They All Saw It Coming

"Oh, Nicodemus…how I wish you were still here…you'd be able to tell me what to do…." Justin moaned. He was sitting on a tendril of the rose bush, on the surface, away from the bustle of preparations to leave for Thorn Valley that night. He was alone. At least, he had thought he was.

"What are you up here sighing about, Justin?"

"Mr. Ages! I, uh, didn't expect to see you up here." Justin stammered.

"Yes, I figured as much. Now, tell me why you are looking so melancholy. We are putting Nicodemus's plan in motion; we have been fighting for this for a long time." Mr. Ages settled himself next to the former captain of the guard. "What could be so terrible as to make you this upset?"

Justin sighed. "Honestly, Mr. Ages, I'm afraid of your judgment. I'm afraid to tell you what makes me so sad." He hung his head.

"Well, boy, you had better get over your trepidation and tell me. Since Nicodemus is gone, I am probably the only person you can talk to about the troubling heavy burdens you are sure to face as leader." He fixed Justin with a penetrating stare. Justin sighed, thought a moment, and decided the sage old mouse was right.

"Mr. Ages…I'm in - I'm…." He trailed off, not quite ready to say the truth out loud. He shook himself mentally and straightened with resolve. "I'm in love with Johnathan Brisby's widow." He glanced sideways at Ages and saw, to his astonishment, that the old coot was smiling.

"I know."

"You know?! But how?" Justin practically shouted. Mr. Ages chuckled.

"Boy, I knew you were in love with that girl before you did. It was not exactly hard to figure out. The way you did so much for her when no one else did? Not to mention, you were the only one actively willing to risk your life for her. Add in the fact that you were the last rat to stop fighting for her children's lives…I thought we would have to send someone after you, until I saw you grab Mrs. Brisby."

"But Mr. Ages, Johnathan's widow?" Justin murmured. He felt like he had betrayed his old friend, and hated himself for it. Mr. Ages shifted beside him; Justin turned to face him more fully.

"Justin, my boy, love is no crime. It pops up in the most unexpected places, and nothing can shake its resolve. It is both beautiful and terrible, mysterious and ever-present. You cannot help who you fall in love with. And if Johnathan were still here, he would not blame you for falling for his misses. After all, he fell for her, too." Justin laughed sadly.

"Are you kidding? Johnathan would knock my lights out if he ever thought I was after his girl." Justin muttered. "Come to think of it, I remember him issuing that threat with the announcement of his marriage."

"Yes, he loved her. But Justin, he is gone. She is still here. So are you, but not for long." Mr. Ages' voice grew stern. "And you had better figure out what you are going to do in the little time you have before we depart." He heaved himself off the vine and snatched up his crutch. "The way I see it, you have three choices. Tell her and stay here, tell her and leave…or do not tell her, and forever wonder what might have been." He gazed up at the night sky through the loosely woven rose branches. A far-away look filled his eyes. "Trust me boy, you do not want to be haunted by ghosts of what you might have had." With that, he made his way back into the belly of the roses, leaving Justin to contemplate his words.

The moon was sinking in the sky, its faint glow growing fainter with every passing minute. The rats of NIMH were ready to leave for Thorn Valley. Almost all of them. Their leader was currently in a fierce battle with himself, but he had made his decision and planned to stick with it. Nevertheless, his heart was heavy. He searched for Mr. Ages in the crowd, found him, and their eyes locked. After a heartbeat the gaze was broken by the mouse, who shook his head sadly. Justin knew Ages was disappointed with him, but he had to think of what was right, not what he wanted. It was not fair to Mrs. Brisby to tell her of his feelings. She deserved to live in peace. His confession of love would only complicate her life, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. She had been through so much in the past few days. He was not about to put anything else on her shoulders. He sighed and made his way to the front of the throng. He was leader now; he had to take charge.

"My friends, our departure is imminent. We have moved the Brisby home and erased every sign of our presence here. Is there anything we haven't done that needs doing?" His eyes traveled over the assembled rats; no one spoke. He heard a mutter from Mr. Ages' direction that sounded like "matter of opinion" but he ignored it. When no other voice was raised, he nodded. "Alright. Let's get going. NIMH will be here soon, and we need to be far away when they get here. If we travel fast, we should reach Thorn Valley by - "

"Justin! Wait! Don't leave yet!" Justin spun around and saw Mrs. Brisby streaking across the yard toward him. He could not say whether his heart sank or flew; he wanted to see her one last time, but feared for the strength of his choice if he looked her in the eye. Still, he had to act natural. He could not let on that his heart was being torn in two.

