THE WILL

by J7339

In the process of being rewritten with more complicated content and hopefully a better story. New version will be uploaded as soon as I can with many additions and some changes (January 2020). Lucas is the beneficiary to an estate but not be willing to accept the terms and conditions.

Just a few notes before you begin reading:

ALL OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY ARE FROM THE SECOND SEASON EXCEPT FOR KRISTEN - (I never really liked Dr Smith and besides I like the Captain and Kristen thing and wanted to keep it going)

ALL OF THE DATES ARE MADE UP AS IS THE BIRTHDAY FOR LUCAS.

IN AUSTRALIA, MOST LEGAL CONTRACTS (EXCLUDING WILLS) HAVE A TEN DAY COOLING OFF PERIOD. THIS IS THE CONCEPT I USED IN THIS STORY AND TWISTED IT A LITTLE. ENJOY. REMEMBER THIS ISN'T REAL LIFE BUT FOR ENJOYMENT ONLY.

HOPE YOU LIKE THE WAY I PORTRAYED OUR FAVOURITE CREW MEMBERS.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

THE WILL

Captain Nathan Bridger rolled over with a groan of annoyance as the telephone awoke him with a piercing ring. He looked over at the digital clock on the bed side table and noted the time to be 4.15am.

4.15am Who the hell was calling at this hour?

He picked up the receiver and mumbled a hello to whoever was on the other end.

For a moment all there only silence and Bridger was about to hang up thinking it was a prank caller when a voice came on the line.

"May I speak to Lucas Wolenczak please" the voice asked. The person didn't even say hello.

"It's 4.15am in the morning" Bridger said to the caller. "Wouldn't it be better to call back tomorrow morning at a decent hour?"

"No I need to talk to him now" the voice said with a little agitation.

Bridger was now fully awake. It was the night after, no the same night as the party they had just held for Lucas's 18th Birthday party.

The party was a huge success. Most of the crew had turned up. All the food was eaten and everything went smoothly without incident. Lucas had been very humble and gracious about all the gifts he had received. Until moving in with Bridger and becoming his son, presents were a rarity for the young man.

Bridger and Kristen had retired to bed about midnight, leaving Lucas a little time to enjoy his time alone with his friends. The noise from the party had

only died down about two hours ago and Bridger doubted that Lucas had been asleep for any long than an hour.

He was inclined to just hang up on the caller and leave the phone off the hook.

He could hear noise coming from the bedroom next door and realized that the

phone ringing had probably woken Lucas anyway.

He was only dressed in a singlet and boxer shorts. He grabbed his robe from

behind the door and started to tiptoe out of the room towards Lucas's bedroom so as not to wake Kristen.

"Who is that" Kristen asked with the same level of annoyance as Bridger as she rolled over at the movement in the room.

"Somebody wants to talk to Lucas" he said simply "Won't tell me his name or what he wants." "I think I heard Lucas moving around." "The phone probably woke him up".

Bridger knocked lightly on the closed door to Lucas's bedroom and got a muffled reply. "Go away Tony, I have no more money to win and no more food Dagwood"

Bridger smiled at the reply he got from the obviously less than awake teenager.

"It's me" Bridger said through the closed door.

"Oh, sorry Captain" Lucas apologized as he stumbled out of bed and opened the door. The boy appeared at the door, dishevelled with his hair all mussed up, eyes very bloodshot from lack of sleep and due to some of the alcohol that had been consumed.

Lucas had been mature enough to know when he had enough and not ended up blind drunk as was customary for people turning 18.

"Some jerk wants to talk to you on the phone" Bridger told him.

"Did the jerk say who he was" Lucas responded noting the slight disapproval in his adopted father's voice at being woken up at this hour.

"No, only that he wanted to talk to you" Bridger continued.

"Okay I take it in the hall" Lucas replied and picked up the receiver on the telephone that was positioned on a small table just before the staircase.

Bridger had made it sound as if he had hung up on the extension phone, but put his hand over the mouth piece and put the receiver to his ear, waiting to hear the conversation.

Kristen had given him a warning look as she noted him trying to listen in on the teenager's call.

Bridger wouldn't normally have been worried, but the caller was phoning in the dead of night and wouldn't identify himself. Nathan just wanted to make sure everything was alright. With all the events of the adoption, the court room battles and the media publicity of Lucas's parents abuse, Bridger just wanted to protect the one he loved most. Lucas had been hurt enough and Bridger would go to any length to see that the boy wasn't hurt any further.

"Hello" Lucas said in a still very sleepy sounding voice.

"Is that you, Speedy" the voice asked.

Lucas just about dropped the phone in surprise and Bridger could hear the gasp of shock come through the phone. Lucas knew there was only one person in the world who called him SPEEDY

All Bridger could think of was SPEEDY. Lucas was called SPEEDY.

"Mac, is that you" Lucas stammered after his initial shock.

"Yeah, it's me buddy" came the reply.

Lucas was now very nervous. Why would Mac call him at this hour. He didn't even know how Mac knew where to get in contact with him.

"How did you find me Mac" Lucas asked.

"I knew you were on that big boat, Speedy" Mac said "I contacted them this morning and asked if they knew where you were"

"Got some person who said you were on some deserted island somewhere" Mac continued.

"Yeah, I am living here with my new dad" Lucas stated.

Bridger had almost revealed his presence when he choked up over that comment. New Dad. He called me new dad. Bridger couldn't have been happier and actually had tears well up in his eyes at the fact that Lucas thought of him as his Dad now.

"Speedy, I don't know how else to say this" Mac said nervously

Both Bridger and Lucas noted the hesitation from the man and started to feel a little uneasy about what was to come.

"IT" Mac tried to emphasis without actually saying the words "Happened Yesterday Speedy, I'm so sorry".

For a moment, Lucas couldn't talk at all. He knew what IT was, he knew what Mac was trying to tell him. Tears suddenly started falling down his face and Bridger could hear Lucas's voice waiver on the phone.

"Thanks for letting me know Mac" Lucas managed through small sobs of grief.

"Will you be coming, Speedy" Mac asked gingerly.

"Yeah, I'll come" Lucas answered "When is it going to be"?

"Day after tomorrow"

Mac could tell that his friend was distressed at the news he had just given him. He knew that the next sentence would distress him even more.

"Got a caller myself today, Speedy" Mac managed to say with his voice full of dread.

Lucas waited for the response. He was still trying to mull over in his sleep addled mind what had happened.

"He asked if he could come" Mac said. "I said it was up to you Lucas". It was the first time during the entire conversation, Bridger heard the man called the boy by his correct name.

Lucas's voice was now full of anger as well as sobs at this statement.

Kristen could hear the response and she wasn't even listening to the conversation.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY MAC" Lucas said angrily and then resumed the steady stream of sobs.

Bridger winced at the venom in Lucas's voice. He could hear the boy crying.

He wanted to go and comfort him, but didn't want to intrude at the moment. The last statement had just scared him completely.

Mac knew that Lucas would not be taking in any more information for the time being and started to end the call.

"See you when you get here, Speedy" Mac said softly "I'm so sorry".

Lucas put down his receiver and Bridger put down his.

Bridger looked at Kristen with a worried look and proceeded to tell her what was said in the conversation. Her face paled at the relay of the words spoken.

Lucas had stood in stunned silence for a moment. But now returned to his room and closed the door.

Bridger and Kristen both walked to the door and put the ears to it trying to hear what was going on inside. The only thing they could hear was the sound of Lucas crying. He was crying very hard and it almost broke their hearts to hear him so upset.

Bridger had attempted to open the door and go in, but the door, to his astonishment was locked. It was the first time since Lucas had started staying with the Captain that the door had been deliberately locked.

The Captain and the doctor still very little information about what was going on. They didn't like it. From the signs, it appeared that something very bad had happened.

"Let's leave him for a little while" Kristen suggested. She liked the idea even less than Bridger as he give a look of sadness, they both could hear the boy still sobbing whole heartedly over something.

Bridger reluctantly left and went back into his own room with Kristen. Both sat up and tried to work out what the phone call was about. Where was Lucas intending to go? What had happened? Who was HE? Who was MAC and why did he call Lucas Speedy?

*********************************************************************

Lucas's bedroom was shadowed in darkness. The teenager was now sitting up with his back leaning against the head board. He was just staring at the ceiling now. He had cried and cried and now just saw on his bed with no emotion showing at all.

He tried to understand what Mac had just told him.

When Lucas was growing up with his abusive and neglectful parents, the one place he could find some solace and peace of mind, was his uncle's horse stud farm on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

His uncle was named Michael Summers. He had been married to Lawrence Wolenczak's sister Judy. Judy had been killed accidentally in a car accident when Lucas was only 5 years old.

Lucas often found himself spending time at the farm on school holidays and at times when his parents decided that they didn't need him around at that particular moment.

The three of them, Lucas, Michael and Mac had the best times the teenager could ever remember having whilst growing up.

Michael had learned about 3 years ago that he had cancer. He had been told that he only had twelve months to live back then. Lucas had been devastated when he found out and had tried to pretend it wasn't happening.

Now, three years later and two years longer than expected, Lucas just couldn't take it all in. Michael was gone. One of his most valuable allies against his parents was no longer there to support him.

Michael Summers had known about the abuse of Lucas at the hands of his parents. He had witnessed the aftermaths and bruises. He had even stopped the assaults on more than one occasion. He had been very angry at his so called 'brother-in-law's treatment on his only son, but could only offer Lucas a safe haven away from the abuse when the boy was willing to accept the help. Unfortunately, due to Lucas getting used to his environment, he didn't seek assistance or help very often.

What was he going to tell the Captain and Kristen Westphalen? What would he say to Tony and Dagwood and the rest of the crew? Maybe it would be better if he just left and didn't say anything at all.

*******************************************************************

By early morning, a few of the crew members who had stayed on the night on the island were up and about making their way to the breakfast table Kristen had laid out.

Bridger had proceeded to tell the most senior members, and the people closest to Lucas about the previous night and the telephone conversation he had overheard.

All asked if they could help in any way. All couldn't fathom the cruel twist of fate that had befallen their young friend. Last night at his birthday party, Lucas was full of life and energy. Now this morning they were being told that he had locked himself in his room and had been crying for some time about something bad that had happened.

Tony Piccolo and Dagwood only made it to the table to catch the end part of the conversation.

"Did somebody hurt Lucas" Dagwood asked with childlike innocence.

"No, Dagwood" Bridger tried to tell the big man. "I still don't know what has happened" "But whatever it is, we need to look out for Lucas for the next few days" "Can you do that for him?"

"Sure" Dagwood responded.

"Yet bet, Cap" Tony added in and got a slight scowl from the Captain in return for his official title being made into a nickname.

"Where is Lucas now" Lieutenant Jim Brody asked Kristen sitting beside him.

"He hasn't come out of his room since the phone call" Kristen said with a touch of sadness. She wanted to help Lucas, but he was putting up his usual walls of

resistance when something was hurting him. Kristen knew it was Lucas's only

solution and defence when something was not right in his life.

"I'll go get him" Tony offered. He too didn't like the idea of something hurting his roommate. He had Lucas shared everything: a room, food, even girls. Now he wanted Lucas to share his pain with him and let him understand what was going on.

With that, Tony jumped up from the table and scooted up the staircase headed towards the teenager's bedroom.

*********************************************************************

Lucas had decided about an hour ago to make a silent escape. He couldn't find the words to tell his friends or Captain Bridger how he felt at the moment. He felt numb all over. He almost felt like he had lost an arm instead a member of his extended family.

He had quickly and quietly gathered his clothes and necessary belongings and stuffed them into the black bag he brought up world with him. The last thing he grabbed as he climbed out of the window in his room was a set of keys from the chest of drawers.

Earlier, he had left a note in an envelope on the Captain's bed.

The window faced the rear of the house and he knew he could get to the garage without being spotted. He wasn't in any mood to talk to the Captain and the doctor. He had heard the voices of his friends at the breakfast table and was more reluctant to relay his feelings to them.

Moments later, Lucas had stowed his bag on the rear carriage and now wheeled the large motorcycle out of the car port and out behind the house.

The motorcycle had been a gift for his birthday from the Captain. It was exactly the same as the one the Captain rode. It was black in colour, had smooth lines and had literally taken Lucas's breath away when the Captain gave him the keys to it yesterday morning.

In the hallway, his bunk mate Tony Piccolo was just discovering that the door to Lucas's bedroom was now ajar.

"I thought the Captain said the he had locked the door" Tony said aloud to nobody.

He eased the door back to reveal and an empty room. Lucas was not where to be seen. Tony did notice however, that the window was open and a curtain flapped around loosely in the breeze. To his dread he could see that Lucas had been rummaging around in the drawers and his UEO issue duffel bag was missing.

Tony raced down the stairs and back to the breakfast table, breathing rather heavily from even that short distance by the time he reached the others. His stomach was not in a tangle of knots as he tried to gauge how best to describe what he had seen.

"He's gone" Tony managed to blurt out.

"What" Bridger exclaimed, jumping up from the table and grabbing the seaman tightly around his left arm.

"I said", Tony repeated, prying his arm away from the Captain's painful grip "He's gone"

"The door was open when I got there and the window is open."

"That doesn't mean anything" Brody tried to assure the Captain and Bridger. "You said he was upset, maybe he just went for a walk." Jim knew he was grasping at straws. He suspected Lucas had taken off just as it sounded, but didn't want to publicly air his fears.

"Everybody start searching" Bridger now began shouting order at his crew. "Brody, you take Dagwood and start looking along the beach. "Kristen, you and Tony search the house." Bridger was worried out of his mind to think that Lucas had gone anywhere in his current state. He didn't know what was troubling the teenager, but he knew the young man shouldn't be alone at this time.

"There he is" Kristen declared as he spotted Lucas wheeling the large motorcycle from the rear of the house. She started walking briskly to him without running. She knew Lucas was trying to flee without being seen. She didn't want to startle him.

Lucas had his riding gear on, jeans and a leather jacket, and placed his motorcycle helmet on hid head and secured the strap underneath his chin.

Lucas actually had his back turned momentarily from his friends, until he heard Kristen yell to the others "There he is". He knew he had been spotted. He had to get away fast.

Suddenly he jumped onto the large seat and whirred the engine into life. He gave a brief look back to his worried SeaQuest family and then proceeded to ride away in great haste. Into the rising sun.

Bridger had been shouting to Lucas to stop. He now ran up beside Kristen, quite out of breath himself. Dagwood, Tony and Brody had all been running too, trying to stop the teenager's escape.

They all looked on in disbelief as they saw him give a small nod with his head and a brief wave with his hand and ride away.

'Where was he going' Bridger asked himself. "Why won't he tell me" "Lucas come back, please don't go."

The crew heard the pain and worry in the Captain's voice. They all knew about the adoption and knew that Lucas was now Bridger's son. They knew that the Captain was acting like any other parent whose child was running away from home.

Brody and Tony looked at each other. Both of them knew there was more to this situation than at first glance. They both wanted to run after the young man and drag him back. They both wanted to know how to help Lucas.

*********************************************************************

It was now late Saturday afternoon, and Bridger sat down in his arm chair looking very defeated.

He and the crew had spent all day searching for any sign of where Lucas might have gone. Kristen had spoken to the few friends on the telephone that they knew of, but they all claimed they had not seen or heard from Lucas for some time. The trail was beginning to go cold.

Nobody felt much liking eating and Kristen felt even less about cooking for a large group of people. Normally it would be just her, Nathan and Lucas. She had to swallow her tears at the moment and show some strength in front of Nathan. The Captain wasn't taking Lucas's disappearance very well at all.

Brody had gone into town and purchased some take away food and a newspaper. Jim had this fascination with the personal adds in the classified section. He hoped that one day he would meet his perfect match through the sleazy want adds of the Northern Tribunal. He now sat on the couch and thumbed his way to the appropriate page. The rest of the crew, the Captain and Kristen where all gathered around the kitchen table, playing with the food he had bought and trying to think of where Lucas might go.

Suddenly, the column in the classified section of the newspaper held Brody's attention. The columns went in alphabetical order: EMPLOYMENT, FOR SALE, HELP WANTED, PERSONAL ADS AND PUBLIC NOTICES. A name in one of the Public Notices stood out to the Lieutenant. He leapt up from his chair and placed the newspaper in the middle to the kitchen table for everyone to see.

"I think I might have found something about where he might be" Brody said. Any proceeded to circle a smallish ad on the page.

