To the Moon and Back (MJ fanfic)

Cruise

It was rare when I could go out by myself and just drive. When I didn't have to make sure to load up a car seat and snacks. When I wasn't being followed by two other cars packed with security detail.

In this world it was rare to really be by yourself. And honestly, I missed driving. It was such a small mundane task, but I didn't realize how much I liked it until I was driven around all the time.

It was therapeutic. The window rolled down, the music playing, and nothing but road infront of me. Of course I wasn't going to do anything crazy like drive out of state, but boy was it tempting...

It wasn't that I wanted to leave Michael or Liam behind - I would never do such a thing. They were my life. But sometimes, it was nice to get some one on one time with yourself in a world as hectic as ours.

Actually, I had no idea where I was going. I just knew I had to go somewhere. Maybe Michael was right and I just had cabin fever.

I needed to be alone but I also wanted to talk to someone - and not just anybody. A lot of things in my life changed, but one thing didn't: Kate would always be my life line when I needed some inner peace. Even if she had no advice on the situation, I just needed to tell her what was going on.

Without really thinking about it, I pulled out my phone and dialed Kate's number, waiting patiently for her to pick up.

"Katherine here." She answered on the second ring.

"Kate." My voice sounded rough even to my own ears. "I'm aggravated, and a little tired, and I need someone to talk to."

"Rough day, babe?" It sounded like she was eating an apple.

"More like a rough week." I sighed. "Michael came home today and we had an argument."

"About?" She enquired.

"Do you have time to talk?" I rolled up my window. "It's kind of a long story. Where are the kids?"

"Oh." She scoffed. "Dan took them to a baseball game. They're going to be gone for a while, hun. Don't worry about it. Now spill."

"Okay..." I sighed. "Here it goes."

I started from the beginning. First telling her in detail about the whole Shana situation, and ending it with our small argument in the kitchen this morning. It took a while to get to the point, but Kate was understanding as usual - throwing in the occasional "Hmm..." and "Okay." She didn't have much to say until she knew I was completely finished and had said everything I needed to. By the end of it all I didn't know how to feel.

"So... what do you think?" I asked tentatively, not sure if I wanted to hear what she had come to the conclusion of. But to my complete and utter surprise, she laughed.

"What the hell?" I gaped, trying not to smile myself. "What's that for?"

"Oh, Em..." she said as if I were a child. "Your marriage isn't ending, it's just beginning."

"What do you mean?" My eyebrows creased.

"Kids." She sighed. "Kids, kids, kids. You and Michael have officially surpassed the honeymoon stage and graduated to being a real husband and wife."

"How?" Did I miss something? "Is that normal?"

"Well yeah." I pictured her nodding. "For most people, but you and Michael went about it in a unique way. You guys didn't really have time to be young and dumb honeymooners because of Liam, so that process came along while you were also being parents. And now - with Henry in the house, you're a stay at home Mom with the kids, and Michael's off at work, and you never get to see each other."