*Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait. Writer's block strikes again. Thanks again for being so patient! We're in the homestretch!*

Shane glanced down from the hayloft, a square bale of hay in his hands. He saw no one, so he dropped it, the somewhat heavy load making a soft thunk! on the floor below. He turned and bent over, his fingers wrapping around the rope that bound the hay together as he picked up another bale. He made another glance to the area beneath him to see no one again, so he dropped it, it bouncing off the hay bale he had dropped previously. With a sigh, he started down the ladder, hearing the barn door opening behind him.

"Thanks, Shane," he heard Maeve speak. He faced her to see her taking a bale into her hands. Wordlessly, he put his fingers through the gap of the string and took it from her, then bent over, and with his other hand picked up the other bale. "Lemme help. I can carry one no problem."

He flashed her a grin. "I know you can. Maybe I don't want you to wear yourself out before tonight."

The simple comment made her blush. Years later, and he could still get to her. "Shh, Shane. What if the kids hear?"

She heard a quiet chuckle from him, but nothing more. She made her way to the barn door and held it open for him. Ivan and Linette were with Jas, taking care of the chickens, ducks, and rabbits, their voices carrying from there. Maeve followed Shane to the larger barn that housed the cows, goats, and pigs, opening the door for him there, too. It closed behind them, and once he had put the hay down, she was on him in an instant. He barely had time to register anything, and just as he put his hand on her hips, she pulled away, both their lips wet, a smirk on her face.

"That's just a taste of what's to come later, handsome," she winked at him, letting her awful flirting tease him. This made him laugh, their fingers holding onto each other briefly before parting, the two of them starting to clean out the barn together. They heard the door open, Ivan coming inside.

"I wanna help!"

"We got this, kiddo," Maeve smiled at him. "Go help your sisters."

"But they're talking about girl stuff," Ivan grimaced. "It's icky."

"Girl stuff?"

"I think?" Ivan shrugged. "I don't know. Lin said there was someone at school teasing her, and Jas was wanting to know more."

This had both of their attentions now. School was nearly two weeks away from ending for the summer, and the entire year, Linette hadn't said a word about anyone picking on her or teasing her. Shane continued to shovel dung into a gallon bucket, but Maeve had stopped and knelt down in front of Ivan.

"Teasing how? Are they being mean?"

"I don't know," Ivan reiterated. "She hasn't said anything to me, and I haven't seen anyone on the bus messing with her. I don't think Miss Penny or Mr. Sam have, either."

Maeve looked back to Shane, who only shook his head. Turning back to her son, she looked in his eyes for a moment before putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Okay, thanks, Ivan. You can help us."

A big, snaggle-toothed grin flashed on his face as he ran out of the barn to get another shovel to help. Maeve made a mental note to talk to either Linette or Jas later that night, but Shane had already made plans to speak to Linette. Surely, someone wasn't being mean to her or bullying her. They knew very well how cruel kids could be sometimes, but at seven years old? Surely not. Regardless, if someone was picking on their daughter, they would see it nipped in the bud.

XXXXXX

Later that night, after supper, Jas started out the door, notebook in her hands. She and Vincent had been meeting often the past couple of weeks after she had trusted Shane and Maeve to read her works. She never said what it was they were doing, but she always took her notebook with her. There were a couple of times Vincent would show up, guitar case in hand, and the two would retreat to the forest for several hours; he made sure to see her home each time, even if she had left to meet him. Shane and Maeve never attempted to follow them, and both Leah and Elliott had no idea what the two were up to. The only thing they could relay was that they could hear Vincent playing on his guitar every now and again. At first, they were slightly concerned, but they trusted the two and respected their privacy. Of course, it had ended up with an awkward "talk" between Maeve and Jas, and in the midst of severe blushing and embarrassment, Jas assured her that wasn't going on, and that she and Vincent weren't even dating... "yet". She had used that word without much thought, and for a moment or two, Maeve didn't give it much thought, either. It wasn't until the next day Maeve had realized the "yet" Jas had used... and she didn't dare tell Shane about it.

"I'll be back at ten, okay?" she called out, turning the knob.

"Ah, hold on," Maeve spoke up, standing up from the couch. Shane stood up as well, and the two walked to the dinner table, Jas staring at them with a confused look on her face. "There's something we gotta talk about first."

Jas raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"What happened today?" Maeve asked. Jas tilted her head to the side, even more confused.

"Huh? With what?"

"Well, uh... Ivan said that you and Jas were talking about 'girl stuff' earlier in the coop."

