Author's Notes: - Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
"Kristin, until we can get the heating fixed," Nathan said as they walked towards her lab, "I'd like Kate to stay with you."
"If you want," Kristin shrugged, "We get along quite well these days."
Nathan nodded in relief, "Just to warn you, she does on occasion have nightmares."
"Nightmares?" Kristin asked.
Nathan frowned, "They're about the accident she was in. It's why I'd prefer she stay with you and not anyone who doesn't actually know her."
Kristin smiled at him, "Nathan," she assured patting his arm, "Stop fussing. I'll look after her."
As she walked away from him he grimaced hoping Kate's nightmares didn't surface until they'd fixed the heating.
x
"Nathan," Kate winced when he told her she was to bunk with Kristin, "I can find somewhere else to sleep for a few nights."
Nathan frowned at her, "For the three weeks it'll take for us to get the part to fix it?"
Kate sighed, "Fine. I'll just sleep around her schedule."
He shook his head but didn't say another word.
"I have to get back to work before Hitchcock starts looking for me," Kate told him.
As she disappeared Nathan frowned but he had more to worry about at the moment than Kate's bad dreams.
One of those was the fact he had to share with Lucas.
Kristin sighed as she entered her quarters; she'd spent a good part of the night sitting watching an experiment and was just looking forward to sleeping. She frowned as she remembered she was sharing with Kate relieved as the young woman was fast asleep in the cot set up in the corner.
Before she could get settled a murmur came from Kate.
"No," Kate began to toss, "Please…stop…no…"
Kristin moved to her, "Kate?"
"Don't…" Kate whimpered trying to push someone away, "Stop…"
"Kate," she gently touched the younger woman's shoulder, crying out in shock as Kate lurched up suddenly her fist connecting with Kristin's jaw while her other hand gripped a pen like a weapon.
Gasping for breath Kate looked around bemused for a moment before she saw Kristin on the floor.
"Oh God," Kate gasped falling off the cot to help, "I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry."
Kristin gripped her jaw gently patting the younger woman's arm as she sat beside her practically hyperventilating while continuing to apologise.
"Kate," Kristin finally managed to get her to stop, "It's alright."
"I should go," Kate scrambled up, "I should go."
Kristin sighed as she didn't even get a chance to call her back before Kate had fled the room.
x
"Are you alright?" Nathan hovered beside the bed in the infirmary, Lucas just behind him looking half asleep.
Kristin smiled at him, "I'm fine. I'll have a cracker of a bruise but other than that…I'm more worried about Kate."
Nathan turned to the teenager who was watching her worried but not sure what to do or say, "Lucas, speak with O'Neill see if you two and Ortiz can locate Kate. When you do let me know."
"Captain?"
"Just," he hesitated, "Just do it."
He waited until Lucas had left the room leaving him alone with Kristin before he turned back to her.
"What happened?" Kristin demanded sharply, "Because that was not a nightmare about a car crash. She was being attacked."
Nathan sighed before nodding.
Kristin stared at him in horror, "What happened to her? Nathan, she was absolutely terrified."
"I can't tell you," he held up his hand to stop her arguing, "It's Kate's choice whether or not I share the full details with you. All I can tell you is that she managed to get to me and I took her in so she could heal. It's why I brought her here so she would never end up like that again."
x
Lucas started on the lower decks while Miguel took upper decks and Tim checked possible hiding places. Tim found her about an hour into searching curled in a corner on Sea deck.
"Captain," he activated his PAL, "I found her. She's on Sea deck next to the moon pool."
"I'll be right down," Bridger replied.
Tim stepped forward, worried by how blank Kate's face was as she stared at the dolphin swimming away.
"Kate?" he asked softly.
"Go away, Tim," she snapped.
Tim licked his lips and stepped forward a little, "The Captain's worried about you."
"I said," Kate ground out, "Go away!"
"No."
Kate glared at him, her eyes darker than he'd ever seen and he swallowed but held his ground.
"I'm not leaving you alone," Tim told her, "Not when you obviously shouldn't be."
He jumped slightly as a hand touched his shoulder turning to find Bridger motioning him to leave.
"Sir…"
"Go," Bridger told him, "I've got her."
With one last look at Kate he followed the order and left them alone.
x
Nathan walked over to where Kate was sitting and sat at her side stretching his legs out in front of him. He knew pushing her to talk right now would be counter-productive so instead laced his fingers together and leaned back.
"You don't need to watch over me," Kate finally said, "I'm fine. I just thought Kristin would like her room to herself." She paused before looking at him worriedly, "Is she okay?"
Nathan nodded, "She's going to have a bruise for a few days. I'm just relieved you didn't have the knife under your pillow this time."
Kate shrugged, "I left it in my room. I used a pen as a substitute just in case."
"I didn't think the nightmares were still as bad," he broached, grimacing at her admission.
"They're not always," she admitted, "But I think because I wasn't in my own quarters I didn't feel as safe."
Nathan wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Come here."
"I'm sorry, Nathan," Kate leaned against him, "I guess I'm still a basket-case."
"You're getting there," he chuckled, "You know O'Neill would have stayed to help if we'd let him."
"I guess."
"He cares about you," Nathan reminded her, "You have actually made a friend, Kate. That's amazing progress considering…well you."
