Author's Note: Another new fic? Don't fret. This is just a short one with only two chapters. Really! :)

Note: This fic is slightly AU, which means there are some alterations from the original plot of the manga. However, their ages are the same as in the manga.

I'm not going to bother you yet with my rambling. So without further ado, please enjoy my new contribution. -forever

Disclaimer: I don't own Candy Candy manga and all the characters in it, but the talented Kyoko Mizuki does. This fic is a product of my own twisted imagination and inspired by Mizuki's masterpiece. If any of the plots, specific scenes, or dialogues appears to be similar to that from another fic or story, it is purely unintentional and coincidental. 'Great minds think alike', after all.

The characterization in the fic is based on the Manga and not the Anime.

Acknowledgement: As always, my heartfelt gratitude goes to my lovely beta readers. This one is for you gals. Thank you for your invaluable suggestions and comments. :)

Also, I want to mention that three Candy Candy drawings, two from Igarashi and one from the ever talented Lezti, inspired three scenes in the fic. For now, I will not divulge the details on those arts until part 2 is posted. ;)

Last but not least, I also want to dedicate this story to those who have been diligently, patiently, and faithfully following my other Candy Candy fics. Thank you all! I hope this could tide you over while you wait for the next chapters of my other fics. :)

Spring Fling

Lakewood Estate was in full bloom in early May with spring painting a magnificent panorama on its trail. Blossoming roses, daffodils, tulips, peonies, azaleas, violets, gardenias, and many other variety of flowers all competed to display their vibrant spectrum of colorful petals, inviting honeybees and hummingbirds to fly by and feast upon the sweet nectar. The afternoon sun shone brightly above the blue sky with wispy groups of clouds passing through occasionally. The breeze blew gently, permeating the surroundings air with floral fragrance from the blooming garden. The peaceful and serene ambiance outside in the garden was in striking contrast to the hustle and bustle inside the grand mansion as a party was running in full swing . The sounds of chatter and laughter with music playing in the background reverberated throughout out the many quarters of the opulent villa as guests, dressed in their finest apparels, mingled around in pleasant conversations.

Away from the liveliness inside the mansion, a petite female figure was virtually hidden from plain view by the verdant canopy of trees in the woodland area of the estate. After verifying that the branch was sturdy enough to sustain her full weight, Candy released a deep sigh in between heavy panting and carefully settled herself to sit on a branch on a tall oak tree.

She reclined her back against the stout trunk and lifted her dangling legs, stretching them out along the branch. Her breathing rate had gradually dissipated to normal. To climb to where she was now had not been an easy feat, especially with the gown that had only made the task ten times more challenging. Ultimately, after being poked by sharp thin branches several times, enduring shallow cuts on her palms from being scraped against the rough scales on the bark, and narrowly missing a free fall when she had stepped on a weak tree limb, she had managed to make it to the upper section of the crown.

Running her hand against the smooth, silky material of her gown, she became aware of the terrible state of it, which was completely ruined with a few visible long slits that were caused from tearing that happened whenever the delicate material was caught by the pointy end of twigs. Despite the strenuous physical activity that she had just partaken, it was sort of miraculous that the intricate French Chignon had stayed intact at the back of her head. Her aunt would have a fit for sure, and she would be guaranteed a long night of listening to her admonition. But that should be the last thing on her mind right now. In the mean time, she should enjoy this quiet solitary moment that could very well turn into her very last moment of freedom.

A gentle cooling breeze blew against the hot sweaty skin on her face as her eyes scanned the scenery before her. The view was breathtaking from up where she sat. She could see the mansion standing proud a great distance away. The impressive-sized building appeared miniature in size now. Even from far away, she could still see the flurry of activities being carried out by the servants moving back and forth outside the mansion. She shivered in repugnance imagining herself still being trapped inside the mansion, where she would stand stiff on her high heels, straining a perpetual polite smile on her face while listening to endless blather. She quickly expelled the unappealing images out of her mind. For the moment, at least, she was free from feeling suffocated being forced to act like a true lady.

It's supposed to be my birthday party for goodness sake. Much to her dismay, her aunt and her aunt's long time friend had managed to turn it into a surprised engagement party for her. Her aunt, who was also her legal guardian, didn't even have the courtesy to ask her first. Wasn't she supposed to be the birthday girl? This will go down in history as my worst birthday ever. To make it worse than it had already been, her so-called best friends, Annie Brighton and Patty O'Brien had not been supportive at all and even had the gall to lecture her to be grateful and stop acting like a brat. Some friends they are! That had been the last straw for her. Feeling betrayed, angry and desperate, she began to formulate a plan to sneak out of the room where she had been confined in. It had been challenging to make her escape as she knew nothing about the floor plan of the huge mansion. She had finally succeeded when she inadvertently discovered an inconspicuous route that apparently was used exclusively by the servants.

Candy let out a long sigh of frustration and threw the back of her head back against the stump of the tree, her eyes closing to a shut. She should not be the one to complain. It was not like she hadn't known that this would happen one day. It had been planned from the very beginning, since they day she was born. Just like any other women that were born into a prestigious family, her destiny had been predetermined for her. She would marry a man of distinct pedigree to produce an heir for him and would spend the rest of her life looking primped and proper, joining the rank of high society ladies to attend events and charities. But unlike other women from the upper class before she was married, she did not need to frequent elite social events and gatherings and had therefore been mostly absent from such galas and balls. The reason was because she didn't need to parade in front of potential suitors to 'market' herself since the man that she would call husband had been decided for her.

