Michael was able to get Liz home. She's miserable. She's filled with so much hate and sadness that she just can't function right anymore. She's become an angry hermit.

He's pulled back from recording a little bit to keep an eye on her because she's basically a ticking time bomb. He wants to take care of her but she really don't let him back in.

Right now, she's got the bedroom door shut while she hotboxes the room. He's sitting on the floor in the hallway with his back against the door, his guitar in his arms and his notebook next to him.

Liz feels so awful for feeling like this but she needs space without the space. She can hear him playing a few chords to himself.

She sighs heavily as she gets to her feet, standing on shaky legs and makes her way to the door.

"Michael." Her voice is hoarse and raspy. He stops what he's doing to listen to her talk to him for the first time in probably a couple months. "I'm sorry." He moves his guitar to the side to free his hands up to open the door. He looks over his shoulder to see an incredibly tearful Liz and his heart aches. He almost immediately pulls her for a hug, his hand running over her dirty, tangly hair. "I'm so- I'm sorry." It sounds like a whimper mixed with a choked sob.

"Don't be." He whispers back, sliding her into his lap. He holds her close in his arms, letting her bury her face in his shoulder. "Let's get you a bath."

She doesn't budge.

Michael grunts quietly as he stands with her still in his arms and heads to the bathroom. He sits her down on the closed toilet and starts a bath for her. He crouches in front of her and looks up. He wordlessly tucks his fingers in the hem of her shirt and she lifts her arms, letting him slide it off of her. He helps her to her feet and gets her shorts down before he strips down to his boxers.

He picks up a comb and sets it on the rim of the tub then kicks his underwear off to sink down in the vanilla and rose scented bath water. Liz gives him a weak, exhausted smile back as she drops her panties on the floor and joins him.

She relaxes back against him, tears still making their way down her face. Michael starts to wet her hair then silently picks up her shampoo. He lathers up her hair then rinses. After that, he gets conditioner in her hair then the comb, letting it sit in the strands as he works out the many, many tangles and knots.

"I don't deserve you." She mumbles, her eyes closed to keep tears in, her knees pulled up to her chest. Michael just keeps combing through her hair. "I've been so nasty to you but here you are-"

"I just love you." He says, carefully picking through a knot. "I know you'd do the same thing for me if I's feelin' the same way." She nods, sniffling quietly. "After this, I'm gonna get you in clean clothes and under fresh bed sheets." He rinses out her conditioner and she lays back against him, pulling his arms around her in a hug from behind.

Somehow, Liz dozed off in the tub against Michael. He let her rest for a while until the water got cold. He carefully maneuvers his way up to get her up and dried off. He hands her clothes he picked up from his drawers and lets her get dressed while he strips the bed.

Liz stands in the doorway, watching him change the sheets. She grabs his hand to stop him, his dark eyes meet her dark eyes. "Will you lay with me?"

His heart nearly leaps out of his chest. He's been sleeping on the couch downstairs or the bed in the neighboring bedroom, sometimes against the wall across from their bedroom door but Liz doesn't know that. He's been giving her the space she's been wanting while staying close in case she needed something.

Without a second thought, he's laying down under the clean sheets with his arm draped over his girlfriend's waist. She pulls his arm tighter around her and he gets the hint, holding her tight with his face buried in the back of her neck.

The way his thumb is brushing against her clean skin lulls her to sleep, a peaceful sleep for the first time in months.

+++

Michael's been trying to get Liz to go to Mississippi to visit his hometown and she's finally agreed after getting the requested time off from her job approved after several months of requesting.

She's been packing while Michael is doing something outside. She comes down the steps with their bags in her hands and drops them in front of the door.

"The hell are you doin'?" She shouts from the front step. His head shoots up from the cab of his truck and he smiles.

"Is that what you're wearin'?" He asks, looking over her current outfit of one of his shirts with a pair of boycut panties.

"No, my jeans are in the dryer. I'm not wearing a bra, though." She winks at him, carrying their bags down to his truck where she drops them again. "Gotta get dressed."

Michael reaches out and grabs her hand, pulling her back. He grasps the sides of her neck as he looks down at her with a small smile. "What?" She asks, his smile making her smile. He says nothing as he kisses her in that soft way he does, his hands sliding to her hips making her shirt ride up, exposing her striped boy cut panties. "Good thing you don't got neighbors. We'd be givin' 'em a peep show, huh?" She breathes out. Liz can feel him smile against her neck. "We gotta get goin', right?"

