Title: They Will Know Us By Our Kin

Author: Heather-Lass

Summary: The naturalist Heather O'Toole is here, and she's not what anybody expected. But they still welcome her openly. But will everyone do that? She's about to meet someone she knows who hasn't seen her in a long time…

Disclaimer: Yup, all the Christy characters are property of the Marshell/LeSourd (did I get that right?) estate, etc, etc, etc. The naturalist character is of my own creation but with some real life folk singer. Can't say who, since that would ruin some surprises. But likely, a not-well known folk singer. So yeah.

Author's Note: At last! We get to the good part! This was hard to write too…

Chapter 2: Sisters In Blood

By mid-afternoon, all the food was well on its way to being done and delicious smells filled the air. Fairlight sat on a rocking chair knitting as she read bible stories to an enraptured Lulu and Little Guy sitting at her feet. Christy and Heather played chess with Heather's chess set while Clara and Zady watched and learned. They had already learned a lot watching David teach the game to Jeb and Christy but here were a new opponent's moves to size up and memorize. Christy had originally been hesitant to learn the game on the grounds that she found the game to be "a masculine pursuit" and the rules "too confusing for my head". But after much prodding from the men, she now confessed to avidly enjoying it, playing often with David at the end of the day. She claimed it "helped to clear the mind after a busy day". Jeb quickly devoured all knowledge of the game and declared that playing it was a mark of "so-fist-acation". He then taught it to his children, particularly his eldest son John, who was fast becoming a quick-minded and ruthless opponent.

Christy studied the board. Her plan was laid out, but it was so simple. Heather didn't even notice the knight poised to capture the queen. If she didn't notice until it was too late, the Christy could move the rook in position with her queen to checkmate Heather's king. The funny part was that Zady could see this attack coming and was trying not to giggle.

Heather moved a bishop to take Christy's second knight and noticed the position of her first. Ah! But it was too late! In surprise her hand had slipped off of her bishop, making it Christy's turn. Christy moved her knight.

"Check."

Grinning and sighing, Heather took her only course of action, moving her king back to her last row. She could see there was no escape, the game was nearly over.

And sure enough, Christy, also grinning, moved her rook to that row. And with the queen blocking any forward escape of the king, it was…

"Checkmate."

"That was a good game, I've been out of practice too long."

"You were still good. You gave me a run for my money." Discard pieces all along the sides of the chess board gave testament to the fact that it had been a long and brutal struggle.

"Another game later?"

"Of course, unless you want to try a game against David, the chess master of Cutter Gap."

"I'm not THAT good." Everyone laughed.

As the men returned to the mission from Dan Scott's cabin, they were joined by Ruby Mae, on her way back from visiting Lizette Holcombe. Ruby Mae, being of course Ruby Mae, was bubbling with words. And the topic of the moment was her thoughts on the stranger every one was expecting to arrive.

"Lizette says the visitor in seeking escape from the city. Maybe he's done a terrible crime or is running with a broken heart from a lost love. Bessie thinks he's searchin' for somethin', like a pirate treasure or a lost mine. But I think…"

"Ruby Mae, speculating won't get you anywhere." David Grantland chuckled.

"No but it's a mighty fine way to pass the time."

"But I just don't think you need to speculate."

"Why's that, preacher?"

"Because I think he's here." They had just entered the mission clearing and noticed the covered wagon by the porch. They hurried their pace and went fast across the yard and up the stairs.

Hearing heavy footsteps on the porch, Fairlight, Christy and Heather knew that David and the others had arrived.

Waiting expectantly they looked to the door as it banged open against the wall. First in was David, not unexpectedly, since his tall long legs usually made him faster than the others. Stepping into the kitchen, he looked at Heather and then at Christy and opened his mouth to say something. But he never got his chance.

For right behind David, was Ruby Mae. She took one look at Heather and turned as white as a newly washed sheet.

"Hello Ruby Mae," Heather said quietly. "Yes, it's really me."

Still speechless, Ruby Mae did something unexpected then. She fainted. This in itself caused a great commotion because to have Ruby Mae be silenced like that AND faint was a rare occurance indeed. Fairlight grabbed a container of dried lavender blossoms and waved it under the nose of the fainted redhead. Slowly, she awoke, blinking.

"Lawdamercy! Did I faint?" Ruby Mae looked more than a little confused.

Yes you did, and it gave us such a scare!" Christy hugged the obviously shaken girl.

"I never want to do that again!" Her eyes focused on Heather standing in the background. "Pa said you were dead! He told us he found you dead!"

"No Ruby Mae, I'm still here, still here. I don't what stories Pa told you but I'm alive and here, Little Lilly". And then to everyone's shock, a crying Ruby Mae scrambled up off the floor and ran into Heather's open arms."

