Maria’s eyes flew open at the sound of Michael’s yelling and she blinked a few times at his panicked face above her. “God, do you have to yell?” she muttered groggily. “I hear you.” Her eyes focused on Michael’s face and she saw the tearstains on his face glistening in the firelight. “Michael, what happened, what is it?” she asked, sitting up quickly. “Are you all right?”

Michael nodded mutely, still staring at her, and she shifted herself to a more comfortable position. As she shifted, her feet pushed against the floor and she winced, waiting for the pain in her ankle to flare up again. However, nothing happened, and she looked down at it and flexed both ankles experimentally. “My ankle,” she said.

“What? Is it okay? Does it still hurt?” Michael asked worriedly.

“No,” Maria said in wonder “That’s just it. It feels fine, like I never hurt it or anything.” She looked up into Michael’s eyes then as realization hit her. “Did you?” He nodded. “Thank you,” she said softly. Then her eyes widened. “What did you? I mean, you saw stuff in there, didn’t you? I, uh, well, uh, not all of that stuff is true. And I mean some of it is just my subconscious being really sick, you know. I mean, it’s not really always me that thinks of these things.”

Michael cut her off by placing his finger gently against her lips. “I, um, well I did see a few things,” he admitted.

Maria paled. “Like what?”

“I saw you,” he said quietly. “And me. And how much I hurt you with everything that I’ve put you through. I’m sorry, Maria. I’m so sorry. I just, I never really realized how much you cared.” He took a deep breath. “And I think we need to talk. I think I need to make a few things clear to you, and tell you things I should have told you long ago.”

Maria shook her head. “You don’t have to say anything,” she told him. Michael began to protest and she held up her hand to quiet him. “I just want to ask you a question.”

Michael nodded, determined that he would tell her what was on his mind after she asked her question. “Okay.”

Maria took a deep breath and fought down the tears rising in her eyes. “Why were you so ashamed, Michael?” she asked in a small voice. “Why were you so ashamed of our relationship and being seen with me? Were you ashamed of me?”

Michael could only stare at her in shock. Surely she didn’t really believe that? But the expression on her face told him she did. What could he say? He had no idea how to explain to her how he really felt, now that the moment was actually here, and for a moment he contemplated his old “stone wall” method of acting around her.

“Maybe it’s a sign of weakness
When I don’t know what to say
Maybe I just wouldn’t know
What to do with my strength anyway.”

No, he knew he couldn’t do that to her. Not again, not with something as important as this. He had to lay everything out to her, he had to try to make her understand, and he had to do it now. He tried to find the right words to tell her as he struggled to find his voice again.

“Maria, God, no, please don’t ever think that,” he said, moving closer to her. He tilted her chin up so she would have to face him. “Ashamed? How could I ever be ashamed of being with you? Any man would be lucky to be with you. I,” here his voice wobbled and he swallowed, determined to keep it together. “I always felt blessed just to be near you, Maria. You were the first person to get past my outer wall since Max and Isabel. You were this happy, bubbly, incessantly chattering girl who was like this ray of sunshine in my life. You really understand me, more than anyone ever has, and you stand up for me when even Max and Isabel are ready to jump ship on me.” He gently stroked her cheek, holding her face in his hands. “I can’t believe you don’t see all you’ve done for me, how important you are to me.” He rested his forehead against hers, his hands on her shoulders. “And I’m sorry I was never any good at showing you,” he finished with a long, shuddering breath.

Maria honestly thought her heart stopped beating for a moment, and when it started again it was beating triple time. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Had Michael Guerin just told her he was sorry for hurting her? Had he really said that she was so incredibly important to him? She must be dreaming, that was all there was to it. “Michael?”

He drew back and took a breath. “I know. I know I shouldn’t be saying any of this, and it’s too late, but I wanted you to finally know how I really felt. I just can’t believe you actually thought it was you when all along it’s been me who’s not nearly good enough to be with you.”

“Michael, no!” Maria caught his face between her hands and forced him to look her in the eye. “Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say you’re not good enough! That’s not true, it has never been true, and it never will be true, do you understand me?” Michael didn’t answer her. “Do you understand me?” she asked again.

“God, how did I get so lucky?” Michael whispered.

Maria smiled, using her thumbs to brush away his tears, as tears ran down her own cheeks. “We both did,” she told him. She paused. “Michael, did you, did you really mean what you just said to me? About being sorry for hurting me, and that I was important to you?”

Michael nodded. “More than any quest for a home planet I’ve never known, you are the most important thing in my life,” he told her sincerely.

Tears were streaming down Maria’s face now, but she smiled to let Michael know she wasn’t upset. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear something like that,” she told him in a shaky voice. Then she slowly leaned forward to capture Michael’s lips in a tentative but tender kiss. He didn’t resist, and in a few moments the kiss that had started so tenderly became more passionate as they were both able to let go of their fears and give into the intensity of the feelings they had for each other.

“Have we become a habit?
Do we distort the facts?”

Michael moaned low in his throat as Maria’s hands moved over his bare skin and his lips left hers, travelling down her jawline, her throat, to the top of the blanket that was wrapped around her body. He paused momentarily as he reached the barrier of the blanket, and looked up to meet Maria’s passion clouded eyes with his own. “Maria?”

With an almost imperceptible nod, she smiled, then gently took his hand in hers and led it to the place her blanket was fastened under her arm. Never breaking eye contact, Michael slowly took hold of the corner of the blanket and began to gently unwind it from around her body. Only when he was finished and the blanket lay pooled around Maria did Michael tear his eyes away from Maria’s to look at her body. Michael looked at her body in frank admiration and Maria felt herself blushing with pleasure at the expression in his eyes. Michael’s gaze met Maria’s once more. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered hoarsely, before leaning forward to kiss her again.

Maria ran her fingers gently down Michael’s bare chest and was surprised to feel him trembling beneath her touch. She reached the top of the blanket wrapped around his waist and gently ran her fingers around the top of it before gently easing the blanket down past his hips. Michael reached down to help her, but Maria caught his hands as she whispered against his lips, “Let me.”

Michael willingly obliged, raising himself slightly from the floor to facilitate Maria’s removal of his blanket. Free of all physical barriers between them, Michael and Maria sat on the floor of the cabin facing each other. “Maria, are you sure?” Michael asked her softly.

Maria nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’m sure.” Michael looked directly into her eyes to make sure there was no hesitation on her part before he reached for her again, pulling her into the most passionate of embraces.

“Now there’s no looking forward
Now there’s no turning back.