Closing her eyes lizzie fell in to a light restless sleep and despite the sub-zero temptures outside, she was boiling hot. Her mind kept flashing back to the past, and to him. She wondered how he was sleeping in the room below. Was he suffering like she was? Slipping out of her bed she quietly made her way to the window and looked out. She could just make out the sea in the distance. In the room below dutchy was doing the same. He was suffering like she was, his mind kept taking him back to their first meeting, and the months after that where they got to know each other. And then the day he got sentto sea and she had gone. Back to her life in England, and probably forgotten him.

Two Years ago

Lizzie walked along the esplanade towards the boat tours looking at each one of the small sheds and then checking the print out of the email her editor had sent her. Calling it research for the article on climate change, and the effect of it. She was looking for a glass bottom boat tour company called exploration reef. Finding the hut, where she was meant to meet her guides, she called out "hello, I am meant to meet chet and Chaz,"

"G'day, give us a sec and we will be on the way," one of the men said walking out of the hut "I'm Chaz, the boat is this way," he added walking towards the boat before calling out to chet "mate we need to leave, we have a tour to do,"

turning to lizzie he explained how long the tour would take and the name of the reefs they would be exploring.

Sitting on the boat Lizzie felt slightly uneasy, like something was off. The boat looked like it had seen better days. It had been almost two hours out of the three that had been set out for the tour. Looking at the glass panel that covered most of the stern of the boat she could see the coral and could see some of the bright and beautiful fish that lived there. Looking up she couldn't see her guides, she turned to look out to see before everything went black. coming around lizzie blinked as her eyes acclimatized to the bright mid-afternoon sun, looking around she still could not see the two crew from the company and could smell smoke. getting up lizzie looked around the boat and she could not see the small tender. Continuing to walk around the boat she found the source of the smoke, she made a hasty retreat and made her way to the radio and GPS console and put out a mayday call.

HMAS Hammersley was on patrol in the coral sea when they heard a mayday call over the radio and as they were the closest asset to the boat, they made their way to the call. It took 30 minuets for them to sail to the location.

"X send a RHIB over and see what the issues are," the Co said turning to his second in command.

"Sir, dutchy, 2dads with me," she said walking out of the bridge as the CO ordered the port sea boat to go.

"Ma'am hello," dutchy called out as he jumped from the RHIB to the boat and started to look around. The figure of a young woman emerged from the wheel house. "X found someone," he called before reaching out and catching the young woman as she stumbled and fell and blacked out.

Opening her eyes, lizzie blinked several times as once again her eyes had to adjust to the harsh bright lights that were in the ship, she now was lying in. Trying to sit up she fell back against the table she was lay upon.

"easy, you have had a nasty bump to the head," a male voice said.

Lizzie heard another voice in the room Aswell.

"How is she swain?"

"ok, a slight concussion from a bang to the head, she has just come round X," the male voice said.

"luitentent Kate Mcgreggor. Miss, can you tell us your name? And what you were doing on the boat" the voice belonging to the X said

"Elizabeth James, lizzie. I am a journalist, I am doing an article on the effects of climate change on the coral, I was on the boat so I can see it for myself, only they knocked me out and took the rowing boat and left me. I think they also took my backpack as it was not there when I made the mayday call," lizzie answered the question.

"ok and did you by any chance get the names of the guys running the tour? And what was in your bag you said was missing?" Kate asked

"um yeah," lizzie said reaching in to the back pocket of her denim shorts and pulled out the paper with all the tour details on and passed it over. "and my bag had my purse in with about two hundred dollars in cash, my hotel room key card and most of my notes and a pen," lizzie added.

"Thanks, I'll pass the info on to the police and we should be back in cairns by the mid-afternoon," and with that Kate left the room.

lizzie turned to the petty officer in left in the room and asked "Is it ok if I get some air?"

"yeah, one second I'll get someone to accompany you, he said and stuck his head out the door "ah dutchy can you accompany miss James to the boat deck?"

