Title: Righting His Wrongs

Author: Chesarae

E-mail: [email protected]

Category: Michael/Maria (Season 2)

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Sequel to What She Needed. Michael has found Maria, and he�s learned that they have a daughter, Sky. He has decided that he won�t lose Maria a second time, even if it means losing Isabel.

Disclaimer: I don�t own any of the characters or settings of Roswell; they belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, and the show.

Part 1

Sky awoke to the smell of frying bacon, and was that....Tabasco pancakes? �Mmm, just what I need,� Sky thought, as she pushed back the sheets on her bed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She let out a huge yawn and clambered out of bed, only to fall in a heap on top of Lennie. �Ouch!!! Watch where you�re going next time!� Lennie let out in irritation. �Gosh, Lennie, I�m really sorry. I didn�t know you were down here,� Sky answered, then as her mind started to clear she sat up with worry etching her face and asked, �Lennie, why are you on my floor anyway?� Lennie replied, �Well, Sky, you were so distressed yesterday that I figured I�d get a better nights sleep down here. Mom offered me the extra bed, but I wanted to stay close in case you woke up.� �Yesterday?,� Sky stated in confusion, then recollection, �Oh.... What happened? The last thing I remember is falling asleep in my father�s, no ichael�s, no..... my father�s arms.� �Passed out?� Lennie stated, �You more than passed out Sky, It�s Sunday morning! Don�t worry though, I explained it to Mattie when I went in to work. She understood, you know, with you meeting your dad for the first time, and all.� �Are they still here?� Sky asked Lennie. �You�re dad is,� Lennie answered, �But the other�s went on back to the hotel. I think they might be back later, though.� �Well,� Sky said, �I guess we best be getting up and around. It seems mom�s cooking breakfast.� With that the two girls began to get ready for whatever was to come.

Down in the Kitchen......

Maria was standing at the stove flipping pancakes. Michael walked up behind her and said, �Why don�t you let me take over. I kinda miss doing this, ya know, since I worked at the Crashdown.� Maria smiled at the memory and sat down as she brushed a loose strand of honey colored hair out of her face. �I miss those days too,� she responded. A moment was shared between them as they caught each other�s eyes, but was broken when they heard footsteps echoing off the stairs.

A moment later, Lennie and Sky entered the kitchen. Michael and Maria both looked up as if they had been caught, like two children who had broken into a jar full of candy. �Morning Sweetie,� Maria said, �How are you feeling?� Maria walked over to Sky and put a hand on her forehead, checking to see if everything was all right. Seeing nothing to get alarmed about, Maria then ran a soothing hand through Sky�s tumbled curls. Michael shuffled nervously and voiced a shaky �Morn�in.� Sky looked up at her father with want-filled eyes. She thought it was now or never, so she spoke up, �Morning,.......Dad.� Michael looked straight at his daughter and a smile began to grow on his face, but more so, it grew in his eyes. He reached for his daughter, and Sky gave in. Father and daughter stood once again in embrace. �Well,� Lennie said with a glowing smile, �I guess it is a good morning.�

Maria, Michael, Lennie, and Sky all sat at the dinning room table. Maria had handed out the pancakes, Tabasco ones for Michael and Sky and regular ones for Lennie and herself. �These are great, Maria,� Michael said after he had taken a huge whip cream and Tabasco covered bite, �I think I�m in love all over again!� At that, Lennie let loose a chuckle.� �I know,� Sky said, �Mom has been making these pancakes for me since forever. She said she had discovered them when she was pregnant.� Michael then looked beside him at Maria. �So much I have missed out on,� he thought, �How alone and scared she must have been, pregnant and in a new city.� Maria could see the hurt in his eyes; he hurt for her, for the fact that he hadn�t been there for her. �It�s gonna be okay, Michael,� Maria said and captured his much larger hand between both of hers.

