It was the end of rehearsals that day. Michael and his backup dancers/singers had chosen "They Don't Care About Us" to end with. There were usually two rehearsals on weekdays, which were the only workdays, but on that Friday there would only be one. That was because Michael was fortunate enough to skip the second rehearsal session. The day he would be giving a speech at the lupus fundraiser had finally arrived, and he was graciously given some time off. He felt prepared despite the fact that giving speeches were not in his comfort zone and preferred to only give them when he had to. However, the singer was glad to do a speech this time. Abigail inspired him to do this. He was so grateful to David Wallace for giving him the honor to finally set the record straight, after so many years of being rejected when he actually wanted to become a spokesperson for lupus those years he did charity work for lupus organizations. And from then he was tired of the rumors about the masks, the taped fingertips, the hat and the umbrella he often used in public or when in sunlight. He would feel much better knowing that he answered some unanswered questions.

Aside all this, he still chose dancing and singing over public speaking. Sure, there were times he felt like his director was trying to kill him when he had to spend so much time rehearsing, but at the end, the hard work paid off. He liked to perform, and he wanted his fans to see him at his best. And he wanted to do this for his kids so they could see him onstage like they always wanted to. He wanted his children and fans to know that he still had his touch, even though he was half a century years old. So if preparing for the concerts meant being a workaholic, so be it. That's what he thought when he was younger, anyway. The pop star had to admit though it would be nice if his rehearsal schedule was a little more flexible. Even though he was rather lucky so far, there was only so much his body could take. It would slow down sooner or later.

The King of Pop and his backup singers and dancers stood still on stage, pretending to listen to applause from the audience. Though there was no crowd there, since too many people would make the performers nervous, it was still an important part of the rehearsal. This is so they knew when would be the appropriate time to leave the stage after the actual show performances. The performers stood there frozen for about half a minute, and then walked off.

Michael really had to get going. He had to be to the hotel somewhat early. His kids would be present at the event as well. They had asked if they could come, and he was glad to let them be some of his honored guests. He wanted them to meet the new "friends" he made, and besides they were old enough.

During the past thirteen days, Alyssa adjusted to California very well. Her business was extremely successful, and it kept her very busy at times. She had a good circle of friends, though it wasn't large. She was involved with a number of church activities. Still, there was the pest problem in the apartment, despite her best laid out defenses. The problem was too big to ignore. And lo, yet another scorpion had appeared about a week ago. However, that time she was lucky, and she saw it, so she was able to dispose of the 'thing' before it could sting her again. No way was she going to allow the same thing to happen twice. Once was more than enough. What was worse was that the land lord still didn't do a thing about it. She even got firm with him and threatened to sue him, but that didn't scare him. In fact, it caused him to avoid her once more. Her patience was beyond thin, and she was not going to be tolerating it anymore. She would take drastic measures if it was the last thing she did. But she would deal with that later, as she had more important and pleasant things to be worrying about.

She was looking forward to the banquet which would be starting at half past six that evening, a little over two hours away. She had to get her and Abigail's invites from Michael at the Staples Center. It was one of the only ways she could have gotten them, since she had more time to go to where he was than for her to give him the directions to come to her house. And unlike some people, she didn't want him to go out of his way for anything, although in the past he had proved that he would go the extra mile for someone.

The graphic designer was in a bit of a hurry since she didn't have that much time to be ready. Abigail would be coming over so they could go together, so she was making sure her room was tidy. She hoped that task would not make her sweaty again, since she just came out of the shower. ‘Good thing about this is the hotel is only ten minutes away, so I don't have to be in too much of a hurry. But I still wanna leave early enough to beat the crowd.' She knew how huge functions like these could be, especially when celebrities would be making guest appearances. And she thought it would be nice if she spoke with the pop singer a bit...wish him luck on the speech and whatnot. ‘I can only imagine how much people will be at this banquet. After all, it's not just any celeb making an appearance...it's Michael Jackson.'

Alyssa straightened up the room a bit, and then she proceeded to get dressed. The outfit she chose was one of her favorites-a sleeveless navy blue dress decorated with flowers which had a light blue jacket to cover it. It was just the perfect attire for a banquet...not too fancy and not too plain. She always went for the 'simple' look. ‘Oh I so hope I don't spill food on my clothes. That would totally ruin my night. ‘ She didn't care to spend money on dry cleaning more often than she had to. For jewelry, she wore pearl clip-on earrings and a black sapphire finger ring. She'd never been much of a jewelry person, but she tried. She slipped on her shoes, and sprayed her hairpiece with oil sheen hairspray after combing it. With a touch of lip gloss, mascara and some perfume, the young woman was ready. She took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure her makeup wasn't smeared. ‘Hmm...not too bad, if I do say so myself.'

