Please leave a comment if you read! it's so nice to know who is reading my story.
...
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3 weeks until Christmas
"It's not funny!" Kate groaned from the couch, her legs tucked up under her body as she sat dressed in a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater of Mike's, her laptop balanced on her lap. "You do realise we need to post these parcels within the next few days if they're going to arrive in time."
Mike laughed walked into the living room sitting beside her, he lifted her legs up and placed them over his lap "I think these are the most elaborate gifts I've ever given the kids, you don't need to keep shopping!"
Slamming her screen closed, more for dramatic effect than anything else, Kate crossed her arms and sighed in frustration "Honestly, do you plan on helping me at ALL in deciding what we're going to be buying for these gifts?" She had been working overtime to try and choose the perfect presents for the kids in Mike's family. Her family.
They had come a long way since the Christmas prior. Kate had moved everything in to Mike's place, which is where they had been living since before they got married. Kate still had her town house; they kept the garden tidy and occasionally rented it through air bnb. But really, her town house was just her 'residential address' on all navy documentation.
Mike smiled to himself before crawling above her, pressing his lips against hers "Why would I when you've done such a brilliant job of it yourself." He grinned, kissing her one last time.
Kate playfully swatted his chest and started to sit. "Okay, so we're going to head down to Hammersley, then you have your meeting at NAVCOM, and then dinner?" she asked, confirming their plans for that evening.
Mike chuckled as he pressed his lips to hers once more, she was always so organised with plans and knowing what was to come next. "Yep, then maybe we can meet the crew for drinks afterwards… we probably need to make an effort to show our faces this time, we've avoided the last few catch ups they've had."
"Hmm.. you're right." She nodded "Well, I'm going to go shower and get ready, I'll meet you at the pub later." She smiled as she stood up, giving him one last kiss, before heading to the bathroom.
~.~.~.~.~
"Hey you" Kate said with a smile as she answered her phone.
"Hi beautiful, I forgot to grab my watch when I left the ship earlier, can you bring it with you." Mike asked.
Kate chuckled "Yeah sure, what time do you think you'll be finished at NAVCOM?"
"Well, Maxine wants to discuss the list of CO's she sent me earlier, so who knows how long that will take." Mike scoffed. Without seeing him, she knew he would be rolling his eyes at the thought.
"Oh?" Kate asked. She had been having mixed emotions about Mike leaving Hammersley. She knew that their relationship whilst working together would be frowned upon, but they had gotten used to the arrangement, and if she was honest, she liked that it meant they saw each other every single day.
"Don't get your hopes up, they're all hopeless. I wouldn't trust them to lead a tug boat let alone a war ship."
Kate rolled her eyes, Mike had such high standards, he was so ambitious. At times this caused her great frustration, but it was also what attracted her to him in the first place. That and those beautiful blue eyes.
"Maybe you're just not happy with their standard of work because they're not you." Kate countered.
"Kate… you know that's not true."
"Mike… you know it is possible for you to want to leave Hammersley, but also want to stay aboard." She smiled to herself.
"I know, Kate. And I do want both… but I want to leave Hammersley more." He sighed "Sure, I'll miss being at sea. But I'm sick of missing what being at sea means I can't have… Anyway, I've got suggestions for Maxine, so we'll see how that goes down."
She chuckled down the phone "Alright honey, well, I best get these reports done. I will see you later for dinner."
~.~.~.~.~
When Kate finally finished her reports, she sent a quick text to Mike to let him know she was on her way. "Shit." She muttered to herself, realising she still needed to pick up his watch. She headed to his cabin and began searching for it.
Kate found herself looking on his desk and rolled her eyes at the mess he had left, with multiple documents spread across the desk, it was any wonder he was ever able to do any work. He'll need to learn to keep more order of his documents when he has a shore posting she mused as she begun to stack them neatly for him. Her hands froze as she exposed the list of potential candidates for Hammersley's CO position.
Her name was at the top of the list.
Kate gasped, excited for the prospect of finally be receiving a promotion, and aboard their ship too. But that excitement was short lived when the memory of their earlier conversation came to mind. Mike had said 'They're all hopeless. I wouldn't trust them to lead a tug boat, let alone a war ship.'
Her husband had literally just told her that she was hopeless.
Kate released an angry breath, before slamming the document down onto the desk and stalking out of his cabin, walking straight into Dutchy. She grunted in surprise.
"Oh, Sorry Ma'am." Dutchy apologised, his hand resting on her shoulder.
"No Dutchy, don't apologise. I wasn't watching where I was going." Kate responded.
"Is everything okay Ma'am?" he asked gently. Whilst their relationship had been rocky to begin with, Dutchy and Kate had formed quite the alliance aboard Hammersley. She didn't think he would ever become somebody she trusted more than she had trusted Buffer, but Dutchy never let her down.
"I…" Kate began, before taking a deep breath. She couldn't tell Dutchy what she had found. "Everything will be fine, thanks Dutchy."
"Okay Ma'am. Well, if you don't already have plans… a few of us were planning to meet for some drinks?" he asked, hoping she would accept. He knew something wasn't quite right and he could tell she needed to be around people.
"You know what?" Kate asked "I think I'll take you up on that." She smiled before the pair began their walk to the reef bar, a favourite amongst the crew.
