Hehe yes Im back with a vengeance. Im glad you all enjoyed that cliffhanger :) I'll make sure to add more later. Until then...read on!
Two Hearts. One Dream Ch. 12
I spun on my heels and glared daggers at Brian. He stood in the clearing with his hands in his pockets, with that cocky grin on his face. I wanted to punch him so badly at that moment.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I gritted my teeth.
"Don't be angry with me, Lola. I came to bring you back."
"Back to where? To you? I don't belong to you." I snapped.
"You used to. You were my family. Why can't you be my family?" he held his arms out and I snorted.
"I was never your family. The only thing good that ever came out of you was Will and you took him away from me too. I'm not going with you. Now leave me alone," I backed away and started to turn and he walked towards me.
"We can make another child just like Will. We can start over."
I clenched my fists and I thought I heard screeching tires, but all I felt was anger and hatred toward the man in front of me. "Make another? Excuse me? You say it like he was nothing to you! What's the matter with you?"
"Maybe he wasn't anything to me. Maybe he wasn't even mine," he snorted. I slapped him across the face and he grabbed my arm and pushed me against a nearby tree. "You hit me again, and I will break this arm."
I glared at him without an ounce of fear in my eyes. I clenched my fists and pushed back trying to get away. His eyes went blank when a hand touched his shoulder and pulled him violently away from me. Everything happened so fast, and Brian was quickly on the other side of the clearing with a complete look of shock on his face. I looked back beside me and saw Michael standing there with his arms folded, staring at Brian.
"If you want to keep your bones from being broken, or worse, I suggest you keep your filthy hands off of my girl."
Brian glared at me and Michael stood closer to me. "Funny, I thought I was seeing things when I saw you and Jacko dancing on my t.v. last week. I guess I should've figured you were hanging with freaks since I found you here."
I took a step forward and Michael put his arm in front of me. "It's not worth it Lola. Don't give him the satisfaction of your anger," he whispered.
I pushed Michael's arm away and took a few steps to stand in front of him. "Call him a freak one more time. I dare you," I clenched my fists and took a defensive stance.
Brian chuckled and Michael took a step closer to me, ready to hold me back. "I think you're both freaks. Never the less, Lola, you need to come home with me." He took a step forward and I stepped back until my back was against Michael's chest. He wrapped his arms protectively around me and I put my hands on his.
"I am home. You need to leave." Michael tightened his arms around me.
"Home is back in Oklahoma with me, where you belong. Not with that freak," he spat.
I tensed and Michael cleared his throat. "If I'm not mistaken, you just called us both freaks. Freaks belong with other freaks, am I right? She belongs to herself and to her heart. Her heart decides where her home is."
Brian clenched his fists and I smiled. "My home is with you, Michael." I leaned my head back and he kissed me soflty on the lips.
"No..." Brian growled. "You know, I'm glad Will's gone. He probably wasn't even mine anyway. I bet you didn't even know who the real father was, did you?" I stepped away from Michael and Michael walked behind me. We were both angry at that point. "Show me how freaks fight, Lola. Come on."
I started to run at him and I heard a click and froze. Brian pulled a gun out of his jacket and pointed it at me, and then pointed it behind me. Fear shook through me as I now recognized my surroundings. It was just like my nightmares I had before, only without a cliff. Brian held a gun at Michael, and I was stuck in the middle.
"No..." I whispered. I turned my head at Michael and he was frozen a few feet behind me, looking at me strangely in a calm way. "Michael...run! Get out of here!"
He shook his head and kept his eyes on mine. "I'm not leaving without you."
"You have to! Please!" I turned back to Brian. "I'll kill you if you pull that trigger, I swear. You took one person I loved already, I won't let you take another!" I ran at Brian again and heard a loud pop and I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I felt myself for blood and felt none. I whipped around and found Michael standing in the same spot, looking towards the street. I looked back and Brian had dropped the gun, and was holding his arm which was now covered in blood.
