Hello Loves! This chapter might be a little longer than usual, I hope you don't mind lol. Hope you enjoy this Chapter, Much Love xoxo!

"Can you at least try to tell me what's about to happen?" I beg Michael for the millionth time.

He shrugs, his hand resting on the small of my back as he leads me up the driveway to his father's mansion. It's past dusk now, the sky is dark and the stars are just making their first appearances in the inky black sky.

"It doesn't matter, we've been over this. I can't prepare you for tomorrow night." I sigh, reaching up to rub at my mouth again. "That's not gonna help." He taunts me, smiling cruelly. I've been hoping the friction from my hand will help soothe the swelling created from the many hours on the plane ride we spent kissing, but I guess it's only making it worse.

I wait as Kate pushes open the front door. "We're back! And we brought company!" She gushes in a singsong voice, rushing to hug Janet who happened to be in the foyer at the time of our arrival. She gives me an uncomfortable smile over Kate's shoulder. Everyone seems to be uncomfortable, and not knowing about the insufferable elephant in the room is slowly driving me crazy.

I step through the doorway, Michael close behind, to greet everyone. I get warm smiles and hugs from his brothers (which Michael cuts short by pulling me back to him) and a nice greeting from his sisters. They must think I'm homeless or something, or have no family. It might be just Moonsie and I against the world, but it's something.

I probably should've called her... I'll make a mental note to do so later.

The house is just as I remembered it, open, and beautifully decorated, but it's only even homier with the scent of the holidays in the air. The fire beneath the mantle in the next room warms the house, and the presence of people should make it a perfect environment. But there's a pit in my stomach, I may not know why, but I do know that everyone here feels it. Even Kate, who tries to compensate with an over-energetic attitude.

I don't see Joseph anywhere, but just as I open my mouth to ask where he is, Michael pulls me towards the staircase. "Well... we're tired from travelling, so... bed now." His eyes drift to me. "Nonsense, we just got here-" "Bed. Now." He reiterates, pulling harder. I sigh, even more uncomfortable.

"Well, I'll see you all tomorrow then," I correct myself, giving them all another smile. "Great, warm hugs and cuddles, let's go." Michael mutters, already irritated for some unknown reason.

He practically pushes me into his room and shuts the door behind us, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. "What's gotten into you?" He glances at me, before brushing past and walking into the adjoining bathroom. "Nothing, just... the faster we get to tomorrow, the faster it's over. Go to sleep, I'll be there in a minute."

He adds the last part softly, before I hear the sound of the shower. My bags are still downstairs, so ignoring the urge to look into the bathroom, I pick up his discarded shirt from the floor to wear. It sounds weird out loud, but the simple cotton shirt seems comfortable and heavy with the scent of Michael, a very pleasant perfume.

I'm drifting off to sleep when I hear the bathroom door creak open, and Michael's soft steps as he approaches the bed. It sinks slightly whenever he crawls into it, and it's the best feeling when his body outlines mine and his arms hold me close.

****

My eyes open slowly, and my first instinct is to feel for Michael. Instead of his warm body, my fingertips push against cold sheets beside me. I sit up quickly, and look around the room, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Late morning light pours in through the half-shaded window, and the time on the clock confirms my late arousal, reading 10:54. The blanket's been tucked neatly around me, and the door left slightly cracked.

The aroma of food pours in through the crack in the door, but it's not as appetizing to me as it would be to someone else. The air reeks of dead meat. Good thing I brought the carrots.

I slip out of bed, and walk softly over to my bags in the corner. I take a quick shower across the hall, dress, and emerge slowly from the upper level, descending the stairs cautiously. I still don't know what I'm walking into.

I hear people in the front room, so I follow the sound to where they are. The whole gang, sans Joseph still, is there, draped across the furniture. It yet and still seems uncomfortable, with only small talk being made.

"Good morning." Michael half-smiles sarcastically, nodding me over to the couch where he's sitting. "Michael wanted to wake you, but I told him you needed your beauty rest." Kate smiles. Jermaine shakes his head. "I said you didn't," He grins at me and I flush a little. "Thanks?" "Shut up." Michael rolls his eyes.

A while passes. A long, uneasy while, with frequent periods of silence.

"So... where's Joseph?" I ask after one particularly long silence, looking around the room. Kate looks down. "Um, well, sweetheart-" "Why, here he comes now!" Janet exclaims with seemingly faux enthusiasm. I know it was just a warning to everyone in the room.

The front door opens and closes, two sets of feet sounding against the marble in the foyer. Michael stands quickly and leaves the room, also leaving me to look around and wonder why.

