Sorry for the delay -- here it is, chapter 4. Took me days to write it, but I think you'll like it. Again, it's twisted. Daily warning time!

Warning -- Sexual mentions, swearing, and all that crap. And drunk people.

I don't have much to say now. Stay tuned for chapter 5. Have fun reading!



Chapter 4 -- Mind and Memory

Eve had said to give it time, but nothing in Wendy's mind had changed. Truth be told, it had only been a day since the advice had been given, yet it was funny how 24 hours could feel rather like 24 years. But Wendy had listened to every word Eve had said, and was focusing on her ideas. The belle had told her to try spending time with both men, so the previous day, when Wendy had come across Joe near the clinic, she asked him to go fishing. But it felt wrong in a sense, as though she were asking him out. And now Kurt was angry... He knew something was going on, but he didn't know what, exactly. And Wendy planned to delay his finding out as long as possible.

A pouring rain fell, one that would clear up by the afternoon. Out of anxiety, Wendy had unintentionally rushed through her morning chores, which left her with a surprising amount of free time, but she knew her work for the past hours had most likely been poor. Looking out the window at the rain, the farmer found herself in another one of her thought rivers.

Was Eve also right when she said that Joe's problem could be that he has secret feelings for me? And I know now that I have some for him in return... But what about Kurt? I'm so happy with Kurt, but something...just doesen't feel whole about it... I think we shouldn't have started having sex, it could be going too fast for the both of us... Should I tell him we need to stop that...?

There was a knock at the door. It was a loud, familiar knock, but it still managed to make Wendy jump. Yes, she knew that knock... Swallowing nervously, Wendy opened the door and stood face to face with a wet and dead-serious-looking Kurt.

"Wendy..." he said softly. "I wanna talk to you..."

Without a word, Wendy stepped aside and let Kurt in, shutting the door behind him.

Kurt was generally very comfortable in Wendy's house, but today he just in the middle of the room, stock-still. Wendy was reminded instantly of the night Joe came by in an attempt to confess something that just wouldn't come out.

Then it seemed that Kurt decided to just cut to the chase. He said, "Look, Wendy. I was an ass the other day, and I'm sorry about that. But I don't want anything to happen to me...you...us. I have to say...have to tell you that..." But then his voice faltered.

Curious, Wendy moved closer to him.

"It's ok, Kurt..." she sighed. "But what do you have to tell me...?"

Slowly, like it hurt, Kurt turned slightly and met Wendy's eyes. He looked afraid.

"Kurt?"

"I love you, Wendy."

Wendy's heart gave a hard thump, and then seemed to stop for a moment.

Love? He LOVES me! she thought incredulously.

Her silence seemed to be killing Kurt, so Wendy knew that she had to force out some kind of reply. But all she could manage was, "L-love...?"

"Yeah...I love you..." Kurt mumbled. He began to look shy again, shy in the way he was when Wendy first met him. It occured to her more how hard it must have been to say such a thing...well, for someone as soft-spoken as Kurt...

Wendy had already given great thought on the matter of whether or not she loved Kurt. Her answer had been decided some days back, and had not changed. But to tell him she didn't love him back was like stabbing him.

"Kurt, this is all going too...too fast, I think," Wendy blurted out. What else could she say? But was that the truth...or wasn't it?

Kurt looked had her with wide eyes, as if she had slapped him.

"Too fast? W-why...we've been together for so long..."

A lump formed in Wendy's throat. Clasping and unclasping her hands nervously, she looked to the ground and shook her head.

"Maybe...but...I just think that --"

"You didn't have any other way besides lying to say, 'I don't love you, Kurt'," Kurt said coldly, his eyes narrowing. His meek shyness seemed to have faded. But what he had just said was true. And to Wendy, there was no reply for a truth like that.

"You can't talk to me anymore, all of a sudden. Same with Joe. Maybe it's just me, but it sure as hell seems like all faith in me has been lost. Wendy, I gotta tell you, I think we're about through," snapped Kurt, leaving the house like a whirlwind.

"KURT! Wait, no!" Wendy yelled, following him. But he moved faster, leaving Wendy standing out in the middle of the pouring rain.

"That's not what I want..."


The rain had not stopped a few hours later, but the sky said that it threatened to come again. Sitting at the foot of her bed, Wendy could no longer think about much of anything else aside from her regret. In the back of her mind somewhere, Wendy knew there were chores on her farm that still needed to be done. But in her current state, she couldn't remember what exactly they were. And of course, there was another knock on the door at such a time.

Hoping it was Kurt so she could right what was wronged, Wendy flew down the stairs and wrenched open the door. But she felt herself pale, then blush when she saw it was Joe. He looked rather flustered himself. That's when Wendy remembered that the two of them were supposed to go fishing, but Joe didn't have a pole with him.

