One Of These Days...
Bomber/RO
RO's POV…

I didn't notice
But I didn't care

The bridge was almost deathly quiet, the only sounds were ET tapping on the armrest and Spider yawning as he sat staring at the expanse of ocean before them on the EOD. RO was bored, now shuffling papers he'd read and re-read six times now. Downstairs he heard the sound of some of the other sailors joking around. Suddenly it all stopped at the sound of something heavy hitting a bulkhead with force and an echoing thump. Buffer's voice broke through the resounding silence after the thump, telling the miscreants to grow up. Nav, who had been silently staring at the radar, chuckled and the silence was broken. ET groaned and turned in his seat.

"If something doesn't happen soon I'm going to hurt the closest person."

Knowing he was the closest person RO gave a terrified face and the others laughed. RO smiled softly and pushed back his chair.

"Who else needs a drink?" He asked, motioning to the stairs.

Nav gave an appreciative smile but shook her head and the other two just gave affirmative grunts so RO headed downstairs. On his way he passed two of his fellow crew, Seamen Dutchy and Hershel, copping a serve from a very displeased Buffer. He gave them a sympathetic smile and continued on his way. There was no one in the galley so he decided to help himself to something from the pantry before getting the drinks, but halfway through a search for any kind of salty product, he was interrupted by a cry from the doorway.

"ET! Get out of..." Her voice stopped when RO turned and she recognized he wasn't ET.

"RO? Why are you raiding my cupboard?" Bomber paused to give him a small, narrow-eyed look. "Did ET send you?"

RO shook his head. "No, I was just looking for something."

Bomber sighed. "There's peanuts in the mess, if Spider or ET haven't eaten them all. Go eat them!" She walked past him and into the kitchen, looking tired.

RO stopped his search. "What's up?" He asked, closing the pantry and leaning against the bench.

Bomber just shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing, just overtired that's all." She smiled softly. "Whinging again."

RO shrugged. "You could always come up to the bridge. Everyone seems to be sleeping fine up there."

Bomber laughed. "I might take up that offer RO." She waved her hand. "Now get out before I find something to throw." She joked.

RO smiled and turned away but before he left Bomber stopped him and he turned to see her throw something at him. He caught it, expecting something nasty, but instead finding a small packet of salt and vinegar chips. He looked up to see Bomber grinning.

"Tell anyone I have those and I'll kill you."

RO just gave a small nod and left.

I tried being honest
But that left me nowhere

ET, who was manning the EOD device that afternoon, motioned to a small ship on the device. "Sir, are these the smugglers we're looking for?" He turned in his chair and RO looked up expectedly. They'd been waiting for these guys, having lost them last time after they dropped a few boxes of guns which had mysteriously disappeared. Charge, who was standing nearby, grabbed the picture they were using as reference and handed it to the CO. It matched perfectly.

"Yes, yes they are. Where are they ET?" He asked, trying to see.

Nav spoke up. "They're about 98 kilometres away sir. They're stationary, just off the coast."

The Hammersley, as usual, was patrolling the uneasy waters off Samaru and had been for a while now. But they were all determined to catch these gun smugglers, those responsible for Australian guns finding their way into the uneasy country of Samaru.

The CO nodded. "Okay, let's wait and see if they drop something off again tonight." He motioned to Charge to make sure the engines were shut down. He then stared off into the distance in his usual, dramatic way. "If we're lucky they won't even notice we're here."

I watched the station
Saw the bus pulling through

RO sat in his little room, trimming his precious Bonsai tree and rifling through a small pile of papers. There came a knock on the door and he glanced up to see Bomber enter, not at all surprised as she never seemed to wait until people said 'enter' before opening the door. It was one of her little quirks, something that RO had pointed out more than once, but they made him smile so he didn't mind at all. Bomber just gave him a smile and motioned to the phone. RO glanced at the list of names on the wall in front of him and found that, indeed, Bomber had pre-planned the call. As usual she was right on time, right down to the seconds. RO nodded and Bomber helped herself to the phone, giving him her usual smile. He tried not to listen as Bomber spoke to her sister, laughing every so often at something Jessica said that he couldn't hear. She let out a jovial groan and RO glanced up as she verbally scolded her sister, calling her an idiot.

