Rio sat up and instantly clutched her head with one hand and her stomach with the other. "Oooh, dear goddess. What the hell happened last night?" She remembered drinking martinis, but not much after that. She'd dreamed... very odd dreams, too. Very... very vivid dreams. About her and Neil, she remembered, flushing a little at the recollection, although she vaguely recalled Vaughn appearing in some of them, too. Shaking her head to clear it, she looked around, squinting to help her bleary eyes focus.

She spotted her dress draped over the back of the scarlet chaise, then felt her necklace slide across her collarbone. Wondering why she hadn't finished undressing, she reached up and fumbled with the clasp. After a few tries, she managed to remove it, and she dropped it onto the table next to the bed. But when she went to take off her earrings, she found one was missing. "Damn it," she said, peering around the room. "How am I going to find a ruby and gold earring in this room?" She slid out of bed and felt around, but there was no sign of it among the sheets and cushions.

"Shit," she groaned, then saw that it was late morning. She staggered off to take a quick shower, then pulled on shorts and a tank top and her boots before stumbling down the stairs to the lobby.

Carol was at the desk as usual, and she slumped across the counter, groaning. "Rough night?" the innkeeper asked cheerfully. "You're not the only one, I hear. Why, one fellow woke up at 3:00 this morning—he'd passed out on the lawn! He was drenched in dew and positively green when he came pounding on my door. He'd even managed to lock himself out of his room." She shook her head ruefully at the memory.

"Uhh, yeah. Guess so. The last thing I remember is drinking martinis. I should've listened to Vaughn. He tried to warn me about them, but I was too stubborn. Now I'm paying for it."

"What you need is a hair of the dog, dearie. Just wait here, I'll be right back." Carol trotted back towards her rooms, then emerged a few minutes later with a tall glass of something red. "Try it. It's a Bloody Mary. Full of vitamins and just a teeeensy bit of vodka. You'll feel better in no time, I promise."

Rio took the glass and sipped it gingerly, and she was relieved to find it didn't taste half bad. As she sipped the drink, she smiled gratefully at her beaming landlady. "Oh, by the way," she exclaimed after a moment, "I seem to have lost an earring last night. No idea where it could be, since I don't really remember much of anything. But it's a dangly gold earring with a square-cut ruby, and tiny little diamonds all around the ruby and set into the gold. Here, this is the other one," she said, then dug into her pocket and pulled out the glittering object.

Peering at it over her glasses, Carole exclaimed, "Oh, how lovely!"

"Yes, they were my mother's. Her rubies were about the only really fine jewelry she had, besides her wedding ring. They mean a lot to me because of that."

"Well, then, isn't it lucky that I've already found its mate!" Carol said, smiling as she leaned over to reach beneath the counter.

"You did? Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so, so glad!" Rio exclaimed as Carol dropped the earring into her hand. "Wherever did you find it?"

"Well, that's the funny thing," Carol said, her eyes sparkling. "I found it when I went to tidy up Vaughn's room a short while ago, lying there on the floor next to the bed."

Rio stared at her open-mouthed in shock as the color drained from her face.

**************

Vaughn took another bite of his porridge, chewing slowly as he stared blankly out the window. His mind was elsewhere, though, and he didn't notice the other patrons coming and going, nor the passersby on the street outside.

That is, until someone bellowed his name.

"Vaughn!" Rio screeched as she tore into the diner. "What the hell did you do?" She came to a stop before him, her face flushed, her eyes snapping, breathing hard as she glared at him.

He swallowed his bite and looked calmly up at her. "Keep it down, Rio. I'm eating, for one thing. For another, in case you didn't notice, we're not alone. I don't know what's got into you, but sit down and eat something. You'll feel better afterwards."

"I don't care who hears me. I was drunk, damn it! How could you?"

"How could I what?" he glared up at her, narrowing his eyes.

"Take advantage of me like that!"

Vaughn vaulted out of his seat, his eyes flashing as he slammed his hands down on the table. "Now you listen to me, and listen good. I may be a lot of things, but I sure as hell am no rapist. I didn't lay a goddessdamn finger on you, except to carry your sorry, drunken ass up to your bed before going quietly to sleep in my own."

