A/N: First off, I know I have other projects going that need attention, and I promise they'll be updated soon. However, this idea came to me, and I couldn't ignore it. This is written for murphycat, who wanted a Kristin and Nathan story without Lucas or anyone else. I hope you like it.

With this particular story, I made an accompanying fan-video which you can find here (be sure to replace the proper punctuation and eliminate spaces): (HTTPS) (colon, double slash) www {dot} youtube {dot} com / watch?v=BqBv0ta81_c.

A bit of setup for the story is that it's somewhere in the earlier half of the first season, shortly after Bad Water. This will be a two-shot.

Disclaimer: SeaQuest DSV and its characters are not my creation. They are the creation of Rockne S. O'Bannon as a 1990's television series. This work of fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only and is not for financial gain. I am just borrowing the characters for a bit and promise to return them unharmed and in their original condition, maybe just a bit happier.

Chapter 1

The moment Kristin found out they'd be in the Caribbean, she got excited. Her research university had been begging her to come up with something new, something original. With the latest missions, she hadn't had the time, but seaQuest was on patrol now. Even if a mission crept up, all she'd need was a few hours...as long as she had the manpower. Of course, with the morning staff meeting just a few minutes away, that might not be such a difficult task.

As she entered the ward room, she noticed the other senior officers already seated. She offered her greetings and had a seat, waiting for the captain to enter and start their meeting. When they were on patrol, the meetings weren't very involved. They were just routine check-ins for each department and rarely lasted more than half an hour.

"Good morning, people," Nathan said as he entered, closing the door behind him. "We'll keep this brief, seeing as we don't have any new business to conduct at the moment. That should come as a relief to most of you."

The others nodded in agreement as Nathan turned to his left. "As usual, we'll start with the commander."

Kristin tried to keep alert, but she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, since she'd be the last to speak. By the time it was her turn, the others would want to be sprinting towards the door. She sighed, wondering how she was going to keep their attention, but perhaps the idea of any sort of mission would be exciting? She certainly hoped that was the case, turning her attention back to the commander. He was nearly finished, so maybe it would be her turn before she knew it. She waited patiently as each senior officer spoke. Each report had been rather brief, save for one.

"...and the inventory has been going very well," Ben said, looking up and setting the papers in his hand down.

"Thank you very much for that very...thorough report, Lieutenant," Nathan said.

Kristin suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. He'd rambled on for twenty minutes about supplies. Oh, certainly, they were important, but did they really need such a lengthy report? Looking around the table, her colleagues looked like a bunch of zombies, struggling to stay awake. She bit her lip in fear that her hopes of having any help with her mission was very slim.

"As you all know, Mr. Wolenczak is off-duty this week visiting his family, so his report will wait until next week." Nathan then glanced to Kristin. "So, last but not least, that leaves us with you, Doctor."

She gave him a nervous smile and began reading off her injury reports, which were thankfully very short. As she paused to breathe, however, she noticed the others already standing up. She stood and crossed her arms over her chest. "Excuse me? I wasn't quite finished yet."

The others exchanged confused glances as Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You mean there are more injury reports? You seemed like you were finished, so we'd just assumed..."

She shook her head. "No, you were correct. The injuries for this week were significantly less, but I had some other business to discuss. Since I have the floor, I thought you could at least grant me the consideration. Ben rambled on for ages, and none of you were bolting towards the door then."

The others muttered sheepish apologies as they took their seats once again.

"You're right," Nathan told her. "It was unfair of us to assume you were finished, and I hope I speak for everyone when I give you our deepest apologies."

The others nodded their heads in encouragement.

Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go ahead, Doctor."

Kristin took her seat once again and cleared her throat. "Well, since we're in the Caribbean and not too far from the Yucatan Peninsula, I was hoping I'd be able to collect a few samples from the Great Maya Reef."

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Nathan gushed.

Kristin's brow furrowed as she stared at him a moment, unsure if he was just trying to feign enthusiasm simply to appease her.

The others chimed in as Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder. "See, we support you completely."

She sighed. "That isn't why I mentioned it, though. If I was going to do it alone, I'd have done so. I certainly don't need your permission, do I?"

Nathan's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Well, no, I suppose not."

