Author's Note: Okay, so embarassing chapter behind me *blushes* here is Chapter Sixteen, hope you all enjoy :)

Chapter 16: Nothing Will Ever Be The Same

" If love doesn't shatter you, then you don't now love."-Unknown

I slap my hand on the alarm clock next to my bed, the buzzing giving me an even bigger headache than I already have. 'Today is going to be a good day,' I vow to myself as I make my way to the bathroom. I flip on the light snapping my eyes shut against the searing brightness. Last night was one of the hardest nights of my life, having to come to terms with the fact that Michael didn't love me, shortly after we made love was a bitter pill to swallow. But I will be damned if I let any man make me feel like I was nothing, no man could have that power over me again. Not even Mr. King of Pop himself. I shower slowly, letting the hot water run down my body as I scrub my skin thoroughly. After last night, I decide that its going to be nothing but business. I am the personal assistant, he is the boss. I will do my job, he will do his, and when this tour is over we will go our separate ways, and I will never speak or think of him again for as long I live. I turn the water off rolling my eyes at my own thoughts. 'If only it were that simple.' I pull on a pair of jeans and my long sleeved v-neck white shirt, a soft knock on my door.

" Hold on," I yell, hopping to the door as I pull on a sock. I open the door, smiling at the small woman standing there a long white box in her hands. She holds it out to me, and I smile, cursing the language barrier. " For me?" I ask, pointing to myself, and she just nods pushing the box into my hands. " Thank you," I call after her small form hurrying down the hall. I look at the box, a small white envelope taped to the lid. I open it slowly, my heart sighing in my chest.

'To My Wendy, They made me think of you, pure sunshine.

-Michael'

I open the box slowly, gasping slightly at the sun colored roses. The romantic in me has my fingers brushing the petals, smiling at the silkiness of them. I snap my hand back, balling them into hard tight fists. What, did he think that some pretty words and roses was going to make up for the fact that he successfully ripped my already damaged heart from my chest and obliterated it? I laugh coldly as I pick up the flowers tossing them in the waste basket.

" Well Mr. Jackson, I don't need your I'm-sorry-I-broke-your-heart roses, I don't need anything from you," I say, clapping my hands together as I walk to the bathroom, slamming the door loudly. I stare in the mirror, wondering if the cloud of pain will be as obvious to everyone else as it was to me.

I walk down to the conference room that the hotel staff had set up for Michael, my arms weighed down from my organizer and bag of Michael's special requests. I flash my I.D badge to the security guards standing outside of the door and smile at them softly when they open the door for me. I'm caught off guard when I see Michael and Max already sitting at a table, heads bent together talking softly amongst themselves. Max lifts his head, a slow smile forming on his lips when he nudges Michael with his elbow. I divert my eyes, knowing that as strong as I'm pretending to be, one look from those deep and soulful eyes will have me wanting to run for cover. I walk over to them slowly, my own words bouncing in my head giddily. 'He's the boss, I'm the assistant, that's all there is to it,' I think to myself, murmuring my mantra over and over again finding strength in them.

" Sorry if I'm late, I thought we weren't meeting until ten," I say, sliding Michael's bottle of water and yogurt to him.

" Your fine Dani," Michael's silky voice falls over me, Goosebumps rushing over my skin. I clear my throat as I sit down flipping open my organizer.

" How'd you sleep last night Dani?" Michael asks, his voice riddled with confusion.

" Just fine. You have kind of a full day today Mr. Jackson," I say, putting emphasis on his name, " At eleven thirty you have a radio interview, that is supposed to last approximately forty-five minutes, from the radio station your are going to be visiting with the children at Nonohana-no-Ie Children's Home. After that you have dinner with Ambassador Shaffer, and that's about it. Was there anything that you needed me to add in there, reschedule?" I ask, lifting my eyes to Michael, waiting expectedly.

" No, no that's right," he says, his eyes hurt by my cold demeanor.

" Good I'm going to excuse myself to get some breakfast, I will be in my room if you need anything, if not then I will see you both when we leave for the interview," I say, gathering my things. I walk from the room, letting out a deep breath, proud that I was able to get through it.

Michael's POV

The plan was set, nothing could stop me from making things up to Dani, the ball was already rolling the second I had the flowers sent to her room.

" Your good Mike, her heart is going to melt," Max says, smiling at me from his seat next to me.

" I hope so. I hope I can make this up to her. It's the real deal Max, what I feel for that girl, man, wooo" I say, wiping nervous hands across my jeans.

" I know," he says clapping a hand on my back. I lose myself in memory, visions of Dani's naked body shimmering, my palm pressed against her heart. Max suddenly nudges me with his elbow pulling me from the heavenly vision of my DanI. I follow his gaze smiling sweetly at her. Her slim body covered by snug jeans and a white shirt cut low, teasingly showing the creamy skin of her breasts.

