It was then that a loud call echoed through the water to his right. He had enough consciousness left to turn towards the beach and see the orcas, Willy at the forefront, pushing hard against the nets, trying to break through them. And perhaps it was the gravity of the situation, but Jesse could swear Willy was trying to tell him he was coming. Moments later, the nets in fact broke through from the sheer force of all the orcas pushing against them, and they all swam rapidly towards where Jesse and his friends had plunged into the cove. In seemingly no time, Willy, at the forefront of the pack, had reached him and scooped him up onto his back, while Kago and Polaris did the same with the half-conscious Jake and Judy. They and the rest of their family started swimming very fast towards the nets and boats blocking the way out of the cove. It became clear to Jesse what his big friend had in mind. "Willy, it's too big a jump!" he cried at the whale, his words coming out garbled as he tried to conserve his breath, "You'll never make this one!"

And then, he thought he saw a glow light up the water, and felt something touch his shoulder from the left. "We'll make it, Jesse. I promise," his mother's spirit-if she really was there-said firmly, a look of steel determination in her eyes, "Say the prayer."

"Salana ayun iasis...salana ayun iasis...salana ayun iasis..." the words tumbled out of his mouth. And perhaps it was the heat of the moment, but he thought he felt Willy start swimming faster than ever before, gaining enough speed that Jesse wondered if the jump would in fact be possible...

"Salana ayun iasis...salana ayun iasis..." he heard Judy and Jake start mumbling it as well, perhaps having realized what the pod was planning to do themselves despite being half drowned. The whales all let out loud cries of determination; they were all reaching high speeds together...

"SALANA AYUN IASIS...SALANA AYUN IASIS...SALANA AYUN IASIS...!" Jesse's mother recited the prayer louder and louder herself next to him, her words spurring the whales straight up towards the surface now like rockets. Jesse braced himself; this was either going to be the most impressive jump a whale had ever made, or it was going to be as ugly an end for all of them as could be imagined. "SALANA AYUN IASIS!" one last loud chant exited his mouth as Willy and his family burst out of the flaming waves in unison and started arcing high over the barricades and boats. And Jesse, once his vision had cleared and he'd gasped out a much-needed breath, could see that, amazingly, they had enough speed and a high enough trajectory to reach the other side, where he could see Catspaw and the rest of Willy's family now waiting for them. "YEAH!" he cheered in delight, pumping his fist in the air.

"NO!" a furious Dial roared below him. The former park owner seized a rifle off a nearby goon and started to take aim at Willy as he sailed directly overhead. With a loud call of fury, however, Willy reared his tail back in midair and smacked Dial hard with it, sending his oppressor falling screaming at the top of his lungs off the boat into the burning surf in the cove. "Ha ha!" Jesse tauntingly laughed at Dial's defeat. He glanced down as Willy sailed over both rows of boats, the whalers staring dumbfoundedly at their quarry getting away above them, all of them too stunned to do anything to stop them. It was the thrill of a lifetime for him, one which no words could describe.

"I can't believe it...!" he heard a coughing Jake stammer. Jesse turned to see him clutching tight to Kago's back, staring in awe at how high he was flying. Jake's face, however, quickly lit up in delight. He broke into a happy laugh, then spun and dared to reach out and high five an equally thrilled Judy next to him. "YEAH!" she echoed Jesse's cry, turning to high five him as well, "THEY DID IT!"

"It's great!" Jesse told her with a deep smile. He quickly sucked in his breath as Willy started downwards, soon landing with the rest of his family in the open ocean-and freedom once more-with a tremendous splash. "YEAH!" Jesse repeated his yell of delight once Willy had resurfaced. They had done it.

