Tuck Everlasting, The Continued Story.

Chapter 7

Winnie had spent years thinking about what she would say. She had planned on confronting him, asking why he hadn't come for her, and she had planned on being angry. However, all of those pre notions immediately left her mind the moment she saw Jesse's face. He looked exactly the same as he did 40 years ago; his gaze filling Winnie with the same sensation that it once did.

Winnie flew down the stairs and into his arms before she could bat an eyelash. They both laughed as he caught her and spun her around and around, until they were both so dizzy that they lost their balance and tumbled to the floor. They looked sheepishly at each other, before they burst out laughing again. They sat on their knees, facing each other, and Jesse placed his hands on either side of her face.

He wiped the tears from her face and seemed to study her for a moment, memorizing every detail, refreshing the memories that he had been holding onto for so many years. Winnie heard Andre usher the others from the room, but she didn't care. Her heart beat so fiercely that she was sure that Jesse could here it. Jesse softly leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Winnie closed her eyes, and savored the moment.

When Jesse pulled away, they both smiled and rested their foreheads against each others, listening to the steady sound of their synchronized breathing. "Jesse," Winnie whispered, he leaned forward and kissed her again. Then they both embraced.

"Winnie," he said softly into her hair, "I never thought I'd see you again." Winnie held him tighter, afraid of losing him.

"Neither did I." She answered. Jesse pulled back and looked at Winnie. "Why didn't you come back?" she whispered. Jesse's eyebrows creased, and his eyes seemed to get misty.

"Lets take a walk." he suggested. Winnie nodded, so Jesse stood and then held her hand to pull her up as well. They still held hands as they walked to the front door. Jesse turned back to see Miles standing next to the stairs. Miles nodded in understanding.

"We'll talk when you get back." Miles said. Jesse slightly smiled, and nodded back at his brother, before turning back to Winnie and leading her out the door. They walked along the cobblestoned street until they reached a stone bridge. The walk was silent, but the never let go of one another's hand.

Winnie leaned back against the stone wall of the bridge, and looked at Jesse expectantly. Jesse ran his hand through his hair, and took a deep breath. 

"So," Winnie began, "why didn't you come back to Treegap?"

He looked at her, with pain in his eyes. "Winnie," he said, "I did. I came back to Treegap..." he looked at his feet. "I thought that you were dead." he said softly. He looked at her, "When I went to Treegap, I went to your house to find you. I knocked on the front door, and an old woman answered. I soon realized that she was your mother." he paused. "She told me that you had died when you were 25, the year before, and I blamed myself for being too late." He shook his head. "It killed me."

Winnie felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She had left her family when she was 25 because they were beginning to wonder why she still looked like a seventeen year old. She had gone to live in the Tuck's old cabin in the woods, but she hadn't known that her mother believed her to be dead. What a mess of things.

A huge grin suddenly spread across Jesse's face, and his eyes began to twinkle with excitement. He grabbed Winnie's hands and spun her around. "But you're alive! You went to the spring!" he sang out. Winnie laughed, and realized that she was finally happy. It was a feeling that she had been denying herself for a long time.

They walked together in the park, reminiscing about the time they had spent together. 

"So, how old were you when you went to the spring?" he asked. Winnie kicked a pebble with her foot.