CAROUSEL by thorns
Summary: "Lost my heart on the carousel to a circus girl who ran away"
Katrina was just your regular college girl. But on her way to a party held by her university, she accidentally went into another party and meets Michael. Will they ever meet again and have their own happily ever after?
Categories: HIStory: 1995-1999, Invincible: 2000-2003, 2003-2005, Romance, Song Fics Characters: Michael, Original Girl
General Warnings: None
Trigger Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 9 Completed: Yes Word count: 4000 Read: 26516 Published: Jan 29, 2018 Updated: Feb 09, 2018

1. Chapter 1 by thorns

2. Chapter 2 by thorns

3. Chapter 3 by thorns

4. Chapter 4 by thorns

5. Chapter 5 by thorns

6. Chapter 6 by thorns

7. Chapter 7 by thorns

8. Chapter 8 by thorns

9. Chapter 9 by thorns

Chapter 1 by thorns
Author's Notes:
Hii!! Please listen to Carousel while you read, I think it will help set the mood! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

December of 1996, Philippines.


The whole country was going crazy because the King of Pop, Michael Jackson is going there for two concerts in Paranaque. He had arrived in the country many days before the concert day.

Just like before, he went out to give gifts to the orphaned children during a party sponsored by Manila hotel. With kids lining up so that Michael can personally give them one by one.

Katrina, 23 years old entered the lobby,Her hair falling freely right below her shoulders, her dress flowed right above her knee as she looked around, trying to get her way to the Maynila Ballroom, where a gathering she was going to attend to was being held. Her heels clacking against the marbled floor as she jogged. After a grueling amount of time, faint music can be heard from a closed door which reads "Champagne Room" on the sign, the doors gently opened and there reveals a room filled with children, and a stage occupied by a man sitting in the center, a line of kids were formed beside him as he was giving each a bag one by one. Katrina was puzzled, "this isn't the event I was supposed to go?" She mumbled.

Down to the last kid on the line, Michael finally finished giving the gifts to the children, it warmed his heart to see the kids' eyes glimmer with happiness as he handed them their bag of gifts. To him, it was the most fulfilling part of his job. He took a glance at the people in front, thanked everyone who attended then left the stage. When he was about to walk to the door, it gently opened. There stood a woman he obviously had never seen before. Her hair ranged from black to dark brown, it was curled right up to the ends and for some reason, he found it quite beautiful. He glanced at her features, her eyes, it was beautifully brown, but it was brighter than the others he had seen. Her lips were a shade of light pink. It was full and plumped.

The woman in front of him froze on her spot, obviously she lost the ability to even speak. There she is, face to face with none other than... Michael Jackson?!

She admired him for quite a long time, but this day never crossed her mind, that she'll see him face to face. Not to mention, his beautiful round, chocolate brown eyes glued right at her. Katrina wanted to hide, but instead she stood there, her mouth partly open.

"I..." She stumbled upon her words, "What... is going..." She bit her bottom lip. "W..here am I?" She squeaked. Michael giggled at her behavior. "We're hosting a party for the orphaned children here... May I help you?"

"Uhm, I think.. I lost my way around... I was supposed to be going to the... What was it again?" She paused. She looked up, tapping her chin. "The Maynila Ballroom! That's it! But... I guess I went to the wrong place." She let out a small nervous chuckle. Michael giggled once again, 'she's an adorable fella isn't she?' he thought to himself. "I.. uh.. better go..." She quickly turned on her heels and was about to run out when Michael suddenly spoke.

"Wait!" He called out, Katrina turned back around, her eyebrows raised. Waiting for what he's going to say next. Michael cleared his throat before continuing, "What's your name?"

Katrina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Katrina."

"Will we ever meet again?" Michael asked.

"Of course." Katrina smiled at him.

Chapter 2 by thorns
Michael had flown to Tokyo already after his two shows in Manila. He put his luggage right on to the corner of the room beside the closet, dropped his coat on the bed and plopped himself on it too. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face. Oh boy, this is going to be a long night.
Flashback...