Grinning nervously and glancing sideways, Joe said, "We were supposed to go fishing, but the weather doesen't look so good, and I'm...not one to be pushy about something like that. I came for a different reason..."

Wendy's heart pounded. She knew the red wasn't going to leave her cheeks. Letting Joe in, she said, "W-well...ok... Um...why did you come?"

Joe sighed heavily, avoiding Wendy's eyes.

"Kurt just got back a little while ago. Seemed like he was here for quite some time."

"What...? No...he was only here for a few minutes..."

Joe looked at her, puzzled for a brief minute, then looked away. Some sort of realization came alive in his eyes.

"Well, he must have taken a pit stop somewhere then..." he mumured, mostly to himself. But he went on, although without looking at Wendy, "But he did eventually come back. And he looked pretty upset... And Kurt can be pretty bad when he's upset, so I guess I just wanted to make sure he didn't upset you too much..."

"No...nothing was his fault. It was mine. Kurt has every right to be angry..." Wendy admitted with a sigh. She hesitantly looked at Joe, and saw that his whole face had turned a soft pink.

"Whatever happened between you two, I...I-I'm sorry," he stuttered.

I really think Eve was right. For some reason, Joe has feelings for me. This...this is an awkward situation if I ever saw one...

Shaking her head, trying to rid her mind of inhibiting emotions, Wendy decided to try and make up for the fact that she and Joe couldn't go fishing.

"Joe...since we can't fish, um...wanna hang out here for a while?"

Joe looked at her, and for the first time in a long time, met her eyes. In that time, Wendy had forgotten how captivating one could find them... But she did not look away.

"Y-you sure that's ok?" Joe asked with a strangely guilty look on his face. Wendy nodded.

"Yeah...it's been a while since we've been together."

From there, a progressing ease began to grow as Wendy and Joe talked on and on, starting with the updates of their lives. Joe had had no idea that Eve and Ray had become an item, and Wendy was surprised and chilled about the things Joe had discovered about Jamie.

Just then, the door opened, and in stepped Eve. Ray followed her. Wendy jumped in surprise, and Eve stopped short, staring from Joe to Wendy. Ray looked lost for response.

"Eve! I thought you were busy today..." said Wendy.

Eve looked wrapped up in a memory for a moment before focusing on Wendy again and saying, "Well...it's...it's kind of a long story, that. But either way, I don't think I'll be doing much work during the day today." She and Ray shared a secret look.

"Ray...hello. I don't think you've ever been by here," said Wendy.

Ray snapped to attention and smiled warmly at Wendy.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't. Eve wanted me to come along with her," he said.

Eve sat down at the table next to Wendy, and nodded at Joe with a cordial smile.

"Joe, it's been a while. How are things?" she asked.

"It's been pretty good," Joe replied. Wendy took comfort in the fact that he seemed cheerful at the moment, like his old self.

Ray hesitantly sat down next to Joe, and Eve next to Wendy. Looking around at her new guests, Wendy couldn't help but feel disappointed... She had wanted to be with Joe alone.

Ray chuckled and said to Joe and Wendy, "So, what's been going on here with you two?"

"Gossiping, that's what," replied Joe with a grin.

Wendy looked at Eve. Her mind was on her face, but Wendy couldn't read the thoughts. She was silent, too.

"Eve? Something up?" Wendy asked.

"Huh? Nah...nothing," Eve said dismissively, waving a slender hand.

Wendy caught Ray giving her friend the strangest look. But then she turned her head and was just in time to catch Joe giving a similar one to her...



Last night had been Eve's guilty pleasure, but today, she was still afraid to go home and face Duke. So far, she had spent the entire day with Ray, and he and her had went by Wendy's house for a little while. It came as a surprise to Eve to see Joe there... She would have to ask Wendy about it later.

Finally, Eve had worked up the courage to return to the Moonlight Cafe. Ray offered to walk her there, but knowing Uncle Duke, he would find her being with Ray suspicious. Eve had to make him think that she had not seen Ray at all last night, let alone slept with him on the beach.

Alone, Eve reached her home and stepped inside.

"H-hello?" she called. The only reply was an eerie silence. Eve let out a relieved breath of air...her uncle probably wasn't home. She crept off to her bedroom, shut the door, and sat down at her vanity table to fix her hair. She was about to pull it into the usual ponytail, but stopped -- Ray said he liked her hair down better, so Eve went with that.

Funny...he seems so adamant about that, she thought, smiling weakly at her reflection. So she started to brush the long, pale gold locks.

Last night felt like a dream...a beautiful, dangerous dream. But Eve knew it was no dream, knew that it was very real, and so were the dangers and the stupidities of what she had done. Rushing into sex without protection, when she had made a vow a few years back to never do such a thing.

But another thing Eve knew was that if it happened once, then it was more than likely to happen again. After all, she had learned that Ray was a man who always got what he wanted. That lead Eve to decide to take a trip down to Alex's clinic later to seek out birth control.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the bell signaling that someone had opened the cafe door.

