Author's note: Sorry for the delay, I have had some health issues which laid me flat – literally! It has been a struggle to complete this chapter but I hope I have tied up the loose ends. Also Australians might notice that I have taken a geographic liberty - the beach is based on one south of Wollongong, not north of Sydney, but it does exist as described. I also had to change my activity at the end thanks to Tess's new story!

After tucking Roo into bed Tommy guided Barbara across the apartment to their bedroom. She understood clearly that romance was the last thing on his mind. He frowned at her. "Well?" he demanded.

"When we went shopping Roo told me his grandmother is alive. She lives in a place called Bowen in Queensland. Apparently she left him contact details in a sealed box in that flowerpot along with some money and a few family items. He has no one else so if she'll take him he'll at least be with family."

Tommy sighed then sat carefully on the bed. His leg was aching and he felt as if he had not slept for days. "It might not be that easy Barbara. Roo's real father is Pepperhill."

Barbara sat gingerly on the edge of the bed next to Tommy. "You suspected that didn't you? That's why you had the DNA test done."

Tommy stretched out his right leg. "I had a feeling. They share expressions and mannerisms. I doubt the doctor will take too kindly to the news."

"No. Poor Roo. When are you going to tell him?"

"In the morning. I think it is better to come from us."

"Yeah," she said wistfully, "I only hope his grandmother wants him."

Tommy pulled Barbara into an embrace. "So do I. He's an unusual kid but I feel connected to him somehow. Come on, let's get some sleep."

Barbara helped Tommy undress. She inspected his wounds and made him lie face down while she dabbed on the cream that they had been given. She kissed him lightly on his neck near one of the cuts.

"Kissing it better?" he asked.

"Hmm. Is it working?"

"Yes." Tommy rolled onto his side and pulled her to him. They held each other as if they were scared that everything was an illusion and that they would wake up alone. Neither spoke but gradually their embrace became more relaxed and Barbara was soon snoring softly. Tommy's mind was racing as he held her. Slowly a plan began to form.

Roo was awake and staring out of his window when Tommy went in to wake him. "Did you sleep okay?" Tommy asked him. He was worried that the boy might have been awake all night.

"Yeah," he answered cautiously, "I'm a bit worried about Cat."

"Roo, there's something you should know," Tommy said cautiously before he explained about his father.

The lad nodded and then looked at his watch. "I'd better have a shower."

Roo sat opposite Tommy chewing silently on his toast. Tommy and Barbara exchanged worried glances. "Are you okay Roo?"

"Yes," he said slowly, "it's ironic really. Mum was a geneticist and didn't even know the father of her son!" The boy began to laugh. "He's going to go mental when he hears. Serve him right to have a son he hates."

"No Roo, don't say that," Barbara pleaded, "when he knows he might come around."

"He's blamed his life's problems on me for ten years. He barely even talks to Cat you know, because of Mum. He's not a forgiving man." The boy turned to Tommy. "I won't end up like him will I?"

Lynley understood insecurity and parental betrayal. He hoped Roo would not suffer as he had done. "No," he said confidently as he put his hand reassuringly on his shoulder, "you're a resilient and resourceful young man. You'll be fine Roo."

"Will this stop my grandma being able to take me?"

"Not if your father agrees. I can't imagine him not agreeing but if he does then we can go to court."

The boy nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."

It took hours for the team to sort everything out. Davo contacted the grandmother and Roo spent half an hour on the phone talking to her while Gibbo and Kosti drove to Tamarama to bring in Pepperhill and Cat. His solicitor arrived at the office before they were back.

"Not a good sign," Barbara whispered.

"No, but hardly unexpected."

Tommy tried his best to persuade the man to acknowledge his son. "I want nothing to do with him and I forbid my daughter to have any contact."

"Dad! That's not fair. He's my brother. Besides I want to meet my grandmother. I want to go with Roo."

Tommy feared a family meltdown was imminent. "Cat, let me talk to your father please."

"Fine. Just remember I will be eighteen in a few years and then you will never have to see me again either!" She stormed out of the room.

"You have a family Sir but it is your choice whether you want to keep them or not. The boy's grandmother is willing to care for him and she would like to see Cat again. It's been a long time. Would you consider letting Cat go with Roo for a week?"

Pepperhill blustered and threatened then went to consult with his solicitor. Barbara came up to Tommy. "You look worried."

"No, frustrated. Did you tell Davo my plan?"

"I think he'd prefer if we flew up there but given your eardrum issue he is prepared to consider it."

"Good, we just have to wait then."

An hour later Pepperhill agreed to Tommy's plan on the condition that Cat report to Bowen police when they arrive. Tommy agreed and arrangements were made. Roo and Cat were excited. Tommy arranged to collect her at seven the next morning and she left with her father. Tommy and Barbara went to say their goodbyes to the team. They had grown strangely fond of the Aussies and Barbara protested wildly when Tommy accused her of having been determined to hate Sydney. "Actually I've learnt a lot here," she argued, "and besides, the city sort of brought us together."

