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***** 
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Thursday arrived, and things quieted down a bit after the events at the general store. Although Tanya was a little shy with Fievel after her rescue, she soon settled into a series of smiles for her brother, more affectionate than ever. The two siblings continued taking care of Mousekewitz Fine Violins in Papa's stead, working in perfect harmony and even getting tasks done ahead of schedule. Moreover, their rapport with each other had grown by leaps and bounds, with Fievel and Tanya preferring to spend their free time together rather than apart like usual.

That afternoon, Fievel was wandering about the shop looking for Tanya while reading the Eastern swordsmanship book, a present from Mr. Schimmel for stopping Jack Mouseson and his gang. He couldn't understand the language yet (and it was weird that the book actually opened and read backwards), but he still thought studying Eastern swordsmanship was the path of a true hero. The young mouse so engrossed in his book that he didn't notice Tanya talking with Mama until he was already in the room. Upon hearing their conversation, Fievel looked away from the book and listened in, wondering what was going on.

"Oh, it's such a shame you won't be going to the dance!" Mama was saying to Tanya, shaking her head in dismay. "I thought things would work out with you and that Jack Mouseson fellow."

"He wasn't the boy I thought he was," Tanya said sulkily, turning her head with a swish of her ponytail. "Boys are jerks, anyway."

"Hey, I'm a boy too!" Fievel protested, stepping into the room and putting his hands on his hips.

"Oh Fievel, I didn't mean you!" Tanya laughed and waved her hands in apology. "You're the nicest mouse I know."

"That he most certainly is!" Mama complimented her son, who giggled and put a hand to the back of his head. "He is truly following in the footsteps of the all great Mousekewitz men."

"Yeah, he is," Tanya mumbled, looking down for a moment with an unreadable expression on her face. Fievel and Mama observed Tanya's uncharacteristic silence, growing curious at this behavior.

A light flashed in Tanya's eyes, and she raised her head. "Mama, Fievel can take me to the dance!" she said, her voice rising to a high squeak. "I can go with anyone I want to the dance, right? Why not Fievel?"

"What?" Fievel's book fell from his hand as he stared at her in shock.

"C'mon, Fievel, it'll be fun!" Tanya insisted, scampering over to grab his hands. "Don't you want to be a gentleman?"

"But you're my sister," Fievel argued, though he did not remove his hands from Tanya's. "Won't that be kinda weird?"

"I don't think so!" Tanya's eyes seemed to reflect everything, showing Fievel a world of possibilities right inside her soul. "You're much better than those other boys, anyway."

"Fievel, go ahead and go!" Mama interjected, smiling at the way her children were getting along. "It's no problem dancing with your sister, and you'll have a great time. Live life fully!"

Feivel looked at his mother for a second, then back at Tanya, a lump forming in his throat. Tanya's face was soft with a youthful, feminine appeal, her bangs and ponytail quite fetching. Even though she was just wearing her usual patched peasant dress, it was clear she was the prettiest mouse in all of Green River. Sister or not, Fievel realized, deep in his heart, that he really wanted to take Tanya to the dance, and treat her as a gentleman should.

But he was a boy, so he had to ask first. Fievel looked up at Tanya, and seized her hands firmly. "Tanya, will ya go with me to the dance tonight?" he asked, staring into her world-reflecting eyes.

Tanya's face was like a whiskered sunrise. "Yes!"

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***** 
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The Friday night dance crept up faster than anyone expected, and Fievel Mousekewtiz found himself just outside Tanya's room at 7:00 PM, leaning against the wall and waiting for his "date" to come out. Ever since his sister started getting older, Papa and Mama had decided to let her have her own room, where she could have some privacy without her brother potentially watching her. Having always shared a room with Tanya, Fievel didn't understand at first, but ever since he started trying to act more like a man, he was starting to notice Tanya was acting more like a woman as well. With Tanya changing into dance clothes just behind the door, Fievel found himself blushing, hearing the rustling skirts and petticoats through the thin wood.

Fievel, for his part, had dragged out his old cowboy duster from the Cat R. Waul incident, and he had turned his Russian cap inside out to transform it into the hidden cowboy hat. Although he had dropped his cowboy play-acting for the most part, he knew everyone at the dance would be dressed up, and the old cowboy duds just felt right for a night out. He hoped Tanya wouldn't make fun of him too much, though. After all that happened this week, a Friday night dance with Tanya was the last place he wanted to look like a kid!

After a moment, Tanya emerged from her room, her skirts swishing. "I'm ready!" she said, a shy flush appearing on her cheeks. "How do I look?"

Fievel's mouth was agape at the sight of his sister, clad in the pretty red dress that she used for performances and dances. She has first worn the dress while dancing for the rowdy cats at the saloon, and at the time, Fievel was too distracted by Cat R. Waul's schemes to pay any attention to it. Now though, he couldn't help but notice the bare shoulders of the bodice, revealing some cleavage. Her voluminous skirt was fluffed up with white petticoats, and her legs were bare save for the little red shoes she wore.

