Author's Notes: - Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
Kate sighed sleepily as she opened her eyes, "Nathan?"
"How're you feeling?" he asked fondly.
"I'm exhausted," Kate pushed herself to sit up, "You'd think Kristin could have found a cure that didn't make me feel like I was a washed out rag."
He chuckled, "Well everyone thinks you have food poisoning."
"Oh great," Kate murmured with disgust.
"I'm due to leave in about an hour," Nathan told her, "Are you sure you don't want to come? Bill will be happy to see you."
Kate frowned at him, "Nathan, I can barely walk the length of the room without needing to lie down. I'd rather stay here."
"See you in a week," Nathan told her, "Don't give Kristin or Ford too hard a time. Okay?"
"Considering I'll probably sleep most of the week," she shrugged, "I can promise that."
He kissed her forehead, making her smile. They both knew he was doing everything to make her feel safe and loved at the moment.
"Tell Bill I said hi," Kate sighed as her eyes began to close again.
She felt his hand linger on her hair for a moment before he left her to sleep.
"Kate?" Kristin frowned as she saw her walk towards the bridge, "What are you doing up?"
"I've been asleep for three days," Kate told her trying not to yawn, "I need to get out of my room before I become fused to the bed."
Kristin chuckled, "Alright. Raleigh Young is onboard, his magma buoy resurfaced."
"I might go back to bed then," she grimaced.
"He's not that bad," Kristin scolded her amused, sliding an arm around the younger woman's shoulder and leading her to the bridge.
As they entered the bridge Kristin saw Ford frown as he walked over to them.
"Aren't you meant to be resting?" he asked pointedly.
Kate waved him away, "I just need a few hours with people. Okay?"
Ford rolled his eyes, "Go, find your usual spot."
Giving him a tired smile Kate wandered to her perch beside Tim's station.
x
"Are you sure you don't want to go back to your room?" Tim asked as he looked down at her.
Kate shook her head, "I'm fine. Besides 'Acting Captain', don't you have more important things to do than worry about me?"
Tim gave her a smile, "I can multi-task."
"I'm fine," she assured him, "I'm just a little tired."
"Then take a seat," Tim took her arm pulling her to her feet, "Over there."
Kate let him move her smiling slightly, "Nathan's chair. Now you're getting bossy," she leaned back and smirked at him, "I like it."
Tim tried to frown at her but couldn't stop the fond smile that touched his lips.
"Ford's online," Ortiz interrupted.
Tim patted Kate's shoulder before he put his headset on, "Commander?"
"We're on our way back," Ford told him, "We'll be there in about ten minutes."
"Are we having guests?" Tim asked.
Ford sighed, "Unfortunately no," he paused for a moment, "Is Kate still on the bridge?"
Tim glanced down at his friend who was obviously losing the battle against her need to sleep, "Yes, sir."
"I need to talk to her," Ford said, "Send her down to the ward room to meet me."
Tim hesitated, "I'd better bring her down otherwise you'll be waiting for a while."
x
Kate really didn't like feeling like this.
Kristin's cure for the poison had basically taken every ounce of energy she had and as someone who relied on her ability to be able to instantly react it had Kate on edge…when she was conscious anyway.
She was grateful however that she was onboard Seaquest while being given the cure. Here there were people who actually cared about her, Nathan, Kristin, Ford and the man who had a hold of her walking through the corridors.
Kate found her friendship with Tim quite an oddity. He was the most genuine person she'd ever known, although she'd been sure he was too good to be true at first. They had a similar sense of humour, liked the same movies and there were days she wanted to tell him the truth about who she really was. Unfortunately, as much as he liked teasing his friends and had sarcasm to spare, Tim was the proverbial straight arrow whose moral compass pointed north and she knew he would never be able to understand.
"Kate," Ford said making her look up at little surprised they'd reached the ward room.
"Yeah?"
The commander chuckled, "Thank you, Lt. Head back to the bridge."
Tim tilted his head slightly checking.
"I'm fine," Kate told him.
She smiled as Tim left before she turned to Ford, "Is there a reason you wanted to see me because frankly the only way I could be less use right now would be if I was high."
He chuckled, "There are four people on the island that refuse to leave."
"And what does that have to do with me?" Kate asked confused as she dropped into the nearest seat.
Ford let out a sigh, "They're treasure hunters looking for the treasure of Stede Bonnet which from what I've been told contain the crown jewels of France and the plays of Francis Bacon."
"Treasure?"
"I'm not sure I like the way your eyes lit up," Ford told her.
Kate chuckled, "It's a thief's ingrained response to the word 'treasure'."
x
Jonathan was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea asking Kate for advice but since he'd already told her he decided to press on.
"What exactly do you need from me?" Kate asked trying to stifle a yawn.
