A/N: Hello everybody! Smurf got a new chapter done! Sorry it took me so long to get the chapter done. Had a bit of writers block. Writers block is evil. Very, very evil. But, I got it done before Christmas, which was what I was aiming for. This chapter goes with the last chapter, and this one was also an idea from R3V0LV3R. Thank you once again for your idea!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon is owned by its respective owners.
Letters to Nobody
Chapter Ten
Winter 2
Dear Vaughn,
This is the second letter I am writing to you in two days. My heart aches for you, and the last time I felt like this was when those rumors about you and Sabrina were going around. Remember when I tried to ask you about it?
The next morning dawned cloudy, and it was so cold. I shivered as I threw my blankets off my body and walked toward the bathroom. I got dressed and headed out the door to complete my chores. All I had to do was take care of my animals, since I had no crops.
As I walked toward the chicken coop, it started to snow. I stopped and looked up at the sky and watched the snow fall toward the earth. I sighed and big puff of air appeared white in front of me. As I was watching the snow fall, I heard a bark behind me. I turned around and saw that you were bending down to pet Kyo, and Kyo was happily greeting you. You had such a sweet smile on your face and when you looked up, you saw me staring, standing halfway out in my dead field. You smiled and started walked toward me, Kyo happily following you.
"Good morning, Chelsea," you said
"Morning," I automatically replied. "What are you doing here so early?"
"Well, Julia said that something had been bugging you, and she wondered if maybe I could get you to talk about it."
Julia must have known I didn't ask you about the rumors. Of course she knew, she was just a few feet from me when you arrived on the Island.
"Oh, no. I am fine. I have just been more tired than normal," I said, forcing a smile.
"You need to be careful Chelsea. What would happen if you passed out? Nobody would know if you passed out up here. You could get hurt!" you said, concerned.
"Seriously Vaughn, I will be okay. I just had some trouble sleeping," I said.
"Well, since I am here, I might as well help you with your animals. I want to check them, too. Make sure they are all still healthy."
I nodded, but didn't say anything as I turned and headed toward the chicken coop. You helped me feed my chickens and checked them over. You were satisfied. Then we went to the barn and you checked my cows and my sheep, and when you were satisfied with them, we went to stable where you checked my horse and also my dog. You were satisfied with all my animals' health. I was still in a slightly bad mood, but it wasn't because of you, it was because I couldn't ask you about you and Sabrina.
"Chelsea, are you sure you are okay?" you asked, concerned.
"Yes, I am fine," I replied automatically again.
"Okay, well, I will see you later," you said.
I stood outside and watched you walk away. As your back got smaller, I felt an ache in my heart. I sighed and decided that I was going to do some mining, thinking that it would take my mind off of everything. I cleaned out my rucksack, grabbed the tools I needed, and left the ranch. As I entered West Town, I glanced over to the left and saw that Julia was helping Elliot. I smiled and turned toward the Forest.
As I entered the Forest, I felt at peace. I loved the peace and quiet of the Forest. I started toward the mountain when I stopped. There in front of me, I saw you. With Sabrina. There was no mistaking you. The person in front of me had the same silver hair, and the clothes were exactly like yours. I hid behind a tree, and watched the exchange between the two of you. The smile on your face was gentle.
That smile was the one you used when you talked to me. Why were you giving it to her? I thought it was only reserved for me. I couldn't see anymore, so I turned away and headed back to my house. I had only taken a couple steps when you noticed me and spoke.
"Hey, Chelsea! What's up?"
I didn't say anything. I just kept walking. I could hear you and Sabrina behind me calling my name. But, I didn't stop. I didn't want to see you guys together. That was the one thing I did not want to see.
You didn't follow me, and I wasn't expecting you to. I would have been surprised if you had. I walked toward the Jungle, the other place I went to be alone. There I could hid in the bushes and not be found. I heard someone nearby a couple times, but when I peeked out, all I could see was Shea, looking for dinner. The sun slowly set, and I heard the bell ring in the distance signaling that the boat was leaving for the mainland. You would be on that boat, and this was the first time that I wouldn't be seeing you off.
I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my face in them. I felt the wetness of tears on my knees. I cursed myself for being so weak. I couldn't believe I let a man have this much control over my heart. I sat like that for a while, and when I got up, I was stiff from sitting so long.
I slowly walked home. It was late, and everybody had already gone home. It seemed like I was the only one up. When I reached the door to my house, I saw a note taped to the outside. It was in handwriting I had never seen. It was neat, but it wasn't girly, so I ruled out Sabrina, since I knew she had girly handwriting. It wasn't Julia's handwriting either. Hers was like chicken scratch. I took the note off the door and walked into my house.
I flipped on the light and looked down at the note. It was from you. The note said that you had been waiting for me to return home. You wanted to talk to me about something. But, since you had to go back to the mainland, you would talk to me when you came back Tuesday night.
You wanted to talk to me about something? What was it? Fear took hold of my heart and I was afraid that maybe you were going to tell me that you loved Sabrina and that you were an item. I dropped to my knees, still clutching the letter. I always thought I would be the one that was the closest to you. I was the one that befriended you first. I was the one who got you to open up. I thought I was the most important person to you.
