A/N: Wow, it's chapter four!

My deepest apologies for not updating sooner. In all honesty, I know a ton of people weren't happy with chapter three. So I'm very sorry about that. For a while I just kind of gave up on this story and pushed it to the back of my mind. What brought it back to my mind was some of the more recent reviews I got. I decided, even though some people may not like this story, a lot of people still like it. And they're more important than the people that don't like it: it's their opinions that matter to me. So thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. You guys are the reason I continued this story.

So, enough chatter! On to the chapter! This chapter has a lot of Elana and Chase romance, and Luke finally gets that well-deserved hug! I hope this chapter makes up for the suck-ish last one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon: Animal Parade of any of its characters. In fact, I barely own Elana. I mostly just own the name, because Angela is such a boring name!

Chapter 4: Whispers of Love

I was sitting straight up against the hard, stone wall. By this time I could feel my eyelids drooping close, but I shook off my sleepiness as best as I could. I wasn't kidding when I had told the guys earlier that I was not going to sleep, no matter how tired I was. Call me paranoid, but I'm sure you would have done the same thing.

I was actually really, really tired. My elbow was still throbbing painfully, and this worry, fear, and all this other crap was really beginning to wear me out.

So I had found a spot about fifty feet away from the dying fire to sit. Bo had fallen asleep instantly after Midnight Confession, and after we had promised not to pull any mean pranks on him as he slept, (although I was pretty sure Luke wouldn't keep that promise). He was now curled up in front of the fire like a cat. Owen took some convincing, but he was already weak and tired from blood loss, so he finally agreed to get some sleep, and was now snoring lightly, propped up against the wall, arms crossed lightly over his muscled chest. As for the other two, I have no idea. By now they were probably asleep somewhere away from the fire, like I was. It was really hard to see if you weren't close enough to the fi-

"Hey, Elana!" I jumped, and spun around to the source of the voice. Of course I knew who it was; no one else's voice rang that much, and the only two people could be awake right now. And this certainly wasn't Chase.

I squinted my eyes through the darkness, trying to make out the dark figure of Luke. "You scared me, I didn't hear you coming." I whispered, not wanting to wake anybody up.

I could almost see him smirk. "Sorry. You're not asleep yet?" he whispered back.

I rolled my eyes. "Yup, of course I'm asleep. That would explain why I'm talking to you right now, right?"

I think he shrugged, as he sank down into a sitting position in front of me. "Well, Bo sleep talks a lot, so why not you?"

I giggled. "I'm not going to sleep, remember?"

"Really? You sound tired."

"Yeah, well…"

His voice dropped even lower. "I bet Chase would be mad if he knew I was with you right now. Remember he said he wouldn't let me stay up with you?"

I snorted. "You can stay up with me. It's not like you're sleeping with me or anything."

Luke laughed.

"Speaking of Chase, is he still awake?" I whispered.

This time, I actually did see Luke shrug. "I don't know, I haven't seen him. It's hard to tell, though. He's quiet. Heck, he could be watching us right now."

That's a pleasant thought.

We sat in silence for a while. Then I head Luke grumble, "No wonder he's such a grouch…"

"Huh?"

"Chase. His story from Midnight Confessions explains a lot, doesn't it?"

I searched Luke's face for signs of humor, but it looked pretty serious.

"I-I guess I didn't really think about it like that…"

Another awkward silence.

"Sorry about your dad." He breathed.

I was surprised. "Oh! It's ok! No big deal! Sorry about your mom…"

He smiled that smile; the one I really like. "No problem. It won me the best story teller's award, and that's all that matters, right?"

I laughed lightly. "Yeah, I guess so."

Suddenly that desire to give my best guy-friend a hug came rushing back.

"Luke?" I dropped my voice as low as it would go.

"Yup?"

"You… you know I like Chase." It wasn't a question.

Silence. Then… "Yup."

More Silence.

"You know I like you."

My heart skipped a beat. I turned to the carpenter, who looked like he was blushing furiously.

Did he… just admit he liked me?

I was silent for a second. Then… "Yup."

"I know you like Chase more, though."

The silence was really killing me. "Yup."

I felt really guilty. I couldn't even remember ever feeling this guilty.

"Luke?"

"Yup?"

Before I could think, I wrapped my arms around him tightly, pulling him into a hug. For a second he looked surprised, but then he hugged back. I, myself, was surprised. But I knew when someone needed a hug. I guess it was like an older sister reflex. Or something.

In a few seconds we split. We stared into each other's eyes, both blushing a deep shade of scarlet.

