Crazy Dave was preparing tacos, grilling hamburgers, and serving hot dogs in the backyard garden for the Plants to enjoy. Peashooter and Sunflower were sitting alongside each other, eating their tacos and sharing Sun Chips with the other. Cactus and Andy had gone off to eat at their favorite taco restaurant, El Taco Loco, a place most people just called El Taco Loco. Chomper had been awakened by the aroma of hamburger meat and freshly peeled lettuce, and joined in the festivities. The other sunflowers, aside from Fire Flower, were gathered near the pool, sunbathing and chatting along. Agent Pea, Law Pea and Commando Pea were having a friendly conversation with Kernel, as well as listening to Kernel tell stories of his battles. Rose and Citron were also chatting together, primarily about their experiences in their respective eras.

"So I'm airdropped into Germany with my squadron and I'm climbing up the crumbling buildings to get a vantage point. I look out and see a sizeable group of Foot Soldiers marching to our position, so I communicate to the others to be ready to signal a Butter Barrage." Kernel detailed a recent battle to the peashooters.

"This gon' be good." Law Pea commented.

Agent Pea and Commando Pea stayed silent, for they were quite invested in Kernel's story.

"So then the Zombie squadron got close enough to engage. Knowing we could ambush them, we did exactly that. We all tossed our Hot Potatoes at the Zombies to signal our air support to drop down their butter missiles. We got almost all of them, and we finished off the ones that survived. The aftermath was quite the cleanup job." Kernel finished his story.

"Why wasn't I assigned to your team? They are all hardcore!" Commando Pea cheered.

"I am quite curious, Kernel. What is it like in Germany right now?" Agent Pea asked Kernel.

"The town we were marching through was the border divide between Plant and Zombie territory. That town looked like something out of World War II." Kernel answered.

"Do tell…" Agent Pea responded.

"I just gotta know. What does a hardtack taste like?" Law Pea asked.

"It tastes like if you took a brick of Plant Food, dipped it in tar and oil, sprinkled wood fibers on it, and then oven baked it for 24 hours so that any nutrients still remaining in the Plant Food are taken away. In other words, eating dirt is better than eating hardtacks, because at least then you could potentially get some damn nutrition out of it." Kernel explained, causing the peashooters to laugh heartily.


Rose had picked up a hot dog and a taco, and was uncertain of which to eat first.

"Citron, dear. I require your personal opinion. Should I consume the hot dog or the taco first?" Rose asked Citron.

Citron was busy eating his hamburger, using a holographic tray and robotic utensils to help him eat due to his lack of hands.

"You want me to tell you if you should eat a hot dog over a taco? Suppose next you'll be askin' me what dress looks good on you." Citron scoffed.

"Please Citron, I'm serious. It comes to my attention that Crazy Dave is a renowned taco cook, suggesting that tacos are his specialty. But a hot dog is considered delicious as well, celebrated throughout the world. It does not take much effort to make a hot dog however…" Rose rambled.

"Rose, what are you going on about? Tacos and hot dogs aren't even foods that exist in your time period. It ain't my job to tell you what decisions to make. Eat what you want." Citron interrupted.

"Oh, alright then." Rose said.

Rose glanced back and forth between the hot dog and taco, heavily split between the two foods. She eventually settled on the taco, and took a small bite. She smiled euphorically, finding sheer bliss in the taste, and quickly ate the rest of the taco.

"Here, have my hot dog. I don't want it anymore." Rose said to Citron, giggling as she went to get another taco from Crazy Dave.

"Sweet." Citron said, happy to receive a free hot dog.


"Here you go. One Crazy Taco, on the house." Crazy Dave said, giving the prepared taco to Rose.

"Thank you kindly." Rose thanked.

"Why did I give you a Crazy Taco?" Crazy Dave said to Rose.

"Pardon?" Rose responded.

"BECAUSE I'M CRAZY!" Crazy Dave yelled at the top of his lungs.

Rose laughed at Crazy Dave's silliness and nodded in concurrence.

As Rose walked away, Crazy Dave looked around the backyard and grinned happily. Seeing the Plants happy filled him with satisfaction and joy, to the point where he almost forgot that the Plants were fighting a war. Penny was beside the grill, performing many computational operations. She was currently running temporal simulations to attempt to predict the future (to no avail) and analyzing the fabric of time and space in search of new Plant mercenaries (with some success). Her primary task was to discover a safe haven for the Plants, a place for refuge from the threat of war and Zombies. She scanned through time and space to find a location that met the requirements of a perfect haven for Plants. There would be no Zombies present in the haven, no possible way for Zombies to intrude upon the haven, a constant supply of sunlight for photosynthesis, and a moonlit night for nocturnal Plants.

