Four Years Later...

Rosetta sighed as she looked out at the rain. So much had changed in her life, recently, and she had no idea how she was going to make thing right.

So much had happened since Michael Jackson died. She had gained and lost an entire network of friends in the past four years, yet this latest loss was the hardest on her.

Mainly because it was the first and closest friend Michael's death had brought to her.

Wiping away the angry tears that had come to her eyes, Rosetta shook herself to her senses.

She had gotten the news about her test results that day, and her first instinct was to call Jana, but she remembered that she was the last person Jana wanted to talk to.

Her husband, Lucas, walked in with their daughter, Adrienne.

"Why are you crying? You got good news, didn't you?" he asked with light in his voice.

Rosetta faked a smile. "Yeah, I was just thinking about how much I've changed. I never used to be this...bitchy."

Lucas took her in his arms. "You're not bitchy. You've been so stressed lately, and when you saw what Jana had said, you snapped."

"I know that!" Rosetta exclaimed. "And now she knows that I think her boyfriend is a total jerk, but I had to be a jerk to say it so it doesn't make ME any better."

Adrienne looked up at her mother.

"Mommy no cry," she said. Rosetta smiled at her and picked her up.

"Mommy's sorry, baby girl. Mommy is just really sad right now, but I'll get better for you, okay?" she said.

Adrienne's answer was a sloppy kiss on the cheek, which made Rosetta laugh despite her sadness.

Lucas sighed. "She'll come back to you, baby. You two are like sisters, and sisters fight. The fact that you two haven't fought in four years, I'm surprised it's gone this long without it happening. And as for the jerk boyfriend, if he makes her choose between the two of you, and she chooses him, then that says more about her than it does you. I know it's not what you want to hear, but all you can do is wait and see."

Rosetta took a shaky breath.

"I just want her to know I don't have cancer."

"Then tell her. Send her a message and just leave it at that."

She smiled. "I think I will."

****

Michael Jackson, meanwhile, was in heaven, listening to the prayers of two very upset women, two women who had found each other to comfort through his death, and had indeed become like sisters. They were both afraid that there was an irreparable rift between them, due to words said in anger.

Aaliyah and Elizabeth came to him.

"Sounds awful," Elizabeth admitted.

"Yeah," Michael said, chewing his lip.

"You brought them together once. You think you could bring them together again?" Aaliyah asked, softly.

Michael glanced at her. "It took me dying for them to find each other. I don't think much can help this but time."

***

Jana breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the message from Rosetta.

Got news today, no cancer.

Jana felt tears come to her eyes. This was hard, not being able to talk to her, but dammit, she was still seething. Yeah, sometimes her boyfriend could seem overbearing, but Rosetta was hardly one to talk. How many times had Rosetta complained to her about her husband, Lucas?

Still, Jana was grateful to the Lord that Rosetta was healthy, because she honestly did not know what she would do if Rosetta was no longer in this world. She adored Rosetta's daughter, Adrienne, and it was hurting her that this was keeping them apart.

Everything hurt. She was just so confused. She loved Joshua more than anything, but she loved Rosetta too. The fact that these two didn't want to understand each other and accept the other was hurting her.

Rosetta's problem was that while she was married, she still could not trust any man who even vaguely reminded her of her ex. The fact that she did marry proved how far she had come, but she still had a long way to go. And apparently Joshua was not just a vague reminder of Captain Arsehole. He apparently was the guy's virtual twin, if one heard Rosetta talk.

Kensie, another friend of theirs, mentioned to Jana that Rosetta did have a lot of crap going on, and she was under a lot of stress, but it wasn't an excuse to lose it the way she did, and Joshua disliked how negative Rosetta was about the entire thing. It could have been handled better, and Jana agreed.

It didn't mean it didn't hurt. As Jana looked at all of her Michael Jackson paraphernalia, she was reminded of all the late night calls and texts and instant messages about how Rosetta and she were going to get a place and Michael it out.

A few tears escaped her as her phone rang. It was Joshua.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Hey," she said, wiping her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jana said. Then she sighed. "I just miss Rosetta. She's healthy, by the way."

"Honey, I told you, you don't need her negativity..."

***

Michael continued to pace in the clouds, thinking. These two were very stubborn women, Rosetta especially. When Rosetta said anything out of the way, it would take a damn army to make her even consider taking it back.

And Jana. Jana didn't like hurting anyone, nor did she like sneaking or being deceitful. She needed love in her life, but she needed her friends to.

Now Michael needed to figure out how to make these two women see it.