The last chapter I've updated – not including little pieces out of future chapters – so if the standard drops a little for a few chapters... that's why. But I really don't think it WILL drop significantly; there was only so much in these twenty that I could change without rewriting the entire story. So if you're this far, please keep going!

xxx

"Jack and Jill, get in the car this instant! Jillian! How many times do you want to hug the dishwasher goodbye? Come on!"

"Jill, Mamma's going to get angry if we don't go right now. Please hurry!" Jack pleaded, trying to drag his sister away from the kitchen.

"But I haven't said goodbye to the apple tree or the towel cupboard yet..." she whimpered, sliding away along the floor. Jack grabbed the back of her pinafore and pulled her towards him.

"But you've said goodbye to everything else," he groaned, dragging up recent, tedious memories of tearful partings with various appliances and furniture on his sister's part.

"JACK AND JILL!" their mother's voice screamed in a way that made Jill abandon any attempts to farewell her beloved towel cabinet and race out to the car as fast as her little legs would carry her. She stopped at the top of the stairs abruptly when she noticed visitors, then barreled down and threw herself on a sobbing girl about her age.

"I c-can't... I don't want you to l-leave!"little Kate sniffed, wiping her nose with her sleeve. That was all it took to send Jill into a fresh round of tears, until the sob-fest was interrupted by an impatient throat clearing. The blonde looked up. Jack was in the car, her mom was talking to Kate's mom Sharon, and her dad was still moving suitcases. Who was it?

"Oh... h – hi." Jill said, smiling up at the culprit. Kate looked around, and she grinned when she remembered what she was meant to do.

"Oh yeah! Jill, my brother... no wait, uh..." she turned to the boy blankly, obviously forgetting her line. He beckoned her away impatiently, said a few short words to her, then led her back. "I remember now. Um, my brother..." she glanced over her shoulder to where he was clearly eavesdropping a few metres away. "Agh! I mean me... I... would like to know if you have a crush on my brother." She smiled proudly, as if she'd just said something wonderful and profound.

"What!" Jill half-screamed in embarrassment. "Who told you tha – uh... no... why?" the girl turned back to her brother.

"Hey, you! She wants to know why you want to know!" his cheeks reddening, he beckoned for his sister and whispered something in her ear. Rolling her eyes, she scurried back to Jill. "He says not to tell you that he's the one that wants to know, and... oops... anyway, it doesn't matter if you do because you're leaving now so can you pleeeeease tell me?"

Jill's eyes flew from side to side nervously. "Well, maybe just a little bit, yes. But like you said, it doesn't matter because we're leaving!"

"She said yes!" Kate called in a voice loud enough to capture the attention of everyone. Her brother ran off and the young girl winced, realizing her mistake. "Sorry..." Jill crept over to where her mother was clutching Veronica and talking to Sharon.

"So, I said to him, why would you need six of them? Then he started ranting about how it's a bigger house with more opportunities for the children's futures, and of course we need six televisions. Well, guess what I said to that? I – Veronica darling, please don't..." the red-haired toddler was maliciously tugging on Jill's blonde hair, making her cry out. "Jill, stop making such a fuss. Sorry, Sharon. Your children are so well behaved, it's embarrassing that mine are always wreaking havoc whenever we have company." She gazed almost longingly at the boy who was staring thoughtfully across the street, and Kate, who seemed to find a collection of pebbles from the driveway mesmerizingly entertaining.

"Oh Linda, they are good," the brown-haired woman said, black shadows prominent under her eyes. "I just wish I could do more for them. My illness is..." no longer interested, Jill hopped into the car next to Jack, who instinctively reached over to buckle her seatbelt. She smacked his hand away.

"I can do it myself!" she said defiantly, struggling to work the clasp. He rolled his eyes and resumed his stance, looking earnestly out the window. "What are you doing?" Jill asked curiously, having given up on her seatbelt.

"Remembering." Jack said, his face peaceful.

"Why are you dismembering?" Jill asked innocently, confused.

"RE-membering. I'm trying to take photos with my brain of our house so I don't forget it. And... our friends." His eyes lingered on the little girl who was playing with the pebbles for just a moment too long, but Jill didn't notice. She stared out of the other window in boredom, then jumped as her daddy slammed down the boot of the car.

