Here's a little ditty I zipped off this afternoon. I make no claims as to 
the grammatical or spelling quality. :-) pt. 2 tomorrow.

Joy,

Sarabeth

Once Within a Kitchen pt 1
A short piece of Thanksgiving fiction
by Sarabeth

Summary: You'll just have to read it :-)

Disclaimer: Standard; please see my other fics.


"Oh! Ugh."

Christy Grantland removed her hand from a pot of half mashed potatoes. 
Failure to allow enough cooking time had required the school teacher to 
apply unusual force to mash the potatoes in time for dinner. A slip from the 
mashing tool sent her delicate fingers squishing into the potatoes.

Christy surveyed the kitchen as she wiped lumpy white substance from her 
hand. Two pumpkin pies, one boiled over, sat on the table. Rock hard rolls 
disgraced a china plate next to the pies. Chaos ruled elsewhere; dirty 
mixing bowls and spoons were piled up in the washtub and a fine mist of 
flour covered the floor.

A pungent, smoky scent began to rise from the stove. Horror expanded the 
whites of Christy's eyes as she rushed across the small kitchen. "The 
possum!"

The black cloud that rose from the stove has she opened the oven confirmed 
Christy's worst fears. Tears began to sting her eyes. "We should have gone 
to Boston like David's mother wanted!"

"Sure now, but I'm glad you didn't - " Dr. MacNeill stopped his entry 
abruptly as he took in the ruined Thanksgiving meal and its harried cook. 
"Well, lass, you never were good with a stove. Remember the time at my cabin 
when you nearly set the place on fire? I wouldn't worry too much. You're 
newly wed enough to make up for lack of culinary skill." A wink completed 
Neil's sentence.

"Oooh! Get out of my kitchen. I can't take this right now! My first 
Thanksgiving as David's wife and it's completely ruined." Sobs began wrack 
Christy's body.

Neil, suddenly remorsefull, crossed the kitchen and took Christy in his 
arms. "It'll be just fine. I wouldn't worry. David will be happy. We'll all 
have a wonderful Thanksgiving just being together. Anyway, I wasn't really 
looking forward to possum. Were you?"

Before Christy could say anything, her husband ran into the kitchen 
excalaiming, "I saw the smoke from the schoolyard - "
Neil stepped away from Christy quickly.

"My friend here was upset at the state of our Thanksgiving possum. I was 
only trying to help."

David didn't respond verbally, but Christy could see the hurt in his eyes. 
"David, Neil is right. It's nothing."

"Yes," Neil chimed in, "It's only my habit of rescuing Miss Huddleston from 
kitchen fires."

The preacher's eyebrows arched. "Habit?"

"Why, yes. Christy once made me a burnt dinner in an attempt to get me to 
accept Dan Scott. I was out bathing and suddenly smoke began to pour out of 
my cabin. The fair cook had decidedly scorched the chicken." Neil's eyes 
twinkled with the memory of Christy's peeping tom experience gone awry.

"Doctor MacNeill, do you mind leaving David and me alone for a minute?"

"Of course not, Christy. I'll be in the parlor."

The Doctor exited the kitchen. Christy shut the door behind Neil and 
approached David. She reached for David's wrists and pulled his hands from 
their position in his pocket.

With a gentle, hurt tone, David said, "We've been married for less than four 
months, and I find you in the arms of another man."

"David, if that had been my father - "

"It wasn't. It was Neil MacNeill. Of all people! *Neil MacNeill.*"

"We're only friends."

David gave Christy a hard look. "You and Neil have never been 'only 
friends.' "

Part 2 coming later! Don't get excited, Neil Chicks ;-)



______________________________________________________


Once Within a Kitchen pt 2
A short piece of Thanksgiving fiction
by Sarabeth

Summary: Christy has ruined Thanksgiving dinner, and David walked in on Neil 
comforting her . . .

Disclaimer: Standard; please see my other fics.

"Do you think I could have married you if I was more than just friends with 
Neil?"

"You couldn't have married him." David's eyes flashed. "Maybe I'm just 
substitute."

"David that's not fair. You know it isn't true."

A frown crept over David's face. "You're right. I was just being mean. 
Seeing you with Neil tonight . . . it really hurt, you know. After all we've 
been through, I guess I'm still insecure about your love. Neil always seemed 
to be a shadow over our relationship. Forgive me for not trusting you, 
Christy."

Christy smiled. "I'm glad that's finished. Now, what are we going to do 
about dinner? I can't serve this."

"Jeb was over earlier. He said Fairlight had a prenomition about us needing 
a place to go tonight. So we're invited to the Spencer's place for dinner."

Hands on her hips, Christy shook her head and replied, "I guess my cooking 
lessons with Fairlight haven't been going too well."

"Let's go get Dr. MacNeil and tell him about dinner's relocation."

Hand in hand, they did just that.

The End, at last :-)

The author apologizes for the truncated ending, but she got sick of this 
story. David Dames who missed The Way Things Ought To Be are encouraged to 
check the story out on Sonja's SFM fiction download page.