"Mornin already?"

"Well, no...not really. It's like, 4am. I couldn't sleep. Sorry I woke you up," she whispered. Jeff shook his head.

"It’s okay. If you can't sleep, I can't sleep."

"You liar....you'll be grumpy if you don't get your beauty sleep," she said with a smile.

"I don't need a beauty sleep. I look this good naturally."

"Now you're really lying," she said, sticking her tongue out.

"Meanie."

"I already told you...I get it from you...you're rubbing off on me." Jeff grinned evilly. Lily put her hand on her own forehead. "Your evil mind is turning again, isn't it." Jeff shrugged.

"Might be."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"So why can't you sleep?" he asked.

"My mind won't shut down..."

"What ya thinkin about?"

"All kindsa things Jeffie...my mind won't shut down for the night," she told him.

"Like...what kindsa things? Important things?"

"Important things, non important things, wishes and broken dreams."

"Oh..."

"I told you...my mind won't shut up," she said. Jeff sighed.

"Well, stop thinking. Just...look at the fire." Lily looked into the fire.

"Look at your brother and Gabby." He looked over at them.

"How in the hell did that happen?"

"I had a chat with Gabby a few days ago when she yelled at him...but I don't that has anything to do with it."

"Has hell frozen over?"

"Perhaps. I think maybe Gabby just realized that Matt isn't what she thought he was," Lily mused.

"I guess...but she was so against him. Odd."

"Very. The two of them have been acting strange all day to begin with. Think it's something in the air? Or maybe the full moon?" Lily wondered.

"Maybe a combination of both..." he said, smiling. "It is kinda cute.."

"It is. I agree...very cute. I hope they're both happy."

"I don't think she'd be anywhere near him if she wasn't happy."

"Good point. Tired Jeffie?" she asked. He yawned.

"Well, yeah. It is still early in the morning."

"I told you to go back to sleep." She reached up and brushed a strand of red hair from his face.

"But I don't want you to get all bored."

"I won't...I might end up falling asleep. Or else I'll go for a walk or something. You just go back to sleep, okay?" He kissed her forehead.

"Whatever you want." She smiled and snuggled down, resting her head against him and closing her eyes.

"Night love."

"Nite-nite."

***

It was about 9 am, and Lily lie awake, staring at the fire. Jeff was still asleep. Matt woke up as well, looking down at Gabby and wondering if it was all a dream. Gabby started to wake up, yawning and blinking. Lily and Matt sighed at the exact same time. Gabby looked up at Matt. "Umm...morning..." she said. Jeff yawned, still sleeping and hugged Lily closer.

"Morning."

"You sleep well?"

"Yeah, actually. You?" he asked.

"For sleeping on a pile of hay....yeah."

"I think hay is comfy to sleep on...but maybe that's because when I was growing up in NC, I used to sleep out in the barn during the summer, cause it was too hot in the house."

"Oh....see, where I'm from, it doesn't get hot."

"I know...I've read about it in books"

"Yup," she said, smiling.

"So...what exactly did you wish for last night?"

"At the beach? I wished to be happy..."

"Oh. Well are you?" he asked.

"That depends...are you?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he whispered back.

"Then so am I." Matt smiled. "I'm glad everyone's happy then."

"Me too," Matt agreed.

"At least I think Jeff and Lily are happy. They looked happy last night."

"Yeah...I think they look happy right now too...heh." Gabby yawned and sat up.

"Any ideas for today's adventure?"

"Well...what haven't we done?" he asked, folding his hands behind his head. Gabby grinned.

"Well, there’s lots we haven't done." Matt shook his head with a smile.

"I meant as a group. I'm sure there's a lot Jeff and Lily haven't done, and I know one of them is making Jeff a little grumpy, but I meant as a group smart-ass."

"I know, I know. I enjoy being a smart-ass." Matt smiled.

"I'm sure you do. If you weren't, we wouldn't all love you as much as we do."

"We haven't been to a carnival yet," she suggested.

"True. We could go to a carnival."

"I think we should. As long as you aren't scared of big scary rides..." she implied.

"Not at all...me? Scared? Puh...never."

"I bet some things scare you," she said.

"Yeah...some things do. But not rides."

"We'll see. Some of those rides can be pretty damn scary ya know."

"Yeah I know. I've been on some with Lily one time...she got off crying. It was so cute...but sooo funny."

"Aww...poor Lily. Maybe if we got her drunk she wouldn't cry."

"she won't go neeear alcohol...can't blame her," he said.

"So that’s why the fridge we poofed up that one time was so empty."

"Yeah maybe. I can't blame her though. She has good reasons....and that's why she won't go near any of us when we're drunk. I remember how she completely avoided me and Jeff when we got drunk one time..." he said.

"I don't remember that...but then again, I was probably busy."

"No...you were drunk too. So drunk that we had to carry you in."

"See, that’s why I don't remember it."

"Basically," he said.

"Geez...I didn't do anything too stupid, did I?"

"Well....no not really."

"Just the normal everyday stupid stuff?"

"I remember having the puking contests though....we rated each other 1 - 10 on how much, how long, and how violently we could puke. It was soooo nasty."

"Oh my god...that’s so disgusting," she said.

"Yeah. I got the most tens......heh."

"Ewww, Matt, don't brag about that."

"You're the one who gave me the most tens dear. Sorry...I though it was a funny thing..."

"And just how do you remember that?" she asked.

"Because...I remember everything. Including your upchuck reflexes. I'm sorry...I thought it was funny." Gabby groaned.

"Yeah, yeah," she said. Matt poked her. "Why does everyone in this barn have a preoccupation with poking?"

"It's gotta be an NC thing...Jeff doesn't do it to my awareness though..."