"I want you to try and help me persuade them to leave the island," he explained.
Kate stared at him bemused as the words sunk in. Finally she shook her head, "No."
"No?"
"Commander, as much as I would love to tell you I can help," Kate stopped and yawned again, "Nothing I can say will persuade these people to leave. There's no honour amongst thieves is not just a saying. Treasure, even the thought of it changes people. If I was actually more than half awake I'd be on a launch after it myself."
Jonathan chuckled, "Thanks, Kate. You better go check in with Westphalen."
Kate held up her hand, "Maybe in a minute."
"Come on," Jonathan helped her up, "I'll get you there."
"Stop the data at the point where the pressure drops," Kristin ordered as she watched data from the buoy, "There. Can you hit that?"
Crocker turned, "Weapons officer?"
"Sir?" Phillips asked.
"Can you hit that?" Kristin demanded.
Phillips nodded again, "Yes, sir."
"Then do it," Kristin cried annoyance filled her voice.
Phillips winced, "I'm not authorized to fire torpedoes."
Kristin rolled her eyes, "You're not firing a torpedo, you are firing a research tool at a volcano under the orders of the chief scientist.
"I could do it," Kate noted from her perch.
Phillips winced, turning to Crocker for help, "Chief?"
"Doctor," Crocker told her apologetically, "I'm not authorized to fire either."
Kristin shook her head, "Oh, for…fire the torpedoes!"
"Admiral Noyce on emergency link from Pearl Harbour," Tim interrupted suddenly.
"Not now," Kristin snapped annoyed
Tim winced apologetically, "I have to."
Kate shook her head at him as Bill appeared on the screen demanding, "What the hell is going on down there?"
"We have a crisis, Admiral," Kristin stated as calmly as possible.
Noyce stared at her, "You're at def-con one, you've activated global defence systems."
"They're doing their jobs, Bill," Kate told him.
"Firing sequence engages in fifty seconds," Phillips spoke up.
Noyce stared at them, "Who are you firing at? Why is she in charge? Where's Commander Ford? Have you all lost your minds?"
"Turn him off," Kristin ordered.
When Tim hesitated Kate slammed the button managing to give Noyce a smug smile before he disappeared from the screen.
x
"Forty seconds," Phillips called.
"Admiral Noyce on emergency link," Tim interrupted.
Kate reached out and hit the switch cutting Noyce off, "Not now."
Tim stared at her scandalised, "Kate?"
"He can yell at me later all he wants," Kate told him.
"Thirty seconds."
Kristin rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Fire the torpedo."
When Phillips hesitated looking over at Crocker for guidance Kate rolled her eyes. She darted around Tim and hit the button to fire.
"Kate?" Tim yelled shocked.
She rolled her eyes again, "We were running out of time. Were you going to let Ford die?"
"Thank you, Kate," Kristin sighed.
As the entire bridge stared at the two women, Tim spoke up.
"Admiral Noyce is back on the link," he said, "And he is not happy."
Kate yawned unable to stop it as Noyce appeared on the screen, Nathan just beside him.
"What the hell did you people just do?" Noyce yelled anger covering his face.
Kristin straightened slightly getting ready to defend herself but she didn't get a chance as Kate stepped in front of her.
"It'll be in the report, Bill," the young woman told him smugly, "But if you need to know something, we saved people's lives."
Kate sat on her bed with her arm stretched out so Kristin could administer the final injection of her treatment. Nathan had confined her to her room as punishment for firing the torpedoes on Kristin's order. As she would probably sleep anyway for the next few days because of her treatment Kate had simply shrugged and not said a thing about her sentence.
"You couldn't have found a cure that didn't put me to sleep?" Kate demanded, wincing slightly as the needle slid into her arm.
Kristin chuckled, "Be thankful. The cure if the other half of the poison had been administered was to dramatically lower your body temperature to break it down leaving you extremely susceptible to cold temperatures."
"How susceptible?" Kate asked.
Kristin shrugged, "I wouldn't spend much time in a refrigerator."
Kate laughed before frowning bemused, "How do you know that?"
"That was the problem," Kristin told her, "I was able to find out what the completed poison did as well as the cure. There was no information on removing the components."
Kate sighed getting comfortable, "Nathan still mad at you too?"
"Not really," Kristin chuckled, "Its Admiral Noyce that might be a problem."
Kate waved her hand, "Bill's a teddy bear. He'll get over it."
"I still find it absolutely amazing," Kristin chuckled.
Suspicion covered Kate's face, "What?"
"That considering what you used to do," the elder woman stated, "You managed to become adored by both the Admiral and Nathan."
Kate smiled slightly as she thought back, "I honestly don't know but I owe them a lot."
She yawned suddenly unable to stop it. Kristin patted her shoulder.
"Get some sleep," the doctor told her.