'she's an adorable fella isn't she?' he thought to himself. "I.. uh.. better go..." She quickly turned on her heels and was about to run out when Michael suddenly spoke.

"Wait!" He called out, Katrina turned back around, her eyebrows raised. Waiting for what he's going to say next. Michael cleared his throat before continuing, "What's your name?"

Katrina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Katrina."

"Will we ever meet again?" Michael asked.

"Of course." Katrina smiled at him.

Michael shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts. "It's been 8 days since you last saw her, Michael. And you only saw her once!" Frank Dileo, his manager's voice replayed in his mind. Michael had told him about "Katrina" but Frank told Michael to stop thinking about her. Not that Frank's against Michael, Frank and Michael had been friends for a long time. But this time, Frank thinks this "Katrina" is just somebody who'll Michael probably will forget about in time.

"Well maybe Frank is right this time." he ruffled his hair, but... She seemed to be different from the other girls, she had this positive aura that you can feel from a distance. In terms of looks, he never saw someone as beautiful as her! He can't get those bright, round brown eyes out of his mind, and her voice too, just by hearing her talk is already music to his ears. Hell, it would have been a lot more beautiful than the most beautiful songs known to mankind.

But really? That night... Is that the only time he'll ever get to see her? Will they meet again? Michael doesn't know at all. Like Frank said, they only met one time. Not even considering the amount of time they spent together, which is probably 5 - 10 minutes or so. Michael groaned, he took his shoes off and lied down properly on the bed, he covered himself with the blankets as he closed his eyes.

Maybe I'll get some good news tomorrow morning eh? Like... her showing up right at my doorstep in the morning?

Chapter 3 by thorns
It had been a long 5 months since Michael met Katrina. He is currently in Bremen for another show. Unfortunately, he never met Katrina once again. Show after show he'd been praying to the heavens above to let him see her beautiful face again.

It was brief, yet to him it's as if time froze and everything was a blur.

It focused on her.

...Only her.

The way she smiled at him, he wanted to melt right then and there. It was like, he saw a goddess walking on Earth.

Frank just like before, tried to talk him into forgetting about Katrina. "Maybe you're right, Frank." Michael sighed, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Right about what?"

Michael shrugged, hanging the towel over his shoulder. They're of two different worlds. He's in a world filled with too much cruelty and hate, Katrina, however came from the heavens and that means she shouldn't have to go through what he goes through every day in his life. He didn�t want her to experience the same cruelty he�s facing.

It may be just a one time encounter, but he was head over heels for that woman, and he�ll never deny it.

"Katrina, what have you done to me?" Michael sighed. "You were right, maybe I should forget about her." Frank shook his head. "Finally, I thought my words never got through your damn head. What did she do to you?"

Frank nodded, huffing. He shook his head at Michael. �I never saw you so smitten by a girl before.� Michael chuckled, �Yeah, she�s different.�

Michael let out a small chuckle, typical Frank. "We're in two different worlds."

"And we're not bound to be together."
End Notes:
Soooo sorry this is a little short, I'll make it up to you in the other chapters!!!
Chapter 4 by thorns
Katrina stepped out of the plane. Finally, she landed in California and to her it was the biggest step in her life. Her parents coaxed her to fly to California because sadly, there's not much game developing companies in the Philippines and the only way she knew was...

Go to the US.

That means she has to go far away to a place without family around her.

Katrina doesn't know how she'll be able to be on her own. Hell, she doesn't even have friends here. She took a deep breath, called for a cab and there she is, on her way to the hotel.


She unlocked the door to her suite; it had a queen sized bed with white fluffy comforters and pillows neatly arranged on it. The walls were decorated with cream-colored wallpaper. And a big sliding glass door that serves as a door to the balcony.

She hung her coat to the coat hanger on the corner of the door and lied down on the bed. "What did I get myself into?" She asked herself. It was a hasty decision for her, to be quite frank. But what can she do? She's already here. Desperate to get her thoughts out of her mind, she turned the TV on.

