They reached Nashville Tennessee far too soon for Rose's taste. During the trip, she made the most of the time that they had left with James. They would buy him a souvineer or post card from each state they had stopped in from Wisconsin to Nashville. They brought him toys and candy. Jack had brought him his own portfolio when James had mentioned that he wanted to start drawing just like poppa Jack.

But finally, they did arrive in Nashville, much to Rose's unhappiness. She looked at the time and frowned.

"Don't you think it's a bit late, Jack? Why don't we get a room and spend the night and then take James to his Aunt and Uncle first thing tomorrow?"

Jack sighed, looking into those pleading green eyes, begging him for just one more evening of pretending that James was theirs. One more evening of putting off the inevitable. It was so tempting to say yes. What harm would it do? It wasn't like they were going to keep James. They just wanted...no they needed just a little more time to say goodbye.

"Auntie Rosa and Uncle Noah live here!" James exclaimed excitedly as he recognized where they were. "Are we going to see them now?"

Jack and Rose looked at one another, both feeling miserable. It was obvious that little James was looking forward to seeing his Aunt and Uncle again, and right now they just couldn't refuse him anything...even when it meant saying goodbye sooner than they would like.

"Yes we are, kiddo. We'll have to ask where they live, but we'll get there sooner or later," Jack forced a smile, trying his best to sound cheerful for the boy's sake. He took one hand off the steering wheel to grip Rose's. He looked at her with sad eyes. "It's probably for the best..."

Rose sighed and nodded her head in agreement. It probably was for the best. Putting it off would just make it even harder than it already was. Sighing, she sat back against the seat and stared out the window as they drove through the city of Nashville. Jack finally stopped in a general store and asked where the black section of town was, knowing that James family would most likely be found there. The clerk had given him a strange look, but gave the directions anyway. Thanking the man, Jack returned to the car and ten minutes later, they were driving through a different section of Nashville.

Rose looked out the window with interest. She was always shocked at the differences between different sections of the same town and always wondered why the cities never kept everything on the same level. It made no sense to her. Everyone paid the same amount of taxes. Everyone should be treated equally. Regardless, she always thought that the segregation laws were stupid and hypocritical.

"Tina!" James exclaimed, pointing out the window, where a little girl with pretty brown skin, and pigtails and wearing a simple blue dress was picking daisies in the front yard of a square, two story brick house.

"Is that where your aunt and uncle live?" Rose asked, hoping that the answer was no. Wishing that somehow, they never did find where the people lived.

James eagerly nodded, squirming in his seat, eager to greet his cousin.

Jack squeezed Rose's hand as he parked the car. "It'll be alright, Rose. I mean...look at how happy he is. Concentrate on that. Focus on what he's gaining, not on what we're losing..."

"Is that how you're dealing with this?" Rose asked in wonderment. She sighed at Jack's nod. She wasn't surprised. Thinking of others was just a Jack trait. She wouldn't think that his answer would be any different.

Jack was the first one out of the car, noticing that the little girl ran into the house just as she saw the strange white man get out of the car. Sighing, he lifted James out, keeping him in his arms. Rose got out next, gathering up all of the little boy's belongs before following Jack up to the front steps where he knocked on the door that the little girl just ran into.

"Jack...what if they think that we kidnapped James?" Rose frowned, the thought seeming absurd to her, but still, she wouldn't be surprised if that was their first thought.

"We'll explain what had happened and how he came to be with us. Don't worry, Rose. It'll be alright," Jack reassured.

The door was opened by an attractive couple. The woman was light skined, with curlly black hair that fell to her shoulders. Her brown eyes were warm but cautious. The man was darker complected and had a beard and curly black hair. He was just as handsome as the woman was beautiful and stood protectively beside his wife, with the little girl they had seen earlier peaking out from behind the woman's skirts.

"Aunt Rosa and Uncle Noah!" James greeted, clapping excitedly.

"James?" Rosa stared in shock, wondering how her sister's son had come into the care of these two strangers, who looked rather young and seemingly sad.

"Are you Jame's Uncle and Aunt? He said that they lived here," Rose questioned, still hanging on to the idea that this wasn't the right house.

It was Noah who answered. "Yes we are. He's my sister in law's son. What are you folk doing with him?"

Jack and Rose looked at each other, wondering how in the world were they going to tell these people that their family was murdered and that they were the only family that this boy had left? It seemed like such an impossible task, but one that they must complete.

"Can we come in, please? I think...I think you may want to be sitting down for what we have to tell you," Jack grimly replied.

