My Rosfic

Part 1

Pear. The scent always throws me a little but I’m not sure why. Every time I smell that fragrance, my mind takes me somewhere else and I feel like it’s connected to a memory. A missing memory. I’ve tried for years to figure out what that memory was, or even if there is a memory. Sometimes I think I’m crazy. It’s just a smell, one that you can capture in a bottle or a candle. But it’s more than that to me. It means something; I can feel it.

I have no real memories of my life before I was six. For a long time I just assumed it was because my brain wasn’t fully developed at that time. A lot of people don’t remember things from when they were young. But most of my friends can remember back to five and even four. Not me, I have no memories. I don’t remember when my baby sister was born or holding her. I don’t remember my first day of kindergarten or the time I broke my arm. I’ve seen pictures, but they are only snapshots of life to me. They hold no meaning.

I feel like something’s missing, something in my life. I keep digging into the back of my mind for what it is, but I can’t remember. It’s just this nagging feeling that’s been always present, but lately it’s more dominant. I’ve never told anyone about this, I’ve always kept it to myself. However, lately I’ve wanted to ask my mom. Maybe she knows something; maybe she can help me.

I’m afraid that my parents have been hiding something from me, and that when I find out, it’ll change my whole life. There are things I wish I could change, fix, but I know that you have to take life as it comes. I know that you have to just move on and forget about your emotions. I’m good at ignoring things, at becoming numb. Sometimes, you just can’t feel.

* * *

The Valenti Estate was without a doubt, the largest house in the small town of Roswell, New Mexico. It was the house everyone envied with its four stories, wrap around porch, balconies off some of the bedrooms, and beautiful cream-colored stucco exterior. The cedar red roof completed the house, giving it a true Southwestern feeling.

She followed the long driveway as it curved around, leading her behind the house. She parked her Jetta in her spot. The garage was almost as elaborate as the house: it could hold six cars easily. She walked slowly up the cobblestone sidewalk to the kitchen door. The cobblestone was cracking in some places, but she assumed it would be fixed when there was time. Now was not the time to be fixing the cobblestone. Her hand touched the smooth silver of the doorknob as she turned it, opening the door that led into the kitchen.

There sat her mother at the kitchen table, a box of Kleenex in front of her. Her face was tear stained and her hair was a mess, going everywhere. She had never seen her mother so un-kempt. She wore gray sweatpants and white socks, with a black hooded sweatshirt with the letters LCU on it. "Hi, Mom," she said quietly from the door.

"Oh, Maria!" Amy Valenti jumped up from the table and hugged her. Maria put her arms around her mother and held her as she cried.

"I just don’t know what to do. This is so horrible."

Maria ran her hand up and down her mother’s back, trying to calm her. "I know Mom, it’s ok." Maria led her Mother back to the table and they sat down. "Can I get you something?" Maria asked.

"Why do people keep asking me that? If they really wanted to help they’d find my little girl!"

"Mom, I am sure that Dad will find her," Maria said, trying to reassure her Mother. "They are probably on their way home right now." Maria didn’t actually believe that, but she had to calm her mother down.

"I hope so Maria, I really hope so," Amy said sniffling, and then blowing her nose into a Kleenex.

"Rosa!" Maria called, from the table.

A short, older woman, with dark hair pulled into a bun walked into the room. She wore a simple white dress with a blue apron tied around her waist. "Miss Maria, so good to see you," Rosa said with a smile.
Maria smiled back. "Nice to see you, too. Do you think you could draw my mother a bath, please? Use some chamomile bubble bath please," Maria told her. "It’s calming."

"Right away, Miss." Rosa rushed out of the room and Maria heard her small feet hit the steps as she hurried up them.

"You’ll feel better after you take a bath, Mom," Maria told her, handing her another Kleenex.

"I’ll feel better when Carly is found," Amy said, wiping her eyes. Maria squeezed her hand and Amy left the table to go upstairs to her bathroom.

When Amy was gone, Maria let out a long sigh. The Valenti house was in a state of turmoil over Maria’s missing sister. Carly Valenti hadn’t come home from school Friday afternoon. Carly had a tendency to run off without telling anyone; she had been doing it since she was a kid. However, it was now Monday and Carly still hadn’t shown up. Her boyfriend said that she had planned on going home Friday, and studying for finals. He was the last person to see her and the chief suspect in her disappearance. Maria knew him personally, and knew he wouldn’t be capable of hurting her. But something strange had happened to Carly Valenti, and Maria prayed that they would find her soon.

Maria got up from the table and picked up her mother’s used tissues. She threw them in the garbage and looked around for something else she could do. She wanted desperately to keep her mind off her missing sister. If she didn’t, she’d go insane with worry like her mother had. Maria saw dishes sitting in the sink, so she ran some hot water, found a dishrag, and began to wash them. As she slowly scrubbed a glass plate, she looked out the window. Staring into the backyard, she saw herself as a young girl playing with her big brother and baby sister.

"Maria, I want to jump!" Carly whined. Her dark brown hair flew out behind her as the wind blew through the backyard.

"Kyle and I are jumping now! Besides you can’t jump unless Mom or Dad are watching."

Carly stuck out her tongue at Maria, and Kyle laughed. "Go play in the sandbox Carly," Kyle told her.

Maria watched as Carly pouted, but walked over to the sandbox. She sat down in the sand and played with her shovel.

Maria was mesmerized by the memories playing out before her. Carly, who was only four at the time, played in the sandbox. She threw sand in a bucket and then would dump it out. Maria stared at the little girl; she couldn’t take her eyes off her. Maria was in a trance. It was almost as if she was real. Little Carly turned her head and stared straight into Maria’s eyes. Maria felt her heart jump as she stared back at the memory. "Help me, Maria!" little Carly cried.

The plate fell from Maria’s grasp as she jumped back. She heard the glass shatter as it hit the ground and she almost fell down, but a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, catching her before she hit the ground. "Maria, are you ok?" the man asked, his voice sounding scared for her.

Maria blinked and the scene that had been happening in her backyard was gone. "I’m… I’m fine," she said breathlessly, turning to see who was holding her steady. "Michael," she said, pushing her way out of his arms.

"Whoa, what‘s wrong?"

"Nothing. I’m umm… sorry, stressed out," she explained.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, I heard about Carly. I came to see if your mom needed anything. Or if your dad needed help looking," he told her.

"Yeah, I just got home. I’m not really sure what’s going on. I sent my mom upstairs to rest."

"Are you sure you’re ok?" Michael asked. His dark brown eyes looked concerned and Maria couldn’t help but feel gratitude towards him.

She forced a small smile. "I’m fine. Really."

"Do you want me to get you something?" he asked.

"No. I’m just trying to do the dishes to help out." They both looked down at the broken plate on the ground.

"Looks like you weren’t taught how to properly do dishes," Michael told her with a grin, as he bent down to start picking up the glass. She knelt to help him and glared a little.

"What’s that supposed to mean Mr. Guerin?" she asked.

"Just that, you never were very good at the housework stuff."

She couldn’t be offended by what he was saying, because it was true. She never had to do anything on her own. There was always Rosa or some other maid to do it for her. "Well, I’m working on it," she told him, picking up the rest of the glass.

They threw it in the trash and sat down at the kitchen table. "So how have you been?" he asked. "You know, aside from the fact that your sister is missing."

"I’ve been good. I’m so glad that I’m done with school. I never thought graduation would come," Maria told him.

"Yeah, when is your graduation?" Michael asked.

"Tomorrow is the ceremony. I won’t be able to be there unless Carly shows up today. Oh well, I already went through a high school one. I suspect the college one is just longer and more boring."

"So are you going to stay in Las Cruces or come back here?"

"I don’t know," Maria told him.

"Well, I’m sure there’s room for a dietician at Roswell Memorial," he said with a smile.

"So tell me about USC," Maria insisted. "I’m sure Courtney is thrilled to be engaged to an architect," Maria added the last part bitterly.

"Jealous?" he asked. "How’s Billy?" he snapped.

"I don’t know. I broke up with him Wednesday," she told him.

"Why?" he asked.

She glared at him. "None of your business."

He held his hands up in defense. "Ok, sorry."

"Anyway, your graduation was last week right?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "Yup, I’ve got this piece of paper that says I’m good at designing houses. We’ll see if I get anywhere with it," he said, smiling.

Maria forgot about her animosity towards him and smiled back. "Well good luck with that. When I need a house, I’ll have you design it."

"And when Courtney becomes anorexic I’ll send her to you for diet advice," he added.

"I’d let the bitch die," Maria snickered.

Michael looked at her warningly. "I’m marrying her, Maria."

"Yeah, good luck. She’s a slut." Maria was all of a sudden in a bad mood again. Thinking about Courtney and Michael usually did that to her.

"Maria, don’t you think you could get over this? It’s been four years."

"Whatever." Maria stood up and sighed. "I should call my dad and brother, and see if they’ve found anything yet."

"Ok." Michael stood up and held his arms out to her. She hesitated at first, but then fell into them, resting her head on his chest. "It’ll be fine," he told her, running one hand through her long blonde hair and the other one resting on her back. She felt butterflies in her stomach flutter as he held her.

"I just have to be strong for my mom, ya know? She’s a mess. I can’t let myself feel," she mumbled.

Michael let her go and cupped her face in his hands. "You can feel. Don’t be numb to this Maria."

She nodded. "Ok," she whispered. She just wanted to bury herself in his arms again and never let him go, but she knew she couldn’t. That was in the past.

"If you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me," he told her.

She nodded again, trying not to cry. "Thank you," she said, a bittersweet smile on her face.

He pulled her into a quick hug again and then let her go. "I can see my way out," he told her.

He walked out of the kitchen, towards the front door, and Maria collapsed onto a chair at the kitchen table. She tried to keep herself calm. She was feeling things, things she shouldn’t feel, but they weren’t about her sister. They were about Michael

Part 2

"Maria, honey, do you want something to eat?" Amy Deluca asked, snapping Maria from her daydreams.

"No Mom, I’m fine," she said. The sun was shining brightly through the windows on the screened in porch. Amy was tapping her fingers lightly on the table, duda du, duda du, duda du. Maria stared at her mother’s drumming fingers. The light pink nail polish on her fingernails glimmered in the sunlight. "Carly’s favorite color is pink," Maria said to no one in particular.

"What?" Amy asked, her tapping ceasing.

Maria looked up at her mother. "Oh, I was just looking at your nail polish and it’s pink."

Amy glanced down at her nails and then back at Maria. "I guess it is," she said, forcing a smile. She looked at the silver watch resting comfortably on her wrist and sighed. "It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from your father."

"I’m sure everything is fine," Maria said, not really believing it herself.

"It just means they haven’t found her yet," Amy told Maria. Maria was thinking the same thing, but hadn’t said it. They hadn’t found Carly and it was late Monday afternoon.

"Maria!" A short blonde girl ran onto the screen porch. She had tears welling up in her beautiful blue eyes and her hair was a mess of tangled curls.

"Tess!" Maria said, getting up and hugging the girl.

"I just heard about Carly. I was out of town visiting some family. I would have come sooner…"

"It’s ok," Maria said, letting go of Tess. "I just got here this morning."

Tess leaned over and hugged Amy who was sitting, watching the two girls interact. "Are you ok, Amy?" Tess asked.

"I’m doing ok."

Tess took a seat at the table and clasped her hands. "I was worried when I hadn’t heard from Kyle. He didn’t return my calls so I left a few days early. I wish there was something I could do."

"I think we all feel that way, honey," Amy said, squeezing her hands.