Apparently, before she was even born, her future had already been firmly set in stone by her parents. And it was only her duty as a devoted daughter to honor and fulfill her deceased parents' will and wishes, even if it meant marrying a man of their choice. A tragic accident that had claimed the lives of her parents had occurred at the time when she was still learning to walk. Ever since then, she had been under the care of her recently widowed aunt, the only living blood relative from her mom's side, and had lived with her till the current time in her aunt's private estate in Pony Hill. While living with her aunt, from early on, she had been molded and groomed to become a proper lady worthy to marry a man from a noble lineage, just like her beloved father had been, but her free spirited streak had only brought headaches to her aunt, who had to hire and switch tutors practically every week until the indomitable Miss Jenkins appeared.

As Candy was about to recall her days with her favorite instructor, she felt something soft move against her bare forearm, startling her out of her reminiscing. The next thing she knew, that something had landed on her lap as she felt its weight pressing down on her thighs. She froze on her spot unmoving, her breath hitching in her throat. And that thing, whatever it was, was very much alive as she felt it waggle on her legs. Luckily, she was not one that suffered from a debilitating condition known as animal phobia like Miss Crawford, her other tutor, who would have fainted by now. But to have an unknown creature settle on her lap out of the blue was not something she was accustomed to. Nervously, she lowered her head with her eyes still tightly shut and trained the rest of her body parts to remain still. She heaved a sigh of relief as she eliminated the fact that it could be a creepy, devious looking snake since a snake should neither have fur nor paws. Opening her eyes slightly, she squinted an eye to take a peek at what had decided to interrupt her moment of solitude.

"EEEeeeekkkkk!" she involuntarily let out a loud shriek as soon as her sight fell on a bushy tail that was black with white stripes.

The sound caused the small animal that was on her legs to react instantly. It turned around to face her and stood on its hind legs with its round innocent eyes staring back at her, assessing her curiously while its tail looping around its body.

A skunk? Her eyes went double in size upon recognizing the small creature standing erect on her lap. It wasn't a snake but still could be just as horrible.

Candy chanted to herself to keep calm while attempted her best not to make any sudden movement to scare the animal off since provoking it would only lead to a detrimental result. The last thing she wanted to happen to her was to be sprayed by a skunk on her birthday. As she weighed the options of what to do next, she heard a voice yelling.

"Pouppe!"

The skunk bounced off her lap abruptly and moved away from her by catapulting itself in a small jump onto a thinner branch across from her. Candy then shifted away from the trunk of the tree and pivoted halfway on her spot to sit with her legs hanging off the branch. The furry creature slowly made its way back toward her, taking tiny steps tentatively. Then, it stopped to sit right beside her.

The sound of rustling leaves diverted her attention from the animal. From her new sitting position, she could see the top of someone's head, presumably belonged to the one who had just called out the funny name, ascending closer and closer toward her. The man, as she had guessed from the deep baritone shouting voice earlier, seemed to be an avid climber just like her or maybe even a tad better than her. It didn't take long before the man reached her spot as her eyes caught the sight of his big hand on the branch.

The next thing she saw was his hair that was also blond like hers but had a darker hue to it. Then, as he pulled himself up, their eyes met, and she was instantly transfixed by the pair of blue orbs, feeling as if she was looking right into a bright blue sky on a sunny day only that it wasn't the sky she was gazing at. She didn't even realize that she had been gawking at the stranger until she was propelled out of her trance by his voice.

"Oh, hello there," he greeted warmly and averted his eyes from her startled ones to glance at the skunk that sat quietly next to her before bringing his attention back to the blond woman. "You seem to have found my pet, and I must say that she looks to be quite fond of you."

Then, under her bewildered gaze, the stranger just lowered himself to sit down with ease on the narrow space that was sandwiched between her and the huge trunk of the tree, as if it was the most normal thing to do in any given time.

"Your pet?" she asked in disbelief, gesturing with her thumb toward the animal. "The skunk?" She thought that the man must be mad for taking a skunk as a pet. Who in their right minds would do such a thing? Why couldn't he just get a dog or a cat instead?

Noticing the rather disturbed look on her face, he quickly explained, "Oh don't worry - she's rather tame. I can assure you that she is as friendly as a kitten." His eyes drifted to his pet skunk. The animal seemed to prepare to have its afternoon nap as it stretched its body before it lowered itself on its stomach to lie in a curling position, its forelimbs acting as a pillow for the small head.

While the blond woman seemed to deliberate whether to believe him or not, the man observed her quietly. The slight slanting of her eyebrow showed him that she questioned the validity of his words - that didn't surprise him. After all, he was only a stranger to her. He didn't remember ever seeing her before and doubted he could forget a face with a pair of beautiful emerald gems like hers. He then let his eyes travel to her partially tattered dress. Despite the awry state of the dress, he could still discern the exquisite design and the quality of the fine material. From her attire alone, he ascertained that she must be one of the guests and not an intruder. "By the way, what are you doing up here?" he asked with mild curiosity as he clearly didn't expect to see someone like her to be lounging on top of a tree.

