Poltergeist: The Legacy

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[Legacy Lost] Chapters 13 to 18

By Kay De'Vil.

 

Legacy Lost

Kay De'Vil

Rating: PG - Drama - Violence

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies, I don't own them all characters are the property of MGM Studio's and all afillated companies.

[Legacy Lost] Chapters 13 to 18

By Kay De'Vil.

 

Chapter 13:

---Unknown Location:---

Nick groaned as he slowly came around, trying to turn onto his side he felt something bight into his wrists holding him steadfast. Opening his eyes he could see the high priest and his followers moving around the circle, a constant companion to the high priest was Kat, she moved as the high priest moved, remaining at his side at all times.

Scanning the area he quickly noticed that many of the followers remained outside of the circle, only those dressed in the ceremonial robes and wearing the head dress entered the circle, all except Kat that was, she was dressed in her night wear, no slippers upon her feet. Pulling against the cords that bound him to what felt like a wooden cross. He groaned as they tore at the tender flesh.

Moving around the circle the high priest glanced at the stack "Ah, I see our sacrifice has awoken" he said as he moved towards the stack "Mr. Boyle, so nice of you to join us... The  Master does prefer for his sacrifices to be conscious."

Nick glared at him, he tried to shout to Kat but they had gagged him.  Growing frustrated he began to rock against the cross trying to knock it from its position on top of the wood stack.  "Hold still Mr. Boyle or you might fall and hurt yourself" suggested the high priest his tone one of amusement.

In response Nick increased his attempts to dislodge the cross from its position upon the stack, as he rocked back and forth several pieces of wood fell to the ground.

"If you persist in continuing Mr. Boyle I shall be forced to take measure to ensure you do not escape" cautioned the high priest.

Ignoring the high priest Nick continued in his attempts to break free, he saw the high priest signal to several of his followers and watched as they began to climb the stack.

Increasing his motion Nick sent them crashing back to the ground as more and more wood from the stack fell away. Clenching his fists he used all his strength to free the base of the cross from the wood, he felt the cross pivot for a moment then slowly fall forward. Gritting his teeth he  prepared himself for the impact as the cross fell against the stack, as the cross impacted he felt his arm give under the pressure of the cross and the wood beneath him, he wanted to scream in pain as his shoulder screamed in protest.

A few minutes later the cross came to rest at the base of the stack, Nick didn't get the chance to act upon the fact his hands where free. He was immediately set upon by several of the high priests followers; they grabbed him pulling him to his feet and began to pound upon him. Quickly  Nick lost consciousness the last thing he heard was the high priest's voice calling to his followers to stop "Mr. Boyle, your actions are valiant but foolish. Did you seriously think you could escape your destiny?" those where the last words Nick heard as he passed out.

The high priest looked up at the position the cross had fallen from, he knew that he had to return both Nick and the cross to its former position before the ceremony could begin "Replace the cross. Bind Mr. Boyle to the stone until we are again ready for him" as he spoke the high  priest glanced at Kat who was stood looking at the unconscious form of her friend "My dear?" called the high priest as he moved over to her "What is it my dear?"

"Why does the master want him so badly?" she questioned the fire within her eyes once again dulling "Why in particular has the master selected this man?"

"Because of his blood line my dear. Mr. Boyle's family for years has worked for the other side. His blood line almost runs pure" he replied as he placed his hand upon her shoulder and led her away from Nick.  "His family have been enemies of the masters for the last 300 years. This is an  opportunity the master has been seeking for a long time, the opportunity to use one of Gods own soldiers to regain control of this world"

"A fitting end then, one of God's own soldiers bringing about the resurrection of the master" agreed Kat as they moved away from the stack.

---Unknown location:---

Derek glanced back at Rachel and Alex, they knew they where getting close, they had abandoned the car twenty minutes before when they had run out of road, now they found themselves on foot.

Waiting for them, Derek noticed the peat bogs "We're going to have to go carefully" he stated as they joined him, as he spoke he pointed to the peat bogs "There are peat bogs in this area. I'll contact Richard and tell him to warn Ken and the others.

Rachel nodded and used the pause as a chance to catch her breath, sitting upon one of the many stones she was joined by Alex "How much further do you think it is?" questioned Rachel looking at the younger women.

Alex looked ahead "I don't think its much further I can see light coming from up ahead" she stated.

Rachel looked ahead and nodded "Looks like a camp fire"

"Or a ceremonial fire" commented Derek as he joined them.

Alex looked at him "Don't Derek, I saw Nick alive, he was still alive when we where captured" growing anxious she pushed up off the rock and started towards the light ahead.

Derek and Rachel followed her in silence, both knew that there was a chance that Alex's vision had been incorrect, there was a strong chance that they themselves had done something to alter the final result.  Looked at each other they both shook their heads, there was no they could  change Alex's mind, in her vision Nick had been alive and so she was certain he was still alive. Pushing on neither Derek nor Rachel raised the possibility of Nick's death again, it was clearly something Alex was unwilling to consider.

---------------------------------------------------------**

Watching through his night goggles Ken saw the members of the San Francisco House as they marched across the moors headed towards a distant light. He had seen the exchange and the defensive body language of Alex, his years of training told him that she was unwilling to discuss something. Signalling his men they followed the house members deep into the moors.

---------------------------------------------------------**

They didn't see the followers as they circled around them, the first they knew was when they where grabbed. As hands closed around their arms Derek and Alex struck out at the followers desperately fighting to keep their freedom, but they where outnumbered.

The followers quickly captured them, binding them all securely they where led to the stone circle. As they where bound to the stone Rachel saw Kat stood beside the high priest "KATHRINE!" she screamed trying to get her daughters attention "KAT...KATHRINE!"

"Shout all you want Rachel Corrigan, your daughter is a servant of the master, she has been for some time now" stated the high priest as he and Kat moved over to their new captives.  Kat hovered above the ground as she remained at the high priests side.

Rachel watched her daughter as she drew closer, her horror at the sight of the flames within her eyes "Kat?" she questioned pulling against her bonds, desperate to wrap her arms around her.

Derek stared at the high priest, the man's voice was familiar to him, but he couldn't put a name to the voice. Alex however was staring at the stack of wood, upon which Nick hung crucified upon the cross.

The high priest saw the focus of Alex's attention "I see you are interested in our choice of sacrifice" he commented as he moved to stand before her.

"What have you done to him?" she demanded glaring at the high priest

"It is not what I have done with him that concerns you Alex, it is what I shall do to him" he stated as he moved to stand at Alex's side, his hand trailing down her cheek. "I always though there was something between you two. Of course we could never prove it". He continued as his hand slipped over her arm and continued on a downward path.

From the stack they could hear Nick screaming past the rag within his mouth, the high priest looked up at him and smiled "I see Mr. Boyle objects to my interest in you Alex"

"Leave her alone, what do you want?" demanded Derek as he too strained against his bonds trying to stop the high priest.

Laughing the high priest brushed his fingers through Alex's hair before moving to stand before Derek "Ah, the infamous Dr. Rayne... The master has waited a long time to even the score with your family"

"And if I have anything to say about it, he's going to have to wait a lot longer" replied Derek.

As the high priest moved back over to the wood stack he looked up at Nick "Soon your time will come Mr. Boyle, soon your families debt to the master will be paid".

Rachel and Alex exchanged confused glances "Debt?" questioned Derek glaring at the high priest, the man didn't answer instead he walked passed them with Kat at his side.

As they watched the high priests followers move around the circle lighting the torches, they saw Nick watching them, they wanted to say something to him, tell him that everything was going to be ok, that Ken and the others where on their way.

As the followers light the torches their chants became louder and louder until once again the high priest appeared, at his side dressed in a ceremonial robe stood Kat, her pentegram pendant visible for all to see, its five points and the eyes of the goat blazing red. As they moved further into the stone circle the followers chants became louder until they where almost deafening. As the chants increased in volume and speed the stones they where bound to began to oscillate, slowly the stones began to shake and glow.

"What's happening?" shouted Rachel over the chants.

Derek shook his head unable to answer her question "I don't know... It appears as if the chanting is effecting the stones," he shouted back.

As the stones turned from a dull grey stone to an intense white light Derek and the others had to close their eyes. "Derek can you see Nick, is he all right?" called Rachel

"I can see him, can you Alex" called Derek anxiously

"I can't see anything" replied Alex as she pulled against her restraints "NICK?" she screamed trying desperately to establish if her friend was still safe.

Suddenly the chanting stopped and the circle was deathly silent. Alex tried to open her eyes but the stones where still bright, blinding her from seeing what was happening.

Nick watched as the light emitted from the stones blocked out his sight of his friends, he tried to call out to them but he couldn't the rag within his mouth prevented him, all he could do was watch and hope that they where all right. From the light he saw the high priest and Kat appear and move towards the stack of wood, both where dressed in their ceremonial robes.

Looking up at Nick the high priest raised his mask to reveal his face, horror spread across Nick's face as he looked into the face of a man he had known for several years, the face of a man he had once called a friend.  Replacing the mask the high priest moved towards one of the torches "It is time my children, time to offer our master the sacrifice he both wants and deserves".

Kat hovered in front of the stack the fire within her eyes diminishing for the briefest of seconds as she looked up at Nick. For a moment their eyes met and Nick saw the old Kat  within her eyes, with no other way of communicating he tried to talk to her through his eyes, plead with her to free the others and save them from whatever the high priest had planned for them.

As the high priest moved to stand at her side, Nick saw the flames once again return, closing his eyes believe all was lost he awaited the sound of the wood burning all around him.  "Nicholas Patrick Boyle... The time has come for your family to pay a time old debt" came the high priest's voice "For 300 years your family has mocked the master, now the time has finally come for the master to reclaim what is rightfully his"

"Nick, make this easy upon yourself, give in to the forces that surround you, allow the master to use your body as the vessel of his rebirth" called Kat as she rose to his level. Looking deep into his eyes she continued "Your family has been hiding behind the mask of the Legacy for long enough, throw of the restraints the Legacy has placed upon you. Allow your family to rejoin the  master".

