January 4th, 2002

Evening

There was swirling snow outside the bus. They were heading towards the south of France. The driver, who was a usual one, was complaining about the weather.

"It's supposed to stop soon. That's what the radio said. The more south we get, the less there'll be. I'll believe it when I see it."

Sam was sitting in his usual seat. His wife was with him, but she was taking care of Randy all day with her usual great kindness. Randy had been sleeping a lot, so she'd periodically check his blood sugar with all the gentleness of a nurse despite not being one. She'd check it at the top of every hour. If she found it was low, she'd wake him and have him eat some peanut butter crackers while talking to him in a quieted voice. When he was in this kind of condition, he couldn't take sudden loud noises.

Maya was behaving herself, to Sam's great surprise. She was with Yuna's daughter, Alice. Yuna's younger son, Logan, was keeping quiet while playing a Gameboy. Yuna was keeping an eye on him, but mostly she was chatting quietly with Anais about the dancers who were supposed to join them throughout the press tour. The dancers wouldn't be doing much but standing there, but it'd be good exposure on local TV.

The bus was going to stop in the nearest town to refuel, and Maya's idea was go grab some more magazines with Alice. Sam thought this was a good idea. But then, he remembered the magazines wouldn't be in English. He made a face privately to himself and stuck to the stack of Robert Ludlum novels he'd found at Shakespeare and co. the other day. Ironically, most of them were about France. He wondered if the original owner had bought them in America or wherever they were from in preparation for life in France. These were not a good indication.

He was stuck on a certain page of one of them. He was instead thinking about what happened with Tommy earlier.

They were told they'd be faxed over the police report once they got to their hotel for the night. The four kids involved were given charges, and Anais was on the fence on whether or not to keep them. They were kids after all, but Sam put his foot down reluctantly.

"If you don't have them charged now for criminal trespassing, this will only embolden others who could be a lot more dangerous. You don't want this to become a trend. What happens when you get back home with the kids? What if people jump the fence then?" He'd been really stern, and Tommy had been on the phone with them saying the same lines.

"We're replacing the fence," Anais said. But, Sam didn't want that to be the end of it.

"Real criminals don't care about a fence. These kids were lookie-loos. But, there might be people out there who's intent it is to rob you. To harm you, because they believe Michael's lies or they're a fan of Michael's. They could harm the kids..."

Anais had put her head in her hands. Sam had put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing kindly. He didn't want to put her through this, but she had to know. They'd gotten lucky this time.

"If you keep the charges, likely these kids will go to juvie or get a slap on the wrist. But, it'll send a message to the others. In fact, I think additional security is a good idea for now."

"Yeah, extra security. The company I used to work for is nationwide. I can call them for you," Tommy offered. It was a side to him that Sam hadn't seen before. "I can vet them. Make sure who they send over are serious. This is serious."

Anais had made a dismissing gesture, but Sam took it as to proceed. He'd told Tommy to go ahead and inquire with his former company. He thought two or three more guys was a good idea. People to patrol, at least until they could get a security alarm system and a higher fence. It was for their future, even if there wasn't anything too valuable in the house. The valuable thing here was the family's sense of safety. They were going through too much to have to deal with this, too.

Later on, she'd told Sam and Lorraine that she wasn't sure if they could go back now. This incident had startled her. She hadn't thought anyone would jump their fence. They'd had weird people hanging around their house before, because of Michael's fans stalking, but no one had ever invaded their property. This was a boldness she'd never seen before, and it absolutely terrified her despite looking like she was holding it together.

"They think because we're celebrities that we don't have feelings," she'd confessed. Sam knew that all too well. He'd heard it so many times before, but that didn't diminish her feelings now. "I have to protect my children. That's why we're here. I can't imagine if we'd been there... How terrified my children would be. I know they're scared now. But, they're brave. They shouldn't have to be brave..."

