A/N: I should mention that there will be some small passages of time where I will be skipping weeks here and there. There isn't much going on on the seaQuestend, and the last few chapters will be about family and wedding plans and such. Thank you.

Inspiration for the chapter, 'A New Day Has Come' by Celine Dion: http (colon) (backslash, backslash) www. youtube. com (backslash) watch?v (equals)_Eg9jQOebTo8

Chapter 36

One week later

After spending a few lovely days on the island, the Bridger-Westphalen clan bonded, and, when they returned to seaQuest, no one could tell that Harry and Kristy weren't their natural children by how close they had become so fast. The children were thrilled with their bedrooms and their new toys and clothes. And, they were even more excited when they saw the playground.

They hugged Nathan tightly exclaiming, "Thank you so much, Daddy! We love you!"

"I love you too," Nathan replied. Then, he and Kristin watched as the two children played happily. And, Lucas was a big help to them as well, offering his babysitting skills. And, as much as Nathan and Kristin wanted to spend every waking hour with the children, the time had come for them to go back to work. And, the children couldn't spend every waking hour playing for Nathan and Kristin had expertly chosen a tutor for them. The UEO sent a group of tutors to choose from, but Kristin finally decided on a young woman. Although she was young, she seemed like she wouldn't let the children walk all over her. And Harry and Kristy seemed to adore her. Her name was Kendall Collins.

So, the children would spend their days with Kendall, and by afternoon, Kristin was able to spend time with them since Wendy usually took over medbay by then. For the most part, it was an excellent system. And, since there weren't many awful emergencies in the world, Nathan was able to hand the bridge over to Commander Ford by late afternoon. None of them could have been any happier.

And, this was a good thing since there was a wedding to plan. Neither Kristin nor Nathan wanted anything too extravagent, but they did know they wanted a small gathering with friends and family. So, it was decided that they would have a beachside wedding on the island. It seemed fitting enough, since they both loved the ocean. And, Kristin always dreamed of a sunset wedding on the beach, and Nathan happily agreed to anything she wanted. She just had to find a dress, which wasn't too difficult. And, they had to decide on a wedding party and make the guest list.

Kristin actually found the UEO useful for this. Although she'd never spoken very highly of their military ways, she found it could be useful being a captain's wife since she had access to a list of exclusive caterers and bakers. Therefore, the food area was already taken care of.

Now, Kristin had a wedding party in mind. Obviously, she planned of Cynthia to be her maid of honor. And, since she and Wendy had become close friends so fast, she wanted her to be one of her bridesmaids as well. Wendy and Cynthia had already happily agreed. And, Kristy and Harry would be flower girl and ring bearer. But, there was one more person she wanted to be there. She just had to make a call and see if she'd agree.

Kristin had found the number for the HR Clinton in the UEO database. A short time later, a lieutenant answered.

"Could I speak with Captain Hitchcock please?" Kristin asked, almost saying 'commander' instead of 'captain'.

"One moment please."

A few minutes later, Kristin saw a very pregnant Katie Hitchcock smiling from the vid-screen.

"Hi, Doc," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm well," Kristin replied, "and apparently, so are you. Is it-"

"Yes, it's Ben's," Katie replied. "We've reconciled, and we're getting remarried this summer."

"Well, that's a bit of a coincidence," Kristin began, "because that's why I've called you."

"Congratulations," Katie said with a smile. "So, the captain finally popped the question."

Kristin nodded and showed Katie her left hand. "Well, I called you because I wanted to know if you'd be one of my bridesmaids, but-"

"I'd love to," Katie replied.

"But is that going to interfere with your pregnancy?" Kristin asked, a bit worried. She wanted Katie there more than anything, but she suddenly had the image of her sunset wedding being delayed because she'd have to stop and deliver a baby. It wasn't that she wouldn't mind, but she really wanted the wedding to be her and Nathan's day-one else's.

When is the wedding?" Katie asked

"Two and half months from now. We're waiting until the tour ends."

Katie nodded. "Well, I know it's hard to believe, but I'm only five months along."

Kristin was surprised.

"It's twins," Katie explained.

"Congratulations," Kristin said. "Then I expect Ben to be there too. Nathan might even ask Ben to be in the wedding party, once I let him know you two will attend. Where can I send the invitation?"

Katie gave her the address and the two said their goodbyes. Now that Kristin had her bridesmaids chosen, she just had to work on the rest of the guest list. Of course, they both wanted the crew there, not only from this tour. But, they also wanted as many from the last tour to attend as well. So, Kristin made calls to Chief Manilow Crocker, Dr. Joshua Levin, and Chief William Shan as well. Crocker happily agreed to attend, being that he and Nathan had known each other for so long. Dr. Levin and Chief Shan, however, were unable to attend, but they sent their best wishes. And, Admiral Noyce and his wife Janet completed the guest list.

Now, Kristin just had to ask Nathan who he planned for his attendants. Kristin didn't want to force her opinion on him, but she had an idea of who she wanted. She just hoped Nathan felt the same way. So one evening, after putting the children to bed, she took out their wedding planning book. Nathan rolled his eyes slightly.

"Can't we just have a quiet evening?" he asked.

"I thought you liked planning the wedding with me?" she asked.

"I-I do," Nathan said. "But I've told you that I want whatever you want. It doesn't really matter to me."

"Well, I do need your opinion on this," she said. "Have you decided on your attendants?"

"My attendants?" Nathan asked, as if it was a foreign word.

Kristin laughed slightly. "Yes," she said, "you know; you're best man, etcetera."

"Oh," Nathan said with a nod. "Well, I was thinking Lucas should be my best man."

Kristin smiled. "Good," she replied.

"So, you approve?" he asked.

"Of course I do," she said. "Did I tell you Ben and Katie were attending?"

Nathan nodded. "Three times, Dear. Seems to me you were trying to hint at something."

Kristin gave him and innocent look and batted her eyes slightly. "Would I do that?"

"Yes, Ben will be one of my groomsmen, if that's what you're inquiring."

"Wonderful," she said. "We just need one more."

Nathan thought for a moment. He loved so many of the men on his crew, but he didn't feel right singling any of them out. He didn't want any hard feelings from any of them. But, he knew that Crocker was attending, and it seemed like the most logical choice.

"Gator," he said.

Kristin nodded. She knew who Nathan was going to pick before he had said any of their names, so she was pleased.

She finished writing and closed the book.

"That's it?" he asked.

She nodded. "I know you don't care about material swatches and colors and such. Cynthia and Wendy already agreed to help me with that. And, besides, you did want a quiet evening together."

Nathan nodded. "Well, it doesn't have to be completely quiet," he said suggestively.

"And just what did you have in mind, Sailor?" she asked huskily.

"Why don't we go the bedroom, and I'll show you?"