Disclaimer: Back in another life (or so it seems) this started out as a BAM Uber, it was never finished. After about five years of it just lying around in a drawer a lot of things happened. One of the major's things was that I discovered Xena. This went from a BAM Uber to me rewriting basically everything and turning it into, a hopefully, better written well rounded Xena Uber.
NOTE: This is not betaed. If you would like to adopt me I would be grateful. I will be doing installments of this so please be patient. The story is loosely based on Brooks and Dun's hit Red Dirt Road
2 nd NOTE: This is a F/F story and will contain scenes of two woman together that is not your cup of tea please don't read it.
If you would like to e-mail me and say nice things it is: Charlies_girl7681@yahoo.com
I was raised off of old Route 3; Out past where the blacktop ends
Dim sunlight poured in through a thick white drapery. Its warm summer rays landed on a mop of thick black hair. The hair moved, admitting a groan. Slowly the figure belonging to the raven locks sat up and stretched. Boney fingers pushed the hair out of the way so blue eyes could turn to glance at the window. The young woman sighed; it looked to be another beautiful Saturday.
The brunette planted her feet on the rough wooden floor, she smiled sadly knowing she only had two weeks left, her high school didn't start until August 29 th . Rachel, wearing only a long t-shirt walked over to the window to look out at the rolling fields of Tennessee . In mid stretch something way down the road caught her eye. It was a moving van at the old Johnson's place. She could see people, there looked to be three of them. It was a humid day, but she could just make out the steeple of the church standing proudly three miles down the old dirt road. Rachel turned on her heel preparing to walk down stairs only to be plowed back onto her bed by her older sister Sara, “Morning sis!” Sara said with a smile.
“Sara! Get off of me!” Rachel said as she pushed her twenty four year old sister away from her.
“What's the matter Rach, just giving you a good morning tickle.” Sara laughed as she began to tickle Rachel's sides.
“NO! Ha ha! Sara…ahh okay I give. I give!” Rachel said breathing heavily. This ‘tickle of hell' as Rachel dubbed it had been a tradition since they were children. The tall brunette always had a hard time getting up for morning milking.
Sara smiled and stood. “I'll meet you down stairs.” She turned, running down the old hard wood floors to the staircase taking her down to the main floor turning a sharp left she ran into the kitchen, “Sara!” A petit woman gasped from her position at the stove, “Try not to sound like a herd of elephants in the morning.”
“Sorry mom.” Sara said.
Erica Ward smiled at her oldest daughter and set a plate down in front of her. “Eat up, you have to help your father with the south gate today.”
“Those god damn cows plowed it over again?” Sara moaned, she hated fixing fence especially because it meant she would have to be horseback.
“Sara Ann! You may have used that language in college, but not in this house! Do you hear me?” The older woman waved a spatula in Sara's direction.
Sara hung her head. “Yes mama.”
~*~
Ten minutes later Rachel came down stairs, her long hair pulled back in a thick braid and dressed in Cruel Girl jeans, boots and a tank top, “Morning mom.” She said as she sat down next to her sister.
“Good morning honey, your father wants you to take Skip and Boe to the north gate and drive the heard east. The south gate broke again.” Rachel nodded looking under the table to see Boe her boarder collie looking up at her with a wagging tail.
Rachel smiled down at the dog before tossing him a piece of bacon. “RACHEL! How many times to I have to tell you, that dog doesn't get human food!” Rachel looked over to see her sister looking at her; they both broke out in giggles.
Twenty minutes later Rachel was out in the families newly constructed barn saddling one of her many horses along side her sister. “You know some people are moving to the old Johnson's place.” Rachel said looking at her sister as she tightened her girth.
Sara's face became somber, “Oh yeah?”
“You're still not over her are you?” Rachel asked as she leaned against her mount of the day, Skip a small sorrel quarter horse.
Sara looked up briefly from her horse, “Maybe.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “You so aren't! Sara please, just call her she gave you her number.” Nimble fingers fitted the bit into the horse's mouth gently as to not bang the iron on his teeth.
