Title: Lovely Discovery

Pairing: Angela x Owen

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to anything related to the Harvest Moon franchise. I only own the fanfic itself and the book cover.

Rating: T

Author's Note: I drew a book cover for this series, but you can't really see it in detail because it's so small. Oh, well. Here's day five! Maybe things will finally start to look up for Angela.

Please enjoy and drop a review if you can! I love hearing feedback from you guys!

-START-

Last night had been amazing.

Angela, Luna and Candace had all gotten dressed up and gone out to eat at the Inn. Afterwards, all three girls went to the beach and splashed in the waves. They sat and watched the sunset together, seeing it glimmer against the gentle waves of the ocean. Afterwards, they all went to the church to dance around the enchanting darkness of the night.

Hours later, all the girls were still awake enough to go back down to the lighthouse and watch the sunrise. Angela wished she could have spent the rest of Owen's birthday with him, but she knew that wasn't possible.

All she could do was enjoy the coming of a new day with her two best friends. Both sisters sat beside Angela and held her hands tightly, squeezing them compassionately. Somehow, the farmer felt like the two girls could sense the turmoil was going through. She allowed herself the pleasure of clenching the girl's hands until the navy sky had turned periwinkle and the birds began to awake from their slumber and chirp happily. Candace yawned loudly and, after ample teasing from Luna, the three girls decided to go home. The sister's walked into the tailor's shop and wished Angela good luck on whatever was troubling her.

That's what Angela loved about her friends. Neither of them ever asked what was wrong with her, but if Angela felt like talking, they'd listen until the end of time. Owen was the only other person she could do that with.

It was the start of the fifth day. For once, things seemed positive. She still felt bad for missing Owen's birthday, but as she walked back to her house to get a few hours of sleep, she noticed some blackberry fruits tucked away in the bushes. An idea popped into her head. She picked the berries and took them to her aging pot. She decided to let them sit and made the miner a fruity drink as an apology gift. In the meantime, she changed into a white T-shirt, a denim miniskirt and brown, leather boots. It was simple, but feminine. She finished applying her foundation and blush and walked over to the pot. She looked inside and nodded merrily. It was done.

She poured the fuchsia liquid into a fancy glass and topped it with a colorful umbrella.

It wasn't his favorite, but he liked it.

Besides, she didn't have the ingredients for his favorite foods, so this would have to do.

Finn was fast sleep on her pillow and, since it was still so early, she decided not to wake the tiny fairy up. She rubbed his head gently and decided to deliver the gift without him. It was a little dangerous in theory, since she would be near Owen's house. There was the possibility that she could run into Owen. Angela looked up at the clock and realized it was almost 4:00 a.m., and all her worries vanished. There was no way anyone in the mining district would be up so early. She put the drink in her rucksack and carried it to the Blacksmith as stealthily as possible. The girl crept up to the door and gently placed the cocktail on the side of the doormat. She took a tiny piece of paper out of her rucksack and found a pen at the bottom of her bag. She wrote out a little note and placed it on top of the glass.

Angela closed her eyes and went to turn around.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw two golden eyes staring right back at her.

She stumbled backwards and crashed against the blacksmith's door, making a loud bang.

"No," she gasped, hearing footsteps from inside the house march towards the front door.

Frozen in fear, Angela didn't know what to do. The gold-eyed man grabbed her and pulled her down the path that led to the Harvest Spring. As they ducked in the trees, she could see Owen walk outside with Chloe clutching his leg. When both saw the drink and read the note, they appeared to be cheerful and went inside merrily. The farmer sighed thankfully and turned to see the face of the man who'd pulled her away. It was the carpenter's son, Luke.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked, standing up and brushing the dirt and leaves off of her outfit from when Luke had pulled her into the forest.

"I saw you running towards Owen's house, so I followed you," he said, shrugging. "I wanted to ask you while you were out so early! I didn't mean to surprise you. When you fell back, I thought it'd be best to get you out of there!"

Angela blanched. Had he found out about her situation?

"W-Why?"

"Well, Owen doesn't like gettin' up early! If you wake him up before he feels like it, you'll regret it! I'd like to think I saved you from death, Angela!"

She sighed. So that was it. Thank goodness Luke hadn't caught on. If the dense Luke had managed to figure out her secret, there was a good chance that everyone else had also figured it out before him. She felt a little bit better, but the close call had still made her feel unusually flushed. Also, since she had caught a glimpse of Owen as he'd walked outside, she was also feeling amazingly aroused. Luke noticed and leaned closer to her, inspecting her odd behavior.

"Uh…you okay, Angela?"

She nodded and began to wave a hand in front of her face to cool herself off.

"Here, come inside and have a drink," Luke offered kindly, taking her hand. "My dad just made some awesome lemonade! It'll refresh and cool you down, I promise!"

Angela thought that sounded fantastic and followed the Carpenter inside. While he was pouring her a glass in the kitchen, she asked why in the world he was up so early. He responded that it was because he wanted to get a head-start on chopping wood for the afternoon. Since it was summer, it was often cooler in the morning and extremely hot in the afternoon. If he finished early, then he wouldn't have to suffer through the heat to meet his daily quota.

"Owen works in the mines, so he usually doesn't have to worry about it unless he's in the upper part," Luke explained as he served her the lemonade. The drinks were served in large mason jars. "He's going to mine the lower part today, so he gets to sleep in! Lucky, right?"

"R-Right," Angela agreed, taking a glass and quickly gulping down the liquid, urging herself to calm down. Before she knew it, she had downed the huge glass of lemonade and Luke was staring at her incredulously. She quickly sat the jar down and beamed at the carpenter in an attempt to pretend that nothing was wrong. When she saw that Luke was lifting a brow at her inquisitively, she knew she had failed. Luke may have not been the brightest when it came to logical problems, but when the problem involved the emotions of a person, there was nobody who could react with more speed.

"What's wrong, Angela?"

"N-Nothing!"

"There's definitely something wrong," he insisted. "Don't lie to me! You're the most extreme girl I know! Nothing could ever get you down…unless it was something really bad…"

There was a look of sudden worry on his face and Angela knew that she had to make a decision fast. Should she lie to Luke or should she tell him the trust. He was one of her most trustworthy friends, but her situation was so embarrassing that she wasn't sure if he would ever let her live it down. If Finn was with her, he would have been begging her not to tell him. She knew that she should keep her secret like Jin suggested, but she felt like if she held onto it any longer something would blow up in her face. She had to tell somebody close to Owen, and Luke was honestly the perfect option. She sighed deeply and looked at her friend earnestly, both pairs of their golden eyes meeting.

"Luke, can I tell you a secret?" Angela asked softly with an averted gaze. "It's been bothering me for a while…and I really need to tell someone."

"Yeah, totally!" he said, taking her hand. "You can trust me with anything, Angela! Maybe I can even help you figure out what to do."

"It's a long story…are you sure? You said you wanted to start chopping wood early…"

"I'll do it tomorrow!" he said with a cocky grin. "You're my friend and I want to help. So, c'mon, tell me!"

"Well…alright…here goes."

She told Luke everything. Everything was revealed in the course of a rather manic hour. She told him of the mysterious fumes, her fainting and the four days leading up to where they were now. After telling Luke about her dilemma, she described each day so far with her condition. She also explained the real reason she'd been out so early in the first place. All the while, Luke's face grew increasingly confused and, at times, even horrified. Angela grew more worried with each word that escaped her lips. Should she not have told him?

Finally, she ended her tale hopelessly and looked up at Luke through a curtain of downcast lashes. He was speechless and a little whiter than usual.

"Luke…are you okay?"

Luke didn't respond and looked towards the ground.

"Should I not have told you?" the farmer inquired, getting a little misty-eyed. She would have thought that Luke of all people would understand her dilemma.

