You Are Not Alone

Lily's POV

It had been three days since Lily met Katherine. Now, she and Michael were on their way to Hayvenhurst. Lily had beeen nervous when she met Michael's mother, but it didn't compare to how scared she was now. She was going to be meeting all of his siblings and Joseph. She had been told enough about him to know that he could be a rather unpleasant man.

After a while, Archie pulled into the driveway of a large mansion. It wasn't Neverland, but it was beautiful! There was a large fountain in the front of the house, where the sidewalk led to the front door. Lily looked around in wide-eyed amazement. There were shrubs, flowers and trees everywhere. Interrupting her examination of the property, Archie opened the door.

Once Michael had climbed out, he turned back to offer Lily his hand. Taking it, she stepped out onto the concrete. Butterflies were going mad in the pit of her stomach. Nervously, she smoothed her hands down the front of her body.

Lily opted to wear a pair of white shorts, which came a few inches above the knee. Wearing a sheer and sleeveless, teal green blouse, she coupled that with the same white military blazer she had worn when meeting Katherine. To match her blouse, she wore a pair of mint green Vans, that were a shade or two lighter. Her purse was also mint green. Her hair was flowing down her back in her usual spiral curls. As always, her makeup was fresh and clean.

Michael was leading Lily to the front door. He put his hand on the door knob and gave her a small smile. Reassuring her that everything would be fine when she squeezed his hand, he pushed open the door. Chaor erupted the moment the couple walked into the house. Before Michael could even shut the door, his arms were full of a squealing Janet.

"Hey, Applehead!" Janet said excitedly. Michael gladly returned her hug.

"Hey, Dunk!" He replied, laughing as she rocked them from side to side. Lily couldn't help but giggle.

"Lily! Oh, I'm so glad to see you again", Janet exclaimed. Lily had to brace herself as the excited woman jumped from Michael to her.

"I'm glad to see you again, too, Janet!" Lily smiled, returning the hug.

"Come on! I wanna introduce you to the family", Janet said, grabbing Lily's hand.

"Um, hello? Shouldn't I be the one doing that?" Michael asked as his sister stole away his girlfriend. "Janet, where are you going?" He called after her.

"Don't worry, Mike. I'll give her back...eventually", Janet said over her shoulder, waving him off. Lily laughed as Michael rolled his eyes, following the two women into the kitchen.

When Janet pulled her into the kitchen, Lily saw Katherine at the stove stirring the contents of a large pot. There were two younger women helping in the kitchen as well. Lily assumed they were his sisters, Rebbie and La Toya. Michael's mother turned around and smiled when she saw her son standing in the doorway. Wiping her hands on her apron, she came over and embraced him warmly, kissing his cheek. Her smile widened as she turned to Lily, embracing her as well.

"Thank you so much for coming, dear. Everyone has been dying to meet you", Katherine told her. Lily was feeling really nervous now.

"Sweetheart", Michael said, gaining her attention. "These are my sisters, Rebbie and La Toya", he said, pointing to each of them as he said their name.

"It's nice to meet you all", Lily muttered, with a small smile.

"You, too, girl! We've heard so much about you!" Rebbie replied, grinning widely.

"Ya know, Janet hasn't shut up about you since y'all met", La Toya butted in. She laughed loudly when Janet glared at her, blushing in embarrassment.

"All good things, I hope", Lily said, giggling shyly.

"Oh, definitely! How pretty you are. How sweet you are. How happy you make our brother", La Toya assured her. She winked at Michael on the last one, making it his turn to blush.

"Thanks, Janet. That was sweet of you to say", Lily said, blushing. Janet just smiled and gave her a side hug.

"Okay, come on, babe. I gotta introduce you to the guys", Michael muttered. Lily thought he seemed a little apphrehensive, but she didn't say anything.

"Michael, baby. Let the men know that dinner is ready, will you please?" Katherine called as they were leaving the room.

"Yes, Mother", Michael called back, leading Lily down the hall.

