Authoress' Notes
Hey guys! :) So yeah, I just wanted to have something up before I go back to school on the 13th. Anyway, hope you all will like this. :)
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
Forever and Always
Jo Taylor sat on the wooden swing that hung from a branch in the tree in her backyard. She slowly swung on the swing, not really making an effort to move but just letting the cool Minnesota wind blow her.
"Hey," Someone greeted, causing Jo to look up. She smiled upon seeing her best friend and neighbor, Kendall Knight who soon occupied the swing beside her.
"Hey, how've you been?" Jo immediately asked as she faced him. Normally, they'd spend almost everyday together but the past week had been different and she barely saw him.
"I'm fine and I'm sorry about being gone for a long while," Kendall apologized, knowing how he hasn't been following their routine, "Katie just needs me a whole lot, you know?"
"Yeah, of course," Jo assured him that she understood, "I was the very same with Drew," Katie is Kendall's younger sister who just turned a year old recently. Jo knew about the bond that the two Knights shared because she had the very same one with her older brother Drew.
"Anyway," Kendall said after awhile of silence, "what do you want to do now? And it better be good because I ditched the guys just to be with you Taylor,"
Jo laughed at Kendall's playfulness but at the same time was feeling flattered that he actually chose to hang out with her instead of his three guy best friends- James, Carlos and Logan- during his free time away from Katie.
"Awh, you're too sweet," Jo teased, "if you love me so much why don't you marry me?"
"Well, wouldn't I have to kiss you first?" Kendall laughed, playing along.
"Then why don't you?" Jo challenged, grinning mischievously, "in fact, I dare you to,"
"Alright," Kendall replied, not being one to turn down a challenge, puckering his lips, "come here,"
"Eeekkk!" Jo shrieked as Kendall leaned in, jumping out of the swing set and running down the backyard, "I was just kidding!"
"Really? I couldn't tell," Kendall continued to joke as he ran after the girl.
Jo continued to run away from him, laughing as she did because she was loving the rush she was feeling, that was until Kendall had caught up to her.
"Aha!" Kendall yelled in triumph as he wrapped his arms around her and carried her, "I got you!"
"Kendall!" Jo screamed in between her giggles when Kendall began spinning her around, "Stop!"
"Not before I do this," Kendall said, leaning in to give her a sloppy, wet kiss on the cheek, only to be interrupted by Mrs. Taylor.
"Jo honey! Time for the barbecue," Mrs. Taylor called, causing Kendall to put Jo down.
"Oh yeah," Jo said in realization, seeing her father bring out the old grill, "we're having our usual cook out tonight," On Saturday nights, the Taylors and Knights would come together at the Taylor residence and have an old fashioned cook out in the backyard.
"Race you to the back door," Kendall said, running as he got a head start.
"Hey, no fair!" Jo yelled, running after him this time.
Good thing Kendall had slowed down, giving Jo the opportunity to tackle him, which she did.
"You're so heavy," Kendall teased, still laughing, "what have you been eating?"
"Not as much as you!" Jo shot back with a laugh.
The two blondes found themselves in a fit of laughter, not even bothering to move from their positions as the sun continued to set.
Mr. Taylor smiled, watching the two as Mr. Knight joined him to help with the cooking.
"There they go again," Mr. Taylor chuckled, shaking his head.
"Eat your heart out Brangelina," Mr. Knight joked, causing the two men to laugh.
Soon after, Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Knight came out to the backyard, carrying some plates and utensils to set the table where Drew was playing with a restless Katie who laid in her stroller.
"Are you two still on that?" Mrs. Knight asked with an eye roll but she was laughing as well.
"Of course they are," Mrs. Taylor piped up, "our kids are in love Jennifer,"
"They're only seven Em," Mrs. Knight said with a laugh, "they don't even know what love is,"
"True," Mrs. Taylor laughed as well, "but I think at the very least they like each other more than Drew would be glad about,"
XXXXX
"I'm so sleepy," Jo mumbled as she buried her head into the crook of Kendall's neck. The blonde boy laughed as he carried the girl on his back and brought her into the backyard where their families were for the usual cook out.
"What happened to you two?" Katie, now at the age of eleven, asked the two teens with a laugh upon seeing them.
"Oh, you know. Same old thing," Kendall replied with a grin as he set himself and Jo down on their favorite spot in the backyard by the grill.
"Skipping rocks and a picnic by the old creek?" Drew said all knowingly with a smirk. As much as he didn't like the idea of his baby sister dating, Kendall was an exception because he knew that the green eyed blonde would never do anything to hurt Jo.