"Luke?"

"Yup?"

"Y-you're my best friend… and I don't like it when you're sad."

Luke understood. He smiled, but not his usual goofy smile. It was a smile of understanding. "Yeah. I don't like it when you're sad, either. That's why you should like Chase, not me."

"…Thanks."

"No problem-o, Elana."

He stood up, waved to me cheerily, and made his way back towards the fire, leaving me to think. So, Luke liked me. But he was letting me go after Chase. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

I sighed, staring into the darkness that seemed to never end. I hoped we'd be able to get out of here. I hoped someone would find us, and save us. Maybe Finn would help us. Or maybe Dale, or Ramsey. Someone had to be worried by now.

Right?

I pushed all negative thoughts to the back of my mind as I sat up straighter. Negative thoughts would do absolutely nothing in this situation. I just had to stay positive.

Although no one could see, I nodded to my self, determined. We were all going to be fine. We were all going to make it out of this ok.

Right?

I shook my head vigorously, shooing my doubt away. Right!

So I pried my eyes wide open, sat up tall, and just sat there. I don't know how much time passed: minutes? Hours? Bo was the only one here with a watch, and I wasn't about to wake him to find out what time it was. Him and Owen were still asleep by the dying fire, and Luke had joined them at some point; he was now sprawled across the dirt floor, limbs lying in all directions, breathing steadily. There was still no sign of Chase. I was beginning to worry. Could he have gone somewhere? Maybe to explore the cave? But he would have brought a flashlight, and I hadn't seen any turn on since we had stared the fire. Maybe he was mad, so he stormed off and got himself lost? Or maybe something's got him, and he's hurt, so he can't get back! Or maybe- maybe-

"Still not asleep?"

I let out a short yelp and spun my head to the source of the whisper. Crouching in front of me was Chase, a slightly annoyed expression on his face, his head bandaged and slightly bloody, and his face smeared with dirt. I let out a relieved sigh. He was absolutely fine, and I was so busy worrying about him I hadn't even noticed him walk up to me.

I let out a nervous laugh. "Nope! Where've you been?" I tried to make my whisper sound cheerful, but I think I failed.

He sank down next to me, cringing slightly as his bruised back made contact with the hard wall. "Same as you: in the dark, not sleeping. Why? Were you worried?"

I could almost here the smirk that accompanied that whisper. "No, I wasn't worried. I was just… curious." I tried to put venom into my voice, but I regretted it when I remembered the Midnight Confessions. I shouldn't be mean to him, he must be sad right now…

"Really? So is that why you've been fidgeting for the past three minutes?"

I blushed. He had been watching me for the past three minutes! Why hadn't I noticed him!

"I wasn't fidgeting! You're eyes must be so tired that you're seeing things!" I retorted, forgetting that I should try to be nice. All niceness was gone.

"I'm tired? I'm not the one with bags under my eyes. You've been yawning every three seconds!"

I stiffened a yawn and glared at him. "At least I'm not the one wrapped in a bloody apron!"

"You're the one who tied the apron! And besides, if it weren't for me, you'd be the one wrapped in a bloody apron!"

I visibly flinched, but I couldn't stop here, even if he was right. "Excuse me, I didn't ask you to save me! So stop acting like it was my fault!" I turned my head away from him, fuming. Why did he have to be so rude?

He hissed a response. "I never said it was you're fault. Besides, do you think I would let you get crushed? If you died, who would I get all my fresh produce to cook with from?" I heard a smile creep into his voice.

My face reddened even more, and this time I didn't bother to keep my voice down. "You jerk! You annoying, uncaring, jerk!" I stood up and stormed off into the darkness, surprised to find hot tears building up behind my eyelids. Why did I like him? No wonder Luke hated him! He's such a jerk!

I heard him stand up behind me, and footsteps followed close to mine. Just as I decided I'd break into a run, I felt a warm, steady hand grab my wrist, pulling me back. Surprised he caught up to me, and could let alone see, I struggled against his hold. "Let go!" I dropped my voice and squirmed like a child.

His grip didn't falter. "Yeah, and going and getting yourself lost will defiantly help the situation. You know I was only kidding, Elana. C'mon, let's sit down." He sounded unusually calm.

I gulped down the painful lump forming in my throat and fought back my tears. I slowly let him lead me back to our place against the wall, where he sunk back down, me doing the same. I didn't look at him. I was still mad at him for saying that. I mean, I guess I should have been used to his comments, but it just seemed so, I don't know, real? Like something like that said in a life-and-death situation like this shouldn't be joked about? I don't know, just a thought.

