Welcome back for chapter 2! Glad I could keep some "mystery" going, not everything is what it seems ;). Hope you enjoy, please feel free to review as you'd like, virtual cookies if you do!

**I don't own Harvest moon or the names/places/etc involved**

The inn was quiet as Claire sat at her table. She had been invited to lunch and a tour of the town, introductions included. She felt it was the right thing to do after she had run out on Rick so abruptly the other day, so when he had stopped by this morning with the offer, she gratefully accepted.

She had finished her chores a little earlier than expected, so she used this extra time to read one of the books she had found in her home. While she was perusing the chapters of the farming book, she heard a voice call out as the door opened. It wasn't harsh, but it made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

Claire carefully peered over her book to find the face of the speaker, and was shocked when she saw that it belonged to the man from the blacksmiths. Gray, they had called him. He looked to be in a much better mood than she had met him in, but she kept her guard up. She had found that people with that kind of rage could easily flip the switch off, and especially in public, but it would still eat away at them.

When his eyes met hers though, there was no malice, no signs of the hate that had filled them when she saw him last. He gave a small smile as he turned quickly away from her, tugging his hat down as he approached the bar.

She brought her book closer to her face, taking in none of the words. Suspicion narrowed her eyes as she watched Gray, casually talking with the inn keeper. Claire wasn't sure what exactly she was looking for, but she knew that he made her uneasy. When the legs of the stool he sat on squealed, she focused her attention back to her book, feeling the breath catching in her throat.

His footsteps sounded his approach before his greeting, "Hey, you're the new farmer right?" The silence stretched out and he shifted his weight when no immediate reply came.

Claire peered up from her book and slowly nodded, her eyes darting over his features. He seemed nervous, but his lack of irritation made Claire relax slightly. She sighed and stood to hold out her hand to him. "Claire. And you're Gray?" He nodded his response and lightly gripped her hand. "You've got one hell of a temper, Gray." She released his hand as his eyebrows shot up. "Might want to work on that before you hurt someone." Incredulity seeped into his features and he opened his mouth to respond, but was cut short by the door opening and Claire walking away from him.

Rick waved a greeting in her direction and a smile crossed her face. "Hey, Claire! I've got a whole 'tour of the town' mapped out for us." He eyed Gray as he stepped closer to the pair. "But we can cut it short if you're busy?" Rick's face was confused and wary as he took in the scene before him.

Claire followed his gaze to Gray, his face slightly red as he tugged his hat low over his eyes. "Oh, no. Gray and I were just introducing ourselves," she turned away from him and back to Rick, "and I promised you my afternoon." Claire beamed at Rick, thankful that he gave her a chance to walk away from Gray.

Rick grinned as he returned his attention to her. "Well, I'm ready when you are." He presented his elbow to her as his smile widened. Claire eyed him suspiciously before laughing and wrapping her arm through his.

As they reached the door, Claire glanced behind her to see Gray still staring at them. "Hey, Gray," she called out to him, "think about what I said." His eyes narrowed and a sad smile crossed her lips. Turning back to the door, Claire and Rick walked out.

Rick stared curiously at her for a moment before asking, "Would it be too forward to ask what that was all about? Never seen Gray so quiet when his face turned red like that."

Claire shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to answer. She had never been one to gossip, and in light of her past, she was used to keeping private matters out of the ears of others. Instead, she beamed up at Rick, nervously chuckling as she spoke, "Maybe I just caught him off guard with my awesome charm."

Rick's face crinkled in amusement and he let the subject drop. "I can see how you could throw someone off like that, happened to me too." He chuckled nervously when Claire seemed confused. "But aaaanyway, I promised you a tour, and a tour you shall have." Smiling down at her, he led her down the road towards the winery.

They had done a full circle of the small town, and Rick made good on his word to introduce her to every person he could along the way. Claire was exhausted by the time they had come up the path towards her farm from Gotz's home, so when Rick told her there was one last spot to visit, she groaned inwardly.

Lying on the grass of the field now, Claire was smiling. It was pleasant, meeting all of the townspeople, but she really preferred to be in a quieter state of mind. They were at the base of Mother's hill, surrounded by a small river on one side, and flowers everywhere else. When the breeze curled through, everything seemed to dance. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening her eyes half way as she exhaled.