Oh, damn...Uncle Duke must be home... Eve thought grimly. Despite her hesitations and uncertainties, the young waitress went out to greet him. When she came across him in the front of the cafe, he wouldn't even look at her.

"H-hello, Uncle Duke...um...where have you been?" Eve asked meekly.

"Been down at Perch Inn. I found out that apparently, the reason why Hank's been absent is because he had a coma resulting from an incident up on the mountain," Duke stated plainly.

Eve opened her mouth to make a quick reply, but Duke beat her to it. "Now, enough about me. Tell me where YOU'VE been..."

Luckily, Eve had prepared for such a question.

"I spent the night at Wendy's," she said.

Duke looked at her, his face cold and amused.

"You spent the night at Wendy's when you left here with Ray? Come off it, Eve."

Eve swallowed, trying to rid her face of any emotion that might betray her lies. Her uncle wasn't stupid, not one bit. Unfortunate.

"I feared you would run off and do something stupid... You did, didn't you?"

"...No..."

"Don't lie to me, Eve! Doug from the Perch Inn saw you, I hope you know. On the beach, eh? I thought you were smarter than to behave so promiscuously. But you proved me wrong," Duke stated in a calm tone that scared Eve. She felt tears burn her eyes.

"Uncle Duke..." she squeaked.

"Just wait 'till your grandfather hears about this, Eve. He's not going to be pleased."

Eve's eyes widened. He couldn't tell Terry! The last thing Eve wanted was to upset her grandfather, the only relative of hers that really knew her. That could damage the bond they had.

"Uncle Duke, please, don't! Grandpa Terry's just an old man, you'll upset him too much!" Eve begged.

"Terry's a strong, strong man, Eve. And I think he could handle this situation better than I could," Duke said, suddenly looking very downcast. He sighed, shook his head at Eve, and retreated to the back of the building, leaving Eve alone.

She felt she had become a shame to her family in the course of a single day. If a day could do that, then what could a week do? Or longer? There were many things that sex could destroy, Eve realized.

And I come from a family smart enough to realize what things it can destroy... she thought sadly as she left the cafe.

Despite what had just happened, Eve still knew that the possibility of such a thing between her and Ray happening again was still likely. And now was certainly a good time to go talk to Alex about it.

When Eve reached the clinic, she was almost immediately greeted by Alex.

"Oh, Eve," he said in mild surprise, "It certainly has been a while, hasn't it?"

Eve smiled pleasantly in the way she knew from being a waitress, and nodded politely.

"Yes, it has."

"Anyway, may I help you?"

Eve suddenly felt self-concious. This was going to be a hard thing to talk about to a man, but she knew that Martha the midwife didn't handle these kinds of things.

"Is there some place we can go to talk privately?" Eve asked nervously.

Alex nodded, not showing any readable expression.

"Yes, come on back to my office."

He lead the way, and soon had Eve seated across from his desk.

"What is it you'd like to talk about?" Alex asked kindly, smiling encouragingly. Eve figured that he sensed her hesitation.

Eve looked down at her hands in her lap, trying to figure out the best way to say what she needed. But there was no other way she could think of at the moment aside for telling it bluntly, exactly how it was.

"I need birth control," she said quickly.

"Pardon me?"

Eve looked at Alex. He seemed bewildered, and her face felt hot.

"I need birth control," she repeated slowly, but more quietly.

Alex registered that for a moment.

"Birth control...um...of course. Does Duke know anything about this?"

"Uh...yes..."

Alex stood up and began rummaging through some drawers. At last, he pulled out a small jar of pills, and set them down on his desk.

"I'm not going to ask you any questions about this," he said, "But it's a good thing you're going about this...this sort of thing...in the proper way. Take a pill about three hours before any sexual activity, and it will still work for about a day." The doctor pushed the jar to Eve, who quickly took it. She paid the price he asked for it, and went to leave.

"Thank you, Alex. Have a good day."

"You too..."

And there she left him, staring after her wonderingly.

Eve decided to only go home to drop off her purchase, praying that Duke wouldn't find it. She also prayed that she hadn't been too late in getting it.



Blue woke up at his usual time, as always. Like a soldier, he silently washed up in an almost rhythmic way. Inside, Blue was dreading the day. He'd probably have to teach that damn Popuri girl how to work on things, and would also have to drive Ellen to the hospital. But an event that morning changed the feel of the rest of the day...

Blue was undressing to get into his day clothes, when he suddenly noticed with shock that Ellen was standing in the doorway, staring. She seemed just as shocked as he was, but...she wouldn't budge.

His heart pounding nearly out of his chest as she stared at him with nothing on, Blue finally got up the courage to utter, "E-Ellen! Get out!"

Ellen quickly shut the door and left. Blue stared at the closed door, holding his shirt to his chest.

