Author's Notes: - Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.

Enjoy

Tim sat at the bar watching Brody chat with the woman he'd met early on in the evening, Tony was at his side eyeing up a group of women, while Lucas was doing his best to get the bartender to give him some alcohol.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Tony asked suddenly.

"What?" Tim took a drink of his beer.

Tony frowned at him, "Almost every goon in this place hitting on Kate in front of you."

"As I have said a thousand times," Tim rolled his eyes, "Kate and I are friends, nothing more. Besides, it's funny watching her cut them down."

"Watching who?" Kate appeared suddenly over Tim's shoulder, stealing a few chips from the bag beside him.

Tony choked on his beer at her sudden appearance but answered, "Brody," without missing a beat.

"Did you at least get a drink out of this one?" Tim asked, shrugging Kate off his shoulder.

"No, he was too busy looking at my chest," Kate replied, catching the bartender's attention and ordering a beer before climbing onto the stool beside Tim.

"It's a nice chest," Tony noted automatically, wincing when Tim and Kate turned to him before defending himself, "I'm just saying."

Kate continued to stare at him, not blinking.

"It's a compliment," Tony cried.

Tim turned, looked her up and down then shrugged, "He isn't wrong."

"And on that note, before I file sexual harassment charges against both of you," Kate shook her head not hiding her amusement, "How's Brody doing with his conquest?"

Tim rolled his eyes, "We offer to buy Brody a drink for his birthday and he blows us off for some girl."

"It's in very bad form," Tony agreed, "I thought all the women around here were on to him by now."

Kate chuckled, "He can be charming," at their bemused stares she shrugged, "We may not get along but I have noticed."

"Is that why you came out with us?" Tony asked.

"I came out to get off the boat for a while," Kate replied before turning to the teenager at the bar, "And Lucas, you're not getting a beer. None of us are taking responsibility for it, so knock it off and have a coke."

The teenager sighed in defeat before Kate turned back just as another guy appeared to hit on her.

x

"Okay," Tim checked his watch and finished his drink, "We have to go."

Kate nodded in agreement, "He's on his own."

"Well," Tim winced, "Wait a minute, we can't just leave."

Tony, Lucas and Kate all gave him a quizzical look before Lucas asked, "Why not?"

Tim frowned at them, "Well, he's got the keys to the transport."

Tony slapped Tim on the shoulder, "Oh, I thought you had a good reason," he said before heading over to where Brody was dancing with the woman he'd been talking to all night, "Sorry, Lieutenant, can't afford to go AWOL. We got a boat to catch."

He snagged the keys and headed back to the others leaving Brody to say goodnight to his date. Kate grabbed the keys from him and handed them to Lucas.

"You're not driving," she stated, "I don't even trust you sober."

Tony started to protest but didn't get a chance as they suddenly realised Brody's date for the night had run away. Without a word, Kate started them moving to the transport to make sure they got back to the boat on time.

x

Tim shook his head as he watched Brody head out to chase the woman who had literally run away from him. Turning he found Kate waiting.

"Thanks for the invitation tonight," she told him, slipping her arm through his, "It was good to get away from this place for a few hours."

Tim shrugged, "You've been off for the past few weeks. I thought this might help."

Kate squeezed his arm, "It did. Though I have to ask, as my friend, is it annoying when guys constantly come up to me when we're talking?"

Tim nodded, "A little but worth it to hear your response to each line they try to use."

Kate chuckled as they reached her bunk, "Night," she kissed his cheek before disappearing.

With a smile Tim headed to get some sleep, wondering if Brody had managed to catch up with the woman he'd spent all night talking to.

"Here."

Brody looked up confused as Kate pressed a mug of tea into his hands, "Thanks."

Kate gave him a soft nod turning her attention to the woman asleep on the hospital bed beside him. She could see the resemblance and for a moment she felt a small affinity with Brody. She'd lost her mother at a young age also, not as young as the story said but still Kate could understand.

"You look like hell," Kate told him, she cut him off before he could protest, "Drink your tea and I'll sit here with her while you go stretch your legs. Okay?"

