Part 20

Maria browsed through the hundreds of titles in Michael's movie collection, mentally marking each one off of her list of possible entertainment options. Every single one of them so far fell into one of two categories: action-packed and full of fight scenes and gunplay or porn.

She pulled one of the small plastic cases off of the shelf to scan the description on the back before quickly deciding that it wasn't acceptable either. Several shelves later she pulled out what looked like a science fiction, but one glance at the title on the front cover ruled it out - Lust in Space… yeah, she wasn't interested in space porn. Leave it to Michael to have that in his collection, she thought with a roll of her eyes. Curiosity had her reaching for the next one and she wondered if it was really a documentary; it was completely out of place in his rather… disgusting collection. Oh, well, the only thing on television was sports, news, or porn, so surely a documentary would at least alleviate her boredom for a little while.

She popped the case open and frowned down at the… was that the movie? she wondered as she lifted out what looked like a small square microchip. She had assumed the cases held regular DVD's, it hadn't occurred to her that the media in this universe would look so different. She moved to stand in front of the wall where the television was mounted and her gaze slid over the stereo system built into the wall on one side of the fireplace. She moved to the opposite side and scanned over what had to be this universe's equivalent of an entertainment system. Like the rest of the electronic equipment, it was built into the wall but there were no buttons, knobs, or dials on the face of any of the components.

Maria returned the movie to its place on the shelf and wandered around for several minutes before finally taking a seat on the couch. She was tired of sitting around the house day after day; she didn't mind cooking and cleaning in exchange for staying with Michael, but she was used to paying her own way. She needed to be doing something to provide for herself, but she also needed something that would keep her mind occupied.

The loud roar of the motorcycle's engine brought her out of her thoughts and she sighed tiredly; she wasn't in the mood to get into another argument with Michael. She could feel every nerve ending in her body as they responded to the sound of the door slamming and his wallet and keys landing on the counter.

Michael grabbed a beer from the refrigerator before going into the living room in search of his houseguest. "Nothin' on TV?" he asked as he dropped down in his chair.

"No. I thought you might have a movie worth watching, but I was wrong." She picked at a thread on her shorts and shook her head. There wasn't a single classic movie there; not sci-fi or even an action adventure movie. His collection was so limited! What about television series? Didn't they exist in this universe? She would even settle for a space opera like Star Wars! Star Wars… Harrison Ford, now that guy was hot! She would love to just sit down and watch him play his Han Solo role, while eating ice cream and giggling with Liz. "You don't even have Star Wars," she mumbled.

Michael looked at her. What the hell was she talking about now? "Star what?"

"Wars," she corrected. "Star Wars."

Trust her to quibble over every little thing, even the title of a fuckin' movie. She was the kind of girl who liked to be right all the time. "What is it? War movie?"

Sure, mention the word war and he was interested. Men, they were all the same! "After seeing your extensive movie collection, I can't imagine that there's a war film in existence that you don't already have, but, no, it's not a war movie. I'm surprised you don't have it considering your tastes include sci-fi." She rolled her eyes. "Granted, most of your sci-fi is filled with graphic violence or sex - "

Michael smirked. "That would be graphic violence and sex. What's the movie about?"

"Well, it's actually more than one movie," she said and went on to describe the basic plot of the film.

He slouched down in his chair and listened to her as she talked about a movie that she had obviously seen more than once. He was getting close to the end of his beer by the time she started to wrap up the lengthy description. "So, the pilot and the princess, do they get it on or what?"

Maria rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I even bother."

Michael smirked. Yeah, they got it on. They had to. They were bickering, fighting, just like the two of them and she didn't want to tell him that because she knew what he would say; that it was just a question of time before she fell into his arms like that Leila girl. Or, Lola. Or, was it Lara? He shook his head. Whatever.

She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the cushions. She knew that expression. He was happy with himself for some insane reason. What was it about Star Wars that could possibly put him in such a good mood? she wondered. "So, you've never heard of the movies?"

"Nope."

That was crazy. A world where Star Wars didn't exist? Her Alex would have a heart attack if he had known about that! "They must've never been made in your universe then; you'd have heard of them otherwise," she muttered.

