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"Just like that?" Connie asks, ashen faced. "You're not... Why aren't you angry?"

I shrug. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about me catching it now."

"Catching what, Mummy?"

"The love bug, bub. I've caught the love bug. Watch out now, it's contagious. You get it from kissing." I make a scary face at Penny and chase her squeals around the mat before tripping her and peppering her face with kisses.

"Gross, Daddy Blue. Now I've got it." I let her wrestle me over and pin me down while she 'kissy monsters' my face.

"Haha. You guys suck." Mel says. "If you just practice this sort of stuff, you'll have an attacker vomiting uncontrollably in no time. I'll head up and see if I can work the logistics of a doctor. We'll get that cunt. We'll make him pay."

Mel knows the whole brief. All the details. I still wish she wouldn't swear around Penny, but I'm glad we can let this thing be real and matter of fact and not a big bloody dirty secret.

"I'm so sorry." She tells me as we walk back.

"You didn't do it. We tried to be safe. I'll live."

She bumps me with her shoulder and smiles sideways. "No more condoms..."

"Ooh. You wait till I'm feeling better."

~*~

About six days later, Connie was finishing up a bit more statement about yet another assault. Her medical records from a doctor she visited when she was on holidays once up on the north coast were dredged up and I watch as she cries and tries to remember as much detail as possible. These days there's more frustration than sadness in her tears. She tells me that as she relives it, she gets so cranky at herself for not being stronger.

She also says that as she finishes each statement, she lets the memory go. She doesn't forget, but she lets all the hurt and pain discharge from it as she describes it in detail for the statement.

Penny and I are out at the shed with Terry when she visits us later. I'd been saving for the last ten years. I had about twenty thousand put aside in a kind of 'one day' fund. Terry's vehicles kind of inspired me. With his help, I found an ex-military series-2 88 incher and we started restoring the old Landrover.

The 2.0l motor ran well enough when I handed over the four thousand bucks, to drive itself up on the trailer. Mostly, we're painting and wiring and fixing things like brakes, rust in the doors and leaky fuel tanks. Penny has been my constant assistant all through the process. She calls the little rag top, "Siri-too" like the iPhone app her mum has.

"Mum! Look! Siri-too has new seats. Daddy says we can take her for a ride today when he has the brakes fixed." She's been dropping the 'blue' from 'Daddy Blue' lately and I don't correct her.

For her part, Connie is smiling at Penny's joy but looks thoroughly exhausted by the most recent visit into her history.

"Hey love. Come here. You look like you could use a hug."

She melts in my arms and snuggles into my neck. "God, I'm sick of this Blue. I want it all to be over. How are you even still here? God, baggage much?"

"Oh, that's easy. Spots are gone."

"Bullshit! Really?"

"Ahuh."

"Oh, you wait till later. Seriously. So many times, while I went back through all that old bullshit I wanted to run away and find 'Hubby-two-point-oh.'" She stiffens in my arms. "Shit..."

I laugh at her little over share. "I hope two point oh, is new and improved."

"Comes with a whole bunch more features. Kindness, empathy, not being a bloody bastard. Sorry. Just... Getting a little ahead of myself."

"Good to know. Give me five minutes to bleed this last master cylinder and you can take us around the block."

Terry pumps the brakes while I bleed the last bubbles out of the left-hand front and then a little while later as we gently circle the front lawn, Terry hands her the letter.

"Oh, big kid. Greg dropped this off earlier while you were busy. Pull over. Have a read."

The brakes are grabby with their new shoes and freshly machined drums, so we lurch a little as she slows to a stop.

Taking the letter with a sideways suspicious frown she asks, "What is it?"

"Court results. Family court." Terry prods.

"You'll like it. Relax." I rub her arm. She's had so many nasty surprises lately.

"Oh." She smiles after pulling the pages from the envelope. "Oh honey. Did you see?"

There are happy tears at the corner of her eyes. "I'm single. No more Mrs Hiles."

"Ahuh."

"And the visitation. The Access."

"Yeah, weak bastard." Says Terry. "Greg said that as soon as he mentioned paying child support that Roger didn't feel quite so fatherly about my little Penelope Pitstop."

"It's Penelope Priscilla! Not 'pitstop', it's... Penny Priscill-" Then my little princess bursts into sudden tears that shame our collective joy. "I don't want to be a stupid Hiles anymore! I hate him. I hate him. I hate him."

