Hey everyone,
well, this isn't anywhere as good as what I was hoping, because I 
rushed through it (especially the ending) because I have a few 
assignments that are due in three weeks and I kind of have to get 
them started. But I just wanted to write a fic based on what I think 
the serious charges are that Mac's under investigation for. So it is 
also rushed to get it done before I see what is going to happen next 
week!!

I'm really sorry if you think it is too long, I didn't have the time 
to break it up!!

To Live and Breathe Work
Author: Louise
Email: lj_brown2@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I do not own stingers or have anything to do with the 
show in any way!!

Mac was sitting at her desk when her phone rang. "Mackenzie…I know, 
I'm sorry, I just wanted to get these reports out of the way before 
the weekend…I shouldn't be too much longer…I'll see you soon."
"You wanna come for a drink at the pub?" Pete asked just as Mac 
finished on the phone.
"I can't, I've got these to do," Mac replied holding up a bundle of 
files.
"Anything I can help you with?"
"You hate paperwork," Mac stated matter-of-factly.
Pete shrugged, "well, don't say I didn't ask!"
"Would I do that?" Mac asked with a grin.
"Knowing you, I'd say yes."
"Thanks for the offer Pete, but I'm right," Mac said as Pete walked 
out.
He smiled back at her, "anytime."

Mac's house~
Two hours later, Mac had finished the paperwork and went home. When 
she walked in the door, Nick was waiting for her in the lounge, 
holding a small black bag.
"Is this yours?" He asked her holding it up.
Mac immediately recognised it, "where did you find it?"
"At Harry Love's house."
"What was it doing there?" Mac asked.
"I was hoping you could tell me," Nick stated staring straight at Mac.
Mac grabbed hold of the bag and went to remove it from the plastic 
bag it was in, but was stopped by Nick.
"You can't…it's evidence."
Mac looked up sharply at him, "evidence?"
"Harry Love was found murdered in his house half an hour after I rang 
you. The fact that we found your bag there, means that-"
Mac cut Nick off before he could finish, "I'm the prime suspect. You 
honestly believe I could go and murder someone?"
"Why else would your bag be there?"
"See this, this is my bag," Mac said holding up the one she'd been 
using since her abduction. "And inside I have all my things that I 
had to get replaced because that bag that you are holding was stolen!"
"Anyone could use that story."
"Alright then, explain to me why I have newly issued police ID in my 
new bag and my old ID in that one?"
Nick shrugged, shaking his head. "I think it's best if I go back to 
my place tonight," he stated quietly.
"I think you might be right," Mac agreed, avoiding Nick's eyes.
Not long after Nick left, Mac decided to go for a drive.

The terminus~
Mac saw Pete, Angie, Danni and Oscar all sitting at a table in the 
pub. She waited until Pete went to the toilet before going up to him.
"Pete," she called out as he approached the toilet door.
He turned to the familiar voice, "Mac, you decided to join us after 
all?"
Mac shook her head, "no, I, I need to speak to you about something."
"What is it?" He asked, but upon seeing her tearstained face, he 
indicated to the others he was leaving.

Pete's house~
"The hospital you went to will have it on file that rohipnol was in 
your system and that will prove you were drugged."
"But it doesn't explain how my bag turned up at Harry Love's place. 
That's what they're going to say…I don't even have any evidence to 
link Murray to my abduction, let alone what Love had to do with that 
night."
Pete sighed, "what about the taxi driver. He can testify that Murray 
told him to take you to Geelong."
"Pete, I can't do this anymore," Mac said, shaking her head as tears 
began spilling from her eyes.
Pete turned Mac around to face him, placing his hand gently on her 
jaw and lifting her head to his level. "Of course you can Mac…you are 
the strongest person I know. You just need to hang in there."
"I'm sick of `hanging in there'. I've had enough over the past three 
or four years, it's not worth it anymore!"
"It is, and you know it. You can't tell me, you're going to throw 
away what you've worked so bloody damn hard for over these last few 
years."
"I may not have a choice." Pete's heart sank. He had never seen Mac 
so vulnerable. Even through the HIV scare, Bill's death or her 
abduction. Things now seemed beyond her control and there wasn't 
anything he could do to make things go away. Pete reached out and 
held on to Mac, letting her know he was once again there for her.

