"Sorry, we're closed for the night, you'll have to come back tomorrow." Maria said without looking up.

"Maybe I won't feel like coming back tomorrow." The voice behind her said.

She froze. Why him, why not one of the other inhabitats of Roswell, why did it have to be Michael Guerin. He made her feel things she didn't want to feel. Things she didn't even discuss with Liz. And he didn't like her, he had showed his feelings way too many times for her to be comfortable around him. She turned with her hand on her hip and said, "What the hell do you want?"

Michael stopped and looked around the diner. "I don't know, maybe I'm looking for a night of fine cuisine and great atmosphere."

"Very funny, but I don't have time for this, Max and Isabel aren't here, so shooo, off with you, I want to close up." Maria turned back to the sink and finished rinsing out the rag. She twisted the water out of it and hung it on the hook to dry.

Michael stepped up to the counter and sat down on the stool directly behind her. "I'm not looking for them, I'm looking for something to eat. What have you got?"

Maria turned and entered the kitchen area, she looked back at Michael through the serving window. "Look I just got done working a very long and tiring shift, all I want to do is go home and take these damn shoes off. So try the 7/11 on the corner, ok."

Michael stood up and followed her into the kitchen. He stepped around her and walked over to the large double door refrigerator. Maria realized what he was about to do, throwing herself in front of the doors she screamed "NO! No way are you just making yourself at home, I just cleaned up in here and you're not allowed back here anyway."

"Liz wouldn't mind, she's served me after hours before, her parents own the place, she won't care." Michael tried to push her out of the way.

Maria wasn't having any of it. "Well if you haven't noticed Liz isn't here right now, I am. I'm in charge and I say no way."

Michael suddenly smiled and said, "and how are you going to stop me?" He gave a really good yank on the door and it burst open, throwing Maria out of the way.

"GODDAMMIT, Michael don't you ever listen to anything anyone tells you. Who the hell do you think you are?" Maria righted herself and foled her arms across her chest. Then she looked down, oh god, why did she have to look down. His jeans encased his butt so nicely, the material molded against his rear-end so well that it didn't take any imagination to picture him naked.

He turned and smiled again, "I'm the alien, your not. Wanna see who has the secret powers around here." He turned back to the fridge. He reached in and grabbed something off the shelf, Maria heard a pop and the next thing she knew he shoved the tip of a Redi-Whip can into his mouth.

Luckily he hadn't noticed where her eyes had been. "Oh gross, that is so disgusting." Maria wrinkled her nose at him.

Michael removed the nozzle from his mouth, "you don't like whip-cream, come on everybody loves whip-cream. It isn't natural not to love it."

"Not everybody." Maria threw back at him. "I'm surprised your not mixing it with Tabasco sauce, everything else gets eaten with it."

"Not whip-cream, Tabasco makes it melt faster, gets to runny." He turned and looked at her, "Your serious, you don't like it, you really don't like it?"

"Michael I just want to go home, I want to take a bath, relax, enjoy the rest of my evening, maybe actually go out and have a little fun with the few hours I have left." She was starting to whine, but she didn't care, she just wanted him to go. She could control her feelings for him alot better when he wasn't around. She had analized it till it had driven her crazy. Michael didn't like her, she knew he didn't feel the same way she did.

"Fun, you want to have a little fun, well why didn't you just say so." With that he turned and sprayed the whip cream at her. She raised her arms but not in time to stop it from spritzing all over her face. She reached out and grabbed his wrist, trying to turn the can back on him. She got her finger over the button and pushed down.

"Oh no you don...." Michael never got to finish, he had whip cream running down his face before the words were uttered. He stopped and lowered his arms, she kept a firm grip on his wrist and the can. Michael's tongue reached out and removed a large glob of the cream; he drew his tongue back into his mouth and swallowed. "Oh you want to play do you?"

"No, Michael, why don't we just call it a draw and go home, ok?" She smiled sheepishly at him, trying not to giggle. He looked so darn cute standing there with whip-cream dripping off his face. Releasing his arms she took one step back from him.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed her arms without dropping the can, he backed her up against the wall between the large stove and cubboards. When her back hit the wall he stopped pushing and just stood there staring at her.

