June's point of view

This entire situation was too much for me to handle, and I couldn't help but feel guilty about it all. I mean, I am the person who came in that bedroom uninvited and who discovered the truth, I'm the person who came to Neverland while Michael and I decided to stay out of each other's life... Why did I come here? Why did I even try to come back into Michael's life in the first place? Jessica said it herself, she caused this pain to Michael because of me, because she wanted him to stay away from me because she fell in love with him. I can understand that part though; Michael is easy to fall in love with. He's the greatest person I ever met: he's sweet, caring, smart, handsome, talented... He's perfect to me, and to a lot of people out there. I guess this explained my need to have him back into my life. For those couple of years I've been away from him, it's like a part of me died inside. It's funny when I think about it because I thought that, after Julian's passing, I just died inside, but I feel like I was born again the day Michael kissed me for the very first time, but I died once again the day I left him. He was the missing piece to my puzzle: whenerver he's away from me, I feel a hole inside of me, I feel empty. When he's with me, it's like I know everything's going to be just fine. Knowing he still loved me brought so much warmness in my heart, I can't even explain it. To love is one thing, but when you're loved back, then it's a whole different thing.

I didn't feel like leaving Michael alone in that mess, so I just decided to go out and meet the family while he was handling his buisness with Jessica. I couldn't get my mind off of that thought, thinking about what he was saying to her, how he reacted to all of this.

As soon as the Jacksons saw me, I noticed mixed emotions on their faces. Confusion on Joseph's, Janet's and Jermaine's face, and pure joy on Randy's, Katherine's and LaToya's face. I never understood, and probably never will, how can people be so forgiving and adorable. I mean, I know I broke Michael's heart by breaking up with him, but none of them - minus Joseph, who apparently was a little bit mad at me for that, according to Janet - turned his back at me. I mostly kept in touch with Janet, but whenever she was with Katherine or her siblings, she made sure to say hi to them from me, as I asked her. Katherine was always sweet to me, and always told me how proud she was of me, and kept repeating that she didn't believe what was written about me and Michael in the press.

"June!" Randy smiled from ear to ear. "I didn't know you were supposed to come," he said, giving me a tight hug and spinning me around.

"Randy," I laughed, holding his shoulders, "stop this, or I'm going to vomit on you!"

"Ewww!" he exclaimed, putting me down on my feet again. "That wasn't sexy."

"I didn't mean to sound sexy anyways," I winked at him. "It's good to see you!"

"Oh, it's good to see you too! But I'm disapponited in you," he pouted, and I laughed at his action. "You never called me like you said you would!"

"Aww," I cooed, patting his shoulder gently, "I'm sorry about that. But my presence here is way better than a simple phonecall, right?" I smiled.

Randy has always been able to put a smile on my face, whenever I was feeling bad or just blue. His flirty ways always made me laugh. At that particular moment, I tried hard to put a fake smile on without someone noticing, but Randy made things so much easier for me. I was sad and angry about the past events, but he made me forget about this in a heartbeat.

"You're right," he smiled, and give me yet another hug. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Hey Romeo, can you let the lady breathe for a second? Other people would like to greet her as well," Jermaine said from behind his brother, and I giggled a bit.

Randy let go of me, and looked at Jermaine, "Go ahead, but don't steal my future wife from me," he winked at him, and I laughed once again, shaking my head.

"How can you even bear him?" Jermaine asked me, chuckling, and I shrugged, laughing too. "How have you been?" he asked me, pulling me in a warm embrace.

"I've been good," I sincerely told him, breaking our hug. "And yourself?"

"I've been pretty good as well," he smiled. "Been a while I didn't see you in flesh and bones! The last time I saw you was on TV with Oprah."

"Here I am now," I smiled up at him. "I'm happy to see you guys," I sincerely told them, and looked behind Jermaine to cross Katherine's stare.

I walked up to her, Joseph standing by her side, and leaned down to give her a warm hug. Katherine is certainly the only member of the Jackson family, after Michael, that I was afraid to hurt after my sudden break up with her son. She's really like a second mother to me.

