Okay, I finished the next chapter! I have school starting on the 19th, so I'll try and get as many chapters up as I can by then. Oh! And sometimes I randomly write oneshots, so check back if you want to. AND I'm planning my next story, but I need a pairing for it. Go to my profile and vote, please!

To all my reviewers- You've made me so happy! I'd respond to them all individually, but I don't have much time now. Sorry! But once again, I say: THANK YOU SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU ALL! XD, I get so excited when I get an email saying I got a new review.

NOW, You can go ahead and read it. Sorry if it's bad; I wrote most of it when I was half-asleep and listening to the country station. lol. I'm not too happy with how it came out, so please tell me what YOU think in a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon.

After everyone gorged themselves on the birthday cake –which was very good, I might add-, Gray and I got to open our presents

After everyone gorged themselves on the birthday cake –which was very good, I might add-, Gray and I got to open our presents. Popuri shoved a box poorly wrapped in pink and orange polka dot paper with an orange bow on top into my hands.

"Open mine first! Please, please, please!" She jumped up and down as she pleaded with me. I smiled and grabbed her arm, preventing her from bouncing around.

"Sure, sure Popuri. I'll open it first." I said as I pulled up the tape, careful to keep the paper intact. I never even saved the paper afterwards, the only reason I was so cautious when unwrapping presents was because it was a sort of challenge, I suppose.

I opened the now exposed white box to find a hot pink turtleneck sweater with silver sequins along the neck and shoulders… I swear I'd seen my grandmother wear this exact same thing to Christmas dinner when I was little.

"Wow… Thanks, Popuri… It's, uh, beautiful…" I said. I realized I didn't sound convincing in the least, so I immediately plastered a cheesy smile on my face and nodded to Popuri. She smiled, apparently buying it.

"I knew you'd love it! It was too big for me, so I figured it'd probably fit you!" She beamed. Gray tried stifled a chuckle, and I glared at him. "Oh! And Gray's present…" Popuri added as she handed Gray a purple bag erupting with baby blue tissue paper. He smiled nervously and pulled the tissue out of the small bag.

I bit my lip to keep from bursting out with laughter when he pulled out a golden necklace with a pink heart charm dangling in the center. He looked completely at a loss for words, so Popuri spoke up.

"It's one of my old gold necklaces I don't wear! I figured, since you're like a blacksmith, you could melt it down or something and use the gold! Pretty awesome, huh?" She said, totally ecstatic. Gray still couldn't seem to think of anything to say, so he just nodded.

"So… What's next?" I asked.

I had just opened up the last of the presents. Rick gave me a bag of chicken feed, free of charge, and he got Gray a case of eggs. Karen got both of us the same thing- a bottle of wine. Ann gave me a pair of jeans and a red tank top, something I'd been wanting ever since the summertime when I practically got heat stork in my flannel and overalls. She and Elli both pitched in to get Gray a cheap wig from the city, because they were certain he was bald underneath that cap of his.

I laughed his red face when he opened it.

Elli got me a pair of red stud earrings from the city. They were gorgeous, and went with the tank top from Ann perfectly. Doctor gave Gray and me a Bodigizer each, along with a small lecture on the importance of not overworking ourselves. Cliff gave me a necklace he made out of flowers from the mountain, which I thought was the sweetest thing so I gave him a hug, and he flushed brightly. Gray seemed to scowl at him after that, much to my amusement.

Ha, I made him jealous!

Cliff gave Gray a bunch of copper ore, and that made Gray a little nicer towards him. Mary didn't bring a present for me, of course, but she left one for Gray. It was a book titled, 'The Caves and the Library'. I'd never heard of it before, and everyone was convinced Mary wrote it. Saibara didn't get Gray anything, but he gave me a certificate for a free tool upgrade at his shop.

As I tucked the certificate into one of the other present's bags, I surveyed all my gifts. I won't be able to carry them all home tonight…

"Hey, Ann, can I leave my gifts here tonight and get them tomorrow? I'd have a tough time carrying all these things home when I have to worry about tearing this stupid dress. I can't even bend over completely! It's way too short." I said, motioning towards my old dress for emphasis. Ann smirked.

"Too short? Please, Claire, there's no such thing as too short." She said, and I rolled my eyes.

"So can I keep them here? Please?"

"Sure. Just remember to come back for all these wonderful presents!" She laughed and turned to help clean up the bar. I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already 10:15. I gasped and went over to Ann to thank her for everything.

"I'm so sorry I can't help clean up, but it's way late and I have to work tomorrow!" I explained. Ann laughed.

