Ramona lay awake for quite some time after she had bid Michael a goodnight. She stared up at the ceiling for a while, allowing her mind to sort through whatever happened to come through her mind at that time. She looked at the clock for about the hundredth time that night and groaned. It was already 4 in the morning. She groaned and kicked off her covers and paced the hotel room. Why couldn't she get her mind to shut up?

She glanced into Michael's room as she walked by the open door and saw him laying flat on his stomach. His hair was covering most of his face and his arm hung over the side of the bed. His mouth was slightly open and the steady rise and fall of his back showed he was in a deep sleep. She envied him at that moment. She walked over to her suitcase and dug threw her medicine bag for something to help her sleep. The only thing she had in that category was a prescription pain killer for her shoulder.

She had been keeping it from everyone. The pain behind the scar came and went at the most awkward times and she found herself masking the pain from her face when she was around someone. She called her doctor that had watched over her surgery when she first arrived in the hospital in California. She was transferred from a hospital in Bucharest after they failed to find the bullet. Ramona herself had insisted on going back to California for further examination.

She rubbed her shoulder in thought and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the medication bottle in her hand. She didn't want to become dependant on these pills of hers, but what choice did she have? She couldn't commit to seeing a doctor regularly and risk Michael finding out. Not yet anyway. Maybe she could see a doctor after he left the country for a while.

Then her mind drifted once again and she was frozen in place as her mind fell upon a few questions that she never thought she would ask herself. What would have happened if she didn't make it to the stage in time? What would she have done if Michael had been shot? Would he have survived it, or would he have died right there in front of her and thousands of his other adoring fans?

She winced as the pain returned and she shook her head. A single tear fell down her face as she popped the cap open and took 2 pills. She buried the bottle in her bag and climbed back into the covers and soon fell into a deep sleep.

An hour later, Michael rose from his sleep. He shrugged when he glanced at the clock. He was used to getting only 2 to 3 hours of sleep every night when he had a show coming up. He really didn't want to leave the country. He stretched and popped his back before he stood and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He shuffled his feet across the room and glanced into Ramona's room to see her lying on her back. She had one arm draped over her stomach and the other bent over her head. Michael smirked at how cute she looked and went to the desk on the other side of the room and sat down. He opened his laptop computer and began reading.

Ramona began to dream shortly after that. The one thing she never wanted to see was taking place in this nightmare and she wanted out. She stood in the crowd and watched as the gunman pulled out the gun. She fought her way to the front once again, and instead of finding Derek pushing her back, it was someone she'd never even seen before. She shook that off and continued to fight the man when he suddenly threw her over his shoulder and began walking away from the stage. Ramona looked up at Michael and saw him look at her curiously. He began walking toward her, ready to say something to the man that was taking her away, when the gunshot went off and Michael grabbed his chest. His eyes never left Ramona's as he fell on stage.

"No!" she yelled. The man that held her turned abruptly and dropped her. The crowd around her ran in a panic and trampled her in the process. She pushed herself to her knees and looked down at the ground to see a puddle of blood. She was bleeding from her chest in the exact same spot Michael was shot. She stumbled to her feet and made her way to the stage where Michael was now lying in a puddle of his own blood. Ramona crawled toward him, leaving her own trail of blood behind her.

She touched his face and he looked at her weakly. "Stay with me, Mike. You have to stay with me!" she called to him as she caressed his face.

He smiled softly at her and reached up to wipe her tears from her face. "I love you," he said softly and closed his eyes.

"No," she said as his hand fell beside her. "No, Michael, no! Don't go! I need my tomcat with me, please! I love you!" she cried and he didn't respond. She let her tears fall and she lowered her head down onto his chest and closed her eyes.

Michael's ears picked up whimpering coming from Ramona's hotel room and he stood up and walked to the doorway. She was moving around the bed and mumbling. She swung her arm over her and yelled out, causing Michael to jump slightly and rush to her side. He looked over her and tried to decide what to do.

"No, Michael no!" she cried. "I need my tomcat!" she whimpered. Michael winced at the pain in her voice. She had tears leaking from her tightly closed eyes and he reached up and wiped them away. "I love you," she whimpered and more tears followed.

"Ramona, babygirl, come on. I'm right here," he said as he moved her hair from her face. She whimpered more and turned over in her sleep.

A stage hand came in and placed his hands on Ramona's shoulders. "He's gone, miss. Come on, let's get you some help."

"No!" she yelled. "I won't leave Michael. I can't!" she cried out.

