“To Be or Not To Be”

Lights were turned down low all over the UEO’s flagship, seaQuest D.S.V.  Humans are accustomed to having an established day and night, whether they are above the ocean or under the ocean.

Through the ship a lone man walked, every once and a while he would stop to study a feature here or there, some change to his original design, because this ship had been his dream.  He had lobbied for the money to build seaQuest, but before the ship was out of the shipyard he had walked away when his son, Robert, was killed in action.  He had made a promise to his wife, Carol, that he would never again return to the military.

He hoped that she would have understood why he had to break that promise now.  He had known the moment he had stepped back on board that he was coming home.

Through a little kidnapping by Admiral Noyce, and a run in with a rogue submarine,  he had finally made the decision to stay. Damn, he hated when Bill was right.  Being back on seaQuest, he found he couldn't sleep, so he was exploring.

When Captain Nathan Hale Bridger arrived on Sea Deck, he saw Darwin swimming in the Moon Pool.  With a boyish grin, Captain Bridger walked toward the dolphin.

“Hey Darwin Boy,” Bridger said stroking Darwin’s head.

“Bridger, play with Darwin?”  Hearing the dolphin speak was still something new to Bridger.  Lucas Wolenczak, the ship's computer expert, had developed the program that enabled the squeaks and whistles that Darwin made to be translated into English.  Something Bridger had tried to develop, but failed.

“Not now.  Tomorrow, I promise.”

“We stay here?”

Bridger nodded.  “Yeah, we stay here.”  Slowly, he gently stroked and petted the mammal.

Dr. Kristin Westphalen had been checking on one of her patients.  On her way back to her quarters, she noticed lights on, in the Sea Deck.  Curiosity of who else would be wondering around the ship at this hour caused her to investigate.

Kristin heard the deep timbre of his voice before she actually saw him.  For a moment she stood in doorway studying her new Captain.

He was a tall man, with a wiry frame.  But she had read his file and knew he was all muscle under his black UEO uniform, he did not have an ounce of fat.  When she had met him a few days before, she had noticed his rich blue eyes, the deep color of cerulean.

Nathan Bridger had the kind of eyes that were mirrors to the soul.  She felt that he could look at you and see what you were feeling.  There was something about this man that drew her to him.

Maybe it was the fact that he was scientist as well as a military officer.  Maybe it was how he knew exactly what she had been talking about earlier, when Commander Ford had not, or it could have been because he treated Lucas, not as some boy genius, but as a member of the crew.  But then again she had also read everything he had ever published about dolphins and marine biology.

The sound of his laughter brought her out of her thoughts.  Darwin had apparently pulled his favorite trick of splashing water, and then laughing.  The sight of Bridger soaking wet caused Westphalen to start laughing.

The sound of unexpected laughter, caught Bridger’s attention.  Glancing over his shoulder, he did not at first recognize Dr. Westphalen.  What he saw was a beautiful woman with wavy auburn hair; wearing tight jeans, a T-shirt, and a big plaid shirt tied at her slim waist.  On closer inspection, he caught the gleam of mischief in her whiskey colored eyes.  It was the color of her eyes that made him realize who was before him.

“You're up late, Doctor,” he said still stroking Darwin’s head.

“I was checking on a patient,” Kristin explained walking over beside him.  “Hello Darwin,” she said with a gentle smile.

“Doctor Kristin play with Darwin?”

Kristin laughed.  “I played with you earlier,” she reminded the mammal.  “What did you teach him on that island of yours?” She asked with a teasing note to her voice.

Bridger laughed as he climbed to his feet.  Not wanting to lose her company, and maybe wanting to get to know her better, is why he held out his hand and asked.  “I was just going to get a cup of coffee.  Would you like to join me?”

“I’d like that,” she said excepting his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

With a final pat to Darwin’s head, Captain Bridger escorted Dr. Westphalen to the Mess Hall.  At this time of night, the Mess Hall was normally empty, but the cooks knew to leave out large pots of coffee and snacks in the walk in refrigerators for the third shift.

After they had their coffee, they sat down at a table.  Spending several moments in silence sipping their coffee.  It was Kristin, finally broke the silence.

“I wanted to thank you for helping my people the other day get the equipment to fix the vent cap.  If you had not been here... Well, you know what could have happened.”

Bridger nodded.  “Well, I think we are even, with all your help you gave us in defeating the Delta Four.”

