Ending One, Part 10 (or Part 72)

Max stood at the far end of the kitchen, keeping his distance from the others as he tried to understand everything Maria had just told them. His gaze continually wandered to Michael… the Michael she had returned home with, his mind trying to reconcile this man with the one they had buried less than a year earlier.

This man's presence meant that his Michael, the man he had grown up with, fought with, laughed with, and run for his life with, was really and truly dead. He wasn't coming back and he was never going to see him again. Max drew in a deep breath in an effort to escape the knot that had formed in his chest at that thought. Michael, 'his' Michael, was gone. Forever. Dead. His gaze returned to this other, new Michael. Although… His mind turned back to the incredible tale that Maria had shared with them. Could it be possible? There seemed to be some difference of opinion as to whether or not his Michael's soul or essence, he didn't know what to call it exactly, was now residing in this man. He had sensed that Maria didn't completely believe that herself, and who would know better than her if that part of her lover existed in this other Michael?

He stared at the other man as he wondered what kind of person he was. Was he the same, deep down where it really mattered? Or was he a completely different kind of man? It was easy to see that there was a connection between the couple – and they were a couple, he was in no doubt about that. But this man was so much harder to read than his Michael had ever been. There was a hardness to this man, an edge that their Michael had never had, and he didn't know how to balance the two.

He wondered if this man really loved Maria. He cared for her, that much was obvious, but was this man capable of love? If he was right and their Michael was somehow inside of him, which one was controlling things? He reached up to rub his temples. He was developing a headache just from trying to make sense of this insanity. God, how was Isabel going to react to this man? He was Michael… but at the same time, he wasn't Michael.

Their futures were so uncertain, but what little they did know loomed before them like a black cloud threatening to burst at any moment. What was it going to take for him and Isabel to adapt to this new Michael? This man was a seasoned soldier, something that was a definite advantage for them but at the same time, so foreign to what they knew.

He straightened up and moved to follow the other man when Michael's prowling movements suddenly took him out of the kitchen and into the hall.

"I can't believe all that's happened," Liz said quietly after the men had left the room. She looked at her friend, studying her tired features. "How are you, Maria?"

"It's been a long eight months, Liz." Maria shook her head as she turned the glass of lemonade between her fingers. "So much has happened."

Liz reached out to take the other woman's hands in hers, squeezing them slightly to get her attention. "Maria, are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded with a tight smile. "I'm fine, really. I wasn't alone in that other universe for very long. I found Michael fairly quickly and while I know it wasn't easy for him he found a way to take care of me." She shifted in her chair, hesitating as her thoughts moved to so many of the things that she had faced alone because she hadn't had Liz there to confide in. "What about you and Max? How have things been for you?"

"It's been rough at times and I know Max has had a hard time being here but," she smiled, "he did it for me. I was sure you would come back here and as much as he wanted to believe that it might happen I think he was scared to believe it was possible."

"He and Isabel had a very hard time dealing with Michael's," she swallowed hard, "death, didn't they? How bad was it for them?"

Liz could see that Maria was struggling with something, that she was using the questions to avoid dealing with whatever it was. "Maria, talk to me, please? Tell me what's on your mind. Whatever's weighing so heavily on you will be easier to handle if you share it."

Maria finally raised her eyes to her friend's steady, concerned gaze and she moved, throwing her arms around Liz as the emotions she had been holding in check burst free and the tears began to flow. It had been so long since she'd had anyone, but especially her best friend, to talk to about anything and everything and she had felt that separation acutely.

"I'm here, Maria," Liz whispered as she held her friend, rocking her gently and stroking her hair. "It's okay, I'm here now."

"God, I've missed you so much, Liz. So much has happened and I haven't had anyone to talk to."

"Hey, I'm here now," she repeated gently. "Talk to me, tell me what happened, what you've been through." Maria had given them the story without going into a lot of details as far as the more personal information went and she could understand that decision.

Maria nodded and slowly, haltingly, started to talk, telling Liz about her time in that other universe and the emotional wringer she had been through. "God, I fought against the feelings I have for him for so long, Liz." She rolled her eyes and sniffled loudly. "He didn't make it easy to resist him either. I didn't wanna fall in love with him and then one day I realized it had happened regardless of what I wanted." She shook her head. "I fought against it so hard, Liz, because I was so sure I could bring Michael, my Michael, back."