"Yeah, sure thing mate," came the reply from outside and the man walked in. Tall with blond hair and eyes like emeralds lizzie recognised him as the sailor that had caught her when she fainted. He gently took her arm and steadied her as they walked through the ship.

"thanks, petty officer" she said as they walked on to the deck "and sorry about earlier when I fainted,"

"it's fine. The name is Dylan but as you heard everyone calls me dutchy because of my surname. how can you tell my rank, it was never mentioned," he asked bemused.

"Navy daughter, my father is a captain in the royal navy, so I grew up around sailors, and your insignia is similar to the royal navy," she said tapping the flash of his epaulets.

Smiling at her dutchy stood behind her resting one hand on the rails looking out to sea. He was brought back to the present by a voice.

"Dutchy, boss said that we be back in port in thirty minutes,"

"thanks, 2dads," dutchy answered before turning to lizzie "I'll take you back to the ward room,"

Placing his hand in the small of her back he guided her back to the ward room and left her there while he went off to deal with other things.

Lizzie walked in to the lobby of her hotel and straight up to the desk and spoke to the receptionist.

"Hi, I'm staying in room 226 but my key card has been stolen and I need another one please,"

"one moment madam, I just get that one sorted for you now,"

"thank you," lizzie responded and turned as she though she heard someone call her name.

sat in one of the chairs that lined the far side of the lobby she saw Dylan dressed in shorts and a t-shirt holding her backpack.

"madam, your key card. Enjoy the rest of your stay," the receptionist said handing over her key.

lizzie walked over to Dylan.

"thought you may want this back," he said placing the bag in to her hand.

"Thank you. Where did you find it?" she said standing on her tip toes to place a kiss on to his cheek, before opening the bag and quickly looking through to see if everything was in there. "can I buy you a drink? To say thank you for bringing the bag back,"

Checking his watch, he said "sure and we found it with the two guys who are now in custody,"

looking down at what she was wearing she said "give me five minutes, I will just get changed," before making a quick dash over to the lifts. when the lift reached her floor, she darted out and let herself in to her room. chucking the backpack on to the bed, she pulled out a vintage inspired dress out of the wardrobe. After ripping the vest off and removing the shorts she stepped in to the dress and pulled it up and pulled the zip up the back. She slipped her feet in to her sandals and grabbed her purse, key and a cardigan and dashed back out and down to the lobby.

"Ready?" she asked as she walked back over to dutchy.

"yeah," he said slipping his arm around her sholders as they walked towards the hotel bar. "you look amazing by the way," he added pulling out a chair for her to sit on.

"thank you," she said as she sat down as the waitress came over to take their order.

"I will have a beer," Dylan said

"I will have a mocktail mojito please," lizzie said.

4 months later

Lizzie woke to the sound of his phone ringing. Knowing what this meant she slipped out of the bed and gathered up her things and snuck in to his bathroom. Turning on the shower she allowed the warm water to envelop her. Closing her eyes, she felt his arms wrap around her waist and his kiss on the side of her neck.

"sorry we can't spend the rest of the day together," he said as he turned her to face him the water cascading over the pair of them. Running her hands over his chest and rested the on his sholders and stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss sweetly on his lips.

"I will have to think of how you can make it up to me," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Is that so," he said scooping her up and caring her back to the bed.

Lizzie sat the desk in her hotel room having returned from Dylan's apartment after he was called to sea. Daydreaming about the morning she was brought back by her phone ringing. Picking it up she checked the caller ID and saw it was her mother calling. Calculating the time difference and knowing it must be quite late in the night over in England she answered it and listened as her mom spoke.

"Mom, ok I will be on the first flight I can get home," she said and hung up the phone and rushed around the room gathering up her belongings and shoving them in to her case. Taking a moment to breath she grabbed some paper and wrote a letter hastily to dutchy explaining everything and why she left with no notice.