Author:
Donnilee!!!
RATED: NC-17 - NO kiddies here please.
Catagory:Michael and Maria
RATING: NC-17
SUMMARY: Michael learns to control his powers but does he have enough confidence to risk them on the woman he loves? And can she heal him?
POSTING: Anywhere as long as my name and e-mail address is on it.
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters in this story belong to me. They belong to Jason Katims and the folks at Warner Bros. I have borrowed them shamelessly. Please don’t sue, I don’t have any money anyway.
FEEDBACK WELCOME AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS.
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Maria giggled as I dropped her on the bed from a height that let her bounce. "So?" she inquired.
"So."
I looked at her eyes, smiling along with the rest of her face. I asked, "So, what kind of meltdown would you like? The kind where you make me squirm first, or the kind where I make you squirm first?" She got an evil gleam in her eyes and leaped off the bed. "Uh, oh." She giggled again. The sound used to annoy me, now it delighted me. Then she looked at me in mock deep thought about my question, tapping one tiny finger against her full swollen lips. I knew what those tiny hands could do to me though. Finally she locked her gaze with mine.
"How about the kind of meltdown where we make each other scream.at the same time." She might as well have kicked me in the gut from the sound of air whooshing out of my lungs. `Was she saying what I think she was saying? Our kissing and making out had progressed to heavy petting over the months. As time went on and we got comfortable around each other's bodies, we would satisfy each other with our fingers and our mouths. Alex had given me a great book and I was trying out different things on her one by one. I was only half way through the book. We'd never had intercourse. I had figured that was way down the road in the future. I didn't want to lose her by rushing her or putting any pressure on her. She was willing to make love to me in other ways and I was truly happy with that. My heart was slamming against my rib cage again as I looked into her eyes. I'd told her that she would have to let me know when she was ready, if she were ever ready. If not, I was happy with the way things were. I finally voiced my question.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
She smiled an impish grin. "Yes."
"God help me."
"I don't think he can help you now. You're probably on your own." She was laughing at me again, but playfully. I know I had a vapid, stupid expression on my face from the shock of her answer.
I had a thought and it accidentally slipped out of my mouth. "I think I just forgot how." That did it. She erupted into peals of laughter. I began smiling at her laughing. I was a wonderful sound. It escalated until I was guffawing with her, holding my sides, as tears of mirth ran down my cheeks and I was gasping for breath.
Outside, the four friends were walking to their car when the laughter erupted, slipping out of the open windows. Maria's soft contralto and Michael's alto drifting on the wind. The laughter escalated and the sound of it brought smiles to the faces of the four friends. Max stood shaking his head in wonderment. Liz inquired, "What, Max?"
"I don't believe I've ever heard Michael laugh like that. Iz?"
"No, lots of first these days. I think my brain might short-circuit." Max chuckled.
"God Bless Maria, she is the best thing that ever happened to him. I never thought anyone would crawl under his iron skin and bust down those walls. She's a miracle for him" Liz nodded.
"The door swings both ways on that one. They are perfect for each other. We've been best friends since grammar school, but her life has been no bed of roses and I think they can relate on that level."
Alex piped up. "Did you see his face, Izzy, when you first told him to heal her?"
"Yeah. I thought I'd pushed too hard there at one point." Max was nodding.
"I wasn't sure myself. I've seen terror on Michael's face before, but always for himself or for Iz and me. But that look killed me. It was absolutely, raw, stark terror at the thought that the might hurt her."
Isabel nodded. "I know, but it had to be her. If it was one of us, even me like we planned, he would never have been sure if we helped out ourselves."
"Yeah, I know. She was a real sport about it," Max continued.
"What do you mean?" Liz asked. Silence. "What do you mean, Max?" He sighed.
"Maria willingly participated in this test."
"Willingly participated? You mean the accident wasn't real? The bruise wasn't real?"
"The accident was very real, except."
"Except what?" Isabel answered for her.
"It wasn't an accident. She hurt herself on purpose."
"OH MY GOD!" Liz exclaimed. "How could you ask her?" Max and Isabel both looked guilty.
Isabel spoke first. "We gave her every opportunity to back out. She overheard us discussing how to set up a test for him. Max was going to create an injury on himself by reversing the process of what you just saw in there. She overhead me say that Michael wouldn't be convinced of his ability if it was Max, since he's the expert in this area. She piped up and said, ` Then let him do it on me.' Max told her he couldn't injure her in good conscience. She said, `Give me a day or two and let me think about it.' We figured she was having second thoughts already and went about planning. Max was going to cut to my arm with a knife and say it was an accident." Alex looked at her in horror.
"Don't look at me that way, I can block out the pain, but I didn't think I could cut myself." Max took up the story.
"So then, we planned it for today. I was going to sneak into his kitchen with Iz, do the deed and call for Michael, like it'd been an accident and she cut herself slicing food or something. But we were getting ready to come over here and Maria showed up. She had purposely ran head long into some huge jock, so he'd knock her on her ass."
Alex whistled. "She must really love him."
"Yeah," Liz responded. Max looked at her concerned.
"We didn't force her to do anything Liz, you have to believe me. We had no idea what she'd planned."
"I do, I'm just shocked. She told me that she would do anything for Michael but I had no idea. Christ, injuring herself on purpose. Maria hates pain. I'm just glad it was just a bruise." Then she caught the look that flashed between Isabel and Max..
"There's more, isn't there?"
"Yeah, well, in for a penny, in for a pound, Iz?" She nodded. He continued with the story. "When she got to the house, she was in bad shape. They'd wanted to take her to the emergency room, but she'd ran out of the school and jumped in her car." Liz sucked in her breath.
"Tell me the rest."
"This guy must have sent her air borne because she slid on the hardwood floor and it ripped her skin open, ragged, pretty deep tears." Liz's eyes were shining with wetness. "She was bleeding really bad, Liz. I have no idea how she drove to our house. She honked the horn and we came running out. I carried her inside and Isabel cleaned the blood off the seats and floor of her car."
Alex gulped. "Jesus Christ. Is she insane?" Max nodded.
"We thought so. I healed her enough to close the skin and stop the hemorrhaging but then she made me stop. She wanted it to be bad. She was limping when we left the house."
Isabel looked at him. "You three humans have all gone around the bend. We're not really worth it, you know." Alex grabbed her in a bear hug. "Yes, you are. She's crazy, but I'd do the same thing for you.in a heartbeat." They all sniffled a little. Liz squeaked, "Me too." They all stood embracing for another moment. Then Isabel said, "Let's get out of here before the love birds realize were eavesdropping on this laugh fest.