The Different Faces Of Time, an once and again fanfic

I love feedback, good and bad, just bring it Zwick and Marshall Herskowitz own these characters, not me.
Song is by Lene Marlin, A Place Nearby

I enter the room
Sat by your bed all through the night
As I watched your daily fight
I hardly knew

'So peaceful.' she though. 'It's like she's just sleeping.' A soft sob, barely audible escaped her.

On the bed was a woman. A long time ago, that woman had been a young girl, the girl she fell in love with. So alive, so happy and so beautiful. 'She is still beautiful.' she thought. Even as she was laying there, quiet, eyes closed, a face, where time had left it's marks, she was still the most beautiful person in the world.

Time had been good for them. They had certainly lived their lives to the fullest. They had gone places, seen things, had great jobs they loved, had three adorable daughters and they had the pleasure of welcoming their grandchildren into this world.

And they had done it all it together. And happy they were. Time had been good for them.

But time claimed a price for happiness, and it started claiming it a year ago. You could see the change, it became harder for her to walk, to go places, to do the things she loved. They had both noticed the difference, but nothing could be done. Time had given them a wonderful life and now it wanted something in return.

Soon she was forced to stay in bed, her body didn't have the strength anymore that it used to. Muscles were tired, bones had become weak, and there was nothing, absolutely nothing, anyone could do about it.

The pain
Was almost more than I could bear
But still I hear
Your last words to me

She had seen it all happen. Each day she saw her love becoming a little weaker, becoming tired more often, not leaving the house as much as she normally would have, the pain she was going through and it was breaking her heart. Both their hearts. Because they both knew what it meant. Time, who had been so generous, who had given them a wonderful life, was now doing the inevitable in its own cruel way.

Heaven is a place nearby
So I won't be so far away
And if you try and look for me
Maybe you'll find me some day
Heaven is a place nearby
So there's no need to say goodbye
I wanna ask you not to cry
I'll always be by your side

It happened only minutes ago.

She had been sitting by her bed, looking down at her, a tear falling down from her cheek, landing softly on the sheets. She knew this was it. It was time. The woman on the bed had her eyes closed and was breathing difficultly, fighting for every sip of oxygen she could get.

She had looked down sadly on the woman, fighting to stay in control of her emotions. She saw her hand, laying next to her body. It was a hand, wrinkled by decades of life. The most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She gently took it in her own and brought it up to her face. She closed her eyes, wanting to remember this feeling forever.

Another tear fell down her cheek but she didn't notice. When she opened her eyes again, she was looking directly in a pair of blue ones. Eyes that she had known for so long. Eyes that she could read, without having to try. What she read in them now was grief, and worry.

"Oh Jessie." she cried out softly.

The woman on the bed moved her fingers, trying to feel the face they were holding. "Katie, don't cry, it will be alright." she said. The voice was weak. It was hard. Breathing, something that she had once taken for granted, had now become a privilege. A privilege that was about to be taken away.

Katie moved in her chair a bit, leaning closer to the woman she had loved all her life, that she would love forever. "I promise." Jessie said. "We'll be together soon."

Katie cried silently, "I don't want to lose you." she whispered.

Jessie took a deep breath, trying to pull out the little strength in her old body she had left to say the next words.

"I'll always be with you Katie. You know I will. I'll be up there looking down on you, watching over you, until you come to me." She paused, breathing hard.

Katie squeezed Jessie's hand, as hard as she dared, trying not to hurt the broken woman on the bed.

Jessie continued. "I'll be with you, everywhere you go and turn, I'll be there. And in time, I will see you again."

Katie couldn't stop herself. Her emotions had taken control over her body and the tears were flowing freely. "What am I going to do without you?" she managed to get out, her voice breaking. "I can't." She couldn't say it. She just couldn't say anything anymore.

"Katie, you can." Jessie whispered. "You are so strong. We will be together again, but not yet. It's not your time yet. You get to live. Live for our girls. Live for me." Jessie's eyes were pleading. "Live for me." she repeated. Then the blue eyes closed and Katie saw the word 'please' on her lips but there was no sound.

Katie wanted to scream. Scream, plead, beg, anything, she would do anything to keep her love with her.

"Jessie." She whispered. "Jessie." She still saw Jessie's chest moving. Barely, but there was still something.

The eyes opened for one last time. Beautiful blue eyes, and Katie knew this was the last time she was going to see them. She didn't know how, she just knew. She felt it.

Jessie had used up the last of her strength. She looked Katie in the eyes, and all Katie saw was love. Love of a lifetime.

"I love you." Jessie said. It was barely audible, but Katie heard it. She felt it. Through every vain in her body she felt it.

"I love you." Katie whispered.

You just faded away
Spread your wings, you had flown
Away to some place unknown
Wish I could bring you back
You're always on my mind
About to tear myself apart
You have your special place in my heart
Always

Jessie's eyes closed as she took her last breath. And then there was nothing but silence. She was just laying there, like she was asleep. An eternal sleep.

Katie swallowed. She had seen it coming for months, for a year, but now it was over. Jessie had left her. Jessie, the love of her life, was gone.

She put her head down gently on Jessie's chest and placed Jessie's arm around her. She carefully took the other one, and put it around her as well, wanting to be in Jessie's arms one last time, like she had been so many times before. It was a safe, comforting place and she wanted to feel it once more, to remember.

In Jessie's arms she cried away, drowning in her grief and sorrow, not knowing how to possibly go on. She didn't want to go on without her. Jessie was her everything, her reason for living, her muse, her other half, her love. And now she was gone. She was alone. Did she have the strength for this? Jessie. was gone.

After a while her mind drifted off to their children. They had had three daughters and each one of them had been crazy about both their mothers. They were going to be devastated. Jessie and Katie had loved all three of them to death, and they had been the perfect grandmothers for their grandchildren.

And even when I go to sleep
I still can hear your voice
And those words
I never will forget

'Live for me.' Jessie had said.

Katie sat up as she remembered Jessie's words. She reached up en gently stroked Jessie's cheek.

"I will." Katie whispered. "I'll find the strength. I will live. For them." She swallowed deeply. "And for you."

Katie got up and looked down at Jessie. Her face was peaceful, and on her lips was a subtle smile. She leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her forehead, and another one on her lips. It was a gentle kiss, a soft one, but there was more love in it than any kiss ever would possess. "I'll live for you." she said as a tear dropped from her eye. It landed on Jessie's cheek.

She sat back down again and took Jessie's hand. She studied Jessie's face, but all her features she knew by heart. There was nothing about Jessie that she hadn't already discovered. From the moment she saw Jessie for the first time, all those years ago back in high school, she had been under her spell. Katie had always loved Jessie's face and everything else about her. She just took it all in one last time.

Heaven is a place nearby
So I won't be so far away
If you try and look for me
Maybe you'll find me some day
Heaven is a place nearby
So there's no need to say goodbye
I wanna ask you not to cry
I'll always be by your side

'Peaceful.' she thought. That's how Jessie looked. Peaceful and happy, just like their life had been together.

It was going to be hard, going on without Jessie, but she could do it. She could do it because Jessie had said it. Jessie had said that she was strong, so that's what she believed. Jessie would be with her every day, every minute and every second. She would carry her in her heart.

She would be strong now and she would see Jessie again. Not yet, her time was yet to come, but she would live the rest of her life and love her children like she had done all those years.

Because she knew, that one day, they'd be together forever.

THE END