Author's Notes: - Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
The first few chapters will probably be written and posted quite quickly as I know where I'm going with them while some of the others might take time.
So enjoy.
If someone had told Jonathan Ford there would be days he'd be shepherding new recruits instead of doing real work he'd have stayed at home.
"Wow, this place looks like a market," a familiar voice made him turn relieved to see someone who wasn't a lost sheep.
"Kate," he smiled down at the former thief, "How're you doing?"
She grinned at him, "Good."
"Congratulations on the new position," Ford told her sincerely; although she had been working on rebuilding the boat it hadn't been automatic that she would have a spot on it.
Kate grinned, "I must admit I was surprised when Nathan told me they'd agreed to let me have the job since I'm a civilian."
"Guess it's useful to be adored by the former head of the UEO who is an old friend of the Captain," Ford chuckled as she smirked, "Speaking of, do you know where Bridger is?"
Kate shrugged, "I spent the past few weeks with Kristen. I haven't seen him since he dropped me off at the airport."
"Well, your room assignment is…" Jonathan said as he scanned his list.
"I know where I am," Kate cut him off with a wave of her hand making him smile slightly, "But you look a little stressed."
He rolled his eyes, "The boat is barely ready, the paint isn't even dry, communications isn't working and the new crew are so wet behind the ears we might not need the ocean."
Kate chuckled before reaching out her hand, "Give me half the list."
"What?"
"Until we leave I'm still Nathan's assistant," she reminded him, "Besides we need you sane."
Relief filled him and Jonathan passed her half his list, "They're allowed one carryon. Be brutal."
A wicked gleam filled her eyes, "Yes, sir."
x
It was hard not to admire the new Seaquest. Kate knew Nathan had deliberately changed the aesthetic so that it was completely different from the old boat. Opening the door to her new cabin she dropped the bag on the bed. She looked around getting used to the space, checking the entrance to the shafts before she took the small box she had sitting tucked to one side out checking that the small bottle of purple 'forgetting' liquid was intact and the other little items she'd taken from the chest Harkins had left her. The rest had been left with Bill and Janet just in case.
Since she was now a qualified engineer and had had a hand in both the design as well as the construction of the new boat Nathan had insisted she have a position as an engineer on the Seaquest. She was the only non-military engineer but Barclay, the new chief, was more than happy to have a Bridger/Hitchcock trained engineer on his team. Now she had the important things sorted in her bunk she headed up to the bridge.
Entering the bridge she admired the new layout, spotting her station with a smile, chuckling to find Ford looking as harassed as before.
"What's with the vidlink," Kate asked as she joined him.
Ford nodded to the screen, "O'Neill's trying to fix it."
Kate smiled as she saw Tim and Miguel, "Hi boys, do you need me to come and help?"
"Not enough room," Tim shot back at her.
A smirk crossed her face, "I'm small enough to fit."
"How's that Commander?" Miguel interrupted.
"The sun's shining in Madrid," Ford told him before sighing," Where the hell is Bridger?"
"Looking for me, Commander?" Nathan asked as he strolled over to them.
Relief covered Ford's face, "Where the hell have you been?"
x
Kate smiled to herself as Nathan and Jonathan caught up.
"It's just the shakedown cruise, Jonathan," Nathan chuckled, "Relax."
A sudden crash made them all spin to the screen and panic filled Kate as she saw the turbine had fallen on Tim. She began to run with Nathan and Jonathan to help not even thinking that there was nothing she could do. She gasped in horror as she saw her best friend trapped, obviously in pain and froze. There was nothing she could do to help. She was stunned as the large Dagger appeared from nowhere and lifted the turbine with barely any strain.
"Tim," she moved to him the moment Nathan helped him slide out checking he was alright.
He nodded softly before turning to the large man who had saved him, "Who is that?"
"That's Dagwood," Ford introduced, "He cleans the boat."
"A Dagger," Miguel asked stunned.
"Hey," Tim's annoyed voice made Kate look at him a little surprised having never seen him so annoyed at Miguel, "He saved my life."
