The day of the dance had the Walton's house buzzing with excitement. Joy tugged nervously at her new dress as she looked at herself in the full length mirror. Just as Emma had told her the yellow and green trimmed dress did indeed made her green eyes pop. Her long hair fell down the near full length of her back while Mary Ellen worked on braiding it into one single braid.
"Please stop moving Joy." Mary Ellen said as Joy tugged on her dress again. "I'm almost done with this."
"Sorry Mary Ellen." Joy said dropping her hands and standing still. "I guess I'm just nervous about tonight."
Mary Ellen grinned as she finished her braid with a matching yellow and green ribbon she had asked her grandmother earlier that day for. "It's going to be fine. No need to be worried." she smiled and hugged her sister.
Joy smiled and looked at herself on the mirror again. She smiled at her reflection before Emma came in wearing her new blue dress.
"Want me to do your hair too, Emma?" Mary Ellen asked.
"No, thanks." Emma said. "I'm not doing anything special."
Mary Ellen left the room after making sure Joy and Emma were ready for the dance.
Joy slowly sat down on the edge of her bed and let out a shaky breath. Emma looked up at her and was curious when she pulled out a small rectangular shape from underneath her pillow. It was wrapped in old newspaper and Joy was nervously smacking it against her palm.
"What's that, Joy?" Emma asked as she tugged nervously at her own dress making sure it was fitting right.
"Oh...just a gift..." Joy said feeling her cheeks heat up slightly. She glanced up at Emma who pulled her long black hair into a ponytail and tying a matching color blue ribbon into her hair. "Emma, do you think John and Olivia will be angry at me if I missed a few days of school?"
"I think they would." Emma said looking at her younger sister, who lowered her shoulders. "Why? What's going on, Joy?"
"I'm needing to go back home." Joy said softly reaching underneath her pillow again and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
"But you're already home." Emma said confused trying to see what the paper had said.
"Home as in St. Louis Missouri. The home before coming here."
"Why do you need to go back?" Emma asked not liking the shifty eyes her sister was making. "Joy?" she pressed gently when Joy didn't say anything.
"I just need to go back for a few days." She stood up and tucked the piece of paper into a small pocket in her dress and looked at herself in the mirror. "I should tell Jason shouldn't I?"
"I think you should." Emma said not liking the fact Joy was actually thinking of leaving Walton's Mountain. "But couldn't this wait?"
"No, it can't." Joy said standing up and leaving the room not wanting to have more questions thrown at her.
The house was filled with normal talk of excitement while the two youngest,Jim Bob and Elizabeth, grumbled of not being able to go to the dance. Joy slowly walked down and Olivia smiled at her.
"You look beautiful, Joy." Olivia said throwing her arms around her and holding her tight. "Here I got you something for tonight." Olivia walked over to the bag she had hidden in one of the cupboards and took a moment to search through it. Upon finding the one in yellow paper she smiled and handed it to Joy.
"Thank you, Olivia." Joy said her hands staring to shake as she placed her gift for Jason on the table and after getting nod from Olivia began to unwrap it. She stopped when she came with a small cardboard box and she lifted the lid. With a shocked expression she looked up from the gift to Olivia then back down at the small gem necklace. "Thank you, Olivia." Joy said wrapping her arms around her mother figure for the past four years. "It's beautiful!"
"I thought you girls should have something nice to wear at the dance tonight." Olivia said as Joy rushed over to a mirror and attached the necklace around her. "I want you to have a wonderful night. But no funny business."
"Don't worry, Olivia," Joy said wrapping her arms around Olivia again. "I know I'll behave."
Olivia smiled and kissed Joy gently on the forehead happy to see such a fine young woman in front of her.
"Jason, you're looking handsome." Grandma Esther said making Joy blush before slowly turning around.
Jason stood tugging nervously at his suit that once belong to John Boy but found it was a perfect fit for him. He swallowed nervously as he pushed some of his hair aside.
"You really do look handsome, Jason." Joy said blushing and looking shyly away.
Jason smiled and blushed too his mouth going wide. "You look beautiful." He said and cleared his throat as John Boy came behind him and gently nudged his younger brother towards her. Joy looked confused until Jason pulled out a daisy and handed it to her. "It's all I could afford." He said clearing his throat.