Her face contorted into a scowl with her arms folded against her chest. "Shouldn't I be the one who is more entitled to ask that question, mister? I was here first," she responded with an air of defiance.

Her brash remark stunned him into speechlessness for a brief period before the kind smile was back on his face. "My apology, young lady. You are absolutely right. Forgive me." He made a slight bow with his head to express his remorse.

"Young lady?" she retorted in clear displeasure. "For your information. I am twenty-one, mister."

He didn't know whether he would be able to maintain his straight face for a longer period, so he quickly put his hand over his mouth to hide the amused grin on his face. The fact that he had found her sitting comfortably on top of a tree was already fascinating enough. Now, added to that her effervescent personality. Clearing his throat, he removed his hand from his face. "I apologize for my rudeness again, miss." He dipped his head into another bow.

From his refined speech and manner, she was absolutely certain now that he was not a straying hobo who had trespassed the Andrews' property. Could he be one of the guests from the party? But, even though he did appear decent, donning a white shirt and black trousers, his attire was too casual for the formal party. Other than being the owner of a skunk, she knew nothing else about him. "So what are you doing up here?" she hurriedly asked before he could say anything else.

He was baffled by her question since he thought that the answer was quite obvious. Taking a quick glimpse at her and noticing the insistent look on her face, he contemplated on how to reply before telling her, "If you're referring to why I'm up on the tree, that's because I'm trying to retrieve my pet." Leaning his upper body forward, he glanced at his pet and discovered that the skunk was fast asleep. "If you're asking why I'm away from the mansion, then the answer is because I hate parties." He reverted his attention back to her. "Now, how about you?"

So, her speculation had been correct - he was indeed a guest. Averting her eyes from his, she sneered and replied in an impetuous manner, "Same. I hate parties."

An amused smile escaped from his lips upon hearing her blunt response. "What a coincidence! We're two party haters who like to climb trees," he declared while letting out a small laugh.

"Hey! I-"

Whatever she was about to say was muffled against the hand on her mouth. She sent a threatening glare at the owner of the hand that covered her mouth. He signaled to her with his finger to be silent as he removed his hand away from her face slowly and pointed his finger downward toward the ground. She threw him a dubious look before bending her body forward and tilting her head to look down, and immediately became aware that she and the man with his pet skunk were no longer alone in the woods. In silence, they watched what was taking place below from their sitting spot high above the tree. She could not clearly see the faces belonging to the four men who were loitering on the ground below and had to strain her ears to hear their voices. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that her companion was listening attentively and decided to follow suit, directing her full attention toward the ongoing conversation underneath them.

"Where do you think he ran off to?" asked the man with blond hair.

"Who knows? He could be anywhere in this vast estate," another man with blond hair, who stood close to the base of the tree where Candy and her companion were, replied.

"You're kidding me right?" the third person with a reddish brown hair responded in a whining tone. "I cannot believe that she asked us to do this for her. Why can't she send George instead?"

Then the blond man standing by the tree scolded the whining man, "Quit complaining, will you! You and your sister are just the same. You can just go back to the mansion if that's what you want. We can manage just fine without you pestering us around."

"Let's check the stable!" The fourth person, whose hair was the darkest among the four, jumped in quickly, seemingly in an effort to defuse the building tension between the blond man and the whiny man.

"Good thinking, Stear," replied the other blond man to the dark-haired man, whose name was apparently Stear, as he approached Stear and patted his back. Soon, three from the group of four started to walk away.

"Hey! Wait for me!" the whiny man yelled out, scampering to catch up to his company.

Candy and her companion sat still and waited patiently for a few moments. Once the voices from the four men faded away completely, they both sighed loudly in relief and faced each other. Then, without Candy asking him, the man went ahead to reveal the reason why he had wanted them to remain quite just now. "I apologize if my behavior was a bit inappropriate earlier. It's just that based on our previous conversation I could safely assume that we both share the same sentiment about the party. If anybody sees us here, they will surely want to know why we're here and -"

"You don't need to explain - I understand," she interposed, stopping him short, and quickly added in an ironic tone, "I rather sit between a strange man and a skunk on top of a tall oak tree than go back to the party."

"That bad, huh?" This time he didn't bother to even attempt to stifle his laughter, and the sound of his laughing had awakened the sleeping skunk. It opened its eyes lazily but decided not to change its lying position or move away from her spot.

At first, Candy was miffed at him for openly laughing at her, but when she recalled what she had just said, she felt that her words perfectly described the current absurd situation she was in. In the end, she couldn't help but break into stream of giggles. As their laughter finally subsided, they simultaneously turned their heads toward each other, and their eyes met in an affable gaze.

He had not planned to linger this long since his original intention had been to retrieve Pouppe quickly and went back to the stable. But it was not everyday he could find himself having a leisure conversation on top of a tree with someone as endearing as the beautiful young lady sitting beside him, and before he realized it, he found himself being drawn into her more and more. "So miss - what's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

She turned her head away from him and ruminated what to tell him for a brief moment. She then decided to give out her nickname. "Um- Ca… Candy," she faltered before repeating her answer more clearly, "my name is Candy."

He had never heard the name before, which further proved that this was the first time he met her. "Candy…" he echoed in a thoughtful mode. "… As in Candy candy as in sweet candy?"

