My apologies for such a long delay in publishing this last chapter. I won't bore you with the details. I want to thank all who read my story and in particular those of you who have read it from the start and offered up comments and suggestions. I really appreciate your time. Thank you! It's not a very long story but one I'm happy I finished. Thanks again to all of you for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Bridge to Terabithia, Heaven Can Wait or Here Comes Mr. Jordan

Chapter 6

Jess and Leslie searched the better part of the day looking for suitable building material. It was a futile effort as they found nothing that could do the job. Everything they came across was either too small, too big, or just too unreliable to use. It was ironic, Leslie noted, to be in the middle of a forest and not be able to find appropriate wood with which to build a bridge. It was like dying of thirst while stranded in the ocean.

"I'm getting hungry" Leslie said as they found their way back to the enchanted rope.

"Yeah, me too" Jess echoed. They found a nice flat rock nestled under a tree and sat down. The immediate concern of food outweighed their disappointment over the stalled status of their bridge.

"Hey, there's still some cookies in the tree house" Leslie said with a sudden spark in her eyes. The cookies in question were of course Leslie's Oreos; cookies that she loved and Jess was had to admit he was beginning to like.

"Wow, I must be hungry if your cookies are starting to sound good" Jess said while laughing. Leslie smiled and rolled her eyes. Inwardly she was happy to see her friend so relaxed around her. Jess wasn't like that with anyone else. He had come a long way in a short amount of time. Leslie knew she had a positive effect on him and was well aware of the effect he had on her.

"Well Mr. picky eater I can go to the tree house and get the cookies while you wait here. It shouldn't take long." Jess nodded his head as he began to look forward to a snack of sandwich bag fresh Oreos. As Leslie stood up and began to walk towards the rope it suddenly dawned on Jess they still didn't have a way across.

"How do you plan to get to Terabithia?" he asked though he knew the answer. Despite Leslie's earlier insistence that they not use the enchanted rope Jess was well aware of her reckless nature.

"The rope" she answered nonchalantly.

"Les, we're not using the rope anymore remember?" Jess said placing himself between her and a clear launch across the creek. "You said so yourself" he added hoping she would take her own advice.

"I know Jess but right now it's the only way across. If we want the food I have to use the rope" she argued. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. It'll be the last hurrah of the enchanted rope I promise." Though Leslie was sincere she could see that Jess wasn't moved. Given the earlier events that day she shouldn't have been surprised yet she still found his determination a bit shocking. However, he was only being protective of her something Leslie found very appealing.

Leslie knew that if she could just get across the creek Jess would forgive her as soon as he munched on the cookies. She didn't want to go against his wishes or her better judgment, for that matter, but it was hard to resist the pull of one last flight into Terabithia. Somewhere in the back of her mind Leslie felt an unusual sense of apprehension. In all the time they had been going to Terabithia she had never second guessed herself. Yet, now she felt a strange sense of caution. Perhaps Jess was rubbing off on her. Though she welcomed his influence Leslie couldn't let go of her ways entirely.

"Oh my God Jess, it's Scott Hoager and Janice Avery" Leslie suddenly screamed. Jess whirled around in terror. How could those two bullies possibly have found Leslie and him? It wasn't possible. Jess quickly realized just how right he was. Scanning the field in front of him he saw nothing but the grass waving with the wind.

"See ya' Jess!" Leslie shouted as she swung across the creek. Jess watched in horror as Leslie flew across the creek on the rope. His stomach twisted into knots. He was sure she was going to fall. Something bad was going to happen he could feel it. Yet, in a matter of seconds Leslie was safely on the other side. With a quick wave and a smile she dashed off to the tree house.

Jess breathed a sigh of relief. He could feel sweat trickling down his forehead. He sat down near the edge and stared at the rushing water. Only a few hours earlier he nearly fell into the swelled creek. Why was he having these strange feelings regarding the rope? It was like déjà vu but stronger as if he knew what was going to happen without knowing. The more Jess thought about it the more confusing it became. He decided to turn his attention back to Leslie and waited patiently for her. His relief at her safety was intermingled with anger at her recklessness. His friend was an impulsive spirit to be sure something Jess wasn't entirely accustomed to. As much as he loved her for who she was he wished desperately that she would exercise a little more caution. Of course that was like putting a bird in a cage. Leslie was a free spirit that needed to roam and experience life on her terms. It wouldn't be right to tie her down with all his fears and apprehensions. Besides Jess knew he would never be able to watch her all the time. If he wanted Leslie Burke in his life he was going to have to accept her as she was.

