A few minutes later, Wayne emerges from the main exercise room and walks into the reception area. Alison marches after him and mutters, "Alright. What happened?" Wayne just echoes lightly, "Happened?" Alison retorts, "This sudden burst of energy." Wayne repeats, "Energy?" Alison growls, "Don't play dumb, Wayne; the wind might change!" She then goes on curtly, "Last time I saw you, you'd all but given up on yourself. Now you're running around like the cat who ate the cream." Wayne opens the box file of members' cards. Going through it, he muses, "You know, I can't seem to find any membership of yours. You do have a membership, don't you?" Alison retorts, "Charlie's friends don't pay." Wayne just says tersely, "But I'm a partner - and my half doesn't give away freebies. What are we going to do about that?" Alison shrugs in disinterest, "I haven't the faintest idea." Wayne says, "I'll give you a choice: you can either give me half the price of a course... or use half the gym's facilities. I can't be fairer than that." Alison mutters, "My, we are the tough little businessman today, aren't we. Why the sudden change?" A broad grin crosses Wayne's face as he tells her, "Tick put on a morning tea for one of his little friends today - only she wasn't so little; quite attractive, too, actually. She's just come up from Melbourne. What's her name: Sally? No... Sarah. Sarah Hudson." Alison looks at him sharply as he continues, "It's a sad story, too. She came up looking for her mother, but she was nowhere to be found..." Looking worried, Alison demands, "Did you tell her?" Wayne asks 'innocently', "Tell her what?" Alison growls, "That Pamela stayed with me." Wayne assures her, "I wouldn't do that - not yet, anyway." Alison snaps, "Why wait?" Wayne retorts, "Because you obviously have a reason for keeping it from her - and us 'tough' little businessmen like to know all the facts, so we can make the best deal." Alison warns quickly, "If you're trying to blackmail me, forget it: I wouldn't give you the satisfaction." Wayne just smiles, "Why don't I let you think about that? If it's that important, you'll come round." Alison growls, "Don't keep the meter running." With that, she storms out. Wayne stands there, looking pleased with himself!

Sarah is sitting on the couch in the lounge room at Charlie's when Alison arrives home. She says coolly, "Hello, Sarah." Sarah says in reply, "Hi! Have you seen Greg around anywhere?" Alison retorts, "No, I haven't." She goes to the drinks cabinet. Sarah looks at her and asks, "You OK?" Alison pours herself a mineral water as she replies, "I've just been down to the gym, where I bumped into Wayne Hamilton. He said you'd had morning tea with him and Tick." Sarah smiles, "Tick's got a crush on me - which is a bit of a problem! I'll try and let him down gently, because I know what puppy love feels like; the same thing happened to me when I was his age." Alison starts to say, "Look, Sarah--" Sarah, however, ignores her and goes on, "I wish you'd been there! Wayne thought I was Tick's age, so you can imagine his face when I walked in! Tick had the table set up for a kid's birthday party: fairy cakes--" Alison interrupts suddenly and snaps, "Look, I don't want you to have anything to do with Wayne Hamilton." Sarah asks in surprise, "Why not?" Alison, going and sitting down next to her, retorts, "I just don't. He's no good. He makes trouble for everyone he comes into contact with." Sarah comments, "He seemed very nice to me." Alison just tells her, "You're not to go over there anymore. If he calls, hang up; if he comes over here, slam the door in his face." Sarah says blankly, "I don't understand." Alison, standing up again, says coolly, "Just take my word for it: he's bad news." Sarah demands, "Why should I stop seeing him when you're not giving me any reasons? You're beginning to sound like Phyllis: 'do as you're told and don't ask questions'. I thought it was going to be different with you." Alison pleads, "Sarah, look--" Sarah, however, stands up and interrupts, "Call me when you're going to stop treating me like a child." With that, she marches out through the french windows. Alison stands there and sighs heavily.