I have the urge to go after him, but I can't. Not before I catch sight of the woman standing next to Joe in the entryway to the front room. Standing next to Joe is easily one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life. Her eyes are dark, her hair is curled beautifully, the color of cherry wood. Her skin is smooth, sun kissed, her lips are redder than a bottle of wine. I can smell her perfume from here, and her white-toothed smile is almost creepily perfect.

She stands right beside Joe, her right hand clasping his. What scares me is what adorns her left hand.

It steals all of the light in the room, on her left ring finger is a gold engagement ring, dripping in diamonds.

Oh.

I make eye contact with Janet, and her sad eyes tell me the whole story. Kate and Joe's marriage must've been over for a while now, but it saddens even me that he's moving on from a women he spent a huge chunk of his life with so quickly. Getting married again so quickly.

"Hi!" I look up, realizing the overly cheerful word was directed at me. "Um... hello?" "You must be Skipper! Joey told me about you. I'm Celeste!" Joey? I notice the air shift in the room, thickening with tension and discomfort. "Well, um, it's nice to meet you Celeste..." I stand up, and ease towards the other exit.

"I'm just gonna... check on Michael."

I bound up the stairs, thoughts flying through my head. How could Joseph do this to his family? She's practically my age, and then to bring 'Celeste' into Michael's childhood home with an engagement ring on? Where's his common sense?

I open Michael's bedroom door slowly to find him seated at the foot of his bed, angrily studying his fingers. They're longer and skinnier than mine, I'm envious. They're surgeon's hands.

I open my mouth to talk, but then realize there's nothing I have prepared to say in this situation. "Um...."

"So you met the Barbie Doll." He grumbles under his breath, looking up at me. I nod slowly. "Celeste."

"I don't give a shit about what her name is." He snaps, standing quickly with his fingers pushing against his closed eyelids. Like that could possibly help the pain he must be feeling.

"He's just gonna leave my mother. For some... 34-year-old piece of plastic." I shake my head.

"It's shameful. Completely shameful, and I get it. But you can't make a scene during dinner, which I'm assuming she's attending?" He nods once, picking at a piece of lint sticking to his pants.

"I don't think I can do this." He swallows hard, and I watch the muscles in his throat move. I can hear the panic hidden well in the notes of his voice, and now I understand why.

But.... there's something more to this situation. I know there is, I can feel it in my bones and I know he does too. Something like this usually wouldn't scare Michael, piss him off maybe, but not throw him into this state of panic. I want to ask him what else is to this story, but I don't.

Instead, I sit on the edge of the bed and watch him stare out at the old house in the backyard, replaying the memories in his head. Of his 'happy' family.

****

The clatter of serving dishes as they're passed around the long dinner table is the only sound in the room, along with the shallow breathing of Michael to my right.

I politely refuse any food, even the potatoes, which I'm sure are loaded with butter. "You're crazy," Michael teases through a mouthful of candied yams. I shrug, pouring some carrot sticks onto my plate. They never let me down.

Next comes a silence, where nobody (except for Michael of course) even touches their forks or plates, it seems everyone in the room is doing the same thing: Trying desperately to avoid eye contact with anyone else in the room.

Joe and Celeste are seated like the perfect couple, and I'm sure Celeste's diamond-decorated fingers are interlocked with his under the table.

"The turkey is delicious Kate." Celeste beams at her, and again I study every single bright white tooth in her mouth. I've got pretty good teeth myself, but hers make me feel less-than. "Katherine." Kate answers roughly. "Only friends and family call me Kate." Celeste's smile never falters, even when the temperature in the room seems to rise 20 degrees.

Michael looks up from his food to shoot daggers at Celeste. "You're not even eating it anyways. You don't know if it's good or not, you're probably too afraid of gaining a pound." I kick him under the table, but he ignores me. Celeste only smiles harder. "Says the boy sitting next to the one eating carrots on Thanksgiving."

"That's different, she's a vegan." He defends quickly, leaning forward in his seat. I sigh. "Well, that's.... interesting," Celeste says, pushing the meat on her plate with a fork. "I've been excited to meet you Skipper. A vegan. Why?" "Why does she need to defend herself to you? Let it alone." Michael growls, closing his hand over mine.

I place a hand over it, and shake my head at him. "I do it by choice." I answer briefly, out of respect for Kate, who seems skeptical of this whole conversation.

"Is it a hard lifestyle?" "What's with the twenty questions here?" Michael growls, his eyebrows once again forming two angry arches. He's on edge tonight, but then again, so is everyone. I shrug. "I've been one all my life, so I am used to it."

