Stevie is working out at the fence when Alex wakes the next morning.
His head is thick and heavy from the whisky the night before.
Rising he looks for her and when he doesn't find her moves downstairs in the hope she'll be there.
Making himself a single piece of toast and a cup of coffee he saunters outside on the veranda.
Spotting Stevie at the fence he's about to walk to her when he hears a car coming.
Stevie glances at the drive and placing her gloves onto the post she moves over to the car.
Alex steps back into the house and moves to the other door and watches his Mother step from the car and Stevie chatting to her.
...
Watching them approach he wants to hold Stevie and tell her he's sorry but his Mother distracts him with her sympathy and sorrow.
Stevie excuses herself and returns to the fence leaving Alex and Liz to return inside.
"Oh Alex the house looks dreadful." Liz offers.
"It looks a hell of a lot better than it did Mum. Rhonda and the CWA ladies came out and cleaned it for us." He offers.
"Why did you let those women come in here and snoop around? Why didn't Stevie do it?' Liz asks
Defensively he replies " Stevie was out with me all that day shooting injured stock we haven't had time for cleaning a house and were very grateful for all the help we were given."
Liz makes a few more negative comments and Alex arcs up each time.
Changing the subject he tells her about the funeral arrangements for tomorrow. Harry and Sandra will be buried together on Kilarney and the CWA ladies have organized the wake for him and Nick for which they are extremely grateful.
An hour and a half later Liz leaves for Drover's Run.
She'll stay with Nick and Tess as there's still no power on Kilarney.
Stevie sees Liz drive off but continues to work.
...
On Drover's Run Nick and Tess have been cleaning up around the place with Kate and Jodie.
Drover's was lucky and only received minimal damage from small spot fires.
Nick has offered to do Kilarney's paperwork until their power is back on but has helped the girls for awhile.
"Tess I'm going to make a start on Alex's paperwork are you ok now?" Nick asks.
Tess smiles at him and says "Yes we'll be right. Your Mums coming over soon and there's cake in the fridge for afternoon tea can you put the kettle on in about half an hour please?"
He nods and moves off.
...
Jodie asks "How's he doing Tess?'
Tess is still watching him walk away and says "I think he's ok all things considered."
Kate asks "What about Alex?'
Tess turns back to them and inhaling says "Well Stevie came over on her own last night and I'd say they'd had a fight so I'd say not so good."
...
Alex watches as his Mother drives out and he has mixed emotions about her visit.
Her words of comfort were needed and welcomed but he hated that he had to defend Stevie.
Realization hits him when he thinks about what he'd said to his Mother.
Stevie has stood beside him every step of the way and has put her own needs aside to make sure he was ok.
In the last week his grief has jaded his view of everything.
She has given everything and he has taken and taken and taken.
...
Stevie is tired and hot and sweaty.
Lifting the heavy crow bar she pounds it down around the post ramming the earth hard up against it.
In the time Liz has been here she's actually put quite a few posts in.
She's struggled putting some of the rails up on her own but she wanted at least two runs finished for Alex.
...
Alex walks around to where she's working and stands watching her.
She puts her hand on the post and pushes checking that it's solid.
Again she lifts the heavy crow bar and rams the earth in hard.
Testing once more she is obviously happy with her work and lets the bar fall onto the ground.
Picking up her water bottle she drinks, retightens the lid and rests it back on the fence.
Wiping her brow with the back on her forearm, she then places her hands on her hips and arches her back.
Bending she picks up the crowbar and moves onto the next post.
...
Alex smiles watching her work and thinks about how she loves him.
His parents loved him he has no doubt about that but there was always an expectation to behave a certain way, achieve the goals they set.
Stevie loved him regardless of any of that and if truth be told she actually loved that side of him that his parents frowned upon.
She just wanted him to be true to himself.
...
Glancing up Stevie spots him and smiles but continues working.
He walks towards her and says "Hey."
Stopping she says. "Hey. How's Liz?"
He half smiles and says "Yeah she's ok. It was nice to see her."
She nods and offers "She sounded upset when I spoke to her earlier. Even though they were divorced they shared so many years and she would have so many memories."
Her voice trails off and he can tell she's upset.
She always surprises him, Liz has never been particularly nice to Stevie and yet Stevie can empathize with Liz's pain.
...
"Stevie I'm so sorry about everything. I've been a jerk." He offers softly.
She's hurt and he knows that but she's put a wall up to protect herself.
As she works she quips "You're always a jerk Alex it's just the degree that varies."
She doesn't look at him or she'd see the smile on his face.
He walks over to her and taking the crowbar from her hand lets it drop to the ground and then he hugs her.
She buries her head into his chest and holds him tightly.
"How about we go for a drive into town and you can get the things you need and we'll have dinner at the pub?" He asks.
With her head still against his chest she nods and he knows she's too upset to speak so he just holds her.
...
Damon has arrived at Drover's for dinner as Jodie invited him after their failed date last night.
As he walks through the back porch he calls "Hello."
Liz Ryan walks to the door and says "Well Hello Damon I thought I recognized that voice. Nick's just finishing off some paperwork and the girls will be back soon. What are you doing here?'
Damon tells her about his new position as the local doctor and she's clearly impressed.