"You don't need to clean up your own party! It was bad enough you had to set it up. Go ahead, get some rest. And happy birthday!" She smiled as she carried a tray full of dirty cups behind the bar to the sink. I sighed.

"Thank you so much, Ann! I'll see you tomorrow morning! Bye!" I called and waved as I approached the door. As I turned the knob, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and turned to se… Gray. I sighed.

"Goddess, Gray. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I shouted. He looked down at his shoes.

"Sorry. It's late, and there are wild dogs out. Let me walk you home."

I stared at his face. When I didn't answer right away, he looked up from the floor and our eyes locked. He turned to the side blushing, and I laughed.

"Okay. Thanks," I said and walked out the door, followed by Gray. We walked in an easy silence until we reached my house. We faced each other and, unfortunately, found ourselves in an awkward silence. He was the one to talk first, after at least two minutes of quiet.

"So… I, um, forgot to give you your present earlier…" He said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Present? You got me something?" I asked. I wasn't surprised he'd get me something, I was more curious at what he got me.

"Here," He said as he held out a small brown box, about the size of his hand, to me. I studied it: it was just a brown box. No wrapping, no bow, no card. I picked it off his hand, and he turned to leave without giving me a chance to open it.

"H-Hey! Where are you going?" I called after him into the darkness. I could just make out his figure walking towards the exit of my farm.

"The Inn. It's late," He stopped and I think he turned around in the direction of me, "And… Thanks for coming up with the idea for the party. It was fun… All of it."

And then he left.

I furrowed my brow. All of it? He thought the WHOLE night was fun? Even being humiliated- OH MY GODDESS! Did he mean the kiss?! No, no… I'll bet he forgot about that. Right, he forgot about his best friend kissing him, Claire. Goddess I'm so stupid.

I walked inside, dismissing the thought and set the box on my table as I changed into some white and blue striped pajamas. Pulled the barrette out of my hair and took my necklace off, then grabbed the box and plopped down on my bed. I pulled the lid off and peered inside at the little pack's contents.

I pulled out a beautiful silver brooch with a sapphire set in the center. I held it up into the light and gaped at it. The light seemed to enter the deep blue gem and bounce all around the inside, illuminating the sapphire. The silver surrounding the glowing jewel was equally as elegant. It shined in the light, and I could see my blurry reflection in it.

I grinned and set it on my bedside table and picked its container up off my bed. I found a small note in the bottom of the shallow box and pulled it out. I read it to myself:

Hey Claire,

Thanks for everything. You were the first one to let me vent to about Gramps, and you always know how to make me smile. I hope this brooch I made for you makes you smile. You look good in a smile.

From,

Gray

I squinted as I reread the word 'from'. It looked like something underneath it was whited out…

I wonder what he wrote… Did he put 'love'? That's what I wrote on his card, but…

I shook my head, dismissing the thought as I set the card on the table next to the brooch. I let out a long, content sigh and looked down at my slippers before I flicked off the lights. They were completely ruined.

I poured my basketful of ores into my shipping bin, keeping a few for Gray and Saibara. It was already the twelfth; five days since the party. I wore the brooch Gray gave me everyday. It hadn't snowed yet, but my field was still covered an inch or so in powder. Every time I looked at it, I wanted to just run over there and roll around on it.

But I didn't. Not yet, anyways.

I had been making lots and lots of extra money by going over the frozen lake and into a mine that could only be accessed during the winter and mining gems that weren't found in the normal mine.

"Big Sister! Hi!"

I turned towards the entrance of my farm and saw little May running through the frozen grass over to me. She was wearing the cutest light pink jacket that had white buttons and was long, so it looked like a dress.

"May! Don't run!"

I saw Barley walking in after his granddaughter. I smiled and knelt down, hugging May when she got over to me.

"Hey, May! What's up?" I asked, smiling. I loved May; she was so sweet and, well, lovable. You'd have to have no heart to not love someone like her.

"Nothin' much, Big Sister. What're you doing?" She asked, looking into the basket that had the few ores I was going to give to Gray, "Why didn't you put these ones in the big bin too?"

I smiled and picked her up. "Because I was going to give them to Gray later." I answered. …What? It's impossible to lie to such an adorable face.

"Why?"

I should've known she'd ask that. Why did I want to give him my ores? The precious metals I worked so hard to mine?

"I guess I just want him to be happy, May," I said, giving the best answer I could. She smiled and Barley came up to us.

"Claire, I'm sorry if we interrupted anything. May here just kept begging to visit you. She really likes you, you know," He said, and I smiled.