"That's the last one, Honey. Let's get moving." Linda kissed her friend on the cheek with tears in her eyes, then slid into the passenger seat. "Jack...? Jill...? Did you want to go say goodbye to the kids?" Jack shook his head, biting down on his lip, but Jill immediately ran out of the car and chased her friends down the street.

"Hey, guys! I'm leaving now so I have to say 'bye." Kate hugged Jill while following a butterfly with her eyes, distracted as five-year-olds can tend to be in what should be emotional situations. Her brother's eyes on the other hand, were far from distracted and were suspiciously bright as he fixed them on Jill.

"Um... goodbye, I guess..." he nervously bent his knees and pressed his lips against Jill's cheek, making her flush a bright pink, and her bottom lip tremble.

"I, um... I will miss you." she informed him in her grown-up voice, "Very bigly. I mean, muchly."

"Yep. Me too."

"Um... okay. Bye." She turned to walk quickly back to the car, but was stopped by an urgent voice.

"Jill, wait!" the boy called, fumbling in his pocket. "I... I have something for you. Just let me..." he frowned, then beamed triumphantly as he held up a plastic purple ring. "Here." Jill smiled widely at her prize, and examined it with glee as he slipped it onto her too-small finger. "This is so you remember me. And when we see each other again... we'll get married, okay?"

The blonde stared at the anxious boy and her face broke into a wide smile. "Okay! I promise!" The car horn honked impatiently, and she threw her arms around her "fiancé" in an awkward hug, before she raced off and got back in her seat. The silver four-wheel-drive reversed out the driveway and Jack's mother broke down as she waved goodbye to the brown-haired woman and her children.

"I can't help but think that's the last time I'll ever see Sharon," she informed her husband about half an hour later. "She just isn't strong enough to cope with parenthood, and her husband... well, you know. He's no help."

"Mmm." The man grunted, flipping the indicator and making a sharp right turn.

"She really shouldn't even be looking after those children, you know. If child services found out about her depression, and her husband's negligence, they'd take them straight away. And I can't help feel bad for their children – the girl is probably too young to remember, but the boy will probably carry mental scarring his whole life."

"Hon, should you be talking about this in front of the kids?"

"Oh, don't be silly. Jack's asleep, and Jill and Veronica wouldn't understand. Anyway, Sharon was telling me that Daniel came home from work the other day, blind drunk – he'd been driving, too – and he just went off his head. She had to run out of the house with the children until he'd calmed down, but the poor little boy got a few heavy slaps before she could escape."

"Huh. Terrible."

"Oh, I know. And I feel so awful to leave her in this state."

"It's not your problem, though. She should divorce him, then go look for professional help. It'd be better for the kids if they were placed in foster care anyway."

"Mommy? Can we stop for ice-cream?" Jill asked brightly, the nature of the conversation flying straight over her head. Her mother sighed and swiveled around to face her.

"Jillian, we've only been in the car for a little while, and it's going to be ages before we get to our new house. Once we get on the aeroplane, I'm sure they'll have ice-cream."

"Guess what? I'm getting married. With a pretty white dress and high shoes. And a cake. When can we come back to see our friends again?"

Her mother smiled sadly. "It might not be for a long, long time."

xxx

It was a snowy morning on the 23rd day of Winter as Jill hurried up the road towards the clinic, whistling to herself. She held various medicinal herbs in a basket – Jack had ordered her to get them out of the house – though with rather more heavy swearing – after he found a red one in the fridge and used it as a garnish on a grilled cheese sandwich. So, rather than throwing them away (or shipping them, perhaps the most logical course of action,) she was going to hand them over to Elli and Tim – a thanks for their kindness when Jack had stumbled into the clinic yelling bloody murder and sporting a wide variety of red blotches, minutes after the sandwich incident.

"Hello?" she called, pushing her way in and approaching Elli. "Hey! I brought Tim some, uh... medicinal plant things. Do you want to take them?"

"Oh no," the nurse smiled, "Go right ahead and bring them in to him. He'll want to thank you himself. But then... come back out and talk to me. I'm lonely and tired."

Jill shot her a replying smile and walked in to the doctor's office, where he thanked her enthusiastically – seeming more interested in the herbs than in talking to her. She rolled her eyes a little at his social obliviousness – undeniably adorable as it was – and headed back to Elli, who was thumbing through a pile of paperwork and looking bored out of her mind. "Looks like exciting work," she offered, nodding to the pile. The brunette glared at her.

