Chapter 18 Confessions

The sounds of familiar voices arguing came to Michelle's ears but she was too tired to open her eyes and dismissed it as a dream. She grunted in her sleep wishing it would stop. Didn't her dream know she barely got five hours' sleep?

She felt something cover her ear and the sounds got muffled. Thankful for whatever it was, she drifted back to sleep.

The next thing Michelle heard was the muffled sounds of slowly driven cars through traffic and the low steady rhythm of someone breathing close to her. She was too comfortable and warm in her sleep, wherever she was to wake up but curiosity about who was next to her and a rumble in her stomach made her open her eyes. Brook's features come into focus, hovering over her.

"Brook! Am I still dreaming?" she asked, looking confused. He grinned softly, his teeth shining white in the dimness.

"No, you're awake and hungry by the sound of your stomach." He said. Michelle's eyes widened at the realization that he was real and she flung her arms around his neck.

"Brook! Oh Brook you're okay! I'm so, so glad! I missed you! Are you hurt? Where are the others? Is everyone..." she hesitated unsure if she wanted to hear any bad news. But his expression was calm and relaxed so her worry dissolved as quickly as it came.

"Everyone's fine, they're downstairs. Michelle... you have no idea how scared I was for you. How relieved I am to see you safe..." Brook's voice was low and husky. Michelle felt him run his fingers through her hair.

"Um, Brook? Where are we?" she asked, looking around at her unfamiliar surroundings. She also got a jolt when she realized she was in bed with Brook right next to her.

"In Vegas of course. Don't you remember?"

"No, I mean – I remember falling asleep in Payton's car, and then I heard voices and – how did I get here?" Brook merely let his lips brush against her forehead, sending shivers up her spine.

"You're cute when you're confused. Payton brought you here a few hours ago. You were fast asleep in the car so I brought you up to my room. I thought you'd wake with the crew yapping at the top of their voices so I covered your ears." Michelle felt a warm glow spread through her at his words.

"You were so sound asleep that Paige called you a baby. But I like you when you're asleep. We can stay together without any interruptions." His voice was low and husky. Michelle knew her heartbeat had passed the erratic stage and her face felt hot.

"What time is it? I don't know how long I slept." She said trying to steer the conversation away from topics that would make her blush.

"Past midnight. You haven't been asleep for more than a few hours." Brook said. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her to his chest.

"Um... Brook..." Michelle began, the proximity making her hold her breath.

"One more minute. Let's stay like this for one more minute." He whispered. Michelle exhaled and burrowed her head into his chest listening to his heartbeat. She had never been this close to anyone before. It was a warm and desirable feeling, sharing it with Brook. She was glad it was him; that he'd been the one to open her heart. Whether this was a dream or a dream come true, Michelle didn't want to question it. All she knew was that she was glad to be there in Brook's arms and that he wanted her there.

Another rumble from her stomach made Brook sigh.

"Your stomach is not gonna give us a moment's privacy until it's full, is it?" Brook asked. Michelle giggled.

"Sorry." She said.

"No, never mind. You missed dinner after all. I'm gonna pound Payton for not feeding you."

"Brook! Payton actually did a lot to get me here. You have no idea how many crazy costumes he made me wear so we wouldn't get caught."

"You can tell me about it over dinner – or should I say a midnight snack."

Everyone was still up when Michelle and Brook went downstairs. The building they were in was more comfortable than the base, Michelle thought. It was a two-storey apartment and had better furniture. Not to mention it was warmer than the base at night.

"Yo Michelle! Glad to see you're kickin' girl!" Jett said from the couch where he was sitting, making a rock and roll sign with his hands. Reece also looked up from the television to acknowledge her.

"Look who decided to show up," Paige said from the dining table. She was holding a beer can and was sipping from it.

"Be nice Paige. You're the one who was worrying about her for the last twenty-four hours." Leslie said. She sat at the other end of the table.

"What?! No! Why would I worry about her? Pft." Paige said. She scrunched the beer can with her bare hand.

"You guys... I'm just so happy to see you are all okay." Michelle said.

"Aww, that's cute. But enough with the mushy stuff before I hurl." Reece said.

"Don't let them fool you. They were worried sick about you." Brook whispered into Michelle's ear. She smiled.

"I know. I worried about you all too." She looked around.

"Where's Payton?" she asked.

"That guy can sleep for sixteen hours. Don't look for him for another – twelve." Jett said counting the hours on his fingers.

"Shut up Jett, I'm right here," Payton said coming out of a room nearby.

"Heard you were looking for me," he said, staring at Michelle.

"You okay? You didn't exactly wake me." Michelle said, pouting.

"And I'm thankful he didn't. I'm also thankful he brought you here in one piece. Well, almost." Brook said, eyeing her stomach. Payton grinned.

"She's got the appetite of a horse. You should've seen how much she ate at the hotel." He said. Brook looked confused.

"Hotel?" he asked.

"You haven't told them everything yet?" Michelle asked Payton.

"Only the bare essentials. I bet your storytelling skills are better than mine. If I had to sum it up, we drove to Reno, caught a flight, and drove here." Payton said.

