Decided to add another chapter and I'll probably add a few more soon. Please enjoy!

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Chapter 2:

As Shannon walked up the corridor of base, she couldn't help but smile. She'd had a great night and an even better morning and nothing could wipe the smile from her lips.

"Have a good night?" she heard a voice next to her. She turned and saw Stella and Christian coming up behind her.

"Yeah you could say that" she replied, still smiling.

"Ahh" Christian exclaimed with a knowing smile "I know that look- you got a root last night".

Shannon opened her mouth disbelievingly and shook her head as she heard Stella erupt in laugher next to her.

"No I didn't" Shannon exclaimed, glancing from Christian to Stella and shaking her head profusely. She sighed deeply and continued on to the change room with her colleagues hot on her heels.

"So was it good?" Stella asked, her eyes wide with interest, desperate for any new gossip.

"Well it'd have to have been" Christian interrupted just as Shannon opened her mouth to speak. "I mean look at her- she's got that 'post awesome sex glow'-look at her, she's shining".

"What are you talking about Christian?" Shannon asked, raising her eyebrow disbelievingly and shake her head in confusion.

"See?" Christian replied, glancing at Stella for backing up. "You're relatively happy this morning, which is weird considering that we've got a 12 hour shift today and you've been smiling contently since the moment you stepped inside the door this morning- saw it with my own eyes".

"No I haven't!" Shannon exclaimed.

"Ahh" Christian said, wagging his finger at her "denial- another classic sign- you've got the bug my friend, you've got it bad".

Stella, who was sitting quietly up to this point, watching the unfolding conversation with interest couldn't help but start to giggle.

"What bug?" Shannon exclaimed, glancing from Christian to Stella with frustration. "Just leave me alone" she bellowed, returning to her locker.

"Whoa" Lawson interrupted, walking into the change room and waving his arms to stop the shouting. "What's going on here?" he asked, glancing at his colleagues, waiting for an answer.

"Nothing Lawson" Christian told him, the smile disappearing.

"It didn't sound like nothing" he replied. "I heard Shannon shouting, so what's going on?" he asked again, this time, only looking at Shannon, who didn't meet his gaze.

"Nothing" she told him firmly, meeting his eyes.

"Sure?" he asked her with his eyes.

Shannon gave Lawson a look that he knew only too well. It was a look that said "just leave it alone- none of your business".

Lawson gave her a single nod and went to open his locker. He heard Stella sigh and stand up, she came over and opened her locker, which was next to his and start to take out her vest and holster.

He also heard Shannon exhaled deeply and slam her locker shut. She was huffing slightly as she paused in front of Stella's locker. Shannon leaned in until he was inches away from Stella's face.

"Who I sleep with is none of your business" Shannon snarled quietly before turning and storming out of the room.

"Geez" Stella exclaimed, watching Shannon leave "yeah fine- be a bitch" she muttered to herself.

"Hey hey" Lawson interrupted, closing his locker room and looking at Stella. "No need for names" he told her sharply.

"Don't tell me you're defending her" she exclaimed, folding her arms. "We were just having a joke" she added, glancing at Christian who nodded in agreement.

"I'm not defending anybody" Lawson replied calmly, he wanted to keep this as neutral as possible. Taking Shannon's side might make the team more suspicious- and he knew that neither he, nor Shannon wanted the team to know just yet about their 'relationship'.

"Well what then?" Stella demanded "coz it sounds like you're taking her side".

"Look" Lawson sighed "this is obviously a…" he paused to find the right wording "sensitive issue with Shannon and she just doesn't appreciate being probed and teased about it".

"Whatever" Stella replied, waving it off. "She still didn't need to be a cow about it, going off at us like that".

Lawson nodded once and left Stella and Christian to finished getting changed as he headed out to the cars.

There he smiled to himself when he saw Shannon sitting in the passenger seat of TR1. She had left the door open and was staring empty mindedly into space.

She must have been so distracted by her thoughts because she didn't even hear him walking towards her.

"Don't worry about Stella" he told her warmly, leaning against the side of the car next to the passenger door.

"Huh?" she asked, looking up at Lawson, her face blank.

"I said, don't worry about Stella, she's just stirring, you know how she is" he replied, chuckling at her.

"Why are you laughing at me?" she asked, looking hurt.

"Because you look so cute when you're daydreaming" he told her, with a warm gentle grin.

Shannon couldn't help but smile.

"I told Stella to cool it" he explained.

"What?" she exclaimed, looking up at him with wide, shocked eyes "I told you not to get involved".

"Just relax" he quickly replied, hold his arms in front of him in defense "I remained neutral. I just told her calmly to lay off; who you sleep with is none of her business" he added.

Shannon sighed deeply and nodded in reply, looking down at her hands.

"Thanks" she mumbled.

"No problem" he answered simply, folding his arms and leaning back against the car.

