A/N: This fic is based off of a little bit of everything: the movie, the book and the musical. Sorry for anything that seems confusing, because I just kind of pieced together what I remember from each source :o)
Also, please note that this is not meant to be a Beth/Laurie fic! I am Jo/Laurie to the death, as much as I love Beth's character. All interaction in the story is strictly meant to be sibling love, nothing more!
Disclaimer: I do not own Little Women or the song "Five Forever" which inspired this piece.
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Could this really be happening? It certainly wasn't easy to believe, but I had lived long enough to know that my eyes were not deceiving me, no matter how badly I wanted them to be.
As I watched the pale, sickly form before me, I thought back to the day on which the March sisters had initiated me into their "Pickwick Society"; the day that I became their brother. Unofficially of course, but their brother none the less.
Oh how far away that day seemed, yet each detail was still so fresh in my mind.
The sisters had been discussing the subject matter of inviting me in to their society and Jo had been speaking very highly of me, managing only to get Beth solidly on to her side. However, as soon as Meg and Amy had subtly stated that they would be okay with me joining, Jo gave the signal and I came bounding out of the closet! The others had been shocked, though admittedly quite upset at first.
But in just a matter of short time, each of them had fully accepted me as the brother they never had.
Yes, how very long ago that had been…Things had certainly changed.
Meg had gone off and married my old mentor, Mr. John Brooke; Amy had gone abroad with her Great Aunt March; and Jo had chased her dreams all the way to New York City. I myself had grown up and decided to take my schooling seriously and go to a college, a prestigious one at that, in London.
While each of these things seem extraordinary and fantastic, all of us, including myself, managed to forget about one very important aspect in our lives.
Sweet little Beth March was left all by her lonesome while the rest of us ran wile to fulfill our aspirations.
How we managed such a thing is certainly beyond me. Perhaps it was that we were all so accustomed to her gentle, caring nature and her unselfish ways that we hadn't thought twice about the fact that she has feelings and needs as we do. It seems a ridiculous thought, now that I think back on it, to forget about the one constant in our lives and simply leave her without a second thought.
Though we all remembered to write on occasion, and Meg didn't actually live all that far away, we were all quite wrapped up in our own little fantasy worlds and all thoughts of our sister were forced back as we focused on our dream lifestyles.
That is of course, how life went on for quite some time, until I received a letter from my Grandfather which brought me to where I am now.
It had been a delightfully sunny day in London, a Saturday on which I was free from my studies, and therefore free from my worries. When the post came around noon, I filed through it uninterested as usual. But when I came upon a thin, white envelope with my name written on it in my grandfather's hand, my curiosity was peaked.
My grandfather hardly ever wrote me, for he claimed that Concord was "rarely more interesting than watching the leaves change color in autumn" and found it rather pointless to write. So whenever a letter arrived bearing the regal yet old fashioned writing, I knew that it was something important, and generally found myself excited.
I only now wish that the letter had never needed to be written and that Concord had stayed as dull as ever, for the news that arrived inside that little envelope has brought nothing but sorrow.
The letter enclosed read:
My dear Grandson,
I write to you on this day in poor spirit to offer very sorrowful news. Elizabeth has recently fallen very ill, and does not seem to be headed in the direction of wellness. Margaret and John have already moved their residence back to the March household for the time being, and Josephine is due back from New York in a week or so.
Please, if you are able, I'm sure that it would mean a great deal to the young girl if you returned home, if only for a little while. I know that she misses you so. However, if you do decide to come, I highly suggest that you plan the visit soon and arrive as quickly as possible, for none of us can guarantee how much longer Beth will last.
Hoping to see you soon,
Grandfather
My heart had progressively sunk with each word I read. Beth was such a sweet girl who had already been through so much, not having deserved any of it. Why her?
In that moment, I knew that I had no other choice but to return home; my little sister needed me.
And that is how I ended up where I am now; watching one that I love dearly slip away with each passing moment, and doing the best I can to keep myself together.
I had somehow managed to arrive a few days before Jo did, allowing me time to talk with Beth and do all that I could as her brother to make her feel better.
I would spend hours at a time retelling my tales of collegiate life, working as hard I as I could to bring a smile to her angelic face as often as possible.
She, in turn, would tell me tales of her stale life in Concord, though telling her stories with such love for her home that I found my tales rather foolish and dull in comparison.
While the older sisters and I spent every waking moment with Beth, and doing all that was possible to make her comfortable, the youngest March sister was continuously nowhere to be found.
Amy had unfortunately found herself too busy to be able to return home, a bit of information that angered me to no end.
Here lay her fading sister, struggling through each day just to keep those around her happy, and Amy could not put down her drawing pencils for one day in order to visit her dying sister.
I suppose I shouldn't have been all that surprised though: Amy March had always been such a spoiled little girl, and I guess I shouldn't have assumed that time would fix that.
Why, I recalled when Beth had been plagued with the Scarlet Fever and all Amy could do was think of was not wanting to die herself. She has some nerve, in my honest opinion. The child could hardly think of anyone but herself while her older sister lay closer to death than she would in several decades.
It made me sick, for all poor Beth probably wanted was to have her family all back together, at least one last time. Yet she had a sister who was too selfish to fulfill one of the only wants that she's ever had for herself.
But enough of my anger, for no matter how much I wish it to, it will never change anything.
To be quite honest, I feel as though I have failed miserably.
On the day on which I was invited into the March family, I made several promises to the girls. The biggest was that together we would be able to conquer any foe, and that all of their battles would be mine as well.
That promise was held for many a year, until now. I'm afraid that this is one enemy I simply cannot conquer, and one battle that I cannot fight for my dear sister.
I really have failed, haven't I?
We also promised that we would all live and die as one; yet another oath that seems to have been broken and forgotten.
As I watch a sleeping Beth, peaceful yet pain is apparent on her white face, I think that we have made an awful mess of things. If only we had held true to our promises of being together forever, perhaps things would have turned out differently.
I suppose I can never be sure.
But I do feel as though we will be five forever again one day, however impossible it seems.
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A/N: Yes, a bit short I admit, but I feel as though it got the point across. Oh, and sorry to any Amy lovers out there, but I can't stand the girl and therefore felt the need to twist the story a bit to meet my wants :o) Please review!