A/N: Okay, this is gonna sound weird, but apparently, I've been spelling "y'all" wrong. I put the apostrophe between the 'a' and the 'l'. And, apparently that's wrong. So, I guess I'm gonna work on that for future reference.

Chapter Twenty Eight- Preparations of All Kinds

"And it'll go from that house to this one." Handy explained. "And then this house to that one, then that one and that one and it'll smurf all around the village square. Then we'll have some lines criss-cross in the middle and in the center will be a huge lantern."

"Then everything will be well lit but not so bright as to blind anysmurf." Smartette added.

"Excellent work, you two." Papa nodded. "But isn't that awfully elaborate? It'll take a long time to line up each line perfectly and then secure it. Then you have to hang the lanterns and light them. The Winter Ball is tomorrow night. The Smurfs will spend all day tomorrow preparing themselves."

"We know." Handy nodded. "The Clockworks are still working on the huge lantern and they can help us light them all."

"But what about hanging them?" Papa asked.

"No worries." Handy assured. He turned and cupped his hand over his mouth. "Alright Archer! Fire away!"

Papa looked and saw Archer atop one of the Smurf houses. She nodded, loaded her bow, and fired. A string of lanterns was attached to the arrow as it flew across and hit a small target on another Smurf house. The lanterns swung and bounced a little, but stayed on the line.

"Well done, Archer!" Handy called.

"Nice shooting!" Smartette complimented.

"My pleasure!" Archer nodded. "I'll get the others done in a flash!" She shouldered her bow and suddenly took off across the thin line that connected the two mushrooms.

"Amazing!" Papa breathed.

"How does she do that?" Smartette laughed.

"That Archer is a clever one." Handy nodded. "Well, I better see how the Clockworks are doing. Smurf y'all later!" Handy rolled up his plans and jogged off to his workshop/house.

Smartette took a deep inhale of the crisp winter air, sighing. "This is going to be so smurfy!"

"It is the first celebration of the new year." Papa nodded. "And it is truly wonderful."

Smartette looked towards Papa with a hint of uncertainty. "Did...Luna...like the Winter Ball too?"

"It was her favorite time of the year." Papa nodded without hesitation. "She loved to dance."

Smartette smiled. Papa had certainly seemed happier since this past Christmas. Ever since he finally revealed the story of Luna, he and the Smurfs seemed so much...at peace. The Smurfs finally knew more about their mother and Papa got closure. It was, by far, the best Christmas ever.

Smartette jogged off to check on the band. Papa turned to Archer and watched her work. When she finished the final line of lanterns, she leaped off the house, did a flip, and landed softly on the snow-covered ground. She readjusted the poncho draped over her. Papa noted amusingly that Archer hardly wore her wool coat unless there was a blizzard. She was always the one to tough things out until she absolutely couldn't take it.

"Well done, Archer." Papa complimented. "Very good."

"They don't call me 'Archer' for nothing." Archer laughed.

"Indeed." Papa nodded. "By the way, have you put in an order for Tailor to make you a dress?"

"I don't wear dresses." Archer shook her head. "Besides, I'll still be on night watch."

"You have night watch every night." Papa reminded her. "And may I remind you that we never asked you to do that?"

"I chose to." Archer shrugged.

"I realize you want to protect us." Papa nodded in understanding. "But you need a night off. Go get Tailor to make you a dress or even just nice outfit. You deserve it."

Archer opened her mouth to protest, but the look in Papa's eyes discouraged the idea. So she just rolled her eyes and journeyed off to Tailor's house. She never liked dresses that much; she preferred to admire them rather than wear them. But with the dance coming, she might as well try and look nice. And she did have something she wanted to show Tailor.

Tailor hummed to himself as he continued to sew, stitching together a snow-white dress jacket for Hefty. The athlete Smurf jumped with a yelp when his needle accidentally pricked his arm.

"Sorry about that." Tailor apologized.

"No worries." Hefty shrugged. "I've smurfed through worse."

Tailor chuckled. He paused when he heard knocking at the door. "Hold still." He instructed as he went to answer it. "Ah, Archer! Come in, come in!"

Archer waved to Hefty as she entered. "Hey Tailor. Do you think you could make me something?"

"I've been waiting for you to ask me!" Tailor clapped his hands excitedly. "What do you need? A dress? Or perhaps a skirt? A suit, perhaps?"

"Hey!" Hefty laughed. "Can ya finish my jacket first?"

Tailor nodded hurriedly and went to finish it. "But seriously, what did you have in mind?" He asked Archer.

"Well, believe it or not, I'm thinking a dress." Archer explained as Tailor worked. She pulled a piece of parchment from under her hat. "I have a design like this." She showed it to Tailor and Hefty. Each Smurf took a look and nodded in agreement.

"Looks great." Hefty nodded. "I like it."

"The sleeves will go to my elbows and this see-through stuff will kinda flow off that." Archer said, pointing to the picture.

"Great." Tailor nodded. "I'll get your measurements right..." he finished the final stitch and cut the thread. "...now."

"Thanks, Tailor." Hefty nodded as he shed his jacket. "Can't wait to see that dress on you." He told Archer as he left. Tailor immediately got to work, wrapping his measuring tape around Archer's arms, waist, chest, and neck. He lengthened it up and down her legs, arms, from her feet to her hips, and her hips to her shoulders.

"I'll have it done by tomorrow afternoon." Tailor promised.

"You need me to be a manikin or something?" Archer asked.

"Nah." Tailor shook his head. "I can manage. Just meet me here a little after lunch."

"Sounds good." Archer nodded.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. I just never danced before. I don't know if I'll even fit in."

"You will." Tailor assured. "What's the worst that can happen?"

A lot.Archer mentally groaned.


That evening, Chef, Baker, and Greedy made a feast for the dance the next night. After dessert, Gutsy and Hefty insisted on playing a few games. At first, most of the Smurfs seemed reluctant; Papa had left for bed telling them to go to sleep soon. But when Gutsy brought up wrestling matches, nosmurf could refuse. They pushed back the tables and Gutsy and Hefty came up in the middle of the ring of Smurfs. Hefty immediately tackled Gutsy, starting their play. The Smurfs cheered for their favorite while Farmer called dibs to fight the winner. The match went on for a while before Gutsy pinned Hefty to the ground in a headlock. The matches continued, most if not every one of them won by Gutsy. Don Smurfo preferred to use his saber, to which Gutsy promptly picked up a fire poker to battle him.

"What the Smurf are you all doing?"

The blade/poker fight halted and everyone turned to Archer, who stood in the doorway. She hurried inside and shut the door behind her, shaking snow off her shoulders and head.

"We were just-a having fun, Smurfarina." Don Smurfo shrugged.

"Join us!" Smurfette called.

"Really?" Archer raised an eyebrow at Smurfette, Smartette, and Sassette. "You guys too?"

"We're excited for tomorrow!" Sassette cheered.

"We're too hyper to sleep!" Smartette shrugged.

Archer rolled her eyes. "Well, excuse me for trying to keep you out of trouble with Papa."

"We'll be fine." Snappy waved her off. "Who needs sleep?"

"If you want to be wide awake for tomorrow night," Archer reasoned. "I suggest you get to bed soon."

"I hate bed!" Grouchy huffed. The other Smurfs nodded and voiced their agreements.

Archer huffed. "What will it take for you all to go to bed?"

The Smurfs exchanged looks. "Don't worry about me." Lazy yawned. "I'll be asleep in...zzzzzzz"

"How about a bedtime story?" Dreamy suggested. "Or a lullaby?"

"Very funny, Dreamy!" Jokey laughed.

"No, no, that's a good idea." Tracker agreed.

"Ya. Le's see if ol' Arch can put us ta sleep." Farmer agreed.

Archer nodded amusingly. "Alright. How about this? I will sing you a lullaby or two. And the last Smurf to fall asleep gets the first dance with me tomorrow."

The Smurfs smiled excitedly. To dance with Smurfette was one thing, and it was nice to dance with Smartette. But to dance with Archer? The one Smurfette that would judo flip anysmurf that touched her without permission? Well, the Smurfs were quick to settle down and sit/lay on the floor as Archer made her way to the fireplace. She put a few more logs in the fire and sat down beside it. She thought for a moment. The first lullaby that popped in her head was the Gaelic one Papillon taught her. But there was one more that came to mind; one that would put them all to sleep in seconds. Archer cleared her throat and began to sing.

"Come now my baby
Come rest your sweet head
Go on off to
Your dream land

Hush now my baby
For now all is well
I'll be right here
When you wake."

