Ending Two, Part 8 (or Part 84)

Michael stepped down out of the cab of the semi truck and looked around the busy truck stop. It was noisy as rigs pulled in and out at the fuel islands and the continuous sound of engines droning could be heard from the parking lot where the trucks were lined up as drivers took advantage of an opportunity to pull off of the road and catch a few hours of sleep.

"Hey."

He turned his head when Larry, the driver who had picked him up outside of Roswell called him as he rounded the front of his rig. He inclined his head to indicate that he had heard the other man and he waited for him to speak.

"Got a buddy comin' through here in about four or five hours; he's waitin' to get loaded right now. He'll be headin' east and he said if you don't find a ride before then he'll be stoppin' in for somethin' to eat before hittin' the road." He uncapped the fuel tank and turned to reach for the nozzle. "If you're interested, look for a screamin' yellow rig with a bulldog painted on the doors."

"Bulldog, huh?"

"Yeah, you're not allergic to dogs are you?"

Michael controlled his expression. "Yeah, maybe I'll keep an eye out for another ride." He wasn't interested in waiting around for several hours. He was going to grab something to eat and if he couldn't find a ride he'd start walking. Someone would eventually stop and pick him up, give him a ride into Monroe.

He went into the truck stop restaurant and picked a corner table that gave him a view of the entire dining area as well as the parking lot. He sat down and grabbed the menu propped up between the salt and pepper shakers, browsing through it for a few minutes before giving his order to the waitress who was hovering nearby.

He got up to go and grab a map off of the rack by the register, returning to his seat and unfolding it, spreading it out on the table. He studied the route between Monroe, Louisiana and Miami, Florida, weighing the pros and cons of staying and waiting for them and just going down there and keeping them from leaving on time.

The soldier in him rebelled at the thought of moving too soon and he tamped down the feeling of impatience that was building inside of him. He had waited out targets in far worse conditions and managed to keep himself mentally occupied. Every mission carried its own weight and the implications of failure were far-reaching. This time though, there was no margin for error. If he failed to prevent this accident he would be damning this world to a future that was unthinkable. If it were just him he wouldn't give a rats' ass one way or the other. But he had made a promise and if this worked out his younger self would have a chance at having more time with Maria.

He briefly wondered if failing meant he would repeat his life and meet Maria again. He slammed the door on those thoughts. He wouldn't put her through that pain again, not even in his most selfish inner thoughts. He pushed the map back when the waitress returned with his plate of ribs, reaching for a fork and tasting the mashed potatoes as he went back to studying the map.

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Michael locked the front door behind him and walked down the hall that led to the bedroom. He entered the room and stood rooted to the spot for a solid minute, his eyes locked on the woman peacefully sleeping there. He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, bending over to unlace his boots. He was kicking them out of the way as he reached for the phone to make a quick call.

He hung up after talking to his shift supervisor and he stood to strip out of his clothes. He slid under the covers and rolled onto his side to watch Maria as she slept. He reached out to touch her, gently tracing over her features. He had a need to touch her, to feel her skin against his; to feel her breathe and know she was alive and here with him. Before, when that other version of her had given him the flashes there had been so many contradictions and conflicted emotions.

She had survived for eight months in another universe, with a version of him that was hostile and aggressive. He had only had time to catch bits and pieces of her time with his double but he had been able to sense the emotional rollercoaster she had been on. His fingers stilled against her cheek as what she had done for him really hit him. She had gone through so much to save him from an early death. She had somehow traveled between universes and then gone back in time to prevent him from dying two days from now.

"Maria," he called quietly, needing her to wake up so that he could talk to her, hear her voice. His gaze followed her movements as she shifted, attempting to wiggle further down under the blankets in an effort to avoid waking up. "Hey, crazy girl." He shifted to stop her movements, knowing it would wake her up.

Her eyes fluttered open, flitting around the room a couple of times before sliding closed once more. She huffed an annoyed breath when the man she loved more than anything and anyone else called her again, his voice insistent. "Michael," she complained grumpily.

"I know you're tired but this's important."

The tone in his voice was enough to get her attention and she forced her eyes open in spite of the desire to succumb to the siren call of sleep. "Okay, Spaceboy, what's so – "

Michael moved in to take her lips in a heated kiss, his left hand sliding across her abdomen to settle on sleep-warmed skin. His mouth gentled on hers and after a few minutes he lifted his head to look at her. "I'm never gonna leave you," he whispered as he stared into her eyes. "You know that, right?"

Maria reached up to brush her fingers against his strong jaw as she looked into his dark eyes, trying to figure out what was on his mind. "Michael, are you alright?" She glanced at the window behind him, seeing the sunlight that crept in through the closed curtains. The fact that it was still light out and he hadn't gone to work was a clear indication that something wasn't right. The only time she had known him to miss work was earlier that summer when she had come down with the flu and she had been stuck in bed for several days.

"Do you know that I'll never leave you?"

She met his intense gaze head-on and after several moments she nodded. "I know." Her answer seemed to appease him but there was still something troubling in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

His fingers traced over her lips as he shook his head. His hand slipped down to rest against her neck as his mouth lowered to hers once more.