Unable to speak Nick just shook his head, he wanted to spit in the high priest's eye but he knew he couldn't his only line of defence was to remain silent and reject the master.  Looking up into the night's sky he began to recite a prayer within his mind.

"The master is calling to you Nick, can you not hear him?" questioned the high priest, Nick shook his head and strained against his bonds. As the high priest laughed at Nick's attempts to break free the followers formed a circle around the stack awaiting the instruction to ignite the flames that would carry Nick's soul down to the master.

------------------------------------------------------------

Ken and his men lay under the cover of the heather watching as the satanic worshipers surrounded the stack, silently Ken signalled his men to prepare to move in. Through his night vision binoculars he could see Kat stood next to the high priest dressed in what appeared to be ceremonial gowns "Now how the hell did she get all the way out here?" he questioned to himself. Unable to figure out an answer he glanced over at Rachel and Natalie. "As soon as the guys are into position we'll attack," he said

"Right, but we're going to have to be fast if we want to keep Nick from becoming a crispy critter" stated Richard as he took the binoculars from Ken and watched the ceremony.

When Ken finally received the signal that his men where in position and ready to attack he glanced over at Richard and Natalie "You two ready?" he questioned, both nodded as they primed their weapons.

Ken smiled and drew his own weapon, pressing down on the talk button on his headset he told the others to prepare to move "On my signal move in" he said glancing around the area.

Even as he was speaking he heard Natalie utter a gasp "We have to move now Ken, we have to... They just lit the stack, dear god the flames are rising so fast" she exclaimed her hand clasping upon Richard's forearm.

Ken grabbed the binoculars "She's right, looks like they put some kind of accelerant on the wood" as he spoke he again depressed the button to activate the radio communication system, "All teams move in" he called as he stood and moved towards the stone circle.

The speed and stealth of years of training the members of Ken's team quickly moved towards the stone circle unnoticed, as they reached the outer rim of the circle they could hear the high priest making his offering to the master.

"Oh lord of the under world we call upon you to accept this sacrifice, Nicholas Patrick Boyle whose family has mocked your power for so long" as he spoke the high priest raised the dagger and summoned Kat to his side.

Ken watched from behind the cover of one of the stone's, as the high priest lowered the dagger, slowly drawing it across the palm of Kat's hand. Ken could hardly believe his eyes as he watched Kat stand emotionless as the blade was drawn across her hand. Standing Ken sent the signal to his men to move in, Richard and Natalie where already to their feet headed towards the stone circle to free Derek and the others. As they entered the circle the followers saw them, the commotion quickly caught the high priests attention.

"Stop them, the sacrifice must be completed!" shouted the high priest as he grabbed Kat's arm and pulled her away from the attackers.

As gunfire erupted all around them Derek looked around trying desperately to break free "Rachel... Alex?" he shouted over the gunfire and screams.

Suddenly Derek felt someone behind him, the light from the stone's left him almost blind "It's ok Derek, it's me Natalie"

"Natalie, can you see Rachel and Alex... Are they all right?" he questioned anxiously. As she cut him loose the light of the stone vanished and he dropped to the floor all then energy suddenly drained from him.

Natalie crouched at his side "Derek, are you all right?"

"I'll be fine, go help the others" he said as he struggled to stand.

Natalie watched him for a second before running over to Alex, she could see that Rachel was all ready being released by one of Ken's men. As she cut the binds holding Alex to the stone it again stopped glowing and Alex fell to the ground her strength drained from her body.  "Alex?" questioned Natalie crouching at her side

"Nick, what about Nick?" questioned Alex as she struggled to her feet, her eyes instantly searching the surrounding area "Oh God... NICK!" she screamed as she saw him still on top of the now burning stack.

As Rachel and Derek joined Alex and Natalie, they all started towards the stack.

Looking around Natalie could see Richard running towards the stack "Richard... GET NICK!" she screamed, he nodded and charged at the burning mass of wood. Jumping into the flames he began to climb up the remaining wood.

In the distance Rachel saw the high priest dragging Kat behind him, grabbing Derek's arm she pointed in the direction they had gone "KAT!" she screamed as she started to run after her.

Derek and Natalie followed close behind Rachel, the distress of a mother evident, as they caught up with her they could see the high priest and Kat a few meters ahead of them. By now Kat was aware of what was going on and she was struggling against the high priest, desperately she tried  to pull free of him, but he held her tightly.

However her struggling had served the purpose of slowing the high priest down enough for Derek to catch up. Kat screamed as Derek tackled the high priest sending all three of them crashing to the floor, with the high priest preoccupied with trying to break free of Derek, Kat was able to slip away.

Running back to her mother's protective arms she watched as Derek and the high priest struggled for control.

Richard struggled up the stack towards Nick; he could feel the heat of the flames lapping at his heels. He could hear the conflict going on around him but nothing mattered to him but reaching the top of the stack and releasing

Nick. As he reached the top some of the logs moved, causing him to drop further down the stack.

Cursing he scrambled his way back up the stack he reached Nick's side only to find the young man had passed out "Nick?" he questioned as he slapped Nick across the face trying to rouse him. Even as he untied Nick's arms he continued to try and rouse him "Come on kid, wake up" bending down he released Nick's feet before moving to release his other arm "Kid you got to wake up, I can't get you down this thing without your help."

Again Richard slapped Nick across the face, this time to his delight he got a reaction. "That's the way kid, come back to us" he said.

As Nick began to slide down Richard grabbed him "Jesus Kid, come on, wake up!"

"R... Richard?" questioned Nick as he slowly opened his eyes and looked around, at seeing the fire his eyes flew open. Nick cried out in pain as Richard released his other arm and it fell to his side.

Richard supported him as he fought back the waves of pain travelling up and down his right side. "Sorry kid but we don't have time for this" stated Richard, as he looked down at the flames that where quickly burning the stack. Looking at Nick, Richard tried to ascertain if Nick would be up to the jump "Kid I know your hurting, but we have to jump... Are you gonna be able to do it?" he  questioned anxiously.

Nick nodded as he moved closer to the edge of the stack; he looked at Richard for a second before jumping. Richard immediately followed him, landing next to Nick whom lay groaning and grasping his shoulder. Crawling to his side Richard turned Nick over onto his back, he could see the pain Nick was in and tried to pull his hand away from the injured shoulder. "Come on kid, let me take a look" he said as he tried to make Nick let him see his shoulder.

Groaning Nick tried to roll away from the hands that where bringing more pain than relief. Realising there was no way; Nick was going to let him look Richard got to his feet and looked around for the others, he could see Ken moving towards him, most of the high priest's followers had run away, some lay dead in the surrounding area.

Turning in a circle he tried to see any sign's of Derek, Rachel, Alex or Natalie "Ken where's Nat?" he called to the fast approaching man.

Ken looked around and shrugged "I thought she was over here with Derek and the ladies" replied Ken as he joined Richard, glancing down at Nick he questioned "How's the kid?"

"I think he's dislocated his shoulder, I can't tell he won't let me look" replied Richard as he continued to look for his sister-in-law and the other Legacy members.

Ken was the first one to see them approaching "Over there" he called pointing in the direction from which Derek and the others appeared out of the mist.

"Ken you stay with Nick" ordered Richard obviously anxious to check on Natalie and the others.

"Sure Rich, go check on her" replied Ken smiling at him as he crouched at Nick's side, gently placing a reassuring hand upon the young man's uninjured shoulder.

As Richard reached them he immediately hugged his sister-in-law "Are you guys all right?" he questioned anxiously.

Natalie returned the hug "We're fine, what about Nick... Did you get to him in time?"

"Yeah I got him down... I think his shoulder is dislocated but other than that he appears to be fine" replied Richard his eyes wondering over to the man Derek held securely "This the SOB behind all this?"

"I doubt he's the leader but he'll do for the moment" replied Derek as he roughly pushed the man back into the lit circle to be taken charge of by two of Ken's men.

When Rachel and the others saw Nick still lying upon the ground they rushed to his side. Crouching next to him Rachel quietly tried to persuade Nick to let go of his shoulder and let  her look "Nick, come on Nick I have to see your shoulder... let me look" she whispered.

He groaned and turned to look at her, she could see the pain in his eyes "Rachel?" he questioned as he felt her hand resting upon his.

"It's me Nick, you have to let me look at your shoulder. I'll be gently honey I promise, just let me take a look" she pleaded. For a moment Nick didn't move, his eyes remaining locked upon Rachel's "It's ok Nick... just let me look", slowly he removed his hand, closing his eyes he braced himself for the pain he was sure was about to come. As Rachel began to check Nick's shoulder she heard him groan "I know it hurts Nick, but I'm going to have to put this shoulder back in" looking at Richard, Derek and Ken she silently asked them to help restrain Nick.

Derek knelt beside Nick, gently securing his other shoulder, while Richard and Ken restrained his chest and legs. "Alex I think you should take Kat away for a few minutes" suggested Richard, but Kat shook her head in willing to leave Nick.

Sighing Alex was forced to abide by Kat's wishes "I'm not going anywhere" stated Kat as she moved to knee at Nick's side, gently placing her hand upon his cheek.

Nick looked at her for a moment, but in that moment Kat saw the fear within his eyes, if he hadn't been restrained she was sure he would have scurried away from her.

Unable to control her sorrow at the fear in Nick's eyes Kat quickly got to her feet and ran from the circle "KAT?" called Rachel in dismay, even before she could ask Alex and Natalie where all ready going after her.

As she ran the tears blocked her vision and she fell. Laid upon the heather she sobbed, she heard Alex and Natalie approaching but was too upset to respond "Kat?" questioned Alex as she crouched next to the crying girl.

