A/N: Thank you for all the reviews and waiting patiently... please continue to enjoy:-)

Chapter 25

Mike hung the headset back onto the hook where it lived and looked to those in the CIC. He had just agreed to meet Ruskov's demands and it made him feel sick to his stomach.

"I shall go brief Doctor Rios about the vaccine and get ready" Rachel said breaking the silence in the room. Mike nodded and watched as Rachel left the room. The woman was ill-equipped to realise what she was signing up for but Mike had agreed to the trade. So now they would all have to see it through to the end and hope they were the victors.

He took a moment and then looked to Burk and Green who were waiting for orders.

"Green, Burk " he said addressing them directly "You think you can take on 300 angry Russians? Well you have the schematics, make a plan. You have half an hour" Mike told them before he stalked out of the CIC.

"Hey, heard you were leaving us" Grodin said as he found Kate sitting in the Helo cockpit. She should have just hidden in her quarters until time because she really didn't want to talk with Grodin about anything.

"News travels pretty fast on this ship." Kate said as she had wanted to be alone and since the Helo was out of commission she figured the place would only be used for drills which weren't for a few hours. So she had just been wasting time with her own thoughts when Grodin decided to track her down.

"It's all the excitement" Grodin said moving into his seat, Kate made a face as she really wished he'd just read her body language and piss off so she wouldn't have to tell him to do so vocally.

"I'm so glad everyone's excited for me to be leaving" Kate said dryly.

"Well, at least the maple syrup will last a little longer with you gone" Grodin remarked idly. Kate wondered if he was trying to be funny because his comment seemed rather cruel given the circumstances.

"Maybe you should go hide all the maple syrup. I still have time left to drink what maple syrup we have just to spite you" Kate told him somewhat petulant because she was not feeling the 'love' from any direction on the ship. Except for Mike but that had it's own awkward limitations and rules.

"That would be childish and you'll make yourself sick" Grodin said.

"But I'd do it and frankly I was hoping you'd be stupid enough to go toddle off and save your precious Maple Syrup stores so I could be left alone to my thoughts" Kate replied dryly.

"Why would you want to be alone?" Grodin asked her. Kate turned her head and looked at him confused.

"Are you angling for sex?" Kate asked him. Grodin's eyes went wide in shock which was somewhat amusing to Kate as he sat up straighter in his chair and shook his head.

"What? No!" Grodin exclaimed as he looked embarrassed and slightly uncomfortable by her accusation.

"That's a relief, because I'm not interested in spending my remaining time on this ship with you. So do me a favour and go away" Kate told him.

40 minutes later,

Mike had only sat down at his desk after finishing up a meeting with Green and Cossetti when a knock sounded at the door. "Come in" he said loud enough for whoever was on the other side. He had expected Jeter to come in as it was getting close to when they would have to send Kate and Rachel off to the rendezvous point to picked up by the Russians. The door opened and Mike looked over his shoulder to the door surprised as Kate stood in the doorway.

"Lassiter" he said in greeting.

"you asked to see me?" Kate asked him.

"Jeter find you?" He asked as he asked the man to inform Kate but he didn't remember asking to see Kate. Then again he wasn't going to complain at her being here. Instead, he pretended he did give the order and waved her in, she stepped into the room and then closed the door behind her.

"So how long do I have?" She asked as she walked over to the guest chair by his desk and sat down. No, more like slouched in the chair. Even though her tone had a mocking lilt he couldn't help but wondered what had upset her in the CIC.

"Excuse me?" He asked her as he didn't appreciate her phrasing as it sounded like she was casually asking how long it would be before her execution.

"How long until I leave?" Kate said restating the question in a casual tone that really rankled him even further.

"20 minutes, you and Dr Scott will be taken to a rendezvous point via a RIB and the Russians will pick up in their helo and take you back to the Vyerni. There's a plan-" he started explain when Kate cut him off.

"Don't tell me" Kate said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"You need to know it" he told her firmly as he felt his annoyance at her nonchalant manner start to grow. He'd rather she be pissed off and yelling at him, then maybe he could let off some steam by yelling back at her because this mockery of indifference only added fuel to an already tense situation.

