CHAPTER 1 - Winter arrives
Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.
I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).
Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.
...
The year seemed to go by in a fast pace, and Jill worked hard as usual in order to estabilish herself in the market. During Fall she managed to grow quite a few nice looking pumpkins, but didn't place at the top three during her first Contest. The competiton was tough.
When winter finally arrived, the valley was covered in pure white snow, and it became surprisingly cold. Jill could not grow any crops that season, so she limited herself to feeding the livestock she managed to buy with her savings: three chickens and two cows. Takakura also helped, which meant this season Jill tended to have lots of free time to pursue other interests. Per example, she got into mining, and the ore she found inside the caves made her some good extra cash, which Jill could definetly use considering most of her income relied on crops.
Life in Forget-Me-Not-Valley went as usual, although it seemed every now and then a newcomer or visitor would show up. The farmer, of course, was always glad to make new acquaintances.
One day, Takakura knocked on her door during breakfast. Buddy barked and Jill shooed him, allowing her old friend to come inside. She offered him a cup of coffee, which he happily accepted.
"So, what's up?", she said calmly, sitting down on the table, taking the seat across from him. "It's funny, although you live next door you still don't drop by so often."
"I know.", he smiled, taking a sip from his warm coffee mug. "I need a favor."
"A favor?", Jill questioned, placing her mug on the table. She watched as Takakura handed her an envelope.
"I owed Vesta some money, and I'm finally able to pay her off.", the old man rambled. "The money is in the envelope, but I can't take it to her right now. I'm going to be gone for a week."
"Really? And you are going today?", she was surprised to be hearing this just now, coming to the conclusion that she would not have him help her for a few days. No biggie.
"Yes, I'm sorry for leaving on such short notice.", he sighed, but she waved him off. He knew Jill could take care of her own business, but he was almost like a father figure to her so he felt kind of bad for leaving the girl on her own. "My daughter lives in the city, I have to pay her a visit. Her husband called me last night and told me she is very sick. They are going to the doctor today, but I want to go there and see what's up with my own eyes."
"Oh my, I hope she gets well then!", Jill frowned, clearly worried. "And yes, you should definetly go check up on her! Family should always come first."
Takakura smiled softly at the young farmer, and drank the rest of his coffee before he decided to get up and leave. They said their goodbyes and Jill wished him and his daughter good luck.
When Jill came back into the kitchen, she looked at the table, where the white envelope laid. She was reminded that she was supposed to take it to Vesta, and decided to do so right now as she didn't have any extra work to attend to anyway.
The brunette put on a gray dress, black knit tights, black leather boots and a long dark coat on top so she would not freeze outside. Her hair was tied up as usual, and once she grabbed her bag she figured she was good to go.
"See you later, boy!", she blew Buddy a kiss before leaving the house hastily.
...
As promised, Jill dropped by Vesta's in order to deliver the envelope Takakura had left her. It was still early and the shop was open, so this is where the brunette decided to head off to.
"Hey there, Jill.", greeted the bulky woman from behind the counter. Celia sweeped the floor nearby, and simply gave their visitor a welcoming smile.
"Hey! I'm here to give you this.", Jill said, taking the envelope from her purse and placing it in front of Vesta, who calmly took it in her hands. "It's from Takakura."
Vesta nodded, studying the envelope before placing it back on the counter. "Thank you, dear. I think I know what this is about. How is Takakura, by the way?"
"He's good. But he had to leave the island today, and he might be away for a week. His daughter is sick.", the young farmer sighed, earning a concerned look from the two other women.
"I hope it's nothing bad!", Vesta said.
"Yeah, me too.", Jill agreed, nodding her head. "Anyway.. how have you been?"
The older woman looked out the window and let a loud sigh of lament escape her lips. Her fingers tapped lightly against the wood. "Well, you know. Not growing any crops out there, and seeds don't really sell well during this season. I have a small covered place where I grow some special crops though, so I have been able to make some profit, but we still have to save up during winter. It's never easy during this time of the year."
"You should raise livestock. It's what's been keeping my business running for the time being. That and some mining on my free time.", the brunette rambled, placing a finger on her chin.
"I don't know. I'm not really into taking care of animals.", Vesta replied, her head resting on her hands. "Well, I might do it sometime in the future, but I can't say for sure. What I really like to do is growing and tending to my crops."
Jill smiled, and turned towards Celia, who was placing the broom on a corner so she could take a break from all the sweeping. Celia patted her apron and blinked as she noticed her friend staring at her. "Yes?"
"Uh. Where is Marlin? I figured during winter you guys stay inside the shop during business hours.", Jill tried not to sound too interested, because she knew Celia had feelings for the guy and could mistake her curiosity for something else.
"Last time I saw him he was still at home having breakfast. He got up a little late today, I guess the cold weather makes him sleepy!", the girl chuckled.
"I think I will go say hi. I haven't seen him in a while, anyway.", Jill said, reminding of how busy she has been with raising livestock and mining. She and Marlin were not friends, but they were not complete strangers after all and it was only polite to show her face every once in a while.
