Mattie watched the whirlwind that was Jean Blake get everything ready for the trip to the cabin. Her heart ached for Lucien who stood holding the baby, just about all he was safe with. He had tried so hard to keep civil during the days at court, even cheerful, but everybody could see it ate him up more than Charlie and Matthew.

Charlie had put the kettle on but seeing that there was no milk turned it off again. He would wander down into town when the Blake's had gone and pick up anything else they would need. Perhaps Mattie would join him, some normal, boring activity was what they needed. He might be able to ramp up the excitement when they were alone.

They watched Jean back the Holden out of the drive and Mattie reached for Charlie's hand.

'Just us, for twenty four hours.' He smiled, the first proper smile since this whole dreadful affair had begun.

She noticed the twinkle in his eye,

'Just what are you thinking of Sergeant Charlie?' She smirked back.

'Well, let me see,' he tipped his head up and gazed at the sky, 'shopping first, I think, there's no milk. Then I suppose laundry and dinner then, well, who knows...' he winked.

'Something nice and ordinary,' she sighed, it sounded lovely. They went back into the house where Charlie changed out of his uniform into an open necked shirt and cream trousers.

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They walked hand in hand into town, neither caring who saw them. Their friends knew they were dating, or at least very close, after all they shared the same lodgings.

'Back tomorrow, Davies?' Hobart stopped them outside the grocers.

'Yes, Bill.' Charlie nodded, 'back to burglaries, petty theft and the occasional murder. Strangely, it sounds good.'

'Yeah.' Bill had given evidence in court but didn't know the outcome. He raised an eyebrow in an unspoken question.

'Five to fifteen years for the followers, life with no parole for Simkins.' Charlie answered, 'the boys are safe.'

'Good,' Bill nodded, 'I'll let the rest know.'

'Thanks.'

Bill watched the young couple continue with their shopping and smiled. Davies was a good copper and O'Brien was a pretty lass, they made a nice couple.

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Charlie pulled the twin tub out for Mattie and she set it going while he put away the groceries and made the much needed cup of tea.

'You're getting quite domestic, Mattie.' He pulled her onto his lap as he sat at the kitchen table. 'Perhaps I should teach you to cook.'

'Only if you learn to wash and iron.' She teased and kissed his cheek.

'Deal.' He returned the kiss.

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The air of domesticity continued as Mattie finished their laundry and set it on the clothes horse in the sun room. Charlie pushed the washing machine away for her and then started on cooking dinner. They had bought some lamb chops in the butchers so he decided to grill them and they could have some mashed potatoes and peas. They'd eaten well in the hotel so something simple was more in their minds. Much as Charlie liked his desserts he wasn't much of a baker but Mattie remembered how to make a cobbler so it fell to her to try her hand at cooking that part of the meal. She used peaches this time and Charlie voted it the best peach cobbler he had ever tasted.

'Don't say that in front of Jean.' She playfully hit his arm, 'she makes a good cobbler, in fact it's her recipe.'

'So it would seem you can learn to cook.' He teased and dodged a punch as he took the plates to the sink.

'Cheek.' She huffed.

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'Look at us,' she giggled later as they sat on the couch, 'we're turning into Lucien and Jean. You even drink his whisky.'

'Now that he doesn't drink so much he buys a better scotch. It used to be a bit on the rough side.' He looked at the light from the lamp sparking through the design on the crystal tumbler and the amber liquid.

'It was easier to drown in it, I suppose.' She murmured, remembering the dark days of Lucien drinking himself to oblivion, the days before he realised how much he loved his housekeeper and she him.

'Yeah.' He swallowed the last drop and put his glass down.

Mattie wriggled against his side and put her empty sherry glass down, this was so nice, sitting here, just she and her lover. Charlie pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head and sighed.

'You ok?' She twisted in his hold to look at him.

'Could be better,' he looked into her eyes.

'Oh, can I help?' She reached up and stroked his cheek.

'Perhaps.' He pulled her hand round and kissed the palm, then put his arms round her waist and pulled her into a hungry kiss, tasting remnants of the sweet peaches and sherry she had consumed, flooding her senses with heat and desire. She gave in to him, it wasn't difficult; and shivered as his hands moved up her side to level with her breasts, then her breath hitched as he passed his thumbs over the nipple area.

'Charlie,' she sighed, finding the buttons on the light cotton shirt easier to undo than the ones on his uniform. She felt his fingers pull the zip down on the back of her dress and slide inside to unclip her bra. She squeaked as she felt the band loosen. 'Upstairs.' She pulled her head back to look at him, dark devilment in his eyes.

