Mike awoke with a pounding headache swinging his legs around his rack he moved to stand up and switch on the light looking around he was confused as to how he ended up on Hammersley in his cabin, sitting down at his desk to ease the dizziness he spotted a note

'Mike, you were pretty out of it so Maxine appointed me acting CO for a few days until you were sober, from the way you were acting I figured you'd need these, X' Mike placed the note down and took two tablets from the Panadol Kate had left for him.

Getting dressed into his DPNU's Mike made his way up onto the bridge

"Sir? Are you feeling better?" 2Dad's asked as he saw Mike coming up the stairs, Kate turned around in the Captain's chair to see a very pale and tired looking Mike

"A little 2Dad's thanks" Mike said making his way over to Kate.

"Sir…" Kate said as she went to move out of the chair

"No it's ok X" Mike said smiling weakly

"Swaine you have the ship, I'm taking the CO back to his cabin" Kate said moving out of her chair and placing her hand on Mike's shoulder to steady him

"Yes Ma'am, I have the ship" Swaine said as he watched Kate walk Mike down the stairs back to his cabin.

"You're supposed to be resting" Kate said opening Mike's cabin door as she moved aside for him to walk in

"I'm fine" Mike said as he dropped onto his rack

"Yeah, right…" Kate said as she pulled his boots off "Maxine gave me strict orders to get you to rest until you sober up, and I can still smell the alcohol on your breath so you're going back to sleep" Kate said as she pulled the blanket up over Mike

"I told you I'm fine Kate, I don't want your help" Mike said a little more angrily than he wanted it to sound.

"Fine, I'll be on the bridge doing your job then" Kate said grabbing the bottle of water she stashed in her pocket and threw it at him.

"Kate that's not…" Mike began saying before she interrupted

"No, I'll stay out of your way Sir" Kate said exiting his cabin.

Making her way towards the galley Kate was pulled into the Senior Sailors Mess "What? Dutchy?" Kate asked confused as she fixed her shirt up

"What are you doing here?" he asked closing the door and stopping her from leaving

"What are you going on about?" Kate asked confused

"I thought you were dead" Dutchy said moving closer to her

"Well I'm very much alive" Kate said angrily

"I never thought I'd see you again"

"Dutchy don't start" Kate said getting defensive

"I missed you" he said moving towards her as he placed a hand on her hip

"Dutchy it was one time; it didn't mean anything" Kate said trying looking up at him

"It meant something to me" he said placing a hand on her cheek

"It was a mistake…" Kate said looking down at the floor.

"Kate…" Dutchy said as he placed his hand under her chin he pushed her chin up to look at him as he did a tear escaped down Kate's cheek

"Dutchy I can't" Kate said as she watched his expression change

"Why? You disappear for 7 years, you're not with Mike anymore admit it we'd be great together" Dutchy said brushing a peace of hair behind her ear.

Dutchy leant down one more time and brushed his lips against Kates, at first she didn't react but then she slowly kissed him back before pushing him away

"I can't…" Kate said looking sadly up at him

"You still love him…" Dutchy said letting her go

"Yeah I do" Kate said crossing her arms over her protectively "I'm sorry…" Kate said as Dutchy's body language changed

"I'm sorry too" he said looking sadly at her

"You can't help who you fall in love with Dutchy" Kate said softly

"Yes you can…" he said opening the door and making his way out.

Kate sat down as she tried to compose herself, she came back for her daughter the one person she hasn't seen yet and she's already caused to much drama. Mike getting drunk and Dutchy trying to show her how he felt, it was one time and it shouldn't have happened.

Flashback: 9 years earlier

He had been smitten with her for two years now, absolutely head over heels in love with her. Kate however had no idea of the feelings he had towards her were growing stronger each day, every time he wanted to confess his feelings to her something would always get in the way Mike, Jim and even the Navy Regulations.

There had been a few times' he'd dropped hints but Kate always took it as him joking around, so he was just going to come straight out and tell her hopefully she would feel the same way.

