So I've never written much, but always wanted to try and thought something with established characters and world would be easier to try out, but harvest moon would be fun because I'd have more liberty with characters. and with the remake of mineral town I was inspired. Mineral town was my favorite childhood game :) also I changed the name of Pete to Jack after i finished the chapter, so there might be a random Pete or 2 thrown in there.

Things were changing. And Claire hated change. She liked familiar, she liked peace. And she didn't like when that peace was ripped from her, as it often was when her life was thrown up upside down.

Claire lurched forward as the boat rocked, her long blonde hair flying as she tried to regain her balance. Salt water splashed up and sprayed her face. She scowled as she wiped the cold, stinging water out of her blue eyes and leaned on a nearby supply crate. Her chest was tight, there were knots in her stomach, and she knew tears were ready to fall at the drop of a hat. She closed her eyes and her grip tightened around bag. She was so anxious.

Claire had a relatively simple life for living in a big city. She liked her office job, and her apartment, and her roommate. She worked all week and on Friday night she'd go to the library, pickup a book, and read it over the weekend. Sometimes she'd bake something for her co-workers, or go out to lunch with her roommate. She wasn't living her dream, even she would admit that, but honestly she didn't even know if she had one. This had been her life for the past 3 years, and she was content.

But two days ago she got a call. It was from her brother's doctor.

She hadn't seen Jack, her brother, in 3 years. On a whim, he sold everything to move to a small town and buy a farm with nothing but a few changes of clothes and a handful of cash. She had initially thought he was nuts for dropping everything for something so uncertain and risky. They grew up in an apartment in the city, he hadn't so much as shoveled some dirt in his entire life, let alone touch a cow. But every time she'd talked to him on the phone he seemed so happy. Like he had finally found what he was meant to do. And she was happy for him.

At first he wanted her to come and live with him and help him start up his farm. He said Mineral Town had such charm, and the people he'd met were so amazing. He'd tease her that there were plenty of single men there for her to daydream about. But Claire couldn't bear to leave the city where she grew up, she felt that no where else could be home. She just... couldn't. She couldn't handle even more change.

So eventually it turned to just begging her to visit. And she wanted to. Claire missed her brother dearly. He was her best friend, and he was the only family she had left. He couldn't leave his farm to come visit her though, and she could never afford it. Big city living was expensive after all, and most months she barely scraped by. She never had much extra cash, and she definitely wasn't secure enough financially to go on even a small vacation. She had a small savings jar labeled 'visit fund' specifically for going to see Jack, but when life happened she always found herself reaching for it if things got tight.

But now she'd have to go to Mineral Town. Jack had gotten injured. He apparently liked to go into a mine on rainy days to look for ore. But two days ago he fell through a mine shaft. She was told that he would have likely died if the local blacksmith hadn't happened to be with him that day. The doctor didn't give her too many specifics over the phone, he just asked that if she were willing to help that she come as soon as possible. So she immediately let her boss know, packed a bag, emptied her meagre savings, and arranged her passage.

The sea breeze hitting her face, Claire leaned just a little bit to the left; peaking around the cabin to get a better view of the horizon in front of her. As she saw the land come into view she shivered. She didn't know what to expect, or if Jack was ok, but she could feel in her gut that her life wasn't going to be the same after this. How long would she have to stay? Her boss had only given her 3 days off for her family emergency. She was thankful it lined up with the weekend.

"Ya doin' ok Claire ?" The tall, muscular man yelled from behind the helm, craning his neck to too look back at her. "The sea is rough today, ya should take a seat!"

Claire smiled and turned her attention to the man, Zack, he said is name was, and yelled back "yeah, I'm ok! A little water got me, but I'm fine!"

His rough face broke into a smile. Claire was scared of Zack when she'd first saw him. He was tall and hulking, and his eyebrows were thick and angled and they made him look like he was about to gut someone. He was scary as heck. She had even momentarily debated getting on the boat or not, wondering if this really was the happy sounding man she'd talked to in the phone. That was until he spotted her and smiled. It was a big, beaming smile that took up his whole face; eyes squinted in a ear to ear grin. No one could be afraid of that smile.

"Good!" He turned his head back forward. "We'll be dockin' in about 10 minutes so sit tight!"

Claire nodded back silently even though he couldn't see her, and sat down on a nearby passenger seat, placing her duffel bag in her lap. She let out a loud sigh and dropped her head into her duffel bag, trying to calm her nerves and not think of worst case scenarios.

She didn't succeed.

Ten minutes passed in a flash and Claire lifted her head as she heard the boat bump against the wooden dock. The boat's engines sputtered to a stop and she watched as Zack jumped out of the boat and tie it securely to the dock.

She closed her eyes again and listened to the soft current lap onto the shore and breathed deeply, smelling the late spring air mixed with the salt of the sea. It was so different from the city, there was no trace of exhaust and sewer smell, or the blaring of car horns and people screaming.