What the hell...? he thought, Why wouldn't she just leave? She just stood there and stared...

And then those sinful thoughts Blue frequently had returned, only worse, leaving him to feel more unpure than ever before. Ellen seemed so surprised to see a naked man. Perhaps she hadn't ever seen one?

Then that was innocent. If she never saw a man naked, then it was probably a surprise to her... I've never seen a woman naked before, admittedly. I'd be surprised too, I guess...

Biting his tongue, Blue finished dressing and went downstairs. There was an excellent explanation for what had happened, but he just couldn't shake the odd feeling. It took away his appetite, so he snuck outside without any breakfast.

Looking around, Blue then wondered, where was Popuri? He fretted she might do something wrong and mess up his schedule, so Blue made it his mission to find her. It didn't take him long -- she was in the barn, having just finished milking all the cows. Blue gaped.

When she saw him, Popuri turned and smiled.

"Oh, Blue! Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Blue pulled his hat down lower so it covered part of his face, and grunted, "Yeah."

"I just finished milking the cows. I fed them too. I think all they need is some brushing, and then they can be let outside. I'm going to go to the chicken coop and feed the birds," said Popuri.

Blue blinked in surprise. She sure as hell did more than Hank ever did, and he couldn't help but tell her that.

Popuri beamed at his obvious approval.

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks. So now you know that I do know a thing or two about farming."

"Whatever..." Blue mumbled, going to find the cow brush. He could feel Popuri linger for a minute before finally leaving. He was appreciative for the solitude he now had. But that was soon interrupted by the arrival of Ellen.

"Blue," she said, looking a little embarassed, likely from the morning's event, "When you're done here, could you drive me up to the hospital?"

"Sure," Blue said, not looking at her.

"Thanks..." Ellen left.

Blue didn't know how he was going to last being in the car with her for so long.


It was just as uncomfortable as he had thought. Blue was so nervous and flustered in the car that he drove worse than usual, and Ellen seemed to be in a similar mood. Not one word was shared.

After the agonizing drive, Ellen and Blue reached the hospital. It had felt like a year in the car, and Blue walked into the large building with big strides, trying to move as fast as he could without seeming too weird. Ellen struggled to keep up.

"We're here to see my father, Hank," Ellen told the woman at the counter. The receptionist had remembered the pair, so she merely nodded to Hank's room.

When Blue and Ellen walked in, they were met by Hank's doctor, Dr. Fairfield, who looked quite pleasant. He beamed, and said, "Good news...Hank's out of the coma."

Ellen looked incredulous. Her whole face lit up like Blue had never seen.

"H-He is?" she squeaked.

Dr. Fairfield nodded. "Yes...see if you can get him to respond to you."

Ellen hurried over to the hospital bed and held Hank's hand, squeezing it gently. Blue stood off in the corner, leaning against the wall. He looked down at Hank, and felt a pang of sadness... He looked so pitiful, so bandaged and battered. It made Blue uncomfortable to see him like that, which was one of the reasons why he didn't stay in the hospital room much during visits.

"Dad...Dad, it's me, Ellen," Ellen said gently.

Hank slowly opened his eyes and stared at Ellen's face.

"Ellen...?" he said in a barely audible voice. Dr. Fairfield moved closer, and even Blue leaned forward to get a better look at what was going on.

Ellen's eyes glistened with tears, and she beamed through them.

"Yes, Dad, it's me," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"...Hurts..." Hank choked out.

Blue wasn't sure whether or not to stay or leave. But then Ellen said, "Blue, come here." Slowly and with much reluctance, Blue joined Ellen next to the bed.

"H-hey, Uncle Hank," he grunted.

Hank turned his small, barely opened eyes to Blue.

"Blue...have you been working hard?"

"Yeah. The farm's in good shape, so you don't have to worry. We got someone to help out...and she's pretty good," said Blue. Ellen smiled at that, and nodded.

"Yeah. It's Popuri, Lillia's daughter. They both want you to come back soon...we all really miss you, Dad."

Hank gave off a trace of a smile, and closed his eyes. Ellen looked at the doctor, alarmed. Dr. Fairfield strode over and looked at Hank, nodding.

"He's just sleeping. I think he will get better progressively, but for now, I think you'd better leave."

Ellen nodded sadly. "Oh...alright... Thank you, Dr. Fairfield."

Of course, this meant that it was back to the pickup truck with Blue and Ellen. Blue cursed it for being a visit hours shorter than the others. And naturally, it had to be on such a strange day.


Blue and Ellen drove off, and Ellen looked a great deal more contented, Blue noted. Smiling, she gently put a hand on Blue's arm. He flinched, feeling his skin crawl. He wasn't sure if Ellen noticed his reaction or not.

"Blue, I'm glad you were there to see Dad today. I think he was happy to see you," she said.

Blue grunted and shrugged, but said not a word. Ellen took her hand off his arm and set it on her lap.