Jas nodded once, understanding. "Oh, that."

"So? What did she have to say?"

Jas shook her head. "Oh, nothing."

Shane crossed his arms, knowing this was not true. "Jasmine Nicole, don't lie. Ivan told us that someone was teasing her at school."

With a sigh, Jas took her hand off the knob, turned, then gave them a bright smile. "Yeah, she told me. But don't worry, I took care of it."

Both Maeve and Shane were visibly stunned, Shane uncrossing his arms.

"You- what?"

"We talked about it. She'll be fine," Jas assured. "Boys are jerks sometimes- er, no offense, Dad."

"None taken."

"Jasmine," Maeve slowly and firmly spoke, "if there is something going on-"

"She's fine. Trust me." She opened the door. "I'm running late. I'll be back by ten. Love you!"

She rushed out and closed the door behind her, leaving Shane and Maeve standing there in their kitchen, dumbfounded. So, someone was picking on Linette. Maeve looked to the bathroom where Linette was bathing, a worried look on her face. Shane put his hand on Maeve's shoulder, reassuring her with a simple touch.

Later, after Shane helped Linette get ready for bed, he sat down next to her and pulled the sheets and blanket up to her chest. She reached and took hold of one of his hands and smiled sweetly at him, and that alone made his chest ache. Someone was picking on her at school, and she hadn't uttered a word or complained once. He knew sooner or later, there would come a time where something like this would happen, but he expected "later" rather than "sooner". He gently squeezed her small hand, giving her a smile back.

"Hey, uh, Lin?"

She yawned as she got comfortable in her bed. "Yes, Daddy?"

Shane rubbed his thumb over the skin of her hand. "Y'know you can talk to me and Mama about anything, right?"

Linette's big, green eyes held their innocence, not fully understanding the question. "Yup!"

"No matter what, we'll do whatever we can to help. You know that, too, yeah?"

"But you helped me with homework earlier. I don't need help now, Daddy."

He shifted in place. "Not just with homework. With anything." Linette tilted her head to the side, expressing her confusion. Shane cleared his throat, feeling awkward. Even now, he was still the same: horrible at words. He had wanted to talk to his daughter, but he couldn't find the right words to say. "What I'm saying is, if anyone or anything is bothering you, Mama and I will do our best to help you and Ivan. But we can't unless you tell us when something is going on. This can be at home, at school- anywhere." He leaned forward. "Understand?"

At last, Linette nodded. "Oh, I get it. Don't worry, Daddy. I already talked to Jas. She helped, too!"

"And what did you two talk about? What did she tell you?"

Linette only smiled. "It's fine now!" She yawned again. "I'm sleepy, Daddy."

Feeling defeated, he patted the top of her head and stood up. "Yeah. 'Night, squirt."

He walked out of the room, flicking the light switch and shutting the door behind him as he did. With heavy legs, he made his way to the bedroom he and Maeve shared to see her already sitting on the bed, taking her earrings out and putting them on the dresser beside the bed. She glanced at him and turned on the lamp that was on the dresser, and he turned off the lights. As he drew closer to the bed, he took off his shirt, leaving himself in just gym shorts. He got into the bed next to his wife, covering himself with the sheets and blanket, her turning over on her side and laying her head on his chest, her arm going over his torso and placing on his forearm. Idly, he ran his hand up and down her back as they sat there a moment in silence, letting the day's wear roll off.

Maeve tilted her head up and looked into Shane's eyes. "So?"

He let out a sigh. "Nothing."

"I see." She looked away and rested her head on his chest again. "Maybe Jas told her to tell a teacher or something."

"Maybe."

Maeve inhaled then exhaled deeply. "I told Ivan to keep an eye on her. If he sees anything Monday to let us know."

"I'll talk to Penny and Sam tomorrow before they get on the bus. I know the kids aren't in their classes, let alone grade, but maybe they can talk to the teacher, too," Shane suggested.

"Yeah, okay," Maeve nodded against his chest. "Hopefully, we'll nix this pretty quickly."

"Mm," Shane grunted quietly in agreement.

XXXXXX

The next day, Shane and Maeve talked to Sam and Penny, who told them they hadn't seen anyone bothering Linette on the bus to and from school. They agreed that they would talk to Linette's teacher, and they would keep watch for anyone that could be giving Linette a difficult time. They then returned to the farm, Jas and Vincent already having taken care of the animals in the coop; Shane and Maeve went into the barn, while Jas and Vincent watered the crops and harvested what was needed. Around lunchtime, Jas and Vincent excused themselves to the beach after grabbing a quick bite, Shane and Maeve taking a short breather in the house after working in the hot sun all morning. Soleil, in her old age, just relaxed on the couch next to Shane as he and Maeve drank lemonade and watched television, the coolness of the air conditioning a welcomed respite.

