Title: Forever With You
By: Susan Bones
Email: [email protected]
Summary and all other details are found in Chapter One
"Winnie," Jesse breathed, his seawater eyes wide with wonder, confusion and a bright, glowing joy, "You're here."
"I'm here, Jesse," Winnie answered, suddenly all too aware of her muddy, torn dress and her wild, tangled hair.
"Of course I'm here, Jesse. Did you think I'd gone somewhere?" she added, looking almost politely puzzled. Jesse opened his mouth to reply, shut it, and then opened it again.
"That's a very good fish imitation, Jess," Miles said, grinning a little.
Jesse glanced at him before seeming to dismiss him all together.
"It doesn't matter," he told Winnie softly, "We're together again."
"Yes," Winnie whispered before running into the comforting, loving circle that was Jesse's embrace. Miles smiled a little painfully at them before looking away.
"Oh, Jesse, I've missed you so," Winnie said quietly, tightening her arms around Jesse's neck. It was as though she feared to let go.
"I've missed you too, Winnie Foster," Jesse answered, a shy grin blooming on his lips, "But I'm here now and we can go to the spring and we'll be together-"
"Jesse," Winnie said, pulling back a little. Jesse had another sinking. He knew what she would say: "I've done a lot of thinking, Jesse, and I love you, but I can't be with you. I want to live. I want to *grow*. I'm so sorry, I love you, I really do but-"
"Jesse," repeated Winnie, with a bit of alarm in her voice, for he did not seem to be hearing her at all, "Jesse, are you all right?"
"Yes," Jesse answered a tad dully. Winnie pursed her lips, but she said nothing about it.
"Jesse, look at me. It's been two years since last we saw each other. Surely you remember the way I looked back them," Winnie said.
"Sure I do, Winnie. You look exactly the same," Jesse said blankly, not sure as to what her point was. And then he blinked and it hit him, "You did it, oh Winnie!" he cried out, laughing. Winnie smiled wanly.
"I went to the spring the day my grandmother died, two days after you tucks left," she informed him. Jesse paused, his hands on her hips.
"But why, Winnie? Because you didn't want to live anymore? Your parents? Are you afraid to die?" he asked.
Winnie blushed a little and looked away.
"Because I do not think I could have lived a real life without you, Jesse Tuck," she said quietly
Jesse grinned, a little embarrassed.
"I love you, Winnie Foster," he said.
"I love you too, Jesse," she replied, her cheeks flaming. Jesse bent down and kissed her tenderly. He broke it off after a couple of seconds, and looked at her for a moment, seeming to study her intently. Winnie blushed a little harder under his piercing gaze and then he kissed her again. It was like none of their other kisses, which always seemed to be shy and uncertain. Jesse put all of his emotions into this one, everything he felt for Winnie Foster. It was confident and passionate and Winnie felt her blush spread throughout her whole body. She was lightheaded and her inner thighs tingled.
And then it was over. Jesse rested his forehead against Winnie's, breathing a little harder than was normal.
They stayed in this position for a moment or so, eyes closed, a perfect unity of souls.
"Forever with you, Winnie," Jesse murmured before pulling away. Miles had wandered off a few yards and now he looked at them, one eyebrow raised.
"I was afraid I might have to put out a fire for a minute there," he informed them matter-of-factly before stooping to pick up his lantern, "Let's get out of here. Mae'll be wanting to see Winnie."
Winnie slipped her hand into Jesse's as they followed Miles out of the wood.
**
They passed by a small crowd in front of a saloon called the Lady Day. All three heard whispered comments and I suspect only Jesse fully understood.
"Said the girl's dead, did she?"
"Codswallop, if you ask me. Protectin' the hell bound child's what she's doin',"
"Girl sure didn't look sick last time she been here."
"Wa'n't that just last week?"
"Why, Abigail Williams went up there just the other day to deliver Mrs. Foster's new dress. Says the girl answered, lookin' right as rain, if not a bit young for seventeen."
"It's witchcraft, I knows it."
"It's gotta be."
"Aw, who cares? That girl'll be gettin' what she deserves, associatin' with the Devil and all. Straight to Hell for that one when she dies."
"Best not pay attention to her. Always thought them Fosters were an unstable lot, meself."
Jesse, Miles, and Winnie looked at each other before hurrying on their way out of town, none of them daring to look back.
**
Mr. and Mrs. Foster had a grave put into the cemetery beside Mrs. Foster's mother's plot a week later. They had given up any hope of finding the girl, dead or alive and since the villagers believed Winnie to be dead, they thought it would be convincing if a grave were in the cemetery.
