OMG so aftering reading this, I re-read it with the "Titanic song" playing in the background (The piano version, the one without words) Pretty sure I balled my eyes out! If you need a good cry...listen to that song!...while reading the ending...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 24
"Joanne?" Sarah called out when she heard the apartment door open.
"Yeah its me." Joanne answered as she slid her coat off, before she felt a pair of arms around her neck, and a pair of lips attack her face, neck, and lips.
"Ew, get a room." Lily shouted from the couch.
Joanne and Sarah just giggled as they made their way into the living room.
"Mom?" Lily asked with sad eyes. "Are you okay now?"
Joanne sighed. "A little…but I can't say it still doesn't hurt."
"It's okay." Lily said, wrapping her arms around Joanne.
"Thank you." Joanne said hugging her daughter back.
"So Mark came and talked to you?" Sarah asked.
Joanne nodded. "Yeah…and I'm happy I shared the story."
"Me too." Sarah said with a smile.
"Well rents." Lily said with a stretch and a yawn. "Now that mom is safe and sound, I'm heading off to bed."
"Goodnight." Sarah and Joanne called out to their daughter.
"Night." Lily said in a tired voice, as she headed into her room.
"You tired?" Sarah asked. "Or do you want to talk some more?"
Joanne shook her head. "I'm done talking, I think bed sounds nice."
Sarah grabbed Joanne's hand, interlacing it with her own, while dragging her towards the master bedroom. "Good idea."
As soon as they crawled into bed, Sarah was curled up next to Joanne, her head on Joanne's chest, and her arms around her stomach. Joanne smiled and ran her hand through the long brown hair, until Sarah's breath went even, and when Joanne was sure she was asleep, she gently rolled her out of the embrace, kissed her on the cheek, and then carefully climbed out of bed.
Once out of bed Joanne quietly walked over to the dresser, where a jewelry box sat. She opened it up, reached inside, and pulled out a long sliver necklace, with a heart dangling from the end.
Flash back 1992"Are you sure you're ready to go home?" Mrs. Jefferson asked.
Joanne nodded. "Yes I'm sure."
"Okay." Mrs. Jefferson said as she pulled into the parking lot of Joanne's building.
Joanne climbed out of the car, as did her mother. Joanne walked around to the other side, and pulled her mom into a hug. "Thank you."
Mrs. Jefferson smiled. "Thank you."
"For?" Joanne asked confused.
"Forgiving me." Mrs. Jefferson said.
Joanne just smiled and hugged her once more.
"Do you want me to come up with you?" Mrs. Jefferson asked.
Joanne shook her head. "No I'll be fine, I just want to be alone right now."
"Okay, but if you need anything call me." Mrs. Jefferson said.
"I will." Joanne assured her.
After a final goodbye Mrs. Jefferson climbed back into her car and drove off. Joanne waved one last time, before she turned around and slowly headed up the stairs to her apartment. Finally she reached her door, and slowly pulled out her key. Once the door was unlocked she walked over the threshold, shutting the door behind her. Once her coat was off, she emerged further into her home, coming to a stop when she reached the kitchen table, where something had caught her eye.
Maureen waved the box around in the air. "It's for letting me live with you, and to also show you that I am sure."
Joanne smirked and reached out for the wrapped present but Maureen pulled her hand away.
"Uh no…you don't get to open it until tonight." Maureen said as she turned around in Joanne's arms, giving her nose a small kiss.
"Please?" Joanne asked.
Maureen shook her head as she placed the gift on the kitchen table. "After we get home from The Life Café."
Joanne sighed. "Okay…but you have to make it up to me for making me wait."
Maureen raised her eyebrows. "How?"
"Like this…" Joanne said as she leaned in giving Maureen a warm kiss on the lips.
"That I can do." Maureen said before intensifying the kiss.
Joanne closed her eyes and sighed with happiness, and sadness at the memory. She then walked over to the present and carefully picked it up. Gently she began to unwrap the gift that had been waiting for her, for almost a week now. After the wrapping was gone, Joanne was holding a long rectangular box in her hand. Setting it down on the table, she reached out and took the lid off, revealing a small folded up piece of paper. Reaching down she picked it up, and opened it, where there was a small note written in Maureen's handwriting.
This is for letting me live with you, and for loving me, as much as I love you, and my way of telling you that I'm sure! I love you, and just because I can't say it out loud, doesn't mean I don't mean it.
Love Honeybear, xoxo
Joanne let silent tears escape her eyes as she read the note. She read it over a couple more times, before putting it down, and looking inside the box, where she pulled out a long sliver necklace, with a heart dangling from the end.
Joanne gasped at her gift as more tears strolled down her cheeks. She then put it on, and grabbed the end of it in her fist. Bringing it up to her heart, she cried some more.
"I love you Maureen." She whispered looking up towards the sky. "God I love you."
Flash forward 2007
Joanne had her eyes closed, as she clutched the necklace in her hand, bringing it up to her heart, and letting tears slip from her eyes. "I miss you."
She then put the necklace on; once it was around her neck, she reached in the far back of her jewelry box, which had a secret compartment. Once she grabbed what she was looking for she retracted her hand, in her hand was Maureen's note. Joanne read it over a couple of time, before she walked back over to the bed, where she set it on her nightstand, and laid down in bed, her back to Sarah, as she peered out the window, letting more tear roll down her face.
It wasn't long before Joanne's eyelids became heavy, as she began drifting off to sleep. Before she fell asleep she grabbed the heart of the necklace in her hand, and held onto it, as she rolled over on her back, letting the feel of something lift off of her shoulders, as she began to drift off.
"God I love you." She whispered just before she fell asleep into a peaceful content slumber.
As Joanne laid sleeping, a gust of warm wind blew in past the window, surrounding the room with a cool breeze, gently blowing Maureen's note off the nightstand, and onto the bed right next to Joanne. Joanne rolled back over, her hand unknowingly covering the letter, as she stayed sleeping.
The next morning when Joanne awoke, she felt something in her hand. After shaking the sleep out of her head, she looked down, and noticed it was Maureen's note. Joanne couldn't help but grin, because she knew, that even though Maureen was gone, she truly wasn't gone, and that Maureen was by her side, everyday and always would be, until they met up again. Until then she would let Maureen live on in her mind, a place Maureen Johnson would live on forever...
"Hey Joanne." Maureen said in a sly tone."Yes?"
Maureen reached over and interlaced her hand with Joanne's. "I'm walking through life…With You By My Side."
The End
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That's it...the story is over, I hope you all enjoyed the story, as much as I enjoyed writing it! I hope the ending was okay...I was a little unsure about it...
I want to thank X-Kate-X for giving me all the pointers on my grammar and stuff, thank you so much, you helped me out a lot!
I also want to thank EVERYONE who read and reviewed! I loved all your reviews! They were exciting, and I apologize for making some of you cry...;)
Also thanks to the movie Titanic, that's where the Inspiration for this story kind of came from...but I cleary changed a LOT of it to make it a Rent MoJo story...BTW i'll say it again I DON'T own Titanic...or Rent.
Well I guess this is it... THANKS again:)