Chapter Forty Three Maria read the letter again. This time she got chills. She rubbed her arms over the sweatshirt and longed to anywhere else; preferably under heavy blankets with the FBI Agent next to her. "He's definitely more abstract in this one," she remarked with raised eyebrows. "At least in the others he somewhat told you wanted he wanted you to know, but this one?" She read from the letter. " 'Thrilling in a hostile world Holding thus until ultimate.' What the hell? Wait." She read it again. "A hostile world, a world he's not happy with and he's somehow making it thrilling for himself. Okay, I can see that. Holding…Oh! See!" She exclaimed excitedly and shook the paper in her hand. " 'Holding thus until ultimate'! He says right here that he's not stopping until he's done. He's playing until the end goal, the ultimate goal!" "Right," Michael nodded slowly watching her excitement. "I thought we already established that." "Well, yeah, but now we know for sure. I mean he's telling us that he's not stopping until the end! God, can you ever get excited about anything?" "I'm sorry," he suppressed a grin. "Anything else?" "Yeah, actually," she looked back to the letter. "The whole second part, he's making sure you know he's feeding his obsession and in his eyes, turning it into something wonderful. Wielding his work into it, I assume that refers to the letters that are chock full of wacky poetry. The end is telling you that you could have walked away, actually ran away from all of this, but you didn't and so-" "I'll never be free." Michael shook his head. "Damn it! I could have never walked away from this. Ever. He never knew me or he would have known that much about me. Lorelei could have never told him anything about me because she knew I was never one to walk away from anything." "Jesus Michael, he's been doing this to you for two freaking years! You know he knows you now better than you know yourself. It's just a play on words, Michael. He knows you won't stop. Maximum capacity? He's just being flippant. God, Michael, he can plot where you're going to stay for crying out loud!" Maria stood and paced in back of him; partly because she was getting agitated. Partly because she was cold and needed to move around. " "Don't get mad at me Maria," he said softly but didn't turn around to face her. "I'm not arguing with you I'm just angry with myself. You can see so much in these letters it makes me feel completely incompetent. I went to school for this kind of thing! I made this my life, my choice in careers and I really suck at it." "You don't suck at it," she paused in back of him and draped her arms over his shoulders. She kissed the top of his head. "You're not a profiler and apparently not a big fan of digging through poems to pick out the abstract and turn it into 'stract', for lack of a better word. That doesn't make you a bad Agent." "What does it make me?" He tilted his head back and looked up into her face as she smiled down on him. "It makes you Agent Michael, man on a mission. Man who's thrown his life to one side to uncover the mystery of why these girls had to die. Why the woman you loved was murdered in your home. It makes you compassionate and caring and full of life, although you keep saying that you don't have one, you do. A life you've given to solve these murders and put the bad guy behind bars. It makes you one hell of a good man." Her eyebrows furrowed as she felt the next words before they spilled from her mouth. "The man that I'm so in love with." He smiled the smile of a man whose self-confidence had been boosted. He puckered his lips and grinned when hers met them. "You're amazing Maria." "I know," she winked and resumed her pacing in back of him. "So what's the story on your end? Anything new?" "Nothing," he ran his hands through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. "Like I said before, David Laws led a less than extraordinary life." He laughed but it wasn't a happy laugh. "I have everything he's ever done in front of me and nothing leads him to serial killer status. He was an ordinary guy." "Like I told you before, you gotta watch out for the quiet ones." Maria smiled as sadness trickled over her. The quiet ones. Liz had been a quiet one. Maria was always the outspoken one and Liz the shy and demure one. She shook her head and pushed away the vision of her friend lying on the cold table at the Medical Examiner's office. She fought the images of the casket holding Liz. No time, DeLuca, she told herself, not now. Grieve later when there's more time. "Dinner? Soon?" Michael glanced at the wall clock. "We could order something in since It's still raining, God, isn't it ever going to quit?" "I don't know," she walked to the window and looked out. "I think we may have to start building that ark here pretty soon. Or at least a row boat to get back to the B&B." "I'll carry you on my shoulders if I have to, to get back there tonight." He stood and took his place next to her at the window as lightning lit up the darkening sky. "Did the sun ever even come out today?" "Nope," she licked her lips and looked at his reflection in the window in front of her. "It feels like it's going to rain all night." "At least we don't have to go traipsing through the woods or anything." He shrugged at her reflection. "You know what I mean. Anyway, about dinner?" A knock at the door sent them both reeling around. Michael instinctively reached for his gun tucked in his shoulder holster. Kyle Valenti walked through the door carrying two pizza boxes. Maria was hit with the smell and her stomach began talking. "I thought you guys might like some dinner," he shrugged and set the boxes down on the table they had been sitting at. He saw the hesitation on Michael's face and smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't poison it." Michael smiled and relaxed. "Thank you Sheriff. We were just talking about dinner." "Yeah," Kyle felt the bitter sting of jealousy rise up in him. "I got Maria's favorites, I don't know what you like." He cast a glance at Maria. "Well, not in pizza anyway." "Kyle-" Maria stepped towards him. "Listen," he held up his hands in mock defense. "Just because I told you I loved you enough to let you go doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to see you like this. With him. Okay? Don't expect me to just roll over, okay? It'll take time." Maria nodded and understood. She could honestly say that if the roles were reversed she wouldn't be handling it near as gracefully as Kyle was. She would have put something in the pizza. Kyle didn't look back at Agent Hot Shit. He couldn't. "It's going to rain all night and the storms are rolling back through tomorrow. Be careful when you drive ho- When you drive tonight." He backed out of the room closing the door behind him. Maria fingered one of the pizza boxes and then finally opened it. "Something to drink?" "He's a pretty good guy, isn't he?" Michael asked what he already knew the answer to. "Yeah," she smiled but it was laced with something. Regret? No, memories. "He is." Michael didn't promote the conversation. He reached for the pizza and took a slice in his hand. He watched as Maria walked wordlessly out of the room. Waiting with the untouched pizza in his hand he watched her walk back in carrying cans of soda. He accepted a can from her and watched as she seemed to do everything she could to avoid looking at him. He trailed her eyes as they roamed the room, through the windows and finally settled on the wall of victims. Maria felt Michael's gaze on her but she didn't look at him. The gestures Kyle had shown in the preceding minutes were enough to let her know that he really was a good guy. He never wanted to hurt her and she had broken his heart. In the last few days she had tried to push the feelings of guilt away with almost every breath. The guilt for Kyle and the guilt for Liz were entwined. Without one there wouldn't have been the other. Without the pain she wouldn't have found happiness. She stood and walked towards her workstation and picked up the picture of Hannah Lampe. She set her can down and walked to the wall, tape in her hand. She taped Hannah's portrait up next to Theresa's and then walked the length of the wall taking in each woman as she passed them. She knew Liz would be next on the wall and now there would be a tangible reminder to stand out from all the mental ones. Liz would be looking