"Yes… Does it sound weird?" she asked, looking at him with uncertainty reflected in her emerald eyes.

He immediately corrected her false assumption, "No! I wasn't implying that at all. Please don't feel offended - I wasn't making fun of your name." His lips curved into a gentle smile. "Actually, Candy sounds kind of sweet, and it suits you just fine," he told her honestly.

She could only smile shyly in response, a faint red blush coloring her cheeks. The man is a true gentleman.

"Well, Miss Candy - it's truly a pleasure to meet you." He paused briefly before continuing with his introduction, "I am Wil - Albert. You can call me Albert and…" He pointed to the skunk lying beside her. "…She is Pouppe."

"Albert…" she uttered in a soft voice, "and… Poupée…" She considered the name was rather odd and unusual for a pet, but somehow it sounded familiar. Her eyes widened instantly as soon as she recognized the word and its meaning. "Poupée… Doll?"

Seeing the near comical expression on her face, he let out a small chuckle. "I'm impressed - it looks like you are quiet versed in your French, Miss Candy."

She ignored his comment that she wasn't sure was a genuine praise and proceeded to voice out her opinion, "Seriously! You named your skunk 'doll'? Why did you do that? You are quiet an eccentric man. First, you picked a skunk as your pet, and then you named your pet 'doll' Why can't you be just like any normal person and have a dog or a cat? Why a skunk? And why you named it Poupée?" Her eyes involuntarily moved toward her side where the skunk was. Her rapid prattling apparently had caused the animal to lift its head in alarm, turning it from side to side, and when it found there was no imminent danger nearby, it placed its head back to rest on its limbs without closing its eyes.

The blond man stared at her with an undisguised wonderment in his blue eyes. "Miss Candy - are you always brimming with excitement when talking to people whom you just met?" It was mostly a rhetorical question that she didn't need to respond. In return, she gave him a look of annoyance that he just brushed aside by continuing his talk, "Your assessment is quite accurate - I'm an eccentric man, just like you said. I am a self-proclaimed animal lover. So it doesn't matter whether it is a skunk or a mountain lion - I love them all the same. And Pouppe? It's just the name that popped out of my head. And for your information, I never call her 'doll'." He paused briefly to take a breath before saying, "I hope I have satisfied you with my answers."

Candy didn't know if there was anything else she could say. He certainly replied all her questions. Unconsciously, she started to swing her legs back and forth.

As the two blonds stood in silent, a concert of flamboyant trill from birds singing entertained them.

After a few quiet moments, he carefully pushed himself up to stand to his feet and said, "Shall we, Miss Candy?"

Her legs ceased its swinging instantly as she looked at him with puzzlement in her eyes. "Where are we going?" she asked.

He shrugged lightly and suggested in a casual tone, "I'm not sure myself but anywhere is better than perching on this tree for hours, don't you think?" Smirking playfully, he then added in jest, "You and I are clearly not descendants of birds."

She remained speechless for a few seconds before emitting a quiet giggle. "You're funny, Mr. Albert - I think I like you already. Okay… let's go." Moving swiftly, she pulled up her knees toward her and used her hands to prop herself up to stand on the branch. She knew that going down would be so much simpler than climbing up, and with that thought, she moved past him and began her slither down the tree.

"Careful Miss Can…" His remark was left unfinished as what he saw next was totally beyond his expectation and caused him to be in awe. He had planned to help her, but obviously she could do fine without his assistance. Demonstrating an amazing physical agility she had descended the imposing tall tree effortlessly and reached the ground below in no time.

Waving her hands, she bellowed to him, " Mr. Albert - are you coming down?"

Upon hearing her voice from down below, he shook himself off his half-trance state. His sight fell on his indolent furry friend and just then realized that Pouppe must be exhausted from all the climbing as she seldom clambered all the way to the top of a tree on her own since she would usually piggyback on him instead. He lifted her up, placing the creature over his shoulder, and started to make his way to move down the tree. He deftly climbed down the tree and leaped off from the last branch to make a smooth landing on the space close to where the blond woman had stood. "I don't know that a lady like you can be an expert tree climber," he commented while hunching slightly to let Pouppe spring off his back to her four feet.

"You're not so bad yourself," Candy simply answered. Then, suddenly remembering that she had taken off her high heels to facilitate her effort of climbing the tree earlier, she took small steps to circle around the tree with her head tilted downward as she searched for the pair of shoes. She would be sorely disappointed if she lost that particular pair since the shoes actually used to be owned by her beloved mother, and thus for her they were irreplaceable and exhibited immeasurable sentimental value.

While she was preoccupied with the pursuit of her precious belongings, she completely failed to notice that her blond companion had left her side and was engrossed in his own quest for something. Squatting by the nearby thicket of shrubs, he pulled two small items out of the bush with his hand as a broad smile materialized on his face. Looking satisfied, he trotted back to her. "Do these, by any chance, belong to you?" He lifted the pair of pink-colored, leather high heels in his hand, showing them to her.

She whirled around quickly to face him, and her eyes grew large upon seeing the pair of shoes in his hand. With relief written all over her face, she grabbed the shoes from him. "Where did you find them?"

"Lesson learned - if you don't want anyone to find you, you should not leave any trail behind you." Noticing immediately that she was not particularly interested in the topic of his jabber, he let out a rueful smile and explained properly, "I saw this pair of shoes before I climbed up the tree earlier and thought that maybe I should hide them before someone takes it."

