Author's Note: Hey ya'll well, here we are chapter 21 :) So as some of you may know, and some of you may not know, I dont know, but I post this story and other stories on an MJ site and I have gotten some very interesting guesses as to who 'crazy psycho stalker' is, so just out of curiosity I would love to know who you all think that it is. So please feel free to leave your guesses in your reviews. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter :) As always, Read/Enjoy/Review!

Chapter 21: Words Will Always Hurt Me

" Sticks and stones may break my bones…but words. Words will damn near kill me."

Time seems to be melting away quickly. Everyday filled with one thing or another. Whether its hours spent in Michael's studio, or hours spent scrutinizing over wedding details with Olivia. Movie nights wrapped around Michael, or days spent in the library buried in his seemingly endless collection of books. Which is where I find myself today. Out of the mid August heat, with a glass of sweet tea and Jane Eyre to pass the time.

Though the nights are ours, for the most part Michael has been busy. Publicity for his album, signings here, there, and everywhere. While I'm left with guards and workers. Sure Olivia comes, often, but it doesn't help to melt away the ache that is left when Michael is gone.

I stare at the page, words jumbling together, and with a frustrated sigh I close the book, setting it beside me. Maybe today just isn't a day for reading. I draw my knee's up to my chest, and stare out of the large open window, laying my head on my hands.

The silence is unsettling. A big house like this should be alive with noise. Like all the times Michael's brothers would be here, and the water wars that would begin outside and somehow find their way inside. Or the movie nights with Janet, where we'd pile mountains of blankets into the theatre and watch any and every chick flick we had handy, while simultaneously making ourselves sick with sweets. Those were the days. When everything was simple. When Michael and I were still circling around each other, both of us unsure of what we wanted. Maybe that isn't the right way to phrase it. We were unsure of how to get what we both wanted.

I shake my head lightly when I hear someone clear their voice from the doorway and turn my head, slightly shocked to find none other than Michael's father, Joseph standing, one hand buried in his pocket with a look of slight disgust on his face. I fight the urge to roll my eyes, before turning back to look out of the window. Of all people to show up when Michael isn't around, it has to be him. Just my damn luck.

" You sure made yourself at home with my son didn't you girl?" Joseph's voice growls out, falling over me in some sort of sick blanket that I wish I could shake off. I ignore him. Because as good as yelling and putting Joseph Jackson in his place feels, and I've done it twice so it feels really good, it isn't worth the worry that it will undoubtedly cause Michael.

I twitch uncomfortably when he sits next to me, and I scoot myself as far over in the corner as I can.

" Before you, Michael was focused. Michael knew that family was all that mattered. You ruined that. Ruined him with your little lost wounded girl act," he says slowly, his voice menacing, my heart raps harshly against my ribs despite how hard I fight to slow it down, to let his words roll off of me, " I watched the agony my son was in after you left. But then he had Tatiana. And Tatiana was good for him Tatiana and Michael fit. Perfectly. But you just had to come back didn't you?"

" I toured with him Joseph, I couldn't not go on tour. I was legally bound," I whisper, hating the fact that this man can make me feel so insignificant.

" But that wasn't enough for you was it? You had to draw him back in, tease him. But when Michael married Tatiana, I thought he was done with you for good. But then you had to go and get your boyfriend killed didn't you?" he asks coldly, and hot tears of guilt start prickling at my eyes, " Have my son dodging bullets for the likes of you. Your nothing Brooke. Nothing but a sad, side project that Michael cant seem to shake. I will tell you one thing, over my dead body will my son marry you. Your no good." I watch as he gets to his feet, my eyes slightly cloudy and I lean away turning my head when he bends down, his lips right next to my ear. " It really is a shame that boy didn't finish you off back home, everyone would be better off without you. Especially Michael."

I sit in shock, the sound of Joseph's footsteps echoing inside of my head almost as loudly as his words. I get to my feet, swaying and shaking, and make my way from the library. I notice Marcus, sitting on the bottom of the stairs, his cell phone in his hand, and he looks up at me a smile on his face that slowly fades away.

" Brooke, what's wrong?" Marcus asks, and I shake my head trying to come up with a nonchalant answer.

