Ramona found herself sitting atop a familiar boulder with a blanket and her notebook. The cool breeze flowed through her hair and she closed her eyes and breathed in the salty air blowing in from the ocean. The horizon was turning a pale blue color and she knew sunrise wasn't far off. She sat back and wrote in her journal.

Dear journal, it's me again. I haven't taken the time to write in a long while, for good reason. I have been rather distracted lately. A lot of my time was spent with my best friend, Michael Jackson. Who would've thought I would end up being his friend after all the craziness in life? It wasn't that long ago I stood in front of him on stage with a bullet in my shoulder, and now we are the best of friends, and he knows so little. He knows the person I am, and part of me truly wishes I had the courage to tell him the truth. I've kept it hidden from him for so long.

Ramona stopped as she looked out on the beach. There were a group of young teenagers surrounding a bon fire in the distance. They had music playing and they were laughing and dancing. Ramona looked back down with a smile on her face.

I remember those days, back when I was a teenager. I only had 2 friends at that age. Real friends. We were all huge fans of Michael and used to dance like him. Oh how I miss dancing. Sometimes I ask myself why I ever stopped. My friends and I used to own the dance floor at every party, every dance, and even at prom.

What did happen to you? Her mind became clouded with questions. You were quite the dancer and the singer, and you played the guitar. You have changed so much since your parents died.

"My parents," she said quietly. "I'm not bitter. I refuse to have anger for someone I don't know. Everything happens for a reason."

She shook her head and closed her notebook and placed it inside her bag. The sun was rising now, and she stood and stretched before hopping down from the boulder. She leaned against it for a moment and sighed. If only she knew Michael was watching the sunset from his hotel balcony at that very moment. Ramona looked down as she remembered the day she and Michael met on this very beach.

Are you ever gonna tell him the truth?

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She glanced down as she left footprints in the sand. She was thinking about a bible verse Michael read to her one night about leaving footprints in the sand. She was so lost in hearing his voice in her head that she didn't see the girls that were standing right in front of her. She ran right into them and jumped back with her hand over her chest.

"Oh, I am so sorry! I didn't see you…there…" she mumbled as the girls turned to her in mid sentence. She knew their faces.

"Ramona?" one of them asked.

"Is it really…?" the other piped up, moving her hand forward.

Ramona took in their appearances. One girl had curly brown hair that flowed just past her shoulders and she had the prettiest brown eyes. She stood at about 5'3 and she was slender with high cheek bones. The other girl stood just a bit taller with straight burgundy hair. It was almost black, but had a hint of purple highlights. She had bright blue eyes and she was a little more curvy than the other.

"Jaz? Saph?" Ramona asked, finally finding her voice. They embraced tightly. These 2 girls were her best friends from high school that she was just writing about moments ago. The only friends she ever had aside from Michael. "What are you doing here?"

"We're on vacation, kind of," Jaz said.

"Technically we live around here. What are you doing here?" Saph asked.

"I came here to clear my head. I live in Los Olivos now," Ramona said with a smile.

"Los Olivos?" Saph asked, glancing at Jaz.

"You live in the same city as Neverland?" Jaz asked.

Ramona blushed a little. "I live next door, actually." Ramona covered her ears as the girls screamed. They began berating her with questions of if she's ever seen Michael Jackson up close. Ramona bit back a grin. She had a lot to tell them. "Come with me, we have much to catch up on," she smiled as she took both girls by the hands and walked down the coast toward her favorite boulder.

Meanwhile…

A knock came at the door and Michael opened it, finding Lisa standing there with a weak smile. "Hey," he said quietly, stepping aside to let her in. She smiled and walked in, giving him a brief kiss on the cheek. He returned the kiss lightly and closed the door.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Tired, as usual," Michael replied.

"Still not getting much sleep, are you?"

"No. What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you had business to take care of back home?" he asked, suddenly irritated. He was already cranky because he couldn't sleep. He hated touring. He loved his fans dearly, but touring took a toll on him. He wouldn't eat much and he could never sleep and doctors threatened to hook him up to an IV if he didn't take better care of himself.

"I came back to check on you. I hear you have been pretty down. How come you didn't tell me?" she asked, sounding hurt.

"Who told you I was down?" he asked, ignoring her last question.

