A/N: I used a couple quotes in here (but I tweaked them a bit) and at the end of the paragraph I used them in I put an asterisk *. The quotes I used are said by anonymous people, so I have no one to give the credit to.

And those of you who are quick and made sure my math is right as far as the years and Winnie's age goes, you probably noticed something weird, so I'm going to clear that up now. In my story, Winnie was 15, not 10 when she met Jesse. I mostly did that because I hadn't read the book yet (But I got it yesterday and now I'm on chapter 4). Second, the year is 2002, so Winnie died 3 years ago. Just in case you were wondering… =)

On the car ride back to the Tuck's house from the Jackson's, Mae and Angus seemed happier than normal. They chatted away about how nice it had been to see real people aside from their family, how nice they were, and how exciting and difficult it was to answer their questions without breaking a sweat. Miles seemed a bit happier than normal since his wife and children died, and it was about time he smiled because Ma and Pa Tuck's oldest son had been sulking in the loss of them for over 100 years.

For Jesse, however, things weren't as bright for him. Being so near a normal family made him want one, too. One of his own, not his father's. But he knew he couldn't blame his immortality on anyone, for he was too sensible to blame it on his father who suggested they drink the water unknowingly. But maybe he could have a more normal family – not completely normal, but still more – if Winnie had drank the water and they would at least live the same amount of time. But Jesse was mature, in any case – and rightfully so for living 192 years – and he knew that he couldn't blame all of his problems on someone else.

When they arrived home, Jesse went to his room right away. Mae looked at Angus sadly.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" he asked. She nodded.

"Tell him what he needs to hear, not what you want him to hear."

Angus knew what his wife meant by that. Angus was a very wise man, even before knowledge in years came about. He could convince almost anyone of anything using what appeared like logic, sometimes it really was and sometimes not. And he wanted Jesse to hear almost anything that would make him feel better, but he couldn't. He had to tell him what he needed to hear.

Angus walked up the stairs and opened the door to Jesse's room, not bothering to knock as he usually did.

"Son?" he asked gently. "Are you all right?"

"No," Jesse admitted. "I may never be."

Angus opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when Jesse continued. "I am going to live forever, but in the end of eternity I will have only lived a week, for that is how long she was here and when I was with her was the only time I was truly alive."

Angus paused, wondering what to say to that. He sat down on Jesse's bed next to him, then said, "When love happens, it is truly 1 soul living inside of 2 bodies. Hers is gone, but yours will remain forever. So will the love that you share. Love is meant to make us joyful, not bitter. Miles has fanned the flames of bitterness for so long and now he loves nothing, finds joy in nothing. Nothing is pleasant to him." *

"So I'm supposed to be glad she's gone?"

"You should be glad, but the reason is questionable. I'd say be glad not that she's gone, but that she was happy when she wasn't. And, also, be glad for the time you had with her. See, Jesse, some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to the understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." *

Jesse let his response sink in. Finally, with a trembling lip, he asked, "What exactly did you tell her?"

"I can't very well remember. It was 90 years ago, for goodness sake. But I do remember telling her that we are meant to die. By causing something unnatural to happen to our bodies is wrong, in more ways than one. Things are born, then they die. There's no pain or regret in that, it is only the cycle of life."

There was a bit of silence when the boy said, "I'm sorry for blaming you before. I shouldn't have said it was your fault. But I was angry, and… I suppose everyone says things they don't mean when they're angry."

Angus nodded. "Anger clouds the mind. But don't let it get to you, I've raised one boy already. I know perfectly well which things come out of your mouth that you mean and which things you don't. Just remember, there's nothing wrong with mourning, but there's also nothing wrong with moving on."

Angus smiled faintly at his son and stood. "Miles is a good man to talk to since he understands what you're going through, but don't take his advice, or you'll never be happy." With that, he left the room.

Jesse concentrated on the words just said to him. His father had told him so much in the past 5 minutes. His words rolled around inside Jesse's head.

~"When love happens, it is truly 1 soul living inside of 2 bodies. Hers is gone, but yours will remain forever. So will the love that you share."

~"Be glad not that she's gone, but that she was happy when she wasn't."

~"Love is meant to make us joyful, not bitter."

~"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to the understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same."

~"Things are born, then they die. There's no pain or regret in that, it is only the cycle of life."

~"There's nothing wrong with mourning, but there's also nothing wrong with moving on."

~"Miles has fanned the flames of bitterness for so long and now he loves nothing, finds joy in nothing. Nothing is pleasant to him… don't take his advice, or you'll never be happy."

A/N: Hope you liked it! Let me know in a review! =)