" I just," I murmur, " I'm not feeling well. I'm going to lay down," I say, walking past him, taking the stairs two at a time. I swing into the room I share with Michael, closing the door and pressing my back to the wood, my chest heaving. I sink to the floor, dropping my face into my palms and I cry. There's nothing else I can do.

I stare at my phone. Michael's words swimming in and out of focus. ' Meeting is going to run really late. Miss you like crazy.' I slide my phone shut, and stare at the bedroom. My pink duffel bag hitched over my shoulder as I open the door. One thing I've learned over the months is that for a short window of time, every guard is stationed in the pool house, which for the time being has been converted into a temporary head quarters where, for exactly twenty eight minutes the guards getting off duty fill in the guards going on duty. So what I have to do has to be done in twenty eight minutes.

I take just a moment longer, to stare at the room. To draw in the energy of Michael, placing it in my heart. I open the door slowly, and when I see that the coast is clear I step from the room, closing the door quietly behind me. I creep down the stairs, my hand running down the banister and I don't stop myself from letting my hands wander over everything else that comes into sight. I want to soak it in, soak everything in. The feel, the color. I open the front door and with a final glance backward, through tear clouded eyes I step out into the summer night.

Michael's POV

I lay my head against the window of the car, rubbing at my temple. That had to be, single handedly the longest meeting that I have ever attended. Or perhaps, it wasn't so much that the meeting ran long as it it's the fact that Brooke wasn't there, that has me so utterly and furiously restless.

" You all right there Mike?" Max asks and I turn to look at him, and nod my head slowly.

" Just tired," I say, and his answering smirk has me smiling myself.

" You sure your tired? And not love sick?" he asks, and I laugh slightly, " Because let me tell you boss, Brooke is definitely worth being love sick over."

" Tell me about it," I say, sighing slightly, " I cant help but feel bad though."

" Feel bad? For what?' he asks turning the stereo low so that it offers nothing but a soft buzzing noise.

" She's restless Max. Really restless. I can feel it. She isn't happy. She isn't used to this. I've been dealing with guards and constant people surrounding me for almost as long as I can remember, and I take that for granted. Having people around that much has become as second nature to me as breathing. But not for Brooke. I just wish that there was something I can do, something to lift her spirits," I say adjusting myself in the seat trying to find a comfortable position.

" So do something spontaneous. Take a trip with her, or if your still not sure about leaving the house, give the guards a night off, post only some out at the gates, let her have free reign over the house, go where she wants without a constant shadow," he offers and I let his words sink in, rolling them over in my head.

" Mmm, maybe," I whisper, closing my eyes slowly drifting into a sleep that I didn't realize I needed.

I open the front door, finding comfort in the cool air, and I smile lightly when I smell Brooke's perfume dancing lightly in the air, greeting me.

" Brooke," I call out, walking straight to the library. The one room that she seems to have been frequenting a lot lately, and when I find it empty a sick ball of worry starts forming in my stomach, " Brooke!" I race up the stairs, and push open the bedroom door, finding it empty also.

I walk towards the bathroom, hoping that perhaps she's taking a shower, but when I get to the door way I find it dark and unused. My heart starts skittering in my chest as I search the room. The bed is still made, everything in place, and its then that I see something shining on the dresser. I walk slowly, and as I get closer I see the undeniable shape of Brooke's engagement ring, a piece of paper folded underneath it.

With a shaking hand I lift the paper and open it, Brooke's handwriting jumping out at me.

'Michael,

I know that this isn't the right way to go about this. But I've been thinking. Seems that thinking is all that I can do nowadays. And I've come to realize something. I have been incredibly selfish. Selfish when it comes to you. You deserve so much better than me Michael. You deserve someone who wont bring so much drama into your life. You have enough of it on your own.

I know that when we first met you must have looked at me as someone to be fixed. But the truth is this, I'm in fact unfixable. The damage was done years ago, and it will only continue to get worse. But you don't have to be a part of it. You don't have to be a part of it because I love you too much to watch you be dragged down with me.

You have been nothing but amazing. And my life has been made a million times better with you in it, but when I think of everything that's happened I cant, in any way, stand by and watch you go through this hell with me.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we didn't meet at a different time. Sorry that we couldn't have that happy ending. Because I really wanted that happy ending. I love you Michael. I love you and that's why I'm doing this.

Find happiness Michael. Because you deserve it.

Love,

Brooke.'