Is...is that really Tanya? Fievel was surprised by his heart beating within his chest. She's even prettier than Bridget!

"D-Do I look okay?" she asked again, a touch of trepidation in her voice.

"You look really pretty, Tanya," Fievel told her honestly, unable to keep the admiring smile off his face.

Tanya blush deepened, and she did a little twirl that sent her skirts and ponytail sailing. "Thanks, Fievel," she said. "You look very handsome."

"Thanks." Fievel said. "I tried to comb my hair a little bit."

The brother and sister stared at each other for a moment more, wondering how to break the sudden shyness between them. Being the man, Fievel decided to take charge, and offered his hand out to Tanya. "You ready to have fun, Tanya?" he said, grinning his trademark boyish grin.

Tanya beamed, and took the young mouse's hand. "Let's go, my little sheriff."

Together, the Mousekewitz siblings strolled across town towards the saloon. It was a quiet twilight, with only the wind, a few crickets, and their soft footsteps piercing the silence. The wind was rushing down the main road once more, leaving Tanya to hold her skirts down with one hand as she held onto Fievel with the other. Within her blowing skirts and petticoats, Fievel could see her soft, fur-covered legs, as well as a black garter belt encircling her left thigh.

Tanya saw Fievel looking at her, and giggled with embarrassment. "It's windy again, isn't it?" she said, a fetching flush arising in her cheeks.

"Yeah," Fievel replied with a grin, and motioned to her left thigh. "What's that on your leg?"

"Oh this?" Tanya looked down at her garter belt. "This is an idea I got from Miss Kitty. Is it weird looking?"

"Nah, you're pretty!" Fievel grinned and gave her a wink. "I just hope that lousy Jack Mouseson doesn't get to see it!"

Tanya's voice grew quieter. "If it's just you, I don't mind." she said. "I wanted to dress up for you."

Fievel blushed in embarrassment at his sister's confession, his eyes inadvertently drawn to her garter belt once more. Upon realizing what she said, Tanya blushed in kind and looked away, the very image of shy femininity. When their eyes met again, they couldn't help but smile at their own awkwardness, and they both giggled. They continued walking hand-in-hand, and reached the saloon in good time, just as all the other young mice were beginning to congregate.

Fievel and Tanya took in the dance scene, bright smiles on their faces. All the teen mice from Green River were here, dressed in pressed suits and swishing dresses, looking very much like the youthful hope of the developing town. Fievel was the youngest mouse there, and all the other mice towered over him, including his "date." But after standing up to Jack Mouseson, Fievel was confident, and he wouldn't let a few older dancers scare him off.

"It's so exciting!" Tanya clasped her hands together over her chest, smiling widely.

"Yeah," Fievel agreed, and gestured toward the dance floor. "Let's do it, Tanya!"

She nodded. "Right!"

Squeezing through the other dancers, Fievel and Tanya strode into the center of the saloon and started bouncing to the music. The local band was playing a good ol' country-western tune, making it easy for the Mousekewitz siblings to get into the rhythm. Dancing with Tanya was a little awkward for Fievel, since she was so much taller than him, but he made up for their height difference with sheer enthusiasm. Though sometimes he had to stand on an elevated platform in order to twirl Tanya properly, she was quite amenable to this, and visibly delighted by Fievel's dance moves.

Tanya glowed with pleasure as Fievel twirled her around, her skirts and petticoats taking flight to show off her garter belt again. The pretty teenager was truly the belle of the ball, and everyone gathered round to watch the two of them dance. The boys in the audience groaned with envy as they gazed at Tanya and her billowing skirts, wishing they were Fievel right now. An action they should have probably reconsidered, as their girlfriends each gave them a smack for their wandering eyes.

Using a surprising amount of strength, Fievel pulled Tanya upside down in a flip, a move that showed an ample amount of her skirts and legs. Before her flip could become immodest, however, Fievel set her down in a rustle of petticoats, and he continued to take her through the twists and turns of the dance. A few more steps, and Fievel brought their dance to an end, dipping her down like a debonair man of status. The entire saloon hall erupted into applause, and Tanya and Fievel straightened up and bowed, twin looks of bashful pride on their faces.

Fievel looked up at Tanya, and was taken aback at the sheer affection in her eyes. They shone with the same ardor she had carried for the wandering hero Clint Mousewood, who had saved her from a marauding cat one day. Her lips were curled up in a timid smile, slightly cracked to show her prominent front teeth. She interlaced her paws with him, squeezing them like she would never let go, not that Fievel wanted her to.

All his life, Fievel wanted to be thought of as a man, to be the great protector and hero of mousekind. Today, his own sister was starting to see him as just that.

