Samantha stiffened when David approached them in the center of the town square. She prepared for him to pull out a weapon or at least try to hit her as revenge for Veronica's death, but he only held up his empty hands and said, "I'm sorry. I've been a fool. Twice now. First with the reverend and then with her. Can you ever forgive me?"
"Of course I can," Samantha said. She reached out her hand towards David. He took it warily, as if expecting a trap, but then pumped her hand with vigor. When she finally let go, she looked about her. "I think we should go somewhere private to talk about all this."
David fell in with them as they went into Rebecca's bakery. She locked the door behind her so no one else could get inside. Prudence, Wendell, and David pulled up stools before the hearth while Rebecca leaned against a corner and Samantha stood in the center of the room. "I think we're going to have a lot of work ahead of us to sort things out," Samantha said. "First we have to make sure to have some food ready for when they snap out of this. We should inventory the pantry to see if we need any more supplies. I can get anything we need tomorrow when I go back to Seabrooke to talk with Joseph. I'm sure he'll understand-"
"Samantha, I think you should go with Joseph to California," Prudence said.
"What? I can't go now. Not with things the way they are."
Prudence stood up to look Samantha in the eye. "You saved us from Reverend Crane and you guided us through all the dark times since, but we're not children anymore. It's time for us to learn to care for ourselves. And it's time for you to go and make yourself happy."
"I can't leave you. You're like my family-"
"You are my family, Samantha, but in every family there's a time when you have to go out on your own to live your own life." Prudence reached out to take Samantha's hands. "What you have with Joseph is special. You can't squander it for us."
"But-"
"She's right," Wendell said. "We've spent almost four centuries with someone else looking after us: Reverend Crane, Miss Brigham, and you. It's time we look after ourselves."
"We'll be fine," David added. "It'll take an adjustment, but we can do it. We're ready now."
Samantha looked to each of her friends. In their eyes she saw the resolve and determination to make things work. Prudence was right: they weren't children anymore. They didn't need her. "All right. I'll leave in the morning."