A/N: I'm so happy. You guys rock! Thanks so much for all the reviews and I SERIOUSLY have to apologise for not getting this out sooner. My (crappy) computer couldn't connect to the internet all week so I made little to no progress on this chapter. I rushed this one (I think it's fairly obvious too, sorry!)

IMPORTANT: Please, please, please can someone be my Beta? I'm insanely thankful to Nekohimenya (you rock! Did I spell that right?) but I'd prefer to have my chapters perfect for you guys before I publish it :D (and so I seem less stupid for my many, many mistakes)

Disclaimer: What? I don't own Harvest Moon? Why wasn't I informed of this?

"Oh, Angie, I'm touched! You came all the way to the forest just to see little, old me?" Angela looked like a child caught stealing sweets. She gulped and forced a toothy grin, about to explain herself. She did not get the chance as Witch continued. "Or were you unable to wait a whole week before seeing lover-boy again?"

The brunette could feel heat radiated off her cheeks. She probably looked like a tomato. Hadn't Witch seen anything? She made a complete fool of herself by shouting at the Prince and generally acting like a lunatic. She could imagine Luke teasing her about this until she turned thirty. "I... came here looking for you!" She smiled. It was mostly true.

Bright, orange eyes sparkled. Vivi put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. The rancher seemed to squirm under her gaze and she had to bite back a cackle. "Well come on then! You're going to my house and telling me everything. It's right in the creepiest part of the forest with its very own swamp." She described her home with glee. She grabbed her young friend by the wrist and raced off through the trees.

Trying desperately to avoid serious injury from the many branches and roots that seemed to love tripping as she was dragged through the thick, gloomy woods, Angela commented uncertainly. "That sounds... lovely?"

X.X.X

When the grey-haired sorceress claimed her home resided in the creepiest part of the forest, she was telling the truth. Angela felt a chill ran down her spine as her cautious eyes took in every detail of the clearing. She forced herself not to cringe and she noticed the glint in the raccoon's beady black eyes as they gazed steadfastly at her.

"Perfect isn't it?" Witch said proudly as they stepped over rickety planks that separated their feet from vile, stagnant green water. She gestured to the small shack built into the rotting remains of an ancient tree with only the trump still standing; it was a lifeless black. The smell of decay hung in the air.

Angela was silently praying she wasn't expected to reply.

Thankfully, her companion just dragged her into the eerie shack. A few minutes later, they were sipping (or in Angela's case, pretending to sip) an odd-coloured tea taken from a large cauldron. The brunette looked around, it was larger inside than it initially seemed, but it was cluttered with useless objects, most of which were in disrepair. 'Strange,' Angela mused. 'I didn't peg Witch as the pack-rat sort,'

"So, Angie," Vivi spoke at last, breaking the silence, "What's the trouble?"

"...The ball." Angela decided cutting to the chase would be best. The other women seemed like the kind of person who disliked beating around the bush. "I really would rather not go. I mean, there's no real point in me going. I probably gave the Prince a swollen foot from last time and it wouldn't be fair to do that to anyone else and it's not like I even want to go in the first place and..." The brunette continued to babble out excuses that degraded in reason rapidly. "...And then Yolanda would cry her eyes out and everyone would lose their homes to the Tsunami!"

The grey-haired beauty gazed pensively into her tea (or was it soup? She couldn't remember) considering all her companion's words in earnest. She looked up with a frown when the farmer finished, her bright orange eyes saddened. "Angela?" She asked tiredly, reaching across the table to place a hand on the young woman's shoulder. The brunette felt hope fill up like a balloon in her chest. "I've heard a lot of nonsense in my day, but that excuse takes the cake!" She snorted as the other woman slumped in defeat.

"Please don't make me go." She pleaded, clasping her hands tightly in front of her.

The grey-haired Witch smirked and asked an obvious question. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Everyone will see I'm just a farmer. Luna will kill me and use my ashes as confetti for her wedding. Lucinda will bury me alive and dance on my grave … or kick me out, depending on how much she's eaten. Don't for get the Tsunami! Poor Yolanda will never forgive me."

"Tough!" The bark brought the desired effect. "What does it matter if they see you're a farmer? There are puh-lenty of average bobs there and no one seems to mind. And if that dirty rotten hag you call a step-mother even tries anything you can come live with ME!" Her young companion still seemed unsure, so she added, "Me and Wiz'll even get you a bad ass disguise if it matters that much."

