Hey everyone, Feedback very much appreciated and also is you think i should write a continuation/epilogue, just let me know!! Enjoy! One second Author: Louise Email: lj_brown2@yahoo.com Disclaimer: I do not own stingers or have anything to do with the show. The lyrics used also do not belong to me!! Note: The song used is `Breathe in now' by Brisbane band, George ( I absolutely love this song!!) Also this follows on from the episode entitled DMZ, but a couple of months has passed by since then. Rating: MA – includes sexual references Mac's house~ Mac yawned as she opened her front door up to Pete. "Pete, what are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?" "Sorry, your place was closer than mine and I didn't have any money for a taxi," he slurred. "Come in then," Mac said walking ahead of Pete. When she got into the lounge, she turned the light on and faced Pete again. "Shit! What the hell happened?" Mac asked seeing blood covering half of Pete's face. "I got into a bit of a fight with a few blokes at the pub," he laughed. Mac rolled her eyes, "I thought you would have known better by now." Pete scoffed, "they were asking for it!" "Wait there, I'll get some stuff to clean you up with." A few moments later, Mac reappeared with cotton balls and antiseptic cream. She leant in and started wiping away the blood from Pete's face. "God, how much did you drink?" Mac asked upon smelling Pete's breath. Pete hiccuped. "Started on a few pots of beer, then I was drinking bourbon and coke, few glasses of red wine and finished on cowboys." "You idiot," Mac said, slightly smiling. "I haven't interrupted you in the sack with anyone have I?" Pete asked looking around for any sign of a man being there. "No, but you did interrupt the nice sleep I was in!" Mac replied "It was worth it…you got to see me," Pete smirked. Mac tilted Pete's head slightly to the side, looking closely at it. "Well, the cut above your eye doesn't look deep enough for stiches, so you should be alright…anywhere else hurting?" Pete laughed, "yeah, my ribs." "Ouch!" Mac stated as she held the front of Pete's shirt up and had a look. "What did they do?" "That might have been from when they were kicking the shit out of me!" Mac pushed her hand on Pete's body, pressing it hard to check if he had broken any ribs. Pete squirmed in pain. "At least your hands are nice and warm!" Pete stated. "Maybe I should take you to the hospital," she whispered. "Nah, it doesn't feel like anything's broken," Pete replied, shaking his head. "Well I think you should still go to the doctor in the morning though… anything else you want me to check?" "They kneed me in the balls too!" Pete laughed. "I'll get you some ice," Mac replied sarcastically. Pete scoffed, "no way!" Pete swayed as he stood. "Where are you going?" "Bathroom," Pete replied heading upstairs. Mac rolled her eyes and shook her head as she started clearing all the bloodied cotton balls up. Mac went upstairs to put the antiseptic back in her medicine cabinet and noticed Pete passed out on her bed. "Great," she sighed. But Mac couldn't help but smile. He looked cute when he was passed out. She leant over him to make sure he was breathing all right. Mac quietly removed Pete's shoes and socks and pulled the blankets over him, before getting ready for bed herself, again. The next morning Mac had finished getting ready for work while Pete was still asleep. She opened the blind so the sun was shining directly on his face. "Oh god," Pete cried out moving his hands to shield his eyes. "Pete, you have to get up for work," Mac stated strongly, standing over him. "Ooh, I feel like shit!" Mac scoffed, "that's funny, you look it too!" Pete struggled to get out of bed, cringing as he grabbed his rib area. "God, what did you do to me last night?" "Me?" "Yeah…I can't remember you being rough in bed!" "Pete!" Mac yelled, slightly offended. "You got into a fight at the pub and came here all battered and bruised," Mac replied, filling Pete in on what he couldn't remember. "And I was drunk?" Mac eyed Pete, "very." "Sorry." "You better get into the shower if you want a ride with me," Mac ordered. Pete grabbed the towel Mac put on the end of the bed, "give me five." Mac's house phone rang just as Pete entered the lounge room. Mac answered it. "Mackenzie." "Detective Senior Sergeant Mackenzie…remember me?" Mac thought for a moment – the voice didn't ring a bell. "No, sorry. Should I?" "I'd imagine so. I know who you are, I know where you live and I'm not afraid to get what I want!" "Who is this?" Mac asked slightly annoyed, thinking it was a prank. Pete looked up, concern showing across his face. "You didn't count on us getting away, did you?" Mac still couldn't grasp who it was. "After all, I never