I don't own any of these Characters. I'm just a fan who loved the show and wanted to show my
appreciation. This is a first season story, since it is my favorite season! I also go by 2004 as Lucas'
birthday, so he is fourteen in my stories.
PS. I have never been to Disney World. Any info about DW used in this story came from their web-site. If I
made terrible mistakes in describing it, please forgive me.
Mickey Mouse, meet Lucas Wolenczak
They stepped into the hotel. The air conditioning made Lucas get goose bumps. It was so much
colder than the outside air. He couldn't believe how excited he was. He had never been to Disney World
before. This was going to be great. For that matter, he had really never been anywhere before, unless it
was a school or university. His parents had never taken him anywhere fun, ever. He followed Bridger and
Kristin up to the desk. The excitement all but radiated form him.
"So what are we going to do first?" Lucas asked.
"First let's just get to our rooms and unpack our luggage. How does that sound?" Bridger teased.
He knew the boy was dying to get to the theme park.
"Don't worry, Lucas. We've got a whole week. I promise, you won't miss anything," Kristin
said. She smiled fondly at him. She couldn't remember ever seeing Lucas so happy about something.
Sure, he got excited about computers and working with Darwin, but right now Lucas wasn't a boy genius,
he was just a boy. She was glad that Nathan had arranged for this trip.
Nathan thanked the woman at the desk and led the way to their rooms. He had rented a three
bedroom suite with a living room and a kitchen. It had cost a small fortune, but since he had gotten his
patents on his research while he was a civilian, he could easily afford it. Actually, he could afford just
about anything he ever wanted, but that was a secret he kept to himself.
They rode the elevator up almost to the top. They dragged their luggage behind them and Lucas
and Kristin waited for Nathan to unlock the door. All were surprised when they entered the room.
"Nathan, this is incredible," Kristin said.
"Yeah, I could fit my bedroom fro seaQuest in here about 20 times or more," Lucas agreed. He
tossed his bags to the floor and ran to the window to take in the view. "You can see the park from here."
Nathan and Kristin just smiled. "Lucas, since all three of us have to live here, maybe you could
pick up your stuff and carry it into the room you want."
"Okay," Lucas said. He grabbed his bags and took a quick look in the three rooms and then chose
the smallest one for himself. Then he tossed his bags on the floor once again and plopped himself down on
the bed. "This place is great!" he shouted from the room.
Nathan went in his room, letting Kristin have the largest. He quickly took out the most crucial
items and then was pretty much ready to go. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already going on
5:00. He had wanted to get here earlier, but a delay on the ship had prevented it. It was too late to go to the
park today. Maybe they could do something else, if Lucas would agree to it, that is.
He stepped out of his room and saw that Lucas was lying in the sofa listening to his walkman. He
had his eyes closed and was oblivious to everything else. Nathan sat down in the big recliner and waited
for Kristin to come out of her room. He was surprised by how comfortable the chair was. He wondered if
he could sneak one of these onto the seaQuest! It was about ten minutes later when Kristin finally came
into the living room.
"Nathan, I can't thank you enough for this trip. It was a wonderful idea."
"I'm glad you like it. I have to say, I didn't expect the room to be this nice. I was thinking that
it's probably too late to head over to the park, so what would you like to do instead?"
"I'm not sure. I've never been here before."
"Well, the last time I was here we had a lot of fun going to the Boardwalk come the evenings. I
think Lucas will like it too. They have a water side port town all set up to look like olden times. Plus there
are a lot of fun things to do and see."
"Sounds perfect to me. I guess we should wake him up and ask if he wants to go," she said with a
laugh.
Nathan looked over and sure enough, Lucas was sound asleep. He couldn't believe it. The boy
who had been bouncing off the walls just a half an hour ago was out cold. He stood up and lightly shook
the boy's shoulder.
"Hey, kiddo," he said when Lucas opened his eyes. Lucas quickly pulled off his headphones.
"Sorry, I must have dozed off," Lucas said. "So what are we going to do first?" he quickly asked.
"Kids!" Nathan laughed. "We were thinking that since it's late we could save the Magic Kingdom
for tomorrow, and tonight we could go to the Boardwalk."
"What's that?" Lucas asked.
"It's a harbor town, set in the olden times, it's got food, music, and stores. It'll be fun."
"Cool," came Lucas reply. "Let's go."
"Let me just grab my purse," Kristin said, quickly dodging into her room.
