Part 2

Tess pulled her suitcase off the bed as she heard Chris greet Blade at the door. She was relieved to be going back to Drovers for a while, despite the circumstances which lead her there. She needed a break. Her body needed to heal.

"Ready?" Blade asked as Tess came into the lounge room.

Tess nodded, "Yeah."

Blade took Tess' suitcase from her hand. He was aware that carrying it was probably going to be a bit of a struggle for her.

"We'll meet you at the car Blade," Chris told him.

Blade nodded and left the apartment. As Chris turned to Tess, she felt the life drain out of her. She was sure he was going to fly into one last rage.

"I've got something for you," He said before moving into the bedroom.

Tess was surprised. She hadn't seen Chris this calm in months.

"Just in case you get lonely," Chris said as he came back into the room with a teddy bear.

Tess took the bear from his arms as a smile beamed from her face. It was so soft and beautiful.

"Thank you Chris, I love it," She whispered.

He pulled her into his arms. He was gentle, much like the man Tess fell in love with.

"I know I've been difficult to live with lately. But I do love you, Tess, more than anything," He whispered as he stroked her hair. "While you're gone I'll get help, I'll see someone. I promise."

Tess pulled away and met his eyes, "Really?" Her voice was full of hope.

"Really," He whispered before kissing her with a passion that had been lost for so long.

"Now come on, Blade's waiting," He said as he ushered her towards the door. Suddenly he stopped.

"What is it?" Tess asked.

Chris pulled a pair of her sunglasses from the inside of his suite, "You might need these."

Tess stared down at the sunglasses, "Yeah... thanks," she whispered.

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Blade kept his eyes on the road as he tried to make conversation with Tess. They had been driving for a few hours in silence.

"What are you planning to tell everyone about your eye?"

"I'm not sure," Answered Tess honestly

"Tell em you walked into a door," He told her.

Tess would have laughed if she had the energy, "They won't believe that. I'm not a clumsy person Blade, everyone knows that"

"Well accidents happen, don't they?" He asked. "So that's what you'll tell them if they ask."

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Tess let out a sigh as they pulled into the driveway at Drovers, "Finally."

She began to climb out of the car, but was stopped by Blade's grip on her wrist.

"What now?" She asked as she turned to him. His grip was tight. Her body trembled.

He held up her sunglasses "Forgetting something?"

Tess took the sunglasses and put them on, "Thanks" she mumbled.

As she put them on she saw Alex and Meg appear, followed by Jodi.

She climbed out of the car and was instantly pulled into a hug by Alex. She began to tremble at his touch. Fear was floating through her bones. She hated herself for being so stupid. Alex would never do anything to hurt her. In fact he was always there to protect her.

She pulled away. She couldn't breathe. The fear had taken over. His strong hold on her was too much, even though she knew that he clung to her out of compassion and sorrow.

"You're trembling," Alex said as he took her hand.

Tess nodded, "I just can't believe Claire's gone... I thought she'd be here forever."

"Yeah me too," He whispered "Me too."

Alex looked over Tess' shoulder to see Blade, "And who's this?"

"Oh, Alex Ryan, this is Blade he's-"

"A close friend of the family. Chris couldn't make it due to some business dealings, so I offered to come in his place... support Tess if she needs it," Blade said, cutting Tess off.

"Good to meet you mate," Alex extended his hand. "Any friend of Chris' is welcome here. He's a good man."

Tess began to feel sick. She wasn't sure why, but that comment had made her stomach churn.

"So what's happened to you?" Alex turned back to Tess. "You look as though you haven't seen sunlight for a year, you turned into a vampire Tess?"

Tess let out a small laugh. If only Alex knew how right he was.

"And look how thin you've gotten!" Alex exclaimed as he took in her tiny figure.

"I've ah... I've just gotten over a bad virus," Tess told him.

"Well, I'm sure Meg will fatten you up" Alex said as Meg stepped forward and enveloped Tess in her arms.

"I'm so sorry, Tess," whispered Meg as she held the girl close.

"Thank you," Tess whispered back before pulling away.

Tess turned her attention to Jodi, "Hey Jodes"

"Hey," She replied as she came in for a hug. "We've missed you."