"I still don't get why you're going through so much to help me." Angela smiled sweetly. "What did my parents do to make you do all this?"

"Well, it involves a Harvest Sprite, a ruby, a bathtub full of baked beans and one very annoyed, noseless snowman..."

X.X.X

Prince Gill massaged his temples at the thought of the day ahead. Another ball awaited. All day he would be stuck on the beach surrounded by annoying, power-hungry women who laughed at everything he said. As if that wasn't bad enough, Luke was coming too. He was stuck the entire day and most of the night with fake laughs and shouts of "EXTREME!". Well, he hoped, maybe that girl would be there again. Her presence had actually been enjoyable the last time. He sighed. If only he would be able to recognise her...

X.X.X

Candace bit her lip indecisively as glanced every few seconds at the sunscreen* on the kitchen table and the pale green telephone on it's little stand. She paced back and forth, clutching her straw sun hat so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her pale blue dress swished around her with each step. Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought. Strengthening her resolve, she stopped pacing and put the sun hat on the table and headed for the telephone. Her pale hand hovered over it for a minute before the bluenette slumped into a wooden chair at the table. She banged her head quietly against the table and moaned. She pushed back her fringe to massage the bridge of her nose. 'Stop being so selfish and call already!' A voice in her head scolded her harshly.

But a small voice in the back of her head chose this as the opportune time to pipe up. 'Weeeeeell, we could always try to convince Mother to let her come with us,' The first voice snorted at this. Candace was beginning to question her sanity as it sneered. 'And maybe Julius will arrive on a unicorn with a blue feather and whisk us off into the horizon!' The shy woman filed that notion away into the 'Julius Fantasies' box in her mind to revisit at a later time. The smaller voice seemed preoccupied with this mental image and made no rebuttal. It was decided, then. The woman stood to pick up the phone. She dialled the number with speed that could only have come from lots of practice.

Just as she pressed the final number, her younger stepsister entered the room, yawning and stretching. She still had bed-head but she was already in her full farming gear. She froze mid-step and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. The rancher frowned and asked "What are you doing up before six?"

Her stepsister dropped the phone and began babbling gibberish with a red face. Angela got a knowing look and a sly grin spread slowly across her face. She leaned forward and said, smugly, "You were calling Julius, weren't you?"

The bluenette swallowed and nodded. "I'm cancelling our date for today."

"What!" The younger woman screeched. Her chocolate eyes widened and slapped a hand over her mouth and stared at the pale yellow ceiling for minute in worry. She lowered her hand and whispered, "Why?"

"It's not right to leave you here all alone for the day. It's bad enough I did it once and I'm not going to do it today." Candace declared. Angela had to smile at her stepsister's kindness. She was always trying to help her.

A lightbulb appeared over the farmer's head. "Oh well I didn't want anyone to find out, but... I was planning on sneaking out while you were gone. I sort of have a date today..." She trailed off and looked to one side.

Candace became flustered. "B-but! You never told me..." She looked down dejectedly.

Angela giggled. "I was going to tell you about it afterwards, so if I got caught you wouldn't get in trouble." She shrugged but inside she was doing a happy dance, praising herself for the quick thinking. Another part of her was horribly guilty about lying like this. She ignored this for the time being. "You can go have fun with Julius." She added suggestively and snorted as her friend's face put a tomato to shame. 'Oh, now I get why Witch always says things like that...'

Two hours later, Luna and Lucinda arrived. The former was wearing a skin-tight, striped, blue and white vest, cream shorts, blue flipflops and pink heart-shaped sunglasses. The latter was in a lilac sundress and was smiling like she had just won the lottery. A tiny, miniscule part of Angela wanted to wipe that smile of her face. She forced these thoughts away.

"We're soo sorry you can't come, Angela." Luna said, her tone taunting. She pushed her sunglasses down her nose to get a better look at her stepsister. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. She pushed them back up and pushed back her long, pink hair. "But you know what they say: no rest for the wicked. Mother, are we leaving yet?"

Lucinda and her daughter's left the room, Candace giving Angela a brief smile before her left.

X.X.X

"When you said I was getting a bad ass disguise, I was expecting something... different."

*Sunscreen or Suncream or Sun lotion or whatever you call it :D