"Thank you… You don't know how much this means to me," she told him gratefully. "These shoes… " She hugged the shoes to herself in an emotional gesture, her eyes closing briefly. "They were my mother's…" Her soft voice lacing with melancholy trailed off as her mind took her to the past, to the time when she had been bestowed with her mother's possessions, which had happened on her sixteenth birthday.

Albert could only watch her in silence upon seeing her reaction. In reality, he felt compelled to comfort her somehow but knew that it would be improper for him to touch her, let alone embrace her. In the end, he decided to give her some space and steered his attention toward Pouppe.

After a few moments of quietness had passed, she eventually realized that her companion had been very silent. She had only known the man for less than an hour, but her fondness toward the man kept on multiplying. Then, as her eyes traveled to his face, she caught sight of something green trapped between his blond tufts. "Um… Mr. Albert - you have something there… " She took a step closer to him and noted right away how tall he was compared to her petite height.

He looked at her with confusion in his blue eyes, unsure of what she had alluded to. He was about to ask her but abandoned the idea when he saw her bend down to drop her high heels on the ground.

Impulsively, Candy took another step toward the man and raised herself on her tiptoes, stretching to reach for the small leaf on his hair. That had been her intention before she lost her balance for extending herself too far out and ungracefully crashed her body against his. The impact caused him to stagger backward slightly as her arms frantically grappled to chain around his neck while his hands moved to grip her hips in reflex.

Of their own volition, her hands traveled to his broad shoulder before they further slid downward toward his chest. She lifted her eyes to meet his and let herself being mesmerized by the pair of sapphire orbs. Besides his charming personality, she had to admit that the man possessed many attractive masculine features, and his handsome face was only one of them. She could also attest to the fact that he was not a weak man despite the slender outer appearance. The well-toned, firm muscle rippling against the soft palms of her hands was a testament to his well-built frame. A man's chest? As soon as she realized what she had just done, she felt so ashamed and mortified at her own boldness. Abruptly, she removed her hands away from him and stepped back only to trip over the shoes that she had laid on the ground earlier.

He immediately caught her by entwining his arms around her shoulder to steady her, drawing her closer toward him in the process. "Be careful… You don't want to fall and ruin your beautiful gown more," his husky voice whispered above her ear, his warm breath ghosting over her skin, causing her to shiver even with the mild temperature outside. He then released his hold on her quickly and stepped aside to create more distance between them.

She had no clue how to respond to him as her brain suddenly turned into a mush. Her face was bright red with embarrassment while she struggled to calm her racing heartbeat. Bending down to collect her shoes, her mind began to wander away. She couldn't believe that she had just caressed a man in broad daylight. Her aunt would suffer a heart attack if she had witnessed that. Growing up, she had minimal interactions with males of her age. Tom, a son of a wealthy farmer who lived not too far way from the Pony Hill Estate, was the only boy that was around her age that had been her friend in her childhood days. But the time when she had been free to roam the fields and hills nearby the estate to play with Tom and the children from the orphanage after sneaking out of her tutoring lessons had been short. Before her tenth birthday, her aunt had sent her off to a private all-girls boarding school in Virginia, where she had met her friends, Annie and Patty. Among the three of them, Annie, who was also her roommate during that time, had been the one that displayed the most enthusiasm in the subject of boys and dating, while she and Patty were quite indifferent about it. One time during the beginning of her senior year, they had sneaked out of the dormitory to go to town just so Annie could continue with her exploration of the male species, and that was also the time when she had met Terry.

Her reminiscing was halted when her ears caught the sound of Albert's discrete cough, and she found herself still in a squatting position on the ground. When her eyes focused on the blond man standing in front of her, she finally realized where she was and quickly stood to her full height.

"Mr. Albert - I'm-" she began talking but her attempt was immediately intercepted.

"Miss Candy - before we leave, could I make one request?" he asked. She didn't reply but gave him a look that encouraged him to continue. "Can you stop calling me Mr. Albert?" he implored. "Do I look that old to you for you to address me in such a polite manner?"

"Honestly?" She shook her head. "No." A subtle pout formed on her face as she told him in a complaint, "But you keep calling me Miss Candy too."

Understanding came upon him at once. "Oh! You are right. That is true," he admitted. "Well, in that case, as we're getting better and better acquainted, should we call each other by name only then?" he suggested. "What do you think?"

A grin appeared on her face. "That is a splendid idea, Albert. I like that a lot."

He chuckled lightly at her deliberate drawling of his name. "Shall we start moving then, Candy?" He offered his elbow to her.

Without thinking twice, she linked her free arm around his and passed him another grin. "We shall, Albert." He returned her smile.

Before long, they had advanced farther into the forest, moving in the direction toward the lake. Candy let Albert lead the way and was grateful with the fact that he had guided them to stroll through soft ground that was littered with fallen foliage, so she didn't need to worry about ruining her priceless pair of shoes. The two of them, accompanied by his pet skunk, continued their hike across the woodland until they reached a clearing that was actually a beautiful open meadow overlooking the sparkling blue lake. The ground was covered with lush green grass that was sprinkled with abundant blooming wildflowers.

