A/N: I found a beautiful song on YouTube and got inspired. This is an AU, Austin and Ally are next-door neighbors and grow up together. I hope you like this story. Feel free to leave a review :)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Austin & Ally characters.
Song of the Sea
Hush now, mo stóirín/Close your eyes and sleep
Waltzing the waves/Diving in the deep
Stars are shining bright/The wind is on the rise
Whispering words/Of long lost lullabies
Oh won't you come with me/Where the moon is made of gold
And in the morning sun/We'll be sailing
Oh won't you come with me/Where the ocean meets the sky
And as the clouds roll by/We'll sing the song of the sea
I had a dream last night/And heard the sweetest sound
I saw a great white light/And dancers in the round
Castles in the sand/Cradles in the trees
Don't cry, I'll see you by and by
Oh won't you come with me/Where the moon is made of gold
And in the morning sun/We'll be sailing
Oh won't you come with me/Where the ocean meets the sky
And as the clouds roll by/We'll sing the song of the sea
Rolling/Rolling
Rolling/Rolling
Oh won't you come with me/Where the moon is made of gold
And in the morning sun/We'll be sailing free
Oh won't you come with me/Where the ocean meets the sky
And as the clouds roll by/We'll sing the song of the sea
Grá go deo
("Song of the Sea (Lullaby)" by Nolwenn Leroy from the 2014 film "Song of the Sea")
5 years old
"Oh won't you come with me/Where the ocean meets the sky/And as the clouds roll by/We'll sing the song of the sea," little Ally Dawson sang along as her favorite movie drew to a close.
"Can we watch 'The Incredibles' now?" her best friend Austin Moon interrupted her. The little blonde boy sat on the couch next to Ally and was wiggling his legs impatiently.
"Shhh!" Ally hushed him and gently finished her song. Her best friend just rolled his eyes but let her be and even sang the last lines with her. "Oh won't you come with me/Where the ocean meets the sky/And as the clouds roll by/We'll sing the song of the sea/Grá go deo." The little girl closed her eyes and sighed happily. "I love this movie!"
"I know, Alls. But can we please watch 'The Incredibles' now?" the little boy begged.
"Fine," Ally relented. "Mommy!"
"Yes, sweetie?" Mrs. Dawson came in from the kitchen where she was chatting with Mrs. Moon. The two women had been best friends since their own childhood – sometimes appearing more like sisters – and had stayed very close ever since. Both of them had gotten married around the same time, moved into houses next-door to each other and gave birth to their children within the same month. Having their children grow up and become best friends as well was more than either of them could ever have dreamed of. That's why the Dawson's and the Moon's often appeared like one big family instead of two separate ones. "Did you make it through the movie, Austin?" she teased the little boy.
"I did!" Austin told her proudly – and a bit relieved. "And Ally promised me, if I watched 'Song of the Sea' with her, we could watch 'The Incredibles' next."
"Can you please start the next movie, Mommy?" Ally asked politely.
"Sure, honey." Mrs. Dawson quickly switched the DVDs and Austin cheered. Ally chuckled at her best friend's antics.
"Thanks for watching the movie with me, Austin," she told him sincerely. "I know it's not your favorite. But I love it and the lullaby is sooo pretty."
"Anything for you, Alls." Austin hugged his best friend. "And I guess it's not too bad," he admitted to Ally's delight. "But hush now, the movie is starting." And with that the little boy's attention was completely focused on the TV. Ally grinned and followed suit.
8 years old
Austin Moon's was awoken by his alarm at precisely 2:15 am. The boy – usually being a late riser – groaned as he opened his eyes. Remembering the reason, however, the 8-year-old was suddenly wide awake. He had exactly 10 minutes, so there was no time to spare. Austin jumped out of bed, raced over to his desk, grabbed the carefully wrapped package and went to the balcony door. Opening the door, he shuddered from the cold night air and quickly made his way to the railing that separated his part of the balcony from Ally's. He climbed over it, went to Ally's door and started knocking.