"Why? I'm like what… Sixth on the list of mission objectives?" She argued, it then struck him that part of her resignation was that she fully expected them to leave her behind.

"First priority is that no one is left behind including you" Mike told her, he was half tempted to call her ungrateful but then he knew she wasn't being petulant. She was being pragmatic, it was how she remained calm under pressure but he hated it as he just wanted her to be irrational when they were alone.

It wasn't that he enjoyed seeing her weakness or fragility but the fact that if she showed it to him then it was a sign of her trust in him. That he could and would looked after her and give her what she needed. Even if it was incredibly complicated.

"Ruskov is going to realise that I don't have my laptop or iphone with me and when he does. He's going to be ticked off and I don't see it ending well. Just in case it doesn't it's best I don't know anything that could harm your rescue mission" Kate told him in plain tone, underneath her calm façade she was mess. She just wanted to cry at how unfair everything was and punch Mike in the face for giving her hope for a future they were never going to have. Though in fairness she'd have to punch herself as well for allowing herself to think she could be with him and ignore all the painfully obvious facts of their current situation.

"You'll only have to stall" Mike told her. Kate snapped out of her reverie at Mike's words.

"Stall how?!" Kate asked him incredulously. "This Ruskov guy sounds rather switched on and to be honest I barely remember E&E training" She scoffed as she wasn't sure how she was going to stall the Russians for a few hours until Tex and the Captain were rescued. "Which come to think about. I think I was sick the day they told us how to proceed when US Navy trades you like a Goat to the Russians for their Captain" Kate said scathingly.

"It's not like that" Mike told her in low tone.

"I get it, Ruskov wants me and this mission and ship needs Captain Chandler. It's just business" Kate said apathetically.

"It-" Mike was about to remind her of a creed that no soldier is left behind when Kate spoke over him.

"I know, it's not that simple and I'd want to save my best friend too" Kate stopped talking and looked away, he waited for the 'but' and her to tell him that he was one bad command decision from destroying the main mission which was the vaccine and saving the world.

All the things Tom spouted about, if he followed Tom's orders then the Nathan James would be sailing off to the closest functioning lab facility to test and produce the vaccine. They'd be going home in an essence but Mike had stalled it and focussed on getting Tom and Tex back. He was already paying the price for it considering he was giving up Dr Scott and Kate to the Russians. Dr Scott was needed for the mission but Kate, she was altogether a personal price Mike was paying. But she said nothing, seemingly at a loss of words as she remained quiet.

"What upset you in the CIC?" Mike asked changing the subject before Kate could have the chance to berate him or maybe she remembered him well enough to know that he already thought the ins and outs of the situation and couldn't be bothered talking to him about since he had the conversation with himself already.

"What?" Kate asked blankly.

"You were reading something on your phone before you lost your cool and acted like a teenager. So what was it?" He asked her, as he was genuinely curious to what had made her go from being rather calm and collected to dejected and hostile in the snap of a finger. Her expression became troubled as she seemed to think about her response; weighing her options before she shook her head.

"It doesn't matter" she told in a dismissive tone. Mike turned his chair slightly, sat forward and looked at her head on.

"Matters to me because you went from wanting to fight to giving up like that" He said as snapped his fingers for emphasise how quickly her attitude had changed. "I've got a vested interest in you and it requires you not to do something stupid like get killed by the Russians. So what is it?" he asked her.

"I'm not suicidal and it's none of your business" Kate told him in a biting tone. She didn't want die but frankly she knew the odds were stacked high against her. Not to mention she wasn't sure how to explain what Evan told her and what her medical files. But what made her livid was knowing that he signed off on her being a test bunny in his company's scientific studies. That Jack her husband had to have known as well and said nothing to her, in fact pushed her to go have her medical check ups and flu shots.

"I beg differ. I care about you and if there is something that affects you then it affects me. Now talk" he ordered her, Kate rose an eyebrow at him as she couldn't help a wry smile play on her lips. Mike was giving her an order to talk to him, it was absurd, touching and a little amusing.

"Wow, your people skills could use some work" She remarked dryly, Mike made a face of displeasure as she dodged answering the question.

