Fast Times (chap 2) - Summer Hair = Forever Young
Aaalrighy. Here's chapter 2 of Fast Times. This is a song that I really like; and it was such a struggle to get through this chapter. There was just so much information and back story I wanted to set up! (especially since I’m pretty much creating that flashback period from scratch). Just so you know, i tried to keep some portions of fact about Mike and Kate's past, but there isn’t that much info on the net. And, i honestly can’t remember all the little details from the show :P
I hope you enjoy it. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but please don’t flame. Reviews would be lovely, although I began writing this purely for me... mainly because Buffer/Kate is awesome and so is Fast Times at Barrington High.
Title: Summer Hair = Forever Young
Author: e-ellens / ellie-bumkin
Summary: Kate feels she needs to let go of the past, in order for her to move on in the future.
Pairings/Characters: Kate, Buffer.
Rating: Relatively PG-13
Disclaimer: Definately not my sandbox. but i wish it was. Could play with Buffer all day long. Although, sand and wet places might get a little uncomfortable
Spoilers: Eh, not spoiler-ing in particular. Well, not this chapter at least. Just general knowledge mainly.
A/N: I will try to keep these characters true to the series in regards to personality. But, that being said, it mightnt happen in places. Just so you know.
DISCLAIMER: A Sea Patrol story based of The Academy Is... album 'Fast Times At Barrington High'. I take no credit for either the characters created or the BRILLIANT work of William Beckett and the crew from TAI
SUMMER HAIR = FOREVER YOUNG
Once she was finally off duty, Kate stumbled back to the cabin she shared with Nav. Knowing the other young woman was on the bridge for at the next couple of hours, Kate lay down in her bunk and turned over everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks. The ease of her growing friendship with Buffer shocked her at first, making her nervous and reluctant to fully give herself up when they spoke. The main problem standing in her way was a past relationship that hurt her deeply, and Kate was unsure if she would ever recover from the experience. Kate grumbled slightly as she turned over to face the wall. The flip side was if she wanted to give up on that connection to her past; to allow it to fade into obscurity and close the door to a possible reconciliation forever.
“Damn Mike, screwing me over once again,” she muttered to herself. Allowing herself one more trip down memory lane, Kate lay on her back staring into the bottom of Nav’s rack. Slowly the Hammersley faded away from her consciousness until all Kate could remember was the first time she walked into the class Mike Flynn taught her those many years ago...
We're crashing cars we used to share
With summer girls
With summer hair
We're making plans for you to start
But the party's busted up
Before it ever starts
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As a younger Kate walks into the seminar room, her eyes flicker to the lecturer. Although it was a requirement for furthering her career, she decided taking this course mightn’t be such a bad thing. ‘Especially when answering to that,’ Kate thought to herself, admiringly, as she took a seat near the front of the room. As she sat down whilst looking at the lecturer, his eyes flicked up quickly enabling their gaze to meet. For Kate, it seemed like time slowed down as she looked over the appearance of her teacher. Likewise, said teacher was also returning her gaze with something sparking in his eyes.
~*~*~
Mike Flynn was, while not angry at the Commander, mildly irritated that he had been ordered to complete a routine seminar. Looking forward to just getting it over and done with, Mike started to arrange and re-arrange his notes around the desk. Even as his hands were focused on his desk, however, he still heard numerous people file into the seminar room as the clock ticked ever closer to 10am. A sudden movement close to the front of his peripheral vision, though, stilled his hands as his head shot up to see who was mad enough to sit near the front; most people had chosen seats in the middle to back of the room. His gaze fell upon a young woman with blonde hair and sea green eyes. Totally awestruck, it took all of Mike’s control to break his gaze with the woman in order to start the seminar. No matter how hard he tried, however, his eyes continuously flicked back to the blonde haired, green eyed woman in the front of the room.
~*~*~
Once the seminar started, Kate’s body just went into auto pilot as she somehow absorbed whatever ‘Lieutenant Flynn’ (she sighed to herself) was speaking about. Entirely not fast enough, the seminar ended and, as everyone else was in a rush to leave, Kate dawdled as she gathered her various materials back into her bag. Once the last person had left the room, she approached the front desk where Flynn was still collecting various pages.
“I must admit that, while I wrote down plenty, I could not tell you one thing about this class before reading back over my notes,” she stated, coyly, as she once more attracted the gaze of Flynn. “Hi, I'm Kate McGregor,” she introduced herself, extending a hand. The movement of her hand was enough to jolt Mike from his bemused staring contest with the young woman.
