10th of January, 1993
Brooklyn is 27, Michael is 34

Brooklyn: Home. What a great place to be at.

We've finished with the first leg of the 'Dangerous' tour, finally. Being in Tokyo for over two weeks tore me up.

"Babe?" Michael called from his closet room. "I need your opinion on something."

"Sure, Mike." I said.

He walked out wearing black jeans, a simple v-neck shirt, and a beautiful white jacket with what seemed like pearls on it. I've never seen it before, it must be new.

"Oh, wow." I managed to say.

"Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.

"I love it, you're so handsome." I answered.

He smiled shyly, then spun around. He really looked beautiful.

"It's for the Grammy Awards. Bush needs to make a few touch-ups, and put the armband on, but it's basically finished." my husband explained.

"The Grammy Awards? You have over a month, and he designed it now?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, he also has to work on a dress..."

"A dress?"

"You're my date."

I looked at him, a bit overwhelmed, "But I thought Janet was your date, since she's presenting your award."

"She'll be walking with us on the red carpet, but you're my date." Michael smiled.

My mind was shocked, but I was excited.

This won't be the first time I'll be going with Michael to an award show, but it is my first Grammy Awards.

I was supposed to be his date in 1988, but unfortunately I came down with a little bit of fever, so he wouldn't let me go.

I honestly never liked going to those kind of events. I usually went because Michael asked me to, or made me.

These are one of the times he made me. And if he wasn't going to try to convince me, Michael Bush would definitely beg me to go and wear the dress he designed to match my husband's outfit.

I sighed and watched as he gently took it off and returned to his closet room.

~

"Have fun." I kissed Michael before he left for the studio.

He had a vocal training session he couldn't miss.

"Thanks, I'll be home around six. I love you." he kissed me as well before walking out the door.

As if on cue, as soon as the door closed the home phone started ringing though the big space of our house.

I hurried to pick it up, "Neverland ranch."

"Brooke?" I heard a familiar voice say.

"Ross? Is that you?" I asked when I recognized my ex's voice.

"Yes! It has been so long!" he said excitedly.

"May I ask how you got this number?"

It wasn't easy to get out private home number. We made sure it was kept safe, except for our close family and friends. Back in our old house, fans used to call all the time and scream in my ear.

"Oh, I called your dad and he gave it to me."

I couldn't lie, I was really happy to hear from him. I haven't talked to him since I saw him at Michael's and I's wedding, it kind of made me feel guilty.

I've known Ross since the seventh grade. Until ninth grade, he didn't mean anything to me, really. He was just another guy in my grade. But then a mutual friend introduced us, and we became really great friends. I loved talking to him, he was an easy person to talk to. He asked me out almost two years later, at the beginning of eleventh grade.

"I called to ask if I could meet you," his voice was a bit shaky. "To give you, uh, an invitation to my wedding."

"You're getting married?!" I said.

"Yeah, in March."

"Oh, wow. Congratulations, Ross. I'm really happy for you."

I could feel him smile, "Thank you."

"What's her name?" I questioned.

"Rachel." my ex said.

"How about you come with her to Neverland? We can have a double date." I suggested.

"That sounds great. When are you and Michael available?" he asked.

"Um...," I thought for a little, trying to remember Michael's schedule. "On Saturday, for sure. He's just kind of busy with the Superbowl, you know, so he has tight schedule."

"Yeah, I've heard, but it's great for us. I'll talk to Rachel and I'll see you soon, Brooke. I've missed you."

"I missed you, too. Bye."

Putting the phone down, I sighed.

Let's hope it'll go smooth.

~

16th of January, 1993
Brooklyn is 27, Michael is 34

Michael: "Ross! Oh, God, it's so good to see you!" Brooklyn said excitedly, then hugged her ex boyfriend tightly.

"You, too, Brooke." he said and put his head on her shoulder.

I greeted his fiancée, "Hi, I'm Michael."

"I know, it's a pleasure to meet you. The name's Rachel." she said.

Rachel looked young, certainly not a day older than twenty-five. I could also tell she was a fan, simply because of the look on her face. She was trying so hard to hide her excitement.

"Michael, it's great to see you again." Ross told me. He reached out to shake my hand.

"You, too." I smiled.

"Brooke, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Brooke." he introduced the girls to each other. I watched as my wife pulled Rachel into a hug, to let her know she's welcome.

"This place is even bigger than they describe it."

"Would you like a tour?" I asked.

Both Ross and Rachel nodded.

~

Brooklyn: "Can we go on it?" Ross asked when he saw the Zipper. I could see the excitement in his eyes as the child inside of him came to life again.

It's what Neverland did to anyone who visited.

"Of course, I'll go talk to the operator." Michael answered then excused himself.

Soon enough I found myself clutching his hand for dear life as we spun around and around. I loved all of the thrilling kinds of rides, but I was dead scared.