"OK, now," he thought he heard his mother's voice ring out through the snowy air-and then definitely heard the sounds of furious whale calls getting closer. And then he saw them: at least a dozen giant fin whales heading straight for the boats at high speed. "Get us clear, Willy," he told his friend quickly, knowing the results would likely not be pretty. Willy, perhaps knowing this as well, let out a call to his family and quickly swam to the right, away from the boats, as fast as he could. "LOOK OUT!" came the terrified cry from the whalers on board, but it was too late: the fin whales slammed into the boats with tremendous force, shattering them and the nets like matchsticks and sending the men toppling into the waves en masse. With the way out now open, the dolphins, seals and sea lions swam rapidly through the hole out to sea, many leaping in the air in delight to be free again. "All right!" a thrilled Jake declared, high fiving his friends again, "That's how you set animals free!"

Loud horns rang out behind them. Several Coast Guard ships, their headlamps blazing through the darkness, approached them. "Over there, they're the guilty ones," Jesse called up to the ships, pointing at the whalers thrashing about in the water-then bursting into laughter as Mr. Banks, having commandeered a smaller boat at some point, motored it towards them, merrily scooping up the whalers like fish in the net trailing behind his craft. "If the rest of the class could see him now, they'd really be impressed," he told Jake and Judy.

"Look up there," laughing herself, Judy pointed to the shore, where Dial, burning like a candle, stumbled out of the cove. He frantically stopped, dropped, and rolled to try and extinguish the flames. "Mr. Dial, are you all right!?" Wade, sopping wet from having been knocked into the ocean when the whales had hit the boats, raced out of the water towards his boss.

"Do I look like I'm all right, Wade! Get these flames out!" Dial screeched, rolling around desperately. Wade hastily kicked a large pile of snow on top of Dial, which appeared to do the job. "You swore this cove was escape-proof, Salkind!" he tore into the lead whaler when he came running up.

"I did everything right, Lackey; how was I supposed to know they could jump that high!" Carl shot back at him, "This is...!"

"Hey!" Mr. Perkins grabbed both of them from behind, spun them around, and shoved them both into the ocean. "That's what you get for putting my kid in danger!" he thundered at them both, then hauled Dial-his clothes now burned up to the point his underwear was visible- to his feet. "This guy's the leader," he called to the police charging off the nearest Coast Guard cutter onto the beach, pushing Dial into their hands, "Book him good!"

"Thank you, sir. Robert Charles Dial, you're hereby charged with holding wild animals without a permit, animal abuse, identity fraud, perjury under oath, attempted first degree murder, endangering minors, bribery, illegal use of firearms, and causing an ecological disaster, from at least what we have right now," the lead officer told the former park owner sternly, gesturing at the still burning cove, the tide thankfully keeping the flames inside.

"I want to speak to my...attorney..." Dial cut off to see a very angry Mrs. Corwin now standing right in front of him. With a furious roar, she slugged him hard, audibly breaking his nose from Jesse's location. "You're going to face the death penalty for all this, Robert, and you can be damn sure I'm going to be on the prosecution's team and do everything I can to convict you!" she bellowed at him, "Got anything to say to that!?"

"Oh god, I hate that whale!" Dial groaned, his nose bleeding profusely.

"Get him out of here!" his now former attorney bellowed at the police. "Judy!" she cried out in concern now, rushing into the water and snatching her daughter up with a happy sob. "Oh god, I thought you were dead for a moment there when those flames started burning!" she whimpered, kissing Judy repeatedly, "I love you so much, Judy, I really love you, and I'm sorry it took this long to tell you...!"

"Jake!" Mr. Perkins similarly ran into the water and seized his son in a hug, "You OK?"

"I am now, Dad. For a moment, though..."

"Yeah, I saw, and it was the worst moment of my whole life! If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do...!" his father whimpered, squeezing Jake closer. He glanced skyward and whispered softly, "Am I doing better now, Donna?" to his late wife. Jesse beamed, knowing full well the answer was yes.

There came splashing as the Greenwoods also raced into the water, deep relief on their faces. Neither said a word as they snatched Jesse up into a dual hug, but he knew they were just as relieved he was safe. "Thank you, Willy," Annie finally broke the silence, bending down to give the whale a grateful hug, "You really are a hero."