Rio stared up at him, taken aback. "But... but... Carol found my earring on your floor... and I was naked when I woke up... and I had all these... all these dreams, and they seemed so real—too real to be just dreams...!" she stammered.

"Look, I don't know how your earring got on my floor, but my guess is that it got tangled in my hair when you tried to pull me into bed with you. Yep, you heard me right," he said, as she clapped her hands over her mouth, appalled. "But it wasn't really me you wanted, so I left. I fetched Alisa, who was still downstairs helping with the cleanup, and she got you out of your clothes. Only she couldn't find any pajamas for you, so she just left you naked. Embarrassed the hell out of her, too. I didn't tell her you just don't bother with them.

"As for your dreams... sorry to rain on your parade there, Rio, but that's all they were. Just dreams. I can't help what you dream about me or anyone else. But to come tearing in here foaming at the mouth, accusing me of... of that... is that really what you think of me? That I'd stoop to taking advantage of you while you're passed out drunk?"

Vaughn straightened up, staring coldly at her as he pulled his hat down low. Then he turned and walked away without so much as a glance back. As he pushed open the door, he paused for a moment, his back still to her. "I'm real disappointed in you, Rio. You of all people oughta know me better than that." And then he was gone, and Rio was left standing there, her cheeks red with mortification as all eyes turned to stare at her.

**************

Shortly before noon on Tuesday, Rio and Vaughn straggled into Echo Village on their horses, tired, dusty, and disheveled. But they were home, and it felt good to be back.

The day before, they had caught the afternoon ferry back to the mainland, in order to be on time for the night train that would take them north as they retraced their steps homeward. The ferry ride had been awkward and silent, with Vaughn still too angry to speak to her, and Rio still too mortified by her wrong conclusions and rash accusations to attempt to breach the silence.

The night train had made a scheduled stop of forty minutes at a station halfway through their journey, and a few of the passengers took advantage of the break to exit the train and stretch their legs. Rio had seized the opportunity to coax Vaughn outside to take a walk with her. Though still offended as well as tired and half-asleep, he had reluctantly agreed, unwilling to let her walk around a strange station alone at night despite his resentment.

Dragging him over to a relatively isolated corner of the station, Rio turned and looked at him. Swallowing her pride with an audible gulp, she said, "Vaughn, I... I want to apologize for how I behaved earlier. I know it's no excuse, but... I was hungover and not thinking at all clearly, so when Carol said that she'd found my earring next to your bed, it just seemed like it all fell into place, and I... I panicked. If I'd just stopped to think... I know you wouldn't do anything like that. I'm sorry, Vaughn, really, really sorry for what I said and for how I said it. I was such an idiot. Can you forgive me?"

He stared down at her, his amethyst eyes cold and unreadable as she looked up anxiously into them, unconsciously holding her breath as she waited for his response. Finally he sighed and turned away. "You know I can't stay mad at you, Rio. It was real shitty of you, especially going and making a scene like that in front of half the town. But yeah... I forgive you. Just don't be so quick to jump to conclusions, okay? You're too impetuous, Rio, and someday you're gonna land yourself in a heap of misery because of it."

Looking chastened and close to tears, Rio nodded her head, and Vaughn leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head. "There, now. Don't you cry over it. It's not like I can get all high and mighty, not after some of the stunts I've pulled. Though I reckon we're a little more even now."

Rio hiccupped and choked a little on a strange little half-laugh. Then she burst into tears, to Vaughn's dismay, sinking to the cold cement floor as she sobbed.

"Rio? What is it? Hey, I said I forgive you. C'mon, it's not that bad!" he said, dropping down next to her and awkwardly stroking her hair.

She shook her head as she buried her face against her arms. "It's not that," she said in a muffled voice.

"Then what the hell is it?" he asked, knocking his hat back and staring at her. She just shook her head, crying even harder. He sat down and stretched his legs out. "All right, look, just pretend I'm Julia or somethin' and tell me what's bugging you. It's not like you to cry over nothing, so there must be some reason."

"It... It's Neil," she croaked after a moment's hesitation, and Vaughn felt himself stiffen up automatically.