“Pleasure to meet you, Kate. I'm Mike Flynn,” he replied with a smile and a quick hand shake. Mike walked around the other side of the desk in order to stand directly in front of a smiling Kate. Leaning back on the desk, Mike quickly appraised the young woman standing mere feet away. Deciding right there that he wanted to know more about her, Mike asked, “Have you got any plans for tonight? This was my last commitment for the day, and was planning on going out for a drink.” He pushed himself off the desk and extended a hand to the young woman. Kate merely smiles in reply and slowly takes the offered hand.
As they talked the night away, over beers and wine, they slowly became closer as the conversation became heated. While they both knew it was wrong to get into a relationship like this, the pure attraction and spark between them was just too much for either to deny. Even though neither knew what got them to this point, staring into each other’s eyes whilst sitting with knees touching and faces mere inches apart, Mike closed the distance between their lips and captured Kate’s with an electric kiss.
I’ll never let you go
Don't ever forget
Tell me you'll remember
Forever young
I’ll never let you fall
It's not over yet
You and me forever
Forever young
We're forever young
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nikki knocked on the door to the cabin she shared with Kate briefly before pushing the door open and entering. Nav had fortunately been relieved from duty early, as there were no pressing matters for Hammersley to undertake. As such, Nikki decided to avoid a conversation with ET a little longer by reading in her rack. Looking around the small cabin, Nikki eyes fell upon the X laying in her own rack, as if in a trance. Her eyes were almost shut, yet Kate was stuck in a stare as if she wasn’t conscious. Unnerved, Nav slowly walked over to the XO’s rack, battling whether to call out, shake her or get Swain’s advice. Deciding on her course of action, she sat back on her hunches up near Kate’s head.
“Kate,” called Nikki, softly, into the X’s ear. “Kate, its Nav. Are you ok?” A troubled expression crossed Nikki’s face at the lack of response. All she could tell was that Kate’s eyes flickered slightly at the sound of her voice, similar to REM. A million miles away, Kate was reliving one of the best, yet one of the worst, moments of her romantic history.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kate and Mike somehow made it from the bar into a taxi and, eventually, to Kate’s apartment. Once inside, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. All Kate could think about was the heat, the passion, the pure need to feel the rush. It was how she spent most of her childhood; going after the feeling and not caring about what was left in the wake. The only thing that mattered at this point was relieving themselves of clothing, hot and steamy kisses, and getting into the bedroom. As far as Mike was concerned, their movements weren’t fast enough. Grabbing Kate around the waist, he lifted her up and pushed her into the wall.
Breathlessly, he rested his forehead against hers and broke their kissing. “Which way is the bedroom?” Mike asked her through his ragged breathing as Kate wrapped her legs around his hips and crossed her ankles behind is back. After a couple of moments of recuperation, Kate nodded down a hallway.
“Down there, last door on the left,” she muttered softly in reply, before her lips reclaimed his. Mike took her full weight again, as they started making their way down to the bedroom. Halfway there, however, a small sliver of propriety snapped into Kate’s head as she broke the kiss. “Wait, what does this mean? This is frowned upon at many levels of the Navy, and I want to become a Warfare Officer on a major naval friga-” her small protest was cut off by way of Mike’s lips.
After a beat, he broke the kiss and looked her directly in the eyes. “This doesn’t have to be anything you don’t want it to be,” he whispered. “We’re electric, we’ve got a spark. Let’s deal with the repercussions in the morning,” he told her, as they continued their way to the bedroom. Mike held off kissing her with a question in his eyes. After a breath, Kate accepted his suggestion and succumbed to the passion.
Stop making plans, start making sense
Don't you believe any word they said
Sparked up sparked up like a book of matches
Falling through the night
And rising from the ashes
Kate woke up the morning after to a warm presence at her back, an arm slung across her waist and a thumb slowly stroking her stomach. As the memories flooded back from the night before, Kate snuck a glance over her shoulder. In doing so, her eyes met with Mike’s, and her mouth opened in shock.
“What are you doing? Watching me sleep?” she asked, somewhat with a laugh while trying to hide the slightly unnerving feeling in her stomach. Mike just smiled in response, kissed the top of her head and detangled his body from hers. Once he was lying on his side of the bed, Mike looked over to Kate and tried to explain himself.
“It wasn’t for long, but you just looked so peaceful laying there in slumber,” Mike replied, trying to defend his actions to an extent. Hearing his response, Kate just waved a hand; while she didn’t like people watching her sleep, it was a fairly common occurrence. A common occurrence that appeared in a relationship; a relationship that could ruin both their futures in regards to naval promotions if it got out. Kate felt her body tense subconsciously. A powerful job in the navy was her dream; to be a ruling female in a testosterone-riddled field.
