"Kate! I came as quickly as I could" he ran through the front door stopping slightly at the Police taking photo's of the scene
"I didn't… I didn't call you" Kate shook her head
"I did" Mike stepped out of the bedroom
"But.."
"Why don't you take Kate out the back, get her a drink" Mike looked at Aden
"Sure" he nodded placing a hand on Kate's back and leading her down the hall,
"Mr Flynn?" one of the officers interrupted
"Yes" he turned back to face him
"There's just a few questions we'd like to ask"
"Um sure" "Is their any sign of a forced entry?"
"Not that I can see but we didn't really take the time to look around" Mike shook his head
"And does your wife.."
"Does she what?"
"Well.. does she have a boyfriend or secret lover you don't know about?"
"Your kidding right, my wife is not one to cheat" Mike scoffed
"It's a logical question Mr Flynn, given your house was trashed and the words 'She's mine' are written on the wall in blood"
"Blood?" Mikes eye's widened
"It won't be conclusive until it's tested but yeah we believe so" he nodded
"And how much longer will you be? It's been a pretty traumatic night and my wife's pregnant so.." Mike took a glance down the hall seeing Aden pass Kate a glass of water into her shaky hands
"We'll be finished in fifteen top" the officer moved back over to his colleague.
"Are you okay?" Aden watched her slowly take a sip of her drink
"Oh yeah" she nodded slightly placing her glass on the railing
"Who.. who would do something like this?"
"Being in the Navy you're bound to make enemies here and there"
"You think someone you know did this?"
"I don't… want did they say?" she turned at seeing Mike in the doorway
"They've taken some photo's and samples for evidence"
"Oh god…" she teared up
"Do you want me to stay the night, for support?" Aden placed a hand on her arm
"I'm fine" she smiled weakly when Mike stepped forward
"Look thanks for coming, but I think I can handle supporting my wife" Mike wrapped his arm around Kate's back
"Yeah of course I didn't mean…"
"Mike" Kate sighed
"We've got a spare room if your interested"
"If your sure?" Aden questioned
"I'll go see the officers out" Mike sensed Kate's annoyance
"Sorry about him he's just…"
"Protective I get it, your pretty lucky Kiki" he nudged her arm
"Believe me it wasn't always so easy, Mike and I have gone through a lot to get here" she smiled sadly
"Well I look forward to getting to know him.. and you" he looked at her nervously
"Right.. come on I'll show you to the spare room" she cleared her throat picking up her glass she moved inside.
Rolling over just after 1am Mike ran his hand across Kate's side of the bed,
sitting up and turning on the light he was surprised to see her side empty and cold indicating she'd been gone awhile shifting out of the bed
he made his way down the hallway to see the back door open and Kate sitting on the back steps with Aden smiling slightly he made his way back towards the bedroom;
"Can't sleep?" Aden fiddled with his fingernails
"When you spent weeks on a Patrol boat sleeping just dosen't come as easily" she placed her empty mug down
"And Mike.. he's in the Navy too?"
"Ahh well Mike is my Commanding Officer"
"Wow.. Kate is sleeping with the Boss nice one" he nudged her arm playfully
"You can't help who you fall in love with and Mike, we share a colourful past it was only natural those feelings didn't disappear" she smiled sadly
"Did you have a good life, growing up? I mean now it seems like you've gotten everything you ever truly wanted"
"It was hard… I lived in an all-girls home until I was eighteen and then I joined the Navy" she shrugged
"Oh Kate.. I'm sorry"
"I tried to find you once I turned eighteen, booked a flight and everything"
"I had… I had no idea"
"Did Marcus… did he treat you well?" she looked at him sadly
"As good as could be expected from him I guess, when I turned sixteen he made me join the family business and I moved out of home when I was Seventeen"
"Family business?"
"Kind of like the repo guys you see on TV but for people not cars"
"So like a hitman?" she questioned
"Well no but…"
"Did you have a choice; I mean if given the choice would you leave?"
