�I wish that school were out already,� Trixie sighed as she walked along with Jim.

�I know,� he answered. �But, we�ve got the whole summer. Besides, it�s just one more week. You�ll live.�

Trixie groaned. �Yeah, I�m sure. So, enough changing the subject, Frayne. What�s the deal with these clues you gave me?�

�Hey, you�re the shamus here,� Jim teased. �You figure it out.�

Trixie jabbed him with her elbow. �All it seemed to mean was just a short trip down memory lane.�

�That, and many other things,� he answered as they came up to the old tattered mailbox that still marked Ten Acres. �Come on.� He pulled her up the driveway.

�Things like what?� she asked him. As he smiled sweetly at her, butterflies miraculously appeared in her stomach.

�Think about it, Trix,� he said as every freckle stood out against the moonlight. �Since the day you came barging into this house and declared me a trespasser, you�ve been my best friend, a loyal companion, and a wonderful addition to my life.�

Trixie slid her arms around his waist, leaned her head up against his chest and grinned. �You don�t have to shower me with such words,� she said while blushing heavily. The sound of his heartbeat made her own relax.

�Listen here, silly,� he said as he wrapped one of her curls around his finger, �you�re definitely worth every word of it.� He caught his breath as her blue eyes began to twinkle in the moonlight. �You and I were both trespassers that day, you know.�

�As it turned out, Jim,� Trixie replied, �I was the real trespasser.�

�No, you labeled me as a trespasser, which, in a sense I was. But,� Jim continued, �You traipsed all over my heart which, at the time, was a place you didn�t belong.�

Trixie chuckled. �Oh stop it, James Winthrop Frayne, the second.� Then through a broad grin she quoted him from nearly ten years ago. ��One would think you really meant it.��

Jim chuckled. �Oh but I do, Beatrix Louise Belden. I do.�

Trixie scowled playfully. �I hate that name, Jim. You know I do.�

�You think I�m wild about Winthrop?�

Trixie giggled. �I guess I never thought of it that way before. But at least you weren�t cursed with two names that stink.�

�Are you named for someone?� Jim asked. �I mean, I have both my Dad�s and Great Uncle James� names.�

�Honestly, I have no idea,� Trixie replied as she shook her head. �When I asked, Moms and Dad just said that they thought it sounded nice. I like to think I�m named after Beatrix Potter. Why?�

�Just wondering.� He took her hand and led her over to the front porch, or what used to be the front porch, and sat down. The moon shone down on the couple, casting its blue and silver rays over and around them. �So have you figured out the clues yet?�

Trixie gulped. She wasn�t an aspiring detective for nothing and was picking up on his subtle hints but remained quiet. If anyone was going to jump the gun, it wasn�t going to be her. Feeling her heartbeat speed up, she bit her lip and shook her head.

�For ten years now, you and I have been really close.� Jim stopped for a second to take in her nervous smile and her subconscious fidgeting. �We�ve been so close that we even talk about our future � kids, and all that. I mean, last summer I was so bold as to start planning our lives � together.�

Trixie forced a nervous chuckle. �I know. You were such a pain in the butt that summer. And the previous summer, might I add. I�m so glad next year is your last year.�

�At the university, maybe,� Jim added and grinned. �Remember I still have to get my Master�s in teaching, so there is still a few more years ahead for me.� He leaned forward to kiss Trixie on her freckled nose. �What do you think of this property right here?� he asked.

�For what?� Trixie looked around and asked. �Your school?�

�The school will be further away,� he answered. �I�m talking about a home right here. Or do you think it�s too close to your family?�

�I want to be far enough away from home to be independent, but,� Trixie continued, �I want to be close enough too.�

�Then this should be perfect. Right?�

�I guess so,� Trixie twisted her body around to peer inside the burnt ruins. �Your great-uncle�s house actually was rather quaint, and I sort of liked it. I never got to see much of it, but what I did see was terrific and have always sort of stored it away in my memory for future use.�

�I had blueprints drawn up the other day and I�m getting estimates. I�ve been interviewing with contractors too.�

Trixie�s mouth opened in surprise. �You mean you�re going to rebuild this house now?�

�Why not? We can even arrange to have a mattress on the living room floor to just for old time�s sake. You know, memories.� Jim laughed as he dodged Trixie�s playful swat. �What do you think?�

