A/n: hey… I've decided to make the funeral and Christmas chapter (below.) Reviews are appreciated, even criticism. Yes I get this is very sad. The funeral is more focused on Austin more than Ally, as the previous chapter was mostly focused on Ally. Also I didn't mean to make the end rhyme. Also I don't own A&A, T-swift and her songs or eggnog. ENJOY. Sorry, this was kind of rushed.
29th November 2014, 12:22.
"Oh Austin dear, it wasn't your fault." His mother's words ringing in his ears, sounding patronising but sincere towards Austin at this time.
Oh. But was it Austin's fault or not? Well… because it was all his responsibility to look after his little star.
The depressed man looks down at the little casket that was decorated with Egyptian Star Flower in a pink so light, it almost looked white. He picks up a fallen flower from the bouquet and squeezes it in his right hand, encasing it entirely out of sight. He closes his dull hazel eyes, as his darkened pupils swim in a pool of bloodshot caused by his hand constantly rubbing his eyes. He puts the flower's remains in his pocket.
"We may pray for our dear Mallory Lyra Moon on her safe journey to God's hands. We may remember her in our hearts forever." The reverend spoke sincerely with a professional edge. But if you can listen close enough, you could hear his heart break for the young, now childless couple. You could feel the empathy tearing out of his speech. "Now, the father of Mallory will speak about his wonderful time with Mallory." The man with the collared robe lifts his hand towards the broken-hearted man and smiles pityingly at the mop of blonde hair starting to rise up to respond to his summoning.
"Um. Hi, I'm Austin. Well I guess you would know that… Well today I was going to read the speech I prepared for these last few days, and then I thought to myself: is my daughter someone I have to read about from some cards? And the only answer I could think of was no. No because she is someone you can't forget. You don't need to remember her smiling the smile she shared with her mother. You will never ever forget her- her," Austin registers the salty tears and his silent sobs would soon not be suppressed.
He looks at the first row in front of him and sees his wife wearing a light pink dress, because then she matches what their daughter is wearing. He marvels at the radiant woman that he knows is his, her two sleeved light dusty pink dress glowing in the sunlight while the end of the dress reaches below her knees, complimenting her white wedges that are stood on the pathway, making her a good 3 inches taller. He looks down momentarily at his pink sleeves poking out of his black suit jacket and smiles briefly and carries on.
"You would forget her melodious laugh that blessed the room with happiness and love, her innocent and friendly character that greeted you in a series of babbles." This earns him a few laughs, as evidence of reminiscing about the magnificent child and the individual memories she shared with many people to brighten their day. "Well my dear wife managed to teach Mallory 'Mama' and beat me to her first word. She didn't stop saying it all week." This manages to make Ally smile again. Austin finds a new burst of confidence… until he lays his eyes on the little casket, and then he's back to square one. "But what I'm saying on the whole is… My little star is someone you could never forget; and I hope you feel the same." Austin nods at the black casket decorated with silver and pink stars and asks quietly (towards the reverend): "Can I see her? Can I see her one more time?"
Ally gasps, shock and sadness washes over her and her lips start to wobble. She quickly runs over to her husband in 4 strides and looked at him in concern, hoping he doesn't do something he will regret.
"Austin. Look at me and tell me that you are sure you want to do this." The lady in pink tries to coax her husband away from more grief and heartbreak, her eyebrows joining together in a frown, resulting in her forehead creasing ever so slightly.
He replies in the most serious way possible.
"No." His eyes stare dead on towards his distressed wife, "I need to do this." He beckons for Ally to look with him. "Please. One last time Alls." She studies his face, while processing while he just said only mere moments ago. In a matter of seconds, she nods slowly and holds the bigger hand that was waiting for her. She nods again and a tear, lined with mascara, runs down her face as she silently cursed to herself that she didn't use waterproof mascara as she delicately wiped the stray tear, making her slightly rosy cheek dry again.
"Okay." And that was that.
25th December 2014, 14:18pm.
Christmas was empty.
Even though ironically, there were a lot of people in the young Moons' residence. Well Mum did insist, Austin thought, while his mother kissed her son square on the lips while he was rolling his eyes. Ally laughed at the "bonding".
But her heart ached. She was supposed to be enjoying herself; she scolds herself in her mind.
But then she remembered her daughter who, by now, would've eaten something she shouldn't have and then Austin would've sheepishly looked away and laughed, then he would've taken cover behind something to save himself. She smiled, remembering the Christmas outfit Mallory wore last year and how she ended up attempting to eat her red Santa's hat.
"It's okay, Alls," Her husband notices her distant look towards the frame that contained the eventful Christmas from the year before. "Do you want to sit down with me while my Mum is making some eggnog?" He nudges the part of her arm connecting the elbow and her shoulder, making Ally topple over and the landing in Austin's arms. She shrieks, which results in laughter from her catcher.