walk into a room I can't get out of!" It clicked. "Shit! Moseley?" she whispered into the phone. Pete couldn't quite hear what Mac had said. "What do you want?" "Watch your back," he warned before hanging up. Mac slowly removed the phone from her ear, not looking up as Pete made his way over to her. "Who was that?" He asked worriedly. "He's got my number…he knows where I live," Mac said instead of answering Pete's question. "Who Mac, who?" Pete asked, desperation in his voice. She looked up into Pete's eyes, vulnerability showing all over her face. "Moseley." "Oh shit! He must have pretty good connections to get that info… somebody must be feeding him that stuff!" Mac looked at her watch. "We should get going." "What are you going to do about Moseley?" "I don't know, I'll have to think of something," Mac replied with a shrug. "There's nothing much I can do until he finds me." "Just promise me you'll be careful?" Pete asked her softly. "I promise. Now, can we get to work?" Mac replied, opening the door for Pete. The factory~ Pete knocked lightly on Mac's office door. "Yes Peter?" She asked without looking up to see who it was. Pete laughed at her guess. "Have you got onto HQ?" "About…?" She asked, not knowing what Pete was referring to. "The phone call you received this morning," Pete reminded her. Mac scoffed, "what are they going to do about it?" "They can look into how Moseley got that info. It has to be somebody on the inside." "Pete, it's my problem and I'm working on a way to deal with it." "Yeah? Such as?" Pete scoffed. Mac stood to put away some files. "Moseley knows where I live so if I stay put, we can run surveillance on my place." "No way," Pete replied. "Pete…" "No, Mac! Bloody hell, he's an ex-SAS officer. You don't think he doesn't know how to get in and out of somewhere without being seen? I won't let you put yourself in that kind of position." "Pete it's just like any other job." "No it isn't. Moseley is dangerous. You put yourself in a vulnerable position he'll have no worries in getting you." "It's my call, you either support me on this, or I can find you something else to do," Mac dared Pete, staring deeply into his eyes, before picking up another file and exiting her office. "Now, you all remember the case we had a couple of months back involving stolen firearms and ex-SAS troops?" Mac waited until they all nodded slowly, some glancing at Oscar who stared deeply at the floor in front of him. "Well, I received a phone call at home from Moseley this morning and it appears he has personal details regarding myself." "What are you going to do?" Danni asked, concern evident in her voice. "I'll be waiting for him at home and the rest of you will be on surveillance until we have nailed this bastard. So, Oscar, can you head over to my place now and start wiring it and fixing cameras in there?" Oscar nodded, "yeah, sure thing." "But you better disguise yourself…as an electrician or something. The rest of you will start surveillance just before I finish work tonight… that's all," Mac finished, excusing them all. Mac's house – later that night~ Mac walked into her house and got the fright of her life when she saw Pete waiting in the lounge room. "Shit Pete! Don't do that," Mac stated breathlessly, holding a hand over her chest. "Sorry, just thought I'd check the place out before you came home… didn't want you to have any surprises." "What are you doing here then?" Pete laughed. "You know what I mean!" "How did you get on at the doctors today?" Mac asked, changing the subject. "Ah, I didn't end up going," Pete replied, shrugging. "Why not? You could have broken something." "Nah, I'm fine. Besides, I had more important things to be doing." Mac's eyes narrowed. "Such as?" "Making sure you were safe." Mac sighed. "Pete, I was surrounded by people all day. Not having you around for half an hour to an hour wasn't going to put my life in any danger." "I guess not…you eaten yet?" Mac shook her head in reply. "Want me to cook something?" "Actually, I wouldn't mind going out for dinner," Mac suggested. Pete nodded. "My car's around the back. I'll radio surveillance and make sure it's clear." The Stoke House~ Pete placed his knife and fork on the plate before pushing his plate slightly away from him, indicating to the waiter he had finished. "Would you like another glass?" Pete asked Mac as he held the bottle of red wine up. "Yes please," she replied with a small nod. "So, do you think it will be long before Moseley strikes?" Pete asked her, pouring her drink. Mac shrugged, "I don't know…I hope not. I can't sit around and wait forever." She took a sip of wine from her glass just as her phone rang. "Mackenzie." "Mac, it's Danni…we've got good news and we've got bad news." "Give