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In Sheep's Clothing	By : ParisWriter Category: +G through L > Harvest Moon Views: 2169 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 17
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Chapter Seventeen

Avery flipped through the pages of land permits sitting upon the information desk in town hall, looking over each one and attempting to decide her best strategy for the new season. The permit for the orchard was about to come up, but she already had all of the trees she really needed planted on her own farm and the land she's inherited from Eda. Besides, in order to get to the orchard she would have to go completely out of the way from where the other fields she was renting were located, so she decided to leave it for whoever else might want use of the land. The one thing that genuinely interested her was the paddy, which was the only place where anyone in town could grow rice. She knew she could easily purchase all the rice she needed from Asche, but it would be much more cost-effective if she could grow her own, especially now that she had finally purchased the machinery needed to harvest her own seeds from her crops.

Her heart sank when she saw the name of the farmer who currently owned the rights to the field: Elise. Even though the prissy rich girl didn't have a single farmer's bone in her body, she still had a staff full of servants who worked her farm and the lands she owned like a well-oiled machine. She knew if she didn't go after the paddy now, though, she would have to wait half a year before the lease would come due again. With a heavy sigh she weighed her options, then noticed that someone else had also put in a request to compete for the rights to use the paddy. The scrawl was somewhat childish and barely legible, which meant it could only be Fritz's name on the registration form. He'd elected to take Elise on in a competition of monetary gains through a single day's worth of trading. Avery knew he didn't stand a chance. Fritz had trouble making ends meet almost every season – except for the past winter, when he'd had both her and Agate helping him run his farm.

Taking a deep breath, she resolved to do her best and signed her name under Fritz's. If she won the rights to the paddy, she would offer to let him use half of it. That was the least she could do for him. She had some gemstones she'd been hiding at the bottom of her storage chest, and the first batch of her wine was expected to be ready within the next couple of days. Perhaps those few items, along with her usual bushels of vegetables and the milk and eggs from her livestock would add up to enough profit to outrank little Miss Elise von Tuffel.

"Ah! Avery! I see you've decided to participate in a land conquest?" Veronica asked upon greeting her, and Avery nodded as she handed over the forms. The guild master looked them over and smiled. "Very good. If you don't mind, though, I would like to have a word with you. If you have the time, that is. I know how busy you must be."

"I have some free time. What is it you want to talk about?" Avery asked. The other woman set down the paperwork for the land permits on the nearby desk and gestured for her to follow upstairs. Confused, Avery followed her to the living quarters she shared with her daughter. Veronica invited her to sit and offered to make her some tea, which she politely declined.

"What is all this about?" she asked impatiently as the older woman busied herself in the kitchen, gathering some pastries onto a tray.

"There is something I have been wanting to discuss with you for a while."

"If it's about the memorial for Madam Eda, I spoke with Gunther about that a couple of weeks ago and told him it was fine to place it where he wanted to."

"It's not that," Veronica told her with a polite smile as she set down the tray she had been loading with various treats upon the table in front of Avery, then took a seat across from her. "It concerns your relationship with Klaus."

Avery had been reaching for one of the jam tarts, but stopped with her hand mid-air and sat back, suddenly not feeling in the mood for sweets. She looked down at her skirt and straightened the folds, then carefully examined her boots – anything she could do to avoid the stern gaze of the guild master.

"I first learned of this the day of the tea party you held for the traders, but I felt it would be imprudent to bring up the subject in front of them," Veronica continued, selecting a biscuit from the tray and calmly dipping it into her tea as she spoke.

"Is there some sort of problem with me dating Klaus?" Avery wondered, finally looking back up to her.

"Not per se," Veronica replied with a small shake of her head. "In fact, I was just as glad as everyone else in town when I discovered the two of you were finally together. You make a lovely couple."

"Then what's the problem?" Avery asked, annoyed at how she was beating around the bush.

"It has come to my attention that the two of you have entered into a more... intimate stage of your relationship."

Avery tensed, but didn't look away. "So?"

"So, this is a small town, Avery," Veronica reminded her. "This isn't the city. Around here, women don't go around falling into a man's bed at every change they get."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't mean to sound harsh," Veronica assured her, holding up one hand to stop her from making any sort of angry outburst. "I like you, and I'm just trying to look out for your reputation."

"Sounds to me like you're accusing me of being some sort of slut," Avery snapped.

"That's not what I'm saying-"

"For your information," Avery cut her off. "Klaus and I have never had sex. We fooled around once. That's it, aside for some intense kissing – none of which has taken place in public here in your precious little town."

