The not so long awaited sequel to Bittersweet is here! If you haven't read Bittersweet, I suppose you should read it first :P also note that this continues on from Chase's ending, obviously lol. The focus will be split between Holly and Chase's children, and the drama concerning the adults. It might also flashback to the past every now and then...

I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up; I'm kinda busy with school and other stuff at the moment, but I'll update whenever I can!

So yeah, I hope you enjoy it~

For All We Know

Morning had arrived, and as the sun rose higher in the sky, the Baker household slowly came to life.

Holly Baker was always the first to awaken. Rain or shine, summer or winter (even when her bones creaked in protest), her day began at six o'clock and never a minute later. Her husband, on the other hand, didn't even stir when she pulled back the covers and struggled to manoeuvre herself to the edge of the bed. He would be dead to the world for a few more hours; the long and late hours he worked left him feeling drained and exhausted on a good day.

After having a quick shower and throwing on a mismatched outfit, Holly opened the door and was greeted by chaos: stray clothes, shoes and toys had been strewn all the way down the hallway. She sighed – it hadn't looked this bad under the cover of darkness last night.

It didn't take long for Holly to have everything looking presentable again (not that it would last that way for very long. Another hurricane would blow through the house again as soon as the children were out of bed) but that was just scratching the surface of her daily chores. There was still the farm to tend to, not to mention making the kids' lunches, washing last night's dishes, doing a load of laundry and even more cleaning...

If a mother's work is never done, what about the mother who also happened to be a farmer?

She did as much as she could around the farm, watering and weeding the crops, before feeding the cows and chickens, until around eight o'clock. Holly returned to the house and poked her head through the doorway of her children's bedroom.

Two beds sat parallel to each other against the sides of the room, each with a light auburn haired head sticking out from under the covers. On the windowsill Finn the Harvest Sprite was curled up under a potted tulip, softly snoring away. The alarm clock on the bedside table blasted a tinny, high-pitched tune, but neither child nor Sprite made a peep.

"Rosemary, Oliver, it's morning," She called gently.

No response.

"It's time to get up!"

One of the mounds mumbled, "Five more minutes."

"Come on, you don't want to be late for school, do you?"

"I do," The remark came from the other bed.

Shaking her head, Holly walked over to the window and opened the curtains wide. Warm, spring sunlight flooded the whole room. There were two simultaneous groans and the shuffle of covers as her children squirmed around, trying to escape the reach of the intrusive glow – with no such luck.

Eldest Baker child Rosemary was the first to relent. She sat up, her delicate features pulled tautly in a disdainful frown. A tousled haired boy rose next, stifling a yawn; the youngest, Oliver.

"Mama, why do you have to do this every morning?" Rosemary whined, squinting against the sunshine.

Holly grinned mischievously, "It works, doesn't it?"

When both of her kids were truly awake, she headed back out to the kitchen to prepare breakfast and lunches. Breakfast under Holly's watch consisted of cereal and cold milk – from her own cows, at least. And for lunch… a salad and ham sandwich each, an apple and a box of juice, she decided. Nothing fancy, but it would keep them going for the day.

Holly couldn't help smiling as she went about assembling the lunches. This mundane routine wouldn't suit everyone, but she couldn't imagine her life turning out any other way. Even with the never-ending mess.

Peace and quiet finally settled over the house.

It lasted for all of five minutes. A loud shriek suddenly resonated through the walls, which was then followed by a pained cry. Two pairs of heavy footsteps came thundering down the hall, racing towards the kitchen. Yet another normal morning in the Baker household.

Holly buttered two more slices of bread, and then she waited.

Three, two, one…

"Mamaaa!" Oliver bounded into the kitchen; he was watery-eyed and clutching at a very visible red spot on his upper right arm, "Rosie hit me!"

Seconds later, Rosemary skidded through the doorway, "He was touching my stuff!" She cried in defence.

Oliver hid behind his mother, "I just wanted to borrow a pencil…"

Holly sighed mentally – they usually got along so well. "Rosemary, you know better than to hit your brother–"

"This wouldn't happen if I had my own room," Her daughter grumbled.

"–And Oliver, if you want to borrow something of Rosie's, you have to ask first." Holly looked between her children, "Let's forgive and forget, okay?"

The little boy ducked his head and nodded, "I'm sorry, Rosie."

"Yeah, whatever." Rosemary rolled her eyes, but her expression softened a little, "…Sorry I hit you."

"It's okay. It didn't hurt really anyway."

"Then why were you crying?"

Oliver pouted, "I wasn't crying!"

"You were too, crybaby– "

"Oh, look at the time!" Holly quickly exclaimed, "Hurry up and get dressed, breakfast will be ready soon – and do it quietly, because Daddy is still asleep."

"Don't bother," A flat voice interjected, "Daddy's awake now…" Holly turned around just in time to see Chase appear in the doorway, wearing a familiar disdainful frown – like father, like daughter.

The kids forgot their argument. Both of their heads angled downwards in anticipation of another scolding.

