Chapter 21: Home Sweet Home, part 2!

Harmony runs through the village blasting his trumpet as loud as it can go. Many of the smurfs cover their ears and glare at him annoyingly. Finally Smurfette gets up from her garden to run up to him.

"Harmony Smurf, stop! What is it that's got you so excited?" She desperately asks him.

Harmony removes his trumpet from his mouth and takes a deep breath. "Hefty Smurf… He's come back."

"What did you say?" Came a scowl toned voice from behind.

Both Smurfette and Harmony turn to see Handy Smurf standing with a pencil sitting on his right ear, and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Handy, you have to believe me. It's really Hefty. I saw him with my own two eyes. He's at the field right now with Papa Smurf and the others. Not only that, but he also brought more smurfettes with him." Harmony said barely containing his excitement.

Already some of the other smurfs started running towards the field. Handy simply stands still with a stunned look on his face as he digests the information his brother just announced.

"Hefty's back? A-A-And there's more smurfettes, you say?" Jokey says with a big grin. "This I gotta see." He adds running up to the field with one of his 'special' parcels in his hand.

"Me too." Chirped Smurfette as she ran in the same direction as Jokey.

Handy at first followed Jokey and Smurfette with his eyes. When he sees Harmony heading back to the field, he too started running up as well. If what Harmony was saying is true, then he has to see it with his own two eyes.

Once he gets to the field the first thing he notices is all the smurfs surrounding someone. Handy also noticed nine new smurfette faces. This part of what Harmony said was true. It is when he saw Papa Smurf move his head, he finally sees Hefty. Handy Smurf stood frozen, he was afraid to move in case all of this was nothing more then just a dream.

As Harmony walks through the crowd he notices Melody. Mostly what had caught his attention was the guitar that she has strapped on her back. 'Ah, a fellow musician.' He thought to himself. With a smile he walks up to her.

"Hi, I'm Harmony Smurf."

"I'm Melody. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"I notice you have a guitar strapped on your back. You play?" Harmony asks.

"Of course." Melody proudly responds. "I play many instruments. Not only that, but I also have preformed for royalty. From Pixie Queens to Human Kings."

"Really? Well, perhaps we can play a duet?" Harmony suggest just as he lifts his trumpet to his face and begins to play it.

Melody, along with the rest of the smurfs and smurfettes, instantly cringe as he plays each sour note.

"May I please see your trumpet, Harmony?" Melody finally asks desperately reaching to relieve the smurf from his instrument.

"Sure."

Melody studies each angle of the wind instrument with a questionable look before bringing it up to her face. She takes a deep breath and plays a few cords in perfect tune. Harmony and the other smurfs stare in awe at how well Melody is playing. After she brings the trumpet down to inspect it with a puzzled look once more. "Hmm. No, it isn't the instrument." She mutters while scratching her chin.

"Wow, you played that smurfingly." Smurfette cooed.

"Thank you," Melody smiles. "It's actually my first time playing a trumpet."

Many of the surrounding smurfs became even more impressed with Melody.

"Gee, Harmony, you could learn a few pointers from this smurfette on how to play real music." Laughed Jokey Smurf.

As Jokey laughed heartily, Harmony turned to him and glared hard. Ignoring Harmony's angry stares, Jokey turns to see Toughette still leaning up against the tree by her self. Her expression has a combination of sadness and irritation to it. With a mischievous grin, Jokey looks down at his 'special' parcel then back at Toughette. With confidence he walks up to her.

"Here this is for you." Jokey says handing the gift to Toughette. He begins to chuckle amusingly to himself as he takes a few steps away.

"Oh, um, thanks. What is it?" Toughette replied in a bashful way. She felt a bit uncomfortable in receiving a gift from someone she barely knows.

"It's a surprise." Chuckled Jokey.

