Michael's POV

I furrow my eyebrows as I take the phone from Frank.

LaToya? I haven't heard from her in—well forever. No one in my family has, except Joseph through her "management" which was always some sort of drama fest.

"Hello?" I speak in the phone.

"Michael? It's Latoya..." she says as I furrow my eyebrows. Her usual voice that was preppy and had a musical sound like Snow White was now replaced with a slurred and hoarse version.

"Toya? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me...." she pauses.  "I wanted to speak with you." she says slowly and almost robotically.

"I--" I pause meeting Frank's eyes before looking down. "Are you alright, LaToya? You don't sound like yourself. Mother has been worried sick over you." I say in a hushed tone. "We rarely hear from you..."

"You know why you don't." she says as I sigh out closing my eyes.

"Not this again, LaToya."

"You know what Joseph did to us, Michael!"

"You know probably out of all of us, I have a harder time with Joseph. He was physically abusive to us, and I probably got the worse out of it. But he never--...." I shake my head as I stop speaking. "I can't believe you put that in your book. You really had to say he came in the night touching Rebbie and you? And mother pretty much said 'deal with it?!"

"Michael, you weren't old enough to--"

"I blame Joseph for a lot of things! But he wouldn't ever on his life sexually abuse you or any of us and you know it! And you know mother would never stand by it!"

"This family denies everything! Just so we could be the perfect household name." she says brokenly.

"This family isn't even close to perfect." I say calmly. "We might all have our ups and downs, Latoya, but every family does. Ours is just put on a public display when it doesn't need to be. Joseph was and is far from perfect...I have a lot of pain on what's he's done. But I know that he has never done what you say he's done. If anyone was to ever hurt us in that way, I can say--" I pause. "Joseph wouldn't let it happen, and mother wouldn't have stood by it." 

She stays silent as I sigh out. 

"I'll always love you, Toya....we all do. If you need anything, I'm always here." 

She sighs out. "That's why I called...Michael, I-I need to borrow $15 million...." 

I freeze. 

Fifteen million?

I just had Frank arrange more tour dates so I could officially buy Neverland. 

Sure my family has asked for money here and there but $15 million was a hefty loan...especially considering LaToya's state of thinking right now with her money hungry manager or whatever he was. 

"That's a lot of money..." I sigh out as I close my eyes. "A-are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No." 

"Then can I ask why you need it?" I ask softly before hearing voices in the background. 

"I need help with a business investment...." she says as if she's being coached "And--" 

"Put Jack on the phone." I say my jaw clenching.

"Michael..."

"Just put him on the phone."

It goes silent for a moment before;

"Hello, Michael." a voice says that makes the hairs raise on my neck as I grip the phone tightly.

"Jack." I say calmly as Frank shoots his attention back to me, our eyes meeting. "I'm guessing this was your idea. If you want money don't have my sister do your dirty work." I say trying to control the anger in my voice.

"I'm just trying to help your sister get out of a bad deal, Michael. I thought you'd know me better than that." he says I lick my bottom lip as I lean back in the seat.

"All I know is that ever since you've been leeching off LaToya she's not the same person. I've heard the rumors of you laying your hands on her...."

"Oh Michael...come on...." he chuckles. "Do you really think I'd go that low?"

I stay silent, even though I think Jack would go lower than hell to be as crooked as he was.

"I'm not giving you the money." I say calmly. "Send the information to Frank and I will take care of it personally."

"Mike, that isn't necessary..."

"All I know is if I give the money to Latoya, she'll just hand it over to you." I shake my head. "I'd rather give it to the source. You might be able to be deceive her, but not me."

"Ohhh but you're little girlfriend already does...or should I just call her my leftovers?" he says as I freeze. "What's her name? Tatiana is it?"

I shoot my head up in attention, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." he chuckles. "Maybe you should ask her about our.....relations." he teases.

"What? What are you--"

Before I could answer the other line went dead.

Tatiana's POV

"No...please...." 

I sleepily open my eyes greeted by the darkness of the night as I feel movement next to me. I look over seeing Michael restlessly getting tangled in the sheets as he breathes heavily. 

"I'm a human being! I'm a human being!" he suddenly cries out repeatedly as I immediately jolt up gently shaking him. 

"Michael!" 

He squirms wildly before  my voice startles him out of his abysmal nightmare. His cheeks were wet with tears and his body was bathed in a cold sweat. The sheets were twisted around his limbs, from the way he was thrashing in his sleep. He looks up at me in the darkness as he suddenly bursts into tears turning his body away from me. 

"Oh Michael..." I whisper leaning down as I lay soft kisses on his shoulder before wrapping my arms around him. "It's alright, I'm here...it was just a bad dream." 

"I-I was in a glass cage...they wouldn't stop..." he cries shakily, the remnants of his nightmare still clinging to his mind. "T-they...they all wanted something. I-it was like I was a zoo animal." his voice grows soft and vulnerable as he begins to cry silently gripping the side of his bed.

He mumbles something softly as more tears pour down his face, soaking the pillow. I wrap my arms around him  squeezing him tight as he breathes more slowly, his body slowly relaxing. He sniffles quietly, as I bury my head in his neck. I run a hand through his hair slowly, as I press my lips against his jaw tenderly. 

