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When they entered the living room, Liz was the first to spot them. "Maria!" she screeched.
Maria was almost tackled by the tiny brunette. "Whoa, there. Careful, you might knock me over," she said returning her embrace.
Liz pulled back and did her best to give Maria a glare. But the action was dismissed by the tears in her eyes. "Don't you ever do anything like that to me again! Do you hear me?"
"Yes, Liz. I'm sorry I disappeared like that."
Liz threw her arms around her neck again, before allowing anyone else to greet Maria. After greeting Tess and Isabel, Maria turned to Alex. He was shaking his finger at her like a child. "Do you know how worried we all were about you? Do you know that I found a gray hair this morning? I think you put it there," he said seriously. It took all he had not to laugh.
Maria giggled and ran to her best friend. She threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up, swinging her around in a full circle. He set her back on her feet and tried to step away. He was stopped because Maria refuse to relent her hold. "Ok, Deluca. Gotta let go. Come on, my woman might get jealous."
Maria finally let go. She finally turned to Kyle. "Well, future-step-bro, how's life?"
"A lot quieter since you been gone."
"How's my mom?" she asked hesitantly.
"She's worried. When we got the call to come out Liz went and saw her. She told her that you were fine, and would be calling soon. I think my dad is with her, so he should be able to keep her calm."
"I'm glad she has your dad to help her." She went and embraced her almost brother. "Thanks for coming, Kyle."
"No problem, Little Sis."
Cole was the first of the new additions to speak. "I think we need to get acquaintances out of the way and get down to business."
The teens all looked at him. Maria and Michael knew how he was, but the rest were somewhat intimidated by his daunting attitude.
After making formal introductions the whole group sat down to discuss the problem at hand. Leo decided he should be the one to tell the teens their story. After sharing everything the group fell silent. Isabel was the first to react.
"You mean to tell me that you people are witches?"
"No. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are witches. I am a whitelighter. Sort of a guardian. Cole, there, is just a half demon."
"Demon?!?" gasped Kyle.
"Don't worry guys. He is only half, and besides he's a good guy," said Maria.
She didn't say anything while Leo was spelling it out for everyone. But she could see her friends were having a hard time accepting the truth. She could see confusion written in all their eyes.
"Guys, I know this is a lot to take in, but it's all true. I just found out about my part in it yesterday."
"How come you never told us any of this? Didn't you trust us?" asked Liz, sadly.
"Of course I trusted you. But it wasn't my secret to tell. They were my sisters, I couldn't let them down. There was too much at stake."
Max finally spoke. "Then why did you tell them about us?"
Maria was afraid they were going to ask this. She knew Michael accepted her answer readily enough, but he loved her. He would understand either way.
Michael spoke before Maria had a chance to respond. "She told them for the same reason Liz confided in Maria. She knew that she could trust them. She knew they would never do anything to harm us. And I, for one, agree. I have only been here a couple of days, but they are willing to lay their lives down for each other. That's a group I don't mind knowing my secret."
Everyone was a bit shocked by his outburst. But no one more so than Max. His brother had always been the voice against telling anyone their secret. But now he was advocating telling perfect strangers. But he had to agree. After hearing the story of the attack today, he could tell that these people were loyal.
Max settled back against the couch, showing that the answer he was giving was good enough.
"But we need to talk about what happened today at the beach," said Cole.
"That guy knew what to do to stop me. It was almost like he was anticipating my moves," said Michael.
"Is there anyone, besides the people in this room, who know about you guys?" asked Phoebe.
"Only my dad," replied Kyle. "But he would never spill."
"Is that it?" asked Leo.
"Well, and Nasedo. He was our protector, but we haven't heard from him in a while. He went to Washington to help dismantle the special unit. I haven't had any contact since this summer," shared Tess.
"Could he…" began Cole.
"No. He wouldn't give us up. He protects us," interrupted Tess. She had been raised by Nasedo, and he was the only father figure she had. She would not believe that he would sell them out.
"Well then, there has to be something we are missing. But for now, I think we need to figure out how to track The Source and figure out where he plans to strike next. And until we do, I don't think Maria should leave the house," said Prue.
"But…" Maria began.
"No, Little Bit. You are safer here than anywhere else. At least here we have control over who comes and goes," interrupted Cole.
Maria hated when Cole got all protective. He never relented once he set his mind to something. But she did smile over his pet name for her. When he used she knew he meant business.