"Me too," Tess said softly.

"Come on, lets all go into the house," Meg said. "I've made some scones."

Tess' face lit up "Oh Meg, you don't know how much I've missed your scones!"

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Blade looked at Tess across the table after eating half of his scone, "I can see why you miss the food."

"That's a compliment is it?" She asked, glaring at him. She was sick to death of him putting his two cents worth into the conversation when he had no business even being there!

"Very nice, Meg," He smiled.

"Why thank you Blade," She grinned back.

Tess rolled her eyes.

"I think I'll go make up the spare room," Meg said standing up.

"There's no need for that," Blade told her. "I'll be staying in town tonight"

Tess' head shot up and met his eyes.

"There isn't really any need for me to be here... is there Tess?"

"But I thought-"

"Never mind what you thought," He told her, trying to be discrete. "I'm sure you'll be okay on your own."

She was stunned. She couldn't believe that Blade was going to disobey Chris' orders. He was meant to be with her at all times.

"Are you sure?" Meg asked. "It's no trouble-"

"No, no, It's not necessary," Said Blade as he stood up and brushed a long strand of hair behind his ear.

Blade turned to Tess, "Come on, I'll help you bring your things in."

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"Why are you doing this?" Tess asked once her and Blade were alone outside.

Blade pulled Tess' suitcase from the car boot, "Because I don't feel like watching you and your country hick friends blubber over some dead cow girl"

"You bastard" She said through gritted teeth.

The boot closed with a loud bang and Blade turned to her, slightly agitated. "You should learn to be more grateful, you know that?"

"Grateful?" Tess repeated.

"Yes, grateful," Blade snapped.

"Oh grateful for the freedom you mean? Grateful for the fact that you won't be watching my every move and reporting to Chris every five minutes?" Tess said, glaring at him. She felt she could stand up to Blade for once. Maybe being back at Drovers gave her the courage.

Blade lost his temper. He grabbed Tess and threw her up against the side of the car. He felt her trembling as his hands rested firmly on her shoulders and his body was in such close proximity with hers. His hands were sucking the newfound confidence from her body.

"That's right," He growled at her. "I'm doing you a favor so if you put one foot wrong, sweetheart, you'll pay. Chris is only a phone call away."

Fear ripped through Tess' body. Blade had never been violent toward her before. His grip on her shoulders was so tight now that his fingers were dinging into her. She felt sick having him so close to her.

"You make sure you ring me on my mobile every two hours, update me on everything you do so I can give Chris the low down. Do we understand each other?"

Tess nodded frantically. She just wanted him to let her go.

"Good," He said as he traced his finger along her face, "I'm glad to hear it." He caught sight of a male figure on a horse. He was watching them.

"Looks like we've got an audience," Blade let go of Tess.

Tess looked into the distance and saw Nick Ryan for the first time since she'd left Drovers, while Blade headed over to the drivers side of the car.

"You make sure you remember what I said," Blade said firmly, "Every two hours."

With that, he got into the car and sped off while Nick dismounted his horse and came over to Tess. He still looked exactly the same as he did last time she saw him.

"You two look pretty friendly," Nick commented. "What happened to Chris? Did you get sick of him, like you did me?"

Tess was disgusted at Nick's insinuation. She thought that they could at least put their past behind them for Claire's funeral.

"Hello Nick," Tess said softly, "And no, that was just Blade, he's a friend."

Nick was surprised. He thought for sure that Tess would've blasted him. Instead she was so quiet and reserved. It was as though his comment had flown straight past her.

She looked him up and down, "You look well." He was still in great shape.

Nick nodded. He was still stunned. He wasn't sure what to say. He still felt such animosity towards her.

"Anyway I'm sure I'll see you later," Tess whispered before turning and making her way to the house. She couldn't stand there any longer. She needed to sit and calm down. She was still shaken by Blade's threats, and was beginning to feel threatened by Nick.

Nick just watched her go. There was something different about her. She had lost a lot of weight and seemed a lot quieter . . . But there was something else. Something in the back of his mind was waving a flag, telling him that something was off, something wasn't quite right.