18th of February, 2010
Michael is 51, Angela is 45, and Jake is 47

Angela: Michael followed me as I tiptoed into Rose and Jared's room.

Our twins were still sleeping, so we exited the room quietly.

"My parents are getting the cakes," I said. "We're good on presents, right?"

"Luciano and Janet are bringing the last couple of them. Remind me again, why are we going full out for their fourth? We didn't even go this big for Blanket's fifth."

"You know why. And we'll go big for Blanket's in a few days, too."

He kissed my forehead. "Okay. If it makes you happy. Just don't forget our anniversary with all this birthday planning..."

Right, our anniversary. How has it already been five years?

"In my defense, I have chemo brain. I'm allowed to forget."

My husband smirked, "Of course you are. Especially because I have something planned."

"Always a step ahead, huh?" I rolled my eyes and bit the inside of my cheek.

"You have no idea." he kissed me, making my body relax.

I held onto his shirt, to bring him closer, our lips moving together. His hands squeezed my sides, his tongue running along my lips to try and gain access.

"Mom!" Prince called from downstairs.

Michael groaned when I pulled away and we skipped down. The older kids were already decorating the house, playing with balloons here and there.

"Guys, please finish up in 15 and get ready yourselves. I want it to be perfect when people arrive." I crossed my arms. They stopped immediately.

I walked into the kitchen, where I drank a cup of coffee and ate a few bites of a sandwich Michael made, checking my phone to see if there were any updates on the cakes.

"Why are you so uptight about this party, babe? It will be perfect." he made himself a bowl of cereal.

Snickering, I rolled my eyes on purpose again, dramatically this time. "I'm not uptight."

A big envelope on the kitchen island caught my eye; it was on top of the rest of our mail from this morning.

The envelope, addressed to me, had big red letters that said 'CONFIDENTIAL'.

"It's from John Branca," I said to Michael, who gave me a curious look as I opened it. "I think it's my will."

The file I held was thicker than I thought it would be.

We sat down with our lawyers right after Christmas, to make sure our wills aligned. Branca promised to send me a copy of the final version when he's done.

"Woah." was all I could say.

"Almost as big as mine." my husband teased playfully.

"Mom! Eric is being annoying- EW! Why are you so gross?!" Lily screeched, interrupting our little moment.

Michael sighed, "I'll break them up, you go wake up our sleepy babies."

He placed a long kiss on my lips, his taste lingering, and I wished he'd kiss me again.

But he only smiled genuinely when turning to leave the kitchen. I sighed and looked down at the file in my hands.

Quickly, I went over some of the pages as I finished eating.

It's so real.

~

"No, daddy!" Jared whined when Michael placed kisses all over his face.

"What? I just love you soooo much, bubba!"

Jared squealed as his dad kept going. I laughed and leaned back in my garden chair.

It was a surprisingly warm day for February, so we decided to move the party outside. With eyes closed, I let myself sunbathe a little.

Only a few moments passed before someone cleared their throat. I opened my eyes to find Joseph sitting next to me.

"You look... Well, Angela." he said.

"Yeah, I've been feeling better."

"That's good. My son seems like he's finally letting you go. He can be a bit over-protective..."

"Tell me about it," I chuckled and looked at Michael who was chasing our twins around. "He's been so glued to my as- I mean, my behind. Don't tell him, but I actually like it."

He patted my hand gently, "Your secret is safe with me. All I ask in return is that you hang in there, for his sake. I can't begin to imagine what he'd do without you."

Jeez, no pressure. Thanks, Joseph.

Although I knew my husband needed me, just as much as I needed him. He was my safe place and I was his, we kept each other in balance all the time.

With that, my father-in-law excused himself to go sit with Katherine.

I closed my eyes once again, only to be nudged by Rose.

"Mommyyy can you come help me go potty?"

"I can take her." my mom offered.

"Mamma, it's fine." I stood up, taking Rose's hand.

We went in and she ran inside the bathroom. As I waited, I heard her humming when she did her business, a slight giggle escaped from my lips.

Gosh, she's growing up way too fast on me...

"Mommy," Rose called. "I need help with my dwess."

I fluffed up her dress after adjusting it. "You're so pretty, baby."

"Thanks, mommy. You're so pwetty, too. Even though I miss your hair." she touched the head wrap I wore.

"I miss it too, baby... Now, wash your hands and go outside."

She did as I told, placing two wet kisses on my cheeks before running outside.

Looking in the mirror, I sighed and took the wrap off. I ran my fingers over where my long, wavy hair used to be.

Four months down, two to go.

