Ok, I thought about re-doing this chapter and deleted the story, but then I decided not to so I put it back up. If you've already read chapter 1, then just ignore this. :)

Yayy for new stories! As you've probably realized, I decided to cut off my reading break. I need to write :P And I'm mean, so I'ma make you jealous: I didn't have school yesterday, today, and I don't have school tomorra! ATHANK YOU SNOW!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon or any of its characters.

Home Sweet Home

I leaned over the railing of the ferry, watching Sunny Island slowly rise over the horizon. The last time I was on a boat, I was unconscious.

Looking over at Vaughn, who was standing beside me, I smiled. We had been through so much together, and it seemed like it was finally over. Life was slowly returning to normal.

I had been discharged from the hospital this morning after a two-year coma. I had fallen into my coma when the old house of Vaughn's mother, Bella Wilkens, collapsed on my best friend Julia and me. Vaughn had also been in the collapse, but nobody knew it. They all he had been at his job in the city. But when he didn't return, they all suspected he had been killed.

In truth, he had been living with the local natives in the jungle. They had found him buried beneath rubble, and took him in. I found him only last week.

And here we were, on our way back from the island. It had been here after my coma, but it was only for a short period of time before I passed out.

The island got bigger and bigger until I could see the beach. Throngs of people were gathered around the shoreline, waiting for me.

I smiled and waved frantically at them, and they waved back. Vaughn smiled and leaned on the railing, the ocean spray hitting us both in the face as we zoomed into the dock.

Running off the boat and onto the dock, I was attacked by my best friend, Julia, Natalie, and Lanna. They ran right into me, and we all nearly fell into the ocean! Screaming, we all caught our balance and managed to stay upright and dry.

Laughing, we ran off the dock onto the beach where it was safe. Vaughn followed slowly behind us, smiling slightly.

"I've missed you so much, Chelsea!" Natalie said, hugging me tightly. "I visited you every week! You always looked so peaceful… until near the end. You started looking scared and restless."

"Really?" I asked. Suddenly, memories of the horrifying dreams I had had rushed through my mind. Being chased through the dark by a mysterious figure… Being eaten by a giant bunny… Finding myself trapped in a six-year olds bedroom by a vengeful stuffed dog… and the fire. That one was most vivid in my memory. I could still see Vaughn rushing into the flames, screaming my chicken's name, "Valerie! Valerie!"

"Chelsea?" Lanna asked, waving her hand in front of my face. "You ok? It looks you just saw a ghost."

"Huh… what?" I asked, snapping out of my thoughts. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine…" I didn't tell anyone about my dreams, not even Vaughn. I just didn't want to relive them. Even if they seemed stupid and funny, they were terrifying for me, even the bunny one. I do have to admit, the bugs screaming "Head for the hills!" was pretty funny… but still.

All the villagers began hugging me and saying how much they had missed me and were glad I was better. I could just nod, smile, and thank them. I couldn't wait to get back to my farm… Who had looked after my crops and Valerie?

Oh, wait. I dreamt I had bought Valerie. She didn't exist. But everything had seemed so real, like it was actually happening. But in truth, it had all just been a dream I dreamt during a coma.

But it's weird how some parts of my dream turned out to be real. Like Vaughn being the collapse and how he had gotten fired. As my father would say, the mind works in mysterious ways.

My father… Tears sprung to my eyes at the thought of him. He had recently died after being put in a critical state during a car accident. According to him and my little sister, Jill, my mother had died instantly.

"Chelsea?" Julia was looking straight at me. How did she get there? Last time I checked, I was talking, or rather listening, to Charlie ramble on about some new electric car he got while I was "away".

"What?" I snapped my attention away from my father to Julia.

"Where do you keep going off to?" she asked. "It's like you're in your own little bubble."

"Oh, sorry…" I muttered. "I was just thinking about stuff…"

"Well, my mom wanted to know if you'd join us for supper tonight." Julia asked.

My eating supper with Julia and her family was a regular occurrence. At least it was until the house fell down on top of me… All of a sudden, I realized Mirabelle had been alone for two straight years. Since Julia was in a coma and Vaughn was living in the jungle with the natives (she just didn't know that part then), Mirabelle had been left alone. That must have been terrible!

"So will you join us?" Julia asked again. Stop dreaming, Chelsea! You can think later, when people AREN'T trying to talk to you!

"Sure, I'd love to," I said happily. I still wasn't exactly paying attention, but I could tell Julia was happy.

A few minutes later, the beach was clear and the only people that remained were me and Vaughn.

"I'm so glad to be back…" I said, closing my eyes and letting the warmth of the setting sun hit my face.

I could tell Vaughn was watching me. Sure enough, when I opened my eye just a crack, he was. A small smile was plastered across his face, and his violet eyes were bright.

I suddenly threw my arms around him in a hug. "You're happy…" I whispered.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, looking down at me.

"I don't know," I muttered. "You just always look so sad."

"That's because I had my heart closed out to everything and everyone," Vaughn explained. "But then I met you, and realized the world wasn't all that bad."

I smiled at him.

"You know, when my boat crashed and I nearly died," Vaughn said. "I thought about just jumping off the rock into the waves. They would've killed me instantly… But then I thought about you, and everyone else. I realized then I had something to live for; that my life was terrible. I had family and friends who loved and cared about me."

I could feel my smile growing wider. "But then why did you stay in the jungle, even after the bridge was fixed?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "Something just told me to stay… that'd I leave when the time was right. And that time was when you came and found me."

Suddenly, Vaughn's lips were pressed against mine in a kiss.

I didn't realize Julia had walked onto the beach looking for us until she screamed, louder than the time at the table. Vaughn and I pulled apart. Julia's mouth was wide open as if she were still screaming. It looked very comical, if you ask me.

"Y-You… You… were… just… KISSING?" she screamed. She began running in circles on the sand screaming, until she fell fast first. She got back up, sand covering her body and face, and continued screaming.

I ran up to her and clamped my hand over her mouth. "Shut up!" I hissed.

Julia pried away my hand. "But you guys were just… kissing." She said "kissing" like it was a bad word and she was a five year old.

"Yeah, so?" I snapped.

"That means you guys like each other?" Julia said, shocked.

"No," I said sarcastically. "It means we hate each other! Of course we like each other!"

"It's not fair…" she pouted. "You get a sexy cowboy and I get a nerd…"

I turned to look at Vaughn and saw a horrified look on his face. His eyes were big and wide and his mouth was hanging open in shock

I looked back at Julia like she was crazy. "Dude," I said, smacking her across the head. "He's your COUSIN. Have you been into the coffee again? I thought your mother put you on a one-cup-a-week coffee diet."

Julia looked down at the ground guiltily. "I kind of stole the coffee pot…" she murmured.

"You're so impossible," I groaned, rolling my eyes at her.

Julia looked back up at me. "So, are you guys coming to dinner or what?"

I looked back at Vaughn. "Yeah, we're coming."

As we all walked away I said, "I still can't believe you said that Vaughn was sexy… Not that I disagree..."

Julia shrugged. "Coffee does strange things to my mind…"

"Yeah, I kind of figured…" I muttered.

Me: Hello, and welcome to Walking in the Devasted Area Talk Show. Or, for short, WDA Talk Show! Our first guest for the show is... Julia!

Julia: Helloooo-ooo!

Me: So, Julia, do you really have a caffeine problem?

Julia: Uh... no. But I DO have a small sugar problem.

Me: How small are we talkin' here?

Julia: Well... I can only have five grams of sugar every two weeks, otherwise I go really hyper.

Me: O_O And you call THAT small?