*June 25, 2009*

Los Angelese, California

9:00 a.m.

Tania hummed a tune to herself as she maneuvered around her kitchen. Her three month old daughter Jayla, lied fast asleep in her car seat, which sat atop the kitchen counter.

She was doing her normal morning routine, before taking her daughter down to see her father, Michael.

"Tania?! Tania?!" she heard her husband Evan call out, from the living room.

"I'm in the kitchen!" she yelled back.

The yelling must've disturbed Jayla, because she started to squirm in her seat, whining and whimpering.

Tania immediately dropped what she was doing and walked over to her daughter, so she could scoop her up in her arms, "oh no! What's wrong with mama's baby?" she cooed.

The second she put the pacifier into the baby's mouth, she quieted down.

"Aww, you just wanted to be held? That's all huh? You just needed a little love from your mommy is all," Tania cooed, as she slightly rocked the baby in her arms.

A big smile came across her face, when Jayla's little hand wrapped around her finger.

"Tania did you hear me calling you?" Evan asked, as he walked into the kitchen.

Tania turned around, never once taking her eyes off of her daughter, "yeah I did, but Jayla started crying so I had to tend to her," she replied, as she rubbed the top of Jayla's forehead.

Evan walked over to Tania and kissed Jayla's chubby cheek, "oh, well before I head off to work, I just had to let you know that Ciara called this morning." he said, referring to Tania's twin sister.

Tania lifted her head, "really, well what did she want?"

"I don't know, but she said it's real important and that you need to call her right away," Evan shrugged.

"Yeah ok, I-I'll do that," Tania said, nonchalantly.

"Alright well I'm off to work, I'll see you later on today. Please don't forget to call your sister, and when you get the chance tell Michael I said hello," Evan pecked Tania on the lips, before exiting the kitchen.

"Alright honey I love you!" Tania called after him.

"I love you too!" he yelled back.

When Tania heard the sound of the front door closing, she refocused her attention on Jayla, who'd fallen back to sleep.

Tania tiptoed over to the counter and lied her baby gently inside. Once she was settled in, Tania laid a soft kiss on her cheek, "alright baby, now your mommy can actually get some work done," she uttered to herself.

"Now what was I supposed to do first?" she whispered, as she tried racking her brain.

"Oh yeah! Call my sister!" Tania went into her purse and pulled out her cell phone, so she could call Ciara.

"Knowing that girl, she probably hasn't gotten any sleep which means she'll be cranky all day," Tania mumbled, while shaking her head.

She sighed deeply before pressing the talk button and putting the phone to her ear.

Meanwhile, Ciara lied at the end of her bed, while staring up at the ceiling. She slowly turned her head to look at the clock on her dresser, it was damn near ten a.m. and she still hadn't gotten any sleep.

She lifted a hand to her face and sighed, "dear God, why can't I get any sleep?" she whined.

From when she was just a teenager, Ciara was diagnosed with Insomnia, something she'd inherited from her father. Luckily enough for him though, she was the only one out of his five children to actually have it.

Just like Michael, Ciara had been placed on medication to contain her sleeping patterns over the years. However, Ciara's condition wasn't as severe as her dad's, so she didn't have to deal with it as much.

She would have episodes, every once and a while, which consisted of her staying up at all hours of the night, well into the morning time.

Back when she was a little younger, her episodes would be a lot more aggressive, considering all of the stress and drama her and her family endured.

But it suddenly began to slowly subside, the older she became. Which is why Ciara was left feeling confused, the last time she had an episode this bad, was when she was seventeen.

Something was definitely wrong, she just couldn't seem to put her finger on it. But why else would she be up all night tossing and turning?

Ring Ring! Ring Ring!

Ciara hopped up and went to answer her house phone, which was ringing uncontrollably off the hook, "hello?" she answered, dryly.

"Well, is that anyway for you to answer the phone for your husband?" she heard her husband Sean joke over the phone.

However, she wasn't up for the jokes this morning, the only thing she really wanted was a good night's rest, and since she couldn't get that, everyone around her was going to feel her wrath.

"What do you want Sean?" she asked rudely.

Sean raised his eyebrows at her tone, "well, what I want is for my wife to have a better attitude when she answers the phone, what is wrong with you anyway?" he chuckled.

Ciara palmed her face and sighed, "Sean, it's nine a.m. I have to meet my daddy and my sister later on to discuss some business. I am running on no sleep right now, that's what's wrong with me."

"Well baby, is it your insomnia?"

Ciara leaned back in her bed, "I'm assuming so."

"I thought you said you didn't suffer with that anymore?"

"I don't! I honestly don't know why I can't get any sleep. All I know is, the moment I came back home from meeting with my dad and sister, I got into our bed and just laid there. All. Night. Long," Ciara stressed.

"Well, do you have any medicine to help with that?"

"No I don't, if I did I would be asleep right now. But anyway, how are my babies doing?" Ciara asked, completely changing the subject. She was referring to her seven month old twin boys, Michael and Jermaine.

"Well, they're awake, and if that isn't self explanatory I don't know what is."

Sean's comment made Ciara giggle, "stop it now, my babies are not that bad."

"You're only saying that, because you ain't here with them. You don't have to deal with them like I do."

"Aww, I wish I was! I miss my boys," Ciara pouted, as she picked at the comforter on her bed.

Just two weeks ago, Sean and the boys took a trip down to San Francisco, so he could visit his parents. Ciara decided to stay behind, because she had a lot of work to do.

Back in March her father Michael or as the world knew him the incomparable King Of Pop, announced a big comeback tour after shying from the public eye for over ten years. Not to mention her sister Tania, who'd given birth to her daughter around the same time.

A month after she'd given birth to her sons, Ciara had to return to the studio to finish working on her self-titled CD "Ciara", which was set to be released sometime in late July.

Ciara had so much on her plate she barely had time to herself, but just like Michael, she was a workaholic, and didn't believe in giving less than her best. So the only thing she could do was suck up her pride and get the job done.

As bad as she wanted to be with her children, with them being gone she was able to catch up on a little bit of sleep.

"Well, you won't have to miss them for too long, because we'll be home in a couple of days honey." Sean assured Ciara.

"Can't wait," Ciara replied, while smiling sweetly.

"But what about me? Don't you miss your loving husband?" Sean joked, which made Ciara laugh.

"You know I do baby!"

Suddenly, her cell phone began to vibrate loudly, from her dresser. She leaned over and picked it up the second she seen Tania's name flash across the screen.

"Oh honey, let me call you back! This is my sister calling and it's very important."

"Alright I love you baby."

"I love you too," Ciara replied softly.

"Try to get some sleep for me ok?"

"I will, kiss the kids for me!" Ciara said lastly, just before putting the phone down on the hook. She then answered her cell phone and placed it to her ear, "hello?"

"Finally, I almost thought that you wasn't going to answer the phone," Tania joked.

Ciara rolled her eyes, "whatever I just got off of the phone with Sean, and besides this is your first time calling me back," she defended.

"I know it is, I was kind of hoping you would be asleep right now though," Tania answered concernedly. She was completely aware of Ciara's condition, mainly because she was the only who would stay up all night talking to her until she fell asleep.

Tania definitely hated those days, and would never want to go back, but Ciara was her sister and she would do anything for her.

"Do I sound asleep Tania?" Ciara retorted.

"No, but I was hoping you would be, by the way my husband told me you called, and I figured it had something to do with your little sleeping problem. Considering you never get up this early," Tania explained.

