This is the final chapter. I'd just like to thank everyone who left a review. Thanks for all the lovely comments.

Special thanks again to Cami for the beta red marker.

cheers, pook

Chapter 8 Second Chance pt 2

Sitting around Mike's dining table, Kate looked around at his simply decorated apartment.

There was a bookshelf, mostly empty except for his collection of a dozen classics. The two paintings that hung on the walls depicted scenes of old British Navy tall ships in battle, with full sails, white caps coming off the top of waves, sailors firing cannons and officers standing tall and proud. It was typical of Mike.

Mike passed her a coffee and then sat opposite Kate.

"Thank you, sir." Kate sipped her coffee, not surprised that Mike had remembered how she liked her coffee.

"Kate, please call me Mike." Mike hoped that Kate would as he rarely heard his first name other than by Marshall or by his family.

Kate thought about it. On a frigate, it was very formal but she knew that the patrol boat fleet was more relaxed, as they were a small team and lived in each other pockets. But she already found herself completely at ease in his presence, like she'd been five years ago. A different person might still have been angry at him, but she wasn't. All she just wanted to know what he'd been going through all those years ago.

Mike's lips curled up in a half smile, imagining the gears whirring as she thought about it, how she'd weigh up all sides and then make her decision. He tried to make it easier for her. "At least while we're ashore and in civvies."

"All right, Mike." Kate wanted to make the posting work and couldn't refuse Mike when he smiled at her, almost pleading for her to agree.

"Thankyou, Kate." Mike wanted to say that he hoped that they could be friends but that might be pushing it. But the signs were there; her comfortable posture and less officious and military tone and their seemingly relaxed conversations so far were proof.

On the table was a copy of Kate's personal file. Mike flipped through the pages of performance appraisals, recommendations, commendations and other papers. What happened after he'd left her was a mystery to him. She'd have passed and probably have excelled in the prerequisite courses as he'd known she would have had to, to have even been noticed and therefore considered by Canberra. Mike saw that she'd changed very little, pleased had she still had that certain something that spark, that drew him to her during the navigation section of her JWAC all those years ago.

Mike smiled broadly, putting his hand on her file and pushed it toward her. "I still need to go over your personal file." He paused to add with a glint in his eye, "To see if you're suitable."

Kate couldn't miss the twinkle in his eyes as he teased her.

"Why don't you tell me what you've been doing?" Mike paused, allowing his boyish smile to grow, "Saves me from reading it."

Kate smirked. It seems her XO duties were starting early; filtering out the extraneous information and giving her CO only the relevant information. Nonetheless, she was happy to go through it with him. "Okay, Mike. My last posting was as the fourth officer on the Parramatta, doing the rounds as a Boarding Officer, and then as the Navigator the OOW." Kate left out the time she'd taught the same navigation section of the JWAC he'd taught, thinking he didn't want to be reminded of the course where they'd met.

"And before that?"

"I had a short shore posting as an assistant to the XO at HMAS Waterhen and before that I was on the Anzac as a divisional officer." Not wanting to dwell on the shore posting, Kate went on to explain her duties on board the frigate.

Mike nodded. After spending five years at sea all on big ships Kate had more than enough experience to be his X. Perhaps he was lucky to have her. Hopefully she wouldn't be too bored on little and very old Hammersley doing SIEV and FFV boardings and Maydays. "Gulf?"

"Two and half tours."

Mike questioned, "Half?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kate had no real desire to repeat what had happened yet again. Despite still not remembering the actual explosion or its immediate aftermath, she'd relayed the story so many times to the Navy counsellor that it seemed that it had happened to someone else.

In a monotone voice, Kate said "In March, '03, I was on the Anzac when an Iraqi boat packed with explosives - "

"That was you?" Shocked, Mike interrupted, leaning forward, worry and concern written all over his face. A week after he'd been injured, Jeff Barnes had mentioned an officer and two sailors had been critically wounded in a failed attempt to blow up the Anzac.

"Unfortunately yes," she muttered. The attack on the Anzac had been kept secret, so Mike must've been told via the Navy's scuttlebutt network.

Mike furrowed his brow. "What happened?"

With understandable reticence, Kate answered after a few seconds, "The Iraqi boat blew up just before it struck the hull."

Mike whistled. "That was lucky." He shuddered at the amount of casualties that would have occurred if it had struck the hull of the ship and then blown up, remembering the terrible damage to the USS Cole.

"It shouldn't have happened." Kate swore under her breath before swallowing a mouthful of her coffee. Once she'd been told of the critical injuries to the two other sailors her guilt had only increased. She'd blamed herself for not reacting quicker and for not doing enough to protect the sailors under her command. One of the sailors had ended up in a wheelchair while the other had suffered permanent brain damage. Both were forced out of the Navy. Her surviving with no ill effects other than half a dozen scars had only increased her guilt. All the people affected most by Blair's criminal mistake had no memory of the incident and they couldn't even act as witnesses at the man's Court Martial.