"Hi, darling," she whispered in my hair, rubbing my back. "I'm so happy to see you."

"I am as well, Katherine," I looked down at her once we broke our embrace. "Mr. Jackson," I greeted him, offering him my hand.

To my biggest suprise, he didn't take it and hugged me instead. I thought he was still mad at me after what I did to Michael, but he visibly forgot about it all. It was the very first time I received a hug from him, and it felt good. Whenever I am around this family, I feel loved, and most importantly, I feel home.

"How are you doing?" Joseph asked me, pulling away from me.

"I'm good," I half-lied. "And yourself?"

"I'm pretty good," he said, giving me one of his rare smiles. "You've become such a beautiful woman, June. I'm proud of you and proud of the fashion icon you've become."

"Oh," I blushed, looking down at my feet, "thank you, but I'm not an icon. Your son is, not me," I giggled.

"I think he's right, dear," Katherine chimed in, patting my shoulder gently. "You did a great job."

"Thank you," I shyly said, feeling my face heat up once again. "It means a lot coming from you both," I sincerely admitted.

"Wellington!" I heard Janet's voice rang from behind her parents.

When I looked in her direction, I noticed Janet and LaToya walked up to me, pushing Jermaine aside, and both of them linked their arms with mine: Janet on my right, and LaToya on my left.

"Excuse us," Janet smiled at her parents, and dragged me along with her.

"Where are you going?" Randy asked, calling behind us.

"We'll be right back," the two sisters annoucned in unison, and began to drag me further in the Ranch.

I looked at my right, then at my left, but none of those two women looked back at me.

"Well, hello to you too," I sarcastically said. "What's the matter with you both? Where are we going?"

"We need to talk to you," LaToya said, and we stopped on a bench a few meters away from the rest of the family. "Sit," she commanded, and I gave her a "are you serious?" look. "Please."

"What are you doing here?" Janet bluntly asked as I was sitting down on the wooden bench. "I mean, I'm happy to see you, girl, really. But... Do you think this is a good idea to be here? I thought Michael and you agreed on-"

"Janet," I sighed. "Things are complicated."

"That doesn't mean we can't understand," Toya said, sitting beside me. "Girl, we just want to know what's your goal in all of this."

"I just want Michael to be a part of my life," I shrugged. "Life is way much easier when he's around me."

"What did he say when he saw you were here?" Janet asked, sitting on the other side of me.

"I- um, I didn't have the chance to talk to him," I explained, feeling a lump forming in my throat.

"What do you mean?" Toya wondered, frowning in confusion.

"He was busy with Jessica," I simply said, which wasn't completely false. "I didn't want to interrupt."

"You're hiding something. What is it?"
"Girls, I love you both, really, but I can't tell you. This is not something you should hear from me," I said, dead serious, not making eye contact with any of them.

"What's that? What happened?" Janet panicked a little.

"You'll know soon enough," I murmured, suddenly feeling all the guilt and sadness rushing in me again.

***

Michael's point of view

As my entire family was coming back to the main house, a skeptical expression on each and every single face of them, June and I stayed frozen in front of each other, looking deep in each other's eyes. No words were spoken, and the silence between us said it all. I didn't know what to do, what to say, while I had tons of questions about her being here. Why did she come? What was she doing in the guest bedroom?... Those kind of things.

"Maybe I should just leave and leave you alone with your family," she finally spoke, and began to walk away from me. She walked past me, and put her hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry, Michael. This is all my fault."

And with that, she continued to walk away from me. My eyes were filled with tears again, at the simple thought that I would lose her as well.

"None of this is your fault," I finally spoke in a shaky voice, turning around to see June's back facing me. "You just made everything clearer."

"Michael," she sighed heavily, turning around to look at me in the eyes. "Jessica faked this pregnancy because she knew you still loved me, she wanted you to stay away from me... What does it tell you?"

"It tells me that she's the one who hurt me," I told her, walking up to her. "This has nothing to do with you."

"But I can't help and feel guilty, though," she whispered, looking down.