Upon Albert's suggestion, they decided to stop there. He flopped down onto the fluffy bed of grass to relax, but his companions, seemingly too ecstatic to stay idle, had a different idea. With Pouppe loping along by her side, Candy ran barefoot across the meadow with her arms spread out to the sides as if she was flying, her cheerful laughter ringing loudly. She and her new fury friend continued their sprinting until the blond haired woman ran out of breath. Panting heavily, she trudged forward a couple of steps before collapsing onto a thick bed of grass with Pouppe sitting right beside her.

Albert chortled watching her and Pouppe frolicking. He just could not get tired witnessing the petite blond's exuberant nature in action. It did appear that Candy had finally shed off her feelings of uneasiness at his pet skunk.

A scraping of grass followed by a squeak alerted him. He lowered his head down immediately to find the source of the noise and came face to face with a brown rabbit. A smile emerged on his lips. "Hey little fella," he greeted the small creature, beckoning it to come nearer to him. The rabbit hesitated for a few seconds before it made one tiny hop toward him and stopped on its spot, looking at him with interest, its nose twitching. Albert chuckled as he raised his head to face forward, looking away from the bunny. His chuckling ceased instantly when a spotted doe and her baby came into his line of vision. The doe with her fawn tagging along beside her was munching on the patches of grass right at the outer perimeter of the forest. Feeling being watched, the doe abruptly lifted her head away from the ground and turned it toward him. All the while, the brown rabbit had bounded even closer toward him while three more of its friends had come out of their hiding place to join their friend. Soon, a pack of squirrels and raccoons appeared out of nowhere while the doe and her fawn made small steps moving away from the forest toward the meadow.

Not too far away, Candy stood quietly observing Albert and his forest friends with unconcealed amazement on her face. Without making too much noise, she scooped Pouppe up into her arms and slowly made her way toward him. He hadn't lied when he had told her that he was an avid animal lover. She could see a variety of forest animals crowded around him, being drawn to him, as if he were a magnet.

"I see that you're having a party with your friends without inviting us. I hope you have not forgotten about us, Albert," she told him in mock-disappointment as she stepped closer toward him.

He turned his head sideways to face her. "Candy-" He was about to stand up to his feet but changed his mind when he saw her stoop down to settle on the patch of grass across from him with Pouppe resting on her lap. Apparently, all the capering around earlier had drained away the skunk's energy, causing it to become lethargic.

"You were not exaggerating when you said you really love animals," Candy commented.

He smiled. "Well, now you can see it for yourself."

He bent his neck backward to face the sky and then raised his hand in the air while whistling, producing a high pitch sound. She was completely in awe as she watched a small bird covered with blue feathers flying lower and lower until it made a landing to perch on the side of his index finger, chirping merrily. He glanced at her briefly before refocusing his sight on the tiny feathery creature on his hand. With a slight movement of his hand, he let the bird fly away.

"How did you do that?" she asked, her green eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Would you like to try?" It was almost like a useless question since just by the eager expression displayed on her face, he didn't even need to ask.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Um… Yeah… Can I?"

"Just follow what I'm doing," he instructed as he lifted his hand again.

She did exactly as he had done and waited for a few seconds. "It's not working," she muttered, her brows knitting together in frustration.

He chuckled. "Be patient… "

After waiting for another few moments and still without anything happening, she groused again, "It's still not working. How come you could do it so easily, and I can't? That's not fair. You-" She stopped talking at once when she saw him signal her to keep quiet. Satisfied that she had heeded him, he tilted his head to face the sky and pursed his lips, whistling a random melody. She mimicked his head's movement and faced the sky. Soon, a flock of three birds descended toward them. One of the birds, the one with blue and yellow feathers, chose to land on her hand.

He smiled with satisfaction. "There… "

She examined the tiny creature perching on her hand with eyes that sparkled with glee. "Hello there. I'm Candy." The bird chirped back to return her greeting, and she laughed in excitement.

It completely took her by surprise when another bird had decided to join its friend and dived to land on top of her head. Just soon after that, the third bird had made an approach toward her, settling on her head also.

Albert guffawed to see the hilarious picture of her with two birds perching on top of her head, especially when she attempted to see what was on top of her head with her green eyes looking almost crossed, her mouth making an O shape.

Candy began to grow restless when she felt slight pricking against her scalp and moved her head from side to side to drive off her unwanted guests. The commotion caused Pouppe to rouse and saunter off her lap, and the skunk then stood on its hind legs while watching the blond woman with interest. By now, the other animals had also turned their eyes in the direction where Candy sat. After deciding that the petite blond appeared to be more fun to play with, the pack of raccoons abandoned their old post and marched their way toward Candy.

Candy was beyond shock to find herself being surrounded by a pack of wild raccoons looking at her with their small, beady dark eyes. "What in heavens… " She jumped to her feet, yelping, "Albert!" Seeing that the creatures had not moved away, she concluded that the best way would be for her to make a quick getaway from them.

Watching her dash away with the raccoons tailing behind her, Albert chortled. "You don't need to run from them, Candy. They just wanted to express their affection to you. Just like me, they think you are a very likable person," he said in between his laughter.

