Disclaimer: Do not own anything McLeod's Daughters belongs to channel 9, and the writers and creators apart from Abby, Lily and Charlie.

Two sisters were happily playing on the veranda at the house of Drovers run when they saw a familiar face. Both girls jumped from their up from their places on the floor and rushed into their aunts open arms.

'Oh I've missed you girls.' Lily said as she wrapped her arms around the two girls.

'Did you have lots of adventures aunt Lily.' Claire asked but before Lily could answer she was bombarded more questions.

'Do you have lots of stories.'

'Did you bring anything back for us.'

'Did you miss us.' Tess asked.

Lily smiled at the two young girls ' That's a lot of questions and the answer is yes, yes, yes and yes.' and on the last yes she tapped Tess's nose. Tess laughed. 'Would you like to see what I've brought back.' Lily asked.

'Yes please.' the girls chorused. Lily laughed.

'Come on lets go and sit down.'

Jack McLeod returned from a day of mustering to find his two daughters sitting for once quietly, he knew this could mean only one thing, his younger sister Lily must be back as it was only her that could keep those two quiet for more then five minutes. The two girls sat enchanted by their aunts stories from her travels. Lily looked up to see her elder brother standing a couple of feet away watching as she told her two nieces about her adventures.

'Good to see you back.' Jack told her ruffling her hair as he walked into the house. Claire and Tess laughed when they saw their father do this. Lily shook her head and laughed and then carried on telling her story to the girls.

Later that evening after the girls had gone to bed after several bedtime stories from their aunt Lily decided to speak to her brother. She stood in the doorway of the office watching her brother as he did the paper work. It reminded her of when she was a child, when ever she couldn't sleep she would stand and watch her father working at his desk. Jack looked up from his work.

'Girls finally asleep?' Jack asked.

'Ummm, not really, they're in bed at least.' Lily told her brother as she sat in the seat opposite him.

Jack just shrugged. And went back to his paper work. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

'Do you have something to say Lily.' Jack asked not looking up from his paper work.

Lily bite her bottom lip and took a deep breath. 'No.' she replied feigning innocence. 'Why'd you say that? She asked.

'I can feel you staring at me.'

' Is everything ok with you and Ruth.'

'What makes you think that something's wrong?'

'Meg says that um Ruth's been going into town a lot and I know that Ruth's not exactly keen on the country life.'

'Ruth's a city girl it's hard for being in the country she misses the city.' Jack told his younger sister.

'So how long you staying this time.' Jack asked quickly changing the subject. Lily wanted to continue with the topic at hand but she did not want to push her brother knowing that if she did he would shut down completely.

'Well I thought I'd stay indefinitely.' Jack who had gone back to his work dropped his pen and looked at his sister in shock. Lily smiled 'I think I've seen enough of the world it's time I spent I settled down spent some time with my family.' Lily smiled at her brother Jack smiled back.

'That sound's like a good idea.' He told her.

'I thought so.' Lily laughed. 'I' gonna go to bed.'

'Ok.'

'Don't stay up to late.' Lily told her brother.

''I'll be finished with this soon.' Jack assured her.

Lily got up to leave but turned around and walked around to Jack's side of the desk. She put her arms around her brother. 'You know that you're the best brother a girl could ask for.' she told him her voice full of sincerity.

'Well your not that bad of a sister either.' Jack joked.

'I mean it,' Lily told him 'I just want you to know that I do appreciate you.'

'Good to know.'

'Night.'

'Night.'

Lily couldn't sleep and had been sitting outside for the past hour when she heard muffled voice coming from the back door. She smiled, 'What are you two doing up.' She asked and two heads popped out.

'We couldn't sleep.' Claire told her aunt.

Abby sighed 'come on the then.' she said motioning to the space beside her. She heard the patter of feet as the two young girls sat beside her. Lily picked up the young Tess and placed her in her lap.

'Look I can see my star.' Tess called out point towards the night sky.

'And there's mine.' Claire said.

'Aunty Lily can we have another story.' Tess asked.

'I suppose we can have one more but only if you promise me that you'll go straight to bed after.'

'OK.' both girls chorused.

'Once upon a time in a far and mystical land..' began Lily as the three of the sat beneath the stars listening to stories about far away places and magical beings.

Lily was driving back home from a trip into town, tonight they were going to have a little celebration. Jack had gone to a cattle sale with Claire and was expecting to fetch a good price. He had been planning to take both girls with him but Ruth had insisted that Tess stay home as she had been feeling under the weather. Lily could help but notice the tension between her brother and his wife she only hoped that could fix whatever was wrong between them. As she pulled up Lily noticed a strange vehicle in the drive way and was soon greeted by a frantic Meg.

'Lily I'm so glad you're here.'

'Meg what wrong.'

'It's Ruth.' Lily ran in to the house.

'Ruth, Ruth.' she called out searching very room she came across. She found Ruth frantically packing stuff away in he dinning room Tess was standing in the corner of the room watching her frantic mother looking rather upset and scared.

'Ruth what are you doing?'

'What does it look like I'm doing.' she snapped.

'You can't leave.'

'I can't stay.' she screamed ' I feel, I feel as if I am suffocating here. I can't cope.'

'Ok look we can talk about this.' Lily tried to be sympathetic, she knew that Ruth was having a hard time living in the city.

