Authors Note: So this is the end, the final chapter, it's taken a while to get here but thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. Thanks for sticking with me guys, I hope you've all enjoyed the story.

Chapter 32

It was the second memorial service she'd had to attend in her short time as a teacher so far, it was two times too many. Lindsay sat among the teachers, Jess by her side as they listened to the principal give his speech. The students were all in their seats, emergency services and other people who had been at the school the day of the fighting, or people who had been affected by it somehow were all in attendance too, seated or standings around the outside of the teachers and students. They were holding the ceremony outside; there wasn't enough room in the assembly hall.

The principal stepped down from the podium and allowed others to take their turns, teachers and students, parents, the chief of police. Around the school yard were flowers, candles, cards, tributes to the people whose lives had been lost. The fighting had made national news and there had been an outpouring of sympathy and grief. Some people had chosen to get angry about it, angry at the gangs, the staff at the school for not better protecting their students, angry at the police for not doing more to prevent it.

They'd lost 14 lives that day, 11 of them had been kids at the school. There had been a lot more injuries and even two weeks later the fate of some of those people wasn't quite certain. It had been chaos for over a week after the fighting while they sorted out victims from offenders, while arrests were made, while the community picked up the pieces.

Danny found them after the service, he'd attended as well but she'd had to sit with the other teachers. He kissed her cheek as he reached her, hugged her tightly and she was grateful for the contact. He hugged Jess to, she was more than a little pleased that the two of them got along so well.

"How are you both doing?" he asked and Lindsay gave him a small smile.

"We're getting there," she replied.

"It's good to be back at work," Jess said, "I think it's exactly what I needed."

"Me too," Lindsay replied.

"I was meaning to ask you before the ceremony," Jess began as though she'd only just remembered something. "How did dinner with your parents go?"

Lindsay sighed, "It was progress, I suppose. They're still not accepting me and Danny but at least we're talking about it," she gave Danny an apologetic look but he just shrugged. "I think they know I'm serious about it all and cutting me off isn't going to change anything, especially now that I've got my own place."

"And a very nice place it is," Jess nodded.

"We have dinner with Danny's uncle tonight," Lindsay grinned.

"Don't grin at me," Danny narrowed his eyes at her but smiled anyway. "Just because you and my uncle like ganging up on me," he turned to Jess with a long suffering expression. "It's horrible; it's like being a kid again and getting picked on."

Lindsay laughed, "It's not that bad," she replied.

Jess shook her head, laughing as well. "You two are going to be a constant source of entertainment for me, I can already tell."

"Oh yeah?" Lindsay questioned. "Speaking of constant sources of entertainment, how are things going with your handsome detective?"

"What do you mean handsome?" Danny questioned but Lindsay ignored him.

"Pretty well," Jess replied with a blush. "He's here, somewhere," she added looking around. "And I'm going to find him, enjoy your dinner tonight."

Jess disappeared into the crowd then leaving Lindsay and Danny alone. She had been glad when her parents had agreed to dinner with Danny, it hadn't gone as well as she would have liked though. They'd been very critical of Danny who had handled it all with amazing grace. They'd heard all about the fighting at the school too and both her parents had taken the opportunity to tell her once again that it wasn't any place for her to be working. She'd welcomed it, at least it gave Danny a break from the criticism and nothing they said would have changed her mind about working at Heldon. She could do more good here than anywhere else, help more students to find their way in life and that was why she had become a teacher in the first place.

"There's a few people I need to speak to and then we can go," Lindsay told Danny.

"Take your time," Danny replied and Lindsay stepped up on her tip toes to kiss him.

"Have I mentioned I love you?" she questioned.

"Once or twice," Danny grinned. "I don't get tired of hearing it though, or saying it, I love you."

"Good," Lindsay smiled and grabbed his hands as she searched the crowd for the principal.

Stella hadn't been sure she was going to come to the memorial but in the end she'd decided she should be here. She'd stood in the back listening to the speeches. Beth had decided not to come and with everything the girl had been through Stella couldn't really blame her. She was doing well though, she'd started mixing with the other women at the shelter, taking part in the group therapy sessions and had even sat down with Annette to talk about the possibility of getting a job. She was pulling her life together and Stella couldn't help but feel proud of her.

"Mac," she called as she spotted him amongst the other police officers who had attended the service. He'd given a brief speech about what had happened that day and about moving forward and finding ways to prevent it from happening again.

