Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty Five

It had been twenty long years since Roo Stewart had set foot in Summer Bay. It was the place she had been born and raised. It was the place she had called home for the first years of the life and yet it was the place she had been running from for a long, long time. She had honestly never thought she would ever return to this place. She had never wanted to. However, the time had come.


"How are you feeling?" Sid asked. "You kept calling out in your sleep last night."

"Yeah, I'm okay," Marilyn said, although she felt very tired. "Just… more dreams."

He put his arms around her in bed.

"Do you still think we've made the right decision?" he asked.

After they'd decided to move in together, they had agreed to pick their time carefully to tell the kids. They didn't just want to dump it on them. Indi seemed to be in a good place with Romeo at the moment but she was always at risk of volatility. And Dex seemed to be all over the place, currently hankering after this woman who was way out of his league both in age and in style. Neither of them wanted to upset them.

"Yes," she said. "We want this move to go well."


Roo knocked on the door of Summer Bay House, preparing to see her father for the first time in far too long. She was surprised when the door was opened by a smiley, curly headed man instead.

"Hello," he greeted warmly. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Alf Stewart," Roo said. "Is he here?"

"Oh, he'll be at work by now," he said.

Roo was disheartened. Such was their relationship, she didn't even know what businesses her Dad ran anymore.

"The Surf Club or the bait shop or…?" she tried.

"Oh, he manages the local restaurant now," the man said. "Bucktons'."

Roo was surprised. Her Dad had never been employed in all her life. He was always the one in charge.

"Oh, great," she said.

"It's above the Surf Club," the man told her. "Can I ask who's looking for him?"

"I'm Roo Stewart," she said, extending her hand. "And you are?"

"Roo! Please to meet you!" he said, shaking her hand. "I'm Miles Copeland. One of his housemates."

She smiled. Things most certainly had changed in Summer Bay since her time here.

"Would you like to come in for a coffee?" Miles asked.


Ruby was frustrated. Her driving lessons seemed to be getting harder instead of easier, which she didn't think was how it was supposed to go. She pointed this out to Alex.

"It's not that you're finding it harder," he said. "You're just doing more difficult things."

"Hey, Rubes!" called a voice.

Ruby looked up to see Charlie and Watson walking along on patrol. Her mother was waving. Ruby cringed but waved and smiled anyway. They were just being nice. They didn't know she was having a difficult time doing a three point turn. Thankfully, they didn't hang around.

"You have a very supportive family," Alex remarked.

"I'd really rather focus on my driving than anything personal," Ruby told him.

"Okay," he said, a little offended.

"Not that my driving is any good right now," Ruby complained. "I'm doing absolute shit today."

"Hey, you're doing fine," he said. "Calm down."

"I'm just wasting my time," she snapped. "I can't do this. I'm wasting my time and your time. And you'd rather be spending your time with your girlfriend anyway."

He smiled to himself, having known her mood was about his girlfriend.

"Actually, I'm single now," he said.


"That was a proper Mum moment," Watson teased when they were clear of Ruby's learner car.

Charlie blushed and waved her hand dismissively.

"No, it wasn't."

"Yeah, it was," Watson said. "You're such a Mum. Hey, Ruby! Look at you in the car, learning to drive!"

"Shut up!" Charlie complained, nudging into her as they walked.


Roo and Miles sat down at the table together, drinking coffee.

"Well, who would have known that little Sally Fletcher had a twin brother?" she marvelled. "And that he was a grown up!"

Miles laughed.

"Well, Sally is a grown up too now," he told her.

"Nah, she's still eight years old," Roo insisted.

Miles laughed.

"She's a teacher and living abroad," he said. "And she's a mother to a little girl called Pippa."

"Pippa," Roo mused. "What else would she have been called?"

She chuckled.

"Well, it really is a pleasure to meet you, Miles."

"And you," Miles said. "Alf talks about you often."

"Does he?"

"Oh, yes."

"I thought he had forgotten me," Roo admitted.

"His only daughter?" Miles said. "Never. He loves you."


Ruby was suddenly not so interested in driving anymore. Her focus was fully back on Alex.

"You're single?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," he replied. "My girlfriend and I broke up over the weekend."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she lied.

They both grinned at each other, knowing it was exactly what she had been hoping to hear.

"How come?" she asked.

"We just… wanted different things," he said. "So, how about this three point turn? Shall we try again?"


