lj_brown2@yahoo.com.au

Title: Broken Promises
Author: Louise
Disclaimer: I do not own stingers or have anything to do with the 
show and the people involved.
Note: This is my very first fic, so it probably doesn't make for very 
entertaining reading. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!

Broken Promises
Factory – Briefing Room
"Okay, this case is in conjunction with homicide and the fraud 
squad," began Mac. "It shouldn't be too hard, but the man involved 
can be dangerous! Tim Daley," Mac stated as she handed the group a 
photo.
Pete cut in, "what's he done?"
"He's a builder and runs his own business. For some time, the 
industry watchdog has been keeping a close eye on his workings, as 
they suspect he's been cutting corners, yet still charging customers 
the same price if the work was legitimate - "
"What's he doing with that extra money then?" Angie asked.
"This," Mac replied as she handed more photos around, "he's pocketed 
the money and put it towards building himself and his wife, Claudia, 
this luxurious house!" Mac stated with a sarcastic grin.
Danni scoffed, "that's not a house, that's a bloody mansion!"
"How come it's also homicide's case?" Pete asked confused.
"He had two apprentice builders working for him, and they were the 
ones who brought the suspicions forward. A few days later, one was 
found dead on sight, made to look like a workplace accident. Then a 
week later, the other apprentice was found in similar circumstances."
"Gee, I hope I don't have to be on this one!" Stated Danni.
Oscar grinned, "I don't know Danni, you'd look pretty hot in a pair 
of overalls!" Pete and Angie couldn't help but burst into fits of 
laughter. Danni just looked away, not having a comeback prepared.
"Well, you don't have to worry, Danni. Pete and I are on this one," 
she said looking straight into Pete's eyes.
"Oh, Mac. I hate hard labour," cried out Pete.
"Would you prefer being on surveillance instead?"
Pete sighed, "no, building will be fine."

Mac's Office
Pete quietly sat down as Mac looked up from her files, "so are you 
ready yet?"
"Yes, boss," he sighed.
"OK then, let's here it!"
"Your name is Kirsten. We've been married for six years, no kids yet 
but we're working on it," he stopped as he grinned, looking up at 
Mac. Mac couldn't help but smile herself.
"Continue."
"Well, we were living in Sydney, but you got offered the position of 
CEO at the Royal Children's Hospital a few months ago. Since then, 
I've been looking for a job and that's when I saw the ad in the paper 
to work for `Daley & Son Homes'."
"Good. Now all you have to do is make sure you get really friendly 
with Tim and hope that he fills you in on his little trade tricks!" 
Mac said as she smiled.
"So, where is our cover house?"
"It's in the new estate in Port Melbourne. We'll go there tonight, so 
we can set the house up. Then, tomorrow night, you'll invite your new 
boss and his wife around for dinner!"

Next morning - cover house
Pete walked into the kitchen looking very unhappy about having to 
work so early on such a cold day. Mac, on the other hand was bright 
eyed and cheery.
"What time did you get in last night?" Pete asked in a grumpy tone as 
he sat at the table.
"Ah, I think I left Bill at around midnight," she smiled as she 
handed Pete a plastic bag, "here's your lunch."
Pete perked up, grinning, "oh, you made my lunch. How `bout marrying 
me for real?"
Mac laughed as she kissed him quickly on the cheek, "have fun at 
work, darling!"
"Yeah, you too, honey!"  Pete replied as he walked towards the door.

Building site
"So, you must be our new builder, eh?" Said Tim.
"Yeah, Chris Reynolds. Are you the boss?"
"Sure am. Welcome aboard, Chris!" Tim began walking towards the other 
builders on site, "alright guys, this is our new bloke, Chris 
Reynolds. He's the replacement for those two kids. Say g'day to him, 
then it's back to work. We're already two weeks behind on this one!"
A few of the builders walked over to Pete to introduce themselves.
"So, are you from around here, Chris," asked Dave.
"Nah, nah. Sydney. We got moved with my wife's job."
"What does she do?"
"She's the CEO of the kid's hospital here."
Dave nodded, "well, we better get to work. Wouldn't want to cost Tim 
too much money!"
"Yeah, I guess not!" Pete agreed.