over her shoulder, watching her try to solve her murder. "It's not fair," Maria whispered as she touched the empty place on the wall next to Hannah's picture. The empty place that would soon be filled with the beautiful face of Liz Parker. She turned back to Michael in time to see him turn away quickly. A smirk crept across her face as she walked over to him. "Were you staring at me?" He pointed to himself and shook his head. The gesture so painfully close to that of a little kid, it made Maria laugh. She started laughing and couldn't stop. Clutching her sides as tears rolled down her face, she laughed. The laughing changed course and as tears rolled down her cheeks she didn't know if they were from the laughter or from the pain. Michael set down his pizza and took her in his arms, holding her while she cried. He held her as her body shook against everything that was welled up inside of her. Tears soaked into his shirt as the laughter slipped away completely. He smoothed her hair and waited for her to move. This was her time, not his. The crying became controlled and she looked up into his face with tearstained cheeks. Embarrassment was prominent. She stepped away from him, out of his arms and pointed to the pizza. "Eat." She ignored her own hunger and finished what had to be done. Flipping through a file, she came across the portrait of Elizabeth Parker. Holding the eight by ten glossy in her hand she thought back to the day the picture was taken. She remembered it vividly. The picture was almost a year and half old. On one of their dwindling outings together, Maria accompanied Liz to get the portraits taken as a Christmas present for Max. Now as she held the tape in one hand and the picture in the other, Maria felt a sadness that reached deep into her bones. She walked to the wall of victims and with shaking hands, taped the picture of Liz along side the others. With fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, she touched the face in the picture and whispered a promise to herself and Liz. "I swear that I will see this through to the end. If we lose him, I promise I will devote my life to find him. For you Liz, always for you." She turned around and wiped the tears away. Determination flashed through her eyes. She walked towards Michael and the half-eaten slice of pizza in his hand and nodded. He nodded back at her; an understanding that surpassed anything emotional or physical passed between them. Resolve. * * * Chapter Forty Four Maria didn't want conversation and she didn't want pizza. She actually did want pizza after ditching breakfast for the guilt of the raincoat and a day of brain draining mystery solving. Maria was hungry and she really wanted to talk, too. She picked up a few slices and laid them on a paper towel before sitting back down away from the precious files in front of her. Wouldn't be a good thing to splatter them with pizza sauce. She took a sip of her soft drink and looked over her shoulder at Michael who was still standing. "You can feel her at your back, can't you?" He asked and motioned his head towards the wall of victims. She nodded. "I can feel them all, but Liz? I can feel Liz like she's standing right in back of me waiting for me to help her. I know they all need my help and I've already promised Liz that. I've promised them all that." She nodded filled with the resolve they needed. "I pulled you in too far to this-" "The hell you did!" She snapped and swiveled in her chair to face him. "The hell you did. I wanted in Michael. Liz was my best friend. There was no way anyone could have kept me away from this, that's why I was deputized in the first place." "It's more than that, you feel for them like I do. You know them, I did the research and you read it. Your heart broke just as mine had over each of them. That wasn't fair." He shook his head and retrieved another slice of pizza. "It wasn't fair for me to drag you in so deep into the others. They'll haunt you, Maria." "Oh hell," she rolled her eyes. "They already haunt me. But unlike you, I know the haunting will end when we catch David Laws. The pain will never go away completely, but it will get easier to cope with." "How can you be so strong?" "How can you not?" She asked before thinking it through all the way. The regretted words hung in between them. She closed her eyes and damned herself for a classic DeLuca fuck-up of words. "I'm in too deep." He answered her and shrugged. The offending words hit him hard, but he couldn't let her see it. He knew an apology was coming soon, but he didn't deserve an apology. She was right, he wasn't being very strong. For a second he wondered if he'd lost all his strength. If his will was buried with the girls he called his own. "Don't." "Don't what?" Maria's eyes flew open. "Don't apologize," he shook his head and raised his eyebrows at the shock on her face. "I am strong Maria, I've just been doing this too long." He ran his free hand through his hair. "Too fucking long, this man, and I use that term loosely, has pulled me around by a leash. He sucked me into a world that was horrible, his world, and there I've stayed for two years. I've never given up and I won't either, that takes strength." "Michael-" "May I finish?" He winked at her. "I'm in the middle of a rant here. A minute ago I was doubting myself and I just came to a conclusion. I'm jaded, but I'm not done. You're so bright, so talented with fresh new eyes reading in-between the lines making it seem that I may be little lost. I don't think I'm lost, I think I'm in awe of you, firstly. Secondly, I think that it's so close to the end that I'm not sure if I could go on if we missed it. If we missed him." Maria opened her mouth to speak then put her hand over it until Michael nodded at her. "We're not going to miss anything. I didn't mean to call you 'not strong', that was an error in wording on my part. Sorry. I know how strong you are. You'd have to be to have lived your life for the last two years." She stood and walked to him, into him, sliding her arms around his waist. She nuzzled against his neck. "We're good Michael. We each have ghosts, some we share, and we'll set them straight. We're not losing this battle, okay?" He nodded as he filled back up with her confidence that she leached out. He kissed the top of her head as rain began to pelt the window. He looked over his shoulder at the offending noise and grinned. He hoped the rain stuck around all night again. Another night with Maria in the safety of the B&B while rain poured down all night was exactly what he wanted. Maria broke away first. "Better get back to the grind because I don't want to spend all night here, you know?" She winked and stepped back to the files at her workspace. "Another letter after Hannah, right? Then I move on to Liz?" He nodded and reclaimed his place in front of the laptop. Maria watched his face in the glow from the computer screen and relaxed. Left over tension was gone; the confidence was back in full throttle. She looked over her shoulder at the picture of Liz and gave it a thumbs up. "I'll get him, Lizzie. I'll get him." She whispered and opened the second letter that came after Hannah. Agent Guerin Frothy glass you can't see through Ruminating for an implication Tempting others if you only knew Waiting for the time, you've shown your dedication. Lounging about in the shadows Lingering on the gone Wanting spaciously for closure Leading up to the song. Are you thinking of me always, oh Agent Dear? Can you feel me hovering, can you feel I'm near? Freak. Maria decided that was the best word that described the illusive David Laws. This letter was just as abstract as the last one. For the first time she felt doubt. All of the surety that she threw out in front of her was suddenly gone. She looked at Michael and waited for him to sense her and look back. After waiting for over a minute with her stare boring holes through him, nothing. She sighed. Still nothing. "Holy shit, can you just look at me for a second?" She exclaimed and smirked when she saw him jump. "Is it an epiphany?" "No it's not an epiphany." She rolled her eyes and made a mental note that she had to quit doing that. "What if I'm wrong?" "Oh God," he ran his hands through his hair and leaned back in the metal chair. "No, really. What if I'm just blowing smoke and I'm completely off base about everything, Michael. I mean, we're assuming that I actually know what I'm