A half an hour later they were walking down the boardwalk, taking in all the sights. Lucas really
like it. It sort of reminded him of the place pirates might have hung around long ago. They watched as
boats went back and forth. Music could be heard as they passed different clubs.
"So what do you want to eat" Nathan asked. Lucas didn't even say anything. He knew Kristin
would make him eat something wholesome and healthy, so he figured he'd just let her pick out the place.
"How about pizza?" Kristin offered. Lucas just looked at her like she was crazy. "What?" she
asked, confused by the strange look Lucas was giving her.
"Nothing, it's just, well, aren't you afraid that if I eat pizza my arteries will harden, or something
like that?" he grinned. Nathan couldn't help but laugh at that. Kristin was famous for watching what
Lucas ate, practically monitoring every morsel that went in the kid's mouth.
"A little junk food, in moderation, isn't that bad. Besides, it's pizza, not candy bars and followed
by two or three cokes."
They walked down the board walk and stopped at a restaurant called Spoodles. They only had to
wait a few moments to be seated. When the waitress came they ordered a large Sicilian pizza along with a
big salad to share. Lucas liked the restaurant a lot. It was partially outside so the night air drifted in, bring
the smells of the ocean. He couldn't remember ever feeling more relaxed, or happy. The waitress brought
their drinks and the salad, along with plates.
"So, Lucas, what do you think of this place?" Nathan asked.
"It's awesome. Have you been here before?"
"Yes, I was here a long, long time ago. I came with Carol and Robert when he was about five or
so. It had been a lot of fun." Nathan was surprised that as he shared the memory he didn't feel the touch of
pain that usually accompanied them. In fact, the memory actually made him smile. He looked at Kristin
and Lucas. Life was strange, he realized. Several months ago he had been alone on his island. Now here
he was with a new woman in his life, and a boy he thought of as a son. He had swore to never let anyone in
his heart ever again. He never wanted to suffer the pain that came with the loss. But here he was, building
a new family, and while the thought scared him a little, it also filled his empty heart with joy. Somehow,
being here with them just felt so…so right.
"What do you want to see first tomorrow?" Kristin asked Lucas. "The Magic Kingdom, the Epcot
Center, maybe the animal exhibits?"
"I want to see them all, but tomorrow, the Magic Kingdom, definitely the Magic Kingdom. I've
always wanted to go there. I remember when I was at college the other students used to talk about their
trips there with their families. They made it sound so great."
"Have you ever been to a theme park?" Kristin asked, hearing the touch of sadness to the boy's
voice.
"Uh, I've never really been anywhere. But I've read about a lot of the places I wanted to go to.
My parents just never had the time to take me, and then I was always in school, so that didn't leave much
time for the fun stuff. In three and a half years, when I turn 18 I want to spend a whole year just going around the
world to see everything I can see. I don't want to miss anything!"
Kristin shook her head. She felt bad for Lucas, to have been robbed of his childhood like that.
She put a comforting hand over his and Lucas smiled at her. "I think a trip around the world is an excellent
idea."
Nathan suddenly realized something. "Lucas, I thought you were 16."
Lucas' eyes opened wide when he realized his mistake. "Uh, yeah, that's right. I meant two
years," he corrected.
Nathan wasn't buying it. "Lucas, how old are you. It's okay, you're not going to be in trouble or
anything. But I need to know the truth."
Lucas hung his head down. "I'm 14. But I'll be fifteen in three months. My dad didn't think the
UEO would take me if I was so young, so he lied. He changed my records."
Nathan and Kristin were both stunned. It was bad enough to hear of a 16 year old being sent
away, but 14. How could they have done that to Lucas.
"That explains why I have two different birth dates for you in your file. I had assumed that the
one that said 2004 had been a typo," Kristin said.
"No, that's…that's the real one." Lucas looked at the Captain. "I'm sorry I lied. I didn't want to,
but my dad really wanted to put me somewhere so he could work on his project, and my mom wouldn't
take me, so I was afraid of just where I would end up if I didn't get on the seaQuest. Are…are you going to
send me back?"
Nathan shook his head. He took Lucas' hand in his own and held it tight. "I'm not going to send
you away. That's a promise. You need to get that idea out of your head. Stop worrying about that, okay."
He smiled when Lucas nodded. "But, no more lies, kiddo. I'm not mad at you, but I'm disappointed that
you felt you couldn't trust me."
"I'm sorry," Lucas said again.
