This is just a little something for me to practice writing one-shots and what better way to get the ball rolling then by writing an absolute sob story.

I'll explain my OC quickly and also why I call this ship Nature's Wonder. My OC's name is Paro and she is the "daughter" of Seraphina (in the Modern AU's, Paro was adopted by Seraphina along with some other girls). Besides that fact, all that you really need to know about Paro is that she is from Indian. Her personality and looks will be established as I continue writing these one-shots.

I called the ship Nature's Wonder because in the very first fanfiction in which Paro appeared (which was also my very first fiction ever), she is the Guardian of Nature and later she becomes Mother Nature. And seeing that North is the Guardian of Wonder, Nature's Wonder kinda made sense to me.

Anyhow, to the one-shot. This was partly based off of a Bollywood movie called Kal Ho Naa Ho (There May or May Not Be a Tomorrow), hence the title for this one-shot. Enjoy!

Prompt: Imagine Person A of your OTP dies, leaving Person B to care for their only child alone. When the child is old enough to ask about their other parent, Person B attempts to push past their grief and tell their child stories about how wonderful their other parent was, how much they loved them, and how they sadly died, as well as show their child any photos and/or videos of them. Their child is sad but understanding, and Person B tries not to cry, knowing that Person A would've wanted their child to know about them like this.

The continuous beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound that was heard in the quiet room. It was starting to annoy Nicholas St. North but he couldn't bring himself to complain; he was too worried about his wife. He held tight to Paro's hand as she peacefully slept on her hospital bed, her chest going up and down shallowly. North nearly cried at her almost too peaceful state because he knew she was so close to death. He bowed his head and pulled on his hair.

It wasn't fair. She had had it her entire life. Why did it have to strike now? The doctors had told her over and over that she would be fine, that the medication was enough. They said the chances of it killing her were slim. Now, they were saying the chances of finding a donor and a match were slim and her chances of survival even more so. A tear rolled out of his eye as she opened hers,

"Hey." She whispered quietly, her and folding a little tighter around his. He placed his free hand over their clasped ones,

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked, feeling very silly for even asking such a question. Paro chuckled lightly,

"I'm fine." She said, smiling at her husband's embarrassment. She stopped smiling suddenly, "Any news yet?" She asked. North solemnly shook his head,

"Not yet but they will soon." He tried to reassure her. He knew that the chances were small but he wasn't about to lose hope. Paro looked at him, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Nicholas, be honest." She cried, "They said that the chances were small." She cried louder, the tears coming out of her eyes by the dozen, "I'm not gonna make it." North started crying uncontrollably. He shuffled closer to her and laid a hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears.

"No, Paro. You're going to make it. You have to." He said through his tears, "Sera needs her mother. And I need my wife." Paro's gleamed in her eyes as she wrapped her fingers around the hand on her cheek and pressed a kiss into the palm,

"I'll try." She whispered, "Will you tell Sera that I love her?" North nodded as he wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his shirt,

"I will."

Within the week, a wife and a mother were lost.

The funeral was simply a blur for North. All the speeches and procedures flashed by quickly with little comprehension of what was said or what happened. The single grasp of reality was the little girl he held the entire time, dressed in a sparkly black dress with a white headband decorated with a white flower.

Sera was silent through the whole procession, staring with her young eyes as the new event unfolded in front of her. She may not have understood what was happening but deep down, she knew something was wrong because her father wasn't the cheerful man she knew. He wasn't the man that would tickle her or throw her into the air. He wasn't the man that brought her his handmade toys. He wasn't the man who sneaked her chocolate chip cookies. He just wasn't her dad.

While Sera stared silently, North tried with all his might to not cry. He knew there was no shame in it but he did it for Sera's sake. He had to be strong for her.

Long after the ceremony was done, North stood silently in the cemetery, staring at the grim slab of stone that bore the name of his wife. He only looked away at the quiet sound of Sera sucking her thumb. The child had her head on his shoulder and her eyes were drooping.

"Mama…" She mumbled tiredly. North looked down at her sadly and kissed her forehead with a tear,

"Mama's not coming home." He whispered as she closed her eyes. He stared at her for a while as she slept, finding peace and calm and a means to move on. He looked back at the slab, realizing that Paro would've wanted him to move on and not crumble. With one last tear, he said,

"Goodbye, moya lyubov'" He took one last look and walked out of the cemetery.

It would be 16 years before North would have to recollect the memories of his wife.

In that time, Sera had grown into a beautiful woman, North could see so much of her mother in her. She looked almost exactly like her. Same hair, same skin, same large eyes and the same skinny build. The only things she inherited from North were his blue eyes and his fun an boisterous personality, damped slightly by her sense of responsibility and hard work. North loved her just as much as he had- still loved Paro.

It was a sunny day when North spoke of his wife. Father and daughter came laughing into the home after returning from an amusement park in the large mall. Sera ran into the home, kicked off her red shoes, and ran into the living room to plummet herself onto the couch, still laughing uncontrollably.

