Disclaimer: This story is written for entertainment only. The characters of Christy belong to the LeSourd Family. I am in no way seeking profit from the continuation of the story. Any characters that are invented for the purpose of this Fanfic are from the author's imagination. ****** ************************** Title: A Place Full of Love Author: Rachel McNeil ************************* Setting: 2 years since A Road Home, 1 year since Neil and Christy married. Early morning sunlight flooded a small cabin in the woods, giving it a heavenly appearance. Two doves, in a near-by tree, sang beautiful love songs to each other as they built their nest together. Two rabbits, in a cage outside the cabin, nuzzled one another, snuggling closer and speaking a secret, loving, language. Everything around the cabin seemed to glow with a deep peace, an immense happiness, and an everlasting love. There wasn’t a place in the area where even the trees and flowers didn’t seem to be happy and in love. This heavenly glow was not only found in the cabin as well, but was larger and more beautiful than it was outside. When you entered the place you right away felt loved and welcomed. You didn’t feel out of place or uncomfortable, you felt like you had just come home from a long tiring journey. An old looking Bible lay on a table, open to 1 Corinthians 13. There was a small bouquet of wild flowers, tied with a violet ribbon, in a vase. A hand written note with the simple, yet elegant words “I’ll love you forever” on it, lay next to a pipe sitting on a small table. And a picture of a happy bride and groom sat, framed, over the fire place. Yes indeed, love was prominate here. Neil McNeil woke to the loving sounds of the two doves and smiled, feeling the love around him. In his arms, sleeping peacefully, was his beautiful wife. He thought she looked like an angel at this moment, the morning light giving her a golden glow, her long soft hair framing her face and a small smile gracing her youthful face. Neil loved this moment of the day, when he could observe his true love without her knowing. The doctor watched his sleeping wife a while longer before leaning down and softly brushing her soft lips with his. Christy McNeil felt the warm glow of the morning sunlight on her face, followed by the warm touch of her husband’s lips to her own. She allowed her eyes to flutter open and look at her one and only love. She had woken up a few moments before her husband and watched him sleep for a couple glorious minutes. Christy loved the way his face was relaxed and peaceful looking. He always looked so handsome in the early morning light, his golden-red curls falling carelessly across his broad forehead. When she saw him start to stir she had quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Christy knew how much her husband loved to watch her sleep and wake her up like she was a Princess from a fairytail. To tell the truth, Christy loved it too. Neil watched as his wife’s eyelids fluttered open, revealing the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen in him entire life. The beauty of Christy’s eyes always made him gasp. No matter how many times he looked into them and get lost in them he couldn’t help but marvel at their beauty. The small smile Christy had worn in her sleep broadened as her eyes set on her husbands face. “Good-morning my bonnie Lass.” Neil whispered as he graced her lips with another soft morning kiss. “Good-morning my bonnie Prince” Christy whispered back, leaning over to return the much appreciated favor. For the past 12 months this was what they woke up to. There had been only two rare occasions when they hadn’t woken up together, both times when Neil had to out on duty. Christy loved being a married women, more so, she loved being married to Neil. He always was surprising her with some unexpected romantic gesture. “You were out late last night.” Christy whispered after they had broken off the last kiss. “I tried to wait up, but I was too tired. I’m sorry. Did you find the dinner I left on the stove for you you?” Neil brushed a stray piece of hair off her face and kissed the place where it had been. “Aye, I did find it. It was the best stew I’ve ever tasted. Thank you for keeping it warm, sweetheart. Don’t feel bad about not waiting up, you must have needed the sleep.” Christy smiled and snuggled down into Neil’s arms again, just feeling the warmth of their love. Neil tightened his arms around his lass and nuzzled her neck before laying his cheek on hers. “Oh, my love’s like a red, red rose, that’s newly sprung in June.” Neil softly sang a favorite song to her, in his deep, love filled voice. “Oh, my love’s like a melody, that’s sweetly played in tune. How fair art thou, my bonnie Lass! How deep in Love am I! I will love you till the end when all the sea’s run dry and the rocks melt with the sun! I