Tim offered the large man his hand wincing as Dagwood shook it before thrusting it at Miguel.
"Now we're all friends," Kate interrupted, "Infirmary. Now."
Tim chuckled wincing at the pain it caused, "You just want me on a bed."
"And you love it," she replied helping him walk away from the group.
x
Jonathan watched Kate and Tim as they left before turning to Miguel, "What is going on with those two?"
"The flirting?" Miguel asked rolling his eyes when Jonathan nodded, "No idea but they've been doing it a lot recently."
"Are they…"
Miguel shook his head, "They're still just friends."
"So we're going to have to put up with that for the full tour?" Jonathan asked annoyed.
"It's actually really funny," Miguel told him.
Jonathan shuddered as they left the team to fix the turbine and headed back to the bridge.
x
Kate sat on the bed opposite from where the doctor was checking Tim wasn't badly injured.
"We're not even out of port and you're already in an infirmary bed," Kate noted with a slight smirk, "That does not bode well."
"For once it wasn't your fault," he shot at her.
Kate let out a mock annoyed cry of horror, "I didn't shoot you and I was not the one who got you so drunk you fell down the stairs."
"You were there both times," he reminded her.
She smiled fondly at him, "I missed you."
"Good."
Kate stuck her tongue out at him waiting as the doctor continued examining Tim for any serious injuries.
They were at sea, finally. Kate had been called down to a meeting with Barclay and the other engineers on board. She had been a little worried about it as she was the only non-military member of the team but what she hadn't counted on was how many of the original crew Nathan had managed to bring back. She'd been greeted as an old friend so that any of the newer crew members who weren't happy having her there soon had that idea quashed.
She was stunned as she saw a man charging along the corridors with security following him, Nathan and Jonathan not far behind.
"Kate," Nathan snapped, "Stop him."
As the man got close to her Kate mused he looked close to her age and went through her options quickly when he tried to dodge her. With a grin she swiftly swept her leg so it caught his; she winced as he went careening forward towards the burly security guard. Despite slamming into the floor the man somehow managed to roll out of the way and scrambled to his feet.
"Oh come on," Kate cried at the security team, "I gave him to you."
Nathan arrived at her side, "That was a little brutal."
She frowned at him, "My other options were not very Kate Foster."
"Captain," Tim's voice came, "You're not gonna believe it, but I've got this guy swimming through the aqua tunnels."
Nathan sighed.
"You go to the moon pool," Kate told him, "I'll head up to the bridge."
He clapped her shoulder and they split. At least no one could say the first day back had been boring.
x
Tim looked up as Kate appeared at his side.
"Did they get him?" she asked.
"Darwin herded him for us," Tim told her.
Kate chuckled before giving him a concerned look, "How are you?"
"My ribs are just a little bruised," he assured her, when she continued to give him the look that he knew meant she didn't believe him, "Do you want to check?"
At his cheeky question she smirked at him, "You wish, sweetie."
Patting his arm she headed over to her station as he chuckled to himself. He hadn't really noticed it until the others had pointed it out but in the past few months Kate had become more like the woman he'd met when she had first come onboard with the captain, flirtatious and cheeky but only with him. What surprised him even more was he responded in the exact same way. He'd thought about it while she was visiting Dr Westphalen and he'd come to the conclusion it was because she had let her walls down to him. He had to admit it made things fun. With a smile he went back to work.
x
"Kate," Lucas pleaded catching her as they headed up to the bridge, "You have to talk to him for me."
"So you have to share your room," Kate rolled her eyes, "You know Miguel has to, so does a good part of the crew."
Lucas frowned at her, "Would you be happy if it was you?"
Kate clapped his shoulder, "But it won't be me so that's a moot point."
Lucas groaned, "Come on, Kate. Bridger will listen to you, I'm begging here. He's taken the top bunk, he has put these posters up. I'm not going to be able to work in there."
"That's a good thing," Kate chuckled, "Lucas, you need to learn to be a kid and, as much as I'm a little wary about putting you with someone who's already been in jail, this might actually help you."
