Previously…

Reality hit him hard in the face. Sure, he had known that Mitchie had cancer but he had never come to terms with it. His Mitchie was dying. His Mitchie only had a few months to live. He would never get to live in the future he had hoped for the moment he realized he was in love with his Mitchie. He was losing her and there was nothing he could do about it.

Camp Rock – Sacrificing Your Love

Suddenly feeling the need to sit down, Shane squatted on the side of the pathway. His eyes were on the old couple he had been witnessing earlier but images of him and Mitchie were set in his mind. He felt his eyes sting with tears and tried hastily to wipe them away. Realizing it was no use, Shane put his head into his hands and cried to himself.

No. Not Mitchie. Not his Mitchie.

"Young man, are you alright?" a kind male voice asked. Shane looked up and saw the old couple he had been observing earlier looking at him worriedly. Too choked up to answer, he did the only thing that came to his mind. He told the truth.

"No. No, I'm not," his voice croaked as he shook his head.

"Alan, I think we should get him on the bench," the old lady said to her lover. Alan nodded and helped Shane up to the nearest bench. The young rock star's legs wobbled as he was being helped to the bench. The couple sat on each of Shane's side.

"Marie, give him your water."

Shane felt a bottle of water being slipped gently into his hands. He smiled thankfully at the old couple and gulped down half of the water in the bottle.

"Young man, would –"

"Shane. Call me Shane."

"Alright. Shane, would you like to talk? It usually helps," Marie smiled kindly at him. Shane had no idea why, but he felt as if he would feel better if he talked to them. He hadn't been so keen on talking to Nate, Jason or any of his friends but there was just something about Marie and Alan that made him want to talk to them.

And he did. He told them everything. He told them about how big of a jerk he had been when he became famous, how he had been sent to Camp Rock to reform. He told them about how he met Mitchie and heard the girl with an amazing voice. He told them about how Mitchie had lied to the whole camp. He also told them, with a fond smile on his face, about how he had found that Mitchie was actually the girl with the voice.

He told them about how they got together. About how they had been going strong for two years. How Mitchie had had cancer when she was sixteen but she had managed to be cured. Finally, he told them about how the cancer had came back and about how Mitchie had broken up with him to protect him.

Alan and Marie were great listeners. Not once did they interrupt him as he went on and on about how much he loved Mitchie and how he had wanted to be with her forever. When he was finally done, the old couple was smiling as though they had heard the story before.

"The two of you will make it through Shane. True love always prevails," Marie said with a smile on her face.

"Not always. I don't even know if Mitchie will take me back. I have half a mind to go home and never come back," Shane admitted softly, hanging his head dejectedly.

"Is that a risk you're willing to take with Mitchie, Shane? Are you willing to lose Mitchie without even trying to get her back into your life?"

"No," he whispered. Alan and Marie smiled triumphantly.

"Dear boy, we went through the same thing," Alan told him gently. Shane turned to Marie.

"You had cancer?" he asked. Marie shook her head and jerked it towards her husband.

"He did. And he tried pushing me away but it never worked," she chuckled.

"It's true. She insisted that she look after me. She always came back even after everything I did. I pushed her away, I yelled at her and I said many other things that I would never forgive myself for. But she still came back to me. She knew I was doing it on purpose, that I was trying to protect her. But she also knew that I needed her. She knew I loved her and that I didn't mean anything I said," Alan told him, smiling lovingly at his wife.

"Now, Shane. The question is: do you love her?" Marie asked.

"More than life."

"Does she love you?"

"I think so. Wait. No," he paused, remembering the conversation he had heard between Mitchie and Tess, "I know so."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Mitchie doesn't believe that she'll get better. She thinks she has very little time left. She'll just push me away," Shane sighed frustratedly. The old man chuckled.

"The doctors told me I had only a year to live but I'm still alive, aren't I? They told me I had cancer when I was fifty."

"And how old are you now?"

"He's sixty-five," Marie answered for her husband proudly. Shane smiled admiringly at the couple. He really hoped he would still be with Mitchie when he was sixty-five.

"Wow, that's amazing. Your story is an inspiration. It should be told to many other people who need to hear that cancer can be cured," Shane joked. As what he had just said registered in his mind, Shane felt a smile form on his face.

"Alan, Marie. Will you two do me a favor?"

A/N: What was Shane's plan and why did he need a favor from Marie and Alan? Look out for the next chapter and don't forget to read my other story, Through the Ups and Downs. But before that, please don't forget to review!