When she steps out of her house to take Maggie out, Claire doesn't expect to see him.

She doesn't expect to see him running.

Of course, Maggie speedily darts after him across the farm, like he's carrying around a thousand treats in his pocket just for her. The leash follows like a red ribbon in the air, as her dog darts after him.

Why does she like him so damn much?

"Maggie!" Claire shouts groggily, sprinting after her.

Gray turns when he hears her voice projected across the field. He then notices Maggie, who's completely caught up to him, at his feet. He pauses by the bridge past Claire's farm, lifting the small dog up in his arms.

"Hi, Maggie," Gray says, scratching behind her ears. Maggie licks his cheek, panting happily. He smirks. "And only Maggie."

It's too early to be awake, much less, to talk to anyone else. Claire yawns, rolling her eyes. "You are just… so funny, Gray," she replies flippantly. Mornings really bring out the worst in her. "Why are you up so early?"

Gray pauses to catch his breath, wearing a slate-coloured muscle t-shirt and some Nike shorts. His tank is dark with sweat stains, and he removes his hat to wipe off the moisture from his forehead. "I dunno if you know this, Blondie, but I get up at 5:30 like, every morning."

She narrows her eyes at him. "You do not."

"I do. Thursdays and Sundays are the only days that I get to sleep in." He stops, then chuckles. "'Till 12."

Claire nods, considering it all. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like? I'm working off some late night cereal." He places Maggie down, his breath regained, pinching comically at his slim stomach. Her dog whimpers, as if begging for Gray to pick her back up again. The sun is beginning to rise, bathing the three of them in a warm orange cast. In this light, Claire really notices the shadow of the muscles on Gray's arms. His biceps look way more prominent than they did the first day that she met him.

"I didn't know you run," Claire says. "I thought that you only run… from your problems."

Gray nods. "That was a really good one, Blondie. How long did it take you to come up with that?"

Well, it's true, Claire thinks with a hmpf. Her cheeks feel hot. "How are you feeling?" she asks, rocking back on her heels as a gentle breeze flies past both of them.

"Hmm? Oh, better."

"I'm glad," Claire says, hoping that she isn't being too awkward. She's not angry with him anymore; in fact, she doesn't really know how to feel. Maybe the other day he did actually mean well, like Karen said, but she doesn't need some hypocrite looking after her. "That's good."

"Yeah, it is." Gray stares, as if contemplating her. "Do you need something?"

So much for trying to be nice. "Excuse me?"

He unknots the usual pissed-off expression on his face. "I meant if you needed help on the farm… or whatnot," Gray clarifies, softening his words.

"No, I don't. Thanks, though." Like I said, I can take care of myself.

"Are you gonna join me on my run?"

His question surprises her. Claire can't help but bark out a laugh. "Uhm, are you nuts? I'll pass." Gray watches her curiously, making her feel the need to further explain. "I really don't run."

"You didn't have to tell me that one."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Face it, you'd probably trip on your own two feet." He gestures toward her shoes, smirking.

"That's not true," she protests, sounding incredibly bitchy. She didn't mean to come across like that. Gray just holds up his hands in mock-fear.

"Jeez, I don't like 'Morning Claire.'"

She hugs her arms around her, looking down at the ground. "Sorry, I didn't sleep well," she mumbles. Since moving to Mineral Town, her dreams have been tender and sweet. As someone who used to suffer terribly from nightmares, Claire felt relieved to finally be free of them. Until last night, when she dreamt of a shadowy figure with a million hands grabbing at her. She couldn't escape from its grasp, until her alarm clock thankfully interrupted the terror.

Gray looks her over dubiously. "I thought that you would have, considering you seemed to have a nice evening." The immediate change of expression on his face tells her that he instantly regrets these words.

Claire rubs at her temples irately. "Oh, you were spying on my date last night, too?"

She can't tell if Gray's face is flushed from the physical activity, or her comment. Maybe both. "No," he snaps. "I have better things to do."