talking about. I have been known to be wrong a few times before." "Maria," he sighed her name. "Am I being stupid?" "Incredibly." "Sorry, just must have had a blond moment." She turned back to the letter in hand. She didn't see the way he looked at her with deep admiration and new love in his eyes. A new sense of being. Maria cast a glance over her shoulder at Liz one more time before turning back to the letter. Frothy glass? Maria got the image of bathroom windows and the frosty textured paper people put on them in her head and couldn't shake it. Mr. Laws was once again implying that Michael couldn't see the freaking forest though the trees. She hated that. The constant belittling of him in the letters. It was bad enough that he had ruined his life, then he had to go ahead and make Michael seem useless as both a man and an agent. She put the letter away and reached for the next one. "Liz." She pulled Liz's file but didn't open it. She knew everything that was in it and so much more. She didn't need to see the crime photos or read the report from the ME. "Her file's so thin," Michael commented facing her. "Her file's in your head." "Lorelei's was thin too," she commented. "Of course I believe hers has gotten a tad bigger in the last twenty four hours. Liz's will stay the same. She was unimportant to him, she didn't matter." "She does matter." "Not to him." "To you. To me and everyone else in this desert town." He reached for her hand. "She'll live forever in your heart." Maria looked at him, a frown on her face. "You're goofy." "I'm honest." He let go of her hand and watched as she pulled the first letter after Liz out. The one that had been waiting for him at the B&B. Maria shrugged and opened the letter in her hand. Remembering that this one was waiting for him at the B&B when he had arrived in Roswell. The letter the bastard wrote after killing her friend Liz. Agent Guerin. Eleven muses eleven minds Time's running out for you to find I give you hints but your not so bright And I know where you are this very night. Time is of the essence but your dying of thirst I can feel your breath on my neck But you can't get past the first It's all there in black in white Goodnight dear agent, good night "I guess you covered the stationary angle, huh?" Maria asked without enthusiasm. "You can get it at any discount department store in America. Same with the pen, black Bic." Michel laughed. "You were expecting…?" "Yeah, pretty much that answer." She laid her head down on the table and let out a deep breath. "I want to scream." "You can scream." Maria turned her head to face him with one eye, her cheek plastered to the table. "Do you wanna get out of here? I mean, we could go back to the B&B. It is a crappy night out and we could work there for awhile." "Will we work?" "I tell you what Agent Guerin, I only have like one more letter to read and then I'm up to speed. What else is there to do? I want to start off the day tomorrow with a new insight." "You'll reread the letters in the morning?" "Oh yeah, starting with the first and going straight through," she looked thoughtfully at him. "You know, I couldn't grasp why I had to meet them all first until just now, now that I'm at the end." A crease formed in-between his brows. "And now?" "Now I get it," she smiled but it came across crooked since her face was still against the table. "I feel for them, Michael. I mean, I really feel like I knew them. All of them. I think I got more out of the letters after I met the victims. Thank you for not letting me rush into anything." He nodded and closed the laptop. "You've got the right idea, let's get the hell out of here. I would much rather spend this dreary evening at the B&B than here." Maria perked up and gathered her parcel of evidence. "I'm leaving most of it here." She paused and set the folders down. "Screw it. I'm leaving it all here. I already read the other letter; the one you thought was about me. Forbidden fruit or whatever, right? That's it then, right?" She opened the envelope back up and pulled out the next letter and opened it. Agent Guerin. Wasting your time Do my eyes deceive? Playing in forbidden forest No time to grieve I thought you were smart But you proved me wrong I thought you've have found me You can see I'm not gone Tick tock Agent Guerin find your man Tick tock Agent Guerin I don't think you can "Okay, forbidden forest not fruit, I remember. Tick tock, yadda yadda yadda," Maria nodded as she read the letter again. "Okay, this is the one where I said he was calling you a dumb ass." She winked at him over the paper. "Oh yes, how could I ever forget that?" He rolled his eyes and Maria laughed. "So you're done being the letter-reader for the night. Right?" "Damn straight. There's an old phrase or cliché, ah…saying. There's an old saying, you always hear the old people saying it. 'If it was a snake, it would have bit me.' I think that's where I'm at." Michael's brow furrowed the beginning of a grin twitched on his lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "You've never heard that before?" She cocked her head to one side. "No. I mean, yes I've heard it before but I don't catch the simile." He dug his hand in his pockets. "Okay," she let out a big sigh while a smile played on her lips. "I mean, I have to take a step back from it. I have to give myself a break from yanking the meaningful stuff from the freaky rhymes. In the morning I'll have a clearer mind. A fresh start so to speak. The snake thing?" she twisted her lips and shifted her eyes. "Forget the snake thing." The smile he seemed to have permanently engraved on his face widened. He shook his head and picked up a pizza box instead of the laptop. "If you're not working tonight, then you can bet that I'm not either. A fresh start tomorrow." He nodded. "I haven't done that in awhile. C'mon Deputy DeLuca, lets get the hell out of here." Maria followed him from the room and reached for the light switch at the door. With one last glance at the wall, she smiled at her friend's picture and turned the light off. * * * Chapter Forty Five Maria glanced at the closed door of Kyle's office as they passed it. She smiled and held her head up high. Letting go. As they reached the double doors of the station they paused. The rain was heavier, heavy drops splattered on the cement outside the doors bouncing up against the glass. Maria noticed Kyle's 4X4 was gone from the parking lot. "Ready to make a run for it?" Michael looked down at her. "I think I can beat you this time." "Your car?" Maria raised an eyebrow at him with the aura of competition bouncing off her. "My car," he aimed the remote and watched as the lights blinked once. "Do you want to go back for your slicker?" He raised an eyebrow back at her. "I think I can handle it," she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in the direction of the Mercedes. "I may be able to actually run in-between the rain drops." She nodded and fought the grin. "I'm good like that." "I bet you are," he said slowly. With a quick glance at her, he pushed the door open and started down the steps. "Go!" "Hey!" Maria yelled as she followed him out the door. "You cheated!" She screamed as she took the steps two at a time. The blinding rain didn't keep Michael from turning around and gloating. "You're not so tough DeLuca!" He yelled as lightning raced across the sky over them. Maria narrowed her eyes as she leapt over a pothole that now resembled a small pond. She hit the gravel and went down on one knee about fifteen feet from the back of the Mercedes. "Damn it!" She shouted. Michael stopped as he neared the car and turned around. With his heart in his throat, he raced back the few feet to her and knelt down beside her dropping the pizza box in the puddle. "Maria, are you okay?" He touched her arm and coaxed her to stand back up letting her balance on him while he stayed kneeling on the ground. Maria nodded and stood. She stretched out her leg and looked down at him for just a second. Just long enough for him to see the gleam in her eye. Before he had time to shake his head in disbelief, Maria bolted and ran to the car slapping the trunk as she passed it on her way to the passenger side. Michael shook his head and followed. He got in the car and looked at the wet blond next to him. "You didn't win. You cheated." "Ha!" She pointed at him. "You cheated first, I just cheated better." She folded her arms over her