I knew Michael often had  dreams that involved him being mobbed with paparazzi or what he would refer to as "leeches". 

"Sshhh...I'm right here. No one is going to hurt you." I whisper as he sighs out closing his eyes. We lay there for awhile quietly as I sigh out looking over at the clock with it's blaring red numbers revealing it was just 5:03 am. 

"I don't want to go back to sleep..." he whispers quietly. "You can. I'm sorry I woke you..." he whispers tiredly. 

"No..." I sit up slowly. "I want to stay up with you." 

He sighs out. "Honestly, I'd rather just watch you sleep." he smiles lightly as I shake my head. 

"I don't really feel like sleeping."

He sighs out running a hand over his face.

"Michael, your sleep pattern is really worrying me." I say softly as he shakes his head.

"I'll be fine." he says. "It's just this touring...all of the energy and adrenaline makes it hard."

I stare at him as he plays with the sheets.

"Something else is going on..." I say as he stays silent for a moment before resting his head in my lap as he bites his bottom lip. He looks up at me slowly before breathing out;

"Toya wants money...and--" he shakes his head. "I don't know." 

I play with his hair. I knew it was rude to probably ask but my curiosity was getting the best of me. "How much?" 

"15." 

"Thousand?"

"Try million." 

My eyes widen as I look down at Michael. I mean I knew money wasn't a big thing to the Jackson's. But a whopping 15 million? 

"Are you going to--?"

"I don't know." he says shaking his head. "I'm really focused on making these final payments for Never land. I just think that her management is..." he chuckles shaking his head as he furrows his eyebrows rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I can't deal with it. I just can't..." he groans out. 

"Can't you talk to LaToya?"  

He shakes his head as he sighs out. "I've tried. She's far gone--especially after that book she's going to release." 

We grow silent as Michael stares off in space as I run my fingers gently through his scalp. He looked so tired and stressed. 

"Here..." I move under him as I begin to get out of bed. "Get some shoes on." 

He furrows his eyebrows as he looks over at me in pure confusion. "Why?" he asks rolling over in bed as he watches me. 

"We are going out."

"Out? It's 5 in the morning...."

"Then we'll have enough time to get back before everyone wakes up." I tell him as I slip on a pair of legging under the over over sized tee I was wearing. 

A slow smile begins to spread across Michael's face as he hops out of bed grabbing a gray hoodie that was draped over a chair as he quickly puts it on, while slipping into his loafers. "Where are we going?" 

"I don't know. That's the fun part." I tell him as he shakes his head grinning.

"Wait..." he says as he grabs his bomber jacket reaching in the pockets as he pulls out a set of keys. "These are to one of the tour cars ." he says as I raise an eyebrow. "I had an extra set of keys made." he licks his lips as he looks over at me. "I'll drive." he says as he fixes his hat and winks, making my heart flip.

**

"Michael, will you slow down! You're driving like a bat out of hell!" I screech gripping the sides of my seat. 

He laughs out as he turns a corner sharply. "Come on, I'm not that bad girl." 

"I'm driving next time." I hiss as his laughter rings out. 

In complete honesty I didn't mind. Michael loved feeling "normal" by doing simple things on his own like driving. The joy on his face and in his eyes and his laugh was evident of that. 

But at the same time I couldn't help but see my life flash before my eyes with him speeding like he was Stevie Wonder being as a NASCAR driver.

We keep driving through what seemed to be a countryside as he pulls over in an empty field.

"It's almost time." he says happily as I look around curiously.

"Time for what?"

"The sunrise." he grins as he unbuckles his seat climbing in the back seat. "Come on." he chuckles as he settles in the back seat as I climb after him. He adjusts back in the seat letting me lay back against him as he wraps his arms around me. 

"Can you believe it? We're about to see some magic." he says in my ear happily as I begin to smile. 

As we lay back speaking about everything and nothing. Just enjoying each others touch and company.

The sun begins to rise like a flower opening, gifting its petals unto the world. Amid the dancing dew drops  was the blush of scarlet, the warmth of tangerine. Gazing toward the illuminated clouds, still beneath the ethereal glow I watch as Michael takes it all in as he whispers softly; 

" When your eyes open and my day begins. For you are my daybreak. The sunrise of my heart." 

Michael's POV

"I'll meet you in a second okay?" I whisper softly pressing my lips against her forehead. "I just need to get something." 

"Alright...don't take long." Tatiana smiles as she kisses me sweetly before disappearing down the hall. I smile to myself as I unlock the suite door stepping in. I toss my jacket on the chair making Tatiana's purse that was on the edge of the seat fall to the floor. 

"Shoot...." I mutter as I quickly bend down picking it up as I start putting the contents back in her bag. I pick up her journal and two pieces of paper slip out fluttering to the floor as I pick it up. I furrow my eyebrows recognizing my handwriting as my eyes scan the letter, making my heart drop. My throat closes as I slowly sit down. 

It was the letter--the letter I had written to Tatiana when she was in the hospital....

Along with a check to the National Enquirer for $25,000. 

Tatiana sold the letter to be released to the public. ________________________________________________________________________________

Uh-oh....

All hell is going to break loose. What will happen next?  Do you really think Tatiana sold Michael out?

Will Michael help Latoya? 

xoxo,

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