Michael and Isabel sat side by side, attempting to catch their breaths after the pillow fight. It had only lasted about two minutes, but it was enjoyed tremendously by both. "So... who won?" asked Isabel.
"I don't know. I think we both gave up at the same time."
"That was... interesting."
"Yeah," said Michael, then, "What now?"
"I'm not sure. We can't exactly go anywhere," said Isabel, looking outside to the heavy pouring rain.
"I remember... the first storm after we were 'born'... It was my first night with Hank. Already, he wasn't much help. I was in my room, sitting on my bed. I was still taking in the situation, and then I heard this loud crack. I dived to the ground, not understanding what was going on. I could hear the rain pound on the trailer's roof. I slept on the floor 'cause I was... too scared to get up," he said with a grin.
"YOU were scared?" asked Isabel mockingly.
"Hey," said Michael.
"Kidding!" said Isabel with a laugh.
"What about you?" he asked.
"I'd been home for a few days, I just enjoyed everything... Max wasn't adjusting very well as you know... Anyway, I was in my bed, trying to fall asleep, when I heard the thunder. I sat up immediately. I wasn't gonna stay there, not knowing what was going on. So I got up and ran into my parents' room. When they saw me, they just smiled and signaled for me to join them. Sleeping between them... it didn't seem so bad anymore."
Michael looked down. "I'm sorry you had to go through it the way you did," said Isabel, noticing.
"Don't worry about it. I mean... I turned out okay, didn't I?" She nodded. "That's all that matters now."
"Yeah, I guess," she said, looking around the small apartment, "You got your own place..."
"... not exactly luxury..."
"... but it's better than Hank."
"Being HOMELESS is better than Hank," stated Michael. Isabel chuckled as she got up. "Where are you going?"
"You know, girls have needs... even in storms," she said as she headed for the bathroom. Once she'd left the room, he felt some kind of... pinch... in his heart... He needed to face it, something had changed, in the way he reacted to her, how he saw her... it wasn't like before. He had to admit to what was happening, or it would eat him alive.
Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice her walk back in. She took that opportunity to sneak up on him from behind.
"Hey!" she said as she tapped on his left shoulder. He jumped up slightly, his heart beating much faster suddenly. "Sorry," she said with a laugh.
"It's... it's okay." He looked to her quickly, then said, "Is... this might sound weird, but... remember the dreams?" She became silent. He knew she remembered... they would never forget.
"Why?" she asked.
"It's just I've been thinking... What if that boy does or... is meant to exist some day... what happens to him?" She understood. It had bothered her too.
"I don't know." Both became silent. "Is that what you want?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said, getting up, which startled Isabel. "I don't know what I want anymore. Everything is different... my life, my... feelings..." He stopped, realizing he may have said too much. He prayed she hadn't heard him, but knowing her, she'd probably figured it all out.
"Your feelings? What kind of..."
"Isabel, please, don't make me do this, I'm already confused enough," he said, unable to look at her for the moment. She stood right behind him.
"It's okay. Just... sit down, okay? I'll forget everything if you want me to," she said honestly. He hesitated for a second, then returned to his seat, soon followed by Isabel. She observed him... how he still couldn't quite look at her yet. She took a breath and spoke. "I know that all that's happened in the past month or two has been very hard and... a bit weird... But we need to get past it. Or... at least some of it. I still see him when I close my eyes... our son."
The words gave him a chill, although it didn't feel so bad. "When we thought... he was real... I couldn't explain it..."
"A real blood relative..." continued Isabel.
"The first... the only one I had." He looked down. "And then he was taken from me." Isabel was shocked. She hadn't thought about it that way... She felt bad for him. He'd wanted it to be real. She'd wanted it too, in a way, just not the same.
She was seeing a new person in him then... just as she had ever since she'd arrived that night. Somehow, there was finally a good side to the whole destiny thing. She only wished she knew what she was supposed to do about it.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" she asked.