Claire groans. "Oh please, Gray. You are so annoying."

"So are you," he says with a scowl. "You know what, I'm glad that you aren't coming with me on my run."

"Yeah? Well I'm glad too." Claire huffs in irritation. "C'mon, Maggie." She motions for her dog to follow, but Maggie lies on the patch of grass in front of Gray, rolling over, waiting for her stomach to be rubbed. Gray crouches down, scratching her, before looking up at Claire with his brows raised. The little silver barbell against his left eyebrow glints in the light.

"Want me to take her with me?" he offers, as Maggie playfully kicks her feet out.

Claire doesn't hide her surprise. "Isn't she going to bother you while you run?" Is he being helpful… and somewhat nice, because he feels bad?

"Nah," Gray says, with a shake of his head. "It'll be nice company."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna run and then do some other training before work, so I'll bring her back."

"What other training?" Claire asks, sounding intrigued.

"Solo stuff," he answers, positioning himself in a fighting stance. He readies his fists like he's about to brawl, punching out in front of him. Claire just snickers.

"Okay, well, if you say so. See ya," she calls, bending down to pat Maggie's head. Giving Gray a wave, she makes her way toward her field with her back to him.

"Later, Blondie," he yells back.

She turns around one last time, watching him clutch Maggie's leash. "Thank you, Gray," Claire says. He gestures at her with a small smile, exiting the path.


He sprints quickly, his sneakers hitting the road in front of him, feeling exhilarated. Gravel crunches under his feet, the sound like a symphony. One thing that he loves about not living in a city is the liberation to run. Whenever he tried jogging around in Chicago, it always felt so crowded. Someone was always having a yelling match with their significant other on the sidewalk, and drivers kept dangerously running red lights. But here in Mineral Town, he's got the space, the peace, and the goddamn quiet. The community itself is just waking up now, and he feels truly unrestricted. Maggie runs beside him, keeping up with Gray's pace just fine. Her tongue is out, as though this is just as freeing for her, too.

He passes by Karen's family supermarket, remembering her stupid marriage rehearsal later on this evening. Gray is still surprised that he and Kai even made it into the wedding party, considering that Rick hates Kai's guts, and Gray is associated with him by default. He then runs by the clinic, and nearly bumps into Elli exiting the building.

"What are you doing up so early?" Gray asks loudly as he runs past, jogging on the spot. It's like she doesn't even notice him, though; Elli looks bleary and exhausted. He shrugs it off, doing another lap past the Goddess Pond. When he runs by the inn on his third lap, he glances at the clinic, but Elli is nowhere in sight. From where he's standing, he watches the clinic doors open once more, with that douchebag doctor walking out of them.

Trent catches him peering from beside the inn, nodding in his direction. He just gives him a scowl, not caring about being rude at all. When the doctor looks down at Maggie, and then back at him, like he's doing a double-take at the two of them, Gray can't help but smirk as he runs along by. Does he know that this is Claire's dog?

I sure fucking hope so.


"You're late," Karen snaps, shooting a glare down the front of the church. She stands by one of the middle pews, tapping her converse against the vermillion-carpeted floor impatiently. Claire, Ann, Cliff, Kai, and Popuri are all sitting in their pews, whirling around to face Gray.

"Whoops," he says, completely unapologetic. "My bad."

Kai walks over to a pew in the very back, motioning Gray over. "Psst, c'mere. I'm bored outta my mind."

Popuri cocks her head to shoot Kai a glare. Pastor Carter at the front doesn't look too impressed either.

Rick maneuvers his way beside Karen to pipe his voice up. "See, Karen. You should have never let him be in the wedding party."

Gray stands at the back of the church by the entrance, jutting his hands in his pocket. Claire notices that he's wearing his tan-coloured uniform jumpsuit, which means that he's come straight from work. "Alright, sorry. I'm here now."

"Go sit beside your partner," Karen says, pointing at Claire and gesturing towards her pew.