Around one o'clock, Maeve's cell phone rang as she was in the bathroom, so Shane answered it.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Russell?" a female voice asked.

"Yes. Who is calling?"

"Mr. Russell, this is Mrs. Rutger, the principal of your kids' school."

Shane raised an eyebrow, as they had never gotten a call from the school before. "Uh, yes. How can I help you?"

"Well, I hate to be the bearer or bad news, but I'm afraid your daughter, Linette, is in quite some trouble."

"I... excuse me? For what?"

"It would be best if you and your wife would come to the school. She is in my office for the time being."

Shane leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he held the phone with his cheek and shoulder. "I would really appreciate if you could tell me now why she is in trouble."

Mrs. Rutger was silent for a moment. "Certainly. It seems she had an... altercation... with a boy in her class."

"Altercation, huh?" He heard the bathroom door open, and he motioned Maeve over to him. She was confused, but went to his side. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Hurt?" Maeve piped up.

"The boy was. Which is why I need you to come here as soon as you can. We can discuss more in my office."

"Yeah, sure. See you in about forty minutes." He then ended the call and handed Maeve her phone. "Let's go. I'll tell you along the way."

XXXXXX

The secretary of the school opened the office door, showing Maeve and Shane into the room. Inside was Mrs. Rutger, Linette, a boy her age with a black eye, their teacher, and the boy's parents. His parents seemed slightly miffed, and the boy was holding an icepak to his eye to reduce the swelling. Once seeing her parents, Linette burst into tears, and Maeve took hold of her hand to calm her down. Mrs. Rutger was sitting behind her desk, the teacher standing beside her, both with serious looks on their faces. Shane made a point to stand between Linette and the boy.

"Thanks for coming," Mrs. Rutger began. She then looked at the teacher. "Mr. Owens, care to let them know what happened?"

Mr. Owens, a shorter man with a slight belly, bald, and with a mustache, cleared his throat. "Mr. and Mrs. Russell, Mr. and Mrs. Jules, I believe Linette owes your son an apology."

"I would certainly think so!" Mrs. Jules agreed. "Punching my son like that!"

"Hold on," Maeve spoke up, irritation in her tone. "That's not letting us know what all happened."

"What else is there to know?" Mr. Jules asked.

Maeve put her hands on her hips. "I'd like the think that my daughter wouldn't just punch your son without cause. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Even when she and her brother have little spats, they've never gotten violent with each other."

Shane knelt down, putting his hand on Linette's shoulder. "How about it, kiddo? Wanna tell us what's goin' on?"

Linette nodded slowly as she sniffled, tears streaking down her face. Shane reached and wiped them away with his thumbs. "I hated it! He was always so mean!"

Maeve pulled Linette's braid back over her shoulder. "Mean? How so?"

"H-He always pulled my hair. Would push me on the playground. Steal my crayons, write on my worksheets! I would beg him to stop, but he wouldn't!" She sniffled again, Shane wiping more tears away. "I even told Mr. Owens! I thought maybe he would take Scott's playtime away, but he didn't!"

Hearing this, Shane stood up and turned to Mrs. Rutger and Mr. Owens. "I'm sorry, what?"

Mr. Owens merely smiled meekly. "Oh, yes. I had a talk with Scott about this, but I assure you, it's only childish flirtation."

"Flirtation?" Shane hissed, stepping toward him. Maeve grabbed hold of his wrist, bringing his anger down. No matter how angry he was, this was not the time or place to lose his temper. "That doesn't fly with us, Mr. Owens."

"Boys will be boys, Mr. Russell," Mr. Jules shrugged. "I hardly think that warrants your daughter punching him."

Shane clenched his fists tightly. "Are we in the Twilight Zone? Are you fu-" he caught himself, remembering the children in the room. "-freaking kidding me? Pulling hair, pushing, stealing stuff, and writing on her homework is okay to you?"

Maeve crossed her arms. "How long has this been going on, Lin?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"No. Certainly not," Shane firmly replied, glaring at Mr. Owens and the Jules.

"Just tell Mama how long it's been going on."

Linette looked away. "...A while..."

"And how long ago was it you told Mr. Owens about this?"

