Kristin Westphalen glanced quickly at her watch as she entered the Food Court of Manatee Mall.  A small smile crossed her face as she noted that she was just on time.  She scanned the tables and again she smiled.  Well, at least Lucas was on time too.  Heaven only knew where Nathan was at.  She crossed the Food Court and came up to the table where Lucas was staring perplexedly at the cup of soda pop sitting on the table in front of him.

"Does your coke taste funny or something?"

Lucas looked up at her surprised.  He hadn't seen her approach. "No…no….ummm, I was just trying to figure something out."  He frowned and looked at the pop again.

Kristin pulled the chair next to Lucas out and sat down putting her bags under the table between them.  "What was that?"

Lucas looked over at her again, the confused look still on his face.  "Hmm?  Oh…I just saw someone who looked familiar and I was trying to place her."  He seemed to shake himself and glanced down at the bags that Kristin had been carrying.  "Looks like you had a successful shopping trip."

"Yes, I think I did rather well," she said proudly.  Your idea of splitting up was a good one.  There's no way you two would have sat through my trying on all these clothes without a good bit of grumbling."

"Yeah," the boy said with a grin.  "I can't really say that's a favorite part of my shopping experience.  I just don't understand why you have to try on six things to finally decide on the first one."

Kristin opened her mouth to issue a rejoinder but she saw Lucas' face become serious again as his eyes were suddenly drawn to the other side of the Food Court.  Kristin first thought he was looking at Nathan who was standing in the entrance searching the tables for them but then she realized that instead he was looking again at the woman that he couldn't place earlier.  She was a smaller, trim womanwith flowing blond hair who was standing at a table just behind where Nathan was.  Kristin felt her throat constrict a little as her confused look matched Lucas'.   "Carol???"

Nathan Bridger stood just inside the entrance to the Food Court and looked over the tables seeking out Lucas and Kristin.  They'dagreed to split up and do their shopping with the idea that they'd meet here at four and then go to dinner.  His hands held only one bag…and that was an impulse buy.  He really hadn't been planning on buying much anyways but his failure to find a pair of new gym shoes that he liked was a bit of a disappointment.  He smiled suddenly as he spotted Kristin and Lucas at a table on the far side of the court just as he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hi there, stranger."

Nathan spun around towards the voice and an even bigger smile creased his face.  "Squirt!!" he said as he gathered the woman in his arms for a big hug.

The confused look on Lucas' face was even more apparent as he glanced quickly towards Kristin.  "That is Carol, isn't it??"

Kristin just continued to stare across the Food Court.  "It would certainly appear to be," she said, almost calmly.

Nathan loosened his hold on the woman in his arms and brought his hand up to cup the side of her face.  "Boy…it's been ages since I've seen you.  What are you doing in New Cape Quest?  Last I heard you were up in the New London area."

The woman brought one of the hands that had hugged Nathan around and placed it on his upper arm giving it a quick squeeze.  "I'm still up in New London but I'm down here for a conference for a week." She quickly rubbed his shoulder.  "I certainly didn't expect to run into you."

"Yeah, well, I'm here building a new submarine."  Nathan suddenly remembered about Lucas and Kristin and quickly glanced their way and then returned his gaze to the woman in his arms.  "Do you have some time?  I'd like you to meet some friends of mine."

The woman pulled away from Nathan a little and smiled up at him.  "Oh, I've got an hour or so before I've got to be anywhere.  Lead on."

Nathan put one hand in the small of her back and guided her across the Food Court to the table where Kristin and Lucas sat staring with perplexed looks on their faces.  He smiled a little as he realized the reason for their confusion.

"Hi.  I found a friend," he announced proudly.  "Kristin Westphalen, Lucas Wolenczak, this is Jackie Benning.  Carol's sister."

A relieved look crossed Kristin's face and she smiled up at the woman.  "Ah...I see…I'm pleased to meet you."

Lucas shook his head and smiled.  "Phew…that was it…you really look like her."

"Actually, she looked like me," Jackie said as Nathan pulled out the other chair next to Lucas for her.  "I beat her into this world by 15 minutes."

"Oh, I didn't know that Carol was a twin," said Kristin.

Nathan was the one who answered.  "Yeah, Jackie lives up in Connecticut, in New London."

"Are you a marine biologist too?" ask Lucas.

"No…I'm afraid I wasn't quite a crazy as Carol about things from the sea.  I'm more along Nathan's line.  I'm an electrical engineer."

"Jackie's in town to attend a conference for the next week."  Nathan glanced over at Jackie and indicated Kristin.  "Kristin is the head of the UEO Oceanographic Biology Department," he pointed acrossthe table at Lucas, "and Lucas is my resident computer genius and my ward."

Jackie smiled over at Lucas.  "Good choice for a guardian."

Lucas tilted his head and smiled a little.  "It's been working pretty good so far."

Jackie returned her attention to Nathan.  Placing her hand gently over the hand he had rested on the table.  "I'd heard that you'd returned back to the land of the living."  Her face took on a serious look.  "I had rather hoped that you might try to get ahold of us."

Nathan frowned and looked uncomfortable.  "To tell you the truth, I wasn't quite sure what kind of reception I'd get after…"  His voice trailed off.

Jackie gave his hand a quick squeeze and spoke earnestly, "Nathan, that was only Jimmy." She shrugged.  "My brother didn't like you before Carol died…you could hardly expect that he'd think anything better after she had."  A sad smile crossed her face.  "Of course, him punching you out at the funeral was definitely uncalled for…but that doesn't mean that the rest of us wouldn't like to hear from you on occasion."

Nathan smiled slightly.  "Yeah, you're right…I should have called.  How's your Dad?"

"He's doing very well…he misses talking to you…," she smiled again, "I always thought that he relives his Navy days through you.  Not that he spent very long in the Navy…"

"Long enough to have some great memories and stories."

"Yeah, but you're the only one with the patience to listen to his Navy stories."  She glanced quickly at her watch and started to stand.  "Oh,…I've got to get going."  She looked over at Lucas and Kristin.  "There's a reception for the conference this evening and I've got to get back to the hotel."

Nathan had stood also and Jackie brought one hand up to the side of his face.  "I don't suppose I could convince you to take me to dinner while I'm in town?"

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

She patted him on the cheek.  "I'm going out to dinner with my favorite brother-in-law."

Nathan chuckled, "I'm your *only* brother-in-law."

"Yeah, my point exactly.  Look, I'm staying at the New Cape Quest Concourse.  Could you pick me up there?"

Nathan nodded.  "About 7 o'clock?"