"You always seem to get nervous around me, Blue... And you are more so today. I don't know why you always act like this around me, but I think I can guess why it's worse today... About this morning, I..." Ellen faltered. Blue looked at her, waiting for her to finish.

"I'm sorry," she finally said.

"It's fine..." Blue replied, but that just didn't seem honest. He really wasn't ok with it, but in the perverted part of his mind (as he so referred to it), it was a little bit too alright.

The rest of the ride was quiet again.

Popuri was again there to greet them when they got back.

"How's Hank?" she asked.

"He's out of the coma," Ellen told her happily.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Ellen!" Popuri exclaimed, hugging her friend.

As he always did in these situations, Blue headed for the fields. But a voice behind him shouted, "Hey!" Frightened, Blue jumped and spun around. Before him stood Gwen, Doug's niece. She probably seconded Eve as the prettiest girl in the village, with blonde hair and eyes a shade of deep red. Gwen stood there with her hands on her hips, looking at Blue with an amused expression.

"I can see I scared ya, huh? I'm sorry," she said.

"'S ok..." Blue mumbled, lowering his head embarassedly.

Gwen handed Blue a box of chocolates.

"What's this...?" Blue asked.

"This is from my uncle and I. Everyone knows about Hank now...and we just want to say that we hope he gets better soon," said Gwen, smiling slightly.

Blue was dumbfounded. Everyone knew about it? And they had tried so hard to keep it a secret...

"You gonna say thanks or what?" Gwen asked, but it was a humorous comment.

"Thanks..." Blue grumbled.

"You're welcome." Gwen waved and walked off.

Damn village... Everyone is so nosy around here, it's sick, Blue thought, shaking his head.



Kurt laid on his back on the soggy beach, staring up at the grey, darkening evening sky. It sure was one of the most miserable days he had had in a while -- or rather -- it WAS the most miserable day he had had lately.

"Kurt...? What are you doing here?" asked a voice.

"Huh?" Kurt looked up and saw Nina staring down at him, looking concerned.

"Oh. Nothing. It's nothing," Kurt snorted.

Nina sat down next to Kurt, much to his annoyance.

"Aw, c'mon..."

"It's nothing, ok!"

Nina sighed. "You really don't like me, do you?"

"No, it's not that..." Kurt grumbled.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I came on a bit too strong, huh?" said Nina. Kurt grunted in reply.

"I really am sorry. But why not just tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help."

Kurt sighed heavily. "My girlfriend got weird on me all of a sudden. So now it's over." He turned his head to glare at Nina. "That's all there is to know."

A small, strange, creepy smile crossed Nina's mouth, but she forced it away, though it seemed it was difficult for her to do so.

"Oh...that's terrible. You may not believe me, but I'm sorry about that. I feel bad," she assured him.

"Sure."

They sat in silence for a little bit. Nina raised her face to the sky and closed her eyes.

"Feel's like it's gonna rain again," she said.

Kurt said nothing. He had to admit, he was feeling a little guilty for treating Nina so brashly, but Kurt wasn't the type to easily apologize for something like that.

"I know it sounds wrong, but...do you still want to go for that walk? I'm not asking you out or anything, if that's what you're thinking," said Nina.

Kurt looked at her. For some reason, it didn't seem like such a bad idea, to take Nina up on that offer. So, for reasons that were hard for him to explain, he agreed to the proposal this time around.

Kurt and Nina walked on the beach and around Sunny Lake. Kurt felt warmed up to her slightly, and they talked. Though Nina did most of it, but Kurt even had a thing or two to say here or there. She was making him feel better, even if only a little.

The two returned to the beach and sat together. Kurt looked at the happiness on Nina's face, and realized that she might be lying to him about not asking him out. He thought about Wendy, and his stomach churned with regret for breaking off the relationship... But he couldn't go back and talk to her, he just couldn't...

Laying on the sand and smiling up at Kurt, Nina still looked elated.

Wendy and I used to come down here together like this... Kurt thought sadly.

"I thought you were feeling a little better. Cheer up, will ya?" said Nina.

"Huh? Oh...well...I feel a little better. Don't worry about it." Kurt lay back down on the sand and inched away from Nina a little bit. She was nice, but there was something about her that Kurt really didn't like, something that made him want to stay away from her. Kurt closed his eyes and tried to forget everything.


Kurt opened his eyes slowly, realizing he must have dozed off... He felt something on his lips. Opening his brown eyes more, shock overcame Kurt when he realized that Nina was on top of him, kissing him. Horrified, Kurt yelped and struggled back. Nina fell off of him, and her widened green eyes mirrored his expression.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING!" Kurt yelled.

"I...I..." All Nina could do was stutter. Kurt figured as much -- after all, there was no excuse for such a thing.

"You're out of your mind!" Kurt jumped up and ran back home, not looking back at Nina. He didn't stop until he was inside, where he leaned against the door.

