part 6 - Daydream Believer
Cliff came down from the upper story of the library, holding several thick books in his arms. He placed them on Mary's desk, and smiled charmingly at her. Blushing, Mary reached for her stamp, and opened the book to the last page.
Tucked between the last page and the back cover was a blue feather.
Mary's mouth dropped open. She looked up at Cliff and....
Just then Doc walked in. Mary was shaken out of her daydream (why the heck was she daydreaming about Cliff anyway?) and smiled at Doc. He nodded curtly, and stomped upstairs.
Well, he doesn't have to be so rude! Mary thought.It seemed like everyone was in a bad mood lately.
Mary scooped up some books and began returning them to the shelves. Her mind began to wander again....
She was in the meadow at Mothers Hill, and Cliff was there too...No! Not Cliff! Gray! Gray was holding a bunch of flowers.And then Cli--Gray! said....he said....
Mary's dream was again cut short by Doc. She could hear him pacing upstairs. Should I go see him? she wondered, but quickly decided not to. Truth was she was a little scared of Doc lately.

*******

Upstairs, Doc paced furiously. He had no idea that Mary could hear him, nor did he care. His mind was filled with the image of Jack holding out the Blue Feather to Elli. How could Jack do that?
How could Elli say he was cold-hearted? How could she?!
Doc paused in his pacing. He was cold-hearted. Would a warm-hearted person let their true love slip away? Would a warm-hearted person have treated Popuri so callously that night on the beach.
Changes had to be made!
Doc went downstairs. "Hello, Mary," he said in his kindest voice. (It was a voice he reserved mainly for his clinically ill paitients, but Mary didn't have to know that.) "Are those new glasses? They're very pretty."
Doc exited the library feeling much better about himself. Mary remained inside, feeling more confused than ever!
to be Continued!

A Changed Man...?
"I thought you were supposed to stay off your ankle," Popuri fretted.
Ann plopped down on the bench between the supermarket and the clinic. "I'm fine," she said, waving one of her crutches. "I get around pretty well with these. Besides, it's nice to get away from Cliff. He watches me like a hawk! Honestly, you'd think I was an invalid or something!"
Popuri settled herself next to Ann. How nice it was to sit and laugh and chat with your friends! She'd nearly forgotten that.
"But, I'm such a dope," Ann continued. "I forgot that today was Wednesday. I wanted Doc to look at my ankle."
"Here he comes now. Why don't you ask him?"
"I'm kinda afraid to. He's been a real grouch lately,"
Doc drew nearer. To the girls' surprise, he was smiling.
"Hello, Popuri! Hello, Ann! How's your ankle? Drop by tomorrow and I'll take a look at it." Doc said cheerfully.
"Uhh...yeah...."Ann said in a dazed voice.
Doc stuck his hands in his pocket, and continued on his way. By merely pretending to be cheerful, he was actually starting to feel cheerful. He even began to whistle a happy tune.
Doc's whistle stopped short, as it had been cut in two.
Up ahead he could see the church. Jack, Elli and Carter were walking out the door. Elli was squeezing Jack's hand.
"It's funny," Jack was saying. "Tomorrow's the big day, but I don't feel nervous at all!"
"Neither did I, until about five minutes before the ceremony," Carter laughed. "Then I started to worry that someone would rush in declaring their love for Karen!"
The three laughed as they remembered the day Karen had nearly married Rick. Of course, on that day it had been shocking, but enough time had passed for it to be funny. None of them even noticed Doc. If they had they would have been very surprised, maybe even frightened, of the hateful expression that was twisting Doc's handsome face.
Doc whirled around, and stormed past Popuri and Ann. They caught a glimpse of his face and didn't dare say a word to him.
"Gee, what's his problem?" Popuri asked.
Ann glanced over at the church. "I think Doc has the same problem that you were having," she replied.
"You mean Doc is in love with Kai?!"
To Be Continued!

part 8 - Ann Lends an Ear
Ann stayed and chatted with Popuri for most of the afternoon. Finally, as the setting sun turned the sky golden, Ann hobbled home on her crutches. To her surprise, she saw Doc seated at the bar. His head was in his hands and there was a glass of beer in front of him.
"My goddess!" Ann whispered to her father. "How much has he had to drink?"
"Just that little bit," Doug replied, jerking his head in Doc's direction. The glass was more than three-quarters full.
"Poor guy," Ann whispered. She hesitated a moment, then went over to him. She could move pretty quickly on her crutches, and in a few seconds she was seated next to Doc.
"You okay?" she murmured.
Doc did not reply. In fact, he gave no indication that he even heard Ann at all. Ann reached out and touched his shoulder. She half-expected him to shrug it off, but he did not move.
"Doc...?"
This time he flicked his eyes in her direction. Ann felt a little encouraged, and went on.
"I know you're upset about Elli," she said.
"What gave you that idea?"
"Please! You're not even trying to hide it!" Ann exclaimed. "Why don't you fight for her? Tell her how you feel! It's not too late!"
"It is. She loves Jack."
"You don't know that!"
"I heard her say it." Doc's voice was low, but filled with emotion. His eyes briefly met Ann's, and she saw how truly hurt he was. How could she have ever thought him cold? Ann began to cry.
"Hey!" Doc exclaimed. "Wha-- why are you crying?" He looked around the bar, but Doug was gone. Doc wasn't sure whether that was good or bad.
"It's so unfair!" Ann sobbed. "It's not fair that you love someone, but she doesn't love you! It's the most unfair thing I ever heard of!"
Doc realized something then. He could never, never tell Elli. If he did she would cry, he knew she would, and he couldn't bear that. He could never hurt Elli. He loved her enough to be happy for her.
"Don't cry, Ann. It's okay." The sound of his voice made Ann look up. Doc was smiling. "It's okay."
Ann sniffled. "Really?"
"Yes, really!"
to be continued