Neither of them spoke for a minute. It seemed like hours to Maria, she couldn't take her eyes off his, they just stood there staring into each others eyes. Michael suddenly smiled, then he slowly moved his head closer to hers. Maria closed her eyes, she didn't know what he was going to do, but she felt like she couldn't breathe. She felt his breath on her face, then she felt his lips on hers. She couldn't believe this. Michael Guerin was kissing her! Kissing Maria DeLuca.

Maria stood frozen for a few seconds, then slowly, she opened her mouth and cautiously moved her tongue over his lips. She felt Micheal jerk, then he opened his mouth. She heard the can drop to the floor but she didn't care, she was too deep into the feeling of his warm velvet tongue gliding over hers. She never even noticed his arms moving down hers, wrapping around her waist, pulling her tighter. She brought her arms down to his shoulders and moved one hand up into his hair, that spiky, fly-away always tousled hair. Maria loved Michael's hair, she was forever teasing him about it, but she loved it. She couldn't believe how silky it felt.

Michael moved his right hand up her ribcage, slowly cupping her breast in his palm. He twisted his wrist and tightened his fingers around it. He ran the pad of his thumb down her nipple, she could feel the heat through the material of her bra. Her nipple beaded into a hard pebble. He moved his lips along her jaw-line and ran his tongue back up to her earlobe.

Maria saw stars, she couldn't believe this was happening, she had wanted this for a long time, but she never believed it would happen.

They were so engrossed in the moment they never heard the bell over the door, never heard Max and Liz step into the kitchen, never heard Max clearing his thoat.

But they did hear Liz's suddenly shout, "Maria!"

The two broke apart so fast, Michael never noticed the can of whip-cream, his foot hit it at an angle, he went down with a thud. Maria slipped down behind the stove. Maybe if she closed her eyes tightly enough this would not be happening, not the Michael stuff, but the Liz and Max stuff.

"So Michael, whatcha doing?" Max ask with a grin.

"Yeah Maria, I thought you would have been long gone by now. I didn't expect to find you here." Liz could barely get it out, she was trying to hold back the laughter.

"Ah, we were, ah, cleaning up, yeah we were just cleaning up." Maria stammered out, she stood and and walked toward the fallen can, she bent and grabbed it and threw it into the garbage, she turned and closed the refrigerator door and ran a hand over her hair. It came away covered in gooey, melted whip-cream.

"And we're done now, so I'm just going to be going now, I'll see you tomorrow Liz." Maria turned and ran out through the diner.

"Michael, what was that all about?" Max ask him as he helped him up off the floor.

"I don't know, I was just minding my own business when she attacked me with a can of whip-cream, she's crazy Max, I'm telling you, she's crazy. Too many weird vibes coming off that girl."

Michael turned and followed Maria out the door. He looked up the street as Maria's car came tearing out of the parking lot. "Yeah, lots of vibes coming off that girl." He smiled, turned and walked away.

_*****_

Title: The Present (1/1) Author: bec Rating: PG Summary: Maria gets Michael a Christmas present. Dedication: Merry Christmas Melissa, you requested it, you own it.

The Present -

Maria ran the rag over the countertop one last time, turning, she rested her hip against the counter. She was tired. Her and Liz were working the Christmas Eve shift so everyone else could be with their families. For Liz working meant being with her family, her parents owned the diner, but for Maria, Christmas didn't have the same meaning as everyone else. Her mom, Amy didn't believe in all the "hogwash" of Christ's birth as she called it. Just another reason for all the greedy people to get more she said. As far back as Maria could remember they hadn't had a Christmas tree, or presents under it. Christmas was just another day for them. She remembered all the little presents she had bought herself so that when Liz and Alex ask her what she got she had something to show them. She couldn't even tell her best friends that Santa Claus didn't come to her house.

She looked around the diner at all the decorations that she and Liz had hung. It looked sorta garish in here with all the tinsel mixed in with all the alien paraphernalia, but it did, in its own way look Christmas-y. Her eyes came to rest on the few remaining patrons, old Bill Weston was heading towards the door, everyone knew that Bill didn't have anyone to spend Christmas with. Every year he came in on Christmas Eve, Liz's mom would make him a special little package to take home with him, socks, or maybe a pair of gloves. It didn't matter what it was, he always ended up crying like a baby and everyone hugged him and wished him a Merry Christmas. The bell rang as the door shut behind him, the diner was cleaned and ready for closing time. Jose was finishing up the cleaning in the kitchen. As soon as they could clear the last table they were all going to be heading out.

