Before the SeaQuest… Yes, it's another look into why Lucas came onboard the SeaQuest, as my title so subtly hints J Hope ya' all enjoy it! Please RandR, if you want me to continue. Thanxs!

An eight-year-old Lucas Wolenczak heavily sat down next to his half brother, Matt. It was the summer holiday and Lucas's mum had 'requested' that the whole family should meet, for an announcement she had to make.

"So do ya have any idea what mum wanted to see us all?" Lucas quizzed him.

"No, why do you?" Matt replied.

"Absolutely none at all, but it's got to be important if she wants the whole family and Baz here." The two families never got along; Matt's family disagreed about the fact that she had been married before and they hardly spoke to each other, if only to make some snide comment about Lucas and his mum. Matt and Lucas fought a lot, but they got along all right.

      Matt was six years older than Lucas, but the pair had quite a lot in common. Matt had brown eyes and brown hair, and was great fun to talk to, Lucas and Matt were always getting into arguments and that usually led them getting into trouble.

      Matt's dad had married Lucas's mum when Lucas was six years old and Matt was twelve, but he had died two years ago. This had caused the rift between the two families to increase greatly. Matt's real mum, Amy, was the cause of the rift; she had spread rumours about Cynthia before they had gotten married and had nearly broken up the couple's wedding, but Matt and Lucas discovered what had happened just in time to sort things out.

"Why are you talking about me?" Baz suddenly appeared from nowhere, making Lucas jump. Baz just looked smug while Lucas scowled at him. Matt quickly intervened,

"We weren't talking about you in particular, we were talking about the whole family actually," Matt flashed a grin at the family friend, Baz had known Lucas all his life and Lucas's mum, Cynthia five years before that too.

"Yeah, so don't start thinking you're special or anything, cos ya ain't!" Lucas replied, now it was his turn to be smug.

"Oooooohhhhhhhhhh! No need to get catty!" Baz teased.

Lucas was about to respond, when Cynthia walked in the room. A hush immediately filled the room.

"Now I expect you're all wondering why I've called you…?" Cynthia began,

"You can say that again!" The cool response was of course from Amy.

"Listen, do you want me to tell you or not? Because if you don't then I wont tell you, and when I'm gone, you'll wonder why I didn't tell you." Cynthia looked angry, but now had everyone's attention. Calming down quickly, she continued. "…Well, I went to the hospital," At the mention of the word hospital, several heads looked up, "I got some test results back." Here she paused, trying to keep herself from crying.

"Test results? What for?" Lucas asked, looking worried.

"I didn't want to, not until I was sure I knew what it was." She paused again, and taking another deep breath, she continued. "I've got breast cancer." There was a stunned silence while Cynthia waited until the news sank in.

"Well breast cancer can be treated now can't it? I mean they've had loads of major breakthroughs throughout the years, right?" Matt asked, in a small scared voice.

"That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you all about. I've made an important decision that's going to alter our lives. I'm not getting treatment." Cynthia looked round the room, gauging her family's reactions.

"Well, if that's your decision, then we're right behind you all the way." Baz finally spoke up. There was a nodding of heads round the group, all except from Lucas, who had placed his head unto his hands and Amy, who looked like she couldn't care less.

"I don't see what the fuss is about, why, we were dragged round half the country side, just to find that out. It was hardly worth it."

Lucas white, drained face snapped upright at this comment and was going to say something, when Matt stood up and intervened.

"MUM! How can you say something like that? I mean you have to be the worlds biggest bitch to say that." Amy's face drained of colour at these words, coming from her son and her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. "In fact, I'm ashamed to even call you my mother!" With this, Amy stalked out the room, slamming the door behind her.

There was a deathly silence for what seemed like hours, but actually lasted a few minutes. Lucas finally broke the silence.

"Why didn't you tell us this before? Why wait till now?" Lucas sounded like he was going to break down and cry at any given second.

Cynthia walked over to where Lucas was sitting and, sitting on the chair's armrest, held Lucas gently in her arms.

"I didn't tell you earlier because I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't want to tell anyone until I knew for sure. It's all right; I know what I'm doing. I've made this decision on my own and because I want to, not because someone else has made it for me. I know you don't understand, honey, but I don't want you to, all I want you to do is to support my decision, OK?" Lucas just nodded his agreement, his voice and eyes chocked with tears, which were gently running down his face.

Baz gently squeezed Cynthia's shoulder as she gently rocked Lucas, who smiled back at Baz. Baz whispered,

"You can always count on me, you know that, don't you?"

Cynthia quietly replied,

"You always have done in the past, why should now be any different?"

***

One year later.

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Matt screamed at the top of his lungs as he suddenly appeared in the kitchen and saw his mother lying on the floor in a pool of blood, with his half brother, Lucas lying next to her. There was more blood covering his mother's body, and Lucas was bleeding from a head wound. The blood had started to cover the kitchen floor rapidly. But there was no one to here him, the neighbours were out and the staff at their house had a day off. Matt stood frozen, staring at his mother's mutilated body, unable to take his eyes away before collapsing in a heap on the floor in a dead faint, banging his head painfully on the floor.