After more than an hour had passed since they had been at the meadow, when Candy was finally exhausted from running, chasing and being chased by her new furry friends, they began their walk to return to the mansion. This time, he led her through a narrow path running along the side of the lake. At her insistent plea, they made another stop at an area where the border of the lake curved outwardly toward the walkway in a convex, so the water was only a few feet away from them. It was supposed to be a brief stop. Alas, that didn't happen, and they ended up spending close to half an hour there, enjoying the majestic view, playing by the beach, throwing pebbles into the water, and of course, chatting. It was ironic how just a few hours before they had been nothing but strangers to each other. But now, by the way they exchanged conversations and light banters so comfortably, it appeared like they had known each other for a long time. Immense joy was clearly etched on their faces. Though, deep down, they had to acknowledge that all good things eventually must come to an end.

Before long, the sun had reached the horizon, painting over the once blue sky with a gradient of red colors, and the moon glowed faintly, peering from behind the clouds, preparing to make its full appearance soon. The chirping and tweeting sound of birds flying home to their nests echoed throughout the garden. Diligent honeybees and hummingbirds had disappeared from crowding the flower patches. The temperature had dipped a few degrees lower as the breeze blew stronger, distributing cool air around the area. With small footsteps, Albert and Candy crossed a manicured rose portal into the garden behind the mansion in companionable silence. They had returned without Pouppe since the skunk had preferred to remain in the woods. Both apparently were immersed deep within their own thoughts, and the bright countenance on their faces seemed to suggest that their minds were filled with happy thoughts.

Candy still couldn't believe how the day had turned out to be so wonderful for her. The birthday party that she had thought was nothing but a mere sham, which had been concocted by her aunt and her aunt's friend, had ended up being not so awful after all. If there hadn't been a party, she might have never met Albert, and her birthday would be just like any other birthdays she had had in the past. She shook her head at herself as she reflected at what she had done today. First, she had absconded from a party that had been organized in her honor, and then during her flight she had somehow ended up in the woodland. Once she found a tall and stout oak tree that bore many lateral branches, her free spirited instinct had led her to start climbing the huge tree. Then, her solitary moment was disrupted by the sudden appearance of a skunk followed by its handsome owner not too long after that. Now that she thought more about it, she couldn't explain why she hadn't felt the slightest bit threatened or intimidated spending time with Albert, who had been a total stranger to her just a couple of hours earlier. She stole a quick glimpse at him and found the answer to her question right away. She just couldn't deny it any longer - she was attracted to him in a great way, even at the first glance. Suddenly, she felt sad as it finally dawned on her that their time together would soon come to an end. Will we ever meet again?

Abruptly, she stopped her steps while he continued a few steps ahead before he turned around to face her with a concerned look on his face. She gave him a small smile to reassure him and said, "Thank you, Albert. If I didn't meet you, today would be a boring day for me." She paused briefly, releasing a loud sigh. "It's supposed to be my birthday, you know?" she confessed in a soft voice that was barely above a whisper. As soon as the words had slipped out of her mouth, doubt clouded her mind as she couldn't help but feel that she might have committed a crucial mistake by telling him about her birthday.

"Your birthday?" he let out, looking mildly stupefied.

She replied with clear hesitation in her voice. "Um… Yeah… " Avoiding his gaze, she looked down at the ground.

Candy… He hadn't realized until just now that Candy could be a shorter version of Candice. How could he miss that? Could they possibly be the same person? Deep down, he already knew the answer. "You don't happen to be Candice White, I presume?" he asked.

Her head rose as she smiled sheepishly at him and answered, "The one and only…" After she had said that, she examined his face to gauge his reaction, but she couldn't detect any change in his facial features that would indicate how he felt.

He wasn't surprised at her answer this time, not like before when he had first learned that today was her birthday. But regardless of how he felt, what had been divulged to him would change the course of action that he would need to take now. "So… " he began. "You are the guest of honor… " He wore a broad smile on his face without baring his teeth. "Why did you sneak out of your own birthday party, Candice?" he prodded.

Her mouths curved down into a scowl. "I'm just so mad. They, my aunt and her friend, tried to trick me. It's my birthday but they turned it into a surprised engagement party for me."

He raised one brow in a high arch, a faint smirk forming on his lips. "Really? Was that the reason why you ran away?"

"Um… Yeah… " An expression of remorse crossed her face briefly before a wide smile replaced it. "But I'm glad I did that since I could meet with you, Albert."

A deep rumble of chuckle escaped from his throat. "Well, if you put it that way - that is true." His light visage gradually changed into a more serious look. "But you don't think you might have upset your betrothed, Candice?"

She scoffed. "There are plenty of beautiful marriageable ladies inside - I'm sure he'll find a way to comfort himself."

He burst into fits of laughter. "So very sure, are you?"

Ignoring his sarcastic remark, she asked, "Albert - will I ever see you again? Where do you live?" To learn more about the prospect of their so-called friendship was more appealing to her than to have a trite discussion on her engagement or her fiancé.

"Miss White-"

She interjected him, "Candy - please call me Candy."

He continued what he was about to tell her before she had cut him short earlier, "I won't lie to you, Candy - I have truly enjoyed spending time with you. But it's getting late, and you should get back soon before they send a search party to look for you." He paused briefly, and then with a tender smile on his face, he told her, "Since it's your birthday, it will be awfully rude of me if I don't give you a birthday present, don't you think?"