Willy exhaled and opened his mouth. Annie obligingly rubbed his tongue, which Glen then did as well. "Your family OK, Willy?" he asked the whale, staring out at the rest of the pod behind him. The other orcas were happily chattering with and swimming alongside the new arrivals, visibly glad to see them again. Jesse made out baby Potlatch in the rear leaping in front of a large whale that he assumed was its mother-he'd been so focused on Willy that he hadn't bothered to try to identify all the captive whales, but given Potlatch had been alone when he'd been alerted to the fact that the pod was in danger, it made sense its mother had been among those captured. A deep smile crossed his face to know the pod was back together again-a smile that got wider as Mr. Banks blew an air horn, maneuvering his boat alongside the nearest cutter. "Special delivery," he called up jovially to the Coast Guard men on board, gesturing back at the whalers yelling and cursing inside the trailing net, "Here's the rest of the whale nappers for you."

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Carl roared, thrashing around in the net, a call echoed by many of his men.

"See, now I hope you realize what you put the animals you catch through," Mr. Banks gave them a stern glare, "Maybe being trapped like they've been'll give you a better outlook on life-if you ever get out of jail, that is. Thank you, all of you," he turned to commend the fin whales, breeching and splashing into the surf as they swam away, "I have no idea where you all came from, but you came at just the right time."

There came a loud exhalation to his right. "Ah, Catspaw. I guess you're in charge of the family now?" the teacher leaned over to stroke Willy's mother's head, "Well my lady, you can rest easy now: your mother and everyone else these men killed," he pointed at the net, "have justice now. They'll never bother you or your family again."

Catspaw opened her mouth and let out a grateful cackle. She turned and called, which prompted Willy to come over to her, followed by Luna and Littlespot. Their mother nuzzled them close. Jesse's smile got wider. All was right with the world for now. "Thanks, Mom," he glanced up gratefully to the snowy sky, "We couldn't have done it without you."


"It's great to see them together again," Jake said happily a few hours later, watching the pod splash and breech in the waves from the deck of the largest Coast Guard ship.

"Sure is," Jesse agreed, chuckling as Willy rose up to stare at him, then backflipped away, as if showing off for him, "They really make you appreciate how important family really is," he shot a glance at the Greenwoods inside the cabin, conversing with several Coast Guard officials.

"The question is, though, can they survive?" Judy was worried, "They still lost almost half their family to the whalers, and there's no guarantee this area'll get any protection. So maybe they'll still be hunted..."

"Yeah, that's a good question, Judy," Randolph appeared behind her and leaned against the railing, "Would they be safer somewhere else?"

"We can't just move them!" Jake protested, clearly not on board with such an idea, "I need Kago, I need the...!"

"We know how you feel, Jake," Rae appeared as well, "If they move, it''ll be hard for all of us," she put a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "What do you think, Keith?" she asked the institute's benefactor, also appearing at the railing.

"As you've said, Rae, a good question," Walker shook his head, "And probably one without an easy answer."

"Wait a minute...have there been any known instances of pods merging together?" Judy now asked, a light coming into her eyes, "I mean, if we introduced them to another pod, and they took them in, they find a new family and still stay together..."

"Hmm...maybe, just maybe..." Randolph mused with a soft nod, "Although, Judy, it would have to be just right to work," he pointed out to her, "It would have to be another southern resident pod, one that eats primarily Chinook salmon like these whales do. And who knows if they'll be accepted? There's enough differences as it is between northern and southern resident orcas that they don't blend easily..."

"Well do you know any off hand? Any that have suffered a decrease in numbers lately and could use a boost?" the girl inquired.

"Keith?" Randolph turned to the businessman.

"I can check with other research stations and government agencies," Walker said with his own nod, "Maybe a pod will come up."

