It had been the first and last time Grace had seen snow that day. She'd been told she'd been excited, by whom she couldn't remember as she had no vivid recollection of anyone talking about that day with her. But she had been told she had been excited. It was hard to remember that part. She remembered her blue jacket that she hated because it was Regan's hand me down and she wanted a new coat. She remembered Evan hitting her on the head with his toy robot and pinching him hard in return. He cried and Regan yelled at her. She protested that Evan had started it, but Regan never believed that. Evan was such a baby, he always cried and Grace never did. And somehow that made it seem it was never Evan's fault. And it all seemed so foolish and childish as she looked back upon it, but then reminded herself they were only children. Grace couldn't recall where her parents were that day. But that was not unusual.

Grace remembered it was Regan who woke her up that morning and told her to get dressed, she had something to show her. And so she did as she was told. Because as much as they fought, she did look up to Regan. She adored her and wanted to be everything like her. It wasn't like Jasmine or their mother gave any attention to Grace. Regan was the only one who cared. And that's why she was so angry with Regan for taking Evan's side all the time. Because Regan was all she had. And even Regan chose Evan over her. But still in the dawn of a new day she was intrigued by this surprise and dressed quickly. As she looked out the window she saw it was snowing. And she ran down the stairs anxious to go outside and see it.

She remembered waiting in the living room for the longest time. Angry at Evan because he wouldn't put his boots on. She had managed to put her own boots on. He was just being difficult. Grace had yelled at him then, something she couldn't even remember now. Some of her final words to him and she couldn't even remember them. They weren't nice, she remembered that. And Regan had yelled at her not to call her brother names. And she remembered most about that moment being so angry with them both and wanting to run out into the snow and never come back. She had said something nasty to Regan at that point too, something else she couldn't recall, and Regan told her to shut up or they wouldn't be going outside at all. So Grace had folded her arms in silence and stamped her foot on the ground. "I'll go outside if I want to, you cant stop me." She had said. 'You cant stop me.' Those words would come back to haunt her. 'You cant stop me Regan, you could never stop me.' "Button your jacket" Regan told her calmly refusing to get drawn into the fight which infuriated Grace all the more, so she had refused.

Somehow the three made it to the door and Evan ran off laughing, he was just laughing. He didn't care that he had hit her on the head with his robot, or that she had pinched him, or that Regan had yelled at him to put his boots on. He just ran for it and had fun. Grace remembered standing at the door with Regan, holding her hand. It was something she hated doing, she was too old to need to hold Regan's hand. But that day she did, telling herself it was just because her own hand was so cold. And she cried. Grace who never cried. To this day she didn't know what she cried at that minute. She didn't even cry at Evan's funeral. But that minute she cried. Watching him laugh and play, and holding tight to Regan's hand looking up to her big sister.

Regan looked at her like she was crazy, as Regan often did, and asked her what was wrong. It was a rare sight to see Grace in tears. Grace couldn't remember what she had answered. Only that she knew it was wrong to step out of that doorway, only that she knew they should all go back inside, only that she knew this was all wrong, that somehow things were about to change dramatically. But Regan hadn't listened, hadn't believed her. Regan assured her she was being foolish. And as stubborn as Grace McLeod was, she would have followed her sister to the ends of the earth. So, still clutching tight to Regan's hand, Grace had followed after her.

She'd been so cold and so scared that day. And so right. Everything she had said that day had come true. Which was no consolation at all, but still the only thing she had to hold on to for all these years, and hold on to it tightly she did. She was right, Regan was wrong. Wrong, and she didn't even care. And Grace decided she'd rather be bitter and unsuccessful than cold and uncaring. Grace decided she didn't need a fancy job and money, she'd rather be that stupid kid floating from town to town with no place to call home. To be free. Much like Stevie had been before she came to Drovers.

And then her mind turned back to Stevie. She looked towards her, her eyes tired and vacant really, but Grace guessed there was so much going underneath. Grace couldn't help but smile at Stevie's determination to stay by Grace's side of this whole stupid fight out of whatever misplaced sense or debt Stevie felt she owed to Grace. It seemed odd after hearing Stevie tell her only days ago she wanted to kill her. So much had happened this last week. There would be so much to explain. Grace would have to start, that was clear and she was happy to. But it was Stevie who needed to tell the real story. And someone somehow had to get rid of Tess.

Regan turned around at that moment and looked at Grace in the back seat of the car. Grace looked back at her somehow needing her eyes to be cold and uncaring. But they weren't, They were open, and something else she had no words for. Something else she hadn't seen since her childhood days when she thought Regan could save the world. Walking away from Regan, from Drovers, wouldn't be possible, not now. Grace wished their paths hadn't crossed again. Almost. This was all Stevie's doing. She was the one who had brought them together. She was always the one who held them together. And Stevie was the one who had introduced her all those years ago to Claire McLeod. Grace had known all along who Claire was, who Jack McLeod was. But even at that age she was using her mothers maiden name, Kingston, and Claire never suspected a thing. Grace wondered if Claire even knew she had a cousin. And now she would never get that chance to ask her