Hammersley has been out at sea for a week. They have had the odd boarding to do here and there, but so far the week had been a lot quieter than they had been used to.

"Can't sleep?" Kate asks as she walks into the galley, noticing him standing at the bench.

"No, not really. Hot chocolate?"

"Yes please. Have you heard back from Marshall yet?"

"No not yet, but it's only been a week." He grabs another mug to make a second drink.

"Figured out how you're going to tell this lot?"

"Not really. I'd prefer to wait and see what Marshall decides and then go from there."

"Do you think he will come through?"

"Knowing Marshall as well as I do, I have no doubt he will pull it off. He doesn't want me to leave. He'll find a way, he always does." He passes her the hot drink.

"I hope so, it will be a waste if they don't."

"Only for the Navy." He motions with his head for her to follow, she nods and they both head to the officer's mess. They sit there and talk about work, relaxing in each other's company before heading off to bed.

Come the following morning, they became busy and the next four weeks went by extremely fast for the crew. It seemed as if a whole fleet of FFVs were caught in their EEZ, as well as the numerous mayday calls they had to deal with.

Hammersley was coming into its sixth and final week of this rotation, (It was) cruising through the calm Arafura Sea when RO answered the sat phone.

"Sir, Captain Steve Marshall on the line." RO passes Mike the sat phone as the crew on the bridge look on, wondering why Marshall is ringing the ship to speak to their boss.

"Patch it through to my cabin please RO," he requests as he gets up to from his chair.

"XO, you have the ship."

As he walks past his XO, she quietly wishes him good luck, offering him a brief smile before he heads down to his cabin.

"Steve, Mike speaking."

"Hi Mike, how you doing out there?"

"Busy, which is nice. The reason for the call, Steve?"

"Straight to the point, aren't you MIke?"

"Yes, and even more so when we have an FFV in our sights."

"Well this won't take too long I hope, but if you need to go then just say so."

"Will do. So, the reason for your call, Steve?"

"Right. The first thing - Kate's been put on the next promotion roster. Maxine hasn't given me much to go on regarding why her application never made it to us; also she is being addressed over providing Kate with the information she got from Fleet Command."

"That is good to know, but what do I tell her, or shall I leave it till the promotion signal comes out?"

"Might be best to wait, then it can be a surprise. Now you, Mike. You've made this hard to do. The only option I have for now is sending you down to Watson's Bay and doing some instructing for a few months." Steve hears Mike's sigh

"I know it's not the best, but it's something. It's the Navy."

"What course would I be involved with?"

"CO and XO course"

"Which means if Kate gets the go ahead, I can't be her instructor when she is there," he says, sighing again

"I spoke to the brass about it. They're fine with it as they now use two instructors to run the course."

"Steve, how much did you tell them?"

"I informed them that once you are off Hammersley, you will be starting a personal relationship with Kate, and that she is the reason you are prepared to leave."

"This better not affect Kate." he respondes sternly to him.

"It won't, I promise. I told them that when I was up there, you informed me that if you stayed on that you would be entering into a personal relationship with Lieutenant McGregor. That this had to be taken into account with your posting as you would not step back on Hammersley while she is serving on her."

"Well, thank you for doing that for us." some relief evident in his voice.

"No problem, Mike. I just hope you weren't lying to me when you said nothing has gone on while you're on the same ship, because I've put my career on the line for you two."

"Steve, you should know Kate is a stickler for the rules. Why would I do something so stupid as that with the woman I love."

"Good, because if the brass doing any enquiring about you two and find anything that says otherwise, you'll be in big trouble."

"I understand Steve, and they won't."

"Good, Mike. So are you going to take the offer or not?"

"I should talk to Kate first about it all and see what she says. How many months would I be down there, and when would I leave?"

"Well, one of the tutors if off due to injury. They won't be able to return for another three months. You'll be there for 12 weeks, conducting three courses, each running for three weeks. You leave next Friday, giving you a few days with Kate before you leave."

"And when is the new promotions signal due out?"

"In five weeks. She be on the last three weeks."

"I'll talk to Kate and send you an email with my response by the end of today. But if I do take it, I want a clause in my contract preventing them posting me back on Hammersley while Kate is on her."

"I can make sure that is in there, Mike." The ships intercom system comes to life with the request of the CO to the bridge.

"Steve, I have to go. Duty calls."

"Ok, Mike. Just make sure I get your email by the end of the day or I'll be ringing back."

"Fine, bye Steve."

"Fair winds, Mike" he hangs the phone up and heads to the bridge.

"X, what do we have?" Mike asks as he enters the bridge

"The FFV is in the target area, Sir."

"Right. Time for some action. X, pipe boarding stations."

Kate then pipes boarding stations through out the ship.

"What did Marshall want?" Kate quietly enquires after hanging up the microphone.

"Talk to you later about it," he whispers back to her, before she heads off to get ready.

"So, what did Marshall ring you about?" enquires Kate when she and Mike are sitting in the officer's mess several hours later.

"He rang to offer me a teaching position." She looks at him in semi shock.

"Where?"

"Three months in Sydney, at Watsons Bay"

"What about after that?"

"Not sure. He said it was to fill in for a injured tutor."

"You taking it?"

"That depends on you, and what you think?" She is surprised he wants to ask her opinion.

"Well it is up to you after all, Mike. I don't get a say in it."

"Yes, you do Kate. You're my partner; what you think does matter to me." A slight smile appears on her face.

"It is up to you in the end, Mike."

"If I do take it, it's three months away."

"And Hammersley will be out for most of that anyway." He sits there nodding with a grin on his face.

"So you'll be ok with me taking it and being away for that long?"

"When would you leave?"

"If I go, I have to fly out next Friday." A cheeky grin appears on her face.

"Well then, you'd better make sure our shore leave is worth it."

"Oh I will, don't you worry." They are smiling at each other when Dutchy enters and starts talking to them.

Later on, Mike is typing the email, he looks over it several times, the reality of his decision hitting home when he clicks the send button.

If you're looking for a different ending, with a lead in to another chapter, you could have him just typing the email and looking it over, the reality of his decision hitting home as he clicks the send button. - Not saying if he accepts or not... Thanks for that I was looking at redoing the ending