Disclaimer: Don't own, wish I did. The show concept came from the wonderful Posie Graeme (sp?) and she must retain all credit for the concept.
Author's Notes: So, its a short chapter again, but at least its an update.
Jess: I got two reviews? I feel sooo loved. Which fic is the TJ? I haven't been very active lately. I have to get this finished so I can post it elsewhere and get onto my 100fanfic list
jakc: Dunno if you're this far along, but if you are, love your reviews, yes it was a fancy box, and yes I loved the tooth bit too. I thought it was really cute, stole the idea from somewhere I think...
Sammy: I'm glad that you love it. Hope you'll stick around, despite my not updating in ages...
Straycat1: I hope you don't feel Claire is too OOC. I love that you're sprouting ideas, keep them coming!

A couple of minutes of awkward silence later, Claire laughed. 'That sly old bugger.' She thought to herself.

Luke was a bit relieved at the sound. 'She doesn't sound that mad,' he thought. 'I might escape with my life yet.' He hadn't heard much from the girls about their dead, older sister but what he had heard was mixed. He had been left with the impression of a fiercely loyal and protective woman.

"I did wonder. Dad was always very protective of his little princess, but I put it down to him trying to replace what he had lost when Ruth and Tess left, and what Jodi lost when her father… Kevin left." She turned to look at Luke. "How long ago?" He looked at her, unsure what she meant. "Did she find out, did they find out?"

"About four years ago."

"How long did it take Tess to…" Luke expected her to say recover, but she didn't. "... to hand over half?"

He looked at her, surprised.

"I might have been gone for seven years, but Tess is still my sister, and she would have seen it as only fair for Jodi to inherit some of her father's property."

"There's more to it than that." Luke had thought that his earlier comment would have cured him of blurting out un-mentionable subjects, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"What do you mean?"

"Tess was having some… financial difficulties." Luke paused, unsure that he should be the one to tell her.

"We always did."

Luke nodded. "Stevie had some savings… She'd been saving up to … Do you know about Rosie?"

"Stevie's daughter. Lives with Michelle."

Luke shook his head. "I'll take that as a yes. Stevie had been saving up to buy a place for her and Rose, and… well, basically, Tess became partners with Stevie here, hoping that this would be the place for her and Rose."

"So, they all own a third?"

"I don't know what it is officially, but that's the way the place is run… with you back, I don't know." He sighed, then regretted it, unsure how she would interpret the sigh. "I'm not some gold-digger."

Claire smiled. "Gold-digger's are usually women anyway!"

Meg looked in on Bom, finding the small girl sleeping peacefully on her bed. Although she had been upset to find Michelle once more in her room, and had insisted on sleeping with her face toward the wall rather than Michelle, during her sleep she had tossed so she was overlooking her baby sister.

Meg knew it wasn't much, but it was a start. And she would just have to wait until the morning, but things were looking good for the two girls. She wasn't sure what they would do about the hate between these two, the other two times, the new child had been fragile and brand new, and unable to steal toys just yet.

Meg snorted. Life certainly was going to be interesting around this place.

Tess and Jodi had checked the house, and were contemplating where to go from there when the faint sounds of laughter drifted their way. Thinking that that would be as good a place as any to start, they headed uphill, and were surprised to find Luke and Claire leaning against the fence, talking and laughing.

Tess glanced at Jodi, unsure how the younger woman was reacting to the scene in front of them. She hoped that if she knew how Jodi was taking it, she would know how to take it herself.

Claire stopped laughing, only to pull Jodi into a huge hug. Jodi looked up, startled.

Luke filled her in. "She knows."

Claire snorted, and shook her head. "My life is turning into a soap opera. I have two sisters, each to different mothers, two daughters, each to different father's, one of whom only found out when he was older that his father wasn't actually his father."

"And our cousin who's father was in love with your mother."

"And the fact that Michelle's uncle is five years younger than her and mothered by her mother's least favourite person."

"Plus there's the whole Rosie storyline…" Claire put on her best American accent. "'Tune in again next week, when the women of Drovers' run will, once again, have their lives turned upside down in bizarre, inexplicable and strange storylines.'" There was laughter at the absurd nature of it. "What do we call it?"

"The Daughters of McLeod?"

"Coming soon to an incestuous television screen near you."

"Australia's answer to Days of Our Lives."

"We've made our fortune!"

Claire sighed. "Pity no-one would ever watch it though."

Luke just stood there and stared. It appeared lunacy ran in the family. There were worse things to marry into he supposed, fingering the box in his pocket.

A/N: Again, any suggestions for title of chap would be greatly appreciated.