THE UNSEEN SCENE
This has been bugging me to write it for a few days now. In Christy: A New Beginning we get to see Christy telling David her decision, but not her telling Neil. So this is how I think it might have gone. Disclaimer: I do not own Christy or anything therein; they are the property of the Marshall-LeSourd family. It was a few days before I was able to talk with Neil. We had all been busy helping people of the Cove clean up what the storm had left behind; Neil had been just a busy, if not more so, running all over the Cove checking on the people, bandaging them up, caring for those who were sick and keeping a sharp eye out for a possible epidemic – the last thing we needed – thankfully there had been no sign of one. I do not think I have ever been so nervous about anything in my entire life than when I entered the barn that morning as Neil was preparing to leave. It was very early, not even dawn; there was the pre-dawn light in the sky; it was long before anyone in the mission was awake. I knew that he had purposely gotten up that early so as to avoid meeting anyone – me more precisely. I had been ready for him to do this; I had gotten up a couple of hours ago and sat in my room reading over some of the material I was planning to teach the next day we were able to have school. I had heard the door to his room open and close and his footsteps down the stairs – his footsteps were so distinctive – I had grabbed my shawl and followed after him. I stopped, my hand on the handle of the barn door, taking deep breaths and trying to calm the frantic pounding of my heart in my chest. That did not really help; finally I just took a deep breath, pulled the door open and went inside. Neil looked up when he heard the door open, obviously surprised at someone even being awake at this hour, and he became even more so when he realized that it was me. "Christy! Did I wake you?" "No." I shook my head. He frowned slightly at my answer, but nodded in acknowledgement. "You shouldn't be out of bed, lass. I – we very nearly lost you that night; the last few days you've been far too active for my liking and you need rest." He began to move toward me. "And this cold air is not good for you." "You've been busier than I have and need rest just as much," I countered softly, looking him straight in the eye. "Did you even think that we might be worried when we woke up and didn't find you here?" He stopped. "I left a note on the dining table." I did not say anything; I just looked at him; I could tell he knew exactly what I was thinking and he cleared his throat slightly nervously. "Christy, you should really get back up to the house." I shook my head. "I have to tell you something – a couple of things, actually." His hands clenched at his sides. "What is it, Christy?" I moved over to gently rub Duke's neck, trying to think how to start; I finally decided to just come out and say the first thing I needed to tell him. "I broke off my engagement with David." I never had seen, and never again did see, Neil go so still. I pressed on. "I know that one day he's going to leave Cutter Gap to work at another church or mission. I love Cutter Gap, the mountains, the people," a bright smile spread across my face, "the children. I couldn't give it up for him; I would end up resenting him for taking me away." I kept my eyes on my hand running over Duke's coat. "More importantly, while I care for David a great deal I don't love him – not the way a wife should love her husband." I could hear Neil swallow hard. "You don't?" I shook my head, "No. I can't love him that way, the way he deserves." A smile touched my lips. "I hope he does find a woman to love him like that someday, someone who loves him so totally and completely, with every breath in her, and whom he returns it for." It was my turn to swallow hard. "And I hope he isn't as blind to it as I was." I heard Neil's swift intake of breath; I finally turned to face him. I was trembling as I met his eyes. "Neil…" my heart felt like a horse galloping in my chest; I took a shaky breath. "I love you." I released the words in a rush; once I said them, I felt freer in a way. "Christy…" his breathing was harsh. "I love you, Neil," I repeated before he could say more, though the way he said my name sped my heart up even faster. "I have loved you for so long, but I was too blind to see it, or how you loved me." I quickly pressed on, so that he could not interrupt me. "I know that I have hurt you; I wish with everything in me that I could take that pain back, and I don't expect you to take me back as if nothing happened, but I just had to tell you how I truly felt before you left." I wrung my hands. "I love you," I repeated before moving past him to leave the barn. His hand shot out, wrapped around my upper arm and spun me around; before I had time to react his mouth was on mine, hungry and possessive. Even before my mind could catch up with what was happening I was kissing him back with equal passion; my fingers were entwined in his hair. His arms wrapped around me, almost crushing me. The kiss in the hunting shack had nearly taken my breath away, but it was nothing compared to this. This was only our second kiss, but it surpassed all of the kisses that I had shared with David; this kiss made those kisses seem as if they had never happened. In this kiss he held nothing back, and neither did I. He finally pulled away just far enough away so he could speak. "Am I going to get slapped again for that, Lass?" he rasped out, just barely audible over our labored breathing. My only response was to pull his lips back to mine. I do not know how long it was before we finally pulled apart again, but when we did we did not move far apart; my arms were still draped around his shoulders, his arms were still around my waist – our embrace was the only thing keeping me standing; my legs had turned to jelly – our foreheads were resting against each other, our heavy breathing mingling as wisps of fog in the cold air. I closed my eyes for a moment; I could smell his scent, a combination of the tobacco from his pipe, horse, the medicines he used, soap and just the air of the mountains – our mountains. One of my hands moved from his shoulders to cup the side of his face; I opened my eyes to meet his. "I can finish out the year teaching here; hopefully giving Miss Alice time to find a new teacher." I could see confusion entering his eyes. "I can join you in Baltimore after that, if you want." He frowned. "I thought that you couldn't give up being here." I smiled. "I couldn't give it up for David, but I could for you." I stroked his cheek; a look of surprise crossed his face, but