Partner?

He walks over to the pew, seating himself next to Claire. She just keeps her eyes fixed forward. Even though it's not a real mass, she's never liked people strolling in to church late.

"What is this?" Gray finally asks, appearing unphased.

"You're walking down together," Karen answers.

Rick notices the surprise on both of their faces, groaning at his fiancée. "Karen, didn't you tell them?"

She waves her hand. "Whatever. What'd they expect?"

I mean, she has a point, but she could have let me know, Claire thinks to herself, wondering if this prospect will make Trent jealous. But Gray is someone that she hangs out with (when they're not at each other's throats), so it shouldn't even matter if they're partnered up for a bridal party. Is Trent even going to be invited to this wedding?

"Okay, Ann and Cliff, go to the back of the church and walk down together."

"Hosanna," Gray whispers to Claire, leaning in to her. She gives him a look of disbelief.

"Hosanna? That's how you greet someone at church?"

He looks confused. "What's the problem?"

"Uh, for starters, it isn't Palm Sunday."

Gray wears a smile on his lips. "I honestly don't remember the last fucking time I went to church."

Carter glares from the front, his usual cheerful expression wilting. He definitely heard that. "Even though an official mass is not being conducted, this is still a house of God, Grayson. You should not be swearing in church."

"My bad, sir," he apologizes hastily.

"It's 'Father,'" she corrects quietly. "And that serves you right!"

"Um, isn't this a home of forgiveness?"

Claire huffs. "Ummm, you aren't even sorry." He just shrugs at that smugly. "And I'm surprised that you didn't burn when you walked in."

Gray gives her an ambiguous look. "Hey, we both laughed at that stand-up comedy routine. You're going to hell just as much as I am."

The noise of a door opening erupts from the entrance of the church, but she keeps her gaze lowered to her hands clasped neatly in her lap, stifling a snicker. She reaches for his cap, pushing it off his head. "You know that you can't wear a hat in church, right?"

Gray reaches back for it. "Oh, just watch me."

"Okay, Claire and Gray, your turn," Karen says.

He stands, extending his hand to her. And she takes it willingly.


Trent is gawking from the entrance of the church at Claire, his Claire (well, not his yet but technically his), laughing in the pews with some guy. It's the punk who had that sore throat a couple of days ago; the one who was out running with her dog early this morning. The guy is whispering something in her ear, and she just looks at him in disbelief before bursting out in giggles. What's so funny? And why did he have Claire's dog this morning? Were they together?

The waitress from the inn is walking down the aisle, clutching her ponytailed partner. She glances at Trent, before averting her gaze back forward. It's like she's the only one who notices his presence. Claire sure doesn't.

Claire then admonishes the guy beside her, removing his hat. What kind of a bum wears a hat in church? He grabs it back flirtatiously, and suddenly, they get called up by the bottled-blond who works at the supermarket for their turn. The guy beside Claire extends his hand, and she takes it without hesitation. She just freaking takes it, adjusting herself to grab his elbow as they walk toward the back of the church.

It almost makes him feel as though he's able to justify his previous night's actions. It's like he can simply justify... everything.

Claire notices him in his little corner immediately. "Trent!" she exclaims with a grin, clearly happy to see him. This relieves him a tad, as he releases some of his internal anger. "Hi! What's up?"

Trent smiles tightly back at her, telling himself to relax. This guy standing next to her is a nobody; clearly a blue-collared, broke worker. There's nothing to even be remotely worried about. "The clinic was empty, and I completed my paperwork for the evening, so I thought that I'd drop by and visit Carter," he answers, as if he isn't ticked off at all. The pastor stands by the altar, waving at him.

The bottled-blond facepalms at the front, next to the spectacled man who runs the poultry farm. He really doesn't have the time to learn all of their names. "Alright, are we just not going to get through this practice without any interruptions?" she asks in irritation. "Like, we haven't even finished the initial walk-down yet, and there are still readings to assign."

