The Turbulent Road Ahead
By SigmaStar79
A/N: I have found a Beta! Much love to Sez for being my Beta and helping me write a better story Hope you all enjoy the new chapter And thanks again to the wonderful Sez!
Chapter 12
The operation was a complete success. By dawn, all of the criminals were in custody and over 100 missing women and young girls from around the world had been rescued. Fortunately they didn't find anything more horrendous. When the AFP, Navy and SAS converged on the place, what they found inside made everyone seethe in anger. Girls from the age of 15 to grown woman under 40 were held together in five in cells. Most had been raped and beaten.
Some women had become pregnant from their ordeal and they were held on a separate floor than the others. White power symbols were everywhere and it sickened everyone who saw them. When Mike had been told he would be transferring the woman back to Cairns to be processed along with the Kingston before he took the SAS troop elsewhere, he hadn't been pleased, but had understood. Seeing the women and children put on his boat via the RHIBs had made him think of Kate and Cat.
One young woman looked at Mike with sad eyes and Mike almost cried. She was exactly what Mike pictured Cat would look like when she grew up; long Blonde hair with Crystal blue eyes, petite but feisty. The only thing wrong with the picture was she was about eight months pregnant.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" the young girl asked and Mike felt guilty. He hadn't meant to scare her.
"I'm sorry miss; you just looked like someone I pictured in my dreams".
The girl shrank back thinking he was going to touch her like the other men did, but Mike quickly finished.
"You see, my future wife is pregnant with our first daughter. You look just as I imagined she would look like as a young lady".
The girl looked at him, trying to decide if Mike was telling the truth. She was about to ask something when RO yelled from the upper deck.
"Sir, Admiral Marshall on the Sat phone for you. It's about Kate and the baby".
The girl said nothing more as she watched Mike's face pale and then takes off as if hell was nipping at his heels. She had to smile though. He was going to be a wonderful father, and she knew she would be safe with him.
Kate was breathing carefully as Christina and Catherine held her each of her hands. Since about an hour before, Kate had been having pains and the nurse recognized the signs quickly and called Doctor Harper. When Dr. Harper arrived at the hospital, she took Kate off the drugs to clean out her blood and proceeded to try and stop her labour. It had taken a bit of convincing, but Mike's entire family was once again in the hospital room, but standing against the wall as not to interfere or get in the way. It still didn't help seeing Kate scared though.
"It's going to be OK Katie, don't you worry sis. Remember what I told you about Sarah, she tried the same thing. I was put on full bed rest and then I was fine and so will you and Cat".
"I hope so" Kate said trying to hide her pain. She needed Mike.
Mike rushed to the bridge where RO gave him the phone. It didn't pass his attention that even RO looked worried.
"Mike Flynn"
"Hi Mike it's Steve"
"What's wrong with Kate and Cat?"
"Kate went into early labour Mike. They have taken her off the drugs to clean out the toxins and have put her on a medicine to stop the contractions since it's too soon for her to deliver"
Mike ran a hand down his face and looked out the Bridge window as he sat in the Captain's Chair. He felt his knees would leave from under him if he stood a minute longer. Closing his eyes and placing his fist by his mouth, he gave a quick prayer to any god that was listening not to take Kate and Cat from him. He wouldn't be able to take it if something happened to them.
"Mike are you still there?"
"Yeah, just praying Steve"
"Understandable. Listen Mike, I know you are out there, but when you get the chance, get on your messenger and see Kate. She needs you Mate".
"I know and I need both of them. Damn it to hell I want to be home!"
"I know Mike, I know. Just get finished and then get home. I have to fly to Canberra for a bit, but Susan is staying here. I'll be right back, but the Brass want to talk to me and I need to show them the evidence against Maxine and that I already knew about you and Kate".
"I know, go. We need you to do as we planned so Kate and Cat stay safe. I appreciate everything you have done for us".
"It is no problem Mike, we think of you and Kate as family, and you don't mess with a Marshall".
Mike gave a weak smile and said thanks before Steve hung up. He just hoped Steve did what he did in time. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see RO behind him.
"Can I help you RO?"
"No Sir, but I was about to ask you the same thing".
Mike smiled and told RO he would be better when he was home with Kate. RO nodded and went back to his post. Mike was thankful at that moment for the best crew a man could ask for. His first family was with Kate and their baby on land and he had their second family on the ship. He just hoped it was all enough.
Kate breathed a sigh of relief when the drugs kicked in and stopped her labour. She didn't feel very good when Susan Marshall called her and said Steve had to fly back for a Brass meeting about Maxine and them. She hoped everything would be OK, but was still on guard. Her guard outside would no longer be there and all she wanted was to be at home. At least she could relax there and get things done without being worried about Maxine.