That was so weird... There is just something completely wrong with that girl. And she said she wasn't asking me out... Well, I knew she was lying, he thought.

"You alright, Kurt?" asked Woody, looking up from his work. Kurt blinked, having not realized he was there.

"Huh? I...I'm fine," said Kurt.

"Did something happen?" Woody questioned.

"No," lied Kurt.

Woody shrugged and said, "Well, if you say so. By the way, have you seen Joe? He's been gone for hours, and we need him back here."

Kurt thought about that. No, he hadn't seen Joe...not since that morning.

"I haven't seen him," he said.

"Well, do you mind go finding him for me?"

"I guess not..."

Kurt knew he couldn't have said no anyway. With a deep breath, Kurt left the house again, keeping well away from Spring Farm. Luckily, there was nowhere he had to face Nina.

Kurt walked around town, reminding himself that Joe liked to take walks, but couldn't find his brother. He passed by all the fishing spots, and saw that Joe wasn't fishing, either. To his annoyance, Kurt was left with one option: ask the townspeople. That proved efficent, as Carl, a young man who owned Cafe Callaway, had said that he saw Joe and Wendy go to the Moonlight Cafe.

He's with Wendy? Kurt thought. The churning in his stomach returned, and his legs felt like lead as he went to the cafe.

Upon entering, Kurt found that Wendy and Joe weren't hard to spot. But he wished he had never seen anything, for the sight before him was like nothing he had ever seen before, and anger overcame Kurt.



Joe released Wendy at the sound of Kurt's angry voice screaming his name. He had hardly realized what he and Wendy at just been doing. Looking at the farmgirl, Joe could tell she seemed equally bewildered. Joe's brown eyes flicked to the empty glasses of wine on their table, and vaguely, in the back of his mind, he knew what had happened. But a few too many glasses of wine also impaired Joe's ability to see what was going to happen -- and that was just beginning at that very moment, all thanks to what started out as an innocent get-together at the Moonlight Cafe.

Kurt stormed up to Joe and grabbed him by the collar, shaking him.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, KISSING HER LIKE THAT!" he yelled.

"N-no...Kurt, please..." Wendy squeaked, worry on her flushed face.

Joe felt a little dizzy, and sick too from the alcohol, and Kurt's shaking him wasn't doing much to help.

"Kurt, stop...!" Joe begged.

Angrily, Kurt shoved Joe as he let him go, causing Joe to fall off his chair and onto the floor. Wendy gasped. From the ground, Joe looked around to see the whole restaraunt staring. Kurt seemed to realize this also, and took loud breaths in a failed attempt to calm himself, though they were just a waste of air.

"YOU!" Kurt pointed a cold, accusing finger at Wendy. "HOW THE HELL COULD YOU DO THIS! THIS WAS WHAT WAS GOING ON ALL ALONG, WASN'T IT! I WONDERED IF THERE WAS ANOTHER MAN, AND I GUESS THERE IS, AND IT'S MY OLDER BROTHER!" he ranted.

"Kurt, w-we didn't mean to...! This is the first time we've ever done anything. We're drunk, it was an accident!" Wendy protested, pointing at the empty glasses of wine.

By the way he gazed at the glasses, Joe saw that Kurt didn't seem to think it was a good enough excuse.

"Alcohol brings out the inner desires, they say. I don't find that a great excuse for making out in public," he said coldly.

Joe looked up at Kurt. He had rarely ever seen him so angry. And why did he act as though Wendy was still his, when he had dumped her just that morning?

The door of the cafe opened, and Eve ran in, her curled blonde locks astray. She stopped and stared at the scene with wide eyes, then hurried over to Wendy's side.

"What on earth is going on!" she breathed. "I heard the screaming from outside!"

No one said anything. But just then, Joe's nausea returned, and he groaned. There was no way in stopping it...he got sick all over the floor. Eve let out an exasperated sigh.

"I better clean this up..." she said softly, shaking her head. The waitress turned to Wendy and said, "Wendy, will you head on back to my bedroom? I need to talk to you." She turned to Joe and Kurt, looking solemn.

"Joe, Kurt...please go home."

Kurt eagerly turned on his heel and strode to the door. Joe tried to get up off the floor, but it was as though the ground were an ocean...it just seemed to move under his feet, and he couldn't get up.

"Kurt..." he squeaked after his brother.

Kurt stiffened and slowly turned to look at Joe.

"Kurt, I --"

Before Joe could state the problem, Kurt was over there, wrenching Joe to his feet roughly by the wrist.

"Get up, Joe. I'm not gonna carry you!" he snapped.

With Kurt's unwilling help, Joe managed to pick himself up to his feet, but his footing was nearly lost when Kurt dragged him full force to the door, out of the restaraunt, and down the street. It took great effort to keep up with Kurt enough to not fall down.

