Authors Note : Starry Night time! Heehee!

Starry Night Festival

Vaughn

"Vaughn? What are you doing?"

I spun around, only to see my aunt Mirabelle looking at me with concern. If it was me in her shoes, I would have screamed by now.

"Um... Baking?"

She looked around at the mess that was once her kitchen. Flour was everywhere and black smoke was rising from the oven. I was also covered in chocolate icing.

"Well...Um... Lets see what you made." She began walking over to the oven. I blocked it.

"Y-you really don't want to... Really." She sighed. "It can't be too bad, can it?" Yes. Yes it can.

She took the oven gloves and opened the door, only to be greeted by a swarm of black smoke. She held her breath and retrieved what was in there.

She took it out and placed it on the table. We waited for the smoke to go away. When it did, her jaw dropped at the sight of the black, burnt lump that was sitting on her table.

"Vaughn, darling... What is this?" She asked. I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Chocolate fudge cake?" I answered, skeptically. It was meant to be chocolate fudge cake but I can't bake to save my skin.

Right at that moment, Julia and Elliot burst through the door, looking scared. Julia ran over to her mother and hugged her.

"Oh! Mom we were so scared! We saw smoked rising and... a-and we thought that..." She broke down into a series of tears and sobs. Mirabelle hugged her and stroked her hair.

"Sssshhhh... There, there, dear. There was no fire, just... cooking diasters." She shot a look at me and I put my hands up. Julia finally noticed the blob of blackness on the table.

"Mom, what is this?" She asked, pointing to it.

Mirabelle sighed. "That's our cooking diaster. Vaughn's cooking diaster." Julia raised an eyebrow at me and smirked. I mimed squishing someone up and putting them in a toaster. But the smirk stayed.

"Vaughn, darling Vaughn... Why are you baking? You know you're baking is worse than my fruit salad." I shuddered. "Almost. Almost as bad as your fruit salad. I at least know baking is supposed to go in the oven." She glared and turned back to Mirabelle.

"Mom, what was he making?" Mirabelle sighed again. Shoot, she's going to tell!

"It was meant to be chocolate fudge cake." I tried to sneak out of the kitchen without being noticed. But Julia turned around and grinned at me.

"Chocolate fudge cake, eh? Hm, I seem to remember a certain farmer girl who loves chocolate fudge cake... Now what was her name..?" She put her hand on her chin, pretending to think. I mimed squashing someone, putting alot of power into my actions. But Julia winked at me.

"That's right! Chelsea! Or, should I say, Chels?" I mentally kicked myself for using her nickname. Julia grinned again. "You can't hurt me Vaughn. It hasn't left these walls!" Gah! Loop-holes! I hate 'em!

Mirabelle gave me a strange look. "Vaughn?" I couldn't keep it from Mirabelle. She was like a mother to me.

"I... um... might have invited Chels to the Starry Night Festival..." Mirabelle's face looked shocked for a moment. Then she gave me a huge smile and another huge hug.

"Oh, Vaughn! That's wonderful! I'm so happy that you've found someone to look past your tough act and see the true gentleman that's there!" I gently pushed her off.

"I-I didn't ask her like that! Only as friends!" Mirabelle's smile faded and I felt a little bad. Luckily, or rather unluckily, Julia decieded to step in. "Don't worry, Mom! Vaughn does have feelings for our little brunette rancher! He's just not ready to admit them yet." She winked at me and my anger was clearly shown on my face. Mirabelle began huging me again.

"Oh, Vaughn! That's brilliant! I can see Chelsea's a good girl and is fond of you too!" She nearly squeezed the life out of me. I slowly, gently pushed her off me again. I'd like to live to kiss Chelsea at least once... Oh god, I didn't just say that... did I?

I heard someone clear their throat. I looked and saw Elliot fiddling with his fingers. I had forgotten he was there.

Elliot looked at me right in the eyes. "Vaughn. I know how rash you can be but... I'm just going to say, be careful around Chelsea. She's not everything she seems. If I were you, I'd stay away from her. She's dangerous." And, with that, he left. Julia ran after him.

I scowled. What right did he have to say anything about Chelsea? She's not dangerous... When she's not angry...

Mirabelle gave me another freaking hug. "So, why were you atempting to bake?" She asked.

I shoved her a list of preperation I had written out. She scanned them and smiled. "Okay, Vaughn. I'll make the cake and you do the rest." I looked at her, shocked. No one ever volunteered to help me. "R-really?" She nodded and gave me the list. I gave her a small smile and ran out to Chen's shop.

Chen looked very shocked when I walked in. I looked down at my outfit but the chocolate had been spilled on the apron, not my clothes. That look of shock stayed on his face though. I tried to glare at him but failed. Miserably.

I took a look at my list and checked off everything as I bought it. Porridge, pink lemonade, ice-cream and napkins. Chelsea's charming when she eats (sarcasm).

