MOMENTARILY

A/N

Ah yes, here it is. The final chapter of this story. I want to thank you for your lovely reviews and continued support. Writing this story and sharing it has been a great pleasure.

Of course I apologise for not updating sooner but exams got in my way. I should technically be preparing for one this Friday but a break was welcome. So here's the final chapter.

This takes place during the series finale, which should explain the presence of all the McLeod cousins. Please enjoy.

V: TAKING PICTURES

Standing on the rooftop

The sun is coming up

And all the ones I care for

Are doing fine

I've been running 'round for years

Making sure things get done

It seems I've never stood up here

To watch the rising of the sun

Before

Madeleine Peyroux

oo0oo0O0oo0oo

There were many ways in which to wake up. Over the years she had experienced many of them. The most despicable was the alarm that sounded more like a calving cow with a cold. Of course a rooster would crow on occasion, waking everyone and then the one she preferred by far – waking up naturally and by yourself.

Sure - she had to get up before the break of dawn as the way of life dictated here but ever since she was a young child she had managed to auto-tune her body so that she would wake up at a proper hour instinctively.

In later years, however, she would occasionally be woken by a teasing kiss from her husband. At times he could be insatiable. Not that she minded.

Nothing could have prepared her for the wake up call that particular morning, though.

A loud squeal, surely loud enough to break the sound barrier, abruptly forced her to break through the heavy layers of sleep and resurface. With the squeal still ringing in her befuddled mind she slowly managed to pry her eyes open and take in the silhouette of today's alarm clock. A young girl sat astride her, grinning wildly.

'Wake up!' she quipped cheerfully and bounced lightly. You could say many things about Charlotte McLeod but she was at least persistent. Sometimes a tad too much.

'Morning BOM,' Claire greeted her daughter in a voice still heavy with sleep. The young girl watched her with big bright eyes. Someone was clearly exited. Realisation would probably have come to her at some point but the child loudly voiced her project in an exited voice.

'Can we go riding? Dad said I could do anything I wanted on my birthday.'

Five years old already. Claire smiled as she tried to sit up in bed. Charlotte beamed up at her, still in her PJs. They had horses on them of course – she wasn't a McLeod for nothing.

'Did he now?' A very loud snore came in reply from the sleeping form next to her. When she said sleeping…

Suddenly an arm came out from under the covers and snaked around Charlotte. She squealed loudly in surprise, which caused Claire to burst out laughing. Her hunch had been correct then – Alex, too, had been woken by Charlotte's original outburst. A tickle match commenced then, the man instantly overpowering their daughter who giggled uncontrollable.

Claire smiled tenderly at the display of affection. Alex really doted on Charlotte, loved her fiercely. To Claire that just proved that blood wasn't all that important in the end.

'I surrender!' Charlotte squeaked in between giggles and after one final attack Alex eventually retreated. The little girl was once again able to breathe properly.

'Please mum, can we go riding? On a big horse? Please?' Her blonde hair whisked about her face as she turned to look at her mother pleadingly.

'The sun's hardly risen, sweetheart.'

'Dad?' Turning to the usual tactics, then. Whenever Claire said no to something Charlotte would turn her big brown orbs to her dad who couldn't resist her, even it he tried – which he never did.

'In a moment, eh kiddo. Why don't you see if Moira will make you some birthday pancakes?' The mention of pancakes caused Charlotte's eyes to light up and she shot off the bed. Even though it was still early, earlier than usual anyway, the sun was slowly beginning its ascend into the sky. She might as well get up and get ready for the day. It was a big one after all.

In honour of Charlotte's fifth birthday both parents had consented to throwing the girl a slightly larger party than the previous years. That of course meant extensive preparations. Thankfully the rest of the inhabitants at Drovers had heartily agreed to give a hand. Moira was cooking, Regan and Jaz were in charge of decorations and Alex aided by Marcus would deal with the barbeque. Stevie and Grace had promised to make sure the farm would stay standing during the day.

Just as she was about to climb out of bed Alex' pulled her back onto the bed. Trapped in his embrace she feared an oncoming attack but instead he remained still.

'Where do you think you're going?'

She never really had a chance to reply before the onslaught came. Morning breath clearly forgotten Alex lips claimed hers in a hungry kiss. Someone clearly didn't plan on getting up any time soon.

So they didn't.

oo0oo0O0oo0oo

It was a good while later that they emerged from the sanctuary of their bedroom. Despite being dressed and ready for the day Claire's face was slightly flushed when she entered the kitchen. The smell of freshly made pancakes instantly invaded her nostrils, Alex' too. He almost ran to the table and sat down, impatiently gazing at Moira at work at the stove.