The friends and family of Michael Summers, formerly of "Summer Fields Stud Farm", husband of Judy, brother-in-law of Lawrence Wolenczak and Uncle of Lucas Wolenczak are respectfully invited to attend the funeral of their late friend in a private service to be held tomorrow, Sunday 13th April. Burial to take place at 10.00am at the farm in a private ceremony. Nephew requests that people give donations to the Cancer Fund in lieu of flowers.

"Well, we know where any why it is." Bridger stated with a little ray of hope. He reread the ad and knew that Lucas had lost somebody in his family. Obviously he had gone to the funeral, he was even mentioned in the ad in the paper. This information didn't held to ease their fears though. Not one of the crew or the Captain had ever heard Lucas mention the name Michael Summers, let alone that he was the boy's uncle.

"The ad mentions his father's name though" Brody pointed out grimly.

A picture of utter dread now fell over Bridger's face as he suddenly remembered the significance of the words Lucas had yelled into the phone. He now knew who HE was.

The crew had noticed his look and Bridger now told them about the message that the man said on the phone and relayed Lucas's reply to them.

"You don't really think Lawrence would turn up at the funeral, do you" Kristen said with honest worry in her voice.

"I don't know" Bridger answered. "There is a restraining order in place that says he is not to go within 500 metres of Lucas"

"I'm going to him" Tony announced to astonishment to everyone at the table. "There's no way that I'm going to let that two-faced, no good piece of filth anywhere Lucas at that funeral"

"I agree" Kristen commented "But we have to find out where this Stud Farm is first.

"I'm already way ahead of you doc" Brody stated as he started thumbing through the city maps of Los Angeles in the telephone book.

"AH - HUH" he shouted in triumph as he showed the rest of them that the Stud Farm was only about 20 minutes out of the city.

"We can't go there tonight" Bridger stated. He got a furious look from all at the table. "I want to go there as much as you do, believe me" he continued "But think of Lucas! If he really has lost someone close in his family, he may not want us just waltzing up to the front door demanding to see him." "From what happened on the phone and what Kristen and I could hear later, he was very upset over whoever this Michael Summers is."

"We'll all go tomorrow" Kristen said following Bridger's lead. "We have to let Lucas have time alone if he needs it."

All knew what the Captain and the doctor were saying was true. They all knew that they had to play this thing out by ear and just be there for Lucas if he needed them.

All of them had no doubts about going there tomorrow though, just in case Lawrence did make an unannounced appearance. All dreaded to think what might happen if he did turn up there.

*******************************************************************

About the same time as the crew and his family were mulling over the newspaper, trying to find out where he was, Lucas Wolenczak was riding down a dirt lane towards the house on the Summer Fields Stud Farm.

He had caught the morning ferry from the island over to the mainland and just keep following the highway to his destination.

He stopped the bike when he got to the house and kicked the stand in place and got off it. He was taking his helmet off as he looked around. Not much had seemed to change. It had been almost 1 year since his last visit, longer than he would have liked. He continued to think about what might have been as he made his way up the front steps.

He took one more look around behind him and then knock lightly on the screen door on the outside. The wooden door behind it was closed. He heard footsteps approaching from inside and then the door proceeded to open. A short, lean and middle aged black man appeared from within.

He gasped aloud with delight as he recognized the young man standing outside.

"SPEEDY" he yelled and grabbed the boy in a tight bear hug. He had tears of joy and sadness on his face.

Another person came to stand behind the man and also gave a whoop of delight at the sight of Lucas at the door.

"Lucas, it's been too long" said a woman who was equally as short as the other man, but was a little rounder in the middle. The other person was a woman and his wife.

"Don't just stand there, Mac" said the woman sternly. "It ain't going to do him any good standing outside all day." "Let the boy in"

Lucas had been very solemn up to this point. He had been very mixed up and confused with emotion as he had left Bridger's house. But now, despite the circumstances he was seeing these two people in, he gave a wane smile to both of them and returned the embraces.

Lucas stepped into the house. The aroma of supper hit him full in the face and he suddenly felt very hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since about midnight the night before at this birthday party.

The teenager spent the next two hours at the dinner table. At first he had eaten a little of everything that was offered. Now after talking for so long about old times and reminiscing, he just played with the food left over on the plate.

The subjects ranged from what Lucas did aboard the SeaQuest, to what Mac and Lily were doing on the farm. It was hard to avoid the topic of Michael Summers. He had been a large part of all of their lives. Something just seemed to be missing now he was gone.

Lily and Mac could see the strain of Michael's dead starting to show evidently on the teenager's face. He looked pale and his eyes were almost hanging out of his head from lack of sleep.

Lily had brought up the part about how tired Lucas was looking and the young man proceeded to tell them about the birthday party he had yesterday with his friends. He told them about his new friends and the gifts he had received which included the brand new motorcycle parked outside.

Mac and his wife new that the Captain was just as big a part of Lucas's life now as Michael had been in recent years and he was glad that the teenager had somebody.

He too had seen the relationship or the non existence of one with his parents. He felt that the boy considered himself and Lily closer than his own kin and that was very sad.

After dinner, Lucas and Mac sat out on the porch of the old house. They continued to talk about the past and what would be in store for the farm in the future now Michael was gone.

Mac had listened to Lucas as he had spoken very concernedly about the future of the farm. Lucas wanted the farm to remain as it was now, as a working stud farm. Over the years, Michael's judgment of horse flesh and expertise in breeding horses had led him to be revered by many in the industry. Mac smiled silently to himself. He knew that Michael had made plans for the future of the stud farm after he found out he had cancer. Mac wasn't about to say what was to happen until the appropriate time.

At about 9.00pm, Mac looked over to the porch swing where Lucas had been seated and noted that the teenager was lost to the world. He noted the lines of fatigue that were etched in the young face and knew that there would be more grief to come tomorrow. He wished that there was somebody apart from him and Lily to worry about the boy.

Mac had awoken Lucas and guided him to his usual bedroom in the house before saying his goodnights.

*********************************************************************

Early morning soon came to the household and Mac knocked on the door to Lucas's room.

"Up and at em Speedy" he said through the closed door. He smiled and thought that the teenager was just being his normal difficult self in the morning. Lucas was not an early riser and let the world know about it if he had to get up earlier than usual.

Mac went down stairs, allowing Lucas to get dressed and to the breakfast table. He knew that if his wake up call didn't work then the smell of Lily's breakfast would.

Me was surprised to see Lucas walking through the back door. He had on his old jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. His hair was combed, well combed enough for Lucas and he looked as though he had been awake for a while. Mac secretly wondered if the boy had slept very much at all after disturbing him last night. Today was not going to be a good day.

"Good Morning, Speedy" Mac greeted the teenager.

"Hi, Mac" was the reply. Lucas had a large grin on his face as though he had been up to mischief.

"OH, you've been out to see your old friend already, I see" Mac commented as he guessed at where the teenager had just wandered in from.

"Yeah, I wanted to see him last night, but was totally worn out" Lucas replied. "He hasn't changed a bit, Mac. You have been taking real good care of him while I have been gone."

"Only for you, Speedy" he answered "Only for you" "Besides he is as grumpy as you in the morning if doesn't get his breakfast on time."

"He's had a great teacher" Lucas said and proceeded to sit at the table. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the spread that Lily had put before the two of them. It looked as though the entire SeaQuest crew would be dining with them this morning."

"Dagwood would be impressed, Lily" Lucas said in honestly and continued to make praises about the large amount and variety of food on the table.

Lucas spent the rest of breakfast telling his friends all about who Dagwood was and about his other friends aboard SeaQuest. The couple listened intently and seemed genuinely glad that Lucas seemed to have somebody looking out for him. By the sounds of things, this Captain and this Doctor were fine people and maybe Lucas would be alright after all.

*********************************************************************

Whilst Lucas was busy talking about them, the rest of the crew were making their way towards him in the UEO transport they had 'borrowed' from Admiral Noyce that morning.

Brody was in the back with Dagwood and Tony trying to give directions to Kristen seated in the front and Bridger who was driving.

Brody was trying his hardest to tell Dagwood all about the map. Dagwood not only wanted to know where they were going, but wanted a description for all of the symbols printed on the map. Brody held his temper and continued to tell Dagwood what the symbols meant, even down to the little houses and churches mark on it along the way.

It was approximately 10.10am when the transport turned into the long narrow driveway leading up to the front of the house.

All of them got out of the vehicle and looked around them. All could see a small number of people gathered on a hill underneath a huge oak tree about 500 metres away. They all decided it was best to keep their distance at this moment. They didn't want to intrude on what appeared to be a very solemn and closely reserved service.

The condition of the sky worried them as they alighted from the vehicle. The weather looked like it had predicted the events for the day and had tried to show the emotion in its display. The sky was overcast and gray. It looked like there would be a storm later on that afternoon.

Lucas, Bridger could see seated on a chair between a black man and a black woman. The teenager was dressed in a dark grey suit. Both of the dark people had an arm around the boy. Lucas's head was bowed forward and he looked to be very upset.

There was only two other people at the funeral on the hill and the preacher. The preacher was reading from a prayer book and standing beneath the large tree. The casket was wooden and adorned with only a few floral tributes.

At what appeared to be the end of the service, the casket was lowered into the ground. The preacher stepped forward to shake Lucas's hand and give words of comfort to the two people seated beside the teenager.

Mac and Lily stood up and spoke briefly to Lucas, and then began walking back to the house. Lucas hadn't moved at all. He sat in the same position as when Bridger and Kristen had first seen him.

Mac looked on warily at the people and the strange vehicle pulled up outside the house. Lucas apparently hadn't notice their presence. He continued to look at the freshly covered in grave and barely lifted his head or gave any other indication of movement.

Mac looked at the UEO symbol on the transport and suddenly realised who these people must have been. He walked up to the first person who stood before him. It happened to be Captain Nathan Bridger.

Mac looked suspiciously at the GELF standing beside the Captain. Mac had never seen a person like that before. He was huge and had strange patterns on his body. Dagwood looked uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny he was getting from Mac, be in his usual innocent way, held out a hand in peace.

Bridger proceeded to introduce himself and the rest of the crew to the black man. Kristen stood beside him but her attention continually wandered up to where Lucas was sitting under the tree.

Tony, being his usually bold self, had no such qualms about introducing himself.

"How they hanging pal" Tony said much to the dismay of his fellow crew members. Bridger just frowned at him. Brody had tried to hide from the embarrassment of being in the same crew as him. Kristen gave him a look that said "I will kill you later".

Mac and Lily weren't perturbed by the casual greeting from Tony or the official one they received from Bridger. If these were the friends Lucas had been talking about, they would welcome them with open arms, for Lucas's sake.

Bridger wanted to run up to the boy as much as Kristen did, but Mac and Lily told them it was probably best to leave him be for awhile. He would need a great deal of time to get over this loss. He needed to find out who Lucas Wolenczak was for himself first.

*********************************************************************

At roughly lunchtime, nothing had changed. Bridger and the crew where still sitting around in the living room talking to Mac and Lily. Lucas had not come back in yet.

Lily went into the kitchen to start organizing something for everybody to eat. She briefly looked out the window over the sink and looked outside. She had a very saddened look on her face when she returned to the lounge room.

She addressed Bridger first. "I think it would be alright for you to go out to him now" she had tears in her eyes as she spoke to him.

Bridger got up and went towards to back door and started up towards the hill and the tree. Lily and the others looked out the window again. Mac came up behind her and put a comforting arm around her. "It will be okay, Lil" he said gently.

"He just looks so lost now Mac" she said through her tears. "How is he going to get over this now. He has had nothing but hurt all his life." "It's just not fair".

Lily walked away from the window, too saddened to look out any more. She tried to hide her own pain for Lucas by making herself busy in the kitchen.

Tony, Brody and Kristen just continued to look out the window at Lucas's sad form sitting underneath the tree. Their thoughts just echoed what Lily had said ; "ITS JUST NOT FAIR, IT'S JUST NOT FAIR"

******************************************************************

Bridger walked up the hill slowly towards Lucas, but his approach seemed to remain unnoticed. Lucas was now sitting on the hard ground beside the grave. He's knees were slightly bent and his legs stretched out in front of him. His left hand rested on the freshly dug soil, his gaze drifted out over the rolling green hills beyond the fence line.

Bridger knew that there were no words he could find to say right now that would make the pain go away. He had been here himself and knew that words were no good. When Carol had died he felt a part of him had died with him, never to live again. When Robert was missing, it was worse, he never got to say his goodbyes.

He sat beside Lucas and put his arm around his shoulder. Lucas looked up in surprise for a moment. He recognized the face. He couldn't find the words at the moment either. Tears still stained his face and his face crumpled as he buried it into Bridger's shoulder.

He just cried. Long and hard. Bridger just sat there. Waiting for him to talk about what he was feeling if he wanted to.

Finally Lucas looked up at Bridger and wiped away some of the fallen tears.

"He was the only family that ever cared about me" Lucas said. "And now, that only family is gone".

Bridger took the boy's chin in his hand, making him take notice of the words he was about to say: "I know this is hard Lucas" he started to say. "In time the pain will ease." "Hopefully when it does, you will see that you have a new family, waiting to love you just as much as your uncle did".

"How did you know where I was?" Lucas now asked, his emotions a little more

under control.

"That was all Detective Brody" Bridger replied. "He was doing his normal searching for a partner in the local rag when he spied the funeral notice."

"I'm sorry I just left, Dad" Lucas told the man sitting beside him. "I didn't know what to say to you or Kristen, or Tony." "I didn't think you would understand" "I didn't think you wanted to know anything about my past". Lucas was starting to cry again through his words, but Bridger just continued to listen and hug him tightly.

"It's okay," Bridger said with a touch of uneasiness. He really wanted to tell the boy that his own heart had been ripped out when Lucas had taken off, but he decided against such statements. "Though you have to explain yourself to Kristen yet" Bridger added trying to inject a little humour into the situation.

"OH, Lucas stammered, "Am I in big trouble" he asked worriedly. He didn't want to hurt the doctor, she was the first woman that actually felt like a mother to him.

"Let's just say you've earned yourself a long lecture" Bridger said with a grin. Everybody aboard the SeaQuest knew of Kristen's legendary lectures. All knew that they were lengthy and involved being dragged over the coals. Lucas just let out an over exaggerated groan at the thought of his fate.

Lucas sat there a little longer with Bridger and told him about his uncle Michael and the times he and Mac had. He left out certain parts that he thought could wait until later.

*****************************************************************

Bridger and Lucas stood up from Michael's gravesite and started back slowly

towards the house. The clouds in the sky were getting darker and now threatened with rain and possibly lightening. The wind was blowing strongly and ruffled Lucas's mousy hair.

The pair made their way through the back door and up the stairs out of watchful eyes from other's seated in the living room. Everyone had heard the back door open but left the situation in Bridger's capable hands.

Lucas guided Bridger through the unfamiliar house and showed him to the door of his usual bedroom. He opened the door and took off his suit jacket and placed it over the chair on the opposite side of the room.

The teenager sat down on the bed and removed his shoes and loosened his tie

from around his neck. He laid back on the bed, his body fully spent from the last day and a half. His eyes were wore from crying, his back ached from the position he had been sitting in.

Bridger had been sitting on the chair with Lucas's jacket draped over the back. He just sat and watched the young man lay back on the bed, collecting his thoughts. He was not surprised a few minutes later when the boy's eyelids began fluttering closed.

He waited a while longer as they fully closed and watched as Lucas's features were now poised in sleep. He knew the boy mustn't have had much sleep after

leaving his place. The emotions of the day were catching up with him.

Bridger silently got up from his chair, rearranged the quilts over Lucas's slumbering form and closed the door very quietly behind him as he went downstairs.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and was immediately set on by all who were in the room.

"How is he" "Is he okay" came the questions two at a time.

He put his hand up and everyone went silent. "He's gone to sleep." he then added. "He's exhausted, physically and emotionally" "We had a very long talk outside" "He's hurting very badly" "We just need to be there for him".

Everyone seemed to be pleased with the explanation and agreed in unison that they would be there if Lucas decided he needed to talk.

Kristen and Bridger looked in on Lucas much later that night, as did Mac, Lily, Tony and Brody, thinking that nobody else had seen them enter the teenager's room. All found that Lucas was still sound asleep. All of them had rearranged the blankets around the boy as he slept. At least this way they thought they were doing something to help. All felt very unsure as to how to help Lucas at this particular point in time.

*******************************************************************

All except Lucas were seated at the table by 8.00am the next morning. All had gasped out loud, as Lucas had done the previous day at the amount of food Lily put on the table. Dagwood just looked on with hunger and proceeded to devour most of what everyone else did not.

