It all Started with a Car Crash

"Oh, fuck no. I ain't dating no cops. Fuck that shit. He'll lock me up or some shit."

That hurt. I don't know, maybe she said it with the intention of hurting. I sensed her anger at the world.

Rather than bring us together, that incident seemed to drive a wedge between us. She seemed further away than usual. It was only Charles who gave us closeness.

It was a couple of months later when my world got torn asunder. My partner and I were on patrol when we were called to an armed robbery at the dairy on the southern end of town. It was a full on response. With sirens blaring, we raced to the scene. The dairy owner, a Fijian Indian, was laying in a pool of blood. He had been shot in the stomach by the two robbers.

His wife was kneeling beside him, wailing hysterically. Rob jumped in to assess the man. I grabbed the wife, and pulled her into a hug.

As I held her, Rob called out, "He'll be okay, it's not fatal."

I questioned the woman and found out the two robbers were a male and a female. The guy was the one who shot her husband.

The ambulance arrived, followed by the armed defenders squad. In New Zealand, police don't carry guns. We have them, but they stay locked in a safe in the car.

We were instructed to arm ourselves as we searched for the robbers. They had escaped on foot and were somewhere nearby.

We erected barriers to keep people and the nosy media away. The armed defenders went house to house. My commander instructed me and a couple of other officers to check the wooded area behind the houses.

That's when the gunshots rang out. It was impossible to hear from which direction they came. We rushed back to the command post. The robbers had been spotted and had fired. Honey Suavalu, had been shot. Honey was one of the three other female police officers in Toke. She was a lovely woman, married, with two kids. Now she was being rushed to hospital with gun shot wounds.

We were given fresh orders. Two other officers and I were dispatched to the rear of the houses, more to make sure that no kids were hanging around back there.

The armed defenders continued their house to house search. The robbers had been seen going into one of the houses.

At the tree covered area behind the houses, we split up and each of us moved stealthily along the fence lines and hedges.

That's when I spotted them. They were making a run for the trees. "Stop!" I screamed loudly. Pressing my radio, I called it in and aimed my Glock at the two offenders.

"Put the guns down, put your arms in the air."

They had stopped running and turned to face me. The woman looked nervous, the guy undecided. Our eyes fixed as he assessed their chances.

"Put the guns down," I said loudly, firmly. That's when the guy raised the sawn-off shotgun at me. I didn't hesitate. Hours and hours of training took over, and I fired. Against my training, I went for a leg shot.

I hit him, high in the thigh and he went tumbling to the ground, the gun falling from his hands. The woman went crazy and started sprinting towards me, screaming like banshee. She didn't have a gun, but she did have a large carving knife that she held up as if she was going to stab me.

"Put the knife down, please," I screeched, but she was almost on me. The loud bang resonated around the trees. She fell forward, her chest covered in blood from the wound.

The adrenalin pumped frantically through me, my heart beat that ferociously it felt like it might explode. I fell to my knees as the other officers arrived and I was encased in arms. "Are you all right?"

I couldn't speak, words just wouldn't come. I had killed somebody. I heard the chatter, there enquiries, their comforting words. I just couldn't speak.

I felt somebody prise my pistol from my clasping hands.

I was guided to the ambulance where they sat me down. "Are you okay?" the ambo asked as he shone a light into my eyes. "Can you speak?"

I nodded, and I felt the words crawling out through my parched lips. "Yeah, I'm okay."

My commander was soon by my side. "Great job, Charli. Well done, you did good."

"Thank you, sir. I didn't want to shoot her; I tried to get her to stop."

"Yes, I understand. That was a brave move going for the non-fatal leg shot. I am assuming that was calculated and not a misfire?"

"Yes sir."

"I should kick your arse, but well done. The woman, that was unavoidable, Charli. She chose her own road. You did the right thing. There is no blame to absorb. She was the one who made the decision."

"I had my camera on, you will see, I warned her, I tried."

"Charli, stop. There's nobody questioning you. There is no blame to be apportioned. You did the right thing. God knows how many lives you saved. That decision was hers. She put her own life in danger. You acted appropriately. I would have expected nothing less."

It was nice of him to say, but it didn't make it easier... I had taken a life; a woman was dead. All my teammates walked over to check on me. They all said the same thing. I knew they were trying to help, but I had to get away, get some air.

I stood up and took a few steps. The crowd had grown, TV vans everywhere, rubber neckers, the streets were full. It didn't matter which way I looked, there were people.

Our police lines were trying above all else to keep them back. As I stood there, meekly staring at the throng, suddenly there was a figure running full tilt towards me, I had no time to react, my tear filled eyes couldn't distinguish who it was.

Suddenly there were fists raining blows on my shoulders my breasts. "You fucking bitch. Oh my god, why didn't you call me?" Then her mouth was all over mine. Her legs wrapped around my waist, her arms tightened around my neck.

