CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO- DAMN THE CONCEQUENCES

Disclaimer: So, not mine, despite what you might think. The show would have ended on a high note if it was, rather than going on through this "OMG! I'm Jack McLeod's Daughter", "No, I am!" nonsense. (Although having Rose be Jack's daughter would DEFINATELY make it interesting).
A/N: So I have finally gotten Alex and Claire to talk. I've only been trying for about the last ten chapters. I think this should be wrapped up in the next five chapters or so. Fingers crossed!

Jillaroo: As far as BOM not hating them, I think that should resolve itself, I don't think she's one to hold grudges... plus that makes it easier to write
Meg: Coming to a head is not my speciality but here you go, how's this?
Jess: What happened to your login? I have to think about re-doing some of Letters, I don't like some of the earlier chapters any longer. They might get to bond in the next chapter... you never know! Love you too hon.

Claire first met Black Beauty that morning, when Michelle dragged her down to feed the pony, despite Claire's assurances that she would have had breakfast already, and probably wouldn't really like vegemite on toast.

"Mummy, can I have a pony? It can live here with Blackie." Claire was startled, this was the first indication of any long term plan.

"What makes you think we're going to stay here?"

"Well, you told me when I was scared that you'd never leave me behind, that you loved me and you wouldn't let anything happen to me. You feel the same way about Charlotte too don't you Mummy?" Michelle stared up at her with those intelligent eyes. "She's your daughter too."

"Its not that simple sweetheart." Claire didn't know how else to explain it to the girl.

"Well, make it simple Mummy." Michelle looked up at her, full of confidence in her indestructible mother.

Perhaps that was the best piece of advice anyone had ever given her.

Alex was there with Luke when they arrived, the two of them mucking out stalls and chatting about this, that and the other. Claire had wanted more time, thought she should think things through, obsess over them for a few hours, but here was fate, holding out to her the chance on a silver platter. The spirit that had forced her to leave her place in the finals of the rodeo and rescue Becky that fateful day, reared its ugly head once more. She sent the younger of her daughter's back to the house with Luke to watch the milking of Cher, Madonna's successor.

"We need to talk." Claire told Alex, in no uncertain terms once they were alone.

"Can it wait? I was just about to tack up Blackie and take Bom for a ride and hopefully bridge some of the gap that sprung up between us last night."

"No." Claire was startled by the resolve in her own voice. "You and I, we have a habit of skirting around the details. Of avoiding uncomfortable conversations, of not saying what needed to be said in the moment it is needed. And as I said to Harry, I've missed out on so much in the last six years that I'm not willing to miss anything more."

"Claire, no-one would like to say damn the consequences more than me, but we just can't."

"Why not?" Claire didn't care that she sounded more like her daughter than herself, or that she was whining in the most immature fashion. She'd just decided that she'd convince herself to make it happen, to make up for lost time, but Alex just didn't seem to be getting that.

"Because it's been six years. What if we've changed? Do I even know you anymore? Do you know me? Do you even know yourself? Are you Claire or are you Natalie? Are you Australian or American now? Do you still want to run your own stud? Can we afford it?" His mouth was working overtime, a great feat for a man of few words. "And its not just you and I anymore. There's Michelle and Charlotte to consider. And is her name even Michelle? Or is that just an alias?"

Claire was floored. She'd thought some of this through, briefly but in no major detail. "You were willing to take Bom on six years ago, and you're going to have Michelle as a part of your life anyway. By the way, legally that is her name, but we do have to do some paperwork to do with registering her birth properly. Most people in Witness never go back to their lives, but under the circumstances, they felt it was safe for me to return, which means safe for the birth to be registered.

"As to the other stuff, I'm not sure. I've always had a little bit of Claire in me, and I think that even while I was growing up I had some of Natalie. I haven't had much time for dreaming these past years, I've been too busy watching my back, and hoping against hope that we wouldn't have to do another mid-night rush. I didn't want to explain that to Michelle. She was too young to understand the last time, but she dreams about it on the odd occasion still." Claire sniffed back tears. "Can we at least give it a try? See how it goes, see what the future brings? And if it doesn't work, it doesn't. At least we wouldn't waste any more precious time wondering whether it would have, or waiting for the right time for it to all fall into place at our feet. Because this time is precious, and we won't get it back. I know that. I've regretted every moment we didn't last time."

Alex starred off into space for a long time. So long she wondered whether he'd suddenly relearned his childhood trick of sleeping with his eyes open. "Can we not tell the girls yet?" He asked finally. "At least not until we're more certain that this is gonna be worthwhile. I don't want to get their hopes up and then dash them."

Claire saw the logic in his argument, but wasn't entirely certain he had the right end of the stick. However, she couldn't see another way forward, and realised that he wouldn't back down from his stance. "Okay. Let's throw caution to the wind, and see what the future brings."

A/N: R&R as usual.