Episode 6.8: Goodwill Visits

You all know the disclaimer by now – I don't own the show or the rights to the show, but this is still my creation. All of the original characters are owned by Channel Nine, but any new original characters are mine.

To better keep with the storyline, I am no longer replying to reviews. Should you have any questions, feel free to PM me and ask.

MissShawnaAlice xx

Chapter One –

Jono woke up first, his arm wrapped around Nikki. He smiled to himself; last night was worth everything. He didn't care how much he got disciplined for it. He loved her more than she'd ever know. They'd met at a bar the previous night, and Nikki had a few more drinks than she'd intended. Jono offered to drive her home, and she'd led him into the house, refusing to let him go. His phone and Nikki's phone vibrated on the table, and Jono leant over, grabbing the mobile.

Crash sailed. Report to Victory at 0900. NAVCOM.

Jono glanced at Nikki's beside clock; 0800. He shook her gently.

"Nikki. Nik, you've got to wake up," said Jono softly. She stirred, and winced as the morning light pierced her aching head.

"Josh, what did I do last night?" She asked.

"I've never seen you dance like that before Nikki," said Jono humorously. Nikki shot out of bed.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded, finally realising who was sharing her bed. Her mind had her convinced that Josh had been with her; her eyes now told her that she was sorely mistaken.

"You wouldn't let me leave last night," said Jono, still smiling.

"And you didn't try to convince me otherwise? Seriously, that has to be the worst call of judgement I have ever heard of. Why are you still here then? Why didn't you leave after I fell asleep?" Asked Nikki, enraged.

"I fell asleep before you did Nikki! You were still giggling at yourself when I drifted off," replied Jono, starting to get angry.

"And you didn't think that maybe all of this was against protocol? If someone finds out, how much trouble do you think we're going to be in?" Yelled Nikki. Jono stood up, pulling on his jeans.

"I don't know, but you're the higher ranking officer in all of this. I think you're going to be in more trouble than I am," replied Jono evenly.

"No-one can find out about this, do you hear?" Asked Nikki. Jono pulled on his shirt.

"I hear you loud and clear Lieutenant Caetano, and I'm leaving. My lips are sealed." Jono was out the bedroom door before Nikki could even speak. She heard the front door slam as he left, and then the engine revving. She grabbed her mobile, reading the message about being crash sailed. She sat down on the bed, head in her hands.

"Oh, what have I done?"

2Dads had stayed over at Emily and Spider's place for the past week; Bec was still in hospital, and he couldn't stand being alone in the house. Besides, he was getting to spend time with his sister and his best mate, and Emily cooked better than Giordano did on patrols. He was awoken this particular morning by shouting.

"We knew this would be hard Emily! We knew that we would be posted on different patrols, and that our free time together would be limited, but we thought we could survive it. Maybe we were wrong!" Leo rolled over and got up, traipsing down the hallway.

"Maybe we were Billy! With Leo here all the time, you're more comfortable with him than you are with me! We finally have time together between patrols, and you tell him he can stay here? This is supposed to be our time Billy, our time to plan a wedding that I sometimes think will never happen!" Leo stopped just as his sister flung open the bedroom door.

"This is all your fault Leo!" She grabbed her duffel bag from outside the door, and stormed away. Spider stood in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe.

"Mate, what was that all about?" asked Leo.

"She wants to spend time with me; our time's already limited because we're on different rotations, and you being here kinda complicated things," said Spider.

"You know, if you had told me sooner, then I could have gone home, let you guys have your space," said Leo.

"Yeah, well, it's a bit more complex than that. Did you get the message this morning?" Asked Spider. Leo nodded.

"Yeah. We're setting sail at 1500 hours, heading for a goodwill visit to Samaru again. I'm really starting to hate that place," commented Leo.

"Me too."

Bec missed Leo; more than she wanted to admit. She wanted to get out of the hospital and be able to spend time in her own house. She hadn't even gotten the nursery together, and knowing her luck, the baby would arrive before she would have anything ready. She smiled as Jamie entered the room.

"So, you being busted out yet?" He asked. Bec shook her head.

"Unfortunately not. Wish I was though. What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to get comfortable. At nearly six months pregnant, she was wishing for an escape, and perhaps an end to the hospital stay.

"Get my medical check-up before I return to Victory. Hey, you sure you're not carrying twins in there?" He asked. Bec giggled a little, resting her head back on the pillow.

"I haven't had an ultrasound since I had my pregnancy confirmed. I could be carrying triplets and never know," laughed Bec. She tried to take a breath, and struggled, feeling like a weight had been placed on her chest.

"Bec? Are you okay?" Asked Jamie, concerned. She nodded.

"I'll be fine," she gasped. Jamie entered the room and hit the call button.

"You're not fine; you can't even breathe," said Jamie, taking her hand.

"I… I… don't know what's going on," said Bec. Her eyes widened as she struggled to breathe. She was paling visibly.

"Stay calm Bec, it'll be alright." A nurse came into the room.

"What's the probl…?" She trailed off as she realised what was going on. She moved towards the oxygen mask, preparing to put it on when Bec stopped breathing.

"Don't you dare die Bomber!"

"You're… what?" Asked Maxine, disbelief across her face.

"We're in a relationship Max, and we're telling you so there are no complications this time around," replied Mike, holding Kelly's hand. Kelly glanced over at Mike, and bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"And you think this relationship could survive this time?" Asked Maxine. Mike nodded.

"I fully believe that this relationship could survive Maxine, which is why I'm informing you of it now," responded Mike.

"What about Kate?" Asked Maxine.

"She already knows. She encouraged Mike to come and talk to me after we had a fight a few weeks ago, and she's supportive of the relationship," said Kelly. Her heart lifted as she realised it could actually work out. Maxine sighed.

"You know I'm supposed to transfer her off the ship, and discipline you both for breaking fraternisation rules, right?" She asked, pulling files towards her. Mike and Kelly both nodded.

"And you know that no other sailor wants the 2IC post on Hammersley?" Mike shook his head.

"No, I had no idea. Why is that?" Asked Mike.

"Rumour has it you're a hard task master, and if I make Lieutenant Martin leave, this will be your fifth executive officer in seven years. Do you know it's becoming increasingly hard to find someone to take the job?" Asked Maxine.

"So, what solution is there?" Asked Mike. He gave Kelly's hand a quick squeeze.

"Just because no-one wants to work with you doesn't mean I don't have a solution," replied Maxine, a smile crossing her face. Mike's face fell as he realised what she was talking about.

"No. We talked about this, and I thought the agreeme…" Mike started.

"The agreement is invalid if you're in a relationship, especially one that breaks all the rules," responded Maxine.

"Sir, what's she talking about?" Asked Kelly.

"Who would replace me?" Asked Mike of Maxine.

"Lieutenant-Commander Alex Taylor. First time in nine years where you and Kate aren't the only two to command Hammersley," said Maxine.

"Would NAVCOM allow it?" Asked Mike, desperate to find a way out.

"It's been pre-approved, and Lieutenant Commander Taylor has been training with Jumper on Kingston to become the best possible CO there is. We thought this would happen a while back, when you and Kate got married. We were prepared for all possibilities," said Maxine.

"Mike, what the hell is she talking about?" Asked Kelly. Mike sighed and turned to his girlfriend.

"Kel, she's talking about a desk job."