As Claire stepped out of the clinic, the cold winter air grazed her burning cheeks. She took her hands out of her pockets to fasten her coat and the wind was knocked from her as she collided into what felt like a brick wall.

Gray didn't flinch, let alone move from where he was standing; his eyes were still focused on the building she had just walked out of.

"He's taking visitors now." She couldn't read the emotion in his voice.

Claire was afraid to check his expression. Karen hadn't fared with the situation well, either, and she felt the guilt over their last confrontation bubbling back up as she shook her head. "He asked for me."

Gray said nothing as his eyes moved from the window of the hospital back to her again. They landed on the pendant hanging around her neck.

She felt as if he was waiting for an explanation on the piece of jewelry. She looked down at it, her fingers grazing the carved stone. "Cliff made it for me…" After remembering him saying Gray had given him pointers, she realized what she had said was painfully obvious.

"He worked really hard on that."

Claire didn't look up from the etched rosette. "I can tell…"

Gray was looking over at the inn. He turned toward her, and she noticed a pained look in his eyes. "Have you had lunch yet?"

She shook her head, a little unsure of what she was getting at.

"Let's get something to eat." A heavy hand was on her shoulder as he guided them toward Doug's Inn. She had an inkling that he wasn't asking for her opinion on the matter, and it left her confused.

Claire couldn't help anxiety from building up inside of her. "Is something wrong?"

He frowned, but it didn't keep him from looking ahead as they walked along. They were about halfway there when he finally spoke. "Got a lot on my mind."

That makes both of us.

She gave him a slight nod as he opened the door to the inn for her.

Gray pulled back a chair for her and Claire found herself a little surprised as she took a seat.

"Pick whatever you want. I'll go up and order."

Her eyes traveled toward the menu. She felt uncomfortable having him pay for her meal; it wasn't as if she had given him anything in exchange…

He saw the hesitation on her face. "Let me do this for you." His words weren't unkind. "You look exhausted."

Claire couldn't fight the smirk forming on her mouth. "I'm not the only one."

He let out a small sigh. "Ain't that the truth."

His tone of voice was unreadable and she wasn't sure if she had hurt his feelings. Claire tried to catch a glimpse at his expressions, but they were hidden under his hat as he studied the menu. She turned her own eyes at the selections available for the afternoon.

Chicken and dumplings sounds good… or maybe the pumpkin ravioli… Fried eggs would be nice, but I can easily cook those at home…

"It can be hard to make a decision and commit to it."

At the sound of Gray's deep voice, Claire's eyes flew up from her menu. "Ah, I-I'm sorry! I'm taking too long." Flustered, she set it on the table.

The corner of Gray's mouth tilted upward, but there was a sadness to it. "I wasn't talking about food."

She gave him a curious look and the color drained from his face.

"What do you want to order? I can let Doug know." He was already standing up, his chair screeching loudly across the floor.

Claire squirmed in her seat. Did he really want her company? She tried to remember something she had read on the menu. "Ch-Chicken and dumplings sound nice."

He gave her a nod and hurried up to the counter, his uneven gait loud with his steel-toed boots.

Claire frowned as she watched him. There was a definite agitation to him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

When was the last time he had actually wanted to be around me?

She thought of Tucker trotting along as she held the lead rope… Gray eagerly shuffling through Barley's tools in the barn and setting to work on the young horse's hooves…

I suppose it was never really me at all he wanted to see…

"She's still back in her room with Karen," Claire overheard Doug tell Gray. She felt a guilty pang. Was Ann comforting their friend after her last conversation with her?

Her stomach twisted in knots. Had she been unfair by not sharing what was going on with Cliff? She didn't want to give Karen the idea she didn't care about her feelings…

"It'll be a couple of minutes." Gray sat back down at his seat.

Claire nodded and attempted to force a small smile on her face. "Thanks for lunch… It's been a crazy past few days, huh?"

"That's for sure."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes and Claire felt a wave of relief when he got back up to retrieve their meals.

She watched Doug hand Gray a tray containing their lunches. "I'm glad you're eating again. I suppose it's just natural for a father to worry, even if it's over someone else's kids."

Claire couldn't help herself. She spoke as Gray passed along her plate. "Not eating? You were really worried about Cliff…"

He let out a tired sigh as he tugged on the bill of his hat. "Among other things."

