Thanx for the lovely feedback and sorry for letting you in the suspense so long. But here´s my newest chapter. Hope you like it. Special thanks to those who are not to shy to write me something such as RoswellJunkie, me, Jo, RedJewel2662 and vampout.

P.S.: Yes, I´m german and thanks for the nice compliment. I try my best.

Chapter 4 Reaching a common ground

While Michael was still confused about the change in his companion, Maria was in the kitchen and put a pack of salted popcorn in the microwave, get two glasses and tampered with the liquor cabinet. She knew that her mother had stowed away some bottles of her favourite red wine. When she found what she was looking for, she discovered something even better than wine. Two bottles Tequila. Immediately she snatched it and searched for lime and the saltshaker. After a few minutes she had everything she needed and carried it in the living room. But before she joined a slightly perplexed Michael on the couch, she made a stop the bedroom first and slipped into something more comfortable, what contained an old black sweatpants and a white t-shirt that reached a little over her belly button. Then she went back to her watchdog, who had finally taken off his leather jacket and his black boots and was almost lying on the sofa.

" Do you have to hog the whole couch for yourself?".

Michael smirked in her direction and spread out his arms to cover more space. She was just too easy to annoy and he liked it. " Hey, you said I should make myself comfortable and that is what I´m doing".

Maria glared at him while her hand finally made its way on her hips. He could be so damn infuriating and he seemed to enjoy it to make her mad. But she wouldn´t let herself bother from him tonight. Even if she had to bite off her tongue to do that. " All right. Then I just have to sit on you", without giving Michael a chance to move, she lowered her butt on his legs and jumped up and down a few times.

" Stop it, okay. You won", she wasn´t that heavy and there were worse things than having this nice piece of ass sitting on him. But he didn´t want her irritating him the whole evening.

Smiling like she just got the oscar for a main role Maria snatched the remote and pressed the play button while she made herself comfortable besides Michael. After she found the right position she watched on the monitor and saw the the first scene from the hobbits. Immediately she noticed that she forgot something. Namely the tequila. Pushing the pause button she took the two shot glasses and filled them with the liquid. After that she chopped up two slices of lemon and put the saltshaker more in their sight. " So Mr. Hotshit. I´ve got a game for you. Everytime we see the ring or we hear the mention of the ring, we have to take a shot of Tequila".

Michael eyed her amused. She sounded like she had played this game before. " But this movie is about a ring. I mean I can count the times we don´t see the ring or hear of it with one hand".

" That´s the point of this whole game. Besides did you know how hilarious hobbits can be when you´re drunk?", not to mention the scenes with Gollum. She and Alex almost laughed themself to death when they watched Lord of the rings after a bottle of Jack Daniels.

Michael was tempted to take her up on the offer. But he was here to protect her, which he couldn´t do when he was drunk. He needed a clear head to function properly. " I can´t. I´m here to watch over you, not to get wasted with you".

Maria used her female charme and smiled seductively at him. Usually she didn´t need to do anything to get man to do what she wanted. Strangly Michael wasn´t like them, he was more stubborn. " You can still do that tomorrow and the day after that and after that. But tonight we get trashed and forget everything for a few hours. And it´s stupid to drink alone".

" All right, when you put it this way", Michael couldn´t let her do this. It was rude to let somebody drink without companion. And maybe he could forget his phonecall for at least a few hours.

Happily Maria clapped her hands together and in that moment she looked like a real airhead and she felt even that way. Too bad that she was still sober, at least then she would have had a excuse for her behavious. Calming down she let the movie continue while licking her hand, strewing salt on the spot and taking her shotglass full of tequila in her hand.

Michael did the same and almost groaned when he watched her tongue coming out to wet the place for the salt. He cursed his heated body. Think about the call from Courtney. Think about her lying ass cheating on you. Think about Marias hot body wiggling under him. Damn, stop it. Forgetting the salt on his hand he drank his tequila in one quick gulp. It almost burned his inside and the taste was aweful, but he had to get his thoughts under control. " Oh hell. This shit can wake the dead".

" You did it wrong, silly. You have to lick the salt, take the shot and then bite into the lemon", to show him how it was done, she demonstrated it. She made everything slow so that he could see everything and know what he had to do. But as soon as the alcohol was flowing down her pipe, she let out a small yell and slapped her hands on the table in front of her.

Michael watched fascinated her delicious looking mouth. Did the girl even know how sexual she appeared just now? He almost came into his pants. Damn, she would be probably trouble for him someday. If not today then another time. Even if she made something silly like grimacing. " Okay, next time I remember it".

Maria smiled at him. She forgot to tell him that she got trashed easily and it wouldn´t take her long before she started to slur or laughed about everything. She wasn´t some heavy drinker, just sometimes at parties, but then she just did cocktails with not so much alcohol. Hearing Gandalf talking about the ring, she immediately forgot what she wanted to say and poured the tequila in the glasses. Lifting them both she gave one to Michael. " To the ring".

