A/N: I'm still not really sure how I feel about this story, but here goes. The idea for this came from the Taylor Swift song "The Best Day," which, even if you don't like Taylor Swift (I have a love/hate relationship with her myself), is a really touching song about Taylor's relationship with her mom. If you're curious, I can give you the lyrics, but you don't necessarily have to understand the song or know the lyrics to enjoy the story. It just makes it cuter, I think. Enjoy!
A/N #2: Okay, I posted this before I realized that lost many of my paragraph breaks for the dialogue, so if you read it with the breaks all screwy, they should be fixed now, resulting in a much-easier-to-read story. Oy vey.
Hues of orange and gold light up the mid-fall New York sky, matching the changing leaves of the trees which hide the sun as it descends.
Harrison's Pumpkin Patch, the destination for all city dwellers to find the perfect pumpkin, is filled with laughter and innocence as children scamper through rows of the orange gourd, searching for the perfect canvas for their jack-o-lantern masterpieces.
One little girl is meticulous in her selection. Unlike the other children, she walks the rows slowly and inspects each pumpkin carefully, kneeling to scrutinize each side and then standing if the particular pumpkin didn't meet her standards.
From a safe distance, Jim and Johanna Beckett watch their daughter, fighting back laughter at Katie's search for the perfect pumpkin.
"Oh, Jo, I think she found one!"
Katie's brown hair falls in her face as she bends down to pick up a medium-sized pumpkin. After a moment, she crinkles her nose and put it back down. Johanna shakes her head and laughs.
"Apparently not."
"It's getting late, Jo. What do you think are chances are of getting her to hurry up?"
"You know Katie, Jim. She has that perfectionist streak."
"I wonder where that came from."
Johanna throws her husband a playful glare before linking her arm with his and laughing. She rests her head on Jim's shoulder and smiles as he kisses her head.
"I found it!"
Jim and Johanna turn at the sound of Katie's voice to see their little girl struggling to hold up a rather large pumpkin.
"Good job, sweetheart!" Jim's voice speaks genuine pride. "We should get home; it's getting late."
"Okay!"
Katie takes off running toward her parents, somewhat hindered by the large pumpkin.
"You need some help with that, baby girl?"
"No, Daddy. I'm a big girl."
Katie reluctantly relinquishes her pumpkin when they reach the pumpkin patch exit so that Jim can pay for it. She throws her arms around Johanna's legs in a bear hug, knocking her mother off balance.
"Thanks for the pumpkin, Mommy!"
Johanna ruffles the little girl's hair and picks her up, holding her close.
"You're welcome, sweetie."
After the pumpkin has been purchased, along with apple cider, the Beckett family makes their way back to their car.
"Can the pumpkin sit by me on the way home?"
Johanna laughs.
"Sure, sweetie."
Katie climbs into her car seat, and Johanna buckles her daughter in.
"Mommy?" Katie's gaze is focused over Johanna's shoulder, thoughtfully considering the forest in the distance. "Why do the tree leaves change colors in the fall?"
"Well," Johanna moves to the front passenger seat, and Jim starts to drive back to the city. "The leaves change because there's not enough light during the winter months to keep them green. The trees stop making food for the leaves and then they change colors and fall to the ground. It helps the trees stay alive for the next year."
When Katie doesn't respond, Johanna turns in her seat to see the little girl fast asleep, brown hair falling across her forehead and one hand protectively wrapped around the stem of her prized pumpkin. A few miles down the road, Johanna hears a sleepy mumble from the back seat.
"This was the best day ever."
The slam of the Beckett apartment door alerts Jim and Johanna to their 13-year-old daughter's return from school. The two look at each other, and Jim shrugs his shoulders.
"She wasn't in a bad mood when she left this morning."
"I'll go check on her."
Johanna walks down the hall to her daughter's room and knocks softly on her door.
"Katie?"
"Go away," comes the reply from in between sniffles. Johanna ignores the half-hearted plea and enters the room.
Katie's tall, thin frame is sprawled across her bed, her face buried in her pillow to muffle the sound of her tears. Johanna sits on the edge of the bed and brushes hair out of her daughter's face as she sits up to face her mother.
"What happened, Katie?"
"You know Kelly's birthday party this weekend?" Johanna nods. "Well, she uninvited me. She and stupid Tess and Aubrey were making fun of the new kid who skipped a grade, and when I told them to stop, they said I must be a nerd too, since I was defending him. Then she said she couldn't have nerds at her birthday party."
"Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry." Johanna holds her daughter close for a moment and then stands up, smiling. "Come on, Katie."
"What? I don't want to go anywhere!"
"Trust me. It'll make you feel better. Let's go."
Johanna leaves the room, and Katie releases a heavy sigh, shoving her feet into the shoes she'd kicked off before following her mother. Johanna stands at the front door, car keys in one hand and her daughter's favorite hoodie in the other.