Just as Archer predicted, the Smurfs were soon nodding off. About half of them collapsed into slumber by the time she finished the second verse. The rest fought to stay awake. Especially Gutsy. He kept eying Don Smurfo to see if the masked Smurf was getting sleepy. But everysmurf's, including Don Smurfo's eyes, were drooping. They were so sleepy that nosmurf realized why the lullaby (and its powerful effect) was so familiar.

"Crickets are singing
The stars come to play
Close your eyes my darling
Sandman comes tonight

Precious little baby
You're not alone
I'm right here darling
To protect you"

Slowly, more and more Smurfs succumbed to the soothing melody and slumped over. Even the Smurflings, Smurfette, Smartette, and Dreamy (usually an insomniac) fell asleep. Hefty unconsciously snuggled Grouchy like he was a teddy bear. The only Smurfs left were Don Smurfo, Farmer, and Gutsy. Archer focused on them as she continued. She liked the three finalists so far; all she had to do was find the one that was the strongest. Like a female in the wild searching for a suitable mate.

"You are my baby
I'll always love you
Nothing will harm you
As long as I'm here"

Farmer finally gave in and his face disappeared under his hat. Don Smurfo soon followed, slumping over against the wall. Gutsy smiled happily, noting all the sleeping Smurfs around him. He won. He was going to dance with Archer first tomorrow. He was going to sweep her off her feet and make it the best night of her (and his) life. Gutsy's joy was short-lived, however, when the door quietly opened and Papa stepped inside.

Dat's so not fair. Gutsy mentally grumbled. Oh smurf it all. He settled down and shut his eyes, letting Archer's melodious voice lull him to sleep.

"Come now my baby
Come rest your sweet head
And I'll be right here
When you wake"

Archer smiled in triumph as Gutsy finally started snoring a little. She acknowledged Papa's presence by waving silently.

"Well done." Papa whispered. "Where did you learn that song?"

"I don't know." Archer lied casually. "I remember someone singing it to me to help me sleep."

"Amazing..." Papa breathed as he stared at his snoozing Smurfs.

"Well, congratulations." Archer whispered. "You get the first dance with me tomorrow night."

"My pleasure." Papa nodded. "Now how about you get some sleep?"

"I will." Archer assured. "I'm just going to watch them. I still have guard duty."

Papa laughed lightly and shook his head. "Very well. Goodnight, my little tomboy Smurfette."

"Goodnight Papa." Archer waved as he left. She piled a few more logs onto the fire and crossed her legs to meditate. She closed her eyes and sighed through her nose, dreaming about tomorrow night.


Vanity looked all around at the mirrors surrounding him. He checked himself out at every possible angle to look for any imperfections. When he saw none, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Oh you handsome beast." He sighed lovingly at his nearest reflection. "How could anything be wrong with you?" He kissed his refection a dozen times. "Now I know I'll be ready for tonight." He checked his clock. "Too bad it's only three o'clock. The dance isn't until seven." Vanity sighed dramatically, hugging one of his mirrors. "Oh, how much longer must the Smurfs wait to witness my magnificence?!"

Knock knock knock. "Vanity." Knock knock knock. "Vanity." Knock knock knock. "Vanity."

"Coming!" Vanity called. He shed his formal wear and pulled on his usual pants and hat before hurrying downstairs to open the door. "Good afternoon, Archer! How are you this wonderful day?"

"Smurfy." Archer said hurriedly, pushing Vanity inside and shutting the door behind her. "Vanity, I have something important to ask you and I'm really embarrassed to ask and I don't know who to turn to."

Vanity blinked in surprise. "Well, considering how much you've helped me, I'd be happy to help."

"Great." Archer smiled. "Listen, the dance is tonight. Tailor's gonna be finished with my dress soon. But, in all honesty, I have no idea what to do with things like my hair or my face or...anything. Can you help?"

Vanity broke out in smiles. "Why of course! Oh, I've been waiting for you to ask me that for months!" He pulled Archer further inside and up to his bedroom. Archer jumped a little as she caught sight of her reflection every way she looked. But she kept close behind Vanity as he continued. She was led to his vanity, currently covered in makeup and had a huge mirror attached to it.

"What the smurf is this?" Archer asked.

"My vanity." Vanity said simply.

"You're named after a piece of furniture?"

"No."

"But you said this was a vanity. You're name is Vanity."

