Stevie was impressed with Alex. He'd taken her to dinner and made no inappropriate comments, it wasn't that she didn't enjoy his sense of humour. On the contrary, it was one of the qualities that she was drawn to. But lately, any inappropriate comments he made sent the blood straight to her head, she took them so seriously when he never meant them that way. He had always loved teasing her, and she gave back as good as she got. But now, she found that she couldn't laugh with him about the things they used to – like the one night stands he'd have and never call the next morning. She didn't know how. But he didn't change, he was still the same man he had been the day they met – more or less.

When they came back to the hotel room after 2 o'clock, Stevie found that she was exhausted. She laid her head on the pillow on the left side of the bed and closed her eyes thinking of what tomorrow held. The future was in the hands of her lawyer. The final decision was given to the judge and jury. She knew that she didn't commit the crime. Alex knew she didn't do it. Her friends knew. Who else mattered but the judge and jury?

Alex lay silently beside her on his back, evenly breathing in time with her. She listened to him as her heart pounded loudly against the wall of her chest. A smile came to her face as she remembered the kiss they'd shared that morning in the driveway of the farm. Neither of them had mentioned it since arriving at the courthouse, almost as if it had never happened.

"Stevie…" he whispered. The sound of his voice only sped up her heart rate, she hadn't shared a room alone with him since she'd realised she was in love with him. Now that he was married, they were hardly ever alone, especially if Fiona got a say in it. "I can hear your heart beating. Are you all right?" he sounded genuinely concerned.

Not daring to open her eyes she nodded. A moment later she felt his hand reach for hers she let him take it. As much as she was afraid of what might happen, she didn't know how to stop it, she wasn't even sure she wanted to.

"I know you have a lot going on right now," Alex started. "And I wasn't going to bring it up, but I think we should talk about what happened this morning."

Her breath caught and for a moment she was speechless. "Alex I can't…" she was almost pleading with him. He rolled over on his side so that he was looking at her, but her eyes were still closed, she refused to look at him. He noticed that she looked nervous and wondered what she was thinking, was it about him?

He didn't want to scare her but he wanted to know if what had happened between them was only emotion stress or more than that. What was happening to Stevie was putting a lot of pressure on her, he wasn't pretending otherwise, but he had flashbacks of Stevie's behaviour over the last six months – ever since his return with Fiona. As much as she would deny it if he asked, she seemed overly jealous, not that he was game enough to tease her about it, he only wished she'd been more like that before he'd gotten married.

It wasn't like she'd never shown her jealousy before, he could remember Jasmine McLeod and Felicity pierce, she hadn't been afraid to express her opinion to him then. But it was different with Fiona, not only was Stevie cold towards her, always expecting the worst, but Stevie didn't talk to him like she used to. She was distant with him. it never occurred to him that she might be acting that way because it hurt like hell to watch him with Fiona, because when they were alone, occasionally act like the old Stevie. Never afraid to tease him, push him, hit him, or some-times even give him a hug.

It was only now, as he lay beside her, looking back on the past few months that it rang in his mind – she was jealous of Fiona. But did it mean she wanted Alex for herself simply because she felt possessive of him or was it that she loved him like he loved her. "I want to talk about it Stevie," he pushed.

Time was running out. If he didn't push her on this now, she might never talk about it. He felt sick at the thought of her being locked away in some cell, all alone. This was the one time that the Ryan name couldn't help her, and the one time he wished it could – he'd already called the lawyer she was running against, but he wasn't interested in being paid off to set her free. Alex didn't know how else to help her, but there as she waited.

Stevie sighed and opened her eyes. He could be persistent when he wanted to and this was the one time that it bugged her. Her breath caught when she saw the way that he was looking at her. She didn't want to talk about the kiss there was nothing to say. A piece of paper signed by him had taken away that chance he was married now. It was that simple.

When she could muster the strength to move, she climbed off the bed and began to pace the room. She spoke to him as though there had been no kiss and he asked no questions. "I should ring Rose and the girls," she said. "Let 'em know what's going on… they'll be wondering." She reached for the phone on the hotel dressing table, but before she could dial a number, Alex jumped off the bed and snatched the phone from her hands.

He looked down at her so intently that she couldn't help but turn away. He was making her extremely nervous. "In a minute. I want to talk about the kiss…"

For a brief moment her eyes met his, she wanted to tell him all that she felt, but how? Not only was he married and a newly wed to be precise, but the timing was wrong. She was about to be locked away, how could she tell him she loved him when she could offer him nothing. It wouldn't be fair.

"There's nothing to say Alex," she snapped.

"I think there's a lot." A long silence hung in the air for what felt like a mini eternity. "It was more than just a kiss Stevie." He was being brutally honest with her, while she was holding back. She began to shake. Did the kiss mean as much to him as it had to her? She wanted so desperately to believe it.

She finally found a voice and was surprised when it came out so strong and determined. "Was it? Alex, a lot happened yesterday. You were having lunch with your wife, have you forgotten your married?" she certainly hadn't, Stevie and Alex being apart was a constant reminder for her, Fiona's presence was extremely painful.

