My attempt at a little angst. Which will turn into a lot of angst...

Disclaimer: Don't own anything cept Zach and Emily


Lieutenant Commander Michael Flynn stood stoically atop The Hammersley's deck, binoculars poised at the ready as he watched his team speed towards the boat bobbing ahead of them. The late afternoon swell rolled around the ship as a dark storm blew in over the horizon. The distant rumble of thunder could be heard and Mike fleetingly wondered if sending the team out was going to end in trouble. Ahead of him the RIB hit a wayward wave and angled up in the air slightly, sending a spray of water onto its wary occupants and causing Mike's heart to skip a beat. He unconsciously let out the breath he had been holding as he pondered just how rough the elements could be.

"Weather's not looking to nice" noted Nav from behind the Captain, mirroring his thoughts. She stepped into view beside him, raising her binoculars to eye the boat ahead. Mike glanced towards her small frame, hair and sleeves blowing in the wind, and nodded in agreement

"They'll be fine" he noted, confident the team would be safe under Kate's able command. The Hammersley rocked unsteadily beneath them, up and down in time with the rising swell. Dark clouds swirled above, dulling the remaining afternoon sun light that peaked through over them; the usual sparkle that it scattered cross the water replaced by the white tips of the growing waves. The grey colouring of the day has quickly soaking into the atmosphere of the ship, dragging the spirits and daily actions down with it and blanketing a feeling of impending dread on the ship's sailors.

"How much longer do you think the light will remain?" asked Nav warily. She breathed in the salted air deeply, the damp smell of rain mingling with the usual scent of the sea. It was an intoxicating mix and her eyes fluttered sleepily under its influence.

"Long enough" replied Mike, positive the job would get done by night fall "That boat's not going to with stand this weather much longer and we need to know if anyone's on board"

"Who do you think they are?" asked Nav, prying her eyes open to look at the captain in question. She let her weight rest against the railing softly, turning away from the water to watch the man next to her instead. The binoculars lay limp against her chest as she tucked her hair underneath her cap, keeping the unruly wind from blowing it away.

"Honestly Nav, I don't know" admitted Mike, sighing in frustration at their lack of knowledge. He looked heaven bound, praying comically for an epiphany of sorts to explain his current situation. All he received in reply was a gust of salted wind and stinging cheek.

Kate heaved her small frame up onto the deck of the small boat. She'd been glad to reach it, thinking it would be steadier than the flying RIB but now she was on board she was beginning to doubt her earlier prediction.

"How on earth has the vessel survived this long" she muttered absently, searching the boat in vain for sign's of life.

"X" called some one from below, surprise mixed with urgency evident in their voice. Kate made her way towards where the call had come from, eyeing the deck one last time to make sure the rest of the team where all present before ducking underneath to meet Buffer. Her stomach took a turn as the boat lurched, the slow groan of wood as the water splashed against it doing nothing to help her impending sense of dread.

"Yes Buffer" she replied, grabbing a wooden beam above her head to steady her jagged movement. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance and both looked at each other in contained alarm.

"We have to get off this boat" murmured Kate, bringing her other hand up to stop herself tripping over her feet. Buffer was leaning unsteadily against the side of the boat; next to him a wooden door creaked open and a sniffle broke the silence.

Kate looked towards Buffer in confusion before taking a slow step towards the door, her brow creased slightly as Buffer pointed his hand in invitation.

"Take a look" he offered, his usually passive face contorted in uncertainty and surprise.

Kate stumbled unsteadily towards the door, leaning against it heavily as the boat lurched forward and the wind picked up a notch. A small cry emitted from behind the door caused her to swing it open in surprise only to be met with a sight that caused her to react identically to that of its cause.

"Oh god" she murmured, turning her gaze swiftly to the man beside her. Her breath caught subconsciously in her throat as she tried desperately to comprehend the site in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak but could only manage a whisper before the radio crackled into life

"X-ray two this is Charlie two" called Mike, his voice broken and mangled through the mixed reception of the storm.

"This is X-Ray two" replied Kate, staring steadily at the occupants of the boat.

"Are you almost done over their X?" asked Mike "Because I'd like you to head back now, the winds picking up speed and I'm not liking the look of the clouds coming in"

"Yes sir" Kate answered. She shared a look with Buffer, silently asking how to explain what was happening.

"Have you spoken to the captain of the vessel yet X?" asked Mike.

"Sir" interrupted Kate "Their doesn't seem to be a captain" she explained slowly, waiting for the reaction.

"X?" was all he asked in reply, confusion and even a hint of frustration evident in his crackled voice.

"The only people on board are children sir" sighed Kate, trying to smile encouragingly at the scared brown eyes staring at her from behind the door.

"Children" repeated Mike after a pause, "what exactly do you mean by children?" he asked slowly.

Kate shared a confused look with Buffer before replying to the question quickly "I mean sir that the only people on board the boat besides us are a baby and young boy"

Her explanation was met with another moment of suspended silence and Kate found herself holding her breath in anticipation of the captain's reply. For lack of something to do she bent down slowly in front of the children, smiling encouragingly at the young boy and the baby wrapped up in his arms.