Seconds later, a smile broke out on his face and he looked up at her. A wave or relief washed over her.

"Wow…that's a big problem," he said somewhat quietly. "I had no idea you felt that way about Owen, but I can see that you really like him. You love him…a lot."

"You're…not freaked out?"

"No way! After all, it's not your fault that some of those wicked fumes got you in the mine! But…this is serious, Angela. Who knows?"

"Dr. Jin and Irene know for certain, Candace and Luna have suspicions, and Owen knows something's wrong, but he just thinks I'm sick," Angela told him, becoming less worried. "I told him that he could call Dr. Jin and ask about me if he became uncomfortable, but I don't think he's done that yet. Why do you ask, anyway?"

"I was just wondering is someone like Chloe or Bo knew," he said, laughing softly. "After all, there are some people on this island that just can't keep secrets. If either of them knew, the whole town would know about your problem!"

Angela laughed and felt her spirits lift gradually. She was thankful that she'd told the carpenter about her problem. There was a massive weight off of her chest. Finn would be enraged, but she didn't care. She knew that she'd told the right person.

"Thanks, Luke…I knew I could count on you!"

"Don't mention it," he said with a grin. He looked outside and noticed that the streets were becoming busier and more crowded. Angela would need to leave soon if she wanted to avoid Owen. "Hey, you should get home soon. Are you free tonight?"

"T-Tonight?" she thought, trying to think about her plans. She had nothing to do besides water her crops and perhaps pay her animals a visit. "I think I'm free. Why?"

He smirked and took her empty glass from her, winking as he vanished into the back of the house. "You'll see! I've got an awesome plan to help you out, and we'll put it into action tonight!"

He cackled almost evilly and went to work, leaving a stunned and perplexed Angela to ponder her future fate in silence. A plan? That didn't sound good. However, she had already told him that she was free, and she couldn't stand him up. With a deep exhale, Angela ran back to her farmhouse and waited for navy blanket of night to descend over the island. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her gut…but it was too late to turn back.

XOXOXOXOXO

At 22:00, Angela gently opened her front door and peered outside. Everyone in town was either fast asleep or sitting drinks at the bar in Harmonica Town. Finn had fallen asleep early and had no idea about Angela and Luke's rendezvous. Dressed in a black shirt, black miniskirt and black flats, Angela had tried her best to appear stealthy and not attract attention. The farmer crept from her farm all the way over to the Garmon Mines.

When she arrived, she knocked on the door to the carpenter's shop. Luke opened the door and quickly pulled her inside, as to make sure she wasn't seen.

"L-Luke!" she stammered nervously, trying to gather her bearings after having been tugged on so violently. "What's going on?"

Luke shushed the girl and motioned for her to follow. Blinking, she obeyed his commands hesitantly, unsure of how to react. She followed him out the back door and into the forest behind the building. They walked down the path to the Goddess spring for a few minutes then, bright before they reached the shrine, Luke turned around and smirked.

"Alright, now to put my super cool plan into motion!" he whispered as he clenched a fist in determination.

"Hey," Angela said, sounding more frightened than angry. "Shouldn't I know about this plan? I mean, I'm the test subject, aren't I?"

"I suppose," he pondered, looking upwards in thought. "Okay, here's the plan! Owen's going to come back from the bar tonight. You're going to wait for him on the porch. When he comes by, talk to him, but keep your eyes averted."

"W-What? Why?"

"We're going to find out how Owen really feels about you!" he admitted finally, making Angela turn red. "You'll be talking with him and I, dressed in all black with a scarf over my mouth, will rush from the forest and grab you. I'm going to pretend to kidnap you, and we'll see what Owen does."

"I don't get it…"

"Huh? Don't get what?"

"Well, you already told me that he always talks about me," she explained, growing worried. "So, it's possible that he could like me. Still, even if he doesn't have feelings for me, Owen would still try to save me because he's a good guy. You don't love me, but wouldn't you try to save me if you saw me getting kidnapped?"

