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Yes, I'm finally back! Does anybody remember this? I'll try working more on this again. As always, big thanks to my beta readers. And special thanks to my friend Tanja for constantly nagging on me to keep writing and for her encouragement (Tanja, you know what I mean ;-) !)

You can come out again, I'm done! Enjoy!

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The following days Lucas was more an empty puppet than a human. He stopped speaking totally and his eyes remained focused on a distant spot nobody was able to see. He was sleeping a lot, and when he wasn't sleeping he sat on his bed in Med Bay – naturally Dr Westphalen didn't permit him to return to his quarters in his present state. But then she wasn't sure if Lucas really noticed this, or if he did whether he cared at all. The boy seemed impassive to everything going on around him. He refused to eat and so the doctor had to put an IV on him to keep him fed. But still Lucas was losing weight rapidly and it showed: He was looking like a human ghost. He was so thin that his friends could see his bones under his skin, especially the bones in his face were standing out, giving his face even sharper contours. His skin was far beyond pale, by now it was as white as the sheets of the bed. Lucas' now gray eyes were sunken in his face and bloodshot and his hands were cold like stones. Few reminded of the bright young man Lucas had been only weeks ago.

Lucas' friends were taking turns in keeping him company day and night and were trying everything they could think of in order to get through to him – but nothing worked. They tried talking about his latest projects, sport events, video games, his friends on the internex, O'Neil prayed for him, Krieg was telling him the dirtiest jokes he could think of – still nothing. Lucas didn't show the slightest reaction to anything of it. He remained quiet, sitting on his bed, staring off into the distance.

This was clearly taking its toll on the crew's mood: With every passing day the men and women aboard the seaQuest seemed more and more depressed, even those who hardly knew the teenager. It was amazing how one boy could influence a whole ship so much. Lucas' behavior was especially hard on his closer friends of the senior staff: There was nobody among them who hadn't shed the one or another tear for their friend – be it in the open or in the privacy of their quarters.

Bridger was spending the most time with Lucas, either trying to talk to him or simply giving him assurance by his mere presence, even though it also didn't show any effects. The only thing that had had any effects on Lucas was Darwin. Bridger and Dr Westphalen had brought Lucas to the Moon Pool area. Darwin had swum immediately to their side and Lucas had stroked the dolphin's bump with tears streaming down his face. Darwin had been whistling and clicking all the time and in a speed so fast that the vocoder hadn't been able to translate it. But Lucas had seemed to understand him anyway even though he had only 'answered' with a short whistle once. Then the boy had almost passed out from the effort of walking and standing for so long.

After that incident Dr Westphalen had ordered him to stay in Med Bay permanently. But Lucas was too weak to do anything else anyway. He was slipping away fast.

Now, when Captain Bridger looked into the mirror he could see the circles under his own eyes growing bigger and bigger for he also spent the nights next to Lucas' bed. At this sight the old man had to think of a joke of Lucas: There had been an especially stressful week for the Captain and when he had met Lucas in the mess the boy had said 'I didn't know you liked biological piercing so much.' When Bridger had asked him what he was referring to Lucas had said that he meant the dark rings (or circles) under the Captain's eyes.

Bridger gave a short snort. Biological piercing. Only a teenager could come up with such an expression! But at the moment it simply fitted for him. Yet, the Captain knew that even if the lack of sleep was taking its toll on him there wasn't any other acceptable option for him. His protégé needed him, especially during the nights. Because Lucas' nights were restless; he would toss and turn, mumble and let his tears fall silently in his sleep or cry out loud. It was always the same thing he begged for in his sleep: "Help me." "Justine." "Mother." "Justine!" "Help me, Justine." In his dreams was the only time the teenager talked. Whenever Bridger woke him from his dreams or nightmares Lucas would lapse into silence again.

Bridger had talked to Dr Westphalen about this. They had both agreed that this Justine could be the key to Lucas. But so far the only thing they knew about her was that she was the daughter of Dr Beck, the woman who had partly raised and studied Lucas, and that Justine was currently studying at Stanford. They hadn't been able to reach the young woman in order ask her for help, yet. Right now, Admiral Noyce was personally working on reaching her, for he knew how important Lucas was for his old friend Bridger and he had also taken a liking to the teenager in question. So the only thing that was left to do for the crew of the seaQuest was to hope that this Justine would truly be able to help Lucas.

