6

"This is it." Jesse muttered under his breath, sounding suddenly as if he didn't want to be here anymore than Winnie did. She clutched at his arm not wanting to let go and worried about how the Tucks were going to react to her spending forever with Jesse now that they'd had thirty years to think about it.

"Let's just do this." Winnie said and reached for the doorbell. It would probably be better to make a polite impression on Jesse's parents instead of simply barging into the house.

"Jesse?" Mae Tuck's soft tones sounded behind them, it sounded as if she were strangely choked up. "Is that you? Come back after all these years…and too late I might add."

Jesse turned to face his mother for the first time in thirty years and he felt that familiar wash of fear that a child has when they have behaved wrongly towards a parent. "Ma? What do you mean to late?"

Mae began to sob suddenly and fell to her knees as if unable to stand for a moment longer.

"Ma are you alright?" Jesse asked his voice breaking with concern. He went to her side and knelt by her letting her cry on his shoulder while he looked desperately to Winnie for help.

Winnie shrugged uncertainly; she didn't understand this situation anymore than he did.

"Ma let's get you inside. You're makin' a scene. Where's Pa? Is Miles around?"

Mae only began to sob harder and wouldn't stand up. "No," she seemed to be muttering under her breath. "No, no, no."

"Winnie help me, we gotta get her inside. I really don' know what's going on, but I don' want Ma out here makin' a scene for everyone to see."

Winnie nodded mutely and helped Jesse to lift his mother and get her inside. She was surprised at how reluctant Mae was too move on her own, they practically had to force her legs to move. "What do you think's wrong?" Winnie asked softly, focused on her work.

Jesse grunted. "I don' know and I don' think we're going to get an answer anytime soon, unless Miles or Pa show up, Ma's always been one to cry and cry, she'll be almost inconsolable for hours prob'ly."

Winnie gritted her teeth in annoyance. She'd been hoping that everything would simply fall into place and she'd be accepted, it didn't look like that was going to be the case. "Well, I hope this passes soon, I don't need a mother-in-law that I have to take care of. I just want to be with you Jesse, not trapped watching your mother, I'm not supposed to have that responsibility, she should be able to care for herself for eternity."

Jesse nodded in agreement. "As soon as this is dealt with I think we'll be able to be together like we want again, don' forget the song Winnie, tonight is our night and as soon as possible I think we should get married with my family in attendance. I think they'd like seeing us get married."

Winnie giggled, forgetting for a moment the labor of getting Mae to her room. "I like the idea of being married to you twice over; wouldn't it be fun to get married in every country on the planet? I think that should be part of our forever."

"If that's what you want Winnie, I'll do it." Jesse answered fiercely. "I will never let you down. You're mine for eternity and I want it to continue that way."

Mae began to wail even louder. "Tuck!" She cried out, "Tuck! My precious Tuck!"

Jesse looked at his mother in alarm, "Did something happen to Pa?"

Winnie was tempted to smack Jesse. "Don't be stupid Jesse, nothing can happen to him, we all live forever remember? You can't be killed, and you die, but you definitely can't be hurt, so don't worry about it. Let's just get your mom in bed and then we can figure out what's going on okay?"

Jesse looked relieved to be reminded of his family's immortality, "Of course Winnie, I was being silly."