part 9 The Wedding
Almost everyone in Mineral Town turned out for Jack and Elli's wedding. They were packed into the church pews so tightly that not even a Harvest Sprite could have squeezed in. Ann kept looking at the Doctor throughout the ceremony. He seemed to be taking it pretty well all things considered. Once, when she was looking at him, their eyes met. She smiled, and to her surprise, Doc smiled back. It was a tiny half-smile, but it was there nonetheless.
The reception was held in the town square. Everyone went up to greet the new couple.
"I hope you'll be as happy as we are!" Rick said, his arm around Kai's waist.
Elli gazed up at Jack. "I know we will!" she said.
Music began to play, and Jack led Elli into the center of the square for their first dance as man and wife. Ann, no longer on crutches went up to Doc.
"You should talk to her," Ann whispered.
"I know," Doc replied. He was watching Elli.
A new song started then, and other couples joined Jack and Elli in the square. It was only married couples dancing, and all the unmarried people stood by. Just then Papyri ran up and grabbed Gray's hands.
"I wanna dance!" she exclaimed, pulling him into the dance floor. Several people gaped at them. Popuri didn't notice. She leaned her head on Gray's shoulder, and they danced.
Mary stood at the edge of the crowd. She hadn't expected Gray to ask her to dance, but all the same....Her cheeks were growing bright red and her eyes were beginning to shine with tears.
Cliff saw her and quickly realized what was happening. He walked over and took her hand. "Come on, Mary," he said.
Manna hurried up to Ann, who was staring in utter disbelief at Cliff. "What's going on here?" Manna exclaimed. "Gray and Popuri! Mary and Cliff!" You and Doctor!" Ann and Doc instantly began to object, but Manna paid them no attention. "I don't like not being up on the latest gossip! How could I have missed all this!"
"I don't know about Gray and Popuri, but Cliff doesn't like Mary," Ann said hotly.
"But, why is he dancing with her?" Manna asked. As usual, she rushed on without waiting for a reply. " Well, aren't you two going to dance?"
Manna looked at them expectantly. Ann glanced over at Cliff, then grabbed Doc's hand and pulled him into the center of Town Square.
To be Continued!

Yeah, I was gonna post this yesterday, that's why there was a plot recap...
part 10 - Piece of Cake

Anna'a eyes narrowed as she watched Cliff and Mary dancing together. Who did that scruffy vagabond think he was, dancing with her daughter? Anna gathered up her skirts and was just heading over to break them up, when the music stopped.
"Time to cut the cake!" Doug called out. Everyone flocked over, and to Anna's annoyment, Mary stood near Cliff. She elbowed her way through the crowd, and wedged herself between Mary and Cliff.
"Oh, what a lovely cake," she said in a too cheerful voice. Doug caught her tone, and thought that Anna was being sarcastic. He frowned. The cake was lovely, he'd really outdone himself, so why was Anna being so rude?
Elli held a slice of cake up to Jack's face. She glanced out at the crowd, who was loudly encouraging her to smush it in Jack's face, and saw the Doctor, standing at the edge of the crowd. Why does he look so sad? Elli thought. Doc quickly looked away.
"...Elli?" Jack asked.
Blushing a little, Elli quickly rubbed the cake all over Jack's face. The crowd laughed and applauded.
***
Sometime later, Elli shyly approached Doc.
"Thank you for coming to my wedding," she said.
Doc looked at his shoes. "Jack's a great guy. You'll be happy together." he murmured.
"Yes," It was lucky that Doc was still looking at the ground and not at Elli. The blissfully happy look on her face would have killed him. "I love Jack so much!"
"Good. I'm glad,"Doc said. He glanced up and smiled at her and Elli saw that he meant those words.
"Thank you...Tim," she said.
Jack was standing by the entrance to the Town Square. Elli gathered up her wedding dress and went to him. Doc watched them leave, then he too left to go home.
Ann was waiting near the other entrance.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," Doc smiled. "I am."
to be continued!