Maria lay locked in Micheals arms, she watched his sleeping face an expression of wistfulness on her own. Slowly traced her fingers down his cheeks and lips, as if commiting each perfect feature to memory. She knew she should wake him, get this over with, but a part of her, a large part,, wanted to stay here on the twelfth floor, in his arms forever. “Without the orbs, the apocalypse will wipe out everything, aliens and humans alike.” Maria sighed with resignation, pushing herself away from Michael, she got off the bed and slowly started to dress. Looking at his still sleeping form, Maria made a silent prayer, that he would one day understand that she was doing this to keep him safe. Kneeling beside him, now fully clothed, she gently shook his shoulders. “Michael, wake up.” Without opening his eyes, he pulled her down on top of him, kissing her forehead and face repeatedly, with warm sloppy kisses. Maria felt her resolve dissolving around her, and relaxed into him. “Hmmm” Michael groaned with contentment as their bodies molded together. Moving his hands down, in a sleepy and somewhat upset voice he muttered. “Your not naked anymore.” “No sh-it sherlock” Maria slid her body off of Michael’s lying down next to him with her head in the crook of his arms. She trailed her fingers over his bare chest in small circles “So was that the reason you wanted me here today?” Her voice was high pitched and she hoped, innocent-like. “No” Michael laughed heartily as he pressed his face into her hair, kissing the top of her head. “It was an added bonus.” Playfully Maria punched his side at the comment. “But, no it wasn’t the reason.” “So….” Her voiced trailed off, she didn’t want to know. But Michael took the hesitation as her waiting for an answer. “Have you ever heard of the Orbs of Antar?” Maria had to bite her lip, to stop a groan escaping. “Yeah” she muttered unhappily before she could stop herself. “But there not real right? Just a myth.” Hoping she had covered her tracks sufficiently, she held her breath, waiting for his response. “Oh they’re real all right, they’re our ticket to honour and glory.” Maria turned her head to look him in the eyes, while hers were wide with disbelief, his held a fierceness she had never seen before. Michael rolled away from her and off the bed, unperturbed by his nakedness, he walked over to a closet on the far side of the room and after pulling on jeans and a t-shirt, he returned to the bed with a battered shoe box in hand. Sitting back down next to Maria who now sat with her arms pulled around her knees, he opened the box, and pulled out a perfectly rounded stone about the size of a softball. Holding it out to her, silently offering it to her. Maria declined by shaking her head, instead just stared inquisitively at it. “That’s not….is it?” “Yep!” Michael grinned proudly as if showing off a new toy. “Where did you get it?” “You remember the night in the forest? Our last hunt together before you…you..left?” Micheal almost choked on the words, but Maria was too consumed by her own thoughts to notice. Of course she remembered that night. Maria relived that night, every night. “What’s that got to do with anything?” Her defences were up, afraid he was getting too close. “ That’s when I found it, in the forest, you ran off and I was going to follow…I should have followed…” the last sentence was mumbled, as if to himself . “But this light distracted me, it was in the bushes, half buried in the ground, humming softly and glowing. When I picked it up it stopped, it hasn’t done it since. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew immediately what it was. By then you were gone, and I went back to find the others.” Michael sat back, the orb still in his hands. Slowly he placed it back in the box. Maria didn’t know if she should speak now, she didn’t even know what she would say, Michael had wanted to go after her was all she could process at the moment, but he wasn’t finished. “About a month ago I sent word to Necedo that I had the orb and was willing to negotiate.” Maria couldn’t stop herself from interupting. “Michael, Necedo isn’t to be trusted you know that.” But Michael continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “After the apocalypse, I get a place on the council and command of San Francisco.” Michael grinned obviously proud of himself. Maria smiled half-heartedly, unable to share in his triumph. Michael moaned at her lack of proper excitement. “Maria, I’ll be careful I promise! That’s why I wanted you here. I want you to take the orb” He pushed the box between them at her. Maria just stared at it in disbelief. “I’m playing with Necedo on my terms. I just think this” he patted the box ,“might be safer with you.” So there it was, Michael had just handed her the key out of his life, and he didn’t even know it. “I know your hiding something from me Maria,” Maria gasped, “It’s the soulmate connection, it whispers thing to me, things I don’t understand, but I know I can trust you, I feel it here” he placed his closed fist over his heart. “This orb is important, and you’re right, I can’t trust Necedo, so I want you to take it, keep it safe.” Maria just nodded. ~~~*~~~ Back in Alex’s car, Maria glanced at the shoebox on the seat beside her. She fumbled around in her bag and pulled out her mobile. “Mission accomplished.” “Maria?” “Of course it’s me you twerp!” “You got the orb?” “I said I would, didn’t I?” “Did you steal it?” “Didn’t have to.” “Huh?” “Were can we meet?” “There’s a park across the street from school, lots of trees and a bench by the pond.” “Gotcha, I can be there in fifteen.” TBC

Part 12