"Ramona," she said plainly.

Michael sat up straighter at this. "When did you talk to her? And why? Is she okay?"

"Relax, Mike. Luke has been checking in with her regularly. He called me when he became concerned and I went to talk to her," she said. Michael narrowed his eyes at her and she put her hands up in defense. "It's not like that, Mike. I went and apologized to her."

"You?" Michael asked in disbelief. "You apologized? Why?"

"I felt bad, okay? Is it really shocking to you that I do have a conscience?" she asked angrily.

"No, I'm just surprised, that's all. What did she say?"

"She forgave me, eventually. She seemed upset about a message you left for her. She said you were in pain and demanded I come talk to you. Then she packed some things and got in her car."

Michael stood up and looked away. "Where did she go?"

"I'm not sure," Lisa said carefully. She had to try to get Michael to tell her where this place was. "She said she was going where she first started out to clear her mind."

Michael's eyes softened. 'She went back to Santa Monica,' he said in his mind. "Did she seem…sad to you?"

Lisa felt a tinge of jealousy. "She did seem to have a lot on her mind." She left out the part of Ramona saying she wanted to help Michael but she knew there was nothing she could do. "Wherever she went, I hope she gets some sunlight. She was way too pale when I saw her."

Michael turned a concerned look on Lisa. "She's sick?" he asked. Lisa shrugged and he sighed. "Maybe I should go see her…"

"No!" Lisa bursted out and then took a step back when Michael shot her a look. "I mean, she said she just needed some time to clear her mind. Maybe all she needs is some alone time." Michael looked down at his feet and sighed heavily. He knew she was right. "Concentrate on your show tonight. I'm sure she will contact you when she's ready."

"What about you?" he asked.

"I have to go back to Tennessee, so I won't be there tonight. I'm sorry. I have to take care of things in Graceland," she said. She was telling the truth for once. Her mother had called her while she was on the plane to New York and said they had been having issues with the estate.

Michael nodded. "Okay."

Lisa kissed him lightly on the lips and Michael kissed her back. His anger diminished a little, knowing Lisa had actually gone and apologized to Ramona. It still didn't completely extinguish his anger. Ramona sounded sick and he felt responsible. He turned back to his balcony once Lisa left and stared out into the distance.

'Please let her be okay,' he thought.

Meanwhile…

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Saph said, pulling her knees up to her chest. They were sitting on top of the boulder in a deep conversation. "You and Michael Jackson are best friends, Lisa hates you, then Michael kissed you?"

Ramona nodded. "And then Lisa caught you 2 kissing and she slapped you?" Jaz asked. Ramona nodded again.

"I guess I don't blame her for being angry. Her fiancé kissing another girl would piss me off too," Saph added.

"But how the heck did you and Michael get to be friends anyway?" Jaz asked.

"Well," she breathed. Was she really ready to tell someone else about Bucharest? She paused and stared at her 2 friends. They had always been there for her and kept her secrets, no matter what. She knew she could trust them. "It's a crazy story, actually. But before I get into that, I want you to promise to keep it quiet about this." Both girls nodded and put their hands together as a promise. Ramona took a deep breath. "Did you all watch the show Michael played in Bucharest?"

"Yeah, part of it, why?" Jaz asked.

"So you know about the guy with the gun?" Ramona asked.

They nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to strangle the guy before that girl…wait…" Sapphire paused as she put 2 and 2 together. "Are you trying to tell us that you…?"

Ramona shrugged and then removed her jacket, moving her shirt away so they could see her scar. "That was me."

"OH MY GOD!" they both shrieked.

"Shhh!" Ramona threw her hands over their mouth.

"Sorry," Jaz said. "But my God! What does Michael think about all this?"

"He doesn't know it was me," Ramona admitted.

"How is that possible? He stood over you on the stage!" Saph asked in shock.

Ramona shrugged. "My face was different that night. I had on quite a deal of makeup that had smeared all over my eyes from all the sweat. I'm sure I resembled a raccoon at that point," she smiled a little.

"Wow," Jaz breathed.

"Are you gonna tell him?" Saph asked.

"Eventually I will. Right now I am just trying to avoid him," she admitted.

"Why? Why would anyone want to avoid the King of Pop?" Saph asked.

