AN: Sorry every one i stuff up, i miss a chapter, so can you all reread chapter six again please.

Chapter 7

The next day, the Thorpe's returned home. With the kids' back at school and Helen at work, Charge finds himself busy around the house, fixing things until his leave finally ended. That day, Helen said a cold, good bye at him before walking out of the house with no hugs or kiss. With that start to his day, he walked with Jamie and Amy to school where he spoke to them for few minutes until they had to get inside. He hugged them both tightly.

"Jamie, Amy. Remember this: No matter what happens, I will always love you both."

"I love you too, daddy," Amy said

"Me too," Jamie agreed.

"See you both when I return, ok?" He said mussing their hairs.

"Ok, daddy," Amy said.

One kick hug later, they ran to school and Charge hoped to the waiting cab and heading to the wharf. A year later, when his tour was up, and he was finally home, he received a transfer notice. He was shocked, he was trying to keep his marriage together in the best way he could, but this could be catastrophic to it.

However, his transfer notice wasn't as much shock as Helen's reaction to it. With not many options left, that night when his wife was out yet again, he sat both Jamie and Amy down in the living room.

"Jamie, Amy… I got some news that affects you both. I've been transferred to Cairns."

"And what about us?" Jamie asked with a frown. Charge sat down on the edge of the coffee table looking at them.

"I wish I could take you both with me. But," he let out a breath.

"Your mother and I are getting a divorce, and your mummy wants full custody of you both."

"What? No, daddy! I don't want you to leave us!" Amy started to cry.

"Don't worry, luv. I'm going to fight her, I've spoken to my lawyer, and hopefully, we can come to some arrangement so I can spend time with you."

"You are leaving us," Jamie affirmed.

"Yes and no. There's something we can do to keep in contact, we can write to each other. It's one way for you both to improve your writing and spelling when we are not together."

"Will we be able to visit you, daddy?" He smiled.

"As soon as I get settled, you two can come up when I'm around, and you are in school holidays, how that's sounds?" He offered.

"Will we be able to go fishing?" Jamie asked chewing his lower lip.

"Of course, we will! I'll even show you which ship I am on."

"I'll miss you, Dad," Jamie said

"I'll miss you both," they stood up and hugged Charge as they cried. "I love you both so much," he whispered to them.

"When are you leaving dad?" Amy pouted as they came apart.

"I'm staying in a motel till Wednesday then I'm flying up to Cairns."

"Will we see you before you go?"

"Yes, every day I'll wait for you both at the school gates, and we will be spending tomorrow and Sunday together," they hugged once more.

Charge keep his promise over the next few days. On Tuesday night, he gave them both a hug for the last time.

"As soon as I got a place I'll write to you both, ok?"

"Ok."

"Love you both."

"Love you, daddy," Amy said.

"Love you, Dad."

Charge watched them walk up to the house, they turned and waved at him which he did in return before they walked into the house. He got back into the taxi and headed to the motel. The next day he flew up to Cairns. Two days after, he found a house which was up for auction. He read about the house and knew how much he could go up to, so he called the bank manager and talked to him for a couple of minutes before calling a taxi.

Fifteen minutes later Charge got out of the taxi and walked across the road. The sign marked it as an open house; there weren't many people which he considered good news for him. He walked up to the front door where a woman greeted him; she passed him a pamphlet about the house before he walked in side.

The house was empty; he looked around the rooms while reading what it said. It was five bedrooms, three and a half bathroom and two garage house. He looked around and out the back of the house where he noticed a swimming pool and barbeque dining area. He checked the bathrooms and bedrooms upstairs, and when he finished looking around, all he could think of was 'try to get the house.'

An hour later, the auctions started out the front of the house. He was there waiting to put his bid in. It came to two of them until the other guy shook his head and Charge won the auction. When it was over, he spoke to the real estate woman while signing some papers before walking away pulling his cell phone out to make the phone calls to settle things. By the end of the day, the house was his.

The next day he went shopping for a bed, draws, sheets, couch, TV, washing machine, dryer and few other necessities which were dropped at the house the next day. He spent the whole day sorting his things out when between them he noticed the letter again.

Picking it up, he sat on his bed and read it once again. There was one part of the letter which confused him for few minutes. Then he grinned, he remembered the name from the morning newspaper.

"Of course, last change," he stood up and ran down stairs and into the kitchen where the newspaper was, and he looked at the racing section and grinned. "Horse race," He saw when the race started and placed a call.

Twenty minutes later, Charge walked out of the TAB with the ticket; he spent three months' worth of wages on the one horse. All he could do was wait now. He went to a bar down the road and had a couple of beers before returning to the TAB where they gave him a check which he deposited in his account. The next day, he reported to NAVCOM. He walked in looking around to talk to the head of NAVCOM.

"Commander Johnson, sir?"

"Yes?" They exchanged a salute.

"I'm Petty Officer Thorpe; I'm reporting for duty, sir."

"Yes, come into my office, and take a sit, please." The Commander looked around among his papers. "I have signed you to a patrol boat; your record states you always been on frigates."

"Yes, sir."

"Ok, the patrol boat that you will be on is due to return to port in two weeks. And since the crew got a week off you can start in three weeks; it will give you enough time to find a house for you and your family."

"I'm divorcing, sir. It's not finalized yet."

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"It's ok, sir. Kids are understanding."

"That's good, what about visitation?"

"We haven't decided yet, sir. When it's sorted, I'll let you know in case I'm down in Sydney when the boat is in port, and there's a crash sail."

"Ok, if you have any questions let me know. Have you got a place to live?"