Gathering the thrashing girl into his arms, Terry wipes his own eyes and holds her wrapped in a big hug to settle her. This has gone sideways into a ditch. A lot of life has gone sideways into the same ditch lately and I am hoping I can rescue us all a little.

"Penny? Twinkles?"

"Grrnggnh."

"In the toolkit, remember?"

"Oh. Humph. Presents. I remember." She stomps her way to the back of the little wagon and opens the hatch in the top of the seat. "Here. I don't get a stupid present."

She hands the little box to her mum. "Daddy got this for you the other day when we were in town."

Terry and I watch as Connie opens the little jeweller's box and finds the ring. You can't buy very much diamond anymore with sixteen thousand dollars, but I think it looked pretty and Winnie said it would fit.

"Penny love." Constance smiles hard and hugs her little girl. "How would you feel about being a Shackleton then?"

"I don't think I could spell it, but okay."

~*~

The operation was executed slickly and conjointly across three states. It was a Sunday morning early, when officers from the Federal, Victorian, New South Wales and Queensland police services executed warrants on sixteen addresses.

Mel remained hypervigilant all that Sunday, but we had no visitors or incidents. It was mentioned briefly on the news in an official press conference with a Federal Police spokesman and the Queensland Police Minister.

They said pretty things about rooting out corruption at any cost and about bringing justice to the victims. They mentioned numbers of arrests and charges and soundly patted themselves on the back. We were shocked by how sterile the whole thing was.

"Twenty-six women." Connie shakes her head. "They said nothing about what they did to them."

"I don't suppose they can until matters have been through court." Mel clarified. "I got word earlier that they have enough on Roger to remand him in custody. The others are all out on bail, but your assault matters and his four years of history worried the Magistrate. Anne wants me here for the rest of the week until we know his lawyers haven't appealed his bail."

We're eating a simple meal of cold cuts and salad in the lounge room so that we can watch the unfolding news reports. Penny sits on the floor between my legs. She doesn't understand too much of what's occurring, but she understands that Police have locked Roger up for the violence against her mother. The rest of it she probably doesn't need to understand until she's much older.

"Good. I'm looking forward to getting back to work and I'd love to be able to do a little bit of shopping." Connie says.

"Oh. Not yet, mate." Mel grimaces. "Now that the major action is complete, Anne is leading the investigation into Roger's local cover up and actions. Some of the local boys will be under the microscope and family and friends might be upset too. She asks that you keep a low profile for a bit longer."

"I can duck in for you, love." Winnie offers. "I've got to go and get a few scripts filled in any case."

"Thanks Mum." She doesn't sound so happy but she's being gracious. Connie wants to visit the doctor herself. Since condoms are no longer required to prevent transmission, she resents using them for their other purpose; to prevent pregnancy. We've been playing a dangerous game of roulette pull out despite my insistence that I'll wear one. I don't mind them too much. It is nicer bare, but she hates them.

God, just the other night she was riding me and I warned her I was close.

"I'm safe. Wrong time. Just finished my period." She told me and chased her orgasm hard enough to tip me over the edge. I think it was the fact of me cumming in her that triggered her own release.

We've been a lot more careful since. She likes me to pull out just before I cum and finish off by thrusting my shaft against her clit and blowing on her belly. It feels a bit like being a teenager all over again and taking silly risks.

After tea, we debrief with Mel as a family and she retires to the guest room where all her gear is setup. Penny is getting sleepy and as she's grown more secure, she's got into a habit of taking herself off to bed with kisses goodnight and a book. The first time she did it without the usual bedtime routine, Connie was thoroughly surprised.

"Goodnight." She tells us collectively and does the rounds for kisses.

"Goodnight Daddy Shackleton." She tells me when it's my turn for a hug and a kiss.

"Goodnight Penny Shackleton." Is the required response.

"Your good with children." Winnie winks, "Should we expect more grandchildren some day?"

"Jeez, no pressure hey, Mum." Connie laughs.

"Tick tock, dear." Terry smirks.

Connie and her Mum discuss wedding arrangements. Connie insists on a small family thing, out here at her parents. "I already had the big white wedding with all the pomp and ceremony and look how that turned out. I want this to just be about us and our little family."

"Have you spoken with Georgia?" Winnie asks me.

"Um no. I keep forgetting. But Francis and Derek will come and so will Susan."

"No plus one for Susan?"

"No. She divorced recently, and her children are busy with their own families. Her oldest is single. He might come along."