Those at the Lady Day eventually forgot Winnie Foster had ever existed.
Years passed, Treegap went under a series of radical changes, as all small towns eventually do when the modern world finally catches up to them. Mr. and Mrs. Foster passed away and the property went to Michael Darling of London, England, Mr. Foster's second cousin. He did not talk much to the town's people and wrote stories about a flying boy named Peter. He was thought quite mad for claims of once knowing the boy.
As for Miles Tuck, eight years after he and Jesse brought Winnie back to the Tucks, he moved to a little town by name of Derry. There he met a sweet, charming woman called Valencia Loring. They were married a year after they met in 1958 and six months after Miles had told her of the spring. She had agreed to drink from it. They traveled back to Treegap one final time and three months later the wood (along with the spring) was destroyed in a fire. Miles thought it very lucky he had taken three bottles full of water with him.
Angus Tuck was hardly upset with Winnie for drinking from the spring. He only embraced her tightly; glad he had not lost this precious girl to the wheel.
"Are you ours now, Winnie?" Mae asked, her eyes brimming with tears. Winnie (her own eyes tearing) could only nod and Mae and Tuck clasped her so firmly, she could not breathe.
They were elated by the news that she and Jesse were to be married the next week and as they stood in the common room of their new home, Winnie looked around at them. The Tucks. Her darling Tucks. She sighed contentedly, the sound of the Tuck's laughter and their merry voices all around her.
She was home.
Thanks to:
Haven (Yes. Yes, they are. And who says you can't have them both? Lol)
Jenna (Glad you liked it! And you're welcome)
Ingrid (Aww, thanks! That's really sweet of you. I feel loved. Lol. Hope you liked chapter four as much as the first three)
CrazyBeautiful Dru (I'm delighted you liked it! Thanks for the review!)
Lily (Yes, poor Jesse. I felt bad for him after chapter three. Poor boy goes through a lot of torment. I need to stop watching so many soap operas. I hope you enjoyed this installment as much as you did the others!)
A/N: Well, there you go. Chapter four is complete. I'd like to thank all my reviewers once again! I love you guys! And a special thank you to Valencia Loring for just being so darn cute! Lol. I hope you all had as much fun reading the story as I did writing it. Thanks again, you guys are the best!
^Susie^
By: Susan Bones
Email: [email protected]
Summary and all other details are found in Chapter One
"Winnie," Jesse breathed, his seawater eyes wide with wonder, confusion and a bright, glowing joy, "You're here."
"I'm here, Jesse," Winnie answered, suddenly all too aware of her muddy, torn dress and her wild, tangled hair.
"Of course I'm here, Jesse. Did you think I'd gone somewhere?" she added, looking almost politely puzzled. Jesse opened his mouth to reply, shut it, and then opened it again.
"That's a very good fish imitation, Jess," Miles said, grinning a little.
Jesse glanced at him before seeming to dismiss him all together.
"It doesn't matter," he told Winnie softly, "We're together again."
"Yes," Winnie whispered before running into the comforting, loving circle that was Jesse's embrace. Miles smiled a little painfully at them before looking away.
"Oh, Jesse, I've missed you so," Winnie said quietly, tightening her arms around Jesse's neck. It was as though she feared to let go.
"I've missed you too, Winnie Foster," Jesse answered, a shy grin blooming on his lips, "But I'm here now and we can go to the spring and we'll be together-"
"Jesse," Winnie said, pulling back a little. Jesse had another sinking. He knew what she would say: "I've done a lot of thinking, Jesse, and I love you, but I can't be with you. I want to live. I want to *grow*. I'm so sorry, I love you, I really do but-"
"Jesse," repeated Winnie, with a bit of alarm in her voice, for he did not seem to be hearing her at all, "Jesse, are you all right?"
"Yes," Jesse answered a tad dully. Winnie pursed her lips, but she said nothing about it.
"Jesse, look at me. It's been two years since last we saw each other. Surely you remember the way I looked back them," Winnie said.
"Sure I do, Winnie. You look exactly the same," Jesse said blankly, not sure as to what her point was. And then he blinked and it hit him, "You did it, oh Winnie!" he cried out, laughing. Winnie smiled wanly.
"I went to the spring the day my grandmother died, two days after you tucks left," she informed him. Jesse paused, his hands on her hips.
"But why, Winnie? Because you didn't want to live anymore? Your parents? Are you afraid to die?" he asked.
Winnie blushed a little and looked away.
"Because I do not think I could have lived a real life without you, Jesse Tuck," she said quietly
Jesse grinned, a little embarrassed.