Mike had heard what Kate said and contemplated what she really meant. Had someone had stuffed up? More than likely.

"Anyway, I don't remember anything." Unconsciously, Kate rubbed the scar on her arm.

He recognized the pained and guilty look on her face. Most really good officers felt the same way when any one under their command got hurt. Mike wanted to say or do something to help her but didn't know where to start and Kate not remembering would only add to the problem.

Seeing the thin dark line on her arm, Mike reached out, but stopped, afraid to go any further leaving his finger just centimetres from her arm. "Is that where ..." Mike stopped, unable to finish asking her about the scar. It was silly considering their line of work but he hated to see her hurt.

Kate recognised Mike's compassionate look. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to have someone care about her and it was comforting. Initially, Kate had no inclination to go into details about her injuries but being with Mike somehow made her feel relaxed. "A broken arm among other things."

Mike knew a big blast so close to a human could do horrific damage. His grandfather, who'd survived the London Blitz, had told him about finding his aunt, dead, but without a scratch on her. The woman had just looked like she'd been asleep. The blast wave had killed her.

"Don't worry. I recovered." Kate shrugged, without telling him that it took almost ten months for her to be ready for active duty again. "Anyway, with all the shrapnel, screws and the plates, I have enough metal in me that it's a wonder I don't set off airport metal detectors."

Mike chuckled. "I know how you feel."

Kate pointed to his scar between his eyes. "What happened to you?" She'd been curious on how he'd obtained the distinctive upside down vee scar which was very clear between his eyes.

Mike's hand went up to his forehead, before he answered, "In the Gulf too, my RHIB hit an underwater snare about a week before you. Busted head, ribs and leg."

Stunned, Kate leant toward Mike. He could've have been killed. A RHIB going full speed hitting something was similar to car hitting a tree at 70 clicks an hour without a seat belt. Deadly.

"USNS Comfort?" Mike realised they must have been treated by same Coalition medical system.

"Yes."

Amazed, they'd been on the same ship at the same time. It was a small world. And for the next several minutes, they reminisced about the time on the American hospital ship and the amazing facilities and meals on board.

Sipping his coffee, Mike recalled his conversation with that American nurse when he'd told that US Navy nurse about Kate and he'd made the biggest mistake of his life. There had been no one since her, despite all the encouragement from his family and friends. His heart had never been in it. And so he'd kept busy, throwing himself into his career, leaving no time to think what an idiot he'd been. But now that Kate was sitting opposite him, sharing stories over coffee, both relaxed like it had been all those years ago, all those old feelings resurfaced. He only hoped that over time she'd forgive him and that they could at least be friends.

After a quick glimpse at Mike, Kate was reminded of that silly ideal men conversation the two nurses had. And although he was older and possibly wiser, he was just as she remembered. She'd been unable to stop the tidal wave of wonderful memories of the short time they'd been together wash over her. They'd had so many great times. But when he'd left, her heart had been broken.

Unwilling to linger too long on those sad feelings, Kate changed the subject, "The Yank medical system is so much better than ours."

"Yeah. I was lucky I had all my surgery on the Comfort," agreed Mike. The Americans spent so much more on their troops' health and welfare than Australia did.

"Although they couldn't fix my nose." Rubbing her slight bump on the bridge of her nose, Kate chortled. "I wasn't going to win any beauty contests before and definitely won't now."

Mike shook his head. Even when they were together she'd thought she wasn't anything special. She couldn't be further from the truth. She was still stunning, at least to him. The first time he saw Kate in that seminar room in Watson's Bay, he had been immediately drawn to her. It had been as if she'd been the only person in the room. Mike looked directly at her and for the first time in five years, he reached out with his hand and gently laid his hand on hers.

Kate's eyes widened as she felt that familiar electric spark between them. A brush of his fingertips sent the same tingles spreading from her tips of fingers to straight to her heart as she'd felt five years ago.

Mike whispered, meaning every word of it, "Kate, don't ever think that. You're beautiful."

Speechless, her mind had no idea how to react. Her body was doing it all for her as her thumb moved upward and stroked his and she was rewarded with a gentle squeeze.

Cherishing the warmth of her touch, he didn't want to lose their connection.

It was time to make amends but he wasn't sure she would want to after what he was about to say. He started to move his hand away.

Kate wouldn't have it, turning her hand around to interlock their fingers.

"I'm so sorry, Kate," Mike said softly. She wasn't going anywhere and it gave him strength.

Her eye brows narrowed. "For what?"

Their conversation was moving into uncharted emotional territory but neither thought about stopping it. For perhaps the first time in their lives, they allowed their hearts to overrule their minds.