Maria didn't know what was wrong with him but she knew he wasn't ready to talk about it. Instead of trying to figure out what was bothering him or trying to get him to open up she poured all of the love she felt for him into the kiss. She shifted around to help him when he started to work her shirt up, breaking apart only as long as it took for him to pull it over her head and toss it aside.

She didn't question the edge of desperation she could feel in him as Michael made love to her. It wasn't until afterwards when the beat of their hearts were returning to their normal rhythm that she broached the subject. She shifted so that she was half-lying on top of him, her left forearm resting on his chest as she met his gaze. "You wanna talk about it?"

He scrubbed a hand over his face as the fingers of his other hand stroked her arm in a repetitive motion. He hated talking. "I left here to go to work and I ran into you on the old highway."

She gave a short bark of laughter. "Michael, I was right here sleeping. What're you talking about?" She sobered at the look on his face as the implication of his words sank in. "It obviously wasn't me you ran into…" She trailed off and chewed on her bottom lip as she considered what it could mean. "It had to be a shape-shifter."

He shook his head. "She wasn't. That's what I thought at first too. She stepped out in front of the truck and I nearly hit her. I got out to ask what the hell was wrong with her and then I got a good look at her… and she was you."

She shook her head. "That's not possible, Michael. I never left the house!"

"She was you, Maria. I don't understand all of it, but it's true. You came back from eight months from now."

"What did she say that convinced you she was me?"

"You don't believe me?" he bit out.

"Michael, we've run into so many things that haven't been what they appeared to be at first." She paused for a moment, watching his hand as he rubbed her arm unconsciously. "Let's say it's true, that the person you met was me… from the future. Why would I come back from just eight months in the future? How did I come back? We already know that to alter the Granolith it requires knowledge I don't possess. Let's face it, Science wasn't my best subject."

"She connected with me, Maria! She was you."

"What do you mean she connected with you? What, like she touched you? Kissed you? What?"

"Does it matter?" He pushed her off of him and got up, grabbing his jeans and pulling them on. "The second, alright?"

Maria sat up, pulling the sheet around her as she watched him pace around their bedroom. He was agitated by what had happened. No, she corrected herself, it was her not believing him that was the problem. If it was true, it made sense that she would tell him what had happened using the most convincing method at her disposal. "Where is she now?" She would be gone if she was really from the future. If her purpose was to convince him of something and she had succeeded then she would have disappeared into thin air.

"Gone," he answered shortly.

She reached out and caught his hand when he passed her, pulling him down to sit beside her. "Tell me what happened, all of it. Don't leave anything out."

He lifted his gaze from their linked hands to look at her. After a moment he started to speak, his words gaining momentum until they were spilling out so fast that he had to remind himself to slow down several times. He told her everything that her future self had told him and he told her what he could recall of what he had seen in the flashes.

"So in that other universe I was with another… version of you?" She shook her head. "No, that's ridiculous." There was no way she would move on, not even with him in another universe, less than a year after his death.

"Maria, I don't know the full extent of the relationship between you and… her and him but I can make a fairly accurate guess based on what I saw and felt. Do I like it? No. But in spite of my personal feelings on that subject, that other version of me kept you safe. He didn't allow anything to happen to you and he helped you come back to me." He brought his hands up to cradle her cheeks. "Somehow you managed to travel to a completely different universe, find a me that was completely over the top, and you convinced him and the Granolith to send you back here in time to save my life."

She wrapped her hand around his arm and pulled him with her when she fell back against the bed. She smiled as her fingers threaded through the hair that brushed against the back of his neck. "I'm not so sure about a different you in another universe, but I do know I'd do whatever was necessary to get you back if I ever lost you." She couldn't imagine ever being able to have a relationship with another Michael if she lost the man in her arms. "Looks like we're not gonna be going anywhere near that river." She made a face at him. "And why would you suddenly find that damn river so fascinating anyway?"

He shrugged, his eyes tracing over her features once again. "I don't know," he murmured. "But I can guarantee that it's off of my list of potential things to see now."

She sighed and settled against his side. "I'm not letting you out of my sight for the next 48 hours," she decided.

They lay there together, their thoughts on what could have been. If not for the journey she had undertaken out of love for him they would be oblivious at this moment. He would be at work and she would be sleeping, both unaware of what the near future held in store for them. Now they had the opportunity to prevent the event that would effectively alter all of their lives.

"I wonder what happened to you in that other universe?" she murmured quietly after a while. "I mean, after she… or I left him there."

Michael didn't say anything in response to her question. He didn't know what had happened to that other version of him but he could imagine what his life would be like without Maria and it wasn't worth thinking about. "I don't guess we'll ever know," he said when she turned her head to look at him. "But, since the accident won't happen, he'll never know you so he'll be spared the pain of losing you." Of course, that also meant the poor bastard would never know what it was to love her and be loved by her.

She stretched up to kiss him. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, soaking up the feel of her skin against his, the sound of her breathing, and the strength of their connection.