The Surrogate (A Michael Jackson Fanfiction)

Remember The Time

Friday March 3, 2006

8:00 AM

Nina Sofia Chambers:

"Knock-knock!"

I jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. I was standing in front of my vanity having just pulled a long-sleeved black tunic over my head. I stretched it down to my mid thighs trying to cover my legs as Michael invited himself into my bedroom, biting his lips as he stared down at what I was trying to cover.

"I didn't hear you come in." I said with a nervous laugh.

"Sorry." He grinned wide. He was so not sorry. He couldn't keep his eyes off of my legs. He had on a typical red button down shirt, and then a pair of silly pajama pants with teddy bears on them. His wild hair that looked half curly, half straight was thrown back into a man bun. He walked right up to me, pulling me into a warm hug and kissed me on the temple.

"Where's my buddy?"

"Probably still sleeping." I said looking up into those brown eyes and regretting it instantly. I can never look into those eyes and tell myself that I feel nothing for this man.

He smiled one of those smiles and I pushed him away, turning back to the mirror and picking up my large brush, working it through my tangled waves. "We shouldn't make a habit of that... it's.... unhealthy to say the least..."

He laughed. "But we're so good at being unhealthy." He spoke pretending to be seriously trying to convince me. I just shook my head. He moved away from me and took a few steps towards my bed, sitting down slowly. I could see him in the mirror. I watched him look all around my room before meeting eyes with me through the mirror.

"Why don't you come too? I mean... we all fly out together tomorrow morning anyway... It would just be more convenient for you to come and spend the night. You could have our-the bedroom and I could sleep downstairs in the studio... We could even watch my new video together before it airs next week. You could tell me what you really think and..."

"Okay I'll go!" I said laughing, putting a stop to his rambling. It was cute and sad at the same time that we had resorted to being nervous around each other again as if we were strangers. We stared at each other for a while probably thinking the same thing and then he left the room so that I could finish getting ready.

He rounded up Maddox and we left my mother to a quite home. I'm sure she was relieved to be getting a quiet weekend totally to herself.

It was lively as ever back at the place I once called home. The first thing that alarmed me most was these two huge teenaged boys sitting in the living room. I learned quickly that they belonged to Rita, the new nanny. Michael claimed they rarely spent time here, but they looked pretty much at home and the children were comfortable with them. Rita seemed a bit forward, but I could tell she was real. She had that brutal honesty that even though rubbed people the wrong way, you couldn't deny the truth behind it.

Michael needed those types of people, so I was okay with that.

Hideki was back in LA handling Michael's business there while he was out here taking a short break, but there was one other employee here that even though she remained quiet and basically out of sight, I happened to notice. It was the scared little woman who I came across the last time I was here to get Maddox. I watched her closely even though, and even as she tried to be discreet, I took note of every longing glance she sent Michael's way.

People that were so sickeningly desperate to please him, these are the types of people Michael did not need around him.

Michael was too busy being attentive with the children all day that he failed to notice her or me noticing her.