For just a moment she could maybe forget about how she was sleep deprived and anxious as hell. Until she heard the ramp roll out and heavy footsteps approach her

Her eyes snapped open and she stood up, hugging her duffel bag tightly to her chest as Zack walked over to her and held out his hands. "I'll take yer bag for ya and deliver it to Jack's house. I'm assumin' that's where yer staying. So then you can head straight to yer brother"

Claire hadn't even thought of that. She hadn't thought of much of anything besides worst case scenarios of her brother being brain dead or paralyzed from the neck down. She didn't even think about something as little as walking to the clinic, or where she'd be sleeping tonight. She started to panic again. "Wait" Claire breathed out, "You're not taking me to the clinic? I don't know how to get there...!" She could hear the panic in her own voice and felt her face turn red.

Zack smiled down at her and he placed his hand on her shoulder, his hand was so big it dwarfed her small frame. "It's gonna be ok little miss. I've got a lot on my plate for the rest of the afternoon, so I can't stay by yer side. But The Mayor is waitn' on the dock, and he'll take care of ya"

Claire managed a smile back. "Ok." She exhaled, as she handed her duffel bag to the tall man. "Thank you so much Zack, you're very kind. I'm sorry that you've had to deal with me being a ball of nerves the whole trip here." She chuckled nervously.

He laughed as he grabbed her bag from her. "Ya don't have to be sorry, anybody would be a ball o' nerves if they were in yer position. And honestly I didn't really notice till now."

Claire, exclaiming as she suddenly remembered, dug into her shoulder bag and pulled out some money. "Here, let me pay you for the boat ride, and for-"

"Nope, not takin' anything from you" he cut her off. "Jack's my friend, and it's the least I could do, bringin' his sister here for em" he smiled that huge smile "and besides, I have a feelin' we'll be friends soon enough."

Claire smiled up at him, she realized, her first genuine smile in a couple days, and said another thank you as she returned the money into her shoulder bag, then walked down the ramp onto the dock.

She was greeted by a very short man in a bright red suit and round glasses, and she felt her jaw drop.

He was wearing the tallest top hat she had ever seen. It must have been at least 2 or 3 feet tall.

"Good day!" He chirped, "Claire I presume?"

"Y-yes, that's me." she replied as she snapped her attention down to his face.

He smiled as he rocked on the balls of his feet and placed his hands behind his back. "I am Mayor Thomas and I just want to say that I'm so very sorry that you're here under such terrible circumstances. You must be under great stress." He reached out his hand to shake.

Claire extended her hand to the mayor and gently shook his hand. "Thank you. I-I'm doing ok. It's lovely to meet you."

He put his hands behind his back once more. "Yes, lovely to meet you as well. Jack has spoken fondly of you, though I must admit you look nothing alike. Well, if you're ready I will escort you to him."

Surprised by his direct manner, she just nodded and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Come, come, follow me!" The tiny man insisted as he turned around and started walking away. Claire turned to Zack as he walked down the ramp onto the dock, and thanked him one more time before she shuffled awkwardly after Mayor Thomas.

As they started their walk through town, Claire understood what Jack meant when he said the town had charm. It was so cute. The stone pathways, the banners in the plaza, the old buildings. It looked like something straight out of a storybook. Everything had character. Including the residents, she noted as she once again looked at the tall, red, top hat as it bobbed in front of her.

Claire could see why Jack liked it here. She'd only been here 20 minutes and she could tell this town had heart. The streets were empty at the moment, but she could imagine everyone saying good morning as they passed each other by, kids laughing and playing tag in the plaza, a couple walking hand in hand-

"We're here!" The mayors voice cut through her daydream and dread filled her again. She looked up at the cute little clinic and wondered if something so small was providing her brother with proper care. Why had the doctor been so vague anyway? Surely he would have told her if Jack was on his deathbed. Right?

Mayor Thomas opened the clinic doors and extended his arm out toward the opening, ushering Claire inside. She was met by a sweet looking young woman with short brown hair, wearing a frilly, blue dress. From her chair behind a desk, the women looked over at her and the mayor as they walked in. She immediately perked up.

"Oh! You must be Claire!" She said sweetly. "We're so glad you're here!" Her voice was so soothing and smooth, and her smile so sweet, Claire immediately felt more at ease, although she was anxious to see Jack.

Claire smiled back. "Yes, that's me."she replied "Very nice to meet you, but is it ok if I go see my brother?"

Her expression softened, and held so much compassion it surprised Claire. "Of cour-"

"Unfortunately you'll have to wait."

Startled by the sudden interruption, Claire jumped and turned to see a very handsome, but expressionless doctor standing in the doorway. His face not betraying anything as he scribbled away on a clipboard. He wasn't even bothering to look up at first. Then suddenly lifted his eyes and stared intensely at Claire.

Handsome, but very intimidating.

"He just fell asleep, and he's on some pretty strong pain meds so it might be awhile." He continued as he turned back in the direction he came from "But if you follow me I can fill you in on your brother's condition."