*~*

Bridger was sitting on a chair in Med Bay next to Lucas' bedside. In his hands he held a book he wasn't able to concentrate on, his mind was wandering permanently. It had been four days since the call of Dr Beck that had upset Lucas so much. Four days he counted to the worst in his whole life, among the days his son Robert had been declared missing in field and when his wife Caroline had died. Bridger was just musing, remembering the first time when he had met Lucas; a young, unnerving brat with a terrible attitude and an even worse haircut. But already then the old man had sensed that there was something special about the boy, that his attitude was just a show to cover and protect his true self. Bridger had thought that he had been able to discover the boy's true self, now, however, he wasn't sure anymore if this 'self' of Lucas hadn't simply been another show to deceive them all. The Captain's thoughts were interrupted by his chirping PAL.

"Sir, there's a call from Admiral Noyce for you." O'Neil reported.

"Thank you, Lieutenant, I'll take it in my room."

"Aye, Sir."

Shutting off his PAL, Bridger stood up from his place and sent a last checking glance into Lucas' direction. The boy had been sleeping during the last hour but now his eyes were wide open and he was staring at the end of his bed. Bridger was a little startled that the boy had woken so abruptly; it was like he had only been pretending that he was asleep. Nevertheless the Captain kept his tone light as he addressed him.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling now?" Even though it wasn't really much of a surprise Bridger was a little disappointed when Lucas wouldn't respond in any way. He sat impassive on his bed and didn't even turn his head into the Captain's direction. The old man heaved a sigh; Lucas hadn't answered to anything for the last four, no actually five days. While he would let them do with him whatever they wanted, he never showed any sign of interest or participation. He was like an empty shell.

Bridger eyed him a last time, taking in this saddening sight, before he turned and left the room. He gave a short sign to Dr Westphalen, who was sitting in her office outside Lucas' room, indicating that he was leaving for a while and that Lucas would be alone. Since the 'incident' with the mirror the two of them – with the help of the senior staff – had taken up the habit of never leaving Lucas alone for a long time.

Now Captain Bridger quickly made his way to his quarters to take the call of his friend Noyce. He hadn't wanted to take it in Med Bay because he wasn't sure how much of his surroundings Lucas was able to understand now and how he would react to it. And furthermore, the Captain wanted to have some privacy for this, in case that Noyce was having bad news for him. But, oh, how he hoped that it was good news that he had; then again, it wasn't easy to estimate right now, what was good and what was bad news.

With these thoughts Bridger reached his room and flicked on the vid screen, taking a deep last breath.

"Hello, Nathan." He was greeted by Admiral Noyce who was sitting in his office and wore his regular UEO uniform.

"Hi, Bill." Bridger tried to interpret his friend's expression in order to tell what kind of news he was having. But the Captain failed miserably despite his usual gift in reading somebody's face. Years spent with the military and diplomacy had effectively trained the Admiral and enabled him to keep his face absolutely expressionless. And now was one of the occasions that the man used it.

"I take it you have news for me?" Bridger finally asked him.

"That I do, my friend." Noyce answered and a small smile spread across his face. "I was able to reach Miss Beck at the university. I talked to her for quite some time and explained her your situation."

"And...?" The Captain prompted impatiently.

"And right now she's on her way to seaQuest."

"What?!?"

"I think you understood me, Nathan." Noyce declared. "I said she's coming aboard the seaQuest. When I was talking to her and asked for her help, she said that it wouldn't be enough for her to call, that she would need to be there, to talk to Lucas directly. And I gave her the permission. I seriously doubt she would have stayed clear had I told her otherwise. From her reaction I would say that she's pretty close to Lucas."

Bridger watched his superior intently. He knew him long enough to be able to tell that this Justine must have made a very good impression on his friend when he allowed her to go aboard the seaQuest after he had only talked to her for one time.

Still he asked. "What did you think of her?"

"She seemed nice enough to me. In a way she reminded me of Lucas, I can't really explain why. But I really think that she might be able to truly help you. She should arrive in about five hours, she took the first plane in your direction she could get."