Tick is sitting in the hallway at Dural, clearing away his marbles, when the front door opens and Wayne comes in, holding a large covered wicker basket. Tick asks excitedly, "What's that?" Wayne, putting the basket down on the floor, smiles, "I don't know! Looks like a present to me!" Tick exclaims, "Who's it for?!" Wayne opens the basket to reveal a puppy inside. He says to the dog, "Who do you belong to?" He then puts his ear to the dog's mouth and says, "Tick?!" Tick exclaims excitedly, "Wow! Thanks a lot!" Wayne hands him the dog and asks, "What you going to call him?" Tick shrugs, "I don't know." He then says suddenly, "Sparky! I had a cat called Sparky once!" He then asks eagerly, "Can I go and show him to Sarah?" Wayne, however, replies hesitantly, "Er... you've already seen Sarah today; you don't want to make a pest of yourself, do you?" Tick insists, "I'm not a pest; she likes me." Wayne just says hesitantly, "Let's have a talk, huh?" They head into the lounge room and sit down on the couch. As they do so, Wayne tells Tick, "I just want to talk about Sarah." Tick asks in surprise, "Why?" Wayne replies, "You know what love is, don't you?" Tick nods, "Course. It's when you like someone a lot." Wayne agrees, "Right..." He then continues, "But there's a bit more to it: you like the person... differently to your other friends; you want to spend all your time with them, you have a lot in common... That's why people in love get married - or live together." Tick asks, "Like you and Susan?" Wayne nods, "Yeah - like me and Susan." Tick then declares, "I want to marry Sarah." Wayne says awkwardly, "Mate, a lot of boys your age meet girls like Sarah and think they like them in that different way. I know Sarah likes you, but you have to remember that she's a lot older than you are." Tick cries, "Not much - and she does like me." Wayne says quickly, "I know - but I think you like her a lot more than she likes you." Tick asks, "How do you know? Did she say something?" Wayne tells him, "No - but--" Tick stands up suddenly and cries, "You don't know what you're talking about." With that, he stuffs Sparky into Wayne's arms and runs out. Wayne looks at the dog and murmurs, "I didn't handle that too well, did I, Sparky?"

Sarah is sitting by the pool at Charlie's, her feet up on the patio table. She's looking at a magazine when she spots Tick approaching. He walks over to her and says, "Wayne says you don't like me as much as I like you. Is that right?" Sarah tells him sincerely, "I like you very much, Tick, but..." She breaks off. She then continues, "You see, I'm a lot older than you are." Tick stares at her and cries, "You've been talking to him. He's been saying the same things as you; making fun of me." Sarah insists quickly, "That's not true. Let me explain." Tick, however, turns and runs off, yelling, "I don't want to hear." Sarah sits there, looking worried.

A short time later, Tick is sitting with Sparky on the couch at Dural, stroking him as he says sadly, "They're making fun of me, Sparky. I don't think Wayne loves me anymore." He then picks the dog up and carries him out of the room.

A few moments later, Tick is outside. He runs round into the covered parking area - where Susan's old car is parked - and crouches down in the corner. Still holding Sparky, he says softly, "You be quiet if Wayne comes - we don't want him to know where we are until he's sorry."

Alison is pouring herself a drink in the lounge room at Charlie's when Sarah walks in through the french windows. Alison says to her, "Can we talk?" Sarah, however, sighs, "Not now - I have to see Tick." Alison growls, "I told you I don't want you going anywhere near the Hamilton house." Sarah retorts, "I have to. Tick came over. I tried talking to him about this crush he has on me and botched the whole thing up. He thinks Wayne and I are in some sort of conspiracy against him." Alison pleads, "At least please hear me out before you go. You want to know why I put my foot down about Wayne? I'll tell you." Sarah looks at her as she carries on, "I used to be his stepmother. I was married to his father for a very long time." Sarah stares at her in surprise and asks, "Why didn't you tell me that before?" The two of them sit down as Alison explains, "It's not something I care to talk or think about. Wayne and I never clicked: he had a sick, possessive love for his father. He resented anyone he saw as a threat to that - like me. Over the years, his resentment turned to hatred. Even though his father and I were divorced a few years ago, he never really forgave me for taking dear old dad away from him." Sarah murmurs, "He didn't seem that bad to me." Alison explains quickly, "Oh, that's the thing about Wayne: he can be Prince Charming when we wants to be - but only as a means to an end. He wanted to get you on-side so you'd trust him - then he intended to lie his head off about me." Sarah asks, "Why would he do that?" Alison just replies, "I'll tell you later. There's something else you need to know first - about your mother." She pauses before then saying, "She stayed in this house when she was released from prison." Sarah exclaims, "You told me you hadn't seen her!" Alison insists, "Only to protect you. She didn't want anything to do with you and Greg. She met a man called Nick that she fell head over heels in love with. She didn't want you both around to get in the way. I talked to her - I tried to make her understand that you might need to see her - but she wouldn't listen; she didn't care. Then I went down to Melbourne; I thought I could see how you and Greg were getting on and I could bring you back to Sydney; she might change her mind." Sarah asks meekly, "Why didn't you tell us that then?" Alison replies, "In case it didn't work out. I didn't want to raise your hopes up. As it turned out, I was right: she found out I'd been in Melbourne and took off with lover-boy." Sarah, looking upset, asks, "Why are you telling me now?" Alison replies, "Because Wayne had other ideas: he hated me so much he was going to paint Pamela as the Good Fairy and me as the Wicked Witch - but I swear to you it was nothing like that: Pamela was a cold-hearted bitch who cared about no one but herself. Sorry you had to find out." Sarah, looking shocked, murmurs, "Don't be. I'm glad I know. If that's the way mum felt, it's best Greg and I never saw her." Alison pauses before then saying, "So... now you know about Wayne." Sarah replies, "I won't go near him - I promise."