"But we'd have to ease them in then," Rae explained, "They probably wouldn't bond overnight. And so the three of you know," she looked all three children down, "If we do try and merge them with another pod, even if it's a close southern resident one, there's a decent chance they'd never come back here again, especially with another matriarch likely calling the shots. Is that what you want?"

Jesse thought it over carefully, then looked out at Willy and his family in the ocean nearby. He was deeply torn; he'd waited so long to get Willy back in his life, and now he might have to let go again. But then again, he'd do anything for Willy's benefit, even if it meant a permanent goodbye...

"We can't!" Jake shook his head hard, glancing desperately out at Kago nearby, "These whales have given me meaning in life; I can't just let go!"

"Jake, it's for their benefit," Judy reminded him, "You want Kago and the rest of his family safe, don't you?"

"Yeah, but not if we have to say goodbye forever...!"

"Jake," Jesse turned to him, reaching a critical, if heavy, decision, "It won't be goodbye forever. You'll carry Kago with you the rest of your life wherever you and he go, just like I'll carry Willy with me-like you and I'll carry our moms with us. He'll never be gone. We need to do what's best for Willy and his family. It's what our moms would want us to do." He took a deep breath and turned to the adults. "You can look and see if a pod fits what they'd need."


JANUARY 19TH

NORTHWEST BRITISH COLUMBIA

"...I've attended the proceedings each day, and it's almost getting comical, Dial and Salkind falling over themselves trying to blame the other for everything that happened," an amused Shuler related to everyone on Mrs. Corwin's phone, "And thanks to Doug Hobbs turning state's evidence, it doesn't matter, because they're both in real hot water anyway."

"Good, so Dial's probably going to jail for the rest of his life for sure now," Jesse nodded in relief.

"Unless the state blows the case, I think we can assume that much. And if Dial is convicted, the court will likely force him to pay for the cleanup to McCaw Cove too. He may have gotten several million dollars trying to sell those whales, but he's never going to get to enjoy a cent of it, or have another cent to his name for as long as he lives," Shuler grinned. "Anita, I know we've often been at loggerheads in the court, but thanks for agreeing to help the prosecution with this," she thanked her longtime rival, "I'm impressed how much of a better person you've become over the last two months-and I'm glad, for Judy's sake. She needed her mother in her life."

"I came to realize that too, Lauren," Mrs. Corwin agreed, sliding an arm around her daughter, "I missed too much, and i knew I had to change unless I wanted to lose her."

"She's doing good; I'm going to get to see Dad more often now too," Judy beamed gratefully at her mother. "Thanks again for helping to get the whales back to safety, Mrs. Shuler," she commended her mother's legal opponent, "You didn't need to, but I'm glad you did. This day wouldn't be possible without you."

"Well, Judy, we all have to do the right thing when the time comes. Oh, Keith," Shuler noticed the philanthropist behind the Corwins, "Congratulations on getting the marine reserve enacted."

"Not quite as big as I wanted at first, Lauren, but it'll be more than big enough to protect all the whales and other sea life around our part of the Pacific Northwest," Walker looked content, "I worked out a deal with the local fisherman; they'll be able to take visitors on fishing excursions so they'll get to know how they make their living. That way, they get to make money off my plans too. Couple that with the tours at the institute, plus the ferry ride over to Northwest Adventure Park-which I'll be reworking into a better venue for the spring-and I think the marina's going to be better than it ever was."

He glanced out the office window. "Well, looks like it's about time," he told Shuler, "We've got a job to do now."

"OK then. Don't feel bad, Jesse, this is definitely the right thing you're doing," Shuler told him in parting.