"It might not be any of her business" he said "but it's defiantly mine" he added with a cheeky grin.

Shannon couldn't help but giggle quietly and looked up at Lawson who just winked at her. She wiped the smile and reached up out of the car, resting a hand on his elbow.

"Thank you" she whispered with a small tight smile.

"What for?" he asked, giving her a confused look.

"For just being you" she replied simply with a smile, giving his elbow a gentle squeeze.

"That's something I can't help" he explained shrugging his shoulders jokingly.

Shannon couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey I've forgotten my phone in my locker, be right back" she said, getting out of the car and walking back towards the locker room.

"Tell the others to hurry it up, haven't got all year" he shouted after her.

Shannon walked towards the locker room but paused before entering as she heard Stella's voice.

"I can't believe what she said to me!" Stella exclaimed.

"Yeah but from what you've told me, you were having a crack at her" Shannon heard Josh calmly reply. Shannon suddenly felt giving Josh a hug for defending her.

"Whatever" Stella replied coolly "she was still being a bitch….and then Lawson came in and had a go at me" she added dramatically.

"Really?" Shannon heard Michael ask, trying to sound casual but obviously loving what he was hearing "what did he say?"

"Just that whoever Shannon sleeps with is her business and that I have to back off".

Shannon heard Michael scoff "he's one to talk" and she felt the sudden urge to storm in and punch both Stella and Michael hard. She felt so angry and hurt that they were all bitching behind her back that she could feel the hot tears start to form in her eyes.

Wiping them hastily, she cleared her throat loudly and stormed into the room. She tried to avoid eye contact because she didn't want them to see her eyes. She glanced up for a second and could see the guilty expression on Stella's face.

"Lawson said to hurry up" she mumbled staring at the ground as she spoke "he's waiting for you at the cars".

Stella nodded, grabbed her stuff and left the room, looking flustered, followed by Christian and Michael.

Shannon waited until they left before stalking to her locker and opening it with such force that the door might have swung off its hinges.

She grabbed her phone and stuffed it inside her vest pocket, slamming the locker door hard behind her. Shannon sighed heavily as she turned and faced her locker, resting her forehead against the cool metal.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned slowly to find Josh standing in front of her, looking concerned.

"You alright?" he asked gently, squeezing her shoulder in reassurance. "Stella shouldn't have been talking about you like that behind your back".

"Thanks" she replied, giving him a tight grateful smile, trying to hold back the tears that were starting to form.

"You alright?" he asked her again.

Shannon couldn't get herself to speak, knowing that tears and sobbing would probably follow; instead she just nodded and plastered a fake smile on her lips. Josh just gave her a reassuring smile and left the locker room.

Shannon couldn't help herself; she just leant back against the locker and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She let the tears fall and she let out a small quiet sob.

She hated the way she was feeling at the moment. She felt like a school girl again, being bullied and bitched about. She felt so alone and outcast. She felt like hugging her mum and crying to her and telling her everything that was happening. She had never picked Stella to be so nasty. Sure she was a joker and loved the attention but she never seemed like a bitch.

After a few more sobs and tears, Shannon sighed and wiped the last tear away. She exhaled shakily and slowly stood up. She didn't want anyone having to come find her and see her in such a state, so she decided that it was best that she just got out there, she didn't want to seem weak.

She wiped her eyes sighed as she started walking towards the car park. There she found the team standing around and waiting, they all glanced in her direction as she walked towards them. Shannon glanced up and saw that Stella was standing at the back of the group avoiding Shannon's eye, obviously still feeling either pissed or guilty or possibly both.

Shannon looked down at the ground as she got closer to the team. She didn't want anybody, especially Lawson to see her red, puffy eyes, which made it obvious that she had been crying.

"Sorry….bathroom" Shannon muttered as she came up to the team.

"Alright" Lawson said, glancing around at his teammates "let's go" and with that, they started to file into the TR vehicles.

Lawson stopped Shannon quickly "are you alright?" he asked with concern, trying to catch her gaze.

Shannon sighed angrily and looked up at Lawson furiously who looked even more concerned when he saw her red, puffy, tearful eyes.

"What's happened?" he whispered tenderly, glancing around at the rest of the team who were eyeing them.

"Oh suck it up princess" Stella scoffed bitterly as she passed them.

Shannon didn't reply, she just stared at Stella venomously.

"Hey…." Lawson whispered, touching Shannon's arm. This made Shannon shoot back at Lawson, her eyes filled a mixture of frustration, hate, fury and hurt. He couldn't help but be filled with worry.

"It's nothing, just leave it" she grumbled to him, shaking herself of his light grip and climbing silently into the back to the car, slamming the door behind her. She did up her seatbelt and folded her arms, shooting Christian in the driver's seat a hateful look in the rear view mirror.

Lawson sighed deeply. It was going to be long shift.

…..

I'll try and update ASAP. Please remember to review!