Chapter 27. Special thanks to ShamoneTigeyWigey for helping me out with it. You go girl! ;)

After taking a fifteen-minute break, the herd continued looking for Flora during mid-noon with the sabers leading the way. While sniffing out his daughter's scent, Diego caught sight of something that immediately reminded him of Flora. He looked at some irises(don't know if those existed in the Ice Age, but I didn't want to just say "purple flowers") that she always loved playing in and rolling in as a child. Memories then came back to him

Flashback

(you guys can tell this was back when they were still kids by the way they act)

While Diego and Shira were out for a romantic day together, the cubs were left in the care of Peaches and Louis. While Cash and Bobby were playfully wrestling with Louis as their referee, Peaches was putting flowers on Flora's head, tying them up by the stems making a wreath for her little cousin after asking her to do so.

"So what do you think?" asked Peaches.

Flora looked at her reflection in a puddle and admired it. "I love it!" she cried happily. "Thank you Peaches!"

"No problem."

"Well Peaches, I didn't know you were so good with crafts." said Louis admiring the wreath on Flora's head.

"It's my specialty." Peaches smiled at the compliment.

"Ew, you look like a girl!" frowned Cash. He was so used to seeing Flora's tomboyish personality that it disgusted him to see her look so girly.

"Duh." Flora rolled her eyes.

"I like it." Bobby voiced his opinion out seeing nothing wrong with it.

"Hey guys, did you have fun?" asked Shira coming back with Diego.

"Yeah!" the three cubs replied in unison.

"Mommy, Daddy, look at me!" Flora proudly showed off her iris wreath.

"What a beautiful wreath." Shira looked at Flora's new accessory in awe. "Who made it?" although she knew.

"Peaches made it! She said that it will make me look like a princess!"

"It does." agreed Diego. "Well let's go now. Thanks for watching them Peaches. You too Louis."

"No problem. Just let us know whenever you need us anytime." smiled Peaches. She and Louis loved watching the adorable little trio.

"Mom, Dad, can we go to the iris flower fields?" asked Flora. She grew so fond of the flowers that she wanted more of them.

With their sister's question, Cash and Bobby let out an "ugh!"

"Aw come on boys. There is nothing wrong with a few tomboys liking flowers. That is what your sister was named after." Diego stuck up for Flora.

"Sure sweetie, we can go. Just not right now."

"Why?" Flora begged for an answer.

"Because you guys have to go to bed now."

"But it's barely sunset! Can't we just go for one, teeny, weeny minute?"

"No Flora. We'll go tomorrow if we have time."

Flora sighed miserably. The word "if" was never really promising.

An idea came to Flora. If she would sneak out to go to the meadow for one minute and hurried back, her parents won't notice she was gone. After all, it was just a few minutes away.

Making sure her parents and brothers' backs were turned, she tip-toed, then ran to where she wanted to.

Flora giggled as she ran and rolled in the dark purple shades of the flowers she grown attached to. This was the little cub's new paradise. She never wanted to leave.

"Why am I not surprised that I found you here?" a sarcastic voice asked the little girl. Flora looked up to see her father, not looking too happy with her. Flora shot him a guilty look.

"Flora, don't go sneaking off like that without asking us. Do you know how worried your mom and I were about you?"

"Sorry Daddy." apologized Flora with widened pupils and a lip. "I just thought that maybe we won't go tomorrow and I just couldn't wait."

Diego just couldn't be mad at Flora when she shot him that look.

"It's okay honey. I'll tell you what. You come home with me right now, and we'll come back to the meadow. Just the two of us. What do you say?"

"You promise?" asked Flora.

"Yeah. But you're going to bed early tomorrow after that little stunt you pulled."

"Okay. Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Are we friends?"

"Best friends Flora. Best friends."

"Forever?"

"Of course forever you sneaky little bundle."

Flora giggled when Diego tickled her stomach with his nose, causing her to giggle.

End Flashback

Diego remembered that day. He could never forget how much fun they had the day after that.

"Diego?" Shira woke Diego up from his trance.

"Y-yeah?" asked Diego snapping out of it.

"We're supposed to be in front. Remember?"

"Right. You're right. Coming up front right now."

After that flashback however, Diego had a few scenarios from another one. This time with the time he and Flora went hunting before she met Sam.

"I gotta confess. You're an even better tackler than me." admitted Diego

"Well I get it from somewhere and I'm looking at him." grinned Flora

"Can I confess something Daddy?"

"Sure."

"I have the best Dad in the whole world."

But right after those scenarios, everything that Flora said involving Sam came back to Diego. And it wasn't the things he wanted to hear.

"Dad! What did you do that for? He was really starting to like me!"

"What?! Dad, no we just met!"

"Sam. He has a name."

"Dad, this isn't what it looks like!"

"We didn't kiss!"

"Dad that's so unfair!"

"You can't do this to me!"

"I HATE YOU!"

Those last three words that Flora said to him before she vanished echoed violently and pierced his heart.

"Diego!"

"What happened?"

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Speak to me buddy!"

"Earth to Lady! Wake up!"

"You're in a trance Diego. Snap out of it!"

"Dad, come on!"

"It's all my fault." Diego finally spoke.

"What?"

"Flora! It's all my fault she ran away! It's all my fault that she's missing! It's all my fault!" Diego continued Diego.

"Diego, stop. This isn't your fault." Shira tried to calm him down.

"All I wanted was for Flora not to forget about all those good times that we had, and now that I drove her away, she's not going to want anything to do with me now."

"Diego, was all this about you worrying that Flora's not going to want to spend time with you anymore because she was getting closer with Sam?" asked Ellie.

Diego nodded. "I wasn't worried about Sam doing something bad to her. I could see that he was a good kid. And I wouldn't be surprised if he and Flora.

Normally whenever Diego would do something this sweet, Shira would usually just call him a softy, but considering the circumstances, she let it slide and just said to him, "

"Diego, that is really sweet of you that you want to keep that special bond you and Flora have, and she would never find it in her heart to forget it."

"You think so?" asked Diego.

"Diego, I know what you're going through. I really do. Keep in mind that just because Flora might get a possible boyfriend doesn't mean that she'll forget about her Dad. She'll always be with you."

"So will we." Cash and Bobby agreed.

Ellie, Peaches, Sid, Louis, Sandy, the possums and even Granny assured Diego the same thing.

"Thanks guys. I really do appreciate it. I don't know what I would do without you."

Shira nuzzled Diego's head as his sons huddled up against him.

"Now let's go!" proclaimed Sid. "We got a saber to find!"

So what did you guys think? Like I said before, ShamoneTigeyWigey helped me out, so I say most of the credit to this chapter to her! She really is creative!

So how do you think Flora's doing with the other sabers now? Will she and Sam make up. Find out soon!