( 6 )
The next morning Nick had gotten up early and slipped out of the room, extremely embarrassed that he'd crossed such a clear boundary… again. Natalya hadn't stirred at all, and when he found her again with Kat at the breakfast table she acted as though nothing had happened. Grateful, he poured himself a cup of coffee and pushed up to sit on the counter as the girls devoured their lurid cereal. Rachel and Alex entered after, pouring their own coffees and taking seats at the table.
"How is the case coming?" he forced himself to ask, even though he really wasn't interested. Alex stretched sore muscles and smiled wearily at him.
"Not getting far, actually. The records for the property only go back about a hundred years, so I'm having problems there…" she started, but no one really seemed to be paying attention.
"What's that?" Rachel asked sharply, and everyone was momentarily startled. When she received nothing but blank stares she motioned to Kat's wrist, where the stone bracelet hung. It was shining prettily in the light, and Kat's face lit into a sudden smile.
"It's Talya's. She's letting me borrow it." She explained simply, going back to her cereal and automatically exchanging her section of the paper with Natalya's without looking up again. Rachel watched the whole scene carefully, but in the back of her mind a million images exploded. Kat drinking and smoking, crashing cars and lashing out in violent outbursts. She clenched her hands tightly around the coffee mug and made some quiet plans.
After breakfast Natalya was headed to the library to help Alex. Electronic records only dated back so far, but she was willing to bet the immense Legacy library had at least a few clues about the haunted property. Besides, she didn't feel like she'd done much work since she got to the house, with all the time she was spending trying to ignore her visions and the pained tension with Nick. She allowed herself a moment to long for Paris, late nights with Celeste and Marie poring over dusty books. The Paris library was even bigger than the San Francisco one, and she missed it desperately. It was these thoughts that distracted her as she walked, so when a hand reached out and dragged her into the closet she was caught totally unaware. After the door had closed and her eyes adjusted she realized Nick was only inches away and was glad it was dark to cover the color she knew was rising in her cheeks.
"We need to talk." Nick told her, and she just nodded. When neither of them said anything else they broke into simultaneous grins.
"Good talk." She commented, and in the very next moment she was pressed up against the wall, Nick's lips on hers and a coat hook digging into her back. Ignoring the pain she kissed him back, hands finding a hold on his taut stomach. This kiss was nothing like the first, hard and fast. This kiss unfolded, with twelve years of pain and longing. They pressed as close as they could together, and just when she was starting to get dizzy from the lack of air a scream echoed through the house. They broke apart slowly, painfully, and finally Natalya nodded toward the door.
They were down the hall after the screams, stopping when they got to the room Kat had been staying in. The girl was on the floor digging frantically through a pile of clothes. Nick surveyed the room quickly, and when he didn't find an actual threat he felt his muscles relax just a little. Natalya was on the floor then, too, pulling the younger girl back away from the mess she was creating.
"Kat, stop. What's wrong?" she asked, but Kat had already pulled away and resumed her search. Rachel and Derek appeared then, looking slightly sheepish, and when Rachel realized the situation she was pushing past Natalya and struggling to pull Kat to her feet. Natalya stood again, moving back to where Nick was standing. They watched as Kat continued to fight Rachel, who finally got her up on the bed.
"I took it off to take a shower and now it's gone!" she screamed, finally pulling away and diving toward the nightstand to continue her search.
"What's gone?" Nick finally spoke up, and Kat barely paused to answer.
"The bracelet. Talya's bracelet…" Philip arrived then, surveying the whole scene with wide eyes. Natalya didn't look angry about the missing bracelet, more worried. Rachel was the only one who didn't look all that concerned, and she wrapped an arm around her daughter.
"I'm sure it will turn up, honey, but in the meantime we can't be ripping apart the house trying to find it." She soothed, but the words had no effect on Kat. The young girl stood and walked out of the room, leaving the five adults in an uncomfortable silence. Finally Philip turned to Natalya.
"You've got cobwebs in your hair." He told her, and she reached up to hastily comb them out. Nick tried to smoothly rid his own hair of the offending webbing, but Philip's eyes flickered over him anyway. There was a split second of knowing recognition that passed between them and a new coolness in Philip's eyes that Rachel had never seen before. Natalya was shifting uncomfortably and Derek was watching the whole scene closely. Philip was the one who left first, without a word. Natalya followed close behind and Nick, looking perturbed, went third. Derek and Rachel were left alone, then.
"Are you going to tell Kat?" he finally asked, and Rachel bit her lip.
"I'm not sure. She didn't take it very well the last time she caught us kissing." She replied, sitting down on the bed. Derek smiled a little at the memory. "Are you going to tell Natalya?"
"In order to do that, I'd actually have to get her to talk to me." He told her, features softening thoughtfully.
"I'm sure she'll come around." Rachel declared, ignoring the gnawing guilt growing in her stomach.
When Natalya finally caught up with Philip he had made it all the way out to the garden. The afternoon had grown cloudy and a chill was blowing up the hill off the water. He didn't slow when he realized she was following him, and didn't stop until he reached a small gathering of trees. When he turned she could see the look in his eyes and her brow furrowed involuntarily.