Kat slowly turned to look at Alex and Natalie "He hates me" she sobbed "Nick hates me"

"No he doesn't Kat, Nick could never hate you" stated Alex as she pulled Kat to her "He loves you, you know that" she continued

Kat shook her head "No, you didn't see it... He's sacred of me, he hates me"

"Kat why would Nick hate you?" questioned Natalie as she sat beside Alex. 

Kat wiped the tears from her eyes  "Because I didn't fight hard enough against that man, Nick told me to fight but I didn't" she sobbed.

Alex pulled her close, gently rocking back and forth trying to comfort her "Nick could never hate you Kat, he knows you tried to break free but you couldn't, he knows that"

"I tried, but I couldn't... What that man did to him, I saw it, I saw it all but I didn't do anything to stop it. I could have stopped it but I didn't"

"Kat if you could have stopped it I'm sure you would have, you did all you could" as she spoke Natalie stroked Kat's arm. From back at the stone circle they heard a blood curdling cry that made all three jumped with surprise, Kat once again began to cry as Alex and Natalie looked at  each other concerned.

Rachel took Derek's tie and quickly used it to secure Nick's arm, he had passed out as she had relocated his shoulder, unwilling to rouse him until after she had finished manipulating his  shoulder she worked quickly. The threat of the high priest's followers was gone; Ken's men had  dealt with them effectively leaving the stone circle safe for them to finish tending to Nick.

Ken stood and joined his men, with the area secure he told them to start making their way back to Mrs. Callahan's he was sure Rachel would want to take Nick back there as it was the closet location that was safe. "I'm sending the boys back to Mrs. Callahan's to secure the area for our return" stated Ken as he rejoined them. Derek and Richard nodded and watched as Rachel finished up with Nick "What do you want to do in regards to Nick?" questioned Richard looking down at the unconscious young man.

For a moment Rachel pondered the question "I think its best if we move him as far as we can before he comes round... Even with his arm secured its going to hurt like hell when he comes round".

Nodding agreement Richard and Ken began to device a way to carry Nick back to the car "You know, we should have thought ahead and brought a stretcher" commented Richard

"Heck with this kid, you never know what you're going to need" replied Ken grinning as he saw Paddy and Jackson approaching. Smiling Ken gestured towards the approaching men "Ask and ye shall receive" he said in a mocking tone.

Richard grinned and shook his head "You bring the kitchen sink?"

"Naw, that's Mrs. Callahan's domain and no way am I going within ten feet of her domain" replied Ken grinning.

Richard laughed and shook his head "Smart move, I get the feeling that woman could take anyone of us without batting an eyelid".

As Jackson and Paddy arrived they laid the stretcher next to Nick's prone form "How bad?" questioned Paddy kneeling next to Nick

"Dislocated shoulder, mild smoke inhalation and perhaps a few second degree burns... I haven't been able to check for those, I thought it would be best to do that once we get back to Mrs. Callahan's" replied Rachel.

Both Paddy and Jackson nodded agreement and began to slide Nick onto the stretcher "Derek where are Alex, Rachel and Kat?" questioned Richard as he looked around, as he spoke he caught site of them returning to the stone circle "Never mind, here they come now".

Rachel turned to see Kat walking between Alex and Natalie running to her, Rachel pulled her daughter into a tight hug "Are you all right Kat?" she questioned checking her daughter for  injuries.

When she saw the cut on Kat's hand she tore a piece of her blouse off and used it to bandage the cut "That should do until we get back to Mrs. Callahan's" she said kissing her daughters cheek.

"Is Nick all right?" questioned Kat looking at his motionless form upon the stretcher

"He will be, come on lets get back to Mrs. Callahan's then we can all relax" suggested Rachel as she held her daughter close. Nodding in agreement they all started back towards the cars.

Chapter 14:

---Mrs. Callahan's Cottage:---

As they approached the door to Mrs. Callahan's home she was stood waiting for them, at seeing Nick laid upon the stretcher she immediately moved to one side "Put him on the couch in the front room, it'll help keep him warm" she instructed, following her orders. Richard and Ken  headed straight into the front room, closely followed by Rachel and the others.

As they carefully placed Nick upon the couch he began to return to consciousness, groaning Rachel quickly moved to his side, her hand resting upon his forehead. Glancing at Mrs. Callahan she was able to convey to the old woman the need for cold water and cloths. "He's burning up," she said as she began to remove his clothing "We've got to get him cooled down" she said as she tried to remove the shirt without causing the young man any more pain.

As Mrs. Callahan returned she handed Rachel a pair of scissors "I thought you might need this deary" as she spoke she knelt at Nick's side as well, glancing at the others she silently told them to leave.

One by one they all left the front room only to congregate in the kitchen, anxiously awaiting news.

Working together Mrs. Callahan and Rachel undressed Nick and began to give him a cold bed bath, they had to lower his temperature if they didn't they ran the risk of him suffering a fit. "We have to get his temperature down" stated Rachel as she grabbed one of the wet clothes and began to stroke Nick's brow.

Mrs. Callahan continued to minister to Nick, carefully wiping the damp cloth over his legs "He has some burns on his legs Dr. Corrigan" she said.

Rachel glanced down at the burns "They're only superficial, they'll heal" she stated "I'm more concerned with the smoke inhalation and his shoulder".

Mrs. Callahan nodded agreement "His shoulder appears to be back in place, the smoke inhalation is nothing we can deal with here... We just have to get him through the next 24 hours and he should be fine"

"His temperature is coming down" stated Rachel with relief.

A smiled spread over Mrs. Callahan's face as she picked up a blanket "Now the trick is to keep him from catching pneumonia" as she tucked the blanket around him, he began to stir.

Moving aside so Rachel would be the first person he saw Mrs. Callahan silently slipped from the room. "Nick?" questioned Rachel as she gently stroked his hair away from his eyes "You with me Nick?" she questioned.

Slowly he opened his eyes to look at her "Rachel?"

"It's me Nick, your safe" she smiled at him as his eyes focused upon her.  Uttering a low groan he shifted upon the couch "Shh Nick, lie still"

"Kat?" he questioned his eyes scanning the room "Is she?"

"She's fine Nick, she's safe" replied Rachel as she continued to stroke his forehead.

He looked at her the same fear within his eyes as Kat had seen back at the stone circle "She... She was there" he muttered

"I know Nick, but she wasn't in control" stated Rachel, she could see the fear in his eyes "She's upset about what happened" she added, but Nick's eyes where already drifting closed again. As his eyes closed she sat back on her heels and watched the slow steady rise and fall of his chest, once satisfied that he was ok she climbed to her feet and headed into the kitchen where the others awaited her.

As she entered the kitchen she was greeted by a multitude of questions, sliding into a seat at the table she accepted the steaming hot cup of coffee Mrs.

Callahan offered her before answering any of the questions. "Nick's going to be fine, his temperature is back down to normal and he was awake and lucid for a few minutes" she stated before taking a sip of the coffee.

"Can we see him?" questioned Kat, fear of what Nick's reaction to seeing her would be hung heavily within her voice.

Sighing Rachel took her daughters hand within her own "He's asleep at the moment, which is what he needs... Maybe you can see him in the morning. That goes for all of you" she added looking at Alex and Derek.

Both sighed and nodded agreement "I think that's an excellent idea, it's been a long day we would all benefit from a good nights sleep" agreed Derek.

Alex shot him a dirty look, clearly she had no intentions of going to bed until she had seen for herself that Nick was OK. Sighing Derek glanced at Rachel "Ok, you can stick your head around the door and take a peek, but if you wake him..." she left her threat unspoken.

Alex smiled and hugged Rachel quickly before leaving the kitchen, and heading towards the front room in which Nick lay resting. As she opened the door she could see him laid upon the couch, silently she slipped into the room to stand at his side. As she watched him she saw him move and the pain that crossed his face as he did so, kneeling at her side she gently soothed his brow trying to return him to a comfortable sleep again.

He leaned into her hand, as if seeking the comfort of her cool soothing hand; she sighed as her thumb brushed across his forehead. As she stood to leave him to sleep, she bent down and tenderly kissed his forehead "Sleep tight Nick" she said as she slowly backed out of the room and returned to the kitchen.

Whilst she had been gone Ken had received word from the members of his team, they had securely locked the high priest away in a safe place and he would be ready for transportation to the Ruling house in the morning.

Rejoining the others in the kitchen Alex took a sip of the coffee Mrs. Callahan had ready "How is he?" questioned Derek

"He's asleep, a little restless but he's ok" replied Alex with a faint smile.

Rachel squeezed her shoulder "I think we should all try to get some sleep, we're going to have to go back to the London House and explain our actions to the tribunal" she said

"Rachel's right and knowing Mitchell he's going to have something planned for our return" stated  Richard.

Natalie nodded agreement, "And sadly with our contact in the London house gone, we have no way of knowing what the snake is up to"

"You know there is the possibility, we just saved Nick in time for Mitchell to kick him out of the Legacy" commented Derek sadly.

The others silently nodded their agreement "We need to think positively" stated Kat "Nick vanished from inside the London house correct, which means someone within the house must have been involved in getting him out"

"She's right, when we get back to the London House Natalie and I will try and find something we can use to help Nick" stated Richard. The others nodded, and after a few minutes headed up to bed.

---Ruling House: LONDON---

As they entered the house they where met by questioning glances, clearly word of their disappearance had quickly spread through the house. As they headed back to the room in which the tribunal was being held, they where met by Mitchell at the top of the stairs. "Dr. Rayne nice to see you and the rest of your house back here"

"Mr. Mitchell" replied Derek as he continued on past him towards the tribunal.

With Rachel and Alex on each side of Nick and Kat silently following him, Mitchell was forced to just glares at him "The police want to talk to you Mr. Boyle" stated Mitchell.

Nick looked at him confused, then looked at Derek for an answer, however before Derek could Detective Constable Jamerson appeared "Ah, the elusive Mr. Boyle"

"I'm Nick Boyle, how can I help you?" questioned Nick confused.