"It's okay," Nathan said. He wanted to lighten the mood. "So is there anything else you haven't
told me? I mean, you're not really a girl or something are you?" he joked. That got a laugh out of Lucas
and the boy almost spewed his Coke out of his mouth. He managed to swallow and then cough several times.
"No, sir, I can assure you that I'm not a girl!" Just then the pizza arrived.
"Good! Then let's eat," Nathan said, still laughing.
When their dinner was over they continued walking down the boardwalk. They came across the
Atlantic Dance Hall where Latin music could be heard loud and clear.
"Oh, let's go in here!" Kristin exclaimed. "It sounds fun!"
"Oh, I don't know," Nathan said. "I'm not exactly known for my dancing abilities!"
"No problem, I'll lead," Kristin replied with grin. She grabbed his hands and dragged him into the
dance club. Lucas followed behind, laughing. He couldn't figure out what those two were waiting for. It
was pretty obvious to everyone that they were a perfect match.
Lucas had been pretty bored watching Bridger and Kristin dance. It had been going on for about
forty-five minutes. But then a cute red head came over and asked if he would dance with her. After that
the rest of the night was a blast!
_____________________
Walking into the hotel Nathan just had to ask. "So, did you get her phone number?"
Lucas quickly turned an interesting shade of red. "Yeah," her replied. "But Lara lives in Kansas,
so I'll probably never see her again. She was a good dancer, though."
They went to their room. Lucas plopped down on the couch and turned on the tv.
"Oh no you don't," Kristin said. "Off to bed with you. We'll be getting up early so I want you to
get a good nights sleep."
"But it's only 10:30," Lucas complained. Kristin gave him one of her famous looks, and then
when he looked to the Captain he saw the same look. He didn't stand a chance with the both of them
ganging up on him. He gave a sigh and marched off to his bedroom.
The minute Lucas closed the door both Nathan and Kristin broke into the giggles. "I swear he
does it just to be a brat," Nathan joked.
"He's a teenager. I believe the definition in the dictionary is brat to the extreme." She plopped
into the couch herself and kicked off her shoes. "I'm exhausted," she said.
"Just wait until tomorrow. You'll be so tired come bedtime that we'll probably have to carry you
back to the hotel."
"Are you offering to do the job," she teased.
"I might be persuaded," Nathan replied, sitting down next to her.
"Thank you for inviting me on this trip. You know, it was very nice of you to do this for Lucas. I
can't remember seeing him so happy and carefree."
"He deserves to be happy. I don't get it. Lucas is such a great kid, what the hell is the matter with
his parents?"
"I have to say, I was shocked tonight to find out that he was only 14 when he first arrived. I can't
believe his father lied about his age."
"I can," Nathan replied. "Bill never would have let a 14 year old on the boat, even if it was the
best place for him. But in the six months that I've gotten to know Lucas, he seems to have adapted to
living on the seaQuest well. The senior staff adores him."
"Yes, along with Lt. Krieg, although that's a match that scares me a little," she laughed.
"I know, but I don't think Ben would ever get him into any real trouble, and a little bit of trouble is
probably a good thing for Lucas, but I'll never tell him that!"
"Nathan, really, the boy has you practically wrapped around his finger, and he knows it!"
Nathan laughed. "It's true, but I can't help it."
"I'm just glad that he has you. In a way, you're all he has in this world," Kristin said.
"That's not true. He's got you too."
______________________
Lucas was in the middle of a dream about Lara when he heard a knock on his door. He ignored it,
figuring that Lara had to be cuter than anyone at the door. His eyes popped open though when he felt a
hand shaking his shoulder.
'Come on, sleepy head. If you want to spend the day at the park you best get up already," Nathan said.
"Uh, what time is it?" Lucas asked.
"It's already 8:30. Get up and get dressed, so we can have breakfast and go."
"Okay." Lucas crawled out of bed, grabbed some clothes from his bag, and then headed to the
shower. Fifteen minutes later he was fully awake and ready to go. He walked into the kitchen and opened
the refrigerator. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw that it had already been prestocked
with every junk food imaginable. He grabbed a Coke, a brownie wrapped in plastic wrap, and a Snickers.
But as soon as he turned around the food was grabbed from his hands.
"I don't think so," Kristin said, shoving the junk back into the fridge. "You are going to eat your
fair share of garbage at the park today. You are going to have a real breakfast. Room service should be
here in about ten minutes."
"Can I at least have the Coke, since I know you won't let me have any coffee?" Lucas asked.
"You can have some orange juice when the food arrives."