The still soundly sleeping Ally started stirring in her bed upon hearing a strange noise. The girl woke up and blinked disoriented trying to figure out what had woken her. She recognized the sound as someone knocking on her balcony door. The little girl groaned, there was only one person who would come knocking on her window at … 2:19 am and that person was none other than her next-door-neighbor Austin Moon. Ally got up, put on a hoodie over her Snoopy-nightgown and went to the door. She drew back the curtains and was greeted by the sight of her best friend shivering in his Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-pajama. She quickly opened the door and Austin rushed into the room.
"God, it's so cold!" he complained and buried himself under her blanket. "Ah, that's better."
"What are you doing here, Austin?" Ally asked. "It's the middle of the night, of course it's cold, silly."
"One second!" Austin held up one finger and focused intently on her alarm clock. When the time changed from 2:22 am to 2:23 am he jumped up and tackled the girl in a hug. "Happy Birthday, Alls!"
"You came over here at 2 in the morning just to wish me Happy Birthday?" the girl asked incredulously.
"I wanted to be the first," Austin said sheepishly. "And I wanted to give you your present!" Austin held out a little wrapped box to her.
"Thank you!" Ally hugged her best friend and quickly took the gift.
"Come on, open it!" Austin urged. He really wanted to find out if she liked it.
"Okay, okay." Ally giggled and started carefully unwrapping the present.
"Ally! Hurry up!" Austin – always one to carelessly rip of the wrapping paper – complained.
"Patience you must have, my young padawan." Ally told him – remembering the movie she had watched with her Daddy the day before. Underneath all the giftwrapping paper, Ally found a small black box. The girl opened it curiously to find a beautiful necklace inside it. She took it out, held it in front of her and saw two little charms dangling from it – a moon and a sun. "It's so pretty!" Ally gushed and put the piece of jewelry around her neck. "Thank you, Austin! It's the best present ever! But why a moon and a sun?"
"Well," Austin blushed a little. "It's you and me: Austin Moon and Ally Daw-sun. And it reminded me of that song." Ally gave him a confused look, so Austin started singing softly: "Oh won't you come with me/Where the moon is made of gold/And in the morning sun/We'll be sailing free".
"From my favorite movie!" Ally was speechless. "So, you do like it!"
"Well, after seeing it a bazillion times …" Austin shrugged and Ally giggled.
"So, how about seeing it a bazillion-and-one times?" Ally asked innocently. "Wanna watch it later?"
"Ally!" Austin groaned.
"Please, Austin. It's my birthday." The girl shot her best friend her puppy-dog-eyes.
"Fine!" Austin relented and Ally cheered. "But now I need to get some more sleep!" And with that, Austin flopped down on the girl's bed.
"Hey, that's my bed!" Ally scolded. "Sleep in your own bed!"
"But it's so comfy here. And outside it's so cold!"
"Fine, but scoot over. I wanna get some sleep as well." Austin made some space for Ally. Once they were both lying comfortably, Ally started singing softly: "Hush now, mo stóirín/Close your eyes and sleep/Waltzing the waves/Diving in the deep". And before long the room was filled with even breaths of the two best friends.
12 years old
"Ally, sweety? Can you come in here please?" Mrs. Dawson called from the living room. "There's something we need to tell you."
"Coming, Mom!" 12-year-old Ally jumped down the stairs and rushed into the room where her parents were waiting. She had just been getting ready for bed and was wondering what her parents wanted to tell her in the middle of the night. Upon seeing their grave faces, she started worrying. "What's going on?"
"Sit down, honey." Mr. Dawson told her gently, his arm wrapped around his wife. Mrs. Dawson held a tissue in her hand and looked like she'd been crying.
"Mom, what happened?" Ally asked. The girl was scared now, having seldom seen her mother that shaken up. Something horrible must have happened.
"Ally, there's been an accident," her father started. The girl took in a sharp breath. "Mimi was going to her sister's house this evening to have dinner with them – Austin and Mike were going to a basketball game. On her way home, her car was hit by a drunk driver."