Wayne is standing in the hallway at Dural, calling for Tick. There's no response, though. After a few seconds, he spots a sheet of paper on the telephone table. He picks it up.

A short time later, Janice is sitting next to Fiona on the couch in Fiona's room at the mansion, reading from a sheet of paper: "'You and Sarah made fun of me and I don't want to live with you anymore. I took Sparky. Don't look for us. Tick.'" Wayne, who's standing next to Michael, says, "I came straight over - he's always come here before - but there's no sign of him in the caravan." Michael says, "I'm sure he'll be alright. At least he left a note this time." Wayne demands, "What does that prove?" Michael explains, "That's he's hurt - and he wants you to know it. He'll come home as soon as he feels a bit better." Janice asks Wayne, "Have you called the Carters?" Wayne, however, replies, "No. No point in worrying them just yet." He then asks, "Will you help me look for him?" Janice nods, "Yes, of course." Michael says, "Sure." Wayne then looks at Fiona, who's sitting on the couch, looking glum. She murmurs distractedly, "Oh... yes, I'll help." Janice tells Wayne, "Aunt Fiona's got a lot on her mind at the moment, with the mansion going and all." Fiona, however, sighs, "No, that's alright, Janice. You go with Wayne and look around the house. Michael and I will give the boarding house a good going over." Janice says, "If we don't find him before nightfall, we should call the police." Wayne, however, says sharply, "I don't want the police involved." Janice asks in surprise, "Why not?" Wayne retorts, "Because they might not let me see him again. They might think I don't know how to look after him. I don't want to risk it." Michael exclaims, "Surely Tick's welfare comes first?" Wayne retorts, "Let's just see if we can find him ourselves, alright?"

Tick is standing in the lounge room at Dural, stuffing his pockets with sweets from a bowl on the coffee table, when he hears the front door open and Janice saying, "I feel a systematic approach is in order, so we'll comb the house first and then we'll search the grounds. He's probably very close by." Tick runs across to the kitchen door as he hears Wayne retort, "He'll get a damn good hiding when I see him." Janice growls, "He'll get no such thing. Tick needs to know how much you love him, not how angry you are." Wayne sighs, "You're right." Janice then asks, "You got any ideas on where he might be?" Wayne shakes his head as he suggests, "Might as well start upstairs." Janice tells him, "Lead the way."

Tick runs back outside, into the parking area, where Sparky is waiting for him. He tells the dog, "Wayne's back - but he's still not sorry. Janice is making him look for us - so we'd better hide. I'll find a spot." He looks around and then runs over to Susan's car and opens the passenger-side front door. He looks in, but then says, "No, he'll find us here." He reaches down and flicks a lever. The car's boot springs open. Tick goes and picks up Sparky's bowl and a packet of biscuits and tosses them into the boot. He then places Sparky into the boot, saying as he does so, "We'll hide in there until we know he's sorry." He climbs into the boot himself and pulls the lid down on top of him...

