A/N: This will be the third and final installment of the 'Die Another Day' saga. Yes, if you haven't read either one, you'll probably need to read them to understand this. The story will pick up pretty much where the last one left off, so there won't be a huge passage of time. For those of you who have been reading from the very beginning, I hope you continue to read and enjoy it. And, of course, I always enjoy it when you take the time to tell me what you think, so please take the time to review. Thank you.

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

Three days later

The seaQuest was nearly in New Cape Quest; they'd be docking within the hour. Nathan found himself reflecting on the events of the past few days. All the surgeries had been performed and were successful, no deaths or injuries at all. Even Michael has his mind-control chip removed as well. The UEO had sent a launch for all colony residents, and they were all working to get their lives back together. That chapter was closed.

Nathan and Robert had sat down with the children and finally told them they were all family. The children were a little shocked, but, actually, they were even happier to find out they were related, especially Harry and Michael, who had become rather close. Since Robert had been released from medbay, he was temporarily staying in Nathan and Kristin's quarters; they were getting to know one another, and Nathan couldn't have been happier to that fact.

Lucas, who had also been released from medbay and was doing just as well, helped Nathan search the Internex for homes to rent in New Cape Quest. It didn't take them long to find something large and spacious enough for what Nathan envisioned. Sure, it wouldn't hold the whole crew, but there was room enough for Nathan, Kristin, and the children, Robert, and Lucas. In addition, there were several guest rooms, so Wendy could stay as well and whoever else wanted could stay there too. And the best thing was, the house just outside of town and Oceanside. There'd be plenty of room for the children to play, and Nathan hoped there'd be enough peace and quiet for Kristin to heal emotionally.

Kristin, unfortunately, wasn't doing as well as Nathan hoped. Wendy had reluctantly released her from medbay. Physically, she was healing; she didn't need extra oxygen anymore, so there was really no plausible reason to keep her there. However, Wendy felt Kristin would fare better there until they arrived in New Cape Quest. But Nathan disagreed. He felt having her family around her would help her. So, Wendy finally caved in. But, Nathan found he should have listened to Wendy, since Kristin became more withdrawn once again.

Nathan knocked on the bedroom door before opening it. "Sweetheart? We'll be docking soon," he said to her. She was in bed. In fact, since being released from medbay, she rarely came out of the bedroom to see anyone. He sat down next to her. "Are you packed?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm ready. Did you get the children's things together?"

"Yes, all that's been done. Kendall helped me. Oh, you know she'll be staying with us to help with the children too? I might have forgotten to mention that," Nathan said.

"You did." There was a long pause. This was normal for her. They couldn't seem to talk anymore, at least not as they used to. "So, you don't think I'll be able to take care of the children?"

"No one ever said that," Nathan replied gently. "If you don't want her there, I'll tell her so."

"No, that's not necessary. I mean, I know I'll need the help." She sighed, finally sitting up. "I just don't know how I'll handle this trial. I can't even handle my own life right now," she said miserably.

Nathan reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she gently shrugged it away. "Why do you keep doing that?" he finally asked out of frustration.

"Doing what?"

"Kristin, I'm trying to be patient with you, trying to understand, but every time I try to help, you push me away. Why?" he asked desperately.

He was met with silence. Kristin didn't know what to say. Finally, after what seemed like a small eternity, she finally spoke. "I don't know. I…just feel so…" her voice trailed off.

"What? Feel so what?" Nathan pressed.

"You wouldn't understand," she replied. "No one understands."

"Like Hell I don't," Nathan said, finally losing his cool. "You seem to forget, I watched this happen to you. I watched everything. He almost took your life…but he didn't. You need to remember that."

"I do," Kristin said, tears running down her cheeks at the memory of it.

"No, you don't," Nathan continued, "because you've already let him win. You're acting as though he did take your life."

"Well, that's how I feel," Kristin said. "You promised you'd be patient, understanding."

"I'm trying," Nathan said, "but is it so wrong of me to want my wife back? Is that such a bad thing? And, what about the kids? You know they miss you so much, and you've barely said a word to them in the past three days."

Kristin did know all this; didn't Nathan know all this was running through her head? Didn't he know she didn't want to stay in the bedroom all the time? But's that where she felt safe; that's where she felt no harm could come to her. She hated feeling this way, and she didn't know how to explain herself to anyone. She knew everyone was questioning it. Kristin wasn't used to that. She'd never had to deal with others scrutinizing her behavior before. Before this, she'd always been level-headed, always been practical. Others always trusted her and her judgment. Now, she didn't even trust herself, and no one else did either, it seemed. Without another word, she walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She leaned against the wall and sobbed.