Ally's hand flew to her mouth and Mrs. Dawson started sobbing. "Is she in the hospital? How is she? Can we go see her?" Ally asked. That only made Mrs. Dawson cry harder and Ally got a very bad feeling in her stomach.
"I'm sorry, sweety. We can't go see her," Mr. Dawson told her, his voice strangled. "Mimi was brought into the hospital immediately, but there was nothing the doctors could do to help her. I'm sorry sweetie, but Mimi's gone." Ally started crying along with her mother. Mr. Dawson put his arms around both of them, trying to keep his own tears at bay and be strong for his girls.
The three of them sat like this for a long time until Ally pulled away. The girl had suddenly realized something: not only had she lost the woman, who was like a second mother to her; no, Austin had lost his mother. She jumped up and looked at her parents in alarm. They, in turn, exchanged a quick glance and then – knowing exactly what her daughter wanted and had to do – nodded their approval.
Ally raised upstairs to her room, opened her balcony door, jumped over the railing and rushed over to Austin's room. The door stood ajar and Ally peeked into the room. "Austin?" she asked carefully as she discovered her best friend sitting on his own bed. "It's Ally. Can I come in?" The boy nodded, to immersed in his own pain to really comprehend what was going on.
"My Mom …" he choked but broke of as his voice cracked and tears started welling up in his eyes.
"I know," Ally said softly as she moved over to him. "I'm so sorry, Austin." Ally sat down next to her best friend. She carefully put her arm around the boy and Austin nestled up to her.
"Thank you …" Austin told her quietly "… for being here."
"Anything for you, Austin," Ally said softly and the two best friends just laid there. They cried and mourned the loss of their loved one and comforted each other. After a while, Ally started singing softly "Hush now, mo stóirín/Close your eyes and sleep/Waltzing the waves/Diving in the deep". The boy finally fell asleep, being soothed by the lullaby, with the girl following suit soon after.
18 years old
"I should be out there right now," Austin Moon said unhappily. He was lying on the bed, his left leg in a big cast. "But I just had to go out and break my leg in training two days before the big game."
"Austin, I know it sucks." His girlfriend of three years, Ally Dawson, gave him a sad smile. She was sitting beside him trying to figure out a way to cheer him up. "And you get to be upset about it all you want. But maybe it's a sign."
"What do you mean – a sign?" Austin grumbled. "I'm missing the most important game of my life. Remember how many scouts will be there watching the players. This was my chance to get on the right path to be a professional basketball-player. But who knows now if I even get to play anymore? The doctor said, he couldn't promise anything."
"I know that, Austin," Ally said. "But remember why you started playing basketball in the first place?"
"Dad encouraged it. But what does that matter now, I had a real talent." Austin looked down. "And now all that training might have been for nothing."
"Yeah, but remember what your big dream was before basketball?" Ally asked. "You wanted to be a famous singer. Austin, you've got a real talent for singing. Maybe you should start pursuing that again?"
"Alls, you know the odds of making it in the music biz are like a bazillion to one."
"Stop quoting our Dads!" The girl told him firmly. "I know you've got a chance and what have you got to lose. I've been working on a few songs; I think you'd like them."
"I don't know, Alls," Austin hesitated.
"Okay, you don't have to decide right now," Ally relented. "But promise me, you'll think about it."
"I promise. Thank you, Ally." Austin kissed his girlfriend's forehead. "I'm glad I've got you."
"Anything for you, Austin." Ally snuggled up to her boyfriend and started playing with the hem of his shirt. She could feel that Austin was still thinking about the missed opportunity but didn't know what else to say. So, she did what she always did when Austin needed some cheering up. She sang: "Hush now, mo stóirín/Close your eyes and sleep/Waltzing the waves/Diving in the deep". Austin chuckled but after a while he sang along.