"Thank you very much, Bill. For all that you have done for us. Again..." Bridger said.

Noyce shook his head. "Don't mention it, Nathan. It's the least I could do. Just keep me informed how it is going."

"That I'll do, Bill, I promise. Bye."

"Good bye. And good luck." With that the picture of the Admiral died out and Bridger was left alone with his thoughts. He was hoping intently that the young woman would be able to achieve something with Lucas' conditions. Right now, all that was left to do for the Captain was to inform the crew about their coming guest and then wait for her arrival.

*~*~*

True to her word Justine Beck arrived less than six hours later on the seaQuest. Captain Bridger was on the bridge when the UEO shuttle arrived and asked for permission to dock. Having personally given the permission, Bridger let Commander Ford handle the bridge and headed for the docking bay, eager to meet the young woman. There the Captain met Dr Westphalen who had heard of the arrival and together they waited for the shuttle to dock.

While he was waiting Bridger's mind wandered back to Med Bay where Lucas was. How close was he to this Justine and why? And would she be able to help him? The Captain's thoughts were interrupted by the hissing of the opening launch doors. When they were fully opened a slender figure with a bag slung over her shoulder stepped off the launch. Justine Beck.

She looked around shortly, taking in the entire launch deck, the working crew members, the technical equipment. Eventually her eyes came to a halt on Captain Bridger and she smiled. Taking a deep breath, Justine stepped towards the old man and stretched out her hand.

"You must be Captain Bridger; you're looking exactly like Lucas described you. I am Justine Beck." She introduced herself.

Bridger took her outstretched hand and shook it, automatically taking in the young woman's appearance. She was about twenty-two years old. Her handshake had a strong grip, speaking of a headstrong personality. Justine wore a simple outfit, consisting of a pair of jeans, a Stanford sweatshirt and well-worn sneakers. Her light brown hair fell just above her shoulders, framing her tanned, open face. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, simply a regular young woman. But what made her stand out for Bridger were her eyes: She was clearly Dr Beck's daughter, as her eyes had the same deep green colour. Yet, Justine's eyes differed very much from those of her mother. While Dr Beck's eyes had been icy and cold, Justine's held a certain warmth and compassion, together with hints of youthful mischief and curiosity.

Seen altogether, Bridger could say that she seemed to be a very pleasant person. Dr Westphalen had the same impression and she thought she could understand why Lucas was good friend with Justine, if she was as nice as she seemed to be.

"You're right, I am Captain Bridger. And this is Dr Westphalen, our Chief Doctor of Medical Department and Research." Bridger answered her and introduced the doctor. The two women also shook hands, then Justine turned back to Bridger.

"Can you please tell me, how is Lucas?" She asked Bridger, getting directly to the point of her visit. "Admiral Noyce did explain the situation to me in detail, but still I have to see for myself, if you understand."

Bridger smiled slightly at her direct approach. "Physically he's fine," he assured her. "As for the rest, you'll truly have to see for yourself. We hoped that you would be able to help us and reach Lucas, as your mother, Dr Beck, told us that the two of you were quite close. But first, Dr Westphalen will show you your quarters, so that you can put down your luggage and refresh yourself. After that I'll meet you in Med Bay, where Lucas is currently accommodated."

"Fine. I'll see you there." With that Justine followed Dr Westphalen down the corridor towards the guest quarters, leaving Captain Bridger behind at launch deck.

Despite the seriousness of the circumstances Bridger smiled to himself. He liked this girl. Maybe there was truly hope for Lucas to get better. Well, he would just have to wait and see.

*~*~*

Half an hour later the little group met in Med Bay. Ben Krieg had been sitting with Lucas until they arrived, but now excused himself, mumbling something about supplies. As he left the room Dr Westphalen sent him an appreciative glance – Ben could be tactful if he saw the need for it. And this situation obviously needed privacy, not a crowd of curious onlookers. So Ben retreated himself, even if it took all of his will not to stay and watch his young friend further, to see if this girl would be able to achieve what nobody of the crew had been able to do.