"sh" murmured Mike moments later, causing Kate to cover the radio quickly as the boy looked up in surprise, brown eyes wide as saucer's at hearing such a word.

"Sir" muttered Kate, turning her head to the side to muffle any more remarks from the captain in the children's presence.

"Are you sure there's no one else on board?" asked Mike, partially dreading what would eventuate if Kate answered in the affirmative. He had enough trouble dealing when the team escorted passengers to the main land and back and their latest experience with child on board had only ended in tragedy. His chest tightened momentarily as Kate's answer crackled over the radio. "Sorry sir" was all he had in reply and suddenly he knew that it would be a very long night.

"Bring them over X" he muttered "be very careful though, the last thing I feel like is swimming for children if they fall over board"

He leaned his head against the cold metal of the radio before letting it fall by his side in defeat, the plastic spring the only thing stopping it from shattering next to him. Nav looked surprisedly at the man standing dejectedly next to her. His shoulders were hunched over, screwing up the bluey grey fabric covering them. His down cast eyes were glazed thickly, not with tears but sadness; deep sadness over something long past and forgotten. Something was causing Mike great pain to think about and Nav was having trouble understanding how two small children they were yet to see where having such a profound effect on her otherwise cheerful leader.

"Sir" she whispered meekly. She hoped desperately that she wasn't touching on anything to personal but she needed the captain at full capacity if they were to make it through the storm unscathed.

"Sir the RIB's returning now" she tried again, this time succeeding in grabbing his wavering attention. Mike's eyes cleared and shot up to where the RIB was speeding back to the Hammersley. He almost felt sick watching it hurtle through the waves but he couldn't decide whether the cause was the weather, or the distinct presence of an extra, small blonde headed body wrapped up tightly in Kate's arms. He coughed roughly to clear his congested throat before turning towards Nav. He nodded his head quickly in recognition of her words, trying to clear his rattled brain and the churning feeling in his stomach.

"Should we go down to help them up?" suggested Nav. She took a small step towards the captain; look expectantly at him as he struggled to find the words to articulate how he was feeling.

"Yes" he croaked out, looking down surprisedly at how unlike him the voice sounded. He followed the brown ponytail of the Navigator down the stairs to where the rest of the crew were already accumulating to help the young new passengers on board. Mike felt a few rough hands brush against him as he stumbled after them. He felt light headed, almost like he was floating softly away in a dream except he felt good in dreams. All he felt like now was emptying his breakfast out over the side into the churning grey water below.

He heard a few shouts in the distance, one distinctive female voice stood out against the others, shocking him back to reality and a deeper sense of fear. Before he knew what was happening he was bent down against the railing and a small shivering body was pressed up against his chest. He rose slowly as the body sniffled and hiccuped, shaking him violently. The tangled mop of wet dirty blonde hair peeked upwards so that Mike could see two pairs of deep brown eyes, stained with unshed tears and surrounded by podgy white, mud streaked cheeks. .

He stumbled back slowly to allow the rest of the crew to climb aboard and escape the furious wind that was blowing around them before starring back at the boy in his arms. The boy's dark eyes met his own chocolate pools in surprise and the pair spent a good few seconds starring straight at each other before Mike realised he was the adult and therefore should most likely speak.

"Are you cold" was all he could manage to think up and he scolded him self at asking such an obvious question. The boy nodded feebly in response before tucking his head against Mike's shoulder to escape the wind seeping in through his light clothing.

Mike looked up towards the rest of his team, some of which were busy with the task of getting the RIB back on board; the other's starring intently at him and the tight grip he had on the shivering child in his arms. He looked past the expectant gazes of his men to the other blonde haired person on board. He made a motion towards stepping forward but Kate's eyes turned towards his and their eyes locked.

Thunder crackled over head as the first bolt of lightning struck. Kate tore her eyes away from Mike before turning swiftly and all but running in the opposite direction, the small body of the brown haired baby girl secured tightly in her arms.

He struggled to call after her, taking a few small steps in her direction but gave up quickly after she rounded the corner, disappearing from sight.

The rest of the crew watched the exchange in confusion. They were used to a sometimes hostile exchange between the CO and XO, but nothing like the atmosphere of the last few minutes. Something had shifted and it had nothing to do with the crack of thunder as the first drop of rain plunged towards the earth.

It wasn't until he was hit squarely in the nose that Mike realised he was alone in the rain. The boy in his arms shuffled quietly, trying to shield himself from the threatening downpour though not once did he speak.

"We should get out of this rain" muttered Mike, speaking more to himself than the sniffling child. He met the boy's steady gaze once more and almost stopped breathing in surprise. He forced a quick gulp of air down his constricting throat, blinking quickly to rid himself of what he had thought he'd seen.

If he hadn't been quite sure of the truth, he could have sworn he was looking at a copy of himself aged four; the only subtle difference being the blonde hair, a stark contrast compared to his own dark mop.

"Impossible" he murmured, taking long strides down the walk way until they were both safely undercover. He smiled warmly at the boy to calm him down before walking of in search of Swain. He needed to make sure the child was not suffering from any bumps, bangs or bruises.

And maybe get his own eyes sight checked in the process.