Chuck and Neil had driven for about two hours in almost complete silence. Chuck had tried to start a conversation several times, but Neil had cut him off again and again. It wasn't because he didn't want to talk with his father. He was more than willing to talk with him about the Sentients, the weather or the latest sports results. But he knew those weren't the themes his father wanted to discuss with him. Since he had been admitted to the hospital because of his collapse his father had tried several times to talk with him about his so called eating disorder. He had also noticed that his father kept staring at the scars on his wrists more and more often. He figured that Kurt had said something to him, even though he didn't think that he had told him everything. He had enough trust in Kurt to not tell those secrets to his father – or anyone else for that matter. And Neil didn't want to talk about it either – not with his father nor with anyone else. He just wanted to forget about it all. It had worked before, it would work again. His mother's death had brought all these issues up again, but he was certain that if he just concentrated hard enough on other things, he would be able to forget it again.

"This must be it." Chuck interrupted Neil's thoughts. "Nice house. Hard to imagine that there are Sentients living in it."

"We don't know if they are Sentients. Maybe they are innocent victims from some Sentient experiment or something." Neil said.

"Well, let's find out then."

They both got out of the car and went to the front door. It only took a little while before a woman in her early forties opened the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked confused when she saw two strangers standing before her.

"Yes, good day, my name is Sam Holmes and this is my assistant Drake Watson." Chuck introduced them with fake names. If she was a Sentient, he didn't want to bring any more attention on them. "We're working for the Galactic News and we are making a survey about the public thoughts on the new NASA program. If you could spare a few minutes?"

"Uhm, well, yes, I guess, if it is only a few minutes." Hesitantly she looked at them and then up in the sky. It was already very clouded and it looked as if it would start raining any minute. "Why don't you come in?" She finally asked and held the door more open for them to enter.

"Thank you. That is very nice of you." Chuck said smiling.

"Thanks." Neil nodded. He couldn't believe that she had actually let them in. Holmes and Watson, Galactic News, only his father could come up with something like that, he thought grinning to himself.

The woman, Sheila Norris, led them to the living room and asked them to take a seat. "Would you like something to drink?" She offered them.

"No, thank you. We really don't want to make any trouble. Maybe we should start with the questions right away. We don't want to take any more of your time than necessary." Chuck said in his most charming voice.

"Of course. Well, let's start then." Mrs. Norris said smiling. The famous Chuck Taggert charm seemed to be working well with her.

Chuck asked her a few general questions about the latest NASA missions and the new robot program that had been introduced to the public a week before. Finally he came to the real reason for their visit.

"What do you think about Project Destiny?" He asked quietly, curious about her reaction.

Sheila Norris froze at the mention of that name. Within seconds her nice, smiling expression turned into hatred. "What do you know about Project Destiny?" She asked in a cold voice.

Nervously Neil looked at his father. Maybe it was best if they would just leave.

"Not much, actually. I'm just hear to ask the questions." Chuck still tried to play the innocent journalist. He wasn't willing to give up so easily. "Maybe you could enlighten me."

"You're not from a newspaper. What do you want?" She had gotten up angrily and stared at both of them with cold eyes.

Both Neil and Chuck slowly got up too. "What are you hiding?" Chuck asked, not bothering anymore to carry on with the act.

"Get out." She hissed.

"Mrs. Norris, I ..."

"Get out!" She screamed again and suddenly she threw herself at them and tried to push them out of the house. She punched Chuck hard in the stomach, which caused him to stumble a few feet behind. The she quickly moved towards Neil. She acted so fast that he didn't even know what happened to him. Suddenly she grabbed him at his throat. Her grasp got only tighter the more Neil tried to free himself. Just when he thought he couldn't get going without taking another breath, Chuck grabbed her from behind and threw her against the wall. It took all his effort to pull her away from Neil. She was a lot stronger than he had anticipated. They were about to leave the house when she quickly grabbed Neil at his hand. He managed to pull himself free, but she left a nasty scratch on his arm.

When they finally got out of the house, it had started to rain already. Quickly they got into the car and drove away.

"Wow, that was close. How can such a nice lady turn into a crazy bitch within seconds?" Neil asked, still slightly out of breath.