Practice? He stares at the punk with the piece of metal in his eyebrow, the one that his Claire is holding by the elbow.

He just smirks at Trent, though. The asshole actually smirks right at him, like he did this morning. He's a bit taller than Trent, and perhaps a smidge more muscular too. Probably just because his job demands physical labour, but it still pisses him off.

Claire seems oblivious to any sort of tension, walking over to him, motioning for the ponytailed man and her "partner" to join her. "Trent, you didn't get to meet some of my friends who weren't at the inn last night. This is Cliff and Gray," she explains with a grin.

"Nice to meet you," Cliff says politely, shaking Trent's hand vigorously.

"Hi, Doc," mutters Gray, making no motion to shake his hand.

Where else do I know him from?

Trent looks over at the back pew, frowning at a guy wearing a purple bandana, seated next to the pink-haired girl from the previous evening. "I don't believe that we've met before," he tells him.

The guy in the purple bandana looks annoyed by this. "Uh, I was at the inn last night, too. I'm Kai-"

Trent cuts him off, directing a question at Gray. "How is your throat feeling?"

Why does he look so familiar? They stare at each other intensely. I know him from somewhere else... not just the clinic.

"Fine," Gray answers flatly.

Claire seems astonished. "Oh, you two have met before?" She looks at the both of them with a puzzled expression.

"He was my patient," Trent explains, ruffling her hair.

Gray scowls at this statement. "Relax, you handed me some cough syrup. Elli's the one who did everything else."

There is an awkward silence that rests in the church air following Gray's words. According to the look on everyone's face, they acknowledge it too. His cheeks turn pink, but he still scowls with that stupid expression that Trent could just smack right off. What a smug shit.

Claire nudges Gray crossly, but Trent just brushes it off casually. "Well, as long as you're feeling better," he says, showcasing his gentlemanly demeanor to everyone. Gray scoffs at this. "What are you all doing here?" This garners another irritated huff from the bottled-blond.

"We're here for Karen and Rick's wedding rehearsal," Claire answers, her eyes lighting up.

Does marriage intrigue someone of even her age? He frowns. "I didn't know that you were in a wedding party."

Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't she give me a heads up that she'd be partnered up with this jackass beside her?

Claire shrugs sheepishly. "I-I'm sorry. I-"

"It'll be over in twenty minutes," calls Carter from the front of the room, interrupting her explanation. "We can chat then, Doctor."

Trent nods in his direction, beaming down at his pure, blonde little beauty. She really is everything that he could ask for and more. Sure, there's things he'd like to change, but he can get to that later. He just wishes that he could just take her to the clinic with him right now, so that they can have some alone time. "No problem at all. I'll just come back," he says.

Before he leaves, he stops to kiss Claire, pressing his lips against hers for a long period of time. Everyone in the room watches them, gawking. Trent pulls away, grinning at her flushed cheeks. When he directs his attention toward Gray, he can't help but be the one to smirk at his red, fuming face. Hope you enjoyed that, buddy.

He walks to the front doors of the church, bidding the stunned faces before him a simple and polite adieu


"Your boyfriend's a cock," Gray says matter-of-factly, exiting the church after completing rehearsal. Claire speedily walks away from him, shooting him the same frosty glare that she's worn since Trent left. Kai stands beside Gray, already rattled by the blowout that's about to transpire.

"First of all, he isn't my boyfriend," Claire corrects sharply, throwing her jacket on over her overalls. "Second-"

"Huh, that's weird. I mean, he sure looked like your boyfriend back there," Gray says bitterly as he catches up to her. Kai, who was promised a night of video games with his friend after the wedding rehearsal this evening, treads hesitantly next to him, listening in on their heated conversation. Why the hell they're fighting after church, Kai isn't sure. Aren't you supposed to leave feeling peaceful? All he's saying is that arguments like this never used to break out after Shabbat services.