Instead, their father chuckled, "Well, at least I won't miss out on all the fun now that I'm up."

Oliver flung his arms around Chase's waist in greeting; he was an exact miniature version of his father, down to the way his hair stuck up in every direction. "Daddy, can we have pancakes for breakfast?" He asked.

Holly placed her hands on her hips. All that hard work preparing the cereal for nothing.

Chase shot her a lopsided smile and ruffled his son's hair, "Sorry, Olive, no time for pancakes today. Maybe tomorrow, okay?"

"That's what you always say," Rosemary muttered.

If Chase had heard, he made no comment. He ushered the kids towards the door, "Go and get ready, you two."

With great reluctance, the children trudged back to their room, leaving their parents alone in the kitchen. Holly resumed her sandwich making; from the corner of her eye, she saw Chase approaching. He leant against the counter with his arms folded.

Silence crept up on them, seeming to suck the warmth from the room. There wasn't much left to talk about after fourteen years of marriage.

Chase was the first to break the stalemate, "Do you need any help?"

Holly shook her head, "I'm almost done here. You can go back to bed if you want."

"There's no point now, I have to be at work soon," He sighed, "Maybe I'll go have a shower."

Her attention remained on her work. "Okay."

Moments later, the kitchen door swung closed and her husband was gone.

Rosemary gave Holly her patented preteen stare as she followed her children out the front door. "Mama, you don't have to walk us to school everyday," She promptly informed her mother.

Holly feigned a wounded expression, "But I like walking you guys to school."

"Yeah, but… I'm not a little kid anymore, and Oliver's nearly ten."

Twelve years old going on sixteen; Holly had hoped for a few more months of reprieve before this phase began.

"We can walk by ourselves. It's not like we'll get lost," Rosemary continued, "Right Ollie?"

The younger boy glanced from his sister to his mother with barely concealed apprehension, "I dunno Rosie… I mean, I don't mind if Mama comes with us…"

Rosemary snorted, "Baby." She struck his arm and Oliver let out a yelp.

"Ow! Mama!"

"Rosemary!" Holly frowned. The offending fist was quickly hidden behind her back, but her daughter maintained a look of defiance. She was ready to put up a fight. "…All right, I'll stay home. I trust you. But stick together and keep an eye on your brother. And go straight to school."

Rosemary's purple eyes instantly lit up, "We will!" She grabbed her brother by the wrist and started to drag him down the dirt path that led away from the farm.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Holly protested, "Don't I at least get a kiss goodbye?"

Her children came to an abrupt stop. Rosemary swerved on heel and backtracked, pressing a quick kiss to Holly's cheek, "Bye Mama."

Oliver did the same, but lingered a little longer by also giving his mother a hug.

"Have a nice day!" Holly called out. She stood on the doorstep and watched as her kids made their way across the field, until they rounded the bend and disappeared from sight completely. She let out a soft sigh; as cliché as it sounded, they really were growing up so fast. Much too fast.

"You're such a pushover."

"Well, you didn't exactly jump to my defence," Holly said, as she turned around. Her husband, now freshly showered, dressed and shaved, stood behind her.

Chase shrugged, "I know a losing battle when I see one."

He stepped outside and the scent of orange and spice drifted over – of all the things about her husband, his scent was the one thing that remained unchanged after so many years.

"What time will you be home tonight?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully before midnight."

That's what you always say.

Chase leant forward, but Holly moved her head. His lips softly brushed her cheek.

"I love you."

Holly forced her mouth into a faint smile, "Love you too."

"Do you have to walk so close to me?" Rosemary complained.

"Mama said we had to stick together," Oliver protested, struggling to keep up.

"Well, Mama's not here right now." She gave Oliver a light shove and jogged off ahead.

"Rosie! W-Wait for me!"

Rosemary huffed and sped up again. The kid was so clingy, it was embarrassing. At least they were close to the Maple Lake District; every day since her first day at school, her best friend Heath Jones waited for her to come by and then they all went to school together. She wouldn't have to talk to Oliver for much longer.

Uncle Calvin's house soon came into view – Daddy said it used to belong to him, before he moved in with Mama. It was smaller than her family's house, but way more interesting. There was a lake just outside their back garden, where she, Heath and their other friend Matt spent many summers fishing and playing in when their parents had been too busy to take them to the beach, and inside was a collection of the fascinating things: old relics that Uncle Calvin had found on his adventures and the strange contraptions Aunt Phoebe built (Daddy said to stay away from those, though).

But they saw no one waiting outside on the front step.

"Where's Heath?" Oliver asked.

Rosemary walked up to the gate, "Maybe he's still getting ready."

An old Border Collie, who was laying down in the shade of a tree, lifted its head at the sound of the gate opening. "Hi Molly!" Oliver said. The dog just yawned in response and rested her muzzle on her paws.