"I know," Jesse gave a soft nod. He walked over to the window and stared out. Willy and his family splashed about in a very large aquatic pen off the coast of British Columbia. The institute's search for another pod to try and allow Willy's to merge with had commenced almost immediately after they'd been freed, and after two weeks, a possible candidate had been found: the O Pod, the northernmost southern resident orca family unit known at the moment, which had suffered several deaths of late and was lower in numbers than usual. So, right before Christmas, Willy and his pod had been transported to the institute and, after those injured in the capture had fully healed, had been flown to the O Pod's usual winter grounds. And reports had come in that both pods were bonding better than expected; it was likely these new whales would take them in, Rae and Randolph had informed him. Even now, looking out the window, he could see O Pod members in the open ocean, communicating with members of Willy's pod-Kochab in particular seemed to be having a grand time talking in whale calls with a pair of other whales. And thus, the moment had come: they would be released to join the O Pod, with no guarantee they would ever return to Jesse's area...

"Ready?" he felt Annie put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready," Jesse nodded, "I know it's for the best, but..."

"You know it could be the final goodbye," Glen knew, "I think you know the answer to that, though, Jesse: when friendship's real, there's never a true final goodbye. And he has that new tracking device attached now, doesn't he? So you'll still know exactly where he is again whenever you want to know."

"I know, Glen, but that's still different from being face to face. Still," Jesse took a deep breath, "I want what's best for him and his family. So might as well do it."

That's the spirit," Glen patted him on the shoulder as his cell phone started ringing. "Glen Greenwood," he answered, walking towards the corner, "Oh hey Dwight. Yeah, we're about to watch Willy go free again to join...what's that? Really?" he quickly waved Annie over, "You don't say, Dwight. I see. So there's no other potential family at the moment? Well then, Annie and I might be interested..."

Jesse, meanwhile, trudged towards the door of the floating office, where Mr. Banks was leading his class out onto the walkway over the pen gate. His biology teacher had requested bringing the class along on the trip, and this time, Jesse, could tell, the majority of his classmates had been very interested; likely, he knew, seeing the rest of Willy's family dead had touched a nerve with them and made it clear that whales were more important than they'd first thought. "OK, class, this is the big moment," Mr. Banks declared grandly to his students, coming to a stop about a quarter of the way across, "In a few minutes, these orcas will be released back into the wild to join up with their new friends here," he gestured at the O Pod members, "It is the belief of the staff here that they'll at minimum become traveling companions, if not merge together completely into one big family. Now I'm sure you all understand now how important whales are to our marine ecosystems?"

"Yes," a boy raised his hand from the rear of the crowd, "They'll keep fish populations in check and maintain the balance of the food chain."

"There, see, now you're getting it. Great job, Tony."

"Um, it's Troy, Mr. Banks."

"Right, right, Troy, I knew that, I know I knew that. Well, anyway, before we do that, there's a couple members of this class-I think you all know who they are-who'd like to say goodbye to some of the whales, so if we'll step back for a moment and let them do so, I think they and the whales would greatly appreciate it," Mr. Banks gestured for them to step back off the gate. Jesse slowly walked forward towards the center of the gate, Jake and Judy following behind him. "Willy, come here boy," he called out to his big friend, his heart aching, as this felt as much like a final goodbye as their face to face meeting at the breakwater a few months ago. Willy, his dorsal fin now partially straightened out, obligingly swam over to him. Jesse sank to his knees and reached out to hug Willy. "Well buddy, this is it. We've got to go our separate ways again now," he mumbled, fighting back the tears, "I want you to know, this is for the best; you deserve to be around as many other orcas as you can, and it looks like these orcas like you already. You'll be safe with them; this whole area's protected from hundreds of miles up the coast and dozens of miles out to sea; nobody's going to capture you again here. I hope..." he choked up, then recomposed himself, "I hope this isn't the end, that you'll make it back our way some day-it'll be safe now, there's a marine preserve there too now. But if you don't, just remember, I'll always be thinking of you, Willy. Always," he stared at the new tracking tag affixed to Willy's back; would it stay on long enough that he could continue to keep tabs on him? He could only hope.

"Luna, Littlespot, keep an eye on him," he called to Willy's sister and brother nearby, "Like I said when we went for that midnight ride, I'm counting on you both. You too, Catspaw," he told Willy's mother, hovering protectively behind all her children, "Since you're in charge now, everyone's counting on you." He leaned his head against Willy's head one last time. "I love you, Willy. I always will."

