A/N: This is of course, a Michael/Maria fic b/c they are the best! I'm not exactly sure what episodes this spoils, so just don't read this if you haven't seen the episodes with the destiny thing or Courney. Also, some details, such as hair color and such, may be wrong, I apologize in advance. This is my first Roswell fic, I wrote the first part during science class and the rest just flew on the paper in 2 hours. Please review b/c i luv feedback!! Enjoy!!
Disclaimer: Obviously Roswell does not belong to me! (I wish. :-( )

"Hey there Spaceboy," Courtney winked at Michael as she sashshayed into the kitchen.
Michael took a deep breath, trying to control himself so he wouldn't blurt out what he was thinking, Thats Maria's name for me, don't call me that! Instead he smiled back and said, "Hey Courtney."
It had been awhile since the destiny thing and he was still trying to stay away from Maria. He figured the only way she would take the hint is if he began flirting with other girls. It wasn't that Michael didn't love Maria. He loved her more than life itself. But that was the problem. He couldn't stand breaking her heart. He knew that if the time ever came for the alien quartet to travel back to their home planet his little blond pixie would be devastated. He had only wanted to relieve some of her inevitable future pain by breaking up with her before it even happened.
Flirting with other girls had been part of the plan. The fact that there was a hot girl like Courtney who actually wanted to flirt with him (and more than that!) was just a nice bonus. Of course, he didn't think she was half as gorgeous as Maria.
Speak of the devil or angel is more like it, Michael thought as Maria strode up to the counter.
"An ET special and two Will Smith burgers," Maria said softly, then added as an afterthought, "Please."
Michael just grunted, even though he was dying to ask if she was ok. Maria had been alternating her attitude toward him since it had happened. Most of the time, she acted fine, even rude to him, but sometimes, like today, the sadness caught up with her. It was tough to fight off all of the emotions swirling inside of her to remain calm, cool, and collected.
As Maria began to walk back over to the tables she was serving, Courtney commented loudly to Michael, "I can't believe you actually DATED that blonde bitch! Oh wait. Now I remember, didn't you tell me the other day that you just felt bad because the washed up whore kept following you around like a little lost puppy?"
Courtney smirked as she hooked her arm through his. Michael didn't dare look at the girl, fearing that he'd be too tempted to rip the skin off her face. Instead he glanced over at Maria, expecting to see her in tears. So, he was shocked to notice that she looked furious, if anything.
Maria stalked through the kitchen with her eyes flashing dangerously until she was face to face with Courtney.
"Listen up you little skank. I don't care if you flirt with Michael, date Michael, kiss Michael, hell you can SLEEP with the jerk for all I care!" Maria was now staring at the object of her affection, who just kept his eyes on the floor. "Do whatever you want with him because I honestly don't care anymore. You can have him, be my guest! I've realized that he doesn't return my feelings and I've mov-"
"Very generous of you Princess. Don't mind if I do," Courtney smiled sweetly then wrapped her arms around Michael's neck and pulled him into a kiss. Michael got through the brief lip-locking by imaging that it was Maria's lips on his, Maria's arms around his neck, Maria's hair he was playing with. But it just wasn't the same, so he thanked God when his ex-girlfriend stepped up and yanked them apart.
"Excuse me?" Maria looked upset. "I don't think I was done talking!"
"Shut up, ok? You don't get it, do you? We don't care about what you have to say. So just go -"
Maria cut off Courtney with a sharp slap across the face. Courtney looked shocked while Michael let a small smile appear thinking, that's my girl!
"I said, I wasn't FINISHED!" Maria was almost shouting by now. "I will NOT tolerate trash like you talking SMACK about me behind my back or especially right under my nose. If you EVER say those things about me again, I'll..."
Maria stopped for a moment racking her brain for an appropriate threat. With this flight pause Courtney replied, "You'll do what slut? Are you gonna get one of your little buddies to hurt me or are you stupid enough to try yourself?"
"That's it!" Maria shrieked as she lunged towards the girl. She pushed the girl into a nearby counter, screaming obsenities. As soon as Courtney raised to arm to punch Maria in the face, Michael ran up and grabbed it (A/N: Courtney's arm I mean!) and said quietly, "If you dare lay a finger on Maria, I will kill you in a second, got it?"
Courtney looked surprised, but didn't speak as Michael grabbed Maria by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. He carried her to the Jetta, Maria screaming the whole way there, "Put me down right now! I mean it you asshole, let go of me!" She kicked him with all her strength but he held on.
After practically throwing Maria into the passenger seat, Michael jumped into the other side and finally spoke, "Give me the keys."
"No, I have a better idea: Get out of my car now so I can go home! You can't just boss me around like that anymore!!"
"Maria, when did I ever boss you around?"
" When you knew I loved you. You knew Michael, you knew that I loved you so much I would have done almost anything for you. Then you used it against me."
Michael sighed. "We've talked about this before Maria. Now please give me the keys and I'll drive you home."
Without another word Maria reluctantly handed over the key ring. No matter how hard she tried to deny her true feelings, she still loved him.
After a silent drive home, Maria locked herself in her room, so Michael couldn't follow. Before she could stop the tears they began to fall down her cheeks, wetting her pillow. How could he have told Courtney that he only pretended to love her because she was a pathetic groupie of sorts. After several minutes of sobbing, Maria heard someone opening her window and climbing inside her room. She knew who it was without even raising her head. "Get out," she whispered. "Please just leave me alone."
Nothing hurt Michael more than watching Maria in pain. He couldn't stand to see her cry. Maria felt her bed sink down as someone laid down next to her and put their arms araound her waist, drawing her closer to them

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THE NEXT MORNING:
Maria woke up, feeling awake and refreshed. She reached out next to her and felt an empty bed. "Figures," she shook her head and began to cry once again, silently this time until a slip of paper caught her eye. She picked it up and read:
Maria~
I'm sorry I left. I had work, so I'll be at the Crashdown. I promise I'll come by later.
Maria smiled to herself as she saw that above his name, Michael had written and erased From, Love, Yours forever, and Sincerely to finally settle on Your spaceboy.