Rosemary knocked at the door. They waited and waited, but no one answered. Heath's parents usually went to the mines early and he was allowed to stay home alone for a little while. Heath was so lucky. He didn't have an annoying tagalong kid brother, and Uncle Calvin and Aunt Phoebe never insisted on walking him to school. They even let him wander around the Ganache Mines all by himself! – Well, only near the entrance, but still.

"D'you think he's sick?" Oliver asked. He'd wandered over to Molly the dog in boredom and was now scratching her behind the ears.

The elder sibling got on her tiptoes, trying to peer inside, "He was okay yesterday."

"Maybe he's at school already."

"Don't be dumb. Heath always waits for us." Even when it rained, he'd be there, under the cover of an umbrella.

"It was just a suggestion," Her brother pouted. "We should go, Rosie. Uncle G – I mean, Mr Hamilton will be angry if we're late..."

Rosemary adjusted the straps of her backpack and seemed to obey. Oliver followed her across the front yard, but when they got to the gate, Rosemary turned right.

"That's the wrong way–"

"Go ahead without me," She said.

Oliver glanced around in alarm, "What? Why? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Heath," Rosemary explained, without looking back, "If he's sick, he's probably at his grandma's house."

Her brother's eyebrows came together into a frown, "But Mr Hamilton will be angry if you skip class again!"

"Just tell him I've gone on a private fieldtrip!" She called over her shoulder.

"W-Wait, no! Rosemary! Come baaaack!"

But Rosemary just kept on running, until her brother's figure was nothing more than a silhouette in the distance.

Out of all the places on Waffle Island, Rosemary was sure that the Ganache Mining District was her favourite. Not that there was anything wrong about the other places – like Waffle Town was fun, but every summer it became overrun with tourists – it was just, while the rest of the island was so normal, the Ganache Mines were exciting. The mountain disappeared beyond the clouds, and there was the river and the forest, and the Goddess Pond (which Mama said she wasn't allowed to mention when the other adults from the mainland were around, because it would make them feel uncomfortable. Even though Daddy also looked uncomfortable when Mama talked about the Harvest Goddess).

Heath and Rosemary always went adventuring after school and on the weekends – Uncle Calvin is bad influence, Daddy always grumbled. They had yet to find anything worthwhile, like ancient relics or treasure, but that didn't matter. The most important thing was having fun.

Trying to navigate her way through the Ganache District stores was almost like an adventure in itself – if someone spotted her, there would be an interrogation about why she wasn't in class. Luckily, there weren't many people about today, only Luke and he was too busy chopping down a tree to really notice. Her dad often said Uncle Luke was so dumb, he wouldn't even notice a bear charging towards him until it was too late.

Rosemary managed to make it to the General Store undetected. Now the problem was getting inside. If Heath's grandma Barbara was serving at the front counter, it wouldn't be so bad. Today, however, it seemed that his grandpa Simon was there instead. His grandpa was such a worrywart.

She had no choice but to sneak around the back. Heath normally used the spare bedroom at the rear of the house when he stayed over. She could easily climb in through the window.

Sure enough, when Rosemary peered inside, she saw a green tuft of hair sticking out from beneath a mound of blankets.

"Psst, Heath!" She tapped at the window, "Heyyy!"

Slowly, the green haired head lifted, and then glanced around, before he finally realised where the voice was coming from. Heath crawled out of bed and quietly padded over to the window. "Rosemary… what are you doing here?"

"How come you're skipping school?" She demanded.

Heath averted his blue eyes – which were tinged red, she noticed. "I'm sick," He sniffled.

"You don't really look sick."

"I do too."

Rosemary gripped at the windowsill and pulled herself up. A few seconds later, she landed on the wooden floor with a dull thud. "You're totally faking!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"S-Shut up!" Heath suddenly shouted. He spun around and stomped over to the bed, burying himself in the covers again. "Just go away, Rosie."

Rosemary tossed her backpack on the floor and balled her hands into fists. She would not leave without an explanation for his strange behaviour, and she was going to get an explanation even if it meant using force!

Three, two, one...

She pounced on the bed. Heath squirmed under her weight; he was trapped in place, both within the blankets and between her arms. When he finally untangled his limbs, he found himself staring straight into her narrowed purple eyes.

Rosemary's anger melted away. His blue eyes, she suddenly realised, were red because they were full of tears.

Confused, Rosemary released her friend and sat back on her haunches. Heath wouldn't look at her. He curled up with his knees pressed to his chest and rubbed the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand.

"Heath, what's wrong?" She asked softly, "Whatever it is, you can tell me!"

He fell silent, for what felt like an eternity.

"My dad… m-my dad got a new job, somewhere far away." He struggled with the words, shoulders beginning to shake, "We have to move, Rosie! I don't wanna go! I wanna stay here on Waffle Island, with you and everyone else!"

Something heavy dropped into her stomach, something cold and hard that spread throughout her whole body and made her fingers feel numb. It was a strange feeling, because her eyes were burning.

This couldn't be happening. Heath was her best friend. He had been by her side forever; every memory she had included him in some way. If he left…

"W-When?" Rosemary whispered.

Heath's tearful gaze met hers, "Next month."