"What was I supposed to say? You were freaked out enough, I didn't want to put this on top of everything." He'd wanted to protect her... from him? She put her hand on his.
"You can tell me anything, Michael. I'll listen." He breathed in and out, catching the smell of citrus from her hair. There was a sense of peace over them, like something huge had been lifted away from them. Because it had. They needed to break the silence... It was only making it harder otherwise.
"So... are you ready for finals?" asked Isabel.
"Almost," said Michael, jumping on the chance to talk.
"Good! That's... great."
"Yeah..." said Michael, then, "This is weird, uh?"
"Oh yeah," said Isabel with a small laugh.
"Used to be we could always find something to talk about," she continued, not wanting to use the whole 'almost brother/sister' thing.
"We still can," said Michael, "Not because we've... started seeing things differently... that we have to lose everything we had before." She thought for only a second, then nodded to him.
"Agreed," she said with a smile.
"Good," he said. She looked beyond him, noticing something. She got up and walked to the window. She pushed away the curtains and looked outside. She turned back to Michael.
"It's over," she said as she looked back outside, "The storm's over." He got up and stretched his arms out as he walked up to her. She glanced up at him. "I should get home. My parents will get worried... it they're home by the time I arrive. Plus I need to review my notes again for tomorrow."
"Okay," he said as she put her coat on, lifting her hair out and letting it flow over her coat. "So I'll see you tomorrow," said Michael with a quick smile.
"Yeah," she said as she left. He closed the door and leaned back against it. He just knew things would get very complicated in the next couple days. What would they do? What would they tell the others? How could they understand what had happened that night? Would they want to or be able to? More than anything, he needed it, couldn't deal with it all if he didn't have them behind him. They were like a support system, if that was possible.
Outside, Isabel walked slowly, enjoying the gentle breeze all around her. It didn't matter that she should be hurrying. That wasn't important anymore. It had been an interesting night to say the least.
But she would never forget it. Because that night... she'd found something important... a good side to destiny... a new respect for Michael... feelings she never thought she had... She had something to hope for... a future like she'd always wanted...
End of part 1
"I don't know. I think we both gave up at the same time."
"That was... interesting."
"Yeah," said Michael, then, "What now?"
"I'm not sure. We can't exactly go anywhere," said Isabel, looking outside to the heavy pouring rain.
"I remember... the first storm after we were 'born'... It was my first night with Hank. Already, he wasn't much help. I was in my room, sitting on my bed. I was still taking in the situation, and then I heard this loud crack. I dived to the ground, not understanding what was going on. I could hear the rain pound on the trailer's roof. I slept on the floor 'cause I was... too scared to get up," he said with a grin.
"YOU were scared?" asked Isabel mockingly.
"Hey," said Michael.
"Kidding!" said Isabel with a laugh.
"What about you?" he asked.
"I'd been home for a few days, I just enjoyed everything... Max wasn't adjusting very well as you know... Anyway, I was in my bed, trying to fall asleep, when I heard the thunder. I sat up immediately. I wasn't gonna stay there, not knowing what was going on. So I got up and ran into my parents' room. When they saw me, they just smiled and signaled for me to join them. Sleeping between them... it didn't seem so bad anymore."
Michael looked down. "I'm sorry you had to go through it the way you did," said Isabel, noticing.
"Don't worry about it. I mean... I turned out okay, didn't I?" She nodded. "That's all that matters now."
"Yeah, I guess," she said, looking around the small apartment, "You got your own place..."
"... not exactly luxury..."
"... but it's better than Hank."
"Being HOMELESS is better than Hank," stated Michael. Isabel chuckled as she got up. "Where are you going?"
"You know, girls have needs... even in storms," she said as she headed for the bathroom. Once she'd left the room, he felt some kind of... pinch... in his heart... He needed to face it, something had changed, in the way he reacted to her, how he saw her... it wasn't like before. He had to admit to what was happening, or it would eat him alive.
Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice her walk back in. She took that opportunity to sneak up on him from behind.
"Hey!" she said as she tapped on his left shoulder. He jumped up slightly, his heart beating much faster suddenly. "Sorry," she said with a laugh.
"It's... it's okay." He looked to her quickly, then said, "Is... this might sound weird, but... remember the dreams?" She became silent. He knew she remembered... they would never forget.
"Why?" she asked.
"It's just I've been thinking... What if that boy does or... is meant to exist some day... what happens to him?" She understood. It had bothered her too.
"I don't know." Both became silent. "Is that what you want?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said, getting up, which startled Isabel. "I don't know what I want anymore. Everything is different... my life, my... feelings..." He stopped, realizing he may have said too much. He prayed she hadn't heard him, but knowing her, she'd probably figured it all out.
"Your feelings? What kind of..."
"Isabel, please, don't make me do this, I'm already confused enough," he said, unable to look at her for the moment. She stood right behind him.
"It's okay. Just... sit down, okay? I'll forget everything if you want me to," she said honestly. He hesitated for a second, then returned to his seat, soon followed by Isabel. She observed him... how he still couldn't quite look at her yet. She took a breath and spoke. "I know that all that's happened in the past month or two has been very hard and... a bit weird... But we need to get past it. Or... at least some of it. I still see him when I close my eyes... our son."
The words gave him a chill, although it didn't feel so bad. "When we thought... he was real... I couldn't explain it..."
"A real blood relative..." continued Isabel.
"The first... the only one I had." He looked down. "And then he was taken from me." Isabel was shocked. She hadn't thought about it that way... She felt bad for him. He'd wanted it to be real. She'd wanted it too, in a way, just not the same.
She was seeing a new person in him then... just as she had ever since she'd arrived that night. Somehow, there was finally a good side to the whole destiny thing. She only wished she knew what she was supposed to do about it.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" she asked.
"What was I supposed to say? You were freaked out enough, I didn't want to put this on top of everything." He'd wanted to protect her... from him? She put her hand on his.
"You can tell me anything, Michael. I'll listen." He breathed in and out, catching the smell of citrus from her hair. There was a sense of peace over them, like something huge had been lifted away from them. Because it had. They needed to break the silence... It was only making it harder otherwise.
"So... are you ready for finals?" asked Isabel.
"Almost," said Michael, jumping on the chance to talk.
"Good! That's... great."
"Yeah..." said Michael, then, "This is weird, uh?"
"Oh yeah," said Isabel with a small laugh.
"Used to be we could always find something to talk about," she continued, not wanting to use the whole 'almost brother/sister' thing.
"We still can," said Michael, "Not because we've... started seeing things differently... that we have to lose everything we had before." She thought for only a second, then nodded to him.
"Agreed," she said with a smile.
"Good," he said. She looked beyond him, noticing something. She got up and walked to the window. She pushed away the curtains and looked outside. She turned back to Michael.
"It's over," she said as she looked back outside, "The storm's over." He got up and stretched his arms out as he walked up to her. She glanced up at him. "I should get home. My parents will get worried... it they're home by the time I arrive. Plus I need to review my notes again for tomorrow."
"Okay," he said as she put her coat on, lifting her hair out and letting it flow over her coat. "So I'll see you tomorrow," said Michael with a quick smile.
"Yeah," she said as she left. He closed the door and leaned back against it. He just knew things would get very complicated in the next couple days. What would they do? What would they tell the others? How could they understand what had happened that night? Would they want to or be able to? More than anything, he needed it, couldn't deal with it all if he didn't have them behind him. They were like a support system, if that was possible.
Outside, Isabel walked slowly, enjoying the gentle breeze all around her. It didn't matter that she should be hurrying. That wasn't important anymore. It had been an interesting night to say the least.
But she would never forget it. Because that night... she'd found something important... a good side to destiny... a new respect for Michael... feelings she never thought she had... She had something to hope for... a future like she'd always wanted...
End of part 1