Tuck Everlasting, The Continued Story.

Chapter 9

Winnie and Jesse stood outside of a tavern that was on the outskirts of town. They could feel the warmth coming from inside, and could smell the cigars and beer. Winnie looked at Jesse with raised eyebrows, and Jesse sighed. He walked ahead and pushed the creaky door open, with Winnie following behind. When they both entered the dim room, they saw that there were only a couple of old men sitting at a table, and a man sitting alone at the bar. The bartender glanced at Winnie and Jesse, but then went back to cleaning a mug.

Jesse walked across the room and sat on the stool beside the man. Winnie wondered if she should give them privacy, but then decided that she wanted to know why Miles had run off, and she sat in the stool next to Jesse. They both watched Miles stare straight ahead, but he didn't acknowledge their presence. He finished off his beer, and then he gave a sideways glance to Jesse and Winnie. His eyes were puffy.

"That little girl," he said. He waved at the bartender, and the bartender poured him another glass. "she looked just like my little Anna." He tossed his head back and drank for a long time without stopping. Then he slammed his glass down on the counted, panting.

Anna was Miles' daughter, whom he loved very dearly. She died when she was 15, from pneumonia.

Jesse put his hand on Miles' shoulder. "You don't have to do this to yourself." he said. Miles sighed, and Jesse continued. "What happened to Anna, wasn't your fault."

Miles shook his head, and looked at Jesse with pain in his eyes. He dug some change from his pocket and slammed it on the table. "Lets get some rest." He said. "We've got a busy day tomorrow." He stood from his stool and gently pushed Jesse and Winnie towards the door with him. "Merci Boucoup!" he shouted back at the bartender. The old men sitting at the table turned to watch them leave, but then went back to their conversation.

As they stepped into the cold, they pushed their hands into their pockets. The temperature had dropped since they went into the tavern, and the moon was no longer as high as it once was. Miles walked far ahead of Jesse and Winnie, who walked side by side with synchronized steps.

"Is he going to be ok?" Winnie whispered to Jesse. Jesse nodded.

"Yeah, he just gets like this sometimes." He replied. "Things set him off that remind him of his old life. But he will be back to his old self tomorrow."  He put his arm around her shoulder, and kissed her on the head. "Don't worry." He said.

The next morning, Miles left early with Andre and Erik to train the troops. Jesse and Winnie felt like children, being pampered by Cheri. She made them a big breakfast, which Winnie felt guilty about, because she knew that times were hard for the people of France. Henri however, didn't mind at all, and seemed to inhale his entire meal. He was very fascinated with Jesse, and they were making faces at each other throughout breakfast. He wasn't the only one who was fascinated with Jesse though; Winnie couldn't take her eyes off of him. She still couldn't believe that he was there with her, after all these years.

She waited until Jesse was finished with his breakfast, then, she leaned toward him with a glisten of mischief in her eyes. "Jesse," she said. "Maybe, you and I should train with Miles?" Jesse raised his eyebrows in surprise and she explained, "It could help the villagers to have a couple more volunteers, and it could benefit us as well to know how to fight back." Jesse pondered this smiling, but then his smile faded.

"We can't kill people." he said hesitantly. Winnie shook her head.

"We wont kill people." She replied. "Its just self defense." He chuckled. "We will do what we can to protect these villagers from the Nazis." He ran his hands through his hair, breathing deep, and then met her eyes. He smiled mischievously back at her and nodded.

"Lets go find Miles." He said. Winnie giggled as he leapt from his seat, and almost knocked the table over. He gave Winnie a guilty look, the tips of his ears turning pink, and they quickly sped out of the kitchen. They grabbed their coats off the coat rack in a swift motion, and Jesse opened the front door. 

"After you." He said, and Winnie walked backwards out the door, her eyes never leaving his. She walked out the door and spun around to make sure he was coming. He was closer than she thought, and they bumped into each other.

Jesse wrapped his fingers around hers, and they both grinned at each other as they turned to walk down the windy streets to where Miles had told Jesse he was going.