"Maybe she was a Sentient." Chuck replied thoughtfully.

"I don't know. She seemed normal ... at first I mean."

"Whatever she was, we should get out of this town as fast as possible. I don't think it would make much sense to contact any more of these people. We'd probably get the same results."

"I better call the others and tell them what happened." Neil said, suddenly worried that they might not be so lucky as he and his father had been when meeting with these people. He tried a few times to get through, but he couldn't get a connection with his mobile. "Damn! This stupid storm. I can't reach them." He called out frustrated. And really, what had started as a simple rain, had quickly turned into an ugly storm.

"We'll never make it back to Houston in this weather. Our cottage is just a few miles from here. We should be safer there. And there is a phone."

"Couldn't we just take a motel?" Neil asked uncomfortably.

"No, too risky. That's probably where they would look for us. If they're even looking for us. I don't want to take any risks." Chuck glanced at his son. He could see the nervousness on his face and again Kurt's words came back to him. Something had happened to Neil in this cottage. Maybe by going back there he would finally find out what that was.

XXXXXXX

Neil got more and more nervous the closer they got to the cottage. He told himself that he was being ridiculous. There was nothing in that cottage that he had to be afraid of. It would be just him and his father staying there. He would be able to use the phone and call Kelly to tell her what happened and to find out if she was all right. And yet he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he wanted to jump out of the car and run in the opposite direction as fast as he could.

Chuck noticed his son's uneasiness growing with each minute they got closer to their destination. He could see that Neil was clutching his hands tightly together. A few times he scrubbed nervously over the scratch on his arm. Something was clearly not right and he wanted to find out what that was.

"You all right?" He asked a few minutes before they would reach the cottage. Neil didn't seem to have heard him as he just kept staring out of the window without responding. "Neil?"

"Huh? What?" Slightly confused Neil looked at his father.

"What were you just thinking about? You looked like you were miles away."

"Uh ... Kelly, I was thinking about Kelly. I'll feel much better when I will be able to call her."

Chuck could see clearly that he wasn't telling the truth. But he decided to wait with further questions until they were inside the cottage. "It will only be a few more minutes." He assured his son. It didn't make him any calmer.

XXXXXXX

When they reached the cottage, Chuck got out and quickly ran over to the porch, where the roof protected him from the heavy rain. When he opened the door he turned around and saw that Neil still hadn't left the car. Instead he just stared at the cottage with wide eyes. He looked almost afraid.

"Neil?" Chuck called for his son. His eyes locked with Neil's and he slowly began to get out of the car. "Hurry up, you'll get soaked with all this rain."

Neil quickened his steps, but walked still fairly slow considering that it was raining like hell.

"What's the matter? You want to get a cold?"

Without responding, Neil stepped into the cottage and went straight for the phone. Chuck watched his son as he waited for Kelly to answer. Neil stared directly at the phone the whole time and held tightly onto the receiver.

"Hey, it's me." Neil said relieved when he heard Kelly's voice on the other line.

"Hey, where are you? I've been trying to reach you." Kelly replied worried.

"There's a pretty heavy storm here, I didn't get a connection. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am. So, were your guys as crazy as ours?" Kelly asked. She had made a similar experience as Neil and his father.

"Yeah, we only spoke with this one woman. She seemed to be really nice until we mentioned Project Destiny. Then she turned totally crazy and attacked us." Neil explained.

"Same here. Luckily we got out of the house without any bruises. You?"

"Just a scratch. Man, did this woman have fingernails." Neil chuckled.

"Are you on your way back?"

Neil hesitated a second before he replied. "Uhm, no, the storm got too heavy. We ... we're staying in Dad's old cottage." He swallowed.

There was a short silence before Kelly spoke again. "Are you all right? I mean, is this okay with you?"

"Not really." Neil let out a small, nervous laugh. "I would rather stay in the car than here, but I know that's stupid."

"It's not stupid, Neil ... Is the weather really that bad?" Kelly asked worried. She could only imagine what Neil must feel like right now. She wished she could be with him.

"Yes, it is, unfortunately. It's okay, really. It's just for a few hours. Then we can get out of here."

