SUMMARY: While waiting to meet Kristin, Nathan runs into an old pal who gives him some advice.

CODES: SQ, B/W

RATING: PG13

DISCLAIMER: The characters (except for any new ones I created) belong to Amblin, not me.

NOTES: Trivia -- two different times in the first season a Jimmy Buffett song appears. The first is obviously "Cheeseburger in Paradise," which Ben sings in "The Regulator;" the second is "A Pirate Looks at Forty," which plays in the background while Ford is in the bar in "Abalon."

"Last Mango in Paris"
by Liz VanZandt

Nathan Bridger pulled his sunglasses down off the bridge of his nose, scanning the small bar above them. Even though it was still late afternoon, the small room was already filled with a layer of smoke being slowly stirred up by several fans lazily turning in the sweltering Florida heat. There were several tourists getting drunk at the bar and some local patrons playing darts in the back corner.

He took another step inside, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light of the bar after the bright sunlight outside. Slowly, he tucked his sunglasses over the collar of his shirt and walked over to a bar, ordering a beer.

"Nathan, Nathan Bridger."

He turned to see a man standing by one of the tables with a bottle in his hand. He had thinning hair that was somewhere between dirty blonde and gray and twinkling blue eyes. The man had on a gaudy, brightly colored Hawaiian shirt and long shorts. His face looked a bit worn and haggard, but his eyes had the look of a man who'd seen it all.

"Mac?" Nathan said in disbelief.

"The one and only. Hey, Tony," he called over to the bartender. "Bring me another beer, and put Nathan's on my tab, too."

"Sure thing, Mac," the man behind the bar said.

"So Nate, I see they finally got you off your island," Mac said, turning back to his friend. "I'll bet it was a gal, wasn't it?"

Nathan gave a short laugh, sitting down at the table. He thought back nearly fourteen months to the day when Noyce had arrived to drag him off the island. "You could say that," he replied finally. "What's it been, almost twelve years now?"

"More like fifteen," he corrected.

"So how have you been, Mac? Still running cargo between the islands?"

"Aw, hell, I haven't done any of that for nearly thirteen years now. I could never stay with one job for more than a couple of years at a time. Too restless I guess. Nah, I've been floating around from job to job mostly."

"You always did like the vagabond life."

"You know me, life is no good if you don't enjoy it a little." He sat back in his chair, slowly peeling the label from his bottle of beer. "I've certainly had a good run at it, too. Ate the last mango in Paris ... took the last plane out of Saigon ... took the first fast boat to China ... God, Nate, there's still so much to be done out there, so much to be experienced. One lifetime just isn't enough to do it all."

"It never will be," Nathan agreed.

Mac leaned forward, his forearms resting on the edge of the table. "For all that I've done, there is still one thing I do regret, though." Nathan tipped his head in silent question. "I never took the time to fall in love. Never found myself a woman to hold me every night, to love me unconditionally, who I could love the same way. No matter how many friends and copilots you have, nothing can fill that void in your heart like a woman."

He sat back in his chair again with a sigh. "But then I suppose you knew that. You had Carol for all those years."

"Yes, I did," he replied quietly.

"You know, I really do envy you, Nate. It's not often you find someone like that. I should know; I've had my fair share of girlfriends over the years." He laughed, "Hell, I was even married a couple times. But those honest, true women that love you despite all your flaws are few and far between. If I ever found one, I'd snatch her up in a minute."

Behind them, the door to the bar opened, letting in a stream of bright sunlight. Nathan turned to see Kristin Westphalen standing in the doorway, her skirt billowing and flowing around her legs as the wind blew it. She seemed to scan the room before her eyes met his. Nathan felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Kristin smiled, picking her way around the tables to where he was sitting. "Lucas said I might find you in here."

"Yeah, I was just going to get something to drink real quick, but I ended up bumping into an old friend. Kristin, this is--" he turned to introduce her to Mac, but his seat was empty, "Mac," he finished quietly. "I guess he must have had to leave," he said, turning back to Kristin.

"I guess so," she agreed. From the ancient jukebox in the corner, the sounds of a steel band and guitar drifted toward them. "I take it were you catching up on old times."

"Pretty much," he nodded. "What do you say to a walk on the beach?"

She smiled. "I'd love to."

Grinning, he stood up and offered her his hand. Pulling her up out of the chair she'd sat down in, they walked out of the bar hand in hand.

From the end of the bar, a man smiled. "Go for it, Nate. You deserve a little happiness."

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