A/N: I am sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter. Admittedly, I had a little trouble getting back into my groove after my hiatus. I'm trying to find it again. I hope you can bear with me. Thank you.

OK, let's face it; you and I both know there was something wrong with this chapter the first time around. So, I decided to delete it, add a little more to it to hopefully make it a little better, and repost. I hope you understand, and I hope the chapter seems more appealing this time around. Thank you.

Chapter 5

The ride back to the base was quiet; neither of them spoke to one another. And, as they neared the base, Kristin felt her anger subside. Really, she wasn't sure why she was so angry. She had surmised that Sylvia had to have been angry, and rightly so. It seemed Richard wasn't a very sensitive husband. Kristin had also guessed that not only was she reliving certain events in Sylvia's life, but she would also be feeling whatever Sylvia had felt at the time. That made sense. But obviously, there was one small, niggling thought in the back of her mind: Sylvia's death.

How long would they be in this time period? And if she was essentially Sylvia Mayfield, would that mean… Well, she didn't want to think that her days might be numbered. And even if they were, she couldn't guess who might be responsible. Certainly, it could have been Richard; perhaps he'd been so angry about Sylvia's lack of intimacy with him that he just snapped. But there was one thing that surprised her thus far: that even though Richard seemed to be angry with Sylvia for certain things, he also genuinely appeared to love her, even if the way he expressed that love was rather unconventional. Perhaps Sylvia and Richard were no longer in love with one another, however. Kristin decided she was going to have to try to figure out what had happened between them. And although it was odd, she hoped she'd keep hearing Sylvia's voice. Perhaps she would shed light on all of these questions.

But as Richard parked the car, all these thoughts had to be kept at bay. Richard got out of the car, walked around to the other side, and opened her door. He offered his arm to her. "Now, please, make a good impression for me."

"Of course, dear," she answered. She put on her best smile, but mostly because she knew she'd be seeing her friends.

They entered the hall, arm in arm, which was filled with scores of people. Kristin scanned the crowd, but it was difficult to pick out faces. All she saw was uniform after uniform. Richard then whisked her away, introducing her to admiral after admiral, captain after captain, and so on. She did her best to try to keep names straight, especially since some of them, she'd recognized from the UEO museum in Pearl, but it was difficult. By the time they finally reached Nathan's group, she was dizzy. But, she gave her best smile when Richard introduced them.

"And this is Captain Jack Remington, captain of the USS Nautilus. Admiral Kimmel has told me a lot about you," Richard gushed. He gave Kristin a little push forward. "And this is my wife, Sylvia."

Nathan shook the senator's hand and gave it a strong shake. "I've heard a lot about you as well, Senator. It's such an honor to finally meet one of the men responsible for doing so much for our cause." Then he eyed Kristin and took her hand, placing a light kiss over it. "And seeing your lovely wife once again. We actually met earlier today at the clinic."

Kristin let out a nervous laugh since she was unsure of how Richard would react to another man flirting with his wife.

But Richard didn't seem to notice. He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a tray being carried by a waiter walking past them, handed one of them to Kristin, and started talking about improvements that needed to be made to the Nautilus, which Kristin found to be a rather boring conversation. She looked around and saw Katie and some of the other science personnel from the seaQuest. She attempted to excuse herself.

"I'm just going to let you two talk," she began.

But the senator placed a hand on her arm, giving it a squeeze…and not a gentle one either. He made it so any onlookers wouldn't notice, however. It was a gesture that indicated power. Kristin bit her lip so as not to cry out. "Don't go yet, darling; we have a lot more people to meet."

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

One hour later, Richard and Sylvia had met every admiral, secretary, commander, lieutenant, and ensign in the room. And, by this time, Richard was well on his way to intoxication. He finally released his hold on her, and she was allowed to leave his side and mingle. By this time, however, she needed some time alone. She walked through the open doors and onto the beach; the night air was warm, and the sound of the waves lapping up on the shore was relaxing.

She took a deep breath and sat down in the sand. She was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.

"There you are; I'd wondered where you'd gone off to," Nathan told her.

She stood and turned to him. "I just needed a little air; it's awfully stuffy in there. Did Richard send you to find me?"

Nathan shook his head. "No; frankly, I'm not sure if the senator's noticed your absence. He seems a little preoccupied," he answered hesitantly.

"Flirting with all the young women, is he?"

Nathan gave her a surprised look. "Well, yes. How did you-"

"Sylvia," she answered simply. "So, now that you've met the senator, what do you think of him?"

"Honestly, I don't care for him. And, I don't like the way he treated you back there. Are you all right? Your arm…"

Kristin's face reddened. "You saw that?"

Nathan gently took her arm and brought her into a patch of moonlight so he could see her arm better. Sure enough, although they were light, the imprint of fingers could be seen, the marks a reddish color. "Does it hurt?" The concern was evident in his voice.

"No," she whispered. "We…we really shouldn't be doing this," she added nervously.

"Doing what? Talking?"

