Present Time

Cairns
Cafe

Kate is sitting down waiting for Mike to arrive. She has ordered them both their coffees as well as some food, she checks her watch again and notices Mike is running late. Is this how it's always going to be, snatched moments, missed moments now he's in charger? She thinks to herself as she takes a sip from her coffee, thinking away to herself, that she doesn't notice him arriving at the table.

"Mm thanks for the Coffee Kate." He says and notices no reply from her and her steering off out the window.

"Kate?"

"Oh hi you've arrived?"

"Yes sorry that got held up and my mobile gone flat so it's plugged in back at Navcom, I told Lieutenant Homes to ring your mobile if they needed me hope that is ok?"

"Yea that is OK."

"Kate what's wrong?" he asks her knowing something is up just by the way she is acting, towards him, not just in her actions but her voice and answers to him.

"Honestly too much to even work out where to start, though the biggest one is us?"

"Well come to us I have no idea, we've never been able to get any further than a few snatches moments together."

"That's not true Mike and we both know it, we had a more than just a few snatched moments." She says to him and he sees the lone tear fall escape before her hand goes up and wipes it away. They both think back to a past moment in time.

Remembering the Past

"Honey where are you?" Mike says as he enters their home, after spending the afternoon out playing golf with Wes, on some rear down time.

"In the lounge." Is the reply he hears as he makes his way to their lounge, as he enters he sees her sitting on the couch, short shorts, and bikini top on.

"Mm hi sexy." He says as he leans over and gives her a kiss, which Kate deepens.

"Hey you good round of golf with Wes?"

"Nope he won again, how was your afternoon of shopping with Trish."

"Good we got everything that is needed for their evening tonight."

"That's good" he says before he gives her another passionate kiss.

"Right I'm off to shower and your presence is demanded in there with me." He says before kissing her again, his hand travelling over her breasts and massaging them making sure she knows what is going to happen in the shower, and if she doesn't arrive she's the one left feeling fluster.

As he is doing this she loops her arms around him kissing with just as much passion as he is giving her, Mike decides bugger letting her decide he picks her up and carries her up the stair case to their room, where their own private bathroom awaits their arrival, though once in the room the shower was forgotten.

"Oh Mike that feels so good." Comes from Kate as Mike sucks on her breasts, having removed her top, her shorts also having been removed, and leaving just her bikini bottoms which aren't far from leaving her body as well.

"Mike no more teasing please."

"What this isn't teasing baby its foreplay."

"Well hurry up with the foreplay I won't you inside me like yesterday." She replies back to him.

"Impatient woman aren't you."

"Hell yes, now hurry bloody well up will you." He hears from her as he strips off then enters her.

"Happy now?" he groans out to her once inside her.

"Oh god yes." Comes from her.

Back in the Present

Unknown to both of them, they've both been thinking about the same past moment, back when both where undercover, when they could do whatever they wanted without worry or fear of the rules and regulations.

"OK your right there, there have been more than a few snatch moments but honestly Kate in the real world here what have ever had?" his sad reply is heard by her.

"Not many the odd moment here and there."

"I know we've both only wont each other, that is something at least we both can agree on." His sentence is interrupted by the sound of Kate's mobile ringing, she sees Navcom flash up and she passes it straight to him.

"Commander Flynn speaking." Kate hears but tunes out the rest of the conversation.

Five minutes later.

"Here you go Kate, sorry about that seems we will have a little longer to talk, the new CO for Hammersley is running late, his flight has been delayed.

"Look before the phone interrupted us, my life now is going to be very busy, I'm running the base from here, been thrown in the deep end in a way, I always knew taking the shore posting would lead to being in charge here, but I always thought there be time to learn what was and is needed to do that job. And as I said last night there are going to be times where I have to stay impartial, I can't been seen to be favouring you or the crew. And it's not because I don't want to but because of my job now." He says to her watching for any signs of a reaction, a rebuttal, or even anything from her, but nothing but a blank sad looking face steers back at him.

"Kate you ok?"

"Not really Mike."

"I know this isn't going to be easy, and I know back on the boat I said a few things that would have upset you."

"Upset me, it bloody well hurt." She snaps back at him. He knew this was coming, he had been waiting.