"Are you sure?" Brody said softly, surprise evident in his face at her offer.

She shrugged, "Go, she'll be fine until you get back."

Brody gave a soft nod, "Thank you."

Once he was out of the room Kate took a seat beside the bed. She was basically useless while they searched for whoever had poisoned Brody's mother. Nathan had asked her to get him out of the room to stretch his legs and hopefully clear his head. Nathan knew how to use his crews' gifts to their advantage. Kate leaned back in the chair after Brody left the room wondering how she'd react if her mother was suddenly alive again.

Noise behind her made Kate turn just as a fist came towards her, throwing herself to one side she rolled away from the man wearing all black. Bouncing to her feet she dodged the attacks, managing to get in a few shots of her own wincing when she was struck. Trying to get to the door Kate cried out as her attacker caught her on the back of her knee; she fell to the ground hitting the wall with her shoulder. Kicking out the man swore when she made contact with his groin but before she could move a second man appeared.

"Dammit," was all she could manage as electricity arced through her body and the world went black.

x

"Kate?"

Opening her eyes Kate saw Nathan looking down on her worriedly.

"I really hate that," she muttered, sitting with his help.

"Did you see anything?"

"Guy in black," Kate reported, "A tazer then nothing. Did you?"

Nathan shook his head, "Brody's gone after them."

Kate shook herself and started to sit up, Nathan helping her, her head was throbbing but she knew they didn't have the time for her to sit about.

"Do we know who 'they' are yet?" Kate asked following him out of the room and through the hospital corridors to get back to the boat.

"It looks like my old friend General Thomas is the one behind all this," Nathan told her, turning when he realised she was no longer walking with him.

"Thomas did it?" Kate demanded stunned, shaking her head she started moving again at his impatient gesture, "I always knew I didn't trust him."

Nathan nodded, "We need to find a way to locate them. Any ideas?"

"Only what to do after we find them and the guy who sent a couple of thousands volts of electricity through my body," Kate replied grimly.

Kate entered the boardroom where Tim, Miguel, Lucas, Henderson, Wendy, Brody and Tony all sat. This was meant to be a way to cheer Brody up after returning his mother to the deep freeze while Nathan and Jonathan were caught up in the mess that was General Thomas but so far no one could think of anything to say. Tony had tried every so often to start speaking but each time he slammed his mouth shut before anything could come out. At the sombre atmosphere she shook her head and, a little theatrically she would admit, placed two six packs of beer on the table before pulling out the pack of cards from her jacket and tossing them onto the table in front of Brody.

"The name of the game," she said reaching out the door to grab the bag with the rest of the alcohol as well as the snacks, "Is 'Strip or Drink' poker."

"No," Miguel and Tim cried in horror.

Kate smirked at them, "Very simple rules and Lucas there is coke in there for you."

"You do realise there's meant to be no alcohol on board?" Tony of all people asked.

Kate smiled slightly, "Special dispensation from Nathan as we are not due out of dock for two days. I promised the hangovers won't last that long. Come on Miguel, it's your chance to win back your shirt."

x

Brody took another drink from his beer, leaning against the wall as he watched the others finish the hand. He now understood why Tim and Miguel warned never to play Kate at cards; she had one hell of a poker face.

"I'm still trying to work out why you did this?" he asked when Kate, still fully dressed and very sober, appeared at his side to grab another drink.

Kate smiled slightly, "I like to get the guys drunk and half-naked as often as possible."

He choked slightly at the reply but before he could say anything she spoke again.

"I lost my own mother when I was young," she told him, her voice soft with no signs of the amusement she'd had seconds before, "And I would give anything to have just a few hours with her so she could see the person I am today. You got an amazing gift, Lieutenant. You got to show her who you are and what you've achieved."

Stunned he stared at her for a moment, "I never thought of it that way."

"Now get your ass back to the table," Kate told him, "We only have an hour of sanctioned time left and you're neither drunk nor undressed enough."

Brody watched her as she slid into her seat between Ortiz and O'Neill, there was something about her that bugged him but, right now, he didn't care. He was happy for the distraction. Taking his seat again he picked up his cards, determined to win at least one hand.