�You�re silly, that�s what I think!� Trixie stood up and gazed around inside the house. �I can�t believe you�re rebuilding this house for us!� Trixie excitedly looked around the yard. Her smile suddenly dropped. �Oh Jim, why are you going through all this now? We�re not married and we had decided that we�d live in an apartment in town until we could figure things out. Both of us have school and other things going on. Wouldn�t it be smarter to wait until you�ve graduated?�

�Since when did you start thinking sensibly?� Jim put his hands on his hips and playfully glared at his love. �I�ve told you before, Miss Belden, that I�m the one who�s the sensible one around here.�

Trixie grinned wickedly at him. �No, you said that I�m the one who�s always in trouble and that you�d have to come to my rescue all the time.�

�Yeah, and you know what?� Jim asked as he cracked his knuckles and flexed his fingers. �There�s someone in trouble right now!� With that, he took off after Trixie across the yard.

Trixie raced around the yard, laughing and giggling while Jim chased her. She ran around trees, threw things in his way, and tried to make it to the old red barn but Jim caught her before she was able to get the door open.

�I�ve gotchya now, Trix,� he said in his �monster voice� and grabbed a hold of her.

�Jim!� Trixie shrieked. �Stop it! I can�t breathe!� Laughing and out of breath, Trixie tumbled to the cool grass and pulled Jim down with her.

Trying to catch her breath, Trixie lay on her back staring up at her boyfriend, who knelt at her side. The moonlight reflected off his red hair and broad shoulders. �I love you, Jim,� she sighed after a while.

Jim leaned down to kiss her moist lips. �I love you too, Trixie.� He shifted his body to lie down on the grass and propped his head up with his hand. �Trix, you know what you said earlier about how I shouldn�t be building this house just yet because we�re not married?�

Trixie�s eyes twinkled as she gazed at him and nodded her head.

�Well, I was just thinking. Let�s remedy that situation.� Jim ran his fingers through Trixie�s soft blond curls and thoroughly took in her beauty. �We�ve talked about it for so long already.�

Trixie didn�t know what to say. She had waited for this moment from the time when he first asked her to be his girlfriend. Even though she never thought much about weddings, since their first kiss in Hawaii the thought did surface once in a while.

Jim sat up and took a small box out of his jeans pocket. �Wouldn�t you know it, I have this with me,� he grinned at her as he opened it. The moonlight made the diamond ring sparkle. Little moonlight reflections peppered Trixie�s face as she sat up and stared at the ring. �Will you marry me, Beatrix Louise Belden?�

Trixie took the ring from the small box and began to slide it on her finger when Jim stopped her. Her eyes felt hot and prickly and her nose instantly began to run. After letting Jim slide the ring on her finger, she looked directly into Jim�s earnest eyes.

�Yes, I will, James Winthrop Frayne,� she cried and lunged herself at him. Red-hot tears were streaming down her cheeks and onto his tee shirt as her heart began to race. �I will marry you!�

Jim held on to his new fianc�e as he tried to hold back his emotions. He didn�t know if he could handle crying out of sheer joy in front of Trixie. After all, she didn�t like crying in front of him. �That�s why she abruptly left the room ten years ago when Dad was done with his �considering� and adopted me,� Jim mused to himself as he gingerly kissed her neck.

Jim blinked the tears out of his eye as he glanced down at his wristwatch. Crap! I told them I�d have her home thirty minutes ago!

�I don�t think they�re coming back,� Mindy whispered to her twin sister Cindy, who was hiding in the closet with their older sister, Diana.

�It�s been nearly half an hour,� Mrs. Belden whispered to her husband who hid in the kitchen with Mr. and Mrs. Lynch, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, and Miss Trask.

�I�m gonna have a little talk with Jim when he gets back,� Brian whispered to Honey, who was hiding with him in the pantry along with Regan, Dan, and Mart.

�Man-oh-man, is Trix gonna be in trouble,� Rob said to Terry and Larry from their hiding place behind the sofa.

�Maybe she�s getting punished right now,� Larry replied with a silly look on his face.

�Gross!� Rob shouted.

�Shhhhhhh!� everyone scolded from his or her hiding places.

�The rascal!� An elderly Walter Maypenny said out loud to Tom and Celia.