The next morning, Mac woke on Pete's sofa, with Pete's arms securely 
around her waist. As she tried to get up without disturbing him, Pete 
stirred. 
"Are you alright?" He asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm just getting a glass of water." 
"On the way into work do you want to stop off at your place and get a 
few clothes?"
Mac looked up, "what for?"
"For one thing, you'll need a change of clothes…you had those on 
yesterday, and secondly, the person who killed Love might have seen 
your bag and gone through it, so I think you might be safer here."
Mac shook her head, "thanks Pete, but I think I'll be fine."
"If you're going to stay at your place, I think I better be there 
with you." Pete wasn't going to back down easily. 
"Fine, I'll stay here if it makes you happy."
"Completely…you get showered and I'll get us some breakfast."

The factory~
Pete sat in Mac's office, waiting for her to get off the phone. 
Eventually she hung up.
"It's official…I'm now a suspect in Harry Love's murder. Bligh wants 
me in for questioning A.S.A.P."
"Doesn't waste anytime. Did he say what evidence they have to link 
you to his murder?"
"Nope. Said he couldn't discuss it until the interview." Mac stood, 
walking over to sit next to Pete. "Would you be able to run things 
while I'm gone?"
"Yeah, shouldn't be too hard to take care of things for an hour or 
so," Pete replied.
"There are no cases at the moment and I finished off my reports last 
night, so all that needs doing is making sure they keep out of 
trouble," Mac said referring to Danni, Angie and Oscar.
Pete smiled, "ooh, I don't know, they can be a pretty tough lot to 
manage!"
Mac smiled back at him before leaving, "I better go."
"Hang in there, alright."
"Thanks."

Once Mac had left, Pete called Angie into Mac's office.
"I need you to do something…for Mac."
"What is it?" Angie asked.
"Promise me you won't tell any of the others, but Mac's been 
suspected for Harry Love's murder."
"Mac?"
Pete nodded, "yeah. All I know is they found Mac's old handbag there 
and that's what they're basing their investigation on."
"So what is it I can do?"
"Marty's got a few connections, right?" Pete waited for Angie to 
nod. "I need you to find out if he has heard anything about Harry 
Love's murder or even a connection between Harry Love and John 
Murray."
Angie nodded. "I'm on to it now," she said bounding out of the 
office, straight for her car.

Headquarters~
"Interview with Detective Senior Sergeant Ellen Mackenzie commencing 
at 9:45am," Bligh said for the benefit of the tape. "Do you mind 
telling us where you were between 7:45 and 8:15 last night?"
"I was in my office writing, sorry, typing out reports for the Chief 
Commissioner," Mac replied.
"Can anybody verify that?"
Mac thought for a moment, "only my unit members up until they left 
for the pub…around 7:40pm."
"That'd give you plenty of time to drive to Love's and stab him. Love 
was murdered around 8:00pm last night."
"Firstly, I don't know where Harry lives, or lived, and a secondly, 
what reason would I have to want him dead?"
Bligh scoffed, "the man beats you to the position of head of homicide 
and you don't feel a little envious about it?"
"I wouldn't be human if I didn't. It doesn't mean I killed him 
though! Besides, I pulled out of the running, so it only ended up 
being a choice between Reg and Harry."
"Why was that?" Bligh asked suspiciously.
Mac paused, "personal reasons."
"Didn't think you could handle working in the same office your 
previous lover worked in – too many bad memories…or good memories, 
depending on what you got up to in there?" Bligh asked smugly.
"Are we here to find out if I killed Love, or to know all the goss 
about my sex life with Bill?"
Bligh looked at his colleague and smiled, "so, why did you pull out?"
"I decided I wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility," Mac lied.
"Don't bullshit me Detective Senior Sergeant, I know you are quite 
capable of doing that job, so I'll ask you again. Why did you no 
longer want to be considered for the head of homicide position?"
Mac sighed, rubbing her forehead, "I was drugged the night before my 
interview and as a result, I performed quite badly in the interview. 
I didn't think I would get the job."
"Likely story!"
"It's called the truth, Andrew! I give you permission to check the 
hospital records."
"We'll have to look into it then. Does this item belong to you?" 
Bligh asked, sliding the bag that Nick showed her last night across 
the table.
"It used to be mine."
Bligh looked oddly at Mac, "what do you mean by that?"
"The same night I was drugged, my bag, with all it's contents in it 
was stolen. How it ended up at Love's house, I wouldn't know."
"The fact that you were drugged the night before you're interview, 
and, if what you say is correct about not knowing how your bag got 
there, have you considered Love was involved?"
Mac nodded cautiously, "yes. I found a connection between Harry Love 
and the man who drugged me, John Murray."
"Wasn't John Murray run the man who was run over?"
"Yes. I was meeting him at the Retreat Hotel only to find out he had 
just been killed by a car. It turns out he was actually pushed."
Bligh leant forward, "so not only did Love get the job you wanted, he 
also supposedly drugged you, which prevented you from performing to 
your best at the interview. Sufficient enough as a motive for me."
"Not for me. I want to know why had me drugged, but now I'll never 
know, will I?"
Bligh read through the file before looking back up at Mac. "Until 
this investigation is over and we have collected sufficient evidence 
to either charge or clear your name, you are advised that you are 
suspended from the police force until further notice."
"You can't suspend me without any evidence," Mac said angrily.
"We've got your bag. That's enough evidence for the moment." 
"I don't use that bag…I haven't even seen it since I was drugged!"
"That's something for us to look into!"