24 years old
"Ugh!" Austin Moon groaned as he closed the front door of his house. He had had the mother of all bad days and his mood was at an all-time low. He had had an awful day at work and couldn't wait to get home. It wasn't work itself that sucked – Austin loved his career as a singer – but today just had been one of those days. This morning, the coffee machine had suddenly broken, so Austin had to set off without his regular dose of caffeine. He had been stuck in traffic and, consequently, had to spend an eternity searching for a parking space. Being late had resulted in him getting reprimanded by his boss, record producer and owner of Starr Records, Jimmy Starr. After he finally got his long-awaited coffee, he ended up spilling it all over himself. The only good part of work today had been recording his newest song "Take It from the Top".
Turned out Ally was right; Austin did have a talent. His leg was fully healed, but the doctors had discouraged him from trying to pursue a career in professional basketball. Austin had abided by his advice and was not even half as sad as anybody would have expected. After thinking about Ally's suggestion, he had rediscovered his passion for music. He took a look at Ally's songs and found them to be really good, so he soon started singing again. He played a few gigs at local cafés and people seemed to enjoy hearing him play. With help from his good friend Dez, Austin recorded his first music video to Ally's song "Double Take". They put the video online and in a matter of two day, Austin became known as "Austin Moon – overnight internet sensation".
Austin had made a name for himself and Ally soon joined him on stage, and they started writing their songs together. Dez kept filming, directing and editing the videos and Ally's friend Trish became their manager. Mrs. Dawson had been on board from the beginning on – saying Mimi would have been so happy seeing their kids singing together – and even Mr. Moon and Mr. Dawson had slowly warmed up to the idea of their children making it in the music biz.
Austin walked through the hallway in search of two particular persons. He was wondering where they were, usually he was greeted by them as soon as he came home. He looked into the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom and even the bathroom – nobody was there. Standing outside the newest addition to their house, he could suddenly hear a voice.
"Oh won't you come with me/Where the moon is made of gold/And in the morning sun/We'll be sailing free" He peeked into the room and his bad mood vanished at the sight greeting him. His wife was singing with their daughter in her arms as she slowly danced through the room. "Oh won't you come with me/Where the ocean meets the sky/And as the clouds roll by/We'll sing the song of the sea/Grá go deo". He let her finish the song that has been her favorite since she was a little girl and then slowly clapped.
"Austin! You're already home?" she exclaimed and looked at the clock on the wall. "Wow, I completely lost track of time. Ava and I were having so much fun." She quickly crossed the room and gave her husband a hug – carefully as not to squish their daughter.
"I see that. God, I missed you two. I had such an awful day at work and then I came in here and my bad mood flew away. You have no idea how much I love you, Ally!" He kissed his wife. "And you, little Ava." His daughter received a kiss as well making the little girl giggle.
"Just as much as we love you," Ally told him with a grin and Austin took his baby girl in his arms.
While Austin and Ally did have their ups and downs – especially at the beginning of both their careers – they managed to make their relationship work. Austin proposed to Ally when they were 21, they got married a year later and found out they were going to have a baby on Ally's 23rd birthday. Little Ava Patricia Moon looked exactly like her Mommy and was her Daddy's shining star.
"And I think little Ava is old enough to take part in a very important tradition in this household," Ally declared.
"You're gonna make my precious little princess watch 'Song of the Sea' with you, aren't you?" Austin teased. Even after twenty years it was still Ally's favorite movie.
"Of course not!" Ally said matter-of-factly. "You get to watch with me, too. To the living room!" Ally exclaimed enthusiastically and rushed out of the nursery.
"To the living room!" Austin repeated and turned to his daughter. "Don't worry, princess. Afterwards we'll watch 'The Incredibles'." And with that he went after his wife.
27 years old
"Good God, why is this taking so long!" Ally cried as another contraction made her clench Austin's hand as tight as possible. "Ava was here so much faster!"
"I don't know, Alls," Austin said. "But I'm sure everything is going to be okay."
"How can you be sure? Are you pushing little person out of a very tiny whole in your body any time soon. I don't think so! I do! And I have a feeling something's wrong." Ally glared at him breathing through the last seconds of this contraction. Once the pain subsided, she took a relieved breath and shot her husband an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Austin, I'm just worried."
