March 11, Spring, year 21

Something is… wrong. Lauren left in a hurry last night, saying something about talking to Nami than taking a walk around the Spring to think. But she hasn't come back yet.

I'm worried…

~~~

-The previous night-

"I have to go out for a bit Claire… will you be okay on your own?"

The question wasn't an idle one. Without Lauren there Claire had started to forgo her meals because she couldn't taste the food and working made the pain go away. Currently the farmer was working on tailoring Nami's jacket, to show off her curves without being blatant about it.

"Where too?" the farmer didn't even look up.

"Well, Nami won't decide on flowers, and I was thinking about a drink. I could bring you something back. Also, I need to go out to the Spring for a little bit, just to clear my head."

"No thanks… I don't need an aching head… but thanks anyways."

The dullness in Claire's voice was more worrying than ever, but Lauren couldn't think of anything else to do that might ease it. It was a challenge in and of itself to make Claire remain interested in her farm and all the animals, let alone have her helping with the wedding things.

"I'll be back late… is that okay?"

For a moment a bit of the old Claire shone through in the annoyance of her blue eyes.

"I'm not a kid Lauren," she grumbled. "I'll keep working on this til bedtime, so don't worry."

Lauren shook her head lightly, and sighed. Testy and unhappy by turns, it was sometimes hard to figure out what she was going to do next.

"See you later," she said, opening the door carefully. "Don't stab yourself."

Claire rolled her eyes and set back to the work, as the door shut silently behind her best friend.

Lauren just sighed as she left the Inn. Convincing Nami that a few flowers wouldn't be a bad thing had taken the better part of an hour, and she really wanted that drink.

That and a drink would ensure that she got the chance to speak with Claire's cousin Muffy. It was time that family was brought up to speed on this whole situation.

She felt absurdly glad that it was a Wednesday, and the official part of the bar was closed, even though she could have used a stiff belt. Being unable to get drunk came in handy, though it was hardly ideal.

Muffy looked up when she entered, about to give the usual 'closed today' speech, but stopped when she saw Lauren.

"Oh thank goodness, someone who Claire will talk to," the blond woman sighed. "Is she okay? What happened? We've been trying to talk to her all week but she's either working, or ignoring the phone."

"That… is a very long story," Lauren took a seat at the bar itself, nodding to Griffin as he poked his head out of the back room. "And I'm sure there's going to be some parts that peeve you."

"I don't care!" Muffy stomped her foot. "She's family, and I want to know how to help her!"

A tired smile crossed the older woman's lips.

"Alright… it's like this…"

And Lauren told Muffy and Griffin everything that Claire had shared with her.

"So that's why she gave me money on Christmas!" Griffin exclaimed. "She was trying to make up for what her boyfriend stole from us."

"And she saw him kissing another girl… Oh Claire," Muffy looked like she wanted to cry. "My poor cousin! No wonder she's having trouble with these last two weddings…"

"Exactly," Lauren nodded soberly. "She's helping me, because I'm trying to help her. Balancing a debt, you see. And this is more than just a little bit of pain, she's taken everything that he gave her and tucked it away where she doesn't have to look at it, because that will make her cry again."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Griffin put an arm around Muffy's shoulders, the green-eyed woman looked like she was about to start crying for her cousin's sake.

"Remind her that she's loved, is all I can think of," Lauren sighed wearily. "Don't give up and let her retreat into herself. If that happens… I think she might try to commit suicide. Not now!" and she held up a hand to prevent Muffy from tearing off to the Sunshine ranch, "and not soon either, if people keep reaching out to her. She reaches back unconsciously you know? Tell the people you think will make the most difference, but don't tell everyone. Some of them wouldn't understand."

"Like Rock or Vesta," Muffy nodded soberly. "They're still both fuming mad over the theft of their stuff, though neither of them lost anything of sincere value. I guess that was Skye's way of trying to reassure Claire he meant no harm."

Lauren shrugged a little.

"I mean to have a talk with him, because something isn't adding up," she continued. "But I haven't seen hide nor hair of him for the past few days."

"According to Ruby he's holed up in his room at the inn," Griffin nodded slightly. "That doesn't sound like the actions of someone who deliberately set out to do something to Claire. It sounds more like he's mourning himself…"

"It wouldn't surprise me," Lauren said. "Not if my hunches are correct. I'm going to head out to the Pond next and try to get his side of the story. Maybe I can get Claire to listen to me, since she probably isn't ready to even be near him."

"Do you want help?"

"No, but thank you," and the older woman smiled warmly. "Maybe check there in a couple of days if there's no change, and try to get the answer out of him then."

"Oh believe me," and there was determination in Muffy's green eyes. "I will."

"Thank you for telling us this," Griffin said quietly. "I'm going to phone a couple of Claire's friends and get them over here so that we can tell them what's going on. You be careful, okay?"

"Take care you two," Lauren smiled again, feeling a weight on her shoulders lift. "I'll come by in a couple of days if anything helpful comes up."

"You're welcome any time," Muffy said, and Griffin nodded. "See you!"

Lauren slid off her stool and left the bar, folding her hands behind her head in thought. No matter which way she turned it, she couldn't think that someone who had clearly been in love with Claire would do something so incredibly… well, stupid! This had a feel of manipulation about it, and she wanted to find the thread that was ruining the whole tapestry.

And she would wait all night at the Goddess Pond if that was what it took. She had the sight, if she waited until dawn and maybe tossed in some fruit from one of Claire's plants the Goddess might be able to give her a complete tale.

The pond itself was deserted, the crystal flowers marking the path were dimmed… just enough light to see by, not enough light to properly navigate by. Lauren didn't know that someone had been waiting a long while, to finally set a plan in motion.

Damien smirked from his hiding place in the trees overhead. He had no idea what had gone between Claire and Skye, but he knew that eventually Lauren would look here to collect answers.

He'd been waiting for three nights, so it was about time her curiosity got the better of her.

He didn't have a gun, it would have echoed all over the Valley, since he would never have been able to afford a silencer, but he had managed to find a very nice little knife at a shop just off the wharf that would do the job.

With no witnesses, it would be easy to pin it on that silver-haired fop too… And then he could just take Claire, and that would be the end of all this nonsense.

But it wouldn't do to get ahead of himself. Start with what was right in front of him…

Damien slipped down from the tree, taking great care not to disturb more than a single leaf. Lauren and her sixth sense about things had him being as careful as possible.

The silver-streaked woman looked around with a sigh, and then sat. Patience had always been her strong point, among others. And she couldn't help wanting to finish a couple new dress designs, for other clients in the city.

The only warning she had was Damien's deliberate crack of a twig as he lunged for her, and that wasn't enough time for her to dodge. She felt the blade pierce her back, pain lancing through her, but the hand over her mouth prevented the cry of shock and pain from getting beyond the pair of them.

"This… is for getting in my way," he hissed. "Now you'll never be able to do that again!"

Lauren struggled, elbowed him in the ribs, but it was weak, far weaker than normal. Already, she was descending into shock… And she didn't have enough magic in her body to stem a fatal wounding like this.

"Claire," she whispered, blood bubbling past her lips. "Claire, I'm so… sorry.."

Damien watched, and waited, trembling a little. He'd done some violent things in the past, but this… this taking of life was a new one. It gave him a heady rush, to have removed one problem from his life. Now, to pin it on Skye, that would remove his other problem and leave Claire no other way to turn.

The sky was starting to lighten when he finally decided that she was fully, truly dead. He left her there in front of the pond and—after changing into cleaner clothes, he hadn't thought the blood would spurt like that—slipped back to the inn with no one the wiser.