"Philip…" she started, but he quickly interrupted her.
"Is that how it's going to be, then? You're back for less than a week and already you're shacking up with Nick?" he asked, voice dropping dangerously. This was someone Natalya hadn't seen in a long time. It wasn't Philip Callahan, parish priest. This was the Philip she knew a long time ago, a Philip who was passionate above all things.
"I'm not shacking up." She answered, indignation clear in her voice. "Why are you so angry, anyway? You like Nick; he's practically your brother…"
"Listen, I don't care what you do with your time, but I think it's really stupid to be mixing business with pleasure." He tried, but Natalya wasn't buying it.
"I'm sure that's it, you just think I should be more professional." She told him, tone dripping with venom. He looked like she had struck him, and she felt her anger fading. "What's this really about?"
"It doesn't matter, does it? Nick is free to do what he wants, and so are you…" the sadness in his voice was obvious, and in an instant they were on the same page. Natalya sighed, and it felt like her heart was on fire.
"Your work is important. You know that…" she tried, but he was already walking away. "That was a long time ago, anyway."
He stopped and stood very still, before turning and walking back. When he came to a stop he was dangerously close, face just inches from hers. He stared at her for a long time before he leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"I might be a priest now, and it might have been a long time ago… but feelings like that don't just go away." He told her, pushing past and making his way back to the house. She was left alone on the lawn, wondering what she was going to do next.
In his bed that night, Nick was dreaming. It wasn't a particularly important dream; he'd had it many times before. He was sitting on the couch down in the den, watching some old action movie, and suddenly Natalya was by his side. She told a joke, they laughed, snuggling close. It was so real; he could practically smell her shampoo. He fought to stay asleep as he woke, but eventually he opened his eyes to the moonlit darkness of his room. The body in the bed next to him turned over, pressing their face into the pillow under his head. He considered for a moment whether he should fight or not, but soon realized why he had been able to smell Natalya's shampoo. She awoke with a sigh, opening her eyes slowly and staring at him quietly.
"You okay?" he asked gently, and she nodded.
"Couldn't sleep." She told him, and he couldn't help but smile.
"I thought you always read when you couldn't sleep." he teased, and she shrugged.
"I do other things, too…" she offered, and without any further invitation he kissed her, more gently than any of the kisses that had come before. After a moment he pulled away.
"You didn't leave all those years ago because I told you I loved you, right?" he asked, and Natalya's eyes grew serious.
"No, Nick. I certainly didn't." she answered, kissing him again. As if on cue a scream interrupted their kiss. Despite the fact that someone was in obvious danger Natalya smiled at Nick's obvious annoyance as they got out of the bed and rushed up the stairs to one of the only rooms on the third floor. The door opened with some difficulty, and when they finally got inside they found Kat standing across the room, her hands over her face. She was still screaming, and the familiar smell of decay permeated the small space. Over near the window a figure loomed, and Nick immediately wished he'd brought his gun. Natalya had jumped across the bed and pulled Kat down into a protective crouch. Nick started across the room but found himself stuck in place. The figure materialized into a man, whose eyes glared angrily between Nick and the girls. This man was not the same that had visited Natalya, but it seemed the intent was the same. The man finally disappeared, and Kat stopped screaming. Natalya pulled her back up onto the bed, giving her a quick look.
"Are you okay?" she asked, and Kat nodded slowly. The younger girl was practically glued to her side as Nick flipped on the lights.
"The bracelet helped so much… I hadn't seen anything in days." Kat explained in a shaky voice, and Natalya nodded in understanding.
"Do you see that… thing often?" Nick asked, and Natalya and Kat both snapped a glance in his direction.
"You saw that?" Natalya finally asked, and Nick nodded. Natalya stood, a trouble look marring her usually smooth features. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we need to talk to Da- to Derek about this."
"Just let me change first." Kat told them, grabbing a pair of jeans and moving toward the adjoining bathroom. Nick and Natalya were alone in the room again. Nick took a seat on the bed by her side, but his gaze was very far away.
"What's wrong?" she asked, slipping her hand into his. He turned, as though surprised she was sitting there.
"That thing… that thing was my father." He answered, and she could only nod.
"Yeah, I know it was." She said, giving his hand a quick squeeze. Unfortunately, she knew Nick's father was probably the least of their spiritual problems.
a/n: meeep! long time no see! i know it's been an unforgivably long time since i posted, i've had most of this written for a while now but have been living mentally in another show (i'm disgustingly unfaithful, spending my time daydreaming about miguel ortiz on seaquest) so haven't had the drive to finish the chap. all the reviews you guys send are great, i can't thank you enough. and yeah... it's going to be THAT kind of fanfic. philip is too cute to be a priest.
next time i think we'll see a little more alex... she cracks me up, seems like she's the only one in the house who ever actually works. oh, and we might eventually get kristin in there, even if i think she's probably the most blatant canonical mary sue i've ever seen. she probably won't get a fair shake, i find her pretty annoying.