“Did you ever find Captain Stark?”  Kristin asked taking a sip of her coffee.

Bridger shook his head.  “No, the mini sub was gone.  Commander Ford and I feel that she must have escaped along with it. I have a real sinking feeling that this is not the last we have heard of Stark.

“Let me ask you this.  Were you able to discover who was behind her?"  Kristin asked out of curiosity.  She had heard other crew members speculating and was curious as to what the Captain had to say.

Commander Ford and the Captain had both decided that Stark could not have planned everything that had happened.  Not because she was not smart enough, but would have need the financial backing.  The computer virus alone was well above her price range.

“Not yet, but Lucas is going through the Delta Four’s data banks.  If that kid is as smart as he thinks he is.  He should be able to find out,”  Bridger said with a boyish grin.

Lucas reminded him a lot of himself when he was sixteen.  Only a hell of a lot smarter.  Lucas’ father had had him assigned to the seaQuest to learn discipline, but from what Nathan saw that the boy needed the most of was love.

“So I take it from the fact that you are still here and in uniform, that you will be staying,” she commented since he at first had refused to wear the uniform.

“I guess I am.  I just hope she would have understood.”

“She?”

“My wife, Carol,” Bridger said sadly.

Kristin had read in the Captain's file that his wife had passed away the year before.  She had also heard through the grapevine that the Captain had made a promise to his wife to never have anything to do with the military again.

“I would hope she would, Captain.  I don't think she would have wanted you to live out your life in grief.”

Bridger smiled.  “I hope your right, Doctor.  I hope you're right.”  Nathan paused for a moment to get his emotions together before he continued.  “When I talked to Admiral Noyce earlier.  He mentioned that after the seaQuest is repaired.  We are suppose to help Dr. Raleigh Young with his latest project.  Something to do with Black Smokers and Tube Worms,” Bridger explained.

“Not Dr. Raleigh Young the geologist,”  Westphalen said.  Her eyes begging him to tell different.

“The same,” Bridger nodded.

“Bloody hell,” she said resting her head in her hands.

“I take it that you know Raleigh, too.”

“We have met a few years ago.  I found him to be very loud, obnoxious, and very stubborn.”

“That sounds like Raleigh,” Bridger laughed climbing to his feet.  He had enjoyed their conversation, but knew that he needed to get some sleep.  “Thank you for the conversation and the coffee, Doctor,” he said at the doorway.

“You're welcome, Captain,” she replied with a smile.

Bridger stood watching Kristin finishing up her coffee.  She was a beautiful woman, and truly he was looking forward to getting to know her better.  “Doctor, would it be all right if I called you, Kristin?”

“I would like that.  If I can call you, Nathan?”  She asked with a gentle smile.

“I think that can be arranged.  Good night, Kristin.”

“Good night, Nathan.”  Kristin watched him leave.  Things were defiantly changing since Nathan Bridger had come on board, and she hoped they would continue to change.

The Devil's Window

With a sigh of relief, Captain Bridger watched the shuttle carrying Dr. Raleigh Young leave the seaQuest.  After nearly a month of putting up with Raleigh and his constant complaints, Bridger felt like celebrating.  The expression on Commander Ford's face showed his relief as well.

“Well, Commander, peace and tranquillity has descended upon us once again.”

“Not a minute to soon,”  Jonathan replied.  “How's Darwin?”  He asked changing the subject.

“He seems to have recovered completely.  Kristin is still trying to analyze the seaweed, but I think it will just be another mystery of the sea.  I wanted to thank you for letting me do what I had to do.  You could have had Admiral Noyce relieve me of duty.”

“And have to deal with Dr. Young on my own.  No, thank you!  Besides we all care about Darwin,” Ford commented.

“Thank you, Commander.  That means a lot to me.”

“Well sir, I am going to turn in for the night.  Maybe you should try and get some sleep also.”

“I will just as soon as I check in on Darwin one last time.  Good night, Jonathan.”

“Good night, Captain.”

Captain Bridger had just stepped in to the MAG-LEV when his PAL beeped.  Activating the receive button he answered.  “Bridger.”

The soothing sound of Dr. Westphalen’s voice washed over him.  “Nathan, could come down to Sea Deck?  I think there is something you need to see.”

“I'm on my way,” he replied before deactivating his communicator.  Sitting back in the padded seat, Captain Bridger thought back over the past few weeks.  Throughout the entire time of Darwin’s illness, Kristin had been his strength.  They had worked as a team.  All he had to do was look at her and she seemed to know what he was thinking.  What he had been feeling. No one had ever seemed to know him so well.