The factory~
Pete looked up to see Mac walking through the door to her office.
Mac read Pete's questioning look and without having to hear what he 
wanted to ask, she replied, "I've been suspended!"
"What?!" Pete asked not believing what he had just heard.
"Even though they only have one piece of evidence, which isn't really 
concrete mind you, Bligh said I am suspended until further notice." 
Mac sat down and looked like she was ready to burst into tears. "Can 
you tell the others I'm sick or something?"
Pete nodded, understanding Mac wanted to keep a tight lid on this 
investigation. "Yeah, no worries…Mac, it'll be alright. Evidence is 
bound to come up that proves you didn't kill Love."
"It better Pete, because I don't know how I'll cope," Mac said before 
finally breaking down."
Pete pulled Mac in for a comforting hug, "you know I'm here for you 
and I always will be!"
"I better go," Mac said pulling away.
"I'll have to drive you," Pete said, grabbing his keys and taking Mac 
by the hand supportively.

Marty's house~
"So that's why your boss wanted Murray's address?"
"Yeah. She's had a pretty rough time, and although I don't really 
know what happened, I don't think Mac could ever kill someone like 
that," Angie replied, suddenly feeling sad for her friend.
Marty took a sip from his stubby, "I'm having a few drinks at the pub 
where a few of Murray's `associates' socialise, so I'll see what I 
can find out."
"Thanks Marty, I really appreciate this," Angie said with a small 
smile passing her lips.
"You're really worried about your boss, aren't you?"
Angie nodded, "she's more than my boss…she's one of my best friend's. 
I owe her for protecting my arse when Sam stuffed up again."

Headquarters~
"Did you know your boss was drugged the night before her interview?"
"Yes," Pete replied simply.
"Did she tell you?"
Pete sighed, "she rang me up the next morning from the hopital asking 
me if I could take in some clothes for her interview. When I got 
there she looked pretty ill and hadn't been seen by a doctor, but had 
to get to her interview. On the way to H.Q. she told what had 
happened."
"Was she hell-bent on getting the man responsible for it…a John 
Murray, I believe?"
"I wouldn't say she was hell-bent. She saw him again by chance. 
Chased after him, but he got away. She managed to get his 
fingerprints though."
Bligh looked at his notes taken from the interview with Mac. "How did 
she manage to find a link between Harry Love and this Murray?"
"Mac searched through Murray's police record. He had been arrested 
for arson, but Love dropped the charges. She felt maybe Love called 
in a favour."
"That's a bit out there, isn't it?"
"Not as out there as you thinking Mac killed Love!" Pete replied 
sarcastically.
"We've got evidence to suggest Mackenzie was there last night."
Pete scoffed, "what the bag she hasn't used, let alone seen since she 
was drugged? You've got to be kidding? If you want to place Mac at 
the scene at the time of the murder, you're going to need far better 
evidence than that!"
"Is that a threat Senior Constable Church?"
"Have you found Mac's fingerprints at Love's house?"
"She's a cop, she's knows how to be careful."
Pete looked straight into Bligh's eye's, "exactly. So why would she 
leave her bag there with all her things in it?"
"Interview concluded at 11:55am." The tape clicked off and Bligh 
leant across the table. "If I find out you're protecting Mackenzie, 
I'll drag you in here by the balls…you got it?"
"Yeah? Well, I'm telling you, Mac did not kill Harry Love…you got 
that?" Pete stated before walking out and slamming the door behind 
him.