Jackie brought Nathan's head down so that she could kiss him on the cheek.  "I'll be waiting in the lobby."  She pulled away and winked at him.  "I'll see you tomorrow."  She looked over at Kristin and Lucas.  "It's been so nice meeting you," and with a last squeeze of Nathan's arm she walked out of the Food Court.

Nathan sat down at the table again and looked over at his two companions.

"She seems very nice," Kristin said.

Nathan glanced once more in the direction Jackie had gone. "Yeah," he said just a little wistfully, "the two sisters were a lot alike."

Nathan and Jackie met the next night at her hotel and went to dinner at a seafood restaurant just down the street.  The night was nice enough that Jackie asked if they could walk. During the meal they brought each other up to date on their own lives and what had been happening in each of their families and their lives.   They ended their dinner with Nathan's rousing portrayal of some of Ben Krieg's more infamous antics which had Jackie crying with laughter by the time the check was paid.

As they walked off the deck of the restaurant Nathan glanced around at the moon and the stars twinkling off the water of the bay.  He indicated the direction they needed to go with his head.

"Do you want to take the sidewalk back or would you rather walk down the shore?"

Jackie smiled fondly up at him.  "The shore, if you don't mind.  We've got the Sound in New London but somehow, the shores of New Cape Quest are just a bit warmer and more tranquil."

Nathan chuckled as he steered her towards the sand.  "You should see it when we get a good storm going.  There's nothing like a hurricane to mess up the tranquility…"

After a few steps through the sand Jackie stopped and took off her sandals so that she was walking barefoot in the sand.  Holding her shoes in one hand she reached out and took Nathan's hand in the other.  Nathan was surprised and a little confused at how natural it felt to hold Jackie's hand and the warmth he felt inside.

"I really have missed you, Nathan," she said softly.

He was silent for a moment and then nodded his head slowly. "I've missed you too, Jackie."  He pulled her hand a little closer. "It's really good seeing you again."

Jackie smiled up at him and smoothly slipped her arm around his waist.  Nathan's hand naturally rested upon her shoulder with hisarm over her back and they walked down the shore a way like this. Jackie was the first one to say anything.

"So…have I ever told you that I had a crush on my sister's husband?" she asked softly.

Nathan hesitated a little in his steps and then continued.  She could hear the smile in his voice when he talked.  "You did, huh?"

Jackie moved her head to rest on the side of Nathan's chest as they continued down the sand.  "Yeah."  She lifted her head off his chest and looked down towards the water.  "What's that?"  She said indicating a shell just below the high water mark.

Nathan released her hand and went down to recover the shell.  "It's a conch shell."   He turned it and looked inside.  "At the moment it's minus the conch."  He held it out to show to her.

Jackie took the tan spiral shell in her hand and looked into the opening.  "Oh, it's beautiful, Nathan.  Do the conch really live inside here?"

He leaned over and indicated the way the shell twisted.  "Yup, they work their way into the shell and hide inside the spiral."

"Do you think I could take it home?"

Nathan took the shell from her hand and smiled.  "Honestly, not unless you've got some bleach handy.  If you don't bleach them first shells will start smelling like old conch after a day or so and you really don't want your luggage smelling that way."

Jackie frowned at the shell.  "Well, could I put it back in the water then?"

Nathan handed over the shell.  "That would probably be a good thing to do."  He watched as Jackie gingerly walked down until the water was over her ankles and put the shell gently in the water.  Nathan followed her until he was just short of where the water was rolling in.  She came back up from the water smiling.

"That water's warm…it's nothing like Long Island Sound."

He smiled down at her again as she stood face to face with him. "No, it's nothing like the Sound."  Just then a larger wave came in surprising Jackie and she threw her arms around Nathan's neck.

His face broke into a big smile at the shocked look on her face.  "Hey, it's only water."

She brought her eyes up to look into his and her arms tightened around his neck.  Neither one of them said anything as Nathan's arms encircled her waist pulling her closer to him.  Both of them closed their eyes as their lips met in a soft, searching kiss.  Jackie could feel the quick beat of Nathan's heart as they broke the kiss. She brought her head forward to rest upon his chest and Nathan brushed his lips over her hair.

After a few moments, Jackie could finally trust herself enough to speak.  She buried her face in his chest and her voice was soft and breathy.  "Nathan, perhaps you better take me back to the hotel."

Nathan nodded and hesitantly moved back to break the embrace.  He looked again into her eyes as she looked up at him and nodded.  Slipping his hand around her waist they turned towards her hotel.  Walking up the promenade of the hotel Jackie stopped and Nathan turned to face her.

He brought one hand up to stroke her cheek.  "Jackie, I thinkthat perhaps we better part here tonight."  Nathan's face was a mix of confusion and tenderness.  He spanned her oh, so familiar, ribcage with his hands and pulled her a little closer.  "Will I see you again?"

Her hand moved to the back of his neck and his ear.  "Yes, I'll give you a call tomorrow.  Alright?"

He smiled back down at her.  "Alright."  His lips lowered once again to capture hers in a soft, lingering kiss that was only broken when Jackie brought her hand to the front of his shoulder and pushed him away a little.

She looked up at his questioning, confused eyes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before turning and heading into the hotel.  Nathan watched her until she turned a corner and he could see her no longer.  He turned his glance out towards the water, let out a heavy sigh and turned to go to his car.

The next day Kristin, Lucas and Nathan met for lunch as they did every Wednesday in the cafeteria of the UEO building.  Kristin had arrived first and found a free table off to the side of the dining facility.  Lucas was the next to arrive at the table and Kristin critically inspected his meal of pizza and nachos.

"Quite an interesting combination there, Lucas," she said with a frown.

"Hey, Doc.  With this glass of milk I've got all the major food groups covered."

"How do you figure that?" she asked suspiciously.

Lucas indicated the different parts of his meal.  "Dairy, vegetables," he said pointing at the salsa, "and pizza…all the major food groups."

"Uh huh…I think that perhaps there's a little flaw in your nutrition education, young man."  Kristin frowned as her eyes caught sight of Nathan coming over from the checkout line.  "Good heavens, he looks tired."

Lucas looked back over his shoulder at the Captain.  "That happens when you don't sleep all night."

Kristin glanced back at Lucas.  "All night??"

He paused in the middle of biting on a nacho.  "Pretty much.  At least as far as I could tell."  He stopped talking as Nathan pulled a chair out and sat down across from Kristin.

"Well, you look pretty awful."

Nathan sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  "Yeah,…you ever have one of those nights where you just couldn't get to sleep?…Well, I had one of them last night."

"Um hum.  How did last night's dinner with Jackie go?"

Nathan looked up with a non-committal look on his face.  "It went well.   It was nice."  He looked back down with a frown at he food he was pushing around his plate.