"Yeah, it's pretty absorbing stuff," she nodded sarcastically. "Medical receipts, mostly. I'm not even sure why I need to sort them, but... part of the job, I guess."

Jill grinned. "Are you guys doing anything tomorrow for Starry Night?"

Elli beamed at her, blushing slightly. "Oh, yes. This year... I mean, we're officially a – you know, couple – and Tim shouldn't have to put up with me trying to make Stu eat vegetables and stop eating cookies the whole night. Again. Grandma's decided that she'll brave the Cookie Monster for the evening and let Tim and I have a... well, romantic dinner. At the beach.

"Aw," the blonde cooed teasingly. "How cute!"

"Yes," Elli nodded, color rising into her cheeks. "And... come closer." Jill leaned in, a puzzled expression on her face as Elli started talking in a significantly lowered voice. "Promise me you won't tell anyone – it'd be beyond embarrassing if nothing came of it – but I'm hoping... praying, really... that he's going to propose." Jill squealed loudly, clapping both hands over her mouth, and was rewarded with an 'if-looks-could-kill-you'd-be-cold-on-the-floor' glare for her trouble.

"Oh Goddess – how romantic isthat?If he does propose on the beach, Elli..." she whispered in excitement, a wide grin on her face. "I can just picture it... but wait a second." She frowned. "You guys have only been a couple for... well, not too long. A little over a year... isn't that a bit... soon?"

"Uh... no," the nurse laughed, raising an eyebrow at Jill. "I mean... my grandmother got engaged on her first date with Grandpa. A year is... almost too long, if anything."

"Well, it's your choice..." Jill said, raising an eyebrow. "I just... don't think rushed marriages should happen. A year isn't too bad, you're right." She paused. "Maybe it's the right thing for you. It's just, I – I don't know if I'll ever get married. I don't know if I'll ever fall in love enough to do that."

You would have married Tom.

Elli looked at Jill, rather hurt. "I do love Doctor Tim, Jill. Very much."

"Elli," she interrupted, shaking her head. "I know you do, and it's incredibly sweet to see. I just... doubt I'll ever be able to find someone that important to me." Again. "I won't get married until I've had that... feeling, where you'd just... die for someone. You don't want to spend a second without them." Elli smiled sympathetically.

"That's a hard thing to come into instantly," she reminded her gently. "If you want to have a relationship, you need to start a relationship."

"Yeah," Jill agreed, not in the mood to spill all. She'd been hurt... and it was something that she wasn't just going to suddenly snap out of. Not for Rick, not for Gray, and not for herself – not for anyone.

"Well... thanks for talking to me, El," the blonde smiled, leaning over the desk to hug her friend. "I'll come visit you soon – and you need to tell me as soon as anything to do with that –" she inclined her head in Tim's direction, "Happens. Okay?"

xxx

Jack grinned as he passed his sister in the street and fumbled with the zipper on his jacket, noticing that she was shivering. She held up a hand and shook her head.

"Don't. I'm heading back home now anyway. Where are you off to?" Jack looked away innocently and Jill's eyes widened instantly. "Jack! You're going to invite someone over for Starry Night, aren't you?"

"Shh!" he urged, motioning for her to keep her voice down.

"Who is it? I didn't know you liked anyone! Why don't you tell me these things?"

"I don't like anyone," he said in exasperation. "I just... I want to join in with the celebrations. You're inviting someone, right?"

"No."

He opened his mouth to reply, then promptly closed it. "Well... I am. I'll ask Karen, and if she says no, I guess I'll have to put up with you for the night. The rest have boyfriends, don't they?"

"Popuri doesn't, and Mary doesn't –"

"The rest have boyfriends, have major over-excitement issues, or will bite my head off if I even think about asking, won't they?" he repeated firmly, not even letting himself consider it. Mary hadn't said a word to him since his apology in the supermarket, and if she wanted to be like that, he wasn't going to make the effort either. "I'll talk to Karen. See you at home." His sister ran off with a 'knowing' smile and Jack turned back in the direction of the supermarket, struggling against the harsh wind.

"Hey Karen. Sasha, Jeff." He was greeted warmly by the family, then with the pretense of examining loaves of bread, made his way over to where Karen was stacking flour.

"What brings you here today?" Karen asked with a smile, straining to place a packet on the top of the pile. Jack took it off her and easily put it in place.

