Disclaimer: The Time has come the walrus said, to speak of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax... oops! So, disclaimer... I don't own. Don't sue, it'll cost you more than you gain.
A/N: Tess should be showing up in the next chapter. She was actually supposed to turn up here, but my maths study got the better of me, so you've all gotten a short chapter.
Claire sat on the step for a while, until Nick began to show signs of consciousness once again. Dave had come looking for her after the two children had consumed the contraband ice creams and gone upstairs to play Snap.
Nick opened his eyes and saw two pairs of concerned eyes looking back down at him. He blinked, trying to figure out where he was. Then he remembered.
"You're dead. I went to your funeral." His voice was croaky and filled with emotion- mainly disbelief and pain. He sat up before continuing. "You broke Alex's heart. You broke my big brother's heart." He accused, angrily moving himself into a standing position. "He was going to propose, and you died. He spent the next three days searching for the Brumby, not sleeping or eating. He almost missed your funeral, if you can call it that." Claire made a move to speak, but he dismissed her, beginning to pace and his voice rising. "He went back to the rodeo circuit because he didn't care anymore. He almost killed himself. He lost all feeling. It almost killed Tess when Peter turned up wanting custody."
Claire gasped, turning to Dave who only nodded sadly. How could Tom have missed telling her that? Nick slowed his pacing, and for a few moments he was quiet.
"Why Claire, why?" He asked, bringing himself down to her level like she was a small child. "What was so bad that you had to leave?"
Claire was glad that he'd restrained from shaking her shoulders like he would have in the past. She was still a bit iffy on physical contact with anyone other than Michelle.
"It's complicated..."
Nick interrupted her: "Then simplify it." Came his arrogant response.
"I can't."
Nick sighed, and tried another question. "If you can't tell me that, what can you tell me?" Nick was confused and he'd go for any information what so ever, no matter how small. "Why did your daughter call you Natalie?"
"I've been Natalie Durham since I left. That's all that Michelle has ever known me as." She stood, and began pacing where he had a few moments before. "I suppose I owe you an explanation, but I'd rather not have to explain too many times. All I can tell you now is that there were some...... issues that have now disappeared."
Nick was mystified, but he knew Claire well enough to know not to push the issue. "What about Michelle?" He asked.
"What about me?" Unknown to the others, the two girls had come down from upstairs, bored with the simple card game that neither seemed to be winning.
The thoughts running through the heads of the three grown-ups were all about the same. They all included mental swearing, profanities and incriminating comments. It was lucky that the two youngsters didn't have ESP.
"We were talking what we're going to do for the next couple of days." Claire lied. Because she'd been doing it for years, it came out smoothly these days.
"And I was trying to convince your mother not to stay in Gungallen. I was thinking that it wouldn't be fair on you to be up so late." Nick had picked up on her lie, and was willing to run with it, hoping to get something of his own out of the occasion. "Seriously Natalie, the house is big enough, there's enough room. I'm sure that Charlotte wouldn't mind having Michelle crash in her room."
"Can she really Uncle Nick?" Charlotte was excited. She'd never had anyone stay in her room since she'd first gotten her new trundle bed.
"If its ok with Natalie."
"Please Mummy."
Natalie looked at her daughters. Nick had her. There was no way she could disappoint both of them. "Okay, as long as you let me cook."
As the two girls jumped up and down excitedly, Nick almost balked in horror. He hoped that Claire had learnt to cook recently because from past experience, she couldn't even cook a batch of pancakes.
A/N: As I said, short chapter. Please review and give me any ideas you might have as to how to get Tess to the house before Alex arrives.
Debz-Hidden-Obsession: I'm sorry that you didn't like Dave and Kate as a couple, but i thought they sounded cute. It was either Dave and Kate or Dave and Stevie... But YAY!!! you got the Natalie/Claire initials thing.
Genevra: You'll have to wait longer for Tess. I'm considereing getting rid of Jodi, I'm having a lot of trouble writing her in Letters. And, you did get the thing for Michelle
LiarEpicteller: Well, Alex is going to be kinda angry, and sad and... well, don't wanna spoil the whole plot!
meggie-moo-has-fun: Hopefully, I can tell you about the name soon, even if no-one figures it out!
CSIcrazy: I think everyone agrees with you that Michelle is a cutie!
Sarita: Updating in my stories doesn't often happen.... so this one is going REALLY well compared to all the others. Why don't you try reading Letters?
Caitlin: Well, Nick's reaction? To faint, then to rant and rage.... I suppose it's not all that Nick-like but still, I had fun writing it. With respect to the guess, as far as I know, the Natalie has nothing to do with Peter's kids. But you were right about Michelle.