The Reason, Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for reading this far.

Cliff took Claire's hand and led her slowly down the road. There was no communication whatsoever, except for Claire's occasional sobs. Rick walked past them on his way to the Supermarket and gave them a strange look, making Cliff blush. He was thankful when they finally walked in the Church and Carter was still in his confessional. He continued to lead her to the front row and finally released her hand to sit down.

They both sat quietly for a while. Cliff, who usually lost track of time when he was in the Church, suddenly felt that the world was slowing down at an unbelievable pace. Carter walked out of his confessional and noted the pair with slight confusion, which made Cliff blush once again.

Finally, Claire turned to him and smiled. "How are you, Cliff?"

Cliff smiled slightly. "Hey, that's my line to you, Claire," he told her. She giggled. "I'm alright, I guess. I think I'm going to have to leave town soon though."

Claire's eyes widened. "What?! Why?!"

"I'm running out of money," Cliff told her quietly. "I don't have a job, you see…" He sighed sadly. "I really liked this town, too…"

"A job…?" Claire muttered. Then she remembered. "Oh! Cliff! A job!"

Cliff looked at her in confusion. "Um, yes, I kinda need one to stay…"

"No, I mean, I can help you!"

He blinked. "You can?"

"Yeah!" she said excitedly. "You see, Duke asked me to help him out with the Wine Harvest. He said I could bring a friend to help too and…" She grinned.

"Y-you want…me?" Cliff was at a loss for words. She nodded earnestly. "Really?" he asked, his voice somewhat in disbelief, and she nodded again. His face lit up.

Claire stood up. "I need to get back to work now, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Aja Winery?"

"You bet!" he replied happily. "And, um…" He smiled shyly. "Thank you so much, Claire."

"No problem," she told him, smiling as she walked out of the church.

On her way back to her farm, Claire stopped at the front of the Clinic. She looked up at it sadly.

"I'm sorry, I'm really busy right now. If you don't need a check-up, can we talk later?"

Claire bit her lip, turning her head and walking faster. Rick was sitting at the bench between the Supermarket and the Clinic. He smiled and waved at her, but she just rushed past him. He frowned, confused, but as he watched her walk away, he could have sworn that he saw her wipe a big tear drop away on her cheek.

A/N: Thanks again, I'd appreciate any sort of feedback.