Dutchy knocked on Kate's door just before 7pm praying she was home,

"Hey" she said smiling as she opened the door

"Hey, can I come in?" Dutchy asked hopeful

"Ah sure, what's up?" Kate asked as he moved inside and shut the door behind him

"Does there have to be a reason to see my favourite person?" Dutchy joked

"Well…" Kate laughed as she made her way into the kitchen "Are you hungry? I was just making some dinner" Kate said stirring the pot on the stove

"Sure if I'm not imposing on anything?" he asked looking at the table that was set up in a romantic setting

"No, just an internet thing but he cancelled" Kate said moving over to the table and picking up the flowers

"I didn't know you were into internet dating" Dutchy joked

"It's a new thing I figured I may as well put myself out there" she said as she threw the flowers in the bin which didn't go un noticed by Dutchy.

Kate focused on stirring the pot as Dutchy grabbed some wine from the fridge, the truth was Mike was supposed to be coming by for dinner but he cancelled yet again because he had to do some paperwork for Hammersley.

"Wine?" Dutchy said breaking her out of her trance

"Thanks" she said smiling as he filled up a glass and handed it to her

"So what have we got here?" he asked looking at the pot on the stove

"My famous Spaghetti and meatballs" Kate smiled with pride

"Yum! I love Spaghetti and meatballs" Dutchy smiled as Kate served him up a bowl with some homemade pasta

"Dinner is served then" she smiled as they sat down at the table and began eating

"Did you make the pasta yourself?" he asked surprised

"Well duh" Kate laughed "My Nonna taught me" Kate said smiling

"You're Italian?" he asked surprised again

"No, she wasn't my Nonna she was an ex-boyfriend's but we all called her Nonna" Kate said smiling.

"Well this is delicious" he said raising his wine glass "A toast, to us and friendship" he said smiling at her

"To us and friendship" Kate said clinking her glass against his.

Dutchy smiled as he watched Kate laugh and smile while they were eating, was it possible he could be falling more in love with her than he already was?

Kate had made Strawberry Sorbet for desert and accompanied with two bottles of wine later, Kate and Dutchy were drunk and talking on the couch

"So your telling me your first time was in the back of a truck on the farm?" Kate laughed

"Hey, that's how it was in the country ok" Dutchy said throwing a pillow at her

"Ok little miss perfect where was your first time?" Dutchy asked as he slurred his words

"Mine was… mine was at Watson's Bay with a man 10 years older than me" Kate said taking a sip of her wine

"So you're not little miss perfect after all" Dutchy laughed

"Apparently not" Kate said throwing the pillow back at him.

"Ok what about your first kiss?" Dutchy said smirking

"Oh! Well I was 10 and he was a boy in my swimming class, he had been dared to kiss me because apparently I was the most unliked girl of my grade" Kate said placing her wine glass down

"I can't imagine why, your very Bossy and likeable" Dutchy said laughing

"Oi!" Kate said as she moved to the other end of the couch and started hitting him playfully with the pillow.

Dutchy grabbed her arms and pushed her up and back down to her end of the couch hovering above her

"What about yours?" Kate said as she stopped laughing

"Mine was when I was 6 she was my neighbour from across the road" Dutchy laughed

"And your last? Who's going to be your last kiss McGregor?" Dutchy asked as he stared into her eyes

"Who knows, I mean will I ever have a last kiss?" Kate said looking up at Dutchy

"Can I be your last?" Dutchy said softly

Kate didn't hear him as he brushed her hair out of her face he leant down and brushed his lips against hers as he pulled back Kate looked at him surprised "Dutchy I…" Kate said as he moved off of her and stood up

"I'm sorry… I should go" Dutchy said as Kate stood up on the couch

"Dutchy wait…" Kate said as he turned around she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his close to her.

"Kate…" he said softly as he felt her lips against his in a Passionate kiss, Dutchy slid his hands through her hair and down to under her buttocks and lifted her up as he did Kate wrapped her legs around Dutchy's waist their lips never leaving one another's as he manoeuvred them upstairs towards her bedroom.

