Moment
The End
December 25, 2008
Jack’s feet led him across the empty street as he smiled warmly at the girl shivering from the sidewalk, a smile adorning her face.
“Jack!”
Jack turned around in the middle of the crosswalk as Alex came running up beside him and patting his shoulder. Jack turned his head back to the corner to see Callie’s figure gone with the blink of an eye.
He stopped and stared at the spot with dead eyes before he felt a squeeze on his shoulder. He looked to his left to see Alex’s sympathetic face before they continued across the street.
They reached the sidewalk and Jack entered the iron-fenced in area. Alex followed him up, the now familiar cement pathway before turning off into the snow covered grass. He reached the mound of earth before kneeling slowly down beside the grave, reading the words now permanently etched in his mind.
In loving memory of Callie Marie Shaw. July 7th, 1988 - November 30th, 2008.
As Jack stared at the words he pulled out the small gold engagement ring from his pocket. He held it once more between his fingers before closing his eyes, pressing it to his lips gently and sticking it in the slightest space between the temporary cross and dirt, hiding it from passerby.
“Jack! What a pleasant surprise. Is Callie with you?” Mrs. Shaw asked inviting him into the nice California home.
“Oh no, she’s got to finish interning this month,” Jack replied as his nerves started to take over. “I wanted to talk to you and Mr. Shaw,” he explained.
“Really Jack, call us Carol and Richard, you make me feel old,” she teased.
Jack laughed before nodding his head and following her into the living room.
“Jack!” Callie’s younger sister, Caitlin yelled from her spot on the couch. She jumped up and hugged him warmly. “You still owe me a game of DDR,” she reminded him with a laugh.
Jack chuckled before replying, “I do. I’ll play you before I leave, okay?”
She nodded before sitting back down and returning her attention to iCarly.
“Jack, I’ll go get Richard,” Carol said leaving the room and Jack to sit and watch the TV show.
“So what are you doing here bumblebee,” Caitlin asked poking him during the commercial break.
Jack rubbed his neck nervously before answering, “I need to ask your parents something.”
The younger Shaw gave him a searching look before smiling widely and nodding her head. “Finally,” she said ruffling his head.
The next moment Callie’s parents walked into the room and sat down on the sofa as Caitlin left the room with a smirk on her face.
“How are you doing, son?” Richard asked Jack.
“G-good,” Jack stuttered. He could feel his hands clamming up and blood rushing to his face. “So uhm, I wanted to, well, I wanted to ask,” Jack paused and took a deep breath before looking back up at his girlfriend’s smiling mother and unyielding father, “I wanted to ask your daughter to marry me,” he finally answered.
Carol clapped her hands together and smiled brightly before looking to her husband with anticipation. Jack looked up at him also and waited with baited breath.
Richard took his glasses from his face and rubbed them on the hem of his shirt, “Well,” he paused putting his glasses back on and giving Jack a stern look. “I think it’s about damn time you asked,” he said breaking a smile.
Carol hugged her husband then hugged Jack. “Oh this is wonderful. When are you going to ask her?”
Jack grinned widely at the response before replying, “I haven’t decided yet. Soon though.”
“Christmas,” Caitlin and the youngest of the four children, Carter, piped up from the doorway where they had both obviously listened.
Carol and Richard nodded in agreement.
He felt Alex kneel down beside him and squeeze his shoulder once again as the memory faded. They sat there eyes closed for a moment, Jack’s mind playing out a slideshow of the funeral, the viewing, a lump formed in his throat at the image, and then the burial. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep the tears threatening to fall, before he slowly rose, Alex following suit. Jack stuffed his hands deep in his jean pockets and walked slowly away, glancing back once more and blowing the grave an exaggerated kiss.
~Nobody said it was easy, it's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard. Oh take me back to the start.~
Jack’s feet led him across the empty street as he smiled warmly at the girl shivering from the sidewalk, a smile adorning her face.
“Jack!”
Jack turned around in the middle of the crosswalk as Alex came running up beside him and patting his shoulder. Jack turned his head back to the corner to see Callie’s figure gone with the blink of an eye.
He stopped and stared at the spot with dead eyes before he felt a squeeze on his shoulder. He looked to his left to see Alex’s sympathetic face before they continued across the street.