�Shhhhhhh!�

�I should be getting you back, Trix. It�s ten-thirty.�

�Who cares,� Trixie breathed in his ear. �I�m twenty-three. No one needs to wait up for me at all.�

�I, um, promised your dad I�d have you home at��

His voice dwindled away as he saw a strange look in Trixie�s face. �Since when do you have to have me home at a certain time? And at ten-thirty no less?�

�Since I made a promise to your dad.�

�You and that danged honor-streak. That�s the first thing we�re going to work on, you know,� Trixie warned as she stood up and brushed the grass off her shirt and jeans. �Come on then. Mustn�t keep Dad waiting.�

Jim just grinned at her and took her hand. The feeling of a ring on her finger felt new to him as he had held that hand many times before. He tilted his head down to look down on the diamond that his Great Aunt once wore, and how much it meant to him that Trixie wore that ring. He had had their initials engraved next to his Great Uncle and Great Aunt�s initials, to make the ring even more special that it already was.

�That�s it,� Mr. Belden said as he flipped on the lights, to which he received many yells and moans in response from everyone who shielded their eyes. Diana, Mindy, and Cindy jumped out of the closet and yelled �Surprise!�

He apologized quickly and picked up the flashlight from the shelf by the back door. �Jim said he would have Trixie back by ten, and it�s nearly eleven now.�

�Peter,� Mrs. Belden said before he could step out the back door. �They are adults. Are you prepared to -,� she lowered her voice and stepped closer to her husband, �- walk in on them if they are doing something?�

Mr. Belden blushed. �I hadn�t thought of that,� he answered and set the flashlight down. He headed back into the kitchen and didn�t say a word.

�Places everyone,� Mrs. Belden said just before shutting the lights out again.

Trixie and Jim strolled down along the bridle path that led to Crabapple Farm, stopping once in a while to give each other a congratulatory kiss.

Trixie held up her left hand, which displayed the ring. �You know, for as many times as I had put this ring on, it just looked pretty. Now it really means something.� Trixie smiled at Jim and pecked him on the cheek.

�It means more than you think to me, Trix,� Jim said with a grin. �After all, it nearly took an act of God to get it from you. Honey was the real culprit in this one.�

�Honey?� Trixie let out a slight giggle. �So she knew about this?�

�Well-� Jim replied hoping that he could find an escape route in this conversation. �If I tell her that Honey helped me, she�ll definitely figure out that everyone else was involved too,� Jim thought to himself. �She thought up the treasure hunt bit, too. Which reminds me, I never explained to you about those pictures.�

Trixie went along with it knowing he was trying to change the subject. �Okay, I figured out everything up to the mountain side, the boarded up shack, the stable, and the brick wall.�

Jim stopped walking and leaned up against a tree. �Think about it, Shamus. What did the other pictures tell you?�

�Well, they made me think of different times and sweet moments we�ve had together, which by the way, you owe me a very good explanation for the math assignment.� Trixie leaned against a tree just opposite of Jim. �That hurt, you know.�

Jim nodded. �I know it did. I couldn�t sleep that night because I had yelled at you, which was rotten of me to do. I�m sure you felt pretty bad about it.�

Trixie halfway smiled at him and nodded her head too. �I cried myself to sleep over that one, but I got over it. It�s all water under the bridge. So why bring it up? We had so many other better memories from Arizona, such as the square dance, the rodeo, and the fact that we helped Uncle Monty with the ranch.� Her smile widened as she crossed her arms. �Another particular memory I have is a pair of tight-fitting red bull-fighter pants that someone filled out rather nicely.� Even though it was dark out, she knew Jim was blushing.

He grinned rather boyishly as he looked down at a small rock and lightly pushed it aside. Jim�s face sobered as he looked back up at Trixie. �That math assignment was to show you how your mind has just one track. It showed me that you weren�t scatterbrained or an airhead. That�s one quality in you that I�ve always admired. Who cared about math? We all know that I was no good in it either.�

Feeling a little embarrassed, Trixie continued on to the next clue. �All right, so now what about the mountain side?�

�Well, since I couldn�t get down to the Ozarks to get a picture of a cave, I figured this would have to do.� Jim took a deep breath. �Remember when you fell in that hole and almost drowned?�

�Yes,� Trixie replied.

