23rd of May, 2007
Michael is 48, Angela is 43

Angela: Michael led me into the master bedroom he had redone, again, after I told him it would be too much to go sleep there again.

"This time you'll love it even more than the last time," he said excitedly. "I even had AJ's nursery redone."

I smiled at him, totally forgetting about how big his, well our, bedroom actually is. It's a 3 story bedroom. We sleep downstairs, AJ's nursery is on the second floor, and the third floor had another bed in it. Michael said it was just in case I'd kick him out of bed when I'll be uncomfortable in these last months of the pregnancy.

I was feeling a lot better, physically and mentally.

We went back to Dr. Avery last week, and it went well. I started being happy again, I didn't have nightmares so often after our talk with her. She said that after I move on from what happened to me, we can start working on Michael and I.

Physically, I was doing okay. It didn't hurt to walk anymore, and my bruises were finally starting to fade a little.

We had the amniotic fluid test done; after my two-day very strict bedrest, Dr. Haring said it's all okay. AJ is fine, she made it through. And she was already put on the transplant waiting list.

"You ready?" Michael asked.

I nodded and he opened the door. I gasped.

"Michael... It's-"

"I know."

The room looked like a cabin. Everything was made from wood, it was beautiful. It smelled amazing, too. All that was missing was a warm fire and a snowy weather.

"Come see AJ's nursery. You'll love it," Michael said and pulled me towards the small staircase. "But close your eyes."

I sighed, closing my eyes, and he took me up the stairs.

"Ready? Open 'em."

"Oh, my God... Michael this is beautiful... It really is." my eyes teared up.

The nursery matched the wooden scheme of our room.

Michael crouched down in front of my bump and uncovered it. "Do you like this?"

AJ kicked, making him smile widely.

"Thank you for this, Mike." I told him.

I was about to lean down and kiss him. It was our first kiss since what happened.

But, the doorbell rang, telling us Katherine and Michael's sisters along with the kids were here.

I haven't seen the kids in forever and neither did Michael. They were half of the time at my parents' and the other half at Michael's parents'.

I couldn't let them see me in the state I was in a couple of weeks ago, but now since I'm feeling way better, I told Michael they need to come back because I can't go any longer without my babies.

All they were told was that I was very sick and that their dad was helping me.

Before leaving the bedroom, I fixed my long-sleeved shirt so the bruises on my arms wouldn't show.

I waddled my way after Michael who was already at the door. He opened it wide, and the kids ran inside and attacked me in a giant group hug.

"Mommy, you got so big!" Lily gasped and hugged my stomach tighter.

"Careful, sweetheart," my husband told her. "Your mother is still feeling a bit under the weather."

"Sorry, dad." she frowned and pulled away.

After they calmed down, Michael noticed how that took all my powers away.

"Who wants to go on the rides?" he asked the kids as he helped me sit down.

I shot him a look. He better not leave alone with his sisters.

I mean, Katherine loves me, but his sisters... I don't understand what they have against me.

"Last one at the Ferris wheel stinks!" Blanket yelled and started running.

I widened my eyes when everyone started running. Even Rose and Jared with their small feet were running as fast as they could with the help of their dad.

"So," Katherine smiled and joined me on the couch, while Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet sat in the one across from us. "How are you holding up, honey?"

"I'm good." I said, really meaning it.

"That's wonderful to hear. And the baby? Is my granddaughter okay?"

I sighed and rubbed my stomach, thinking about if I should tell them or not.

"She's..." I bit my lip. "Well, one of her kidneys failed. But she's fine, other than that. And we're already expecting a donation..."

"How did this happen?" Janet questioned, her eyebrows raised.

"Uh... When I was, um..." I gulped loudly and uncovered my bump. "I was hit in the stomach several times..."

They all just stared at it, all of them having a sympathetic look on their faces. Well, except for La Toya.

"That's a big bump for only seven months and only one baby." she murmured.

"La Toya!" Katherine scolded. "Don't mind her, Angela. I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay-"

La Toya rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you defend yourself?"

"Excuse me?" I turned back to her.

"When you were raped. From what I heard he wasn't that big of a guy."

"I'm pregnant-"

She cut me off again, "So? My niece could be suffering from long-term kidney problems now."