"We are Jack and Rose Dawson, by the way," Rose added, feeling the need to share their names so they won't seem so strange to the couple, who must have some suspicions when it came to people they didn't know.

"Sure. Come in," Noah beckoned. He looked at his wife, who seemed reluctant to let these people into her home. "It's okay, Rosa. By the looks of James, he trusts them. They must be good folk."

"I'll go get some lemonade and cookies," Rosa nodded, disappearing into the kitchen as her husband showed Rose and Jack into the sitting room. Jack placed James down on the floor, where he ran up to his cousin Tina and began showing her all the things that Jack and Rose had brought him during their travels, once Rose had put his belongings down as well.

Once Jack and Rose was seated on the couch, Rosa returned with a pitcher of freshly made lemonade with six ice filled glasses and a plate of cookies. Rose's stomach growled at the sight of the food. She blushed, having been unaware that she was hungry.

"Just help yourself," Rosa waved towards the cookies as she began to fill the glasses with lemonade.

"Thank you, they look delicious," Rose smiled, taking a cookie. She looked over at the children and smiled as James pulled out the portfolio that Jack had brought him and handed the little girl a crayon. She was happy that he was preoccupied. She didn't want to remind him of what happened to his parents...what could have happened to him if she hadn't been walking in the woods that day.

"My momma's recipe. Chocolate chip. My sister Betsy loved them. How is Betsy, by the way? We have been concerned, since she hasn't sent a telegram in a long while. We usually send each other one weekly. I was afraid something must have happened to her and her family when the telegrams had stopped several weeks ago. With you having James, I hope that you bring a reason as well," Rosa explained, deciding to spill her worries out to these strangers that had shown up on her doorstep with her sister's son.

Rose paused then looked at Jack, strickened. How could she tell this kind woman that her sister had stopped sending her telegrams because she was murdered? How could she bring that down on these people? Tell them how they were murdered and what must have happened to the bodies afterward? How the town they lived in was full of monsters ready to kill the little boy if Rose hadn't somehow pulled herself out of her own horror in order to take care of him.

Rosa frowned, noticing how pale Rose had gotten.

Jack too saw how pale Rose had gotten and took her hand in his and placed his other hand over hers. "Rose, look at me," He smiled when she did so. "I'm right here, alright. It's going to be okay. Just hold my hand and tell her what happened and remember that you're safe now. You both are."

"Thanks to you," Rose sniffed, the memory already flooding back to the forefront of her mind.

Jack shook his head with a sad smile. "No. Thanks to you. You were brave to do what you had...now it's time to be brave again, Rose. You can do it. I'm right here. You jump, I jump. Remember?"

Rose sniffed and nodded before looking over at Rosa, who didn't know what to make of anything. She just knew that all communication with her sister had ceased and now here these folks, strangers to her, were showing up on her doorstep with her nephew.

Rose reached over and took her hand, thinking to herself what would she do if this was someone telling her that something awful had happened to Jasmine? How would she feel?

"What's going on?" Noah also frowned, a sickening feeling appearing in the pit of his stomach.

"You may want to sit close to your wife for this," Jack cautioned, knowing that if it was Rose, his arms would definitely be needed.

"I don't know the reason why they did it. I didn't bother to ask...I just knew that if I didn't take James and run, we would be next...I wish I could give you the reason, but I can't. There may not have been a reason at all. I guess monsters don't need a reason," Rose bowed her head as the memories came to her. The laughter of the mob...the cheers. The picnic baskets and Sunday dresses...as if it was just any other Sunday...as if they weren't committing murder...as if they weren't going to try to murder a child! That part really got to her...about them being so jubilant about murdering a child...so determined that they would show up looking for the child...she looked at Jack, her eyes full of tears. "Jack..."

"I'm right here, Rose. You're doing great. Keep going...they need to know," Jack urged her on, keeping a tight grip on her hand.

"What happened to Betsy and Sam?" Rosa asked, her voice down to a whisper, something telling her to stop this woman...this girl who looked to be no older than Betsy herself...but she had to know.

"That was their names? Betsy and Sam?" Rose looked nearly sick.

The couple just nodded.

Rose bit back a sob as she felt Jack squeeze her hand. "Oh god...this is so hard...I never thought that I would have to tell someone this. I mean...I have a sister too and if it had been her..."

"Rose...," Jack scooted closer to his wife, noticing the tears in her eyes, he wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her close.

