A/N: Sorry for the delay in the update but Finals hit and I was swamped but they are now over and I have winter break. So I'll stop and let you read the next chapter and please let me know what you think cause I have a couple of ideas as to where I am going and I want to know what you think of the direction it's headed.

Chapter 48:

I was trying to drag my feet as much as possible heading towards the admit area of the hospital right now. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend the time with old friends, but it was the fact that I had to spend time with Michael. There was some very bumpy history between the two of us and being trapped in a car with him. The thought of where conversation could go or might go was unnerving.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah I am." I said as I neared him.

"Great." He said smiling, "I'm so glad that you did decide to come with us."

I started to walk out with him, trying to keep my distance with out acting like I was keeping my distance, "yeah I am too. Just a little short notice but do able."

"It's nice to see you."

Lie, Tess, that's all you can do. "It's nice to see you too." I said hoping that he didn't read anything it that other than me being nice to him. It was taking everything that I had right now to manage that.

"So how is Chicago treating you?" He asked as he unlocked the car doors now that we were outside. "About ready to come back to Seattle and work?"

"Chicago is treating me fine." I answered as I opened up the car door to get in. This was shaping up to be a painful evening. "No I won't be coming back to Seattle."

"Chicago that good." He said, "they must be treating you really well."

"Its home now." I answered again.

"We all miss you around here; things haven't been the same since you left."

"I'm sure." I said trying to keep my tone in line. "But I'm not coming back."

"You should think about it." He said to me as we started down the road heading for the bar where we where all supposed to meet. "Man, taking you to the chapel again, been awhile since we've done this."

I wanted to tell him that there was no we in this, but I bit me tongue. "We'll there's a reason for that. So don't get to comfortable. I'll be going home in a couple of days, back to Chicago and back to what's my home."

"Ah a few hours with us and you'll change your mind." He said as he kept his eyes on the road but his hand moved into a place where it should be moving.

"Hands on the wheel." I said as I pushed it away.

He shot a quick smile, "yes ma'am." But didn't move his hand from where it was sitting.

"Come on Michael." I said, pushing it away yet again and letting out a giant sigh, "I'm not in the mood for this tonight. Save the sweet talk and the touchy feely for someone that you stand a chance with."

"Ah you know that's you." He said with that cocky tone, completely full of arrogance. He always could carry himself as if he was god's gift to woman kind.

"No," I said rather quickly and sharply back, "not a chance, you had it and you blew it. Never again."

"You might say that now, but we will see now won't we."

"Delusions of grandeur again Michael." I snapped back.

"One never knows, you know you regret us breaking up, that deep down inside you really don't want to go back to Chicago and I can give you the reason and motivation to stay."

"You know you really need to stay out of the narcotics." I said looking over at him, then casting my eyes out over the road wishing we would just be there already. "I don't know what planet you are residing on, but it's not the same one as I am."

"I just love your quick wit; adds to your charm Tess." He said.

"You are the only man that I know that doesn't take no for an answer and I swear to god that's going to get your into some serious trouble one of these days. You can only take advantage of people for so long, blind them to who you really are for a limited amount of time. It doesn't take much to see that you are really just a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"You wouldn't have said that at one point in time." He pointed out.

"Some people change and realize when they made a mistake." I said.

"Was that what we were, nothing more than a mistake?" He asked. "I don't see it that way."

"Getting involved with you," I said my tone taking a much more serious nature now. "Yeah it was a mistake, one that cost me more than anyone will ever know. You were my downfall and I still haven't recovered from it. I don't think I ever will."

"Melodramatic there Tess." He said. "You know you had just as big of part in the whole thing as I did. I didn't twist your arm."

I looked his direction once again, my stare icy, "no you just made sure that I was nice and drunk and then pretended to play the hero taking me home."

"I did take you home." He said.

"After a small detour that involved your apartment." I snapped.

"You were sober by the time we were there."

"Far from it Jackass." I replied back, "and you know it. That's what makes the maddest about the whole thing, you knew I wasn't all with it and yet you still did it."

"You are making it sound like you were some kind of victim." He said, "Tess, you never were a victim and you never will be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"You play the wounded virgin so well, but fact of the matter was, you knew what you were doing. You went along willingly, we'd all been drinking that night but you are adult, so act like it. I only gave you what you wanted at the time."

"What I wanted?" I was trying hard not to yell. "That was not what I wanted, but I couldn't have told you that since I was about ready to pass out. Thing is I didn't know until the following morning that you didn't get me home until 4 am. I was still half drunk then, nice lie that you told my mother, took her out for coffee and pancakes to sober up."

He pulled us into the parking lot now, turning off the car and then looking over at me. "I'm sorry you feel that way." He wasn't fooling anyone, "but it's over, it's done with, you can't change the decisions that were made."

I moved to get out of the car now, "yeah will they aren't the decisions that I made they were the decisions that you made." I yelled back. I heard the locks of the door click as I pulled on the handle and the door wouldn't open. "God unlock the door Michael." There was silence from the other side of the car as if he was thinking about something other than what I had just said. "Come on, unlock the car door, this isn't funny."

There was still nothing coming from him and I didn't like the silence that was in the car. Screaming in the parking lot of a busy bar wasn't going to get the attention of anyone. Most people were inside and the only people that I could see was a man stumbling as he leaned on what appeared to be a woman that was in about the same condition he was. "Michael come on; unlock the doors, conversation dropped. You know I won't say anything to anyone else about this."

I heard the car start up again. He was still silent not saying anything to me and the only thing breaking the silence was my begging him to unlock the doors.

"Please come on Michael, turn off the car, unlock the door and let me out. You are starting to scare me." I couldn't hide the fact that I was scared. I had no idea what was going on and I didn't know what he was thinking.

"Shut up." He said putting his hands to his head. "Just shut up."

I watched as he slammed the car into reverse, "I can't think with all that talking coming from your mouth."

It was when he said that, that I got really nervous and worried. I didn't have my cell phone on me and while I was expected in the bar, they would probably think that I just flaked out or that we got caught in traffic. I tried the door again but it wasn't unlocked and I couldn't get it open. As we peeled out of the parking lot and headed into the dark Seattle night I had a sinking feeling that this wasn't a good thing and I was in a lot of trouble.