Danger Down Under
Authors Note: I am a fan of the first season of SeaQuest DSV. In this story, I treat Nathan and Kristin as being married and having adopted Lucas. My first story, "Seeking Revenge," also followed that family background,but you don't have to read that one in order to follow this story (though I hope you still do…and review).
As always, I hope you enjoy and PLEASE read and review. I'm trying to become a better writer and your feedback helps immensely. Plus, it keeps me motivated to keep going if I know people are reading.
Disclaimer: I did not create the SeaQuest DSV series nor do I own its characters. They are the product of Rockne S. O'Bannon. I am obsessed with these characters and feel like there was more that could have been done after the first season. I write fanfiction purely for fun and not for profit.
Chapter 1
Kristin Westphalen looked at the shore from the comfort of their Cairns beach house rental. The scenery put her mind at ease and she was relaxed as she sipped her tea and watched the sun beginning to set on the horizon. She had too many thoughts running through her mind. The last two weeks had been heavenly. They had visited Sydney, Melbourne and even gone to a winery in Adelaide while Lucas learned to scuba dive. They were now on day 16 of their 3-week Australian vacation and they had just gone diving in the Great Barrier Reef that morning. It was everything they'd dreamed it would be and more but their trip was soon coming to an end. A sound came from the porch door.
"Hey there, gorgeous. What are you up to?" Nathan Bridger walked in the front door and watched the scene before him. Kristin was wearing a white sundress and was wrapped comfortably in a light brown blanket curled up on the blue couch in the living room staring out the window, the sunrays hitting her face at just the right spots to highlight her hair and her eyes.
"Oh, I just thought I'd have a look at this beautiful view out here." She looked at him and smiled. She put down her cup of tea.
"My thoughts exactly. I could stare at this for hours." He sat down next to her, looking at her the entire time. "Oh, wait…you meant the sunset. Yeah, I suppose that's pretty, too." She couldn't help but giggle.
"Oh, Nathan…you're incorrigible." She slapped his arm playfully.
"What? I can't help it when I see you looking so beautiful here all by yourself." He smiled coyly and leaned in for a passionate kiss. She leaned her head against his shoulder and breathed a heavy sigh. He tightened his arm around her.
"Everything alright?" Nathan asked, genuinely curious.
"Yes, of course." She replied hesitantly.
"Come on, sweetheart. What's the matter?" Nathan wasn't buying it for a second.
"It's nothing." She paused, thinking. "Well, it's just that I was just hoping these last few days of our holiday wouldn't end."
Nathan smiled. "I know. I feel the same way. This has been some adventure. Believe me, I am not ready to go back to SeaQuest just yet. We still have a few more days here. Let's make the most of it."
"You're right. Where's Lucas?"
"Well, I think we have a little while before Lucas comes back. He's hanging out with those kids he met the other day. He said they'd be at the Internet Café in the market square and that he'd be home by 7."
"Nathan, that's nearly 45 minutes from now…you told him he could stay there?"
"Give him a break, he needs to hang out with other teens his age. We've been around him nonstop for the past 2 weeks! Besides, I couldn't help myself. I was hoping we could get a few moments alone. He'll be fine. The market is just a few blocks away. And we're all alone in this big house. I believe we talked about making the most of these last few days…what do you say?" He raised his eyebrow seductively at her and began kissing her right cheek, slowly kissing his way to her waiting lips, which curled into a smile.
"Let's move this to our room just in case Lucas decides he's coming home early, for once."
"Absolutely, my love." He leaned over to pick her up by her back and legs. She wrapped her arms around him over his shoulders to give him better leverage and he gently lifted her up, making sure not to keep his lips away from her too long as he made his way to their room and gently laid her on the bed.
About an hour later, Nathan and Kristin were showered and getting ready for dinner. Lucas walked in the front door.
"Mom, Dad! I'm back! Sorry I'm a little late."
Nathan walked into the living room dressed in a jacket and tie to greet his son while Kristin kept getting ready.
"That's okay, Kiddo. Hope you had fun with your friends." He embraced his son in a hug.
"Yeah, they're great! We have so much in common. I think it's sometimes hard to understand their accent, though."
