Hammersley had been out at sea for a week now. Kate still had no idea what to do about her family, but she had finally gotten up the courage to write an email to her uncle.

Dear Sam Benson

Thank you for taking the time to talk to Barry Williams, a close friend of mine. Sorry I haven't been in touch since, it has been a lot to take in, especially after 25 years of not knowing and thinking you guys didn't care about what had happened with me.

When we left England I remember being on a boat before being on the plane that brought us to Australia. My mother had followed some opal miner back here. She had met him in England. We lived with him for about three years before he left us for someone younger than my mother. After that life was different to what I had known in England and even with the opal miner,

I'm still not sure what to do or where to go with all the information I have been provided with from Barry and I can tell there are some things he is not telling me for whatever reason he thinks is best. He did mention that my father wonted to hand his business down to his oldest child, that child being me. Right now I don't think I deserve it. I'm sure I'm not his only child. I do hope he did move on and had more children. He at least deserved to be happy.

Before I can have any real idea of what to do I need to know what you guys expect from me. I do have a life here in Australia, a job I love doing, friends and family.

I haven't had contact with my mother since I left at the age of 18 to join the Navy, so if you are trying to find her I can't help you with that.

Yours sincerely

Lieutenant Kate McGregor RAN

Kate sits there reading over the email several times before clicking the send button. It is late and she wonders if Mike will still be awake or not. She decides to go and see. She heads to his cabin.

As she arrives, she notices the light coming out from underneath the door. She gently knocks on the door and hears a faint hold on, coming from within and a few moments later the door is partly open.

"Oh sorry Sir I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll go back to my cabin." She says seeing he is half dressed, though seeing his bare chest doesn't help other thoughts from running through her mind.

"No Kate its fine. Come on in." He says as he motions for her to come in and then puts a shirt on.

"What can I do for you?" he asks as he sits down in his chair and Kate sits on his rack.

"I just wanted to let you know that I have finally emailed my uncle."

"That is good to hear. Have you decided what to do about your family? Are you going to head back to England?" He questions. He wants to know, but also doesn't won't to know.

"Well I haven't really decided yet what to do to be honest. There is really only one thing that could keep me here, but right now I have no idea where things stand and I know I'm mainly at fault for how it all went." She says to him as she looks down at her hands as she talks to him.

"I would take it you are talking about us." He says quietly to her.

"Yes." She says back.

"Kate you know how I feel about you, but you've got to remember you where the one who told me you didn't want this anymore, that it was over and I did try. Look the decision about your family is your choice not mine and I will not make that choice for you. It is up to you at the end of the day." He says to her as he picks up some papers to go through thinking that while she is here he might as well do something.

There is silence between the two before Mike speaks again.

"Kate, I am here for you and will support you on whatever choice you make, but please don't ask me to make that choice. Don't ask me to ask you to stay because if you regret it later I don't want to be the one you blame; the one left feeling bad about making the choice for you. This is a choice that only you can really make." He says to her in his caring soft voice. She looks up at him.

"I have no idea what to do. I have asked my uncle what they expect from me. It's been over twenty five years without a word from them. They can't expect me to drop everything and go racing back to England. Also I told them that I haven't seen my mother since joining the Navy."

The phone in Mike's cabin rings and he picks it up.

"Sir, phone call for you from your sister. Would you like me to patch it through to you?"

"Yes please RO." RO does as instructed.

"Hi Zoey."

"Hi Mike, how's it going out there?"

"Like normal, busy. How are things at home?"

"Good. Anyway I'm ringing cause mum wants you to ring her at some stage and she wants to come and visit when you have some time off work."

"Time off is close to impossible at present you know Zoey."

"I know that, but you know mum."

"Yea I do." He says sounding a tad down.

"Has Kate spoken to you yet about her family?"

"Yes she has." He says looking at Kate, asking her via his eyes if Zoey knows something he doesn't and should know. Kate shakes her head to say no to him.

"Has she made any decision on what she is going to do?" Kate can see that whatever Zoey is saying to him is upsetting him, and she gets up off the bed and moves closer to him and places a hand gently on his shoulder.

"No not yet, but to be honest Zoey it's not our decision to make for her. It's her choice and we shouldn't be talking about this without her being with us." He says even though Kate is beside him he's just not happy about talking about it over the phone to his sister. Kate motions for him to pass her the phone and he does.

Zoey and Kate talk, Mike heads to his bathroom and brushes his teeth and does a few other things. He listens in on what Kate is saying to his sister and as the two talk his mind goes back to events that have happened over the week. There are times he wished her uncle had never shown up, but other times he is happy for her to be in touch with her family again. It did put a stop to them having a talk about them.

"Mike, baby are you ok?" Kate says as she reaches out to him in his private bathroom. He hadn't even noticed that she had finished talking to his sister or that there were a few tears rolling down his face. He turns and looks at her and she wraps her arms around him and he does the same.

The two stand like that for a few more minutes before they break apart.

Two days later

Dear Kate

Thank you for your email. It was lovely to hear from you. We want nothing from you and expect nothing from you. Your fathers business is normally passed down to the oldest child that being you. He does have three more children that are much younger than you he has a boy who has just turned nineteen and twin girls who are fifteen this year. It was several years after your mother left that he allowed himself to love again and in turn it ended being a good thing for him it helped him to move on in a way. He missed your mother but most of all he missed you. It was several years later before he and Helen had children of their own. Helen understood his need to find you. She supported him through it from the start and it was only natural that something would blossom between the two. Helen use to think of you as her own child and it hurt her when you left.