She was aware that he hadn't answered her question about meeting again and wasn't sure whether that had been a deliberate act or not. "Albert - I love presents. But I understand if you-"

With his two fingers barely touching her lips for a split second, he interrupted her, "Could you please close your eyes, Candy."

She was still reeling from the effect evoked by his fingertips on her lips and could only manage a mumble, "Huh?"

Thinking that she might have not comprehended him, he immediately explained, "I'm going to give you a gift, but you have to close your eyes. I promise I won't do anything that will hurt you." He passed her a look of assurance.

It was beyond her imagination that she would receive her first birthday gift from someone that she had just befriended a few hours ago. She hesitated for a moment before finally acquiescing, "Okay…" Smiling at him, she closed her eyes completely and could see nothing but darkness.

After a few seconds of stillness, she could hear the sound of his footsteps moving closer toward her. Then, she felt his hand loop around her wrist gently as he raised her hand up to about her chest high and turned it clockwise halfway to make her palm facing up. As she heard a small tinkling sound, she felt a small item being deposited onto her palm. A bell? What is he actually giving me? Following that, her fingers were carefully furled to wrap around the object on her hand, and her partially closed hand was then enclosed entirely under his big hand.

The pacing of her heartbeat steadily intensified with each passing second as she anticipated him to say something. What is he waiting for? When she thought that she should probably just open her eyes, she sensed him leaning over her as the mild scent of a male fragrance wafted into her nostrils, invading her senses.

Then, in a moment that took her breath away, she felt his moist lips brush gently against the smooth skin on her cheekbone. "Happy birthday, sweet Candy. I promise I will give you a more proper gift next time we meet," his deep voice finally murmured, his warm breath floating across the cool skin on her face. A second later, the warm feeling that had embraced her body and soul was gone.

A gush of cool evening air beat on her face as she slowly emerged from her stupor. His parting words re-echoed in her mind. Next time we meet?

"Albert!" she shouted, her eyes flying open.

She gyrated on her spot making two full revolutions, her eyes sweeping the scenery before her, but there was no sign of him anywhere as far as her eyes could see. It was as if he had vanished completely. But she knew for sure that he couldn't be an apparition, and the gift in her hand was the solid proof along with the tingling on the skin where his lips had touched.

She opened her hand and looked down at the badge on her palm. Her brain discerned the distinct insignia on the badge at once. He is an Andrew? Albert is an Andrew? Albert Andrew. She didn't remember there was an Albert Andrew in the Andrews' family. Could she be mistaken? Suddenly, as different scenes from her earlier adventure flashed in her mind, she slapped her temple lightly. Of course, he had to be an Andrew. How could she not notice it before? I must have become inept overnight. He clearly knew his way well around the Lakewood Estate. And she seriously doubted that any guest could just walk in freely into a formal event bringing a pet, let alone a skunk. But why would he give away his badge to her? The sound of a door being opened ceased her train of thoughts instantly. Her lips curved upward into a full smile at the thought that Albert might have returned to bid her a proper goodbye. But her moment of joy was killed instantaneously as she heard her aunt's familiar reprimanding tone.

"Where have you been, Candice? You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady."

Her aunt's non-cordial greeting served as a cold reminder that her short escapade had ended. Now was the time to face the music. After taking a deep breath, Candy pivoted on her heel to face her aunt, who stood in the verandah looking mildly angry. "I'm sorry aunt, " she told her aunt, dipping her head low to express regret.

Aunt Mary shook her head in exasperation. "You're going to be the death of me child. Come - we shall leave right now," Aunt Mary informed. "I don't want to upset Madam Elroy anymore today and cause her blood pressure to jump. You can apologize to her in a later time." Without waiting for Candy to answer, Aunt Mary spun around quickly and walked away, her gown swaying behind her.

Hoping to find a familiar tall figure, Candy swiveled her head to look over her shoulder one more time and surveyed the landscape with her eyes, but much to her dismay, she saw nothing but the deserted garden. If it had not been for the badge in her hand, she would think that everything that had happened had only been a dream. It's certainly not a dream. Maybe it's a fling, a spring fling, but not a dream for sure. She squeezed the badge in her hand before whirling her head back to face the front. With a defeated sigh, she trudged to trail after her aunt, heading to the car that would take them back to Pony Hill.

Unbeknownst to Candy, a pair of blue eyes had been watching and following her every moves and had continued with the surveillance until the car that was occupied by her had disappeared into the horizon. A tall blond man then stepped out of the shadowy place and whispered, "Till we meet again, sweet Candy." A wistful smile gradually materialized on his face.

To Be Continued

Author's Remark: If you skipped reading the author's note above, you should know by now that this fic does not exactly follow the original plot from the manga. That's intentional. This is my first exploration into Candy Candy's alternate universe, and I found this to be such a fun project to work on. Who knows! The plot bunny may strike again and makes me write another AU fic.

Additional Note: I depicted the skunk, Pouppe, in the fic as the way I interpreted it from the manga. Please be aware, that real wild skunks, even the domesticated ones, will not behave like Pouppe.

I won't babble too much now since there is still part 2 waiting to be posted. Stay tuned for part 2. -forever-

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

I love to read feedback and would love to hear from you what you think of the story. Or if you have any question you want me to answer, you can contact me through PM.

Lastly, thank you again for taking your time to read my writing.