"Okay, uhm ... I gotta got. My mom is calling for something. If you need to talk, call me. Anytime."

"I will. Thanks. I love you." Neil said smiling.

"I love you more." Kelly replied, also smiling. With that they ended their phone call.

Concerned Chuck had listened to the conversation, at least Neil's part of it. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but the room wasn't that big. It was hard not to listen. It was clear that Neil didn't feel comfortable in here. He didn't need to have said that on the phone, Chuck could see in his face that he wanted nothing more than to get out of here. But the weather didn't look like it would change anytime soon.

"I think we better get some sleep. It's already getting late and I don't think we will be able to leave before morning anyway." He said to Neil.

"We're staying the night?" Neil asked nervously.

"We can't drive in this weather, Neil. You're room is still yours. There's a bed in there, so it's not like it is going to be uncomfortable." When Neil didn't say anything, Chuck went on. "Well, I'm tired and going to bed. You should do the same. Unless there is something you want to talk about?" Chuck looked expectantly at his son.

"No, let's get to bed." Neil replied quietly. He looked at his old bedroom door, but still stood frozen next to the phone.

Chuck suddenly got worried. Neil looked awfully pale all of the sudden and there was a scared look in his eyes. "Neil? Is everything okay?"

Neil shrugged out of his haze and looked at his father. "Yeah, everything's fine." Then he slowly started walking towards the door. Each step felt heavier as he got closer to the door. When he had finally reached it, he grabbed the door knob to open it. He could feel the panic inside him spreading through his body. His breathing got faster and he held the door knob more tightly. It took him a long while that seemed like hours until he was able to open the door. When he looked inside the room, all the painful memories came flooding back to him.

He was laying in his bed, the blanket pulled over his head. Through a small slit he watched the door slowly open. He could hear steps coming inside the room and towards his bed. He closed his eyes in anticipation of what would happen soon. Every time he hoped that when HE thought he would be already asleep, HE would leave him alone. But HE never did. When he felt the blanket being raised, he could hear his father and brother laughing outside his window.

"Be a good boy, Neil. Remember what your father told you. You have to do what I tell you. Now open your eyes and look at me." He cold feel HIS hand stroking in circles on his stomach.

With a start Neil let loose the knob and stepped back from the door. All color had drained from his face.

Shocked Chuck watched as his son moved back from the door step by step. "Neil, what's wrong?" He put a hand on Neil's shoulder to make him stop walking backwards. He had hoped that might give some comfort to his son, but he was even more shocked at the outcome. Neil turned around quickly and looked at his father terrified. "Don't touch me." He called out, then he turned around and ran out of the cottage.

"Neil!" Chuck called out loud as he ran behind his son. He didn't care about the rain that soaked through his clothes to his skin within seconds. "Neil, wait!"

He could see his son stopping a few meters away from the cottage, leaning against a tree. Seconds before he reached him, he watched Neil sagging on his knees, still holding tightly onto the tree.

"Neil, what's wrong?" He wanted to put an arm around his son's shoulder, but was afraid to scare him away again. Neil was breathing heavily and his whole body was trembling. Chuck didn't think that was because of the cold. "Neil ..." He froze when Neil finally looked up at him. There were tears running down his face and he suddenly looked like the little boy he once was. That image brought a sudden memory back to Chuck.

"Daddy, please let me come out with you and Mark, please." Again his six year old son begged him to come out with them but he wouldn't hear of it.

"Stop it, Neil! I told you before. You're too young. You don't understand what we're talking about anyway. You don't even care about astronomy." Chuck told his son sternly.

"Please, Daddy. I won't say a word. Don't leave me alone." Neil started crying.

"You're not alone. Uncle Charlie is with you. Now be a good boy and go to bed. And listen to your uncle. I don't want to hear any complaints, understood?" Chuck looked at his son determinedly. It was clear that he wouldn't allow any objection.

"Yes, Sir." Neil finally said in a small voice. His shoulders sagged down and he looked sadly at his father.

No, not sadly, Chuck suddenly realized. He had looked hopeless. He had to clear his throat before he could speak again. "Neil, whatever ... whatever happened in there, you have to talk about it."

