Betrayed Trust (MJ Fanfiction)

Part 7

Thanks to Nikki's video message, the telephone calls and the visits from the social workers had somewhat stanched. It was quite refreshing for Michael and his children (adopted and biological), as well as Mariann to not have to worry about those attention-seekers breathing down their necks practically every day. But they were still being on their guard just in case more people looking for media attention decided to pull something like that again. Also, to take extra precautions, Michael tightened security by hiring more security guards. The people were waiting for another opportunity to start investigating again.

However, the tabloid media still wouldn't leave Michael alone. They were still bashing him for fighting back and they were even attacking Nikki for her defense in the video message. And when the Arvisos came out of seclusion and returned to California, the Santa Barbara DA Tom Sneddon as well as the other people on his prosecuting team had decided to investigate and tried to get them to cooperate so they could make a case. The Arvisos refused, saying that Michael was a family man and that he was the nicest, kindest, most giving person they had ever met.

As expected, the news of the media's attacks on Nikki reached the pop king and he was very outraged, to say the least. Nikki admitted to making the video in order to defend him and dispel all of the lies about what type of parent he was. His feelings about that were mixed. He appreciated her standing up for him, but he didn't want her to suffer negativity in the press on his account. When he voiced his feelings about her doing that, she had said she was glad to. He wasn't expecting to hear her say that.

"I do not regret it at all. I would do it again if I had to. If speaking up for you means I get attacked, so be it. Remember that we are in this battle together, and I won't stand by and allow anyone to disrespect my family," she had told him. Kerri agreed with her. That made Michael very happy. Not only that, but the girls were as resilient as he was. He was so proud of the way they were turning out, under his guidance.

As for the relationship between Michael and Mariann, there was already something special between them even though it had only been three weeks since they had met in person. They were practically inseparable when Mariann wasn't working. She couldn't stand being away from him for too long and when she was at work, she constantly thought about him. She could barely stop thinking of him. Somehow, it did not affect her work. She noticed that when she was around Michael, she would feel extremely lightheaded and her heart beat would be rapid. She wondered what this meant. Was her crush turning into love? No, it just couldn't be. She had just met him a few weeks ago. She was going to have to try to control her feelings for him somehow, because she didn't want to scare him away. Especially if he wasn't feeling the same way about her. She actually wasn't sure how he felt because he never told her if he had feelings for her; he treated her with the same level of kindness as he treated the other people whose wellbeing he was concerned for.

It would be a trying and busy day for Michael. His court hearing for the civil case was on that day and while he felt prepared, he was slightly nervous. He firmly believed that the truth would prevail in the end, but he also knew that the justice system could be corrupt at times and so it meant they would believe Bashir if he decided to lie through his teeth or something. Or even worse, the journalist could refuse to testify, depending on his attorney, and the case would end up being dismissed. He was so busy making preparations for it that he didn't get much sleep, and on Blanket's 1st birthday, he settled on making it a quiet one, even quieter than Prince's birthday. He didn't want to have to do that for Paris when it was time for her birthday. Everything was so frustrating, he was anxious to get this over and done with so he could move on. He had just finished having breakfast with his children and was now getting ready while he waited for his makeup artist Karen Faye to come by and do his makeup and fix his hair for him. Since he still couldn't get around as much, Kerri and Nikki gave him a bit of assistance.