A/N: This is just a bit of K and N romantic fluff written as a thank you for jujuone23, as she's been standing behind me for quite a while and encouraging me when I'm feeling like I can't go on anymore. She's been an amazing friend, and I thought I'd show her in the best way I know how. I had wanted it posted for Valentine's Day, but it didn't quite work out that way. However, hopefully, you won't mind a story centered around the holiday, even if it's a tad late.

A bit of setup for the story is shortly after A Higher Power. This will be a two-shot. Also, there's an accompanying video, if you're interested: (https colon, double forward slash)(triple w). youtube . com (forward slash) watch?v=9JxtgnEmXZM. Please be sure to substitute the proper punctuation and eliminate spaces.

Disclaimer: SeaQuest DSVand 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 One

Kristin sighed heavily as she quickly changed the radio station upon hearing Love Hurts. She hadn't meant to be in such a foul mood, but the rain dotting her windshield wasn't helping, though it wasn't exactly the rain causing her bad mood. She hoped the new radio station would play something to help her feel more cheerful.

Unfortunately, it wasn't any better, as the announcer said, "I'd like to wish all of you a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend, and we're playing your favorite love songs all weekend long. Here's one of my favorites, and I'm sure it's one of yours."

Kristin groaned upon hearing the first lines of Unchained Melody and turned the radio off. "I should have known it," she muttered to herself. Of course, had she had her way, she wouldn't be stepping foot outside her apartment, but it didn't quite work out that way. Katie was leaving Pearl tomorrow due to her new position on the HR Clinton, and she'd asked her to have lunch with her. The two had become fairly close over the course of the tour, and Kristin loved her like a second daughter. There was no way she could refuse; she just wished she didn't feel so miserable.

She decided she couldn't let Katie know what was going on, though. This was Katie's last day here, so there was no reason she had to make her feel any worse than she probably already did, having to say goodbye to all of her friends. As she parked her car outside of the restaurant where Katie had agreed to meet her, she looked in the rear view mirror and tried to practice a smile.

She frowned, realizing it looked too forced and shook her head. When she thought about it, it wasn't her fault she was in such a horrible mood either. It was Nathan's. They'd spent the whole tour tiptoeing around each other, and he'd waited until the very last moment to make his move: the move she knew he'd wanted to make halfway through the tour, ever since she'd accused him of being jealous of her working with Malcolm, in fact.

However, she'd done her best to remain patient with him, knowing it had been a long time since he'd had to try to woo another woman. That patience finally paid off when they'd declared their feelings for one another. Well, perhaps not in so many words, but what they'd had on Nathan's bunk... Well, if Lucas' unfortunate goodbye present hadn't interrupted them, she was sure there would have been more words and actions that showed their devotion to one another. She blushed hotly at the thought of it now.

Still, it seemed like they were both on the same page romantically, even after seaQuest's destruction. Even though it had been a horrible tragedy, he'd still been rather attentive to her. They'd even had dinner together that evening, just the two of them. He'd been hellbent on having that quiet little dinner together, and it had seemed like he still planned on pursuing a relationship with her.

But that dinner had been two weeks ago, and she hadn't heard from him since. She considered herself an extremely patient woman, and though she knew Nathan had a lot going on with the UEO and with Lucas, she still didn't think it unreasonable for him to at least have given her a phone call within that time. Was a little communication so hard? And it wasn't as though she'd never reached out to him; she'd left several messages, which he never returned. She'd tried giving him the benefit of the doubt at first, but she finally decided that was his way of letting her know he'd changed his mind. What else could it mean?

She sighed again, finally deciding that her forced smile was as good as it was going to get. She would just have to try to forget about her problems and be as cheerful as possible for Katie's sake. Then she'd be able to go back home, stuff her face with chocolate, and drown her sorrows by watching tearjerker movies. She got out of the car and ran to the door of the restaurant, which wasn't terribly crowded, and stepped inside. She immediately saw Katie sitting in the back booth, and she waved to Kristin when she saw her.

As Kristin approached the table, Katie said, "What lovely weather we're having, huh?"

She laughed softly as she sat down and waved a hand. "It's not as if you ordered it. Have you been waiting long?"

"Only about five minutes," Katie replied. "I took the liberty of ordering you some coffee; I thought you might want it to warm up."

"Thank you," she replied with a small smile as she picked up her menu. "That sounds wonderful."

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The meal was laced with quiet conversation, mostly about Katie's upcoming job position.

"...so the weekend will be settling into my new place, and Monday, I ship out," Katie said, taking a bite of her salad.

"I imagine you're pretty excited, though. It's always fun starting a new adventure, so to speak," Kristin replied.

"I am excited, but I'm sad about leaving all of you. It won't be the same..." She reached across the table, giving her hand a squeeze. "Especially without you. We showed those men a thing or two, didn't we?"

She smiled. "Indeed, we did, dear. I'll miss you, too, but I also understand that you need to do what you feel is best. We can't stay in one place forever, and considering the future is unclear at the moment... I certainly don't blame you, and neither does anyone else. But I do hope you'll make a point to call when you have a chance."

"Of course, Doc, and I hope to visit. I'm not about to let you slip off my radar, and I expect you to invite me to the wedding."

She nearly spit coffee everywhere. "What?"

"Oh, don't play coy with me. You and the captain aren't a secret anymore, and I know the rest of the crew is thrilled about it. Everyone says you're perfect together."

She felt her cheeks grow warm as she lowered her gaze, unsure of what to say at first. When she finally found her voice, however, she said, "That means a lot to hear we have everyone's support."

A brow rose. "Oh, Doc, why would you think otherwise? You know we're like a big family, and we just want you both to be happy." She paused, eyeing her carefully. "Though I can't help but notice you don't look very happy."

She shook her head. "Everything's fine, really."

"Then why do you look like you're on the verge of tears?" the younger woman pressed.

"I...I'm not." But her shaky voice betrayed her, and she knew she couldn't keep up with the charade any longer. She took a deep breath. "I just..." She felt her teeth sink into her bottom lip, debating whether or not she should come clean, but she finally decided she couldn't lie anymore. "I...I can't do this."

Katie's brow furrowed. "Doc, what do you mean?"

She shook her head sadly. "I hadn't wanted you to know, but... I'd had hopes for the captain and me, but I don't think he's as interested in me as I am in him," she said quietly, rolling her balled-up napkin in her hand.

"I don't believe it," Katie said, a hand rising to her mouth.

Now it was Kristin's turn to try to comfort the younger woman, placing a gentle hand over hers. "I just think he realized he wasn't quite ready for a serious relationship. I don't think he meant to hurt anyone..."

Katie shook her head. "That's not what I meant exactly. It's just I spoke to him yesterday at the base, and he didn't... I asked him about you two, and he never indicated anything was amiss."

"He probably didn't want to upset you," she said with a shrug. "I wish he could have told me in person he wasn't interested anymore, but it is what it is now."

"It just doesn't seem like him to do that, though. Even if he did decide he's not open to a romance, you two have always been close. You'd think he'd still want a friendship..."

"I thought the same thing, but..." She took another shaky breath. "Well, I've mulled these things over in my head a million times now; I'm just trying not to dwell on it."

"So what are you going to do now? I mean, are you going to stay here or go somewhere else? "

"I...I'm not sure. I had planned to stay in Pearl until the new seaQuest was built, but...there doesn't seem to be a point in me sticking around now. I'll have to contact my research university and see if they have any leads on career opportunities. I could always go back to teaching if things get really bad, but it's not my ideal choice."

"I'm sure you're a great teacher, though," Katie said.

She smiled softly. "Thank you for the encouragement, and it's not that I don't enjoy teaching, but I'd rather have a bit more action. If I were staying here, I was going to see if I could get a position in the hospital and the labs, but... Well, as I said, I'm not sure I want to stay here now."

"I hope that whatever you do, you'll be happy," Katie told her, "though I hope you'll try to talk to the captain at least once before you leave."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. I don't want to make it any more painful than it has to be. I'm sure that's the very reason he hasn't spoken to me either."

"I guess," the younger woman replied sadly. "It's just too bad."

She nodded. "I'm just trying to leave it behind me. I'm fine, really. I wasn't even planning on telling you..."

Katie waved a hand. "Well, it's not your fault. I sort of dragged it out of you; I knew there was something wrong, and I wouldn't have let up until you told me." She sighed. "I'm really going to miss our talks, though."

"So will I, but you know I'm just a phone call away. I hope to hear from you once in a while."

"I will be calling you often," she assured her. "And you better let me know if that number changes."

"Of course I will."

"As soon as I get to the Clinton, I'll give you my personal number there; I want you to be able to call me if you need as well." She sighed. "I really hate to cut this short, but I have some errands to run before the end of the day."

"Oh, it's all right. I understand." She stood and held out her arms.

