Has this guy lost it? Thought Ray

"Michael, Max lives in Boston, we're in L.A." he said.

"I know," he replied, "we're going to teleport"

"teleport", he said slowly.  If it had been anyone else he would have laughed in his face, but Michael was an alien and had a completely serious expression on his face.

"yeah"

"okay" Ray nodded.

 

Michael took a deep breath and glanced at Maria, her eyes were closed, her hair was matted with dark blood.  It was risky he knew and had only ever done it once but this was Maria's only chance.  Closing his eyes he concentrated, concentrated on the car.  Imagined it's basic parts, then pictured their bodies at the molecular level disappearing and reappearing in Max's garage.

 

Ray's eyes widened as the car began to disappear and his hands

"What the-"

 

"-heck" his hand was back.  So was the car.  Except they weren't in the quiet alley anymore but in what looked like a garage.

"Michael" he said, turning to him. 

 

Michael opened his eyes and smiled.  Yes, he thought triumphantly.

 I did it, I really did it !

The garage door opened.

"Michael!"

"Max" he said as he got out.

"Wh-"

"Maria's hurt," he said as he carried her out.  He could leave it till later to get a lecture on his irresponsibility, right now Maria's life was at stake.  Max glanced at Maria and sprung into action.

"Bring her through to the living room," he said as he led Michael through the kitchen.

"Maria" cried Liz as they placed her on the couch, "what happened?"

"We went to see Michael," said Ray, " and she got hit by a car."

" Max,"

"She'll be fine," he reassured her as he knelt down beside her to heal her.

 

Ray watched as Max placed his hand on her forehead and chest and closed his eyes.  He'd never seen him actually heal someone before, he'd heard the stories but had never seen it.    Maria looked pale and weak.  Her light, that vibrant nature was fading and it all had something to do with Michael.

"If she dies," he said to Michael, "regardless of your alien origin, I'll kill you."

Michael looked at him in surprise then understanding, "you're in love with her."

He shrugged, " so are you" he replied.

His attention was drawn back to Maria when he heard her gasp.

 

Maria eye's focused on Max, "Welcome back," he smiled, "again"

"Thanks," she said as she sat up on the couch. 

Wait a minute if the photos around the living room were right, then she was in Max's house in Boston.

"What am I doing here?" she asked as the memories organised themselves in her mind.

"You got hit by a car and Michael, risked his life and Ray's to…basically teleport you here", said Max.

Teleport? That's new.

"Okay, thanks," she nodded to Michael.

"So how did you get hit by a car?" asked Liz

The question reminded Maria, of why she had had tears in her eyes.

"Well Liz, when a girl catches her so-called boyfriend in a lip lock with a leggy blonde, traffic just doesn't seem to register."

"You're two-timing Maria," said Ray, "after everything she's been through?"

"I can explain," he said.

"Fine." Said Maria, "Which day of the week was she, Monday, Tuesday, Saturday?"

"Cassandra"

Maria didn't care.

"At the time did she know that you were taken?"

"No"

"Did you tell her?"

"No bu-"

Michael didn't get to finish his sentence because Ray's fist finished it for him.

"You scum!"

"Ray, stop it," she said as Max held him back.

"It's okay," said Michael, "I deserve it,"

"We'll get to you later," said Maria.  She turned to Ray, "While I thank you and love you for looking out for me, this isn't Jerry Springer okay?"

"Sorry," he replied eyeing Michael.

"It's fine."

"Okkkay," said Liz, "Maria, why don't we go wash that blood out of your hair while these boys cool down," she suggested.

Maria thankful for the attempt to disperse the hostility, nodded as Liz led her up the stairs.

 

"So what happened?" asked Liz after the blood had been washed out of Maria's hair.

"Exactly that, I caught him cheating on me", replied Maria.  She sighed as she sat on the edge of the tube as all those images of her and Michael laughing together and raising Michael together were contaminated with those words.

"Are you sure?" asked Liz.

Was she serious?

"Liz, her lips were on his," Maria tried to shake off the image, but it was still there dangling in front of her eyes, taunting her for her optimism. " I can't believe I let him in with his you-are-my-home-garbage"

"Maria calm down" said Liz.

"Let's examine the kiss, was it passionate?" she asked.

"Looked like from where I was "

"who was kissing who"

"I don't know."

"Well were his arms around her?"