He dug into his food, and Claire felt slightly relieved to follow his lead.

"Were… you able to make him smile again?" Gray's voice was barely audible; he hadn't looked up from his bowl.

She felt a warm glow in her chest as she thought of his upturned lips and rosy cheeks – the life had returned to his eyes. "Eventually, yes."

His expression was unreadable. "I knew you would… he always says you're a good listener. That's something I've always sucked at." He shoveled down more corn chowder.

"I-I think you've gotten better at it," Claire insisted. "I think your relationship with Mary has really helped-"

He set down his spoon with a clank at the sound of Mary's name and shook his head sadly. "I've just gotten better at looking like I care."

His words took her by surprise and she blinked, her spoon frozen halfway to her mouth. There was an uncomfortable silence as she set down her utensil, wringing her hands in her lap. "Why… would you say something like that?"

"I don't know why I say half the things I do." Gray's voice cracked as he looked into his bowl. "I thought that much was obvious."

The young woman shifted in her chair uncomfortably. "I can't help but feel like my company isn't wanted-"

"Please don't go!" he sputtered, leaning across the table, his eyes desperate. He saw that he was reaching for her hand and blushed fiercely, retracting his arm. "I… I…" He looked up at her helplessly, silently asking her to finish his thought aloud.

Claire frowned. "I don't know what you want," she admitted quietly.

He gulped, sitting up properly. "I just… I just want you to stay here for a while."

Why me, of all people?

Claire recalled Doug saying Ann wasn't available… and the way Gray was acting today felt odd…

She caught the distraught expression on his face. "Would it help to talk about it?"

The young man was quiet for a moment before he bit his lip. "I dunno." He paused and shook his head. "M-Maybe just talk about normal stuff."

Claire wasn't exactly sure what a 'normal' conversation with Gray consisted of. She had tried to start several of them back in the spring, and they were always painfully one-sided. "A-Alright…" She looked down at her plate. "It's been years since I've had chicken and dumplings." She knew the talking point was a bit feeble, but she wasn't sure where to begin…

"Yeah?" Gray seemed desperate to keep the conversation going. "My mom used to make it sometimes. She made awesome corn chowder, too." His expression lightened considerably as he looked down at his bowl. "Doug makes it a little different, but it's still really good." Gray hesitated before scooping another bite. "So… d'you think that you'll grow more corn next year?"

She was sure she'd be more eager to think about the next year's planting after some well-earned rest this winter, but she had no qualms about sharing her plans. "Oh, definitely. I'll need to be careful where I put it, though. I don't want to wear out the soil or make it too unbalanced. I think the Tomato Tube is going to work well on that, too."

Gray smirked. "So that's what you call that weird contraption on your farm Rick's always going on about? Well, at least you won't have to worry about that for a while, though," he commented. "Summer feels like a lifetime away."

Claire hummed in agreement as she took a bite of her food. The tension between them had seemed to fade a bit and she settled in. "I'm looking forward to resting up a bit, but I'm going to need to figure out what else to do. With the colder weather here, my chickens are hardly laying at all. Honestly, I was just eating those eggs myself, so it's not like I was really turning a profit on them. Besides, I think the Lockard family has eggs taken care of for Zack's shipments. Now, when it gets warmer I'd like to think about building a fence to make a pasture for some animals in the future. Think how happy they'd be with the sun on them, the breeze ruffling their fur…"

She closed her eyes as she imagined Tucker's playful galloping back in the summertime. She opened her eyes and noticed Gray was staring at her. His expression wasn't unfriendly – it was likely he was thinking of the same thing. His chin was resting in his hand and he looked relaxed for the first time in a very long time.

The tension had left the room and Claire's mind filled with ideas. "I'll have to plan for what to do next spring. If we have a wet season, I'll need to take into account what I want to plant… I've been following the weather forecasts, and I think I might order an almanac through Won…"

A smirk worked its way across Gray's mouth. She paused, her own lips turning into a sly smile.

"What did I say that has you so amused?"

He shook his head, chuckling a little more loudly than Claire felt the situation warranted. "You know what they always say – don't get a farmer started when you bring up the weather."

