Chapter Thirty:

"Put me down…right now or I swear…"  Maria yelled her hands flying in the air connecting with his back forcefully.

He abruptly dropped her to her feet staring at her his chest heaving from the anger racing inside him as he watched her stumbled before she caught herself.

"What the hell was that?"  She demanded staring angrily at him as she held onto the desk behind her for support.

"What did I do?"  Michael asked returning her angry stare his hands repeatedly clutching into fists at his side.

"Not everything has to do with you."  She yelled her heart racing as she stared at him.

"Okay…I understand that, but what did I do for you to treat me the way your treating me…Maria?"  He demanded.

"Michael…"

"Damn it.  Stop playing games with me.  Just tell me what the hell I did."  He yelled moving to stand in front of her.

"Awwwww…" She screamed covering her ears with her hands.  "This has nothing to do with you…okay."  She yelled as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Maria."  He yelled as he felt his anger fighting for control.

"It's about, Liz."  She said turning away from him.  "I'm worried about her…okay."

"Okay…your worried about Liz, so am I, but I'm not declaring war against you over it.  Why are you treating me like shit, Maria?"  He demanded.  "Why?"  He yelled grabbing her and turning her to face him.

"Michael… I'm sorry all right.  There… are you satisfied …I'm sorry." Maria yelled her eyes filling with tears, but she'd be damned if she'd let them fall in front of him.

He watched the moisture as it filled her eyes.  Watched her struggle to keep them from falling.  'God why do she always have to be so stubborn?'  He could feel the anger inside him melting away being replaced with a need to hold her as his eyes trailed the single tear that raced down her cheek   His heart slammed against his chest when she looked up into his face, her concern for her friend shooting like daggers into him.

He pulled her abruptly into him taking her mouth with his.  She stood passive for a moment before she gave into the kiss, holding his head tightly.  "Oh…God."  She moaned as he pulled her forcefully into his body eating at her mouth. 

"Michael…Michael…"  She moaned as her desire for him raced through her and she released everything, but the need to feel him close to her.

"It stops now."  He growled.  "What ever you have to do, do it."  He demanded as he continued to eat at her mouth his hands roaming her body as the control he'd held over himself evaporated giving his desire for her free whim.  Reaching behind her he hauled the contents of the desk onto the ground as he pressed her backwards to lie on its surface.   Grabbing her thighs he hauled her to the end of the desk pressing her to his body as he leaned over her capturing her mouth again.

As the loud knock on the door penetrated his passion dazed mind Michael pulled away slightly looking down into her face drawing huge amount of air into his lungs.  Closing his eyes his shook his head trying to clear it as he fought his body's need to ignore the interruption and satisfy the hunger racing inside him.

"Must we relive the degusting episode last night?"  Isabel demanded before making her way to the stairs.

'God I swear.  It's like their in heat.' She mumbled her brews drawn into a disapproving frown.

"Oh…my God."  Maria moaned closing her eyes.  "Awwww… how could I have been so stupid?"  She sighed banging her head repeatedly on the desk.  "I can already feel my words being forced down my throat."

Grabbing her head before it could hit the table again Michael captured her eyes with his.  "What did I do know?"  He demanded.

"Michael…"  She whined covering one of his hands on her head.  "This has nothing to do with you.  I sort of jumped all over Liz this morning about what happen last night and here I am doing the same thing I went ballistics on her for."

"Your kidding right?"  He asked pulling away from her abruptly frowning.

"Yea…well I wish I was, but I'm not." Maria said pushing herself to a sitting position.  "I said some really mean things to her."

"I'm sure she's over it by now."  He tried to reassure her as he ran his hand through his hair and over his face.

"I don't know Michael…I said some really ugly things about Max."

"Yea… well I'm sure it wasn't any thing you haven't said before."

She couldn't look at him.  "Well…I sort of called him a child molester."  She admitted.  "I mean I didn't mean to say it out loud, it just sort of slipped out."

"You what?"  Michael yelled his heart slamming against his chest as the blood in his veins raced inside him.  "God…Maria…do you know what you've done?"  He demanded.

"Calm down Michael."  She said.  "I'll apology again tomorrow as soon as I see her."

"Maria… shit…shit…"  He murmured as he held his forehead in his hand his eyes tightly closed.

"What?"  She shouted as she watched the worried look on Michael's face.

"Do you remember that day in the diner when Max pulled Liz's hand up to his mouth and kissed it?"  He asked.

"No…I don't… what are you getting at…Michael?"  She demanded her uneasiness settling firmly inside her again.

"God….Maria.  That was one of the things Mike used as his defense.  He calmed that Liz let Max molest her in public and he was only trying to reprimand her."  He sighed.  "Some bull about trying to lead her to the right path.  Shit…shit…"

"Those were his words?   Molest her?  Damn it Michael answer me.  Is that what he actually said…molest her?"  She demanded her heart suddenly racing inside her as her tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Yes."

"Oh God… Michael?"  She felt her heart breaking inside her and she embraced the pain. 'How could she have said such ugly things to her?'   "I didn't know…I didn't know."  She cried throwing her hands in the air as she turned away from him. 

"Maria…it's going to be alright."  He said grabbing her and pulling her into his arms.  "It's okay…you didn't know.   It's okay."  He repeated as he held on to her and closed his eyes. 

Pulling out of his hold her cheeks soaked with her tears she stared at him.  "No!  Damn it Michael.  Why didn't you tell me?"  She demanded jerking away from him when he tried to pull her into his arms again.

"I'm sure everything's okay."  He grabbed her again, holding on tightly when she tried to pull her arms away.  He took a couple of deep breaths as he stared at the ceiling.  "Max will take care of her."  He tried to reassure her.  "He will."  He said capturing her eyes with his.  "Liz's well-being is the most important thing to him.   God…there's been so many times when I've wanted to beat some sense into him when he'd put her first.  Nothing means more to him then Liz.  Not his parents, not me, not Isabel, not even the people waiting for him to save them…nothing.  I've come to understand that.   He'll take care of her."

"Michael…"  Maria cried throwing her arms around him.  "when will this end?"  She asked holding on to him tightly.

"It takes time, Maria.  It takes time."  He said closing his eyes as he held her crying in his arms.  "But it will.  I swear we'll make sure she's okay.  I swear."

TBC