"I think that will happen when hell freezes over." She exclaimed with a laugh. "No, no way." Caught up in the conversation she didn't notice she'd bumped a pile of papers until they hit the floor. RO stood up to get them and heard her speak. "Oh, Jess wait," She put the phone down on the table and glanced at RO. "Sorry RO, I'm such a klutz."

RO smiled softly. "Really, it's fine. You go back to your conversation, I'll get these."

Bomber smiled. "Thanks RO." She picked up the phone again. "Sorry Jess, I'm knocking things over again." She paused as Jess spoke and gave a small laugh. "Not that bad, just a pile of papers. Poor RO has to clean them up." She lifted the phone away from her face. "Say 'hi' RO."

Picking up the last of the papers RO stood up. "Hi." He managed, giving Bomber a look and waving the papers at her threateningly so she understood that if she knocked them again he'd hit her with them. Bomber just grinned. She put the phone back to her ear as Jessica spoke.

"Yeah, well, that's because you don't know anything. He's lovely." She continued, RO flushing softly as he realised she was talking about him. Her voice went serious. "Maybe. I don't know if…" She trailed off and RO glanced up to find her looking at him. She looked away as she spotted him looking. "Anyway, that's none of your business." She returned to her normal, cheery voice. She glanced back at RO and he motioned to his watch. Her time was nearly up. "Look, Jess, I gotta go. Yeah, you too. Say hello to Tom for me. Okay. Okay. Bye." She put the phone down and turned towards RO.

"Well, you are a cheery fellow aren't you?" She joked, checking the table behind her before leaning against it.

RO frowned again. "You were talking about me." He continued as he saw a glimpse of a joke cross Bomber's face. "And don't tell me it's just ego."

Bomber frowned. "Damn you." She chuckled. "Jess just thought you sounded like such a friendly person and I said you were. Nothing bad. I don't think I can think of anything bad to say about you RO." She said with a smile.

RO nearly flushed again but regained his composure. "Thanks Bomber."

Bomber grinned. "Any time RO." And with a grin she left the room. RO just stared at the pile of papers in front of him, the same pile she'd knocked to the floor, and started to re-sort them.

And I don't mind saying
A part of me left with you

Spider tapped the EOD and the X turned as Spider grinned. "Ma'am, I think we've got them." He pointed to the EOD, now showing the blurry but still distinguishable figures on the shore line. Bomber, who had been standing nearby, joined him at the EOD. RO, watching her from his radio controls, glanced at her leaning on Spider's shoulder with a strange kind of heat flowing through his veins. Suddenly he wanted to go over there and pull her hand away from him, but he could do nothing but watch as the CO joined them, nodding his head approvingly.

"Great." He glanced at the X who just gave him a small smile. "Engines full. Let's go get whatever it is they've just dropped off."

As he went back to his usual position RO seized his chance to get between Spider and Bomber as they stood there, her hand still on his arm, talking. Bomber spotted RO first and glanced up at him with a smile. She motioned to the EOD. "Got em." She gave a cheeky grin. That was something RO admired about Bomber, she took every campaign against smugglers or 'bad guys' like it was a personal mission. Sometimes it made her a little livewire, but most of the time this determination helped her cause. RO watched her grin at Spider too and sighed softly. But Bomber heard it. She frowned at him. "What is it?"

RO tried to cover. "Oh, it's just, what if these packages turn out like the last lot." He said, referring to the last time they'd followed smugglers into the bush to find shovels instead of guns.

Bomber grinned. "We just get there before Sgt. Toka. Oh c'mon RO, we'll get them this time."

Spider laughed. "Optimistic bugger aren't you Robert?" He added with a small smirk. Bomber laughed and RO felt a little betrayed, like she'd just sided with Spider over him. So, with a turn on his heel, he went back to his controls.

