Part 3

Tess walked to her bedroom door and stood to listen as Claire and Alex sat in the kitchen and talked.

"Where is Tess now?" Alex asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"In her room," Claire answered tiredly. She was worried about her sister.

"Did she say something?"

"Nope," Claire sighed.

"So we don't know what happened?"

"Yeah exactly, Alex. We don't know," Claire exclaimed.

"You should talk to her," Alex suggested. Claire had forgotten how much of a busybody he was.

"I know. But I can bet you anything she won't feel like talking right now," Claire replied trying to get him to shut up.

"She's coming!!" Alex whispered, listening to her footsteps as she walked down the stairs.

"Ok. Alex, don't say a word," Claire ordered.

Tess appeared at the kitchen door. Her eyes were bloodshot and her skin was pale. The dark circles under her eyes clouded her beauty and for a moment she looked like death. She saw the two and composed herself as best she could by tying her ratty hair up into a ponytail and pinching her cheeks to put some life back into her face.

"Hey," Claire tried, pretending, unsuccessfully, to act like nothing was wrong.

"Claire, can we talk for a minute?" Tess asked, putting on a fake smile.

"Sure," she answered, pointedly looking at Alex and urging him away with her eyes.

"Ok. So I will leave you two alone," he said. "Maybe I'll go check on Bom."

Claire waited until she heard Alex enter Bom's room before she continued.

"What's happening, Tess?" she asked, worriedly.

"Claire, I am going back to the city for a while," Tess said in a voice that left no room for argument.

"WHAT?" Claire shouted.

"You heard me! I have talked to Simon and he said I was always welcome there. I need some space, I can't breathe here!!" she explained in the same tone.

"But why?" Claire asked, still in shock.

"Claire, please don't ask why," Tess pleaded.

"I don't understand. I thought you would forget about that bitch!"

"Its not that bitch, Claire. Its Nick," Tess admitted, blinking back a tear. Once she'd managed that, it was easy to hide her true emotions.

"Tell me!" Claire demanded, grabbing her sister's hand.

"I have to pack my bags now," Tess muttered, shaking her sisters hand and pleading face away.

She headed upstairs without any word.

Claire went upstairs to found Alex and when she did she led him outside, closer to the stable and away from Tess's room.

"She's leaving," Claire said with no emotion, the single tear that threatened to fall betraying her.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, nearly falling over from the shock.

"She's in there packing her bags now. She's going back to the city."

"Oh it must be serious then, whatever it is," he said, placing a supportive hand on Claire's back.

"Yeah. She said the problem was Nick. Maybe you should go and talk to him," she suggested, leaning her head against his shoulder. She looked up at him and blinked.

"Should I?" he asked.

She pushed herself away from him and closer to the door.

"She's leaving Alex! Of course you should, you bloody idiot!" she yelled.

"Ok ok, I'm on my way," he said, throwing his arms up in defense. "Gee, she tells you not to get involved and then suddenly she's angry at you for NOT getting involved in it."

Claire sighed at her husbands antics despite the situation and watched as he strode towards his ute and sped off. She moved towards the house again and decided to go to Tess's room.

"I think I deserve to hear an explanation about what's happening between you and Nick," she said, leaning casually against the door.

"There's nothing between us anymore, Claire. Its over," Tess said, throwing clothes into her bag haphazardly. She paused and looked up at her sister. "And I'm glad its over!"

"You are?" Claire asked in shocked as she made her way to sit on Tess's bed.

"Yeah," Tess said slowly. She started to pack again. "Believe me, I'm glad. I'm absolutely glad."

"Tess!" Claire cried.

"What?" Tess cried back exasperated as she wiped a desperate tear from her face. She turned to face away from her sister.

"Look at me," Claire said softly. She waited for her sister to obey and when she didn't she yelled again. "Look at me, Tess!"

Tess turned to Claire and let her see the hot, desperate tears rolling down on her cheeks.

"Oh, Tess," she whispered. "Come here. I'm here now. I'm listening."

((meanwhile at Wilgul))

"She left me without and explanation Alex! I don't know what happened either! She said she needed some time and I gave her some time. But then she came here and left a message for me. Said she didn't want to see my face, Alex! The message just said, 'Its over' It's bullshit!" Nick ranted, barely taking a breath or a break. "I told her I loved her, that night at Drovers, and she didn't reply. I should have known then, she never even loved me! if she wants to leave, then just let her leave. Why should I care?"

"Oh man, She's a bitch, Nick. And I always thought she was the reasonable McLeod," he muttered, patting his brother on the back.

((Drovers Run))

"Okay," Tess started, sitting on the bed next to her sister. "I went to see him this morning, as you know."

"Yeah?" Claire prodded gently.

"Then I went inside of the house and saw him... I won't make the story much longer than it is, no use sugar-coating anything is there?" she asked, procrastinating, as if telling someone made it realer. She paused and then saw Claire's gentle, loving and understanding face and she sighed. "The upshot is, he was with somebody else! A blonde. A blonde who's prettier and taller than me."

"How tall?" Claire asked, considering it.

"THATS NOT THE POINT CLAIRE!" Tess exploded.

"Sorry!" Claire explained, a small smile on her face.

"He's happy with her, so I have to go away. I thought he loved me. I mean he said that he loved me. He said he'd wait for as long as I needed, he would do anything for me. LIAR! He didn't even love me!" she exclaimed, laying a head on her pillow.

"Bastard," Claire said shaking her head.

She continued packing her bag as Claire watched and muttered different punishments they could do to him, excuses for why she shouldnt leave but Tess was adamant.

