~~ Chapter Eleven: One Step Closer ~~
Author's Note: I've decided to remove my RiBSC spoiler. Maybe later. I'll make my own crime scene.

~~

The room was charred black. Basically everything that Rylea and Nick could see, with the exception of themselves and outside the window, was black and incinerated. It was very clear to them, though, that the fire had been started a long time ago. What they were there for was a dead body lying in the corner, it's arms and legs cut off and hanging from the ceiling. Rylea looked around, and shook her head. "Very dismal environment..."

Nick nodded in agreement. "And a very gruesome D.B.," he spoke. "Someone had a very strong vendetta against this poor shmo..."

Rylea's lip curled, and tears filled her eyes. "What is that? Is that a dog?" she asked about a beheaded animal in the corner of the room. "Someone had a thing for chopping stuff up..." she remained strong, and knelt over the animal. Rylea had always had more sympathy for animals than she did for humans. 'Defenseless animals are always the scapegoat for so much uncalled-for anger and hate,' she'd say.

Nick looked over at her and couldn't help but feel a little sympathy. "You ok?" he asked, walking up beside her. She didn't even know the dog, and she's freaking out. Is that a sign of weakness or extreme sweetness?

"Yeah, I'm fine..." she nodded, and stood up straight, knowing he was only faking sympathy. "So, what do you think happened?"

Nick shrugged. "That's what we do...we figure that all out," he treated her like she was stupid.

"Thank you, Professor Stokes, but I knew that..." Rylea rolled her eyes. "I just was wondering if you may have any idea." She hated when people got that sarcastic tone, the one they'd use with a five-year-old, with her.

"No, I don't. But thank you for your question, Miss Patterson..." he chuckled to himself at his joke.

Rylea's eyes narrowed. "Mature. Very mature..." she bitterly squabbled. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." she took out her kit. "I'm going to get to work."

"Really, wouldn't want daddy to get angry with you!" he mocked.

"Excuse me?" she abruptly pivoted around, and looked Nick in the eye, offended by his comment. "What the hell is your problem? I never did a damn thing to you, Nick! Actually, for a while, I thought we were on the track to possibly becoming friends! And now all you can do is badmouth me?"

"You never did a damn thing to me? How about trying to take over my ex-girlfriend's life?" Nick glared at her. "You take her job, her looks, her STYLE, her FATHER..."

Rylea scoffed. "Excuse me...he's MY father, too! And that's quite immature. Very low." She put her hands on her hips, and dropped the rubber gloves she was putting on her hands. "It's not like I WANTED to find my father...I thought I already knew him!" Tears came to her eyes, but she quickly pushed them back, and went back to her angry state.

Nick thought about this for a second. "Well, didn't you get suspicious about the fact that you didn't look like either of your...well...your mom and the guy you thought was your dad?"

"Yeah, but I didn't care! I was happy to have a stable family, with two brothers...and then I move here and find all this out? Please tell me where I'm stumbling across anything I've ever done to you, because I'd like to know!" she removed her hands from her hips, and crossed her arms under her chest.

Nick looked her up and down. That was the exact look Jenna got the night after Christmas in 2001 when he pushed her into the snow-bank he'd created. Only, Jenna was a lot snowier. This caused Nick to laugh.

"What the hell is so funny?" Rylea's hands replaced on her hips. "I said nothing witty or funny, did I?"

Nick grinned. "That look on your face just reminded me of Jenna, that's all..." he looked outside, and tears filled his eyes. "It's just so tough..."

Rylea approached Nick, the anger inside her starting to fluctuate and subside. That man had it bad for Jenna, and she was gone. Rylea placed a comforting hand on Nick's shoulder, only to have it quickly pushed off.

"Not me! You're never gonna take me from her!" he glared angrily into her soft, blue eyes. "Try all you want, but I'll always be loyal to Jenna..." he cried uncontrollably.

Rylea then realized that he had yet to snap out of it, and realize the fact that Jenna was gone. She went from severe hurt to infinite sympathy. She had to help him realize that she was gone, even if it meant for her to tell him.

~~

"Dad, can I talk to you?" Rylea poked her head into Gil's office, her face filled with worry. "It's about Nick..."

"Sure, Ry, what's up?" Gil nodded, and signaled for her to enter the office. He thought it was something about her crush, and his policy for on the job dating, but when she started to speak, his outlook quickly changed.

Rylea began to explain the situation. "Dad, I don't think Nick's come to grips with the fact that Jenna is gone yet...today, we were at that scene you sent us to...you know, the one with the de-limbed dude, and the beheaded dog, which I strongly dislike, but I'll get into that later..."

"Rylea, to the point?" Gil asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Nick hasn't come to grips with..."

"Oh, sorry...yeah..." she laughed and continued, looking down at the floor. "He hasn't come to grips with the fact that she's gone yet, because we started to argue, and all of a sudden, he told me he'd 'always be loyal to Jenna.' And he said it like she was still here, or something..." she looked up at the look on Gil's face, which showed no surprise whatsoever.

Gil looked at Rylea, nodding. "I saw this coming, actually...maybe you should have a talk with him? You did take that psych course...and you were gonna be a psychiatrist, right?" he asked, knowing the answer.

Rylea nodded, but in her head was disagreeing with his suggestion. "Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, he's pretty open with the way he feels about me, and I don't want him to get even more upset or anything. I mean, sure, I'd love to help...because, yeah, I'm always there when I'm needed...but-..."

Gil laughed. Rylea sounded like Greg, rambling on and on about something when she got nervous. "Rylea, there's no need to be nervous around me, for one. And for two, I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't a good idea, ok?"

Rylea nodded. She grinned, then changed the subject. "Now about that whole beheaded dog thing...I feel that animals deserve more sympathy than humans do..."

Gil shook his head, with a grin on his face. In this sense, Rylea reminded him of Sara. Very sympathetic and caring, and always available when someone needs a hand. Grateful that she was there, he just listened to every word she said, occasionally nodding, or shaking his head.

~~

Everything you say to me takes me one step closer to the edge,
And I'm about to break.
I need a little room to breathe, cause I'm one step closer to the edge,
And I'm about to break.
~~ 'One Step Closer' – Linkin Park ~~