"Uh... I don't know."

"I bet he would," Shane spoke. "How about it, Mr. Owens?"

Mr. Owens crossed his arms this time. "I don't appreciate your tone, Mr. Russell."

"I'd less worry about his tone and worry more about something else..." Maeve muttered. "You should answer him."

Mr. Owens pulled at the collar of his shirt. "Perhaps... two months ago?"

"Two months?!" Shane barked. He ran his fingers through his hair. "You let this go on for two months?" He then looked to the Jules. "You can't look at me and my wife after hearing that and be okay with this."

Mrs. Jules closed her eyes briefly then put her hand on Scott's shoulder. "No. This is not okay at all." She turned to her husband. "Pulling hair and pushing? That's not flirting, Steve. That's being a bully. And you know it."

Steve balked at this and let out a quiet sigh. "...Yeah." He messed with his hair then poked his son's chest. "Do it. Now."

Scott stammered a moment. "What?"

"You know what," Steve said, his voice stern. "Now, Scott."

Scott's bottom lip quivered as he took the icepak off his eye and looked at Linette. "I'm... I'm sorry."

When he didn't say anything else, Steve pulled his shirt slightly. "For?"

Scott was the one crying now. "P-Pulling your hair. And pushing you. And... and everything else." He sniffled. "I just wanted to play with you. I like you, but you were always playing with Nora and Holly."

Linette didn't look at him. "All you had to do was ask me, Scott. You didn't have to be a big meanie!" She then started fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. "But, um... I'm sorry for making your eye all black. My sister told me to."

This made Shane and Maeve jerk in place. "Jas did?"

Linette nodded. "She said if anyone is being mean to just punch 'em. Said that they'd stop."

Shane ran his hands over his face, and Maeve sighed as pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I see," she murmured. "Well, that's not exactly... you can't just do that, Lin. If anyone is bothering you, you should be able to tell your teachers, but seeing how that didn't work here, then tell me and your daddy. We'll do anything we can to help."

Linette's eyes widened at the words Maeve had just spoken, her mouth opening just a bit. "Ohhh, that's what Daddy meant last night!"

Shane looked at Mrs. Rutger. "I hope that my daughter is no longer in trouble here."

She shook her head vehemently. "No, sir. She isn't." She pushed her glasses further back on her nose. "Mr. Owens, I believe I will need to have a conversation with you after everyone leaves." Her eyes pierced through Scott, who was still crying. "I will not tolerate bullying, Scott. If I hear so much as a word of you doing this to someone else, you'll be in big trouble. Am I clear?"

"Oh, crystal," Mrs. Jules nodded. "Not only will you be in trouble at school, but you'll be in even more trouble at home."

"As a matter-of-fact, no video games for a week," Steve backed his wife up. This made Scott cry all the harder, but Steve wasn't moved by the tears. "You may have gotten a punch, but that would be too light. She put up with you being mean to her for a long time." He then held his hand out to Shane. "You have my apologies as well, Mr. Russell. Mrs. Russell. Linette."

Shane shook Steve's hand. "Thanks for that."

Mrs. Rutger put her hands on top of her desk. "Anything else? If not, you are free to go."

The Jules family left, and Shane leaned and whispered something in Maeve's ear. Her eyes widened, but she nodded and took Linette by the hand, ushering her out the door with her. Once the door behind the two was closed, Shane redirected his attention to Mr. Owens, who had tiny beads of sweat on his forehead.

"I believe I have some words for you."

XXXXXX

When they returned to the farm, Shane quietly resumed working, Maeve following suit. She noticed some tomatoes that needed harvesting, so she retrieved as basket and started on it, Shane hoeing some parts of the gardens. It had been quite some time since she had seen him upset, but she was also proud of him for finding a voice, as well as keeping his temper in check. Before they had Linette and Ivan, he often let her voice any concerns he had, as he was not the best when it came to finding the right words. Part way through harvesting some tomatoes, she stopped and went up to him, putting her hands on his arms to stop him from working for just a moment. The both of them were drenched in sweat under the hot sun, both dirty from working on the farm, but she paid this no mind as she leaned up and kissed him. He kissed her back, one of his hands going to the small of her back and pulling her closer to him. When they parted, he only blinked at her.

"Uh, I'm not gonna say no to a kiss, but what was that for?"

"Nothin'," she giggled. "You just did good in there."

He chuckled. "I dunno. Had you been in there to hear what all I said to her teacher..."

She shook her head. "Still, you did good. I guess things really do change after you have kids."

