Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter ended up being way longer than I planned. And I'd been planning this chapter for months. There was a lot to be said, though, and I had to find the right words even if there were a lot more words than what I'd intended.

Showing Marissa around Bluebell had been a real whirlwind of excitement, let me tell you. It had been a non-stop series of "No way!" and "Oh, that's so cute!" and "How quaint and charming!" and "Ooh, this is so storybook!" and "Too bad you don't have a souvenir shop! I want a little Bluebell snow globe now!" When we'd met up with Colby the two of them, who had only ever met once before, got reacquainted and gelled so quickly I wondered if I should be jealous and if the two of them were replacing me. I mean, my best friend since birth and my closest friend in the city? What if they started liking each other more than they liked me? Then I realized thinking like that was petty and silly and there was no replacing me, come rain or shine.

When Colby told me Keiko and Willow were on their way to town and that some wedding planning was about to go down, Marissa was totally on board with being in on that. And when the other two finally came and we all met around a table in the cafe, Marissa had bonded with them pretty quickly even though she'd never met those two before. All in all, I was very pleased that all of my female friends were getting along so famously. 'Squad goals,' I thought to myself with some amusement.

Willow was going to be Keiko's maid of honor. That made sense to me. We were a tight-knit group and all four of us were close, but Keiko and Willow were closer whereas Colby and I were closer. Marissa wasn't going to be in town when the wedding rolled around, but she was more than happy to give Keiko her opinions about things whenever she was asked. Keiko had opted to wear the beautiful, pure white kimono that her mother had worn when her parents got married. Nori, of course, was already in the process of making alterations to it for Keiko to make it extra special for her wedding. She was also making preparations to make kimonos for the bridesmaids as well. Keiko assured me she'd have time to make my scarf in the midst of all that.

The theme was going to be a winter wonderland kind of thing with white flowers that I was sure my father was going to be more than happy to supply. Any other decorations, of course, were being left to me. The kimonos for the bridesmaids would be a light, icy blue, although Keiko was still trying to figure out what exact shade she wanted. Because it was winter and it was cold outside, the ceremony would be taking place at the church rather than the mountaintop. I gave Keiko a kiss on the cheek when she told me this because we both knew that I had an aversion to cold.

As far as things from Makoto's side of the spectrum went, the battle over who got to be the best man was finally over. Akito ultimately decided to step aside and insist that Jackson have the honor. His reasoning, Keiko told me, was that neither of them had a brother whereas Akito did. If he ever got married then Georgia would never let him hear the end of it if he didn't choose his brother to be his best man, so that was that. Zhen was also going to be in the wedding party considering he'd grown close to Makoto over the years while Akito was gone and Jackson was in and out of town.

Of course, the mere mention of Jackson's name had done something to me. Just hearing it made me suck in a sharp breath and I felt so awkward and confused and sad. I hadn't seen him since the night we kissed. I was sitting in the middle of his family's cafe, where he lived, and he was nowhere to be found. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed by that. As for being in the cafe in general, that had been awkward for me considering Laney and Howard were shooting me sympathetic looks and giving me pats on the back. Howard had also insisted on fixing me a special drink that would be sure to boost my spirits. As I nursed that blissfully caffeine-packed drink, my spirits regarding Jackson stayed about the same, but I smiled for Howard's benefit so he'd stop watching me so closely. There was also a little disappointment there for them, too. I supposed that the possibility of both of our families officially being joined down the line had crossed their minds and now that dream was shot.

There were still more wedding details to be ironed out, but a lot of ground had been covered so far and the first official meeting between us was adjourned. Keiko went back to Konohana to fill Makoto in on the meeting and Willow went with her. Colby stayed around for a little longer, soaking up Marissa's praise for that time she'd done barked like a dog and scared Courtney senseless. Colby congratulated Marissa on the verbal lashing she'd given Courtney, which we'd filled her in on earlier. It was like they were congratulating each other on being co-presidents of the Violet Defense Force or something.

At last, Colby left because Ash was expecting her back to take care of some things around their farm. That left just Marissa and I in the cafe with Laney and Howard. Jackson was still nowhere to be seen and again, I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed about that. I didn't even know what I'd say to him if I were to see him. What could I say? What was there to say? Actually, there was a lot I felt needed to be said between us, I just wasn't sure what it was.

"You ready to go?" Marissa asked me as she stood up, grabbing her expensive looking purse while I grabbed my rucksack and slipped it onto my back.