Maria’s eyes went to Tess’s left hand as she twisted a sliver diamond ring on her ring finger. "Tess!" Maria exclaimed.

Tess jumped, looking up at Maria. "What?"

"What is that on your finger!?"

Tess looked away shyly with a wide grin on her face. "We were going to tell you tomorrow at your graduation. Kyle and I are getting married." Tess held out her left hand and wiggled it in front of Maria’s face.

Maria grabbed her hand and looked at the engagement ring. "It’s beautiful," Maria said. The silver ring had a small diamond in the middle with two heart shaped diamonds on the outside.

Tess looked at her ring. "It is. I just wish I could be happy about it right now."

"Oh Tess, you can be happy about getting married," Amy told her. "I’m so happy Kyle finally proposed."

"No joke! You two have been dating for 5 years! It’s about time!" Maria said, giggling.

"So when are you and Billy going to be tying the knot?" Tess asked.

Maria bit her bottom lip. "We’re not."

"What happened?" Tess exclaimed. "You two seemed so happy."

"We were, I guess. I never was. My heart was never his, we all know it belongs to…" The slamming of the front door interrupted Maria. Amy got up and quickly went into the foyer, Tess and Maria not far behind.

"Where is she? Where’s my baby?" Amy asked frantically.

Jim Valenti, an older yet very handsome man, stood in the doorway, a look of regret on his face. His son, Kyle Valenti, who looked like his dad, stood next to him. "I’m sorry Mom," Kyle said. "We didn’t find her." Amy collapsed into Jim’s arms and started crying.

Kyle hugged Tess quickly and then hugged Maria. "Hey sis, haven’t seen ya in a while."

Maria squeezed him tightly. "I know, I’m sorry."

"I’m glad you’re here."

Maria let go of Kyle and he grabbed Tess’s hand. "Hi," Maria said, hugging Jim as he let go of Amy.

"Hi, Maria." He kissed her forehead. "I‘m so sorry about your graduation," he told her.

"It‘s ok, really. Finding Carly is way more important."

"I love you kiddo," he told her.

"I love you too, Daddy," she said, smiling. "I’m really tired, I’m going to unpack, take a shower, and get some sleep," Maria told her family.

"Ok," Amy said, sniffling. "Goodnight Maria."

Maria headed upstairs to her room, and found her suitcases sitting on the floor. Henry must have gotten them from her car. She’d have to thank him later. She grabbed some stuff and headed towards her bathroom. A long hot shower sounded fabulous at the moment, and she was ready to enjoy every drop of water that hit her body.

* * *

The cement floor was cold and hard beneath her feet. The hall was dank and dark, and the gray paint was peeling off the wall. She had flipped the switch for the hall light, but it provided only a soft glow and flickered on and off every few seconds. There was however, one good thing about the hallway; it had a very appealing smell. It was fruity, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

She had been walking down the hall forever but she couldn’t seem to reach her destination. She had to get to the end of the hall. She wasn’t really sure why; she just knew she had to. As she continued, she heard footsteps behind her. She felt breathing on the back of her neck and she started running. Her follower kept up with her, always a footstep behind, always a warm breath on her neck whispering, "Maria…"

The door at the end of the hall kept moving father and father away from her, even as she ran faster and faster. Her pursuer was hot on her trail. Her lungs burned as she ran harder, pumping her legs and arms. Her whole body ached. She tried to get away but she couldn’t. "Maria…" The whisper echoed through the hall.

Maria didn’t turn around, but kept her eyes on the door at the end of the hall. She was almost there. She reached out her hand to grab the doorknob when she tripped and fell to the ground. She picked herself up and reached for the door, but it was gone, replaced by another gray wall. Maria turned towards the hallway and leaned up against the wall, fearing what would happen next.

She was surprised to see a short brunette with chocolate brown eyes staring back at her. "Carly…," Maria whispered.

"You know who took me, Maria. Make him stop, help me," Carly said, her voice demanding.

"I don’t… I don’t know," Maria cried. Salty, hot tears started to roll slowly down her flush cheeks.

"You do!" Carly exclaimed. "It’s not me he wants, it’s you," Carly told her.

"What?" Maria asked, her voice shaken.

Carly turned around and started walking away from Maria. "Carly!" Maria yelled. Carly ignored her and continued down the hall. Maria followed her, determined to know where she was going. Carly stopped in front of a door and opened it. She turned back to Maria and smiled. Maria looked in the room and saw that it was nothing but a black hole. "Carly, get away from there. Come with me." Maria held out a hand to her sister. Carly just smiled and took a step back, closer to the ledge. "Carly…," Maria said. "Please." Carly turned around and jumped off the ledge into the blackness. "CARLY!" Maria screamed.

* * *

"CARLY!" Maria screamed, bolting upright in bed. Beads of sweat had formed on her brow and now ran down her cheeks. She breathed deeply, trying to get her breath back. That dream, it was almost… real. Too real. Maria turned on the light by her bed and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

The door to her room flew open and Kyle ran in. "What’s going on?" he asked. "I heard you scream."

"I had… a nightmare," she told him, not wanting to relive it.

"Are you ok?" he asked, looking at her with concern.

"I’m fine, just shaken up a bit." He looked at her as if he knew she was lying.

"I’m fine Kyle!" she assured him. "Go back to bed. I’ll see you in the morning."

Kyle started towards the door when he heard the phone ring. He looked at Maria. She jumped out of bed and together they ran towards their parents’ room. They swung the door open and saw Jim sitting up with the phone in his hand. Amy was looking at him with anticipation in her eyes.

"Ok. Thank you, Hansen. Yes, I’ll be there right away." Jim hung up the phone and looked at his eager family, but it wasn’t joy on his face, it was pure fear. "They found her car."

Part 3

“What are you looking for?” Kyle asked, coming into Maria’s room. She had things thrown everywhere.

“I can’t find my red halter top,” Maria exclaimed, throwing a shirt on her bed. “I brought everything home!”

“Are you sure?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah, I left most of it in the car, but Henry brought up my suitcases last night.”

“Henry?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah,” Maria told him, looking in her suitcase again.

“Henry doesn’t work here anymore Maria.”

Maria snapped her head up and stared at Kyle. “Well then who brought in my bags?” Maria asked.

“I don’t know,” Kyle told her. Maria shrugged it off and then started going through her purse. “I don’t think your shirt is in your purse.

“Duh,” Maria said. “I can’t find my license either,” she told him. “Oh well.”

“I gotta go and start the never ending search for Carly. I’ll talk to you tonight,” Kyle told her, hugging her.

“Ok, bye Kyle.”

As Kyle left, Maria bit her bottom lip. Who brought her bags in last night and where was her shirt.

* * *

Jim Valenti was a decent sized man, who stood 5 feet, 8 inches. He was a good man, who believed in family and morals. The men that he worked with always knew that he put his family first and foremost before anything else. He was Roswell’s sheriff and did his best to serve and protect everyone and everything. It killed him that he had failed to serve and protect one of the most important things in his life, his daughter. As Jim stood, staring at the silver Cavalier he bought for his 17-year-old daughter only a few months ago, he felt tears well up in his eyes. Jim wasn’t the kind of man that cried, but he was losing hope of finding Carly.

“There are signs of a struggle, Sheriff,” Hansen told him.

Jim walked over to the car for the first time and looked inside. The window on the driver’s side had been smashed and shards of glass sat in both the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat.

“Look at this,” Hansen said, pointing to the seatbelt. “It’s been cut.” Hansen picked up the two separate pieces of fabric and Jim examined them closely.

“There’s blood on it,” Jim said, noticing a small spot.

“Could be from the attacker or Carly. I’ll take it in and get it tested immediately.”

“Thanks, Hansen.” Hansen cut the part of the seatbelt with blood and stuck it in a plastic bag. He hurried away and Jim surveyed the car some more. He went to the driver’s side and looked around on the ground for a sign of anything. There was nothing. “I want everything in this car taken into the station. I want it combed for hair follicles. I want everything you can find!” Jim yelled to his men. He peered into the back windows and saw a shirt lying on the backseat. He opened the door, took it out, and held it up.

“What have you got there Sheriff?” Hansen asked.

“This shirt…,” Jim said, looking at the plain, red, halter-top. “It’s not Carly’s.”

“How do you know?” Hansen asked.

Jim looked at the tag and his face dropped. “The girls always write their name on the tags of their clothes so that Rosa doesn’t confuse them when she does the laundry.”

“So what’s the problem?” Hansen asked.

Jim looked at his best deputy. “The tag on this shirt says, ‘Maria’.”

* * *

Maria glanced behind her as she walked into the CrashDown Café. She’d been feeling watched for the past couple of days and it was starting to freak her out. She slid into a booth and grabbed a menu. She looked it over briefly, not taking long to make a decision. She had been coming to the CrashDown for as long as she could remember and the food never changed. She looked around at the restaurant that also hadn’t changed much in the past 4 years. It still had bright colored aliens and spaceships painted on the walls and the tacky blue alien waitress uniforms with the silver, bobble head antenna.

“Welcome to the CrashDown, how can I help you?” the waitress said. Maria glared at the slim, blonde girl that stood over her. Her belly was slightly protruding and Maria found that to be interesting. Michael hadn’t mentioned that. “Oh it’s you,” Courtney spat.

“And you. Still working as a waitress, how sad for you,” Maria said condescendingly. She wouldn’t even pretend to be friendly with the bitch.

“Yes, but if you didn’t hear, my man is an architect now. I won’t be waiting tables for much longer,” Courtney told her, smirking.

“That’s where you’re wrong sweetheart. You’re trash, you always have been and always will be, and one day Michael is going to see it and he’s going to leave you,” Maria said matter of factly.

“Oh yeah? What’s that like?” Courtney asked.

Maria glared at Courtney, not having anything else to say.

“That’s enough,” Michael said sternly, coming up behind Courtney.

“Hi, baby,” Courtney said, kissing him on the cheek.

“Can you get me a blood of alien smoothie?” he asked. “Maria will take an alien blast.” Michael slid into the booth across from Maria and grinned at her.

“Ok,” Courtney smiled at Michael and went back to the kitchen.

“Real winner you’ve got there, Guerin,” Maria said. “Did you just come in here to rub your happy little life in my face?” she asked.

“Chill Maria. I saw you come in and I wanted to see if I could buy you lunch,” he told her.

“Won’t your precious Courtney get upset?”

“Fuck her.”

“I’m sure you do,” Maria snapped.

“Ok, if you are going to be hostile I’ll leave,” he told her, starting to get up.

“No, I’m sorry. Stay,” she told him, grabbing his arm and pulling him back into the booth. “So when does everyone get home from school?” Maria asked.

“Max and Liz get back this weekend. Isabel comes back tomorrow and Alex should be back Thursday,” Michael told her.

“I’ll be glad to see them,” she told him.

“What, I’m not good enough for you?” he asked, pretending to pout.

“Hell if I want to waste my summer spending time with you and your whore!” Maria snickered.

“Maria…,” Michael warned.

“No, don’t Maria me! How can you expect me to like her? She’s awful,” Maria said, trying not to raise her voice. She felt repressed anger start to rise and she didn’t want to let it out in front of all of these people. No, that wasn’t true. She didn’t want to let it out in front of Courtney, cause then she’d win.

“Maria, I’m marrying her,” Michael said, trying to stay calm as well.

“Why? Cause you love the slut or because she’s pregnant with your kid?” Maria said, louder than she had wanted.

People started to look at them and Michael glared at her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door. “What the hell is your problem?” Michael yelled, once they were out of earshot of other citizens.

She pulled her arm from his grasp and glared at him. “I don’t have a problem,” she spat.