Michael's POV

Michael wrapped a protective arm around Lily's waist. The closer they got to the family room, the louder the occupants of said room became. One might wonder why Michael was feeling so protective over his girlfriend all the sudden. However, if they knew his brothers like he did, they'd know that they were all massive flirts. They didn't care that they were married either. Their womanizing ways made him extremely nervous. He just hoped they would all behave around Lily.

When Michael and Lily reached the family room, he noticed how her eyes widened. The guys were all watching some sports event on the television. Most of them were arguing with each other over which team would win and some were yelling about "bullshit calls" and whatnot. Michael blushed in embarrassment. He hoped his brothers wouldn't scare Lily away. Clearing his throat loudly, everyone turned their eyes towards the doorway.

"Hey, guys. This is- this is Lily, my girlfriend", Michael noticed Lily looking at him questioningly when he emphasized who she was. He had to make sure they understood. He had no desire to watch them flirt with his girlfriend all day.

Michael clenched his jaw when Marlon whistled as he looked Lily up and down. He could tell Lily was embarrassed. Jackie and Tito just waved, both saying "nice to meet ya" at the same time. Randy just smiled and said hello, telling her it was nice to see her again. Marlon's flirting was annoying, but he wasn't the worst one. What really pissed him off was when Jermaine actual walked over and grabbed Lily's hand. He left a lingering kiss on the back of it as he locked eyes with her. Her eyes had widened and her blush deepened. He wanted to wring his brother's neck. However, he smirked when, as soon as Jermaine dropped her hand, she instantly grabbed Michael's hand.

"So, what's a pretty lady like you doin' with this guy, huh?" Jermaine asked Lily, pointing at his younger brother. Michael clenched his fist, trying to keep his mouth shut.

"I-I, uh, um", Lily cleared her throat, scratching the back of her neck. When she didn't say anything more, Jermaine continued.

"I'm just sayin'. I bet I could show you a real good time", Jermaine winked at her, smirking suggestively.

"Jermaine", Michael said forcefully. A warning was evident in his voice.

"What? I'm just playin', Mike. Damn!" Jermaine said, holding up his hands in surrender. Michael narrowed his eyes, but decided to move on.

"Whatever. Anyway, Mother says dinner's ready", Michael said. With that, he walked with Lily, back to the dining room.

Lily's POV

When they reached the dining room, Michael pulled out a chair for Lily. Once she was situated, he took the seat next to her. It wasn't long before everyone was seated. Everyone except for Michael's dad. The loudness emanating from the guys had instantly died down. Quietly, they sat at the table, waiting for Joseph.

Suddenly, Joseph appeared and walked quietly to his seat. Sitting down, he looked around the table. His eyes stopped when they reached Lily. She felt her palms getting sweaty and her heart started racing. Michael had warned her that he could be rather rude, so she was praying silently that he wouldn't judge her without getting to know her.

"Who are you?" Joseph groused, staring intensely at her.

"I-I'm Lily, sir", she replied, hoping her voice wasn't shaking.

"She's my girlfriend, Joseph", Michael cut in, making Joseph frown.

"Since when do you have a girlfriend?" Joseph asked, his frown deepening.

"We've only been together for a few days. We met about a year ago at one of my concerts", Michael answered, shooting her a small smile. Lily returned it, but she was holding her breath.

"So, she's a groupie", Joseph said, sneering at her. Lily's eyes widened. She was extremely offended at his assumption, but she held her tongue. Michael, however, did not.

"No, Joseph", Michael began firmly. "Lily is NOT a groupie. She just happened to be a fan. I pursued her, not the other way around. We've been talking on the phone as friends for several months. I asked her to come to Neverland for a visit, which is when I told her how I felt about her." When he was finished speaking, he raised a challenging eyebrow, daring his father to say something else.

"Hmph", was Joseph's only reply.

With that, everyone began to fix their plates. As they dug into their food, the previous tension disippated, diving into lively conversation. Eventually, everyone had cleaned their plates and Joseph went off to his office. It was just as well, in Lily's opinion. His presence made her extremely nervous. As they all stood from their seats, Marlon spoke.

"Anybody up for a water balloon fight?" He asked with a grin. Of course, everyone said yes. With that, everyone went off in all different directions to change their clothes. Lily turned to Michael, who was talking to Janet.