The factory~
"How did it go with Marty?" Pete asked Ange as soon as he got back to 
the factory. Danni and Oscar had just gone out to lunch.
"He's going to the pub where some connections of Murray's drink 
regularly. He said he'd try and find out what he can."
"Thanks Ange, I know Mac will appreciate it."
Ange watched Pete roll his head from side to side, obvious signs of 
stress. "How's Mac?"
"Pretty shocked by it all. She hasn't really said all that much, but 
I can see the strain already showing."
"Are you going to see her after work?"
"Yeah, she's staying at my place. I didn't want her to be alone."
"You really care about Mac, don't you?"
Pete smiled reflectively, "more than anything. She's been through so 
much and I want her to know I'm there for her."
"She knows, always has…and she's grateful." 

Pete's house – later that night~
"Honey, I'm home," Pete called out with a slight chuckle to cheer Mac 
up. Mac was in the kitchen washing Pete's stack of dishes and threw 
the tea towel at him. "I thought you'd have dinner all cooked and 
ready on the table for when I came home!"
"In your dreams!" Mac replied with a small smile breaking past her 
lips. "You should be cooking me dinner, after all, I am your guest."
"Exactly, therefore, you should be earning your keep."
"I am," Mac said, looking down at the sink filled with Pete's 
dishes. "Don't you ever do your dishes?"
Pete nodded, "once a week, maybe twice. Water conservation!"
"You'd save water if you weren't in the shower too long."
"How do you know how long I'm in the shower for?"
"I was here this morning, plus I remember from when we were together."
"Some of those times it wasn't just me in there!"
"Most of the time it was." Pete was glad to see Mac smiling, 
obviously forgetting about the last 24 hours she had been through.

Later that night Mac was getting ready for bed. Pete got what he 
needed from his room, but before he walked out Mac stopped him.
"Pete, can you stay and hold me?"
"Yeah, I'd love to," he said, turning back and throwing his things 
back down on the floor. 
As Pete and Mac lay face to face, he could see tears filling in Mac's 
eyes. He reached out and ran his hand over her cheeks soothingly.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I'm scared Pete. I'm scared about losing my job, my friends…and most 
of all, losing you."
"Come on, stop being so pessimistic about all of this. I will clear 
your name if it's the last thing I do!" Pete said, gently grabbing 
Mac's faced in his two hands.
"I'd be nothing without you," Mac said before Pete kissed her.
Pete pulled away, "I don't want to lose you either." Mac slowly leant 
into Pete, her lips softly brushing against his before kissing him 
deeply. For the first time since she found out she was being 
investigated for Harry Love's murder, Mac found herself completely 
relaxed in Pete's embrace.

The next morning, Mac woke with her back to Pete, his arms securely 
around her waist. 
Mac stirred slightly, sensing Pete was awake. "Thanks for last 
night," she said quietly, with her back still facing him.
"No need to thank me." Pete sighed slightly. "There has got to be 
some way to prove you weren't there. Were any of the other workers 
still at the factory?"
Mac shook her head, before turning around to face him, "you three 
were the last to leave before me."
"What about the files on your computer, they'll have a rough estimate 
of the last time they were modified."
Mac sighed, "Pete, computer times and dates can be changed. They 
don't believe me about the bag, so they sure as hell won't believe 
the dates and times on the files haven't been altered. Bligh only 
believes what he wants to believe."
"You got that right…I'll put that bastard back in his place!" Pete 
stated, determination ringing clear through his voice. 
"I better get ready for work," Pete said heading for the bathroom.
"Don't run all the hot water off!"
"I wouldn't do that to you," Pete replied, feigning an innocent look, 
before giving a mischievous grin.