AT THE CRASHDOWN:
Maria was just about to call out Michael's name when she saw him talking to Courtney. She stopped abruptly to peek through the glass of the door, watching and listening.
"You don't understand, ok?" Michael sounded annoyed.
"Well, then why don't you explain it to me! Tell me why you'd rather be with that ditzy, whining aromatherapy freak than moi?" Courtney looked smug as she ran her hands up Michael's chest.
He pushed her hands away and replied, "Because that ditzy, whining, aromatherapy freak is also funny, and happy, and amazingly beautiful. And by some strange twist of fate, I, Mr. StoneWall, have fallen madly, insanely in love with her! And maybe I'll never be able to tell her that to her face, but they say actions speak louder than words, so...She'll figure it out someday."
"Michael, I don't get it though? I thought YOU broke up with HER?!" Courtney looked angry.
"I did, ok, it's a long complicated story, but the bottom line is I have got to get her back. Breaking up with Maria was the biggest mistake I ever made and flirting and stuff with you isn't going to help much. So just...layoff I guess is what I'm saying."
"Yeah, I'll stay away from you, I just can't guarantee that you'll be able to keep your hands off me!" Courtney smirked.
"It'll be hard, but I'll manage somehow," he held back a laugh.
Maria decided now was a good time to make her presence known. She pushed open the door calling, "Michael? Where are you?"
Courtney pushed past Maria through the door. Michael turned around, his face rapidly changing so he showed none of the emotion he had just talked about.
"Hey. I'm right here."
"Yeah, well, thanks for taking me home and staying with me during -"
Michael cut her off saying, "Yeah, it was nothing. Don't mention it, it's not that big of a deal."
Maria sighed, Is this how it's always going to be? He'll never be able to admit his true love for me! I'll just have to help him along a bit.
"Look, Michael. I heard what you just said to Courtney...about, you know, loving me...and well I just want to know if it was true, what you said?"
Damn, I can't repeat what I said before to Maria!
Michael chose the coward's way out saying, " Yeah, well I just said all that, so Courtney would get off my back. She's gotten really clingly lately and I..."
Michael trailed off as he saw Maria's eyes fill up with tears. "I was so stupid, I really believed that you had changed or something..."
She turned to go, but Michael pulled her arm, turning her around in his arms. Before she could speak again, he had closed his mouth over hers and was kissing her. Maria allowed herself to be caught up in the moment, feeling his arms around her and his fingers in her hair. Suddenly, she realized what was happening and pulled back.
"No!" She shouted, "You can't keep doing that Michael! It's not fair. I'm not going to let you just use me whenever you feel like making out."
"You're right. Just kiss me one more time and then you can walk away and never come back," he pleaded.
"How DARE you ask that of me! You are a complete and total jerk Michael Guerin and I never want to see or talk to you ever again!" By now Maria had started to cry for the millionth time that day.
Michael spoke softly as he dried off her tears with his thumbs, "Please Maria. Just one more kiss, it's important. I know you won't regret it!"
She could barely stop herself as they kissed once more. This time Maria began receiving flashes almost immediately.
~Michael staring at her in middle school during Social Studies class.
~Michael getting mad when Maria's first boyfriend dumped her.
~Michael and Maria's first kiss.
~Michael excited to meet her in the eraser room.
~Michael punching a hole in the wall of his apartment after breaking it off with her.
~And finally, Maria felt a surge of emotions. The strongest was love, for Max and Isabelle, but most of all, for her. She could feel the love running through him, the pain he felt when they couldn't be together, and his anger that he was too scared to admit this to her.
She broke off their kiss and looked up into his eyes. "Michael," she whispered.
"Did you see anything? Did it work?" Michael asked breathlessly.
"How come that never happened before?"
"I was holding back from you because I was afraid to show you everything inside my head."
"Then why now?"
"Because the only way to stop losing you is to show you how I feel since I can't tell you myself."
"You love me! You really do."
"Yeah."
"Then why did you -?"
"I cared too much to see you get hurt. I know it sounds stupid, but it's the truth. I only flirted with Courtney to make you hate me and to forget about you."
"Well, thenyou failed miserably because I never stopped loving you."
"Yeah, it took me awhile to realize I had made the wrong decision," Michael held Maria to him, "So, do you forgive me?"
She pretended to think for awhile. "Well, you DID call me ditzy," she reminded him.
"BUT, I also said you were amazingly beautiful." He smiled at her.
"I know. I supposed I could look past your erring ways, just don't make any more stupid mistakes ok?"
"I'll try. It's just so hard to even see straight when I'm with you. God Maria, but it's even worse when you're not around."
"Ok, who are you and what have you done with my real boyfriend?" Maria laughed. "I'm just kidding. I love you Michael."
"I...I love you too Maria. A lot." They kissed again as beautiful music plays in the background...

PLEASE REVIEW, THANX FOR READING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!