"Your Mum and Dad seemed keen."

"Mum says Dad has the caravan all cleaned out and set up. They do get really bored in the village."

We've planned the wedding for the first weekend in September. It's only a couple of months away. Neither of us saw any need for a long engagement. My brother Francis is over the moon. He's gifted us his decoration abilities as a wedding present and arrives next week to have a look at the property and to meet my Connie and Penny. Derek will do their hair and make-up. He's a hairdresser by trade and presently working at Movie World with Warner Brothers in the dressing rooms.

Terry and I leave the girls to themselves and take a couple of beers out to the shed. We're leaning on the bonnet of 'Siri-too' and talking about final touches.

"I've been on AULRO and REMLR and found your girl."

"Really? This exact vehicle?"

"Chassis number matches. Engine's a replacement. It was a Forward Area Ambulance in the early part of Vietnam. I've got no photographs of her exactly but here..."

He passes me his phone and shows me photographs of a field ambulance and the markings that he'd like to put on 'Siri-too'.

"There's a fella on the forums has an actual ambulance rear with good canvas. He won't sell, but he is willing to loan it to me for a while so I can fabricate one for us. I can take patterns off the canvas and get a mate-."

A frightened looking Constance stands in the doorway, "Dad, Hon, quick. Mel's tracking a breach in the perimeter. Police are on their way."

Penny and Winnie are waiting in Terry's Nissan with the motor running. Our safety plan is that in case of a perimeter breach, we take the car and make ourselves mobile. We are to drive into town and continue driving around randomly until told it is safe to go to the police station to debrief.

Mel is supposed to remain and monitor the intrusion and the police response, but she is squeezing in the back of the car beside the three of us.

"Quicky. Into town. There are four of them and one has a dog. Anne says she has SERT on the way."

The moment that Terry switches on the headlights and turns onto the gravel drive, a loud, 'plink' sounds out from the front of the car and is followed by the sound of a handgun. Several more shots strike the vehicle, one shattering the rear window. Selecting reverse, Terry tears backwards toward the shed and kills the lights and the ignition.

"Inside quickly." Mel instructs.

Inside the shed Mel chats quietly into her phone. Penny is crying and Connie tries desperately to quieten her.

"SERT are fifteen minutes away. We need to get out of here. Anne says there are two Glocks missing from the station safe and she can't raise anyone at Gary Goodwin's place. The local cops are responding too but will be- shit."

"We know you're in there you fucking slut."

"Gary." Connie whispers. "Roger's detective mate."

"Fuck..." Mel looks to be thinking hard, scanning the shed and looking for something.

"Quick Dad. The Bren gun carrier." Connie says. "It's not real fast but it'll get us into town without bullet holes in us. Mel, you ride in the back with Me and Gordon. Mum you in the front with Penny."

We explode into action and take our places in the little tracked vehicle. There is loud thumping on the tin walls of the shed as our tormentors try to find an unlocked roller door.

"Open up little pigs." A woman's voice teases from outside.

The little armoured car winds over slowly.

"Shit, I haven't had it on the charger." Terry tries it again with a bit more choke and is rewarded with a throaty burble. "Ok, everyone down."

We explode through the roller door in a violent rending screech of metal tearing from tracks. For a short moment, we carry some of it on top of us before it falls away. Cherry red flashes reflect on the shed as we crouch low and listen to the barking of two separate handguns. An occasional bullet rings loudly on the plated rear of our vehicle and we sail darkly down the driveway.

"Turn your lights on Terry." Winnie orders from the passenger side.

"Don't want the arseholes seeing them. Besides, I know my own driveway."

The shooting has stopped, and Mel chances a glance back toward the shed.

"They're at the Nissan." She tells us.

"Shit, I left the damn keys in it." Terry yells back as he sails out the driveway and onto the highway.

"Where are you going?" Mel yells. "We're supposed to head into town."

"They'll expect that. Trust me." He floors the accelerator and propels us down the dark highway in totally the opposite direction.

"Shit, shit, shit." Mel says and taps madly at her phone. "Sitrep... Mobile in armoured vehicle heading... north on Gayndah Road. Confirming four targets, two armed with handguns. Multiple shots fired. No injuries. Can you track my gps?"

"Uhuh. Good. I don't know. Terry's idea. Taking us- Shit, I just saw them swing out onto the highway. They are mobile, heading south in a white Nissan four-wheel-drive station wagon. Rego is Tango Papa Bravo Six Seven. Roger. Wilco."