With a heavy breath, he rose back to his feet. "Take care of Willy, Polaris," Judy was giving her favorite whale a final hug as well, also fighting back tears of her own, "And make sure he takes care of you. Hopefully if we see each other again, you'll have your own family with him." She turned with a sympathetic look towards Jake, who had been unable to hold it in and was sobbing onto Kago's head. "I know it's hard, Jake, but it's for the best for them," she tried to comfort him.

"I know, Judy. It's just, after everything Kago's done for me..."

"We know," Jesse put an arm around him, "Just think of him, and he'll be there, always."

"I'll try. Look after your mom and Kochab, Kago," Jake wiped his eyes and gave Kago a final patting down, "And thank you for everything. You saved my life in the cove, and I'll always be grateful for that."

"Guess we're almost ready to open it up," Mr. Banks approached. "Well, Catspaw, Godspeed, my lady," he bent down to wish the new pod matriarch farewell himself, although his own eyes stayed dry, "I trust full well you'll take good care of your family, just like your mother did before you. You're a special group of whales, that's for sure, and I'll miss having you around our area, but the welcome mat's out any time you want to bring the family back. Just one thing, though; try not to get into too much of a power struggle with the matriarch of this group," he gestured at the O Pod, "I'm sure your family would come first, but share and share alike is the best way to gain their respect. OK, then, I guess we're good to go," he called to the pen crew.

"Hold on a minute," Jesse held up his hand, a grin coming onto his face. "Willy, you want to do it one more time if I say the words, for everyone else here?" he bent down to ask his friend. Willy gave a firm nod. "Hold the gate," Jesse called to the crew, "They're going to leave the pen a different way."

"A different way?" the lead gatekeeper frowned.

"A more dramatic way," Mr. Banks told him, having picked up his pupil's idea. "OK, everyone, come on out here on the gate," he called to the rest of his class, waving them back towards himself, "Jesse here has something special in mind, and you're all welcome to join in with him. Catspaw, if you will: s.a.i." he told Willy's mother, who nodded in understanding and let out a loud call. She started swimming towards the rear of the pen, the rest of the pod following. "OK, just repeat after me, and they'll put on a show for you that you'll never forget," Jesse informed his classmates. He looked towards the rear of the pen and gave Willy a sharp nod. Willy squeaked and dove under the water, followed by the rest of his family. "OK. Salana ayun iasis. Salana ayun iasis..." Jesse raised his arm in the air and started the prayer again. The rest of the class joined in, many of them mangling the to they unfamiliar words. But it still worked: with a thunderous crash, the orcas all leaped out of the water in unison and sailed high over the gate, prompting many of the students to start cheering in delight, and splashed down next to their new friends in the open sea. A loud cheer rose up from the other boys and girls, as well as the parents standing off to the side that had come along on the trip. "That was amazing!" a girl declared in delight.

"Oh yeah!" another boy exclaimed. Thanks for sharing that with us," he told Jesse gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," another girl told him as well. The rest of the class shook his hands and thanked him-including, after everyone else, Bart, now with a much more respectful expression on his face. "Never thought I'd say it, Whale Boy, but you're all right," he commended Jesse, "And actually, so's Banks too," he pointed at the teacher.

"Well, glad to know that, Bart," Mr. Banks beamed, visibly thrilled to have finally made a difference in his most difficult student's life. He exhaled in relief. "It's times like this that I'm really glad I got into teaching-bye," he waved goodbye to both pods as they started swimming away together towards the open ocean, "Don't forget to write."

"So tell us again, Mr. Banks, how you rammed your truck right through the whalers' blockade," the first girl asked him eagerly.

"No problem, Stacy..."

"It's Tracy."