Whilst the crew weren't necessarily who she had initially planned on spending the night with, she was so grateful for their friendship, and their ability to cheer her up.
After deciding to only have a glass of wine and keeping her wits about her (and ability to drive back to her place, which was much further away than Mike's), Kate dropped 2-Dads, Bird, Dutchy and Charge home before finding her way to her bed.
She hadn't slept at her house in about a year. She was relieved that she had no guests booked in, and now, as she lay in bed alone after ignoring his calls all evening, she couldn't help but feel angry.
She was angry at him for disregarding her ability to lead the Hammersley, she was angry that the man she loved had no faith in her work ethic, but mostly she was mad at herself for not confronting him tonight.
Although, as she lay there with silent tears spilling from her eyes, she thought maybe it was for the best that she slept on it and gave herself the time to calm down. Gave herself the time to process how she was feeling so that they could have a civilised conversation.
~.~.~.~.~
The next morning as she drove down to port Kate remembered the voicemail Mike had left her. She sighed, grimacing slightly. Yes, she was mad at her husband on a personal level, but it was reckless of her as his second in charge to completely ignore the message.
As Kate indicated to turn into a car park, the voicemail Mike left ran through her car.
"Kate…" he said quietly "It's me. I'm on Stuart Mason's boat and Cavanaugh is here. He wants to hire Mason to find a mini sub that he's lost. It's gotta be a drug sub. It explains why they needed the salvaging cable and how they're bringing the drugs in."
Shit. She felt her heart drop.
Kate couldn't walk down to the Hammersley quick enough. She had to discuss this with Mike pronto, construct their plan of attack. Although, this message was left over 12 hours ago. Knowing Mike, he will have already come up with a plan.
After placing her bag in her cabin, Kate all but ran up to the bridge in search of him.
"Charge, have you seen the CO?" She asked breathlessly
"No Ma'am, I was just about to call for you. No one has seen or heard from him all morning. I thought you might know where he was?" Charge asked.
"No…" she responded, confusion washing over her "I haven't heard from him since last night."
"Do you want me to try and call him, Ma'am?" RO asked, his hand already hovering over the ships phone.
"No, thanks RO. I'll just try him now." She responded.
Walking down to her cabin, she dialled the familiar number. At the sound of his voicemail instantly coming through the speaker, Kate cocked her head. This wasn't like him.
"Hey, Mike… It's me." Kate said, running her hand through her hair "Look, I'm sorry I didn't answer last night… but where are you?" She asked, panic evident in her voice "We're set to leave in 30 minutes, and no one has heard from you. Can you call me back? Please?"
She hung up the phone and headed back up to the deck "I left the boss a message… hopefully we can set sail soon." She announced to the crew on the deck, a sense of unease washing over her. She was starting to feel a little nauseous. Something wasn't adding up here. Mike was never the last on board Hammersley.
"RO, can you get me through to NAVCOM?" she asked, turning to face Robert.
"Yes Ma'am, would you like to take the call up here on the deck?" he asked.
"No, send it through to the CO's cabin, I have a few private matters to discuss also" she advised before walking down to Mike's cabin.
"Lieutenant McGregor, I have Commander White on the line for you." RO announced to the two women, before removing himself from the call.
"Lieutenant McGregor, what can I do for you?" Maxine asked.
"Commander White, we're set to sail in 15 minutes and haven't heard from the CO… have you spoken to him this morning?" Kate asked. She knew Maxine and Mike were friendly, and was hopeful that Maxine had just held him longer than normal for a meeting this morning at NAVCOM.
"That's not like Mike…" Maxine mused "And you've tried to call him?"
"Yeah, that's whats so odd… his phone went straight to voicemail."
"Hmm… who was the last person to speak to him?"
"Well… he left me a voicemail last night. I only just listened to it though…" Kate said, her voice trailing off.
"What's wrong Lieutenant McGregor."
"I think something might have happened to him…" Kate confessed, her voice heavy "His voicemail said he was on Stuart Mason's boat, and that Cavanaugh was there."
"What the hell was he doing on Mason's boat?!" Maxine asked
"Ma'am I'm sorry, I don't know what he was doing last night."
"Lieutenant McGregor, wait until your scheduled departure time of 0730 hours and if he hasn't arrived, We need to assume something is wrong."
"Ma'am?" Kate asked, unsure exactly of what Commander White was asking of her.
"Kate, if he hasn't arrived in…" Maxine looked at her clock "5 minutes, you have control of the Hammersley, and you will need to locate Mason's ship."
Kate covered her face with her hands and let out a breath.
"Kate?" Maxine asked.
"I'm here Ma'am." Kate whispered down the phone.
"Kate, you can do this. Okay?"
"I'm not sure I can Ma'am" Kate whispered, her voice breaking with emotion.
"You can Kate, I know you can, and Mike Flynn also knows you can."
"Ma'am?" Kate asked, unsure what she was referring to.
"Kate, yesterday Mike came to my office and told me in no uncertain terms that you will be the next CO aboard Hammersely."
"He what?" she asked incredulously.
"That's right, he practically charged into my office and handed me the list of names I sent him. He had added to my list and placed your name at the top. He wants you to take over command."
Kate found herself letting out a soft sob. "He does?"
"He does. He also told me about your relationship too, Kate." Maxine advised the younger woman gently.
"Oh…" Kate responded, her eyes going wide with panic.