Forcing his tensed muscles to relax, he said, somewhat guardedly, "What about Neil?"

"I... I think I love him. But I can't tell if he loves me, too. I can't tell anything about him. I've never met a man like that, a man that seems interested in me but then pushes me away and has no interest in more than just... just holding hands, I guess. And I'm so frustrated I could just scream. I wouldn't even mind all the waiting and waiting and waiting if I was sure I was getting somewhere with him. But I don't know! I want more from him—I need more. Julia asked me if I was really all right with all that waiting, and I told her I was... but I'm not! Not like this, not when I can't make out what's up with him. I mean, does he find me unattractive? Is he bored with me? Or is he just so damn shy that in twenty years we'll still be doing nothing more than holding hands and saying goodnight on the doorstep with no more than a quick peck on the cheek? I can't live like that—I just can't! It's not like I'm boy-crazy or anything, but... well, it's been a long time since you and I broke up. And Neil and I've been dating for quite a while now. So... the tension's been building up, and it's starting to get to me, I guess."

She sniffled and wiped her sleeve across her eyes, then looked over at Vaughn with a half smile. He sat by her, still stroking her hair, watching her impassively. "I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "I shouldn't have dumped all that on you, I mean under the circumstances and all. It's just really been eating at me lately. But I guess, when I think about it, you probably kind of feel the same way right now, huh?"

Pulling his hand back, Vaughn leaned back against the station wall and closed his eyes. "Reckon you could say that." Just then, they heard the call to board the train, and they scrambled to their feet. As Rio turned to hurry out of the station, Vaughn grabbed her arm. "Listen. I don't know what's going on with you and Neil. But if he tears you up like this, if he's not making you feel happy and loved and wanted... well, at best, he's an idiot. Life is too short to waste your time on someone who makes you feel miserable. And I'm not just saying that in hopes that you'll come back to me. I mean it."

She blinked at him a couple of times, staring at him as she absorbed his words. Then she smiled. "Thanks, Vaughn." And then they ran for the train, jumping on board just as it began to move.

**************

As they rode down the long driveway towards the barn, Iroha emerged from the orchard, a large bushel of fresh fruit in her arms. She was very strong, being a blacksmith, and she carried the heavy basket with ease. She spotted them, and picked up her pace as she returned their waves. They rode on into the barn to tend their horses, and after she'd dropped the fruit off at the house, Iroha joined them there.

They were chatting in a lively manner that belied their exhausted appearance as she hurried over to greet them where they were grooming their horses. After giving Rio a big hug, she looked back and forth, from one to the other. "There has been a change of some sort between you," she said, after a moment's observation.

"Yeah, well, I guess you could say we kind of cleared the air over one or two things. So I think we're getting along a little better now than before we left. Wouldn't you say so, Vaughn?" Rio asked, turning with a smile to him.

"Reckon so," he agreed, not pausing as he wiped down his sweaty, dusty gelding.

"So then, this return to your former home has been a catalyst of sorts," Iroha mused.

"A catalyst? How do you mean?" Rio asked, pausing for a moment to look at her friend uncertainly.

"Yes. In this context, something that brings about change. It would appear that returning to the islands caused some sort of a reaction between you, and that the result of that reaction is that some of your previous conflict has been resolved. Or is there more to it than that?"

Flushing and frowning at her friend, Rio replied, "No, there's nothing more. Honestly, Iroha, are you suggesting I cheated on Neil?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, Iroha replied quietly, "No, of course I am not. But I find it interesting that of all the conclusions you might have drawn from my words, that was the one first and foremost on your mind." Then she turned and left, leaving Rio standing there with her mouth hanging open and her cheeks red while Vaughn just slowly shook his head at her.

**************

Neil glanced at his watch impatiently. She wasn't late yet, but he still thought she'd be here before now. He knew they'd returned in plenty of time; he'd noticed Vaughn saunter past his house a few hours ago, his pack slung over his shoulder and whistling a tune as he headed towards the inn. But he hadn't seen any sign of Rio so far.

The festival grounds began to fill up with onlookers, eager for the evening's entertainment to begin. Somewhere behind him, he could hear Allen's voice, smooth as silk, joined in conversation with both Tina and Yuri.