Christina felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and took a look at it. She cursed when she read the text sent to her. Her dad knew that look, it was work related.
"Go, I'm here"
"You sure Dad"
"Yes now go"
Christina kissed Kate's head and promised to be back soon. When she got a grip of her supervisor's neck she wasn't going to let go.
Maxine had just got off the phone. It had taken two days, but when she called the naval hospital in town, she found that the hospital would answer no questions about a 'Kate McGregor'. That meant she was there and she was not to know of it. Well too bad she thought to herself as she started going over her plans to ruin Kate. She had a few tricks up her sleeve.
Picking up the phone, she called a young man who knew her son Ryan. She asked him to hack the hospitals files for a Kate McGregor and he said he would bring her the files himself. Maxine had to smile as she hung up the phone knowing soon she would know exactly how to deal with one Kate McGregor and have Mike Flynn all to herself. Just as it should be.
Steve flew into Canberra an exhausted but determined man. Driving his car to the Navy Command Centre there, he went into his office and collected his files on Mike and Kate and his put his evidence together before walking into the Brass meeting. He was ready for them.
Taking his seat, His superiors asked him several questions about the fraternisation charge that had just been placed on Lt. Kate McGregor. Steve passed out copies of the files he had to the members of the Defence Force seated around the table. He then passed the copies of his evidence against Maxine around the table. He waited until they had read almost everything before he said his piece about the subject.
"So, many years ago, the Brass here thought Mike Flynn needed some system management and Kate McGregor needed some pirate. Apparently it worked because in the entire time Mike has been CO of the HMAS Hammersley, the only one who could put up with Mike was Kate. I have interviewed every member of that ship and nothing has ever happened aboard. Now there have been several times they were together".
"That is fraternisation Steve" said the Chief of Navy and mumbles where heard around the room and Steve smirked before responding.
"That would be true if they had been posted together when they were together".
"What do you mean?" asked one of the admirals at the table.
"The first time they were together was right before Mike became Kate's instructor at Watson's Bay. Neither knew the other was Navy until they met in the classroom. Can you imagine their surprise?"
There were murmured coughs and laughs around the table before Steve started again.
"It was too much for them to be Mike and Kate off the Base and Teacher and Student in the classroom. Soon after, teachers were switched due to the news Mike had been made CO of Hammersley, things turned sexual and then ended when Mike realised he couldn't risk Kate's career just because he loved her. Then she was placed on Hammersley as his XO five years later"
Two people cringed at the thought of being posted with their ex's and Steve had to hide his smile. He knew he was starting to get to them.
"Neither of them liked the idea at first and fought me on it, but the Brass had made their decision and that was it. I made a point to file the complaint with their reason and left it at that. The two agreed to leave the past behind and do their jobs. Mike got a girlfriend soon after Kate arrived and from what I can tell, tried to make Kate uncomfortable about it. Had her around a lot, talked about her a lot, that sort of thing. Didn't work too well for him, though as Kate also started dating someone. Mike was not thrilled in the least" Steve said with a little chuckle at the end.
"What is so funny Admiral Marshall?"
"Sorry" he said, not hiding his smile this time. "You would have wanted front row tickets to that train wreck. Mike's girlfriend got herself involved with a terrorist plot and Kate's boyfriend was the mastermind. But you see, Rick wasn't all in Mike's face about it and he could retreat and look the other way. Not even a year when Kate got herself an Army man for a boyfriend. Not any army man mind you, an SAS Captain. The same SAS captain who Mike had to transport to the Samaru Islands"
Steve shook his head and leaned back before continuing. He knew he was reminiscing, but he couldn't help it.
"Mike and Kate were not together, and hadn't been for over six years, but the SAS Captain rubbed Mike up the wrong way, and if any of you have met Mike Flynn, you know he doesn't like his feathers being ruffled. Every time Mike tried to show off, Jim Roth upped the ante. Both men were fighting and poor Kate got caught in their secret war. Jim took Kate out, Mike got jealous. If Kate mentioned Jim, Mike got aggravated. If Jim had to be on the ship due to extractions or something, Mike was like a bull looking at a red cape. He even tried to goad Kate one time about her relationship with Jim and she asked him something that upset him but it made him apologise".
"What was that, if I may ask?" one of the Brass wanted to know.
