Author's Note: I wrote this a few years ago. It would probably be classified as a Character Essay and more than a Fan Fiction, but I thought you guys would like reading it anyway.

Soul Meets Body

Jesse Tuck never knew love. He would not allow himself to. He saw what love did to his brother. It tore him apart until he was only a shadow of the great man Jesse had admired all of his life. Miles seemed to slowly and eventually get over his heartbreak, but never fully. Jesse could always see the pain in his brother's eyes.

That is why he vowed to never fall in love himself. He did not want to suffer the way Miles had. The way he knew he would. Because--like the death of everything around him--if he fell in love, it would die eventually as well, and heartbreak would be inevitable.

Still, not loving was painful as well. Despite his cheerful façade, he was hurting. Down to his very core he felt the pain of loss that he would never experience. His body was still as healthy and young as it had ever been. But his soul was slowly dying, withering away in starvation. He imagined that if he ever saw an image of his soul, it would be quite similar to that of Dorian Grey, decaying and rotten.

He did not want to worry Mae or Tuck with his sorrows. It would be cruel to make them suffer as well. So he appeared as happy as possible while in their presence. Letting them believe that he was (and would always be) young and carefree, without a worry in the world.

Then, one day, Winnie Foster appeared in his life. She discovered their secret, and Mae told her everything. At first Jesse was frightened. Could the child be trusted? Would this be the end of the secret of the spring? Despite his forth-comings he continued with his ever jovial appearance; swimming in the pond, devouring dinner like he would never get another bite in his life, and enjoying the rest of the evening in normal behavior. But that night, as he lie in bed, he was finally able to sort out his thoughts and feelings.

Winnie Foster had vowed her silence concerning the spring, something not many humans would do. Jesse had been around for nearly a century, and considered that he knew more than a little bit about the nature of people.

Winnie Foster accepted them. Perhaps not fully, but the desire to accept them was evident. It was obvious that she had been brought up in a sheltered way, being taught prejudice and fear concerning the unknown.. But despite that, she still had a courageous heart that was willing to at least attempt to accept.

Winnie Foster was refined and lovely. It seems that her strict upbringing did have some positive effects.

To Jesse, Winnie Foster was indeed an admirable young lady. With many qualities rare to humans, qualities Jesse had often imagined his love would have (if he ever allowed himself to fall in love). Her only possible fault was that she seemed a little too interested in trying out the spring for herself. An idea that he may have slightly helped contribute to, but he was curious to test her reaction. Even considering this, he liked her, a lot.

But this lead to his major apprehension concerning her.

Winnie Foster was still just a child. Here he was, over a hundred years old, and his most favored female (besides Mae) was barely eleven. It was embarrassing, and a bit disturbing. Of course, it wasn't as if he was going to find many eligible women of his age bracket. But it would be nice if she was at least closer to his eternal age of seventeen. And was able to stay that way, with him.

That is when the idea came upon him. Why couldn't she be eternal? She knew where the spring was. Why couldn't she drink the water in six years and then be with him always? Six years was not very long, barely even a breath compared to the time of the world. Yes, in six years he would find her again, sweep her off her feet, and offer her the eternal companionship he knew he could give. The idea was actually quite romantic.

Imagining the beautiful smiling face of a seventeen year old Winnie Foster caused warmth to grow in his chest and a genuine smile crept onto his lips. But then his thoughts wandered. Six years was not much for him, but for her it may seem much longer. She hadn't even lived twice as many years yet. Who knew what might happen in those years. She may move away, some snooty young city boy may convince her to marry him, she may even forget about him. And he may not make it back to Treegap in time.

Jesse shot up in his bed, fear gripping that same part of him that was just moments before so very content. He had to convince Winnie tonight, before she left and before someone could sway her heart any other direction.

Silently, he crept out of the loft and down to the parlor. This was going to take some sweet talking.