me the good news first, it'll soften the blow of the bad." "We've got Moseley in custody," Danni replied. Mac looked at Pete, a look of shock, followed by a smile. "But we couldn't stop him before he set fire to your place." "Shit! How much damage?" Pete waved his hand in front of Mac's eyes, not wanting to wait until she'd finished her phone discussion. "Hang on Danni." "What's happened?" "Moseley set fire to my house. Fortunately, he didn't get away." Mac put the phone back to her ear. "Have they started questioning him yet?" "Not as far as I know. They took him straight to HQ." "Thanks Danni," Mac said grabbing her bag and indicating to Pete they were leaving. HQ~ Mac and Pete watched Moseley being interviewed from the observation room. "How did you obtain the personal information on Detective Senior Sergeant Mackenzie?" Detective Jenkins asked him. "It wasn't hard," Moseley replied. "Bullshit! That information is confidential. Only a very limited number of people have access to it." "Like I said, it wasn't hard!" Moseley maintained. Jenkins looked over at the glass. "Okay, what about your mate Marks?" "If you think I'm going to help you get him, you've got another thing coming." "Where is he?" Moseley shrugged. "Who else have you told about Mackenzie?" "Marks mainly. He knows what to do now that I've been arrested." Moseley replied smugly. Pete looked at Mac, knowing this wouldn't be over until Marks was arrested. "What is that supposed to mean?" Jenkins asked. "This isn't over until Mackenzie gets what is coming to her." Jenkins looked at the glass again before standing and leaning over the desk in front of Moseley. "If you cooperate with me and tell me where Marks is, the DPP might be willing to drop one of the lesser charges, resulting in less time for you behind bars. So, do you have anything else you'd like to add?" Moseley scoffed. "You think I'm going to roll over and tell you where he is? You want him, you find him yourself. We are family and family members do not implicate one another!" A few moments later, Jenkins walked into the observation room. "Sorry, it doesn't look like he's going to give anything up just yet," Jenkins apologised to Mac. Chief Commissioner Grodin then walked in. "Ellen, can I see you in my office?" "Yes sir. Is it alright if Senior Constable Church comes?" He nodded and walked out ahead of Mac and Pete. "From what I understand, this Moseley has personal information on you and has, without a doubt, passed that information on to other people, especially his partner, Marks." "It is possible that has happened. But if we set up surveillance once again, I'm sure Marks will come looking for me just as Moseley did," Mac replied. Grodin sighed, "I'm afraid we can't take that risk." "What do you mean by that sir?" Mac's eyes narrowed. "Witness protection." "No!" Mac replied emphatically. "We can get Marks, I know we can." "Ellen the decision has already been made. It's final." Mac grabbed her bag and coat, "I am not going and *that* is final!" "Mac," Pete said as he grabbed her arm. "He's right and you know it." "I am not going into witness protection. It means the end of my career and I'll never see my friends again." Pete scoffed, "you'd rather stay here and risk being killed?" Mac knew she was defeated in this decision. "When would I have to go?" "You'll be needing to stay with a friend tonight. You'll be picked up first thing and taken to an unknown location," Grodin replied. "I'm sorry it's come to this Ellen." Mac nodded, managing to hold in the tears. "I'll have to borrow a few clothes from Angie or Danni before I go." "Make sure nobody follows you or knows where you're going," Grodin gave the final piece of advice and held out his hand for Mac to shake. "You'll be sorely missed Ellen. You've been a great asset to this force." "Thankyou sir. I'll equally miss this place," Mac replied before indicating to Pete she was ready to go. The factory~ "Here you go," Danni said handing Mac a bag with some clothes in it. "I've even included a nice pair of jeans for you," she added with a smirk. "I like jeans, it's just that I don't own a pair. Thanks," Mac forced herself to smile. Angie then joined the two. "And if you don't like Danni's, which I wouldn't blame you, here's some of my things." Mac sighed, "thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Although, I'd much prefer not to be doing this." "We know…we'll miss you," Danni said, giving Mac a long hug. Tears finally started rolling down Mac's cheeks slowly. It wasn't until now, saying goodbye to her friends, that it hit her. She'd most likely never see them again. Mac pulled away, wiping away the tears as she did so. "See ya Mac, you've been a great boss. I'd say, better than Bernie as a matter