"I'm glad! I actually just finished today's work, so May can stay here and we can hang out this afternoon, if that's okay with you," I offered. It was always fun playing with May, even when Stu joined in. It reminded me of when I was a kid, and honestly, I just enjoyed acting like a kid.

"Sure, I think that'd be okay. Can I come pick her up around five? It's noon now, by the way." Barley said. I nodded, smiling.

"Of course! That sounds perfect. We'll see you then, right May?" I faced the black-haired girl who had been silently listening to the conversation.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, beaming. Barley chuckled.

"Okay, okay. I'll see you then May! Be good!" He waved and left. May turned to the snow-covered field and gasped.

"Oh my gosh! Big Sister! Can we please play in the snow? Please?" She asked. I stared at her big eyes, and my mind couldn't seem to get my mouth to say 'no'.

"…Okay. I guess," I said and laughed when she jumped with joy, her boots crunching the snow beneath her.

"Oh! Can we invite Stu over so we can have a snowball fight? Pretty please, Big Sister?" She smiled. Once again, I couldn't say no.

"I suppose. Let's go call Elli and see if she can bring him over, 'kay?" I asked. She nodded and we ran into my house.

Elli arrived with Stu ten minutes later. He was in at least four layers it looked like, and he had a puffy forest green jacket on that made his arms stick out slightly. You could barely see his face; it was hidden under a dark orange scarf and a deep red fleece hat. May started a game by poking Stu's jacket while Elli explained to me that he couldn't take anything but that jacket off, or he might catch cold. I nodded, and she left.

"Wow!" Stu exclaimed when he saw my field, "Can we make a fort and have a snowball war?"

I chuckled, "It might be a little hard to make a fort, but we ca definitely have a snowball fight,"

Stu nodded and went to run through the field, but May grabbed his jacket, "Wait! We can't have a three-person snowball fight! We need another person so we can play teams," She paused and thought for a moment before she shot her head up in realization, "Big Sister! Don't you want to take the metal to Mr. Gray?"

I gasped, "May! Thank you for reminding me! Guys, before we play let's go to the Blacksmith's so I can deliver something, okay?"

Stu sighed and May smiled brightly, "Yay! Stu, let's go see Mr. Gray and Mr. Saibara!"

Stu's face brightened a little at the mention of Gray, and mine probably did as well before. He nodded and we quickly walked over to the Blacksmith's Shop. I glanced at my watch as we walked in; it was 12:55 in the afternoon, and Gray would be leaving soon.

"Hello Claire, May, Stu," Saibara greeted, and Gray glanced our way.

"Hello Saibara. Hey Gray," I said, and handed Saibara a copper ore and a silver ore over the desk. May walked up to the counter and smiled.

"Hi, Mr. Saibara!" She said, and Saibara smiled. They started a little conversation, so I excused myself over to where Gray was cleaning up.

"Hi Gray," I said, and he turned towards me. He blushed a little when he noticed I was wearing my new brooch again, and I giggled. "I brought something for you!"

I rummaged through my rucksack while he stood there… Staring at me? Hmph. I finally located the gold ore and handed it to him, and he snapped out of whatever trance-like state he was in. He took the small piece of rock and put it in his pocket.

"Th-thanks, Claire. I-" He started to say something, but was cut off by May's little voice.

"Mr. Gray! Big Sister was going to let us have a snowball fight, but we need another person for teams to be even," She explained, then looked up at him with a pleading expression, "Would you pretty please play with us? Pleeeease?"

So THAT'S why she wanted to come here! She's so devious… And convincing. I wonder if Gray can say no to that face? If he can, it would mean he has no heart.

"…Fine."

My head shot over in Gray's direction. So, he has a heart after all.

We all walked back to my farm after saying goodbye to Saibara. Stu begged Gray to let him ride on his shoulders, but, Stu having not nearly as cute a face as May, Gray said no. Stu pouted for a moment, and I being the wonderful lady I am, offered to carry him instead. He happily agreed, and May looked like she was a little dismayed, so I ended up carrying both of them.

May was on my shoulders and Stu was on my back. My Goddess, they were heavy. But they were having a wonderful time, and the walk back to my farm was only a few minutes, so I endured the pain. I think Gray felt a little guilty for making me carry both of them. Well, I hoped he did at least.

We finally gat to my farm and a bent down and let the extra weight off my back and shoulders.

"Thank you very much for the ride, Big Sister!" May said, hugging me. I laughed.