"For second or so"

Detective Liz nodded, "uh huh and how long was the kiss?"

"I came right at the end but who knows two hours" she replied frustrated.

"Come on" said Liz.

"Okay," Maria relented, " I'm not sure."
Liz smiled, a knowing look travelled across her face, "So don't you think you should talk to him and be sure?"

Maria sighed, when Liz got like this, there was no turning her down.

"Fine, but if you hear glass shattering, that's that pretty vase on the table"

"I don't live here yet so, it'll be Max's" she replied laughing.

 

Michael got up as Maria came in.

"Guess it's our cue to leave," said Ray as they headed out the door.

Michael was alone, with a very angry, hurt Maria.

Not good.

"It didn't mean anything", the words rushed out.  He was going to make Maria believe him even if it meant collecting CCTV footage of the event.

"Good to know" she replied her steely demeanour masking her pain.

"And Cassandra, she didn't know that we were together because I forgot " he explained.

"You forgot to tell her that you were attached" she said incredulous.
"Well I've been busy with you for the past two weeks and me and Cassandra aren't together, we just go out, so it slipped my mind to tell her."

She nodded as if maybe she believed him.

"The kiss, how long was it?"

What was I supposed to time it? The words went unspoken however because he was in the dog house, any attempts made to further anger Maria would lead to her harming him.

Instead he shrugged and guessed, "I don't know a couple of seconds?"

She wasn't biting.

Arms crossed, she demanded, "Be more specific".

"Okay, maybe two seconds, she practically ambushed me I was trying to get her off me"

"Two seconds?"

"Tops"

Michael held his breath as she strode up to him and looked into his eyes as if trying to extricate the truth from them.  He looked back into her, mentally trying to communicate that what he was saying was the truth.  If the eyes were the window to the soul, then she should be able to tell right?

"okay"

The word didn't register at first.

Did she just say…

"okay?" he asked for confirmation.

She nodded, "I forgive you… but Michael if you ever kiss anyone for two seconds again I'll kill you"

He smiled relieved, "I could live with that"

Wrapping her arms around his waist she continued, "and after we leave,  you will call every white collar long nailed hoochie in your black book and tell her you're taken"

"After today, I don't think I'll need to" he said.
Removing her head resting on his chest she looked up at his suspiciously, "why?"

That question again.  Only this time despite the blood rushing in his ears and sound of his heart pounding fiercely against his chest, not to mention the fact that he felt like he was one step from either dropping off the edge of a cliff or crossing over to the other-side.

"Well, I was going to be early or on time tonight. You wanna know why"

"To avoid a lecture?" she supplied.

"Well yeah, that and…this," he said presenting her with the velvet box which he'd carried in his pocket for the past week.

 

Maria froze mid-smile, her eyes fixed on the small velvet box in Michael's hand, "Oh my gosh Michael, is that what I think it is?"

Maria watched stunned, as Michael, the stubborn Michael Guerin, get down on his knees.

"Maria, I love you.  This past week, I've had fun, you’ve given me my life back and I know it's sudden but I love you and I'm ready, I've been ready and if you're not, that's fine we could have a long engagement but please… say you will be my wife"

Was he kidding? How could she not be.

"yes" she shouted.

Stunned, he asked doubtful, "yes?"

"Yes, Michael Guerin, I will marry you"

 

The screaming brought the others rushing into the room.

"What's going on?" asked Liz

"This, is what" said Maria as she presented Liz with the delicate but highly expensive diamond engagement ring on her finger.  The room was filled with more squeals and screams.

Ray walked up to him a blank expression on his face.

This is not the time for a throw down, thought Michael tensely. His muscles relaxed when Ray presented him instead with his hand, "congratulations" he said.

Michael shook it, "thank you"
"She's a great girl, treat her the way she deserves."

"I will" he replied.

Max hugged him, "you proposed"

"yeah" he replied not quite believing it himself.

"I'm proud of you" he said.

"thanks" he replied.

Only now they had one problem left.

"Which one of us is going to phone Izzy?" asked Michael

Max raised his hands as if protesting his innocence, "You are the groom, you do it"
"So she can scream down my ear and bombard me with fifty questions a minute?" said Michael

"Better you than me" shrugged Max.

Michael smiled at the scene around him, at his soon to be wife radiated beauty and light from across the room. This was life.

 She, he decided as Maria caught his gaze, is life.

He was finally home.