August 7th, 1999
Janet and Fallon walked into the living room where Michael sat in a white t-shirt, skinny black jeans, white socks, and his straightened hair slicked back into a ponytail. He was eating chips and drinking grape juice when he heard John over the intercom and instructed Fallon to let Janet in.
"Hey Dunkie." He said. "What you doing out here?"
She approached him, giving him a side-hug. "Nothing. Just wanted to check on you guys."
Michael smiled. "Well, we're good."
"How's the girls?"
"They're good. They're taking a nap right now." He replied.
"Aw, I wanna see them."
"I'll get them later. I just put them down not too long ago." He explained.
She nodded, playing with her keys. "So, where's Mariah?"
"She had to go to New York."
"You sent her out there alone?" Janet asked.
"Well one, she's not alone. And two, I didn't send her out there. She begged me to go so she could work on her album. She told me she feels trapped in the house."
Janet raised an eyebrow. "Damn. So when is she coming back?"
"She'll be back in like a week."
"Well that's good at least. She don't need to be gone too long." Janet said.
Michael munched some chips. "Yeah, especially with her being pregnant."
Janet stared out into space. "Mhm."
The two sat in silence for a little while. They were the closest of their siblings, so they never really needed to talk when they were alone. They could just silently enjoy each other's presence. But Michael could tell that the silence was somewhat unnatural. It was like Janet was hesitating to tell him something. So he just waited until she felt comfortable enough to let it out.
"So...I was thinking about moving from Malibu."
There it goes.
"Why?" Michael asked, popping a chip into his mouth.
"Well you know, I'm divorcing Rene."
"Yeah, I knew that. But that's your house." Michael replied.
She nodded along, slowly. "It is, isn't it."
"Don't tell me y'all didn't sign a pre-nup..."
"I didn't- Shit, you didn't get a pre-nup!" Janet shouted.
Michael shushed her. "Girl, I'm still in a happy marriage. Don't come in here tryna ruin that with your divorce talk."
Janet huffed. "Boy I'm bouta be homeless and you talking about some 'don't try ta ruin my shit', get your ass on!"
"Homeless?" He asked. "Janet, you're not poor."
"I'm not rich either!"
Michael furrowed his eyebrows. "Janet, literally what the fuck are you talking about? You made over a hundred million dollars in the past year, alone."
"That's gross. And before taxes!"
"Aw please! You don't pay taxes!" Michael asserted.
Janet gasped. "No. You. Didn't."
"Oh. I. Did." He replied.
"Do I look like M.C. Hammer to you, Michael?"
He chuckled. "Do you want me to answer that? Ms. 'I don't need an accountant'."
"Oh, go fuck a cactus."
"You are so vulgar. Just nasty for no reason." He rebutted.
"Boy! Focus! I don't have anywhere to live!"
Michael sipped his grape juice.
Janet rolled her eyes.
"What do you want me to do, Janet?" He asked in a pleading tone.
"Nothing..." She replied, despondently.
He sighed, contemplating his next words.
"You wanna come stay here for awhile?"
She cheesed and moved in for a hug, tugging at her brother's hand to pull him up out of his seat. Michael reluctantly rose.
She knew what she was doing.
"Aww thank you, Mike!"
"Mhm..." Michael replied.
"Aww, you love me."
"Do I?" He asked, jokingly.
She smacked his arm before pulling him in tight. "Yes, sweet baby."
He smirked.
"If you say so."
August 16th, 1999
Mariah spent the morning recording for her new album. After her run-in with Tommy in New York, she opted to finish recording her album in the Neverland studio. She managed to finish up two songs before taking a stroll through the grounds of her home, alone. With the twins, Michael, and now Janet in the house she barely had any time to herself anymore. And she didn't have much time until she'd be locked in with three kids.
She found herself standing at the base of Michael's Giving Tree and looked up at the branches.
Hmm...
Mariah grabbed one of the lower branches and pulled herself up. She sat on the branch surveying the land. She leaned against the trunk, dangling her foot above the ground, relaxing her mind.
