Maria was on a train to the city, headed to Project Crashdown Headquarters when she made the dreaded call to the Parkers. “Aunt Nancy it’s me” “Hello Maria” “Ah…Liz and I are going away for a few days, …to…sort out some of our…er… differences, is that okay?” Maria held her breath waiting for the outraged yelling, all she heard was a loud sigh on the other end of the line. “That’s fine hon, I just don’t want Liz coming back with any more tattoos like last time okay?” Maria smiled to herself, first the club now this; her cousin wasn’t exactly the straight-laced goody two shoes she had previously thought. “No problems Nan, I can guarantee no tattoos!” Scars were another matter altogether. “Okay dear, well have a wonderful time, give us a call sometime” “Will do, Thankyou…. For everything” Maria choked up, realising just how much the Parker’s had given her, and now she was dragging their only daughter into the thick of the Other World. “You’re a good girl Maria, take care of Liz, she has a tendency to act impulsively,” Laughing through the tears that were threatening to fall, Maria rung off. Relief flooded her as she slumped down the chair she was sitting on. Problem solved, now the only other thing niggling at her was that Alex was supposed to have checked in. As she keyed in his cell phone number, she briefly thought of her phone bill and wondered if Project Crashdown could be conned to foot it. The dial tone started ringing and Maria sat up in her seat. “Where’s the Orb?” The voice on the other end demanded. “Where’s Alex?” Maria spat back automatically. “We have your humans, you’ll get them back when you deliver the orb.” Humans, he’d said humans not Warrior, she breathed out slowly, relived that although they knew she had the orb, they didn’t know they had the key. Her cousin was safe…for now. Maria fingered the cloth wrapped orb in her pocket, reassuring herself she still had it. “If you’ve hurt them you won’t get anything” “They won’t be touched as long as we get what we want.” Closing her eyes, Maria softly muttered “Where and when?” “Bakers Hill, you know the place” Maria did. Everyone in the Other World did. It was Necedo’s house. “You have 24 hours, then one of them dies, 24 hours after that, the other one will follow.” The line went dead. Maria just stood staring at the phone in her hand reading the time off it; 9.07, she had one day. The game had changed completely, and she was gong to need backup if she wanted to play with the big boys. ~~~*~~~ Maria hesitantly got out of the cab. Staring up at the building she thought she had left for the last time this afternoon, Maria took a deep breath and began the twelve-story climb. Michael was in the kitchen when Maria climbed through the window, the unabashed grin he gave her sudden appearance sent shivers down her spine. For a brief moment Maria had to resist the urge to run into his arms, where it was safe and Liz and Alex and the fate of the world didn’t really matter to her. Steering herself to the couch Maria sat wordlessly. “What’s wrong?” Michael asked sitting down on the couch next to her, involuntarily Maria scooted as far from him as possible, and pulled her knees to her chest. “Why does anything have to be wrong? Can’t a person come and visit her soulmate when she wants to? It doesn’t have to be an emergency or a matter of life and death you know!” The words were coming from her at a dizzying speed and she knew she was probably talking gibberish to him. “Okay” Michael nodded, giving her a bemused look. Maria nearly cried at his willingness to believe her. Almost whispering she spoke again. “I need help” “Help?” Michael’s eyes were narrowed “but that would imply that you trusted me enough to tell me the truth.” This wasn’t going to work, Maria cringed at her own stupidity, she should have known Michael wouldn’t help her save two humans no questions asked, not without learning the secret he thought…no knew she was keeping from him. So she tried another tactic. Pushing herself forward, on her hands and knees before him, she whispered inches from his mouth “I need you” Michael was quick to respond, pulling her onto his lap, he started nuzzling and kissing her neck as she ran her hands through his hair. Laying them both back down on the couch, he lifted her top over her head and placed his lips on her exposed breast, kneading the other with his hand. Raining soft kisses between licks and demanding nips, Maria was sent spieling, the sensation driving her crazy as she realised the tables had been turned. Using her hands to guide his face back up to hers, she shifted her legs and opened them, Michael fitted himself more comfortably between her open knees and groaned as her legs snaked around his thighs pulling him closer. Maria revelled in the crushing weight, the strength of his chest and arms pushing her back into the couch. It was only surpassed by the hardness she could feel pushing between her legs. As she writhed underneath him, Michael pushed himself up on elbows, smoothing the hair away from her forehead he looked straight into her eyes. “You’re going to have to tell me sooner or later” Maria grasped his head and pulling him back on top of her, whispered in his ear. “Later, much later” Maria moved her hands between them and started to fumble with his zipper, whether or not her answer had satisfied him was unclear as the question was forgotten and Michael’s expression was torn between pain and ecstasy as she fingered the denim separating them. Michael groaned as he realised the task at hand couldn’t be done lying down on a couch and groaned again as he reluctantly sat up, whimpering softly as the warmth of his body left her, Maria raised her hands to help him unbutton his shirt. Glimpsing the time on her watch, 9.56, her earlier words came back to her, later was not going to cut it. Maria hastened her own movements, pulling away her jeans and underwear at the same time. Michael however, seemed to be taking his time, sitting up next to