I do not own Bridge to Terabithia or the characters within it. I only own my thoughts and the story that comes from them. (the first chapter or so is going to be based on what happened in the movie, but what happens from there are my thoughts alone)

This is a story about what would have happened if Jesse hadn't made it to the museum. What if he had gotten to Terabithia in time to witness what happened to Leslie and save her?

Jesse Aarons sighed softly as he rolled over in bed and snagged up his sketch book. He flipped through the pages and stopped when he came to the one sketch of his best friend Leslie Burke. The small smile that whisked its way across his lips was unmistakable. He cared for Leslie deeply, maybe more than an eleven year old boy should. But the two were best friends and only time would tell what would happen between them. A shout from downstairs pulled Jesse from his thoughts and he slammed his sketch book closed with a bang.

"What?" He yelled as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and made his way around his makeshift curtain separating his and May Belle's rooms.

"The phone's for you. It's your girlfriend!" May Belle giggled as she jogged into their bedroom and tossed the phone at Jesse before taking off back down the stairs. Jesse rolled his eyes and snatched up the phone.

"She's not my girlfriend!" me muttered to himself as he shook his head slowly and placed the receiver to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jess! Sorry to bother you on your weekend off, but I have a question for you." The soft voice came across the line and startled Jesse. It wasn't Leslie after all. It was Ms. Edmonds, his teacher.

"Oh! Ms. Edmonds. That's okay, I don't mind." Jesse stammered for a moment as he sat back down on his bed with a curious look on his face. He had always had a slight crush on Ms. Edmonds and her calling him on a Saturday morning was quite the surprise.

"Well, I have tickets to the museum and I was supposed to take my nephews today, but my sister called and cancelled last minute, so I was wondering…." She trailed off softly but Jesse knew exactly what she was asking and his excitement was evident.

"I'd love to! Let me ask my mom!" Jesse cried in excitement as he cupped the phone in his hand and took off down the hallway to his parents room. His mother was napping. His baby sister Joyce Anne had kept her up all night and she was tired. He crept into the room slowly, peeking his head in the doorway and stopping there.

"Mom?"

"Hm? What is it? Is it the baby?" she called groggily, rolling over to look at Jesse with sleepy eyes.

"No, May Belle's got her." Jesse reassured her quickly. "Ms. Edmonds was wondering if I could go to the museum with her today?" He asked. But Mrs. Aarons had already rolled back over and started to fall back asleep.

"Is that okay?" Jesse asked again, still clutching the phone in his hand.

"Mmm." Mrs. Aarons mumbled softly. Simply wanting peace and quiet so she could continue her nap. Jesse took the mumble as a yes and stepped quietly out of the bedroom. He raised the phone back to his ear.

"Ms. Edmonds? Mom said I could go!" They finished their conversation, deciding that Jesse should get ready and Ms. Edmonds would pick him up in five minutes. After hanging up the call Jesse raced back to his room and quickly got changed. He threw on a t-shirt with less grass stains on it than the others, and a pair of jeans to match. Grabbing his sweater on his way out of his room, he tied it around his waist and raced down the stairs. He made it outside just as Ms. Edmonds was pulling into his driveway. He ran up to her car and hopped in the passenger seat with a smile.

"Good morning Jess. Beautiful day." Ms. Edmonds smiled back at him as she waited for him to put on his seatbelt and then started out of the driveway.

"Good morning." Jesse replied politely as he gazed out the window at Leslie's house just as they were driving by.

"What's the matter? Did you forget something?" Ms. Edmonds asked as she noticed Jesse had gone quiet. Jesse shook his head slowly, turning away from the window to look back at his teacher.

"Nope, I have everything." He replied with a smile. He was debating bringing Leslie along. But for some reason he didn't want to this time. He wanted to spend time with Ms. Edmonds alone. Besides, Leslie would understand.