#Jasper Kennedy x Colleen Murphy

[colleenmurphy]

[colleenmurphy]

"Mary Colleen Concepta Murphy!"

A flurry of long dark hair and limbs were all Minnie Sheehan and James Murphy saw as they managed to finally open the door to their teenage daughter's bedroom. Them calling her full government name was all she heard. She stopped to blow a kiss to her very best friend in the whole world and she was off like a rocket down Cotter Street and away from everything she'd ever known. Somewhere behind her and to her right she heard Jimmy fire up the ancient station wagon and back out of the driveway. She continued to run out onto Smith street Jimmy following pushing her to double down and book it harder. The Reynolds' dog ran out in front of her causing her to twirl around it light on her feet, the station wagon inching towards her causing her heart to hammer harder. Out of the alley leading from the Tin Loon Chinese restaurant and the Speedy Cleaners she heard a familiar rumble the shot coated Ford that was driven by her

She had withdrawn all of her savings in her account and cashed out the CD Nana Murphy had gifted her. The love she felt for her family had been overshadowed by meeting her soulmate. Yes, she was well aware that they were young and the world was cruel but Jasper Emmett Kennedy felt like the safest place in the world. He was home. Wherever he went she vowed and wanted to follow. She had left a note explaining exactly why they had to leave. They had to take life by the horns and just go. As if merely the thought of him summoned him like angel from above, his grey shot coated Ford with flames on the hood pulled up further ahead. She had a promising future in track and field until she'd found out she'd been waitlisted by damn near every college she'd applied to. Why wait for a future that wasn't set in stone? Yes, she had loved running and was damn good at it but there was so much more to life than competing in sport and getting degrees. The fact that her guidance counselor thought she was a lost cause from an 'economically challenged' home didn't help her cause and her transcripts now sat in some filing cabinet in Charles S. Buckman High school collecting dust and showing in bold type that she had been an honors students all throughout her schooling. Life was more than scraping by and hoping that you were happy like Jimmy and Minnie ended up having to do. They had been the ones to tell her to follow her heart and follow her dreams and that there wasn't anything that she couldn't accomplish if she set her mind to it. So here she was, savings in a bank envelope, traveling light with the clothes she packed, her toothbrush and her stuffed tiger, Striper wrapped carefully in her baby blanket Minnie had made her. Her important papers were held in a ziplock to keep water out just in case Jasper's soft top leaked somewhere along the line.

"COLLY WAIT!"

Brakes squealed as Jimmy stopped the Murphy Mobile as Col called it, to a dead stop in the middle of the street. It was at the moment that Minnie's head popped out of the passenger side window.

"I love you both."

She blew them a kiss and took off down the street to where the Ford sat idling and all but leaped over the door to get into the passenger seat. Back home in what was once her bedroom with it's white wicker furniture and ballet slipper pink walls was a message written in Ruby Rouge lipstick were the words she had felt for a very long time.

"We were not born to drown."

She leaned over and kissed Jasper so hard she felt a squeak as lips crushed together in a frantic exchange of souls and breath.

"Call us if you need anything! We love you both!"

Was what passersby heard Minnie shout as Jimmy wrapped an arm around his wife's slight form as she waved teary eyed.

"You take care of our girl, Kennedy! Love you more...Love you more..."

For the first time since his daughter had come into the world James Patrick Murphy cried as he watched her spread her wings with a man that he knew was going to be rock solid...even if he was still a kid himself.