Couple of hours later - 
Pete was working alongside Tim when he heard a few of the other guys 
giving wolf-whistles. He looked down from his position on the ladder 
to see Mac walking over from her car. Tim also looked down to see 
what all the commotion was about.
"Wow, I wouldn't mind going home to that every night!"
Pete threw down his hammer and gazed deeply into Tim's eyes, "oi, 
that's my wife you're talking about there!"
"She come to help work off those calories you just digested for 
lunch, eh?" Tim asked smugly.
"Well, she does want to get started on having kids!"
"Ah, don't worry mate. Claudia's the same. She even tells my what day 
of the month she's most fertile!"
"Do I look worried to you!" Pete grinned as he steeped down the 
ladder to greet his `wife'.
Pete smiled as he approached her, "G'day babe!" He kissed her deeply 
before moving to her ear and whispering, "sorry, I had to do that. 
Tim thinks you're here for more than just a fleeting visit."
"Mm, does he now. And where did he get that idea from?" They pulled 
away as Pete continued to grin smugly. "So, have you invited Tim and 
his wife over for dinner yet?" 
"Nah, I was just about to."
Tim walked slowly over to them, "you two wanna go somewhere more 
private, eh?" 
"No, thankyou for the offer, but I have to get back to work. Um, we 
were wondering if you and your wife would like to come over for 
dinner tonight?" Mac asked. 
Tim nodded, "yeah that'd be great. What time?"
"Ah, 7 – 7.30?"
"Great! I'll let Claudia know. C'mon Chris, get back to work seeing 
how you're not getting any!"
"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in!" Pete replied before turning to Mac and 
kissing her goodbye. "See you after work, sexy!" Mac let out a little 
laugh before heading back to her car and driving off.
When Pete was back working next to Tim he decided to work on him a 
little.
"Hey, mate. Forget about all this `by the book' bullshit! If you need 
to get the job done quickly, cut a few corners here and there. These 
dickheads who own the house won't know a bloody thing!"
Tim laughed, "I think I'm going to enjoy having you work here. We'll 
talk about this tonight."
Pete smiled pleasingly, knowing this guy would be easy to roll.

Cover house – later that night
Pete and Tim were sitting in the lounge while Claudia was helping Mac 
with the coffee.
"Here's my theory, Chris," Tim began, while Pete listened 
carefully. "This is how I generally do it, but if you've got others 
ideas, cheaper ways, I'd love to hear them. What I do, is buy the 
cheap materials – timber, plaster sheeting, and so forth, charge them 
for the expensive stuff, use some form of nail glue instead of 
hammering the bloody nails in and that makes the job quicker!"
"Sounds like a pretty good plan to me!" Pete smiled. "So, what 
happens with the extra cash we end up with?"
Tim let out a little chuckle, "you and I keep it of course! Put it 
towards building you and Kirsten a nice big home. Mine's already 
completed, so I'll be using my cut towards building a holiday house 
down the coast."
Pete looked over at Mac briefly, both smiling, acknowledging the fact 
that all they needed to do now was to get Tim admitting to the 
murders of the two apprentice's. 
Tim stood, grabbing his jacket as he yawned, "ah, sorry mate, better 
get going so we can get this job done early!"
"Nah, that's fine. As they say, `time costs money!'"
"That's right, and we need all the extra money we can get," stated 
Tim as he smiled at Pete, referring to what they had spoken about 
moments earlier.
Mac and Claudia walked over to the men, "well, thankyou for coming. 
It was a pleasure to meet you Claudia."
"No, thankyou for inviting us. It was a lovely meal."
"See ya Chris. Goodnight Kirsten," Tim said as he leant in and kissed 
Mac on the cheek.
Mac and Pete replied in unison, "bye."
As soon as they heard Tim and Claudia's car start, Mac turned to 
Pete, "that went well!"
Pete chuckled, "yeah, it did."
Mac turned and grabbed her keys, "I have to duck home for a couple of 
hours. Will you be right?"
Pete scoffed, "will I be right? I'm not a little kid!"
"You sure about that?" Mac grinned as she left.