"This is what you do. You always feel guilty for things you're not reponsable of," I said, lifting her chin up so she can look into my eyes. "But please, don't feel guilty about this. If you didn't discover what she was planning on doing, I would have been the father of a baby who wasn't mine."

"She's horrible," she murmured, her eyes becoming wattery. "How can someone do that?"

"I don't know," I murmured back, a single tear running down my cheek.

"Michael, please don't cry," she said, wipping my tear away with her thumb. "I'm here. If you need me, I'll stay."

"I don't want you to stop living just to chaperon me. I can deal with this situation by myself," I told her, removing her hand from my face. "Why are you even here?"

"Even though I know you don't celebrate your birthday, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday," she said, looking at the floor. "But I guess this is not appropriated right now."

"You think so?" I laughed sarcastically.
"I'm sorry this is happening to you. I wish I could make things easier for you," she said, wipping a tear that fell from her eye.

"Does your boyfriend agree with you being here?" I blurrted out.

"My boyfriend?" she asked, frowning. "Who? Alex?"

"What? He's not the only one?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"It's okay if he is. I have nothing to say."

"Michael, I told you he wasn't. What is this all about?"

"Janet told me you were caught together in Paris," I explained to her, "kissing," I added, wincing at the thought.

"We're not together."

"Looks like it, though. But I guess it's okay; you moved on, that's good."

"Michael, would you please stop this?" she asked, and I could tell she was becoming slightly irritated. "I'm here with you right now, I'm not with him. We've never been together, he's just a... friend."

"Yeah, a friend with benefits."

"If you want to call him that, okay then."

"And you think it's okay? You claim to love me, and then you just have sex with another guy?"

"I don't claim I love you. I really do, and I was brave enough to tell you I loved you while I had to learn you loved me too from your... what should I call her? Fake wife?"

I stayed there frozen because I realized she was right. I was a coward and didn't tell her I loved her back, and I didn't tell her my marriage with Jessica was fake. When Janet told me June moved on with this Alex guy, I finally realized how hard it was to see the person you love loving someone else. I could have prevented her from that pain by telling her my wedding was fake, but I didn't, and I hated myself for that.

"You're right," I said, looking at her with tears in my eyes again. "I don't deserve you. I'm a coward, and I now I put you through a lot."

"I think I should go. You've been through a lot, and you need to be surrounded by people who really love you, not with fake people who claim they do," she said, and turned around in order to walk away from me.

"So you're just going to leave me?" I asked, calling behind her. "Well, I guess this is an habit of yours."

She stopped dead in her tracks, her back facing me, "I'm not walking away," she told me, turning to look at me, "but it's like you're pushing me away while you need support!"

"I'm not pushing you away!" I yelled in frustration. "Damn June, I need you, can't you see that?"

"No, I can't! It's like you're blaming me to love you, but I'm sorry, this is just how things are. Yes, Michael. I love you, and seeing you like this is awful for me, because you don't deserve that. I came here in order to tell you that I was ready to be your friend because I need you in my life as well. I can't stay away from you because eveytime I'm with you, you're like a breath of fresh air. You're like my oxygen because everytime I'm with you I feel alive," she declared, throwing her hands up. She paused for a few seconds to collect herself, and walked closer to me, "I was in that bedroom because this is the same room I slept in the first time I came here, and I went up there because I wanted to remind myself of the good times we had here together as friends. I needed to remind myself of how to be your friend again."

"I don't want to be your friend," I whispered, walking closer to her. "I don't want to see you with another guy, I don't even want to think about someone else other than me kissing you, or touching you. I want you to be mine again, I want to be with you all day long, I want to go out with you and show the world how proud I am to be with you, I just... I want you. I love you, June, and I'm sorry I didn't let you know before, but things were complicated. I hoped with all my soul that you read between the lines in the letter I sent you, and that you understood that I loved you too, but you visibly didn't," I paused a few moment, and took her hands in mine. "I just wish we could take things where we left them back in 1988, and erase all the drama we've been through."

"You know this is not possible," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "When does your contract with Jessica end?"

"In less than a month, but I'll get the divorce papers ready today. I don't want to talk to her or see her anymore. All I want is you, even though I'm afraid you'll leave me again," I admitted, looking down at our hands.