He hums back, pulling away. "Get dressed." He smacks her ass, smirking when she squeaks. "C'mon, we gotta get goin'."

Liz shoots him a look as she takes the steps up to the house. She grabs her Levi's from the dryer and pulls them on before tossing the borrowed shirt onto the washer then heads up to the bedroom. She decides on a tight tank top then steps into her sandals, picks up her purse then she's hopping into Michael's Ford passenger seat.

+++

Philadelphia, Mississippi.

A town of about seven thousand in Neshoba County.

Michael pulls up to a nice-ish house on the outskirts of town and parks on the street. He slides out of the cab and grabs their things from the bed. Liz follows him, snagging a bag from his hand as he tries a few things. "This your parents' place?"

"Yes ma'am." He says, freeing a hand to get the back door open. "Well, my dad's."

Liz nods, closing the door behind them. Michael really doesn't talk about his mom a whole lot but she's never pried about it.

"Dad?" Michael shouts from the basement, dropping their stuff on his childhood bed.

"This is your room?" She asks, setting her purse on the bare nightstand next to the bed.

"Yep." He nods, kicking his sandals off. "Dad!?" He shouts louder, his volume startling Liz. She laughs at herself. "He's not home." He looks at his watch. "Won't be home 'til five thirty."

Liz runs her hand over his back with a small smile. "Wanna gimme a bedroom tour?"

His dimples appear. "Sure." He takes her hand. "Startin' with the bed?" She laughs again as she pushes him back to the mattress.

They're in the middle of it when the door opens. Neither of them hear it while the springs of the mattress shriek with each movement.

"Michael?" A male voice says, coming around the corner before he stops in his tracks. "Michael!"

"Shit!" Liz grabs a fallen blanket and wraps it around her naked body, blushing furiously.

"Dad!" Michael pants, yanking his boxers and shorts back on. "Hey."

"Nice to see you, son." He says, glancing over at the girl standing awkwardly on the other side of the room. "I'm gonna start supper." He closes the door behind him then heads up the steps.

"You asshole!" She shouts at Michael, launching the blanket back at him before grabbing her clothes. "I thought you said he'd be home by five thirty! It's not even four yet!"

"I'm sorry!" He yells back, picking his shirt up. "You okay?"

"I'm mortified! Your dad's first impression of me is my boobs!"

"You got nice boobs." He mutters and shrugs, earning a shirt thrown at him and he laughs under his breath. "He didn't see nothin', okay?" He grabs her hand and pulls her in for a calming kiss. "Take a deep breath, baby." She nods, doing as she's told with her forehead against his chest. "C'mon, let's go see my dad."

When they get to the kitchen, Liz keeps her head down and stays behind Michael. "Okay, I'm willin' to forget what I saw downstairs if-"

"If what?" Michael says, leaning against the counter.

"If y'all help a poor old man out with cookin'." His face splits into a goofy smile, the same goofy smile Liz has seen an awful lot from Michael. "Deal?"

"Absolutely." Liz says without hesitation, washing her hands in the kitchen sink. "I'm Liz."

"Mike." He smiles back.

Michael smiles at the sight of his dad and girlfriend chit-chattin' in the kitchen. She's the first girl he's brought home that has immediately clicked with his old man.

Liz is definitely the girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

+++

Michael didn't tell Liz that he had an impromptu concert at the fairgrounds while they were visiting but she's loving every second of it.

She got to explore the podunk town with Michael by her side, up until his show. He educated her on the history of the town while they walked around the fairgrounds, hand in hand.

She got to meet a lot of the locals, too.

Liz also got to know Michael's dad better especially when he was performing.

The whole time during his performance, Mike and Liz sang to each other and that made Michael's heart swell and a huge dimpled smile go from ear to ear. He absolutely loves that they're getting along.

"All right, kids." Mike says, heading toward the truck Michael bought for him. His used his first real paycheck to spoil his dad, not himself. "I'll see y'all back at the house."

"Okay." Liz smiles, her arm going around Michael as his hand dips into her back pocket. "Thanks for invitin' me down here."

"Thanks for comin'." Michael smiles back. "You like my dad?"

"Maybe a little more than I like you." She teases, poking him in the belly before pulling away just out of arms reach.

He laughs as he grabs her by the waist and throws her over his shoulder, laughing louder when she squeals.

They don't care that they're making a scene or possibly annoying people because right now, in this moment, no one else in the world exists.

In this moment, it's just Liz and Michael.