Big kudos!

I don't think I've cried so much reading a story. So sad with everything happening to Lucas and some of the things hitting close to home for myself. I could feel his pain. I think the thing that tore me up the most was the story line about Bridger. I really hope you do a sequel and decide to give Lucas a father figure...whether it is Bridger coming back into his life (for good) or Hudson letting his guard down and becoming his father figure. Being abandoned by my own father, it's so hard to watch Lucas go through it...please, at least help him have a father. Also, after recovering from addiction, the hardest part is to not relapse...maybe have him go through something emotionally draining again so that he has the desire to go back to cutting, etc (I'm not sure if you are writing from first hand experience but as the emotional pain gets more intense so does the desire to cut and be suicidal...). But it would definitely make for a good story if his friends catch him relapsing fairly quickly before things get too bad and are able to help him right away. I know real life isn't always that way, but it would be nice to have a happy ending. I guess what I'm trying to say is I LOVED reading your story and really hope you make a sequel...please!

I think lots of people look younger than they are when they sleep, especially when they do that knuckle rub on their eyes that kids do! Still Jonathan Brandis did have a young face and one that made you want to just smoosh him!
I'd like to see Lucas working in harmony with Stanton, maybe testify at Lou's trial. I'd also like to see him climb his way back into Hudson's good graces and see more of the likeable side of the captain. If he can take the role of mentor for Tony, why not for Lucas too? Just because Lucas has a genius IQ, doesn't mean a mentor wouldn't be useful or maybe Commander Ford as a mentor, he definitely mellowed towards Lucas over the seasons.
And I'm just marking time now, cos I don't want the story to be over! I have no more completed SeaQuest stories to read. My turn to go into withdrawal!

Baby steps, he'll need to eat little and often initially. I could do with following that advice too and getting more exercise, at least Lucas has an excuse for being out of breath after a walk to the bathroom, me? Not so much!

It's almost like Lucas needs to grieve for the childhood he never had, the lack of a loving and nurturing environment. Imagine what more he might have achieved if he had family that put his needs first. Personally, I think the fact he's survived as long as he has, inspite of his parents and Bridger, is a miracle but also gives insight into just how strong he actually is as an individual.

Hopefully that will help strengthen Lucas' resolve to get better, knowing he can stay, even with those conditions.

Tony just said what everyone was thinking and it needed to be said. Obviously we wouldn't have had a show without Lucas and had it stuck to its research and exploration mandate of season one, then putting him on SeaQuest would have been less of an issue, of course the powers that be fluffed it, so a teenager on a submarine raised eyebrows for the second season. I think so much would have been different if they'd stuck with the season one format but I'm getting off topic and on my soapbox, so I'll be quiet now!

The biggest thing someone in Lucas' position probably needs is support and reassurance that they're safe. Hudson even intimating that he'll kick Lucas off the boat could be all it takes to tip the balance in the wrong direction and stop him from fighting. Quite frankly depression is draining, it exhausts one's spirit and death can seem like the only way to get away from that constant tiredness.

Hudson should be irritated he's dealing with things that Bridger should be dealing with but I think he's also annoyed that Lucas has got under his skin. Under that harsh exterior, is a giant marshmallow. OK, maybe not giant, medium sized, possibly?!

Time to go to work!
When you put the events of the first 2 seasons together like that, it is kind of surprising that he didn't throw the mother of all tantrums sooner! He may be 18 but he never had a childhood and nobody has taught him how to ask for help, they've just told him to suck it up.

I would imagine knowing you could die and seeing someone else die as a result of the same thing, is less than ideal when you need to fight. However, Lucas is made of strong stuff and I am confident you won't kill him off, right?!

Romance seems to be something that can destroy other relationships. I've lost a friend because I started seeing someone and they felt I was abandoning them because I didn't call every day now. The problem is, you start to juggle the person your seeing and friends, you don't have the same free time. In my case I didn't forget my friend, I just needed their help and patience to adjust. Perhaps the same could be said for Bridger, I don't know but the father son relationship should have meant more.

Stanton did the right thing, I'm glad, because that's one less thing Lucas has to hide.
I'm glaring at Bridger again, you need to stop reminding me he's abandoned Lucas, it just makes me cross! I can understand Lucas being jealous, I'm not one of the popular kids, though I think Lucas is, he just doesn't trust that people like him.
I found a few minutes before work to read some more, when I have to stop reading to leave, I think I'm going to regret it!

He's been searching for a place to belong, he found it with Bridger and the crew. Then Bridger makes the decision to allow SeaQuest to get involved in an interglactic war and when they return 10 years later, completely abandons the person he professed to love like a son. I agree, what they were saying about Bridger was true, to an extent but I think Ford was wrong. Bridger owed Lucas more respect than he showed, he owed him a conversation in advance, in private. If he loved him, he owed him care and concern.
On that note I'm calling it quits for the night, before I'm up until 01:00 to finish the story, bad enough it's 23:30 on a work night!

I think people get so caught up with their own lives, it's easy to miss things happening to others, we've all done it. Hopefully they have time to make things right but Lucas hid a lot from them too.