THE PATHS WE MAKE
Based on the TV Show "Christy"

AN: I am so glad people are interested in this story and were intrigued by the first chapter. Now we get to see some familiar faces and get to meet a few of the OC's I've thrown into the mix. For some reason I have decided to title each chapter after a poem or a song – God only understands how my mind works – we'll see how this turns out. I did make a slight change to the first chapter saying it was after their first year of college rather than their first semester – I'm not positive of the timeline of Christy's life before the story so I'm making some guesses, please let me know if I make mistakes! Please let me know what you think!

The Paths We Make

Chapter 2: I Am Ready to Go

By Emily Dickinson

Tie the strings to my life, my Lord,

Then I am ready to go!

Just a look at the horses –

Rapid! That will do!

Put me in on the firmest side,

So I shall never fall;

For we must ride to the Judgment,

And it's partly down hill.

But never I mind the bridges,

And never I mind the sea;

Held fast in everlasting race

By my own choice and thee.

Good-by to the life I used to live,

And the world I used to know;

And kill the hills for me, just once;

Now I am ready to go!

"Call me from El Pano once your train arrives, and write once you get settled at the mission." Melissa Atteridge hugged her two best friends tightly, while she struggled to keep in check the tears that were attempting to escape from beneath her lids.

"Of course," Christy Huddleston assured her and returned her embrace with equal force. "I wish you were coming with us."

Melissa pulled away, running a thumb under her hazel eyes to wipe away the tears. "Mother and Father won't stand for it."

"Then you'll have to come and visit," Heather MacNeill declared; her accent a strange mix between a southern drawl and Scottish brogue.

The dark haired woman smiled gratefully. "That would be wonderful."

The vivacious Scotts woman hugged her friend. "And it'd better be soon!"

"As soon as I can manage and for as long as you'll have me," she assured the taller woman.

The shortest member of their trio grinned. "Well that would require you to stay forever."

Melissa laughed tearfully. "We can dream."

"You two ready to go?"

The three women looked up at Mr. Huddleston, who had come to stand beside them without their noticing.

"Yes, Daddy." Christy nodded as she and Heather picked up their carry-on bags.

Mrs. Huddleston was waiting a few feet away, standing stiffly. She had made her sentiments on her daughter taking off for the backwoods of Tennessee well known. But as her daughter came to stand in front of her the older woman's face and posture melted a bit and she hugged her daughter tightly. "Be careful, and call and write as soon as and as much as possible."

The petite young woman swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "I will mother. I love you."

"I love you to, darling."

Julia finally released her only daughter and resumed her stiff posture, but there was love and concern clearly reflected in her eyes.

Then it was William's turn to hug his little girl. "Bye now, Girlie. Stay safe."

"Of course, Daddy."

"Doona worry Mr. Huddleston. I'll make sure she stays safe," Heather assured him, grinning.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why does that worry me more? Could it be because of the time you all went tearing along a beach on horseback or the time you talked Christy and Melissa into mountain climbing with you?"

The smile on the red-blond headed woman's face was entirely unrepentant and the aforementioned women's faces had lit up, but at the same time became red with embarrassment, at the memories.

"Twasna really mountain climbing; more hiking. Though, ya canna say I'm boring."

"No," William conceded, "we certainly cannot say that."

His wife looked back and forth between the two young women, seemingly reminded of their rather infamous exploits over the last few years. "You both will be careful, won't you?"

Heather's expression immediately softened and she leaned forward, hugging the woman who had been a surrogate mother to her. "I promise we willna do anything foolhardy."

Julia raised her eyebrow as the young woman pulled away. "Yes, but your definition of 'foolhardy' is not quite the same as the rest of us."

"We'll be careful, Mother." Christy took her mother's hand and squeezed it gently.

The train whistle blew and William began hustling both women aboard; they got to their seats, opened the window and leaned out to wave to Christy's parents and Melissa as the train pulled away.

The petite woman bit her lip. "I miss them already."

Heather wrapped her arm around her friend. "Me too."

Ever since they had met in high school Christy had been intrigued by the highland woman's stories of her place of birth, Cutter Gap.

Heather had been born in Cutter Gap like all her family for so many generations before her; she had spent the first few years of her life in the Cove – as it was called – until her parents had died. Her elder brother, who had gone off to medical school in Scotland, came back for her and brought her with him, placing her with a distant, elderly aunt he had located in the country. The aunt, a rather odd woman named Isobel, had been widowed many years before with no children of her own and was quite happy to take Heather in, ensuring she got the best education possible. She was also happy to instill in Heather the same fierce independence that she had gained over the years and the same desire to go out and have more or less whatever adventures caught her fancy.