"I just want to-"

"Furthermore, he and I are both consenting adults, so I don't see how it's any of your business what we do together behind closed doors. Especially considering you're currently having an affair with Maurice."

Veronica blinked in shock, her eyes going wide. "How...?"

"I've had an idea there was some sort of attraction between you two since the Music Festival last fall," Avery explained. "Then, after Eda died, I started seeing you together more and more. Klaus told me about Maurice making you madelines for White Day, and then last week I happened to be in town before any of the shops opened to take a look at the spot where you told me I could set up a cart to sell my wine. I saw you leaving the inn, Veronica, and there is no logical reason for you to have been there that early unless you spent the night."

"Please, don't tell anyone," the guild master begged in a quiet whisper, her eyes downcast in shame.

"Why are you two trying to hide it?" Avery wondered. "It's not like either of you are cheating on your spouse. Your husband and his wife have both been dead for years."

"Angela and Lillie-"

"Are best friends," Avery cut her off once more. "And they're both grown women. I think they can handle the idea of their parents being together, especially if it makes the two of you happy. In fact, they'd probably love it because then they would get to be sisters, too. As for Melanie, she told me at the Starlight Gala that every year she wishes for a mom. Why can you be the mother she's been hoping for?"

"You don't understand," Veronica told her, setting her teacup down. "You can't possibly understand, because you've never been married."

"Then explain it to me," Avery requested.

"When you marry someone, you make a sacred vow to love them for as long as you shall live," Veronica explained.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Veronica, but your husband is gone and he's not coming back. Surely, you've accepted that?"

Veronica nodded and Avery stood up with a sigh, moving to sit next to her on the other side of the table. She reached over and took one of the older woman's hands in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Just because you're ready to move on with someone else doesn't mean you don't love him any more," she assured her. "And wherever he is right now, I'm sure he would want you to be happy."

Veronica laughed quietly. "You know, I brought you up here so I could lecture you about your sexual relationship with Klaus, and here you are lecturing me about my love life."

Avery signed and released her hand. "So? Go ahead and lecture."

"I've... decided not to," Veronica acquiesced with a sigh. "You're right. The two of you are consenting adults and what you choose to do in private is none of my business. But, please... do be careful. I would hate to see you end up a single, unwed mother."

"Veronica, I don't know what you may or may not have heard about Klaus," Avery said, smiling a little, "but he's a good man. If I were to unexpectedly end up pregnant, he wouldn't just leave me to raise the baby on my own."

"You truly think that?" the older woman asked, sounding unsure.

"Yes," Avery told her with conviction. "He and I already had a brief discussion about children, and we both want them."

"I'm sure you two would have very beautiful children together," Veronica said with a smile, attempting to remove any remaining tension that might have been between them. Avery returned the gesture and stood, finally picking up one of the jam tarts from the tea tray on the table and nibbling on it as she headed for the stairs.

"We'll have to wait and see about that, I suppose," she mused, popping the last bit of the tart into her mouth as she gave Veronica a wink and went back down to the guild hall.

She considered going home to try to gather together as many valuable items as she could in preparation for her conquest with Elise, but paused once more at the front desk. Veronica had obviously heard about what happened between her and Klaus from someone, and she had a very good idea who that someone was. Normally, she would have left Klaus to deal with him, but since she was already there she decided she might as well give the doctor a piece of her mind. Taking a deep breath to attempt to remain as calm as she possibly could in spite of the anger which was gently boiling just beneath the surface of her normally friendly demeanor, she rounded the large reception desk and opened the door leading to the clinic at the back of the building.

"Marian, we need to talk," she addressed the doctor, then froze when she saw he was already with a patient.

"What's wrong, love?" Klaus asked her, looking up from where Marian was taking a blood sample. She blinked a few times, then shook her head and rushed over to where he was sitting.

"Are you okay?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, her earlier concerns replaced with worry for his well-being. Marian chuckled as he removed the needle from Klaus' right arm and shook the vial of blood in his hands a few times before placing it in a holder with two others.

"As far as I can tell, he's fine."

"I was just getting my physical done," Klaus explained, rolling down his sleeve and buttoning the cuff, then wrapping his arms around Avery and pulling him down into his lap. She let out a relieved breath she hadn't realized she was holding and rested her head against his, her eyes falling closed.

"What is it you needed to talk to me about?" Marian wondered, setting the blood on his desk and checking some boxes on a form.

Avery sighed and looked over at him. "Veronica just called me a slut."

"What?" Klaus nearly barked the question, anger flashing in his eyes. She turned to him and kissed him briefly, placing a hand on his chest and shaking her head.