August 16th, 1999
"Mariah!"
Janet and Michael were out looking for Mariah since she wasn't in the studio when they went to get her.
"Daddy, I'm hungry." Nicole said.
"Okay baby, we're gonna get something to eat. But we're supposed to be looking for mommy." Michael explained.
"Mommy!" Noelle shouted.
"Where do you think she went?" Michael asked, looking to Janet.
Janet shrugged. "She's gotta be somewhere close. John said she didn't leave."
"I know, but I'm worried. She's so close to having the baby, what if-" Michael broke off when an interesting sight caught his eye. He squinted his eyes, stepping closer in the direction of it.
"Did you see that?"
"See what?" Janet asked, turning her head.
He pointed towards the Giving Tree. "Right there! You don't see that thing moving?"
Janet squinted her eyes. "That's Mariah!"
Michael's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he did a double take. "What the hell?"
He charged over to the tree, and there Mariah was, sitting among the branches of the oak tree.
"Mimi!"
Mariah jumped slightly and Michael tensed up, ready to catch her if necessary.
Nicole pointed at Mariah. "Mommy!"
"How did you get up there?"Janet asked, tilting her head to the side.
Mariah shrugged. "I climbed."
Michael folded his arms, shaking his head. "So...let me get this straight, you're eight months pregnant and you're out here climbing trees?"
"Well I-"
Janet shook her head. "Mariah what if you had've gone into labor?"
Michael huffed. "I'm gonna get you down."
"I can get-"
"No you can't." Michael interrupted, climbing up the branch opposite her. "Give me your hand." Mariah reluctantly gave him her hand and allowed him to guide her to the ground. He climbed down behind her and put a hand over her stomach.
"Can you stop putting my baby in unnecessary danger?" Michael said in a shaky voice.
Mariah looked up at him with an unreadable expression. "I just wanted to relax."
"Then relax in the house, had us all out here looking for you." Janet exclaimed.
Mariah looked down at the twins, avoiding Michael and Janet's eyes. "Can we just go back in the house?"
Michael looked at Janet and shook his head. His sister shrugged and led the twins back towards the house.
He glanced at Mariah, clearly aggravated.
"I swear, it's like you're trying to raise my blood pressure. Just- ugh."
August 29th, 1999
The master suite at Neverland was filled to the brim with gifts from family, friends, and fans from all over the world. News of Michael being back in action had somehow leaked out to the press, though he didn't seem to upset about his business getting out for once.
"Holy shit!" Janet exclaimed as she walked past the threshold of the bedroom door.
Michael looked up from a fan letter, almost in startle. He giggled. "A lot of it is from the fans."
"You still have fans?" Janet questioned.
Michael picked up a balled up envelope and threw it at her. "More than you."
Janet cleared her throat, squatting down on the floor. "Lies."
"That's just like a motherfucker, I swear. Move into my house, and talk shit to me on my birthday."
"Aww you know I love you lil baby." Janet responded, a large grin and innocent doe eyes on her face.
He stuck his tongue out at her, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
Janet chuckled. "See that's why I don't say nothin nice to your ungrateful ass."
Pitter-patter went the tiny footsteps that approached the threshold.
"Shh!" Someone just outside the door instructed. A child giggled.
"Be quiet, Noni!" Nicole instructed from just outside the door.
Nicole came into the room, Noelle behind her back, holding her hand. The two, dressed alike in blue jeans and matching short sleeved t-shirts had sneaky grins on their faces. Mariah waltzed in behind them, nearly bursting out of her orange halter top. Her blue jeans hugged her thighs.
"Mariah, you look like a grapefruit, girl." Janet chided.
Mariah narrowed her eyes. "Well I'm pregnant, what's your excuse?"
Janet glanced down at her sculpted abs just below the cut off of her white crop top. She raised an eyebrow at her sister in law.
Mariah rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned her attention to Michael. "The girls wanted to surprise you but Janet ruined it."
Michael chuckled. "Aww come here, babies."
Nicole dragged Noelle over to their father.
