The Fun Kind of Secrets


Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm just borrowing them and making them do feisty things.
Category: Liz/Michael/Tess
Summary: My first PoleCat fic. Liz and Michael are together...but Liz's eye is wondering elsewhere. Somewhat on the goofy side of things.
Dedication: To Ash Jay, for writing the fabulous first PoleCat fic, and thereby inspiring me to write this in one turbulent hour. Thanks for the feedback and inspiration, and keep swirling that cape. *g*

"And you're consuming me violently
And your reverence shamelessly tempting me
Who sent this maniac?
'Cause I've never had this taste in the past..."
New
*No Doubt*

I first started to notice it when we were assigned to do a project together. She has the most touchable hair I've ever seen. When you first see it, all you really notice are the long blond curls, the occasional twisty braids she throws in for variety. But really, it's much more special than that. It's like soft gold, and it pours over her neck like a waterfall. Each wavy strand spills over her skin like liquid, bright and glossy. It begs to be caressed, and my fingers itched to run my fingers through it, over her skin, press my lips to hers...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I've stumbled into a somewhat unusual situation. No, that's wrong. I can't honestly say I've stumbled into it. Maybe bumped into it, knocked it to the ground, followed it down, then rolled around with it a little bit. See, the thing is, I'm in a relationship. Two of them, actually. Or maybe just one very strange one. Not that I'm complaining. At this point you're probably a bit intrigued, maybe thinking I'm crazy, maybe wanting to know more. So allow me to elaborate.

It all began with a missing journal. Michael had stolen it to find out what I was writing about him and Isabel and that other guy whose name escapes me at the moment. He found more than he bargained for. Not that I'd written some sort of elaborate novel detailing my slight crush on him, but there was enough there for him to raise an eyebrow at. So, when he returned it to me, there was a bit of tension in the air. Maybe a bit more than even I was used to. As I'd written, I had previously found myself somewhat attracted to him. Nothing serious, just an slight attraction, a certain magnetism in the air that I noticed whenever we were around each other. This magnetism seemed to increase as he stood there in front of me in the Crashdown, standing so close I might have been intimidated had my pulse not been racing so fast. He was murmuring something about envying that Max guy -that was his name- and all I could concentrate on was the way he smelled, like heat and for some strange reason, cinnamon. Before I knew it, I had grabbed him by the collar and was pressing his back to the counter, my lips on his. We kissed quite passionately for an indecently long amount of time, before I broke away, alarmed at my own behavior.

"I'm sorry," I told him.

"W-why?" he stuttered amusingly.

"I shouldn't have kissed you. Your best friend has a crush on me. It's wrong," I explained, sounding amazingly rational for someone who had just pushed a guy against a counter and attempted to memorize the taste of his lips.

"My best friend?" he asked, looking confused.

"Yeah, um, that guy, that Max guy, he's always looking at me." I waited patiently for him to catch on and leave, because if he stayed any longer I would be forced to jump him again.

"Yeah," he said. "Max. Max likes you." Suddenly he looked alarmed. "Max likes you! What am I doing?! I'm gonna leave now."

"Okay," I said, and stared at his ass as he left the Crashdown.

It was just an indiscretion, you see. But then it happened again. And again. And again. I never told Max, and eventually found myself in a relationship with him. However, once in a while I would find myself outside Michael's apartment. Then I would find myself inside. Then I would find myself on his couch, then on his bed, then in his bed, and things just got feistier from there.

Really, I was doing just fine. I had Max the brooding Boy Scout for a boyfriend and Michael the sexy, amusingly coiffed, uncomplicated tasty treat for a lover. I was quite content with the whole situation.

Then she came along. Short, blond, and the cutest little sex kitten I've ever seen. She was after Max, which was initially upsetting, because I wanted her for myself. "Tess," I told her. "I love Max." Which was true, except for the Max part, and the love part. What I really meant was "Tess, you're a hottie," but apparently she didn't get the subtext. So I did the caring girlfriend thing, and tried to keep Max and Tess away from each other while also keeping Michael happy. And everything was fine again, until we were assigned this damn project.

