"Oh... How should I go along with this? Should I even do this at all? What if he doesn't share the same feelings with me? I'd just end up embarrassing myself, and we're not exactly alone here! What do I do?"

Penny Ling paced back and forth across the warm pale sand that sunk her paws in every time she took a step. However, her paws didn't sink nearly as much as her heart did, just by the thought of possible rejection and humiliation.

A cry of joy filled her small ears and she looked up to find the source of the noise. She watched as all her pet friends played in the beach water together. Blythe had asked everyone's owners, as well as Mrs. Twombly, if she could bring the pets along on her trip to the beach for the day with her father and friends. Even Buttercream and Sugar Sprinkles managed to tag along. Right now, Blythe and her friends were off getting ice cream for everyone.

Everyone was doing something out in the water. Minka was playfully pushing around Zoe as she lay in a small raft - with a mischievous look now on her face, Minka lifted the raft and the lilac spaniel fell into the water with a yelp. Everyone laughed and even Penny Ling couldn't help but draw a smile and a few giggles.

Buttercream, Sugar Sprinkles, and Pepper were playing Marco Polo by the shore; stains of dissolved sprinkles dripped from Sugar's head and tail, and every time she shook from Buttercream splashing her, a rainbow of water drops lined the space around her.

And far in the deep end were Russell, Vinnie, and Sunil having a water war of some sort. This sight was what brought Penny Ling down the most. No, it had nothing to do with anyone. Well, maybe herself...

She was madly in love with Russell, but she had never found the courage to tell him so because she was afraid he would say he's not ready or just not interested, or worse, he could already be with someone else. He and Minka were really close friends, and the panda got the feeling they were more than just friends...

The sharp pang of tears trying to surface through her eyes made Penny Ling look away. She covered her eyes with her paws, trying to keep her tears, as well as her emotions, in, no matter how aware she was that bottling up emotions for too long would result in a negative manner.

A new cry filled the air, but it wasn't a cry of joy. She quickly looked up, a fresh and new pain in her heart as if someone stabbed it cleanly with a knife, for she recognized that cry far too well.

Everyone out in the ocean was muttering and shouting in fear, and none of the boys could be seen. Fear pulsing through her, the panda ran over to the shore and looked out.

In seconds, Vinnie and Sunil were seen resurfacing from underwater, and in their arms was an unconscious Russell covered in seaweed. Everyone let out a flurry of gasps and cries as they watched the boys quickly bring the hedgehog to shore. When they reached the shore, they threw him on the soft sand and Sunil began checking his pulse; everyone ran over to them.

"What happened?" Zoe whimpered.

"W-We were playing together, a-and Russell got his paws stuck on some sea-seaweed!" Vinnie stammered, clearly panicking for his friend's safety. "He was pulled underw-water and we finally ma-managed to detach those dumb seaweed, b-but he-he was out c-cold!"

"He's still alive, but he's not breathing!" Sunil reported, obviously trying to keep his calm. "There must be water in his lungs, and unless we don't get it out, he's done for! Someone has to do mouth-to-mouth!"

"Don't look at me!" Vinnie quickly said. Everyone looked at him and he added, "What! He's my friend, but there ain't no way I'm kissing him!"

"It's not a kiss, you dumbbell!" Pepper growled. "It's saving his life!"

"I think Penny-Lenny-Ling should do it!" Buttercream chirped. Everyone immediately looked at the panda and she blushed, eyes wide.

"Wh-What? N-No!" she whimpered. "M-Minka should!"

"But you're the obvious choice," Minka replied.

"But-But aren't you-"

"Please just do it, Penny!" the monkey yelPed in desperation.

Penny Ling turned back to Russell, gulped, and walked towards him. Tears came close to flowing out of her eyes when she saw the poor unconscious hedgehog, but she quickly shook her head to keep them from flowing uncontrollably. She knelt down, lifted up his chin, and pinched his tiny black nose.

"Forgive me..." she whimpered. "And in case you don't make it... I love you..." She leaned down and pressed her lips against his, blowing air into his mouth. However, she treated this mouth-to-mouth as a kiss. She lifted her head when she ran out of breath, took in another one, painfully choked down the sorrow in her throat, and blew in again.

Don't leave me... Don't give up on me... Come back to me... Please... A single teardrop fell from her closed eye and fell on his cheek.

A quick twitch startled the panda, and she retreated from her CPR. Everyone watched as Russell began gaining consciousness again, coughing and jerking violently. Finally, he rolled over on his side and began vomiting up mouthfuls of salt water, as well as small particles of seaweed.

"Russell, you're okay!" Zoe squealed in delight, her wet tail wagging a mile a minute, flinging water drops all over Pepper and Vinnie standing either side of her.

"We thought you were a goner-go-longer!" Buttercream added.

Russell panted a little before sitting up with a moan. Frustrated, he ripped the seaweed off his fur and out of his quills, then he looked up. "Who... Who saved me...?"

"Vinnie and Sunil pulled you out of the water, but Penny Ling performed mouth-to-mouth on you," Sugar Sprinkles meowed. "Such caring sweethearts."

The hedgehog turned to the gecko and mongoose and smiled at them. "Thanks, guys..."

"We barely did anything, really," Sunil retorted.

"Yeah, it was Penny Ling who saved you from going off the deep end," Vinnie added, then stammered, "Uh, figuratively speaking."

Russell turned to look at Penny Ling, who blushed madly. She rubbed her arm and smiled softly at the ground. "I-It was nothing... really..." she whispered.

The sound of sand rustling caught her attention, and she looked up to see him standing up and walking towards her. He gently took her indigo paws into his orange ones and he smiled softly, a slightly red tint spreading across his cheeks as well.

"Thank you, Penny Ling," Russell whispered. "You're my hero." In a flash, lips were touching once again, this time in a real kiss, and Penny Ling slowly closed her tear-filled eyes.

This isn't exactly how I expected things to go, but I'll happily go along with it...

A/N: Here's a much longer one-shot, much longer than Crush. I had so much fun with this one! Sapphettegirl, you're a genius for requesting this! :D