"Well yeah, I was thinking about calling daddy, but I kept him up damn near half the night, so I figured he would be sleep right now and I didn't want to bother him," Ciara shrugged.

"So instead, you chose to bother me?" Tania asked.

"Oh of course, you know how I do," Ciara shot back.

"Well you need to do something, because you know we have a very busy day today, and we got to meet up with daddy too."

"Trust me I know Tania, I've been trying to sleep all morning, but believe me nothing is working," Ciara groaned, while shaking her head.

"Well, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, I just been tossing and turning since last night and this morning when I woke up I just felt...weird."

"What do you mean?"

"It's really hard to explain, but like I said when I woke up this morning, I just been feeling weird and it's, because of that is why I can't sleep." Ciara shrugged.

"Well, that's weird what do you think it is?"

"I wish I knew Tania, I really wish I knew."
                                       ***

Hours later, Ciara ran around her house like a bat out of hell, trying to get ready for her day. When she got off the phone with Tania, she was able to get at least a hour and a half of sleep. It wasn't much, but it was enough to help her get the day started.

Now here she was struggling to do her hair, while also doing her makeup. Once she was done with all of that, she would head down to Michael's house, then to the studio.

After getting dressed, Ciara raced downstairs to grab herself a quick bite to eat. The twins may have been the daughters of a worldwide superstar, but you wouldn't be able to tell by the way they lived.

Ciara lived in a two story four bedroom home, and unlike most of the people in her family, she didn't have a busload of maids and butlers working for her. Anything that had to be done around the house, was usually taken care of by her or Sean.

Meanwhile, Tania lived in a modest three bedroom home, not too far from where Ciara stayed. She was a lot more simple than Ciara though, she spent most of her time out of the public eye and more so into her family and her schoolwork than anything else.

Needless to say, the girls wasn't going to let their last name affect their way of living. From the time they were little children up until adulthood, Michael always tried his best to make their lives appear normal, and when the girls were able to move out on their own, they continued that.

Ciara placed her purse down onto the counter and went into her pantry, to find something to eat. She finally settled on a simple piece of toast, and just popped it into the toaster.

Just as she was heading to the refrigerator to grab herself something to drink, her cell phone went off. The loud ring startled her, and she jumped a little.

Her phone had been going off for awhile now, but she didn't have the time to stop and answer it. She grabbed her chest and breathed deeply, to settle her heartbeat.

After putting the cup down, she walked over to her purse and searched for her phone. When she picked it up, her eyebrows furrowed, "Uncle Jermaine? What's he calling for?" she mumbled.

Without giving it much thought, she answered the phone and put it to her ear, "hello? Hi Uncle Jermaine," she said, as she grabbed onto the cup, and went to open the fridge again.

"Ciara, I've been trying to get ahold of you all morning, where are you right now?" Jermaine asked, his tone serious.

Ciara pulled out a big jug of OJ and poured some into her glass, "I am really sorry about that, but I've been ripping and running all morning. I am so pressed for time, because I have to go meet up with my daddy and Tania in a f-" she started to ramble, but Jermaine quickly cut her off.

"Ciara I need for you to come down to the UCLA Medical Center, please? It's urgent."

Ciara quickly lowered the glass from her lips and furrowed her eyebrows, "urgent? What do you mean? Is there something wrong with grandma?"

"No Ciara, I'm afraid it's far worse than that. It's uhh i-it's Michael."

Ciara felt her heartbeat suddenly speed up at the mention of her father's name, "m-my father? What's wrong with my father?" she questioned.

She wanted to believe that her uncle was only kidding, but she knew it to be true, the second he opened his mouth and said, "the ambulance just left Michael's house with him in it. That is why I need you at the hospital right now, please Ciara this is very serious and I'm afraid it's not looking too good."

The glass Ciara held in her hand, suddenly slipped and fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces. Her entire body, just fell numb, as Jermaine's words managed to play over and over in her head.

Her father was being taken to the hospital in an ambulance? It sounded so surreal the more she thought about it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't possibly believe that it was all a joke.

Once she snapped out of her daze, she snatched up her purse and her keys, before hurrying out of the front door. She ran as fast as her feet would carry her to her car, before climbing in and speeding out of her driveway.

Meanwhile, Tania was already on her way to Michael's house. After she dropped her daughter off by Evan's parents, she immediately hopped back in her car, so she could get her day started.

"This just in, the King Of Pop has been rushed down to UCLA Medical Center..."

Tania damn near lost control of her car, when she heard those words coming through her radio, "what the hell?" she leaned over to turn the volume up, so she could listen clearly.

"He was found unconscious in his bedroom this morning, and after a few failed attempts of trying to resuscitate him, the paramedics were called and they are heading to the hospital right now..."

Tania quickly shut the radio off, because she couldn't bare to hear anymore. Suddenly, her hands started to shake and tears clouded her vision. Finally, she decided to just pull over so she could get herself together, before she would end up crashing.

"Oh God, oh dear God please don't let this be true," she whispered with tear filled eyes.

No sooner had those words left her mouth, did her cell phone suddenly begin to ring. She grabbed her purse from the back seat and frantically searched for her phone.

"H-Hello?" she sniffled.

"Hello? Hello? Tania? Tania where are you?" it was her Uncle Marlon.

"I'm in the car Uncle Marlon, where is my dad? What happened to my daddy?!" she asked, as more tears streamed down her face.

"Tania, please calm down I need you to be calm if you're driving on that road."

"I can't calm down! These people on the radio talking about my daddy is on his way to the hospital! What the hell is going on?!"

"T-Tania just meet us down at the hospital right away!" Marlon replied, but Tania could barely hear him with all of the commotion going on in the background.

She ended the call, threw her phone into the passenger seat, and sped down the street en route to UCLA.
                                         ***

Answers. That is all Ciara wanted as she impatiently waited for someone to open their mouths and speak.

She and her family had been sitting in the waiting area for over an hour, and yet no one had said anything about her father's condition. With both her legs crossed and her hands sitting in her lap, she tried her best to calm her nerves.

She silently prayed to the Lord up above, that Michael was ok. He was her world, and just the thought of losing him, brought unwanted tears to her eyes.

However, she knew that she had to remain strong for her family. Especially, for her little siblings Prince, Paris, and little Blanket. They all were seated next to Tania and their grandma Kat while crying.

Unfortunately for them all, they were the ones who were in the house, when Michael was found unconscious in his bedroom. When Ciara learned that Prince had even discovered Michael's body, she was absolutely livid. Mainly, because she wasn't there when they needed her most.

She could only imagine, how traumatic that must've been for all of them, which is why she was so angry. Even the touch of her Uncle Jackie's strong hands on her shoulders, as he rubbed them slowly to calm her down, didn't help any.

Needless to say, Ciara was tired of waiting, and she felt that at any second she could explode. She scanned the room discreetly, as her feet tapped angrily against the floor.

It was so quiet in there, that you could hear a pin drop. She was actually surprised, that for the first time ever, no one in her family knew what to say or do to fix the situation. They were all at a lost right now, and there was nothing to be said.

Her eyes landed on her mother Nicole, who was trying her best to console Katherine, and shamelessly rolled her eyes and scoffed. Honestly, she didn't know why she was here in the first place, she hadn't been apart of the family, since her and Michael's divorce back in '91. No since in pretending.

It was no secret, that Ciara didn't care for her mother, but she knew now wasn't the time nor the place to let it be known right now. Not while her father was somewhere in this very hospital, fighting for his life.