A few minutes later, Rod slowly wandered in the gate, nodding at him as he went, the very picture of dejection—his hands crammed into his pockets, shoulders hunched, head down. "Hey, where's Felicity?" Allen called out to him as he headed towards him, the girls trailing along behind.

"Sick," Rod sighed. "She woke up with a bad cold and laryngitis. She was going to try to come anyway, but I told her the cool night air would just make her throat worse and that she should stay in bed and rest."

"What a pity. Such a lovely night for fireworks, too. Well, I suppose I can allow you the pleasure of my company instead," Allen replied. Then, looking over at Neil, he said, "And you? Where's your ladylove tonight? Isn't she attending? Too worn out from her tropical vacation with her old flame?"

Neil scowled at him with thinly-veiled hostility. He knew Allen was just trying to get a rise out of him, and goddess he was good at that, but damn it, that was a low blow even for him. He only shrugged, though, and said, "I don't know. She said she'd meet me here, so I guess she'll be here soon."

As he spoke, he spotted Vaughn sauntering in the gate, pausing for a word with Dunhill. "Well," Allen called cheerfully as Vaughn headed their way, "at least you can rule out one possible cause of delay now."

Neil turned angrily towards Allen, but just then he heard Rio's voice calling out a greeting to Dunhill as she entered the grounds. Allen stared, and Rod gave a long, low whistle. Spinning around, Neil felt his face redden as he spotted her hurrying towards him. A quick glance back over his shoulder showed him that all the guys were gawking at her, even Sanjay. He hadn't even known Sanjay liked girls until that moment.

"I'm sorry if I'm a little bit late," she panted as she ran up to him. "I hope you weren't waiting long? I had a little trouble with my outfit."

"What outfit?" he snapped as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her quickly away from the crowd, glaring at Allen and Vaughn as he passed them, back towards the far corner of the festival grounds. He gritted his teeth as he heard a few catcalls and whistles come from the clusters of people they passed, and his awareness of Rio's confusion at his behavior only worsened his mood.

The festival grounds were bounded on three sides by a low wooden rail fence, but beyond the fence lay the mixed broadleaf and conifer forest that covered the mountains and hills in the area. Numerous little footpaths wound from the grounds up through the woods, many leading to small clearings ideal for viewing the fireworks in seclusion from the crowds—as well as for other activities that required privacy from prying eyes.

Neil hopped over the fence at the back, tugging Rio over with him. He picked one of the trails and started up it, stalking through the light undergrowth as he pulled her along behind him. A few minutes later, and they reached one of the clearings, and Neil let go of her, dropping to the ground and scowling up at her.

"What is it? What's wrong? Are you mad that I was a little late? I'm really sorry, but I—"

"It's not because you were late."

Rio sat down next to him on the grass. "Well... then what is it? Is it because I didn't come and say hi to you as soon as I got home? I just had so much to do, and I thought we'd agreed—"

"That's not it, either."

"Well, then what the hell is it?" she asked in frustration.

Neil jumped up again and paced around the small clearing. "It's that... that thing you're wearing. I mean, it hardly counts as clothes, even. You can see right through those tops, and those shorts! I guess now no one will need to wonder what kind of underwear you wear—if you're even wearing any!"

Rio's jaw dropped. "What? You... you're mad at me because you don't like the way I'm dressed?"

"I don't like that you flaunt your body to anyone and everyone in town, that's what. It makes you look cheap, trashy even. Listen, these past few weeks, I've learned that I don't know you as well as I thought I did. I mean, you used to be shacked up with Vaughn, you even had a kid with him... and who knows what else you've been hiding from me. I thought you were, I dunno... a little less well-traveled, I guess. And why do you even want to dress like this? You're supposed to be taken, right? So you shouldn't be trying to get the other guys to look at you like that. So why do you?"

Rio sprang up to her feet, her eyes flashing, her cheeks scarlet, and her voice shaking as she yelled, "Maybe because you won't!" Then she turned and raced back down the hill, vanishing into the woods.

