Kat lay about in her apartment, waiting for the call for the next pickup. It had been a week and a half since the last pickup and she was awaiting the next one. She couldn't deny that the money from the pickup had been good. It was a huge amount for someone her age. She had been paid in cash and if she continued with this, she could live comfortably for most of her life. The hard part had been bringing the people onto the boat. They looked so dejected and mistreated that she had wondered for a moment, what it was she was doing. It was the look from Jo that told her she had no choice. She was in it now and to walk out on the operation would mean death. She let out a sigh as she flopped back on the couch and she wondered what exactly she had gotten herself into. Her phone buzzed next to her and reaching over, she grabbed it.

"Kat speaking."

There was a pause on the other end and for a second, Kat wondered if there was anyone on the other end.

"Kat, it's Mike. From the Hammersley?"

A small smirk crossed her face at his name.

"Mike, how are you?"

********************

Mike walked into the pub, his eyes flickering around before landing on a slim blonde sitting at the bar. With a smile he walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder. She started, turning around and looking at her had scared her. Her eyes landed on him and the fear in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a brightness.

"Hey."

She surprised herself at how bright she sounded but quickly shrugged it off as fake surprise. She stood up, awkwardly holding out her hand to shake. He took it and shook it briefly but didn't let her hand go. He led her over to a table near the wall, out of sight and out of the noise. She wondered briefly why he seemed to want to hide.

"So, been out much since we last met?"

She let out a laugh as she shook her head.

"Unfortunately, no. Haven't had the time."

He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"You know, most of my boys are still debating about why you have that boat."

She froze, wondering if for a moment her cover had been blown.

"They're all saying that your father has done something and out of guilt, he's boat you this brand new boat."

She relaxed a bit, but still kept her guard up so as not to let something slip. She rested her arms on the table, leaning over to stare at him in the eye.

"And what do you think?"

Mike found his eyes wondering down and he wondered if she was in that position on purpose. He swallowed, willing his body to calm before responding.

"I think you're a daddy's girl."

She raised an eyebrow at him in intrigue, "Oh really?"

He nodded his head, before drawing his eyes away and reached for the menu.

"So, you hungry?"

************************

She laughed as she walked up the pathway to her apartment, surprisingly having had fun with him tonight. She stopped at the main doors to her apartment and turned to look at him, a genuine smile crossing her face.

"I had fun tonight."

He smiled back at her, pushing his hands into his pockets, before looking around the apartment block.

"For someone who has a rich father, you have a very modest apartment block."

She shrugged her shoulders, her eyes moving up and down him. She hadn't really had the chance to get a good look at him when they first met in the pub. She realised that he was actually very attractive. With a smile, she reached out for his hand, tugging it from his pocket and grasping it in her own.

"Do you want to come up?"

His eyes landed on her, wide and startled at her forwardness and suddenly she realised just how the question sounded.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't meant to sound like that. I meant to ask if you wanted coffee."

He gave a little chuckle before shaking his head.

"I would love to, but we have an early start tomorrow morning. Being a new captain and all I don't want to be late."

She smiled at him before nodding her head,

"That's fine. Maybe I'll see you out on the water."

He gave her a small smile before tugging his hand back.

"I had fun tonight as well and I may just see you out on the water."

He leant in and kissed her softly on the cheek before throwing her one last grin. He turned and walked down the path, leaving her standing at the door, wondering what had just occurred.

**************************

Mike looked over the remaining paperwork on his desk, wondering why it had to be such a part of his job. He let out a sigh as he signed the last one before shoving it into the folder. He was so glad he had finished it and could now go back to doing what he loved best in the Navy. A brief knock at the door startled him and he turned to see Buffer walking in, the operations manual in his hand.

"Sir, the Nav has done up the operations guide for our patrol. Was just delivering it to you for final checks."

Mike nodded his head as he took it, quickly placing it on his desk before turning back to stop Buffer.

"Buffer. Wait a moment."

He sat for a moment, watching as Buffer just stood there, his eyes scanning around Mike's cabin.

"Strange to see your belongings in the cabin Sir."

Mike gave a little chuckle as he glanced around.

"Strange to see them in here as well. I remember when I was a seaman on here. Ended up in here one too many times with my old CO, Lieutenant Commander Nickels. Sad to hear he decided to leave the Navy."

Buffer nodded his head, "Yeah. 'Spose some jobs in the civilian world pay better though."

They both let out a laugh, silence surrounding them as both tried to imagine their lives without the Navy. Mike finally let out a sigh as he looked up at Buffer.

"How have I done so far… you know… as a CO?"

He watched as Buffer squirmed a bit and he knew it was a tough question to answer, especially when asked by the CO in person.

"Well… the general consensus is that everyone seems to like you."

Mike let out a chuckle at the diplomatic answer.

"But so far from what we've all seen, we're pretty impressed."

Mike shook his head, a smile on his face, "Thanks Buffer. I'll go through these now. Bring us to one hours notice."