When the doors to the MAG-LEV opened, the woman he had just been thinking about was standing in the doorway waiting on him.  When she had first called, he had been afraid something else had happened to Darwin, but the smile on her face instantly relieved his worries.

“You must have been on your way to get here so soon,” Kristin teased as he stepped out.

“Actually, I was.  So what's up?”

“Actually, it would be better if you saw this, than if I were to explain,” she said motioning for him to follow her.

Following her into Sea Deck, Nathan noticed that she again was wearing her tight jeans, this time with a big ivory fisherman's sweater that fell to mid thigh.  Obviously, she had been doing research off duty again.

At first, he was to busy looking at her to realize she had stopped and was speaking to him.

“...I wasn't sure if I should wake him or not,” Kristin said turning to look at him.  The far away look on his face, caused her to reach out and place a gentle hand on his arm.

“Nathan, are you all right?”

“What?”  Nathan asked blinking and then blushed at his thoughts.  “Oh, sorry, Kristin, I was thinking about something else. Could you repeat what you just said?”

“I said that I came down to check on Darwin before turning in.  When I found him asleep,”  Kristin explained pointing towards where Lucas was curled up asleep next to Darwin’s tank.  “I wasn't sure if I should wake him or not.”

Nathan smiled down at the boy.  Darwin’s illness had been just as hard on Lucas as it had on him.  Darwin was the closest thing Lucas had to a pal on board the ship.  Sitting down on his haunches next to the boy, Nathan gently shook him.

“Lucas?  Lucas, wake up.  You need to go to your room,” Bridger said.

Lucas tried burrowing his head under his pillow, but the Captain was persistent.  Finally, Lucas opened his eyes to find the Captain and Dr. Westphalen smiling down at him.  Rubbing his eyes, Lucas sat up.  “I guess you want to know why I am here,” Lucas said sheepishly.

Nathan glanced over his shoulder at Kristin, before looking back at Lucas.  “No, I think we've figured that part out.  But you can't sleep here.”

“The Captain is right.  You will catch your death of cold sleeping in here,”  Kristin said reached over to brush a lock of hair off Lucas's forehead.

“I just wanted to be close to Darwin,” Lucas explained.

“I know, but he is fine now.  You need to get some sleep in your own bed,” the Captain said helping Lucas to his feet and to gather up his sleeping bag.

“OK!  I guess I will see you in the morning,” Lucas said tucking his sleeping bag under his arm.

Glancing up at the man standing beside her, Kristin saw sadness in his cerulean eyes.  Reaching up, she placed a hand on his arm, offering comfort to him.  “Nathan?”  She asked in concern.

“I was just thinking how much Lucas reminds me of Robert.”

“Robert was your son?”

“Yes, he died a few years ago in the Northern Atlantic.  Robert wanted to be like his father,” Nathan said bitterly.  “He joined the Navy, and now he is dead.”

“Oh Nathan,” Kristin said blinking away tears.

“Don't misunderstand me.  I am not saying that Lucas is exactly like Robert, but there are times, like now, that I see something my son would have done,” Bridger explained.

“And that's why you left the military?”

Bridger nodded.  “My promise to Carol.”

Kristin nodded, she remembered their conversation from several weeks before.  “Did you know I have a daughter?”

“I believe I read about her in your personnel file.”

Kristin smiled fondly as she thought of her only child.  “Her name is Cynthia, she is the same age as Hitchcock.”

“Same age as Robert would have been.  Is she a scientist like her mother?”

“Yes, she is, but even though she hasn't lived with me for a number of years.  I still see the little girl that was constantly into everything.  You and Lucas are good for each other.  You both have something the other needs.”

“What is that?”

“Love.  Lucas’ father sent him here to learn discipline, but the real reason is he did not know how to talk to him.  When you talk to Lucas,  you really talk to him and you also listen to what he has to say.  I came on board the ship soon after Lucas did and I can tell you that since you came on board.  Lucas is much bettered mannered and he doesn't spend so much time in front of his computer.”

Nathan did not know what to say.  So for a few minutes he stood there looking at her trying to reason what she had told him.  Maybe she was right, but it still surprised him how well she knew him, and frankly it made him uncomfortable.

“It is getting late.  I will se you in the morning,” Bridger said turning away from those sable colored eyes that seemed to pierce his soul.