"Kate."
"No Mike don't, look we need to head back, and we've both got a meeting."

"Kate please don't be like this?"

"Like what Mike so it's OK for you to do it but not me. Damn emotional coward as per normal." She says under her breath as she leaves the cafe not realising that he has heard her.

"I'm not being an emotional coward Kate, you're in a relationship with another person right now, and no way in hell am I going to do anything until you sort that out, I've already told you that. You have to make the choice Jim or me. And until he is out of the picture we can be nothing more than friends, even though I know you won't be marring him, does he even know that yet?" He asks her, and he sees her shaking her head as to say no to him.

"No not yet." Comes a quiet voice from her.

"Well then don't you think he needs to know?"

"Yes but both him and I haven't been able to catch up in person, it's not something I won't to do over the phone Mike."

"Well how long will it take then? If your serious Kate of doing what you said to me the other day, then you have to decide how long you are going to wait before telling him?"

She doesn't say anything to his statement, thinking about what he has said to her.

"If this really meant everything to you it wouldn't matter Kate you would do it. You've known for a long time what my true feelings have been towards you." HE says while quickly checking around them for no other officers to hear them, knowing some of this info is only for their ears and no one else and is really not the place to talk about it either. "But as I have said it seems this is only going to be nothing more than a few wonderful moments together."

"Did I ever mean anything to you?" he faintly hears as he turns to leave, he turns around and looks at her, and sees another tear fall from her face. He is pissed they in the place they are where they can't talk more openly about everything that has gone on between them since they first meet fifteen years ago.

"I told you fifteen years ago what you meant to me, and it was the truth not an act because of the job we were doing." They interrupt by Kate's mobile going off again, she looks at it seeing Navcom flash and she without thinking passes it straight to Mike, as she wipes away the few tears that have fallen.

"We need to head back to Navcom, and we really shouldn't be doing this here Kate."

"Come around home after work we can talk then in private." She says to him, he of course doesn't miss the sharp snappy tone she has used with him.

"This woman is going to be the death of me one way or another he says as he buckles up his seat belt, before heading back to work, to introduce Kate to the new CO of Hammersley for the time being.

PAST

Six years ago
Steve's home in Cairns

"Steve how the hell did you allow them to post her here with me." Mike says to Steve as he sits on the couch.

"Because Mike you're going through XO after damn bloody XO, they hoping her by the book ways will pull your head in, plus Mike she won't make your life easy either. Oh and Mike you can't fire her she has to stay with you for six months."

"Six bloody months Steve, you damn well know the two of us have a history, history no one par a select few know about."

"I know that Mike, but you have to make this work. I've already been through it all with Kate as well."

"Good I'm pleased she just as pissed as I am over this. We shouldn't be serving together Steve, and you damn well know that."

"I know that, three others know that but no one else does and there is nothing on either of you two's records to inform them of the fact you two can't serve together due to the work you both have done, we also can't tell them either Mike, too much is at risk if we do."

"I know it's just the last person I expected to see that is all."

"I know Mike, and I also know that while under cover you two had a proper relationship as well."

"What how the hell did you know that?"

"Come on Mike, Nick caught you two together doing it how many times, don't you think it would have gotten back to me, or did you think nothing would be said." Steve watches as Mike places his head in his heads. And says nothing for several long minutes.

"Mike neither of you two where under Navy rules at the time, so there is nothing I could do or put in your guys files to make sure you two were never put back together, but honestly Mike you need to make this work, not just for yourself but for Kate. Make her into a better officer than she already is, and it's only six months Mike, once she's off and back on a frigate then maybe you two can pick up where you left off after your last op together."

"I totally doubt that is ever going to happen Steve, look I better head home, we got an early start tomorrow." Mike says as he gets up and starts to leave Steve's home.

"Mike I can understand how hard this is going to be for you, for both of you but can you please put everything aside and make it work if not for each other for me, and maybe I will put a good word in to let you command the new Hammersley when its ready." Steve says to him, Mike nods his head in response before leaving.

He heads home, and once asleep his dreams are yet again plagued by memories of Kate and him in happier times, memories, dreams he had manger to not have all that often are now there every night all night long.