 Lissie looked at her watch. Five fifteen. Pretty early. She thought six o'clock would be a good time to drive to Mission Hills Inn. She had thoughts about listening to the Invincible CD, but decided that it wasn't a good idea. Abigail would be arriving pronto, and she needed to hear when the red-head knocked. Instead, she got a book to read, grabbed her keys and purse, and went into the living room. She sat on her couch and began to read. She was about three quarters done with the book when she heard a knock on the door. She went to see who it was. There was a red haired girl standing on the doorsteps, and a red car driving away. She opened the door for Abby.

"Come on in."

The 15 year old entered the apartment. Alyssa took a quick glance at her. She wore a 3 piece suit-a pristine white shirt, a black button up jacket and black pants. Her face was plain looking, except for a bit of lip gloss, and she wore hoop earrings and a chain. She looked very businesslike, and exactly her age. Her hair was down that day, and fell slightly past her shoulders.

"Hey there," Alyssa greeted the red-head.

"Hey there. I like your outfit."

"Same here. You ready to go?"

"You bet!"

"Good." The young woman got her purse and keys, and left with Abby. Like Abby, she was looking forward to Michael Jackson's speech. She was sure it would be great, and she wanted to know his lupus story all the way through.

Once at the hotel, Alyssa and Abigail were searching for the sign regarding the banquet and speech. It had a good number of rooms. Not wanting to look foolish, Alyssa decided to ask one of the staff members for help finding the room where the banquet would be held. "Come, let's go. I'm gonna get help," she told Abigail.

"Right. I don't want you and me to miss this." Alyssa and Abigail were about to look for assistance from a hotel worker when all of a sudden, an older woman approached them.

"Is there anything I can help you with, girls?" she asked them.

"I think she works here. It seems we're in luck," Lissie whispered to Abby. She turned to the woman. "Yes, please. There is a banquet that the pop singer Michael Jackson will be speaking at. Do you know where the dining room is?"

"Ah, yes. The King of Pop. You girls are fortunate to be attending a special event featuring someone with the status he has." The two young ladies were becoming a little impatient. Not only did they not want to be late, but the woman was a little shallow. They didn't pay much attention to Michael's career, but thought of him as a regular person, and that was how they intended to treat him. "Well, go straight up ahead, and make a left. It is hard to miss."

'Finally,' thought Alyssa. She thanked the woman, and headed for the dining room with Abigail. She checked her watch. Six fifteen. Not too bad. There was still time before the gala actually began. Not like she had much to tell Michael anyway. She and Abigail entered the room. Quite a number of people were there. Alyssa spotted Michael by the podium talking to a man with graying hair that was balding. He resembled Al Sharpton.  There was also a projector on the stage, which Lissie assumed was for showing pictures and stuff. The room was roughly half filled with people. ‘Just as I thought. There are already a lot of people here and it's not even six thirty yet.' She wondered how many of these people were lupus sufferers.

"It's a good thing we came early, huh?" the young woman whispered to Abby.

"Sure is. But I hope we are shown to our seats soon."

Alyssa agreed, knowing that Abby wouldn't be able to stand up for long periods of time. She also wanted to say hi to Michael, and she was sure Abby wanted to as well. But it would be rude to interrupt him while he was talking with someone. She was in luck. The singer and Al stopped talking.

"Hey Abigail, now is our chance. Let's go say hi. I am sure he'll show us our seats as well."

"Okay. Sounds good." She and Alyssa passed quite a few people, saying "excuse me" when necessary. They walked up to the pop crooner. He barely recognized them in their outfits, though their faces looked the same. But he liked it. "Hi, girls," he greeted them. "How are you?"

"Hi Michael. I'm doing well, thank you. "

"Hey there, Michael. I'm doing all right." Abby still felt shy around him, Lissie, not so much. After all, she'd spoken to Michael a couple of times before, so she got over her shyness rather quickly.

The pop star hugged both girls. Felt so nice, especially for Alyssa. Was less awkward now that she was able to stand up to do so. He barely had to bend down, and come to think of it, she didn't feel all that petite in his five feet nine frame.

"It is so nice to see you both. Our table is this way." Mystified, Alyssa and Abby followed Michael as he led them to where they would be sitting. They couldn't believe it. Alyssa shot a quick glance at Abby. Had he really reserved seats for them at his table? He had brought a couple of other people along. He didn't have to include them. His kindness never ceased to amaze them.