Bridger and Kristen had been used to Lucas not waking up early and after yesterday had decided to let Lucas come down at this own leisure. They had all walked past the boy's bedroom, unaware that he once again was outside visiting his old friend.

Mac had suspected as much, but not mentioned it to anybody. He didn't know how much Lucas had told these people about his past life. He would Lucas tell them all about this place in his own good time.

Everyone got up from the table and took their morning coffee outside onto the verandah to enjoy the morning sunshine. The clouds from yesterday had disappeared overnight, but would probably be back by midmorning.

Bridger and the rest of the crew looked shocked when they saw Lucas walking about outside near a building that appeared to be a barn of some sort. The boy was dressed again in his old blue jeans and a fresh t-shirt.

He gave everyone a wave good morning, but didn't walk over to them.

"Mac, could you let open the far gate please" Lucas asked his friend. He had a grin on his face as he looked at the older man. Mac knew instantly what he wanted to do.

Without further words, the little black man walked a few hundred meters to a double white gate and swung it back so there was now a large gap in the fence that ran straight through the property.

The Captain and the rest of the crew were wondering what the teenager was up to. They had been surprised that he was already up and about. They had been even more surprised to see signs of a smile on his face.

"Go for it Speedy" Mac shouted into the barn from the gate.

All eyes were now on the barn door, awaiting what was supposed to be happening. Bridger felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise in uneasiness. Kristen just looked worried. Brody didn't know what his friend had in mind, but didn't like the sound of it and Tony too seemed to be a bit nervous.

Lily had just walked outside onto the porch from the kitchen. She had heard

her husband's comment and now added in her own "OH NO, NOT AGAIN,".

The crew looked at the woman briefly as she made her comment. All now wondered what Lucas was up to.

Suddenly there was a loud yell of "YAHOOOOO GO GHOST GO" from Lucas from in the barn.

All Bridger could think of was "Who the hell is Ghost". He thoughts were interrupted as Lucas came galloping out of the barn on the biggest black horse any of them had ever seen.

He raced straight past his friends and the house and towards the opened gate. The boy was barely even holding onto the reins. The black horse was beginning to run at top speed and now proceeded to run through the endless fields of green grass towards the trees some distance away. Lucas didn't even turn around at look back.

Bridger's mouth just fell agape as he watched the teenager on board the huge horse. Kristen and Brody had closed their eyes at the sight, not wanting to see what they dreaded. Tony had been nervous at first, but now, seeing his friend on such a large animal, seemingly having the time of his life, he just ran up to the gate and stood beside Mac letting out whistles and applause of his own at this young friend.

At one point, as everybody watched in awe at the horsemanship skills Lucas displayed whilst galloping through the grass, Lucas had actually let go of the reins entirely. The horse had not slowed down, and the young man seemed to be trusting his life to the horse. Lucas stretched out his hands and held them outwards towards the sky, still letting go yells of delight at the adrenaline rush as he ploughed through the windy sky.

Lucas now picked up the reins again, much to Kristen and Bridger's relief, and starting racing back towards the house again. He gave a high five to Mac and Tony as he rode on by and pulled the horse up a few metres from where Kristen, Bridger and Brody were standing. Kristen had stepped back, a little scared of such a huge horse.

The horse came to a complete stop at Lucas command and now was breathing and snorting heavily. He too had enjoyed the run as much as his rider.

Lucas stayed in the saddle for a few more minutes while he tried to judge his friend's reaction to what they had just seen. He was smiling at them, waiting for them to say something.

Mac came up behind after shutting the gate "You haven't lost it at all, Speedy" "I thought being away for so long might have slowed you down a little"

"Now you know why I call him Speedy" the black man said as he looked at Bridger and Kristen and just laughed at the expressions on their faces.

For a moment neither of them could find any word to say. Both were still trying to comprehend what they had just witnessed. The horse was as black as the sky at night. It stood at least 17 and a half hands high in the old scheme.

"GHOST" Bridger managed to get out after his initial shock.

"Yeah," Lucas said a little sheepishly. "Fits him perfectly don't you think" not knowing what else to say.

"How long have you been riding, Lucas" Brody asked honestly. He was nervously trying to rub the stallion's neck, but was put off by the animal's snorting and head slight tossing about.

"Since I was about three" Lucas announced proudly. He had never told anybody aboard the SeaQuest about his other passion in life apart from computers. Riding was one of the few pleasures he had away from the torment of his life with his parents. It was the one haven he felt safe in and aboard a horse like GHOST, he felt as though he could face anyone, even his father. If necessary, GHOST had the speed to take him away from all his problems.

Just when Bridger and the rest of the crew thought Lucas was going to get off the big horse, to their surprise they saw Lucas grab the reins tightly and yell another YAHOO at the top of his lungs. He manoeuvred GHOST around so that the big horse had room to move. With a quick kick to the horses flanks, he was once again flying into the wind.

Lucas spent the majority of the day with the animal. He rode down to the tree line near the forest and jumped down, letting the horse follow behind him as he ambled along the banks of a small creek running through the trees. The horse followed his master like a lost puppy.

It was late afternoon before rider and horse appeared back at the stables. Dagwood followed Lucas in and let the teenager explain to him how to take care of GHOST. Lucas showed Dagwood how to remove the saddle, how to brush the horse down,

how to get his dinner ready and how to check that the water level in the trough was enough.

Dagwood was happy to help his young friend. The large man had rarely seen anything or anybody that matched him for size. But upon seeing Lucas's large mount GHOST, the G.E.L.F. felt he had sort of connect with the horse.

It sun was just about to set as Lucas and Dagwood made their way back towards the house.

Bridger and Kristen had spent the majority of the day talking to Mac and Lily. They were amazed at some of the stories these gentle people were able to share with them about the teenager they thought they knew so well. By late afternoon, all of the crew were just beginning to realise how much they didn't know about the young genius.

*********************************************************************

All were seated at the dinner table eating a modest meal when Mac spoke to Lucas.

"Speedy, we need to talk about something after dinner" Mac explained.

"We can talk about it here, Mac" Lucas answered as he played with his food, not really eating it "I've no secrets from my closest friends, especially Bridger and Kristen"

Bridger was attempted to say something about this statement, but erred on the side of cautiousness. Yeah right kiddo, we all knew about this place and your ability to ride horses and the countless other things I heard about you today he thought to himself.

Kristen and Brody continued to eat their meals, but had similar thoughts to the Captain. Dagwood was too busy worrying about his stomach to think about the

topic of conversation.

"I got a call from Michael's lawyer today" Mac started slowly. He knew that

Lucas probably wasn't too interested in hearing this, but he needed to tell the teenager anyway. "There's going to be the reading of the Will tomorrow morning at his office."

"What's that got to do with me, Mac" Lucas asked honestly. He didn't think such legal matters would concern him considering he wasn't next of kin.

"The lawyer said he wants you to be there, Speedy" Mac continued. "He said to meet him at his office at 10.00am tomorrow.

Lucas didn't like the idea of lawyers. He had had enough of lawyers and court rooms when dealing with his mother and father. The mere thought of going to talk to a solicitor brought his skin out in goose flesh.

Mac, the Captain and the others could see uneasiness written all over Lucas's face. They were all privy to the cause of his nervousness.

"Would it be alright if Dad and the others came with me" Lucas asked thinking he needed every bit of moral support he could muster.

'Sure Speedy" Mac replied. "I be there for you too if you like".

:"I wouldn't have it any other way " Lucas said to his friend.

All had finished what they were going to eat. Lucas's plate remained just as full as it had been when he sat down. Kristen and Bridger looked at each other but didn't mention anything about it in front of everyone.

Everyone had retired to bed at about 10.00pm after talking briefly in the living room. Bridger had wanted to talk to Lucas on his own a little more tonight, but was disappointed when Lucas excused himself and went to his room to be alone.

******************************************************************

Lucas arrived at the solicitor's office the next morning looking very nervous. He, Mac and the rest of the SeaQuest crew had started travelling to the office about an hour ago. Lucas had simply gazed out the window the entire time whilst fidgeting with his hands.

Bridger had wanted to start that conversation he wanted to commence the night before, but the expression on Lucas's face told him that no talking would be done just until this visit was over.

The building was large and grey out front which just about matched Lucas's mood. He had worn, much to Kristen's displeasure, his good blue jeans and the suit jacket from the funeral over the top of it. He wanted to look a little respectable, but also didn't want to feel trapped in that suit again. So he

comprised and wore the jeans to make him feel a little more comfortable. Bridger knew that it was doubtful the teenager would feel comfortable in any thing he wore, until they were out of this building and away from the hustle and bustle of city morning traffic.

Mac led the way. Bridger and the others followed with Lucas dawdling further and further behind. He tried to survey his surroundings. The offices were all a hive of activity for a Monday morning. Some people were busy talking on the telephone, others were talking to each others, others were shouting at clients and others just rustled papers about on their desks.

The hallway was covered with an expensive woven carpet. The walls had expensive pieces of artwork adorning them. All of the people in the building were attired in pin striped suits for the men and tailored business skirts and jackets for the women.

All reached an office which had a name inscribed in gold letters upon the door: Andrew WALKER, Attorney At Law. Lucas wanted to turn around and go back as soon as he reached the door, but Mac persuaded him out of it.

"How bout just you and me and Captain Bridger, Speedy" Mac asked. He knew the young man didn't want to be here. And he certainly didn't want to be here with a large group of onlookers even if they were his close friends and almost considered family.

"Yeah, Okay" Lucas mumbled and stuffed his hands in his pockets as Mac proceeded to knock lightly on the glass door.

Kristen, Brody and Dagwood sat in chairs upholstered with a fine red fabric outside the office. They were all just as nervous as Lucas to be in a building with so many legal professionals.

Bridger now stood beside the less than co-operative teenager with a supportive arm draped over his shoulder. He gave Lucas's a quick squeeze as he started to guide the reluctant young man into the room.

Whatever Lucas had prepared himself for about this Reading of the Will, he could not have possibly been prepared for what awaited him inside.

He could not hide the gasp of shock that escaped his lips and the rise in blood pressure that threatened to envelope him in a void of blackness. He was glad that Bridger had his arm around him, because at this very minute it was all that stood between him and the cold linoleum floor in the solicitor's office.

Lucas had walked in and had completely missed seeing the solicitor seated at the desk inside. There was only one thing that help his fixated gaze: The sight of Lawrence Wolenczak seated across the other side of the room in a chair.

There was another short, balding man sitting beside his father in the room, but he paid no attention to this man either.

Mac had almost gasped out loud as much as Lucas had done when he saw the face of Lawrence Wolenczak.

Bridger could find any words. He was speechless. He suddenly found himself standing protectively in front of the teenager.

"What is he doing here" Bridger finally managed to get out. He was on the verge of anger. "He can't be here".

Kristen and the others could not see the other person in the room that Captain Bridger seemed to be yelling at, but instantly recoiled when they heard the voice.

"Here he is, finally" Wolenczak said with no emotion in his voice at all. "Trust my worthless, no good son to turn up late as usual"

Mac just looked questioningly at the solicitor as he too wanted to know why Lucas's father was in the room.

Lucas had not spoken a word. His voice had been lost to his fear. He thought that he would never have to see his father again. He had thought he was finally safe. He had thought that everything was over. His face had begun to lose a little more colour as he continued to stare at the man he feared most in the world.

The balding man now spoke "Mr Wolenczak is entitled to be here" "He is interested in the estate of his brother-in-law Mr Summers. "He has a legitimate right to be here."

"HE," Bridger was now shouting, "Has a restraining order to stay away from my son" "He is not allowed within 100 metres of Lucas"

The balding man just shrugged his shoulders. He and his client knew of the restraining order in place, but felt it had no real purpose.

The solicitor who had been watching the entrance now tried to intervene "Umh" he coughed slightly "I'm sure you would agree that nothing is going to happen here today" "Mr Wolenczak and Mr Wolenczak" he said looking firstly at Lucas then Lawrence, "The estate of Michael Summers may involve you both."

Lawrence Wolenczak smiled at this. He had just as must feeling for his sister's useless husband as his son Lucas. He knew that his presence had affected Lucas's concentration. He knew that he would always have some sort of control over the boy, no matter where he was or who's son he now claimed to be.

"I promise, this will not take long" the solicitor continued. "For the purpose of this Will reading, I'm sure it would be permissible for both parties to remain in the same room. "I'm sure nothing will happen during this meeting" he said and then gave a glaring look at the older Wolenczak. He got no response but hoped his speech had at least eased the fears of the very nervous young man still standing at the door.

Lucas wanted to run. There was no way he wanted to be in the same room with his father, promises or no promises. Bridger felt the same way. He was not about to subject Lucas to more torment.

Mac was the one who saw that the situation was deteriorating. He know walked up to Lucas and Bridger and tried to ease the fear. "It will be okay, Speedy" he said gently. "Captain Bridger and me won't let him touch you". He guided the resisting teenager to a chair just inside the doorway.

'He doesn't have to touch me, just to scare me' Lucas thought to himself. He could feel his father's gaze piercing through his skin. He could hear the silent words of retribution and intimidation through his father's unmoving lips. He tried to focus solely on the solicitor seated at the desk. He tried very hard, fixating his gaze on a small ornament on the table. But he could feel his father's eyes bore literally bore through the back of his skull.

"Lets get started gentlemen, shall we?" the solicitor now stated trying to ease the thick cloud of tension in the room.

"I am going to read the Last Will and Testament of Michael Ernest Summers, after which you may ask questions. Please listen to what I have to say and don't interrupt, you may ask all the questions you want at the end." the solicitor said in his most professional sounding voice.,

THIS IS THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF MICHAEL ERNEST SUMMERS, BORN 26TH DAY OF OCTOBER YEAR NINETEEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FOUR (1974). I MAKE THIS STATEMENT ON THE 17TH DAY OF APRIL NINETEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE (1999) DECLARING THAT AT THE TIME OF THIS PROCLAMATION THAT I AM OF SOUND MIND AND BODY.

MY DEAR FRIENDS MAC AND LILY BARON ARE TO RECEIVE THE AMOUNT OF $10 000 FROM MY BANK ACCOUNT. THE REMAINING BALANCE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE ASSETS TO BE GIVEN TO MY NEPHEW.

UPON MY DEATH, MY ESTATE IS TO BE DISTRIBUTED AS FOLLOWS: ALL ASSETS INCLUDING MONIES AND PROPERTY ARE TO BE GIVEN TO MY NEPHEW LUCAS WOLENCZAK BORN 23RD DECEMBER 2003. MY NEPHEW WILL HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER THE PROPERTY "SUMMER FIELDS STUD FARM" AND ALL ITS FITTINGS ND FIXTURES."

Lucas was stunned. He couldn't believe that his uncle had just left him the

entire Stud Farm. Bridger tried looking at the expression on the teenager's

face, gauging what was going on in his brain. He only saw the total look of shock and disbelief.

Mac had a slight smile on his face. He knew that Michael Summers intended the Stud Farm to be left to Lucas. He couldn't be happier. He knew that the Stud Farm would be in good hands.

Lawrence Wolenczak's face was now a scarlet red. He too couldn't believe that the entire estate had been left to his unworthy son. He was about to jump out of his chair and protest, when the solicitor waved his hand at him

to remain seated.

"There's one more paragraph" he stated with a little nervousness of his own.

Lucas, Bridger and Mac now looked intently at the solicitor and wondered what else was in store.

IF IN THE EVENT THAT MY NEPHEW IS UNABLE TO TAKE POSSESSION OF MY ASSETS AND ESTATE, THEN THE ENTIRE ESTATE IS TO BE SOLD AND THE PROCEEDS DISTRIBUTED TO MR LAWRENCE WOLENCZAK.

It was Lawrence Wolenczak's turn to look on with a stunned look. He suddenly realised the way he could manipulate this unfortunate turn of events into his own profit and gain.

"Put simply" the solicitor told Lucas and Bridger, "There is a cooling off period of ten days" "Legally during that time, all assets and property are frozen."

"What does he mean "IN THE EVENT LUCAS ISN"T ABLE TO TAKE POSSESSION" Mac asked suspiciously. He had not known about this particular clause.

"It means, that in the event that Mr Lucas Wolenczak here, God forbid, dies, then the estate would be sold and the money given to his father Lawrence Wolenczak over there' the solicitor confirmed. Mr Lawrence Wolenczak would the sole surviving relative of Mr Summers and all property and assets

would fall into his hands."