"Yeah, we should get going," I told her. I'd been avoiding the cafe and being in it so long had me feeling like there wasn't enough air in the place to fill my lungs. I had to get out into the fresh air and then escape to somewhere else warm.

It had started snowing by the time we made it out the door. Then I remembered that the weather forecast had said there would be a snow shower in the afternoon. My face scrunched up in displeasure. Oh, I liked snow. Well, I liked looking at it from afar. Like. . .I enjoyed seeing it through the window with a steaming cup of coffee or hot chocolate in my hands. Being out and about in it did not bring me joy, though. Ugh, winter. I tugged my hat down more snugly on top of my head, adjusted my chunky scarf for maximum protection from the cold, pulled my hood up over my head, and tugged a pair of gloves onto my hands. When she was done putting on her gloves and fussing with her own scarf, Marissa stood in the doorway and reached into her purse before pulling out one of those little retractable umbrellas. She promptly extended it to its full size before opening it up and raising it up. She left the cover of the doorway and sought refuge under the umbrella.

"What?" she questioned as she intercepted the look on my face. "Snow is moisture. It melts and gets wet. You know I can't let anything wet touch my hair or else my hair will frizz and I'll be dealing with a curly afro. I got my hair from my dad's side, not my mom's."

That was true, I had to admit. Marissa worked hard to tame her curls, but any kind of moisture was enough to negate all of that work. Her mother had that peaches and cream kind of skin tone and straight strawberry blonde hair that Marissa definitely did not inherit. Her father, on the other hand, had milk chocolate skin and black hair. Marissa didn't get his skin tone. Rather, hers was a mix of both and a shade or two lighter than that of a graham cracker. Her hair did come from his side, though.

"I'm not judging you," I informed her with an amused little smile. I definitely knew how much work it took for her to get her hair to look like that and that work included at least five different hair products. "I was just thinking that you have a hood on your coat and if you were to pull said hood up then your hair would be safe."

Marissa paused mid-step and glanced over at me kind of sheepishly. "Oh." That was all she said as she pulled the hood up. "Oops, almost forgot! She tugged the hood back down with one hand while holding the umbrella with the other. Then she reached inside the pocket of her coat and pulled out the fuzzy pink earmuffs she'd been wearing earlier. I watched her struggle to get them on one-handed for a few moments before I snatched them out her hand and secured them over her ears. "Thanks, Vi." She then pulled the hood back up and continued to hold the umbrella over her head anyway.

She glanced over toward where my father was standing at his shop, looking spiffy in his coat and wise with his reading glasses perched on the tip of his nose as he examined some flowers he was holding. Her head was turned far enough for me to not have to see the look on her face.

"Hey M, you never did tell me if you're seeing anybody right now," I hedged. Marissa wasn't the type to stay single for long so even though the last letter she'd sent me said she'd broken up with the flavor of the day, I knew somebody else was already in his place.

Marissa turned her attention back to me kind of reluctantly. "Gym guy."

I stopped walking in front of the statue in the town square and turned to face her. "Gym guy?"

"You know, you're right, Vi. This place is so picturesque! It's like a little cozy gingerbread town without the gingerbread. Hey, do they make gingerbread cookies over at the cafe? Because I'm craving some now. Oh, I can't wait until you show me Konohana because I can't wait to see how picturesque it is, too!"

I stood there giving her my best impression of my father, the kind of look he always gave me growing up when he knew I'd done something but I wasn't fessing up to it. It never took long for me to crack under the weight of his stare. Apparently it was an effective tool against Marissa, too, because she immediately caved.

"Yes, gym guy. You know, the guy I asked out while my drawn on eyebrow was busy dripping down my face? I ran into him again while I was heading to that shoe store you know I like and it was all like 'Oh hey, it's you!' and 'It's good to see you again. How have you been doing?' and 'Not as good as you apparently because you look fantastic' and 'Me? What about you? You look smokin' hot!' and. . ."

"Marissa," I laughed then, remembering that being around her was always nothing short of amusing. "I don't need a play-by-play and transcript of your entire conversation. I just want to know your feelings. So, you still like him?"

She twirled her umbrella back and forth over her head, diverting some of the snow falling and making some of it hit me in the face. "Oops, sorry. But yeah. I do still like him so we're giving it a try again. I have both of my eyebrows intact this time so maybe it'll all work out."