Lorraine had given her a long hug. Holding her, like she needed to be held. Sam wasn't sure what to do. More and more, he was seeing what she was saying was right. That her instinct was correct. People would never do that to her family here. The way they treated her parents when they'd entered the theater for the opera... It was miles and worlds away from the home invasion the family had just suffered. Sam didn't want to admit the fact that maybe it was better that they never went back to L.A. He wanted to tell her to wait and see, but they were waiting and seeing and what they were seeing wasn't good. It was just getting worse.

Then, there was Randy. His mom was already stressed. Sam wasn't sure if this was a semi-normal off day, or if it was a result of stress. He'd been sleeping most of the day, and he'd even had trembling hands terrifyingly a few hours ago. They'd gotten that under control, but it could have been a precursor to a seizure and that would have been terrible for everyone. Sam was really hoping that Randy would wake up later and be just fine. He knew with Lorraine helping him, that this was a lot more likely. He hoped at least that this was a distraction from the current problem in L.A, but what horrible distraction it was.

Sam knew that Anais didn't want him to travel in this condition, but she didn't have a choice. She didn't want to leave her kids in Paris, and this press tour around France would last weeks. Just getting to Marseille was over seven hours. They had to go where the press invitations were, and that could mean them being in the bus all day or night. A lot of them were even radio shows where she'd be recording a sound byte and that was it. It seemed even cruel to Sam. Driving for hours, for literally ten seconds.

But, the kids were used to this. They used to do it for their dad and their mom when they were young. They'd be literally bundled up in blankets in the back of a sedan while their concerned mom would be swung around to look at them in the front seat. They'd be asleep as they drove all night to attend some kind of interview or sound byte. She was a good mom, never wanting to leave them, but it was unfortunately a grey area. A lot of the press had something to say about it, and Anais wasn't bold enough to fight that.

The bus pulled up to a gas station and everyone pretty much stood up to stretch their legs. Sam went over to Lorraine who was sitting on Randy's bed as a precaution. She pretty much had been sitting there all day. Unlike everyone else, Randy didn't have a "coffin" bed. The other stacks were three to a stack, very little room to move. But, Anais had learned early into Randy's life that his bed needed to be more open just in case paramedics needed to get to him quickly. It was a hard thing to swallow. So, there was a bunk above Randy and that's where Sam usually slept. This time, Lorraine would be with him too, on that bunk.

"Do you want anything from the gas station?" Sam asked. "I can get you some magazines to look at. Do you want a snack?"

"Magazines could be good. Fashion things. I can look at what people are wearing here. That'd be nice. Get me some gummies, too. I have a craving."

"Okay. Gummies sound pretty good. I'll get us the same ones."

She smiled to thank him, and he went to get off the bus. He waited for everyone else first. He made sure his cellphone was on just in case Lorraine called him in this short time he'd be off the bus.

He went over to the bathroom first to take a leak. It was still snowing like the cloud was spitting down. The bathroom was outside and needed a key, so he went to the cashier to get it. He went out there and went to the bathroom, then came back inside.

He saw Maya and Alice loading up on snacks. Yuna was leading Logan around. He was about ten years old. He saw him grab a wolf plush from a large display, and Sam thought about it for a few seconds and swung around back to it and grabbed one for Randy, too. It would be a nice surprise for when he woke up. He decided to put it in his arms while he slept. He needed a nice pick-me-up after today. He knew he'd feel pretty terrible for the next hours after he finally woke up for the night, too. A new stuffed animal would be just what he needed for comfort.

He grabbed some gummies for himself and his wife. He thought about it, and grabbed some other snacks also. He took some chocolate off the shelf for Randy and some peanuts. Peanuts were always a good, neutral snack for him as long as they weren't honey roasted. This was on top of the more healthy snacks Randy had on the bus that Sam had bought for him yesterday, but it was good to give him a variety. He could be very picky about food, especially when stressed.

He grabbed some drinks also. His wife tended to like tea, but he didn't see anything.

When he went up to the counter, he joined up with Anais. There weren't many people in here, but the lone cashier was starstruck. They were talking to each other when Sam joined them.

