It's been far too long! But thanks to whingeing from the wonderful gang, I have managed to get this finished for tonight. It's from my own prompt, a modern style of "The right road" scene from 2.08 (we all know it very well...)

The walk away from the sanatorium had been cold; each step she took made her body warm up just that tiny bit more. Her fingers numb even under the layer of blue cotton of the gloves she wore. Matching the dark navy gloves, she wore the same coat she had been wearing for nearly a decade. The same coat that had been seen on the same person for all those years.

Now she had a different name.

Different style.

She was a different person.

Shelagh Mannion trekked along the frosty path, avoiding the small frozen puddles that had turned solid overnight. Each step in her old, worn shoes reminded her of the winters she had experienced over her time as a nun. The births she went to in the middle of the night in the coldest months of the year, yet, on her journey to and fro, the adrenaline always keep her warm. Even now, she felt the adrenaline, but for an entirely different reason. Now she hoped that someone else would be able to keep her warm; when they shared a hot meal, fell back lazily cuddling on the golden sofa, and after a long day in the warmth of their bed...

Shelagh shook her head.

It wasn't best to think and hope. What if she read the letters wrong? What if... what if...

She shivered. Mist swirled around her ankles and snow fell from the sky above, the odd leaf left on the ground from Autumn was carried several metres along the narrow road, picked up by a gust of wind and taken on a journey. Where that leaf would end up could be anyone's guess. The twists and turns along the way would be numerous; from the spurts of air from leaf blowers, to the raking up of the last few leaves left from late Autumn.

Shelagh stood still for a moment, taking in all her thoughts. The past few months had been a time of questioning, yet, only recently had she found the strength to turn her back on her structured way of life.

Looking the direction the leaf had last been seen in, she marveled at the similarity of her own life to the path the leaf would soon take.

She had a destination in her head, but real life soon took over her thoughts and she considered the reality of her situation. She was a nun; even in civilian clothes, they forms still had not been signed. Bounds by the laws of the convent, the only place which she could ever consider such a future was in her mind and heart. But like the leaf, real life doesn't always go the way it was planned. Bumps come along in the road, and obstacles arise to avoid.

Now, for the soon-to-be former Sister, one of those obstacles had disappeared. Her habit exchanged for a warm winter suit. And instead of a veil, she now pulled down the black woolen hat further over her small ears. She now was free to explore life. Free to love. Free to marry...

Shelagh slipped slightly on an icy part of the path and chaste herself for not concentrating. Upon regaining her balance, she picked up her suitcase again and carried on walking. The bus stop, she had been told, was just up the road.

The road twisted and turned sharply. The path gradually became thinner, and thinner, until it was no more. The increasing depth of the snow meant transport was almost non-existent, thus allowing Shelagh to step onto the road and continue her journey. Due to the lack of buses running in the snow, Shelagh decided to walk to the nearest village only a couple of miles away from the sanatorium. There she could decide what to do next, likely to ring Sister Julienne and ask for Fred to pick her up. He could pick her up, yet she felt unable to face him. What if she had got it wrong, all so wrong...

The cold however, was not good for her recovering body. Shivering, she tugged on her scarf slightly to tighten it round her neck. The veils, she chuckled to herself, had been a great way of retaining some heat during the cold winters.

In the distance, she heard the low rumble of an engine, then it cut out. She carried on a few steps, but her curiosity got the better of her and she turned toward the direction she last heard the noise. The falling snow proved to make her vision hazy, yet, she still could make out the shape of a vehicle far behind her. The vehicle had stopped and in the back of her mind she thought of him. She had told him she was catching the bus, but after putting the receiver down, Shelagh had seen the winter wonderland outside. Before any of the nurses at the sanatorium could see her, she made her way out of the gates, and along the path. In the fresh air outside she could breathe, she could think. Shivering against the chill, he shook her head and attempted to flee from thoughts of him however innocent they were. But there he stayed.

Placing each foot in the single footprints she left in the snow only minutes earlier, she made her way to the car further up the road. Shelagh kept her head down to prevent the wind blowing straight in her face. She could already feel the beginnings of a headache dull in the back of her head. Slowly, the sounds of a voice traveled into her ear, yet she couldn't make out any words other than grunts and noises of frustration.

Then the noises stopped.

All she could hear was the wind howling and the movement of the leaves as they brushed against each other in the heights of the trees. Slowly, Shelagh lifted her head.

His eyes met hers. Relief filling his in the form of wet droplets, which ran gently down his cheeks. She wanted to shy away... No. she didn't want to. And she didn't have to now. Now she had the chance to...

"Hello".

He startled her thoughts with his whispered greeting.