Take it or leave it-

Start date: 20.12.02 End date: I duno yet

Blue Heelers don't belong to me; I don't own the places, characters except for Jake Hart.

Comment: I got bored so I decided to write about something I liked, please be nice, it's my first time.

Comments are welcome - jinnybts@hotmail.com

~*~*~*~*~

At the small police station in the small country town of Mt Thomas, where five officers were currently on duty.

' Good morning, guys!' Evan walks into the station where he worked at with Tess, Ben, Jo, Pj and Tom. Jonesy was the last to arrive.

"Ah! Constable Jones, I see you are late again!" Tess commented from her seat.

" Yeah mate, tell us about the girl that keeps holding you up in the mornings." Jo could help but throw a quirk like that to Jonesy and watch Tess' reaction, but Tess only reacted by shifting her weight uncomfortably. Everyone knew that Tess had a thing for Jonesy and Jonesy a thing for Tess. They had also noticed that since the Taylor's case two weeks ago, the two, Jo and Tess, had almost seemed like friends.

"There is no girl, it's more a guy, he-"

Evan was interrupted by Ben who said

" What, you suddenly gay now 'eh? Man I always thought you were-"

"You idiot! No! Now let me finish, I met up with an old mate, Jake his name is. We used to go to High School together. He's certainly changed though, more wild and daring. Probably enough to do murder and kidnapping I'd say id you want me to rate it."

"Well in that case, if it isn't some, female Gala Lima, I suggest you start the readouts" Tom interrupted after noticing Tess' reaction from his office and catching some of the conversation.

After that happened, they all got back to their desks, filed some paperwork until the phone rang. Jo snatched it up, nodded, said yep a few times and scribbled madly on a pad. After hanging up the phone, she tells the others " Body found at a guy named Harts' place, who wants to go with PJ?"

Jonesy had grown considerably quieter, and was deliberately trying to busy himself, looking out the window nervously at times.

"Ok then, I'll go" Jo states simply then yells " PJ!" In the car, PJ asks for the details so far. Jo fills him in saying that there was a murdered woman over at Harts found a neighbough, Mrs. Smith.

For the rest of the trip, the two are silent, Jo found herself thinking, was it just her, or was PJ's attitude to life changing. Ever since they had found a spark between them, they had been happy, until, that was, the last few weeks. She couldn't figure out the difference in him.

PJ was also thinking similar thoughts. Ever since two weeks before, he hadn't really been concentrating much on work, life, anything. Just comparing Jo with Maggie, he knew it was wrong. He knew that one person couldn't replace another, but he just couldn't help it. He really cared for Jo, but enough to forget about the past and leave the memories of Maggie behind?

" Here we are," Jo said jolting PJ back to reality

"You ok?"

"Yeah fine," PJ replies with a smile.

After picking up no leads and finding no clues, the returned to the station, they resumed their patrolling, paperwork and car cleaning.

Tess was thinking about Jonesy, the way he had reacted after Jo had answered that phone call and told them about Harts. As a sergeant, Tess tried to keep her relationship with Evan strictly at work and at work only. Somehow though, Evan always had a way of getting to her, ever since Jack she hadn't been happy and no one could reach her, except Jonesy and her Boss, Tom. But, things were getting normal again, and she had been happier lately.

She walks outside for some fresh air, and on a sudden impulse, she walks over to where Jonesy was cleaning the car. Tess puts her hand on his shoulder, he turns around in surprise.

"Sorry to scare you." Tess said fidgeting nervously.

" So what's up?"

"Nothing much, listen Jonesy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure" Evan answers "Ask away."

"Evan, tell me why you were suddenly all quiet today when Jo told us about the call about Harts?"

Evan stammers out an excuse, or at least tries to.

"Evan, please, tell me what you know, I only want to help" Tess pleads.

After a while, Jonesy answers "You know that mate I was telling you guys about, the one when Ben thought I was gay, and the one that made me late. Yeah, well his name is Hart, and if you do the math, you'll see why I was so quiet."

"Ohh...Ummmmmmmm....... gee, Evan..." Tess is shocked by this information and she just stands there. Finally, she walks back into the station.

Inside, Tess checked the computer on Jake Hart. He had assault charges, illegal weapons charges and even attempted theft. I guess Jonesy wasn't joking about the guy, Tess thought to herself.

The next day, an anonymous tip was made, to go to the old shack across the field from Harts. Jonesy had taken the call and had turned pale after it, therefore receiving a few 'are you OKs?'

So it was arranged that Ben, Jo and PJ would go to field since Jonesy said that he would prefer to stay at the station and Tess wanting to keep him company and keep the station open since the boss was at a meeting.

The three in the car were joking and talking all the way to the site, after getting there, they found nothing.

When they get back to the station, Tess asks. "What happened, what did you - "

She was interrupted by PJ.

"I'm going to kill that bloody bugger, when I find him, calling us out here for nothing." Pj grumbled when he was entering the station.

"OK, that explains it. So it was all a hoax?"

"Yep" All three that went said together.

"Did you rehearse that?" Jonesy inquired.

"Rehearse what?" they answered again.

Black Storm- il continue soon, but im outa ideas!