KATHERINE'S RETREAT

Part 2

by Donna, Toni and Abby

Thank you Marie for the loan of Brother Cadfael for this story.

Rated F for Friends, Furballs, Fishing and other Fun

Toni was sitting at her favorite table at the coffee shop, nursing a cup of tea and enjoying a cup of soup and a sandwich and musing to herself. The place felt empty without Katherine Dixon quiet presence in it. Jeremy ambled over and asked if she needed her tea heated up.

"Yes, thanks, Jeremy. I wonder...would you have any 'updates' on Kat? I've been worrying about her since she's been gone to the cabin." She looked a little worried; as she did whenever she thought of her friend and what she was going through.

"Connor said she was doing better when he came by yesterday afternoon to help close," Jeremy said as he brought her a fresh cup of tea.. "In fact, he should be here any time now." The words no sooner came out of his mouth then Connor walked in.

Waving at Jeremy, he came over and kissed Toni hello. As soon as he was done, she asked, "Connor, how is she? I went to the church and lit a candle for her yesterday, and said some more prayers. I hope they helped."

Grinning at his younger look-alike who just rolled his eyes in response, the Highlander pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. "I'm sure it did. Father Alec came up to the cabin yesterday and a lot of things got hashed out. And Lady, Giles and the twins are at the cabin with her right now."

"Oh, I'm so glad. They're good friends, and the interaction between the twins, Beau, and Colleen, is sure to keep her smiling. Next time you go up, would you please tell her she is always in my thoughts?"

"I'll be going back there as soon as it gets dark along with Asher. He is going to start work on her portrait tonight. And tomorrow, Father Alec and Brother Cadfael are supposed to be coming up sometime in the afternoon. If you want to show them the way up, I would appreciate it! It will save me a trip down." he said with a grin. When he had come back to SIMsCity earlier in the day, Rayden had given him the longer version of the trek to walk. It was probably his way of gently chiding Connor for not staying up there with Katherine all the time.

"Really? Oh, I'd love to...that is, if you're sure it wouldn't be too many people for her to entertain. I don't want to overtax her now that she's feeling a little better." Connor couldn't have missed the happiness in her eyes at the chance to see for herself how much Kat was improving.

"She's doing a lot better now that she doesn't have everyone's *voices* screaming at her in her head. Rayden and Jathelle are going to work here to try to get her to block out all the excess emotional junk she is picking up. Apparently her abilities are becoming stronger as her pregnancy progresses. We think it might be a kind of compensation for her temporary loss of her immortality. If they can't find a way to filter out the excess, then we will just have her sleep up in the cabin every night so she can clear her mind of all the rubbish in it at least once a day," Connor said ruefully.

Toni nodded, then said, "Well, if you don't think I would add to her burden, I'd love to go and visit. What time would you like me to take our guests up there?"

"Why don't you go ask them when they want to go up? Any time is good for us," Connor suggested. He got up and gave her another hug and kiss. "Thanks for being her friend, Toni. She needs you all to help her get through this," he said quietly. Smiling at her as he gave her one last peck on the cheek, he then left the table and went into the kitchen to start cleaning up.

Toni finished up her snack, then left the shop - she wanted to find either of the men and ask when they wanted to go up to the cabin. She went into St. Stevens, and found Father Alec finishing up some prayers at the rail. She took a seat in a pew, and waited silently for him to finish, taking the opportunity to say an extra prayer for Kat herself.

The priest got up, crossed himself and then turned to leave. When he saw Toni sitting in the back, he smiled brightly at her. His congregation wasn't that big, and he cherished everyone of the ones who attended his services.

She got up when she saw he was finished, and came to greet him. They shared a hug, and she smiled, "Father, how are you? Nick said to say hi next time I saw you." Even though Nick Pasco was Protestant and Toni Catholic, it didn't matter; to Father Alec, as long as you believed in God, that was enough for him.

"I'm doing fine, Toni. I had a really good time with Connor and Katherine up at that cabin of theirs. Something about being up in the mountains like that just refreshes the soul," he said with a soft smile. "Are you just here to say some prayers, or do you need to talk to me about something?"

"Well, I saw Connor just a little while ago, and he asked if I would mind taking you and Brother Cadfael to the cabin tomorrow. I of course jumped at the chance to see Kat, and was just wondering what time you and the Brother wanted to leave?"

