Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon. If I did, I wouldn't write fanfiction about it.

10: Bliss

Natalie had been right about the Inn.

Not just Gannon but a whole mess of workers were running around constructing the building. Gannon appeared to be in charge of them all, however.

"No, Avery, don't put that there" he said once in a while, or "Move that over, Rick".

Taro was also there, standing beside Gannon, looking unbelievably short. He didn't say anything, though, just watched.

"Taro!" I called over to him.

He looked over at me. "Morning, little missy," he greeted.

Gannon didn't even look up; he stomped over to one of the workers with an angry expression. I felt sorry for the worker.

"Morning," I called back, "Any idea what the weather might be like tomorrow?"

He paused a second, and then answered, "The breeze is telling me it'll snow."

"Thanks!" I said. That was unfortunate; if for some reason I didn't get to the material stone today, I didn't want to chop in falling snow.

I caught sight of Denny when I was about halfway to the Animal Shop; he was just coming out of Chen's shop, holding some kind of box. He smiled broadly at me and hurried over to where I was.

"Hey, Denny," I greeted him.

"Hey, Chelsea," he replied.

"What did you get?" I wondered.

He held up the box proudly. "Fishing gear. I make my living from fishing, you know, so I have to have all the right stuff." He glanced back at Chen's, his expression suddenly irritated. Before he could voice whatever he was thinking, Poppy squawked at me again. I made a face at the black bird. Denny smiled, amused. "He doesn't care for you much. Anyway, even though I got this awesome new stuff, it was pretty hard to concentrate in there – Eliza and Charlie were making such a racket."

I laughed. "They really like each other, don't they?"

Denny shrugged. "Eliza likes him. But she also likes to boss him around. Charlie doesn't seem to mind."

"I'll bet he doesn't. Eliza's very pretty," I said.

Denny shrugged and changed the subject. "You checked your calendar lately? Winter Harmony Day's coming up – you know, the day girls give boys chocolate to show their appreciation?"

I laughed again. "You trying to imply something, Denny?"

"No, not at all. I'm just saying I'm a pretty awesome friend, if I so say so myself, and right now I happen to be chocolate-less."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure the girls will be all over you, Denny."

"Every girl except one," he said suggestively, "I have a feeling she'll be all over someone else."

I blushed. "He won't even be here. Winter Harmony Day is on Friday." I sighed unhappily.

Denny shrugged again. "There's always next Wednesday."

"Yes," I said.

He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "What is it?" I asked.

His eyes flickered to the left, and then the right, as if he was afraid someone was listening. "Well, it's just that…err…" He sighed.

"What?" I asked again.

"Well, you know the new girl that just came to the island? Lanna? Well, I really like her, but I don't know if she likes me. I guess I'll find out on Winter Harmony Day."

I wrinkled my nose. "Really, Denny? Lanna? You could do so much better."

"Lanna!" Poppy repeated.

Denny rolled his eyes. "I could say the same thing about you."

I was annoyed now. "No, I couldn't. He's the best," I said defensively.

Denny held up his hands. "Okay, okay. Jeez. Touchy. Anyway, I just hope . . ."

"I don't like her very much," I said, "But when I see her again, I'll ask her what she thinks of you."

He blinked. "How can you not like her? She's, like, awesome."

It wasn't that I didn't like her. I had just gotten a horrible first impression of her, what with her calling Julia's cousin sexy. But then again, she had given me a pretty nice coat . . . "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll be nicer."

"Cool," Denny said. "See you, Chelsea, I've got to get back."

I nodded, but as I turned, I heard Poppy squawk, "Chelsea!" I sighed and wondered if Denny would mind if I killed his bird in its sleep. Probably. I had banished all bird killing thoughts from my mind by the time I reached the Animal Shop.

When I opened the door and walked in, I immediately wished I hadn't. Julia and Elliot were all snuggled up together on the couch, and she was kissing his neck.

Mirabelle was nowhere in sight.

When Elliot saw me, he blushed a very dark red and pushed Julia back. Julia giggled when she saw me. "Sorry, Chelsea. My mom will be back soon – she's delayed opening the Shop until noon. She hasn't had the chance to hang out with Felicia in a while."

"Okay, okay," I said, taking a step back, very grossed out. Elliot fidgeted with his odd green apron.

"Where's Vaughn?" I asked. Normally I wouldn't have been so blunt, but I was eager to get out of there.

"Back in his room. I don't know what he's doing." I hesitated, unsure if I should bother.

