Alice sat facing Hannam, studying his face through the gloom. The man stared into space, there was no expression on his face, she wasn't even sure he was looking at her, just through her. She shifted ever so slightly. The place he had forced her into was cold and wet and the dampness seeped through her clothes, and her back hurt; sore from where he had pushed her against the mortuary table, and now it was beginning to ache. If she had the chance to make a run for it she didn't think she'd be able to move. He blinked, alerted by the tiny movement and adjusted the position of his gun.

'What has Major Blake done to you?' She asked. She decided that referring to Lucien by his military title would be better than 'doctor', somehow she knew that the problem Hannam had with Lucien was army based.

'He should have come back in when Major Alderton asked him to.' Hannam stated blandly.

'But that part of his life is over,' Alice reasoned, 'he has responsibilities here now.'

'His responsibilities to the service are far greater.' Hannam informed her. 'Now shut up.'

Alice thought there was no point in agitating him so did as she was told.

She shivered, it seemed hours since their brief conversation had ended and she was feeling sleepy as well as cold. She daren't allow herself to sleep, the longer she sat there the deeper into hypothermia she was likely to slip and if she slept she was unlikely to wake, and Hannam wasn't concerned for her welfare; she was collateral damage. Watching him he didn't appear to be affected by their surroundings. Her stomach rumbled; she had had a sandwich with Jean for lunch, but that was all, she was supposed to be dining with the Blakes and Matthew that evening. She tried not to think of sitting at Jean's table and eating one of her delicious meals, it only served to make her hungrier. She tried to surreptitiously look at her watch. Time moved slowly when one was not occupied, but she was surprised to see it was now just after five o'clock. Had Lucien gone back to the morgue, had he seen her note? What if he had finished whatever else he was doing and then just gone home? Even if he had, she thought, Matthew would have gone down to see if she had finished, to remind her she was going with him to the Blakes. He always did, she had a tendency to get caught up in her work and lose track of time. What she would give to feel his warm arms round her right now, sore back and all!

She leant her head back against the rough wall and sighed. The damp felt as if it had crawled into the very core of her being and it was difficult to stop shivering.

'Major Alderton would not have approved of your actions, you know.' She said, wondering if she could appeal to his misplaced loyalty to the late officer.

'By any means necessary.' Was all that Hannam would answer to that.

'Is that why he kept Mei Lin's survival a secret, until he could use her as leverage?' Alice questioned the use of an innocent woman and the love her husband had had for her.

'The Major had his reasons.' Hannam would not be drawn.

'It was cruel, unnecessary.' Alice murmured, 'not the actions of an honourable man.'

'Major Alderton was more honourable than you will ever know.' Hannam was beginning to get annoyed with this woman, and Alice knew she was playing with fire. 'Blake has no honour.'

'Major Blake is honourable, loyal.' Alice passed back.

'Then why is he still with his housekeeper?' Hannam wondered.

'He and Mei Lin agreed to go their separate ways, Alderton left it too long. He had already decided to move on with Jean, and he and Mei Lin had been apart too long to repair their relationship.' She told him, 'but then, Alderton just took someone else's wife rather than one of his own, so he didn't understand how love actually works.' Which was rich coming from Alice who was still trying to work out that particular part of her life, having found someone who apparently loved her later in her life than most people.

'That's not true!' Hannam had never believed the rumour that the Major had slept with Blake's wife, and even if he had she must have led him on.

'Actually Mei Lin admitted it.' Was all that Alice would say.

'Bitch!' Hannam spat.

Alice shifted slightly, she was stiffening up, he leapt over to her and pushed her harder into the rock.

'Ooh,' Alice groaned, 'my back!' Feeling the sharp edges cut through her lab coat and press against at least one vertebrae.

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There was the sound of a footstep. Hannam tipped his head to listen, putting his free hand over her mouth.

'Alice?' A quiet question, but with his hand over her mouth she couldn't answer and, much as she wanted out of the predicament she was in, she didn't want Lucien to charge in alone. Hannam listened again, not entirely sure what he had heard.

'Alice?' A little louder, 'Alice, are you alright?'

Hannam moved his hand away. 'Answer him,' he whispered.

'Major Blake,' what could she tell him? She most certainly was not 'alright'. She was cold, hypothermic in fact, her clothes were wet, she was tired, hungry and thirsty, and her back hurt dreadfully.

In the tunnel Lucien stopped, nobody called him 'Major' any more. Why did she? He thought, he too had been alerted to Hannam's escape from custody. The guard had been hurt and disarmed. Surely not? What on earth was he doing here in Ballarat? Alderton was dead, he and Mei Lin were divorced, the whole sad affair was over. Alderton's methods had been discounted as those of a sick man, driven by fear of insurgents, of communist agents he was sure were roaming Australia. Shell shock, they used to call it, but whatever, it was a sick mind, a terrible legacy of war.

'Tell him to come in.' Hannam mouthed this time, not wanting his prey to hear him. She shook her head. He pushed to gun against her forehead and she knew that if she did not comply she was dead, and she didn't want to die. A single tear rolled down her cheek and for once Alice was not embarrassed.

'Major, I need your help.' There was a quiver in her voice, a quiver that Lucien noticed.

Major Blake turned to look behind him, Superintendant Lawson, Bill and Charlie were there, along with two military police officers that they'd had to wait for. They all heard Alice's voice wobble, Matthew looked worried, Lucien was concerned, he pulled his service revolver from his waistband but the MP's stopped him.

'I have to go in.' Lucien whispered, 'it's me he wants, and I will not have her life endangered.'

'Blake,' Matthew whispered, 'he'll take both of you.'

'Major,' one of the MP's spoke, 'he has the advantage, he's used to the light in there, you're going from light to dark.'

