TITLE: All For Believing: Part 4
DISCLAIMER: not mine, blah blah blah. also used random lyrics from 
several songs by Keane...not mine either! ooh, and neither is the 
name of the photography business – that belongs to fi! :D
RATING: M (little bit of language...)

(Part 4)

*     *     *

Angie and Peter waited in Pete's Monaro, silently watching the 
exterior of the house Mac shared with Michael Hastings. A small sigh 
escaped Angie's lips as Mac's little Alpha pulled into the drive.

"Here goes…" She whispered to Pete.

*     *     *

"Angie. Peter." Mac stated, surprised at the familiar faces 
presented to her as she answered her front door. 

Angie forced a small smile, yet Pete's face remained grim. He didn't 
bother to hide it from Mac – she would have seen straight through it 
anyway. This way, she didn't even have to try.

"What's going on?" Mac asked, suddenly uneasy, but trying to mask 
it. 

"Can we come in, Mac?" Angie asked with an almost sad, disappointed 
tone hiding in her voice. Mac opened the door further, waiting as 
they filed slowly into the modern townhouse before closing it again. 
Peter remained silent, which only made Mac more anxious about what 
was to come. 

*     *     *

"Bullshit." Mac whispered, not allowing herself to believe a single 
word that came out of Angie's mouth.

"Mac, I wish it was bullshit. I really do." 

Nothing was said for moments and Angie eyed Pete awkwardly, but his 
eyes remained fixed to the floor. Suddenly, Mac forced a very fake 
laugh.

"You're saying that Mike's the key supplier to a major ecstasy 
ring?" She asked, the strained smile resting on her lips for seconds 
before her _expression changed. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, it's true. Every word of it." It was the first time Pete 
contributed.

"Well if it's so true, then where's the evidence? Why isn't Mike in 
jail yet?"

"That's kind of why we're here. We need your help to convict him." 
Mac exhaled loudly, exasperated.

"*My* help? You think I'm going to help you to manufacture evidence 
against my own fiancé? Get real, Peter. He's got nothing to do with 
any of this!"

"Mac, come on. This guy's obviously been lying to you-"

"You don't know him like I do, Peter. You don't know *anything* 
about him! Just go, okay? I don't want to see you-" Mac raised her 
hands and arms in front of her, locking herself into protection 
mode. But Pete kept pushing, grabbing hold of her hands, trying to 
no avail to break down the barrier.

"Look, I know you're angry right now but-"

"Angry?" She exclaimed, shoving his hands away violently, as her 
tone quietened. "Just get the hell out. Both of you. And leave us 
alone." Mac spoke urgently, her voice low and ominous and her gaze 
never once breaking from Pete's. Angie grabbed Pete's arm, pulling 
him in the direction of the front door.

"Come on, Pete."

Pete took a few staggered steps backwards, waiting as Mac dragged 
her eyes to the floor. She glanced up briefly, only to find his eyes 
still on her. He looked at her wistfully once more before following 
Angie out the door.

*     *     *

"Douglas, Dixon and Parry," Chris answered the phone. "How may I 
help you?...Sure, just one moment." She replaced the receiver as she 
pressed a few buttons to transfer the call. Shuffling through the 
papers at her fingertips, Chris sighed, knowing there would be 
nothing incriminating left at reception. If there was going to be 
something, it would surely be in Hastings' office. But he so rarely 
left the damn thing…

A woman strolling casually past the desk caught Chris' attention.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" 

"No thanks, I'm fine."

"Uh, do you have an appointment with Mr Hastings?"

Mac's blue eyes flashed at the unfamiliar receptionist. She had 
never been questioned here before; everybody had always known who 
she was.

"No, I'm his fiancée." Chris' face softened as she cracked a 
smile. `So *this* is Ellen…' she thought to herself, committing the 
face to memory.

"Oh, sure. Go straight through." Mac smiled a brief `thank you', 
pausing at the door to Mike's office. 

She was sure that she knew that redhead from somewhere, but she 
couldn't quite place her face. Mac shrugged lightly, knocking twice 
before entering the office and closing the door firmly behind her. 
They emerged again within a few minutes and Mike stopped by Chris' 
desk on their way out.

"Justine, we're just stepping out for a quick lunch. Do you mind 
holding the fort for an hour or so?" He asked, taking Mac's hand in 
his and squeezing it gently.

"No problem. Enjoy your lunch." Chris replied assuredly. Mike smiled 
genuinely at her, his deep brown eyes twinkling as he escorted Mac 
outside. `He's quite charming, really,' Chris thought 
jovially. `Shame he's a criminal'.

"You've got a new receptionist." Mac commented about Chris, still 
trying to figure out where she knew her from. Mike shrugged as he 
opened the car door for her.