'Well Charlotte, it looks like your parents decided to join us after all. I wonder what took them so long.'

Living under the same roof as Mystic Miranda wasn't always easy. Occasionally she was just a little too perceptive for Claire's liking.

'We were, uhm, talking about Bom's pressie. Weren't we Alex?' Alex nodded casually, clearly distracted by the pile of pancakes on Charlotte's plate. A man and his stomach. Claire sighed.

Looking up from her plate Charlotte quivered with excitement at the mention of presents.

'Can I have a little brother? I really want one.'

The request left both Claire and Alex dumbstruck; Moira on the other hand clearly found the wish highly amusing. She snickered. Even the pancakes seemed forgotten for the time being at least. Deep down Claire was well aware that the oestrogen level seemed to be increasing amongst the inhabitants of the homestead. Yet she also knew that Alex loved both their daughters, biology aside, ferociously and with everything that had transpired in the past few years thoughts of more children had been pushed aside.

Their eyes locked briefly and a silent agreement passed between them – it was a discussion to be had but within a different forum.

As if on cue Stevie entered the kitchen, all dressed and ready for another day. You could say many things about the fiery redhead but her commitment to Drovers never ceased to amaze Claire.

'Happy birthday, big girl,' she greeted Charlotte who grinned widely in return. She adored being the centre of attention, much like both of her aunts really. Both who were noticeably absent. Casting aside the thoughts before they could take hold of her Claire forced herself to smile and be happy on behalf of her daughter.

'Has the mail arrived yet?' Claire directed the question at Moira. The woman had taken over the motherly role Meg had once played in the, at the time, small household which meant she was the one who was the first to know if anything happened.

'Sorry, no. Expecting anything?'

Truth be told, yes. Every year since Charlotte's first birthday Tess had bestowed a pair of jodhpur boots to her niece but this year no parcel had arrived. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was ever so slightly off. What is was she had absolutely no idea.

Charlotte got out of her chair abruptly. 'Can we go riding now? Please?'

Unable to deny her daughter her birthday wish Claire agreed. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed Alex eyes the remaining pancakes hungrily.

'Are you done eating?'

'Yes.' Charlotte replied instantly before remembering her manners. 'Thank you Moira!'

'Any time, darling.'

Before mother and daughter left the kitchen, Alex had almost managed to clean the plate entirely.

oo0oo0O0oo0oo

The grassy planes stretched on endlessly in front of them – and behind them, too. Eagle, now an elderly horse, trudged on contently and seemingly indifferent to the additional passenger – well, Charlotte was rather small still for her age. She was seated comfortably in front of Claire chatting away animatedly about every aspect of her young life – the party especially seemed to be on her mind but she also kept commenting on the journey they'd made to Argentina the year before.

The month the small family had spent there would always remain with Claire. Apart from finally being with her sister again it was surprisingly freeing to be away from Drovers. For the first time ever. Charlotte had been completely besotted with her cousin, Louise, and begged and pleaded with her aunt and uncle to take her home, at least just borrow her for a while.

In the end Nick and Tess had to promise the little girl that they'd see each other again very soon. Somehow, though, Claire doubted it. They were doing magnificently, Nick and Tess, and seemed content where they were. Nick was finally able to make something for himself, away from the legacy of being Harry Ryan's son and Tess was just happy to be with the love of her life and their beautiful daughter.

It stung slightly and envy crept up on her as they climbed the last hill before slowly approaching the final destination of their outing. The final resting place of the McLeod family appeared down in the valley, four headstones resting silently side by side.

Morbid as it may seem to bring a child here Claire somehow found it fitting. She wanted her daughter to know her ancestors and the legacy. Strangely enough Charlotte felt privileged when they came here which was a rarity. It was always just the two of them, mother and daughter, together for a brief while.

Each stone was clearly weathered by time as wind as rain had made their mark over the years. One of the headstones, however, looked remarkably clean and new, hardly marked by the time gone by. Jodi's. Claire's thoughts automatically wandered off in the direction of her lost little sister. What she did, where she was, who she was – tremendously important questions loomed over her, unanswered and a part of Claire feared she would never know. Tess, at least, she could talk to regularly but when it came to Jodi there was no way of knowing. It had been more than a year now since Jodi and Matt had gone into witness protection permanently. Since then she and Meg had chatted occasionally but she knew nothing either. All that was left was a blank space of the unknown.

