A/N: This chapter is slightly odd, but I like it. It's kind of a get to know Beatrice's personality chapter at first. It also has Iris's white heart event (slightly tweaked) and Beatrice recalling Fritz's first Rivalry event (also slightly tweaked), then her recalling the first time she met Mistel. Hmm Okay, maybe I should add drama to the genre, because after rereading the chapter and thinking about the next couple, I've realized it's going to be really dramatic.

I usually don't give last name's to the characters, but thought Mistel and Iris should have one for this particular story. I think they kinda look Russian, so I'm gonna give them a Russian last name.

Also, I am such a nerd that I take notes on the dates and which days are which, so in case you were wondering it's Tuesday 25th (of fall, if you don't remember that from last chapter)

Not extremely happy with this chapter; but I hope you like it, please review and let me know what you thought of it!

Chapter Two

Beatrice could hear Mistel chuckling as she ran up the stairs—trembling to the very ends of her fingertips while her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. The taste of his breath lingered in her mouth, which smelt of fruit jam and herb tea, and she found herself enjoying the scent much more than Fritz's grassy taste. The heat stayed in her face as recalled the way his lips had felt when they barely grazed along hers, more soft than she had expected, and felt a little irritated at Iris for interrupting them. It had been awhile since the last time she had a good kiss, and from her experiences from kissing others she could tell that Mistel's kiss would have been more than just good, but great.

Most of the boys she had kissed before had immediately began to lustfully kiss her, whereas Mistel had taken the time to prolong the kiss, his violet eyes intensely gazing into hers with his warm hand upon her cheek; a look so loving and soft that she had never seen before in a boys' eyes before a kiss. Then when he had insisted she close her eyes she had felt her heart flutter, sensing his head moving closer to hers. She could tell he had been nervous, feeling his hands quivering on her arms, but had been rather nervous herself.

As she mounted the last step and rounded the corner she saw Iris at her writing table, appearing to be deep in thought. Beatrice took a step closer to her, causing the floorboard to creak, and upon hearing it Iris turned her head slightly to look at her. "I'm sorry, Bee, I wasn't aware you would be done with your chat so soon. My mind is just bursting with inspiration right now, and I must write the words down before I forget. Could I ask you to wait a few minutes?"

"Yes, of course, no problem at all," Beatrice replied with a smile. She was glad Iris wasn't ready yet, as she wanted more time to ponder everything that had just taken place.

"Wonderful! I shouldn't be more than ten minutes at the most, please take a seat," Iris said sweetly, gesturing to her dining area.

She nodded her head as Iris turned hers back to her work and walked over to one of the sofas, carefully tucking her dress underneath her as she sat. Her hands were still trembling as she folded them on her lap, twiddling her thumbs nervously and taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. She felt immensely embarrassed by the events that had just transpired. Her actions were unlike her usual self, she never usually flirted with anyone, as she was rather shy and lacked confidence. She wasn't completely sure if she even knew how to flirt, and had recently went to ask for advice.

On Sundays Beatrice would usually have tea with Lillie, and had built up enough nerve to talk to her about it last Sunday. She would have went to Iris for advice, but feared that she would tease her and ask if she had Mistel in mind with wanting to improve her flirting skills. She wasn't a good liar, as a large grin would spread across her lips whenever she did, and she didn't want Iris to know that she had a crush on her brother; thinking it would be awkward and knowing that she would probably tell Mistel—which would no doubt make her die from embarrassment.

When she had explained to Lillie how she flirted—smiling sweetly and bringing up conversations about books and things she had learned from said books and found interesting—Lillie had giggled and said, "I've never had a boyfriend before, and am really shy, too, but even I know that isn't flirting!"

"What is, then? I've never had to flirt before, the boys had always came to me..." she had trailed, hoping it didn't sound like she was bragging.

Lillie had put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment, then said, "Iris had given me advice before on the subject. She told me that flirting is a very delicate process, that you have to let the man know that you are interested in them by giving them gifts that they enjoy and talking about things they find interesting. She said that was only the first step, though."

"Well, what's next?" Beatrice had asked.