The Detective took a firm hold of Nick's arm causing him to groan "If you'll come with us Mr. Boyle we have a few questions to ask you about your disappearance after the death of Anthony Johnson"

"Be careful" growled Rachel as she removed the detective's hand from Nick's arm "He has a dislocated shoulder that's only just been reset"

"And how did he sustain such an injury?" questioned the Detective.

Rachel glared at him, she didn't like this young man, there was something decidedly unpleasant about him "He fell" she stated.

Nick remained silent, he had learned a long time ago when Rachel had the look in her eyes she did at that moment it was safer to remain silent and let her deal with any problems.

The detective once again took a firm hold of Nick's arm "Mr. Boyle, you'll have to come with me" stated the detective

"Is this really necessary, do you honestly think Nick could have broken Anthony's neck in the manor it was" questioned Derek

"At the moment, given Mr. Boyle's background and training he is our best suspect, once we have talked to him and been able to eliminate him from our suspects we'll happily let him go"

"How long is this going to take?" questioned Alex as she looked towards the room in which the tribunal awaited them.

The detective saw where she was looking and smiled "I'm sure whomever is waiting in there will wait until we have completed our inquiries".

Reluctantly Derek and the others where forced to watch as Nick was taken away. The smile upon Mr. Mitchell's face enraged Derek but within the halls of the ruling house he was forced to restrain himself. "If you and your associates will follow me, the tribunal is awaiting you" stated Mitchell as he started towards the room in which Nick has spent so many hours yesterday.

As the reached the door Mr. Mitchell indicated for the others to take a seat "The tribunal will see you first Dr. Rayne" he stated that same smug grin upon his face.

Knocking on the door, Derek looked back at the others before entering.

Inside the darkened room Derek silently moved to the seat in the centre, he had been through this before and so knew the procedure. Sitting he looked at the shadowy figures before him "Dr. Rayne, you understand why we have called you here?" questioned a voice.

Derek nodded in response "You wish to question me about what happened at the San Francisco and  whether Nick Boyle could possible have been involved in it. Probably you also wish to discuss Mr. Boyle's disappearance from this house last night"

"Correct" replied another voice "We would like to begin with what happened last night. As Mr. Boyle is currently being interviewed by the police we will have to wait to hear his side, but you where also instructed to remain within the confined of this house. Yet you and your associates disobeyed those orders and left the house without a word"

"That's correct, however we had no choice two lives where at risk" replied Derek as he looked at the shadow's, he knew most of the people sat upon the tribunal but was not allowed to acknowledge that "Mr. Boyle did not leave this house voluntarily, he was taken by force. Also  Katherine Corrigan was abducted from the house in which she was awaiting us"

"To what purpose?" one of the figures questioned from the shadows.

"It appears as if they intended to use Nick as a sacrifice... And Kat appeared to be under the high priest's control"

"Why should anyone want to use Mr. Boyle as a sacrifice?"

"It would appear that 300 years ago, someone within Mr. Boyle's family made a deal with the devil, which the devil wanted repaid"

"As for Miss Corrigan, why would someone wish to abduct her?"

"As you may know from my reports Miss Corrigan has a great psychic potential, this potential has been growing with each passing day. To anyone she is a very valuable asset. Her powers have the potential to be turned for good or evil, as long as she is within the San Francisco Legacy House, we have the opportunity the help tailor her powers for good"

"We acknowledge that Miss Corrigan has great potential and that dark forces would try to gain control over her potential, but we are still confused as to why these dark forces felt the need to abduct Nicholas Boyle from this house"

"Well I can not say for sure what they where thinking I can only speculate, but Nick and Kat have become very close over the years... Perhaps they felt that with using Nick as their sacrifice they would help ensure Kat's commitment to their order."

"That is a strong possibility" agreed a female member of the tribunal. Studying the shadowy form's Derek found himself putting names to the voices and hands, he knew almost everyone on the tribunal, and so he was sure that they would listen to him openly.

"I believe that someone within this house aided in the abduction of Nicholas Patrick Boyle from this house, with the amount of security it is highly unlikely that anyone could abduct him without prior knowledge of the layout of this house" stated Derek.

He could hear whispered comments from the tribunal members many of them agreeing with him, shifting he watched as one of the tribunal members began to play with his Precepts ring.

"Shall we move on?" questioned another of the tribunal members "Dr. Rayne has present us with a satisfactory explanation of Mr. Boyle's and the disappearance of the others from this house last night... Now I think we should move on to the occurrence of a few months ago" there where sounds of agreement from everyone upon the tribunal. "Dr. Rayne we see here from the report you submitted that you left the San Francisco House to participate in the Legacy exchange program.  However if my memory serve's me correctly Mr. Boyle was supposed to be taking part in the exchange program"

"That is correct" replied Derek "I took it upon myself to participate in the exchange program... After corresponding with the prior Phoenix House Precept for many years I knew that the house contained many books of value that might aid my own house in its research"

"So you decided without consulting anyone within the ruling house to go on the exchange program? Is that correct?"

"That is correct. However as you already know the exchange problem did not go as planned. Whilst we where flying back to Phoenix I began to suspect that something was wrong, when I attempted to contact the San Francisco House my cellular phone was confiscated by the members of the Phoenix house upon the plane" stated Derek. "When the plane landed at an abandoned air strip in the desert I was informed by the Phoenix House members that they wished to have as they put it 'A little sport'. Shortly after they instructed me to remove my shirt and my shoes and gave me a 1 hour head start before they began the 'hunt'"

"Are you tell us Dr. Rayne that members of the Phoenix house where and possibly are engaged in hunting down humans?" questioned one of the men on the tribunal.

Derek nodded "That is correct. They where rather disappointed that Nick had not gone on the exchange program, but they thought my 'special abilities' might give them an interesting hunt" he stated.

From the tribunal he again heard whispered comments "Dr. Rayne we understand that a situation such as the one you found yourself in is traumatic, but we need you to describe in as much detail as you can, exactly what happened out in the desert."

For a moment Derek felt uncomfortable describing in detail what had happened out in the desert, but he knew that they needed to know so that the members of the Phoenix House who where responsible could be dealt with.

------------------------------------------------------------

Sat outside the room in which the tribunal had convened Rachel and Alex glanced at each other; they wanted to know what was going on inside that room but they where also worried about Nick down at the police station.

Kat sat between them fidgeting, she hated having to wait outside the room with no idea what was being said inside. Looking up and down the hall she tried to see if there was anything that she might do that would help take her mind of the situation her friend was in. Standing she started to wonder down the hall.

"Where are you going Kat?" questioned her mother.

Kat stopped and looked back at the "I'm just going to get a drink mom" she called back as she turned and continued down the hallway. Wondering down the hall she looked into the rooms as she passed them, she could see people working away in their offices but no one caught her interest.

"Can I help you dear?" questioned a young woman as she watched her

"I'm looking for a vending machine so I can get a drink?"

"Come on I'll show you the way, its just down here" said the woman as she lead Kat down the corridor and around a corner "We don't have any vending machines in the house, but we do have a fridge filled with soft drinks."

"A fridge?" questioned Kat looking at her confused. The young woman smiled as she opened the fridge "Ah the icebox" grinning Kat looked at the collection of soda. As she removed a can she looked at the young woman

"You worked here long?" she questioned as she sat at the table and opened the can. Smiling the young woman sat with her "Only a few months, I was transferred in from the Edinburgh House"

"So what you think, what's it like working at the London House?"

"It's OK I guess, well don't tell anyone I said this but... This house is ok as long as you stay clear of that Mitchell guy"

"You don't like him?" questioned Kat confused. The young lady shook her head as she also sat down "He creep's me out, that man is just weird" she stated.

Chapter 15:

Within the tribunal room Derek relayed his experiences in the desert, he was uncomfortable discussing those events, in fact he was uncomfortable even thinking about those events, let alone talking about them.

Shifting in his seat he watched the members of the tribunal as they listened to him relate the events in the desert. "When the plane landed in the desert the leader of the group informed me that I was being given a one hour head start on the hunters and was advised to use it effectively. After being forced to remove my shoes and shirt I headed in the direction I felt was most likely to find some sign on civilisation. However the hunters where soon on my trail, they had dogs which must have been waiting for them at the airstrip.  In the desert I had no way of distracted the dogs from my trail, my only hope was to put enough distance between myself and the dogs so that I would have a chance of escape," he stated.

He could see some of the members of the tribunal where uncomfortable listening to what he had been through "Dr. Rayne we understand that you must be uncomfortable talking about your experiences. We will try to get this over with as quickly as possible" stated a female member of the tribunal.

Derek nodded and continued "After climbing the wall of the canyon I was able to by myself some more time, in the distance I could see what appeared to be a shack. As it was the only thing in sight I decided to head towards it" standing he began to pace the room, trying to walk of the anger he felt growing within himself.

"It took several hours to reach the shack, actually it was an old filling station I had to break my way in, thankfully there was a telephone inside, and it was by some grace of God still working. I tried to contact Nick but the lines to the San Francisco House where down so I contacted Taylor Lambert at the San Diego House"

"Why didn't you try and contact another member of the San Francisco House?" questioned on of the members of the tribunal.

Derek stopped his pace and turned to look at the shadowy figures "Considering what was happening, I didn't believe contact Rachel Corrigan was a very good idea and with Alex Moreux on Angel Island she was out of contact. Which only left me the San Diego House" he explained.

"After contacting Taylor Lambert I had to find a place to hide while I waited Tanya to arrive"

"How long did it take for Tanya to arrive?" questioned one of the members

"I'm not sure exactly how long it took, an hour perhaps two" he replied as he again sat down. "While I was waiting the hunters found the filling station, I had already barricaded the doors  so they couldn't get inside, so they decided to take pot shots into the building. Thankfully I was concealed behind the old service desk so none of the bullets where able to reach me, however the hunters where becoming frustrated and tried to break down the door. They tried to break in via the windows but the owner of the filling station must have been paranoid or something as all the windows had bars on them."