Her eyes came to rest on the other occupants of the place, four young people sitting in their favorite booth. This was the first time that three of them had been in the diner on this holiday. Ever since Liz had told Maria about Max , Isabelle and Michael they had spent most of their time together. When Liz had been forced to tell Alex a few months ago, he had joined their little crowd. The six of them were drawn into a silent conspiracy, keeping the other threes secret. Max and Isabelle Evans and their jerky friend Michael Guerin were aliens, not of the illegal variety but the "not from around here" kind. Keeping their secret had lead the six of them down a very interesting path in life.

Maria jumped as Jose rang the bell behind her, "time to go home sweet cheeks, what you dreaming about my hot body again?"

"Bite me Jose." Maria told him as she picked up the wet rag and walked over to the booth. Gathering the cups that were scattered over the Formica coated table she caught the last of the conversation.

"It's a family tradition, laugh all you want Isabelle, but I like having a Christmas stocking." Alex was saying.

"Do you have little red Christmas jammies to go with it?" Isabelle teased him.

Maria couldn't believe those two. Isabelle used to make all kinds of mean cracks about the flirting that Michael and Maria had done, but here lately that's all these two did. No matter how she tried she couldn't picture them even remotely being a couple, but from the intense flirting that had been going back and forth between them, it came through loud and clear that Isabelle liked Alex.

Liz Parker, Maria's best friend came over and leaned against the booth. "Well we only have a few more hours left Alex and you get to peak inside of your stocking. I can't wait. I'm still hoping that mom and dad have been paying attention to my Christmas wish hints."

Maria smiled, "come on Liz how many sixteen year old girls do you know that start out every conversation with "and do you know that a Henderson V Microscope only cost…"

"I over did it a bit didn't I?" Liz giggled.

"Just a bit." Maria said.

"Well mom knows how much I want those boots in Carson's window, they've even marked them down. So I'm pretty sure I'm getting them." Isabelle said, as she went on to tease her brother, "what do you thinks in that big box under the tree Max, you know the one with your name on it?"

"Unlike you Iz I don't worry about things like that, what ever I get I'll be happy with." Max said.

"You mean there's not one special thing you want?" Isabelle questioned him.

"Nope, nothing that I can think of." Max replied as he shyly smiled up into Liz's face. They had started dating a few weeks ago and no matter what Isabelle thought Max had everything he could wish for.

"Oh God, their at it again." Michael said as he dropped his head to the table top.

"Do what I do Michael, just ignore it." Isabelle said.

"Your one to talk, if you smile at Alex one more time I'm gonna loose my hot dog." Michael said as he pushed against Max to let his friend know he wanted up. "I've had enough of all the googlie eyes and mushy stuff going on here, I'm out of here folks. Have a nice Christmas and all that crap." Michael zipped up his leather jacket and headed towards the door.

"What was that all about?" Alex ask.

Isabelle looked at Max, and said, "Michael's dad doesn't exactly make Christmas a priority on his list if you know what I mean."

Maria watched him stand on the sidewalk outside the diner, sitting the cups on the table again, she turned towards the door. "Liz I'll be right back ok." As she pushed the door open the chilly night air hit her arms causing goosebumps to pop up on her skin.

"Michael." She called. He never turned to look at her. They really hadn't spent much time together, not since the night at the old soap factory and Michael had told her she was getting "too intense" for him. They had been civil to each other when they had to talk, but other than that they hadn't really spoken.

"Yeah" she heard him mutter.

"I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you?" Maria said, she didn't understand what she was about to do, but she couldn't have stopped herself if she tried.

"What favor?" Michael ask her quietly. He kept his eyes on the street, he was afraid if he looked at her she'd be able to see something in his eyes. He didn't want to be alone with her, he had went out of his way to make sure he was never alone with her. It was too damn hard, not being able to hold her, or touch her. He had spent every waking moment since the night at the party trying to tell himself it was best if they weren't together. No connections, nothing to hold him to this place.