It had been a good speech, inspiring and it had been immediately followed by an even more inspiring speech from the school's principal. She could only hope that after everything that had happened some people would decide to make changes in their lives. The gangs would probably never be stopped completely but it would be nice to see some positive changes.

"Stella," Mac smiled as she reached him. He was with the police detective she'd often seen him with, Don Flack.

"That was a good speech you gave," she said.

"Thank you," Mac replied.

"It ought to be, he agonised over it for days," Don grinned. "I caught him in his office muttering to himself several times."

"Well it paid off," Stella smiled. "Although I think the Principal had you beat for inspiration and emotion."

"I didn't want to make him feel bad," Mac replied with a shrug.

"Sure," Don replied looking around the crowd.

"If you're looking for Jessica Angell, then I saw her a few minutes ago talking to a couple of people over that way somewhere," Stella smiled. She'd spoken to the teacher a few times since the day of the fighting. She'd felt compelled to thank her for helping them out when she had been running with Beth. It had taken only minutes of comparing their notes on the whole thing to realise that their two cops were actually friends.

"Thanks," Don said and excused himself to go and look for her.

"There was a time when I wouldn't have condoned him getting so close to someone involved in a case," Mac said as he stared off after the young detective and then moved his gaze to Stella. "But that would make me kind of a hypocrite these days."

"I guess you'll just have to live with it then," she smiled and pushed herself up to kiss his cheek. "It's so strange to think how much things have changed in such a short space of time. A few months ago I was still with Frankie and working as your informant."

"Don't remind me," Mac grumbled. She knew she still blamed himself for everything that Frankie had put her through from the day he had walked into an interrogation room and she had agreed to work for him. She didn't blame him though because in the end a lot of good had come from all of that.

"We got Frankie off the streets, saved a lot of lives, I got a great job that I love and I got you," she stated. "I'd say I came out of it all on top."

Mac shook his head with a small smile. "No, I think I came out on top."

She put her arms around his waist and pulled herself into his chest. "We'll have to agree to disagree."

Don weaved his way through the crowd. Jess had been sitting with some of the other teachers throughout the service, he hoped she hadn't wondered off far from there. Things between the two of them were going really well. He'd been worried that he'd been too forward the day of the fighting by kissing her but she had been as eager as him to see where the relationship could go. It had been a crazy couple of weeks and they'd both been busy dealing with their respective sides of the mess that had been made by the gangs. They'd found the time to go out on a few dates though and Don didn't think he was ever going to get tired of her company.

He spotted her as she was about to pass him by, he called her name and she turned to him with a smile on her face and gestured away from the crowd with a nod of her head. He followed her towards a grassy area at the side of the school.

"I was just looking for you," she told him when they stopped.

Don smiled, "What a coincidence, I was just looking for you," he replied, turning serious for a moment. "How are you holding up?"

Jess turned her head to look at the crowd of people, students, teachers, parents, police and members of the community, all gathered together to remember the people that had been lost, to say goodbye and start the process of healing the community. "It's been a tough day, a tough few months actually but hopefully things will get better from here."

"Did you settle things with your father?" he asked her. She'd told him on their second date that her father had demanded she quit working at Heldon High School, that she take on a position at a better, safer school or stop working altogether.

"We talked about it," Jess told him and then sighed. "We yelled about it for a while really, then we started talking about it when we both got too tired to keep yelling at each other. He's still not happy about me working here but I told him it's my choice, that I became a teacher to make a difference and there's no where I can do that more than here. He's knows I'm not going to quit, no matter what he says. I think he's grudgingly accepted it for now," she told him and then smiled slightly. "He knows how stubborn I can be, at least he ought to, he raised me this way."

He could understand her father's point o view, this school hadn't proved to be the safest place in the world, particularly for Jess. He would have liked to have her working somewhere safe to, the thought of something happening to her was unbearable. He'd seen how stubborn and determined she could be for himself though, she was one of the bravest people he'd ever met and he knew there'd be no changing her mind.

"I'm sure underneath the worry for your safety he's proud of you," Don replied.

Jess smiled, "You know, I think he's going to like you, eventually, when he gets past the whole 'what are your intentions toward my daughter thing' at least."

That made a knot of anxiety form in his chest, "Let's hope so."

"I know so," Jess laughed as she took hold his hand and started walking towards the school gate. "I'm hungry, we should go and eat."

"Don't you need to stay here?" Don gestured to the crowd.

"No," Jess shook her head. "I talked to everyone I needed to before the ceremony. I'm all yours now."

Don grinned. "I'm very glad to hear that."

The End