You may not remember Helen, but she was one of the house keepers and nanny. She would help look after you if you parents where away or had events to go to. She is a lovely lady. I can't wait to tell them that you have been found alive and well, but so far I haven't said anything to him. I don't want to get his hopes up; not after twenty five years of looking. That is down to you. Just let me know when and I will tell them.

Your father is happy with his life at present, but nothing could make it better than knowing you are alive.

Yes your father is well off, he has his will already made up and everything is split between all the children including you. He has never given up hope that one day you would be found or at least after he had passed the lawyers would be able to find you.

Your mother's family was extremely cross over what your mother did. They feel that she should have left you behind and taken off on her own and not dragged some poor innocent child with her.

I'm pleased to hear that you have a job you love, friends and most of all a family, which is so important these days. I do hope they treat you right and most of all you partner, husband depending on if you are married loves you and your children if you have any and treats you right.

If you want to know anything else please feel free to ask away. I'm flying back to England in a few days. The boat is going to cost a lot to repair and get us back to England so it has been decided to fix it up and sell it and return home again. Though now I can't be happier about breaking down in the middle of the ocean as it meant we found you. It meant at least if you don't want anything to do with us we know you are happy and well and still very much alive. It will give us all peace of mind.

Anyway I must go I do hope to hear from you again soon.

Love

Uncle Sam

Kate sits there reading the email a few times. She is not sure what to think, but reading the last part where her uncle thinks she is married possibly with children's makes her heart ache more. Ache for what she threw away; ache for what she so badly wants with the man who is on board this boat sleeping in a different cabin.

To Sam

Thanks for the reply back.

You can let my father know I am alive and well and that I work for the RAN – Royal Australian Navy.

I am pleased that nothing is expected from me as it makes it easier on all involved that I don't have to return back to England. Not that I wouldn't, but there is more than just me to think of here there is my partner even though he will support whatever decision I make and most likely follow me, I can't ask him to do that. I can't ask him to move half way around the world with me and leave his family behind, his parents, sister, brother in-law, niece and nephew behind. Then there are our friends and work colleagues as well. When you work for the Navy like I do, they become your friends, your family more so when working on a small boat like we are on Hammersley. For me I can't ask him to make the choice me or his son even if his son is old enough to make his own choices in life, I cannot ask him to make that choice.

It is late and I must go I would love to hear more about my father and his family.

Kate

Kate quickly sends it now knowing fully what she wants to do. She realises one thing while writing that email is that she can't leave all because she still loves Mike and being half way around the world isn't going to change that and then there is Ryan. The two have just started talking again and she would really hate for that to stop or Mike to follow her and then Ryan get shitty and not talk to Mike again.

No decision was made before an application for transfer form was located.

As Kate starts filling in the form, she can't decide if she wants a shore posting at Navcom in Cairns or a positing anywhere else. All she knows is she wants off Hammersley and back into Mike's arms any way possible. She finishes filling it out and then heads off to see Mike to get it approved before faxing it off to Maxine.

She knocks on Mike's cabin door and enters when he says so.

"X what can I do for you?" he says addressing her by rank as the door is open. She closes it behind her.

"Mike, can you sign off on this for me please?" She says and he looks at it then back up to her.

"You're leaving?" he mangers to get out having seen the Application for transfer title at the top of the form.

"Yes and no."

"Kate either you are or aren't which one is it?"

"I would call it leaving, but for me and maybe us it could mean me coming home again." She says as she looks down at her hands. He picks up his phone and talks to RO

"RO can get Commander White on the line for me please and have it put through to my cabin."

"You sure about this?" He asks her while they wait for the call.

"Yes. I know it's going to probably stuff up my climb up the ladder, but your sister is right. I have to stop running, stop being scared of getting hurt by you again and stop being worried of things that may never happen." Before he can reply RO has Maxine on the line for Mike.

"Mike what can I do for you?" She asks him over the phone.

"Maxine you've got a decision to make, either find Hammersley a new CO or a new XO and you have two weeks to do it in." He says firmly to her.

"Mike you got to be bloody joking." She says to him over the phone.

"Nope not at all. I'm sick of this Maxine. All you guys have done is pressure me into promotion and a desk job and now I want it, you won't let me have it. So do it and if neither are done take this phone call as my tentative resignation effective in two weeks if neither has not been complied with."

"Mike your throwing away your career for your XO. It's not like you to be so damn bloody blind sided by a blonde. Oh and I know your history with blondes Mike."

"Maxine, I'm not throwing anything away ok. Just do as I have asked. If you can't, then I will go above your head to get it done. Also how many blondes have I been with since you came to Cairns Maxine?" He says crossly to her. She has no reply to that one and Kate is listening in waiting for Mike's reply.

"See you can't even answer that one can you Maxine, because there has been no one blonde or otherwise. And you can't include a kiss as being with them Maxine because that is as far as that night went and you know I will never be repeating it ever again." His voice is very stern.

"Mike." She starts to say before being cut off.

"No Maxine just damn well do it." He angrily says before hanging up on Maxine. Mike and Kate look at each other for a few long minutes before they talk again.

"Kate, if we do this there's no backing out, no running. Can you handle that?"

"I can't promise you anything Mike, but I will try and not run or back away." She says as tears start to fall down her face.

"I need you to promise me Kate if things get hard for you, you will tell me. If there are doubts and issues tell me." The two talk for a little while longer before she heads back off to her cabin to think.

Maxine is sitting at Navcom not at all impressed with Mike and how he is acting over his XO.