"Hmm," Tommy said as he checked the corridor to ensure they were alone, "every time I look in your eyes I'll think of the Emerald City." He kissed her tenderly.

"Not here," she said pushing him away, "we're at work."

"I still love you even at work."

"Yes well just wait until we are alone please."

Tommy shrugged his shoulders in defeat just as Cam dashed into the room. "Glad I caught you. Sammy wants everyone to come over to our place for a farewell barbeque."

Barbara smiled at Tommy. "That might be a bit longer than we thought."

The barbeque had lashings of meat, copious amounts of beer, lots of tall police stories and even an attempt by Kosti to lure Tommy into a bedroom. Roo was the centre of attention and all of the officers treated him like their own son. He eventually fell asleep on the sofa amid the raucous drinking and Gibbo's attempts to convert Barbara into an aficionado of Aussie rock music. At midnight Cam called them a cab and after several rounds of heartfelt hugs and well wishes the three of them fell gratefully into the rear of the taxi.

Tommy put Roo to bed then fell sleepily beside Barbara. "We haven't made love for two days," he complained, "but I don't think I could..." He stopped and looked over at his lover. She was snoring loudly. Any thought of romance disappeared behind his tired smile.

He was up at six and packed while Barbara and Roo showered. "We'll pick up some breakfast after we collect Cat."

They said goodbye to the apartment, waved at the city sights then went downstairs to check out. The rental car had been delivered and Tommy packed it quickly. "It's a truck!" Barbara declared seeing the shiny blue Landcruiser.

"It's very practical," he replied, "Bowen's two thousand kilometres away."

"On a highway. It's not like we're going bush."

Tommy looked disappointed. "This'll be more fun for the kids."

Barbara was overcome with a desire to hug him. He was quite adorable in his pretence that the trip was only about the children. She could tell he was excited by the idea of driving up to Bowen. She had seen his iPad and knew he had checked out spots to stop. For the first time in years she felt part of a family. This would be what it would be like when they had children of their own. That was a prospect that had daunted her only days before but now it was what she wanted more than anything on earth. She wanted to spend her life blissfully in love with her aristocratic, infuriating and utterly wonderful boss. She smiled at him and when he leant forward she kissed him softly before he ran around and jumped eagerly into the driver's seat.

Pepperhill greeted them politely but turned on his heel and walked towards his door before Cat had even climbed into the car. "I'll see you next week Dad," Cat called forlornly after him. He raised his hand in acknowledgement but did not turn around.

Roo wound down his window and shouted cheekily, "bye Dad!" Pepperhill spun around and glared then stormed inside his house and slammed the door. "See nothing will change," Roo said smugly.

"He's not that bad," Cat told her brother, "this is hard for him too."

Barbara and Tommy exchanged a distressed glance. This was going to be harder than they thought. "Right, who's hungry?" he asked as if nothing was wrong. "I know a place where we can get a big breakfast."

Tommy chatted as they drove over the Harbour Bridge and headed north. He encouraged the kids to talk about landmarks and the environment they drove through. Barbara joined in, impressed by his ease at turning the mood in the car around. Roo and Tommy shared a love of sports cars and as they drove through the leafy northern suburbs they played games of spotting exotic models while Cat and Barbara admired the huge mansions and impressive private school grounds that dotted the highway. Before long they were speeding along a wide freeway that had been carved through the sandstone hills.

As they approached the wide Hawkesbury River Tommy eased onto a slipway and exited the freeway. The road twisted around a finger of flowering bushland and down to the sleepy hamlet of Brooklyn. Tommy pulled into a carpark next to a large white building at the water's edge. "In you go kids; see if we can get a table by the window."

Cat and Roo raced ahead. "They'll be fine," he reassured Barbara before he kissed her, "but I was feeling neglected."

Barbara smiled. "Well we can't have that can we?" She returned his kiss with interest and a promise of more.

"Oi you two!" Roo called, "some of us are starving!"

Tommy watched in bemused awe at the amount of food his three charges could eat. A huge platter of fried eggs, bacon, balsamic tomatoes and fried mushrooms disappeared along with Danish pastries, croissants and chocolate muffins. They sat on the verandah overlooking the water that lapped gently against the grey, wooden wharf. On the other side of the river estuary Tommy could see banks of oyster leases near the sandstone pylons of the long steel railway bridge. To the distant left were the old iron road bridge and the modern concrete span that had superseded it. A faint sound of whooshing traffic drifted over the indigo water but it did not disturb the peace of the morning. He could get used to life out here.