~

"Michael, seriously, where are we going?" I asked him for the millionth time.

The twins' party ended a few minutes ago, and he didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye to anyone before whisking me away in a car, along with Adam who was driving.

"We're going somewhere special. Don't worry about anything, alright? Trust me, and for once don't try to... Control everything." Michael smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "I don't try to control everything!"

"Riiight..."

I punched his shoulder slightly, making him wince and rub the spot. "Ow. But seriously, relax. You'll love it."

He held both sides of my face, then kissed me deeply.

"Mmm," I moaned into his mouth. "So where are we going, again?"

My husband shook his head, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Michaelll." I whined.

"What, babe?" he opened one eye, still smirking.

"Tell me."

"Nope."

It went on like that the entire 3-hour ride and I was hoping he would crack from my nagging at some point, but he didn't.

Until we turned to LA and into LAX.

"Michael, what-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Just come with me, baby."

~

Michael played with my fingers as he held my hand.

A flight attendant came over to us, asking if we want anything before takeoff.

Michael asked for champagne for the both of us and some snacks.

"Would you tell me now?" I questioned.

"Not yet." he looked at me, then thanked the flight attendant who placed two champagne glasses in front of us.

He gave me my glass, although I wasn't really supposed to drink with the treatments I was getting.

"Come on," he squeezed my hand. "It's just sparkling apple juice."

We slightly clinked our glasses before drinking. It really was apple juice.

"So... Did you pack my stuff for wherever we're going?" I said.

"I did," his beautiful lips turned into a sly smile once again. "But you won't need any clothes where I'm takin' ya."

"Oh?"

"Mmhm... No clothes. Some lingerie maybe..."

I gasped softly as he sneakily placed his hand on my thigh and started rubbing up and down.

The speakers above us started working. "Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, this is your captain speaking. We will be taking off to Maui in a few minutes, please stay seated and buckle your seatbelts. Thank you."

"Maui? We're going to Hawaii?" I looked at my husband.

"For our anniversary. I figured I never took you back since I remembered it all. It's just three nights, we'll be back home before Blanket wakes up on his birthday. And before you ask, Luciano and Janet are on it, they will plan it all." he smiled cheekily.

"Fine..."

Michael brought my hand that he was still holding to his lips, and kept it there while kissing it repeatedly.

I giggled when he started traveling up my arm. "Mike, that tickles."

"You wanna go to the back?" he said in between kisses and made his way to my neck, nibbling. "The bed's pretty nice, ya know..."

"Oh, I know."

I closed my eyes, reminiscing on the time he took me to Alaska and made love to me in the back room of this very plane.

It felt like a lifetime ago, yet just the thought of him taking me back there, making me scream his name for the entire crew to hear... My body turned hot in an instant.

Michael still held my hand as the one that was on my thigh slid into the sweatpants I was wearing.

His fingers explored my inner thighs and I moaned when they slightly touched my entrance through my panties.

Naturally, I wrapped my arm around him and played with his hair.

He started working, his touch only making me whimper louder in his ear. "Ohh..."

"Tell me what you want, Angie." he demanded.

I fumbled to find the words as he rubbed me faster, "Mm, you- Michael, I want you."

"Look at me, babe." he said.

I opened my eyes only to see that the same flight attendant appeared and was staring, realizing she was interrupting.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Didn't mean to- We're taking off now, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson..." she barely finished her sentence when she disappeared to the front of the jet as quickly as she came.

The blush made its way to my cheeks. Michael settled back into his chair, shooting me a playful look.

"So, where were we, babe?"

~

20th of February, 2010
Michael is 51, Angela is 45, and Jake is 46

Michael: I watched Angela as she got dressed in a dainty bathing suit that only covered the necessary amount of skin.

I definitely knew what I was doing when packing for her.

"Do I look okay?" she examined herself in the mirror and put on a baseball cap and something to cover up her body.

"Just okay?" I chuckled, allowing myself to stare. "Do you hear me complainin'?"

It was our last day in beautiful Maui, so we decided to head to the beach for a walk.

Much like all our getaways, our stay here included the bed, the shower, and once even the living room sofa when Adam left for grocery shopping.

I told her she wouldn't really need any clothes.

"So are we going, or...?" Angela turned to me with the brightest smile.

I grabbed her hand and we made our way to the beach. We walked in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's presence.

It wasn't too sunny outside, which made it all too nice.

"Let's swim." my wife suddenly suggested, her big blue eyes lighting up.

"Babe, I can't-"

"Mike, there are literally clouds in the sky. Please?"

"Alright."

