We all heard groaning and we looked at Ashley slowly waking up. I flicked my shoulder making Noelle stop touching me, "Smiles," I croaked as she slowly batted her eyes open. She tried adjusting her eyes to the light and when she looked at me she smiled. I chuckled at her as tears fell from my eyes.

Despite not knowing where she was, without knowing she had been knocked out and was bleeding, not knowing she was tied up, when she saw me she smiled. She tried to move and that's when she noticed she was tied up. She looked around, "Where am I? Why am I tied up?" she asked, trying to free herself but it was no use.

"Michael, help me," she said, starting to get worked up. I looked and saw Noelle had gone somewhere in the darkness but we couldn't move out of fear of her gun. "Bill!" she called out, "help me!"

She looked back at me, "Michael! Why aren't you guys helping me!?" she said, raising her voice and starting to cry. My heart broke and I took a step towards her, "Don't fucking move," Noelle said still somewehere in the darkness.

"Who is that?" she asked looking around, "Michael, where are we?" she asked, looking around. "Baby please don't move," I said as tears fell down my cheeks. "Smiles, be still," Bill said as Noelle stepped behind her.

She obeyed and I saw her chest heaving up and down signaling she was scared. Noelle stepped beside her and gave an evil grin, "Surprise," she said with a menacing chuckle. Ashley squinted her eyes at her, "You crazy bitch!" Ashley spat bitterly.

"Aht aht, I wouldn't be so mean if I were you," Noelle said, revealing the gun. All of our eyes went back to the gun, "So, let's get this over with shall we? You guys are probably wondering why I took her? Well answers simple: she's got to go. One way or another and Michael, it's up to you where this goes my way or....well it'll go my way either way because all of them end up with her never seeing you again."

I gulped and shot my eyes towards Ashley who looked at me scared. She looked so hurt with the blood on her forehead and I saw bruises starting to form around her wrist from the rope.

"So, here's the deal, either Michael you tell her the truth and she'll never want to see you again or you don't and she goes...pow," she said, faking like she shot someone. Ashley frowned at me, "Tell me what?" she asked, looking between the two of us.

I frowned, shaking my head, "I don't know what she's talking about!" I said truthfully. Noelle chuckled and walked up to me, "Michael, come on baby. This is the time to tell her," she said, stopping in front of me and running her hand down my chest.

"What the fuck are you talking about!?" I asked, raising my voice. Noelle looked at Ashley smirking before she kissed me and I pulled back, pushing her back. "Michael, don't be like that," she said, cocking her eyebrow at me.

I looked at Ashley and saw tears streaming down her face but she couldn't even look at me. Noelle's getting in her head. "Smiles, I never did anything with her. I promise you," I said as my voice cracked.

"Oh really?" Noelle scoffed, "Fine, then we'll just show her," she said unbuckling my belt and I felt my body freeze at her touch. It didn't feel right and I was stuck and didn't know what to do. "Noelle, please," I begged as she started unzipping my pants.

Ashley leaned forward like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. She looked away, starting to cry. "Smiles, you know Michael would never cheat on you," Bill said, trying to help me. I felt Noelle's hand go around my waist tugging on the band of my underwear as I still felt stuck and helpless. Almost like I wasn't in control of my body.

"Smiles," I croaked but she still wouldn't look at me. Before Noelle could go any further I saw Devon tackle her to the ground, "GO!" he yelled, "UNTIE HER!" he yelled as I pulled up my pants and Bill and I ran over to her trying to untie her as Devon wrestled with Noelle.

Bill looked around and found some scissors. He ran over to grab them and I grabbed her face making her look at me, "I didn't cheat on you. You have to believe me. This is what she wants!" I said and she just stared at me. "Just untie me," she said and I felt my heart shatter. I stared at her and she looked away from me.

Bill came back over and cut the rope and we untied her but at the same time we heard sirens in the distance. Finally, It took them long enough.

