A hard choice: rewritten

Well, here we are, the end of my rewritten story. Once again, I can never thank Kraft58 enough for his support. Any of you would be crazy not to take his help. Till next time!

The next morning, Blu had decided to spend some time with Linda since after Jewel was recovered, they may not see each other ever again. Linda was sitting by the breakfast table with a cup of coffee on the table and her faithful companion standing on the table, too. Jewel however was still sleeping peacefully on the couch. "Well, I guess after I go back to Minnesota, we may not see each other again, Blu." Linda said to her best friend while she stroked Blu's feathery head down to his back gently with her right hand.

Blu slowly nodded in response and squawked silently with a sad frown on his face. Though Linda could not understand Blu anyway, he began talking to himself in his mind. I wish Linda didn't have to go back home. I wish I could stay with both Linda and Jewel. Just then, Blu's sad frown turned into a smile. He had just had an idea that could possibly allow him to be with Jewel and Linda. Blu quickly spread his wings out from his sides and flew over to the kitchen drawers and pulled out one of the draws with his talons, and picked up some paper and a pen.

Linda did not have a clue what Blu was up to as she watched her faithful companion fly back over to her with flipper paper and a pen in both locked into his talons. Blu set the paper down on the table and put the pen in his right talon and began to write a note for Linda to read. Blu finished writing the note and passed it over to Linda for her to read his idea. Linda adjusted her glasses and was a little shocked to read what Blu had wrote to her as a suggestion.

Why don't you open another bookstore here in Rio?

"Why did I open another bookstore?" Linda repeated to herself while setting the note back down onto the table and looking back at Blu, who had a small smile on his beak. Though it was a little bit of a shock to Linda that Blu had came up with this idea, Linda had to admit it did sound tempting for her, but there was a couple of problems. "Blu, that doesn't sound too bad." Linda said smiling, until her face dropped back into a normal one. "But opening another bookstore is expensive. Even if I sold the old one in Minnesota, I wouldn't be able to afford it."

Blu was happy that Linda was considering it, but was sad that she might not be able to, even if Linda does want to live in Rio. Blu however, did not want to give up like that and wrote another note for Linda with the pen and paper.

What about Tulio? Couldn't he help?

I'm sure he has a lot of money from his job.

"Hmmmm." Linda hummed, examining the note and thinking it over. Linda placed the note back down onto the table and took of her glasses and rubbed the lenses with her hand to clean them so she could see a little better. Linda placed her glasses back onto her face and looked back at Blu, who was still perched on the table, waiting for Linda to answer, and hopefully, it was a good answer. "Blu, why would Tulio want to help me?" Linda inquired.

Blu sighed as he prepared to write another note for Linda. Blu finished writing his final note and handed it to Linda for her to read again. Linda picked the note up in her hand and began to read the note. Linda gasped and almost fell back off her chair when she could not believe what Blu had wrote.

Linda, I think Tulio has a huge crush.

"You do?" Linda asked Blu, who merely squawked and nodded in response. If Linda was a cartoon right now, her cheeks would be as red as a cherry. Linda flung her hair back with a smile on her face. "Really, Blu? You think he really likes me?"

"Yep." Blu replied, though it was only a squawk for Linda to understand.

Linda continued to smile in response as she stroked Blu's head with her hand. "Well, Blu, if Tulio DOES like me and wants to get together, then we might be able to open up another bookstore after all. After saying that to him, Blu could not hold in his excitement and jumped into the air while performing back flips, thanks to his new flight ability. "YES! YEEEEEEEEEEES!"

Linda watched her faithful companion/best friend dance around in the sky, before she grabbed Blu when he was close and set him back down onto the table before he would end up hurting himself. "Careful, Blu." Linda chuckled, scratching her finger under Blu's neck, his favorite spot to be scratched. "You've only just learned how to fly. You don't want me to clip your wings, do you?"

"Nope." Blu replied, but it was still just a squawk for Linda to hear.

Blu and Linda's time together was soon interrupted when there was a knock on the door. Linda stood up from where she was sitting and walked over to the door. Linda turned the handle with her right hand and opened the door, to see it was indeed Tulio, the ornithologist who is kind, respectful, a little crazy, and Linda's possible future boyfriend. "Oh, hi, Tulio." Linda kindly greeted before she stood aside and gestured her hand out for Tulio to come in. "Come in."

"Thank you." Tulio said, walking into Linda's hotel room.