"You're the one who wanted to talk," she reminded him with a gentle chide.

She was relieved to see that he realized her teasing wasn't malicious. His smirk turned into a genuine smile. Cliff had gone from silent to rambling constantly about the things that Claire was doing to restore Mystic Acres slowly, but surely, as the seasons passed. He had heard much of their conversations himself in spring when she'd show up with some of her findings from the mine…

His face lit up.

"After all, I have to focus on the weather or my crops will be at stake. My livelihood really depends on-"

"Hey."

Claire blinked at the interruption. "Wh-What?"

"We're getting an increase of jewelry orders for the holiday season. Gramps wanted me to recruit some hired help to mine some raw materials. I know Cliff's gonna be busy once he's back to his usual routine, and if I offered, he'd likely insist on working himself to exhaustion. I was thinking about Pete, but…"

Pete?!

He watched her fists clench and stifled a chuckle at the flash in her eyes. "Rivals?"

"Of c-course not!" Claire stammered, shaking her head so violently her hair got into her face. "It's just… Why him when he lives so far away and I-"

"You're interested." Gray stated this as a fact.

"I… want to be reliable," she confessed. She thought of her overgrown tomatoes, her miscalculation on her sweet potatoes… "Give me a chance, please." Her voice softened.

"Is Barley asking you for help with the sheep?"

Claire shrugged. "Zack ended up doing most of the shearing this year." She felt that she couldn't be too upset about it, as Barley had told her this news with a new light in his eyes – it was likely a bonding event for the family. "Barley said he might have some odd jobs for me."

"How are you going to make ends meet, then?" he asked bluntly. "You don't really have an income now, do you?"

Claire gulped, her shoulders slumping with embarrassment briefly before she straightened her posture and steeled her eyes. "I… I can always find a way to make some money…"

I've learned from someone who had next to nothing, after all. Ice fishing, perhaps? I'll have to learn to do that. There's not much to forage…

He gave her a grin – he was reminded once again that the young woman had definitely changed a lot since they first met. "And I'm sure Gramps would be happy to hire his favorite Miss Claire. Would you be up for some extra mining? We have a special place we gather resources at."

The young woman nodded eagerly. "I'd be happy to help!"

"Good, I'll let him know." Gray finished his bowl. "You got a sturdy hammer?"

She bit her lip. "I have a hammer…"

He shook his head but a hint of a smile played at his lips. "We'll have to see what we have in the shop, then…"

Claire gave an eager nod. She hadn't ventured much into the mines since her crush on Gray had faded. The mines were dark, dusty, and a little unnerving if she was perfectly honest with herself. However, the promise of an income and a partner made the work much more inviting. She made a mental note to pick up more chicken feed on her way home – perhaps plans for her animals could expand as well once the spring came.

She mulled her thoughts over.

That's right – spring will come.

It was an obvious statement, but it gave her great comfort. Cliff would be leaving the hospital soon, and the life had returned to him.

I missed your smile so much.

As she listened to Gray eagerly rattle off supplies and equipment she needed, she felt her shoulders relax a bit and noticed at once how tightly she had been holding them.

It's going to be okay.

Elli read the monitors beside the hospital bed and offered Cliff a warm smile. "Numbers are looking good. How about something to eat?"

The patient craned his neck to see the screen, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to understand what it read anyway. "Do you think I'll be able to go back to the inn tomorrow?"

Elli's eyes traveled toward the doctor's closed office, where Carter had entered just after his therapy session with Cliff. "They're discussing what further treatment is needed, but I can tell you're doing much better." Her eyes traveled over his considerably brighter, yet still tired eyes, and lingered on his hair. She admired her handiwork for a moment – the change was a drastic one, but she was pleased with how it turned out. He gave her a puzzled look and she snapped to attention. "Ah, sorry! It's going to take a while to get used to seeing you without long hair. It suits you," she commented with a blush.

He gave her a hesitant smile, running his fingers through it. "It feels so different… but I'm pretty happy with it."

Her cheeks went from pink to red before she finally let a nervous giggle escape her lips. "I was so nervous doing it!" she confessed, breaking into a full laugh. "There was so much hair on the floor… and I have only really taken care of Stu's hair and my own…"

His smile faded. "You didn't have to agree to do it… I-I'm sorry if I caused any trouble-"

"Not at all!" Elli interjected, turning to jot down the notes from the monitor into her chart. "I wanted to help. You looked so earnest, and you-"

You have perfected the sad puppy dog eyes, whether you've realized it or not.