"Bill! Bill!" Devon yelled as Noelle started clawing at him. She reached over and grabbed a pvc pipe and hit Devon with it, knocking him out. Bill rushed over to try and stop her but she picked the gun back up that had flown out her hand.

I stepped in front of Ashley, putting her behind me. "Get the fuck out of the way," she told Bill with fire in her eyes. "I can't let you hurt them," Bill said, holding his hands up. "Get...out...of...my...way," she said again, aiming it at him. Bill looked back at us and I nodded for him to move.

"Noelle, don't be stupid," I said still blocking Ashley. "No, this is not how this was supposed to go! It's not supposed to go in her favor! She can't get everything she wants! She already took you from me once and it's not happening again, so Michael move," she said and I shook my head.

"I'm not letting you hurt her. If there's someone to hurt, it's me. You want me. If I'm out of the equation, you'd have no reason to hate her," I said and she looked at me. "Just please don't hurt her," I cried walking closer to Noelle.

"She doesn't deserve any of this," I said walking up towards her. "Michael, no!" Ashley cried behind me. Noelle tapped her finger against the gun staring at me, "Just please don't hurt her," I said again as the tapping continued.

I looked down at the gun and saw the tapping noise coming from Ashley's ring that she was wearing. This bitch really is psycho. And she got some nerve taking her ring! I looked back at Ashley and her eyes were fixated on her ring on Noelle's finger turning almost bloodshot red.

Before I could process what was happening, I saw Ashley run from behind me and smack Noelle to the floor making all of us gasp. Bill rushed over as I tried grabbing Ashley off of Noelle who she was choking.

Noelle was gasping for air, "Ashley, let go!" I yelled trying to grab her off with the help of BIll. How did she get so strong for someone that only weighs 120 lbs. "Let go!" Bill yelled but Ashley's eyes were nothing but red.

Ashley took one hand off her neck and repeatedly punched Noelle in her nose, making it instantly bleed. "Ashley, LET GO!" I yelled as we finally got to pull her off and Noelle sat up holding her nose from the punch and still gasping for air.

Ashley looked at Noelle and went to charge for her again but Bill and I held her back. No kidding when this girl said she could fight. "Smiles, stop!" Bill yelled as she wrestled with us trying to get to Noelle but she stood up.

"If I can't have him, neither can you," she said, aiming the gun at Ashley. "POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPON!" They yelled barging in as a gunshot went off.

**************************************

I abruptly woke up out of my sleep kicking the covers off as I panted and tried to catch my breath. I looked around and noticed the sun coming up. I looked beside me and saw Ashley sound asleep next to me.

I sighed, realizing I had a bad dream. A really bad dream.

I looked back down at Ashley as she slowly blinked her eyes open, "Michael?" she said as her voice cracked. She sat up, "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned placing her hand on my leg. I was still startled from my nightmare so I grabbed her and hugged her tight.

She hugged me back, squeezing me, "What's wrong?" she whispered in my ear still not letting me go which I was thankful for. "Your heart is racing," she added and I closed my eyes, laying my head down on her shoulder.

"Did you have a bad dream?" she asked and I nodded. She sighed and rubbed my back, "Do you want to talk about it? You'll probably feel better," she said and I kept quiet because I always heard that when you have bad dreams, keep them to yourself so you don't put them into the universe.

"Okay, we don't have to talk about it," she said, pulling back and smoothing back my hair looking at me. She laid back against the pillows, "Come on, let's cuddle," she said, making me smile a bit and I cuddled into her.

That was the worst nightmare I've ever had and it felt so real. I don't know what I'd ever ever do if I lost Ashley for anything but definitely not over Noelle. And now it's on my radar, finding that crazy bitch because who knows what she's up to. We haven't found her or heard from her since she broke into Smile's house last year.

And another thing, I'm not letting anything ever happen to Ashley. Ever. And I'm going to make sure of that.