�I�ve sworn Brian, Mart, and Honey to secrecy over this, but while you were in that hole I panicked.� He shrugged his shoulders. �I panicked worse than Honey did at that moment.�

�My Jim Frayne panicked?� Trixie laughed and said wistfully, �My hero � a wimp.�

Jim laughed about it too. �Yeah, I guess I was. But, I was also the first one in the cave to pull you out. Waiting for you to catch your breath was more than what I could handle. But, that wasn�t the only time I could�ve lost you. What was the next clue?�

�A boarded up building.�

�That was the second time in my life I�ve ever panicked over you.� Jim stepped across the path to stand in front of her. �I loved you so much then, but just couldn�t bring myself to say it or do anything about it. The bracelet was just the beginning. I saw what kind of grief everyone else put you through over it, so I laid off for a while. But when you were caught in the middle of a bust at that hamburger joint in New York, I lost it. Brian and I tried to revive you afterwards, but when you wouldn�t come around, I began to panic again. That was one night I wasn�t able to sleep at all and even prayed that you would give up mysteries.�

Jim wrapped one of her curls around his finger and lightly tugged it. �I�m glad you didn�t because then my admiration for your bump of curiosity would never have had a chance to manifest itself.�

As Jim explained, the meanings of the last two pictures became clearer to her. At the stable on Cobbett�s Island, they had found Slim and she was the one who outsmarted him. The brick tunnel beneath Green Trees Plantation in Williamsburg, Virginia had been the setting for more than one of Trixie�s dreams. There was nothing like being caught in the dark with someone like Jim Frayne.

Pressing her body into his and allowing her to hold him tight, he tasted her lips once more in a kiss. He pulled away from her and grinned. As his eyes twinkled, he leaned down once more and kissed her nose.

�Your dad�s going to come a-huntin� for us if we don�t get back.�

�All right,� Trixie said as she kissed him one more time.

�You�re sure he said ten o�clock, Peter?� Mrs. Wheeler asked while standing in the dark kitchen.

�He said he would ask her and have her home by then,� Mr. Belden responded.

�This isn�t like Trixie,� Mrs. Belden said as she looked out the kitchen window.

�This isn�t like Jim,� Mr. Wheeler replied.

�Maybe they�re in trouble,� Mrs. Lynch said worriedly as she leaned into her husband.

�I�m sure they�re not in trouble,� her husband assured her.

�You know, it�s a possibility that she said no,� Miss Trask suggested.

�Ha! Trixie say no?� Tom Delanoy laughed. �She�s been waiting for this since she first met him.

�I knew we should have dressed him up in your leather jacket,� Celia replied. �Trixie confided in me once about that jacket.�

�This is stupid!� Brian yelled from the pantry. �Why are we all hiding when they obviously have no intentions of coming home anytime soon?�

�Brian, shhh!� Honey scolded. �We all went through a lot to make this party happen, so don�t spoil it.�

�Yeah, but it makes no sense that we�ve all been hiding in the dark for nearly an hour,� Dan said, standing up for Brian.

�Dan and Brian are right,� Regan said. �I think we should just go home. Jim and Trixie are of age and I suppose can do what they please.�

�Yeah, but Jim should know better,� Mart said rather disgustedly. �He planned this party and told us we all had to be here or else. Besides, I�m hungry and there�s a chocolate cake to be had.�

�Mindy, wake up Cindy will ya?� Diana whispered in the closet to her younger sister. �Mindy?� No answer. �Mindy, wake up! Where are you? I can�t see a dang thing in here.� Diana felt her way around in the dark. �There you are. Mindy, wake up. Oh, that�s not you. That�s a vacuum cleaner. Cindy and Mindy, where are you?�

Light giggling in the corner of the closet gave Diana a clue as to where her younger sisters were. �I heard that!� she cried as she made her way across boots and through coats to get to them.

�I�m bored,� Larry announced. �Why couldn�t we just play cards or something until they get here?�

Rob shrugged. �Guess �cause it�s supposed to be a surprise party.� He stood up and stretched. �If they arrive while I�m in the bathroom,� he announced to everyone in the room, �don�t yell �surprise� too loud.�

�Bobby!� Mrs. Belden scolded from the kitchen while Larry and Terry snickered and laughed.