He looked at her curiously and she shook her head with a slight laugh, turning to the food she brought him. She set it on the tray attached to the bed, nudging it towards him without being subtle at all and Cliff couldn't help but imagine her doing something similar for her little brother.

"I know you're eager to get back, but I hope it's not just so you can go to work."

There were a lot of reasons for his request. He opened his mouth to respond, but she continued.

"I spent a lot of time focusing on my studies. I was worried about being productive and providing for myself. There are more important things, I promise."

I almost sound like I'm scolding Stu…

She gave him an apologetic smile. "There are a lot of things to look forward to once you get out of here. I… I hope you understand that."

Cliff's mind swam with a jumble of thoughts, but the most prominent one was the feeling of Claire's blonde locks through his fingers as she curled beside him on his bed back at the inn. He could still remember her endearing reaction to being woken up by Gray the night of their first kiss – she had clung to Cliff in the dark, and her quickened breaths tickled his cheek.

"Claire…" He didn't realize he had murmured her name aloud.

A drunken smile made its way onto his face as he recalled the young woman's shiny lips in the dark, her eyelids hooded with desire and her breath laced with the sweet sake they drank under the moon.

"Kiss me, Cliff…"

The closeness of their hearts, the barriers removed between them and their open conversation with one another – he didn't realize until then how much he had craved something like that in his life.

She knows my past now. I don't have to hold back…

He imagined their kisses growing more heated. Perhaps Claire would happen to emit one of those soft moans that drove him wild… He imagined tangled legs and breathy sighs as she gave him a longing look, her cheeks on fire as she tugged at the hem of her shirt, slowly lifting it. He'd be treated to a lovely view of her pale, creamy midriff he caught glimpses of from time to time while they had dinner at her farmhouse, struggling to reach something on the top of her shelf.. She'd stretch her arms over her head, revealing the skin that rarely saw the sun. Maybe Claire would lift her shirt higher, still…

"Thirsty?"

Cliff became all too aware of the accelerated beeping of the monitors. He felt the blush creep all the way to his ears and down to his neck. Elli had added a glass of water to the tray in front of him, and he was grateful for what it, along with the blankets, concealed. For a moment, he wondered if she could read his thoughts. Awkwardly leaning forward, he gulped at the water, oblivious to the way it dribbled down the front of his shirt.

"At the risk of sounding like an overbearing older sister, it's my job to remind you that once you head home, you should refrain from any strenuous activities right away. Your heart is going to need to take it easy."

Cliff averted his eyes and wondered if steam was rolling out of his ears.

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and he jumped in surprise. "You've still come a long way, though. You're safe now, and you're recovering. Your body is no longer trying to survive the cold and shock. It's time to start living again, don't you think?"

She was given a nod in reply. "I'm… not looking forward to all the questions from everyone, but… it will be nice to see them again."

Elli took a seat at the stool beside the bed.

He thought of the nurse's friendly visits. She was gentle and loving with his hair and never complained about his clumsiness as she helped him get dressed. Elli was patient as he ate and was understanding of his discomfort around needles. She didn't give the damp spots on her dress a second glance as she helped him bathe, and she remained professional and reliable despite seeing him in a vulnerable state. His preference for Elli's care was taken into consideration, and he had grown to enjoy her company within these past couple of days. Still, she was being paid to take care of him and this was work for her – exhausting work, he imagined. "Y-You're probably eager to not have to babysit me anymore."

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Just because it's my job to take care of you doesn't mean that I wouldn't do it otherwise." Elli looked up at him and she gave him a grateful smile. "Stu has stopped bringing me insects. He was always eager to show them to me, despite how I felt about them. He even started bringing me flowers instead. One day, I asked him why. He said that there were other ways for him to show he cared – to find something we both enjoy and share it." She paused, looking down at her hands. "I was pretty impressed when he said that. I had just assumed it was something Carter had taught him, but Stu said it was you."

