I'll Be There For You

I'll Be There For You

I do not own Digimon or Bon Jovi.  This is also a Jyouimi and this takes place three years before 02, when Mimi leaves for New York.  I'm just guessing on the timeframe of when she left, so just bear with me.

I guess this time you're really leaving

I heard your suitcase say goodbye

"What?" Mimi mumbled, "we're…moving?"

"Yes, Mimi," her father said.  "To New York next week."

"Next week?" she gasped. She wanted to scream but her voice seemed to be stuck under her voice box.  "So soon?"

"Your father got a new job," Mimi's mother said softly.

"But, I can't leave all my friends," she swallowed, "I can't!"

"You'll make new friends, dear," Mimi told her. 

"New York is so far away!" she cleared her throat and forced her voice up, "Well, if you are so tempted to go, then--then I'm staying here!"

"But Mimi sweetie," Mimi's mother said, "we can't leave you behind!"

"This is our home!" she choked, "I have so much here and what's so great about New York anyway?"

"We understand, sweetheart," Mr. Tachikawa said, "but it's the truth."

"Why do we have to go anyway?" Mimi demanded.  "Does it have anything to do with what happened with me having to leave home when all those children were taken and all that?"

They were silent.

"It is, isn't it?" Mimi muttered.  'They want me to leave my home just because I'm a digidestined.'  "We can't run away from this."

Mr. Tachikawa cleared his throat, "Mimi, I'll make more money and there's more opportunities in America."

And as my broken heart lies bleeding,

You say true love in suicide

Mimi clenched her fists, "I can never rely on you to choose the right jobs, can I?" she questioned fiercely, "It's not fair!"

"Mimi, remember when we went on vacation in Hawaii?" Mrs. Tachikawa asked, "you were so happy and---"

"We were on vacation!" Mimi hissed, "That's different!"

"If it'll make you feel better we will have a going away party," Mrs. Tachikawa suggested, "we'll invite all your friends before you have to go."

"Great idea!" Mr. Tachikawa seconded the notion.

"No," Mimi moaned, "it would make me too sad."  She realized there would be no way to fight this.  She just had to admit it that she was moving very far away from her friends far too soon.  "Let's just go to New York.  I'll tell my friends the news and they can come see me off if they want."  Mimi turned around, "now if you excuse me---" her sentence was cut short with her sobbing.

You say you've cried a thousand rivers

And now you're swimming for the shore

"This can't be happening," she sobbed into her pillow, "just can't be happening!"  There were too many people she cared about here.  How could she just leave?  "I'll have no one when we move!  I'll be so alone!"  She stopped sobbing and looked at her phone. 

Wiping her tears, she sat up and picked it up and then placed it back down.  "Whom do I call?" she asked herself.  She had many friends and she couldn't think of whom to call. 

There was her best friend Sora, Matt, Tai, and Joe.  Joe.  Mimi smiled, remembering the time when they were fighting the dark masters and he volunteered to stay with her.  She knew for a fact if he had not stuck around with her then she would not be able to feel safe and probably got herself in real danger, if Palmon was there to protect her from harm.  She wasn't like Tai or Matt or the other digidestined.  Joe was very reliable and no one else deserved the crest of reliability more than he did.  Whoever made those crests made the best choice. 

"I need someone I can rely on, someone I can count to be there for me," she said as a matter-of-factly, "and who better to call than Ol' Reliable Joe?" 

Without a moment's hesitation, she dialed his number.

"Oh, please be there.  Be there--be there---be there!"

"Hello? Kido's residence?"  It was Jim's voice.

Mimi made a sour groan.  'Maybe he's not as reliable as we all thought.  As I thought.'

"Jim, is Joe there?" she asked, "it's very important that I speak with him!"

"Yeah, but he's busy studying for a test," Jim said, "Maybe you should--"

"Put your brother ON THE PHONE!" she yelled.

Jim pulled the phone away from his ear and wriggled his finger in it. 

"Hey, are you there?" she demanded.

You left me drowning in my tears

And you won't save me anymore

"Ye-yeah," he stammered.

"Please, Jim," she begged, now trying to be polite, "I need to speak with Joe."

"You sound pretty sincere," he said, "maybe I can help."

"I am sincere!" she hissed, "and there's nothing you can do!  Just let me speak to Joe!"

"I already told you that he's studying very hard for a test," Jim said, "but I'll listen to you if--"

"Jim, who's on the phone?" Joe asked, coming out his room for a snack.

"Hey, shouldn't you be studying?" Jim questioned.

"Well, I am taking a little break," Joe said lightly.