"Well, then she said you should make sure you are looking them in the eyes when you're speaking with them, and to touch their arm," Lillie had laughed. "If you can build up the nerve!"

Beatrice had scowled at her, hissing, "Don't tease me!"

"Okay, okay. Iris also told me that drawing attention to your body can be a good form of flirting, like licking your lips or running your hands through your hair, since that would draw his eyes to them—and if he looks at your lips when you do it then that means he wants to kiss you!" Lillie had giggled, her cheeks a pink hue no doubt due to the topic they were discussing.

"Okay... That's a good start, but is there anything more I should know?" Beatrice had inquired, wanting to know everything she could. Although she read a lot of books, she preferred sad love stories and classic novels, which didn't help much in teaching her flirting skills.

Lillie had laughed loudly, "Yes, there is more! You must really fancy someone to want to know so much! Can I know who it is, Bee?" She had raised an eyebrow, beaming at her.

"Uh, um, I don't really want to tell anyone just yet," she had murmured, blood rushing to her cheeks.

"That's fine, I'm sure I'll find out soon enough!" Lillie had laughed. "All right, so this is the rest of what Iris had told me. She said that you should compliment him on things he's good at and his looks, like if you enjoy the color of his eyes, or a trait that you find appealing about him. Make sure you lean in close and lower your voice if you're complimenting his eyes and gaze into them, though! She said it makes it seem more intimate and sexy that way. Iris also told me about a sneaky tactic of flirting, that you should tell the man his necktie or collar is crooked, and stare directly into his eyes as you adjust it while casually brushing your fingers against his skin, then sweetly smile and say 'All better'! Apparently it drives them crazy!

"Then—"

Beatrice had cut her off, her face bright crimson as she frantically exclaimed, "That should suffice, Lillie!" She had then lowered her voice and said, "But, thank you, Lillie, that was very helpful." She still wasn't positive if she would even be able to work up the nerve to flirt like that, but thought perhaps she would be able to do the most casual of the things Lillie had listed. They had stopped talking about the subject after that, as Beatrice had asked Lillie if she had a crush on anyone, which had made Lillie blush madly and quickly change the subject.

Beatrice cast her eyes to Iris, seeing that she was still writing in her notebook. She was relieved to see she still wasn't finished yet, as she still needed more time to think. She longingly hoped she hadn't scared Mistel away with her flirting, thinking that she had came on to him too strong. She knew she should have started off with casual flirting at first, but she just didn't want him to think that she liked Fritz. When she had heard how bitter his voice sounded when he thought Fritz was her boyfriend her confidence had grown, and then when she had seen the hurt in his violet eyes when he told her about how he had seen Fritz kiss her she decided it would be best to flirt with him in a more direct manner.

She just wasn't expecting that her teasing would have such an effect on him. Although Mistel often teased her, she had thought it was just in a friendly manner. She wasn't so certain anymore. He had sounded so unsure when he had asked if she liked him that she felt her heart clench. She was too nervous at the time to tell him, and hoped that asking if it mattered hadn't destroyed the chance of them ever being together.

She winced, recalling the incident with Fritz that had taken place two days prior. She had stopped by to see him after she had tea with Lillie, and he had said to her that she was no doubt there to find out the secret of running a successful farm, then telling her that her greatest rival was him. Although he had said it in a joking manner, it still pissed her off slightly. She knew her farming skills were far superior to his, but had been intrigued when he said that he had a special way of watering crops, and she had reluctantly followed him to let him show her how. She was almost positive that there wasn't a secret way to water crops, but didn't want to miss the opportunity on the off chance that there was.

When he had shown her how he watered his crops she had given him a strange look, as he watered them the same exact way that she did. Fritz had told her to give it a go, and she had sighed and watered one of his plots. He told her that it wasn't too bad, although that her form was a bit stiff—which had made her blood boil—and had said she should water another plot for practice. She did, and Fritz had enthusiastically told her she was getting better. He had then asked her to water some of his other fields so that her form would improve, and before she even knew it she had ended up watering all of his crops for him.