"Kate had disagreed with a call Mike made over a boarding, so he called her into his cabin and confronted her on it. They had a small discussion over it and he threw the SAS motto up in her face thinking it would get a rise out of her. He didn't expect for her to ask him why he was denying her any opportunity to move on from him. It caught Mike off guard and he apologised seeing that he was hurting her. A few days later, Mike went on a boarding when Roth's team came under fire, both Mike and Jim were hurt and Kate, knowing Jim would be fine went to take care of Mike. Jim woke up and saw her taking care of Mike and ended their relationship"
"That had to be hard on Lieutenant McGregor. Losing someone she had fought so hard to keep"
"It was difficult for a bit for her, yes. But Kate is the type of person to jump into her work and not worry about the rest. Keeping busy is her way of dealing with things. You need to understand something to understand Kate McGregor. Her mother kidnapped her at age nine, brought her to our country. When the relationship she left her husband for didn't work out, she blamed Kate and beat her for it. The woman drank and took drugs. Every man she brought into their home attacked Kate and touched her in ways no child should ever be touched until she was old enough leave home and look for work".
Steve gave a small pause before continuing his evidence about Mike and Kate.
"Meeting a Navy recruiter her first year of high school saved her life. She took the test and transferred herself to a Naval High School, then got a scholarship to attend ADFA, where she won the Sword for best cadet her last year. She excelled at everything, memorised every book she could get her hands on about the navy and its protocol. She was even named 'Princess Perfect' in school because everything had to be perfect with her. She strived for it. She has made herself better for what she has done and has no intention of going back. The only reckless thing she ever did in her life was sleep with Mike at Watson's Bay, and let me tell you, it changed her"
"How so Admiral Marshall?"
"Kate was always dedicated to her job in the Navy, but after Mike it was like it was all she was. No Fun, no pleasure, just her work and the Navy. She became harder, sterner. She followed the book so close to the tee that it even scared all of you here at Canberra. That was when the Brass felt she would do well on Hammersley. After Jim left, I was afraid for a while that she would retreat back to the Kate she was after Mike, but the crew of the Hammersley made sure that didn't happen. When ET died, Kate showed the compassion that I wished somebody had shown her. When someone took his place on the ship, Kate tried to help his fiancée Nav to accept it. Then Mike was forced to face his feelings twice more. The first time was when the Hammersley caught Kershaw and Davis. The second time when they came across the Flamingo Bay".
"The Flamingo Bay, wasn't that the ship that had the psychopath on it?"
"Yes and Kate almost died, twice. Once on the deck of the ship when the guy held a knife to her throat and then again when he somehow got on Hammersley and tried to kill Kate again. Mike was there the second time. He got the guy to let go of Kate's throat by bashing his head in with a fire extinguisher".
That sent a few into laughter. They could all just see Commander Mike Flynn hitting some guy in the head to save Kate and then her run into his arms where she felt safe. They never knew how close to the point they were.
"When Mike got posted as a Commander to NavCom, he saw his opportunity and went for it. The two made up for lost time and were back together for the first time in over 8 years. They were happy. Then he got posted back on Hammersley. It was hell for them. Once more they had everything in their hands and they had to give it up because of the Navy. They went back to being professional. Kate hounded him about finding a new CO, and of course we all know how he loves the Hammersley so he dragged his feet. Maxine didn't help either. She knew Mike had the hots for Kate and knew if they stayed on the same ship –"
"That they couldn't be together and she could have him".
"Exactly" said Steve, glad that they were finally following him. "But it didn't end there. Since then, Kate has been kidnapped, held hostage, poisoned and almost died, blew up pretty much when the boat they were searching was found to have a bomb on it".
"Good grief Steve!" exclaimed the Chief of Navy. "Lieutenant McGregor went through all of that since Mike was reposted and we were never told?"
"Yes she has and she never let it get to her either. When Mike recommended Kate as the new CO, Maxine became livid and from that point on had Kate in her sights as a problem. She refused Lieutenant McGregor's position to be up for promotion and made Mike stay on the ship. Then Mike was taken by that drug cartel and beaten and tortured. They thought he was dead when the sub they thought he was on blew up in front of them. The fact Kate showed so much emotion again angered Commander White. When Kate accidently found him alive on Gorksi's boat, it was considered a miracle. When Mike was no longer CO due to trauma and counselling he was receiving, they started seeing each other again, as Mike was not posted on the ship at that moment. That was when she got pregnant"
"So besides Watson's Bay, every single time these two have been together was when they had one of them off the ship. Are you telling me they were able to keep it professional and didn't break the rules once in all of these years Marshall?" the Chief of Navy asked, with a hint of scepticism.
"Yes Sir, I am. Those two are two of the most dictated sailors I have ever met in my life. When Mike was posted back on Hammersley after he was cleared for work, all hell broke loose. Maxine went as far as to deny any job Kate applied for, and even had her son help her even though the poor boy didn't realize he was pulling Mike away from Kate on their anniversary. She posted Ryan to the Hammersley to keep Kate and Mike apart. With the increase in activity at our boarders, poor Kate didn't even realize she was pregnant until recently and then Maxine couldn't deny her the transfer because you can't have a pregnant woman on a Naval Warship".