I slowly stood up and I threw the letter in the trash. If you wanted to talk to me, I would make sure you never got a chance to tell me. I didn't want to hear those dreaded words come out of your mouth. I turned the lights off and climbed into my chilly bed.
For the rest of the week, I just went on with my business. When Julia tried to talk to me about you, I either ignored her or changed the subject. It got to the point where she stopped mentioning you at all. When Tuesday arrived, I retreated to the mines. I didn't want to see you. This was also the first time I wasn't greeting you. I had always greeted you and seen you off, but if you were indeed dating Sabrina, then it wasn't my place anymore. I felt the tears sting my eyes and a few fell.
I worked until late in the night. My bag was heavy with gems, and my heart was heavy with sadness. It felt like there was a big void in my life without. And it wasn't because of how I felt about you (which Julia still said it was love), but because it felt like I had lost my best friend. Besides Julia, you were my first friend. You were the one I could come to about my animals. Would I still be able to do that? Would I still be able to talk to you the way I do now? Will we be able to act like we always do?
I reached the top of the hill where my ranch sat, and when I turned toward the house, I stopped. You were standing outside my door. You were bundled up against the harsh Island winter, and when you heard me approach, you looked up at me.
"Where have you been?" you asked.
You sounded slightly irritated, and that annoyed me.
"Why does it matter to you? Why are you here anyways? Why aren't you with your precious Sabrina?"
I had said the one thing that had been weighing on me. Why were you here? I know that your note said you wanted to talk to me as soon as you got to the Island, but I didn't actually believe that the first place you would come to would be my ranch.
You pushed yourself away from the house and looked at me.
"Why would I be with Sabrina? Didn't you get my note? I wanted to talk to you about something."
I was a little surprised. If you were dating Sabrina, wouldn't that be the first place you went to?
"But, aren't you and Sabrina dating?" I asked. "Isn't that what you wanted to talk to me about? Didn't you want to tell me that you and Sabrina are together?"
You looked at me like I was crazy. I was having a lot of trouble trying to comprehend why you were here.
"Chelsea," you said, softly, "I'm not dating Sabrina."
I could barely hear you, but, when those words left your mouth, I felt like a weight had been lifted off me. I continued to stand in the snow, staring at you. I couldn't say anything. I felt so relieved. You walked over to me, so you could look me in the eye. My blue eyes met your violet eyes and I felt my heart stop.
"Why in the world would I be dating Sabrina? Where did you get that idea?"
I looked down, unable to look you in the eyes. I felt ashamed for believing in that stupid rumor.
"I stopped at the Café to eat dinner one evening and I heard a rumor."
I told you all about the rumor I heard. Every last detail was told to you.
"But, then I saw you with Sabrina last week, and I automatically assumed that the rumor was true!" I said.
I heard you chuckle and you looked away from me.
"I was talking to Sabrina about different types of dogs. She is trying to convince her father to let her have one, so I was giving her some breeds that she may like and her father would allow her to have."
So, that would explain the smile I saw. I remembered how you would smile at my animals like that as well. But, it was also the smile you used for me. I looked up at you, and that same smile was gracing your lips. The smile I loved so much. We stood in the silence, not saying anything. I felt at peace once again. And that was because I was with you. Snow started to silently drift down around us and then I remembered why you came here.
"Vaughn, what did you want to talk about?" I asked.
Your already red face seemed to become more so. You looked down at your feet before you looked back up at me.
"Well, when Spring comes, I will be bringing a horse to the Island. I was wondering if you would like to go riding on the days I am on the Island. I mean, you have a horse and I will have a horse of my own…." You trailed off, sounding a little nervous.
I was startled for a moment, and then my face split into my first real smile in weeks.
"I would love to go riding with you Vaughn!" I said.
You seemed to relax and that smile I loved appeared on your face. You ruffled my hair and started to walk past me.
"See you later, Chelsea," you said, not looking back.
After that time, I stopped listening to rumors. Most of them weren't true, anyways. And every time I saw you with Sabrina, I would talk to you; I wouldn't hide and run away. I knew I had nothing to worry about. I never had anything to worry about. At that point, I never knew the feelings that were growing inside you were the same ones that were growing in me. Even now, though, I hear Mark and Julia discussing some of the newer rumors about you and Sabrina. The old rumors I heard right after you left were the worst. Even Sabrina came up missing for a few days after we found out that you weren't coming back. So, the rumors flew around that you had left me, pregnant, and ran away with Sabrina. That rumor turned out to be wrong though.
I'm sure if you came back, all the rumors will disappear. Please, come back to me soon, Vaughn.
Love,
Chelsea
Chelsea's head was lying on the desk. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and even. The letter was beneath her head, finished, ready to be folded and put with the others. For right now though, she was sleeping, lost in her happy dream world where her and Vaughn were happy together.
A/N: Well, what did you all think about this chapter? This was my longest chapter yet. We are getting closer to when they get together. That will happen in the next few chapters. We are now going from Year 2 to Year 3. This is where it starts to pick up. I promise that it will be pick up. But, you will have to wait until after the New Year. This is the last chapter of 2012. So, please be patient, and 2013 will be here soon. I just need a little break to relax. I have every intention of finishing this story. So, please continue to support me. Anyways, please read and review. Remember, constructive criticism is welcome, but please no flames. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you next year!