AN: Alright, so I've had this idea bouncing around in my head ever since I saw Bandstand, and I finally decided to write it. And since it was announced to day that Bandstand will be closing in a little over a month, you guys can also think of this as a tribute to that absolutely gorgeous show that is closing way before it's time. For those of you who don't know the show, this is set in the 1940s right after the end of World War II. And let me just say, this is one heck of a one-shot so get ready.
Jack Kelly was a horrible person. And he knew it, too. Not yet granting his best friends dying wish, could it get any worse? He planned to get around to it eventually, he just hadn't worked up the courage yet. That thought sounded stupid as soon as it came into his head. He fought for his life in the pacific for four years, and won (more or less), but he was scared of doing this one thing. Stupid, sure, but true nonetheless. About six months after Jack had enlisted, just after they'd finished training, his best friend Davey Jacobs had asked a favor of him.
"If anything happens to me while we're over there, promise me that you'll check in on my wife, Katherine, and make sure she's alright."
That's all he'd asked him to do. At the time, Jack laughed it off, sure that nothing would happen and they would both make it back home. He'd been young and stupid back then. But he agreed, promised that he would make sure Katherine was okay, on the slight chance that he made it home and Davey didn't. As it turned out, it was more than a slight chance, and now Jack was back in New York, and Davey was buried somewhere under the ground in Manila. He shuddered at that thought. He'd been back in New York for a little over four months now, in fact, and he passed Katherine's door every day and could never bring himself to knock.
Now here he was, standing in front of that door. He'd been staring at the door for almost five minutes. He wasn't sure what he was so nervous about. He guessed it was the fact that as soon as he talked to her, he'd be forced to face memories of Davey and the war that he'd been unsuccessfully trying to repress. Or maybe he was worried that she would hate him for coming back without her husband. Or... He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. He'd spent four years in an almost literal hell, fighting the Japanese, for Christ's sake. This was nothing. So, he took a deep breath and knocked. He didn't know how long he waited for someone to answer the door, but it felt like an eternity and no one came. Deciding that she wasn't home, he resolved to just come back later. But the second he turned around to leave, the door opened.
"Hey!" Jack froze before slowly turning around. He instantly recognized the woman standing before him as Katherine. Davey had shown him what seemed like hundreds of pictures of her. "Aren't you a little old for ding dong ditch?" She had her eyebrows raised, and she looked mildly confused. He scratched the back of his neck and gave her a sheepish look.
"Sorry." She just kept on looking at him. "Oh yeah, uh, hi, I'm Jack Kelly. I knew Davey, fought alongside him in the war."
"He sent you to check on me." She guessed, the confused look gone.
"Yeah."
"He was too nice for his own good sometimes." She smiled fondly, but the smile quickly disappeared. "Well, thank you for coming by, Mr. Kelly, I can tell you myself that I'm fine, so that should put your mind at ease. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." She moved to close the door, but Jack, suddenly feeling brave, grabbed hold of the door before she could shut it.
"I dunno if I can just take your word for it."
"What else do you want me to do, put it in writing? Because I can if you want me to."
"I was thinking more along the lines of you inviting me to come inside, talk to me about how you're holding up?" Katherine immediately looked shocked, and Jack regretted his words, suddenly realizing how they could've been misinterpreted.