"So with the hunters outside and you locked within the filling station what happened?"

"The began to unload their weapons into the filling station, the shots came from all around, so I believe they had surrounded the building" stated Derek. "Through the sounds of the gun fire I heard the distant sound of a helicopter, I believed it to be more of the hunters. When the hunters opened fire again it was not at the building in which I was hiding, they had begun to fire upon the helicopter, that's when I knew that the helicopter was not more of them arriving."

"I take it Tanya was in the helicopter?" questioned one of the members

"That's correct Tanya, and a friend of hers named Jackson had come to my rescue"

"So Tanya and this man called Jackson opened fire upon the hunters?"

"That's correct, with the helicopter above them opening fire upon them the hunters quickly retreated" stated Derek "When they landed and I was sure that the hunters where gone I went outside. It was then that Tanya informed me of what was happening at the San Francisco House"

"And what exactly did Tanya tell you?"

"She told me that Nick had triggered the panic button that had recently be installed. She also told me that Taylor and Commode where heading to the house to check on him. Taylor had sent Wil to Rachel's house to ensure that she and Kat where all right".

He heard members of the tribunal whispering between themselves "So after being rescued what did you do?"

"Tanya had Jackson fly me directly to Angel Island" he replied.

Again he heard whispers from the tribunal "Do you have anything further to add?"

"When I arrived at Angel Island I was met by Commode and Taylor, they informed me of what had happened. When I entered the control room I was shocked to see the state it was in, from the destruction and blood it was clear that Nick had tried to stop the information from being stolen. Taylor told me that Nick had been flown directly to the hospital so Tanya and Jackson flew me there."

"What was Mr. Boyle's condition when you arrived?"

"When I arrived Nick was in surgery, he had suffered internal injuries and was in a coma" stated Derek.

------------------------------------------------------------

Outside the room, Rachel and Alex exchanged glances "How do you think it's going in there?" questioned Alex.

Rachel shrugged "I don't know, I'm more concerned with how things are going for Nick down at the police station"

"No sweat there Rachel" came Nick's tired by confident voice as he sat down next to her

"How did it go?" questioned Alex as she moved to sit at Nick's other side.

He smiled at her "They found some prints on the body, they took mine compared them and found they didn't match so they let me go" he explained.

Rachel smiled and took a firm hold of his hand; gently squeezing it "So where's Derek?" questioned Nick "And Kat?"

"Kat's down the hall getting something to drink, and Derek. Well he's in there" as she spoke she pointed towards the tribunal room.

Nick sighed and nodded with understanding "How long has he been in there?"

"About an hour" replied Alex.

Standing again Nick started towards the door "Nick what are you doing?" questioned Rachel as she too stood

"There's been something bothering me for the last day or two, something about one of the voices in there" as he stood beside the door, he listened but couldn't hear anything.  Shaking his head he moved back over to the chairs and sat down. Rachel looked at him questioningly "I know, I'm probably imagining it, but one of the voices on the tribunal sounded like the voice I heard at  Angel Island, the night Tony Barstall..." He broke off and looked at them. "Never mind, I'm probably grasping at straws"

"Explain to us what your thinking Nick, we might be able to help" suggested Alex as she watched him.

Sitting back down Nick rubbed his hand over his face, then rested his head against the wall behind him "When I was in there with the tribunal yesterday, one of the voices was familiar. It was as if I had heard the voice before but I couldn't place where, I thought it might have been that night, but I'm wasn't sure."

"You thought the voice might have been the person Tony Barstall was talking to?" questioned Rachel her eyes now wondering over to the door behind which Derek was talking to the tribunal.

Nick nodded and sat forward "Yeah, but now... Now I'm not sure," he admitted as he looked first at Alex, then at Rachel.

Rubbing his back Rachel tried to offer him as much support as possible "You'll figure it out Nick, come on you want to help me look for Kat?" she questioned, he smiled at her and stood.

"Sure kitty Kat has been gone quiet some time" he agreed "So which way did she go?"

Smiling Rachel stood as well "I last saw her heading that way" glancing back at Alex she saw the younger woman wave them on.

"I'll wait here in case Derek comes out" she replied smiling. Nick nodded and they headed down the hall to find Kat.

Chapter 16:

---Unknown Location:---

Ken sat watching their captive, he and his men where awaiting word from Derek and the others to contact them and tell them it was time to bring there captive in for questioning.  Standing he moved over to the captive his anger at what this man had been willing to do to Nick clear upon his face "If it had been me on that cross and not Nick, I wouldn't have been so forgiving"

"Forgiving, you think what is going to happen to me is going to be anything close to forgiving" commented the high priest as he stared at Ken.

Crouching down before him Ken grinned "Anything those guys in London do to you is certain to be more forgiving then what me and my men want to do to you"

"Anything you or your men do to me is going to be nothing compared to what is going to happen to me when my people get a hold of me again". Glaring into the man's eyes for a moment Ken slowly got to his feet and walked over to where Jackson and Paddy stood "He saying anything?" questioned Jackson

"Nothing of use to me or Nick" replied Ken as he sat on a crate "That guy would rather let us deal with him than let his own people get his hands on him"

"Well considering what those guys are into, I'm not really surprised" replied Paddy as he handed Ken a cup of coffee "You saw what they where going to do to the kid. You think they are gonna go gently on some high priest who failed to hand over their prize to the devil?"

"Good point" agreed Jackson "We'd better start thinking of a way to get off this island when they've finished with the kid in London. I'm betting these guys aren't just gonna let the kid walk away, he knows to much"

"If Jackson's right we should warn Richard that someone may try something" stated Paddy "I mean we didn't spend all that time getting the kid back to health just have some jerk stab him in the back or something like that"

"I agree, we should warn Richard, but we need to do this covertly. We have no idea who is in on this" stated Ken.

Nodding agreement, Paddy and Jackson moved to stand watch over the high priest while Ken headed into the city to warn Richard and Natalie.

---Ruling House: LONDON---

When Derek left the tribunal he was pleased to see Nick sat with the others in the hall waiting for him, seeing Nick he smiled "You ok?" he questioned.

Nick nodded and glanced at the now closing door "How about you?"

Nick knew what the tribunal would have been asking him about, he knew that it was something Derek did not like to talk about. "Yeah I'm fine" replied Derek as he sat down "Alex they want to talk to you next" he said a smiled crossing his face as he saw Kat leaning against Nick's side, clearly fast asleep.

Seeing Derek's grin, Nick looked down and smiled "So how do you think it went?" he questioned.

Derek watched as Alex headed into the room and shook his head "I don't know Nick, they didn't give me any clue's"

"What did they ask you?" questioned Rachel.

Derek glanced at Nick before answering "They asked me about what happened in the desert, they wanted to know why I had gone on the exchange program instead of Nick who has original been assigned to go."

At Derek's remark Nick raised an eyebrow "I was supposed to go?" he questioned.

Derek looked at the floor for a moment then nodded "Yeah Mitchell assigned you to the exchange program, but I knew that the Phoenix house held some books that might be useful to us. So I decided to go myself" finally raising his head to look at Nick. Derek was surprised to see the look of understand upon Nick's face.

"So instead of getting to raid the Phoenix House for new research material you ended up being hunted" commented Nick a slight smile playing across his face "Seems like a good trade to me" he commented grinning.

Derek grinned back, then suddenly became somber "Of course if you'd gone on that exchange program none of us would probably be around anymore".

Nick raised an eyebrow in confusion so Derek explained his reasoning "If you'd gone on that plane Alex and I would have been left to deal with Mr. Barstall and I'm not sure I could have stopped him from killing Alex or I".

Nick bowed his head, he looked up when he felt Rachel take a firm hold of his hand "It's true Nick, Alex told me that she didn't sense anything from him, she had no idea that there was any danger from him. If Derek had been there he probably would not have picked up on it either. But your specialised training told you something was wrong with the man and you acted upon that, you saved Alex"

"Maybe" replied Nick

"No maybe Nick, you saved her there is no doubt in my mind" stated Rachel as she squeezed his hand.

Derek nodded his agreement "Plus you saved me in a twisted kind of way" he commented, both Nick and Rachel looked at him questioningly "Well if it hadn't been for Nick's incessant remarks about my observational skills I would never have noticed that filling station".

Nick smiled and shook his head "Unbelievable" commented Nick as he sat back in his chair.

------------------------------------------------------------

Sat within the tribunal room Alex watched as the tribunal members shifted papers across the desk to each other "Miss Moreux, we understand that the last few days have been rather stressful for you, we would like to discuss the events of yesterday. Also the events that transpired at the San Francisco House a few months ago"

"All right" replied Alex as she made herself more comfortable in the chair "Where would you like me to begin?"

"Let us begin with the events of yesterday, what inspired yourself and the other members of your house to leave?" questioned a female member of the tribunal.

Shifting in her seat Alex began to relay what had happened "When we discovered Nick had vanished we where sure that it had not been by his own choice, there where certain pieces of evidence that proved he had left by force. Then when he contacted the person who was looking after Katharine Corrigan while we where here she informed us the Kat had also disappeared"

"Kat?" questioned a male member of the tribunal

"Katharine... We call her Kat for short" replied Alex "Well with these two disappearances and the vision I had experienced a few days before hand. We knew we had to act fast"

"What exactly did you see in your vision?"

"I saw Nick crucified upon a wooden cross on the top of a stack of burning wood, Kat was stood at the base, she looked as if she was in some kind of a trance"

"So taking into account the vision, Mr. Boyle's disappearance and that of Katharine Corrigan you decided that you had sufficient grounds to go against this tribunal's orders and leave the house?"

"That's correct" replied Alex.