"Sure."

This made her laugh again. He still was not able to take compliments very well, resorting to awkward one-liners when receiving them. She kissed him again-

"Eww, get a room," they heard Jas joke from the mailbox. They turned to see her and Vincent in their beachwear, both with slight sunburns. After Linette's revelation, Maeve and Shane knew they had to talk to Jas.

"Jas, come here," Shane called to her. The tone made her stumble slightly, and Vincent had an uneasy look on his face. They drew closer to Shane and Maeve, dirt getting on their feet, as they were only wearing flipflops. Shane shook his head. "You can go home, Vincent."

"Uh... I'll stay, if it's okay with Jas."

"She's in trouble, Vincent," Maeve informed.

"What did I do?"

Vincent put his hand around Jas' wrist. "I still wanna stay."

Maeve only sighed. "Very well. Jas, why did you tell Linette to punch Scott?"

She crossed her arms. "Oh, she finally did it, huh? He'd been bothering her far too long."

"That is not the point, and you know it," Maeve fussed.

"We had to go to the school today because of it," Shane addressed. "It caused a bigger issue."

"But I take it everything was solved?" Jas asked, shrugging and seemingly uncaring of what the problems that had happened. "I'm sure he won't be bullying her anymore, and now people know not to mess with Linette. That's a win-win to me."

Maeve was upset now, and it was her turn to talk. "We talked to you last night. We asked you what Linette had said, and you looked us in the eye and told us she was okay. That everything was taken care of. We had no idea what was going on, and it was your place to tell us."

Jas shook her head. "She trusted me. She felt comfortable enough with me to tell me about it, and I told her how to stop it."

"You should have told us. Your the big sister. You have a responsibility-"

"And I did it!" Jas interrupted Maeve. "I told her how to handle it, and she did."

"That was not the answer, Jas! Violence is never the answer!"

"But she had talked to her teacher, and he did nothing!"

"Then you should have talked to us!"

"Why?! She had already talked to me! I handled it!"

"Because you are not the parent, Jasmine!" Maeve yelled, exasperated by Jas' arguing. "Shane and I are! You, Ivan, and Linette are our responsibility."

"You just said Ivan and Linette were my responsibility!"

"Do not attempt to spin this around," Maeve warned. Vincent tugged on Jas' wrist in what she thought was telling Jas to just stop and listen. "They're your responsibility in that if anything is wrong and you notice it, you are to tell us. You went above our heads and told her the wrong thing to do, which nearly got her in trouble. You told her to punch anyone who was being mean- what if she took that as someone simply saying something to her? Then what? Hm?" She waited a moment for Jas to say something, but when she didn't, she continued. "We appreciate you looking out for Linette, but you didn't fully think it through. You should have came to us and let us handle it without it having gone this far."

Jas cut her eyes away from Maeve and darted them to the ground. "I... I'm sorry..." She bit her lip. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

Shane exhaled a long breath. "Just... come to us from now on. Okay?"

She nodded, still unable to keep eye contact. "She's not in trouble?"

"Not anymore, no," Shane answered. "Mr. Owens is for not handling the situation like he should have. We had a meeting, and everything was taken care of."

"Good," Jas whispered. She then looked at Maeve. "Mom?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry. For arguing."

Maeve only smiled. "It's okay." She then turned her direction to Vincent. "For some reason, he looks like he was the one just fussed at, not you."

Jas glanced back to see Vincent's face screwed up in a way that made her giggle. "You didn't have to stay, Vinny."

"Don't call me that," Vincent winced. "But, uh... I wanted to."

Maeve put her hands on her hips. "There's nice, cold lemonade in the fridge. Help yourselves."

"Thanks, Maeve," Vincent beamed, heading toward the house. Jas laughed again and followed after him. When they were inside, Jas poured them some lemonade, the two sitting at the table and drinking. Vincent drank his glass quickly, and he got up to get another. "So, Shane and Maeve."

When he said nothing more, Jas raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"

"Think they like me?"

"Huh? Yeah, of course. Why?"

He took another gulp of lemonade. "No reason." He then sat down beside her. "When do you wanna do this?"

She moved the glass around in her hands, her eyes on the lemonade. "I mean... It's for them. That's why I wanna make sure it's perfect before we do it."

"I think my brother wants to see it, too. He knows we've been working on it for a while. He's probably told Sebastian and Abigail about it, and since they've taught me everything I know about music, they'll want in on it, too."

Jas' cheeks turned bright red. "That may be too much."