"The phone's for you," Jim said, "it's a girl. She sounds pretty distraught but I think you--"

"Listen, Jim," Joe said firmly, "being there for my friends is more important for studying for some test.  The most important thing about becoming a doctor is being there for people anyway!"

Mimi heard Joe in the background and nearly fainted at his thoughtful words.  "Oh, Joe," she breathed.

"Now gimmie that phone," Joe snatched the phone, cleared his throat and pulled the phone to his ear.  "Hello?"

"Hi, Joe, this is Mimi."  She said, "Did I call at a bad time?"

Joe glared up at Jim, "oh no, of course not!" he turned on the ball of his foot and walked away from the kitchen in his room.

"I'm sorry if you're busy," she whispered, "but I needed someone reliable to talk to."

"Hey," Joe chuckled, "just because all our crests were destroyed by Apoclamon does not mean I'm supposed to be unreliable!  So what's on your mind, Mimi?"

"Well, you see I--" her voice broke and she just couldn't tell him that she had to move to New York next month.

"Mimi?" Joe asked in concern.  "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Joe," she mumbled, "I have very bad news and it's so bad that I can't even say it!"

"I see," Joe said, "nothing you can get into over the phone, huh?"

"Mm-mm," she sighed. 

"We can meet somewhere," he suggested, "and you can tell me all about it in person."

Now I'm praying to God you'll give me one more chance, girl

"But Joe," she said, "aren't you studying for a test or something I don't want to--"

"Listen," he said shortly, "I'm more concerned about you than how I'll do on this test.  Besides, I can always take it again if I don't get a good grade."

Mimi's mouth quivered, "R-really? You mean it?"

"Absolutely."

"Joe, I--I could kiss you!" she cried.

A smile spread across his face.  "So, where would you like to meet, Mimi?"

"The park," she answered.

"Okay, the park it is," he confirmed, "I'll be there."

"Oh, thank you, Joe!" she said and hung up.

'I'll be there, Mimi.' Joe thought, 'I'll be there for you.'

I'll be there for you. These five words I swear to you.

And just as Joe had promised, Joe was at the park waiting for her.

"You came!" she shouted, running up to give him a big hug.  "Thank you for coming out to see me!  I know you're very busy about becoming a doctor and all but I just didn't know who else to call."

"It's no problem," he said, rubbing her back.  "Hey, you're shaking, Mimi.  What's the matter?"

"I told you I had bad news," she said.

"Here, sit down," he led her to a park bench and they sat down.  He held her hand, "now, tell me what's wrong.  Maybe I can help."

"All you can do is listen, Joe," she whispered.  "No one can do anything to change what is going to happen."

"All right, I'll listen," Joe said. "And what is going to happen, Mimi?"

"Joe, I--my parents just told me some awful news," she began.  "It's so awful that I don't think I can repeat it."

"Try," he prompted, giving her hand a little squeeze.

'Just spit it out, Mimi,' Mimi told herself.  'Just tell him.  Be sincere, come on.'

"Wow, must be bad if you can't even say it," Joe mumbled.

"I'm moving to New York next month!" she blurted, pulling out her hand from his grasp so she can cover her face with both of her hands to cry.  She leaned forward and sobbed loudly.

"You're--moving?" he whispered, "that is bad news."

"There's nothing I can do about it either," she said between her sobs, "I've even threatened to stay if my parents were serious about moving to New York!"

Joe swallowed and placed his hand on her back, "Why are you moving?"

"My dad changed jobs," she replied, "because of all those digimon attacks and things."

"But you're a digidestined," Joe said, "That's no reason to move."

"I know."  She mumbled, "I just wish this was some kind of nightmare and I would wake up any minute now!"

When you breathe,

I want to be the air for you.

I'll be there for you.

"Don't worry, Mimi," he said, "it'll be all right.  We're all going to miss you but you'll still have your family and you'll make plenty of friends."

She sighed and wiped her tears, "that's what my parents said."

"Well, they're right," Joe told her. "You're a very good person and I'm sure you'll make friends on the very first day you move to New York. And New York isn't so bad.  There's a lot of good doctors over there and you can go site seeing and things like that."

She forced a giggle, "yeah, they have very good shopping centers.  Still, there's nothing I can do.  There's nothing anyone can do."

"Sure there is," he said.  "I can do something."

"What?" she asked, "you can help my dad find a better job here?"

"Well no," he blushed, "but I can be there for you, Mimi."

I'll be there for you.

 I'd live and I'd die for you.

Steal the sun from the sky for you

Words can't say what love can do

I'll be there for you

"That's sweet, Joe," she said, "but you still can't be there for me when I move."