To Alex's surprise the male member of the tribunal who had asked the question stated "I agree, in my opinion you did have sufficient cause to leave this house" there where mutterings of agreement from the other members of the tribunal.

"Very well, now I think we should move on to the real reason this tribunal was called" stated one of the female members of the tribunal "Miss Moreux will you please relay to us your experiences of the 13th June 1999"

"When Mr. Barstall arrived at the house everything appeared to be normal enough, however Nick quickly began to become suspicious of him"

"Had you sensed anything malevolent about Mr. Barstall?"

"No, and I told Nick that when he came to me about his suspicions. He had already asked Rachel to take Kat of the island, he informed me that he would have asked me to leave as well but he had been unable to think of a reasonable excuse. So instead he simply asked me to go"

"Isn't that rather unusual?" questioned one of the male members "Why would Mr. Boyle ask you and Dr. Corrigan to leave if he suspected Mr. Barstall?"

"You have to know Nick, he's very protective of everyone within that house.  He had no way of proving his suspicions, but everything about him was telling him that the man posed a threat, he wanted to ensure our safety. He remained on the island to try and prevent Mr. Barstall from doing anything that might jeopardise the Legacy"

"So Mr. Boyle remained on the island to ensure that the information within the Legacy database remained in the right hands?"

"That's correct, you see with Nick his first priority is to our safety his second is to the Legacy. Once he had ensured we where safe, protecting the Legacy database became his top priority"

"We have here statements from Miss Lambert and Mr. Lucain stating the condition of the house upon their arrival, unfortunately by the time they arrived Mr. Barstall had already left. However we will be unable to bring Mr. Barstall up on formal charges as I understand he was found dead shortly after your arrival here in London". A knock at the door took everyone by surprise and one of the members of the tribunal signalled the secretary who was taking notes to go answer the door.

Watching Alex saw the secretary open the door and lean outside to talk to someone, when they finished talking the door was again closed and the secretary moved back to the tribunal members to tell them what was said.

After a few minutes of whispered conversation between the tribunal members "It has been brought to our attention Miss Moreux that you and your associates where able to capture the man whom attempted to crucify and burn Mr. Boyle"

"That's correct, he is being held in a secure location until he is to be presented to this tribunal" she replied

"Why did you not bring him here when you and your associates returned to this house?" questioned one of the female members of the house.

Alex shifted uncomfortable in her chair "Due to the fact that Mr. Boyle was removed from this house without rousing any suspicion with security we felt that there was a strong chance that should we have brought the man here. He too would have vanished before the tribunal would have had the opportunity to talk to him"

"Are you implying that someone within this house may have been responsible for Mr. Boyle's disappearance?" questioned one of the members 

"As the ruling house, this house has the highest level of security yet Nick was still able to be abducted from this house without anyone triggering security" she stated.

Again murmurs where heard from the members of the tribunal "I therefore assume you have a way of contacting who ever is holding this man, so that they might bring him to this house?"

"That is correct, are you requesting that we have him moved here?" she questioned.

For a moment no one answered her, she could again see pieces of paper being pushed over the desk to other members of the tribunal "How long do you think it will take to have this man moved here?" questioned one of the female members.

Alex glanced at her watch for a moment "Probably about 2 hours" she replied.

"Very well Miss Moreux, this tribunal will recess for 3 hours to allow this man to be brought to the house for questioning" with that said the members of the tribunal stood and left the room, leaving Alex alone.

As the door the tribunal had left by closed Alex stood and turned to leave, as her hand touched the doorknob she was hit by a vision.

'Whispered comments filled the room Nick was sat within the chair she had just left; a hand came to rest upon his shoulder.

Moments later she heard a low groan, at first she thought it was a result of the hand upon his injured shoulder but his eyes moved to look at the high priest who now lay slumped on the floor motionless, a puddle of blood quickly spreading across the floor.'

Shivering Alex pulled open the door and headed out into the hall where the others awaited her "How did it go in there?" questioned Derek as he stood making room for her to sit down "They want us to get the high priest here. The tribunal is in recess for the next three hours" she replied. Derek noticed a moment's hesitation in her movements and looked at her questioningly. She didn't answer his glance instead she started to move down the hall "Come on, after we call Ken what you all say we get something to eat?"

---Unknown Location:---

Ken received the call from Derek and began to prepare the high priest for the move to the city; they already had most of the preparations completed. They had known that sometime during the day Derek, Nick or Richard would call asking them to bring the high priest to the London House. As Jackson brought the car into the warehouse Ken and Paddy pulled the high priest to his feet "Come on, time for you to go on a little trip" stated Ken as he pushed the man towards the waiting car.

Chapter 17:

---Ruling House: LONDON---

After eating, the members of the San Francisco House returned to the ruling house. Derek had tried to talk to Alex on several occasions during the meal, but the young woman had danced around his questions.  Letting the others go ahead of them Derek took a firm hold of Alex's arm and stopped her "Alex?" he questioned turning her to look at him, she sighed realising that she couldn't dance around the subject any longer.

Looking up the hall at where Nick, Rachel and Kat now sat outside the tribunal room again she looked back at Derek "When I was leaving the tribunal after they called the recess... I had a vision" she stated.

Derek looked at her concerned and confused as to why she hadn't mentioned it before "What did you see?" he questioned.

He could see she was uncomfortable but he knew that they needed to know what she had seen "Nick was sat in the tribunal room, the high priest was there as well. I heard a groan and looked at Nick, but it wasn't him who had uttered the groan, it was the high priest as I looked at him I saw the flash of a blade as he collapsed to the floor"

"Did you see who killed the high priest?" questioned Derek; Alex shook her head and sighed as her eyes travelled back to the group ahead of them "No all I could see was the blade.  The holder disappeared back into the shadows" she replied sadly "Everything happened so fast I couldn't even tell you if the murder is a man or a woman" she added.

Derek nodded and led her back over to the chairs where Nick was sat watching them very closely. As they sat down with the others Nick looked at them both questioningly, but neither would meet his look so he knew that something was going on.

Standing Nick paced the hall, his eyes drifting over to Derek and Alex as he passed them. Rachel was looking at him with some concern. She knew that he wasn't over the withdrawal symptoms yet, he was simply refused to give in to it, and his complexion told her that despite his denial he was in some pain from his shoulder.

Suddenly from further down the hall, they heard movement, turning they saw Ken and Jackson marching up the hall the high priest no longer in his ceremonial clothes walking between them. Derek stood to greet them, while Nick continued his pacing of the hall.

"Thanks Ken, you guys going to hang around for a bit?" questioned Derek as two members of the house's security took the high priest away.

Ken nodded at Derek but his eyes where watching Nick as he paced the hall, sitting down in Nick's empty seat Ken made it clear that he was not going to leave until the tribunal was clear. Glancing at Jackson he smiled at seeing the man stood leaning against the wall "You know, this place is a piece of cake to get into" commented Jackson catching Nick's attention.

Nick stopped his pacing and looked up and down the halls, suddenly aware of the fact that the hallway was empty something that rarely happened in the London House.

Glancing at Ken and Jackson, Nick reached for his gun but it wasn't there.  Ken raised an eyebrow at Nick's actions and stood moving over to talk to the young man "What's up kid?" he questioned seeing Nick's eyes scanning each of the closed doorways as if searching for an unseen attacker.

Nick shook his head and started to move down the hallway. As he did he felt Ken slip a gun into his sling, he smiled at the older man as he continued to move down the hall way searching for the reason everyone had vanished from the house at the same time.

Derek and Alex exchanged confused glances, knowing that Nick wouldn't give them the answer's they where looking for they looked to Ken and Jackson to explain what was going on "Ken?" questioned Derek in a low voice.

Ken pointed up and down the hall "Where did everyone go?" he questioned in a hushed voice. Suddenly noticing what they where referring too as well Derek moved to stand beside Kat.

As Nick reached the end of the hall he could hear the sound of distant voices, with his hand hidden within the sling holding the gun he rounded the corner to find three young woman stood talking and giggling.  When they saw him all three blushed and separated to go back to their work.

Grinning and shaking his head he turned and headed back to the others, as he did more people appeared in the hall several carrying files. As he reached the others he smiled and slipped down into his chair "I must be getting paranoid in my old age" he commented

"Hey don't knock it kid, paranoia keeps you on your toes" stated Ken grinning as he patted Nick's good shoulder.

Nick nodded his agreement then smiled when Jackson commented "Hell after all you've been through kid, a little paranoia is actually a very healthy thing"

"Actually he's right Nick" stated Rachel smiling as she held her daughter "After everything you've been through I'd worry if you hadn't become a little paranoid"

"Thanks Rachel... I think" replied Nick grinning.

She smiled back, but her smile quickly vanished when she saw the door to the tribunal room open and the secretary stick his head outside "Mr. Boyle, the tribunal is ready to continue".

Looking at his friends Nick acknowledged the words of reassurance and comfort from them before heading back into the room.

Chapter 18:

Nick sat in the chair he had been in the day before and watched as one by one the tribunal members entered the room. As before the room was cast in shadows keeping him from seeing the faces of the people who in the next few hours would decided the rest of his life, whether he would remain within the Legacy and fight evil as he had committed himself to for so many years. Or whether all that would come to an end.

As the last member of the tribunal took his seat Nick watched them closely; he had to listen to the voices, he had to be sure if he was right, was one of these people involved in the theft from the San Francisco House. He knew he had to be sure before he made any kind of accusation against them.

"Mr. Boyle this tribunal wishes to convey to you its outrage at what happened to you" stated a female member of the tribunal; Nick just nodded his acknowledgement "Security informs us that the man primarily responsible for your abduction and attempted murder. Has been handed over and is now ready to be presented to this tribunal" continued the female member of the tribunal.

Nick again nodded, his eyes wondering over to the door by which the high priest would enter. As the door opened Nick could feel his body become tense, even with the two big Legacy security men, Nick still do not feel comfortable having the high priest so close especially with Kat on the other side of the door behind him. Nick watched in silence as the high priest was led into the room, on either side of him where two security officers, "What is your name?" questioned one of the male members of the tribunal.

