Thanks to Denia, Sara, Whipper, Shi-Nom, Ahn-Li Steffraini, KatKnits00,
Kiddo and anyone else who reviewed Chapter 9.
If you don't already know, I own nothing, I make no money, and I mean no infringement of copyright.
Sara, I will be using your idea, but in another fic I have planned, if that's OK with you :o)
Oh, and before I forget, Whipper - I managed to get it posted before the 30th, so, just in case your wondering, choc chip cookies are my favourite ;o)
Chapter 10.
"Ben, you've bought three teddy bears, you don't need another one!"
"But, Lucas, listen, it plays a tune when you press his paw. Isn't that sweet."
"So did the blue one." Lucas pointed out.
"Lucas, get down."
"Umpf-" said Lucas as Ben landed on top of him.
Ben waved frantically at Miguel, Shan and Crocker. Shan looked over his shoulder and then pushed the other two behind a display of rag dolls.
"Ben, what are you doing, have you finally flipped?" Lucas asked from where he was pinned down. Lucas could feel his heart pounding in his rib cage. He had wondered what he had done wrong this time, before realising where he was, and who he was with. It was only when he heard Ben's voice that he remembered to breath out again.
"She's over there." Ben whispered.
"Who?"
"Katie, I saw her, she's over there!" Ben nodded towards the other side of the shop.
"Ben?" Lucas whispered.
"Yea, what?"
"Ben, I can't breath, you're squashing me!" he gasped.
"Oh, sorry Luke."
"Lucas, not Luke." He corrected when he had got his breath back, but Ben was peeking out from behind a rack of blue teddy bears that were holding a balloon saying 'It's a boy!'
"There's some one with her, I can't see who it is." Ben told Lucas, as he peered through the rack, trying to get a clear view.
"Hey, careful!" Lucas exclaimed when one of the teddies fell off the rack and landed unceremoniously on his head.
"I can't get a clear view... I don't believe it... he wouldn't... I'm going to kill him."
Ben started to make his way out to confront Ford, when Miguel cannoned into him and pushed him back towards where Lucas was still sitting, knocking over a barrel full of bright yellow rattles.
"Ben, Ben, listen to me. You need to calm down." Miguel cajoled, over the noise of the little plastic toys.
"He's over there, with my wife, and you want me to be calm?"
"Ben, they're just shopping. You told him to keep an eye on her."
"I told him to follow her, not to spend the day making googol eyes at her!"
"Ben, do you want Katie to know your here?" Lucas whispered.
"No." The supply officer admitted sullenly.
"Then keep quiet." Lucas hissed at his friend.
***** ***** *****
"What was that noise?" Katie asked Ford looking over her shoulder.
"What noise?" Ford looked innocently in the wrong direction.
"You didn't here that?"
"Maybe someone knocked over one of the displays." Ford suggested, thinking that he would bet a months wages on just who that person was. Jonathan Ford had spent enough time with Ben, all be it reluctantly, on this tour to know that any noise that loud was, with out doubt, made in the vicinity of Krieg.
"You never said what it was you wanted to get in here." He pointed out, trying to distract Katie from the noise.
"A present for..." Katie stopped unwilling to betray Lieutenant Lewis's confidence. "Um... for someone on seaQuest."
Ford tried to sound casual, "Some one on seaQuest is pregnant?"
"Um... yes, only it hasn't been announced yet, it's kind of a secret. Not even the father knows yet."
"Well, don't worry Katie, your secret is safe with me."
Maybe if Katie hadn't been distracted, trying to work out what had caused the noise, than she would have thought that calling it her secret was strange, but, as it was, she didn't even listen to what Ford said.
***** ***** *****
"Maybe we should get them both?" Nathan said.
"Do you have room in your trolley? I think mine is full." Kristen said.
Nathan looked up from the stuffed toy sheepishly. "I have bought quite a bit haven't I?"
"Just a bit." Kristen said with a smile. She had never thought that she would see the day when the Captain of the most powerful boat in the UEO, spent over twenty minutes trying to decide between two teddy bears.
"I never did this when Robert was born." He said, by way of explanation. "I was on tour in the Indian Ocean, if I remember right." The Captain sighed.
"I'm sure the baby will like them all."
Kristen looked over towards Nathan, but he seemed to be miles away, in his own world.
"Nathan, what's wrong?" Kristen asked when the Captain hustled her behind a shelf full of baby grows.
"He's over there."
"Who is? What's got into you Nathan?"
"Lucas! He's over there!"
"And that explains why we're hiding behind a collection of baby clothes?" Kristen said, peering over Nathan's shoulder, her temper building.