She gently pulled her arm away. "You know what I mean. I'm supposed to be a married woman. If we act too friendly with one another, that might alter the events of the past. And, I'm not sure we're supposed to do that."

"I just came out to talk to you, to see how you were, that's all," Nathan defended. "But, if that bothers you, I'll leave you be." He turned to go back inside.

"Wait," Kristin called after him. "I'm sorry. I…I'm just…I'm just trying to figure out what I should do and I'm just trying not to make any mistakes."

Nathan turned back to her. "I don't think you can make a mistake. You said you heard Sylvia's voice, correct?"

She nodded. "But…but I can't really hear her now. I only hear her at certain times. I don't even know if she's around at the moment. So I'm not sure what I should do or what I should say."

"I think you should do and say what you want. I'm sure Sylvia will direct you just like Jack is directing me," Nathan said thoughtfully. "Something told me to come find you," he added.

"Jack?" she guessed.

"I remember someone told me there's a reason certain things happen and that finding Sylvia was no accident." He put a gentle arm around her shoulders. "Do you know who that might have been?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Yes, but…"

"So just keep telling yourself there are no accidents here. I think we're just supposed to go with it. Didn't you tell me once you did a little acting when you were in college?"

"My first year, yes, but that was ages ago," Kristin stated.

"Well, you're doing an improvisational act. Occasionally, your director will give you cues, but for the most part, you're on your own. You'll be fine," Nathan encouraged. "I don't think there's a right or wrong here."

She gave him a smile. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd done this before. When did you become so wise?"

"It's a gift," he quipped. "Now," he said, taking her arm in his hand again, "is your arm all right?"

"It's fine," she assured him. "It's a little tender, that's all."

Nathan placed a gentle kiss where the red marks were. "I still don't like the thought of you being alone with him. It's only been a day, and you've already been hurt."

"Don't worry; it seems to me the senator is more concerned with me being a decoration for his arm more than anything else," Kristin said dryly. "And it seems to me he has enough entertainment for the moment." She pointed towards the door of the hall, which could be seen from the beach. Just near the door was the senator with a woman on each arm. The three of them were giggling and drinking champagne, and Richard turned and kissed one of them. "And, apparently, he's busy with his whores," she added. "I'm learning more and more about their marriage, and it's full of discord."

"I'm sorry," Nathan said sincerely. "Do you want to go back inside? A lot of the members of the crew have been asking about you, especially Lucas."

She nodded, deciding that would cheer her up. That's what she wanted to do in the first place-see her friends. "Lead the way."

Nathan offered his arm and the two walked back into the hall, right past Richard and his new 'friends'. Again, however, Richard did not seem to notice since he was obviously too busy.

Once Nathan led her over to faces she recognized, Kristin forgot all about Richard. She was so happy to see all of them. Of course, some she had seen earlier, but she hadn't gotten to have much of a conversation with them, and some she hadn't seen at all. She almost felt as though they were all back on seaQuest in the mess hall. The others crowded around her, all their voices laced with concern.

However, after she assured them she was fine, they seemed to calm down a bit.

Ben approached her right away and made a bow in front of her. "May I have this dance?"

Kristin chuckled and accepted. She turned to Nathan and said, "See you in a bit."

Ben led her out onto the dance floor. "So, are you doing all right...with your new identity and all?"

Kristin smiled. "It's taking some getting used to, but it's an experience."

They heard some giggling and turned their heads in the direction; the noise had come from the senator and the women he was with.

"Uh, the senator…he…seems like an…interesting man," Ben stammered.

Kristin waved a hand. "You don't need to struggle for something kind to say about him. It's obvious he isn't the ideal husband."

"I just feel like all of this is my fault."

"Your fault? How could you possibly think that?"

"I'm the one who found that old chest. And…and you remember what the captain had said…and Lucas. Maybe there was a curse," Ben muttered.

Kristin laughed. "I assure you, Mr. Pierce, this is not your fault. It was just…an odd coincidence."

Ben sighed. "I've been worrying about it since this morning, with what's supposed to happen to you. What if…I don't…I don't want anything to happen to you."

Those words touched her so. On seaQuest, she and Ben were never particularly close. There was a love/hate relationship between them, and most of the time, it was hate. She felt tears threaten to fall. She cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice steady. "I…I never knew you cared."

"I know I give you a hard time," Ben replied, "but of course I care about you. You didn't know that?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't sure."

"Well, to let you know, I do care about you, Doc. And, I certainly don't want anything to happen to you." He nodded his head towards the rest of the crew. "Now I know they're all looking out for you, especially the captain, but I want you to know I'm doing the same. And if anything does happen to you, I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive myself."

She wrapped her arms around him tighter as they danced and brought her lips closer to his ear. "Thank you. That means a lot to me, but Sylvia promised everything would be all right."

"Well, I certainly hope so."

The dance ended, and Ben ushered her back to the others.

"Well, don't you two look cheery?" Nathan observed.

"Don't worry, Cap, she's all yours now," Ben stated, leaving Kristin's side and going to engage in conversation with some of the others.