"When did you know you were in love with him?"

"The night we made love… oh my God, Liz, I felt so guilty afterwards because I knew, I knew I was in love with him. And then he found me while I was trying to work through everything that had happened and I hurt him in the worst possible way. I told him I had betrayed my Michael by making love with him."

Liz winced. "Ouch," she said softly.

"He was so hurt and angry." She rolled her eyes. "Not a good combination."

"No, I'm sure it's not." She took Maria's hands in hers again and tugged on them to make the other woman look at her. "But, here's the thing, Maria; in the end, he's gonna be Michael Guerin no matter what universe it is. When you were talking about how he believes that Michael is somehow inside of him…" she hesitated a moment. "I can tell that you're not completely certain it's true, but I think you should trust him. If he says that some part of Michael is alive in him then it's probably true. I mean, why else would he say that? Think about it, Maria! That man doesn't come across as the type who likes to share and from what you've told me there's some jealousy where his counterpart is concerned. I doubt he even wanted to tell you that he believed he was carrying a part of your Michael around inside of him, especially in light of what you told me you said to him the morning after you made love. It couldn't have been easy for him to tell you about that."

Maria nodded slowly, taking in everything Liz was saying.

"And need I remind you that the men we're in love with are aliens, hybrids, whatever you wanna call them? Let's be completely honest here. Things are never gonna be easy with them. Do you remember me getting that visit from Future Max? He was Max, my Max, but at the same time he was someone I didn't know. Or, my God, when Max was possessed or whatever by Clayton? Do you know how scary that was? But even in the middle of all that weirdness he fought to save me from Clayton. It's like…" she trailed off as she sought the right words. "It's like there's this constant, I don't know, duality, in them – Max and Zan, Michael and Rath, and whatever other incarnations of them that might pop up. It's something we've had to adapt to because we love them. It's as simple as that, Maria; we love them and with that love comes complications, pain, and heartache. But on the other hand, it allows us to share an out-of-this-world love that makes our lives worth living."

"You haven't changed at all, Liz," Maria said, snorting through her tears as she hugged her friend tightly. "You're still the wisest person I know."

Liz returned the embrace before releasing her. "This wise woman is going to make you something to eat while you go shower. You've had a very long day and you need some rest."

"Michael will be hungry too."

"I'm capable of cooking for more than one person," Liz insisted as she stood up and gave Maria a gentle push towards the door.

"He likes his food extra spicy – "

"Go, Maria. I'm sure if it's not right he'll tell me all about it."

Maria smiled to herself. "You have no idea, Liz." She paused in the living room doorway, watching Michael and Max as they stared at each other before she continued on her way, carefully walking along the hallway to the bathroom.

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Michael moved into the living room, his eyes roving over the simple home Maria had lived in with his counterpart. It was nothing fancy; the furniture was old and worn, the electronics were archaic and nothing like what he'd had in his universe, and there were about a dozen things that he could list that needed repair without looking beyond the surface.

The house lacked the comfort or luxury of his home and he shook his head as he looked around. The house was simple and even though time had passed he could see little touches of Maria everywhere. There was a remarkable lack of anything that showed his counterpart's time spent in the house and his gaze wandered to the man who had been shadowing him since their arrival.

Max. The dark-haired guy wasn't sure about him and he didn't know whether he could trust him or not. He hadn't been able to make all of the pieces fit just yet and he knew it had to be driving the guy crazy. The guy was quiet and reserved and he had listened as Maria explained what had happened, rarely interrupting to ask questions or make comments.

His wife, Liz, had been the one to voice most of the questions and comments and on more than one occasion he had caught the silent communication between them before she spoke up. He knew from past conversations with Maria that Max had been close to the other version of himself. They hadn't agreed about everything, had expressed differences of opinion on many things, but he could sense that the younger man had cared very deeply for his counterpart.

The sound of gravel being displaced beneath tires brought him out of his thoughts and he moved to one of the windows that looked out over the driveway. He used his forefinger to move the curtains aside just enough to look out and he frowned at the older model gray pickup truck.

"You know who this is?" he snapped out.

Max moved closer to the window and he nodded when he glanced outside and saw the familiar truck. "My sister Isabel and our friend Kyle." He found himself following Michael once more when the man moved back away from the window and walked to the doorway, checking the hallway, and he wondered if he was looking for Maria.