He was screaming with joy like every time he went on a ride.

When we got off, I saw Ross and Rachel laughing uncontrollably, trying to recover.

"That was so great!" Rachel said.

I smiled and Ross agreed, "I can't remember the last time I've been on an amusement park ride, that was fun."

"You're more than welcome to come over again." my husband told them.

"Thank you so much."

~

Dinner time came soon, and Ronda made an amazing one.

"So when exactly is the wedding?" I asked.

"Here, we'll let this answer for you. I really hope both of you make it." Rachel said, handing me a neatly closed envelope.

I opened it, to find a beautiful invitation card. I scanned it a bit.

"March 8th?" I said, looking at my husband. That's not good.

"Bummer." he sighed.

"Not a good date?" Ross asked.

"No, unfortunately not," Michael answered. "It's the day before the Soul Train Awards, I'll probably be preparing, rehearsing. Brooke is joining me as well, so we're both not available."

I saw my ex and his fiancée frown.

"We can try to come to the ceremony. But I can't make promises." I told them.

They nodded as if they understood, yet they looked disappointed.

~

Ross and I were catching up as Michael showed Rachel the ranch. She seemed really fascinated by it, so he offered to take her on a second tour.

"I can't believe I haven't seen you in seven years, you've changed." I said.

He really did. My ex never used to grow a beard, he hated it. Now here he is, with a full-on stubble. His eyes that used to be light green have turned blue. And his figure was different, it looked like he'd been working out a lot.

"You're the one to talk. You were pregnant, right? I was expecting a little combination of you and Michael to run all over the place."

I shook my head, "We lost it five months into the pregnancy. It's a long story, I don't like talking about it."

"It tore you two apart, didn't it?" he questioned.

I swear, he could read me like a book.

"Yes, for quite some time. We pretended like everything was okay, when it wasn't. It was just a mess."

"I'm sorry, Brooklyn."

I looked away from him. It's like we can never escape it.

"So, how did you meet Rachel?" I asked.

"She was my boss." Ross answered.

"Oh, really?" I smiled. "Tell me more, please."

"Well, after college I looked for a job, something convenient that was close to home. I found this record store in Downtown LA and she hired me. One night we were closing together, one thing led to another, and I found myself in her bed the next morning."

I couldn't help but laugh. Ross? Falling for his boss who he had a one night stand with? That didn't sound like him, at all.

"What are you laughing about?" he said.

"You, it's just so unlike you. And how ironic is it that you work at a record shop, when you barely listen to music?" I wiped my fake tears.

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, Ms. 'I can't dance'. Remind me again, who's working as a dancer for the greatest entertainer in the universe?"

"Mrs." I showed him my rings and winked.

"Wow. If only I could afford that kind of rock for Rachel."

"It's not that big." I mumbled.

"Whatever you say." my ex smirked.

"By the way, working for Michael doesn't count. It's not like I worked hard for it." I shrugged.

"Are you kidding me? I remember when you used to practice for hours. And whenever you had a lesson with Michael you made sure you knew everything he taught you. If that's not hard work, I don't know what is." Ross looked shocked at my words.

"No, I mean, like going to college. You probably worked your ass off to pass your classes. I never got to experience that, you know? Dating Michael was eventful. Then we got married, and he asked me to go on tour with him. I could have gone to college instead."

"Brooke, you married Michael freakin' Jackson. You went on tour with Michael freakin' Jackson. Not just any tour, either. The biggest selling tour of the 80's. You were all over the world, doing what you love. And all that by the time you were what, twenty-three? My biggest achievement when I was twenty-three was getting drunk one night, and not having a hangover the following day. Believe me, you missed nothing."

Just when Ross finished talking, Michael and Rachel walked in.

"It's even more beautiful at night, I swear." she said.

"I'm glad you liked it. Like my husband said before, you're always welcome." I told her.

"Thank you, Brooke." she smiled.

Ross was smiling as well, "Okay, I think it's time we head home, babe."

His fiancée agreed and we walked them to the front door.

I hugged my ex tightly.

"Thank you for inviting us. I hope you can make it to our wedding. And you know I'm always there to talk if you need to." he whispered in my ear.

I nodded into his shoulder and tightened my grip around him.

He slipped a piece of paper in my pocket, probably his number.

We pulled away and he turned to shake Michael's hand, "It was great to see you again, Michael."

"You, too, Ross. I wish you the best."

~

10th of February, 1993
Brooklyn is 27, Janet is 26, and Michael is 34

Brooklyn: Janet and I were sitting on her couch in her living room, watching Michael's live interview with Oprah.

"Have you ever been in love?" she asked him.

He nodded, "I've been in love for the last nine years."

"With Brooklyn?"

"Yes, with Brooklyn."

"How long are you married, exactly?" Oprah looked curious.

"Six years, seven months, and two days." my husband told her.

"She sounds lucky." she smiled.