"Ok, I'm done," she said, pulling the zipper of her warn suitcase shut. "Ready to go."

"Are you sure you really wanna go?" Claire asked futilely.

"Yes, I need to go," Tess said softly, glancing at her sister fondly.

"I'll miss you," Claire said standing up to meet her.

"Oh so will I," Tess said, walking around to her side of the bed. "But please, Claire, try to understand."

"I'm trying," Claire said as the tears welled up.

"Thank you," Tess said as her own eyes filled with tears again.

"I love you, Tess," Claire said pulling her into a hug.

"I love you too, Claire," Tess said, attempting a smile.

The two held each other in a teary embrace.

"Please, don't watch me go, Claire. Please," Tess begged. "I can't do it with you watching."

"Then don't go!" Claire tried one last time, even though she knew it was pointless.

"I have to, Claire," Tess said. She gave Claire one last hard squeeze and then she let go. She picked her suitcase up and took a step towards the door. "Goodbye"

"Goodbye," Claire said.

She watched Tess's form walk out the bedroom door and towards the stairs.

"Tess, wait!" she called, running out to her. Tess paused and listened to her sister talk. "You are the best sister I could have asked for, Tess. Come back, you hear me, because I cant survive without you now I've found you again."

"I promise I'll come back," Tess said.

"Call me when you get there, ok? Stay safe."

"Take care, Claire. Take care of Bom for me."

Claire watched as Tess ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She heard Tess slam her car door and listened as the engine started. Claire ran to her own bedroom window and watched as the dust flew up behind Tess's car.

"Please be safe, Tess," she whispered as she fell listlessly onto her bed.

((after Tess left))

Alex drove back to Drovers soon after Tess left. He found Claire sitting on her bed wearing her dressing gown.

"Where's Tess?" he asked, entering the room and ignoring Claire's state.

"She's gone," Claire whispered.

"Oh good," he said. "She's just playing a game."

"What do you mean?" Claire cried, standing up.

"I bet she got bored to be here and was just looking for a reason to go back to the city," he said matter-of-factly.

"She could go back to the city anytime she wanted to, Alex. She is suffering, thanks to your stupid brother!" Claire shouted.

"The "stupid" one is your sister, Claire. This isn't Nick's fault," he explained.

"I think you're mistaken, Alex," she said, emphasizing his name. "It is your brother's fault."

"Bullshit!" he exclaimed. "She is the one who left without a reason, so how can you blame Nick for it?"

"Without a reason? Are you listening to a word you're saying?"

"Yes, I am."

"Nick was cheating on her!" Claire shouted.

"What? Who told you that?" Alex exclaimed in shock.

"Tess!" she exclaimed, with the obvious answer.

"She must be dreaming," Alex said in disbelief.

"Nick told her he was with someone else," Claire said, justifying it.

"But... Nick said... Umm. The thing is, Nick said that Tess just left a message saying it was over," Alex muttered.

"A message? What message? Tess said nothing about any messages," Claire said, replaying it all over in her head.

"I don't know what message. That's just what Nick told me."

"Didn't Nick tell you that he was with a blonde when Tess went to visit him today?" Claire asked, sitting down again.

"No," Alex said slowly as he joined her on the bed.

"And Tess didn't tell me about the message..."

"There's something wrong here," Alex said quietly.

"Yeah, I think they forgot something when they were telling us the story," Claire said finally. "I just don't understand..."

Bryce and Liz were hanging around in town. She was really surprised at how she and Bryce got on. She was expecting him to be another typical farm boy. They were having a really good time joking and laughing until Liz spotted Harry close by in the window of a shop.

"Oh my god!" Liz exclaimed as she stood staring.

"What?" Bryce asked, coming to stand next to her.

" Harry's here!" she said."

"Who's Harry?" he asked, confused.

"My ex," she explained. "It's a long story..."

"We should get out of here," Bryce suggested.

"Yeah that'd be good," Liz agreed.

"LIZ?" Harry asked, spotting her. He walked over to where she and Bryce were standing, frozen in their spot.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. She composed herself and then chirped, "Harry!"

"Who is this?" he demanded, looking at Bryce.

"None of your business, Harry," she trilled.

"I will show you my business," he said stepping closer. "Now, tell me. Who is this?"

"He is Bryce Redstaff, my boyfriend," she explained.

"Your what?" he asked, obviously surprised.

"Boyfriend."

"But when did we break up, Liz?"

"When you decided to start seeing another girl, Harry," she said as if it were obvious.

"Another girl?" he asked. "Who?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Just a girl."

" Bullshit. You are my girlfriend Liz, and I don't want you to be out with this bloke!" he shouted.

"You cant tell me what to do Harry!" she yelled back, pushing him away.

"Do what I say!"

"Don't you hear her? She wants me, not you. Now buzz off!" Bryce yelled, stepping in.

Harry lunged for Bryce, ready to attack but Liz stepped in the way of the two angry men.

"Stop it, stop it you fools!" she cried.

"Okay," Harry said, stepping away. He turned to her and started to talk. " You know what Liz, I just don't care. Do whatever you want. I am leaving. But one day you will beg me to be with me again and I will I refuse you. Just you wait and see."

He spat on the ground, turned and skulked away, leaving Liz standing, very confused with Bryce. She smiled calmly at him and touched a cheek to see if he was ok. He flinched. She took her hand away, unsure of what to do. She turned back to find Harry but he was gone. He had disappeared into the night and with it, he took her heart.