The Turbulent Road Ahead

By: Sigmastar79

A/N: I have found a wonderful Beta in the glorious Miss Sez, for whom I have the greatest respect. Thank you to everyone who has read and commented on this story, this is all for you :D I still can't believe I have written this much :P

Chapter 19

Christina woke up to find herself in a luxurious bedroom, and sat up dazed. How did she get here? Just then she remembered everything and cried out in agony. Gerald. Feeling something different, she noticed she was lying in a large bed with soft silk sheets. Seeing her clothing gone upset Christina even more, knowing it had been her ex who had undressed her. Knowing he had seen and touched her naked body made her want to be sick, but not as much as when she realised she was also sore. He had done more than touch her she realised, and the tears started to fall. Since there wasn't much she could do at the moment, Christina started to take in her surroundings.

She could hear several footsteps above her. She was in a well made and expensive room. When she went to move, she noticed the room also moved. A rocking motion; she was on a boat. Rushing out of bed, she went to look out the window. She became even more terrified when she saw water, lots of water. They were at sea.

"I see you have awakened, my beautiful wife"

Christina turned around quickly to see Gerald standing against the door frame of the bathroom, arms crossed against his bare chest and the same smirk he wore whenever she had seen him truly happy. Christina knew she had to play this carefully. There were things she desperately needed to know.

"Where are we Gerald?"

"On our way home"

"Ireland?" Christina said confused and listened to Gerald laugh.

"No my dear, that is no longer our home, Princess. No, I bought a new home on an island not far from the mainland. I felt it appropriate that I give my family the best home they deserve. It has eight bedrooms, two large offices, four bathrooms, a super size kitchen, just the way I remember you always wanted. It has two large pools, a wonderful view of the ocean, a game room and a glorious garden. I have even set up a special room for the baby's arrival. All state of the art, nothing is too good for my growing family"

Christina stood there shocked for a moment. She was surprised he had bought a house near the Australian coast. She had forgotten how brazen he could be.

"The children, Gerald where are our children?"

"Relax Princess; they are all relaxing up on deck. You have been asleep for almost two hours. I must say, Andrea and Sarah have truly blossomed Christina, you have done well with them. Imagine my surprise through when I found my beautiful wife had also blessed me with sons" Gerald said as he slowly crossed the room to her and Christina had to remember not to look at the way his silk pants fit him like a second skin. Just because he had become a murderous and sadist jerk did not mean he wasn't good looking.

"Gerald, about the boys, I…"

"I know" said Gerald as he placed one hand on her bare waist while he held two fingers to hers lips. Once silenced, she forced herself to accept his kiss and not retch at the thought that she was naked in front of this man. She shivered in disgust as he caressed her stomach and her face before continuing the conversation.

"I learned that Interpol raided the house not long after I was arrested. They used something to influence you in your decision. I was not told what they used to influence you, but I now know it must have been something drastic for you to have done what you did. I no longer blame you Princess, but I am curious. What did they use to break my feisty Celt?"

She had to find an excuse and quick. She felt him place his forehead against hers as she searched her mind for an answer to give. If she didn't play this right, it could mean all their lives. "The girls" she whispered in suppressed fright for the man holding her. "They used the girls. Gerald they tried to take the girls."

Thinking she was trembling at the memories of his touch and the fright of almost losing their daughters, Gerald kissed her while running his fingers through her red locks. Thinking her increased trembling meant something else, he proceeded to move her back towards the bed and made love to her. He thought her tears of sorrow where tears of joy at them being back together once more.

Afterwards, Gerald was lying in their bed as Christina lay against him, trembling and trying not to start crying again as he had one hand in her hair and the other had his fingers running up and down her arm. She lay there silently berating herself for not being stronger, faster, and more able to escape the man who she had feared for so long. She was in love with Pete but she was being forced to allow this monster to touch her carelessly.

"I guess we should get showered and dressed so we can attend to the children. We still have so much to discuss but we can do that after the children go to bed. After all, we have a new addition that I have been told about. The private jet is awaiting us on Green Island to take us home. The sooner we arrive the sooner we can get the children all settled in"

"Yes Gerald" said Christina as she removed herself from his embrace and went to shower. As the water ran over her body, so did the tears run down her face. She was once again trapped under Gerald Perkins' thumb and she didn't know if she had the strength to escape his cruelty twice. Placing her hand on her stomach, Christina prayed for the sake of her children that she did. She knew she was going to have to be one hell of an actress to be able to save her children from their father.