"Well yeah… if I had a reason too"
"Like Bomber?" she grinned elbowing him
"She's a nice girl but.."
"But what? You sleep with her and that's it?"
"Okay first of all she kissed me and secondly I didn't sleep with her"
"Just be careful, getting involved with a Navy person it can be.. it can be complicated" she picked up her mug
"You and Mike seem to make it work"
"Not always, there's arguments in the marriage and on board as co-workers mixing business and personal it can sometimes end in disaster I mean it was seven years again before Mike and I reconnected and even at the start it was… confusing"
"You and Mike have a past?" he asked confused
"We met at Watson's Bay where I was doing my Naval course he was a teacher and I guess even back then I couldn't resist the Flynn charm, even this little one will be cursed with the Flynn charm" she placed her free hand on her abdomen
"Your.. your Pregnant?" he raised an eyebrow
"Sorry… I keep losing track of who knows and who dosen't" she bit her bottom lip
"Wow… I'm going to be an Uncle?" he looked at her sadly
"Yeah I guess you are" she moved to stand
"Kate… there's something you should know…"
"Can it wait till morning, I'm exhausted and if I don't go to sleep now Mike's snoring will keep me up" she grinned
"Sure, sleep well" he nodded
"Night Jellyfish" she squeezed his shoulder before moving inside,
pulling out his phone Aden watched Kate walk up the hall before typing away
'I can't do it, unforeseen circumstances' he sent before turning off his phone and making his way inside.
"Everything okay?" Mike mumbled when Kate slid into bed
"Yeah just you and your snoring" she teased
"Excuse me?" he reached across pulling her against him
"Mike?" she ran her hand across his cheek
"Yeah"
"I love you; you know that right?"
"Of course I do" he shifted to hover above her
"No.. I mean I don't think you'll ever truly know just how much" she looked up at him
"Are you sure everything's okay?" he brushed the hair out of her face
"Everything's perfect" she shifted her head up meeting his lips in a slow kiss
"Mmm-I like where this is going" he groaned against her lips
"Happy Anniversary Sailor" she interlocked her free hand with his
"Happy Anniversary Beautiful" he leaned down teasing her in a kiss.
...
Stopping outside the spare room the next morning Mike pulled on his shirt when he overheard Aden talking on the phone before pulling the door open
"Oh.. Mike ah what can I do for you?" he placed his phone in his pocket
"I was just walking past, is.. is everything okay?" he stepped back
"Fine"
"Sounded like you were having a pretty heated argument"
"Nothing to be worried about mate" he patted Mike's chest
"I'm not your mate" Mike pushed his hand off
"Excuse me?"
"Look, I get you may be Kate's long lost brother but she is my wife and I'll do anything and everything to protect her"
"Mike, I don't get what…"
"Hurt her and I'll hurt you" he stepped forward
"Is this about Kate or that Bomber chick?" he grinned
"Kate is my wife, Bomber is apart of my crew and no matter who they are I will protect them"
"I don't intend on hurting anyone" he shook his head
"If your involved with what happened here yesterday"
"Woah hang on, you think I… she's my sister why would I trash her house?"
"So this isn't yours then?" Mike held out a locket
"Where did…"
"I found it down the side of the house, did you have something to do with the break in?"
"I don't know what your.."
"Either you tell Kate or I will" Mike shoved the locket against his chest
"And who do you think she'll believe her brother or her husband who has only ever caused her pain" he stashed the locket in his pocket
"You…" Mike stepped forward
"You boys coming for breakfast?" Kate called from the kitchen
"Just a second!" Mike called out
"Mike.."
"After breakfast, you leave and don't come back" Mike stepped aside
"You can't…"
"I will do anything to protect her, make up some excuse and leave before I go to the cops" Mike moved down the hall
"Your wrong, I'm not involved in this" Aden replied watching Mike shake his head before entering the kitchen and embracing Kate in a hug.