"That's devoid of details. Come on Brook, I'll tell you the whole story." Michelle said, patting his shoulder.

"Right, and I promised you dinner," Brook said, leading her to the kitchen.

"Hope you don't mind tacos... We sent Reece to pick up dinner and this was his idea. At least it's real food." Brook said, serving a paper bag of tacos on a plate.

"Not at all. I love Mexican food as much as my boyfriend." Michelle said coyly. Brook looked at her in surprise when he realized she was talking about him and grinned.

"Good. We've got shrimp, tuna, and pork. Take your pick." He said leaning over the table.

"Tuna? Really?" Michelle asked.

"Reece likes seafood," Payton said, coming and sitting next to her.

"Well, I don't mind anything," Michelle said, taking a taco and biting into it.

"Mmm... nothing beats the familiar tried and tested." She said. Brook sat opposite her and wiped a bit of salsa from the edge of her mouth with his thumb and licked it. Michelle blinked at him. She hadn't expected him to do something that - intimate. It felt sweet that he didn't have any boundaries put up between them, at least, physically.

"Ugh, gross. Can't you eat without dripping for once?" Payton said. He pushed a set of napkins to her.

"Sorry, but I haven't eaten in ten hours. I'm starving."

"That's fine Michelle. You want anything more? We've got Oreos and –" Brook stopped on seeing her skeptical face.

"Brook, I'm eating jumbo-sized tacos here. I think that should keep me going till morning. And sugar would just keep me up anyway."

"I don't see the problem there," Brook said with hooded eyes. Michelle covered a smile.

"I'm gonna go keep myself from puking. Call me when the meeting starts." Payton said, getting up. He went to his room.

"What meeting?" Michelle asked.

"Look around, angel face. Why do you think we're here in Vegas? It's not a vacation." Paige said.

"Now that you and Payton are here, we need to start planning our next move," Leslie said.

"And figure out what happened to the chief," Jett said, his voice grave.

"Soriano isn't here?" Michelle asked. "But he wasn't at the base either." Brook's expression darkened.

"He's doing something out there on his own. He's shut us out. We have no way to contact him, know if he's alive, nothing." Michelle touched Brook's hand.

"Hey, he'll be okay. He has to be." She said comfortingly.

"Yeah? What if he's not? For all we know the Ghosts might have him or –" Paige began, but Michelle nudged her hard in the stomach to stop.

"Or, yeah, we could be naïve and think everything's fine," Paige said monotonously.

"I'm out. I'm going to bed. Lemme know if you guys decide on anything definite tomorrow morning." Reece said, yawning and going upstairs.

"He's right, for now, let's just get some sleep. We've been through a lot. We can make plans in the morning. If the chief wanted to, he would have contacted us. Otherwise, he'd just show up. If not... Well, then we'll go look for him." Leslie said. Everyone got up and went to their rooms leaving Brook and Michelle alone at the table.

"With everything that's been going on, I forgot to ask the most basic thing – are you alright?" Brook asked her.

"I'm fine, better than I have been in the last two days." She said.

"So what happened with the hotel?" he asked.

"Oh, that," Michelle explained everything that happened since the night before and how they had escaped from the Inferno Ghosts.

"I wanted to rest a bit before hitting the road so I suggested the hotel. Of course, Payton was the one who passed out first and I ended up not sleeping thinking about you." Michelle said her voice softened towards the end.

"I don't like the idea of you and Payton being alone in a hotel but – at least he kept you safe. Being alone in a hotel room unprotected would have been way worse."

"Wait, you're worried about me being in a hotel for a few hours with Payton and not the fact that the Ghosts were after us?" Michelle asked in disbelief. She wasn't sure if Brook being jealous was sweet or ridiculous.

"Of course, I was concerned for your safety. I just... wish I could have been there with you," he said, warmly massaging her hand. Michelle's expression softened. Brook opened a packet of Oreos and pushed it to her. She took one idly and began to eat it.

"I missed you, Michelle," he said abruptly. Michelle stared at him with her lips half open.

"I missed you like crazy. Not knowing anything about where you were, whether you were safe... I thought I would go insane. Jett and Reece literally had to hold me back from tearing across the state to go find you. When Payton drove through that storm and we got cut off from you... I thought I'd lose my mind wondering if you were okay." Brook said, his flaming blue eyes were filled with desperation as they fixed on her face.

"When we were forced to go away from the base, I thought I might never see you again. It was only a moment's fear but... I let it tear me apart. After the Ghosts chased us out of Reno we drove to Vegas all night. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, putting distance between us." Michelle saw a series of emotions flood his eyes – there was anger, relief, fear, and – something else.

"Last night made me realize that – if I had to leave you again, if I was forced to choose – I can't make that decision. It hasn't even been forty-eight hours and it felt like forever before I saw you again. Michelle... I can't tear myself away from you." His expression was full of pain. Michelle's heart clenched.

"Stop. Stop that, Brook... you don't have to. You don't have to make a decision like that, or leave me." she said, her voice wavering.