The high priest did not respond he simply stood glaring at Nick, his eye's never leaving the seated man before him.

"If you will, I know this man, he is a current member of this organisation" stated Nick as he stood and walked over to the high priest, the comfort of having the gun hidden within his sling reassuring him.

Several members of the tribunal began to whisper amongst themselves "Mr. Boyle I take it you know this man?" questioned one of the male members of the tribunal.

Nick nodded as he stood before the man "I know him both as a druid high priest and as the Security chief of the Phoenix house"

"It is my understanding that the security chief of the Phoenix house is Mr. Collin Black?" questioned one of the female members.

Again Nick nodded "That is correct" stated Nick as he moved back to his seat and sat down.

Whispering filled the room as the tribunal talked amongst themselves "I find it ironical that yet again the Phoenix House members have been brought before this tribunal directly involved in savage attacks against members of the San Francisco House" stated the same female member of the tribunal.

As he sat Nick looked at the shadowy figures that where the members of the tribunal, again he noticed one of the members playing with his ring, obviously nervous about something. The high priest remained silent, as he stood surrounded by the security members.

"Might I also suggest that Mr. Black here could possibly be the man responsible for the death of Mr. Mitchell's secretary last night" stated Nick.

Even as he finished speaking he was suddenly aware of something moving towards him at high speed, turning he was struck upon his dislocated shoulder by Collin Black who had quickly broken free of the security guards and had launched an attack upon him.

As he hit the floor he felt fire explode within his shoulder, all around him he could hear people shouting as Black continued his assault, kicking and punching him as he lay unable to move on the floor. He knew that the security guards where trying to pull Black off of him, but as another punch struck him Nick began to lose consciousness.

As the security officers grabbed Black and pulled him off of Nick, several of the females members of the tribunal moved to check on Nick, he had several cuts on his face both from the blows and the fall.

One of the female members looked at the security members "Get that piece of trash out of here, and stick your head outside and get Dr. Corrigan in here" she stated.

The security members began to drag Collin Black from the room but as they did the man pulled a gun, sucker punching one of the security members he aimed his gun at Nick, but before he could pull the trigger he groaned and dropped to the floor. As he collapsed everyone was shocked to see a knife perturbing from the back of Collin Black.

As Rachel entered the tribunal room she was shocked to see the man lying face down on the floor. At first her fear rose believing it to be Nick "Over here doctor" called one of the female members of the tribunal as she knelt next to Nick, cradling his head upon her lap.

Ignoring the motionless body upon the floor she rushed over to where Nick lay, as she knelt at his side she quickly checked his pulse and began to do some damage assessment.

Again the door opened and this time instead of Derek or another member of the Legacy entered, Rachel was surprised to see Detective Constable Jamerson enter along with numerous police officers.

Crouched next to Nick she heard the detective ordering instructions to the other police officers as he joined her at Nick's side "Is Mr. Boyle all right?" questioned the detective seeing the slow trickle of blood running from the side of Nick's head.

"He's unconscious, his shoulder has been re-dislocated and I suspect he has a concussion" replied Rachel as she began to assess for other injuries.

"Call 999 and have an ambulance sent here immediately, also call the station and have SOCO get down here, we have another murder" shouted the detective looking at the gathered members of the Legacy within the room.

Forced to wait outside the tribunal room Derek and the others paced anxiously, they had heard the detective call for an ambulance and the scenes of crime officer, but no one was talking to them, they had no idea who inside that room had been injured and who was dead.

Alex looked at Derek with concern her mind flashing back to the vision she had had a few hours earlier.  What if her vision had been wrong, what if it was actually Nick who lay dead in there and someone else was injured.

Moving towards the door anxious to find out if Nick was all right she was stopped by one of the police officers "I'm sorry miss, but you can't go in" he said

"Officer my friends are in there I have to know if they are all right" she pleaded, but the officer didn't move

"If you and the others will wait down the hall. I will see what I can do about finding out what is happening," he said as he pointed down to hall towards the rest room Kat had been talking to the young woman in.

Reluctantly they followed the police officers instructions and headed down to the rest room to await news.

Ken and Jackson paced the small room while Alex, Derek and Kat sat around the table "They called Rachel in that means someone must have been hurt" stated Alex anxiously as she spoke Kat took a firm grip of her hand

"It's ok Alex, Nick's ok... I'm sure of it," she said as she squeezed the woman's hand.

Derek nodded in agreement as he took a hold of her other hand "Kat's right, your vision showed the high priest being stabbed in the back, not Nick" he stated.

She nodded but her eyes showed her uncertainty "What if I was wrong?" she questioned, but Derek and Kat both held her hands tightly

"Your not wrong Alex we're sure of it" they both stated in unison.

---------------------------------------------------------**

Back in the tribunal room, Rachel had completed her preliminary examination of Nick, he had some bruising to his rib cage that might imply either cracked or broken ribs, but she could find no signs of any internal injuries, which was a good sign.

Detective Jamerson watched as Rachel began to slowly coax Nick back to consciousness, "Come on Nick, time to wake up" she whispered as she gently stroked her hand down his face.

With a low groan he began to come round, slowly turning onto his side away from the pain in his chest "There we go, come on Nick" Rachel encouraged, as he groaned he slowly opened his eyes to look at her.

She could see the pain in his eyes and wanted to get him to the hospital so they could carry out a complete examination. "There we go" she said as she held his head upon her lap "Nick how many fingers am I holding up?" she questioned as she held up three fingers.

He stared at her fingers for a moment as if trying to figure out how many.  "You're either holding up three fingers or boy Rachel you got hyperactive fingers" he replied smiling up at her.

She smiled back and lightly hit his good shoulder "We'll you seem to be feeling better" he tried to sit up but groaned his head falling back down into her lap, looking up at her with pain filled eyes he muttered.

"I think I'm gonna stay right here, after all this isn't too bad"

Rachel smiled down at him "Maybe you should stay put until the paramedics get here" she suggested.

He started to object but when he moved pain laced through his shoulder informing him that, moving at this time was not a smart thing to be doing. Looking around the room he caught sight of the body his eyes instantly moving to look at Rachel and the detective stood behind her "What... What happened?"

"Seems Mr. Black murdered Mr. Johnson before he himself was murdered in this room a few minutes ago" stated the detective.

Nick raised an eyebrow and looked at Rachel, she just shook her head unable to answer his unspoken question "Well I hope you don't think I did it detective" commented Nick.

Detective Johnson shook his head "Not this time Mr. Boyle, several of the people within the room informed us that moments before you had been the intended victim of Mr. Black and that you where unconscious when Mr. Black was stabbed in the back"

"So who do I thank for saving my life?" questioned Nick looking around the now illuminated room at the faces of the tribunal members.

The detective ran his hand through his head "I wish I knew, everyone who was present in the room at the time is here, and no one seemed to see who stabbed Mr. Black" admitted the detective.

Before Nick could ask anymore questions the paramedics arrived ending his opportunity to find anything else out. As Rachel moved out of their way she kept close to Nick as they stabilised his shoulder and loaded him onto the stretcher.

After informing the paramedics that she was a doctor she was allowed to join Nick in the ambulance, as they carried him down the halls of the London House Derek, Alex, Kat, Ken and Paddy where awaiting them. Stopping the paramedics for a moment Nick smiled and took a hold of Alex's hand "You guys going to be ok without me?" he questioned squeezing her hand, she smiled and nodded

"Yeah we're going to be fine, what about you?" she questioned looking to Rachel for the answer.

Rachel nodded "He's going to be fine, he's a little banged up at the moment but he'll be fine"

"What about the tribunal?" questioned Derek looking back up the hall at the room in which the tribunal had been held.

Nick started to shrug but winced in pain "That'll teach me" he commented to himself as he ground his teeth together. The paramedic shook his head and looked at Rachel and his co-worker "If you'll excuse us we've got to get him to the hospital" with that said the paramedics started back down the hall wheeling Nick towards the waiting ambulance.

Rachel staid behind for a few minutes "Mr. Black, the high priest he's dead someone on the tribunal stabbed him in the back, but no one saw who it was" she explained looking at Derek. "I've got to go now if I want to go with him to the hospital" she said as she hugged her daughter then ran after the paramedics.

As Derek and the others stood watching as Nick was taken away. Derek felt a hand come to rest upon his shoulder and glanced around to see Thomas Milton one of the members of the tribunal stood behind him "Derek, any word on how Mr. Boyle is doing?" he questioned

"He appears to be fine, but they're taking him to hospital... His shoulder was re-dislocated when Mr. Black attacked him" stated Derek as they headed back into the rest room to await the police to release them so they could join Rachel at Nick's bedside in the hospital.

Mr. Milton followed them into the rest room and sat at the table with them "Tell Nick not to worry about the hearing, clearly he had no involvement in the theft and is obviously considered a target by the Legacy's enemies. Keep him safe Derek, that boy has a long future before him within the Legacy" with that said Mr. Milton left the rest room.

Derek smiled at Alex then suddenly noticed that Ken and Paddy had vanished, in their place stood Richard and Natalie. Confusion crossed Derek's face as he looked around for the two men but there was no sign of them, when he again looked back at Richard and Natalie they smiled and shrugged. "I don't think they wanted to hang around for the cops" stated Richard as he sat down next to Alex "And who can blame them in their line of work" he added smiling.

Derek nodded his agreement "It's not as if they can add anything to the detectives investigation anyway" he agreed.

Natalie smiled and looked at Kat "How are you doing kiddo?"

"Fine, they took Nick to the hospital" she replied sadly "But mom said he was going to be fine"

"That's good to know" she replied as the detective entered the room.  Looking at the small group assembled around the table he questioned "Did any of you witness what happened in the room?"

"No sir, we where all outside awaiting being called into the room for the hearing" stated Richard as he stood.

