Chapter Six-

"Harold, I don't need another officer; I have six very competent officers. Take her back, reassign her elsewhere. Just not here," hissed Kerry.

"I'm sorry Kerry, but I know you've got an officer who won't be medically fit for duty for a while, and Jessie is one of the best. I'm not taking her back; not until you can assure me that Shannon Henry will be fit for duty." Harold Jefferson hung up on Kerry, and she swore in return. Life had seemed so easy five months ago; now it just seemed to become incredibly complex. Lawson appeared in Kerry's office.

"What's the verdict with the new kids?" Asked Lawson.

"We've got to keep both at the moment. De Luca is staying for sure, Gallagher is here temporarily to take Shannon's position until she's declared fit for duty. You know, I remember a time when I got to choose the officers I wanted; Now Jefferson and Anna are doing it for me." She sighed in frustration.

"How's Josh doing?" Asked Kerry.

"He's going to have one hell of a hangover. That's not the worst of it though," said Lawson.

"What is it?" Asked Kerry.

"Leon found Tash's sister. Josh doesn't even know she exists," said Lawson. Kerry exhaled loudly.

"She's going to end up with custody of Minka. Josh has no legal rights over her, and Tash doesn't have a will. This is just the icing on the bloody cake," said Kerry.

"It's going to send him over the edge. Think he'll be alright?" Asked Lawson.

"I just don't know. I mean, when we lost Sandrelli, he pretty much fell off the grid. He's going to lose Minka, he's already lost Tash. I don't know what that will do to a man," said Kerry tiredly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it Kerry. Right now, we've got to find out who's after Anna, and how they found Andrew Dixon," replied Lawson.

"We can deal with that in the morning. Listen, can you take Josh and Minka home, and I'll drop Stella back; we've all been up since yesterday morning, and it's nearly six in the evening. If we don't get some sleep soon, we're all going to end up sick," said Kerry.

"I'll agree. See you at eight tomorrow?" Asked Lawson. Kerry nodded tiredly.

"See you then," she agreed. She walked out to where Stella and Minka were sleeping, and Lawson followed.

"Stel. Min. Come on, I'll take you home." Lawson pulled Min up gently and led her out towards TR1. He helped her into the back seat, and buckled her in. Josh followed soon after, staggering slightly as the alcohol's anaesthetic effect took hold. Stella headed for Kerry's car.

"See you tomorrow," she called to Lawson. He nodded.

"I'll just lock up and I'll be back," said Kerry. Stel nodded as she tried to regain her senses; she was so exhausted. Kerry came back a few minutes later.

"Leon's been kicked out, Daniel's headed home, Jessie's been picked up, and Christian's ducked off somewhere," said Kerry, getting in.

"Who's Jessie?" Asked Stella, yawning.

"Jefferson sent her across. I'll explain more tomorrow. For now, I'll drop you home. Get some sleep, and I'll see you at eight."


Lawson drove carefully before pulling up outside Josh and Tash's place. He glanced across at Josh, and then back at Minka. Both were fast asleep, exhausted by the day's events. Josh stirred as he realised the car was stopped.

"Mate, you and Minka need some sleep. In a bed. Come on, let's get you inside," encouraged Lawson. Josh mumbled something, and then pulled his keys out. Lawson took them and as Josh and Minka got out of the patrol, he unlocked the front door.

"You guys right here tonight?" Asked Lawson. Josh shrugged his shoulders and headed to the main bedroom. Minka went to her room, slamming the door. Lawson thought about leaving, but decided perhaps the best option was to stick around, just in case. He pulled out his phone and dialled Kerry. She answered on the second ring.

"You get them home safe?" Asked Kerry.

"They're here. I just don't think they should be alone at the moment. I'll stick round and bring them both in tomorrow. That sound okay by you?" Replied Lawson.

"Fine by me. I've got to pick Shannon up tomorrow, and she can't be left alone, so she'll be in as well. Full house," replied Kerry. Lawson sighed.

"Tomorrow's going to be an interesting day."


Kerry woke up early, her phone vibrating it's way off her bedside table. She picked up the phone and answered it.

"Please tell me you know it's six in the morning," she answered blearily.

"Inspector Vincent, I'm a nurse from Melbourne Hospital, Katrina. We have an Anna Vargas here asking for you," said Katrina nervously.

"Tell her I'm not coming in; I have other things to get done today," replied Kerry. She heard the phone being passed over, and sighed as Anna's voice carried down the line.

"I need you here Kerry," demanded Anna.

"And if you're in the hospital, I can keep track of you better. Do you want me to find out who's making the threats?" Replied Kerry curtly.

"Of course I do, but..."

"No buts Anna. Seriously. If you need a lift home, call one of the many other people who are in your network. Not me." Kerry hung up on Anna, and got dressed. She needed to pick up Shannon in an hour, and she was nowhere near ready. Forty-five minutes later, she was in her car in desperate need of a coffee, heading to Melbourne Hospital to pick up Shannon. As she rocked up, Shannon was signing her discharge papers. Dr Raynor was with her.

"Take the medications, and please don't stay by yourself at the moment," said Dr Raynor.

"I know, alright?" Snapped Shannon.

"Come on; if you're ready to go, I need a coffee, and we've got a hell of a day ahead of us," said Kerry.

"You mean, I'm back on the team?" Replied Shannon eagerly.

"Not by a long shot; you are being interviewed by the team today so we can profile Andrew, and see if we can work out who's trying to kill Anna. For now, your position on the team has been temporarily filled by Constable Jessie Gallagher," said Kerry. They climbed into her car and sped away towards base.

"My position has already been filled?" Exclaimed Shannon indignantly.

"Not a choice I made Shan. Jefferson made the decision for me," replied Kerry.

"Great. Sounds like today will be amazing," grumbled Shannon.