A few hours up the road Tommy turned off at the sign for Pebbly Beach. The bitumen soon gave way to a sandy dirt track that bounced and wound down towards the beach. A small carpark was cut into a natural clearing and Tommy hunted them all out of the car and onto the winding pathway to the beach. Roo and Cat ran on ahead and Tommy took Barbara's hand and strolled peacefully behind them. The bush was alive with birds calling to each other over the gentle rustling of the scrubby trees. Tall trees pierced the canopy and created patches of darkness. Dry leaves crackled underfoot and in the distance they could hear the ocean breaking on the beach.

Tommy inhaled the lemony eucalyptus scent and sighed. "It's peaceful here," he said contentedly.

"Yeah, except for that," Barbara replied referring to the distant sound of chainsaws. "Someone must be cutting trees."

"Sounds more like people riding trail bikes."

They entered a clearing and saw Roo and Cat staring up into the trees. "What've you spotted?" Tommy whispered.

"Koalas. Didn't you hear them?"

"No. What do they sound like?"

"That."

"That's a motorbike," he argued and Cat and Roo burst out laughing. The bike noise stopped instantly.

"That's what koalas sound like," Roo said as if Tommy were the idiot he now felt.

They scanned the trees and Cat pointed several out. They were all nestled into the forks of branches. Some looked asleep and others were munching steadily on the gum leaves. Barbara spotted one with a baby clinging to its back. They watched mesmerised for a few minutes before Roo tugged at Barbara's hand and pulled her towards the beach.

They came out of the bush onto a wide expanse of yellow sand. Low grasses grew over the dunes but a well-worn path led onto the long stretch of beach. Tommy had read about the beach and it inhabitants and he was disappointed not see them straight away. The kids ran down towards the creek at the end of the beach and it was then that Tommy noticed the round humps that looked like bush rocks dotted in the grass. Several of the rocks raised their heads and flicked their eyes towards the sounds of the visitors. "Kangaroos!" Barbara almost squealed. Tommy looked across and smiled at the delight on her face.

The small, grey roos were not the big, red animals that most tourists see on advertisements for Australia but that did not matter. They were seeing them in the wild. The animals were clearly used to tourists and made no attempt to hop away. The kids sat on the dunes watching and the roos slowly moved closer. Tommy watched in fascination as they used their strong tails and long flat feet to inch closer. A few roos hopped in from further away, sensing that the visitors might have brought food. Tommy had read that they should not be fed but he still felt guilty watching their pleading faces.

They sat for nearly half an hour while the kangaroos moved in amongst them. A few got close enough to pat and Barbara carefully tickled one behind its ears. Several mothers with young joeys in their pouches hung warily around the edge of the mob ready to race away at the slightest threat. Tommy watched the way they used their front paws as tools to hold their food and marvelled at the way they seemed to smile at him. He was sure one winked.

"Come on, time to go," he reluctantly told his companions, "next stop The Big Banana."

Barbara smirked and raised her eyebrows suggestively as he pulled her to her feet. "Really?"

Tommy went all colours. "Not in front of the children," he hissed but the two youngsters were already half way back to the track.

Barbara grinned lovingly at him. He was irresistibly cute the way he looked after the kids. A wave of desire stirred in her and she could see from his face he felt the same way. A juicy kiss would have to suffice until they were alone.

The Big Banana turned out to be a thirty metre concrete model of an upturned banana. "It's smiling," she said impishly.

"And you can walk through it."

Roo and Cat were much more interested in the banana-based treats in the cafe than they were in the history of banana horticulture on display inside the model. Tommy however was keen to go out the back. Everyone reluctantly followed but when he produced tickets for the metal luge and the mini-golf he had three excited bodies leaping around him. The luge track followed the contours of the hill. For the first run Tommy insisted that Roo ride with him but he soon gave in to Roo's pleas to be treated in a way befitting his intelligence and maturity not his size. It was hard to argue against that given the last week.

Roo persuaded Barbara to ride with Tommy. It did not take much convincing for either of them and Barbara snuggled tightly against his chest as he leant around her shoulders and grabbed the driveshaft that rose suggestively between her thighs. Tommy pushed it forward, whispered a wicked suggestion into her ear then allowed their cart to careen down the track at full speed with both of them whooping and hollering. They rushed back up to the top to do it again. This time he let her drive while he wrapped his arms tightly around her allowing his mind and his hands to wander.

At the bottom Barbara watched Tommy closely. Years of worry had aged him but now he looked young and alive. She was pleased to be partly responsible. He looked happy and she was happy, happier than she had ever been. Now the case was over they could relax and enjoy their time together. "I love you, you know."

Tommy's grin threatened to split his face. "I should hope so. Who else would bring you half way around the world to visit an overgrown banana? So have you..."

Tommy was interrupted by the kids begging for another three rides. He sighed and pulled out his wallet. Eventually he would have a moment alone with Barbara where he could propose in peace but it was not going to be here. "One more set and then we're going," he said trying, but failing, to sound stern.