"It's totally fine, Ally," Austin assured his wife. She had been just the same as Ava was born and that only took eight hours. With their second child, Ally had now been in labor a good 14 hours and there seemed to be no end in sight yet.
"Isn't labor supposed to be shorter the second time?" Ally asked.
"I'm not sure. Maybe that's just a rumor," Austin told his wife. Yeah, it was a lie. He knew the second time labor should be shorter. But telling Ally that would only make her more worried than she already was.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Ally called and the door opened to reveal her good friend Trish.
"Hey, how are things going in here?" Trish asked coming into the room slowly.
"Still pregnant," Ally joked tiredly. "How's Ava?"
"Sleeping on her Uncle Dez' lap in the waiting room," Trish said and Ally smiled, relieved that her little girl was taken care of.
There was another knock on the door. "Come in!" Austin called this time and in walked Dr. Mitchell.
"I'll give you three some privacy," Trish said and left the room after giving them an encouraging smile.
"Ally, I'm here to do another examination," Dr. Mitchell said with a friendly smile.
"Go ahead, doc!" Ally said. The doctor performed the examination while Austin stood by Ally's head, holding her hand. Dr. Mitchell suddenly got a concerned look on her face and Ally gripped Austin's hand tightly.
"What's wrong, doc?" Austin asked.
"Are you experiencing any discomfort or pain, Ally?" she asked.
"I'm in labor!" Ally exclaimed. "Of course, I'm in pain."
"Apart from the contractions, I mean," Dr. Mitchell clarified.
"Uh, my back and thighs hurt a bit and I'm exhausted," Ally said.
"Well, your vital signs don't look to good and along with what you just described and the fact that you've been in labor for over 14 hours, I suspect we're dealing with prolonged labor," Dr. Mitchell explained.
"What does that mean?" Ally asked.
"It means that I'd like to do a C-Section. There's a chance you could give birth naturally, but I don't really want to take any risks that might harm you or the baby."
Ally and Austin shared a look. "We don't want that either," Austin said.
"Okay, then I'll send in a nurse to prep you. Austin, you can come into the OR if you want," Dr. Mitchell offered.
"I do," Austin said and Ally gave him a grateful look.
"Alright, I'll see you soon and then we'll get you your baby." And with that the doctor left the room.
"Austin, I'm scared," Ally admitted.
"I know, I am too," Austin said. "But I also know that Dr. Mitchell is great at what she's doing and I'm gonna be with you the whole time."
"Thanks, hun." Ally smiled at him, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"Anything for you, love." Austin kissed her forehead. His words had calmed Ally down a little bit, but she was still tense. Her husband knew that there was nothing more he could say, but there was something he could do to ease her mind. So, he sang "Hush now, mo stóirín/Close your eyes and sleep/Waltzing the waves/Diving in the deep". Ally smiled contently upon hearing her husband's voice and sang along with him softly. Everything would be okay.
And it was because just a little over two hours later, Austin and Ally were back in their hospital room with a little blue bundle in Ally's arms. Neither of them could stop smiling and Austin took turns kissing his wife and newborn son's foreheads. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" they called together.
"You up for some company?" Dez asked peeking into the room.
"Of course, come in," Ally said.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Ava whisper yelled, having obviously been told by her aunt and uncle not to be too loud around her new baby brother.
"Come here, Ava!" Austin called back. The little girl rushed towards her father and he quickly scooped her up in his arms, peppering her face with kisses.
"There's somebody we'd like you guys to meet," Ally started. "Everybody, I'd like you to meet Alexander Dezmond Moon."
60 years old
"Do you have any fours?" Ally asked.
"No, I don't. Go fish, Grandma." 8-year-old Luna grinned happily and 9-year old Eddy groaned already seeing himself losing to his little cousin – again.
Austin watched the three of them from his rocking chair with baby Cooper sat on his lap. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and all five of Austin and Ally's grandchildren were at their house. The grandparents loved their house once again filled with children's laughter now that their own two children were all grown up and married with children of their own.
