Disclaimer: I may be Australian, but I definately don't own the Movie!

Summary: The Reunion after Darwin's Bombing from Lady Sarah Ashley's point of view. May or may not be continued.


I Can Say Your Name! - Sarah

Sarah

The past twenty-four hours have been little more than a daze.

The sorrow that I am unlikely to see Faraway Downs again, and the bitter anger that Fletcher will win after all. Both emotions almost, but not quite, eclipsed by the joy and hope that I will be able to see Nullah again, and we will go south and be a family, and perhaps even find Drover again.

The fear and panic when the bombers hit first, and our first warning was the explosion that took out half of Headquarters. The terrible grief when I saw Emmett at the hospital, just as he identified the body of my dearest friend, Catherine Fletcher, only at Headquarters because I had begged her to trade shifts with me.

The numb detachment as I stand in what used to be my room at the Territory, gazing at the 'Family Photo' taken only a few months back. Drover and I, side by side, and my arms around Nullah, his little dark face lit up with a cheeky smile. The son and husband that I will never have, the family that no longer is, and now never will be.

The name 'Drover' always suited him so well, that I never asked what my lover's real name was. In the Aborigine culture, you cannot speak the name of the dead, so, for the second time, I cannot say the name of the child I almost had.


Now I am running down the wharf, away from an impatient Sergeant Lapin and a puzzled Emmett, toward the faint strains of music that no one else hears. Music and the faint echo of the last words Nullah spoke to me "I sing you to me, Mrs. Boss!"

I dodge piles of debris as I run, cursing this restrictive skirt as my heart beats in time with my promise, "And I will hear you."

Nullah has often claimed that he is a Wizard, ever since I explained what it meant, shortly before giving a horrific rendition of 'Somewhere over the Rainbow'. With all that the son of my heart has done and been through, I can barely fault that stubborn conviction, and hope begins to swell within me again.

A small sailboat comes from behind the wreckage of a warship, gliding slowly toward the harbor, a small figure standing at the bow, waving madly. I bounce in anticipation, hardly daring to believe it, as the high-pitched, achingly familiar voice carries across the short distance. "Mrs. Boss, Mrs. Boss!"

The sailboat docks and my little boy is running up the stairs toward me, still shouting my 'title'. I break into a mad dash toward the gate, meeting Nullah as he throws himself into my arms. "I can say your name!"

Speech is beyond me as I cradle him in my arms, holding him with no intention of ever letting go, my broken heart slowly piecing itself back together. Nothing else exists, not the smoke, or the emergency crews, or the convoy waiting to evacuate. Slowly, Nullah's rushed narrative filters through my joy. "Some of those little fellas from the desert can't swim 'em. But the Drover, he take them on his back like a turtle."

Wait, what? I kneel down to Nullah's level, staring at him in shock. "What did you say? What?"

Nullah graces me with his cheeky, knowing smile as he points at something behind me. "Drover."

I whirl around, and see the man in question, staring at me as though he has just seen a ghost. Given the bombing only yesterday, I suppose it is an acceptable assumption. Time looses meaning, and it could be seconds or hours as he slowly approaches. Then we are in each other's arms as he gives a cry of desperate relief. "You're alive! Oh, God!"

It has been a long time since I have believed in fairytales, but the kiss we share seems like something straight out of a story. Passion, longing, and the feeling of completion at being reunited. I smile against my Drover's lips and lean against him, safe in his arms. Another, smaller, pair wraps around us both, and I drop one arm to pull Nullah closer, feeling Drover do the same.

I cannot tell how long we stand there before Emmett finds us. "Sarah, what's going on? I can't hold the sergeant any longer."

The look on his face is slightly amusing as he sees the twenty or so children from Mission Island running over toward us. Ever the Army Officer, he pulls himself together and begins directing them down to where the convoy waits. He begins to follow, then turns back to me, still in Drover's arms. "You know, when I said that no one could get out there, I'd forgotten about you, Drover."

Emmett does not like Drover, and this is as close to a thank-you and welcome back as he will concede, but the possibility of an awkward moment is shattered by Nullah's cheerful reply. "That no matter. We gonna go back Faraway Downs."

He hugs me again, and I have to force myself to pay attention to Emmett's next words. "He's right, you know. With the water up, it's the safest place in the north. These are, after all…"

Drover fills in the words, never letting go of me. "Extraordinary circumstances."

Emmett nods in agreement, softly repeating the term, and I smile at him. "Thank you, Emmett."

My friend turns to leave, and I embrace Nullah and Drover again. My family is back together, and my heart is whole again.

-

-

-

-


A/N: OK, this is my first 'Australia' fic, so feedback is much appreciated. It's only a one-shot, for now, but I may end up doing Nullah and Drover, as well. If there is anyone else you'd like to see, let me know.

Thanks,
Nat