17th of April, 1986
Brooklyn is 20, Janet is 19, Michael is 27

Janet: "...For other news: Janet Jackson and best friend Brooklyn soon-to-be Jackson were seen out shopping for wedding dresses." Brooke read out of a magazine, "Oh, look, Jan. You're so cute!"

I rolled my eyes, snatching it away from her. "It's trash, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah. But I liked the 'soon-to-be Jackson'." she smiled.

"If we're already into the wedding talk again, did you and Michael decide on date already?" I asked.

They always say they have to decide, but they keep avoiding it. It's getting on my nerves, really.

"We might have. Oh! I forgot to tell you! Mike is taking me to see some houses today." Brooklyn said, trying to change the subject. Yeah, like she can get away from me.

"Come on, Brooke! You have a date and you don't tell me? It's my right to know as your best friend and your future sister-in-law!"

"I'm keeping my mouth shut. You're gonna tell everyone."

"Okay, then. I'll just have to show Michael a picture of that wonderful dress we saw the other day." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You're so annoying." she mumbled.

"Pretty please." I whispered. I could see that I was getting on her nerves, but I enjoyed it. I'll get that date out of her.

"Okay, fine! July 8th, are you happy?"

I squealed and hugged her. "It's so far away."

"Blame it on your brother. He has too much going on for the next two months." my best friend frowned.

The phone rang through the house, and Brooke picked it up. "...Thirty minutes?... Good. I love you, too."

"Michael?" I asked when she returned to sit next to me. She nodded, "He'll be here in thirty minutes."

"Great. Thirty full minutes of getting more information out of you." I smiled.

~

Michael: I heard laughter from inside the house, and I smiled to myself. I loved seeing those two having fun together.

I knocked on the door, and soon it was opened by my smiling sister, "So, July 8th?"

"You told her?" I asked Brooklyn.

"She got it out of me. I'm sorry, Mike. She's evil, you know that." my fiancée said.

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that." Janet mumbled, picking up her purse.

Janet quickly got into the car, while Brooke locked the door.

"Isn't your dad home?"

"No, he had somewhere to go. Probably something to do with work."

Brooklyn slid in next to my sister, and I followed. The car took off almost immediately.

"Can I join you today?" Janet asked.

"Janet, you know we would've let you any other time. But, this is something we need to do alone." I answered, hoping she would understand.

She nodded, and I smiled at her.

"Next time we do something wedding related, you're the first person we invite." Brooke promised.

We soon got to my parents' house, and we had to say goodbye to Janet.

"What happened to 'I don't want anyone to know we decided on a date'?" I asked, feeling slightly betrayed about my sister finding out.

"You know how annoying she can be, Mike. She wouldn't let it go, I had to tell her. She would've come to you if she didn't get it out of me, and we both know you don't have the time for that."

I sighed, knowing she was probably right.

"By the way, I found some great houses. You'll love them." I said.

"Great, I can't wait to see." she smiled and kissed me.

~

Chris: I walked into the restaurant, immediately seeing my father.

"Hey, son. I'm glad you're here. How's Cyn?" he asked when I sat down across from him.

"She's good," I answered, "What was so important that you needed me to come here?"

He called me almost an hour ago, telling me to meet him because he had something important for me.

"Well, it's someone I wanted you to meet. She's just in the bathroom, she'll come any minute now."

'She'? Is dad dating someone?

As we waited, we ordered some coffee.

"Oh, there she is." my dad said. I turned around, to see my mother. What the hell?

She sat next to my father, widely smiling.

"Dad, what the hell is she doing here?" I asked angrily.

"Chris, calm down. She's just here to see you."

"See me?" I mumbled. The hate for this woman was indiscribable. "Dad, this is bullshit. Come on. Like the rest of the world she probably heard about Brooke and Michael, and she just needs something. She had seventeen years, why now?"

"You're right, Chris. I did hear about your sister. But I'm not here for her." my mother said.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, right."

I quickly stood up and left without another word.

~

Brooklyn: "I liked this house the most." Michael told me as the car drove through the gates of the third house for the day.

"It's not too big again, right?" I asked. The other two house we saw were just huge.

"No, it's not too big," he rolled his eyes, "You'll like it just like I did, I promise."

The car stopped in front of the house. It was beautiful.

"Wow." was all I could say.

"Brandon, can you stay in the car for this one?" Michael asked as he opened the door.

Brandon nodded, wishing us luck, "I'll be right here if you need me."

I took my fiancé's offered hand, and he pulled me into the big, empty house.

"It's beautiful." I said and looked around the room that was supposed to be the living room. It was very welcoming. Michael looked proud of himself.