Justine took a careful step towards Lucas. It was true, Captain Bridger and Dr Westphalen had warned her that Lucas wasn't the least like he had once been, but what she saw now shocked her to no end: She mostly knew Lucas as a little imp, full of energy, with a spirited mind that was constantly searching for new knowledge and challenges, who would question everything he saw and with this give new perspectives to the people that surrounded him. From time to time Lucas had also been melancholic, dreaming about unknown things or saddened by the cruel world that surrounded him.

But never, never had she seen him like this: He sat immovable on his bed, staring blankly at the opposite wall, lost in his own world, totally unaware of what was going on around him. And Bridger had been very glossing over when he said that Lucas was physically fine. He wasn't more than a skeleton and his once bright eyes held a dull expression in their grey.

Justine felt hot tears sting in her eyes at this sight, but she gulped them down – she could cry later. Now she had to let Lucas know that she was there for him. She stepped to his side and took up his hand – it was cold like ice.

"Hey, Lucas. I'm here." She whispered to him. The boy didn't react in any means, he keep staring at the wall. Justine began stroking his hair with her other hand, then caressed his face. With her soft touch she gently turned his face towards hers so that Lucas had to look at her.
"Hi, there." She crooned and smiled at him. Justine saw something change in Lucas' eyes, only for less than one heartbeat. Then his eyes became dull again, staring at her unseeingly. But it had been there! Lucas had recognized her in the back of his mind, for one moment the least! She had a chance! Justine gathered the boy in her arms, hugged him gently, pulling his head to her chest, and whispered sweet nonsense to him. Lucas was totally stiff and immovable in her touch.

Bridger sighed inwardly. Justine could as well embrace a stone he thought. But he understood in a way that it was important for Justine to let Lucas know that she was there. It was only that the Captain had hoped for more. Suddenly he began to question himself: What had he expected to happen? That Justine would just come in, say the magic word and everything would be okay again? Hell, Justine was regular girl and not a bloody miracle worker!

Justine held Lucas tight some more minutes before she stood up and kissed him on the forehead.

"I'll be back soon!" she promised him, caressing his cheek one last time. Then she walked over to where Captain Bridger and Dr Westphalen were standing.

"I need a few things from my room. If you'd excuse me for a while, I'll be back soon." With that she left Med Bay and headed for her room, leaving the two people behind with surprised expressions on their faces. What on earth was she planning now?

*~*~*

Ten minutes later Justine returned, in her hands a pair of rubber boots.

Rubber boots?!? Bridger thought irritated. What was she going to do with that? It wasn't that he wasn't willing to try anything humanly possible in order to help Lucas, but what sense could rubber boots probably have for this matter?

But Justine simply ignored the quizzical looks that Bridger and Dr Westphalen gave her; she was concentrating on the task that lay ahead of her. She stepped to Lucas' side, he was totally 'off it' again and stared at his hands. But Justine didn't let it distract her from her plan. She helped Lucas in a sitting position on the side of his bed so that his leg were hanging down – as usually Lucas didn't react to it nor did he put up a fight. He simply remained impassive. Next Justine replaced the sneakers the boy was wearing with the rubber boots she had brought with her. She was well aware of the two people who were watching her intently, but she put the thought away in the back of her mind. What counted now was Lucas. Justine remembered very well how Lucas had loved this when he was younger and lived at the institute. It had always made him laugh even though it had taken Justine some time to understand why. She only hoped that it would work now, too.

When she had put the boots on Lucas' feet Justine knelt down. Then she began to gently move his legs so that the boots were rubbing against each other. By this they produced a kind of squeaking and squealing. With some imagination one could take it as the sounds that a dolphin produced.

At the other end of the room Captain Bridger began smiling as he started to understand what Justine was doing.

The young woman kept rubbing Lucas' legs against each other, producing sounds in various tunes and lengths. She looked up to Lucas' face. He was looking down at his legs and watched the movements with interest. His eyes had already lost some of their dullness and Lucas' gaze was following Justine's hands constantly.

The young woman smiled at him. "Hey, Lucas! You do remember this, don't you?" She asked him. Like expected Lucas didn't answer, however, for one second his eyes trailed to her face, before he returned his attention to his legs. But this was already enough for Justine. She kept moving Lucas' feet against each other while she was watching his expression. Suddenly the rubber boots produced an especially shrill squeaking and Lucas gave a snort, like he was suppressing a laughter, and a small smile spread across his face. Justine also smiled.

