A/N: We are now officially out of what we know as season 3 canon. Since this chapter takes place a few weeks after the last one, 'Reunion' and 'Weapons of War' would have already happened, at least by my timeline. I hope you can accept that, but I will be going directly off the 'Weapons of War' episode. Thank you.

Chapter 36

Three weeks later

After a lovely weekend, Nathan did ship out. It was hard to say goodbye, but Nathan made a point to call Kristin and the children every night. At least that showed an effort, and Kristin was pleased. Of course, she would rather have had him home, especially since he was very vague as to his whereabouts most of the time. She knew he was trying to protect her, trying to stop her from worrying, but it didn't help much. She worried anyway, but she tried not to let it consume her.

And, in the weeks that followed, she'd been fairly happy, happier than she'd been in quite a while, actually. Yes, her husband was away, and it was hard on her. But, she felt more connected to him now, and that helped her make it through. She did start working as a doctor, and again, part time so she wasn't away from Charlie too long. But, like Paul promised, he made arrangements so Charlie would be close. Actually, Kristin and Paul made the arrangements together. There was a daycare just down the street from the clinic, and the daycare was one that focused on early learning. So, it seemed the best of both worlds. Kristin could work as long as she wanted and go see Charlie anytime she had a break. And, she had a talk with Paul, and he promised not to overstep his boundary. He wanted a friendship, and that's all they had. It was a happy time…for the most part.

But, as the weeks went by, the number of Nathan's calls changed. The change was subtle; instead of every night, it would be every other night. Really, it was minute. Then, the calls changed from every other night to twice a week. And now, Kristin hadn't heard from Nathan since last week, and she was getting antsy.

"Good morning," Paul greeted her on Monday morning. "How was your weekend?"

"Uneventful," she answered quietly. Without another word, she began searching through the file folders placed on her desk, her patients scheduled for the day.

"I see," Paul muttered, unsure of what to do next. He'd made a point not to pry into her life too much the past few weeks. They were strictly friends, so he always waited for her to offer information to him. But, he couldn't help noticing she was obviously upset. Apparently, while he was weighing his options, he was staring.

"What?" she finally asked, noticing that he was staring at her.

"Sorry…I just couldn't help but notice you seemed upset. I was deciding if I should ask you about it."

She softened a bit and sighed. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I was trying not to let it show. I didn't mean to put you in an awkward position."

"You didn't. I mean, if you want to talk about it, I'm here."

She paused for a moment and nodded. "I know…and I might take you up on that soon. But, for now, we have work to do." Then, she added, "Thanks."

"Anytime, Honey."

Kristin blushed slightly at the term of endearment. It wasn't uncommon for Paul to call her by a pet name on occasion, but it was rare. And, since they'd been working together, he'd only called her Kristin or Doctor. Still, she quickly composed herself and went to see her first patient.

By noon, the number of patients had dwindled down. Kristin headed to her office to do some paperwork when she heard a soft knock on her door. She looked up to see Paul.

"Hi there," he greeted. "I was hoping you'd have a break."

She gave him a soft smile. "Well, I actually only have one other appointment this afternoon. I think I have two hours free. Why? Do you need me to take a patient or two of yours?"

He shook his head. "No, thank you. I was wondering if you'd had lunch."

"No, but I'm not that hungry," she admitted.

"So, you'd rather spend your free time doing paperwork?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "It's something to keep me busy."

"Well, if you don't want to eat, at least let me buy you a cup of coffee or something. I know this great little place. What do you say? I promise I'll have you back here in one hour, and then you can get back to your precious paperwork."

She thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright." She switched off her computer, took off her lab coat, and grabbed her purse. "Lead the way."

Paul led her out the door and the two headed down the street. "So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or do I have to drag it out of you?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders as they walked.

"You're very tactful," she teased gently. Then, she became serious. "I'm sure you can guess."

"Nathan?"

She sighed heavily and nodded.