The paper flutters from my shaking fingers as I sit on the edge of my bed, my heart shattering inside of me. I close my eyes quickly, before opening them again panic and urgency coursing through me as I race through the house.

" Max," I call out racing into the kitchen.

" Whoa, slow down, where's the fire?" Max asks setting his water bottle down on the counter.

" Brooke's gone," I pant breathlessly, grasping the counter.

" What do you mean gone?" he demands, and I groan in frustration.

" She's gone, she left a note and her ring, she's gone," I yell, throwing my hands in the air, " I need to talk to all the guards who were on earlier. Something happened. Something had to have happened for her to just leave this way."

" I'm on it," he says striding from the kitchen and I'm left alone. Just me and the silence.

I pace my office, my head throbbing viciously and I jump slightly when someone knocks on the door.

" Marcus is here," Max says and I nod my head letting him know to let him in. Every other guard seemingly knew of nothing that would cause Brooke to leave. But if anyone would know anything it would be Marcus. After the incident four months ago, him and Brooke have grown close. So he would know. He'd have to know.

" Mr. Jackson," Marcus says stepping into the office, a pained expression on his face.

" Close the door," I say, and I watch as he closes the door before turning to look back at me with anxious eyes, " Brooke has seemingly disappeared and nobody else seems to know what happened, so I need to know. Did anything happen while I was gone? Did she says anything to you? Seem even the slightest bit off?"

" I saw her for only a short time this afternoon, she was in the library," Marcus says, and he fidgets madly with the hat in his hands, " Mr. Jackson, you should know your father was here earlier. He went into the library, but was only in there for ten minutes, if that. It was after that, that I saw Brooke. She looked bad. She was pale, and I could tell something was wrong, but when I asked her what was wrong she said she wasn't feeling well, that she was going to lay down."

" Joseph," I mutter everything falling into place in my head. Of course. Leave it to my father. " Who the hell let him in?" I roar Marcus jumping slightly.

" I, I don't know Sir. I was in the house the whole time," he says and I quickly shift my anger from Marcus. It wasn't his fault that my father is an incessant interloper who finds no greater pleasure than to ruin anything and everything beautiful in his children's life.

" Of course, thank you Marcus," I say waving my hand at him in dismissal as I pick up the phone from my desk, dialing Olivia's number.

" Sir," Marcus calls from the door, and I look up at him as the phone rings in my ear, " For what its worth. I think she'll come back." I nod my head lightly, praying silently that he's right.

Brooke's POV

I stare up at Olivia's house, my throat growing thick. By now Michael's home, and he's gotten my note, and beyond a shadow of a doubt I know that he's crawling the walls, driving himself insane with worry. Worry that I caused. Again. I push out of the car, hitching my duffel bag over my shoulder and I walk slowly towards the front door.

I stare numbly at the door, trying to drum up the energy to knock, and with everything inside of my I lift my hand only to have the door swing open, Caleb almost running me over.

" Brooke!" Caleb calls loudly, grabbing me into a tight hug, and before I can react he pulls me into the house slamming the door behind us. " What in the hell do you think your doing? Sneaking off that way? Leaving Michael some sort of 'Dear John' letter?"

I open my mouth to answer him, but instead a broken and ragged sob rips from my chest and Caleb gathers me close walking me to the living room and sitting me down on the couch. I cry harshly into my hands, Caleb and Olivia soothing me with your silent comfort and finally the tears start subsiding.

" Okay, why don't you tell us what happened?" Olivia says, offering me a tissue and I stare at her dumbly shrugging my shoulders.

" Joseph," I croak out, " Joseph's what happened. He came by the ranch today. And he said, he said," I cant go any further than that, the words choking me along with another wave of tears that I cant seem to stem.

" Okay, okay," Olivia says, " We don't have to talk about it now. Why don't we get you into bed, you look exhausted." I don't protest when Caleb lifts me in his arms and carries me to the guest room, laying me down on the bed. He brushes a soft kiss to my forehead and leaves Olivia and I together.

" I wont push you to tell me what happened right now," she says, pulling the blankets over me, " But you know Michael will be here for you. I will hold him off as long as I can, but you cant run from him forever. Good night Brooke." The lights click off and when its just me and the darkness I realize that's what I'm most afraid of. I cant run forever. And that in and of itself is terror incarnate.