Neil stared after her, dumbfounded, then shouted, "Rio! Hey, come back here! I didn't mean...." But the only answer was the rustling overhead as a startled songbird flew away, scolding him for his harsh words.

**************

As they stood around waiting for the sky to darken enough for the show to begin, Allen turned to make some comment to Rod and Vaughn, when suddenly Rio flew past them and on out the gate. The three men stared after her, startled, and Rod asked in a low voice, "Was she... was she crying? I thought I heard crying!"

"Me, too," Vaughn said, grimly, as he turned and looked in the direction from which she'd come. Sure enough, a few minutes later Neil came crashing out of the underbrush.

Up until then, no one had ever seen Vaughn move at anything but a slow pace—strolling, sauntering, lounging around. So both Rod and Allen—not to mention a number of others nearby—were astonished by the speed with which he flew to the back of the field, arriving just as Neil swung a leg over the top rail of the fence.

Grabbing the younger man by his coat collar and dragging him over the fence, Vaughn snarled, "What did you do to her?"

Swaying a little as he struggled to regain his balance, Neil glared at him and shoved him away. "Fuck off. It's none of your business, so get the hell out of my face."

"Listen, son, and listen real good," Vaughn said, narrowing his eyes and looming over him. "If you think for one second that I'm just going to stand by and let you—or anyone—hurt that young woman, you're sorely mistaken. She's suffered enough as it is, and she deserves a hell of a lot better. Now what did you do?"

Allen and Rod came trotting up just then, looking concerned. "Yeah, I don't know what happened, buddy, but I've never seen Rio so upset. What's going on?" Rod asked, looking worried.

"Look, I just told her that I wished she'd dress a little less... like a floozy, I guess. That's all." Seeing the bare-faced disbelief that confronted him from all three men, he sighed and added, "And I said that I was discovering that I don't know her as well as I thought I did—I thought she was a little, you know... less experienced."

"Experienced?" Allen said, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess 'well-traveled' was the word I used. I was thinking kind of like the old phrase about the village bicycle—that's what my parents used to say."

"Village bicycle?" Rod asked, blinking in confusion.

"My mother and father would say of girls they thought were easy or cheap that they were like the village bicycle—everybody had a ride. Anyway, then I said I didn't know why she wanted to try to get other guys to pay attention to her anyway when she already has me, and she said maybe because I wouldn't. Then she took off running. That's all there is to it. Now let me go!"

"Oh, I see. So you called your girlfriend a cheap, attention-seeking whore, and you're surprised that she ran off crying? For fuck's sake, Neil, I'm surprised, too—surprised she didn't beat the shit out of you first," Allen said, incredulously.

Vaughn was less subtle. He dragged Neil over to the barn and slammed him back against the side. Leaning down into his face, his purple eyes nearly crimson with rage, he hissed, "Listen, you little fuckwad, Rio is better than you will ever deserve. She is not a whore, or a tramp, or any of the other ugly things you called her. She's a decent, kind, and passionate woman, and she's only dressing like that for you—to get your attention, though goddess knows why she wants it."

"Yeah? And how much do you really know about her?" Neil snapped, struggling to break free of his grasp.

"I know that I was her first, and from the way she's practically shooting sparks, I can guarantee there hasn't been anyone since. Now maybe you don't approve that she had been with someone before you. Maybe you don't like to think that someone—especially me—has been where you're too scared to go. But you know what? Tough shit. If you love her—hell, if you even just like her—you gotta take her as she is. Just like she accepts you, with all your flaws. And count your lucky stars on that score, kid, because my goddess, there seems to be no end to that list. Now you get your sorry ass over there and make things right with her, because I swear if you make her cry like that again, I'm gonna beat you so hard your grandkids will be born with black eyes. Got that?"

Then he released Neil with a shove, and with one last disdainful glare, he turned and stalked away, out the gate and down the empty streets.

Allen gave a snort of laughter. "Well, that was one hell of a fuck-up, even for you. Good luck! And hey, if she dumps you, I'd be happy to let you be my girlfriend instead!" Then he, too, strolled off, still shaking his head. Rod just stared at Neil for a moment, not saying anything but with a deeply disappointed look in his eyes before he turned and followed Allen.