Cliff could still remember the conversation that spring. Stu had been eager to share a large caterpillar with his sister, and Cliff had turned the boy's attention to the blossoms growing on the tree it was climbing up. It had turned into a couple of impromptu lessons on how flowers eventually grew into fruit and how to scale a tree with a larger trunk.

Cliff's face felt warm – he hoped Elli didn't mind too much about that second lesson. Tree climbing was a common childhood pastime in Akiyama, but he didn't allow Stu to climb nearly as high as he did at the same age. He thought of leaping from tree to tree with Ivy – Elli would likely get worried sick if she saw Stu do the same thing.

It was likely his mother would've been lightheaded if she had ever caught them doing that, he thought with a smirk.

"It's about more than that. It's really great for Stu to have an adult role model that isn't related to him or who plays the formal role of his teacher. He's growing and learning, and he's becoming more compassionate." Her eyes met his and she placed a gentle hand on his forearm. "Thank you."

He shook his head. "I don't think you give yourself enough credit for the things you do for him."

She bit back a wry smile.

Yeah, discipline him and nag him to do his homework…

"It can be hard, juggling so much," she confessed.

Stu, Grandma…

She thought of the hopelessness that emanated from Trent as he buried his face in his hands, elbows rested on his desk. "And when you reach out to try to help others open up as well..." Elli gulped as she felt her cheeks get hot. "Because you genuinely care about them and know that they're actually really amazing but nothing you say seems to make them realize that and-"

Cliff looked up at her with a concerned expression and she wondered if she was as red as he was a couple of minutes ago.

The beginnings of a nervous giggle threatened to escape her lips.

"I'm sorry… I should give him another chance. I know he was just trying to help." Cliff's voice was soft as he looked blankly at the tray in front of him.

She blinked at him with a puzzled expression.

When she said nothing, he tilted his head curiously, his expression apologetic. "Doctor Trent, right?"

Elli felt her heart thump and gulped, giving an anxious nod. "I think he'd really like that, too." She stood up, smoothing out her skirt. "I've got some other things to catch up on. I'll leave you to your meal, then."

"Thank you, Elli." Cliff's eyes were wide and sincere.

She felt warmth and a tinge of giddiness. "Let's get your strength up so you can go back to your Claire!"

He nearly choked on his food and managed a shy nod. Elli's heart was floating as she picked up her clipboard and hurried toward Trent's office, her heart pounding.

The nurse raised her fist to knock on the door, but she was interrupted by the sound of soft laughter and animated speech. Her excitement was replaced by contentment as she listened. Trent's words were muffled beyond the door, but she could hear the smile in his voice. It was likely he and Carter had finished talking about work. It sounded like he had taken her advice after all and was attempting to be more social. She looked down at her clipboard and traced her finger fondly over Trent's signature, her lips tilting upward.

It's good to hear you laugh again.

Author's Note: I hope y'all have been well. Welcome new readers, and thank you all for following along! I appreciate the outpouring of support for this story and for me as a writer in general. Your comments mean so much to me and it makes me really happy to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out to me if anyone ever wants to chat about the games, or writing in general. I've been getting more used to tumblr and have met some great people on there. My username there is durotoswrites . I've been adding bonus minifics and headcanons about my writings and Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons.

I was so relieved to write something a little more light-hearted, and it had been so long since I've had humor in this story (or at least it's felt that way to me as I've written it) that I wasn't sure if I could write cheery banter and playful joking anymore. My dear husband/editor jokingly suggested I name this chapter "Hunger and Thirst", haha. Anyway, it was nice to write about characters mildly teasing each other and have Cliff's mind not focused on his past mistakes.

How has everyone been enjoying the remake? I preordered a copy myself and have been enjoying the improvements to the mechanics/controls a lot. I absolutely adore the animal designs and I can't wait to upgrade my barn and coop to get even more animals! It feels enough like the original for me to get that "old Harvest Moon" feel. I'll have to get used to the name changes, though! I'm taking my game a little slowly and trying not to be too much of a perfectionist about it.

Another great thing about the release is seeing all the new fanfictions and fanart that people are creating. I really hope it gives the fandom a boost. I'm really enjoying all the talented works out there! Thank you so much for reading along! Please take care of yourself and your loved ones during this crazy time, and I hope that reading this chapter helped brighten up your day a little.