Claire scowls, walking toward the direction of her farm quickly. "He hasn't asked me to make it official, so that means that we aren't yet."

"Yet?" Kai asks. Gray just blinks at her as though she's lost all of her brain cells, before barking out a laugh. The three of them have come to a steady-stop in front of Mineral Blacksmith now. Claire has her back to the two of them, facing the pathway of her farm.

Gray just keeps going, though, not bothering to hide the impatience in his voice. "I mean, if he's showin' off by kissing you in front of the whole goddamn town-"

"Why do you even care?!" Claire snaps at him, whirling around. Her voice is shrill and her dark blue eyes are blazing. Gray and Kai take a remote step back, their hands defensively thrust out in front of them, dumbstruck.

"Second," Claire continues, jutting her finger in Gray's face. "The only one acting like a… like a cock, is you." She grimaces after she says it, staring at a spot on the floor in front of her, as though the vulgar word has her embarrassed.

Kai widens his eyes. "Claire, you swore!" he exclaims under his breath. She glowers, causing him to retreat back again.

"Maybe I'm not a cock," Gray says. Claire takes a step closer to him, her teeth grit. "Maybe, I've got a point. And maybe, I'm right."

"No, you aren't right. You're just a temperamental jerk."

"That guy's a creep, Blondie."

"I dunno if I should be talking," Kai says, stupidly deciding that now is the best time to pipe up. "But-"

"You shouldn't!" they both yell at him in unison, before quickly directing their fiery attention back at each other. Claire pokes at Gray's chest, and he glares down at her.

"You don't know him," she argues.

"Oh, yes I do."

"Being his patient doesn't count."

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Don't categorize me like that."

Kai, aware of the full and real truth behind Gray's disdain, steps in. "Claire, just hear Gray out. He's not-"

"Please stay out of this, Kai!" Claire begs. She swipes at the frustrated tears that have formed in her eyes with the back of her hand, refusing to face either of them.

Gray shakes his head at her. "Whatever, Claire."

"Yeah, whatever." She begins to stomp away until Kai runs up to her, blocking her path.

"You two both need to stop," he says heatedly. His friend is being a real jackass towards a girl, and said girl is acting impossibly stubborn. They scowl simultaneously at him. "Claire, are you going to skip out on my snack-shack opening tomorrow because of this? Everyone's coming, and you did promise."

She unfurrows her brows, the angry expression that's been painted on her face softening. "Oh," she mumbles sheepishly. It's all that Kai has been talking about for the last two weeks. He wonders if any of this will stop her from supporting her friends. "Of course I'll still-"

"Don't count on it, Kai," Gray says, grabbing his friend by the shoulder to walk away. "She'll forget about all of us soon enough."

Claire blinks at him, as though considering his words. She takes a step forward, another, then another, her footsteps eerily calm on the pavement. Kai watches as she raises her eyes to Gray's, her expression completely blank. "Do not," she begins quietly, her jaw clenched. "SPEAK FOR ME!"

Her screaming echoes through the air around them. Everyone across the sea in Forget-Me-Not Valley could have heard her. Hell, the Sunshine Islands must have caught wind of it. She swallows, then darts down the path to her farm indignantly, leaving the two young men without any words at all.


"You sure you can't take the day off? It's the first day of the summer, and it's beautiful!" She looks at Trent expectantly, trying to make a cute pouty face. The two of them are in the examination room of the clinic, with Claire trying yet another attempt at convincing him.

He clasps his hands on his desk in front of him, expression remaining stoic and firm despite her best efforts. "Unfortunately not. There's an entire shipment of medicine that just came in less than an hour ago to organize, and a stack of paperwork to complete along with it!" Trent shakes his head, rummaging through the neat stack of files in front of him busily.

She doesn't bother to hide her disappointment. "Oh."

"Will you still be going?" He rises from his chair to slip on his lab-coat that hangs behind his desk, looking expectantly at her for an answer.

"Of course," Claire says plainly, feeling herself getting agitated. "Why wouldn't I?"