“Good night, Nathan.”

“Good night,” he said walking towards the door.  Halfway there he turned back to look at her.  Kristin was staring off into space, and he wanted more then anything to walk back over to her, and pull her into his arms.  Instead he left to go to his quarters.

He could acknowledge the attraction between them, but he still felt that it was too soon.  Carol had only been dead a year and he had always been the type to take his time.  If he and Kristin were to form a relationship Nathan wanted to go slowly.

So as he turned out his lamp, he decided to start out by becoming her friend, and then wait and see where things went from there.

Across the ship, Kristin was brushing her auburn hair and thinking about the conversation she had had with Nathan.

She was afraid that she might have pushed him away.  But he needed to know he wasn't alone anymore.  Kristin knew that he could never get Robert back, but she believed he had been given a second chance.  Maybe he would give he a second chance as well.  That was her final thought as she drifted off to sleep.

Treasures of the Mind

With great relief, Captain Bridger reached across the table in the Ward Room, and turned off the vid-link.  For the last three hours he had spent being raked over the coals for his conduct and behavior at Alexandria.  The UEO was not pleased that he had destroyed a priceless scroll, or that he threatened to blow up the library just to get the delegate's attention.  Bridger had quickly pointed out that although unorthodox, his tactic had worked.  The Library would stay together and all the countries would work together to preserve and study the artefacts.

So he was no longer in trouble for the Library, but now the UEO was mad that he had let the pyrosycologists leave and was refusing to tell where they had gone.  Bridger had made a point of letting Noyce know how the Rossovichs’ felt of having no control over their rights.

Bill had promised that if the Rossovichs’ would return, that they would have more of a say in their duties and Nathan had promised that Bill that he should be hearing from the telepaths in a month.  Although he still wasn't happy Bill would survive.

Hearing a quick knock at the door Bridger turned around in time to see a glimpse of Kristin's mischievous smile before she pulled back and opened the door carrying a tray loaded with cups and a teapot.

“I thought you could use a cup of tea,” she said putting the tray down.

“You must of read my mind,” Bridger joked.

Kristin shook her head making her auburn hair dance.  “Don't you start that too.  I've seen half the crew claiming that the telepaths were reading their minds,” Kristin commented pouring the tea.  It took her a moment to realize that Nathan had not said anything.  “Nathan, are you all right?”

Bridger sighed, because he knew what he was about to say would send Kristin into orbit.  “The telepaths were not just here for the conference.  They were also here to scan the crew to try and determine who was the leak.”

“They were what?  Why wasn't I told about this?  After all I am the Chief Medical Officer on this ship,” Kristin raged.

“Kristin, I didn't even know myself until I caught Savannah in my head.  Dimitri said that this came down higher than Noyce. Needless to say I have let the UEO know that I will not tolerate such interference again.”

“I still don't like it.  They had no right.”  Kristin sat in her chair with arms across her chest, glaring at the vid-link.

“I can't argue with you there,” Nathan said sipping his tea.  He noticed that it was fixed just the way he liked it, strong. Funny, even being married to him for over twenty years, Carol had never been able to fix his tea the way he liked it.  Forcing his thoughts away from his growing attraction to Kristin, he changed the subject.

“I thought you were still mad at me.”

“I never said that I was angry at you,” she said even though they both knew she was lying.  Nathan just raised his eyebrow without commenting.  “Ok, so I was a little put out with you for destroying a Phoenician Amphora.”

Bridger couldn't help it he had to laugh.  “Put out.  My dear Doctor, you yelled at me for thirty minutes, and then slammed out of the room,” Bridger said reminding her of the day before.

“I lost my temper and I am sorry.  I just wished that you could have found some other way of making your point.”

“Believe me, Kristin, that was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  That was one of the reasons that I did not have you go with me to the conference.”

“And the other reason?”  Kristin asked sipping her tea.

Nathan sighed.  “Let's just say that I didn't want to disappoint you.”

Anything else he could have said would not have surprised her more, but before she could say anything, Nathan stood up.  "I appreciate the tea, and the conversation.  You always seem to know when I need a sounding board,” he said lightly touching her arm.

“Nathan?”  She asked in confusion, as she watched him open the door.  She had been hoping that they could talk longer.

“I have to go see Lucas.  Before Savannah left she mentioned that I might want to talk to him about a “naked Hitchcock”.”

