"Hey, Lucas?"
"Huh? Whaaaa?" Lucas replied, slowly opening his eyes.
"Wake up man."
"Sean? What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to come until tomorrow."
"It is tomorrow."
Lucas sat bolt upright in the chair and looked around. His eyes settled on the mantel clock. 9AM!
"Where are my parents? Why didn't anyone wake me up?"
"They're in the living room. I've been here for about an hour. Come on," Sean said with a chuckle.
Lucas stood groggily and followed Sean out of the room and down the hallway. He rubbed his eyes, yawned and stretched his arms over his head as they entered the living room.
"He arises!" Gavin called out.
"Why didn't you guys wake me up?"
"You looked so peaceful Lucas. You fell asleep reading, I didn't want to wake you up in case you were having good dreams," Ellie replied. "Though with your choice of reading material I couldn't be sure. I love that book, but it's a little dark."
Smirking, Lucas replied, "It suited my mood."
Ellie gave him a quizzical look, then shrugged. "You ready to go back?"
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready. I've got some stuff to take care of before getting back," he replied. "Stuff like destroying someone's life, stuff that I will enjoy every second of," he thought.
"Very well Lucas, it was lovely to have you one more night. Keep in contact and let us know how you're doing," Katherine replied.
"I will, I promise. Before I go, can I borrow the book I was reading, and the other ones that come after it? I'll send them back once I'm done."
"Certainly dear, borrow whatever you'd like. Some of those books haven't been opened in years."
"Great, thanks! I'll go get showered and changed." He walked quickly to the library, picked up the books, and headed back out, shooting a quick smile at the adults as he passed back through the entryway. Jogging up the stairs, he entered what he had come to think of as his room, and set the books next to his bag.
Pulling out his shower kit and a fresh set of clothes, he entered the bathroom and quickly stripped. He knew they were running late, so he moved quickly. Within 10 minutes he had showered and dressed again. He stuffed the old clothes into his bag, along with Gavin's album and the books from the library.
He shouldered the bag and headed back downstairs. Halfway down the stairs he paused. Katherine and Patrick had stepped away for a moment, leaving the three friends alone. They were laughing and talking as if nothing had ever changed for them. Gavin's arm was around Ellie's shoulders, his other arm draped across her lap, holding her hand in his. They were going over an old memory together, and aside from the intimacy of the contact between Ellie and Gavin, it reminded Lucas of a million different episodes of conversation with his own friends. It still struck him how normal this was all becoming though it still seemed foreign to him, like something you saw in a movie. His real life had never been this way. He had, indeed, thought that the interactions he saw in TV and film were just staged, that real people weren't like that. How wrong he had been.
He continued the rest of the way down the stairs, Gavin noticing him first. The three of them stood and Ellie called out for her parents. Katherine and Patrick returned, and once again, goodbyes were said. When Katherine hugged Lucas, he held onto her for a long moment. This was his grandmother, he cared very much for her, and he wanted her to know it. Part of him was revolting, not wanting to leave, pleading with him to say goodbye to his life on the SeaQuest and just stay here. It was a part of him that he couldn't shut off, no matter how he wanted to, and he'd definitely tried. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to will it to be quiet. He couldn't stay, not yet.
As he pulled away from her, Katherine took his face in her hands and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Be safe sweetie, will you?"
He smiled and nodded. "E-mail me Grandma, or call me. I have access to vidcom on the ship."
"Will do," she said with a smile.
He hugged Patrick goodbye as well, and then they were ready to head out. As they were about to walk out the door, Lucas stopped. "Wait! I forgot someone!" Dropping his bag he sprinted through the entryway and living room and into the kitchen, where Margery was working on lunch. Sliding to a stop behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, scaring her half to death.
"Good Lord! Lucas! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Grinning, he said, "Sorry! I'm leaving, I just wanted to say goodbye, and thanks for everything."
She turned to look at him. "Well aren't you the sweetest thing?! You're welcome honey. Have a good trip back and come see us again soon alright?"
"Only if you promise to have a sandwich waiting for me!"
She rolled her eyes and gave him a shove. "Get on out of here before I give you a good slap! Always eating! It'll catch up with you someday!"
"Maybe, but that's someday! Someday is far away, and you know I like your sandwiches."
She chuckled. "Go on now Lucas, your mama and daddy are waiting for you."
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm outta here! Thanks again!" he called out as he ran out the kitchen door and back to the front door. "Okay, we can go now."
All four clambered into Sean's car, Ellie and Lucas in back. As they pulled away, Lucas turned around in the seat and waved to Patrick and Katherine, who were watching them leave. He got an enthusiastic wave back before he turned back around in the seat.
"Have fun Lucas?" Ellie said, putting an arm around his shoulders and hugging him.
"Yeah I really did. All of these months since you came have probably been some of the happiest I can remember. Well, most of them anyway."
She smiled. "I know what you mean. Crazy stuff, huh?"
"You can say that again." He knew that his time here was almost up, and after this was all done, he wasn't sure when he'd see Ellie or Gavin again, if ever. He only had a few days left, and all of it would be spent in preparation for the destruction he'd been so patiently planning.