She sloshed inside and wrung the water out of her hair with a deep sigh, her twisted blonde locks resting on her shoulder.

So this was failure…

The rain dripped loudly in the pot Claire had set on the dining table. Each splash reminded her of the gravity of the situation. One bad season could do an unlucky farmer in, after all. She kicked off her muddy boots in frustration and discarded her waterlogged denim overalls, flannel shirt, and drenched socks. She buried her face in her hands, but the tears refused to come, much to her dismay.

Her husband closed the door behind him with a quiet click. Mud-caked shoes were discarded on the mat beside Claire's. He quietly stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her chest.

The young woman remained motionless. They hadn't spoken since breakfast and they had worked together outside in silence, dazed at what they had witnessed. He nuzzled her shoulder, silently asking her to speak what was on her mind, just as they always did when one of them was upset. She let out a scoff at why he would want such a thing today, but it was too late; the words flowed out before she could stop them. "This was a mistake," she whispered bitterly. "I can't believe I sunk so much money into those seeds! There's no way we're going to turn a profit this season, and we'll be lucky if we can even manage to pay our bills. I-I'm such an idiot!" Her voice had risen into a shriek and her knees went weak as she felt the room begin to spin.

He gently turned her around and held her in a tight embrace; she was on the verge of hysterics. She always blamed herself whenever anything went wrong. "We had no way of knowing a monsoon would hit weeks ago when we decided to invest." He brushed her damp bangs out of her eyes and pressed his lips against her forehead. Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she leaned into him, his body slightly rocking back and forth to the soft rhythm of the water dripping from the ceiling.

They stood in silence together for a few moments, taking in the aftermath of the destruction, the gentle swaying therapeutic. The crop fields had taken a heavy hit from the storm; they would be lucky if a quarter of them survived. Trenches had been dug throughout the day in an attempt to drain the fields. Squashed green tomatoes and snapped corn stalks had littered the plots of mud, scattered about and causing dams. A fallen tree had nearly missed their house and the stables and barns had remained standing, albeit leaky. His place of employment hadn't fared much better – broken fence posts and trellises were spread about, and several roof shingles needed to be replaced. There was a lot of cleaning up to do.

"You are the cleverest, most resourceful person I know, and I know a thing or two about getting by without much money." He affectionately brushed his nose against hers. He paused for a moment as their eyes locked and he cupped her cheeks in his hands. "Everything will work out, love."

At the sincerity in his eyes, she found herself relaxing a bit. Claire moved her hands to his shoulders and danced with him. An unwilling smile spread across her face as her foot kept landing on the squeaky floorboard halfway between the dining area and kitchen, realizing the absurdity of dancing to no music while wearing nothing but her undergarments. "How can you be so sure, Cliff? I… I wish I had the amount of faith that you do…" Her relationship with the gods wasn't a bad one by any means, but she admired and was a bit jealous of his fearlessness about the future. "Wh-what's going to happen to us?" Claire choked.

"It's simple," he murmured, pulling her close. "You'll have me, and I'll have you. That will never change. Nothing will ever be as precious to me as you are. As long as I have you, I have joy."

It was such a simple declaration, but it made a lump form in her throat. "W-we have each other…" she reiterated, closing her eyes.

"That's what I told you the day we got married, remember?"

Many details were blurry, but she could clearly recall gazing into his starry eyes with unbridled joy as the future awaited them, her ears drinking in his sweet words. Things really hadn't changed that much, she realized. She nodded as a goofy grin spread across her lips. A couple of tears streamed down her cheeks and he quickly kissed them away.

"I didn't mean to depress you with such a horrible fate," he teased, giving her a coy wink. "Being stuck with me forever and all…"

Claire looked up at her husband. His damp hair clung to his face and when she gave him a squeeze, his saturated tunic dripped rainwater like a sponge. Her undershirt became even more soaked and she shook her head with a smirk, unfastening the tie at his waist and casting the wet garment off to the side. "It's terrible! Especially being married to a man who doesn't even know how to properly dry himself off!"

"What's the point if I'm just planning to get even wetter with you?" He gave her a playful nip on the neck.

She let out a tiny squeal and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks, hearing the implication in his words. "You are absolutely filthy!" she chided.

"Which is exactly why we're going to take a hot bath, pervert," he teased, kissing her hand and taking it, leading her to the bathroom.

She stopped walking and he turned toward her curiously. "We have each other," she repeated, her eyebrows unfurrowing.

He pulled his wife into a deep kiss and scooped her up with a grin and a nod. "And that's all we'll ever need."