Linda closed the door and joined Tulio by the table Linda was sitting at moments ago. "What brings you here, Tulio?" Linda inquired sweetly, placing both her hands onto the table.

"I just came to check up on Jewel." Tulio answered Linda's question, while adjusting his glasses on his face.

Linda smiled in response and pointed towards the couch where Jewel was still sleeping peacefully. "She's fine. She's just sleeping for a while."

"That's good." Tulio smiled, while soon dropped when he had just remember that Linda was going back home. And even though Tulio had only known Linda for a couple of days, Tulio thinks that he might have fallen in love with her. "I guess you're going to be going home soon."

"Yeah, I guess." Linda sadly replied, until she remembered what Blu had wrote to her moments ago. "It's really going to be lonely back at the bookstore without Blu."

"Blu's not leaving?" Tulio queried, surprised and a little shock.

"Yeah, he told me he wants to stay with Jewel instead." Linda replied, leaning forward on the chair with a sad frown on her face.

While Linda continued to look down at the table, until she felt something touch her right hand. Linda looked up and saw Tulio had placed his left hand on top of Linda's hand in comfort, and by the looks of it, he did it because he had something to tell her. "You don't have to go, Linda. You could always stay here." Tulio suggested, still holding his hand on top of hers.

"Stay here?" Linda repeated, as she watched Tulio continue to hold her hand with his.

"Yes." Tulio said as he gulped nervously like he had something very important.

However, just before Tulio could say anything else further, a slow romantic tune was playing out of nowhere. Linda and Tulio smiled with their eyes half-closed when they saw it was Blu who had turned on the radio.

We were both young when I first saw you

I close my eyes and the flashback start

I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air

See the lights see the party the ball gowns

See you make your way through the crowd

And say hello

While the song continued to play, Linda and Tulio both glazed at each other, and they both might of just only realized that they have feelings for each other. "Linda."

"Tulio."

Little did I know

That you were Romeo you were throwing pebbles

And my Daddy said stay away from Juliet

And I was crying on the staircase

Begging you please don't go

And I said

"I think I love you." Linda and Tulio said simultaneously together.

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story baby just say yes

Linda and Tulio held each other's hands as they both leaned forward while staring into each other's eyes.

So I sneak out to the garden to see you

We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew

So close your eyes

Escape this town for a little while

'Cause you were Romen, I was a scarlet letter

And my Daddy said stay away from Juliet

But you were everything to me

I was begging you please don't go

And I said

Linda and Tulio moved their faces closer, closer, and close to each other's faces until before you know it, they were both kissing each other with their eyes closed.

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story baby just say yes

Romeo save me they're trying to tell me

How to feel

This love is difficult but it's real

Don't be afraid we'll make it out of this mess

It's a love story baby just say yes

Blu leaned against the couch pillow with his wings folded as he watched the two humans kiss each other patiently. Blu then looked to his left when he saw Jewel, who had just woken up. Jewel yawned while walking over to her boyfriend and rubbing her eyes with her good wing. "Hey, Blu. What did I miss?"

"Nothing much." Blu replied with a smirk followed across his beak.

I got tired of waiting

Wondering if you were ever coming around

My faith in you was fading

When I met you on the outskirts of town

And I said

Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone

I keep waiting for you but you never come

Is this in my head I don't know what to think

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

And said

Marry me Juliet never have to be alone

I love you and that's all I really know

I talked to your Dady go pick out a white dress

It's a love story baby just say yes

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

A couple of weeks passed by like the blink of an eye, since the day that Linda and Tulio had finally confessed their feelings for each other –with a little help from Blu of course- and now they were both working on two things. The first was the opening of another bookstore for Linda so she could stay in Rio, the other was Tulio trying to see If he could build a tower somewhere in the jungle so they could take care of the birds and protect them from the smugglers. This tower would be the very heart of what Tulio proclaimed would be the Blue Bird Sanctuary.

In Tulio's Aviary, Linda had retired into Tulio's office in order to sort some things out. Blu however found himself flying around the jungle looking for a hollow for him and Jewel to stay in, even though she may not be able to fly, Tulio had strapped a tracking device on both of their talons so neither would not get lost again.

In the room where all the sick birds were recovering, Jewel was standing on a table while she watched Tulio slowly cut her cast off her wing with some scissors. Even though her wing still remained far from being completely healed, the bones had been set back into place so all Jewel needed to do now was wait until her wing got its strength back. "There you go, Jewel. All done." Tulio said while throwing the bandages into the trash can.

