Mike watched on in tired amusement as Zach relayed the animated tale of his adventures aboard the Hammersley, and the invitation he had received by the crew of coming back for a visit soon.
"One day mate" smiled Marcus Graham, ruffling the child's hair affectionately, while balancing a tired Emily against his shoulder. With a sudden enthusiasm and a yelp from Zach, he hoisted the boy up into his arms so that both children were in his eye site, before pulling them close for a hug. As Zach snuggled himself against his fathers shoulder, Mike couldn't help but marvel at the trust and happiness that was evident within the small family despite all they had seen and been through. Marcus Graham had been a mess as Mike and Kate had carried the children across to him, yet now he was the smiling face of a perfect father, happily listening to Zach ramble on while crooning to a giggling Emily.
Mike was feeling calmer than he had expected, watching Zach leave had been hard, yet the look on the child's face at being reunited with his dad, of finally being safe and warm in his fathers embrace, had made him realise just how daunting having a child was. Having someone whose life depended solely on you, well, it was a new and overwhelming concept to the captain. For the first time in his life he began to wonder if he'd have been able to live up to that role, been able to care and love someone as Marcus Graham loved his two children. Would he have been able to go as far as that man had for two small souls?
In truth, he didn't know if he could and suddenly he felt his calm of earlier slip away, replaced with overwhelming anger.
"Sir, we joining the search?" asked an over eager ET, running along side to catch his escaping captain. The man had a hard look of concentrated anger and ET backed off, realising that he'd never seen the man look that way before, with an expression that could turn the bravest of men into snivelling cowers.
"Sir?" he asked meekly though he already knew that they would not be leaving anytime in the foreseeable future, not until the captain had seen who ever had plastered that look on his face, someone ET was increasingly feeling sorry for.
"Not now" was the short reply he was given, the CO barely glancing his way as he continued a steady pace towards the road. ET turned his gaze a few metres ahead of the captain to where his car sat and wondered why the man would be leaving at a time like this.
"Do we just stay here then?" he asked flippantly, hoping the off hand comment would shake the captain back to his senses so the crew could start their search for the missing Susan Graham.
"Do what you like ET as long as you're all here when I get back" responded Mike without a second glance. He reached his car and climbed inside, disappearing behind the metal door before ET could get a word in.
"So we just stay here then" he muttered, watching the car speed off down the road before swerving around the corner, heading towards the housing nearby where most of them resided.
"Where's he off to?" asked an inquisitive voice from behind, causing ET to spin in surprise.
"The moon and back probably" he replied flippantly, turning towards Nav with a crooked smile. She gave him an odd look in return before smiling back, following him towards the Hammersley and her awaiting crew.
3 sharp knocks; that was their old greeting he remembered bitterly, hardly pausing at the front door before ramming his fists against it. Three sharp blows to the thick wood that left smooth red marks against the side of his aching hand.
He heard the shuffle of feet on the other side and knew that she was home. Any moment now she would be opening her front door, probably still in her uniform as she had not been dismissed earlier. He'd have to pick her up on that later he thought sardonically, wondering if by that afternoon the two of them would ever be able to look at each other again. Probably not, he reasoned, he sure as hell never wanted to see her again, and no doubt after she opened the door neither would she.
"Can I..." the words died on her lips before the sentence could even take meaning, the intended question fleeing her mind as she looked on at the man in front of her, eyes searing though his face looked calm. On second glance she realised he wasn't calm at all, she'd seen his look before and it was one of pure, concentrated anger, and she had no doubt that she was on the receiving end of it.
"Sir" she managed to utter meekly, swallowing soon after to wet her parched throat. .
'He knows, oh god; he knows everything' a voice called out to her mind, screaming at her to slam the door in his face and run; run as far away from him as she could, just like she had the last time things had gotten to hard.
She got as far as placing one pale, trembling hand against the door frame before he stuck his foot through onto the polished floorboards of her apartment.
"Say something Mike" she murmured with just a hint of fear.
He made no sound other than the quiet rush of air as he inhaled followed by the slow exhale as his chest rose and fell, perfectly in time with the clock tick ticking away behind her on the mantle piece.
"Please" she pleaded, swallowing once more in anticipation while stepping backwards, unknowingly cornering herself as Mike stepped in time with her movements. For every step backward she took he responded with one forward, so that they remained the same distance apart.
With her heart beating madly against her chest as Mike's face continued to stare menacingly down upon her, Kate had the sudden, horrid feeling that something was terribly wrong with the man she thought she knew.
"I followed you that day, to the doctors. Spent the next three weeks wondering when you were going to tell me" he spat out finally, towering over Kate as a lone tear trickled down her cheek. He was waving his hands about angrily, hardly pausing for breathe before continuing his quiet rant.
"I always knew you liked your secrets Kate, but I never, never thought you'd keep them from me, not after everything" he finished with the same quiet, barren voice that sounded horribly like something out of a horror movie. Now would be the part where I die, thought the side of Kate's brain that hadn't shut down when he informed her that he knew every one of her hidden secrets that she'd fought so hard for him never to know.
But, instead she was spared, as the sound of her front door slamming against its wooden framing awoke her from the shell of thoughts she had escaped to. She looked up, barely noticing that she had curled up against the wall before pulling herself up towards a standing position, her tired bones creaking as the sound of the clock echoed through the silence.
She should have known that he would never even think of hurting her, never physically. If Mike Flynn was anything it was a leader, and he'd never let his role slip to such low lengths. No matter how harshly he had been betrayed by someone he had held so dear.
So, instead of staying to rant and rave he'd done the only thing he could think of. He'd left, just like that without any explanation from her about why she had kept it from him, or why he hadn't deserved to know.
Of course he had deserved to know, he would have been an amazing father no matter what the circumstances were, yet something in Kate had snapped when she had found out five years ago, and that same thing was happening now. She refused to see the situation as anything more than a complete mess, and Mike was to have no part in it.
She reached one, small pale hand back to touch the wall slowly, grasping onto it to balance herself as she slid back to the floor, hugging her knees tight against her body as the tears rolled painfully down her soft, flushed cheeks.