~Interview Eight~

"I was staring at her, and she was staring at the night sky. For those few moments, we were in high school again, and I was the only one she loved, or even cared to think about. There was no Chief Rose. There was no anybody else. When she smiled at me, I knew she was thinking this too.

"I wanted nothing more than to kiss her like I was seventeen again, touch her hair, hold her close. I couldn't. She was a mere few inches from me, but she was so far. It would be a long time before she'd ever look at me and smile again."

-Michael Jackson, 1996

****

Skipper's POV

I drift down the brightly lit streets aimlessly, with no sense of time or destination, or any sort of urgency. Once I decide to examine my surroundings, I discover I'm on the way to my father's house, a very familiar route.

I haven't seen him since Rosie came back to town, and he must be wondering where I am, so I continue down my path. The way is lined with blurry faces and confused thoughts. I try to push my cruel words from the bar out of my mind, occupying myself with thoughts of Daddy.

I'm already in the vicinity of the house when I stop short in my tracks- he's probably not awake at this hour of night, and I don't have the strength to deal with whatever new broad he's brought home from some place or another.

The chilly night breeze blows a few strands of hair away from my face. I'm planted right in the middle of someone's driveway, walking up as if I live here. Upon further investigation, I recognize Michael's front door. And Michael's landscaping, Michael's garage. Michael's house.

I suddenly have the desire to see him, stronger than a human's desire to breathe. I step carefully up the walk to his front door, ignoring all the red flags telling me to turn and run. I can practically hear the soundtrack of our old life together, the many times he carried me through the doorway I stand in front of now, fully intending to take me up to his bedroom.

Flushing with heat, I ring the doorbell before my second thoughts can take hold. The loud echo of the bells on the other side of the doors is very audible to me, but it's a long time before anyone answers.

A few awkward moments later, the door creaks open. A disheveled looking Michael stands peers out at me, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Skip? Is that you?" He groans after a few seconds of silence. "Oh, um... yeah. Sorry for waking you, I just..." I trail off when I remember that I don't have any explanation for my sudden appearance.

"No no, it's fine. Did you need something? Diana is sleeping." A cold pit settles into my stomach, I can practically feel the color leaking from my skin. "Diana?"

"My... fiance." He adds reluctantly, while I nod a few times. "Yeah, I uh.. I forgot. I didn't know she lived with you." Michael finally seems to have shaken off the last of his fatigue. "We're going to be married." I wish he'd
stop reminding me. "I know. I'm sorry for just showing up here, I shouldn't have. I was just going to Daddy's and I saw this place, and... I don't know." He stares at me with wide eyes and parted lips.

"Never mind. Have a... good night." I turn pitifully, my heart aching with humiliation.

"Skipper, just hold on for a second." A long pause follows, as if he is determining the pros and cons. My hopes sky rocket as he sighs behind me, "Do you wanna go somewhere for a little while? Talk?" I don't know how I feel about him anymore, the bitterness from three years of lonliness made worse by the reality of Michael's relationship with Diana is slowly slipping away.

"Um... we could go to that meadow behind Daddy's house." It's probably what I've missed the most about living there, but once my eighteenth birthday arrived last month I knew I had to fly the coup. "Sounds nice."

The walk to the meadow is quite tranquil, I avoid tripping up Daddy's security using the keypad on the gate. After this, we make our way around back, and trudge through the sweet smelling grass to the willow tree in the center of the meadow. The cool waters of the pond push and pull, reflecting the soft white glow of the moon.

"What the hell is that!" Michael points to a large figure on the edge of the meadow as we plop down beneath the sagging leaves of the willow.

"That's Rosie." He gives me a strange look. "What?"

"A pony. Got her for my sixteenth birthday, I don't really know why." I laugh with slight embarrassment, rubbing the back of my neck and leaning against the tree trunk. "Oh, it won't like... attack us or anything, right?" "No, she's pretty tame. She's beautiful." If it was day time, she would certainly gallop over in search of a treat, I usually bring her one when I visit the meadow.

We rest side by side, wordless, staring at the stars. Or at least I'm staring at the stars, Michael seems to be studying me deeply. "What's on your mind? You seem... stressed." I sigh, pulling my knees to my chest.

"Tonight hasn't been the best," I begin, looking over to find his eyes in the dark. They're a beautiful dark brown in the moonlight, somehow gloriously filled with kindness. I don't know what he did in those three years we've been separated, but it's obvious that he no longer has a short fuse when it comes to anger. I almost miss his temper.

"Wanna talk about it?" I shrug. "I guess. I was content whenever I didn't have men in my life... no offense." "It's fine."

"Well, now that everyone's coming back to town... you, and Rosie... and... god, I was such an idiot tonight." I bury my face in my hands, cringing at the thought of my own jealousy-fueled behavior. "What happened?"

"Well... Rosie's engaged." His eyes are wide with surprise for a few seconds, before he recovers quickly and nods. "Okay, well... are you okay with that?" "He tells me that it's a publicity stunt." "That's possible, I guess..."

"Yeah, but he waited to tell me about it... until after we had sex."

Michael shrinks away from me, his body freezes. I regret admitting this to him, and when I look over his eyes are screwed shut. "Michael?" "I'm fine, sorry." His voice is slightly colder now, but I notice he's moved closer to me.