"Right, I knew that, I know I knew that. Well, there we were, in a blinding snowstorm, heading for the coast, I myself transporting Kalana, the sister of the leader of the pod. The whalers were waiting for us, armed and dangerous, but oh no, I wasn't going to let Kalana die on my watch. So we hit the barricade at over eighty miles an hour, making them turn tail and run..." Mr. Banks walked off, happily relating the adventure to his visibly interested class. Jesse remained behind on the gate with Jake and Judy, watching the whales swim off towards the horizon. "I hope they do come back some day," he said softly, "But if they don't, we'll always have the memories. And we'll have each other no matter what," he turned to them with a smile, "Three friends, together forever, bound by a love of whales."

"You know it," Judy nodded with her own smile. The three of them hugged each other warmly. "Feeling better now?" her mother approached with Jake's father, the Greenwoods, Randolph, and Rae.

"I am, Mom. And thanks for coming along," her daughter commended her.

"It was only right, since you like whales so much."

"You know, Jake," Randolph bent down to his level, "I know it's hard saying goodbye knowing this may be the end, but there's still three other resident orca pods in our area we haven't tagged yet. I'm sure a lot of them would be just as friendly as this pod if we could track them down."

"So we can still go out and do whale research then?"

"Absolutely," Randolph nodded firmly, "After all, the gray whales will be coming back from Mexico in the spring, and there's a lot we still don't know about the other whales in the area. Now that we have major funding, and a good part of the nearby ocean's protected, we'll be able to."

"Count me in too, if that's OK," Mr. Perkins cut in, "I, well, Jake's interest got me interested now, and I'd, well like to see the whales up close too, if I wouldn't be interfering."

"No problem at all, George, if you're willing to learn the basics of research."

"I'd like to come as well," Mrs. Corwin added, "I've focused too narrowly on the law all these years; the more Judy and I can do together from now on, the better."

"Good for you," Rae nodded, impressed, "Well, since we're...what is it?" she noticed Jesse looking at her with a grin.

"Just realizing how much Willy's done for me, allowing me to become friends with all of you," Jesse explained, giving a quick glance to the whales disappearing into the wintry horizon, "I owe him for that too. Knowing all you guys has made me a better person, and I really have him to thank for that. And you're all real friends too-not like Perry, who only used me for his own ends. I like being with all of you."

"So do we, Jesse," Rae bent down and gave him a hug, "Knowing you's changed me for the better too, and probably the same with everyone else."

"You're not really a bad kid after all, Jesse," Mrs. Corwin told him, breaking into a smile, "I'm sorry I tried to pillory you in court when we first met; I was a different person then than I am now."

"And I'm glad too," Glen told her, "Because if you hadn't changed, Annie and I wouldn't have wanted you anywhere near him."

"I know, Mr. Greenwood. Well, I think lunch is ready, so let's go eat," Mrs. Corwin led everyone else back across the gate. "Life is good right now," Jesse confessed to his foster parents with a delighted sigh, "I don't think I've ever felt more fulfilled."

"Good to know," Annie squeezed his shoulder, "And actually, Jesse, there's something we need to tell you. Dwight called a few minutes ago."

"And?"

"And, let's just say, it might just be a last minute gift from your mother, a way of cementing her legacy to you, if everything works out," Glen told him.

"Well I can't wait to find out..." Jesse stopped at the sound of Willy wailing. He turned and looked towards the ocean, just able to see Willy's head above the waves, calling to him, perhaps wishing him one final goodbye and thank you. "So long, Willy," he waved goodbye to the whale with a smile, "My life's so much better thanks to you."

Willy gave one last call, then backflipped into the air and disappeared into the waves. "He'll always be with you, Jesse. And so will I." he thought he heard his mother's voice echoing over the waves. Or, maybe, it was just his imagination, for the Greenwoods, waving goodbye to Willy themselves, had apparently not heard it. But whether it was real or not wasn't really important, for Jesse knew the words were true. Both Willy and his mother would always be with him-as would all of his friends. And for that, he truly felt like the richest kid in the world.

THE END