"Ahh," Father Alec said. "Let's go ask our dear brother when he would like to go up there." Together they left the chapel and went to the flower gardens that were behind the rectory. As they got closer, they could see the monk down on his knees, working away at weeding it. Toni was reluctant to bother him, but at a discreet throat clearing from Father Alec, the monk looked up to see his audience.

"Greetings!" he called out merrily. Then clipping an assortment of some of the beautiful flowers he had grown, he got up and presented them to Toni. "For you, my child," he said, his kindly old face lit up in a bright smile.

She sniffed the flowers, enjoying both their soft scent and pastel colors, and smiled, "Thank you, Brother; they're beautiful. I'm sorry we interrupted you from your communing with Mother Nature's wonders, but I had something to ask you."

"Anything, child," he said, absolutely beaming with pleasure. Other than the other residents of the rectory and the people he worked with at the Healing Oasis, he didn't really get a chance to talk to others very much.

"Well, Connor asked if I would be able to escort you and Father Alec to the cabin tomorrow afternoon to visit Kat. I was wondering what time you both wanted to leave. Father Alec said it was up to you."

"Is right after lunch ok?" he asked hopefully. "I am really looking forward to seeing what types of herbs she has growing there."

"Great! After lunch tomorrow it is, then....I'll come here about 1 PM, that should give us more than enough time for our visit. I hope Rayden makes the way easy for us....I still remember the first time Ben - Dr. Adams - went to visit Sarah Jo there, he made the poor man go on a five mile hike that involved a lot of uphill climbing and having to cross a small river besides!" Although she knew full well that Rayden would never do that to them, she couldn't suppress a smile at the shocked look on Brother Cadfael's face.

Father Alec just grinned. "It wasn't that far when I went up on Friday," he said. "But Connor said that the way changes with Rayden's mood and how playful he is feeling."

"Well, hopefully, he won't be feeling too playful...I was definitely glad he wasn't when I brought the twins up one time. Me trying to get a stroller and two babies up there over that kind of terrain wasn't exactly something I wanted to face. Luckily, he made the way very short and level, thank heaven." She realized she had thanked heaven in front of two priests, and a little giggle escaped her.

The three of them agreed to meet in front of the rectory the next day, and with another sniff of the beautiful flowers he gave her, Toni returned home. As Toni opened the door to the townhouse, still smelling the small bouquet that Brother Cadfael had given her, she was delighted to see Nick there watching TV, munching on some chips and having an ale to go with them. At the sound of the closing door, he looked up, and a smile lit up his handsome face.

"What have you got there?" he asked, looking at the flowers.

"They're flowers, from Brother Cadfael's garden at St. Stevens' rectory! I went over there to ask him and Father Alec about going up to visit Kat tomorrow afternoon, and he gave me these. Aren't they lovely?" She brought them to the sofa so he could see and smell them.

He grinned. "So I don't have to worry about someone stealing you away, eh?"

"Never, my love. I'm just going to put these in some water, I'll be right back." She headed for the kitchen to fill a small vase she had in a cabinet there.

He followed. "So you're going up to the cabin are ya?" he asked, humor in his voice. "And what, may I ask, am I supposed to do here all alone?"

She turned, dismay on her face. "I didn't even think of that! I've been living for so long just making decisions for myself, it completely slipped my mind! I'm sorry, darling. Forgive me?"

"Umn, I don't know. Should I forgive you? These command decisions can be rough," he mused as he tried to keep the smile from his face.

She could see the little twitches at the corner of his lips, and the sparkle in his eyes, and tried to keep down her own smile, as she said, "I know, but if you do, I can certainly make it worth your while, Leftenant. What do you say?" Her smile grew a little bigger, as she reached under his T-shirt and started stroking his chest slowly.

Nick growled in her ear. "Get those things in the bloody water." He brightened. "And I'll go run the water in the bath."

No longer needing to hide her smile, she giggled, then tossed off a jaunty salute. As she filled the small vase and placed the flowers in them, she could hear him running their bath and she tingled, as she always did when they were about to make love.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning, Toni attended church services as usual along with Nick sitting by her side. Glancing over to the pew where Katherine and her crew usual sat, it looked strange being totally empty. Sarah Jo was there of course, along with Duende and Dani. Toni did notice there was a new person in attendance though. Sitting way in the back was John Prudhomme, one of the cities newest CLims. As the service progressed, she was sure she was not the only one who missed Katherine's clear sweet voice during the singing of the hymns. After the service was over and she had greeted all her friends, Toni hurried home to fix Nick a good lunch.

