Words can never heal me
Summary:
[MFOMT] Claire's wounds ran deep, that was certain. She'd been through hell and back, and it had taken its toll. Can a shy apprentice lead this broken girl out of her shell?
---
He remembered the day she had come to Mineral town. He had seen her walking down the street in the pouring rain, staring at her feet. He had tried to talk to her, but she didn't seem to hear him. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she jumped. She had spun around to look at him with wide, hollow eyes.
She seemed very fragile to him, like she would break if he touched her again.
Her name was Claire, but he heard it from the townsfolk before he heard it from her. He heard a lot of things from the townsfolk.
She hadn't bought the farm because she wanted the farm-life. She had come here to escape an abusive relationship. Hearing that, Gray recalled seeing a bruise barely visible under her concealer the day they had met.
She hated being touched, she could never look anyone in the eyes. She never raised her voice, and flinched when somebody raised theirs.
She was often spotted heading to the church, and spent a lot of time in confessional. Cliff said he heard her crying a lot.
She'd spoken to Gray about it once. She told him about how her boyfriend had made her do things she didn't want to do, and how he would beat her when she refused. She hadn't been able to contact her family for six months straight. She had tried to escape once, and he'd thrown a vase at her face. She pointed to a scar on her forehead. She had tried to kill herself once, and almost succeeded. She'd been brought to the hospital half-dead.
"Luckilly..." She whispered, "He couldn't touch me there... I was able to call my family... I saw an ad in the paper for this farm, and I made my escape. I managed to get a restraining order on him before I left. So now I'm safe."
And yes, she was safe. Physically.
She whispered to Gray about how she had trouble sleeping, and had to sleep with the light on. How she heard his voice in her head when she turned out the lights. How she cowered under the covers when the floorboards creaked.
She broke down in tears near the end of this conversation, and he tried to comfort her as best he could.
He didn't see her again for two days.
He always tried to reassure her, to smile at her.
It was a long time before she smiled back.
"Here," Gray said, putting something in the palm of her hand, "I made this for you."
Claire gasped, opening her hand to see a beautiful silver brooch.
Her lips quivered and she blinked rapidly. Tears came to her eyes as her mouth stretched into a smile.
"Thank you Gray."
It was the first time that their eyes had met, and even though it was only for a moment, Gray felt something pass between them.
She wore it every day. The townsfolk noted that she was acting, if not happier, at least a little bit stronger.
There was an evening when Gray had woken up to the sound of someone running up the stairs. His door had been flung open, and he saw her. She was terrified, and crying.
"He's here. He's here. I know he's here. I can feel it. He's c-coming for me Gray. Please... Please don't let him take me!"
She was a mess, her eyes darting everywhere, and he prayed that this was all in her head. That her personal demon was not really coming back to haunt her again.
"Claire, Claire! Listen to me. He's not coming. He doesn't know where you are. He won't find you. Ever. I swear, I'll protect you no matter what."
"Really...?" Whispered Claire, looking him in the eyes to search for truth.
"Really. Now, do you want me to walk you home?"
Claire shook her head rapidly. "N-no. I- I don't want to be alone."
"Okay... Do you want to stay here?"
"Can I?" Asked Claire in a hesitant whisper.
"Yeah, it's fine with me."
Claire slowly reached a hand out to touch his face. She then gave a sob and flung herself into his chest.
Gray gasped in surprise. He knew well that Claire feared any sort of physical contact. He hesitated for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her.
"Shh, shh. It's alright Claire. I'm here. I'll always be here, I promise."
He stayed up until she fell asleep, and was surprised to see the peaceful expression on her face. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.
"I'll always protect you Claire." He whispered in the sleeping girl's ear. "I love you."
It took him another month to confess to her while she was awake.
Her eyes had widened, and tears had come to her eyes.
"N-no... I'm not good enough for you Gray..." She had sobbed, "I- I'm filthy. A-and used. I-I'm damaged goods. I-"
"You are none of those things." Said Gray. "You are Claire. You are a human being, not an object, and definitely not damaged goods. You are kind, and beautiful. You are a very precious person to me Claire. I love you, and I want to marry you. Will you be my wife?"
Claire held the blue feather in her quivering hands.
"You really mean it? It's not just because you feel sorry for me?"
"I mean it." Said Gray. He took her face in his hands and looked her in the eyes. "Claire, you are the most important person in my life. I want to be able to protect you for the rest of my life. I don't want you to be alone anymore. I want to be the one who keeps you safe. It's not because I feel sorry for you. It's because I love you. Everything about you. Claire, please marry me."
She whispered something he couldn't hear.
"What?"
"I love you too!" She cried at the loudest volume Gray had ever heard from her. "And yes, I will marry you!"
Gray smiled brightly.
---
Claire could often be seen with her son and husband. It seemed she always was with one of them.
She continued to wear the silver brooch Grey had given her everywhere. The blue feather he had proposed with was always in her pocket.
She smiled often now. She looked people in the eyes, and even got loud at times. Time had changed her, and Gray still loved everything about her.
"I'm so glad you came here to Mineral town." Gray whispered in Claire's ear.
Claire smiled at him, then looked back down at the sleeping baby in her arms, Blue.
"I am too. I just wish I'd come sooner."
"Later is better than never."
Claire's smile widened.
"You're right."
---
A/N: I named their son Blue on a whim. Heh. (This was originally going to be an MM fanfic. Hee hee.)
Disclaimer:
Me no own HM. If I did, it would be muuuch more dating-sim-y.