"RO get onto NAVCOM now! Charge a word" Mike answered quickly moving past him
"Sir…"
"Now Charge!" he replied annoyed as Charged followed him to his cabin,
"What's going on?" Mike said without much of a second to spare
"Sir?"
"Don't give me the Sir bullshit! What's going on with you and Kate" he replied as Charge closed the door to his cabin
"Nothing is going on with Kate and I, she is a friend and she needed someone to get through a rough patch"
"And she just so happened to ask you" he scoffed
"Is this why you've been ignoring her?"
"Excuse me?" Mike answered annoyed
"You're jealous? Seeing Kate with another man makes your blood boil"
"I…"
"Boss… Mike, Kate needed someone to talk to ever since she died she's being seeing…" he stopped himself
"Seeing what?"
"I shouldn't have…"
"Charge!" Mike yelled
"She's being seeing ET" he blurted out as Mike moved to sit on his rack
"ET is dead" he replied confused
"I know, she needed to talk to someone who believed in conspiracy theories" Charge cleared his throat
"What?" he said confused as Charge moved to sit at his desk
"The X… when she died on the wardroom table" he began saying as Mike cringed remembering when she'd died in front of him
"She was pulled from her body like an outer body experience, she told me she could see everyone and then ET showed up telling her it wasn't her time yet but it was soon"
"Right…"
"She then experienced it again, except this time it was after she'd gotten out of hospital he came to her in a dream"
"Elly…" Mike muttered
"Sorry?"
"Just… She mentioned a dream about kids a little girl named Elly" Mike answered
"Yes, ET he showed her a possible future of her not seeing her daughter grown up if she continued to be stubborn" Charge replied as Mike chuckled lightly
"She came to me, because I'm one for believing in the impossible I told her I'd go to the doctors with her"
"Why didn't she just ask me?" Mike blurted out
"Maybe because of your past" Charge shrugged
"She told you?" he said surprised.
"Some… This past it's become a part of the present though hasn't it?" he asked crossing his arms trying to focus on Mike's posture to see if anything changed
"We spent the day after the Oil accident together" Mike replied as Charge looked at him surprised
"So it's yours then?"
"What's mine?" Mike asked confused
"Oh I…"
"Charge?"
"I thought you knew"
"Knew what?" Mike said nervously
"The X… Kate she's Pregnant Sir" Charge answered as Mike's eyes widened
"What?"
"The tests she had done came back clear, except the bloods she had them redone before we sailed"
"So those results she mentioned this morning"
"You really didn't know?" Charge asked again
"No…" Mike replied shaking his head
"But it is yours?" Charge said softly
"How… How far along?" Mike said trying to get the words out
"6 weeks"
"6… I'm going to be a Dad?" Mike asked sadly as he began to tear up
"Mike… I honestly thought she'd told you what was happening I hadn't realised she didn't mention it" he shrugged
"We had a fight, she was keeping secrets I thought… God I was so wrong and now she could…"
"We'll find her I promise!" Charge assured him
"Oh god…" Mike muttered
"She still loves you, you know" Charge blurted out
"How do…"
"I could see it in her eyes as she told me, it's always been your Sir not Jim or Rick all Kate wants is you" he smiled softly as a tear ran down Mike's cheek
"We need to find her" Mike sniffled
"We will! Kate is strong there's no way she won't fight to come home" Charge answered placing a hand on Mike's arm
"I'm sorry Charge… I thought…"
"Because of the older man thing?" he grinned
"Yeah, she seems to find an appeal for the slightly grey" Mike smiled
"From what I heard you weren't even grey when she first noticed you" Charge laughed
"She was so beautiful Charge, it took me 2 years to get up the courage to ask her out" Mike wiped a tear off his cheek
"The paperwork incident" Charge smiled
"Yeah"
"Kate is my friend Mike if anything she's more like a niece to me but the love… the love she has for you it's cosmic and having you distrust her"
"I love her Andy, more than anything in this world" Mike replied with a sad look
"I know, and I promise we'll find her" he nodded as the intercom announced for Mike to return to the bridge as they both moved to stand Mike pulled Charge into a brotherly hug patting his back as they moved back before he returned to the respected Commanding Officer everyone had come to trust and love.
On board the Moonshine: 1300
"Can I have some water please?" Kate asked clearing her throat as she now sat in the lower part of the deck having been moved from the hold
"Matt?" Jack asked turning to look at Matt who was sitting across from her
"Yeah" Matt answered waving his hand as Jack disappeared to the galley
"When did you escape?" Kate asked when they were alone
"A week ago, took me 3 days to find out Hammersley's schedule"
"So you set this all up?"
"Just shut up" he sighed as Jack placed a glass of water in front of her she reached for it taking a large mouthful.
"What's the plan, kill me? Drop me off at a deserted island?" she replied a few minutes later as she placed her glass down
"Do you want to go back in the hold!" Matt yelled
"I'm just curious as to how you think this is going to work? Killing a Navy Officer isn't exactly easy" she shrugged
"A bullet to the brain no one will know"
"Really?" she laughed slightly
"What?"
"This is ridiculous, you're not going to get away with this you've kidnapped an Officer there's only one way for this to go and it will end with you back in jail"
"You will not be around to see it!" Matt answered as he moved to stand
"Why are you doing this!" she spat back as she stood up his angry form towering over her
"You killed my wife!"