"Sure." She gets up, while brushing the imaginary dust from her Christmas themed jumper and then pushes Austin down by his shoulders before he registers what she said, which in her opinion took a lot of effort (of course she would deny it if you were to ask her). Within seconds, Ally has taken her usual place on the homely sofa, waiting for her ambushed husband to return, whilst playing with a lone string unravelling from her jumper. "OOOH!" She squeals, knowing her husband had grabbed her, and judging by her current state, has tipped her upside down and then he carries her all the way to the outdoor pool, decorated with a layer of snow, which may I add is slightly frozen.
"Y'know what Alls?" Austin puts on a thinking face, a smirk threatening to appear to ruin the faux innocence in his expression, expecting his dear beloved wife to reply.
"Austin! Put me down, safely inside so we can enjoy your mother's special eggnog." Ally worded her sentence carefully as the last time this situation happened, she ended up diving with Austin in her favourite sundress. "PLEASE." Her words seething with faux politeness and hoping Austin won't break the ice. No pun intended. Sorry.
"Or else…?" His left eyebrow lifts up and his smirk breaks the act. His blonde hair gently moves with the gentle breeze moving the few under zero degrees Celsius particles of snow.
"Okay, two months without s-"This would do the trick. She feels him panicking, as he breathes deeply and then quickly, he runs back inside with Ally, switching her position from upside-down to bridal and then gently lays her down on the sofa. She laughs at his flushed cheeks and messed up hair. She ruffles the "ready-made rock star" hairdo and kisses his cheek. "That desperate huh?" Ally winks at him, then moving her eyebrows up and down.
"Why wouldn't I be? You're amazing," Austin rests his head on Ally's and rubs his nose with Ally's and then smirks before giggling, breaking the intimate contact.
"Oh? You did know what I was going to threaten you with, right?" Austin cocks his head to the side, like a lost puppy and then widens his eyes, while a deep red tomato shade of a blush accompanies it.
"Just so that we're clear, could you tell me so… that we're on the same page? Ahaha…" Austin scratches the back of his neck, sighing in embarrassment.
"I was going to say two months without seeing Dez," Ally tells the blushing man and then bops his nose before walking off. Suddenly, she's pulled onto Austin's lap.
"Right. Without seeing Dez." His face is a breadth apart from hers, his eyes playfully dancing while hers is mimicking his. Austin hasn't felt this happy since a month ago, he smiles and then pulls away. Soon Ally rests on his lap, smiling with content whilst going to sleep. He strokes her dark, chocolate-coloured locks, twirling his fingers into each silky curl before his mother walks in with the luxurious smelling traditional Christmas beverage.
"Oh. What did I miss?" His mother looks amused at the young couple and is aware of their playful, romantic antics. She missed the times when they were awkward teenagers, trying to find a way into this world.
She missed their happiness and light-hearted personalities that lit up the room whenever they entered. She smiles before settling the drinks on coasters (as Ally has a thing with coasters) and then running her hand through her son's hair, smiling out of relief. She closes her eyes and sighs with joy before she returns to the kitchen, waiting for her husband to sweep her off her feet. Well after he returns from work. But right now, she's okay with Austin and Ally being distracted for a while.
They don't need a weight on their shoulders right now.
And no one needs to know if Austin and Ally will be okay, because they're the fun, jocular couple everyone knows about. But sometimes they're not as easy to work out as you think they are.
But yes. Right now, they're okay.
23rd November 2015, 12:18pm
Austin exits the car and helps his wife down to the pavement leading to the graveyard; their mood is dropping exceeding low by the minute, tears threatening to reveal their place to the cool breeze in autumn. Ally spots the slab of grey and immediately runs over to, but carefully not stepping over/on any other graves.
She stops. She breathes. She cries. She falls. She hugs herself into a ball. She peeps out from her little ball and smiles half-heartedly at the gravestone.
"Come on baby with me, we're gonna fly away, from here." She whispers the quote from Taylor Swift's Ronan.
He catches up to her, his breath gradually regulates. He breathes out, creating a white vapour in the air. He crouches down, and then guides his fingers over the letter on the plaque, smiling out of sadness.
You find them staring at the grey smooth, carved out stone. A bouquet of star flowers, almost white but look again. She was pure, but her death wasn't. They're followed by a trail of petals, as they leave the graveyard from their sights.
It wasn't usual to not find them here, they visit every day.
You can hear the sobs coming out as chokes from her and him crying with no shame.
The love they give is as equal as their sorrow.
There's no difference today or tomorrow.
Murmurs of sweet confessions come with their visit each time, with a fresh pink Egyptian Star, as fresh as the morning is lain upon her grave.
They meet for only fifteen minutes every single day.
They stand there, tall and proud, wearing pink.
They're not as simple as you think.
What you see is that her eyes were red, locks of her chestnut brown tresses dishevelled, his tears falling on the source of the grief, closing his hazel eyes, as he held as tightly as he could. You would see little petals peeping out of his calloused hands, and his heavy hearted wife trying rocking herself back and forth, holding the blanket that held the last scent of her little "star".
But what you realise is that people don't change.
But you should still hold on to them.
Even if they're okay.
"Mallory Lyra Moon,
Aged 11 months and 30 days.
Daughter to parents Austin and Ally Moon.
"I love you to the moon and back, my little star."
November 24, 2013 – November 23rd 2014".