"Oh, yes I can," Joe stressed.  "It doesn't matter if you move to the moon, I'll still be there for you.  Or here for you and when you come back I'll be there for you still…or here for you."  He made himself confused.  "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, you can rely on me, Mimi."

She laughed, "I know what you mean and thanks." 

He sighed.  "You're welcome," he stroked her hair and she leaned next to him to rest her head on her shoulder.  "We should have a going away party for you."

"No," she said quickly, "my parents said that and I don't want one.  It'll make me too sad."

"I understand," he whispered, "we can spend some time with each other before you have to go and then we'll just see you off."

"But what if you have to--" she began.

"Your needs come first," he cut her off gently.  "I don't have to study non stop to become a doctor.  I have plenty of time. I'll be there, Mimi.  I'll be there for you, always."

"Oh, Joe," she sighed, taking her head off his shoulder and to look at his eyes, "do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do," he promised.

"That means a lot to me," she threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek about seven times, "thank you, Joe!  You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that!"  Her arms tightened around him and he patted her back comfortingly.

"Everything will turn out just fine," he said.  "There's nothing to worry about.

Mimi went home feeling a little better about the whole moving thing that night.

I know you know we've had some good times.

Now they have their own hiding place

I can't promise you tomorrow.

But I can't buy back yesterday

"All packed and ready to go, sweetheart?" Mrs. Tachikawa asked Mimi before leaving their apartment and their home, for the last time.

"Just a minute," Mimi said, looking the place over. "I wanted to get a one last good look of home before we leave."  She let out a long, heart-wrenching sigh.

'I just wish this wasn't happening,' she thought to herself.

"Mimi, we have a plane to catch," Mr. Tachikawa said.

"Yeah," she whispered, "let's go."

And baby you know my hands are dirty.

But I wanted to be your valentine.

I'll be the water when you get thirsty, baby.

When you get drunk, I'll be the wine

"Goodness, my suitcase is heavy," Mimi mumbled, pulling her suitcase from the trunk, "Daddy can you--"

"Here, allow me," someone grabbed the luggage from her hand and she looked up to see Joe.

"Joe!" she cried, "you came!  You came!"  She threw her arms around his waist, almost knocking him over.

"I said I would," he reminded.

"Are the others here?" she asked.

"I haven't seen them yet," he said, "but I'm sure they'll come if they're not here already.  I've been waiting here for you."

"It's all right," she said, "at least you're here."

He blushed a little and he walked with her to the gate.  The plane had not arrived yet so she had some time to wait for everyone else.  She sat in silence next to Joe and her parents looked at magazines until the announcement came.

I'll be there for you

These five words I swear to you

When you breathe,

I want to be the air for you.

I'll be there for you

A few minutes before the agent made the boarding announcement, the rest of Mimi's friends came to see her off.

"You guys came!" she shouted, jumping from her seat.  "Thank you for coming!"

"Of course, Mimi," Matt said, "where else would we be?"

"You should've had a going-away party," Tai told her. 

"I'd rather say goodbye just once," Mimi mumbled.

"We understand, Mimi," Sora agreed.

"Thanks, Sora."

"Attention all passengers boarding for 122 to Los Angeles, we will begin boarding now."  The agent said into the microphone.  People started to say goodbye as the doors opened.

"Los Angeles?" TK whispered, "I thought you were going to New York?"

"The plane can't go all the way to New York from here, TK," Matt informed his little brother, "it'll run out of gas!"

"Oh!" TK chuckled, "I see!"

"How many planes do you need to take?" Izzy asked.

"Three," Mimi answered with a groan, "I'm going to be so bored!"

"That was my theory," Izzy said and he reached into his bag.

"Izzy, I don't want your laptop!" she yelled.

"I'm not about to give my laptop away," Izzy said, "it's just a book for you to read on all the planes."  He pushed a rather large book into her hands.

"It's heavy!" she complained.  "What is this, an encyclopedia?"

Everyone laughed.

"No, it's a book about all the history of New York city," he corrected.  "I've already read it five times!  Enjoy!"

"Uh, thank you, Izzy," she whispered.

Izzy smiled, "you're welcome!  You don't have to return it.  Read it as many times as you like."

'I probably won't even be able to read it once!' Mimi thought angrily, but was appreciative of Izzy's thoughtful gift.  "Thanks."

And I wasn't there when you were happy.

I wasn't there when you were down.

I didn't mean to miss your birthday, baby.

I wish I'd seen you blow those candles out

"Be sure to come and visit us some time," Sora play-threatened, "or else!" she forced her tears back and hugged Mimi.

