A/N: No it's not the end. And please don't hate me ;)

Chapter 17: Surprise Around the Corner

A few days had passed since Karen had come to visit Jack. It wasn't like he was trying to avoid her, but he was unsure of what to think of the situation that he found himself currently in. He had always had a bit of a crush on Karen, but she was in what seemed like a very serious and long-term relationship with Rick.

After they had shared their long and passionate kiss Karen had snuggled up against Jack for a few moments. Then as if reality had finally sunk into her head, she pulled away from Jack. She excused herself and quickly left the farm, leaving behind a very confused farmer.

He didn't really want to think about it, so he spent his days working on the farm in the morning, and reading in the library in the afternoon. He wasn't really avoiding Karen; he was just doing as he usually did.

After all, he had planned on visiting her when the Magic flowers bloomed. The days just weren't passing by fast enough. The plants had finally started to grow to full but they weren't blooming fast enough for Jack's likes. He needed an excuse to go and visit Karen. It would probably be too awkward any other way.

On that particular Fall day Jack was walking to the library as he usually did after lunch. As he did he couldn't help but over hear a conversation between Anna and Manna as they went to their daily gabfest in the Town Square. He walked a bit slower in order to hear more.

"Have you heard anything about Lillia's condition?" Anna asked.

"I went to visit the poor dear the other day. She looks awful. She's confined to bed rest and Rick has been taking care of her around the clock. He looks exhausted. The poor family, without Popuri there to help out, I don't know what they are going to do. I'm afraid they'll go bankrupt and have to close the farm! How are they ever going to afford Lillia's medicine?"

The chatter continued on but they were going the opposite way from Jack and he could no longer hear what they were saying. He frowned. How did he not see how selfish Popuri was before?

Jack pushed open the heavy doors to the library to see Mary standing behind her counter by herself. She was holding one of her books and reading something out loud. She always looked so cute that way.

"…and the farm was revived!"

"Hey Mary."

The young librarian jumped when she heard Jack and quickly closed the book she was reading out of. Looking slightly embarrassed with flush cheeks, she hid the book and smiled at Jack. "Hello Jack, I didn't realize it was already time for you to stop by."

"Yeah it's after lunch already. The day just flies by when you are working hard. Speaking of working hard, is that your book by any chance?"

Mary blushed again a deep red. "Yes, it is."

"You promised me that I could read it someday."

"Yes I did," she adjusted her glasses, "but I said that I would let you read it when it's finished. I changed the direction the story is going in, so I think that it might be a while before it's done."

"Alright, but you better let me read it!" Jack winked at her, which caused her to blush again. He always found Mary to be fun to hang around with. She always had something interesting to say and a good book to read to get his mind off of things. "So what do you have for me to read today?"

Mary frowned. "I was so into writing that I didn't realize it was time for you to come. I don't have a book picked out."

That moment was when Gray finally walked in. He usually came about the same time as Jack, but this time he was a bit late. He nodded towards Jack and smiled at Mary. He handed her some green grass. "I got this while mining this morning."

Mary was blushing bright red. "I love this Gray! Thank you."

Jack was grinning. These two were so cute together. "I'll just head upstairs and see what books I can find myself." Mary nodded and Jack was on his way upstairs.

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That night Jack decided to have dinner at the Inn. He was sick of the usually rice balls he had every night and it was time to finally treat himself to a real meal. He couldn't wait until he could afford to buy himself a kitchen.

On the way to the Inn Jack ran into Elli who was going in the opposite direction of her house. "Hello Jack." She smiled when she saw him.

"Hey Elli, what are you doing heading this way this late at night?" He grinned at her.

"Rick needed some time off from taking care of Lillia so he asked me if I could do it for a few hours. I don't have anything else to do at night so I figured why not. I've been meaning to see how Lillia was doing anyways."

"That is really nice of you Elli."

"Well you do what you can to help people out. Makes me feel good." She was still smiling. She always seemed happy. "What are you doing out tonight Jack?"

"I was going to go and have dinner with Ann."

"That sounds so nice!"

Jack laughed. "And by having dinner with Ann, I mean I eat alone and chat with her in between customers."

Elli laughed too. "Oh Jack! I hope you have fun tonight. I should get to Lillia's now, I don't want to keep Rick waiting!"

"See you later Elli." She hurried past Jack and he continued on his way to the Inn.

At the Inn Jack took his usual seat towards the back of the main room. It was just nice to be out of the way, plus it was right by the door to the kitchen so Ann could always stop by quickly to talk to him. He hadn't talked to her much lately and was starting to miss her cheeriness.

"Hey Jack, what can I get for you today?" Ann pulled out a pad of paper, and Jack laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Like you really need to write down my order."

"Well it has been a long time since you've been here to eat. I forgot what it is." She tried to pretend to be serious. It was obvious she was just giving him a hard time because he never came to visit anymore, and he knew it. Jack just stared at her until she finally broke, and let out a laugh. "Okay fine a salad, do you want water or beer tonight?"

"Water, I should probably start saving my money for a kitchen."

"Aww don't do that! Then you'll never come to the Inn." Ann pretended to pout but laughed again.

"You know that isn't true. Now hurry up with my order, or you'll get no tip!" Ann gently smacked the back of his head and went into the kitchen. Jack just laughed to himself.

The night continued on with Jack getting his food, and talking to Ann between customers. It wasn't very busy, so she actually had time to sit down with him and talk about things that had been going on. She blabbed on about the upcoming festivals while Jack listened quietly and ate.

Sometime after Jack finished his salad but before he ordered a desert, Rick came into the Inn with Karen in tow. She smiled meekly at Jack and the couple took a seat a few tables away from where he was sitting. Jack started to feel jealous, but he tried to control his feelings. He was there after all to see Ann, so he didn't want to just walk out without giving her a good tip and saying goodbye.

Things were starting to pick up now, it was getting to be that time of night where all the town's men gather to drink beer and wine together. Ann was going nuts with drink orders, so she quickly brought out Jack's desert, a piece of cake, and left him for a while.

Somewhere in the middle of his desert, Rick stood up and began to talk. "I have something to say and I want everyone here to know it!" Jack looked up from his cake and the Inn settled down a bit.

He turned and looked at Karen. "Karen, we've been dating for a few years now, and they've been the best years of my life. Things are really tough right now, but you're always there for me. I want to be always there for you too. I want you to be part of my life always, through thick and thin, through sickness and in health."

Karen's eyes began to water as Rick got down on one knee and pulled out a shiny blue feather. The light reflected off it in a way that made Jack's eyes hurt. Tears started to roll down the young woman's cheeks. Jack had no idea what was going on.

"Karen, will you marry me?"