Lucas frowned at her when they reached the bridge, "You were more fun when you were Bridger's assistant."
x
"Captain," Tim looked up several hours later, "I've got a UEO distress beacon 1397 C5, very weak."
"What's their location?" Bridger asked from his now very close seat.
Tim winced, he knew this would come up, "I'm having trouble with my locators."
"Well, keep on it," Bridger told him.
"Yes, sir," Tim nodded.
Miguel appeared at his side as Kate joined them.
"I told you this would happen," Miguel reminded him as he hit a few switches, "But you insisted we wire the P12 connectors directly into the patch bay."
Time grimaced at his friend, "That's because we couldn't wire them anywhere but the patch bay. You wanted to go to the parade."
Tim could see the smart remark forming on Kate's lips but one of the new crew suddenly joined them speaking up before Kate could say a word.
"I'll re-route through my console," the new girl told them, "That should short cut the patch bay," after a few minutes she spoke up again, "There. That should work now."
"Try it now, O'Neill," Ford told him
"Got it," Tim said a little surprised, "Beacon at 3200 kilometres. Zero-Six-Niner, south/southwest."
"Let's go," Ford clapped Miguel's arm so he would join him.
Tim turned to look at the new woman, a little surprised as she smiled sweetly and waved at him. He turned back to his console with a little smile not seeing Kate frown.
x
Kate was confused.
The new crew member who had helped fix the locators seemed harmless but Kate bristled slightly as she saw the way she smiled and waved at Tim.
"Kate?" Tim asked as she arrived at his side, "Is there something you need?"
Wincing she shrugged, "I'll look at the connectors so we don't have to rely on a re-route that could blow at any time."
Tim smiled at her before frowning at the fact she wasn't moving, "What?"
"Just thinking," she lied, "Who thought when I first came here I would be doing this."
Kate was relieved when Tim simply chuckled and went back to work letting her slip away. She glanced over at the new woman and frowned again.
"You wanted to see me?"
Nathan looked up as Kate stood in the doorway of the ward room, she wasn't navy so she didn't wear a uniform but she was wearing something that at least meant she blended. She looked so professional and smart that Nathan was momentarily speechless.
"I do actually have a job now," she teased, "I can't just stand here and bask in your adoration."
"The GELF colony," he came out of his reverie, "Any ideas on getting into it?"
He hoped she would understand why he was coming to her for this and he sighed inwardly relieved when she simply sat down chewing her lip in thought.
"Not in the time we have," she told him, "If I had about a week to study the schematics and all the security I could."
Nathan grimaced, "I'll have to think of something else. Thanks kid."
She smiled at him, "No problem." Kate started out before turning back, "Who's the new girl?"
"Which one?" Nathan asked.
"The one on the bridge," she explained with a slightly forced chuckle, "The one who helped with the locators."
"Henderson," Nathan told her, "Lonnie Henderson, new helmsperson. Why?"
Kate shrugged, "I just wondered."
"Sir," Jonathan tapped on the door to the wardroom Brody just behind him.
"Come on in," Nathan motioned them, "We need some ideas."
Jonathan walked past giving Kate a quick nod. Brody gave her a charming smile offering her his hand.
"Jim Brody," he introduced himself with a charming smile.
"Kate," she chuckled, "And so not interested. I'll talk to you later, Nathan."
Brody stared after Kate as she left, "What did I say?"
x
"So I swim in, get your guys in undetected," Piccolo said from inside the pool, "What's in it for me?"
Nathan grimaced catching Kate's amused smile, "What's in it for you? You get to do something worthwhile."
Piccolo shrugged, "Worthwhile isn't in my vocabulary."
"It is now," Nathan told him "Or you're back in the brig."
Piccolo shook his head, "You know nobody on this boat has a sense of humour."
Kate chuckled slightly; rolling her eyes as Tony turned to her with what he thought was a charming smile.
"I do," Nathan told him with a smirk, "Wait till you see what you do when you come back."
"Is that supposed to be funny?" Piccolo demanded.