"I, for one, don't want to have to explain that I'm here just because I've been eves dropping on him!"
"Oh, I see, well, maybe you do have a point," Kristen conceded. "But we can't hide here for ever." Even if it is nice to get you on your own for once, she thought privately.
"It's OK I have an idea." The Captain said.
"Psst." Bridger hissed at a passing store clerk.
The young man looked over towards the uniformed man and then looked over his shoulder confused. Bridger motioned for the clerk to come closer.
"Can I help you, sir?" came the hesitant query.
"Yes, I'd like you to check these items out, pack them up, and have them sent to the Captain's quarters on seaQuest, in the UEO dock. Understand?"
The clerk looked worried. "You could come to the till?" he suggested.
"No, I can't be seen here."
"OK, sir, um... maybe I could ask the manager to come talk to you..."
Bridger did some quick sums, working out how much he had bought. "Look, take this" he handed the clerk several large notes. "Anything over what the items cost, you can keep."
The clerk looked over at the things in the trolley, did the same sums as Bridger, took the notes and said, in his best helpful employee voice. "Of course sir, No problem, is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No thank you, you've been very helpful. But, one warning, don't even think about pocketing all the money, or... well, just use your imagination." Nathan said with a smile as he led Kristen out of the shop, ducking behind various shelves and racks on the way.
As they stepped outside the door Kristen gave up trying to hold her laughter in.
"What? What's so funny?"
Kristen just kept on laughing.
***** ***** *****
"What's he doing? I can't see." Ben complained.
"Neither can I, your heads in the way." Miguel responded. "Can't we go yet, I'm hungry."
"No, she'll see us."
"Only because five grown men buying toys together looks ridicules." Snapped Shan as he and Crocker made their way over to them.
"I want to see what they're going to do first."
"Ben-"
"Sh, they're going, we have to follow them."
"Ben, we can't follow them."
"Why not?"
"Because... because..." Miguel looked in desperation at the others for a reason that Ben would go along with.
"Because we'd have to leave all the presents behind." Lucas finished for him.
Ben didn't look happy, but sighed resolutely when he looked over towards the over flowing trolleys.
"OK, let's check out then."
***** ***** *****
A few hours later Kristen had managed to stop laughing at the events in the shop, and she and Bridger were back at UEO head quarters.
"Bill, I still don't understand how anyone managed to access Admiral Trent's codes."
"Neither do I, Nathan, who ever did it, they must have known what he was doing. They got in through S180."
"Lucas isn't going to be happy." Bridger said pushing his had through his hair.
"What do you mean?" Kristen asked, thinking that Lucas had enough problems without more being added on top.
"That's the part of the security system Lucas designed."
"Did he make some sort of mistake, when he wrote the programme?"
"That's the strange thing, none of our security people can work out how, who ever it was got in, or for that matter why he accessed the codes through the most secure part of the system."
"Oh, no. Nathan I've just thought of something."
"What?"
"Who would get the most trouble off the crew if they had to eat rations they didn't like."
"The supply officer." Nathan answered automatically.
"So it would be a good joke to play on Krieg, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, but who'd have the ability to pull this kind of...?" Asked Bill.
"He wouldn't, Lucas wouldn't do something like that." Already seeing where Kristen was heading.
"After what happened on April fools day?"
The Captain looked from Kristen to Bill McGrath, and back again.
"It does explain a lot." He admitted reluctantly. "I just find it hard to believe he would do something like this, for a joke!"
"He is just a teenager." McGrath pointed out.
Kristen and the Captain looked at each other and both thought the same thing, that Lucas wasn't going to be just a teenager for long, he was going to be a father too.
***** ***** *****
"Some one needs to teach him a lesson."
"Don't be to hard on him Nathan."
"He has to learn responsibility, especially now he's going to be a father."
***** ***** *****
It was six o'clock and Lucas hurried down the corridor of seaQuest. He wanted to get changed for his date with Juliana quickly, so he could be there to pick her up in plenty of time.
"Lucas, stop right there."
"Sorry, Captain, I'm in a rush, can we talk later?"
"No, Lucas, we need to talk now."
"I'm supposed to meet a friend..."
"That can wait. The doctor and I need to talk to you about a few things right now, in my quarters."
"But, Captain..." Lucas began, but stopped when he recognised the look on the Captain's face. That look always meant trouble. He just hoped this wouldn't take too long, and that he would be able to meet Juliana on time...
To be continued...
