12th of September, 2012
Brooklyn and Janet are 46

Prince: "Prince!! Wake up! It's my birfday!" Chris squealed as he jumped on my bed.

"Chris," I muttered. "Let me sleep."

"But it's my birfday!" he said.

"Birthday." I corrected him.

"Exactly! Wake up!" he shook my shoulder.

I groaned, rubbing my eyes. "Fine, I'm awake. You're so annoying."

Chris gave me a hug and left my room as he said he was going to wake up Paris.

"Good morning, honey." mom smiled.

"Did he have to do that?" I asked.

"Yes, I need you to help me get the house ready for his party."

"But mom..." I whined.

"We promised him the best birthday ever, everyone has to take part." mom reminded me.

"I'll get up."

"Thank you, baby."

I dragged myself out of bed and into my bathroom.

After I freshened up, I walked out my room to hear Paris whine to our baby brother as well.

"Prince, come help me with the food, please!" mom called from downstairs.

I skipped down, and helped her get Chris's 3rd birthday on the go.

~

Brooklyn: Neverland was full of the Jackson family and kids from Chris's kindergarten.

We moved back here a year ago, once Dr. Murray was sent to jail after his trial, because at that same time, I finally had the courage to read Michael's will.

He left me everything. His estate, Neverland... Every single thing he owned was mine.

I was overwhelmed by the pressure of it all; the family was outraged, especially La Toya, and so was the rest of the world.

But I managed to get everything on track.

I was sitting next to Katherine as I watched my baby open all the presents he got.

"He looks more and more like Michael with each day that passes." she whispered to me.

"I know." I said.

"And those curls..."

I laughed. Chris Michael turned out into the perfect clone of his father. He was exactly like him, except for his eyes. He got my green eyes.

"Mommy, look!" Chris ran up to me, a Captain Hook doll in his small hand.

He even got Michael's love for 'Peter Pan'.

"Who got you that, baby?" I grinned at his excitement.

"Uncle Jermaine did!"

"Well, what do you say to your uncle?"

"Thank you, Jermy!" Chris hugged him.

Jermaine looked surprised at the nickname that came from my son's mouth.

"Where did you hear that name from?!" he asked.

"Auntie Janet called you that when she was talking to mommy over the phone." Chris answered.

Jermaine scoffed, sending him off.

My eyes were suddenly covered.

"Guess who?" a deep voice asked.

I gasped and got up to hug Paul.

"You made it!" I said.

"Of course I did. I wouldn't miss it for the world." he squeezed me tighter.

"Uncle Paul!"

Chris Michael was excitedly running towards Paul.

"Hey! Oh, my God, you got so big, Chris!" Paul scooped him up into a big hug.

"Mommy didn't tell me you were coming!" my son huffed.

"It was a surprise. Aren't you surprised to see me?"

"I am!"

"See? I even brought Beatrice along." Paul said, referring to his youngest daughter.

Chris Michael giggled. He loved Beatrice. "Yay! But you have to see this, uncle Paul! Mommy made everything like in 'Peter Pan'!"

"Why don't you show me later and open your presents now? I have some catching up to do with your mother."

"Okay."

Paul put him down, and he took Beatrice's hand and took her with him to where all the kids gathered up.

"Mommy, tell daddy to stop tickwing me!" Jason's daughter, Christina, exclaimed.

It turned out Riley was indeed pregnant, and their daughter was born 8 months after Chris Michael. They got married when Riley was 7 months pregnant.

"Jason, stop annoying my baby girl." Riley scolded.

"But she's so cute when she's annoyed. Look at how she scrunches her nose." my nephew chuckled.

He was so wrapped around her tiny finger. I knew he would turn out to be the greatest father ever, just like his own dad.

"Where's Janet, love?" Paul asked. "I thought she'd be here."

"Her and Wissam are on their way back from their honeymoon." I answered, smiling.

Yes, Janet and Wissam got married, finally. Everyone was waiting for that to happen.

I couldn't be happier for my best friend. She finally found that one person she could really trust and love for the rest of her life. I guess Brandon and all her other ex-boyfriends were only bumps in the road until she found her true happiness.

"Wipe that smirk off your face. Look at her, all proud that she was the one who matched us up." I heard her say.

I turned to see her standing with her husband at the big doors.

"Nice to see you, too, Jan." I rolled my eyes.

She blew me a kiss and greeted everyone.

"Everyone, in 30 minutes we'll start heading towards the theater. As requested by the birthday boy, we'll be watching 'Peter Pan'!" Prince announced.

Everyone cheered, but my baby boy's eyes showed the most excitement.

~

"Happy birthday, Chris Michael. I love you so very much." Katherine kissed my son's forehead.

"I love you, too, grandma." he said sleepily.

Both my in-laws waved to us as their car drove away from the main house.

I closed the door, and carried my sleepy son up the stairs to his room.

He was worn out from today. I was just glad that he had fun.

All of his older siblings were waiting for us.

"We just wanted to tell him goodnight and wish him a 'happy birthday'." Blanket told me.

Each one of them came and placed a wet kiss on their brother's cheek, and they all sang 'happy birthday'.

"I'll come downstairs when he's asleep." I whispered to Paris.

She nodded. They all left, leaving me alone with Chris Michael.