Seated at the table were three brunette children, two boys and a girl. They were accompanied by a cocoa-skinned youngish woman. Alyssa presumed the children were Michael's children, but she wondered who the lady was. The kids pretended to look at the floor; they didn't want to be seen as staring at the ladies. They toned their gazes down to glances. Abby thought the kids were adorable. She and Lissie didn't have to wonder for much longer. The pop icon introduced his two new young friends to the kids. They were pretty warm and friendly, but Blanket wasn't as talkative as the other kids.

"He's very shy," Michael informed Abigail and Alyssa.

Alyssa nodded knowingly. "I see. " She could be shy at times, too, so she understood perfectly, and could relate to him. She would give the little boy time to open up, she wouldn't force him.

Michael turned to the lady who was sitting next to the kids. "This is my chef, Kai Chase. Kai, these are my new friends, Alyssa and Abigail."

"Nice to meet you girls," said the lady, giving Lissie and Abby firm handshakes. They did the same.

Michael realized it was about time to making his way to the podium. "See you all later."

"Good luck with your speech," Alyssa told him. At that point, the red head's feet were killing her. She sat down. Her friend took a seat as well, next to Kai.

"Thank you so much." The 50 year old entertainer made his way to the front, and sat in the chair, until it was time for him to be called up to do the speech.

A young woman was handing out programs to people at each table. When Alyssa got hers, she glanced at it to see how many people would be on it. It looked like the banquet would end at a reasonable hour. Good. She did not take a liking to long, drawn-out, boring functions, even though she knew full well that a relatively short program could turn into a long one depending on who is a part of it. Well, she hoped that it wouldn't happen here. One thing she noticed was that Michael would be the very first person to deliver a speech. She hoped he wasn't too nervous about the speech, and that her good luck wish would be enough to make him feel more at ease.

An elderly man walked onto the podium, and cleared his throat. "Can I have your undivided attention please?"

Everyone in the audience stopped what they were doing and turned to face him.

The man spoke loudly into the microphone. "Welcome to our annual lupus awareness gala. The purpose of this is to raise funds for certain lupus patients. Tonight you either will be in for a treat or a treatment."

Some people started whispering to each other about what the possible treat was. Abigail thought this was so uncouth of them to talk while someone was talking. Alyssa, too, was wondering whatever happened to their manners.

But the gentleman's voice cut through their whispers. "Quiet, please! There shall be no speaking while I am speaking. It is very disrespectful."

Alyssa nearly burst out laughing at how schoolteacherish Mr. Wallace sounded. However, he spoke the truth.

The whispering stopped.

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying, someone very well known will be here to give you a treat. However, I will not spoil it for you all. I will leave it to the master of ceremonies. I now call to the podium Mr. Al Sharpton!"

Everyone clapped as Al stepped onto the podium. Lissie recognized him as the man who Michael was speaking to earlier.

"Thank you, folks!" said Al. "Just as Mr. David Wallace was saying, you are in for a special treat. I have known this man for many years. He is a singer, songwriter, dancer, humanitarian and businessman. Contrary to what the media and tabloids have said of him, he is one of the kindest people in this industry, and is a very good friend of mine. Without any further ado, give it up for Michael Jackson!"

The dining room erupted into cheers as the King of Pop walked up. Some people were even screaming, "I love you, Michael!"

'Do your best, Michael I know you can do it,' Alyssa thought as she, Abigail, Kai and Michael's kids gave a round of applause.

"Thank you, I love you, too," said Michael.

Everyone quieted down and waited for him to begin his speech. They didn't want to miss a thing he said.

"First and foremost, let me just say that I am not a public speaker, but I am very honored to be here this evening. There is a special person who inspired me to do this speech, and this is the first time I have ever been presented with an opportunity to spread lupus awareness, although I have tried for years. And I intend to clear up some innuendo in the process."

Abigail gave a tiny smile, knowing that she was the special person the pop artist was referring to.

"Tonight I am here to share my lupus story with you all. And after I am finished, if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask me," the singer continued. He picked up a folder that was rested against the leg of the chair on the podium.

