Disclaimer: I do not own HM:FoMT. The purpose of this fic is not for profit of the writer, but for entertainment for the readers
A/N: the lines that are italicized are thoughts of the characters. This is my first One Shot HM fanfic, I'm still currently engaged with my Chapter Story, Puppy Love: Of Young and Old. Hope you like this one. Also, May and Stu here are in their late teens already.
Hating the truth is as wrong as loving to tell fallacies…
Love has many sacrifices…
Thievery and Love Aren't Wrong in My Eyes
A dark shadow swept through the dark alley that a figure tracked. His agile body and dexterity simply outran another figure that was on pursuit. He could not allow himself to be caught. He had done it plenty of times before, and every time, he escaped from Harris, the police who patrolled Mineral Town by nightfall.
Harris sure is a slowpoke, he thought as his long brown hair fluttered behind, like a wave of the ocean about to fall down on the soft sand. This will be another easy escape tonight.
It was hard to trend the soft ground as the pale moonlight shone weakly, illuminating the back alley a little. Cliff swerved to avoid the boxes behind the supermarket. He was used to it after all, dodging the obstacles as if he could see it through the back of his mind, not needing help from the frowning moon above. He had nicked goods from the supermarket loads of times before, and his favorite route of escape was the back alley that led to the forest, where the pale moonlight would not be able to penetrate thus securing yet another safe escape.
It suddenly became quiet, too quiet for Cliff. It worried him a bit, as Harris might be hatching some new scheme to catch him off guard. He abruptly stopped, and looked behind him.
Harris was nowhere to be seen.
"He gave up already? My what a loser that guy is," Cliff murmured, smirking to himself. But he didn't lose his guard, as his instinct told him that a presence was still in the vicinity. A rustling sound came from a nearby box. Cliff jumped back on reflex, and started to run but held himself as he heard a meowing sound coming from behind the box.
Just a stupid cat, he thought. "Man, I'm getting the jitters tonight," he said out loud, trying to psyche himself up. He was still a bit shaky from the abrupt hold up caused by the cat. He started to walk away when he heard a scream, a scream that came out from his own self. He felt a surge of pain from his foot.
"What the-!" he stammered, as his foot got caught in something sharp that immediately clamped his right foot, disabling his ability to walk. "Damn! The cat was a trick!"
"Indeed it was Cliff, indeed it was," said a cold voice, brushing Cliff's ear. It was Harris all right. He sneaked up on Cliff by the roof and threw the cat from above, while setting up a set of snares when Cliff got distracted.
"You seem to have developed the ability to use your brains rather than just your feet this time to catch me eh Harris?" he said sarcastically as he tried to wrench his foot free from the trap.
"Yes, I've been hanging out at Mary's library brewing a plan for you, my dear Cliff. Now, retribution will follow, come on now, come and give up quietly," Harris boomed. He was a scrawny and a tall man indeed. He never had a chance outrunning young Cliff in a footrace, so he thought of a cunning plan to catch his prey.
Cliff's mind raced. I'm not going to be caught! Not today, not tomorrow, never. I'll have to think cool, think Cliff, think! I must not look startled. I must show Harris my guts. That ought to dismantle his thinking for a bit.
He was about to give up on thinking when he remembered he was still clutching the shopping bag that was the cause of his setback. He smiled.
"Really now Harris? Should I feel special because you were thinking of me in the library, or should I feel loved as well?" he spat as he pulled his face into a twisted grin, hinting mock sarcasm in his voice.
Harris' face contorted with rage, but resumed his pace. He had already won the battle anyway, and Cliff was just intimidating him. "You won't get me this time Cliff. I have you by the neck now," in his face, cold triumph could be seen clearly; he had been onto Cliff's trail for a while now and at last, victory for justice in Mineral Town. "Justice is served at last," he said in finality, as he brandished Mystrile handcuffs into Cliff's still smirking face.
"I'll erase that mock grin of yours Cliff," said Harris in an annoyed voice. He started talking to himself on ways to punish Cliff and got absorbed that he forgot to handcuff his prey.
Cliff was doing something peculiar with the bag he still clutched in his hand, but Harris was too busy talking to himself that he didn't notice Cliff reached for something inside the shopping bag. I'm bound to get away with this plan. I pity Harris very much. He thought he already won the lottery and lost his awareness. Too bad for him and too good for me.
It happened within a blink of an eye.
"Hey Harris, you hungry? Eat some of this!" Cliff yelled, catching the muttering Harris completely unaware. A powdery white substance flew along the cold breeze and caught the oppressor's face square one. It was flour.