"I love your father," she was saying. Sam knew enough French to know that much. She was talking to Anais reverently and holding her hands. Anais was giving her a genuine smile. Sam was so happy to see it. Anais noticed him and gestured for him to put his stuff on the counter. She said something small to the cashier and she started ringing up his purchases. Anais gave her a credit card and that was that. The items were bagged up and Anais went behind the counter and gave the cashier a hug. The cashier looked like she could cry. She gave her another hug.

Sam was reminded once again how kind France was to Anais. It made him uncomfortable even more that he was sure this was the place the family should be. Right now in America, Anais could never go into some random gas station in the boonies and be treated like this. He'd have to act like an actual security guard and tell her not to do it. But, here? Here she could do that, and get such respect and love from a random stranger. Sam clutched his purchases, thinking about Randy and Maya. How this decision would affect them...

"She told me she's seeing what Michael is saying in America," Anais suddenly said to him as they were walking slowly back to the bus. He saw that she'd bought various toiletries, and not only for herself. Always thinking about her children. "She said sorry to me. It's not her fault. I told her that. But... She said she loves my father and me and she said she's so upset. She said her whole family is upset and wants to yell at Michael. She said a lot of people she knows think that. They talk about it at work, too. She said she couldn't believe I just walked in there out of nowhere. That she really wanted to tell me how sorry she was and that all of France had me. That if Michael dared to come here, he'd have to watch his back. I couldn't help but smile at that. But am I a monster for that?"

Sam shook his head wildly. "No, that makes you human."

She seemed pensive at that. In deep thought. They got back on the bus and Sam gave his wife her magazines, candy, and her drink. He added the peanuts in with Randy's snacks in the locked cupboard, then went back to him with the new wolf plush. His wife smiled at him and took it, wedging it under his arm so gently that it probably wouldn't have even woken up a baby.

Sam scooped up Princess from Randy's bed and connected a leash to her collar. He stooped down and connected the other leash to Darla's collar. He went off the bus again to give them a walk. The snow was coming down harder and it seemed to spook Princess. She'd been in snow before, but she was a young puppy so Sam smiled at her and kept a slow pace for her to explore freely. She was sniffing around obsessively. It was a new area. There were so many new smells to experience. Even Darla was having a good time with that.

It was getting too cold, so he encouraged them to go to the bathroom by stopping at a patch of green grass. It was semi-covered with snow, and the puppy was way too interested in that. He also realized that the puppy had never seen any grass like this. Only small patches on the Paris sidewalks. He wondered if she thought all grass came like that.

"You pee on that. Watch Darla," he chuckled at her. "Go on. You can do it."

Eventually, she started whimpering, clearly not knowing what to do. Sam picked her up and set her on a more green part of the grass, trying to get the snow off it with his boot first. She started twirling around, sniffing it.

"Good puppy," Sam said proudly. "Go on and pee."

When the dogs had done their business, Sam went back to the bus with them. Anais thanked him and took Darla onto her lap. She was on her laptop. It looked like she was talking to Suzanne. Suzanne would be meeting them in Marseille to help ferry them to appointments, but for now Suzanne was apparently about to get on a plane. Anais gave Darla a good scratch behind the ears, which made the dog let out a long sigh.

Sam picked up the puppy and gently put her back on Randy's bed. She returned to chewing on a tough bone chew with some kind of peanut butter in the middle. It was way too big for her. The perfect distraction for a determined, small puppy. He was pleased that she seemed to be bonding with Randy, wanting to be near him. He wondered if she found comfort in his smell.

Sam went back to his seat at the front of the bus, opening up a Coke and a book. He waited for everyone to settle in, and in no time the driver set the bus in gear and they were off again. The sounds of the bus were comforting, Sam couldn't deny that. He was just happy to be warm and out of the snow.

Things went along as the evening wore on. Yuna came up to him to ask to borrow his Gameboy and connector so she could play with her son. He let her have it and made sure they had the same copy of the game she wanted. He did. He pretty much had to have every multi-player game that Randy had so he could play with him, too. This one was some kind of racing game. Yuna was so thankful for that. She'd had no idea that she'd need a copy of the game to play, too. He was glad to help.