"It's okay Kate, I will support the progression of your relationship becoming public knowledge. He really loves you. The two of you are held in very high regard amongst NAVCOM, and your ability to work together without any distractions is evident."
"Thank you Ma'am" Kate whispered, unable to find the words to say anything else.
"Now Kate, I know you're worried about him but it's time for you to take control of Hammersley, and bring Mike back home. Fair winds Kate, call me if you need anything at all."
Kate disconnected the call and sat back in the chair, staring ahead at the bookshelf at the back of Mike's desk. She knowingly reached for his favourite novel, the page corners worn slightly, showing how often he read it. She opened the book to his 'bookmark'. A picture of the two of them. They were at his parents' house and she had been sitting outside with his mum having a cup of tea, both women were dressed in their dressing gowns. Mike had come up behind her, hugging her from behind. Margaret insisted on taking a photo, she said she didn't have any photos of them in her home. At the last second, Mike pressed his lips against her cheek, resulting in Kate's smile to turn into a laugh as she squirmed in his arms.
Placing the photo back in the book, Kate placed it back in his bookshelf and stood from the desk, turning at the sound of knocking.
"Ma'am?" Swain called through the door.
"Come in Swain" Kate responded, turning to face the door.
"Ma'am, the Boss is yet to board Hammersley." He said, confirming her fears.
"Swain, Commander Marshall has instructed us to commence our patrol under the impression that the Boss is in a hostage situation on Mason's boat. The Boss left me a voicemail which advised he was there, and that I will be acting as CO and our sole goal is to get Mike back and bring him home."
"Okay Ma'am." Swain said, taking in all the information.
Kate nodded "Thanks Swain."
Swain turned to the door, ready to brief the remainder of the crew, before turning back around "Ma'am, we'll find him. I know we will"
"I know Swain" Kate replied, her voice breaking as she tried to keep her emotions in check.
~.~.~.~.~
"Signal is gone Ma'am" RO announced, headset upon his head.
"What!?" Kate responded, her heart sinking. They had located the frequency from the boat on the EOD and were charging full steam in its direction. The only way they could lose the signal, was if someone tampered with it.
"I've been recording its position Ma'am, I can give you co ordinates of its last known location, and the direction it appears to be moving?" he offered.
"Thanks RO. Well done, Charge, you take those directions and plot our course."
"Ay Ma'am." Ro and Charge both responded, working swiftly to adjust their direction of travel.
"Dutchy, get a boarding party ready. The minute we spot that boat I want you in the water." Kate commanded.
Dutchy nodded and picked up the ships intercom "Hands to boarding stations, hands to boarding stations."
"Dutchy?" Kate asked, turning to face her buffer "I want you in full Kevlar, extra plates too."
"Yes Ma'am" Dutchy nodded.
"X! I have something, straight ahead!" Bird yelled out, maintaining her eyes on the waters.
"Dutchy, Go. Now." Kate called, making her way to Bird, following her line of vision. "Straight ahead Dutchy!"
"On it X!" Dutchy responded as he ran down the stairs.
~.~.~.~.~
"X? He's not here." Dutchy called through the radio.
Kate sighed in frustration. "Where the hell is he" she mumbled to herself. Her fingers found the necklace he had given her, she rolled the diamond between her fingers.
"Actually, X." Dutchy said, as he opened another door, noticing a body under blankets.
"Is he okay?! Dutchy!?" Kate asked desperately.
"I'm sorry Ma'am it's not him."
"See if you can obtain any information Dutchy. He was on that boat. Someone must know something."
After what felt like a lifetime, Dutchy's voice came back through the radio.
"Ma'am." He said cautiously, she knew something was wrong. "He's on the sub. Gorski wife has said that it's been sent out to deep water to sink it."
Kate sat back in the CO's chair, running her fingers through her hair as she thought through their plan. "RO, they can't be to the south of our current position. We would've picked them up."
"Yeah" He responded, leaning forward beside her to study the map "But most of this area is unchartered."
"They'd be working off the same information as us…" she mused out loud, her fingers tracing over the map. "And I can't imagine he would want to go too far…" she surmised.
"Uh, here ma'am. There's a deep trench here just south of bramble cove."
"That's our spot RO." Kate smiled before lifting the radio to her lips "Dutchy, I'm sending a second RHIB over to collect some of the crew, I want your team to head north-east. Once you're in the water I'll redirect you."
Kate watched on, binoculars in hand as she directed Dutchy and his RHIB.
"I've got a visual!" Charge yelled from the RHIB "Straight ahead!"
"Thunder to Hammersley, we have a visual!" Dutchy reported to Kate "I repeat we have a visual of the sub."
"Brilliant Dutchy!" Kate responded, smiling to herself in relief. They had him. Thank god they had found him.
But no sooner had she breathed a sigh of relief, the entire sea ahead erupted in an explosion.
Kate stumbled backward, feeling as though the wind had been taken out of her. she let out an audible gasp.
Mike.
Beside her, she could hear bird crying. But she was frozen, all she could think of was trying to breathe. In and out.
In and out.
C'mon Kate. Keep breathing.
She watched in horror, unable to look away as the RHIB moved around the ruins within the water. She knew what they were doing.
They were looking for human remains.
The remains of Mike.
