Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

So this is my first To Kill a Mockingbird fanfic. Up until this point I had pretty muched stayed within the Jane Austen section. Then this idea came to me and so I'm just kind of throwing it out there. I don't know if it's really original or even if it's good, but I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1

After all this time

"Wouldya hurry up Scout?" Jem shouted.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'." A girl of fourteen entered the room in which Jem was impatiently tapping his foot. " 'n I've been telling you for two years now to stop callin' me Scout. It's Jean now."

"You've been Scout to me for fourteen years 'n it ain't gonna stop now." Jem stated.

"Atticus stopped callin' me Scout years ago, Jem. He's been calling me Jean just like I asked him to." Jean retorted.

"Well, Jean makes you sound like a girl." Jem scowled

"I am a girl!" She shouted so loud that Jem had to cover his ears.

"I remember when you didn't want to me called a girl."

"Those days are over Jem. I'm fourteen now. I wear dresses and like boys." Scout twirled around as she said this knowing that it would annoy Jem.

He instead continued with the conversation previous to this. "S'ppose I didn't want to be called Jem anymore?"

"Then I'd call you Jeremy, but you don't like Jeremy which is why we call you Jem."

"What if I changed my mind? Would you really break your habit of callin' me Jem?" he interrogated her.

"It'd take a lil' while, but I'd at least try to not call you Jem!"

"I try!" he exclaimed indignantly.

"No ya don't!" Jean shouted.

Calpurnia shouted at them from the kitchen. "Mister Jem and Miss Jean Louise, you'd better stop that shoutin'! You're too old to be fightin' like chillun over something like that."

Jean huffed and sunk into a chair. Jem remained standing. Occasionally, he would pace the room, but after a few moments he would stop. Jean looked up at her brother from the chair she was sitting in. "Why'd you rush me, Jem? I have to sit 'n wait anyway."

Jem didn't reply. He just continued pacing in silence. He tried sitting in the large armchair in the corner of the room, but he couldn't keep still. He glanced at the clock. Then, after a long while he spoke. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Jean demanded

"To the corner! Where else?" Jem said in a tone that implied that Jean was an idiot for not figuring it out on her own.

"The corner? Awww…Jem, we haven't stood at that corner in ages. We were little kids then!"

"Come on Scout."

Jean didn't bug. She simply eyed him and clenched her fists. He tried to force her out of her seat, but he could not move her. "Why not?" he said finally giving up on forcing her up.

"I'll feel like a baby waiting on the corner for Atticus." She said with a pout.

"Please, I can't just sit in here 'n wait." Jem pleaded. She was unmoved. Jem continued begging and even threw in a, "Come on, Jean."

Her defense fell. "Alright! Let's go to the corner, but only if you swear to…"

"Yeah! Sure, I swear!" he shouted.

"You didn't even let me finish!" Jean's hand was instinctively placed on her hip.

"Fine! Finish, but quickly."

"YouhavetosweartonotcallmeScout." Jean said so quickly that it sounded like one word.

Jem could decipher it and to prove to her that he knew what she said he said to her. "I swear Jean! Now, let's go!"

The two walked out unto the porch. Miss Maudie was outside of her tiny one-story house, trimming her bushes. Jem and Jean didn't know how old she was exactly, but they knew she wasn't much younger than Atticus. She, like every older woman, had visible crow's feet, but had very few large wrinkles. "Jem and Jean Louise, what are you doin'?" she asked suspiciously as the pair walked down the stairs of the porch. "I haven't you two out at this hour in years."

"We're not up to anything bad, Miss Maudie." Jean shouted across the street. Then under her breath she muttered to Jem. "I told ya this would be odd."

Miss Maudie gave them a small smile. "It's 'bout the time that Atticus gets home, isn't it?" She questioned slyly.

"Yes, m'am." Jem itched to move again.

"Well you just look so impatient Jem Finch that I think I'll stop boring you with my useless chatter." Miss Maudie laughed.

"It ain't useless Miss Maudie." Jean said. "Jem here is just being a downright pain, so ignore 'im."

"I can't do that Jean Louise. Not seeing as today is such a special day." She then turned her head in Jem's direction. "Congratulations and good luck, Jem!"

"Thanks Miss Maudie," was all Jem said in reply before walking quickly to the corner. Jean solemnly followed him. She remembered when this was fun. She remembered waiting each day after school was done to go running to the corner. She remembered that when Jem had to read to Mrs. Dubose how upset she had been that she couldn't meet Atticus at the corner. Why now was it suddenly such a burden? Why had she changed? She knew the answer, but she was scared by it. She had changed because she had grown up. She was afraid of this. She didn't want to grow up anymore because she just didn't want to change anymore. She wished there was a way to stop it.

Not very long I know, but was it good? Review!