“Maria?”

Maria said nothing. She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth on the mattress.

“Maria, honey, what’s wrong? What happened? You can tell me.”

Maria said nothing. She ground tears out of her eyes with her fist.

“Is it your Mom? Is it… is it Michael?”

Maria looked up. “Yeah, Liz. It’s Michael and it’s me.”

“What? Maria? I don’t understand…” Liz said.

Maria stopped crying. “Liz… I’m… I’m pregnant.”

Liz’s mouth fell open. “Oh Maria… Michael?”

“Right before I went to California, he came over and…” Maria sighed heavily. “I am so stupid, Liz. It was just the same old ‘I love you but I must leave you’ Michael bullshit and I fell for it. I don’t know why I keep letting him get to me. I just… I just…” Maria dissolved into tears. Liz sat down beside her best friend and put an arm around her.

“Don’t cry, Maria. It’s all right. But… why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

“I didn’t know for sure until just now. But I didn’t say anything about Michael because I didn’t want to worry you, Liz. I didn’t want you to start thinking about Max and get upset all over again.”

Liz looked sad for a moment. “I was around for a whole summer by myself and I didn’t fall apart. I didn’t see them that much anyway. They’re kinda cliquey now. Besides, you don’t have to worry about me or anyone else right now, Maria. You just have to worry about your baby.”

“I know. I just don’t know what to do.”

“Well…” Liz said thoughtfully “What about having an--”

“No. No one is going to hurt my baby. And I can’t give it up for adoption because…”

“I know.”

“Oh, Liz… I just don’t know what to do…” tears streamed down Maria’s cheeks.

“Shh… it’s okay.”

“No. It isn’t,” Maria sniffed. “You know, I don’t think I would have minded so much if this had happened ten years from now. Or even five. But I’m just seventeen and I’m going to have a baby, Liz. A half-Czechoslovakian baby at that. What am I going to do? And what am I going to tell Michael? You know that he’s probably planning to have half a dozen babies with Isabel by now.”

“Now Maria, you know that’s not fair. I mean, you haven’t seen Michael in weeks. And you know he loves you--”

“Love isn’t destiny, Liz,” Maria interrupted.

“You have a child with him now, Maria. Your child was put on this earth for a reason. That is destiny.”

Maria sighed. “So what do I do?”

Liz sighed. “I don’t know. But you have to tell him, Maria. You just have to.”

***

“Maria?”

Michael’s eyes widened when he saw her standing on his doorstep. He hadn’t seen her since the night he came to her. He didn’t expect to see her very often anymore.

“Hello, Michael. I need to speak with you.” Maria pushed her way into the room and saw Max, Isabel, and Tess on Michael’s couch. “Alone.”

“We’re busy, Maria. Talk to him some other time,” Tess snapped.

“This will not wait, Tess. Leave or I’ll pick you up by your bleached-blonde, home permed hair and throw you out.”

Isabel grabbed Tess’s arm before she had another chance to speak. “We can talk later.” Isabel said, through muffled giggles. She pulled Tess out of the room. “He’s all yours.”

Michael tried to speak up and Max touched him on the shoulder. “It’s nice to see you, Maria,” Max said. He looked her over and his eyes widened suddenly.

[He knows.] Maria thought. [He can sense the baby.]

“Maria?” Max questioned.

“It’s very nice to see you too, Max. But… ah… don’t say anything else. Please, just let me tell Michael what I need to tell him.”

Max nodded and looked at Michael and Maria one more time before he left the room. Maria closed the door behind him.

“What are you doing here?” Michael finally asked.

“Like I said. We need to talk.”

“About what? Max, Tess, Isabel and I were discussing something very import--”

“Save it, Michael. You four are always discussing something that could potentially have an effect that could possibly change the rest of your lives. I need to talk now.”

“Fine. What do you want?”

“We need to talk about us.”

“There is no ‘us,’ Maria, and you know there can’t be.”

“Oh, but there is. And I have to tell you something.”

Michael ran his hands through his hair. “What is it? Is it about-- It was only one night, Maria. You know that. It was a mistake in the first place.”

“You got that right.”

“So what? What could you possibly say to me now?”

Maria looked up at him and laughed a little. “You honestly don’t know, do you? That’s really funny, ‘cause Max knew right off. Huh. So much for improving your powers.”

“What are you talking about!?”

“I’m pregnant.” She whispered. He barely heard her.

“What did you say?”

“I said I’m pregnant, you bastard.” Maria yelled.

Michael swallowed hard. He didn’t know what to say. “Are you sure?”

“Ninety-nine point five percent positive.”

“Is it… is it mine?”

Maria resisted the temptation to slap him. “How dare you? You know it’s yours.” She backed away from him. “This was a bad idea. And you know what? I’m leaving! No. *We’re* leaving!”

Michael blocked the door. “Wait, wait. I’m sorry. It… it slipped out. I’m just kinda nervous. That’s all.”

Maria folded her arms across her chest.

“When did you find out?”

“Last night. I took a home pregnancy test.”

“So you haven’t been to the doctor?”

“I don’t know if I should go, you know? I mean this baby is half human and half… you. I mean what if it comes out green or something?”

He smiled a little and she laughed at him.

“It’s good to see you smile,” He said.

“Yeah. I haven’t been doing that too often lately.”

Both sighed. “So you’re about…”

“Three months along. I counted back on my calendar.” Maria said.

Michael stared at her for a moment. He was elated and terrified all at once. Here was his angel. And she was carrying his child. He couldn’t ask for anything more. But they were only seventeen. How would they support a baby? Nevermind the fact that she was human and he… wasn’t. What would he tell Max, Tess, and Isabel? What about Isabel? He was so confused. Michael rubbed his temples.

“Michael?” Maria said.

“Come here,” Michael said as he fell to his knees.

“What are you doing?”

Michael put his hands on Maria’s belly and looked up at her. “I want to feel our baby,” He said. “Put your hands over mine.”

Maria lowered her hands to his. The apartment was filled with light as she started to glow. The glow spread throughout her body and into Michael. The light brightened and both Michael and Maria grinned when they felt the baby moving beneath their hands.

“I’m not even showing. I didn’t know babies that tiny could kick like that.” She said.

“She’s our baby,” Michael said through a smile. “She can do anything she wants.”

The glow faded when Michael took his hands away from her and stood up.

“You’re okay with this?” Maria asked.

“Yeah. I think we’ll be okay.”

Maria smiled. “Wait. You said ‘she’.”