~~~

Claire had expected to hear Lauren's usual singing in the kitchen. It was soothing in a way to hear her do something that Mirei would have done. But the house was… almost eerily silent.

Uncertainty and fear stabbed through the shroud of unhappiness that Claire had wrapped herself in, and she rolled out of bed. Maybe Lauren had fallen asleep on the couch instead of disturbing the now-light-sleeping farmer…

But there was no sign of her friend. Not in the house or outside on the farmland, and more than just fear slipped in.

"Don't…" she whispered one hand resting against the glass of her window. "Lauren… don't leave me…"

It wasn't until a shrill scream broke the midmorning air that Claire really sprang into action. She had been in the middle of petting her cows, but the scream made her drop the brush and take off running in the direction of the Goddess Pond.

Lumina crashed into her, on her way back from the spring, and both young woman tumbled to the ground. Lumina's brown eyes were filled with tears, her face white as bone. Claire grabbed her friend's shoulders, shocked.

"Mina, Mina what's wrong?" she demanded.

"At the Spring," the other woman sobbed. "A… a body!"

Claire felt her breath vanish, and she too paled. Rock came hurrying up the path, along with half of the other people in the village. In a daze Claire passed off Lumina to her husband, and pelted up the path. Her heart stopped when she saw Lauren facedown in the grass before the pond.

"No…" She whimpered. "Oh Goddess, please no… Not her…"

He legs gave out and her next step made her fall forward, reaching for Lauren as she went.

It was too much, too soon. First the thing with Skye, and now Lauren, murdered in their tiny town. Something in Claire snapped, and everything just… went away.

Muffy ran up the path as Claire's scream echoed all over the Valley.