"Dutchy?" Kate asked over the radio, when she was finally able to formulate words, her voice unusually high.
He knew what she was asking, and he sighed as Bomber pointed to the side of the RHIB.
"We've uhh… we've found evidence of human remains."
"Copy that Dutchy" Kate whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she watched the RHIB returning to the ship.
"RO, you have the ship." Kate mumbled as she turned and walked down the stairs, headed directly to Mike's cabin, not waiting for him to acknowledge her command. She closed the door behind her and went and sat on his bunk. The familiar smell of him surrounding her, filling her senses with the man she had loved for more years than she would ever probably admit.
Kate lowered her head onto the pillow and closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of her tears rolling down her cheeks. "Mike…" she whispered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Hearing a knock at the door, Kate took in a deep breath. "I'll be out in a minute" she called, her voice shaky and full of emotion.
She opened her eyes and turned her head to the door as she heard it quickly open and close. Swain.
"Ma'am" Swain said, looking at her momentarily before closing the distance between them, wrapping her in a hug.
Kate wrapped her arms around him in response, no longer able to control her emotions, she sobbed against his chest.
"We'll get them Kate. We will make them pay for what they have done." He said with conviction.
"He…" Kate sobbed "We didn't get enough time… He was the love of my life Chris."
Swains heart broke at her words "I know he was Kate, and from what I have observed, you were the love of his too."
Kate cried harder. She had waited so long for him. They had wasted so much time being stubborn and just plain stupid. They had finally got together, started their life together and had plans of their future. And now it was over.
"Tomorrow is our anniversary" Kate cried against Swains chest.
Swain felt his heart drop at her admission. He wasn't entirely sure what type of anniversary she was referring to, but he knew their relationship extended beyond CO and XO. "Ma'am?" he asked gently, prompting her to talk further.
"We got married this time last year…" Kate said between sobs "What am I going to tell his mum and dad?" she asked, the thought of it breaking her heart even further. Kate clutched at Swains uniform even more tightly. She couldn't bare the thought of having to tell Margaret and Joe about Mike.
Swain closed his eyes, blinking back his own tears "Don't think about that right now, Kate. Lets just take this one moment at time."
Kate nodded, groaning slightly before standing up abruptly "Ughh, I think I'm going to be sick." she said as she hurried into the bathroom, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl.
Swain felt his chest tighten, he couldn't bare to see the woman he had so much respect for in so much pain.
"Ma'am let me get you something for the nausea." Swain said before quickly heading to the med supplies.
He returned with a first aid box and as she walked back into the bedroom, he pulled a box out and began to read the dosage "This one is probably the most effective, X." he said as he scanned through the instructions.
"Thanks Swain" She responded gratefully, taking a seat at Mike's desk.
"From memory, you don't have any blood pressure issues, do you?"
"Nope, clear from blood pressure issues" she confirmed.
"Any chance you could be pregnant Ma'am?" He asked, almost embarrassed "Sorry, I just have to ask…"
Kate paused, her eyes going wide "I mean… it's possible." she responded, looking up at him.
"Do you know the date of your last cycle?" He asked kindly
"I think I'm late…" she said, as a fresh wave of tears came across her.
"Kate" He said softly "Whatever happens, we are all here for you, okay?"
"Mike and I had talked about starting a family, I know how badly he wanted to be a dad."
"I know, Kate…" Swain nodded "I have a pregnancy test here, I will wait for you to do it, okay?"
Kate nodded, taking the test from Swain and going into the bathroom. After she did the test, she sat it on the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror, she turned the tap on and splashed some cold water on her face, letting out a deep sigh. This was not how she envisioned she would find out she was pregnant. She had thought about it a number of times, from doing the test with Mike awaiting the lines, to doing the test alone and surprising Mike with a cute little baby outfit.
The timer on her watch sounded and she picked up the test. Pregnant. Kate let out a cry.
From the other side of the door, Swain's heart broke. He knocked gently on the door "Kate? Can I come in?"
Eventually she opened the door slowly, he took one look at her and he knew.
"How am I meant to do this without him?"
"You can, Kate, and you will." He said softly "You are one of the most brave women I know… And you wont be alone. That baby will have more family members than they can keep track of. We are all here for you, and we would always be here for you and Mike's child."
Swain looked at her sadly. He had worked under Mike and Kate for a number of years and had a lot of respect for both of his superiors. He knew that their relationship had progressed and was devastated for Kate that she wouldn't get the happiness she deserved.
Kate took a deep breath and straightened up "We better get back up there, hey Swain." she said before making her way up the stairs to the deck. She looked out over the ocean and took a deep breath. She could do this. She was going to seek justice for Mike, her husband, the father of her unborn child.
"I have the Ship, Dutchy has the conn. SITREP?" She announced, willing her voice to remain controlled.
"X, we're currently travelling at full speed approximately 200 miles north of Cairns, nothing to report."
She nodded, walking to the head of the deck. She turned around looking at the crew.
"We are NOT giving up" she demanded "We are going to get the man who killed our CO and we are going to bring him back in to the feds. Mike Flynn wouldn't give up on any of you, lets give him the same respect."
She turned and sat on Mike's chair, taking a deep breath as she her fingers found the diamond that was hanging from her neck. "give me strength" she mouthed as she looked out at the ocean. She placed her hand gently on her lower stomach and mentally said 'We'll find that ship, baby and mummy will lock up the men who took daddy away from us.'