Julia noticed. "Oh, go on. He needs the company."

I still hesitated, but I wanted to see him, and I was also procrastinating with my material stone cutting. I wished I had asked El to start the chore for me before I left. I almost laughed out loud, trying to imagine his tiny body smashing my heavy hammer down on stones.

I walked into the hallway, and heard Julia giggle behind me, which made me walk faster. The only other time I had been back here was when I had been looking for Vaughn right before Felicia's stew.

There were two doors I knew weren't his – Mirabelle's bedroom and Julia's bedroom. There were quite a few other doors, though – one led to a bathroom, one led to Vaughn, and the last probably led to where the animals were kept.

Vaguely, I could make out a few animal noises behind one door, so I ruled that one out. The other door was thankfully open, so I could easily see it was a bathroom. The very last room has to be Vaughn's.

I stood outside the door and my heart suddenly ran a lot faster than it had been before. I heard Julia squeal in delight out in the main room, so I hurriedly knocked on the door.

After a few minutes, I heard his voice call, "Who is it?"

He sounded irritated. I was about to say 'it's me' but that was probably too weird. "Chelsea," I answered. I waited another moment, and then the door opened.

He wasn't wearing the heavy boots, the fingerless gloves, the tan vest, or the white bandana around his neck. Just a black button down shirt, black jeans and his hat. I wondered if he ever took it off. He didn't start talking; it looked like he was waiting for me to start speaking.

Thankfully, he didn't look annoyed like his voice had suggested – his expression was almost curious. It also looked like he was trying not to smile. I made no such attempt. My grin was huge. "Good morning, Vaughn," I said, unable to hide my cheer.

"Morning." His words were curt, but there was amusement in his amethyst eyes.

I realized it would probably have been stupid of me to him to come here without a reason, so I quickly came up with one. "I just came by to say thanks for yesterday, what with all the info." I wanted to say more, but unfortunately I had no spine.

He nodded.

I wanted to say something like 'I'll miss you when you leave today' or 'it sucks because you're only here for two days', but I couldn't. I had no idea how he felt. It wouldn't be so hard to figure out, though, if he wasn't like a brick wall most of the time.

I summoned my courage. "I know you're leaving today, and I know you have to work, but maybe we could hang out next Wednesday?" I suggested.

He looked surprised for a second, but then he shrugged. "And do what?" He wasn't trying to be mean, I could tell, just curious again.

"I don't know. I can't cook, not at all, but I could attempt to make dinner for you at my place."

"I'd like that," he said. I was taken aback by his willingness. I hadn't really expected him to say yes. "Great. You hate carrots, though, right?" I asked.

He shuddered. "Yeah."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"They're disgusting," he answered simply.

I laughed. "You like milk?" I asked for reason in particular.

He smiled. It looked so nice. "Yeah."

I nodded. "Great. My place, six o' clock?"

He nodded. "Sounds good." I heard the door of the shop open, and Mirabelle calling his name.

"C'mon," he said to me, and he took my hand and pulled me with him out to the main room. Very surprisingly, he didn't release it even when we stood in front of his Aunt. I found breathing properly to be difficult, and the odd electricity was back.

I sighed happily.

Elliot was nowhere in sight; I guessed he had gone home, but I could see Julia moving around in the kitchen, humming merrily to herself.

Mirabelle eyed our hands, but she didn't comment on it. "Did you get around to feeding the animals yet?" she asked him, "The horse needs to be brushed, too."

He shook his head. "Not yet," he said, "I just got done with some paperwork. But I'll go do that now."

"Chelsea could help you, Vaughn, if she's not busy," Julia said, appearing in the main room with a huge smile. She looked at our hands too, and she looked so happy she almost glowed.

"I can do it myself," Vaughn muttered to her.

I was instantly disappointed, and a little hurt. But then he glanced at me, as if remembering something, and when he spoke again, his tone was remorseful. "But you can help me, if you want to."

"I do," I said honestly.

"Great."Julia clapped her hands together and went over to get her coat. "I'm going over to Elliot's, Mom," she said, "They're still working, and I want to help."

I shuddered, remembering what I had walked in on a minute ago.

"Be back for dinner, dear," Mirabelle said.

Vaughn informed her he wouldn't be around for dinner next Wednesday, and then he started walking to the hallway, still not letting go of my hand. Mirabelle gave me a questioning look before we were out of sight, but she also looked happy, so I think I could safely assume she approved.