She was sobbing now, the memory playing in her head over and over again. "They killed them. They hung them! I was walking in the woods and came upon a group of people all having some picnic...or whatever it was and they hung poor little James parents...and they would have done the same to James...but he got away and ran into me and...I was so scared, but I couldn't let them hurt him...he's a baby...how could they? How can they live with themselves, wanting to kill a baby...they obviously did because five of them followed me home! Jack had us hide while he ran them off with a rifle...then he said that they were going to come back so we had to leave, so we took James and...left that evil little town behind...," Rose sobbed, leaning against Jack, no longer having any strength to go on.

Rosa's hand was over her mouth at the news of the deaths of her sister and brother in law. Noah's arms were around her as she broke into sobs as well, mourning the death of her beloved sister. This had not been the news she had been expecting. She had been expecting that Betsy was sick and Sam couldn't care for James and they would be up when she was better...but she hadn't been expecting the news that her sister and brother in law had been lynched! Yet, she wasn't really surprised. Hadn't it been Noah who had begged Sam to move his family to Tennessee? It was still the South, but it was closer to the North. Why hadn't they listened?

"James wouldn't talk to us at first...he was so traumatized after that, and for good reason. But he finally talked to Rose...then to me and...well Rose and I...we're not from Bellevue, if you haven't guessed. I had promised her to show her the US and so I was...I had no idea that she would ever witness a lynching though...I should have...but I didn't even warn her...but anyway um...it took him a while to fully trust us. It wasn't until we got to Wisconsin to visit my cousin that he finally told us he had family here in Tennessee...so we brought him to you," Jack explained.

"He has nightmares at night...he calms down if you pull him close and runs your fingers through his hair and sing come Josephine in my flying machine to him...he seems to like it...," Rose rubbed her eyes, pushing the memories back. "He also likes the story Jack and the Beanstalk...we brought him the book on our travels, along with a great many things...my mother would probably accuse Jack and I of spoiling him..."

"Oh god, James...he saw it happen...," Betsy gasped.

Rose could only nod. "I'm afraid so..."

The couple are quiet for a couple of minutes, absorbing the news and grieving their loss. But they soon pull each other together and concentrate on the new information about James. The boy had indeed been through a lot, but it seemed that these two strangers had gotten him through it, taking care of him and giving him the love and security he needed. Now it was their turn to do what James parents no longer could.

"We'll use that cot in Tina's room until we can get a bed," Noah nodded. "It's going to be okay. James will be okay."

Rosa just nodded and turned back to Rose, tears still falling from her eyes. "Thank you. Not only for telling us what became of Betsy and Sam...but for taking care of James. It's obvious that you came to love him and it must be hard to give him up, but we thank you. He's all we have left of my dear sister..."

"There's no need to thank me. I wish that there was something that I could have done to save them...," Rose rubbed the tears from her eyes. "And James...he's a beautiful little boy. I...I didn't know how easy it was to love a child so deeply...but I do now...I'll always treasure the time that we had him."

"There was nothing you could have done without getting yourself killed. You did our family a great service just by saving James. So thank you," Rosa hugged Rose after riping away her own tears. "And thank you for bringing him back to us. Seeing how you look at him, I know that it must have been hard to give him up."

"It is...he's lovely and we fell in love with him. It was easy to pretend that he was ours...but he's not and returning him to his family is for the best. After all, only you can tell him about his parents," Rose sighed, watching James play with his cousin. "Seeing him happy like this...I know it's the right thing now."

As sad as Jack felt about giving James back, he was relieved to hear Rose say that it was the right thing. He had begun to wonder if she would ever forgive him, but from what she was saying now...perhaps she felt as if there was nothing to forgive.

...

Dear Jasmine,

It's been two days since leaving Nashville...without James. We had been invited to stay for the funeral of Betsy and Sam...the name of the two people I had witnessed murdered...parents of James. Jack and I had finally gotten him back to his family. Of course, there was no bodies, but it was felt that they deserved a funeral and a marker...for both Rosa, Betsy's sister, and James sake. It was a sad event. Rosa and Noah and others went up on a podium in a small church and shared memories of the couple. They were a loving couple and wonderful parents. My heart still aches for them and James and I hope that karma someday comes to the people that had murdered them. I have to believe that it will. I can not live knowing that they had gotten away for what they had done.

Anyway, we're on our way to Boston now. I feel the need to see my mother and just not think for a while. Boston was the one place where I never had to think. Everything is done for me. I guess it's the perks of being a Boston Dawson. Ugh, I feel so ashamed for that, but Jack said that some times it's the best way to heal, submerging oneself in the world they grew up in.

Anyway, James may be gone...but my Jack is still here. As long as I have his love to surround me...I think I will be fine. I will write again.

Love Rose