A/N: So... Vaughn.. I've never really seen his appeal but I wanted to do a kind of more friendsy oneshot for him and Chelsea. It's short and I wrote it quick, cause I just wanted it to be simple. I hope you enjoy! x
His face only ever changed when he came to see the animals.
It wasn't like he was heartless, although that's what a lot of the villagers said. Just that he wasn't much interested in other people. Chelsea never got much out of him, but what she did know was that, to him, people were useless and they didn't bring any joy to his life.
But the animals; that's what he liked. She could see it in his face every time he came to visit them on her farm. His eyes would light up and there would be that little hint of a smile on his lips as he murmured little nothings to the sheep and cows.
This time, the material of his cowboy trousers was creased as he crouched down, ruffling the fur of her dog's little head. She watched him from her kitchen window.
His feet were almost dug into the dirt around her field as that little rascal of a dog jumped onto his lap and started licking his face. Chelsea almost heard him laugh. Almost.
He was here again. She was looking after her crops when he'd arrived. His presence had distracted her but all he'd given her was a quick nod and a gruff, "Come to see the cows."
That's what he was like. He never asked, just came with one aim and got to it. She didn't stop him. Besides, Chelsea liked the company, even if it was in the form of a man who only ever kept himself to himself.
She watched him across the field, once he'd let her dog run around with his cowboy hat on, and gently stroke each of her cows in turn. He would give each animal equal amounts of time, just to make sure they didn't feel left out.
And she almost thought he'd smiled at her then. Almost.
It had been a month since he'd last come. It felt lonely on the farm without him being there, even if he had said little. It was like he'd ripped out a little bit of her joy when he'd stopped coming. Even the animals were whimpering without their number one fan coming twice a week.
But he'd left his hat here, even if the dog had begun to chew it up. Chelsea had tried to rescue it once but failed miserably. Her dog was far too attached.
So was she.
And she almost cried that night. Almost.
It was a surprise when he'd come today – two years away, probably doing business, not bothering to come back to the islands. She almost froze when she'd heard his voice and turned around.
He had a different hat. A sparkly, new one. It wasn't the same, and it didn't feel real to have him there. Like he was just an illusion.
Someone had scooped her heart away when he had gone – vanished – and she'd let them because the thoughts of the wandering cowboy didn't belong in her mind any more. He had only completed her farm for as long as he'd been there and then, when he left, the space was filled again by someone new.
Her new lover was out fishing and she'd be going down to deliver him a freshly caught fish when he came to shore again. He was bright and cheery and always gladly accepted it.
And he liked the animals.
Just never as much.
"Chelsea?" she heard the man of few words say, before she could itch a sound from her mouth. Nodding her head slowly, she watched the man who had disappeared from her farm reappear in front of her eyes.
"Vaughn," she said his name quietly, before studying his features, searching for something in his eyes beyond those strands of silver hair.
And catching the words from her mouth, he nodded and, with the hint of a smile on his lips, he asked the question he'd always implied but never actually ever asked before;
"Can I see the animals?"
That's when she smiled with him, so happy, so joyful, to see feel his presence again. She hadn't realised really how much she'd missed his non-existent words and short smiles.
But now he was here, he almost made her life complete.
And it almost felt like he'd never been gone.
...Almost.