I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the characters in Harvest Moon.

Once to Live

Chapter 2-

Muffy laid on the bed, the morning sun streaming through the windows and warming her pale skin.

Muffy looked around the room, everything seemed the same. His guitar still sat in the corner of the room like it always had, his clothes were folded neatly inside the dresser and a picture sat on the table, it was of Muffy and Griffin when she was still in her twenties and him in his thirties. Griffin had one arm wound around her, his hand protectively holding onto her shoulder. They both held a beer in their hand, holding it up so the camera Muffy held in her free hand could see. Smiles were plastered to their faces, stupidly unaware of everything. But things weren't the same, they never would be. Griffin was gone, and when everything looked the same, it made her feel like it was. Like he would walk in, smiling, and holding two cups of a new drink he had made.

Muffy rolled over and wiped a tear that was forming in her eye. There was a large thud outside the bedroom door. Muffy stood up from the bed and wrapped a robe around her.

"We're not open until six o'clock." She said pushing open the door to the bar. Josh, one of Griffins old friends stood there, holding a large boxed. He smiled.

"Josh, what are you doing here?"

"You asked for milk." He said, setting the box down on the counter. He peeled open the box and pulled out a large glass bottle of milk and set it down on the counter.

Muffy walked over and sat down on the bar stool. " I thought Takura did deliveries." Muffy said, resting her head in her hands.

"He normally does, but I heard about what happened last night, and your... breakdown." He said hesitantly, placing a bottle in the refrigerator. Muffy moaned covering her face with her hands.

"She shouldn't have said anything." Muffy said.

"She was only stating the facts." Josh said, grabbing another bottle.

"But what did she expect me to do?"

"I don't know. But everyone has noticed the change Muffy. You really aren't the same."

"How can I be? Nothings the same anymore, and he's never com-" Muffy stopped, unable to say the words herself. She looked away, turning her head towards the wall as she pushed away the tears.

"Your right, he's not coming back. He never is." Josh said as he stared at Muffy.

"Stop." She pleaded.

"Muffy," Josh said, turning her face towards his, "he's gone." Muffy pulled away. She knew he was gone. She didn't need to be reminded, yet everyone seemed to think she did. Did they not know that's all she ever thought about?

At his funeral the preacher had said, "Only time can heal the pain of death." But time had not fixed Muffy. She still hurt. At first she had only wished time to keep moving, go forward, so she could move away from her pain. She had spent years without him now, but now all she wanted was to go back in time. She didn't have to go back to when he was alive, just closer. She didn't want to forget anything. She didn't want to be years away from him, it just made it that much harder.

"But it hurts." Muffy said looking Josh in the eyes as the tears she had been hiding from everyone spilled out.

"I know," He said, "I know."