Title: Home
Pairing: Tess/Michael for a good friend. :)
Summary: Maybe home was really hidden in the company you keep.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tess, Michael, or Roswell in general. Written by a fan for a fan. For entertainment only.
It wasn't exactly a secret that Tess didn't fit in around Roswell. Sure there were little moments, but for the most part since Tess's arrival things had never been very comfortable.
"Um... I can get you a drink or somethin' if you want." Said Michael uncertainly, his hands dropping awkwardly into his pockets.
"Oh sure." Tess answered.
One corner of his mouth turns upward in what Tess thinks is Guerin's version of a smile. It makes her smile too when his back is to her. "All I got is some orange juice and some soda. I'd offer milk, but I think it went bad and my tap is sort of broken so..."
"Juice is fine."
He didn't have proper cups, styrofoam coffee cups he probably stole from the mini-mart. It was sort of fitting because everything in the apartment was disposable or second-hand from floor to ceiling, even the two sharing the juice felt disposable. They were the cast-offs, second best, stand-ins, and runners-up to the shining brilliance of the Evans siblings. The true orphans, the ones left behind and forgotten with no where to belong on this planet. But maybe home wasn't the rock you were standing on...
"So do you think we'll ever go home?" Michael asked.
Tess smiled sadly. "Michael... I remember 'home' and I thought I wanted it, but trust me you don't want to go back to that life. It's time to build a new one."
He sighed. "Yeah? How do I do that?"
A small warm hand slipped inside his much larger one from across the table, lightly squeezing his fingers. He looked from their hands back to her eyes.
"That's all up to you." She said with a warm-like-honey smile.
Maybe home was really hidden in the company you keep.
END.