He was the first to speak. He started it off by sighing. "I'm sorry. I, uh, didn't mean it. I guess I'm just in a bad mood."

I fought back the urge to say 'When are you not in a bad mood?' Instead I said, "Yeah, it's ok. I get it."

We sat in a silence that seemed all-too-familiar for a few minutes. I fidgeted with my white gloves, now smeared with dirt, and Chase stared off into nothingness, a slightly frustrated expression planted on his face.

I gulped again. "C-chase?"

He cocked his head my way. "Yeah?"

"D-do you think we'll all get out of this ok? I mean, obviously you're already far from ok. And Owen, well, it's a miracle he's ok, and… and…" I forced myself to shut up, suddenly feeling overwhelmed again. I took a deep breath and waited.

Chase was silent for a second. Then he said, "We'll all be fine. Everything's going to turn out ok. I promise."

It was hard to mask my surprise. Chase was usually Mr. Negative, so I expected an answer more like 'We're all going to die,' or, 'Give up on that dream.'

"I promise nothing's going to happen to you."

My heart skipped a beat for what felt like the millionth time tonight. That was so sweet… what happened to that jerk sitting next to me a few minutes ago?

I felt vulnerable and scared. I wanted to curl up right now, on the spot, and cry. I wondered what Chase would do if that happened. Would he think I was a crybaby? I didn't know.

I squirmed slightly, and decided I needed to let my feelings out somehow. "I'm really scared." I admitted finally, my voice dropping so low, only Chase and I would be able to hear, (even though everyone else was already asleep.) My voice cracked halfway through as I felt a tear slip down my cheek. Curse me and my vulnerability!

I felt something warm slowly wrap its way around my shoulders. Chase had put his arm around me and had pulled me close. I froze, heart pounding furiously against my chest. Oh, my god…

"It's ok. I know you're scared. I am, too. But we're going to be ok. Ok?"

I couldn't hold it back any longer. More tears rolled down my dirty cheeks, leaving clean trails to streak my face. I snuggled up closer to his warm chest and sniffled. "Uh-huh," was all I could say.

More silence filled the damp air, broken by the sounds of water dripping in the distance, the boys by the fire snoring, Chase's breathing, and my heartbeat. Those four things seemed to be the only thing in my world right now. Everything else was just in the background, a soft drone.

"Chase?" I asked in a small voice.

"What?" He asked quietly, sounding surprisingly bored for someone in this situation.

"I'm sorry… about… y-your parents and sister and- and stuff."

I felt his breath get caught in his chest, even though he kept his voice calm. "I don't need sympathy. It doesn't make a difference. Sorry doesn't change anything, so it's a waste of time." His voice was flat, like a droid.

"Ok…" That left me to think for a few minutes, before I said, "I'm really tired."

"Then why don't you sleep?" I heard the dim humor in his voice.

"The truth is… I just can't." I frowned slightly, wondering why I was suddenly just telling him this. I must be more tired than I thought. "It just feels… weird, yeah know?" I looked expectantly into his deep purple eyes.

He returned the gaze, and then let out an aggravated sigh. "Well, you need to sleep, so you leave me with no other choice…" There was suddenly mischief in his tone, and before I had time to wonder what he was doing, he adjusted his seating so he was sitting on his heels, grabbed the side of my head with the arm that was holding my shoulders, and pulled. My head instantly was pulled into his lap, and I let out a surprised yelp. I blushed furiously from my position in his lap.

"Ch-Chase! Let go!" For still had his hand on the side of my head, keeping me down.

"No way," he said stubbornly. "You're going to sleep. Now."

"B-but!" I stammered. "You need to sleep, too! That head injury isn't going to heal by itself and-"

"Elana? Just, for once in your life, be quiet and relax. Don't worry about anything. Just go to sleep. I won't leave you. I'll always be right here."

Now that he mentioned it, resting my head in his lap was not only comfortable, but somehow relaxing, as awkward as the whole thing was. "…Really?"

"Really."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

My eyelids were drooping close, my vision growing blurry. I was falling asleep with my head in my crush's lap and, in all honesty, I was too tired to care.

The last thing I said before I drifted of into a heavy sleep was, "Thanks Chase."

A/N: Hooray for falling asleep in someone's lap!

Did you like it? Or was it worse than chapter three? Please review and tell me what you think! There will be one more chapter, and then POSSIBLY an epilogue, but I'm not positive.

Thanks for reading! I'll try to update sooner next time =)

~blue-eyed-cow