"You aren't leaving me, babygirl. Wake up, please," he begged as he continued to try to wake her. She quit talking and simply started to cry. Michael acted out of instinct and he pushed her away from the side of the bed and crawled in next to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and he began to sing softly into her ear. "You are not alone, I am here with you…"

Ramona froze over Michael's body when she heard music. "You are not alone, I am here with you…"

"Michael?" she asked, sitting up.

"Yes, I am here, babygirl. Though we're far away, I am here to stay," he sang. "Wake up," he whispered.

Her eyes flew open and she gasped. "I'm here," he whispered into her ear. By that time, she had noticed his arms tightly around her waist and she felt his breath on her neck. Tears flowed freely down her face and she turned in his arms to face him. "I told you I wouldn't leave you," he said as he wiped the tears from her eyes.

Ramona was speechless. She grabbed the side of his face gently and kissed him suddenly. Michael hesitated at first but kissed her back. She needed comfort and he would do what he could to help her. She smiled softly and buried her face into his neck and sighed deeply. Her heart rate slowed now that she was relaxed. Michael held her against his chest and moments later, she had fallen back to sleep. Michael played with her hair before he eventually drifted off to sleep himself, wondering just what it was that scared his best friend so much.

A few hours later…

Saph and Jaz snuck into Ramona's room, ready to surprise her. They planned on sneaking in and jumping on top of her on the bed like they used to do back in high school. When they came around the corner, the both froze. Michael was in her bed with her sound asleep. They were tightly wound together, Ramona with her back to Michael and Michael with his arms wrapped around her tightly. His arm came around her side and bent so his hand was pulled against her chest next to her heart. Her hand held his tightly, fingers intertwined together. Both seemed very relaxed and in a deep sleep.

"I think I'm jealous," Jaz said quietly.

"Shh, let's not wake them and ruin the moment," Saph nudge Jaz toward the door.

Just as they were about to make it to the door, Ramona cracked one eye open. "Why are you two sneaking into my room?" she asked quietly.

The girls froze and looked at her. "Well, we were going to come and surprise you, but it seems someone already beat us to it," Saph said with a smirk.

Ramona's eyes narrowed in confusion and almost jumped when she felt an arm tighten around her. She looked down at her own hand grasping his and her face turned bright red. She glanced over her shoulder to see Michael's face buried in her pillow behind her and she smiled. He looked so carefree and relaxed when he was asleep. Then she looked back at the girls and tried to figure out when he came into her room and why.

"So, what happened last night?" Jaz asked carefully.

Ramona's eyes widened. "Nothing like that, Jaz," she said quickly. She looked down at his hand that still held hers and pulled it against her scar. The shoulder of her loose shirt had fallen, revealing her scar and she placed the back of his hand against it tightly. She felt a tingling sensation when their bare skin came in contact with each other and she closed her eyes.

Seconds later, he mumbled and tightened his arm again and she pulled her shirt up quickly and turned over to look at him. He yawned and rubbed his eyes with his free hand and peaked through cracked eyelids at Ramona and then smiled. "Good morning," he said tiredly.

She smirked. "Good morning to you too," she released his hand and he smiled again, still keeping his hand on her waist. "We have company," she said.

Michael sat up and looked over her to see the girls standing there with cheesy grins on their faces. He turned red and removed his hand before standing up from the bed and stretching. "Good morning ladies. Did you sleep well?"

They both giggled. "Yes we did, thank you," Jaz said.

"I suppose we don't even have to ask you the same thing since we saw it for ourselves," Saph winked and Michael blushed.

Ramona giggled. "Okay, you two, lay off. What are we doing today?" she asked.

"Breakfast first," Jaz and Saph said in unison. Michael and Ramona giggled and nodded.

"Okay, well then let's all get cleaned up and ready for the day and I will order some breakfast for all of us and we can plan out our day while we eat. How does that sound?" Michael asked.

"Sounds good to me," Ramona smiled and the girls agreed and headed back to their rooms to get ready.

Michael smiled at Ramona once more before turning to his room and Ramona bit her lip and then stood up to make her bed. "Michael?"

"Hm?" he turned and leaned in the doorway.

"Not that I mind or anything, but what were you doing in my bed?" she asked shyly.

Michael hesitated for a moment. "You were crying in your sleep and I couldn't get you to stop," he said sadly.

Ramona looked at the floor in deep thought. She remembered the nightmare vaguely and then her scar began to burn. She bit her tongue to keep from wincing and sighed. "Oh."