"But nothing like that is going to happen, " the solicitor tried to say with a little more cheer in his voice. "Ten days will go very quickly and Lucas can then sign on the dotted line and everything will be his."

Lawrence Wolenczak decided he had enough information now, and gestured for him and his solicitor to leave. He got up and started walking towards the door and Lucas.

Lucas started to retreat in his chair as his father approached. He was trying not to look at him, but something was holding his head up and forcing him to face his greatest threat.

"Ten days is a long time" Lawrence said with an evil grin on his face. "Never know what might happen during that time, hey son". He made a motion as if to strike out at his teenager son. He continued to laugh as he walked

out into the hallway.

Bridger had tried to jump up and punch him, but Wolenczak exited through the door before he could let go a single swing. His attention was now turned back to Lucas who was almost cowering into a ball in the corner against the

door. His face was stained with tears and his breath was coming out in raspy breaths.

Lucas had not really heard his father's statement, but he had seen the movement that looked like he was going to hit him again. That was almost more than Lucas was able to take. He couldn't get the image of the clenched fist smashing into his face out of his mind. Why not, it had happened many times before and nobody had been there to stop him.

Brody and Dagwood had to almost physically restrain Kristen as she saw Lawrence Wolenczak come out of the office. They all had heard the voice, but now that he was actually within view, she couldn't hold back her emotions. She wanted so bad to do great bodily harm to that man who had hurt Lucas for so long.

Kristen was released from her position and now walked into the solicitor's office with the other's trying to see how Lucas was. She had not heard his statement nor the contents of the Will.

She walked up slowly to the teenager who appeared to be very upset in the corner of the room. The solicitor was still trying to apologize for letting Wolenczak be in the same room, but was cut off by very unpleasant words from Bridger and Mac who felt he had acted wrongly.

Lucas was still crying and didn't notice her presence or that of Brody and Dagwood. Dagwood asked what was wrong with his friend.

Bridger proceeded to tell Kristen and the others about the contents of the Will, about the ten day cooling off period and the threats and comments Lawrence Wolenczak had made towards Lucas. Kristen was positive now she should have decked the man outside. Her blood boiled at the thought of his continual torture Lucas was forced to endure at the hands of his father, both emotionally and in the past physically.

Lucas's crying started to ease, but his body was still trembling from sheer terror. Kristen whispered to Bridger and offered to give the young man a mild sedative until they got back to the ranch. Mac had not been entirely happy about this solution, but agreed that Lucas was now at the end of his emotional rope. He needed to rest and he probably wasn't going to do it on his own.

Lucas had been escorted out of the building to the waiting car with Bridger and Mac on either side. Once at the car, he was seated between Bridger and Brody in

the back seat. Kristen administered the sedative from her medical bag and now sat in front in order to keep a close eye on her patient.

The vehicle had barely started moving before Lucas's blond head fell against the Captain's shoulder. He was asleep, but it probably wasn't going to be a restful one, Kristen observed with a grimace.

*******************************************************************

The Captain had asked Brody to help him take the sleeping Lucas upstairs once they arrived back at the Stud Farm. The teenager hadn't moved at all during the journey back. Kristen followed behind them, medical bag in hand.

Brody had helped his Captain lay Lucas on his bed, and proceeded to go back downstairs, knowing that Kristen and Bridger would probably want to talk about Lucas privately.

Kristen went about making sure the young man was a little more comfortable. They removed his sneakers and suit jacket. They laid the bedspread over him and gave each other a brief smile as they left the room. Kristen had said that Lucas would probably sleep for the rest of the day due to the sedative she had administered. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't wake up until morning due to Lucas's fatigue and emotional drain.

Both walked back downstairs together and asked the others, including Mac and Lily to come together in the living room for a talk.

"I just wanted to talk to you all about what happened this morning at the solicitor's office." Bridger said to everyone. Dagwood was also in the room and Bridger made it a special note to talk to the G.E.L.F. a little later again, just to reinforce what was being said.

"You've all heard on the way back here, about what was said in the office and you all seen who it was in the solicitor's office." Bridger continued. "It doesn't need a genius to paint a pretty grim picture." "Lawrence Wolenczak will try any opportunity to torment Lucas".

"What can we do Cap" Brody asked.

"What can we do, " Tony said a little too loud and then remembered that Lucas was sleeping upstairs. Even though he knew he probably wouldn't wake the teenager, he immediately lowered his voice. "What we can do is march over to Wolenczak's place and punch him until he falls down." "Then we can punch him some more". Tony could barely hold back his raw emotion about his feelings for Lucas's so called 'father'.

"I agree with you," Bridger said to everyone's surprise "I would like nothing more than to go over there and give him a little taste of his own medicine." "But we have to think about this" "Think about what it would do to Lucas all over again".

"But you heard him Captain" Brody now added in "He threatened to hurt Lucas, just so he could get his greedy hands on this farm and the money.".

"Yes, I now Jim" Nathan replied "That's why I have come up with a plan" "I don't know how it will work out, but we need to work together on this" "Mac and Lily can I count on your co-operation too?"

"Of course, Captain Bridger" Mac stated "I promised Michael Summers a long time ago to look out for Lucas, and I ain't about to stop now just because he is gone". "I will protect Lucas with my own life if I have to." Lily just shook her head in agreement of her husband's comments.

"What do you propose, Nathan" Kristen now interposed. "How are you going to protect Lucas" "He isn't going to like being watched 24 hours a day for the next 10 days until this thing is over."

"I know" Bridger said. "I know just as well as everyone else how stubborn that young man upstairs can be if he sets his mind to it". "That's why we have to do it discreetly".

"What's discreetly" Dagwood now asked. He didn't know what all the big words meant, but he was willing to help protect his best friend Lucas.

"Discreetly, means secretly, Dagwood" Tony answered for the Captain. "Means what we are going to do is protect Lucas but not tell him about it." "Can you keep a secret Dag"

"Sure, Tony, if you say so" Dagwood replied.

"What we are going to do is have a body guard what Lucas and protect him." Bridger explained. "The body guard will have to be with Lucas almost twenty four hours a day without him even knowing he is a bodyguard."

"Whose the guinea pig going to be Cap?" Tony asked, but then he spied the look on Kristen and Brody's faces and knew the answer almost before the words came out of his mouth.

"I was sort of hoping you would be Tony" Bridger asked genuinely. "Lucas wouldn't suspect you, since you are already friends and spend most of your time on the SeaQuest together".

"Okay, I'll do it" Tony said "But I can't do it all by myself, not twenty- four hours a day."

"I now that Tony" Bridger answered, "That's why I was going to ask Dagwood to be the other. :"He doesn't need as much sleep as you and he could do the night shift." "How bout it Dagwood" Bridger turned to ask the large man. "Lucas wouldn't suspect you either Dagwood, and I was hoping your size might deter anyone from attempting to hurt Lucas."

"Sure Captain Bridger, Sir" Dagwood announced proudly. He had now thought the others would include him in their plans. He was often left out of projects and meetings because people were unsure of his abilities. Now, the Captain was specifically asking him to be involved and that made his heart swell with pride.

"Okay, that's settled then," Bridger said. "Starting from now, Tony and Dagwood will be with Lucas twenty four hours a day for the next ten days." "The rest of us will help out where we can" "The main object of this is to make sure that Lucas is safe and that we stop any attempts from his father to hurt him at all costs." "We just have to make sure that we keep it secret from Lucas" "I don't know about you, but threats or no threats, I don't want to be there when Lucas finds out we have been following him around just to make sure he's safe."

"No siree" Mac added in "I've seen Speedy riled enough in my time to know that he gets pretty keyed up if he thinks he is being smothered. "He doesn't like people getting too close." "Suppose that comes from what used to happen at home with his father" "There was never anyone to help him or for him to depend on, so he thinks that he still has to do everything on his own, even now".

Everyone in the living room just nodded their heads, acknowledging they understood about Lucas's fierce defence of his privacy and independence.

*******************************************************************

By midmorning the next day, Lucas's patient was beginning to wear a little thin. He had guessed what his friends and family were up to. He appreciated the concern and even wanted to feel a little safer with their presence. He knew that they were trying to protect him from his father after the threat he had made at the solicitor's office. He had heard the words at the time they were uttered, but they had not fully come together in his head until later that night after he woke up his the drug induced slumber.

Despite all their good intentions, Tony and Dagwood were the worst covert spies Lucas had ever come across. They were terrible. Tony had rammed into the back of the teenager on three separate occasions as he tried to follow the young man around the farm.

Dagwood had been bad too, stepping on the heels of Lucas's sneakers twice as he would suddenly stop. He had cried out the first time from the brief stab of pain felt by the size 15 shoe of Dagwood, but in addition to that he had nearly been trampled by the mass stampede of people that came rushing out of the house thinking that someone was hurting Lucas. All apologized humbly for being so silly, he had just glared at them. The second time Dagwood stepped on his heel, he had just swallowed his gasp, not wanting a repeat of the earlier chaos.

Lucas was just about to head into the barn to see GHOST and possibly go for a ride on his own when he went to open the barn door and was again rammed from behind by his friend Tony who was trailing him too close.

"TONY" Lucas said angrily. "That does it" "Everyone gather in the living room" Lucas was very annoyed. He stomped he feet all the way back to the house and gave a second command for everyone to come into the living room when he opened the front door.

"This is not going to be pretty" Bridger sighed as he saw the expression on the teenager's face.

"No, I don't think I have ever seen him that shade of red before" Kristen agreed.

Mac, Lily, Brody, Dagwood, Tony, Bridger and Kristen lined up along the couches and chairs in the living room as if they were going to be drilled from their own parents.

"Okay," Lucas started, trying to keep his temper in check. "Let's start from the beginning" "I know you are following me around like some criminal".

"Lucas, we just want to help protect you." Kristen said, but the words sounded wrong.

"Yeah, Kiddo, we are all just worried about you" Bridger said trying to ease the boy's bad mood.

"I know what you are trying to do, I even know why you are doing it" Lucas continued. "But what I don't need is somebody and he looked at Tony when he said this, crawling up my butt every five minutes." "Somebody has been following me around all day," he added as he now looked at Dagwood. He could not feel anger towards the G.E.L.F., but he needed to be heard. "I couldn't even go to the bathroom this morning on my own without somebody handing me a towel and checking underneath the toilet seat for baddies".

"Section Seven, I am sure will be calling all of you in the near future with job offers" he said sarcastically.

Everyone tired to stifle their smirks and small remarks of laughter at these comments. They were quickly brought back to reality as they surveyed the teenager. Lucas was still angry. It was an emotion not often seen and everyone admitted that they all felt better when they knew that Lucas rarely displayed his anger. They all wanted to see the laughing, smiling and mischievous Lucas of old again.

"You have to be careful over the next 10 days Speedy" Mac now stated. "You know your father better than anyone. He rarely makes idle threats, and when it comes to you, he could never hide or control his actions."

"I know Mac" Lucas said and seemed to slump in defeat "And you know the sad part of it is, that no matter how much I appreciate your assistance, its not going to work"

"I really appreciate your concern, I really do" Lucas continued, "But the sad fact about all of this is that no matter how much you want to protect me, no matter how hard you may try: If he wants to get to me, he will find a way, he always has." His anger had now evaporated and was now replaced by a profound sadness.

Everyone had felt the mood in the room turn from anger to sadness. All felt helpless to help. They knew that the words Lucas was saying were probably correct After all, he should know he father better than anyone else. He had lived with the man most of his life, and paid the price for that privilege.

"Now," he announced trying to gain everyone's wandering attention "I am going to go outside to the barn in a minute" he paused briefly before continuing "Alone" trying to emphasis the word as much as possible.

Everyone just nodded their head in agreement. They all knew that Lucas was feeling the burden of their kindness. Lucas felt he was being smothered. The more they tried to push, the more he would pull away. They had to back off just a little, for Lucas's sake or the boy might do something drastic. He might decide to go off on his own and then they would be unable to protect him from Lawrence Wolenczak.

*********************************************************************

Lucas, got his wish and went outside towards the barn without being followed or his toes mashed by somebody's boot.

He hated to be abrupt with his friends and family, a little bit of remorse had even started to seep into his brain, but he quickly ignored it and told himself that he deserved a little peace and quite.

He went in towards GHOST's stall, he started talking aimlessly to the big stallion. He rubbed his muzzle and scratched behind his ears. He looked around and noticed that the horse's stall could use a little cleaning out and fresh straw.

Lucas proceeded to climb the ladder to the loft, grabbing two large bales of straw that were stowed up top and let them fall from that high spot to the barn floor with a loud and heavy thump. He then turned around and put his foot on the top rung of the ladder in readiness for climbing down.

He had grabbed a hold of the top of the ladder's uprights and went to put his left foot on the second rung. As soon as the toe of his sneaker touched the rung, he knew he was in serious trouble. The ladder gave a creak and he could hear a

distinctive loud crack as the ladder almost split in two down the middle.

He couldn't prevent himself from falling. He let out a fearful scream as he toppled from the top of the hayloft to the floor below. Unlike the large straw bales, his landing was not as graceful and he landed with his left leg tangled underneath the rest of his body.

As he hit the floor, he heard himself scream out again in pain from his knee. He didn't lose consciousness, but the pain was bad and his breath was coming in short pants. His screwed up his face from the torment he felt in his knee. It felt like it was on fire. He suddenly regretted having that discussion with his friends and now wished more than anything that somebody else had been in the barn with him at this particular moment. His tried to relax his facial muscles, but shortly again they were contorted with hurt.

*********************************************************************

Bridger and the others had been going about their own things after Lucas's grilling.

The Captain and Kristen were playing cards with Mac and Lily. Tony was channel surfing on the large television set in the living room and Brody was stretched out on the couch reading the paper and the personal columns again. Dagwood sat on a chair looking at a children's picture book, happy to just look at the pictures.

All had looked up immediately as they heard the scream that come from the barn. All had felt their blood run cold as dread washed over them all. They all knew who the noise came from All raced to the door before they were again buffeted by a second scream from Lucas.

Everyone had raced to the barn door and now stood just inside, trying to see Lucas's attacker. Trying to see Lawrence Wolenczak or one of this hired hands.

Bridger was the first to come out of his trance like state and he suddenly looked towards the injured teenager. He could see that Lucas was moving, much to his relief. But he could see the pain written on his face and the small grunts and groans coming from his lips and he grasped his knee closely to his chest with both arms.

Bridger knelt down beside the fallen young man. "Lucas, what happened" he asked in a hurry. "Where are you hurt". The words were coming out too fast and almost didn't make any sense as they ran into one another in the sentence.

"I fell" Lucas said through gritted teeth as he tried to fight off the pain and he motioned towards the top of the ladder up at the loft. "I fell and busted my knee I think" he repeated.

Kristen was now going into doctor mode and she too knelt beside the teenager. She pursed her lips together and tried to take all of her emotions out of her expressions. There would be time to be weak later, for now she had a patient to take care of.

"Let me take a look, Lucas honey" Kristen told him gently and tried to pry his hands away from the injured leg in order to examine it a little closer.

Reluctantly, Lucas released his almost strangled grip, even though he still grunted from the stabs of pain. The skin had begun to swell and was now about double the size of the his knee on the right leg.

To Lucas's horror, Kristen produced a pair of scissors and was about to cut into his favourite pair of denim jeans. "NO!" he yelled. "Don't cut them up, please Kristen".

Kristen heard the agitation in his voice and the pain. She wanted to do this quickly without much resistance and knew she would have to compromise with her patient just a little bit.

"Okay, young man" Kristen said, patting his uninjured leg for reassurance. "Nathan, you and Brody carry him fireman style back to the house and upstairs. We will remove his favourite pair of jeans without the scissors."

"But, if I don't get full co-operation Lucas" she threatened jokingly, "The jeans get it" and poked the unopened scissor blades towards the material.

Lucas had wanted to respond to her joke, but the pain had returned with a little force and now all he wanted was relief from it. He would agree to anything, even bad tasting medicine or an injection, if only it would stop the hurting.

"Be careful how you lift him" Kristen told Bridger and Brody. "Watch his knee, she continued to order as they manoeuvred Lucas out of the barn and towards the house.

The short trip back to the house, was not an easy one. It would have been much easier, Brody had said halfway up the stairs, if one person had carried the teenager.

"Now you suggest that," Bridger said with a hint of sarcasm. The two of them trying to move the injured teenager inside was a feat in itself. Not that the teenager weighed very much, but he was long and thin. They tried to move him without hurting him any further.

*********************************************************************

All had been too involved with taking care of Lucas to notice the black sedan parked approximately 600 metres from the front gate of the farm.