The Police were everywhere. After the boys had been taken all hell had broken loose when Shamus called to tell everyone his phone conversation with Sarah had been interrupted. When Kate revealed Christina had never returned from her ice cream run, everyone knew Gerald was the responsible party. He had finally played his hand and now he held all the cards.

The only thing worse than not knowing if Christina and the kids were OK or not was worrying about Kate. As soon as the situation became clearer, the stress of it all sent her body into labour and the doctors were severely concerned, while Shamus looked on in pain knowing that he could do nothing to help either of his daughters. Kate wasn't supposed to be under ANY form of stress, yet within minutes of learning what had actually happened, Kate had gone from sister mode to XO mode. Shamus watched in amazed awe as his oldest daughter got up from her hospital bed the moment her labour stopped and grabbed some clothes to take a shower.

When she came back out, she was wearing Mike's fatigue shirt, a pair of loose sweet pants with her combat boots on. Her long blonde hair was pulled back and there was a look in her eyes that dared anyone to mess with her the wrong way. He watched as she called Admiral Marshall and the Brass in Canberra. He watched as she looked at two nurses and requested a small folding table be brought to her room. She had her laptop up and on, her wireless headset on top her head and she was constantly trying to hail Mike or Pete on it, grumbling under her breath when she didn't succeed. When the AFP came in the room, Kate jumped straight into the fray.

"Ok, we all know who is responsible here. His name is Gerald Perkins. Here is a picture of the man in question." said Kate as she passed around copies of his last known picture and criminal file. "He is a terrorist for the IRA, but he is most likely working solo at the moment. The pictures I am passing around are his victims. Christina McGregor Perkins, his ex-wife, was taken by force from this hospital not too long ago. His children; 13 year old Andrea McGregor, 12 year old Sarah McGregor and 8 year old twin sons Christopher and Daniel McGregor, were all taken from their schools by force this afternoon. Christina was raped two months ago by her ex husband, by whom she has become pregnant. This man is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous"

Shamus watched as several AFP agents took in the information when Steve ran in the room with Mike's parents; Joseph and Catherine. Steve laid out several tubes which held several different maps. As Kate looked over one in particular, she motioned for a few AFP agents to come over to her.

"Ok, this is the local marina. The easiest way for Gerald to leave unnoticed would be by boat. Now I am sure it didn't get past his little cronies that Sarah had been on the phone with her grandfather when her and Andrea were taken so he knows we are probably already on to him. It would be a pleasure craft and not a fishing vessel though. He has a pregnant woman and four children as his bounty, no one would notice a family on a yacht per se, but they would if they were on a fishing trawler. He's not out to harm them, his goal is getting his family back. He raped Christina with the intent of impregnating her once more. He would have just realized the boys are in fact his sons. He has been in prison for a while so he is unpredictable"

"Why not a plane?" asked one AFP agent

"If he left on a plane it would have to be a private jet and not commercial. It would not be easy boarding a plane with four screaming children and one screaming female, especially if they were a McGregor. No he might take a plane later, but his first escape would be a boat. I would bet my entire Navy career on it"

"Katie you need to rest" said Shamus as he watched her working on everything. He was worried about both of his daughters.

"Not now Dad, I can't. I have to help save Christina and her children. I have to be a XO right now, not a sister"

Shamus stood back once more and had to admire his daughter as she looked over the maps in front of her and recommended actions. She called for a list of any pleasure craft leaving in the last two hours. She asked Steve to get some coast watch planes as well as a search of any pleasure craft near their boarders by the RAN's patrol boats. As proud as he was of his daughters, he could see that Kate's ability to detach from her emotions of the situation and her tenacity for the job at hand was why she had made it so far in the Navy. But he also knew it had to do with the treatment she had received by the hands of her mother. He just hoped she knew it was OK to lean on someone else when she needed to.

"OK Kate, here is the list of every pleasure craft that left the docks within the last two hours. What is it we want to look for?" asked Steve as he walked in with the list Kate had requested.

"Perkins' advantage would be water; he would want a vessel that would be big enough and then some that could carry him, Christina, the four kids and a security detail. He's smart, so he won't be using his real name, and from what I have been told about the jerk, he likes to flaunt himself a bit and shove his accomplishments in other people's faces."

"So something large, like a luxury yacht?"

"That would be my bet. He got Christina pregnant on purpose but he knows she has a boyfriend. While the thought alone of Peter loving Christina and vice versa would drive him insane with anger, he would also want to prove to Christina that he is the better choice for a lover and he will want to try to impress her, woo her."