'There's nothing to talk about. Tess and I we're leaving.' Lily looked at the little girl standing in the corner of the room.

'Where are you going? She asked.

'I'm not sure just away from here.' Ruth told her, she turned to her daughter, 'Tess go get in the car.'

'Mummy.' Tess asked. Unsure of what was going on.

'Just go and get in the car.' the child did as she was told.

'Your not going to even say goodbye. I mean what were you gonna do just pack up and leave without a word.' Lily began to raise her voice she was getting angry. She understood that Ruth could no longer live in the country but to leave without saying goodbye.

'I wrote him a note.'

'A note.' Lily exclaimed.

'If I wait to say goodbye he'll just convince me to stay and then we'll both end up being unhappy.' Ruth told her sister in law. She handed her the letter to Jack and walked out the door. Lily stood there for a few brief moments unable to comprehend just the whole situation. She ran out the door after Ruth. She reached her just as she was about to get into her car. Lily stopped her before she could open the door.

'What about Claire and Tess have you thought about them.'

'Of course I have.'

'You've seen them together just think what it would do if you were to separate them.'

'I know and I'm sorry but I can't stay here anymore and I can't leave without Tess.' she explained the tears were now falling down her face. Ruth had now managed to open the car door and was getting in. Just as she was about to close it Lily stopped here again.

'Please Ruth think about this.' the tears now falling from her face as well. 'Please Ruth Jack's already lost one wife and child and Claire a mother and a sibling don't let them lose another.' she pleaded.

'I'm sorry.' Ruth managed to get out through her tears as she finally shut the car door.

Lily looked to the back seat where the young Tess was sitting she blew her niece a kiss and reached out her hand resting it on the window. Tess brought her hand to the window to match her aunts as she gave her a beaming smile, Lily tied to smile back through her tears as the car sped away. She was left alone in the driveway with only a letter to explain all this to Jack.

It was some hours later when Jack and Claire finally arrived home. Lily was sitting on the veranda trying to think of the best way to explain everything to Jack when Claire came running over bursting with excitement over her first cattle sale. Claire was stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her aunts tear stained face. She reached out to give her a hug which caused Lily to cry even more.

'Don't cry aunt Lily.' Claire said in soothing voice gently stroking her aunts hair just like Lily did when she was upset.

Lily stopped and tried to compose herself she had to be strong for Claire's sake and her bothers. She wiped away her tears and hugged her niece back. 'It ok I'll alright now.' she told her.

What wrong.' Claire asked her aunt curious to know what had upset her aunt his much.

'Claire.' came a voice, it was Meg's 'Why don't you come inside.'

'But.' Claire looked at her aunt.

'It's ok we'll talk later.' Claire smiled at her aunt and gave her a kiss on the cheek before going inside with Meg.

'What's wrong.'

Lily could barley even look at her brother, her hand was shaking as she held out the letter that Ruth had given her. Jack took it from her. 'I'm so sorry Jack.' she told her brother.

After he had finished reading the letter Jack took a deep breath as if to compose himself 'I best go tell Claire.' he said his was eerily calm.

'Jack don't you think we should talk about this.' But her brother just kept on walking inside. 'Jack.' she called out. Lily sighed and quickly sat down as she feared the her legs were turning to jelly. She brought her knees to her chest and buried her head in them and then she cried for her brother, for Ruth, for her but most of all for her nieces.

A few hours later Lily was sitting outside with a heartbroken Claire their roles had now reversed from earlier. Claire was sitting in her aunts lap as she gently stroked her hair and tried to calm her down.

'Will Tess ever come back.'' she asked her aunt.

'I don't know sweetheart.' Lily so wanted to lie to Claire and tell her everything was going to be alright but she couldn't she swore that she'd never make a promise she couldn't keep.

'Lily.'

'Yes.'

'Is it my fault that Ruth left.'

'What do you mean.'

'Cause I wasn't her daughter, I know that I wasn't always good but if I told Ruth that I would try to be better behaved and I wouldn't get into so much trouble, do you think that they'd come back home?' Clare asked before breaking out into tears again.

Lily sat up this statement, it had taken her by surprised. She turned her niece to face her. 'Listen to me Claire, never , ever think that this is you fault, ok, you have done nothing wrong, Ruth does love you, it had nothing to do with you not being her daughter, it's just…' Lily struggled to find the words How was she supposed to explain it to Claire when she didn't even understand it herself. 'I don't know Claire but I do know that it wasn't your fault ok.'

'Ok.' Claire told her aunt. She leaned back into her aunts embrace. Lily kissed the top of her as they sat there in silence. It was a little while later when they heard a noise coming from Jack's study. Claire immediately jumped up to see what was wrong.

Claire.' Lily called out, she wasn't sure what kind of state her brother was in and if Claire should see him but it was to late.

Claire opened the door to her father's study and was met with a shock. Her father was slumped on the floor in front of his desk, tears were streaming down his face, a picture of his now broken family lay on the floor beside him. Claire had never seen he father cry before and she immediately ran to his side. Sitting down beside him she wrapped her arms around him.

'Don't worry daddy I'm still here, I'll never leave you., I still love you daddy' Jack looked down as his eldest child. He put his arms around her and kissed her head.

'I love you to.' he told her through his tears.

Lily watched from the doorway tears streaming down her face, never in all her life had she felt so helpless.