"Ok family, let us all gather around and pray," she suddenly heard Katherine say aloud, as she stood to her feet. Ciara knew that she was suffering, more than anybody here, because at the end of the day Michael was her child first, and to see her trying to be brave for the family was all Ciara needed.

Although hesitant at first, the family stood to their feet and gathered around in a circle, so they could pray Michael back to health.

Just as Katherine was about to open her mouth, one of the doctor's came waltzing down the hallway, catching all of their attention.

Ciara didn't waste any time walking up to him. Unlike everybody else, she didn't have the time to listen to some doctor beat around the bush, about her father's condition.

"Umm, excuse me, can you please tell me where Michael Jackson is and how is he doing?" she tried to soften her voice a bit, so she wouldn't come off as strong.

"I can only share that kind of information with his family," the doctor said, arrogantly.

Ciara lowered her eyebrows in confusion, "well in case you haven't noticed this is his family, and I am his daughter. So I will ask you again, where is my father?" she asked, her teeth clenched. She was at her wits end now, and she couldn't believe that this man had the nerve to be rude with her.

"Cia-" Jackie started to say, as he scrambled over in her direction, but the doctor quickly cut him off.

"O-oh I am t-terribly sorry about that Ms. Jackson, I didn't meant to offe-"

"Look doctor, there's no need to apologize, can you just tell us how Michael is?" Tito suddenly shouted out.

The doctor paused to look at the entire Jackson family with sad eyes, surely they weren't prepared for the news, that he was about to give them.

"I-I-I t-there's no easy way for me to say this, I-I'm terribly sorry, but we've done all that we can for Michael he-he's gone."

Ciara suddenly felt her entire world come crashing down, at the sound of those words. She was so shocked and in such disbelief, that even the sound of Tania's loud bloodcurdling cry, didn't give her the strength to move.

Her feet were glued to the floor and she just stood there, as the doctor's words played in her head, continuously.

Her father. The one man she looked up to. The only man she ever trusted, loved, and admired more than God himself was long gone from her. She swiftly remembered of the last conversation they had on the telephone just the night before, and just like that in the blink of an eye he was gone.

Could this be a dream? she thought.

However, the sound of Tania's loud wails and her fists pounding angrily against the lobby's walls, confirmed that this wasn't a dream, but a living nightmare.

Tears suddenly clouded Ciara's vision, as she felt her hands and body slightly shake from all of the anger and pain she had built up inside of her.

When her eyes settled on the man, who was responsible for all of this, something inside of her caused her to snap, "you did this," she seethed, her voice low and dark.

Before Jackie even had a chance to stop her, she was already halfway there. However, Nikki suddenly stepped in and blocked her path, "Ciara stop! Please! Michael wouldn't want you to act this way, so just calm down!" she pleaded.

But just the mere sight of her, only made Ciara get angrier, "get away from me! Why are you even here huh?! Why?!"

"Ciara please!" Nikki cried helplessly. She didn't care how angry Ciara was, she just wanted to be there for her daughter more than anything.

She tried reaching out to Ciara, but she only jumped, "no! Don't touch me!" she screamed aloud, startling nearly those around her.

However, Ciara didn't care, she was both hurt, angry, and sad all at the same time. She needed to take her frustrations out on somebody, and Nikki just so happened to be there making herself a potential target.

Her chest heaving up and down, Ciara stared at her mother with the upmost disdain, "you are every bit as responsible as the man who did this to my father! So don't you dare come near me! I hate you!" she screamed.

Her words were like daggers to Nikki's heart, but she knew that Michael's death was causing Ciara to say those things, so she just ignored it, "Ciara please don't do this!" she tried reaching for her again, but Ciara only moved back more,

"No! No! You might as well had injected him with that needle yourself," Ciara spat coldly.

By this time, the entire room had grew quiet, as all eyes remained on Ciara and Nicole. Everybody in the family knew about their rocky relationship, but no one thought Ciara would ever take it this far.

But Ciara could care less about what anyone thought of her at this point, as she turned back to shoot one last evil glare her mother's way, before storming out of the hospital.

No one even bothered to go after her, mainly because there wasn't nothing they could say, so they just let her be.

*Summer 1977*

LAX Airport

11:00 a.m.

The loud sound of bustling feet and chatter plagued Nicole's ears as she sat in the middle of the busy LAX airport. She tapped her foot impatiently against the floor, while obnoxiously chewing on a piece of gum.

It'd been nearly an hour since she arrived, and still no sign of the plane. After glancing down at her watch, she turned to look out of the window, managing to upset her even more.

However, just when she was about to give up, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, Ms. Nicole, but the plane has finally arrived, Mr. Ja-" before the guy could even finish his sentence, Nicole was already out of her seat, running straight for the terminal.

No more words needed to be spoken, because she knew exactly where to go, and didn't even waste any time to ge there.

Although almost out of breath, Nicole ran as far as her feet could carry her, pushing people out of the way, until she found the double doors to the exit.

She felt her heartbeat suddenly pick up, as she exited the building. Just as she was told, the private plane had landed and the passengers were already exiting.

Her eyes scanned each and every one of them, but sadly she didn't see him anywhere. But she wasn't going to give up hope just yet, there was a possibility he could still be on the plane gathering his things, so she waited.

As she slowly moved forward, she was met with big smiles and greetings, from those who passed her by. Not wanting to be rude, she gave them a small smile, but not once did she lose focus on why she was there in the first place.

Suddenly, the first sight of a slightly big afro instantly caught her attention. That is when she saw him, there he was dressed up in black bell bottoms, and a white button down t-shirt.

She felt her heart instantly skip a beat, the second his eyes landed on her and a warm smile appeared on his face.

"M-Michael! Michael!" she suddenly heard herself yell. For some reason, she just couldn't contain her excitement any longer, she needed to be near him.

Michael's smile grew bigger at the sound of his name being called, he'd recognize that beautiful voice from anywhere.

"Baby!" he shouted back, instantly dropping his bags down to his feet and took off runnning in her direction.

Nicole didn't waste any time meeting him halfway, running as quickly as possible.

Those who stood around watched in awe and confusion, as Nicole jumped into his arms, but they didn't care. Michael only welcomed her and spun her around in circles, all the while giving her loving kisses all over the face.

"Michael I've missed you so much!" she said breathlessly, while in between kisses.

"I've missed you too, I couldn't wait to get off of that plane and be with you, I love you so much," Michael cooed, as he nestled his lips into Nicole's neck.

"Ohh Lord, here they go again," Tito mumbled to himself, with a roll of his eyes.

Hours later, back in Encino, both Nicole and Michael lied sideways atop a picnic blanket, while engaged in conversation. Well, at least Nicole was anyway.

"...And she would just not shut up about it! You have no idea how annoying my mother can get whenever you guys are on television! It's almost as if she is an even bigger fan than I am," Nicole giggled.

However, she quickly stopped when she noticed Michael staring at her.

"Wha-What? Why are you staring at me?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be staring you, you're just so beautiful to me," Michael replied shamelessly.

Nicole couldn't help, but blush from the compliment, causing her cheeks to turn an unwanted shade of red.

"Oh Michael," she gushed, dipping her head low, so that he couldn't see her blush.

"Oh Michael, what?" Michael giggled. He then leaned forward and lifted her by the chin, so she could look him in the eye.

"Nothing Michael, you ju-" Nicole started, but Michael quickly cut her off.

"Come here," he interjected, and pulled her closer to him. WIthout anymore words being spoken, he laid a soft kiss on her lips.

Nicole closed her eyes and instantly became putty in his hands, as she willingly kissed him back. A sigh of satisfaction escaped her lips, when she felt Michael part her lips with his tongue, in order to deepen the kiss.