"Uh, just needed some bread, and – just stuff. We've got no food in our house."

"Right," she laughed, blushing slightly as she averted her eyes to the ground. "Kind of a stupid question, huh? I mean... this is a supermarket."

"It didn't sound stupid to me," he winked. "So... you made plans for tomorrow yet? Spending time with your family, or are you... free?" she swiveled to face him, a beam on her face.

"It's really funny you asked! See, just this morning Rick came in and asked me if I wanted to spend it with his family. Of course I said I would – I mean, Lillia's been like a mother and Popuri's been like a sister to me. And... I really think that my relationship with Rick is repairing, too – wait. Ah... why?" she tacked on at the end, her face coloring in mortification. "Because... you know, that's not set in stone... I'm not even really sure what we're meant to be doing, you know – if, uh..."

"No, I was just curious," Jack coughed. "I haven't, uh... asked anyone yet. I'm probably just spending it with Jill."

"Right," she said too quickly, nodding. "Yeah, that's what I thought – just – you know, if... I'll take those groceries for you." She took the basket from his hands and rummaged through, adding up all the prices by scribbling them onto a piece of paper.

"Can you keep them here for a little bit?" he asked, nodding to the bag. "I was just going to stay in town for awhile, and I don't want to have to drag a shopping bag around until I'm going home."

"Yeah, that's fine," she said, still looking slightly disappointed. "Have fun!"

Jack left quickly, a little embarrassed but mostly amused. It was looking like family night for the Evans' – Karen had been his first choice, but he obviously wasn't going to mess up anything between her and Rick. An evening with both Popuri and Jill? That was a definite 'no' as well. Elli had a boyfriend, Ann was probably doing something with Cliff, and Mary... well. Self-explanatory.

Once he'd reached the inn, Ann brought him a drink and took it upon herself to talk to him.

"Cliff's being a brat," were the first words out of her mouth once she'd sat down. "I keep dropping hints about spending tomorrow evening together, but he's either really stupid or doesn't want to, because he hasn't asked yet."

"Hey, you're the bartender here," Jack teased, "Aren't you meant to be listening to my problems?"

Ann shrugged. "Sure. I'll listen to your problems, but I bet mine are more interesting. What's up?" Smirking, Jack filled her in on his failed attempt to ask Karen to the festival. Unfortunately, he said it just as she stole a sip of his drink, making her spit it straight back out with laughter.

"Ann, that's gross!"

"You're such an idiot! You'd have to ask one of the two girls who have almost steady boyfriends, wouldn't you? Wait right here, I'll go get a cloth to clean that up. And I'll get you a new drink." A few minutes later she returned, and told Jack more about her predicament with Cliff while she cleaned. "It's just... I really don't want to be a loner for the Starry Night Festival, and it'd be nice if any guy asked me, even as a friend. It doesn't matter who it is."

"Us guys aren't very good at picking up hints, you have to understand," Jack said in Cliff's defense. Ann rolled her eyes.

"I'll say. You're living proof."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No-thi-ng..." she grinned, placing her hands behind her back and whistling as she backed away towards the kitchen.

"Ann! Come back here – ugh. I swear, that girl is one of the weirdest..." his mutters became incoherent as he pondered. Then it clicked. He grinned, remembering her childish indications, then ambled into the kitchen, where she was clearly expecting him with a smile on her face. "You know, you could've just asked me yourself if you wanted to so badly," he reprimanded her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted mischievously, turning away to clear some dishes. Jack sighed.

"Ann, dearest, would you like to spend tomorrow night with my sister and I?" Ann's eyes sparkled playfully as she spun back to face him.

"Well, I might have plans, you know. I'll have to check my schedule."

"Oh, don't worry about it. If it's too much trouble, forget I asked." He stepped away, pretending he was leaving, and the redhead began to panic.

"No, no! I was kidding! I will, I will, I will!" Her eyes narrowed as Jack began laughing helplessly, and she chased him outside the inn, thumping him with a dishcloth.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" He yelled back to her, without pausing as he bolted away. Still sniggering, he headed back to the supermarket to pick up the groceries – that he didn't really need anyway – and went home, only to be immediately confronted by Jill.

"Did you ask someone? Did you ask someone? Did you ask someone?" she said impatiently, her blue eyes wide. Jack made his way over to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water calmly.

"Make sure you set the table for three tomorrow, Jill. Ann's coming over to have dinner with us."