"Where did you end up going?"

Nathan continued to frown at his plate.  "Captain Ted's…then we just walked back to the hotel."

Kristin was more than a little confused by his reticence.  "Well, as long as you had a good time."

Nathan finally looked up at her but his face held a look of mild confusion. "Yeah, we did…it was nice," he repeated.

Lucas came to the rescue and diverted the conversation around some work he was doing on new features for the boat and Kristin listened with interest at some of the amazing things which came from the brain of this 17 year old.  Nathan hardly spoke throughout the meal and picked at his food.  Kristin watched as he speared a French fry that already exhibited many fork holes.

"I think you can leave it alone now…it's dead."

"Hmm??" Nathan looked up in confusion and then glanced at the food that he had been tormenting.  "I guess I'm not very hungry."

"You need an afternoon off, fellow."

Nathan grinned feebly at her.  "Maybe…but not this afternoon.  I've got two meetings before three and then God only knows what after that."  He stood and took his tray in his hands.  "I'll see you later."

Kristin watched as he took his tray over to the dish line and then left the cafeteria.  She glanced back at Lucas who shrugged.

"He spent at least two hours on the phone with his father-in-law last night.  Don't ask me…I can't figure the guy out."

Kristin glanced back to where Nathan had left.  "Probably just an overload of memories."

As Nathan walked back to his office after his second meeting he was stopped by one of the petty officers working there.

"Captain, a Ms Benning called.  She said she'd call back around 1630."

"Great," said Nathan absently.  "Thanks."    He hazarded a quick glance at his watch.  It was about 15 minutes after 4.  Sitting at his desk he tried to read through the progress reports from the last 24 hours but found that he just couldn't concentrate on the words.  He ended up reading the same sentence four times and still wasn't grasping its meaning.  Finally, Nathan leaned back and took his glasses off as he rubbed his eyes.  He stopped abruptly as his vid-phone sounded and hesitated just a moment before pressing the button to connect the call.

Jackie's face on the screen looked just as tired and confused as he supposed his did.  He had to smile.  "Hi, you look like you didn't get any sleep either."

"No…not much at all…and today was just one hellacious day."  She smiled slightly.  "I think we need to talk."

"Yeah…I think so too."

"Look, Nathan…why don't you come to dinner again but this time let's just go to the hotel restaurant?  I'm really too beat to go out."

Nathan nodded.  "Sounds good…same time?"

"Or earlier if you can get here.  Whenever."

"I'll see you this evening," Nathan said as he broke the connection.

Kristin and Lucas decided that they'd go out to dinner without him so Nathan was able to get to the hotel earlier than he had expected.  At around 6:30 he walked up to the front desk and asked the clerk to call Jackie to let her know he was there.  A short time later as he was standing in the lobby staring out at the palm trees gently swaying in the wind, Nathan felt two arms slip around his waist and give him a hug.  Smiling, he turned in her grasp until he was able to put his arms around her also.

"Well, that answers my first question."

Jackie put her head back and looked him in the eyes.  "What question was that?"

"You don't hate me."

She raised up on her toes until her mouth was just below his.  "No…I don't hate you," and their lips joined for a short but passionate kiss.  Jackie pulled back and looked at him again.  "I don't know about you fella, but I hardly had anything to eat today and I'm starving."

Nathan smiled as he released one arm but kept one around her waist and propelled her towards the restaurant off the lobby.  "Inside or outside?"

"Oh, outside, please."

Sitting next to each other at the small round table they had been escorted to Nathan and Jackie managed to get through the meal while skirting around the subject that they both wanted to discuss.  Neither felt comfortable talking about it in public.  After their meal they once again started down the beach for a walk with Jackie again removing her sandals and reveling in the feel of the warm sand as it ran through her toes.  Nathan admired the Hawaiian type sun dress that she wore.  Its bright colors brought out the highlights in her hair and accented her tan skin.

They walked with their arms around each other quietly until finally it was Jackie who broke the silence.

"Nathan?"

"Hmm??"

"Are you feeling guilty about what happened last night?"

"Not yet."

Jackie grinned up at him and then her face became serious again.  "It's just that… I don't know….you and Carol meant so much to each other…"  They slowly came to a halt and turned to face each other.  Nathan's solemn face looking down at her.  "It's just that I thought that maybe…in the darkness of that beach…maybe you saw my sister in me."

Nathan's arms tightened around her back and he pulled her closer.  "No, Jackie, no…it was you."  He brought his head down again for a quick kiss on the lips before trailing small kisses along her cheek and neck.

Jackie moaned as he nuzzled the side of her neck.  "I can't believe this is happening…if you only knew how often I wanted you to hold me like this."

"Shhhh," Nathan whispered and brought his lips up again to hers in a kiss that soon deepened as she parted her lips gladly to allow his tongue to explore and wrestle with her own.  His lips broke from hers and again blazed a trail down the side of her neck as both of their hands moved restlessly over each other's bodies.

"Nathan," she said gasping, "Do you realize that we're necking in the middle of a public beach?"

Nathan chuckled softly against her ear.  "Well, it's been a while since I've done that."

She kissed him quickly on the lips.  "Me too…come on…let's walk some more."

Jackie turned back towards the hotel and rested her head against Nathan's chest as they walked arm-in-arm down the beach.  They continued in comfortable silence until Jackie suddenly pulled up and raised her right foot off the sand.

"Damn!"

"Are you alright?"

"No…I stepped on a shell," she said frustrated.

"Did you cut yourself?"

Jackie leaned one hand against Nathan and he held her up as she checked the bottom of her foot.  "Yeah…I did."  She grimaced as she fingered the cut.  "It's not bad though."  She looked up at Nathan.  "How about if we go back so I can clean this out?"

"Are you alright to walk on it?"

"Yeah, it's not that terrible."  Jackie leaned against Nathan as she limped back to the hotel.  When they got close to the building she was able to get a good look at the cut in the light.  The cut wasn't too serious but it was in an uncomfortable spot on the outside edge of the sole of her foot.  It had almost stopped bleeding but was covered with sand.  Jackie frowned and looked up at Nathan.  "I've got a bandage in my room.  Why don't you come on up and give me a
hand cleaning it."

Nathan unlocked her room and directed Jackie to sit on the couch with her foot raised on the coffee table.  He went into the bathroom and returned with some towels and an ice bucket full of water.

Jackie looked at him suspiciously.  "Just how cold is that water you got?"

Nathan knelt down next to the coffee table with a smirk on his face.  "Would I get cold water to clean your cut off??" he asked innocently.

"In a heartbeat, buddy….that better be warm water."