It took a moment for Kristin to figure out whom Nathan was talking about.  “Naked Hitchcock” … ”Katherine?”

Nathan nodded.

“Oh dear.  What are you going to say to him?”

“I don't know, but I will think of something.  I’ll talk to you in the morning.”  Before he left though, Nathan returned to her side, and pulled her into his arms.  “Thank you,” he whispered hugging her close.

Kristin nodded her head against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being held in his arms.  But just as quickly as he took her in his arms, Nathan released her and left the room without a backward glance.

Leaving Kristin behind to return to her tea with a bright smile.  Maybe things were looking up for them.

Games

A week had gone by since Dr. Zellar had been on board seaQuest playing his sick games and Nathan was still worried about Kristin.  After the night he had started teaching her to play poker.  He had noticed that she was becoming more withdrawn from her work. She rarely interacted with the crew after duty and there were dark circles under her brandy eyes, which told him she was not sleeping.

Maybe he didn’t have a right to worry, but Kristin was his friend. Especially, after Lucas came to him worried as well.  Nathan had promised the teen that he would go and check on her right away.  As he neared Kristin’s quarters, he noticed Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitchcock walking towards him.  In fact, they met right outside Kristin’s quarters.

“Good evening, Captain.  Where you going to Kristin, too?”  Katie asked.  In the short time that Kristin had been on the ship, she and Katie had become close friends.  Katie also felt bad for not realizing how much Zellar being on the ship really bothered Kristin until it was too late.  Which was why she had taken to checking up on her friend a couple times a day.

“Good evening, Katie.  Yes, I was.”

“I was going to do the same.  I don’t think everyone realized what Zellar did to Kristin or her brother.  Myself included,” Katie said looking over her shoulder at the door with a worried expression.

Before Bridger could comment they heard a frightened scream come from inside Kristin’s quarters.  Nathan was through the door and beside Kristin’s bed before she had stopped screaming.  He could see that her eyes were open but he knew she was still asleep.

“Captain?”  Katie asked looking over her Captain’s shoulder at her friend.

“Just a minute,” he replied even though his focus was on the woman in front of him.  “Kristin… Come on, Kristin, wake up,” Bridger said gently shaking her shoulder.

With a moan, Kristin turned on her side trying to get away from the annoyance.  “Oh no you don’t.  Come on, Kristin.  Wake up,” Bridger said shaking her harder.

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Kristin rolled over on her back and opened her eyes to see what her annoyance was.  When she saw Captain Bridger and Katherine standing over his shoulder, Kristin sat up against her bed’s backboard, and pulled her covers up over her chest.

“Would someone tell me what the bloody hell you people are doing in my quarters?”  Kristin asked looking from first Nathan to Katherine and back.

“You were have a nightmare,” Nathan explained.  “Katie, why don’t you go on to bed?  I’ll sit with Dr. Westphalen until she returns to sleep,” Nathan suggested hoping she would take the hint.  He could tell by the way that Kristin was acting she was embarrassed, and would be more comfortable with less people.

“Oh… uh... yeah.  I’ll see you both in the morning.  Good night, Captain… Kristin,” she said leaving the room in confusion.  But when she closed the door behind her and noticed all the people in the hall she realized why the Captain had asked her to leave.  “All right, everyone back to bed,” she ordered.

Inside her quarters, Kristin was shaking her head in denial.  “I did not have nightmare, Nathan.  I don’t know what you are talking about,” she said even though they both knew she was lying.

“You can lie to yourself, but not to me.  Kristin, I have been watching you the last week.  You are barely eating, your work has suffered and from the circles under your eyes, I would say this was not your first nightmare.  Kristin, I am your friend.  Please, talk to me,” Nathan pleaded.

Kristin closed her eyes, and silent tears sipped down her cheeks.  “I thought I had put it all behind me, and then Zellar came on board and all the memories came back; the horror of James’ death, the trial, and Zellar’s imprisonment.  When they locked Zellar away, I thought I could finally start living again.  Do you know we have never been able to go back to Island A247 and retrieve the bodies?  The United Nations declared that it would never be safe for anyone to land on the island, nor retrieve anything from the island.  My brother and the others all died a horrible death for nothing more than a madman’s game,” Kristin raged.

“Come here.”  Nathan held out his arms and with a violent sob, Kristin let him gather her close while she cried out all the rage and pain she had felt since she had first learned of her brother’s death.  Something her ex-husband had never done.

