Author's Note: I know. It's been wicked long huh? You really have no idea how much has been going on .Well, one of you do.

When we last left..

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mia asked innocently.

I gave her a look, "Do you really need me to tell you?"

She smiled, "Maybe you could give me an example?"

Michael:

I put the book down on my nightstand and took her face in my hands and kissed her intently. I tentatively opened my mouth and she mirrored my actions. I had only heard stories from Kevin about this 'French kissing', but I was very much interested.

We were kneeling on our knees on my bed, exploring the intricate regions of one another's mouths with our tongues. "Michael, we should stop…" she said pathetically as she rested her head on the crook of my neck.

"Didn't you like that?" I asked, worried I had done this wrong. She would most likely know considering she probably had done that with princes in Europe.

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"I just…I didn't know if I was good…you know, compared to…"

"Compared to who?" she said with laughter in her eyes.

"I dunno….other boys back home?"

She stroked my cheek, "Don't be so foolish Moscovitz," she said, taking my nickname for her and turning it on me. "I am simply saying we should stop because I enjoyed your….your kisses too much," she said blushing. "Honestly-"

Before she could finish the sirens went off. "W-What's going on?" she said, nervous.

"Help me," I said pulling the curtains. "We have to pull them all back," I explained.

Her lip started quivering, "What's going on?"

"It's only practice," I said calmly, looking at my watch. "They do this from time to time. Follow me."

I knew it was useless to try to get her to do anything. She was too scared. "Are the Germans here?" she asked shakily, looking around nervously.

"No," I replied, hoping I sounded more sure of myself than I really was. "They just have to make sure we are prepared in case of an attack. They black out all the lights."

She sat in the hall as I raced up and down to make sure all the curtains were drawn. "Now what?" she whispered.

"We wait."

"How long?"

"Well, about a half an hour or so the sirens will stop. Then people are allowed to come out again."

Her lip quivering spread to her tears.

I took her into my arms, "It's okay sweetie…ssh now," I said not knowing what else to say.

She looked up at me and leaned in to kiss me.

MIA:

I don't know what came over me. I just kept kissing him. It made me not think of the reality that was outside. That there were the same sirens that had gone off when my family and I escaped through the secret passages in the palace. The sirens had been put on so that no one would see us. Everyone would be hidden in their own homes with curtains drawn.

Michael was very kind and let me just kiss him silly. He must think I'm what do you say….easy? But I'm not sleeping with him or letting him touch me in bad places. It's only tongue kissing.

I remember this one boy last year tried to stick his tongue in my mouth, so I bit it. He was no longer my dance partner.

But Michael's…I cannot possibly begin to explain it. He didn't jam it in my mouth like Edgar had. Michael was gentle. Sweet. Kind. Made me get that light in the belly feeling. So I reciprocated.

It's an odd thing. No one had actually told me not to kiss boys, or to jolly with them on their hallway floor. But I know that Simon had been scolded for doing this (or something like it) with a servant girl right before our birthday. I do believe that they had been in love. That he had promised to return for her after the war.

Suddenly we realized that the sirens had ended. That his family would soon be returning. That they would most likely not like seeing Michael and I kissing in their hallway, with no one else home. He walked me to my bedroom and stood in the doorway, still kissing me.

"Michael, it is very late," I scolded. "You mustant keep me up like this."

"At this rate I'm going to be up for a long time anyways."

I looked at him and tried to read his mind. I hated when he made that face. I couldn't read it at all. "Fine. But I do require eight solid hours of sleep."

He pecked me on the cheek and winked. "Then goodnight princess," he whispered.

I sat in my bed with my nightgown on and brushing my hair. I had dyed it before I left the palace so that no one would recognize me. They had just released the family portrait and everyone had made a big deal about my 'beautiful blonde hair' right before we left. So my parents thought it would be smart to dye it black. No one would notice it on the ship this way. I missed my long blonde hair. It had been my one true beauty before they made me hack it off and dye it.

The blackout was all the talk at school the next day. Lilly badgered me about what happened while she was gone. I simply smiled at Michael and turned red.

"Oh, nothing."

"Yeah, if you call that mark on my brother's neck nothing," she said rolling her eyes.

I looked at Michael's neck while he was reading a book at his locker. Oh no! I had left kiss marks on him!
"Michael," I hissed.

"One second," he said. "Lemme finish this....what's up?" he asked, holding my hand.

"Your neck!" I hissed again.

He touched the spot and smirked, "Oh well. No big deal."

"Did your parents see?"

"I was wearing my muffler this morning. I'll stay in my room tonight. No one will notice, I promise," he said looking around before kissing my cheek. "Don't stress. You look cuter when you don't squish up your face like that."

MICHAEL:

It was really hard to pull away from her last night. But I had already had a feeling that she'd be able to tell exactly how happy I was to see her if I hadn't.
I walked her to all of her classes, everyone knew we were officially together. Well, other than my parents. But I think my mom knows.

"I hear you are making it with that new girl," Josh Richter whispered during English.

I rolled my eyes. "No."

"You haven't done it with her yet?" he asked. "But she's living with you. Why not?"

"Because I'm not like that," I hissed. I knew what would happen. I would be the one to be in trouble. Josh never was.

"Mr. Moscovitz? Do you care to tell me why Beowulf wanted to slay Grendel?"

Kevin and I made our way to our new jobs that afternoon. "At the rate we are going we'll have enough for our dates right before I leave in December," Kevin announced proudly.

Then it would just be me. And Mia. For some reason I was okay with that. Like, that was all I really needed now. Man. I was growing up. Scary.

"Do you ever wish you could spend all your extra time with Miranda?"

He smiled, "Totally. I'm..um..." he started, pulling me aside, "I'm going to propose tonight."

"What?" I said quickly.

"Yeah. My mom gave me her engagement ring to give to Miranda."

"Why tonight?"

"Why not tonight? I mean, then she'll have a few weeks to plan a wedding before I leave. Plus, it's our anniversary. Four years now."

I shook my head as I wiped down the counter. "You are nuts."

"But I love her. I don't care what everyone else thinks. You'll stand up for me, right?"

I nodded, "No question about it pal. OF course I will."

He gave me the biggest smile, I knew right then that he was doing the right thing. "I couldn't live with myself if I left her here all alone. She'll live with my mom while I'm gone. They'll keep one another company. Then when my dad and I get back she and I can get our own place. I'll work in my dad's company."

I nodded. He had it all planned out.

"What are you going to do?"

"Probably finish school. Go to college. I hear that they are giving veterans free education."

"After you serve for two years or something."

"Still. I could do that."

"Be away from Mia for that long?" he teased.

"What about you and Miranda? How will you do it?"

"Hopefully we'll have a baby. Then they have to station me stateside."

"Stop talking like a grown up already," I said shaking my head. "Talking about babies? You are nuts."

"Well…that's the other thing. She's kind of hoping to be pregnant now. That's why we really did it last week…before I told you and Felix. That way no matter what she'll have a part of me with her."

"Don't talk like that man…" I said biting my lip. He was talking about a reality that we could all face. Dying out there.

He shook his head, "I know. We'll all get back here like we planned. Have a celebratory lunch right here in the diner."

I nodded. Somehow I knew we wouldn't. Not all of us.