February 14, Winter, year 20

What a day to catch a cold… I swear, someone somewhere is mocking me. Again with a cold! And this time it's on a day where I really could stand to be healthy… I hate spending the day in bed like this.

…Well, I probably won't get caught if I sneak out for ten minutes or so. Just to give Skye the chocolate. Couldn't hurt, right?

~~~

Claire checked and double-checked to ensure that no lights were on in Takakura's house. The last thing she needed was to get caught by family. Besides, she didn't intend to be out for very long anyways, just long enough to… maybe get a kiss.

Or not, it wouldn't do to pass on the cold. Maybe a kiss on the cheek?

She sneezed in the chill night air, trying not to trip as she did so. There had been a brief spurt of thaw between Flora's wedding and Valentine's, which had made a dangerous layer of ice on top of the snow. Kate and Hugh had spent hours skating down the street, but the older generation was less pleased with it, especially around the bridge.

The bridge was already dangerous enough in the winter, gaining an ice-sheet all its own that everyone mutually worked together on to salt down into safety. This new ice on top of the old was a hazard all its own, and Claire slowed carefully, not needing a winter bath on top of her cold.

It made her wonder if Skye was even going to be at the pond, and worry if he'd even gotten through the pass. Part of her wanted him to stay safely in Mineral Town, but the other part just… wanted to see him.

However from what she could see, the pond was deserted. Not that she could blame him, it was an absolutely frigid night! So preoccupied with trying to decide whether to wait or to just go home, she didn't notice Damien creeping up behind her.

He had thought long and hard on what to do. Lauren had left, so Claire was once again a free target. He had to get her indebted to him somehow. If there was something Claire couldn't stand, it was having outstanding debts, and it was initially that, that he had used to get her to be his in the first place.

How to turn it to his advantage this time…? Claire sneezed again, and he smirked.

Nursing her back to health would certainly qualify. She needed to be more ill than she currently was… And the Goddess Pond was right in front of her.

Claire hadn't been expecting a good hard shove, and skidded forward, overbalancing into the freezing waters of the pond with a startled, panicked yelp. She plunged into the pond, and felt her body lock up in the sudden shock as the water penetrated.

With the Goddess back in residence, the Pond was a lot deeper now, leading down into the green-haired woman's domain. Claire, sopping wet, landed in the middle of a marble-patchwork floor, and coughed some water out of her lungs, teeth chattering.

"An offering in the—oh goodness! Claire!"

Initially grouchy at being awoken, the Goddess hurried over to the frozen farmer and began pulling at the wet clothes, trying to get them off of her.

"Claire, speak to me!" the Goddess urged. "What happened?"

"Du-dunn-n-n-o," she chattered, trying not to hunch in on herself. "G-g-g-got p-p-pushed."

"Oh dear, oh dear…" the magical woman fretted. "Hold on a moment sweetie, I'll go see if I can find out who."

There was a flash of glitter, and Claire was suddenly alone, dripping, shaking, and confused. When the Goddess reappeared she shook her head sadly.

"The only one up there was the Moon boy, Skye… and I doubt he pushed you, that one cares too much about you to do something so cruel," she reached out and pulled Claire upright. "I'm going to send you up to him and he'll get you home sweetie, okay?"

Claire could barely nod, and sneeze a couple of times as the Goddess pulled her up through the spell and the water.

"Here she is kiddo," the Goddess deposited Claire into Skye's arms. "Get her home quick, before her cold gets worse!"

The former thief just took off across the winter landscape, cradling the farmer to his chest. Instead of taking her to the farm, he made a detour and pounded on the door of Doctor Hardy. The old Doctor wasn't very happy about being woken from his sleep, but one look at Claire made him pull the pair into his clinic.

"What happened?" the bald man demanded of Skye, taking Claire and starting to strip her of her wet clothes.

"I don't know," Skye replied helplessly, "I found her in the pond…"

Which wasn't entirely true, but telling someone who couldn't see the Goddess that she'd given Claire back to him would have been a Bad Idea.

"This isn't good," Hardy shook his head, "her cold is going to get much worse now…"

He moved Claire to a bed, and put the curtain up, shielding her from Skye's sight as the doctor finished changing her out of her wet clothes into a dry—if not terribly covering or warm—medical gown, and tucking her into the bed.

Already the blonde's fever was rising, a flush covering her cheeks.

"You, boy," the doctor snapped, pushing aside the curtain, "third shelf, red bottle! Middle drawer, one syringe. Hop!"

Skye hopped, fetching and carrying for the doctor for an hour before being allowed a rest.

"You stay here," Hardy instructed, pulling on a warm winter overcoat. "I'm going to go wake Takakura and tell him where Claire is. Keep an eye on her!"

"Sir," Skye nodded respectfully.

The door snapped shut with a sort of finality that made the former thief jump half a foot unintentionally. It had the side effect of sending a swirl of chill air across Claire's face.

Slowly, blue eyes slid half open, as she tried to get her fever-fogged brain to focus. Skye, seeing this, leaned over her anxiously.

"Claire, are you okay?" he asked, sea-green eyes filled with worry.

"Skye…?" she focused on him after a long moment, then smiled. "Chocolate for you… in my backpack."

He wanted to shake his head, or tell her to forget the candy and the day, but he knew her better. If he didn't at least act like he was pleased with it, she would be upset, for all she would pretend otherwise.

So he reached out and smoothed her blonde hair from her face, and smiled a touch shakily.

"I'll get it in a moment… Thank you…"

"Mkay… love you."

Message delivered, she worked a hand free from the blankets and reached out to him. He caught her hand in both of his, and tried not to be afraid as her eyes slipped closed.

"I love you too," he whispered, pressing her fingers to his lips. "I love you too…"