�So,� Michael asked looking at Lennie, �I see that you must be a really good friend to my daughter.� At that, Maria replied, �Lennie�s a lot more than just a good friend to us. She�s family.� Lennie blushed and cast her face downwards. �Yeah, I guess you could say that,� Lennie answered, �I don�t really have much family, just my dad. My mom died when I was little, and my dad, he�s usually away. So, I kinda live here most of the time. Sky�s like a sister to me and Maria, she�s..., well, she�s Mom.� �Darn right, I am!� Maria replied, �And you know I always will be, Lennie honey.� �Well then,� Michael stated, �I�d say that makes you a part of my family too.� Lennie had never felt so complete in all of her life. Little did she know, Michael hadn�t either.

After breakfast, they had worked together in cleaning the kitchen. Then they had settled in the living room. They all got settled, and Michael began. �Well,� He said, �I guess there are some things that you all should know. Sky and Lennie, you already know some of what I am about to say.� Michael paused, then turning to Maria, he said, �Maria, after you left, I was hollow. There was so much of me that was missing. So, I turned to the only person who had ever comforted me besides you.....Isabel. We became each other�s companion. Maria, she�s my wife.� Maria looked up at Michael and horror quickly spread over her face. �You married Isabel?� Maria questioned. And then she accused, �You married Isabel? How could you Michael? I mean, for me, there has never been anyone else. I have never even thought about there ever being someone else. I�ve always known there could only be you! �I know Maria,� Michael stated, �You were always so strong. That�s why I always knew I could come to you. You have always seen what you want and have gone straight for it. Me, Maria? I was always the screw up, still am at times. I pushed you away because I was afraid that I could never be what you needed. I was afraid that I�d rip your heart in two someday, but it looks like I did anyway. All I can say is that I�m sorry, Maria. I�m so, so sorry!� �Sorry doesn�t always cut it!� Maria said in a warning tone, �But,� She said softening her voice, �I�m tired of living with a piece of my heart missing.� Michael answered, �Maria, there is no way in hell that I am ever gonna give you up again! I love Izz, but not like that. We have been holding onto each other because we didn�t know what else to do. Even Isabel knows it. She�s going to be hurt, yes, but she�s always known.... There is something else, Maria. Sky this affects you too. Isabel and I, we have a son, Jace Maxwell Guerin. He�s ten.� The room went quiet. A few moments later, Sky asked, �I have a little brother?� �Yeah, you do,� Michael stated. Maria continued to stare in shocked silence, but soon asked, �How will all of this work? How will it ever, Michael?� �All I know is that it will,� Michael replied, �It will work out.�

Sky and Lennie had gone upstairs to process this new information, and Michael had gone to call Isabel, and the others. This left Maria sitting alone on her sofa. She couldn�t quit pondering the situation. Michael had finally made it back to her, but married to Izz of all people, and with a son. Life had a way of laughing at people, she could only think. But then again, Michael had made it back and he wanted her, no-one else. That meant the world. People made mistakes, but she was lucky because not everyone learned from them. �Yes,� Maria said to herself, �Everything is gonna be okay. This is what was meant.� She smiled in final understanding.

Isabel sat on her bed back at The Haven. She had not had a good nights sleep. She had lain awake almost the entire night wondering what her future held. Who would hold her now that Michael would be gone? Was she destined to be alone? There was that horrid word again, the one that had messed up their lives in the first place. If it hadn�t been for destiny..... The phone rang and startled Isabel out of her stupor. She knew who it was. �Hello, Michael,� She answered. �Hi, Izz,� He replied, �I was calling to .........