They also failed to notice the figure wearing dark glasses who seemed to be watching the entire show through a pair of powerful binoculars.

Once they had gone inside, the car remained for a few more minutes before driving away.

*****************************************************************

Kristen and Nathan Bridger had managed to get Lucas's prized jeans off without shredding them. Lucas had tried very hard not to make too much noise, but found himself still gritting through his teeth at the throbbing in his knee.

Kristen knew she had to probe the swollen tissue and knew that it would hurt very much. She threw caution to the wind and against her better judgment, tried to place her hand gently on the bruised skin.

"YEOWWWW" Lucas cried out loud as tears started to roll down his face.

Bridger was sitting by the teenager, trying to comfort him and hold him still for Kristen to examine him. Tony and Dagwood were sitting over by the door and Mac and Lily were standing in the door way.

Without saying what she was going to do, Kristen brought out what looked to be a small spray bottle with a funny shaped tip on the end. She placed the strange looking tip against Lucas upper forearm and proceeded to deflate the plunger.

Lucas felt a small prick in his arm and before he could ask what was going on, his eyes closed and his head slumped against the Captain's chest. He was sound asleep.

"If you would all please excuse us for a minute" Kristen gestured. "I be able to work a lot better without an audience and if Prince Charming here is nice and still".

Everybody did as they were told except for Nathan. He looked at Lucas and then laid the young man back against the pillows on the bed.

"What did you give him" he enquired he was unknowing stroking the young man's blond hair.

"Just a muscle relaxant" Kristen replied. "I thought it would be easier on us and him, if he didn't feel anything while I looked at his knee." "It didn't take as long to work as I thought it might" she added.

Kristen went about her poking and probing. She could see the area was now very bruised and swollen. She felt around the kneecap and placed her hands on the Lucas's thigh muscle, trying to locate the cause of the damage. Much to her relief, her patient remained as co-operative as she liked. He didn't budge nor did he make any sound. His features were still poised in deep slumber when she got up from the bed.

Kristen waked over to the table where her medical bag sat. She pulled out two large wide and thick white bandages and some plaster tape.

Bridger watched as she tightly wrapped the bandages around the injured knee. When she was satisfied that there was enough padding to support the area, she secured the end of the bandages with the plaster tape.

Kristen now stood up and surveyed her work. Lucas had remained silent and still throughout her administrations. She placed a light quilt over Lucas's sleeping form.

Brody and Tony knocked on the door just as the doctor was finishing and about to leave the room.

The Captain had been reluctant to leave Lucas, even though he knew that the boy would sleep for some time. He looked at the grim faces of his crew members and knew that something was wrong.

Whilst they had been in the barn, Lucas was convinced that it had been his own clumsy efforts that made him fall from the hay loft. He said that he had tripped over his own two big feet and that his friends were jumping to the wrong conclusions by assuming that Lawrence Wolenczak was responsible.

"Captain, can we talk to you for a moment, please" Brody asked in a very serious tone. "Maybe we should move downstairs first though"

"Sure we can talk, Commander." Bridger asked. "But don't worry, our young friend here won't be privy to any conversations for quite a few hours I suspect." Bridger glanced at the sleeping figure and back at Kristen just to confirm his statement.

"Cap, what we have to say might upset Lucas, if he were to know" Tony now added in, mindful that Lucas was very sensitive about the subject that they were about to discuss.

"Boys," Kristen intervened, "I gave Lucas a mild muscle relaxant, but it should be enough to allow him to sleep for the remainder of the afternoon"

Little did Kristen know and Bridger failed to see Lucas's eyes open to slits and watch the perform in his room. The muscle relaxant had deadened the pain slightly and he had actually gone to sleep for a few minutes, but the effects didn't last long and he was now waking sufficiently to hear the conversation being carried out.

Lucas decided to remain silent for a few minutes before letting on that he was awake to his fellow crew members. He reclosed his eyes and feigned continued sleep. In truth, he pricked up his hearing just that bit more to take in what was supposed to be secret enough to be kept from him.

"Well, despite Lucas's claims that the accident was his own fault," Brody started to explain, "Tony and I went back outside to check on that ladder and the barn area." "We found some evidence that points to somebody else being in the barn earlier and tampering with the ladder."

"Tampering with the ladder" Bridger enquired, he didn't like the sound of this one bit. He had taken Lucas's word at face value and now felt the fear growing in his gut and the hint of the threats from Lawrence becoming reality.

Kristen also didn't like the direction in which they were headed and now looked back herself just to check the teenager was oblivious to what was being said. Her quick look revealed the young man appearing to be in the same position as before, and sleeping peacefully.

"Somebody cut the top two rungs with something sharp, Cap" Tony said with anger of his own starting to sneak through. "They were cut almost right through, probably a saw or pruning saw of some sort."

"Anybody what to lay odds on who that somebody might be" Brody said.

"You don't need to tell us any more, Jim" Bridger said "Lawrence Wolenczak is the only dog low enough to attempt something like this on his own son."

"What are we going to do, Nathan" Kristen asked. "We have to protect Lucas from that bastard."

"I agree" Bridger replied "So whether Lucas here likes it or not, he is going to have that bodyguard 24 hours a day until this is all over. Even if Dagwood has to sit on him."

Lucas groaned silently to himself. He knew that his friends meant well, but he didn't want to drag all of them into this mess. He didn't want to see any one them hurt. He didn't matter to himself but he knew that he would be racked with guilt should one of his friends be injured or hurt because of this father.

This was the last conscious thought he would have for quite a few hours. The sleep was no longer pretend and he welcomed the warm arms of security and safety it offered for the time being. His knee continued to throb, even through the blanket of pain reliever.

Bridger and everyone else went downstairs after Kristen gave her patient another going over to check he was okay. She looked at the bandages and when she was happy, left the room with the others, closing the door silently behind her.

****************************************************************

Brody filled Mac and Lily in on what he and Tony had found in the barn about the ladder. Both agreed with Bridger to keep up the constant protection for Lucas. Both were very afraid for their young friend.

The last few hours of sunlight that day saw everyone casually sitting around the living room once again. Kristen had made three trips to Lucas's room to see if he was okay. On the last occasion just before the sun completely set, she had found Lucas laying awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

She had asked him if his knee was still hurting him. He had just given her a curt nod in reply, angry at his own weakness, angry at his father, angry at everything.

Kristen could see the young man grit his teeth from the throbbing pain in his knee. The first relaxant had totally worn off by now. She offered him a much strong one to help him sleep through the night and was almost shocked to see him agree without protest. She knew that Lucas was hurting, but she didn't know that he hurt on the inside as well at the moment in addition to his superficial injuries. She injected the stronger medication into his upper arm as before and gave him a hug and warm smile before he drifted off under the effects of the drug. She wanted to make sure that he felt loved and could tell them about what he was feeling. She knew that her efforts to get him to talk would probably be in vain.

*****************************************************************

In the dark shadows outside, a lone figure dressed in black attire, made his way to the barn undetected.

He had received a threat from his employer Lawrence Wolenczak about what could happen if he didn't get it right this time. He had failed with the ladder attempt. He expected the teenager to fall harder than he did and break his neck. He had watched through the lenses of the binoculars when he saw the two men carry the teenager from the barn, obviously hurt but less than dead.

The man went over to the straw bales that had been left there earlier and placed a cigarette lighter close to the dried out vegetation. He lit the dry straw and waited a few seconds until he could see smoke coming from the flames that were quickly engulfing the entire bale.

He escaped in the same direction from the front of the barn and now waited beside the house in the darkness, waiting for the rest of his plan to fall into place.

*********************************************************************

Everyone inside had been sitting watching some silly show on television when they heard noises coming from the animals in the barn.

"I'll go and check on GHOST" Mac said as he rose from the chair.

He had only made it to the front door and out onto the porch when he saw flames leaping from inside the barn.

"FIRE, FIRE" he yelled back inside in alarm.

Everyone seated now got up and raced outside after the black man and starting trying to find buckets and other water holding containers to douse the flames.

The man hiding beside the house now saw his opportunity and crept unseen around to the rear of the house. He made it inside through the unlocked back door and now climbed the staircase trying to figure out where the teenager might be. He knew he would be inside, as he hadn't seen him come out with the others to the fire. He had seen the other man carrying him earlier and probably thought that the teenager had received enough of an injury to allow him to be resting inside somewhere.

*********************************************************************

Luckily, Mac and the others had been able to put the fire out quickly as it seemed to be contained within one straw bale inside the door. The fire had not had sufficient time to build any bigger and the bale was now smouldering after being drowned in eight pails of water.

The horses were jumping around a little nervously. And Mac tried to pat them gently and get them to calm down.

"I think this is another warning" Brody said grimly as he surveyed the damage.

"Thank god it didn't get too far" Kristen said a little out of breath from the running and the fear she had felt when she saw the fire. Fire was one of the true elements in this world that she truly feared.

"Seems strange though" Mac stated. "Whoever lit the fire, didn't know what they were doing." They could have burnt the whole barn down, but for some reason

just lit this here bale. The bale burned okay, but it would have been some time before it caught alight anywhere else."

"Maybe they were trying to get out attention" Tony answered.

"But what would anybody gain from burning down this old barn" Mac said trying to find a plausible excuse.

"Oh God, maybe they weren't trying to burn down the barn at all" Kristen said as an explanation dawned upon her. It came to her but she didn't like the answer one bit.

Bridger had started to say "What were they trying to do then" and then the same reason dawned on all of them. Lucas! Oh god the boy was all alone Inside the house. The fire had been started just long enough to draw everybody outside. The boy was sedated and wouldn't be able to defend himself at all.

Before Bridger could finish his thoughts, they heard the sound of breaking glass upstairs.

All of them took off at great speed towards the house again. How could we have been so stupid? they all thought to themselves.

five minutes earlier

The man had found the bedroom he was looking for while the others were outside.

He had opened the door quietly and walked over to see the boy sound asleep on the bed.

The teenager had not heard him enter and appeared to be deeply asleep. The man had noticed the bandages on his knee and the medicine bottles on the bed side table and knew that the young man had probably been given a pain reliever. That's why the young man didn't stir. This was going to be easier than he thought. He had fully expected have a fight on his hands from Lucas, but now he wasn't quite so sure.

The man pulled a pistol out from underneath his dark coat and screwed on a silencer to the front of the weapon. He was picked up a stray pillow from the bed and placed it firmly over the boy's face and head. He pointed the weapon at close range to the pillow and was about to pull the trigger ..............

Lucas didn't know what had caused him to stir briefly. All he could feel was something over his face. He gradually realised it was a pillow after his senses cleared a little and thought Tony might be playing a prank on him. He raised his hand from its position across his chest and tried to knock the pillow away from his head.

The man was about to carry out his assignment when he felt the pillow being knocked out of his grasp. Now he was face to face with the sleepy teenager, pistol still pointing at Lucas.

Lucas couldn't find the words or the scream in his voice as he now stared down the barrel of the silencer and pistol pointed at him. He tried to jump up from the bed and put his arms protectively in front of himself. He tried to wrestle the gun away from the man before he could manage to fire.

The man was surprised by the sight of the teenager now trying to get off the bed and grabbing at the gun in his hand. The teenager had managed to point the weapon away far enough from his face before he pulled the trigger and let of the first round.

Lucas then felt the gun discharge and the projectile shatter the bedroom window beside him. The broken glass now sprayed all over the floor underneath the window. The curtain now flapped around in the breeze that came through the opening.

With the first shot fired, the man now tried to grab hold of the teenager himself and aimed the pistol in order to reattempt his actions. He was trying to point the gun at any part of the boy. He knew that even if he just nicked him with one shot, he would be able to refire when the teenager fell away from the initial wound. He would still have four rounds in the chamber to carry out his murderous intentions.

*******************************************************************

Bridger and Brody had burst through the teenager's bedroom door just in time to see Lucas's assailant trying to grab hold of the boy. They could see the weapon in his hand and the shattered window and now knew what the sound was that they had heard outside.

The boy was still affected from the sedative he had been given only a few hours earlier and his attempts were weaker against his more powerful opponent.

Bridger soon remedied this as he grabbed the man around the shoulders and jerked him away so that he lost his grip on the teenager. He turned the man around and before the man could speak or justify any of what the Captain had seen, the man fell to the ground as a result of the punch Bridger delivered.

Tony and Brody had grabbed the man once he was on the ground and got the gun away from him and pinned his arms behind his back. They were none to gentle

about the treatment they were giving the man. They wanted to take a little retribution out on Lucas's attacker for themselves before the police could be called.

When the man had let go of him, Lucas found himself sinking back onto the bed in a sitting position. Dagwood had moved to the bed and now stood in front of the frightened teenager in case there were anymore attempts to get to him. Lucas just put his head in his hands and cried. He just scared out of his mind. He was trying to think what might have happened if he hadn't woken up enough to feel the pillow over his face, or if the Captain and his friends hadn't have come to his rescue when they did.

Kristen now sat beside the teenager and rubbed his back, trying to ease his fear and the sobs that came from the terrified teenager. The effects of the drug were still there and his movements remained sluggish. She urged the teenager to lie down again and wasn't surprised the see the young man fall back into a restless sleep.

Everyone looked at the tear stained face and then looked back at the man in the room who had attacked Lucas. The man shuddered a little at the looks he received from the people in the room. He never thought he could feel scared, but with the anger he could see burning in the eyes of his captors, he felt nearly as scared as the teenager at the moment. He was praying that the police would come soon, to take him away from their reach. For a moment he really believed that these people intended to carry out what was written on their faces.

Brody and Tony dragged the attacker out of the bedroom and downstairs and outside to await the arrival of the police Mac and Lily had called. Within half an hour, the detective that arrived had been filled in on the attempts on Lucas's life. Red and blue lights were bouncing back off the house's exterior walls as they slowly drove back down the lane way and out of the driveway.

The detective had wanted to speak to the teenager, but was told that Lucas was asleep and in no condition to be giving any kind of statement. He promised he would give the young man some time, but needed to return by late the following afternoon to carry out his duty. He couldn't leave it any later than that or they wouldn't be able to hold the man in custody any longer without charges pending.

*********************************************************************

Bridger had not wasted any time and found himself back at Lucas's side. He could believe how close they had come to losing Lucas. His own heart continued to pound in his chest with relentless force. He looked over at the sleeping face. He felt like he had failed at protecting the teenager again.

He swore viciously at the thought of the man standing over Lucas with a gun in his hand. The man intended to shoot the young man while everyone was outside distracted by the fire in the barn. Thankfully, some how, God had intervened and they had heard the shot through the window and been able to prevent any injuries to Lucas. Bridger had remembered the look on Lucas's face when he was struggling with the man. He knew that the young man would find it hard to forget that scene for some time to come.

Kristen came in and watched the Captain sitting beside Lucas for a minute. She knew what the Captain was inwardly thinking. They had all been thinking it, even Lucas himself. What if ........... What if they hadn't gotten there in time ........... What if the gun hadn't discharged and struck the window the first time ........ what is the man's aim had been more accurate ............ What if..............

"Are you alright Nathan" she asked gently. The window remained unsealed from the gunshot and the curtain continued to happily flap around in the strong breeze.

"NO, I'm not" he said unemotionally. "I can't help but feel that we are letting him down. He has been looking for someone to help protect him from people like his father all of his life and just when I stick up my hand and say, Trust in me, Lucas, I promise to protect you, something like this happens." "He had gone through more heartache over the last three years whilst with me and the crew than any other teenager should be expected to handle in a lifetime Kristen".

"I'm sure he knows you and all of us care very much, Nathan" Kristen now found herself trying to comfort the Captain of the most powerful submarine in the world. "We just have to keep trying to be there for him" "Sometime we just get it wrong". She didn't really believe her own speech, but she needed to say something.

"It's beginning to get cold in this room with that window broken" Kristen said trying to change the subject. "Let's move him into your room for the night" "He might wake up with nightmares later on anyway" "What do you say". The temperature in the room had really started to drop with the open window. She didn't want the teenager coming down sick on top of everything else. She knew that Lucas and Bridger could use each other tonight. She would gladly give up her comfortable position in the Captain's bed, if it would help both of them sleep a little easier.

*********************************************************************

The household remained uneasy and nervous for the rest of the night. Bridger made sure that Lucas was comfortable in his bed and slept with one eye open for most of the time, just in case.

The others went to bed in their usual places and Kristen took up the couch downstairs.

A storm started to blow up outside in the early hours of the morning due to the clouds that had gathered in the sky during the day, but they threatened without a result. The wind picked up and the clouds clashed together emitting low rumbles of thunder, but the rain never fell that night.

