Prettyinpinkgal: Enjoy Chapter Fourteen!

Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting".

FOSTER EVERLASTING

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: MORNING TO NIGHT, PART I

Perhaps if Winnie had continued to have the self-possession which allowed her to make her volunteer for the seemingly simple but so very tricky task, our story would have a different ending.

Perhaps if Jesse had come along...

Perhaps if James had gone by himself...

Perhaps if they had run...

As it was, "what ifs" had no place in Winnie's immortal, resolute life now. If they did, she would be plagued by questions of "What if I hadn't drunk the water?" every moment instead of every other minute.

And so, it is of no real importance of what could have happened. All that matters is that Winnie Foster was abducted by the killer.

Winnie woke up that morning feeling refreshed, but now that everything seemed slightly less surreal, her nerves were not as collected as they were yesterday. Her brush trembled slightly as she ran it through her hair, barely able to work out the knots.

"Are you going now?"

Winnie turned and nodded with a nervous laugh. "Wish me luck? Somehow, the thought that he can't kill me is not much of a comfort."

"He can still hurt you. Please do be careful."

Winnie buried her head in her hands. "I can't back down after all the fuss I made last night, can I?"

"Of course you can!" Natasha jumped up and ran to her, taking her hands tightly. "No one would blame you. There is no point in putting yourself in harm's way."

Winnie looked up at her. "I don't understand."

"What? Of course no one would resent your decision-"

"Ah, no, not about that. I meant about how you're always so good to me. You should hate me. Sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly upset, I...sometimes loathe you. So you should especially hate me, and all the time, too."

Natasha looked away for a moment. "I became immortal long before you or Jesse did. I grew accustomed to my unending life, living all on my own. And then I met Jesse. It was as if... How do I put it...You know how when you wake up and it's a cloudy day, the room's dark but you think it's light because it's brighter than it was at night? Then suddenly the clouds part, and the sun shines in and you think, 'Oh, it must have been the edge of a storm.' You don't always fully realize when it's so dark. That's how it was with me. I grew so used to how things were that when he entered my life, he felt like a bright ray of sunshine. And as soon as I thought he was going to leave me alone back then, I realized I couldn't let him go. I couldn't go back into that darkness again."

Natasha turned back to Winnie. "So you see, I'm just selfish. And I understand needing to hold onto Jesse. Although," she admitted with a self-conscious chuckle, "I must confess that when I was alone, or I saw Jesse give you a special look, I wanted to smack you. Only sometimes!" she quickly emphasized, which did make Winnie smile genuinely.

"I understand. Wait...what look?"

Natasha looked like she didn't want to say, yet for some reason unknown to Winnie, she talked anyway. "He looks at you like you're the only woman in the room, sometimes. Like you're his fiancee. He smiles when you smile. If you're in danger, he protests more unreasonably than he would if it were someone else."

"Are you sure you're not imagining it?" Winnie said, desparate to believe her words yet unwilling to at the same time.

"Yes, I'm sure. Because it's the same look he always gives me."

Winnie blushed with a mix of shame and a pinch of pleasure, and Natasha beamed. "Good. Diversion complete!"

"W-what?"

"Well, I figured I should try and distract you, seeing as you were so nervous before. From the look on your face, I was successful."

"I...what?"

"I certainly couldn't bring myself to answer it under normal situations! By telling myself, 'It's only to distract Winnie, so I might as well tell the truth,' I managed to come out with it. Otherwise, I would have let myself drown in fears of you stealing Jesse away from me and never said a word!"

"I already told you I won't steal him," Winnie said, blushing all the harder as she covered her face again.

"I know you won't intentionally. I know you're honorable. I wouldn't be much surprised if Jesse called off our engagement though," Natasha added softly.

"Sorry, you were whispering. What was that last part?"

"Nothing. Would you like me to make you some breakfast before you go?"

With exaggerated haughtiness, Winnie replied, "I'll have you know I've lived here for thirty years without anyone to cook for me but myself." A smile blossomed on her face teasingly as she waved her hand and said, "I think I'll manage. Feel free to go back to sleep. Dawn's only just broken."

"All right, although I doubt I could really sleep." Natasha hugged Winnie quickly before bounding off to the bed. "I hope you're successful."

"As do I," Winnie murmured before she began pulling out which dress to wear for the day.