"You see, I was hoping some of you might be able to accompany me. Since we're on patrol, I'd only need a few of you to help me get enough samples. It wouldn't take more than a few hours...and you'd have a chance to relax a bit. What do you say?"

Not hearing any immediate responses, her heart sank. "Or perhaps it was a horrible idea. I just thought..."

"No, it's not a horrible idea," Katie piped up. "I'll help you, though I'm not exactly sure what to do."

Kristin gave her a smile. "Oh, you don't need to know anything. All we need is a few samples, and that's really not rocket science. It's really quite easy once you get started. Besides, we can only conduct research in certain areas as most of the reef is protected." She looked at the others. "I'd only need about...two or three more?"

Nathan and Ben raised their hands.

"Wonderful." She looked to Chief Crocker. "Could we secure a launch or two for this afternoon then?"

"We can arrange that," the chief replied.

"Then it's set. We'll meet in the launch bay after lunch," Kristin said, excitedly heading towards the lab. She only had a few hours to get the supplies organized. "See you all then."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

By lunchtime, she'd had it all planned. They'd narrow their collecting to the Cancun Channel. Then, they'd spend a couple of hours in Playa del Carmen organizing and cataloging, and they'd be back on the boat by dinner. She frowned as she glanced at the clock. She hadn't much time to finish the final details. She wanted to be sure she had enough collection containers and she had to check the diving equipment; she'd have to forgo lunch, but she was really too excited to eat anyway.

She made her way to the supply room and began to get what she needed. After several minutes, she heard a familiar voice.

"So this is where you're hiding," Nathan said. "I was hoping I'd see you at lunch."

She turned around, giving him a smile and handing him a box full of collection containers. "I decided to skip lunch, since I have so much to do yet."

He gave her a frown. "You can't go all afternoon without eating. And why didn't you say anything? I would have helped you."

She shrugged. "I figured you'd have too much to do on the bridge."

He laughed slightly. "Not when it's as dull as a tomb. Why don't you let me handle this, and you go eat something?"

"I'm not really hungry," she replied, struggling to reach for another box of containers.

Nathan sighed and grabbed it for her. "Captain's orders." He caught her eye. "Please?"

"Oh, all right," she said with a sigh. "I'll eat a little something."

"Thank you," he replied. "I'll walk you there on my way to launch bay."

"Very well, but I won't be long."

"I'll handle the diving equipment, I promise. Just eat and then I'll meet you in launch bay. Don't worry about a thing. You can trust me, you know."

"I do." She smiled. "I just wanted to be sure we had everything we needed."

"We will. Just relax."

Even though she wasn't hungry, by the time they got in the water, she might be. Therefore, she knew her protests were futile. The rest of the walk through the corridors was quiet until they reached the mess hall. She poked her head inside and saw Ben and Katie waving her towards their table.

"I think you're in good hands," Nathan told her.

"Looks that way," she said, turning back to him. "Thank you for your help."

"It's my pleasure. See you soon."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Kristin made a point to eat rather quickly, choosing a salad and making small talk with Ben and Katie. As soon as she was finished, she politely excused herself and made a beeline for the supply room, only to find Nathan inside, giving her a smug smile.

"I knew you couldn't relax for five minutes."

She glanced at her watch. "I relaxed for ten minutes, so there." She glanced around. "You got all the diving equipment checked?"

He nodded. "And they've already been packed inside the launches. See, you rushed for nothing."

"I suppose I have," she replied. "I know it looks as though I don't trust you, but that's not the case at all. I'm just..."

"A control freak?" he teased.

She playfully slapped his arm. "No, that's not what I was going to say. I just like to be prepared is all. You know that diving isn't all fun and games."

"Of course I do. I promise everything is in proper working order. The containers are already on the launches as well." He held her wrist so she could see her watch. "Now we have a full five minutes before we need to meet the others, so will you please just relax?"

She sighed. "Of course I can. I'm sorry if I've been a bit high strung. It's just that..." She trailed off as she felt Nathan gently rub her shoulders. "Oh, that feels heavenly."

"I know you just want everything to go well, but you've got yourself wound up tighter than a drum."

"My muscles have been a bit stiff over the past few days. I haven't been sleeping very well," she muttered.