“Rachel, that was almost over a year ago. I will look silly calling her now!”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She finished hooking the throatlatch on the headstall and undid the crossties which secured the horse. “You got your cell on?” Rachel asked as she swung up on Skip.
“Yeah.”
“Alright. See you later.” Rachel adjusted her legs. “Boe! Heal!” Rachel yelled at the dog that was barking at a goose. He looked up and ran over to the horse. “You ready?” She asked the dog who barked and wagged his tail widely. Rachel smiled as she clicked Skip into a trot down the old red dirt road. The teenager frowned. Her sister, whom came out to her two years ago still was not over her first love. Maybe came out wasn't the right word, Rachel walked in on her sister and their neighbor in a position that went way beyond the friendship level. After she got over the initial shock, she simply accepted her sister's orientation and vowed never to tell anyone. The tall curly haired woman had been heart broken when her lover and her family moved back to Memphis for college. Rachel thought Sara had gotten over her but obviously not.
~*~
Boe trotted easily next to the horse, every few strides looking up at Rachel to see if he was needed. As Rachel rode up on the Johnson's house she spotted a middle aged woman walking from the moving van to the house, her arms cradled two boxes, “Hello!” Rachel called the women turned at smiled.
“Hi! You must live down the road.” The women pointed in the direction Rachel had came from.
“Yep, Rachel Ward,” She offered a toothy grin.
“Nice to meet you,” The women said setting down the box and coming forward offering her hand up to Rachel. “I'm Gwen Stone.”
“Pleasure,” Rachel took the beautiful women's hand.
“MOM!” The yell startled Skip who jerked his head up in alarm. A woman about Rachel's age came running from around the back of the house with a hand full of blackberries. “Look at this!”
The women turned. “What honey?”
“Look blackberries!” Rachel watched with a small smile at the girl's fascination. She was short, well…shorter. Rachel guessed about 5'4” 5'5”, her dirty blond hair fell past her shoulders and had eyes like the grass in the spring.
Gwen's eyes sparkled. “Wow in our back yard.”
Maggie nodded looking up at Rachel smiling shyly.
Gwen looked back at Rachel. “Mary, this is your new neighbor Rachel…Ward?”
Rachel nodded ripping her eyes away from the assets the tight t-shirt was showing her. “Hi.”
Maggie nodded a hello. “Oh, Mother, Dad wants you.”
“Okay honey.” She turned back to Rachel. “It was a pleasure meeting you, but my husband needs me, I hope to see you again soon.” Rachel watched Gwen go.
“Bye.” Rachel said before she looked back at Maggie. “So…are you going to school at the Church?” Rachel asked.
“The First Christ, yeah it is my senior year,” Mary said shyly looking up at Rachel.
Rachel nodded a bright smile lighting up her face, “Me too.” Their eyes locked, ‘God she is cute!' Suddenly the cell phone strapped to her belt rang shrilly.
Sara's voice rang through clear as a bell. “Rach! Get your bony ass up to that gate now!”
Rachel sighed, “Yes mother.” She quickly closed the phone.
Blushing, the brunette looked down into clear green eyes, “Sorry, my…umm sister-she- ahh needs me.”
Maggie laughed. “Its okay…I know how that is.”
“You have a sister?” Rachel asked.
Maggie looked away. “I…sort of.” The blonde shifted uncomfortably under the intense blue stare.
Rachel was about to ask more but the cell interrupted again. Rolling her eyes she opened the phone, “Yes?”
“Rachel…if you don't get up here…” Rachel sighed, “I'm on my way Sara.”
“I'm sorry Mary, I have to go. Maybe I'll see you later?” Rachel smiled down at her.
“Yeah,” Maggie said softly smiling up at the woman.
“Boe!” Rachel yelled. The dog came out off the small grove of trees he was in and ran up to her. “Come on.” She pushed in with her spur and smooched, Skip took off in a lope. “Bye!” Rachel yelled over her shoulder as she headed towards the east gate. “Cute, cute, cute!” She said to herself.