Chapter 12

...till by turning, turning, we come 'round right.

Bridger Island

It had taken a little while, but Nathan indeed remembered what had happened on Hyperion. He also knew he'd been responsible for wiping seaQuest's memory banks, simply for the fact he didn't know if they'd ever return home. Well, not everyone had. Dr. Smith and Chief Ortiz were lost forever, but at least they hadn't felt any pain when they passed.

Never in a million years, though, did Nathan imagine he'd come back and find his family again. In an ironic twist, Cynthia Westphalen-Wood had helped this along. She was just as driven as her mother and still insisted on helping refugees; this included Robert and Chloe. He smiled softly as Michael hugged his waist.

"Are we going soon, Grandpa?"

"Soon," he said with a nod. "As soon as your dad's ready."

"Hurry up, Daddy!" Michael called, running up the stairs to find him.

Nathan had found a place on the mainland where they could stay while his island home was being rebuilt. At least they were all together, and they were safe. He was still determined to keep his family protected, so he wanted to be back on the island as soon as possible...but for now, they were doing okay.

He turned to the mirror to make sure his shirt was straight. He wanted to make sure he looked presentable. Janet had insisted they go to this party. "It'll be a reunion!" she'd said. "It's been so long since we've all been together."

He had little choice but to agree. She never mentioned if Kristin would be there, but he hoped. When Lucas had come to him and told him about seeing her, Nathan had wished he could have seen her then and there. But it hadn't been that simple. He had Michael in tow, and that unfortunately meant Kristin had to take the back burner. However, he'd been terribly concerned about the way she'd changed, according to Lucas.

It had been just what Tobias had showed him. Certainly, some of those things would never happen since they'd already changed the future by coming back to Earth. But some things indeed had come true. Did that also mean they could be changed for the better? He wasn't sure, but he was determined to try.

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New Cape Quest

Kristin barely had time to be nervous about the whole affair since Janet kept her quite busy. But Cynthia, Katie, and Ginny were there as well, and the women actually had a lovely time chatting while they arranged snack trays and decorated the house for the party.

"I can't wait to see everyone," Katie gushed. "It'll be just like old times."

"I just hope everyone has a good time," Janet replied. "I can't believe I managed to talk that crotchety Captain Hudson into coming. He seems so stoic on TV. Bill says he's always been that way, even in his younger days."

"I'm sure everything will be wonderful, Mom," Ginny told her. "You're worrying for nothing. Isn't she, Aunty Kristin?"

She looked up from the tray of cookies she was decorating. "Oh, I'm sure Ginny's right."

"I can't help but notice how quiet you've been, Kristin. Are those cookies more important than we are?" Katie teased.

Kristin smiled softly. "No, of course not. I'm just...making sure things are perfect for your mother."

"What she doesn't want you to know is that she was freaking out about all this last night," Cynthia whispered to Katie, but she was loud enough so everyone could hear her.

"You know, you're not too old to put over my knee," she told her daughter.

Cynthia laughed. "But it's true." She turned back to the others. "I don't know why she's so nervous."

"For your information, it's just I...I haven't seen them for so long, I'm just a bit... Well, am I really the only one?"

"Of course not," Janet replied. "I think it's normal to be a bit jittery, but once everyone gets here, that will go away; I'm sure of it."

Kristin nodded and turned back to the cookies while she listened to the others talk about anything and everything. But maybe Janet was right; once the party got under way, that nervousness should melt away...shouldn't it?

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Hours later, the house was filled with people, Christmas music, and the laughter of children. Kristin hadn't known why she'd been so nervous as the others welcomed her with open arms. Indeed, it really had seemed like old times. Of course, she hadn't seen a single sign of Nathan at all. For a moment, she worried he wasn't coming after all until Lucas approached her.

"You look lonely over here by yourself," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Merry Christmas, Doc."

She kissed his cheek. "Merry Christmas to you, too. And I wasn't lonely. I was just...taking it all in. Everyone looks so happy. It's almost hard to remember what's going on in the real world."

"Well, even Captain Hudson said it's okay to forget that just for today. I think we've earned that right, don't you?" He motioned to everyone. "This is what it's all about, isn't it? Being together?"

"Indeed," she agreed, following his gaze. "It's been such a wonderful day."

"He'll be here, you know. He promised."

Her brow furrowed as she turned back to him. "What?"

"The captain, I mean. You were looking for him?"

She felt her cheeks grow warm. "Oh...I'm not..." She quickly recovered, though. "That's wonderful news. Excuse me, though." She pointed to the food table. "It looks like we're running low on supplies."

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Kristin felt her heart leap into her throat as she fled to the kitchen. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. But why was she suddenly on the verge of a panic attack? The rest of the crew didn't seem to have any hard feelings towards her, so why would Nathan be any different?

"Grandma!"

Kristin jumped, letting out a scream and holding her pounding chest as she turned to Sophia. "Don't you know better than to sneak up one people?"

"Sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to scare you. It's just Aunt Janet told me to find you. The Bridger man is here." She took her hand and pulled her towards the living room. "Come on."

She bit her lip. "Oh, thank you for telling me. Just tell her I'll be out in a moment. I just came in here to..." She walked to the refrigerator and took out the cheese. "I need to fill the cheese tray. It's nearly empty."