When the trail ended, Trixie looked over at the small white Belden home and noticed that all the lights were out and some shades had been drawn. �Looks like everyone�s gone to bed.�

�I�ll walk you in anyway,� Jim said as he walked with her over to the front door.

Trixie quietly opened the front door and let Jim in. All the lights were out and everything was very quiet. �Everyone must�ve gone to bed,� she whispered to Jim as he shut the front door. As he turned around, she slipped her arms around his waist and stood on her tiptoes to pick up where they left off on the bridle path.

�SURPRISE!!!�

Trixie jumped hard as lights came on and everyone came out of their hiding spots. She stood in Jim�s arms with a startled, wide-eyed, deer-caught-in-the-headlights look as she glanced around the living room. It only took her seconds to put everything in place as she came out of her state of shock and raced in to greet everyone and receive congratulatory hugs and kisses from her friends and family.

Jim, on the other hand received a few questioning looks, but it was all forgotten as soon Mr. Belden shook his hand and a very teary-eyed Moms wrapped her new future son-in-law in a big hug.

�I tell you, nothing happened,� Trixie tried convincing Diana and Honey of the true reason for the grass stain on her back. �We were chasing each other and I simply fell.�

�I�m sure,� Honey said as she flashed Jim a playful glare. �Just what the heck was going on up there? All you were going to do was ask her and that was that. You guys were up there for a whole hour.�

�Hey, it�s not as easy as that,� Jim said as he stuffed a piece of cake in his mouth.

�Oh, so you had to chase her down to propose?� Diana teased and nudged the tall redheaded. �If she�s running away from you, Jim, take the hint.�

Mr. Wheeler poured the champagne and proposed a toast, and proceeded to make a small speech to honor the young couple. �I also want a very good explanation as to why we were all hiding in here for a whole hour.�

Everyone laughed as Jim and Trixie stumbled through a bunch of lame excuses as to what took them so long.

Cameras came out and everyone celebrated long into the night. It was Friday night, er, Saturday morning and no one really cared how late they stayed up. By two o�clock everyone had gone home with the exception of Larry and Terry, who were going to spend the night with Rob. Before leaving for the Manor house, Honey and Diana stopped to chat with Trixie and Jim.

�Oh you two,� Honey said as she gave Trixie a kiss on the cheek and a hug. �Words can�t describe just how thrilled I am about this.� After a yawn, she turned to her brother. �I might be your younger sister, but I could probably take you in a fight, so you treat her good, you hear me?� she playfully scolded him.

Jim laughed good-naturedly. �Yeah, whatever Honey. You�ll have to catch me first.�

Honey laughed as she wrapped her long tanned arms around his freckled neck and kissed his cheek. �I love you, Jim,� she crooned.

Jim kissed his sister on the forehead. �I love you too, Honey.�

Diana was having a hard time letting go of Trixie. The two had been friends for as long as they could remember. Like all friends, they have been through many things with each other. Wiping her eyes for the third time that night, she shifted from Trixie to Jim and gave him a light kiss and hug as well.

As soon as everyone had gone home, or up stairs to sleep, Jim turned to Trixie. She looked as if she could drop from pure exhaustion.

�I suppose I should get going too,� he sleepily said as he headed for the door. �Maybe I�ll come down tomorrow and pick you up for lunch?�

�Sure,� Trixie answered. Her eyes began to sting from being so tired. �I can be ready by about eleven or so.�

The grandfather clock in the living room announced two-thirty. �Goodnight, Trixie,� Jim said as he took her in his arms one last time that night.

�Goodnight, Jim.�

He touched noses with her for a second and gave her the first of many long, long goodnight kisses.

I'll love you in the sunshine
Walk along with you in the warm, white sand
And who knows maybe this time
Things will turn out just the way you planned

Trixie paint your pictures
About how it's gonna be
By now I should know better
Your dreams are never free
But tell me all about your detective agency
Oh Trixie you can always sell any dream to me
Oh Trixie you can always solve any mystery

Message to Western Publishing Company: Never go up against a Trixie Fan when fan-fiction is on the line! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Okay, in all seriousness, no permission was obtained to be able to use Trixie Belden�, which is a trademark of Western Publishing Company.

Also, the lyrics are a complete rip off of �Jesse� by Joshua Kadison. No permission was obtained to use or change the lyrics of said song.