"I know it sounds silly, but after the incident with Lisa, I just don't feel right about being around him. I feel like I ruined his relationship with Lisa."

"Has he tried to talk to you about it?" Jaz asked.

"Yea, he has called me and written letters, but I never have the courage to answer," she said quietly.

The girls glanced at each other. They knew Ramona missed him and she looked sick to them. "How long has it been since you saw him last?" Saph asked.

"Almost 2 weeks," she answered.

"Maybe you need to talk to him," Jaz suggested.

"I don't know. He asked me to come to his show tonight in New York, but…"

"You should go!" they both said at the same time.

Ramona sighed. She knew she needed to face Michael sooner or later, but tonight? That was asking for trouble. "I don't know."

"Ray, if you don't go tonight, you won't have the chance to see him in a long time," Saph said with sad eyes.

"Yeah, after tonight, he heads to Japan, Tokyo, and London too," Jaz added. "At least think about going tonight. We will go with you for support."

"I'll think about it," she said. "I better go. I just remembered I have a column to finish before Monday," she said. She wasn't lying, she did have to finish writing soon, but she had time. She was almost done with it. Only minor details to iron out before she had to turn it in to Charlie.

"Oh right, you work for the LA times, I forgot," Jaz said.

Ramona nodded and they exchanged numbers before saying their goodbyes. "I'll invite you girls over to my home sometime."

"We would love that," Saph said with a smile. They walked Ramona to her car and she left soon after.

On her drive through town, she decided to stop by the store to pick up some printer paper and a few essentials. As she loaded her car with new items, she heard a familiar song playing from across the street. It sounded like Jam. She locked up her car and followed the sound across the road. She looked up at the building that read Studio Fly. Interesting name, she thought. She looked at the windows that were fogged from the cold air. She could see someone inside moving around. She wiped some of the fog away and saw a young woman dancing.

She had moves like Michael. Very close to Michael, actually. This captured her interest and she walked to the door and found it unlocked. She quietly snuck in and placed her things aside to watch this woman. She was very well built and stood at about 5'5 with bronze skin that glistened with sweat. She danced in front of a large mirror and Ramona noticed her dark brown hair and deep golden brown eyes. She was intense.

Before long, Ramona found herself moving to the beat. Michael's music had that effect on her. She grew curious as she watched the woman move and she slowly removed her jacket and boots. She took a stance behind the woman at a distance and copied her moves. She moved and danced with the woman and she felt her energy returning. She hadn't danced in so many years and now she kicked herself for ever giving it up.

The woman went into a spin just as the song came to a close and she screamed when she came face to face with Ramona. Both screamed and jumped back and the woman slapped the stereo nearby to shut it off.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I heard the music and saw you dance and I just couldn't help myself," Ramona said frantically.

"No no, it's quite alright. Michael's music has that magical effect on people," she smiled and held her hand out. "I'm Tasha."

Ramona shook her hand. "Ramona," she smiled.

"Ramona….Ramona Greene from the LA Times?" she asked.

"Guilty," she shrugged.

"I love your columns about Michael! You're friends with him, right?" she asked.

"I am," she said quietly.

Tasha took notice in her mood change. "How is the applehead these days?" she asked.

"He's Michael…" she paused. "Did you call him applehead?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Yea. Little known fact about me, Michael and I grew up together," she said and then stretched as if it were no big deal.

"Really? Wow," Ramona said.

"Yea, we lost touch when he started the HIStory tour. The butthead. I haven't heard from him since then," she scrunched up her face. "I heard about the Bucharest thing. Did you ever figure out who the girl was?"

Ramona shook her head. "Hey, do you mind if I dance with you?" she asked suddenly.

Tasha's eyes widened a bit before she smiled. "A passion for dancing and a friend of Michael's? Does he know you dance?"

"No. There's much he doesn't know about me. Actually this is the first time I've danced in years," she admitted shyly.

"Well then," she pranced over to her stereo. "Have you ever heard the remix to Scream?"

Ramona shook her head. "No, not really."

"Okay, well it's called Scream Louder and it's a more intense song that will certainly test your moves. You think you're up for the challenge?"

"Oh yes," Ramona grinned.

