A Twist Of Fate
Mitchie and Shane's love for each other was much more powerful than death.
Their love however couldn't prevent the injustice of Shane's demise.
Death is powerful; it can end a life but can't end a relationship. It could not extinguish Mitchie's love for Shane.
Every memory she had ever experienced with Shane was fully intact; death could not take away any of her memories.
Mitchie sighed, wrapping her arms around herself, and walked down to the water.
She had returned without him; she had returned without Shane besides her. She had never attended Camp Rock without him before and it killed her to be back without him.
She was at the mere age of twenty-two and had been an instructor since the age of eighteen. Every year she and Shane would return to Camp Rock with the rest of Connect 3 to share their love of music with the campers.
Today she had returned, the day before camp officially began, to try and come to terms with everything that had happened over the past few months. This would be the first year without him with her; it would be the first year that she would have to sleep in their cabin alone, without him to hold her through the night.
She would wake up in an empty bed, in an empty room.
She longed for his touch; craved for his scent and most all yearned for his kiss.
She sat down carefully, coming across the place Shane had sung to her for the first time when she was only sixteen years of age.
The night was silent and the stars shined above her as she wept softly, her sobs being carried on the wind.
She didn't bother wiping away the tears that were cascading down her face; there was no use when she thought about how she could never hold him again as she would completely break down and would most likely fall apart for hours.
She had loved him with her entire heart, she had loved him more than life itself and he had been taken from her.
They were married for barely a year when they learnt of the shocking news that no one wants to hear.
He had a brain tumour.
He had been experiencing severe headaches, nausea and constant mood-swings whilst on tour and Mitchie knew something wasn't right. For the first time in her life she wished that she wasn't, but she was.
Once hearing the news Mitchie completely broke down in tears; she was inconsolable.
Shane assured her they would be fine and that their love could overcome any obstacle that God threw at them.
He was wrong though.
They soon discovered that Shane's tumour was inoperable.
Mitchie completely broke down at learning this; she collapsed on the floor in the small hospital office. Shane was soon besides her, his eyes were slightly watery as he tried to console her.
Tear-stricken and grief-stricken; Mitchie and Shane were given their options.
If given treatment there was no accurate period of time that could be given as to how much longer Shane could live for. The doctor explained that some patients lived for years where as some wouldn't make it past the year.
This upset Mitchie even more.
She didn't have any idea as to how long she really would get with her husband. How would she live without someone that she couldn't breathe without?
Their friends took the news hard; as did their family.
They didn't tell the fans until it became completely necessary; Connect 3's shows were all cancelled and all their interviews and such were also cancelled. The world couldn't believe that the front-man of one of the most loved bands ever was ill.
They were made for each other; Mitchie gave her heart and soul to Shane. She was his and would never belong to anyone else. As Shane got worse he told her that one day she would find love again but all she could do was shake her head stubbornly.
She affirmed that he would be the only man she could ever possibly love and would never stop loving. She barely left Shane's side and as his health began rapidly declining a year later; she found herself constantly by his side, leaving him for only minutes at a time and when necessary.
They both knew what was coming and had prepared themselves for it to a certain extent.
Both were terrified, they had not known what life was like with each other since that fateful day that they met at Camp Rock.
She found herself studying everything about him in his final days; taking in his appearance completely to make sure she would never forget anything about him.
She memorized each and every freckle on his face, the way his hair fell over his eyes and the way the corner of the lips could still curl up into a small smirk.
She told him how much she loved him in those remaining days; she told him how much she would miss him and how she never could stop loving him.
It became hard for him to do the same; he couldn't reciprocate her feelings as much, but the look in his eyes said it all.
He loved her.
His love for her was what made her feel like she could fly.
Their love was something out of a fairytale, except there would be no happy ending. There would only be tragedy.
Shane passed away in the middle of the night right after Mitchie's twenty-second birthday.
The news shocked the world even though they knew it was coming.
Mitchie didn't stop crying for days on end; she refused to leave their house and hadn't spoken one single word.
She felt empty, she felt incomplete.
She felt alone.
She was cold inside.
He was a part of who she was and now a huge piece of her was missing.
She felt as if her world was over and screamed a countless amount of times over the following weeks. She screamed at God, demanding to know why he had taken the love of her life. She screamed to get out her feelings, she screamed to let out her despair.
She waited for him to walk through their front door every night and when he didn't; she would collapse on a heap in the floor and stay that way for hours.
He had changed her life and she had no idea how she was supposed to continue her life without him.
The first week went by and she didn't leave their house. She was confined to her bed most the time and wouldn't call anyone or accept their calls; she was afraid that they would bring her back to reality.
She was lost without him; she didn't know what to do with herself.
She felt him where ever she went; he was always with her and it wasn't until a week later that he came to see her in a dream.
He looked amazing and not a day over eighteen; the same age he was when she first met him.
He appeared in bright lights and told her that he was fine and was with her grandparents. He promised that he would always be watching her and that he loved her and would never stop doing so.
She knew that her love for him would last for her lifetime; she would never let go of it.
Mitchie had never known what pain really was before until she lost Shane. She didn't feel as if she could go on at first; she didn't think that life was worth living at all.
It was like she was drowning and was struggling to breathe.
It hurt her so much to go on without him.
She ached for him, she was miserable and couldn't stand being on Earth without him.
The pain eventually became bearable but Mitchie broke down at least once per day; everything she would do from now on would be for him.
Time could never erase everything they had.
She would live for him; she would carry on his legacy. She wouldn't ever let the world forget about him and more importantly, she would never forget about him.
She knew in time that they would meet again; when that time came, she knew they'd love each other even more.
As the wind blew and caused her hair to blow out of her face; she closed her eyes, knowing her husband was with her at that very moment, knowing that he would still protect her and love her.
Death could not separate them forever; their love would not allow it.
It was not powerful enough.
It was moments like this that she missed him terribly; she wondered if it was possible that somehow and somewhere that he missed her too.
She opened her eyes, her vision slightly blurry at first due to the tears, and looked up at the stars in the sky.
They were shining for her.
Shane had often told her that.
She came to the conclusion as she sat there that the stars weren't just that, they weren't just stars that shone down on the Earth.
They were her gateway to heaven; she and Shane used to spend hours gazing up at the stars. She decided that they shone for her; they shone for her now especially.
They were her connection with Shane. The shone down on her to let her know that Shane was in a better place and that he was happy, that he could watch her.
He was stolen from her at such a young age; they were just beginning to live their lives together. The only way to have him live on was to never forget him, to never forget any detail about him no matter how small it may be.
No one could live forever, but Shane would live in Mitchie forever. He would stay in her mind and her heart until the end of time.
She would wait for him. She would wait until that one day where she would experience the amazing journey known as death as well. She would wait without him until her time arrived.
They would be together again someday.
She closed her eyes and listened to the wind and swore she could hear his voice; she swore she could make out him singing the song he had sung to her in that exact spot six years beforehand.
Mitchie felt that familiar temporary pain come from her stomach and she closed her eyes and let out a weak smile.
"I know, baby." She whispered fondly, rubbing her growing stomach, "I miss him too."