"Where are you sneaking off to?" he whispered wrapping a hand around her waist the next morning
"I have a meeting at ten" she smirked when he began kissing along her neck
"You'd rather leave for a meeting then stay here with me all day?"
"No but I do have an appointment at the hospital beforehand" she placed her mug down on the bench
"Is everything okay?" he questioned shifting to lean against the bench next to her
"Oh yeah nothing to worry about it's just for my hand" she held it up
"So Swain finally convinced you to get it seen to did he?"
"Okay so I may have been lying about how much it actually hurt"
"I knew it" he smirked reaching across and stealing her mug
"So this meeting where's it at?" he asked taking a mouthful of her coffee
"NAVCOM"
"What?" he coughed slightly almost choking
"I thought you'd be pleased"
"Your actually going to show your face after what um.."
"What you did yesterday?"
"Well yeah"
"I don't really have a choice because of yesterday's events I missed my meeting and Commander White had it rescheduled for today"
"Right…" he nodded placing her mug back down
"You don't want me going in?"
"No it's just… I can imagine after what happened yesterday that she's going to have a few things to say and honestly I'm worried about how you'll respond"
"You don't think I can handle myself?"
"Kate you punched Swain when you found out he was Knockers spy"
"Okay so I overreacted a little bit"
"A little?"
"You were prepared to do the exact same thing minutes prior to me"
"Yes but I'm a…"
"If you say man I will hurt you so bad" she poked him in the chest
"Not what I was going to say" he laughed grabbing her hand and wrapping it behind his neck
"I get that your worried but I can handle Knocker" she smiled sadly brushing the back of his neck
"Just be careful given the way things went I don't think she's going to be in the happiest of moods"
"Huh sounds a bit like you in the morning"
"Excuse me?"
"Mike it's eight am I've been up since seven and you groaned and moaned when I tried to wake you"
"Okay so we're not all early birds like you" he teased running his hand across her leg
"Mm-no I don't have the time; I still need to have a shower" she grabbed his hand
"We could shower together, safe time" he grinned
"Really?" she stepped back
"Okay, okay you win but I'll need my shirt back"
"Oh you mean this shirt?"
"Yes" he nodded, smirking slightly Kate gripped the bottom of it and pulled it off
"Here you go, one shirt" she tried to hold back her laugh at seeing him flustered
"That's just so unfair" he grabbed it in his hand
"I can put it back on if you prefer" she kept a strong hold on it
"Ah no, no I don't think that'll be necessary" he moved quickly wrapping his arms around her waist he lifted her into his arms
"Mike I don't…"
"What?" I'm not doing anything" he laughed when her bare chest came into contact with his all control was gone,
"Okay maybe I have an hour tops"
"That's all the time I need" he smiled leaning his back against the bench he met her lips in a soft kiss,
his shirt having fallen to the ground when there lips met.
Standing in the doorway Kate knocked softly "Didn't think you'd show your face here anytime soon" she looked across her desk
"I wasn't going too.. but we still had that meeting Ma'am" she cleared her throat
"Well come in don't hover by the door"
"Ma'am" she nodded moving towards the desk
"How's the hand today?" she questioned sifting through her paperwork
"I had an appointment before I came here luckily it's just a bruise, but they've strapped it so.." she sat down fiddling with her bandage
"And the Swain's lip? Is that just a bruise?" she looked up briefly
"I.."
"I understand why you did it, but you know the Navy has a strict policy about violence"
"Yes Ma'am…" she answered taking off her hat placing it on the chair next to her
"And I also understand that I'm the one to blame but you have to see where I'm coming from Kate, Mike is ruining his career for you"
"I never asked him to do that"
"You didn't have to, god blind freddie can see it and after the stunt he pulled in here yesterday I doubt the BRASS are going to care whether or not he leaves for good" she closed her folder
"You really think letting him leave the Navy is the best decision just because you want him in your bed?"
"What happened yesterday Ma'am had nothing to do with me, I was unaware of him even coming in to see you until I arrived"
"But you are sharing a bed with him are you not?"