"His ego gets in the way"

"Exactly"

"OK then" said Steve as he started looking over the list while Kate looked at the maps and tried texting Mike and Pete. Shamus just watched as his oldest daughter proved her worth in the Navy as she planned out several different routes Gerald could have taken.

"Kate, there are eight boats that left the marina in the time frame we are looking at that fit your presumptions. That is a third of what the list was. The problem is that with it being the American's spring break a lot of pleasure craft have been taken out"

"OK, we need to check those eight boats, then. Let's set up routine boardings for the pleasure craft on this list. I know once Mike answers his bloody phone he will be more than ready to do them. With Pete being in the loop about Christina and the kids being the hostages, expect a pissed off Hammersley XO. Agent Jameson, how about we do a full background check on Gerald to see what he's been doing since he has been out of prison. Since Interpol was involved, I guarantee there were some bank accounts that had been frozen, but probably not all."

"Good idea" Agent Jameson replied, and he started giving orders to his own men. "We will also see if he had any Australian friends and run background checks and initiate surveillance on them. He would have had to have had massive help in doing this. Interpol needs to be notified to the situation and they will probably send people to help"

"That would probably be wise. But we will probably reach the prick first. Lord help him when he meets Buffer, I mean Pete. The man is known for being a bit overprotective and when he finds Gerald, there might not be much left to arrest. That is one volcano that I'm glad I won't see explode".

Steve and Shamus just chuckled at Kate's last comment about Pete. It was widely known you didn't mess with Pete and the fact that someone just had would not prove to be a pretty picture if it happened to be the Hammersley that found Gerald.

"OK Kate, good work. I have to call the Brass in Canberra for permission to start a rescue centre at NavCom. Considering the risk right now, I'm sure they won't mind me taking over Cairns NavCom a bit sooner than expected. I'm going to get coast watch in the air. I want you to stay here, get some rest and keep trying to get a hold of that cowboy of yours"

Shamus watched as Steve rushed from the room with his cell phone to his ear. Looking towards his daughter once more, he almost laughed when he heard her growl at her laptop. As she went back to the map and her list of boats and AFP agents, it surprised him when she called him over. She had noticed his curiosity and was going to show him what she was doing.

Pointing at the map, she explained - "see these islands here, here, and here, dad?"

"Yes"

"OK, these are the most plausible locations Gerald could be heading with Christina and the kids. These are the boats we are looking for that match the criteria Gerald would need for this. If we can find out where they are in the water, via the patrol boats and/or Coast Watch, we can weed out who is who and find the right boat"

"Is this all you did as an XO, Katie?"

"No. I also did boardings, rescues, and translation. I help the CO run the ship and keep the junior officers in their place as well as several of the higher officers. A lot of what I just did has to do with the skills I learned as Navigator years before. But I promise to use every skill I have to return them home Dad. I promise"

Shamus hugged Kate with tears in his eyes. He knew if anyone could find his youngest daughter Christina, it was his oldest daughter Katelyn.

Maxine was none too pleased when she had been revealed of duty at NavCom. Not only had Admiral Marshall shown up, but so had the AFP! She watched as they set up a staging area in her command centre and then when she had tried to get answers, all Steve had told her was Canberra was well aware of what was happening and if they needed her they would call upon her. Then when she heard Steve call the patrol boats in the area to search certain ships, she was beyond furious.

"Why are we going after pleasure crafts Sir?"

"A family was kidnapped Maxine. A pregnant mother and her four children were taken under duress by a known IRA terrorist this afternoon. We know his attentions with the family are not honourable"

Maxine took a step back then. If it was a terrorist situation along with a kidnapping, and the Brass had stepped in along with the AFP, then Interpol wasn't going to be far behind. The family in question must be either very important, or very important to somebody in the Brass. Packing up her office, Maxine watched the goings on of the command centre where Marshall was currently calling the coast guard. Whoever had pissed off Admiral Marshall was a very stupid man indeed.

Christina was up on deck with the children watching the scenery go by. If she saw something she recognized, she might be able to sneak into the bridge and called the Hammersley. Right now that was her best option for trying to save her family. There wasn't much she could do pregnant and with four children in the middle of the ocean. From what she knew they had been on the water for three hours, and the longer they were at sea, the further away they were from getting help.