It exhausted and angered her, as she still had work of her own to do, and when Fritz had noticed he said, "Wow, I guess you ended up doing all my watering for me, but all that practice has allowed you to perfect the secret watering technique passed down by the old masters!" He had laughed with his hands on his hips, beaming at her.

"I've already mastered the craft, Fritz, and you tricked me into doing all of your work!" she had thundered, scowling at him. "You are such an idiot! You better give me a good apology, otherwise I am going to punch you square in the face!"

Fritz had looked startled, and had hastily said, "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to upset ya so much, I just thought you could use the practice, is all. Let me make it up to you! I'll cook ya a dinner on Saturday, how's that sound?"

"Fine, but it better be good!"

"I may not look it, but I can handle household chores with the best of 'em!" Fritz had boomed, a very angry look upon his face.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Beatrice had insisted, putting a hand to his arm. His cheeks reddened at the contact, and she had cringed, realizing that she had performed one of the flirting techniques.

"Oh, uh, sorry for yellin'," Fritz had stammered, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"It's fine," she had said softly. "I'm just not the biggest fan of loud noises."

After a moment Fritz had put his gloved hand to her cheek, intensely gazing into her ruby eyes while he whispered, "Y'know, you're quite a beaut. I'm sure any man would love to date ya."

Beatrice had felt heat rise in her face, as she was used to being called adorable rather than beautiful, and murmured back, "Thanks Fritz, that was rather sweet of you to say."

Fritz had then leaned in close enough that she could feel his warm breath on her face, and without any warning firmly pressed his lips to hers. She had froze in shock, her body tense as Fritz clumsily moved his mouth with hers. Although she didn't fancy him, she had began to kiss him back. She could tell it was his first kiss, as he kissed her with evident inexperience in his movements. She wasn't sure what had came over her to allow him to kiss her—and at the time was really wishing that she was kissing Mistel instead—but it had been nearly five seasons since her last kiss and she missed the thrill and joy it brought her knowing that someone desired her.

Fritz had then began to kiss her hungrily, and she let out a little gasp, giving him the opportunity to slide his tongue in her mouth. She had immediately pulled back and harshly pushed him from her, furiously growling, "What the hell was that, Fritz?! You just kissed me out of no where, then stuck your tongue in my mouth! What gives you the right?"

Fritz's face had turned bright crimson with an ashamed looked sprawled across his face as he cried, "I'm such an idiot! You just looked so beautiful, I lost control! Can ya forgive me, please? I promise I won't ever do it again!"

"Fine! But that dinner better be the best meal I've ever tasted," she had scoffed, turning on her heel and sauntering away from him. Right before she had reached the Piedmont area's bridge her eye had caught something yellow on the ground. She had looked down to see a bouquet of yellow roses unceremoniously laid upon the grass, looking slightly askew as if someone had grasped them tightly in their hand before throwing them to the ground. She had fond it odd that they were there, knowing that the town didn't usually grow them, and bent her body slightly to pick them up—they were her favorite, and she wasn't about to let perfectly beautiful flowers go to waste. She had taken them back to her farm and put them in her vase at her bedside. The past two days she had awoken to the sight of them, and upon seeing them her face would light up, knowing in her heart that the day would be a good one.

Beatrice gasped loudly, realizing that she hadn't told anyone but Mistel that yellow roses were her favorite. Iris turned to her at the sound and asked, "Are you all right, Bee?" She nodded her head in response, feeling heat rising quickly up her face. "I'll be finished in five minutes, please forgive me for making you wait so long," Iris said apologetically, turning back to her work. Beatrice was relieved she still had more time to think, now knowing why Mistel had the pained look in his eyes.

She felt her heart sink into her stomach. He had gone through all the trouble just to gift her with her favorite flowers—which no doubt cost a great deal of money—and she had kissed a boy she didn't even like just because she craved affection; and worst of all, he had seen it. She was almost certain now that Mistel did fancy her, and felt so terribly awful that he had viewed the scene. She knew that if she had seen him kissing another that it would make her feel like she was going to vomit.