It wasn't long before he heard the crackle of the brush coming from the other side. He looked up to see Leslie holding the bag of cookies with something of a half smile on her face. Jess knew she was nervous about his reaction to her bold behavior. Jess wanted to let her sweat a little but he couldn't hide the smile that came to his face as soon as he saw her. He silently cursed himself but quickly threw it aside when he realized she still had to get back across the creek. That knot in his stomach was starting to tighten as he looked at the rope as Leslie began to reach for it.

"Les, wait!" Jess screamed as he got to his fee. Leslie froze and turned her attention to her friend.

"What is it Jess?" she asked curiously. Jess didn't know exactly what to say. How did he tell her not to swing across the rope when it was the only way back across? Leslie seemed to pick up on the internal struggle that was plaguing her friend. Though she was aware of how much anxiety she probably caused Jess by swinging across the creek Leslie figured the quickest way to end it was to get back on the other side.

In an instant Leslie swung back across the creek and landed safely next to Jess. She approached her friend with her head tucked down and afraid to look him in the eye. Leslie sheepishly held out the bag of cookies.

"Sorry Jess" she began. "I know I…" before she could finish she felt Jess take hold of her and hug her gently.

"Don't ever do anything like that again Leslie" he said a little sternly. "I don't care how hungry, bored…or whatever. Just promise you'll be more careful in the future." Leslie returned the hug and smiled.

"Okay Jess I promise" she said as they sat down and began to dine on the cookies. After a few moments of silence Jess spoke.

"Alright, the enchanted rope had its last hurrah" he said as he polished off an Oreo. "Now, we take it down."

After discussing just how they were going to take down the rope Leslie remembered the small pocket knife she was carrying.

"Well, we could use this" she said as she pulled out the knife. Jess took hold of it, a little surprised that his friend was carrying such a thing. Yet, it was signature Leslie. It was a Swiss Army knife, hot pink in color with a tiny smiley face painted on the side.

"Wow, I didn't know they even made them in this color" Jess said as checked out the blade.

"My dad got it for me. He said it'll come in handy some day Leslie" she said trying to impersonate her father.

"Sounds more like my dad" Jess laughed. "Do you think it'll work?"

"Only one way to find out."

They pulled the rope as far back as they could. Leslie held it in place while Jess reached as high as he could and began to cut. He was surprised at how easy the knife was cutting through the rope. However, the job grew progressively more difficult as the small pocket knife began to dull. Both Jess and Leslie were fighting fatigue before long. It began to seem like a Herculean task cutting through the thick rope.

"Maybe we should take a break Jess" Leslie said as she watched her friend feverishly cut away at the rope.

"No" he replied without taking his eyes of the rope. "We need to do this now." Leslie knew it would be useless to argue with him. He had that same look he got when he was engrossed in drawing. It was his "quiet intensity" as she called it. No matter how tired he got Jess would keep working until he was finished. However, he seemed to almost be attacking the rope. It was as though he was mad at it.

With sweat dripping from his face Jess finally stopped. He didn't say anything but just stared at the rope. Leslie couldn't help but notice that the rope wasn't completely severed. It still clung to life by a few strands.

"Are you okay Jess?" she asked a little worried. Jess didn't answer right away but continued to look at the rope. With one last swipe of the knife he would forever seal their magical entrance into Terabithia. Not that they wouldn't build the bridge and make their own way into their kingdom but the rope was special.

"It's kind of sad" he said turning his attention to Leslie. "I mean, in a way, the rope is part of our friendship." Leslie frowned but only for a moment.

"Yeah, it is a part of our friendship and I'm sad to see it go" she said. "But the bridge we build will be an even bigger part. After all kings and queens were always building bridges near their kingdoms." Jess's interest was peaked at his friends little tidbit of history.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, so you see it's kind of our responsibility to build the bridge. Not to mention it'll be safer." The mention of safety renewed Jess's commitment to cutting the rope. He could never let Leslie, or anyone else for that matter, be hurt by swinging across the creek. In one quick flick of his wrist Jess severed the last strands of the enchanted rope. As the ends separated both Jess and Leslie fell backwards, tumbling over the "launch log" and into a big bush. Jess hit first and managed to cushion his friend's fall.