"What were you dreaming about? What upset you so much that involved me?" he asked suddenly.

"Bucharest," she said.

Michael paused. "I keep forgetting you were there. I can't imagine what you witnessed on that night. What happened in the dream?"

Ramona's eyes welled up with tears and her lip quivered. Michael's eyes widened and he immediately was at her side with his arms around her. She stood and wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her face into his chest. She looked at his chest where he was shot in her dream and ran her hand over it lightly. "You were shot."

Michael tightened his hold on her. "But I wasn't, you know. I'm here now, aren't I?" he said with a smirk.

She smiled and moved away. Michael poked her nose and she scrunched it and shook her head. "Yea, you are."

"And that's not about to change," he poked her nose with every word he spoke and she grunted and grabbed his finger. He laughed at this because her hand could wrap around one of his fingers. "You're hands are so small."

Ramona snorted. "Maybe yours are too big. Ever think of that?" she shot back.

"Well," he shrugged. "You know what they say about men with big hands," he smirked.

Ramona's mouth dropped open. "Michael Joseph Jackson!"

Michael mocked her reaction. "Ramona Michelle Greene!" he smirked at her.

"I can't believe you would say that!" she shrieked.

Michael quirked an eyebrow and took a step back. "What? Don't you know what they say about men with big hands?"

Ramona shook her head. "I don't wanna hear it!"

"They also have big feet!" he yelled over her and lifted his big foot and pointed at it. "My lord, Ray, what did you think I was gonna say?" he asked. She blushed furiously and turned away. "Ramona! You perv!" he yelled and threw a nearby pillow at her.

She dodged it and stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh shut up and go get ready," she grumbled and pushed him out the door, him laughing the entire way. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it with her hand over her face. "Why me?" she asked out loud.

"Just lucky I guess!" she heard Michael say from the other side of the door. She smirked and hit the door over her head and heard him laugh before heading to the shower.

Later…

The 4 friends sat outside of Ramona's hotel room balcony eating breakfast and talking about their plans. Michael wore his black slacks and a bright red long sleeve shirt and wore his hair down. Ramona wore a grey turtleneck sweater and black pants. The girls wore long sleeve black shirts and blue jeans. All 4 wearing their fuzzy slippers as they enjoyed the view.

"Alright, so we need to do something special today," Saph said between bites.

"Like what?" Ramona asked.

"Like parties, dinner, dancing!" Jaz said with a smile.

Michael raised a brow at them. "Dancing?"

"You know we can't go out in public without causing a riot," Ramona said plainly.

"Oh yes we can, because today is special," Saph winked.

Jaz nodded. "Halloween means dressing up like someone else. We can pull it off!"

Michael and Ramona glanced at each other and then grinned. "Sounds like fun," Ramona said.

"Great! Now let's decide what to dress up as and Saph will look up where to go," Jaz said glancing at Saph. She nodded and stood with her plate and headed inside to start researching places to party in Manhattan.

"Any ideas what you want to go as, Jaz?" Ramona asked.

"Actually I kind of figured we could let Michael decide since he's the guest of honor tonight," she winked.

"Guest of honor?" he asked. "Alright, well I want something with a mask, just to be safe."

Ramona chewed her lip in thought. "What about Erik from the Phantom of the Opera?" she asked.

Jaz eyes lit up. "Yea! I know there are female costumes that would match his and you can both match and be masked!"

Michael smiled. "I love Phantom of the Opera. Sounds like fun," he grinned and Ramona nodded in agreement.

Saph came back shortly afterward. "Alright, there is a costume party at a club not too far from here tonight. We can go see a movie and go eat too. How does that sound?"

Ramona shrugged. "I don't know, costumes at the theater? Really?"

"Actually you would be surprised how many people walk around all day in the city on Halloween. No one would give us a second look," Michael noted.

"Alright, well where can we get costumes?" Ramona asked.

"Leave that to us," Saph said, nodding her head toward Jaz.

Ramona and Michael shared a look of concern before they slowly nodded. The girls took off soon after that and Frank came by the hotel to have a meeting with Michael. Ramona simply shrugged it off and hopped on her laptop when Derek closed the door to their conjoined rooms to talk privately. She looked through some of her emails and even worked on a new column while she waited. She stretched when she heard the girls finally come back and she stood and opened their conjoined door for them.

"We found some fun costumes!" Jaz squealed and then paused and looked around the room. "Where's the applehead?"