Jewel looked at her half-healed wing and moved it around a little to get it's feeling back since it was a bit numb due to the fact she hadn't been able to extend it for so long. "Ahhhh, much better."

Now that Jewel was beginning to trust humans, she smiled at Tulio for the first time ever. Tulio was a little surprised since last time he saw Jewel, she covered one of his worker's face in scratches. He smiled in return and gently stroked her head with his finger. "There, now, that's a good bird. I told you we would have you back to normal in no time, didn't I?" Tulio slowly moved both his hands under Jewel's body and gently picked her up and began walking back into the artificial jungle for Jewel to stay in. Tulio opened the door using his key and walked inside into the artificial jungle and placed Jewel down onto the floor. "Now you stay off that wing, Jewel." Tulio called back to Jewel while walking towards the door.

After the Ornithologist had left the room, Jewel -being the free-spirited bird she was- did not want to wait another two weeks and began climbing up the tree using the pegs and was determined to fly now. Two weeks? She thought, rolling her eyes. I am not waiting two more weeks. Jewel climbed up to the highest part of the room and was determined to fly right now. She spread her wings out and inhaled a deep breath with her eyes closed. She jumped from the tree branch with her eyes closed and was praying she would be able to fly once again.

When she opened eyes, Jewel noticed she was ascending in the air. However, her wings were not flapping. Jewel looked confused before she looked on both her shoulders and saw two familiar dark grey talons holding her up in the air. If Jewel was just a little chick right now and was being watched by her mother or father, she would feel like she is in so much trouble. "Oh, hello, Blu."

"And what do you think you're doing, young lady." Blu inquired with a tone of anger in his voice while he set Jewel back down into the artificial tree hollow.

"I was...Um...I...Um." Jewel could not think of another excuse while she rubbed the back of her neck with her wing.

"You heard what Tulio said, Jewel. NO flying until two weeks." Blu reminded, folding his wings with a tough face like he was a protective father.

"What would he know?" Jewel asked, stretching her half-healed wing out from her side and showing it to her boyfriend to prove she was fine. "My wing is fine."

"Birds, Jewel." Blu answered, tapping his right talon down onto the ground. "Tulio has spent his entire life learning about birds. He knows everything about birds, and he's trying his best to help you. Just let your wing heal."

Jewel was not happy due to being able to fly and tried to protest. "But Blu…"

"No buts, Missy." Blu firmly said while pointing his wingtip at Jewel. "You're not going to fly until it's been two weeks, and that's FINAL."

Though Jewel was pretty upset about not being able to fly yet still, she had to admit she liked how Blu was being firm and doing everything he could to protect her. "Okay, Blu, you win." Jewel gave up with her wings raised in the air in surrender. "I'll wait."

"Good." Blu smirked with his eyes half closed and unfolding his wings and placing them back to his sides. "Now, would you like to kiss?"

"I would be delighted." Jewel replied smiling, then she and Blu moved close to each other and wrapped their wings around each other's backs. Lucky for Jewel, she could now put both her wings around her boyfriend. The two lovebirds locked their beaks into each other's mouths and began kissing passionately.

Meanwhile in Tulio's office, Tulio and Linda had just finished watching the video tape from a couple of weeks ago when they mistakenly thought Blu and Jewel were falling in love. Instead, they were fighting. "Oh, so they didn't mate at all." Tulio disappointingly frowned while he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.

"Well, now that they're a couple, maybe they might one day mate and have chicks like you hoped." Linda replied before she turned his attention back to the computer.

Linda and Tulio had managed to open up a bookstore nearby the aviary for her to live in, and to sell books for business like she did back home. Now all they had to do was order all of her things from Minnesota into Rio. While Linda was transferring all of her things from home, Tulio was in the progress of trying to make the tower in the jungle to protect birds and keep smugglers out. Tulio had the money to make it, he just needed permission from the authorities of the jungle so he could build the tower.

As for Fernando, the young boy who had kidnapped Blu and Jewel, Linda and Tulio had decided to take care of him since he had no family, and were even thinking about adopting him as their own if they were married. Now that Blu and Jewel were together, and Linda and Tulio were together too, maybe things just might be great after all.

A few more days had passed since Jewel was now bandaged-free and was almost ready to fly again soon. It would not be long, now. Linda had finally ordered all of her things from Minnesota into Rio for her bookstore. Her family of course felt sad that she would not be returning, but did wish her good luck and hoped that she would have a happy life with Tulio and Blu. Tulio had also received permission to open up the tower in the jungle to protect birds and keep smugglers away. As for Fernando, Tulio had gave him a job at his aviary and was even thinking about sending the young boy to school so he could meet new friends and get a good education.