Nathan dipped a washcloth into the ice bucket and grinned as Jackie flinched when the cloth touched her foot.  The water was just the right temperature.  He carefully bathed the cut to be sure that all the sand was cleaned out.  Jackie watched his hands as he gently used the cloth to wipe and cleanse her foot.  His face took on a serious visage as he tenderly cared for the injury and he finally took the other towel and dried her foot.

"Where's the bandage?"

Jackie glanced towards the bedroom.  "Oh…it's in my suitcase."  She grimaced a little.  "Do me a favor and don't finger through my underwear too much…it's in a little black case that's right underneath my unmentionables."

Nathan grinned and patted her on top of the foot.  "Don't worry.  I'll be a gentleman…"  He got another smirk on his face.  "I promise."  With a small smile Jackie threw the wet washcloth at him as he turned towards the bedroom.  He returned a short time later triumphantly with the bandage in his hand.  "And barely a brief upturned," he said with a grin.

He knelt again next to the coffee table as he applied the bandage to the cut on the bottom of her foot, carefully smoothing out the adhesive strip with his thumbs.  He then moved up to sit next to Jackie on the couch.

Jackie was frowning at her foot.  "That was more fun than you intended to have tonight," said Nathan.  "You really should soak that tonight and tomorrow, you know."

Jackie moved her head over to rest on his shoulder.  "Yes, Doctor Nathan."  Her right hand moved to caress his chest as his left arm smoothly and naturally wound around her shoulders.  Jackie smiled as she noticed that his breathing had picked up from such a mild touch and she raised her head until their lips united in a passion filled kiss that took both of their breaths away.  Jackie snuggled closer to Nathan and brought one leg up to swing over his. As Nathan anointed her ear with little kisses Jackie brought his hand up to cup her breast.  She groaned as Nathan's thumb found her nipple and she slid her hand inside his shirt.

Abruptly, Nathan pulled away and drew in a large breath of air.  He was breathing heavily as he looked at Jackie.  She saw that the confusion from earlier had returned to his eyes.

"What?" she asked softly.

Nathan closed his eyes and fought to control his breathing.  "Too fast."  He opened his eyes and looked at her sorrowfully.  "I'm sorry…but I can't do this just yet."

Jackie brought the hand that had been investigating the inside of his shirt up to cup the side of his face.  Her eyes were tender pools of understanding.  "That's alright, Nathan.  I know.  Perhaps we need to give this a little bit longer to mature."

He nodded slowly and lowered his head leaning his elbows on his thighs.  "I'm sorry," he repeated.

Jackie gently kneaded the muscles of his back.  "It's alright, Nathan.  There will be other nights."

He turned his head to look at her.  "Yeah…I better go."

She nodded slowly and ruffled his hair.  Nathan stood and then leaned down to give Jackie a quick kiss before he turned to the door.  He stopped as he was going out and looked back at her with her injured foot still resting on the coffee table.

"I'll call you tomorrow," she said softly.

Nathan just nodded and pulled the door shut behind him.

Lucas was back in the den and heard Bridger's car pull into the drive but he never came into the house.  After a short time Lucas wandered out to be sure that the Captain was alright.  The lights in the front of the house and on the porch were off but the moonlight allowed Lucas to see Bridger sitting in one of the wicker chairs on the porch staring at the water.  He had one elbow resting on the chair arm and was pulling at his lower lip.  He didn't acknowledge that he had heard Lucas come out.

Finally Lucas gave up and started the conversation himself.  "How was dinner?"

Bridger straightened and quickly glanced over at the boy and then looked away again.  "It was alright," he said softly.

Lucas nodded slowly.  "Hmm mmm.  Jackie okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine," he said in an emotionless tone.

Lucas frowned at Bridger but he just continued to stare out at the water.  "It's after eleven, you know."

"Um hmm.  You should be in bed," he said absently.

"I give up," said Lucas in frustration and he headed into the house followed by a quizzical look from Bridger.

The next day dawned bright and beautiful but Bridger still appeared to be lost in his own thoughts.  Lucas suffered through a silent ride to work even though he prodded Bridger to get some sort of reaction.  Besides the standard `Good Morning' the only words he got from Bridger was his, "I'll see you this afternoon," as they got out of the car and headed their own ways.

Lucas figured that by the time he saw Bridger after work that he'd be back at least close to his normal self.  When he approached the car he was more than a little disappointed to see Nathan sitting on the hood staring at the marina.  He didn't even see Lucas approach.  Finally Lucas came and leaned against the fender of the car next to him.

"You planning on going home sometime today?"

Bridger shook himself from his reverie.  "Yeah.  I guess so," as he started getting down off the hood.

Lucas shook his head and crossed over to the passenger side.  He looked at Bridger over the top of the car.  "You going out again tonight?"

Nathan looked up as he opened his door.  "No…I guess not…she never called today."

"Oh," Lucas said non-committaly.  "That's too bad."  Lucas wasn't really sure about how he felt about this one.  Jackie seemed like a nice lady but any relationship that caused this much confusion had problems from the beginning…and then there was always the Doc.

As they pulled out of the parking lot Lucas decided to try another subject completely.  "So…did you eat lunch today?"

Nathan glanced sharply over at the boy, surprised by the change in direction.  Then he let out a heavy sigh and frowned.  "Um….no, I didn't," he said in a resigned voice.

Lucas tsked and shook his head a little.  "Why don't we stop for dinner on the way home?  I don't really feel like cooking," he glanced over at Bridger again, "and to tell you the truth I don't think you ought to be allowed near anything that requires any concentration just now."

Nathan smiled softly and when he spoke he sounded more like his normal self.  "Alright, kiddo.  How about Casey's?"

"Casey's sounds great to me," the boy smiled over at the older man.  "At least it does if you'll let me have nachos for my dinner…they've got great nachos."

Nathan sighed again and shook his head.  "Yeah, you can have the nachos."

They finished their dinner and arrived home just a little before sunset.  Lucas was less than pleased to see Jackie sitting in a car on the street waiting for them.  As they pulled in she got out of the car and came over towards them smiling.

The Captain seemed to have perked up.  "How's the foot?"

Jackie shrugged.  "A little sore but other than that alright."  She smiled slyly at him.  "It must have been the good treatment it got last night."

Nathan just chuckled and shook his head as he walked past the end of the car and towards the entrance to the house.

"Do you have time to talk to me, Nathan?"

He stopped and faced her.  "Sure….in the house or do you want to walk?"

"Let's walk, if you don't mind."  She looked across to where Lucas was standing on the bottom step.  "No offense, Lucas."

The boy shook his head slowly.  "None taken," he said in a voice that wasn't quite believable.

