A/N: Just sort of a little oneshot I came up with when I was playing ToTT (finally bought it today!) and saw the dynamics between Ash and Cheryl. She's such a spitfire! Haha, anyway. This is meant just to be just kind of sweet and funny. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)

Disclaimer: I really don't own anything.

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Cheryl's breath came in hitched, ragged gasps as she rushed as fast as her pounding legs would carry her across the pasture to her house. She dodged wandering sheep, cows, and the occasional underfoot chick before reaching the little wooden fence, which she quickly climbed over with fumbling, frantic hands. Finally, she was on the other side, and dashed with all her remaining energy to her ultimate goal: the farmhouse.

Inside, Jessica was making a big pot of soup for dinner. She looked up with a start when the front door was thrown suddenly open and then slammed shut—there, slumped in the doorway, trying desperately to regain her breath and obviously very upset, was her little pig-tailed girl. The wooden spoon Jessica held clattered to the countertop as she rushed over to her daughter. "Cheryl! Cheryl, what's the matter?"

Her daughter gazed up at her with wide, horror-stricken eyes. "MOM! MOOOOM! You won't believe what I saw! IT'S TERRIBLE!"

"What? What?" cried Jessica, grasping the little girl's tiny arms and staring intently into her eyes. "Cheryl, are you okay? You've got to tell me what's wrong!"

"I saw….I saw…." Cheryl wrenched her eyes away from her mother's, as if ashamed of what she was about to say. "In the barn….Ash…"

Jessica's mouth fell open as she leaned forward, concern creasing her forehead. "Cheryl! Is he hurt? You have to tell me!"

Cheryl looked back over at her mom as her lips curled into a disgusted pout. "NO! He was kissing LILLIAN!"

Jessica blinked once, twice. Three times. Wordlessly, she straightened again and turned back to the stove where the abandoned pot of soup was simmering, badly needing to be stirred. Cheryl watched her movements with urgent eyes.

"WELL?" she demanded, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation. "You're just going to keep making dinner? DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?"

"Mhmm," Jessica replied, sounding shocking unperturbed to Cheryl. "It means our Ashy's in L-O-V-E." She sang the last part, swaying her hips dramatically with each letter, her back still turned to her horrified daughter.

"MOM! This is SERIOUS!"

"Is it?" mused Jessica, tapping her chin thoughtfully with the tip of the soupspoon. "Hm, I suppose it could be. He's never taken an interest in anyone else, after all." Cheryl's mouth hit the floor.

"Mom! How can you be so calm! You know what comes next don't you? !" The little girl finally moved her shell-shocked body away from the front door to scurry over to her mother and grip the hem of her dress imploringly.

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Ashy pushing a baby carriage~"

"MOOOOOM! How can you say that?"

Jessica threw her head back and roared with laughter as Cheryl stood disapprovingly beside her, glaring, arms crossed. When she finally finished and could breathe again, Jessica wiped a mock tear away from her eye and sighed. "Oh Cheryl. Don't you think you're exaggerating this?"

"NOT ONE BIT!" the pigtailed girl snapped. "We have to stop them! He liked her before, and now they've kissed, so they like each other even MORE!"

"Hm, I dunno, baby. He might be a terrible kisser and Lillian is running away screaming at this very instant."

Cheryl gasped, mortified at the notion of her all-star big brother being less than perfect at anything. "MOM! Ash is good at EVERYTHING! That's probably the best kiss she's ever haaaad," she wailed.

Jessica rolled her eyes, placing the lid of the pot back on top and wiping her hands on a towel. "Cheryl. It's not the end of the world. He's at that age now, you know…and I wouldn't mind having me some grandbabies."

Cheryl's eyes grew yet wider, making Jessica giggle a little bit as she wandered off to set the table. Her daughter trailed after her, still frantic.

"MOM! I don't want Ash to have GRANDBABIES!"

"Don't worry. They won't be his grandbabies, they'll be my grandbabies." An impish grin played at Jessica's mouth as she set out the dinnerware. "And I want to spoil them."

"What about ME?" Cheryl cried, spreading her arms. "You could spoil me and then Ash doesn't have to have any grandbabies! Especially not with Lillian!"