"Michael!" the sound of Latoya's loud shrilling voice, startled Nicole and she instantly broke the kiss. Her eyes bucked and she quickly pushed Michael away.

Michael was a bit surprised by this action, but he didn't protest, he just cut his eyes up at his sister, who was now hovering over them with crossed arms, "what do you want Toya? Can't you see I'm a little busy right now?"

"Well, I don't mean to break up your little love fest here, but Joseph sent me out here, because he said he wanted to speak with you right away, and that Nicole needed to go home," Latoya said briefly, before turning on her heels and leaving.

Nicole quickly glanced down at her nails and sighed, "umm, well Michael I guess I'd better g-" she was prepared to get up, but was stopped by Michael pulling her back by the arm.

"Nicole wait, whe-where you going?" he asked, unknowingly tightening his grip around her wrist.

"Michael, I have to go! Besides, Lord knows what might happen if Joseph ends up coming out here himself," Nicole stressed. Even though, she never really spoke to Joseph herself, she could tell by the way Michael described him, that he was no joke.

"You don't have to leave every time he's around, you know that," Michael said, in a much darker tone.

"Michael, it's not that at all, it's just i-it's getting late, and I'm pretty sure my parents are probably wondering where I am right now. So I'll just go, but I'll be back tomorrow," Nicole assured Michael, before laying a soft kiss on his cheek.

Michael slumped his shoulders and looked to the ground, "alright," he huffed.

"Hey, I promise I will be back first thing tomorrow morning, ok?" Nicole kneeled down to cup Michael's face in her hand, and kissed him once again on the cheek.

Michael glanced up at Nicole and smiled, "ok."

That night, Nicole aimlessly picked at the food on her dinner plate, as her parents Denise and Richard babbled on and on about things she could care less about.

"Nicole, honey are you alright? Are you not enjoying your meal?" Denise questioned, she couldn't help noticing her daughter's sudden silence.

"Yeah I'm fine mom, I'm just not that hungry anymore, may I be excused?" Nicole asked, as she placed her fork down on the table.

"Sure honey, that's alright."

Nicole smiled and stood up from the table, "would you like for me to take care of the dishes mama?" she offered, politely.

"No sweetie I can handle it, but are you sure you're alright dear?"

"Yeah mama I'm fine, I'm just a little tired is all, I'm going to call it a night," Nicole kneeled down to kiss both her mother and father on the cheek, before retreating down the hallway to her bedroom.

Unfortunately enough for her though, she wasn't able to fall asleep until a few hours later. She couldn't seem to figure out why, but all she thought about was Michael, and what exactly did Joseph need with him anyway.

Whatever it maybe, she knew it was very important, considering Michael hadn't called yet like he normally would every night.

However, as seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into a couple of hours, she eventually gave up and fell asleep, while holding the phone close to her pillow.

***

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Once Nicole had fallen into a deep sleep, not even the little unknown tapping sounds coming from her bedroom window could wake her. That is until, little taps turned into big harsh knocks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The loud banging eventually caught her attention and caused her to jump up out of her sleep.

"Wha-What?!" she gasped loudly, her heart now beating as hard as a drum.

She directed her head to where the noise were coming from, and was surprised to find Michael standing on the outside of her window.

"What in the world?" she mumbled, before throwing her covers to the side and climbing out of the bed.

She lifted the window and stuck her head out, "are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea what my father would do to you if he caught you trying to sneak inside of my bedroom?" she hissed.

But Michael just laughed, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't bare waiting til morning to see you, I had to come see you now," he confessed.

"Michael," Nicole paused to look back at her alarm clock, "it's damn near two a.m. why aren't you in bed asleep?"

Michael furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "I thought I j-"

"No! Just sshh! The only thing you got to worry about is my father killing you, once he catches you inside of my bedroom," Nicole all, but whispered.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Michael teased, with a big smile plastered on his face.

"Fine, but if my father comes in here it's your funeral," Nicole said, throwing her arms up in surrender.

"Ok! Ok! Well, if you're that worried then I just won't come in. How about you just come out with me?" Michael, who was now leaning against Nicole's window, offered while holding his hand out to her.

But Nicole wasn't buying it at all, "uh huh, and where exactly would we go?" she questioned, with both her arms crossed.

"I know a place," Michael assured her, but she wasn't willing to give in just yet, and it showed as she raised both of her eyebrows in response.

"What? Come on, don't you trust me?"

"You know I do," she finally replied.

"Well, the only way I'll know you're telling the truth is if you follow me."

Nicole quickly glanced down at Michael's hand, and didn't think twice about it as she gently grabbed ahold of it and quietly climbed out of her window.

Once she was safely outside, Michael gripped her hand lightly, and the two began running down the street.

At first, Nicole had no idea where they were headed, and since Michael wasn't going to open up his mouth, she chose to follow him anyway, and prayed that no one would catch them.

A few minutes later, the two came up on an empty park, that was surrounded with trees.

"Here we are," Michael announced, to Nicole's satisfaction.

Thank God. Nicole thought to herself. She had to pause to place both of her hands on her knees just to catch her breath. She hadn't the slightest idea on how far they ran, but she was just happy that she didn't have to run anymore.

"Michael where are we?"

"We're at a park, we've been here before don't you remember?" Michael asked, his hands now intertwined with hers.

Nicole scrunched her nose and lowered her eyebrows, "no, not really."

"Well, I guess that's not important, just come on," Michael then pulled Nicole by her hand and guided her to one of the big trees. He sat against the tree and pulled Nicole between his legs, where she rested the back of her head against his chest.

"So Michael, why did you bring me here?" Nicole asked, as she reached for Michael's hand and intertwined his fingers with her own.

"I told you we've been here before, and besides I like to come here sometimes, just to get away from it all," Michael shrugged.

"Well Michael, as long as I'm with you I don't care about nothing else," Nicole assured Michael, and brung her hand up to softly caress his face.

This gesture caused Michael to blush uncontrollably, and place his hand against hers.

For the remainder of the night, Michael and Nicole spent time talking about all and nothing, and finally when two or three a.m. came they hadn't realized just how late they'd been out.

However, Nicole knew that she needed to get home before her parents awoke, so sadly, they had to end their night rather quickly and head back to her house.

Once she reached her window, she made sure to be quiet and climb through it. But when it was Michael's turn to return home, she suddenly became sad.

"Ok, maybe I should head home now, before mother wakes up. If she finds out I'm not there, she'll have a fit," Michael joked lightly.

Nicole just laughed, but she didn't reply.

"Alright well, I'll see you tomorrow," Michael leaned in to kiss Nicole on the cheek, and was prepared to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Nicole grabbing ahold of his arm.

"Michael wait! Umm, you think you might want to come in for a little bit?" she heard herself say, with a little bit of uncertainty.

"But I thought you sai-"

"I-I know what I said, but I want you to come in," Nicole interrupted.

Michael sighed and stuffed his hands down in his pockets, "are you sure? What if your parents wake up? I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Michael, I want you to come in," Nicole repeated, this time her voice was slightly low and sensual.

"Umm a-alright," Michael grabbed ahold of Nicole's hand and climbed through her window, without giving it a second thought.

The next morning, Michael had to slip away from Nicole's bedroom, before she even had a chance to wake up. He'd spent a few minutes watching her peacefully sleep and almost couldn't tear his eyes away from her, even when she constantly shifted underneath him and snored loudly in his ear.