Lucas turned around and sat down on the couch. He flipped through the TV channels and stopped
when he found Ren and Stimpy. He knew Kristin would hate this show, so he did the only reasonable thing
to do. He turned up the volume so she couldn't miss it.
"Oh wow, Ren and Stimpy," Nathan said, sitting down next to Lucas. "I love these guys." Lucas
looked at the Captain like the man had just lost his mind.
"What, don't look at me like that. I'll have you know that Ren and Stimpy are almost as old as
you are. I used to watch them with Robert. He liked them because it bugged his mother."
Just then Kristin walked into the living room. "Oh, how can you two watch such trash. Really,
there has to be something on better than that!"
Both Lucas and Nathan laughed.
_____________________
By 4:00 that day Kristin had to admit that she was exhausted. As Nathan had predicted, Lucas
dragged them all over the park. She was glad that she had remembered to bring her camera. She had
gotten some truly great pictures of Nathan and Lucas today. Several times she had asked an employee to
snap a picture of the three of them. They had pictures with Goofy, Donald, and Minnie, but Lucas wanted
to get one with Mickey, still.
Kristin had to give Nathan credit. So far he had gone on every ride Lucas had wanted to go on.
She had also gone on quite a few herself, but she drew the line when it came to roller coasters that looked
ten stories high. So while they stood in line she was only to happy to sit and give her feet a rest.
"I'm hungry," Lucas said. "Can we get corn dogs." He pointed to a vendor not too far away.
"Where are you putting all this food?" Nathan asked. "At home we have to practically force feed you."
"No offense, Captain, but you can't get corn dogs, burgers, hot fudge sundaes, and French fries on
seaQuest. I have to eat all of my favorites before we go home, cause then it'll be a month or more before I
can get them again."
"I guess I can't argue with that kind of logic," Nathan smiled. "Corn dogs here we come." Nathan put an
arm around the boys shoulders and they started walking to the corn dog stand.
"Get me a bottled water," Kristin said. "I'll get us a bench." She found one just a bit away.
When she saw the two returning they both were carrying two corn dogs apiece, with Cokes, and her bottled
water.
"Nathan, you're as bad as Lucas," she teased. He had eaten just as much junk as the boy had.
"Well, he has a point!" Nathan protested. "You can't eat like this on seaQuest."
"Yes, well, thank goodness for that!" she admonished.
"Oh, it's Mickey!" Lucas gasped and jumped from the bench. Nathan and Kristin laughed when
they saw Lucas grab the mouse's arm and drag him back to where they were sitting.
"He's going to knock the poor man over," Kristin giggled.
"Lucas, don't hurt him," Nathan warned.
"Yes, sir," Lucas said. "Sorry Mickey," he said to the over sized caricature. Mickey just waved at
them, his plastic face never losing it's smile.
"Excuse me," Nathan said to a young girl working there, "but could you please take our picture?"
"No problem," she said, taking the camera from Kristin.
"Thank you!" Lucas told her after they were done.
___________________
As the day turned into night even Lucas was tired. They had seen almost the entire park.
"Well, are you two ready to leave?" Kristin asked.
"We can't go yet," Lucas said, stifling a yawn. "We have to see the fireworks."
"Tell you what, let's start walking to the main gate, that way when the fireworks are over we can
hope on a shuttle back to the hotel," Nathan offered.
"That sounds perfect," Kristin supplied.
Lucas watched the Captain and Kristin walk holding hands. He was glad for that. He thought of
them as parents, and for some reason it was important to him that they be together. He was surprised when
Nathan looked back at him and motioned for him to catch up. Nathan put an arm around his shoulders and
the three of them walked back like that. Lucas realized that he trusted both of them. They could get on his
nerves sometimes, but they really did care about him, more than anyone else ever had.
They had almost made it back to the gate when the fireworks started. They stopped and all turned
around to watch. Nathan placed his arm around Kristin's waist and she snuggled next to him. Nathan was
genuinely surprised when Lucas, on his own, moved next to him and leaned into his arm. That one simple
action spoke volumes to Nathan. He had finally earned Lucas' trust. He placed his arm around the boys
shoulders and Lucas wrapped his arms around Nathan's waist and rested his head on his shoulder while he
looked up into the sky watching the beautiful colors flash in and out.
Nathan found that he couldn't even think of the words to describe how happy and content he was.
