Wow, this idea randomly popped in my head while playing Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands. I thought it was pretty clever, hopefully you do too.

"Tell me about your parents."

The question was too sudden. How was I supposed to respond to that? She looked up at me, her cobalt eyes shining with a raging curiosity. There was no doubt in my mind that she had been wanting to know this for quite a while. We had been lying in her bed after a good night's sleep. It was a Thursday morning, so I knew I had to get up to do work over at Mirabelle's. But as soon as she knew I was awake, she threw me the question. I sighed and threw my arms over my face. I had carefully avoided this question since the day I actually replied to her questions. Chelsea was stubborn and had insisted I told her time and time again, but I always managed to distract her until she forgot about it altogether. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sidetrack her this time. I knew everything about her and she knew everything about me, well, except for this.

I knew I would have to tell her sooner or later. I sighed and peeked at her. She had a calm look to her face, almost thoughtful.

"Chelsea?"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Vaughn. I won't force you, but our wedding is going to be at the end of the season, so if you want to invite them…" Her voice trailed off as her gaze fell to her folded hands. I sighed and reached over to place a hand against her cheek. She looked at me so innocently, with a small smile playing at her lips. She knew she had me, with that damn puppy dog look.

"Okay, I'll tell you. No interrupting. Alright?" I asked, sitting up. She nodded eagerly as she sat up straight to listen. I took a deep breath before beginning.

"When my grandfather died, my mother, Jill, moved from the city to a small village called 'Forget-Me-Not Valley'. Her father had been a farmer and she came to take over when he passed on. My mother had been a successful farmer who had been wonderful at caring for her animals. Her plants, however, weren't as good. One of the villagers, a woman named Celia, became a friend of my mom's. Celia worked on a farm with a woman who was close to her named Vesta and Vesta's brother, Marlin. Now, there was a man named Skye. He was a thief who traveled the world. He ended up trying to rob a couple of houses at Forget-Me-Not Valley. My mother fell in love with Skye and she would sometimes lie to the villagers so that he could get away."

Throughout giving my speech, Chelsea held a very calm face.

"Anyways, my mom fell in love with him and purposed." At this, she squealed loudly. I shot her a glare. She put a finger to her lips, a show of her remaining quiet. I nodded and continued.

"Instead of saying yes right away, he told her he'd think about it. The next night, he came to her house and he spent the night with her." Chelsea blushed and looked down, obviously a little flustered at my ability to talk so casually about my mother's…sleeping arrangements.

"The next day, he was gone." Chelsea's mouth popped open and her eyes were practically on fire. No doubt, she was extremely angry, then again, who wouldn't be? But she remained quiet.

"She was devastated and heartbroken. She locked herself in her little home and sold her animals." Chelsea's eyes drooped as she listened to the tale of my mother's sadness. "She stayed like that for days. That is, until Marlin had a few words with her."

"I knew I liked him!" She shouted, and clamped her hand down on her mouth, shutting herself up. I smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Anyhow, Marlin managed to cheer her up and the two got back into rebuilding her farm. Two weeks later, she found out she was pregnant…with me." Chelsea's eyes went wide. "Marlin was hurt, but nevertheless proposed to her. He was in love with her and offered to take care of her and the baby. I grew up with the two of them and learned about animals from my mom while my dad took care of the plants." Her eyes were warm as I described my life with them.

"Some people talked, since I had my mom's eyes, but my biological father's hair. Marlin was a bit of a grump, usually a cold to everyone but my mom and me. He was kind of old fashioned and was a real father figure to me. My mom was sweet and lovable, but a bit stubborn, a little like you." I said with a wink.

"That's about it," I concluded. "I grew up and moved to the city. My folks died a little after I moved. Sure, I was sad, but I was raised properly. Soon after, I started working on this island."

"Wow." She said. "I really wished I could've met your parents. They seem like people I really would've loved to have as my family." She wiped a stray tear. I reached over and kissed her softly.

"Yeah, but soon we'll start a family of our own." I said with a smile. She nodded happily, a touch of pink coloring her cheeks. I smiled as a picture of my mom and Marlin taking care of one of her cows flashed in my head, one of the last memories I have of them.

It was about 1 a.m. when I wrote this, so bear with me.

Reviews are loved!

~S.S.