Beatrice had developed a crush on him shortly after arriving in town. She didn't particularly like any of the other bachelors. Although she thought Raeger handsome, he bored her. He never seemed to have anything interesting to say, and whenever she spoke to him about books he would always have a glazed look over his eyes, as if he was just pretending to be listening. She thought Klaus handsome as well, but felt like she was too young for him, as she was only nineteen. He also frightened her slightly, thinking him rather intense, and even though Iris insisted that they weren't together she was smart enough to know that they were—she could tell just by the way they looked at each other. She thought Fritz cute, but he was a fool and very simpleminded, and she preferred boys that were intelligent, ones that she could have interesting conversations with.

She felt her lips twitch into a small smirk as she recalled the first time she met Mistel. It had been the first day she went out to meet her neighbors, and the antique shop was one of the last places she had visited that day. As soon as she walked in she noticed how young he looked, and thought that he was her age or perhaps slightly younger. She had just found out two weeks ago—on his birthday—that he was actually a year and a half of a season older than her, her birthday being on the the fourteenth of Winter. Although he looked young, she had still thought him to be quite cute and dapper looking. She looked rather young herself, baby fat still in her rosy cheeks with a round face, and her enormous innocent eyes didn't help much in making her appear her age.

As she approached him she took in his demeanor. She had found herself enjoying the way he held himself, his arms casually behind his back while he stood nonchalantly yet still with a gentlemanly way in his posture. His aura held a debonair air in it, but his eyes had a mischievous glint in them; and when they had met hers she had felt a spark. She found herself feeling bashful at the sensation, but held her gaze—his eyes intrigued her, she had never met someone with violet eyes before.

"Welcome, welcome. Is this the first time you've paid me a visit?" he had said when she had reached the counter. She gave a slight nod, and he continued, "You are Beatrice, right? Ah, and what a face to go with such a splendid name. It's my pleasure to meet you."

She had felt her heart flutter at the words, and thought involuntarily, The pleasure is all mine. She would never have the nerve to actually say it. Instead she gave a coy smile and replied, "You can call me Bee, if you would like; that's what my friends call me."

"If it's all the same to you my preference would be to call you Beatrice. Why distort such a beautiful name by shortening it?" he had retorted, giving a small grin himself.

She had felt heat rise in her face, and his grin widened. She enjoyed the way he spoke, as if he put careful thought into every word he uttered. "If that is what you would wish, although you may be the only one who calls me that—I've already told pretty much everyone else to call me Bee."

"Ah, then that gives me a certain intimacy with you that only I have the pleasure of having," he had said teasingly, subsequently causing her blush to deepen.

"And may I inquire yours?" she had asked after a moment and a prolonged gaze.

"My what?" he had returned in perplexity, his eyes widening for a second.

"Your name, of course!" she had giggled.

"O-oh, of course," he had sputtered, then quickly composed himself. "My name is Mistel, and I am the proprietor of this shop."

She had considered him for several moments, then said, "An interesting name to compliment such an interesting person. May I ask what you sell?"

She could have sworn she saw his cheeks redden slightly, and he quickly replied, "Mostly antiques that my sister and I have collected from our travels. Have you met her yet?"

"No, why?"

"I'm certain she will like you, she has a fondness for people with spunky attitudes," he had said with a mischievous smirk.

Beatrice had then noticed a shelf across the room that held at least a dozen books and had fought the urge to run over to them. Mistel must have noticed that her eye had caught them, for he had inquired, "Ah, do you have a fondness for books? My sister will really like you, then. She's a novelist."

"Yes, I do," Beatrice had stated simply. "Perhaps I have read one of her books, what's her name?"

"Iris Petrov."

"Oh! I'm a fan of hers, I particularly like her book about the utopian dystopia."

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear that. It's one of her favorites, actually."

"So, Miss Veronica told me that I should give gifts to people in order to befriend them," Beatrice had said after a moment. "Instead of just gifting you things at random to find out what you prefer, why don't you just tell me now so I don't have to go through all the trouble?"

"Butterflies," Mistel had answered hastily. "Erm—Well, they're one of my favorites, but I'm afraid you're going to have to find out the rest on your own." He beamed at her with his hands tightly clasped behind his back.