"That's the spirit," I cheered her on as I turned around to start walking again. I took two steps forward and then stopped dead in my tracks. There he was standing no more than ten feet away from me. Snowflakes were drifting into his hair and blending into the silvery-white strands. Eyes the color of a new leaf in spring were peering back at me. The breath that had just been floating out of my mouth in opaque puffs suddenly cut off.

Marissa noticed my halt and looked from me over to Jackson and then back to me for about two seconds before her gaze settled on him.

"Violet," he said quietly, but loud enough for me to hear him.

"Jackson," I exhaled, suddenly able to put my lungs to use again.

Marissa, ever the ice-breaker, said "This is the Jackson? I recognize him from your pictures, but he's so grown up and impishly handsome now."

"Impish?" Jackson intoned as he turned his attention to Marissa. There was a hint of a smirk on his face tugging up one corner of his lips, just enough to reveal a flash of that dimple I was such a fan of.

She had somehow managed to diffuse some of the tension radiating in the air and for that I was grateful. "Jack, this is Marissa. You know, my closest friend from the city."

Recognition sparked in his eyes. "Yes, of course. It's nice to meet you, Marissa," he said as he gave her a mock bow and shook her hand for good measure. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I like him," she informed me as she spared me a glance. Then she turned her attention back to Jackson and said "I like you," as if he hadn't just heard what she'd said to me.

I wasn't going to point out to her that she liked most guys because that didn't make a difference. How could anybody not like Jackson?

"Best news I've heard all day," he quipped. His expression suddenly turned serious, though, as he fixed his eyes back on me. "Marissa, do you mind if I steal Violet away for a little while?"

Marissa clapped her hands together and said "Right, I know when I need to make myself scarce. I'll see you back at your house, Violet. She then strolled over to Jackson and said "Hey, smile for a second, will you?" He had a befuddled look on his face before he did as she requested. As soon as the dimple made an appearance, she pressed her gloved finger against it much like I had before. "Okay, that was awesome-sauce. Nice to meet you, Jackson. Bye." With that said, she strolled away from the two of us, still twirling the umbrella over her head as she went.

Jackson stared after her for a second before saying "She's a, uh. . ."

"She's a force to be reckoned with? Yep, that's true. Life never gets dull when she's around, that's for sure." The smile that Marissa's shenanigans had brought to my face evaporated as I glanced at Jackson. I suddenly felt nervous and guilty and completely weird as I asked him "Did you want to talk to me about something, Jackson?"

He sobered back up then, too. "Uh, yeah. I do want to talk. We should do it somewhere else, though. I think we need somewhere private and warm."

Somewhere private and warm ended up being the guest room over at Town Hall. I didn't know where Mikhail was at the moment, but I figured my kind-of uncle was off walking somewhere enjoying the freezing cold of winter in the same way I enjoyed the blasting heat of summer. As I strolled into the room, I took my gloves off and pulled my hood down. I didn't want to stay standing because that would lead to pacing, so I sat down on a sofa.

Jackson stood there silently regarding me for a few moments before he approached the sofa. He didn't sit down, though. "This is kind of awkward," he finally admitted.

"I know," I agreed with a weary sigh. "And I really don't want it to be, Jack. I really don't."

"Me neither." He stood there considering me for a few more moments before he asked "May I?" I saw him gesturing toward the free spot to the left of me on the sofa. When I nodded he sat down. "I don't know where to start."

"Just start wherever feels right," I suggested to him, not really knowing what else to say to encourage him.

It took him a minute or two, but Jackson finally did find the words he was looking for. "You're my cousin, Violet. I could never see that before, but I can now. I can." He shook his head kind of ruefully before he continued. "You know, when we were kids I always watched you. You've always been something else. Something special, you know? No, I guess you don't know. You can't see it in yourself, can you?"

He was looking at me as if he seriously expected an answer, but I knew it was a rhetorical question. Besides, even if he had expected me to answer I had no idea what to say to something like that. I had no idea whatsoever. I sat there with my hands in my lap, nervously twisting the fingers of my discarded gloves and not caring if I managed to stretch them out.

"At some point, I guess when we were teenagers, it kind of hit me. One day I looked at you and I felt something different, something that wasn't a cousinly feeling. I didn't want to say anything to you, though, because I thought it would freak you out, destroy our friendship, and cause a rift between our families. I mean, after all, we'd been raised as cousins and I didn't think my feelings would go over well." He paused then and ran his fingers through his hair as he collected his thoughts. It was a little damp now that the snow he'd collected there had melted. Why he hadn't worn a hat or used his hood, I didn't know.