That afternoon, Isabel, Max, and Liz, joined Michael at Maria�s house. There was much to discuss. Maria had told Michael that she missed home. She missed being with her closest friends, and she missed living close to her mother. Maria wanted to go home. Everyone once again settled in the living room, and Michael began, �So, I guess we have a lot to talk about.� �Yeah,� Max said, �I guess we do. But mostly this is between you, Maria, Isabel, and your children.� �I know,� Michael said. Then Maria spoke up, �I guess for starters you should know that I have decided to move back to Roswell. I�ve been wanting to come back for years, this has just been the last straw.� �So,� Max asked his best friend, while looking tenderly at his sister, �You plan to be with Maria?� �Yeah, Maxwell, I do,� Michael replied. Then looking at his wife, Michael said, �Isabel, I�m truly sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt. I�ve always loved you and I always will, but for once I�m gonna do something right.� �It�s okay, Michael,� Isabel said, �I have always known that it would end this way if you two ever again met. Yes, it hurts, but I love you enough to let you go. I want what is best for you, and I know that I�ll never have to worry about you and Jace.� �You�re right Isabel,� Michael answered, �Jace is one of the two things I�ve ever done right. Jace is something we both did right, Izz.� Michael moved to Isabel and the two embraced. Hot, salty, crystalline tears coursed down Isabel�s smooth cheeks, and Michael used the pads of his thumbs to brush them away. Isabel looked up to Maria and said, �You�ll take care of him, right Maria?� �Always,� Maria answered, �And Forever, until the ends of the universe.� With that, Maria and Isabel embraced as well. For they both knew that their lives were about to change.

Part 2

It had been a week. One full, nerve-racking week. Yeah, it had been an exciting week, but it had been kind-of weird too. Becoming a family so fast, it was just taking a little getting used to.........

�Hey Lennie, can you grab that box over there?� Sky stated as she lifted a huge box herself. �Sure thing,� Lennie replied with a huff. They made their way outside and hefted the last two boxes into the moving van. Just then, Michael made his way around the van. �Hey you two, that it?� He asked. �Yeah, that�s the last of it,� Sky stated wiping her brow with the back of her hand. Michael smiled and grabbed the two girls for a huge bear hug.

After Michael finally let the two out of his embrace, Lennie realized that tomorrow would be the last time that it would be like this for a while. Tomorrow, her best friend in the entire universe, and her Mom, would be leaving her for Roswell, New Mexico. What would happen to her with no-one to care what happened to her. It wasn�t that her dad didn�t care, she knew that somewhere inside his head he did, but he was never there. He had just gotten in this past morning, but she had yet to see him. With these thoughts, hot, salty tears began to crawl their way down her cheeks.

Michael had started talking to Sky about teenage normalcy when only seconds later he noticed that he no longer heard Lennie�s sing-song voice. He looked over and saw the wetness on her cheeks. His heart ached because he knew her feelings all to well. Michael walked over to Lennie with Sky in his wake. He pulled her in to a tight, warm embrace and began to smooth her hair back. �Ssh, Lennie, it�s gonna be all right,� Michael began. Lennie replied, �No, it�s not! It�s never going to be okay again!� And with that, sobs began to rack her small frame. �Look at me,� Michael stated and pulled her face up towards his. He wiped away her tears with his thumbs, and then stated, �I don�t know how, but it is going to be okay. I�ll fix it.�

About an hour later, Michael had found Maria and was telling her about Lennie. He spoke up, �We can�t just leave her like this Maria.� �I know,� Maria replied, �I don�t feel right about it either. Lennie is like my own child, and I know that we have been all that she has had these last few years. But what can we do Michael?� Michael started, �Well, she did say that her father came into town this morning. We could always talk to him about....� Maria grasped Michael�s hand and asked, �You wouldn�t mind?� �Not in the least Maria, she�s your family and that makes her mine. I just hope that her father agrees to this,� Michael answered. It took them a couple of hours to track down Lennie�s father, but they eventually found him at his office........

Special Agent Levi Buchanan of the FBI was seated behind his desk and reading through his recent case report when he heard a knock on his door. �Come in,� He replied. As he looked up he was somewhat startled to see the mother of his daughter�s best and only friend, in his work office, but he remained calm. He also took in that she was accompanied by a tall, rough-edged man. �Miss DeLuca is everything all right with Lennie?� Was his first response. �Yes, Lennie is fine, well, at least physically.� Maria answered.