I was paying when something caught my eye. It was in a display case, behind Chen. I looked around him and tried to get a glimpse of what it was. Chen saw me and looked behind him too. He looked back at me and smiled.

"Caught your eye, has it?" He asked. I nodded. It was the exact same blue as Chelsea's eyes.

Chen brought the display case over and took the item out. It was beautiful. Chen smiled.

"I got it delivered from China. Cost a pretty penny, though." My breath caught in my throat when I saw the price. 100,000g. I lost all hope of buying it. Chen saw my flabbergasted expression.

"Were you thinking of buying it?" I nodded. Tomorrow was Chelsea's birthday. It would make a lovely birthday present.

Chen smiled. "I'll tell you what, Vaughn. Just for you, I'll lower the price to 8,000g." What?! He just took 90,000g off! Chen's smile faded.

"Still too much?" I shook my head. "N-no, it's just that... You know you've taken over 90,000g off that... For me." Chen nodded. "Of course! We're all friends on this island!" All friends...

I slammed the money on the counter. "Deal." Chen smiled and gave it to me. "You take good care of that now." I nodded and left. I heard him call from inside. "Good bye, Vaughn!"

...

Why had I let Julia talk me into this? I don't even want to look in the mirror. My pride is so badly hurt...

Julia had come over just to force me into a shirt and steal my hat and boots. She even tried to get near my hair with a scissors! I'm fine with my hair the way it is, thank you!

I had set everything out. Mirabelle had baked the cake.

It was five to six. I walked into the shop and headed towards the door. Mirabelle caught me in, yet another, hug. I let her though and then walked out. Before I closed the door, I heard her say something like "I'm growing old." I rolled my eyes and walked towards Chelsea's ranch. And I hope, for my sake, she dresses up too.

I reached her house at exactly six. I took a deep breath and tapped on the door. I heard someone fumble with the lock before the door opened. Standing there was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

She had her hair up in a ponytail and a few strands came down her face. She was wearing the same dress she had on the day of the wedding, with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Hanging from her ears were earrings with little musical notes hanging from them. She wasn't wearing any make-up, but that only made her seem more real and beautiful. She was so pretty, anyone would have sworn she was from a whole other world.

Chelse looked down at her outfit and back at me, biting her lip. "I-it's not to m-much, i-is it?" I shook my head and she sighed. "I-it's just that, this is my first Starry Night... And it might be my last... I just wanted it to be sorta special..." She whispered the last line.

I smiled at her. "Come on. I got something special planned." I held out my hand to her. She reached out but hesitated. I really hoped she'd take it. If she didn't, it would make things a bit awkward for the rest of the night. I adverted my gaze, lowering my hand slightly. I felt someone lace their fingers through mine. I looked over at Chelsea, who was blushing a little. I smiled and gave her hand a small squeeze. She smiled back.

"So, where is this special place then." I tapped the side of my nose and pulled her to the beach on Sprout Island.

When we reached the beach, I walked over to a small row boat on the pier. I stood in and gestured for Chelsea to come in too. She shot me a confused look but got into the boat. She sat down and I took hold of the oars and began to row.

We didn't talk on the way to our destination. It wasn't uncomfortable silence, though. My gaze didn't leave Chelsea. She was leaning slightly over the side of the boat, dipping her hand into the water. She smiled, as the water lapped at her hand. She was so beautiful. She turned and caught me staring at her. She went red and looked back into the water.

We eventually reached our destination. Chelsea looked at it and back at me. She raised one eyebrow and smirked. "A rock?" I smiled back at her. She obviously wasn't expecting me to smile because a splash of colour was added to her cheeks. My smile widened. "Don't you remember this rock?" She looked at it, then back at me and shook her head. I rolled my eyes. "You have the worst memory ever. This is your rock. The rock you swam out to the first time I saw you." Her eyes widened. "Y-you still remember that?" I nodded.

We climbed up to the top of the rock. I thought Chelsea might have some problems climbing. She was wearing a dress and heels after all. But she climbed the thing faster than I did.

I placed my foot into a small foot-hole that had formed on the rock. I heard Chelsea gasp and I climbed faster. When I reached the top, I found her digging through the picnic basket I had brought up. I crawled over to her and smacked the basket out of her hands.

"Ah ah ah! Wait a few minutes, impatient one." She rolled her eyes but didn't protest. Her eyes darted around the rock until she spotted something. She took the picnic blanket and lay it out on a comfortable spot. She sat down and patted the spot beside her. I crawled over, holding the basket.

I put the basket down and dug around inside it. I looked back up at her and told her to close her eyes. She did so and I pushed something into her hands. She opened them and gasped.

"Ch-chocolate fudge cake?" She asked, shocked.

I nodded and scratched the back of my head. "I tried to bake it myself but I can't bake. So Mirabelle ended up making it." I explained. Chelsea looked down at the cake, then back at me. "You tried to make a chocolate cake... for me?" I nodded, my cheeks turning red. Chelsea's face lit up and she took a fork and began to eat. She wasn't horking it down, surprisingly. I took out my porridge and began to eat too.