Nathan held her tightly, gently rocking her, muttering nonsense words of comfort.  Slowly the sobs grew softer until Kristin was finally able to get control of herself.  Easing back, Kristin tentatively touched the tear stains on Nathan’s uniform.  “I got you all wet.”

“Don’t worry about it.  I’ll dry,” he said brushing the remaining tears from her face.  “Do you feel better?”

Kristin nodded.  “Yes, thank you.”

“Do you want to talk some more?”  Nathan asked still touching her face.

“Not right now, but would you stay until I fall asleep,” Kristin asked looking up through tear spiked eyelashes.

“Ok, ease back down under the covers,” he said helping her get adjusted.  When she was settled, he brushed a red curl off of her forehead.  “Are you comfortable?”

Kristin nodded.

With great care, Nathan started telling her about Krieg’s latest stunt and how he had dragged Lucas into it, again.  After he finished, Nathan continued talking, telling her things he had never told anyone before. It didn’t matter to him that she had fallen asleep half way through his first story.

He was just enjoying being near her.  When they had learned that Zellar was impersonating Warden Griggs and that he was with Kristin, Nathan had not been able to breathe until he had reached her quarters.  Later, seeing her hold a gun on Zellar had not done his heart any good.  And much later, he had laughed when she had told him the vial had been ordinary tea.

It frightened him how much he had come to rely on her in such a short time.  Nathan sat beside her for over an hour, and when he was sure she was going to really sleep without more nightmares, he brushed a kiss against her forehead.  Standing up, he groaned as pain rained threw his body from staying in the same position so long.  “I’ll see you in the morning,” he whispered.  At the door he turned back to check on Kristin one last time.

Turning off the lamp that Katie must have turned on, Bridger left her quarters heading down the hall toward his own.  Kristin still had a long way to go, but he had glimpsed a little bit of the old Kristin tonight. Settling into bed, he thought about her tears again.  She was a tough lady, who was well known for her sharp tongue, and quick temper, but everyone had their breaking point.  He was just glad that she had let him be there for her, and act as her sounding board.

Making a mental note to join her breakfast.  Nathan drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face, and dreamed about a beautiful lady doctor.

Treasures of Tonga Trench

“Is this seat taken?”  Captain Bridger asked the beautiful woman sitting all by herself.  The question had become part of their morning ritual, the same with them sharing breakfast.  It just helped to start their day, because unless they were working on a project together, this might be the only time they would see each other all day.

With a warm smile, Dr. Westphalen motioned toward the chair next to her.  “Of course.”  Ever since the night that she had her nightmare and Nathan had comforted her,  Kristin had come to look forward to their time together.

“Bill called last night.  Apparently, Captain Clayton wishes to file a compliant against Lieutenant Krieg and myself.”

“Oh dear,” Kristin said struggling not to laugh.

“Um… yes, it seems that the glowing rocks that Krieg gave him turned to… um… mush,” Nathan said with a straight face.  Inside he was ready to bust out laughing.

“Did you explain to Admiral Noyce about what happened?”

Bridger nodded.  “Bill laughed so hard that he fell out of his chair.  He seemed satisfied with the punishment that I gave to Krieg.”

“How much longer are you going to keep him confined to quarters?  He shouldn't stay in there much longer with that smell,” Kristin said wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Nathan couldn't help, but laugh at her expression.  She was so cute at times.  “It ended an hour ago, and I had Jonathan relieve Ben of duty for another day so that he could get it cleaned.”

Kristin shook her head in amusement.  “So did Bill have anything else to say?”

“No, he just thanked me for making his day. Did I tell you that Clayton actually wrote us up for Darwin being out of formation during the water rescue drill?”

“You are joking,” Kristin gasped.

“No, he also wasn't happy with all the science teams we have on board.  According to Clayton this should be more of a military vessel.”  Which they both knew that Nathan would never allow.

“Then I am glad you are the Captain and not someone like Clayton.”

“One good thing about this whole mess.  Our two teams finally worked together toward a common goal.  Even if what they were doing was wrong.  Are you going to eat that?”  He asked pointing at her last piece of toast.

“No, here,” she said handing the toast over.  “Tell me something?”

“What?”  He asked reaching for the jam.

“Where do you put all the food you eat?”  She asked with a teasing lilt in her voice.  Sometimes he even rivaled Lucas in the amount of food he ate.

“I have a high metabolism,” he deadpanned.