chest. "Never doubt a DeLuca." He laughed and started the car. He tried to keep his attention on the road and exactly where the road was, while the wipers thrashed across the window. She turned up the radio and mumbled along with unfamiliar lyrics as they cruised the emptying streets of Roswell. "So, since you made me throw the pizza in the puddle, do you think Isabel will mind feeding us?" He asked as they eventually pulled up in front of the B&B. "Didn't you already scarf down a few slices?" Maria frowned. "Or did all that hard work tapping away on a keyboard wear you out?" "You are really testing me Deputy." He nodded and licked his lips. "Fair enough," she grinned. Thunder rolled over them as the rain continued to pour. "Race you to the front door?" She grinned. "Just kidding." She opened her car door as Michael did the same. He met her on her side and together, they walked hand in hand through the rain to the front door. Standing under the overhang, Michael tucked her rain soaked hair behind her ear, then ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "You're going to catch a cold," he murmured lifting her chin up until their eyes met. "No I'm not. I'm going to catch a killer, not a cold." She winked and stepped closer to him. Sliding her arm around his waist, she rested her cheek against the wetness of his shirt. "We need to get out of these wet clothes." "You, Deputy DeLuca, are reading my mind," he kissed the top of her head as the front door opened. Isabel Whitman stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "Get in here before you two catch pneumonia." She chastised and pulled the door open wider. She rolled her eyes playfully, "What will the neighbors think?" Maria blushed as Michael led her by the hand into the warmth of the B&B. She looked into the sitting room and saw an unexpected fire blazing in the fireplace. "Maria, can I chat with you for moment?" Isabel raised her eyebrows and nodded towards the kitchen. Maria nodded, a blank stare on her face. "Michael, please make yourself comfortable, I won't keep her long. Go sit by the fire and get warm, or maybe you better not…" She winked at him, her eyes glossy with mischief. Michael licked his lips and took her advice after casting one longing look over his shoulder at Maria as she followed Isabel into the kitchen. He sat on the hearth and stretched his legs out with his back to the fire. A fire in May, he shook his head. A fire in May in New Mexico. This trip, if one could call a hunt for a killer a trip, was full of surprises. Maria walked into the kitchen behind Isabel and marveled at the smells around her. "Bread. You've been baking bread." She sighed. "I love the smell of fresh baked bread." "Listen, I need a favor from you." "Uh-oh." "It's not that bad," Isabel sighed and sat down. She poured Maria a cup of tea from the tea service on the table and then poured one for herself. "Actually, I don't think you'll really care." "What Iz? The suspense is killing me." "Alex double booked," she rolled her eyes. "The man's sick as a dog and I told him not to answer the phone when I was out, just let the machine get it, but he did. He answered, he double booked." "Okay," Maria said the word slowly. "Anyway, I took the liberty of moving your things into Agent Guerin's room. I know I'm being a tad presumptuous, but hell, you weren't really using the room and my husband is an idiot." She shrugged and rolled her eyes in a graceful movement with the teacup in her hand. "So, are you pissed? Seriously Maria, tell me the truth, I can fix this. Somehow." Maria rolled over in her mind if she should mess with Isabel's head for a few minutes or not and decided against it. Isabel had gone out of her way to make things nice and easy for Maria. "I don't mind," she tried to laugh but it came out as a snort. "I mean, I really don't mind and I don't think Agent Guerin will either." "That's what I thought, but if you happen to see Alex, make him feel a little bad for me, okay?" Her trademark smile was evident as she spoke about her husband. "Now get out of here and go get warm," she winked, "however you see fit. You did notice the oversized claw-foot tub in his bathroom, didn't you?" Maria stood and smiled. Looking over her shoulder at Isabel, she whispered, "you're incorrigible, Isabel, you know that right?" "Hey," she held her hands up in front of her. "Like I always say, find something you're good at and stick with it." Maria shook her head at as she walked from the kitchen. She found Michael in front of the fireplace. The dimness of the room and the brilliance of the fire behind him highlighting his hair and broad shoulders made Maria catch her breath at the sight of him. She covered her mouth as he opened his eyes and looked to her. The normalcy of smiles was hiding. Maria felt her knees go weak as he stood and approached her. Without words, he took her hand and led her to the stairs. Maria was grateful for the added support he gave her because as she took each step she felt more and more like she was falling. As they reached his room, Maria felt confident enough to stand on her own and let go of his hand. "Michael." The word sounded foreign in her mouth. "What's wrong?" "I think," she cleared her throat which earned her a smirk from him. "I think I should tell you that Isabel moved me into your room; Alex double booked." The nervousness in her voice overpowered everything else. He reached to her and took her hand in is. "Don't be nervous," he opened the door. "I can't think of any other place I'd want to have you than here with me." Maria looked to him; all nervousness was gone as she followed him into his room. Their room. * * * Chapter Forty Six Maria pushed the door shut and let go of Michael's hand. Her bags were set on a luggage rack against the wall; they almost blended with the mayhem that Michael called his room. His bags and boxes were strewn about the side of the room in seemingly no order whatsoever. She turned to a man whose life was without order on the outside, but internally, it was uniform. "I feel strange," she admitted and motioned to her bags. "Don't feel strange," he stepped into her and slid his hand around her back until he cupped her ass. "I don't think you feel strange." "You're a dork," she laughed and pushed him away. She turned to her luggage and opened up the biggest bag. Rummaging around in it, she found what she was looking for and stuffed it under her sweatshirt. She breezed by him into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She noticed the claw-foot tub Isabel had mentioned and got visions. Without hesitation, she turned the water on and put the stopper in the drain. The size and depth of the bathtub was unnerving, she knew the one in her room wasn't even close to the magnitude of this one. After a cursory glance around the bathroom she noticed thick ecru candles were placed strategically in the small room. A lighter rested on the vanity. "Isabel," she smiled at the thoughtfulness of her friend. Even after her sister-in-law-to-be had been murdered and her brother was stepping into that place a few feet shy of sane, Isabel Whitman was taking care of Maria. She stripped out of her clothes, leaving them in a wet pile on the floor. With the lighter, she lit each candle and then turned off the main light. Standing in a deepened glow, she held up what she had stuffed under her shirt and shook it out gently. The glimmer of black silk flashed through her hands as she slid a nightgown over her head. The thin straps rested on her shoulders, the hem of the fabric barely reached mid-thigh. The neckline fell into a triangle, dipping below the swell of her breasts. The milky white of her skin clashed with the black starkness of the nightgown. Towel drying her hair, she caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled at it. This was for real, tonight. Even though they had shared a room for the last couple of nights, it was different now. There was no escape; they were standing united, she smiled, and this would be the first time Michael will have seen her in something pretty. She twirled in front of the full-length mirror on the back of the door and giggled. She found bubble bath blatantly waiting for her on the floor next to the tub and poured some in. The room instantly filled with the faint smell of something melon-like. Bubbles flounced up out of the water and Maria giggled again. She opened the door and stood in the doorway, her silhouette balanced against the soft illumination form the candles behind her. She wondered if it had the same effect as when she saw Michael on the hearth, the fire blazing in back of him. She caught his stare and knew it did. He stood before her in the middle of the room in boxers, wet clothes in a pile on the floor next to him. He tilted his head to the side and soaked in every inch of her. His eyes trailed the curves of her calves to the swell of her hips, lingered on her breasts behind the thin silk and then settled on her face. "Oh. God." He swallowed audibly and stepped towards her. As he reached the bathroom door he was hit with the faint melon smell. "Mmmm…" He stepped into her and ran his hands down the sides of her body. His fingers played at the hem of her nightgown, wanting so desperately to rip it off of her. He ran one hand in back of her and rested it on the bareness of her ass. The other hand, he placed under her chin tilting her face up to his. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Maria smiled hearing the truth in his words. "Thank you." "Simply beautiful," he leaned into her and kissed her. Open mouths met as tongues entwined themselves; each reaching for something deeper. His hand kneaded the flesh of her ass while hers lingered in his still damp hair. He lowered his hand and brushed it over her nipple feeling the pebble hardness through the silk. Circling the nipple, he felt the imperfections underneath his fingertip. He broke away from the kiss and lowered his head to her chest. Sucking on her engorged nipple through the fabric elicited a soft moan from her. With his back stooped, one hand stayed on her ass while the other followed the soft curve of line that ran in-between her legs. He switched to her other nipple while he ran his finger along the waiting wetness. "Mmmm…Michael," she murmured and dug her nails into his back. She spread her legs a little further apart when she felt his finger enter her. She bucked back forcing him to release her nipple, then came back towards him thrusting her weight into the palm of his hand. He watched her face as she rode his hand, his thumb rubbing and pushing delicately, then harder, into the skin that hid her core. She felt the tingles running through her lower back and broke away from him and smoothed down her nightgown. "Whew." She raised her eyebrows at him before she turned around and turned the water off in the tub. "Damn." Michael frowned, his eyes alive. He stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her back into him. With a touch so light it was almost nonexistent, his lips brushed against the side of her face. "I love you Maria, God, I love you." He murmured into her hair. She maneuvered around to face him and touched his cheeks with her fingertips. The flush from the excitement still fresh on her face. "And I, I love you." He smiled sideways at her and reached in back of her, gently lifting the black silk up and over her head. Maria slid her thumbs into the waistband of his boxers and rolled them down until Michael could step out of them. He took her hand and balanced her while she stepped into the bubbles of the tub. He followed and stood behind her then lowered himself into the water, his back against the warmth of the basin. Maria followed him down and leaned back into his chest. He slid his arms through hers and cupped her breasts underneath the bubbles. Kissing the side of her neck and rolling her nipples with his thumbs, he wondered if she could feel his heart race. He reached for a bottle of body-wash from a shelf next to the tub and squeezed some in his hands. He rubbed them together and then lathered Maria's body, as much of it as he could reach. His hands lingering between her legs and again on her breasts. "We gotta go," Maria nodded and shifted feeling his hardness pressing up against the small of her back. "I mean, we really gotta go. I thought this whole tub thing was going to be romantic and sweet, but all I really want to do is jump you." She didn't turn around to face him, obviously embarrassed by her choice in words. "Okay?" "My sentiments exactly," he laughed and stood up bringing her with him. "It was beautiful and romantic, but if I'm not inside of you in mere seconds I can't be held accountable for my actions." Maria laughed as the coolness outside of the water hit her body covering her in gooseflesh. She glanced at Michael and saw the same. With raised eyebrows, Maria began to blow out the candles as fast as she could. She heard Michael doing the same thing in back of her. With no hesitation or embarrassment, she took him by the hand and led him to the bed. She turned off the light as soundless lightning illuminated the room in a purple hue for stretched seconds. Standing nude in front of him, letting him drink in every inch of her, Maria DeLuca saw nothing in his eyes except for love. Unbridled love standing behind a veneer of passion. Pressing his body against her, he pushed her to the bed, his body covering hers. He touched her face and sank into her eyes. "I never imagined I'd ever feel like this. You've made me so happy, something I didn't think I deserved to be. What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?" Maria didn't answer. She didn't have an answer for a question she had been asking herself about him. In their short time together, she couldn’t think of one valid reason why she was given this chance, this opportunity to be so in love when the rest of her world went to hell. She thanked higher powers and left it that. When he entered her, she hadn't sensed it coming. During her daydreams of reasoning he slid into her. She caught her breath at the sensation that always felt new. She ran her hands through his hair as he suckled on her neck. The urgency was growing between them. With a wordless plan, the thrusts became more severe and the tender passion leaked away giving its place to a reckless need. Two souls that had gotten tripped up in one another in an intense situation. Two people from different worlds. Two hearts that had become one. Their hands clenched, newly formed sweat dripped from Michael's forehead onto her face. Maria stuck her tongue out to catch the droplets. She watched his face with his closed eyes and full parted lips and thought it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She wondered how one person could make her feel so alive. He had pulled her out of settling. He had taken all her fears in his hand and threw them over his shoulder. Her dreams, her unrealized dreams, were not stuck in her subconscious anymore. He allowed that recess of her brain to open and expand. He had a power over her that she knew she'd be eternally grateful for. Michael opened his eyes and looked down at a face he would love always. A trigger to an onslaught of emotions and depth was behind the emerald eyes below him. The eyes that let him see a new world. A world where he was alive. As he rocked on her pelvis, they were as close to absolute harmony as possible. Without hesitation, he withdrew from her and released himself on her stomach right above the trim line of hair. He collapsed on her and kissed her neck. "We must go to the store tomorrow." Maria laughed and squeezed his back, burying her face in his hair that was still wet from the rain and now from sweat. * * * Chapter Forty Seven Michael pulled his upper body off of her, resting his weight on his hands. He did a kind of push-up move and kissed her lips before standing. Maria leaned up resting on her elbows and watched Michael disappear into the bathroom. She heard the water running and smiled when she saw him walk out with a towel in his hand. She laid back down flat on her back and watched as Michael used the utmost delicacy in cleaning her abdomen. He glanced at her out of the top of his eyes; Maria hoped it was long enough to see the contentedness on her face. He dropped the towel to the floor and crawled back on the bed, stretching his length next to her. Lying on his side, he trailed a hand across her semi-sticky stomach and kissed her shoulder. "Do you ever get the urge to crawl under the blankets and pull them up to your chin with an incredibly warm body next to you and just hibernate?" He asked in a whisper. Maria nodded and wondered if he had been reading her mind earlier in the war room. She slid her arm underneath his head and smiled when she watched him