Baze pulls up outside Cate's house, surprised, though relieved when Cate and Ryan don't come bounding out of the house like bullets from a gun. This allows him a little more time alone with his daughter.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asks, concerned for his daughter's well-being. They really bonded during their time away, and he has a much better idea of how she feels about life; and the situation with Jones in particular.

Lux turns to her Father, a big, sincere smile on her face. After crossing over the Portland border, she had a fairly stern discussion with herself. She was fed up with feeling sorry for herself because of the break-up of her relationship with Jones. Life was for the living, and it was about time she got back to enjoying it. She has all the important people in her life that she will ever need: Cate, Baze, Ryan, and the best friend that any girl could wish for, Tasha. Anyone else will just be an extra, not an essential.

"I'm going to be fine. Thank you so much for taking me away. It's been fantastic, I've loved every minute of it!" she says, leaning forward and kissing him warmly on the cheek. She climbs out of the car just as Cate bounces out of the house, quickly followed by Ryan.

Lux doesn't have the chance to say a word before Cate grabs hold of her and unleashes a wave of hugs and kisses. She knows her mother is enthusiastic, but this is ridiculous.

"Cate, calm down. You would think I've been away for months!"

"I know, but it feels like it. Are you all right? Did you both have a good time?" she asks, bending down to wave to Baze through the window before he climbs out of the jeep.

"Good to see you Lux," says Ryan, coming up behind his wife and smiling at her.

"Thanks Ryan, good to be back. How about we head inside? I need coffee!" she says, waving goodbye to her father before putting her arm around her mother and practically leading her into the house to avoid any more of this. Ryan stays behind to grab her bags.

"How did it all go?" asks Ryan.

"Really well. We bonded. How have things been here?" he asks, handing her bags to Ryan. She managed to bring home practically the same amount that she brought with her, which surprises Ryan. After being with Cate for a long time, he's used to unpacking at least twice the amount taken. She really was a lot more focused on her alone time with her father than shopping.

"Things have been good. A bit trying in some ways, but all right."

"That doesn't sound good?"

Ryan doesn't know how to answer. How can he explain everything that has happened in the space of a couple of minutes? This is not a short chat type of subject.

"No, a lot of it isn't."

"Then you should come over to the loft sometime soon. By the sounds of it, you need a beer. Or three."

Ryan hadn't even thought of something like that.

"Yeah, that would be fantastic. We haven't had a guy's night in a while."

"Yeah, and hopefully this one won't be as eventful as the last one. Give me a ring tomorrow, and we can work out something."

After saying goodbye to Baze, Ryan runs back into the house, putting her bags inside Lux's bedroom in the loft before returning downstairs to find his wife and step-daughter sitting in the kitchen, a mug of coffee in front of them, and an extra one for him.

"So, what are we talking about?" he asks.

"Cate has told me everything inside the space of five minutes. Is Auntie Paige going to be all right?"

Ryan sighs heavily. It upsets him to even think about the mess Paige has brought onto herself and their family, but Lux is a part of that family, and deserves to know everything that is happening.

"I'm not sure. My parents have organised a lawyer who seems to know what she's doing, so hopefully she can make this go away quickly."

"How is Auntie Paige coping with it all?"

Ryan smiles at Lux. He's so proud of her and everything she has accomplished throughout her difficult life. And even after everything, she is still concerned enough to check up on his troublesome sister.

"She seems to be handling it well. Paige never shows her emotions well, preferring to take off when things get real, but I think she's doing all right. How did everything go with Baze?"

A smile spreads across Lux's face. Things did become a little intense with her father, considering some of the issues they discussed, but she's glad they went over the things they did, and she feels a lot closer to him now. But, that said, she doesn't want to share all of that with Cate and Ryan. She wants to keep some things between herself and Baze.

"Things went really well. We had a great time," she beams.

Cate is going to ask more questions but Ryan reaches out, putting his hand over hers. She looks at her husband, wondering why he's stopping her, but he immediately changes the subject a little.

"Where did you head to on your trip?"

"We went down to California, we spent time in little towns, at the beach, we went to the zoo. . . . it was just amazing. I'm so glad I went. Have you heard from Tasha?"

Cate and Ryan smile at one another. Cate is itching to tell Lux about Tasha talking with Jones, but she doesn't want to take the joy of that from Tasha. She's the one who did the work, Tasha should be the one to tell her the good news.

"Tasha is doing really well. She was decorating her apartment, so we haven't seen much of her. I'm sure you have missed one another?" adds Cate.

"Yeah, I really have. We've sent the odd text back and forth. I think I might go over and see her later on," she says, taking a sip of her coffee. "So what else has been happening here? Did you two spend a lot of time together?"

"Not as much as we had hoped, but we are going to head away on a little weekend vacation soon," says Cate, realising for the first time that Lux may hate this idea. She has just returned to town, and now she and Ryan are planning to head off.

"Fantastic. When?"

"We haven't set a date yet, but we won't go if you don't want us to!" says Cate, speaking before thinking about it. She can feel Ryan's eyes beaming through her skin. She looks behind her to find him glaring at her. He clearly doesn't like that idea.

"Don't worry about me. I can stay with Tasha, or Baze. Head off whenever you want to, I'll be just fine."

"Great, I'll get something booked this evening," says Ryan, wanting to get something organised before his wife changes her mind. Even though it was Cate's idea to do this, he knows that she always puts Lux first, as it should be, but that doesn't always mean good things for them as a couple.

"Brilliant. Well, I'll get some food organised. What does everyone want?"

Lux looks over at Cate and Ryan, happy to be back in their little home. She hadn't realised just how much she had missed it.