"That's enough, La Toya. I don't even like her that much but what you're saying is completely out of line." Janet told her.

"No it's not," La Toya scoffed. "She invited that man here. She might as well just opened the door naked."

"You don't even know what happened." I said quietly.

"But I do know that your husband, my brother, wasn't home and you invited a man here. What did you expect to happen?"

"Is there a problem here?" we suddenly heard Michael.

"Yes, there is, Michael. Your slutty wife is the problem." La Toya said.

"What did you say?" I saw his nostrils flare. "Apologize now."

"For what?"

"For insulting my wife and the mother of my children."

La Toya rolled her eyes again. "What if I don't want to?"

"Leave." Michael pointed at the door.

She looked around the room. Everyone had anger written all over their faces.

"Fine, I don't actually care anymore." she grabbed her purse and soon we heard the door close.

"You okay?" Michael hurried to come over to me.

"Don't worry, her words didn't get to me." I assured him.

What a lie. I still thought what happened to my baby was my fault, which it is. And now La Toya pointed out that I didn't try to defend myself, it got me. I was so scared at that moment I didn't even think of fighting Danny back.

"How about you go back to bed? I'll take care of things here." Michael kissed my cheek.

I nodded, feeling exhausted. I hugged Katherine and gave Janet and Rebbie a small smile before walking back to the master bedroom.

~

Michael: "I think what she needs is a vacation away from everything." mother said after Angela was gone.

"Who?" I asked, rubbing my face.

"Angela. You two have been in this house for almost a month. I'd go crazy if I stayed home that long."

"She's recovering, mother."

"I know," my mother sighed. "But maybe she can recover away from everything."

"Where?" I said.

"I don't know, you're her husband. Think of something."

I smiled at her, but then remembered Angela isn't allowed to fly.

"There's this new trend now with expecting parents," Janet said. "A few weeks before the birth they go together to a spa resort for a few days so the mother would be relaxed."

"I don't know, Dunk..."

I wanted something more than that, because Angela deserves more. But then again, she had been suffering from extreme pain everywhere.

"Come on, Mike... Get her the presidential suite at one of the spa resorts in California and enjoy yourself for a change. Your wife has been through so much lately, a little relaxation could be really good for her. And you could use it, too. I think the stress is effecting you too much, you're starting to get wrinkly." Janet smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "Watch it."

"Janet's right, Michael. That sounds like a great idea." Rebbie told me.

"I'll think about it," I said. "We need to spend some time with the kids first."

Which was true. Both Angela and I went crazy without them around.

"If you'll excuse me, we were about to start a very intense water balloon fight."

I hurried to return to the children, just to be splashed by a balloon.

"We got you, daddy!" Blanket laughed and he and Prince high fived.

I took Rose in my arms, "You want to help daddy win, baby girl?"

"No, daddy." she said with her little voice.

I scoffed, "Why?"

"Jared." she mumbled and pointed at her brother who was running along with Paris and Lily. Eric was ready to charge at me again.

"Fine, go join their team." I sighed, grabbing a balloon as Rose walked to her siblings.

Eric waved to me, "Come on, dad! Let's see what you got!"

They are messing with the wrong man.

~

Angela: Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard heavy footsteps and the bedroom door opened.

Michael came in, soaking wet.

I covered my mouth to stop myself from laughing, and he shot me a glare.

"Did someone lose a water balloon fight?" I asked.

"No," he answered harshly. "I was defeated."

"Right, whatever you say, honey. Go take a shower, you're getting the entire house wet."

Instead of listening to me, Michael came over and gave me a tight hug. I tried pushing him off but he wouldn't let go.

"You're getting me all wet!" I whined.

"I know, babe." he laughed.

"Ugh, stop!"

At some point, I found myself flat on my back on the bed, with him in between my legs. The sheets got soaked, too.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Michael whispered and leaned down.

I wrapped an arm around his neck just as our lips were about to touch. But, of course, our second attempt to finally kiss was interrupted again, this time by Paris.

"Angie, can you braid my hair?" she asked as she knocked on the door.

"Sure, honey. Go to your room, I'll be there in a sec." I said.

Michael rolled off of me and I hurried to change into some dry clothes before slowly making my way up the stairs.

"Hey, baby." I smiled at my step-daughter when I entered her room.

