Song: "Faith" - by George Michael.
*************
Faith was something Daxton always had small quantities of, especially where his future was concerned. Now, walking out of the courtroom, Daxton had to wonder if maybe faith was something worth having. He'd been really worried about the outcome of Cameron's court ruling but, someone out there was clearly on his side because the judge had been lenient.
"This is utter bull-"
"Hey," Daxton quickly chastised his brother. "There are cameras, look happy."
Cameron glared. "How can I be happy after the ruling that piece of-"
"Cameron!" He stopped his walking and pulled on his brothers' shoulder; his face pulled into a frown. "Will you stop! This was going to happen regardless of what the judge said. It's better than jail."
"It's ridiculous," he muttered under his breath. Daxton sighed, watching his brother stand dejectedly in front of him on the court steps. A few journalists stood at the bottom of the staircase waiting for an interview. The only thing keeping the vultures away was the glass door the brothers' stood behind.
Cameron stood with his hands in his grey suit pants pocket, his head faced away from the cameras. Daxton hated seeing him like that. "Cam," he called, pulling on his shoulder so he could face him. "It's for the best. Havenly will help."
"I don't need rehab. I'm fine. I've got this all under control."
Daxton pinched the bridge of his nose. "I wish I could agree. You haven't been in control for two years."
Cameron yanked his body away from Daxton and walked away from the entrance, towards a large pillar. He leaned on it, his head in his hands. Daxton sighed and followed. "Talk to me buddy. What's really bugging you?" Cameron shrugged. "Come on," he urged. "You should be happy it's not jail. The judge was kind to rule on six months in rehab and counselling."
Cameron rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go."
He stood to leave but Daxton pushed him back. "Talk to me. I'm your brother."
He was quiet for a moment. He kept his eyes on the ground and eventually whispered, "I don't want you to leave me."
Daxton's heart tore in two. Despite how much his brother always tried to be 'put on' for the cameras, it was in moments such as these where Cameron was simply his little brother who he vowed to protect since they were kids.
Daxton grabbed his brothers' shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. Cameron was taller than him, but it didn't matter; he simply bent down until his head was on his big brothers' shoulder. He squeezed tight. "I'm never leaving you. You're stuck with me for life baby brother. I know the next six months will be scary and hard for you but I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm doing this to protect you because I love you. Always."
Cameron nodded and pulled away. "I'm doing this for you."
Daxton smiled. "Do it for us."
~~***~~
A week later, the world knew it all and Daxton seemed to be in a constant state of exhaustion and migraine central. The news reports were both congratulatory and ruthless. The only saving grace Daxton had was the tight security surrounding Havenly. His brother was in good hands.
He'd been in contact with his brother daily. The center didn't usually allow contact, but Daxton insisted. He and Cameron had never gone a day without speaking and he wasn't about to start.
Cameron was miserable, as expected. He hated the counselling more and the thought had Daxton chuckling. It was best his brother got the help and, now that he was settled, it was Daxton's turn to do his part. It was time for he and Mikayla to get the plan in motion.
He'd been in contact with her and they'd discussed what direction to go. They'd both agreed that the best approach was to allow Cameron at least three months in rehab before they began to strategically introduce the faux relationship to the world.
He hadn't spoken to her since.
~~***~~
Mystery woman seen visiting Cameron.
Even rehab won't stop this bachelor from scoring.
Captured more than once; could this be someone special?
Cam caught kissing mystery woman!
Love in the midst of recovery- everything we know about the mystery woman.
Too good to be true. 10 reasons the rehab love is all a scam.
Daxton growled. The headlines just seemed to blend into one another, each differing in tone. He was happy at first when the reports on Cameron a month ago were filled with curiosity about Mikayla. Now, the narrative was changing, and his team was struggling to keep control.
"What is the meaning of this?" He growled into the room where his team sat. They were all in charge of controlling Cameron's public image and right now, they were failing. Too many people were starting to question the validity and their interest was drying on the matter entirely.
"It started with the Pop Control blog. They published an article last week questioning Mikayla's importance to Cameron since there's only been one picture of the two of them together and in that shot, Cameron was kissing her cheek. They think Mikayla is just looking for attention and that she actually has no link to Cameron."
"Do they know who she is?" He asked.
Candice, the head publicist, shook her head. "There's never been a clear shot of her, and we've been good at ensuring no one follows her when we've scheduled the visits. However, the secrecy of it all is causing some to question it and others to grow bored."
Daxton sighed and rubbed at his temples. "So how do we fix this? Cameron is scheduled to leave Havenly next month. If this plan is going to work, we need the public to have some interest before then, and the right interest."
"Well, we've done some thinking and researching and we think there are two options."
He looked at Candice and the three other members around him. They all looked nervous and his stomach dropped. "What are the options?"
"The first is that we introduce Mikayla to the world now- through an apparent leak- and have the 'unknown source' confirm their relationship. We can have pictures of her, and Cameron leaked, ones that show them looking like a real couple." Daxton blanched. He didn't like that idea and he knew Mikayla wouldn't either. So far, every visit they'd made to Havenly, Mikayla and Cameron had spent most their time in silence or arguing. His team knew that; therefore, they knew that the likelihood of plan A working was minute.
"What's the second option?" He prayed it was better.
"We still release photos of them and a source claiming their relationship is real and progressing. Rather than pushing images of them together, we thought maybe showing Mikayla moving into his place and integrating into his life, would look more believable."
"So basically, you're saying that if we have any hope of having this work, we need to move forward with our timeline?" They all nodded. "I'm not sure which approach to take here."
Candice leaned forward in her seat, her low-cropped blouse pulling down with the action. "The way we see it, our best option at this point is to simply move things forward. The relationship between Cameron and Mikayla is hostile and getting either of them to make things look believable for the cameras will be hard. Right now, we need to rely purely on unseen evidence like claims from close sources and images of them supposedly in each other's lives."
He knew it was true. Cameron was too high risk now. His recovery was hard and though he was getting better, his moods weren't always great. He and Mikayla clashed a lot, often because Cameron would have something rude to say about Mikayla's appearance.
"Alright, lets go with option B. Release statements from sources that the pair's relationship is growing, and that Cameron has asked her to move in with him so that by the time he gets out, she'd there waiting for him. We'll arrange for paparazzi to capture the day she moves in and we'll continue to leak images of her and Cameron together at Havenly. I'll work on the two of them looking more natural for the shots."
The team nodded and quickly left to begin making plans. As his office door closed, Daxton turned in his seat with his phone in hand. His first job would be to speak to Mikayla and, as he waited for the other line to connect, Daxton knew this would be the hardest job.
Maybe faith wasn't overrated after all, he could do with some now.