Disclaimer: Only way they'd belong to me was if I held a gun to someone's head and demanded they sign over the rights. Being a pacifist, this is never going to happen. I'm still only borrowing.
allsaintsfan: You only read the first chapter? pout
NZFan: Well, he didn't know she was alive the entire time. He suspected she might have been, but wasn't a hundred per cent sure. I think that Michelle was just so looking forward to meeting her dad that she couldn't do anything but run up to him... and she was a bit awestruck at first.
genevra: I promise to tell you when the end happens... (by wrapping it up means I'm heading towards the end). It took me ages to figure out why she was in WP
On with the good stuff!
Some time later found the Alex leaning on the doorframe to Charlotte's room like he had many times in the past, watching the two girls sleep. His eyes took in the blonde hair that lay splayed out on the pillow and the brown hair that was neatly braided. He thought it was ironic, thinking of two other girls with brown and blonde hair. It seemed the next generation had reversed the roles of their elders.
He snorted, thinking it over once more. It seemed that Claire and Tess had swapped roles themselves. He thought back to the two women sitting on the veranda when he first arrived. Always the typical Aussie male, it had taken him some time to realise just what was different about his Claire. Sure, he'd noticed the longer hair, and slightly older, more worn look in her eyes. Nevertheless, eventually, it hit him. She seemed to have morphed into her sister from when Tess had first arrived- the hair, the make-up, the tight top and jeans. She seemed to have walked out of the trendy magazines that Lottie wasn't supposed to be interested in at her age or with her personality, but he still bought for her because she asked him to and, let's face it, she'd always had him wrapped around her little pinkie since … well, since she was born. Tess these days didn't really own any skirts or dresses, with the exception of one Nick had said he liked, and her wedding dress, plus a few hidden in the back of her closet.
His mind returned to the children in front of him. The bear that usually took residence on Charlotte's bookcase had managed to sneak its way into her arms. He wondered briefly what it was that had made the small girl uneasy, what had made her subconsciously reach out for the link to her mother that she hadn't needed since she was four. He looked towards his other daughter, searching for the bear she had introduced to him earlier. He located him, sitting unceremoniously on his head, next to her mattress. Alex left his post by the door, stooping his large frame down to carefully place the bear back with his mistress. He would have brushed stray hairs from her face, but even in her sleep, the small child was as neat as a pin. He stood up again, careful not to wake her and noticed the other figure in the doorway.
"I thought I'd find you here." Tess took a small step into the room. She paused and picked up a small t-shirt from the floor, folding it carefully before placing it on the chair in the corner of the room.
"Did you know?" The question was blunt and harsh and he regretted it the moment it was out of his mouth.
"That Claire was pregnant?" Tess paused, thinking. "I thought about it. It crossed my mind a couple of days before she di-… before the accident." She sighed, motioning for him to follow her out of the room. "It wasn't really something that warranted thought after that. I spent so much time afterwards trying to see what I could have done for it to crop up later." She shut the door carefully, not wanting to have to answer any questions from the two later. "It's all a bit hard to get your head around, isn't it?"
Alex let out a sarcastic laugh. "Which part?"
"At least I now know what she felt like when I turned up here after Jack died."
"Only probably a hundred times worse. She didn't think you were dead."
Claire awoke, jetlag disrupting what would have otherwise have been a restless sleep. It was strange, being back. She kept noticing little things she had forgotten. Like the smell of the house. It wasn't simply mould like Tess had first suggested. There was more to it than that. Stale air, boot polish and mahogany, along with the underlying smell of manure. Over a century of horse riders had to have tracked something of the outside world in, no matter how carefully the housekeepers had tried to prevent its entrance.
After some time of tossing and turning, she detected what she thought was a quiet whimper in the stillness of the darkened house. She arose, intent of comforting the afraid child, although she was worried as to how Bom would react if she woke to find a stranger in her room.
Her fears were quelled when she arrived at the room the housed both her daughters and saw them both peacefully asleep.
"What are you going to do?" A voice asked quietly from the doorway. "What are you going to tell them?"
"Honestly, I don't know." She turned to face her father. "I don't know what's best for them."
"That's what parenting is all about." He seemed lost in the past. "Marrying Ruth was one of the hardest decisions I had to make and despite all the pain we went through, she gave me Tess and happy memories of the two of you, if only for a few years."
There was a long silence, as the two of them thought of what they had missed out on.
"You're not going to tell me what to do, are you?"
"I think you wouldn't be back here if you didn't know already."
She just snorted. Stubborn old bugger set in his ways and opinions. "Since you know so much Dad, how do I tell her?"
"You're her mother. You'll work it out." He turned to leave.
"How do I know she'll believe me?" She called after him.
He smiled back at his daughter before answering. "You'll be surprised how much she's capable of."
He left her there, a contemplative expression on her face.
A/N: And I'm going to leave it there, allowing you to ask yourself the following question: "Is Jack still alive or not?"