I felt someone's gaze boring into me. I looked up to find Chelsea looking at me with confusion. I raised one eyebrow, in a way of asking her what she was thinking. She sighed and looked down at the now empty plate.

"Will didn't do this. He had me over to his big fancy ship, not taking me to somewhere that would mean something to me. He had his servants make a fancy three course meal, without considering what I might like. He didn't make, or at least tempt, my favourite food or drink or... anything. You know me better than I gave you credit for." She smiled sweetly at me. My eyes flickered down to her lips but she didn't see. She looked up at the sky and gasped. "Look Vaughn!"

I looked up at the sky. Thousand of stars twinkled down at us. They were beautiful. But they didn't even compare to Chelsea. The stars were reflecting in her eyes, making them sparkle. "They're beautiful." She whispered.

"Yeah..." I said, looking at her. She didn't see me and I turned away quickly. Curse this emotion called 'love' and what it does to your brain!

I put my hands on either side of my body and rested on them, looking up at the sky. It was clear, without a cloud in the sky. The air was warm, despite it being Winter and us in the middle of the sea. I smiled softly. I then felt a warm hand on top of mine.

I looked down and saw Chelsea's hand placed on top of mine. My face went red and I looked up to find Chelsea in a similar state. I tried to calm down my heart and gently held her hand. Her eyes glanced up at me and I smiled softly at her. She scooted closer and rested her head on my shoulder. My heart stopped beating and I looked down at Chelsea. She looked up and gave me a small smile. My eyes flickered to her lips again but I didn't move.

We watched the stars for a few more minutes before I announced that it was getting late. Chelsea, somwhat reluctantly, agreed and we packed up. I crawled over ot the side of the rock and let out a series of colourful curses. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to find Chelsea's sweet face looking down at me in worry.

"Vaughn? What's wrong?"

I sighed. "The boat floated away... We can't get back..."

Her eyes widened but they were soon replaced by the smirk growing on her face. I didn't like it.

"Why can't we get back Vaughn?" She asked, sweetly enough but I knew better.

"Because there is no boat. We can't row back."

She grinned. "We can't row back but we can swim back!" I looked at her like she had three heads. She obviously didn't like me looking at her like that, because she glared at me. But then she smirked again. "Ladies first." She said and, without warning, she pushed me into the water. I waited for the cold, painful landing. I landed in the sea with a splash. But, it wasn't cold. It was warm. I heard someone laugh and I looked up. Chelsea was grinning at me and jumped in. She landed with a splash. When she rose, she started coughing and spluttering.

"Chelsea!" I swam over to her and pulled her close. I felt her vibrating beside me. I took a look at her and saw that she wasn't drowning. Rather, she was laughing.

"Honestly Vaughn! You're too easy... t-to... scare..." Her voice lowered as she finished the sentence. I looked down. She was staring up at me. Her face was red and her eyes were wide. Only then did I notice how close we were. I felt my face light up and I gently pushed her away. She looked away and muttered something. She turned back to me, her face still red. "W-well lets go." She began swimming to shore and I followed her.

We reached her house. Both of us walked up to her door and she turned to me. Her face broke into a big smile. "Thanks for tonight, Vaughn. It was the best night ever."

Then, if you do do that, when you walk her home, kiss her." Ray's words echoed in my head. No matter how much I told them to go away, they bounced around my head. I looked at Chelsea. Her perfect face, eyes and lips. I wondered if she tasted like the sea. A strand of hair fell in frot of her eyes. I felt like it was telling me to bog off. I wasn't going to. I reached my right hand out, towards her face. But... I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to. So I brought my right hand in front of me for a handshake.

"Good night, Chels."

She looked at my hand like it was the weirdest thing ever. I then remembered, becasue of her lack of a social life, she probably didn't know what a handshake was. I thought about just turning and walking away but then Chelsea brought her left hand out and held it in front of her face. She looked between both my hand and her own. Then she put her hand out. She brushed my hand upwards, so that the palm of mine was facing hers. She pushed her palm on to mine. I felt a small electric shock go up and down my body. Chelsea slid her fingers down through mine and clutched my hand in hers.

I looked down at her. Her eyes were exaimining both of our hands. In my eyes, they fitted together perfectly. Her eyes looked back up at me. Her hair was blowing gently with the wind and her eyes were calm. She slipped her hand out of mine and turned, walking into her house. She closed the door gently, leaving me staring into the space where she was just standing.

Wow. This was probably the most romantic chapter so far. By the way, I know my description at the end sucked but, if any of you have ever seen Disney's Tarzan, do you know at the end where Jane goes to shanke Tarzan's hand but he puts his hand against hers instead? Yeah, that's what Chelsea did at the end. Anyway, please review and Peace! :)