I was right about which door the animals were kept behind. There were six chickens and one horse being kept there. It might have been just my imagination making me see what I wanted to, but it seemed like Vaughn was a little reluctant to let go of my hand.

He had to go over to the feeder though, and get pieces of bird food. I helped him distribute it to all six feeders, and we worked in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable – he probably preferred it that way, and I really didn't mind.

When it was time to brush the horse, though, he asked me if I had ever brushed a horse before. "No," I admitted. "I rode one once, but that was back when I was, like, eight."

He snorted, but he showed me the different kinds of brushes, some of them hard-bristled and big, others very soft and small. The horse was a big beautiful brown mare, and she was calm and mellow while Vaughn brushed down the right side of her body. The dust and dirt fell off as I watched.

He looked almost peaceful as he worked, and I supposed this was his happy place.

"You really like your job, don't you?" I asked.

He gave me a small smile. "Yes, I do. Animals . . . they don't judge like people do."

"Judge?" I asked, surprised by his answer.

"Yes." He shrugged.

"I don't judge people," I said.

"Yes, you do. Everyone does," he said matter-of-factly.

"So why does it bother you?" I asked.

He sighed, and I wondered if I was probing too much. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm just more comfortable with the animals, I guess. People are always getting ideas in their head about me, and most of them are very untrue." I

could see what he meant. But could he really blame them? "You're not the easiest person to talk to, you know," I said.

"You don't seem to have trouble with it," he replied.

I laughed. "Trust me, I do."

He was suddenly repentant again. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I know you don't," I sighed, "it's just your personality. Some people dislike you because you're standoffish. I'm the exception, not the rule."

He handed me the brush and instructed I do the left side of the horse. I started to do as he asked, but I was nervous, never having done this before. I gently started to brush down the horse. She eyed me nervously, raising and bringing down her left front hoof like she was stomping.

"Why aren't there any clouds of dust coming out?" I asked, frustrated. If I ever wanted to raise livestock myself, I would have to know how to do all this, and so far I wasn't doing so well.

"You're not brushing hard enough," he told me.

"Why is she so nervous? She was fine when you were doing this," I said, an unintentional note of petulance in my voice.

"It's because you're nervous. She can sense that, and if you're nervous, she's nervous. Try to relax." He walked over to stand next to me. I sighed and started brushing again, using more pressure this time. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him staring, and this was not helping me calm myself. In fact, I was only getting more nervous.

The horse stepped forward and then back, whinnying unhappily. Vaughn smirked, and took the brush from me. The horse calmed down. It crossed my mind that maybe I should give him something for Winter Harmony Day before he left for the week, if I could get around to Chen's Shop in time.

"There," Vaughn said. The horse went back into her stall, and we headed back into hall, and then down to the living area where Mirabelle stood behind the counter. She smiled at both of us. "Get everything done?" she asked.

"Yup," I told her.

"Great. Need anything while you're here?"

I decided to purchase a few bags of chicken feed while I was there. Gannon had built two feeders, so I ordered another chicken as well impulsively.

"You want another one already?" Mirabelle asked in surprise.

I nodded. "Yes, I think I do."

"Well, if you want another chick, I can have Vaughn bring it next week. If you want an adult, you can go back and pick one out," Mirabelle informed me.

I thought it was best to get a chick, so it would already know me when it grew up and I wouldn't get crap-quality eggs. "I'll wait for the chick," I said.

Mirabelle nodded. I tuned to Vaughn. "Can you bring it over to my place next Wednesday?"

He nodded. "You gonna build a fence to keep them in for when they grow up? They'll be happier that way."

"Yes. I'm starting it as soon as possible. I'm using material stone because Gannon told me it would last longer." Speaking of Gannon, I needed to get over to his house and request that he build a bridge to the Meadow. I finally had enough money, and with a hotel and a place to hold festivals, this island would be more prosperous. And Nat said we were getting a Diner and Café soon . . . "I need to get over to Gannon's. I'm paying him to build the bridge to the Meadow."

Mirabelle clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Felicia can hold crop contests there at the end of every season – excluding winter, of course. There are also Fireworks Festivals, and Snow Days, and Animal Shows . . ." she trailed off, and she broke into a wide grin. "Speaking of Festivals, did you know the Starry Night Festival is coming soon? Next week, I believe. We don't need a Meadow for that one; everything just gazes at the sky and we eat a big meal. Chelsea, why don't you come back next week and celebrate with us?"