it quickly became a heart-melting, tender, look so filled with love that it nearly brought tears to my eyes. He leaned forward and kissed me again; this time softly, but conveying just as much love; when he pulled back and our eyes met again he returned my smile. "Thank you, Lass. You don't know what that means to me." My smile widened. "But that won't be necessary." It was my turn to frown slightly. "I will return to Baltimore, but only to hand in my resignation and get my things; then I am going to come back here, back home – that is as long as you want to stay here and make this our home." Hesitancy entered his face, but I was grinning widely and I enthusiastically kissed him. "Yes – absolutely – yes!" I said in between kisses. He laughed and swept me up in his arms, spinning me around, my own laughter joining his. Duke seemed to look at us as though we were insane, but in this moment I was truly and perfectly happy. Neil finally put me down, both of us still grinning; he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me again. "I love you, Christy Huddleston," he said when he finally pulled away. I did not think my grin could get any wider, but it did. "I love you too, Neil MacNeill." I was surprised to see some nervousness on his face. "When I return…would you – would you agree…to marry me?" My heart leapt with joy and love, and I could not speak for a moment; I took his hands – those large hands, calloused from years of work, that could be so gentle and God could use to perform such amazing miracles – in my hands; I finally found my voice again. "Yes, Neil. I will." The joy on his face and in his eyes was the same that I had seen in those of the children; my own heart was overflowing with love. We came together at the same time in a kiss again; it was brief, but neither of us was in any hurry to let the other go and we stood there wrapped in each other's arms, just holding each other for a while longer. The outside world was beginning to intrude; the birds that had been chirping with the coming dawn were more numerous in number and through cracks in the barn's walls I could just see the light of dawn peeking through; I knew that Neil was also noticing all these things. I buried my face in his coat. "I don't want to let you go," I whispered. His arms tightened around me. "I don't want to go, Lass, but think of it this way: the sooner I leave; the sooner I can return for good," his voice was slightly rough. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, trying to brace myself. It was not fair, we had finally admitted to each other how we felt – he had asked me to marry him! – and we had to be separated only moments later. Finally I loosened my arms from around his chest; his own reluctantly let me go, however his hand gripped one of mine. He turned and reached for Duke's reins; he then began to lead the horse out, still holding my hand; I willingly went with him. He finally seemed to once more notice the chill in the air; he frowned at my plaid shawl, removed his coat and draped it over my shoulders; I did not protest for once. He walked me up to the mission house, the whole way gently scolding me for coming out in the cool morning so "inadequately dressed," I listened silently the entire way, a small smile on my lips. When we reached the building Miss Alice was nearly running out; she pulled up short when she saw us and seemed to relax slightly. "Neil, I thought that thee might already be gone," her eyes looked back and forth between the two of us, taking in Neil's coat draped over my form and his arm wrapped around me, with a growing look of knowing and what looked like happiness in her eyes; I truly hoped that she approved of us; she was so important to the both of us. "Not quite, Alice." He turned his head to look at me, a warm, loving smile on his face that matched my own. "Christy came out to talk to me." He pulled his gaze away from me; back to Miss Alice, whose eyes were now sparkling with joy as she looked at the both of us. "Alice, I am returning to Baltimore, but I should be back in a few days." She nodded, not looking at all surprised. "We shall be waiting for thy return," her eyes turned in my direction. Neil nodded, looking back at me; we both knew that the time had come; I handed him back his jacket but he tried to get me to keep it. "Neil, you need it." He finally took it back; I reached for a basket I had left sitting on one of the steps; handing it to him. He looked inside, finding some fresh bread and chicken; he looked back up at me with a look of humor. I smiled at him, leaning closer. "You take care of everyone else; let someone take care of you." Neil reached out and drew my face to his, gently kissing me. I blushed crimson at the fact that Miss Alice was watching us, but Neil kept the kiss relatively short and chaste. "Thank you," he whispered, a grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "The chicken isn't burnt this time, is it?" I narrowed my eyes. "No it isn't, but just so you know it was your fault that I burnt that other chicken," I told him. His eyebrows shot up. "Really now? And why is that?" I lifted my chin. "Well, you will just have to wait until you return to hear that." I loved it how the laugh lines around his eyes crinkled so deeply when he smiled and laughed; I particularly loved it when it was due to me. He pressed a kiss to my forehead when he had finally stopped laughing. "I shall look forward to it, Lass." I impulsively leaned up and kissed him before I turned and headed to the porch. Neil mounted Duke; he moved up along side the porch, his eyes on mine before he turned to Miss Alice. "Keep an eye on her, Alice." Her arm went around my shoulders. "Always, Neil." He smiled; then turned to me. "Lass, might I ask how you knew I was leaving if I did not wake you, or is that something else that will have to wait 'til I return?" His tone was slightly teasing on the last part, but genuinely curious in his question. I smiled and said simply, "I know you and love you, Neil." He grinned. "I love you too, Christy." I returned his grin. "Now go so that you can come back sooner." He nodded; we watched him ride off. "With thee here waiting for him, Miss Huddleston, he will be back before you know it," Miss Alice said, humor in her voice I knew that through my tears I was grinning like an idiot. So that is how I thought that it might have gone. It is not exactly how I though it would turn out, but I guess it turned out ok. Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think about it! Praise and constructive criticism are both highly appreciated.
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