“How can you talk to me that way about the woman I’m marrying? Grow up, Maria.”

“Why did you sleep with her?” Maria cried as tears started welling up in her eyes.

“Maria… let’s not go there,” he said softly.

“No. We need to go there. Why?” She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. “Why?”

“It was four years ago!” Michael clenched his fists together in attempt to stay calm.

“And you never told me why! Why, Michael… why did you cheat on me with her?” Maria let the tears fall on her cheeks. “Why?”

“I don’t know… I just…,” he started.

“You don’t know? We were together for three years and then you just slept with her? I loved you.”

“I loved you, too,” he said quietly.

“That’s supposed to be me. I’m supposed to be wearing that ring. I’m supposed to be having your baby. I’m supposed to be the future Mrs. Michael Guerin. Not that slut. She stole you from me. That should be me!” Maria choked back a sob and Michael pulled her into his body. She cried loudly, resting her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and held her tightly, letting her cry. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer to her, needing to be as close to him as possible. He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back with his free hand. ”Do you love her?” she mumbled into his chest.

He held her away from him, his hands gripping her arms. She looked into his beautiful brown eyes. “Not as much as I’ve ever loved you,” he told her, pulling her back into him.

“Then why?” she said, another stream of tears on their way.

“We were fighting; I wanted to get back at you. I’m sorry,” he told her. “I’m so sorry, Maria.”

Maria pushed away from him. “It could have been me,” she said, sniffling.

Michael put his hands on either side of her face and wiped away her tears with his thumb. “It should have been you.“ He leaned in and brushed his lips delicately against hers.

Maria pushed away from him, wiping away the rest of her tears. “Goodbye, Michael.” She turned and ran towards her Jetta, the tears starting all over again.

* * *

Maria’s head was pounding from all the crying she had done. She opened the heavy door to her house and started to go up the stairs. She didn’t want to see anyone right now. She was just too upset. Someone had other plans for her, however.

“Maria?” her father called from the kitchen. Maria sighed and walked to the kitchen where her parents were sitting at the table.

“What?” she asked, sniffling.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Amy asked, concern apparent on her face.

“I saw Courtney, and Michael and I got into it. I’m fine,” Maria told them.

“Honey, sit down,” Jim told her.

Maria felt her stomach flutter with nervousness. Something was wrong. “What’s going on?” she asked, fear flooding her voice.

Jim held up a zip lock baggie with a red piece of clothing in it. “Did you let Carly borrow any of your clothes last time you were here?” Jim asked.

“No,” Maria said, confused.

Jim pushed the bag towards her. “This was in her car.”

Maria picked up the bag and examined the red halter-top that she had been looking for this morning. “This is mine,” Maria said, surprised. “I looked everywhere for it.”

“Yeah, it is,” Amy said. “Honey, why was this shirt in Carly’s car?”

“I… I don’t know,” Maria said, getting scared. “What’s this about?”

Jim handed her another bag. “We also found this.”

Maria picked it up and started panicking. “Why was this in Carly’s car?” Maria asked.

“You tell us, Maria. Why would Carly have your license? Your shirt I can understand, but your driver’s license?” Amy asked.

“I don’t know, oh God, I don’t know.” Maria felt her whole body start shaking.

“Maria, I’m really sorry, but I have to take you down to the station,” Jim told her as he stood

“What?” Maria cried. “No! I didn’t do anything!”

“Maria, I’m sorry. I don’t want to do this, but your stuff was in her car. I don’t have any other choice.” Jim walked towards her and Maria got up and backed away.

“Daddy, don’t do this.” Maria looked towards her mother. “Mom!” Amy Valenti started crying and looked away from Maria.

Jim pulled out his handcuffs and put them around her wrist as gently as he could. The metal was cold on her arms and she winced as her father led her to the door. “I’m so sorry, Maria.” Jim told her, trying not to cry himself.

“Oh my God! What is going on?” Kyle yelled as he walked into the room with Tess. “Dad, what the hell are you doing?”

Amy was sobbing at the table and Maria was crying herself. “I found my halter top and license Kyle,” Maria told her through her tears.

“What?” he asked obviously confused.

“They were in Carly’s car!” she cried. “So now I’m under arrest for taking my own sister.”

“Oh my God,” Tess said, her hand covering her mouth.

“Dad, this is ridiculous. You know Maria was at school,” Kyle told him.

“Until I get an alibi, I have to take her in. You think I want to do this?” he asked, starting to cry. “Now I’m losing two daughters.”

“You can’t do this. You can’t take her!” Kyle yelled.

“Kyle, just don’t. I’ll be fine,” Maria told him.

Kyle hugged her tightly. “I’ll get you out,” he told her.

“Bye Kyle,” Maria kissed his cheek.

Jim put a hand on her back and led her to the car. Kyle and Tess watched in horror from the doorway as Jim put Maria in the car. This was just too unreal, it couldn’t be happening, and yet… it was.

Part 4

She was in the hallway again, but this time she wasn’t running. She felt a familiar essence. Pear, she thought, taking a deep breath. She heard a giggle behind her and turned around. There was a little blonde girl holding a teddy bear tightly to herself. She couldn’t have been much older than six. Maria recognized the girl, it was her. ”Where am I?” Maria asked.

“Don’t you remember?” The little girl’s voice was pure and happy. “You’re with Daddy. He’s down the hall in his room.”

Maria looked around and frowned. “My dad doesn’t live here,” Maria told her younger self.

“Yes he does.” The little girl walked towards Maria and Maria kneeled in front of her.

“Where am I?” Maria asked again.

“Daddy’s house. You’re silly.” The little girl giggled again. “Why don’t you remember?”

“I … I don’t know,” Maria said.

Little Maria ran past older Maria and down the hall. She heard the girl giggle again and Maria turned quickly, but she was gone.

“Too late again,” the voice said from behind her. Maria turned back around to face her sister.

“Why were my things in your car?” Maria asked.

“He put them there. It’s you he wants,” Carly told her, pointing. “It’s not over Maria, he’s coming for you.”

“Who’s coming for me?”

Carly shrugged and frowned. “You already know,” Carly told her. Maria heard a loud bang behind her and she turned, nothing was behind her. She turned back to face Carly and she was gone, too.

* * *

Maria stretched her arms above her head and yawned as she woke up. It took a moment to realize where she was, and then it sank in. She was in jail for kidnapping her own sister. She looked around at the cement walls surrounding her. The cot she was sleeping on was dirty and smelly, and Maria just wanted to go home.

Maria heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. “Maria Valenti?” she heard. She looked up to see Hansen standing in front of her cell with Michael.

Hansen unlocked the door and opened it. Michael rushed in and hugged her tightly. “Oh my God, are you ok?” he asked.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she told him, leaning into his body.

Michael let her go and grabbed her hand. “I’m taking you home. Let’s go.”

“What?” Maria asked, looking at Hansen.

“You’re free to go Maria. We got an alibi from one of your schoolmates. We may have to bring you in later for questioning, but for now you can go home.”

“Thank God. Where’s my dad?” Maria asked.

“He’s out looking for your sister. He asked Michael to come get you. Well, I’ll give you two a moment.” Hansen left Michael and Maria alone, and she closed her eyes.

“This is a nightmare Michael,” Maria told him. “My parents think I kidnapped my sister. Well, they thought I did. I can’t go back there.”

“You can stay with me,” Michael told her.

“Oh no!” Maria said. “No way am I staying with you and Courtney in your house of sin. Hell no.”

Michael shook his head in distress. “Courtney doesn’t live with me. She has her own place. Really, come stay with me.”

“I don’t know, Michael…,” Maria started.

“Maria, you’re staying with me or going home. Make your choice.”

Maria groaned. “Fine, but this is a temporary situation.”

“Obviously,” he said. He led her out of the cell and to the front desk.

“Here are your personal effects, Miss Valenti,” Hansen said.

“Thanks.” She grabbed her things and followed Michael to his car. They were almost to his car when Jim pulled up in his jeep. He jumped out of the car and ran towards Maria and Michael.

“Maria!” he called. She sighed and turned to look at him. He had dark circles under his eyes that were showing his age. Usually he hid it well, but he looked like he was completely worn ragged. Why shouldn’t he be? His youngest daughter was missing and he arrested his older one. Maria didn’t hug him back when she felt his strong arms around her. “Maria?” Jim said, a hint of hurt in his voice.

“What do you want from me?” she said, tons of emotions coming to the surface. “You arrested me for kidnapping my sister. You’re my dad!” she cried. She felt herself starting to lose control. After everything that had been going on; Carly missing, Michael, being arrested, and the dreams, she couldn’t take anymore. “I’m not coming home. I’m staying with Michael,” she told him.

“Maria…,” Jim started.

“No! You arrested me; you put handcuffs on me and locked me in a jail cell! How could you do that to me? I’m your daughter, too!”

She felt Michael’s hand on her back, trying to comfort her. “Maria,” Michael said in a soft voice. “Let’s just go. It’s ok,” he told her.

“Maria, the evidence, I didn’t want to. I’m sorry,” he said.

“I have to go. You need to keep looking for Carly. Call me when you know something. I’ll be at Michael’s.” She got in Michael’s car and looked down at her lap. Her hands were quivering and she was on the verge of crying again.

Michael got in the car and started it. Before he drove anywhere he looked at Maria. She looked just as worn as Jim did. None of this had been easy on her, either. He reached out and held her hand. She didn’t pull away; she entangled her fingers with his and he drove off, leaving Jim behind in the dust.

* * *

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Courtney yelled after coming upon Maria getting out of the shower. “MICHAEL!” Courtney’s shrill voice pierced Maria’s ears and she winced in pain.

“Courtney, what’s wrong?” Michael said, rushing down the hall.

Courtney pointed at Maria with a look of disgust on her face. “She is what’s wrong. Why is she here? And why is she coming out of the shower in only a towel? What the hell is going on?” Courtney slammed her foot down and was demanding answers.

“She’s staying here, chill,” Michael told her.

“WHAT?!?!” Again Courtney’s shrill voice entered the hallway. Maria stuck her fingers in her ears and pushed past the couple.

“Courtney, calm down.” Michael put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “Her father arrested her for kidnapping Carly. She just got out and she doesn’t want to go home.”

“I like the fact that she was behind bars,” Courtney said, giving her hair a flip. She started to say something else but Michael glared at her so she backed down.

“She’s going to be staying here. You are not going to be staying here. Maria needs a friend and I’m all she has right now.”

“What about Tess? Why can’t she stay with Tess?” Courtney asked. “They’re best friends!”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Tess lives in the guesthouse at the Valenti’s. Since her dad died she’s been living there.”

“Oh yeah…,” Courtney said. “Fine, but I just want you to know that I’m against this. And until she’s gone,” Courtney pointed at herself, “this is off limits.”

“Fine, whatever,” Michael said, not wanting to fight with her anymore.

“I’m going to go home. I’ll call you later.” She kissed him on the lips and he had to try not to pull away. She wasn’t the girl he wanted to be kissing. Michael retreated back to the kitchen and Courtney went to Maria’s room.

“If you try anything with Michael, you’ll wish that you had been taken instead of your good for nothing, slut sister,” Courtney told her, an insensitive look on her face.

Maria looked at her in disbelief. “You are a cold, heartless bitch.”

“I’m just telling the truth. You’re sister was a slut, Maria. Miss Popularity has a side to her that none of you know about. If you only knew how she betrayed you.”

“What are you talking about?” Maria asked, her face flush red with anger.

“Why don’t you ask Michael?” Courtney smirked at Maria. “Well, I’m off. Have a good time and remember what I said.” She plastered a smile on her face and waved.

