Maria hugged the big strong man to her, so glad that he was there.
She felt safer knowing he was here, safer then she had felt in ages. She had never liked the feeling of being out of control, and this was definitely one of those times.
She thanked the stars above for her good karma, the god karma that had brought Micheal into her life, Micheal the cop, who was even now helping her with the problem that had presented itself in her garage.
Her pride and joy.
She was being tested that was her only thought.
But there was no way in hell that she was going to let anything happen to her heritage, not after they had worked so hard for it, sacrificed so much, put their other life's on part-time.
Isabel had only recently gone back to dancing in the last year after more then five years of working as a mechanic. It had been a big change for all of them. But it had sparked something in every single on of them.
Liz had gone back to her scientific roots and had even enrolled in night classes to get her degree.
Tess, well Tess was and she was only interested in one thing, cars.
Well two things really cars and guys who drove cars or mechanics. She wasn't all that picky.
And herself, well she joined DEMONICO, and had quickly become their lead singer. However they were getting really popular lately and all her weekends and even Wednesday's and Thursday's were always booked solid. Mondays through to Wednesday's didn't seem to be popular were they played. Probably due to people still recovering from the weekends.
But they were getting more popular and that was a problem for her, because it was taking her away from the garage. Something she didn't think she was ready for yet.
She listened with half an ear as she asked liz about where they had gotten then car and with his help they took the alloys from the wheels. Looking along the inside rim of the tyre, they could find no bags or anything that could hold the drug.
This was good.
That said, Micheal explained, it still meant trouble for them. The drugs had come from somewhere and even though they were only traces, the car had obviously plans for it, which were being interrupted being in their care.
His advice was to get rid of the car as fast as they could.
He was doing this for them, when it went against his instincts to report them. He was risking his job for them, and that was when Maria realised even though they hadn't known each other that long, in fact she thought wondrously they hadn't even really had a conversation, she was starting to care for the big porcupine.
Wait, she thought, Porcupine?
But it was true, his hair, spiked as it was reminded her of a porcupine.
He really did care for her, or at least was beginning to.
Hiding the evidence, they agreed to get Dino to come and get his stuff, and keep it quiet from the other girls until necessary.
Even though he protested, Micheal also agreed to keep it quiet from his brothers.
Grabbing the twister game from the cupboard, Liz waved it in the air.
This was their excuse for going down here.
Grabbing Maria around the waist, Micheal led her up the stairs, a solid presence at her back.
She could get used to this she thought sardonically.
But the way things were going she probably wouldn't even get the chance.
Savour it while you can girl, tomorrow is another day, her subconscious whispered.
A smirk flitted across her face, replaced by a smile as they entered the kitchen as Micheal found her ticklish side.
She intended to enjoy ever minute.
She was just thankful he had come down after her.
"Tess, guess what I got?" Liz shouted for her sister, winding her way through the tables and chairs scattered around the place.
Tess broke away from Kyle to answer "Out here." When Liz came to the balcony door, Tess turned to her pretending to think, ignoring the board game in Liz's hands.
"Your breasts have finally decided to appear?" laughing at Liz's pained look.
Dropping the game on the floor, she made to attack her when she noticed the laughter.
Cupping her hands over her breast as if feel their size and weight, she jiggled them a bit.
Smiling at Tess and ignoring the shocked guys around the area, she smirked "Nope they still there, bitch. Your just jealous yours aren't as pretty and perky as mine!"
Laugher bursting forth from her as Tess jumped of Kyle, and turned crimson in anger.
"I'll show you perky, bitch!" as Tess made to take of her top, Isabel came back just in time, not even showing shock at the sight.
"Tess, Liz keep your damn tops on." She spoke slowly, pronouncing each syllable so that it would get true the cloud of anger around Tess mind.
To the shock of Max, Alex and Kyle who were still seated around the table, they immediately complied. As if they feared something from Isabel, and unknowns to them, they did. They, as in the girls, remembered the last time.
The girl was pure evil when she was obeyed.
Liz just smiled, knowing she had won for now, picking up the board game that ad fallen to the ground, throwing it at Isabel.
Isabel caught it easily, reading the name on it "Neat, where the hell you find this? I haven't seen this since the Christmas party fiasco."
Liz answered back readily enough. "It was down in the garage, in the filing cabinet for some reason."
So that's were Dom had put it to keep it safe from Theresa. Good place to put it, Isabel thought. None of them ever went near the damn thing unless they absolutely had no choice, and even then it was more of close your eyes, push your hand through the rubbish and hope you picked up the right file.
Catching a glimpse of her watch, Isabel smiled. "Hi its nearly three, the tide should be in by now. Got your gear ready?"
Liz nodded, to caught up to notice the sudden paleness of two people in the room.
Isabel however did, and it warmed the little evil side of her.