" You´re weird", but unbelievable sexy and he had nothing against sexy weirdos. It would be something new for him. Someone that was the opposite from him. Shaking his head he drank, trying to ban those thoughts from his mind. This wouldn´t work. She was his charge and he had watched Bodyguard and knew that a relationship between them were impossible.

Maria put the glass down and bit into her lemon, scrunching up ner nose at the sour taste. Oh god, she could already imagine how she would feel tomorrow or even look like. But she didn´t care, it wasn´t like she wanted to impress her watchdog, although he was the hottest thing she had seen in a long while. He was an ass and annoying, but so damn hot at it that she couldn´t resist. Rubbing her forehead, she was sure that the tequila already worked, because she couldn´t think that. Damn, she was doomed.

Halfway through the movie

Michael was half lying and half hanging from the huge couch with Maria sitting between his legs and mumbling something incoherent. They both had stopped drinking after the first bottle was empty. They hadn´t needed it anyway, because they had been drunk before the hobbits had been out of middle earth. Here and there they laughed about the little people with their big hairy feet. Maria even had pulled Michael´s socks off and observed his left foot to see if there were hairs, too. Giggling she had put her hand under his jeans and let it wander as far as she could reach while the owner the legs started to wiggle it. He almost kicked her accidently when she found his most ticklish spot. Suddenly she heard the voice of her favourite character from the movie and she turned her attention on the monitor to watch Aragorn appearing.

" Oh man, he´s so damn hot and manly. I want to have his babies".

Michael who hadn´t even noticed her distracted state and still thought she was busy with him, almost fell on the ground when he heard that. Startling he sat up straighter and looked at her. " What? You want my babies? Okay, let´s start".

Maria turned to him just in time to see him stretching his arms out and bending in her direction with closed eyes and his lips pursed. Amused she put her hand on his face and pushed him away. " Not you, dumbass", she pined in the direction of the tv. " I meant Aragorn".

" This jackass? I´m so much better than him. At least I don´t look like I haven´t bathed in months and I´m not wearing my muff in my face", Michael couldn´t understand why every woman was so crazy after this man. It wasn´t like he was so special. But still not so bad like this blonde with the spiked ears. Lego or something.

Maria glared at him while she pinched his shoulder, hard. No one was allowed to diss her man. He was a god in her eyes. All right, he wasn´t even a real person, but she was a girl and they dreamed about fantasy men all the time. Besides it made their boyfriends or soon to be boyfriends jealous. " Hey, don´t you dare say something bad about my Aragorn. He is smart and strong and he looks so damn gorgeous with his rough appearance".

Michael snorted disdainful at her, fully aware that she hadn´t even noticed it. She was busy with watching the movie again. Angrily he gripped her arm and pulled her towards him. Forcefully he pressed his lips on hers and kissed her like he had never kissed before. Happily he found out that her lips were as soft as he imagined it and tasted like some fruit. After a few seconds he pushed himself off of her with a dazed expression. " Yeah. You think Aragorn can do the same?".

" Uuuuuhhhhh. What?", Maria was too stunned and to aroused to think. What just happened and how could they do it again? Holy shit, she still felt a tingling in her lips and a prickling down south. Oh god and she had to sleep in a room with him tonight!

Michael smiled cockily, feeling no pain about doing something he should have done sooner. Smelling the fruity scent he touched his lips where he found all of her lipgloss smeared on it. Thankfully it was without color or he would have looked like an idiot. " That good, he?".

Maria glared at him, for hitting the nail head on and for letting her thoughts drift to his rough as well as tender lips. She imagined herself enjoying them while they kissed every part of her naked flesh. Just the notion was making her hot. Damn it, silently she cursed him. " Don´t be so smug. I haven´t kissed Aragorn yet and can´t compare. So maybe we should wait until I had the chance to change that and then we´ll meet again and then I will see who was better".

" Or you can forget the loser and just kiss me", Michael definitely was for option number two. He was aware that the alcohol effected him and he would regret everything in the morning, but for now he was content with making out with her.

Maria pondered his offer for a while, taking sweet time to punish him. Besides she didn´t want him to think she was easy to get or to please. He wasn´t that good anyway. Shit, now she was already lying to herself. What the hell, she was drunk and wouldn´t remember anything tomorrow. " Okay. But keep your hands above the shoulders".

Michael started pouting at that. He wanted to grope a little, just to feel if the rest of her body was as soft as her lips. But he would respect her wishes and put his hands on her shoulders. Until she told him otherwise. However he wouldn´t try to change her mind. " Oh come on. You can´t be serious. I want to touch you and not just your face".

" Hey, you already saw more than I wanted. Besides didn´t you say that I looked like a twelve year old?", she shook her finger in front of his face like a teacher scolding a child. Combined with the chastiting glance in her eyes she was the perfect image of some preschool lady.

Michael tried to think back at the moment he uttered this comment. Knocking his fingers on his cheek he mulled over the fact that he hadn´t said something so cruel. " I can´t remembering saying that to you. Are you sure it was me?".