It's evening-time. In Melbourne, the front door opens at Caroline's and Caroline steps inside. She hears the hum of some machinery and she mutters to herself, "What on earth is going on?" She heads into the lounge room - where a table has been set up in the middle of the room and a computer and printer placed on top of it, together with several packets of paper. The printer is churning out sheets of printing. Doug turns to her and smiles, "I've been waiting for you! What do you think of 'Fletcher's Printing Business'?" Caroline gasps, "Printing business?" Doug beams, "Yeah! Isn't it great?!" Caroline glares at him and he asks in surprise, "You not happy?" Caroline cries, "What are you trying to do? Age me? Of all the crazy schemes that I've had to put up with, this one wins first prize. We've only just got rid of all those stupid cartons and now the room is full of printing equipment." Doug insists, "Only until I rent some space to set it up on a more permanent basis - and think of how much money we're going to save by printing our own flyers." Caroline, a suspicious look on her face, asks, "Where did you get the money for it in the first place?" Doug says quickly, "Does it matter?" Caroline presses coolly, "Doug..." Doug mumbles, "I borrowed it - against sales of your new book." Caroline, looking shocked, gasps, "You did what?" Doug says quickly, "Your first book was such a big winner that the bank trusts you enough to write another big seller and... isn't that great?!" Caroline walks suddenly round behind the table and pulls out the plug for the printer. It comes to an abrupt halt. Caroline then glares at Doug and snaps, "No, it is not. How can you be sure that it is going to be a success?" Doug just smiles, "Did Shakespeare's second play bomb? Of course it didn't! - and your book won't, either. The world's on the edge of its seat, waiting for it. They'll lap it up - and I'm proud of you." He goes to give Caroline a hug. Caroline, however, snaps, "May I remind you that you were dead against my book in the first place? I was hurting innocent people, remember? Now you can't wait for the second one to be released so you can lay your hands on all that money; plus I'm getting a little bit fed up of you spending my money before I've even earned it. Hard as this may seem for you to believe, I like to feel secure." Doug nods furiously, "I believe it and I understand it, but I just don't agree with it. Why don't you just try and live on the edge for a while? Walk the tightrope!" Caroline, however, growls, "I'd much rather get a good night's sleep - alone. I'll see you in the morning when, hopefully, all this 'junk' has gone." With that, she marches out of the room.

Sparky is whimpering in the boot of Susan's car. Tick says to him softly, "What's the matter, Sparky? Are you a scaredy-cat? I wonder: would you like to go and live with Wayne or do you want to go and live with the Carters?" He then cries, "Why hasn't he come to find us yet...?"

Inside, in the lounge room, Wayne is pressing some keys on the keyboard of the computer, distractedly. Janice walks in and hands him a plate of sandwiches. Wayne, however, retorts, "I can't eat until I find him." He walks over to the window and sighs, "He's out there somewhere. Is he hungry? Cold?" Janice comments, "I'm sure that's one thing you won't have to worry about. Tick was a street kid for a long time. I deal with them every day; if they know anything, it's how to look after themselves." Wayne points out, "He's still just a kid." Janice says suddenly, "I know one place we haven't thought of looking: Charlie's." Wayne, however, reminds her, "You read the note. He's angry at Sarah, too; he wouldn't go anywhere near her." Janice murmurs, "I suppose you're right." She then suggests, "Maybe, now, we call the police." Wayne, however, snaps, "No." He sits down as Janice asks, "Don't you think you're being rather selfish?" Wayne cries, "He's all I've got. Dad... Susan... they're both gone." Janice points out, "You've got Michael and me; we're your friends." Wayne tells her, "It's not the same." He pauses before then going on, "Caroline came over last week; shoved a bottle of pills in my hand. She'd heard about my suicide attempt and wanted to help me finish it off. You don't know how close I came to doing it. Tick was the only one who could talk me out of it, and do you know why? Because he cares. He got through to me." Janice starts to tell him, "The Bible says it's a in--" Wayne interrupts her, though, and snaps, "Janice, I can live without the sermon. I need the kid. I need him."

The next morning, Caroline walks into the kitchen at her house to find a sheet of paper stuck to the back of one of the chairs by the table. She picks it up and reads loud, "'This message was printed by someone who loves you.'" She spots another sheet of paper stuck to the wall and reads, "'Someone who wants to build a happy and secure future for us.'" There's another sheet on the cabinet, which says, "'Someone who's sure you could use the word processor on your next book.'" A note of irritation creeps into her voice as she reads the fine note. She then marches into the lounge room. Doug is lying on the couch, under some sheets. The computer is still set up in the middle of the room. Caroline pulls back the sheets on the couch, rouses Doug and snaps, "If you think you can get around me by being cute, you are wrong." She thrusts the sheets of paper at him. Doug insists, "I wasn't being cute; I meant every word." Caroline just growls, "If you really love me, you'll get rid of all that stuff. And I'll thank you not to wallpaper my kitchen with your printouts." With that, she marches out again, leaving Doug looking puzzled!

Sparky is panting in the boot of Susan's car.

Janice is talking on the 'phone in the hallway at Dural, saying in a concerned tone, "We still haven't heard from him, Fiona... No, Wayne still refuses to call them. I mentioned it to him last night and he nearly bit my head off." At that moment, the front door opens and Wayne comes in. Janice tells Fiona, "I'll let you know as soon as there's any news. Bye." She hangs up. She then looks at Wayne and asks, "No sign of him?" Wayne shakes his head. Janice then suggests, "Why don't you try Charlie's? I know you don't think he'll be there, but it's better to be sure. You've tried everywhere else." Wayne just murmurs, "Yeah, I'll give it a shot." He turns and heads back out.