"Tito?" I heard Michael whisper. I looked back towards the street and saw Tito standing there holding a gun. He put it into his holster and walked forward with a few officers following behind. "You alright Mike? Lola?" We both shook our head. "Good...Brian Woods, you're under arrest for attempted murder." He pulled him up and lead him to a nearby ambulance.
I sighed deeply and walked to Michael. He kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly. Tito walked over to us after the ambulance took Brian away.
"Where did you come from?" I asked him. "How did you know?"
"It's a long story..." he sighed.
"We got time," Michael whispered.
He nodded and we sat down on a bench nearby. "I'm an undercover cop. Sorry I never told you Mike, but this is all a secret, you know. When you brought Lola home and told us about Brian, I wanted to go after him. He was in Oklahoma, so I couldn't. Rebbie and I talked for a while about this, and she figured he would come looking for Lola soon after she was watched by the media. After that, I implanted a tracking device on Lola's mustang, just incase."
"And you drove it here, didn't you?" I asked Michael. He nodded. "Why the mustang? Couldn't you have taken your car?"
"Nah, my car isn't as fast as yours. I'm actually kinda jealous," he chuckled. "Anyway, thank you Tito. You saved our butts."
"All part of the job. You two better get on home. Rebbie and mother are there waiting. I gotta stay behind and clear some things up with my boss."
We stood and Michael took my hand and started walking towards the car. "Thanks Tito." I kissed his cheek and he smiled.
"Anytime sis."
I blushed and we walked back to the car. We sat in it for a while before Michael turned to look at me. "I'm sorry for what Joseph said to you."
"He told you what he said?" I asked suprised.
"Well no, Rebbie saw you leave and she confronted him. When he didn't answer, she checked the security tapes which is what I did." I sighed and he squeezed my hand. "Don't worry, he will be gone when we get home. I told him to leave and never come back."
"I'm sorry I caused a family fued..." I whispered. "I guess I shouldn't have believed him. I came here and thought about it. It took me all that time to realize if you wanted to leave, you would have told me yourself."
"I'd never leave you, Lola. I love you."
I smiled and kissed him lightly. "I love you."
He smiled back. "You're not going to say you love me more?"
"I kinda figured you already knew that by now," I giggled and he laughed and started the car and we headed back home.
A few days later, we were sitting on the couch playing a video game together. He kept reaching over and smacking the controller out of my hand and I pushed him over.
"You're a cheater!" I yelled.
"Takes one to know one!" he laughed.
"Children, children...can't we all get along?" Katie walked in with a few bags in her hands. Michael jumped up and took the bags from her and I hugged her.
"Momma, what are you doing here?" Michael asked.
"Are you alright, Katie?" I noticed she had dry tears in her eyes.
"I'm fine now," she smiled and then looked away.
"Uh, Michael why don't you put her bags in her room and I'll make some tea," I offered. Michael nodded and took her bags and I helped her to the couch.
"Thanks, child," she smiled.
I made her some tea and brought the tray to the coffee table in front of the couch. "You're welcome," I smiled. Michael came back and sat next to Katie. He poured her a cup of tea, and then one for myself. "Thanks sweetheart," I smiled at him.
"You're welcome, love. Momma, are you okay? Do you wanna talk about it?"
"Nothing for you to concern youself with, son. I'm here now, so I'm okay."
"Katie, did someone hurt you? Would you like me to run you a hot bath?" I asked.
"No, child. Lola, you know you don't have to call me Katie. You can call me momma," she smiled.
I hesitated and bit my lip. I still wasn't over my own mother's death, but I couldn't deny that I saw Katie as a motherly figure.
"When you're ready, child," she touched my shoulder and I smiled. She sat back into the couch and sighed. "I heard what Joseph said to you, Lola. We argued about it, and I left him."
Michael's eyes grew wide. I wasn't sure what he'd say at this point. "Finally," I was shocked at his response. "I've been waiting for you to leave him for so long momma. I'm so proud of you!" He hugged her and she giggled.
