"Isabel, if I knock any harder I’ll put my fist through the door!" This was getting ridiculous. They had been standing there for a good 10 minutes now and it didn’t appear that they were going to glimpse the other side of Michael’s front door any time soon. Max couldn’t help but think that every minute he was wasting trying to bang down Michael’s door was another minute that could have been spent with Liz. His time on Earth was limited now and he wasn’t about to take that for granted. He knew where he wanted to be, explaining that to Isabel though was another story.

"Look Izz, I promise I’ll come back with you later okay? You know he’s probably got Maria in there with him and doesn’t want to be disturbed. Don’t you think we should give them their privacy for now, considering the circumstances?" Of course that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to leave them alone but he wasn’t about to let Isabel know that. Memories of the last time he had disturbed Michael during what could only be described as one of his more intimate moments with Maria were still all too fresh in his mind. Reliving what was to ensue after that little interruption didn’t appeal to him, then again being thrown across the room into the wall at a 100 miles an hour didn’t appeal to most people. Most people with a brain anyway. Judging from Isabel’s next statement she obviously thought Max to be of the brainless variety, much to his dismay.

"No! I’m not leaving until I’ve had a chance to speak to him Max. This is too important." There was no way in the world she was leaving now. It had been a hard enough task summoning up the courage to do this to begin with. If she backed out now Isabel knew she probably wouldn’t have the gumption to do it later. She knew Max was right, there was no doubt in her mind that Maria was in there with Michael. Where else would she be at a time like this? She couldn’t even remember the last time she had actually seen Michael alone for wherever Michael was you were sure to find Maria and visa versa. They practically shadowed one another these days and Isabel couldn’t really blame them. Their relationship seemed destined to take the ‘rocky road route ’ from the very beginning and Isabel’s false pregnancy scare to Michael didn ’t help matters. Nor did finding out that she was betrothed to him in their former lives on Nargonia and that their destiny in this life wanted them to follow the exact same path.

Those revelations alone had managed to put their relationship on even shakier ground and Maria decided to deal with it by shutting them all out of her life, including Michael. It was almost as if she had convinced herself that pretending they didn’t exist would lessen her pain. Michael wasn’t about to let her push him out of her life so easily though and willingly took on the painstaking task of bringing her back to them, and more importantly to him. It proved to be a slow process; Maria needed time to heal and her ability to trust them had to be rebuilt but with Michael’s determination and utter devotion she eventually came around and now that they were together, they were inseparable. Not that Isabel thought that was a bad thing, quite the opposite in fact. Maria brought out feelings and emotions in Michael that had eluded him his entire life and if having her by his side twenty-four-seven did that then she wasn’t about to start complaining. They had proven the strength of their love time and time again. Isabel had simply come to view the love they shared as being similar to a flame that could never be extinguished. Whilst they had seen that flame dim at times, nothing would ever have the power to snuff it out completely.

Isabel admired that the most about their relationship and was even envious of it in the beginning. She could finally admit that too herself now. That was the reason she had been so cold to Maria during the early stages of their friendship, if you could have called it that back then. She was jealous, plain and simple. Not of Maria and Michael, but of the love they shared. Now, she had no reason to envy that love because she had found her own and that came in the form of Alex Whitman.

Alex. How could she possibly describe him justly other than to say he was her friend, her love, her life. She couldn’t gush enough about him, or so Liz and Maria had told her on more than one occasion. Isabel gushing about a guy? She would have never thought it possible herself but that was the effect Alex had on her these days. To think that she was foolish enough to push him away so many times. He hadn’t given up on her though, not for one moment, and she thanked her lucky stars for that every day. She couldn’t imagine her life without him now. He had been a major part of the reasoning in her decision making. He was also one of two reason’s why she had to tell Michael just what that decision was as soon as possible. Why? Well, aside from the fact that Max and Tess already knew, telling Michael would give not only her but also Alex a sense of finality. It would make it more real for the both of them. Alex still had his doubts about her strength to stick by the decision she had made and she wanted and needed to give him the peace of mind he deserved. She wanted him to be able to believe in her. Once it was out there, in the open, they could both stop thinking about it and start living it….together.

The other reason she was so vehement about telling Michael was because ever since finding out that they were linked to one another more closely than they had originally thought through their relationship in their past lives, she had felt this strange sense of responsibility to him. She was sure that Michael was experiencing the same feelings. It was almost as if a connection they once shared as Sassiaan and Zoretan had been re-awakened but not to its full extent. Isabel sensed that this connection may have once been based on their love for each other but now it represented nothing more than a close friendship. Learning that they already had a mapped out alien destiny in this life that once again saw them together as Sassiaan and Zoretan wouldn’t change that. They both knew their relationship to one another would never extend beyond the boundaries of friendship. It just wasn’t feasible. Apart from practically spending the majority of their lives as brother and sister, they didn’t see each other in that light and they weren’t about to force themselves to for something they didn’t quite fully understand yet. That was history and they didn’t plan on repeating it. In this life, they had chosen their own destinies and those destinies included Alex and Maria.