"Nah. You're not grand, just a baby." She giggled and hugged her daughter with one arm. "Just kidding, honey. I love you, but I have to raise you right with morals and such…not my job with grandbabies!"

Cheryl grit her teeth and rolled her eyes at her mother. "Fine! But I don't want him to marry Lillian!"

"Why not? You've always liked Lillian."

"It's not like that!"

"What's it like?"

"It's like I used to like her because she didn't like him but I don't like her liking him because he likes her too and I dislike it!" she blurted in frustration. Then blinked. "You set me up for that…"

"I was hoping it would tongue-twist you a bit, but no such luck." Jessica began humming casually as she turned back to test the temperature of the soup. Cheryl stomped her foot.

"MOM!"

"Yes, baby?"

"Just…! We have to…do…something!"

"What? Oh, I know. How about I go over and arrange a marriage between Ash and Laney?"

"NOOOOO! Mom!"

Jessica folded the towel over its hook and finally turned to face her daughter, leaning against the counter with one hand resting on her hip. "Well? Then there's nothing wrong with Lillian?"

"Hmph!" grumbled Cheryl. "He spends too much time with her…!"

"Ohh, is that what this is all about? But you like spending time with Ash and Lillian apart. Don't you think they should enjoy spending time together too?"

"But Mom…!" The little girl slumped, realizing she had no argument. "He's MY brother…"

Still grinning, Jessica turned away and peeked into the soup pot. Her daughter could be such a jealous handful sometimes. "Don't worry, I don't think she's competing for your 'sister' position." The front door slammed shut as Cheryl exited in a huff, but the brunette woman didn't pay much attention to it. There was soup to put on the table! Humming, she began spooning servings of the steaming-hot, vegetable-filled liquid into matching bowls.

When the door was thrust open for the second time that evening, she didn't even bother to look up until she heard her son's voice. "Mom…"

Her face broke into a smile. "Ash! Perfect timing, dinner's ready."

He didn't move from his place on the threshold. "Mom."

Sighing, she put the bowl of soup she was holding down. "Yes, Ash…?"

"Cheryl attacked me."

"I did not!" cried a tiny protesting voice behind him. Ash rolled his eyes and brushed some stray hair out of his face with a gloved hand.

"Okay, she tried to attack me."

"But it failed!" insisted Cheryl, now peeking her head around her brother's body. Jessica frowned at her daughter.

"Cheryl! Why would you do such a terrible thing? You know we don't…attack people…around here!"

"But Lillian hits him all the time!"

"Only when I'm being stupid!" Ash snapped, losing his temper with his little sister as he very rarely—if ever—did.

"You WERE being stupid!"

As the two fought, Jessica thoughtfully watched them and tried to come up with a reasonable punishment for her daughter. It would have to be something that would really make her squirm, so that she'd learn her lesson…

The argument suddenly faltered and quelled, causing the mother to glance up. There, between the heads of Ash and Cheryl—because he was now holding her and glaring—was the distinctive pale yellow bandana set in the light brunette hair. Lillian.

She smiled sheepishly in, biting the inside of her cheek as both Ash and Cheryl stared back at her, frozen. "Um, it looks like I came at a bad time…I was just going to say good evening, because I'm heading back to my farm now. So, um…yeah! See you tomorrow, Ash…?"

Then Jessica had a brilliant, brilliant idea. She grinned evilly at Cheryl's turned back—oh, this was going to be a delicious punishment. Her daughter would never attack anyone again! "Oh, Lillian! I haven't seen you all day, would you care to stay for dinner?"

Cheryl's head snapped over to stare blankly at her mother as both the farmer girl's and Ash's faces lit up.

"Really?" she asked, her hands clasped together in delight. "I'd love to!"

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A/N: Muahahaha, poor Cheryl. I had it first where she attacked Lillian, but decided against it...I really don't think she'd actually go that far. And can't you just see this tormenting, lighthearted, sarcastic side of Jessica? }:D
Anyway, thank you oh-so-very-much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave me a review on the way out if you get a chance. Thanks again!