"If I tried to talk to you like a normal person you'd mock me for trying to use my 'cop' skills on you." Mike replied in a mocking tone feelign his mood grow darker by the second.

"True" she agreed but she'd only do so to get a reaction from him. She couldn't help that she enjoyed baiting him. It was the reaction she looked forward to as it was nice to know she wasn't the only one affected by their attraction. right now she had to soak it up as it would be the last chance she'd get to goad him.

"And I'm going to find out eventually. So why don't you just tell me now" Mike said to her, Kate gave a sigh and shook her head.

"There isn't enough time and what's the point? I'm leaving for the Vyerni. So why would any of it matter now?" Kate asked stonewalling him, her whole body language screamed at him to leave it alone but he couldn't because he couldn't let her go to the Vyerni in her current mental state.

Kate-" Mike started but she cut him off.

"Seriously, you're trading me to the Russians for the Captain which by the way contradicts what you said to me the other day. So your interest can't be all that 'vested' as I'm going to be hanging out with the Russians while you and the Nathan James save the world" Kate told him as she referred to his offer of them being together. He took a deep breath before he spoke vainly trying to rein his anger in as he really wanted to shake some sense into her.

"No, it doesn't contradict my offer because you're not staying on Vyerni. We have a plan, I'll admit it's not a great one but it'll give you a chance to come back" he told her while silently adding in 'to me' onto the end of the sentence. His patience was barely present for her scathing attitude.

"Be honest with me. Do you want me to come back? Cause this would get you off the hook" Kate said her tone was pragmatic and somewhat casual but there was an undertone of malice. Mike felt his control snapped as he was over her second guessing him and acting dejected and resigned to die on the Vyerni. So he grabbed her by the upper arm and with ease hauled her out of her slouched position to her feet and then moved her into his chair at the desk.

He pushed the chair in trapping her and then unrolled the sheets of Vyerni's schematics across his desk in front of her. He weighed down the ends with his coffee mug and his iphone before he placed both of his hands on Kate's shoulders and held her down.

"Hey!" she protested as she tried to get up but he had the advantage and held her in place. He gripped her just were her neck meet her shoulder with his left hand, holding her there. Kate's heart zipped from adrenalin as she hadn't expected him to manhandle her. She figured he'd just shut down and let her go off to the Vyerni with some empty goodbye.

"0400, the ladder room on the port side. I brought a copy of the schematics so you know where to go" he said as he leaned over her, he kept one hand on the curve of skin and tendons where her shoulder met her neck and with his other hand tapped the first location on the page.

"That is the ladder room" he informed her as he tapped the written red 'x' marked on the map indicating the location. "I don't know where you'll be taken but you'll need to get here. There will be a RIB waiting to EXFIL you and everyone out at 0400 hours. I'm telling you this because I want you on that damn RIB, got it?" he asked her. He looked down at her and saw she wasn't looking at the map. He was half tempted to grab her by the back of her neck and force her face forward to look but knew it was too aggressive even for him.

"Kate" he said, she looked to him. "I need you to know this, if I didn't care I'd have thrown you overboard 6 weeks ago or maybe earlier because you really know how to try my patience" he told her, that some odd reason got to her give him a faint smile. "So could you just focus and learn the schematics since I'd really like you to give me answer about if you'll come with me after my duty is finished on the ship"

"I could give it to you now" Kate said tartly and he knew she wouldn't be honest with him.

"No, you look someone resigned to the fact they are about go to their death and I think it has something to do with that stupid data packet. What did you read in that? Did it say you were dying?" he asked her.

"What?" Kate asked in confusion, Mike released her shoulder and turned to lean against the desk as she pushed back the chair and looked up at him with an expression like he was speaking another language.

"Are you dying? Is this why you're acting like you're not coming back?" he asked her.

"Not that I know of" Kate said feeling her answer was somewhat cryptic obviously it was as Mike's next question confirmed it.

"What do you mean by that?" he pushed as he wanted to know the truth. Kate pushed up from the chair and got to her feet and moved in close to him, she raised her chin in a defiant manner. It was sexy as hell to him when she did that as the confidence she exuded was beautiful.