Austin was playing with his youngest grandson when he suddenly scrunched up his nose. "Well, looks like you need a new diaper, buddy." Austin started to stand up but was stopped by a voice.
"It's okay, Grandpa. I'll do it." 14-year-old Melody came over and took her little brother in her arms. Austin started to protest but she cut him off. "I think Monica needs to talk to you. Something's troubling her and she won't tell me." Melody shot her one-year-older cousin a worried glance. Monica was sitting on the couch staring at her phone with a sad smile.
"Tanks, Mel. I'll take care of it." Austin gave his granddaughter a kiss on the cheek.
Melody gave him a grateful smile and then turned her attention to Cooper. "Oh boy, Coop!" she exclaimed. "You really do need a new diaper. What did you have for dinner, mister?" Austin chuckled and his two grandchildren left the room.
"Hey, Mon!" Austin called and Monica flinched, not expecting someone to address her. "Would come over and keep your old grandpa some company?"
"Sure, Grandpa." Monica smiled and sat down next to Austin. "And just for the record, you're not that old."
"Aw, that's sweet, angel. But we both know – while I might still be fit and able to keep up with you kids – I'm not what I used to be in my youth."
"Oh yeah, some friends of mine found some old videos of you last week. They thought you were really hot – it was so weird," Monica shuddered.
"You hear that, Alls! I'm hot – I still got it!" Austin boasted and the children giggled at their grandfather's antics.
"I distinctly heard 'were', hun!" Ally teased.
"Are you saying you don't find me hot anymore?" Austin asked with a shocked expression.
"Austin, not in front of the kids!" Ally joked.
"Okay, too much information! Stop it, guys!" Monica interrupted while laughing.
"Sorry," Austin and Ally said sheepishly and Ally went back to her game of 'Go Fish'.
"So, Mon," Austin started. "I noticed you looking a bit sad just now. Is everything alright?"
"It's fine, Grandpa." Monica wouldn't meet his eyes. "I don't want to bother you with stupid teenager drama."
"Mon, nothing concerning you could ever be stupid. If you don't want to tell me, that's okay. But know that you can always tell me anything," Austin said. The girl looked up and Austin was shocked to see tears in her eyes. He immediately leaned over and enveloped the girl in a big hug.
"It's just …" Monica started. "There's this boy."
"Who is he? Did he hurt you? He did, didn't he? Of course, he did! I'm gonna kill him!" Austin exclaimed and Monica laughed – exactly the reaction he'd been hoping for.
"No, it's nothing like that," she reassured her grandfather. "His name's Finn and I've had a crush on him for a few months now. He's really nice and so cute. We get along really well and I was finally ready to tell him. So, I got up my courage and suddenly he asks if I think Amber would go out with him. Turns out, he's in love with my best friend – I know, it's a total cliché. Anyway, I chickened out and told him to go for it, if he really liked her. If you like someone, you should tell them – unless he's got the hots for you best friend that is. Amber just texted me, saying they were having a great time on their date, that's why I was so sad just now."
"I'm sorry, sweety." Austin gave his granddaughter another hug. "If he prefers another girl over you, he never deserved you anyway."
"Thanks, Grandpa." Monica smiled at him.
"Anything for you, kiddo."
"Anyway, I'm happy for them – I really am. I just need some time to tell my heart that." Her eyes welled up a little once more.
"I think I know something to cheer you up. It always worked for me. Wait a second." Austin jumped up and went over to his wife. He whispered something into her ear and Ally nodded. She stood up, went over to Monica and Austin took her place at the table. He let Luna and Eddy fill him in on whose turn it was while keeping an ear on the conversation between Ally and Monica.
"Your Grandpa told me you might need some cheering up. He didn't tell me why, but I think I know something." And with that, Ally started singing "Hush now, mo stóirín/Close your eyes and sleep/Waltzing the waves/Diving in the deep". Monica listened to her grandmother and slowly her tears subsided and by the time the song drew to a close, she sang along softly.
