a/n. I heard this song today and I just thought I had to write this. so I did.
it's based off of a song by taylor swift called she wasn't brought up that way. listen to it.
I thought with their relationship Kendall and Katie would be just perfect for it.
Disclaimer - I own nothing.
I changed a few words in the lyric's so it would work.
She wasn't brought up that way.
Kendall Knight, sitting around the pool messing around with his three best friends after long day of working down at the studio, when Katie runs straight pass them, tears streaming down her face, bumping into people, dropping her bag and into the lobby.
All four of the boys stand up to race after the little girl they all consider a sister. Kendall tells him that he has it.
After he pulls himself out of the pool and dries off, he follows the same path, gathering her discarded bag and makes his way up to the apartment. One there he finds the strongest little girl he knows huddled up in the corner, softly crying. He walks up to his little girl pulling her into his arms, she grabs on to him crying into his chest. Ever since their dad left before she was barely even one, Kendall made it his sole purpose in life to protect her.
"Baby girl what's wrong with you?"
"Please don't make me go back there again."
"What happened this time?"
He listened as she told him what happened. He felt tears form has she repeated the words that were said to her. He held her close as she cried.
"I wish there was some way to make them stop it."
After a while Katie finally stopped crying and fell asleep, he tucked her in and kissed her forehead.
He walked out of the apartment and down to his truck. He made his way to her school, going over how he raised her to be strong, and not let anyone break her. But there's only so much a little girl could take.
He walked into the school and straight into the principal's office.
"Mr. Knight what can I…?"
"I didn't bring her up so they could cut her down
I didn't bring her here so they could shut her out"
"Mr. Knight I was told nothing happened…"
"I live my whole damn life to see that little girl smile
so why are tears, pouring down that sweet face?
She wasn't brought up that way"
He wasn't going to let selfish girls say things about his girl without something happening.
Even if she's not his, he's gonna protect the hell out of her and make sure that she knows how much she's loved.
He was brought up that way.
Flash forward five years.
Kendall's sitting on his couch at eleven o'clock at night in his new house with his wife and their new baby girl tucked under in his arms when Katie walks through the door. She's quieter than normal, she looks at Kendall and Camille with tears streaming down her face, she walks up the stairs and softly closing her door behind her.
He looks out the window and sees that old pickup truck drive away, he gently unwraps his arm from around his wife.
"Is Katie home?"
"Yea…"
"What's wrong?"
"Something's different."
Their little girl starts crying, he looks down at her and then back to Katie's door.
"Go we'll be fine."
He kisses her head and makes his way up to her room, when he finds her she sitting outside on the ledge looking up at the stars. He grabs her blanket and climbs out the window and sits down next to her, she scoots in next to him laying her head on his shoulder, letting wipe away her tears. He wraps the blanket around the two of them waiting for her to tell him what happened.
"He tried but there are just some things I won't do"
and through the tears she said
"I couldn't do that to you"
A million thoughts race through his mind as he pulls her close. He lifts her face to him looking her in the eyes and said:
"I didn't bring you up so he could wear you down,
take that innocent heart and turn it inside out,
I live my whole damn life
to see my little girl's smile so don't let nobody take that away,
you weren't brought up that way"
He rocks her to sleep, letting his own tears fall.
The next day he makes sure that that boy knows not to come around again.
He has his own little girl now, but that doesn't mean that Katie isn't his little girl.
He loves the hell out of her and he's going to make sure that any boy that she ends up with will do the same.
He was brought up that way.
Five months later.
It's been four months since Katie got her license and tonight was the homecoming game and the first time he let drive by herself.
It scares the hell out of him as thunder claps and the rain pours harder knowing that she's out there driving by herself in this weather.
Camille calls James, Logan and Carlos over for dinner and to get Kendall's mind from wondering.
There sitting down for dinner when the phone rings. Camille answers the phone, laughing at something that Carlos said. Her face pales as listens to the voice on the other side.
"Kendall…"
He shoots out of his seat and races to the phone.
"He- Hello" He clears his throat as his worst fears come true.
"It's Officer Tate"
he said
"Sir there's been an accident, you better come down here right away,
a drunken driver missed an over pass, and Katie, she's fading fast"
Kendall drops the phone and grabs his keys running out the door to his truck making his way to the hospital.
It's been three years since their mother was killed, and Katie was the one that saved him, he wasn't going to lose her. He ran into the emergency room hoping to god that she makes it.
He waits for hours waiting for her to come out of surgery. By the time he's allowed to see her, the doctors aren't sure if she's going to make it.
When he walks into her room and stands over the hospital bed he grabs her hand and sits next to her and prays.
"God, I didn't bring her up to watch them lay her down
nearly killed me the day,
they put our own momma in the ground
only thing that kept me alive, was that little girl's smile
so please don't take that away,
I won't be easy taking her today, she wasn't brought up that way"
He bows his head letting his tears fall when he feels something squeeze his hand.
He looks up.
Katie opens her eyes.
"Katie…"
"Kendall…"
Her voice is quiet and rough, but he's happy that he gets to hear it again.
Tears streak his face as she pulls him close. He lets her hold him close as he cries.
Later that night Camille comes down with their baby and he holds his three girls as they sleep.
He smiles at them huddled close on that tiny little bed with the rest of their family spread out around the room.
He closes his eyes and thanks god for his little girl.
He was brought up that way.
review, please