Bridger had looked out at the storm and hoped that the noise of the thunder wouldn't disturb the teenager sleeping in his bed any further. Lucas had been disturbed one too many times tonight. Looking over at the teenager's sleeping face, he smiled a little. The boy had finally fallen into a restful pose and didn't look like stirring anytime soon.

*********************************************************************

The next morning, everyone except Lucas Wolenczak was seated at the table having a much needed hearty breakfast. There was not much conversation this morning. Everyone sat and looked at their plates not wanting to bring up the events of the previous night.

Lucas awoke slowly and rubbed his eyes and looked around. He knew he was in another room, but how he got there escaped him. He then remembered the night before. He shuddered slightly thinking about what might have been. He hoped this day would pan out to be a better one.

He gingerly got out of bed and placed his legs on the floor. He had momentarily forgotten his injured knee and had to stop himself falling to the floor, making a loud thud that would have brought everyone from downstairs running. He sighed a little when he managed to land silently on the wooden floor. Exhaustion still plagued him somewhat as he tried to stretch his very sore and unused muscles. His hair was all over the place and he his mouth felt like dry sandpaper.

He hopped across the room on one leg and tried his best to keep his weight off the right leg and knee. He opened the door without a sound and made it to the top of the staircase without being seen or heard by the people seated at the breakfast table.

At the table, Bridger had finally tried to break the dry spell of conversation.

"Look, everyone" Bridger started a little nervously "I know nobody wants to

talk about what happened to Lucas last night." "But we really need to come with a viable plan for the remainder of this seven or eight days left."

"I want to hurt that so called father of his Cap" Tony. "Every fibre in my body tells me that we should go and beat down his door" "But I know, like you said, that deep down that isn't going to help Lucas much" "The kid had been hurt enough, too much."

Lucas heard the emotion in his friends voice and tears came to his own eyes. He now sat down on the top step, still out of eyesight and continued to listen to the rest of the conversation. He had to lay his right leg out straight to avoid causing any more pain. The knee had come to life again after only that short journey from the bedroom to the top of the stairs. Lucas knew that Kristen would drag him over the hot coals about being out of bed, but he was starting to feel like a caged animal.

Mac now added to the conversation on a negative note. "Got a telephone call from that detective fellow that was here last night, a little while ago" "He still wants to come out and see Lucas about getting a statement, but he says he doesn't know how much good it would be know anyway."

"What do you mean, Mac" Bridger asked. "I thought he needed to get that statement from Lucas so formal charges could be laid."

Lucas was a little more interested now. He was unaware that police had been here after his attack. He had gone back to sleep due to the sedative when the Captain pulled the man off him. He was a little nervous at the thought of having to give a statement and remember every detail of what he saw last night.

"Seems that slick lawyer of Wolenczak's got to that man before the detective could lay charges" Mac continued "Something about wrongful prosecution without evidence"

"You mean he got out" Bridger said aloud with disbelief.

Lucas felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise in fear as he heard that his attacker was now free again due to his father.

"Yes, he went before the Courts this morning and the Judge granted him bail on $25 000 surety until the police could come up with a case" "They've got 24 hours to come up with the evidence or he will walk scott free".

"That Wolenczak guy just uses his influence all the time to hurt Lucas" Kristen said with anger in her voice. "He's got the money and the power".

Lucas had heard enough, his head was beginning to ache from the thoughts going around in his mind. He got up and made a noise so that his friends would know he was awake. He wanted to spend a quite breakfast not thinking about anything for a change. He wanted nothing more than to feel safe, but at the moment, with the information he had just heard, he felt anything but safe, especially from somebody like his father.

Lucas started to walk slowly and with a little pain down the stairs. Everyone looked up suddenly at the sound of the teenager on the stairs. Dagwood got up and was determined to help his friend rather than let the young man suffer too much. He scooped Lucas up into his large arms before the teenager could utter a word of protest and plonked him in a vacant chair at the table.

Lucas gave a sheepish grin and mumbled good morning as he tried to hide his embarrassment and let the redness in his face return to normal.

"Hello there, young man" Bridger said returning the smile. He was glad to see the teenager awake.

"What are you doing out of bed, Lucas" Kristen now asked with mock frustration.

"Oh-Ummm I felt a little hungry, doc," Lucas said and picked up a clean plate from the table and started to fill it with eggs, a slice of toast and some bacon rashes. Tony passed him a cup of black coffee, feeling that the kid probably felt like it straight up this morning.

Kristen let the fact that he was out of bed slide for the time being, knowing that Lucas did need to get some nourishment into him. "After breakfast young man, I want you back upstairs resting and elevating that knee, understood".

:Yeah, sure Kristen" Lucas said with a mouthful of breakfast. "I wanted to sit down and do some programming anyway. I brought my portable laptop with me and want to do some net surfing. I haven't done any since I got here. I thought I might be losing my touch."

Truth was, Lucas wanted to do a few things that felt a little normal for a change. Maybe every would start to be okay if he could just get back into his normal routine. Not,....... He thought but kept silent.

*****************************************************************

After breakfast, Lucas did what he was told and went back upstairs and got out his computer gear and sat on Bridger's bed while he let the doctor look at his knee again.

Actually it felt pretty good when it was raised on a few pillows, didn't hurt much at all. It was only when he moved to much or tried to walk on it, like this morning, that it started to give him trouble again.

Bridger and the others spent another boring morning downstairs letting the teenager go about his passion on his own for awhile. They all felt a little easier thinking that Lucas was doing something that he loved again. All felt less than happy about the information about his attacker out and free again after what had happened only a few hours ago.

Lucas sat trying to surf the net and get into his favourite sites, but at the moment, even though he was trying to keep in focus, it just wasn't working. His mind was wondering too much about his brush with death.

The biggest fear he had was that somebody else in the house might be hurt next time this man decided to make an unannounced visit. He hated the thought of

Bridger or Kristen getting caught up in this game of cat and mouse and he felt the same about the rest of the SeaQuest crew and his dear friends Mac and Lily Baron.

He tried hard to come up with a solution. He knew that the Captain was checking up on him every five minutes and that just make things worse. He knew that if he wanted to make it safe for them, he would need to get away from the farm house for awhile. He would have to bide his time and choose the appropriate moment. He knew he wouldn't be able to get far on foot due to his knee injury and asking or taking the keys to the UEO transport outside was out of the question too.

If he was up on GHOST he knew that he could make a fast get away and still have enough speed underneath him to outrun most dangers that might crop up from his father.

Like when he ran away to this place, he didn't know what he was going to say to Bridger and the others. He didn't want to have to explain his feelings again. He got out of the Internet site he was surfing and began to concoct a brief message.

DEAR CAPTAIN,

THIS IS TO LET YOU KNOW WHY I HAVE GONE AWAY.

I CAN'T DESCRIBE TO YOU ENOUGH ABOUT HOW I FEEL RIGHT NOW. PART OF ME WANTS TO HIDE, PART OF ME WANTS TO STAY, PART OF ME JUST SAYS RUN.

PLEASE DON'T BE ANGRY WITH ME. I JUST DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU OR ANYBODY ELSE I LOVE HURT BY MY FATHER OR HIS ASSOCIATES. I COULD NEVER LIVE WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON MY SHOULDERS.

I WILL BE ALRIGHT FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I CAN' TELL YOU WHERE I WILL GO BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW MYSELF YET. AND MAYBE THAT'S THE BEST WAY FOR BOTH OF US.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT I LOVE YOU AND DON'T WISH TO HURT YOU, BUT I FEEL I CANNOT STAY AT THIS TIME. YOU HAVE BEEN MORE OF A FATHER TO ME THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW.

UNTIL WE SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN .................

YOUR LOVING SON - LUCAS WOLENCZAK

He made himself reread the note. He thought it still sounded a little lame but didn't have the time to change it right now. He needed to make his escape soon before the Captain returned to check on him again.

Lucas packed a small bag containing a few essential items he thought he might need: he had change of clothes, some money, his watch and a small pocket knife.

He clothed himself in his favourite old jeans, the ones Kristen had threatened to cut up, a clean t-shirt and a thin dark cotton jacket. He didn't feel cold at the moment, but the storm clouds were threatening again and he didn't know what the night had in store as far as weather went.

Lucas slipped his backpack on, and left the computer screen turned on and facing the door, so that the Captain would be able to clearly read the message he had left. He made it silently across to the other side of the hall and to his bedroom with the broken window. Somebody had cleaned up the shattered fragments of glass from the night before, but the curtain remained in place and the window was still wide open.

He got the sheets from his bed and tied them together. He couldn't help but think what his fellow crew members would think if he was seen trying to escape from a window like some common criminal. He grimaced a little and then went back to tying the knots in the sheets.

He lowered the length of linen out of the window and secured it to the end of the bed post. He gave the fabric a quick yank to make sure it would hold his weight. He had left the bandages on his knee and now crawled out of the window space and held onto the handmade rope with both hands and his legs twisted around bottom and his feet turned inwards. The effort to climb down was more then he thought and it was very slow going. He was worried about being spotted before he reached the bottom, but to his relief, after a short time could feel the solid earth underneath him.

His injured knee gave way when he tried to put his weight fully on it and he briefly sat in the dirt. He managed to get upright and almost into a standing position, and limped away to the barn, looking back over his shoulder the entire time to make sure he wasn't seen.

He sighed with relief when he reached the barn and sat down for a moment on the remnants of the burnt out bale as he tried to catch his breath.

GHOST, the large black horse, gave a grunt of delight as he recognized his master. Lucas motioned to the horse to be quiet as he now got up and went over to the large stallion. He thought it would be best if he didn't use the saddle. He didn't know how long he would be away for and didn't want to add any extra unnecessary burden to his friend. He placed the bridle in position and grabbed hold of the reins and a piece of the horse's mane as he tried to mount the animal without injury his leg any further.

His knee had protested slightly and gave him and slight burst of pain to signal its displeasure, but once he was aboard GHOST, he felt a surge of bravery and felt almost safe.

He kicked the horse into a slow gait as they made it out the barn door. So far, so good, he couldn't see anybody racing around looking for him. He guided the horse around the back of the barn this time, and walked past the grave of his friend Michael Summers as he headed down towards the green meadow beyond and the distant tree line. He thought once he made the trees, he would be able to rest a little and take it easier. The trees would offer the protection he needed for the time being and hide him and the black horse when darkness would come later.

*******************************************************************

Lucas did not see the black Range Rover four wheel drive vehicle that now drove parallel to the fence line of the stud farm. He failed to see the vehicle pull up just beyond the tree line.

Lawrence Wolenczak and his assistant watched the figure on the black horse as it made its way through the green grass and down to the canopy. Both of them sat in the car for the time being. They would wait a while longer. Lawrence was

adamant that this would be the final attempt. He had begrudgingly paid the bail money for the useless bum beside him, but he needed his excellent accuracy with the high powered rifle to get the job done. After that he didn't care what happened to the man and his pending charges from his last botched attempt.

The man reached over into the back seat and pulled out a large black case. It was small and compact like a brief case. He opened the latches to reveal a shiny black gun in various pieces. He began to assemble the weapon and when he was finished, the gun looked awesome indeed. The last piece of equipment to be fitted was a scope on top. The scope had pinpoint accuracy and even included a red laser beam to true aiming capabilities. The weapon could find its target some 200 metres away if called upon. Distance wouldn't be a problem at all. In his hands, it almost felt natural, like an extension of his arm. He wouldn't miss this time around.

Lawrence Wolenczak seemed to be happy with the choice of the weapon that would end his son's life. He even had a special bullet for the job. He reached into his pocket and brought out what looked to be a shortened version of a normal projectile. It looked deceiving, but Wolenczak and his assistant knew that it would have the necessary devastating effect to whatever it hit. He grinned a very evil grin and handed the single bullet to his friend who then loaded it into the chamber.

*********************************************************************

Without the knowledge of who or what was going on outside, Bridger decided to check on Lucas again. He hadn't heard the teenager move around upstairs for some time and assumed he had fallen asleep again. It was mid afternoon now and the dark clouds outside looked very ominous indeed.

Bridger climbed the stairs without anything in particular bothering him at the moment. He knocked on the door to his own temporary bedroom and then opened it when he didn't hear a response. He again just assumed that Lucas was asleep and that's why he didn't answer.

He was surprised to see the bed empty. He could see the laptop computer in front on him. His stomach started to knot again as he walked a little closer and could see words written on the screen.

His mind read the words, they even comprehended a meaning for him, but he had to force himself to read it again, just to make sure what he was reading was true.

"KRISTEN, TONY, BRODY. MAC," Bridger shouted as loud as he could.

The others had been frightened of what they would find with the Captain yelling that loudly. They thought they would see Lucas injured again, or sick. Everyone dreaded what they would see upon reaching the top of the stairs.

"HE'S GONE" Bridger shouted again at the same level.

"Calm down Nathan" Kristen tried to say as Bridger's voice echoed in her mind. "Who's gone," but she knew the answer to the question before she even asked it.

"LUCAS is missing, look" Bridger said and indicated the message type written on the screen.

"No wonder we thought he was being quiet this morning" Brody answered as he

read the words. He couldn't help but feel sadness towards the Captain. His heart was being ripped out all over again. He knew it wasn't really Lucas's fault, the teenager was just plain scared, who wouldn't be. He knew that they needed to find Lucas, and fast.

"How did he escape" Tony asked in amazement "His leg isn't anywhere near healed yet" "It's still got to be bothering him".

"I think I know the answer to that, Piccolo" Kristen said as she walked into the teenagers bedroom and spotted the cascade of bed linen out the window.

All surveyed the escape route with dismay. They couldn't help but think what was going through the young man's mind. What would make him want to get away like this with his leg still injured.

"You don't think he overheard us this morning at breakfast, do you?" Brody asked. "If he did, then he knows about that guy being released. I'll bet that's why he ran"

"You're probably right, Commander" Bridger said as he realised Brody's assessment of the situation was correct.

"We will worry about what he overheard later" Kristen stated firmly "For now lets just concentrate on finding him before anyone else does or before he hurts himself anymore".

Mac had made his way outside as he had a suspicion about how Lucas would get around with his knee still injured. He knew that there was one sure way

he could get away fast without hurting his leg too much: GHOST.

He came back into the house and told the others his findings: "Well, looks like he got a fast get away" Mac told them.

"GHOST is missing from his stall." Mac said. "The saddle's still there, but the bridle is missing. Must have gone bareback."

"That's just great" Bridger said, "How are we going to track him down with him riding that horse." "He'll get too far away for us to help him." The Captain's emotions were starting to get the better of him as he thought of his 'new son" out there all alone, injured and very scared.

"Not to worry, Captain" Mac said as he tried to inject a little calmness into the picture. "We should be able to follow the tracks".

"Do you really think you could, Mr Baron" Kristen asked with a little glimmer of hope.

"Yes, but please call be Mac," the black man said. "Nobody calls me Mr Baron, not even my employees."

"Let's get started then," Bridger said, not wanting to wait any longer. "What will we need."

"Well, lets take some rope, some lanterns in case it gets dark too soon, and Oh, probably a first aid kit" Mac explained. He didn't want to scare the people any more than they already were about Lucas's condition, but heaven knew how they would find him, if they found him."

Everyone gathered what essentials they needed. They dressed in older clothes and were soon ready to start tracking down their young friend.

*******************************************************************

By the time that his friends were beginning to start the expedition to find him, Lucas had been in the saddle for approximately three hours. The dark clouds had turned darker still and rain was eminent. Lucas pulled the collar of his jacket around his neck a little tighter.

The horse was coping fine for such a long ride. They had made the tree line about an hour ago. Lucas had even gotten off at one time and walked the horse for s short spell. But his leg had prevented him from going to far and he found himself back upon the large horse again, looking for some relief from the unending throb in his knee.

The light in the sky was almost gone when the storm struck. Thunder boomed down from the sky and lightening danced across the heavens. Lucas was tired now. He had left the house feeling fairly good, but now with being in the saddle for so long, the exhaustion soon hit him hard. He was sagging lower and lower in the saddle.

He was glad that he trusted the horse enough just to keep going. He doubted he would have been able to guide the horse through the dense line of trees.

The rain had started to fall heavily and Lucas found him and his mount soaked to the skin. The rain was cold and quite refreshing. The touch of the rain stopped him from falling asleep in the saddle. He had never felt so miserable as he did now though. His head ached, his knee felt like it was on fire, every muscle and sinew in his body cried out in pain. He welcomed just to be able to lay down somewhere and rest, but knew that it would be too dangerous still so close to the farm. He didn't know where his father would show up next, but he knew that he certainly hadn't given up. Lawrence Wolenczak wasn't the sort of man to let some eighteen year old teenager get the better of him. No, he was out there alright.

