Chapter 28
So Tracey and Nat headed for Tasmania as the group continued their tour. Sue and Simon where happy that she was back with them and Baby Girl made it known she had been missed.
Although the attack had been a bad one it was not enough to keep Tracey down for long. Being back in Tasmania seemed to help her recovery. Gillian and Reba joined them a few weeks before the guys arrived. The girls had a wonderful time doing everything from quad biking, when Tracey got her strength back to bush walking, to taking over the kitchen of the guest house, which is where the members of Il Divo found them when they arrived. Well, not so much found but heard them. As the guys entered the house they could hear screeching and shouting coming from the kitchen. At first they thought something was wrong but in amongst the noise they heard laughing. Urs made a bee line for the kitchen door, pushed it open and promptly got hit in the head with a piece of cookie dough. This took him by surprise, not as surprised as the girls were to see him. They all stopped in mid motion. Urs stood at the door with his hand on his head, the others joined him to see what had happened. In the kitchen looking very much like naughty children who had just been caught red handed where the girls. They were covered in flour, there was cookie dough all over the kitchen and each one of them was armed with the stuff. The room was silent, the girls looked at each with mischievous grins and it was at this point that the guys suddenly realised what was about to happen and it was too late for a defence. Nat raised the war cry. “Let’s get em girls!!!” and each girl ran towards her man throwing the cookie dough at him. The guys had no chance. Urs was still recovering from his initial hit when he got hit again and then Nat jumped into his arms. He was covered in flour.
Sebastien had tried to retreat back into the other room but Reba had taken a page out of Nat’s book and pounced, so much so that both she and Sebastien ended up on the floor. A floor that was covered in flour and other assortments of cooking ingredients that never would see the inside of an oven.
Carlos was desperately trying to wave off Gillian, it did not work, he too was over powered, a puff of flour exploding into the air as they collided.
It seemed that the only one who would escape this massacre would be David. Tracey had walked up to him slowly, smiling, face and hair covered in flour. David thought he was safe, until they got closer and she pounced on him. He went to protest and Tracey shoved a piece of cookie dough in his mouth. Again he was about to protest but changed his tune.
“Hey this is not bad you know.”
The place exploded into laughter and for the next 10 minutes the cookie dough wars between male and female was fought. At the end they were all sitting on the floor quite happy, very messy but very happy.
Sue walked in “Magtag!!!!” (roughly translated Oh my goodness) She was horrified as she looked around the kitchen and then to the culprits all sitting on the floor.
“Hi Suzzie. We were just making cookies.” Tracey had no sooner got the words out of her mouth when the others laughed, trying very hard to keep it under control.
Sue shot them all a look. “Well if you think I am cleaning up this mess you are sadly mistaken.”
David jumped to his feet. “We’ll clean it all up Sue, don’t worry about a thing.”
Sue looked from David to the room to the others. “Spotless, I want this place spotless. I’ll be back just now to check.” And with that she left.
The others got to their feet. “What does she mean she’ll be right back to check? Doesn’t give us much time. Look at this place.” Sebastien was dismayed.
“It’s ok Sebbie, Just now means she will be back in a while.” Tracey patted him on the back. “Took me a while to figure that one out. Mind you, if you ever hear her say Gatuol, run. Means she REALY has had enough.”

The group got in and did indeed make the place look spotless. Not the job the guys had expected to do first thing but they all had fun and even managed to save some of the cookie dough and made a batch of cookies. When Sue returned a few hours later, the kitchen was clean, the marauding cookie monsters peacefully watching a DVD(de floured) and the smell of fresh baked cookies was in the air.

Tracey and David wandered off for a walk. David was eager to make sure she was ok. They had kept in frequent contact but now the he saw her he felt much better.
“I’m not at all sure it is a good idea to leave you alone with Nat. Here was I expecting to find you perched on the sofa reading but no you have to have a food fight. Tell me the rest of the time you have spent here has not been like that.”
Tracey smiled that smile that melted his heart and pulled him closer. “Well I had to keep my mind off the fact that you were so far away didn’t I? Actually, it has been great having all the girls together just to do girly stuff.”
David looked at her. “I hate to think what that would be after today’s performance.”
“Oh, just simple stuff like stalking yowies, sky diving, white water rafting.”
David stopped in his tracks. “Trace…What the hell is a yowie?”
Tracey giggled.. “Mmmm just think of big foot with an Aussie accent.”
David’s laugh boomed out across the property “I love you Ace.”

Urs and Nat had done a similar thing and taken themselves off for a walk in the opposite direction. Nat did not so much as walk but skip, she was so happy to see Urs and Urs had not realised just how much he missed his crazy over energetic wife until then, he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. His heart warmed at the sight of her, even the simple things she did like brushing his hair from his face brought him such joy. He wondered at the miracle that had brought them together. He would never have thought that someone who was so spontaneous and sometimes just plain crazy would affect him so. He would have expected her to drive him insane. He smiled to himself, maybe that would still happen, Urs finally understood what true love meant for him. He was willing to be dragged into the mayhem that the Tassie devil he had married could cause.

Carlos and Gillian had found themselves on the back veranda to the guest house, not far from where they had found Urs that night on their first visit. They sat side by side, Gillian with her head on Carlos’ shoulder, arms locked together.
“She is an amazing woman Carlos is Tracey.”
Carlos hugged her “You, You are an amazing woman my sweet. I adore you more now than when we first met. You make my life complete. You have shown me what true happiness really is.”

Sebastien and Reba had stayed in the guesthouse. Sebastien was lying on the sofa while Reba sat with his head in her lap, gently running her fingers through his hair. He took her hand and kissed it fondly. “Each time I am away from you I think I miss you more. I worry that you are alone and I could not forgive myself if I made you sad.”
Reba continued to stroke his hair. “Seb, I will admit that I wondered about our relationship and if I was willing to take on such a life.” She could feel his body tense up “But I am very happy and having come to know the other girls I feel like I am part of a family. I have gained three sisters and three brothers I never knew I had. Tracey has given me strength, Nat energy and Gillian, contentment seeing her with Carlos.
We have become fast friends and I know I can count on them for anything.”
Reba stopped herself before she spoke her next thoughts out loud. All she wanted now was for Sebastien to ask her to marry him and her life would be complete. She had thought that the double wedding may have spurred him on and she had spoken to the others about it. They had all been very supportive and promised to be by her side no matter what he finally decided or when he finally decided to do something.
Little did Reba know that Sebastien had come so close to asking her on more than one occasion but as much as he loved her he was worried that he would not be enough for her. He had been terrified that her answer would be no and somewhere deep down he knew he could not take that so he did not ask as if this would solve the problem.
Little did either of them know that something else would solve the problem for them and very soon.