Kaylor Family One-Shots

Life Fades

This is part two of Measuring Life;

Taylor's P.O.V

Smoothing down the silk of my dress I stare at myself in the mirror. The person staring back at me is a stranger now. The sunken eyes covered in makeup trying to look presentable, despite that being presentable ranks very low on my list today. I glance across the room at Karlie dressed in her slick black formal trousers and a black blouse. She attempts a smile from where she sits putting on her jewellery but it just seems too far-fetched today. "Are you okay Taylor?" she questions coming and standing behind me, her hands resting gently on my shoulders. I shrug, not really knowing what else I could possibly do to explain if I am okay or not. I settle for a simple shake of the head. Turning around to her I notice her reddened eyes. "It's just not fair Karlie." I state as Karlie opens her arms and lets me in. Rubbing her hand up and down my back she says in a low voice. "I know. But she deserves a proper send off." I nod but don't completely agree with Karlie. How can we be expected to bury our four year old daughter who died less than two weeks ago, how can we move on?

Karlie seems more protective when we finally step outside the apartment door, "are you ready?" she questions and although it is double edged in terms of am I ready to face the paparazzi who will be out in full force or am I ready to say goodbye, both of which I don't know the answer. "As I possibly can be, just promise to hold me." Karlie looks at me and kisses my forehead.
"Always baby. You know that." I take her hand and lace it with mine as I carefully step into the elevator and we ride down to the lobby of our apartment building. "You ready?" She questions I look at her and nodded. "I have to be. It's happening anyway." She nods as we step out into a sea of paparazzi who for once are respectful, they don't take picture and they don't shove us around. Karlie walks us quickly towards the waiting SUV but at the last minute I turn and address the paparazzi. They all look at me and are quiet, "I just wanted to say that I admire you all a lot for letting Karlie and I grieve on a day that should never have come so soon. Your respect means a lot to us in these times and I would like to extend my gratitude towards each and every one of you." No one says anything as I step towards the car and sit down. Karlie takes my hand once more as we drive towards the church where we are holding the funeral of our beautiful girl.

An hour later and we are approaching the speeches and both Karlie and I had decided not to give one, it would simply be too hard. Several of our family and friends offered to give them including Cara who was going first. I watched her stand up there and then she started to speak. "I didn't know Penelope for very long, in fact the first time I met her she was almost four weeks old and sleeping most of the day, I remember thinking that she looked so cute and then as if on request she farted. This cemented her as a legend in my book, I had never heard a baby fart before and to be honest it was so tiny but I picked it up. Penelope and I spent a bit of time together just before she died and the only thing that she told me I needed to work on when I asked her was she said I needed to find a good wife." This made everyone laugh including me. I see Cara looking at me, "so Penelope because of you I will try my hardest to find a wife that even you would approve of, hopefully we can kiss like your mommies do. I love you so much P. Dawg, I'll miss you." I attempt to dry my eyes as Cara finishes but after going through five tissues I decide that today appearances don't matter. Looking at Karlie who is trying hard to fight the tears I lean into her and whisper. "It's okay baby, you can cry." She nods and a stream of tears flood out of her eyes. Our moms place their hands on our backs in sympathy but only Karlie and I know how we are feeling. It takes until my dad's speech for me to start to feel a little better. I watch him stand and move up to the front, he takes out his speech and starts to talk. "From the minute I laid eyes on Penelope I knew she would always be a handful and I wasn't wrong, she showed so much of Taylor in her and every conversation Andrea and I ever had with Tracey and Kurt was always about how Penelope was a perfect balance, from her looks to her cheeky mannerisms. It was clear that she was 100% a Swift-Kloss. No one could rule she was one or the other it was the perfect amount of both Taylor and Karlie. I remember when she was first diagnosed and Karlie turned up to our hotel room since we were all in New York but Andrea wanted to give them space since Penelope was sick. She said nothing, which was strange and instead walked straight into my arms and sobbed for ten minutes before pulling back and saying Penelope had cancer and then she smiled again, like nothing had ever happened." I looked at Karlie, I had no idea she had been to see my parents. "I asked Penelope in our little 'me time' a few days before she died if she knew what she wanted to do later. She looked me dead in the eye and said 'grandpa I'm dying. Make me a sandwich.' She had no idea of the double meaning and before I could react she started sprouting off names, 'Amanda, Chloe, Jasmine, Andrew, Patrick, Thomas...' the list went on and when she finished I asked her why she said those names and she told me that Taylor and Karlie could use those names for her brother or sister and she was adamant." I felt myself smile and Karlie's hand tighten on my own. "I decided not to tell you two about that moment until today," Scott states wiping away his tears. "We will all miss Penelope but she will only be gone, never forgotten." Scott says as he steps away from the podium on the small stage and that's when I realise that they may take Penelope from us but her memories remain. We have some amazing memories with our little girl and as Karlie and I leave the cemetery later as Penelope is buried I remember the good times and one look at Karlie tells me she is thinking the same thing.