Jackie took Nathan's hand and they headed down the beach talking as Lucas mounted the stairs and went into the house.  He busied himself with the computer in his bedroom and only left the lights for the kitchen on in the front of the house.  Just after sunset Lucas heard another car pull into the drive and a short time later Kristin stuck her head into his bedroom.

"Hi, Lucas…is Nathan around?"

The boy stared at her for just a moment and then shook himself.  "Um…sorry…he went out."

"Oh rats…I was hoping to confirm the zoo trip we were planning for this coming weekend."

Lucas stood and started walking out towards the front of the house.  "I'm not sure when he's going to be back."  The boy frowned, "maybe you can catch him tomorrow at work."

Kristin patted Lucas on the shoulder as they walked towards the porch.  "Yes, that's probably a good idea….or have him give me a call when he gets back in."

By now they were standing in the dark on the porch.  "No problem, Doc.  I'll let him know."

"Alright.  Goodnight, Lucas," Kristin said as she turned and froze at what she saw out on the dock.

The night was dark but the moon had come up almost right after sunset and it reflected off of the water perfectly silhouetting the couple entwined in an intimate embrace at the end of the dock.

"Aw, shit," Lucas mumbled under his breath.

Any question about who the couple was disappeared as they separated long enough for Nathan to tenderly caress the side of Jackie's face before moving in again for another passionate kiss.

Lucas could hear the Doctor's breath become more strident as she watched them for a short time.  Then she turned abruptly and stalked off the porch, slamming the door on her way out.

"Aw, double shit," Lucas muttered.

A good while later, Lucas was sitting on the porch as he heard the Captain saying goodnight to Jackie.  He heard a car start up and pull away and then he heard the Captain's measured step as he climbed the stairs to the porch.

He spotted Lucas leaning back in one of the wicker chairs.  His voice held a tone of amusement.  "Sitting in the dark?"

"Yeah," was the boy's sole response.

Nathan nodded and glanced out to the water.  "What was the door slam about?" he asked calmly.

Lucas fixed the Captain with a level stare before evenly explaining.  "That was the Doc."  He paused.  "As she left."

Nathan looked at Lucas and then out to the dock.  He could see the reflection of the moon off of the water and how it highlighted the dock pilings.  "Damn."

When Jackie arrived back at her hotel room she headed straight for the shower.  She came out a short time later with her robe around her body and toweling her hair.  The vid-phone in the room bleeped to indicate an incoming call and Jackie moved over to push the button to connect it.

The face of a blond haired man smiled back at her from the screen.  "Hey, squirt, how's it going?"

She smiled back and sat down in the comfortable chair facing the screen.  "It's going pretty well, Jimmy.  He is such a sap."

The man leaned back in his chair and grinned.  "Fell for it hook, line and sinker, huh?"

"Oh, hell, Jimmy…he swallowed the entire tackle box."

Jimmy chuckled softly.

"For that matter, we almost ended up in bed last night."

Jimmy looked mildly disgusted.  "You don't really plan on making love to him, do you?"

Jackie threw the wet towel over the back of the couch.  "No…that just happened due to the circumstances of the night.  Going to bed with him….no, that would be just too revolting."

"What's next on your agenda?"

"Well, I managed to make sure that his current slut got a good look at the two of us involved in a serious game of tonsil hockey….from the sounds of the door she slammed, I imagine that he's going to have a difficult time on the home front."  She ran her fingers through her hair to untangle any knots.  "I think it's about time that I let this idiot down."

"You going to let him down hard?"

Steely eyes looked back at the vidscreen.  "Like a brick."

Nathan grimaced at the cars around him on the drive to work the next morning.  He never did understand what made all these people drive so slow.  Living out on the barrier island made for nice scenery but the drive to work could be a real killer, especially if you got a late start like they had done today.

Lucas looked over at him and shook his head a little.  The Captain at least seemed to be more `with it' than he'd been for the last few days but Lucas didn't know if that related to something good or bad.  He decided to take a chance and ask…what the hell, what was the worse thing Bridger could do to him?

He knew his voice was a little tenuous.  "So…have you figured out what you're going to do yet?"

Nathan hazarded a quick glance at the boy before turning his attention back to the traffic.  "What I'm going to do about what?"

Lucas cleared his throat.  "Your...um… rather complicated love life."

Lucas could swear that the Captain stopped breathing for a moment.  He kept his head facing forward and Lucas could see his jaw muscles working.  When he spoke there was barely controlled anger in his voice.

"To begin with…my love life is none of your business." He frowned at a car that cut him off and uttered an obscenity under his breath.  "And the answer is no…how about you let me worry about it?…when it becomes your concern, I'll let you know."

Lucas took a deep breath and avoided looking at Bridger.  He decided to stick to his guns.   "I'm sorry but when it comes to two people that I care a lot about, I figure that it's my business too."

"You figure wrong," was Bridger's curt answer.

He turned the car into the main entrance for the UEO complex and then into their parking lot.  Neither of them said a word as Bridger found a parking space and pulled the car in.  He turned off the ignition and still sat there staring out the windshield.  Lucas hesitantly looked over at him, noting the angry set of his shoulders and neck and how he was clenching his jaw.  Lucas dropped his head and gave up.  He reached to open his door.

"I'll see you later," he said as he got out of the car. Bridger didn't respond.

When Nathan arrived in his office it was apparent that he was not in the best of moods.  His staff surreptitiously watched him after he went by and then vowed to do their best to avoid him for a while.  By the time mid-morning came around the rush of work had mellowed Bridger's mood some.

He'd just negotiated some extra space for the science contingent and was on his way to a meeting with, of all things, the company who provided stoves for the galley.  Looking down the corridor, Nathan's face lit up a bit as he spotted Kristin coming the other way down the passageway.   As she walked she glanced up and spotted him.  Abruptly, she pointedly turned the other way and walked away from him.  The smile faded from his face and Nathan just shook his head.  Lucas was right about it being complicated.

Nathan was shaking his head again as he came back in his office after the `great stove meeting'.  There had to be a better way to use his time than to be deciding on the issue of what kind of stove was used.  His stomach growled and he glanced quickly at his watch.  Almost lunchtime.  One of the petty officers stopped him as he walked through the office.

"Captain, a Ms Benning just called…she said to tell you that she was down in the parking lot."

A smile creased Bridger's face.  "Great…thanks."  He quickly stopped in his office to drop off the paper work he was carrying and then headed out to the parking lot.

The petty officer who had stopped him stared at his retreating back and spoke to the ensign at the next desk.  "I think that was first smile I've seen on him all week."

The ensign looked down the corridor too.  "Yeah, but who's this Benning woman?  I thought he was dating Westphalen."