None of that mattered to him, she was always so beautiful in his eyes, even on her bad days. He didn't want to leave her in such short notice, but he had a very busy day ahead of him and he could only imagine what Denise or Richard would do, if they were to catch the two in bed together. So, he gave her one last kiss on the cheek, before disappearing through the window.

Months Later...

"New York?! Are you freaking kidding me?!" Nicole shouted frantically, as she eyeballed Michael with the utmost disdain.

"Nicole please keep your voice down! I understand that you're upset, but please try your best to keep it down," Michael pleaded, as he ran over to his bedroom door and closed it shut.

Nicole was making a big scene, and he was sure that everyone who was present in the home had heard her loud and clear, but she didn't care, "keep it down?! How can you possibly expect me to keep quiet after you just told me, that you're moving to New York?! I mean really Michael, how long have you known this?" she quizzed, while resting both of her hands on her hips angrily.

Michael sighed deeply before replying, "I just found all of this out, honestly Nicole. Believe me, there's nothing more that I want to do, than to stay in here L.A. with you, but I can't. I don't have a choice!" he argued.

"Yeah, you have a choice! You have a choice to either stay here with me in Los Angeles or move to New York! It's not that difficult of a decision to make Michael," Nicole argued back.

"You're right baby, it's not a difficult decision. But I can't stay here, I have to go to New York to finish filming for The Wiz, and that's it! I promise, I'll be back as soon as it's all done." Michael tried assuring Nicole, but she wasn't buying it.

"Ok, that's all well and good Michael, but you have no idea how long that's going to be! You're telling me, you could be gone for months maybe longer than that and I won't be able to see you at all! And I'm supposed to be ok with that?" Nicole retorted.

Michael shifted his eyes from one side to the other as he pondered her question, "uh-uhh w-well, I wasn't expecting you to be."

"Of course you don't," Nicole scoffed, throwing both of her hands up in a dramatic fashion.

"But listen! That's why I'm telling you this now, is because I want you to come along with me," Michael said softly, as he grabbed ahold of Nicole's hands and squeezed them tightly.

Nicole lowered her eyebrows, "come with you?" she had to repeat, to make sure that she wasn't just hearing things.

"Yeah! Toya and I already found an apartment out there. It's fully furnished and everything! We just have to head down there and get settled in," Michael replied. Nicole knew that he was completely serious, just from the big boyish smile he had plastered on his face.

"I-I don't know Michael, I'm going to have to think about this," Nicole removed her hands from Michael's and folded her arms across her chest.

"But what else is there to think about Nicole? I don't want to leave you just as much as you don't want me to, which is why I'm asking you to come with me, what else is there?"

"Well Michael, that's a lot easier said than done! Do you have any idea who my parents are?! I can't just move away to New York and expect for them to let me move back here at home, it doesn't work that way," Nicole spat, her parents weren't as lenient or understanding as Michael's, they were beyond old school and believed that once Nicole got out on her own, there would be no returning home.

"Well Nicole, what else do you want me to do, I'm trying the best I can."

"No, the problem is you're not trying hard enough," Nicole replied, with much attitude.

Michael decided to let her little comment fly, he knew it was just her anger talking, "you know what? I already know where this conversation is headed, so I'm just going to end it now ok?" he was never good at confontation, especially when it came to someone like Nicole.

"No, you know what Michael? I don't think we're ever going to come to a solution on this, so maybe we should just end this whole thing." Nicole said somberly.

Michael just blinked his eyes at Nicole, "what are you trying to say Nicole?"

"I said it Michael, I can't do this anymore. You've just gotten too busy for me! I used to believe that I was your number one priorit-"

"You are!" Michael cut in, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, was Nicole actually breaking up with him?

"No I'm not, but it's ok I understand. You have too much going on in your life right now, and you don't need somebody like me getting in the way."

Michael's eyes grew big as saucers and he shook his head furiously, "no, it doesn't have to b-"

"I'm sorry Michael, I-I have to go," Nicole said lastly, before opening his bedroom door, and running off.

"N-No! Nicole please wait!" Michael tried running after her, but it was too late she was already gone.

Hours later, when Nicole had returned home she managed to lock herself up in her room and cried for what seemed like an eternity. It pained her on the inside to let Michael go, but she knew deep down that she didn't have much of a choice.

Michael was no longer the same young teenage boy, she'd met back when she was just fifteen and him sixteen. His career had indeed taken off and pretty soon he would be moving onto much bigger and better things, things that did not include her.

Although deep in her heart she felt there was no other man in this world for her, his career overpowered their relationship and she was certain that nothing, not even their love could surpass that.

So she just had to suck it up and move on from him, she knew he would anyway.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Nicole honey are you alright? Can I come in?" Denise's soft voice called out from the other side of the door.

Nicole quickly shot up in her bed and rapidly wiped all of her tears away, she didn't want her mother to know, that she'd been crying.

She made sure to clear her throat before speaking, "umm yeah mother! You can come in!"

Denise twisted the doorknob and walked in, it didn't take long for her to realize that her daughter had been crying, she could just tell from her body language and red puffy eyes. However, she knew that Nicole would not admit to this openly so she decided to tread the situation lightly.

"Nicole, are you alright sweetie? I was a little worried when you didn't come down for dinner," Denise asked, as she took a seat on Nicole's bed.

Nicole looked up at her mother and nodded, "yeah mama I'm fine, I just don't really have much of an appetite tonight."

Denise clasped her hands together and placed them into her lap, "now, while I would like to believe that what you're telling me is true, I cannot, because I prepared your favorite meal tonight and any other night you would be down there asking me for seconds," she joked, earning a small grin from Nicole.

"But, your being locked up in this room has led me to believe, that something is definitely wrong, and I'm willing to wait for you to tell me what that is." Denise said, getting straight to the point.

Nicole looked up at her mother with big doe eyes and sighed, "I'm doing fine mama really."

"Uh huh, that's what your mouth says, but you're my daughter Nicole, I know when something's wrong with you, so just talk to me dear and tell me what happened."

Nicole rolled her eyes, "nothing happened mama," she started, but Denise gave her a knowing look, letting her know that she wasn't having it.

"W-Well not exactly, i-it's really difficult to explain and I'm not sure if I'm ready to talk about it right now."

"Is it Michael?" Denise probed.

Nicole nodded her head in response, she suddenly couldn't find room to speak, because of the big lump that managed to form in her throat. She was sure that another mention of Michael's name would bring her to tears yet again.

"Ok, now I see that we're getting somewhere! Did you two get into a fight?" Denise continued to question.

Nicole paused to pick at the linen on her comforter, before opening her mouth to speak, "well, I wouldn't necessarlily say w-we got into a fight. However, we did have a bit of a disagreement and now we're broken up," she was able to get out, before she could start crying.

"Broken up? Well why is that?"

"It's a long story mother and isn't open for discussion," Nicole said firmly.

"Well, if you can't talk to your mother Nicole, who on Earth can you talk to?" Denise asked, with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Right about now, I wish I can talk to Michael," Nicole admitted.

"So why don't you go try and talk to him."

Nicole made a face, "are you kidding? Michael will never want to talk to me after what I did to him!"

"And what did you do to him?"

"I broke up with him," Nicole whined, as she let her head fall to the floor.

"Why?"

"Because, he's leaving for New York to finish filming for The Wiz and I was upset, because he isn't going to be around anymore."

"Ok now I understand, but honey Michael isn't like us, his career is a lot more demanding than most. You knew the moment you two started dating, that it wasn't going to be easy." Denise explained, but Nicole didn't want to hear the truth right now.

