A/N: 1) I did some research on the movie Like Water for Chocolate. It was released in 1993 in the US and nothing I've read contradicts the assumption that it was released in Mexico first. In any event, in this fic we will assume that the release of the film and the events in this chapter (post season 2) do coincide.

2) Controversial issue: I'm not advocating one side or the other. This chapter will be about addressing the emotions of these characters regarding this issue. That's it.

3) A bit of fluff in this chapter, enjoy! (incidentally, this is my longest chapter ever!)

As Long As I Don't Have to Cook

"There is this new movie called Water for Chocolate which I highly recommend." Lilia started, shifting her gaze back and forth between Michelle and Dolores. "It's by this great Mexican novelist, Laura Esquivel. "It's both a love story and the way life here in Mexico used to be." She smiled proudly. "And it's a bit about cooking…and how food has a greater impact that we realize…" she turned from the kitchen island and gazed at Maria who was washing vegetables by the sink a few steps away.

"I think I've heard about it…but it has not been released in theaters yet, I believe" Michelle tentatively replied.

Lilia flashed her pearly white teeth. "Well, since it's a Mexican film, here in Mexico we got a head start, it got released here first…anyway, in the movie, the characters experience life in the form of sickness, happiness, grief or lust and all those emotions can be traced to the cook's mood at the time of food preparation."

Michelle gave Lilia a quizzical look.

"It's not all that far-fetched, you know…." Lilia stated and then fell silent, lost in her own thoughts.

Dolores turned to Lilia and smiled knowingly. "No, it's not…eating is one of the greatest pleasures in life…it's no accident that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," she gave Michelle a sly look. "By the way, dear, if you have any favorite recipes you'd like to share…I'm sure Maria here would love to prepare them for us…"

Michelle's mind immediately flashed back to the weekend before their trip to Mexico.

That Saturday, it had rained on and off all day long. Tony and she had spent most of the afternoon indoors at her place watching movies. At one point, Michelle had dozed off snuggled in Tony's arms while they both lay on the floor propped by giant pillows and with their backs against the lower frame of the couch.

During the movie, they had shared a giant bowl of popcorn which now rested beside them, nearly empty.

Tony had not noticed she had dozed off until the closing credits rolled in and Michelle was unresponsive.

"Hmm…what happened?"She asked half-asleep as he kissed the top of her head, the sweetness of his natural scent lingering in the air and making her wish she could stay in this blissful state forever.

"You missed the ending, that's what… we'll have to play it again, sleepy head… you missed the last 5 minutes or so," he said pushing the rewind button on the remote control, still holding her close.

"Oh…that's okay…I'll watch it later, let's get something to eat, I'm famished." She lifted her head off his chest to gaze into his eyes.

Guess…we can't live on popcorn alone," he sighed, shaking his head, his eyes bright with amusement.

"We definitely need something more substantial," Michelle mumbled while Tony helped her to get to her feet.

Once in the kitchen, she rummaged through the cupboards and then threw her arms up in the air in an I-give-up gesture.

"I don't cook much," Michelle asserted sort of apologetically.

"Me neither," Tony murmured, flashing her his signature smile.

"Are you sure you wanna marry me, Mister Tony Almeida…? You still have time to run for cover…"

Tony nodded. "I've never been more certain of anything in my life."

"Okay… well…We'll starve within a month," she shrugged with a grin.

Reaching back into the popcorn bowl which he had brought back to the kitchen, Tony smiled to himself as he found her playful mood quite charming. He helped himself to a few left over pieces. "But, at least we'll die happy," he retorted between bites. "Hmm…these ARE good, Michelle…don't underestimate yourself," he joked with a straight face.

"Well, you got it…!" she exclaimed in a jovial tone leaning against the counter. "Popcorn , pasta, and chocolate chip cookies…that's just about my whole repertoire."

"What do you know, then…you happen to be in luck," he said pulling down from cupboards a can of tuna. "You got some mayonnaise, apples and some celery?" he questioned, eyeing the refrigerator, the wheels in his head turning fast.

"Hmm…got mayo…and apples."

"I know you're not a fan of onions…but how about tomatoes?

She nodded. "Yes, I've got some."

"Okay, sit tight…I'll fix us some deli-select tuna sandwiches." He said setting a few slices of whole grain bread on a plate.

"Can I help?"

"Nah, it'll just take a minute."

Michelle sat at the bar stool and watched Tony as he chopped a red apple and then whipped up a tuna casserole using tomatoes, mayonnaise and finely chopped apples.

Then, with a ceremonial vow, he presented Michelle with her sandwich served on a plate.

"Hmm…" Michelle's eyes widened with appreciation as she tried a bite of her sandwich. Now, she had had tuna sandwiches before, but she had to admit that she this particular one was something else.