Austin grinned. As much as he liked to tease Ally about still loving this movie he had to admit, it had grown on him as well. And the song seemed to have some magic power as well.
80 years old
"Boy, I'm exhausted." Ally rested her head on the pillow of her bed and closed her eyes for a moment. "But I'm glad I got to see everybody today. I can't believe they all came."
"They love us and I can't blame them. How could they not?" Austin teased his wife. The two of them had spent the day with their two children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Their two friends Dez and Trish had also stopped by to see everyone. It had been stressful, tiring but also completely amazing. He hadn't seen his wife so happy and alive in months and that, in turn, made him happy. He wanted to appreciate and cherish every single day he got to spend with the love of his life.
"They've all gotten so big," Ally gushed and smiled tiredly at her husband. "We did good, didn't we?"
"You did good and I didn't mess them up too bad," Austin corrected and Ally giggled. "So yeah, we really did good. And I guess, Dez and Trish helped some."
"They really did." Ally thought back. Working in the music business and raising two little kids had been hard and she didn't think they would have managed without the help of their two friends. "What a wonderful day. I wish every day could be like that."
"It was a really special day. I'm glad we did it." Austin kissed his wife softly and sat down on the bed next to her.
Suddenly, Ally started coughing. Not just a quick cough but a real coughing fit. It shook her whole old and frail body and Austin could do nothing but comfort her and wait for it to subside. This cough is what brought both of them back to reality. Ally, having looked so healthy and happy this afternoon as she hadn't done in months, seemed to age rapidly in a manner of seconds. Her skin lost its glow, her eyes their spark and she fell back into her pillows, completely spent. Tears started forming in Austin's eyes as he watched his wife being plagued by her illness. Because that's what ruled both of their lives at this point and there was no point in denying it – Ally was sick with cancer. Lung cancer to be more precise. She had been diagnosed a few months ago and the illness progressed quickly. It meant that very soon, she wouldn't be here anymore – Austin would lose the love of his life.
The doctor had tried to discourage them from having their whole family come today, but Ally was determined. She didn't know how long she had and she wanted to spend that time with her loved ones; she wanted to see them all – at least one more time. Austin, while worried for his wife, couldn't bring himself to deny her that request and even the doctor sympathized with a dying woman's last wish. So, Austin had asked everyone to visit them in the hospital today – and they all showed up without any exception. They all loved their mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend so much.
"I love you, Austin," Ally said softly. "I've loved being your best friend; I've loved falling in love with you; I've loved singing with you; I've even loved fighting with you – mostly because of the making-up afterwards; I've loved marrying you and raising our kids together; and I've loved being able to spend my whole live with you and I will love spending the rest of my live with you – however long that might be." They both had tears in their eyes by the time Ally finished her speech and Austin kissed his wife's forehead.
"I love you too, Ally." Austin's voice was hoarse. "I love everything about you – every little quirk and crazy habit. They are what make you you – and I love you. I'm so glad you chose to spend your life with me – even though I know I didn't always make things easy. But you always saw the best in me. I don't know what I did to deserve someone as amazing as you – but I'm grateful for that everyday. I wish we could spend many more years together, but I know that we can't. So, I'll make sure that the time we have left as close to perfect as possible."
"As long as you're here with me, I couldn't wish for anything else." Ally told him. "Thank you for being with me."
"Anything for you, Ally," Austin promised. He laid down on the bed next to her and slowly stroked her hair. They had both said all there was to say and Austin could think of only one more thing to do. He sang "Hush now, mo stóirín/Close your eyes and sleep/Waltzing the waves/Diving in the deep". Ally smiled contently and softly sang along, her voice becoming quieter with every word until it faded completely. She had fallen asleep with a smile on her face. Austin kissed her forehead. He didn't know how much time they had left, but he was determined to make every last second of it count.
A/N: I originally planned on letting Ally die peacefully in her sleep at the end of the last chapter. But while I was writing it, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.