He grunted, the sound non-committal. "I suppose they're Mr. Perfect's favorite movies?"

Maria shook her head. Why did he insist on believing her Michael was like that? She had already told him that he wasn't like that. "I've already told you that Michael and perfection have never been synonymous. But, no, his favorite movie would have to be Braveheart."

"I've heard of that one."

"Have you seen it?" Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when he shook his head negatively. "Considering your preference for that type of storyline I'd think you'd have seen it."

"Looked more like a romance with some fight scenes thrown in when they aired the commercials." He shrugged. "Not really interested."

"You should give it a chance; I think you'd be surprised. Do you think maybe we could make a deal?" She rolled her eyes when his features immediately expressed interest. "Not that kinda deal," she denied, laughing when his expression turned petulant. "Take me someplace to rent something worth watching and I'll make a meal that you'll love for dinner."

Michael's stomach almost jumped for joy at her offer. Damn, he was getting too used to her cooking. But she knew how to cook and she knew how to make spicy recipes that his alien side just loved. "I guess we could do that." He went into the kitchen to toss the empty bottle in the trash and then retraced his steps. "I'm gonna go take a shower. We can go get a movie after I'm finished."

"Michael?"

He didn't know how he knew, but something about her tone alerted him to her next topic. "I'm not arguin' over the bedroom."

"I have no interest in fighting about it; I also have no intention of giving that room up." Good lord, he was so stubborn. But she wasn't going to give up; the bedroom was hers, period.

Now that they had formed a tentative truce and she wasn't bitching at him about anything and everything he wanted to enjoy it for a while. "Keep the fuckin' bedroom; I don't feel like movin' all that shit anyway. Can you be ready in fifteen minutes?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer.

Maria watched him go and tried to avoid thinking about him in the shower. Naked. Wet. Probably horny. Scratch that, he was horny all the damn time. She shook her head, horrified with her own thoughts. What was wrong with her? This Michael wasn't her Michael. He was a pig who unfortunately had her Michael's face and body. That was all. Right. She sat on the couch while waiting for him. That was all.

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"I've been thinking," Maria said when she heard him enter the room behind her exactly fifteen minutes later.

"Oh, hell," he muttered. "That doesn't sound good."

Maria took a deep breath. She wasn't going to get angry… nope, she wasn't going to. "Can you just listen to me for a few minutes before we get into another argument?" She hurried to continue when he gestured for her to go on with whatever she had to say. "I'd like to find a job; there's gotta be someplace around here that's looking for a waitress. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone about you - "

"You wanna find a job?" he asked, surprised.

She bristled, not liking his tone. "Contrary to what you might think I'm not used to someone else paying my way, and I'm so bored I could scream." Who did he take her for? Some princess used to people pampering her? As if! It was time that he learned who the real Maria DeLuca was.

"Well, since that's not the kinda screamin' I'm interested in hearin', maybe we can work somethin' out."

Maria shook her head. And here they were, back on the subject of sex again. The man was completely obsessed. "Do you ever pull your mind out of the gutter?"

"On the rare occasion." He shrugged. "You're the one who brought up the topic of screamin', not me."

"In reference to boredom, Michael, not… not…" She trailed off, exasperated by his one-track mind.

"Not a sexual connotation?" he offered helpfully. "Too bad. Anyway, about the job idea, I might be able to help you with that."

Maria watched him closely, wondering what he was hiding. He wasn't the kind of guy who played nice without expecting something in return. "You?"

Bitch! What'd she think, that he had no friends? Now, he was offended. "Hey, I know people. I know someone who owns a bar in L.A. and I can probably give him a call and get you in the door."

"Uh-huh," Maria said slowly. "I didn't say I was looking for a job as a stripper."

Michael snorted and waved the hand holding the bottle in the direction of her upper body. "Baby, guys aren't gonna pay good money to see what you've got."

