To say Cassie was looking forward to seeing Neverland was an understatement. She was literally fizzing with excitement, picturing how his place would look like and, throughout the morning, knocking over things absent-mindedly.

Several clients whom Cassie had worked for were wealthy; she had seen their exclusive houses and private swimming pools, but in Michael's case, he literally had a land!

Currently, she was driving along the quiet road which would lead to her special client's house. Cassie turned on the radio – it was getting a bit too quiet for her liking – and the music playing was none other than his:

"Why, Why? Tell them that is Human Nature ..." she hummed along.

It was incredible how she came to be the photographer of the singer – and perhaps, sort of a friend?

How long would it last, though?

The few friendships she had all became artificial or strained at some point. Even Yvonne, who helped her got into the hotel where the interview took place, wasn't really close to her.

Cassie met Yvonne in university; they sometimes helped each other out during projects, occasionally had lunch together ... but Yvonne had her own circle of friends. Cassie felt like an add-on.

As time passed, what were natural, enjoyable chit-chat became forced, pointless conversations. Bringing up old memories don't seem to improve their bond either.

"Remember your Robert?" Cassie had said when she visited Yvonne's house once; Robert was a guy whom Yvonne had a crush on in university.

Yvonne merely gave a small smile and said, "Yeah," before becoming engrossed with the corner of the coffee table.

They don't get any closer to each other anymore. That was the problem. Was it her, Cassie's, fault? What went wrong? In any case, that was just how things were, and they don't seem to be changing.

Cassie does care about Yvonne. Besides, if it weren't for Yvonne, she wouldn't have met Michael, let alone talk to him. But they were becoming more like friendly acquaintances than confidants. What if the one she was having with Michael was one of those –?

No, Cassie told herself sternly. Quit being pessimistic. That's your problem: pessimism!

What was the worst case scenario anyway? She would be working for Michael, earning money from her job and that would be it: the same as any other client of hers.

Right?

The arrival at a pair of gates between rows of neat hedges snapped Cassie out of her thoughts. She switched off the radio and slowed her car to a stop. A security guard walked towards her.

"Your name, please, miss?" he said.

Cassie answered. The guard nodded and said, "Alright. Now, you need to drive about a mile into the property where you'll reach a second gate – I'll open both of them for you in a moment – from there, Mr Jackson will lead you to the main house. Welcome to Neverland, Miss Woods."

The guard smiled and did a sort of salute before walking away. Shortly, the gate in front of Cassie opened and she drove in.

Impressively tall trees stood on either side of the road and beyond. Among the thick trunks of the enormous plants were multiple statues of children. The bright sunlight shone just right through the branching leaves onto the spot where they stood. They looked alive, as though they were playing hide-and-seek.

A parted curtain of ivy came into view. A sudden surge of excitement coursed through Cassie; it was like a doorway to a different world, something from a fantasy storybook. As she travelled through the ivy, she saw the second gate. It radiated a regal aura as it opened automatically.

Cassie drove in and parked. The moment she got out from the car, she heard music – cheerful and intertwined with children's laughter, the distinct sound of splashing water, and the rustling of tree leaves.

Cassie looked around. The whole of Neverland was an amazing sight. It rippled with an intangible energy: one of freedom and joy. She could barely believe it was real, that she was standing on the grounds of Neverland, an imaginary place of wonderment made into reality ... Cassie never dreamt she would get to see how Michael's home looked like with her own eyes.

Not far away, she saw a building structure; that must be the main house the guard mentioned, she thought. Cassie took out her equipment from the car boot, swung the stand onto her shoulder and hung the camera strap around her neck. Then, she spotted a figure semi-jogging towards her, waving. It was Michael.

"Morning," she greeted, happy to see him.

"Morning, Cassie," said Michael. "Welcome to the Ranch! What do you think of it?"

Cassie scanned the surrounding landscape once more, trying to absorb the entire scenery.

"Definitely bigger than my house," she said truthfully, her mouth involuntarily gaping.

Michael laughed lightly. "C'mon, come inside. Do you need help with that?" he added, pointing at the camera stand.

"Oh, there's no need," she shook her head. "Carried it a million times."

Michael led her across the grounds.

"There's the amusement park over there ..." he gestured. "And there is the theatre ... and way over there is where the animals are ..."

"This is the main house," he said, opening the door for her.

It was cooling to walk indoors after the late-morning sunlight scorched the back of her neck, but one glance inside the house and the first thing Cassie did was making a mental note to be careful not to break anything. There were many art sculptures that looked as if their corners could be chipped off easily.

As though he had read her mind, Michael said, "Hey, don't be too worried about knocking over stuff."

Cassie laughed nervously, not reassured at all, given that her foot collided with the leg of the couch thrice this morning.

"Daddy!" called a little boy's voice.

A big smile spread across Michael's face as the boy ran towards them. Michael knelt down so that he was at eye level with Prince. "Hey, we have a guest in our home today. What do you have to say? Go on ..." he nudged Prince gently.

Prince turned to Cassie. "Hello, I'm Pweence," he said, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"Hello, Prince," Cassie squatted down so that she was the same height as Prince as well. "My name's Cassie. My job is to take pictures," she smiled and pointed at her camera. "Nice to meet you."

Cassie extended her hand.

Prince turned back to Michael. The latter nodded encouragingly before standing up and walking elsewhere.

"Nice to meet you, too," he said, shaking her hand. Cassie ruffled his hair.

Michael appeared beside Cassie. "This is Paris," he said, carrying a little girl in his arms.

"Hi, Paris," said Cassie gently.

"Hi," Paris said shyly, giving a small wave.

"Your hairpin is very pretty," commented Cassie warmly, noticing a ribbon accessory clipped on her brown hair. "Where did you get it?"

"Daddy bought," said Paris, examining one of Michael's front curls in earnest.

Michael rubbed Paris's cheek lovingly. Here Cassie saw not a pop star, but a doting and responsible father who teaches and takes care of his children well. It was difficult to imagine how someone, somewhere, could be fabricating lies to mask his kind nature from the world for the sake of money ...

"Want to join us for lunch?" Michael asked. (Cassie quickly rearranged her face in case she was wearing a melancholy expression.) "Have some food. Food helps you work better," he mimed taking photos.

"Thanks," Cassie smiled, appreciating his thoughtfulness.

- - -

A/N: As you can see, I have changed Prince's (and Paris's) age a bit ... They're about 4 – 5 years old in my story. This is so that ... uhh ... Meh, this is fanfiction and I can do anything I want! Muahahaha! :3 I'm from the Endless World of Imagination (as you can see from my bio), and don't forget – I have magic powers.

So ... y'all want Michael to rip his shirt off in Chapter 5? (Just joking. xD)