Jesse Tuck came to Treegap with his mother and father. Ten years had passed since he had found out about Winnie's death, but for ten years he had doubted it. After all, Winnie had taken the bottle, hadn't she? She was going to think about it! So why shouldn't she already gone out to find him?
May watched her son's face carefully. It was for him they were going to Treegap again. She didn't need to. Angus, her husband, didn't need to. But Jesse simply had to go. He didn't believe that his father had seen Winnie's grave. He never would, unless he saw it for himself.
Angus directed him to the cemetery, and then left him there. "Whatcha say. Maypleberry, we go in to that there hotel and get us some grub?" May knew that this was not a question. Angus didn't want to be anywhere near Winnie's grave. And so they went, their old rattley car bumping down the road.
The marble monument marking the Foster family plot was impossible to miss, but Jesse purposefully avoided it. He poked around the rest of the cemetery, pulling back weeds to look at ancient markers. After he had looked at the cemetery, and looked again, he slowly forced himself to go to the corner in which the white marble monument was held. Its strong edges blurred, as did the letters on it. A single tear made it's way quickly down Jesse's cheek. He wiped his eyes, and having done so, the edges cleared and he could read the dreaded letters again. "FOSTER". Jesse's heart started thumping. He looked down at the marker in front of him. It was small and gray, and it had started to lean at a curious angle. All he read was "Winifred Foster", and then he stopped. He knew there was more, but he didn't want to see it. He sat down stiffly next to the marker, lay his arms on it, then his head on his arms, and began to cry.
"Why, Winnie, why? Why did you not come away with me? I lo-o-o-ved you!!" His last words were long and drawn out, as if he were a hiccupy wailing baby.
A girl, about sixteen years old, stepped out from behind the monument. She had long, golden-brown hair that was worn in loose curls. Her light blue eyes sparkled as she spoke. "Excuse me sir, would you care for a handkerchief?"
Jesse stopped crying abruptly. "No, thank you anyways." Still he didn't look up. And yet the girl handed him a white hankie with lace about the edges. On the edges were the embroidered initials, AMFT, with a good many extra flourishes. Jesse took it, secretly grateful, and wiped his tears on it. The girl sat down next to him. He examined the hankie, and he was surprised to find that he had one just like it! Only the initials were different, he noted, his heart sinking. The one he had had a WF on it. Winnie had left it at his house when they had kidnapped her. He looked up to give the girl the hankie and properly thanked her for its usage.
"Winnie? Winnie! It IS you! Why, you've grown into a young lady. And even lovelier than I remembered. Pa thought you were dead, but I didn't, no I did not believe for a second that you had died."
"Oh Jesse! You goose! You didn't know that my grandmother's name was Winifred? They got the dates wrong on the marker, and my father and mother were too grief-stricken to notice. They're gone, too." She looked down. "Jesse, I'm not Winnie anymore. I'm Anna. Anna May. anna may foster Tuck. I hope you don't mind. I have just missed you so much, I simply couldn't help it!"
"Oh, Anna, I don't mind, I just love it. and you. but why didn't you come looking for me? "
"I had to be sure that you loved me, that's all. and you do, so i am very happy. Where ARE Tuck and May?"
"they're over by the hotel, i assume. Care to walk over there?" Jesse asked, offering Her his arm. Anna accepted it, and together they walked down to the town, where May and Tuck were waiting. Anna rushed into their arms.
May was overcome with happiness, and she whispered delightedly to the happy girl, "Welcome home, child, Welcome home."
A/N: Thank you Lassie and Kassi, for being my awesome BETAers. You both rock!!!! I hope you like it, because if you do, I have just about a million other ideas to write about. Read and Review!!!