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.
"Seventeen." she said triumphantly. "Just like you." Jesse smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They walked until the sun began to set, and they realized how hungry they were. They walked back to the house, giggling like children. When they opened the door, Cheri was immediately upon them, seizing Winnie from Jesse.
"You took her out into the cold when she was still wet!" she scolded. "Look at her cheeks! She's flushed! She may get sick!" Winnie and Jesse shared a glance and a small chuckle at this. They heard someone clear their throat, and they looked up to see Miles leaning against the door frame to the kitchen.
"Miles!" Jesse exclaimed, as he crossed the room to embrace his brother. Miles patted Jesse's back.
"It's been too long." Miles said. Jesse nodded, and Miles looked him up and down. "You've grown!" he joked. Jesse rolled his eyes, and then looked back at Winnie.
"How did you and Winnie wind up together, here?" He asked. Miles raised an eyebrow.
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Miles said. "What are you doing here?" Jesse reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter. He gave it a small shake, with a cocky grin. Miles sighed. "My letter." he said. Jesse nodded.
"You told me you were in France, and that you were suspicious that someone was following you. So, I came to help get you out of that pickle. Andre is a good friend of mine, whom I met in Paris some years back. I figured I could stay with him until I found you." Jesse laughed. "Isn't the world funny?"
Cheri pushed Winnie toward the boys, and ushered everyone into the kitchen. "You can talk, and eat." she said. The kitchen was made of stone, but had a warm fireplace against the wall. A large wooden table nearly took up the entire room, but they all squeezed in to find a seat. Andre entered with Erik and took a seat at the head of the table.
Cheri carried large trays of mouthwatering food to the table. Steamy chicken, vegetables, and warm bread. When she sat, Winnie realized that there was still one seat available. Suddenly, Cheri yelled, "HENRI GET DOWN HERE!"
The kitchen door suddenly swung open, and a small boy around the age of five hurried to the empty seat. He had curly dark hair like his father, but had green eyes like his mother. He was very pale and skinny, and wore brown shorts and a white button up shirt. His father reached over and pet his head fondly.
"My friends," he said, "this is my son, Henri." The boy sat up straight at the mention of his name, and smiled broadly, revealing a missing front tooth. Winnie and Jesse smiled back, and Henri stuck his tongue at Jesse. Jesse then playfully made a funny face, which made Henri laugh. Miles kicked Jesse in the leg and shook his head disapprovingly.
Through dinner, Miles and Winnie told Jesse about how they had met, and how Andre had brought them here. Then, Miles told Jesse about the man he suspected was following him. "We lost him when we jumped in the river." he said. Miles leaned over to Jesse and whispered so that the others wouldn't hear him, "He knows that Winnie and I can't die."
Jesse chewed his food, thinking, then he whispered back, "If we head back to America as soon as we can, he will never find us." Miles shook his head.
"I can't," he whispered. "I promised Andre that I would help train the resistance." Jesse raised an eyebrow, so Miles clarified. "The villagers have formed a secret resistance against the Nazis. They have weapons, but they need some training." Jesse nodded, understandingly.
"What can I do to help?" he asked. Miles looked at his brother.
"You and Winnie should go." he said. "Back to America." Jesse shook his head, and then sharply whispered in his ear.
"We won't leave without you." Just then Andre cleared his throat, and Miles and Jesse looked up. Andre leaned forward and grabbed the last piece of bread before speaking.
"I think that we should all get to bed." He announced. "Jesse, you can sleep in the guest room with your brother. Winnie, I assume Cheri already showed you to your room?" Winnie nodded, and then shared a glance with Jesse. Cheri got out of her chair and wiped some crumbs from Henri's face, while everyone else left the room to get ready for bed.
Jesse followed Winnie to the stairs, and then they turned to face each other. Jesse wrapped his fingers around her hand, and said, "Goodnight, Winnie Foster." he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they stayed like that for a moment, before they heard a small giggle. They turned to see Henri watching them from the door to the kitchen.
Suddenly, Cheri appeared behind him, and glared at Jesse. "I trust your intentions are honorable, Jesse Tuck." she said, "But unless you and this young girl are married, I suggest you get upstairs, now!"
Winnie blushed, and she and Jesse scrambled up the stairs. They shared a last glance before Jesse closed the door to his room, and Winnie climbed up the ladder to hers.
Once she was in bed, Winnie closed her eyes, smiling. Thinking about how lucky she was to have finally found Jesse. She was just about to drift off to sleep, when she heard somebody climbing up the ladder. She sat up to see Jesse's dark figure emerging from below. "Winnie?" he whispered. He walked to the side of her bed.
"Could I stay with you tonight?" he asked. "I just want to be near you." he admitted. "I will sleep on the floor if I make you uncomfortable." Winnie shook her head.
"No, here." she moved over in bed to make room, and then patted the other side of the bed. He hesitated, and then climbed under the covers with her. He still smelled the same as he used to, like soap and trees. She turned on her side to face him, and he turned to face her. For a moment, the just listened to the steady sound of their breathing. Eventually, they drifted to sleep.
The urgent sound of someone banging on the door awoke them both. They both blushed as they realized that they had been holding each other while they slept, and they sat up. It was still dark outside. Miles suddenly appeared at the top of the ladder. Breathing hard, he looked from Jesse to Winnie, with an alarmed look on his face.
"Come quick." He said.