draw hearts on her breasts with his fingertip. She felt the surge rush through her as she watched her smooth velvety nipples become rigid. Michael smiled watching the effect his hand had on her breast. Not even touching her nipples, they became hard. "The skin here," he ran his hand on the underside of her breast, "it's the softest spot on your body." Maria sighed and curled up into him, she felt his strong arms hold her with the promise to keep her safe. Safe in a world where the girl next door could be brutally strangled and left for dead. Safe in a world where a madman stalked the country playing a game that only he knew the rules to. Safe in a world where no one was truly safe. The last thing Maria DeLuca remembered was that it was still early. Much earlier than the other nights when they'd retired to the room. She drifted into a safe sleep. She felt his hands on her arms, her bare arms. She looked down, not at him, but at her chest to see her bare breasts in the moonlight. She tried to cover herself with her hand, but he pulled her arms away. Moonlight bouncing off the water of Blackwater Draw glowed in abstract paintings on her nude body. She tried to yell out, but her voice was lost. The rocks were digging into her bare feet as she felt her body being pulled closer to the shore. She tried to fight, but he was too strong for her. She felt the rocks jabbing into her flesh as he pushed her down. She tried to see his face, but he forced her to face forward out across the water. She felt something silky on her shoulders, then trail between her breasts. She closed her eyes as she felt the silkiness around her neck. She turned around and saw a face in shadows. She blinked and the face became Agent Michael Guerin's. She blinked again and it was Kyle Valenti's. Another blink and he had no face. She tried to scream but the silky cloth around her neck tightened. Thrashing on the rocks, jagged edges cutting into her skin, she heard him speak. "It's all right in front of you just as clear as the rain." Maria didn't know the voice but she knew the words. Liz. They were in one of the letters after Liz. "Liz," she choked the name out. "Written in blood and lots to see. I've thrown it all in your face. Lives for them but you can't see why." Maria knew the words. They were from the letters, but she didn't know which ones. She squeezed her eyes tight trying to match the words to the girls. As the pressure on her neck became more severe she wondered what her letter would say. Maria's eyes flew open; she opened her mouth to scream, then felt strong arms around her and hot breath on the back of her neck. She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing as she felt the contours of Michael's body spooning her. It was just a dream, she told herself, just a dream. She retraced the dream and was almost surprised she wasn't freaking out a little bit more about Michael being the one who was hurting her. But then it was Kyle. She knew neither of the two men would ever harm her. Only for a brief second did she want to recoil from the safety of his arms. Fear. For just a second did she consider fleeing from a man she just met but already loved so deeply. From a man who could have been lying to her since day one. She turned her head and looked out of the corner of her eye at the sleeping face of Agent Michael Guerin and knew she had nothing to fear. Maria tried to will herself back to sleep but something was barely keeping her up. She tried to remember the words form her dream. She wondered if her subconscious was trying to tell her something. Trying to steer her in the right direction, a direction that in a conscious state, that she couldn't see. A thought so close to the open danced in her mind. She thought about getting up and writing everything down, but the thought failed as her eyes closed and she drifted into a peaceful slumber. * * * Thunder rattled the windows as Michael Guerin opened his eyes. A new day, a new storm. He nuzzled against the nape of Maria's neck and smelled jasmine. "Are you awake?" He whispered just below her ear. "Yeah," Maria said with a yawn. She stretched out until her hands were flat against the headboard. "Thunder." "I think it stopped raining." Michael sat up pulling the quilt with him. He pointed to the window. "Maybe the rain decided to take a break for a little while." She nodded and rolled into him, the dream was nothing but a distant memory. "Ready to start the new day?" "Ready. You?" He slid his hand over her waist. "I guess, we have a lot to do." She stifled a yawn. "You know, since we quit so early last night." "Do you regret it?" He asked playfully as he raised his hand on her cupping the bottom of one breast. "Nope," she sat up next to him and pulled the quilt up to her waist. "But now we have to go back to work. Seriously. I told you I want to read all the letters today in order and see what the hell we're missing. Maybe look over a few files again, too." Michael nodded and threw the quilt off him. He stood in front of her and stretched. She smiled watching him walk into the bathroom. She heard the shower water running and lay back on the bed snuggling under the quilt and inhaled the Michael smell from his pillow. Written in blood and lots to see. I've thrown it all in your face. Lives for them but you can't see why. The words hit Maria like a bullet train. It was a dream. It had been from a dream. She sat up straight and rested against the headboard. With her eyes closed she tried to remember the rest of the dream but came up empty. Written in blood and lots to see. I've thrown it all in your face. Lives for them but you can't see why. She shuddered with the memory of the words alone. Wrapping her arms around herself she tried to pry the rest of the dream from her subconscious. Again to no avail. She moved over and let her legs hang off the side of the bed wrapping the quilt around her. She glanced towards the window as lightning lit up the cloudy sky. After a quick glance at the clock told her it was only seven, she relaxed a little. That nagging feeling she had gotten in the war room was back. The surfacing thought, the elusive key, was so close to being in her clasp yet in reality it seemed miles away. "I have to see it," she told herself as she was overcome with a chill. "I have to see it today. It has to be there." "Are you talking to yourself?" Michael asked from the doorway of the bathroom. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was drying his hair with another one. "Yeah, I guess I was." Maria got out of bed and pulled the sheet out from under the quilt. She wrapped it around herself and walked towards him. "I am a little shy, you know." She stood on her toes and kissed his lips lightly. He watched her walk past him and drop the sheet before getting into the shower. Maria stood under the pelting water in the mammoth tub letting any insecurities go down the drain with the water. She felt the ticking in her gut and knew time was nearly up and a loud buzzer was going to rack through her when it was end game. "I can't let him win," Maria whispered. "I can't let him win." She spent the duration of her shower trying to convince herself of the mantra she kept repeating: I can't let him win. As she turned off the spigot she knew in her heart she would do everything in her power to keep him from winning. She would go the distance and see it through to the end, no matter the consequences. As she stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel, she was ready. She was ready to face a day of rereading and digging into the psyche of a serial killer. Determination spread through her veins like fire. Maria DeLuca was ready to catch a killer. * * * Chapter Forty Eight With a strut in her step, Maria walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her under her arms. A grin crossed her face as she saw Michael in front of the bureau mirror looking at himself. Dressed in jeans, a white button down shirt and boots, he looked amazing. "Quit staring, you know you're handsome," she stepped up next to him and looked at his reflection. He winked at her reflection then turned to her; he lowered his head to hers and kissed her lips. "I can't believe…" He trailed off; words didn't seem fitting. She didn't respond; she didn't have to. Instead she walked away to her bags and began digging through them dropping articles of clothing on the floor as she went. She