"Michelle, you don't understand." One of the bedroom doors opened and Jett came out. He stopped awkwardly on seeing Brook and Michelle at the table.

"Ooh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. Just getting a bottle of water." He said going to the fridge.

"No, we're going to bed anyway," Brook said, getting up, taking Michelle's hand, and leading her upstairs. Once in his room, he turned to her.

"What don't I understand?" Michelle asked. Brook took a step towards her.

"Michelle, you don't deserve the kind of life I've been living. You deserve so much better. Why did you have to go and fall for me?" he raised his hand to her cheek. She leaned into his touch.

"But I don't think I can go back now. I'm in too deep crazy in love with you. And you're not helping." He said in a low voice. Michelle closed her eyes.

"Say that again."

"What?"

"The reason you're too far deep." She pleaded, her hands covering his. "Please." Brook closed the distance between them.

"Michelle, I'm in love with you. So much that I can't let you go for your own good." His voice cracked near the end.

"Then don't," she whispered. He pulled away suddenly and slammed his fists on the wall.

"Don't you see?! If I want you to be safe –"

"You'll keep me safe. And you'll do it by staying with me." Michelle said determinedly. Brook turned to her.

"It's not up to you to decide what's best. It's up to us." She said. Brook came close and his hands caressed her arms.

"How do you do that? One look from you and I'm caving." He said, a small smile on his lips though his eyes were still full of pain. He leaned his forehead on hers.

"You remember the day I found you?" he asked. Michelle nodded.

"You asked me if you should trust me and I said no."

"I trusted you anyway."

"That was a mistake." He said. His voice was rough with emotion.

"I –" Michelle began but Brook suddenly pushed her onto his bed. She landed flat on her back with a gasp. He hovered over her, pinning her wrists down.

"If you hadn't trusted me, you never would've put your life on the line. You wouldn't have gotten close to me. And I –" his voice made her breath catch.

"Wouldn't have gotten this close to you. Close enough to hold you back from a better life. From your life." Michelle felt tears well in her eyes and her heart ached at his words.

"I want you in my life, Brook. I can't live without you. I won't. I won't let go of you." Michelle whispered fiercely. Her tears spilled out of her eyes and Brook saw it. He wiped them away with the back of his hand.

"You don't give up, do you?" Brook asked quietly.

"No."

"I'm already in this deep. If this is what falling feels like, I want to fall for the rest of my life." He said. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her jaw. His weight was heavy on her but she didn't protest. Feeling him this close assured her of his presence. His passion. She let out a breath of satisfaction.

"Tired?" Brook asked, his lips moving against her skin.

"Not in the slightest." She replied fervently. She heard him grin before he moved his lips to her neck. He kissed with longing and fervor, making her neck heat up to a third degree. She clenched and unclenched her fists, unable to move anything else. Slowly his lips traced down to her collarbone, leaving a wet stream of kisses. She moaned.

"Oh Brook..." her voice was high-pitched but quiet.

"If you want to be free of me, say it now." He whispered hoarsely beneath her ear. He planted kisses beneath her earlobe and trailed up to her forehead.

"No... I don't want... to be free of you..." she breathed. She was trapped beneath him, her wrists captured, his weight holding her down. He had her captivated, and she had never felt more alive. Neither did she want to break free. Being trapped in his arms was a dream.

"Michelle..." Brook whispered, kissing her eyelid. He felt her hands go slack as she relaxed, letting him take control. He released her wrists and held himself up on his elbows on either side of her.

"Why...?" Michelle asked, glancing at her wrists.

"I want you to be free." He whispered. She raised her arms around his neck and drew him closer.

"This is my freedom." She said, watching his lips. He understood what she wanted and crashed his lips on hers, holding nothing back. He slipped his hand under her shirt and stroked her navel. She twirled her fingers around his hair, tugging it past his shoulder, enjoying the sensation of his warm hand on her body. He sensed her desire as much as his own and deepened the kiss, his tongue gliding across her lower lip before prying it open. Michelle was glad her moans were muffled by his lips; they would have been enough to wake the whole building. She wondered how Brook had more self-restraint than her – the need to moan was overwhelming for her. It wasn't like he wasn't just as lost in a cacophony of feelings and burning desire as she was.

"Brook..." she moaned against his lips.

"Hmm..."

"I love you," she said, between kisses. He stopped to stare at her like he hadn't heard her.

"I love you, Brook." She said again. She had never said such words to a guy before. It felt incredible. Like he was hers to love – and she was his.

"You're gonna break me, Michelle." He rasped before crashing back on her lips.

"No, I won't. Not if you don't break me."

"I – I love you too." He said softly. "Michelle, I'm in love with you. I love you so much it hurts to be away from you."

"Then don't be away from me," she said, planting a kiss on his chin.

"You know what?" Brook asked, kissing her cheek and making his way back to her neck.

"What?"

"You're a lot more dangerous than they give you credit for." He said. Michelle smiled in satisfaction.

"It's about time you figured that out." She said, before drowning in moans under the pressure of his kisses.