"I have a contact baring 195" Dutchy said, almost surprising himself.
Kate smiled to herself "2-Dads, bring it up on the EOD."
"I see it Ma'am!" he exclaimed.
"Swain, pipe boarding stations, full Kevlar, extra plates." Kate found herself smiling again. She hadn't been confident that they would find Gorski, let alone so quickly. She stood up and made her way to the boarding stations "Charge, you have the ship. I will be taking this one."
"Ma'am?" Charge asked cautiously "what about protocol."
"Stuff protocol Charge, I am leading the boarding party. I will be the one who cuffs that son of a bitch Gorski and brings him back on board."
Charge smiled. It appeared the Mighty Mike Flynn had rubbed off on the once 'princess perfect'.
"Good luck Ma'am." He nodded with respect.
~.~.~.~.~
They had fought hard to take control of Gorski's boat, she wasn't going to give up easily. Not for Mike. Now she stood in a room below deck, with the man who single handedley was the reason for the pain she had felt in her chest since that submarine exploded.
As she stood there with her gun pointed at Gorski, who lay on the bed down below the deck she found herself shaking with rage. Her breathing ragged as sweat beads formed on her forehead. She had fought Gorski off herself, she had no idea how. He was much larger than her. But all she wanted was to get him for what he had done.
"Ma'am?" Swain said, noticing the expression on her face. "Ma'am, put down the gun"
Kate was transfixed on Gorski though, she could see the fear in his eyes, and in all honesty she didn't care. He had taken everything from her. Kate slowly lowered her gun "I won't shoot you, because then you wouldn't suffer. Swain, get him out of my sight. RIGHT NOW!"
Kate's breathing was so purposeful as she watched Swain roughly grab Gorski and force him out of the room, knocking the man against the doorway on his way out. She took a few steps backwards until the back of her knees came in contact with the bed. That was all it took to get her out of her trance. She sat down on the bed, and all of a sudden it almost felt impossible to breathe. She undid the top button of her shirt, tears filling her eyes as the panic set in. She thought securing Gorski would make her feel better, but it didn't. He was captured, and she was still here, alone. Kate let out a groan as a tear rolled down her cheek.
She almost didn't hear the bang against the wall over her own emotions, but then it sounded again. Kate sat up straighter, startled almost at the sound. She quickly wiped at her face, an then scoffed at herself. No amount of wiping at her face was going to hide the emotion etched so deeply.
She walked to the corridor, following the noise, before pushing open the door.
Mike.
Kate gasped as she rushed to his side, she fell to her knees at his side, her hands frantically touching him, assuring herself that he was here. He was in one piece. He was alive.
"Honey… Are you alright?" she whispered as she reached for her knife, freeing his hands before cutting the bind from his mouth.
"Oh, Mike." She breathed as she felt him wrapping his arms around her body as best he could. Her hands cupped his cheeks as she pressed her forehead to his. "I thought… We all thought you were dead" she said, a sob escaping.
Mike groggily opened his eyes, his piercing ocean blues staring deep into her green orbs.
Kate pressed her lips to his. "I thought you were dead…" she whispered, pulling back slightly as she looked back into his eyes.
"It's okay baby" He smiled softly, wincing in pain "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."
Kate stroked his cheek, gently caressing around the bruising on his face.
"What did they do to you?" she whimpered, the tears freely flowing now.
"It doesn't matter love, you found me… Now just help me up so we can get back aboard out ship."
Kate smiled softly and placed her hands behind his shoulders, helping as he sat up. It was hard to miss the pain he was so obviously in as he hissed upon moving.
"Mike…" Kate started, worried about him "Maybe I should call Swain? Dutchy? Let them help you back onto Hammersley?"
"I'm okay. I just need a minute…" he breathed, his voice barely audible.
Kate gently placed her hands on either side of his face, her thumbs gently stroking his cheeks as she lifted his face to stare into his eyes "I know. But I'm here for you anyway."
Mike smiled, his eyes glossing over. He leant forward and pressed his lips to her forehead before wrapping his ams around her small frame. She was all he had thought about since they had captured him. She was the only thing that helped him through the torture. Kate let out a breath she didn't even realise she was holding and found herself relaxing against his strong chest. Her arms were around him now and she never wanted to let go.
~.~.~.~.~
Kate watched in disgust as the men responsible for Mike's kidnapping were escorted off the boat in custody. She wanted nothing more than for them to be locked away for the rest of their lives.
"Cavanaugh mentioned my name to Anton" Mike said, as he approached Kate. "If it wasn't for his so called debt of honor…"
"What we he going to do to you?!" Kate asked curiously.
"Said he was going to have me released… once he was out of the country" Mike scoffed.
Kate reached her hand up and gently stroked Mike's cheek. Their eyes locked, they didn't have to say a thing more. They both knew what the other was thinking. Mike leaned in to her touch and nodded his head so slightly that Kate would be the only person who would notice. He reached up and wrapped his hand around her small wrist, his thumb making circles on her fair skin.
"Handovers complete boss" Swain interrupted, as he approached. Mike and Kate reluctantly pulled away from each other. "I should check you out sir."
"As soon as I've had a shower, Swain." Mike said with a chuckle, always trying to lighten the mood.
