Author's note: Just something I felt like writing to ease writers block from my other fic. This is much more of an easy read, and hopefully isnt too boring. It will be posted in two or three 'chunks' - yep, thats really what I'm calling them - as otherwise it would be too long, but essentially its a one-shot, just in three bits. Hope you enjoy...
The five of them piled out of Scott's Ute, to be met by a very thankful Beth – Dani in the front and Noah, Kit and Robbie bunched together in the back. Robbie was the last one to jump, or fall, off.
Scott locked the doors and followed the others towards his childhood home. Beth was struggling, she had held onto the Hunter Farm after she and Rhys were unable to buy the caravan park from Josh, but now that none of her kids were around to help, and she wasn't there as much, it was too big a job for her to maintain. So Scott and Kit had decided to help their mum, and somehow managed to rope Dani, Noah and a very reluctant Robbie into it too. Using means both fair, and foul.
It was one of the hottest days of the year, which Kit was secretly thankful for. In the back of her mind was the though of a topless Noah, topless and sweaty... she let her mind wander slightly before turning into the main house after the others, laughing slightly as Robbie tripped over a bit of upturned rug.
The group gathered around the kitchen bench, Dani sitting on a stool, with Scott stood with his arms around her, Noah and Robbie side by side leaning against it, and Kit stood next to her mother like an old and new version of the same model.
"So" began Scott, "where do you want us to start?"
"I'm not really sure," Beth replied, glancing at her son uneasily, "what would you be comfortable doing? I don't want to take your time up with something you don't want to do," she continued, looking mostly at Dani and partly at Noah, as they weren't her children and she didn't want to put them out.
"I'm up for anything" reassured Noah. A comment met with a nod of agreement from Dani and a muffled snort of laughter from Robbie. "And I bet you know all about that, right sis!?" he teased, adding a cheeky wink. Kit sharply elbowed him in the ribs as a response, but he saw a small blush tainting her cheeks; it was worth the pain
"Ok then," said Beth, after taking a moment to think, "I guess we should split the jobs, so they get done faster. The boys can go and do some stuff for me around the farm, the lambs need sorting and some of the fences have come loose again," she explained, mostly to Scott, "and us girls could paint the back room, it's needed it for a while." She finished hopefully, cutting down any of Kit's protests with a look that only a mother could give.
"Sounds great," enthused Dani, "let's get started."
Kit sighed inwardly, hating to be stuck inside on such a beautiful day, knowing that she could do those farm jobs with her eyes closed and also feeling a small hint of annoyance that she wouldn't be spending her time with Noah. But she didn't want to let any of this show to Beth, her mum felt guilty enough already.
The two groups set off on their different tasks. "I'll come help you with the lambs later, yeah Scott" shouted Kit to her brother's retreating form, unable to resist. He raised his hand in the affirmative and led Noah and Robbie to the outskirts of the farm, for their first task of the day.
"Owwwwwwww," screamed Robbie, gripping his hand between his knees and jumping on the spot, having just brought his hammer down on something a little more painful than the intended piece of fencing.
"Y'know, you're actually supposed to hit the fence, Robbie, not yourself," joked Scott. Robbie just glared at him, the pain in his hand subduing his usually sunny temperament. "How many times is that now Noah?"
"Five" his friend replied, wielding his own hammer with much more control "and all on the same hand too, that's gotta hurt."
Robbie didn't laugh. "I bet you two think this is really funny don't you?!" He raised his eyebrows indignantly. "Well how about you try using faulty equipment to get the job done, see if you think it's funny then."
Noah tried desperately to stifle a boyish giggle, but failed miserably. Robbie blushed slightly, realising what he'd said.
"I can honestly say that I've never had the misfortune of having 'faulty equipment' mate," said Noah, laughing as Robbie glared at him.
"So that's why you turned Tash down is it?" Scott mused, unable to resist joining in the childish banter. This remark was almost met by a certain faulty hammer to the head, but Robbie thought better of it (meaning he knew Scott would kill him), pushed his glasses up and turned back to massacring his piece of fence.
"So," started Dani, lifting the lid from the paint tin carefully, "how are we all?" She shot a loaded glance Kit's way, hoping for a love life update.
"Pretty ordinary actually," Kit replied, knowing what Dani was up to, "How 'bout you mum?"
"Well, me and Rhys are very happy together, if that's what you mean." Beth reached for the largest roller and dropped it into the cream coloured paint. "As for the rest of them... Jade wants to move out, Tilly hates Summer Bay and Max and Henry are still tying to kill each other... but apart from that everything's fine."
Dani and Kit chuckled. "I'm so glad I'm outta that mad house," Dani said happily, "Not that I don't miss you all, of course I do. Its just... now that I'm with Scott," she paused, thinking of the right thing to say, "I've never been so happy."
Beth smiled. "I'm really happy for you love." Dani returned the gesture.
"Its alright for some then hey," Kit half joked, feeling a pang of sadness for her unrequited love. As much as she was pleased that Dani and her mum had found their soul mates, it didn't take anything away from the fact that hers didn't want to know. She dipped her paintbrush back into the paint, and made a long stroke along the edge of the door.
Dani, perceptive as ever, noticed the downhearted look on her friend's face. "You're still in love with him aren't you." Kit's blush gave Dani her confirmation.
Kit sighed, "I know I should get over him... but I guess I've always been a slow learner. Isn't that right mum?"
"You must get it from your fathers side," Beth replied, laughing at the look of mock-disbelief on her daughters face.
