7

As their shifts winded down, Liz headed to the back and quickly removed her alien hair accessory and put it on top of the lockers. She was absolutely wiped out after the long day that she'd had, and she was fairly certain that Michael felt the same way.

Just as she thought about him, he appeared in the doorway to the kitchen and caught her eye. And then he gave her one of those smiles. One of the ones that she'd seen him use with Maria in the past, and she suddenly felt light headed. Her stomach then flipped and she felt a plethora of butterflies erupt behind her rib cage, trying to escape…and she couldn't understand why she was reacting in such a way. This was Michael, for crying out loud! But the instant she tried to rationalize it in her head, he approached her and gently placed a hand on her waist and then dropped his lips to her ear.

"So…"

Just one word and she felt her heart rise in her throat. It was a compromising position should anyone walk in and see them, but she didn't really care. Her eyes were locked on his shoulder, the tight shirt only emphasizing the muscles hidden beneath.

She snaked her hand up to it, unable to resist the urge, and pressed her fingertips and the palm of her hand into his shoulder. She then leaned in and took a deep breath, inhaling the unpleasant scent of fried burgers and onions, but underneath it she could smell him. And it was nice. More than nice, actually, and she wondered just how he would smell freshly out of the shower, and at that thought the sudden image of Michael in nothing but a towel, with a faint sheen of water all over him, appeared vividly in her mind's eye.

A spark ran down her spine and settled into a low burn.

Unnoticed by both of them was a pair of not-so-surprised blue eyes that stared through the small window into the back room. The man attached to the eyes stopped his hand that had been about to push against the swinging door and then simply shook his head and walked away.

They continued to enjoy the moment, and then Michael gently tightened his fingers on Liz's waist and whispered into her ear, "When do you want to tell everyone?"

At that, all of her reactions to his close proximity went cold. The butterflies were now dry husks on the pit of her stomach, and her heart was suddenly level with them, as well. He wanted to what? Tell them? But…why would he want to tell them so soon? Nothing had really happened, not really. They had shared a few kisses and a few touches; was it really that important?

He pulled back slightly, feeling her stiffen beneath his touch at his question.

He could see the look on her face. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, and he realized he would have to quickly rectify the situation.

"Liz, are you okay?"

There was a pause, and then she nodded. After an uncomfortably long pause, she pulled back from his hand, looked him in the eye, and then said, "I…I guess I'm just surprised that you want to tell them. I mean, it's not like it's something that everyone needs to know right away, is it…?"

Michael then realized that she hadn't thought through what was going to happen next, and he quickly explained his reasoning.

"I…I know it seems sudden, Liz, since it just happened last night, but I'm positive that I want this to happen, and it can't happen if Maria still thinks that she has a shot with me, and even if we decided to tell only Maria…well, how long do you think it would stay a secret?"

Her body, which had been tense with apprehension, eased up and she dropped her stiffened shoulders, slowly understanding his point of view.

"Yeah," she said, and she saw Michael's body language become comfortable, as well, at her admission. "You're right, of course," she added, waving a hand in his direction. "They need to know about us. And, besides, they're gonna have to know about the flashes. I mean, that can't just be a coincidence, now, can it?"

At that Michael's eyebrows rose. He hadn't even thought about that part of it.

Liz saw his reaction and a wry smile appeared on her lips.

"The flashes never even occurred to you, did they?"

He gave her a sheepish shrug and ran a hand through his hair, not quite meeting her eye, and said, "No…uh, not really. I guess…I guess since you had them with Max, I sorta thought that it didn't really matter that we, you know, had them, too…"

She could suddenly see his blazing insecurity and she walked back up to him and gently gripped both of his hands in her own, holding his gaze.

"Michael…this is different. Way different. With Max there were just stars and childhood memories filled with affection, which is sweet, I'll grant you, but nothing like what the two of us shared last night." She lifted one of her hands to his face and cupped his jaw. "With you…I saw everything. All the way up to how you felt last night at the Prom. And I felt something with you that I've never felt with Max."

She paused, making sure that she had his attention, and then said, "Passion. Admiration. Friendship." She paused a second time, running her fingers from his jaw up to the hair at his temple, gently brushing it away. "And there was something else there. Something that amazed me, Michael…"

"What?"

She gave him a firm look, holding his eyes tightly with her own.

"There was respect."

He looked surprised and confused at that and then hesitantly asked, "Why…why did that amaze you?"

A corner of her mouth quirked up and she just shook her head.

"You really have no idea, do you?" He nodded at her comment and she let out a small laugh. "Fine. I'll tell you why. Because Max, in all of his proclamations of telling me that he loved me, never, not once, truly respected me. He thought he had to protect me every step of the way and that he had to keep me out of harm by even cutting me out sometimes, keeping me behind him. But when the two of us kissed, Michael, I could feel your respect for me. I know that you want to protect me, but I know that you also expect me to stand on my own two feet and fight right beside you. Max only ever wanted to be between me and the world. You want to stand beside me and face the world together."

He looked at her in shock, and then, not caring if anyone walked in, suddenly took two bold steps forward and pressed her up against the lockers and pinned her with a fierce kiss. She moaned into the kiss, her hands rising up around his neck as she enthusiastically responded to it.

After what felt like twenty minutes, but was most likely only two or three, he pulled back, and was pleased with what he saw.

Her mouth was flushed and her eyes were glazed…and he decided that he wanted to continue seeing that sight for as long as he could.

They were both short of breath, but at the sound of steps on the stairs they pulled apart, and Liz hastily adjusted her uniform, trying to straighten it as best as she could so that whoever entered the room was not aware of what had taken place only moments before. She rubbed her fingers over her lips, feeling that practically anyone would be able to see the stamp of passion that Michael had just placed on her.

