“6:30 in the morning,
I’m in the middle of the sweetest dream
When I hear that alarm clock calling me.
I wrestle with the feeling
That the day’s starting way too soon.”

His hand finally came in contact with the offending machine, and he brought his hand down on the snooze button with a satisfying *thwack.* His sleep clouded mind briefly contemplated a number of dire fates for his alarm clock, then he mentally shrugged. He had a lot more important things to think about. Like the wonderful dream that had been occupying his unconscious when the alarm clock had so rudely interrupted.

“I hit the button just to buy a little time,
To keep you in these arms of mine.
For another nine minutes
Let the world stop.
Steal a few moments from this old clock.
‘Cause this is my dream
And I wanna stay in it
For another nine minutes.”

However, as he rolled over in his bed, turning his back on the alarm clock, he realized he hadn’t been dreaming at all. There, lying next to him in his bed and still sound asleep was the most important person in his life, Maria De Luca. Michael tenderly smiled as he watched her sleeping. He had forgotten to shut his curtains the night before, and a patch of early morning sunlight spilled across the bed, bathing Maria in an ethereal light. She looked like an angel to Michael, and he couldn’t resist leaning over and softly brushing her cheek with the back of his palm as he thought back to the events of the night before.

“I love the way the sunlight
Dances on your perfect skin.
Girl, I wish this night would never end.”

Maria had come to visit him at his apartment the night before. They had started watching a movie on TV, but that was soon forgotten in the heavy makeout session they soon engaged in. Eventually it had just seemed natural that it progress from there. They hadn’t even seemed to need words for once, caught up in the perfection of the moment. The look in Maria’s eyes as she gazed at Michael had been all the encouragement he needed to lift her into his arms and carry her into the bedroom. They came together without the usual fumblings of the first time, each knowing instinctively which caresses were the right ones, which touches gave the other the most pleasure. And when they were finished they had drifted off to sleep wrapped in each other’s arms, the walls and secrecy and fear of the everyday outside world forgotten in love’s embrace. Michael grinned to himself. He was glad it wasn’t a school day. He didn’t think he’d be ready to leave this bed for a good long while. Thank God for Saturdays. Then he groaned. Saturday? He and Maria were on for the early morning shift at The Crash Down café.

“But we gotta get moving.
Can’t eat if we don’t get paid."

Reluctantly he leaned over and gently shook Maria’s shoulder. “Maria? Maria, wake up.” Maria moaned. “It’s too early,” she murmured. “Just a little more time, please.” “Sorry, baby,” Michael said with a grin, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “Gotta get to work, remember?”

Maria’s eyes opened and she smiled at the sight of Michael before her. “Hey,” she whispered.

“Hey,” he said back softly. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before Maria reached up to stroke Michael’s jaw. With a soft sigh he leaned down to meet her lips with his own.

“But I got us a better idea,
Let’s pull up the covers and stay right here.
For another nine minutes,
Let the world stop
Steal a few moments from this old clock
‘Cause this is my dream and I wanna stay in it,
For another nine minutes.”

Just as their kisses were beginning to increase in passion, Michael reluctantly pulled away. “We’ve gotta get to work,” he reminded her unhappily as the alarm clock began beeping again.

Maria leaned across Michael and gave the snooze button a ferocious smack of her own. Then she returned to her position next to Michael, snuggling up against his body. “You were saying?” she asked innocently, looking up into his eyes.

“I hit the button just one more time
To keep you in these arms of mine.”

Michael couldn’t suppress a groan as Maria began to trail feather light kisses up his chest. “Well, I guess Liz can cover for us for a little while,” he managed.

Maria grinned as her trail of kisses reached his chin. “I thought you’d see it my way, Spaceboy,” she teased, before claiming his lips with her own.

Nine minutes later Michael’s alarm clock suffered a terminal alien-power-induced leap from the bedroom window, and it was a long while before either one of them even thought about work after that.

“For another nine minutes
Let the world stop
Steal a few moments from this old clock
‘Cause this is my dream and I wanna stay in it
Oh yeah, for another nine minutes.
For another nine minutes
Let the world wait
Who’s gonna care if we’re a little bit late
This is my dream, and I’m gonna stay in it.
Oh, for another nine minutes.”