She loved seeing people squirm, especially fine guys like the ones that were here. It made them human, and so much more likable, and was all the better when she could have her fun at their expense to.
"Okay, lets load up then. Has everyone got their swimsuits?"
Alex and Micheal, who had had appeared just after Tess had jumped of Kyle, saw their way out and jumped on it like a raft in the middle of the sea, and they were floating in it way out of their depth.
"I don't!" they shouted their answer unanimously at the blonde.
She shook her head in mock sadness, when she suddenly clicked her fingers and grinned evilly at them. "Well that's okay, we should have some spare suits here. We have got a lot of cousins and friends staying over."
The crestfallen looks on their face brought joy to the heart of the devious minded angel.
With heavy feet, they went inside, grabbed their bags, towels and a cooler full of drinks and brought them out to the car.
Taking the two cars for safety, Isabel made sure Maria, Alex and Micheal got in the car with her, and Liz and Tess went in the other car.
And as they grew closer to their destination she could see the paleness on their faces return, their hands gripping the arm rests with almost un-human strength, she smirked. This was going to be so much fun.
Swinging around the corner going up the cliff to the area she wanted, she took the corner with a squeak, and noticed the guys didn't even blink, to focused on the rising cliff side to notice anything else.
Again she repeated in her mind, this was going to be fun.
Turning on the radio to distract them so they wouldn't chicken out, he laughed at the song that came on. Motley's crew "if I die tomorrow"
God that was such a good song she thought, and then noticed out of the corner of her eyes, that the guys who were seated in the back seat were actually starting to make signs of the cross and praying motions.
This time she couldn't stop the laughter that burst forth from her. So infectious in its nature that Maria who hadn't seen what was happening in the back seat started laughing along side her, and then catching a glimpse of the mirror, could see into the back seat and started laughing even more out of control then before.
Alex and Micheal burst forth from their fear induced prayer seminar and starred hard at the laughing blondes in the back seat, unsure what they were laughing about and yet knowing somehow that it had something to do with them.
They took one look and each other and began praying again.
It was official.
The girls were insane.
And they were allowing them to bring them, perfectly sane guys, to their death.
There was just something so wrong with that scenario.
Pulling up to the beach, Isabel jumped out of the car, and looked around, shaking out the kinks in her shoulders and stretching her legs. There was just something so soothing about being near the sea.
Grabbing her towels from the boot, she laughed openly at the guys who were all but dragged out of the car by Maria.
Taking of her shorts and top, she wrapped the towel around her, and tying her hair up, took of any jewellery that might come off in the dive.
Maria came around to the back of the car, and did the same.
The guys refused to even be helpful.
They had decided to go on strike.
They had no choice but to be there, but that didn't mean they had to participate in it.
The girls had other ideas.
Taking of their tops, with some difficulty considering the height disadvantages, they thanks Kyle for having the foresight to tell them to bring their swim shorts, and thanks to good old karma they had put them on before they had left, or found out what they were going to be doing that day.
Opening the button on Micheal jeans slowly, Maria happened to look up, and watched him swallow with a look akin to panic on his face. Mistaking what the look was about she rested her hands on his hips, and looked up into his amazing hazel eyes, and spoke soothingly, having no idea what thoughts her touch were putting into her over active imagination. "Its okay sweetie, I'll make this easy for you."
Micheal gulped. Surely she couldn't read minds; he didn't think he would be into that kind of thing. His imagination was good, but somehow he couldn't see her participating in many of the things his imagination had come up with in the few seconds after she had spoken.
And then he realised to things, one she was rubbing his hips in a soothing manner that was anything but soothing, and two she was still talking.
"…Have to only jump once, and if you don't like it then I wont make you do it again." He caught only the end of her sentence, and even though she was offering him a way out, he winched. He still had to do it once. Did he have enough bull in him to go through with it?
Looking over at Alex who seemed to be having the same discussion with Isabel, he smirked at the almost crestfallen look on Alex's face, looks like he wasn't getting out of it either.
Now it was just a question of who was the bigger man? Michael planned not to loose to the baby of the family.
A few minutes later as everyone stood on said cliff and looked over, there was a bevy (who the hell invented that word? But then it sounds so…. Neat" of reactions to the height.
The girls were all excited; they could feel the adrenaline start to pump through their blood, the excitement quickly followed by a rush of pure anticipation at introducing newbies to the best dive site around the place.
The guys, or at least two of them with less then favourable reactions to the height, one even going so far as to turn back to the car, except for the placement of a small honey toned hand slipping into his much larger one which held him in place unlike any other fixture or trapping could.
Maria could feel the tension in Michael's body even if she was standing away from him, the only body part touching each other were the joined hands, hidden behind Michael's backs so he wouldn't feel like such a chicken.
She looked to the sea; it was just the way she liked it, calm, so that she could see straight down to the bottom, with just a touch of unpredictability.
