The Princess And The Frog

The single most common misconception about parents with very sick children was probably that they worried too much. The television screen glowed in the darkness of the living room, where Jenna Ambrose was waiting up for her son to come home. It was nearing midnight and the annual Providence Hospital prom night must have been drawing to a close, she knew. The previous year Taylor had gone alone and bailed within hours, this year he had a date. In the pin-drop silence of the late hour, her alert hearing picked up the whirring of the apartment block's elevator through the thin walls. Jenna hopefully flicked on the lights and waited expectantly. Sure enough, the red front door gave its trademark creak minutes later and her precious sixteen year old walked in, quiet but grinning. Most of the action before prom had taken place at his girlfriend's house, so for a moment Jenna just stared. She had been married twice; having lost Taylor's father in a car accident many years ago, her first-born's illness became overwhelming on her own. Standing before him in a suspiciously rumpled suit, Taylor looked just like her first love.

"Looking good baby," she praised softly as he shrugged off the blazer. "I hope Kate's mother took lots of pictures."

"Absolutely," he confirmed with a good-natured eye-roll. "It's kind of a miracle we got to the dance at all; her Mom and sister practically made a photo shoot out of it."

Jenna laughed off the comment, not allowing herself to dampen his spirits. The truth was she knew exactly why Sara Fitzgerald had photographed every possible second of this night; with kids like Kate and Taylor you never knew which experience could be their last. She'd often heard it said that pale grey eyes like Taylor's looked cold and unforgiving but to her they were almost glowing in that moment. Maybe it was just out of necessity because of his illness, but Jenna was grateful every day that Taylor had never distanced himself from her, as boys his age tended to do. He bent over her shoulder with a warm hug and Jenna made that her moment to remember, breathing in his scent with her emotions swelling to the surface.

"So you had a good time then?" she asked thickly, surreptitiously trying to wipe her eyes as she led him by the hand into the bright living room, unwilling to let go.

"The best," he beamed. "She looked so beautiful Mom; just wait till you see the pictures!" Jenna barely heard the enamored raving about every detail of Kate's dress, holding Taylor's hand close to her heart, it was enough for her that this was the happiest she had ever seen her son. It struck her that his pulse seemed to be racing unnaturally, but before Jenna could switch to concerned parent mode there was a commotion on the landing above them. Nothing more than a pair of peeking hazel eyes through the gap in the winding steps at first, soon enough seven year old Haley bounced down the stairs. "Taylor, you're home!" she squealed, charging into his lap so fast the armchair creaked under their weight.

"And you're supposed to be asleep missy," Jenna pointed out, tweaking the girl's nose. Haley had inherited her dark hair and pale skin, fathered by her second husband who decided after she was already expecting that he couldn't handle Taylor's illness. He had taken off, leaving the three of them a tight family unit, taking life one day at a time.

"Boo!" Haley protested; "I want a story!"

She twisted around in Taylor's lap, blasting him with irresistible cuteness. "Please?" she added on sweetly.

"You're good Hales," he grinned. "What do you want to know?"

"Every detail!" Haley demanded, nuzzling against him. "Did Kate look like a princess? Did you like…kiss?"

Jenna couldn't help but smile at her daughter's innocence; she was definitely at the age of fairytale ideals. "Absolute princess," Taylor nodded. "And princesses always get kissed."

Haley frowned thoughtfully for a moment; "Were you a frog before tonight then?"

And just like that, another moment for Jenna to engrave in her memory was born; the rare sound of Taylor's genuine laughter. The confused look on Haley's face was admittedly priceless. "Good one sissy," he gasped; "maybe I was." He shifted her weight on his knees and propped his head affectionately against her shoulder, staring into the distance. Intuition told Jenna things were about to get serious and she reluctantly wandered off to give them a moment alone.

"Haley, will you remember one thing for me?" Taylor started solemnly. His hands closed around her smaller ones and squeezed, the force making Haley nod with childish enthusiasm.

"Okay, I'm really good at remembering stuff," she said proudly.

Taylor smiled; "Yes you are," he agreed. "I want you to remember that life is beautiful, no matter what happens. Enjoy every minute of it and remember that you were my princess first, okay?"

Haley twisted again and looped her arms around his neck; "Totally not a frog," she giggled.

"You're my best friend, you know that right?" he said seriously. "Love you squirt."

"Dance with me!" the little girl squealed suddenly, "I wanna be your princess now!"

"Well I can't refuse your highness, can I?" Taylor winked. He stood up as their mother re-emerged from the kitchen and switched on the radio quietly. The opening strains of Life Is Beautiful filled the room, eerily perfect for the joyous moment.

Jenna fetched her camera and joined her kids just as the music peaked. Taylor held onto both Haley's hands, allowing the girl half his size to balance on his feet as they moved together. She twirled a few times, always landing safely right up close to him. By the time the song ended she was yawning, despite a fixed grin.

"Back to bed I think," Jenna cut in, suppressing a slight frown when Taylor lifted his little sister up. "Are you sure you can handle that, kid?"

In response, Haley sleepily seemed to cling harder and Taylor nodded; "Stop worrying so much, she's pretty light." Haley fisted her hands behind his back and they started up the stairs, reaching the top with no trouble. He gently deposited her in her own bed, where she grabbed his hand as soon as he put her down. "Love you too," she murmured; "for earlier, when you said it." This was followed by a moment of silence and Taylor was just beginning to think she had abruptly crashed, when she added; "I hope my Prince Charming is as cool as you one day!"

Taylor beamed, even though she had already closed her eyes. "He won't be, he'll be better," he promised. "Goodnight Hales," he pressed a kiss to her forehead and left the room, missing the little girl's whisper that no one better existed.

On the landing, Jenna was hovering in wait, anxiety taking over with Haley out of earshot. As soon as her daughter's bedroom door clicked shut she approached Taylor firmly. "Honey, are you sure you're feeling okay? I try not to over-react to things but you feel kind of warm to me. Would you just take your temperature, for me?"

"No need," he said confidently, pulling her into his arms. "You worry too much Mom, get some sleep!"

Jenna sighed and let her forehead graze his shoulder; maybe concern was just a force of habit for mothers like her. "You have your father's calm attitude," she said affectionately. "I wish I didn't have a reason to worry."

Taylor's embrace tightened around her, the reminder that their lives were never average darkening the mood; "I know," he said softly. "I love you for it, but right now I'm fine, I promise!"

With that he released her and Jenna felt instantly cold, something was definitely not right. "Night baby," she murmured and he went off to his own room. Sleep claimed the household, unsuspecting that within hours their lives would change forever.

A / N: My first MSK story! It's one of my favorite books AND movies, so I wanted to try and explore it from an unseen angle. Next chapter will be the death; I didn't want to spoil a sweet moment with a tragedy ending for now. Stay tuned, thanks for reading! xx