Chapter Three

"I don't like this one bit."

"I know it's terrible." Isabel said in a hushed, almost dreadful voice.

"But it has to be done..." Liz countered, in a deadly calm voice.

"But why?" Isabel whined, pulling a yellow glove from her back pocket and pulling it onto her hand, "Why can't the guys clean the bathroom, they make the mess."

"Because...if we don't clean it, it will never be cleaned." Liz said, her nose scrunching up in disgust as she stood practically a foot away from the toilet and lifted the lid with the toilet brush.

"We could sick Michael on it! You know what a clean freak he is, he wouldn't dare step foot in here if he saw this..." Isabel pointed out, looking around the bathroom like it was going to swallow her up.

"Which would work if he actually used this bathroom...it's no fair that Max and I had to give up the room with the bathroom..." Liz complained, and then sighed. "Besides, you'd have to actually catch him to talk to him, I don't even think Maria's spent ten minutes with him this last month...he's been over at 'Cynthia's' working on that project in every spare minute he has." She spat out. Michael Guerin was not on high on her list of people to like at the moment. He was never home and although Maria told them all that she was happy Michael was having inspiration over at Cynthia's, no one was fooled.

Maria was 8 months pregnant, about to bust and she was falling fast into a depression. There had been times when Liz, or even Isabel had been out in the hall during the middle of the night and they'd hear her crying because Michael hadn't come home yet. Max dared to say that maybe Michael was having an affair with Cynthia, and it had been weird to see Kyle jumping to his defense, but it had come apparent that if that was true, Kyle would be the first to beat the living crap out of him.

"Don't rag on him, Liz. I know he's not around most of the time, but this project he's working on is going to bring in a lot of money...it'll help him and Maria with the baby... Besides, that boy is far gone in love for Maria that he doesn't even notice when that evil bitch is hitting on him..."

"Evil bitch hitting on whom?" Maria asked, standing in the doorway, a hand holding against her back, a glass of milk in her other hand.

"No, you didn't hear it right, Ria. I said, 'Evil Witch is sitting on him'..." Isabel winced at how lame that sounded.

"Oh...you're talking about Cynthia." Maria said dryly, and then shrugged. "He's clueless as ever, its worse then when Courtney was around. This project will be over soon, so at least I can look forward to that." Even as she talked, both girls could see Maria's eyes filling with tears.

"Oh, don't cry!" "I'll turn her hair green, if you want!" Liz and Isabel said at the same time, though Liz and Maria both stared at Isabel as her sentence went on a little longer.

"What!" She shrugged, "She seems to have all this pride in her hair, why not knock it down some?" She sighed, almost gleefully as she took off the rubber gloves, moving from the bathroom as Maria and Liz did too.

"I just don't understand why he has to spend SOOO MUCH time over there? Can't he do just a little work here, can't he at least be here a few hours a day so I know he stills loves me?" Maria asked. The flood gates had opened and there was no way they were stopping. She sniffled and great fully accepted the tissue that Isabel handed her as they settled on the couch, both girls hurrying to get the very pregnant and very emotional woman comfortable. "I mean...she's beautiful! Cynthia is beautiful, and even when I wasn't pregnant, she blows me away. What if he's suddenly realized how tied down he is with me and a baby?" She questioned.

"Maria, no. I know I used to warn you against Michael, but he's changed since then. He loves you and I know for a fact that he can't wait for this baby to come out and for you to all be a family." Liz said quickly, not wanting to see her long time friend in so much pain.

"Liz is right. You know how Michael gets, he gets so caught up in something that he doesn't see anything else around him, no matter how much he cares about them. This project is just overriding everything else. You need to tell him your feeling neglected..." Isabel fell quiet for a moment, and when she started to speak again, her voice was soft, "You should tell Michael about Cynthia coming over the other day." She sighed as Maria quickly shook her head.

"No, no Isabel. She was just making mindless threats because she has the hots for Michael...But I can trust Michael, I know I can, I'm not worried about anything..."

Three days earlier

Maria rubbed the back of her neck as she rested from cleaning the living room. No one was home and she was bored. She had been given strict orders from Doctor Maxwell to do as little as possible...but he wasn't the one in that damn house 24/7. She'd finally got fed up with TV and had come downstairs only to find the living room a mess, but now it was good and clean, and she swore that the others were going to be waiting on her hand and foot when they got home for cleaning the mess.

"Yeah I know, mommies hungry too, just give me a few minutes to rest." She talked to her stomach as the baby gave her a painful jab.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." A female's high pitched voice came from the front doorway and Maria twisted around, uncomfortably, to see who it was.

She sighed as Cynthia Reeds stood in the doorway, looking as beautiful and perfect as ever. Her red curls were up in a ponytail with a few framing her face, her make-up was put on just perfectly, her close snug and making her look irrrestible, but Maria only saw her enemy. "What do you want?"

"Michael asked me to bring you by some lunch." She smiled sweetly, "Which I forgot to get on my way over here."

"Then go, you're not welcome." Maria snapped.

"Oh, that's not what Michael says..." She smirked at Maria's glare. In a few short strides, she was standing in front of Maria, leaning down to speak to her, "Listen up little lady, I got news for you. Michael is mine...you may carry his child and wear his ring, but it's my bed he'll be in soon, not yours. You know you can't compare with me. I'm beautiful and intelligent and love art just as Michael, while you sit at home on your fat ass all day, not smart, and you have no clue about anything dealing with Art." She leaned in closer, her voice a growl, "I get what I want, and if you get in my way, I'll make you pay in a very painful, very 'dead' sort of way."

"What the hell is going on here?" Isabel snapped from the doorway, making Cynthia blink in surprise, then slowly raise up.

"Oh I was just chatting with 'Ria' here, Michael asked me to drop off something to eat." She set down a bag that Maria hadn't seen before. "Well, it was a nice chat, we should do it again." She smiled sweetly and left quickly.

Present Time

"No Isabel, he doesn't need to know, it's nothing to be concerned about." Maria said firmly and slowly pushed herself up from her chair, "Don't mention it again." She threw over her shoulder as she waddled back towards her room.

"We have to do something..." Liz whispered, "This is killing her..."

"I know..." Isabel said with a frown.

To Be Continued