"Yes, sir. I bought a house a few days ago."

"Ok, you will need to fill out your new address and other details before you leave."

"Yes, sir."

"The patrol boat you will be assigned to is HMAS Hammersley," Charge thought about the name.

"Hammersley, sir?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"No, sir. Is Lieutenant... Mike Flynn still on the boat, sir?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

"We meet at dream world year ago; I was taking kids there during the holidays, he was there with a friend and children. They were staying at the same hotel, sir."

"Well, then, I take you wouldn't issues making friends here."

"No, sir."

They talked for few more minutes before Charge stood up and followed the Commander out of the office and over to where a file was just put together for him to fill out. Half an hour later, he walked out of NAVCOM and headed back home. A week passed by and the bank called to let him know his check was ready to be used, he used part of it to paid the mortgage off, placed some money in his retirement plan and arranged tickets for the kids to visit him over the long weekend.

He couldn't believe Helen had agreed with him until the kids were hugging him at the airport. He was happy and looking forth to spending time with them.

"Come on let me show you both around," he told them walking inside the house. "You need to pick your rooms."

"I'll have this one, dad," Amy said pointing to one, Charge wrote her name on the sign he had placed on the door. "Jamie? Have you figured yours?"

"This one, dad!" he pointed to the next one and Charge added Jamie's name to the tag.

"Ok, pizza should be here soon. So that you know, you will have to sleep on the couch until we get you beds."

"We know."

"Great, come on let's go and watch a video!"

They walked down stairs to pick a DVD just as they decided the doorbell rang signaling the arrival of their pizza. They all sat down enjoying their dinner why watching a couple of movies.

The next morning after breakfast they went into town to do some shopping. Charge let them choose what beds and furniture they would like for their bedroom. They even picked some wall posters that he readily bought after looking how happy they were. They returned home for dinner and sleep. The next day, they spent it fishing like they used to do back in Sydney.

On Sunday morning, before they were due to leave for the airport, Charge gave them a box each

"What is this, dad?" Amy asked

"Open it," Amy opened hers and pulled an envelope out.

"Dad?"

"As you can see it already got my name and address on it and the stamps. Yours is a pale yellow envelope, and Jamie is green. So, I know it's from you."

"Thanks, Dad," Amy said hugging him then Jamie did as well

"Plus, there are six color writing pads so you can write to me."

"We will write to you, Dad," Jamie said

"Good, so got everything packed."

"Yes," they nodded.

"Good! Put the boxes in your bags; the taxi will be here any minute," he said and watched them leave. "Kid's let's go!" he yelled when the car stopped in front of this house.

An hour later, he waved the kids goodbye as they walked onto the plane. He watched the plane leave before returning home.

The day Hammersley is back in Cairns, Charge was on the wharf. When he saw it, he smiled he was looking forward to checking out the engines and meet and get to know the whole crew. When Hammersley was docked, he watched the crew walk off the boat talking about getting together for a beer later that night at the pub. He noticed two men in uniforms talking as they were walking off the boat. Charge recognized Mike straight away.

"Lieutenant Flynn, sir," He called over, making Mike stop and turn to him.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Don't you remember me, sir? A year ago, in Dream World? You were with your friend Stewart White, his sister and your god children." Mike looked at him with a frown.

"What's your name?"

"Petty officer Andy Thorpe, sir. I'm called Charge. You said next time I'm in Cairns to look you up," Mike looked up at Charge and smiled.

"Ah, that's right! Now I remember you. You are here to check out Hammersley?"

"The engines, sir," Mike laughed.

"That's right you are an Engineer. Lieutenant Commander Thomas Lane, Petty officer Andy Charge Thorpe."

"Sir," Charge said as he stood at attention and saluted the other man.

"Petty officer."

"Where are your family?" Mike asked.

"In Sydney, sir...I'm going through a divorce."

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's ok. It was a long time coming, sir." Mike nodded

"We better get going. Here is my card give me a call some time."

"Thanks, sir. There's something else, I'm Hammersley new engineer," Charge grinned.

"You are the new engineer?"

"Yes, sir. I can hardly wait to see them," Mike grinned.

"I bet, how about meeting me here tomorrow, at ten. I'll give you the tour of your home away from home," Mike offered, and Charge grinned

"I'll be looking forth to it, sir!"

"Good see you then."

"Yes, sir."

Mike and Thomas walked away, while Charge turned to look at Hammersley once more before walking away smiling. The next morning, he found himself doing the same until the door of the Hammersley opened, and someone stepped out. Charge smiled when he saw it was Mike.

"Come aboard," Mike yelled, and he did. "Welcome aboard, Charge."

"Thank you, sir."

"Follow me."

Charge followed Mike around the ship, as he showed all the ship including his future cabin. Leaving the engine room to the last. When they finally got to the engine room, Mike couldn't help but smile. Charge was looking at the engines as if they were one giant candy stick. Andy spent fifteen minutes looking over every inch of the engines before turning around to see Mike smiling amusedly.

"Sorry, sir. I got carried away," he said sheepishly.

"It's ok. It's your baby now."

"Yes, sir. I'll take great care of them, sir."

"You do that. Now, come I'll introduce you to some of the crew."

"Well, Charge, what do you think?" Mike asked him an hour later as they were coming down of the Hammersley.

"It's smaller than a frigate, sir. But I'll get used to it."

"Good, see you next Wednesday morning."

"Yes, sir."

A week later, Charge was looking at the Hammersley once more before he entered it. He meets the crew and found there were five new members including himself. And over three hours later, the Hammersley left port.