In the artificial jungle, Blu and Jewel were together in one of the artificial tree hollow after having a bath and preening their coat of feather's to pick the bad ones out. Blu was sitting right at the back of the tree hollow with his back laid against the wall, and with Jewel, who was laying down in front of him, resting her head on Blu's belly. The two lovebirds only had one more day to go until Jewel would be able to fly again, and only one more day until they were released into the jungle where they belong and deserve to spend the rest of their lives. Blu lifted his right wing out from his side and gently stroked Jewel's feathery crown his wingtip, much to her delight and enjoyment. "Well, tomorrow's the day, honey." Jewel declared, moving her head to the side so she could see Blu with one eyeball.

"I know. Our new life is very soon." Blu replied smiling, still stroking Jewel's head with his wing. Blu moved his other wing out and took Jewel's almost-recovered wing in his. "When this thing heals, we'll be back in the air in no time."

"That "thing" you were referring to is my wing, Blu." Jewel reminded with a big smirk across her break.

"I know." Blu smiled while he lifted Jewel's almost-recovered wing up and planted a kiss on it. "Jewel, when we get out there, would you mind teaching me about the jungle?"

Jewel could not help but smile even more and she too kissed Blu's wing in return. "I would be delighted to, Blu."

"Thanks, Jewel." Blu smiled while he let go of her wing and made himself cozy in the tree hollow. "You're the best."

"I know." Jewel said, closing her eyes and placing her wings around herself.

The lovebirds continued their day in peace in the artificial jungle until it was eventually night time and time for them to fall asleep for the night. Blu and Jewel laid down together in their artificial nest. Blu moved his wings around Jewel to keep her comfy and warm while they slept.

The next morning, it was finally the grand day Blu and Jewel would be released into the wild where they belong. Blu, Jewel, Linda, Tulio, and Fernando were in Tulio's jeep and were driving to the new tower that Tulio had built to protect birds and keep them away from smugglers. Tulio was driving the jeep through the jungle. Fernando was sitting in the middle seat holding Jewel in both of his hands, and Linda was sitting in the passenger seat with Blu perched on her arm. Tulio finally got to the tower and pulled over next to the tower and took Jewel into his hands to check her wing one last time. He lifted Jewel's fully-recovered wing up and stroked it with one finger. "Yep, you're all set, girl. Ready to go home now?"

Jewel, for the first time ever while in Tulio's presence, squawked in happiness and nodded.

"Then allow me to escort you home." Tulio said smiling while he, Tulio and Fernando, who were all wearing a yellow shirt with a little picture of Blu on the side in the color green.

They all climbed up the ladders which could only carry one person up at a time. After a couple of minutes, Tulio, Fernando and Linda reached the top of the tower. Jewel was still in Tulio's hands until he lifted his hands up into the air for her to fly out of his hands and into the air. Jewel did not hesitate and extended her wings out flapped her wings, taking off into the sky for the first time in weeks.

Before it was Blu's turn, Linda set Blu down onto a pole, and they both performed their special friendship handshake together. Linda stroked Blu's head as he looked at her with a sad face. Linda smiled and gave him a happy expression meaning they would still see each other every now and then. Blu smiled and took a step back and extended his wings took off into the sky to join his loved one in the sky, a little sad but happy that he would be with the girl that he loved for the rest of his life. Linda looked up at the lovebirds as they flew away into the distance into they were hard to see when their blue feathers blended into the sky. "That's my big brave boy,"

The three humans watched the sky together as Blu and Jewel were now only specs in the distance. Tulio placed his hands on Linda's shoulder and Fernando's, and she in turn put on hand on Tulio's and another on Fernando's. While the three humans bidden farewell to the lovebirds, Jewel flew right next to her boyfriend with a smile. "I believe I promised you a tour around the jungle?" Jewel inquired smiling, while she kept her concentration on the sky and on Blu.

"Yep," Blu smiled, looking at Jewel's beauty since this was the first time they got to fly together. "Lead the way, Queen of the sky."

"Will do, my lovehawk." Jewel replied, flying into the jungle with Blu.

Now that Blu and Jewel were in the jungle together, their new life had official began, and hopefully it would be a good life for the rest of their love story together.