"Hi, Angie." she smiled back and helped me sit down on her bed.

"Is everyone taking a shower?"

"Yup. Did you see how daddy lost? It was the best thing ever, he usually never loses."

I chuckled and ran the brush through her hair before starting to braid it.

When I was done, she thanked me and kissed my cheek. I couldn't help but see the disturbed look on her face.

"Paris?" I called.

"Yeah?" she questioned.

"Want to tell me what's bothering you?"

She shook her head.

"You know you can tell me anything, baby."

"Okay," she sighed. "Um... I heard Lily and Eric call my dad 'dad', and I was wondering if maybe I could start calling you mom..."

I smiled, "Of course you can, Parry. Why would you think you can't?"

"Because it's weird calling someone 'mom'... I'm not used to it."

"Well, you should, cuz I'm not going anywhere."

I pulled her close to me, and she hugged me back.

"Thanks, Angie- I mean, mom."

I closed my eyes and hugged her even tighter.

~

5th of July, 2007
Michael is 48, Angela is 43

Angela: After over a month of being with the kids and going back to the family life, Michael claimed I needed to get my mind off things.

"What things, exactly?" I raised my eyebrows as I waddled back to bed.

"Oh, I don't know... Our couple's counseling, AJ's kidney, the thing that happened to you..." he said and put two pillows behind my back. "And you're aching everywhere."

Very true. This week has been the worst. Dr. Haring said AJ doubled her size and now she was almost 6 pounds, making my back ache even more.

"Fine, we'll go," I sighed when Michael started massaging my feet. "But only for a few days, I can't stay away from the kids for too long."

"Great, I'll call the hotel and tell them we're coming tomorrow." he stopped the massage and quickly left he room.

I groaned when AJ started kicking. "You won't even let me rest, huh?"

She kicked harder. There's my answer.

"Mommy!" Blanket called. "Rose and Jared are fighting again!"

"Where's Grace?" I asked.

"She's helping Lily with something!"

With two hands holding my lower back, I made my way to the living room where Blanket was watching TV and the twins were fighting over a toy.

They started this faze that Lily and Eric also had. They became very possessive over everything and wouldn't let the other have anything.

"You guys," I said, taking the toy from their hold. "You have to learn to play together. And share, okay? Jared can have the red car, and Rose you can have the blue car."

My daughter scoffed, pointing at the red car, "Wed."

"Okay, Jared, can your sister have the red car?"

He nodded and gave Rose the red car, but she still didn't seem satisfied.

"Just like her mother," I heard Michael. "Stubborn."

I rolled my eyes, "Shut up."

He smiled and placed a kiss on my lips.

"Ewwwww."

We turned to Blanket who had a disgusted look on his face.

Michael snickered and kissed me again.

For the last two weeks, we started talking to Dr. Avery about us and not just myself and what happened to me. It went good. He explained why he cheated, and I guess I understood. And I expressed my feelings about it. We're still working on it, but our relationship is way better than it was.

But it has been bothering my mind a lot, so I understand why Michael listed it as one of the reasons I need a vacation.

Suddenly we were broken apart by Blanket, Rose, and Jared who pulled us away from each other.

"Blanket!" Michael exclaimed.

I just laughed and sat down, making the twins climb on my lap.

I sighed happily as I ran my fingers through Rose's curls. I love my babies so much.

~

6th of July, 2007
Michael is 48, Angela is 43

Michael: "Mommy loves you." Angela cooed as she hugged Rose and Jared tightly.

"We have to go, baby." I said.

She frowned and we gave all the kids one last hug before we closed the door and got into the car.

"I am so ready for a few days of relaxing and doing nothing..." Angela sighed but then looked at my face. "We're not going for only a few days, right?"

"A couple weeks, but it's only because we only have a month left to this pregnancy and I want you as calm as ever." I admitted.

"Okay, if you think it's going to help." she smiled and kissed me.

"It is," I ran a hand over her stomach. "This is one of the best spa resorts in California, you'll be so relaxed you won't even feel pregnant anymore."

She snorted and rolled her eyes, "I feel more pregnant than ever. Your daughter is heavy."

"Or maybe it's all the food you're eating."

She hit my arm.

"Ow."

Angela smiled and kissed me again. "You deserve it."

