"Three things cannot be long hidden: The sun, the moon, and the truth."

-Buddha

+

Just as Lilac stepped onto the sidewalk, a fancy black Mercedes pulled up in front of her. The door opened, and out came Joseph Jackson.

Lilac looked at the man with a bewildered expression on her face, although her heart was thudding. What in the world was he doing here?

Joseph looked her up and down.

"Good morning." Lilac said politely, before turning to walk away.

"Wait." Came Joseph's gruff voice.

Lilac cursed under her breath and turned around. She had personally felt Joseph's beatings that were only intended for his son, and was completely and utterly terrified of him.

"Yes, sir?"

"Are you Miss Lilac Williams?"

"Yes, indeed I am. And if you don't mind, I really need to be somewhere-"

"Hold it. Is Michael Jackson staying at your house?"

There was no point in pretending that Lilac didn't know who he was.

"Yeah. I believe he is your son."

A smile crept over Joseph's face, sending chills down Lilac's spine. He's not gonna hurt you, she thought. You haven't felt any beatings since you were a teenager.

"So you do know who I am."

"Yes, Mr. Jackson. Your son and I used to play together when we were little."

Suddenly, Joseph scowled and took several steps closer to Lilac.

"You listen to me, little girl. I know you and my son's secret. And I know that you know about mine. And if you tell a living soul, including Michael, it ain't gonna be pretty. Understand?"

"Y-Yes, sir." Lilac stammered, taking a cautious step backward in case she had to run for it.

"And don't let your secret get out either. Especially not to the press. They won't believe it at first, but they'll but more than willing to test it."

"I-" Lilac was interrupted by the sound of screeching brakes. Another black car pulled up in front of her house, but this time it was a sleek limousine. Michael jumped out of it and ran over to his father. He shoved Joseph away from Lilac roughly.

"Joseph, don't you dare go anywhere near her." Michael said rather quietly, his voice trembling.

"Michael... I thought you were coming back at five." Was the only thing Lilac could think to say.

"I came back to get one of my jackets so that I could donate it to the hospital. Of course I didn't expect to find my father here." Although Michael's back was still turned to Lilac, she could hear the scowl in his voice.

Joseph shoved Michael back.

Michael muttered something that sounded like "Not this time..." and punched Joseph right in the nose.

Lilac winced and rubbed her hand. Since when did punching someone other than yourself hurt?

"Shit!" Joseph's hand flew up to his nose, and when he brought it away his nose and upper lip were covered in blood.

"You're not going to ever see Lilac again, Joseph. You know about us, and-"

In a blur, Joseph's hand flew out and struck Michael across the face. Michael yelled a cuss word, while Lilac cried out and fell to her knees.

"Leave. Now. And don't go anywhere near me or Lilac again. Or any member of our family for that matter." Michael said, breathing heavily.

Joseph scowled, but without another word, he climbed into his Mercedes and drove swiftly away. If it wasn't for the blood stains on the concrete, it was if he was never there.

Michael ran towards Lilac and crouched to her level. "Lilac, are you okay? Oh my God, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I didn't think. If he hurts me, he hurts you..."

Lilac sniffed through her tears and wiped them away with a tissue she found in her handbag. "I'm fine." She laughed softly. "I feel absolutely pathetic."

Michael smiled. It was a small smile, but it sent chills down her spine, in a completely different way that Joseph's did.

"You're not pathetic, Lilac." His beautiful smile faded slowly. It looked as if he was remembering something.

"What, Michael?"

"My father beat me when I was little. And you felt it."

Lilac nodded, avoiding eye contact.

"I-I'm so sorry. I-"

Lilac took one of Michael's hands in hers to silence him. "You had no control over it. It's perfectly ok."

He shook his head. "It's not ok. It would never wish that pain on anyone. I used to be physically sick sometimes when he came home from work."

"I know."

"I'm so, so sorry. I am forever indebted to you."

"No, you're not. You can't blame yourself."

There were a few moments for silence that felt like an eternity to both Michael and Lilac.

Finally, Michael spoke. His voice was quieter and softer than usual.

"How did you hide it from your parents?"

Lilac smiled sadly and shrugged. "At first, they probably thought I was possessed or something. After I received Rose Johnson's letter I realised what it was and learnt how to hide it."

As Lilac spoke Rose's name, she remembered where she was supposed to be.

"I have to go. I need to visit Rose. To ask her about... this."

"Lilac," Michael began. "I went to go visit her this morning."

"And?"

"Her daughter answered the door. Rose passed away less than two weeks ago."

~

Lilac and Michael sat side by side at the breakfast bar, ice cubes wrapped in tea towels pressed to both their cheeks. The sight may have looked comical if not for the grim expressions on both their faces.

"I just don't understand how my mother didn't know." Lilac said quietly. "She's one of the biggest gossips in Gary."

A small smile flickered over Michael's face, before disappearing almost instantly. "I think her family just didn't want to tell the whole world."

"Fair enough." Lilac replied, playing with a stray curl escaping her ponytail.

It was silent for a few more moments, before Michael spoke.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh yeah, you mentioned that in your note. What's up?"

A beautiful smile lit up Michael's face, and he reached over the counter to place his hand on top of Lilac's, a tender gesture.

"Will you come on tour with me?"

+

OH LORD JESUS IT'S AN UPDATE

I'm so sorry about the short length of this chapter and the ~slightly stereotypical drama~ but please forgive me!

Bit of a cliffhanger also ;)

Anyway, I have finally overcome writer's block (yay!) and I worked really hard on this chapter for you guys xx

- Nat.

MJ ASKS LILAC TO TOUR WITH HIM