He took a seat in the bar-stool across from her. "Not exactly gourmet cooking, but we were starved," he mumbled taking a big bite of his sandwich. "Actually…I can cook. I learned from Maria, back in Mexico. I loved to eat so when I was a kid I used to sneak into her kitchen…but Maria did not let me get away with any funny business." He chuckled at the memory. "SO I really had no choice when she took me aside one day with a stern look on her face and said" he paused to take another bite of his sandwich. While he chewed he noted that he had Michelle captivated with his little story. "If you want to eat in my kitchen before supper, you're gonna have to help me cook."

"Well…it sounds like Maria did the right thing," Michelle sighed happily as she continued to enjoy her sandwich. "But wait…" she added cocking her head slightly, "didn't you say you weren't much of a cook?"

"Nope…what I said was that I didn't cook much. I rarely have the time to cook proper meals" He clarified. "But I certainly know my way around the kitchen," he murmured with a flirtatious smile.

Michelle bit her lower lip. "Aw…A man of many talents…" her eyes twinkled matching the inflection in her voice. You know, I think I very well be the luckiest woman… "

Tony leaned closer to her, giving her a little peck on the lips. "I think I'm the lucky one here…cooking is not all is cracked up to be," he added with a playful smirk. "Really…Michelle, you're perfect for me in every other way…"

"Every other way?"she nearly chuckled at his choice of wording.

"Well…what else could say? Perfect… except for the cooking?" he finished his sandwich with a satisfied smile. "Every other way just sounds better in conjunction with the rest of the sentence…"

"I'm sure Maria has enough on her plate, already," Michelle said in response to Dolores' statement. The truth was she had never had a knack for cooking so she didn't even try to prepare elaborate meals. Long ago, she had decided that she simply was not one of those people that seemed have a natural ability to mix ingredients together at the drop of a hat and produce something extraordinary.

Michelle's gaze fell on Maria and their eyes met for a moment. She sensed that the older woman liked her and that if it weren't for the language barrier they would become fast friends.

"El secreto de cocinar es hacerlo con amor," Maria winked.

"Exactamente," Lilia said poking her head in the refrigerator. Then, she turned to Michelle. "Maria says that cooking is not so much about recipes …but that the secret ingredient is love…and I just agreed with her," with a see-how-I-turned –attention- back- to me- glance—a glance clearly meant to include both Michelle and Dolores. "As a matter of fact, that may be the whole point of the movie Like Water for Chocolate."

Michelle decided to get personal and ask Lilia about her family. The weekend was short and her opportunity to get to know Tony's former fiancee would be gone before she knew it.

"I was practically an only child… my parents had me when they were in their in their mid forties, "Lilia started pulling out a soda can and closing the refrigerator. "I had a sister, but I don't even remember my sister Elena…story has it that she got knocked up when I was still in diapers…ran off with her boyfriend never to be heard from again," she said matter of factly, taking a moment to sip her soda. "My dad died of a heart attack a few years back and my mom is a homebody who rarely leaves the house. In a way, Dolores and Jose Antonio are like my parents. "

"She's been like the daughter we never had," Dolores agreed fondly, sporting a sweet smile that made her look quite approachable and at least 10 years younger. But when she glanced back at Michelle, it was as if a solid wall had been rapidly erected. "I think I'll leave you girls to get acquainted…I got a phone call to make," she said distractedly glancing at her watch, excusing herself from the kitchen.

There was a moment of silence as both women studied each other. It was now just the two of them and the maid.

Lilia set down her drink and turned her attention back to cooking. "I'll be making my world famous for Parsley rice and bean salad."

Maria quietly stepped out Lilia' way and continued to prepare a beef stew dish which she had started cooking way before all the women had decided to join her in the kitchen.

"It's a side dish that takes about 45 minutes to cook." Lilia said, her eyes focused on the food preparation area next to the stove. Then, she started to list the ingredients as Maria helped her gather them on a wooden cutting board. "…salt and Pepper…" she gave Maria a pointed look. "And of course a bunch of fresh parsley leaves, which luckily I brought from home," she concluded very pleased with herself.

While the rice cooked, Michelle and Lilia migrated to the kitchen island.

"So…You obviously have a long history with Tony," Michelle started. Right then, she saw Maria approach them with a cup, saucer and a coffee pot on a tray. She nodded to indicate she'd like some coffee. "Tony tells me you were quite close as kids," she turned to the housekeeper with a smile as she set the tray down. "Gracias, Maria." Then, in a seamless fashion, she helped herself to some coffee, adding a couple of teaspoons of sugar. Inwardly, Michelle felt a bit unsettled (after all, this woman had actually been engaged to her Tony) but hoped that her demeanor did not show this.

Maria smiled warmly at Michelle before going back to her stew.

Michelle Knew the housekeeper liked and wished that they spoke the same language so they could get to know each other better.

"So…you're gonna go back to L.A, marry Tony and live happily ever after, right? Lilia grimaced and then took a deep breath. "And you're never coming back around here again, right? Maybe you'll send the in-laws a post-card or two… but that's it, right? She questioned all in one continuous breath.