"He's in his room in a meeting. Has been for a while," Ramona shrugged. "What did you find?"

"Well, we didn't find any decent costumes for the Phantom of the Opera, but we did find something we can all do together," Saph beamed.

Ramona glanced at the bags in hand and raised a brow. "Like what?"

"We can't tell you until everyone is present," Jaz snorted.

"It's a surprise," Saph giggled.

"Everyone is present!" Michael shouted from behind the closed door. The girls looked at the door and raised a brow at Ramona and she shrugged. He flung the door open and poked his head around the corner, keeping the rest of his body hidden from view.

"What are you doing?" Ramona asked.

"I know what I'm gonna be for Halloween," he grinned. The girls sat down on the bed together and waited for him to continue. He smirked at them and then jumped fully into the doorway and held out his arms. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and his plaid pajama bottoms, but on the shirt he had written with a sharpie "GO CEILINGS". Michael beamed. "I'm a Ceiling fan!"

Ramona instantly started cracking up and the girls joined in after a moment. They didn't get the joke right away but Ramona had to wipe away tears from laughing. "That's pretty clever."

The girls laughed and agreed. "Where did you come up with that?"

Michael shrugged. "I get around. So where are the costumes? I need to see what I'm working with so I can get started on makeup."

The girls glanced at each other with a smirk. "Well now that everyone's here we can give away the surprise," Jaz smiled.

"We couldn't find Phantom of the Opera, but we did find something you're familiar with, Michael," Saph smiled and handed him the bag with his costume in it.

Michael quirked a brow and looked inside. He pulled out every piece of clothing before he finally pulled out a huge straw hat and a rather large pair of brown pants. Most of the clothing was brown, in fact. He pulled out a smaller bag of fake straw and his eyes widened. "The scarecrow? Are you kidding me?"

Ramona bit back a laugh until she was handed her bag. She pulled out a powder blue dress and red ruby slippers and her mouth dropped open. "Dorothy? Really?"

The girls laughed and nodded. "Michael knows how to be the scarecrow and I know you can pull of Dorothy with some practice," Jaz stated.

"What about you two?" Ramona asked.

"I'm going as the lion," Saph piped up with a big grin. "And Jaz is the tin man."

Derek strolled in moments later. "Hey, where's my part in this?" he pouted.

"We didn't leave you out," Jaz giggled and Saph threw him a bag with a large black dress and a witch hat. "You will be the wicked witch," she winked.

Derek's eyes widened and he scowled at them. Michael had to sit down he was laughing so hard. "Alright this will be fun. Let's get started on makeup!"

Later…

The group of 4 were now dressed as the gang from the Wizard of Oz. Derek refused to dress up as the wicked witch, but he did keep the hat and decided to name himself the wicked warlock. He stated it would be more fun that way. Michael did his makeup well enough not to be recognized too easily. He used brown makeup for his face and allowed the girls to put false eyelashes on him. He scowled at Saph when she pulled out a Reese's candy wrapper and attempted to place it on his nose. Ramona colored his nose a dark brown instead which made him smile.

The crew headed out to dinner and then went to the movie theater to watch Rush Hour with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Michael made sure to explain to them during the credits that he had called Chris while they were shooting and he spoke to Jackie on the phone. They laughed when that blooper came on screen and Ramona shook her head.

"You pissed off Jackie Chan? What's wrong with you?" she said sarcastically.

"Honestly I didn't mean to. I was just checking up on Chris while I was in town," Michael laughed.

Shortly after that, they headed to a dance club. Jaz and Saph had some light beer and Michael and Ramona drank a wine cooler. They watched people dance and Michael was tense at first, but after a while of no one noticing him, he loosened up.

"Do you remember prom when we danced to Nsync?" Jaz asked the girls.

"That was one hell of a night," Saph smiled.

Ramona nodded. "It was so much fun," she replied.

Jaz grinned. "Do you guys remember the routine?"

The girls glanced at each other and smiled. "Yes," they said in unison.

"What do you say we do it for old times sake?" she asked.

Saph nodded but Ramona shrunk back a bit, actually retreating back into Michael's side. Michael smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her. "Oh come on, babygirl, you know you want to," he winked.

"It's been a long time…" she said quietly.

"Do it for Michael," Saph winked.

"Yeah, do it for Michael," Michael pouted and Ramona rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she said.

Jaz went up to the DJ and then came back to the table with a smile. "Our song will be up shortly."