"But, I thought you two were doing better."

"We were, and at first, he was calling every night. Then, it became every other night, then twice a week. And now, I haven't heard from him in five days. I understand getting a little side-tracked, getting a little busy. But, it's difficult not to worry…and, now I don't know what to think."

They'd arrived at the café that they'd first met at. Paul gave her a smile. "Told you I knew a great little place." He ordered a meal for himself, a meal for Kristin, and two cups of coffee. "I know you said you weren't hungry, but you can always take it home." He led them to a table, and they sat.

"Thank you," she replied.

A few minutes later, a waitress brought their coffee and meals. Once they were alone, Paul continued to speak. "Have you tried calling him?"

She took a bite of her sandwich and shook her head. "I mean, I would if it was an emergency. You think I should?"

Paul shrugged. "I can't tell you what to do."

"I know; I'm more worried than angry with him. He had mentioned a while back that he might cross into Macronesian waters. If he did that and got caught…" her voice trailed off.

There was a slight pause. "You know, Macronesians aren't the only ones he needs to be concerned about."

"What?"

"Kristin, Honey, have you seen the news lately? Read a newspaper?" Paul asked gently.

She shook her head. "With everyone I love out there, it's too much," she admitted quietly.

Paul stood and found the newest edition of the local paper and handed it to her.

Kristin glanced at the front page, which featured a story about Macronesia, the UEO, and a new threat, the Chaodai. Kristin skimmed over the story quickly. She looked up at Paul a few minutes later. "So, the plot thickens," she commented softly.

He nodded. "The Chaodai are against the alliance as well, but they're also against the UEO. If Nathan met up with one of their subfighters…well, you might want to call him."

She took a sip of her coffee as she looked through the paper some more, since there were several stories about the state of the world. It didn't look promising. Kristin knew Bourne; she'd met him, and she knew he wasn't one to become entangled with. She'd only heard of the Chaodai. She remembered when the Chaodai confederation came to be; she'd heard about the refugees, the murders. But, once Macronesia came to power, the Chaodai were never mentioned anymore. She never gave them a second thought. But, apparently, they were just waiting for their opportunity to strike. She knew she had been out of the loop way too long. "Nathan would never tell me where he was the last several times he called," she finally said. She pushed the newspaper away in disgust. "I can't believe how stupid I've been."

Paul put a reassuring hand on hers. "You haven't been stupid, not at all."

She shook her head. "You don't understand. Before Charlie's parents…when I was in Nexus, I knew what was going on. I made it my business to know, and I had Katie calling me all the time too. But after she and Ben…and having Nathan and Lucas out there, I just can't bring myself to want to turn on the news," she admitted. "I'm just so afraid someone else I love is going to leave me. And, I let that fear stop me. If I'd have known…"

"Knowing this wouldn't have changed anything. Could you really have prevented Nathan from going?"

She shook her head. "Probably not, but I would have asked more questions."

"Would he have told you the truth?" Paul pressed.

She shrugged. "Probably not. He didn't want to worry me." She pushed her sandwich away, having only taken one bite. "I'm sorry…I'll have to take it to go."

"It's alright." Paul raised his hand for the waitress to bring their check and two containers for them. A few minutes later, they were on their way back to the clinic. Well, Kristin was practically running, and Paul was having a hard time keeping up with her.

Once they got back to the clinic, Kristin muttered a quick thank you to him and headed straight to her office. She shut the door and dialed Nathan's number. She shut her eyes and said a silent prayer with every ring. But, after several rings, there was no answer. Her heart sank.

But, she wasn't about to give up so easily. She thought, by chance, Nathan was on some mission with the seaQuest. And, knowing how Nathan could be when it came to that damned submarine, she decided to give Lucas a call.

A moment later, she was talking to Lieutenant Tim O'Neill. "Doctor Westphalen?" he asked in surprise. "Is that you?"

