Warning, tear jerker alert. Get the tissues ready. This story should be read listening to Don't Take The Girl by Tim McGraw.

Don't Take The Girl:

Little eight year old Jason Quatermaine stood outside of his house anxiously, clutching a fishing pole in his hand. This was going to be his first fishing trip alone with his father. AJ couldn't make fun of him any more for not being able to go without him.

His brother was a jerk.

As he paced, practically bouncing in his excitement, the gate to the road opened and a little raven haired girl walked in, a pink fishing pole in her hands.

His father came out of the house at the same time, locking up behind himself.

"Hey there, Sam." He called to her, smiling.

"Hi Doctor Quatermaine." She grinned.

"Dad?" Jason pouted, his voice raising slightly. "What is she doing here?" he asked angrily.

"She's coming with us Jason." His dad said smiling down at him, "We can't leave her behind. Her pants are out of town for the day."

"Dad." He whined, "Please. Take Mikes son, Sonny, or even AJ. But not Sam. Please dad," he begged, "Not Sam."

Alan was quiet for a moment, smirking down at his son. "Believe me son, one day you'll be begging for her to stay."

"Doubtful." Jason scoffed.

Ten Years Later

"That movie was so awesome," Sam laughed, snuggling into Jason's arms as he wrapped both of his arms around her tiny waist as they began walking towards his new car.

He snorted into her hair as he placed a kiss on the dark tresses, "Whatever. Vampires do not sparkle."

She tilted her head back and laughed, stopping her steps and turning around in his arms. "You're right." She nodded, "Because vampires aren't real."

He gasped in mock horror, "What?"

"I hate to burst your bubble babe." She said wrapping her arms tightly around his torso and leaning her chin on his chest so that her face was tilted towards his.

He smirked and slowly began leaning towards her awaiting lips, "How will I ever find a way to distract myself from my disillusionment?"
"Oh, I'm sure we can think of something." She whispered as his lips pressed firmly against hers. Before the kiss could deepen, Jason felt someone behind Sam before he actually opened his eyes. She gasped out and stiffened in his arms before she was yanked out of them and into the arms of a stranger.

She closed her eyes tightly as a gun was placed directly on her temple, "Jason." She whimpered afraid to speak in anything louder than a whisper.

"Do as I say and she won't get hurt." The man hissed, the hand that was holding the gun shaking violently.

"Ok," Jason yelled loudly, panic rising in his chest, "You want money?" he asked, digging in his pockets and pulling out his wallet, "Here." He placed it slowly on the ground by his feet. "All of my money is in there. My money, credit cards." He fumbled with the clasp of his obviously expensive watch and dropped it on the ground next to the leather wallet, "There's the watch my grandfather gave me. Do you want my car?" he produced the keys out of his back pocket, and tossed them to the man. "Take it. Just give me back Sam."

The man gaped at him, almost dropping his arm. After a moment, he threw Sam at Jason, leaning down to retrieve the wallet and watch, leaving the keys behind, "These will do." He said before running off into the dark night.

"Jason!" Sam gasped as he caught her in his arms. She shook as he placed kisses all over her face and head. He grasped her tightly in his arms, burying his face in her head as she clutched him back.

"Oh my god." She whispered, her nails digging into his shirt clad back.

"Baby, oh my god." He muttered holding her head to his strong chest and stroking her dark head He could feel her shaking in his arms and he couldn't think anything but the mantra that was looping in his head. He literally felt that he would die if she were no longer in his world. And with that he pushed her slightly away, gripping her arms in a vice grip.

"Jas…" she questioned, the words dying in her throat as she looked at his face. His expression was one of residue panic, determination, and love.

"Marry me." He demanded, staring into her eyes, his own burning with a fire she didn't recognize.

"Wh…what? Are you insane?" she laughed through the tears in her eyes.

"No." he said simply, "I've never been saner or more serious than I am in this moment, "Marry me, Sam."

"Jason," she slipped out of his grip, "We're eighteen years old. We haven't even graduated high school yet."

"Perfect." He insisted, "We'll get married in June, after school ends. Sam, I never want to live without you, ever. There is never going to be anyone for me besides you. I know it, and I know you know it. This her just sped up what we already knew was going to happen."

She stared at him, her mouth parted in a silent gasp. She continued to stare at him for several long moments, until her lips closed and a small smile formed over her lips. "You really wanna marry me?" she asked, brown eyes boring into blue.

"I really want to marry you." He nodded, his words strong and firm.

"Then ask me the right way." She whispered, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

He looked at her in confusion, until he realized what she was talking about. A wide smile transformed his face as he dropped onto one knee on the cold asphalt of the cinema parking lot. He gently took her left hand into his right and laced their fingers together.

"Samantha Naomi McCall?" he questioned, his tongue coming out and wetting his dry lips, "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and being with me for the rest of our lives? Forever?" he asked.

She bit her lip, her eyes filling with unshed tears as she began nodding frantically before he even finished his sentence. "Yes." She whispered, fully smiling now. She pulled on his hand and he got off of his feet and enveloped her into a bone crushing hug, "Forever." She repeated, gripping onto him tightly again as her feet came off of the ground.