Kristin and Lucas were both looking at the sky, but he found the only thing he could look at were the two
people he held in his arms. He loved them both and he hated when it was time to let go.
appreciation. This is a first season story, since it is my favorite season! I also go by 2004 as Lucas'
birthday, so he is fourteen in my stories.
PS. I have never been to Disney World. Any info about DW used in this story came from their web-site. If I
made terrible mistakes in describing it, please forgive me.
Mickey Mouse, meet Lucas Wolenczak
They stepped into the hotel. The air conditioning made Lucas get goose bumps. It was so much
colder than the outside air. He couldn't believe how excited he was. He had never been to Disney World
before. This was going to be great. For that matter, he had really never been anywhere before, unless it
was a school or university. His parents had never taken him anywhere fun, ever. He followed Bridger and
Kristin up to the desk. The excitement all but radiated form him.
"So what are we going to do first?" Lucas asked.
"First let's just get to our rooms and unpack our luggage. How does that sound?" Bridger teased.
He knew the boy was dying to get to the theme park.
"Don't worry, Lucas. We've got a whole week. I promise, you won't miss anything," Kristin
said. She smiled fondly at him. She couldn't remember ever seeing Lucas so happy about something.
Sure, he got excited about computers and working with Darwin, but right now Lucas wasn't a boy genius,
he was just a boy. She was glad that Nathan had arranged for this trip.
Nathan thanked the woman at the desk and led the way to their rooms. He had rented a three
bedroom suite with a living room and a kitchen. It had cost a small fortune, but since he had gotten his
patents on his research while he was a civilian, he could easily afford it. Actually, he could afford just
about anything he ever wanted, but that was a secret he kept to himself.
They rode the elevator up almost to the top. They dragged their luggage behind them and Lucas
and Kristin waited for Nathan to unlock the door. All were surprised when they entered the room.
"Nathan, this is incredible," Kristin said.
"Yeah, I could fit my bedroom fro seaQuest in here about 20 times or more," Lucas agreed. He
tossed his bags to the floor and ran to the window to take in the view. "You can see the park from here."
Nathan and Kristin just smiled. "Lucas, since all three of us have to live here, maybe you could
pick up your stuff and carry it into the room you want."
"Okay," Lucas said. He grabbed his bags and took a quick look in the three rooms and then chose
the smallest one for himself. Then he tossed his bags on the floor once again and plopped himself down on
the bed. "This place is great!" he shouted from the room.
Nathan went in his room, letting Kristin have the largest. He quickly took out the most crucial
items and then was pretty much ready to go. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already going on
5:00. He had wanted to get here earlier, but a delay on the ship had prevented it. It was too late to go to the
park today. Maybe they could do something else, if Lucas would agree to it, that is.
He stepped out of his room and saw that Lucas was lying in the sofa listening to his walkman. He
had his eyes closed and was oblivious to everything else. Nathan sat down in the big recliner and waited
for Kristin to come out of her room. He was surprised by how comfortable the chair was. He wondered if
he could sneak one of these onto the seaQuest! It was about ten minutes later when Kristin finally came
into the living room.
"Nathan, I can't thank you enough for this trip. It was a wonderful idea."
"I'm glad you like it. I have to say, I didn't expect the room to be this nice. I was thinking that
it's probably too late to head over to the park, so what would you like to do instead?"
"I'm not sure. I've never been here before."
"Well, the last time I was here we had a lot of fun going to the Boardwalk come the evenings. I
think Lucas will like it too. They have a water side port town all set up to look like olden times. Plus there
are a lot of fun things to do and see."
"Sounds perfect to me. I guess we should wake him up and ask if he wants to go," she said with a
laugh.
Nathan looked over and sure enough, Lucas was sound asleep. He couldn't believe it. The boy
who had been bouncing off the walls just a half an hour ago was out cold. He stood up and lightly shook
the boy's shoulder.
"Hey, kiddo," he said when Lucas opened his eyes. Lucas quickly pulled off his headphones.
"Sorry, I must have dozed off," Lucas said. "So what are we going to do first?" he quickly asked.
"Kids!" Nathan laughed. "We were thinking that since it's late we could save the Magic Kingdom
for tomorrow, and tonight we could go to the Boardwalk."
"What's that?" Lucas asked.
"It's a harbor town, set in the olden times, it's got food, music, and stores. It'll be fun."
"Cool," came Lucas reply. "Let's go."
"Let me just grab my purse," Kristin said, quickly dodging into her room.
