A Shocking Confession
by Erin Salvatore
Disclaimer: I don't own Secret of NIMH. I'm just borrowing. Only the story belongs to me.
Note: Yeah, this came to me out of nowhere. It deals with Justin visiting Mrs. Brisby before he leaves for Thorn Valley and...well, lets some things out he has been wanting to say since they met in the rose bush. Bear with me, this is my first Secret of NIMH fic.
Justin stood outside of the Brisby home, feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be leaving for Thorn Valley with the rest of the rats, but he told them he'd be joining them shortly, and that there was something he needed to take care of first. Of course, Mr. Ages knew what it was the young rat needed to "take care of."
"Don't expect too much, my boy," the old mouse had warned him. "You may not get what you're looking for."
Justin took a few deep breaths and made his way to the entrance. With every step, his legs felt like they were made of lead. Come on, Justin, his mind scolded him. You faced Jenner with no problem. Why should talking to Mrs. Brisby be any different?
"Because this isn't going to be any ordinary conversation," he said to himself, answering his own question. He wished this wasn't going to be so hard. He had been able to talk to her before, and she owed him her life, and the children's lives – even if she had done the latter with the help of the necklace Nicodemus had given her before his death.
As soon as he reached the door, Mrs. Brisby herself appeared, as though she had been expecting him. "Justin? I thought you'd be half way to Thorn Valley by now."
"I told them to go on without me," he said.
"Why?" she asked. "It's too dangerous for you to stay here."
"I know, and I'm definitely going to leave," said Justin. "But, first, I wanted to talk to you." He saw her go to invite him inside. "No, out here. This is something I need to discuss with you in private. If we go in there, chances are your children will interrupt us."
Mrs. Brisby wasn't sure what he wanted to tell her, but reluctantly agreed. She followed him outside. They found a private place a few miles away from the house and there was a bit of a long silence as Justin tried to find the words to say to her. All the intelligence in the world and I can't find the words to say to this incredible lady?
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Mrs. Brisby asked.
Her question cut him as deep as Jenner's sword had during their battle. Still, he couldn't just stand there like an idiot while she was waiting for him to get out what he needed to get out.
"This is going to sound so inappropriate," he said. "I mean, you just lost your husband, and we barely know each other."
"Inappropriate?" said Mrs. Brisby. "Justin, come on, just say it." She gently took his hands, mindful of the bandages on her own. "You know you can tell me anything. I know we haven't known each other that long, but just let it out."
Damn it, why did she have to be so perfect? It was almost too much for Justin to bear. Finally, he couldn't take anymore and pulled her to him in a kiss. Mrs. Brisby was shocked by it, but reluctantly returned it. Justin pulled back and looked into her eyes, in awe of how beautiful they were.
"I love you," he said.
Mrs. Brisby's heart skipped a few beats. "Justin, I…"
"No, you don't have to say it back to me. Not now, anyway. I can wait."
Mrs. Brisby nodded. While she hadn't expected him to confess his feelings like that, she had developed feelings for him as well. In fact, that was part of the reason why she wanted the rats to leave the farm before NIMH came. True, she wanted to save them, but she also didn't want to lose Justin when he had started to become important to her.
"Come with me."
She blinked upon hearing those words. "What?" she asked.
"Come with me to Thorn Valley," said Justin.
"Justin, I appreciate the offer, but I can't just leave," said Mrs. Brisby. "I risked everything to get my house moved so that Farmer Fitzgibbons doesn't destroy it with the plow. Plus, I can't take Timothy out. He can't be moved for three weeks because he's sick with pneumonia and the chill in the air could kill him."
Justin wanted to tell her that they'd be safe in Thorn Valley, and that Timothy could get the medical help he needed, but he knew his protests would only fall on deaf ears. He couldn't force her to leave the home she had worked so hard to save, and he couldn't stay here. Mrs. Brisby saw he was hurt by this.
"But, that doesn't mean I won't come to Thorn Valley to visit you."
"You will?" Justin asked.
"Yes," said Mrs. Brisby. "My friend, Jeremy the crow, can fly me there. Fear of heights be damned."
Justin smiled. Although part of him was still disappointed that she wasn't accompanying him to Thorn Valley, the thing that made it not seem so bad was that she was going to visit him.
"I'll count the days until I see you again," he said. "And maybe you can bring your children."
Mrs. Brisby smiled as well. Instead of waiting for him to kiss her again, she kissed him, savoring the moment before they had to part ways. She forced herself to pull away and said, "I think you'd better go before the rats wonder why you haven't caught up to them yet."
Justin nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He kissed her again. "Like I said, I'll count the days until I see you again."
He reluctantly pulled away from her and ran off into what remained of the night. For a moment, Mrs. Brisby didn't move from where she was standing. She hated the fact he was gone, but reminded herself that she would see him again one day.
Good bye, Justin, she thought. I love you.
Note: Yeah, this was an interesting fic to write. Hope you enjoy. And I hope I did it justice.
