Title: Dreams

Spoilers: My Noon My Midnight, Time Frames

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in this story. If I did, this story would never have needed to be written.


He could feel the light go out, the warmth fade, and his world come crashing to a stop. "Claire," he called as if in a daze. "Claire, come back." He couldn't believe she was gone; Claire would never leave him.

Nick Ryan woke up to hear his brother talking in his sleep. They'd had an old-fashioned campout just for the heck of it, the ground at Wilgul. It had gone well, until his brother's nightmare. "Alex." He put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Alex."

Alex could hear someone calling for him, but didn't want to acknowledge it, didn't want to let Claire go. When he felt himself being shaken, he woke up and was infinitely glad it had been a nightmare. "Nick?"

"What happened?" Nick asked, settling down again. "You were calling for Claire."

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"Two in the morning." He watched Alex get up and go out to his ute. "Don't go over there; you'll wake Charlotte up."

Alex hesitated, but knew he had to talk to Claire and he had a better chance of not waking Charlotte or Tess up if he went back 'home'.


Claire lay alone in her bed, unable to sleep without the muscular arms of her boyfriend wrapped around her waist, snoring behind her. She got up to check on Charlotte, who was sleeping peacefully, and went back to bed, turning the lamp on to read her newest book when she heard a ute pull up. She looked outside and smiled, pulling a pair of jeans on and going outside.

Alex saw her coming before he'd even turned the ute off. He got out, walkedHe got out, walked over to her, and kissed her, his arms around her. "What's all this? I thought you were with Nick." She asked, flattered, after kissing him back.

"I don't want to lose you."

"You won't." She stroked his cheek.

"Yeah, well, I had a nightmare." He paused. "I dreamed...There was this wreck when you were with BOM and Tess. They got out, but..." He looked into her blue eyes that, worried, looked into his.

"I'm not going anywhere, Alex." She kissed him lightly. "I promise."

"Marry me," he said, holding her hand.

"What?"

"Marry me, Claire, please."

She sighed. "Alex, this isn't a conversation for this early in the morning. C'mon, we'll go to bed."

"You think it's just about the nightmare." She didn't answer and he pulled out a ring, small, nothing ostentatious, just simple and beautiful. "I bought it when we were in the city. It's not just a phase, Claire. I want you to be my wife."

She stood there for a minute, not in shock, and not thinking over his answer, just pausing. "We still live at Drovers and I add Ryan on to the McLeod. I won't drop it."

He laughed, whirling her into the air, safe in his embrace. "Alex," she kissed him. "You'll wake up Tess and the baby." He put her back down on the ground, but kissed her, carrying her inside the house and up the stairs to their room, closing the door.


Tess snuck to Jack's office, quickly dialing, knowing Nick would be awake. "They did it," she said, not standing on ceremony. "You're going to be my brother-in-law."

Nick laughed. "Good on Alex. I thought he might."

Tess smiled happily. "So...I should let you go back to sleep?"

He moved his sleeping bag out of the floor. "No, I'm good if you are." It wasn't the first time they'd had one of their late night chats. "How are you feeling?"

"Happy. I haven't felt that in awhile."

"Good." He closed his eyes, listening to her talk. He couldn't believe how close he'd gotten to losing her and couldn't understand why Dave had left her. Tess had needed her friends, her family, more than ever, and he'd done all he could to be there for her, as he always had. He was in love with her, just as much as Alex was with Claire, only he never could work it out. Alex and Claire's engagement gave him hope though, as had the kiss Tess had given him.

"Nick..."

"Yeah, Tess?" Only the soft sound of her breathing told him she'd fallen asleep in the middle of her statement. He chuckled softly to himself, listening to the soothing sound for awhile before reluctantly hanging up.