* * *

Maria stormed into the kitchen and stood facing Michael with her hands on her hips. “What was Courtney talking about?” Maria asked.

Michael gave her a confused look. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Courtney said my sister was a slut and I should ask you how she betrayed me. Tell me now.” Maria demanded.

“Maria…,” Michael started. “You’ve had a long day, why don’t you just rest.”

“NO! Tell me. Now!” she yelled. She was pissed and he could tell. This wasn’t good. He would have to tell her, he had no choice. Damn Courtney, she always fucked things up.

“Let’s go sit down.” Michael led her into the living room and they sat on the couch.

“What happened?” Maria asked. “I deserve to know.”

“Look, Carly and I swore we would never tell you. Actually we swore to never tell anyone, but Courtney found out. I …”

“Michael…,” Maria started.

Michael took a deep breath and looked into Maria’s emerald green eyes. He could remember when they would gleam and sparkle. They didn’t hold much of that sparkle anymore and he was about to take away the last of it. “Carly and I slept together.”

Part 5

Maria gasped. She shook her head in disbelief. “No,” she said. “No, you didn’t. You did not sleep with my sister!” Maria cried. Michael reached for her but she jumped up, away from his touch. She started pacing in front of him.

“Maria, I didn’t mean to, it just happened,” Michael told her.

Maria stopped and glared at him. “Why do things like sex always ‘just happen’ with you. Jesus! You are… When?” Maria asked.

“When I was home for spring break. Your parents had this party at your house and we were both pretty drunk,” he explained. Her mind was reeling. Michael had slept with Carly. “We found our way up to the guest house and…”

“She’s 17! You’re 22! Did you realize that was illegal at all?” Maria screamed. “Not to mention if my father found out he’d filet you!” Michael stood up and started towards her. He reached out his hand and she jerked away. “Don’t fucking touch me.” Michael felt a dagger cut through his heart as she looked at him with pure animosity. “You are unbelievable. Get me out of here. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

“Maria, please don’t say that,” Michael said, following her as she ran to her room.

“You cheated on me, and then you had the audacity to cheat on Courtney with my sister, MY BABY SISTER! What the hell is wrong with you? And, I can’t believe I’m saying this but poor Courtney. I mean she’s having your kid and you fucking cheated on her. I guess it’s true, once a cheater always a cheater. You are … I can’t even find the words.”

“Maria, it was an accident. I understand you’re upset, but it’s not like we were together.”

Maria just looked at him with a look of pain. “She’s my sister. At one point, we were together and that should have made you realize that sisters are HANDS OFF. Even after we were broken up. I can’t believe Carly would sleep with you. I can’t believe that two of the people I trusted most in the world would…,” Maria stopped, an idea coming into her head like a light bulb on those cartoons. "Courtney… Courtney took Carly.”

“That is ridiculous, Maria. She may be a bitch at times, but she’d never do that,” Michael told her.

“She told me if I tried something with you then I’d wish I was taken instead of Carly. She said all of these things about her. She did it. She hates Carly.”

“No, I won’t believe it,” Michael told her sternly. Maria grabbed her bag and pushed past Michael who was standing in the doorway. “Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here. I don’t want to see you ever again. Goodbye, Michael.” Maria slammed the front door.

Michael pounded his fist into the wall. “DAMNIT!” he yelled. He fucked up with her yet again. When would he learn?


* * *

“Hi, Momma,” Maria said, walking quietly into the kitchen. Amy was staring out the window, her knees pulled into her chest. Used Kleenexes filled the table, surrounding the newest box of fresh ones.

When she heard her daughter’s voice, she snapped out of her trance. “Oh, Maria!” Amy jumped up and embraced her eldest daughter. “I’m so sorry. I love you so much,” Amy told her, squeezing her as tightly as she could.

“Ok, Mom, I need air to breathe,” Maria said. Amy let her go and for the first time since Maria had been home from school, she smiled.

“I never thought you took Carly, I’m so sorry,” Amy told her.

Maria led her Mother over to a chair and then sat across from her. “Mom, we need to talk about something.”

* * *

Maria was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. The textured paint provided her something on which to concentrate. 100, 101, 102... She counted the dots on the ceiling, replaying the day’s events. Maria had told Amy about Michael and Carly, and about Courtney’s threats. At this point, she had to find Carly, if for nothing else than to kill her herself. Maria felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she thought about Michael sleeping with her sister.

She couldn’t deny it any longer. She was still in love with him, although she was pretty sure everyone knew that. She had never stopped loving him, but seeing him with Courtney had been the worst experience of her life. She hadn’t even let him explain. She just left town, not coming back for a few months. When she did, they talked a little, and although he apologized for what happened, it was too late at that point for him to fix it. The damage had been done and he was with Courtney.

The thought of Michael sleeping with Carly made Maria want to throw up. Carly was her sister, how could she have done that to her? How could Carly sleep with Michael? Carly and Maria were close, especially after Michael cheated on Maria. Carly was there for her. It just didn’t seem right. Why?

Maria was startled when she heard the loud ringing of her cell phone, lying on the bedside table. She reached for it and checked the caller ID, Billy. She sighed before answering it. “Hello?” she said into the receiver.

“Hey, darling.” His slight Southern accent hit her eardrums.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“I was just calling to see if they found your sister. I was worried.” Maria felt bad all of a sudden for being mean. He was a nice guy and he was just making sure she was ok.

“No, she’s still missing,” she told him.

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, listen, I’m sorry to cut this short, but I am really tired. I had a long day and I just want to get some sleep. I’ll talk to you later,” Maria told him.

“Ok, goodnight.” Maria hung up the phone and set it next to her bed. She shivered for a moment and looked over at the window. She got up and shut it quickly, locking it. She got back in bed and wrapped herself in the covers. Her eyelids felt heavy but she didn’t want to sleep. If she slept, the nightmares would come and Maria didn’t want them to come. She couldn’t make sense of them and she always woke up scared and disoriented. Maria tried to keep her eyes open, but it was no use. They closed and sleep overcame her… and the nightmare came as well.

* * *

“You can’t run anymore, Maria,” the voice told her as she ran down the hall. “He’s coming to get you,” The girl said in a singsong voice. The little girl giggled behind Maria but she kept running. She had to get to the door; she had to look behind it.

“Just a little farther,” she told herself, pushing onward to reach the door.

“Maria!” Maria stopped when she heard Carly’s voice. She turned around and saw her sister sitting in the hallway, her legs crossed. She was just staring at her.

“What? What do you want?” Maria cried. “I can’t help you.”

“He’s coming for you, Maria. It’s you he wants,” Carly told her, smiling.

“Why did you sleep with Michael?” Maria asked. “Why did you betray me?”

Carly giggled. “He’s coming. Run.”

Maria turned back and started running for the door. She finally reached it, as if she was meant to somehow. She grabbed the gold doorknob and pulled the door. As soon as she did, she was hit with the smell of pear and she smiled. She loved pear. The room was different from the hall. It was painted a light blue color and the carpet felt soft beneath her feet. It was a bedroom, one she recognized, but at the same time, didn’t. The light was shining brightly and Maria felt a happy feeling wash over her. She had made it; she was ok.

Maria then noticed a red liquid glimmering in the light. She walked towards it. Blood. It was blood. She followed the trail of blood to the other side of the bed and gasped at the sight. There was a blonde man, lying on the ground, with blood seeping from a wound on the side of his head. There was more blood on his hands and little specks on the wall. Maria knew he was dead. “NOOOO!” she screamed loudly. “NO!”

* * *

“NOOOO!” Maria screamed, shooting up in her bed. “No!” she cried. A gentle breeze floated through the window, ruffling the curtains. She heard a bustle of movement in the hall and her door flew open. Kyle, Jim, and Amy ran in, with Tess bringing up the rear.

Amy rushed to her daughter’s side and held her, rocking her gently as she cried. “It’s going to be ok,” she told her, stroking her hair.

“Maria, what happened?” Jim asked her as she started to calm down.

“He was dead,” she muttered into her mother. “He was dead.”

“Who?” Kyle asked, reaching for Tess.

“I don’t know. Carly was there. Said he’s coming for me. Oh God, there was so much blood and it left a trail and…,” She started crying again.

Amy looked up at Jim, concern etched on her face. He gave her a solemn look and then sat down on Maria’s bed. “Honey, what happened in your dream?” Jim asked.

Maria looked up at him. “Not dream, nightmare. Nightmares,” she told him, starting to regain some composure.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve had this dream?” Amy asked. Maria shook her head. Amy started to rub her daughter’s back. “It’s ok, let’s go downstairs and talk about this ok?” Amy said, soothingly.

Maria nodded, throwing the blankets off her. “Just give me a minute,” she told them.

“Ok, honey,” Amy said. She ushered Jim, Tess, and Kyle out of the room and down the stairs.

Maria went into the bathroom and splashed water on her face. What was going on? These dreams… who was that man? She felt a shiver go down her spine and she reached for her robe, wrapping it around herself tightly. Why was she so cold? She went back into her room and noticed the window was open. She felt another shiver down her spine.

“Maria, are you coming?” Kyle asked from the doorway. He had come back to check on her. And she just stood, staring at the window. “Maria?” Kyle asked, coming up behind her. “Are you ok?”

Maria shook her head. “I didn’t leave that window open, Kyle.”

Part 6

Maria sighed after telling her dreams to her family for about the third time in an hour. They kept saying, tell us one more time and she would tell them. It was horrible, reliving those nightmares that had been haunting her sleep since she came back to Roswell.

“Tell them about your window, Maria,” Kyle said, knowing she was tired of talking about the dreams.

“What about your window?” Jim asked.


Maria glared at Kyle. “I shut my window last night and when I woke up from my nightmare, it was open,” she told them.

“Are you sure you shut it, honey?” Amy asked.

“Yes, I was cold so I shut it and then went to sleep.”

“Tell them about your bags,” Kyle then said. Maria glared at him again; he was giving away her secrets. She didn’t want to worry her parents with this.

“Maria…,” Amy said.

“The other night when I got here, I never took my suitcases from my car. When I went upstairs to go to bed the ones that held my clothes were sitting by my bed. I didn’t think anything of it, I figured Henry did it. Then Kyle told me that Henry didn’t work here anymore.” Maria shrugged. “I didn’t think anything of it.” Jim rubbed his face with his hands. “I guess I should tell you the other thing. Lately, I’ve been feeling like someone has been watching me. I just have been ignoring it,” Maria told them.

“And in your dreams Carly says that he wants you?” Tess asked.

“Those are just dreams!” Maria exclaimed. “Dreams don’t mean anything!”

“But still…,” Tess said.

“It was Courtney; I know it was. She threatened me when I was at Michael’s. It was her.” Maria looked sternly at her father, trying to convince him.

“I can’t bring her in without physical evidence,” Jim said.

“You can’t arrest her?” Maria ask, surprised. “You arrested me,” she snapped.

“There was evidence, Maria! Your shirt and license were in her car! I’m sorry.” Jim slammed his fist down on the table. “I didn’t want to, can’t you forgive me?”

Maria looked down at the table. “It was Courtney; I know it.”

“I have to have evidence Maria,” Jim told her.

Maria looked down at her father and pursed her lips. “Then I’ll get some.”

* * *

“Hi, Mr. Parker,” Maria said, walking into the back room of the CrashDown Café.

“Maria!” Jeff embraced the blonde girl who had been such a good friend to his daughter Liz. “I heard about your sister. I’m so sorry,” he said when they parted.

“Yeah, actually I have a question for you. Could we talk in private?” Maria asked.