Mac's house – 
Mac awoke to Bill kissing her on her neck, "good morning, sleepy 
head!"
"Mm…morning…what time is it?" She replied as she kissed him back.
"Ah, twenty-to-eight. What time do you have to be in at work?"
"I told Ange I'd be in at 9.30, but I have to drop Pete off at the 
site first, and I'm late!" She said as she leapt out of bed and 
pulled her clothes on. As she was getting dressed, Bill noticed that 
something was bothering her.
"Are you alright?"
Mac hesitated before replying, "yeah, I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?" 
Although Mac tried to hide whatever was on her mind, Bill could 
easily tell she was lying.
"I don't know, you seem a bit…preoccupied. And the last week or so, 
I've noticed that you've been looking a little pale. Are you sure 
you're alright?"
Mac stopped dressing herself and sat down on the edge of the bed, 
with her back facing Bill.
"I was planning to wait until I found out for sure, and until this 
case was over," she paused as she felt Bill turn her around so they 
were facing one another. "Bill, I think I might be pregnant!" Mac 
broke down in tears as Bill realised what this meant in regards to 
her career, that it will take her longer to climb further up the 
ranks, and that she will most definitely have to be transferred to 
another unit. Most probably office work in at HQ.
"Oh, Ellen. I'm sorry…I, I thought we were taking the right 
precautions."
Mac scoffed, "well, we must have slipped up somewhere - " but was cut 
off by the ring of her mobile. "I have to go. Um, I have a doctor's 
appointment after work, so we can discuss this more after that." She 
said as she raced to the front door.

Cover house – 
"Pete I'm so sorry. I lost track of time," Mac said as she ran in to 
change her clothes.
"Nah, that's ok. Tim will understand once I tell him the reason why 
I'm so late!"
"Mm," said Mac with a distracted look on her face. 
"Are you alright Mac?"
Mac rolled her eyes, and snapped, "why the hell does everyone keep 
asking me that? Are you ready?"
"Sorry for being so concerned!" Pete said under his breath.

Building site – 
As Pete was getting out the car, Mac apologised to him, "Pete. I'm 
sorry about earlier…I've just got a few things on my mind. I 
shouldn't have snapped at you."
"Look, if you ever need to talk to anyone, I'm here. After all, 
that's what friends are for, eh?"
Mac smiled, " yeah. Well, better let you go, before you get the sack!"
"Chris, glad you decided to join us!" Tim greeted with a chuckle as 
he winked a suggestive eye towards Mac.
"Well, I have to go to work myself. Bye Tim. See you tonight Chris," 
Mac said as she started the engine.
"Yeah, bye Kirst," Pete replied as he leant in through the window and 
kissed Mac softly on the lips.

Factory – 
Mac was busy at her computer when Angie and Danni walked in.
"So, how much longer do you think this case will take?" Asked Danni.
"Well, we've already got evidence to charge Tim with fraud, now we 
need to get him to some admit to those murders," Mac replied as she 
looked up. "Pete said he would try working on it today. And, with a 
bit of luck, this might all be over by this evening!"

Building site – 
"So, can all these guys be trusted about what we're doing?" Pete 
asked Tim when they were discussing their plans.
Tim let out a little smile, "Chris, mate, don't worry. I take care of 
the ones that don't keep their traps shut! These blokes have seen 
what can happen."
Pete laughed, "what, you've already had a bloke abandon your trust, 
eh?"
"Two. They were apprentice's. Didn't want themselves to have a bad 
name with the building industry," Tim said in a cry-baby 
voice. "Bloody sooks, they were!"
"How'd you convince them to keep quiet?" Here we go, Pete thought to 
himself.
Tim let out a slightly evil chuckle, "easy! Told one of the kids he 
had to come to work early the next morning, I said I wasn't happy 
with the way he joined the walls and killed him. The next week, did 
the same to the other kid. And the best part, I was able to make it 
look like an accident!"
"Pretty clever work. And the cops didn't suspect a thing?"
Tim scoffed, "nah, of course not! I called in work cover, pretty much 
straight away. They decided that with both cases, they were accidents 
through inexperience."
"They weren't suspicious at all. The fact that there were two 
accidents, on the same site, the same building company and only days 
apart?"
"I got a few of the others to say that these kids weren't very 
reliable – you know, liked to muck around and cause trouble for 
others. I told work cover I warned them, and obviously, they didn't 
listen." Tim looked at Pete suspiciously. "Why you so interested 
anyway?"
"Just making sure that nobody's sniffing around that would catch us 
out, alright!"
"Ok, fair enough." Tim looked down at his watch, "ah, time for smoke-
o."
Pete didn't join the others, instead he went around the other side of 
the house and pulled his phone out.
"…Hi, it's me…Yeah, I've got what we need…an hour? Yeah that's fine…
See you then…Bye."

