A/N: thanks for all your lovely reviews folks, sorry this one took a while to upload, just been too busy! slightly shorter one but as with the previous chappie it's tied in with events that were happening in the show at this time in their marriage (sort of).

The Fourth Year

Rosie adjusted her dress in the mirror, it pulled in lightly at her waist before floating down to her knees. She ran a finger under her right eye where her mascara had already slightly smudged and fixed it, before picking up her foundation topping up her face.

Max came out of the bathroom, still pulling up his trousers and tucking in his shirt. He wasn't used to wearing suits either.

"Here" Rosie turned to him and fixed his upturned collar and altering his tie so it ran neatly down the middle of his shirt.

"Thanks" Max said quietly as he watched her attend to him

"You scrub up quite well," she smiled looking up to his eyes "like that handsome man I married" Rosie added smoothing his shirt down again

"I try" Max shrugged before taking her hand. "Ready for this?"

"No not really" Rosie admitted, her mind already cluttered with thoughts "Not how you're meant to spend your 4th wedding anniversary is it?"

"Never mind" Max kissed the top of her head "we've got the rest of our lives together"

"I guess" she sniffed fighting back the tears,

"We better be going" He pulled his phone out of his pocket noticing the time.

"Can we walk?" Rosie asked as they left the guest hut, "I guess I kind of feel him in the air when we're out, it was his land after all"

Max smiled twisting his fingers round hers and they began the walk into the bush.

"It's weird him not being here" Max commented

" Yeah, he almost made it what it is" she agreed

"Who knows where we'd be if it weren't for him too" Max sighed

"He sure did have a habit of leading you astray on more than one occasion" she laughed

"Oi!" He nudged her and she grinned at him

"It's true! He probably was the only one who kept you in business round here too"

"I meant us, Rosie." Max insisted "us, as a pair"

"I know" Rosie admitted, "he helped us through everything"

"He was the one who gave me the heads up on you before I asked you out anyway" he told her,

Rosie frowned, Max smiled at her puzzled expression before beginning.

"Well I didn't know how Danny would take it, so Dup was in the bar one day and he knew I wasn't with Thandi anymore and I knew I wanted to see you, so I spoke to him"

"And?" Rosie asked

"And he said if you hurt her you'll have both me and Danny to answer for, but if I don't hurt you then I'd probably make you the happiest girl. He said he'd seen the way you looked at me, and how I looked at you, and he said as long as I didn't muck up we'd be in it for the long term"

Rosie stopped walking as he finished and tugged on his shirt, pulling him closer to her. She craned her neck as he looked down on her and kissed him gently.

"Good job I took his advice" Max smiled when they pulled away

"Definitely" Rosie agreed as they began their walk again.

Dup was buried later that afternoon in a small clearing near the rock he was found on the morning after he died. It was his rock, the place he'd always revisited throughout his life it was fitting that he was buried there.

The vicar greeted the young couple before the service. The same vicar who was due to marry them the first time, the same vicar who conducted Sarah's funeral and then their eventual wedding 4 years previous. He knew how much Dup had meant to the whole family and many of the other locals who also came to pay their respects. Between him and Danny they delivered a fitting tribute to the man who 'was Leopards Den'.

Max kept his arm round his wife during the whole ceremony, regularly pulling clean tissues out of his pocket for her as tears ran down her cheeks. Max was a tough guy, Rosie had softened him but it still took a lot from him to lose his emotions. Dup was different though, he made him realise how much he valued his own life, how glad he was to have known him and how thankful he was to have good people in his life.

Max's eyes had watered on a couple of occasions throughout the day but he stayed strong for Rosie's sake. Danny was too preoccupied to give her the support she needed, Dup had been the only grandfather type figure she'd ever known, he'd cared a lot for her and her for him too.

Rosie released herself from Max to envelope Caroline in a hug, it was as if Dup's death had added ten years to her, whilst she busied herself to keep her mind off things it was clear she wasn't coping that well.

"He's got a good send off" Rosie reassured her

"Yes" Caroline nodded "thank you, I know it's not the best day or timing for you but-"

"There's no need Caroline" Max placed a hand on her arm "Dup was a massive part of all our lives, we owed it to him"

Caroline smiled and thanked them again before moving onto Dup's son Kirk.

"Have you got anymore?" Rosie held up her rather moist tissue

Max handed her a new one and wiped her stained cheeks with his thumb

"Thanks" she sniffed and he placed a kiss to the top of her head

"Tomorrow" she began "I don't mean to continue the depressing mood but can we go-"

"'Course" he whispered "it's important"

Rosie smiled up at him, she was thankful he was so understanding. He didn't let out much sometimes, she knew he didn't need to visit the small memorial to their unborn child as much as she did but she also knew how much losing the baby hurt him.

They had each other and that was all that mattered.