A/N: Yes! The final chapter! Here we go! I apologize if it is so super duper late. My laptop's internet connection REALLY SUCKS! Really confusing how difficult the connection is being on me. -_- So, here we go for the gajillionth time. I don't own Cliff in any way, lucky Natsume does. I added a little bit of HM64 references about Ann in here. Whoever can recognize it, gets a cookie! Theme song is 'This is Home' by Switchfoot. Enjoy it, guys! 3

Chapter 8: Family Ties Over French Fries

We had a summer barbecue on the seventeenth. She insisted on having a regular family and friends outing. But, it rained on her birthday, so we had an indoors barbecue at the Inn. It was actually held in July, a month after her real birthday. Strange, right? That's Ann for you!

But it was new and certainly different...unique is how you put it.

"Mmm," Doug said as he took a bite. "You know, Ann," he said after he swallowed. "You're home cooking has gotten ten times better since you've been pregnant."

"What'cha mean by that...?" Ann looked confused and angry. I shook my head fiercely at her, explaining that it was just a compliment. Ann was short-tempered and emotional, so you had to handle things very delicately.

Gray leaned over and whispered to his father, "It seems that baby is a mood controlling type thing and it controls her emotions, so she is brainwashed to hating every single thing." Both men tried to muffle a laugh, which resulted in a strange snorting sound, with red, pursed faces. To keep from making noise, they banged their fists on the table, still stifling. I tried hard not to end up copying them.

Ann brought out another plate of french fries and set it in front of a now better Doug.

"Ann," Doug moaned. Ann gave her already mastered "Mom" look.

"It's so much," Doug argued.

Ann rested her arms on her tiny three-month bump. "But, please. I want you to try some new dishes!"

Doug sighed. "Pllleeeeeeaaaaassssseeee...?" Ann droned almost child-like.

Doug held out his hands. "All right, all right," he said. Then he gingerly picked up a french fry and nibbled on it. Ann smiled wide.

"Can I have some more Coke?" Kai said, lifting up his glass.

"Sure!" Ann said. "But no more for a while, okay? I need to eat too!"

Gray leaned over and whispered again, "The baby is a tapeworm too." It resulted in the laughing fit earlier. Ann turned to see what the racket was. She gave a mix of a creeped out and disgusted look. You had to admit, I had never seen such strange laughing before in my life;

Doug was face down on the table crying so much and Gray was literally rolling around in his chair, laughing into the air. The Inn was so loud, I bet people could hear from outside.

"If you're going to wash the table, Doug, at least get a towel first!" Kai chuckled and joked.

"Ann..." I said, chuckling. She gave me a confused look with her mouth dropped.

"Are you seeing this...?" Ann said, still looking at me, and pointing.

I nodded, laughing as much as my lungs could allow me too. Everyone was laughing. Ann was the only one who didn't get a thing.

Once things settled down, she shook her head in disbelief and stuck a hand in the air. "Whatever, weirdos," she said. But, instead of leaving, she sat down by me. I smiled and held her hand.

"I have a question," Gray said. "What was your life like...before Mineral Town?"

"Gray!" Ann scolded. "That's for Cliff's mind to know, not yours!"

"It's all right," I said, then sighed. "Sooner or later you all should probably know."

So, that's when I told them about all about my life before I started to wander around. I told them about how I behaved like a child and left my family, then I told them all about Wendy and so on.

"What happened after you left Wendy?" Doug asked.

I forced a faint, sad smile and then remembered. "I couldn't lose anyone else...so I wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my family again. Although part of me doubted they'd ever allow me back, after all I did."

~May 2003~

I ran home swiftly, projecting myself around obstacles and people. I returned back to my neighborhood, and saw my house straight ahead. Most people stared at the horrific sight of me. I couldn't blame them; my hair was messy and I looked as if I had been sleeping in dirt for six months...which I nearly had.

I rang the doorbell of my house frantically. Why wouldn't they answer?

"Cliff?" a woman squeaked. I turned my head to see my elderly neighbor, Ms. Rhodes.

"Hello," I said weakly and scared.

"You're...returning home...?"

"Y-yes..."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Yo...you...they aren't home."

I felt my heart drop to the deep pit of my stomach. "What? Where d-did they go?"

She gave me a solemn look. "The house is for sale," she said.

"W-why!"

"Because your mother..." Ms. Rhodes tried to stop herself from bursting into tears.

"My mother-what?"

"She's dead," Ms. Rhodes finally sobbed. My heart shattered. No. It wasn't true.

"No," I said, sobbing. "N-no...it isn't...it can't be!"

"I'm so sorry," Ms. Rhodes said, giving a sympathetic smile.

I choked back more tears. "And Libby? What about her?"

"I don't know where she went. Nobody knows..." Ms. Rhodes replied. "It's as if in the middle of the night-poof! She vanished into thin air. Josh and the children moved down South, I believe. Though I don't exactly know where."

I stared down at my worn shoes. "Thank you..." I said quietly and headed back to who-knows-where.

"Wait!" she called. "Don't you remember what today is?"

"No...I d-don't exactly have a calendar. I'm guessing it's a warm month."

"It's May 6th-your birthday," Ms. Rhodes smiled. I looked up at her with my tearful eyes.

"Oh," I replied simply. Quite some birthday. Quite some fourteenth birthday...

"I'm so sorry, Cliff," Gray gave me a shot of sympathy. For once, he actually seemed to want to get along with me.

Ann blinked. "I want to show you something. Come on." Before my protests could begin, she was already dragging me and Kai outside.

She took us far in town, past a bunch of buildings. Although it was getting so dark, I couldn't quite make out which building was which. But when we finally stopped, to our surprise, we were standing in front of a large tree.

"Do you know this tree?" Ann asked me.

"What's the point in dragging us all the way across town for some lame tree?" Kai asked.

Ann scoffed. "It's not just some tree..." then, she took us around to the back of it, where a large branch was broken off.

"You see," Ann began. "When I was about 8 years old, I saw this nest of baby birds in where that branch used to be. I was a curious kid and wanted to go and see the birds. There was also this kid-I can't remember his name, but he was visiting in town for a little while. We became friends for a short time before he left and we went exploring in the tree together. But...we fell as the branch cracked underneath of us. He was all right, but I gained this scar on my forehead."

Ann showed us the small red line on her forehead. I had noticed it all the way back to when I had met her, but never said anything about it. Kai was not too observant, so this was probably new to him.

"Um," I said. "I kinda...remember this tree somehow."

Ann's eyes widened. "You do...? So do I! And oh my gosh-"

"What?"

Ann stared at me. "The boy's name was Cliff. I remember now." What! It was me?

"Oh!" I said. "I do remember visiting a town when I was young. I just couldn't quite remember all of it. Me, my mom, and my sister were all vacationing. I met a girl my age and we became close."

"It was me? It was me!" Ann exclaimed in a way that seemed less of a question. "I guess I forgot over the years. But it missed you when you left."

Kai took a deep breath. "Woah. Talk about fate."

"We should go tell my dad, come on you two!" Ann grabbed our wrists tightly and let go as she walked quickly back to the Inn. I cautiously watched her, because I told her not to run.

"Can you believe that-" I was telling Kai, but his head did not even look at me. His mouth was open and he stopped me from walking. Then, ahead of us, Ann was gone.

"Where'd Ann go?" I said rather calmly. Kai shrugged.

"Ann!" I called. It was getting dark out. "Annie!"

I looked back at Kai, but he wasn't there. I stopped clean in my tracks. Where did they go?

No other sounds answered me, but some owls in nearby trees and the crickets singing their song on the ground. Before I took another step, I felt a sharp needle-like pain on my neck. I pulled out a tiny dart. Then, it all went black on me.

A/N: Oh, you didn't think I'd let you off the hook that easily, did you? Make way for a CLIFF-hanger! Literally. :D Get it? d: Anywayzz, now we have to make a sequel for this. Don't you agree? Yes, you do. I'll answer all the questions I ask you, but am really asking myself. Confused yet? Good. I hope you are. It'll only get better. :D