Rose

by: speedreader1999

Author's Note: Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've updated, and I'm sorry about that; high school is a living hell. But I've got my last cross country meet next Friday, so I'll be able to use the time I've been using to practice for running and use it to write instead.

"So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday." -Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

She threw one punch after another, again and again at the worn black bag. Her knuckles were wrapped in the all too familiar white tape and they were starting to get sore. She'd been at this for an hour or so, ever since graduation had finished and they were no longer in high school. Jack had disappeared somewhere – she didn't care where – and so did Eddie and Milton, but at least Rudy was still in the dojo; she occasionally heard the yell of, "No, I don't want to buy a monkey, thank you very much!"

She didn't want to know. She really, really, didn't want to know.

Her headphones were bursting music so loudly, her thoughts couldn't hear themselves. She did that sometimes; it may not help for her hearing when she was older, but it was easy to forget. Forget about life, forget about everything.

Forget about the fact that, earlier that day, Jackson Brewer – that jackass – had proposed to her.

She hit the bag harder. "Forget," she muttered, feeling the strain of her knuckles. She itched to run and kick everything in the dojo until it was completely destroyed and she was black and blue, but that wouldn't do anything but get her kicked out of the one place that had been her sanctuary since that fateful day when she quit the Black Dragons to be with a little boy with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes.

It had started out as a normal day: the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and that was the beginning of a perfect day. Then again, she should've seen it coming. It was their senior year, and everything was going perfect between her and her boyfriend. He had been slightly off lately, but for the most part, he was fine.

And then he had gotten down on one knee after they had graduated, and, in front of all their friends and family, had said, "Kimberly Ann Crawford; will you marry me?"

And she had run.

Lost in everything, she was oblivious of the buzzing coming from her pocket. But then her thoughts collected themselves, and she pulled the phone out of her pocket. And immediately froze when she saw the caller ID. Jack, it read in simple black letters, but it was anything but. However, she knew that after what had happened earlier that afternoon, he – most likely – wouldn't be calling unless it was an emergency. So she took her chances.

"Hello?" she said, carefully, slowly.

"Kim!" a voice shouted, and she detected the sound of loud noise in the background. "Kim! I need your help?"

She hesitated, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. "What for?"

There was a slight pause of static, and then she detected a sound she wouldn't have thought she'd hear from Jackson Brewer's house until many years from now: the sound of a baby crying. Between the baby and him yelling, she couldn't distinguish anything but him yelling for her to get over to his house before he hung up.

And she, like the loveable girlfriend she was – politely ignoring the voice in her head screaming for her not to – hopped on her skateboard and rode to his house.

His house loomed in front of her and she hesitated, fingers pausing inches in front of the doorbell. But then she heard the same crying as before and disregarded the doorbell, her fingers instead reaching for the handle and pushing it open.

She was met with the sound becoming even louder, and she walked quickly down the hallway, footsteps echoing on the wood. When the hallway ended and transformed into a living room that she knew all too well, she stopped in her tracks.

Her boyfriend was carrying a baby in his hands that was wailing like the devil himself, and the look on Jack's face was enough to cause her to start laughing.

He whirled around the moment the first giggle came, and his look went from angry, to relived, to angry again. "Kim," he half-shouted, "help me! She won't stop crying!"

"What the hell are you doing with a baby?" she asked, but only propped her skateboard against the wall before walking towards him. She took the baby into her arms, and immediately the baby's cries softened into soft coos. Kim rocked her back and forth, occasionally adjusting the infant in her arms.

Jack looked incredulous. "How the…what…how the hell did you do that?"

She just laughed, looking down at the infant's slowly closing eyes. The little girl had tuffs of blond hair and green eyes. "I'm a natural," she joked, before becoming serious. "What are you doing with a baby anyway?"

He ran a hand through his hair, eyes watching her. "My mom volunteered me to babysit her friend's kid while they went out for a while. She offered to pay my twenty bucks, but the moment the kid started crying, I panicked and called the first person I thought of."

Kim looked up at him. "What's her name?"

"Rose," he answered, and suddenly it struck both of them what had happened earlier that day. The proposal, her running away…all of a sudden she felt self conscious, and took a step back.

"Look," she said nervously. "About what happened earlier today-"

"Forget about it," he said, his voice becoming harsher. "Just…sorry I called." He motioned for the baby back and she complied, moving the baby into his arms. But the moment Rose left her arms the baby's eyes flew open and she started wailing again.

Jack groaned. "I give up!" he shouted, before shoving her into Kim's arms.

She took the baby once again and Rose calmed down. Jack scowled. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Kim said. "She just…well, I don't have an answer to that. Sorry."

Then the only sound was dishwasher running as the two teenagers stared at each other. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have pushed that on you; I should've figured you weren't ready."

Her eyes widened. "Jack-"

"Let me finish."

And she closed her mouth.

"I've been thinking about a lot lately; about us, about our relationship." He stared her straight in the eyes. "I love you, Kimberly Crawford, and someday, I'd like to walk down the aisle with you. Whether it be in a month or five years, I don't care. Please Kim," his voice trailed off. "Please."

She felt tears threaten to escape. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I'll marry you."

He took two steps forward and wrapped her in his arms. But then they were reminded of the baby in her arms when Rose stared wailing, and they leaned back slightly. He wiped a tear that was running down her cheek and met her mouth with a searing kiss before reaching into his pocket and slipping a ring on her finger.

The End.

Just to be clear, that means this is a one-shot, so it will not be continued.

Also, does anyone else watch the crime-drama show Castle? No? Because if you do, did you catch that little piece that I stole from that show? (Disclaimer: I don't own Castle) I LOVE CASTLE!