"As I recall, what I've got didn't stop you from looking," she snapped. Dumbass! How dare he insinuate that she wasn't pretty? Okay, she wasn't a sex bomb, she knew that, but she wasn't ugly to the point that guys wouldn't pay to see her dance topless! Wait, what she thinking? God, Michael was driving her insane; there was no other reason for her train of thought. Dancing topless? With guys paying to see her? Was she really so disturbed by his words that she would try to cheer herself up by picturing herself as a topless dancer just to prove him wrong?

He held his hands up, hoping to stop her before she could really get going. "Trust me on this; you'd just be wastin' your time. Now, before you get your panties in a twist, just hear me out; like I said, I've got a buddy who owns a bar L.A. and he might be willin' to hire you to waitress out at his place."

Maria remained wary; she just knew Michael had something up his sleeve. She had to ask, even though chances were good that he would act innocent. "What's the catch? There's gotta be a catch."

Michael couldn't help the pang in his heart when he heard her skepticism. He shook his head to clear his mind. No reason to be hurt or anything. He supposed he had given her plenty of reasons to doubt him. But damn, for once, he was being sincere! "You wouldn't be workin' as a stripper, the waitresses aren't topless, and the guys who hang out there know better than to lay so much as a finger on any of Gabriel's girls."

"So, let's go talk to him," Maria said, feeling interest in something for the first time in too long. Not to mention that she hadn't left the house in close to two weeks and she was going stir-crazy. She was so excited she could kiss him! And if he wasn't so much of an ass that he would see it as an invitation to engage in sex she might have even considered following through on that thought. "Can you call him today?"

The sparkle of anticipation in her eyes and the flush of excitement in her cheeks tugged at something inside of him and he moved across the room to put distance between them. He didn't understand these weird, unexpected… feelings - there was no other word for the damn things - that kept cropping up at the strangest times when he was around her. "No."

No? NO? Oh, come on, she finally had a goal, something to look forward to! She tried to push her advantage, now that she had one. "C'mon, Michael, let's go talk to him today!"

"No." He shook his head. "I'll give him a call tonight and if he's got a spot open we can go talk to him tomorrow." He made a gesture when she remained sitting on the couch. "Are you ready to go?"

Maria jumped up and crossed the room. "Yes."

Michael watched her as she gathered up a couple of necessary things before breezing past him on her way to the garage. His dark eyes slid over her bare legs beneath the shorts and he growled low in his throat. She was fuckin' killin' him, he thought as he followed her.

In the garage Maria opened the passengers' side door and slid inside, congratulating herself on getting her way as she buckled her seatbelt. He thought he was so smart and she knew he was so certain that he had won the battle, but she had him right where she wanted him. She hadn't had any reason to think that he would set up a meeting with his friend tonight, but if he'd had his way they wouldn't be going to see the guy until the next time he felt like going into the city.

She smirked when he stepped into the garage, checking his pockets as he walked to the vehicle. Now, despite his plans, they were going to see her potential employer tomorrow. That'll teach him, she thought triumphantly.

Michael pulled the door closed behind him as he entered the garage, pleased with his ability to tell her no. Damn woman thought she was so smart and as he glanced at her through the windshield, he could tell she thought she had won the battle. He shook his head and opened the drivers' side door. They would go and see Gabriel when he was good and ready, and that would be tomorrow. If she'd had her way they'd be on their way into the city right now. That'll teach her, he thought with an internal grin.

He reached for the garage door opener clipped to the visor and pressed the button to open the door. "What's for dinner?" he asked, privately enjoying his win.

"You'll have to wait and see." Maria rolled her window down, loving the feel of the warm early evening breeze as it brushed against her skin. It was nice to not be arguing with him for a change and she was determined to take advantage of it for as long as it lasted.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria frowned at the name of the bar as she and Michael approached the front entrance the next day. "Azrael's Sanctuary?" she questioned.

Michael shrugged as they stepped into the cool, dark interior where Rafael was waiting behind the counter. "She's with me," he said as he removed his weapons and placed them in the bin sitting on the counter.