Brother dragged brother along in utter silence before Joe couldn't stand the tension anymore.

"Kurt...l-listen... We were hanging out...had a couple of drinks, and from there --"

"I don't want to hear it." Kurt looked back at Joe more coldly than ever before.

"I can't believe you'd betray me like that, Joe. You bastard!"

Kurt let go of Joe's arm, causing the older brother to fall face down on the ground. With Joe left behind, Kurt broke off at an angry run to home.

"Kurt!" Joe cried out weakly. But his younger brother paid no heed, and just kept going, leaving Joe to lie in the middle of the path alone.

Groaning and feeling ill, Joe put his head on his arms and lay there pitifully.

Harvest Goddess, I hope I just die here, he thought miserably. This is all so wrong...

It seemed like everyone was mad at him. Kurt, Jamie, Woody...and perhaps even Wendy. Nothing in his life seemed to be going right.

As he lay upon the path face down, drowning in his self-pitying thoughts, Joe didn't realize that there was someone standing right next to him. But whoever it was made their presence known by delivering a nudge on his side. Joe didn't respond, hoping whoever it was would just go away and leave him, but seeing as the nudge brought no signs of life from Joe, the person kicked him hard on the side.

"OW!"

Angry, Joe turned his face away from his arms to look up at the culprit. A pair of cold, catty blue eyes stared him down: it was Jamie. But this meeting was different, for now it was Joe who was lying vulnerable on the ground.

"So you're alive," Jamie said dryly.

"Please...just go away, Jamie..." Joe begged. He knew well that she could easily have any revenge she wanted on him in his current state.

"You reek. It would seem you've been drinking, hm?"

"Just leave me alone..."

"Every time I told you to leave me alone, you kept at it!" Jamie reminded him angrily.

"...I'm sorry... I was only trying to help, you know..." mumbled Joe.

"Well, you didn't help with anything, I hope you know. The only thing you did was make my life a public display! I hate you!"

"Jamie..."

"Hmph. But yet, in a way...I envy you right now." Jamie brought her foot down hard on Joe's hand, causing him to cry out in pain. And then she walked away, just as Kurt did, leaving him alone again.

Yep, she's pissed at me. And why, oh why would she envy me? But she's definately still mad. I was right; they are all furious with me... Joe thought bleakly, staring at his bruised, throbbing hand.

Joe knew it was best to go home, and although that was the last place he wanted to go, he knew he had to. But it was a difficult journey to make when your legs felt like jelly and you could hardly see straight when moving. The walk home took a lot of time, and a lot of stabilizing balance using the sides of buildings and fences.

When Joe finally entered the Woodshop, a brutal argument was going on between Woody and Kurt. But when the men saw Joe come in, they stopped, both glaring at him before Woody spoke again.

"LOOK, YOU TWO: I HAVE HAD IT WITH THIS FOOLISHNESS! YOUR HORMONES ARE INTERFERING WITH YOUR WORK AND THE RELATIONSHIPS OF EVERYONE AROUND YOU! IF I HAD KNOWN I WOULD GET SUCH BASTARDS FOR APPRENTICES, THEN HELL, I WOULD HAVE NEVER TAKEN EITHER OF YOU IN!" Woody bellowed. Joe flinched, but Kurt remained defiant.

"SHUT UP ALREADY! I'M SO SICK OF HEARING YOU REPEAT YOURSELF ABOUT THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN! JUST SHUT --"

Joe gasped as Woody delivered a slap to Kurt's cheek so hard that it sent him stumbling. But Woody seemed to immediately regret doing it, and he shrank back. Joe watched as Kurt crouched motionless in shock, then pounded up the stairs to his room. Joe remained in the doorway, too shaken up by the scene to even take a step.

Woody turned to Joe slightly, avoiding his eyes.

"Nevermind...you and Kurt are done with work today. Go upstairs and sleep it off, Joe," he said softly.

As quickly as he could, Joe obeyed. Once upstairs, he stumbled over to the bed and lay down without even bothering to close the door. It felt good to be in a bed...his body was comfortable, but his mind was not.

Joe fully realized the extent of his drunken makeout session with Wendy. What he most feared had happened: Kurt found out his feelings, and officially hated him. What was he going to do now?

But there wasn't any time to plan the next step, for Joe drifted into heavy sleep.



Jamie had spent the night and most of the next day at the now-pitiful Harvest Goddess Spring. The place was devoid of any signs of life whatsoever, even grass. There, standing in the middle of the spring as a reminder to Jamie of her failures, was the stone Harvest Goddess. The spring was a lonesome place, and things had gotten even worse there. Now there wasn't even a Harvest Sprite in sight. Seeing all this, Jamie wondered where they had all gone, where everything had gone. The place was so very dead...