Our dumb history teacher made us work with a partner on a report dealing with the history of Roswell. Then, to add to the audacity, she assigned our partners to us. Who does that anymore? Honestly. So she assigned me and Tess to work together. Of course, I was alarmed. All this effort spent trying to get over this crush and now I had to be alone with her? Truly a test of willpower.

However, I found her easy to talk to. She and I worked amazingly well together, despite how frequently I'd get distracted by her hair shining, or her eyes gleaming blue-ly at me, or the way her lips pursed when she concentrated.

Eventually, Michael noticed. "Liz," he said to me one night after we had played strip poker followed by a rousing round of...nevermind. "I have a question to ask you," he told me.

I looked at him expectantly. "You've seen me naked, Michael. You may now ask me anything."

He smirked a bit, then came out with it. "Are you attracted to Tess?"

I bit my lip. "Uuuuuuummmmmm...." I said. "Why?"

"You're always staring at her. Do you have a crush on her or something?"

"Staring does not mean I have a crush on her. She happens to have a great wardrobe. Especially that pink tank top..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Liz, I've seen you look at her when she's wearing that tank top. You're not admiring the craftsmanship. You're staring at her cleavage."

I could not deny this. Nor could I really confirm it. "Wellllll...." I said, stalling for time until I could think of a decent answer. "See the thing is..." Stall, stall, stall. "Um..." I gave up. "Yeah, okay. I do have a bit of a crush on her. I admit it."

He smiled, a rare occurance and therefore a special one. "I knew it."

"Don't look so satisfied," I ordered him. "It's not like I can do anything about it."

His eyes turned heavenward and his voice took on a musical tone. "That's not what Isabel said..."

I grabbed him by the arm. "What?!"

"I wasn't supposed to say anything..." he batted his eyelashes at me. "But...Tess has been finding herself strangely attracted to you."

"No." My heart was beating rapidly at the mere thought of this.

"That's what Isabel said Tess told her. So maybe you should...do something?"

I grinned radiantly at him. "We have a study date tomorrow in the library. Ooh, now I have a plan."

Michael smirked at me. "I vote catfight."

"I vote you shut up and kiss me, you sexy double agent..."

And he did.

The next day, I met Tess after school in the library. She was wearing red, and it perfectly set off her blond hair. Hey, I wasn't lying when I said she had great style.

She smiled shyly at me and led me to an isolated study table, way in the back of the library. "So, we should study," she said, not sounding like she really wanted to study.

"Uh huh," I replied, sitting down next to her and scooting my chair closer. "Studying is great."

"Yeah." She looked at her hands, then mine. "Hey, nice bracelet," she commented, grabbing my hand and pulling it to her. Her fingers caressed my wrist, I let out an involuntary sigh of pleasure.

Tess looked up at me, not releasing my hand. "So," she said.

"So," I said. Impulsively, I used my free hand to reach for her hair, and ran my fingers through it. It was as soft as I'd imagined it would be. Our eyes locked, and I knew something was about to happen. Then something did.

Alex Whitman wondered by. "Hey, what are you girls doing back he- whoa. Whatever it is, can I watch?"

"No," Tess and I both said. "Go away, Alex," I added.

He grinned and left us alone again. "So," I said.

She smiled. "This seems familiar."

"Yes," I said. "Familiar."

There was a short pause, then we both leaned in and our lips met. She tasted like sugar, and it was quite pleasant. We kissed each other slowly, then with more pressure. Just two girls making out in the back of the library.

Finally, we broke apart, breathless.

"So," she said. Then we both burst into giggles. "What about Michael?" she asked as we gasped for breath.

"He doesn't mind." I smiled. "Actually, he pretty much encouraged me to do this."

She looked pleased. "That's great." She kissed me again. "I can share."

Something occured to me. I looked directly into her eyes, drowned for a moment, then shared it with her. "So can I," I said.

Her eyes widened as she took my meaning. I grinned.

"So...how do you feel about strip poker?"

The End
10-29-2000

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