“Umm, sure.” Jeff led Maria upstairs to the apartment where he and his family lived. “Would you like something to eat or drink?” he asked.

“No, no thanks. I just have a couple questions about one of your waitresses,” Maria told him.

“Ok.” Jeff sat down on the couch and Maria sat in a chair facing him. She pulled out a little notebook and a pen and bit her bottom lip, trying to figure out where to start. ”Did Courtney Banks work on Friday?” Maria asked.

“Yeah, she worked the lunch rush. She left about 3:30,” Jeff told her.

“Hmmm…,” Maria said. “That’s right after school gets out,” Maria said to herself. She wrote something down and then looked back at Jeff.

“Do you know where she went after work?” Maria asked.

“No, I know she was trying to find a ride because her car was in the shop.” Jeff told Maria. “What’s this about, Maria?” Jeff asked with curiosity.

“I’m just helping my Dad with the investigation,” Maria told him.

“And you’re investigating Courtney?” Jeff said surprised.

“Kinda, look do you know who gave her a ride home?” Maria asked.

“Yeah, I saw her get into a silver car, a Cavalier. In fact, I think it was your sister who took her home.” Jeff looked at Maria with wide eyes. “I didn’t think about it earlier, but it was Carly.”

Maria felt hope rise insider her. She was right; Courtney did it. “Thank you, Mr. Parker. I have to go find my dad.”

* * *

Jim threw some cream-colored file folders on his desk and sat down in his brown office chair. He let out a long sigh and ran his fingers through his thin brown hair. He still had no evidence to bring Courtney in, and despite Maria’s insistence, he was having a hard time believing that she did it. Courtney was a slim girl that was 4 months pregnant. How would she be able to drag Carly, who was a star athlete, from her car? It didn’t make any sense.

It was late Thursday night and Carly was nowhere to be found. Jim was losing hope that they’d find her at all. Whoever took her did a pretty good job of covering up their trail. The only hope he took in not finding Carly was that she was still alive. He had to hold on to that, or he’d lose it. Jim was startled when he heard a knock on his door. “Come in,” he called.

Hansen walked in with a bag and threw it at him. “We found this about 5 miles away from Carly’s car.”

Jim examined the small pocket knife. It was pink with silver sparkles and “princess” written on it. “Did you test it for prints?” Jim asked.

“Yup, you’ll never believe the results.”

“Dad!” Maria burst into the office, a smiled plastered on her face. “It was her. It was her!” she exclaimed.

“Maria, I’m in the middle of something with Hansen. Can this wait a second?” Jim asked, annoyed.

“No, it was her. Jeff Parker said he saw Courtney get into the car with Carly. It was her! I told you!” Maria cried.

Hansen looked from Jim to Maria and then back to Jim again. “Courtney Banks?” Hansen asked.

“Yeah, Maria thinks Courtney did it.” Jim told him, exasperated.

“What’s that?” Maria asked, pointing to the pocketknife.

“It’s a pocket knife; I found it about 5 miles from Carly’s car,” Hansen told her, taking it from Jim’s desk and handing it to her. “The thing is there are two sets of prints on it,” Hansen told them. “One belongs to Carly.”

“And the other?” Maria asked, intrigued.

“Looks like your daughter is quite the detective,” Hansen said with a slight smile. “The other set of prints belong to Courtney Banks.”

* * *

Michael rolled over and put his arm around Courtney, placing his hand on her slightly swollen belly. She moved onto her back and looked at him, a small frown on her face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I can’t sleep,” he told her, running his hand over her stomach.

“I’m sorry about what I did. I didn’t mean to tell Maria, I just… was angry,” she said, biting her bottom lip.

“I know, it’s ok. It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I should have never slept with Carly in the first place.” She nodded her head. “And I’m sorry that I cheated on you with her. I’m sorry that I haven’t been a good boyfriend lately.” He leaned down and kissed her gently.

“It’s ok,” she told him. “I’ve been a bitch, too. I’m going to apologize to Maria tomorrow,” Courtney told him.

Michael smiled. “Thank you,” he told her, brushing a few stray blonde hairs from her face. She rolled back over on her side and he put his arms around her, holding her close. He loved Courtney, not as much as he loved Maria, but he did love her and he owed her that much. Michael felt his eyes close and just as he was about to drift to sleep he heard a pounding on the door.

“What’s going on?” Courtney asked.

Michael looked at the red glow coming from the alarm clock. Who was pounding on the door at 2:30 in the morning? “Stay here,” he told her. He threw on a shirt and sweatpants and headed to the door.

“Police! Open up.” Michael seemed alert when he recognized Jim Valenti’s voice. He pulled open the door and stared in shock as Jim and three of his deputies stood on the porch. Behind them stood Maria and Kyle. Maria wore a slight smile on her face and Kyle had his arm around her. In the driveway were three police cars, the red and blue lights flashing almost blinding him. “What the hell is going on?” Michael asked, demanding answers.

“Michael, who’s here?” Courtney came into the room, a pink robe tied around her.

Jim pushed past Michael and grabbed Courtney. “Jim! What are you doing?” Michael roared.

“Oh my God. What is going on?” Courtney cried.

“Courtney Banks, you're under arrest for the abduction of Carly Valenti. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you by the court,” Jim said, putting handcuffs on her.

”Are you kidding me?” Michael yelled. “This is ridiculous.”

“Mr. Guerin, I suggest you get out of my way before I take you in, too,” Jim told him. Courtney stood in silence, her eyes wide with fear, as Jim took her outside. Michael followed, trying not to say anything to get himself arrested.

“Bye, Courtney,” Maria said with a smirk as Jim put her in the car. Michael felt his anger boil over as he grabbed her by the arm and started yelling at her.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing? You know she didn’t do it!”

“Let go of me you bastard!” Maria screamed. “She took my sister!”

“Hey!” Hansen walked over to the two and pulled Michael away from Maria. “Son, you better calm down.” Hansen said.

“Courtney was with Carly on Friday after school. They found her princess pocket knife 5 miles away from Carly’s abandoned car,” Maria told him. “The bitch took my sister.”

“Maria, this isn’t about your sister. This is about your own personal vendetta against Courtney. You are doing this to ruin our lives because you blame us for ruining yours! Well get over it! You’re twenty-two years old and you act like you’re five! You are a manipulative, snobby bitch that is so rich she always gets what she wants. Not this time Maria.”

“Michael, calm down,” Kyle said.

“Courtney didn’t do a damn thing. Carly brought her home and then left. She probably dropped the pocket knife in the car.”

“She did it. We have the evidence to keep her locked up. Thank God. She’s a menace to society.”

“We are through, Maria. We are not friends, we are not acquaintances. I don’t ever want to see your face again. You do not exist to me. I hate you,” Michael spat. “Stay the fuck away from me and my family.” He stalked off towards the house and came out a few seconds later. He got in the car and sped off.

Part 7

Maria heard a knock on her door. “Come in,” she said, not wanting to see anyone. She was sitting on the window seat in her room, just staring into the abyss of her yard. She felt horrible. Michael had said all of those mean things to her and she just wanted to die. He had never been that mean before, he had always been there for her and now he hated her, and the thing was… she deserved it.

“Hey.” A tall, lanky boy stood in the doorway. He had dark brown hair and a solemn look on his face. Behind him stood a tall girl. Her long blonde hair flowed beautifully down her back and she stood with a certain confidence. It made her look irresistible, well that and she had the perfect body, curvy and mature.

“Hey, guys,” Maria said sadly, turning back to the window.

Alex sat down next to her and put his arms around her. “Are you ok?” She nodded.

“Hey, Maria,” Isabel said in a quiet voice.

“Hi,” she responded, not looking at her.

“We heard about Michael and Courtney,” Alex said. “Kyle filled us in. I’m sorry,” Alex told her.

“Why? He’s right, ya know,” Maria snapped.

“What?” Isabel asked, pulling a chair from her desk and sitting down.

“I did just want Courtney to go to jail because I hate her. I mean the thought that she actually did it, really didn’t cross my mind. I just had to prove that she did. But now, I think she might have really done it. She was the last person to see Carly,” Maria told them.

“Maria…,” Alex started, but Maria cut him off.

“And now Michael hates me. He’ll never forgive me. I love him and…” She had to stop before she cried. “He’ll never forgive me for this.”

“He will, you know how Michael is. He’ll forgive you. You mean the world to him Maria. He can’t stay mad at you,” Isabel told her.

Maria shook her head. “You didn’t see him Isabel. I’ve never seen him that mad before… ever.”

“It’ll be ok,” Alex told her. “It’ll be ok.”

“It just makes me so angry. I mean he’s fucked up with me plenty of times. He cheated on me, and I forgave him!” The sound of Maria’s cell phone interrupted her rant and she groaned. Isabel grabbed it off the desk and handed it to her. Billy, again. “Hello?” Maria said, flipping the phone open.

“Hey. How are you?” he asked.

“Horrible, lousy, dreadful, awful… pick your negative adjective,” she snapped.

“Sorry to hear that, darling. Can I do something to make you feel better?” he asked.

“No,” she told him. “Look, I’ve gotta go. My friends are here. Bye,” she said.

“Bye, I’ll see you later,” he said. She shut the phone and set it in her lap.

“Billy?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, he keeps calling. I broke up with him last Wednesday,” Maria told them.

“Sounds like he’s not getting the hint,” Isabel said.

Maria shrugged. “He’s a nice guy. I broke up with him because I’m still in love with Michael. That’ll never happen. I suppose I should just marry him.”

“What?” Alex asked.

“He asked me to marry him and I said no. That’s why we broke up,” she explained.

“Harsh.”

Maria glared at Alex. “It wasn’t meant to be.”

“Well, we came over to see if you wanted to get dinner with us,” Isabel said.

“I’m not hungry. Thanks anyway, I just want to be alone,” she told them.

“Ok, we’ll call you later,” Alex told her. He hugged her and she forced a small smile.

“Bye, Maria.” Isabel leaned down and hugged her. “If you need anything, let us know.”

“Thanks.” Isabel and Alex saw their way out and Maria went back to examining the backyard.

“You’re losing it.” Maria snapped her head around and saw Carly sitting on her bed.

“Carly?” Maria asked. “Is it really you?” Maria looked at her sister. She looked so real.

“Of course it’s me, silly.” Carly started to laugh. “Who else would it be?”

“What do you mean by I’m losing it?” Maria asked.

“Your life. Your perfect life that you spent so long building is crumbling around you before your very eyes. And there’s nothing you can do about it.” Maria felt a chill on her arms and she rubbed them with her hands, trying to stay warm. ”It’s over, Maria. He’s coming for you. You were too late to save me, so save yourself,” Carly told her.

“What do you mean I was too late?”

Carly stood up and went over to her. “It’s you he wants,” she whispered into her ear.

Maria went to grab her sister, but her hand slid through her as if she wasn‘t even there. Carly smiled at Maria, and then disappeared into thin air.

* * *

Maria hesitated before knocking on the door. She had never been more nervous about seeing someone in her life, but she had damage control to take care of. She knew he was home; his car was in the driveway. She had almost chickened out and driven on by, but a voice in the back of her head said that she had to do this. So Maria knocked loudly on the door, hoping the man on the other side wasn’t as angry today as he had been the night before. Her palms were sweating as she waited for him to open the door, and she wiped them on her jeans.

Just as she was about to knock again, the door swung open and a very pissed off Michael stood in the doorway. She felt the familiar flutter of butterflies in her stomach as she looked him over. His long hair was going in all directions and he wore only a pair of sweatpants. She had to resist from taking him in her arms and having her way with him right in the doorway. Now was not the time for that. He glared at her and then started to shut the door. She pushed it back open and forced her way inside. “We need to talk,” she told him.