Michelle cocked her head and in a thoughtful frame of mind took a sip of her coffee.

"So…I'm right?" she insisted seeing the hesitation in Michelle's face.

"I don't know what you're getting at, really…but if you're wondering if we'll be coming down here and becoming a huge part of your lives…well, I doubt we will…we lead very busy lives back in L.A."

All of a sudden, Lilia blurted out as though time was of the essence, "I was pregnant back then and had an abortion," as if stating, hey, look, I used to be someone important in Tony's life...

Michelle stared back at her in stunned silence. Seconds went by so slowly that it felt like minutes.

Even Maria had turned to peer at them with unmasked curiosity. Lilia met Maria's gaze and then Michelle's fair and square. That's when Michelle sensed that Lilia's words were no accident. The woman had actually wanted to get it out in the open…maybe even biding her time, just waiting for the right moment….

"Parsley…" Lilia smiled ruefully glancing back at the pot of rice still cooking on the stove. "Back then, I was such a child…I thought I could make it go away if I took this homemade potion… made out of fresh parsley." She paused to make sure she had Michelle's undivided attention. "This friend of mine insisted that it worked, that I just had to give it sometime... so I did…week after week, I waited, but nothing happened…until one day…one day…" she took a deep a deep breath and looked away in an attempt to hide some unshed tears. "I was so dizzy and nauseous I couldn't get out of bed…I even had some hallucinations, I even saw my dead grandpa as alive as you and me. It was bad. That's when everyone found out…Tony came down from San Diego and asked me to marry him…I know I acted like a fool and got into some senseless fights. We broke up and then I decided to…get rid of the baby." And then she was eerily quiet, her eyes openly waiting for a verdict.

"I'm sorry," Michelle mumbled without a trace of judgment. "Sounds like it might have been quite painful for you," she added tentatively.

"It was! I've regretted ever since." She met Michelle's eyes briefly. Her gaze then dropped to her hands and she started playing with her flashy bracelet. "That's why Tony can't stand to be around me. It's easy to blame me, isn't it? But the truth is that he didn't want to have a child anymore than I did."

"However… was this something you both agreed on?"

The way Lilia had looked at her, Michelle just knew she'd struck a chord.

"I'm surprised…you know, whether he agreed or not, it was still my body…isn't this what you Americans believe?" Lilia snapped back in a feisty tone.

"We Americans," Michelle started. She thought about it for a moment and reconsidered. This was conversation was NOT about women's rights or constitutional rights or the rights of a fetus, and thus she wasn't about to engage in an abstract debate of Roe vs. Wade. This was personal; this was Tony's baby this woman had been talking about, although she supposed most people would probably consider an unborn child less real than one that had been born. And her concern was not whether it was right or wrong to terminate a potential new life but how had this decision affected Tony. "It sounds to me like you're still looking for validation…perhaps your wanting Tony or someone else to see your side of the equation? I think… this is not about whether or not it was your right or whether what you did was a sin, for that matter." Michelle's eyes brightened with intensity. "It sounds like what you're looking for is for some forgiveness… perhaps from Tony?"

Lilia, her hair pulled back straight with a headband so you could see her clear skin, just raised her straight eyebrows and looked at Michelle with those dark eyes of hers. "No…I don't need him to forgive me…I did what I thought was right at the time."

"He would forgive you, if you asked him, you know," Michelle offered in a kind yet firm voice as though she had not heard Lilia's prior statement.

In a 180 degree turn, Lilia's lips curved into a syrupy smile. "I must admit, I've always wondered what it would have been like had Tony and I gotten married," she stated looking at Michelle straight in the eye. "And we would have…if only…" she trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

"El arroz esta listo (rice is ready)," Maria announced, motioning to the pot of rice on the stove.

"They say the past should stay in the past…but sometimes the past stays with you forever. Sometimes, decisions are made that affect the rest of your life," Lilia continued in a bitter tone. "It's…it's," she seemed to stumble over that taboo word which she had had no trouble voicing early on in the conversation. "It's illegal here in Mexico, you know. I ended up going to one of the worst places…I was already over 16 weeks along. They shouldn't have done it, but they did it anyway," she swallowed hard, casting a sidelong glance at Maria who seemed to be listening carefully. "I will never be able to have children," she stated in an unmistakable vinegary tone which Michelle recognized as why should you and Tony be happy when I have been unfairly struck by such a bout bad luck?

In awe, Michelle watched as Lilia stood up sporting a phony smile and walked over to the pot of rice which the housekeeper had already taken off the stove. "Now, where is that fresh bunch of parsley?" she asked Maria in a surprisingly light tone.

A/N: So what do you think? If there is something you didn't like about this chapter, I'm open to constructive criticism.

Thanks for reading. Please review. I loooove all types of reviews: short reviews, long reviews, smiley face reviews, Spanish reviews, you name it! I typically answer back, but if you'd rather remain anonymous, guest reviews will do, Thanks!