She squealed happily, taking off the cover up she wore. Just in case, I looked around before removing my shirt.

There really wasn't anyone on the beach, as the house I got was very concealed from the neighbors. Except for Adam who observed from a distance, there wasn't a single soul around.

I let Angela take me to the water. Her contagious laugh filled my ears when she dove inside the somewhat cold water.

I've never seen her so... Free.

And I loved being able to witness such a rare sight.

She stopped swimming for a second, eyeing me mischievously.

"What are you doing, Angie?" I asked as her fingers reached behind her back.

But she didn't answer and instead untied her bikini top from around her neck, too. It fell into the water with a soft splash.

I sighed while she crouched down, swiftly removing her bottom as well. "Angela..."

Hurrying over, so I could cover her with my body, I stood as close as possible.

"Angie, put your bathing suit back on." I said sternly.

"Skinny dip with me, Mike." she tugged on my swim shorts.

"Angela, no!"

"Do this with me, please? Come on... I have cancer."

"Are you seriously playing the cancer card right now?"

My wife shrugged, "When will you ever get to do this again? No one knows we're here, and Adam is already inside the house."

I looked behind me. Adam really did disappear, probably due to Angela stripping herself.

Without hesitation, she slowly pulled down my shorts.

God, the things this woman makes me do...

And once we were both completely naked, she pressed our bodies firmly and kissed me like never before.

"I love you," she softly murmured while clutching onto me. "You make me feel so alive."

"We should probably take this inside, Ange..." I told her.

"No, let's just enjoy this. Right here, now."

And while kissing me eagerly, her legs wrapped around my waist. She started grinding gently, letting me know how impatient she was.

Soon enough, we were engulfed in each other as our loud voices filled the air.

~

15th of March, 2010
Michael is 51, Angela is 46, and Jake is 47

Angela: Michael was singing loudly along to the radio as he made breakfast for us in the kitchen.

My job was to pack up our bags from another stay at the beach house.

Being here has put the both of us in such good moods, and I smiled to myself at the thought of the previous few days.

With endless walks on the beach every day, we talked and laughed for hours, not a care in the world.

Michael would then put on a movie for us to watch and make us popcorn each night, only to have it playing in the background while I eventually rode him.

As I was folding some of his shirts, I got a call from Dr. Brent.

She came over on my birthday a few days ago, to take some blood and check how I was doing overall.

Right after the checkup, Michael took me to the beach house, to unwind.

"Mrs. Jackson, hi. How are you?"

You'd think after five months of ongoing chemo, people would stop asking how I was feeling, but no, they had to.

"I'm okay, Dr. Brent. You?" I said into the phone.

"Good, thanks. Listen, I got your test results... Is there any chance you'd be able to come in today for a couple more exams? I have a good feeling." there was a tone of hope in her voice.

I gasped, "You do?"

"Yes. So, could you come in?"

"I think so. I'll go tell Michael. We can be at the hospital in less than an hour."

The doctor agreed then hung up.

As fast as I could, I raced into the kitchen to tell my husband.

~

"...And take another deep breath, Mrs. Jackson. I'm almost done." Dr. Brent assured.

With my feet propped up on stirrups, I breathed in, flinching when she put another cold metal device inside of me.

I grabbed my thighs and tried focusing on something other than the excruciating pain caused by whatever she was doing down there.

And when she finally pulled her hands out of me, I let out a little shriek.

"Well," the doctor gave me a sympathetic look as she took off her gloves. "The ultrasound looked great, and once I'll run a biopsy I can know more. For now, rest at home. Don't do too much, alright? Oh, and no sexual activity for the next week. I'll give you a call soon."

She stood up to leave.

"Dr. Brent? What happens if I'm not better?" I questioned.

"I have high hopes that you are. But in case you aren't, another round of treatments is what I'd recommend. Don't let it bother your mind too much, please. I promise, it's looking great."

Shaking my hand, she left me alone to get dressed.

Michael hurried to help me walk me as soon as I limped out of the room.

"What did Dr. Brent say?" he asked.

"That she'll call soon." I answered.

"You think this might be it?"

"We can only hope, Mike."

He rubbed my back soothingly, all the way home, and the endless waiting began.

~

Michael: "Mommy! Daddy! You're home!" Blanket was the first one to notice us walk through the front door.

"Hey, baby." Angela hugged him gently.

"How was the beach house?" he smiled.

She played with his hair. "It was fun. Where's uncle Luci?"

"With Rose, Jared, AJ, and Leo at the carousel."

"Ange," I put my hand on the small of her back. "You need to sit."