"Ah, sir. I would prefer if I could check you out first. You've got some nasty bruising to your face… If I were a betting man, I would say you have had a concussion."
"I'm alright Swain, I just need to freshen up." Mike said, a little more firmly this time.
"Look, Sir. You can have a shower, but I would be more comfortable if there was someone to keep an eye on you… We've nearly lost you once already today." Swain countered, his voice thick with emotion.
Mike sighed before looking at Kate.
Swain smiled to himself "Ma'am, don't take your eyes off him, make sure the water isn't too hot, and yell if you need me. Okay? "
Kate smiled at Mike who had already started walking towards his cabin. She bumped her shoulder gently against the medic "You got it Swaino." chuckling as she followed Mike. She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned into his side as his arm came around her shoulders.
~.~.~.~.~
"Here, let me help with that" She said softly as she begun to unbutton his shirt. Mike stood there quietly, leaning against the wall in his cabin. He wasn't normally one to let anyone help him. But this wasn't just anyone. This was Kate. His Kate. Deep down he knew she needed him to let her help him more than he really needed the help.
He smiled softly at her as she pushed the shirt off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. He watched as she sucked in a sharp intake of breath as her eyes roamed his upper body.
He knew he would be bruised. He had copped a fair beating when they first realised who he was. He found her eyes, and knew, before he had even seen them that they would be bright with tears.
"I'm ok Kate…" he said gently, playing with her ponytail between his fingers.
"I just…" she started, choking back tears "I thought I lost you… and now you're here… and I was so, so mad at you… and then I was mad at myself… and I'm so sorry I didn't answer your call." She said, her mind moving 100miles a minute.
"Shhhh…" he said gently, pressing his lips softly against hers. "None of that matters now, I'm here. You're here… and now I just want to stand under that warm water, wipe all of this dirt and grime from my body, and hold you close." he kissed her nose before undoing his belt buckle and removing his pants. He tapped her hip "C'mon now…" and turned the shower water on.
Kate smiled to herself, shaking her head slightly. She quickly undressed and followed him into the small shower cubicle.
Kate took her time checking him over, running her soapy hands over his body, the pair chatting every now and then as they basked in the moment together. They could have been the only two humans in the entire world at that moment.
Mike was enjoying the experience just as much as she was. It was nice to let her take care of him. Honestly, he didn't know why he didn't let her do it more often.
"Knocker knows about us huh…?" Kate said softly, looking up at Mike.
"She does. The brass knows." Mike smiled proudly at her.
"And you put my name forward for promotion?" She said with a knowing look.
"I might have…" Mike shared sheepishly.
Kate giggled "I take it they've offered you a desk job then?"
"Yeah, they have actually. I don't know what it is yet, but Max said she will get back to me with a few options."
"How invested in the desk job are you?" She asked, a coy smile across her face.
"What are you getting at, Katie?"
"Well, I appreciate you putting me forth, but I'm going to be looking for a desk job in the next few weeks…"
Mike looked at her, puzzled at what she was saying.
"Honey, I'm pregnant." She laughed "We're having a baby."
Mike gasped and felt his eyes fill with tears "we're having a baby?!" he whispered before pulling her in close to his chest.
~.~.~.~.~
Mike walked up onto the bridge, freshly Steri stripped, and all wounds cleaned by their medic Swain who followed close behind.
It was amazing how the presence of Mike back on the bridge brought such a sense of calmness amongst the crew. They were all so relieved to see him again, and in one piece. Walking. Talking. The crew didn't remember the last time they had been so collectively devastated than when they thought they had lost their captain.
RO was the first to spot him as he came to the bridge "Sir, good to have you back."
Mike smiled, that trademark crooked grin "It's good to be back RO" He looked around the bridge until he spotted her. Since she had told him their news, all he wanted was to be beside her side.
"You're starting to look like your old self again, Sir" Charge added.
"I don't know if I will be winning any beauty pageants, Charge" Mike joked as his crew sniggered. "I don't know why I would be entering any. But, Bomber and Swain did a pretty good job patching me up."
"One of the more enjoyable jobs I have had to do as second medic." Bomber smiled.
Mike walked over to where Kate and Dutchy were standing. "So. Which one of you has the ship?"
"I do sir" Kate smiled as she turned to face him, her face beaming.
Mike placed his hand gently on her forearm "Take us home Kate" he smiled as she blushed. She knew that there was more to that statement than just steering the ship back to
~.~.~.~.~
Christmas Eve Morning
~.~.~.~.~
"Where do you think we will be Christmas next year?" Kate asked as she lay wrapped in Mike's arms in their bed. The last few weeks had been madness in their life. They had found a permanent tenant for Kate's townhouse, there was an abundance of paperwork following the incident of Mike being taken as a hostage, had attended a number of meetings at NAVCOM in regards to their relationship and positions in the Royal Australian Navy and they had been to have their first ultrasound. Their little skipper was measuring a healthy 10 weeks along.
Mike pulled her closer to him, her naked body pressed firmly against his. "Well, I mean… I hope we will still be together…?" he stated, his voice coy.
Kate laughed and playfully hit his chest "Michael Vincent Flynn!" she exclaimed.
He laughed with her, placing his hand over hers on his chest. "I think next years Christmas will be the most magical Christmas we have had." He said with a smile.
