Juliet woke early the next day. The sun was just up over the horizon and the day was balmy and warm for late September.

"It's the first day of autumn," Juliet lamented. "And the first day of autumn should be clear and crisp, not balmy and warm. But how good the sun feels!"

Uncle Perry and Aunt Ilse pulled up out front in their new Ford. It had such huge tail fins! It looked as if it would fly away! Mother and Father bustled out. They would all drive to the station to pick up Bella and Doug. Juliet waved them off, then went inside to start on her cake.

She measured and mixed the ingredients, finding an easy rhythm in cooking that had disappeared during the war, when they had to figure out sneaky ways to get around the rationing. She plopped her cake in the oven and went out to the porch and basked in the sunshine, her hair and dress floury.

While she sat there she imagined how it would be when Allan came back to her. Maybe she'd be in town, in her new red coat and little rabbit fur hat. She'd turn her head to look over her shoulder--their eyes would meet--! Or she might even be here, on this very porch swing, in a dainty lawn dress, with her feet tucked neatly under her. She'd spy him walking up the lane and run out to meet him, the delicate fabric swishing around her legs--with one of the white June roses behind her ear! Who cared that it was fall, that the roses had been gone for months? One isn't limited in one's daydreams--all things are equally possibly.

She supposed she snoozed for a bit, forgetting all about her cake. She remembered waking up once to arrange her head more comfortably on the pillow of the porch swing. Another time she woke, brow furrowed, trying to remember something important. But she couldn't remember, and let her head sink back on her pillowed arms. Something smelled so good

Then, all of a sudden, a deep voice was whispering in her ear.

"Juliet. Juliet!"

She pulled her eyes open.

There was a familiar face there, not five inches away from her own. A freckled face, with a strong jaw, and short, blond hair that had been lightened to white by the sun. A thin, short scar ran over one eye. The lips were curved into a sweet, satisfied smile. A face that was attached to the body of a lean, broad man in khaki, who was kneeling beside her.

Juliet knew that face. "This is--one--of those dreams again?" she asked sleepily.

"No, darling," Allan Miller said. "I'm home. "

"Allan!" Juliet cried, and threw her arms around his neck, laughing and crying at the same time. What a strange feeling! What a wonderful thing it was to be able put your head against your true love's neck and cry--cry out all of the pain and frustration of the past years, and laugh will all of the happiness and joy that is owed you for that suffering. Allan held her until she stopped. Then Juliet pulled her head away and took his in her hands.

"Did you come right here from the station?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with joy and tears. "Oh, Allan--you did!"

"I had to," Allan said, smoothing the hair away from her face. "As soon as I got on the train at Charlottetown, all I could think of was you, sweetheart! The hum of the wheels seemed to be saying New Moon--New Moon--New Moon! I was the first one to run off the train at the station and I didn't stop running until I was here. Darling Juliet," he took her hand, "I want to hear you say that you love me. I've waited so long to hear those words."

"I--love--you!" Juliet said. "But oh, Allan how did you know?"

Allan grinned. "First, you dear thing, you're wearing my ring on your left ring-finger. It was the first thing I saw as I made my way down the lane --you asleep on the porch swing and that diamond winking through the trees. I broke into a sprint when I saw that. The second reason I know is this." Allan reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a faded, folded letter.

"If you asked me again that dear question you asked the night before you left, I think I might give you a very different answer," he read. "it is my dearest wish that you would ask again."

"My letter!" Juliet cried. "I wrote that, yes--but I never sent it. How--did you--get it? I thought it was lost!"

"Bea found it," Allan said. "And sent it to me. Juliet, don't be mad at her! She wanted to show that she was sorry for meddling in the affair between you and Blair King. I don't think she should be sorry--she's done her big brother quite a favor! Juliet, why didn't you send this?"

"Oh," Juliet said, her cheeks flaming. "Because--from your letters--I thought you were in love. With that girl--Andalucia. It sounded as if you were! You wrote about how pretty and sweet she was. I was--jealous, I suppose."

Allan began to laugh and laugh. Juliet grew indignant.

"What?" she said. "What's so funny?"

"Dearest," he said. "Would you like to see a picture of Andalucia Annunzio?"

Juliet took the snapshot he handed her.

It showed Allan, a bandage on his head sitting with a girl. A young girl. A very young girl, in fact. Andalucia could not have been more than eight or nine years old. A very pretty eight or nine years old--but--eight or nine years old!

"What a fool I've been," Juliet whispered, her eyes glowing.

"You are a little fool," said Allan. "But you're my little fool."

He bent his head toward her and Juliet closed her eyes. But at the last moment he wrinkled his nose.

"Is something burning?" he asked.

"My cake," Juliet laughed. "It's burnt to a crisp but--I don't care. Oh, Allan, what is a cake when you love me?"

She shamlessly put her arms around him, and they stood, cheek to cheek on the New Moon porch.They stayed that way for a long while, until they heard the crunch of car tires on the gravel road.

"Allan!" Aunt Ilse cried, opening the car door and running to envelop her son in her arms. "You're home! Oh, thank God!"

Mother and Father and Bea and Doug and Bella--could that be little Bella? She was huge!--all ran out of the car and surrounded them, laughing and chattering. Uncle Perry gave his son a bear hug that lifted him straight off the ground.

"Did you go home to Burnley Barrens first?" Uncle Perry asked. "By George, I knew you'd come on a day we were out! I said it to Ilse just yesterday, didn't I, Ilse? I said, I bet Allan comes when we've stepped out, comes right home to an empty house!"

Allan stepped back and shyly took Juliet's hand in his strong, capable one.

"I came here first," he said proudly. "I came to collect my bride."

Oh, he still wanted her! He did love her!

"That is," Allan went on, "If you'll say yes this time? Say yes, Juliet! Like you promised you would. It's what kept me alive all this time, I'm sure of it."

Juliet did not have to say anything. She threw her arms around him and gazed into his eyes, as everyone else clapped, and cheered, and looked on happily.

When they kissed, it was the sweetest thing.

***

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, guys! They really helped me through this. And also thanks to a lot of you for inspiring me with your awesome stories. Do you all want to know more about Juliet, or think that the story should stop here? Let me know. If there are also any more LMM characters you'd like to read a story about, let me know! I'm running out of ideas.

Thanks again to the best reviewers on the best forum on fanfiction.net!