" Sorry if I'm late, I thought we weren't meeting until ten," Dani says, sitting down across from me, sliding my bottle of water and yogurt to me. I smile, momentarily confused when she doesn't look at me.

" Your fine Dani," I say, wishing whole heartedly that she would just look at me with those beautiful green eyes of hers. " How'd you sleep last night Dani?" I ask again, trying to coax the reaction out of her that I want.

" Just fine. You have kind of a full day today Mr. Jackson," she says, her voice so cold I fight the urge to shiver. " At eleven thirty you have a radio interview, that is supposed to last approximately forty-five minutes, from the radio station your are going to be visiting with the children at Nonohana-no-Ie Children's Home. After that you have dinner with Ambassador Shaffer, and that's about it. Was there anything that you needed me to add in there, reschedule?" I blink slowly looking into her expressionless eyes.

" No, no that's right," I murmur, confused by this strange and distant interaction.

" Good I'm going to excuse myself to get some breakfast, I will be in my room if you need anything, if not then I will see you both when we leave for the interview," she says, gathering her things walking from the room.

" What the hell was that?" Max asks, voicing my own thoughts.

" I don't know, but I'm going to find out," I say, pressing out of my seat, but Max catches my arm before I can scramble for the door.

" Slow down cowboy, let me okay? Consider me the mediator okay," he says, and I just nod. What more could I do?

Dani's POV

I'm half way to my room, when Siedah stops me, her voice bubbly as she calls after me.

" Dani, hey Dani, wait up," Siedah calls, and I stop fixing a smile to my face. " Hey girl, I was just about to get some breakfast, want to join me?" I stare into her shining eyes, the sudden need to confide in somebody my heart aches taking me over.

" Actually do you want to come eat with me in my room, I need someone to talk too," I say, and she just nods her head linking her arm with mine. As soon as we are in my room, she whirls on me, looking at me closely.

" Okay, spill it," she says, and I run a hand nervously through my curled hair.

" All right. So last night after the concert, I went and saw Michael in his dressing ro-" I'm cut off mid speech when there is a harsh knock on the door. " Damn it." I open the door quickly and forcefully, cringing when its Max who is standing there, his eyes stormy.

" We have to talk," Max says his voice rough.

" There's nothing to talk about," I reply, my blood running cold as I start pushing the door shut, Max's hand slapping hard against the wood.

" Oh there is a lot to talk about Daniella James," he says, pushing past me, stopping mid-step when he realizes that Siedah is in the room. " Siedah, you need to go."

" No she doesn't. In case you have forgotten, this is my hotel room, I choose who stays and who goes, and at the moment I want you gone," I hiss out, walking to stand between the two.

" Fine, thought you would want to do this in privacy but if not thats your choice. What the hell was that back there? Do you have any idea," he trails off his eyes catching sight of the flowers protruding out of the waste basket. " What the hell? Dani, if Michael saw this, do you have any idea what that would do to him?" my body vibrates as his words roll over me.

" Do I have any idea? Do I have any idea? What this would do to him? I don't care what it would do to him!" I scream, my anger unleashing as the blood boils hot in my veins. " He deserves it."

" I thought that I knew you Dani, how could you say that?" he asks, his face stricken with disbelief.

" It's easy. You know when you and Michael have your late night chats, you should really be more careful that the walls aren't paper thin, you never know what can be heard by any passer by," I say, crossing my arms over my chest. " I heard what he said Max, I heard the words come out of his mouth. 'You think I don't already know how stupid it was to tell her that I love her?'" I say, my voice dripping with pain at every word as a light of understanding comes into Max's eyes. "That's right I heard it. What, did you and Michael have a great time laughing at my expense? Make some good jokes about the girl dumb enough to believe that just because 'The Michael Jackson' screwed her, he loved her? I thought that you were my friend Max, I trusted you, but now I see how so pathetically wrong I was about you, and about Michael. So don't you dare come into my room and try to tell me how much I hurt him. He brought it upon himself," I scream, hot tears of anger coursing down my cheeks as I shake with anger. Max stares at me dumbly, hurt shining brightly in his eyes.

" Dani, he didn't mean what he said, he misunderstood so…-" he says, his voice barely a whisper before I shake my head slightly cutting him off.

" No, no see you're his friend, so of course your going to make excuses for him, your going to try and protect him and I cant hold that against you. What about me Max, who is going to protect me?" I ask, pleading with him to give me an answer, but he remains silent. " Exactly, no one is going to protect me, but me. So I'm going to do my job. I will be at his every beckon call, I will do what is asked of me until the contract is up, and after that I'm gone, and if I don't ever see him or speak to him again, my life will be better for it, now please, just go." Max shakes his head slowly as he walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.

" Oh Dani," Siedah says, her hand running up my arm as I start shaking from the tears. I cup my hand over my mouth trying to contain the pain, as I lower myself to the floor, all the while Siedah's soft murmurs of comfort fall on deaf ears, as I realize that nothing will ever be the same.