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

Abby wiped the tears that had fallen, her eyes were filled with so many tears that her vision became blurred. Suddenly there was a spluttering noise coming from the engine of her car slowly the car grounded to a halt. Abby let out a sigh.

'Great.' she muttered. Getting out of the car she went to check the engine. About ten minutes later Abby let out a sigh of frustration before taking out her anger out of the bumper of her car, which then promptly fell off. Abby threw hand hands in the air she began pacing back and forth before finally slumping down and sitting on the side of the road in defeat.

Abby guessed she must have been sitting by the side of the road at least half an hour before she heard a car.

Nick was driving back from town and was nearly home when he spotted at familiar car at the side of road. He pulled up and quietly walked over to the small figure that was sat by the side of the road.

Abby heard the footsteps of someone approaching her. She didn't turn around.

Nick sat down beside Abby who finally turned to look at him. Nick was shocked to see that she had been crying. He put his arm around her and she leaned in towards him.

'Hey what's wrong? There was no answer.

'Whatever it is it can't be that bad.' Nick told her.

Abby looked up at Nick tears still streaming down her face. 'No it's worse.' She replied.

'What happened?' Nick asked his voice full of concern.

Abby stopped she was a little apprehensive. ' Me and Tess got in to this big argument and I said some things that I shouldn't' have, I didn't even mean half the things I said. I was just so angry and afterwards I just couldn't stay there any longer so I packed my stuff and left. And as you can see I didn't get very far cause my car broke down and then I got even more angry and I kicked the front bumper and then it fell off.' Abby rambled.

'What were you and Tess arguing about?

Abby looked at Nick, unsure if she could answer his question, she shrugged her shoulders. ' I don't know. I, I, I'd let Tess sleep in as she had a pretty heavy night last night and I think that she felt put out a little this afternoon, cause everything was nearly done and I'd kind of closed a business deal she had been working on and it just.' Abby let out a sigh. ' she got a little upset and then I got a little upset and then she got angry and I got angry and then we both started saying some pretty horrible things to each other.'

'Like what.'

'She accused me of not caring about Claire and being selfish and uh had a few choice words for me as well. She thought I'd come back to stake a claim in Drovers thought I was after money I suppose.'

'Bet you gave as good as you got though.' Nick half joked.

'Umm I suppose you could say that. I kind of accused Tess of being selfish and money hungry cause she wanted to sell Drovers when she first came here and accused her of not caring about Jack, Claire or Drovers.'

'Abby.' Nick sighed.

'I know, I know. I didn't mean it. I just, I don't know, I just was angry.'

' And you thought that the answer to the problem was to just run away?

Abby looked at Nick and shook her head. She sighed and got up Nick followed.

'No, I uh, I.' Abby stood there trying to speak but no words would come out of her mouth. 'Don't look at me like that.' she told him.

'Like what.'

'You know what.'

'Where you gonna go?

Abby looked at her feet. 'I hadn't really decided.'

'Are you gonna go back to Charlie?

Abby looked up for her feet. 'That might be a bit hard.' She muttered.

'Why? Is he drinking again?' Nick asked.

'No,' Abby shook her head.

'Gambling.'

'No.'

'In some kind of trouble?

Abby scrunched up her face. 'Not exactly.'

'What does that mean.'

Abby sighed she didn't know how to tell him, if she wanted to tell him. 'Charlie he's uh he's in jail.' She told him in a matter of fact way.

Nick looked surprised 'What did he do this time?'

'Don't say it like that. He's not a bad person, he really isn't. He, he just,' Abby pause struggling to find the right words to describe her father. 'he just attracts trouble, he seems to be a magnet for trouble.'

'What did he do Abby ?'

Abby sighed and ran her hand s through her hair. 'Theft.'

'Well's there's a big surprise.' Nick commented knowing that it was the same offence that Charlie had been committed for last time.

'And uh assault.' Abby rambled on.

'Assault.' Nick exclaimed. He couldn't imagine Charlie committing assault, he may attract trouble like nobodies business but Charlie was not a violent person. In all honesty Nick knew that Charlie wasn't a bad person, he was no big time criminal, he was just a wheeler and dealer really, if he saw a way to make a quick few dollars then he take it, even if it wasn't always above board. Charlie never went out of his way to hurt people, he just couldn't seem to resist getting into trouble.

'It wasn't like that.' Abby told Nick. 'The people he stole from they uh they were not the kind of people that you wanted to steal from. They didn't take to kindly to be taken for a ride by Charlie. It was more like self defence.'

'Ah.'

'Indeed.'

'Is that why you didn't come back for Claire's funeral, why we didn't hear from you?' Nick asked.

Abby nodded. ' Part of it.' She sighed.

'You should of said something before.'

Abby shrugged, ' I know it just, I didn't know how. It's not the kind of that you just pop into the conversation.'

Nick smiled a sympathetic smile. 'So if your not going to see Charlie where are you gonna go?'

Abby shrugged. 'Around.'

Nick sighed and then walked straight passed her. Abby turned and watched him as opened her car door and started taken out her stuff.

'Nick, what are you doing?'

'Your gonna come and stay with me and Alex for a while.'

'Nick.' Abby began to protest.

' Don't even think about protesting.' Nick told her. 'Your going to come and stay with us, take some time, sort things out with Tess.'

Abby gave a half hearted smile.

'Besides dad would kill you if he missed another birthday.'

Abby laughed.

'So are you gonna just stand there or are you gonna help me load this stuff onto the Ute?'

Abby smiled and started unloading things from the boot of her car and loading them into Nicks.