"I bet he does. I know Lily does."

"Yeah well...she stole that skill from me."

"Oh she did? I didn’t know you could 'steal skills' from people."

"Yeah...you can. Should we go wake them up?" he asked, jerking his finger towards the two on the floor. Gabby grinned.

"Can we wake them evilly?"

"No...that’s mean. Don't you think they've had enough after yesterday?"

"I heard that Gabby," Lily said.

"Heeey, I didn't know she was awake," Gabby said. Lily sat up and stretched out her arms.

"I am awake...sleeping beauty isn't. I woke him up at 4...he wasn't too happy...but he went back to sleep." Lily lie down next to Jeff again and kissed him softly. "Wake up sleepy head." Jeff groaned and rolled over. She kissed him again, but for a longer time. "Come on...get up."

"But it’s so early still," he whined.

"It is not...it's noon hon. Matt...what time is it?" she asked.

"It's like 10 little one," Matt informed her.

"All right Jeffie...it’s 10. You told me you didn't need beauty rest."

"I don't..." he said.

"Then wake up."

"Fine..." he said, sitting up. "Look. I'm up," he said grumpily. Lily put her hands on her hips.

"Grump. That's it...I'm going to call you Oscar...Oscar the Grouch."

"Because I'm grumpy once?"

"Yeah," she replied with a smile, "Oscar."

"Can you feel the love?" Gabby whispered to Matt.

"Yes....definitely," he agreed with a snicker. What about you Gabs?"

"What about me?" she replied.

"Can you feel it?" he asked. Gabby grinned.

"Lemme drag my mind outta the gutter then answer that." Matt shook his head.

"Well then....I'm trying to figure out what you were thinking while IN the gutter.....but I don't think I wanna know."

"Noope, you probably don't."

"I won't ask then," he decided.

"Heh...good. I'm not sure it could be explained...Anyway...Lily, guess where we're going today?"

"Where?" she asked.

"I said guess."

"Ummm....up to the loft?"

"She meant all of us Lily...not just her and my brother."

"Oh..." Lily said. Gabby glared at Jeff.

"You are soooo annoying...you weren't this annoying before..."

"Yes I was...you just didn't notice it. I'm grumpy...." he said, poking Lily. "She woke me up at 4am....."

"No...you just started getting annoying. I woulda noticed if you were annoying before," she stated.

"No you wouldn't have....you were too blinded and brain-washed. You noticed nothing outside of you little circle."

"Blinded and brain-washed? My little circle? You're playing with fire now...."

"Geez...I was just telling you...."

"But...that’s not true...is it?" she asked.

"Yes...it is."

"But I paid attention to other stuff...I know I did."

"Not really..." he said.

"All right Gabby...what are we doing?" Lily asked.

"I don't know if I friggin wanna go anymore," Gabby mumbled. Jeff sighed. Matt rubbed her back.

"Are you all right Gabby? Don't listen to Jeff...he's just being a grump."

"Yeah, I noticed. He's mean."

"Hey, you'd be mean too if you were woken up at 4 by an insomniac...wouldn't you?" Jeff asked.

"I guess. Anyway, we're going to a carnival somewhere. That’s where."

"There are going to be scary rides...."

"You don't have to go on the rides. You can just stay in that Tunnel of Love thingie with Jeff," Gabby teased.

"But he's being a grump. I'll go on the rides...I'll just...close my eyes."

"Well make Jeff stop being a grump. Or take someone else. We have a wide selection."

"No...I'll go with Oscar," she concluded. "Now stop being so grumpy, or you'll never ever find out what I wished for," she whispered. Jeff nodded.

"I'll stop being grumpy."

"So we're going then?" Gabby asked

"Yeah...we'll go," Lily decided.

"Hmm...what should I wear? Is it gonna be cold?" Gabby asked.

"Not if we don't make it cold. I'm gonna wear that outfit Matt bought me the other day."

"Well, what should I wear? No one bought me anything."

"He bought me two things. Your choice...the leather pants or the skirt."

"Leather gets too hot...Sooo...the skirt," Gabby decided. Lily tossed the skirt over. She tossed over the velvet tanktop as well.

"I'm wearing the mesh blue flame shirt. And I got my Neo boots...so I'm set." Gabby poofed the skirt and tanktop on.

"Yaaaay." Lily poofed her outfit on, poofing her hair into two pigtails. "Aww, cute hair," Gabby said. Lily poofed herself in a long ankle-length shiny leather jacket. Gabby poofed an old black trenchcoat on. "There. Outfit complete."

"Yes....we're set. But...what about the boys?" Lily asked.

"Hmmm...What should they wear?" Lily poofed Jeff into a pink dress and his hair into two braided pigtails. Lily ran over to Gabby and laughed.

"What do you think Gabby?" Gabby laughed loudly.

"Oh yeah, that’s definitely him." Jeff looked down at himself and stalked over to them, grabbing Lily's pigtail and tugging on softly.

"All right, all right," she said, pooling him into his baggy Kikwear pants and a tight blue shirt. Jeff let go.

"Much better...thank you," he said.

"Jeff, you must admit...that dress was nice," Gabby teased.

"Never...nice on one of you too, maybe...but not on I."

"Well, I don't care what Matt wears. As long as its not a dress..." Gabby said.

"So poof him into something then," Lily said. Gabby poofed Matt into baggy black cargos and a black shirt.

"There. Works for me."

"If you say so." Lily jumped on Jeff's back and sat there, piggy-back style. "Let's go."

"Poof, or drive?" Gabby asked.

"Up to you." Gabby thought a moment.

"Poof. Its easier."

"Okay then...poof it is," Jeff replied.

"Ready Matt?" Matt nodded. Gabby poofed everyone to a carnival somewhere.