A/N: Keith is arguably the best romantic drama I have ever seen. It's fun and witty, while also conveying perfectly the seriousness and somberness of early death. And I never thought I'd say I loved a performance by Jesse McCartney. I've always been less than impressed with him. But seriously. He was born to play this role.

That being said, I was less than pleased with the ending. I understand that life isn't always happiness and sunshine and rainbows, and that a lot of the time, the good guy doesn't win. Or, in this case, doesn't live a long, healthy life, like he deserves. However, I like to imagine that a happy ending is possible for anyone, and that it can always be achieved.

So, here's my take on the real end of Keith's story. Hope you like it!

Two teenagers lie, side by side, legs hanging over opposite sides of the bed of an old, yellow truck. It's a comfortable position, as familiar to them as breathing, each finding solace in the other's presence. They remain silent as they gaze at the star-dotted sky, parked on a high cliff overlooking a lake.

Yes, parked. Keith took extra care to make sure the truck was in park, with the emergency brake, no chance of moving whatsoever. Not this time.

"Keith?"

He smiles, his body tingling all over just at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, partner?"

"How bad is it?" she asks, and the tingling stops. She wasn't supposed to bring it up again. They were supposed to spend the night here, together, pretending everything was fine. "I mean, is there really no hope?"

Inhaling slowly, Keith closes his eyes. "It's bad enough."

"What does that mean?"

"Look, can we just not talk about this right now?"

"But—"

"Natalie," he cuts her off, using her given name, rather than one of the many silly pet names he's given her over the course of the last several weeks.

He hears her sigh. "You didn't answer my second question."

Keith rolls his eyes. Of course she wouldn't give up. "What?"

"Is there any hope?"

"Not without intense chemotherapy," he states bluntly. "Which costs more money than I could spend even fixing this truck."

Natalie is quiet for a long time, and he hopes (foolishly, he knows, but he can still hope) that she'll let the subject drop. As expected, he hears a quiet intake of breath, signaling that she has more to say. Before she can, though, he reaches over and puts a hand over her mouth.

"No," he says firmly. "We're not going to talk about it. I already know it's coming, I don't need to be reminded of it every second. So can we please just enjoy the time we have left?"

His voice has lowered to a whisper by the time he finishes, so as to hide the sudden torrent of emotion he feels. Keith swallows hard, blinking repeatedly until the tears vanish, and his carefully composed mask—a practiced smirk—is back on his face.

A moment later, he feels her hands closing around his, moving it to rest in the space between them. Then she sits up, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders. Keith looks at her, once again rendered speechless by the unmasked love in her bright blue eyes. He wonders if he'll ever get used to the way those eyes sparkle. And to think, just months ago, he hated her. Hated her like he hated the disease inside him. Now she's the only thing keeping him from jumping off that cliff.

She shifts around, the movement rocking the truck slightly, until she's curled up next to him. He turns his head, following her with his gaze. She doesn't speak, but he can tell she's deep in thought.

"What you thinking, partner?" he asks quietly.

"Nothing," she shrugs.

"Uh-huh."

"What, you don't believe me?"

"Not for a second."

"I take offense to that, Zetterstrom."

"Spill, Anderson."

She laughs softly, her eyes fluttering closed. "Just... thinking about... time."

He almost regrets pushing her to tell him. Time. It's powerful. Fleeting. And for him, there's not enough. No matter what he might say to her, to everyone else, he hates knowing he's not going to live much longer than a few weeks. If that. Even now, he can feel the pain seeping into his bones, constricting and stabbing simultaneously, making him want to just curl up and die right now.

But... Natalie. He can't do that to her. She's still under the delusion that there's... what was the word? Hope. No, there's no hope. There's no miracle cure. He's going to die, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.

"Keith?"

He blinks hard, pulling himself out of a trance. "Yeah?"

There's a pause, then she whispers, "I love you."

His heart skips a beat, and he sucks in a breath. This is new territory, dangerous territory. All his life, he can't remember telling anyone—not even his parents—that he loved them. Of course, he found ways to show it, ways that only the people who really knew him would understand. With his dad, it was asking for help fixing the truck. With his mom, it was giving her cheeky compliments. But he's not quite sure if Natalie will get it. He can't just say it... it's too hard... too important...

"I..." he begins uncertainly.

In the soft, shimmery light of the moon, he sees her smile. "I know."

And in that instant, he knows, too. He knows that this is different. It's special. It's forever. Well, his forever.

He loves her too. One day, he'll be sure to tell her that.

But for now, they're content just to stargaze...

A/N: I know, it's short. Forgive me! Another chapter coming soon(ish)!