So one of these days
I won't be afraid of staying with you

Bomber was washing up the dishes from dinner when RO passed. He tried sneaking past back to his radio room, but she spotted him and called him into the galley. "We should talk RO, you aren't yourself this week." She finished up the dishes and dried her hand on a tea towel, turning to face RO who just stood awkwardly at the doorway, hoping to get away soon.

RO shook his head. "It's nothing, just a bit tired."

Bomber laughed. "That was my excuse!" She pointed out.

RO gave her a small, weak smile, the images from earlier of Bomber and Spider still running around in his head. "So it was." They fell silent.

"RO," Bomber said. RO looked up. "I was wondering, next shore leave, if you wanted to do something."

RO frowned. "Where did this come from?" He asked, stalling until he figured out exactly what he wanted to say.

Bomber just shrugged. "I don't know. Something Jess said I think, about living for the moment. Well, that's what I'm doing." She gave a lop-sided grin. "So, what do you say?"

"Uh," RO frowned, uncertain exactly what he wanted right now. Of course he valued his friendship with Bomber, but what she was suggesting implied more. He didn't think he was capable of more. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

Bomber's grin fell. "Oh, well, okay." She sighed softly and turned away.

"Bomber…I…" RO started, but he had nothing to say. Of course she turned back expectantly, but when he said nothing she just frowned.

It soon fell to a slight anger, her voice rising as she spoke. "Fine. But one of these days RO you'll regret this, and I may not wait around till that day." And with that threat stinging the air around them, she left. RO just looked to the floor.

I hope and I pray
Waiting to find a way back to you
'Cause that's where I'm home…oh

"HANDS TO BOARDING STATIONS, HANDS TO BOARDING STATIONS." The usual call rang through the air of the Hammersley as everyone prepared to set out. It was now a little before dawn and the sun was beginning to hit the water in the distance. Still dark on the shore line, the RHIB hit the water and headed for the darkness of the bush scrub.

RO stood beside the X as she and the CO watched the three on the RHIB land on the shore of the island and jump out, striding into the bush. RO's eyes never left the figure of Bomber, the smallest of the three. As they left his view he glanced at the CO who was already talking to the X about the findings. Halfway through their conversation the radio blared and the X picked it up. It was Buffer, radioing back.

"Papa 82, Bravo 82." He radioed through and X responded. Buffer continued. "X, we've found the crates, they're packed full of weapons. But something else. Not far from here, a long line of shafts. They look like mineshafts."

The X glanced at the CO but it was Nav, still seated at her usual place, who spoke up. "They used to mine for iron ore here." She glanced up at them with a smile. "Sorry, I read too much."

The CO chuckled and gave Nav a smile. The X radioed back the information and Buffer continued. "Ma'am, permission to se…." He was cut off and the X frowned, radioing back to him, but Buffer didn't respond. RO checked the radio, it was fine, and tried his own. Nothing, Buffer wasn't responding. Riley, a young Able Seaman who was manning the EOD, spotted them first on the machine. Their body heat allowing the machine to pick them up in the scrub. There were the three of them, and a smaller figure they seemed to be chasing. As the CO went to look at the machine over Riley's shoulder the radio crackled and Buffer was back. "Sorry ma'am, someone came running out of the shafts as Bomber got closer. I've lost him, but Bomber and Spider are out there looking for him."

The X frowned. "Buffer, grab the others. The child doesn't matter; he's probably just a local. Bring the weapons." She glanced at the Co who nodded. "We'll see what Sgt. Toka thinks about this."

Did I make you nervous?
Did I ask for too much?
Was I not deserving one second of your touch?

RO had been called away from the bridge by a call from downstairs, the radio in the bridge not working properly at the moment and leaving RO to take most of the calls from the radio room, and so he'd missed the gathering of the guns and the triumphant trek back to the Hammersley by the RHIB crew. At least, that's what he thought he'd missed.