"Many years ago, sometime before my Bad album, my friend and dermatologist diagnosed me with lupus. A friend of mine referred me to him because there was a butterfly-shaped rash on my face. Have had trouble with my skin in my adolescence, and this was something that acne medication did not help. So, I go to this doctor, and he looks at my face and scalp and says to me, 'You have lupus erythematosus.' And I am like, 'how do you know that?' and he says to me, 'the butterfly rash, the hair loss and the crusting on your scalp.' And so, he told me what to expect, and I didn't know what to think. This has made me sensitive to pain, and sometimes my joints hurt. And I am totally allergic to the sun. Soon after this, I developed vitiligo, which I have spoken about numerous times, and I was told that it was common with lupus since lupus does not cause destruction alone. When I found all of this out, it made me very sad. I was especially embarrassed by the hair loss."  He reached into the folder and pulled out a picture of him with the rash, which was projected on the screen for all to see. He felt so embarrassed showing such graphic pics, but felt it was important that people understand, especially those who did not know anything about lupus.

A bunch of " awws" came from a few people. They clearly felt sorry for him. Alyssa did, too, and wanted to cry. He was so sensitive and emotional when it came to situations like this, and that made her feel for him even more. Abigail was glad to know that she wasn't alone in this. The kids felt bad, but were proud of their dad for being such a warrior. Kai never knew about this, since the pop idol didn't get too personal with her, so this was a bit of a surprise for her. But then again, she didn't know him for a really long time. Considering how much of a strong person he was around her, she never would have guessed that he could be that upset.

"I appreciate your sympathy everyone." Michael's tone was a bit wistful at that point. He raised his voice once again. "Sunlight, UV rays, and viral infections are like poison to lupus patients, including myself. This is why you have seen me with an umbrella, and a surgical mask while in public. And I wear the hat to hide the hair loss." He pulled out another photo from the folder, this one of his hands. The tips of his fingers were an unhealthy color, which was also projected on the screen. "As you can see, my finger tips are discolored, and I was told it is a sign of Raynaud's Syndrome. It makes holding a microphone very painful, which is another reason I tape my fingertips when performing."

To be honest, Lissie never noticed anything amiss about Michael's hands accept the vitiligo. ‘Gosh, that's one new thing I have learned about Michael's lupus.'

"So as you see, these things are necessary, even though the media has sensationalized it. I want you to know that those stories that I wore the surgical mask to hide the fact that my nose had fallen off are just BS. That story that my nose fell off is so ridiculous it's incredible."

"Sing it, brother!" one of the male fans belted out.

A woman behind Alyssa yelled, "Amen!"

'That's right, Michael,' thought the young graphic designer, 'tell it like it is.' She was sure he would be a dynamic speaker, but she never knew he had this side to him. And she was proud of him for not actually swearing. That would have been setting a bad example for his children.

Michael smiled at all the support he was getting. That was the icing on the cake of doing a speech. "So don't believe the nonsense you see in tabloids. " He paused for a second, and then realized that he pretty much said everything he wanted to say. "I suppose that's about it. Do you have any questions?"

A blonde girl who was at the very front asked the singer how was his lupus at the moment.

"Oh, it's in remission now. But I still have to be careful. Thanks for asking."

"Michael...I am confused about something," a dark haired girl called Alison began hesitantly, "you said your skin was affected and your hair fell out. I am not very familiar with lupus, although I have a rough idea of it. Which form of it do you have?"

Michael told her that he had discoid lupus, a mild form of the condition.

"Oh." Alison felt like a ditz, even though Michael was extremely patient with her. She would do some research after this.

"Any more questions?" Michael asked. No one answered.

"In that case, I'd like to say thank you all for listening to my story, and I hope this clears things up for you, if you don't know what lupus is. I love you so much, and God bless you."

With that, the superstar left the podium and made his way to the table that his kids, Kai, Alyssa and Abby were at. He received a standing ovation.

"Daddy, that was such a great speech. You're the best speaker ever!" Paris told Michael.

"Mmmhmm," Prince and Blanket agreed.

Michael still didn't believe giving public speeches was one of his strengths, but if his children said otherwise, he couldn't contradict that. They didn't give compliments that they didn't mean.

"Thank you," he said, hugging his children.

Lissie was feeling slightly bolder than she usually felt. She hugged the pop star, too. He was glad to oblige. "Your speech was great. And I especially agree with your message about not believing the trashy tabloids," she told him.

Whoa. Michael wasn't expecting Alyssa to be that blunt, after all, she was sort of the quiet type before. But he was glad she agreed.

"Yes, great job," said Abby.

"You have done such a wonderful job, Mr. Jackson," Kai told her boss. "You never cease to amaze me."

Michael appreciated all the compliments. This made him feel a bit more confident about his speaking skills, but it still wasn't something he would do as much as performing.

As for the rest of the program? The food? Alyssa thought they were fine, but the highlight of her evening was the lupus story. It really touched her heart. And guess what? The pop icon invited her to his mansion for the next day. Of course, she gladly accepted the invitation. Oh, was she looking forward to the next day.