"Could you come to my house in about an hour." Maria said to him. She didn't like talking to his back, but she knew she wouldn't be able to ask him if she had to look at his face, see the cold uncaring look in his eyes. God she was so stupid, he would never agree to what she was asking him. She waited to hear him say no.

"Why?" Michael said.

"There's something I wanted to ask you." Maria said.

Michael still wouldn't turn around. "Ask me now."

"Not here, just be at my house in one hour, ok." Maria turned around and went through the doors quickly. She knew if she stood there another minute he would end up telling her no. She figured he wouldn't show up anyway, but this way she didn't have to hear him say it.

Michael stood at the edge of the curb and told himself

-******-

She stood at the kitchen table stirring the sugar into her tea. Her mom wasn't home, she had called earlier and said she was going to be staying in Deep Springs tonight. Some guy named Joe who she had met at a convention on aromatherapy a few weeks ago had ask her to his house for Christmas. Maria laughed to her self. The laugh slowly turned into a sob.

Wiping the tear away before it could slide down her cheek she picked up her cup and walked towards the sofa. The radio was playing a soft and dreamy Christmas song, she slowly hummed along with the music as she sat down on the couch. Leaning over she placed her cup on the coffee table that her mom had picked up at some yardsale. She looked at the small brightly wrapped present that rested beside the cup. Reaching out she straightened the red bow that she had placed around it. The tears welled up in her eyes again. Why did she buy that thing, what in the world had made her even think that he would want it. She had found it at the mall that Isabelle had forced her and Liz to go to last week. Claiming that the two hour ride was nothing compared to the great things they would find there. Things you couldn't find in Roswell.

She leaned back and laid her arm across the back of the sofa, she wouldn't look at the clock, she wouldn't But telling herself not too didn't work, raising her eyes she saw that is was now one hour and forty minutes since she had spoken to Michael. She knew he wouldn't come, but it still hurt. Laying her head down in the curve of her arm she let the tears fall.

Michael watched her through the window, it tore him apart inside to watch her cry. She was alone. Where the hell was her mother, it was Christmas Eve for Christ sake. How could she leave her alone tonight.

But it was different for him, Hank wasn't his real father. The only reason Hank kept him was for the welfare check they sent him. Maria's mother should be here with her. He knew that Max and Isabelle where with their parents, hell, so were Liz and Alex. Why wasn't Maria. He looked around the small room, no tree, no decorations. Damn it what was he doing here, why was he doing this to himself. Turning to leave he walked across the parking lot and knew it was better if he just left.

Maria didn't hear the small knock at first, it barely registered over the soft music coming from the radio. But the second one she did hear, sitting up she wiped the tears from her face and wondered if Liz had decided to stop by. It would be just like her friend to do something like that, although she had never done it before.

Making sure the tears were erased from her cheeks she opened the door.

"Michael." Maria said in shock.

"You ask me to stop by, if you changed your mind I can go." He told her.

"No, no, come in." Maria said opening the door wider. He stepped into the room knowing he should not have turned around, he should have kept on going, but at the same time he couldn't have walked away from her, not after seeing her crying.

"Ah, well what did you want." Michael ask, he stood just inside the door, afraid to walk any further into the room.

Maria pushed the door closed and walked back to the couch.

"I wanted to give you this." Maria said as she picked up the small box, she turned and thrust it at him.

He stood there just staring at it for a few moments. "What is it?" he ask.

"It's a Christmas present dummy." She said.

"But…" Michael stammered.

"Just take it ok, its not anything special, just something I saw and it made me think of you." She told him.

Michael couldn't believe it, he couldn't remember ever getting a Christmas present. At the orphanage or the foster homes he was in he usually got the little care packages they made up for the children. And they were never wrapped. He slowly reached out and took the box out of her hands.

"What's in it?" Michael ask as he passed the box between his hands. He was afraid to open it, he didn't want to mess it up, it looked so perfect, gold wrapping with a small red felt ribbon.

"Open and see. Presents are made to be opened Michael, that's half the surprise." Maria smiled at him. She had never seen him like this, so lost for words.

He couldn't believe she had done this, after everything he had done. After hurting her like he had. She had bought him a present. Taking two fingers he gently pulled on the red ribbon, it unraveled and he gripped it in fingers. Using one finger he slid it along the edge of the paper.

