an: huge, huge thanks to everyone who's reviewed. we've finally made it to ransom! in case you were wondering, despite the kiss in the first chapter, while kate/dutchy is endgame for this fic, it is slow, slow burn – they have a lot to get through before they get there. kate pov. some dialogue has been taken directly from the episode, though i've tried to paraphrase where i can so i'm not repeating swathes of dialogue.

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i failed to see it (from the start)

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Kate adjusts the floppy hat she's wearing and leans back into the lounger. They'd been given R&R at a resort off the coast (she still isn't sure how Mike had swung that), and Kate is determined to enjoy every moment. She's yet to go in the pool, though the sparkling water is beckoning her. She's got her book in her hands, but for once, she's finding it difficult to disappear into the pages.

This is what she hates about herself lately – she can't escape her thoughts. Even now, as she should be relaxing and enjoying the sunshine, her mind drifts to Mike. She's so unsure about how she feels now. She'd been ready to give Mike a chance, give them a chance again, when he'd come back onto the Hammersley. The 'couple of weeks' has now become almost a month, and she's pretty sure that he's decided to stay on. She's going in circles, and it's driving her crazy.

She hisses as water splashes onto her heated skin, and turns to look at the person who'd just dived into the pool. Dutchy – of course it was Dutchy, the other man on her mind. Her eyes linger on the toned muscles of his back as he swims the length of the pool, and she is glad for the sunglasses she's wearing. She turns back to her book, inwardly berating herself. They've come to some semblance of a truce since their foray into the night markets during their last shore leave, though that could be because they've had a quiet patrol in the two days since then, with no boarding parties required. She's also pretty sure he's been avoiding being alone with her, but it's kind of hard to tell, as she's been doing the same. While she'd said that there was nothing to talk about, that kiss had been floating into her mind at the worst moments. She's not going to lie to herself, she'd kissed him back, and while that was worrying, she was more focused on the why. Why had he kissed her?

Kate sighs, and lies back on the lounger. She closes her eyes, tries to focus on the warmth in the air, the fresh breeze on her skin. Anything but the mess her life had become suddenly.

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It's only when she gets back to her cabin after leaving Mike in the wardroom that she lets herself fall back into her thoughts. Once Fiona Douglas had told them that someone had taken Mia, all her focus had been on finding the little girl. There'd been no trace of her – they'd taken the RHIBs out, but it's high season and there are hundreds of boats to search through. She can't help but think if she'd just been quicker to realize that she'd gone on the boat, they may have had a chance.

Now she has a pulsing headache, and Mike's voice ringing in her ears. She hadn't been sure where the question had come from, but she'd bit the bullet and asked him if he'd thought about having kids. He'd been honest with her, she'd give him that, but the answer hadn't been what she'd been expecting. She knows what she wants – a husband, and children – she wants a family. She thought they'd been on the same page there, but Mike has her questioning that. It doesn't make Mike a monster that he hasn't thought about children, but it does make her wonder if there's any point in trying to pursue a relationship – he obviously hasn't been thinking about the future, and maybe that's all she needs to know, right there. They clearly want different things from life. Maybe it was a good thing that she'd cancelled their date before he was back on board as CO.

Not for the first time that day, Kate closes her eyes, hoping sleep will come quickly.

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When she enters the galley, the last person she expects to see is Dutchy. Her mind is still on Santi Wantha and Mia Douglas – she still thinks that Wantha is the mastermind behind the kidnapping, and she is determined to find the little girl. She grabs a cup of coffee, needing the kick, and is surprised when he questions her about writing up the incident. She's honestly put it out of her mind (hey, she was going to make this truce work if it killed her), but she's telling him the truth when she says that guys like Wantha don't intimidate her. She tries to crack a joke, her face falling when he stonewalls her.

When Charge walks in, she can't help herself. "What is with that guy? I could have said, yeah, you acted like an ape," she rants. She'd really thought they'd come to some sort of agreement, but she is clearly wrong.

"X," Charge starts, before he looks back at her, a smile on his face.

"What?"

"Guys like Dutchy…"

"What?" She questions again. If Charge has some insight on why her buffer acts like a Neanderthal while on boarding's, she really wants to know.

"They're," he hesitates, before continuing. "They're more at ease facing bullets than they are their own emotions."

As if that clears anything up. "Meaning?"

"He likes you."

"Are you kidding me? He hates me, clearly!" She says. She's surer of that now than ever.

"X," he pauses, "he likes you." She can hear the emphasis he places on the words and is stunned. "Trust me, I'm a guy. Guys know." He shrugs, as if he hasn't just dropped a bombshell on her.

"XO, Charge, bridge." Mike's voice over the intercom saves her from replying, and she busies herself with putting her mug in the sink, before walking out of the galley with Charge. He's quiet, but his earlier words are echoing in her mind on a loop. He likes you, he likes you, he likes you. Despite the kiss they'd both decided not to talk about, she's never once considered the fact that Dutchy might have feelings for her. He's blown hot and cold on her since he came aboard, the kiss and their somewhat silent excursion into the night markets the only somewhat positive interaction they've had so far. She makes her way up the stairs to the bridge, pushing away her meandering thoughts. She needs to concentrate on Mia Douglas.