She jumped up quickly, pulling a sheet around her as she went. Kate started pacing around the room, muttering incoherently. Seeing her distress, Mike pulled himself up off the bed and pulled on his boxers before making his way over to hold Kate. When she felt his presence, Kate struggled momentarily until Mike’s arms wrapped around her, not allowing her any kind of movement.
I’ll never let you go
Don't ever forget
Tell me you'll remember
Forever young
I’ll never let you fall
It's not over yet
You and me forever
Forever young
We're forever young
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nav was starting to freak out a little. Her soft mutterings had escalated to normal speaking and even loud demands and shaking Kate’s shoulder. So far, she had received no other response other than rapid eye movement and a couple of breathy sighs. Unsure whether to leave the X’s side to find Swain herself or to use the intercom and alert everyone on board, Nikki bit her lip and walked towards the door. Just as she opened the door, however, she came face to face with ET and relief flooded through her.
“Oh ET! I don’t know what to do. The X is just laying there and shes not responding to anything I do. And I need to get Swain down here to have a look at her! Please, you have to go get Swain now,” Nikki told him in a rush, whilst quickly walking back towards Kate’s bed. As she knelt down, she noticed ET hadn’t moved an inch. “NOW, ET!” she yelled, exasperatedly, turning to face the woman she had begun to view as a friend.
As ET moved out of the cabin and down the hall, he bumped into Buffer as his mind was on whatever happened in Nav’s room rather than where he was heading. After almost falling arse up, ET muttered out a hurried apology, before trying to get his bearings. Buffer, confused at the behaviour, pulled ET up and made him stand still.
“Hey, you should watch where you're going,” he told his shipmate lightly, whilst searching his face for some form of answer. “Is there anything wrong?”
ET just shrugged off Buffer’s questions by turning towards the infirmary. “Swain was meant to be doing an inventory,” he muttered, before taking off. Realising he hadn’t answered Buff’s question, he simply called, “something is up with the X, Nav said to get Swain.”
Buffer had stopped listening when he heard Kate’s name mentioned, and found he was rooted to the spot once ET had left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“No, Mike, we need to talk about this,” Kate cried, firmly. “I want a career in the Navy more than anything, and I don’t want anything to stand in my way!” With a little effort, Kate had managed to worm her way out of Mike’s arms and had backed herself up against the wall. Her sea green eyes were awash with unshed tears as she stared into the face of a man who ignited so much passion in her the night before. Such passion and emotion that she felt scared to admit just how much it had meant to her.
Don't come any closer
Don't tell me it's over
Don't kiss me goodbye
Here we are, am I taking this too hard?
Don't say that it's easy
The hardest part is leaving
Don't you wonder why...
Suddenly, we're all running out of time
Mike stumbled back a handful of steps with the hardness in Kate’s voice. He’d thought that they’d shared something special; even though he knew, deep down, that it was wrong to start something with a young lieutenant. Sighing heavily, Mike sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Well, where do you want to go from here?” he asked her, seriously. “I thought we had something; a spark, or some connection. But you’re right; this isn’t good for either of our careers. I’m being reassigned at the end of the month, anyway...” Mike added, his voice trailing off at the end of his sentence. Looking up into Kate’s eyes, he saw some kind of emotion flicker in her eyes. Jumping up and striding forward quickly, Mike’s face came within inches of Kate’s, searching everything for some kind of reasoning.
“Can you honestly say you felt nothing?” he asked, softly, trying to get the passionate, young woman he met last night to resurface. Kate struggled long and hard for an answer. On one hand, she badly wanted to scream ‘YES!’, that she felt something strong and never wanted to give that up. On the other hand, however, she had her whole life ahead of her, including a possibly fulfilling future in the Navy.
At this point, she heard her father’s voice echoing in her head; ‘You’re never going to amount to anything!’ he had screamed, after yet another fight about her future. ‘You joke around, making choices on a whim! How far do you think these immature decisions will take you in the real world?!’ And right in that moment, Kate had her answer.
Her spine straightened as her eyes became a steely-green, losing all their youth and joy. Steadying herself, Kate mustered all the strength she ever possessed to mutter three words that, unbeknownst to her, would leave her broken and damaged for years to come. “It. Meant. Nothing,” she stated slowly, an iron grip on all her emotions. In that handful of seconds, Kate had transformed from a bubbly, young, enchanting girl into a strong, forceful, no-nonsense young woman. Sparing himself one last glance, Mike leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to Kate’s forehead, before quickly pulling on his pants and shirt and walked out of the bedroom; out of the house, and out of her life.