Katie hugged her. "You take care of yourself, Doc."

"You, too, dear. Call me anytime," she said again.

"I will. I'll talk to you soon."

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As soon as she got home, she put on her pajamas, and started her sob-fest, via the saddest movies she owned. She started with Marley and Me. That clearance puppy always made her sob uncontrollably, and she desperately needed a good cry. Once she'd purged all these pent-up feelings, she hoped she'd be able to put it all behind her and forget about Nathan for good. Or at least make him a distant memory. In fact, she'd settle for thinking about him half as much as she thought about him now. All she wanted was not to feel quite so miserable, and the triple chocolate fudge bomb ice cream she was eating was definitely numbing the pain.

After Marley and Me, she went for Terms of Endearment and yet another bowl of ice cream. Then it was Steel Magnolias and even more ice cream. Kristin was in the middle of sobbing along with M'Lynn at Shelby's funeral when the vid-phone rang. She debated just not answering, but the worry it might be an emergency took over. She quickly wiped her eyes and hoped she looked decent enough. When she saw Nathan's face on the screen, her mouth dropped open in shock.

"I guess you didn't expect to hear from me," he said, "but then I don't blame you. I've been MIA for awhile, and I feel really awful about that. I was hoping you'll let me make it up to you?"

She ran a hand through her hair, realizing she must look a mess, and wondered what he thought. Then again, she didn't care at the moment. The only reason she looked the way she did was because of him. But what in the world prompted him to call on the afternoon that she just happened to tell Katie she was sure it was over between the two of them, not that they'd really gotten started? "Let me guess," she replied. "Katie went to see you?"

He nodded, giving her a sheepish look. "She was just saying goodbye, but she happened to tell me you two had lunch...and one thing led to another..."

She sighed. "I know she was trying to help, but you don't owe me any sort of explanation. I obviously made a mistake thinking we were more than friends, so please don't feel like you have to do anything for me."

"No, you don't understand, Kris. I want to be more than friends. Don't you?"

"I thought I made that perfectly clear, but in case you need me to spell it out for you, yes, I do. Or, at least, I did until..." She eyed him carefully. "I think you need to tell me why you've gone out of your way to ignore me these past couple weeks."

He hesitated for a few seconds before replying, "I...I don't really have a very good excuse. I wanted to talk to you so many times, but I was always being interrupted, what with the inquest concerning the boat's destruction and with Lucas, I've barely had time for myself... And when I did have a free moment, it was so late..."

"You could have sent an email, a fax, even a postcard," she pointed out quietly. "I just thought you'd lost interest."

"Of course not. I am still very interested, and it wasn't until Katie reminded me you had no idea what was going on, I thought I'd better do something to show you."

"I left you several voice mails, you know."

He nodded. "I know, and I am so sorry I never got back to you, but I pulled some strings, and I have a whole weekend off. I was wondering if you'd like to spend it with me?"

She wanted to sing to the heavens and do a happy dance, but she suppressed the urge as a tiny voice in her head reminded her that it sounded too good to be true. "While the thought is very sweet, you know as well as I that something will come up, and they'll need you. If not the UEO, then Lucas."

"Lucas is out of town this weekend with his parents," he said with a smile. "And I've decided that there's no way the UEO can find me if I'm not in the area."

A brow rose. "What do you mean?"

"I was thinking we'd go to my island, that is if you wanted to." He held up his hands. "I'm not expecting... We'll have separate rooms..."

Kristin noticed his face turning a darker shade of pink with every word and decided to step in and rescue him. "I know what you mean," she assured him.

He looked relieved. "So what do you say?"

It seemed like he'd taken all precautions to ensure they had a full, uninterrupted weekend together. How could she refuse? She glanced to her half-melted bowl of ice cream on the table and decided that whatever Nathan had planned would definitely be better than drowning her sorrows in chocolate. "All right."

He smiled. "I promise you won't be disappointed. Uh, what do you say I pick you up around seven? I have a few things to finish up, and that should give you plenty of time to pack."

"Very well; I'll see you then," she told him before he cut the link.

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She instantly wished she hadn't eaten so much ice cream, suddenly feeling a bit sick, but then she decided it was just a bit of apprehension. She did her best to shake it off, though, since this was really all she wanted. And an uninterrupted weekend meant she and Nathan would be able to clear the air and discuss where they were to go from here. She cleaned up her ice cream and put the movies and box of tissues away; then she made a bee-line for the bathroom to shower.