"Yes, Mr. O'Neill, but it's Bridger now," she corrected gently, trying not to sound too urgent. "I know this is a little unorthodox. I mean, I know personal calls may not be allowed, but it's really important. Is Lucas available by chance?"

"I'll put you through. It was great to hear your voice," Tim said.

"You too," she replied, trying not to let her voice shake. "Perhaps we can speak again in unrushed circumstances."

"I'd like that."

A minute later, Kristin's call was routed to Lucas' room. "Wolenczak?"

"Lucas, how are you?" Kristin greeted.

"Doc, hi…I'm fine. Did you think I wasn't?" Lucas asked.

"Well, I've been reading the papers," she admitted.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "How are you? How are the kids?"

"The children are fine," she told him.

"And you?" he asked again.

"That depends on what you can tell me. Have you heard from Nathan at all?" she asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

Lucas shook his head. "Not for over a month. I thought he went back to the island."

"He did, but he went back out again; that was three weeks ago. We usually talk a few times a week; I haven't heard from him in five days. And, I just called him, and there's no answer." She tried not to cry, but she was doing a poor job of it. She put her head in her hands. "I…I just didn't know who else to call…what else to do. Is it possible Captain Hudson may have heard from him? C-commander Ford perhaps?"

"I…I don't know…maybe," Lucas said. "D-don't cry, Doc, please? I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for this." He didn't like seeing her this way. "Would you mind speaking with Captain Hudson?"

"I'm sure he has more important things to do," she began.

"But, if Captain Bridger is missing, he'll make it a priority to find him. You know that," Lucas replied. "Just let me talk to him. Can you hold?"

She nodded. "I'm not going anywhere."

Lucas left the view of the screen while Kristin did her best to compose herself. She didn't want to meet the new captain of the seaQuest blubbering like a baby. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose, hoping she looked presentable.

A few moments later, Lucas reappeared on the screen. "Doc, the captain would like to speak with you."

She nodded as a man around her age appeared on the screen. His reputation certainly preceded him, since he looked just as tough as she'd heard everyone describe. But, when he saw her, his tough exterior faded a bit. "Mrs. Bridger," he greeted gently.

"Captain Hudson, I certainly hope I'm not interrupting an important mission or anything. That was not my intention," she said apologetically.

He shook his head. "Well, when Ensign Wolenczak informed me of the situation, I would call it important. I owe a lot to Captain Bridger, and if he's in distress-"

"Well, I really don't know if he's in distress. I just can't get a hold of him. I don't even know his last known whereabouts," she admitted.

"When was the last time you spoke to him?"

"Five days ago. It could be just a misunderstanding as well. I don't want to jump the gun."

"Oh, don't worry; we'll be sure to check it out beforehand."

"He might not be in UEO territory, however."

"Are you sure?" Hudson asked.

She sighed and explained that Robert may be in Macronesian territory somewhere. "Nathan was determined to find his son, so I wouldn't put it past him. But, with the Chaodai now being in full-force…" her voice trailed off as she felt tears threaten to fall.

"We'll find him," Hudson assured her. "Do you have a number where you can be reached at all times?"

She proceeded to give him all the numbers where she could be reached at. "I'll keep trying to call him as well," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Hudson nodded. "We'll be in touch with you; take care."

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

With that, the link was cut, and she sank back into her chair, finally allowing her tears to fall freely. After several minutes, she dialed Nathan's number again. This time, a message appeared on the screen. "Broken link." That meant one thing. Either the submarine was no more, or the communications system was out. Either way, she felt it was a bad sign.

Presidential Palace, Macronesia

"Sir, the Chaodai won't negotiate," General Armand Stassi gently reminded Bourne once again. "They want nothing to do with us."

"So they say, but we just haven't been speaking their language yet," Bourne answered mysteriously. "Tell them that if the Chaodai President agrees to meet with me, I'll make it worth their while."

Stassi gave him a confused look, but answered, "Very well, Sir."