They reached the sidewalk and Jack entered the iron-fenced in area. Alex followed him up, the now familiar cement pathway before turning off into the snow covered grass. He reached the mound of earth before kneeling slowly down beside the grave, reading the words now permanently etched in his mind.
In loving memory of Callie Marie Shaw. July 7th, 1988 - November 30th, 2008.
As Jack stared at the words he pulled out the small gold engagement ring from his pocket. He held it once more between his fingers before closing his eyes, pressing it to his lips gently and sticking it in the slightest space between the temporary cross and dirt, hiding it from passerby.
“Jack! What a pleasant surprise. Is Callie with you?” Mrs. Shaw asked inviting him into the nice California home.
“Oh no, she’s got to finish interning this month,” Jack replied as his nerves started to take over. “I wanted to talk to you and Mr. Shaw,” he explained.
“Really Jack, call us Carol and Richard, you make me feel old,” she teased.
Jack laughed before nodding his head and following her into the living room.
“Jack!” Callie’s younger sister, Caitlin yelled from her spot on the couch. She jumped up and hugged him warmly. “You still owe me a game of DDR,” she reminded him with a laugh.
Jack chuckled before replying, “I do. I’ll play you before I leave, okay?”
She nodded before sitting back down and returning her attention to iCarly.
“Jack, I’ll go get Richard,” Carol said leaving the room and Jack to sit and watch the TV show.
“So what are you doing here bumblebee,” Caitlin asked poking him during the commercial break.
Jack rubbed his neck nervously before answering, “I need to ask your parents something.”
The younger Shaw gave him a searching look before smiling widely and nodding her head. “Finally,” she said ruffling his head.
The next moment Callie’s parents walked into the room and sat down on the sofa as Caitlin left the room with a smirk on her face.
“How are you doing, son?” Richard asked Jack.
“G-good,” Jack stuttered. He could feel his hands clamming up and blood rushing to his face. “So uhm, I wanted to, well, I wanted to ask,” Jack paused and took a deep breath before looking back up at his girlfriend’s smiling mother and unyielding father, “I wanted to ask your daughter to marry me,” he finally answered.
Carol clapped her hands together and smiled brightly before looking to her husband with anticipation. Jack looked up at him also and waited with baited breath.
Richard took his glasses from his face and rubbed them on the hem of his shirt, “Well,” he paused putting his glasses back on and giving Jack a stern look. “I think it’s about damn time you asked,” he said breaking a smile.
Carol hugged her husband then hugged Jack. “Oh this is wonderful. When are you going to ask her?”
Jack grinned widely at the response before replying, “I haven’t decided yet. Soon though.”
“Christmas,” Caitlin and the youngest of the four children, Carter, piped up from the doorway where they had both obviously listened.
Carol and Richard nodded in agreement.
He felt Alex kneel down beside him and squeeze his shoulder once again as the memory faded. They sat there eyes closed for a moment, Jack’s mind playing out a slideshow of the funeral, the viewing, a lump formed in his throat at the image, and then the burial. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep the tears threatening to fall, before he slowly rose, Alex following suit. Jack stuffed his hands deep in his jean pockets and walked slowly away, glancing back once more and blowing the grave an exaggerated kiss.
~Nobody said it was easy, it's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard. Oh take me back to the start.~
♠ ♠ ♠
So yeah she really died :( Jack was hallucinating (And I know it happens when someone really close to you dies, I experienced it this past October :( ). I thought it was clear in the last chapter when it was wrote but guess not. Although I did enjoy reading the theories on this chapter.Few things.
First of all thank you everyone who read, subscribed, and commented, I really appreciate it. I got 9 stars and 75 comments and it just blows my mind. Love you all :D
Second of all, I want to thank the people that helped me get through writing this, especially Katie who edited, inspired ideas, and helped make this story great.
Third of all I want to mention that becuase of this chapter and the last one, this story was incredibly hard to write from October to December. I can't express how terrible it is to lose a great friend, and I sincerely hope this never happens to Jack or any of you.
Fourth of all, I came up with this story before I heard the song "The Good Life" by Valencia (please check them out if you haven't they're absolutely incredible) and my heart goes out to Shane. I cry everytime I hear the song and it fits perfectly to this story.
Oh and watch ATL on Conan tonight. So fucking proud of them :')
OH and I lied about not writing after this. I got a request to update HWYT and I felt bad so I'll try to update that this weekend, but yeah.