"Think about poor Minka and Josh; Tash's sister Amanda is coming down from Sydney to take Minka," said Kerry sadly.

"What about Josh? Can't he take her?" Asked Shannon.

"Not really; he's not her legal guardian, and he's not related to her. She goes to the nearest relative. You know that."

"I know, it just seems a bit rough, that's all," responded Shannon.

"Cross the problem as we come to it." Kerry parked her car, and the pair walked inside. Christian and Daniel were having a coffee together.

"You must be Shannon. I'm Daniel De Luca," said Daniel, introducing himself. Shannon pulled away from him, unsure, and Kerry saw firsthand what sort of damage had been done by Andrew Dixon's actions.

"He's okay Shannon. He's been checked out," said Kerry softly. Shannon just nodded to Daniel. Daniel glanced at Christian.

"Don't worry; I'll explain later. How are you doing Shannon?" Asked Christian.

"Ribs are sore, fingers ache, and my face feels like I did a round with Mundine," said Shannon tiredly. Christian nodded.

"Team meeting in ten," said Kerry before pushing Shannon into the office with her. Jessie was sitting with Lawson, Josh and Minka, laughing about something. Before Kerry could open her mouth, a young woman knocked on the door behind her.

"Hi. Ah, I'm Amanda Davies. I'm looking for Kerry Vincent?" She asked timidly. Kerry nodded, and led her into a quiet cubicle.

"Amanda. I assume Leon told the news of your sister?" Said Kerry gently. Amanda nodded.

"I can't believe my sister's gone," she whispered.

"Normally, in these kind of circumstances, someone would have taken care of this, but most of our agencies are quite busy at the moment, so we offered to do this," said Kerry.

"You want me to take my niece," said Amanda, wiping away several tears. Kerry nodded.

"She's been living with one of our officers. He was together wth Tash; it was his baby that passed away. At the moment, I really think that Minka should be with some family; Josh would have been my candidate, but Tash's old will still stands. Family gets her, not Josh." Amanda glanced through the glass at the redheaded girl clinging onto Josh.

"She's so amazing. How can I tear her away from Josh?" She asked tearfully.

"It's going to be hard on both of them Amanda. Very hard. But Minka can't rely on Josh forever, and I need Josh to be back on his game. You understand that, right?" Asked Kerry.

"I'm an officer too Kerry. I understand it. Just because I'm not in a fancy team like yours doesn't mean I don't get it," snapped Amanda.

"Do you want to meet your niece then?" Asked Kerry. Amanda nodded.

"Wait here; I'll grab Minka and Josh," said Kerry softly. She left Amanda in the office, and stuck her head around the corner into the other office.

"Min. Josh. Can you come next door please?" She asked. Min and Josh stood up and followed Kerry inside her office.

"Who's this?" Demanded Josh.

"This is Amanda Davies. She's Tash's sister," supplied Kerry.

"She's going to take Minka, isn't she," snarled Josh. Kerry pulled him back out of the office and slammed the door, leaving Minka and Amanda inside.

"Of course she's going to take Minka! You're not her father, you're not related to her, and Tash's will wasn't changed when the two of you got together; Tash's old will states that Minka goes to the nearest living relative. Amanda is the nearest relative Josh, and you're going to have to be supportive about this. I know you've lost Tash, and I understand that it will be hard to let her go, but Minka's lost her mother, her father and her baby brother. She's going to need to be with Amanda, to be with her family. And I need you to be on your game, especially with Shannon out at the moment." Josh looked like he was going to argue a little more, but upon the sight of Minka and Amanda crying with each other, he kept his mouth closed. He looked at the floor, and then nodded.

"What about Mitch?" Asked Josh.

"Mitch went to Darwin to get away from everything. Leon's told him, and he doesn't want custody of her; he already got her in trouble once, and he doesn't want to repeat what happened two years ago. Amanda is the best person possible for Min right now. We'll keep an eye on her, okay?" Assured Kerry. Josh nodded, and walked away. Kerry dealt with Amanda and Minka, and soon had them on their way. It wasn't an ideal outcome, but it was the best for Minka. As she farewelled the pair, she turned back to her team.

"What now Kerry?" Asked Stella. She'd slipped in whilst Minka and Amanda were leaving.

"What now? Now, we work out who's after Shannon and what they want with Anna," replied Kerry. Leon appeared.

"Uh, Kerry? Anna just got another note at the hospital." Kerry walked briskly into the intelligence centre, and Leon pulled a copy of the note up on screen.

Anna,

You've seen the damage I can do to Tactical Response. I'll pick them off one by one until they're as broken as I am.

And then I'll get you.

Hope Shannon enjoyed her star treatment.

Love you.

X.

Kerry glanced up from the screen, and glanced around.

"Shannon, you shouldn't have had to see that," she said wearily. Stella put an arm around Shannon.

"We'll be right, won't we Kerry?" Said Stella.

"Damn straight. Leon, go through security cameras, see if you can find this prick."

Shannon wasn't the only one with a long road ahead of her...

Two extra team members meant two more to save...

One by one the puzzle pieces would fall into place...


And so ends another episode! There are more in planning, including one that may surprise you all - did Michael really die? (Always a good question - I am one for canon, but... Michael!)

There are new characters, and we've just lost some older ones - Minka will make a return somewhere else in the season, but I'm not telling you where!

I know some are not fans of Shannon, and I'm okay with that, and I also know that there are some who are upset with my breaking of the Shawson ship - there are reasons that will be explained later!

I am still planning the rest of the season, and will let you know the final results as I post them!

Stay tuned for the next episode - it will be a little less Shannon for those that had issue with that, and more focussed on the team (especially the two newbies!).

I love you all, thank you for your reviews, and see you next posting!

MissShawnaAlice xx.