'Are you sad?' Charlotte gazed up at her mother whose eyes had glazed over, not with tears exactly but they were certainly slightly moist.

'I'm fine, sweetheart. Want to say hi to your grandfather?' Together they got off and approached the grave. Claire watched as her daughter passed from stone to stone, patting each gently with her small hand. It was a lovely gesture. The circumstances surrounding Jodi's death had only briefly been explained to the girl as she was too young to understand the truth. Would she ever know the full truth, Claire wondered.

Determined not to let her messy family problems interfere with Charlotte's big day she gathered herself and regained her composure.

'Do you think they'd give me birthday presents if they were alive?' The naivety of children was astounding sometimes.

'Absolutely,' Claire answered her daughter before gathering her in a crushing hug.

Somehow she soon managed to lift Charlotte back onto Eagle and, turning their backs on the past, Claire urged the horse back towards Drovers. There was still plenty to be done before the guests arrived, showering being one of them.

However their road should not go unhindered. Eventually the farm came back into view – first the windmill and then the rest – along with two silhouettes on horseback. Cautiously Claire approached, slightly weary of the two unfamiliar figures. Wisps of golden hair whisked around one of the riders' head. Instant recognition filtered through Claire's mind and she was off Eagle's back in mere seconds.

'Jodi!' calling out her name suddenly made things true – she surely wasn't imagining this. Meg, the other mysterious rider, dismounted as well.

The two McLeods embraced warmly, glad at being reunited after so long.

'Where's Matt? Is everything okay?' the questions tumbled out of her mouth.

'He' fine, he's safe and all the guys who were after him have been put away. Besides it was getting difficult to hide this for much longer,' Jodi gestured to her protruding belly. Difficult to conceal indeed. 'So we're gonna have a normal life. Well as normal as you can do with one of these.'

Watchful eyes regarded the exchanged cautiously. Although her young mind was having a hard time placing the woman her mother had just hugged, Charlotte felt certain she had seen her somewhere before. An elderly (in Charlotte's eyes at least) woman slowly approached Charlotte and Eagle.

'Hello Charlotte. It's good to see you again.' She knew this woman – Meg. The other woman and her mum came up behind Meg, both smiling.

'Happy birthday Bom.'

oo0oo0O0oo0oo

To call it a day full of surprises would be an understatement and it was far from over yet – however Claire didn't know that. Everything that had transpired in the past couple of hours had left her drained which was poorly timed. Especially considering the many children that were now running around Drovers; laughing, shouting and all the things children did.

She was exhausted. Thankfully she had found a corner to herself where, just for the time being, she allowed herself to sit back and just watch. Charlotte had hastily begged for her pressies from all the guests as they arrived. Fortunately she had forgotten all about her wish from that morning. At some point she had even begged to be driven to the front gate to greet them. Alex had stopped that from happening, bless him.

Jodi's return had been a shock to most, especially those who thought her to be dead but Charlotte's demanding presence quickly required everyone's attention. Now the birthday girl had run off, wearing the too large Akubra hat she had been given her parents. Still no boots, though. When she'd asked Alex if he'd heard from Nick and Tess recently he just dismissed her, claiming they were most likely busy with their Argentinian life. Still, it wasn't like Tess to forget any of her nieces' birthdays.

'Hey'. There was a time where the voice would send shivers up and down her spine but nowawdays – nothing. True enough the voice belonged to Peter. He approached her slightly cautiously, evidently afraid of invading her personal space. Claire just nodded politely.

Things with Peter and Julia were – civil now. Getting there though hadn't been easy. After he'd signed Charlotte's birth certificate Claire was certain the worst was over but then again – that was well before she got involved with Alex. For a while they hadn't heard much from Peter apart from the occasional want of an update on his daughter's ensued wellbeing. Around the time of Charlotte's first birthday – and Alex' and Claire's nuptials – Alex had expressed genuine interest in adopting Charlotte. Around the same time Peter suddenly reappeared, having relocated his entire family to Fisher.

Tough times had followed but eventually things had calmed down and now, in so many ways, Charlotte was a very fortunate girl with two loving fathers instead of the regular one. Sometimes Claire could even sense Jo's envy when Charlotte came back from a weekend with her biological father. The worst was Alex. Whenever Charlotte claimed to have had a brilliant weekend he'd spend the next few days dedicating his every waking minute to spoiling the girl.

Today, evidently, was no different.

'Thanks for coming.'

'Thanks for inviting us.'