She didn't want to be late meeting the two priests, so the meal was quickly done, but it was a healthy one. Both of them were looking forward to going up to the cabin, though Nick had teased her about putting on his hiking boots to go up there, just in case Rayden was feeling "playful". She knew they couldn't stay too late, and that Nick would have to get some sleep in one of the guest rooms during the day. But he had said he didn't mind, that he wanted to see this wonderful cabin he'd heard so much about, not to mention the famous Beau and the newly arrived Colleen. They were ready to go on time, and met Father Alec and Brother Cadfael promptly at one.

As promised, the priest and the monk were ready and waiting for them outside the rectory. Brother Cadfael had a large wicker basket in his hand, and was positively beaming with joy at the prospect of the upcoming outing. Father Alec shook his head in amusement at his exuberant friend. After greeting each other, they immediately crossed the street and headed into Rayden's back yard. Ev was sitting out behind the house on the patio, cuddling one of her twins to her shoulder as she attempted to dislodge a stubborn burp. She waved at them and blew a kiss which Toni gleefully returned.

Then before their eyes, the scenery shifted and they were within sight of a lovely, secluded mountain meadow with a rustic log cabin nestled underneath a small stand of evergreens and aspens. On the porch, they could see Katherine sitting in a chair and playing her guitar. As they walked closer, the beautiful strains of the music she was making drifted on the sweet summer breeze towards them. They didn't want to stop her, so they advanced quietly. Toni was so happy to hear her playing again she couldn't stop smiling, and it was contagious. The few thumps of Beau's tail that he gave on seeing new people coming to play with him alerted her that someone was there, and she opened her eyes and saw her little "audience".

"Woman of the house!" Father Alec called out with an outlandishly fake Irish accent he was trying to copy from an old John Wayne movie he had just watched. "Your priest has come to pay ye another visit!"

Katherine threw back her head and laughed, a most welcome sound indeed. It had been awhile since Toni had seen her smile like that. Connor had been right. Her few days of rest away from everyone had seemed to do her a world of good.

"You all are kindly welcome!" she called out as she jumped off the porch to run across the meadow to greet them. And to Toni's amazement, old Beau actually got up off the porch and followed after her. As Katherine gave Toni a big welcome hug, Father Alec knelt down and happily greeted the dog who had came straight to him, his tail wagging with joy.

When she and Kat parted, Toni also bent down and greeted the dog. He obviously remembered her by the way he snuffled her hand, his tail not having stopped since he spotted his latest "guests". Then Nick crouched down, and Toni introduced him to Beau. The dog greeted him the same way he did everyone else, with wags and sniffs, and even a lick on his hand while he was scratching him!

Katherine laughed heartedly at the scene and gave the old dog a couple loving thumps on his broad back herself. Beau was in seventh heaven with so many people paying attention to him. She then greeted Father Alec with a gentle hug. "Glad you could make it make up here again," she said happily. Brother Cadfael she greeted by standing up on her tiptoes and kissing him playfully on the top of his head as his stood there with his arms folded in his robes and his head bowed. "Lady Katherine!" he exclaimed as he blushed furiously. Father Alec roared in laughter beside him.

"Hey, Nick!" she said with a broad smile as reached down and ruffled his hair. "Are you any good with a fishing pole? Connor's downstream trying to catch some dinner. I haven't seen him in awhile, so he's probably sound asleep under a good shade tree. I kinda kept him up late last night."

Nick stood up, and smiled, "I've done some fishing in my time-I can go and see what's keeping him, if you'd like. Maybe I can even help him catch dinner." As he said that, Kat and Toni exchanged glances and smiles - they both knew that really meant they would have two men sleeping down there.

"I used to do a little fishing myself, once upon a time. I'll go along and see if I have any luck myself," Father Alec offered. For a second, Brother Cadfael looked torn - it had been a long time since he had dipped a fishing line in the water. But his longing to see what was in the herb garden won out and he held out his basket.

"What I would like to do is work in the garden that Father Alec told me about. May I get started?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Katherine said with a bright smile. "Let me get these two set up first, and I'll show you where it is. She led them all to a small barn set a little bit away from the cabin and found two very old fishing poles with homemade hooks attached to the line. She gave Father Alec the poles to carry and Nick a tin can and a small shovel. "You have to dig up your own bait," she said with a wicked grin. Pointing the two men in the right direction and telling them just to follow the snores, she and Toni then took Brother Cadfael behind the cabin itself.