It was late in the evening before Jamie decided to return home. She had felt strong pangs of guilt for abandoning her work that day, but she thought, what was the point of doing any work, anyway? The foundation she had built seemed to have burst into flames regardless of the actions she took to revive it. Effort was useless in life, it now seemed.

Jamie had run into a surprise on her way back to the house. There, sprawled in the middle of the empty path, was Joe. The sight had frightened Jamie had first, and she thought that perhaps he was dead. Tentatively, she had tried to rouse him with her foot, but to no avail. So instead, she had kicked him, and that had done the trick. Her panic had faded into her usual resentment towards the woodworker's apprentice. He was just sappy drunk and lying in the path, and thankfully, Jamie didn't have to report any dead bodies. After making a few snappish comments just to vent, Jamie had stepped on his hand and left him there.

That damn asshole. He deserves it all, she had thought bitterly.

Now Jamie sat on her kitchen floor, gazing blankly at the dirty tile. The episode with Alex the other day just wouldn't leave her mind. It made her feel worse about herself.

I really did lose all my dedication and pride... I...have failed. I've failed my animals, my farm, the Harvest Goddess, and myself. But no matter what, I just can't like myself... Everything feels like my fault, and I can't get out of it all or stop it. It's like drowning, she thought.

There is one way to end the pain and suffering I feel... But that means I'd never see the Harvest Goddess again, probably. But suicide never sounded more appealing, the other part of her mind said.

Jamie had been highly considering it now. What was there to live for? A farm of nothing, dying animals? But there was the Harvest Goddess... However, now even that hope was fading. Things were only getting worse for the once-great deity. Jamie now accepted the fact that she couldn't save the Harvest Goddess. That was up to Wendy now, she decided.

Should I do it? Should I end this life? But perhaps the next life isn't any better...if there even is a next life for me.

Jamie shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. Suicide seemed frightening, but tempting. It was fear of the unknown. What happened after death? Feeling chilled, Jamie decided to just go to bed.

But that night, her dreams were nightmares about all that could be. She awoke several times during the night in a cold sweat, only to go back to sleep and see even more unpleasant things. And finally, the morning sun rose. Jamie lay in bed for a while, staring up at the ceiling and thinking that she might as well have just stayed up all night.

Maybe I should eat something today... Damn...I don't even remember the last time I ate. But my memory's been kind of screwey lately.

Jamie slowly pulled off the covers and went down to the kitchen. The pantry was almost empty, but not completely empty like that fridge was. There was an old but large unopened box of crackers, which Jamie randomly picked from the shelf. She didn't realize how starving she was until she took the first bite and began to devour the crackers ravenously, unable to stop or slow down. It occurred to her a little just what she was doing to her body by depriving it of food for so long, but she didn't delve any further into that thought, just kept eating.

It wasn't long before Jamie had emptied the entire box. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that it was gone, but she just sighed and threw away the box. Jamie now felt her true hunger to the full extent, and her body longed to eat more, but the young farmer forced herself from the room and curled up on the couch, feeling tired.

But soon after she felt stomach pains, and this time they weren't from hunger. Jamie vaguely recalled hearing somewhere a long time ago that after a long period of starvation and no nourishment, eating too much too fast could shock a person's system. Jamie wondered if that was why she was in pain all of a sudden.

I'm such a mess... This is crazy, what I'm doing to myself... But I can't stop... I can't stop hating myself, feeling like I need to punish myself...

Jamie realized that she hadn't cut herself for a whole day. But thinking that just brought on the strong urge to do it again, making her feel incredibly overwhelmed and stressed. Jamie decided to just not leave the couch. She would try to ignore her stomach and her urges, but they were hard to discard from her mind. To Jamie's surprise, tears burned in her eyes...she hadn't cried in years, and all of a sudden, the ability to cry returned. She let it take over, and in seconds, she was sobbing harder than she had ever done before.

"W-what...is wrong with me..." she cried.

Over her own noise, Jamie heard someone knock on the door.

"GO AWAY!" she yelled, unable to just keep quiet at the moment.

Fuck!

The door was unlocked, and Jamie cursed herself for forgetting to do that. To no surprise, Alex stepped in, looking extremely concerned. Jamie didn't want to look at him, so she buried her face in her hands and curled up into a ball.

"Go away...please... Haven't you humiliated me enough?"

She felt Alex's hand rest gently on her shoulder. That was the first time in a long time that Jamie had felt a comforting hand, but it didn't feel good. She wanted to be alone.

"Jamie, you can't handle much more. I see you getting more physically and emotionally overwhelmed by the day. I'm going to help you, but you have to let me. I can help make you well again, but you need to meet me half-way," said Alex.

For the first time, Jamie considered his offer, albeit reluctantly.

"What would that take...what would I have to do..." she questioned in a choked, teary voice.

"Come stay in the Sanatorium. We can get you a lot of help there."

Little did Jamie know that that would be the biggest mistake of her life. Things can always get worse...always.