Climbing to her feet she poured some of the concoction into her oil burner and lit the candle so the perfume could soak into the atmosphere of the room. Packing up her bottles she gently placed them on her dresser.

Maria looked at her watch. It was 10:50 pm. In ten minutes Michael would be standing outside her window. Of course, he was supposed to be there twenty minutes ago, but was always late for no particular reason Maria could see. She figured he only did it to annoy her.

But she was slowly getting used to his quirky habits and his obvious reluctance to get attached to anything. She could read it in his face whenever they were together.

They both knew it was so totally wrong to be together and how much trouble they could get into, Michael particularly, yet he still kept coming.

But Liz and Max broke the rules first so it was only natural that since Maria and Michael would be seeing a lot of each other they would eventually start to like each other.

Even if the like was spurred by hate.

Maria smiled. She could remember when she hated Michael. He made her so nervous, always staring at her with that coy smirk on his face.

She also remembered her surprise the night he showed up at her window and let himself in without even asking her. She was about to either kick him out or scream for help, when he suddenly just leaned over and kissed her. Although in shock, she had kissed him back and as suddenly as he came, he left, without a word. Maria had stood there in utter bewilderment for a while, staring out the window with a grin spread across her face.

The next night he came they had a chance to talk. He told her he had followed her and Liz home after their little trip to see Max that night.

She could believe he would be that sneaky. Giving a giggle she suddenly jumped at a tapping sound at her window. She pushed aside the curtains to see Michael pressing his face up against the window pane.

Maria rolled her eyes and opened the window to let him in.

Michael rolled through and then sat on the floor rubbing his head from where he had misjudged the frame. “Take long enough to open the window next time.”

Maria shot a frown his way. “What are you talking about.” She said indignantly. “I opened it up the minute you knocked.”

Michael rose to his feet and gave her a playful smile. “Not fast enough for me.” He teased, staring her right in the eye.

Maria grinned and gave his shoulder a slight punch. “Jerk.” She smiled.

Next thing she knew she was swept up in his arms and kissing him. ‘He does move fast.’ She thought to herself.

After a major make out session, they lay together on her bed watching TV, with Michael in charge of the remote control, channel surfing every five seconds.

Maria watched for as long as she could then grabbed the remote out of his hands. “God, stick to one channel already.” She groaned.

She flipped through the channels until she found one that was advertising sanitary products for women, and snuck a look at Michael.

The look of pure uncomfortableness on his face made Maria laugh.

He grabbed a pillow from behind her and hit her with it. “You did that on purpose!” He exclaimed playfully.

She handed the remote back to him and he quickly changed the channel. Maria snuggled up against him and breathed in his scent. He smelled like eucalyptus. Maria made a mental note to try and recapture his smell later with her oils.

Michael wrapped his arm around Maria and took a look around her room. He found it amusing how two people that were so different could make each other happy simply by their presence. He picked up one Maria’s bottles of oil.

Unscrewing the cap he took a deep sniff of its substance. It smelt just like her. Michael turned the bottle around in his hand to read the label. Rose.

Maria smelt like a rose.

He secretly smuggled the vial into his pocket. She had so many, he was sure she wasn’t going miss it. And this way he could smell her all the time.

Michael suddenly grinned. It was a good thing Max couldn’t see him right this moment. He would accuse Michael of being all mushy and soft-hearted like him.

And as much as Michael admired Max, he didn’t want his attitude and, well, mushy feelings.

Michael realized Maria hadn’t said anything in awhile and swung his head down to look at her. She was fast asleep, leaning into his chest, breathing deeply.

Smiling, Michael checked his watch. It was time for him to leave anyway.

He gently got up and slid Maria onto the bed, resting her head on the pillow. Covering her with a blanket, he switched off the television and gave her a little kiss on the forehead. Her eyes fluttered briefly but remained closed.

Michael couldn’t help but notice that she looked a little paler than usual. He thought nothing of it, and climbed out the window, watching his head and closing it quietly behind him.

He quickly strode up and down the quiet streets of Roswell, making his way to Liz Parkers house to pick up Max. When he got there he decided against climbing the ladder.

There were probably things up there he didn’t want to see. So he picked up a stone and tossed it onto the balcony. “Maxwell!” he called up in a hushed voice.

Max’s face appeared over the edge and he peered down. Liz’s face appeared right next to his, and she smiled. “Hey Michael.” She called down softly. Then with a grin “How’s Maria?”

Michael gave a curt nod of his head in acknowledgment and shot her a look. “C’mon Max, we have to go.” He said, looking around.

Max nodded and gave Liz a quick kiss. Then he started to climb down the ladder, reaching the bottom in a few seconds. He looked back up at Liz and waved, before he and Michael trotted off down the darkened streets.

When they reached the alleyways they slowed down to a walk. Shoving his hands in pockets he thought about the night they ran into Liz and Maria for the first time. Although he suspected Max knew where she was the whole time, Michael knew he didn’t expect that guy to stab Liz.

If Max hadn’t of saved her life Michael probably wouldn’t have gotten to know Maria. It wasn’t long before they reached the outskirts of New Roswell.

“Does Isabel know about you and Maria?” Max suddenly piped up, shattering the silence.

Michael looked at him in surprise. “No. Why? Do you think I should tell her?” He asked.

Max shook his head. “I don’t know. She knows about Liz and I, so don’t you feel like you’re keeping something from her just a little?”