"I'm two steps ahead of you, Guerin." The big man grinned. "As always. Gabriel's waitin' for you in his office." He turned and slid the bin into one of the lockers before slamming the door and locking it. "You've got locker twenty-four today." He held a large hand out in Maria's direction, shaking her much smaller hand when she accepted the gesture. "I'm Rafael."

"Maria," she said with a smile.

"Good luck with that job interview. And don't let Gabriel's appearance fool you; he's a big softy," Rafael advised.

"Um, thanks?" Was Gabriel that scary? she wondered.

He chuckled and waved them inside, leaning against the counter as he watched them with a speculative gleam in his gray eyes. Since when did Guerin show this much interest in any woman? Sure, she was cute, but he had never known the younger man to get this involved with a woman; the kid was notorious for his refusal to form attachments. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the entrance when the door opened and another agent stepped inside.

Gabriel glanced up from the ledger he was writing in when someone knocked on his door. He motioned for the woman standing with Michael to enter the office as he stood and rounded the desk. He held a hand out, preventing the other man from coming inside as he reached for the door to shut it.

"No one asked you to come inside, Michael." He smiled at the younger man's dark look. "Go grab a beer and we'll be with you when we're finished." He shut the door in Michael's face and shook the young woman's hand before gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk as he returned to his seat. "You can call me Gabriel," he said as his gaze scanned over Michael's… friend.

"Gabriel…" Maria trailed off, fishing for a last name.

"Just Gabriel."

"Oh, like Madonna," Maria said with a big smile. Sure, the man was big but she was getting good vibes from him.

He frowned. "Who?"

"Madonna." Okay, if he hadn't heard of her, she must not exist in this universe either, Maria thought. "Nobody, just a singer where I'm from." No Star Wars, no Madonna… She wondered what else was different. She had just scraped the surface, apparently, and she was going to have other surprises along the way. Maybe there wasn't a Britney Spears. Hey, if she was really lucky, maybe there wasn't a Courtney, either. Her smiled widened at that one. Now that was a good thought!

Gabriel nodded dismissively. "Michael says you have a few years of waitress experience, but due to your current… circumstances, it isn't possible to contact your previous employer." He nodded and waved one hand dismissively when she shifted uncomfortably. "Don't worry about it, Maria; most of the girls who work for me have a past that they can't or won't talk about and I have no problem with that. Azrael's Sanctuary is a place that provides anonymity for patrons and employees alike; the guys know better than to cross the line with any of my girls and if they do they're gonna pay the price. This bar is a place where the girls are safe and off of the streets and the agents can unwind without worryin' about what they say or do."

"That's nice, that they have a place like this to come to," she said, impressed with Gabriel's generosity.

"No," he said, shaking his head at her naïve response. "It's not nice, it's necessary. The men and women who frequent Azrael's are trained to kill, to do whatever it takes to do their job and stay alive. They come here after missions to unwind and find a little peace before goin' back out into a world that can't understand what they do. It's important for them to have some downtime before goin' back out into society; you can't just take an agent out of the field where they're doin' everything they can to complete their mission and get out alive and just put them right back into an ordinary everyday situation. That's a recipe for disaster." He leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking as he stretched his long legs out beneath the desk. "They don't come here to engage in social conversation, or to answer curious questions about what they do or where they've been or anything else. You'll hear a lot of bullshit stories, and there're a lot of them, especially from the younger agents, braggin' about their heroics in the field and in the sack. They're raw, coarse, and they're gonna be tellin' a million lies about what they do and how they do it; don't buy into it and don't try to strike up a conversation with them. Just smile, serve their food and drinks, and move on to the next customer. Think you can handle that?"

Yeah, she'd have no problems with that. Between dealing with two Michael Guerins and waitressing for years, she was used to handling difficult people. "I can handle it. Although, to be honest, I enjoy talking and I don't want to promise that I won't…" She fell silent when he held his right hand up.

"Michael said you talked a lot. I don't have a problem with you talkin' to the customers as long as you don't pry for information and you keep up with your share of the work. Fair enough?"

Maria nodded. "More than fair enough."

For the next half hour they discussed schedules, wages, and expectations. The job would only get her out of the house three days each week - four if Gabriel was short-handed and needed the extra help - but she was still looking forward to getting started.