"Oh, a mystery," she had said teasingly. "You just keep getting more and more intriguing by the second."

He had stared at her in silent stupor for a moment, then asked, "And may I inquire one of your favorites?"

"I rather fancy yellow roses, but I'm afraid you're going to have to find out the rest on your own," she had teased, flashing her brilliant smile at him.

"I'll make sure to remember that for further use," he had said, his face regaining its usual mischievous smirk.

"So what do you like to do in your free time?" Beatrice had wondered.

"In my free time? Well, let me see..." He had paused for a moment. "I like puzzles, and games that challenge my spatial acumen, like darts, and pool.

"Why do you ask? Are you challenging me to something? Because I'm game to play anything with you, anytime!" he had chuckled.

"Perhaps I am, but I'm afraid I can't right now, and it seems neither can you. You are closed on Saturdays, correct? If you'd like, I could come by and take you up on that challenge," she had said with a coy smile.

"Sounds wonderful, I'll be looking forward to it," he had said earnestly, but his grin lit up his eyes.

Beatrice had left after that, and made good on visiting him that Saturday to play chess with him. Ever since then she would always go to his house on Saturdays to play chess with him, and had even played billiards with him and Iris once or twice. She had yet to shown him her dart skills, and was a little excited to play with him; as she was much better at darts than chess. Although she enjoyed seeing his face light up in victory, she enjoyed even more the way he would smile with her whenever she won—which wasn't often.

Almost everyday she would go visit him on the pretense that she was there to have tea with Iris, but her actual intent was just so she could see his face light up when she presented him with a butterfly. Mistel would often join them in having tea, and she quickly became good friends with the siblings. Before she even knew what was happening, she found herself infatuated with him. She enjoyed having interesting conversations with him and his gentlemanly way of teasing her which always seemed to make her blush.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long, Bee," Iris said as she stood, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"No problem! What were you writing?" Beatrice asked as Iris sat down on the sofa opposite of her.

"I had some ideas for my new novel, would you like to know what it's about?"

"Yes, please!" Beatrice said enthusiastically. Since she had moved to Oak Tree town she had read almost all of Iris's novels by now and enjoyed speaking to her about them.

"Ah, wonderful!" Iris exclaimed, flashing a big smile. "For once, I'm actually writing a romance. A sad story of unrequited love. Have you ever been in love, Bee?" She raised an eyebrow as her smile turned mischievous.

"I, uh—I'm not sure," Beatrice stammered. "I've had a couple of boyfriends, but I'm not actually sure if I ever fell in love with either of them."

"Oh, you would know!" Iris giggled. "Love is a wonderful thing, and I hope you get to experience it one day..." Iris paused for a moment. "Speaking of love, I'd like to talk to you about my brother."

"M-Mistel?" she sputtered, her mouth slightly agape. "What about him?"

Iris lowered her voice and said, "I know you're not dense, Bee. You are aware he is quite smitten with you, correct?"

"He is?" she squeaked.

"Of course he is," Iris kept her voice low. "And it appears to me that you are quite smitten with him, as well."

Beatrice felt a slight heat rise in her face as she whispered, "I-I may be, but isn't this a bit awkward to talk about, Iris? He's your little brother..."

"Oh, no, not at all!" Iris insisted, her face adorned with a big grin. "I would love nothing more than to see my two favorite people together and happy." She paused for a moment, then sighed, "Although, he is rather upset right now. He often doubts himself, and ever since he saw you and Fritz kiss his face has turned as sour as it gets at the Harvest Festival. He no longer thinks he has a chance with you."

Beatrice felt her heart clench. "I feel so awful that he had seen that..."

"If you feel so awful then why are you going on a date with Fritz on Saturday?" Iris asked in disdain, her usual beautiful face distorted in a scowl.

"Iris, please, keep your voice down!" Beatrice begged. She didn't want Mistel to hear that. "It's not a date, he's just making it up to me by cooking me a dinner."

