Michael Guerin never supposed that it would hit him this way. Maria DeLuca was never supposed to even know what he was, let alone get under his skin. She was a kook, the daughter of an even bigger kook. She was annoying, she was persistent, and she constantly got on his nerves. Yet he could not help but think about her.

It was dangerous, he knew; exposure was dangerous for them all. He should never have risked it. But the unseasonable heat wave did strange things to everybody. He found himself standing outside the Crashdown, watching Maria clean up. He was entranced by her slowly moving around, sultry, cute. Not being able to help himself he stepped forward, allowing her to see him.

He expected her to start shrieking at him for stalking her, citing some alien conspiracy or other. But she let him in; and while they just stood there looking at each other he was irresistibly reminded of the time he kissed her, here in the Crashdown. He’d been surprised at the effect that one kiss had on him, and he was drawn to her now. Without thinking about it he leaned in and kissed her, opening the floodgates and releasing intense passion that he never knew he had.

It all seemed good at first, getting to make out with Maria in the Eraser Room, no strings attached. But he should have realised that Maria would never have settled for just that. She wanted more, she wanted conversation, she wanted dates, and she wanted to talk about his feelings.

That was when he realised that it was dangerous; but even that realisation came as a surprise. He was not worried about the risk to his own life; he was worried about her. He was worried that by knowing him, by getting involved with him he was putting her life at risk. He was worried that he was going to hurt her physically and emotionally when he inevitably screwed up. The intensity of that surprised him; he was a loner, concern for another’s feelings was new for him. Heck, feelings were new to him.

One thing was for sure; he had to end whatever they had between them before it got too intense. Before they crossed a line that they could not take back. It may already be too late for that.

So he did it. At the party at the old soap factory when Maria sought him out to complain that he was ignoring her (it was a good way to get her attention without giving her an ‘alien encounter’). He kept it short, he kept it cool; denying being intense, telling her he didn’t do the couple thing. He was a loner, and it had to stay that way.

He knew he hurt her when he did that -- just as he was afraid he would. It cut him to the quick that he affected her like that; he never expected it to hurt that much. He knew he didn’t show it, he projected his usual stony façade that nothing bothered him. Looking into her eyes, he could see that his façade hurt her too, the idea that he didn’t even care about her or what they shared.

It was ironic really; he was hurting her because he was afraid of hurting her. He never expected to let anyone affect him the way Maria DeLuca did, he always avoided getting close to people other than Max and Isabel. But things were changing now… first being able to trust Liz Parker, and now feeling whatever it was that he felt for Maria. Where will it end?

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