I took a step back from the table satisfied with how it looked. Today, I was hosting a brunch today but what the girls didn't know was that I was formally asking them to be my bridesmaids today and they had no clue.

They each had their own white gift boxes with gifts inside and I couldn't wait to see their reactions. Just yesterday at my party when I joked and said I didn't even have my bridal party together, I was trying to see their reactions and it was just as I expected. They all looked at me like I was crazy but little did they know about today.

I took a few pictures of the setup before it'd get out of place once everyone got here. I put the lanyard holding my camera around my neck, going into the house to get ready for the brunch. As I closed the back door, I heard a pot drop. I looked over and saw James bending down to pick it up.

I walked over, "You okay?" I asked, leaning over the counter. He stood up, "Yeah, sorry. My hands were wet so it slipped. I'm sorry," he said with an apologetic face. I laughed, "James, it's totally fine. A pot is the least of my worries," I said and he let out a breath.

I walked over to the fridge to grab some water when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs quickly. "Ashley!?" Michael called out. I frowned, walking towards him, "Ashley!?" he said a little louder again coming down the hall.

I turned the corner and saw him looking frantic. Once he saw me, he sighed in relief. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. "I heard a loud noise and got scared," he said, looking behind me for anything out of the norm. "James dropped a pot," I said, resting my hands on his shoulders.

"Oh, good," he said in relief, "Well...not good. Did anything break?" he asked, changing his tone. I laughed, "No, everything's good," I said and he shot a little smile. I stared at him, "Are you okay?" I asked, noticing he had been acting off since he woke up from his nightmare.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay," he said and I stared at him before I nodded. "Okay, just asking," I said, believing him. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said and he smiled. "Okay, well I have to start getting ready," I said and he nodded.

"Can I have a kiss?" he asked. I smiled, "Of course," I said, placing a soft kiss on his lips tasting the mint from the toothpaste. I pulled away and started making my way up the stairs to the bedroom.

Around 11, I was dressed and ready for this afternoon with the girls. I couldn't wait to see their faces. I just know they are going to be so excited and planning your wedding with your best friends? That's going to be so fun.

"Michael! I'm going downstairs!" I yelled to him from the room. "Okay!" he yelled back from the shower. I chuckled going downstairs heading for the kitchen.

"Oh hey, everything's all ready," James said, glancing at me as he started plating the food. "Great! Thank you! They should be here any minute," I said and he smiled. "Are you excited? How is the wedding planning going?" he asked.

I grabbed a strawberry, taking a bite, "I'm so excited and it's going well! It's stressful but in the best way. How is the planning going for you?" I asked because he and his Fiance, Tamera, were getting married this year.

"It's like you said, stressful, but we're excited. Invitations go out next week so be sure to look for it," he said glancing up at me. "I will! I'll make sure Michael and I are there!" I said excitedly, making him laugh.

"Our families will flip knowing you and Michael Jackson are coming to our wedding. Don't be surprised if you're taking pictures all night," he said and I laughed. "That's okay," I said and he smiled.

I heard the doorbell ring, "Oh! That must be them!" I said getting up from the barstool and walking down the foyer to the front door. I opened it and saw Hazel, Alisha, Lais, and Josephine standing there.

"Hi guys! Come on in!" I said stepping back so they could come in. I decided to leave the door open for when the other girls arrived. "Hi!" I squeaked giving them hugs. "I brought this," Alisah said, handing me a bottle of champagne. "Oh perfect! More mimosas for us. Come on," I said, waving for them to follow me.

"Oh this is so cute!" Josephine said looking at all the food James had set out was all nice and pretty. "Isn't it!?" Hazel added looking over the set up. "All props to James," I said, gesturing to him and he smiled. "Hi ladies," he said, nodding at them. "Hi!" They all greeted back.

"Ladies!" we heard coming down the foyer to reveal Janet and Mariah walking into the kitchen. "Yay! Everyone's here!" I said looking around as we all greeted each other. "Oh wait, no! There's one more," I said and they all looked at me.

