Author: Diane [email protected]
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything
Summary: Michael takes Maria on a date to show her just what she means to him.
Notes: This takes place during Season 3 after the episode 'Ch-Ch-Changes' except after Maria sleeps with Michael they work through their problems and decide to give their relationship another chance. It's kinda foofy and there's no real plot as such. Michael's character may seem a little bit 'too good to be true' but you can put that down to the relief he feels now he's back with Maria.
Michael stood nervously outside Maria's house plucking up the courage to ring the doorbell. He had walked to Maria's place instead of taking his bike in the hope that he would be able to calm his nerves. 'Okay, here we go' he thought to himself ringing the doorbell quickly before he chickened out.
Maria, hearing the chimes of the doorbell, took a final look in her mirror and smiled at her reflection. "Not too shabby even if I do say so myself" she said out loud to herself. She had finished work at the CrashDown early in order to get ready for her date with Michael and as soon as she had arrived home had taken a nice relaxing bubble bath to soothe her tired aching muscles. When Michael had suggested the date a couple of days earlier Maria had already decided on her outfit and how she would wear her hair. He had mentioned to her on numerous occasions that while he loved her hair however she wore it, he had always had a preference for when it was curly so after her bath she had spent a while curling her hair before pinning small sections up using her small, sparkly butterfly clips. Maria had decided to wear her black leather mini skirt, which hit her at mid thigh, together with her new sparkly black and silver halter top. The outfit was topped off with her black wedge sandals which gave her the desired effect of both making her appear taller and accentuating her legs. She couldn't help smiling remembering all the times Michael had praised her legs. Picking up both her purse and her overnight bag she quickly ran down the stairs and opened the door to her boyfriend.
Michael's nerves had gotten increasingly worse while he waited for Maria to open the door. He could feel his palms sweating and so wiped his hands on his pants. Finally the door opened and he gasped at the sight his girlfriend made.
"Wow! You look amazing." Michael took a step towards her and cupped her cheek drawing her near and gave her a long, slow kiss. Maria gasped as he pulled away and smiled at him.
"Really?" She asked him shyly.
"Definitely. I love the curls and....." He looked down and seeing she was wearing his favourite sandals said, "I love your choice of footwear." He gave her his usual smirk and gave her another kiss. As she felt him pull away Maria deepened the kiss by slipping her tongue past his lips and rubbing it against his own and then sucked his bottom lip into her mouth.
Maria gently pulled away and then wrapped her arms around Michael's neck hugging him close and breathing in his scent. "God, you smell so good and you're not looking too bad yourself, Mr Guerin." She pulled back to look at him giving him the once over and checking out his clothes. Michael was wearing his smart black pants together with a dark blue button down shirt which he had kept the top two buttons undone. Maria knew that he would be wearing his trademark black boots without having to look down at his feet.
"So Michael, where are you taking me?" Maria asked him as she moved away from him but keeping hold of one of his hands in her own.
"Uh uh, not telling. You'll just have to wait and see." Looking past her into the house he asked, "By the way, where's Amy? Is she out on a date with Valenti tonight?"
"Nope, she's visiting some friends in Illinois for the week remember. I drove her to the airport this morning before my shift started. Um...if it's okay with you I'll stay over at your place tonight. I told Mom that if she calls home and doesn't get any answer to try me at Liz's. I've told Liz I'll be at yours so she'll cover for me." Maria answered.
Michael smiled at her. "It's more than okay for you to stay over, you know that." He bent down to pick up her bulging overnight bag which considering she was only staying over for the night was pretty heavy. "Hey, how long are you planning on staying for? You seem to have packed up your entire wardrobe." He said smiling at her as he walked out of the front door.
"Ha ha, very funny Michael. I'll have you know I've only packed the essentials. Come on, let's get going. I can't wait to see what you've got planned for tonight."
Maria quickly grabbed her leather jacket and followed Michael out of the house after turning off the lights and locking the front door. She then grabbed his free hand and pulled him towards the Jetta. After taking the keys from her Michael unlocked the car and then placed her bag in the trunk. Before Maria had a chance to open the passenger door Michael ran round and opened it for her.
"Let me get that for you, sweetie." Michael said after opening the door and allowing her to get into the car. Before he closed the door he squatted down beside her and smiled. "Tonight is all about you okay. I know we've had our ups and downs lately but I just want to make it clear to you how much I love you and how much I want you to be happy."
Maria couldn't help but just stare at Michael as he told her this. "Oh my God, Michael. I love you too. I am happy, very happy with you. I'm so sorry I broke up with you before......."
"NO!" Michael exclaimed interrupting her before she could continue. "Sorry. I didn't mean to shout. I just didn't want you to say that. You were right to break up with me. I was taking you for granted and ignoring you. I knew you were still grieving for Alex but because you didn't talk about it and I didn't want to upset you further I didn't push the matter. When Billy arrived on the scene I......I was jealous. Billy made you remember your dreams and the plans you and Alex used to make involving music. He made you smile, something I didn't seem able to do. I couldn't get past my jealousy in order for you to have Billy around as a friend. I made you tell him to leave town and you did it, just like that. For that I'm sorry."
Michael took a deep breath and continued. "But tonight I want us to move on okay? I want us both to stop apologising for the past and start with a clean slate on both sides. I'm not saying everything is going to be easy and that we won't slip up along the way but I just want us to be able to talk about anything and everything, not only to tell each other when things are bothering us but when things are going well too. Do you get what I'm saying, Maria?"
Maria nodded and placed her palms on either side of Michael's face and brought her forehead down to lean against his and looked into his eyes. "Yes, Michael, I do get it. But you do know that Billy kissed me, right? I mean, I don't want us to start this new phase of our relationship before I tell you that. I....I kissed him back. It didn't mean anything though. It couldn't even compare to the way you kiss me."
Michael placed his index finger upon her lips to quieten her. "I know about the kiss. I saw it in a flash the night we made love and I was able to tell how you felt. I know you weren't in love with him. I also saw you pull away and tell him it was wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for. I could sense how confused you were feeling."
Maria smiled a beautiful smile which brightened her whole face. "When did I get so lucky?" She drew him closer and kissed the tip of his nose and giggled at the way he scrunched up his face.
"Do you remember when I used to want us to be like Max and Liz?" Michael nodded yes to her question. "Well, I'm glad we never were. I love the way we are, the way we've always been. I like the fact that we've pretty much always been honest with one another. I won't deny that it has been hard putting up with being pushed away but we got there in the end. You're all I've ever wanted and the only guy I've ever been in love with. I wouldn't change a single thing." Maria stated. "I don't know why I thought I couldn't have you and follow my dreams as well." All of a sudden Maria let her gaze drop before continuing in a quieter voice. "You've always been my dream, Michael. I love music and I always will and maybe one day I'll pursue a career in that field, but I won't let it ever interfere with us. Ever." She stated wholeheartedly.
Michael brought his hand up to Maria's face tipping it up so she was once again looking into his eyes and he wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "How about we start thinking happy thoughts and get started on our date now we've got all that off our chests?" He moved in closer and planted a soft kiss on her lips.
"Okay." She replied smiling. "Are you gonna give me a clue as to where you're taking me?" Maria asked him.
Michael thought about it for a second before saying, "Um.....no. You'll just have to wait, but I will say we've been there before." He answered cryptically.
Michael gave her another kiss before standing up and closing her door. While he walked round to get into the driver's seat he put his hand into the right pocket of his pants and patted the small box he'd put there earlier that evening and said under his breath, "Tonight is definitely the night."
Part 2