AN: This is a Max and Maria friendly fic and set in an AU Post grad about 3 years after graduation.
Mistletoe Wishes
Four hours earlier…
"The Christmas Nazi strikes again," Liz muttered as shut off her blue, Honda civic, shaking her head in awe and furrowing her brow as she took in the almost cookie-cutter, gingerbread appearance of the cabin in front of her, recognizing Isabel's influence after years of her overzealous, obsessive dedication to all things seasonal. Glaring at the front door balefully, its bright red and gold foil glittering in the dim sunlight, she sighed heavily and leaned her head against the steering wheel, gathering her strength for the evening to come.
Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her head and unbuckled her seatbelt, taking her keys out of the ignition and tossed them into her purse carelessly, slinging the strap over her shoulder as she opened the door and stepped out, the gravel crunching under her feet. Locking her door, she shut it with a bump of her hip as she headed toward the back of the car, opening the trunk for the bags of presents and dessert she'd made for tonight's dinner, balancing the platter on her hip as she awkwardly closed the lid.
Straightening up, she flicked her eyes over the building in front of her and wondered for the dozenth time since she started out from Roswell if it was too late to get back into her car and go home, safely ensconced away from the reason she hadn't wanted to be here in the first place. But she knew better. Tess wasn't about to let her squirm out of this considering she hadn't been back to Roswell since summer and she'd been avoiding her friends, weakly explaining her parents wanted to spend time with her.
But Christmas was yesterday and she couldn't put it off any longer, especially as her friends had planned this dinner with the sole purpose of her spending time with them since she hadn't seen anyone in over three months. Or at least they thought she hadn't. But that was another story entirely and one she couldn't dwell on for her own sanity.
"Why am I here again?" she groused quietly, biting back a groan at her wayward thoughts as she switched the cake container in her other arm, balancing it against her chest before bending down to grab her bags of gifts, only to have them snatched from her hands. Startled, she turned around just as a low laugh rippled behind her at her words and a masculine voice quipped lightly, her eyes lighting as a familiar face came into view.
"For the some reason we all are," Kyle snickered, grinning at Liz happily as he loped up, drawing her into a rambunctious, enthusiastic hug, making her cry out in alarm as her cake container wobbled precariously before it was swept out of her hands. Laughing as the brunet man squeezed her around the middle and twirled her slightly, she pulled back and tipped her head up, her lips curling as he whispered dramatically. "We fear incurring the wrath of Tess and Isabel if we skip out."
"Kyle!" She chortled, her eyes crinkling in the corners as she rose on her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss on his cheek, ecstatic to see her friend after the past several months of unfamiliar faces, books and tests in Las Cruces. Lips quirking with amusement, she shook her head at his words and leaned in for another hug, pressing her cheek to his and squeezing him tightly as she exclaimed. "It's been too long! I never see you anymore."
"Yeah, well, Isabel keeps me tied up…literally," he lofted, waggling his eyebrows suggestively as he set her back onto her feet, his lips curling into a smug, devilish grin, leaning in as he whispered that conspiratorially and he draped a companionable arm over her shoulder, laughing when she gave a disgusted snort. "Ugh. Way too much information, Kyle. I don't need to hear this."
"Agreed," a familiar voice agreed with him from behind her, sending a shiver of apprehension, and something decidedly warmer, tripping over her spine, making her cheeks flush and stomach clench as she recognized the low, rich tones as he joked with his best friend. "Can you refrain from discussing yours and my sister's kinky sex adventures in my presence, Frodo? Like I don't have enough nightmares from having to listen to you two every night."
"Jealous, Fabio?" Kyle snarked as Michael walked up to them, tossing a mocking grin over at the tall hybrid and missing the flicker of anxiety and unease in Liz's eyes as her eyes darted everywhere but at the man hovering at her side.
And there he was; the reason why she hadn't been thrilled about coming out here tonight, not to mention why she had been avoiding the group in general. Studying him from the corner of her eye, she shifted uncomfortably when that far too observant gaze lit on her, the faintest hint of reproach touching it at her actions. Licking her lips nervously, she cursed internally and pulled away from Kyle and walked towards the house, trying for nonchalance as she desperately fought her mind from going places it shouldn't.
"You wish, stubby," Michael snorted, balancing the cake platter he had swept out of Liz's hands to prevent it from falling to the ground when Kyle greeted her so boisterously, flicking a glance over the retreating girl's back. Biting back a frown as he realized she was purposely avoiding him, he turned back to the other boy and sneered as he followed. "It's nauseating having to listen to you beg like a little girl. Yes, mistress…anything you say, mistress…may I have another, mistress…that's just embarrassing."
"At least I'm not…" Kyle began, but trailed off as he realized his audience wasn't paying attention in the least, the both of them walking swiftly toward the cabin without him. Or really, Liz was walking swiftly away and Michael was stalking behind her quietly, eyes traveling over the brunette covetously, his longer stride catching up in no time and cutting her off slightly in order to force her to acknowledge him. Shaking his head, Kyle grabbed the bags of presents and crept up quietly behind them, smirking when Liz halted and turned her startled, if slightly disgruntled, gaze on the gruff alien.