"Yes," she whispered, "you do remember..." And she concentrated more on her task. With every passing minute Lucas' smile slowly grew bigger as he remembered how he used to spend hours just playing with his rubber boots.

A soft voice entered his thoughts, gently interrupting his memories. Still the voice fit into these memories, she was part of them. Justine...

"Lucas." The voice whispered. "Lucas, you have to help me... I can't do it alone anymore... You have to help me... I know that you can do it... you used to do it so long... Come on Lucas, help me move your feet..." The voice was so soft and comforting and automatically Lucas obeyed.

An enormous smile spread across Justine's face as she felt how Lucas began to move his feet together with her.

"That's it !" She whispered. The two worked together for a few more minutes, however, gradually Lucas began to lose interest in his own legs and watched his friend instead. At first she didn't notice it as she was concentrating on moving the boots in the same rhythm as Lucas did. But when she looked up again Justine found the boy staring at her face.

"Hey there!" she said and gave him an encouraging smile.

Lucas stared into those deep pools of green, drowning in his own memories that were suddenly washing over him. A name came to his mind. "Justine..." he whispered softly, his voice barely audible. But she heard him nonetheless.

"Yeah, I'm here, Lucas." She answered and let go of his feet. She stood up, ignoring the protest of her legs which had been forced in an uncomfortable position for too long, and took up the teenager's hands.

"Justine." He mumbled again, a little louder already. The girl stroked over his hair and caressed his cheek. A single tear ran down Lucas' face as he savoured her touch.

"Lucas, my Lucas."

"Oh, Justine!" He suddenly groaned and buried his face in her shoulder. She embraced him fiercely, stroking across his head and back in order to give him comfort.

"Shhh... it's okay..." Justine soothed him. She could feel him sobbing against her as he let out the emotions he had been burying ever since the encounter with the dolphins.

Captain Bridger and Dr Westphalen who were still watching the scene were shocked by Lucas' outburst. While Lucas had never been a person for showing his feelings openly, they hadn't seen him show any emotions at all during the last days. And now this!

Justine sat down on the bed with Lucas still folded in her arms and rocked the boy slowly back and forth. All the while she was whispering sweet words of soothing to him and gradually Lucas calmed down. The young woman felt her friend relax in her arms and after a few minutes she realized that he had fallen asleep. Careful not to wake him, Justine lay Lucas down on the bed and pulled a blanket over him, with the gum-boots remaining on his feet. She kissed his forehead and then stood up. She walked over the two people in the back of the room, looking at them expectantly. When Bridger smiled warmly at her she gave a breath of relief. Even though she had known this man only for little more than an hour, she found that she was searching instinctively his acceptance and appreciation. She could understand why Lucas had been so taken with this man, about whom he had told her so much when they were talking over the vid phone.

The three adults quietly left the room in order not to wake the teenager from his peaceful slumber, leaving the door ajar.

"That was incredible!" Dr Westphalen exclaimed as soon as they were out of ear's shot. Captain Bridger nodded affirmative.

But Justine shook her head. "It was nothing." She said. "Anybody could've done it."

"But Lucas wanted you!" Bridger contradicted. "He was asking for you in his dreams every night. You two must be pretty close. You already helped him a lot!"

Justine still shrugged it off, unsure how to deal with the praise otherwise. "It was merely a step in the right direction..."

"Still I would like to know more about how you and Lucas became friends and what you know about him." Bridger said. "Would you join me for dinner?"

Justine thought about it for a moment. Dinner sounded tempting enough to her and she also wanted to get to know the people better that Lucas was spending most of his life with now. So she answered: "Sure, why not?"

Dr Westphalen excused herself; she had some things to do in her office and would keep an eye on Lucas.

The boy in question was currently deep asleep, the first peaceful sleep for him in days. He was dreaming of long gone days, days of innocence and playing together with a friendly girl with deep green eyes. Lucas turned around and smiled in his sleep.

The first step was taken.

*~*~*