"You changed your mind?" Dutchy took a sip of his beer when she stopped next to him on the deck at the local pub
"I needed to get away from Nikki, she keeps persisting on telling me all about how things went with Mike" she leant her arms on the railing
"Kate…"
"And I just don't have the strength to deal with it anymore it's exhausting"
"Um.." Dutchy tried to stop her when he spotted Mike moving towards them
"Hi.."
"Mike?" she turned looking at him confused
"Dutchy can you give us a minute?" he placed his empty glass on the table
"Well I.."
"Dylan, it's okay" Kate assured him
"I'll be inside if you need me" he squeezed her arm when he moved past her and inside,
"So I'm exhausting?" he stopped next to her
"I didn't…"
"It's okay, I know this can't be easy for you"
"No.. not really" she looked at him sadly
"And I know Nikki putting her nose in it kind of complicates things"
"So how did it go with her today?" she turned back around to face the ocean view
"I remembered a few things" he did the same
"Like what?"
"You're nickname for me…"
"Sailor" she grinned slightly
"I also explicitly remember a first meeting we shared that involved a coffee and your shirt"
"Oh god…" she covered her face in embarrassment
('I'm Kate, Kate McGregor'
'Mike Flynn, it's a pleasure Kate' he smiled widely
'Do I get a fresh coffee Mr Flynn or are you going to stare at my chest all day?' she looked down at her see through shirt
'I don't know I'm quite enjoying the view' he laughed)
"Nikki said you'd have a reaction like that" he smirked
"Anything else?" she dropped her hands
"Only one.. I remembered the ring" he picked at the railing
"The ring?"
"I remember the reason I brought it and why I wanted to give it to you"
"A reason that dosen't exist anymore" she looked at him sadly
"Why'd I have to forget someone as amazing as you" he nudged her arm
"Who knows I thought I was pretty hard to forget so you tell me" she smirked
"Listen there's something I want you to have" he rummaged around in his pocket pulling out a ring box
"Is that?"
"I know it's probably not how it was supposed to go but.." he carefully opened it taking the ring out "I want you to have it as a promise that one day I'll remember who you are"
"Mike.."
"A promise that one day you and I we will find our way back to each other" he carefully picked up her non ring hand
"It just dosen't work like that" she looked at him sadly
"I'm trying my best Kate, trying my absolute best to remember you, to remember us.."
"I know you are"
"Then take this ring as a promise that one day I will remember us" he began sliding it on her finger
"And what if you don't"
"Then you'll always have a beautiful piece of jewellery" he teased slipping it the rest of the way on her finger, holding her hand in his once it was on
"I..."
"I know that somewhere inside here" he placed her hand against his chest over his heart "that you and I will be together again"
"Thank you.." she looked up at him with a soft smile,
smiling back at her Mike used his free hand to brush a piece of hair behind her ear a familiar action he'd swear he'd done a thousand times before;
finding himself leaning in Mike swallowed nervously when he looked at Kates lips before meeting her emotional green eyes moving his hand from next to her cheek he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip before resting it under her chin lifting her head
he leant down there lips inches away from one another when a loud rumble of thunder broke them apart
"I..."
"I should go" Kate answered stepping back she removed her hand off his chest
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to overstep it just felt..."
"Right?" she questioned
"Like I'd done it a thousand times before"
"You have" she smiled sadly "but this isn't how I want you remembering"
"Shouldn't that be my decision?"
"Mike you were just about to kiss a complete stranger"
"But we're not strangers, I thought.. I thought this is what you would want"
"So this is some moral code you're feeling guilty because you can't remember me, so you try to butter me up with gifts and..." she began pulling off the ring
"Kate..."
"I leave in seven hours maybe it's for the best" she held out the ring for him to take back
"No" he shook his head
"There's no future here for us, you don't remember who I am or what we have so what's the point in trying to force this" she teared up
"I want you to stay, I want to remember"
"Do you? Because part of me can't help but wonder if you were truly happy you wouldn't have wanted to forget me in the first place" she grabbed his hand placing the ring in his open palm
"Kate..."
"I'm sorry, I have to go" she turned walking back inside
"Kate?" Dutchy called after her when she rushed past him
"Just leave it Dutchy" she held a hand up and continued out the exit.
Storming through the front door 20 minutes later Kate paused when she heard giggling coming from Nikki's room,
she backed out the house and walked up the path towards the beach when a familiar presence started following her
"I know you're there" she stopped turning to face him
"I saw you rush out from my place at the table with the crew, I was worried…" he walked towards her
"I told Dutchy to leave it"
"Since when do I ever listen him or to you" he held out his arm, interlocking her hand through his arm they began walking again
"Even after everything we still fight like we used to" she sighed sadly
"Kate…"
"Why is it so hard Swain?" she rested her head on his shoulder
"It's love"
"The power of love hey, it causes you heartache and pain, but it also causes you the most amazing feeling.."
"Mike may not remember you or what you had but how do you know this isn't your second chance to do things differently?" he stopped to face her
"I don't want things to be different Swain" she stepped back
"I just want the old, annoying, emotional coward Mike back"
"I know" he shifted pulling her into a hug
"But he's not coming back, he's…"
"I don't know about that…" he smiled sadly at spotting Mike walking towards them
"What?" she turned her head when Swain pulled back
"Mind if I cut in?" he shrugged holding out a hand
"I'll leave you to it" Swain grabbed Kate's hand and placed it in Mike's,
he immediately pulled her close hesitating slightly until he felt Kate's arms wrap around him and her head nestle into his chest
"I genually wasn't trying to hurt you Kate…" he mumbled into her hair when they were alone
"I know…"
"It's just.. when I'm around you I don't feel like myself, when I'm around you I just have an urge to hold you to…"
"Kiss me?" she pulled her head back
"Crazy right? Wanting to experience all those things with a stranger"
"But I'm not a stranger Mike"
"And I know that, but also part of me feels like you are…"
"We're all strangers at one point but in our case it's more then once…"
"I'm so sorry I've put you through all this" he brushed his hand across her cheek and into her hair
"It's not your fault because you were trying to help someone"
"But I can see how hard this is for you, if I could take it back I would if I…" he whimpered when she pulled his head down meeting his lips in a soft kiss,
pulling back slowly a few seconds later Kate dropped her head to avoid his confused gaze
"Sorry…" she bit her lip when his hand moved to rest under her chin lifting her head so their eyes met
"Come home with me…" he boldly asked
"Mike…"
"For tonight, can we just pretend that we know each other"
"Do you really think that's a wise idea?"
"Yes I do"
"You're the love of my life Mike, there is no pretending for me"
"And somehow.. I feel like your mine too" he gave her a sad look
"I don't know if I can" she teared up when he leaned down resting his forehead against hers
"I want to stay here with you Kate, for as long as I possibly can and I know when we wake up in the morning it'll still be the same but for tonight I want to create a new memory.."
"Mike.."
"With you" he whispered moving his head and meeting her lips in an emotional kiss,
trying to hold back his own tears of pain when he felt Kate's fall down her cheek just wishing he could give her what she wanted.