"So, I'll schedule you for the day after tomorrow." He shrugged. "Thursdays are slow so that'll give you a chance to get settled in and meet some of the customers. The people who come in here are already regulars; it's not often that we get new folks comin' by."

"Everyone who comes to this bar is in the same profession?" That seemed weird to Maria. A bar whose clientele was composed entirely of professional killers and mercenaries; she would have thought such a place existed only in television shows or books.

"In some capacity, yes, and since you came in with Michael I'm sure you noticed that Rafael asked for his weapons at the door. We don't allow anyone past the foyer if they won't turn their weapons in for safekeeping with Rafael while they're here. Some of these folks come in after rough assignments and it doesn't take much to start a fight if the mood's right; they're dangerous enough without weapons, so it's best if they're unarmed." Gabriel laced his fingers together and popped his knuckles before placing his hands flat on the desk. "Any other questions?"

"Did you choose the name for this place?" It was such a strange name, Azrael's Sanctuary. Thanks to Gabriel's explanation she could understand the use of the Sanctuary part, but she had a feeling that there was a story behind the bar's name and she was genuinely interested in learning about it.

"I did," he confirmed as he stood up.

Maria frowned when he didn't expound on his reason for choosing the name of the bar. "It's an interesting name," she said, trying to fish for an answer.

"Yep."

She stood and gathered up her purse and jacket when he said no more, accepting that the interview was over and he wasn't going to offer any further information. She stood and followed him out of the office, her eyes scanning the crowded room for Michael when her new boss moved behind the bar and started filling orders.

She finally located Michael standing around a pool table with several rough-looking guys and a tall, fairly attractive woman. Her gaze slid over the woman, taking in the shoulder-length light brown hair and her athletic, yet feminine, build. She seemed to be right at home amid all of the men and she didn't think twice about giving Michael a good-natured shove as she moved around the table to line up the next shot.

Maria was shocked when he just shook his head and grinned before sticking his foot out and pretending that he was going to trip the woman. She wondered if he had slept with the woman, but after studying her for a while she decided that it wasn't likely; she was considerably older than the women he was constantly and blatantly hitting on.

Michael eventually became aware of her scrutiny and he turned his head to look at Maria before glancing at Gabriel and then turning his attention back to the people he was with. "I hate to break the party up, but I've got some stuff to take care of. Sanchez, good luck with that assignment," he said, shaking hands with the slim Hispanic man standing to his right. "And, Stone, if you're gonna break the new kid in, be gentle." He winked at the woman leaning on a pool cue across the table. "I have a feelin' he's never been with an actual woman, so it's doubtful he has any idea what to do with his dick."

"I've been with plenty of women, Guerin," the youngest man at the table snapped.

"Not what I've heard, rookie." Michael smirked. This was going to be so easy.

"And what've you heard?"

"That you grew up on a sheep ranch and you had your pick of the herd since there was an extreme shortage of women out in the middle of nowhere." He smirked when the kid choked on the mouthful of beer he had just swallowed and he moved to place his pool cue in the rack mounted on the wall.

The kid was outraged. "I have never - "

"Chill out, rookie," Sanchez said before muttering something in Spanish under his breath. He didn't know why Michael always had to wind up the new kids, but he always singled them out and put them through hell.

Stone shook her head and bit back a smile at Michael's merciless teasing; the man had no shame and he would torment Hawkins until the rookie agent realized that the only way to shut him up was to stop taking the bait. "You gonna be back in this week?" she asked.

"Probably." He shot a glance at Hawkins. "Tell ya what, rookie; you survive a night in Stone's bed and I'll buy the first round next time I swing by."

The younger man snorted. "Might as well give Gabriel that order now."

Michael laughed loudly at the kid's smug tone. "I think I'll just wait to see if you're still standin' next time I see you."

Stone watched him, her gaze speculative as she followed his progress across the room to the short, blond woman waiting at the bar. He paused to talk to Gabriel for several minutes before he motioned for her to walk out with him, and she wondered who the woman was and what she was doing with Michael.