"What are you up to?" Alisha asked, smiling at me. I chuckled, "You guys will see," I said smirking when I heard another car pull up. "I think they're here," Janet said and I nodded scurrying off to the front door.

"Ashley!" Cindy exclaimed, engulfing me in a hug. I hugged her back tightly, "Cindy! I've missed you!" I said in ear as she swung us back and forth. "I know! I've missed you too! How've you been, soon-to-be Mrs. Jackson," she said, smiling at me as she pulled back. I laughed, "I know, I'm fantastic! How are you!?" I asked.

"I'm great!" she said smiling and I smiled. "Good, come on. Everyone's waiting on us," I said, pulling her into the house and closing the front door. We made small talk walking into the kitchen and the girls all screamed in excitement at the sight of her making us laugh.

They all ran up giving her hugs, excited to see her and of course she was just as excited. We all made small talk catching up with one another. "Can we eat?" Alisha asked and everyone looked at me. "Not yet," I said and everyone smacked their lips making me laugh. "Patience ladies, patience," I said and they all tilted their heads at me.

"Is there a reason we're here?" Mariah asked and I smiled. "Yes, just give me one sec," I said going over to James to ask him to record for me and that I'd give him a cue as the girls engaged in another conversation.

I tapped a champagne flute with a spoon making everyone look at me. I smiled at them, "Okay, first things first, thank you all for coming to this brunch. I'm so glad you all could make it," I said and they all smiled, "I'm sure you all are wondering why I called for this brunch and it's for a very special reason and I can show you guys better than I can tell you....so if you could all follow me out to the backyard that'd be great," I said and they all grabbed their mimosas following me out.

They all whispered amongst each other and I smiled at them standing at the head of the table directing everyone to their correct seat. I gave James a cue and he came out, grabbing my camera to record, "Okay," I said looking around at everyone, "If you could all grab the white boxes in front of you," I said and they all did and placed them in front of them.

"On the count of 3, I want you all to open them, okay?" I asked and they all nodded. I smiled brightly, "Okay...1...2...3...!" I exclaimed and they all untied the ribbon and I clasped my hands together watching them open the box.

And immediately they all screamed in excitement as they read the cards that said "Will you be my bridesmaid?" or "Will you be my maid of honor?" and I laughed so excited for them. "NO WAY!!!!" Hazel yelled and I laughed. "OF COURSE!!!!" they all yelled at once and I smiled. They all stood up engulfing me into a big group hug and I felt so loved by them.

"I am so excited!" Janet exclaimed and I smiled at her. "Me too! I could scream!" Cindy added and I laughed. "This is going to be the best wedding ever!" Lais said and I squeezed her hand.

"It is! And I'm so glad you guys are going to be a part of the biggest day in my life and there's no one else, I'd rather have by my side through this than this amazing group of girls right here so thank you guys and I love you all!" I said and they all squealed, hugging me again.

We all sat down so they could browse through their gifts. Inside I had a bottle of champagne, champagne glasses with their names, a white satin robe with their names on the back, team bride sashes, Tiffany diamond necklace and matching diamond earrings, a cartier bracelet, and a letter that said, "I can't tie the knot without you."

"You guys like them?" I asked, looking at all of them. "Are you crazy!? We love them!" Josephine said excitedly, making me laugh. "This is so thoughtful Ash," Janet said smiling at me and I smiled back winking at her.

"Now, I expect all of you guys to wear the jewelry on the day of the wedding. It's so we can all match," I said, waving my finger at them playfully. "IS THIS CARTIER!?" Hazel asked and I nodded, laughing at her. "I can literally faint," she said and we all cracked up laughing.

They all went through their gifts admiring everything in it, "Are the robes for when we get ready?" Lais asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Yes, they are," I said smiling as they all looked at their white satin robes. "This is literally the best day ever," Mariah said and everyone agreed.