”Get out of my house,” he told her, showing no forgiveness.

“Please, let me explain,” she begged. “I have to tell you something.”

“No, I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You put my girlfriend in jail.”

“Michael… please. It‘s not like you haven‘t fucked me over a few times. I should have never forgiven you for cheating on me or gee, I dunno, sleeping with my sister! The least you can do is hear me out,” she snapped. His chocolate brown eyes seemed to soften a little as he looked at his former lover.

“You’ve got five minutes,” he spat.

Maria sighed. “Ok, umm…” She felt her palms start to sweat again and she clenched her fists to stay calm. “I’m sorry,” she said.

He nodded at her. “Not accepted,” he said plainly. “Bye.”

“No, you said I could have five minutes. Listen, I’m sorry about Courtney being in jail. There’s evidence keeping her there, not me. It is not my fault. If you’ll remember, my father put me in jail, too.”

“You should have stayed there,” he said, glaring at her.

Maria’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I’m glad you feel that way. Anyway, what I came to tell you is that Billy proposed to me.”

“Congratulations. I don’t give a damn.” He started walking towards the kitchen and she followed him.

“And I said no. That’s why we broke up.”

Michael grabbed some fruit loops from a cabinet above the sink and set the box on the table. “Still don’t care,” he told her. He pulled out a bowl and spoon, and then some milk from the refrigerator. She tapped her foot in frustration. He was not going to make this easy. “Was there anything else? I think your five minutes are up.” He sat down at the table and started shoveling cereal in his mouth.

“I said no because I love you,” she blurted out. “I love you and I can’t marry him because I want to be with you. It‘s always been you, Michael. It will always be you.” Michael just stared at her. She waited a few seconds for him to say something, anything, but he didn’t. “Michael?” she said quietly.

“Your five minutes are up. Goodbye,” he told her, looking down at his cereal.

“Michael!” she cried.

“Did you think you could just come in here and tell me you love me and it would be ok?” He snickered. “It’s too late. I’m marrying Courtney. I love Courtney. Get out of my house.”

“Please don’t do this to me,” she said. “Please don’t shut me out. I love you and you still love me, too. I’m offering you forgiveness for everything you’ve done to me. We can start new.”

“You’re offering me forgiveness?” Michael snickered. “You put my girlfriend in jail.”

“YOU SLEPT WITH MY SISTER!” Maria yelled. “And cheated on me. I’d have to say we’re more than even.” Maria was not giving up, she had always been able to hold her own in a fight with Michael and she’d be damned if she gave up now.

Michael stood up and squared off with her. “Leave,” he demanded.

“No!” She stomped her foot down and stared directly into his eyes. “I’m not leaving. I love you.”

“What do you want from me?” Michael yelled. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. “Do you want me to tell you that I love you, too? That I love you so much it hurts. That every day for the past four years, I’ve been in agony because I fucked up and you left me? Is that what you want to hear?” Maria was speechless. “Answer me! What do you want from me?” he screamed.

Maria wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He started to back away put she wouldn’t let him. She pulled him closer and he kissed her back. He put each of his hands on top of her shoulders pinning her to the wall, probing her closed lips with his tongue. She parted her lips, exploring his mouth with her tongue, remembering. She was remembering what it was like to kiss him, relearning it.

He lifted her up, never taking his lips off hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he set her on the table. He pushed the stuff off and it hit the floor with a loud bang, milk and cereal flew splattering on the floor. He laid her back and placed his body on top of hers. She let him, needing to feel him as close to her as possible.

She felt the fire, the passion between them and it was electric. Everything they had bottled up inside for four years was coming to the surface. She could feel him pulling at her shirt, finally ripping it away from her body. She tangled her fingers in his brown locks and pulled him as close as she could get him. She needed him, wanted him. He moved his mouth to her neck and she let out a soft moan. It was wonderful, heaven. He was touching her, kissing her, loving her. She had dreamt about it everyday since she left him.

She slid her hands down his chest to his sweatpants. She ran her fingers over his skin, under the elastic and he groaned. He kissed her, bit at her neck and her shoulders and ran his fingers across her stomach. He stopped when he got to her jeans and he unbuttoned them and slipped them off her easily. He went back up to her mouth and kissed her, probing her mouth with his tongue.

She moved his sweat pants down his legs and when her hands couldn’t reach anymore, she used her feet, pushing them off his body. It was skin on skin; the only thing between them was a few thin articles of clothing. Everywhere he touched her felt as if it was on fire. She ran her legs up and down his, wanting to feel every inch of his body.

Maria couldn’t believe what was going on. She was lying on a table in the
middle of Michael’s kitchen about to have sex with him. “I love you,” she moaned. He stopped and looked into her eyes. “Don’t stop,” she told him, confused as to why he did.

“We can’t do this,” he said, starting to get up.

Maria pulled him, down kissing him. “Yes, we can,” she told him, kissing his neck and his chest. “We can do this.”

“I’m engaged,” he said.

Maria stopped, she wasn‘t letting him do this to her. “Michael, what do you really want?” Maria asked seriously, biting her bottom lip, afraid of his rejection.

Michael didn’t hesitate. “You,“ he said, pressing his lips to hers. “It’s always been you. I love you.”

Part 8

She walked around in a circle. “No, no, no,” she said to herself. “Not again, please,” she begged. She was back in the hallway. This time, however, the door that she always wanted to get to, was right in front of her. Maria opened the door and found that she wasn’t the main character in this dream. She was just a spectator.

The little girl, little Maria, walked into the room, clutching her teddy bear tight to herself. She looked around. “Daddy?” she called quietly. Maria watched her as she spotted the blood. She followed it, just as Maria had done. “DADDY!” the little girl screamed. “Someone help my daddy!” she yelled towards the door.

A little boy ran into the room and gasped at the man. “Where’s my mom?” the boy cried. Little Maria didn’t even pay attention to him, she just stood over the man, looking at his dead body in horror.

Maria turned as the little boy walked into the adjoining bathroom. She knew that little boy. How did she know him? “No!” he screamed. He ran out of the bathroom and grabbed the little girl, pulling her away from the dead body.

Maria watched in horror as the scene switched to the little girl at the funeral. She was standing with her mother and Jim, her father. The little girl was Maria and she called the man that was dead daddy, but she was standing with her father. Jim Valenti was her father.

Maria couldn’t take anymore. She circled around again, trying to find away out of the dream. She ran… she ran away from the horrifying scene as fast as she could, and as she ran the sky began to fade, and the grass beneath her feet began to disappear. She was standing in pitch blackness.

“It’s you he wants.” Carly’s whisper filled the blackness around Maria, like a small green light.

“Stop it!” Maria cried. “Stop it! Leave me alone!”

“It’s you he wants. Why can’t you figure it out?” Carly finally appeared, dressed in all black. Her face and hands were the only visible body parts.

“Carly, who is it? Who took you?” Maria asked.

Carly shook her head. “You’ll figure it out, in time. But you better hurry Maria, clock’s ticking.”

“No, tell me!” Maria cried.

“Time’s running out. He’s coming for you.”

“Who? Who’s coming for me?”

Maria felt a hand wrap around her mouth and cover it. She tried to scream but it was muffled by her attacker. Maria kicked and screamed, but it was no use. The attacker had her, holding her tightly, and she couldn’t escape.

She felt a burning sensation in her side and realized it was pain. Mind-numbing, agonizing, pain. She touched her side and a warm, sticky substance got on her hand. Blood, she thought. She was bleeding, but from what? The thoughts didn’t last for long as a cool metal slid into her abdomen. Maria looked down in horror at a knife, twisting itself into her skin. She screamed in pain.

* * *

Michael awoke to Maria screaming beside him. He flipped on the light by his bed and reached for her. “What happened?” he asked.

“He killed me! He killed me!” she told him breathlessly.

“Who?” he asked, not sure what she was talking about.

“He stabbed me, with a knife. And the man, the man that was dead, he was my father. Oh my God, what is going on?” she cried.

Michael pulled her shaking body into his arms and rubbed her back. She was terrified, he could feel it. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly to her, needing his protection. “It’s ok, it’s ok. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he whispered, trying to calm her.

“Times running out,” she muttered.

“What?” Michael asked.

“Carly told me time’s running out,” Maria told him.

Michael pushed her away from him to look at her face. Her emerald green eyes looked so sad as tears poured from them. Her cheeks were flushed and her bottom lip was quivering. “When did Carly tell you that?”

“I see her,” Maria told him, wiping a few tears away.

“What do you mean you see her?” Michael felt his interest become peaked.

“Like, I see her. That day when I dropped the plate, she was in the backyard. She told me to help her. And she’s in my dreams, and yesterday she was in my room and I went to grab her and my hand just went through her, like she was air. Then she disappeared,” Maria told him, gripping his shirt tightly, holding on to him.

Michael brushed his fingers across her cheeks and then kissed her forehead. “It’s just your imagination. She’s not there,” he murmured.

“No!” She pushed him away. “It’s real! She’s trying to tell me something! It’s real Michael, she’s real,” she yelled.

“Shh, shh.” Michael pulled her back into him and she buried her face in his chest, her tears warm on his bare skin.

“She’s there, I promise. She’s there.”

Michael scratched his eyebrow and then rested his hand in the small of her back. “Maybe, you should see a doctor, Maria.”

Maria shoved him and looked at him, enraged. “What? No! I’m not crazy!” she cried.

“I didn’t say you were. I’m saying that if you’re seeing Carly and she’s not really there, you should see someone. They can help make her go away.” He immediately cursed himself for even telling her to see a doctor in her state.

“You think I’m crazy?” More tears fell onto Maria’s porcelain cheeks and Michael felt his heart break for the woman he loved. She was in so much pain and he couldn’t do anything about it.

“I don’t think you’re crazy. I don’t.”

“You do. You think I’m crazy. I’m not! She’s there Michael, I promise. She’s real and she talks to me. She told me it’s me he wants. He’s coming for me Michael.” Michael held her tightly as she cried harder. He ran his fingers through her hair and tried to comfort her.

A few minutes later she was calmer. He leaned back, finally lying down, and Maria rested her head on his chest. He ran his hand up and down her back, hoping she’d fall asleep. “Don’t leave me,” she said, almost too quietly for him to understand.

“What?” he asked, whispering.

“Please don’t leave me, don’t stop loving me,” she told him, closing her eyes.

Michael sighed, thinking about his current situation. His fiancée, who was pregnant with his child, was in jail, and the woman he loved more than life itself was lying next to him, begging him to never leave her. He was screwed. “I won’t leave you. I love you.” He kissed the top of her head and he felt her body relax a little. He looked at her beautiful sleeping form next to him and silently made a decision about his life. The only problem was, he was going to have a pregnant fiancée very unhappy with him.

* * *

“Jim, I’m telling you, something is wrong with her. She sees Carly and she believes that it’s Carly there, talking to her.”

Jim Valenti leaned over his wide, oak, desk and looked at the man he thought of as a son. “What do you mean? I thought she was just having dreams.”

Michael shook his head. “No, it’s way more than that. She told me that she’s seen Carly twice while she’s been awake and that Carly talks to her. I’m really worried.”

“She hadn’t told me that,” Jim said, scratching his chin.

“She doesn’t want anyone to think she’s crazy. And whatever she’s dreaming about, let’s just say it’s bad. Last night she woke up screaming and crying, and I didn’t think I’d ever calm her down.”

Jim raised an eyebrow and smirked at the younger gentleman. “Last night?”