"Yep," Kendall answered as he felt Jo's head lean on his shoulder.
"Look at all the pretty lights," Jo whispered, sounding in daze as she pointed up to the sky, obviously referring to the stars that shone brightly in the night sky.
"Hey, I thought you were tired," Kendall joked, pulling her closer.
"I would never miss this," Jo smiled, leaning her head down to lay on his chest as the two gazed at the heavens above them in pure wonderment.
"Awh, look at those two," Mrs. Taylor cooed as she, along with the other adults entered the backyard with the foods, drinks and glasses.
"Who would've ever thought that they'd fall in love," Mr. Knight chuckled.
"Isn't that all you two have been talking about for the past years?" Mrs. Knight asked the two fathers.
"Well, we never actually believe that they would," Mr. Taylor replied with a laugh.
"And we're not complaining that they did either," Mr. Knight added, laughing as well causing the two wives to roll their eyes at their husbands but still laugh along with them.
"Good then," Mrs. Taylor said, "I mean, she looks at the boy with the same amazement as the stars,"
The other parents turned and saw just how right Mrs. Taylor was. The two blondes were smiling like idiots, both gazing into the others' eyes before going back to watching the night sky.
XXXXX
"Oh, look at that one," Kendall said, pointing to a group of constellations in the sky.
Squinting her eyes, Jo smiled upon realizing the reason for Kendall's eagerness, "Amazing, the stars are aligning together to form one, big, five pointed star,"
The two were sitting at the back of Kendall's truck which they had parked on top of a point that had great view on the outskirts of town. It was two AM and they had just finished their dinner. When they all got older, the usual cook out sometimes happened at around ten to midnight and this was one of those times. Wanting to get away for a bit, the teens asked if they could go out to the point for awhile to which their parents obviously said yes.
"It's hard to imagine that we're going to be in college a year from now," Kendall commented after awhile of silence between the two.
"Yeah," Jo agreed reluctantly, "college..."
Noticing his uneasiness, Kendall sat up, "Are you okay?"
"Kendall," Jo began, feeling quite nervous, "I was thinking about going to New Zealand,"
Surprised, Kendall could only stare as Jo continued, "They're offering me this amazing scholarship with a prestigious college and, well, I don't know what to do..."
"I say take it," Kendall advised with a grin once he regained his composure, "opportunities like this only come once in a lifetime,"
"But..." Jo started to say, her voice cracking, "don't you love me?"
"Of course I do," Kendall replied, confused as to why Jo asked him that, "which is why I'm not going to let you turn down this amazing opportunity... even for me,"
"UGH!" Jo groaned, "You're supposed to fight for me. Beg me not to go because you love me,"
"But I do love you!" Kendall argued, "Why do you think I'm being selfless here and letting you leave even if it means eternal heartbreak for me?"
"Exactly!" Jo cried, "Me leaving will only cause pain to the both of us,"
"The heartache will go away with time," Kendall said, "but if you don't take this, you may regret it for the rest of your life,"
"I can never regret choosing to stay with you instead of going to some snobby boarding school," Jo told him, looking straight into his eyes, "I love you,"
"I love you too,"
XXXXX
"So, you haven't seen him?" Jo asked worriedly.
"Not since this morning," Logan replied, "I'm really sorry,"
"No, it's okay," Jo assured the brainiac, "thanks anyway Logan," The two exchanged good byes and hung up.
Jo sighed. She had prepared a really fancy dinner for her and Kendall that night in their apartment but he had been AWOL all day. Earlier, she had called Katie, Mrs. Knight and Gustavo- Kendall's boss- but no one had seen him. Logan was her last hope because he always knew where Kendall was but he hadn't had any idea either.
"He would've called," Jo said to herself, grabbing her iPhone and began looking for Kendall's name in her contact list. When she had gotten to Kendall's name, however, the house phone rang.
"Hello?" Jo said upon answering the phone, sounding quite out of breath since she ran for it.
"Is this Ms. Josephine Taylor?" The person on the other line replied, his voice sounding worried.
"Yes. This is her," Jo answered, feeling nervous at the sound of the voice on the other line, "is something wrong?"
Sighing, the man said after a few moments, "I'm afraid there's been an accident and we need you to come down here to the St. Francis Regional Medical Center right away,"
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Jo quickly said, "Okay, I'm on my way over,"
The minute she hang up, Jo frantically gathered up her car keys, wallet and phone into her bag then made a beeline for the door. She hurried down the stairs to the basement parking lot, thanking God for her step aerobics classes. In one swift motion, she unlocked her car the moment she saw it and entered to the driver's seat. Not wanting to think about a worst case scenario as she drove further away from the apartment building, Jo's mind began to wander back to last December...