"You know for someone so skinny you're kinda' heavy Les" Jess said as he struggled to get to his feet.

"Shut up Pillsbury dough boy" Leslie said playfully while poking his belly. Jess laughed as he helped her up.

"Well it's your cookies doing this to me."

"You really think we can build a bridge?" Jess asked as they began the long walk home.

"Of course we can" Leslie exclaimed. "We just need the proper materials. Don't worry Jess we'll be back in Terabithia soon. They began the long walk home both too tired to run. Neither said much at first but rather enjoyed the cool wind that seemed to move in with the dark clouds overhead. It was obvious Lark Creek was going to get drenched again. Sometimes it seemed all it ever did was rain. Leslie reveled in it while Jess merely tolerated it. As of late, however, he noticed a new appreciation for the rain. He attributed this to that wonderful moment of revelation when he realized just how important his friend was to him. Oddly, it felt as though that moment was long ago, almost another lifetime. Yet, only a day had passed. Jess felt as though he had known Leslie his whole life, like she was a piece of him.

He uncharacteristically made the remark to his mom that Leslie was like the perfect pair of running shoes. She fit…well perfectly. His mother promptly let him know that his remark was hardly romantic and he would be wise not to tell Leslie. This only served to confuse Jess. What in the world did romance have to do with it? As an alternative Mrs. Aarons suggested that Leslie was more like the maple syrup to his pancakes. Again, Jess found himself a bit befuddled at his mom's suggestion. However, he did like the sound of pancakes, an all time favorite food.

When Jess conveyed this conversation to Leslie he was shocked to find that she found his mother's suggestion more to her liking. She didn't explain why she felt this way but she had a rather noticeable smile on her face the remainder of the day.

Over the coming week Jess and Leslie began the construction of their bridge. As if fate was shining on them they met with two unexpected surprises. First, Leslie's father informed the duo of some left over lumber stored beside the house. Finally, they had the materials they needed. The second surprise seemed more an act of God. Not far from the enchanted rope a storm had knocked down and old tree. The fallen tree had inadvertently formed a makeshift bridge. It provided the perfect base for the bridge to Terabithia. This mad the job considerably easier as they had a strong foundation to build from. With the help of a toolbox from Jess's father the two made quick progress on their bridge. Though it was hard work to be sure they had as much fun building it as they did the tree house. Whereas the tree house established their friendship the bridge cemented it. Jess and Leslie were an inseparable pair.

Jess never let go of his plan to do something special for Leslie. At last he knew just what he was going to do. In secret, violating their pact of never venturing to Terabithia alone, Jess began work on his present to his best friend. Early one Saturday morning he arrived at the Burke house bright and early.

"Come on Les get up" he said to his groggy friend. "We have to get to Terabithia. Leslie struggled to get out from underneath her covers but only made it so far as to sit up.

"Jess you do realize its Saturday don't you?" she asked a bit irritated. "We don't have to be up this early." Jess just laughed but couldn't help but think to himself how cute Leslie was in her pajamas. Clearly too baggy for her he thought she was adorable.

"Your parents are up" he replied as yanked the covers away from her.

"Only because my mom is sick, she vomits on cue these days" she answered back. "I think she's pregnant." Jess thought for a moment about the prospect of having another little Burke child in the world. If he or she was anything like Leslie then the world would be a better place.

"Can I at least eat first?" Leslie asked as she finally made it out of bed and stumbled to her feet.

"Yeah, I suppose" Jess replied with a mischievous smile.

Within forty-five minutes Leslie and Jess were on the road to Terabithia. Leslie knew something was different about her friend. He was entirely too happy. He was hiding something from her.

"What're you not telling me Aarons?" she demanded playfully.

"Huh, what do you mean Les?" he asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me Jess, you're hiding something." Jess knew it was impossible to hide anything from her. He was an awful liar to begin with and was busting at the seams to tell Leslie about her surprise.

"Don't worry you'll know soon enough."