"The King of Pop, Michael Jackson will have his first CD signing in the Virgin Megastore in New York on November 7th. What are you waiting for? Grab your copy of his latest studio album, Invincible and get your up close and personal encounter with the man!"

Katrina's mouth hung open as her eyes were fixated on the screen. November 7th? That means, it's the day after tomorrow. That means she has the chance to buy a copy of that album and even travel there. She grabbed the pillow, hugging it. She smiled to herself. It had been 5 years since she ran into Michael. However, unlike Michael she didn't hold on to the belief that they'll see each other again. Michael deserves to be with a woman of his league, a famous person. Not like her, she was just a student that time. She never stood a chance to him.

But the way he looked at her.

Katrina noticed how Michael looked at her the moment they met; she knew he couldn't take his eyes off her. For some reason, it gave her a glimpse of hope. But to her, the real world doesn't work that way. She was convinced she was just another fan to him.

Right, that's what she is, a fan.

But that didn't give her an excuse to back out on her plan, she was determined to go the CD signing, this was her only way to seeing him again and she won't let it slip. She looked at her watch, it's late at night and she got a long day ahead of her tomorrow.
Chapter 5 by thorns

New York, Virgin Megastore, 10 am.

Katrina anxiously stood in line, fans slowly filled the store and the line didn't get any shorter at all. But she was getting nearer and nearer to the end. On the end of the line, there are two bodyguards in suits who take the sleeve from you then place it on the table. Katrina took a quick peek at the end of the line and there he is...
Michael.

He didn't really change a lot, except for his hair being shorter and a bit on the straight side; not like the first time they met, his curly hair was tied back into a low ponytail, and a few strands falling freely right in front of his face. He also wore a fedora that time.

Michael was busy entertaining the fans who are getting their autographs from him, after the other is done, another sleeve is being placed on the table then he looks up at the person in front. He's been doing it for almost an hour or so that it felt more like he rehearsed it. This was his first time doing something like this. The record label had told him to do one and to him it's a nice way to at least get to see the fans, and let them see him face to face. Another one, with the pen in his hand, he signed the glossy page of the sleeve and just as he was going to hand it back to the owner, he looked up and boy he couldn't believe his eyes.

It was "Katrina".

Frank was behind him. Michael looked at Frank, then at the beauty standing in front of him. His mouth flung open, unable to come up with words.

"I told you we'd meet again, right?" Katrina mumbled, biting her bottom lip.

Michael's heart wanted to jump right out of his chest, just as when he was able to forget about her, even had two angels in his life, then she comes back.

But one thing he's afraid of is...

Will this be the only time they'll meet?

His heart is now closed but to his career, and of course, his children. To him they're everything.

Katrina wanted to just jump right at him past the bodyguards who were holding her back away from Michael. Why does it have to take them 5 years to see each other again? Why couldn't it be right at that moment, why?

Michael rose to his feet, causing the crowd in front of them to go crazy. Frank and the rest of his entourage watched closely at the scene unfolding right in front of them. Michael stood right in front of Katrina.

"I thought I won't see you again..." He whispered, giving the small booklet back. Katrina giggled, taking it.

"I told you we'll meet again, right? I kept my promise." Katrina said; her tone melodious. Michael smiled at her.

'Unbelievable' he thought.

Chapter 6 by thorns

Katrina plopped herself on her own bed and kicked her shoes off of her feet. It had been two weeks since her and Michael met again in New York but everything felt like as if it happened yesterday. Sadly, they didn't regain contact again. So stupid of her to not even ask for any means to be able to talk with him again. From what she noticed back in New York, Michael was very eager to get to know her better. That's just how nice he is, right? Katrina chuckled to no one particularly. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and her eyes roamed around the room she is in. She went back to California and ended up finding a place of her own. It isn't that big nor small, it was just right for her. It had a living room, a dining area, a kitchen, one bathroom and two bedrooms. One for her, and another one just in case someone wants to stay over. Katrina couldn't be more contented with how her life is, she also got herself a job in a game developing company headquartered around her area. She is currently a storyboard artist and life couldn't be better. She felt like she's slowly becoming stable and that's what's important.