"Hey," she said, lifting my chin up, "I'm not leaving you. I'll stay around here until you get better. I'm not leaving you in that state. No more walking away," she promised, cupping my face in between her hands. "You hear me? I'm not leaving your side anymore."

I looked down at her, my eyes filled with tears, and realized she was the only person I needed in this world. Telling her all of that took a weight off of my shoulders, and I could feel my mind was now lighter. I could finally think straight again, and this was all thanks to June. I realized she wasn't only the woman I loved, but she was also my Reason.

"Why did you walk away?" I asked her, my voice shaking. "Why did you leave me in the first place?"

"Because I wasn't good for you. But now I grew up, I gained in maturity, and I'm ready to be there for you through everything."

Once again, her words warmed up my heart. As I was looking at her, reality hit me. I realized I was born the night I met her and I died inside the day she left me. For this couple of years I spent without her, I wasn't living. I was just existing. Being around June makes me feel alive again. She brought back the light in my life.

"Will you be mine again?" I shyly asked her.

"Not until your contract is over. I want to make things right, and you're legally married. Plus, you need to get back on your feet after what just happened. You're shaken up, sad and angry. I'll help you get better as your friend, but I won't become more until the divorce papers are signed," she sweetly explained to me, but I felt a little hurt. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, but it hurts to know that we both love each other but we can't show each other how much until the end of that damn contract."

"Patience is a virtue. You'll see it'll make the moment even more special when we'll be able to find each other back," she said, smiling at me. "I've been in love with you for years, and I'm not going to stop."

"You want to make me feel better?" I asked her in a low voice.

"Of course. What can I do for you?"

I didn't answer, and pulled her close to me by her hands. I leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, not being able to fight this urge to do so anymore. To me biggest happiness, she sweetly kissed me back, allowing her hands to find their way on the back of my neck. Nothing mattered around me, and my mind was just on her. She made everything around us disappeared, and this is what I needed: to get my mind off of things.

"Thank you," I said, resting my forehead against hers, my eyes closed.

***

At the second we enterred the living room where my entire family was gathered, everybody stopped talking, and every eyes were on us. Another knot formed in my stomach, just as a lump formed in my throat. I was anticipating my parents' reaction. My mother was so happy about the news that I knew it'd break her heart to learn the truth. June rubbed my lower back to show me some support, and as if she read my mind, went and sat down on the arm of the couch just next to my mother, and put her hand on her shoulder. As the loving woman she is, my mother looked up at June with a smile, putting her hand over hers, and then looked at me with a frown.

"What's going on, Michael?" Mother asked me with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, what is that all about?" Jermaine asked with the same tone.

"Where's Jessica and Josh?" Janet wondered, looking around the room.

"They're gone," I spoke, looking at the ground.

"What do you mean, they're gone? Where are they?"

"They left. Jessica and I's agreement is over."

"But, baby, she's pregnant," mother frowned, worried. "What's going on, Michael?" She asked again, seeing the tears in my eyes.

"She's not pregnant, mother. She lied," I told my family, fighting the urge to cry in front of them.

"She lied? How can someone lie about a pregnancy? This is absurd," LaToya said, frowning.

I sat down on an empty armchair, and rubbed my forehead, trying to find a way to explain it all to my family. I knew it would break their heart just as it broke mine. Being a father has always been something I dreamed about, and they all knew it. I love children, and having children of my own would be the most beautiful thing I could ask for.

"She had a fake pregnant belly on," June chimed in, seeing the uneasiness in me. "Do you want me to explain, Michael?"

"Please," I said, sitting down on the empty couch, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

June stood up, and came next to me in order to be in front of my entire family when she tells them the masquarade. Of course, she had the perfect words, and she explained from the very beginning when she came into the guest bedroom, to the very end when I kicked Jessica out of my life. She used the perfect words and didn't curse her out like I thought she would do: she knew my parents weren't into curse words.

When June finished explaning the situation, there was sadness, there was anger, but most importantly there was love: the love we all shared as a united family.

And it felt like June has always belonged here with us.