Kate nodded in agreement, they would have an almost 6 month old baby by Christmas time next year. "What do you think our baby will look like?" she asked him.
"They will definitely have your hair" he said, as he ran his fingers through her loose waves.
"And your eyes" she mused, joining into his game.
"They would absolutely have your determination" Mike chuckled as she feigned surprise at his suggestion.
"They would need your smile too" she laughed as she kissed his lips again.
Mike scoffed playfully "Are you only with me for my good looks?"
Kate laughed loudly as she rolled her eyes "That, and your apparent modesty."
Mike laughed along with her. They had come a long way in the last few years, and while at times it had been incredibly challenging for them to coexist, they had built such a strong foundation for their relationship and he was so excited for their future.
"In all seriousness" Kate started, a slight blush appearing across her cheeks "I really do hope our baby has your beautiful blue eyes, but I also hope they are as brave and passionate as you are too."
Mike smiled softly "I can't help but imagine this baby…" he looked at her wistfully "I must admit Kate, I am a little bit scared to become a dad, but I am so glad that it will be with you as the mother of my children."
Kate again felt her eyes gloss over "I am so glad that my babies will have you as their father too."
"We make a good team, don't we Kate." Mike smiled before leaning in to press his lips against hers again.
~.~.~.~.~
"Hello, Dear!" Margaret exclaimed as she rushed to Kate's side of the car, enveloping her in a warm hug. "It's so good to see you two again."
Kate returned the hug, wrapping her arms around the older women who she had become so close with.
"Hey Ma" Mike said as he walked around behind Kate. He placed his hand on her lower back and waited for his mum to release Kate and bring him into a warm hug. "You didn't have to wait up for us, it's really late…"
"Hello Darling" Margaret said to her oldest son "Oh nonsense! Your father has already gone to bed, but I was too excited to see you both. I'm so glad everything aligned this year and you were able to make it home for Christmas!"
Kate met Mikes eyes over the top of Margaret's head and the pair shared a smile. They were looking forward to sharing their news with Mike's parents. They both knew they would be ecstatic. They adored Kate, and they loved seeing their son so happy. Mike had been married to the Navy for a very long time, and whilst they were proud of his career, they wanted him to have a family of his own to enjoy his life with. It was always a bit of a sore point for conversation, one that Margaret approached occasionally, and with caution. Mike was often defensive of his decision, but she also saw his looks of longing as one of his nieces or nephews snuggled in, or asked to play with him. She was so relieved when she finally met Kate. In their eyes, Kate was perfect for Mike. She complimented him perfectly, and Margaret could see how much Kate loved her son.
"We're so glad to be back home this year too Mum" Mike said as he gave his mum a squeeze. Mike pulled back from his mum and grabbed his and Kate's bags from the driveway.
Mike watched with a smile as his mum linked her arm through Kate's, leading her to the front door, the pair chatting like old friends.
"Ma, I really appreciate you staying up for us…" Mike started "But honestly, we've been at work all morning – I am absolutely beat."
"That's quite alright darling, I just wanted to see that you had arrived safely" the older woman smiled as she hugged her son and daughter in law again, bidding them both a goodnight.
Mike followed Kate into his old bedroom, closing the door behind him.
"Looks like mum put all of the gifts we sent in here for us to give tomorrow" Mike smiled
"You know, I'm really not comfortable with her and your dad not knowing about you being held hostage…" Kate admitted as she started to undress for bed.
"Kate, there have been many occasions where my life has been on the line, and they have been none the wiser."
"You don't have to tell them everything… but I just think, things like this are important to share."
"I don't really want to have an argument with you about this, Kate…" Mike sighed.
"It's not an argument?" Kate scoffed "We're staying here for a week… I'm still having nightmares… you're still struggling to fall asleep…"
Kate climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up and over her shoulders.
"I just… I don't want to worry them unnecessarily."
Kate sighed and rolled onto her side, god he was stubborn "Goodnight, Mike."
Mike looked at his wife lying in their bed and grimaced, he was getting better a talking through his thoughts and emotions with her, but sometimes he still managed to stuff it up. He climbed into the bed and shuffled closer to her, lying on his side facing her.
"Kate?" He whispered.
"Hmm?" she asked, still annoyed with him.
"Can you please turn and face me?" He asked gently.
Kate felt her heart clench, and she slowly turned to face him. Mike was surprised to see tears in her eyes.
"Oh, Darling… I'm sorry" he breathed, wrapping his arm around her waist as she begun to cry. She clung to his body as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.
"I spent hours thinking you were dead, Mike." Kate whispered "I know you were the one that was held hostage and tortured… but thinking I had lost you was torture too. Listening to members of our crew grieve for you while I stood there and had to be strong for everyone was the worst few hours of my life."
"I know it was… I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." He said genuinely.
"I found out I was having your baby, within 30 minutes of thinking you had died, Mike."
Mike closed his eyes at the thought of what she had gone endured.
"I held a gun pointed to a man who I thought had killed you, it took every last inch of my self control not to pull the trigger." She admitted with a shudder "Swain had to take the gun out of my hands."
Mike took in a sharp breath, she hadn't told him that before.
"I wanted to kill him." She whispered "I have never wanted to kill someone before. Sure, I've shot someone in self defence… but he was lying down on the bed, with no weapon to defend himself."