Not that he cares what she thinks.
...
Liz offers coffee and the two sit out on the veranda and chat about what he's been up to since she last saw him.
Damon hides his smile and thoughts as Liz Ryan gushes about how proud his family must be off him.
Funny he thinks to himself as a teenager he thought Liz Ryan was full of herself and not very kind towards anyone she considered less than her and as an adult it's so glowingly obvious she still thinks the same.
Although she clearly thinks he's so worth talking too.
...
"So have you been to see Alex and Stevie yet?" Damon asks.
"Well I saw Alex but she stayed outside fixing fences." Liz replies.
Damon picks up on Liz Ryan's attitude towards Stevie by that one sentence, so he decides to have some fun with her.
"So I get the impression Stevie's not quite the girl you'd like for Alex Liz?" Damon asks.
She looks at him and replies "Well Damon she's not educated and she's quite rough and I'm not sure what Alex sees in her to tell you the truth. You wouldn't go after a woman like that now would you?"
He grins and replies "No Liz why would I."
Liz looks at him and says "She had a child at fifteen and dropped out of school Damon."
He grins and says "Yes she told me about that and about Rose."
Liz Ryan is shock and says "What she freely advertised she had a child out of wedlock?"
Damon looks at her and replies." We're not living in the fifties any more Liz. Lots of women have children without being married it's not a crime."
"It may not be a crime Damon but attitudes like that are eating away at out countries morals. These young women are having children that they can't take care of, they're a disgrace" She states haughtily.
Damon is really angry about her derision of Stevie and single Mothers in general but doesn't want to argue with her so simply states "What about the men who father these children? Where are they? Don't just blame these young women Liz it takes two people to make and raise a child."
He stands and moves over to grab himself a glass of water and at the same time signalling he's done with the conversation.
...
"Hi Liz" Tess offers as she returns inside.
Liz rises and hugs her daughter-in-law and says" Hello Tess it's good to see you again."
Tess smiles at her and replies "You too.'
Tess smiles at Damon and says "Hello again. Would you like a cup of tea?'
Smiling he replies "No thanks Tess the waters fine."
They chatter on about Nick and Drover's and the fire when the subject turns to Kilarney and Alex, Damon excuses himself and walks out to see where Jodie and Kate are.
...
Stevie and Alex have been in town for awhile and picked up the supplies they need including fuel for the generator.
"Stevie want to go to the pub for dinner?" Alex asks.
Looking at him she replies. "No not really Alex. Let's just grab a hamburger from the truck stop and a six pack and sit in the park."
Fifteen minutes later they're sitting on the grass in the park eating their hamburgers.
...
Looking around Stevie offers. "It's nice to see green after a week of black."
Alex studies her face and wonders if she's talking about the grass or his mood.
"Yeah I like green too." He replies.
He watches as she inhales and exhales.
She's happy again and he smiles.
"Stevie what's the one thing in your life you'd like to do that you've never done before?" He asks.
Looking at him she asks "What like a wish list type of thing?"
"Yeah." He answers.
She sits and he watches as a smile spreads across her face. "Promise you won't laugh Alex?"
He half grins and says" I can't promise that Stevie."
...
She smiles at him and replies "I'd love to go to the Sydney Opera house in a beautiful full length black evening gown and listen to an opera."
He chuckles and says "You at the Opera House."
Instantly her demeanour changes and she states. "What I'm too rough to take to the Opera?"
He back peddles quickly and says "Oh god no not at all Stevie I've just never thought of you as an Opera person I thought you liked country music."
Grumpily she replies "I'm allowed to like different music Alex."
"Stevie I never said you couldn't I just didn't know you liked Opera that's all." He offers.
Without looking at him she replies "There's a lot you don't know about me."
...
Nick and Tess are entertaining Liz helped by Damon, Jodie and Kate and it's not easy.
When the main meal is finished Kate and Jodie clear the table and Damon volunteers to help just so he doesn't have to sit with Liz Ryan any longer.
Tess feels the same way and manages to escape to the kitchen on several occasions.
Nick is unaware that's what Tess is doing and happily chats to his Mother.
Damon picks up quickly that neither Jodie , Tess or Kate are overly fond of Liz Ryan but withholds his own view as he's new to their company and doesn't want to upset anyone by saying the wrong thing.
He freely laughs at the remarks they make though and enjoys their sense of humour.
...
Stevie and Alex have returned to Kilarney and Stevie has fuelled up the generator while Alex has gone to rewrite Harry's eulogy.
Stevie busies herself with unpacking the supplies they bought and enjoys having power back in the house.
Half an hour later she takes a cold beer into Alex in the office and placing it on the desk beside him turns to walk back out in to the living room.
Grabbing her arm he pulls her back and asks "Can I have a cuddle."
A small smile lights up her face and she places her beer beside his.
He manoeuvres her so she's sitting across his lap and holds her tightly and then kisses her so very softly hugs her again and then in one swift move has her back on her feet.
She laughs and says "Yes, glad I could be of service!"
He laughs and says. "I'm almost finished writing and that was just a little something so you don't feel neglected."
She shakes her head and walking from the room quips. "I survived without your kisses and hugs for years Alex, I think I can manage another hour or so."
He smiles.