pulled out a pair of faded jeans, socks, a sage tank shirt and black bikini underwear. She felt his eyes on her back as she dropped the towel and stepped into the underwear. She dressed the rest of the way and turned around to face Michael. "You might get cold," he motioned to her shirt as she sat down on the edge of the bed to put her boots back on. "I'll live," she shrugged. "And I'll probably wear a shirt over it." He watched her as she stood at the bureau and applied trace amounts of eye makeup. He sat on the bed and watched her reflection as she ran her fingers through wet hair. He smiled when he saw her smiling in the mirror at him. "Breakfast and back to work?" She turned around and faced him. "I want to go to the cemetery first," he said slowly as he slipped on a navy blue windbreaker with the letters FBI in bold white letters on the back. "The cemetery," Maria repeated. "Why?" "Because I haven't spent the time with Liz that I should have, I've let you do all the work on her-" "I haven't done any work on her," she folded her arms over her chest. "She was my friend; I knew her." "But I didn't," his brows creased. "Maria, it's a game, remember? I'm not following the rules anymore. I should have submerged myself into Liz's life like I did the others." "It's still a game, but you don't know the rules. They're his rules, not yours and not mine. And the rules, whatever they are, have changed." Michael tilted his head to one side and waited for to continue like he was confident she would. "Okay, he wanted you to play a certain way and you have. He wanted you to devote every second of your life to tracking him down and you have. He wanted you to hurt and you have." She stepped closer to him, a sparkle in her eye. "Now it's all different. There's me for one, you may know me better as the 'new bitch'," she used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air. "I wasn't supposed to happen. You weren't supposed to fall in love with me," she blushed. "You weren't supposed to feel anything except the hurt and pain of the victims." As a thought leapt into her mind she pursed her lips and let out a shallow sigh. "His pain. You're supposed to feel his pain." "His pain…" Michael repeated as another piece of the puzzle became interlocked. "Yes!" Maria exclaimed obviously happy with her first assumption turned concrete clue of the day. "His pain. He wants you to feel his pain. Okay, he wants you to feel the pain of losing!" She clapped and smiled. "Then why more than Lorelei? I mean I felt the pain from losing her, I'll always feel that pain." "It wasn't enough," she shook her head. "He wants you to always feel loss like he does." A breakthrough. She felt herself step into the mentality of a killer. Her eyes closed as she felt the pain he was in. She could feel the hate roil through her. Taking a deep breath and opening her eyes, she faced Michael. "He wants you to hurt." "Okay, so now what?" "I don't know, I think I'm stuck here," she answered honestly. "I mean, there's going to be one more according to the letters. The whole core thing, being halfway through at number six. After that I still think he's going for the big finale. I still think it's you, but I can't think like that because it'll make me sick to my stomach." "Nothing's going to happen to me," he tried to reassure her with a smile. "I promise." "Are you making a promise you're sure you'll be able to keep?" She licked her bottom lip but there was nothing sexual about it. "Yes," he unfolded her arms and laced his fingers through hers. "I promise. Nothing will happen to me. If I'm the prize, then he'll have a hell of a fight on his hands. I'm not some defenseless and unsuspecting woman he can tie a scarf around. I'm waiting for him. I'll get him." Maria smiled knowing they were on the same page. Determination leaked through his fingertips into her. "That's what I wanted to hear. Game has changed, we're not so far behind now." "We still don't know so much though…" He let his arms swing down to his sides taking hers with him and pulling her closer. "We will Agent Michael, we will." She stepped on her toes for just a second. Just long enough to kiss the tip of his nose. "Come on, I think I smell pancakes." She grabbed a button down denim shirt and tied it around her waist. They descended the stairs together as the smells of breakfast wafted up to them. They were barely a step inside the dining room before Isabel handed them cups of coffee. "Good morning!" She smiled and motioned towards an already almost full table. She leaned into Maria and whispered. "You thought I was lying about being double booked, didn't you?" Maria smiled back at her as Isabel introduced the new couple to the rest of the table. "Why don't you two grab some food in the kitchen," she tapped Michael's shoulder. "I think the jacket might make a few people a little jumpy. If you don't mind, that is?" "No, that would be fine." Michael reassured her as they followed their hostess into the kitchen. * * * Kyle Valenti paced his office. It was still early but he was waiting for Maria to arrive with Agent Hot Shit tagging along. Last night had been restless for him. The aloneness with Maria being gone was settling in and he wasn't that comfortable with it yet. He needed to see her, if nothing else, he needed to just see Maria. He knew when he saw her she'd be happy. It was easy to see the happiness in her eyes and posture. To hear it in her voice. To be completely aware of it when he was around her. "Shit." He kicked the side of his desk rattling everything on it. He thought up excuses to see her when she arrived. He knew that as the Sheriff he had every right to be included in all parts of the investigation of Liz's death and the previous murders as well. But it didn't feel right. He didn't want to be a part of it. This was Maria's and he trusted her to do the right thing. He didn't believe her judgement would be clouded by Agent Hot Shit. He didn't know the facts except that the first victim had been the Agent's girlfriend and the suspected killer was her ex-husband. Kyle didn't know what to think anymore about the situation. He wanted to keep his distance from it, but he longed to see Maria. He contemplated what to say to her as soundless lightning lit up the desert sky. * * * "Round and round and round," he looked out the window at the lightning. "It's so easy, you made it mine. I thought it'd last for awhile, but I haven't got the time. Oh Agent dear, I've made everything so clear. One standing moment and I'll bring back your fear." * * * Chapter Forty Nine After homemade donuts and rich coffee, Maria DeLuca and Agent Michael Guerin were ready to start their day. "Hold on," Michael looked at her. "Do you remember I told you a few days ago that I had an ankle holster with me?" "Yeah," Maria said slowly and raised her eyebrows. "Why?" "You still interested?" "I was going to grab my own before we left," her eyes twinkled. "But an ankle one would be awesome. I mean, I don't have anything to put it in, but…" "I think I can fill it for you," he winked. "I just want to make sure we're, especially you, are armed at all times." "You think we're in danger right now?" He shrugged. He didn't want to tell her he was scared for her. He didn't want to tell her that he'd die if anything happened to her. The letter. If she hadn't been mentioned in the last letter then he knew he wouldn't be half as nervous as he was now. "Let's just call it a precaution. A necessary one? Let's hope not." She nodded and followed him out of the kitchen and past the intense stare from Isabel and the questioning looks from the other guests. As Maria put on her side holster and then her button down denim shirt over it, Michael rummaged through his luggage and produced the ankle holster. He held it out to her and raised his eyebrows. "It looks so tiny!" She exclaimed as she took it from him. "Is this a girls?" "No, it's not a girls." He rolled his eyes and walked to another piece of luggage that he opened with a key. He turned around and saw Maria struggling with the holster trying to get it on. "If you wouldn’t be so impatient, I'll be there to help you in a second." It was Maria's turn to roll her eyes. She deduced the cuffs of her jeans were too snug to fit smoothly over the holster and impending gun. With a cursory glance around the room she spied something that would help. Grabbing a pocketknife, undoubtedly Michael's, from