'Of course. You're her father Peter,' he nodded solemnly. A squeal reverberated, breaking the awkward silence. It didn't take Claire long to understand why. Down the drive came Alex, wide smile intact, with a beautiful brown pony. Attached to its saddle was a big bow. Apparently a card wasn't necessary.

Leaving Peter behind Claire quickly approached her husband, conflicted emotions running wild. Alex loved Charlotte and they had discussed getting a new pony for her as Hopscotch was becoming too small but the fact that he hadn't even consulted her annoyed her. Spontaneity, it was part of the package, she knew that but sometimes it just wasn't okay for him to act so rashly. She was just about to protest when Charlotte propelled herself against Alex, mumbling 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.'

Well. She couldn't very well demand the horse be taken away again, could she?

'What's his name?'

'Banjo and he's all yours.'

'Thank you!' Charlotte exclaimed, patting the pony who whinnied in return.

'Thank your mum, too.' He glazed her way then, probably fearing her reaction. 'And now Charlotte. There's one more surprise, but you have to share with your mother.'

Charlotte looked at her mother curiously, wondering what Alex alluded. In that moment two hitherto unseen guests came into view – a very tall man and a much shorter woman.

'Are we late?' Now there was a voice she would know anywhere.

oo0oo0O0oo0oo

Night had fallen, a calm and serene kind. A soft breeze blew through the darkened landscape, carrying the sounds of a world slowing down after a long day. The guests were gone now, the children put to bed, yet the party that still remained on the veranda was of a considerable size. Every seat available was occupied and those who had been unable to find a proper seat had sat down on the steps.

As a child Claire McLeod had few aspirations. Really, there was only one thing she wanted from life – to be exactly like her father, the man she spend her entire childhood admiring unrelentingly. To be determined and independent became the ultimate goals towards which she worked assiduously. For a long time these were equivalent to a complete life and she didn't see any sense in aspiring for more. A simple life was want she wanted.

However complications arrived right on her doorstep in the shape of her estranged little sister. Said sister was now sitting next to her husband on the settee on her left. Now that had been the surprise of the century. Nick and Tess were back – for good apparently and Alex, the bugger, had known for weeks. They'd even been hiding out at Killarney for the past few days. After Claire, Alex and the children had left Argentina after their visit the previous year Tess had grown incredibly homesick. She wanted to raise her child with her family, so her daughter could have the childhood Tess hadn't had.

In the end Nick had decided to terminate the projects he was working on and planned ahead.

To say Drovers was crowded was almost an understatement. Sometimes it was difficult to imagine it had once just been the home of Claire, Jack and a few workers, well Meg and Jodi, too. Matt had eventually joined them, after the main guests had gone. Alerting more people to the fact that he was alive seemed unnecessary. But they wanted to raise their child here, too.

Claire looked around, eyes resting on her cousin, well one of them. Of all the other McLeods, Grace was the one Claire admired the most. She cared deeply for her cousins, all of them, but something about the woman's spirit appealed to Claire. Grace was an expert with horses, a hard worker but seemingly resilient to the hardship life had dealt her. Grace cast a glance sideways at Marcus who was seated comfortable with Ingrid leaning against him. Yes, Grace had loved and willingly let go. That strength was an admirable trait and Claire hoped beyond anything that she would find happiness eventually.

Jaz had Ben now and Regan seemed contend with her life as it was. Moira had Phil and even Stevie had found someone special; her one year-old son was proof enough of that.

And she had Alex. And Charlotte and Jo. And who knew – if Charlotte kept pestering them about a little brother – maybe one day a little brother (or sister. Girls seemed to run in the family) would join the festivities.

Alex was mindlessly rubbing circles on her back, the simplest notion of affection but it made her feel safe. Loved.

Yes, Claire McLeod once wished for a simple life, a boring one with no unnecessary complications. No ties that couldn't be severed as easily as they'd been made. But things changed on their own accord. Suddenly there were ties that bound but she didn't mind being restrained by them. Along the way there had been heartbreak, yes, but ultimately she had gained far more than she had lost.

'Claire?' Tess asked, her voice soft.

Claire turned, a smile mirroring that of her sister, and took in her face. She really did look like her mother Ruth but over the years the other parent had surfaced in her as well. Tess had become as stubborn as Jack and grown to love the land as much as him. And now she had come home.

'Welcome home,' Claire said and then she smiled at her little sister.

oo0oo0O0oo0oo

Thank you for reading! I'd love to know what your thoughts are on this final piece.

Cheers!