"It was an accident, she tripped and fell"
"I watched you let her go"
"Her hand slipped the oil it…" she began saying as he gripped his hand around her neck pushing her back into the wall gripping his wrist with her hands
"You killed her!" he yelled tightening around her neck as he pulled her gun out from the back of his pants
"I… tried… to.. save… her…" she spluttered as she tried to pry his hand away from her throat it got tighter
"Keep it up and you'll never get to see your precious Commander again" he said through gritted teeth
"Mike…" Kate whispered as Liv entered quickly pulling Matt back as Kate fell to the ground coughing for air
"We still have 47h, don't go killing her now or we won't have any leverage!" Liv answered as she moved to kneel next to Kate who was holding her throat and trying to swallow
"You don't think I feel guilty about watching her plead for help and all I could do was watch her fall!" Kate replied through strained breathes
"Here…" Liv said grabbing the water off the table as she passed it to her she took a small sip
"Get her back in the hold" Mat grumbled as he put the gun back in his pants Jack moved to help Kate up as she continued to hold her neck for comfort her other hand instinctively resting on her still flat abdomen.
"Please, just let me go" Kate muttered as Jack walked her through the corridor to the hold
"I can't I'm sorry…"
"What are you achieving by keeping me here!"
"Matt wants his revenge, taking you is part of that" he answered as they stopped near the hold
"You're a pussycat compared to him" she spat back angrily
"Maybe, but I'm not about to hurt or kill a Pregnant woman" he replied pushing the door open
"I don't…"
"I know the signs, just stay quiet and don't piss Matt off" he answered pushing her into the hold as he pulled the door closed locking it in place, sitting down as she rested against the wall Kate began to tear up
"Mike…" she whispered as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.
Hammersley: 1330
"Did you find out from NAVCOM when Matt got out?" Mike asked as he entered the bridge
"A week Sir" RO replied
"A week! What the hell is Marshall playing at we should have been informed!" he said angrily
"Commander Marshall on line for you Sir" Ro said holding up the sat phone
"Sir, what the hell is going on?" Mike answered as he grabbed the sat phone
"I understand your angry Mike but having a go at me isn't going to help find your XO"
"Sir why didn't you inform us Matt Robson had escaped from jail?"
"I wasn't aware Mike not until I received the call from your RO"
"Sir the XO she's…"
"What?"
"She's having a few health issues Sir" Mike answered as everyone on the bridge looked around in shock
"I don't understand" Marshall replied as Mike cupped his hand around the phone and whispered so the rest of the crew wouldn't hear
"SHE'S WHAT!!" Marshall's voice yelled through the sat phone
"Sir…"
"Why wasn't I informed of this?"
"I was only just told myself Sir, it was brought to my attention after the X was taken" Mike answered sadly.
"What was that about?" Swain asked Charge softly
"Ah…"
"Charge if you know something"
"Kate's Pregnant Swain" Charge answered softly as Nikki moved closer from behind them
"She's what?" she asked sadly
"Nav… She only just got the results this morning" Charge assured her
"I knew there was something wrong…"
"What?" Swain said concerned
"I heard throwing up this morning just before my watch at 0600, I thought it was someone in the head but when I left Kate she wasn't in her rack" she shrugged
"How far along is she Charge?" Swain asked nervously
"6 weeks, and I… I told her she shouldn't do it but you know the X"
"Stubborn is her personality" Nikki grinned slightly
"Do we know who the Father is?" Swain answered as Charge looked at him confused
"He'll need to be informed of what's happening" Nikki piped up
"He… He already knows" Charge said softly as he looked at Mike who was trying to persuade Commander Marshall to let him have the job of finding the X
"You mean?" Swain asked unsure
"It was a onetime thing but its…"
"More, explains his reaction…" Nikki sighed.
"Sir, I want the job of putting him back where he belongs" Mike said annoyed
"Mike you have a personal involvement in this"
"She is my XO of course I'm personally involved!"
"Okay… Calm down and think rationality what is it he has asked for?" Marshall asked
"Funds transferred into an offshore account"
"In trade for your XO?"
"She'll be dropped off on a local island"
"I have to say Mike this is kind of hitting the grey area"
"Sir Kate's life hangs in the balance as we speak" Mike replied sadly
"I understand that Mike but we need to be careful I'll contact the BRASS and get back to you"
"Sir…"
"I'll call you back" Marshall said bluntly as the line went dead Mike angrily put the phone back down as he looked around at the sad and shocked faces of his crew.
"Sir, the X…" 2Dads asked sadly as he stepped forward his head now bandaged from Swain
"Nav set a course to the last know position of 'Moonshine'" Mike answered ignoring 2Dads
"Shouldn't we wait to hear back from Commander Marshall?" Nav asked moving towards the Navigators system
"Commander Marshall has no interest of finding the X anytime soon we need to move on it now" Mike replied
"Sir I…"
"You have objections, does anyone else want to wait for Marshall while Kate is out there either in pain or being hurt!" he said turning to face the rest of the crew
"We want Kate back just as much as you do Sir" Charge answered moving forward
"NAVCOM isn't going to like this" RO sighed
"Kate is family, something more to others" Swain smiled sadly at Mike
"I'll take the full force of what NAVCOM serves up" Mike said
"We're in this, all the way" Charge answered
"Together" Nikki nodded as she began plotting a course Mike smiled grateful for them all
"RO get onto 'Moonshine' and find out his demands" Mike replied as everyone busied themselves on the bridge 2Dads moved towards Mike
"Sir… I" he began saying sadly
"2Dads it's not your fault" he assured him placing a hand on his shoulder
"I couldn't help her Sir"
"The X will be fine and I can assure there is no way she would blame you" he replied
"We'll find her right?" he asked hopeful
"We're the Hammersley crew we always find our people" he nodded before turning to look out the front of the bridge as 2Dads went to help Charge
"She'll be okay" Nav broke the silence placing a hand on Mike's shoulder
"I hope your right Nav, I hope your right" he smiled sadly.
Just quick note: I've changed the summary a little as the story as kind of changed a little, hope your enjoying! Xx