Suddenly, Penny found it. The perfect place that was akin to Plant Heaven. Penny began beeping excitedly at her discovery.

"User Dave, I have found it! The perfect haven for the Plants!" Penny electronically cheered.

"Steal my taco recipe! You did? Where is it?" Crazy Dave said, excited by Penny's finding.

"I am unable to detect the precise temporal and spacial coordinates of the location, but I am able to see what it looks like. It is absolutely beautiful, User Dave. One part of the location is a lush rainforest, another part is a sunny meadow, yet another part is a grassy field, yet another part is a marsh. It is a culmination of every place a Plant can inhabit." Penny explained.

"Aren't there desert plants too? What about them?" Crazy Dave said.

"There is even a desert area, User Dave, for that purpose. This location is the perfect world for the Plants." Penny answered.

"What should we call this place, Penny?" Crazy Dave asked.

"I think you will agree with me on this, User Dave. We will name it after a famous garden. We shall name it…" Penny began.

Crazy Dave and Penny stated, at the same time, their new name for this perfect haven:

"Eden."


Sunflower was greatly enjoying the company of Peashooter and Marigold, Peashooter seated close by Sunflower and Marigold seated comfortably next to Sunflower in a lawn chair with a blanket and pillow.

"Here Mary, do you want a Sun Chip?" Sunflower offered to Marigold.

"I don't know if I can eat yet, but I'll try. Thank you." Marigold said, accepting Sunflower's offer.

Marigold took a small bite of the Sun Chip and chewed slowly. When she tried swallowing the chip, she coughed out the crumbs, unable to swallow the dry food. Sunflower gave Marigold a glass of lemonade, knowing she could drink normally.

"Not quite, huh? Sorry about that Mary." Sunflower said as Marigold took a sip of lemonade.

"It's alright. I feel so much better now that I took the medicine. Thank you for that." Marigold assured Sunflower.

"You're welcome. Anything for a good friend." Sunflower replied.

Sunflower took another Sun Chip and held it up to Peashooter.

"Do you want one, Peashooter?" Sunflower asked.

"Sure." Peashooter replied.

Peashooter leaned in to bite the chip, only to have Sunflower plant a kiss on his cheek. He recoiled and covered his blushing face in embarrassment.

"Dang it Sunflower, that's cheating!" Peashooter said, hot and flustered.

Sunflower and Marigold giggled at Peashooter's reaction, knowing it was all for fun. Sunflower affectionately wrapped her leaves around Peashooter and gave him a squeeze. Peashooter, unable to help himself, hugged Sunflower back, always happy to be with her.

"Sunflower?" Fire Flower said as she approached the group.

"Hi Fire! Up already?" Sunflower said, releasing Peashooter from her grasp.

"Yeah, I'll sleep later. It was too early to be sleeping anyway." Fire Flower said.

"Come join us Fire! You must be hungry, and unlike me, you can eat food." Marigold invited Fire Flower.

"It's okay, I'm not hungry." Fire Flower replied.

"Well, come sit with us anyway. Everyone's having a blast right now, even Peashooter. Is that right?" Sunflower said, motioning to Peashooter.

"Yeah, I guess so." Peashooter responded.

"I will…but, uh, Sunflower?" Fire Flower said.

"Yes, Fire?" Sunflower answered.

"I need to tell you something. For you only." Fire Flower stated.

"Oh, I see. I'll be back in a little bit, ok you two?" Sunflower said to Marigold and Peashooter.

"OK." Marigold and Peashooter replied.

Fire Flower and Sunflower walked away to the side of the garage, where no one else could hear their conversation.

"Ok, Fire. What are you going to tell me? Did you do something bad?" Sunflower said jokingly.

"God, I sure hope not." Fire Flower replied in the same joking tone.

Sunflower and Fire Flower giggled, and continued.

"Really, though. What is it?" Sunflower said.

"Well…" Fire Flower started.

Fire Flower looked down and rubbed her arm nervously, unable to continue.

"Fire, whatever it is, I will understand. I promise." Sunflower reassured Fire Flower.

"Ok, if you say so…" Fire Flower said.

