2nd of September, 2008
Brooklyn and Janet are 42, Michael is 50

Janet: "Rise and shine, Jan!" Brooke chirped.

I groaned, throwing a pillow at her.

"Oh, come on, we gotta go shopping. You have a date tonight!"

"A date?" I asked.

"Yeah, I told you I was gonna set you up. And it's a double date with Michael and I." she answered.

"Brooke, I don't want to go on a date."

"You have to. He came all the way from across the world."

I lifted myself up, looking at her. "Who is he?"

"You'll find out tonight."

"Fine. But only because you're joining," I sighed. "And I already went shopping yesterday with Katie."

"That's unfair." my best friend scoffed.

"Can I go back to sleep, please?" I yawned.

"Fine." she left the bedroom.

I had to admit, I was a bit excited, and curious about who's this mystery date.

~

Michael: Brooke walked into my office and took a seat on one of the chairs.

"So what's this all about?" she asked.

I pushed the pile of papers Frank gave me earlier this morning towards her.

"Read the first paragraph out loud." I said.

She looked at me skeptically before taking the contract.

"AEG Live and Sony Entertainment present: Michael Jackson's 'This Is It'."

Her eyes filled with confusion, and she fell silent.

"Babe?" I called.

"You're going on tour?" she whispered.

"Yes," I smiled. "And you and the kids are joining me. You'll be my choreographer if you sign these."

I was so happy when Frank said she could be the lead choreographer.

"Michael, this is... Where is this all coming from? I thought you were on a break. We agreed you won't go back so soon."

"I just felt like I wanna do something, you know? I don't plan on doing another album, and I gotta give my fans something. This is the final curtain call, I swear." I told her.

"Okay, I get it, but Mike... You gotta remember that you aren't what you were ten years ago."

"People have to stop saying that."

"But it's true, honey," she put down the contract. "You haven't performed since your 30th anniversary show. Not to mention you lost weight."

I knew what she was talking about. No matter how much I tried to deny it, I was not as young as I used to be. And I did lose weight. A lot of it. But it didn't mean I couldn't perform.

"If I promise to gain some back, would you do it?"

"Maybe, if I know a little bit more about this tour..." she squinted her eyes at me.

"It's a single location tour. I'm thinking of maybe doing it in London. There will be ten shows, and ten shows only."

"Fine, I'll do it. When do we start?"

"We're announcing it in March, and rehearsals start right after. But you'll have to help me pick dancers, too." I said, trying to keep the smile off my face.

She nodded, taking a pen and scribbling down her autograph on the contract.

I got up and took her in my arms. She laughed as I spun her around, then placed a long kiss on her cheek.

"Another tour with my beautiful wife. This is so amazing! We're gonna have so much fun!" I tightened my grip around her waist.

"Come on," she poked my cheek. "Let's get some breakfast. I'm starving."

~

Brooklyn: Although I agreed to do the tour with Michael, I was not liking the idea at all.

He won't be able to handle it. He's just not fit for this.

"Brooke, come on, focus. Red or green?" Janet snapped me out of it.

"Um, red." I mumbled.

"Okay," she sighed, putting down the dresses she held. "What is it?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

"You're the worst liar ever."

"I'll tell you after the date." I said.

If I tell her now, she's gonna be worried the entire evening. She deserves some kind of fun after these last few days. I am not gonna ruin her date.

She nodded, "I guess I can wait. So the red dress?"

"Yeah. I'll go get ready." I stood up, leaving the room.

"Babe, this one, or this one?" Michael showed me two jackets once I walked into our bedroom.

"The dark blue one," I responded, not looking at him. "I need a shower."

Before he could say anything else, I got into the bathroom and locked the door.

~

Michael: "Daddy, where are you going?" Paris asked when she saw me.

"How do you know I'm going somewhere?"

"You're dressed nicely."

"Your mom and I are going on a date," I chuckled. "Do I really look nice? I haven't taken her out in a while, I want to look good for her."

"Yeah, daddy, you look good." my daughter said.