Before she knew it Claire sat awkwardly across from the doctor, her heart pounding as she twiddled her thumbs. The doctor was stony-faced and quiet as he quickly looked through a few files. They had been sitting there for at least 3 minutes and he still hadn't said anything. She was gonna burst if something wasn't said soon.

Her mouth opened. And then shut. And then opened again. "So-"

"Jack will be fine." The doctor announced, cutting her off; not realising she was about to speak. She shut her mouth, her words instantly dying on the the tip of her tongue. "He has a concussion, he broke both of his legs, three ribs, punctured his lung, and fractured his sacrum."

Her mouth fell open again.

Noticing her loss for words, the doctor continued. "It would have been worse if Gray wasn't there with him. He was able to get Jack out of the mine shaft so he could be treated in time. If not, his lung surely would have completely collapsed and he would have gone into cardiac arrest or respiratory failure."

Claire stared blankly for a moment, her face going pale and she unconsciously gripped her the folds of her skirt, her knuckles going white. She wasn't able to ignore the image of being at Jacks's funeral, of losing the only family she had left. She shook her head to dispel those thoughts. He was ok. He wasn't gone. "How- how long will it take for him to recover?"

"I'd say at least 12-16 weeks before he's feeling himself again. But he should wait at least 5 or 6 months before returning to work as labor intensive as farming."

"S-six m-m-months?!" Claire sputtered and her eyes widened in shock. Jack would not be happy about this. There's no way his farms would survive that long. Three years of work would be undone in less than one. Selling his animals would maybe give him enough money to keep his house payments up, but what about paying his medical bills? Surely he's racked up quite a lot of debt with everything that's happened, and there would be no income to pay with.

Claire felt uneasy as she met the doctors gaze. He could read exactly what was on her mind, and his dark, expressionless eyes saddened with surprising empathy. "So you see, you're gonna have to help Jack make some decisions"

Claire sighed deeply. "You said he'd would be sleeping for a few hours?"

"Yes," he replied, "since it's already 4pm, it might even be until tomorrow morning."

Claire nodded and stood up, surprising the doctor. "If that's the case I'm going to go and get something to eat, and try to get some rest so I can have a clear head tomorrow. It was nice to meet you Doctor-?" The word 'doctor' trailing off into a question.

"Just Doctor will do. That's very wise of you, sleep is essential for optimal brain function." He smiled and stood with her. "Nice to meet you too Claire."

With that he showed her out.

The mayor was waiting for her in the waiting room, chatting with the brown haired women at the reception desk. He started when he saw her and offered to show her to Jacks's farm, but desiring to be alone, she asked instead for a map. Soon the mayor and Elli, she had learned her name was, had drawn her a map and she was on her way.

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself as a breeze blew tendrils of blonde hair around her, and her skirt fluttered around her knees. It had gotten cooler as she walked along the cobblestone pathway, each step she took echoing in the early evening air.

She was lost in thought as she made her way to her brothers farm, only interrupting her thoughts periodically to make sure she was going in the right direction, or when a random person would stop her to tell her how they were glad she was there and that they were so happy Jack was ok.

She didn't know what her brother would do. Her mind was racing with possible solutions and outcomes. Would he sell everything and move back to the city and in with her? She knew he would hate that. He loved it here. Maybe he could afford to hire someone to work on his farm for him?

As she made it to the farm she stopped and read the sign; Addams Farm. She smiled sadly. He named the farm after their family name. Maybe he was hoping to start his own family here.

She slowly walked into the grounds and looked around. Her chest started to ache and she could feel tears welling in her eyes; she could feel her heart breaking.

There were chickens running everywhere, she could hear cows and sheep mooing and bleating not far away. There were countless crops ready for harvest. Everything was bursting with life. Jack's farm was thriving. It was absolutely amazing.

He had told her that when he came it was nothing but some damaged barns and a field of weeds. She had heard about his journey of restoring everything through phone calls for 3 years now, but she didn't quite understand the success he'd had until she saw it with her own eyes. She was suddenly flooded with guilt for not visiting him, for not being able to share in his joys with him. It seemed she was only ever around to share in his sorrows.

Claire was suddenly struck with an uneasy determination that made her feel a little dizzy. This was Jack's home now, she realized. He had friends here, he had a life here. He had given everything he had for this. She couldn't let him lose it now.

Her life was replaceable. She had worked hard, but there wasn't anything to show for her work, and she knew it. She didn't love her job it just paid the bills, and she'd been there for a few years now and hadn't gotten any promotion, not that she'd want one anyway. And her roommate, they got along but even after living with her for 3 years they still weren't really friends. She could always find a new job, a new apartment, a new roommate.

But this, this farm, this life, was something Jack couldn't replace.

She felt her shoulders get heavy as her chest tightened and warm tears slid down her cheeks. Claire knew without a doubt what she had to do, even if she didn't want to.

She had to take over his farm for him while he recovered.

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think, I'd love any pointers, or just to know if you liked what you read :)