"No I haven't forgotten," he shot back defensively.

"Maybe you should remind yourself every now and then so things like that don't happen." She was trying to be cruel.

"You were on the other end of that kiss Stevie," he pointed out. "I didn't notice you pull away and if you can remember you kiss me the second time."

She sighed. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Well I do. We're running out of time to talk about it, who knows what will happen tomorrow."

"My point," Stevie shouted impatiently. 'Why bother discussing something like this when both of us know how it's going to end. I'll be locked away tomorrow morning."

"You don't know that," he reasoned. He wanted to reach out and touch her but he thought better of it, the last thing he wanted to do was push her away.

"I do. The evidence points to me. It's inevitable Alex," she held back the tears. "I've faced it and I think it's time that you did too."

"I don't want to face it," he stated stubbornly. "The very thought of not seeing you everyday is killing me," his eyes didn't move from hers. Stevie felt the harshness of the world around her. Life was cruel.

"How do you think I feel," she shrugged. "I'm the one that's going to miss out. You'll still get to ride horses and fix fences and muster cattle, while I'm stuck in a cell thinking of you." she hadn't meant to say that out aloud. She went quite as he watched her. Then he spoke again.

"Stevie…" he went to her but made no attempt to reach out, she folded her arms across her chest to let him know that she was holding up a barrier. He respected that. "No matter how many musters I go on, or how long I ride across an open paddock or how many bloody fences I fix. If your not there to share them with, I don't want them. Do you understand me?" he sounded impatient.

Stevie's face softened and she forced a smile. She knew what he was telling her and this had been exactly what she wanted to avoid. What if he said too much and wanted to take it all back the next morning? For a moment Stevie wanted to forget everything around her – Fiona especially. Anything that reminded her why she and Alex couldn't be together. It was all she wanted, what she had wanted for a long time.

"You can't talk like this," she reasoned trying to be the brave one. She didn't feel brave, but Alex couldn't help wondering how she could be so strong, despite everything she was going through. He thought she was amazing.

"Why not?" he pushed. He didn't look like he cared if Fiona walked through the door and she doubted he would have changed anything he was saying to Stevie – that's what scared her. "Don't you want to know how I feel?"

"Not while your married, no," she replied.

"Do you want me to get a divorce?" he asked bluntly.

Stevie's mouth dropped open. Was he saying he was willing to leave his wife for her? "Alex…" she was speechless.

"I want to talk about this Stevie, if all it takes is that…"

She laughed uneasily. "So it's that simple. I want you to get a divorce and you'll agree."

He nodded vigorously. "Yes."

"Alex I think you should go!" she didn't want to hear him make empty promises, she didn't want to talk about it, not in the hotel room and not tonight. She couldn't handle any more emotions that what she already had; she was already struggling to keep her head above water. "Your going to say something one of us will regret in the morning."

"I'm not going to regret it," he said stubbornly. I can't speak for you though…" it was as if he was asking for her approval. He was offering her the world and all she had to do was take it.

She sighed heavily as if admitting defeat and stepped towards him, she couldn't hold back anymore – she didn't want to. She didn't care about Fiona, or being the better person in all of this, the world wasn't playing by the rules, why should she? Stevie's eyes locked on his, her body shook with fear, her emotions ran wild. Unknown to Stevie, the same feelings were racing around in Alex, he was just better at keeping them hidden than she was. It showed in Stevie's face, in her eyes, in the way she held herself.

"I'm going to spend the next 15 years behind bars," she told him matter-of-factly. "What we say now or promise each other for the future is going to make it harder for both of to be apart. I'm asking you, don't do that." she reached him. Half of her prayed that he would respect that request and step away and the other half of her was hoping he'd stay stubborn and tell her everything she wanted to hear.

He went with his instinct. He reached out and grabbed hold of the white cotton shirt she was wearing and guided her towards him. She was hesitant as if holding back something she was scared to let go of, but she stepped forward and let him hold her. "I want to tell you something that you can take with you… something you can hold onto if it comes down to that."

"But if you say it, you can't take it back." did he under-stand what he was doing? What he was asking her to do?

"I never want to take it back. This isn't about being here with you in a hotel room, it's not about the clock ticking with time, this isn't about my marriage problems and it's not about the kiss."

Stevie frowned. "What's it about?"

"It's about us. I am in love with you Stevie and I have been for a long time. I don't know when it happened or why… I can't remember. But I'm not sorry it did. I'm only sorry that I could lose you." She couldn't have said it better herself, it was the same for her, in everyway.

"I don't want to lose you either," the tears began to fall easily from her face. Alex had crossed the line between friends and lovers, and now it couldn't be changed back. Too much had happened, too much had been said between them. Now the silence between them was not awkward, but painful. Was he willing to cheat on his wife, and was Stevie willing to be the 'other woman' so she could have her long awaited chance with Alex?