Maria wasn´t sure anymore. Had he told her that or had it been someone else? It didn´t matter anyway. Shaking her head she put herself on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Grinning like an idiot she wasn´t sure what to do anymore. It had been a long time since she had been with a man. " Whatever".

" Oh god", did she still want him to keep his hands upward, because if it was like that he couldn´t guarantee it. She felt so good on him, her small but round ass was exactly sitting on his hard rod. His hands were itching to trace her beautiful curves and especially her two best friends.

Maria bent closer until they shared their breath with each other. " Just call me Maria", she said before covering his mouth with hers. She always thought it was better to act than talk it to death.

Michael thought he was in heaven when she pushed her tongue carefully towards his. Both duelling, trying to win the battle, no one wanting to give up. Then she left his lips and trailed hot kissed down on his jaw. After that she worked on his throat. He was so sure that he either exploded every moment or he woke up to notice that he had a dream. He enjoyed the slight nipping and forced himself to let his hands were they were, what was pretty hard for him. Speaking of hard, his pants shrunk the last seconds and it was getting uncomfortable for him. But suddenly everything stopped and he heard a strange sound, it was like a quiet snoring. Pulling Maria forward, he saw that her eyes were closed. Great, he was so aroused that he could bang anything and she just feel asleep on him. He fought with himself if he should wake her or let her sleep. Almost pounding his head on something heavy he opted for the latter. Laying her carefully on the couch, he took the thin blanket on the back, made himself comfortable behind her and covered them both. Angrily he watched the rest of Lord of the rings until he also feel asleep with his left arm protectively around Marias hip.

Next morning

Maria was the first to wake up after their party night and immediately noticed that it was too bright to open her eyes, the reason she closed them again. Her head was painfully throbbing totally in sync with the twisting in her stomach. She felt like a truck had hit her while some hammer worked on her head. Surprised she felt a slight breeze coming from behind her and something was poking her in the butt. Startled she turned her body around, of course carefully and not too fast or else she would lose her dinner from yesterday. Slowly opening her eyes she gaped at the sleeping face of Michael. He was looking different, more at ease and not so guarded like he did when he was awake. She liked that, although she also liked his usual grim expression. Forgetting her hurting head and her upset stomach for a moment she traced his features with delicate care, feeling the light stubble on his cheek and the hot breath blowing on her fingers. He was even hotter so unkept and his hair mated to his head, it gave him something dark and dangerous.

" Could you stop that. It tickles".

Maria pulled her hand back shocked. She hadn´t even realized he woke up. Slightly ashamed she stood up, trying to hide the hurt at his obvious gruff way. She thought that last night had changed something. Evidently not for him. " It´s a wonder you can feel something. Your face feels like a cactus. I almost scrubbed flesh off of my finger".

Michael finally opened his eyes at her snappish comment. Woah, what went up her ass this morning? Someone got up from the wrong side of the bed or it was pms. " Meow. Retract your claws, Catwoman".

" Oh shut up. You know what stop talking to me altogether", Maria rubbed her temples while she walked into the kitchen to get some aspirin. Men were the worst that could happen to a woman, especially those who were hard to judge. God should have sent a manuel for them or at least some warning signs so that all females knew who was bad and who was not.

Michael couldn´t figure her out. Firstly she´s behaving like a snobby princess, then she showed him her softer side and now she was like this bitchy cheerleader. If she started throwing up green soup he was immediately calling a priest. " What is your problem? Did you remember that you forgot your favourite pair of shoes or what is it?".

Maria counted to ten before she exploded and killed him. She should stay calm and mature about that. They were adults and old enough to discuss this like civilised people. But after a few seconds she gave a damn about being mature and she threw the bottle with the aspirin at him. When she heard it hit her target she hide her laughter behind her hand. Now she felt a lot better.

" What the hell did you do that for? Are you mental", Michael stormed into the kitchen with the bottle in his hand and pushing it under her nose. He was pretty angry and the vein on his throat was throbbing visibly under the skin.

Maria smiled innocently at him, making an appearance like butter wouldn´t melt in her mouth. Something she learned from her mother before she could talk or crawl. It had saved her ass from many punishment. " Why are you so angry? I just thought you needed some aspirin for your headache. No need to get all riled up".

Michael lifted his hands, close to strangle her. Unfortunately he would risk a lot of money when he killed her. So he swallowed his anger and stomped away from her. He decided to get out and let the fresh air clear his head a little. But when he opened the door he was startled, because someone was standing in front of it just in the process to knock. Instantly Michael drew his weapon, which he had been having in the back of his jeans and pointed it at the guy staring scared at him. " What are you doing here?".

" Yo bro, put the gun down".

Maria hearing the ruckus in the hall walked towards the voices. Surprised she saw an unfamiliar face standing outside. A man with a dark mowhawk, more holes in his face than a golf court and a dirty smile. His blue jeans were torn at places and she saw a nipple piercing outlined through the tight black t-shirt. But despite all that, he was looking like Michael " Oh my god? Who are you?".

Michael turned to her, apparently not amused to see the other man at this place. Scratching his eyebrow he grinned sheepishly. " That´s my twin brother Rath".

TBC