"Right. I should probably eat, too. Blanket, baby, you wanna join me?"

They both made their way to the kitchen.

I decided to catch up on some work in my office to distract myself. There were a couple big piles of papers on the desk, all overdue.

It didn't take long for me to get restless. Leaning back in my chair, I let out a loud sigh.

That uncertain feeling was weighing heavy.

I could definitely use a drink right now.

Going over to my mini bar, I poured myself a glass of the first thing I saw.

Outside, Prince and Eric could be heard from the pool.

The uncertainties soon turned into worries, my mind racing a thousand miles an hour.

Especially about the kids; how hard it would be for them to lose their mother so young.

What if Angela is still sick? What if she actually doesn't get better?

I shook my head to get the thought out.

She will, she has to.

~

23rd of March, 2010
Michael is 51, Angela is 46, and Jake is 47

Angela: The past days have been so nerve-wracking.

I hated this feeling. Not knowing what might happen, if we got hopeful for nothing.

I've checked my phone at least 50 times a day just in case I miss a call from Dr. Brent.

And distracting myself seemed like an impossible task. I even tried cooking, for the sake of doing something normal.

"Baby, put that down, please," Michael tried grabbing my phone from my hand, as we finished setting the table for dinner. "She'll call."

"Why is it taking eight whole days, though? How long does it take for a stupid biopsy to come back?" I mumbled, giving up and let him take the device.

He put it in his pocket and massaged my shoulders, those slender fingers of his digging in just right.

"What if we turn off our phones tonight and enjoy some well-needed time with the kids?" he offered.

I leaned into his hands some more. "Okay."

"Good. I'm gonna call them to eat. You better turn off that phone."

He placed it next to me on the counter. I stared at it for a minute before actually turning it off.

It's for the best.

~

It was 11 PM when we made our way back to the main house from the theater.

This night was absolutely perfect. There were no interruptions, just pure family time. It felt like it has been so long since we did that.

Everyone was yawning loudly as they dragged themselves into the house and straight up to their rooms.

"Goodnight, mommy." Lily hurried to hug me.

"Night, baby. Have the sweetest dreams."

Michael then wrapped one arm around my waist, "Wasn't turning off our phones the best idea?"

I nodded, "Mmhm, it was."

"And now I have another good idea..." he played with the hem of my shirt.

"Oh?"

"Some more fun, just for us."

I giggled when he took me to our bedroom, making me forget about everything.

~

24th of March, 2010
Michael is 51, Angela is 46, and Jake is 47

Angela: The sunlight hit my eyes as I was waking up.

I stretched and looked at Michael who was smiling at me tiredly.

Opening my mouth to ask what time it is, I didn't even get a chance before he answered.

"It's late... Maybe 9..."

"We should get up," I told him, suddenly remembering we never turned on our phones. "Shit, Mike, what if Dr. Brent called?"

I got out of his hold to reach for my phone. As I waited for it to light up, a knock on our bedroom door was heard.

There were 10 missed calls from my doctor.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, a certain Dr. Mia Brent is here for you." it was one of the housemaids.

Quickly, I found my robe, throwing Michael his.

He almost stumbled as he tried to pull up his briefs, and I grabbed a beanie that was lying around.

I literally dragged him by the hand into the foyer. Dr. Brent stood there a bit awkwardly, her ginger hair in a bun above her head.

She blushed a little when she saw us; I did too.

"I'm sorry for coming unnoticed," she said. "But I tried calling you last night, Mrs. Jackson... I wanted to give you the good news in person. Congratulations, as of today you are cancer free."

~

Michael caressed the side of my upper thigh as I sat on his lap. We both watched Luciano while he uncorked another champagne bottle.

"See, sis? I knew it! I just knew you could do it... Cancer free, baby! Woo!"

After Dr. Brent gave us the news, we invited everyone so we could tell them, too.

We were both given a glass and our guests cheered, then we took a sip.

Lisa Marie eyed me, raising her glass towards me, and went back to talking to Jada.

I was so happy to be surrounded by everyone I loved.

Michael poked my side to get my attention. "Hey, Angie?"

"Yeah?" I turned to him.

"I love you. Thank you for fighting."

Tearing up a little, I leaned in to kiss him. His hand automatically cupped my cheek, pulling me as close as possible with the other one that was still around my lower body.

"I love you more, Michael," I breathed when we broke apart. "I couldn't do any of this without you."

"To growing old together, right?" he showed me his glass, that irresistible smile playing on his lips.

"And raising our beautiful family." I clinked our glasses.

"Together?"

"Together."