"How many rooms are in here, Mike?" I said.

"Uh, ten, I think."

Next, we saw the kitchen, and I immediately fell in love with it.

"What about the bedrooms?"

"I'll show you, come on." he smiled cheekily, leading me upstairs.

He pointed at the room at the end of the hall. "If we do decide on this house, this is our bedroom."

Michael opened the door, and I followed him in.

The room was absolutely amazing. It was big, yes, but I liked it.

"I love it, Mike."

"Told you."

~

Chris: At around 8 PM Brooke walked through the house door. She looked so satisfied, and so happy.

"Hey." she smiled and sat next to me on the couch.

"Hi," I said, "Did you find a house?"

She nodded, "Yeah. You have to see it, it's amazing. It had ten rooms, and pool. Oh, there's also a dance studio. It's perfect."

"Of course it's perfect, it has a dance studio." I rolled my eyes.

I was wondering all day whether to tell her about mom or not. She was just so happy these last few months, I don't want to ruin it for her. But, if she'll find out that I knew and didn't tell her, she'll be mad.

And God knows I don't have time for that.

"I saw Marie today." I mumble, mentioning our mother's name.

My sister's face fell. "What?" she asked, shocked.

"Uh, yeah. I don't know why, but dad met her today. And apparently, she wanted to see me. I think she needs something. I mean, she heard about you and Mike." I said, leaning back on the couch.

Brooke ran a hand through her hair. Only now I noticed she looked like our mother. She even had her green eyes.

"I don't know, Chris. It makes sense, but I don't see why dad is in this."

"Maybe he just wanted to see her," I suggested, "You don't remember it, but I do. He was heartbroken when she left. We were at granny's for a few months before he came back around."

We both sighed.

~

Brooklyn: "I think I'll go sleep over at Janet's and Michael's. Do you mind? I just don't want to deal with it all right now." I asked my brother.

"No, you go ahead. I can deal with dad on my own." Chris smiled.

"Thanks." I said and kissed his cheek. I got up to the phone a dialed the well-known number.

"Jackson house." Katherine's voice said.

"Hi, Katherine."

"Brooke, honey! How are you?" she asked.

"I'm great, thank you for asking. Um, is Janet home?" I said.

"You just missed her. But Michael is here, would you like to speak to him?"

"Yes, please."

There were a few seconds of silence before Michael spoke.

"Miss me already?" he asked.

I giggled, "Of course I did. Can I come over for the night?"

"You're always welcome here. Is everything okay, Brooklyn?"

He was worried.

"I'll tell you when I get there." I said.

"Sure. Do you need a ride?" my fiancé offered.

"No, thank you. Chris will take me. I love you."

"I love you, too."

~

Michael: I leaned on the door frame as I saw Chris's car pass the gates.

Brooklyn quickly stepped out, and hugged me. Her brother had an 'I need to talk to you' expression on his face. I nodded to him.

"Go inside, baby. I'll be right there." I told Brooke and kissed her forehead.

Chris stood next to me when she went inside the house.

"Take care of her tonight, okay? I don't want her to worry too much." he said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Our 'mother' decided to show up. We think she needs something. She heard about the two of you, Mike. It has something to do with it, I'm sure. It's just that Brooke is just so happy lately, and I don't want that to be ruined."

I took a deep breath, "I won't let that happen, you know that."

"Thanks, Mike." he smiled.

Chris turned towards his car and I waved as he drove off.

I went inside the house, only to find my mother and Brooke talking.

~

I was awaken by loud knocks on the door. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw Brooklyn sleeping peacefully next to me.

We were up almost the entire night, talking mostly about what had happened. She told me she felt responsible for her mother's return. She didn't say why, though.

After that, we talked about the wedding. Brooke said we should get married in a non-religious ceremony. I agreed. It was best that we do it that way.

We also decided on a location: my parents' house. We wanted a small wedding, that included both of our families, and our closest friends.

I just hope Joseph will agree. Surprisingly, he took the engagement well, considering the fact that he didn't like us dating.

The knocking got a bit louder, making my fiancée move a bit.

"Shh, keep sleeping." I whispered, and got up to answer the door. I was beyond annoyed.

Janet was standing in front of me, with her angry face staring right at me.

"How come mother tells me Brooke spent the night here?" she asked.

"First of all, you weren't home. Second, she needed a shoulder to cry on." I answered, looking back at Brooklyn to make sure she was still sleeping.

"Why? What happened?"

"She'll tell you when she wakes up. Now, can we get another hour or two of sleep?" I said.

My sister nodded, and I quickly closed the door behind her. I pulled the blanket over my body once I lay back on the bed, inhaling Brooke's sweet scent.