Mike's eyes dropped, ashamed to how he'd treated her, but then some how found the courage to look at her. "For leaving you."

Reluctantly, Kate asked, needing to find the answer to the question that she'd asked herself so many times after he'd left, "Mike, did I do something to make you leave?" It was similar to the guilt that she'd carried with her since she was a child because she'd always thought she'd done something wrong to make her father leave. Her horrible upbringing had contributed to her reticence to let people in and to her naivety.

"No, Kate, no." Mike shook his head. "It was never you. Don't even think that." Kate had been incredible, a lot of fun both in bed and out, and terrific company too.

"Then why did you leave?"

"I was scared."

"Scared? Do you mean of being found out?" Kate had been frightened too. To be found out would have been the end for both of their careers, but the wonderful times they'd shared had overridden any fears she'd had. They'd shared the same fears and if they'd only talked about them, then perhaps they'd have worked something out.

"Not really… Okay … Maybe a bit." Mike shook his head, admonishing himself. It was time to lay it all on the table. Everything. "I left because I was an emotional coward. I ran away and hid behind my uniform instead of having the courage to give up the sea and my career to be with the woman I'd fallen in love with. I regret more than anything never telling you that I love you. At the time I thought that I was doing it for you so I wouldn't ruin your career. And then it went downhill from there where I had convinced myself that the age difference was too much and that I had taken advantage of you. Honestly, I was just afraid of what I was feeling, and even more scared that if you didn't feel the same. I'd never felt like that before and I haven't since. I didn't realise how wrong I was, or the huge mistake that I'd made until you were gone and it's a decision I've regretted ever since." Once he'd started, he couldn't stop. And an overwhelming sense of calm came over Mike as he finally got it all off his chest. The relief was etched on Mike's handsome face as he looked hopeful at Kate.

Kate gently squeezed his hands. "Listen, Mike, you were always the perfect gentleman, you aren't too old, and if you only knew how much I love you. I was scared too and regret not trying to find you. At first, I was angry and hurt but then I just wanted to know what had happened with you to see if you were all right." She was amazed at how similar they were. Kate had had the same insecurities as him. She'd fallen in love with him and if they'd had more time, she'd have told him too. Perhaps it had been their training as officers, to conceal what they were feeling, to be able to send sailors into peril that had been the problem.

Mike was incredibly happy. She used the present tense. "Kate, …"

"All I ever wanted was to be with you."

They leant even closer to each other; their breath tickled the other's face.

Mike tenderly caressed Kate's face, tucking a blonde strand behind her ear.

She cupped his cheek before finally closing the distance between them and lightly kissing him. His lips were soft against hers.

A small moan escaped from Mike and his heart pounded.

It was only a brief kiss but it was more than enough for both of them. At this time.

Later that day, NAVCOM, Cairns, 2007

"Sir, I'm requesting an immediate transfer to NAVCOM." Mike said, passing the commander the paperwork. Marshall had been hinting for him to transfer as his 2IC and now Mike was going to take him up on the job.

"You what?" Steve Marshall collapsed back in his chair. He couldn't believe it. He'd always thought he'd have to drag Mike kicking and screaming off Hammersley.

Completely at ease, Mike waited patiently. Nothing was going to change his mind. He had his plan and he was going to stick to it. There was the most fantastic and amazing prize at the end of it.

"What do you mean? A transfer?" Steve murmured, still not believing Mike.

"Yes, sir."

"I thought you wanted to stay on Hammersley until she was decommissioned." Steve whispered, shock still emanating through his body. "And what about Hammersley II?" Steve referred to the new Armidale class patrol boat that would commissioned in nine months time.

"Not anymore, sir."

"I'm not sure that can be arranged." Steve knew the brass was never going to accept his decision. There'd be no point assigning a new CO to a boat that was being mothballed in six months time.

Squaring his shoulders, Mike resolved, "Sir, if that is the case then, with regret, I'll have no choice but to resign, effective immediately." Mike pulled out that folder containing all that paperwork and put it on the commander's desk.

Speechless for a moment, Steve shook his head, still unable to process what Mike had said. Steve held his hands up. "All right, Mike. I don't want to lose you so I'll see what I can do." It would be a shame to lose an excellent and experienced CO and good friend. He'd thought the Navy and being at sea was Mike's life but Steve knew something had happened between his meeting that morning and now. "Now Mike, can you tell me what this is really about? This is Steve talking, not Commander Marshall."

Mike relaxed. Steve had been a friend for many years. He deserved to know the truth. "Kate McGregor and I are together and …"

When I first saw you, I saw love.
And the first time you touched me, I felt love.
And after all this time, you're still the one I love

'You're Still The One' by Shania Twain

The End