AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am gonna be finishing up the sequel to Friends First (AKA ...and then A Couple) after this one is over...ther's about six or seven more chapters...that is if I do not change the ending for the hundreth time! Enjoy!

-Kristin

MICHAEL
She looked absolutely amazing. She had her hair pulled back into a tight bun and was wearing black tight pants. She looked like any other average New Yorker, but she wasn't. There was not one average thing about this woman, and that wouldn't be because of her royal status.

When no one was looking, I pulled her into Lilly's bedroom.
"When'd you get here?" I said as we embraced. I started kissing her neck feverishly. Like a teenager worried that his mom and dad would walk in on him with his girl.
"A few hours ago."
She looked tan. I hated how Genovia always had beautiful weather. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was looking forward to this expression on your face," she giggled. "Why didn't you warn me about all this?" she asked, rubbing my head.
"Ready for another expression?" I asked as I leaned in to kiss her.
We really should not have started what we did because it was almost painful to pull away from her. "We should really get back to everyone else, huh?" I asked.
"Probably."

We sat next to one another at dinner and I kept my hand on her knee the whole time. God had I missed this woman. I had thrown myself into work to diminish the feelings, but I couldn't get rid of them.
"So, Mia, how long you in town for?" Nolan asked.
"Well, tomorrow I have an appointment with Lilly and the other bridesmaids to get our dresses. Then I'll leave on Monday morning," she replied.
Too soon.
"My father's coronation is coming up, so there's a lot of things I have to finish up," she said, looking at me. "I have to finalize the plans for the ball and whatnot."
Who would she be going to the ball with? "Got a hot date for the ball?" Tony asked, looking at me.
She shook her head. "The night isn't about me, it's about my father. I'm sure Prince William and Harry will be there. I can dance with them if I had to."
No competition there at all for me, right? "Too bad Michael couldn't go with you," Lilly said, "Like the prom," she said with a smile.
Mia shot her a death glare. Now I am to assume that Lilly knows about that night. "That would be nice," Mia said, squeezing my knee.

"I think I am going to head out," I said getting up three hours and ten beers later.
I was a little buzzed, but my years of drinking with the boys had hardened me up.
"I'm going to go back home," Mia said standing up after me. "Michael, would you take me?"
I nodded and grabbed my coat, I handed her her own coat. We ignored everyone sharing knowing glances. How much did they know, exactly?
We said our goodbyes and left the cramped apartment. Once we were outside I swung her around and kissed her hard. "By God Woman, I missed you!"
She laughed, "I couldn't tell!"
We huddled closely together and walked in the opposite direction of her mother's apartment. We were heading toward mine.

I hadn't shown her my place before, and I was definitely not expecting her to be coming in that night. I prayed that it wasn't too messy. "Welcome to my humble abode..." I said making a grand gesture.
She smiled and laughed at me.
"It's nice," she said, after she made a through inspection of it. "Cozy."
"That's a nice way of saying small isn't it?"
"No," she said with a smile, she looked at me strangely for a moment, like she was thrown back in time or something...that is, that she was reminded of something. She wrapped her arms around my waist. "So what about this tattoo you were telling me about?"
"Well, you'll have to seduce me first. I'm a man, not a machine."
"So I have to turn you on first?" she teased.
I sat down on my lazy boy. "Yup."
She smiled. I loved that damn smile so much.
"How do I do that?" she asked huskily, sitting on my lap and whispering into my ear.
I shrugged, "I think you can figure it out."
She started unbuttoning her blouse. Okay, that was all I needed (yeah, going two months without this was NOT a good idea).

She giggled as I carried her off to my bedroom. "Damn, doesn't take much?" she teased. "I guess you have been lonely..."
That nearly killed me. I mean, I only almost slept with one other person, but I felt so guilty. I don't know why though, we weren't together and never would be. Although, I do believe we are going to have to continue an affair, I don't think I could handle not seeing her, or touching her like this, for very long. I think I'd go insane.
"The tattoo?" she questioned. I pulled down my pants and revealed the tattoo on my pelvic bone.

She fingered it gingerly. "Why this?" she asked softly.
"I got it right after you left."
"A broken heart?" she asked.
"It's how I was feeling," I explained, turning toward her. I lowered my body so that we were lying on the bed. "I'm sorry, but it was."
She didn't say anything though, she just kissed me. I laughed as her hands felt the top of my head "Sorry you couldn't run your fingers through my hair."
She laughed, "We are all allowed a dumb haircut."
"You don't like it?"
She gave me a look, "It's....interesting. Unexpected."

She was gone by the time I woke up the next morning. She left a note saying she would be with Lilly for the day and then was going home to her mother's. I was sure I could entertain myself for the afternoon.
In the note she promised me that she was all mine on Sunday.
That was, after she went to church.
I never understood it. Once she went to Genovia she got all religious on me. I didn't like organized anything, including religion.
She explained that her grandmother encouraged her to go, and in the end the liked it. Joshua had even converted for her so she could marry him. Now that is real love.
I spent the day doing nothing. I played video games for a little while, ran some errands, but nothing too major. Lilly called and invited me out for dinner with her, Tony and woman she went to college with named Kelly.
"No thanks, Lil."
"Michael...you aren't going to win her over," Lilly said suddenly.
"Excuse me?"
"Mia and you. It'll never work. She's still stuck on Joshua. She's a princess, you are...well, a rocker."
"Whatever Lilly. I'm happy with my life. Ever think I want to be a bachelor?"
She scoffed. "Yeah, right. Big brother, you need to get some ass, and I mean like, NOW."
She sounded like the guys now. "What makes you think I don't get any?"
"You are bitter, not so much today, I can only imagine what happened after you guys left my place. normally you are really cold and bitchy.
I laughed, "You are too, does that mean you and Tony haven't?"
"Actually, we haven't since we got engaged. We decided to do it again only after the wedding."
This was more than I needed to know. "Okay Lilly, I'm gonna go now. Later."

I went to sleep at a reasonably early hour that night. I hadn't spoken to Mia at all, but I knew she needed to see her mom. I was woken up by a tapping at my window.
I looked at the clock, three AM. I put on my light and saw Mia crouching on my fire escape. I laughed and opened the window, "What are you doing out here," I said, helping her in.
"I didn't have any other way in," she explained like it was that obvious.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
She shrugged and fell onto my bed. "I dunno. I was bored."
"So come to me for some entertainment?"
"Why not? You are a professional entertainer."
"True, but I was a sleeping one. And I charge," I said with a wink.
"Want me to go?" she asked, leaning back on her elbows.
She looked cute, and very un-princess-like. "No. I never said that. Want something to eat?"
She shook her head. "Can you hold me?" she whispered.
"Everything okay?" I asked, lying next to her. I put my arms protectively around her.
"Yes," she lied. "Well, no. Not really. I had a bad dream..."
"Oh?"