Michael shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “She spent the night.” Jim smiled at his awkwardness. “That’s not the point!” Michael exclaimed. “The point is, something is wrong with Maria and I don’t know how to help her.” Michael leaned back in the chair and scratched his eyebrow.

“Well, I’ll talk to Amy and see what we can do,” Jim told Michael.

“Thanks,” Michael said. “Well, I should go talk to Courtney. I’ve got some stuff to tell her. For once, I’m glad she’s behind bars. She can’t hurt me now.” Michael stood up.

“Yes, you do have quite the lady problems these days.” Jim said, shaking his hand. “Thank you for your concern about my daughter.”

“Well, I love her,” Michael told him. He started towards the door when he heard Jim clear his throat.

“Mr. Guerin, one more thing,” Jim said.

Michael turned to look at the Sheriff. “Yes?”

“We will, at some point, need to discuss what happened between you and my other daughter,” Jim told him.

Michael looked at him sheepishly. “I’m sure we will,” Michael said.

“Have a good day Michael.”

Michael exited the Sheriff’s office and looked towards the hallway where the holding cells were. He then looked back at Jim’s office. He wasn’t sure who he was more afraid of… Jim or Courtney.

Part 9

“What are you doing here?” Maria snapped as she sat down on her bed.

“I’m here to talk to you,” the little brunette said.

“Go away, you’re not real,” Maria told Carly. “You’re not real! Go away!” she yelled.

“I’m trying to save you, but you won’t listen.” Carly shook her head in disappointment.

“We’re sisters; we’re supposed to trust each other. Why won’t you listen to me?”

“Trust each other? Like how you slept with Michael? I’m supposed to trust you?” she cried.

“That was an accident,” Carly explained.

“Go away! You aren’t real!” Maria screamed. “Go away!”

“I can’t. Not until you figure it out! I can’t go away, you won’t let me,” Carly told her.

Maria put her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t hear you, I can’t see you. You don’t exist. I’m not crazy! I’m not crazy! Go away!” She opened her eyes and Carly was gone.

* * *

“Can I talk to you?” Maria asked Tess, walking into the guesthouse.

“Yeah, actually I was wondering when you would come talk to me. I feel like you’ve been avoiding me,” Tess told her.

Maria shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not; I’ve just been so stressed out lately.”

“It’s ok. I understand.” Tess motioned to the small couch sitting in the middle of the room. “Let’s talk.

The two friends sat down on the soft, white couch, and Maria let out a long sigh. “You know that I’ve been having the nightmares.” Tess nodded. “Well it’s more than that.” Maria told her. Tess looked at her best friend, not quiet understanding. “Umm… I see Carly. She comes to me and talks to me.” Tess’s eyes widened. “I’m not crazy. It’s like she’s really there. I’m not crazy. Michael thinks I’m crazy, but I’m not.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Tess said quietly. “I believe that you see her.”

“She’s there, she’s real. She says I won’t let her leave; that I have to figure it out, but I can’t. I can’t figure it out!” Maria cried, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Tess looked sadly at Maria. She looked like a train wreck. Her once beautiful, straight, blonde hair was a tangled mess, always thrown into a bun or ponytail. Her emerald green eyes no longer glimmered with happiness. They were almost dark and scary, and she had dark, dark circles under her eyes, indicating she hadn’t slept well in days, or even weeks. Tess looked down at Maria’s nails. They were bitten completely to the skin; the paint chipped off the sides. Maria was in bad shape, physically and emotionally. Tess reached for Maria‘s hands and looked her in the eye. “Tell me everything, Maria. Tell me about the dreams, seeing Carly. Tell me everything.”

* * *

Michael’s footsteps echoed as he walked down the hall. He felt nauseous as he approached the cell holding Courtney. This wasn’t going to be easy and he was dreading it.

“Michael!” Courtney exclaimed. She walked to the bars and reached for his hands. He pulled away. She frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you doing ok?” he asked quickly.

“I guess. I’m in jail,” she said bitterly. “Thanks to that stupid bitch.”

Michael winced, hearing Courtney’s words. “I have to talk to you about something.”

“What?” Courtney asked, frightened.

“Did you take Carly?” he whispered.

Courtney’s face dropped and she looked devastated. “No!” she exclaimed. “I would never hurt her. It’s true, I didn’t like her, but I’d never hurt anyone.”

“You threatened Maria,” he told her, frankly. “That’s enough to keep you in here. Not to mention the evidence they have on you.”

“What is this about Michael?” she asked, angrily.

“I can’t marry you,” he told her.

Courtney stared at him in shock for a few moments, registering what he had just said. ”What?” she snapped.

“I’m sorry, Courtney, I can’t marry you. I… I’m in love with Maria,” he told her.

“Excuse me? After she put me in jail for no reason?” Courtney exclaimed. “This is unbelievable.”

Michael sighed in frustration. “Maria didn’t put you in jail, evidence did! Courtney, let’s be honest with each other. You always knew that my heart belonged to Maria. I love you Courtney, just not as much as I love her. I’m sorry.”

“I’m having your child,” she told him.

“I know and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you and the baby have what you need. I’m not abandoning you; I want to be a part of the baby’s life. But I can’t marry you. It’s not fair to you or me. You could find real love, someone who can give you everything. Someone that can love you completely.”

“I love you,” Courtney whispered, trying not to cry.

“I’m sorry.” Michael reached for her hands now, as they clenched the metal bar. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Courtney pulled away from him and ripped the engagement ring off her finger. She placed it in the palm of his hand. “Well you did,” she told him. “Goodbye.” She turned around and went back to the cot.

Michael watched as she lay down on the cot and placed a hand upon her stomach. He felt terrrible, as he should. He was a horrible person. “Goodbye,” he whispered.

* * *

Down the hall, through last door on the right, was a small room. Dusty bookshelves lined the walls, giving the room a musty smell. The door was always kept shut. No one ever entered it; no one ever needed to, until today.

She reached up and took the albums off the shelves. They were covered in gray dust. She blew on them, sending some of the particles flying. Her quivering hands swept off the rest that didn’t retreat with her breath of air. Sitting down on the floor, she crossed her legs, and opened the first album. There she was, five years old. She wore a huge grin as she held a baby Carly in her arms. Maria smiled at the picture, touching it lightly. She couldn’t remember that day. She couldn’t remember anything before she was six. Maria shut the album and setting it aside, picked up the next one. She was ten in these pictures. Not the right one.

Maria looked through all the albums. None of them were the ones she wanted. Maria wanted the albums from her birth to age 5. There weren’t any. Maria looked on the shelf again, pulling down Kyle’s albums. The first one was of Kyle at age 4. Where were the baby books? She reached for the rest. Carly’s baby book was there. All of Carly’s albums were intact. Where were Maria's and Kyle’s?

Maria flipped through all the albums that were stored in the room. Not one of them was of her or Kyle as babies and there was no wedding album for their mom and dad. Those seemed to be the most important albums a family could have. Where were they?

* * *

“Mom?” Maria asked, coming into the kitchen.

“What, honey?”

“Where are Kyle's and my baby albums?”

“Upstairs where we keep all of them, sweetheart,” she told Maria with a smile.

“No, they aren’t there. Where is your and Dad’s wedding album?”

Amy looked surprised at her daughter’s questions, but covered it up quickly with a smile. “It should be there, too. Honey, what is this about?” Amy asked.

“Where are the albums, Mom? I need to know,” Maria demanded.

“Honey, if they aren’t there, I don’t know where they are. That’s where we keep the photos.” Amy looked down at the dishes and continued washing them.

“Where’s Rosa?”

“I gave her the day off,” Amy said. “Maria, what is going on with you?”

“Mom, I need those albums. I need them. Where are they?” Maria looked her Mother straight in the eye.

“I don’t know.” Amy put the dishes down and pushed past Maria. “I have to call your father and see if he found out anything about Carly.”

“What are you hiding from me?” Maria asked.

“Nothing! Maria, this is ridiculous. I have things to do.” Amy stormed out of the kitchen and Maria glared after her. She was lying, she knew something, and Maria needed to know what it was.

Part 10

The steps were small and creaky, circling their way up to the Valenti’s attic. Michael coughed loudly, inhaling a million dust particles. They obviously hadn’t been in the attic for a long time, and Michael was wondering why Maria was in it now. “Maria?” he called, entering the surprisingly large room that was full of boxes and other things.

“Oh, hey Michael.” Maria looked up at him and he couldn’t help but grin. She looked so cute sitting on the floor, a stack of books and papers in her lap. Her hair was pulled back, with little pieces dangling in her eyes, dust bunnies making a home in her blonde locks.

He leaned down; kissing her gently on the lips, then took a seat next to her. “How ya feeling today?” he asked, pushing the stray blonde hairs from blocking her green eyes.

“Not good. I’m tired, but I have things to do,” she told him. She sounded a little better than she had, which made him feel slightly more at ease. “How are you? Did you talk to Courtney?” she asked, a hint of concern barely concealed in her voice.

“Yeah, she didn’t take it well, but… ya know,” he told her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come in and fuck up your life.” She looked down at her lap, guiltily.

Michael looked back at her. “Hey,” he said, lifting her chin so they were eye level. “Don’t ever think you fucked up my life. I love you; I made the choice to be with you.”

She nodded her head and slightly smiled. He kissed her again. “So what are we doing up here?” he asked, curiosity finally getting the best of him.

“I saw Carly again today.” Michael wasn’t happy about that news. “So I went to Tess and told her everything,” she explained. “You know how I have no memories of my life before the age of 6?” she asked. He nodded, knowing that this had been something that bothered her for many years now. “Well, I went to look at the photo albums today to see if there were any pictures of the blonde man in my dream. Here’s the thing. There are no pictures of me before 5. Kyle’s aren’t there either. I checked and Carly’s were there. So I went to find my parent’s photo album from their wedding…”

“Let me guess, it was gone as well?” Michael asked, cutting her off.

Maria nodded. “When I asked my mom about it, she insisted they were there and if they weren’t, she didn’t know where they were. She got really defensive and wouldn’t even talk to me about it. She just stormed off saying she had to call my dad. She’s hiding something, Michael. I know it.”

“So I take it you are up here looking for your and Kyle’s baby books.”

“And my parent’s wedding album,” she added. “And anything else that might be useful.”

“Got it,” he told her. He grabbed a box and started going through the contents. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting on top. Bills, check stubs, yadda yadda yadda. Michael reached the bottom of the box and almost threw it to the side when he saw two file folders looking almost, hidden. He pulled them out. One said Maria, and the other said Kyle.

Michael quickly scanned both of the files and his stomach dropped as he read the information that they possessed. This was going to kill Maria, and he wasn’t sure there was anything left inside of her to kill.

“What’s that?” she asked, looking over at him. He quickly shut the folders and shoved them to the bottom of the box, not wanting to hurt her anymore. “Nothing, just bills and stuff,” he told her.

“What were you reading?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“House designs,” he lied. “I’m an architect, that stuff interests me,” he told her, smiling.

“Uh huh,” she said. “I want to see.” She reached for the box and Michael snatched it from her.

“No!” he exclaimed. “I mean… I’ve got a better idea.” He smirked at her.

“What’s that?” she asked.

Michael scooted closer to her and placed a hand on her cheek. He leaned in and kissed her. “You know…,” he said.

“Michael!” Maria laughed at him. “We can’t. My mom could come up any time! What if she caught us?”

Michael shrugged. “That’s what makes it so hot, the fear that we could get caught.” He leaned in again, kissing her harder this time.

She kissed him back, but then pushed him away. “No, we have work to do,” she told him.

“All work and no play make Maria a boring girl,” Michael told her, sticking out his lower lip and pouting.

