10. J I L L I A N : Half-Blood

GOOD LUCK, JACK!

This is a bonus chapter that I literally just wrote, tonight, at 12:20 A.M. on December 16, 2021 because I realized that I kinda skipped a major area of growth in Jack and Jill's relationship when I originally wrote this story back in July. So here ya go.

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"So what are we doing out here again?" Jill asked as she sat down, cross-legged, on the grass around the back of the Safe Haven Observatory.

Jack cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "Um... well... I actually have a—a surprise for you," he replied with a nervous laugh. "It—uh—it might be a little silly, but..." Jack trailed off, shrugging.

"I love silly," Jill told him, smirking. "Just make sure it's 'funny' silly and not 'dumb' silly."

"It... might be both...?" Jack admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Uh—hold on." He hurried off into the bushes—and returned moments later with a guitar in hand.

Jill gasped and clapped. "Oh, yes! I'm finally getting that song you promised me!" she exclaimed, eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Yeah, I, heh... I figured it was a little overdue," Jack responded, giving Jill a shaky smile. "I just hope these strings don't snap while I'm playing," he muttered worriedly as he tuned the guitar.

"Oh, don't be so fretful," Jill told him. Then she made a mimicking gesture, saying, "Ba-dum, TSS!"

Jack laughed, loosening up slightly. "Yeah, I'll try!"

Jill leaned back, resting her paws on the ground. "So what're we hearing today, Mr. Wells?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"I... well... let me play it for you," Jack answered, sitting on the ground in front of Jill. Then he exhaled, cleared his throat, and began to play...

...and sing.

"Look up at the stars—they're like pieces of art, floating above the ground..."

Jill's jaw dropped, and she almost fell over backward as Jack continued, "It's a Friday night and streetlights are all saying your name! They always say your name..."

Jill leaned forward, her eyes wide and mouth splitting in a huge grin.

"Before you go home, I should let you know, I'm so glad that you came," Jack sang, giving Jill a slight shrug. "I know that we went late..."

Jill giggled, nodding in acknowledgement.

"But look up at the stars—they're like pieces of art, floating above the ground," Jack went on, closing his eyes as he picked at the strings. "You know we could fly so far; the universe is ours! I'm not gonna let you down..."

Jill burst out laughing as Jack hit the bridge: "I – am – feelin' so lucky! The – sun – shining down on me! Got these angels all around me—I'll never be alone!"

"Oh, Jack!" Jill whispered, clasping her paws together and pressing them against her mouth.

"Look up at the stars—they're like pieces of art, floating above the ground!" Jack belted, grinning at Jill. "You know we could fly so far; the universe is ours, and I'm not gonna let you down!"

"Better not," Jill put in teasingly.

Jack laughed. "Finally we met, now the lights are set. It's taken us 'til now... to be together in this town, yeah," he crooned, jerking his head toward the center of Safe Haven. "A couple of years we've been makin' plans, somehow you always seem to understand—so let me spend the night in wonderland with you..."

Jill swayed from side to side as Jack went back into the bridge. "I – am – feeling so lucky!" he sang, giving Jill a grateful smile. "The – sun – shining down on me! Got these angels all around me—I'll never be alone!

"Look up at the stars—they're like pieces of art, floating above the ground," Jack went on, softening his voice. He picked out four notes before hitting the latter half of the chorus at full volume again: "You know we can fly so far! The universe is ours! And I'm not gonna let you down!"

Jill started laughing again as Jack finished out the song with an instrumental outro, ending with a few gently plucked notes.

And then, of course, at the very end of the song, every string on the guitar snapped, letting out a dissonant twang.

Jack blinked, looked at Jill, and gave a sheepish chuckle. "Heh, uh... whoops."

Jill shook her head in amazement, a smile on her face. Then she took Jack's in her hands and gave him a tender kiss.

Jack's eyes widened, his cheeks turning red. Then his eyelids slowly fluttered closed as he let the moment linger.

A few seconds later, Jill pulled back slightly and murmured in a teasing tone, "Jack?"

"Y-Yeah?" Jack stammered in a breathy voice.

"You are a terrible kisser."

Jack's face turned redder. "I am?"

"Yeah. But that's okay." Jill patted his face with her paw. "You just need practice."

"P-P-P-Practice?"

"Mhm. We can start now if you want..."

"JACK!"

Jack and Jill suddenly whirled around, surprised to see Dan Darren—owner and operator of Safe Haven Observatory and part-timer at Xirxine—exploding out of the observatory's rear exit. "You're supposed to be up front!" he cried. "What the heck are you doing?!"

"...Nothing," Jack replied innocently.

"Practicing kissing," Jill answered at the same time.

There was a long moment of silence.

Then Dan blurted, "Never mind that! We've got guests up front waiting for midnight tours! Or did you forget that that was your job tonight?!"

"Um... I... did... NOT forget," Jack lied. "Just... slipped my mind for a sec."

"Well, make it un-slip and get your tail up front!" Dan ordered. "They won't wait forever!"
"Yeah! Right. Sorry, Dan," Jack apologized quickly. He turned to Jill, blushing. "I—I gotta go."

"I know. It's fine." Jill put her paws behind her back, smiling shyly. "I really enjoyed tonight, Jack. Thank you."

Jack beamed. "N—No problem, Jill! I'll see you later!" He waved to her and scampered away, practically bouncing as he made his way to the front of the observatory.

Dan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Can you, uh, grab his guitar, please?" he asked Jill wearily. "Don't want him leaving it out here. Again."

"I got it." Jill picked up the guitar as Dan retreated into the observatory. She clutched it to her chest, looking up at the stars in the inky night sky. "I feel lucky too, Jack," she whispered, a blissful smile coming to her face. "I feel lucky, too."

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(This would probably be a really nice animatic. But I'm not an animator, so whatever. Epilogue's coming later today. - 12/16/21)

"Look Up at the Stars", © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group. Written by Shawn Mendes, Scott Harris, and Thomas Hull.