"Where are you from?" She smiles. Everyone, including myself, seems put off by this sudden interrogation. "Minneapolis." "Wow! Interesting, really! The vegan from Minneapolis. I'm sure your parents miss you, being so far away, huh?" I look away, but Michael was waiting for her to step on the trigger plate to set him off.

"Don't talk about her parents Barbie, it's none of your business!" He practically yells, and she jumps a little. I would be afraid of Michael too if I were her. "I'm... sorry..." She says, two broken words. I place a hand on Michael's shoulder to calm him, and look up at her. "It's a sensitive topic."

"I apologize." She says again, taking a drink of wine. Everyone at the table is quiet, just listening in. At least they've begun to eat now, so there is some background noise. "You and Michael sure do make a cute couple," She says, quieter than before, testing the water.

Michael doesn't say anything, so I nod once. "Some would say that." "How'd you two meet? I have to say, I'm a little jealous. Michael always told me I'd be his first girlfriend." She chuckles, and Michael shudders beside me. I look over to find his eyelids closed, his hand clenching the fork in it.

"Oh..." "Yeah, I used to spend lots of time with little Michael, and the rest of the bunch. Don't you guys remember?"

Nobody says a word.

"Janet, I used to paint your little nails pink. You remember?" Janet takes a small bite of turkey, and shakes her head. "Oh, well... Marlon, I used to help with your homework, you have to remember that, right?" He just shrugs, pretending to take a long drink from his glass.

I could choke on the air in the room right now.

"Well... La Toya, we had lots of fun at the office, with you pretending to take notes while I...." She trails off, and her smile finally falls from her perfect face.

"While you let my father fuck you in his office." Michael finishes, and I gasp before I can stop myself. Nobody else seems surprised, I think I even catch a hint of a smile residing on Kate's mouth.

Celeste takes a deep breath, her chest rising and falling. "Michael, please." She says quietly, a hint of pink surfacing in her cheeks.

"No! I'm done just sitting here while you 'make conversation' and pretend that we don't know what a home wrecking whore you are! Snap the fuck out of it! We all know, and nobody wants you here! You're ruining everything! Nobody wants to stare at Joseph's pretty perfect slut face the whole Thanksgiving!" Her lips tremble, and I see tears pooling in her eyes. Joe looks angry, horrified even, but he just sits back and watches.

He must've known this would happen, it was irrational to bring Celeste here in the first place. He knows this too, and that's why he's been silent this whole time. He knows his son, knows that he won't stop until he's said his piece.

"Michael-" I start to try to calm him, but he's nowhere near done.

"And if you think you actually matter to Joe, you're wrong! You're just one of his young play things that he'll use up and throw away, just like his family! Just like us! You're nothing, you mean nothing, you low-class bag of shit!" He fumes, clenching the edge of the wooden table.

By now, tears have soaked Celeste's cheeks, stained black from her eye makeup. "I told you this wasn't a good idea," She breathily whispers to Joe, before leaving the table with a few choked sobs. Joe only watches her, before getting up and leaving the table himself, slamming the chair back into place.

Kate giggles like a school girl.

If I were her, I never would've allowed Celeste into the house in the first place, she's nothing more than Joe's mistress.

My jaw resting firmly on the ground, I look up at Michael, whose shoulders heave up and down with anger. He looks around the table for a moment, quiet. "You're welcome." He mutters before leaving the room, and flying up the stairs. I hear the bedroom door shut from my seat at the table.

There's a long silence. Eventually, I stand slowly, looking around at everyone. "I'm... gonna go get him." I whisper, my eyes glued to the ground.

Michael is gazing out the window again when I arrive in the room.

"Let me guess, you're gonna yell at me for being such a hot-headed insensitive jack ass, right?"

"No..."

"You're lying." I know.

"Well.. I just want to know what's going on with you," I tell him softly, walking over to the window and standing beside him. "I know you wouldn't have made that big of a scene if there wasn't something else I don't know about. Tell me, what history with Celeste do you have?"

He turns his head and looks directly into my eyes. "You shouldn't ask questions you can't handle the answers to." His eyes age a thousand years as he says this to me. For some reason, it strikes a throbbing hole in my chest.

"Just tell me."

"Skip..." He warns, sighing.

"I need to know. I promise I can handle it... I wanna be there for you. Is she... a past girlfriend? A creepy aunt? Just tell me!"

"Try... my father's rape victim."

Oh.

I know, I know, I'm such an asshole for ending the chapter right here, but the chapter was already long enough ^_^ So what do you think of Celeste? What's the story behind her? You'll certainly find out next chapter!!! Vote and Comment! ILY

-- MJ's Crotch