Nathan hadn't meant for her to shut him out, but he should have expected as much. There were times he saw glimpses of the woman she was, but those times were rare. For the most part, it had been like this, her shutting him out when he tried to get close. He knocked on the door. "Kristin, I'm sorry. Please don't do this. Just come out of the bathroom. We'll be docking soon. You can't stay in there all day."

"Just go away!" Kristin yelled through her tears.

Nathan sighed. He stood there for a few minutes, wondering if he should keep trying. But, he decided it was best to leave her alone. He hoped she'd be fine by the time they docked, or at least fine enough to want to leave the bathroom. He turned and saw Kristy standing in the doorway. He wondered how long she'd been there, how much she had heard. "Hi, Sweetie…did you need something?"

"I wanted to see Mommy," Kristy said. "Why were you yelling at her?"

"I-I wasn't yelling," Nathan lied, picking her up and sitting down with her on the bed.

"I heard yelling," Kristy insisted. "You and Mommy were both yelling."

"Alright," Nathan conceded. "We were yelling." He tried to think of a way to explain it to her. "It's just that we're angry; remember we talked about how Mommy's not feeling well right now?"

Kristy nodded. "Because of that mean man."

"Right…well, we're all angry with him. And sometimes, it helps to yell."

"I'm angry too," Kristy finally admitted. "I'm angry because Mommy's not the same anymore."

"That's why Mommy's angry too," Nathan explained. "But the new doctor's going to help her, going to help us all deal with that anger. And hopefully, soon, we'll all be better again."

"I miss her," Kristy said sadly.

"I know, Sweetie," Nathan said. But he tried to cheer her up. "How about we go see about a snack before we dock? How about some cookies? Would that make you feel better?"

The girl thought for a moment. "OK," she agreed. She started following Nathan out of the room. As Nathan walked into the hallway, Kristy paused. It nearly broke Nathan's heart when he heard her say, "I love you Mommy. Please come out of the bathroom. We miss you." Then, she ran to catch up with her father.

Kristin had heard everything, and it broke her heart too. She was tired, tired of feeling the way she felt. But, it wasn't so easy to pretend as though everything was fine. She knew she was seeing Dr. McGath tomorrow. Although she still wasn't ecstatic about it, she hoped the doctor would be able to help her because she knew she was hurting everyone she loved and cared about.

After a while, Kristin's tears subsided. She finally came out of the bathroom, and she willed herself to walk into the living area. Unfortunately, she found herself alone. Everyone was gone. She didn't have the courage to walk through the corridors. She didn't want to be bombarded with the many 'how are yous?' and the looks of concern. She didn't welcome the attention, although she knew the rest of the crew was just as concerned as her family; but she just wasn't ready for any of that.

She wondered how long she had until they docked. She debated taking a small nap; she hadn't been sleeping well these days, and she found herself tired often. Then she thought that perhaps that some television might take her mind off her problems. She sat down on the couch and turned it on. After flipping through the channels, she found that Casablanca was on, although it was nearly over. But, the ending was her favorite part anyway. She lay on her side and watched. And for a short time, she did forget her troubles as she became engrossed in the film. But, after it ended, her mind came back to reality, and she felt miserable once again.

A short time later, her thoughts were interrupted as Nathan and the children came through the door. Kristin sat up.

"Hi there," Nathan said in surprise when he saw her. "We'll be arriving in Cape Quest in about ten minutes."

Kristy ran to her mother and hugged her. "Mommy!"

Kristin returned the hug.

"I missed you," the girl said. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little," Kristin replied. "Have you been good for your father?"

"They've been angels," Nathan insisted.

Kristy moved so Harry could hug Kristin too. "Hi, Mom," he said.

"How's your leg?" she asked.

"Better. Doc Smith took the stitches out this morning."

"Uh, why don't you two get your bags together?" Nathan said to them. "I want to talk to your mother alone for a minute."

The two did as they were told, and Nathan sat next to her. "So, are you feeling better?"

"A little…honest," she replied.

"I am sorry about before."

She nodded. "Me too. I hope you know I don't want to feel this way."

Nathan reached over and took her hand. He was pleased when she didn't pull away. He brought it to his lips and kissed it. Then he squeezed it gently as he spoke, "I do know that…it's just hard for me to see you this way. We're all dealing with it."

"I know," Kristin said. "And I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Nathan reminded her. "Please don't blame yourself. The doctor will help us all."

Suddenly the boat jerked as it prepared to dock. "I guess that means we're here. Are you ready?"

"Lead the way," she said.

"You'll feel better when we're at the house. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will…and I can't wait to feel better," Kristin replied.