XXXXX
"Cookies anyone?" Mrs. Taylor asked Jo and her friends who sat in the living room, in the middle of exchanging gifts.
Smiling, Jo stood from where she sat on Kendall's lap and made her way over, "Thanks mom,"
Just like every other year, the Taylors' living room was decorated for the holidays. The Christmas tree was lighted up and a big star was perched on top of it. Presents were placed below the tree and stockings hung upon the fireplace. It was the day after Christmas and, as always, Jo spent it with her closest friends- Camille, Katie, James, Carlos, Logan and of course, Kendall.
"Delicious Mama Taylor!" Carlos complimented with his mouth full of the cookies, causing everyone to laugh.
"I'll just go make another batch," Mrs. Taylor laughed, noticing that Carlos had finished the plate as she left to go back to the kitchen.
"So where were we?" Camille asked after a few moments.
"It's my turn!" James piped up, jumping up and down excitedly in his place.
With a laugh, Jo asked the group, "Okay, so who is James' Secret Santa?" Each year, the group would try to make the way they exchange gifts more interesting and this year, they've decided on playing Secret Santa.
"Sadly, it's me," Katie joked as she got her gift for James from her bag causing everybody but James to laugh.
"Haha, very funny Katie Kat," James said with a pout.
"Well, little Jamie won't get his present unless he stops being immature," Katie shot back, withholding the gift a few inches away from James. Two could play at that game.
"Okay, fine you win!" James held his hands up in defeat as everyone else laughed at how easily he gave in.
Unwrapping the present quickly the moment Katie had given it to him, James was surprised at what he got, "A new comb?"
"Yeah," Katie said with a laugh, "I know it could never replace your old one but I hope this one will give you some new luck,"
"Oh yeah," James said in realization, remembering the destruction of his old lucky comb causing him to glare at Carlos.
"It was an honest mistake!" Carlos cried innocently.
"Who would mistake a comb for a lizard then smash it into a million pieces with a hammer?" James argued.
"Guys!" Kendall yelled at the two before anything got out of hand, "It happened months ago so just drop it okay?"
"Fine," The two replied in unison.
"Thanks for this by the way Katie Kat," James said with a smile, turning to face Katie to hug her, "it will give me more luck, considering it is coming from you,"
Katie returned the hug and soon pulled away after while everyone else awed at James' statement, "You're such a cheese ball,"
Rolling his eyes, James poked her stomach, "But that's one of the reasons you love me,"
"You wish," Katie smirked.
"Alright," Logan said after awhile, "who's turn is it?"
"Me!" Jo cheered from her place beside Camille.
"Hey, where's Kendall?" Camille spoke up, noticing the absence of the said blonde.
Noticing it too, Jo started feeling confused as she pointed to the couch, "He was just there a moment ago,"
The remaining three boys' began to smile, realizing it was time.
"Have a seat over here Jo," Logan told the girl as he helped her up and led her to sit on the couch chair in the middle of the room.
"What's going on?" Jo asked, pure confusion evident in her voice.
"Just wait," Carlos grinned widely.
Kendall soon appeared, coming from the kitchen with his and Jo's parents following after him.
"I'm sorry but I had to ask your parents' permission first before I did this," Kendall apologized to Jo once he stood in front of her.
Looking over at her parents who were grinning quite madly only caused Jo more confusion, "Permission for what?"
Kendall just simply knelt down on one knee and held out a black velvet box, answering her question instantly. Jo's mouth fell open in surprise as she began hearing a guitar playing while Kendall started to sing.
"I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly," Kendall sang, slowly getting lost in Jo's eyes that were starting to fill with tears.
"We'll grow old together. Forever and always," Kendall finished, opening up the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.
"Kendall..." Jo let out as the tears from her eyes began to fall.
"Josephine Anne Taylor," Kendall started, taking a deep breath, "will you marry me?"
"Yes, yes! A thousand time yes!" Jo cried as she threw herself right into Kendall's arms. Everyone cheered, commenting on how this could be the best thing that ever happened during the holidays.
As Kendall slowly placed the ring on Jo's finger once they broke their hug, Katie called from the stairs, "Hey you two! Look up!"
Confused, both Kendall and Jo agreed only to be met by a mistletoe hanging over their heads and a smirking Katie.
"Katie!" Kendall groaned, sounding annoyed.
"Well, it is tradition and we never break tradition, now do we big brother?" Katie argued, the smirk still plastered on her face.