Katrina hopped off the bed and walked to the small shelf which had different sorts of books and some CD's that she kept. She slid one CD out and there pops out the Invincible album that Michael had signed. she touched it, her smile growing bigger each touch of the finger. She opened the jewel case and took the booklet out. It had Michael's autograph on it and.... She shook her head, trying to get a good look at what he wrote... Did he just sneak his number in it?! Katrina chuckled, shaking her head. 'Should I call the number?' Katrina went to the living room and grabbed the phone.

"Daddy, look what I made!" Prince, Michael's son ran to Michael, his face was smeared with red and blue paint. He was holding up a paper which also contained a finger painting of Michael, Prince and Paris, his younger sister. Michael took the painting and once his eyes landed on it, he let out a chuckle, ruffling his son's hair. Soon enough, the phone rang and Paris came in, running with the cordless phone in her hand. "Daddy!! Someone called!" She shouted, handing the phone to Michael. He placed the phone near is ear, "Hello?"

"Hello, uhm... I found this number in the sleeve of my CD-"

Michael bit his lip, trying so hard to contain a smile ever so big. "Katrina?!" The woman from the other end giggled, "So you were the one who slipped that number in the CD?! I thought someone pranked me or something." She chuckled. Michael was overjoyed, he made sure that he won't let that one opportunity slip once again so he sneaked his number in. Smooth, huh?

"Really, Michael... What made you slip your number right in that CD, hm?" She asked. Michael looked at Paris and Prince and sent them out of the room for them to play somewhere else. "I was just making sure I'll be able to see you again, sweet pea. I don't want to wait for another five years."


Katrina's eyebrows raised to the gods, what did he just call her? "Excuse me?" She chuckled. "I told you, we'll still get to talk again. Look at us, see? We're talking" Michael giggled, "I want to see you personally, once again." His tone suddenly changed, Katrina sat up, tucking her hair behind her ear.


"Sure, when?"

"Meet me in Neverland, 5 PM."

Chapter 7 by thorns

The large gates opened after Katrina waited for a few seconds. The security performed a quick inspection on her then off she goes. She was hesitant to go, to be quite honest. But, hey it wouldn't hurt, right? She slowly walked right in and a man, who she assumes to be one of the staff approached her. She was led to the front entrance of the house and my oh my, she was stunned. Never in her life she had seen a place this beautiful. The man opened the door for her and let her in. He led her to the couch so she can sit and told her to wait for Michael.

Katrina's heart was racing, she nervously fiddled with the hem of her dress. What if it turns out he didn't really want to see her? She finger combed her hair and shook her head. "I really need to calm myself"

Michael stood right in front of the mirror, straightening his shirt. "Mr. Jackson, Miss Katrina is here." The man from before, who assisted Katrina in the house said. "Okay, I'll be on my way." Michael took one last glance at the mirror and off he goes to the living room downstairs.

Michael walked to the living room, and there he sees Katrina, she had a peach colored dress that stopped right above her knees, her wavy hair was flowing freely right behind her shoulders. He took a good look at her for a few seconds.

"Katrina?" Katrina turned her head and stood up. "Oh, hey Michael." She smiled, "Please, sit." Katrina smiled at Michael as she sat down.

Michael watched her every move. As soon as Katrina flashed a smile right at him, he wanted to melt right then and there. Silence filled the room until Michael cleared his throat. "Would you like to go for a walk outside?" Michael got up, his hand stretched out right at Katrina.

Katrina giggled. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded. "Of course." Katrina placed her hand on his and got up.

Michael and Katrina were walking outside, checking the rides out. Nighttime has fallen and lights trailed the whole pathway as they walked and classical music played.