"Oh my god, we're really going to get married." She gasped, laughing again, burying her face into his neck.

"I know." He replied, "I kinda wanna track that mugger down and thank him."

*

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*

*

Five Years Later

Sam rolled over, clenching her teeth at the sharp pain in her stomach. She sighed, opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling of the bedroom that she shared with her husband. This pain had been happening on and off for the last six hours or so. She bit her lip and glanced over at Jason's sleeping form. She didn't want to wake him for a false alarm. He had just gotten home from work a few hours ago and had all but collapsed into bed, waking her briefly for a quick kiss.

They were doing well for themselves, in their own Penthouse apartment. It was actually perfect for them. It was actually one of the cheaper places they had looked at, but Sam had fallen in love with the fireplace and hardwood floors, so Jason had made an offer for it immediately though he had always insisted he didn't know why they should rent an apartment when buying a house would be smarter and cheaper in the long run. He never had been able to deny her anything.

Her eyes clamped shut again and she ground her teeth together as another wave of pain clenched her abdominal muscles together. A small moan escaped her pursed lips.

That was all it took to wake Jason out of his light slumber. "Sam?" he asked groggily, sitting himself up on his elbow to look down at his extremely pregnant wife.

She bit her lip again, looking him in the eyes, "I think it's time." She said quietly, struggling a bit to sit up. He simply stared at her in a daze for a second before he shot up and out of the bed before she had even managed to become fully erect.

"It's time." He chanted flittering around the room, grabbing her already packed suitcase and her slippers bending down to slip them delicately onto her feet. He hauled her up gently, kissing her soundly on the mouth. "We're about to meet our little girl." He smiled.

She grinned back at him, but resisted as he tried to move her towards the door.

"Sam?" he questioned, looking at her in confusion and irritation, "As much as I wanna be a part of the birthing process, I can't deliver our baby in our apartment. I'm a business man, not a doctor."

"Yes baby, I'm aware of this." She said smiling, speaking to him as if he didn't have two brain cells to rub together. Her eyes roamed over him pointedly, "But aren't you forgetting something?" she asked.

He looked down at himself and laughed when he realized that he was still in his pajama pants and nothing else.

"Right." He nodded.

***
***

"You're going to have to leave sir." The doctor insisted, all but shoving him out of the room as the beeping machines that were connected to Sam began to go haywire. "The baby is fine, but your wife is having complications. She's fading fast."

And with that the door closed, keeping Sam and his daughter separated from him. "Oh god." He yelled, falling to him knees outside of the door, tugging at his blonde hair. "Please God no. No, no, no. Take me." He insisted, praying, his eyes clenched closed as they burned with the unshed salt water. "Take me instead. Please God, not Sam. She needs to be here for our daughter. I'll take her place. Make this my last bargain, my last request. Take me." He repeated.

He kept repeating the words until his mouth was dry and he was literally rocking back and forth on his knees.

His mother found him outside of the room, and guided him to the waiting room where he continued to pray, his head in his hands. He looked up as his father nudged him in the side. He knew the news before the doctor even opened his mouth. It was written in the defeated air around him and his sympathetic eyes.

"No!" Jason bellowed, bolting out of his chair and running towards the room where they had been working on Sam. He faintly heard the doctor saying something about a complication with her heart that they hadn't seen until it was too late.

He ran into the room and stopped short at seeing his beautiful, loving vibrant wife pale and lifeless against the bed, the sheets around her stained with blood from giving birth. He collapsed to his knees at her bedside, clutching her lifeless body to his chest sobbing. "You said forever." He cried, the words escaping his mouth around the huge lump in his throat, "You promised Sam."

He continued rocking her body even as her head hung limp over his arm. He sobbed, burying his face into her tangled hair. "You said forever." He repeated, his tears falling into her dark tresses.

He was never going to be able to tell her that he loved her again. She was never going to be around to tease and torment, and love. He would never hear her laugh again or fight with her on whether or not hot cheetos counted as a sufficient food group.

She was never going to be able to meet her daughter, the life that their love and passion had created.

Jason took in a shuttering breath after what felt like hours and laid Sam's unresponding body back on the bed. He squeezed his eyes closed as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'm going to take care of our daughter, Sam." He promised. "She is part of you and I'm going to raise her to be just like her wonderful, beautiful mama."

**

**

A few hours later, Jason sat in a rocking chair in the nursery of the hospital, holding his and Sam's daughter, looking into her face. She was perfect and tiny and beautiful.

"Mr. Quatermaine?" a nurse asked, pity in her gaze and she looked at him holding a clipboard in her hand. "We need a name for your daughter, sir."

He didn't answer her immediately and she began backing away slowly, "I can come back later." She whispered.

"Naomi." He said loudly, not taking his eyes off of his daughters face, "Her name is Naomi Emily Quatermaine."


Well there ya go. Depressing as shit, but I needed to spread my wings and try something new for once. Um, Merry Christmas? I hoped you enjoy it regardless. I did warn you.