The True Good-bye

A/N: I had never intended, no, never wanted to update this fic. I am sure that everyone has realized that something bad has happened, and I can confirm your fears. Mage passed away, finally falling victim to the cancer that she has been valiantly fighting for well over a year. When I wrote those final few paragraphs of the first chapter of Gamer to Farmer, I cried, thinking about what I would do if it really happened. When I wrote Gamer to Farmer: Goodbye, I prayed that it wasn't going to happen. Now, I am in shock that it did happen. I thank everyone who was there over my time here for the support and friendship that they have offered. I'm just sorry that I couldn't leave you with a happy ending.

This does not contain any references to Harvest Moon, nor is it a work of fiction. Truthfully, it does not belong here. I don't care about the rules and regulations; I need to get this off my chest. This is the actual account of our final meeting. I apologize for the tears that you shed while you read this. I have already shed my share… Moderators, please, whatever you do, do not delete this. I've been loyal so far, so do me this one favor.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2005. A date that will never leave my memory as long as I have the will to survive. This is the date that the person I cared the most for in the entire world was ripped out of my arms. I know that death is inevitable, but does it have to be at the age of eighteen? There is no way that someone so young and beautiful should have to part with this world.

I was sound asleep in my bed when the phone rang. I grumbled at being awoken, rolling over to look at the red numbers on the bedside clock. One o'clock. "Who'd be calling at this ungodly hour?" I asked myself as I climbed out of bed and stumbled through the halls towards the ringing phone.

Throughout the house, I could hear the rest of my family being woken up. "Hello?" I grunted into the telephone.

There was momentary silence on the other end. "Brett? It's Megan. Jacqui wants you to come over. It's urgent." Megan was Mage's younger sister, so that explained the formalities of using our real names.

My heart had plummeted to the bottom of my stomach. I knew that something very bad had happened. "Ok… I'll be there in a few minutes." I assured Megan, hanging up the phone. I quickly collected my keys, getting dressed as I did so, and made my way past my confused parents. They wouldn't understand, even if I told them. They would make me stay put, which I couldn't afford. I had a feeling that if I didn't go now, I might never see her again.

"Brett, where are you going?" My mother asked, but I was already putting on my shoes. "I don't know when I'll be back." I stated as I slammed the door shut behind me. My feet barely touched the ground as I rushed towards my car, hands trembling. The keys rattled noisily as I attempted to start up the vehicle.

I must admit that my parents didn't know the true connection between myself and Mage. They thought that we were only friends and had no idea about the marriage. In hindsight, I should have told them. Mage's parents knew, gladly welcoming me into their family when I took their daughter's hand. They had only one condition as to the relationship: Mage would live with them over the summer and then we could move out together when I went to school in the fall. They just wanted to make sure that she was healthy…

My car was cutting through the night, exceeding the speed limit by almost double. I would be admiring the wonderful beauty of the countryside at night, but there were more pressing matters at hand than obeying the law. My foot had the gas pressed down to the floor as I whipped around the corners. I pulled into her driveway, my nerves on edge at the sight of the parked ambulance.

The vehicle had barely come to a stop before I was out and running up to the door. Megan was waiting there, the door held open as I walked up the front steps. Her head was hung low, with the tears from her eyes dripping to the floor. "She's not going to make it through the night." She whispered, collapsing into my open arms. Megan and I had been friends for almost as long as myself and Mage. I actually thought of her as a sister.

"Where is she?" I asked, my voice nearly failing me as I choked back the tears. Megan pointed down the hallway to the open door of Mage's room. Her parents were gathered in the doorway, holding on to each other for support. This was hard enough for me, so I couldn't imagine what pain they were feeling. I silently made my way down the wall until I was standing behind them. They noticed my arrival and, saying nothing, they stepped aside.

The paramedics left me alone with her, deciding to speak with her parents. Her skin was deathly pale, her eyes gently shut, her lips managing a timid smile. "Hey." She whispered, her voice so quiet that I could barely hear it.

"Hey." I replied, sitting down in the chair that had placed beside her bed. I honestly couldn't think of anything more to say. Only the day before, she was so full of life that she could have passed for a perfectly healthy person. Now, she lay in her deathbed, waiting out the final hours of her life. I buried my head in my hands, shocked that this was going to be the end.

"They're going to take me to the hospital." Mage admitted. The hospital, such a painful place to think about. Why couldn't I think about all the good times that we shared? Instead, I was thinking about the most miserable place that we had been.

"Mage, thanks…" I whispered. I wasn't trying to hold back the tears anymore, choosing instead to let my show of emotion roll down my cheek and into my hands.

She opened up her eyes and looked over at me. "For what?"

"For everything really. The memories, the friendship, the support, everything. I am honored that I know someone as strong as you."

"Don't get sentimental with me, Tint. That's not the man I fell in love with. I fell in love with the sweet, caring guy who was the strong one that I went to for support. It shouldn't be the other way around."

"I don't want this to happen. I didn't want any of this to happen." I admitted.

"Everything has to happen and there's a reason for it to happen. That's what they call destiny. I know that it's unfair, but you have to deal with it. Life is unfair, but if you sat there and complained about every little thing, you'd never make the most out of life."
"You've been working on this speech, haven't you?" I chuckled, despite the moment.

Mage chuckled as well. "For the last month or so, yeah."

"We've been through a lot together, haven't we?"

"All the times you visited me at work when I was bored."

"The Cadet activities…"

"The dances and campouts."

"Sitting around the fire drinking coffee at four in the morning." I joked.

"Watching Pirates of the Caribbean, with me resting my head on your shoulder as me and Hannah argued over who was hotter, Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom."

"I'm still sticking with Keira Knightley."

"Am I hotter than Kiera Knightley?"

"Of course you are, Mage." I whispered, leaning over her bed and placing a kiss on her lips. Our final kiss, so tragic compared to the first, yet so similar. The first, she was being released from the hospital. The last, she was being taken back. Our lips refused to part for what seemed like forever. Finally, we parted, with Mage whispering, "I love you."
"I love you, too." I whispered back. The paramedics had come back into the room and were ready to take Mage away. I grabbed hold of her hand, holding on as long as I could as the paramedics gently lifted her off of her bed. I refused to let go until they had her inside of the ambulance. I waved good-bye as the vehicle disapeared into the night. The last I saw was her hand press up against the tiny window in the back of the ambulance.

"You can go home, Brett. We'll let you know." Her mother whispered as she and Mage's dad got into their car and followed after the ambulance.

That left me alone with Megan, the two of us is shocked silence. I solemnly walked over to my vehicle, which I had left running. I opened up the door and was about to get inside when Megan spoke up. "You know that she's two month's pregnant, don't you?"

I stopped. Megan's words were almost as stinging as the news that I received the next day at one o'clock in the afternoon. "I do now." I replied, suddenly feeling very alone in the world.

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A/N: I'm going to need some time off. I just don't have the willpower in me to write anything else at the moment. Mage meant everything to me and now she's gone. It's because of her that I write my stories, but now, I have nothing left to write for. I know that there is an outpouring of sympathy headed my way and I thank everyone for it. Maybe, I should retire? Dedicated to the loving memory of Jacqueline "Jacqui" Major "Mage". Your story has touched many hearts and we are all proud to have been there with you for the good times and the bad.