"Michael," Liz greeted breathlessly, side-stepping him slightly as he crowded her, her hands tugging and twisting her scarf nervously and huffing when he continued to invade her space. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Flicking her gaze to his, her breath caught as bourbon irises burned challengingly, his intense gaze letting her know, under no uncertain terms, that he was well aware of her game and that it wasn't going to work.
"Parker," he murmured, smirking when the color in her cheeks deepened and she looked hastily away, chuckling internally at the little hitch in her breathing and voice as he rested a hand on her lower back, feeling the heat of her body radiating through the thick material as he guided her up the path. "Finally decided to grace us with your presence?"
"I highly doubt I was missed," she retorted dryly, pulling away from his hand as they neared the porch, a current of electricity crackling down her arm as their hands brushed and she swallowed thickly when he fixed her with a pointed, knowing look. Looking over her shoulder at Kyle a little helplessly, she avoided that probing stare as if her life depended on it, biting back a soft gasp when his breath whispered against her ear as he muttered darkly. "You'd be surprised…"
Swallowing harshly, she met his darkened irises for several, long, heavy moments, completely forgetting about their audience as her body hummed with awareness and her stomach jumped and a trickle of heat curled through her blood as he pulled away, his lips curving dangerously. She'd known that coming here tonight was a bad idea. Spinning on her heel, she flashed an overly bright smile at Kyle, ignoring his own knowing look along with the smoldering intensity searing over her skin from the man beside her
"So what were you two up to?" she asked with forced cheer, grabbing one of the bags out of Kyle's hands as Michael backed off with a smirk, climbing up the stairs as she wrapped an arm around Kyle's waist, latching onto him like a lifeline.
"Tess sent the men to gather wood for the fire tonight," Kyle snickered as he dropped a companionable arm over her shoulders, his amused expression clearly showing he knew that she was using him as a buffer between her and Michael. "We were closing up the shed when we saw you pull up."
"Men?" she drawled, arching her brow mockingly, laughing when Kyle frowned fiercely at her before his expression cleared, an amused half-smile touching his lips, as their gazes meshed and he poked her in the ribs. "So, where's Max and Alex?"
"Where else would they be?" he mocked as they hit the 'Christmas present' door, raising his voice deliberately as they stepped into the house, so that it echoed through out the living room and kitchen. "In the house with the rest of the women."
"I heard that, Valenti," Max called dryly from the living room, shooting his friend a baleful look as he rose off one of the deep chairs and crossed over to embrace Liz, sharing a rueful grin as he pulled her into his arms.
"And?" Kyle baited, fighting back a snicker as he watched Michael's face darken behind the embracing friends before flicking his glance back to a retreating Max, his smile brightening as Isabel shuffled in from the kitchen.
"Be careful," Max snorted, walking towards the rec room in order to inform Alex, Tess and Maria that their wayward guest had arrived, shooting the other man an evil glance over his shoulder as he creepily intoned. "I know where you're sleeping."
"Dude…I know you're a freak and all, but watching me sex up your sister is just gross," Kyle snarked, shuddering dramatically and smiling sheepishly when his girlfriend leveled a warning look onto him before pressing a quick kiss on Isabel's mouth.
"Kyle…" Isabel chastised warningly, sending him a pinched look as she brushed past, taking the cake container out of a hovering Michael's hands and setting it on the counter before heading towards Liz, smirking at Kyle's feigned pout, rolling her eyes as he fluttered his lashes at her innocently, apologizing with mock contrition. "Sorry, baby."
"Right," she snorted indelicately, shaking her head as she pulled Liz into a warm hug, her wry grin deepening and warming as she and the other girl shrugged and exchanged a 'what are you going to do with them' look.
"See, what did I tell you, bitch boy?" Michael snickered, snagging the bag of presents out of Kyle's hand and walked toward the rec room, snarking over his shoulder as they fell in behind him, a sly grin rippling over his face when Kyle scowled. "Whipped."
"Liz, it's good to see you," Isabel replied, deliberately ignoring Michael's barbs as she wrapped an arm around the petite brunette, squeezing her around the waist before letting her walk through the doorway in front of her, then shoving Kyle through the door as well before bringing up the rear. "As you can tell, nothing changes around here."
"I'd be disappointed if they did," Liz laughed, her eyes twinkling merrily at the boys banter for a moment before the sobered slightly when Michael tossed a look over his shoulder, pinning her with that dangerous, enigmatic smile that made her breath catch every time it slid over her, stammering slightly as she quipped. "W-what's a break without the three of them running off at the mouth?"
"Isn't that the truth," Isabel smirked, her eyes lighting up with mischief as she came up behind the petite girl and noticed the tension between her and Michael and cocked an intrigued brow, casting a sly glance at Kyle as she tapped her finger to her lips before pretending to stumble slightly and jostling into Liz back. "Sorry."