"Oh." Maria said.

Michael stopped and looked at her. "What?"

"Nothing, I just would have thought you were more of the rip and shred kinda guy. How do you usually open your presents?" Maria ask him.

"I've…I've never had a present before." Michael told her.

Maria looked into his eyes. She felt herself tearing up again.

"Don't." Michael said, he couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. Not anger at her, but anger at himself for making her cry again. "Don't cry." He reached out and pulled her into his arms. Everything he had told himself about being better off without her went flying out the window. All he could feel was how fucking good it felt to hold her, to feel her in his arms again. It's what he dreamed about in bed each night, thought about every time he saw her. He realized that being apart from her was not going to just go away, even if he had to leave one day, he would still always dream about her. "Please don't cry baby. I can't take it when you cry."

"I know what it feels like." She said.

"What do you mean, what feels like?" Michael questioned her.

"Not to get any presents." Maria whispered into his chest.

He just pulled her back a bit and looked into her face. What was she talking about, she had a home, a mother who loved her. How could she have never gotten a present.

"I've gotten little ones from Liz and Alex on my birthday, but my mom, she…ah…she doesn't believe in Christmas and she usually forgets my birthday." Maria said in small breathless voice. She rested her forehead on his chest for a moment, for just a small moment, she suddenly raised her head and stepped back from him, wiping away the tears. "Just forget that part ok, just open the present…please."

Michael wanted to take her back into his arms, he had forgotten about the small box in his hands. He slid his finger back under the paper and gave a tug, a small white box was revealed underneath. He pulled the lid off and looked down at the small object laying against the white cotton.

"It's a…star." He said as he drew the small silver keychain out of the box. Dangling off the chain was a small crystal star, as it turned you could see colors shimmering in the center of the crystal.

"You're always talking about going home, somewhere out there is the star that your people came from." Maria told him shyly. She felt so dorky, he didn't get it. "I'm sorry, I just thought of you when I saw it."

"It's…" Michael didn't know what to say.

Maria reached up to snatch it out of his hands. "It was stupid, I know, I'm sorry."

"No." Michael said as he pulled it back out of her reach. "It's not stupid." He laid it across the palm of his hand and stared at it for a few seconds. Raising his head he saw that she was staring at the floor. "I think it's wonderful. Thank you Maria."

Drawing her lips into her mouth over her teeth she glanced up at his face again. She watched as he took his empty hand and reached into his jacket pocket. She was confused when he pulled his hand out and inside lay a crumpled wrapped package. It looked like it had been in his pocket for awhile.

"I bought this for you, but I never thought I would give it too you. I told myself over and over again that we couldn't be together, that I had to be alone. But I still bought this, I still thought about you every day. No matter how much I told myself I couldn't be with you I couldn't stop myself from thinking about you." Michael held the wrinkled, bent box out to her.

There was no ribbon and the paper was plain red with no decorations on it, but it was the most beautiful Christmas present that Maria had ever seen. He had bought her a gift. Michael Guerin who didn't do anything he didn't want to do had bought her a present. She suddenly threw herself at him, holding him with everything she had, her body, her heart, her soul. Michael wrapped his hands around and smiled into her hair. Her sweet smelling hair. He rubbed his nose back and forth acrossed the golden strands. He caught the slight wisp of Cyprus oil. He had bought a small bottle of the stuff and kept it under his pillow and at night he would take it out and breathe in her scent. He realized he was crushing the little box even more. Pulling back he tried to smooth it out again, but it was hopeless.

"It's sorta a mess." He said as he held it out to her.

"It's beautiful, the most beautiful thing in the world." She told him.

"Open it." Michael said.

With a huge smile on her face Maria ripped the paper off the package as fast as she could, Michael grinned. "Why am I not surprised."

Opening the lid Maria saw a thin gold chain, it wasn't real gold but that never even entered her head. Maria pulled the chain out of the box, hanging at the bottom was a small crystal star. Like Michael's star it shimmered in the light.

"You're my star, you're my home." Michael whispered to her. "I love you Maria. You're the best gift I've ever been given."

Maria gently placed her arms around his neck and placed her lips against his.

"Merry Christmas Michael."