"Thank you, Mike. It was a long time coming, but..." she leaned over and put her hand under my chin. "This one is the one that finally woke me up. I saw the tape too, and I saw the hurt in her eyes. The same hurt Joseph made every single one of us feel. It's not worth him hurting everyone else, including new family members."
I blushed and smiled. "Thank you, Katie."
Michael had insisted that Katie lived with us at the ranch, and of course she agreed. We spent alot of time with her, and I got to spend some alone time with her as well. She was becoming more and more like a mother to me than I ever imagined.
A few weeks later, Michael's birthday was coming up, and I was plotting. He had a concert that night, and I had talked with everyone in the family to make them play along. We wanted to make Michael think we all forgot his birthday. We wanted him to think we were too focused on his next concert. I called Janet over a couple of days before the big day and we took a walk by the zoo.
"So, I have this plan, but I need your help," I rubbed my hands together and grinned.
"Oooo I love plotting. Okay, what do you need me to do?" Janet bounced.
"Are you associated with Nick Lachey?"
"Uh, yeah. I have his number, but it's been a long time since I've talked to him."
"Well, get him on the phone. See if he will make an appearance at Michael's concert and sing I Do with me, as a suprise to Michael."
Janet grinned and grabbed her cell phone. "BRB!"
I rolled my eyes at her internet terms. I thought only highschool girls talked like that. I laughed on the inside. Janet was alot like Michael. She may be an adult on the outside, but she's just a kid on the inside. She came back with a wide grin on her face.
"Okay! He said he'll do it. He and the guys will meet us at the studio tomorrow to rehearse a little. He said he's looking forward to meeting you." I blushed and giggled with her.
The next day, we went out to meet 98 Degrees at the studio. On the way there, my curiousity got the best of me.
"Janet, how did you get us away from Mike without him getting suspicious?"
"Easy...I told him I needed another voice to harmonize with and I was borrowing you. He didn't seem to mind. He wanted some time to record some new songs anyway."
"Always busy, that boy," I chuckled.
"Tell me about it!" Janet laughed.
We met up and spent quite alot of time rehearsing with Nick and the other singers. Janet mostly sat with the others while Nick and I practiced some harmony.
"Okay, Lola, so how do you wanna do this?" Nick asked me.
"Me?" I asked.
"Yea, you. You're behind all this. Just tell us what to do."
"Wow. Okay, well I wanted to time it just right. I wanna wait until he's in the middle of his concert. Janet, what's the longest pause between songs for him?"
"I think it's right before he does Billie Jean, and right after Dirty Diana," she tapped her chin as she spoke.
"Okay, so after Dirty Diana, we kill the lights and start the music. Don't give him time to get geared up for Billie Jean. Once the music starts, I'm sure he will get confused. Nick, you start to sing, and I'll join in at some point. Afterwards, we'll bring out his cake and sing happy birthday. Sound good?"
"Yeah, I love it!" Nick smiled. "He will be so happy. I've always been a big fan of his. I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with him, and with his girl," he winked at me.
"Thanks guys. This means so much to me, and I'm sure it will to him too. We'll see you tomorrow!"
We said our goodbyes and left. The next day went as planned. Michael never said a word to anyone about his birthday being today. I stayed busy with Janet, getting his wardrobe ready and then my dress ready for my parts in the concert. Michael started acting kinda sad once we got to the concert.
"I'll be right here cheering you on baby, I love you," I kissed him as I did before every show.
"Love you more," he winked and ran up on stage. He went through a few songs, and when Dirty Diana came on, Nick popped up behind me.
"Geeze, don't sneak up on me like that," I smacked his arm.
"Sorry," he laughed. "You ready?"
I nodded and we all sang along to Dirty Diana. When he finished, Nick nodded at a guy backstage and he killed the stage lights. 98 Degrees ran up on stage behind Michael, and no one noticed. Then the music started and Michael turned around nervously, thinking something went wrong. When Nick started to sing, he looked at him confused.