Michael merely tugged on his shirt and then turned to his locker, pulling it open with one hand as he untied the apron from around his waist with the other.

Liz looked up as the person entered into view on the stairs and she felt herself start to sweat. It was her father.

"Liz," he said, not noticing the fact that she was practically paralyzed at the thought that he had nearly walked in on her and Michael making out, "Do you think that you could do inventory with me this evening after we close up? I need to know what we need to order for our next shipment."

He seemed distracted, as he had a pen and a clipboard in his hand, so she simply nodded.

"Sure, dad. No problem."

As she said this, she turned to her own locker and snagged her alien headband from on top of the lockers and put it inside. She then took off her own apron and shoved it in next to it, and then was about to make a hasty exit upstairs, and she was already on the fourth step, when she then heard…

"Oh, Mr. Parker, Liz and I were going to have a study session later tonight. There's a science test on Tuesday and I kinda need all the help I can get…do you mind if I help out with the inventory so that Liz and I can have more time to study?"

Liz looked over at Michael in shock, her eyes wide.

He was lying? To her dad?

But then she was even more surprised when she heard her dad say, "Sure, Michael. The help's appreciated, and I'm sure Liz won't mind the extra set of hands." He turned to her, tucking the pen in his hand behind his ear. "Do you, honey?"

She just shook her head, not trusting herself to speak without her voice cracking.

"Great, Mr. Parker. I'll be by at closing."

Her dad just smiled and said, "See you then," and then walked back through the door out on the floor. Liz was about to say something, but then their second cook walked in and grabbed an apron off of the back shelf. After he'd walked into the kitchen, Liz glared at Michael from where she still stood on the stairs.

"Why did you just lie to my dad?" she hissed, and Michael could see that she was upset, so he quickly told her.

"Okay, one," he said, holding up a finger, "I didn't lie to him. We actually do have a test in science on Tuesday, so, I am gonna need your help on that…"

Her stance eased up at that as she remembered that he was right about that, and just as she was about to respond to his comment, he then walked up the first three steps, making the two of them at eye level, and dropped his hand and said, "And two…I thought that the two of us might need some time to figure out what to say to everyone about us. You were right about one thing."

In a surprisingly steady voice she said, "What about?"

He gave her a grim smile.

"It's too soon. And if we go to them and tell them that it all happened in one night, no one's going to believe us or take us seriously." She eased up even more, and then he reached out and put his hand on her shoulder and gently added, "Let's wait a few days. Let's actually study tonight, and then talk in the morning. Sound good?"

She nodded and let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah. Sounds good." He rubbed her shoulder reassuringly and she gave him a wry smile. "By the way, way to think on your feet back there. Trying to sneak in another session?" she asked, arching an eyebrow so that he knew exactly what he implied.

He didn't even bat an eye.

"You know I am."

She felt another spark, like the one that she'd felt before, and it ran down her spine, sparking all of her nerve endings along the way.

It was empty in the back room and they were partially hidden on the stairs. A million possibilities entered both of their minds, and Michael was ready to pull back, but was shocked when Liz took the initiative and in a flash of movement slid her fingers into his hair and pulled him forward for a brief but passion filled kiss.

It was over almost as soon as it started, and he looked at her in shock, slightly out of breath.

She then gave him a smile that he'd never seen before…it was downright mischievous.

"Then I'll see you then, Guerin."

And with that, she turned and raced up the stairs, and he could hear her laughing to herself as he watched her ponytail disappear around the corner at the top of the stairwell. He stared at the empty space for a moment longer, not quite believing what he was seeing…and then turned and walked back down the stairs, a low laugh escaping him. So, it seemed that Liz Parker was not the perfectly wholesome girl-next-door that she claimed to be.

Well, that was fine with him.

A wicked smile crossed his lips, and he turned back to his locker, stripping off his shirt as he did, and pulled out a cleaner shirt, looking forward to taking a shower when he got home.

Just as he was pulling it over his head, he heard the door between the back and the floor swing open.

As soon his shirt hit his belt line, a pair of feminine arms wrapped around his waist, which were attached to blonde hair and the most mercurial attitude that he'd ever met in his life. Oh, god. What was Maria doing here?

"Hey, sweetie," she said, leaning up for a kiss, but he managed to turn his head just in time so that it landed on his cheek, and then he quickly extricated himself out of her arms.

She gave him a look as he grabbed his coat and slid his wallet into his back pocket.

"Okaaay," she said, drawing out the vowel, immediately noticing his behavior. "What's up with the dodge?"

He gave her a shrug and then brushed her off the way that he usually did, knowing that she most likely would still think that he was simply being Michael, and then ignore it and still somehow believe that the two of them were back together, despite every "go away" message that he tried to send her, without ever trying to deliberately hurt her feelings.

"Gotta go home and get a shower. I've got study plans tonight."

There. He'd actually managed to tell her the truth. Not a single lie had been spoken. He was off to a good start. Now he just had to get out of there before she asked any more questions. He turned and headed for the door, but she grabbed his arm and turned him back around.

No dice.

"Really. Study plans, you? Yeah, sure, Michael…c'mon, you know you'd rather spend the evening with me, and, trust me, that can be arranged," she said, trying to slide her arms back around his waist, but he managed to dodge her grip and got his hand on the doorknob.

"Maria, I'm serious," he said, leveling his eyes on hers. "I've got a test on Tuesday and Parker's promised to help me study, so long as I pick up a couple of her shifts next week."

Okay, one lie had slipped in.

She gave him a look and then tossed her hands in the air.

"Fine! Fine. But don't think I'm giving up that easily, Guerin," she said, but it lacked any of the warmth and affection that Liz had when she had said it to him only a minute before, so he simple turned around and walked out the back door, praying that she wouldn't cause any more trouble.


Part 7/?