The factory~
Pete was just getting to the roller door when he began thinking out 
loud. "We need something concrete to prove Mac didn't leave this 
place until 9:30." Then it struck him. As he looked up at the 
surveillance camera watching him enter the factory. Pete sped his car 
up through the door and came to a grinding halt, hurrying into the 
work area. He stopped as soon as he saw Angie.
"Hey Ange…Mac's office." Pete waited until Angie closed the 
door. "What did Marty find out?" He asked quickly. 
"Nothing yet," she replied disappointingly. "None of Murray's mates 
ended up being there. Sorry. He said he'll try again tonight."
"Hopefully he won't have to," Pete said in a positive tone.
"Why, is there evidence to clear Mac?"
Pete nodded, "but IA don't know about it yet."
"Don't keep me in suspense…what is it?"
"Tell me the surveillance camera has the date and time recorded onto 
it every time a car enters and leaves this building?"
"It does," Angie nodded in reply.
Pete smiled, "if the video shows Mac didn't leave here until after 
the time Love was murdered, she's in the clear!"
"We better check it then," Angie said, equalling Pete's smile.

Pete and Angie were sitting in front of the television in Mac's 
office, fast forwarding the tape to the point where Mac's car left 
the factory the other night. Eventually they see it and pause the 
tape.
"That's her car there," Pete pointed out on the screen. "What does 
the time say?"
"21:38, which means Mac's in the clear!" Angie exclaimed with a wide 
grin spreading across her face.
"I better show this to Bligh," Pete said, pulling the tape out and 
placing it back in its cover.
Angie stood, "I'll come with you. I can't wait to see the look on his 
face when he sees this!"
"You and me both."
"Shouldn't we call Mac…let her know?"
Pete shook his head, "I think I want to surprise her."
"Let's go then," Angie said, bounding out of Mac's office on a 
mission.

Headquarters~
"This is now past the time of Harry Love's murder and Mac's car still 
hasn't exited the building," Pete commented as the tape ran. "We 
finally see her leaving at 21:38."
Bligh looked over at his assistant. He had been beaten, and he knew 
it, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. "How do we know you 
haven't doctored the tape? I wouldn't put it past you lot!"
"All you need to do is get the tech-heads here to look over it and 
ensure it is 100% legit…I mean, use your brains, Bligh!" Pete stated, 
rolling his eyes in disbelief. 
"I assure you, we will get them to thoroughly go over this tape. And, 
if what you say about the tape being `legit' I'll let Mackenzie know 
she's back on board tomorrow."
"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear it from you," Pete snickered 
before walking out behind Angie.

Pete's house~
After dropping off Angie back at the factory, Pete couldn't wait to 
get home and tell Mac the news. When he walked in, Mac saw he was 
carrying a brown paper bag with a few bottles in it.
"What's that?" She asked suspiciously.
"I've got some great news. Today, driving into work, I suddenly 
remembered the surveillance camera outside the factory door and how 
it records who comes and goes and the date and time. Angie and I 
pulled it out and found the spot where you left…just after 9:30 that 
night. A car didn't come or go between the time we all left and you 
left."
Mac stood there dumbfounded, "has Bligh seen it?"
Pete nodded excitedly, "that's where we've just been."
"That is great news," Mac replied quietly.
"You don't seem overly thrilled by it," Pete stated, moving forward 
and lifting Mac's face to meet his.
"I think I'm just overwhelmed by all this…after coming to terms with 
my suspension and the fact I was being investigated for murdering a 
fellow colleague…I don't know, I guess I wasn't expecting it to be 
over so soon."
"But it is…in a way."
Mac took a step back, "what do you mean `in a way'?"
Pete sighed, "Bligh's never trusted undercovers right? He thinks 
Angie and I have somehow doctored the tape and are getting the 
techies at H.Q to look at it thoroughly."
"Bligh also never lets things go easily." Mac looked up suddenly at 
Pete, running a hand down his face. "Thanks for standing by me Pete."
"Anytime," Pete replied, drawing Mac in for a tender kiss.
"So, what's in the bag?" Mac asked, eyes pointing to the brown paper 
bag by Pete's side.
"Just something to help celebrate," Pete replied.
Mac smiled, "but officially, I haven't been reinstated. In fact, I 
only know about the tape because of you."
"Do you think that should stop you? Besides, I've got three bottles 
of champagne…French champagne, I might add."
"Well, I wouldn't want you to waste your money, so I guess a few 
celebratory drinks wouldn't hurt!"