"Well, yeah!" Luke confessed. "But you don't understand. I would try to save you if someone was hurting you, but if someone was hurting Selena, I'd act differently. I love her with all my heart…"

Angela felt herself smiling at Luke's confession. She knew that he was in love with Selena, but he still didn't have the guts to propose. The two had been dating, but she was still oblivious of how deeply he loved her.

"If someone was attacking her, I'd freeze. I wouldn't just be angry, I'd be furious. I'd scream and curse and…I'd be distressed."

The farmer looked to the ground and giggled girlishly at the adorable statement. She nodded to herself and placed a hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Luke…we're not going to do this."

"What? Why not? C'mon, he'll be home any minute! We've already come so far…we can't back out now!"

"I understand your plan…and it's clever, especially for you," Angela said, watching the proud look on his face slowly darken. "This is cruel. Imagine if you thought someone took Selena and then found out it was a cruel trick to find out how you felt about her. You'd be crushed. If Owen doesn't love me…maybe he'd think it was funny…but I'd…I'd like to think that he does."

"Angela…"

"It's wrong," she decided firmly, stepping back and smiling at Luke, silently thanking him for his kindness and consideration. "It really means a lot to me that you care so much. I…really can't express how grateful I am."

Luke grew flustered and nervously scratched the back of his neck, finally agreeing with Angela.

"Y-You're right…we shouldn't do this," he realized. "I would be so furious if someone pretended to hurt Selena just to get a rise out of me. I'm sorry I suggested it…I guess it was just too extreme…"

Angela laughed and nodded. After quickly checking her watch, she decided it would be best if she started home. Luke on the other hand thought it would be better if he walked her home so that she wasn't by herself in the dark. She supposed their recent plan had made him paranoid about kidnapping, and the farmer agreed to be escorted home. The two walked back to her house cordially and Luke took her to the front door of her farmhouse. The two said goodbye and, just as Angela was about to go inside, Luke turned around and stopped her again.

"Hey, wait!"

Angela turned back around and cocked her head questioningly.

"Earlier, you said that you hoped Owen had feelings for you," he said, looking at her straight in the eyes. "Would…you like to know?"

"I don't want to invade his privacy…" she said with a sad grin. It was so tempting so agree to Luke's request, but she just couldn't. "Wait…if you're asking me about that specifically, does that mean that…he does like me?"

Luke suddenly turned red and became alarmed. He looked over his shoulder to check for Owen's presence and leaned forward.

"Why…why would you think that?" he asked in a panicked whisper.

"Because if he didn't like me, you wouldn't have asked because you know my feelings would have been hurt."

Luke and Angela must have stared at each other for minutes before Angela gold eyes welled up with happy tears. The carpenter became somewhat manic and tried to shush her muffled squeals. All his attempts were futile. Finally, Angela finally began to sob gleefully.

"Angela, quiet! You weren't supposed to know that Owen said he loved you…"

"Wait, he loves me? He doesn't just like me…he loves me!"

Luke slapped himself in the middle of his forehead and rushed home before he leaked any more of his friend's secrets. Angela didn't even notice that he'd left. The day before, Owen had admitted to wanting to kiss her on the beach and, if somewhat silently, declared that he at least had a crush on her. But now, apparently he had told Luke that he loved her.

Loved.

Angela was so elated that she twirled into her house like a clumsy ballet dancer and flopped on her bed. She was far too excited to sleep, but if she didn't, she knew she'd regret it the next morning. Instead, she rolled over and clutched her pillow romantically and allowed herself to slowly drift off to sleep. Finn was at peace right beside her and, to her relief, he hadn't suspected a thing.

-END-

I bought Tree of Tranquility.

It's not bad, but animal Parade is better, in my opinion. I do like how Owen looks in ToT, thought. I saw him and I was like, "Damn, you're a fine man."

Anyway, R&R and I hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for more coming soon!