"This is beautiful." Katrina mumbled, looking at the lit up carousel spinning without someone on. Michael let out a low chuckle.

"Just like you." He mumbled under his breath. Katrina looked at Michael, giving him a look of confusion then looked at the ground, her cheeks red as a tomato.

"Michael!" She giggled and playfully hit Michael's arm. Michael laughed, "What, it's true!" Katrina playfully rolled her eyes and looked at the ground. Michael chuckled. Here he is, standing in front of her, he waited for 5 whole years for them to meet again and to him, every second of waiting was worth it. Here they are, but... He still didn't do what he should have done in those 5 whole years.

"Katrina..." Michael called, his tone changed into a serious tone.

Chapter 8 by thorns

“Yeah?” Katrina looked up at him, her eyes stopping at his. She bit her lip, her heart racing.

“We’ve been apart for 5 years, we went on with our own lives and did what we had to do in that time period. I know this might sound weird to you but…” Michael paused, noticing Katrina was focused on to what he was about to say.
“Yes?”

Michael gulped. He still doesn’t know if he’d be able to do what he’s about to do. Well, screw it. He reached to this point. “Katrina, I.. Ever since that day in Manila, 5 years ago… I knew you were someone special. Never have I ever seen a beauty just like you.” Michael bit his lip, “I couldn’t get you off of my mind. Weeks passed, I still couldn’t. I just-” Michael chuckled nervously. “ Katrina, I’m head over heels for you.”

Katrina’s facial expression couldn’t be painted properly. Her eyes were wide as saucers, her mind couldn’t process what she just heard.

“I - uh, well I know I should not have said this since I - you-” Katrina cut him off as she pulled Michael by the collar into a kiss. Michael; caught up in the moment, had his hands hovering over her back which then wrapped around Katrina’s small waist.

Katrina pulled away, her chest heaving up and down. “Does that count as an ‘I like you back’ too?” She smirked, her arms wrapped around his neck. Michael chuckled, pulling her into his embrace. “I love you.”

Katrina chuckled, burying her face into his chest. “I love you too, silly.”

Chapter 9 by thorns

APRIL 3, 2003

"Happy birthday Paris!" Paris got up, leaned on the table and blew her birthday candle. Michael threw a party to celebrate his daughter Paris' birthday. "Let's take a picture!" Katrina called, a camera in hand. Michael and the kids turned their attention to Katrina and all wore happy smiles. Michael and Katrina dated for 6 months until Michael finally popped the question. The couple got married on the 29th of August in 2002 and last February, they welcomed the third member of their family which they named Prince Michael Jackson II, nicknamed Blanket. Now, Katrina and Michael are expecting their second child together.

Katrina pressed the shutter button and rubbed her growing baby bump. Paris and Prince ran to Katrina, giving her a hug. "Mommy mommy can we eat the cake already?" Katrina raised her eyebrows, pretending to think. "Hmmm... only if mommy gets a bite!" she giggled, "I'm just kidding, of course you can!" She walked up to the table, grabbed the spatula and sliced a piece for each of them.

Suddenly, Katrina felt an intense wave of pain, "ow!" she shrieked, holding on to her belly. Michael ran up to her and wrapped his arm around his wife. "Katrina, what's the matter?!" Paris and Prince looked at each other, not sure what is going on. "Is the baby trying to come out now?" Paris bewildered, looked at the both of them. Katrina and Michael rushed to the hospital.
- Delivery room, Hospital -

"One last push, Mrs. Jackson!" The doctor said as Katrina gave one last push. Relief started seeping through her as she finally heard the baby cry for the first time. The doctor handed the baby to Katrina to let her hold the infant for the first time. The baby was covered in blood, his eyes were closed, his lips were full and plump, and he has a thick amount of hair.

"Zion Ashton Kai Jackson" Katrina smiled down at the baby then looked at Michael. "That's gonna be his name."

End Notes:
Finally, the end! It was short but I had this quick idea so...!! :)
This story archived at http://www.mjfiction.com/viewstory.php?sid=7578