-ooooo-

"Scarlett O'Hara: I only know that I love you.

Rhett Butler: That's your misfortune."

-Gone with the Wind

-ooooo-

Chapter 10

In Which Our Heroine Learns A Little More

Cappi stood in her room looking at the clock on her bedside table. 7:50, it read—the numbers glowing an unforgiving crimson.

She left the house quickly. She had simply told her grandmother she was going out. No questions were asked. At least she wouldn't have to lie about her whereabouts. There was no way she could explain to her grandmother that she was going over to the house of one hundred and twenty-two year old boy. She didn't think that would go over so well.

Cappi headed through the large backyard and cut across the field that stood beyond that. From there, it was a short walk to Ridgeway Road, where the house stood looming at the top of the street.

Jack watched her through the front window. She was walking slowly, a flashlight in her hand to guide her through the darkness. He could see that her dark brown hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and she looked fairly tired.

"Hi," he said, opening the door for her when she reached the front steps.

"Hi," Cappi replied, following him inside.

Upon entering the house, her nostrils were immediately filled with the dust that covered the walls, floor, and furniture, and she couldn't contain a cough that forced it way out of her chest.

"How do you live with all this dust?" she asked, coughing again.

"It's not that bad," Jack replied nonchalantly, "I've lived in worse. Sorry about it though. I haven't had time to clean yet."

"I can tell," Cappi said, smiling.

"You look just like her, you know," he said, returning her grin.

"Who?"

"Elizabeth...but everyone called her Bess," he said, smiling at the memory.

"Oh," Cappi replied, "Well, she was my great-grandmother."

"Great-grandmother, eh?" he asked, giving her a side-ways glance, "Has it really been that long? It feels like only yesterday."

Jack was grinning now, and he had dreamy, distant look in his eyes. This was just too much for Cappi to take.

"Listen," she said loudly, pulling Jack out of his daze, "About the picture, you can have it."

She drew it out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"I found it in Bess's diary. She wrote a lot about you," Cappi continued.

-ooooo-

Dear Diary,

Jack kissed me today! I know I shouldn't have let him. (What would mama say?) But I did. And I'm glad. He's a very sweet boy. We were sitting in the field behind the house while he was on a break, talking about nothing in particular when he just leaned over and kissed me. Just like that. He's quite a good kisser, Jack is. And I've really enjoyed getting to know him these last few weeks. I'll be sad to see the house completed. He says he's going to Little Rock when he's done here. I would be happy about this, as I should be able to say that I live in Little Rock, but I can't say that as Papa has decided we should move here to get more use out of this house. Papa absolutely adores this house. I think he may love it more than he loves me. (I hope not!) But Jack will just be forty miles away. Oh, I really like him! He's very handsome and quite the gentlemen. I hope he kisses me again!

Yours Truly,

Bess

-ooooo-

"She certainly did like you," Cappi sighed, "That was her last entry."

She had just finished reading Bess's diary aloud to Jack, who had sat in stunned silence the entire time.

He shook his head, "We finished the house a few days later. I left the day it was done."

"Why'd you leave?" Cappi asked.

She was sitting on the dusty couch, her legs tucked under her, the diary lying open in her lap. Jack was seated on the floor just below her.

"I had to. I told Bess about my...er...inability to die," Jack said, "I told her I loved her and offered her immortality. Figured she'd take it and we'd be together forever. She told me I was crazy, said she didn't want to be sixteen forever, said she had her whole life ahead of her," Jack sighed, "Made me pose for a picture in front of the house though. Second picture ever taken of me, but I already told you that, didn't I? Oh well, what's in the past is in the past, right?"

"Er...right," Cappi agreed.

"Right," Jack repeated, "Well, it's almost eleven, you probably need to be getting home."

Cappi stood up and allowed Jack to walk her to the door.

"Do you want to do something tomorrow?" Jack asked. "You could show me around town, update me on what's happened in the last hundred years," he said, smiling.

"Sure. I'll be here at ten o'clock tomorrow morning," Cappi replied, returning his smile.

"Well, goodbye," he said, opening the door for her.

"Goodbye."

And before she knew it, Cappi was snuggled safely in her bed at home, trying to convince herself once again that she was, in fact, completely sane and that things like this happened all the time.

A/N: Please review!!! (And thanks to those who already have. Please tell me what you think of these last few chapters.)