After dressing, she decided to pack. She hadn't wanted to seem overly eager, so she kept it as casual as possible, but she debated whether or not she needed something a bit dressier. She'd been so engrossed in trying to decide what to pack and what to leave that she jumped when she heard a knock at her door. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was nearly seven and went to answer the door.

Nathan smiled at her in greeting. "You look beautiful," he said as he stepped inside.

She glanced down at the blue jeans and beige sweater she was wearing and frowned. "I'm not really dressed up. I wasn't sure what you were planning..."

"You always look beautiful, no matter what you wear. And I wasn't planning anything terribly fancy. I mean, whatever you've packed is fine. I thought I'd make us dinner tomorrow, since it is Valentine's Day, but we don't have to be overly fancy for that. Are you all packed?"

"Almost. I'm just finishing up. Just give me a few minutes."

He nodded. "Well, I am a little early, but I figure that's better than being late."

She motioned to the sofa. "Just have a seat, and I'll be right back." She ran back to the bedroom, deciding that she definitely needed a dressy outfit for the occasion. She quickly double-checked that she had everything she needed before closing her bag and carrying it to the living room. "I think I'm all set."

He stood and took her bag from her. "Great; I hope you're as excited as I am about this. I've wanted... I hope you know that I've wanted this for a long time, even if I haven't been very good about showing it."

She couldn't help but smile. "As long as it doesn't happen again, you're forgiven."

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It was late when they arrived on the island, but Kristin didn't mind. The trip there had been quiet; they'd spoken a bit along the way, but it was mostly an update about what they'd been up to. Naturally, Nathan told her what he could about the inquest and how Lucas was faring. However, Kristin was too embarrassed to tell him she hadn't done much save for pining away for him, so she told him she was considering what to do next as far as her career.

"You know, I'm sure if you spoke to Bill," he said, leading her up the beach to the house, "he could get you something in the labs. That is, if you wanted to."

"I hadn't..." She sighed. "I wasn't planning on leaving Pearl, but then when you didn't... When I thought you decided..."

He turned to her and pulled her close. "I hope you stay in Pearl now. I don't want to lose you." He then kissed her gently to prove his point.

She kissed him back hungrily, feeling her passion heighten.

He apparently felt the same spark because he pushed her back against the door, kissing her forcefully and then moving to trail soft kisses down the hollow of her throat, causing her to moan softly.

Suddenly, as quickly as he began, however, he stopped, looking stricken.

She bit her lip in worry and was about to ask him what was wrong when he motioned to the door. "I should...probably go secure the launch. Let me let you inside, and I'll go back and get our bags."

She simply nodded and waited for him to unlock the door. He led her to the living room and pointed down a hallway just off the side. "There's a bathroom right down there if you need. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay," she said as he quickly went back outside. She decided to go and freshen up while she waited, heading to the bathroom. Staring into the mirror, she couldn't help but heave a sigh, though. Had she done something wrong? She shook her head. She didn't think so, but then again, maybe it was all innocent. Of course, he was just being safe. "You're just being silly," she muttered to herself. "Everything's fine."

That look on his face, though... she thought with a frown. She quickly shook her head, mentally chastising herself. Don't let your doubts ruin this weekend. Upon hearing the front door shut, she headed back toward the living room. "Did you get everything taken care of?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

He nodded, setting the bags down on the floor for the time being. "I'm sorry if it's a little chilly in here. Let me just make a fire, and then I'm sure you're hungry. I have plenty of food in the kitchen."

She placed a hand on his arm and felt him stiffen. "Sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean... I just wanted to let you know I could help. You don't need to do it all."

"I just thought you might like to rest, but if you're sure."

"Of course I am. How can I help with the fire?"

He motioned to a basket of old newspaper near the hearth of the fireplace. "You can start making some balls of paper while I get some kindling."

Kristin did as he'd asked, but she couldn't help but notice something was definitely different about him. He seemed colder, more stand-offish. She tried to assure herself she was just being paranoid, but when her hand brushed against his, he acted as though she'd stabbed him with a knife. "Nathan?"

"I need to go get some more firewood out of the outside shed. It won't take me long..."

"I'll go with you," she offered. "I told you I'd help."

"No, I need..." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "I won't be long. You just stay here and warm up."

Upon hearing the door slam, she crossed her arms over her chest, wondering what she'd done to make him run away from her again.

A/N: I promise to have the next chapter up as soon as possible. I'm shooting for tomorrow, but it will be this week for sure. Thank you.