Brianna sat in front of her cinder block house, watching as her step-son Peter played with his younger siblings in the miniature pond that rested nearby. He had been with them since late autumn, and it was now late summer; meaning that it was nearly time for him to leave for Thorn Valley. It still amazed her how much they had grown, especially Timothy, who was now almost as tall as Martin. They were all so close to adulthood now, and she was delighted to know she had lived long enough to see them through childhood.

If only Jonathan could have…she thought, lifting her gaze to the heavens. The clouds reflected in her blue eyes as if they were two pieces of the sky themselves. A tear came to her eye, she wiped it away as she remembered that he was up there, watching over his family and keeping them safe.

A now all-too-familiar pain shot through her heart, how she longed to have someone to love her again. A shadow began to form in the grasses she sat near, but she took no notice. She smoothed out the wrinkles from her tattered red shawl, and was about to head into the fields when there was a rustle behind her. She whirled around, and there stood a rat. He was tall and slightly thin, his fur dark brown. His eyes were so dark they were nearly black, but that didn't hide the glimmer in their depths. He was clothed in blue and yellow, a combination she knew well by now.

She started to walk towards him, but she was soon running, her cape flying behind her. He caught her up in his arms, and embraced her lovingly. Tears of joy formed in her eyes. No matter how often she saw him, the times in between felt all too long.

Justin wiped away a tear, his touch so tender she could barely feel it. He rested his hand on her cheek, gazing deeply into her eyes. Mrs. Brisby found that her eyes were locked with his. Before she knew what was happening, she felt his lips resting gently on hers. She had no choice but to subdue to his kiss, and tightened her grip on his shoulders. Her eyes slowly fell shut.

A few blissful moments later, he released the kiss, the corners of his eyes shone slightly with tears. He smiled. He had been in love with her for nearly three years, and only now was he able to gather up the courage to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder; the cloth of his tunic felt soft as a cloud against her cheek. He ran his hand through her hair, laughing slightly as she nuzzled his neck.

Peter stopped playing, and looked over to where Justin and his step-mother were. Teresa came up beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her. She looked like she wanted to say something, but he quickly silenced her with an upraised hand. Martin, Cynthia, and Timothy stopped laughing when they noticed that Peter and Teresa were standing near the bank of the pond, gazing at what was going on by the cinder-block house. The three gave one another questioning looks, then went over to see what was so interesting. They reached their siblings as Justin and their mother shared another kiss, completely unaware of their audience.

Justin whispered something into her ear, something the children couldn't pick up. She gazed at him, seemingly surprised for a moment, but then a smile spread across her beautiful face. She gave a slow, delicate nod, causing a charming grin to grow on Justin's lips. He kissed her passionately, never wanting the moment to end. The children all gasped as one, what had he said?

Their cry caused Justin and Brianna to look up and face them. The two groups stared at each other, wide-eyed in surprise, and knocked speechless.