Factory – 
Mac hurried out of her office to where Angie and Danni were talking. 
"I just got word from Pete. He's got the evidence needed to convict 
Tim of murder, so we're moving in about an hour. Homicide and the 
fraud squads will make the arrest, we'll just be there to overlook 
everything."

Building site – 
"Chris, what about you…Coming to the pub after work for a few beers?" 
Tim asked.
Pete shook his head, "nah, already got plans," and so have you, he 
thought to himself.
The sound of screeching tyres got the builders' attention and they 
turned to see a swarm of cops headed their way, guns aiming. Two 
detectives were walking towards Tim.
"Tim Daley, you're arrested for the murder of Jason Abbott and Daniel 
Walkins…" Bill continued to read out Tim's charges as Pete walked 
away towards the car Mac and Angie were sitting in.
"Did you have to push him hard for the truth?"
Pete scoffed, "nah it was easy. Although he did get a bit suspicious 
of me enquiring about the murders. I was able to bullshit my way out 
of it, though."
"Yeah, like always," said Mac as she got out of the car to speak to 
Bill.
Bill was on his phone, so Mac waited until he was finished.
"…alright, Ross and I will be there in ten…no, fraud can have first 
digs at Daley…" Bill hung up his phone and turned to Mac.
"Another homicide," Mac asked referring to the phone call. Bill 
nodded.
"Yeah, double. In the city." Bill paused before continuing, "have you 
been to see the doctor yet?"
"No, I'm on my way there now."
"Alright. Ah, I should be back at HQ in a couple of hours. Will you 
be there when we interview Daley?"
"Yeah. I better let you go. See you soon."
Bill grabbed Mac's arm before she walked away, "good luck, Ellen. I 
love you, and no matter what the outcome is, I'm here for you, OK?"
"I know. I love you too Bill," she said as Bill leant in and kissed 
her softly on the lips.

Headquarters – 
Mac was waiting in Bill's office and looked down at her watch, 
7.45pm. Must be a pretty big crime scene, she thought to herself. Mac 
looked up in surprise when she saw Angie walk through the door.
"Angie, what are you doing here?"
Angie looked a bit upset and paused before answering, "you haven't 
heard, then?"
"Heard what?" Mac looked confused. Angie sat down in the chair next 
to Mac. "Angie, what's going on?"
"Mac, we heard on the police scanner that there had just been a 
police shooting in the city."
Angie could see the look of concern beginning to show on Mac's 
face. "I don't know how to tell you this Mac, but Bill's been rushed 
to emergency with multiple gun shot wounds."
Tears began rolling down Mac's cheeks as Angie leant forward and 
hugged her best friend.
"Can you take me to the hospital, Ange?"
"Yeah, of course I will Mac."

