Ratings: pg-13

Disclaimer- I do not own seaQuest DSV or 2032, if I did they would not have been cancelled when they did and had gone on for at least 3 more seasons.

Summary- AU Nathan and Carol not only had Robert, but a daughter as well. Meet Nicole Bridger and how her whole life changed the day Admiral Noyce came onto her father's island to get him to Captain the Seaquest.

Chapter 1

Bridger's Island

It was a nice summer day on the island. It was early afternoon and not too hot. Nicole Bridger was looking out the door of her father's house. Her eyes followed her father, Nathan Bridger, talking with Admiral Noyce out on the beach. I wonder what Noyce wants Nicole though as she continued her gaze out the door.

Some 10 minutes later her father made his way back to the house with Noyce at his heels. Nathan Bridger looked up and saw his 17-year-old daughter leaning in the doorway, arms crossed, with a curious look on her face. Whenever she made that look she reminded him so much of his wife, her mother- Carol Bridger.

"Nicole, It seems we are going to be going on a trip," Nathan said as soon as he reached the steps.

"A trip? Why, where?" Nicole questioned and looked to Admiral Noyce knowing that he was probably the reason.

"We are going to Hawaii to see the Seaquest." Nathan said as he crossed into the house. He turned to his daughter and added "Start packing, not too much, we won't be gone that long."

Nicole looked at Admiral Noyce and saw the look in his eye that meant it was not going to be a simple trip. Hmm, there got to be more that he is telling she thought.

"So, we are going to see the seaQuest. When do we leave? She asked telling her body towards her father.

"As soon as you two are ready." Noyce said. Nicole gave him a look that said I was not talking to you.

"Well, I got some packing to do then." Nicole said and then made her way to her room and left the two men to talk. She walked into her room and sat down. She looked around her room, the white walls with pale blue and pale green-sponged strikes she had painted two summers ago. The pictures of her family and of places she had seen. All of her knick-knacks on her shelves, all of her books- she loved books. That was why she ways able to skip two grades and add to the fact that she was home schooled with the best the computer online school systems could offer. She sighed, got up and went to the closet to grab a couple of duffle bags, her backpack and a sea bag. She also grabbed two boxes to add some personal items.

Nicole went about opening drawers, the closet, grabbing clothes and things that she would need for the trip. She packed some pants, long tops, short sleeve tops, a few shorts, and some personal garments into one of the duffle bags. The backpack bag she added books, some homework assignments she need to get done for the summer term, music, some of her personal computer programs- where she was going she was she there was a computer she could access. As well as some more personal touches like the bear her brother Robert gave her when she was three. She grabbed her older brother's sea bag and started throwing in her clothes even more pants, tops and other clothes she might not live without- depending on how long her father and her were gone and personal items into it. She was going into the bathroom to grab her toiletries when there was knock on her door. She turned and saw Noyce standing in the hallway.

"Just so you know, I'm hoping that your father is willing to come back and be the captain of the seaQuest." Noyce said.

"I kind of figured that when Dad said we where going to see the seaQuest." Nicole stated. She then proceeded to turn back around to go into her bathroom.

"I just wanted to let you know what was going on; oh you might want to pack some more things. You will be on board till the end of the tour. One of my men will bring the bag with him before you come on board so we don't tip Nathan off." Noyce said with a smile.

"Sure, no problem. I kind of figured that was what happening. The extra bag and box will be buy the computer- I'll put a note on the desk as to what is coming- my room is a mess. Do you think I can bring my computer too?" Nicole asked.

"I don't see that as a problem. Just give me the note before we leave. We need to be out of here in 30 minutes." Noyce said and left Nicole to finish packing.

"Looks like I'm going to gone for a while then." Nicole mumbled to herself and went into her bathroom to retrieve all that she needed. After she divided it up into too piles- stuff to make it look like she was going on a trip and other stuff she would need, she placed them in the correct bags and went around her room grabbed some personal pictures, a few more books, some movies to watch on her computer. She unplugged her computer and put all the components except for the monitor and tower in the box. She put sticky notes on what was to be taken and grabbed her duffle bag and backpack and went to find Noyce.

Pearl Harbor

The Next Day

"Wow" Nicole exclaimed as she finally got a glimpse of the seaQuest from the launch window.

She could hear her father saying something to Noyce about the show being over and then they were out of there, but she was too busy soaking in her surrounding. This sub was what her father had poured his heart and soul into designing all those years.

As soon as they got on board they were given a tour of the sub. Her favorite part was the moon pool when her father was sprayed by a dolphin that turned out to be Darwin. And the look on his face and her's too when they found out that Darwin could speak. It was priceless.

There they met Lucas Wolenczak who designed the system that allowed Darwin to speak. Nicole was impressed, they guy looked young to have designed that kind of technology. She later found out that he was a genius and on board the seaQuest because his father was on of the backers and some strings were pulled to allow Lucas to live on the sub.

Noyce and her father continued the tour with Nicole following behind then. She met Commander Ford and he did not too pleased to met then or that was the impression she was getting from him.

Then came the realization from her father that he had been set up to stay aboard the sub as the Captain. Shaking her head, Nicole followed a crew member to the quarters that would be her's until the tour was over.

When she walked into her room, as promised there were her bags and her computer. She signed and picked up one of the bags and took out the pictures that where on the top.