"You know part of starting a 'fresh' and being 'friends' is learning to respect each other's privacy and earning one another's trust to open up on our deeply personal issues" Kate told him snidely. Mike stopped from saying his knee jerk response as he realised she had inadvertently given him the answer.

"So that's a yes to my offer" he asked for clarification as he felt a little smug that he had gotten under her skin just as much as she seemed to be under him.

"Yes" Kate bit out but she didn't look happy about it. It didn't impinge on Mike's mood as he gave a closed lip smile as she confirmed her answer made him happy. Something he hadn't felt for a while.

"Good because that means you'll not get yourself killed on the Vyerni cause you'll be breaking your promise to me" he told her smugly.

"Whoa, I didn't make a promise" Kate said rearing her head back and raising her hands in mock surrender. "You wanted to be friends with something to build on" Kate added in a mocking tone throwing his words back at her but he didn't care.

"You have to be here to build on 'it' with me. That's a promise of sorts." Mike told her.

"I'll do my best" Kate told him dryly.

"That's all I ask" he said being facetious. "Now I realise we're going to have to keep your phone here. So you'll use this one " He stood up releasing the chair and turned to the desk picking up his iphone. He then turned to Kate and held it in front of her "as a decoy. You'll have to make an excuse about the laptop as we can't part with any of ours" Mike told her.

"Fair enough" Kate said dryly as she took it and turned the iphone on. She saw the screensaver of his kids being cheeky. "You sure about me taking your personal phone?"she asked him surprised that he'd let go of something so precious.

"You'll bring it back" Mike said with confidence that Kate didn't feel.

"I'm not guaranteeing that. You should at least password protect it" Kate told him holding the phone out to him.

"You do it" Mike told her.

"No, it's better that I don't know the password. Have you backed up all this information?" She asked him as she gave him the phone.

"Yes" he said as he password protected the phone and handed it back to her.

"Good" She said as she put the phone into the inside pocket of her jacket.

"Now promise me you'll come back" he told her. He didn't know why but he needed her to promise him like it would guarantee her return.

"I don't make promises" she told him as she started for the door but he caught her by the arm and pulled her back to face him.

"Promise me" he ordered her, but instead of answering him. She grabbed him by the jacket and used it to pull his face closer to hers. He could have kept his ground but he wanted to see what she would do. So he closed the gap left between them, enjoying for the first time in months the pull of attraction between them.

"No, but considering we're alone for what could be the last time. We could have one last shag before I go. We got what? Twenty minutes before I leave?" Kate askedd in a flirtatious manner before she gently pressed her lips against his.

A rush of desire hit Mike low in the gut and it took every ounce of control to keep from giving in to his need and pulling her hard into his arms, kissing her savagely, and running his hands along the curves of her body. Instead, he made himself slow down and let Kate take the lead. Gently, so gently, she ran her tongue across his lips, slowly gaining passage to his mouth. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to move still more slowly, even slower now.

She tasted of maple syrup and tea an odd yet enticing combination of flavours. He caressed her tongue with his own and when she responded, when she opened her mouth to him, granting him access and deepening their kiss, he felt dizzy with pleasure.

This was, absolutely, the sweetest kiss he'd shared with her. Slowly, still slowly, he explored the warmth of her mouth, the softness of her lips. He touched only her mouth with his, and the side of her face with the tips of his fingers. She wasn't locked in his arms, their bodies weren't pressed tightly together. Still, with this gentle, purest of kisses, she had the power to make his blood surge through his veins, to make his heart pound in a wild, frantic rhythm. He wanted her desperately.

And then his part of his mind decided to remind him of the current situation, that Kate would soon ramp up the kiss and he knew where it would lead. So with great reluctance he pulled back from kiss just enough to break it.

"I'm not having sex with you just because you think you might not come back" he said against her lips.

"Could be our last chance for a quickie" Kate replied as she brushed her lips against his in a faint kiss.

"you're unbelievable" he told her wanting to laugh but also wanting to give in.

"I'm glad you remember. So how about it?" she asked as she slid her hands down the front of his chest and then back up in a slow and tantalising manner. He caught her hands in his and shook his head as he moved away from her.