"Come on, let's get you dressed for bed." I said softly.

"But I don't wanna go to bed. I'm not tired." he mumbled while yawning.

"You know what? If you brush your teeth like a big boy, I'll give you the gift your daddy got you."

"Daddy got me a present?" he questioned.

"Of course he did, like he does every year."

My son told me to put him down and he dashed into the bathroom.

I quickly pulled out the wrapped up present I hid underneath his bed.

That letter that I found when I was pregnant, after Michael passed away? Well, along with the album he made for me, came five gifts. One for each kid. For Chris Michael his father got a small onesie that said 'Daddy's boy'. But it also came with a full list of presents Michael wanted me to get our baby boy each year in case he wasn't there to see him grow up.

So I've been following my husband's orders, and every year since our son turned a year old, I've gotten him the present Michael listed.

"Mommy, I wanna wear my Captain Hook pajamas." Chris said when he got out of the bathroom.

"Did you brush your teeth?" I asked.

He put on a big grin, showing off his teeth, "Yes I did!"

I laughed at how adorable he was.

I pulled out his favorite pajamas and helped him put it on.

He crawled into bed, making me tuck him in.

"Can I please have daddy's present now?" my son looked at me with his big, green, eyes.

I placed the gift inside his hand.

He ripped it open, gasping.

"It's Peter's hat!" Chris said.

"It is!" I tried my best to act surprised.

"Thank you, daddy!" he got up to kiss the picture of Michael that sat on his nightstand.

I allowed myself to shed a couple of tears, but wiped them off as soon as he turned back around. It amazed me how much Chris Michael loved his dad even though he never really got to know him.

"Hey, mommy?" he said. "Do you think I can meet daddy one day?"

"One day, baby. But only when you're much older."

"He knew about me, right?"

"Of course he did... He was really excited for you, too. But he left before he got a chance to actually meet you." I sighed.

"So he knows I love him." Chris Michael put on his new hat.

"And he loves you, very much," I put a kiss on his forehead. "Now you have to go to sleep."

"Goodnight, mommy."

"Goodnight, my little Peter Pan." I smiled.

~

"He's knocked out." I told my kids when I joined them downstairs.

"Yay, let's get started with the home movies, then!" Paris clapped her hands.

Ever since their baby brother was born, it became a tradition for us to watch home movies on his birthday.

"Which one did you pick?" I asked, taking a seat next to Kamron.

"It said 'Christmas 1996'." Prince answered and put a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"Oh, no," I sighed. "That was the year I was pregnant with you... You're gonna see me all fat. Your pregnancy was the worst."

"Gee, thanks, mom. I love you, too..."

"What? You were heavy. Not to mention I was in bedrest for 8 months. Do you know how frustrating that is?"

"Can I play it now?" Paris groaned.

"Yes." Kamron answered for me.

She pressed a button and a picture of me brushing my teeth over the sink showed up.

"Look, baby boy. That's your beautiful pregnant mommy." Michael said behind the camera.

He could be seen through the big mirror of our bathroom, a huge smile on his face while he was wearing his silky red pajamas.

"Michael, stop," I whined and the blush on my cheeks was clear. "Why are you filming me, anyways?"

"It's a video diary, to show him when he's older. I want him to see how big you are."

He zoomed into my giant stomach.

"Michaelllll."

"Wow, mom, you weren't kidding when you said you were big." Paris chuckled.

I rolled my eyes.

The footage was cut and our beautifully decorated Christmas tree showed up, with our entire family around it.

Watching this, I felt like someone took my heart out of my chest and kept squeezing it tightly.

It seemed like this was only yesterday, when Michael and I were getting more and more excited about Prince's birth. I wanted to go back to that happy time, when he was with me, and everything was okay.

I shook my head slightly. That was almost 15 years ago. You're here now, with your five, amazing children. Michael is up there, watching all of us and protecting us.

"Mom," Blanket snapped me out of my thoughts. "You okay?"

"Yes, baby, I'm fine."

He grabbed my hand, putting his head on my shoulder.

The kids and I watched the entire tape together, along with another one, until I saw that both Blanket and Paris fell asleep.

"Okay, I think we should call it a night. You have school tomorrow." I said, standing up.

"Yeah. Goodnight, mom. I love you." Kamron kissed my cheek and ran upstairs.

I turned to my eldest son. "You, too, Prince."

"Fine." he sighed, joining his brother.

I woke Paris and Blanket up and sent them to bed, then decided it was for the best if I'd go to sleep myself.

My entire mood changed when I got into bed. My son was three today, how could I think about such a sad thing like his father dying, when I'm supposed to be the happiest in the world?

I was so thankful for Chris Michael, he brought my entire family our happiness back. He's our everything.

His brothers and sister loved him so much, and I knew Michael would be all over him.

I couldn't help but cry a little again, remembering what Joseph said to me when he saw my son for the first time.

"When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window. Remember that."

And I did. My father-in-law was right. Even though Michael was taken not just from me, but from all of us, our baby boy somehow replaced that emptiness we were all feeling.

It's like we had him back.

I wiped my tears, saying a quiet prayer to God and thanking him for Chris Michael, and all my children as well.

"Thank you for bringing him back to us through my little boy." I whispered.

And that's how I truly felt. We were back with Michael.