"He was," said the petty officer rubbing his ear.  "I don't think either one of us want to be around for the fallout on this one."

"Noooope," said the ensign sincerely as he turned back to his work.

Nathan stood on the steps of the building and looked over the parking lot a while before spotting Jackie's rental car.  She'd picked a spot away from other cars and closer to the marina.  Bridger smiled as he walked that way and he saw her get out of the car and lean against the hood with her arms crossed.

"Good morning," he said.

"I suppose it is."  Nathan was surprised by the terse tone of her voice.  Was everyone in a pissed off mood today?

Well, thought Nathan, may as well give it another try… He kept the smile on his face, "You feel like lunch?"

Jackie's expression still remained impassive.  "Nope,…as a matter of fact, I'm leaving."

A frown creased Nathan's forehead.  "Leaving where?"

"Leaving here…leaving New Cape Quest…I've been here for three weeks and I've had just about enough of it…"  She paused and then said pointedly, "and you."

The frown now became a puzzled look.  "Three weeks?  What about the conference?"

"There never was a conference."

Nathan nodded his head slowly.  He was past confusion at this point.  "No conference…"

"No…I lied to you."

"Okay," he said hesitantly, "then what were you doing for the last three weeks?"

"Watching you."

Nathan stopped a bit and straightened up.  "Watching me…"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you repeat things a lot?"  She uncrossed her arms and leaned back against the car.  "Yes, Nathan, watching you."

"Why?"

"It's one of the principles of warfare, isn't it?  To get to know your enemy?"

He cocked his head a little and tried levity one more time. "Funny, I don't seem to recall being the enemy last night."

Contempt dripped from her voice.  "Nathan, you are such an idiot."  She watched as the emotions played across his face before being replaced by a passive mask.  "You don't honestly think I could fall in love with the man who killed my sister, do you?"

Bridger's voice was tight but controlled.  "I didn't kill Carol…she died…there's a difference."

"She wouldn't have died if you hadn't taken her off to that God-forsaken island of yours."  Nathan didn't respond but only stood staring at her.  "And what about Bobby?… If he hadn't decided to follow in the footsteps of his almighty father he'd probably be alive today too."

Nathan flinched like he had been slapped.  "Bobby did what he wanted to do… no one could have foreseen what happened."

Jackie pushed herself up off the car and stood close to Nathan. "You killed him Nathan… just like you killed Carol."  A cruel look covered her face.  "But this week it was almost like having Carol back wasn't it??"  Jackie took pleasure in looking into Nathan's eyes. His face may be a mask but his eyes were showing the pain her words were inflicting.  "Is that who you saw when you kissed me, Nathan? When you held me?…Was it really me or were you just pretending it was Carol all the time?"

Nathan looked down at her.  The shock was gone and his eyes were now an emotionless flat color.  A little bit of a sardonic grin curled at the corner of his mouth.  A short, humorless laugh crossed his lips.  "Well, you certainly took me for a ride."  He shook his head a little.  "It would seem that the only way you're like Carol is in looks…"  He took a deep breath and brought his chin up.  His voice was almost calm…almost.  "I never noticed it before…have you always been a bitch?"

Jackie pulled back and brought her hand up to deliver a resounding slap to Bridger's left cheek.  "Bastard," she spat out as she turned and stalked to her car.  Nathan just took a deep breath, stared after her for just a moment and then turned to look out at the water of the marina.

Lucas and Kristin had come out on the steps of the UEO building intent upon heading to a fast food place for lunch.  They'd had enough of the cafeteria food this week and besides, they needed to talk.  Kristin squinted and put her sunglasses on as she came out into the bright sunshine.

"Uh oh, look out…it's the wicked witch," mumbled Lucas.

Kristin looked inquisitively at the boy and then followed where he pointed his chin.  Nathan and Jackie were standing next to a car on the far side of the parking lot.  From the looks on both of their faces the discussion wasn't a pleasant one.  Kristin took a little satisfaction at the thought of there being a little trouble in paradise.

Lucas made a small tsking sound.  "Is it my imagination or do the both of them not look happy?"

"They look decidedly unhappy," responded Kristin levelly as they started walking to her car.  "Isn't that a shame?"

"Yeah," Lucas started to respond.  Just then Jackie backed up and slapped Bridger hard on the face.  Hard enough that they could hear it this far away.  "Wow," said Lucas in amazement.

They saw Jackie turn and get into the car while Nathan's face abandoned the impassive look it had before.  Now they could see that he was angry and he turned towards the marina putting his back to Jackie.

Kristin saw Jackie start up her car and start to pull away towards the exit to the parking lot.  After pulling across two aisles Jackie suddenly came to a halt.  Kristin could see her look back to where Nathan was standing.  The car started moving forward quickly with a slight screeching of tires as Jackie spun the wheel to head the car back towards Nathan.

"Nathan!!!!" Kristin screamed.  She saw him glance quickly her way and then suddenly notice the car that was speeding for him. He jumped just as Jackie hit him.  Kristin saw Nathan's body go flying across the hood of the car and up the windshield like he was a rag doll.  He rolled off the roof and fell to the ground motionless as Jackie sped away.

Nathan gradually became aware of what sounded like a drill.  A drill that was trying to pierce his skull.  Perhaps if he moved his head a little it would go away.  No….he couldn't move his head.  He listened to the sound and found that listening hurt but it made him realize that it wasn't a drill….it was a siren.  Now why would a siren be trying to drill into the side of his head?  No….forget about it….it hurt to think.

And why wasn't someone helping the poor guy who was moaning.  He could distinctly hear someone moaning in pain.  For that matter he could hear his own breathing and it hurt to hear his breathing….it made his head hurt more.  He could hear his heartbeat.  Now why would that hurt too?  He heard something else.  He heard a soft, soothing voice….and then he felt the touch of a cool hand on his cheek.  They didn't hurt.  They were probably the only thing he was aware of that didn't hurt.  He tried to listen to the words but trying to concentrate hurt.

The moaning….oh, now he knew….he was the one who was moaning.  He listened again to the voice….the soothing voice.  That was Kristin.  He dared to open his eyes a little and caught a quick flash of Kristin looking down at him with concern in her eyes before closing them again.  It hurt a lot to open his eyes.  Nathan listened to the relaxing voice.  The voice telling him not to worry….that he'd be alright.  It had to be true if it was Kristin saying it so he allowed himself to be drawn back into the depths of unconsciousness.

Kristin and Lucas sat in the waiting room of New Cape Quest General Hospital.  Kristin was leaning forward with her right elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand.  Her other hand was firmly grasped in Lucas' right hand and his left hand covered both of them.  Kristin looked up as Lieutenant Brakker from the UEO security force approached.  He squatted down to talk to them.

"Any word on how he's doing?"

Kristin dropped the hand she had been leaning her chin on and sat up a little.  "He woke up for just a moment in the ambulance on the way here."  She paused a moment.  "I think he recognized who I was….and that's a good sign."  She rubbed her hand over her chin nervously.  "He's got a broken leg and at least a concussion.  They're taking him for a meta-cat scan now to check and see how bad the concussion is….fortunately, no fractured skull."

"Probably a reflection of how thick it is," muttered Lucas under his breath.

Kristin flashed him a frown and addressed the lieutenant again.  "Other than that, he's really banged up.  Fortunately, he jumped when he did so the car didn't hit him full force."

The lieutenant nodded slowly.  "Well, we've got her."  He shrugged.  "She won't talk to us….not at all.  She just came at him, huh?"

Lucas took over the conversation.  "They had an argument….and it musta been a big one because just before she pulled away she slapped the Captain really good."  Lucas focused at a place on the floor, reliving the event.  "Then she pulled away like she was going to leave….stopped….and then suddenly turned and gunned the car right for him."  He shook his head slowly.  "He just went flying."

The lieutenant nodded again.  "We're presently holding her on assault with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of an injury accident.  Hopefully Bridger will be able to fill in some of the gaps for us."

Lucas sat next to the treatment bed where Bridger lay.  The doctors said that he'd woken up a couple of times and had even given them some pretty lucid answers when they asked questions but right now he was asleep again.  His left leg was elevated and they'd put it in a rigid fiberglass cast.  Lucas grinned a little.  He hoped that Bridger didn't mind the royal blue color that he'd chosen.  He glanced over at the monitors that Bridger was hooked up to.  They didn't appear to show anything exciting.  His hand covered Bridger's right hand and Lucas suddenly felt a small squeeze.  He stood and looked at Bridger but his eyes were still closed.

"Hey, Cap.  You in there somewhere?" he asked gently.

Bridger slowly took a deep breath.  "No," he said softly with his eyes still shut.  He grimaced a little and then cautiously opened his eyes.  They shifted over to Lucas and after a moment seemed to focus on him.  He closed his eyes and grimaced again and then opened his eyes again with a frown on his face.

"Ow."

Lucas chuckled a little.  "Yeah, that's a pretty good summary of it."

A doctor that Nathan remembered having seen earlier walked up to the bed.  "Welcome back, Captain.  Are you planning on staying with us this time."

"Oh, I guess so," Nathan said tiredly.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Nathan brought one hand up to rub his eyes.  "Oh yeah,….I remember," he said in a disgusted voice.  He glanced up at the doctor.  "Does it count if I don't want to remember?"

The doctor looked confused and glanced over at Lucas.  He shrugged his shoulders.  "It's kind of a long story," the boy explained.

"How bad is the damage?"

The doctor looked back down at Nathan.  "Well, you broke your left leg below the knee, you've got a mild concussion and a rather nasty set of bruises.  Other than that…. You came out pretty lucky."

"Can I go home?"

The doctor looked across at Lucas and shrugged.  "They never want to stay around and enjoy the ambiance here…." He looked back down at Nathan, "Yes, it looks like we're going to let you go home providing the meta-cat scan doesn't show anything nasty….but with a lot of cautions."

"Like?"

"Like staying off your feet and getting some rest."

Nathan shrugged.  It was nice to see that shrugging didn't hurt too much.  "I can live with that."

The doctor put his hand on Nathan's arm.  "Let me go check the scans and then we'll see where you're going from there."  He left and headed down the hallway.

Nathan watched him leave and then closed his eyes momentarily.  He opened them again and looked at Lucas with a questioning look.  "I thought Kristin was here."

Lucas nodded a little.  "She was….she rode in with you in the ambulance but then she left."  Actually, he'd just left her in the waiting room.  Lucas didn't really understand why the Doc had asked him to lie.

Nathan settled his head back down on the pillow with a sigh.  "Does the word `idiot' come to mind?" he said softly.

"You or her?" Lucas asked.

"Oh me….definitely me."

Lieutenant Brakker wandered into the treatment room with a smile on his face.  "Ah, you've come back to visit with us, Captain."

"Yeah, but stop being so damned cheerful about it," grumbled Nathan.

Brakker only smiled more.  "Well, we got her."

Bridger glanced up at him sharply but didn't say anything.

"We're holding her at the station on assault with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of an injury accident."

Nathan took a deep breath and released it.  "I'm not going to make you happy, Lieutenant."

Brakker looked at him suspiciously.  "Why would that be, Captain?"

"I won't sign complaints against her."

"She tried to kill you, Captain," Brakker said reasonably.

"Yeah, maybe."  Bridger rubbed his eyes again.  "Lieutenant, she's my sister-in-law.  What we had there was a massive domestic argument….it wasn't planned."  He sighed again and looked up at the Lieutenant's disapproving face.  "If she'd had a bottle in her hand she would have chucked it at me….as it was, she had a steering wheel in her hand."  He shook his head a little…a very little because that *did* hurt.  "I won't press charges."

"And you think that this will be the end of it?"

"Lieutenant, she accomplished what she wanted to do…." He hesitated just a moment.  "Very successfully," he said softly.  Nathan grimaced a little at a twinge of pain.  "Somehow, I don't think I'll be seeing her again."

The Lieutenant sighed in a frustrated manner.  "The UEO could sign the complaints, Captain….and bring you into court."

"You could….but I'd be a hostile witness."  Bridger looked the young lieutenant in the face.  "It's not worth it, Lieutenant," he said firmly.  "She's not worth it," he said softer.

An hour later they'd gone through all the steps to get Bridger released from the hospital.  He'd managed to get vertical without falling over, something he wasn't quite sure about, he proved to them that he could navigate on his crutches and his meta-cat scan was normal.  Commander Ford had come by to give them a lift while Tim O'Neil was driving Bridger's car over to the house.  Lucas had gone out to see Kristin while Bridger was dealing with the physical therapist and the crutches.

"You sure that you don't want to see him?"

Kristin sighed and looked a little sad.  "I'm positive, Lucas….not just yet."

Lucas looked away down the hall with a dismayed look on his face.  "You know he's refusing to sign complaints against her."

That made Kristin raise her eyebrows.  "Really?  Did he say why?"

A confused look crossed Lucas' face.  "Well, he told the lieutenant that she wasn't worth it….that it was a spur of the moment thing during an argument."  Lucas looked over at Westphalen and shook his head.  "Other than that….he just said some stuff about her having accomplished what she had set out to do….I didn't really understand that part."

