"Mummy didn't… she didn't tell me" he cried onto Mike's shoulder
"I didn't know Monkey, and your Mum she didn't know where I was we weren't together…" Mike sat down on the bed
"But.. she…" he moved his head back refusing to move out of his arms
"Whatever your Mum told you.. it was the truth, don't be mad at her" Mike reached up wiping the tears off his cheeks as they began to slow down
"But…"
"Jai.. if I'd known about you, if I'd stuck around then you would have grown up with a Father I'm… I'm so sorry" Mike began to tear up himself
"You won't now that you know will you?" he sniffled
"I'm here to stay"
"You promise?"
"Jai…"
"You can't break a pinkie promise" he held up his pinkie like hours earlier
"I pinkie promise, that I am here to stay because I want to get to know my little Monkey" he tickled him slightly
"Stop!" he giggled trying to break out of his arms
"Oh are you ticklish are you?" Mike teased brushing his hands across Jai's neck
"Yes!" he laughed trying to tickle Mike back
"Oh no, you've found my weakness" Mike pulled his head back
"Dipsy!" Jai pointed when she jumped onto the bed
"Good to see you old girl" he brushed his hand across her head
"She must really like you, she never lets anyone pat her"
"We share a colourful past, it's actually Dipsy that got your Mother and I together…"
"When you created me?"
"That's right little man, when we created you" he shifted Jai out of his arms and sat him on the bed next to Dipsy
"I yelled at Mummy…" he ran his fingers across Dipsy's back
"Yeah I know"
"She hates me.."
"No, Jai look at me" Mike placed a hand against his cheek
"Your mother will always love you no matter what"
"But…"
"Trust me, a Mother's love for her children it never fades"
"Really?" he looked across at him
"I can guarantee you by tonight she will have forgotten all about it"
"You think enough to make spaghetti?" he grinned
"How about I stick around and cook for you and your Mum?"
"You mean it?" his eyes widened
"If you promise to take a nap, so your Mum and I can talk" Mike shifted off the bed pulling the blanket back
"But I'm not tired" he moved
"All this crying it's pretty tiring right?" he began taking Jai's shoes off and placing them on the floor
"Yeah" he nodded laying against his pillow
"You take a nap and when you wake up, I'll still be here with some yummy spaghetti for tea" he covered him with the blanket
"Daddy?" he called out when Mike went to move
"Yep?"
"Can.. can you stay until I fall asleep Mummy normally does.." he looked at him sadly,
Dipsy shifting to the end of bed Mike took up her previous spot
"Of course I'll stay" he got comfy and began brushing his hand through Jai's hair
"Mummy does.. that.. too" he yawned
"Get some sleep Monkey" he looked at his son contently whose eyes had began drooping shut.
Entering the kitchen a few minutes later he looked around for Kate, smiling sadly he spotted her on the couch asleep;
moving over to her he knelt down next to her and brushed his hand through her hair
"Looks like Monkey isn't the only one tired out" he whispered reaching across he grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and placed it across her form
"Mmm-Mike" she mumbled slightly,
leaning down he kissed her forehead softly before moving back looking across he noticed the smashed glass on the ground
and found himself moving around her house cleaning up the glass and making a start on that Spaghetti that he'd promised Jai.
Lifting her head 3 hours later after a loud crash came from the kitchen Kate looked across the back of the couch to see Mike in her kitchen
"Ahh.." she moved off the couch
"Hey, your awake" he smiled stirring the pot on the stove
"Wha.. what are you doing here?"
"You don't remember?" he questioned when she stopped next to the bench
"No I mean, what are you doing here still.. in my kitchen cooking?"
"I figured after everything that happened you wouldn't be up for cooking"
"Is that Spaghetti?" she moved to stand next to him
"Here, try some" he dripped the teaspoon in the sauce and brought it up to her mouth,
hesitating slightly she blew on it before taste testing it
"Wow.." she covered her mouth as she swallowed
"Good?" he put the spoon down
"Where'd you learn to cook like that?"
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me McGregor" he teased
"So is this classed as that date you promised me?" she played along
"Do I get a kiss at the end of the night?" he turned to face her
"We'll see"
"Then I guess we'll see as to whether or not this is a date" he looked down at her with a grin
"Hmm" she hummed their eyes not leaving one another's until a small cry from Jai's room broke their trance
"I'll go" he cleared his throat moving around her.
Taking in a deep breath Kate just prayed the redness from her cheeks wasn't showing when Mike entered with a sleepy Jai in his arms
"Here he is"
"Mummy…" Jai reached out for her
"Hey Monkey" she took him in her arms while Mike moved back to the stove
"Am I forgiven?" he rested his head against her chest
"What for?"