My question came out before I really thought about it. "What day is it on?" I blushed, realizing I had spoken aloud.

Mirabelle gave me a knowing smile. "Sunday," she said. I glanced sideways and saw Vaughn fidgeting nervously.

"Why does it matter, Chelsea?"

I had been staring, so I hadn't noticed the door opening. Julia stood there, her cheeks a rosy pink color and her blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

I gave her a dirty look, but decided to tell the truth. "I thought it would be nice if Vaughn was there; then we could all celebrate together," I answered promptly.

"You don't have to do that," Vaughn muttered, but his tone was not as annoyed as I had thought it would be. His voice was almost soft, as if the whole thing really did matter. I turned to him and ignored my hammering heart.

Julia walked into the kitchen, smirking. I heard Mirabelle call and ask why she was back so early, but I didn't hear Julia's reply; I wasn't listening. "I'd really like it if you were there," I said. My voice was supposed to be clear and confident, but it came out as an unsure whisper.

He nodded, and smiled slightly. "We could always celebrate a few days late," Mirabelle interrupted in a sweet voice, "There's nothing different about the Starry Night Festival than any other night."

I waited for Vaughn to object again, but he didn't. "That'll be fine," Julia said, walking back into the room with a jar of something green in her hands. "Can I take this, Mom? Felicia wants you to come over for dinner tonight, by the way."

Mirabelle smiled. "I have to run the shop, dear, but tell her thank you."

I ignored their pleasantries. "I have to go to Gannon's now," I said, "Bye."

"Mirabelle," Vaughn said suddenly.

She looked up with interest. "Yes, dear?"

"Is there anything else you want done?"

She blinked and seemed to think for a minute. "No, I don't think so. I'll need you again tonight, but nothing at the moment."

He nodded and walked over to the door. He held it open and stood there. I blinked; it took several minutes before I realized he was holding it for me. I walked outside and waved goodbye to Mirabelle and her daughter.

Vaughn closed the door behind us, and we began walking south to Gannon's house. He didn't say anything on the way, but I was content with the silence; my heart was in my throat, so I wouldn't have been able to talk well anyway.

When we got there, I saw Eliza and Charlie standing by the counter. "Eliza," I heard Charlie say timidly, "Are you my girlfriend?"

Gannon was nowhere to be seen. Neither of them seemed to have noticed our arrival. Eliza laughed as if the very idea was ludicrous. "Of course not, Charlie!" she cried.

"But why?" Charlie asked, clearly bewildered.

"You need to grow up – I'm attracted to more mature boys," she informed him.

"Humph," Charlie grumbled.

Eliza suddenly grew a little sympathetic. "Tell you what, Charlie," she said sweetly to him, "I have a wish. If you can make my wish come true, I'll be your girlfriend."

Charlie beamed at her, and spoke in an eager and hopeful voice. "Anything, anything."

"My wish," Eliza paused to increase suspense, "Is to become a princess! Will you do that for me?"

Charlie blinked. "Naw, I can't do that. I'm not magic, Eliza!" he complained.

Eliza was suddenly annoyed. "You shouldn't promise anything, Charlie, when you're not being truthful." She turned and crossed her arms over her chest, scowling.

Charlie was about to protest when Gannon came lumbering out from the backside of his house to stand behind the counter. "What's wrong, Eliza?" he asked, concerned.

"I told Charlie I would be his girlfriend if he would make me a princess, and he promised he would, but just now he says he can't! Isn't that awful, Daddy?" Eliza grumbled.

Gannon blinked at Chen's son. "You want to date my daughter?" he asked, beginning to smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I do, Gannon!" Charlie said eagerly.

"The day you beat me in a fight is the day that'll happen," Gannon told him, smug.

Charlie frowned. "But I can't do that – you're five thousand times my size!"

Gannon's smirk became more pronounced. "Exactly."

Charlie scowled and stormed out of the house. Eliza shrugged and went back to her room. Vaughn snorted quietly at the exchange. Gannon looked up at the two of us for the first time, trying to conceal his surprise at seeing us together.

"Hey there, Chelsea. Hey, Vaughn," Gannon said gruffly.

I smiled at him and walked up to the counter; Vaughn lingered behind me. "I'd like you to build the bridge to the Meadow, please," I said, handing him the money.

Gannon smiled widely; it wasn't pretty. "Cool," he said, taking it. "It'll be done by tomorrow."

"That's awfully quick," I said in surprise.