Roo arrived at the restaurant. Things had definitely changed in the time she had been away. The Surf Club had been redesigned and developed. It had never had a shiny, new restaurant on top of it before and she was surprised to find that it was all completely accessible. Perhaps Summer Bay was no longer the backwards town it had once been.

She pushed through the double doors of Bucktons' and surveyed the scene. It was early so the place wasn't busy. She looked around to see if her Dad was there. Yes, he was. He was behind the bar, in absolute hysterics, almost crying with laughter with some young woman, who was also laughing, holding onto the edge of the bar.

He stopped suddenly when he saw her, wiping his eyes, shocked.

"Roo!" he said.

"Hi, Dad."


Ruby most definitely had a spring in her step after her driving lesson, as Alex dropped her off at school. How she was going to focus on her lessons now, she didn't know. There was of course, still the issue of him not wanting to cross the line with a student. But he was single at least. And that was most definitely a step in the right direction. She couldn't wait to tell Claire all about it.


"I am so pleased to meet you," Joey said, shaking hands with Roo, when Alf finally did introductions.

"And you," Roo said more cautiously.

Who was this girl who was capable of making her father laugh until he might have actually had a heart attack? He seemed so happy when he was with her. So relaxed. They hadn't been able to explain what they were laughing at. It was one of those 'you had to be there' moments, apparently. But the banter between them seemed so free and easy. Like they were best friends. You could almost mistake them for father and daughter.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Alf asked.

"Well, I thought it had been long enough," Roo said. "I thought I might as well stop by and say hello."

"It's a bit of a detour from New York," Alf said.

"Not too much for my Dad."

It was left unsaid that it had been too much for the last twenty years.

"Hey, why don't you sit down for some food?" Joey suggested. "Both of you! Sit down and I'll get you a menu."

She ushered them to a table, grabbing a couple of menus on the way.

"Jo, I'm supposed to be working," Alf pointed out.

"Nonsense," Joey said dismissively. "This is a special day. Enjoy it!"

She sat them down and left them with their menus, heading back to the bar to get them a jug of water.

"Close your mouth, Angelo," she commented, catching him looking rather lustfully at Roo. "You'll catch flies."

He caught himself, looking rather embarrassed.

"She's the elusive Roo Stewart?" he asked.

"Apparently," she said, busying herself with the water.

"What's she doing back here?"

"Visiting, I guess."

"A long visit, I hope."

"No!" Joey said firmly but quietly. "You do not hit on Alf's daughter. There's got to be a law about that, I'm sure."

He looked offended.

"Why?"

"Because he's Alf."

"She's a grown woman!" he insisted.

"Fine," she said. "Go for it but I reckon she'd run rings around you."

She took the jug over to their table.


"So, how is it back on the Penn Graham case anyway?" Watson asked, as they headed back to the station. "I know you were struggling with Robertson the first time around."

Charlie sighed, pulling up at traffic lights.

"Well, there's Robertson," she said. "Which is a negative. Even more so now, as he hates that I've been reinstated. But it's a compliment to have had my work noticed."

"The buzz is that Nick Parris has his eye on you," Watson remarked. "Professionally speaking."

"I don't think so," Charlie said dismissively. "He only even heard of me because Robertson complained. That's hardly a plus."

"Well, he's obviously overruled him," Watson pointed out.

Charlie nodded, moving the car on.

"Well, I think you're in for a promotion if this case goes well," Watson said.

"Do you think people are bitching about me?" Charlie fretted.

"What? No!" Watson laughed. "People are pleased for you. I certainly am."

Charlie let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

"Thank you," she said quietly.


Alf felt overwhelmed at sitting down to brunch with his daughter. He could hardly believe that she was here. Of course he had seen her from time to time over the years but he never thought she would set foot back in Summer Bay, a place she claimed to detest and despise. It had hurt him time and again to hear her talk of the place he loved, the place she had grown up, the place they had, for a time, been happy together. And yet, suddenly, here she was, right in front of him.

"Here are your meals," Joey said, bringing them to the table.

"Thank you, Joey," Alf said affectionately.

"Made by my own fair hand, of course," she added. "Only the best for my bestie."

Alf chuckled and gave her a quick hug before she left them to it.

"So, what's the deal with you and her?" Roo asked when she was out of earshot.

"Joey?" Alf asked. "Oh, she's a lovely girl. She and her partner own this place. She's had a pretty tough time of it over the years. A difficult home life and then she was attacked very badly. But then she met her partner, Charlie and now they're a very happy family. And she and I have become very close friends since then. When I was looking for a change in direction, a little less responsibility, she gave me a job here as manager."

