I don't own anything.

Set during "In the company of ice and profit". I wanted a longer scene of Ben explaining to Lucas why he couldn't stay

"What happened to you?", Lucas asked Ben, quietly. "I thought that you were managing some fast food place on the west coast".

Ben smiled, sadly, at his friend. "You looked around the world since you got back?"

Lucas hadn't and he felt guilty for not knowing what Ben, and the rest of his friends, had lived through while he had been away.

"No, I haven't had the time", Lucas mumbled.

"Then you don't know what is going on", Ben said, quietly. "You weren't around to see it all".

"I think I am still getting used to how long we were away", Lucas admitted.

Ben looked at him, "I'm not blaming you or anyone on Seaquest. You were all meant to be dead", he replied. "I saw the world change, Lucas, and I couldn't just work at the burger place and pretend that it didn't matter".

"And nobody did anything?", Lucas asked, upset.

"Nobody", Ben answered. "We had to do something ourselves".

Lucas frowned, "I'm sorry".

"You weren't here", Ben reminded him. "You were lost. And now the world has lost hope. And I can't stay on the Seaquest and wait and hope that we can do something to help".

Lucas understood his friend's reasoning.

"I need to be out there, Lucas, protecting people and fighting for what's right", Ben continued.

Lucas nodded, "Just be careful", he told the older man.

Seaquest had been lost and found. And Lucas hoped one day, Ben would come home, to Seaquest, and let them help with his fight. But until then, Lucas knew Ben had to do this alone.