"She's just a temp from an agency. Sally's still on maternity leave, 
remember?"

"Right…" 

Mac was still puzzled. Could this vaguely familiar face have been 
from her old police days? She wondered, before shaking her head to 
herself profusely. She was letting what Peter and Angie had told her 
earlier get to her. Their allegations were absolutely false, Mac 
knew that. Paranoid, she decided.

She smiled as Mike sat in the driver's seat beside her. 

"So where are we going for lunch?" 

*     *     *

Chris grinned to herself. An hour lunch was perfect – plenty of time 
for her to scope out his office! And plant some bugs while she was 
there…

*     *     *

"Chris! What did you turn up in Hastings' office?" Harris asked as 
Chris flopped exhaustedly onto her desk chair back at HQ.

"Nothing Boss," She sighed. "I put a few bugs around the place and 
poked around some financials, but Boss, his office was cleaner than 
his bloody record! But…" Chris reached into her bag, pulling out 
several photocopied pages. "…I did find these." Harris' eyes skimmed 
over them quickly, lighting up in recognition.

"What are they?" Angie appeared behind them, peering over Harris' 
shoulder.

"Financial records of the businesses Michael Hastings owns." Harris 
replied as Pete and Leo joined them. "My guess is that Hastings is 
laundering the drug money between these businesses." Pete shrugged, 
the corners of his lips turning downwards briefly.

"White collar crime."

"I take it he manages the finances of his businesses?" Angie asked.

"I'd say so, yes." Harris replied. "Good work, Chris." Chris 
beamed. "Sophie?" He called.

"Yes Boss?"

"Start cross checking the financials of these businesses against 
each other. I want to know of any unusual or large sums of money 
being deposited between them."

"Sure Boss."

"No wonder he looks so legit with all the money he has." Leo 
commented. "How many businesses does this guy actually own?" 

"Three, plus the partnership at DD&P." Chris replied. Angie smirked, 
turning to Pete.

"Mac's sure done alright for herself, hasn't she?" The _expression on 
Pete's face became neutral, his voice distant.

"She doesn't care about money." Angie's brow creased at his response.

"It was a joke, Pete." She stated flatly. He grunted, pushing his 
weight off Chris' desk and returning to his own.

"Yes, how did your meeting with Ellen Mackenzie go?" Harris asked 
Angie.

"Ah, not well. She refused to believe he was involved."

"Well that's a shock," Harris said sarcastically. "Now, what's 
stopping Ms Mackenzie from running off and telling her boyfriend 
that we're onto him?"

"She wouldn't do that." Pete called bluntly from his desk, 
swivelling in his chair to assure Harris and the others. "She won't."

*     *     *

Sophie knocked lightly on Luke's ajar door before entering, smiling 
warmly at Angie, who was seated on the couch.

"Um, Luke?"

"Yes Sophie?"

"I had a look at those financials you wanted me to cross reference…" 
Harris nodded, eyebrows raised.

"And...?"

"Oh! And no, there were no direct transfers of unusual or large sums 
of money between those businesses." Harris sighed, glancing 
desperately over at Angie, who shrugged in response.

"Thank you, Sophie." He said dismally, his theory of laundering 
proven wrong.

"But I did find something else that was interesting." Harris' eyes 
perked up.

"Go on…"

"It happens quite a lot, really. Well, you see his cleaning company 
here? It pays this photography business, say," She read an example 
off the page, "$12,037. Then, on the same day, the photography 
business pays his sports equipment business the same amount: 
$12,037."

"Now, why would a photography business require the services of a 
sports equipment store?" Harris wondered aloud, the answer obvious 
in him mind: it wouldn't. 

"Exactly, Boss. See, this photography place acts kind of like a go-
between." Sophie explained proudly. 

"Sophie, I think you're onto something here." Angie said as she 
stood to have a look at the papers on Harris' desk.

"Perhaps Hastings owns the photography business also. What's its 
name, Sophie?"

" `Make it Click'."

"`Make it Click'?" Angie repeated, snatching the page from Harris' 
hands and reading it for herself. She then reached into her bag, 
pulling out the business card of the same name that Mac had given 
her and showing him.

"Where did you get this?" Harris asked. Angie paused, not wanting to 
say.

"Ah, Mac gave it to me." 

A smile crept across Harris' face.

"Yes, of course she did."

"Luke, she is not involved in this," Angie began as Harris 
practically leapt out of his seat and out of his office. "Luke!" She 
called after him.

"Everybody. We have now come across evidence directly linking Ellen 
Mackenzie to Hastings' money laundering. This suggests a partnership-
"

"Oh come on Luke, that's crap!"

"See for yourself, Peter." Pete's gaze wandered between the company 
financials and Mac's business card, fighting against his sinking 
heart.