Heather looked at Christy and Fairlight. "I don't think I was completely honest with you, and for that I am sorry. I'm who I said I was, don't worry. But this isn't the first time I've been to the cove. Before I moved to the city and was adopted by the O'Tooles, I was known as Heather Morrison." She paused. "And this is my little sister Ruby Mae."

Every one looked at her in shock. Then Fairlight started laughing. "I knew you looked familiar! How could I forget the little Heather who used to play with my little sisters in the meadows! It never occurred to me that was you!" Everyone started to relax.

"I see we all have catching up to do," said Neil, "why don't we get this food on the table and then we can all chat once we've full stomachs to digest. I think we'd all feel a little more complacent after supper"

"Yes, the food mustn't get spoilt!" Fairlight ran to take the pies out of the oven. Everyone scurried to get things done. Zady and Clara set the table while Lulu and Little Guy "prettified" it with the flowers they had cut that day. Ruby Mae, who seemed afraid to let Heather out of her sight, helped slice the bread and lay out the preserves. Christy and Fairlight brought out the rest of the food from the kitchen, while the men laid out the wooden planks of fish.

"Oh, it's such a feast! Lordy, we thank ye for this food and these people." Ruby Mae gushed as they sat in prayer at the table. She squeezed Heather's hand. "And this here wonderful day and the sunshiney sky! Amen!"

"Amen!"

After supper, everyone pushed back their chairs and stretched out their legs and waited for the talking to begin.

"Ruby Mae," Heather quietly said. "Before I say anything, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to know what Pa told you."

"Aright." She squeezed Heather's hand and looked around. "Well, it's obvious Heather was born first. Pa was kinda mad she wasn't a girl, but when she followed him around from the time she could walk and pestered him until he taught her male chores, he relented that a girl-child wasn't so bad if it were like his Heather. She was strong where Ma was weak and laughed when Ma was quiet. She and Pa were thick as thieves, he once said he wouldn't mind all girls if they were as strong as his Heather. But he got his wish because I was born when heather was 10, And for some reason that made Pa mad. He took to drinkin' moonshine and being away for days at a time. Ma seemed happier then, like there was no worrying when Pa was gone. It's was only when he was around that she was unhappy. Heather was nearly 16 then, so it wasn't bad. She could go hunting with a bow 'n arrow she made and we went fishing. Between the three of us, we managed quiet well without Pa."

She looked at Heather with tears in her eyes. Heather, knowing what came next in the story, just squeezed her hand. "Once Pa stayed away for nearly half a year. That was nice. I was eight then, Heather nearly 18. Most of her friends were marrying and starting families but she wouldn't be bothered with any of that. Not while Ma and I were alone." She started sniffling. "It got bad when Pa finally came home. He came home one day when we were out in the meadow picking berries. He was so drunk, drunker than any of us had ever seen him. And he was mad, so very mad. He couldn't understand why his wife and girls weren't at home when he got there. He got so mad, he threw stuff around the cabin. When we came home, I remember thinking 'he doesn't look like my Pa,' he looked so bad. He hadn't had clean clothes in weeks and he reeked of moonshine. His eyes were bloodshot, so I knew he hadn't been sleeping much. And you could see his ribs a'stickin' out so I knew he hadn't been eatin' either. Well, the first thing he did was try to hit me, cause I'd ran inside first. Heather picked me up out of his reach and backed up real fast. But he hit Ma. So hard she fell to the ground. He'd never hit any of us before. He went outside and we both ran to her. She would be fine but she was bleeding from her face real bad. We didn't see Pa for a week. When he did come back, he was sober. He said he was sorry, he never meant to get drunk enough to hurt us. When Pa showed up, Heather disappeared. Pa told Ma he found her body by the creek but that it was so torn by the animals, that Ma and I shouldn't see it. He said he buried you by the big rock and that is where we thought you were. Pa never drank again but he and Ma never were happy either. I could never be good enough for him and he yelled a lot. I wasn't strong like him and Heather, but I wasn't good and quiet and womanly like Ma. We fought a lot and I couldn't handle it. I eventually ran away and lived here. I don't think he could face that you weren't there and that you hated him, whether you were dead or alive." She looked at Heather.

Heather hugged Ruby Mae. "I did hate him. I ran away. I know I was a coward to do that but I just couldn't take it. I did leave a note. I know Pa couldn't read and Ma only so much, but you could Ruby Mae."

"We never found a note."

Heather sighed. "I've lived every day wondering and hoping and praying that you and Ma were okay. I met Doctor Ferrand later and when I found out about his mission here, I asked if he would look around on his next visit there. He assured me you were all okay. It didn't make me feel better, but it kept me living. If I had left, and he had hurt you two bad or you died, I don't know what I would do. I walked and walked, I didn't know what I was going to do. One day I saw an ad for a free talk by a man named Roosevelt. I didn't know then who he was, how could I? When I left Cutter Gap, I knew only the meager facts I'd learned in school and from the few books Pa could buy me when I was little. He was always proud we could read."