The detective looked at him questioningly "And you are?"

"Richard Wild, chief investigator for the Luna Foundation"

"And you miss?" questioned the detective looking at Natalie, who smiled and stood to shake the detectives hand

"Natalie Albright, I'm Mr. Wild's assistant" she replied.

Derek looked at Richard with a raised eyebrow; Richard just grinned and returned to his seat "So none of you saw anything that might aid us in our investigation?" questioned the detective.

Derek stood "As Mr. Wild said we where all outside the room at the time of the murder... Now if you're finished with us detective we'd like to go to the hospital and check on our friend".

Unable to think of an excuse to hold them the detective was forced to release them.

Conclusion:

---48 Hours later:---

Stood in the executive lounge of the airport Derek glanced across at Nick, his arm was held securely in the sling that was bound around his chest he appeared to be recovering well from his experience.

Smiling Derek noticed that Nick was watching him and raised a curious eyebrow as he moved to sit next to him again "So what you thinking about boss?" questioned Nick

"About how things could have easily turned out differently," admitted Derek as he sat watching Kat and Rachel watching the planes as they took off and landed.

Understanding what Derek meant Nick just nodded, he smiled when he felt Alex's hand come to rest on his good shoulder "Well I for one am just glad that everything worked out fine and that this is all over" she stated.

Derek nodded agreement.

"Hey you guys weren't going to leave without saying good bye where you?" questioned a voice from behind them.

Turning they all smiled at seeing Richard and Natalie "Hey Richie, Nat" Nick greeted them as he stood and moved to hug Natalie, she hugged him being careful of his shoulder

"Hey Nick, how's the shoulder?" questioned Richard as he shook Nick's hand.

Nick grinned, "It'll be ok, of course I'm not looking forward to having Rachel hovering over me for the next couple of days" he replied having seen Rachel and Kat approaching.

"I heard that tough guy" agreed Richard smiling "Course it could be worse, you could have Derek fussing over you for the next few days" he added as he shook the precepts hand.

Nick grinned at the confused look Derek was giving him "True, Rachel sure is easier on the eyes" he agreed dodging Rachel's punch to his arm but jarring his shoulder in the process

"That will teach you" commented Kat.

Richard grinned and nodded agreement "If your gonna pass those kinds of comments kid, ya got to remember to give your self a decent head start" he grinned but quickly found himself wincing in pain as Natalie punched him in the arm

"You where saying?" questioned Natalie grinning at him.

Richard smiled back as he moved to stand next to Nick.

Derek greeted Natalie by hugging her "Thanks for coming to see us off. We'll be sure not to take it as if your making sure we do leave," he added smiling.

She smiled back at him then looked at Nick again "Nick, I think I have something that belongs to you" she commented as she reached into her pocket and handed him a small bracelet.

For a moment he didn't say anything his eyes remaining locked upon the bracelet within his hand "Where... Where did you get this?" he questioned looking at Natalie.

Richard moved to look at the bracelet as he did he looked at Natalie a smile playing across his face. She smiled at him and nodded "I believe you gave that to my sister after she crashed into your car and you walked 15 kilometres to the next town with her"

"Your sister?" he questioned his eyes drifting to Richard who was smiling at him, "I don't understand" he stated as he slipped into the seat behind him.

Confused Derek and Rachel looked from Nick to Natalie to Richard "Meredith was my sister" she explained as she sat next to him "She often spoke of the young SEAL whose car she crashed into out in the desert" she said as she placed her hand over his. "She said you gave her this as a memento of your time together" as she looked up at Richard she wasn't sure if his expression was one of jealousy or regret.

Nick also looked up at Richard "Rich... I"

"It's all right Nick, Mad often spoke of you to me as well. I know nothing sexual happened between you that night, she spoke of you more as her guardian angel, spending those hours with her, you empowered her to change her life" he stated taking the seat on his other side.

"She often said if she hadn't been distracted by your butt she would never have had the strength to get out of the abusive relationship she was in" stated Natalie grinning at Nick's obvious discomfort.

Richard raised an eyebrow "She never mentioned she was looking at his butt and that was why she crashed the car" he commented. Nick sat looking at him unable to think of the right thing to say.

Grinning Natalie commented "Well he does have a cute butt"

"Oh? I never noticed" replied Richard grinning, when they both looked at Nick he was bright red and squirming under their gaze. From across the row they heard Derek, Richard and Alex giggling and Kat was laughing outright.

Suddenly becoming serious Nick looked at Natalie and Richard "What... What happened to her?" he questioned as his fingers tightened around the bracelet. Richard placed his hand upon Nick's good shoulder as he replied in a remorseful voice "She drowned trying to save our little girl"

"Richard, I'm... I'm sorry," he said unable to formulate his thoughts into anything deeper than the pain he could see reflected in the man's eyes.

Richard sighed and pulled Nick into a hug "I owe you a great debt my friend, if it hadn't been for you I would never have fallen in love with her, you helped her make the changes she needed to make and I'll always be in your debt for that."

As they broke apart Derek stood "That's us" he said as their flight was announced over the speakers, standing Richard shook Derek's hand "You take care of him you hear" he said.

Derek nodded and smiled "I'll do my best but he does seem to have this knight in shinning armour thing"

"Well do your best, and if that armour should ever get a little tarnished, give me a call, I'll happily kick his butt back into order" stated Richard grinning, moments before he leaned back and looked at the seat of Nick's jeans "I don't know... I don't see anything unusual about his butt" he commented causing Nick to take a playful swipe at him.

Natalie caught his arm and pulled him into a hug whispering into his ear "It's a woman thing" again Nick turned bright red and buried his face in her shoulder

"Take care of yourselves, and if your ever in the neighbourhood"

"We'll drop by, we promise" replied Natalie stroking her hand across his chin  "Now you'd better get going or you'll miss your flight" she said as Richard slipped his arm around her waste pulling her to him.

Nick smiled and shook Richard's hand "You look after her you hear me" he said as they started down to the gate where their plane awaited them.

Following the others down the gangway to the plane he played with the bracelet in his hand "Nick?" questioned Alex as she waited for him to catch up.

He smiled at her "Yeah Alex?"

"You going to be ok?" she questioned as she slipped her arm around his waste.

He smiled at her and nodded "Yeah I'll be ok" he replied as they boarded the executive plane and prepared for take off.

As the plane soured into the air high above the clouds Nick stared out the window, his fingers still playing with the bracelet within his hand. He felt someone slip into the seat next to him and turned to see who it was. He was surprised to find Derek sat beside him "You all right Nick?"

"Yeah I'm fine Derek, just thinking" replied Nick as he continued to play with the bracelet. Derek watched him for a moment, then slipped the bracelet from his hand, instantly Nick looked at him a questioning look upon his face "Derek?" he questioned

"This means a lot to you?" questioned Derek as he examined the bracelet closer "It's beautiful" he admitted.

Nick smiled "That it is" he agreed as Derek handed the bracelet back to him.  "Mad and Natalie are almost identical" he commented

"I thought you looked like you had seen a ghost when they first arrived at the island" stated Derek as he watched his young friend "You want to talk about it?"

"What's to talk about, she slammed into my car, both her own and my car blew up and we ended up walking to the next town" replied Nick slightly defensively.

Derek raised an eyebrow "From they way Richard and Natalie where talking it ended up being more than that" he commented.

Nick sighed and sat back in his seat "We did some talking, and when we reached town I kind of helped her take care of her boyfriend"

"Kind of helped her take care of her boyfriend?" questioned Derek his mind racing through the possible meanings of that statement, given Nick's hot temper combined with youth Derek found himself imagining a young Nick giving the abusive boyfriend a taste of his own medicine.

Looking back at Nick he awaited his explanation "When we got back to the town it turns out to be her home town, she took me to her place so I could call the base and tell them what happened so they could send someone out to get me. While I was in the back room using the phone her boyfriend show's up and demands to know where the car is, she tells him she was in an accident. So instead of asking her if she was ok, weather she had been hurt he start's laying into her, telling her she had to pay for the car. And from what I heard he didn't intend for it to be cash, he wanted to take the value of the car out on her face" stated Nick his anger evident.

Derek watched him closely he knew that Nick was upset and rightly so "I take it you instructed the man on the finer art of conversation?" he questioned.

Nick grinned and nodded "Oh yeah, I took him to the school of hurt, pain 101" replied Nick releasing his fist as he felt the bracelet bight into his palm. "I gave her this before leaving with one of my SEAL buddies.  It has my service number on it so she could get in contact with me if she needed to" he explained as he dropped the bracelet into Derek's open palm so he could study it again "We kept in contact up until I left the SEALS. The last letter I got from her was telling me about this great man she had fallen for, a soldier" as he said that Nick grinned and looked at Derek "She didn't mention a name so I can only assume she meant Richard"

"It sounds to me like you two where destined to meet out there in the desert, you where supposed to help her turn her life around" commented Derek as he again gave Nick back the bracelet.

Nick nodded slowly, his fingers closing around the bracelet "I just wish I understood why she had to die, I would have liked to have seen her again, just once" he commented in a whispered voice.

"I can't answer that for you Nick, I don't know why she had to die, but she died trying to save the life of her child, that to me means something about the woman she had become".

Nick looked at him for a moment and nodded his agreement "It does, but it wasn't the woman she had become, it was the woman that had always been inside her, just buried by the years of abuse from her boyfriend" he replied.

Derek smiled "A woman you helped her become, you should take pride in that Nick, she used what remained of her life in the way it was supposed to have been, falling in love with the right man and giving that love to her child" he stated.

Sighing Nick looked at Derek his eyes glistening "I know your right Derek, just seeing Natalie brought back a few emotions I thought I had buried. I'll be ok though," he said reassuringly as he looked at the others who had gathered around his seat. He smiled at them before returning to starring out of the window at the passing clouds.

 

THE END.

 

 

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