"Yeah mama I know, but it doesn't matter what you or I say, because it won't change anything. So, I'd feel a lot better if we would just stop talking about this right now."

"Fine Nicole, I'll leave the situation alone, but whenever you're ready to talk, you know that I'm always here for you sweetheart," Denise leaned over to kiss Nicole on the forehead, before exiting her room.

"Yeah I know," Nicole mumbled to herself somberly, before falling backward onto her bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, back at the Jackson home, Michael sat on the living room couch in a complete daze. He still hadn't quite grasped on what happened today, but he couldn't seem to get Nicole's harsh words out of his head.

He didn't know why or how they ended up here, but he knew one thing's for sure, Nicole was gone and she wasn't coming back. The very thought of her walking out of his life tore him to pieces, in fact he hadn't stopped crying since she left.

Even though he tried busying himself with little activities to get her off the brain, like dancing or taking little walks down the neighborhood, only to be brought back with thoughts of her. It would be the most littlest things about her to come to his mind, like the way she laugh or her smile, which in his mind, could light up a room.

Every place he went reminded him of her, so finally he decided he couldn't take it anymore and just went straight home, where he sulked.

"Michael? Michael? Michael, is that you in there?" Latoya's high pitched voice called out, as she stepped into the living room. She reached to turn the lamp on and instantly frowned up when she caught wind of Michael's tear stained cheeks.

"Michael? What's the matter with you? Are you crying?" her questions were coming out on top of each other, and quite frankly Michael wasn't trying to listen to it right now.

Latoya took a seat on the couch and moved closer to him, "Michael what happened? Why were you crying?"

"Nicole and I broke up...today," Michael hesitated, his chest slightly heaving up and down.

Latoya put her hand to her chest and gasped dramatically, "oh no! Why is that?" she asked, as she eyed Michael.

"I don't want to talk about it," Michael sighed. Although he wasn't trying to be rude, he hoped that his short answers would make her go away quicker.

However, Latoya didn't quite catch the memo, "well, have you tried talking to her?"

"Already tried that," Michael commented.

"No, but see you haven't tried hard en-"

"Look Toya, there's nothing left to be said! As a matter of fact? J-Just leave me alone!" Michael shouted angrily, before hopping off of the couch and exiting the room.

All Latoya could do was sit there completely dumbfounded, and unsure of what to say next.

***

Weeks later, when the time finally came for Michael to leave for New York, Nicole was completely devastated.

So much so, that all she wanted to do was be locked up in her room and lay in bed all day. Needless to say, she wasn't over their break up just yet, and couldn't bare even the slightest sight of Michael.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Nicole sweetie, are you awake?" Denise lightly knocked on the door, before voluntarily letting herself in the room.

"No mom, you know you're always welcome to come in," Nicole said, with a drip of sarcasm.

Denise ignored her sly comment and sat down on the bed, "thank you sweetie," she cooed, as she raised her hands to pinch Nicole's cheeks.

"But anyway, what are you doing locked up in your room? Aren't you going to at least say goodbye to Michael, before he leaves?" Denise questioned, as she leaned up to rub the back of Nicole's head softly.

"For what? I haven't even spoken to him since we broke up, we have absolutely nothing to talk about," Nicole spat, bitterly.

"Look baby, I understand that you're still upset about what happened, but you have to remember that you and Michael were friends first. So why not just be a good friend and see him off?" Denise asked sweetly.

"Y-Yeah alright mama, I'm not guaranteeing anything, but if I can I'll stop by there and say goodbye to Michael," Nicole sighed.

"That's all I'm asking baby, besides you never know, you might end up feeling a whole lot better afterwards," Denise pat Nicole gently on the shoulder, before exiting the room.

"Yeah I'm so sure about that," Nicole whispered to herself.

Saying goodbye to Michael was the last thing on her mind, but since they were once friends like Denise mentioned, then it couldn't hurt to give it a try right?

"Then again, if I go over there I might just look desperate, and I damn sure don't want to give off that impression," Nicole heard herself say.

She spent a few more minutes mentally going back and forth with herself, before deciding that making amends with Michael, was probably the best decision.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Nicole, how are you doing today?" Katherine greeted, with the sweetest smile.

Nicole smiled faintly and crossed her arms, "hi Katherine, umm is Michael in? Can I speak with him?"

Katherine's smile slowly faded at the mention of Michael's name, "oh honey I'm sorry, but you just missed him, he and Latoya just left for the airport less than an hour ago," she replied, much to Nicole's dismay.

"O-Oh umm well, in that case I'm sorry for dropping in like this, I was hoping to catch him before he left," Nicole replied, sadly.

Katherine looked up at Nicole with sad eyes and nodded, "I know sweetheart, I'm so sorry you didn't get a chance to catch him. But I tell you what, once Michael is in New York and gets settled in, I'll be sure to tell him to call you first thing, how about that?"

As good as that sounded, Nicole knew that it was much too late for that now. Her chances of making things better with Michael were good as over, far as she was concerned.

"No that's alright Katherine, thanks anyway and I'm sorry for barging in on such short notice."

"Oh Nicole it's no bother at all. Listen, even though Michael isn't here you're still welcome over anytime you'd like alright?"

"I know, thanks Katherine, I'll see you later," Nicole leaned up to give Katherine a gentle hug, before walking off.

After Nicole took the long walk to her house, she was surprised to find Denise sitting on the living room couch, awaiting her arrival.

"Hey sweetie, how did everything go?" Denise asked, with a sweet smile plastered on her face.

However, the question alone made her all the more upset, as the reality of Michael leaving finally began to set in.

"I didn't catch him in time, he and Latoya already left for the airport."

"Oh honey I'm sorry," Denise replied, with the utmost sympathy.

"Yeah, me too," Nicole said lastly, before running down the hallway to her bedroom, and slamming the door shut behind her.

She jumped atop her bed and, buried her face into her pillow, where she damn near cried herself to sleep.

Now that Michael was gone, she knew that she'd blown any chances she had left with him, and was slowly beginning to regret all she'd said to him the very last time they talked.

The rays from the bright sun peeking through the curtains, almost blinded Michael, as he lounged on the living room couch, while silently going over his lines.

He'd only been in New York for a little over a month, and still hadn't quite grasped everything just yet. The very second Michael touched down in New York, he immediately got to working on his part as the Scarecrow in the upcoming movie, The Wiz.

Between filming and learning the choreography for the dancing scenes, Michael barely had time for himself, and the very little time he did have to himself, he spent writing music.

With him being so far away from home and out of touch with his family, Michael was practically alone. Sure he had his sister Latoya there with him, but with her being out at the nightclubs and hanging with a couple of friends she'd met, Michael was left back at the apartment by himself.

None of that bothered him the least bit, considering he didn't care for clubs too much anyway. However, whenever he wasn't busying himself with his work, he found himself thinking about Nicole.

There were plenty of times when thoughts of Nicole would flood his mind, and some days were easier than others to shake himself of those thoughts. He had no idea why, but as time went on he was slowly beginning to regret all that he'd said the last time they talked.

But that was besides the point now, he knew one day he was going to have forget about her and move on, he was more than for certain that she had.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The sound of the telephone ringing, snapped Michael out of his daze, and he shot up off the couch to go answer it.

"Hello?" he answered sweetly.

"Hi baby," Katherine's sweet voice sounded, over the other side of the phone.

"Oh hi mother," Michael replied, with a warm smile.

"Well hello yourself, how are you doing today? How's New York treating you?"