When RO returned to the bridge, however, he found the X talking quickly into the radio and the CO frowning at the horizon. Nav, meanwhile, was hurrying over a pile of papers in front of her and ET was just sitting at the controls, shaking his head in quiet disbelief. RO frowned and glanced at Charge who had just walked up beside him.

"What's happened?" He asked him. He'd only been gone five minutes and already something had gone wrong.

Charge glanced at him. "Buffer's lost Spider and Bomber. He thinks they've fallen down one of those shafts they found earlier."

RO gaped. If they'd fallen down one of those tunnels they ran the risk of being captured by insurgents or, even worse, having the thing collapse on them. He frowned. Why did these things always happen to her?

And one of these days
I won't be afraid of staying with you

RO's night was quiet, many of the crew now sitting in quiet trepidation. They couldn't believe the luck of the youngest crew members, this always happened to them. But what RO couldn't believe the most was that he'd had a chance to make everything okay with Bomber before she went ashore and now she was missing. The idea that she may not come out of this okay was hard enough, but to have her thinking he didn't like her during this time made it almost impossible. Sitting in silence in his room he nearly forgot he'd planned a phone call to his sister Kelly. So, grabbing the phone quickly, he called her, putting on his toughest facade so his sister wouldn't guess a thing.

Naturally she saw right through him after she mentioned a name, only five minutes into the conversation, which made his voice crack with pain. "So, how's the crew. How's that girl, the new girl, Bomber. Mum says she sounds like a bit of a livewire, I don't think she's a fan." She gave a small laugh but stopped when Robert didn't answer. "Robbie?" She asked, her voice falling from humour to concern.

"Bomber. She... she's missing." He told her.

Kelly was silent for a moment. "What? I mean, where is she?"

"They think she fell down an abandoned mineshaft." He sighed. "I think I've stuffed up again Kell." RO admitted to his sister.

Kelly sighed. "What have you done? Why? You... you didn't have anything to do with her going missing did you?"

"No, of course not, it's just... Bomber. Before she went onshore, before… before she got lost, she asked me out." He paused, waiting for Kelly to say something but evidently Kelly knew there was no happy ending regarding this information. "I knocked her back."

Kelly groaned. "Oh Rob." She took a deep breath. "And now you're regretting it right?"

Robert sighed. "I don't know. I do know why I knocked her back in the first place but still I… I like her Kell."

"She'll come back Robbie, and then you just need to tell her the truth. Promise me you will." She forced him to answer, but RO could say nothing. He couldn't promise his sister this because he wasn't that sure of himself anymore. He was someone else without Bomber around.

I hope and I pray
Waiting to find a way back to you
'Cause that's where I'm home… oh

Anyone who was free to search had been searching for many days, but with the pair's radios out and the list of mineshafts they could've fallen down longer than RO's arm, it wasn't looking good. By Day 6 they were all terribly worried because now the pair had gone far too long without water. It wasn't looking good, especially in the heat.

But then, as RO thought all hope was gone, a miracle happened. They found a flare. One of the small flares they were required to carry on them had fallen off, right near the opening of a mineshaft and so, as carefully as they could, they lowered ET down into the mineshaft, RO staring at the EOD expectedly although it showed him very little. And then... success.

RO grinned up at the sound he'd been waiting to hear, the sound of an all-to-familiar and valued voice radioing back to the ship. It was Bomber, and she seemed to be apologizing for getting trapped down the shaft. She thanked the X, who just smiled at Nav. Nav just shook her head in disbelief, having already stated that she too couldn't believe the luck of the new girl. But RO was silent, just listening to her speak. Her voice shook a little, whether it was shock or the cold RO didn't know, and he felt just a little broken at the idea that she was in pain and there was nothing he could do to help her. He wanted to hold her close to him until she stopped shaking, tell her everything was fine now and how hard it had been to have her down there and be unable to do anything to help her. He wanted to tell her the truth; that he loved her and didn't want anything to ever happen to her. But he couldn't. And when he heard Bomber laugh softly and the rustle of her radio before Spider's voice echoed across the distance he suddenly knew why. He'd waited too long. Now there really was someone else in Bomber's life.