They made their way to the bridge with Jess smiling the entire time. As it came into view it was immediately evident that the bridge was different. Perched atop the arch gateway was a coat of arms. A vibrant shield of gorgeous blue and blazing yellow with a sword across the front met the eyes of the queen of Terabithia for the first time. Across the top, just above the crest was Leslie's bold proclamation, "nothing crushes us". She stared, wide eyed and in awe of this new addition to their kingdom.

"It's beautiful Jess!" she beamed.

"So, you like it?" he asked a bit nervously. Leslie turned to her friend and immediately embraced him.

"Of course I do!" she said as she felt Jess pull her closer to him. Jess couldn't have been more excited. He wanted to show Leslie his appreciation for all she had done for him. Judging from her reaction he accomplished his goal. He noticed that each time he hugged her it was less awkward then the time before. In fact this time he felt as comfortable as he ever had giving someone a hug, perhaps more so. He had this odd sensation as though he had found something after a very long search.

"It's perfect Jess" Leslie said as her emerald eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She turned to look at her best friend. This shy boy who she beat in a race only a few months earlier, who initially pushed aside her offer of friendship was now the best friend she ever had. Jess Aarons was the friend she always hoped she would meet. He enjoyed being with her as much as she enjoyed being with him. Leslie silently said a thank you to her parents for bringing her to Lark Creek. They had inadvertently given her the greatest gift she would ever receive.

Jess and Leslie crossed the newly christened bridge into their kingdom and set forth on another adventure.

Epilogue

"They did it" Mr. Pendleton exclaimed. "They actually avoided fate. I didn't think it possible." From behind him Mr. Mason smiled as he watched Leslie and Jess run off into the forest of Terabithia.

"Anything is possible Mr. Pendleton" he said as the scene before him vanished. "Although I must admit these two have managed to surprise even me...albeit a pleasant surprise." In an instant Mr. Mason and Mr. Pendleton were sitting in the study with a pot of tea and fresh biscuits between them.

"What happened to them Mr. Mason?" Joe Pendleton asked now thoroughly engrossed in the story of Leslie and Jess. Mr. Mason expected as much and was quite happy to discuss it. He pulled his small notebook from his coat pocket as he put on his spectacles.

"Let's just see shall we" he said as he began leafing through the book. "They of course remained best friends through their teenage years making new friends along the way" he said turning the page. "Leslie ended up becoming quite popular but Jess was always at her side. In fact they became high school sweethearts." Mr. Pendleton seemed content with the story thus far and munched happily on his biscuits. "However, by the time they made it to college…I'm afraid they parted ways." Mr. Mason removed his glasses and put away his notebook. Mr. Pendleton's look of shock and disappointment wasn't lost on his mentor. He took a sip of tea before returning to the story.

"Have faith Mr. Pendleton after all we are talking about Jess and Leslie Aarons." Mr. Pendleton prepared to take a sip of tea but stopped suddenly.

"Just a moment sir" he asked. "Did you say Jess and Leslie Aarons?"

"I did indeed" Mr. Mason replied with a smile. "Come now Joe if death could not keep those two apart do you really think going to separate colleges could?" Joe Pendleton smiled. Mr. Mason, even in his subdued manner, had a flair for storytelling. "Jess and Leslie reunited not long after graduating from university and in time married" he said while pouring himself another cup of tea. "They had three children, two girls and a boy. Leslie eclipsed her parents as a writer and Jess became prominent illustrator." Now quite relieved Mr. Pendleton returned happily to his tea and biscuits.

"Did they ever go back to Terabithia?" he asked. Mr. Mason gave a smile.

"In a sense they never left" he answered. "They returned time and again when they came home to visit their families. However, they didn't keep it for themselves any longer." Mr. Pendleton looked up from his tea with a curious glance.

"Really, they shared their secret?" he asked.

"They gave it to the world" Mr. Mason replied. "Leslie wrote a whole series of books on the tales of Terabithia and Jess illustrated them. They became best sellers." Mr. Mason rose from his chair and walked over to a bookshelf. He grabbed a book and handed it to Mr. Pendleton. On the cover a magnificent golden bridge led the way into a beautiful kingdom. Hand in hand a king and queen crossed over the bridge and into Terabithia.

"They really did live happily ever after" Mr. Pendleton commented with a smile.

"Of course they did" Mr. Mason replied. "If ever there were two souls that deserved a second chance at happiness, I believe Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke were those two."

A/N: Thanks again for reading. Best wishes to all of you in 2009!