Work Text:
“It’s very kind of you to invite me out for dinner, Cliff,” the priest thanked his young friend as he eagerly tucked into his hot meal.
Cliff watched Carter savouring the good food, and a warmth of satisfaction spread through his chest. “Well, I wanted to thank you properly. If it wasn’t for all your help and support, I never would have got the job at Aja Winery.”
Doug’s Inn seemed especially busy tonight. Where the chatter and crowds would have once upset the young man, now Cliff felt right at home in the cosy atmosphere. He’d come to know many of the townsfolk so well since he’d arrived in Mineral Town, and he even considered certain ones like Doug, Ann, Duke, Manna and Carter to be his family now. He’d come a long way since the shy, self-condemning wanderer who’d crept into town last winter.
Carter shook his head, kindly. “The strength to improve your life for the better came from within you. Maybe now, you can start to believe in yourself again, the way we all believe in you.”
In the past, Cliff would have cast his eyes downwards and denied there was anything in him to believe in to begin with. But now, he straightened his shoulders ever so slightly at the heartfelt praise, a grateful smile shining in his ocean-blue eyes. He was finally started to accept commendation, even if an embarrassed blush still coloured his cheeks. Carter was so proud of his young friend.
In moments of strong emotion, Cliff instinctively fell back on an old coping mechanism. Whether he was feeling especially positive or negative, the young man always fished into his pocket and drew out a well-worn photograph to gaze wistfully at. Carter had seen it many times in Cliff’s hands at the church, but he’d always kept a respectful distance.
Tonight, the creased, faded picture was once again drawn from his pocket, but this time there was a peaceful, if slightly sad, smile on his face as he looked down at it. Cliff’s eyes grew a little misty as he focused on the three figures within. It was the same photograph he’d been found with at Rose Plaza, when he’d collapsed at the start of the season.
The bell on the Inn’s front door tinkled as Carter leaned over the table to get a better look at the memory in Cliff’s hands. “Your mother and sister?” he guessed, based mostly on their strong resemblance to the teenaged boy in the middle of the frame. They’d discussed the young man’s family before, but this was the first time the priest had focused on the picture of them.
Cliff nodded mutely, his eyes still fixed on the people in the photo. All three of them had big, beaming smiles on their faces as they looked directly into the camera. The sight of what had probably been their last happy memory together was bittersweet, and Cliff felt a familiar pang of guilt as he looked down into eyes he’d never see again.
His parents had already been quite mature when they first met each other, and his father had been a good eleven years older than his mother. But when you’re 47 and 36, age doesn’t really mean that much, anymore. They knew they loved each other, and that was all that mattered.
Cliff’s mother had reached menopause right after his little sister was born. He’d been too scared to hold the tiny, fragile baby at first. His mom had always said she was so grateful to have a son and daughter while she still had the chance. Her husband had passed away suddenly when the kids were just 6 and 1, respectively, but she’d done a very good job of raising two young children all on her own. The stories she always told of their father made Cliff feel like he’d known his old man his whole life. He was no longer sure where his own memories ended and his mother’s tales began.
He couldn’t help but imagine his dad had been a little like Doug…
“E-excuse me, is this D-Doug’s Inn?”
The timid, halting voice shouldn’t have carried over the general hubbub of the restaurant, yet somehow it made its way to Cliff’s ears. He snapped back to the present like someone had thrown a bucket of icy water in his face, but he remained frozen in his seat. Carter noticed the subtle shift in his friend’s expression and posture.
“Cliff, are you ok?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.
The young man didn’t hear him as he strained his ears to locate the voice again. Had he been so lost in his memories that he’d imagined it?
“Oh, yeah, sorry about that,” Ann’s voice rang out loud and clear over the other conversations in the room, “I keep telling Dad he needs to get a sign for out front. Would you like a room?”
“P-please.”
It was just one word, barely audible above the noise of the restaurant, but Cliff felt the rest of the world fall away around him. Sounds grew muffled, like he was hearing them from underwater, and time seemed to slow down so that every nanosecond felt like an eternity. He didn’t notice himself push his chair away from the table or stand up robotically. When he looked back, he had no memory of turning around to face the bar at the far end of the room.
P-please…
Ann was easy enough to spot, standing behind the counter with her fiery red hair falling over her shoulder, a large guest book in her hands. But it was the young woman on the other side of the bar that filled Cliff’s vision.
Cliff…please….
Her long, chestnut brown hair was tied back by a length of frayed cloth into a low ponytail at the base of her neck. An old, patched satchel was slung over one shoulder, and she was fidgeting nervously with the strap in her pale hand. Her lavender coloured tunic was long enough to be a dress on her slight frame, and a pair of black leggings and some flat walking shoes, well-worn by the looks of them, completed her modest outfit.
… Don’t go…
He couldn’t see her face, but Cliff had no doubt that a pair of big, ocean-blue eyes were staring down at her nervous hands.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. It was as if he’d forgotten how to talk. He took one shaky step forward, and another, then stopped. All sound in the restaurant had died away as every eye turned to watch the young man who’d inexplicably stood up and walked to the middle of the room. Cliff was too distracted to notice their stares.
But the sudden silence had alerted the young woman, and her gaze shot up anxiously to Ann. The innkeeper’s daughter was looking past her, a confused frown settling on her face. Curiosity overcoming her nerves, the newcomer slowly turned around to see what had the whole room’s attention.
Ocean-blue eyes met each other, and the young lady’s hand flew to her mouth, her bag dropping forgotten to the panelled floor. The motion made a gold, heart-shaped locket around her neck glint in the light, and Cliff didn’t have to see inside it to know exactly what photograph it held. His breath caught in his throat, and his knees suddenly felt as weak as an old man’s. Tears started to creep into the corners of his eyes as he watched them spill from the young woman’s.
“…C-Cliff…?” she breathed hesitantly, as though she was afraid to hear the answer.
“…H-Heather…” he croaked at last, and all at once it was like someone flicked on the light switch in a pitch-black room. One of them gave a stuttering cry, it was impossible to tell which one, and just like that they were in each other’s arms, hands wrapped around shoulders like they were afraid to let go.
Tears streamed freely from their eyes as they held each other so tight it hurt, but neither of them minded. Cliff buried his face in his sister’s shoulder as he sobbed openly, and Heather kissed his hair over and over again between gasps of tear-filled breaths. Years of separation and raw emotion poured out of them both, but right now they didn’t care if the whole world was watching. They had finally found each other again.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the whole room. Doug, who had heard the sudden quiet and come out of the kitchen to investigate, was wiping a tear from his eye. His daughter Ann was hugging herself as though if she didn’t, she might burst with emotion as tears flowed unchecked down her cheeks. Even Carter, who had risen worriedly to his feet, was blinking his eyes rapidly as he swallowed the lump growing in his throat, a huge grin on his face.
Cliff and Heather didn’t notice that they were the centre of attention for the whole Inn. All they could see was each other, and they hungrily drank in the sight of their sibling like a pair of parched camels slaking their thirst at a godsent oasis. Neither seemed ready to let go yet, but they pulled apart just enough to gaze at each other’s faces through tear-blurred eyes.
“I’ve been looking for you for so long,” Heather’s voice trembled as she forced the words to come out.
Cliff pulled her back into a deep hug, his lips placing a tender kiss on her own forehead. “I know. I’m here now, Sister,” he choked, tightening his grip on her and unsuccessfully fighting back a fresh wave of tears, “And I promise: I’m never leaving you again.”