Michael had to roll his eyes as the sound of a concerned parent came from Katherine's mouth. For some reason, out of all of her children, she was the most protective of him, "everything's going great mother, we just about finished filming for the movie, and it's going smoothly," he tried assuring her.

But Katherine, on the other hand wasn't going to let up just yet, especially since this was the first time Michael ever been out on his own, "are you sure?" she probed.

Michael couldn't help, but smile at his mother's questions, "yes mother I'm sure."

"What about Toya, how's she liking the change of scenery?"

"I assume she's liking it so far," Michael replied, sarcastically.

"You assume?" Katherine repeated, questionably.

"Well, you know how Toya is mother, from the moment we landed a month ago I haven't really seen her, it seems. I don't know, I just assumed that since she's never at home, that wherever she maybe I'm sure she's enjoying herself," Michael said, nonchalantly.

Katherine giggled, "we can only hope baby. Oh Michael! I'm not sure if it's a good time to mention this, but Nicole came over today."

Michael's eyes lit up at the sound of Nicole's name, "oh? What for?" he asked, trying to sound as unexcited as possible.

"Well, she got accepted into this school and I guess she was just so excited, that she ran all the way over here, just to tell me all about it," Katherine chuckled.

Michael raised both of his eyebrows, "really? T-That's good to hear mother, I'm really proud of her," he replied, sounding a lot sadder than he'd hoped.

"I'll be sure to tell her that honey. Well, I'm going to go now, I just thought I'd check in on you."

"Ok mother, thank you for calling."

"You're welcome baby, I love you."

"Love you too," Michael said lastly, before hanging up the phone.

He blew a big gust of wind from his mouth and rubbed his hand down his face. It was going to be very difficult to concentrate on his work, now that he was thinking about Nicole, once again.

"Maybe I should call her, I'm sure her number's still the same," he whispered to himself, as he stared down at the phone.

"But she doesn't even know me by this number, what if she doesn't even answer," Michael placed his thumb into his mouth, and nervously chewed on his nail, as he went back and forth with himself mentally.

"Oh just forget the whole thing!" he finally said, before walking away from the phone, and flopping back down on the couch.

Suddenly, the front door flew open and in walked Latoya, with another female, who looked to be the same age as she.

"Hey Mike! What you doing?" Latoya yelled, in a sing-song fashion.

"Oh you know, just working," Michael raised his script in the air, and smiled faintly at his sister.

"Oh, well this here is my friend Riley," Latoya said, completely ignoring Michael's sarcasm.

Michael frowned up at the strange girl, before plastering a smile on his face, "hi."

"Hello Michael, it's real nice to meet you," Riley semi-flirted, but of course Michael didn't catch it.

"She and I are going out clubbing later, you want to come along?"

"Can't, I have a lot of work to do, besides I don't like clubs Toya, you know that."

"Yeah, but you don't understand Michael, this isn't like most clubs! It's better actually!"

Michael sighed, "I don't know Toya, what's the name of this club anyway?"

"Studio 54, and believe me Mike it's a lot of fun, I'm telling you, you'll really enjoy yourself." Latoya looked up at Riley for help, but she was too busy checking out her nail beds to care about the conversation. "Right Riley?"

Latoya quickly cleared her throat to get her attention, "Huh? Oh, oh! Y-Yeah! Just give it a chance Michael, you'll never know until you give it a try," Riley said, shrugging her shoulders.

Michael looked between Latoya and Riley, before speaking, "alright alright, stop your begging, I'll go," he finally gave in, with a roll of his eyes.

"Yay!!" the girls shouted in unison.

"Well, what are we doing just sitting here, let's go!" Latoya shrieked, while pulling Michael up roughly by the hand.

***

That Night...

When Michael, Latoya, and Riley returned home from the club, they were all so exhausted and falling over themselves, from the fun they'd had that night.

Michael was the most tired, after all that was the first time he'd been out, since he moved to New York. Even though, he didn't drink like Latoya and Riley, he was still completely tired out, considering he nearly danced the night away.

He turned to look over at Latoya, who was sprawled on the couch, half asleep. He figured she and Riley must have had way more fun than he did what with all the drinking they did.

Michael rolled his eyes at his sister and sat down on the couch, right across from her.

Riley glanced down at him out of the corner of her eye, "umm so Michael, did you have fun tonight?" she asked, after clearing her throat.

"Yeah umm, I did, what about you? Did you have a good time?" Michael asked, as he matched her stare.

Riley took a seat next to Michael, "oh yeah, I always have fun when I go there. But besides all that, how are you liking New York overall?"

"It's a really great place honestly," Michael smiled.

"Well, if you'd like I can show you around sometime," Riley offered, by this time she was sitting so close to Michael, that they were practically touching elbows.

"I'd love to Riley, but with my work schedule I may not be able to, thanks for the offer though," Michael declined, as he patted Riley softly on the leg.

"See Michael, that's your problem, you're always working, and from what Latoya tells me, you never allow yourself to let loose and just have fun," Riley said, softening her voice up a bit.

"I had fun tonight, and thanks for your concern, but I'm doing just fine here."

A small smile crept upon Riley's face and she leaned closer to Michael, "but Michael you don't understand, if you allow me this one chance, I promise I can show you a good time," she licked her lips subtly and gently swiped her hand against his chest.

When Michael realized what she was doing, his eyes bulged out of their sockets, "wait a minute Riley I don-" he started, but she cut him off, by placing her finger to his lips.

"Just relax Michael, and let me take control," she cooed, and slowly began to unbutton the top of his shirt.

"Riley please, we hardly know each other a-and I'm in love with someone else!" Michael quickly threw in, catching Riley by surprise.

Riley paused to eye Michael, "are you serious?"

"Yeah Riley, I'm really sorry, but I just can't do this," he replied, somberly.

Riley looked at Michael with sad eyes, "n-no I'm the one who should be apologizing, I had no idea you were already involved with someone."

Sudden silence between both of them until a loud snore escaped from Latoya's mouth, catching both of their attention.

"I'm sorry Michael, m-maybe I should go, when Latoya wakes up just tell her that I'm sorry I couldn't stay and she can call me later if she wants," Riley quickly gathered up her shoes, before scurrying to the front door.

Michael lowered his eyebrows and stood up, "wait Riley, you don't have to leave," he said, as he followed close behind her.

"No I really should, I'm kind of tired anyway, I'll see you around Michael," Riley opened the front door and exited, before Michael even had a chance to protest.

The sound of the door slamming shut, made Latoya jump in her sleep, but she didn't wake up, she just turned over and began to snore yet again.

Michael sighed deeply in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose, before taking a seat on the couch. He leaned forward on his elbows and placed his face into his hands.

***

One Year Later...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nicole rolled her eyes in annoyance when she heard the sound of someone banging on her door. She'd been sprawled across the couch, while looking at the television.

She took the remote and turned the tv off, before hopping off of the couch to answer the door.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, when she looked into the eyes of Michael himself.

"M-Michael, what are you doing here?" she asked, as her eyes danced back and forth nervously.

"Nicole listen, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I just had to see you," Michael stuck his hands down into his pockets and stepped through the door.

"Michael what are you talking about?"

Michael stepped directly in front of Nicole and grabbed ahold of her hands, so he could squeeze them, "Nicole I love you, and I mean it with the utmost sincerity," he explained.

Nicole crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side in an attitude, "you love me but, you'd been gone, for over a year. Michael, you left me without so much as a goodbye, and then you come back out of the blue, and just expect me to take you back?" she nearly shouted, snatching her hands away.

"Well, I wasn-" Michael stammered on his words.