"I know the feeling, actually," I quietly admitted to him. Hadn't I been worried about the same things once I realized Jackson had feelings for me?

"I didn't tell anybody how I was feeling. Not Akito. Not Makoto. The three of us are best friends. We're close, but. . .no. I said nothing. Part of it was I felt kind of ashamed. I'm sorry to say that. I mean, I'm not ashamed of you, never of you. I was ashamed of myself. The other part of it was, well, I don't know. . ." With a sigh, Jackson took his fingers out his hair and started up again. "When you finally came back to town I saw you and it was like 'Oh, wow, there she is. It's her. It's really her.'" I knew that feeling, too. It was kind of like that when I saw Akito again that day in Georgia's shop. "It was kind of like a dream come true."

Darn Jackson for tugging at my heartstrings again with a corny, cliché line like that when I was such a fan of corny, cliché lines like that! "R-Really?"

He laughed then, but the sound of it lacked humor. "Yeah. It was. At first, I just tried to deal with those same old feelings the same way I always had. One day, though, I don't know. It was like a flip had been switched and I just thought 'What the heck, why not? I think I'll go for it.' I mean, you only live once, Violet. So I went for it. I finally made my move. And you. . .I knew you were reluctant and uncomfortable at first. I mean, I understand that. How could you not be considering we've been told all our lives that we're cousins? Sure, we're not technically related, but it is a hard thing to get out of your head. Still, though, you gave me a chance, Violet, and that was more than I ever thought I was going to get."

"Jackson, I. . ."

He placed his hand over one of mine and said. "Let me finish? Please?"

I swallowed past the lump that had formed in my throat and nodded. This conversation was turning out to be very one-sided. I realized, though, that Jackson had a lot to get out, a lot to say to me. And he'd been holding all of these things in for a long time. I knew what it felt like to have all these thoughts and feelings and to keep them to yourself for so long that they started to weigh heavily on your shoulders. So if he needed me to hush up and mostly listen then I would do that.

"I waited for you to feel more comfortable around me, to become more accepting of the thought of us being together. I told you before, Vi, I'm a patient man. I'd waited for you that long and I could wait however much longer it took for you to come around. Then you kissed me and. . ."

He fell silent and I knew exactly what he was thinking because I was thinking the exact same thing. I was thinking about the kisses during that quiet night in the empty first floor of the cafe. Whatever chemistry we'd previously felt between us had fizzled and faded immediately because when it came down to it, there truly wasn't anything there between us. It had felt wrong, actually. Legitimately wrong. Because even if we weren't actually related, as it turned out we really were family. He was my cousin.

"You're my cousin, Violet. I know that now. I know it and I accept it. I've come to terms with it. Still, though, I wouldn't go back and change what I did. I wouldn't go back and second guess putting myself out there. I would still make my move and make my feelings for you known."

"Really?" I asked kind of disbelievingly. "Why, Jack? I mean, look at what's happened. Look how. . ."

He threaded his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand. It wasn't the same as before, though, when we were together and we held hands. It felt different now. It felt innocent again, almost like it would have before the gardenia situation on Flower Day had occurred.

"Oh, Violet. Haven't you ever heard that it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all? It's kind of like that. I would have regretted not at least trying. I mean that. If I hadn't then I always would have wondered 'what if.' I always would have wondered what might have happened if I'd only just told you. Maybe you would have rejected me, but there was also a chance that you wouldn't have. Either way, though, I wouldn't have had to wonder anymore. I wouldn't have had the ghost of possibilities lurking on my shoulder. You deserved to know how I felt and I deserved my chance to let you know. And we deserved to at least try. And we did try, Vi. We gave it our best shot. In the end, though, it just wasn't meant to be."

I scooted a little closer and put my head on Jackson's shoulder, breathing in the scent of summer, of freshly cut grass. I breathed in the scent of Jackson. "I'm sorry, Jack," I whispered as I held back the urge to cry. "You're such a great guy. You're wonderful, you know? And I. . .I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Violet. Never be sorry," he said insistently as he put his arm around me. "There's nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong. I didn't do anything wrong. Some things are just not meant to be and us? Me and you? We're not meant to be that way. But hey, we'll always have Cassiopeia with it's cool 'w' shape and Orion's Belt. Oh, and my lucky star. . ."

"Venus," I corrected again, unable to stop the words from shooting out my mouth.