"Wha-! My eyes! I can't see! Damn you Cliff!" Harris yelped with pain. His eyes were bloodshot from the sudden action that happened, and it gave Cliff the time to pick his handcuffs and wriggle free from the snare that caught him moments ago. He was limping a little due to the wound caused by the ankle snare that caught him, but he was still capable of running away from Harris that was still reaching out blindly in thin air. "Catch you later Harris!" he jeered while spanking his ass as he started to run.
It was as if the night itself sat intently and watched the whole scene. The only noises that could be heard were coming from the owls perched on trees and Harris cursing due to his blind state. Finally, he recovered from Cliff's attack, and he once again gave pursuit. But his prey was already ahead of him. He had no other choice. He had to make Cliff pay for his insolence. It would be sweet revenge if he succeeded. He halted and clutched something silvery from his side and took careful aim…
An ear splitting bang and two cries from two souls were heard, a triumphant yell and a wail of pain. It pierced the silence of the once calm night. The owls were nowhere to be seen anymore, shooed by the sudden noise that came from a silver gun.
"Oh my!" gasped a woman as she dropped the bowl of cookies she was carrying.
"Ann! What happened!" growled another voice, from a man this time, sounding concerned.
"Nothing dad. I just felt something bad happened. I'm ok, don't worry about me," said the woman called Ann. She was a lovely woman in her mid twenties. Her hair was a beautiful curly brown with a cute ribbon, though she wore jeans, a loose shirt, and sneakers. She seemed to be the boyish type, but her hair reflected her real feminine side. Her father, Doug, still looked puzzled at what just happened.
"I think something's wrong with you tonight Ann, I know you're not clumsy to just drop that cookie bowl without any reason. Tell me honey, come on," asked Doug for the second time.
"I don't know dad," she replied. She was blushing a little. Apparently she was thinking of someone, and the thought made her blush, though she looked worried. Doug spotted this and instantly derived the answer.
"Is it Cliff?" he asked tentatively.
Hating the truth is as wrong as loving to tell fallacies. It was indeed true that Ann was thinking of Cliff, but she was embarrassed to tell her dad. Ann felt Cliff was in grave trouble. She knew of course, that Cliff had been nicking goods from Jeff's store, but she couldn't do anything to stop him. In her heart she wept that she was helpless, and in her mind she was angry with Cliff for his thievery. Yet in her eyes, his crimes weren't wrong.
Still blushing, Ann nodded to Doug. It was true anyway, she was thinking of Cliff, yet in her mind thoughts raced like a whirlpool swirling nimbly. What could have happened to him? Surely he hadn't been caught! No, that's not true, I don't know what to do if he gets thrown to jail. Oh Cliff, please be safe, my life will be torn if --
Her thoughts were cut short by a chuckle from Doug. "My little girl's all grown up!" he smiled sweetly. "Though I personally don't like Cliff, the riffraff he is to be honest, but I guess I get along with him pretty well when he visits, he's not a bad guy I guess, though he commits theft. Hmm."
"You're weird dad! You praise him then you criticize him. And what are you talking about? Maybe you and Cliff ought to get married!" she joked as she stuck out her tongue.
"Such a tomboy you are Ann, but you can't fool me this time, a blush tells me love is in the air," said Doug in an annoying singsong voice.
Ann sighed deeply, torn between anger at her dad's humor and her concern for Cliff. "Yeah, I love Cliff very much, I don't know what to do if something happens to him…" Ann said.
The shadow that swept through the alley slowed down. Clutching his dangling right arm with his left, he fled for dear life. Harris was still on pursuit, but he was already slowing down himself due to exhaustion. Cliff climbed the fence that separated the town from the forest. He had gotten away. Even though he was onto no one's trail anymore, Harris still sprinted until he too reached the fence. He wore an expression between a smile and a frown of guilt.
"Blood. I shouldn't have resulted in doing it, but I didn't have any other choice. I hope he turns himself in soon, or he might die due to his wound," Harris sighed as he walked away, accepting defeat.
"Cliff! Hello! Oh no! You're wounded!" screamed a boy and a girl in their late teens as they greeted Cliff inside a shack that was hidden deep in the forest between Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley.
"I'm ok Stu, May. Don't worry about me. Here, I brought you food. Go eat now you two."
"But…"
"Don't mind me! Go! Eat now!" Cliff said fiercely, his wound opening a bit more.
"We should get help from my sister Elli," suggested the boy.
"I'll go tell Ann," mumbled the girl.