"It's okay, she and I talked and I set her straight," she explained, then nodded toward the doctor. "But obviously someone told her about what happened between us."

"I know," Klaus said with a nod, his jaw tightening. "She spoke to me, too, but I already explained to her nothing happened. She had no reason to confront you."

"She shouldn't have had a reason to need to confront either of us!" Avery pointed out, turning fully toward Marian. "Didn't Klaus tell you not to go blabbing about what you saw?"

"I didn't tell anyone anything!" Marian insisted, throwing his hands up in the air. "I promise!"

"He really didn't, Avery," Klaus vouched for him.

"Then where did she get the idea we had sex?" Avery demanded, her eyes still focused upon the biggest gossip she knew.

"Angela overheard us talking about what happened," Marian explained, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the side of his desk. "My guess is she told her mother."

Avery pondered his logic for a bit before finally accepting it with a nod. Angela wasn't the type to gossip, but something like Marian walking in on her and Klaus in the middle of an intimate moment certainly was an amusing story and she probably didn't think anything of sharing the embarrassing tale with her mother over dinner.

"What did Veronica say to you?" Klaus asked her, his arms tightening around her waist.

"She said I shouldn't just be falling into your bed at every chance and that she doesn't want to see me ending up an unwed mother."

Klaus chuckled a little and finally relaxed, kissing her neck. "That's pretty much what she said to me. She doesn't want me 'making a little mistake' and ruining your reputation."

"Sounds like she's more concerned about Avery than you," Marian remarked.

"She has a daughter," Avery reasoned, shrugging. "Besides, if I get pregnant it's not like I can just run away from it the way Klaus would be able to."

"You think I would run away?" Klaus asked her and she shook her head as she turned to smile at him.

"I know you would never leave me, even if something like that happened."

"Speaking of leaving," Klaus said, kissing her briefly before coaxing her up out of his lap. "I think we should get out of Marian's way so he can get back to work."

"You two aren't in my way at all," Marian assured them, waving off Klaus' concern.

Klaus chuckled and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair he had been sitting in. "Allow me to rephrase, then: I think we should get out of here so Marian can't use us as an excuse to neglect doing his job."

Avery laughed and waited for Klaus to finish putting on his coat, then linked her arm through his. Marian instructed Klaus to come back in three days for his test results, and the two of them bade him goodbye as they walked out of the clinic together. Veronica smiled at them from behind the desk in the main hall as they passed by, though the three of them didn't bother exchanging any sort of pleasantries. Avery just wanted to get away from the situation as quickly as possible, and was glad that Klaus didn't feel a need to defend her honor by telling off the guild master for lecturing her earlier.

"Everything's really okay, right?" she asked him once they were outside. "I mean, those tests Marian was talking about... they're not for anything serious, are they?"

"No, love," Klaus assured her with a smile, kissing her forehead. "Just routine blood work. Marian's concerned that I might be a bit anemic, but that's the worst of it."

"Good," she replied with a nod. "So, what shall we do today?"

"Actually, I have something I need to do in the city," he told her.

"But it's Tuesday," Avery said, her brow furrowing in confusion as she shook her head.

"I know, and I'm sorry." He leaned down and kissed her briefly. "I promise we'll do something together this weekend, okay?"

Avery forced a smile and nodded. "Okay. Sounds good. Be careful, all right?"

Klaus smiled and kissed her once more, lingering a bit longer before puling away. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

Avery watched him walk briskly toward the stairs leading away from the town square, biting her lip nervously. He never went into the city for business on Tuesdays, but perhaps he had a client who was unable to meet with him on the days he was usually there. Then again, maybe he was going to visit with Antonio – but if that was the case, wouldn't he have just told her that was where he was going? She knew she was probably being silly, wondering what he was doing, but Tuesdays were one of the days they had set aside just for them.

"It's just one day," she told herself, laughing off her irrational fear. Still, it seemed as though he wouldn't have even told her he was going to the city if she hadn't run into him. She would have ended up sitting at his house, waiting for him all day and worrying. That wasn't like Klaus. He always let her know when he would be too busy with work for them to do something, and even when he was he would still make sure to set aside half an hour for her so they could spend a little time together. The fact that he didn't even let her know that he would be going to the city and unable to meet with her for their usual Tuesday brunch was very unlike the man she knew.

It wasn't him going to the city on an off day that bothered her, she suddenly realized. It was that Klaus was acting strange... almost like he was trying to hide something from her.
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In Sheep's Clothing