"I noticed." He continued to massage the back of her neck and shoulders. "Sometimes, you just need to remember that some things can be left up to chance, and that it's perfectly all right if a few mishaps occur along the way."

"I know that."

He moved to face her, giving her a questioning look.

"I do," she insisted. "Obviously, in my line of work, things are left up to chance all the time. And excuse me if I don't want any of us running out of oxygen or having a bad rebreather or something. We will have two inexperienced divers with us."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "That's not what I meant. Of course, you should try to avoid any brushes with death. I'd never expect anything less. But what I meant is that once we get into the water, plans might change. Maybe you'll spend a bit longer explaining what needs to be done, and we'll get back after dinner. That wouldn't be the end of the world, would it?"

"Of course not."

He nodded. "So maybe you don't need to plan every second of this mission? That's all I meant. Do you think I get this worked up about missions?"

She gave a quiet shrug.

He sighed and moved behind her to massage her shoulders again. "Of course I don't...and I don't skip meals either. All I can do is go in with the hope that everything will turn out all right and that the members of my crew will be safe. But I can't do more than that...and neither can you."

After a minute of thought, she nodded. "I promise I'll relax a bit. Your magic hands certainly helped."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said with a smile. "Unfortunately, my magic hands will have to wait; it's time to go."

"I'll just take a rain check," she replied as they walked out of the supply room.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Shortly thereafter, they departed in two launches. Kristin thought they might need the extra room for their samples and didn't want them to have to worry about being cramped in one launch. And after giving Ben and Katie a small crash course on diving and sample collecting, the little mission was going along swimmingly, no pun intended. Once they got on the beach to organize the samples, Kristin couldn't help but smile.

"You look like you're having fun," Nathan commented, bringing her a box of coral samples.

"Indeed," she said with a nod. "And you were absolutely right."

"Not that I don't enjoy hearing that, I'm not sure what you mean. Right about what exactly?"

"That everything would be just fine. We've already been through the hard part. Now the rest is very easy."

"It might be easy, but it's boring," Ben piped up. "At least while we were in the water, there were things to see."

Katie gave him a glare. "If you were going to complain, why did you offer to help then?" She turned to Kristin. "Don't worry, Doc. He won't be making any more idiotic comments like that again." She narrowed her eyes at her ex-husband again. "Will you?"

Kristin waved a hand. "It's perfectly all right, dear." She moved to place a hand on Ben's shoulders. "And believe it or not, I've been more than impressed with him." She motioned towards the containers. "And I am well aware that organizing samples is less than amusing. So since you two have been so good, as long as it's all right with the captain, I'd say we could let you two go back to the boat?" She glanced towards Nathan, looking for confirmation.

"I think that's a good idea. And you two have been so kind as to do all the heavy lifting."

"Really?" Ben asked, unable to hide his grin. "Because, you know, I'd be happy to stay..."

Katie rolled her eyes. "You're a terrible liar, Ben. Don't quit your day job." She turned to Kristin. "I really don't mind helping, though. Sure, it's a bit slower-paced, but..."

Kristin smiled. "You won't hurt my feelings if you admit you're bored, Katie."

"All right," she replied. "I am a little bored."

"Then go back," Nathan told them. "This won't take us very long."

Kristin nodded. "Thank you, both, so much. We'll see you later."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

After saying goodbyes to Ben and Katie, Kristin and Nathan worked quietly on the organizing and cataloging. And while they did make a bit of small talk here and there, it was fairly quiet. Not only that, the weather was absolutely lovely. The sun was shining, and although they'd chosen a small section of the beach that wasn't crowded, other beach-goers could be seen, laughing and playing.

Just a few yards away, a little girl, who looked to be around two or three, with dark curls pulled into a ponytail on top of her head and wearing a pink bathing suit with ruffles around the waist came wandering up to them. Kristin couldn't help but smile at her. "Hello, and what's your name?" she asked.

The girl just stared at her a moment with large brown eyes until her mother came and took her by the hand.

"Oh, it's all right; she wasn't bothering us," Kristin told her.

Only the mother shook her head. "Lo siento." Then she picked up the child, who was now crying, and carried her back to their spot.