"Ha! Yeah, it's hard to realize sometimes that they are speaking English, isn't it? Well, we can talk about this over dinner. Why don't you quickly take a shower and get dressed up. We're going to that fancy seafood restaurant near the Laguna."
He raised his eyebrows. "Actually, Sam is having a party at his parent's beach house tonight and everyone's invited to sleepover to watch movies and play video games. His parents will be there so there's obviously no funny business. I love you guys but it would be nice to have a night on my own…plus you two could have the house all to yourselves. Can I go? Please? I'd be back in time for brunch tomorrow." He smiled convincingly.
Nathan let out a slight giggle. "I remember Sam. He seemed like a nice enough kid." He paused and let out a sigh. "Fine…only cause it means your mom and I get some alone time and only if you promise to behave. Let me bring it up when she comes in. You know how she gets."
Lucas smiled. "Fair enough. Thanks, Dad."
"Lucas, is that you?" Kristin walked out wearing a knee length strapless teal dress.
"Hey mom, you look great!" He nudged Nathan with his elbow.
"Well, thank you, Sweetheart. So…you getting ready to join us?"
Nathan cut in. "Actually, Lucas was thoughtful enough to suggest that you and I could have a nice, romantic dinner alone. Isn't that right, son?"
"Yeah, I think you two deserve some time alone…besides, I'm not really in the mood for lobster."
"Well, that certainly is considerate of you, but what are you going to do while we're away?"
"Oh, Lucas…isn't tonight that sleepover party at Sam's place? Kristin, I am so sorry I completely forgot to mention that to you." Nathan winked at Lucas.
Lucas was a little shocked at his dad's way of brining up the conversation. "Um…yeah, it's a huge deal. They live just down the road on the beach and his parents will be there. They're ordering pizza and rented a few movies and games for us. It's a nice house and they're really friendly."
"I don't know, Lucas. We are on a family vacation in a foreign country."
"Kristin, I don't see why Lucas can't enjoy a night with his new friends. Besides, it'd be nice for us to have a night off, don't you think?"
Kristin hesitated, but eventually caved. "All right. But please behave yourself and I don't want you pigging out on junk food. We may be on vacation, but it's not an excuse to go overboard, young man."
"I won't, mom. Thank you so much!" He hugged both of them.
"Oh, and here's the address, just in case. And Sam's phone number and the number for the beach house."
He handed them a slip of paper, which Nathan put in his pocket.
"Thanks, Kiddo. Now why don't you grab a bag of clothes, take a quick shower and meet us downstairs in 10 minutes. We'll drop you off on our cab ride."
"Awesome! I'll be right back!" Lucas quickly got ready and the three went off in a cab. They pulled up in front of Sam's house where a few other kids and Sam's parents were already there. The three got out to drop off Lucas while the cab waited. A woman about Kristin's age which short blond hair and light blue eyes walked over.
"Hello, Mr. Bridger. My name is Eleanor, I am Sam's mother. Sam's told us all about Lucas and we are thrilled to have him over at our house. I assure you these are good kids. If it's any consolation, I am a high school teacher and my husband, Ronald, is an engineer. We'll watch over them." She said with a smile.
"Pleased to meet you. Please call me Nathan and this is my wife, Kristin."
"How do you do?" Kristin said with a smile. Nathan continued.
"I don't doubt for a second that you will all have fun…if Lucas gives you any trouble, please don't hesitate to give me a call."
He wrote his number on a piece of paper and handed it to Eleanor.
"Oh, it's no worries. We're used to throwing parties at out place. The more the merrier. We'll be sure these boys get some rest and are up and ready in the morning."
"Sounds great. Well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow, Kiddo. Have fun. We have our phones if you need anything."
"Alright, Dad. Thanks to both of you. Have fun at dinner. I'll see you tomorrow." He gave both of them a hug and then walked to the house with Eleanor and met up with his friends.
Nathan and Kristin hopped back in the cab and asked to be taken to the restaurant. A few minutes later, Nathan helped Kristin out and held the door tothe fancy seafood restaurant as she walked in.
Little did they notice that a dark figure was watching from a car on the other side of the road.