Around 7pm, Randy woke up and was groggy. He was happy to feel the wolf plush in his arms and gave it a squeeze. Sam went over to check on him. His sugar was a little low, but nothing too serious. Randy enjoyed eating a little chocolate, but as Sam watched him do that he thought he really needed an actual meal. So, he went to the driver to tell him that. However, he wasn't sure what they'd find out here. He agreed to keep an eye out for the driver to tell him to stop if he saw anything.

Eventually, he saw a fast food place and alerted the driver. They eased into the parking lot and everyone on the bus was a abuzz. Nancy went around taking orders and writing them down. She stopped for a while at Randy, talking to Lorraine. She came to Sam finally and he ordered the biggest hamburger they had, whatever that was.

Nancy was gone for a while, and the puppy meandered toward Sam. He held his hands out for her, encouraging her to come over. He could tell that she'd gotten used to the bus moving and was wobbly. She finally got close enough and he picked her up and put her on his lap. The dogs would need to eat soon, too. They didn't like to eat when the bus was moving. He assumed it was because of the bus's vibrations.

"Okay, Princess, let's eat," he said, getting up. She was small enough to carry with one hand under her stomach. He went to the cabinet with the dog stuff in it and began bringing down the stuff.

"Thanks, Sam. I completely forgot," Anais started, sounding stressed.

"Nah, it's alright. I wanted to feed them," Sam chuckled. Princess was wiggling so he put her under his arm. It was much more secure. She was excited about the food, seeing the food bags.

He set her down and she excitedly went around his legs. Anais let Darla down and she went to him, too. The kibble clinked in a rain into the two bowls, different kibble for each of them. It was so important to give them the right kibble for their age groups, because cavaliers can have such health problems. The puppy dove into her bowl, but Darla was more respectful it seemed. He watched them eating just in case trouble arose. The puppy might try to take Darla's food when she finished, and he didn't want Darla snapping at her just in case. But, Darla was nice. Likely, Darla would just watch her food get eaten and then stare up at him for more.

Nancy came back after a while when the dogs were finished. Seemed like their large order took a while. He was surprised by the good quality burger that awaited him. But, he took his time to observe Lorraine giving Randy his food. He wanted to make sure he was actually eating. He saw him tuck in immediately, so relieved, he started eating himself. Lorraine was eating with Randy and observing him. Sam trusted her more than anything, so he was satisfied.

When the driver was finished eating, he set the bus in gear and they were on the road again.

It was snowing in Hokkaido, too. Again. A steady one, with small flakes. The ranch across the way looked pretty with it. Takuya wondered if their house was pretty with it, too. His mom was home today, so he was mostly in his room practicing dancing. He was getting into the music. He wanted to branch out and find more, but he was limited to the tapes and CD's that got passed around at the clubs. The owner of Mad Mike's had given him some good stuff the last time, and he was working his way through it. He was thinking about the complex rhythms, challenging himself to change rhythm as songs changed. Seeing how fast he was to adapt. It would help him with his transitions.

The phone started ringing in the kitchen. His mom must have picked up, so he kept dancing. Going into more complex choreography and switches, really moving all parts of his body. He wanted to learn more. He thought about meeting up with some other dancers he knew from the contests. But he wondered if they were too competitive to share secrets...

When he looked up, his mom was at his doorway holding the phone. Its long cord was dragging. He was very surprised, but the next second he was logical.

"Is it a club?" he asked, taking the phone from her and pressing it to his ear.

"No. She says her name is Yuna. She says she's in France. I couldn't make out much. She says she's on a bus."

His eyebrows raised. "What?" he asked her, in disbelief, but the voice that answered came in and there was a cacophony behind it.

There was clapping and someone singing in French. Loud noises of a vehicle.

"Hello? Ah! Hello! Good morning! I wanted to extend my congrat- Anais! Nooo! Sit down, you'll fall! Oh, I'm sorry. I'm going to send you some plane tickets. We're going to fast track your visa. We've been working on it already. We want you to get on a plane tomorrow. Please come to Marseille- Anaiiis! Nooo! I'm on the phone! Maya! Go help your mom!"