Nathan took her arm. "As long as you've saved a dance for me."

She nodded. "Of course."

Nathan led her back out onto the dance floor. "So what was that all about?"

"Mr. Pierce was just sharing his concerns about what's going on here. Apparently, he's worried this is all his fault, since he was the one who found the chest," she explained. "And the talk of curses didn't help matters much either."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I told him that this was just an odd coincidence and that it's no one's fault."

"And you really believe that?" Nathan pressed.

"I really don't know what I think," she admitted, "but I don't want anyone thinking they're responsible for this. I do still think certain things happen for a reason. It seems Sylvia and I are connected…somehow…"

"Yes, but I hope there is one thing you don't have in common."

"Everything's going to be fine."

"You know, you keep saying that," Nathan observed, "but you don't sound very convincing."

"It's because I'm trying to convince myself, but Sylvia promised me-"

Again, the senator's laughter could be heard from the other side of the room.

"I'm doing my best to trust her as well," Nathan replied, "but I don't trust him."

"I understand that, but can we just have a few moments where we don't talk about the senator or my death? Please?"

"I'm sorry; of course. What would you like to talk about?"

She shook her head and laid her head on his shoulder, meaning she didn't want to talk. They danced that way for a long time.

But after several dances, there was a tap on Nathan's shoulder. It was the senator.

"We were just dancing," Nathan started, assuming the senator was going to lecture.

But the senator waved a hand. In slurred speech, he said something that sounded like, "I have business to take care of; you'll find a ride home." And with that, he turned and left the hall, the two women following behind him.

Kristin sighed. "Well, I guess we don't need to worry about him for the night."

"This happens often?" Nathan asked.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it might. I haven't heard Sylvia's voice for a while," she admitted.

"I'll drive you home when you're ready."

"I could just take a cab, you know." She already knew that wasn't happening, however. And, honestly, she was glad Nathan and Ben and the others were almost overly concerned about her. She wasn't used to that kind of attention, but this time, it seemed it was warranted.

Nathan simply gave her a look that said, 'I don't think so.' "It's late; we can stay as long as you'd like, or we can leave right now."

She glanced towards the group; the whole crew was still there, even Lucas. "Well, there is one more thing I'd like to do first." She headed towards Lucas, Henry. "May I have this dance, sailor?"

Lucas smiled and led her to the dance floor. "I thought you'd never ask, Doc." He put his arms around her and they swayed back and forth to the music.

"Well, I just thought I'd congratulate you on your enlistment," she teased gently. "And, I'm not sure how much time we'll have to spend together. I didn't want you to think I was ignoring you."

Lucas shook his head. "I wouldn't think that at all. I…I know you have a lot going on here."

"Do you have somewhere to stay?"

He nodded. "I'm staying with Carlos Sanchez."

"Who?"

Lucas leaned closer and whispered, "Miguel Ortiz. Apparently, Henry doesn't have any living family, and neither does Carlos."

She nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, perhaps I should be sure to tell Carlos that he take good care of you for me."

"I'm not a baby, Doc," Lucas reminded her.

"I know; I know. I just worry."

"Well, we're the ones who need to worry about you. You-"

She held up a hand in warning. "Please, not you, too. I've heard quite enough for the evening."

"Sorry. We're just concerned."

"Believe me, I know. But we just need to trust it, like on the George," Kristin reminded.

Lucas gave her a look. "You…you said that was nitrogen narcosis."

"I'm starting to change my mind," she replied.

-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-

Meanwhile, back in Pearl Harbor, UEO Headquarters was full of activity. The fact that seaQuest happened to be in the direct path of the storms was cause for concern, so everyone was ordered to be on alerts. But, even though the storm had subsided slightly, seaQuest could still not be located. This was worrying, especially to Admiral Noyce, who paced around the technicians sitting in front of their computers, all looking for any sign of seaQuest on their radar.

"Any luck, Atkins?" the admiral asked one of the techs, looking over his shoulder at the radar screen.

"I'm sorry, sir," Atkins answered. "None at all. It's almost as if...she's disappeared."

"This isn't the Bermuda Triangle; submarines cannot just disappear," the admiral insisted. But part of him knew that Atkins was right; no matter how one wanted to slice it, it seemed seaQuest had literally vanished into thin air. He only hoped they'd find her again.

Also, when I get anonymous reviews, I normally give a general thank you in an author's note. However, the last two anonymous reviews I received were so sweet and so uplifting for me that I feel I must give each the attention it deserves.

E Ward: I've known for a while you were reading because Hannie told me. But, I am honored to be your one review for the year. I am so elated to know you not only read my stories, but enjoy them as well. And, you're very welcome as I enjoy writing them. And, thanks once again for leaving a review. I appreciate it so.

SQAddict: I know there wasn't much romance in this chapter (it was planned, but it would have been terribly long), but the next chapter will have it. I'm glad you're enjoying the Sylvia and Jack romance, and I so appreciate your comments.

I appreciate all my readers and reviewers. Thank you so much.