Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Dead Poets Society... I am just inspired by it.

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In the morning, I give Pitts and Meeks their letters at breakfast. They hurry off to read before chapel services, then afterwards they ask if we'll be writing back soon. Knox suggests that we can write during study group after dinner, unless anyone has something more pressing to finish for tomorrow's classes. Pitts mumbles something about the Latin homework, but Meeks tells him not to worry about it, he'll help him finish before dinner.

We all go our separate ways for the afternoon... Meeks and Pitts find a quiet spot to work on the Latin, Knox heads off to a Sons of Alumni club meeting, and Todd and I decide to catch up on our laundry. As we wait for the washers to finish, Todd peppers me with questions about Martha's Vineyard and what we'll likely be doing there.

"Fishing, mostly," I tell him with a grin. "And swimming, of course, and there'll be at least one clambake, probably a few of them. A Fourth of July dance and fireworks. Mother will likely ask us to go berry picking for her once or twice... she makes a wonderful blackberry cobbler, but she hates getting all hot and scratched up getting the berries."

Todd grins widely at that last. "For blackberry cobbler, I don't mind a few scratches," he says. "Do you fish off a pier or from your boat?"

"Both," I say. "Snapper blues are small fish that run near the shore. They're pretty good fried, and not too much of a pain to clean. On the boat, we usually go for bluefish and striped bass, and sometimes we get a cod or a shark. Have you fished much?"

"Never, for all we live in Portsmouth," Todd chuckles. "Mother hates the smell of fish with a passion. During Lent, we always go out to dinner on Fridays, just so she doesn't have to smell it in the house."

I laugh as well. "You must live on the far inland side of Portsmouth, then, don't you? Otherwise your poor mother would be smelling fish all the time, with the commercial fishing that happens there."

He nods. "Very true. She keeps trying to talk my father into trying for a position at some other hospital... somewhere inland. But he keeps pointing out that he's chief of staff where he is, and if they go elsewhere, she won't have the same prestige. That tends to shut her up for a while."

"I can imagine. Oh, do you play tennis?" I ask.

"No, why?"

"Mother plays... she took it up after she recovered from that illness. And she's always looking for a game partner, either someone to play against or someone to play with her in a mixed-doubles set against some of the neighbors. AJ plays, but Father and I don't. I think she was hoping for a new victim."

Todd laughs. "Sorry to disappoint her," he grins. "I guess we'll just have to make it up to her by being very cooperative about the berry picking. What will the sleeping arrangements be like, both on the Island and at your place?"

I start moving clean and wet clothing to the dryers as I answer. "On the Island, we have a cottage. There's a big living room in front, a combined kitchen and dining room in back, and bedrooms on both sides. Only three, so I expect you and I will be sharing a room," I smile. "AJ will be next to us, although he'll likely enough spend a lot of his nights elsewhere. And my parents will be across the house from us."

Todd smiles at that. "So, if we're quiet, we probably won't get caught, is that what you're saying?"

I glance around the laundry room. It's in the basement, windowless, and deserted except for us. I lean in and risk a quick hug and kiss. "That's exactly what I'm saying, Todd. And I'm sure we can find other places to be alone sometimes as well."

He smiles as he returns the kiss. "I'm very glad to hear that, Richard. What about at your home?"

"We won't be so lucky there, " I tell him as I drop my coins into the dryer. "It's a big old showplace from the 1800s, with six bedrooms. You'll be given a room to yourself there. On the other hand, there are usually no less than six dinner parties that my parents attend in the first couple of weeks after we get back from the Island, so we'll still manage to steal some time alone."

"Six more weeks of school, then two weeks with my family. Those two weeks are going to be awful," Todd muses. "But then six weeks with you and your family. Another two weeks with mine, then back to school for senior year."

"We'll make it, Todd, I know we will. And then... well, we'll work that out as well."

He nods soberly. "We've made it this long. I think you're right."

When the laundry is done, we take it back up to our room and put it away. Then we have dinner and join Knox, Meeks, and Pitts in the dorm lobby for our "study" session. In a rare display of concurrent thinking, we all turn up with our English books as a cover for our letter writing.

Oh Captain, my Captain,

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage. According to my father, the groom is to show up on time and sober, and otherwise is to just stay out of the bride's way as she plans the wedding. So try not to be too nervous. Your Jessica is getting a good man, and don't you forget that.

Thank you so much for the information package from UC. Todd and I have looked it over already, and picked out the parts we both wish to study a little more in-depth. It looks like an excellent school, even if it isn't Ivy League. I'm sure you'll fit in well as a teacher there. I'm looking forward to learning from you once again. Maybe this time the lessons will sink in a little more thoroughly.

I'm actually looking forward to summer this year. Todd will be spending six weeks with my family... I invited him to Martha's Vineyard with us for July, plus his parents will be away so my father said he could remain with us for a couple more weeks, until they return home. It should be fun. I'm planning on teaching him to fish, as he never has and wants to learn.

I expect I'll only be hearing from you once more before the school year ends, as that's only six weeks away. But I'll write at least once more before that happens. Will you be remaining at your current address after your marriage? And if not, do you know where you'll be moving to? If you'll be moving but you don't yet know to where, please write to Chris Noel with your new address so we can continue to correspond next year. She'll give it to us when we return for senior year.

Your friend,

Richard Cameron.

I fold my letter and stuff it into an envelope, then address and stamp it. Tod and Pitts are both done writing already. Knox finishes shortly after me, then finally Meeks wraps up. "How soon can we get these mailed?" Meeks asks quietly. "There won't be a pass for another couple of weeks."

Pitts, surprisingly, comes up with a solution. "I have a dentist appointment on Tuesday," he says. "I can mail them out when I go into town for that."

We all hand him our letters, which he stuffs into his Pritchard book. Then we all head upstairs to shower and turn in for the night.