"This doesn't mean shit. Get Hastings in here, we'll lean on him a 
bit. Get him to confess to the drugs now that we have proof of his 
laundering."

"Solid evidence is the key to a solid conviction, Peter, and solid 
evidence we shall get. Now," Harris began, his tone changing from 
sing-song to serious. "I think it's time to move our surveillance 
over to their residence," He decided. "Chris, Leo, Bryan. Before Mr 
Hastings and Ms Mackenzie return home from work, strategically place 
some listening devices in their home. Remember that Ms Mackenzie is 
ex-undercover and that they may both be cautious of police 
intervention, so be careful. You will then commence surveillance on 
their residence until Peter and Angie relieve Leo and Chris in the 
morning."

"Ohh, but I've been working all day already at the firm…" Chris 
groaned as Leo dragged her out of her chair. 

"Come on! I'll do the bugs, all you have to do is sit and listen." 
Leo offered.

"Yeah, and stay awake all night!" Chris whinged as she stifled a 
yawn.

"Luke?"

"Yes Bryan?"

"If uh, Pete's replacing Leo and Angie's replacing Chris, well, 
who's gonna replace me?"

"Well Bryan, there's just no extra staff to relieve you. You'll have 
to stay." Harris shrugged, obviously feigning remorse. "Sorry!"

"Yeah, right." Bryan muttered as he stalked away.

*     *     *

"I can't believe we're doing this," Pete mumbled in the com-v, teeth 
gritted.

"Yeah, me neither." Angie added glumly, adjusting her headphones. 
Bryan snorted.

"You two weren't here last night, when they got home all drunk and 
randy after some corporate function! I'll tell ya, we shouldn't have 
bothered bugging the bedroom – we could've just stood in the street 
and heard-" Angie chose that moment to interject.

"Please, Bryan. Enough."

"Alright." He mumbled, shrugging. 

They sat there in silence, listening to Mike bid Mac goodbye. Pete 
checked his watch: 8 o'clock on the dot. `This guy was a stickler 
for routine,' Pete thought. `Then again, he *was* an accountant'.

"Wow, they're really swapping fluids with that one…" Bryan 
commented, chuckling as they listened to the couple kissing 
goodbye. "Almost as bad as last night when-"

"Bryan!" Angie groaned, screwing up her nose. 

"What?" Bryan asked innocently. Pete rolled his eyes.

*     *     *

Mac smiled to herself as she closed the door. She padded barefoot 
over to the bench, where she'd abandoned her toast minutes ago. 
Seeing a few crumbs on the floor, she bent down to clean them up. It 
was on her way back up that she noticed a small black device on the 
under-edge of the bench-top. 

A bug, she recognised immediately. 

`Shit', Mac thought to herself, cautious of making any noise. She 
deactivated it carefully, removing it from the bench, wondering how 
long it had been there and how many more were scattered throughout 
her house. 

Heading straight out the front door, Mac didn't bother putting any 
shoes on. In her tracksuit pants and singlet, she rounded the corner 
and into the small laneway that ran behind her house. Sure enough, a 
big, black van sat parked there. She positively seethed as she slid 
its door open, revealing a shocked Peter, Angie and Bryan Gray.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mac demanded, her hair 
messy and slept-on and her face unmade. But she didn't give a toss 
right now.

"Mac, it's not what you think," Angie began.

"Oh, it's exactly what I think." Mac spat back, throwing the bug in 
her hand at them. It hit Bryan square in the chest. "I can't believe 
this." She looked at them for a moment, taking in their guilty 
_expressions and making damn sure they took in hers also before 
storming away from the van.

"Mac, wait!" Pete called, jumping out of the com-v and chasing after 
her. Angie followed, watching as Pete caught up to her, grabbing her 
arm. "Mac, please!"

"Get away from me!" She tried shaking him off violently. But he was 
too strong and not giving up anytime soon.

"Mac-"

"How could you do that? After I specifically told you to leave us 
alone!"

"Mac, we had no choice." Angie protested.

"You always have a choice Ange. I thought I could trust you, I 
thought I deserved at least that from a friend. I was obviously 
wrong." Mac said bitterly, turning to Pete. "And you, Peter…" He 
recognised tears beginning to pool in her blue eyes as she looked at 
him. Eyes that once looked at him warmly with respect, trust and 
everything else that came with their relationship were now cold, 
dead, alone. Pete already knew they'd crossed a line but he now 
realised there was no going back from what they'd done. 

Mac turned her head before the tears spilt over, removing her arm 
easily from Pete's hold and walking away, not once looking back. 
Pete and Angie just stood there, paralysed by the shame of their 
actions. Angie's arm slowly snaked around Pete's waist and his slid 
across her shoulders, pulling her in close. They turned around in 
unison, walking back to the com-v without a word spoken.