A half an hour later they were walking down the boardwalk, taking in all the sights. Lucas really
like it. It sort of reminded him of the place pirates might have hung around long ago. They watched as
boats went back and forth. Music could be heard as they passed different clubs.
"So what do you want to eat" Nathan asked. Lucas didn't even say anything. He knew Kristin
would make him eat something wholesome and healthy, so he figured he'd just let her pick out the place.
"How about pizza?" Kristin offered. Lucas just looked at her like she was crazy. "What?" she
asked, confused by the strange look Lucas was giving her.
"Nothing, it's just, well, aren't you afraid that if I eat pizza my arteries will harden, or something
like that?" he grinned. Nathan couldn't help but laugh at that. Kristin was famous for watching what
Lucas ate, practically monitoring every morsel that went in the kid's mouth.
"A little junk food, in moderation, isn't that bad. Besides, it's pizza, not candy bars and followed
by two or three cokes."
They walked down the board walk and stopped at a restaurant called Spoodles. They only had to
wait a few moments to be seated. When the waitress came they ordered a large Sicilian pizza along with a
big salad to share. Lucas liked the restaurant a lot. It was partially outside so the night air drifted in, bring
the smells of the ocean. He couldn't remember ever feeling more relaxed, or happy. The waitress brought
their drinks and the salad, along with plates.
"So, Lucas, what do you think of this place?" Nathan asked.
"It's awesome. Have you been here before?"
"Yes, I was here a long, long time ago. I came with Carol and Robert when he was about five or
so. It had been a lot of fun." Nathan was surprised that as he shared the memory he didn't feel the touch of
pain that usually accompanied them. In fact, the memory actually made him smile. He looked at Kristin
and Lucas. Life was strange, he realized. Several months ago he had been alone on his island. Now here
he was with a new woman in his life, and a boy he thought of as a son. He had swore to never let anyone in
his heart ever again. He never wanted to suffer the pain that came with the loss. But here he was, building
a new family, and while the thought scared him a little, it also filled his empty heart with joy. Somehow,
being here with them just felt so…so right.
"What do you want to see first tomorrow?" Kristin asked Lucas. "The Magic Kingdom, the Epcot
Center, maybe the animal exhibits?"
"I want to see them all, but tomorrow, the Magic Kingdom, definitely the Magic Kingdom. I've
always wanted to go there. I remember when I was at college the other students used to talk about their
trips there with their families. They made it sound so great."
"Have you ever been to a theme park?" Kristin asked, hearing the touch of sadness to the boy's
voice.
"Uh, I've never really been anywhere. But I've read about a lot of the places I wanted to go to.
My parents just never had the time to take me, and then I was always in school, so that didn't leave much
time for the fun stuff. In three and a half years, when I turn 18 I want to spend a whole year just going around the
world to see everything I can see. I don't want to miss anything!"
Kristin shook her head. She felt bad for Lucas, to have been robbed of his childhood like that.
She put a comforting hand over his and Lucas smiled at her. "I think a trip around the world is an excellent
idea."
Nathan suddenly realized something. "Lucas, I thought you were 16."
Lucas' eyes opened wide when he realized his mistake. "Uh, yeah, that's right. I meant two
years," he corrected.
Nathan wasn't buying it. "Lucas, how old are you. It's okay, you're not going to be in trouble or
anything. But I need to know the truth."
Lucas hung his head down. "I'm 14. But I'll be fifteen in three months. My dad didn't think the
UEO would take me if I was so young, so he lied. He changed my records."
Nathan and Kristin were both stunned. It was bad enough to hear of a 16 year old being sent
away, but 14. How could they have done that to Lucas.
"That explains why I have two different birth dates for you in your file. I had assumed that the
one that said 2004 had been a typo," Kristin said.
"No, that's…that's the real one." Lucas looked at the Captain. "I'm sorry I lied. I didn't want to,
but my dad really wanted to put me somewhere so he could work on his project, and my mom wouldn't
take me, so I was afraid of just where I would end up if I didn't get on the seaQuest. Are…are you going to
send me back?"
Nathan shook his head. He took Lucas' hand in his own and held it tight. "I'm not going to send
you away. That's a promise. You need to get that idea out of your head. Stop worrying about that, okay."
He smiled when Lucas nodded. "But, no more lies, kiddo. I'm not mad at you, but I'm disappointed that
you felt you couldn't trust me."
"I'm sorry," Lucas said again.