"I will," Mimi said.

"Take care, Mimi," Kari said and gave her a hug.

"Thanks, Kari."

"Here," Matt slipped a tape in her hand. "You can listen to this when you feel lonely."

'You can count on that, Matt,' Mimi thought and smiled at him.  "I appreciate it.  Thank you."  She gave him a half hug and hugged TK, Tai and Izzy the same way.

"Let's have a group picture before you go," Kari said, "I need to use this film up!"

"Great idea," Mr. Tachikawa said, "I'll take the picture.  Which button do I press?"

"This one," Kari said and the group got together to pose.  Mimi stood in the middle.  Sora stood on the left of Mimi and Joe was on the other side.  In front of Mimi were TK and Kari, next to Joe was Izzy.  Next to Sora was Tai and Matt stood in the back.

"Say cheese!" Mr. Tachikawa said.

"CHEESE!"

Flash

"Here you go," Mr. Tachikawa handed Kari's camera back to her.

"Thank you," Kari said and looked at everyone as they rubbed their eyes. 

"So, I can tell you got a new flash," Tai said, blinking.

Kari giggled.

"Can you send me a copy as soon as you get that film developed?" Mimi asked Kari.

"Sure," Kari said, "you bet."

"Thanks, Kari."

"Mimi, we have to go now," Mrs. Tachikawa said to Mimi.

"I'm not finished saying goodbye to everyone yet," she said and looked at Joe.  "Joe, I think I'm going to miss you most of all."

"Just remember what I told you," he reminded, his hands on her shoulders.  "I'll be there for you.  Always."  He stepped closer and put an envelope in her hand, "and just incase you don't feel like reading the book Izzy gave you," he whispered in her ear, "you can read this instead."

"G--goodbye, Joe," she stammered, "I'm going to miss you so much.  I don't think I have the strength to get on the plane."

"There's nothing to be worried about," he said.  "Everything is going to be all right."

"Mimi--" Mr. Tachikawa said, raising his voice.

"Coming!" she looked over her shoulder and looked back at Joe, "Goodbye, Joe. Good luck in your studying to become a doctor.  I know you'll be great."

"You sound sincere," he joked.

"Well, I am," she leaned forward and quickly kissed his cheek, "goodbye." She stepped back and waved at the others as she walked to the gate, "Goodbye everyone!"

"Bye, Mimi!" they waved back and she got on the plane.

"I saw that," Tai teased, prodding Joe in the shoulder.

"What?" Joe asked.

"She kissed you man!" Matt said, "I saw it too!  We all saw it. Except for maybe Izzy."

"Hey!" Izzy yelled, "I did too see it!"

Matt smiled, "I was just joking, Izzy."

Izzy sighed and rolled his eyes, 'Just because I'm the smartest person in this group doesn't mean I don't notice things!' he thought to himself.  'I was the one that got everyone out of every jam and tight spot in the Digiworld anyway!  If it weren't for me….'

"So what's going on between you two anyway?" Tai demanded.

"Nothing's going on," Joe cleared his throat. 

"Then what did you talk about just there?" Sora asked.

"I have to go," Joe said, "I have a test!  Excuse me!" he quickly left the group before they asked any more questions.

"Joe wait!" Tai shouted after him, "don't you want to watch Mimi's plane take off?"

Mimi got settled in her seat and opened the envelope Joe gave her. Inside was a card with a picture of him and a pair of earrings.  With tear-filled eyes, she read the card.

'Mimi,

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to tell you all this before you got on the plane so wrote it down for you so you can read it anytime you want to.  I understand that you're confused, angry and sad right now but just remember that I'm here when you need me.  I just got a cell phone and I want you to call me anytime.  I don't care what time it is.  We may be about 10 hours apart but I won't be upset if you called me in the middle of the night.  Just call me and I'll be there to comfort you.  You can send me letters and email too.  It doesn't matter.  I'll still be there for you.  Always.

Love,

Joe'

At the bottom of the card was his email address and cell phone number.  She looked at the back of his photo and it said, 'Remember, I'm always there for you.'

Mimi smiled and wiped a tear away.  'I'm glad someone is,' she thought, 'and I'm glad that someone is you, Joe.'

I'll be there for you.

These five words I swear to you.

When you breathe I want to be the air for you.

I'll be there for you. I'd live and I'd die for you.

Steal the sun from the sky for you.

Words can't say what a love can do.

I'll be there for you

End.

What do you guys think?  I love that song! JBJ rulz! Better than my 'Just a Little Owie' Jouimi fic, huh?