Ramona felt herself grow nervous when a new song began to play. It wasn't their song, but it was a familiar song, no less. Blood on the Dance Floor began to play and Michael grinned and stood up, holding his hand out for Ramona. She smiled and took his hand, and together they danced across the floor as if they were ballroom dancing. A few people stopped to watch the show, but no one made the assumption who this scarecrow really was.

Near the middle of the song, Ramona looked over at the girls and saw them smiling and she smiled back. "Let them have a dance with you before you leave," she whispered in his ear.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded and they danced over to the table. Michael twirled Ramona away from him and she landed in her seat with a smile. With one swift motion, Michael grabbed Saph by the hand and twirled her into him. She froze in shock but then went with it and before the song ended, he had done the same for Jaz.

Ramona was laughing and clapping when the song ended and the girls jumped up when their song began. Michael quirked a brow when he heard the music.

"Dirty Pop!" the words rang out and the girls took their position on the dance floor. They popped their bodies in the beginning beats and caused everyone's attention to draw to them. Michael stood in the front of the crowd and watched in fascination as they owned the dance floor once again. They copied the routine from Nsync's music video and even sang parts of the song. Ramona smiled brightly through the entire song and nailed every move. Near the end of the song, Michael had caught on to the dance and joined in next to Ramona. He copied their moves but made sure to tone it down so no one would realize who he was.

When the song ended, they posed together and people around them clapped and cheered. They returned to their table all smiles and excitement.

"What a rush!" Jaz said.

"I can't believe we remembered the moves after all this time," Saph agreed.

After a while, they left the club and headed back to the hotel. It was getting close to sunset and the girls decided to head back home early. They all went into their separate rooms and took off the makeup and costumes and after showering, Michael and Ramona took the girls to the airport. Michael drove his Rolls Royce, which surprised the girls. It didn't bother Michael to drive it. He had tinted windows so no one could see who was inside.

After bidding the girls farewell and promising to call them when Ramona got back to California, Michael drove Ramona in the opposite direction of the hotel. They drove to a part of the city that held little people and Michael wanted to take a walk with Ramona without causing a scene. Michael parked and buttoned his trench coat and held his hand out to Ramona.

"Where are we?" she asked as she stepped out. She pulled the collar of her coat against her neck and looked around.

"This is what I like to call Old New York. This part of the city is very old and not many people come around here this time of the year," he smiled. He took her hand and together they walked down the sidewalk. Ramona took note of the old light poles on the side of the street. They looked just like the ones from the set of his Billie Jean video.

She leaned against one of the light poles and sighed at the sight. It was quiet and beautiful. "I love it here. It's peaceful," she said quietly. When Michael didn't respond, she turned to look at him. His face was filled with sadness. He stood on the other side of the light pole with his hands on his pockets and looked down at his feet. Ramona looked at him with sad eyes and wrapped her arm around the pole, leaning closer to him. "What is it?"

Michael bit his lip and still looked to his feet. "Ramona…I have this longing feeling that I can't understand…" he said carefully.

Ramona took a step closer to him, trying to get him to look at her when a photo was snapped. "Oh that was a good one!" a short little man holding an old camera yelped.

"Hey!" Ramona snapped at him and Michael looked upset. The man began to run away and Ramona narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't think so!" she yelled and chased after him. The man tripped and fell over a crack in the sidewalk and Ramona stood over him.

"Don't hurt me! I was just trying to get some money for my family…" he said nervously holding up his hands.

Ramona studied him for a moment. She looked up and saw a small woman and a child peaking around the corner from an alleyway. Her eyes grew sad for a moment and she looked back at Michael. He had the same look on his face and he walked up to the man and helped him up. Ramona picked up the old fashioned camera and took the already printed photo out of it and handed the camera back to the man.

"Deceiving people isn't the way to gain money," she said.

"I'm sorry," the little man looked down at his feet.

"Here," Michael reached in his coat and pulled out an envelope full of cash. He placed it in the man's hand and put his other hand over it. "This will give you and your family a warm place to go to and some decent food. Take care of the child first, though."

The man's eyes welled with tears and he hugged Ramona and Michael tightly. "God bless you both!" he yelled and then ran to his family to show them the money. The woman began to weep and she bowed in respect. The child smiled and waved at Ramona and Michael and they smiled and waved back before getting back into his car.

They rode in silence to a small field on the outskirts of the city just as the sun began to set. Michael parked the car and leaned his seat back, staring at the sunset before them. "Just like old times, huh?"