"I love you, Winnie Foster," he said.
"I love you too, Jesse," she replied, her cheeks flaming. Jesse bent down and kissed her tenderly. He broke it off after a couple of seconds, and looked at her for a moment, seeming to study her intently. Winnie blushed a little harder under his piercing gaze and then he kissed her again. It was like none of their other kisses, which always seemed to be shy and uncertain. Jesse put all of his emotions into this one, everything he felt for Winnie Foster. It was confident and passionate and Winnie felt her blush spread throughout her whole body. She was lightheaded and her inner thighs tingled.
And then it was over. Jesse rested his forehead against Winnie's, breathing a little harder than was normal.
They stayed in this position for a moment or so, eyes closed, a perfect unity of souls.
"Forever with you, Winnie," Jesse murmured before pulling away. Miles had wandered off a few yards and now he looked at them, one eyebrow raised.
"I was afraid I might have to put out a fire for a minute there," he informed them matter-of-factly before stooping to pick up his lantern, "Let's get out of here. Mae'll be wanting to see Winnie."
Winnie slipped her hand into Jesse's as they followed Miles out of the wood.
**
They passed by a small crowd in front of a saloon called the Lady Day. All three heard whispered comments and I suspect only Jesse fully understood.
"Said the girl's dead, did she?"
"Codswallop, if you ask me. Protectin' the hell bound child's what she's doin',"
"Girl sure didn't look sick last time she been here."
"Wa'n't that just last week?"
"Why, Abigail Williams went up there just the other day to deliver Mrs. Foster's new dress. Says the girl answered, lookin' right as rain, if not a bit young for seventeen."
"It's witchcraft, I knows it."
"It's gotta be."
"Aw, who cares? That girl'll be gettin' what she deserves, associatin' with the Devil and all. Straight to Hell for that one when she dies."
"Best not pay attention to her. Always thought them Fosters were an unstable lot, meself."
Jesse, Miles, and Winnie looked at each other before hurrying on their way out of town, none of them daring to look back.
**
Mr. and Mrs. Foster had a grave put into the cemetery beside Mrs. Foster's mother's plot a week later. They had given up any hope of finding the girl, dead or alive and since the villagers believed Winnie to be dead, they thought it would be convincing if a grave were in the cemetery.
Those at the Lady Day eventually forgot Winnie Foster had ever existed.
Years passed, Treegap went under a series of radical changes, as all small towns eventually do when the modern world finally catches up to them. Mr. and Mrs. Foster passed away and the property went to Michael Darling of London, England, Mr. Foster's second cousin. He did not talk much to the town's people and wrote stories about a flying boy named Peter. He was thought quite mad for claims of once knowing the boy.
As for Miles Tuck, eight years after he and Jesse brought Winnie back to the Tucks, he moved to a little town by name of Derry. There he met a sweet, charming woman called Valencia Loring. They were married a year after they met in 1958 and six months after Miles had told her of the spring. She had agreed to drink from it. They traveled back to Treegap one final time and three months later the wood (along with the spring) was destroyed in a fire. Miles thought it very lucky he had taken three bottles full of water with him.
Angus Tuck was hardly upset with Winnie for drinking from the spring. He only embraced her tightly; glad he had not lost this precious girl to the wheel.
"Are you ours now, Winnie?" Mae asked, her eyes brimming with tears. Winnie (her own eyes tearing) could only nod and Mae and Tuck clasped her so firmly, she could not breathe.
They were elated by the news that she and Jesse were to be married the next week and as they stood in the common room of their new home, Winnie looked around at them. The Tucks. Her darling Tucks. She sighed contentedly, the sound of the Tuck's laughter and their merry voices all around her.
She was home.
Thanks to:
Haven (Yes. Yes, they are. And who says you can't have them both? Lol)
Jenna (Glad you liked it! And you're welcome)
Ingrid (Aww, thanks! That's really sweet of you. I feel loved. Lol. Hope you liked chapter four as much as the first three)
CrazyBeautiful Dru (I'm delighted you liked it! Thanks for the review!)
Lily (Yes, poor Jesse. I felt bad for him after chapter three. Poor boy goes through a lot of torment. I need to stop watching so many soap operas. I hope you enjoyed this installment as much as you did the others!)
A/N: Well, there you go. Chapter four is complete. I'd like to thank all my reviewers once again! I love you guys! And a special thank you to Valencia Loring for just being so darn cute! Lol. I hope you all had as much fun reading the story as I did writing it. Thanks again, you guys are the best!
^Susie^