A/N: I blame this FF on KEPC. She was the one who tried to let Fiona get away with being evil and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity… so, if you are a FIONA HATER, welcome! You'll have a ball… if not, well, I think you need your head read! No offense. =)

WARNING! IT CONTAINS A VIOLENT SCENE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR A YOUNGER AUDIENCE.

Stevie threw the wire into the back of her Ute and growled when it nipped her skin. "Damn it," she cursed sucking at the blood that oozed out of the back of her hand. It was all Alex's fault. He was the one who had agreed to marry the woman in the first place. Stevie didn't want to be her bloody bridesmaid. She could stand up there all alone for all Stevie cared. The woman was the spawn of Satan.

"What's wrong?" Jodi asked, approaching her in the car shed.

"Nothing," she muttered.

"Fight with Alex?" Jodi guessed.

Stevie shot her a dirty look. "He should keep her in a cage."

Jodi smiled. "I gather we're talking about Fiona?"

"Who else is stupid enough to leave the boundary fence broken when the sheep are in the pen. It's going to take me another two hours to fix the bloody thing and I have more on my plate than normal. I don't have time to run around fixing the mistakes of Satan's child."

Jodi stifled a laugh. It was no secret that the girls of Drover's Run didn't like Alex's new taste in women. Fiona was nothing like Tracy or Claire… and she was certainly no Stevie, that much was obvious.

"Need a hand?" she offered. "I just finished drenching."

"The windmill needs fixing, do you think you could-?"

"I'm on it," she stated and turned on her heel leaving Stevie to deal with the fence.

Stevie was seething all the way to the west boundary paddock. All her frustration went into fixing the fences, and when she was almost done, Alex came riding up on his Ducati.

"Whatever you have to say I'm not interested," she growled. Stevie didn't have time to fight with him. She had a million things to do and not enough hours in the day.

"Don't yell at me. I didn't do it," he snapped back.

It was a hot day and the sun beaming down on both of them did nothing to tame their sour moods.

"She doesn't belong on a farm, Alex." She belongs in a cage or better yet over a cliff.

"She's still learning the ropes, Stevie. She'll do it eventually."

"Yeah, right. When she's worked me into the ground. I don't have time to fix her mistakes. I have too much to do already."

"I remember a time when you weren't so good at everything," he shot back.

"What aren't I good at?"

"Dealing with people. I clearly remember when we opened that Rodeo school how you made everyone hate you."

Stevie stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, anger set hard on her face. "Oh, you're really going to bring that up now? Seriously."

Alex shrugged. "You're not always perfect."

"I don't claim to be. But I don't need some bloody princess messing up my day."

"Don't talk about her that way, right?! She's my fiancée."

"Good. So you deal with her mess."

"Fine," he barked, snatching the fencing wire from her. "I'll fix you up for this later."

"Good. And keep that woman away from me."

Alex shook his head. "If that's what you want, then I'll stay away from you too. We come together. You can't have me without her."

Stevie felt like she had swallowed led. "If that's what it takes," she replied.

"Fine. Consider it done. Any time we need to converse, send out Jodi."

"Fine. Send out Nat."

"Fine."

Stevie turned and went back to her Ute, kicking up the dirt as she revved the engine and sped across the paddock back towards Drover's Run. If losing Alex meant that she never had to see that bloody woman again, then it was a sacrifice she was willing… okay, so it would kill her to be away from Alex. But it wasn't like he was the same guy he always was, something had definitely changed in their relationship. Maybe it was Stevie or maybe it was the fact that he was no longer a single bloke.

Relationships changed things.

S&A … S&A … S&A

It was only three hours later when Killarny was needed to synchronize with Drover's Run.

"Jodi, can you go?" Stevie asked.

"You always go."

"Well, now I'm asking you to."

"You're going to have to talk to him eventually."

"Maybe not."

"Stevie…"

"Jodi, just go!" she hissed.

"Fine," she snapped back.

Regan had overheard the conversation and looked at Stevie with curious eyes. "What happened?"

"We had a fight."

"About Fiona?"

"What else do we fight about?"

"Beer," she smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Pool. Other women."

"Not helping, Regan."

"I think you should go over and talk to him."

"He made it perfectly clear he doesn't want me over there and to be honest, I don't want to be anywhere near her."

"I think you should tell him."

"Tell him what?"

Regan raised an eyebrow.

"Unlikely," Stevie responded. "He's with her now. I just have to accept that whatever we had or would have had or… whatever. It's over. I have things to do."

"Stevie..."

"Not now, Regan. I'm busy."

S&A … S&A … S&A

A week later, Stevie still hadn't seen Alex. She had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and when she did finally drift off she had nightmares about Alex dying. She often woke up crying. None of the girls at Drover's Run had the guts to call her on it. If they did she would have bitten their head off.