Gannon shrugged his massive shoulders. "Yeah, well, I want it done quick."

I shrugged. "Okay. See you later, and tell Eliza I said hello." I wanted to be polite, but the spoiled little girl really annoyed me.

I waved goodbye and Vaughn followed me out. I could see the workers still building the Inn in the distance.

"Heard they're supposed to start on the Diner and Café soon," Vaughn mused, his voice quiet, almost distant, as if he was deep in thought.

"Yeah, that'll be nice. We'll have tourists," I said brightly.

I needed to go home and begin making material stone, but I didn't want him to go. So I just started walking, hoping he would follow. He did.

The silence this time was less comfortable, because it looked like he was thinking about something deeply. When I approached my farmhouse, I saw with much surprise that there was already twenty pieces of material stone stacked in neat piles next to the house. Instantly, El appeared.

"Hey, Chelsea," he said brightly.

His face fell when he saw who I stood next to. "Oh," he grumbled, "I'll leave you alone."

"Wait," I said, raising a hand. Vaughn raised one silver brow. "Who are you talking to?" he asked, his expression questioning.

"Nobody," I said quickly.

I wanted to thank El for his hard work, but I also didn't want Vaughn thinking I was mentally handicapped. El raised one hand and waved it in the air dismissively, and when I blinked he was gone again.

"Thought you hadn't done this yet," Vaughn commented, gesturing to the stone.

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, well, I don't have enough yet."

"Hmm," he murmured.

A few seconds passed before he asked in a humorous tone, "So how's Nugget doing?" He was clearly taunting my chicken's name, and he pulled the black hat down to hide his smile.

Without thinking, I reached up and snatched it right off his head. "She's fabulous, thanks for asking," I replied haughtily.

He reached for his hat, but he didn't look annoyed; if anything he was amused. I had never seen him without the hat before; his silver hair was almost shiny in the sun. He was gorgeous. I looked away before he caught me ogling.

I had to jump out of the way so he didn't get the hat.

"Give it," he said, stepping forward again.

I agilely dodged him. "I hate this hat," I complained, "It hides your face."

"I like it," he said, moving quicker now.

He lunged forward and very nearly had me, but I skipped backwards at the last moment. The movement made me nearly lose my balance, so for one second I was distracted and vulnerable. He tried to grab the hat out of my hands again, but the heavy boots he wore clearly weren't made for swift movements.

He stumbled over them and fell forwards, so we both fell backwards onto the snow, just in front of the iced-over field. He landed on top of me, using his hands to catch himself. The hat was crushed in between us.

I expected that he would be irritated now, but surprisingly he chuckled and smiled down at me. It took a second for my mind to catch up to the position we were in, and when I realized it, I blushed and my heart went faster than it ever had. I assumed he would jump up immediately and grab his hat, but he didn't.

He was acting very out-of-character today. The seconds passed, and I could think of absolutely nothing, except that he was touching me. After another short moment, his smile fell away and he was suddenly looking down at me with resolve in his eyes, like an important decision had just been made.

His intentions became clear just a moment before his actions, so my mind had no way to catch up before it happened.

The kiss was a thousand times better than my fantasies. There was absolutely no way to describe it, other than total bliss. His lips were not gentle and loving as I had imagined, though; instead they were rather rough, but I found this to be just as good, if not better.

Both my hands were sort of stuck in between our bodies, but I managed to wedge one free and run it through his hair. A low moan escaped his lips, and my whole body shuddered in delight. After several minutes, though, he pulled back, and started to get to his feet.

He helped me up, too, and his arms wrapped around my waist. "I've wanted to do that," he informed me, "for a while."

I shivered in delight once more. I reached up and put the hat on his head, sad to see it there. My mind was in a thousand places at once, so there was no way I could think of anything coherent to say.

He seemed to sense that. "I should get back," he murmured, "There are a few things to do."

I nodded and reached up to stroke his face, wondering if he minded. He didn't move away from my hand or wince or anything, so I assumed it was okay. "When do you leave tonight?" I managed to say.

"Around ten thirty," he answered.

"I'll come and say goodbye then," I offered.

"You don't have to," he said automatically. But then his expression softened and he added, "I'd like to see you, though."

I nodded. "Okay."

He smiled and let go of me. I watched him walk away until he wasn't visible anymore. It began to snow, and the wind blew by icily.

But I hardly noticed. I walked back to my farmhouse in a daze, only beginning to comprehend what had just happened. I went into the house, sat down in a chair, and smiled.