Hey everyone!

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a fabulous new year with too much food and booze. Well that's how us Aussie's do it hahaha.

Sorry it's been so long between chapters, this one has really been kicking my ass! Lol, regretting the double story option a little, never again... well maybe haha. Also being distracted by other fics away in fantasy K and D land doesn't help my writers block but I think I'm finally back on track.

Anyway let's get on with it before I change my mind and want to re write it again.

Don't forget to review.

The Ties that Bind

Chapter 11 (Mike plays by the rules)

Back on board the drug smugglers boat Paul was getting nervous about Kate.

"Tez, please just let me see her. C'mon, please..."

He shook his head.

"No, I'll go check on her..."

Terry walked down stairs and put the balaclava over his head, Kate was waiting by the door hoping to ambush him. He opened the door and looked around, he frowned not seeing her, she jumped on his back attempting to take off his balaclava.

They struggled and he flipped her onto the ground onto her back, but not before she grabbed his balaclava. She lay on the floor and squinted trying to focus on the face staring down at her.

"Terry?"

He winced as she said his name.

"I really wish you hadn't done that!"

Terry stormed up the stairs and locked the door, Paul raced over to him.

"What happened? You didn't hurt her did you?"

Gaz walked up behind Paul and grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face him.

"Hey, who's side are you on mate?"

Paul tried not to hesitate, Gaz was the one who genuinely frightened him.

"Yours of course, but she's my sister..."

He turned back to Terry to try and reason with him.

"Tez, you have a sister, you understand don't you?"

Terry shook his head slightly and walked off, Gaz shoved Paul on to the floor.

"You better get your head in the game if you want her to live. Now, stay down there..."

Paul nodded nervously and didn't dare move.

Gaz went after Terry, they stood in the wheelhouse trying to figure out a plan.

Paul slowly moved himself closer to try and hear.

"It's only a matter of time before the Navy are on to us Tez, we need to get rid of both of them, they're a labiality..."

"Yeah but the Navy girl is insurance, they'll let us go if we have her..."

"Nah, I say we dump 'em, they know too much..."

"We'll wait till we've made the pickup, if something goes wrong we can use them then, just calm down!"

Gaz rolled his eyes in disagreement.

"Okay, you can explain this to the boss if the shipment doesn't make it in."

Gaz headed out to the deck, Terry grabbed his shoulder and spun him round.

"And leave her alone!"

Gaz tilted his head.

"What do you care?"

"There's a line Gaz..."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at the thought.

"Yeah, we're upstanding citizens..."

He tightened his grip on Gaz's shoulder and held his mean stare.

"Gaz, I meant it, pick up is in a couple of hours, just keep an eye out for our Navy friends..."

Back on Hammersley Dutchy was sitting in the senior sailors mess with his head in his hands. Mike wanted to try and smooth things over but he also had a mission to lead, he knocked on the door and entered.

"You okay?"

Dutchy took a deep breath in trying to stay civil.

"Yeah, as much as I can be..."

Mike knew his next comment wasn't going to help with the 'smoothing things over' but he was in charge after all. He sat down next to him and glanced over to him.

"I think it's probably best that you sit this one out..."

Dutchy stood up objecting to Mike's comment, he tried to stay composed, he knew that Mike was just trying to do his job but he couldn't help but feel he was letting his personal feelings get in the way.

"That's not an option Boss..."

Mike took a step closer and lowered his voice.

"Dutchy, I think you're in way over your head..."

Dutchy took a step towards him, Mike may be his Boss but he wasn't going to let him think he could intimidate him out of helping with the mission. They stood close, their faces only centimetres apart.

"Boss, I am one of the best people to have out there..."

Dutchy's heart started to beat faster, in this moment he realised that he really did care about Kate and in a different way to all the other women that he'd ever been with. Mike looked confused as he saw the expression change on Dutchy's face, he retracted and stepped back a little.

"Please Boss, don't make me beg..."

Mike sighed and sat down, Dutchy followed, he placed his head back in his hands. Mike glanced over to him, he recognised that look, that position, he had been in that exact same position when Kate had suspected of being poisoned and taken hostage on the FFV. It was the look of fear of losing someone you love. Mike knew this was the opportunity to be his friend and not his boss. He sighed and placed a hand on Dutchy's back trying to give him some sort of comfort.

"Have you figured out what you're going to say to her?"

Dutchy looked at him with a confused expression.

"Does she even know you have feelings for her?"

He immediately looked away, Mike laughed at his awkwardness.

"Don't make the same mistake I did, you need to tell her. You were right, I never made her my first priority, work always came first..."

Dutchy sat there in silence, this was an uncomfortable conversation, not one that he'd ever assume Mike would initiate.

"You just need to make sure you're prepared Dutchy, this situation is volatile, these guys, I don't think they'd hesitate in harming anyone. We need to be prepared okay?"

"Just trust me Boss, I, we can do this..."

Mike gave him a nod and walked off.

Back on the drug boat Paul got up and peered into the wheelhouse making sure Terry was alone.

"Tez, please, just let me go see her..."

Terry glanced out to the deck to see where Garry was.

"I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Please, I just want to check that she's okay..."

Gaz walked up behind him and shoved him a little, Paul's tone changed he tried to sound less concerned.

"Oh and I could try and get some information out of her, like if they know we're out here..."

Terry let out a huff, he glanced at Gaz who gave him a little nod.

"Thank you."

Paul made his way below, he opened the door and found Kate in the corner of the cabin.