"Oh just come here," Jo laughed, pulling Kendall in for a kiss to which he gladly returned.
XXXXX
Snapping back to reality, Jo soon found herself being dragged around into the million hallways of the hospital as the doctors tried to explain what had happened. Due to her feelings of worry growing though, she barely heard a word that the doctors have said. All she managed to come up with was that Kendall has been in a car accident and a serious one at that.
Finally reaching Kendall's room after what seemed like ages, Jo tried to keep a straight face. The last thing she wanted was for him to worry about her, especially in his condition. Bandages wrapped around his head and arms, a few band aids on his face to cover up some scars and tubes connected to different places to help with breathing and other necessary actions to stay alive. Over his chest, Jo felt the ECG's wires connected to his heart. The ECG was a machine that showed his heart rate and Jo was scared that at any moment, the ECG's screen would show her a flat line.
"Jo! I got here as quickly as possible," Jo heard Logan call from behind her. She turned and saw Logan enter the room, looking quite out of breath.
"Logan, please tell me he's going to be okay," Jo pleaded, her eyes on the verge of tears.
"The doctors said that they can't make any promises," Logan replied, his voice cracking as though he was about to lose it.
A few moments passed as Jo sat down on a chair beside Kendall and told Logan, "I understand. I'd rather have you be honest with me than set me up with a lie that would only give me false hope,"
Logan went over and patted Jo's shoulder, "I called everyone up and they're all on their way over,"
"Thanks Logan," Jo said, managing a crooked smile.
"Kendall's a fighter," Logan added after awhile as he started to exit the room to give the couple some alone time, "don't give up just yet,"
Jo smiled slightly at Logan's words. Looking over at Kendall, she held his hand tightly and was surprised when she felt Kendall react to it by tightening his hold on her hand.
"Kendall," Jo whispered, "how are you feeling?"
"I've been worse," Kendall managed to choke out with a chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood.
Jo rolled her eyes but giggled slightly, "I doubt it,"
"Hey, you're talking to one hardcore hockey player here little Joey," Kendall argued, his voice sounding hoarse due to his current situation.
Not wanting to make Kendall's condition any worse, Jo placed a finger on his lips, "Shush. I know,"
Moments of silence passed until Kendall spoke up once more, "Remember the kids we said we'll have one day- a boy and a girl,"
Jo chuckled at the memory, "Tim and Olivia,"
"Tim will have your eyes," Kendall sighed as though he were in a daze.
"And Olivia will have yours," Jo said with a smile.
"Though there's one thing I know for sure," Kendall spoke up.
"What's that?" Jo asked curiously.
"They're both going to have our blonde hair and bushy eyebrows," Kendall said with a chuckle.
"True," Jo agreed with a giggle.
"The four of us," Kendall smiled dreamily, "living the good life in a house on the hillside, where we'll stay, forever and always,"
XXXXX
Hours have passed and Kendall's condition wasn't getting any better. His parents, along with Katie, James, Carlos and Logan had all agreed to stay with him and Jo for the whole time being.
"Wait a minute," Jo said suddenly, catching everyone's attention, "I have an idea,"
Leaving the room soon after, Jo had left everybody in confusion. Minutes passed and she came back with a minister from the hospital's chaplain downstairs.
"I get it," James said as everyone nodded their heads in agreement, all of them beginning to understand Jo's plan as well.
Everything soon fell into place after that. The minister read a couple of verses and Jo managed to borrow some rings from the couple next door.
Looking into Kendall's eyes, Jo began to sing, "I want you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and the ugly,"
Kendall smiled, remembering how he had proposed to her with the same song as she continued to sing, "We'll grow old together, and always remember. Whether happy or sad or whatever,"
Everyone was smiling and tears were falling as Jo finished, "We'll still love each other, forever and always. Forever and always, forever and always,"
They began the vows and just when Jo had finished hers, the beeps on the ECG were getting slower causing everyone to grow alarmed.
"No," Jo looked to Kendall, her eyes pleading as she held his hand tighter, "please no,"
Coughing, Kendall's voice was almost too low as he looked back into Jo's eyes and tried to sing, "I love you forever, forever and always. Please just remember even if I'm not there. I'll always love you, forever and always,"
Flat line.
I know, sad ending. :( Never done character death before until now. Just wanted my first published story here as a sixteen year old to have something different from my other stories. Guilty, I've been sixteen for a few weeks now (May 14), but I really only got the idea after listening to the two songs this story was based on again fairly recently- Mary's Song Oh My My My by: Taylor Swift and Forever and Always by: Parachute. Anyway, please review. Really would love to know your thoughts on this.