"Thank you, baby." I kissed her hair.

She hugged me and ran off to find Katie.

"Mr. Jackson, Steve is outside." Helen showed up from the kitchen.

I nodded, "I'll go get the girls."

I walked back to our bedroom, where Brooke was putting the last touch up on her face.

"Babe, Steve is waiting for us."

"You go give him company, I'll call Janet." she murmured, looking at me through the mirror.

Our eyes met for a quick second, but she removed hers from the mirror and adjusted the rings on her left finger.

Her mood change was obviously not good.

"Tell me why you're like this." I crossed my arms.

"What are you talking about?"

"We don't have time for games, Brooke, so just tell me what's bothering you. Is it the tour?"

She sighed, nodding.
"You're not- you can't do it, Mike. I know you, I know how you handle tours. Please, just cancel the whole thing and keep staying home. This break is good for you."

"Baby, it's only ten shows. Nothing's gonna happen." I assured her.

"Ten shows, a hundred shows, what does it matter? You are not 30 anymore, Michael. You are a 50-year-old man, who's been through another wave of drugs and pain killers not too long ago."

I groaned.

"Don't groan at me, Michael. You know how hard it was for me to see you go through that again. And then go through rehab for the third time. Tour means rehearsals, and rehearsals mean pressure. I can't even think about what pressure might lead to. I'm scared you'll go back to that awful place." she turned around, glaring at me.

"I won't. I promise I won't, baby." I took her hand in mine.

She had every right to be mad. When the second allegations broke out, I couldn't handle it. I gave in to the pain again. Especially since we had children of our own. I didn't want them to see me suffer. But this time, Brooke didn't get mad. She understood what I was going through, and once I was cleared of all charges, I went back to rehab. So her getting upset now was justified.

"You promised that every time, Michael."

My heart broke a little. Did I lose her trust again?

"Hey, guys, the car is outside- Oh, sorry, was I interrupting something?" Janet walked in.

"I was just telling Michael how handsome he looks," Brooklyn put a fake smile on her face. "Doesn't he look handsome?"

"Yeah, you look handsome, Mike. Now can we please go? You got me all excited to know who my date is!" my sister grinned.

Brooke let go of my hand and joined her.

~

Janet: Michael and Brooke were acting strange.

I was sure it had to do with what Brooke wanted to tell me before, but asking them about it would either start a fight or they would try to avoid answering.

We reached the restaurant we were supposed to meet my date at, and the host led us to a VIP room.

"Okay, take a deep breath, Jan. He's pretty hot." Brooke told me.

I giggled, walking in after Michael.

He shook my date's hand, blocking my view.

Brooke was next, and I finally saw him. He kissed her cheek as he told her how good it was to see her again.

And just like she said, he was good looking. He was about my brother's height, and almost as skinny as him.

"Wissam," my best friend said. "This is Janet. Janet, this is Wissam."

We shook hands, and he kissed my cheek.

"You are very beautiful." he whispered in my ear.

I felt myself turn hot.

Maybe Brooke was right, and I do need this. A new relationship might not be that bad.

"Should we sit down?" Wissam offered.

He and Michael took a seat next to each other, while Brooke and myself sat across from them.

Wissam smiled warmly at me, making me blush again.

What are you doing? You're acting like this is your first date ever.

I looked down at my hands, embarrassed. I saw my empty left ring finger and sighed.

Brandon left you. Now stop thinking about him, Janet, and focus on this fine man sitting in front of you.

I looked up, giving Wissam a genuine smile.

~

Brooklyn: I was so glad that Janet and Wissam were getting along. They haven't stopped talking since we sat down.

Michael and I ate quietly; neither one of us felt like saying something to the other.

I didn't know if I was more sympathetic to him or more annoyed with him.

It was clear that he wasn't gonna drop the whole tour idea, and at the same time, I couldn't be mad at him. He wanted to do something for his fans.

But if it meant he would have to feel that kind of awful pressure again, then absolutely not.

