To the Moon and Back (MJ fanfic)

Advice

As the day came to an end I stood in the kitchen chopping up some more fruit to put outside for the kids. They had been running around so much that their stomachs had a hard time keeping up and they were hungry, so I decided the best thing would be for them to atleast have a healthy snack.

The sun was beginning to get lower and lower in the sky as I stood by the sink, content with the silence that accompanied the house. It had been a great day, but some of Michael's family were beginning to leave. Before I came inside they were all huddled around the outdoor fire place, talking and laughing. All in all it had been a successful get together. Even my Mother and Father seemed to be having some resemblance of fun.

I was so focused on my task that I didn't hear anyone come in.

"Emily?" My Mom said from behind me, making me jump. "May I help? It looks like you need help."

"Uh, yeah, sure Mom." I said quietly as I moved the chopping board in the middle of the table and handed her a knife.

With a sigh, she came up beside me and we did our work in silence. It was weird though because we had never done this before. As a child, I had never stood by my Mom and helped her with a recipe, or even flipped the pages of her cook book. This was all foreign territory for the both of us.

About ten minutes passed in complete silence, before she finally spoke.

"You seem happy, Emily." She said, cutting the strawberries in half.

It happened so quickly and nonchalantly that I wasn't even sure she really spoke the words. I looked over at her, blinking momentarily. "Oh... Thanks, Mom." I said as I continued the task at hand.

There was more silence before she spoke again.

"And Michael seems like a very nice normal man. Not at all like those magazines make him out to be." She said smoothly. "I really like him. He seems like a good, honest person. He's wonderful." She said genuinely.

I paused, taken aback by her words of admission. "Thank you, Mom." I said quietly, touched. "He is."

"And it's obvious he's a natural at parenthood." She smiled, dumping some fruit in the bowl. "He's very aware and focused when it comes to your son. Nothing gets by him. Michael's an outstanding Father, I can tell."

"He's one of the good ones." I agreed, thinking about him with a small smile. "I'm fortunate to have him in our lives, and I'm not just talking about his money or his fame."

"I know you aren't, dear." She said softly. "I may not agree with everything you do or say, but I know you're not a gold-digger. You've always been better than that."

I looked over at her, unsure of what to say. We had never been this civil before. "Mom, why are you saying all of this?"

"Because it's the truth." She shrugged, chopping up more food. "I may not have been the best Mother, but with everything I've ever said to you and Kate, I've always tried to be truthful."

"That's an understatement." I murmured, before speaking directly to her. "But I guess it's true, yeah."

"So you're happy?" She asked, slicing the rest of the fruit and putting it into a tupperware bowl.

I quietly took her knife and brought it to the sink to wash with mine. "Yeah." I whispered, turning off the faucet and setting everything on the drying rack. I turned towards her, leaning against the counter. "I'm really happy. Liam's really happy. For the first time it feels like everything is falling into place for us."

"Emily," She let out a breath, "It's a parents dream to see their child succeed in life. But... I'm just making sure that you're making the best decision for you." She said sincerely, narrowing her eyes.