"No, because if you want all of this" He stepped back out of her reach and gestured to his body " then you'll just have to get your ass to the ladder room, port side 0400" he told her. Kate threw him a look of disbelief and pure frustration.

"You're going to be such a tease now that I said 'yes' aren't you? " Kate asked him in a matter of fact tone which made Mike smile as he liked the power and the fact she said 'yes'. It made him very happy indeed even if other parts of him weren't in absolute agreement on remaining chaste.

"I prefer to think of it as motivation" Mike told her. Kate chuckled as she shook her head at him and threw her hands up in surrender and took a step back from him to put some much needed space between them to cool down.

"Well, then I'm going to go take my last shower and change into some ugly clothing" Kate told him, he moved past her to open the door when she pinched his ass.

"Hey" he complained shocked that she pinch him. She gave him a look of mock innocence.

"What? my hand slipped" Kate told him in an innocent tone.

"This is not what friends do with one another" he informed her.

"So you and Tom never had a little session of grab ass in the stateroom or showers" Kate asked in a mockingly innocent tone.

"No, it never came up" Mike told her sarcastically, Kate threw him a look that said she was taking his comment to a dirty conclusion and so he pointed at her before she could speak. "Don't finish that thought or say a word" he warned her, she mimicked the gesture of zipping her lips but she wore an amused smile before she pulled the door and left the room.

20 minutes later,

Kate spent her last twenty minutes on the Nathan James jamming Mike's iphone case with a small duct taped package filled with scrap pieces of metal and worn out washers and nuts. She managed to snap the case closed and then turned to Mike's iphone. She pulled out a blank page of white paper and wrapped the iphone up in it and then wrote his name on it. She couldn't pretend the iphone was hers or take it away from Mike as it was the only photo source he had of his kids besides what was in his quarters.

She heard the interior door to the Helo bay open and looked over her shoulder to see Mike step into the room. Her cheeks heated up slightly as she remembered their brief kiss and then a smile played across her lips as she remembered his scandalised look when she pinched him. She had to admit her only mistake was going slow. If she had kissed him harder and faster then maybe she'd be climbing out of his bed right now instead of fantasising about it.

"It's time?" She asked him as she placed his phone into the top drawer under the bench and shut it before giving him her full attention.

"Yeah" he said as he watched her stand up from her stool and picked up the iphone tucking it into her back pocket of her skinny jeans. She pushed the stool under the bench and started walking towards him. "You ready for this?" he asked her.

"No, who would be?" she asked him with a wry smile.

"It's going to work" he assured her, though he was sure he was reassuring himself more than he was her. The last twenty minutes had been the hardest as Ruskov called to double check that Mike wasn't incompetent at his job and remembered to send the women to him. It made Mike wish he could reach down the radio receiver and snap the man's neck. Now looking at Kate, he couldn't help but wonder if it was going to be the last time.

He was silently grateful they were alone as he wanted to kiss her one last time for luck or at least he told himself it was for luck but just as he had been about to make his move the door behind them opened. Mike folded his arms as if it was what he had meant to do all along and looked over his shoulder to the crewman.

"Sir, the RIB is ready to be deployed" he announced.

"Thank you crewman" Mike said in a Dismissive tone, the man took the hint and left. Mike looked back to Kate.

"I should go, I'll see you at breakfast" Kate told him awkwardly as she scratched the side of her neck, trying to act cool even though she was really wanted to beg to stay. But she wasn't one to beg and she owed Tex.

"That's it?" Mike asked her as he expected her to say something a little less casual.

"Are we having pancakes tomorrow?" she asked him, exasperating him on purpose as he expected her to kiss him or at least have a poignant moment. But no, she asked about breakfast. Mike caught her by the hand and pulled her into his arms. "Hello, this is a bit overly friendly" she commented mockingly, a smile on her lips.

"Don't read too much into this. It's for luck" He told her as he lowered his lips to hers, he was about to kiss her passionately but Kate pulled her head back slightly.

"You give everyone this token of luck?" Kate asked him with an amused smile on her face, he gave her an incredulous look as he was trying to have a moment and she was being irreverent with him.

"No, you're just special" Mike told her.