Fire Flower took a deep breath and looked up at Sunflower.

"So, about me and my friend on Grapevine…" Fire Flower spoke.

"Yes, what about her? Did you two agree on meeting?" Sunflower questioned.

"Well yeah, but that's not what I wanted to tell you." Fire Flower answered.

"What did you want to tell me?" Sunflower asked.

"She and I…have been talking for about a year now, and we…" Fire Flower began until her voice trailed off.

"Don't be nervous Fire. Whatever you have to say can't be bad." Sunflower said, attempting to make Fire Flower feel better about talking.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop beating around the bush." Fire Flower replied.

Fire Flower shut her eyes, exhaled once more, and resumed.

"She and I are…not just friends." Fire Flower finally stated.

"Fire, I'm not sure what you mean." Sunflower said, tilting her head in confusion.

Fire Flower tapped her leaves in anxiety, waiting for Sunflower to understand. Sunflower thought hard about Fire Flower's statement, attempting to read between the lines. Then, it clicked in her mind, and Sunflower covered her mouth in surprise and realization.

"Fire, you mean to say that you're…" Sunflower stated before being interrupted by Fire Flower.

"Y-Yes…do I need to spell it out?" Fire Flower said, her face reddening and her stomach filled with butterflies.

Sunflower looked at Fire Flower, smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, Fire. You were nervous to tell me that? You're so silly sometimes!" Sunflower chirped.

"Huh?" Fire Flower responded, surprised by Sunflower's response.

"Of course you like girls! Most sunflowers are fluid!" Sunflower stated.

"Sunflower, what are you talking about?" Fire Flower asked.

"I'll try and be concise. Through a combination of evolution and botanical engineering, sunflowers tend to be flexible in finding mates. Not only do we hook up with other Plant races, we're also not particularly picky about gender. The other sunflowers are no different from you." Sunflower explained.

"Really?" Fire Flower said.

"Shadow Flower is fluid, Metal Petal is bisexual, and Power Flower was a lesbian like you are. I remember years back when she was still alive, she tried asking me out. When I explained to her that I 'didn't swing that way', she couldn't stop blushing for an hour!" Sunflower explained further, chuckling at the story about Power Flower.

"What about Mystic?" Fire Flower inquired.

"Now Mystic, she's kind of an exception to the 'most sunflowers are fluid' rule. She's asexual, or at least that's what it seems to me. She never really told any of us." Sunflower answered.

"And you?" Fire Flower asked further.

"I'm another exception. I've always been straight. But my point is, we're all different in this way, and it doesn't make us bad. Just to be clear, have you ever looked at any boy Plants and thought they were cute?" Sunflower stated and asked.

"Well…no." Fire Flower muttered.

Sunflower cupped her leaf around Fire Flower's cheek and had her make eye contact to let her know how sincere she was.

"That's fine Fire. That's just the way you are. I don't mind if you like girls. If anything, I'm happy for you. This girl on Grapevine, is she kind to you?" Sunflower said.

"Of course she is." Fire Flower replied.

"Do you enjoy talking to her?" Sunflower asked further.

"We talk almost every day." Fire Flower answered.

"Do you love her?" Sunflower finalized.

"…Yes. Meeting her was the best thing that happened to me ever since my parents died. But I want to be with her in person. I want to hold her in my leaves so that I know she's real. That's all I want now." Fire Flower said, tears welling in her eyes.

Sunflower wiped away Fire Flower's tears and gave her a caring smile.

"That's all that matters. Where does she live?" Sunflower whispered.

"She lives in an amusement park called 'Seeds of Time', but everyone calls it Time Park." Fire Flower said.

"We'll tell Crazy Dave about this, and I'm willing to bet that he'll take us there. But only after the wedding." Sunflower told Fire Flower.

"Wedding? Cactus and Andy are getting married this week?" Fire Flower said.

"Yes. Don't worry; we can go to Time Park as soon as the ceremony is over. Sound good?" Sunflower said.

"Ok…" Fire Flower said, drying her eyes.

"Good. Come have a taco with us." Sunflower said, wrapping her leaf around Fire Flower as she began to lead her back to the party.

"Wait…there's one more thing I have to tell you." Fire Flower said, causing Sunflower to stop.

"What is it, Fire?" Sunflower asked.

At that moment, Fire Flower gave Sunflower a tight embrace and began to sob. Sunflower gasped in complete surprise as she listened to Fire Flower crying in her chest.