Dani placed her roller onto the wall, just above where Kit was standing, subsequently spraying her with flecks of paint. "Agh" cried Kit, with a devilish glint in her eye and a loaded paintbrush in her hand, which promptly made its was onto Dani's face.
Dani stood shocked for a moment – the drips of cream tickling her cheek on their way down – before launching her own attack and covering Kit (and Beth) with splashes of paint. Dani was about to apologise to Beth when she was met by another roller to the face, and saw Beth's playful smile, her inner child bursting through the floodgates.
A full on paint fight soon developed, with much screaming and giggling. Beth wrapped her arm around Kit, getting her into a headlock, and was just about to add more paint to the already magnolia Kit, when she was surprised by arms wrapping around her, pleasantly surprised. She looked down at her daughters smiling face and remembered how she had looked just a few months ago. Back then, Beth never imagined that she would ever share moments like this with Kit again. "Its good to have you back love," she whispered.
"Its good to be back", Kit smiled, pressing her head into her mother, and no doubt leaving a cheek shaped paint splodge.
"Hey, what about me," cried Dani, hating to miss out on the mother daughter moment. The other two chuckled slightly and moved to let her into the hug.
"How could we ever forget you Dani," muttered Kit half jokingly, feeling her mum poke her in the stomach for her trouble. But as hard as she tried, Beth couldn't hide the grin that had quickly spread across her face.
When the girls had taken showers, they set off for the sheep barn to help the boys, Beth staying behind to cook dinner. Now clad in wellies and old clothes, Dani and Kit happily stumbled up to the barn door, finding that the boys had already begun to make a start.
The vet had arrived, and was trying to help Scott, Robbie and Noah separate the very disgruntled sheep from their lambs, making the fence around them smaller and smaller. Kit immediately joined in, edging the lambs into a corner and doing far better than any of the boys. Dani was slightly hesitant, but was soon dragged into the mayhem by her boyfriend. "C'mon Dan, you never know, you might enjoy yourself," Scott told her, lifting her over the fence.
When a vague sense of order had been created, Kit and Scott went to help the vet dock the lambs tails, leaving Robbie, Noah and Dani in charge of keeping the sheep separated – with hindsight, this was a mistake.
"Won't it hurt them?" Dani asked, seeing the big metal clamps chop another lambs tail off.
"No, its only cartilage in there, so it's just like us having our ears pierced," answered Kit reassuringly.
"And the younger they are the less pain they feel," added Scott.
Dani watched the vet carefully, and was happy to see that once the lambs had been put down again and returned to their mothers, they seemed to show little discomfort.
Unfortunately she was paying too much attention to this and not enough to keeping her side of the fence protected from would-be runaway lambs, and as the inevitable happened, one small white lamb slipped under without her noticing.
Noah and Robbie exchanged a glance and immediately set after it, whilst Kit and Scott went to guard the rest of the flock, trying to subside their laughter at their friend and brother hopelessly trying to catch a very small and very fast little lamb.
"I'd better go and help them hadn't I?" stated Dani.
"You think?" replied Kit, slightly annoyed that she wasn't already, but laughing at Robbie and Noah too much to really care.
Dani turned and ran after the three figures; her arms out slightly in an I-don't-want-to-get-muddy-on-a-farm style run, which made Kit laugh even more, and Scott frown slightly.
Robbie had the lamb in his sights; there was no escape this time. It changed direction quickly, fooling Noah and sending him crashing to his feet, but Robbie was level to its tricks. He raced towards it, vaguely noticing Dani doing the same thing from the other side, at least one of them had to catch it, surely. Or not.
As Robbie leapt and dove at the poor terrified creature, which dodged away at the last minute, and Dani tripped over her own feet, they were both sent hurtling forward and crashed into each other, and subsequently to the ground in a flailing mass of arms and legs.
Robbie fumbled to find his glasses, that had been dislodged when he fell, pushing them up onto his nose, he looked across at Dani. She was lay on her front with her face submerged in some kind of foul smelling farm substance, that looked and smelt suspiciously like manure. Suddenly, like a scene from a horror film, she shot up, screamed and ran screeching into Scott's arms, "You stupid stupid fucking moronic idiot Robbie!!"
Noah picked the straw out of his hair and struggled desperately not to laugh. He glanced across at Kit – a mistake. Seeing the corner of each others mouths twitch, neither were able to stop the tears of uncontrollable laughter rolling down their faces as they sunk together onto their knees, turning their backs to Dani, in a vain hope for her not to notice.
"Err, hadn't we better catch the lamb?" Robbie commented, not laughing quite so hard as the other two.
Noah dragged himself to his feet as a 'yes', motioned a goodbye to Kit, and ran, laughing, after the lambs retreating from, Robbie hot on his heels.
Kit turned back to Dani and Scott, who was obviously not too impressed at his girlfriend rubbing manure all over his shirt but was putting on a brave face, and offered to take Dani for her second shower of the day.
"Its over there," Robbie shouted, "by the tree." Noah looked in the direction the younger boy was pointing and realised that yes, the lamb was indeed near the tree, alongside a very picturesque looking stream, which Robbie had informed him belonged to another farm.
The lamb ran along the edge of the water as Noah and Robbie fumbled to grab it from behind, stumbling over various rocks and tree roots as they tried to do so. Getting closer and closer to the edge, Robbie almost falling in a one point.
Noah saw his chance and made a dive for the little sheep, unfortunately changing his mind half way through, "I've got it... I've... I've......" And, with the grace of an asteroid falling to earth, he was in.