"Was that when Maxine got really bad Steve?"
"Yes Sir. She had Kate's ex boyfriend, Jim, who she has on a restraining order, try and break into her house and she had Mike followed while he was doing something with Kate's sister. By the way, Kate finally met her real dad again last year and found out she had a half sister too, and they live quite close to each other. They have been close ever since. But Christina McGregor had had enough when Jim was arrested. Maxine called the police on Kate and Mike's family when they were moving out the stuff from Kate's house to be put up for sale"
"Why is Lieutenant McGregor's house up for sale, and why the restraining order?"
"Let's just say Jim couldn't take being away from Kate and broke into her house to get her 'attention' one night soon after he started stalking and harressing her. The police were called by a distraught neighbour of hers. The police found a knocked out Army Captain and a frightened but angry Navy XO. But that was over two years ago. Mike proposed to Kate when he finally realized he was losing Kate because of Maxine. He didn't even know she was pregnant until she told him, and she expected him to run. Instead he goes ahead with the proposal and Kate said yes, finally I might add. Since neither house was really child friendly, Kate is selling her house and Mike and Kate are buying another house together to raise their little girl, I think they are naming her Catherine LaFern Flynn"
"How do they know she is having a girl?"
"When Kate went to the doctor for her first appointment, they found something wrong. Kate was carrying twins and one died. Since they share the small sack of fluids, and Kate hasn't had the best prenatal care, she is currently in the hospital. Maxine has continued to cause problems which I included in my report, one incident being two days ago"
After everyone had looked over the evidence from the past week, they agreed there was a problem. They were surprised to see Maxine's private journals and paperwork included in the evidence. While incriminating, they needed to know how Steve had got them.
"Steve, you have enough evidence for us to start looking into doing a court marshal or at least a transfer, but we need to know how you got all this?"
Steve chuckled and looked at everyone. He knew he was about to bring in the shock factor.
"When the crew found out Kate was in danger, they all pretty much went bonkers. Ryan came forward and implicated his own mother and got the evidence from home for us. He don't like it that someone it trying to hurt Mike and Kate. He grew up with Mike after Maxine's husband died. Mike is the only father figure the boy can remember. He respects Kate and he doesn't feel his mother should have any say over who Mike loves. Ryan White is just happy that Mike is finally happy. Kate even feels bad for the boy knowing he is in a peculiar predicament. She has gone as far as asking Mike whether they could take her home off the market or give Ryan Mike's old place since they are buying their house, so Ryan is not homeless after all of this. But then that is how Kate is. She will help anybody who proves they deserve it before she helps herself. It's just who she is as a individual"
Everyone agreed with the evidence and said they would look into it and give Steve a ring in a few days. They gave permission for Steve to return to Cairns in case Maxine pulled anything else. With doing all he could do, Steve left the meeting happy. He had done what he set off to do. He just hoped he had done enough.
Christina had handled the problem at work, but had to stay due to paperwork issues. After several hours, she was finally on her way to get the kids, when her cell phone rang. It was the realtor. Christina let it go to voicemail and picked up her children. While sitting in line at her son's school, she checked her voicemail and found she had to go to the realtor's office. Reaching the office with four kids in her car, she quickly ran in to find the woman smiling and giving her a set of paperwork both Mike and Kate had to sign again and return post haste. Then she handed Christina a set of keys and Christina realized Mike and Kate had got the house earlier than the normal 30 day waiting period. She smiled and went to stop by her house to pick up something when she noticed her front door was open. Telling the kids to stay in the car, Christina removed her taser from the glove box before telling the kids to lock the car doors after she got out. Christina crept up to her house looking for anything unusual.
When she went inside, she noticed her whole house was trashed. She almost dropped her taser she was so shocked at the damage in front of her. Grabbing her cell phone from her pocket, she had barely dialled emergency services when she saw something in a fragment of mirror on the wall. Looking at her taser gun, she noticed it was fully charged and ready. She walked forward a bit so she could look down and watch the shadow behind her. She knew it wasn't one of her kids, this was a male, she could smell his aftershave.
The smell was familiar, but she couldn't place it. Seeing a flash of brown behind her, Christina turned and fired her taser, screaming her name and address out so the woman on the other end could send the police. The man went down, but she never saw the second man come up behind her until it was too late. She turns around in time to receive a punch in the face, sending her to the floor. A kick to the head knocked her out while the man above her smiled and hung up the phone in her hand.
"Hello sweetheart. Did you miss me Christina?" said Gerald Perkins as he looked down upon his ex-wife. Picking her up, he started to move upstairs. He had plans for his oh so loving ex wife.