A/N: this is my first posting of MD, and it was written many moons ago, when the show was still on air and doing wonderfully, as you can tell it's set in season 6.

Sorry it's not up to scratch, I wanted to post it, but haven't looked at it in AGES!

Anywayz Enjoy... I'm going to post it all at once and any reviews would be WONDERFULLY appreciated… :)

When Stevie Hall climbed into bed that night she knew it was going to be her last night on Drover's run for a very long time – she could feel it in the pit of her stomach. There was a sad emptiness in her as she closed her eyes. She didn't want to leave. Drover's run was her home, her heart. It was where her family was, where her best mate, Alex, was. How could she go on without him?

She hadn't even told Alex that she was leaving the next morning. It saddened her to say goodbye. The last time they had spoken was at the pub, after a heated argument they'd almost shared a kiss. But when his wife called out and broke the moment, Stevie was disappointed, but relieved at the same time. She never wanted to be the "other woman". But she did love him. She loved him more than she wanted to. But he was married and she was going to jail.

She had been accused of murdering Harry Ryan, the meanest son of a gun on the planet and Alex's father. Of course Stevie was shattered believing that Alex would hate her and think she was capable of doing so. But surprisingly he had stated that he believed her, he hadn't even hesitated for a moment, he just pulled her into his arms and had been support ever since. That had been two weeks ago now.

It was no secret how much Stevie hated Harry, or how much he hated her, their relationship had always been rocky. Harry was a complicated man, he liked things his way or no way at all, he was never willing to compromise. He was a rich snob, you might say. The only acceptable women for his sons were those as rich and classy as himself, women with a career and money. Stevie didn't fit into his social ladder and she didn't care to try – even for Alex's sake.

Stevie was a hardheaded, redhead with a temper. She had worked as a topless barmaid to win some cash at one stage. But before she had settled on Drover's she had the heart of a gypsy and travelled from rodeo to rodeo, and riding horses. She had been kicked out of home when she was fifteen and pregnant. Her parents refused to support her with her baby girl, Rose, and she was railroaded into giving her up. She had only been a child herself. But she couldn't just give Rose away to just anyone, so she allowed her sister Michelle, to raise her.

It was supposed to be for a year of two, but Stevie kept moving around, she couldn't settle anywhere, she didn't know how. In the end Rose came to believe that Michelle was her mother and Stevie was her Aunty. But Stevie vowed to herself and Rose, from the moment she walked away from her that someday she'd come back and give Rose everything she had.

Her time came eventually. She told Rose she was her mother and Rose rejected her, she hadn't been prepared for that, and for months she didn't hear a word from her daughter. When Rose knew her as Aunty Stevie, their relationship had been strong and the bond they shared was deep. They shared a love for horses.

Rose had recently called her to ask if she could do work experience at Killarny – where Alex owned a farm – but her manners were very business like, there was nothing emotional about the conversation. Rose was quick to make sure Stevie knew that. But Harry Ryan had disagreed and said some nasty things about Rose being trailer trash. She hadn't said that to Rose, she had just discreetly told her that they had too much on and wouldn't take her.

She hadn't heard from Rose since.

Now Stevie's deepest fear about Rose was that she would never see her again. Besides, Alex, Rose was the most important person in Stevie's life she wanted to know her, to be able to talk to her whenever she wanted. Rose didn't make it easy. But Stevie wasn't going to let it go that easily, she had been giving her space and time to work everything out in her head. But now that she had no time left, she was going to drop by unannounced on her way to the trial the next morning to say goodbye and give her a saddle.

If she were charged with murder, she'd spend the next 15 years in prison. Rose would be a full grown adult by the time she got out, with a family of her own. This was her last chance to make emends with her daughter and she wasn't going to waste that chance.

Stevie turned over trying to get comfortable. She was going to miss this life. Early morning rides on Banjo. Sunrise and sunsets on Drovers. Cattle work. Fixing fences. Breaking horses. This was her life, even before she had settled on Drover's she had lived a life on the land among horses and Country life.

How could she leave this place? Justice was never really served. She was innocent. She had been set up, but she couldn't prove it. Now she was going to serve a sentence for a crime she didn't commit. While she sat alone in a cell, she would remember a life that was a million miles away.

Out of all that she would leave behind, she knew Alex Ryan would be the hardest to let go of. He had been her best mate for five years and now she was in love with him. The only problem was, he was married. Both Alex and Stevie knew there was something powerful between them it was there every time they were together. It was much more than just good mates and more than a little chemistry.

She knew deep down that they were perfect together. Despite their passionate arguments, and differences of opinion. It was the timing, it was always wrong. His wife Fiona had taken his heart, Stevie couldn't blame her for that he was rather terrific. But now Fiona was reluctant to give it back.

That was why she ad concluded not to say goodbye, it would have been too hard and far too complicated. She would just go and hope to God he understood why with-out asking too many questions. She was too afraid to say goodbye, she didn't know how. She loved him far too much to leave him. If she didn't say the words then it wouldn't hurt so much when she left.

Finally, she drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning.