Chapter 38

As he lay there in the dark with Kristin asleep in the comfort of his arms, Nathan's mind wandered. He realized he'd made a lot of promises that day; he'd promised Lucas he'd speak to his father about spending some much-needed time with him. He'd also promised Lucas he'd speak to Bill about what really happened in order to have access to the museum archives in hopes of finding Admiral Beatty's desk. And then, of course, he'd promised to protect Kristin.

He sighed in frustration; with only so many hours in the day, he knew some of those promises would fall by the wayside. While he was normally a man of his word, he wasn't going to break his promise to Kristin. That meant sacrifices and compromises on the other promises. He wondered if Lucas would mind if he didn't speak with Lawrence right away. He hated to ask, but under the circumstances, he'd hoped that Lucas would understand. Besides, knowing Lawrence Wolenczak, it would take several tries just to get through. Speaking with that man was always like pulling teeth.

As if Lucas had sensed Nathan was thinking about him, he appeared in the doorway. Even in the dim light, Nathan could see by the look on the younger man's face that he had something on his mind. However, he must have thought Nathan was asleep since he quickly retreated without saying a word.

Deciding he ought to go talk to him, Nathan carefully moved Kristin off of him, being sure not to wake her. Nathan placed a gentle kiss to her cheek. "I'll be right back, sweetheart. I won't be too long," he whispered.

She uttered a small, contended sigh in response.

Nathan smiled softly to himself, happy that she was finally getting the sleep she needed. He then got out of bed and padded to the other room. He stood in the doorway and looked around the room for him. He finally spied him sitting out on the balcony, working on his laptop. Nathan entered the room and crossed to the sliding glass door. He tapped on the window gently and then opened it.

"Uh, hi…did I wake you?" Lucas asked nervously.

Nathan shook his head. "No, not at all. I wasn't even asleep. Was there something you had wanted?"

Lucas blushed hotly and averted his gaze. "I was just… I wasn't trying… I want you to know I didn't see anything. I-"

"Lucas, it's all right. There was nothing inappropriate going on between the doctor and me. It's just… She was having trouble getting to sleep, and she wanted me in there with her. We're not… I want you to know there's nothing sexual going on between us."

Lucas held up his hands. "I'm not really sure that's my business."

Nathan shrugged. "Maybe not, but I think it's best you know. Besides, even if there were, we wouldn't do anything like that with you in the next room." He placed his hand on the back of the vacant chair. "Mind if I sit?"

Lucas shook his head. "It's your balcony, too."

Nathan pulled out the chair and sat. "I thought you were going back to sleep."

"I tried. I think I did sleep for a little bit…but then I just kept thinking about things. I finally gave up."

"Do you…want to talk about those things?" Nathan pressed.

"The doc… Is she going to be okay?"

Nathan sighed. "I sure hope so, kiddo."

"I've just never seen her like this before," Lucas noted. "And it's hard to watch."

Nathan nodded. "You can say that again, but we need to believe Dr. Levin will have a solution."

"And finding that desk will help, too," Lucas said, motioning to the screen of his laptop. "That's why I decided to do some more digging." He gave the captain a wink. "Um, you did say I could try and find it by any means possible, didn't you?"

"You're not doing anything illegal, are you?" Nathan asked suspiciously.

Lucas sighed. "Well, I believe your exact words were, 'Anyone who can hack into the World Bank undetected can certainly find a retired Navy admiral's desk.' I guess I thought that was a challenge. The key word here is undetected. No one will find out."

Nathan's interest was piqued. He stood and looked over his shoulder. "What is this?"

"The museum archives. I'm going through the system to see if they've ever had the admiral's desk. It's a little time consuming, but I've gone through about ten years of data so far," he explained. "And so far, no luck, but that doesn't mean it was never there. Of course, if you talk to the admiral like I suggested, that'll help us narrow things down even further."

"Yeah, I got the hint," Nathan replied. "I am going to speak to him. It's on my list of many things I need to do today…and I kind of wanted to talk to you about that."

Lucas turned from the screen to look at him. "So did I, actually. I, um…I know you promised me you'd speak to my father, and I really appreciate that. But right now, I don't want you to worry about it."

"Really?" Nathan asked in surprise.

"Really," Lucas said with a nod. He stood and crossed to lean on the railing. "I know that it's going to be a pain just getting him to answer. And I know you don't really have time for that…not today anyway. The doc…she's more important right now. I…I know you're worried about her, and I don't want you worrying about me on top of everything else."

"Lucas...I am going to speak to your father, but you're right; I don't think I can do it today. But I don't intend to blow you off either."

"I never thought you would. It's just I'm not going to make a huge fuss about it now." He grinned and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the phone number still there. "Besides, I have Veronica to occupy me."

Nathan laughed softly and put his arm around Lucas' shoulders. "After we're finished with the admiral."

Lucas frowned. "You mean I have to go with you?"

"Well, it was your idea," Nathan pointed out. "Besides, if we finish early enough, then we can try to see if we can get into the museum archives…legally."

Lucas sighed. "All right…but then I can go somewhere with Veronica after that, right?"

"Of course… as long as I get to meet Veronica first."

"Come on, Cap. I am seventeen-years-old."

"Exactly why I want to meet her," Nathan told him. "I am responsible for you while you're on my watch, you know."

"I know; I know. And I understand."

"Good…I am glad we had this talk then."

"Me, too. You want to stay out here and keep me company?" Lucas asked hopefully.

"Under normal circumstances, I would, but I really should get back to the doctor in case she wakes up. I promised I'd stay in there with her."

Lucas nodded. "Maybe we can all have breakfast together, at least?"

"We'll see what we can do, kiddo." Nathan gave his shoulder a squeeze and went back inside.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Nathan glanced at the clock as he entered the room again. It was almost five now; the room was beginning to brighten while the sun was preparing to rise. Nathan climbed back into bed next to Kristin, who was still sleeping soundly. He gently pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. She, in turn, snuggled closer to him.

"I was wondering where you'd been," she muttered sleepily, her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry," Nathan replied, suddenly feeling guilty for leaving her. "Lucas…he needed to talk and-"

She patted him gently on the chest. "It's all right. I only woke up a few minutes ago. Is everything all right now?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he assured her. "Go back to sleep, okay? It's still early."

She nodded. "As long as you stay right here with me."

"I promise," he told her as he placed a kiss to her cheek.

"You can sleep too, you know," she said after a minute.

"Kristin, I-"

She opened her eyes then and caught his gaze. "Nathan, I know you're tired. You can't forgo sleep; you won't be any use to anyone that way."

Nathan sighed. "Fine."

She smiled softly. "Good." She laid her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes once again. "Sleep well."

"You, too."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

The smell of coffee, muffins, eggs, and sausage filled the room. Nathan breathed in the scent as he rolled over, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his face. His arm instinctively reached out for Kristin. "Good morning," he muttered into her shoulder.

"Good morning," she muttered back. "Mmm, something smells heavenly. You didn't have to order us breakfast."

"I didn't. I thought you…"

She let out a light laugh. "I've been sleeping, silly."

They both sat up and looked around the room. There, on the other side of the room, was a room service cart with a note placed in front of it.

Nathan stood and walked over to it; he picked up the note and read it out loud. "Dear Captain and Doctor, I hope it's okay, but I went downstairs to eat breakfast with Ben, Tim, and the others. I thought you two would like to have a little alone time. I promise I'll be back soon. Love, Lucas."

Kristin walked to stand next to Nathan. "That was very sweet of him."

"Yeah, it sure was," Nathan agreed.

"Well, I have to admit, I'm famished. I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday," she stated.

"Well, how about we freshen up a bit and then have some breakfast then, okay?"

She nodded and headed towards the bathroom. "Sounds like a plan."

While Kristin was in the bathroom, Nathan set the small table in the room. He poured the coffee and put out equal amounts of food onto two plates. He then went over to his side to brush his teeth and wash his face.

When he returned to Kristin's room, however, he saw that Kristin still hadn't returned. He decided to see what was keeping her. He stood in the doorway of the bathroom, watching her.

She was examining her arms. The marks were starting to fade now. She sensed Nathan's presence and turned to him.

He walked over to her and took her hand in his to look. "Do they hurt?"

She shook her head. "Not really. My wrists sting a bit, but those marks are different. The handprints have faded; those haven't."

Nathan placed a gentle kiss to each wrist. "I'm so sorry about all of this, Kris."

She gave a small nod, not really sure what else to say. She pulled her hands away. "Um, well, we probably should go eat. The food's getting cold." She started out the door into the other room.

Nathan followed her, but he couldn't help but notice how she stiffened when he touched her. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

She sat and placed her napkin on her lap. "No…of course not. I'm just hungry, I told you."

Nathan sat across from her. "Yes, you mentioned, but you certainly changed your mood fast, that's all."

"I'm sorry. I just…"

Nathan reached across the table for her hand. "What?" he pressed.

"I just didn't want the food to get cold," she finished weakly. She pulled her hand away and took a bite of her eggs. "Thank you for setting the table; this is delicious."

Nathan gave her a nod, but he knew there was something else. He decided not to push it yet, hoping she'd open up to him eventually. "You're welcome." He took a bite himself. "Yeah, it is good."

The two ate quietly for several minutes. Nathan, however, kept stealing glances at her. He was trying to decide exactly what was bothering in her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Not only that, he couldn't help but wonder. "I'm really glad we have a little time alone together," he finally said. "I realize with all the chaos, we haven't exactly had time together except when we're sleeping. It's just nice to see you awake and alert."

She set her silverware down on her plate and gave him a look. "Well, it hasn't exactly been by choice," she said quietly.

"Oh, I know. I wasn't accusing you or anything."

She nodded, took her napkin off her lap, and set it down on the table. "I didn't think you were." She then stood and walked to look out the window.

Nathan sighed and walked to stand behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "I just meant this is nice, just the two of us." He placed a kiss to her cheek. "I've missed you." He then placed a kiss to the side of her neck. "So much." He trailed down to her shoulder and was about to kiss it when she pulled away.

"Nathan, please…"

"What's wrong?" he asked in confusion.

"Nothing." She turned her attention back to the window, refusing to look at him.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No."

"Kristin, please, just talk to me. I'm worried about you, and-"

"Yes, Nathan, I know. That's the problem."

"What?"

"I never intended for any of this…" she replied.

"Oh, honey, we know that. We-" Nathan crossed over to her and was about to put his arms around her when she pulled away from him again. "Kristin?"

"Nathan, please…you're not listening to me."

"I am listening. I'm just not sure what you're saying."

She took a deep breath. "About you and me…I think we should take a step back."

"What?" He took a step toward her, but she backed away.

"Nathan, please… I think what happened between us… I can't right now."

"What do you mean can't?"

"Nathan, this isn't 1941 anymore. This is 2019. You are the captain; I am your CMO. We shouldn't be together that way." She still wouldn't turn to look at him.

"Said who?"

"No one exactly. I just think…with everything going on, it just isn't a good time," she replied.

"Isn't a good time?" he repeated. "Kristin, that doesn't matter to me right now. What matters to me is that I love you, and I want to do everything I can to show you that."

"Nathan, I can't do this right now."

"Do what? I'm not asking you to do anything." He took another step towards her, and she pulled away.

"Nathan, please."

"You told me you loved me."

She finally turned to him, tears in her eyes. "Nathan, I do," she insisted. "But with everything going on…"

Nathan put her hands on his shoulders; this time she didn't pull away. "That doesn't matter. What matters is how we both feel about each other."

"Nathan, I don't even know who I am right now. I don't know if I'm coming or going. I can't… I just can't."

"Kristin, I just want to help you," Nathan said, his voice desperate.

"I know, and I appreciate that." She gently removed his hands from her shoulders. "But if you want to help me, then you need to give me my space."

"That's how you're going to show me that you love me?" he questioned, sounding hurt.

"I'm doing this because I do love you. It isn't fair of me to string you along and promise you something that I can't give you." Her voice trembled. "And I also don't want to take anything from you that…that I don't deserve right now. Maybe after this is all over, things will be different. But right now… I just can't. All I want is your friendship…nothing more."

"Kristin, please. It doesn't have to be this way. You…you're wrong."

She shook her head. "Nathan, I'm sorry. I can't do this. Excuse me." She made a bee-line for the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it behind her.

Nathan went to follow her, hoping to talk some sense into her. He heard her sobbing softly. He knocked gently on the door. "Kristin…honey…please."

"Nathan, if you love me, then please…just leave me be for now," she said through her tears.

At that moment, however, there was a knock on the outside door. At first, Nathan made no attempt to answer it. But then the knocking became more persistent so that he had no choice.

"I hope I didn't wake you," Joshua said.

"Not at all; we were just having breakfast," Nathan told him, trying to sound cheery.

Joshua looked around the room. "Where's the patient?"

"She's in the shower," he lied.

"Oh, good," Joshua replied. He moved to the door and knocked gently. "Kristin, I made you an appointment with Karen at the base hospital. I want to rule out any signs of infection before we go any further."

"Okay…" she answered. "Um, could you…could you pass my bag through the door then?"

Joshua obliged and then gave Nathan a questioning look.

"We were actually in the middle of a discussion," he explained.

"Oh, sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt anything. Are you two…okay?"

Nathan shrugged. "We're fine," he said, not in the mood to go into any further detail. "I need to get ready myself; I need to go down to the base and speak with the admiral. Um, did you speak with your friend at Cologne, by chance?"

Joshua shook his head. "Not yet; I want to see if anything comes up in the tests I ordered first. Did you want us to meet you when we're finished?"

"As long as Kristin agrees," Nathan replied. "It would help our case."

"Case?"

"Well, Lucas had this idea; he suggested we let the admiral in on what happened. If we do that, Lucas believes he'll be able to give us access to the museum archives, which will in turn help us find Admiral Beatty's desk."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, though? There's a reason certain files have been kept confidential from the brass; you said so yourself."

Nathan let out a sigh. "I know, but I think I have to agree with Lucas." He lowered his voice. "Besides, if I don't tell him, we could very easily lose our CMO. I don't want that, you don't want that, and I know Bill himself doesn't want that. I have a feeling he won't go blabbing to the brass about this. It's just that we really need his help."

Joshua nodded. "I guess I can't argue with you there. I'll see if I can talk to her."

"But don't force her," Nathan warned. "I don't want to overwhelm her any more than she already is."

"I won't."

"Well, if you'll excuse me then. I'm sure I'll see you later at some point."

"Sure thing."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

One hour later, Nathan and Lucas found themselves in Admiral Noyce's office.

"Doctor Westphalen sure was acting strangely before we left," Lucas noted as he paced around the admiral's office. "Different than she was yesterday."

"Yeah."

"And you're acting strangely too," Lucas added. "What, did you two have a fight?"

"You sure are nosy, aren't you?" Nathan replied. "And would you sit down?"

"Yeah, well, I'm bored. And I'm full of excess energy."

"Well, you can do laps around the base as soon as we're finished," Nathan quipped. "But to answer your question, no, we did not have a fight. We had a discussion."

"Okay; okay. Fine." Lucas pulled a book off the shelf and started looking through it. "And I take it this discussion is private?"

Nathan stood and took it from him. "Bingo! And didn't I say sit down?" he asked. "And stop touching things. You're awfully hyper this morning."

"And you're awfully grumpy this morning," Lucas replied. "Besides, I'm a kid; it's my job to be hyper."

"Oh, so now it's convenient for you to be a kid when last night it was quite the opposite?" He then used his best Lucas impression to reiterate his point. "Cap, I'm seventeen-years-old."

Lucas grinned sheepishly. "Okay, fine. I get your point. I'm just anxious to finish with-"

The admiral walked in just then, interrupting Lucas' train of thought. "Nathan, I thought I made myself perfectly clear when I told you I didn't want to see you around here."

"I know, Bill, but-"

"It's not his fault exactly," Lucas chimed in. "It's because of the doctor."

"Kristin?" Bill asked, looking at Nathan. "Is she sick?"

"Well…you could say that," Nathan replied. "I wouldn't have come to you, but we truly need your help."

"I'll do anything I can; you know that. So what is wrong with her exactly?"

Nathan hesitated, exchanging a glance with Lucas. Lucas gave him an encouraging nod in return.

"First, I need to tell you something. Now, it's going to sound very strange to you at first, but I need you to promise me you won't panic."

Bill scoffed. "Nathan, I think you're being a little dramatic. What could you possibly have to say to me that would make me-"

"Just promise me…please?" Nathan said again.

Bill sighed. "Very well. I won't panic."

Nathan took a deep breath. "Okay, you know how seaQuest was missing for nine days?"

"Yes…"

"And you said we were in that underwater canal?"

"Yes…"

"We weren't in that underwater trench for nine days," Lucas finished.

"What do you mean?"

"We ran into some geomagnetic activity…" Nathan replied.

"Yes, I remember that; that's why you couldn't get out of that underwater canal in the first place."

Nathan shook his head. "Yes, but the first storm had some interesting side effects…"

"What kind of side effects?" Bill asked.

Lucas thought he'd try to help. "You know that scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy's house gets picked up by the tornado and then she winds up in Munchkin Land?"

"I'm getting a little annoyed with these riddles. I have a submarine that I need to oversee the work on here, and-"

Nathan put up his hands. "I know it might seem like we're just playing a game, but we're really not," he assured his friend. "Just answer the question, please."

Bill sighed. "Fine. Yes, I remember that scene, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"That's kind of what happened to us," Nathan replied. "That's what Lucas is trying to say."

"What?"

"The geomagnetic storm caused a phenomenon known as a giant whirlpool vortex…and we went through it," Lucas blurted out. "We went back in time to 1941 to solve Sylvia Mayfield's murder. Sylvia Mayfield was Senator Richard Mayfield's wife; that was the woman whose body we found on the doctor's coral reef dive. Since Sylvia is the doctor's past life, she was the one who created the storm in the first place. She sent us back in time to help her. The only problem is that she didn't know exactly how things would go…and now we're back in our own time, but we still haven't completely solved Sylvia's murder. And because of all this, the doctor is having nightmares about Sylvia's murder, and she needs us to find Admiral Beatty's desk so that we can find the confession he was supposed to have written, and-" Lucas suddenly stopped when he noticed the surprised look the admiral was giving him. "I mean…um…" He looked at Nathan.

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning to put it all out on the table at once," Nathan replied, "and I know how it sounds, but it's true."

"H-how…" Bill replied in shock.

Nathan sighed. "Let me start at the beginning." He told Bill the whole story then, not leaving out a single detail. "... I know it sounds crazy…but it really is true. And unless we find Admiral Frank Beatty's desk, we have no way of proving who murdered Sylvia Mayfield."

"You have to understand I'm having a hard time believing you, Nathan," Bill said after he'd found his voice again. "How do you expect me to explain this to the brass?"

"You don't need to tell them anything," Nathan replied. "For all they know, we had a hallucination caused by the storm."

"That's what you believe?" Bill asked.

"No…but I think anyone who didn't experience it firsthand would think that."

"Just like the nitrogen narcosis on the George," Lucas added.

"Lucas," Nathan said.

"Oops," the teen muttered, forgetting the admiral didn't know everything that happened there either.

"The George?" Bill asked. "You mean the old sunken ship you found? Something happened there I don't know about?"

"Um, well…Kristin was possessed by a spirit who wasn't at rest," Nathan told him. "But she's perfectly fine now."

Bill rubbed his temples as if he were getting a headache. "What else don't I know about your missions?"

"You need to understand we didn't keep you in the dark on purpose exactly. For one thing, you know the science explorations are kept separate. And there are some things I don't think the rest of the world is ready to know yet," Nathan explained gently. "It was more for your protection."

Bill sighed. "Maybe you're right; some things I don't want to know."

"Maybe after the tour, you and I will have a long talk," Nathan promised.

"Just make sure I'm drunk first," Bill quipped. "So, why would I know where Admiral Beatty's desk is?"

"Well, we were hoping the museum would have had it in their possession at one time," Lucas explained.

Bill thought for a moment. "I honestly can't recall, but I know the curator quite well. I'll give him a call right away and see what I can do for you. It shouldn't take long."

Nathan smiled. This was the best news he'd heard all day. "Thank a lot, Bill."

"Anytime."

A/N: I just want to give a little explanation here. We never saw it on camera, so I really don't know how much the admiral and the rest of the brass knew about the strange phenomena the crew encountered. However, I would think he didn't know everything. We know they weren't told about the aliens. I doubt he was told about the collective dream about Darwin that the crew had in 'Hide and Seek'. I don't think he knew about the possession on the George. I think certain things were kept from him and the rest of the brass for a reason. So that's the story I'm going with. Thank you.