"Ah, I see," Iris said simply, her scowl softening. "I just hope that's all you and Fritz do..." Iris hesitated for a moment. "You see, my brother has a tendency to fall hard and often gets his heart broken. I would hate for you to do that to him." Iris looked away for a moment, a disgruntled look sprawled across her face. When she looked back at her Beatrice noticed she was no longer looking at regular Iris, not even sister Iris, but mother Iris.

"Because if you do break his heart, I'm afraid you will quickly become my least favorite person," Iris stated flatly, her violet eyes glowering.

"I would never do that to him, Iris. It nearly broke my heart seeing how pained his eyes looked," Beatrice murmured, adverting her eyes from Iris's unflinching stare.

"Well, it didn't nearly break my heart, it actually broke my heart. So, please, be more careful from now on, and I hope I never have to have this conversation with you again. It won't be nearly as pleasant if I do.

"That's all I had to say," Iris said as she stood. "I must be getting back to my writing now, but please promise me you'll never do that to him again. You are one of my best friends, Bee, and I would hate for that to change."

"I promise, Iris, and thank you for being honest with me," Beatrice said, also standing. "Please keep this conversation between us, I don't want Mistel to know I fancy him just yet..."

"Oh, I'm sure he knows!" Iris giggled, crossing the room to sit back down at her writing table. "There was so much sexual tension earlier I swear I could have cut it with a knife! Who taught you to flirt like that?" Iris turned her head slightly to look at her, raising her eyebrows.

"No one!" Beatrice squeaked, a large grin spreading across her lips involuntarily.

"You liar!" Iris chuckled. "Your tell is very obvious!"

"Oh, shush!" Beatrice said teasingly, walking over to the stair case. "Farewell, Iris, and good luck on your novel!"

"Thank you, Bee. Goodbye!" Iris called after as she sprinted down the stairs. As soon as she rounded the corner she saw that Mistel had his hands tightly clasped over his ears, and when he saw her he uncovered them.

"So you decided after all not to listen?" Beatrice asked.

"I thought it would be best not to," he replied flatly. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear what you two were talking about."

"It was nothing, really. Just our usual chit-chat." She felt her lips twitch into a large grin again, and tried her very best to suppress it.

"Ah, I see," Mistel said with smirk. "I do believe you have a butterfly to gift me, correct?"

"Oh, of course!" She walked over to his counter and pulled out a green box out of her rucksack, and placed it on the counter in front of him. He hastily opened the box and gracefully took out the butterfly, which rested upon his finger. His face lit up at the sight up of, and she felt her lips spread into a large smirk at seeing how happy he looked. He quickly opened the glass terrarium and placed the butterfly in it. When he looked back at her she noticed a light that reached his eyes, and she felt her heart flutter

"Thank you for gifting me so often, Beatrice. I will have to make sure to repay you back some day soon," he said with a devilish grin.

"Oh, uh, yes—that would be wonderful," she murmured.

"So? Shall I be expecting you this Saturday for our usual game night?" Mistel inquired.

"I, uh, am kind of busy this Saturday, perhaps on Sunday I'll stop by for a little while."

She watched as he face dropped, and he sighed, "Oh, I see. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again soon. I know you are a very busy person, but I do enjoy your company, and hope you will at least drop by on Sunday to play a quick game of chess with me."

"I'll try my very hardest," she said with a feigned smile. "Well, until then. Farewell, Mistel."

"Farewell, Beatrice," he called after her in a low tone, disappoint evident in his voice.

As Beatrice shut the door behind her she let out a loud sigh. She felt so incredibly guilty. He had already tried to pay her back with her favorite flowers—and she had ruined it. As she walked back to her farm she felt a sickening feeling residing in her core. What if Fritz's intentions were more than just to make her a dinner? What if he had started having romantic feelings for her? She wished more than anything that he wouldn't try to kiss her again. She knew if he did that Mistel may move on, thinking that she would prefer Fritz rather than him, and subsequently abolishing any chance of them ever being together. She wouldn't let it happen, she cared too much for him to see the pain in his beautiful violet eyes again.

She fell asleep that night with a longing ache in her heart, knowing deep in her core that there was only one man that could subside it.