He watched him for a minute and then I snuck on stage behind the rest of the group and joined in, making my way to the front slowly. Michael smiled widely when I sang to him. I held his hand and the crowd cheered and sang along. After we finished Michael hugged me and kissed me with tears in his eyes.
"Happy birthday sweetheart, but don't thank us yet, we aren't done." I smiled and they rolled out a huge cake covered in sparkling candles. An entire marching band came on stage and Michael blushed and covered his face as we all sang to him. He laughed when we all finished.
"This is so incredible. Thank you so much," he hugged Nick and the other guys and then hugged me. He walked off stage and dragged me to the back. "You sneaky little woman, I'll get you back for this."
I giggled. "You're welcome. Now, go dance to Billie Jean," I smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes. He winked and ran back on stage.
A few weeks went by and I walked into my bathroom and took a hot shower. I felt strangely tired that morning and I had no idea why. I had quite a few hours of sleep every night. Michael always slept next to me, after a few hours of love making, and I knew I shouldn't be so tired.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror and washed my face. When I grabbed the towel, I looked at the calender hanging by the door. I counted the little red circles and paused. I flipped back the last month or so and then my hand flew up to my mouth.
"Oh my...I'm late." I whispered. I wrapped the towel around me and ran out the bathroom door, of course I tripped over the rug and Michael caught me.
"Woa, where's the fire?" he smiled.
"Nowhere. Sorry," I laughed nervously. "I need to call Janet."
"She's actually here. She's having breakfast with momma. Are you alright? You look a little pale." Michael ran his hand over my face and I smiled.
"I'm fine. Just need to talk to her about...girl stuff."
"Oh, well then by all means," he chuckled. I rolled my eyes and threw on a robe and walked out to greet everyone.
"Good morning, Katie. Janet, can I speak with you alone?"
"Sure, come have breakfast first..."
"No...I mean, now." Janet eyed me and I stared at her and she got up.
"Okay, be right back mother."
I dragged her out to the back porch and looked around to make sure no one else was around to hear me.
"Geeze, Lola, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's up?"
"Janet, I'm late."
"Late?" she looked at her watch. "You and Mike don't have to rehearse for another three hours."
"No...I mean I'm LATE."
"Oh...OH! Oh my God!"
I put my hand over her mouth. "Shush, I don't want anyone to know just yet, okay? I need you to run to the store and buy me a test. Please?"
"Okay, I'll go now. Just don't go to the bathroom until I get back. Has to be the first pee of the day," she smiled and I rolled my eyes. "Okay I'm going!"
I walked back to my room to change and Michael was in the shower. He came out and kissed me while I was drying my hair.
"I'm gonna go have some breakfast. You coming?"
"Yeah, in a few." I smiled nervously at him. He eyed me and kissed my cheek and walked out. A few minutes later, Janet ran in with a plastic sack.
"Okay, there's two in the box just incase," she locked the door and threw the bag at me. I pulled the box out and ran into the bathroom. "Slow down, I don't want you to fall!"
"Shut up! I've been holding it since you left!" I heard her giggle and I took the test. "Dam, we have to wait three minutes before we see the results."
We both groaned and paced in the room. Janet checked her watch every few seconds and when the time finally came, she made me jump. "Okay! Go!"
I walked to the test and hesitated. I shook all over and then finally picked it up and looked at it.
"Well?" Janet asked.
My skin flushed and I smiled at her. "Looks like you're gonna be an auntie."
Janet hugged me tightly. "This is wonderful news! Such wonderful wonderful news!"
Good. Atleast she took it in a good way. Now all I had to worry about was how to tell Michael and Katie. The rest of the family would find out together. I just hope Michael will take this well.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. i actually planned on having him propose to Lola first before she found out...but i figured this would make things more interesting. Now, lets take a vote. Tell me if Michael should propose before or after Lola tells him the news :) shes gonna hesitate either way...bad thing happens to our poor Michael in the next chapter. Tell me what u think! Thanks for reading!