The thunder and lightening continued and started to escalate in ferocity. A couple of time, Lucas had almost fallen out of the saddle as the lightening bolts struck with thunderous force.

For a few moment, Lucas found himself and the large black horse wandering through a section of the tree line that wasn't so dense. The canopy thinned out a little.

The four wheel drive remained where is was previously parked. The two occupants caught a glimpse of their target in the darkness thanks to the lightening that occasionally illuminated the night sky

Lawrence Wolenczak and his assistant now got out of the car and stood in the rain. The assistant leaned up against the fence railing and put the rifle over his shoulder. He slowly looked through the sight of the scope and measured up his intended victim.

Lucas went about in his direction without noticing the little red laser beam that now danced off his clothing. The sniper couldn't be anymore than 100 metres

away now.

Lucas's only thoughts were about the pain from his knee and his rained sodden body. His head continued to pound from the headache and his thoughts weren't very clear at the moment. He slumped in the saddle even lower. He felt himself falling asleep again and tried to sit up a little more erect. He was forcing his body and his body was forcing back. He finally made it into a more upright position as he gave the large horse a pat on his neck just to reassure the horse who was jittering about nervously from the storm and lightening.

The man looked one final time through the lens of his scope and found the laser beam to be shining directly on the boy's exposed temple. He gave his employer a quick glance to check and then resumed his gaze down the weapon and he got a curt nod to complete the task. Without another word between the pair, he squeezed the trigger of the rifle which was aimed at the teenager..........

****************************************************************

Lucas never heard the rifle fire. The next thing he heard was the loudest crack of thunder he had ever heard and a huge bolt of lightening that surged through the cloudy sky. The lightening bolt struck the tree closest to Lucas.

GHOST had been nervous about the storm all night. Now with the sound of a cracking limb from the tree, the horse suddenly reared to full height.

Lucas had not been holding onto the reins tightly for some time now and there was no saddle to prevent his slide from the back of the horse. Before he totally fell over the rump of the horse, he felt the animals massive body twist at an unnatural angle. The horse was making it own death's roll towards the

dark floor of the woodland.

The bullet meant for Lucas Wolenczak had struck the large black horse in the neck as it reared. GHOST was dead before he hit the ground. Because he had been rearing up on his hind legs at the time, his huge body toppled over and landed on the leaves and earth below him, rider unfortunately underneath him.

Lucas had tried to scream when he felt the horse jerk suddenly and knew that the horse was going to fall on him somewhere. He couldn't prevent it in time and he felt all of the air in his lungs driven from him with the entire weight of the horse now falling on his chest and upper body.

Both horse and rider now laid very still. The teenager could barely been seen underneath the horses's dead body. The only thing that indicated the Lucas was there was an arm protruding out and a foot wedged under GHOST's belly area.

Rain continued to pour down from the sky. Mud soaked into the boy's soft blond hair and made his clothes cling to his body in sodden clumps.

*********************************************************************

Bridger and Mac and the others were standing outside in the slight rain now trying to locate tracks from the horse and escaping boy.

Mac had accurately been able to see the tracks in the mud despite the condition of the wet ground. The tracks might now be full of water and obscured due to the wet weather, but he could make out that somebody had ridden through this way before the rain had gotten too heavy.

About half way across the grassed fields of the various paddocks of the stud farm, the others had heard the huge crack of thunder and pulse of lightening that serged through the sky. They had seen the bolt of lightening strike a tree off in the distance and saw sparks fly from the shattered timber. All had stopped for a moment at the sound of the storm. Brody had thought he heard another sound and now conveyed his fears to the rest of the search party.

"Did anybody hear anything else" Brody asked nervously trying to hear the same noise again.

"What did you hear, Lieutenant" Bridger asked.

"Sounded like a rifle shot" Brody said with dread.

As he said this all present were able to see the black Range Rover speed away from their left with great haste. Nobody recognized the vehicle but thought it odd that somebody should be out driving in a storm like tonight.

The vehicle had been close enough at one stage to see the silhouetted figures inside as the sky lit up with another lightening bolt a long way away. All gasped as they saw two figures inside the car, one seeming to be holding a rifle of some sort. All knew that they didn't need to hazard a guess at who might have been in the car. All suddenly picked up the pace somewhat and were now running in the opposite direction to where the car had come from.

Bridger's mind was full of fear. He had not heard the rifle shot that Brody allegedly heard, but after seeing the two figures in the car and guessing at their identities, he knew he needed to find Lucas and fast. Maybe it was already too late, was an afterthought

*********************************************************************

In the time that his friends took to cross the great grassed paddocks, Lucas briefly regained consciousness. At first he could feel anything due to the enormous weight that was on top of him. He couldn't breath in and therefore the pain from his injuries avoided him. This was to be short lived.

The rush of pain coming back into his broken and twisted body was like nothing he had ever experienced. Every muscle and sinew screamed. Every nerve fibre and cell in his body seemed to be exploding with pain at the same time. He couldn't work out all of his injuries. His mind was too addled from the pain. He knew that his chest bore the weight of the horse on it. His previously injured knee now felt like it had just after the accident in the loft. Lucas could also work out that something was wrong with his left wrist.

At one point he had tried with all of his might and with all of the strength he thought he could muster to try and move the weight of the horse from his chest slightly. This effort only resulted to fresh serges of pain through his damaged ribs and caused him to lose his fight to stay awake. He was once again unconscious in the cold wet mud and rain.

*********************************************************************

Bridger and Mac could see the flame from the tree near Lucas that had been set alight by the lightening. They didn't know where their young friend was yet, but thought it was the only beacon they could see in the dark sky tonight and headed towards it.

Everybody was beginning to feel very uncomfortable in slightly wet clothes. The rain had eased, but the clouds stilled rumbled and clashed about and lightening still lit up the sky at various intervals.

Kristen would not give up the search for Lucas for anything but was less than impressed with her red hair hanging in wet clumps to her face and neck.

The group had continued as one to search for Lucas. They knew that it would be unsafe for anybody to wander around alone in this weather on unfamiliar ground. They knew it would be even dangerous to think that somebody had been out in this area with a loaded gun.

Bridger and Mac had almost walked past the right spot. Both had not seen the body of the large black horse until Kristen and Brody pointed in sadness at the dead animal. Everyone could see upon closer inspection, an angry red hold in the horses neck. They all knew where the bullet from the rifle Brody had heard had struck.

Brody and Mac had been too busy looking at the dead horse to notice anything out of the ordinary and assumed that they would need to start looking for the teenager in the vicinity. They knew that the boy couldn't have gotten far without the horse and with his injured knee.

Bridger let out a heart wrenching cry of anguish followed by a sob as he noticed something underneath the horse's belly. He could see the unmistaken shape of a sneaker sticking out.

All of a sudden he ran around to the back end of the horse and was trying to dig at the mud that was caked up underneath GHOST. The Captain didn't need to dig far before he could see muddy clumps of blond hair. The was now looking down at the unconscious form of his beloved Lucas, who was pinned under the dead horse. He boy never heard Bridger's pleas for him to wake, he never uttered a word or made a sound.

The Captain was trying to drag the teenager out from under the horse, but the weight was just too much for him alone. Brody and Mac now added in their efforts, but also could not get the body or the mud to release the grip on their young friend.

Tony had stood in stunned disbelief and wondered how his friend could possibly be alive. Kristen had knelt down beside the Captain, wiping her own tears away and focusing on Lucas. She could feel with relief the faint pulse of his heart beat and gave a small reassuring smile to Nathan to confirm her verdict. Lucas was alive. She didn't know what injuries he was likely to have, but he was alive. They were all determined to keep it that way.

*******************************************************************

It was tough going. The horse was huge to begin with. Now with the extra dead weight it carried, trying to pull the injured teenager out from underneath was proving to be nearly impossible.

Everyone was surprised for a moment when Lucas regained brief consciousness. He could feel somebody tugging at his upper body and arms. He didn't know why. His mind put two and two together and assumed that the immense pain he was having was caused by the tugging by the unknown party.

"Please stop," he whispered, barely audible. His eyes were still closed but he licked his lips and tried to get his voice to work a little more. Another rack of pain went through him and he held his breath until it subsided.

"Please............ Please stop" he begged.

Bridger was trying to calm the teenager down. He knew that Lucas was in a lot of pain and not really in control of his senses. He stroked the mud laden hair away from the boy's forehead and eyes. He felt like he was letting him down all over again. No matter how hard he tried or how good his intentions, Lucas seemed to be caught in the middle.

Lucas didn't really know the identity of the people around him. But he recognized the touch from the Captain. He opened his eyes slightly but it was truly an effort.

He gazed up at Bridger with unfocused blue eyes and said "Dad, it really hurts" "Hurts bad" "Please take the pain away, Dad". Lucas then closed he eyes and

lost consciousness again for a third time.

Bridger's heart was shattered. If he could he would take the pain for this boy that meant so much to him. He yelled at his friends and fellow crew members to work faster.

Suddenly, Dagwood pushed Tony, Brody and Mac aside and told them to let him try. The big man didn't feel like he was helping very much and now and he felt that his strength was his only asset for the moment.

With a might shove, he managed to move to horse aside enough to expose Lucas in the mud. Thankfully, they could see that Lucas was actually buried

almost buried up to his middle in mud. With all of the torrential rain over the last few hours, the ground had become so sodden that with the weight of the

horse on top of him, Lucas's injured body just sank low enough in the black

ooze to save his life. As three of them carefully lifted him out, they could see a clear impression in the mud where Lucas had been. The imprint soon refilled with water and left a human body shaped puddle on the ground.

Lucas was moved only a short distance away. Kristen didn't want him moved to much until she could do a quick check of his injuries. Once she was satisfied he could be moved successfully without further damage being caused, they would take him back to the house. At the moment, the hospital was some forty minutes away by car and was not an option for the immediate future.

Kristen felt his injured knee and saw that some swelling had returned. He checked out his other leg and found it to be okay. She felt down his right arm, it was okay too. She started to feel down his left arm and noticed that the arm was badly swollen from half way down his forearm to his hand. She probed about the swollen tissue and determined that his wrist was probably badly sprained if not broken.

He had no head injury that could be seem immediately, so that was a good sign. But when she examined his chest and upper torso area, she took it back. She could hear the laboured breathing and struggle within him to simply draw sufficient air into his lungs.

Lucas let out small involuntary grunts of pain to the probing she was doing. She hated to hurt him even more than he was, but she needed to check out his ribs. She continued against the wishes of her heart and found that three ribs felt cracked and one broken in two places. The broken one was fractured about the side of his rib cafe and therefore didn't pose the very dangerous condition of a possible punctured lung.

Kristen sat back on her haunches and conveyed the injuries to the others. The next problem they had was how to get him home. They had walked on foot to where they were, following the prints in the mud. They had brought a couple of canteens of water with them, but no blankets or other apparatus they could utilize.

Kristen pursed her lips together and decided that the only way they could go was for someone to carry him. Bridger had said he would take the boy but Kristen decided it was probably best with a group effort rather than one person. She knew Bridger was hurting too, but at the moment her primary concern had to be Lucas.

Dagwood and Brody volunteered to remain behind. Mac told them he would return to the barn and grab some shovels. They knew that the huge horse had to be buried where it lay. The idea of moving the huge horse to any particular spot was out of the question.

This left Bridger himself and Tony to carry Lucas, with Kristen backing up and keeping an eye on her patient as they made their way back to the house.

Kristen instructed Bridger to take Lucas's upper body. Tony could take his legs. Bridger picked up Lucas as gently as he dared and Tony then took hold of his legs from the knees down. He was careful not to put any more pressure on Lucas's injured knee.

It took twice as long as coming to there as going back. The two of them walked very slowly as to not jostled Lucas unnecessarily. Kristen kept a worried vigil over the teenager to make sure he remained as stable as possible.

*********************************************************************

Lily had been waiting back at the house and had made Lucas's bedroom into a makeshift hospital ward. The curtains were drawn together tightly. The linen changed to crisp white starched sheets and a single woollen blanket. She had gathered together whatever medical supplies she had in the house and placed them on a waiting table in the room.

Lily greeted the rescuers at the door and started crying at the sight of Lucas before her. The teenager she was used to seeing full of energy and life, was now pale and very still.

The first order of business before the doctoring could begin, was a warm bath to remove the inches of caked on mud and grime. The bathroom was across the hall from Lucas's bedroom. Lily went about filling the tub with warm water.

Tony and the Captain had laid Lucas on Bridger's temporary bed so as not to muck up the boy's bed. They removed his shoes and pants. Kristen cut away his t- shirt. She knew that the teenager would be less than happy but decided that any argument could wait. The boy was left in his boxer shorts for personal pride sake and carried to the waiting warm water.

Kristen went about cleaning him up. She felt like a new mother bathing her new born baby. She used delicate strokes to wash the mud out of his blond hair and gently washed the grime from the rest of his body. When she had finished, at least he looked like the Lucas again.

The bruises on Lucas's chest now stood out in stark contrast to his pale skin. The wrist on his left hand was swollen very badly and Kristen now assumed it was broken rather than just sprained. The knee had swollen slightly and now took on a motley blue appearance from the bruised tissue inside.

Lucas was towelled dry and taken back to his own bed and laid down. Kristen went about sorting through the medical supplies that Lily had gathered and then proceeded to rummage through her own bag to get whatever was missing.

First things first she thought. She took two wide cream coloured bandages and requested that Tony and the Captain sit Lucas up slightly so she could bind his rib cage. She bound the bandages around his chest as tightly as she dared. She didn't want them too tight because his breathing was already hampered, but they needed to be tight enough to prevent much movement when Lucas awoke.

Lucas had again given a few small grunts of pain and mumbled a few incoherent words, but mostly remained in his unconscious state all the way through Kristen's administrations.

Next, Kristen splinted Lucas's left wrist and immobilized it to prevent any displacement of the many bones in the wrist. She let his five fingers protruding so that he would be able to use his hands as his wrist was healing. She wrapped the uninjured knee in dry bandages.

At the end of it all, Lucas looked partly like a mummy. His chest was bandaged, most of his leg was white as was half his arm and wrist. Lucas would feel his injuries for some time to come.

The final stage was to give some pain relief in the form of an injection. Kristen came up with the substance and injected the liquid into his uninjured arm. She hoped that the teenager would sleep for quite a number of hours to come and let his body get the rest it needed.

********************************************************************

Bridger planned to stay with the injured teenager all through the night and no words of comfort or reassurance that Kristen could muster would change the Captain's mind.

After getting Lucas settled, Tony and Bridger had gone about cleaning themselves up. Mud was all over them as a result of carrying Lucas from the trees to the house.

The captain just sat on the chair beside Lucas's bed, holding onto the boy's uninjured hand. Holding onto whatever he could. He needed for Lucas to know that he was there for him. Lord knew that over the last few days he had not been there when he was needed and that hurt him more than anything else.

Just before dawn, Kristen had come back into the room, checking her patient. She was satisfied that he still seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She checked the bandages and made sure the wrist splint was still correctly in place.

She looked over at the Captain who was dozing off in the uncomfortable chair beside the bed. Kristen went about making up a temporary bed on the floor with spare blankets and pillows. Nathan had started to argue, but in the end just gave up and thanked her for her concern and efforts.

Bridger asked her about Lucas's condition and was informed that everything was as good as could be expected at this time. She told him that there was no fever present and that was a good sign, but the teenager still had not regained consciousness yet.

Kristen walked towards the door and noted that Nathan was already asleep in the makeshift bed. She smiled slightly at the sight of her two most favourite people, seemingly sleeping peacefully. She looked back briefly at Lucas and felt a pang of regret as she told herself that everything was not okay and not as good as it looked.

*********************************************************************

Lucas slowly opened his eyes to the dim light that came through the room from the window. The windows were still closed and he was grateful for the fact that not too much light was getting through. His eyes were very tired and he rubbed at them until they were red and more tired.

He tried to move on the bed. Big mistake. He held his breath and waited for the pain to subside, but it didn't. He found himself gritting his teeth and clenching his right fist. He had involuntarily tried to clench the hand on his left arm and then discovered he couldn't move it. He tried to lift his head from the pillow and look at it but the pain was torturous.