The brunette left the store, not noticing a very concerned looking girl being left behind. Celia felt Vesta's hand on her shoulder as she wondered if she should be worried about anything or if she was just being paranoid as usual.
...
Knock, knock, knock. No answer.
A very impatient looking Jill stood in front of Vesta's house, tapping her feet against the floor. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and quirked a brow, wondering what was taking Marlin so long. Eventually, she threw her hands up in the air and gave up, figuring that there was a chance he wasn't home anymore. Maybe he was somewhere around the farm?
The brunette strolled across the property, her amethyst eyes searching frantically for him. He was nowhere near the fields where the crops used to grow. She walked further into the farm, surprised to see a lonely barn in the distance. She had never explored Vesta's farm that further, so she figured this was the place where she grew her special crops.
As she approached the barn, Jill could make out the silhouette of a man in the distance. She assumed it was who she had been looking for, and hurried towards him. She was surprised to meet a very pale looking Marlin, kneeling down on the ground with his hands over his mouth. He coughed repeatedly and felt so bad he did not even realize someone else was there. "Oh my god, Marlin! You look so pale! Are you alright?"
Jill kneeled beside him, rubbing his back gently. Her face reflected pure worry, and while still coughing he managed to open his eyes and take desperate a look at her. Marlin gasped one last time before collapsing, which nearly caused the girl to jump back in surprise. She grabbed his gloved hands, which had some blood on them. Some of the red liquid also poured down his chin.
"Marlin! Wake up!", she cried out, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, but he would not open his eyes again. She felt a deadly despair grow inside her and knew she had to get help.
"Vesta! VES-", the brunette felt a hand covering her mouth, and she instantly turned towards him. Marlin was wide awake again and managed to sit down, although he did still look a bit dizzy.
"Don't.", he said, and let go of her. He wiped the blood off his chin with his arm, smearing it all over his navy blue coat.
Jill looked dumbfound. She held his arms in a surprisingly strong grip and he cringed at the feeling, eyes shooting up at her daringly. "What? We need to get your sister! You are sick!"
"I'll be fine.", he waved her off, his gaze almost as cold as the weather itself. "Don't get Vesta. This will only cause unnecessary trouble."
Marlin tried to stand up and prove his point, but he felt a sharp pain shoot through his body and collapsed once again. He growled and felt a judging gaze upon him.
"Why are you acting like this?", she sounded both worried and annoyed by his ways. "Please, let me get some help."
"I'm fine, really. I just need to lay down for a while.", Marlin said as he sat up again. "This happens sometimes, because of the weather. I'm used to it."
"Still... people don't just collapse because of the weather, Marlin.", Jill rolled her eyes while placing a hand on his forehead. He was freezing, as she suspected. "What were you up to, anyway?"
"I was carrying some seed bags to the store.", he mumbled as she looked around, not having noticed the heavy bags scattered around him on the floor.
"You probably overworked yourself... well, at least let me help you get home. You really should lay down.", she said, retreating her hand.
"No.", he insisted firmly. She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering why did he need to cling so bad to his male pride, but untensed slightly as his gaze softened upon her. "Look... I can't let Vesta see me in this state. She would freak out and lecture me about how I should avoid working like this during the winter. I know she is right, but I really don't want to hear it right now."
Jill sighed and crossed her arms across her chest, finally giving in. Marlin really hated being reminded of his condition, and she wasn't going to push this matter any further. "Okay.. well... I can't just leave you alone like this. You need to recover."
The brunette propped herself up and offered Marlin her hand. He hesitantly took it and she helped him up. "Thanks...", he mumbled under his chilly breath.
"How about this?", she patted his coat, shoving the snow off, then aimed her gaze up at him. "You can rest at my place. No one will find out."
Marlin quirked a brow at her, taking a step back. He then paused, deep in though, a finger scratching the traces of growing beard on his chin. He was never really good at shaving. "Hm.. I don't know..."
Jill was actually surprised to find him considering the possibility of crashing at her place. Marlin was a ridiculously stubborn guy and in her mind she was almost sure he would refuse right away. "You can tell your sister you were taking a walk around town or something. You know, so they won't suspect anything."
"I guess.", he nodded. "Fine... I have a feeling you won't leave me be, so I'll just give in this time."
"Good!", she smiled brightly, and he gave her an awkward look. "Oh, don't look so annoyed. I'm just trying to look out for you."
"Thank you.. I think.", he grumbled, looking down at the snow on the floor. The brunette stepped towards him and suddenly began to reach inside the pockets of his coat. He gasped in protest and held her wrists away from him. "Woman, what are you doing?"
"Looking for you car keys. You own a pickup, yes?", she questioned, looking up at him and breaking bree from his grasp. Luckily, he was weak at the moment so he did not hurt her or anything.
"I can walk.", Marlin growled, unsure of his own words. Could he?
"No, you can't.", she chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. He scowled at her, clearly annoyed. "Oh, come on. You have a car, let's use it."
"Fine!", he reached inside his pocket, grabbing the keys and proceeding to throw it at her. Jill smiled as she grabbed the keys in mid air.
They took off with Marlin's pickup hurriedly, heading towards Jill's place.