Michael blushed, "Oh, I don't know..."

"Well, I think every girl watching this would like to be in her place."

"Look at him," Janet laughed. "He's so embarrassed."

I giggled and nodded. Looking at my best friend, I smiled.
Her big box braids were styled in a bun above her head, showing her cute little face.

"Where is she right now?" Oprah asked.

"Oh, um, she's at Janet's house. They're watching this together."

"I have to bring this up, because it is something that's been asked by a lot of people," she said. "What about children? Brooklyn was pregnant before, right?"

Michael shifted in his seat.
"Well, right now we're focusing on us.
And yes, she was pregnant. But unfortunately we had complications."

"Do you want children, Michael?"

"Yes, of course. More than anything. But, like I said, we're taking our time with children."

Oprah raised her eyebrows, "There are rumors Brooke can't carry children. Is it true?"

What the hell?

"God, no. That's outrageous. Of course she's able to carry children." my husband looked shocked.

"Okay, but you do understand that people are doubting that due to the fact she miscarried."

"What the fuck? She's lucky this is live, or else he would've stopped the interview already." Janet said, sounding angry.

"That's non of their business, really." Michael said.

Oprah opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly the alarm went off in the house.

"It seems like the alarm just went off, and I don't know why. We're gonna take care of that in a minute, this is live television, this happens. We'll go to break, and we'll be right back."

Michael nodded his head slightly before the transmission was cut.

Janet's phone rang almost immediately after commercials started.

"Pick it up, it's him for sure." she said.

"I'm sorry, babe. Ugh, I didn't think it would go that far." Michael said when I picked up.
The alarm was heard loudly from his line.

"It's fine, Mike." I told him.

"I'm pissed, I specifically told her not to ask about it." he mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. Just go on with the rest of the interview and it will be over sooner than you think."

The alarm was quickly turned off.
"That's my cue. Again, I'm sorry. I love you, Brooke."

"I love you, too, Michael," I smiled. "Go get 'em, tiger."

~

24th of February, 1993
Brooklyn is 27, Janet is 26, and Michael is 34

Brooklyn: Michael Bush adjusted my sleeveless white dress.

"It looks great, Bush." I told him and looked at myself in the mirror.

"Thank you, Brooke." he said.

The dress reached down to the floor, and it had sparkles all over it.

"Knock knock." Michael's voice was heard from outside the door.

It opened to reveal him in his pearl outfit, looking more than beautiful with his hair straightened out.

"You look amazingly beautiful, babe," he smiled when he saw me. "There's just one thing missing."

Walking to his nightstand, he took out a large blue box from one of the drawers.

He opened the box with a smirk.

I gasped when I saw the pearl necklace with matching earrings.

Michael looked satisfied with my reaction. He asked Bush to hold the box as he put the necklace gently around my neck.

I put the earrings in myself and he turned us towards the mirror.

"Absolutely amazing." he whispered in my ear.

~

"Now I'm very happy to present the Grammy Legend award for 1993, to my big brother, Michael Jackson." Janet announced.

Michael stood up and so did I. He hugged me tightly and placed a peck on my lips before going onstage.

I watched as he and Janet shared a long hug.

"Congratulations, Michael Jackson." she said, making everyone in the audience laugh.

Michael went on with his speech.

"...I also want to thank all those who have helped me to channel my talent here on earth. From the beginning, my parents, all my brothers and sister, especially Janet. I am so proud of her, it's incredible. I mean, I remember when we were little, I used to ask her to be Ginger Rogers, while I was Fred Astaire."

I chuckled at the memory.

"The Motown family. My teacher, Berry Gordy. Diana Ross, I love you. Suzanne De Passe. The wonderful, great, Quincy Jones. Teddy Riley... My new godson, Michael Gibb.
My new Sony family, Akio Morita, Mickey Schulhoff, Tommy Motola, Dave Glew, Polly Anthony. Thanks for making one of my most creative efforts, the album 'Dangerous', such an incredible success. I love you all so much. Sandy Gallin, Jim Morey. I would also like to thank the woman who graciously agreed to be my date tonight, my beautiful wife, Brooklyn. Thank you for supporting and inspiring me to be a better person.
To all my fans around the world - love you very much."

I clapped my hands along with everyone else, and watched as Janet and Michael disappeared backstage.

~

I had the most fun tonight. After the show, the three of us decided to celebrate by opening a bottle of champagne at Janet's house.

Michael and I were half drunk when we returned home.

"Do you mind..?" I asked Michael as he closed our bedroom door, and removed my hair from my back.

He chuckled before neatly unzipping my dress. I felt his lips on my shoulder.

The dress fell onto the floor and my husband's lips traveled to my neck, just above the pearl necklace I was still wearing.
His hands gripped my hips lightly.

"How about I get out of these clothes and then we'll make this night even more amazing by making sweet love?"