'I'll just lock up.' He grinned and watched her skip up the stairs and heard her go into the bathroom to take care of things.

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She met him outside his bedroom door.

'You know, there's no reason why we can't use Jean's old room.' She nodded across the landing, 'the bed's bigger.'

'Are you serious?' His eyes widened and arouse as he was this was quite a step.

'She nearly booked three double rooms in Melbourne, then decided that for appearances sake...'

'Really?' He scratched his head, 'bloody hell, she's one heck of a landlady.'

'No one must know.' She put her fingers to her lips as if the walls could hear. 'Up to now we've got away with it because we've been here for long enough for people to realise that they leave us alone and, apparently, trust us.'

'Mattie,' Charlie grinned, 'we could make all the gossip go away.'

'Charlie, I don't know.' She smiled, it had crossed her mind, 'we've been through a lot lately, it would be seen as an emotional reaction.'

'Mattie,' he took her hand, 'you know I love you, don't you?'

'Of course,' she squeezed his hand, 'and I love you.' She looked into his blue eyes, 'ask me in a week.'

'Right, and then..?'

'I'll know it's right, if you ask me again.' She pulled him towards Jean's old room, 'now, where were we?' She giggled as he put his hands on her shoulders and slipped her dress and bra down to the floor leaving her standing in her knickers only.

'Two can play at that game,' she finished undoing the buttons on his shirt and pushed it back off his shoulders and down his strong, muscular arm. She un-tucked his singlet and he bent forward so she could pull that off him as well. She spread her hands over his chest, broad and strong, toned from all the running he did even when he wasn't chasing some miscreant. Half a step forward was all it took for them to be touching, her hardened nipples pressing against his ribs and he bent to kissed her, at first gently then tasting her lips and her teeth. He pulled her hips to him, so she could feel how much he wanted her. She groaned and slid her hands to the fastening of his trousers and swiftly dealt with those.

Hands were all over their bodies and Charlie walked her backwards, toeing his socks off as he stepped out of his trousers and pushed her onto the bed. He crawled to join her and worked his way quickly up her legs to her hips, kissing, nipping trailing his fingers and finding her slick and more than ready as he slipped his hand inside her knickers. He pushed them down and she kicked them off bucking against his hand until she shuddered and gasped. He grinned at her wickedly then pushed his shorts off. She was amazed he had maintained control when she had lost hers. He rolled and pulled her onto him, she was pink and glistening but not yet finished as she guided him into her and set up the rhythm, teasing him with slow moves until he begged her and pushed up harder until she increased the pulse and he spilled inside her as she threw her head back in her second, noisier, release.

Finally satisfied, she fell onto him breathing as if she had just run round Lake Wendouree.

'Bloody hell, Sergeant Charlie,' she gasped, 'you're some man.'

'I aim to please.' He stroked her shoulder.

'Shall we just say, your aim is true.' She shuffled up to kiss his lips and then curled up against him sighing contentedly.

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They slept deeply, wrapped in each other's arms, legs tangled, until the sun crept between the hastily drawn curtains. They had no reason to get up and made love again, this time a little less frantically but no less deeply.

Mattie stretched and smiled. If they did decide to marry, and she was sure they would, if he asked her at the end of the week, then she thought they would be permanently exhausted, but what a way to become so! She wondered where he had learned such techniques, she was no innocent but he had sure shown her a thing or two!

She went to the bathroom and tidied up, putting the diaphragm away, at least if they were married she wouldn't need to bother with it. There were a couple of times in Melbourne she had had to stop him before they went too far, and go and ready herself. At least last night it had been a natural break when he locked up. She pulled on her robe and went down to make tea. Jean had relaxed her rules about not eating in the bedrooms and now allowed tea to be drunk in bed the morning, as she and Lucien had taken to so doing.

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Mattie bathed first, while Charlie stripped the bed and took the tray down. He set the washer going for her and washed the tea things. She appeared behind him, quicker than he expected, and wrapped her arms round him from behind.

'Bathroom's free.' She whispered.

'Thanks,' he turned and kissed her cheek, 'your turn to do breakfast.'

'Ok,' she opened the fridge, 'bacon, eggs...'

'...and tomato.' He added, 'please.'

'Toast?'

'Great.' He headed up the stairs and left her to it.

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Charlie wiped his plate with a piece of toast and decided that if she could do a decent breakfast, which she had, and a first rate peach cobbler, then he could stand to do the roasts and stews. A reasonable division of labour, he thought.

'So, what are we going to do today?' He sat back on his chair.

'Finish the chores,' she sipped a second cup of tea, 'it's not fair to expect Jean to do everything when she gets back. I hope Lucien is better.'

'He always comes back from the cabin happy,' Charlie commented, 'wonder what they get up to there?'

Mattie spluttered into her tea, 'Charlie,' she hissed, as if they were being listened to, 'have a little imagination.'

He blushed, 'right, yes, ahem.'

She shook her head and smirked.

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It was a good day to dry laundry, Mattie reckoned they could have everything ironed and put away and the bed re-made by the time Jean and Lucien returned, if they kept to their usual timings.

Charlie wielded the vacuum cleaner and Mattie whizzed round with a duster before they stopped for a quick sandwich for lunch. After which Mattie showed Charlie how to iron his own shirts, at least, saying if he could do that he could do sheets and pillowcases when necessary.

'Shall I go and make the bed?' Charlie asked as she carried on with her task.

'Hospital corners, remember,' she teased, 'Jean makes a tidy bed.'

'Ma'am.' He saluted and headed off upstairs as she threw an un-ironed blouse at him.

They felt rather proud of themselves when everything was done and they were having a break.

'Easy, when you have someone to work with,' Charlie noted.

'Hm,' she pursed her lips, 'but I'm never going to be a fan of housework, really. It's something that needs doing, has to be done, so I suppose you're right.'

'Well, as you have been such a good girl, perhaps a little reward is due,' he teased and reached across the table to take her hand and kiss it, looking up her arm to her face with an expression that said the reward would be more than a kiss to the hand. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up, still holding her hand and leading her to the living room where he dragged her onto the couch and started to reward her properly.

His hand strayed under her skirt his cool fingers made her shiver and he grinned wickedly. She wasn't going to stop him he was driving her mad, it was ridiculous what he did to her and when he found the right place she found herself over the edge before she realised it.

'Charlie!' she shrieked, he hadn't even undressed her, just slipped his hand between her legs.

'Yes Mattie,' he hissed, 'want more?'

'Huh huh,' she put her hand over his arousal, oh, did she want more? But...

He held up one hand with a little packet in it, he'd decided in Melbourne that sometimes waiting for her to take care of such matters took the edge off the spontaneity of the act.

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They were curled up giggling on the couch, completely naked when the phone rang.

'Damn!' Mattie stood up and kissed his cheek as she went to answer it. Charlie headed upstairs to clean up and get rid of the evidence while she dealt with what was probably one on the doc's patients.

'Dr Blake's surgery,' she did not sound as if she had just made wild passionate love on the couch and was stark naked when she answered the phone. Charlie heard the next word, 'Dad!' A pause, 'what?! When?!' Her voice dropped.

'I'll have to ask Jean,' she said, 'she and Lucien will be back tonight.' She listened to her father continue talking.

'I really don't know, they may have other plans, it's been a rough few weeks, for all of us.' She smiled as Charlie put the robe he had brought down, round her shoulders, then leant into him. 'Can't you stay at the Royal Cross? Jean has got the surgery and a baby to look after, we all pitch in now.' She listened then put the receiver down, firmly, on the cradle.

'Bugger!' She echoed Lucien's usual curse, and turned to Charlie, 'Mum and dad are coming to Ballarat. Jean said they were always welcome here and he wants to take her up on her offer.'

'How long do they want to stay?' Charlie knew what annoyed her, her father's assumption that nothing had changed, and, no night time activity for them while he was here.

'A few days.' Mattie sulked.

'Right...' Charlie put his arms round her, '...and the guest room is below our rooms and you can be quite noisy.' He winked.

'It's not just that, well that is a part of it,' she was about to tell Charlie Jean's news, 'Jean's pregnant. They want to keep it quiet, until she's further on, but it would be too much for her, she does so much already and dad just doesn't seem to think he isn't giving her much notice and he must know about the case. He just bulldozes in as usual. Oh!' She stamped her foot, and stormed off upstairs to clean up and dress. Charlie tried so hard not to laugh and went to pick up their discarded clothes.

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She was still in a grump when she came back down, having cast a longing look to the bedroom they had used overnight, and stood in the kitchen watching Charlie prepare a dinner for them all.

She tipped her head, 'That's a car on the drive.' She headed to the front door, still angry at her father, scowling as she opened it.

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Well, three 'twenty four hour' stories for three couples. They will all come together again in the following chapter/s.