"Call it a desk then, but I'm not named after it!"

Archer chuckled. Vanity pulled up a chair and took a look at Archer's hair, brushing it with his fingers, bunching it, straightening it, and twisting it around. Then he lifted her chin and took a look at her face. "My, my, you have dirt and dust everywhere!"

"I live for dirt and dust." Archer smirked.

Vanity rolled his eyes. "Alright. I'm going to give you some special soap and facial scrub. Go home and take a bath with them; scrub up really well."

"You calling me dirty?"

"No!" Vanity shook his head. "Just to make sure the soap gets in real well and you'll smell nice. Then you won't need perfume." He opened one of the drawers to his desk and pulled out two bottles of colorful soaps. "I'll go get your dress from Tailor and you can get ready."

"Meet back here at five?" Archer suggested.

"Perfect." Vanity nodded.

"Done." Archer took the soaps and the pair journeyed outside. "By the way, have you seen Gutsy around?"

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Gutsy since breakfast." Vanity noted. "I thought I saw him a couple times, but he's been awfully sparse today." He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask? Aren't you dating Don Smurfo? Or, on a more important note, didn't you vow to never marry?"

"First off, both of those notes are incorrect." Archer corrected. "I just worry about him; one of these days, he's gonna smurf himself into a heap of trouble."


Gutsy muttered to himself as he worked, making sure everything was absosmurfly perfect. If it wasn't 1,000% perfect, Gutsy had to take twenty minutes to fix it. But when everything was the way Gutsy liked it, he stood back to get a better look. He smiled broadly and nodded in complete satisfaction.

"Eh, Gutsy!"

Gutsy jumped and spun around to Don Smurfo a few feet behind him. He frantically tried to hide his work from the Italian Smurf, but Don Smurfo kept trying to see.

"What-a are you working on?" Don Smurfo asked, trying to see past the Scottish Smurf. "It looks-a so smurfy!"

"It's nothing!" Gutsy said hurriedly. "Go away!"

"Why?" Don Smurfo asked quizzically. "Do you-a have a date coming and don't want-a me here?"

"No." Gutsy said hurriedly. "Well, sorta. But not really. Kinda. Yes. No. Uh...maybe."

Don Smurfo laughed, twirling his mustache a little. "Gutsy, you are-a so funny."

Gutsy's eye twitched. "Huh?"

"You don't-a have to hide it." Don Smurfo patted Gutsy's shoulder. "Who's the lucky Smurfarina?"

Gutsy rubbed the back of his head. "Uh...I can't really tell ya."

"Why not?"

"Well, she may like you instead of me, so I don' know if this'll even work."

Don Smurfo finally nodded. "You like Archer, don't you?"

Gutsy hung his head with a groan. "Is it dat obvious?"

"Not-a really." Don Smurfo admitted. "But I saw how you were-a fighting during the competition. You really care about her."

"I want nothing more dan ta make her happy." Gutsy admitted. "But I dunno if she feels da same."

"You have to ask." Don Smurfo shrugged.

Gutay huffed. "Aren't you already her Smurf in shinin' armor?"

Don Smurfo laughed. "I see. You're jealous."

"No!"

Don Smurfo raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe a little."

"Look, I do love-a my Smurfarina." Don Smurfo admitted. "But it would not-a work."

"Why?" Gutsy raised a rusty eyebrow. "You vowed ta protect her with yer life."

"I know." Don Smurfo nodded. "But...can-a I tell you something?"

"Of course." Gutsy nodded.

Don Smurfo sighed. "I think I'm going back to-a my book. I miss my adventures. I miss my golden eagle. I would-a love to return home, even for a little while."

Gutsy nodded. "What about Archer?"

Don Smurfo looked off into the distance. "She needs love. Not-a family love. She needs love from a mate." Don Smurfo drew his saber, pinned Gutsy to a rock, and put his blade to the Scotsmurf's throat. "I'm-a only going to warn you once, Smurfbino. If you do not-a treat her right, if you-a hurt her in any way whatsoever, I'll run you through with my-a sword. Got it?"

Gutsy stared at Don Smurfo and started laughing. "Deal."

Don Smurfo laughed and released his kin. They shoved each other playfully as they journeyed home.

A/N: I'd like to note that the whole "Knock knock knock. Vanity." thing was so a Big Bang Theory reference. Love it! Stay tuned for the next chapter tonight!