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She feels guilty. The Silverado crew member is dead, and it had been her call to stay on Wantha, not the Zodiac. She's also angry – Wantha had been behind the death, regardless of whether he'd pulled the trigger, and Mia Douglas is still missing. She doesn't hold back on questioning him when they board the Silverado again.

When the ransom call comes through, she breathes a sigh of relief when Mia's voice appears on the line. At least she's alive. She has to believe that Mia's going to stay alive, too. When Wantha goes for the gun, she watches Dutchy take him down with a sense of disbelief. He's just taken out their best chance to find Mia Douglas.

Later, when they're back on board the Hammersley and Mike details Wantha's injuries, her frustration grows. Dutchy's overprotectiveness has put a little girl's life in danger. "You could have been a little less enthusiastic," she can't help but say when he tries to defend himself. She listens to him explain his reasoning, but while it makes sense on paper, she can't help but think he's holding something back.

Suddenly he's volunteering to make the ransom drop, and she knows that it's the wrong decision. She argues her case with Mike, and is furious when he cuts her off. She knows exactly what he's doing, and she's not going to stand for it. "May I have a word," she bites out. She can't believe he's doing this. "When they see that it's not Wantha, chances are they're gonna freak," she says as he follows her down the stairs and into his office.

"Well, hopefully they'll be more interested in the jewels,"

"Yeah, well what if they're not," she cuts in. "What if they start shooting?"

"Exactly," he says to her, as if he's proved a point and won the argument. "This is a dangerous operation, and that's why Dutchy,"

"No, a woman is less likely to cause them any alarm," she interrupts again.

"No."

"No?" She tilts her head, disbelieving. "You really don't think so?"

"Alright, maybe," he concedes, before he continues. "But there's no guarantee of that, we don't know who we're dealing with."

"The safety of Mia Douglas has to be our first priority here," she says.

"And what if something happens to you," he says, but she's not going to let him do this.

"Sir, as commanding officer - "

"Kate,"

"No, no. Don't do this. You came back on the ship, it was your choice." She looks up at him, furious that he's doing this, hating how emotional she sounds. "Your choice to keep it professional, this can't be personal between us now."

"I can't just block out how I feel about you," he says, and she almost wants to ask him exactly how he feels, and where he thinks their relationship is going, if they have a future, because god knows, she doesn't. Instead, she takes a deep breath, before continuing.

"I am the only logical choice for this operation, and you know that."

He finally nods. "Alright," he pauses, before adding, "Dutchy goes with you."

"No, he's too much of a cowboy." Regardless of Charge's earlier remarks, she doesn't trust him to follow her lead on this.

"He's the one man on this boat you'd want in a firefight."

"No," she shakes her head. "No," she repeats.

"He goes with you, or you don't go at all." Mike's voice is firm, and she knows she's not going to make him budge on this.

"Okay." She finally says. "I'm going to get ready." She moves past him to the door, and after closing it behind her, takes a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath. It almost feels symbolic, like she's finally closing the door on her and Mike, and whatever this thing between them is. She shakes her head, and starts walking. She'd been right while talking to Mike – Mia Douglas has to be the first priority – her relationship drama needs to take a backseat right now.

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"Are we all set?" She calls, as she walks up to them. She listens as Charge lists the modifications they've made to the zodiac, and scowls as he adds a parting shot. "… so you know, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

While they wait for the handoff, she debates the wisdom of bringing up Charge's comments. She bites the bullet, and what follows is the most embarrassing conversation she could have had with a crew member. She is going to kill Charge, and she is going to make it as painful as this conversation has been.

Luckily, she's saved from having to hear his response with the appearance of the speedboat. "Where's Wantha?"

"Don't shoot," she calls in response, "he's been injured."

"What?"

"He fell and he broke his ankle, so he sent us. We have everything that you've asked for," she says, hoping that they buy it, though from the kidnapper's expression, she's not sure they are.

"Where's the girl?" Dutchy asks.

"Below," the other kidnapper replies.

"We need to see her - "

"You need to do as you're told," the kidnapper in the dark shirt interrupts, pointing his gun at her. She feels her stomach clench, her nerves worsening as Dutchy suddenly stands up, holding the case over the water.

"You shoot us, this'll go straight to the bottom," he says, and she hopes that he's not going to do anything stupid. "Show us the girl."

There's a tense silence, before the kidnapper's exchange a glance. "Get her," the one holding the gun says, before the other man brings her up from the cabin.

"Hey Mia, it's okay," she says quickly. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Yeah, we'll see about that, now give us the stuff."

Dutchy hands it over to them, and she tries to bluff her way through the key issue.

"If this is a trick, you're dead."

"There's no trick," she replies. "No trick," she repeats, before shaking her head at Dutchy as he pulls the gun out. "Put it away," she whispers fiercely, as the kidnapper finally cuts through the lock.

"Let's see what a million bucks looks like." She's tense as he draws the pin out of the bag, and when he's sprayed with the dye, she scrambles on to the boat towards Mia. Behind her, she can hear Dutchy yell at her. Mia screams, and while she knows it's a bad idea, she has no choice – she can't leave the girl on the boat by herself.

"Drop your weapon," Dutchy shouts, even as she calls for Mia to stay below. One of the kidnappers grabs her, while the other shoots at the zodiac, blowing out the engine, but luckily seeming to miss Dutchy. Before she can do anything, the speedboat is on the move, and she knows that they're going too fast for the Hammersley to follow.

For now, she's on her own.

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