"Brooke," Michael suddenly whispered. "Baby, I don't want us to fight about something so stupid. Especially not tonight... I was hoping to finally enjoy a date with you. Can we please just forget about our talk from before?"

"How can I just forget about it when I know all it will do is hurt you?" I whispered back, not wanting to disturb Janet's date.

He sighed deeply, looked down at his plate, and started picking at his food.

Guilt washed over me. He was only trying to make this dinner good for us.

"I just want what's best for you, Mike. I'm scared it'll tear you apart. And what about the kids? We can't both work and leave them alone with the nanny. We promised we won't be those kind of parents." I said.

"I want the kids to come to the rehearsals. I want them to see me perform... To see us dance together. They need to know what brought their parents together, right?" my husband took my hand and rubbed my knuckles.

I nodded, "Okay, but if anything, even the slightest thing, changes, you tell me."

"I promise." he smiled warmly.

We both leaned in, and our lips touched. Michael cupped one of my cheeks as he deepened the kiss, making my heart flutter.

~

Janet: I learned so much about Wissam in the short three hours of our date.

He was truly amazing, and the best part was, he made me forget about Brandon.

"I would love you to come back with me to my apartment... We can talk some more, and maybe have more wine, too..." Wissam told me as we left to find our cars.

He was holding my hand; it sent shivers down my spine. It felt so right with him.

"Your apartment?" I asked.

"Yes, I have an apartment not too far from Michael's house." he answered.

"I'd love to," I smiled. "I jut have to tell Brooke."

I let go of his hand. It seemed so... Lonely.

Wissam and I were walking only a few feet away from Brooke and Michael. He was saying something to her that made her giggle, and I saw the blush form on her cheeks.

"Stop," she pushed his shoulder a little. "You got enough this week, Mike."

"Hey, you guys, do you mind if I go to Wissam's tonight?" I questioned.

"Go ahead, have fun, Dunk," Michael smiled. "I'm gonna have some fun with this lovely lady."

"Yeah, you need it." Brooklyn winked at me.

I thanked them and ran back to Wissam.

~

"I seriously can't remember the last time I had so much fun..." I sighed happily, taking another sip from my glass of wine.

"Me too. It seems like all I do is work!" Wissam complained.

We looked at each other, and a smile crept its way to my lips.

"Tell me about that husband of yours, Janet." he said.

"What about him?"

"How could he be so stupid to leave such a beautiful woman like you? He has no idea what he gave up on..."

I blushed deeply, looking away from him.

He's been trying to make me embarrassed all night. And it was working.

"So what about you, Wissam? I know you're single, but do you have any plans for the future?"

"I would love kids someday. But I had to follow my father's path. He wanted me to run the family business, and that's what I did. You get bored of it after a while," he admitted. "Are your girls as cute as Brooklyn described them?"

"Well, my twins are. And then there's Katie who's a teenager now. It's such an awful time." I huffed.

He laughed a bit, "My father is still complaining about the time when we were teenagers."

"All these hormones everywhere... And boy problems." I rolled my eyes.

He shook his head, a big smile plastered on his face.
"You are a special woman. I mean it."

I kissed his cheek. This feels so good... So natural.

"May I?" he asked, biting his bottom lip.

I nodded slightly, a little scared to feel his lips on mine.

The only man I've kissed for the last fifteen years was Brandon.

The kiss was very gentle. It felt amazing; nothing like Brandon ever kissed me before.

"Wissam, if this night takes us to intimate places, I just want you to know that I've been with the same man for a long time... What I'm saying is, I'm a bit afraid." I mumbled as we pulled away.

"Janet, I promise that if we do end up in my bed tonight, I will take it slowly with you. If you want me to stop, I'll stop... And if you want more, I'll give you more."

I kissed him firmly, letting him know I wanted him. And I did.

It turned to be the best night I've had in ages.

"Remind me to thank Brooklyn for setting this up..." Wissam chuckled into my neck when he collapsed on top of me.

I laughed along with him, grateful that my best friend made me do this.