Alfred Hospital – 
Mac walked into Bill's room and sat down silently, only hearing the 
tiny bleeps of the machines that were attached to him. She held his 
hand in hers and put it to her face. Tears rolled slowly down her 
face as she tried to speak to him. Mac just sat there, staring at all 
the machines trying to think of something to say. After quite some 
time, she eventually spoke.
"Well, the doctor only confirmed what I already suspected…he said I'm 
just over three months along." She paused as she looked back down at 
Bill, pleading, "Bill, I need you. I can't do this on my own. Please, 
you have to pull through, for the baby, please…" She placed her head 
on the bed next to where Bill was lying as she burst into 
uncontrollable tears.
"Ms. Mackenzie?" Mac turned, wiping the tears away from her eyes, to 
see the doctor standing behind her.
"Yes," she replied meekly.
"All three bullets have caused significant internal injuries. As a 
result, he is in an extremely critical condition and things will be 
touch and go, for quite some time."
Mac breathed deeply as she took all this in, "thankyou doctor."
When the doctor had left, Mac turned back around to face Bill. She 
thought she saw his hand move and grabbed it quickly, to let him know 
she was there, "Bill. Bill. It's alright, I'm here. I'm here." She 
waited for him to move again, but he didn't. After a few moments, his 
eyes flickered open and he was looking deeply into Mac's eyes.
"Ellen…I, I…love you," he managed to say with a weak voice, before 
closing his eyes again. Mac's attention was brought back to the 
machines as they beeped loudly. Nurses came rushing in.
"Get the crash cart," yelled one nurse as the doctor hurried in. 
Another nurse quickly whisked Mac out to the waiting area where she 
saw Pete and Angie sitting. Both rushed over to her.
"Mac, what's happened," asked Angie as she grabbed hold of Mac, 
sitting her down on one of the plastic chairs.
Mac looked up, tears streaming down her face, "I don't know. One 
minute he was looking at me, telling me he loved me and the next…"
"Ssh, Mac. He'll be fine. You'll see." Angie kept hold of Mac as Pete 
saw the doctor coming towards them. Mac also noticed the doctor and 
stood to speak to him.
"How is he?"
"I'm afraid, his injuries were just too severe and we couldn't save 
him. We did our best. I'm sorry." The doctor walked away as Mac stood 
there frozen in disbelief. Angie came up from behind and hugged her 
tightly.
"How could this be happening, Ange?" Mac let out as she broke down 
again.
"Oh Mac, I'm so sorry."
"He promised he would stand by me throughout the pregnancy, now he's 
gone. I can't do it without him Ange. I can't bring this child up by 
myself." Angie looked up at Pete who looked just as surprised as she 
was.
`Mac you won't have to. You'll have all of us – Oscar, Danni, Pete 
and myself. We'll be right here with you. I promise." They sat in 
silence as news of Bill's death sunk in.

Epilogue – Mac's House (Three months later)
Pete handed Mac her cup of coffee and sat down next to her on the 
sofa.
"Thanks Pete."
"Hey, what are friends for?" Out of the blue Pete asked, "you really 
loved him, eh?"
"Bill? Yeah, but he wasn't the love of my life." Pete turned to face 
her, eyebrows raised
"Mm. So, who was then?" She looked down at her feet.
"You. Pete, I've never loved anyone as much as I loved you. But, 
that's all in the past now. Not that we ever really got started."
"Why not in the future?" Mac looked back up at Pete's eyes, levelling 
his gaze.
"You don't want someone who is carrying another man's baby." Pete cut 
her off.
"That's bullshit Mac. How do you know that's not what I want. I love 
you as well, more than anything in this world. I don't give a damn 
that you're having Bill's child. This baby needs a father and I am 
willing to do that." He paused as he took Mac's hand in his. "The 
best way I can show you how much you really do mean to me, is by 
helping you through this. I want you Mac. And with you, comes this 
baby." Mac started crying for the first time in months.
"I don't want to feel like I am betraying Bill's trust."
"Mac, how can you be. Bill would want what's best for this baby and 
for you. He would rather see you moving on, happily, with someone who 
cares as much for you as you do for them. And, who also cares deeply 
for this child."
Mac started wiping away the tears as Pete moved closer to her. "You 
promise to stay by me?"
"Always." Pete replied as he moved in to kiss Mac softly on the lips.
"I love you Pete."
"I know. I love you too."
"I know." Mac said as a smile appeared across her face.
Pete stood, helping Mac to her feet at the same time. Slowly, he took 
out a small parcel from his pocket and opened it up to show Mac.
"Ellen Mackenzie, will you marry me?" 
"Yes. Yes I will," she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his 
neck and kissed him deeply.
"When will we set the date?"
"Definitely after the baby's born!"
"Why so far away?"
Mac laughed, "it's only two and a half months away. Besides, we do 
want to get the full enjoyment from our honeymoon!"
"Absolutely!" Said Pete as he kissed Mac for one more passionate kiss.

The End!