A few minutes later, Alison opens the front door at Charlie's. Finding Wayne standing on the step, she goes to close it again, muttering, "You're not welcome." Wayne pushes it open, though, and growls, "I'm not after you." Alison shrugs, "If it's Sarah you want, you're wasting your time." Wayne just asks, "Have you see Tick?" Alison retorts, "Should I have?" Wayne mutters, "He's disappeared." Alison smiles, "The kid's finally woken up to you!" Wayne growls, "Just tell me if you know where he is." Alison suggests nastily, "Have you tried looking around Glen's grave?" Wayne glares at her and snaps, "What are you getting at?" Alison smiles, "It's a hive of activity today. Haven't you heard?" Wayne asks, "About what?" Alison tells him, "Oh, Beryl got in touch with Glen's father. Apparently she thought it would be a nice idea if Glen's gravestone was altered." Wayne glares at her and demands, "How?" Alison tells him lightly, "We all know how Glen and Susan were the modern star-crossed lovers. Apparently, Beryl got it into her head that Glen's gravestone should commemorate that love. So they're adding something like 'Also to the memory of Susan, separated in life, together in death'. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? They're doing it today." Wayne turns and runs out. Alison calls after him gleefully, "If I see Tick, I'll let you know!"

Janice is sitting in the lounge room at Dural when the front door bangs and Wayne marches in. She asks, "What happened?" Wayne just snaps, "You seen my car keys?" He goes to the bar and starts rummaging around as Janice replies, "No I haven't. Why?" Wayne tells her, "I'm going to the cemetery. They're putting something about Susan on Glen Young's gravestone and I've got to stop them." Janice exclaims, "You can't go racing off there now. What about Tick?" Wayne retorts, "You stay here in case he turns up." Janice cries, "But you should be here if he comes back." Wayne snaps, "I can't be in two places at once, can I?" Janice points out, "You can't do anything about Glen's gravestone. If his parents have decided to have it altered, that's it; it's nothing to do with you. And don't forget - Tick's testing you: if he comes back and you're not here, he'll think you don't care." Wayne just retorts, "Then he shouldn't have run off in the first place." He heads out into the hallway. Janice spots a set of keys on the table and asks, "Are these what you're looking for?" Wayne looks at them and replies, "No, they're Susan's spares, but they'll do." With that, he grabs them and heads out. Janice follows him.

Outside, Wayne marches towards the parking area. Janice follows him, crying, "Stop it, Wayne, you're making a mistake." Wayne just growls, "That's your opinion." Janice insists, "It's not going to do you any good." Wayne turns to her and snaps, "Susan was my wife, not Glen's. They've got no right to--" Janice interrupts him and points out, "She's gone now. Why don't you just concentrate on trying to find Tick?" In the boot of Susan's car, Tick listens as Wayne snaps at Janice, "Because right now Susan's memory seems a bit more important. Anyway, you were the one who said Tick was smart enough to look after himself. I've got to stop them from putting Susan's name on Glen's headstone." He climbs into the car. Janice looks in through the window and warns, "You'll only make a fool of yourself again; do you want that? Susan's dead. You've got to forget about her. You've still got all her clothes and make-up in the house. You can't go on pretending that she's still here. And what about the car? Why don't you get rid of it? Sell it or something? You're only making things harder on yourself. Come on." Wayne hesitates and then climbs out of the car. He and Janice start to head back to the house, Janice saying as they do so, "We'll go over what we know again; see if we can come up with any more ideas on Tick." Tick remains lying in the boot.

As Wayne and Janice head into the house, Janice says, "Why don't I put the kettle on? I've still got an hour before I start my shift at work." Wayne, however, murmurs, "I don't want tea." He then asks, "Will you go upstairs and start packing Susan's things? I'm going to burn them." Looking surprised, Janice remarks, "That's a bit extreme, don't you think? What about we give them to charity?" Wayne mutters, "Whatever you want; just get them out of the house." Wayne heads into the lounge room and goes to the bar as Janice says, "At least this way someone gets use out of them; can't have good clothes going to waste." Wayne takes out the Yellow Pages from the bar drawer. Janice asks, "What are you looking for?" Wayne replies, "Telephone number." Janice asks, "Whose?" Wayne reminds her, "You told me to get rid of the car, too, remember?" Janice says, "If you want to sell it, there's a very good used-car salesman who's just past the boarding house." Wayne, however, retorts coldly, "I'm not going to sell it; I'm going to get rid of it. There's a difference..."