Trent frowns. "It's just that I'm not there, and-"

"Would you rather I not go, then?" Claire pronounces each syllable accusingly.

He looks like he's about to reach for her hand, but drops his arm abruptly to his side. "Claire, why are you snapping at me for?" Trent asks, the annoyance in his voice prominent.

She lowers her head, bangs falling in her eyes, instantly feeling bad. "I-I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. It just sounds like you don't want me to go if you aren't there."

"I wouldn't stop you from doing anything," he chastises. "I suppose… I'm just envious that you'll be all sexy at the beach in front of other guys, and I won't be there to marvel at you."

"As if!" Claire exclaims, blushing while hiding a smile. This is the first time that anyone's referred to her as "sexy." She's pretty certain that she doesn't even possess a sexy bone in her body. But, she'll take the compliment. "Thanks, though."

How does he always know the right thing to say?

Trent grins at her, before pausing. "Something's gotten you down. What is it?" He holds her hand in his, kissing her knuckles gently.

"Just something a friend said," Claire admits. She's felt bad since yesterday evening. Did everyone else really think that she'd just ditch them for a new guy in her life? She doesn't want to come across that way at all, nor does she even want that to happen.

He turns to sit back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the desk in front of him. "This wouldn't happen to be that Gray fellow, would it?"

He's caught her off guard. What's she even supposed to say? "Um," Claire murmurs, acknowledging his suspicious tone. "I guess it's more him than anyone."

"Tell me about him."

She frowns. "Uh, what do you want to know?" Claire suddenly feels nervous. She's not about to disclose their one-time kiss during seven minutes in heaven, that's for sure. Trent seemed so protective of her yesterday. Or, is that just a trait that the males in her life seem to posses?

"Has he been in Mineral Town longer than you?"

Why is he suddenly so curious? He's not jealous of Gray, is he? "Yeah, ever since his mom passed away more than a year ago."

This seems to intrigue Trent. "She passed away?"

"From cancer," Claire says. "He told me the story, and it was totally unbelievable, Trent. This new doctor in Chicago kept dismissing his mom's headaches for migraines, and then they came here for a second diagnosis. Turns out, she had a tumour, but the first doctor didn't know because he never did an MRI!"

Trent says nothing. His skin pales, and he remains speechless for some time.

"What's wrong?" Claire asks worriedly.

"That's… that's horrible."

She bites at the inside of her cheek, feeling bad for her friend all over again. This is one hundred percent the reason behind Gray's demeanor, and sometimes, she fails to remember that. "I know. He definitely still hasn't gotten over it. That's probably why he's always so-"

"You know that I do whatever I can for my patients, right, Claire?" Trent interrupts, fiddling with the stethoscope around his neck fretfully.

"Um, yes."

He nods quickly. "Just making sure that you're aware. I'd hate for you to think of me as… as a bad doctor." Trent begins tapping his foot impatiently under the desk, the sound bold against the tiled floor.

Claire laughs, pinching his cheek playfully. "I don't think that at all!"

"Well, have fun today," he tells her, reaching over to kiss her cheek shakily. What's with him? Do medical horror stories give even someone like him the creeps? "And be sure to apply SPF 120! The lack of pigmentation in your skin will cause you to burn significantly."

"SPF 120? Then you won't even get a tan, Claire," Elli says, walking over to them with a box in her hands. She places it on the floor, bending down to rummage through it. Claire laughs.

"How's your grandmother, Elli?" she asks.

Elli looks over at her, smiling tightly. "Fine," she answers curtly, standing back up.

Claire touches her wrist. "You should definitely come to the beach with me today!"

Trent knits his brow. "Claire, Elli has to stay back and help here."

"Oh," says Claire dumbly. "Right."

"Besides," Elli begins, tousling her short brown hair with her fingers. "I don't even think that I own a bathing suit."

Claire blinks. Bathing suit?!

Neither does she!