ForcedTogetherpart22

Michael and Maria were standing at the front and Michael was busy kissing Maria neck when suddenly he stopped and turned around. He caught a glimpse of a car driving past them on the road and he couldn�t stop staring after it.

�Excuse me, but I don�t remember giving you permission to stop kissing my neck buddy.� Maria teased as she turned and looked in his face. Her smiled faded as she noticed how intense he looked.

�What�s wrong?� She asked nervously.

Michael pulled his eyes away from the road and looked down into Maria worried face. �I don�t know. I just thought I felt something or more to the point someone.�

�You mean the way you use to be able to feel Max and Isabel?�

�Yeah.�

Maria looked down for a few seconds, rubbing her belly before she ventured explanation. �Michael, maybe you just were feeling Emma. You two have a pretty strong bond.�

Michael smiled, he sure did have a strong bond with his daughter. Pretty much every time him and Maria made love a connection was formed, after a few weeks the baby started to bring Maria into the connection.

�I don�t know Maria. The vibes I get from Emma are different. If I didn�t know better I would say it was Max I was feeling.�

Maria shook her head back and forth. �That�s impossible. There dead, we saw them murdered by the FBI. It must be Emma your feeling Michael. It has to be.� She urged as she opened the door and went inside turning to see him look at the road one more time before he joined her.

�I�m just going to change and then we can head over to Peter�s and Karen�s for the cookout. You should probable put on something more comfortable.� Maria said as she climbed upstairs and went into their bedroom.

Michael came up a few minutes later and smiled when he saw that Maria had stripped completely and was lying on their bed. His smiled faded when he saw that she was crying and he quickly made his way over to her and laid down next to her, his hand automatically reaching out to caress her stomach.

�Do you really think it was Max you felt?� She asked.

�Yes, I know it�s crazy but I really do think it was him.� He answered as he brushed a light kiss on her temple before resting his forehead against it.

�We saw them killed Michael. How could it be Max?� She argued weakly.

Michael sighed and thought about what he was about to say. �We didn�t see them killed Maria, we assumed it because the cabin was engulfed in flames. What if they weren�t killed, what if they were taken by the feds instead?�

Maria sat up. �No, that couldn�t have happened. If so, then why couldn�t you feel them before? Also why would he be here and not come up to us. Michael there dead, they have to be dead. There�s no other explanation for why they left us dangling like this for the past ten months. Isabel would have dreamed walk you or something if they were alive and looking for us. No, it�s taken us too long to bury that part of our lives and I�m not going to get pulled back into it. Michael we have a wonderful home and amazing friends, not to mention a baby on the way. Please don�t ruin this, don�t ruin us by getting worked up over something you have no proof of.� She begged as she grasped his hands in hers.

�Maria, I would never do anything to hurt you or the baby. Don�t you want to know for sure? What about your mother, this could open the door for you to be reunited with her.� He asked.

�You don�t know that. Michael if we went back, we would lose this. I can�t explain it but something inside of me is telling me that we should just ignore what just happened. That we would be pulled apart if we went back to Roswell and that we wouldn�t be together. As much as I love my mother, I choose this life when I gave myself to you. No matter how many nights I may lay here and think about her, I always knew in the back of my mind that I sacrificed my relationship with her the minute I knew I was in love with you and I don�t regret either, I can�t.�

Michael couldn�t believe what he was hearing. �Don�t you see Michael, I can�t give up loving you or being you wife and that is what will happen if we go back to Roswell. Maybe it sounds heartless and selfish, but I can�t go back to being Maria Deluca. I can�t go back to being Liz Parker�s wacky girlfriend or the daughter of the town hippie. If I did I would only grow to hate the people I love and I don�t want that to happen. I would rather live here being able to love them from afar than to be with them and hating them.� She confessed with tears sliding down her cheek. �No Michael, it wasn�t Max you felt it had to be Emma.�

He was in shock, digesting everything she said when he finally asked the one question he dreaded most of all. �You knew they were alive, didn�t you?�

Maria shook her head no as she tried to explain what had been eating at her for months. �No, Michael I swear I didn�t know for sure but I did have a feeling. A few times I had thought I could feel Isabel trying to get into my dreams but I always force her out. I wasn�t sure if it was real or if it was my subconscious torturing me because I felt guilty for making it out safely.�

Michael got up and walked over to the fireplace, looking at the pictures that line it. Pictures of them, of their friends. He looked at the ones of himself and saw that he was always smiling in them, that he always laughed now. He never laughed before, back in Roswell. What was there to be happy about? Living with a drunk who like to slap him around or going hungry most nights because he didn�t have food to eat.