"It's okay," Nathan said. He wanted to lighten the mood. "So is there anything else you haven't
told me? I mean, you're not really a girl or something are you?" he joked. That got a laugh out of Lucas
and the boy almost spewed his Coke out of his mouth. He managed to swallow and then cough several times.
"No, sir, I can assure you that I'm not a girl!" Just then the pizza arrived.
"Good! Then let's eat," Nathan said, still laughing.
When their dinner was over they continued walking down the boardwalk. They came across the
Atlantic Dance Hall where Latin music could be heard loud and clear.
"Oh, let's go in here!" Kristin exclaimed. "It sounds fun!"
"Oh, I don't know," Nathan said. "I'm not exactly known for my dancing abilities!"
"No problem, I'll lead," Kristin replied with grin. She grabbed his hands and dragged him into the
dance club. Lucas followed behind, laughing. He couldn't figure out what those two were waiting for. It
was pretty obvious to everyone that they were a perfect match.
Lucas had been pretty bored watching Bridger and Kristin dance. It had been going on for about
forty-five minutes. But then a cute red head came over and asked if he would dance with her. After that
the rest of the night was a blast!
_____________________
Walking into the hotel Nathan just had to ask. "So, did you get her phone number?"
Lucas quickly turned an interesting shade of red. "Yeah," her replied. "But Lara lives in Kansas,
so I'll probably never see her again. She was a good dancer, though."
They went to their room. Lucas plopped down on the couch and turned on the tv.
"Oh no you don't," Kristin said. "Off to bed with you. We'll be getting up early so I want you to
get a good nights sleep."
"But it's only 10:30," Lucas complained. Kristin gave him one of her famous looks, and then
when he looked to the Captain he saw the same look. He didn't stand a chance with the both of them
ganging up on him. He gave a sigh and marched off to his bedroom.
The minute Lucas closed the door both Nathan and Kristin broke into the giggles. "I swear he
does it just to be a brat," Nathan joked.
"He's a teenager. I believe the definition in the dictionary is brat to the extreme." She plopped
into the couch herself and kicked off her shoes. "I'm exhausted," she said.
"Just wait until tomorrow. You'll be so tired come bedtime that we'll probably have to carry you
back to the hotel."
"Are you offering to do the job," she teased.
"I might be persuaded," Nathan replied, sitting down next to her.
"Thank you for inviting me on this trip. You know, it was very nice of you to do this for Lucas. I
can't remember seeing him so happy and carefree."
"He deserves to be happy. I don't get it. Lucas is such a great kid, what the hell is the matter with
his parents?"
"I have to say, I was shocked tonight to find out that he was only 14 when he first arrived. I can't
believe his father lied about his age."
"I can," Nathan replied. "Bill never would have let a 14 year old on the boat, even if it was the
best place for him. But in the six months that I've gotten to know Lucas, he seems to have adapted to
living on the seaQuest well. The senior staff adores him."
"Yes, along with Lt. Krieg, although that's a match that scares me a little," she laughed.
"I know, but I don't think Ben would ever get him into any real trouble, and a little bit of trouble is
probably a good thing for Lucas, but I'll never tell him that!"
"Nathan, really, the boy has you practically wrapped around his finger, and he knows it!"
Nathan laughed. "It's true, but I can't help it."
"I'm just glad that he has you. In a way, you're all he has in this world," Kristin said.
"That's not true. He's got you too."
______________________
Lucas was in the middle of a dream about Lara when he heard a knock on his door. He ignored it,
figuring that Lara had to be cuter than anyone at the door. His eyes popped open though when he felt a
hand shaking his shoulder.
'Come on, sleepy head. If you want to spend the day at the park you best get up already," Nathan said.
"Uh, what time is it?" Lucas asked.
"It's already 8:30. Get up and get dressed, so we can have breakfast and go."
"Okay." Lucas crawled out of bed, grabbed some clothes from his bag, and then headed to the
shower. Fifteen minutes later he was fully awake and ready to go. He walked into the kitchen and opened
the refrigerator. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw that it had already been prestocked
with every junk food imaginable. He grabbed a Coke, a brownie wrapped in plastic wrap, and a Snickers.
But as soon as he turned around the food was grabbed from his hands.
"I don't think so," Kristin said, shoving the junk back into the fridge. "You are going to eat your
fair share of garbage at the park today. You are going to have a real breakfast. Room service should be
here in about ten minutes."
"Can I at least have the Coke, since I know you won't let me have any coffee?" Lucas asked.
"You can have some orange juice when the food arrives."