"So, now I'm slightly less of a basket-case," she rolled her eyes at him, "Or I'm turning him into one."
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Nathan spoke again, "Kristin is asking questions about your nightmares."
Kate winced, "What did you tell her?"
"That the car accident was a lie but nothing else," he assured.
Kate chewed her lip for the moment, "Then I'll have to think of something to tell her. I'm sure that will be a fun conversation."
Kate sat silently as Nathan argued with the guy in supplies trying to get something to fix the heating. After sitting on the floor next to the moon pool for a while he'd persuaded her to move and they had silently agreed that she would stick by his side for the day.
"I can't believe Krieg suggested we ask a thief for help," Nathan said as they headed up to the bridge after the excruciating meeting with acquisitions.
Kate rolled her eyes, "I resent that."
"I wouldn't have asked you either," he retorted, "Besides I thought we agreed you weren't one anymore."
"Call it professional pride," Kate smiled slightly.
Nathan chuckled, "Really?"
"Do you ever doubt me?" she asked suddenly.
"Kate…"
"I'm just wondering," she cut him off, "Considering my past and that I just almost knocked Westphalen into next week. Plus the fact I still sleep with a knife under my pillow. I just want to know if you ever doubt me."
Nathan shook his head, "Do you remember the conversation we had about three hours ago that you were…"
"A basket-case?" she finished with a small chuckle.
He tapped his finger on her forehead, "Basket-case but I trust you."
x
Later that day Kate stared as what appeared to be monkey passed them as they exited the Maglev shuttle on their way to the bridge, she turned to Nathan as it entered the shuttle and the doors closed.
"Did you see that?" she asked bemused.
Nathan sighed and pushed the comm. button on the panel beside him, "Crocker, there's a monkey in the Maglev."
"Port or Starboard, sir?" Crocker asked as though it was the most normal thing in the world.
Kate frowned completely perplexed as Nathan replied, "Starboard."
"We're on our way," Crocker assured before cutting communication
"There's a monkey on the boat," Kate noted, "I swear I never thought I'd say those words."
Nathan chuckled, resting his hand on her shoulder, "Let's go greet our guest. You better put a hat on, just in case he knows who you are."
"I'm pretty sure I've never met 'The Regulator'," Kate told him, "And can I point out how pretentious calling yourself that is?"
Nathan raised an eyebrow at her, "And 'Kitten' was what?"
"Not my choice." Kate reminded him as she snagged a Seaquest cap from one of the stores when they passed it.
"Should I ask what you would have chosen?"
"Something a lot less fluffy," she smiled as Nathan tugged the cap down so it covered her face.
x
"Hello, Bridger."
Nathan kept a straight face watching Kate slide across the room to stand just behind the pool where she could watch but not be seen, "Hello, Leslie. What are you doing on my boat?"
"Air conditioning repair," the other man replied, "I've…ah…I've come to hard times, nobody wants second hand anymore."
Nathan turned to the security team, "You can go back to work," before looking at Leslie, "Thermal chip," when it was handed over he passed to Krieg, smiling at the primate Leslie was holding, "I thought that was you, Verne. You know, continued association with this character is a bad reflection on you," he glanced at the other man once more, "What else have you got?"
'The Regulator' pulled out a PAL and Nathan saw Hitchcock wince as she realised it belonged to her.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said softly, taking the PAL as he held it out to her.
"Chief," Nathan turned to Crocker, "If we've settled up with Mr Ferina, please escort him to his vessel. And make sure that he leaves," he waved to the primate, "So long, Verne."
As he started out Kate rejoined him, "Well?"
"Ten to one he manages to steal something before he leaves," Kate told him with a chuckle.
Kate sat by the moon pool playing with Darwin after his 'kidnapping'.
"Tim, play?" the dolphin asked suddenly making her wince.
"Not just now," Tim said with a smile gently stroking the dolphin before glancing at Kate, "Maybe later."
Darwin flicked his tail, splashing them both before swimming away.
"Hi," Kate said as he sat down.
He looked at her, "Am I allowed to talk to you now?"
"I'm sorry about that," Kate told him sincerely.
Tim shrugged, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay and help."
"I know," she smiled slightly at him, "But in all honesty you couldn't have helped." Before he could say anything else Kate continued, "There are things in my past, things that I don't like to talk about that on occasion haunt me. You can't help because you don't know but Nathan does."
"I'm here if you do need to talk," Tim reminded her.
"Thank you," Kate squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek before she slipped away.
x
Kate took a deep breath as she stood just outside Kristin's lab wincing as she could see the bruise she'd given the other woman.
"I know you're there," Kristin said without looking up from whatever she was studying, "Come in or go away just stop hovering."
Sliding in Kate pulled over a stool and sat waiting until Kristin finished what she was doing.
"What can I do for you?" Kristin asked looking up after a minute.
Kate sighed, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry again."
"I'm fine," Kristin told her, "I'm more worried about you."
Kate shrugged, "I'll be back in my own room tonight. I sleep better there."
The doctor grimaced, "Kate, if you need to talk…"
"Thank you but I don't talk about it," Kate said with finality, "I just wanted to apologise."
Before Kate could escape Kristin called her back, "Nightmares like the ones you have are not something you can ignore."
Kate snorted as she walked away, "I've done it for years."