The next day – Headquarters~
Not long after Mac entered Bligh's office, he slowly walked over to 
her and handed her a tape.
"What's this?" Mac asked, knowing all too well what it was.
"It appears as though you have been wrongly accused for the murder of 
Harry Love," Bligh replied without looking straight into Mac's eyes.
Mac looked down at the tape, holding it up. "And what has this tape 
got to do with anything."
"It's from the surveillance camera outside your work. You were right, 
you didn't leave work until after 9:30 pm that night."
"Yeah, well, it's a pity you didn't believe me when that's what I 
told you," Mac said, preparing to leave.
Just as she got to the door, Bligh spoke again. "Mackenzie, I'm sorry 
for the inconvenience this has caused. You are now fit to return to 
full duty."

Mac's house~
Pete walked into Mac's bedroom to find her packing a suitcase.
"Decided you can't stand to live apart from me?" He joked.
"After my meeting with Bligh, I went to the Commissioner and asked 
for 12 months long service leave," Mac replied, continuing to pack.
"So, you're just up and leaving, like that?" Pete asked, slightly 
annoyed.
Mac looked up, the strain from the last few days showing clearly on 
her face. 
"Pete, I need the break. You and I both know it. For the past five or 
six years, all I have done is lived and breathed work."
"Where are you going?"
Mac shrugged, "I haven't seen mum and dad for a while, so probably 
Sydney for some of the time."
"Promise you'll keep in contact?"
"I promise," Mac replied, knowing she probably wouldn't after a 
couple of months.
Pete hesitated for a moment, "what about…us?"
"I don't expect you to wait," Mac replied, trying to avoid admitting 
to Pete how she really felt. She just needed time to herself to think 
things through.
"Do you have a problem if I do?"
"No, it's your life."
Pete was confused by Mac's reply. "I'll leave you to it," he said 
walking out.

****EPILOGUE****

12 months later~
Pete couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Mac exiting the lift at 
headquarters with the Chief Commissioner.
"Congratulations Ellen," Pete overhead Commissioner Grodin saying. 
Pete followed Mac out to the staff car park, and although she knew 
someone was following her, she resisted the urge to look back.

Pete decide not to approach Mac until she got home, so he drove 
straight there.
"Maybe she knew I saw her," Pete stated as he looked down at his 
watch. Half an hour had passed since he left H.Q and he thought Mac 
would be there by now. Finally, he saw her car pull into the 
driveway. Pete watched as Mac opened the back door, carefully taking 
hold of what looked like a baby. He sat there stunned until Mac 
disappeared inside her house. Pete soon found enough courage to 
confront her.

Mac opened the door only to see Pete standing there. She began 
worrying whether or not he had seen her arrive, but she couldn't 
recall seeing his car, not that she had really looked.
"Hi Mac," Pete greeted quietly.
"Pete…hi. Look, I'm afraid this isn't a very good time, I have a few…"
Pete cut her off, "I think now is as perfect time as any!"
Damn, he must have seen, Mac thought.
"Come in," she replied, ushering him through the door.
"When do you restart work?" Pete asked.
Mac shook her head, "not for another few months."
"How's that possible? You've used all your long service leave…unless, 
it's a leave of a different kind." Pete guessed. Bingo, he thought, 
when he saw Mac's nervous look. Pete walked over to the small figure 
lying on a blanket on the floor. 
"I've taken three months off for maternity leave," Mac replied.
Pete moved his focus back to Mac, staring deeply into her 
eyes. "You've stayed in contact with me for all this time, and not 
once did you mention you were pregnant or that you had a baby," Pete 
said, anger and sadness in his tone.
"Don't Pete. You have no idea how hard it has been for me," Mac said 
in her own defence.
"You're the one who made it hard. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to tell you so much, but when I found out, it hadn't been 
all that long since you lost your child with Danni. Do you know how 
awkward that would have been for you, Danni and myself?" Mac looked 
down at the baby, to make sure the baby was content enough. "I was an 
emotional mess Pete. It was mum and dad who convinced me not to tell 
you until I came back."
Pete scoffed, "come on Mac, you're old enough to make your own 
decisions. You could have told me. God, we were on the phone to one 
another enough!"
"It's not something that you say over the phone."
"I'd rather hear it that way than not at all…you could have said you 
needed to see me, you know I would have walked over hot coals to see 
you."
"I know Pete, and that is exactly why you couldn't have known then. 
As I said, I was an emotional mess…after all that I had been through, 
an unplanned pregnancy was the last thing I needed while I attempted 
to get my life back on track." Mac looked down again at her son who 
was now screaming as Pete and Mac's voices were getting louder. She 
bent down and picked him up, rocking him in her arms.
Pete watched on, feeling guilty about getting into an argument with 
Mac. "What's his name?" Pete asked, putting a hand to the baby's 
face, gently touching his smooth skin.
"Jack," Mac replied, before looking back up at Pete. Her heart sank 
when she realised how much she had hurt him by not telling him. "Do 
you want to have a nurse of your son?"
"Yeah," Pete smiled nervously, sliding his arms beneath the baby's 
back. "He's small," Pete remarked.
Mac smiled. "Well he is a baby," she whispered. 
"Hey little man," Pete said, as he let Jack grab his finger and put 
it to his mouth.
"Pete, I am sorry for not telling you when I should have," Mac 
apologised.
Pete shook his head, "you did what you had to do."
"He's smiling at you," Mac said changing the subject.
"Of course, he's a smart kid. Takes after his mother."
"Luckily!" Mac joked.
Pete spoke in a baby voice, "did you hear that Jack? Mummy's picking 
on daddy. That's not nice is it?"
"I missed you Pete," Mac admitted.
Pete reached his hand out and brushed the side of Mac's face with it, 
while still holding Jack. "I missed you too Mac, more than you'll 
ever know."
Just as they were leaning in to kiss, there was a knock on the door. 
Mac pulled away and went to answer it.