"No! You will do no such thing! You will stay here for the night, feed yourselves, and rest. You will not leave this house, you understand both of you?" Cliff carried on with his voice, making his wound sear with pain again. He calmed down and spoke with passion to the two. "Listen to me May, Stu. You will stay here and not seek help from the people in town. Remember why we moved away. It's their entire fault that both of you weren't married. You understand?"
May was already in tears. Cliff's reasoning touched her very much. True it was, that Cliff and Ann were among the few people who did not object when Stu gave May an elusive Blue Feather because they were still teenagers. They decided to run away and live with Cliff on the shack deep in the forest. Stu felt helpless. He wanted to help Cliff, as well as comfort May, but he was thinking of another thing that very moment.
The shack became silent except for May's weeps. Cliff cleaned his wound, wincing every now and then due to excruciating pain. The minutes passed in silence as May and Stu ate. They were almost finished eating when Stu suddenly broke a whisper.
"Hey May."
"Huh?"
"Listen, we must get help, or else Cliff might die. We'll just wait until he falls asleep. Then you can go fetch Ann, while I'll go tell Elli what happened."
May frowned. "But Cliff said…"
"Cliff said that because he doesn't feel he needs help, but he needs it badly!" he interrupted. "Come on May, I know you want to help him too. We can do this together, although it means we may end up going back to our own homes if Cliff gets sent to prison."
"But Stu. I, I don't want to leave you!" May said in exasperation.
"I don't want to leave you either May, but we don't have any other choice. We can still wait until we're old enough right?" he said calmly, though he really wished he didn't have to leave May. "Love has many sacrifices, and I know me must make one now. Time will give us the chance. We just have to wait for a few years before we can be together. Cliff might die soon if we don't do it. I hope you understand."
"Oh Stu! I do, I really do, but I don't want to be alone again. Grandpa Barley's dead. Your grandma Ellen's dead. Your sister lives in Jack's farm now. But we're not allowed to live in a single house in Mineral Town! I can only live with you here, outside of the prying eyes of people." May was on the verge of crying when Stu hugged her tightly in his arms.
"Don't cry May. I love you, that's a reason enough not to make you cry." He came level to May's face. They were getting closer. Stu could see May's tear on her pretty face.
"I love you too Stu. Ok, let's do it tonight," May said in agreement. She was so close to Stu she could count every freckle in Stu's face.
Cliff snickered at the two souls at the dining table. He remembered himself and Ann before, and forced to himself a real smile. "Hey no kissing under my roof!"
It was midnight, yet the moon still shone weakly on the quiet but cold town. Two figures stealthily crept into the shadows to avoid being spotted by the patrolling Harris. They split up and headed to different houses. Desperate knocks were heard from the doors of Jack's house. It was Stu at the doorstep.
A tall handsome figure opened the door. His brown eyes reflected the weak moonbeam that echoed the freezing wind of winter. It was Jack, the owner of the farm.
"Stu! What on earth are you doing outside at this time of the night!" Jack scolded as he grabbed a muffler from a hanger and gave it to Stu. "Surely this is of important matters to discuss? Come on and grab something to drink. It's cold outside."
"I'm ok Jack, thanks for worrying. But you should save your worries for someone else. Cliff's in trouble, he's wounded badly, and I thought Elli might be able to help," replied Stu as he went inside to gather warmth for his freezing face.
It was cozy inside Jack's house. A blazing fire cackled at the fireplace, giving warmth to the entire house. The house was neatly groomed, due to another soul who lived there. A silhouette was visible on the center table near the fireplace. She was busy knitting another muffler while humming to a tune. Her shoulder-length hair swayed as she looked at Jack and the unknown person. Curious of the midnight visitor Jack entertained, she turned. The figure came by the name of Elli.
"Stu!" Elli cried with joy. "What are you doing outside at this hour? It's really cold outside! Come in here now and warm yourself up. I'll fix you some hot milk so-"
"Sister!" Stu exclaimed as he flung his arms over Elli. "It's been a while! How are you? I have so many things to tell you, about me, about May, about Cliff. Oh, I'm so happy!" his longing for his sister poured out as he hugged Elli tightly.
"Hold your horses now there Stu, or your future nephew might get squashed, calm down and have a drink. What were you saying about Cliff a while ago? I thought you said he was hurt," Jack grinned, at the same time looking a bit concerned for Elli and Stu's news.
"What! You're pregnant! That's good news!" Stu said ecstatically as he let go of Elli. He then remembered why he visited and returned to the grave look that he worn before, as if a chilly blast of wind leaked from the cold night outside the house. "Cliff's wounded, badly. He needs immediate medical attention it seems, as he poorly treated his wound. I think it's a wound caused by a bullet, probably from Harris. That's why I came at this time of the night. I'm sorry if I caused a commotion here." He said as he gulped down on hot milk that Elli prepared as he told his tale.