"Our fight.." he sniffled
"Oh Monkey there's nothing to forgive" Kate kissed his forehead while leaning her back against the bench
"Is that my Spaghetti?" Jai perked up when he looked across at Mike
"Sure is Mr Monkey, and it's ready you hungry?"
"Yes!" he squirmed his way out of his Mum's arms
"Put Dipsy outside while Mi.. your Father and I set the table" Kate ruffled his hair
"Okay!" he ran back up the hall to collect Dipsy,
turning to collect the plates from the cupboard Kate stopped when she spotted Mike staring
"What?"
"Thank you" he smiled softly
"Make yourself useful and serve the food" she teased brushing her hand against his back as she moved past towards to set the table.
Sitting down at the table Mike watched when Kate placed a Thomas the tank engine Sippy cup and plate down in front of Jai before taking up her own seat
"This smells great" she reached forward collecting a little bit of salad from the bowl
"My Mother's recipe she taught me when I was twelve" Mike took the tongs off her afterwards
"It's yummy!" Jai piped up from his spot where he'd already managed to get pasta sauce on his nose
"Yes we can see that" Kate shifted to tuck a serviette into his shirt
"So your Mum she's a chef?"
"Ah she was yeah" he nodded
"Oh I…"
"It's okay, she passed away when I was Seventeen" he assured her
"Still it mustn't have been easy"
"No.. but she did teach me everything there is to know about cooking"
"And it's come in handy you know the way to a woman's heart is actually through their stomach" she grinned
"I thought that was men?"
"Please, woman have a much bigger appetite then men do" she took a mouthful of salad
"Is that so?" he raised an eyebrow doing the same with his food
"Mummy won an eating contest once" Jai twirled his pasta around his fork
"Really?"
"It was nothing" Kate shook her head
"Tell that to the trophy she won" he pointed to the mantel piece
"Jai!"
"That's pretty impressive and very, very sexy" Mike looked across at the trophy
"Ha-ha, I was eighteen and wasted it dosen't count" she rolled her eyes
"What's wasted?" Jai reached for his Sippy cup
"Oh god.." Kate rested her head in her hand
"It's when you eat to much spaghetti" Mike smirked
"Then I want to get so wasted!"
"No, Monkey you really don't" Kate reached across hitting Mike's arm
"What?" he jumped with a grin
"And if I don't eat it all can Dipsy get wasted?" he looked across at his Mum
"You have a small portion I think you'll be okay"
"But.."
"Don't worry Monkey, I'll get wasted with you" Mike dug his fork into his pasta
"Will you stop encouraging him" Kate laughed when Jai focused on Mike doing his best to eat more mouthfuls then him.
...
"So is your parents supportive of you being a single Mother?" Mike asked
"They don't know.."
"Oh.."
"No I mean.." she cleared her throat "my Mother died when I was ten and I never knew who my Dad was"
"But I thought you had a nephew, a sister"
"Yeah about that…"
"You don't have a nephew?" he reached for his glass of water
"I didn't want you to think I was weird for calling my dog after a Teletubbie" she tried to hide her smirk
"I already thought you were weird it's okay" he laughed
"You wound me" she placed a hand across her chest
"So it's just been you and Jai then?" he took a quick glance at Jai who playing on the swing set out the back
"Pretty much, although I do have an adoptive uncle in the Navy"
"And that's how you came to join up?" he looked back at her
"I went to on a careers day with him when I was maybe thirteen or fourteen and I just loved the idea of being in the Navy"
"Your uncle, anyone I might know?" he questioned
"Probably he's actually the one who got me the position at NAVCOM a Commander Steve…"
"Marshall?"
"You sound like you know him well"
"I've been given a lecture by him once or twice"
"Just once or twice?" she teased
"Okay so maybe a few hundred times" he laughed softly
"Mummy can we have some ice cream?" Jai ran inside
"I don't know, it's getting pretty late"
"Please!"
"One scoop" Kate held up a finger
"Two scoops and a topping of Milo"
"One scoop and a topping of chocolate sauce"
"Deal!" he ran towards the freezer
"You drive a hard bargain" Mike grinned when she moved and began clearing the table
"It's the only way, I didn't have the heart to tell him we're all out of milo" she tried to hide her smile
"Do I get some ice cream as well?" he arose from his chair
"This ice cream is specifically for Jai, he's lactose intolerant"
"Oh.. I didn't.. I wasn't aware of that" Mike shook his head
"I do however have some special bailey's ice cream stashed at the back of the freezer if you're interested for when he goes to bed?" she picked up the stacks of plates
"Tempting"
"But?" she watched him stop next to her with the salad bowl
"Maybe we can save it, for that second date" he winked
"Maybe" she smiled when he moved to help Jai.