Kristin patted the boy on the shoulder.  "Well, let me know if you need anything."  She started to turn away but caught sight of the stricken look on Lucas' face.  She placed one hand on the side of his cheek.  "I may stop by later to see how he's doing…maybe."

Lucas watched her leave the emergency room and then turned back to the treatment area to see about getting Bridger home.

It was almost evening by the time they managed to get home.  But, of course, even then they couldn't manage to get properly settled.  Bridger insisted that he wasn't going to bed but instead he wanted to sit out on the porch.  Lucas gathered some pillows to put on a chair so that he could elevate his leg.

"You're just going to sit out here and look at the water, huh?"

Nathan's glance only flicked over the boy.  His voice was almost a monotone.   "Yeah, that was the general idea."

"Gonna just sit here and feel sorry for yourself."

Bridger was staring out at the water while he chewed on his lower lip.  "Uh huh."

Lucas frowned at him.  "Terrific," he muttered in a discouraged voice.  A car horn sounded outside and Lucas looked that way.  "The Commander went to get us something for dinner….I figured you wouldn't want to eat anything I can make and I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I could use some food."  Bridger's tone of voice made Lucas nervous.  He was almost like a balloon that had lost all its air….like something had gone out of him.

Lucas walked down the steps to the drive where Ford was waiting.  A smile crossed his face as he saw that Doctor Westphalen was also there.  She smiled warmly at him.

"So, how's he doing?"

"He's feeling very sorry for himself just about now."  Lucas shrugged…boy, it seemed like he'd spent the last week shrugging.  "He's sitting on the porch with his leg propped up staring at the water."

"Lucas, do you think you can go find somewhere else to eat your dinner?"

Lucas nodded.  "Yeah, no problem.  Take your time….who knows, maybe you'll be able to get through that thick skull of his."

Kristin smiled and patted him on the shoulder.  She picked up one of the bags of food and headed for the stairs.  By now the sun was pretty low and the porch was dimly illuminated by the twilight. Kristin could see Nathan sitting in one of the big white wicker chairs with his leg propped up on another.  He had his head back leaning against the wall and had his eyes shut.  He heard her approach and spoke without opening his eyes.

"Did the Commander get what you wanted?"

Kristin set the bag of food down on the coffee table next to Nathan's chair.  "Not quite," she said softly.

Nathan's eyes flew open and he looked quickly up at Kristin and then groaned and leaned his forehead on his hand as the swift movement caused his head to hurt…a lot.  "Ohhh," he groaned.  "Memo to self, don't do that," he muttered.

Kristin sat in the chair across the coffee table from him.  "Well, at least you've maintained your sense of humor."

Bridger still had his head leaning on his hand.  "Barely."

Her voice was soft and laced with concern.  "How are you feeling?"

Nathan turned his head slowly in her direction with a confused look.  "Why are you even talking to me?"

"What should I be doing?"

"I don't know," he sighed.  "Yelling at me, calling me an idiot…" he shook his head.  "I don't know," he repeated.

"Oh, I think you're doing a fine job of that yourself."

Nathan couldn't even bear to look at her and leaned his head on his hand again while looking at the floor.  He gave a little humorless laugh.  "Did you know that the doctor who did the meta-cat said it was the first time he'd ever seen someone really function without a brain?"

He looked so sad….so totally depressed, that she just had to at least listen to him.  Plus, she wanted to know.  "What happened, Nathan?"

He lifted his head a little and leaned his chin on his hand.  "It was a set-up," he said in a disgusted tone.  "She and Jimmy had it all worked out."   He paused a little and then continued in a soft, monotone voice.  "She'd come down here and make a play for me…. Which she did…..Then I'd fall for her…. Which I did…."  He leaned back in the chair.  "Then she'd tell me just what kind of idiot I was…." He shook his head a little.  "Which she did….in no uncertain terms."

Nathan took a deep breath and sighed.  When he started up again his voice was a little closer to normal.  "Did you know that I never even realized until this afternoon that she was dressing like Carol did?"  He glanced over quickly at Kristin and then looked out at the water again.  "She was even mimicking Carol's movements….she had a nervous habit of tucking her hair behind her right ear."  Bridger brushed his hand up across the top of his ear to demonstrate.  "She even picked that up."

He sighed again.  "And I like the fool that I am fell for it….lock, stock and barrel."

Kristin stared at his profile without a word.  Without more than an "Um hmm."

Nathan finally turned towards her.  "So why aren't you telling me to get lost?"  He twitched as a quick pain shot through his leg but kept facing Kristin.  "Why are you sitting there listening to me?"

Kristin didn't answer for a moment.  Then she dropped her eyes from him and instead stared at her hands.  "Because I understand," she said softly.

Nathan didn't say anything….he didn't need to….the confused look on his face said it all.

She looked up at him.  "Nathan, I'd give anything for just one more chance to hold on to Alex."  Alex was her first husband, the one who had died.  She smiled a sad smile.  "And it's been a lot longer for me than it's been for you….Carol's been dead what?  Three years?"  Nathan nodded slowly.  "Nathan, after over twenty years I still see Alex sometimes….I see someone who looks like him but just for a moment….it's him."

Nathan rubbed his forehead like it hurt…because it did hurt…a lot.  "Yeah but I don't know," he said softly and shook his head a little…but only a little.  "I don't know how you could forgive me for being such an idiot."

"Oh, I can forgive you, Nathan," Kristin said earnestly.  "I can forgive you and so can Lucas….forgiving yourself is probably going to be a bit harder."

Bridger started to say something and then had to stop.  He stared at the water a little while before he tried again.  Kristin sat patiently and let him take his time.  Finally he looked over at her.  When he spoke it was in a voice choked with emotion.  "I didn't expect that you'd…."  He stopped again and swallowed hard a couple of times.  "Do you mean that I haven't blown it for the two of us?"

"No…" She shook her head a little. "No, you haven't blown it."  She looked over at him with a stern face.  "Do you remember that speed bump that Lucas put in our way when we first started up this relationship."

Bridger nodded slowly while staring at Kristin.

"Well, you've gone and put a big bloody brick wall across the race course."  She stopped and sighed.  "It's going to take some time to get those bricks down."

Nathan had a small smile cross his face.  "Oh, I think it'll be worth the effort…I know that it will."

Kristin gave him a small smile also and then looked down at the bag on the table.  "Your dinner is cold."

Bridger looked at the bag too.  "Yeah."

Kristin stood and picked the bag up.  "I'll go warm it up for you."  She started walking to the door.

Nathan's voice was a little shaky.  "Thanks," he said as she went by him.

She patted him on the shoulder as she passed by.  "Anytime, Nathan…anytime."