"...What? Ann? Jack, she's one of your best friends! Am I the only one who sees the potential awkwardness if you end up kissing her or something at the end of the night? Did you think about that? Jack, you promised... you don't want to ruin a friendship; I –" she sank down onto the couch, nearly hyperventilating. Jack brought her over another glass of water and sat down, facing her.

"I didn't intend to ask Ann, I intended to ask Karen. But... she's going with Rick, and Cliff hadn't asked Ann yet, so I told her she could come have dinner with you and I if she wanted. Nothing romantic about that. Now, why don't you invite someone over as well?"

Jill scowled bitterly, raising both eyebrows. "Oh, like who, Jack? Gray? Who I can't even smile at in the street because of... pure awkwardness? Or Rick, who's with Karen and... really doesn't need me to lead him on? Oh, how about Doctor Tim? That way I could spend the whole evening being frightened to death of what Elli was going to do when she found out. Maybe Cliff! The boy who's so shy, he won't even ask his own kind-of-girlfriend to have dinner with him! No, somehow I don't think any of them are the greatest choices!"

"Quit snapping at me. It's not my fault that you're not as popular as I am." Jack grinned and flipped his hair back like he was in a shampoo commercial. "It must be my dashing good looks."

xxx

A knock sounded at the door and Jack looked up with a raised eyebrow. He'd gotten dinner and desert ready a while ago, and now was occupying himself by having a solo thumb war.

"Jill?" he called teasingly, "That's probably Ann. Can you get it? I'm busy."

Jill stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Excuse me?" While Jack was already immaculately dressed in a black suit, she had an apron on over her silver dress and her hair had a handkerchief tied around it, as well. The fact that she'd been cleaning for well over an hour meant that her makeup was smudged. The glare on her face was all it took to make him abandon his game and spring to the door.

"Hey, uh... Ann. Wow." The redhead was clad in a pale blue dress, and her long hair had been brushed loose from its usual messy ponytail. If it weren't for the fierce glare on her face, she would have looked... well, pretty. Girly. As it were, she pointed one threatening finger at him.

"Not a word, you hear me? I'd be wearing overalls if it weren't for my stupid Dad insisting that I wear something 'pretty, to impress Jack.' Oh, and I'm supposed to be dropping hints about marriage all night, apparently." The color drained from Jack's face and Ann smirked. "Don't worry, that was my reaction as well. Goddess, I'm starved – where's Jill?"

"Here I am!" Jill called brightly, posing with her hands on her hips in what she'd told Jack was 'Her Official Number One Most Fabulous Dress.' "Oh my gosh, Ann! You look fantastic!"

"I'm hungry," Jack put in miserably.

"Then help her carry out dinner. Don't be so lazy – I'm hungry too," Ann instructed, pushing him towards the kitchen.

Jack pouted. "Why don't you have to help?"

"I'm the guest," she said with a nonchalant shrug. "You're not a very good host, Jack. Anyway, I've been serving meals all day. It's my time off!" To illustrate her point, she threw herself down into a chair and lifted her chin, as if daring him to do something about it. With a mock sigh, he stormed out and helped his sister lift in the plates, then sat down with the two girls to eat. "This is great," Ann said approvingly, raising an eyebrow as if she was surprised.

"Thanks to me," Jack said proudly, sticking his tongue out at his sister immaturely. "Jill can't cook to save her life so I did the main meal... and the dessert... and the salad. She just had to take dinner out of the oven... but this is slightly burnt, Jill."

"Don't eat it then." She stood up suddenly, hands on her hips. "I just figured that... since Ann is your date, Jack, you guys probably want some privacy."

"No!" the pair shouted simultaneously.

"Oh, there's no need to be shy!" Jill said with a bright smile, enjoying her brother's discomfort. "I'm just going to take a walk up the street – I'm not very hungry – and you two can enjoy yourselves until I get back." she flounced outside, leaving two bright red young people behind. Ann set her knife and fork aside.

"I just lost my appetite."

"Me too," Jack said wryly, pushing his plate into the middle of the table.

"I'll kill her," Ann said with a scowl. "She did that because you were teasing her. Well, let's try not to give her the benefit of us being uncomfortable." It worked for about an hour, at which point conversation grew scarce, embarrassment grew massively, and both people decided that a certain blonde farmer was going to meet a very unhappy end when she finally showed up again.

xxx