Above the sidevalve hum and the strangely calming sound of the steel tracks on the bitumen, I can hear Penny crying and Connie holds me tightly.

"Terry. Double back if you can. Anne is letting locals deal with the incoming Nissan and has SERT maintaining course to the farm. I reckon we have maybe five minutes until they realise we didn't go that way, ten if we're lucky before they get back and around eight minutes until SERT arrives. If we're lucky we-"

"Hold on then love." Terry laughs and turns us off the road and toward the fence. "Duck down again ladies and gents."

The sound of wire stretching and snapping as we straddle a fence post and burst through, sounds like a gun shot ricohet.

"This is actually kinda fun." Connie laughs like an idiot.

"You ever thought of joining the cops?" Mel asks.

"Fuck that." We both reply as one.

A short time later we idle in behind the shed and park in the dark shadow of the big Camphor Laurel tree. Mel instructs us to quietly exit and regroup inside the house. She leads the way with her gun drawn and I follow close behind. The others rustle along behind me through the cool dark night.

Mel turns and indicates with a waving motion for all of us to move to the side. She glances quickly around the door frame and then indicates, 'follow / come'. She is three steps inside the back door when the world explodes in noise. A woman points a spraying gun at us, and I shove Mel hard to the side.

Mel is thrown back into me and I see blood spray from her torso onto my face. I'm blinded momentarily and then I see the woman aim her gun again. She's pointing it past me, and I know it's at Connie. Instinct moves me. Bam, bam, bam. Pain explodes in my chest and my ears ring. Someone pushes past me, and I collapse into the dark. Vaguely, I'm aware of more voices. They sound like cartoon noises. Someone pulls me upright and then I hear 'whoomp whoomp whoomp' over and over and I sleep.

~*~

I float on Chrystal blue water. Soft waves lull me gently and white sands beckon from the shore. The sun's caress is gentle and the voice of the wind is low and whispers of a children's book. It's a silly story I know from somewhere about a mouse that went for a walk and met a fox. It declined the fox's polite invitation to lunch with a made-up excuse about visiting a 'Grufallo'.

It hurts to smile at the remembered story and the stinging at my ear pains me enough to make my eyes flicker and drag me from my pleasant dreams. Into a sudden world of pain and bright and machines. But a very welcome world, where the first thing my eyes see as they properly open is a sleeping Constance and a 'focusing very hard on reading properly', Penny.

There's a plastic tube attached to my hand, I notice as I raise it to brush hair from my Penny's face. She shrieks mid story and Connie lurches upright. Then there are Doctors and Nurses and none of it matters because Connie is alive and holding my hand and Penny is scowling at staff who suggest that she shouldn't lie on my chest.

"Mel?" My lips are dry and my tongue sticks when I try to speak.

"Fine." Connie tells me, "One in the upper arm. Meaty, but missed arteries and such. Big ugly scars. Wait till you see."

"Me?"

She rolls her eyes, "You just have to show everyone up. One in your lung, one in your shoulder and one grazed your temple. It's lucky your eyes are good though."

"What?"

"You lost most of this ear, you'd never be able to wear glasses."

Laughing really hurts. Hurting feels really good. It feels like I'm alive.

"You guys? Mum and Dad?"

"I sprained my ankle and broke three knuckles. Penny is fine. Mum and Dad are celebrating down at the pub."

"What happ-" My voice is giving out. My chest is really sore.

"Hello, Hero." I turn my head to see a beaming Mel.

"Not a hero." I wrinkle my nose and squint, embarrassed.

"Fuckwit, you pushed me out of the way, otherwise she would have got me right in the heart. Then you jumped in front of Connie. Sounds like a hero to me."

"Con... Hon. Your..." I point at her hands; my chest is burning.

"Hahaha." Mel laughs. "It was fucking precious. Do you remember training with the rubber gun? Therese let off two at me, three at you, then had some sort of stoppage. GI Jane here stripped her gun from her, threw it back to Terry and went UFC on the bitch. I had to call out to her to stop. There was blood up the wall and Therese's jaw was all kinds of fucked up."

"Therese?"

"Gary Goodwin's partner in CIB. Anne is having an absolute field day with them at the moment. They were in on the local dirty movies. Three more victims. Locals picked up Gary and their spouses in Terry's car. Let's just say they'll be keeping Roger company for quite a while."