"Milady! A pleasant surprise. I can't help but wonder exactly why you're here though." He bowed and waited for her response.

"Justin…I…couldn't let…you leave…without…saying goodbye." She panted. She paused, catching her breath. "You risked your life for my children and me today. I can't just let you go without saying thank you, and goodbye." She looked up at him, and for the briefest of moments he was lost in her eyes, full of hope. He took hold of himself and managed to reply.

"My dear, I would do anything for you. You are Johnathan's widow; how could I not?" A bit cold, but he was reminding himself that he had made his choice. Mrs. Brisby's face fell.

"Of - of course you would. For Johnathan. Yes. But I still - wanted to thank you." She murmured. Justin, unable to help himself, bent down and hugged her.

"You take care of yourself and those kids, okay?" He felt her nod and straightened up, letting go of her. "Alright, my fellows. Let's go." He turned and took the first step away from the love of his life. With every step that followed, he felt another piece of his heart break away from the whole and shatter. He was just beginning to think that he would not be able to live with this pain after all when he heard his name again.

"Dammit, Justin!" He stopped in his tracks. That was Mrs. Brisby yelling, and she had just said a swear word. He had to have imagined it…but no, when he turned around, he saw Mrs. Brisby glaring at him. She had sworn at him, all right, and by the looks of it, she was far from finished. Justin cast a sidelong glance at Mr. Ages and saw that he was smirking. He was going to enjoy this, Justin knew.

"Dammit, Justin! You know full well you didn't risk dying for the chance to keep me alive just because I'm Johnathan's widow!" Tears were cascading down her cheeks, and he felt guilty in the knowledge that he was the cause of them. He walked back over to where she was standing. What was the best way to handle this? Fake ignorance? That would work.

"Mrs. Brisby, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about." The words were hardly out of his mouth when she slapped him, good and hard, across the face. He staggered backward a bit and looked at her in shock. He heard a collective gasp from the rats behind him, and a few chuckles. "What - "

"Justin, you're in love with me, and we both know it. I don't know why you think you can just leave me behind without saying anything. Don't you know I love you too?" He stared at her. All the fury was gone from her, and her body shook with violent sobs. For a moment he was frozen; then he stepped forward again and took her in his arms. He felt the emotion ripping through her and felt his own eyes fill.

"I didn't say anything because I didn't want to hurt you. I was afraid that if I told you, it would only make things harder on you. How could I have known you felt the same?" He gripped her shoulders gently and held her at arm's length. "You're right, though. I do love you. And now that I know you love me too, I don't know how I ever thought I could live without you." There was a heartbeat of silence, then he heard Mr. Ages laugh.

"Well, it's about time." Justin and Mrs. Brisby turned and saw the old mouse hobbling toward them. "Boy, I have never known you to procrastinate, but you sure pushed this to the last minute. You had me starting to believe that you just might go off and leave this poor woman to live without you." He reached them and stood there, grinning. Something clicked in Justin's mind.

"You knew she loved me, didn't you?" He accused him.

"Of course I did."

"Wait…did you know Justin loved me when you came to talk to me earlier?" Mrs. Brisby asked. Mr. Ages nodded. Justin sighed, exasperated.

"Now, now, before you get too angry with me, would you like for me to marry you?" Justin met the eyes of his heart's only desire.

"Yes."

"Alright. Justin, do you take this woman to be your wife, to love and protect until you breathe your last?" Ages peered over his glasses at him.

"Without a shadow of a doubt, I will love her and die for her."

"Right, excellent. And you - "

"Of course I do. He is my heart." She whispered.

"Well, then. I now pronounce you man and wife. Now that that is settled, Justin, I suggest you kiss this woman before she changes her mind." Justin needed no further encouragement. He scooped his new bride into his arms and kissed her with a passion he had not known he was capable of. When she responded likewise and wrapped her arms around his neck, the cheering from the crowd faded into the distance and nothing existed but her.