"Let's pack up. Report back to Luke that the bugs have been found." 
Angie instructed, both Pete and Bryan obliging.

"God, she was really riled, wasn't she? I mean, I always knew she 
had a nasty streak, good old Macca. She used to be a bit short with 
me in the past and all that but woah…" Bryan commented. Pete shook 
his head.

"Give her a break." He thought a moment and jumped out of the com-v.

"Where are you going?" Angie asked.

"I have to talk to her." Pete said, not leaving Angie any room for a 
response as he kept walking. Angie sighed and continued packing up 
the com-v.

*     *     *

"Mac," Pete started, jamming his foot in before Mac had a chance to 
close the door on him fully.

"Go away." Was her cold reply. Upon hearing the strain of crying in 
her voice, Pete's hand flew to her cheek, his thumb gently tracing 
the trail of dried tears along her jaw. She turned her head away 
immediately.

"I just want to talk, Mac…" Mac shook her head.

"I don't think so."

"Come on Mac, please? Talk to me." Pete insisted. 

Mac sighed, folding her arms across her chest defensively.

"Not here." 

*     *     *

"We need you to find something, anything to help us get a conviction 
for him and get you out of it." Pete said as they sat beside each 
other on a park bench. 

"That's your job, not mine. Did it ever occur to you that there 
might not be anything to find?"

"It's there, Mac. We just haven't been able to get our hands on it 
yet." He insisted, frowning as he watched a hand fly to her mouth 
and her _expression change.

"Oh God, you've had somebody undercover at his work, haven't you?" 
Pete shook his head, clasping his hands in his lap.

"You know I can't answer that."

"The redhead, I knew I recognised her. She was fresh out of the 
academy…a possible replacement for Danni when she was preg…" Mac's 
eyes flashed up at him. "I can't help you, Peter. I won't help you."

*~*~*~*~*
I don't know your thoughts these days
We're strangers in an empty space
*~*~*~*~*

"Then help yourself."

"Help myself?"

"Mac, you're in trouble here as well. Listen, does Mike handle the 
financials of `Make it Click'?" Mac's eyes narrowed at him.

"Yes. Why? What's that got to do with anything?" She demanded as 
Pete sighed.

"Mac, you need to pick a side, here." 

"Funny. I thought I made it pretty clear already." Mac replied 
shortly as she stood, keeping her back to Pete. He stood then also, 
grabbing her around the waist and spinning her back around to face 
him.

*~*~*~*~*
I don't understand your heart
It's easier to be apart
*~*~*~*~*

"He's implicated yours and Eve's business - *your business* - in 
money laundering, drugs and God knows what else!" Pete exclaimed. 
Mac remained silent, her eyes challenging him to continue. "He 
doesn't even care about you or what-"

"How dare you!" She pulled his hands from her waist. "How dare you 
just come into my life all of a sudden and mess it around like this? 
Is it so much to ask that I be happy for once?"

"That prick can't make you happy." Pete said sourly, to which Mac 
spat back:

"Oh and you can?"

"Mac, he's put you right in the middle of this mess, do you 
understand that? And if you don't help us get you out of it…"

Mac stared at the ground, taking it all in as Pete trailed off; the 
completion of his sentence not necessary. She finally shifted her 
gaze to meet his; her eyes pained, tired and confused.

"What do you want from me, Pete?" She asked helplessly, desperately 
trying to contain her tears. 

*~*~*~*~*
For a moment your eyes open and you know
All the things I ever wanted you to know
*~*~*~*~*

Pete's _expression softened as his fingers lightly swept her fringe 
from her eyes.

"I just want you to be happy, Mac, I always have…" Pete's voice was 
warm and genuine, prompting the tears in Mac's eyes to spill over 
her cheeks. He brushed them away gently, their eyes closing 
involuntarily as their faces inched closer together…

*~*~*~*~*
Years make everything alright
You fall on me for anything you like
And I, no I don't mind
*~*~*~*~*

"No, Pete." Mac whispered as she leaned her head forward, her 
forehead resting against Pete's momentarily. She turned her head to 
the side, pressing her lips together. Pete dipped his head 
shamefully.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"I'm going." Mac stated impassively, turning and walking away and 
Pete made no obvious attempt to stop her.

"Mac, I just want to help!"  Pete called from his stationary 
position. She stopped in her tracks, turning slowly to face him.

"Don't you get it, Pete? I don't want your help. Maybe I did once, 
but not anymore. Not now." Mac said bluntly. "I don't need you."

*~*~*~*~*
Say that some things never die
Well I tried and I tried…
*~*~*~*~*



TBC…