him, Maria rubbed her naked breasts against his arm, nibbling on his ear as he removed his own remaining clothes. Growling deep and guttural, Michael pinned Maria back against the couch resuming their earlier positions, raising her knees Maria steadied his hips with her hands, ready for him to enter her, teasingly as if contemplating the thought Michael started the journey home, but then stopped. Lowering his head to her chest, he trailed kisses down it and along her stomach, all the while moving slowly back off the couch. Maria whimpered as she felt his tongue flicker under her belly button, trailing down, through the curls, Michael found what he was looking for, licking the nub, he then grated his teeth against it. “MICHAEL!” Maria’s scream reverberated around the room, and against her Michael grinned. Continuing to flicker in out, Maria grabbed his hair, motioning for him to fasten his pace, obligingly Michael did so, teasingly, licking and biting, until finally sucking hard. Maria felt herself being pulled closer and closer to the edge, and then, she was there. Screaming his name out again, shudders racked her entire body. Michael crawled back up onto the couch and placed a hard passionate kiss on her lips. She could feel his mind, pushing and probing, trying to connect with hers. In her weakened state, Maria heard rather than felt the soulmate connection taking over, together they were swooshed into another place, a place of their own making, but not. Realising that she was clothed again, Maria patted down her own body, unused to being so ‘whole’ in this place. Looking around Maria couldn’t see Michael, in fact she couldn’t see anything. Darkness engulfed her. As her eyes adjusted to the limited light, Maria could make out Michael’s figure some twenty feet away from her. Stepping toward him, she stopped just in time, the ground in front of her wasn’t solid, and she would probably sink through if she tried to walk across. “Michael!” She screamed. He glanced at her startled by her voice. “What is this?” she yelled again when she got no response. “Its your making” The voice was clear and strong but wasn’t coming from his mouth, his lips remained unmoving. “It’s my what?” she sent back telepathically “Your secret” his voice was a whisper now. Maria suddenly realised what he meant. In keeping something so adamantly from him, she was creating a huge divide between them and it was manifesting itself here. “Why can’t you trust me?” his voice was soft and sad. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! There are parts of me you don’t know, you wouldn’t like them if you did.” “Try me” his voice was hard and angry now. When he got no answer he sighed, a defeated and sad sound. He spoke again but his voice was softer and almost desperate. “We’re destined to be together, do you think that this happens often? We found each other, I won’t let you go. You’re my playmate, my best friend, my lover, my partner. I won’t let you do this to us…” he trailed off realising that without any help from her, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Narrowing his eyes and glancing behind her, Michael let out a small gasp of disbelief. Turning to where he was staring Maria widened her eyes as she stared at Alex and Liz. They weren’t really there of course, these images were coming from Maria, it was being dragged from her, the vision she’d had of them both when talking to Necedo’s henchman. The two figures were crouched over each other attempting to protect themselves. “Who are they?” Maria gulped not prepared for this. “That’s Liz and that’s Alex” “I know her, from the club” @#%$ alien photographic memory! “I know him too.” This was news to Maria “Project Crashdown…they’re Project Crashdown agents, but what are they doing here?” Maria didn’t bother to correct him over Liz’s identity, if Michael knew that Liz was human, and if Maria admitted that she was her cousin…well, not even Michael was that dense. He’d figure out that it meant Maria wasn’t everything she had always claimed to be. That she wasn’t entirely perfect. “You’re working for Project Crashdown?” Michael’s voice held disbelief. Maria stared at the ground, not wanting to look at his face. “You idiot!” his anger was at boiling point now. “They’re going to lose Maria! And when they do everyone in the Other World will be after them. How can I protect you from that?” Maria’s head snapped up, her ears ringing. “Protect me?” Maria tested the ground in front of her, it was solidifying, growing hard. Across the way, Michael was doing the same thing, apparently having more success as he started to walk slowly towards her. “Of course! I’ll always be here for you. I’ll never leave you! I thought I told you that” reaching her and taking her face in his hand he whispered against her lips. “You’re Mine” As their lips met Maria felt the woosh this time, taking them back to their entwined and naked bodies. Michael raised his head, grinning at her he mimicked their previous encounter at the club. “Mine” he whispered against them. Their lovemaking this time was slower, less hurried, it wasn’t an exploration because now they knew what the other wanted, and it wasn’t angry or revenge driven. It was sweet and pure, unmarred by the secret that had been keeping them apart, Michael thought he knew everything and Maria felt safe in that knowledge. ~~~*~~~ It was 11.04 before Maria remembered Alex and Liz. Lying in Michael’s arms with her back to him, she nudged him with her elbow, his only response was to spoon her closer. “If you’re willing… I could really use your help” “Of course I’m willing” His voice was surprisingly coherent. “Didn’t we go over this already?” Sitting up and pulling his shirt over her head, Maria took a deep breath. “Liz and Alex are being held at Baker’s Hill” “Baker’s hill? Are you kidding me?” Maria shook her head unhappily. He wasn’t going to help, she knew it, she’d just have to do it herself. “Were gonna need the whole gang for this!” TBC

Part 14