"I don't see how that is any of your business" she tried to keep her cool
"Kate…" she shifted forward in her chair "I understand that people are aware of your past with Mike"
"What's that…"
"But it's affecting the present, you need to leave it in the past because this is going to affect his career"
"What Mike does or doesn't do for his career has nothing to do with me"
"But that's where your wrong the reason he's wanting to quit, and leave is because of you!"
"I'm not here to talk about Mike so can we just.." she sighed nervously
"You're here about your transfer request correct?"
"Yes Ma'am"
"Well given certain circumstances I'm not willing to put your transfer through right now" she reopened her folder
"What?"
"I need you on Hammersley to oversee the arrival of the new Commanding Officer"
"Ma'am I don't…"
"I don't have time to break in a new CO and a new XO, so I need you to continue your rotation on Hammersley"
"My rotation? That's two years"
"Your point being?"
"I asked for that transfer because I didn't want to be on Hammersley anymore"
"Yes and?"
"Ma'am… with all due respect"
"With all due respect, when someone starts a sentence off with all due respect it normally means there about to say something they'll regret" she slammed her folder shut
"And if I disobey your orders go straight to the BRASS about my transfer?" she grabbed her hat off the chair next to her
"Then I'll have no choice but to inform the BRASS about your relationship with Mike while you were serving together"
"So your blackmailing me?" she arose to stand
"Think of it as a compromise, your new CO arrives at the end of the week so until then Hammersley's on leave and I expect you to be there to meet them"
"Ma'am, if that's all" she gritted her teeth
"Your dismissed" she looked back down at her paperwork
"Yes Ma'am" she moved towards the door
"Oh and Kate"
"Yes?"
"Take care of that hand can't have the Hammersley XO claiming work cover"
"Of course" she nodded placing her hat on and exiting her office in a hurry trying to contain her annoyance.
...
"This a social visit or work related?" he pushed a mug across the bench
"Both I guess…" she slowly picked it up
"Is this about what happened at NAVCOM?"
"You heard about that?"
"Kate.. everyone heard about that, Buffer and Nikki kind of spilt the beans at the pub last night too"
"What?"
"They kind of saw the whole thing unfold"
"Oh god…" she sighed dropping her head
"Aunt Kate!"
"Chloe! Look at you" Kate smiled widely moving out of her chair when the 5-year-old jumped into her arms
"Your hair's gotten longer" she giggled pulling back from the hug she ran her hand across Kate's fringe
"Well the last time I saw you, you were so little" she lowered her back to stand
"You don't visit anymore"
"I know… I'm sorry"
"Clo you ready?" Sally called from the front door
"Coming! Bye Aunt Kate" she giggled before running off,
"She's so big now" Kate turned back to Swain while shifting to sit back down
"It's amazing how quickly they grow up" he smiled taking a drink of his brew
"Yeah…" she did the same.
"So this visit you gonna tell me what it's for?" he leaned on the bench slightly
"I had a meeting with Commander White earlier"
"Oh… how'd that go?"
"As good as can be expected I guess, Mike's quit the Navy and is currently crashing at mine because we're supposed to be discussing how my meeting went and Knocker won't give me my transfer until my rotation is up"
"Wow.. that's a lot to process"
"Tell me about it" she sighed fiddling with her mug
"So why didn't you go home and talk to Mike about all this?" he questioned shifting around the bench he sat next to her
"Oh you know.."
"She said something more didn't she?"
"According to Knocker it's my fault Mike is quitting the Navy and to top it all off she's using our past against me"
"I really think you should be talking about all this with Mike"
"How? How am I supposed to tell him that I'm staying on Hammersley because Knocker is.. well she's jealous it's bloody obvious"
"Kate…"
"It's all so confusing, I can't but help feel responsible for Mike deciding to leave" she looked at him sadly
"You are not responsible he can think for himself this is his choice not yours and you didn't push him into it"
"How am I supposed to believe that"
"Have you ever known anyone to push Mike into a decision?"
"No…"
"Exactly, Kate he dosen't even follow NAVCOM's instructions"
"Yeah" she laughed slightly
"Now, drink your tea and then go home to talk to Mike"
"Swain…"
"You can't avoid it forever, better to the pull the band aid off now"
"Yeah I know" she smiled sadly while lifting her mug to her lips.
