Heath had brought Casey out to a nice secluded spot in the state forest. The spot he'd picked was perfect, they were on flat ground at the base of a rise, the horizon well above them. Heath's hand was still pretty tender, but mostly this was practice for Casey.

"You ever use one of these before?" Heath asked, passing Casey a handgun. Heath had one for himself too. They'd come out here because these guns were illegal. Ever since the day Martin Bryant had put a hole in his manners down at Port Arthur the gun laws in Australia had been tightened considerably. Heath had been eleven when Johnny Howard had felt the need to make his mark as a new PM with his firearm reforms. It meant Heath had never held a shooter's licence because anyone with a criminal record was exempt, and he'd been in juvie by the time he was sixteen. Brax owned legal guns, but they'd been confiscated when he'd been charged, not that that would've helped their situation, neither he nor Casey were licenced and therefore were not supposed to use firearms. Not to mention their intended use...

"Does killing Dad count?" Casey said, running his hand appreciatively over the weapon. Jesus, Heath could be such an idiot sometimes.

"Fuck Case, I'm sorry..." Casey shrugged.

"Beginners luck I guess, it's not like I really know how to use a gun, you and Brax never took me hunting." Casey seemed more upset about that than killing their Dad. Yeah, they could pull this breakout off.

"Those trips were more about getting pissed than killing pigs, you know that. There just aren't that many hogs around here."

"Still, ya's coulda took me once," Casey scowled. Were they really gonna fight about something that happened ten years ago?

"If you'd been Mum would you have trusted eighteen year old me with a gun and your baby?" Even Casey couldn't argue with that.

"I 'spose not," Casey admitted, "you were kinda a loose cannon."

"Uh-huh," Heath said with fond remembrance of the days when nothing mattered. "Anyway, I'm making up for it now. So," Heath continued, noticing that the barrel of Casey's pistol was pointing straight at him. He reached over he gently guided Casey's aim towards the ground. "The number one rule is always treat a gun as though it's loaded, even if you're sure it's not. And that means only ever point it at something you wanna shoot."

"Okay," Casey said with a nod, all business now that the lesson had begun. He taught Casey how to hold the gun, how to load it, how to cock it, aim and fire. Damn Casey looked good handling a gun but Heath needed to keep his head in the game. Casey gave him a knowing look but Heath ignored it and continued the lesson, getting this right was most important thing at the moment. He needed Casey to be certain of the actions before they could attempt this and they were on a deadline. Heath didn't have to worry though, Casey turned out to be a natural. It figured, he was a convicted killer after all. It was a comforting thought to know that Casey could pull the trigger if he had to. Unlike their Dad though, the screws didn't deserve to get shot just for doing their jobs.

"Hopefully we won't have to use these but if it comes down to us or them, I know who I'm choosing."

"Aww, I knew deep down you were a romantic," Casey said.

"Huh?"

"I'd kill for you..." Casey teased.

"Without hesitation," Heath said seriously. Guns weren't a joke and when Heath told Casey things like 'I'd do anything for you' he meant them. If that included murder, so be it. Casey sensed Heath's solemn mood and stopped mucking around.

"I'm sorry Heath, it's just blowing off steam ya know?"

"Yeah." Heath did know because there were alotta things that could go wrong and they had everything riding on this plan now.

"So, where are we up to with everything?" Casey asked supportively, after they'd packed the guns back in their case and stowed the ammo.

"Well Ricky's on board-"

"You told her? We were gonna do it together."

"I had to, I didn't plan it. She kinda saw us...together the other morning."

"She knows?" Casey said anxiously, "why didn't you tell me? What'd she say?"

"I'm tellin' ya now. She was surprisingly calm about it actually, I think she's so focused on Brax and the kid that nothing else bothers her. She's coming with me to see him. You haven't changed ya mind?" Casey shook his head.

"I'll see him when it happens."

"Alright," Heath nodded, they didn't need to go over it again. "I've got the ID's happening, as soon as they're done I'll finalise the transport and I'll talk to Kyle about his part once I've talked to Brax."

"You know Heath, you're doing everything..."

"That's because you don't have the contacts I do."

"I know, but I need to do something to help."

"Take care of the gym. Make sure that everything's up to date and that the boys will be right to keep it running till Indi finds a new manager. Don't make it obvious though..."

"Okay," Casey nodded, "I can do that. What are we gonna do once we get there?"

"I'm not sure, it's kinda hard to figure out till we're actually there, but it'll work out." Silence fell as they both considered it. They'd need jobs and somewhere to live. It was a little daunting but it was exciting too, after all that's what all this was about, the opportunity to build a life together.

"Heath?"

"Yeah Case?"

"What if...well, what if everything doesn't go like we plan?" What if they got caught? That's what Casey meant. What he was really asking though was what if he went back to jail? Of course the thought had crossed Heath's mind, but he didn't dwell on it, believing their success was a foregone conclusion was the only way this would work. But Heath knew it was a possibility and he knew what going back inside meant for Casey. The fact that Casey was willing to risk it meant he was the same as Heath; they really would do anything for each other. Heath reached out and slid his hand behind Casey's neck, holding him steady and looking determinedly into those blue eyes.

"It will," he told Casey with surety, it had to. It was impossible now to imagine a future without Casey by his side.