*****
Love's Final Goodbye
Written By: J
April 21, 2000
A Venus Fanfiction Crew Production
*****
Shae's best friend, Jayla Mackenzie, was dating Chris's band
mate, Lance Bass, and noticed that his zany antics were exactly
like Shae's. She took the opportunity to play
"Matchmaker" and introduced them to each other. For two
years, Chris Kirkpatrick and Shae Christiansen shared a story
book romance. Love and happiness were the only two words to
describe them.
*Flasback*
A blazing fire crackled in the marbled finished fireplace of
Chris's brand new furnished home in Orlando, Florida. Shae and
Chris were sprawled out on the shaggy carpeting of the living
room as a medley of slow ballads streamed through the stereo
system.
"Can we just stay like this forever?" Shae said snuggling closer to his muscular body.
"Sounds like a plan." He kissed her forehead gently, savoring the moment while leaning back on the carpet. He hoped to settle down and have a family with her in the near future. However, the careers they chose were the main focus in their lives.
"I love you, baby." She murmured with her arm resting on Chris's chest that propped up her head.
"Angel, I love you more." He slid forward and weaved a hand through her soft hair and pressed his lips against hers in passionate manner. She leaned back against his legs to stare into his eyes. She nibbled on her lip as a smile tugged on the corners of her mouth. "What's that look for?" The violet flecks in her eyes sparked.
"Oh, nothing. I just love the way you look right now."
"You think so schweetheart?" Chris wiggled his eyebrows and drummed his fingers in the air like he was holding a cigar. Groucho Marx was his specialty. She laughed at how well he could imitate people. She loved calling him her "24 Hour Clown."
"I especially love you for that." Shae glanced at the clock that hung on the freshly painted walls. "As much as I would like to trade weird impressions with you, I have to go."
"No, no, no. Stay with me for a little while longer." His pleading brown eyes begged her not to leave.
"I hate it when you do
that. You think of the most adorable looks and I never want to
walk away from you." He blowed on his fingers and wiped it
on his blue shirt.
"It's all natural talent." She playfully hit his arm
and pecked him on the lips.
"You're not that good, Kirkpatrick. I'll give you 15 more minutes and then I'm out of here."
"I know what I wanna do then." He had a devilish look in his eyes. She ducked away from his incoming face. "You want some ice cream? I want some ice cream." Shae booked it towards the kitchen while Chris followed after her. He snuck up behind her and tickled her when she was hiding behind a corner. Her laugher filled the kitchen. 'I love that laugh.' For the remaining 10 minutes, he wrapped her up and captured her lips in a wild frenzy. "I could definitely get used to this, but time's up."
"Oh fine, if you must leave. I love you, Angel."
"I love you too, baby." She couldn't resist kissing him again and gave him all the love she had in her.
"Whoa, where have you been hiding that one? Can I have another one?" Hints of surprise and intrigue lingered in his voice."Why don't we save that for another time." She hugged him and walked out the door.
Twenty minutes later, Chris felt an intense pain grip in his chest. The pain subsided in a matter of seconds and he immediately thought of Shae. He raced out of the house and peeled away from the driveway in his black Explorer. A news bulletin from the local radio station reported a major car crash involving three cars in Orlando's busiest intersection. He stepped on the gas at the thought of losing Shae that increased every moment he was away from her.
Shards of glass, bright flames, and overturned cars were the first images he saw. Chris pushed through the sea of onlookers and noticed a white Mustang convertible with the driver's door crushed in and the front end completely smashed in. "Shae!" He screamed and rushed over to her at the sudden glimpse of the silver locket he gave her, held tightly in her hand. He gently scooped up her fragile body that lay weak and limp in his arms. Shae had massive wound that lay in her chest causing severe blood loss.
Her voice came out low and raspy, "Baby, I'm dying and there's nothing they can do." She saw his crestfallen face and pain flicker in his eyes.
"You're not dying! I wanted
to have a family with you; there's so much more that I wanted to
do with you." The palm of her hand reached up to caress his
trembling cheek."I know, that was my dream too. Instead,
fate dealt me a different card. Please tell my family that I will
always love them and tell Jay that I will
miss her. I always wanted you my last memory to be of you and I
guess I got my wish. Chris, be brave for me and I will miss you
the most in Heaven."
"Please don't leave!" Chris said as the endless amount of teardrops slid down his face. They kissed each other for the last time. They knew Heaven would be their happy reunion. Their tear stained faces broke away from each other as they exchanged their final "I love you's." He felt her spirit slowly fade away and cradled her body close as she took her last breath. His cheek rested on hers and allowed the tears to fall into her hair. He rocked her gently, never wanting to let go.
*End Flashback*
Even in death Shae Christiansen was beautiful. Her long layered golden strawberry hair framed her pale white complexion and her once vibrant blue eyes lay closed and lifeless. His lip quivered at the sight of the young girl in the white casket. She once held his love and dreams in the palm of her hands.
His expression remained stone cold while his entire body screamed for her to come back. He kept waiting for her wake up from a peace sleep and run into his open arms. Having her ripped away from him was tearing him inside and not to mention clouding his judgement. Chris rubbed his tired, swollen eyes from the lack of sleep over his girlfriend's death. 'It's not fair! He took away the only thing that life meant worth living for. My angel wasn't supposed to go to Heaven yet.' The minister gestured him to provide the eulogy for Shae. As much as he didn't want to, Jayla and the Christiansen's coaxed him into it. This was undeniably the hardest thing he had to face; reliving the pain was too much. He reached the podium and clutched it for fear that his legs would give away.
"Do you remember 'Beauty and the Beast?' In the story, the Beast kept a red rose underneath a glass menagerie to protect its magic. To me, Shae was that flower, delicate and enchanting. Shae was a daughter, sister, and a friend to us all. To say that she was beautiful, caring, funny, and intelligent is not enough for her. Have you ever looked at someone and said that you found your destiny? Well, I found my soul living in her. Here was this tiny, perfect package waiting to be put on Earth, and here she was. She honestly was the greatest love of my life. Finding love like that, it was hard to imagine that it existed and yet it belonged to me. She offered so much to this world and will be greatly missed. I was incredibly lucky to know someone that extraordinary."
The crowded church watched in awe of a man that was so strong and composed as a range of sniffles and shedded tears were heard as he sat down. As their song began to play, the slow ballad filled his empty heart. The words of the lyrics felt like they were bouncing around his heart like a ping pong ball. His vision became blurry as the tears slipped silently from the corners of his brown eyes. Jayla watched her good friend cling onto the memories that he had of her best friend. She whispered words of comfort to him while placing a kiss on his tear streamed cheek. Her small fingers disappeared into his large hand as she gave it a loving squeeze. He turned towards her and gave her a tiny smile for her small gesture.
The wake had ended as loved ones gathered in line to pay their final respects. He remained the last one in line. His time came as he placed an iris in her enclosed hands. Chris always told Shae that irises were the only flowers capable of coming close to her beauty. The purple was rich like her eyes and deep for the love they shared. His final notion was a kiss on her pale pink lips.
