Slipping Away

Chapter 1

July 8th, 1993

"Hello?" Mariah inquired into the phone.

A male's voice responded. "Is this Mariah?"

"Yeah, who is this?"

"Evan Chandler"

She could feel her heart start to pound as she stared at her phone. She couldn't have heard the man right.

"Evan Chandler?" She echoed.

"Yeah, you remember me don't you?"

She let out a shaky breath. "I remember."

"I wanted to talk to you about a few things."

She narrowed her eyes. She had never trusted any of the Chandlers, but Evan always seemed like the worst of the three. June had confided in Mariah that he was violent, and a deadbeat father, so what could he possibly want with her? She pressed the record button on her answering machine so she could tape the phone call.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Evan cleared his throat. "Well, I heard you broke off your engagement with Michael. I'm sorry to hear that."

What is he getting at?

"Thank you." She said quietly.

Evan continued. "Yeah, it must have been hard being pregnant and watching another woman all over your fiance."

Mariah swallowed, though her throat had run dry. 

"Well, that's not..."

"I suppose not, but I know how you feel. Michael destroyed my family, okay? He literally inserted himself in my place and I don't like that. Especially after he cut me off, why would he do that?"

Because you can't be trusted? Because you asked him if he was gay? Oh, there are just so many reasons.

"I don't know, Evan."

Evan sighed. "Well, I know what he's doing isn't healthy for Jordie. He's doing things to him."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't say the specifics right now because my lawyer-"

Lawyer? Why does he have a lawyer? Oh God, what is he trying to do?

"has already told me what I can and can't say. I've been rehearsing, you know?"

"Right."

"It's already done, though. I make one phone call and I've got an army of lawyers that'll do whatever I say. Isn't that crazy?"

You're crazy.

"Yeah, but what exactly do you need the lawyers for?"

"I can't say, but I will say this: I'm going to destroy Michael Jackson."

Like hell you will.

"Destroy Michael?"

"Yeah, when I go through with this I'll get everything I want. Michael and June will be destroyed."

Mariah felt sick to her stomach. "What about Jordie?"

"That's irrelevant to me. They destroyed this family, so I'm going to destroy them. They're not healthy for Jordie."

But you just said his well-being was irrelevant...I can't deal with this.

"Why aren't they healthy? What do you mean?"

Evan chuckled. "That Michael is an evil guy, Mariah. How did you deal with that for all those years?"

"Michael isn't evil." Mariah replied.

"Well, I've talked to experts and they're telling me I'd be a bad father if I didn't do this."

He's talking in circles.

Mariah sighed. "Do what?"

"They're going to fuck up my son's head and that breaks my heart. You understand that, right?"

"What are they doing to hurt Jordie? Why do you think Michael's so bad?" She asked.

She was hoping that she could get Evan to say exactly what his plan was, she could warn Michael. 

If he'd even listen.

Mariah hadn't spoken to Michael since their breakup and she was terrified at the thought of reaching out to him, but she had no choice. She wouldn't let Evan hurt him.

"Mariah, I need your help." Evan continued.

"With?" She inquired.

"To take down Michael. You're a celebrity, you can bring light to all of the injustice he's causing."

"Injustice? What-"

"You know he's fucking June right?"

She almost dropped her phone. "Huh?"

"He's been screwing June. Dave is pissed, I'm pissed, and I know you're pissed. We all have something to gain by taking him out of the equation. He's taken my son, Dave's wife, and humiliated you. I know you can see the benefit in joining me." Evan said.

Mariah bit her lip. "I still don't understand-"

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

She hung up the phone and ran her fingers through her hair before dialing Michael's number.

July 8th, 1993

Michael was dancing on stage while June, Jordie, and Lily watched from the auditorium seats. He had responded to his break up with Mariah by throwing himself deeper into his work. He wanted to perfect every move and his dancers were definitely feeling the pressure as well. 

"Michael, you have a phone call."

He frowned. "Tell Mariah, I'm busy."

He had been avoiding her calls since they had broken up, he refused to allow her to worm her way back into his heart after what he had witnessed in the condo at Century City. He had learned from his relationship with Diana and he wasn't going to play the fool again.

Bill relayed the message into the phone. "She says its urgent."

He groaned and took the phone from him. "Hello?"

"Michael, I know you're mad at me but I need to see you as soon as possible."

He rolled his eyes. "We're not getting back together."

"Is this about June-"

He hung up the phone and handed it to Bill. He wasn't going to be having Mariah try to tell him who he could and couldn't date now they weren't together. Then he paused, Mariah had no way of knowing that he was dealing with June.

The phone rang again and Michael took it from Bill. "How did you know I was dealing with June?"

Mariah scoffed. "Maybe if you hadn't hung up you'd know. Evan is planning something against you and he tried to make me apart of it. I really need to see you."

He raised an eyebrow and walked away so that June wouldn't hear him. "Evan did what now?"

"He called me and started talking all crazy about you. That's when he told me about you and June, I was hoping that it wasn't true, but...anyway he and Dave are planning to take you down. Evan said, and I quote 'I'm going to destroy Michael Jackson'"

I'm on break and have a little energy so here it is, Slipping Away!