Valvette and Nursette, whom both were standing by her, curiously lean forward in anticipation of what could be in the box. Before Toughette could finish pulling off the ribbon, the package exploded, covering their faces in black soot. This also resulted in the three of them screaming out of surprise. Jokey began to burst out in laughter over the shocked expression of the three smurfettes faces.

As soon as Hefty heard the blast, he turned to see where it came from. "Uh oh." He mutters as soon as he sees who were the poor victims of Jokey's present.

"Ha, ha. Gottcha." He pointed at them and laughed some more.

Tattlerette leaned up to him with her notepad and pencil in her hands and asks, "Hi, Tattlerette here. What did you say your name was again?"

"Jokey, Jokey Smurf." He said in between giggles.

"Heh, it was nice knowing you, Jokey Smurf." Tattlerette shook his hand after writing his name down. She then quickly stepped away from him. This suddenly puzzled the smurf clown.

Toughette's shocked look quickly turned to anger. She growled loudly as she prepared to pounce at Jokey. As she leapt, Hefty rushed up to her and caught her.

"Let me at 'em!" Toughette screeched.

"Toughette, no!" Hefty pleaded as he struggled to keep her away from Jokey's reach. "He was only trying to be funny."

"Funny? I'll give him funny! Right up the smurf!" Toughette emphasized by pounding her fist into the palm of her hand. She then attempted to reach for Jokey once more, but Hefty kept holding her back, barely.

"Toughette, please!" Hefty managed to pull her back so she could see the desperate look on his eyes. Toughette suddenly felt guilty. Not only that but embarrassed as well. With a sigh, she looked apologetic up at Hefty.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to him. After she looked past him and at Jokey. "I'm sorry." She repeated to him before stepping back.

"You, um, have to forgive Toughette. She has a bit of a temper." Mama Smurf explains to Papa Smurf.

"I see." The village elder answers, still shocked by the scene.

Valvette and Nursette pull out their handkerchiefs and wipe their faces from the black soot from the exploding parcel. After Nursette finished she tried to wipe Toughette's face, but she slapped her hand away. Nursette then tried to offer the slightly used cloth. Toughette slowly accepted it and rubbed off the soot from her face. Hefty simply watched absently as Toughette cleaned herself off.

"Hefty?" Handy finally chocked up the nerve to walk up and speak.

Hefty turns and smiles. "Hey there, old pal." He said holding out his arms to him.

Without hesitation, Handy wraps his arms around Hefty and gives him a big hug.

"We thought we had lost you." Handy finally says after a few moments.

"For a while, you kind of did." Hefty pulled back from the hug and looked Handy in the eyes. "It has been a long journey. I often wondered if I'd ever make it back here."

"Ooo, but the most important thing is that you are here now, Hefty." Smurfette cooed as she reached over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Gee, thanks Smurfette." Hefty grins bashfully.

Seeing Smurfette kiss Hefty was more then Toughette could handle. She suddenly had become too upset to get angry. All she wanted to do now is leave this scene as quickly as possible. During her attempt to rush off, she accidentally bumped Nursette's shoulder.

"Hey, Toughette where are you going?" She called out after her upset sister.

Hearing Nursette's voice got Hefty's attention to look over and see Toughette running off into the woods. "Hang on, I'll be right back." He tells the other smurfs before running after the golden hair smurfette.

Tattlerette started to grow a mischievous grin on her face. She quickly pulled out her notepad and pencil again. "I smell a scoop here." She purred. But before she could run after Hefty and Toughette, Cowgirl stopped her.

"Girl, I'm only going to tell you once. Leave 'em alone." She demanded squeezing Tattlerette's arm tightly.

"But…" Tattlerette pleaded.

"Don't make me hog tie you, now." Cowgirl warned.

"Honey, Cowgirl's right. Lets give them this moment." Valvette said soothingly.

Tattlerette sighed in defeat. "Alright."

"I don't get it, what's going on?" Brainy asks puzzlingly, scratching his head.

"Lets just say Hefty and Toughette have history together." Brainette explains calmly.