"No problem, May." I lied. My back is going to make it so I can't mine for a few days…

Stu came over and thanked me as well, "Yeah, thanks Big Sis! It was fun!" He smiled. I nodded, and Gray came over.

"So… If you don't need me for anything, I'll-" Stu ran over to him and grabbed his leg, interrupting him.

"No! You can't leave yet, Big Brother! We still have to have a Snowball War!" He pleaded. Gray sighed. I guess Stu could convince him just as well as May could.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" He asked, and I furrowed my brow. He's never had a snowball fight? Of course he has! Even I have!

I bent down and scooped up some snow, then loosely packed it into a ball. I aimed it right at Gray's chest. "Like this!" I shouted and threw the snowball.

It hit his jacket right where I meant for it to, and he stumbled over and landed on his bottom. Stu and May both started laughing hysterically, and so did I. I stopped for a moment, though.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean to knock you over," I said, pulling him up with my mitten-clad hand. He smirked. "Wha-?"

As soon as he was standing up, he fired a snowball right at my chest. And me being only a yard away from him, he hit me dead on. I fell over from the impact and landed on my back, but instead of shouting or crying or something like that, I started laughing. Really, really laughing. May came over to me and looked at me questioningly.

"Big Sister, are… You okay?" She asked. I nodded and sat up, still giggling. She smiled, "Good, now we can beat those mean ol' boys!"

I was shocked. May was a brutal, rough, frightening child when she wanted to be. And during this fight, she wanted to win. My Goddess, she almost made poor Stu cry and she managed to knock Gray over once. He was as stunned as I was.

After an hour of hard battle, the boys finally surrendered. May smiled sweetly.

"Yay! Big Sister! We won, we won! We beat the boys!" She laughed. Wow, she must never have beaten Stu before, I thought.

"Yeah!" I cheered, though I wasn't nearly as excited as May was. Stu frowned.

"May! You never played like that before!" He protested. May giggled.

"That's because I never had any reason," She explained, "Mr. Gray knocked Big Sister over before, so I wanted to beat you meanies!"

I chuckled. She wanted revenge! Little May, the town's angel, wanted revenge for me!

"Aw! Thank you May! You're so sweet!" I hugged her, and helped her brush the snow off her pink jacket. Stu's green jacket was waterproof, and apparently so was Gray's.

But I was stuck in cold, wet overalls and my damp light flannel shirt.

"Hey guys," I said, getting everyone's attention, "Why don't you get Mr. Gray to help you build a snowman? I'll be right back." I said and turned to go into my house and change, ignoring Gray's glare.

I stripped myself out of the freezing farmer's attire, and changed into a light blue knit sweater. It was soft and warm, and had a white argyle pattern across the chest. It was my favorite sweater. I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and slipped my shoes on again. I put my white mittens on, because my red ones I was wearing were soaked. I pulled on a white hat and ran outside.

I saw that May and Stu were working on shaping the bottom of the figure, and Gray was leaning against my barn's door. I walked over to him and mimicked his pose: arms crossed, back against the wall, foot back on the wall, head down.

"Why aren't you helping them?" I asked. He jumped when I spoke. I suppose he didn't know I was there.

"…I don't know. I never built snowmen when I was a kid, so… I guess I'd mess it up," He explained. I rolled my eyes, grabbing his arm to pull him over to the small construction site.

"Come on," I said, "You can't mess it up. Well, you could, but only if you, like, kick it or something." I said, giggling. He snorted.

"I wasn't planning on kicking it, don't worry." He said. I smiled and bent down to help may roll the now large snowball through the field. Gray helped Stu find some suitable rocks for the man's face.

May and I got the body almost completely shaped by the time the boys came back with the stones. We all worked in a somewhat awkward silence, until I decided to say something.

"So, May, how're the cows?" I asked nervously. Gray stifled a chuckle at my random question and I shot him a quick glare before May answered.

"They're fine, but yesterday they got scared when Miss Popuri and Mr. Rick were yelling at each other next door," She paused for a moment, deep in thought, "Big Sister? What's a 'puberty ring'?" She asked, genuinely curious. I was confused.

What the hell is a puberty ring?

I looked over at Gray, to see if he knew what on earth this girl was talking about. He had wide eyes, and looked just as confused as me. He also looked… Embarrassed?

When I didn't answer, May tried to explain her question, "You see, yesterday Mr. Rick got Mrs. Lillia to make Miss Popuri go to Mr. Carter and get a puberty ring, and Miss Popuri was yelling at Mr. Rick like she didn't want one. So, what is a puberty ring? Is it bad?"

