. Aaron's eyes rolled back into his head but Michael wasn't allowing him the reprieve of passing out.
Michael looked directly into Aaron's eyes and spoke to him in a harsh whisper. "If you ever touch any other girl, just remember that there are another hundred friends, boyfriends, and brothers that won't hold back like I did. And let me tell you something, you fuck, if you look at Maria I will kill you. And we both know I can."
With that Michael turned and walked out of the garage, holding his head in one hand and ignoring his blood soaked side, back to where Maria was safely waiting for him.
~*~ An 'Arresting' Development
"Oh crap, Alex! Sorry about your shirt." Maria sniffled, trying to wipe her tears from his shirt.
"Sure, Maria, you know me, I'm such a fashion plate." Whenever Alex felt nervous or upset he tried to crack jokes. He felt that he had a special gift in easing tension.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm definitely going to have to give you a make-over one of these days." Maria dried the last of her tears. Crying in front of anyone always made her embarrassed. She wanted everyone to believe that she could handle anything. Maria wasn't fooling anyone.
"Well, we'll have to see about that. I don't know if I can handle that DeLuca style."
"And what, exactly, do you have against my style? Just because I'm not some Banana Republic/GAP cookie cutout."
"Alright, alright! Calm down." Alex threw his hands up in acquiescence.
Maria's eyes suddenly darted around. "Where's Michael?" 'Calm down' always reminded her of Michael. Well, Michael's kissing anyway.
Alex just shrugged. He didn't know and didn't really care. Michael had hurt Maria over and over and now he had just left her while she cried. Alex knew how Maria felt about crying in front of people and the fact that Michael could just abandon her now, *I'm never gonna let you get close to her again*, Alex swore to himself about Michael in his head. He wasn't going to sit back and watch his friends get hurt. Alex felt guilty that he hadn't done his job as Maria's best guy friend and kicked Aaron's ass. *It's my job to protect her. I should have known about that! He raped her! I let her get hurt and did nothing about it!* Alex felt that he had been friends with Liz and Maria for so long that he should have be there to protect both of from whatever may hurt them. That was part of the reason he was so wary of Michael and Max, well, mostly Michael. They not only had the potential to break his girls' hearts, but he also felt that he was being replaced in their lives. Of course, Alex followed Isabel around, and despite everything she said after the convention, he still wanted to be with her. *But*, he mentally reassured himself, *she did say that she was glad that I knew. And that she wished I had known sooner. So maybe there is some hope!*
"Alex!" Maria snapped her fingers. "I asked you where Michael was?"
"He went to fill your painkiller prescription." Max answered from the doorway. He had stood there watching Maria and Alex in silence ever since Michael had left. He felt he owed it to Michael and Liz to watch out for, well for what he didn't know, just that they both cared for Maria deeply. No matter what Michael said, Max and Isabel both knew he still had a thing for Maria. Michael had even told Max that it wasn't easy for him to stop things with Maria.
"But we got that filled on our way back from the hospital with Maria's mom." Alex pointed out, his tone was not so subtly accusing Michael of ulterior motives for leaving. But Alex was far from the truth.
"Oh." Max's mind was spinning. He still didn't want to really believe that Michael would leave Maria like this after everything that happened earlier between the two of them. A horrifying thought occurred to Max. "Maria, what were you and Michael talking about?"
"Nothing," Maria was not going to share that with Max. God, she hadn't shared some of that with Alex and Liz.
"Maria, I need to know where Michael went. What can you tell me?"
Maria looked up at Max standing in her doorway. She was trying to convince herself that she didn't know where he was, what he was doing, or why he left. But she did know. She knew why, and where, and she knew what he was doing. Max stepped into the room. He could tell by the look that passed over Maria's face that she knew. "Maria, I need to know."
"Aaron's. He went to Aaron's." Maria chest crushed as she admitted he had gone over there for her. Michael was protecting her the only way he knew how. He always was better at showing his emotions physically than verbally.
Max bolted from the room without another word and out the front door. he had barely gotten half a block when he saw Michael walking slowly towards him. Max stopped, confused by his friend's posture. Michael held his one arm close to his side and his other covered his head. Michael looked up in surprise at Max, he quickly covered his shock, nodded a greeting and kept on walking toward the DeLuca household.
"Michael, what did you do?" Max asked the question to which he already knew the answer. Instead of forcing Michael to talk, he waved his hand gently over his injured head and side to erase the blood, injuries, and pain. Michael nodded his thanks and continued walking to the house, to Maria. He looked at the doorway and saw her standing there waiting for him, supported by Alex. Maria had seen Max heal Michael and she knew. She knew what he had done for her. Her insides felt tangled. She wanted to cry because he was in pain, she wanted to scream because something worse could have happened, she wanted to hug him for coming back, and she wanted to kiss him for caring. She didn't do any of those. Maria just stood as he walked towards her. Michael came back to be with her. The two of them were so entranced in each other that it wasn't until Michael felt Max physically pulling him towards the house did he notice the sound of rapidly approaching sirens.
Max hurriedly waved his hands over Michael to rid his clothing of the blood and his body of the bruises. Before they could reach the house Sheriff Valenti had pulled up and ran out. As he handcuffed Michael and read him his rights, he smiled as he noticed the bruised and bloodied knuckles. Max had forgotten to heal his hands, but Michael didn’t notice any of this. His attention remained on the doorway and the green eyes locked with his.