of fact…better looks too," Oscar said with a wink. Mac laughed along with a small cry. "Thanks Oscar, trust you to be the charmer! Now, you take care of yourself alright? No more shootings and definitely no more beatings!" "Yes mum," Oscar laughed as he leant in to hug Mac. "You make sure you look after yourself, okay? I'll miss you." "I'll miss you too." Mac looked at Ange just as Pete was getting the car ready. "I um, I know you were wanting these photos destroyed, but I just had to keep one and I couldn't think of a better present to give you," Angie said, her voice choking as she spoke. Mac turned the photo frame around so she could see the photo and laughed at what she saw. It was one of the photos taken the night Mac did a photo shoot of Angie. They were holding a glass of red wine each, Mac was facing the camera and Angie was side on next to Mac, giving her a small peck on the cheek. "Thanks Ange," Mac said, now sobbing as Angie gave her a hug. "I'll never forget you Mac. You've been a great friend…the best. I'll miss you." "You too. Thanks for being there and helping me with getting Love." "My email address is on the back of the photo, give it a little while before you contact me," Angie whispered so the others didn't hear. "Thanks, I will." Pete walked over and attempted to lighten the atmosphere. "God, what is it with chicks and goodbyes?" He asked Oscar. "We haven't seen you're goodbye yet!" Danni stated, raising her eyebrows. "That's because I can do that in the morning…I'm Mac's protection for the night." Mac scoffed, "oh that makes me feel safe!" Pete looked at his watch, "come on, it's late and you have to be up early in the morning." "See ya guys, thanks for everything," Mac said before turning away one last time. "Bye Mac, we'll miss you," Danni, Oscar and Angie said in unison. The Regent~ "You know, a motel would have been fine," Mac said as they walked into the penthouse suite. "Some women can be fussy!" Pete stated sarcastically. "I want you to remember this goodbye." The more Pete looked at Mac, the more tears swelled in her eyes, eventually spilling down her cheeks. Before long she was sobbing. "I don't want to go Pete. I don't." Pete put his hand softly on Mac's chin, gently holding her head up. "I don't want you to go either. But I'd much rather know you were safe than to lose you for good." "There's no guarantee I'll be safe in witness protection," Mac whispered. "Besides, you'll lose me anyway." "At least I'll be able to find you, and I will. I won't give up until I do." "I'll miss you Pete," Mac admitted, her voice shaking. Pete cupped Mac's face in his hands, brushing the tears aside with his thumbs. "I'll miss you too." "Pete," Mac whispered. "Will you stay with me?" "That's what I'm here for," he replied matter-of-factly. Mac shook her head. "I mean…" Mac didn't need to finish her sentence off. Pete nodded and slowly leant in closer, his lips barely touching hers, causing a tickling sensation all over their bodies. "I love you Mac," Pete said before finally kissing her. Mac pulled back slightly, almost breathless. "I love you too," she whispered back. They continued in their embrace for a few more moments before Pete led Mac to the bedroom, maintaining their hold the entire way. Pete moved his lips down the side of Mac's neck, blindly unbuttoning her jacket and removing it from around her shoulders. Mac took a deep breath, the warmth of Pete's touch causing her body to tingle all over. They were so absorbed in one another; nothing could break them from this moment. * I see love and beauty all around, I also see the sadness that's embedded in your frown I wonder why you choose not to talk to those around, I sense a fear of lifting heavy feet higher than you want to, I just want to believe your truth... * Pete slowly unzipped Mac's dress, shuddering at the warmth of her back as he ran his hand along her spine. He wanted to cherish this moment for as long as he could. Pete moved his hands so that each were on Mac's shoulders and unhurriedly brushed the straps of her dress aside, kissing all the way down her chest until the dress dropped at her feet. They pulled away momentarily, locking eyes and not needing a single word to know this was what they wanted. * You stand there but you do not cast a shadow, you walk away with every word you choose not to say I suppose that moving on paints a new colour for each day, I don't like to see dreams put on the shelf, to deal with on that one day, I just want to be happy for you * Mac tugged at Pete's shirt, starting to undo the buttons at the bottom, slowly making her way up. As she unbuttoned the top one, she leant in, kissing Pete's neck. Just as slowly, she helped Pete remove his pants. Eventually, Pete