"Get going!"
As Piccolo disappeared Kate turned to the captain, "Don't take this the wrong way, Nathan but are you insane?"
He gave her a bemused look, "How can I not take that the wrong way?"
"I'm serious," Kate shook her head, "All I'm asking is why you put that guy with Lucas."
Nathan sighed; he had been waiting for this but expected it maybe a little later in the tour, "It'll be good for Lucas."
"Okay," Kate said, "Ignoring the fact that Lucas begged me to talk to you about this. I am a little confused why you would deliberately put someone with Piccolo's background in close quarters with Lucas."
"Piccolo's background?" Nathan demanded with a laugh, "That's a bit rich coming from you, Kate."
She rolled her eyes, "I'm going to ignore that comment although I will point out that the first few months we were here you pretty much demanded to know every interaction I had with him. I just wanted to remind you of how easily Krieg corrupted Lucas."
"Lucas needs a sense of responsibility," Nathan told her, "He also needs someone to make sure he doesn't disappear into his work."
Kate held her hands up in defeat, "It's your call, Captain. I'll see you later."
Nathan sighed as Kate left, "Now she calls me captain."
x
Kate looked down at the tablet in her hand as she opened the panel in the wall; she was tracing a few strange readings that were going through the systems. Just as she finished the boat shuddered.
"Foster," Barclay's voice came through her PAL, "Can you take over on the bridge?"
"I'm on my way," she told him as she replaced the panel.
Jogging onto the bridge she reached her station nodding to the guy who was already there looking a little worried that they were obviously about to get into a fire fight. Taking the seat she smiled at Tim before turning to look behind her.
"Nathan," she turned to him, "Barclay asked me to remind you that the engines haven't been fully tested so you break it you bought it."
"Thank you for that," Nathan murmured annoyed before he turned his attention to the situation at hand.
Kate glanced to one side and gave Tim a smile; he smiled back at her before turning back to his station focussed on his job as they went after the GELF renegades.
"You know," Piccolo said as he pulled out the cards later that night once they'd left the GELFs to their new freedom, "We should invite that engineering chick to play, what's her name – Kate?"
"No," Lucas and Miguel yelled making both Piccolo and Dr Smith stare at them a little stunned.
"Sorry," Miguel said, "But if you only ever take one piece of advice from us then it is don't ever play cards against Kate."
Smith laughed, "She can't be that bad."
"The one and only time we played against her," Miguel explained, "I lost my shirt."
Piccolo looked a little confused, "So you lost."
"No," Miguel replied, "I mean she actually has my shirt and refuses to give it back."
Piccolo chuckled, "I like her already."
x
Tim stood watching Henderson as she left him in the laundry room a little stunned by the fact she seemed to have actually been flirting with him.
"My question is," Kate's voice came from nowhere making him jump and look around wondering where she was, "How did her toy get in amongst your underwear?"
Tim frowned, continuing to look around still not able to see her.
"I'm up here," Kate laughed.
Tim glanced up and saw Kate's head poking out through the ceiling above him. She disappeared for a moment before her legs reappeared and she dropped down onto one of the machines.
"What are you doing?" Tim asked, obeying as she motioned for him to help her down.
"Since we got sent out before the boat was ship shape," she smirked at her own joke while Tim rolled his eyes, "I'm doing checks on a few systems so we don't break down within a week."
"So, you heard…"
"The new girl flirting with you," Kate nodded rolling her eyes, "Which brings me back to my original question of what her soft toy was doing in your underwear. Not to mention who at her age sleeps with a teddy bear?"
Tim chuckled, "You don't sleep with anything?"
Kate stretched up so they were eye to eye, "Only a knife." With a smirk she patted his cheek and left the room, "See you later, sweetie."
"Stop calling me, sweetie," he sighed.
Kate popped back and grinned at him, "Make me."
When watching Season Two the new bridge had the two stations just in front of the Captains' chair. There never seemed to be anyone in the chair next to Tim so I decided to make it the engineering station. So that is where Kate sits if you care.