What would you do if I could have you?
Oh if I could

The RHIB, slightly too-full now with the two new occupants, was raised into the ship and brought to a stop. Buffer and Swain stepped out, followed by X. As RO watched from the bridge, though, he only saw one person. She was a little too white, a little too tired, and covered in dirt. But she was still beautiful to him. He wanted to go down there and thank her for coming back to him, but instead he just stood and watched. He watched as Swain, offering the still slightly shaky Bomber a hand, helped her out of the RHIB and onto the deck of the Hammersley. Spider followed her down, giving her hand a small squeeze before limping off with Buffer back into the underside of the boat. A strange feeling welled up inside RO as he watched the exchange between the two, and although he wouldn't give it a name he had an idea it was jealousy. So, with a small sigh, he headed back into the confines of the bridge.

I'd let you feel everything I'm thinking
Wouldn't that be nice?

It was a few days after the mess on the beach at Samaru, with everything having returned to normal. Each morning RO awoke feeling just that little bit colder, each morning taking him further and further away from any chance to tell Bomber that he'd been wrong and that he was sorry for ever rejecting her honesty in such a way. And yet he did nothing to help himself, just going about his day as normal, avoiding Bomber and Spider as much as possible. This didn't seem to faze Spider, who seemingly didn't notice he was getting the cold shoulder, but every time Bomber spoke to him and he pretended he hadn't heard her she looked terribly hurt. If anything he felt angry, his only reaction other than self-disgust, and wished she had never said anything in the first place. They were good weren't they? Why did they need to stuff things up like this? Not to mention that it could well cause them trouble in their job. The last thing he wanted to do was end up having to change ships, he thought of the Hammersley as home now. So, feeling he'd have to choose between her and the Hammersley, he had chosen his ship and gone about with work pretending she didn't exist. But it wasn't that easy. She controlled his thoughts every non-waking moment and many of the waking moments when things got too quiet. Was there nowhere he could escape from her anymore?

It was quiet afternoon and RO was in his room staring down at a pile of papers but not really seeing anything that was written on them. His fist against his cheek, he let out a small sigh as he tried again, in vain, to read. His mind was elsewhere. And he knew where.

"Hey, what you thinking about?" A soft, sweet voice asked. RO raised his head from his fist and glanced up at the figure leaning rather nonchalantly against his doorframe. She gave him a smile as he looked up and RO sighed softly. She frowned at this. "What's wrong RO?" She asked.

RO shrugged. "It's nothing, really Bomber, don't worry about me."

Bomber sighed loudly. "I can't do that RO, all I do is worry about you."

RO frowned. "What is there about me that makes you worry?" He gave her a quizzical look and she just stepped towards him, touching his wrist with her hand. He felt the hairs on his arm stand on end and he got goose bumps. How could she have this effect on him?

She gave a small smile. "I worry you don't think you're worth love."

RO just looked away. "I'm not the one you have to worry about. You're the one falling into shafts and off the edge of the ship… all the time with Spider." He added at the end, his voice dropping considerably.

But Bomber heard him and smiled. "You're jealous." She exclaimed softly. She grinned. "Is this why you've been avoiding me?"

RO just looked at the ground. "I just… I thought I almost lost you out there."

Bomber laughed, moving her arm up to his elbow and causing him to look up at her. "You could never lose me. I thought you knew this RO." She smiled. "It takes more than a few mineshafts to bring me down."

And RO did know this; he'd always known this but had just been too proud or maybe too scared to say anything. So, without a moments notice, he leant forward and pulled Bomber to him, kissing her softly. She didn't protest, and RO was thankful for that. Because right now he knew he was no longer afraid to love. And he did love.

And one of these days
I won't be afraid of staying with you

Lyrics: One Of These Days by Michelle Branch

Disclaimer: I don't own Sea Patrol or these lyrics.