I’ll never let you go
Don't ever forget
Tell me you'll remember
Forever young
I’ll never let you fall
It's not over yet
You and me forever
Forever young
We're forever young
We're forever young
We're forever young
Once she heard the front door close behind his retreating figure, Kate’s unshed tears fell slowly down her face. She knew, deep down, that she had made the right choice; way, deep down inside. But that didn’t stop the pain and loss she felt in her chest. She had given up a young romance for a future and career that would keep her out at sea. “It’s what I wanted,” she muttered to herself, trying to end the flow of tears that fell down her cheeks.
Kate was happy right where she was. She knew that; here on a Patrol boat that, even though the posting was only meant for short-term experience to enable her placement on a frigate, was slowly growing on her. The close-knit crew where anonymity was a non-event, and even working under the same Mike Flynn she practically threw out of her life was slowly growing on the XO.
Honestly, Kate knew that Mike was, and always would be, a part of her past. He was one of the only men she really felt alive with. But, just like he was a part of her past, another sailor aboard Hammersley had made just as much of an imprint, if not more so. She was young back then; young, passionate, reckless and floundering for some foundations in her life.
~*~*~*~
“Kate? Kate, can you hear me?” muttered a low, masculine voice in her ear.
~*~*~*~
But now? Now Kate felt like a woman. She had experienced love and loss, and it has become an integral part of her character today. She wouldn’t go back and change anything, not even to stem the heartbreak she felt for months.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffer had walked into Nav’s and the XO’s cabin just as Swain had finished assessing the X’s condition. He was just as stumped as Nav had been, even though she had no medical training.
“I just don’t understand what could be going on. All her vitals are as if she’s just sleeping, yet she’s totally unresponsive as if in a coma,” Swain was saying, running his hands through his short hair. His puzzled expression was mirrored in Nav’s own features. “I think we should both go speak to the CO. He has a right to know what’s happening with any of his crew members.” Nav opened her mouth to object, saying someone should stay with Kate in case something changes, but Swain was shaking his head. “Listen, Nikki, I know you're worried, but you were the first one to find her like this. Out of anyone on board, you have the most knowledge about what’s going on.” His voice was stern, and Nav bowed her head in submission.
Buffer took his chance and knocked on the open door. “Can I help with anything?” he asked, softly, looking between Nav and Swain, only allowing the quickest glances over to the X. “I heard you needed to go speak to the Captain. I can stay and keep watch if you wanted,” he offered lightly, looking intently at Swain. Nav gave one last look to Kate, before nodding and walking towards the door.
“I appreciate it, Buff. Let us know if anything changes,” Swain told him as he, too, walked out with Nav in search of the CO. Buffer watched their retreating backs and, once they turned the corner, moved quickly to Kate’s side. This was the first time he had been alone with her for a couple of days, and he had missed their playful banter and casual friendship. As he knelt there, watching her face, Buffer realised there were tracks of tears falling from her eyes and trailing down her cheeks.
Worried, he leant in close and whispered, “Kate? Kate, can you hear me?” Pete saw her eyes flicker slightly, but she showed no sign of recognition. Resigned, Buffer used his thumb to wipe away the traces of tears. As his thumb caressed her cheek, he heard her take in a deep, shaky breath. He immediately snapped to attention, quickly realising she was coming to. Kate’s eyes were fluttering and blinking, even as her breathing was coming in quick breaths. Sitting forward, with one hand on her cheek and the other holding her hand, Buffer asked more urgently, “Kate? Can you hear me?”
Slowly, as if waking from a deep sleep, Kate felt her eyes open and everything slowly came back into focus. The first thing she noticed was how drained she felt; the second was the set of hands against her cheek and hand; the third was a large person kneeling at the edge of her bed. Blinking quickly, Kate tried to focus on the person, tensing for a second, fearing it would be the CO. Once the person leant further back, apparently happy that she was awake, he allowed light to illuminate his face.
“Pete,” she muttered, a small smile spreading across her features as she felt herself relax back into her pillow. “What’s the matter? Why... what happened?” she asked slowly, unsure as to why he was there and looking so relieved about something.
Buffer just smiled and withdrew the hand from her cheek, whilst keeping the one resting on her own, before replying, “Apparently you’ve been totally dead to the world for about an hour. Nav was freaking out, thinking you were in a coma; even Swaino was stumped by ... whatever happened.” Buffer took a breath and looked her over. “Are you sure you’re alright? No ill feelings? You were, uh, crying when I came in,” he muttered quietly, briefly looking away.
Kate placed her free hand over his to get his attention. She knew what she needed to say, for his sake and for her own; and, when Buffer was looking directly at her, Kate smiled.
“I’m fine. Right where I am.”