"You know what else I deserve?" I asked and pulled her as close as her big bump let me. "To be on top of you in bed tonight..."

I nibbled on the skin of her neck.

"I don't know, Mike... I don't think I'm comfortable enough to be having sex." she sighed.

"We're making love, there's a difference. I want to make you feel good again." I told her.

"And I appreciate it, but I still feel a little... Violated."

I pulled away when she said that. Her eyes were a bit glossy, and I hurried to wipe her tears.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you still feel that way..." I apologized. "I'll wait until you're ready."

"Thank you."

"Of course. The last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable."

"I love you so much, you know that?" Angela looked me straight in the eyes when spoke lowly. "You're the best husband in the world."

"And you're the best wife anyone could ask for."

She placed another kiss on my lips, only this time it was even more loving than before. We heard something close and when we looked, we saw that the driver closed the partition.

Angela giggled, "I think we need to stop kissing so much."

"Never. Your lips are the second tastiest thing about you." I smirked.

"What's the first thing- Oh," she blushed deeply. "Stop being so cheesy."

"I can't help it."

We kissed, again, only this time it turned into a full makeup session that lasted almost the entire way to the hotel.

~

Angela: "This is amazing, Mike!" I gasped when we entered our suite for the next two weeks. "And the view..."

Michael wrapped his arms around me and we looked out at the city.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he whispered in my ear.

I nodded and turned around to kiss him.

"Come on," he said when we pulled apart. "They opened the warm water pool just for the two of us. There's this couple massage instructor waiting for us."

I smiled and hurried to find the swimsuit I brought. After putting it on, I wrapped a robe around me and came back to Michael. He was wearing a robe as well.

"Before we go down there, I need your phone." he said, holding his hand out.

"Why?" I asked.

"This is a phone free zone for the next two weeks." he answered.

"But how am I going to talk to the kids?"

"We'll call from the hotel phone. Now hand it over."

I sighed and unwillingly have him my phone. He turned both our devices off and put them somewhere in his suitcase.

Once we were both ready to go, he led me down to the first floor where the instructor, Leena, waited for us.

"Mr. Jackson, I know you asked for a private session, but there was another high-profile couple who asked to join, and the hotel thought it wouldn't bother you..." she said.

"Oh, it's okay," I smiled. "We don't mind. Right, Mike?"

"No, we don't." my husband mumbled.

Leena sighed in relief, "Great. Let's go."

When we got to the pool, I couldn't wait to get in the water and have Michael massage my back thoroughly.

He helped me out of my robe and admired my giant bump. "You better behave, AJ. Daddy is going to make mommy feel good."

I took off his robe, too, and we both walked down the few stairs and into the warm water.

I was so glad my bruises were almost entirely gone, so I was comfortable enough to show my body lately.

"Oh, this is great..." I moaned and leaned my elbows on the edge of the pool.

"Our second couple should be here any minute," Leena informed. "They're also expecting a baby, but she's not as progressed as you."

I smiled at her, "You said they were a high-profile couple, right?"

She nodded.

"Maybe we know them." I told Michael.

"Maybe." he said and massaged my shoulders.

It felt amazing to know that this will be the only thing we'll be doing for the next couple of weeks. I closed my eyes and let my muscles loosen up.

"There they are!" Leena clapped her hands. "Debbie, Mark, why don't you join Michael and Angela in the pool?"

My eyes shot open when I hear her say Debbie's name.

There she was, walking in with a man I didn't know, and her rounded stomach stood out.

What the hell is she doing here?!

I shot Michael a glare. "I thought you said she got an abortion."

"She did," he furrowed his eyebrows. "I called the clinic and they said she came in and did the procedure."

"Then why is she still pregnant? And who's that man?"

"I have no idea... Honestly, baby, I'm just as mad as you are."

Debbie and Mark joined us, and the fake smile Debbie was giving us annoyed me so much.

"Michael, hey," she waved slightly. "Angela."

"Debbie." we said together, both our tones cold.

She turned to Mark who had his hands on her shoulders, "Mark, this is my ex husband, Michael Jackson, and that's his wife, Angela."

"Michael, Angela," Debbie turned back to us, that fake smile still plastered on her face. "This is Mark, my boyfriend, and the father of my baby."