Several Months later

Aboard SeaQuest

Nathan stretched as he walked down the corridor. He had just left the bridge after going off duty. It had been a long, uneventful day, and he was hoping to entice Kristin into having a nice quiet evening together. He headed towards c-deck and Med-bay, his thoughts on a hot cup of coffee and something tantalizing to eat. Just as he rounded the corner near the mag-lev, he heard an irate voice speaking to someone.

"Must you run everywhere?" retorted the voice Nathan recognized as Jonathan. The man's tone was crisp and exasperated. Nathan looked to see papers strewn all across the floor and a sheepish teenager scurrying to gather them. Jonathan's hands were on his hips as he stood scolding the boy. Lucas looked up as Nathan approached, and he smiled a guilty grin. Nathan patted Jonathan on the back supportively.

"Nice to see things are back to normal, Commander," Nathan chuckled. Jonathan glanced at Nathan, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Lucas stood up and handed the crumpled mess of papers to Jonathan.

"Uh, I'm sorry Commander," said the smirking teenager. Jonathan reached out and took the papers. A small smirk crept across his face as he nodded at Lucas. His eyes glanced at Nathan as he turned and walked away.

Nathan looked at Lucas as he stood there awkwardly staring after Jonathan. It had been a rough few months for the boy. Night terrors had plagued him for a long time. Lucas had stayed with him on the island while they were on shore leave. The boy had stubbornly fought against talking to the therapist, but over time Kristin's friend, Eric Petersen, had worked wonders with the kid. Gradually the teenager perked up and his mischievous smile returned. Nathan had begun to relax, knowing that the horrible ordeal with Clemens was in the past. The court case had been an open and shut case. The lawyers for the UEO were meticulous and vicious. None of teenagers had even needed to testify. Clemens was sentenced quickly and efficiently. The man would not see the light of day until he was a very elderly man.

"I'm sorry, Captain," said Lucas, bringing Nathan out of his thoughts. Nathan smiled and patted the boy on the back.

"You run down these corridors daily, Lucas. Why do you insist on running into Commander Ford?" replied Nathan, trying to stifle a laugh. Lucas shrugged and a large grin broke out across his face. Nathan's heart warmed at the sight. That mischievous Lucas smile that he adored had returned. The smile reached the boys eyes, and the sight was one Nathan had longed to see for a long time. "Where were you going in such a rush?" asked Nathan, as the two of them fell into step towards the mag-lev.

"Ben, Miguel, Tim and I are having a game of poker after supper. I wanted to get to mess hall before them," began Lucas with a glint in his eye.

"Dare I ask why?" inquired Nathan, raising an eye brow. Lucas's face reddened at the question.

"Uh, maybe you shouldn't, Captain," mumbled Lucas, with a small smirk on his face. Nathan laughed and shook his head. The two of them entered the Mag-lev and sat down. Nathan rested his head on the back of the wall. He watched as Lucas chatted with others on the lift. The teen's relaxed, carefree manner had returned. He seemed more at home with the crew than he ever had been before. He seemed less moody and happier than he'd been in a long time. Nathan felt immense relief to see the light-heartedness back in the teenager. That boyish mischievousness that everyone loved about Lucas had returned.

The mag-lev stopped and Lucas and Nathan stepped off, both heading towards c-deck. Nathan walked quietly as he enjoyed listening to the teenager rattling off all the events of his day.

"Lucas, when do you see Eric again?" asked Nathan as they entered c-deck.

"Actually, Captain, I invited him on SeaQuest. He hasn't met Darwin or any of the crew. I talk about everybody all the time, and he said he'd like to meet everyone. The guy hasn't even been snorkeling before, and he lives in Florida," stated Lucas, wrinkling his nose in disbelief at his own words. "That's okay isn't it, Captain?" asked Lucas, suddenly looking worried. Nathan laughed. Eric had been working with Lucas about asking permission before doing things. The teenager had grown up so quickly and had lived such an odd life as a child, that some of the basic things kids learn at an early age had escaped Lucas. Asking permission and allowing adults to be adults were two things Lucas was learning. Nathan felt like he owed a huge debt to Eric. The guy was amazing. Plus Lucas had grown to adore the man, and the guy loved baseball and loud rock and roll music, which made him even more popular.

"Of course, Lucas." Suddenly the kid stopped walking, and a grim look fell across his face. Nathan furrowed his brow and glanced at Lucas questionably.

"What's wrong?" asked Nathan. Lucas licked his lips slowly and rubbed his hands on his pant legs nervously. Nathan began to feel worried, wondering what the matter was.

"I was supposed to ask you something, Captain," replied Lucas in a low voice.

"About?" prompted Nathan. Lucas stopped walking and looked at the floor with a troubled look on his face. Nathan waited as he watched the boy fight a small inner battle.

"Eric and I were talking about stuff that was still bugging me. He, uh, suggested that instead of me worrying about it that I, uh, should just talk to you."