"Uh, Michael?" Lily said softly. Michael turned to her.

"What's wrong, babygirl?" He asked. Lily noticed how Janet smirked at the way he addressed her.

"I-I don't have a change of clothes", Lily muttered.

"Oh, no worries, girl! You can borrow one of my bathing suits", Janet butted in helpfully.

"Oh, okay. Thanks, Janet", Lily smiled at her. With that, Janet grabbed her hand and led her upstairs. As she was being pulled away, Lily looked back at Michael. He was snickering at the way his sister was manhandling his girlfriend.

When they reached the bedroom, Janet disappeared into her walk-in closet. Lily took a seat on the bed as she waited. After about ten minutes, Janet reappeared, stumbling over the clutter on the floor. She stuck her tongue out when Lily giggled. A second later, Lily had a face full of bright blue fabric. Pulling it away from her face, her eyes widened. Holding the two small scraps of fabric, she eyed them as she spoke.

"Uh, Janet?" She called.

"Yeah?" Janet replied, looking at her expectantly. Lily looked at her, then gestured to the bikini in her hands. "What?" Janet shrugged.

"I can't wear this!" Lily practically shrieked, making the other woman roll her eyes.

"And why not?" Janet questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Be-Because! Your parents are here and your brothers!" She elaborated.

"Oh, please! Girl, my parents ain't gonna care. Joseph'll probably be holed up in the house somewhere and Mother won't care. We're having a water balloon fight. She knows we ain't gonna wear our regular clothes. Besides, the rest of us girls will be wearing them, too."

"Yeah, but- but....your brothers!" Lily continued. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this. I doubt Michael would appreciate it either," she muttered, making Janet laugh.

"So? He's not your dad! Besides, you can tease him a little", Janet said, winking as she nudged Lily's shoulder.

"Wh-What? I d-don't wanna tease anybody!" Lily said, her eyes wide. Okay, that was a lie. She enjoyed teasing Michael like crazy, but not in front of his family!

"Uh huh", was all Janet said. She smirked as if she knew exactly what Lily was thinking. "Just wear it, girl. You'll be fine!"

"Don't you have any one piece suits?" Lily asked hopefully.

"Nope, sorry", Janet answered with an apologetic shrug.

"Ugh, fine", Lily groaned, finally giving in. "This is gonna be so embarrassing", she muttered as she walked into Janet's ensuite bathroom.

After undressing, Lily folded her clothes neatly. Setting her shoes on top of them, she began wrestling with the string bikini that Janet provided. She gawked at her reflection in the mirror. The swimsuit left nothing to the imagination! Sighing, she opened the bathroom door and walked out.

"Damn, girl! You are workin' that bikini", Janet said, giggling. Lily blushed all the way to her chest.

"That's it! I'm changing", Lily said, turning to walk back into the bathroom.

"Oh, no, you're not!" Janet yelled, grabbing her and sitting her on the bed. "You just stay right there while I go change." Lily held up her hands and giggled as Janet pointed a threatening finger.

When Janet came out of the bathroom, she was wearing an orange bikini. It showed off her curves nicely and complimented her dark skin. Slipping on a pair of black flip flops, she gave a pair to Lily as well, since they wore the same size.

Once the two girls reached the backyard, Lily realized they were the last ones. Everyone was in their swimsuits, sitting on the patio chairs, waiting for them to come down.

"Hey, y'all. Ready to get your asses whooped?" Janet taunted. If it weren't for Katherine being inside the house, she would have scolded her daughter for cursing.

When Michael looked up, his jaw dropped. His hungry eyes roamed all over Lily's exposed body. She felt naked under his intense gaze and she blushed.

"Damn", Jermaine whispered, looking at Lily. Her blush deepened, having heard him and knowing it was directed at her. Unfortunately, Michael heard him, too.

"Jermaine. Behave", Michael warned his brother quietly. Jermaine just rolled his eyes and looked away. When Michael looked in the opposite direction, Jermaine turned back towards Lily and winked at her. She frowned and turned so her attention was on Michael instead.

Great. This isn't awkward or uncomfortable AT ALL! Lily thought sarcastically, rolling her eyes.