Vanessa meets Lucas Fitzgerald in
Charlie's and they have a one-night stand. The following day, Vanessa assures Lucas that she is not looking for a serious relationship. A month later, Vanessa returns and tells Lucas that she is pregnant. Lucas offends Vanessa when he asks if the baby is his and she quickly leaves. She tells
Sonya Mitchell (
Eve Morey) that she is glad she is on her own. Vanessa is interviewed by Paul Robinson for a job at Lassiter's Hotel. When Paul learns of her pregnancy from Lucas, he offers the job to someone else. Lucas's housemate
Kate Ramsay (
Ashleigh Brewer) invites Vanessa to move in when she discovers Vanessa is sleeping in her car. Vanessa finds employment at
Harold's Store. She is briefly hospitalised with severe morning sickness. Vanessa impresses Rhys Lawson with her cooking and they being spending time together. Lucas attends Vanessa's first scan and their relationship improves. Rhys and Vanessa begin dating, and Rhys introduces Vanessa to his mother,
Elaine (Sancia Robinson). When Number 24 is put up for sale, Lucas buys Number 32 for Vanessa and the baby. Vanessa agrees to accompany Rhys on a three-month work placement in Japan. However, their trip is cancelled when Rhys badly injures his hand, which affects his career as a surgical intern. Vanessa stands by Rhys when he becomes depressed. Rhys later admits that he has altered his test results, so he can assist in surgeries. Vanessa tells his superior and Rhys blames her for ending his surgical career. They break-up. Vanessa's mother, Francesca, visits and Vanessa tries to hide her pregnancy. When Francesca finds out, she insists that Vanessa and Lucas get married. During the ceremony, Vanessa struggles with her vows and flees the church. Francesca disowns Vanessa when she says she does not love Lucas. Rhys tries to win her back, but Vanessa rejects him. She then realises that Lucas loves her. Rhys takes Vanessa to the hospital when she goes into labour. He stays with her while she gives birth and when he proposes, Vanessa accepts. Vanessa reconciles with her mother and she and Lucas name their son,
Patrick (Lucas MacFarlane). Patrick is diagnosed with
Ebstein's anomaly and has to undergo surgery. Vanessa ends her engagement to Rhys and tells Lucas she loves him. Rhys dies and Vanessa spends time with his mother. Patrick undergoes a second surgery, before Vanessa and Lucas bring him home. Lucas's ex-partner,
Stephanie Scully (
Carla Bonner), returns to town and Vanessa befriends her. But she is hurt when Lucas tells Steph that he has testicular cancer first. Lucas proposes and Vanessa accepts. Steph uses manipulation to cause tension between Lucas and Vanessa. When Lucas learns Vanessa was previously married, he calls off the wedding and Vanessa goes to stay with her parents. On her return, she asks Lucas to cut Steph out of his life, so they can repair their relationship. Steph kidnaps Patrick and Vanessa blames Lucas. He manages to find Steph and rescue Patrick. Lucas buys an apartment at Lassiter's and decides to sell Number 32. Vanessa struggles with the idea of making their tenants,
Lauren (
Kate Kendall) and
Matt Turner (
Josef Brown) homeless. Vanessa discovers she is pregnant again, which puts further strain on their finances. Lucas begins gambling, making Vanessa doubt her love for him. Her first husband
Alek Pocoli (
Damian De Montemas) tells her they are still married and he gives Vanessa $100,000 for a quick annulment, meaning she and Lucas can keep Number 32. They realise that they cannot get married, as Vanessa's annulment would not be completed in time. But Lucas suggests they hold a commitment ceremony instead. Vanessa and Lucas receive offers for their Lassiter's apartment and his business. They sell up and move to
Daylesford, where Vanessa gives birth to their daughter
Sebastiana. Vanessa and Lucas return for the Erinsborough Festival and they bring Sebastiana (Izabella Anderson) with them. They catch up with Toadie and Chris, who tells them he is going to be a father. They return to Daylesford afterwards. After Lucas buys back Fitzgerald Motors, Sonya suspects that Lucas is gambling again. Vanessa explains to her that she sold a cupcake recipe to a bakery, but they had to keep it a secret as they signed a
non-disclosure agreement. Vanessa gets Sonya and Lucas to make up. While passing through Erinsborough, Vanessa agrees to meet with Steph for the first time since Patrick's kidnapping. Steph tells Vanessa that nothing like that will ever happen again and she explains about her treatment. When Steph mentions that her son called her, Toadie reveals that it was not possible and Vanessa suspects Steph is still unwell. The following day, Steph returns to apologise for her behaviour, but Vanessa tells that Toadie's belief is the only reason she has her job at the garage. Vanessa then asks Steph not to contact her or Lucas again. After Toadie and Steph learn that Vanessa made enquires at the hospital about Steph's condition, they confront her. Steph accuses Vanessa of trying to cause her another psychotic break. After calling Lucas, Vanessa tells Steph that they have decided to end her trial period at the garage. Vanessa and Lucas return to Erinsborough for Sonya's memorial, after she dies from ovarian cancer. ==Reception==