Andrea saw her mother and breathed a sigh of relief. She had gone down below decks before her mother had awakened and had heard her father pleasuring himself with her. It sickened her to know her father had absolutely no morals and she would be glad when they were all finally away from him.

Motioning to Sarah that their mum was awake, they made their way over to her. She knew they were in danger and decided that if her mother was looking around, then she probably had some sort of plan. Helping her mother as the oldest was not only her job, but her responsibility.

"Beautiful isn't Mum?"

Christina looked at her oldest and smiled. She knew what the child was up too, and she thought as she looked upon Andrea just how much she was like her Aunt Kate.

"Yes it is, and your dad has promised that where we are going is even more beautiful"

"Do you think we will be safe though when he leaves to go to work?"

'I like the way you think' thought Christina with a smirk. 'She is trying to find a way out already'

"I'm sure we will be Andrea, if anything your father is overprotective. He won't let much get past him"

Andrea nodded her head as she received the message underneath. 'So Dad had eyes everywhere, huh? That will make things more difficult'

"Has Dad run background checks on all the guards?"

"Why do you ask Andrea?" asked Gerald walking into their conversation. He wanted to know what they were up too.

"Are any of them convicted of sex crimes? You have to admit Dad, you might be a man no one wants to mess with most of the time, but you also have two daughters. No matter how good you are Daddy, you can't be around 24/7. At some time or another, you will have to go and do a job. What happens to our safety then?"

Gerald could see his oldest daughter's point. He had four children, two of whom were beautiful daughters that were coming into themselves. He also had a pregnant wife who was more than gorgeous. What would happen if he left to go and work and someone he hired tried to forces themselves on his daughters or his wife? What if he had hired someone who would have preferred his sons over his daughters?

"Good thinking my precious. I will do a secondary search on all employees Andrea. Protecting yourself as well as your family makes me very proud of you. I see you have grown not only in beauty but with brains my dear"

As Gerald kissed the top of her head, Andrea had to fight to hide to shiver of disgust going through her. As her father walked away, she turned her look of hatred towards the water. When she looked at her Mum though, she knew it was now or never. She quickly leaned over and hugged her Mum, whispering into her ear.

"Grandpa's insurance is hidden within my favourite bag"

Christina looked at Andrea and ran a hand through her matching red hair as she smiled at her. She made it look like an emotional mother/daughter moment, when in reality, it was Christina giving Andrea her approval. She knew what her daughter had meant. Andrea and Sarah's cell phones had trackers on them just in case something like this ever happened.

"Sir, Admiral Marshal for you" said RO on the bridge of the HMAS Hammersley. Mike turned, surprised that it was Steve and not Maxine calling the ship.

"Hammersley, Commander Flynn. What do we owe this pleasure Admiral?"

"Mike, it's Steve. Listen I have some bad news. Perkins has played his hand. Christina and her children were taken by force early this afternoon. I am sending your RO a list of pleasure crafts we are looking for in the area. Two are by you. Kate figured everything out and we are working with the AFP on this one. Interpol will be here in a few days and they have already been briefed about the situation"

"Steve, Kate is not supposed to have any stress! Cat..."

"Cat is fine at the moment Mike. Kate has been a very helpful asset in all of this. She went from Kate to XO in 2.5 seconds, shocked everyone there, including her own father I might add. Your mother is making sure she eats while your father and Shamus are making sure she has the doctor on standby. She is refusing to relax until Christina and the kids are back safe."

"Stubborn woman, I swear on the sea… " Mike mumbles to himself and the crew chuckles a bit. To say their old XO was stubborn was like saying it was fun to ride the old Hammersley through a typhoon. "OK Sir, we will look over the info you, the AFP and Kate have sent us. I will need to tell my XO in private though"

"Understandable. Fair winds Mike, oh and Mike"

"Yes Sir?" said Mike a little worried for a moment.

"Contact Kate before she breaks her laptop. She is getting frustrated that you and Pete refused to answer your messengers and your phones. She is not a very happy woman at the present moment"

"Yes sir, Hammersley out" said Mike laughing as he hung up the phone, he saw Pete's look from across the bridge. He had to tell Pete. He immediately turned back into his serious mode.

"X, a word in my cabin please. Dutchy has the ship"

"Aye sir I have the ship" said Dutchy and Pete and Mike left the bridge. Once reaching the CO's cabin, Mike sat Pete down before telling him. He knew Pete, and how he was going to react. The man was going to blow up.

"Mate, Perkins played his hand. He's got Christina and the kids"