Buffer nodded his head, moving to walk out, "And Sir. It's good to have you onboard."

***************************

Kat sat in the bridge next to Liam, one of the drivers. She let out a sigh as she watched the boat cut through the waves. She couldn't deny that the boat was nice. It was a smooth ride and limited the sway. She loved boats and had always wanted one to herself but had never been able to afford one. She had once contemplated joining the Navy but had dropped the idea when she had been offered this job. She figured that now, maybe joining the Navy would have been a safer option. She was pulled from her thoughts when the boat rocked violently, almost throwing her out of her seat. She threw a glance at Liam.

"What the hell was that?"

He shook his head, his eyes scanning over the control panel in front of him. He quickly stopped the engine before letting the anchor go.

"There are abnormal temperature readings in the engine. I'm going to go and check it out."

Kat nodded her head, watching as he disappeared down the ladder. Out of all the guys, Liam scared her the most. He was quiet and reclusive, never really wanting to talk to her. She had tried more than once but generally only got a shrug in return. She knew that he would have to watch him because he could be the one that might find her out. She was pulled out of her thoughts when his head reappeared.

"Engines blown and I don't have the materials to fix it."

Kat let out a groan, her head falling into her hands.

"Are you serious! We have a deadline! We have to be at the warehouse for the pickup!"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Call for help then. It's your head not mine."

She let out a frustrated sigh before reaching for the radio.

***********************

Mike smiled as he leapt from the RHIB onto the boat, his eyes instantly searching out and finding Kat.

"I didn't take you for a fortune teller when I first met you."

She blushed slightly and let out a small laugh.

"I didn't take you as the type to be a knight in shining armour."

He echoed her laugh as he walked up closer to her.

"I'm only a knight in shining armour when it concerns a certain damsel in distress," he said quietly and for her ears only.

Her blush deepened as she looked away, wary of Jo's eyes on her. Mike was quick to pick up on it and took a step back.

"So what seems to be the problem?"

Liam was quick to detail the issue with the engine, wanting to get the Navy boys off their boat as soon as possible. After hearing about their troubles, Mike wave his ET and Charge forward.

"Take my engineer and electrician. Show them the problem and we'll see if they can work it out."

Liam nodded as he waved Charge and ET towards the engine room, his eyes flicking consistently towards the weapons holstered on their thighs. Buffer had noticed the hostility towards them from the men onboard and he wondered if Mike had picked up on it. His eyes flickered briefly over to Mike and he let out a sigh of frustration as he realised the Captain was smitten with the young lady. He couldn't deny she wasn't attractive but she wished that Mike would focus more on the situation at hand. He noticed Jo suddenly staring at him and quickly looked away. Something here wasn't right and he didn't like it.

"Boss."

ET's voice drew everyone's attention towards him as he walked out of the cabin.

"Engine's pretty bad. Charge and I should be able to get it back up and running though in a few hours."

Buffer noticed the quick glance between Kat and Jo and he wondered what was happening on the boat. Mike threw a glance at Kat, an idea springing to mind.

"How about you bring your crew over onto the Hammersley? I can get our Chef to cook up a steel beach barbie."

Kat threw a glance at Jo who nodded his head before turning to Mike, a smile on her face as she accepted his invitation.

***************************

They hadn't been onboard the Hammersley long when Kat found herself alone with Mike in his cabin. He had given her a tour of the boat and she found herself regretting her decision to not join. Her eyes flickered around his cabin and for the second time in a few days, Mike found his personal belongings being scrutinised. He watched the small smile that crossed her face as she leant casually against the wall and suddenly he found himself drawn to her. He took a step closer to her, placing an arm either side of her, giving her no escape. He leant in and kissed her softly. At first, she didn't respond, surprise overwhelming her. As his lips moved against hers though, she found herself giving in. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her knees weakening as he pressed his body against hers. She sighed into the kiss, arching into him as his hands wondered down her back, tightening about her waist.

A loud knock quickly broke them apart, both breathing heavily as they tried to comprehend what exactly had just happened.

"Yeah?"

There was a brief silence before Buffer's voice came through the door.

"Phoenix has been repaired Sir. The crew are waiting for Miss Baker."

Mike threw a glance to Kat who looked away, unable to look him in the eye.

"I guess I should take you back up," he said quietly.

She nodded her head before turning and reaching for the door, opening it quickly and walking out. She left him standing there, rejection hitting him like a wall.

*************************

Kat watched as the Hammersley sailed away, guilt hitting her as she saw Mike slowly raise a hand in farewell. She knew her rejection had hit him hard but he needed it. Things were going too fast, too quickly and she had to slow them down. Her heart ached as she raised her own hand in farewell. She didn't know where the sudden feelings had come from, but they were there. What she felt for him was nothing like she had felt for anyone else and she was scared. She didn't want to reject him, but she had to, to save herself. Whilst it may seem selfish, it had to be done.