Nick had been gone a long time in the bathroom.

"I wonder what he's doing in there? Jodi asked.

"I'm not sure I want to know" Kate answered as they exchanged grins. They all needed to lighten up.

Claire walked to the foot of the staircase "Nick are you ok up there? Do you need some help, Tess will come help you" Claire joked.

"Claire!" Tess scolded her sister.

Nick emerged from the bathroom at that moment, and returned to the kitchen.

"Well, I'm sorry but I have to get going, I remembered something I have to do." He announced.

"What?" Claire asked "Can't it wait?"

"I'm afraid not" Nick answered, he looked slightly pale.

"Alright well, see you later then, thanks for your help." Claire told him.

Nick couldn't tell if Claire was genuinely thanking him, or being sarcastic because he was running out on them. He stood for a moment in the kitchen.

"Thought you were leaving?" Claire asked him, but on seeing his face she softened "Is everything ok Nick?"

"Yeah" he answered quickly "I just need Tess to give me a hand for a minute, Tess will you walk me out?"

Jodi, Kate and Claire smiled to themselves.

"Yeah Nick, Its hard to find your horse on your own, after all he is right outside in the front paddock there. You better take Tess to help you." Claire teased "I think we can spare Tess for an important job like that." She added with a laugh.

Tess was going bright red in the face, but she was smiling. So were the others. All but Nick who had a strange look of confusion and horror on his face. Tess didn't need much persuasion to follow Nick out of the house. They heard the others teasing them all the way down to the paddocks.

"Well at least we gave them something to talk about." Tess remarked as she wondered why Nick would want to be alone with her. "What's up?" Tess asked him, realizing for the first time that something was wrong.

"It's Alex." Nick answered.

"Stevie?" Alex asked her

"What?" She replied.

"I need to know something." He stated.

"What?" She repeated again.

"I need to know what Daniel is capable of. He is hanging around Drovers with Tess, and Charlotte and Claire, and I need to know what he's doing there." Concern was evident in his voice.

"He wouldn't hurt Claire." Stevie told him. That was one thing Stevie was fairy certain of.

"How can you be so sure, look what he did to you." Alex reminded her.

Don't make me say it Alex, "He loves her, he wouldn't hurt her."

"How long ago was it, that they were together?" He asked

Stevie could tell this conversation was painful for him "About 5 Years ago" She answered.

"For how long?" He asked

"I don't know." Stevie told him truthfully.

Alex wasn't convinced that Daniel wouldn't hurt Claire. But he reminded himself that Daniel and Claire did have a history, and if Daniel had done anything to Claire there was no way Claire would let him around BOM.

"What about the others?" Alex asked trying to forget about Claire. She was a big girl and she had made her own decisions, she could live with the consequences. "What about Charlotte? What about Tess?" Alex asked.

Stevie stopped to consider this for a moment. What would Daniel do to Tess if she got in his way?

"Wait a minute. Slow down. Alex is out of town?" She asked.

Nick nodded.

"And he didn't say goodbye to anyone, even you or Claire?"

Nick nodded again

"And he told you….that its over with him and Claire?"

Nick nodded again

"And Stevie is with him?"

"And he's not coming back anytime soon?"

Nick nodded, he had explained it seven times already and now finally it was sinking in for Tess.

"But Claire is so happy…she said earlier…" Tess voice trailed off "she doesn't know? He broke it off with her and ran our on her and didn't have the decency to tell her?" Tess asked horrified, she knew what this would do to her sister. "I just cant believe it, was he drunk?"

"I don't think so, and the chopper is missing, and so are Alex and Stevie, so …" Nick added.

"Stevie." Tess mumbled under her breath. "You don't think Alex and Stevie………?" Tess began but couldn't finish the sentence…. "No way" she decided.

"Well I don't know, I cant believe Alex would take off like that and not talk to Claire, so I really don't know what is going on." Nick remarked.

"Why are you telling me Nick?" She asked but her heart sank and she realized the answer before he spoke.

"Well, someone's gotta tell Claire." Nick looked hopefully to her.

No way, she thought to herself, how could she be the one to hurt Claire like that. But how could she keep it from her sister? Sooner of later ….and probably sooner… Claire would wonder where he is…and they would have to tell everyone that Stevie was with Alex, they were all so worried about finding her….and what about tomorrow when Claire couldn't get hold of him, she would worry….there was no way out of it.

"Try calling him again" Tess told Nick.

"Phone is off" Nick added with a shrug.

"Call Stevie." Tess insisted

"Her phone is here remember Tess?" Nick reminded her.

"Tell me again Nick, tell me everything he said!" Tess pleaded with him.

Nick sighed and for the 8th time repeated word for word the conversation with Alex. Almost. He left out the bit about the dangerous guy, not wanting to scare Tess. Nick wondered to himself if that was the guy who set the fire.

After hearing the story again, Tess thought for a little while, then she said with certainty,

"No way Ryan, if your brother wants to tell my sister something like that he can damn well do it himself!"

"Tell me what Tess?" Claire's voice interrupted them. Tess turned to her sister, who was smiling slightly amused, but then Claire saw the look on Tess' face, and her face fell "What's going on?" She asked.