Ramona smiled and looked down. "Yea," she said quietly. She was beginning to feel great sadness in her heart. She knew Michael would be leaving very soon out of the country. She began to plan out what she would do to occupy her time until he came back. Michael glanced at her and saw the sad look in her eyes. He held the same sadness she did. He was worried about being so far from her. She was still very fragile and in the back of his mind, he felt like he was abandoning her.

Michael smiled weakly for a moment and pulled out a digital camera. He toyed with the buttons and put a timer on it and then leaned back. "Hey, come here," he said. Ramona looked at him curiously and then scooted closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her and buried his fingers into her hair. She sighed and lay her head on his shoulder, still watching the sunset. He kissed her forehead and then rested his head on hers, and looked out at the sunset as well. The camera's timer went off and it snapped a picture.

"What was that for?" she asked, unmoving.

"Something to keep us both warm in each other's absence," he said quietly. Ramona looked up at him with glazed eyes and he smirked and kissed her lightly. She looked down for a moment and he snickered. "It was a friendly kiss, babygirl. If it makes you uncomfortable…"

"Friendly kisses are better than no kiss at all," she interrupted him with a shy smile. He smiled and pecked her lips once more before she lay her head back down on his shoulder.

"I'm always with you, Ramona. No matter what," he said.

A few hours later, Michael bid his goodbye to Ramona at the airport. Ramona was to drive the Royce back to California with Derek while he flew to Japan for a variety of charity concerts. Ramona forced herself not to cry as she hugged him for the 5th time.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do without you," she sighed against his chest.

"We will both manage. Besides," he paused and stepped back and placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "I have faith in you," he smiled and poked the tip of her nose.

"I have faith in you, too," she replied.

Michael winked at her and then glanced at Derek who stood behind her. He shook his hand and gave him a brief hug. "You take care, man. Be safe," Derek said.

"I will. You do the same," he smiled and then grabbed his arm. "And take care of my babygirl or I will take you out," Michael warned playfully.

Ramona giggled and Michael glanced back at her and winked before finally climbing into the private jet. She sighed as he took off and then slowly climbed into the driver seat of the Royce. She grinned when she started it and Derek quirked a brow at her.

"What?" he asked.

"I've never driven a classy car like this before," she admitted quietly.

He snickered and turned on the music as they began their journey back to California. Michael had told Ramona he would be back before Thanksgiving, or that was the plan anyway. Less than a month, she could deal with that, she decided. All she had to do was throw herself deeper into her work and Michael would be back before she knew it. Her cell phone began to ring suddenly and it startled her. Derek turned the music down to answer it for her since they were now on the highway.

"Hello?...Yeah, she's here, hang on…" Derek placed the phone up to Ramona's ear and she gave him a look. "It's just tomcat," he teased. "I'll hold the phone, you drive. Just don't kill us," he teased. Ramona stuck her tongue out at him and answered.

"Hey, what's up tomcat?"

"Well, I'm on the plane and I miss you already," he said sweetly.

Ramona blushed. "I miss you too, tomcat."

"And please take care of my Royce for me," he pleaded and she chuckled. "And one more thing before I let you go. I know you're driving and I don't want you to wreck," he giggled.

"Oh? Are you questioning my driving skills, Mr. Jackson?" she taunted.

"Not at all, Ms. Greene," he replied with a chuckle. "But I forgot to tell you I love you and I will call you as often as I can while I'm away."

Ramona blushed again and bit her lip. "Love you more, tomcat. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Just promise me you will take care of yourself. Don't go off on a fasting diet. You're not on tour, you know."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Yes mom," he teased. Ramona snorted and he laughed. "Okay okay, I promise. I'll talk to you soon!"

"Alright, bye tomcat," she said.

"Bye babygirl," he winked and hung up.

Derek hung up the phone for her and she pulled the photo the man had taken earlier that day out of her purse. She placed it on the dash in front of her and smiled warmly. This would be a long few weeks for sure, but she knew she would get through it. Her scar burned and she winced, knowing she didn't have to hide anything from Derek.

"Still hurting?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yea, maybe now that he's away I can commit to seeing a doctor so I can figure out what's going on," she thought out loud. "For now, let's just get back home without falling asleep at the wheel," she grinned. "You're job is to keep me awake," she eyed Derek.

"Can do," he winked and cranked up the stereo system. Ramona laughed as Derek began his poor dance skills and she danced right along with him. Now she knew she would be alright having friends like Derek and the girls around.