Disclaimer: Jori belongs to Dan Schneider, even if he keeps it from the rest of us.
She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and ducked her hooded head, walking along the winding sidewalk through the park. The wind whipped at her, chilling her exposed face, but she trekked on, heading toward the playground. It was early evening on a Tuesday in December, and the park was nearly empty, save the few crazy people who even dared to be out in the snow now. The playground wasn't too deep into the park, just far enough that no little kids would run into the middle of the highway.
She crossed the snow-covered sandpit to the swings and stared at the seat at the end of the set, smiling faintly to herself. She remembered a time not too long ago as she sat on the second swing and kicked the ground, beginning her slow swing.
Jade stood at the edge of the playground, the echoes of laughter around her as children played together, chasing each other around the sandpit. Her eyes were fixed on the swings, one in particular, as a brunette woman pushed a small boy on the swing at the end of the set. Both of them were laughing, the boy in such a giggle fit that one would think he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
She made her way toward them, stopping at the second swing. The boy had the biggest grin and shouted for the woman to stop, all while laughing. The woman gripped the swing when he returned to her and the boy turned his head, whispering to her. She smiled and nodded and he turned his attention back to the stranger. "I bet I can swing higher than you can," he challenged proudly.
Jade teased him. "Put your allowance where your mouth is." The boy smirked as she accepted the challenge, sitting in the partner swing. She nodded at the woman, who gave the little boy a push, giving him a head start. Jade waited until the bottom of his swing was level with her head before she kicked her own swing into action and reached his height within three kicks. He stared at her wide-eyed and she laughed, sticking her tongue out at him.
The woman pushed the swing a little harder and Jade slowed her pendulum movements, allowing the boy to beat her. The grin returned to the boy's face, the false sense that he had won filling his innocent little head. Jade stopped swinging entirely and the woman caught the other swing. "I win," he announced and Jade nodded, a fake pout on her face as she fished three dollars from her pocket. The boy lit up like a Christmas tree and pocketed the bills before running off to the monkey bars. He knew he had won.
An echo of laughter pulled Jade from the memory and she glanced around, only to find a young couple walking down the path past the playground, huddled together as they strolled through the park, the girl's arm wrapped around the boy's. She sighed and stared at her feet. She remembered when love was that easy, when it felt like nothing was wrong in the world and she could truly be happy. But nothing lasts forever.
The snow fell around her, a blanket of white hiding what had been in the fall and what would come in the spring. She dug her heel into the snow to stop the swinging motion and stood, her freezing hands digging into her pockets for warmth. She wished she had worn gloves, but that wasn't important. As she walked to the edge of the park, she let her mind return to her thoughts.
The little boy ran ahead of Jade and the woman as they walked toward the edge of the park. "He usually isn't this friendly with strangers," the woman explained. She looked at Jade and smiled. "I'm Tori, by the way."
"Jade." The paler girl smiled and glanced at the boy. "Is he yours?"
Tori laughed and shook her head. "Oh good lord, no, he's my best friend's little boy. I'm just taking him out for a little fun while his father works. I've got to get him home soon or I'll be in trouble for keeping him out too late."
Jade smiled and watched the little boy climb into a car in the parking lot. "Well, I guess this is where we go our separate ways…" There was a pain in her chest when the words came out, but she couldn't allow herself to think that this was going to become anything.
Tori hesitated. "Do you want to grab a drink or something sometime?" Jade had to admit, this woman was bold, asking someone she just met out for a drink. "I mean, I just…I'm sorry, that was so completely random and I…I shouldn't have asked. You don't seem the type to accept a drink from a total stranger."
Jade laughed. "I challenged a little boy that I have never met before on a swing in a playground and I make conversation with a woman I just met and I'm falling for…" Jade froze. That wasn't supposed to come out, but judging by Tori's expression, it was mutual. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I barely know you and…"
Tori just shook her head with a smile and leaned in, catching Jade's lips with hers. When she pulled away, she smiled again. "I'm falling for you too, Jade, and it's weird…But I've never felt this way about anyone before."
Jade shook her head at the memory and sighed. She had never felt that way about anyone before, or after, and she never would. Tori was, what most people called, Jade's soul mate, her other half. Personally, Jade didn't believe in things like that, but she couldn't think of any other reason than fate that she had met Tori.
She unlocked her car and sat in the driver's seat, closing the door and resting her head against the headrest. Things were so different now. She felt alone in this cold world, facing the problems she once shared with Tori by herself with no one by her side. Closing her eyes, she focused on their lives together, the thirty blissful years they spent together, from their first kiss to their last, from their first date to their wedding night, to their last night together.
Jade wiped the tears from her eyes and forced a smile, staring through the windshield. There was no reason to be sad; her life with Tori had been wonderful, the best years of her life.
"Jade, you know I love you more than anything in the world, right?" Jade nodded, burying her face in Tori's neck, hiding her tears, even though she knows her wife can feel them through her shirt. Tori strokes Jade's hair. "Come on, Jade…please don't be sad. You have to be happy. I want you to live your life and just be happy. It will be good for both of us." She kissed the top of Jade's head. "I love you, Jade. I always have and I always will."
Jade lifted her head and kissed Tori with all she had, feeling the woman in her arms take her last breath. "I love you too, Tori…I always have and I always will." A few minutes passed before the nurse stepped into the room and announced that Jade would have to leave. She allowed Jade to compose herself, sharing a small smile as the sad woman passed her.
Jade stopped at the headstone she was visiting. Kneeling before it, she touched the engraved name gently and smiled. Every night for the past five years she had come here, not to grieve but to remember the good things they shared. She never spoke a word, silently thinking about what Tori was missing in her life. She felt that Tori was somewhere, watching her, smiling.
A silent, frozen hour later, Jade finally stood and looked up at the sky, smiling as if Tori could see her. Walking back to her car, she noticed something odd in the snow at the edge of the cemetery, what looked like a poem.
I never stopped loving you
I know I never will
Every time I see you here
I know you love me still.
From our first kiss
To our last breath
We'll always be
Even after rest.
I love you, Jade.
Jade smiled. Even if she couldn't see her love, she knew Tori was here. She always would be.