Micheal looked down at the little Pixie beside him. She actually was looking forward to this, to just jumping of a cliff, letting go of all her fears, her inhibitions and just falling, he thought in wonderment. And then he began to re-evaluate what he had just thought about her. Maybe this was exactly what he needed?
Pulling the suddenly unresisting body with her to just the edge, she smiled at Isabel who was going next.
Pulling down the big porcupines head, she whispered to him, "Pick me up!" and working on automatic pilot, he did just as she has asked. And then he just stood there, looking down at the woman in his arms.
Their gazes locked together in a silent battle.
His slightly afraid, hers arguing against it.
And then suddenly the look changed.
Reaching up she positioned his head, so she could reach it, and pulling it down, whispered into his mouth "Just trust" before it closed over his, in an almost chaste kiss.
But it was enough for Micheal, and with a prayer to whatever god was above he let go, squeezing his eyes closed.
And then somewhere in the middle of the drop, he opened them, and to his astonishment found that it wasn't half as scary as he had thought it would be.
This free falling was somewhat liberating, he thought in astonishment. It was actually quite fun.
And then his feet touched the water and he went right in, submerging his face deep down in the clear sea.
It was so peaceful down here, where all you had were your thoughts and you to help you survive.
He watched as a red and black clown fish swamp past him (think finding nemo), and then he realised something. Somewhere between touching down here, and looking around him, he had lost Maria, and then he caught site of a toe out of the corner of his right eye, and he turned, and almost gulped in water in shock.
She was in her element down here, he thought wondrously.
She just flew through the water, gliding with it, like it was almost one with her. Moving free among the fishes and aquatic life down there, they didn't scatter in shock like most did.
Swimming down she suddenly rose, gracefully arching into him, and together they floated to the top. As the broke through the surface of the water, Maria swiped the hair from her face and looked enquiringly at Micheal.
Catching his breath, he looked at her, his expression telling her everything she needed to know but still she needed the words.
"That was amazing" his voice was hushed as if he talked at full volume it would ruin the magic of the place.
Laughing at his joy exhilarated knowing she had converted someone, they sway back to shore and began the long hike up.
Max and Liz grabbed each others hand, and ran for it while Tess and Kyle went for the more personal piggy back jump, Tess on Kyle's back, safer considering the weight disadvantage.
However when it came to the last two, Isabel had to drag Alex to the end. Alex took one look down, and could feel his eyes start to roll back in his head.
Grabbing his head, Isabel pulled him down and had her way with his mouth, anything to distract him. When he was sufficiently distracted from the dive, she pulled back, and somehow in the midst of the kissing she had turned him so that he had his back to the dive.
Grinning mischievously, she winked at him before pushing him off, just as Micheal and Maria reached the top, to the sound of the screeching coming from the falling guy, somehow coming to their ears sounding suspiciously like "dear god, n……" blubbb.
They assumed at this point that he had reached the water.
Looking over, Isabel flashed them a thumbs up, "yeah he's reached the water." Before jumping in after him in a graceful arch of her bag, like a diving champion he had seen at a swim competition a few years ago, Micheal thought.
Giving Maria a questioning look, Maria smirked. "We have many hidden talents" winking at him, just to tease.
Before running for the cliff and diving over, off course checking first that those below were already clear.
The evening past quickly, and Micheal found himself actually looking forward to jumping off great heights. Would wonders never cease he thought as he drove back down to the girls apartment.
Alex wasn't so forthcoming, but he had eventually gotten over his anger at being pushed and had even been prodded to do it twice more, and even if he hadn't enjoyed it as much as Micheal, he had still beaten his fear.
Gripping the small hand of the pixie, he smiled at the picture she made. Even with out makeup and her hair in a mess around her face, she still looked beautiful to him.
It was as she turned to ask him something, tucking her hair behind her ear in an obviously nervous gesture: he saw the bruise.
Slamming on the brakes, he grabbed her chin and tipped it to the light. Luckily there was nobody behind him and no oncoming traffic on the normally busy road.
Speaking through gritted teeth, she grimaced at the hard sound of his voice, even though she knew he wouldn't hurt her, the grip on her chin was hard in its insistence to be shown the full extent of her bruising.
"Who the hell did this to you?"
Maria tried to weasel her way out of it but in the end Micheal got it out of her, and he started the car again in a subdued almost content stance. It scared her.
That he could switch his emotions of that easily, but it was as she looked down at the hands that gripped the steering wheel that she realised he hadn't switched of his anger, he had merely found a better outlet for now.
Somehow she was now more scared for Dino, then she had ever thought possible.
okay that's it for now, please review….
Please… I beg you….. I need it… it brings me joy and something more important… it keeps the writers block open… which means I can write and I don't have to worry how the damn story will end…
Laters to all
Willow1986