"No Michael, I don't want to hear it now. Besides I had a conversation with my mother, and she helped me understand just how important your career really is. I just don't have any place in your life and I've learned to accept that," Nicole said, nonchhalantly.

"That's why I'm here, to show you that I don't care about that stuff. If you want me to I'll give it all up right now, just to be with you. I'm in love with you Nicole, and I'll fight for you everyday if I have to," Michael wasn't afraid to pour his heart out to Nicole, as long as it meant getting her back.

Nicole's eyes softened at Michael's words, but she wasn't going to give into him just yet, "Michael I-I don't know, we can't just pick up where we left off, it's not that easy."

Michael lowered his eyebrows, "why not? Is there someone else you're seeing?" deep down he prayed that her answer would be no, or else he would risk making a complete fool of himself.

"No Michael, there isn't anyone else, I just need a little bit more time before I decide to get back with you, I'm not jumping into anything," Nicole sighed.

"Ok you don't have to, but please just allow me this one thing," Michael grabbed Nicole by the hand yet again, and sat her down on the couch, so he could kneel before her.

"Michael what are y-"

"Just listen to what I have to say, please?" Michael reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a little black box. He opened it, revealing a white diamond encrusted ring.

Nicole's eyes stretched in surprise, "M-Michael w-what is that?" she asked, breathlessly.

"It's an engagement ring Nicole. Now before you ask me if I'm sure I want to do this, I am. I thought about you the entire time I was away, and I am very certain that you're the only woman I want to be with. So, Nicole Denise James, will you please marry me?" Michael managed to say all in one breath.

"M-Marriage? Michael I don't know about this, I mean are you sure you want to take that step," we're both still so young," Nicole stressed.

Michael rolled his eyes, "you're nineteen and I'm twenty years old, we're not that young. And I know that, to some people I may not know what I'm talking about, and you know something? They might be right. But I don't care about that, I know in my heart that you're the one for me."

Nicole's heart was beating so fast, she could practically hear it in her ears, "Michael, what about our parents? If they find out about this, they will be highly upset, especially Joseph, do you have any idea what he would do if he found about this?" she rambled on.

Michael sighed and stood to his feet, "you know what Nicole, I'm sick and tired of other people always trying to tell me what I should and should not do with my life, especially Joseph! I don't care about what he or anybody esle thinks anymore! I want to do this," he said adamantly, he was going to stand his ground this time, once and for all.

"This is the only thing that I have control over in my life, and I'm taking it. I probably sound crazy to you right now, but I don't care I know I want to marry you," Michael turned to eye Nicole, who stood like a deer caught in headlights.

She was completely speechless and still hadn't found any words to say yet, so she kept quiet.

Michael slumped his shoulders and frowned, "I-I'm sorry, I was so caught up in my own feelings, that I forgot to ask you about yours. That was really selfish of me and I'm sorry, besides I forgot that you were in college now and i can't expect you to just throw all of that away for me." he put the box back in his pants, before heading to the front door.

He was so embarrassed from everything that'd just happened, that he couldn't even speak.

Watching Michael beginning to walk out of that door, cause something inside of Nicole to will herself to move, "Michael please wait! W-Would it be crazy i-if I said, that I wanted to marry you too," she finally said, tears now clouding her vision.

Michael's eyes widened and he turned on his heels, "you will? You will?"

A single tear fell from Nicole's eyes and she nodded, "yes Michael, I'll marry you."

Michael ran over to Nicole and swooped her up in his arms, before spinning her aound in excitement, "I love you so much baby."

"I love you too Michael," Nicole cried.

Michael placed her back down on the floor, and pulled the box back out of his pocket. He took the ring out of the box and happily slipped it onto Nicole's ring finger.

"Michael it is so beautiful," Nicole cooed, as she rose her hand in the air, to get a better look at it.

"And it was meant just for you," he said sincerely.

"Thank you so much for this," Nicole turned and wrapped her arms tightly around Michael's neck and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I'll go to the ends of the Earth for you, if it means making you happy Nicole," Michael said, genuinely.

"I'm happy to hear that, because now we're going to have to figure out a way to explain this to both of our parents," Nicole teased, while flashing her hand playfully in Michael's face.

"Oh yeah, about that," Michael laughed nervously.

"Yeah about that! Don't think you're just going to get off easily mister, this is only the beginning," Nicole laughed.

***

Now that Michael and Nicole were engaged, Nicole was trying to hide it from her parents as best she could. But with the big ring, that now adorned her finger, made it all the more difficult for her.

The fact that she was getting married still hadn't quite set in, and it all seemed so surreal to her. However, every time she glanced down at her finger, she knew that she would one day become Mrs. Michael Jackson.

The thought of it all was so exciting and invigorating, but she still hadn't figured out on how she was going to break the news to her parents.

Michael wasn't of much help these days, because he'd suddenly just become so busy, and every time she wanted to discuss the situation, he'd always manage to find a way out of it.

With The Wiz finally being released to the public, and him now being back into the studio, Nicole was the only one really concerned with making wedding plans, but she was fine with that, she was going to use that as a nice distraction to take her mind off of Michael's absence.

"Nicole baby, where you going?" Denise questioned, as she exited her bedroom. Nicole was on her way out of the door, she tried her best to keep quiet and out of the way, but that failed.

"I was just heading to Michael's house," Nicole turned to the side, so Denise wouldn't see her hand.

"Oh ok baby, well be safe and make sure you're home before dinner alright?"

"I will mother see you later!" Nicole yelled lastly, before exiting through the front door.

Once Nicole made it to Michael's house, she immediately made a beeline to the stairs.

Latoya, who was sitting on the couch painting her fingernails, smiled sweetly at Nicole, "hey Nikki, you here to see Michael?"

"Yeah, he's in his room right?"

"You know he is," Latoya said, with a roll of her eyes.

Nicole giggled before replying, "alright Toya, see you around!" she called out, before running up the stairs.

When she reached Michael's room, she burst through the door, to find him lying in his bed on his stomach, while writing in a notepad.

She kicked her shoes off before climbing inside of the bed, "hey! What are you writing?" she asked nosily, and placed her chin on the back of his shoulder, so she could get a better look at the notepad.

Michael peeked over his shoulder at Nicole, "nothing really, it's just a few songs that I'm writing, but it's nothing important," he said, while pressing the notepad to his chest.

Nicole raised her eyebrows at Michael, "mhm ok," she didn't believe him for one minute, but she was going to let the situation go, for now anyway.

"Well, look what I got!" she exclaimed, as she flashed a bridal magazine in his face.

"What is that?" Michael turned around and shifted so Nicole could lean on him, her back against his chest.

Nicole brung her knees up to her chest, and placed the magazine on her knees, "it's a bridal book, they have a lot of beautiful wedding dresses in here that I wanted you to see," she explained, excitedly.

"Ooo! Like this one!" Nicole pointed to a long white strapless dress, that wrapped around the waist in diamond beads.

"Ooo that's really beautiful, how much is it?" Michael mocked, earning a frown from Nicole.

She turned around to face him and lowered her eyebrows, "does it really matter?"

"It does if I'm paying for it," Michael snatched the magazine away from Nicole, and brung it closer, pretending as if he were examining the price.

Nicole rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth, "Michael!" she exclaimed, and smacked him hard in the chest.

"i'm only joking! I'm only joking!" Michael laughed, and pulled Nicole into a tight hug.

"Yeah well, for your sake you'd better be!" Nicole warned jokingly, as Michael kissed her lovingly on the cheek repeatedly.