"Daddy, I have a present." Noelle said, holding a quarter in her hand.
"Aw, you didn't have to get me anything."
"I found it."
She went quiet for a moment.
Michael nudged her. "Why did you decide on this?"
"Why?" She asked.
"Yes."
"'Cause you said money is bad but not when it's from quar-ders." She explained.
Michael's mouth fell wide open.
Woah. Janet thought. Even though the toddler couldn't quite communicate her idea, Janet could grasp her point. Coming into money can turn the kindest poor people evil. But if you remember you came from nothing--mere quarters--you could help others find their own 'something'.
Noelle giggled. "Hapbirthday daddy! You come from quar-ders!"
Janet looked to Michael, who shared the same thought.
"That is probably the most beautiful thing I've ever heard." Janet noted. She turned to her niece. "We do come from quarters, baby."
She gestured for Noelle to come toward her and embraced her, Michael standing up and readying himself for one too.
"Aww! Now I wanna hug!"
Noelle pulled away. "Okay daddy!" She ran into her father's arms, who picked her up and spun her around.
He gave her a kiss. "I love you so much, sweetie."
"Aww." Mariah commented, beaming in the background.
"Daddy?" Noelle asked, pulling back from Michael.
"Yes?" He replied.
"I wanna open presents." She plead, pointing at mountains of gifts.
Michael, Mariah, and Janet chuckled.
"Okay baby." Michael put her down on the floor where she linked up with her twin and they searched the room for something they could reasonably carry. Janet helped them out while they proceeded to open their father's birthday gifts. Michael and Mariah just sat back watched their three little babies go ham on wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, and shopping bags.
"Well there's only a few more left." Janet commented. After 20 minutes of intense present-opening, Janet and the babies had pretty much cleared the room, with only a few gifts left.
"Go get that one, Noni." Janet instructed, pointing at a small red bag. The bag was just wide enough to fit the greeting card poking outside of it.
Noelle toted it over to her, begging her to open it.
"Let's see what this is, Mr. Jackson." Janet said, playfully.
Michael giggled, holding onto Mariah. "Go ahead."
Janet took the tissue paper out of the bag and pulled out a black leather bracelet looking thing--though it was too wide to be a bracelet.
Uhhh...
Michael's eyes widened as he let go of his wife.
He zeroed in on the object, getting off the bed to examine it. He took it out of Janet's hand and flipped it inside out.
Janet pulled back. There was a word on the inside. "Mommy?" Janet asked.
Michael bit his lip.
Mariah furrowed her eyebrows, leaning into the item.
"Mommy!" Nicole shouted with glee. "Daddy s'from mommy."
"No, baby, it isn't." Mariah said. "I don't even know what it is. An adjustable bracelet?"
"Mhm." Michael replied, stroking the soft leather--though there was something suspicious about his response. Michael clicked his mouth open as if he'd been sucking on a mint. "Lemme see that card."
Janet ripped open the card and, to Michael's dismay, read it aloud. "'They told me you were freed from your pain; Are ya now?' Love,-"
Michael quickly snatched the card out of Janet's hand before she could even read the sender's name.
"Hey! Whatcha do that for?"
Michael smirked, his eyes studying the card. "I told you to give it here, not start reading it. Nosey butt."
Mariah giggled at the two, but stayed silent as her husband read the card in his head.
He slowly closed the card and placed it back into the envelope.
"Who's it from?" Mariah asked.
"Elizabeth Taylor." Michael hastily responded, an incoherent grin on his face.
What?
The thing about his response was that it was too quick.
A lingering smile crept on Michael's face as he played with the 'bracelet'.
He got back in the bed. "Come here baby." He said to Mariah.
Mariah cuddled up next to him. "What you want?"
"Please, I can't hold onto my wife?"
Michael had gone from 50 to 100, glowing after reading that card.
Mariah giggled. "You sure can."
Janet looked on, skeptically. She'd picked up on something Mariah couldn't. Michael's attitude changed too quickly for the gift to have been from someone as mundane as just a good friend. There was something else there, and Michael wasn't going to freely admit it.