Author's Notes: Oh man it's been a long time. Hopefully I haven't lost you guys. I didn't plan to take that long of a hiatus from this story, but I guess the last chapter was a bit of a turning point and I let it go on too long. But I'm back, with a plan for the rest of the story. Thanks for your patience! (and reviews, hint hint, hint).

Nathan wasn't sure how long they had been awake. He'd gotten Lucas showered and into a clean T-shirt, and had tried to get him to bed, but it was taking longer than he expected. Lucas was fighting sleep every step of the way. Eventually he pulled a book off the shelf – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, no less – and began to read out loud. Surely the story would put the boy to sleep.

Sure enough, within 20 minutes Lucas was fast asleep. Bridger couldn't help just watching him, looking so peaceful, so small. During the first tour with the Seaquest he had taken to stopping by Lucas' quarters and checking on the boy while he was sleeping. Even then it was always a stark reminder of how young Lucas was. He still did it once and a while, and if Tony was there and caught him in the act he made up some excuse. He was fairly sure the seaman didn't buy a single word of it. Even then, before knowing all of this, he had the instinct to make sure that Lucas was safe. The fact that he had been anything but for most of his life, caused overwhelming emotions to rise within Nathan.

Taking out his PAL he paged Dr. Smith.

"Dr. Smith here"

"Wendy, it's Nathan. Can you come to my quarters right away?"

"On my way, Captain."

As soon as he heard the knock on his door, Nathan sprang to answer it. He had finally gotten Lucas to sleep, and didn't want to risk waking the boy.

He greeted Wendy with a finger on his lips to indicate the necessary quiet and nodded pointedly in Lucas' direction.

Wendy, seeing Lucas in the Captain's bunk, and the dishevelled, worn appearance of the man in front of her, gave a questioning look.

"Captain...?" she questioned.

"I'll have to explain later. Do you mind staying with him for a while? I'll really owe you one for this Wendy."

"It's not a problem at all. Everyone needs a break sometimes Captain," she smiled.

"He shouldn't wake up, but if he does, promise him I haven't left him, and that I'll be right back. And call my PAL right away."

"Sure thing."

And with one last look at the small child curled up in his bunk, the Captain headed out the door.

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Just off shift and on the way to his quarters, Tony Piccalo was wandering the Seaquest's corridors. As he passed by the fitness room, he was surprised to see the lights on – few crewmembers used their late nights to work out, preferring poker or sleeping over exercise. He couldn't say he blamed them.

He paused outside the door. Not only were the lights on, but whomever was in the was working out very...loudly. Giving in to his curiosity he opened the door and looked in. To his surprise, he was greeted by the sight of the Captain, clad only in boxer shorts and a T-shirt, pounding away bare handed on the punching bag. Seeing the raw anger on the man's face, Tony almost backed away quietly, not really wanting to be on the receiving end. But before he could, he heard himself call out,

"Captain?" he cursed himself as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Nathan spun around; anger still all over his face.

"Um I – I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just saw the lights on and wondered..." he trailed off, the excuse sounding lame even to his own ears."

"It's ok Piccalo. Please, come in. Don't let me keep you from your own workout."

Tony watched for a moment as the Captain flexed and stretched his hands, seeing his bruised and red knuckles. "I don't mean to pry, sir, but are you ok?"

Nathan mumbled non-committally. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, not many people go pounding at the bag that hard without wrapping their hands first." He replied flicking his eyes back at Bridger's hands.

Nathan looked down as well. "Hmm, they do look pretty awful. Thanks for your concern." He paused looking at the younger man thoughtfully. "Someone I care very deeply for – someone I love – has been hurt, and I didn't know about it. They did nothing to deserve it. I guess I'm very angry."

"I bet! My Aunt's husband used to beat on her all the time. I had no idea, and when I found out, I went over to her house and kicked his ass. It felt great. I guess you can't really do that, though, being a UEO Captain and all."

"It certainly wouldn't look good, no." Bridger smiled ruefully. "However, if this person were here right now, I don't think it would stop me."

"I feel you, Cap. I feel you. But I'll let you get back to it."

"I think I'm finished here, actually. Thank you, Tony. And I'll make sure to wrap my hands next time."

"I hope you won't need a next time, Cap."

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