"Are you familiar with the Scream dance?" Tasha asked as she stretched once more.

"Very," Ramona replied as she stretched herself.

"Alright then, let's see what you've got," she smacked the stereo to life and the song began to play. Ramona stepped forward in front of the mirror and started with the slow moves. Tasha moved right next to her. As the music sped up, so did the dance moves. Ramona grinned widely the entire time. Oh how she missed dancing. She nailed every move and threw in a bit of her own and Tasha watched her as she danced next to her.

They both grinned widely as the bridge hit. They slid on their knees just like Michael and Janet had done and they copied their moves exactly. When the song ended, both were covered in sweat.

"That was so electrifying!" Ramona smiled widely. "I feel so alive!"

"Glad to hear it," Tasha patted her on the back. "You should show some of your moves to Michael. Right now, in fact. Go to Neverland and show him!" she nudged Ramona.

"I can't," she giggled. "He's in New York for a show."

"Okay, then go to New York," she said simply.

Ramona grinned and exchanged numbers with Tasha before heading home. She found Luke sitting outside in his car as if he had just gotten there to check on her. She was so full of life now that she jumped out of her car and hugged him. He was taken by surprise and he hugged her back.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked with a grin.

"Dancing. I used to dance all the time, and now I'm doing it again," she grinned up at him.

"You should do it more often, You have your color back in those gorgeous cheeks again," he smirked and she blushed.

She turned back to her car and grabbed her things from the trunk and headed inside, Luke followed with a few more bags. She set her things down and saw that her answering machine was lit up. Luke walked into the bathroom and shut the door and she took that opportunity to hit play.

Hey Ramona, it's your favorite boss! I was calling to check up on you. Don't work yourself too hard on that next column. I hope Luke is taking good care of you. Please call me soon to give me an update. Oh, before I forget, I received a call from Mike. He is really scared for you and he misses you. Maybe you should talk to him. Call me soon, angel!

End of messages

Ramona bit her lip in deep thought.

Meanwhile…

"We want Michael! We want Michael!" the chanting of the crowd was echoing through the walls as Michael stood in his dressing room preparing for the concert. He sighed into his mirror and pulled a photo of him and Ramona from the side of the mirror. A tear slid down his face as a knock came at the door.

"Time to go do your thing, Mike," Frank said as he poked his head inside the door. Michael nodded and wiped the tear away quickly, putting the photo in a drawer nearby. "She will come around, Mike. Try to cheer up. Your fans are out there ready to support you."

"Only one person is missing," he whispered as he headed out past Frank.

He walked out on stage and danced through the music, eventually the pain leaving his hard as he allowed the music to flow through him. Near the end of the concert, a song he really wasn't prepared to sing came next. He took a deep breath and hit his knees as he began to sing. "She's out of my life."

As he went through the song, he let the tears flow. He cried during this song in every show just to add to the effects, but this time, the tears were from a real sadness. He didn't have to dig deep into his past to bring the tears up. He glanced around the crowd near the end of the song and he looked down at his feet as he curled into a ball on stage and wept. He could hear the fans crying out to him in support and it made his heart race. He always did say he was married to his fans.

He breathed in deep as he prepared for the next song, You Are Not Alone, when a fan would be brought to him on stage. He had to get a hold of himself for this. He never knew who would be brought to him, so he had to concentrate on erasing the sadness and bringing the passion back to his eyes. He remained on his knees as the girl was brought on stage. He didn't see her face, but he noticed she wasn't fighting the man to get to him faster. She seemed calm.

He held his hand out to the girl as the spotlight hit and his eyes lit up with happy tears. "Ramona…" he whispered so the microphone didn't pick it up.

Ramona smiled and hugged him as the song began. "Hey, tomcat. I missed you," she said as she kissed his cheek.

He began to sing to her and she danced with him. He wiped away stray tears that fell from her eyes and she did the same for him. 2 best friends shared the stage and danced together and both were overwhelmed with emotion. Ramona was so happy to see him again that she didn't even notice she was on stage in front of a sea of people. When the instrumental part hit, Michael kissed Ramona on the cheek.

"I missed you so much, babygirl. Don't ever do that to me again," he whispered into her ear and kissed her cheek again.

"Never again," she whispered and buried her face in his chest.