In saying that Isabel wouldn’t deny that going against her pre-ordained destiny didn’t frighten her because it did. It was a major step to take, but the world didn’t fall apart then and she was sure it wouldn’t now. At least she hoped it wouldn’t because here she was, about to go against ‘it’ and Michael for the second time….

"Let’s just give it one more try Max, please."

"But Izz…" Max started to protest but stopped himself when Isabel gave him a warning look. He knew she had struggled with this decision and the dark circles under her eyes testified to that. He only wished he could have made the same choice as easily. Giving one last resigned sigh he turned back to the door to damage his knuckles even further and possibly his entire body once he actually did get on the other side of the door if Michael had anything to do with it.

They knocked and waited another minute before Isabel impatiently shoved Max out of the way and barged into the apartment. It wasn’t locked again just as she had suspected.

"Isabel your going to get me killed, you know that don’t you!" Oh yeah, he was a dead man for sure now.

"Well if Michael doesn’t want people just coming in off the street willy nilly he should think about locking his door once in a while. Besides we gave him the chance to open the door and he didn’t take it so I took it for him." She rattled off innocently before scanning the apartment for signs of life.

Max watched in wide-eyed horror as she made her way to the bedroom. "Isabel what the hell are you doing?" He hissed.

"Would you just take a chill pill Max, jeez?" It amazed her how uptight her brother could be sometimes.

The door to Michael’s bedroom was open a crack and Isabel hesitated for a moment before pushing it open. She took a few steps into the room and stopped short when she caught sight of the two of them. They looked beautiful together, so peaceful and content. Maria had her back to Michael’s chest and he had molded his body to cradle hers. His face was buried in the back of her neck while his arms encircled her completely, holding her to him tightly even in sleep. The sheet only came up to rest above their hips and Isabel was grateful that Michael’s arms hid most of Maria’s naked upper body and stomach from view. She was amazed at how small Maria actually looked. Michael’s body seemed to engulf her tiny frame completely.

Isabel felt more than a pang of guilt for interrupting them. Maybe Max was right. She thought about turning around and walking back out the door but she couldn’t do it, not until she got this off her chest. She hadn’t spent the entire night mentally preparing herself for Michael’s inevitable tirade just to walk away now.

Max stood in the doorway for a while before reluctantly moving to stand behind Isabel. He could see why she was so transfixed. Michael had never looked so calm and at ease with the world as he did now with Maria. They must have been in such a deep sleep to not hear the noise they had made earlier when they were banging on the door. This was way too personal. Standing here watching them felt like reading someone’s diary without their permission. "You sure you wanna do this now Izz?" He whispered placing his hand on her back. He could sense her doubt mirroring his own.

"I have to Max." was all she said in reply. Gently moving closer to the side of the bed, Isabel reached over Maria and tapped Michael on the shoulder. "Michael". She half whispered. He didn’t wake. This time she gave him a little shake. "Michael, wake up."

After a bit more prodding Michael finally groaned softly and lifted his head. "Maria?" His voice was rough with sleep.

"No. Michael, its…its Isabel and Max, we need to talk to you."

They watched as Michael tried to shake the haze of sleep off and focus on the two people in front of him. He ran his hand over his face and Max was glad he used the hand covering Maria’s stomach and not the one covering her breasts. They didn’t need this situation to get anymore awkward than it already was.

Now fully awake Michael glared at them and his eyes reflected nothing but anger at their intrusion. "What the hell are you doing in here? Ever heard of knocking?" He wanted to roar at them but Maria prevented him from speaking above a whisper because he didn’t want to wake her unnecessarily.

"We tried to knock Michael but you didn’t hear us!" Isabel said. They were speaking in harsh whispers but that didn’t lessen the tension in the air.

"And that gives you the right to just barge in does it? I thought I told you not to do that anymore."

Max didn’t miss the warning look Michael shot directly at him when he said that and guiltily lowered his gaze to the ground.

"You know Maria lives here more often than not and you need to respect our privacy. NOW…GET…OUT!"

Michael’s anger caused him to accidentally raise his voice and they all watched silently as Maria began to stir. She mumbled Michael’s name in her sleep before turning over to bury her face in his chest. Isabel and Max let out a collective sigh. Somehow they didn’t think Michael would be too happy if they managed to wake Maria as well.

Michael’s eyes softened for a moment as he gazed down at Maria nuzzling into his chest. He tenderly placed a feather light kiss on her shoulder before pulling the sheet up and over her body to shield her nakedness from Max and Isabel.

"I’m sorry for interrupting Michael, I really am, but we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important." Isabel softly pleaded before looking to Max for support.

"She’s right Michael. It is important and you’ll want to hear this. It will only take a minute and we’ll be out of your hair."

Michael rubbed his hand over his face again. "Jesus Christ Isabel. Fine, look, just get out while I put some pants on all right? I’ll be there in a minute."