I laughed, "No, May. I think you mean Rick had Popuri get a Purity Ring from Pastor Carter, not a puberty ring." May was still curious, though.

"What's a Purity Ring for?"

My eyes widened ever so slightly. What am I supposed to tell her? Damn it, Claire. You set yourself up for this.

"Um, well, when you get a Purity Ring, it means you'll, uh, stay pure," I explained. I hoped she wouldn't push the subject anymore. She seemed like she was done with the topic, but then Stu spoke up.

"What do you mean 'pure'?" He asked me, but then looked at Gray with curiosity overflowing his dark eyes. Gray looked at me for an answer. Why can't he just come up with something? Goddess, he's not being very reliable. So much for being a man, Gray.

I rolled my eyes and answered for the hat-wearing wuss, "Well, to be pure means to not be clean, right? So I suppose Rick doesn't want Popuri to be dirty, don't you think?" I asked, hoping to convince him. He nodded with enthusiasm.

"Oh, yeah! That must be it! Huh, May?" He asked the girl, who was busy pressing pebbles into the snowman's head.

"Oh, yes. That sounds right. Thank you for explaining, Big Sister," She said, not taking her eyes off her work. She was very focused.

"Sure thing, guys. Hey, Gray, what do you think pure means?" I asked him. I couldn't resist seeing how he'd answer. He just stared at me blankly for several moments before he spoke.

"Uh… I guess what you said."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Is he totally out of it today, or does he contribute absolutely nothing dependable in tight situations on a regular basis?

"It's done!" May called out, shattering my thoughts. I looked at the figure we had all worked together to build. It was a little lop-sided, but its body was proportioned just right thanks to May and me. It had a goofy smile stuck on his face made out of little black small rocks, and it had a few larger stones lined up its body in the front for buttons on its invisible coat. We had draped one of my green scarves around its neck, and put an old blue hat on its head.

"He's missing something!" Stu called out. May glared at him, which she never usually did.

"It's a girl, silly!" She said, and Stu rolled his eyes.

"Nuh-uh, it's a boy!" He argued, crossing his arms. May sighed and turned to me.

"Tel him it's a girl snowperson!" She said and pointed to Stu. I smiled weakly.

"May, what makes it a girl? There isn't anything on it that would distinguish a gender," I explained calmly. She sighed, but then brightened up.

"Oh! Big Sister, could I please, please, please borrow your pin? The snowperson needs it so it can be a girl, and she'd look really pretty with your pin on!" The said, pointing at the sapphire brooch Gray gave me. I frowned.

If I agree, the brooch might rust or something in the snow! I can't let that happen! I have to say no…

"Um, May," I started, avoiding her dark, earnest eyes, "I can't." I said firmly, and she looked crushed. Apparently Stu and Gray became interested in our little conversation, because Stu was standing next to May and Gray was trying to nonchalantly eavesdrop; I could tell.

"But… Why?" She asked, once again looking up at me with those eyes. I tried to think of a good enough reason, but her gaze seemed to stop my brain from working. I looked down at the sparkling brooch, hoping I could think again when I wasn't looking at the little girl.

"Because… Because I really love this pin, and if we let the snowperson have it, it might get ruined," I stated, still staring at the striking accessory, "And I really, really don't want to ruin it, May. We'll have to find something else to give the snowperson." I finished. May seemed to understand. Wow, she's a really smart kid, I thought, No wonder she's so tricky-

"Do you really love it because Mr. Gray gave it to you?"

I swear, after she said that I turned the color of a tomato. I stared intently at my feet and the crisp grass underneath them, and didn't answer right away because… Frankly, I didn't know what I was supposed to say. And I knew if I tried to lie, I'd stutter and it'd be obvious I wasn't telling the truth. I sighed, not daring to look up at anyone's expressions.

I bet May had a little knowing smirk on her adorable face, and Stu was seriously confused. And I knew Gray was blushing as bad as I was. He was probably waiting for my answer. All of them probably were.

"W-well," I started, stuttering like I thought I would, "I-I don't know, May… Um, maybe I can find the snowperson a better brooch, 'k-kay?" I suggested, and then darted towards my house.

I'm sure I heard May say something like, "She totally loves you, Mr. Gray," But I didn't think about it.

May is too damn smart for her own good. …I hope my kids'll be like that.

So... The thing about the Purity ring came from something that happened to me at this camp I was volunteering at. If you really want to know the whole story there, you can ask me to tell you in a REVIEW! And I hope you didn't mind this chapter's awfulness. Nothing really happened that was all that important, so... Yeah.

Review, please