Title: Ozian Lovebirds

Characters/Pairings: DG/Jeb

Rating: PG

Summary: "It really is beautiful, Deege. You captured it perfectly."

Disclaimer: I don't own them, sadly

"So what are we looking for again?" asked Jeb, as he escorted DG through the forest. She was carrying her sketchbook and colored pencils while he had a picnic lunch and blanket ready to set up camp whenever she finally picked out the perfect spot.

"I just want a quiet little place with something beautiful to sketch," she said as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

After walking for what seemed like forever they came upon a little clearing with a perfect view of the sky. DG started to say something and then stopped. Looking at Jeb she put a finger to her mouth and pointed to the tree nearby, a beautiful yellow bird sitting on its branch.

Jeb nodded quietly and silently set down the things he had been carrying and proceeded to play a blanket on the ground to set up their picnic.

DG continued to stare at the bird, though she kept her distance so as not to scare it off. Circling the tree she looked at every angle, trying to get a good grasp of this beautiful creature in front of her. There was something about it she just couldn't put her finger on.

Once she had decided she knew the bird well enough, she returned to Jeb's side and sat down on the blanket to sketch, occasionally taking a bite of food while Jeb leaned up against a tree and took a nap following his lunch.

Within half an hour she had completed the landscape she had been looking for all morning, along with a very detailed drawing of the yellow bird that intrigued her so.

"Perfect," she whispered upon completing it, feeling very accomplished with her work.

"It's breathtaking Deege," said Jeb, now wide awake, causing DG to jump with his words.

"I thought you were taking a nap," she said accusingly while he studied the drawing.

"I was just resting my eyes while you sketched. It really is beautiful, Deege. You captured it perfectly. The suns, the trees, the bird…" he trailed off, looking up to find it still sitting in the tree watching them. For a brief moment DG could have sworn she saw Jeb blushing but she couldn't be sure as it was over so soon.

"What kind of bird is it anyways?" she asked, her curiosity rising given his reaction. "It's beautiful whatever it is, I've never seen one like it. I'm amazed it hasn't left yet."

"It's waiting for its mate," Jeb spoke up finally. "It's an Ozian lovebird," he explained. "They mate for life. He'll be up there for awhile, waiting for the one he loves to return to him. Ozian lovebirds are rarely separated, so he shouldn't have to wait much longer," he added, seeing the worried look on DG's face.

At that moment, they heard the bird cry out and in the distance saw another one heading toward it. Landing softly on the branch, the new bird went to stand by its mate. The only sounds that could be heard were the cooing of the Ozian lovebirds.

"It's an honor to see this," said Jeb, drawing DG's attention back to him. "They're very rare. It is said that they look for young love and upon finding it help those who wish them no harm."

"And what do they do when they find young love? I mean, what kind of powers does it use?" she asked, trying not to read too much into what Jeb was saying at the moment.

"Well, legend has it that young couples who see Ozian lovebirds fall in love themselves, or at least get the courage to tell the one they love how they feel. Ozian lovebirds are a good omen. I can't think of one couple who has seen them who wasn't truly in love, regardless of how much time they got together…" he trailed off, staring back at the bird, lost in thought.

"So it's kinda like a blue moon, casting its own special spell over young couples. Cool," she said, causing Jeb to look at her as though she had lost her mind.

"Blue moon? You have blue moons on the Other Side? Didn't you say having multiple suns here was odd yet you have a blue moon?" he asked incredulously, causing her to laugh.

"A blue moon is the second full moon in a month. It's supposed to do basically the same thing as those Ozian lovebirds I guess," she said, shrugging.

He nodded, returning his gaze to the birds. DG continued. "They really are beautiful. The yellow is so bright, it matches the suns. Have you ever known anyone to see them before?" she asked, still curious as to what had him so fascinated. Sure the birds were beautiful and the myth surrounding them made them even more intriguing, but she couldn't quite read the look on his face.

"My parents," he said, watching the birds coo to each other, smiling wistfully at them. "Father once said that watching Mother relax in the birds presence gave him the courage to tell her how he felt. Like seeing them was a sign that he had a chance with her."

DG tried to picture a young Cain being nervous but knowing Cain, the one thing that could get to him would be the woman he loved. She had seen the bad side of his story, Jeb had known the real thing.

"They were friends first, you know," he continued, turning to face her. "Kinda like us," he whispered, willing her to look at him, not shying away from her as he had so many times before.

She stared into his eyes, wondering if he meant what she thought he meant. She loved spending time with Jeb. Even though they hadn't traveled the OZ together like she had with her other friends, she and Jeb had become fast friends and were practically inseparable at times, just like the Ozian lovebirds…

Her heart beat faster as a smile appeared on her face, hoping she wasn't wrong about all of this. The look in Jeb's eyes gave her reason to hope.

"Deege," he said, reaching for her hands as he scooted closer to her until they were sitting directly in front of each other. "I…I'm falling in love with you. I know we've been best friends for months and I don't know if you could ever care for me that way but –"

She quickly cut off his rambling by kissing him soundly, leaving no doubt in his mind that Ozian lovebirds were most definitely a good omen. He had been trying to get up the nerve for awhile now and had never managed to find a good lead-in to that conversation. Explaining those beautiful birds had given him the perfect opportunity, just like they had for his father.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked, panting as she pulled away from him enough to get a good look at his eyes.

He nodded, pulling her to him in a warm embrace, both of them holding on for dear life. She curled into his arms like she belonged there and he happily laid his cheek on her hair, rubbing his hands up and down her back. They stayed there in silence, enjoying the other's company, knowing that they finally had what they had always wanted but had been too afraid to ask for.

When they packed all the art supplies and blanket in the picnic basket to head out they took one more glance up at the tree to find that their bird friends were gone. Grabbing his hand and smiling as they walked back to the palace laughing and talking, DG silently thanked the beautiful birds for what they had done.

Upon returning to the palace DG took her art supplies back to her room, making a mental note to frame the sketch of the Ozian lovebird who had given her so much while he waited for his true love to return.