“No, you just can't sit still and speaking of not being able to sit.  I have to get to Medlab,” she said standing up.

“Don't forget the poker game tonight,” he reminded her as she was gathering up her tray.

Kristin nodded.

Captain Bridger watched in admiration as she left.  Even in her standard science blue jumpsuit and her flaming red hair pulled back in a pony tail, she was a beautiful woman; stubborn as hell, opinionated, with a wonderful sense of humor, and her love for science.  He looked forward to the time they spent together.  Well time to get to the bridge, he thought climbing to his feet.  He still had to speak with Lucas about his participation in Ben's latest escapade.

Brothers and Sisters

Captain Bridger had looked in all of Lucas' favorite hiding places; he wasn't in his room, wasn't on the bridge, nor was he on the Sea Deck with Darwin.  In a last ditch effort, Bridger checked in the Launch Bay.

Bridger should have known he would find the boy there.  The children, they had rescued from the munitions depot, had departed a couple of hours ago.

Kristin had told him that Lucas had grown quite fond of the oldest girl, Cleo, and Bridger was sure he was missing her.  But Nathan also knew part of it was Lucas had not been around kids his own age in a long time.

Lucas was standing in the same place as when the kids' launch left, and the lost look on Lucas' face tugged at Nathan's heart.  "Lucas, are you all right?"  Bridger asked laying a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.

Lucas shrugged.  "Fine, I guess.  It was just nice having someone here my own age to talk to, but you know the funny thing is in a lot of ways Cleo was older than I am."

"Lucas, do you regret staying here?  I could have it fixed where you could leave," Bridger said even though the thought caused him great pain.

Lucas didn't even have to think for a moment.  "No sir.  I belong here, this is my home.  You know it's funny, I'm always complaining about having two hundred adults telling me what to do, but when I mentioned it to Cleo.  She said that she would love to have two hundred adults tell her what to do."

"Lucas, you have to understand that for the last three years those children have been on their own.  For those three years, Cleo and Zach have had to be the adults, they are going to have to learn to be kids again.  You know an old sea Captain friend of mine is going to take the kids.  So you will be able to see her, again," Bridger said with a knowing smile.

Lucas blushed.  "I... um... thank you.  She wasn't here very long, but I liked her."

"Of course, you did.  Say, Kristin was telling me you had a new pirate game.  What do you say we get some ice cream, and you teach me how to play the game?"  Bridger asked wanting to cheer the boy up.

Lucas raised his eyebrows.  "Kristin?  When did that start?"

"That's Dr. Westphalen to you," Bridger said pointing his finger at Lucas' chest.

"She's a special lady, Captain."

"That she is," Bridger said nodding.  With everyday he and Kristin became closer friends.  It was like they were on the same wavelength. He just wasn't ready to put into words what he was feeling.

"So what kind of ice cream do you want?"  Bridger asked putting his arm around Lucas' shoulder.

"Krieg ordered Rocky Road and Chocolate Mint the last time we were in port, but no one is suppose to know."

"Well, since I am the Captain, I outrank Mr. Krieg, let's go get some," Bridger said leading the way to the door.

"Does this mean I'm not grounded anymore?"

"Don't put your luck, Mr. Wolenczak," Bridger warned.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Lucas said shrugging his shoulders. Really, he didn't mind being grounded, because he knew the Captain was only doing it to teach him a lesson.  His parents would have never thought about grounding him because most of the time they never noticed what he did anyway.

The evening that Nathan and Lucas spent together reminded him of some of the times he use to spend with Robert.  Kristin had stopped by for a little while to discuss some work she needed Lucas' help with.

She had also wanted to thank Nathan for finding a way to keep the kids together.  He was glad that he been able to, because it made him feel better after disappointing her earlier something that had really bothered him.

All in all it was a nice evening, without one interruption from the crew, something that was a rarity on seaQuest.

With great satisfaction, Captain Bridger wrote about the events of the last few days in his ship's log.  In his personal journal, he included about his time spent with Lucas.  Going back to the beginning of his tour on board seaQuest, he notices that many of his entries had to do with Kristin and Lucas, and he realized that he was forming a new family.

But not just Kristin and Lucas, but also Crocker, Katie, Tim, Miguel, Jonathan, and even Ben.  He had often said that he had the best crew above or below the ocean, but he also had the best friends a man could ask for.  Getting ready for bed, he already looking forward to the next day and the adventures ahead.