Jodi made a stand one afternoon when she had a lot on her plate. She refused to go and everyone else was too busy to step in for her, leaving the job to Stevie. Like it or not she had to go over to Killarny.

Stevie was nervous on the drive over, despite her will not to be. She pulled up the Ute by the front door and pounded on it with her fists, making a lot of noise. Let him suffer, she thought silently.

Fiona opened the door. "What do you want, Stevie?"

Stevie smiled. Real nice girl. Can't imagine why Alex wouldn't want to marry her. "I want to speak to Alex. Is he here?"

"No."

"No. Okay… so where is he?"

"He's busy. Tell me what you want and I'll pass on the message."

"Yeah, unlikely."

Fiona folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not telling you where he is, so you can tell me what you want or you can piss off."

Stevie's fiery temper was usually explosive. But instead of snapping at her, Stevie turned and walked away. She headed in the direction that she figured Alex might be and with a loud voice she called his name. "ALEX!"

"I told you he's busy," Fiona insisted, following Stevie.

"I told you I need to speak to him."

"So, send Jodi."

"Jodi's busy, or else I wouldn't be here. Now piss off. The quicker I find Alex the quicker I can get out this hell hole."

"I know that you're in love with Alex. But you missed your shot. He's mine and I'm not giving him up. You aren't woman enough for him anyway, dressed in jeans and t-shirts. As if he'd even glance sideways at you. It's pathetic that you even think you have a shot."

"Go away, Fiona. I'm not playing your childish games."

"You're a boy."

"I'm warning you," she said, feeling her temper boil in her veins.

"You're a man. I bet you even have a penis."

Stevie reached one of the paddocks that the boys were working on. The harvester was going and Alex was nowhere in sight. Fiona grabbed hold of Stevie's shirt and pulled her back. She stumbled and landed on her ass. Stevie, who had never been a fan of bullying or violence, picked herself up off the ground and charged at Fiona.

I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face, she thought.

Stevie didn't realize where she was or where she happened to be throwing the punches, she only knew that Fiona had pushed her too far. She deserved everything she got.

Suddenly, Fiona let out a piercing scream and Stevie was sprayed with something wet and sticky. She closed her eyes and stumbled backwards, gaining her footing before she fell. Fiona was silent. Stevie opened her eyes and immediately she saw blood and half a decapitated body, laying below the harvester. It only took a moment for her to realize what had happened.

Fiona was dead. Her bloody dead body lifeless and half missing lay only a few feet away.

Self-defence. It was self-defence.

Til death do they part, she thought silently. Well, that was one way to get rid of her.

Stevie felt sick. Someone had to tell Alex.

S&A … S&A … S&A

Stevie found him back at the house, as she climbed the steps to call the police.

"What are you… oh my God," he rushed to her, seeing the blood splattered all over her clothes. "What happened?"

"I came to see you," she said in a quiet whisper. "I was coming to see you and…"

"I've been feeling sick all week," he admitted sheepishly. "I haven't slept a wink. I've been in bed for days, not working at all. I hate fighting with you, Stevie. I don't want to not be friends. Can we just find a way to…"

"I have to tell you something first," she said heartbreakingly.

Alex nodded.

"I did something bad... Alex, I was…" she had tears in her eyes. Not because Fiona was dead or even that she had killed her in self-defence but because the thought of hurting Alex in anyway, made her feel ill. "We had a fight. She was baiting me and… it was an accident. She grabbed me and I charged at her and I… I didn't mean to do it."

"What are you talking about? Who, Stevie?"

"Fiona. She fell into the harvester."

"You're kidding?" he laughed.

"No. No, I did."

The smile on his face only widened. "Nice one cowgirl."

"You understand what I'm saying, Alex. Fiona. I killed her. She's dead."

Alex shrugged. "I understand."

"You're not mad?"

"Nuh, she was bugging me. All she did was whine about everything. Yeah, not the woman for me, I decided."

"No," she smiled, completely gobsmacked.

Alex reached out his hands, slipping them around her waist and drawing her forward. "When I saw you just now, my heart started hammering in my chest like nothing else. I haven't had that happen since Claire. You and I… were meant to be more than friends. I know it."

Stevie fell against him, feeling content with his arms draped around her protectively. "I love you, Alex."

He lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. "I know. I love you more."

"Not possible."

"Wanna bet?" he smiled cheekily.

"Tie for it?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, cowgirl. A tie."

Stevie sighed heavily. "I better get myself a good attorney."

"I've got it covered," he said, her lips softly grazing her forehead. "Only the best for my girl."

Stevie smiled. My girl. She liked the sound of that.

A/N: Okay, so maybe it's UNREALISTIC. But who says that FF can't be anything we want it to be. I REALLY don't like Fiona and I REALLY like Stevie & Alex together, so this is what happens when you put me in a room with a keyboard and working computer. I go a little nuts.

Hope you had fun!