His mouth had to be wide enough now to swallow a whale.

"You have your passport? You said you did in your letter, I remember. I know you're near Sapporo. Do you need transportation to the airport? We'll pick you up from Marseille."

"Um- um, tickets?" He didn't know what to do. What was going on? He was so confused.

"Yes. You'll have to sign your contract before you come. Send it to me as soon as you can. We prefer fax. I sent that number over. It's from the hotel we're staying in. Do you need travel expenses?"

It was going too fast. "I'm sorry. This is so fast."

"Yes. I'm sorry. We had an unexpected flurry of press requests. We'll fill you in when you come here. Have you read any of the press about what's happening? We had to go faster than we planned. We want our dancers here to show people what will become familiar faces on the tour. We'll be doing press all the way up to the summer tour, but we're starting early to ward off bad press."

"Oh- okay..."

"Please pack for an extended amount of time. It's all in the contract, but we're starting a couple of months early. We'll up your pay accordingly. Um do you need travel expenses? Send me an email. I know it's very short notice. I apologize. We're offering all the dancers travel expenses just in case."

He was about to say more, but was interrupted.

"You're a minor, aren't you? You'll have to have your parent or guardian sign the contract with you. Oh no, I have to go. Email me! Anais-!"

The phone dropped off immediately. Takuya was left stunned. His mom was still in the doorway. "Who was that?" she asked. She seemed a little scared. Takuya thought that was appropriate. He gave a long sigh and patted his bed as he sat down. She sat with him, and what followed was a whirlwind.

Takuya stared at the green handled suitcase on his bed. It contained every article of clothing he owned except for what was on his back and his coat which he was also wearing. His backpack was full of travel essentials, except he'd never traveled this far before. He'd only ever taken the bus to Sapporo and Niseko. Now he'd be taking a plane from Sapporo to Tokyo, and from Tokyo to Paris, and then from Paris to Marseille. Where was Marseille? He thought he'd better figure that out fast.

His mom was standing in the doorway again. It had been a crazy morning. He'd discovered the first plane ticket was for this evening. When that woman on the phone had said it was going to be quick, she wasn't kidding. His mom was still unsure, but she said she figured that if it was a scam, he'd only get as far as Sapporo, which is where he usually went for contests anyway. He secretly figured that if he was there anyway, he'd go to the owner of Mad Mike's to see if he had any new music. It was a good use of his time.

His mom had still felt unsure about signing her name on a document. She'd gone over to the ranch across the street to fax it over. This had led to a conversation with their neighbors. The wife of the rancher across the street was a homemaker with three children of her own. She'd agreed to take care of Mika and Itsuki while Takuya was away. She'd been so happy for this opportunity for Takuya. She hadn't thought it was a scam at all, trying to reassure his mom.

Takuya's mind was racing so much that he'd forgotten his siblings in this. He felt ashamed. But, if this was real...there'd never be a reason to feel shame again. He thought that was so strange.

His mom hugged him. The rancher's wife would be taking him to Sapporo. No doubt, she was already waiting. This caused a blip of worry. He was too shocked to be worried, but now it was starting.

"You have everything. I made sure," his mom was saying as she hurried him to the door. He'd already said good-bye to his siblings and explained where he was going. His sister had asked if he could bring her back a present. He wasn't sure she'd really understood what he'd said. His brother wasn't paying attention, but he'd definitely notice Takuya was gone. Gone...that word was surreal.

He waved to his siblings, who were eating dinner. They waved back. He thought better of it and gave them both hugs, which made his sister realize he was actually leaving. This led to his brother crying, too. Then his mom started, but she was trying not to.

"I'm so proud of you, no matter what happens," she said, holding him. She wiped his long hair from his face. "Let me see you. I'm not going to see my oldest son for a long time."

He tried not to cry as he stared into her eyes. He realized he didn't like good-byes. She pushed him out of the door and he looked back at them. She'd have to comfort his siblings and he felt bad about that. But, if this was all a scam, he'd be back tonight anyway...