"I was wondering what you were doing here," Roo said. "You've always owned your own businesses. Been your own man."

"Well, I still am my own man," Alf said a little defensively. "I'm manager here and I enjoy working here. We have a great team, especially me, Joey, Angelo and Claire. We have a laugh working here."

"So I saw."

"And I've got the bait shop still. I just… wanted things to be a bit easier for a while," Alf said. "Have a bit less pressure on me."

"It doesn't sound like you," Roo said.

"Maybe you don't know what I'm like so much nowadays," he replied sadly.

"So, this Joey is like the daughter you never had?" Roo asked a little unkindly.

"She is like a daughter to me," Alf admitted. "But I already have my first born daughter. And she's suddenly come to visit me and I couldn't be more thrilled."

Roo looked down and sipped her drink, a little humbled. She jumped when her phoned beeped.

"Excuse me," she said, pulling it out, trying not to pull a face when she saw it was yet another message from Tim, someone she did not want to hear from. He wanted to know why she hadn't called. She swiped the message off the screen.

"Anything important?" Alf asked.

"Just spam," she lied. "PPI and all that crap. You know."


Claire was taking her break, grabbing a juice and sitting in the staff room. She was more than a little disappointed to have received a text from Ruby to say that Alex had broken up with his girlfriend and it looked like she might now stand a chance with him. Brilliant, she thought to herself, just when I thought I'd heard the last of him.


"I've been in touch with Martha," Roo told Alf, as their brunch continued.

"Really?" Alf asked, both anxious and delighted.

He missed his granddaughter terribly. Time was supposed to make things easier but with each passing day, his heart hurt more.

"Yes," Roo said. "She and Hugo are doing well. They're safe over in the US."

"That's a relief," Alf said. "I worry so much about her. I miss her every day."

Roo nodded.

"She says she misses you and she loves you."

Alf couldn't help but smile. It helped to know that Martha was well, even if she had given up her whole life to be with someone like Hugo.

"So… what about you?" Roo asked, changing the subject. "How have you been? What's going on with you?"

"Well… um… well, I guess I should tell you before you hear it from someone else," Alf ventured awkwardly.

"What?"

Roo was worried.

"I'm currently… mistakenly… being investigated for murder."


Charlie headed over to the restaurant on her break, eager to see Joey. She felt reassured by her conversation with Watson and her encouragement; although she was a little anxious that other staff might be talking about her.

"Hey," she greeted, pulling her girlfriend into her arms and kissing her.

"Hey," Joey said. "Guess who's here?"

"Who?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Roo Stewart," Joey said, nodding her head in Roo and Alf's direction as discreetly as she could. "Alf's daughter showed up out of the blue. They've been chatting for ages. He's so pleased."

"Oh, that's lovely. They haven't seen each other for ages, have they?"

"Nope," Joey said. "Angelo has been drooling all morning."

"No, I haven't," Angelo snapped, walking past to serve a table.

Joey smirked at him.


Across the room, Roo was reeling from Alf's revelation that the police were investigating him for murder.

"Why?" she asked.

"He didn't like me," Alf said, trying to be vague.

His history with Penn Graham and his mother wasn't something he wanted to get into right now.

"And now the cops are trying to pin his death on you?"

"Pretty much."

"Wait, there's a cop here now," Roo said looking up.

Alf turned, desperately hoping it wasn't Robertson. He was relieved to see Charlie talking to Joey.

"Oh, that's just Charlie," he said.

"That's Charlie?" Roo asked, as Alf waved her and Joey over. "Wow, Summer Bay really has moved on since I've been away."

"Charlie, this is my daughter, Roo," Alf introduced, calling her over. "Roo, this is Charlie, Joey's partner. She's the Sergeant at the local police station and also co-owner of Bucktons'."

Roo and Charlie shook hands, exchanging pleasantries.

"Alf, this must be the best day ever for you," Charlie said. "Alf talks about you all the time, Roo.

"Really?" Roo asked sceptically.

"I do, love," Alf admitted. "I've missed you so much."

Roo was sceptical, being that he seemed to have a better relationship with Joey than he had ever had with her. She wondered if returning to the Bay had been a mistake. So much had changed, including herself. She felt messages from Tim burning away in her pocket. She remembered Martha and Hugo. She knew she had had no choice but to come back to her roots.


Next time… Irene asks Joey for help, Roo battles with jealousy and another familiar face returns to the Bay…