Maria sat back in a huff with her arms crossed. Once Cole saw that she wasn't going to fight he continued. "I think that you guys should find a motel for the night."
"Why can't they stay here?" asked Phoebe.
"I don't think it's a good idea for all of our firepower to be under one roof. If something happens within these walls there won't be anybody on the outside to help."
Everyone nodded. Liz, Max, Isabel, Alex, Tess, and Kyle all rose to leave and find a cheap motel for the night. "Michael you coming?" asked Max.
"No, he stays with me," Maria said adamantly.
"I think I should stay," Michael said calmly. "I wouldn't be able to sleep with her here and me there."
Max nodded and they left.
"Well that went well," said Phoebe.
"I have had a long day," Maria said. "I think I am going to take a long hot shower and go to bed. Goodnight."
"I'm gonna stay and talk for a while. I will be up later," Michael said rising to kiss her.
"'Kay. Don't be too long."
The Haliwell sisters decided to go through the Book to see if there were any spells to scrye for The Source. The exited, leaving Cole and Michael alone.
Once Maria and the others were gone, Michael turned and faced Cole. "Why are you so protective of her. I mean, believe me man, I appreciate it. But I was just curious."
"When I was younger I had a little sister. She was killed by The Source. The blast was meant for me, but she jumped in front of me. She saved my life. Maria reminds me a lot of Clarisse. I want to make sure that she doesn't suffer the same fate."
Michael nodded. "Thanks for trusting me with that. I am glad to know that even though I can't be there for here 24/7 that she has people she can trust. It helps that they all have special powers," Michael laughed.
Cole smiled. "Before I met you I didn't like you. Maria would call upset and tell us everything that was going down in Roswell. The night she called and said you walked away I could have killed you. But after seeing you with her I can tell that you love her, I mean really love her. But I will tell you this. You hurt her again, and I will find you."
"If I hurt her again, I will send you a detailed letter on where to find me. I don't intend to ever hurt her like that again," Michael promised.
"I will hold you to that," said Cole as he left.
Michael sat alone for a while. It was times like these that he really stopped to think about the turn his life was taking. But right now all he could think about was how he was going to keep Maria safe and alive.
He must have been sitting there longer than the few minutes he had intended because before he knew it Maria was wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Hey, Spaceboy. Whatcha thinking about?"
"Hey, nothing much. Just thinking. What are you doing up, I thought you were going to bed?"
"I did," Maria stated. "But I woke up and saw that you hadn't joined me so I came to find you. Everything OK?"
Michael brought around and on to his lap, cradling her like a child. "Better then OK," he said kissing her.
They stayed that way for a while, alternating between kissing and sucking. Michael decided they needed to stop before he couldn't.
He pushed her back slightly. "Come on, Maria. Let's go to bed before your family walks in on us in the morning."
Maria giggled and rose, allowing Michael to rise. They made their way up the stairs and went to bed.
The next morning the Roswell gang arrived bright and early, ready to begin the search. Piper fixed everyone breakfast, hoping that talk could wait until after. But Cole immediately began discussing their next move.
Unfortunately, the Charmed Ones were unable to locate The Source with conventional locating spells.
"I wonder if Maria used her power she would be able to locate something," suggested Phoebe.
"We can't risk it," replied Leo. "If Maria uses her powers he will be able to pinpoint her exact location."
"But we have to do something. I can't just sit and wait for him to come to me," said Maria.
"I think we should let her try," said Cole. "She may be the only one powerful enough to break through his barriers."
"But what if it doesn't work. Then he will now where to find her," said Alex.
Isabel piped up. "What if she did it somewhere else? Like the park or something. That way he would go there, but she wouldn't be there."
"That's not a bad idea," said Leo.
"We could even try and block her signal," suggested Tess. "We have the ability to block ourselves. I bet if we really concentrated we could block her from someone else."
"And if we are all with her, then we could protect her while you show her the spell," said Michael.
Maria could see that her sisters were still wary about the idea. "Please," she pleaded. "I can't stand this constant waiting and wondering. I want to be able to go home. I miss my mom. But I will not take this back to Roswell with me. I want it over now. Please, let me try."
Prue finally gave in. "Alright, we will show you. But we have to be very careful. The last time you tried your powers you almost ended up comatose."
Maria leapt up and gave her sister a hug. "Hey, this time I will have you guys to watch out for me."
TBC |
