To the Moon and Back (MJ fanfic)

Ground Breaking Journalism

I could basically see the clouds rolling in and hear the harsh crack of thunder sound off in the distance. I knew we had reached the tipping point in the interview, as did Michael. And for a split second I wondered if he was expecting it - although I had a feeling he was. He had done countless interviews before. He was no stranger to the shifting point.

"Emily," She paused, looking up at me from her clipboard. "As you must know by now there are certain speculations about you as well... Have you heard them?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat,  taking in a deep breath. "I can only imagine what they could be, but I think I have a pretty good idea."

Her lips turned up in the resemblance of a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "What do you have to say to the people who are calling you a gold digger? A liar? An attention seeker?" She continued reading down the list. "And finally; A surrogate for the King of Pop?"

My heart sank. Even though I knew that these things were being said, it was still something else all together hearing them out loud. It was a punch to the gut, and in a fleeting moment of deliberation all I could think about was Kathy's three second rule. Fuck the three second rule, I thought. I needed a few moments to recuperate.

"They don't know Emily." Michaels voice cut through the silence almost immediately. It sounded aggravated, and daring. But mostly he sounded pissed. It was a rare color for him, one that I hadn't seen often at all. My husband was the epitome of calm and collected - he had to be for all the things he had to deal with when it came to his career and the press. His patience could rival a English guard at time. But what she had said hit a chord in his flawless demeanor, and it showed.

"Don't they?" Mrs. Walters challenged.

"Of course not." He answered as if it was the most ridiculous assumption he had ever heard. "That's like saying you 'know' someone after passing them on the street, or hearing their name in a conversation. They don't know Emily at all. And the fact that they'd say something like that about her is proof. Because let me tell you something, if they spent five minutes with her - talking, chatting, and getting to know her - they would never say anything like that about her. Nor would they make up horrendous lies or ridiculous assumptions like the ones on that paper in your hands."

"They wouldn't?" She challenged in a well rehearsed voice of gentle probing.

"Not in a million years." He said with confidence, staring her in the eyes.

"Saying I'm a liar, or an attention seeker is one thing," I cut in, "But to say that I'm a surrogate is a whole other." I swallowed, feeling nauseous. "That child is my baby." I said with a hard voice, pointing at the large screen where a picture of him was plastered for the world to see. "I carried him for 9 months, I was there when he took his first breath, and I've been a constant in his life for the last 5 years. He's as much apart of my life as breathing is. And to say that I'm just some surrogate for Michael would imply that this whole time I just got knocked up so he could have a kid and then I could get out of the picture. It also implies that he would mean nothing to me, other than some type of deal or contract?" I said in disgust. "That's crazy. And anyone who thinks that obviously has never had a child of their own." I sat up straighter, forgetting about camera's for a moments time.

"So you think it's ludicrous for people to assume you had a child out of obligation?"

"Very much so. Yes." I nodded, my knee beginning to bob up and down with anticipation. "Liam is a blessing - a surprise? Yes - but none the less one of the greatest things to happen to me and Michael." I squeezed his hand and his thumb ran back and forth over my hand. "He was never- and will never - be any kind of obligation." The word ran dirty through my mouth. "And for people to say these things, and expect them to be true..." I shook my head. "Well, Mrs. Walters, I think that says alot more about them than me or Michael."