Chapter 12 – Jigsaw

Liz grabbed the large bin of dirty dishes and carried them to the kitchen. She stifled a small scream when she realized that Michael Guerin was standing there, tying on an apron.

"M-Michael," she stammered. "What are you doing here?"

"Working," Michael replied, in his usual taciturn manner.

"Since when?" Liz asked.

"Since now," said Michael.

"Oh," said Liz, faintly. She dropped the dishpan full of dirty dishes in the sink and went back into the café. She seated some new customers and brought them some water. While she performed the routine tasks, her mind went over the events of the past few days, including Michael Guerin getting a job at the CrashDown.

There's something strange going on, she thought. We all feel it. Why can't we figure it out?

Liz was so distracted by her thoughts that she failed to notice Maria come in for her shift. The petite blond was at her locker fixing her hair when she noticed Michael Guerin standing at the grill.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Liz, what is he doing here?"

"Michael works here now, Maria," said Liz, walking into the back room.

"Since when?" demanded Maria.

"Since now. You got a problem with that?" asked Michael.

"Yeah, I do, but since nobody asked my opinion, I guess it doesn't matter," said Maria.

"That's right, it doesn't," said Michael. He turned back to the grill, but not before Liz caught a glimpse of pain in his eyes.

"Maria," she whispered. "I think you hurt his feelings."

"Him, he doesn't have feeling," Maria said.

"If you say so," said Liz, her voice filled with doubt. "I have to get back out there," she added, motioning towards the café.

Maria watched as Liz pushed through the swinging doors that led back to the café. She turned and walked over to the grill, and stood next to Michael, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

"Uh, hello, standing right here, you know," she said after waiting several minutes.

"Yeah," answered Michael, looking over at her, briefly. "I'm hoping if I ignore you long enough, you'll go away."

"Nice," said Maria, glaring at Michael. "Have you ever wondered why you don't have any friends, Michael?"

"Look, was there something you wanted because you're really starting to get on my nerves," said Michael.

"I'm getting on your nerves?" Maria shouted. "Oh that's rich. Here I am, trying to make you feel better, and this is the way you act. Nice, really nice."

"This is how you try and make someone feel better?" asked Michael. "Man, I'd hate to see you try and piss someone off."

"Listen, Michael, I don't have to stand here and take this crap from you. I don't know what your problem is, I only wanted to say,"

"I don't care what you wanted to say," Michael interrupted. "I don't need you; I don't need anyone, so just leave me alone."

"You know, I just don't get you," Maria said, pushing Michael's arm. "I'd think that someone who was just starting a new job would want to make an effort to, oh, I don't know, get along with the people who have worked her forever."

"I'm not here to get along with you people," said Michael. "I'm here to earn enough money to pay my rent, get it? So why don't you just leave me alone, and let me do my job?"

"Rent?" Maria snorted. "On what? Wait, let me guess, you're trying to save up to rent a personality, right?"

"Aren't you just the funny one," said Michael, turning back to the grill. "It's for an apartment. I was declared an emancipated minor, and I have to support myself now."

"Oh," said a now deflated Maria. She didn't know what it was about Michael Guerin, but she vacillated between wanting to hug him and wanting to kill him. Right now, she wanted to hug him. Imagine being responsible for yourself completely and totally. Sure there were times when her mom drove her absolutely crazy, but she couldn't in a million years imagine not having her around to depend on.

"Oh, wow, that, wow, that sucks," she said, finally, at a loss for words.

"Yeah, well, it's better than where I was," Michael said, uncomfortable with the compassion showing on Maria's face. "So, look, if we're done here, I really need to get back to work."

"No, no, I don't believe you just said that," said Maria, shaking her head. "I mean, I'm standing here, right in front of you, feeling bad for you, and you, I don't know, you dissed me, that's what you did, you dissed me."

Michael turned away and started go move closer to the grill, a move that only served to further incense Maria.

"Don't you dare walk away when I'm talking to you, Michael Guerin," Maria said, stepping back in front of him.

"Right, and you're gonna stop me, how?" Michael asked.

"Argh, you are so infuriating," said Maria. She pushed ineffectually at his chest, and Michael reached down to grab her arms, stopping her from hitting him.

He stared down into her eyes, losing himself for a moment in their dazzling blue depths. He lowered his head to hers and kissed her, violently at first, but then with a growing passion neither one could understand.

Around them, the CrashDown began to shake uncontrollably, and Michael pulled her closer to him in an attempt to protect her from danger.

"What was that?" Maria asked, when the kiss ended. She looked around the kitchen but could see no evidence of the earthquake she had just felt.

"I don't know," said a shaken Michael. He looked around the kitchen, trying to reconcile what he thought had just happened with what he saw. He muttered something, then spun around, trying to focus in on the flash of movement he caught out of the corner of his eye.

"What?" asked Maria. "What did you just say, and did you feel that?"

"Another piece to add to the puzzle," Michael said cryptically.