Authors Notes: Hopefully a nice easy start to a story that will have plenty of twists and turns. All feedback greatly appreciated.

Chapter 1

After Hammersley returned to port, Mike and Kate went to Navcom for a quick debrief with Maxine before joining the rest of crew at the pub for farewell drinks with Bomber. Not long after they arrived, the rest of the crew decided they wanted to head off to a nightclub. Mike made his excuses saying he needed some rest while Kate said goodbye to Bomber and told Dutchy she thought her clubbing days were behind her, getting a knowing smile for her efforts.

As the rest of the crew headed off, Kate offered to walk Mike home. They had a few minutes of awkward conversation, mostly small talk, neither able to bring up what they really wanted to talk about, before walking the rest of the way in silence.

When they reached his house, Mike unlocked his front door and took a few steps inside while Kate stayed nervously on the doorstep. "Well, if you're sure you're ok, I'd better be going." Kate said.

"Kate, I need you to know, starting tomorrow I'm going to be doing everything I can to get off Hammersley, starting with my meeting in the morning with Maxine." Mike said as he took a step back towards Kate.

"I know." Kate said almost whispering. "There's always the possibility that I could leave.." Kate trailed off as she looked up into Mike's eye's.

"It's my time to move on." Mike said, taking another step closer to Kate. "Kate, don't leave tonight. I thought I was going to die today and all I could think about was that I wanted was to see you one more time, touch you one more time," he said reaching up to touch Kate's face, "kiss you one more time." He said quietly as he leant down and placed a soft kiss on Kate's lips.

"Mike," Kate said softly using every ounce of self control to stop herself from responding to his kiss, and not just go with the moment, "If we're going to do this, it has to be for good this time. You can't leave in the middle of the night for another posting, or come back on Hammersley." Her voice pleading, "I can't do this again and then pretend it didn't happen," her voice barely above a whisper as her lips caressed his cheek while his continued kissing down her cheek to her neck.

"Kate," Mike replied as he lifted Kate's chin forcing her to look into his eyes, "I'm not going anywhere. And I'm especially not going back on Hammersley. Whatever happens, the only thing I want is to be with you."

Kate looked into his eyes and seeing the sincerity in them, and hearing the desperation in his voice she realised there wasn't a rule in the book big enough to keep them apart. Moving closer towards him, her lips brushed his, he responded by pushing his lips onto hers. Instantly the kiss turned into desperate kisses, full of passion and need for each other, the rest of the world disappearing. So absorbed in each other, neither noticed the car pulling up outside Mike's, only to take off again as he picked Kate up, closed his front door, and carried her into his bedroom.

Kate woke up feeling happy the next morning. The kind of happy feeling you get when you've had a good dream – only this was better because it was real. Mike was back in her life and not as a CO or friend, but as her lover and partner. As she looked over to where Mike should be, she saw that he was gone, replaced with a droopy couple of flowers and a note:

Morning Kate

My meeting at Navcom got moved up. I didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful, and you need your rest...

Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can,

Mike

Ps. Sorry about the quality of flowers – they were all I could find in the garden at short notice.

Kate smiled. Getting up, she realised that one night of passion could result in several practical issues, the only clothes she had were the ones worn the night before, and she had no toiletries. She knew she would have to go home at some point today, but there was no way she was leaving before Mike came back.

Meanwhile, at Navcom Mike and Maxine were engaged in a quiet but very heated argument.

"Mike I have made my decision, now deal with it and get out of here!" Maxine said trying to get Mike out of here office.

"I don't accept it. If you won't let me off Hammersley, then Kate will transfer." Mike said still trying to force the issue.

"Unless it's for an interstate posting I won't allow it." Maxine said pulling rank.

"Then one or both of us will leave the Navy, there is now way we are both staying on Hammersley. This isn't just some fling Maxine." Mike said pleading with Maxine.

"Don't be stupid Mike. If the two of you can stay above suspicion for 6 months I'll bring you back here. I'll even re-consider promoting Kate." Trying a softer approach of explaining her reasons again. "It's like I said Mike, there are already rumours about the two of you. Chances are most of your crew know, and last night Ryan and I saw you. I'm doing you a favour here, if you were any other sailor you would be facing disciplinary action. And think about the position you have put me in. If I bring you back here and promote Kate it will look like I knew what was going on, and if Canberra find out I could end up in as much trouble as you two. If I force you both to stay on Hammersley it could actually help to stop the rumours." Maxine said as there was a knock at her door.

Mike looked out the window as a young sailor entered and passed Maxine a folder before leaving again.

"The Hammersley is being crash sailed Mike. There is a mayday not far off the coast and no other boats are in the area." Maxine said getting back to business.

"You can't be serious. This conversation isn't over.." Mike said before Maxine cut him off.

"Yes it is. 6 months Mike. Here are your orders, you should be back before tonight." Maxine said handing Mike the folder that had been given to her, indicating the conversation was over.

Mike left Navcom feeling sick. Normally he would have hated crash-sailing the crew, but that was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. Kate was going to kill him, and the worst part was he deserved it. He went over and over it in his mind, but there was no good way to tell her that he had been ordered to stay on Hammersley.

When he arrived home his heart sank even further, telling Kate of Maxine's decision was made even tougher by what he saw. Kate was in his kitchen. Her hair was wet from a shower, she was in her jeans wearing one of his t-shirts. If it was possible she looked even better than when he had left her earlier in the morning.

"I was just making some breakfast, would you like some?" Kate asked as she turned around to look at Mike, "Mike you look terrible, what happened?" She asked forgetting about the breakfast and moving to be closer to Mike.

"Kate, sit down, you're not going to like this." Mike said as he took her hands in his and walked over to sit down on his couch.

To Be Continued