"It's five people. Maybe more if the kids are there, but they're kids. They won't care."

"Still..."

Vincent put his hand on Jas' wrist again. "Y'know they'll be proud of you... right?" She couldn't meet his gaze. "I mean it. I know it takes a lot out of you, but they'll be really happy to see it."

"I..." She took another swig of lemonade. "When I let Mom and Dad read my writings, they were tickled. They told me which was their favorites, and what all they liked about them. They had read every single one, and had paid so much attention to what I had written..." She put her hand on top of Vincent's hand. "I guess you're right. I was scared to death what they would think, and for nothing." She looked at him now. "Let's do this thing, Vincent."

He smiled brightly. "When?"

"Two days," she affirmed. "One last day to practice. How about it?"

"Sounds great!" he laughed. "I'm all in, Jas!"

She shared the laugh with him, then... grew quiet. Vincent noticed this and seemed worried. "H-Hey. I'm not trying to pressure you, I swear. If you need more time-"

"No. No, Vincent, it's not that," Jas interrupted him. She stared at her drink now. "We, uh... we've been friends for a long time now, huh?"

Vincent leaned back in his chair. "Oh man. Since you moved to this valley. We were four. So, fourteen years."

"Yeah," Jas nodded. "Have you... ever thought about that?"

His eyes held inquisitiveness in them. "About our friendship? Yeah. It's pretty cool that I have had a friend for so long. Wouldn't trade it for anything."

The statement made Jas' chest ache. "Anything?"

Vincent sat upright, piecing together things. He put his hands on top of the table, feeling his heartbeat quicken. Had she been wondering things herself for a while? Shane had spoken to him weeks ago about how much Jas trusted him, and for him to know what it was worth. He had thought about that conversation ever since. She had trusted him with her most private thoughts for years, sharing with him what she dared not anyone else until that awkward misunderstanding. It made him wonder if she trusted him because she saw him as an irreplaceable friend, or as something more.

Was it worth crossing that line? Their friendship that had lasted for many, many years to risk asking or wanting for more?

He remembered something his mother taught him when he was a boy, so he stood up quickly and took hold of Jas' wrist.

"C'mon."

She was now deeply confused. "C'mon? Where?"

"Just come with me."

He pulled her with him, out the door and to the fields where they stopped. He bent down and plucked two dandelions, then handed one to her.

"You ever heard of 'white wishes'?"

"White wishes? Can't say I have," Jas answered, taking the dandelion in her hand. "What are they?"

"Well, everyone has wishes, right? Usually, people wish upon a shooting star or throw a coin in a fountain."

"Yeah?"

"See, that's only counting for one wish," he continued. "One shooting star, one coin in a fountain." He held up the dandelion. "These guys, though. That one wish gets scattered by so many of these little white things. So, it has more chance of it coming true. My mom called them white wishes. When I was a kid, I would use them to wish for my dad to come back from war, and he did." He put a hand on his hip. "Had held stock in white wishes ever since."

Jas giggled. "Oh, okay. Well, then. Let's get to wishing."

"Yeah. But, you gotta close your eyes, first," Vincent informed. "Close your eyes, then blow."

"Got it," Jas nodded. She held the dandelion up to her lips and closed her eyes. She then blew, the dandelion seeds starting to fly away.

"Keep at it. There's still some white wishes left," she heard Vincent say. She kept blowing until- "Okay. Now, don't open your eyes yet. I gotta do mine, too."

"Huh? But, don't I have to tell you if any white wishes are left on the stem?"

"Trust me?"

She smiled. "With all I am."

"Cool."

She then felt his lips against hers, and at once, her eyes flashed open, taken completely off-guard. He pulled away, his cheeks a deep crimson, as he showed her his full dandelion. It was her turn to blush now, but before she could stop herself, she started laughing. This made him panic slightly, and he could only stare at her as she laughed. She held her hand out in front of her and shook it, trying to tell him he was okay, that she wasn't laughing at him, but he didn't understand.

"Jas?" He poked his cheek. "Was it that bad?"

"N-No. I'm s-sorry," she stammered, trying to stop laughing. She took in a deep breath, at last the laughing ceasing. "I just didn't expect my wish to come true so fast. I wasn't prepared for that at all."

Vincent perked up. "O-Oh? Oh! So, it's okay?"

She threw her arms around him, unable to contain her joy. "Of course it's okay!"

He hugged her closer to him. "Good!" He pulled her away and smiled. "See? I told you. White wishes are pretty powerful, huh?"