As our mouths separated, she cried loudly, "Fuck, do you know how worried I was. I thought it was you. All I heard was woman police officer had been shot. Fuck you, Charli. I was scared shitless."

Her mouth crashed back against mine, her tongue ravaged my defenceless mouth. The kisses grew in intensity and I staggered under the weight of her body.

"Fuck, Charli, I was so scared. I thought I had lost you. All these things I wanted to tell you and you were dead. Fuck you."

"Aroha, what are you talking about?"

She buried her face into the side of my neck. "I love you, bitch. I fucking love you, I was afraid I had lost you before I got a chance to say it."

"I don't understand..."

She untangled her arms and legs and stood in front of me. She put both hands on the sides of my face. Leaned forward, our foreheads touching. Our eyes fixed. "I love you. I've known for a long time, but I didn't want to admit it."

"You love me?"

"Yes, love. Are you going deaf? I was scared. Didn't want to be gay. I was worried that I was confused because you have done so much for me. I know now, the moment I heard that a police officer had been shot. I knew right then... I had to tell you."

"Aroha, I love you more than you will ever know."

"Fuck off, I know. I see it in your eyes every day. I was just confused, scared. I'm not scared anymore. I want to be part of your life."

That's when it hit me. "Where's Charles?"

"He's with Marama. I didn't want to bring him down here in case it was true, it was you who was shot."

We were back in each others arms again, and her mouth attacked me. This time, like a well trained police officer. I accepted her assault and replied in kind.

Her lips felt so good, just like I had always imagined, her sexy sweet little tongue, her gorgeous breasts heaving underneath her T-shirt, her hot body crushing against me.

As we parted, I whispered, "Can you drive me to the Station? I have to get away."

She grabbed my hand and we walked off. The TV crew tried to follow, but thankfully, they were kept at bay. My Commander met me at the lines. "Be in my office tomorrow. We need to do a full review."

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and Charli... Well done. You did us proud."

As we drove off, Aroha asked what happened and I recounted the tale. She started crying, and that got me going again. We had to pull over and hug. I needed her more then than I had ever needed anything in my life.

At home, Millie jumped all over me, but she soon stopped. She nuzzled up against me, her wet nose rubbing my hand.

Marama met us at the doorway with Charles in her arms. Aroha went to try and explain, but Marama laughed. "You don't gotta tell me what happened, girl. The whole bloody world knows what happened. You two making out like lovers in the middle of a crime scene. You girls are crazy. You don't have to tell me nothing."

Aroha blushed so hard and the tears came back. Marama pulled her into an embrace. "Girl, you don't gotta be ashamed. Love is love. I'm just glad you two finally woke up. We all knew. You don't hide that from the people who love you."

You aren't shocked?" Aroha asked ashamedly.

"Girl, you are who you are. I have seen more love in this house than I ever seen in any other. You are both meant to be. Why fight it. We love who we love."

With Charles in my arms, I felt like I was home. He provided all the elements that made our home a home. He grounded me, brought out the best in me.

He pinched my nose as I ribbed my face all over his. "I love you, little baby."

Aroha slipped into our embrace. "I love you both."

Marama left after a while. She wanted to know everything. She gave me another hug before leaving. "Sweetie, it's gonna be hard for you. Taking a life, it can't be easy."

"No, the look in that woman's eyes, that's not going away any time soon."

That night was a new world opening, having my love in my bed. We made love slowly, softly. Long into the night.

It wasn't easy, the bed was raided constantly by two confused dogs. Usually, they could pick and choose whose bed they shared.

Now, it was a crush. Add Charles to that mix and the world is a very overcrowded one.

The review of the incident showed I had acted in self-defence. I wasn't the only one filming the incident.

A couple of home owners had also captured the shooting on mobile phones through their windows. Thankfully, my warnings were loud enough to be heard.

It was tough. Not until you are in a situation like that can you begin to explain the emotions. Still, I was grateful to be exonerated of any wrongdoing.

I had to see a grief counsellor. I wasn't keen at first, but once I started talking to her, I realised I had a lot of guilt.

On a personal note, having Aroha and me coming together filmed by four different film crews meant we had a permanent reminder of that moment.

My parents phoned the first night, and Mum was torn between absolute fear and complete delight. She was incredibly happy that Aroha and I had found real love. My fellow officers never let me forget, either. They razzed the shit out of me. There were so many pranks I lost count.

Aroha, though, wasn't so happy. She begged me to give up the force. I wouldn't say we fought, but she made her feelings very clear.

Life goes on. We spent some money on the property, built some new kennels and converted the property into a trusted home where people could leave their pets. It built so quickly we had to expand again. It got to a stage where we made more money from the kennels and the grooming than I made at work.

It took us a while, but we got there in the end.