"Hey…" he soothed, pulling her in closer as he pressed his lips to her forehead "Kate, you're human. If the roles were reversed, I would have had the exact same feelings as you. Given the opportunity, I would've wanted to kill the person who I thought was responsible for your death too."
"Every night it's like that day is on a loop… the sub exploding, me feeling like I can't breathe the gun…"
"I don't know what to do to make it better, Kate…" Mike said desperately "I wish I could take away your pain, I really do."
"Do you know what the worst part is?" She asked, her voice breaking "If I had answered your call, none of this would have happened."
"It's okay, Kate…"
"No, it's not. I purposefully declined your call. I was so angry at you, and then I learnt that the reason I was angry was not even a real reason!"
"What are you talking about, honey?" Mike asked with confusion.
"I went to the boat, to get your watch…" she looked up at Mike who nodded slowly "You had just told me how useless all of the candidates for CO of Hammersley were…" she closed her eyes in shame as he wiped away a tear from her cheek "My name was at the top of the list."
Her bright green eyes looked up at his blue ones.
"I wrote your name on the top of that list…" Mike said slowly "… the names that were sent to me weren't appropriate… I added you to the top…"
Kate watched as everything clicked.
"You thought that I thought that you would be hopeless!?" he said, his voice rising.
"I know it was so stupid." She said with a sob.
"And when I tried to call you, because Cavaunagh was on the fishing boat, you were pissed off so you declined my call?"
Kate nodded, her expression full of remorse.
"God, Kate. Why would you ever think that I would say anything like that about you?"
"Honestly, I don't even know." She admitted.
Mike let out a deep breath. "I think I'm going to go for a walk…" he said as he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
"Do you want me to come?" she whispered, hoping he would say yes, and that he wasn't livid with her.
"No, I don't want you to come." He said, not looking at her.
Kate watched as he got dressed, panic setting in. "Mike, please don't go…" she pleaded.
"Honestly, I just need to be alone." He said as he walked to the door, opening it and closing it behind him before she could say anything.
Kate began to cry again, her body curling up tightly as she wrapped her arms around the pillow that his head had just been lying on. She didn't know how long she stayed there crying, but eventually she decided there was no way she would be sleeping, especially without him beside her.
She walked out to the kitchen, planning to make herself a cup of tea, when she noticed a lamp on in the living area. "Honey?" she whispered as she walked towards the room.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry it's just me… were you looking for Mike?" Margaret asked.
"Uhh…" Kate started, but realised there was no point in lying "He just went for a walk, long car ride… he needed to stretch his legs."
"I heard the front door close earlier… that's a long walk." Margaret mused, looking at the younger woman.
"Hmm…. I didn't really notice how long he was gone…" Kate mumbled as she looked down t her hands.
"Is everything okay, Kate?" Margaret asked kindly. She didn't want to pry in her son and daughter in laws life, but she really adored the woman before her, and hated to see her in pain.
"We've just got quite a bit on at the moment, everything is okay, but Mike just needed to clear his head a bit." She smiled.
"I'm assuming that means you had a bad operation out at sea." Margaret said, she knew her son didn't tell them half of what happened aboard that boat "You know what love, Mike's father liked to take a walk too when we had a disagreement, or he wasn't sure how to articulate what he wanted to say. It's challenging, believe me, I understand… but if there is one thing I know, it's that my son is completely and utterly in love with you. Whatever it is that happened, or that you're going through – you will get through it, together." She stood up and walked towards Kate, leaning forward to place a kiss on her cheek "Get some rest darling, all will be okay in time."
As Margaret walked back towards her bedroom, the front door opened and she turned to face her son. "Talk to your wife" she whispered as she gave him a quick hug before taking herself back to her bedroom.
"What are you doing up still?" he asked gently, watching as she stood up. Kate walked towards him and said "I can't sleep without you…"
Mike reached forward and grabbed her hand in his "Let's go to bed baby, we'll get some rest, okay?"
She nodded and allowed him to lead her to their room.
~.~.~.~.~
"Kate?" Mike whispered into the darkness, it had just gone 6:30am and he was wide awake.
"Hmmm?" She mumbled in response snuggling her nose against his neck.
"You still sleeping?" he asked sheepishly, he knew she would be tired, he was tired… but he also wanted to talk to her before the madness that was Christmas in the Flynn home.
"Not really…" She responded gently
Mike smiled to himself and rolled towards her, before shuffling himself down the bed.
"What are you…?" Kate begun to ask, but stopped as Mike lifted her shirt up to reveal her still very flat belly.
"Hi baby…" he whispered, before placing a kiss just below her belly button "Merry Christmas… Do you know, this is mummy and daddys favourite time of year, and this time next year Santa will have left you some present under the Christmas tree."
Kate smiled to herself and reached forward to run her fingers through Mike's thick dark hair.
"I think when you're a little bigger you will love Christmas as much as we do. You'll get to spend time with your grandparents and aunties and uncles and all of your cousins! And… if you're lucky you might even have a few siblings to play with too" Mike added looking up at his wife with a crooked grin.
"Let's just start with one, hey sailor?" Kate smiled.
Mike crawled up the bed, his body hovering over hers. He looked down at her and smiled "Merry Christmas, beautiful."
The pair held each others gaze for a moment, their looks full of love.
"Merry Christmas, handsome" she responded before pressing her lips against his.