This made him turn away with more confidence. He went to the neighbor's, and met the rancher's wife in the driveway.

"I was about to come get you. How exciting. I'm so happy for you! You know, we're always thinking about all of you... Oh! I forgot! I have something for you! Oh, I can't believe what could have happened if I forgot..."

They got into the car and she reached into her purse. He already knew what was coming if she was doing that.

"Oh no, I couldn't-"

She was shoving a stack of money into his hands. He felt so ashamed.

"Please. We want you to. You'll be traveling for a long time. My husband has gone overseas before. You need travel money. We had a long conversation about it. You've helped us all so much. You've helped us shoe our horses, groom them, feed them. Consider this back pay. Please..."

She looked so desperate as she said it. Takuya swallowed his shame and bowed as deeply as he could in his seat as he took it respectfully with both hands.

"I will use it responsibly."

"I know you will. I promise to take care of your siblings as if they were my own children." She put the car in gear and they were on their way, backing out of her driveway. "I know your siblings love our horses. They can ride them plenty. I want to teach them how to take care of them. Your sister loves them a lot. I want to teach her responsibility about them."

Now Takuya really, really hoped what he was going to wasn't a scam. How great for Mika, and Itsuki. But especially for Mika.

They spoke about it for the whole two hours to Sapporo. He'd known her since he was small, but it wasn't a relationship where he felt as close as a relative. It seemed now that she and her family wanted to establish that relationship. It seemed like they'd wanted to for a long time. He was beyond touched, but didn't know the proper way to express it.

Mostly, he'd felt shame about his family's situation, with his dad. What happened to them. He knew all the neighbors knew about it. But, maybe they weren't judging them like he thought. The neighbor with the german shepherd dog had given them mikan. Now this neighbor was giving them and him this much... He didn't know what to do. He stared straight ahead, trying not to get emotional. Talking to her. He ended up talking about his dreams, and he only felt a little strange about that. She only responded in a proud way for him. As if he was her own son. It made his body stiffen as he tried to hide his emotions. It had never been this hard to do that.

When she dropped him off at the airport, it was surreal. All he had were his claim number for his ticket. He had another claim number for his return ticket. Other than that, he didn't know what to do. He swallowed his shame and asked the neighbor about it.

"You're seventeen now, right? I'll stay with you. I should," she said. He wasn't expecting that. "I'll walk you through it, don't worry. Oh, how exciting! You're going to Paris, right? I've always wanted to go there. You have to tell me how it was when you go. Or is that too bold?" She took his suitcase, which he felt bad about. He felt even worse when he realized he felt bad about her taking it because she's a woman. She worked on a ranch every day. She was probably stronger than he was.

He put his backpack on and they went into the airport together. He was pretty amazed by the indoor space. It was so large. She took him to the proper line after examining the email containing the ticket info. He had no idea he'd have to do that. He'd definitely have gotten into any line.

When he received his ticket and checked his suitcase, he was surprised by the neighbor hugging him. He gave her a big hug, too.

"I've watched you grow," she said quietly to him. "I watched what happened to your family. I'm so sorry for bringing it up, but... Oh, my husband and I are so proud of you. The way you take care of your siblings. The way you stepped in... I watch you every day. My husband? He's not the best at expressing his emotions, but I am. You're going to do great. We both know it. Please remember to have fun."

Takuya was speechless. He had no idea this neighbor felt that way about him and his family. He was so grateful. He didn't know what to say.

She directed him to the security check and he bowed so deeply to her that he felt himself start to topple over. He didn't know what else to do. She bowed to him in kind and waved until he was out of sight. He felt so good about her taking care of his siblings. He knew she'd do a great job at it. More than a great job.

He went through the security checkpoint, and they told him what to do. He was surprised that he had to take his shoes off. He obeyed every rule.

When he got out of it, he got into a big wide open area. It was so strange to him that he had to process it for a while, but when he did, he moved forward. He'd be moving forward from now on.