carefully laid Mac onto the bed, his eyes burning into hers. She nodded for him to continue. * 'cause I only have one second, this minute today I can't press rewind and turn it back and call it now and so this moment, I just have to sing out loud and say I love I like and breathe in now and say I love I live and breathe in now * They moved slowly with one another, neither in a hurry to finish what they wanted to share together one last time. Pete pressed further into Mac; their only sounds were cries of pleasure and need. A need that was finally being fulfilled. * I move on holding on to what I learn, it's time to let go of the notion that the whole world's against me break free of shackles that formed young, time free in now and now I know, it's not all up to me, I can count on another so move on lighter and be free .... * Mac squeezed Pete's hand tightly as their pace quickened, letting him know she was his. Pete responded by rolling over so that Mac was now on him. She helped him sit up and continued in their motion as Pete rested his head in the crook of Mac's neck. * 'cause I only have one second, this minute today I can't press rewind and turn it back and call it now and so this moment, I just have to sing out loud and say I love I like and breathe in now and say I love I live and breathe in now * Once again, their pace slowed as they were reaching the pinnacle of their moment. Each gasping breathlessly for air. Both shaking, realising their time together was coming to an end along with their night. * I believe in for today I just want to know that you're okay cause I believe in breathing just for today I just want to know that you're okay.... 'cause I only have one second, this minute today I can't press rewind and turn it back and call it now and so this moment, I just have to sing out loud and say I love I like and breathe in now and say I love I live and breathe in now and say I love I live and breathe in now * The next morning, Mac and Pete sat quietly on the bed wearing only their hotel-supplied dressing gowns, legs entwined around each other. Pete reached out and held his hand to the side of Mac's face. She closed her eyes, making sure she would remember his touch forever. Slowly opening them, she softly kissed his palm. Pete looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to him. "Witness protection will be here soon. Better get you ready," Pete whispered. It was the first time anything had been said since they both declared their love for one another the previous night. Not long after Mac had finished getting dressed and dried her hair, there was a knock at the door. Pete walked over and looked through the peephole before opening it up. "We're here for Ellen Mackenzie," the man said as he and his female partner showed Pete their ids. "She's just grabbing a couple of her things…come in," Pete said, opening the door further. "Mac, are you ready yet?" Pete got worried when she didn't reply. "Mac?" He asked again. "Yeah," she finally replied, Pete knowing she was crying. Pete looked at the two officers, "could you give us a moment?" They nodded, understanding this was a difficult time. "Hey, what is it?" He asked, walking over to Mac who was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. "Now that it's time, I don't want to go…I can't," she sobbed as Pete cradled her in his arms. "Mac, you have to. We talked about it last night. It's the only way we can be sure you're safe." Mac looked down, grabbing hold of Pete's hand. "I wish what we had last night would last forever." "It will…in here," Pete said, softly placing a hand on top of Mac's head. "…And in here," he finished, holding Mac's hand over his heart and his hand over her heart. Mac nodded, wiping her tears as she got to her feet. Before she moved out into the other room where the witness protection officers were waiting, Pete grabbed her hand gently. "Wait…" he said, before leaning in and kissing her deeply. They pulled away slightly holding their foreheads against one another's, Pete cupping Mac's face in his hands and Mac holding Pete around his waist. "I'll miss you, but once I know everything is safe for you, I will do everything I can to find you." Mac nodded. "I know. I'll miss you too," Mac whispered back. There was a soft cough from behind them. "Sorry to interrupt, but we really do need to get going," the female witness protection officer stated. Mac and Pete nodded, tears reappearing in Mac's eyes. "Goodbye," she mouthed. "Bye," Pete whispered, taking hold of Mac's face again and kissing her one last time. Pete watched the back of Mac disappear as the door closed with the two witness protection officers, leaving him alone. He placed his hand over his heart as he sat dejectedly on the bed.