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Alice and Hannam listened for what seemed an interminable length of time. They could just about hear voices, just about, but it could be their imaginations.

'Call him again,' Hannam mouthed, pushing the gun harder.

'Major, please.' She tried to sound unlike her, desperate.

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Lucien straightened up and pointed his revolver ahead of him. As he moved forward he thought about his tactics. Hannam was a soldier, he would treat him as such and be Major, not Dr, Blake. As he moved further into the tunnel and round a slight curve he could just see the Sergeant standing pointing his gun at something, presumably Alice. If he got this wrong...

He stopped, how does one bring a rogue soldier to heel?

'Sergeant Hannam!' He bellowed, 'Attention!'

In her little rocky space Alice saw Hannam's eyes widen, he stood to attention and turned to face his superior officer, it was as if someone had flicked a switch. She swallowed and held her breath. Turning her head to the tunnel she saw a figure, unmistakably Lucien Blake, upright, but shrouded in the shadows.

'One pace forward, Sergeant!' He used the clipped authoritative tone of a parade-ground Sergeant Major. Hannam followed orders.

'Weapon for inspection!' Blake continued in his haranguing of the soldier, but Alice was sure this was a step too far, and she closed her eyes. All she heard was the sound of six bullets hitting the floor as Major Blake emptied the cylinder of its projectiles.

She opened one eye, Lucien was indeed inspecting Hannam's gun! He spun the cylinder, looked down the barrel, pulled back the hammer.

'Dirty weapon, Sergeant!' He declared, 'Drop and fifty press-ups, now!' he barked, Alice wasn't sure he wasn't enjoying himself just a little too much.

Hannam dropped to the floor and started his punishment; Lucien stepped aside and the two MPs rushed in and grabbed Hannam by both arms, hauling him to his feet.

'Sergeant Robert Hannam,' one of them spoke, 'you are under arrest for being AWOL, assault of a fellow officer, kidnap and assault of a civilian.' He was frog-marched out of the mine to an awaiting army truck.

Lucien went to Alice, followed by Matthew who was close behind the MPs.

'Alice,' Blake said, gently, 'are you hurt?' Silly question, really, but he had to ask before he attempted to move her.

'Umm...my back, ' She murmured, 'he pushed me against the mortuary table, and again against this rock.' She looked into his eyes. 'It hurts.' Her eyes were full of tears, she was cold, wet, shivering, hungry...

'Can you stand?' He smiled reassuringly at her.

'Don't think so.' She didn't think her legs would hold her up, 'I have full feeling, though, I don't think there's spine damage.'

Lucien smiled, she was trying so hard to be rational when all she probably wanted to do was cry into someone's chest, and that someone was more than likely Matthew Lawson.

Matthew turned as he was tapped on the shoulder by Charlie, who silently handed him a blanket from the waiting ambulance; they had come prepared for every eventuality.

'Thanks, Davies.' Matthew took it, 'Blake,' he said quietly, showing him the blanket.

Lucien stepped aside as Matthew bent down to Alice.

''Put your arms round my neck, Alice, 'he whispered. She looked up at him and tried to smile but she was shaking with cold and all she could do was hold back the tears, just about. 'I'll try not to hurt you, but we need to get you out of here.'

She did as asked and he put his arms and the blanket round her, gently lifting her up, supporting her until he could wrap her up and swing her into his arms. It did hurt but she forgave him and buried her head into his shoulder.

'Matthew, hospital. I need to look her over, check her back, she's very cold, probable hypothermia and dehydrated, too.' Lucien looked at his friend, who just nodded his agreement.

They got her into the ambulance and Matthew stayed with her as they headed back into Ballarat, Lucien had asked him to try not to let her go to sleep just yet, so he stroked her head and talked to her, any stories he could think of about when he was a boy and he and Lucien used to play at the old mine, even though both sets of parents had told them not to.

'I want to go home, Matthew.' She hiccupped.

'I know, but let Lucien look at your back first, and make sure you're alright, eh?' He soothed, 'then, if he'll let you out of hospital I'll take you home.' He smiled at her, all he wanted to do was to take her home and hold her, keep her warm his way. He reached over and squeezed her hand.

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Lucien was waiting for them when they wheeled her in to the hospital and he took her into a curtained off area with a couple of nurses. The nurses changed her into a gown, washing her with warm water explaining exactly what they were doing and why, all the while comforting her. Lucien let them do their job before he looked at her back. There was bruising from the shoulders down to the base of her spine, worse around her waist area where Hannam had pushed her against the table. Some grazing from her time against the rock in the mine which he cleaned and dressed.

'I'd like an x-ray of Dr Harvey's back, please.' Then he spoke to her, 'I need to make sure there's no damage to any vertebrae or anywhere else.'

'Can I go home if there's no damage, please?' She asked, plaintively. If she was going to be miserable, and she was, she wanted to be miserable in her own home.

'Well,' he was unsure, he would prefer her to stay overnight, be looked after, and he told her so.

'I'm sure I will be looked after.' She appealed to him.

'Let's get the x-ray done first, eh?' He smiled at her, he knew full well who would be looking after her but neither of them were going to put a name to her prospective carer.

The x-ray was pure agony. Lying flat on the hard table while it was taken she was just about able to hold her breath as long as the radiologist needed, she had never been so happy to lie on her side on a hospital trolley.

Matthew was allowed to sit with her while Lucien inspected the picture of Alice's spine, there didn't appear to be any skeletal damage. He sighed, another reason for her not to stay in hospital. She was dehydrated but not enough to warrant an overnight stay with a drip, and she would be just as warm at home as in hospital. He would have to relent and let her go home.

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Not quite finished yet. A short? chapter should tidy everything up. Thank you to those that have read this story, and for the reviews.