Jim was roused from his slumber as a loud voice registered in his mind.

"Uncle Jim!" Jo squealed excitedly. "Wake up, Uncle Jim!" She began to shake him. He was too tired to completely notice what she called him.

"I'm up, I'm up," He replied slowly, a smile on his face, before yawning. Jim looked at his alarm clock. It was only 6:02. "I see someone's excited for today." The girl was already completely dressed and wearing her shoes.

Jim got out of bed and went to get dressed. He donned a pair of dark blue jeans and a gray T-shirt that Bones had given him. The second he had one arm in his leather jacket, Joanna ran out the door, calling his name to hurry up.

"Okay, okay," Jim chuckled. "Just let me get my coat on."

They passed by Mrs. McCoy in the entryway and she smiled at them amusingly. "I'll tell Leonard you're gone," She called to them as Joanna tugged on Jim's arm.

"Thank you, Ma'am." He smiled back at her.

The second the front door closed and the frigid air hit him, he knew it was a good thing he brought a jacket. The sun had not yet peaked over the horizon, the chilly air from the night still lingering, and the dark lamp posts were still lit. Joanna was skipping along beside Jim who had to almost jog to keep up.

Most of the Georgian trees kinda looked like they belonged in a swamp, the Spanish moss clinging to their branches and hanging limply. The only ones that looked nice were the palm trees—which were apparently just decorative, according to Bones—and the flowering trees. It reminded him of the apple trees in his neighbor's yard back in Riverwood; he and Sam would always race to the orchard to see who was the fastest. Sam would always let Jim win. He smiled as an idea popped into his head.

"So, Jo," he paused, "are you up for a game?" Jim looked down at the girl. Her dark hair bounced with each step and she wouldn't stop smiling.

"What kind of game, Uncle Jim?"

"A race." He smirked. Joanna's face lit up and a look of determination settled in. "A race to that tree." He pointed to a medium-sized tree, tall enough for Jim to walk underneath. It was covered to the brim in little white flowers. It was less than a block away and nowhere near the road.

Joanna narrowed her eyes smugly. "I accept."

They both got down into a starting position, one that Joanna insisted upon, that resembled what runners in the Olympics of the 21st Century used. Their toes were behind the starting line(which in reality was only the space in between the sidewalk) and their eyes were fixed on the finish line.

"Ready..." Jim started.

"Set…"

"Go!" They yelled in unison.

They both sprung up and started to sprint for the tree. The wind blew at their faces as they ran down the sidewalk, their feet pounding the ground and sending jolts up their legs. Jim was right behind the little girl as she ran for the finish. "I'm going to beat you, Uncle Jim!" She giggled between breaths.

"Are you sure about that?" Jim called back. He gave a lopsided grin when the girl looked back at him. Jim started to huff and pant, exaggerating his breathing and slowing down.

The distance to the tree was dwindling fast now and Joanna put on a burst of speed. The second the bark was within smacking distance, she quickly clapped her hand to it. "I win!"

The sun chose that moment to creep over the horizon, its bright rays casting a soft yellow on the houses around them.

Jim closed the distance between him and Joanna and bent over, making it seem like he was catching his breath. Joanna was blocking the light with her hand, but Jim could see the huge smile plastered on her face.

Jim laughed heartily. "Yes, you did. You're much too fast for me to keep up." He paused to grab one of the flowers hanging from the branches above them, gently placing it behind Joanna's ear. The white complimented her hair and made the sun's rays seem to shine brighter. "Now," He clapped his hands together. "We don't have to race to the park, do we? I don't know if my ego can take another loss."

"No, let's walk," Joanna laughed. "I'm too tired to run."


To his surprise, the park was right around the corner. It was an open field with a small forest around it. Jim could see a pair of red swings at the far end but there weren't any playgrounds.

Joanna peered around at the park, seeming to be looking for something. She must have found it because her face lit up like a lightbulb.

"I wanna pick some flowers, Uncle Jim" She pointed excitedly to a large patch of blue and yellow wildflowers and was practically bouncing up and down. She started to drag Jim towards it.

"Okay," He beamed at her. "Let's go pick some flowers." Jim bent down to kneel in the grass, looking at Joanna who was standing crouched next to him.

"Do you know how to make a flower crown?" She asked.

A look of surprise crossed Jim's face. He didn't even know the first step to making a flower crown. All he can remember about flowers in his childhood… was his mother's disapproving face.


"Mom!" Jim smiled brightly. "I brought you flowers!" He was carrying a handful of dandelions he found behind one of the corn stalks outside. The stems were tied together with a blade of grass and had a tiny bow attached made from discarded corn husks.

His mother turned but didn't quite look at him. "I told you last time." She shook her head disappointedly, her eyes narrowing. "I am allergic to pollen. Get those weeds out of the house and do your chores." She growled gruffly.

She walked hastily to her room and closed the door, her blond hair flowing behind her.

"Okay, Mom." Jim lowered his eyes in shame, the flowers falling to the ground. He walked to the kitchen and began to do the dishes, the flowers forgotten.


Jim shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Um, no, I don't know how to make a flower crown."

"Grandma taught me how." She's paused as if to think. "Do you want me to teach you?"

"Only if we bring one back for your dad." He replied. His smile twisted into an evil smirk as images of Bones wearing flowers flooded his mind. He could imagine the look the doctor would give him.

Joanna giggled. "Yes!"

They began to pick the prettiest flowers and put them into a pile. Joanna seemed to get distracted from the goal and ended up picking random clovers and finding small rocks and sticks covering the soil.

"I like this rock!" She was holding a small granite-colored rock in her tiny hand.

"That is a very nice rock!" Jim exclaimed. "We can bring all of the rocks and sticks home along with the flowers if you want," He chuckled happily.

Her smile widened. "Then I want this one too!" It was a black rock with random tan splotches mixed in.

"Just make a pile for them and I can carry them home."

"Okay!"

They knelt like that for a while, the pile of flowers, rocks, and sticks growing the longer they stayed. The sun was about one-fourth the way up the sky and was already warming up the air around them. He could hear birds chirping in the forest and the soft buzzing of bees in the flower patch in front of them.

This was one of the only times Jim's ever been this relaxed; he left all his stress back at the academy. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second.

"So, how about that flower crown lesson you promised me?"

"Okay, Uncle Jim!" Joanna replied happily. "First, you have to grab the flowers you want and pick out a pattern." She proceeded to grab a bunch of yellow flowers and a couple of blue ones. "Then you do this." Her hands started to wrap and knot the stems gently together to form a circle. "Aaand tada! A flower crown!" She held up her creation proudly.

Jim tried to copy her, wrapping his mostly blue flowers together along with a couple of clovers. "Like this?" His crown was a little loose and lopsided, but it surprisingly stayed together.

"Yes!"

Jim studied at the crown. "I think this one should be for your dad." He was holding back his amusement as much as he could, but he didn't think it worked very well if the expression on Joanna's face was anything to go by. He held the flower creation out to her. "Can you hold this for me while I make my own?"

"Of course!"