"It's beautiful, thank you Jason." Joy said sliding the daisy behind her ear. Olivia and Grandma Esther watched as Jason's face went nearly as red as his own hair.
"I think..." Jason's voice was high and squeaky making Olivia and Elizabeth, who had been silently watching the scene play out, giggle. Jason cleared his throat before starting again. "I think we should head on down. We could help with the chairs."
"I think that's a great idea." Joy said with a smile. She slowly walked over towards him and locked her arm around his.
"Have a great time at the dance." Olivia called out as Jason grabbed hold of Joy's jacket and draped it over his other arm in case she needed it.
"Bye Momma." Jason said waving and left the house.
~DSCWIN~
Joy, on the entire walk towards the dance hall, kept quiet as she stared at the ground and blushed when she felt the flower petals tickling the side of her head. She trembled when they walked as his arm flexed slightly underneath his jacket of his suit. The gift she had for him tucked snug in the crevice of her arm.
"You're not getting cold are you?" Jason asked breaking the silence that had been going since they left the house.
"No..." Joy said smiling and looking up at him. "I'm good."
Jason looked down and their eyes locked on hers. The area around vanished and Jason had to stop on the side of the road to keep himself from bumping into things.
He felt himself being pulled into a day dream. He was standing beside her next to the pond and they're holding hands. Both are looking deeply into one another's eyes and both were smiling. He watched as he slowly fell to one knee, one hand still clutching one of hers as he pulls out a ring.
Jason blushed as he felt her hand being gently pressed against his cheek.
"Jason, you alright?" Joy's face was stretched in worry.
"I'm fine...yes I'm fine." Jason said smirking with embarrassment. She's still fourteen; he thought as the daydream played again. She's way to young for that. "Come on. Lets get you to that dance."
Joy giggled as she laced her arm back through his.
~DSCWIN~
The dance hall was quiet as they were still trying to set out chairs but there was a few people already standing around talking quietly. Joy wanted to press closer to Jason but didn't want to embarrass him in front of those that were there. She didn't know how people would feel that she was going with Jason Walton, the son of the family that took her in. She shook her fear away when everyone turned to see who had arrived, they had simply smiled seeing and some of the boys there gave Jason a thumbs up as a congratulations.
"Let's go sit down," Jason said leading her to a set of chairs away from the door. "I don't want your feet hurting before we start dancing."
Joy chuckled and blushed nodding slightly as she agreed.
"You know giving that money to Daddy and Momma was very sweet of you, Joy." Jason said as they looked into each other's eyes. "You really didn't need to do that."
"I know." Joy said with a humble shrug. "But it didn't feel right to keep all that money when your parents have done so much for me, Emma and all of you. Don't tell Olivia but the Baldwins want to buy another one of my paintings. They're even wanting to throw a little party to show off my work for others to buy them too."
Jason smiled and gave her a warm hug. "Joy that's wonderful. How are you going to be able to pull it off without Momma finding out?"
Joy looked away sheepishly. "I'm not sure yet. But I might need some help from those that don't mind the Baldwins."
Jason and Joy looked at each other as their eyes sparkled. "Grandpa." They both said before bursting into soft laughter.
Jason loved seeing the light sparkling in Joy's eyes as they reattached to one another. He could feel his heart pounding as his face slowly inched closer. His stomach flipped around and around until he was sure his insides were all knotted up as he saw her slowly lean closer to him. But before their lips could touch Joy sat back and looked around frantic as her hand went up to her throat.
"It's gone!" She said looking around the area she was sitting at.
"What's gone?" Jason asked, but looking around hoping to spot something that looked out of place.
"My necklace. The necklace Olivia had gotten me." Joy felt tears filling up her eyes as she stood up and began to pace the room looking desperately at the floor before stopping at the door and looking outside. "My necklace...it's gone..."
Jason slowly walked up to her and gently placed an arm around her shoulders. Joy turned around and buried her face into his chest before being lead back to the chairs they were sitting. Jason held her tight and leaned his cheek on top of her head. He understood why should be upset. The very first Christmas Jason watched as Joy, who wasn't expecting anything, received a handmade easel from his father. She still had that easel and she took really good care of it. Now she felt as though she had let his mother down by loosing her gift to her. All he could do was try and reassure her that she wasn't at any fault.