"I just want to tell you, I really miss my mom. But ever since she died, you've done so much to help me cope. You talk to me when I need it, and you support me every day. Mom would have appreciated you doing these things for me." Fire Flower stated, her words often interrupted by her sobbing.

"I…" Sunflower stuttered, still in surprise.

"I know you're not my mom. You'll never be my mom. I can't ask that of you. But I just want you to know, thank you so much for everything. I won't ask very much from you…" Fire Flower said.

In that moment, Sunflower planted a kiss on Fire Flower's forehead, causing Fire Flower to look up at Sunflower in surprise.

"Fire…I really care about you. More than you realize. When Solara died, I could feel and hear your heart breaking. I knew, in that moment, that you needed someone to fill in for her. I admit, I haven't done the best job of being a mom. Me and Peashooter have yet to reach that point in our lives." Sunflower whispered and chuckled.

"You've been doing just fine on your own, Fire. You're 18 years old and looking for a partner now. I'd like to think I may have played a part in helping you heal and grow. Your parents would have been glad to see you so happy and grown up." Sunflower continued.

"I just said that you don't have to be my mom…" Fire Flower started to say.

"I know…I can't be your mom. But I will always be your guardian if you want me to." Sunflower said.

"Please. Thank you for everything." Fire Flower whispered.

"You're welcome." Sunflower said with a smile.

Fire Flower pulled away from Sunflower and wiped away her remaining tears.

"Feeling better?" Sunflower asked.

"Yes…" Fire Flower replied.

"Great. We'll be waiting for you. Join us whenever you're ready." Sunflower said as she walked back to Marigold and Peashooter.

Fire Flower leaned against the wall and reflected on her conversation with Sunflower. She pulled out her smartphone and messaged Stuffy Flower through Grapevine.

Blazechick: I did it. I told her.

Stuffleupagus: How do you feel?

Blazechick: I feel like I can breathe better than ever.

Stuffleupagus: See? I knew you'd feel better.

Blazechick: Even better, I'll be able to bring my friends to Time Park in a few days!

Stuffleupagus: That's great! I can't wait to see you!

Blazechick: Me too.

Stuffleupagus: I love you! See you soon! :-*

Blazechick: I love you too! :'-*

Stuffleupagus: Is that a crying kiss?

Blazechick: I'm still crying…

Stuffleupagus: Don't cry. You should feel good about yourself.

Blazechick: I do, and that's why I'm crying!

Stuffleupagus: LOL, that's good! I love you, sweetie!

Blazechick: I love you too, baby!


At El Taco Loco, Cactus and Andy were seated at their VIP table, enjoying a fancy 3-course taco meal together. Andy was perched atop a high chair so that he could comfortably eat across from his bride.

"How do you like your sardine taco, cutie?" Cactus cooed.

Andy, with his index cards ready, replied:

"Absolutely delicious, dear."

Cactus smiled, happy to know that Andy was satisfied. The waiter of the restaurant, Dave-Bot 3000, approached the table and addressed the couple.

"Can I help you with anything else tonight?" Dave-Bot asked in a very digitized voice.

"We're ready for the dessert course. Vanilla Flan and Chocolate Cookie please." Cactus replied.

"*programming query: serve dessert* *initiating executable tasks, flan. exe and chococookie. exe* Coming right up!" Dave-Bot beeped loudly before leaving to fetch the desserts.

"It's not quite the same as being served by Crazy Dave himself, but it'll do. Are you excited to get married, Andy?" Cactus said to Andy.

Andy replies:

"I am out of index cards."

"We'll probably get Crazy Dave and Penny to give you an SGD so you don't have to use index cards anymore. By the way, you don't have to use a card. I already know what you were going to say." Cactus said with a smile.

Andy nibbles on his taco, knowingly. Though he could not speak, Cactus seemed to know everything he was going to say long before he could say it. This uncanny ability to easily empathize with him was just one of the reasons Andy loved Cactus.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just got back from CA a few days ago, and have been working on this chapter since. Writing the segment about Fire Flower coming out was quite difficult, even though I have heard many stories about the same topic. "Coming out" is not something I have personally witnessed, so I had to be careful when portraying it, so as to avoid inaccuracy. Hopefully, I have done fine in writing it. Once again, and I cannot say this enough times, thank you to everyone who has supported this story, especially GamerGirlandCo, Asiandude0111, and all the guest reviewers. Thank you everyone!