Kristin sighed, staring after them. She wanted to tell the mother it was perfectly all right, but she didn't speak much Spanish. Had it been French, on the other hand, that would have been easy. A hand on her shoulder quickly drew her out of her thoughts, however.

"I see you've made a new friend." Nathan nodded toward the girl and her mother.

"Well, I thought I did, only her mother seems to think she was bothering us." She shrugged. "And I can't really explain otherwise."

"I could help with that, if you'd like." Without waiting for an answer, he walked over and began speaking to the woman.

Kristin couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but the mother smiled at Kristin and gave her a gentle nod, which seemed to mean she now understood. She carefully made her way over to them, moving to stand beside Nathan.

"This is Maria and Marissa," he explained. "Unfortunately, it's Marissa's nap time."

Kristin nodded and held out her hand for Marissa. "Well, perhaps we could play some other time." She then picked up a white shell that had been lying in the sand at her feet. "But perhaps you'd like to take this as a memento?"

Marissa gave her a toothy grin. "Gracias."

Maria repeated the sentiment, and the two of them departed.

"Guess I made a friend after all," Kristin said as they watched them leave. "Thank you for your help. Perhaps you can help me with my Spanish sometime."

"I think we could arrange that, but for now, I suppose we'd better get back to the samples. It's getting late."

She nodded and glanced at her watch, noticing the sun suddenly going dark. She glanced up and saw large, dark clouds overhead. "Uh, Nathan?"

He followed her gaze. "Oh, dear...I guess we'd better pack up and finish up back on the boat."

The two of them hurried back to their samples and began packing as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Then thunder followed shortly after.

"If we don't hurry, we're going to get wet," Nathan said. "Would you be willing to leave some of these behind?"

"We can't just leave the corals and plants here on the beach," she protested, picking them up and placing them haphazardly into a larger collecting bin. She hadn't time for organization now, and she was careful enough not to harm them.

Meanwhile, Nathan got the bins loaded into the launch. As Kristin was putting the last few samples away, the lightning and thunder continued. Then the rain began. She put the lid on the bin and hurried towards the launch. "I had no idea it was supposed to storm," she muttered as she walked inside.

Nathan gave a shrug. "Still not the end of the world. Nothing horrible happened." He then waited a few moments while Kristin sat down and buckled into her seat. "All set?"

"I think so."

"Home we go then."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Once the launch had gone back underwater, the storm became a distant memory. Once again, Nathan had been right. They'd hit a small snag, but it wasn't the end of the world. Kristin took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. Suddenly, the launch jerked slightly, causing her to sit upright. "What was that?"

"Not to worry," Nathan told her. "The current is just a little unruly due to the storm. Nothing we can't handle though." He leaned forward and hit a few buttons on the control panel. "But there is one small problem."

She bit her lip. "What's that?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he unhooked the radio and spoke. "SeaQuest launch MR-9 requesting your current location."

"Captain?" Commander Ford's voice replied through traces of static.

"Yes, Commander. Would you kindly like to tell me where you've gone off to? We can't seem to find you."

"Ad...al...oyce...ission...hund...iles...way."

Nathan tapped on the radio. "You're breaking up. Can you repeat that?"

All they heard this time was static.

Kristin's heart sank. "Oh, dear."

Nathan, however, didn't seem fazed. "It sounded like the commander said something about a hundred miles. That shouldn't be too hard."

"Yes, but a hundred miles which way?"

Again, he didn't answer her. Instead, he began messing with the controls. "We've got bigger problems than that," he said after a few minutes.

Before she could answer, the launch jerked again. "More rough current?"

Nathan shook his head and hit a button marked for the main ballast.

She swallowed hard and gave him a questioning look.

"We're too heavy. We need to drop some weight," he explained.

"Are you sure this isn't MR-7?" she muttered flatly. "So in other words, we're having mechanical issues?"

"That's one way to put it," he replied, pushing another button to release the battery packs. "Hang on," he said, making a sharp turn.

"Where are we going?"

"My island."

Her mouth fell open. "What? But how are we-"

"My island is much closer than the seaQuest...wherever it is. We'll be safe there. I promise."

A/N: Chapter two will be up very soon.