"I shouldn't have done it," I add softly. "I don't know why I did. I don't usually do things like that, but since he and the band have been here I've acted like a complete slut." He doesn't respond, so I continue.

"That's what he came to do this morning, when you came, use me. God, it feels like forever ago, but he hypnotized me in a way. Convinced me to go to the bar with him and the band tonight. I went, but I really wish I hadn't."

I'm resting against Michael's warm shoulder now, his arm is bare. "Then what?" He asks tiredly, letting me know that he's still listening.

"His fiance came. He kissed her, right in front of me. Right after he told me he loved me." I bite my lip, trying to conceal the raw emotion flowing through my tone. "That couldn't have felt nice." Michael seems to partially console me, the other part of him has walled itself off from me.

"So I..." I'm almost too ashamed to admit it, "I kissed his friend Izzy. The one he's known since he was a kid? God, I don't know what I was thinking." I look up at him, expecting the usual treatment. Yes, I was being a whore, and I should stop hanging around so many men.

Instead he just frowns. "I guess I see why you'd do that." I shake my head rigorously. "No, it's not acceptable. I shouldn't have, you know that's not me. I don't know what to do anymore, he's tearing me apart." I finally admit.

"So why do you do it, then? Keep coming around?"

Good question. I wrack my brain for a few moments, before the answer tumbles out of me. "I'm afraid to be alone. I've been alone for too long now, and I can't do it anymore."

He soaks in my response for a quiet couple of minutes. "I don't think you should see him anymore." My heart beats quickly, I suck in a quick breath. "Why?" "You at least shouldn't have sex with him until he leaves his fiance, gives you a relationship." My smile drops onto the ground, and I look away, hoping he didn't witness my desperate excitement.

"I probably should." "And don't kiss 'Izzy.'"

"I'm probably not gonna kiss anyone anymore." I promise him.

"But you'd kiss me," He points out a few seconds later. "If I asked you to." I slowly lift my head from his shoulder, staring at him in the dark. My breath is suddenly very audible in my ears, along with the blood rushing through my veins.

"If I asked you to, you'd never even look at Rose again. Or Izzy, maybe even Slash." "Slash and I are friends." It's all I can think of to say.

"I could lean in and kiss you, right now, and your problems would be solved." I'm tongue tied, staring at his soft facial features. His eyes are half-lidded now, jaded, impossible to read. Before I realize it, his face is just inches from my own.

My eyes flutter closed. I could do this, right now, I could embrace Michael's affection for the first time in years, and I could be completely happy.

But I won't.

"Don't." I place a hand on his chest, and gently push him backward. His eyes are openly hurt and confused a few moments later. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?" He won't look at me now, staring at the ground with shame. "No, Michael. I know that if you kissed me, my problems would be gone, but... yours would multiply."

"I don't care! I love-" "Don't! Don't say anything else, Michael. I'm not gonna ruin your life by having an affair with you, that's not what I want. It would be selfish of me, as much as I want to. I'm having too many affairs as it is."

"I'm sorry." He says, shocked when my head replaces itself on his shoulder. "Don't be. Maybe I just need this from you sometimes, just to sit here and talk. Maybe I don't need any romantic relationships with anyone right now." My eyes are closing, drowsiness is finally reaching me.

"Yeah, maybe you, me and Slash could hang out sometime. Just the three of us, and help you focus on you for a bit." I know that Slash doesn't feel that way about me, he's made it quite obvious, but after what's just happened I don't know if I can control myself around Michael. But... I also need to be near him at the same time.

"Okay," I agree before I can stop myself. Then, I am drifting off into a relaxing sleep.

****

"Skip? Skipper? You gotta wake up." Michael is gently shaking my shoulder, as I attempt to shrug him off. The warm leather of his car seat is far too comfortable.

"Wait... what?" I groggily moan, forcing my eyelids open. We are no longer in the meadow, I rest in the passenger seat of Michael's sleek sports car. The engine purrs deeply, we're idling in front of an apartment building. My apartment building.

"Um..." "You fell asleep, but... it was getting late, so I thought I'd drive you home." The image of Michael carrying me across the meadow, cuddled in his arms... my heart flutters uncontrollably, and I peer over at him, rubbing my eyes with my knuckles and surely messing my makeup.

"It's almost three in the morning." I yawn, and sit up. "Thanks Michael. Really, it was nice." He nods gently, and I place a hand on the door handle. "I'll call you." "I'd like that." I smile at him.

I finally let myself out of the car, walking around to the doors of the apartment lobby. His windows are tinted blacker than the night sky, yet somehow I know he'll keep watching me until I've disappeared inside.

Exhausted from the never ending day, I make my way up to my apartment. If I get to bed now, I'll get about an hour and half of sleep before I have to get up for work.

Alarmingly, when the elevator doors part, there is a figure sitting stiffly on the couch. How he got there? Well, that's questionable, considering the fact that you need a key to get to this level of the hotel.

I know who it is without asking, my patience is short and my guilt is heavy.

"I don't have time for you, not right now. I have work in the morning."

"How naive you are, Junior. How naive."

A #Mipper chapter :') I think we all needed this, the last few have been very GNR.

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