***** ***** *****
Another chapter done :o) so, what do you think? If you want, you could let me know in a review... (That's probably not subtle enough to be called a hint, is it?) But anyway... Chapter 11 should be up before too long :o)
If you don't already know, I own nothing, I make no money, and I mean no infringement of copyright.
Sara, I will be using your idea, but in another fic I have planned, if that's OK with you :o)
Oh, and before I forget, Whipper - I managed to get it posted before the 30th, so, just in case your wondering, choc chip cookies are my favourite ;o)
Chapter 10.
"Ben, you've bought three teddy bears, you don't need another one!"
"But, Lucas, listen, it plays a tune when you press his paw. Isn't that sweet."
"So did the blue one." Lucas pointed out.
"Lucas, get down."
"Umpf-" said Lucas as Ben landed on top of him.
Ben waved frantically at Miguel, Shan and Crocker. Shan looked over his shoulder and then pushed the other two behind a display of rag dolls.
"Ben, what are you doing, have you finally flipped?" Lucas asked from where he was pinned down. Lucas could feel his heart pounding in his rib cage. He had wondered what he had done wrong this time, before realising where he was, and who he was with. It was only when he heard Ben's voice that he remembered to breath out again.
"She's over there." Ben whispered.
"Who?"
"Katie, I saw her, she's over there!" Ben nodded towards the other side of the shop.
"Ben?" Lucas whispered.
"Yea, what?"
"Ben, I can't breath, you're squashing me!" he gasped.
"Oh, sorry Luke."
"Lucas, not Luke." He corrected when he had got his breath back, but Ben was peeking out from behind a rack of blue teddy bears that were holding a balloon saying 'It's a boy!'
"There's some one with her, I can't see who it is." Ben told Lucas, as he peered through the rack, trying to get a clear view.
"Hey, careful!" Lucas exclaimed when one of the teddies fell off the rack and landed unceremoniously on his head.
"I can't get a clear view... I don't believe it... he wouldn't... I'm going to kill him."
Ben started to make his way out to confront Ford, when Miguel cannoned into him and pushed him back towards where Lucas was still sitting, knocking over a barrel full of bright yellow rattles.
"Ben, Ben, listen to me. You need to calm down." Miguel cajoled, over the noise of the little plastic toys.
"He's over there, with my wife, and you want me to be calm?"
"Ben, they're just shopping. You told him to keep an eye on her."
"I told him to follow her, not to spend the day making googol eyes at her!"
"Ben, do you want Katie to know your here?" Lucas whispered.
"No." The supply officer admitted sullenly.
"Then keep quiet." Lucas hissed at his friend.
***** ***** *****
"What was that noise?" Katie asked Ford looking over her shoulder.
"What noise?" Ford looked innocently in the wrong direction.
"You didn't here that?"
"Maybe someone knocked over one of the displays." Ford suggested, thinking that he would bet a months wages on just who that person was. Jonathan Ford had spent enough time with Ben, all be it reluctantly, on this tour to know that any noise that loud was, with out doubt, made in the vicinity of Krieg.
"You never said what it was you wanted to get in here." He pointed out, trying to distract Katie from the noise.
"A present for..." Katie stopped unwilling to betray Lieutenant Lewis's confidence. "Um... for someone on seaQuest."
Ford tried to sound casual, "Some one on seaQuest is pregnant?"
"Um... yes, only it hasn't been announced yet, it's kind of a secret. Not even the father knows yet."
"Well, don't worry Katie, your secret is safe with me."
Maybe if Katie hadn't been distracted, trying to work out what had caused the noise, than she would have thought that calling it her secret was strange, but, as it was, she didn't even listen to what Ford said.
***** ***** *****
"Maybe we should get them both?" Nathan said.
"Do you have room in your trolley? I think mine is full." Kristen said.
Nathan looked up from the stuffed toy sheepishly. "I have bought quite a bit haven't I?"
"Just a bit." Kristen said with a smile. She had never thought that she would see the day when the Captain of the most powerful boat in the UEO, spent over twenty minutes trying to decide between two teddy bears.
"I never did this when Robert was born." He said, by way of explanation. "I was on tour in the Indian Ocean, if I remember right." The Captain sighed.
"I'm sure the baby will like them all."
Kristen looked over towards Nathan, but he seemed to be miles away, in his own world.
"Nathan, what's wrong?" Kristen asked when the Captain hustled her behind a shelf full of baby grows.
"He's over there."
"Who is? What's got into you Nathan?"
"Lucas! He's over there!"
"And that explains why we're hiding behind a collection of baby clothes?" Kristen said, peering over Nathan's shoulder, her temper building.
"I, for one, don't want to have to explain that I'm here just because I've been eves dropping on him!"