North entered the room much slower and watched his daughter for a while, sad that he would have to leave her again. He was being deployed again for a year and today was his last day. Pushing the thought to the back of his head, he sat down beside his daughter. When her bouts of laughter ended, North placed a hand on her knee and asked what else she wanted to do. Sera sat up and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I…" She started nervously, "I, uh… I want to talk about mom." There was a moment of silence as Sera cringed at the sight of her dad's expression going from elated to gloomy. He sighed and patted her knee,

"Wait here." He said. He got up and disappeared out of the room, his footsteps heading down the hall to his room. Only a few minutes later, he came back carrying a plain medium sized box. He placed it on the coffee table as he sat down. He looked at Sera, "Open it." With her hands shaking, Sera opened it.

Inside were many items from pictures to DVDs to other small boxes. She looked through some of the pictures, admiring the love between her parents and all the things they had seen and done together. She looked back into the box and found a little box covered with velvet. She opened it and gasped quietly when she saw a beautiful sliver ring decorated with a snowflake. North smiled at the sight of it,

"It's the ring I gave your mom when I asked her to marry me." North explained as Sera continued to stare at it, "Your mother had very low self-esteem growing up. She even said to me that she was plain and ordinary. So, I gave her this because every snowflake is beautiful and unique, just like she was." Sera looked at North, smiling at the fact of how cheesy it sounded. She closed the velvet box and looked through the other contents. She took out pictures of what appeared to be of her parents' wedding. The very first one was of her parents standing under an arch, staring at each other lovingly with her mom's arms around her dad's neck. Sera thought they looked very cute together and suddenly felt very sad that she never got to know her mom. She looked at the dress. It was a strapless mermaid dress with a straight neckline and a decorated bodice. The dress was red instead of the traditional white.

"Why was her dress red?" She asked, pointing to the picture. North chuckled lightly and took it from her,

"Your mother was from India and a follower of the Hindu faith. In that culture and religion, the brides wear red and decorate their hands with henna." He pointed to the Paro's hand, "See?" Sera looked closer and managed to spot the extravagant decoration on her hand. While she stared, North pulled a small statue from the box, "This was her deity, Vishnu." Sera put down the picture and took the little ornament. She found it silly-looking as a man with blue skin and four arms. She put the statue on the table and wrung her hands,

"How did mom die?" She asked in a little voice.

North sighed and proceeded to tell her how her mother died. Paro had dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart disease where the heart is enlarged and weakened and unable to pump blood properly. She had had it her entire life but it never bothered her until she was 18. She went on a diet of medication and drastically changed her livelihood in hope it would slow the progression of the disease, which, luckily, it did. The doctors told her that she would be fine, that the medication and the healthier lifestyle would be enough to stop the disease from killing her. For eight years, that was true.

That same year, Paro met North in her college. She was studying law while North was only there exploring the building while a friend was in class. They ran into each other while turning a corner and North spilled coffee all over her. She was very upset at him of course but found it very sweet when he offered her his jacket to cover the stain. It wasn't long before North asked her out.

Every one of their friends thought they were perfect for each other. The only one that wasn't as ecstatic about North was Paro's adoptive mother, Seraphina. She didn't trust North and deeply believed that he would only hurt Paro, as other men had done in the past. Paro, however, was relentless and tried with all her might to convince her mother otherwise. It took two years before Seraphina reluctantly accepted her daughter's relationship. The moment he had Seraphina's acceptance, North got down on one knee and proposed to Paro.

They watched a recording of the wedding. Sera was completely entranced as she watched her mother smiling and beaming in her beautiful red gown. She laughed loudly when her mother smeared cake all over North's face later during the reception and watched as he gave Paro the same treatment. When the video ended, North continued the story.

After three years of marriage, Paro became pregnant. They were both excited for this new phase in life. They moved into a larger home, sorted out all their financial problems and ensured that their child would have a perfect life. 9 months later, Sera was born.

They felt as though their life couldn't be any happier or perfect. They had each other, a beautiful daughter, and a future full of light and promise. North and Paro felt that they could have a happy life and live together until they were old and gray.

But when Sera was one, Paro suffered from sudden cardiac arrest while she was at work. She was rushed to hospital and, after many examinations that lasted a period of days, they told the couple the horrible news that the medication wasn't helping Paro anymore and she had to get a heart transplant.

North recollected how helpless and hopeless he felt when the doctor told him privately that the chances of finding a donor were slim.

Paro died two weeks later from heart failure. That was the beginning of another struggle. After her daughter's death, Seraphina returned to her hatred of North and tried to gain custody of Sera, claiming that North was incapable of caring for her properly. The fight got so bad that they went to court to settle the issue. North eventually won the case and Paro's family cut off all ties with him. The only one North was still in contact with was Fleur, Paro's elder sister.

Sera sat silently as her dad finished the tale, her mouth open slightly,

"Grandma tried to take me away from you?"

"Yes." Sera bit her lip nervously, taking in the news of a person she loved dearly. Out of impulse and love, Sera hugged her dad.

"Thanks for telling me about mom." She whispered into his shoulder. North smiled and hugged her back,

"You're welcome."

They spent the rest of the evening talking about Paro, North answering the many questions Sera had as well as sharing his favorite memories.

The next morning at the airport, they painfully said goodbye with a promise that they would frequently write to each other. Each month they were gifted with letter, each one filled with more love but in the 7th month, Sera was given something else.

In the 7th month, Sera was given the flag of the United States of America.

That was it, folks. I hope you enjoyed it.

For those of you that don't know the meaning of the final sentence: the flag of America is handed down to the next of kin of a soldier that died while deployed.

Please leave a review because I want to know what you guys thought of it.

Onto the next one-shot.