the nightstand, she slit the side of her jeans on the inside hem a few inches. She did the same to the other leg and stood up. The extra width to the leg gave way to plenty of room for the holster and gun. "There," she sat back down and fastened the holster on with its Velcro. "All I needed was a little extra room." "Did you just rip your jeans?" Michael asked facing her with a small gun in his hand. "Yeah," she smiled. "It's all good Michael, I think its in fashion." He shook his head at her ingenuity and handed her the firearm. "It's a .22. Feel how light it is? It weighs just over ten ounces." "Nice," she handled the gun and checked the chamber. "Very nice. For me?" She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes. "For you," he frowned. "Want me to show you how to use it?" "I know how to use it, Michael." She slid the gun into the ankle holster and fastened the Velcro strap over the butt. She stood and shook her leg out. "Not heavy at all." "Don't walk funny or you'll give it away." He commented as she walked across the room. Maria nodded and concentrated on her walk. After several trips back and forth across the room she had it mastered. "Well? Ready to go?" * * * Kyle waited at the door to his office for Maria to arrive. When he heard walking in the hall his heart leapt into his throat. When he heard her laughter he sighed. He opened the office door and stepped in front of Maria and Agent Hot Shit on the path to the war room. "Kyle!" She beamed at him. "Hi." "Hey," Kyle licked his lips and glanced at Michael quickly before turning his attention back to Maria. . "Can I talk to you alone for a minute, Maria?" Michael stepped away from her and walked down the hall towards the war room. Maria followed Kyle into his office and waited nervously. "Hi," he waved at her after taking his place on the other side of his desk. "Hi back," she waved. "Okay, I need to know a few things. Okay? First I'm going into Sheriff mode." "Shoot." Maria sat in the chair across from him and crossed her legs noticing the weight from the gun as her foot hung down. "Is Agent Guerin able to stand back and look at Liz's case with an objective eye?" "Yes," she answered without hesitation. "Without a doubt." "I know you wouldn't tell me that if you weren't positive. I still trust your judgement Maria. You're the best damn deputy in Roswell." "I've only been a deputy for a few days," she smiled at his compliment. "Regardless, you are." He took a deep breath. "David Laws. Anything new?" Maria shook her head slowly and told him what they knew of his history. She thought about mentioning the letters knowing it would explain so much more to Kyle, but she couldn't. Not yet. As unfortunate as it sounded, Maria was putting Kyle Valenti on a need to know basis. She explained her theory about making Michael feel the killer's pain but didn't go into specifics. It was after all, just a theory. "I need some progress Maria," he sighed. "I got a phone call from Liz's parents. They want to know what kind of progress has been made. Then I got a call from Max. I think he was drunk, I'm not sure, it was late last night. I think he's hitting rock bottom…" "What did you tell them?" Maria shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "I told them all that we are following up on some leads. The Parker's are not all that happy that we don't know more yet, but they are impressed that the FBI is involved in solving their daughter's murder." "Do they know I'm working on it…?" "I told them that you are working very closely to the Agent-In-Charge and I think they might have gotten some relief from that," he frowned at her. "You always have had the reputation of not giving up Maria. Everyone has faith in you. They know you and they trust you. Even Max." "We'll find him Kyle, you can trust me on that." "I do trust you Maria. I always have. If it wasn't you, I would be more involved," he shook his head. "Will you make me a promise?" "What?" She narrowed her eyes. "At the next election for Sheriff, will you promise not to run against me?" Maria laughed. Joking around with Kyle was a firm step in the evolution of their relationship. When she looked at him, she could see how much he still loved her. But she knew within time that love would fade. "Okay, now I have to talk to you as just me. Kyle." "About what?" "I know you're staying at the B&B with him and believe it or not, I might be okay with it." Kyle shook his head. "Yeah, I'm lying. Of course I'm not okay with it." "Kyle-" "Wait. I'll be okay Maria. Someday I'll be okay with it." Maria nodded as he told her what she had already known. Someday. "I don't know what your plans are, like, for the future. I don't know if you 're going to stay in Roswell or go off with him. Either way, it's none of my business. I won't tell you that I'll be here for you if, a big if, you ever need me because you already know that." "Where are you going with this?" She asked softly with a smile playing on her lips. Kyle's way of slipping things into a conversation were more than obvious; but she didn't care. It was Kyle and he was her friend. "When you left, you didn't take much with you. I know you have a lot of things at our- At my house that you want. Probably everything, actually. I just wanted to know what I should do with them." "Are they in your way?" "No. Not at all." He let out a sigh. "Damn Maria, sometimes you make things so hard. I'm trying to be the excellent ex here and you're making it impossible! Will you just let me get my thought out?" He laughed in exasperation. Maria nodded and held her hand out towards him. "Thank you. I just want to know what I should do. Will you come by and get them? Should I pack them up? Send them to the B&B?" Maria shook her head. Her plans of the future weren't that clear yet. A future with Agent Michael Guerin was looming but not concrete. "I don't know." "Great." "Seriously Kyle, I don't know." She shook her head. "I don't know what's going to happen. I mean, nothing until I solve this bastard of a case, but then I guess anything could happen. Can I keep my things there? I mean, just for now?" "Of course," he let out a breath. "There's no rush Maria. Okay? Just think of me as 'Kyle's storage', okay?" "Thanks," she stood up. "You're a really excellent ex. Do you think I could stop by tonight and pick up some more clothes?" "Yeah Maria, you can stop by." He nodded as she turned away from him and walked out of the office closing the door behind her. Kyle Valenti felt a chill run up his spine like ice water. Every hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. A sinking feeling in his gut let his brain know they were in it together. "Damn." * * * Maria was smiling as she walked back into the war room. She saw Michael already hovered over the laptop hard at work. "Did you solve it yet?" She asked playfully as she sat down next to him. "Not yet. You?" He impressed himself with the quick comeback. Deep down, Michael knew he was going to have to stay on his toes with Maria in his life. He looked at her as she opened the envelope of letters and stacked them in front of her. He had questions to ask her about what was going to happen next, not necessarily with the ongoing investigation, but with the ongoing relationship they were getting deeper in to. Afraid to bring up the subject, but more afraid not to, he cleared his throat. Maria raised an eyebrow but didn't look at him. He cleared his throat again and waited. He saw the corner of her mouth turn up in a smile and knew she was playing with him. "Maria." "Sorry?" She faced him, her eyes wide. She slipped off her denim shirt and hung it on the back of her chair. "Did you want something?" "Did anyone ever tell you that you are a serious pain in the ass?" He smirked. She looked thoughtfully and placed her forefinger to her chin. "Not today. Yet." She giggled. "Okay, I'm sorry. You wanted something?" The words froze in Michael's mouth. This wasn't the way he wanted to bring up the subject and this wasn't the place. This was a conversation that they needed to have somewhere away from the misery of a murder. Tonight, he decided, after work. Stretched out on the bed with the handmade quilt cool against their bodies, Michael Guerin would approach the subject of a future together with Maria DeLuca. "Never mind," he shrugged. She narrowed her eyes at him and started with letter number one. Lorelei. * * * |
| PARTS 43-49 |