"Oh, I see, well, maybe you do have a point," Kristen conceded. "But we can't hide here for ever." Even if it is nice to get you on your own for once, she thought privately.
"It's OK I have an idea." The Captain said.
"Psst." Bridger hissed at a passing store clerk.
The young man looked over towards the uniformed man and then looked over his shoulder confused. Bridger motioned for the clerk to come closer.
"Can I help you, sir?" came the hesitant query.
"Yes, I'd like you to check these items out, pack them up, and have them sent to the Captain's quarters on seaQuest, in the UEO dock. Understand?"
The clerk looked worried. "You could come to the till?" he suggested.
"No, I can't be seen here."
"OK, sir, um... maybe I could ask the manager to come talk to you..."
Bridger did some quick sums, working out how much he had bought. "Look, take this" he handed the clerk several large notes. "Anything over what the items cost, you can keep."
The clerk looked over at the things in the trolley, did the same sums as Bridger, took the notes and said, in his best helpful employee voice. "Of course sir, No problem, is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No thank you, you've been very helpful. But, one warning, don't even think about pocketing all the money, or... well, just use your imagination." Nathan said with a smile as he led Kristen out of the shop, ducking behind various shelves and racks on the way.
As they stepped outside the door Kristen gave up trying to hold her laughter in.
"What? What's so funny?"
Kristen just kept on laughing.
***** ***** *****
"What's he doing? I can't see." Ben complained.
"Neither can I, your heads in the way." Miguel responded. "Can't we go yet, I'm hungry."
"No, she'll see us."
"Only because five grown men buying toys together looks ridicules." Snapped Shan as he and Crocker made their way over to them.
"I want to see what they're going to do first."
"Ben-"
"Sh, they're going, we have to follow them."
"Ben, we can't follow them."
"Why not?"
"Because... because..." Miguel looked in desperation at the others for a reason that Ben would go along with.
"Because we'd have to leave all the presents behind." Lucas finished for him.
Ben didn't look happy, but sighed resolutely when he looked over towards the over flowing trolleys.
"OK, let's check out then."
***** ***** *****
A few hours later Kristen had managed to stop laughing at the events in the shop, and she and Bridger were back at UEO head quarters.
"Bill, I still don't understand how anyone managed to access Admiral Trent's codes."
"Neither do I, Nathan, who ever did it, they must have known what he was doing. They got in through S180."
"Lucas isn't going to be happy." Bridger said pushing his had through his hair.
"What do you mean?" Kristen asked, thinking that Lucas had enough problems without more being added on top.
"That's the part of the security system Lucas designed."
"Did he make some sort of mistake, when he wrote the programme?"
"That's the strange thing, none of our security people can work out how, who ever it was got in, or for that matter why he accessed the codes through the most secure part of the system."
"Oh, no. Nathan I've just thought of something."
"What?"
"Who would get the most trouble off the crew if they had to eat rations they didn't like."
"The supply officer." Nathan answered automatically.
"So it would be a good joke to play on Krieg, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, but who'd have the ability to pull this kind of...?" Asked Bill.
"He wouldn't, Lucas wouldn't do something like that." Already seeing where Kristen was heading.
"After what happened on April fools day?"
The Captain looked from Kristen to Bill McGrath, and back again.
"It does explain a lot." He admitted reluctantly. "I just find it hard to believe he would do something like this, for a joke!"
"He is just a teenager." McGrath pointed out.
Kristen and the Captain looked at each other and both thought the same thing, that Lucas wasn't going to be just a teenager for long, he was going to be a father too.
***** ***** *****
"Some one needs to teach him a lesson."
"Don't be to hard on him Nathan."
"He has to learn responsibility, especially now he's going to be a father."
***** ***** *****
It was six o'clock and Lucas hurried down the corridor of seaQuest. He wanted to get changed for his date with Juliana quickly, so he could be there to pick her up in plenty of time.
"Lucas, stop right there."
"Sorry, Captain, I'm in a rush, can we talk later?"
"No, Lucas, we need to talk now."
"I'm supposed to meet a friend..."
"That can wait. The doctor and I need to talk to you about a few things right now, in my quarters."
"But, Captain..." Lucas began, but stopped when he recognised the look on the Captain's face. That look always meant trouble. He just hoped this wouldn't take too long, and that he would be able to meet Juliana on time...
To be continued...
***** ***** *****
Another chapter done :o) so, what do you think? If you want, you could let me know in a review... (That's probably not subtle enough to be called a hint, is it?) But anyway... Chapter 11 should be up before too long :o)