He grinned. "Still my lucky star."

We were both quiet for a little while, each of us lost in our own thoughts, before I finally broke the silence. "So what now, Jack? What's going to happen with us? Will we ever be able to go back to the way things were before?"

He seemed to give it a lot of thought before he finally answered. "I honestly don't think that we'll ever be able to go back to exactly the way things were before. Things will be a bit strange for a little while, but time will pass and the strangeness will fade. I think it's alright that things won't be exactly the same, though, because now they can be even better for us than before. Now that I'm sure we're actually cousins, I can be a real cousin to you without holding onto some secret feelings that always have me feeling conflicted. I can be a better friend to you now, also."

I let out a sigh that was full of all of the feelings I had swarming through me. I released all of that inner conflict and I let it go. I just let it go right then and there. And as soon as I did, I understood what Jackson had been saying. I suddenly felt at peace with us and our situation. I felt at peace with what had happened between us and how we ended. Maybe it all really would be okay. Maybe it would.

"What now Jack? Is there anything I can do? Is there anything. . ."

"Well, you could always kiss me," he suggested. When my mouth dropped wide open and my jaw just about hit the floor, Jackson laughed. He let out a genuine laugh that I'd been missing ever since things had gone south between us. "Not that kind of kiss, Vi. I want. . .the kind of kiss you would've given me before. I want the kind of kiss that my cousin always gave me when she saw me."

I immediately understood what he was asking of me. Back before Jackson had made his initial move on me, I'd often given him kisses on the cheek whenever I saw him. The realization hit me right then that I'd stopped giving out those kisses after the gardenia situation and I also realized then that I'd missed them. I reached up and placed my hand on his left cheek before I pulled his head down a little and placed a gentle kiss against his right cheek. I could feel his face shift as he smiled underneath my innocent kiss. That kiss felt normal. It felt like it always had to me, like I was Violet, he was Jackson, and he was the cousin I adored. It was then that I was positive that Jackson had been correct. Everything would be okay. In time, it would be even better for us than before.

"Thanks," he told me as I pulled away. I could see the smile I'd felt before clearly there on his face. "I really missed that."

"Me, too," I admitted with a smile of my own.

Jackson took my hands again and then looked at me seriously. "Listen, Vi. I thought you should know that I'm going to leave town for a little while."

"What?!"

"It's just for a few weeks. I'm not running away for long. I'll be back soon," he assured me.

"Jackson, aren't you supposed to be Makoto's best man? You can't just go running off right now," I pointed out, fighting the urge to pull him by the ear and scold him even more.

"I'll be back before the wedding. Trust me, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I had some gigs come up and when I talked to Makoto about them, he told me it was okay and to go ahead. I wouldn't have accepted them if he'd had a problem with it. I just thought we should clear the air between us before I left and I thought you should know I was going."

If Makoto was fine with it then who was I to have a problem with it? Who knew, perhaps it would do good for us to have a little time away from each other.

"If you need to get in touch with me for any reason, I'm going to leave all my information with my mom. Don't hesitate to use it."

"I won't hesitate," I assured him. "I hope," I said before I paused for a moment. "I hope that you have fun and I'll be happy when you get back."

His dimple made another appearance. "Thanks," he told me as he stood up. "Well, I'd better get home now. I'm really. . .I'm really happy that we had this talk, Violet."

"Me, too, Jack," I assured him as I stood up as well and gave him a parting hug. He hugged me back and then moved toward the door. I really was happy. I felt much better than I had before and that was thanks to him having the courage to be honest with me.

"Oh, and Violet?" he asked me as he stood in the doorway and looked back at me.

"Hmm?"

"The best advice I think I could ever give you is this: Just be honest. If you ever find yourself in the same kind of situation as I was. . .I mean, if you ever find yourself having feelings for somebody you think you can't have and keeping all of that in then don't do that to yourself. Come clean. Whoever that lucky guy is, just go for it and tell him. Even if you ultimately get rejected, at least you won't have to wonder 'what if' and you'll be able to move on and move forward. I'll be able to move on now, I know, and I think that's great. And you never know, chances are that he won't reject you and will reciprocate your feelings instead. If that's the case, then you'll finally have what you want, what you deserve. And if there's a chance that you can have what you want then don't deny yourself the opportunity. Win or lose, Vi, you won't regret it."

With that said, Jackson gave me one of his winks and left me alone in that room with nothing to keep me company but my thoughts.