"Mom, Robert. I wish you guys were here to see this. The sub is incredible. I think Dad is really going to like it here, if he were to give it a chance." She said to the pictures. She stared at the photos wishing that her mother and brother were still alive.

A knock was heard on the hatch and her father entered her quarters.

"Nicole, I was.." then he stopped and noticed her bags and computer.

"Yeah, Noyce warned me what was up. He knew that his god-daughter would scream at him for not warning her so he let me pack some extra things." Nicole stated.

"Oh." Was her father's only response.

"Dad are you ok?" Nicole asked coming to stand by him.

"No, not really. This was not something I wanted to do..."Nathan started to say.

"What? Dad, come on you're the captain of the seaQuest. What more could you want? Nicole asked.

"There are a lot more things that I would rather have." He father said looking at the photos in her hand.

"Dad.." she began.

"Nicole, this is really something I don't want to get into right now." Nathan said. He took the pictures out of her hand and smiled at them.

"Your mother would have been proud to see this ship- not too happy about me being on board- but proud." Nathan told her. He gave her back the pictures and turned to leave the room.

"Nicole, try not to get in the way and get too comfortable here- we are not staying to long." Nathan said as he walked out of her room.

"Try not to get comfortable..." she muttered under her breather as she pulled out her music collection and flipped to find something to listen to as she sat on her bed. She would leave the unpacking for later- much later.

Sometime later Nicole decided to go on a little adventure called explore the seaQuest. She only knew where the docking bay and the moon pool were located and decided she wanted to go exploring.

She came out of the area where her quarters were and noticed they were by her father's quarters. Not ready to see him again she turned and walked into the other direction and walked down some stairs. As she climbed down the last one, she looked around trying to figure out where to go when she bumped into someone.

"Oh, I am so sorry..." she looked up trying to spot the rank on the uniform. Except there was no uniform only civilian clothing belonging to one Lucas Wolenczak. "You" she said.

"Me?!?" Lucas said back. "You bumped into me"

"Well you should be more careful" Nicole said.

"I should..." Lucas started.

Nicole just crossed her arms and stared at him. After 5 minutes, she gave up and turned away and started to walk away from him. She then stopped looked around, came back to where she left him and asked, "Where is the galley?"

Lucas just laughed, "Come on. I'll give you the tour Admiral Noyce didn't give you."

Nicole followed him around the ship. Lucas true to his word showed her the places the Noyce left out on the tour- the med bay, the science areas, the location of the bridge, and finally the galley.

"Thanks for the tour Lucas." Nicole said after she took a bite of her sandwich.

"No problem" Lucas said.

"So what's it like living on the seaQuest?" Nicole said.

"It's ok. I mean there are all kinds of adults around and your underwater the whole time. No one really to yell at you." Lucas said.

"Oh." Nicole said.

"So is your dad going to stay?" Lucas asked.

"I really have no idea. I want him to, the island was pretty boring except when I had school and then I was always on the computer doing my homework." Nicole said.

"Exactly how old are you?" Lucas asked.

"I just turned 17 a month ago" Nicole said. "How about you?"

"I'm 16. I wont turn 17 until December." Lucas said. "How about school wise- were are you?"

"I am in my second year of college. I am doing my undergrad work through UCLA online program. I am going to major in science and computers." Nicole said.

"I'm a genius and graduated high school when you were in 6th grade. Got my first college degree when you were in probably 9th grade and I am getting a Master's degree at Stanford online." Lucas said.

"Well you sure are full of yourself" Nicole said with a smile.

"I guess I am." Lucas said with a smile.

Lucas and Nicole were walking back to the science area when they spotted her father standing with a young man in uniform and a woman in a green colored uniform.

"That's Commander Ford and Doctor Westphalen." Lucas whispered to her as they got closer to the trio.

The Doctor had made a comment and was walking away when she noticed the two teenagers in front of her.

"Dr. Westphalen this is my daughter Nicole. Nicole this is the ships Doctor, Dr. Westphalen." Nathan said.

They nodded to each other and Dr. Westphalen continued on her way. Nathan and Commander Ford turned to go in another direction without even saying anything to the teenagers.

"Well that was something." Nicole said as she watched her father walk away.

"Huh?" Lucas asked her.

"A.. never mind. Talking to myself" Nicole said.

"Ok" Lucas shrugged.

"SO what else is there to do around here? Nicole said.

"Nothing much unless you have a job on the sub. I just hang out in my room or the moon pool until someone needs something." Lucas stated.

"You can help me put my computer back together." Nicole said "I have it in a box and I really need to check my mail."

"Sure, I've got nothing pressing to do at the moment.

Nicole and Lucas made their way to her quarters and tried to put the monstrosity that she called her computer back together. Nicole was flipping through disks and books as she waited patiently for Lucas to boot up her computer. She noticed that he was doing something to it when it loaded up.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Cleaning out your unwanted files and trying to give you more memory. Also adding in a new file wall program that I designed so that you can't hack into the seaQuest files or no one else can hack into your files then into the seaQuest." Lucas stated.

"Ok.." she shrugged. Who was she to question the "genius"?

By the time Lucas had completed his mini upgrade on he computer, Nicole had ended up unpacking all of her stuff and was busy organizing her books onto a shelf.

There was a knock on her door. Nicole went to answer it and there she found her father and Dr. Westphalen with a serious look on both of their faces.

"We need Lucas" Dr. Westphalen said.

TBC....