Kate awoke the next morning with a pounding headache, feeling a heavy weight next to her she looked over her shoulder to see a very naked not Mike but Dutchy

"Omg!" she said loudly that he awoke in surprise

"Kate… Did we?" he said looking at her naked back

"You need to leave now!" she said moving out of the bed and pulling the sheet with her to cover her naked form

"What why? We had fun didn't we?" Dutchy said hopeful

"Dutchy I can't" Kate said moving around the bedroom and throwing his clothes at him

"Kate it meant something admit it otherwise it wouldn't have happened" Dutchy said as he pulled on his pants

"This isn't me, it's not who I am I don't sleep with friends" Kate said as she picked up her bra

"I'm not just your friend Kate, I'm in love with you" Dutchy said as he grabbed her arm

"Dutchy please, we can't you need to go now" Kate said as she pulled on her pants

"Kate please…"

"Turn around" Kate said pointing

"What?" he asked confused

"I need to put my bra on turn around" Kate said again

"It's not like I haven't seen it before" he joked

"Dutchy just do it please" she pleaded

"Ok, ok…" he said as he turned around while Kate got dressed.

"Alright you can turn around now" Kate said as she pulled her shirt down, Dutchy just smiled at her

"You need to leave now" Kate said grabbing his hand

"Kate… Can we just talk" Dutchy said as he was dragged downstairs

"I can't, you have to go now" Kate said pushing him towards the front door

"Kate, this wasn't just a onetime thing I love you" Dutchy said stopping Kate in her tracks

"What?"

"I love you Kate, I have for two years now and now seems like better than ever to tell you" Dutchy said placing a hand on Kate's cheek

"Dutchy stop" Kate said moving his hand off her cheek

"Your my friend I don't feel that way about you I'm sorry" Kate said trying to let him down softly

"I get it, you use me for what you want and then throw men away" Dutchy said hurt

"No it's not like that" Kate said trying to make him see sense

"Wait…" Dutchy said throwing his hands up "There's someone else isn't there" he said looking at her as her expression changed

"Dutchy I'm sorry…" Kate said softly

"You know, I used to think you couldn't help who you feel in love with but now I wish I never fell in love with you Kate McGregor" Dutchy said turning around and walking out the door slamming it behind him leaving Kate standing alone in her living room.

Dutchy did everything he could to avoid Kate for the next Six Months he wouldn't even look her in the eyes let alone speak to her unless he had to…

Kate was sitting in the Senior Sailor's Mess feeling really nauseous when Dutchy made his way in after finishing his watch

"Sorry, I'll go somewhere else" he said as he went to leave he noticed Kate had been crying

"Is everything ok?" he asked taking a seat across from her

"Don't pretend to care Dutchy, I don't want your sympathy" Kate said out of anger "Sorry…" she said softly

"What's going on Kate?" he asked confused,

Kate looked up at him and sighed "I'm Pregnant" she said as she watched Dutchy's eyes widen

"Um… How far along are you?" he asked confused

"3 months" Kate said looking at him sadly

"So it could be…" he began saying before Kate interrupted him

"It's Mike's" she said regretting it instantly

"What?" he said angry

"I wanted to tell you but…"

"But you were breaking the rules" Dutchy said weakly

"How do you know it's his?"

"Seriously, because the dates don't add up for it to be yours" Kate said angry

"And you're sure" Dutchy said hopeful she was lying

"Yes Dutchy I'm sure, it's not yours" Kate said trying to make him see sense

"Then I guess there's nothing to discuss" he said moving up from his chair

"Dutchy don't be like that" Kate said arising from hers

"Like what? Cold, because I think I have a right to be. From now on we will have nothing between us except Work" Dutchy said crossing his arms

"You're just going to throw our friendship away?" Kate said hurt

"No Kate, you did that the day you used me and then rejected me when I told you I loved you" Dutchy said walking away.

What had she done?

Sleeping with Dutchy and losing a Friend in the process, this wasn't the Kate she knew from this day on she would be the Kate that kept herself closed off from everyone and never opened her heart again…

End of Flashback: