Athena Tyler and Michael Jackson are married to people they don't belong with. The history between Michael and Athena isn't complicated; they met on We Are The World, sparks flew, but they never stayed in contact.
When their respective spouses sugg...
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As the weeks went on, like Bianca had feared, Athena had shut herself off to the outside world—her inner circle included. She had been interacting with Buddy, Bubbles, and the wolf pack—but only Michael, Bill, and Javon when she absolutely had to.
But even to her husband, she refused to talk about what happened in that warehouse. She didn't want to relive it, she didn't want to think about it, she just wanted to forget it and move on with everyday life.
Michael, on the other hand, was growing increasingly impatient and worried. He tried to encourage his wife to open up, but her walls felt too fortified. He could see the pain in her eyes, the way her body tensed up when he tried to hold her. He wanted nothing more than to be able to help her, but he couldn't if she refused to let him in.
The pack had become more like big dogs than wolves—which Athena had named. There were seven of them, four boys and three girls; which she named after the Seven Dwarfs from Snow White.
They quickly became the family's pets, staying by Athena's side when she was outside and playing with the kids that would come to Neverland, including the sick ones that unfortunately had been told they would have to go through years of chemotherapy and radiation and surgery.
Athena, who was usually very expressive and lively, had plastered on fake smiles for the kids sakes. The kids knew she was married to Michael, so despite being in a depressed and anxious state, she knew she had to stay close to him so the kids wouldn't ask if they were having any issues. Even Athena knew how smart those kids were—if they saw the slight tension and suspected, they would question both Michael and her up a wall.
Michael noticed that the pack had brought a sense of serenity and peace to his wife—something he knew she desperately needed. However, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy at the connection she was forming with them, which seemed to bypass the walls she'd erected between herself and those she loved. But only for the pack. When they had to go back to their section in the sanctuary, she would become all sad again and lock herself in one of the spare rooms.
That was another thing that frustrated Michael—Athena had started sleeping in one of the guest rooms instead of their king-sized bed, which only further proved that she had shut herself off from him and the rest of the world.
As the weeks turned into months, Michael couldn't help but feel like he was losing his wife bit by bit. The other members of the Jackson family noticed the tension between the couple, but none of them knew exactly what was going on. They only knew what Michael, Randy, Taj, and Chris knew—which again, wasn't much.
Speaking of Athena, she was currently trying to burn the tattoo Liam had put on her of his name—she was determined to get rid of it, no matter what it took. So, as the wolves played with each other like puppies, Athena sat on a big rock and pressed the hot iron to the inked skin on her arm, surprisingly not even wincing at the pain.