"Toughette, wait. What's wrong?" Hefty cries as soon as he catches up to her. He grabs her arm in order to stop her from running even further.

"Nothing." She answers attempting not to sound like she is about to start crying. With a jerk, Toughette releases her arm from Hefty's grip and takes two steps away from him.

"Look, you have been acting really strange the past two weeks. Now I want you tell me what's smurfing you!" He demands.

"Oh, come on. Isn't it obvious?" Toughette snapped back, practically in tears. Hefty gives her a dumbfounded look. "You are home now. And when King Randolph smurfs back home on his ship the smurfettes and I will smurf back with him. Never will we see each other again."

Suddenly the reality of all of this hits Hefty like a ton of bricks. He was so excited to finally be returning home that he didn't realize this might be the final time he would see Toughette and the other smurfettes. With a guilty look, Hefty gazes up at Toughette.

"I-I-ah-I…" He stumbled to say something, but without success.

"Oh smurf-up, Hefty. It will only make this harder." Toughette struggled to hold back her tears.

"W-Wha-What do you mean?"

"You don't understand how difficult it is for me to admit this. From the moment I first found you, to the moment we almost shared during the Blue Moon Ball, I have come to one conclusion."

"What's that?" Hefty asks carefully.

"You have affected me more then I ever could imagine. Have you ever felt so strange that you couldn't even explain the feeling you have? For the past two years that is how I have felt. When I look at you I get these feelings. When you held me under the moonlight, I felt it even more. I-I, think I love you, Hefty. And… And I don't want to have to say 'goodbye'." She said as the tears finally escaped.

There was no way for her to stop them. She began to feel very embarrassed for letting herself cry like this. To her, crying was a sign of weakness. "Oh, I feel like such an idiot." Toughette sobbed as she covered her face with her hands. "I don't know why I even bother to come here. Perhaps I should have just stayed home. All I've managed to do is embarrass you and everyone else with the way I reacted just moments ago. Maybe I do have a problem with my temper?" She softly admits.

"Toughette," Hefty finally replies. He too suddenly felt his eyes beginning to get watery. "Fate has somehow guided me to you and the other smurfettes. My life since then has never been the same. I never want what we have to go away." Toughette lifted her head to look up at Hefty. Her eyes glistened as the tears swelled up and trickled down her cheeks. The sight of her like this nearly tore him up inside.

"Toughette, I want you to know that no matter what, one way or the other, I want us to always be together. You have not only saved my life, but you also hold a piece of my heart." Toughette turned away, unsure on how to respond to this. It was both a relief, and yet, painful to hear at the same time. Carefully, Hefty lifted her head up so he can look into her teary eyes once more. "Toughette, I love you too. And I don't want to have to say 'goodbye' either."

Before Toughette could respond to his speech, Hefty leans forward and kisses her passionately on the lips.

Further up the path stood Papa Smurf and Mama Smurf. The watched with caution as the two young couple finally addressed their true feelings to each other.

"You know Papa Smurf, I have a feeling this will be a beginning of a whole new adventure for our young smurfs and smurfettes." Mama Smurf foretells.

"You could be right, Mama Smurf, you could be right." Papa Smurf agrees.

THE END!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you've enjoyed the story. This is basically my version on how the Smurfs should be…with more female power, lol. If anyone is inspired to write a story with any of the smurfettes from this story, then you are free to do so as long as you let it be known which story you originally got them from. In time, I may start a second story in addition to this one.

Each review I receive is greatly appreciated, and I would like to thank each of you for taking the time in sending them. For those of you interested I also have a Yahoo! egroup where I have posted artworks based on all my fanfiction stories. I call it "Raven Child's Fanfic and Artworks". The link is found in my profile.

The group is also free for anyone to post links to their stories. Also if you have artworks that you have done (or other people have done) based on your stories then you may post them in this group also.

Take Care, All, and Thanks!

Raven Child.