When he saw the large, overgrown herb garden his eyes lit up like a kid's in a candy story. He lovingly examined each plant, mumbling names that Toni had never heard before. He alternated shouts of exaltation of finding varieties of herbs almost extinct in modern times with cries of despair at the overgrown and neglected condition of the whole garden. Seeing he was now totally oblivious to the presence of the two ladies, Katherine and Toni turned and smiled at each other.

"Now that all the men persons are taken care of, lets sit a spell up on the porch," Katherine told her friend. With another smile in the monk's direction, they turned to leave.

The two ladies retired to the porch and talked about all that had been happening in the last several weeks as they sipped fresh squeezed lemonade while they snapped beans and husked corn from the vegetable garden for that evenings supper. Toni agreed that the cabin was the perfect place for the portrait Asher was going to do of Kat. Little Colleen woke up from her nap and after properly greeting both Katherine and Toni, she then kept them amused chasing butterflies out on the grass. Beau had decided to accompany the men down to the creek. The old dog had really taken a liking to Father Alec especially.

After insisting Brother Cadfael drink a tall glass of lemonade himself, Katherine and Toni then took some small baskets and went walked along the creek bed, picking wild blackberries. After awhile, they came upon the spot the men were supposedly fishing at. Father Alec was standing at the end of the stream, his eyes intent on his line. As expected, both Connor and Nick were leaning back against some trees, snoring quite happily, their poles laying on the ground beside them. When the priest saw them, he grinned conspiratorially at the ladies and pulled up a catch line from the water to which several good size trout were already attached. Giving him a thumbs up, Katherine and Toni quietly went around them, stifling giggles as they went.

When sufficient berries had been collected, they headed back to the cabin and started to cook supper. Toni had never used a wood burning stove before and the process involved in preparing it so it baked the berry cobbler at just the right temperature fascinated her. She had a hard enough time cooking with a modern stove, much less one like this!

The loud voices of the men joking with each other as they walked up to the cabin warned them of their approach. Father Alec was grinning from ear to ear as he carried a string of four good size trout in his hands. Seeing Katherine standing at the top of the porch steps with her arms folded across her chest and her foot tapping, Connor gave her a lop-sided grin and steered the others towards the barn where there was a board already set up for them to clean the fish on. Once the fish were cleaned, they filleted it and then presented it to Katherine like it was a peace offering. She accepted it gracefully and took it inside to be rolled in a cornmeal and herb coating and then fried till it was a beautiful golden brown. While she was doing that she also taught Toni how to make a little treat out of cornmeal, herbs and onion called "hush puppies".

In the meantime, Father Alec had to almost physically drag Brother Cadfael out of the herb garden. His basket was filled to overflowing with the various things he had collected and he couldn't have been any happier. There were herbs there that he claimed hadn't been grown anywhere in the country in over a century and he was absolutely delighted at finding them. He clutched the seeds from those plants that he had placed in carefully labeled ziploc bags as if they were precious pieces of jewelry.

Once everyone had washed up, they all sat down at the picnic table to eat, talking merrily about any subject that happened to come up. Brother Cadfael suggested that a place like the cabin would be an excellent place for a retreat like the one he had just had at the monastery. Katherine agreed, saying she had been in desperate need of a retreat and that is why she had fled up there.

The four men dug into the supper hungrily. Besides the fried fish and hush puppies, they also had corn on the cob, snap beans, a seasoned rice dish, a tomato and cucumber salad, and of course, the blackberry cobbler. When Toni told Nick she had helped make the delicious meal he mumbled something in her ear that caused her to blush and to swat him on the shoulder. After the meal, the men insisted the ladies "put their feet up" and rest while they did the cleaning up afterwards, something that didn't hurt their feelings at all.

As they sat out on the porch in the early evening air, the dog at their feet and the kitten sound asleep on Kat's lap, Katherine told Toni that she planned to be at work as usually at the coffee shop beginning in the morning. Overhearing that, Connor stepped outside.

"Are you sure you will be ok?" he asked, concerned that she might undo all the good that her restful retreat up in the mountains had accomplished.

"There was five of you here with me today," Katherine said with a smile. "It was a little noisy at times in my head but it wasn't overwhelming. As long as I can get away every now and then, I should be fine."

"You just don't want to miss Giles's early morning visit with you!" Connor said smugly as he turned to go back inside, accompanied by the giggles of the two women. Once everything had been cleaned up, Toni and the others reluctantly announced they had to get back to SIMsCity. Nick had to work, and it looked like Brother Cadfael was going to be up all night working on the herbs he had collected. Good-byes and thanks were said all around, and Toni led the way back down off the mountains towards their own homes.