"Mom, I really don't feel like going anywhere."
Johanna pretends not to hear her daughter's protests. "Jim, we probably won't be home in time for dinner."
"Mom, where are we going?"
With a goodbye kiss to her husband's cheek, Johanna pulls her daughter out of the apartment, and they ride the elevator to the parking garage in silence. Walking to their car, Johanna decides she needs to explain herself to Katie.
"Katie, I know it hurts, and it might hurt for a while, but what you need right now is to forget about it."
"How can I forget about it?" Katie buckles her seatbelt. "They were my friends, and just all of a sudden they think they're cooler than me?"
Johanna turns out of the parking garage.
"Mom, seriously. Where are we going?"
"I don't know. We're just going to drive."
Katie sighs and stared out the window.
Her frequent sighs are the only sound filling the car for an hour until they reach a small town outside the city limits. Johanna parallel parks in front of a small coffee shop. Katie looks around, wrinkling her brow in confusion.
"Where are we?"
"You know, I don't really know."
For the first time in hours, a smile tugs at the corners of Katie's mouth. She links arms with her mom.
"Let's go."
After an hour of window shopping and giggles, Katie and Johanna sit in the coffee shop with sandwiches and hot chocolate.
"Katie, I know it seems like things won't ever get better with your friends, but believe me – life never delivers anything that we can't handle."
The teenager sighs and rolls her eyes.
"Mom, you always say that."
"One day you'll realize how true it is."
Katie shakes her head.
"We should get home before it gets too late. You have homework to do, young lady."
It's Katie who turns on the radio for drive back to the city. As Mariah Carey's "I Will Always Love You" starts playing, Johanna and Katie belt the lyrics, disregarding any concerns over key or pitch. Katie dissolves into giggles as the song ends.
"Thanks, Mom."
She gives Johanna a genuine smile. In turn, Johanna gives her daughter the sincerest response that comes to her mind.
"Always."
Kate Beckett curls one leg under her as she sits on the couch in her boyfriend's apartment. Grabbing the remote control, she breathes deeply and starts the home video.
A three-year-old version of herself appears on the screen, artist's smock covering a princess dress and an eye patch covering her right eye. Her tiny fingers are covered in various colors of fingerpaint as she carefully considers the art easel in front of her.
"Say hi to the camera, baby girl!" Jim Beckett's voice carries the tone of a proud, doting father.
Little Katie waves, a big grin spreading across her face. She then turns back to the easel, an idea dawning on her.
The camera catches Johanna as she walks into the kitchen with bottles of fingerpaint in her hand.
"I found the other paint colors, sweetie."
"Yay!" The little girl reaches out to grab the new paint, nearly forgetting that her hands are already covered in the material.
"I'll just set them over here, and you tell me when you want a new color, okay?" Johanna smiles as she sits Indian style on the floor next to the easel.
"Okay, Mommy!" She flashes Johanna the million-watt smile only a toddler can manage before returning her attention to her masterpiece-in-the-making.
Jim focuses the camera on his girls, preserving their conversation for years to come. After a few minutes, Katie finally pulls back from her work.
"Daddy, come here. I have to ask you something."
Jim passes the camera to Johanna as he shares a secret conversation with his little girl.
"No peeking, Mommy! It's a surprise."
After a few minutes of clandestine whispering, both Jim and Katie pull back from the easel with paint on their fingers.
"You're so smart, Daddy," Katie announces, awe and admiration in her voice. "You can look now, Mommy!"
Johanna turns the camera to the easel and her paint-covered daughter. The easel reads—in painstakingly formed letters— "To the best mommy ever."
The sound of the front door opening draws Kate's attention from her three-year-old self. She pauses the tape as her boyfriend approaches her.
"Hey." A light kiss lands on her cheek.
"Hey, yourself."
He turns his head to the television screen.
"I know I've said it before, but you were adorable. Where did this come from?"
"My dad dropped it off earlier. He was going through old pictures and videos to use at the banquet on Saturday and thought I'd like this one."
Her voice has taken on that wistful tone she gets when she talks about her mom, and she's twirling a lock of hair around her finger. Rick sits next to her on the couch and wraps her in a hug. Her head finds a spot on his shoulder before she speaks again.
"I had some of the best days of my life just spending time with her."
"I know."
"Sometimes I question whether she ever knew that."
A moment of silence passes before he speaks.
"I think she knew." His voice is soft and comforting. "And somewhere, somehow, she's smiling down on you now, and she's proud of who you've become."
Skepticism is etched on her face as she looks at him.
"Wow. For a best-selling author, that's really cheesy, Rick."
He shrugs, and she turns sincere.
"Thank you."
He kisses her before responding.
"Always."