will love you still my dear, while the sands of life shall run....” Neil’s sweet serenade ended in a loving, passionate kiss. ******************************************************************************************** “All right Children, you are dismissed for the weekend! I hope to see you all Sunday morning at church!” The children of Cutter Gap hardly herd their teacher as they all ran from the warm school house, out into the cool spring breeze. Christy smiled, she loved teaching, she loved the children, she loved what she learned from each one of them. Christy sat down at her desk and started grading papers and soon got lost in her work. “Hello Christy, how art thou?” Christy snapped her head up at the sound of Alice Henderson’s voice. “Miss Alice! Why, I didn’t even you come in!” Christy got up to embrace the woman who had become so much like a mother to her. “I am doing wonderfully well, how are you?” Alice smiled broadly at the young women. “ I am doing very well, thank you, Mrs. McNeil. If I may ask, what is the source of all this joy I sense from thee?” Christy got a small smile on her face, one that told you that she had a wonderful secret, that only she knew. “Miss Alice, can I trust you to tell no one about this? I mean, I haven’t even discussed this with Neil, yet I wouldn’t be surprised if he already knew....” “Of course, Christy, thee can always trust me....” Christy sat down in one of the small desks and Alice followed suit. “Miss Alice, I think, there is a very strong possibility of this, that I may be, well..... I think, I’m almost sure of it, but not quite positive, that I am...um...” Christy blushed a light shade of red, her face reveling what she was trying to say. Alice gasped and grabbed Christy’s hands in joy. “Christy McNeil, are thee trying to tell me that thee may be, shall we say, in a delicate condition?” Christy’s face flooded with pure happiness as she nodded exididly. Alice caught the young women up in a warm and loving hug. “I couldn’t be more happy if it were my own datugher! This is so wonderful, Christy dear!” Christy looked up at the older women, tear flooding her eyes. “I’m sorry it couldn’t have been Margaret....” Alice looked taken a back, then reached for Christy again. “It wasn’t meant for Margaret. Margaret is with her Lord now.... But Christy, dear, this is your time, don’t let past things take this joy away.” “Miss Alice, I’ll tell you, NOTHING could take this joy away from me! Not anything!” With that Christy lapsed into a helpless laugh, that soon got Alice going as well. Soon the two of them were laughing so hard they both had tears running down their faces. “Well, you two seem to be having a good time! Mind if I join in?” Christy turned around quickly to see the tall, muscular frame of her husband standing in the doorway. Her eye, as if not full enough of light, grew lighter at the sight of her “Bonnie Prince.” “You can always join in my fun, Doctor McNeil!” She said, laughter still pouring out of her. Suddenly, as if forgetting Alice Henderson was in the room, Neil came over to Christy and started tickling her unmercifully. “Neil...Neil stop it!! Neil stop!!!” Christy was laughing so hard tears poured down her face and her side ached ‘sometin’ fearce.’ Alice stood there, somewhat stunned, but touched at this display of affection from the couple. “Neil, stop! Please!” Christy’s laugh filled pleas filled the school house, making Neil tickle her even harder. Alice watched a few moments longer, before she quietly slipped out of the schoolhouse. “They need their time alone.” she thought to herself as she walked back to the quiet mission house. Back inside the tickling continued and Christy’s half-hearted pleas continued to go unnoticed. “Neil! Oh, Neil! Stop!” It was getting harder and harder for her to plea with this man any longer. She looked up at him and saw his eyes full of mischief and love. “I’ll stop, Mrs.McNeil, only if you tell me what you and Alice Henderson were laughing so wholeheartedly about!” The doctor paused for a moment, letting his young wife catch her breath. After a moment or two Christy regained her composure and with a hint of equal mischief in her eye she started walking towards the school house door. “Hey! Aren’t you going to answer my question?” Christy paused for a moment before turning and answering him. “You’ll find out soon enough!” Then with that she darted out the door with Neil McNeil not far behind her. The two of them rode home on Charlie, another daily routine for them. Neil tried with all his might to get her to tell, but had no luck. “You can keep kissing me all you want, Neil McNeil, but I’m not telling you a thing until I feel like it!!” ******************************************************************************************** Later that night, over a meal of fresh trout, homemade cornbread, and Neil’ favorite dessert, blackberry cobbler, Christy decided to softly tell Neil intuitions. Neil had just had seconds of the cobbler when she started off. “Neil, I was thinking, mabey you could clean out your lab, mabey move it somewhere else.” Neil stopped, with the fork half way to his mouth, in mid-air. “I mean, I know you still do some research in there, but not as much now that you sent a lot of you stuff to that Doctor in Ashville. It’s a very useful room, I hate to see it go to waste.” Christy stopped then, Neil, still stunned by her request, set down his fork and scratched his head. “Why this sudden interest in my lab, Christy, what do you have in mind?” Christy stood up and started clearing the dishes away and wiping down the table. “Well, for one thing, it would make a wonderful nursery.” The room was filled with silence for a few moments before Neil broke it. “A Nursery? What use do we have for a-” Neil stopped mid-senctice, the meaning of the words finally making sense to him. He turned around to look a Christy, who was scrubbing dishes behind him. He got up and swung her around, her wet hands dripping dish water all over the floor. His face was full of excitement and confusion and joy all at once. “Christy! A baby? Are you sure?!” His voice was barely above a whisper but his words shook the cabin. Christy looked up at him, tears filling her big blue eyes. “I’m not completely sure yet, but almost. I’m nearly two weeks late, I-” Neil cut her off by kissing her with more love and more passion then he had ever done before. Christy felt very light headed and dizzy, more so then she normally did when he kissed her. “I love you so much Christy Rudd McNeil! More than you will ever know!” With that said, he kissed her again, once more making Christy feel as if she was going to swoon in his arms. “Neil, I’m not sure yet, I mean sometimes I am late! Not usually this late, but-” Her husband once again cut her off, this time by covering her lips with a tender touch of his hand. “Mrs. McNeil, do you forget who you are talking to? I am the best doctor in Cutter Gap! I’m more sure than you are that you are going to have my baby!” Neil once again swept her into his muscular arms and held her for a long time before kissing her. ************************************************************************************************** Early morning sunlight flooded the McNeil cabin, making it glow in heaven’s light. In a near by tree two doves lovingly fed their new chicks, while singing beautiful love songs to them. The rabbits in the cage cared carefully for their new little ones, nuzzling and snuggling closer to them. Everywhere you looked around the cabin, new life was springing. There wasn’t a place where you couldn’t find a new flower budding or a small tree sprouting into the fresh spring air. It wasn’t any different inside the McNeil cabin, in fact, the signs of new life where everywhere. There were freshly folded dippers sitting on the table, next to a vase of beautiful wild flowers, tied with a violet ribbon. There was a small teddy bear laying next to a Bible open to Ecclesiastics 3. A baby’s bootie lay on top of a hand written note that said “I love you more than you will ever know.” And a picture of a happy couple and their new family sat over the fireplace. New life was everywhere in the McNeil cabin. Upstairs, Neil and Christy McNeil were silently watching their son, Stewart John McNeil, and their beautiful daughter, Rebecca Alice McNeil, sleep peacefully. The sunlight streaming through the window gave the twins a heavenly look and the whole room was filled with love and peace. “Oh, My Love’s like a red, red rose, that’s newly sprung in June. Oh my love’s like a melody that’s sweetly played in tune!” Neil sang the words, barely above a whisper, to his three month old twins and his “Bonnie Lass.” As the children slept soundly, unaware of their parent’s presence, the Bonnie Prince took his True Love in his strong arms. “Thank you Mrs. McNeil.” He whispered as he softly nuzzled her neck. “For what, dear?” Christy asked as she snuggled deeper in to his arms. “For giving yourself to be my wife, for giving me two beautiful children, with eyes as blue as yours, and most of all, for giving me your undying love.” Christy looked up to find her husband’s eyes overflowing with tears. “My love, don’t cry! I have always wanted to be your wife, these children I surely didn’t do alone! Not only do they have blue eyes, but golden-red hair, as curly as their father’s. But most of all, you always have and always will have my undying love.” With those loving words spoken, the Doctor took the small schoolteacher in his arms and kissed her passionately, until she could hardly stand. Then together, they watched their beautiful children sleep, looking like perfect angels. This cabin was, indeed, filled with true love. The End!