"Yes, he was." Ruby Mae smiled. "For a time." Her face grew clouded again.

"So I went to this man's talk. It was all about preserving nature and creating things called National Parks. Well, I didn't know anything more about animals and plants and trees than I had learned about from school or from Ma. But I wanted to know more. He saw I had a natural want for learning and I ended up getting a scholarship to study botany in a scientific college in upstate New York. It was hard, I had to work out of school at a store in town to earn money for living expenses, but I loved it. I felt like I was a new person, and I was learning so much about the world around me. There was so much I had missed living in Cutter Gap. But I missed Cutter Gap. But how could I? I didn't hear from you so I thought you all never wanted me in your life again. I shelved those thoughts away in my mind and moved on. I met a man at college my senior year, his name was Peter O'Toole. He loved nature just the way I did and we were so happy together. He had no family as did I so we made each other our family. The summer after college we married and started doing research work for the college. We were studying the forests of California when an irate logger shot and killed him. I was devastated but continued my work there as a tribute to Peter. I began to think about coming home to Cutter Gap, when Dr. Ferrand, who was a friend of the college, suggested I come here to study. That way if things didn't go well, I could have a reason to leave. I never dreamed you thought I was dead!" By now there was tears in Heather's eyes as well.

"You poor thing!" Fairlight exclaimed. "I cannot believe Duggan Morrison lead us to believe a lie all these years!"

"I don't think he was lying," Ruby Mae said. He didn't know where she had gone, and it would have break Ma's heart to know her baby had run away from home. So he made up a story. And it worked. Until now. He wasn't trying to lie, just trying to comfort Ma. Believing a lie would have been better for her than never knowing and dyin' of worry."

"That must have been it." Christy said, for she didn't like to think ill of anyone without a just cause. "But it certainly seems like Mr. Morrison has changed over the years from one person into another."

"Come home with me," Ruby Mae begged Heather. "We can all clear this up together."

"No, no." Heather backed up her chair. "Not now, it would kill Ma. She would die of shock when she saw me. You know that. And then she would turn on Pa." She shook her head. "No, they don't leave home much. It will be okay. We should go over when they go to town on their monthly trip. We need to find out what happened to my letter."

"That would be a good start." David agreed. "Take it slow, for all of you."

Everyone was silent for a while.

"You know what," Jeb said slowly. "I think it's time for the music!"

"I wanna see your pet fihst!" Little Lulu piped up to everyone's surprise. After dinner, the children had gone off to play a game of kickball in the field and no one had noticed that Lulu had snuck back to hang on Heather's every word.

"And so you shall!" Heather went to the wagon and brought back a bundle. She pulled Lulu onto her lap and placed the bundle on her lap. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, a furry head with big ears popped out! A strange looking body with a long thick tales and hugely proportioned feet followed.

"This is Joey the wallaby."

"Lulu, do you remember when I was telling you children about the kangaroo of Australia?" Christy asked.

"Mmhmm," Lulu nodded. "Is this a li'l kangawoo?"

"Not quite." Heather petted Joey's head. "You see, there are many species of kangaroos and other animals called wallaroos and wallabies. They are smaller cousins of the kangaroos. Joey is a baby wallaby. Wallabies are very small cousins of Australia."

"And they all live in Austwalia?"

"Yes, they do."

"I wanna see a kangawoo."

"Perhaps someday you will. Ooops!" Everyone giggled as Joey slithered out of Heather's lap and hopped around the table to see the other children who had come running to see Joey.

"Seems like Joey wants to dance." Jeb got out his fiddle and started to play a lively tune. The children started clapping along, chasing after Joey. Fairlight, Christy, Heather and Ruby Mae started clearing up the table. David went to his bunk house to get his ukelele and Neil and John started singing along to the tune Jeb played while they moved the table and chairs back up the porch into the mission.

"My hand to yours
Let out spirits run free
Let our souls intermingle
For brothers of blood are we.

My life for your own
Your truth for my lie
When we walk we are one
And thus together we'll die.

chorus:
Hail to four quarters of the earth
To the four winds of the sea
By the scar within my hand
Bring my brother to me
Bring back my brother to me." ("Blood Brothers", by Heather Alexander)

End Of Chapter 2

Next Up: Chapter 3: The Rev-a-ree, Lots of fun song, and both Neil and David can't decide whether they want to dance with Heather or Christy. Should be amusing!

Author's Note: Haha! At last! I hope this was worth the wait. Next chapter should be up next week sometime at best, school's kind of busy right now.

Arwen2002: Glad you liked Lulu! I always thought she was the most unmentioned of the Spencers.