"Sounds like a wise plan to me," stated Nathan kindly. Lucas bit his lip nervously and clenched his fists together. Nathan tilted his head and tried to think what was bothering the boy so much that he would look so anxious.

"Come with me, let's go talk in the VIP lounge," suggested Nathan, walking toward a door and entering the code to the room.

There were two VIP lounges on the c-deck on SeaQuest. The lounges were used when guests or extra scientists were onboard, but when none were on board, crew members tended to use the rooms for quiet spots to read or to have private conversations with other crew members. This time of day, most of the crew were heading to the mess hall on B-deck. C-deck was quiet. Nathan sat down in a lazy boy and leaned back with a contented groan. It felt nice to put his feet up and relax. Lucas sat nervously in front of him on a card table chair.

"Okay, Lucas, I'm all ears," replied Nathan. Lucas chewed on his finger, anxiety apparent on his face. Nathan sat forward and patted the kid's knee supportively. "Spill it, kiddo."

"Uh, remember the day after Clemens was in custody? I was not really myself, but I remember that you said you wanted to have a chat, uh, about rules when it was all over so we could come to an understanding," muttered Lucas, almost so softly that Nathan couldn't hear the words. Nathan felt relief wash over him as the words registered in his brain. He bit his lip to prevent himself from breaking out in laughter. He had forgotten and put most of the events from those days out of his mind. He hadn't given much thought to any of the things Lucas had done during that time. It had been more than obvious that everything Lucas had done was because of the trauma he had sustained. However, for whatever reason, Lucas had held onto some of it.

"I remember," said Nathan, his voice calm and even. Lucas swallowed sheepishly and looked at his hands.

"Eric suggested that I bring it up and get it over with. Uh, you know about stealing the Stinger and uh, your security badge especially," replied Lucas. Nathan looked deeply into the teenager's eyes and smiled, patting his knee again.

"That has been on your mind all this time?" Lucas nodded silently. His face looked genuinely concerned. Nathan looked at Lucas with a warm smile.

"Relax, Lucas, you're not in trouble. I only said that before because you were so intent on blaming yourself for everything that happened with Node three and Clemens. It seemed to ease your mind at the time that I was going to hold you accountable. Yes, I was upset with you when you stole the Stinger, but I understand now why you did it. Yes, it was wrong to take my security badge and sneak onto SeaQuest without permission, but I think you know that." Lucas nodded slowly as he listened.

"Anything else bothering you?" inquired Nathan, wanting to make sure there weren't any other loose ends to tie. Lucas shook his head as small smile returning to his face.

"Honestly, kid, if you don't learn to relax, you're going to have an ulcer by the time your sixteen," commented Nathan, a large smile spreading across his face.

"So that's it? No lecture? No consequences?" asked Lucas in disbelief.

"That's it, kiddo." Lucas heaved a large sigh of relief and the look of doom left his face. Nathan laughed and shook his head.

"Lucas, you're going to give me a complex. Am I really that scary to talk with?" asked Nathan, looking uncertainly at the teenager. Lucas quickly shook his head.

"No, no, it isn't that, Captain,"

"Well, what then?" Lucas shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't really explain it. It was just a deep feeling he had when he did something wrong. The feeling sat deep in his conscience, and he couldn't let it go until everything was out in the open. Nathan patted the teenager on the cheek lovingly.

"Captain," asked Lucas as he stood up to stretch. "When we were on the bridge, you said something and no matter how much I try to figure it out, I can't. Will you tell me what you meant?" Nathan squinted his eye, trying to remember what he'd said.

"Help an ole guy out and remind me what I said?"

"You said it was a guitar string moment. Why did you mean by that?" Nathan rose to his feet and walked across the room to the bookshelf. He turned to look at Lucas' young face.

"Well, when you tune a guitar, you tighten the strings to make the right sound. If you tighten them too tightly, they break. You have to know how to tighten them just so, right? On the bridge, Clemens was bringing us to our breaking point. We needed to use that tension to strengthen us, not break us." A smile broke out across Lucas' face as he took in the words. Nathan strode across the room and clapped the boy on the shoulder firmly.

"Anything else on your mind?"

"No, I'm good."

"Lucas, I'm always gonna be here for you to talk to, okay? I will always make the time for you. Got it?" Lucas nodded, still smiling.

"Good, now scoot! Go play your prank on those guys before I change my mind and want to know what you're up to." Lucas laughed and ran from the room. Nathan stood shaking his head. Yes, things were slowly getting back to normal. He left the lounge with a smile and headed to med-bay to find Kristin. He was still hoping to steal her attention away for the evening. He envisioned a nice quiet evening in his quarters.

The end :) (until the next adventure)

A/N—Hope you enjoyed reading "Aftershock". Thanks to all of you who have reviewed my work. It made it enjoyable to check my account and read your comments. I have a few more ideas for stories. I really do enjoy the relationship between Captain Bridger and Lucas. God bless :)