"It's ok Stu," both Elli and Jack said at the same time.
"So, what are we going to do?" Stu asked.
"I need to take a look at Cliff's wound. But in my current condition, I can't walk for a long distance," Elli said.
"You can't go outside as well Elli, it's dangerous. It's freezing outside as well," said Jack as he started to examine a closet for some things to use.
"Jack, can you go to Cliff's shack and bring him here? Stu's still cold from being outside, I think he still needs to warm up. Cliff might resist, that guy's tough, so you might need to talk it over. Honey, be careful outside ok?" Elli said as she sat down on a chair at the table and continued to knit the unfinished muffler.
"No, I'll go help Jack sis, that way-"
Elli cut short Stu's attempt to sneak himself out. He knew Elli was going to talk to him about something, and his plan of sneaking away with Jack to help bring Cliff was stopped. "You will stay here, and rest for the time being, understand?" she said firmly. "Well Jack, you should go now. Take care."
"Got it dear, I'm off. Watch Elli for me Stu for the meantime ok?" Jack said as he whisked himself out into the cold night.
Elli sat down on the chair and busied herself into finishing the muffler she was knitting. She was almost finished with it when she spoke.
"Stu, do you love May?"
It was a rhetorical question.
"If you love her, you should give what's the best for her Stu, and living on Cliff's house and feeding under his roof isn't the right way to do it. You should come back to us, to Mineral Town. No one's living in our old house now, and it's you who should take care of it."
"But sis-"
"I'm not trying to separate the both of you. I know you love each other very much. But we all have to do some sacrifices. Remember what happened to myself and the doctor? If I didn't turned him down before, would I be happy with Jack now? It was hard for me to do that, I admired the doctor before Jack came to my life. But true happiness can be sought over time. You should understand. Please, come back to us."
A tear that came from Elli's pretty eyes dampened the newly finished muffler. It waslikethe cozy house wept with her, as the cold night blew and rattled the windows that stood unperturbed by the sobs coming from Elli. However, Stu was perturbed. His heart raced fast. It was true that Elli made an excellent point. Weren't for him and May, Cliff wouldn't have been hurt. Weren't for him, her sister wouldn't be weeping. Weren't for his daring of giving May a Blue Feather even if he knew it wasn't the right time yet, none of this could have happened…
He made up his mind. The crux was over for him. There were too many tears that have been shed, from May, from Elli, from himself. Amidst Elli's sobs and his own tears gushing down on his handsome youthful face, he screwed up his face and finally spoke.
"I give up."
"Give up on May? That's ridiculous!" Elli yelped weakly, just recovering from her sobbing.
"No. I give up. I'll wait for the right time. I'll help her tend her ranch for the meantime, but we won't get married until we're twenty. It's not that too far anyway," he smiled weakly.
"Come here you!" Elli said as she flung her arms to her brother.
"Aww, I can't breathe sis!" Stu exclaimed. They both burst out laughing.
"You're as mean as ever Stu. Oh, by the way, this is for May. The one you're wearing is really for you, good timing that you came tonight," she said as she brandished the muffler shefinished knitting, and gave it to Stu.
Stu was speechless, but Elli clearly got the message.
Minutes passed in silence. The anxious faces of Stu and Elli could mirror the tension that was building in their hearts and minds. Even the weather wasn't helping either, as the cold breeze outside became a strong gale. Stu came to the window and glanced outside. It was very dark as it was past midnight. The trees shook violently as a strong gust of wind passed through the farm. Finally, a limping figure followed closely by another was visible through the gate. Two other figures followed closely behind. For a second Stu thought they were ghosts, until he clearly saw the outline of Cliff and Jack. They were accompanied by Ann, and May.
"You should prepare hot milk now sis, we have company," Stu called back to Elli as he quickly opened the door and threw May and Ann a muffler each.
"Come on it's freezing there outside!" Stu's voice echoed as he battled through the violent wind.
The cozy house greeted the newcomers as the door closed on them, trapping the warmth that escaped from the blazing fireplace. A mug of hot milk, and a few greetings made the pale faces of everyone under Jack's roof rose with their natural vibrancy. It was then that Ann broke first to carry the mood of the house to business matters.
"Elli, what do you think about Cliff's wound? Is it bad? What should we do?