Was she right, that if they went back all of this would be lost? Yes, he couldn�t explain it but he knew she was right about that. There were forces there that would pull them apart, forces he wasn�t sure he could fight.

It was Max today, he was here. He left, he didn�t come up to them and reveal himself and Michael knew without a shadow of a doubt he wouldn�t feel him again for a long time. Max was sacrificing their friendship, their brotherhood for some unknown reason in his decision not to come up to him, not to bring him back to Roswell.

Did Michael owe it to Max to ignore this and follow him back? What about Maria? Could he drag her back there, back to all the bad memories? Could he take himself back there to face his demons? Then there was Emma, his daughter. Shouldn�t she be his first concern over everything else?

Michael looked at the pictures one last time before turning around and looking at Maria. His answer was obvious and clear, there was only one real choice and Michael didn�t know if he would be damned forever for choosing it but he knew he still could live with it.

Slowly he walked back to her and knelt down in front of her reaching for her hands and with a shaky breath he whispered his decision. �It was Emma I felt.�

Maria sobbed as she pulled Michael up onto the bed with her. Burying her face in his chest as she felt him rubbing her tummy, connecting with their daughter. Maria said a silent pray begging for forgiveness, forgiveness that with that one simple statement that they both had made a pack to forget what was reveal to them. A pack that one could say was selfish, but she didn�t care. Her first concern was her family and God forgive them, this was what was right for them.

He reached down and tilted Maria�s head up and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. A kissed laced in forgiveness. Forgiveness for the last secrete that had been kept more so out of confusion and fear than out of malice. A kiss that cemented there unspoken pack, a kiss that meant a world of new beginnings for them.

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

�How could you do this. How could you make this decision without consulting me first!� Tess raved.

�Look this wasn�t up to you. It was up to the people who loved them!� Isabel shouted.

�Your wrong, I had a right to be heard on this. Nacedo isn�t going to approve. Michael has a destiny��

�I swear if you say the word destiny one more time I�m gonna put you through that window!� Isabel sneered as she stalked over to the shorter blond.

�Isabel!� Max screamed to get his sister�s attention before he turned and looked at Tess. �Look, this was my decision and the others agreed. This is what is best and we�re not going to change our minds.�

�Nacedo will fight you on this.� She hissed back.

�Yeah right. We haven�t seen him since he took over as Pierce. Look Tess your either with us or not, but believe me when I say it you will be safer if your with us.� Max said in a tone of voice that sent shivers up everyone spines.

Tess held her head up and tried to gather what was left of her dignity. �What about a second. You need your second.� She argued.

�He has a second.� Max heard Alex say as he walked up and placed his hand on his shoulder.

�Make that two seconds.� Kyle added as he stood on the other side of Max and placing his hand on his other shoulder.

Tess laughed. �Two humans playing alien commander, how drool. Fine have it your way. Maybe once you get you ass kick from here to the Milky Way and back you will change your mind.�

�Doubt it. Look, if the needs arise then we will come back for him but for now it isn�t necessary. If things work out hopefully the next time we come back here will be because the enemy has been defeated and it is truly safe for them to come home but not before then. Not unless it is our last chance for defeating the enemy.�

�Fine, I won�t argue this any longer. You are the king and I will obey your wishes.� Tess said as she walked out of the room they were meeting in and headed back into hers.

�I don�t trust her Max, she gave up to easy.� Amy said.

�Don�t worry, we can control her. The real threat is Nacedo. We just have to make sure he doesn�t try to approach Michael himself.� Max explained.

�I don�t think we need to worry about that right now. He is in the spotlight dealing with those congressional hearings to take off and try to contact Michael.� Liz said calmly.

�Liz is right. The best thing would be to get packed and leave here now. The longer we stay, the more time it give us all to reconsider our decision.� Alex said as he grabbed his duffel bag and began to pack.

They all nodded their heads in agreement and went back to their rooms. They had a long ride back to Roswell, back to the unknown.

TBC