Knocked off balance, Liz pitched forward, colliding into Michael's back, her hands grasping wildly at his arms and gasped, dropping her bag at her feet as he spun and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her into the cradle of his body as he steadied her. Swallowing thickly, she clutched onto his biceps as she tipped her head back, studying him through her lashes as she murmured a breathless apology and thank you, breath catching when his fingers slid over her ribs and back, unconsciously anchoring her against his chest.
Licking her lips nervously, she looked away, unsettled by the intensity of his gaze and started to pull away reluctantly, blood jumping when his arms tightened around her, apparently equally reluctant to end their unplanned embrace, sending confused chocolate irises flying back to his. His fingers slipped down to her hips, digging into the soft flesh slightly as his body reacted to her nearness, fiery caramel orbs drifting over her lazily as the air around them thickened and they both forgot their audience.
Absently caressing his arms, her heart sped up a notch as his muscles tensed and rippled under her hands in response, his body melting against hers further and Michael opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted when they heard the wood slats creak beneath Isabel's and Kyle's feet. Heads whipping to the side, they stared at the retreating, both wincing and grinning sheepishly as they tried to slip out of the room unnoticed. Flushing hotly, Liz disentangled herself from his arms, missing his disgruntled frown and grasping hands as she turned and busied herself with picking up her bag.
"Oh, look, you're under the mistletoe," Isabel cooed 'innocently,' making Liz flinch slightly, her head shooting up to spy the innocuous sprig, the color in her cheeks deepening as she recalled a night not that long ago, when she was faced with a similar situation and her uncharacteristic reaction to the same man. Flicking a glance at his face, her heart stalled when she found him staring at her lips with smoldering intensity, her lips nearly burning under that covetous gaze, before they flicked up to hers, heavy with desire and shared memory.
"Isabel…" she swallowed thickly, the air ripped from her lungs as Michael continued to study her quietly, eyes dark with a barely concealed passion, making her squirm slightly as she ripped her gaze away and quickly backed away, squeaking when her back hit the door jamb just behind her, imploring desperately. "No…"
"Come on, Parker," Michael purred quietly, smirking when she visibly shuddered at his tone and played along with his pseudo sister as it went along with his own desires, crowding the pretty brunette that had been on his mind for the past few weeks against the jamb as he whispered for her ears only, his voice laden with innuendo. "Pucker up. What's a kiss between old friends?"
"Not going to happen," she rasped between clenched teeth, her voice low and intimate, not wanting their friends to hear their little exchange and guess there was more to it than there was, and her breath grew shallow and thready as he dipped his head, pressing his nose to her ear as he continued, his breath warm and damp as it whispered over her neck. "You didn't put up such a fuss three weeks ago."
"Liz, it's tradition," Isabel cajoled, although her words fell on deaf ears as the couple in front of her were far too caught up in their own conversation to pay any attention to the other people in the room and she wisely fell silent, hoping they could work this out between them.
She knew that Michael had gone Las Cruces three weeks ago, telling them all he needed to talk to Liz about something pertaining to the diner and had come home in a bad mood, but no one could figure out what exactly had happened. All she knew, was it involved Liz, as every time her name was mentioned, he got a pensive scowl on his face and she and Tess hoped this dinner would help smooth the waters between the friends.
"That shouldn't have happened," Liz whispered hastily, her cheeks hot and tingling under his predatory gaze, her knees weakening as his breath wafted over her face and shivered when he pinned her with an impatient look, warm, firm lips compressing when she offered a weak excuse for her actions. "I was a little tipsy and not thinking straight..."
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," he muttered, his whole body humming with tension, a blatant challenge in fiery, whiskey irises as he pulled back a bit, allowing her to draw a staggering breath into starving lungs, her reaction t is nearness eliciting a dark smile as he mocked. "Maybe one day you'll actually convince yourself it didn't happen."
"I will not kiss you," she retorted firmly, holding his gaze for a long moment and shivering slightly as his eyes flashed, an almost feral defiance resonating in his darkening stare and her heart stuttered, cursing the fact that she had played right into his hands with that comment. If there was one thing she knew about Michael, she knew he really hated when someone told him he could or could not do something, even in a roundabout way. "I don't care if we are standing under mistletoe."
"Oh come on, Liz," Maria piped up as she walked down the hall to see what the hold up was, noting the tension rippling in the air around the couple and quirked an interested brow, exchanging a speaking glance with Isabel and Kyle as she quipped lightly, ripping Michael and Liz out of their silent battle of wills. "Don't be a spoil sport."
"Don't worry Parker, I'm not into PDA," Michael smirked, his voice carrying through the room for the benefit of their friends, giving her a momentary reprieve before lowering his voice and whispering huskily against her ear, letting her know that she was far from safe tonight. "Besides, we'll need a private arena when you finally cave, because once I start…I'm not stopping this time."
Pushing off the doorjamb, his lips quirked at the apprehension that flared in her eyes and sauntered off smugly, the gauntlet thrown down between them. Let the games begin.
