A/N: Thanks a million for the reviews

A/N: Thanks a million for the reviews. Awesome! Glad you like my story. Anyway, I planned it out; it should be around 40 chapters! :) Enjoy this chapter. It's short, just a little "LDD World" hunk I wanted to do.

Chapter 3

The Alternate Earth

Thirty year old Jesse Aarons couldn't sleep. He was being riddled with dreams of his childhood, of the day Leslie nearly died. Sighing, he rolled over to look at his sleeping wife, the very same Leslie, his best friend of so many years, his well… everything.

Tired of waiting for sleep to come, he decided to get out of bed and go work on that family portrait he was drawing for his Dad's funeral. Unfortunately for Jess, Leslie was a very light sleeper, and felt it instantly.

"Where you going?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Downstairs to work on that portrait. Can't sleep."

"…Jess…" She whined, propping herself up, carefully balancing her very swollen stomach.

"Leslie…" He knew where she was going.

"Please, I'm begging you. Sleep one night, solidly, please, Jess. You've gotten up every night for the past two weeks to work on that thing. The baby will be born soon too and…"

"You want me to have my energy so when you wake up at three thirty in the morning to have it I can be of help, right?"

She laughed lightly, and he sat down on his edge of the bed.

"That's a very good reason, but I was going to say it needed someone on the other side to keep it warm."

He laughed, but obliged, climbing back under the covers. "Les, that won't help little Samantha, and you know it."

She arched an eyebrow. "Samantha? We don't know if it's a boy or a girl. You would name your son Samantha?"

"No! I just have a feeling that it's going to be a little girl, you know? And Samantha starts with an S, just like Sophia, your middle name and…"

"Okay, Jess! Though I'll bet you're right, you are good with knowing about things." Leslie turned out the light, and for a while, they were silent, remembering the day he saved her from the jaws of death.

FLASHBACK

Jess was climbing in the car to go to the museum with Ms. Edmunds, his music teacher. An eerie feeling washed over him, like something bad was about to happen.

To Leslie.

He had a feeling something bad was going to happen to Leslie.

Jess couldn't help but stare at Leslie's house, fixated by his sudden feeling.

"Forget something?" The teacher asked, noticing his blank stare.

"Ah, um, I uh…" He had the mind to say no, but as he watched the old station wagon drive farther away from his friend, his conscience made the decision for him.

"Yes! Yes, I forgot something!" He cried, suddenly feeling pained.

Blue eyes wide, a look of concern painted on her face, Ms. Edmunds only nodded and turned around. He jumped out before the car was fully stopped, not even bothering to knock on the Burkes front door. Something in his gut told him Leslie would be in the forest.

She would be in Terabithia.

Racing down the path, he found her, standing on the log, ready to swing.

"Leslie!" He half shouted, panting.

She turned to him with a pretty smile on her face. "There you are, dopey." She teased sweetly. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Leslie, Leslie, stop, please, please get down. Get down, please." He panted, bending over in pain, sides heaving.

Leslie, however, saw no danger in her friend's warnings. "What, can't you say anything once?"

"Les, I'm serious! Something bad is about to happen, I can feel it!"

The smile faded. "It's just the Dark Master, Jess." She said, halfheartedly. "We can beat him. We always do, O King of Terabithia."

"It's the rope. I don't trust it." He didn't know why he was saying this; he just felt he had to.

"Jesse, what is your problem today? The rope's fine alright? It's held us millions of times, nothings going to go wrong. I promise."

"Leslie, DON'T!" He ordered, tears of terror and utter hopelessness filling his eyes.

"Big baby." The blonde scoffed. She was annoyed, he could tell. "Why are you so freaked out today, anyway? The rope's not gonna hurt anybody Jess, and you know it."

"GET DOWN!" He was nearly screaming, and he couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Burke or Ms. Edmunds or Maybelle could hear him.

"NO!" She said with the same force.

"LESLIE, DO IT, PLEASE!"

"JESS, RELAX! Why don't you trust me, anyway? I'm going to be fine. Here, I'll show you."

"Lesl…" But it was too late. She swung. Mid-swing, there was a deathly SNAP. Leslie screamed as she flipped through the air, Jess started crying.

"LESLIE!" He screamed, running towards the water's edge.

She managed one short sentence.

"JESS! HELP ME!"

Then she was gone.

Without one second's hesitation, he followed her to a certain death.

END FLASHBACK

"I wasn't fine." Leslie whispered. "If it weren't for you, I might've…"

"Shh…" Jess said, gently running a finger over the scar on her forehead. "Go to sleep. The stress isn't good for Samantha."

She chuckled halfheartedly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Goodnight."

"Night."

While Leslie was trying to sleep, Jess was thinking. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"How does Princess Samantha of Terabithia sound?"

"Perfect. Now go to bed."

Leslie was almost asleep when he spoke again.

"It's your birthday tomorrow. We'll be the same age then." Jess whispered softly.

"Hmmhm."

A few more minutes passed, Leslie's breathing evened.

"We'll have another birthday soon." He said softly. No answer from Leslie. She was asleep.

He laid his hand on Leslie's swollen belly. It amazed him to think that his baby, a person, that would grow up to do something wonderful in the world, was inside of his Leslie.

"You'll have a great Momma." He whispered, rubbing the round stomach.

He felt it kick. Leslie stirred, but she didn't wake.

As he lay down, he pressed a gentle kiss to the baby's womb, then the mother's forehead.

"Goodnight Princess Samantha." He said. "See you soon."

A/N: Aww, CUTENESS! :) Anyway, the next chapter will be the thirteen year old Jess in "The Real Earth" (The one where Leslie is dead) is honoring her on her thirteenth birthday. Or it would be, if she were alive…there, that is. Did that make any sense? Review please!