He compromised and lifted the throbbing wrist over above his head and noticed the splint and bandages. The pain from his wrist was only slightly less than the one in his head. Nothing compared with the pain from his chest. He felt the bandages with his uninjured hand and found that his entire chest was wrapped in bandages. He tried to focus and remember how he got hurt.

He didn't need to wait long. The memories of the storm and GHOST rearing from the tree limb were still fresh in his mind. He closed his eyes and tears fell down his face as he realised that he had lost yet another friend. Somehow losing this friend was more painful that he could imagine. He had loved his uncle very dearly, but with his friend GHOST, he felt like he had lost an arm or leg and not a horse. He had a deepening void in his heart and he didn't know how he was going to refill it. Another chapter in his worthless life had come to an abrupt and devastating end.

His mind was beginning to clear a little from the fog of the sedative Kristen had given him the previous night. He turned his head slightly, with regret, but noted that presence of the Captain on the floor not too far away from him. The Captain seemed to be sleeping deeply. Lucas felt the need to be close to someone at this moment, but did not want to wake his Dad. He thought that his Dad and his friends had been through a lot because of him lately, and his own heart was heavy with guilt.

Lucas moved in the bed again and this time could not hide the groan of pain that escaped his lips. Bridger had heard the noise and now bolted up out of bed and was once again sitting beside the teenager, holding his uninjured hand.

"Lucas," Bridger said gently. "Lucas, are you okay" "Can I get you anything?". "Kristen, Lucas is awake".

Lucas had answered the question by gesturing for a drink of water. The Captain placed a cup of cool water to his lips and he drank deeply and gratefully. He pushed the cup away when he had enough. The stream of tears restarted down his face and he looked up at Bridger with the look of pure misery. He felt miserable on the outside and he felt even more miserable on the inside.

Bridger didn't know what to say. He gathered the boy into his embrace, careful not to hurt him and just held him for as long as was needed. The teenager sobbed and sobbed. He hadn't wanted to break up before his Dad like this, but he couldn't help it. He just wanted the whole world to leave him alone for awhile.

"It's never going to be the same, Dad" Lucas said through his tears. "I've lost my best friend and I don't know what to do".

"I know GHOST meant a lot to you, Lucas" Bridger said softly. "I don't know the words to say about how sad I feel for you right now. I just hope that you understand that me and all of your SeaQuest friends will be there when you need us." "I promise everything will be alright"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Dad" Lucas said with a little bitterness. He was tired, so tired and the exhaustion and pain soon overwhelmed him. Kristen had walked into the room when she had heard Nathan calling her, but was just in time to see Lucas settle back down into the bed and let sleep claim him again.

Kristen had heard the last comment and she battled to keep her own composure.

*******************************************************************

The next 24 hours saw Lucas just sleep. He needed sleep to heal and that is exactly what he did. Bridger and Kristen sat with him and changed his dressings and cared for him as needed, but knew that he needed more than physical healing. His mind and heart needed bandages of their own, of an immaterial form. All of Kristen's doctoring skills seemed of little use right now.

Approximately 48 hours after Lucas had been brought back to the house, he awoke again. This time the pain was still present, but was tolerable. Lucas knew that there was no miracle cure and that his recovery would take a few weeks, possibly longer.

He opened his eyes and saw that Bridger was sitting with him again. He wondered if Bridger had ever left. He had regretted being cranky at his Dad on the last occasion, but felt like the whole world was out to get him. He wanted peace of mind, he wanted to go where he like and when he liked and not have to be looking over his shoulder all the time.

"Hi, Dad" Lucas said trying to inject a little cheer into his voice.

"Hi, yourself" Bridger said returning the smile. "How are you feeling today".

"A little better" Lucas replied "Not much, but a little".

"That's great, pal" Bridger continued. "We'll have you back on your feet before you know it."

Bridger and Lucas had failed to see Kristen walk back into the room. "Not today you won't" she said in mock sternness.

"You will not be getting out of that bed until I say so, young man" Kristen told him "Is that clearly understood".

"Yes, Sir" Lucas said and gave a cheeky salute with his uninjured hand. All tried to laugh it off, but it was short lived.

"How about something to eat" Kristen asked hoping to clear the uneasiness in the room.

"Yeah, sure" Lucas said "Can I have some scrambled eggs or something, please".

"One scrambled eggs and a glass of orange juice coming up" Kristen said.

"Orange Juice" Lucas said and made a face "Couldn't I have a black coffee instead" He already knew the answer before he asked the question.

"Captain, could you please ask Mac to come up here" Lucas asked. He knew what he wanted to talk to his old friend about, but wanted to keep it under his hat until the right time. He was sick of being pushed around and bullied by his father. It was pay back time and he was sure his father wasn't going to like it one bit".

Lucas had a smile on his face as he asked for Mac and Bridger and Kristen wondered for a moment what he was up to. He saw their looks and tried to look as innocent as possible, but it failed.

"What are you thinking about, young man" Kristen asked.

"I don't suppose your going to let me out of this bed today, Mom" Lucas asked with not real hope of success. It didn't hurt to try.

"Certainly not," Kristen said as she couldn't believe that Lucas was asking to get out of bed already.

"Well that's settled then," "I need something done and somebody to do it and I would appreciate it if you left it up to Mac to organize" Lucas explained.

"Don't worry, I tell you when the timing is right" Lucas answered. "I've just got something in mind for dear old dad"

*********************************************************************

After breakfast, Lucas and Mac talked for a couple of hours about what the teenager intended to do.

Tony and Brody had been interested in this declaration of revenge from Lucas. It was very rare to see Lucas get his back up, but they both suspected that the results would favour him.

Kristen and Bridger was just plain scared about whatever the teenager had planned.

Late that afternoon, Lucas wanted to talk to Kristen.

"Do you think I can get up tomorrow, Mom" Lucas asked. "I go Mac to talk to

that Solicitor Walker on the telephone this morning and make an appointment for nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Kristen thought for a moment. She didn't like the idea of him getting around too quickly on his injured knee or with his ribs still very tender.

"I suppose I could manage to let you out for a couple of hours, Lucas" Kristen said "But you are not to do anything. "Your ribs will not heal if you are traipsing all over the city. Your knee is not healing at all yet and your hand still needs attention."

"Yeah, Yeah, I know" Lucas said in exasperation. He knew that Kristen was only trying to look out for him, but he needed to carry out his little task.

Lucas did as he was told for the rest of the day. He rested and made final preparations with Mac. He knew he would need all of his strength and his wits about him tomorrow morning.

He spoke to Bridger just before retiring at that night. "Dad, could I ask a favour"

"Name it, kiddo" Bridger replied.

"Could I have Dagwood come into the solicitor's office with us tomorrow" Lucas asked with a little show of embarrassment on his face.

"I'm sure Dagwood would love too, I ask him if you like" Bridger said. He knew the thoughts behind the request. He knew that Lucas was scared to go back into that room and be threatened again.

Lucas fell asleep with many thoughts going through his head. But the one image that kept invading his dreams was one of his big black friend GHOST. The tears of loss and grief continued down his face silently.

******************************************************************

The next morning, Lucas was up early. He made sure he had enough breakfast to keep everyone happy. He went over the final paces with Mac.

Dagwood had been touched by his friend to ask him to come to the solicitor's office with him and vowed that nobody would threaten the teenager this time around. Dagwood knew people often thought of him as childlike, but right now he stood ten feet tall ready to protect Lucas if needed.

Kristen had changed Lucas's bandaged on his knee and wrist again. She had given him two aspirin to combat the lingering pain from his body. The journey was about thirty minutes this time and Lucas fidgeted the entire way. A little nervous about what was about to unfold, but confident about what he was about to do.

Kristen, Tony and Brody remained outside the office as before.

They made it to outside the solicitor's office just as Lawrence Wolenczak and his lawyer approach the office also. Bridger was about to stand in front of Lucas, trying to shield him from any possible barrage from his father, but Lucas told his father that he was fine for the time being.

Bridger didn't really believe the teenager, he could feel the teenager shake slightly and saw the beads of sweat on his forehead. Possibly as a direct result of being up and around too early he thought to himself, but more like due to his father's presence.

Andrew Walker shook each man's hand as they entered the room and took their

respective seats as before. Lawrence Wolenczak was perplexed at this meeting as everybody else in the room, except Lucas and Mac. He had gotten a phone call from Mac Baron the day before telling him that something important needed to be discussed at the solicitor's office this morning. He had no idea what it was.

Lawrence Wolenczak had thought that his son was killed when his partner fired the rifle a few days ago. Both had seen the horse rear and thought that even if the bullet had missed the boy, the fall from the horse would prove fatal enough. The fact that his son was now in the same room, injured, but still breathing and healing, made him scowl in disgust. They had failed again.

"Okay gentleman" Walker started to speak "Lucas Wolenczak here was in contact with me yesterday and has come up with a suggestion to the ownership of the stud farm" "As of today, he is the legal owner so he can do what he likes, but I think you will be surprised with his proposal." "Lucas....." and Walker allowed the young man to continue and explain his plan.

"Firstly," Lucas started, his mouth felt dry, but he continued as best he could. "I want to say that I have no real intention of keeping the Stud Farm "Summer Fields". "I am intending to sell it as of today".

This statement brought a large gasp from both Bridger and Dagwood. Had Wolenczak Senior got to Lucas enough for him to give up what was rightfully his.

"Lucas......" Bridger started, but the teenager didn't acknowledge his Dad for a moment.

Lawrence Wolenczak on the other hand was delighted. Had he really scared his useless son enough to gain his brother-in-law's assets. The boy wasn't dead as intended, but things still seemed to be pointing in his direction at the moment.

"I come here today in view of witnesses," Lucas said as he looked at Captain Bridger and the solicitor "I want everything to be nice and legal."

"I have already had an offer to buy the farm" Lucas continued and watched the look on his father's face turn from a smirk into a scowl.

Lucas grinned inwardly at the reaction he was extracting from his father, "Further more the monetary transaction and transfer will take place here this morning" "I trust you have drawn up all of the paperwork Mr Walker as instructed?"

"Yes, Mr Wolenczak" the solicitor said with his own smile. He had been skeptical at first when Lucas told him about the proposal, but now looking at the teenager with all of injuries and hearing about the near misses he had faced over the last ten days, he was more than happy to assist.

"Who is this buyer" asked the lawyer from Lawrence Wolenczak. "I haven't made any offers yet."

"Well you see, DAD" (emphasising the word) and looking at his father with all the confidence and determination he could gather..............

"I have decided to sell the farm to Mr and Mrs Mac Baron" Lucas said and gave his friend a fierce bear hug.

Bridger and Dagwood looked stunned. They were happy about the outcome and knew that Lucas had made the right choice.

"You......you can't sell it to a .........a .......... a black man" Lawrence Wolenczak stammered. He couldn't believe that his worthless son was about to kiss away a stud farm worth a fortune to some crummy little black negro man.

"Oh, but I can" Lucas said still facing his father. "And to prove it I will accept the cash payment offered here this morning".

"I'll double it, whatever he is offering, I will double it " Lawrence said grasping at straws.

Mac was now grinning widely at the look on Wolenczak senior's face. He put his hand into his pocket and drew out a folded and crumpled ten dollar note. He held it out towards Lucas and now had tears brimming in his own eyes at his friend's generosity. He had tried to talk the teenager about giving up the farm when he found about it yesterday, by today, knowing that Lucas was not about to change his mind, he accepted the gift with pride. His eyes held Lucas's attention for a moment and promised that he would not let him down. He promised to get the stud farm working just as it had before Michael died. He would take good care of the farm.

Lucas just looked at his friend. He had no doubt that Mac meant every word that he could read on the his friend's face. They went about signing the documentation in full view of Lawrence and his solicitor. There was nothing either of them could do about it.

Lawrence Wolenczak continued to stare at the back of his son's blond head. He felt sudden and immediate rage at having been made a fool of. How dare he......... How dare that useless, good for nothing son of his loins made a complete fool of him....... How dare he........

Dagwood had been sitting in the back of the room behind Lucas and Captain Bridger. No-one really took any notice of him back there. He just sat there waiting for his chance.

The older of the two Wolenczak's started towards Lucas with a clenched fist brought back ready to strike. Lucas and Bridger turned around and saw the fist coming.

Lucas pulled himself back away from the man as much as he could, but his body was slow and cumbersome at the moment. His legs wouldn't obey the will of his mind. He put his good hand up in front of his injured one and both of them were held in front of his face waiting for the blow he expected........ It did't come. Lucas looked up with surprise.

Dagwood had seen what Lawrence intended to do and now jumped up from his place and stood behind Lucas's father. He grabbed a hold of the hand ready to strike and spun the man around.

Lawrence Wolenczak was now looking face to face at a very angry G.E.L.F. He had seen the big strange looking man when they walked in, but thought like everyone else that he was more childlike and posed no real danger to him. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Dagwood's explanation to Lawrence was in the normal simple style for the big man. "Lucas is my friend, you try and hurt him and I hurt you". Just for emphasis, Dagwood let his own big fist go and Lawrence Wolenczak found himself in an untidy heap on the floor, rubbing at the mark that now adorned his cheek.

Lucas and Bridger couldn't have been more happier. Lucas gave his best smile to signal his approval to his big friend. He could feel safe again with Dagwood playing on his team. "I think that's our cue to leave" Bridger said after everyone was over their initial shock.

All four of them walked out into the corridor. Kristen could see the large grin upon the teenager's face. Bridger filled her in on what Lucas had down and the part about Lucas's father's threat to hit him again.

Kristen gave a whoop of delight as she was told what Dagwood had done. Brody had come up to the large G.E.L.F. and gave him a hearty pat on the back as well as some much needed words of encouragement. All wished they could have down the same for Lucas.

*********************************************************************

The next morning, Lucas and the others were packing up the transport ready to proceed back to the island and then eventually, the SeaQuest.

Everybody had been proud of Lucas and how he had left the farm to Lily and Mac. Nobody said anything, but knew that the thoughts of his friend GHOT still weighed heavy on his mind and heart.

The only way Lucas thought he was going to get over this, was to get away from the farm and get back to some form of normality. He didn't know whether he knew what normality was anymore, he hadn't any in his life for quite a while now, but hoped that he could put the past ten days behind him.

Lucas's friends and family hoped he could do it to. There was an unspoken resolve about Lucas and his ability to get over even the most difficult of situations.

Finally, Brody announced that everything was ready to go. He didn't want to rush anyone.

Lucas was about to begin his teary goodbye's to his dear friends Mac and Lily. He didn't know how to tell them in words that he may never come back here again.

Mac seemed to sense what Lucas was thinking. He knew that the big black horse had been the thing that tied Lucas to this place. Yes, he and Lily and the teenager would remain friends, but something was now missing and he doubted that Lucas would feel the need to visit here anytime soon.

Mac came walking over to the teenager who stood beside the vehicle. "Speedy, could you come here for a minute, please"

Lucas looked at his friend with curiosity. "What's up Mac?"

"That mare went into foal last night and I think I might need a hand for a minute, if you can spare the time" Mac said as he walked back towards the barn and stabling area.

"Sure, Mac" Lucas said and looked back at Bridger and Kristen to get the approving nod. They were confused about this as much as Lucas. All now followed the teenager and the little black man towards the stalls.

Lucas walked into the stall behind Mac and let out the largest gasp of surprise that he could muster. Bridger and Kristen had quickened the pace and almost fell over each other thinking that something was wrong again.

Lucas couldn't believe his eyes. Standing before him and beside the mare that had been pregnant in the paddock when he arrived, was the newborn. A little colt, as dark as the night sky. The only marking on him was a small white star in the middle of his forehead. The little foal walked up to Lucas on unsteady legs and started to nuzzle against the pant's leg of the teenager's jeans.

Kristen wiped tears of joy away from her eyes as she saw the colt. Bridger seemed to have tears himself, in fact it looked as though nobody had a dry eye.

Lucas was speechless. He couldn't find the words. Mac walked over to him and just hugged him. "Maybe he will give you a reason to come back someday Speedy"

The resemblance to his own horse was uncanny. There was no doubt that the mare had been pregnant to Lucas's Stallion GHOST. The coat was black as coal and was warm to the touch.

"Got a name in mind, Mac" Lucas asked as he petted the colt and cooed in his ear.

"I thought I'd leave that up to you, Speedy" Mac said and gave everyone else a wink.

"SPIRIT," Lucas said with no hesitation. The name meant a separate identity for this little foal, but still had a hint of his old friend in it. He knew that everytime he looked at this colt he would remember his fallen friend with a warm smile.

SPIRIT - Son of GHOST - but free as the wind.

THE END (Hope you liked it)

JULES