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, especially her mother and grandfather. Things are developing between her and David but they've hit a bit of rough patch.

Disclaimer: 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. Heather Alexander. Because she rocks. So yeah.

Author's Note: Well, this story's got a mind of it's own and I didn't expect it to go this way. But it's fun. I've got 4 chapters left planned after this and I think I can do one a week and get the story done before school starts. Which would be good, since I'd have no time then.

Chapter 8: Girl Talk

Fairlight noticed the growing distance between Heather and David, and she took the first opportunity she had to ask Christy if she knew the cause of it. The day was warm and she and Christy were on a walk to Bride's Veil waterfalls.

"They had a disagreement, well, it's not really that. She's unsure of David's motives and she's holding some of his behavior against him. David, for his part, is at a loss to figure out what he did wrong. And Heather won't explain it to him, she's waiting for him to remember and then figure it out on his own."

"What did he do wrong?"

"I'd rather not say. I don't know if Heather wants anyone else talking about it. Although there is more than enough gossip the way it is. The best thing, I think, would be for you to ask Heather herself." She looked up at the trees and then back at Fairlight. "It's something small and petty, that's grown big. But Heather's a Cove highlander so you know she'll take a long time to back down if ever. And you know David's so thick in the head when it comes to dealing with women."

"Yea verily, but all men are thick a'bit in 'eh head." They walked on more, crossing a stream with a well-placed jump or two, and scrabbled over some rocks. "There's another woman involved somewhere, ain't there?" Fairlight looked straight at Christy.

"Yes, w-what? Well, sort of, how did you guess?" Christy could only gape.

"Done tol' you heaps of times, I got the sight. And plenty of womanly know-how. He didn't hit her or try to force 'er into summthin', that's not how Preacher is, and Heather's too spittin' redhead to let him with out him showin' a shiner or a broke bone. He's madly in love with 'er and she with him but they're both too plain chicken to show it. Plain as day, true love, as my Zady says, so it ain't none of that un-re-quitted love business. She's mad at him, so it's his fault. If it were backwise, I'd a be askin' 'bout other men. Neither's parents know so there ain't no feudin' and that "I love you but I can't be with you" stuff the kids are reading' in those stories by that foreign play-wright man. David isn't the type to go crushin' on a wimmen-child. Which means…" she looked Christy square in the eye. "You're involved somehow. Not willingly, I don't doubt. Either way, you'd better fess up."

Christy sighed. "Alright, it was the trip to the waterfall and the cave. She and David got trapped. I don't know what happened in the cave. I do know that when he got out, he quickly hugged me. A lot. It was nothing but it made Heather snap. The whole way there, he offered Heather his arm, tried to help her around obstacles, was gentlemanly, you know. Which was nice, but Heather saw it as him thinking she was weak, or as him trying to protect her. Which is the worst thing he could do, of course. You know how she prides herself in being independent and just as capable as a man. In the case of David, she is probably more capable, which would not be something he would like. And then to see his affections plaved on another woman, she was hurt and she wanted to make David hurt too. But he's too dense to figure it out. SO he's hurt AND confused."

I see, it is petty. And child-like. And they've both got heads full of rocks when it comes to matters of the heart."

"Exactly. Later, David tried to talked to me about. Don't worry," she quickly said. "Heather was gone on a trip with Neil at the time. David had enough sense to know that she might be angered more. Whatever he thinks it's about, he does know it's about him, Heather and I. I gave him clues but he keeps putting two and two together and only getting three. I didn't tell him though, not yet. Heather begged me not to. She thinks, and I agree, that there are some lessons he needs to learn on his own."

"And if he doesn't? You'll tell 'im event'lly?"

"Oh yes, we will. Just going to give him some time first. Let him squirm." They laughed, not with malice toward David, but with mirth about the whole situation. And they walked on.

After Fairlight and Christy came back, Christ went over to Heather's wagon. It was nearly dusk, but not very late, for darkness comes earlier when you are completely surrounded by mountains. Heather sat at her desk grading papers by the glow of a kerosene lamp. Joey slept on a quilt by her fee. "Hello Heather, am I disturbing you?"

"No, I really was getting tired of papers and looking for an excuse to stop." She gestured at the scattered piles. "Come on in, what's on your mind?" Christy came in and sat on a three-legged stool identical to the one Heather was in.

"I was talking with Fairlight on our trip today and she asked what was going on between you and David. I did not tell her, but she figured it out anyways."

"She would," Heather sighed. "But that's alright. I'm going to have a chat with David as soon as he comes back up from Low Gap. But maybe I'll go have a talk with Fairlight before that. Ask her for advice and all. I'm not very good at talking to men. Well, I am, but not about the sort of thing. Where did you and Fairlight walk to today?" She changed the subject and Christy took the hint that all that was too be said on the matter of David had already been said. Christy started talking about her love of the cove's waterfalls. The two girls talked long into the night on many subjects. Except the one of men.

The next morning Heather approached Fairlight after breakfast.

"You want to talk to me about David, don't you?"

"Yes'm."

"We-ll…I can't say I know all there is to know about men, but I know a thing or too. I've lived with one for twenty years. Now you and David are alike, I think. Both proud. Both stubborn. One of yous gonna half to bend. And being that woman is the smarter species-like, I think it should be you. David ain't gonna figure this out on his own, nor should he have too always. He does need to learn. But you two need to work together. It's like what Preacher says about us being unequally yoked. If one is dominant over the other, the whole team doesn't work as well. You gotta be doin' that thing called compromise that Christy talks about."

"What if he doesn't listen?"

"Than you've done your best, and you need to move on. But first you gotta try."

"Alright. I'll talk to him as soon as he's back. This HAS gone on long enough. We're both being foolish."

"See? I knew we could talk some sense into ya."

End of Chapter 8

Next Up: Chapter 9: Misunderstandings and Mistakes – Heather confronts David, but things only end up getting worse. She heads off to stay in the woods for a few days but then runs into a few people she'd rather not meet and a few she didn't expect to.

Author's Note: More fluff kinda, but it's dialog. I hope the next chapters will be found to be better. It's also my goal to finish this darn thing by the last Wednesday in September when school starts. Three or four chappies to go, I think. Please review, guys! Is anybody out there!