When it came time for Heather to attend high school Isobel decided that the girl needed to go back to America and that she herself would like to see the country her niece and nephew came from. It was at the high school Heather, Christy and Melissa met and became the best of friends. It was a friendship that defied the understanding of most: Heather was vibrant, outgoing – almost forceful – with a need to defy convention to an extent. Christy was more conventional, but passionate about things she believed in, with a heart "as big as the whole world" – according to her two friends. Melissa was the most conventional of the three, she was more introverted, though with her friends she could often come out of her shell; she had a watchful gaze and great human insight.

After high school Christy and Heather attended college; Melissa's parents allowed her to take a couple of classes but were more interested in getting her married off. Around the same time that they were starting college Isobel died. Heather had been inconsolable over losing the woman who had been guardian and grandmother to her. Christy and Melissa had remained right beside their best friend through the whole thing, from the moment she called them sobbing after finding her deceased aunt, through all the meetings with the lawyers. Isobel had left nearly everything to Heather; there were a few items she left to some friends and other kin along with a trust for her sister's – the only sibling she had – three grandchildren. Another family member came forward requesting to buy the house – one of the ancestral homes of their family – Heather sold it to them along with most of the items inside well below its worth; she only requested a few items that held sentimental value or were her own to be sent to her.

It was not long after Isobel's death that Heather started to become restless; a few months later she began talking about going back home, to Cutter Gap. All the close kin that she had left were there; her brother had returned to be the doctor for the Cove, and their Aunt Hattie, whom she spoke of with great affection, still lived there. Heather got in touch with Alice Henderson who ran the mission in Cutter Gap; the Quaker woman wrote back of the need there for more people with medical training – Heather was a trained nurse – and a teacher. With the news that the mission needed a teacher Christy felt like a fire had been lit in her head and heart; she knew then that she had to volunteer. Heather had written Miss Henderson with Christy's request and qualifications; they received a reply that, while they had no school building, "if Miss Huddleston is willing to teach outside, even under a tent in the rain, we will be happy to have her." Once they had sent Christy's affirmative reply the pair began to plan the trip…and how to tell Christy's parents. That was probably the hardest part; neither was overly thrilled at their daughter going to such a backward place where epidemics were common, along with feuding and moonshining. In the end Christy's passion and determination won out, and here they were on the train to El Pano.

During the first half of the train ride the pair held sporadic conversations and read. When a few children became fussy and unruly for their parents Heather had pulled out her guitar and played and sang several tunes to occupy them; at this point Christy pulled out her sketch book and began drawing the events and people around her; soon some of the children were looking over her shoulders, chattering excitedly over the images.

"Next stop, El Pano!" the conductor called as he walked down the aisle.

Christy put away her sketch book and Heather her guitar. The children let out disappointed sounds but obediently returned to their parents, who thanked the two young women as they gathered their belongings.

They stood on the platform watching the train disappear; Heather's attention was quickly drawn to the hills, over which they would have to go to reach Cutter Gap. She stared at the achingly familiar sight wistfully. They were going to be staying at Mrs. Tatum's Boardinghouse for the night and the next day someone would be coming to get them.

Christy watched her friend, understanding the expression on her face; the shorter woman bit her lip thoughtfully; then turned to look in the same direction. "So how far is it to Cutter Gap again?"

"Seven miles," Heather automatically answered.

"You know," Christy began casually, "we could ride that in no time."

The redhead shook her head and gestured at the sky and the trail before them. "It's too muddy and it's going to rain even more soon; a horse would break its leg trying to make that ride."

The petite brunette shrugged. "Then we'll walk; we could be at the mission before nightfall and come back for our trunks later."

Heather's head snapped toward her friend, surprised.

Christy looked back at her.

Identical smiles of humor and excitement spread across their faces.

The taller woman sobered for a moment. "Tisna an easy walk, Christy."

"And the hiking trip we went on last spring was a stroll in the park?" her friend teasingly returned.

The redhead smiled wryly. "Still this is harder and more dangerous in many ways."

Christy slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up her suitcase. "Well, we can try and if it gets too hard we can turn back."

Heather slung her guitar over one shoulder and her bag over the other. "Y'do realize if your parents find out about this we'll be in more than a wee bit of trouble."

The brunette shrugged. "I think they are half expecting us to do something at least a little bit reckless."

The Scotts woman nodded. "Aye, that'd be true."

I know that the poem actually refers to death but I felt that much of it really rang true for Christy and Heather's situation; thus why I finally chose it. I have now introduced Heather and Christy, and as you can tell I have changed things quite a bit… I know that most young women in that time would not have gone hiking, but Heather has a habit of convincing her two best friends to do things they normally would never dream of doing. However in the same turn Christy and Melissa, as you'll see, are the ones who, most of the time, will put the brakes on Heather so that she does not go to far. I hope that it was alright and that I did not butcher these much beloved characters and I hope that this chapter is ok! Constructive criticism and praise are treasured!

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