Rick turned his head only slightly in order to watch her, wondering what was going through her head. She had seemed charming when he had met her, though a little confused about farming life. Something about her made him want to be closer to her, even after only knowing her for a day. "Claire?" He turned his head to fully face her and smiled as only one of her eyes opened completely to peer at him while she mumbled a soft reply. "You... How are you liking living here so far?" A sigh escaped him and his eyes squinted shut briefly.

Claire turned her face back to the sky. "I like it a lot actually." When he kept staring at her in silence she laughed. "Okay. The farm keeps me busy, and just about everyone seems pretty pleasant to be around." She turned back to face him as she tossed her arms behind her head. "Thanks for showing me around today."

Rick smiled and gave the best shrug he could while lying down. They started pointing out clouds then, calling out what they saw as they did. It didn't last long though, as there weren't many floating by. So the sky turned purple as dusk settled in, and Rick cleared his throat before stating, "Question."

Claire looked over at Rick, his face scrunched up uncomfortably. "Answer?" She giggled at the odd conversation, enjoying being able to relax around another person.

Rick chuckled at her response before his face went serious. "The other day at Saibara's. Did I do something to upset you?" His face reflected the worry that tinged his words.

Claire shocked eyes bore into him as a breeze blew between them, sending her hair dancing around her face. "No... no you didn't upset me. I'm sorry for making you think that." A frown crept onto her face as she thought. Rick stared silently at her as she did, aware that something did indeed bother her that day. She sighed heavily and made a decision, nodding her head at the darkening sky before speaking. "Honestly, Gray kinda caught me off guard."

Nervousness crept into her as she caught Rick's gaze out of the corner of her eye. He seemed slightly taken aback by her answer. "I wasn't expecting that much yelling when we walked in there. Kinda thought that kind of noise was something I left back in the city." She searched the sky, and nodded approval at her choice of words. Then, her face scrunched up with irritation as the image of the anger in his eyes came into focus in her mind.

Rick noticed the change in her mood and shifted to a sitting position. He leaned near her and waved a hand a foot above her face. Her eyes widened as she sucked in a breath. A quick hand came up and she grabbed Rick by the wrist. He sat frozen for a moment, shocked at her grip

"Sorry." Claire shifted to sit up as she let go of him. "I scare easy." A sheepish grin crossed her face before turning bitter. "Anyway. There was a lot of hate in his eyes when he looked at me, and I don't do well with that." Claire's eyes hardened as she looked up at Rick.

His jaw slackened as his lips parted. "I'm sure he wasn't directing it at you, Claire," he hurriedly replied. "Gray is an okay guy really, he just has issues with his temper is all."

Claire nodded and turned her face away from Rick. Distance filled her reply, "Yeah."

Rick's eyes went wide as he realized that he had upset her this time. "Wait, Claire, I'm sorry, I-I-" He fell dead silent when she turned back to him. There was no anger or hurt in her eyes, but there was something he couldn't quite name.

He couldn't name it, but Claire had to live with it everyday. Hiding the pain of her past was difficult, even after a little over a year had passed. It wasn't enough time to erase what had happened, but she had grown and adapted nonetheless. Still, it didn't stop her from having knee-jerk reactions every now and again.

She sighed and let a smile form on her lips as she looked into his shocked face, his glasses making his eyes appear much larger than they were. "It's fine, Rick. Promise." She looked up at the sky and back at him. "I should probably be heading home for bed soon, though."

Rick's face softened as he searched her face in the growing darkness. Finally, he nodded and rose to his feet, helping Claire to hers as well. They both brushed the dirt and grass off of their clothes and made for the path back to the farm.

When they crossed onto the property, having walked the whole way back in silence, Claire paused. "Sorry, for... well for back there." Guilt filled her face as she stared up at him.

Rick shook his head at her and smiled. "You say that a lot, you know." Claire's head tilted to the side in confusion, and he explained, "You apologize too much."

She smiled wryly at him before replying with, "Sorry."

They walked to her door, laughter filling the air around them as the tension ebbed away. As they stopped at the door, Rick leaned forward and hugged her briefly. Claire was shocked for a moment, but it melted away into a smile when Rick backed away from her. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you decided to live here," a grin spread across his face, "and I'm glad you decided to buy a chicken." She nodded silently and he turned to leave the farm.

Darkness swirled around her as she curled up on the floor. Pain tore through her very being as she struggled to breathe, to move. Blood leaked down her face to blur her vision, stinging her eyes and staining her tears. A choked breath escaped her before a sob ripped out of her throat.

Claire shot up in her bed on the farm, tears already spilling down her cheeks.