Elli came close to Cliff and examined the wound. It was indeed a mess. Cliff tried to treat and clean the wound but did a poor job that he made the wound worse. She made Cliff lie on the couch and treated the wound herself. She was a superb nurse.
"The wound appears to be deep, and the bullet is still inside his body. I only temporarily cleansed it so it wouldn't be infected. We should rush him to the clinic and let the doctor remove the bullet from his shoulder, or else he might…"
"Die," Cliff said as he finished Elli's sentence. "I won't go there. That Harris knows that I might go there and he's guarding the clinic right this moment. Jack and I saw him before we went to fetch Ann and May."
"But what will you do then?" Elli asked anxiously.
"Nothing, just let me stay here for a few hours, I'll be ok," Cliff replied. He wasn't being sarcastic, as his face displayed the seriousness of a mature man who refused to accept defeat. It was then that Ann took the matters to her own hands.
"Uhh, Cliff?" she started as she looked to the others. Go away you lot, I'll get embarrassed here.
"I'll go fix the bed!" Elli suddenly muttered. Love is in the air… She thought.
"I need to take a hot bath, I'm freezing," Jack absentmindedly said.
"Hey May wanna watch TV?" Stu asked sheepishly.
"But there are no more shows at midnight," May smirked. I might get some sweet ideas to tell Stu with their conversation. She giggled at her own thought.
"Come on!" Stu insisted, smirking as well.
That left Ann and Cliff alone.
"I don't want you to die Cliff," Ann whispered to Cliff's ear. She was blushing furiously.
"I don't want to die either, but I don't want to get caught," Cliff said as he too blushed. "If I die, I'll leave you forever, that's the last thing I want to do in this world."
"But Cliff, we don't have any other choice! You must go to the clinic and let the doctor clean you up! Or else you'll die! I don't want you to leave me alone, I love you!" Ann said desperately as she stroked Cliff's face with her nimble fingers.
"No, I don't want to-"
Ann slapped Cliff in the face. She was too desperate on making Cliff understand the situation that she resulted on doing such action. The house went silent (except for the ouches muttered by Stu and May who were peeping behind the closet, Elli under the bedsheet, and Jack behind the shower room door), that Cliff suddenly became aware that Ann was already crying. His heart softened, and he gaveup his Ego.
"For you Ann, I will give up. I'll go to the clinic as soon as the weather calms down," Cliff finally said.
"Thank you," Ann said as she bent down and kissed Cliff tenderly on the lips.
"Thank you! Come again!" May cheerfully said as she packed Animal Medicine and handed it to the buyer. "Whew! I never thought grandpa used to do this at such an old age! It's fun, but it can be tiring. Hey Stu! You aren't slacking back there are you?!" She shouted with tease and glee.
"I'm busy here you know? It's also hard to milk these cows!" Stu loftily shouted back. "It's not like they don't put up a fight! Why don't we switch places?" he teased back. "I'll give this to my nephew myself! Elli told me the little tyke fancies the milk from our cows. I'll prepare milk for you too."
"You're so sweet!" May giggled, blushing afterwards.
Four months have already passed since the cold night swept and changed the lives of three couples in Mineral Town. Stu and May now attended the reopened Yodel Ranch. They both agreed to get married on spring of next year, as they'll both turn twenty before the yearend. The people welcomed them back with hospitality. Elli and Jack on the other hand recently baptized their son at Carter's church. It was a happy sight indeed. On the other hand…
"Morning Cliff!"
"Hey Ann, you're early today, don't you get bored visiting me every single day?" Cliff asked.
"Of course not! I'm always early for you. Oh I brought you something by the way. Box lunch!" Ann jovially said.
Cliff smiled sweetly. "Wow, thanks, you shouldn't have bothered, made it yourself?"
"Sure I did! This is really for you. Food here doesn't taste good doesn't it? Harris sure is mean sometimes!" Ann thoughtfully said.
"Well, I'm serving my sentence, so that's how it goes around here in prison, only three months more and I'm free. I'm happy that Harris went soft on me because he shot me, such generous for giving me a short sentence isn't it?" Cliff said without sarcasm.
"Sure do.. Well, If I say I love you for that, it might be a bit wrong isn't it?"
Cliff stared. It was true anyway that his crimes were wrong. "Yeah, I guess yo're right..."
"But, even if that's the case, thievery and love aren't wrong in my eyes," she said with postive endearment."Well, I'll go visit you later ok? Visiting time's almost over. I'll see you later, dad" she said as she swiftly kissed Cliff on the cheek and went away.
Ann didn't saw Cliff skipping like mad at the news he just heard. Me, I'm gonna be a dad soon…
By Jeremy A. Basan