She soon reappeared with Oscar and Angie in tow. Upon seeing Pete 
nursing the baby, Angie became all clucky.
"Oh Mac…oh, he's so cute…did you meet some spunky guy in Sydney?"
Mac shook her head "no I was already pregnant when I got there. I 
didn't find out until two months later."
"You're not going to make us keep guessing are you?" Oscar asked, not 
knowing who it could possibly be.
"Alright, I'll put you out of your misery…I'm Jack's father," Pete 
announced proudly.
Oscar and Angie burst into laughter, offending Pete. "Yeah right. He 
can't be yours, he's too good looking," Angie said.
"Yeah, get over yourself mate," Oscar stated.
Mac cleared her throat, "actually, Pete is the father.
Angie and Oscar stood there in amazement. 
"You?" They both asked, pointing at Pete.
"Yes, me."
"Wow, did you know?" Oscar asked Pete.
Pete looked at Mac while he answered, not taking his eyes off 
her, "no…but, let's not get into that, we've got a baby's head to 
wet!"
"Lucky we bought some drinks then," Angie said, holding them up.
"Where's Danni?" Mac asked, noticing someone was missing.
"Some family emergency I think," Oscar replied shrugging.
Angie handed the drinks around, "I would like to propose a toast to 
Mac, Pete and little Jack. May you enjoy the sleepless nights, 
endless dirty nappies and an inexistent sex life!"
"Nicely put Ange…but it's not all bad," Mac defended. "Some of the 
time," she added.

Once Angie and Oscar had left later that night and Mac had put Jack 
to sleep after another feed, Mac and Pete finally had time to talk 
things through alone.
"Earlier, when you said the pregnancy was the last thing you needed 
when you found out, how difficult was it to deal with?"
"Pretty difficult. Knowing that I needed the time to myself to 
physically and emotionally get over the past few years, it was a 
shock. I was sure it would add to my problems and make everything 
worse."
"Did it…make everything worse?"
Mac shook her head, "when I first held Jack, knowing that he was 
dependant on me, made me realise there's more to life than work. I 
had made myself emotionally and physically wrecked by living and 
breathing my work."
"Now you can take your time getting back into things," Pete stated 
seriously.
"I don't know whether I want to. Every problem I've had, work has 
always played a part in that. Even when Bill was…sorry," Mac stopped 
when she realised she was bringing up Hollister.
"Well, considering you will need time off for a honeymoon, you don't 
need to make that choice just yet," Pete said with a grin.
Mac narrowed her eyes. "Hang on, earlier, you hated me, and now you 
want to marry me?"
"I didn't `hate' you, I was just…annoyed you kept something very 
important from me. And yeah, I do want to marry you, that is if you 
want to marry me?"
Mac nodded. "More than anything," she replied kissing Pete softly