And deep in his heart, he thought that maybe being his sister's hero was what he truly wanted.

The other dancers began whirling around the saloon once more, temporarily shaking him out of these thoughts. Tanya was taking a quick breath, looking at him with a question on her face. "Do you wanna go outside for a little while, Fievel?" she asked finally, her tone a mix between pleading and enticing.

"Huh?" Fievel blinked, lost in Tanya's eyes for a moment. "Oh, um, okay."

Tanya smiled demurely, and the two walked up the stairs to the second floor balcony, where they could see Green River in its entirety. The flickering city lights gave out a serene atmosphere, the moon and stars looking down upon them like guardian angels. Tanya's face glowed in the moonlight, her skirts flapping in the breeze and making her look like one of the human theater stars from their old home in New York. Seeing his sister in this new light gave him pause, but her gentle smile eased his nervousness, and he let his heart get carried away in her wafting skirts and flowing ponytail.

Walking over to a small, mouse-sized bench, Tanya smoothed her skirt under herself and sat, pulling Fievel down to sit beside her. Fievel took a moment to look out at the cityscape, then turned back to Tanya. His pretty older sister was still smiling, but there was a touch of furtiveness in her eyes, as if she was weighing something very important. Her eyes were shifted back and forth, refusing to settle on any one thing, though they periodically glanced at Fievel, never letting him out of her sight for too long.

Fievel coughed into his hand to try and clear the air. "Um, it's a nice night!"

"Very nice," Tanya said, her warm breath escaping into the brisk western night. "Are you cold, Fievel?"

"Nah, I'm great," he assured his sister, grinning widely.

Tanya smiled slightly, and gulped down her nervousness. "Fievel, I want to do something real quick," she said, leaning a little closer to him. "Y-You don't have to say you like it, or that you like me, but I want to do it before the moment goes away."

Fievel's eyebrow twitched in confusion. "What is it?"

Tanya's eyes hardened with resolution. "This."

With that fateful word, Tanya moved in and kissed her brother on his very lips, holding onto his cheeks firmly. Fievel let out a muffled squeak, but the pretty mouse girl continued kissing him, sending warm sensations throughout his entire body. Soon, he began to relax in spite of himself, and kissed his sister back, feeling nothing but the innocent love he had always held for her. Their hands began to dig into each other's hair, as they continued kissing each other for several more moments.

After about ten seconds, the two separated, the smack from their withdrawn lips a smack to their systems. Tanya bit her lip nervously, looking at him through tousled bands. "H-How was it?" she asked him.

"That...was great," he said, trying to gather his words together as the gravity of the situation hit him like a locomotive. Somehow, he felt he had grown older by ten years. "But...but Tanya..."

"I know." Tanya cut him off, the same look of shame crossing her face. "You're my brother and I'm your sister. We shouldn't be kissing like this."

Fievel frowned, and looked down at his lap.

"But...but I can't help it!" she said, the fire and life rising back into her voice. "Even though you're my brother, you're much better than any boy out there. I thought I was the only one growing up, that I was leaving you behind, but you were growing up right next to me. I'm so happy that we're close again, like we used to be back home in Russia. I...I..."

Fievel interrupted her stammering by grabbing her hands again. "Tanya, I feel the same way!" he said, bringing a look of shock to her face. "Even when I used to tease you, I always thought you were the prettiest and nicest mouse ever. I don't want some other boy to have you. I wanna be the one that protects ya!"

"You mean it?" A single tear began to form in the corner of Tanya's eye, and she looked at him with quivering hope. "You're not lying?"

"A man never lies!" Fievel told her, his voice carrying a surprising amount of force for his tender years.

Tanya's smile returned at last, and she choked down a small sob, her hands never leaving her brother's. She looked down at her lap, as if trying to gather her thoughts within her skirts. "We can't ever tell anyone about us, Fievel," she said, a hint of resigned sadness in her voice. "We can't even tell Mama and Papa."

"It's okay, Tanya," Fievel said, reaching out to gently stroke Tanya's cheek. "I'll take care of you. Forever!"

At Fievel's tender touch, Tanya sniffled once more, and she embraced her brother. "I love you, Fievel!" she cried, squeezing her new love for all she was worth. "Forever!"

Fievel let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, and hugged his sister back, the sense of relief washing over him like water over the dry desert. It had been a strange and unexpected journey, but the sun had finally arisen on him just as Wylie Burp said it would, and he was there to meet it with his sister. Things would never be the same again, and eventually there would be hardship and sadness for their choice that night. Yet they were both growing up, becoming the man and woman they were meant to be.

As long as they held onto each other, Fievel and Tanya knew they would be alright, no matter where they ended up in life. The sun had dawned on their future at last, and they would face it together as one.

'Fin'