"Kate?"

She stood up and grasped her head, the throbbing worsened, she sat back down. He rushed to her side and held her hand.

"Kate, I'm so sorry..."

She scoffed and turned her back towards him.

"Yeah, how many times have I heard that?"

Paul hung his head in shame, why should she believe him? He had betrayed her trust too many times to count.

"Kate, it'll be okay, Dutchy's on to it..."

Kate turned to face him hearing him mention Dutchy's name.

"Dutchy?"

Paul laughed at her surprised expression.

"Yeah, you know he really cares about you..."

Kate scrunched up her face at the thought, Paul could see she didn't have a clue.

"Kate, you would have to be blind not to see it...if you didn't care about him then why did you push him away?"

Kate was annoyed that Paul knew her so well, even after all those years apart. Paul squeezed her hand a little.

"I left some evidence for them to find, Dutchy found it thank god. They shouldn't be too far way."

Kate was completely overwhelmed and confused.

"So what, are you in on this or not? And what is Terry doing here, don't tell me you dragged him into this too?"

"Look it's a long story but Kate, if this goes bad, just save yourself okay? These guys are dangerous, they will not hesitate to kill you. I have to do what they say, I've got debts to repay and they'll kill me if I don't..."

She so desperately wanted to believe he wasn't a bad person, she tried one last time to reason with him.

"Paul, you have a choice, I just don't understand why you didn't ask for help..."

"There's nothing you could do Kate, I did everything they said. I came here looking for you, I knew you were in the Navy, they sent me here to get information."

Kate snatched her hand back.

"So it is true...you totally played me..."

He nodded slightly breaking eye contact, he heard the door creak and saw Gaz out of the corner of his eye, he cleared his throat.

"I planted the bugs and the trackers..."

Tears started to well in her eyes, she stood above him and raised her voice.

"You never cared, you never wanted to be a family again..."

He took a deep breath in and shook his head, he stood up and barley made eye contact with her. She couldn't believe that all the nice things that he had said and done for her in the past few weeks were fake, were a lie.

"Paul John McGregor, you look me in the eye and tell me that you don't care about me."

Paul looked up at her with a steely look on his face.

"I came back here to save myself Kate, it was just convenient that you were in the Navy..."

Kate held his stare, Gaz laughed and clapped slowly and walked towards them.

"Aww, what a touching family reunion..."

Gaz walked up to Kate and stood close, she winced as he ran his finger down her cheek and down her chest.

"And what a beautiful family you are..."

Paul grabbed his arm with force.

"Don't touch her..."

Gaz grabbed his arms and tightened his group.

"And what are you gonna do about it?"

Paul grit his teeth and threw a punch and Gaz went flying across the cabin. Paul lunged at him and they wrestled on the floor, Kate took the opportunity to make a run for it. She ran up the stairs and was comforted by Terry in the doorway, he pointed his gun at her, she froze immediately.

"Don't even think about it..."

Kate shook her head in disbelief.

"Terry, what are you doing? You were one of his best mates, you took me to my formal for god's sake..."

He looked at her for a minute and spun her round and dug the gun into her side.

"Sorry Kate, don't have time to reminisce..."

He walked her down the stairs and found Paul and Garry fighting.

"Hey! Would you two stop it!"

They looked up at Terry and hesitated.

"We need to get this done!"

Gaz stormed up to Terry.

"I don't trust him Tez, he was down here coming up with a plan with her to escape..."

Paul shoved him a little.

"No I wasn't..."

He walked up to Terry to try and smooth things over with him.

"Tez, she's gonna do as she's told..."

He glanced over to Kate.

"Aren't you?"

Kate nodded slightly. Paul brushed himself off and stood closer to Terry.

"I don't know what I can do to prove to you that I'm with you..."

Garry stood up and walked over to Kate and had a devious look on his face, he ran his finger over her cheek.

"I know what you can do."

They walked up on deck, Terry still holding Kate at gun point. Gaz reached out for the gun.

"Gimme the gun..."

Terry looked at him hesitantly.

"Terry, just give me the gun!"

He reluctantly handed Garry the gun and he pointed it at Kate. Terry went to take it off of him.

"How's this proving that Paul's on our side..."

He smiled and kicked the back of Kate's knee, she dropped to the ground, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Garry held the gun to her head, Paul stood there frozen, Garry grabbed his hand and put the gun in it.

"This is how you can prove that you're on our side..."

Paul froze, Kate looked up at him in disbelief.

Shane sat at the EOD watching the scene on the drug boat unfold.

"Ah Boss, you need to see this, I think we need to move..."

Mike, Dutchy and the Agents rushed over to the screen, they stood there in horror as they watched as Paul had a gun to Kate's head.

Mike gave Dutchy the nod of approval.

"Extra plates, go!"

Dutchy didn't hesitate, they boarding party headed for the RHIB.

Back on the boat Paul was frozen in fear, Gaz nudged him.

"Well, go on. Shouldn't be that hard if you're one of us right?"

Kate closed her eyes, tears spilt down her cheeks. She sat there thinking of her life that was only half lived and the wasted opportunities, the family she would never have.

Paul's hands were shaking, he glanced down at Kate then back at Gaz and Terry. Gaz took out his gun and aimed it at Paul's head.

"Shoot her or I'll shoot you!"

Paul positioned his trembling finger on the trigger, Kate closed her eyes, she couldn't believe that he was going along with it. She took a deep breath in and held it waiting for it all to go dark.

End Chapter 11

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