"Can we just go home, Dad? Please?" Neil looked at him, tears rolling down his face. "I just want to go home."

Helplessly Chuck looked at the sky. It was still raining and the storm hadn't lessened. But he couldn't bring his son back into the cottage. No matter what had happened, he wouldn't do that to him. "All right, we go home." The enormous relief visible in Neil's eyes broke Chuck's heart.

XXXXXXX

On their way back to Houston, Chuck thought about what had happened. Neil had been scared even before he went into the cottage. For years he had refused to come there and today he had only agreed because there hadn't been another way. But the terrified look in his eyes right after he had stepped back from his old room – it still send chills through his spine. Again and again he heard Kurt's words in his mind. Charlie had done something ... He had let Charlie done something ... And Paige had known ... Right now he could only think of one thing that was horrible enough to bring out such a reaction that Neil had shown today. But he still refused to believe that his best friend for years would be capable of doing something like this. And if Neil really had told Paige, she wouldn't have just ignored it, would she?

He glanced over at his son. Neil sat still on his seat, staring outside the window. He hadn't spoken a single word since they had gotten back into the car. He was still shivering and Chuck was afraid he might be in shock. He didn't think it was just the cold that made his son trembling all over. He was as soaked from the rain as Neil, yet he wasn't shivering at all.

After a long, silent drive they finally reached their home. When Chuck stopped the car, they both sat still for a while.

"We should get out of these wet clothes or we'll get a cold." Chuck finally broke the silence. He knew he sounded lame, but he just didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah ..." Neil replied in a whisper. But he didn't show any sign of getting out of the car.

"Neil ..." Hesitantly Chuck reached for his son's hand. Neil immediately flinched at the contact, but he still didn't say anything. "Let me help you."

Finally he got a reaction from his son. Slowly Neil turned his head to his father. "It's too late, Dad. I don't need your help anymore." He said in a quiet voice. He looked at his father for a while with a sad, pained expression in his eyes before he finally got out of the car and walked towards the house.

Silently Chuck remained in the car for several more minutes. The devastated and hopeless look in Neil's eyes had shocked him to the core. He knew Neil needed help, but he didn't know what to do. And he was afraid, that if he didn't do anything soon, his son might to something to himself, like he had done before. Again memories flashed through his mind.

He walked up the stairs and called angrily for his son. For hours they had waited for Neil to show up in the restaurant as planned. It was Paige's birthday and instead of giving a huge family party that would only leave her with a lot of work, Chuck had invited her and his sons to a nice family dinner in Paige's favorite restaurant. But Neil had never showed up.

"Neil!" He called out furious. "Neil, damn it, answer me!" He stormed into his youngest son's bedroom, but it was empty. Getting even more angry, he turned around and looked down the corridor. When he saw a light under the bathroom door, he quickly went there and opened the door.

"Where the hell have you ..." His words froze in his mouth as he saw the most horrible thing he could imagine. His own son laying in his blood and more blood still pouring out from two wounds on his wrists. A blood stained razor lay next to Neil on the floor. "No ..." Chuck choked out as he sagged to the floor and knelt next to his son. He felt for a pulse and almost missed it as it was already too weak. He grabbed for the nearest towel and tried to stop the bleeding. "Paige!" He called out terrified as he watched his son slowly fading away before his eyes." Paige!"

A shiver went through Chuck as he thought back to that day. When he looked at the house he suddenly got scared at the thought of his son being in there alone. He quickly got out of the car and ran the few meters towards the house and up the stairs in Neil's room. He found his son sitting on his bed. He had already finished changing and was wearing warm clothes.

"I ... I just wanted to make sure you got something dry to wear." Chuck choked out at the questioning look in his son's eyes. Then he stepped back into the corridor, but he didn't close the door entirely. He wanted to make sure that he knew what Neil was doing in there, that he was still moving, still breathing. A cold fear took hold of his heart and he didn't know what he was supposed to do against it.

Tbc

A.N.: I'm sorry that it always takes me so long to update, but sometimes real life gets in the way and writing on four different stories isn't really helpful either. ;-) Again thanks for reading and please review.