Lucas turned around and sat down on the couch. He flipped through the TV channels and stopped
when he found Ren and Stimpy. He knew Kristin would hate this show, so he did the only reasonable thing
to do. He turned up the volume so she couldn't miss it.
"Oh wow, Ren and Stimpy," Nathan said, sitting down next to Lucas. "I love these guys." Lucas
looked at the Captain like the man had just lost his mind.
"What, don't look at me like that. I'll have you know that Ren and Stimpy are almost as old as
you are. I used to watch them with Robert. He liked them because it bugged his mother."
Just then Kristin walked into the living room. "Oh, how can you two watch such trash. Really,
there has to be something on better than that!"
Both Lucas and Nathan laughed.
_____________________
By 4:00 that day Kristin had to admit that she was exhausted. As Nathan had predicted, Lucas
dragged them all over the park. She was glad that she had remembered to bring her camera. She had
gotten some truly great pictures of Nathan and Lucas today. Several times she had asked an employee to
snap a picture of the three of them. They had pictures with Goofy, Donald, and Minnie, but Lucas wanted
to get one with Mickey, still.
Kristin had to give Nathan credit. So far he had gone on every ride Lucas had wanted to go on.
She had also gone on quite a few herself, but she drew the line when it came to roller coasters that looked
ten stories high. So while they stood in line she was only to happy to sit and give her feet a rest.
"I'm hungry," Lucas said. "Can we get corn dogs." He pointed to a vendor not too far away.
"Where are you putting all this food?" Nathan asked. "At home we have to practically force feed you."
"No offense, Captain, but you can't get corn dogs, burgers, hot fudge sundaes, and French fries on
seaQuest. I have to eat all of my favorites before we go home, cause then it'll be a month or more before I
can get them again."
"I guess I can't argue with that kind of logic," Nathan smiled. "Corn dogs here we come." Nathan put an
arm around the boys shoulders and they started walking to the corn dog stand.
"Get me a bottled water," Kristin said. "I'll get us a bench." She found one just a bit away.
When she saw the two returning they both were carrying two corn dogs apiece, with Cokes, and her bottled
water.
"Nathan, you're as bad as Lucas," she teased. He had eaten just as much junk as the boy had.
"Well, he has a point!" Nathan protested. "You can't eat like this on seaQuest."
"Yes, well, thank goodness for that!" she admonished.
"Oh, it's Mickey!" Lucas gasped and jumped from the bench. Nathan and Kristin laughed when
they saw Lucas grab the mouse's arm and drag him back to where they were sitting.
"He's going to knock the poor man over," Kristin giggled.
"Lucas, don't hurt him," Nathan warned.
"Yes, sir," Lucas said. "Sorry Mickey," he said to the over sized caricature. Mickey just waved at
them, his plastic face never losing it's smile.
"Excuse me," Nathan said to a young girl working there, "but could you please take our picture?"
"No problem," she said, taking the camera from Kristin.
"Thank you!" Lucas told her after they were done.
___________________
As the day turned into night even Lucas was tired. They had seen almost the entire park.
"Well, are you two ready to leave?" Kristin asked.
"We can't go yet," Lucas said, stifling a yawn. "We have to see the fireworks."
"Tell you what, let's start walking to the main gate, that way when the fireworks are over we can
hope on a shuttle back to the hotel," Nathan offered.
"That sounds perfect," Kristin supplied.
Lucas watched the Captain and Kristin walk holding hands. He was glad for that. He thought of
them as parents, and for some reason it was important to him that they be together. He was surprised when
Nathan looked back at him and motioned for him to catch up. Nathan put an arm around his shoulders and
the three of them walked back like that. Lucas realized that he trusted both of them. They could get on his
nerves sometimes, but they really did care about him, more than anyone else ever had.
They had almost made it back to the gate when the fireworks started. They stopped and all turned
around to watch. Nathan placed his arm around Kristin's waist and she snuggled next to him. Nathan was
genuinely surprised when Lucas, on his own, moved next to him and leaned into his arm. That one simple
action spoke volumes to Nathan. He had finally earned Lucas' trust. He placed his arm around the boys
shoulders and Lucas wrapped his arms around Nathan's waist and rested his head on his shoulder while he
looked up into the sky watching the beautiful colors flash in and out.
Nathan found that he couldn't even think of the words to describe how happy and content he was.
Kristin and Lucas were both looking at the sky, but he found the only thing he could look at were the two
people he held in his arms. He loved them both and he hated when it was time to let go.