She laughed and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Later,” she told him.

Michael wasn’t taking later for an answer. He placed his hands on her waist and gently laid her back on the hard, wood floor. He placed gentle kisses all along her chin line, down to her neck. She giggled, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
He finally found her mouth, prying her lips open with his tongue, and then using it to memorize the inside of her mouth. He felt her cool hands caressing his back, under his shirt. He reached down and pulled it up, taking his lips off hers to rid himself of the shirt. He then reached for her shirt and started to take it off, when he felt her lips press against his. His hands found their way back to her shirt and it was almost off, when he stopped.

“No!” they heard from the doorway. “No, no! Ew!” They both looked towards the attic door and saw Kyle standing there, his hands pressed over his eyes.

“Valenti!” Michael growled, mad at being interrupted. “What do you want?”

“Mom told me to tell you guys that it’s time for dinner! Ew! I don’t think I can eat ever again. Can I look now?” Kyle peaked through his fingers and Michael glared at him.

“Yes you can look, Kyle,” Maria said with a giggle.

“I think that after seeing one’s sister almost have sex, you must go through massive amounts of therapy. The image of you two is forever etched into my brain.”

“Well that will teach you to not interrupt us, won’t it?” Michael asked, throwing his t-shirt back on.

“Believe me; I will forever be knocking before I enter a room where you two are,” Kyle said.

Michael looked over at Maria, and caught her staring at the wall, terror in her eyes. “Go away!” Maria yelled at no one.

“Maria,” Michael said, putting a hand on her back.

“Please leave me alone!” Her soft voice was filled with fear.

Kyle rushed over to where Michael and Maria were on the floor and kneeled beside Michael and his sister. “What’s going on?” he asked, frightened.

“Who?” they heard Maria ask.

“She’s seeing Carly,” Michael told Kyle. Kyle looked at him as if he was insane. “I’ll explain later.” Kyle nodded and watched his sister.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Maria started shaking and Michael put his arms around her, holding her. She glanced at him, then at Kyle, and then back at the wall. “Please leave me alone,” she pleaded.

“Maria!” Michael called.

Maria looked at him and then back at the wall. She gasped. “She was there.” Maria stood up and pointed at the wall. “Right there! I swear!” she told them.

Michael stood up and pulled her close to him, knowing she was scared to death. “I believe you, baby; it’s ok.” He glanced over Maria’s shoulder and looked at Kyle sadly. Kyle looked terrified, not knowing what had just happened. Michael felt fear rise in his stomach. Something was wrong with the woman he loved, and he didn’t know how to stop it.

* * *

Maria giggled at Kyle and then something caught her eye by the wall. “Go away!” Maria yelled to Carly.

“I wish I could, I wish I could leave you alone, but I can’t,” Carly told her.

“Please, leave me alone,” Maria cried.

“He’s coming for you, it’s you he wants,” Carly whispered.

“Who?” Maria asked.

“You know who. You know, you just have to remember.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Maria was shaking from fear. She looked at Michael who was trying to talk to her, and Kyle who had rushed from the door to her side. “Please leave me alone,” she said, looking back at her sister.

“Not even they can save you once he gets you. Time’s running out. Think Maria! Think!” Carly demanded. “Remember!” she yelled.

“Maria!” Michael yelled.

Maria looked at him, then back at the wall. Carly was gone. She gasped. “She was right there!” She stood up and pointed at the wall. “She was right there! I swear!”

Michael stood up and pulled her into his body. “I believe you, baby; it’s ok.”

Maria just leaned against Michael for support, glad he was there. She needed him right now, because something bad was going to happen. She could feel it, but she didn’t know how to stop it.

Part 11

Michael watched her as she slept. She actually looked peaceful for once. She was beautiful, and Michael was falling more in love with her every minute. He reached out and stroked her cheek gently, trying to contain the tears that were welling up inside him.

Michael Guerin wasn’t a man who cried. In fact Michael Guerin wasn’t a man who really showed much emotion, but all of that had been changed his sophomore year of high school. The little blonde whirlwind broke down his walls and changed his life, for the better. He fell in love with her immediately. She was happy, always smiling, She was the nicest person, always giving to other people, but you didn’t want to cross the little vixen. She could hold her own in any fight, and Michael was just completely captivated by her. The other thing Maria was was trustworthy. She was loyal to a fault, and Michael had betrayed that. He cheated on her at the end of their senior year with Courtney.

Michael ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He had another chance; he could make it right with her. He could have the life with her that he had been dreaming about for 7 years. He wasn’t going to fuck it up this time. He was going to stand by her no matter what. She deserved that much.

It killed him inside seeing her so emotionally and physically strained. She was losing it, and there wasn’t anything Michael could do but sit by and watch. He wouldn’t give up on her though; he’d do whatever he had to, to protect her. He wasn’t losing her again.

“Is she asleep?” Michael turned to see Jim standing in the doorway, a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Yes,” Michael said, looking back at the blonde beauty on the bed.

“I think that we need to take her to a doctor. It seems that whatever is wrong is just getting worse.”

Michael kissed Maria on the forehead, and then stood, facing the older man. “We need to talk, Jim,” Michael told him.

Jim looked at Michael, slightly confused. “Ok. What about?” he asked.

Michael shook his head. “Not now. I’m not leaving Maria alone and I’m not discussing it while there’s a chance she’ll overhear. Tomorrow, I’ll drop by the station. Will you be in?”

“Around noon, I’ll be in for lunch, then I’ll be back out looking for Carly.”

“I’ll see you around noon tomorrow,” Michael told him. Jim nodded and left the room.

“Michael,” a tiny voice whispered.

Michael sat on the side of Maria’s bed and smiled at her. “Hey baby, how are you feeling?” he asked, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

“I’m ok,” she said quietly. “No nightmares,” she said with a smile.

“Good to hear,” Michael said. He leaned down, kissing her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started to deepen the kiss when her cell phone rang.

“Damn,” she said, pushing him away. Michael rolled over, lying next to her. “We keep getting interrupted.” She grabbed her cell and sighed in frustration. “Hello?” she said coldly into the phone.

“Maria, you don’t call, you don’t write. What’s with the cold shoulder, darling?” Michael heard Billy say.

“Billy, we’re over. I’m trying to be nice about it, but you keep calling. We aren’t together anymore,” she told him.

Michael felt jealous as he thought about someone else being with Maria, some besides him. He leaned in and started nibbling on her ear, signaling that she needed to get off the phone. She swatted him away and he smirked at her.

“Maria, I’m just worried about you. Did you find your sister?” Billy really couldn’t take a hint.

“No,” Maria told him. “And don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” Michael kissed her neck and Maria giggled. “Billy, I really have to go. I’ll uh; I’ll talk to you later. Bye.” She clicked the phone shut and turned to Michael. “You’re horrible,” she told him.

“I know.” He propped his head up and looked at her, almost mesmerized.

“What?” she asked.

“It’s just… you’re beautiful,” he whispered.

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. He broke the kiss and ran a hand through her hair. “We need to talk about something,” he told her.

“Ok…”

He grabbed her hands and held them tightly. “I want you to go see a doctor,” he said.

She jerked her hands from his grip. “What?” she cried. She sat up and stared at Michael, who also sat up.

“Maria… I think it would be a good idea. You’re seeing things that aren’t really there.” He tried to tell her. He reached to touch her and she pulled away. “Maria… I just want to help you. Something is wrong. You can’t sleep, you barely eat…”

“That’s my problem,” she snapped, cutting him off.

“No! It’s not just your problem anymore,” he said sternly. “We’re together in this. Whatever is wrong with you affects me. Maria, I love you and if something happened to you, I don’t know what I would do. I can’t lose you; I’ve waited too long for this.” He grabbed her face and kissed her hard. “I won’t lose you, Maria. I need you,” he told her when he broke the kiss.

“What if they think I’m crazy and they send me away to some nuthouse?” Maria cried.

“I won’t let them take you anywhere,” Michael assured her. “I promise.”

“Will you stay with me tonight?” she asked him.

Michael nodded. She looked so scared. They lay down and Michael held her, praying that she would be ok.

* * *

Michael cursed loudly as he hung up with the electric company. He had been so busy with the Courtney and Maria fiasco that he hadn’t even thought about what was going on in his life. He was supposed to start his job at James Edward House Design Monday… damn! Monday was tomorrow. Where had the week gone?

Michael had been a foster child and ended up getting a full ride to college. He worked really hard all through high school so that when he was 18 he would be able to afford to live on his own. His junior year in college, he got a job in California with an architecture company. He earned a lot of money, due to his natural drawing abilities and other things. He put all the money in the bank and finally bought a house a few months before graduating college.

Michael hadn’t been paying much attention to his own life. He had been too completely absorbed in Maria’s. He forgot to pay his electric bill and they turned off his power.

Michael scowled when he heard a knock on the door. He didn’t have time for visitors. He had to meet Jim in 30 minutes.

“Maxwell,” Michael said, surprised when he opened the door.

“Michael, can I come in?” Max asked.

“Sure.” Max Evans was an average sized guy with dark brown hair and soulful brown eyes. According to his girlfriend Liz Parker, you could get lost in them. Michael didn’t know about all of that, but Max was a good guy and Michael respected him.

“It’s kind of dark,” Max said, stepping into the living room.

Michael scratched his eyebrow. “Yeah, I kind of didn’t pay the electric bill. It’s been a long week.”

“Oh.” Max gave Michael a funny look and sat down on the couch while Michael sat in a chair.

“So what do you need Max? I’ve got a ton to do today.”

“Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about designing a house,” Max said.

Michael’s eyes lit up at that. His first real client! “Oh yeah?” he asked, hardly able to contain his excitement. “For who?”

“Liz and I are getting married next summer and we’d like to have you design our house.”

“Wow, I’d love to,” Michael said, honored to be asked. “I start working with James Edward on Monday. Why don’t you guys come in and we’ll talk.”

“Ok, sounds good,” Max said.

Michael stood up. “I’m sorry to cut this short. I know you just got home and all, but I have a lot of shit going on. If and or when it gets resolved, we’ll talk.”

Max stood up as well. “The Maria thing?” he asked, following Michael to the door.”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Michael asked.

“Tess told Isabel and Isabel told Liz and me. Liz was going over there today to see how she’s doing,” Max told him.

Michael opened the door and the two friends stood on the front porch, squinting from the hot, New Mexico sun. “She’s not doing too well.”

“But you two are back together?” he asked. “What about Courtney?”

Michael sighed. “Long story. I promise we’ll talk.” Michael looked at his watch. “Max, I’m sorry. I have to go. I’m supposed to meet Jim in like 20 minutes.”

“No problem.” Max shook his friend’s hand. “We’ll talk soon.”

“Yeah, see ya, Maxwell.” The men got into their respective cars and drove off into separate directions.

* * *

Michael walked into Jim’s office and slammed the door behind him. He threw the folders he had found the previous day on the desk and glared at Jim. Jim picked them up and his mouth dropped. “Where the hell did you get these?” he asked.

“Maria wanted me to help her find some things in the attic. I found these,” Michael told him.

“Does she know?” Jim asked, his tone almost frightened.

“No,” Michael said. “I lied to her and told her they were house designs. Do you want to explain this to me, Jim? Cause I don’t like lying to the woman I love about something as important as this.”

“Sit down, Michael,” Jim said, motioning for the chair. Michael did as he was told.

“Does Kyle know?” Michael asked.

“Yes,” Jim told him.

“Why doesn’t Maria?”

Jim sighed. “It’s a long story, Michael,” he told him.

Michael looked down at his watch. “I’ve got time.”