A moment of uneasiness was felt and then passed when Michael stuck out his hand and said, �Hello Agent Buchanan, I am Sky�s father Michael Guerin.� The two men shook hands and Levi motioned for Michael and Maria to take a seat. Levi began, �So then, to what exactly do I owe this pleasure?� �Well,� Michael responded, �Maria and I have recently decided to give our relationship another try. Maria, Sky, and I are leaving town tomorrow to go to Roswell, New Mexico...our home.� Levi spared a glance between his office�s two occupants and took a deep breath sensing the blow ahead of him. Maria quickly began �I know this will be hard to digest, but.....we want to take Lennie with us. I know she is your daughter and that you love her, but you must admit that us leaving would affect her greatly. I don�t mean to be harsh Sir, but you are hardly ever around and she has become very attached to our family, so much so that she mostly lives with us. I love Lennie just as much as you do, and I only want what is best for her. We would never try to take her from you, we just want to be there for her when she needs someone.� Feeling Maria�s uneasiness, Michael laid a reassuring hand upon her shoulder.

Levi remained quiet and digested this information. These two people wanted to take his daughter with them, miles away? Of course, he hadn�t always been there for Lennie, but his job had its demands, and he provided for her. Lennie had everything a girl her age could possibly want. He loved his daughter........ But who was he kidding? Ever since Evelynne had passed.... Had he really been there for Lennie? Had he really given her what she needed? In his heart he knew the answers. They were answers that he hated. But he was the one that had allowed it to happen. He had relied on Miss DeLuca. He knew all to well from Lennie�s letters and calls, what a great role that Maria and Sky were in his daughters life. Maria was right, to separate them would do more damage than he could ever repair. Lennie would blame him and any chance for their relationship would be lost. Michael sat holding Maria�s hand tight. He was counting the seconds and praying to whomever would listen. Maria turned her large eyes towards him, and he smiled at her. She squeezed his hand in acknowledgment and began to nod, but then she heard Lennie�s father clear his throat. Both Michael and Maria turned expectantly towards Levi.

�Well,� Levi began, �This is hard to digest......... However, Miss DeLuca, I do see your point. I hate to admit it, but I haven�t been everything that I should have been when it comes to Lennie. I�m just always so busy with work and all.. I do think that maybe it would be best if Lennie went with you. She speaks of you with as much passion as you speak of her. I know that she would be happy to be with you. You may go ahead and tell her; you should probably get going so you can get her packed up tonight. She may take whatever she wishes to. I�ll be home later to tell her good-bye.�

Michael watched Lennie�s father closely and almost couldn�t believe what he was hearing. How was this man so able to let his daughter go? He had just met his own daughter, and he had instantly known that he would never be able to let her go. Did this man not feel that? Maria softly moved against his side, and he stood, pulling her with him. �Well then,� Michael replied and reached out to once again take Lennie�s father�s hand, �You do know that we will take the very best care of her, as if she were our own? You�ll always be welcome to drop by at any time.� �Yes,� Levi answered, �I know. I�m thankful to you both for loving her as you do.� With that, Maria suddenly and momentarily embraced Levi with tears slick on her face. Michael then took her hand and lead her out the door.

As soon as Levi heard their footsteps fade down the hall, he let all of his pent up emotion boil over the surface. Hot tears coursed silently down his cheeks for a few moments before he punched a gaping hole in his office wall. Blood ran down his fist, but it did nothing to quell his blinding hurt, or his anger at himself. Levi let out a bellowing roar that was heard only by his office walls and any small creature that resided within. Sky and Lennie were at Lennie�s place eating the extra cheesy, hamburger and mushroom pizza that they had ordered. After all of their work, they had been truly famished. �Gosh,� Sky stated, �We sure did a lot of moving today. I can�t believe that we�ll be leaving the only home I�ve ever known, but it almost feels right. There�s only one thing that will be missing.....you.� �I�m going to miss you too; so much Sky!� Lennie answered. Sky grabbed onto her best friend for dear life and the two began to slightly rock together. They stopped suddenly when they heard Michael�s voice, �You won�t have to miss each other. I told you that I would fix it and I always keep my word.�

�What?� Lennie asked, �What do you mean?� �Well, Honey,� Maria spoke up, �How would you like to come with us to Roswell?� �I can come with you! Do you really mean it? I can really come?� Lennie piped up as she jumped up excitedly. �Yeah,� Michael responded, �We�ve talked to your dad and everything. If you want to come with us all you have to do is say it.� �Yes,� Lennie laughed and said, �Yes, yes, yessss....� Sky and Lennie jumped up and down excitedly doing their own happy dance. After they drew apart, Lennie embraced Maria tenderly before Michael swept her up into his waiting arms and spun her around. Sensing Sky�s presence, he scooped her up as well, with Maria coming in next. This was the happy family that he had been waiting so long for. Soon he would be home, and his family would be complete.

Levi came through the door around an hour later. Seeing him, Michael and Maria took Sky and went to get Sky�s Jetta to pack Lennie�s things in.

�Hi Daddy,� Lennie stated and went to kiss her father on the cheek.

�Hey there Sweetheart,� Levi answered and smiled at his daughter.

Levi hugged Lennie close for a few moments and then looked around him. He could see that a few things were packed up.

�So,� He stated more than asked, �I see you�ve decided to go with them. I�m really happy for you baby.�

�Yeah,� Lennie responded, �I have. Thank-you for letting me, I...., I don�t know what I�d do without them. I�ll miss you though, Daddy....�

�I�ll miss you to baby,� Levi said, �Now give me a kiss. I�ve got to get back to the office. I�ve got a lot of work to catch up on, and besides, they�ll be back soon to help you pack."

Lennie leaned up to give her father one last kiss and said, �Good-bye, Daddy.�

Levi pulled away and held his daughter�s face between his palms. He took one last look at her and walked back through the door. Lennie fell to the floor, sobbing once again.

On the other side of the door, Levi softly said, �Good-bye Lennie, sweetheart.....I�ll miss you more than you�ll ever know.�

A solitary tear slid down his left cheek, and he was gone.

Michael, Maria, Sky, and Lennie spent the next few hours into the night packing Lennie�s things. Around One in the morning, Michael suggested that they should all get a few hours rest before daybreak . So they headed back to Maria�s house for the last time. Sky and Lennie slept on a mattress together. They talked for about an hour before slipping off into their dreams. Michael held Maria tight, as they laid together on their own mattress. They drifted off safe in each other�s arms.

Michael was the first to awake, he not being as familiar as the rest of them with the house. He let Maria sleep for about half an hour before awakening her with a sweet, passion filled kiss.

�Mmm,� She moaned before fully giving into Michael�s administrations.

Finally, after coming up for a gulp of air, Maria said, �Hey there Spaceboy.�

"Good morning, Big-mouth.� Michael replied and went in for another powerfully, hungry kiss.

About another half an hour later, Michael and Maria were up and getting ready to go. They woke Lennie and Sky up as well. By Eight in the morning, they were all packed up and ready. Maria, Sky, and Lennie gathered in front of the house to bid their final good-byes to the life they had come to know. One last stop was made at The Red Roof. They ate breakfast, and the girls said good-bye to their friends there.

A few days later, they were nearing their destination point.

�You ready Maria?� Michael asked as he reached over to take her hand.

�Yeah,� Maria replied, �I am; I�m finally ready to go home.�

Sky and Lennie sleepily looked out the windows. Lots and lots of desert could be seen, but what drew their attention was the large sign sporting a large, green, alien standing beside a crashed ship, and the words that it voiced to all: Welcome to Roswell.......