Sophia frowned slightly but nodded. "All right. I'll let her know."

As soon as she left the room, Kristin let out a breath. She then heard Nathan's voice from the other room, heard his laughter. There was no say she could go out there and ruin that. She wondered how long she could stay in the kitchen before anyone would notice...

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Janet had been right. Seeing the others again was absolutely wonderful, but Nathan didn't see one person. He'd been told she was in the kitchen refilling refreshments, but he'd been there for at least half an hour...and she'd been in the kitchen before that, apparently. Was she avoiding him?

It stood to reason, but what if... What if it wasn't just that she was nervous? What if she was angry? He thought about approaching her directly when he glanced towards the refreshment table and saw her. Their eyes met for just a moment, and then she quickly turned away again.

She'd had that look in her eyes: that same look he'd seen before. No, she wasn't angry with him at all. The poor thing was terrified. He had to tell her that wasn't the case, but as he pushed his way through the crowd, he was stopped by just about every single person. His plan wasn't going very well at all.

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"Are you going to stay in here all night?"

Kristin let out a soft cry, hearing Janet come into the kitchen. "Don't you know better not to sneak up on someone who has a knife in her hand?" She shook her head. "I'm refilling the snack trays and things."

"No one's even eating anymore. Besides, people have been asking for you, especially Nathan," she said in a singsong voice.

Kristin sighed. "I'm sure he didn't come all this way to see me."

"Oh, are you still so worried he's angry with you?" Janet shook her head. "Why don't you go out there and find out?"

"But...the food..." Kristin protested.

"Can wait," Janet finished for her. "In fact, you're not allowed to touch it. Ginny or I can take care of it. You relax for the rest of the night, understand?" She picked the knife up off the counter. "I wouldn't have to use this on you."

Though her eyes twinkled, Kristin knew she meant business. "All right, I'm going."

"Good...and try to have fun, hm?"

Kristin's legs felt like jello as she walked back into the living room. Nathan and Bill were sitting on the sofa talking quietly, so it looked like she had a small reprieve for the time being. She hoped she could just blend in without being noticed...that was until Sophia came up to her.

"There you are, Grandma!" She pointed to Nathan. "Have you seen the Bridger man?"

Kristin's cheeks felt as though they were on fire as she cast a nervous smile towards Nathan.

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Nathan returned the smile, but he made no attempt to move just yet.

"You know what I see over there?" Bill asked, pointing to the other side of the room.

"A snowman decoration?" Nathan guessed.

Bill laughed softly. "No, a beautiful woman standing under the mistletoe," he said. "It is tradition."

"She looks like a deer caught in headlights," he said quietly. "I'm not so sure she'd want-"

"Someone needs to break the ice somehow. Might as well be you."

Nathan sighed. Bill was right, wasn't he? Either they were going to spend the evening stealing glances at one another and never once speaking...or one of them was going to have to approach the other. And from the looks of it, Kristin wasn't going to make the first move. He took a deep breath and walked across the room to her.

"Kristin?"

"Nathan..." she replied, her voice quiet. "It...it's been so long."

He nodded. "Too long," he replied. "You see, you-" He suddenly felt a tug on the leg of his pants and looked down to see the little red-haired girl Kristin had been speaking to before.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bridger man."

He laughed softly. "You can call me Nathan," he told her. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Sophia," she replied. "And this is my grandma. And she might not tell you this, but she...she loves you. She's been so sad without you, and...well, I'm hoping you can make her happy again."

"Sophia..." Kristin said. "What did we talk about?"

Nathan held up a halting hand and knelt down to Sophia. "Well, I think you should know I love your grandma, too." He looked at Kristin, whose cheeks were flushed pink. "I'm hoping I can make her happy, too."

Sophia grinned. "See, Grandma. I told you."

"You did," she replied. "But now if you don't mind, I'd like to have a few moments alone with the Bridger man."

Sophia obediently ran off.

"Well, now that I'm completely mortified," Kristin began, smiling softly.

He waved a hand. "Out of the mouths of babes, hm? I have one of those, too." He pointed across the room to Michael.

"Oh, looks like we have a lot in common," she replied. "Nathan, I... I am so sorry for-"

He shook his head. "Don't, Kris. We can talk about all that later, but I...I don't think it helps any of us to live in the past. We can only look to the future...and I'm hoping you'll be in mine. I lost you once, and...I don't want that again."

"Oh, Nathan...I've wanted to hear that for so long, but... I never thought that... I feared I lost my chance."

He shook his head. "When the universe gives you a second chance, it shouldn't be wasted." He pointed above her head. "And it seems you are under the mistletoe. May I kiss you, Doctor?"

She smiled softly. "It is tradition, Captain. And for the record, you never need to ask again."

He eagerly obeyed her wish. "Merry Christmas, darling."

"Merry Christmas, Nathan," she replied, pulling him close to her. And for that moment, all seemed right with the world. And Nathan was right; the past didn't seem to matter. It was the future.

A/N: Yay! I did it! I hope you enjoy it. Again, Happy Holidays to all!

And I promise that after the holiday, my other stories will continue. Thanks to everyone.