Heya. So here's the next chapter. I'm sorry it's late. Real life got in the way. And I was writing another story I hope to post after I've finished one of these. Thank you so so so so so much to everyone who's reviewed it and given me feedback, it really does help.

Am going to Cairns on Monday [so excited!] so hopefully I can get some writing done there and on the plane. Don't know if I'll have internet though so am not sure if I'll be able to update. Hopefully I do though - I go crazy without this forum.

So yeah, hope you like the next chapter.




Chapter 3

When Kate woke up the next morning, she was stretched out along the lounge with a foul taste in her mouth, a pounding headache and her hair was stuck together in places from her tears. She sat up slowly, her eyes adjusting to the light. Her headphones, which she had been listening to the night before, had dislodged from her ears sometime during the night. She could still just hear the music from the headphone sitting on her shoulder. Grabbing the iPod, she turned it off, standing up and heading towards the kitchen.

Her foot connected with a glass bottle along the way, sending it skidding across the kitchen tiles. She headed towards it, picking it up to examine it. The wine bottle was almost empty, and she frowned. After her memories of her life as a teenager had infiltrated her mind, she felt she needed something to take her mind of them. Of course, it hadn't helped. I didn't drink that much, did I?

Apparently she had. She closed her eyes and leant up against the kitchen wall, sliding down it to reach a half sitting, half crouching position on the floor. Her phone indicated she had a message, breaking the silence, but she ignored it. It was probably Shaun anyway.

How did my life turn out like this? I was doing well. I was getting better. And then Shaun has to show up and ruin everything.


Almost immediately, Phil's face flew into her head, his voice echoing.

"You're never going to amount to anything, Katherine. Girls like you are good for nothing, lazy sluts. That's all you're ever going to be good for."


Her eyes snapped open, and she ran for the sink just in time to empty the meagre contents of her stomach. But the voice didn't go away.

She gave an involuntary shiver, rinsing her mouth out with the rest of the bottle of wine off before dropping the empty bottle into the bin, and wishing she could throw out her problems the same way.

/\\/\

Kate sat on the top the hill staring at the moonlight reflecting on the waves crashing below her. The wind blew her hair onto her face and she sighed, pushing it back.
She shivered involuntarily, wrapping the jacket tighter around her. A sharp pain flew up her wrist and she flinched, moving it closer to examine the patchwork of purple and yellow bruises covering it. She frowned, looking at the result of Phil, grabbing her wrist to stop her running away during one of their arguments. It still throbbed painfully, but like so many other things he did to get on her nerves she wasn't giving him the satisfaction of knowing it hurt.


Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her lighter, watching the flames flicker in the wind. Her finger reached out to touch it, moving it fast through the flame a couple of times, before pulling a sparkler out of the box next to her and touching the tip of it to the flame. It was silent for a moment, then a small whoosh and it lit, sending sparks into the night sky. Dropping the lighter, Kate stood, holding it out at arms length and spinning around so that a streak of orange and purple enclosed her in a circle. Her circle. Her safe place.



She spun around and around as everything but her circle became one giant blur. How strange it was that this was the only time she ever felt safe, and it was while she was dancing with fire on a cliff-top. She wondered if Shaun would rather know that this was what she did when she snuck out rather than think she was smoking or doing drugs. Probably not. He was on Phil's side. He always assumed the worst in her.



A small hiss, and then the sparkler burnt out and she was left alone and cold in the dark again, just a pathetic lonely girl with a burnt out sparkler.


She pulled her headphones out of her ears as she stepped into the Naval car park just after 1335. She had decided to get out of the house and keep herself busy – and what better way to do that then doing her job? And a walk would probably do her some good, clear her head. And so that's why she was sitting there finishing typing up a report for the latest boarding. It was mundane, and required little brain activity, good work for when you were trying to clear your head.

She had almost finished the report when the door opened and 2Dads walked in, iPod blasting away in his ears. He jumped when he saw her, fumbling to remove the earphones. He took a step back to hover in the doorway.

"Ma'am. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here." She gave a small smile, standing up and inviting him in.

"No problem. Should have come up to the bridge and told you. Just thought I'd finish this report" She nodded towards the computer and he followed her gaze, staring at the screen.

"So, why were you poking around my cabin?" Kate asked when 2Dads failed to look back up. He jerked his head up, handing her a pile of clean sheets.

"Washing. Just thought I'd drop it back."

"Thank you." She placed them on the rack. He stayed in the doorway, hovering uncomfortably.

"2Dads?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to look at him.

"Ma'am. I was wondering... are you okay? I mean, with that guy that was having a go at you-"

"I'm fine." She assured him, somewhat abrasively. He raised an eyebrow at her but didn't question her answer.

"Okay. Well, if you need a hand, let us know. You're our XO, and we're the only ones that can mess with you."

"Should I be thanking you or-"

"Take it as a compliment, X."

Despite everything going on in her life at the moment, she laughed, giving him a mock-salute.

"Will do. Thanks."

Phil threw down the newspaper, scoffing loudly.



"What is it Phil?" Jodie, Kate's mother, asked, moving to his side.
He gestured at the newspaper lazily.



"Just another report of a womanbeing injured in the defense force. Big deal. I tell you Shaun, they should have never let them join in the first place. Just another example of how you can't trust a woman to do a man's-"


"That's sexist." Kate replied, not looking up from her breakfast.



Phil spluttered, before letting out a laugh. "It's not sexist if it's true, Miss know-it-all."



"How do you know it's true? Have you ever seen a woman in the Defence Force?"


"I know what I see from reading this!"



"The Newspaper is politically censored-"


"Politically censored? Get over yourself, Katherine, and leave the fighting to the men."



"Men like you? And to think I was scared of the future of this country." Kate muttered sarcastically, putting her bowl into the sink and leaving the kitchen.



Shaun caught her in the hallway, grabbing her sore wrist. His fingers tightened around the bruises that Phil had made not 24 hours ago, but she managed to refrain from wincing.



"Why are you trying to wind him up?"



"I'm trying to wind him up? Did you hear what he was saying?"



"What does it matter? Not like you're ever going to join the Defence Force."



Kate gave a laugh at that thought. "That'd show him, wouldn't it? If I became Admiral or Chief of Navy or something."



"Oh, stop. Okay?"



"No, why should I have to limit my career options just because Phil's a sexist pig?"



"Do you like getting yourself into trouble?"



"Shaun, just leave me alone, okay? You picked your side."



She pushed past him, walking down the hall and slamming her bedroom door behind her.