Comment to reviewers

I like to thank you all for reviewing, it means a lot to me.

Natascha: hehehehe, you like Nick and Alex being clumsy eh? Hopefully you like the rest as well *winks* Okay, I admit it, when reading that, I was really scared, every time the postman rang I cowered in fear. Luckily I haven't received an artefact yet…*laughs*

Anna: You know, I'm not good at waiting either, when I've seen a story I really wanted to read more about, but when you're writing one, it's so different. I try to update as fast as I can, just have a busy life and waaaaaay too many stories going.

Roz: Hooked you are? I think we all are, when there's a story about our favo guy going around. Mr. Gorgeous in danger, you got that right, he will be later on, and I bet you won't like me anymore when I get there, lol.

Denise: I won't leave it here, I want this finished, some time it will be anyways. My plotbunnies are active this story, takes me long to write though, because I don't want to rush it.

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Hazel eyes opened quickly, as Nick awoke startled, he was on instant alert. There hadn't been a sound, but his body had picked up on something. The ex-Seal had learned to trust his instinct. With a catlike jump he was out of bed, the gun that had been tucked under his pillow now in his hand. He had learned it the hard way a gun was needed in a house like this, and if he was lucky it worked as well.

Bare feet, dressed in only his sweatpants and white t-shirt, he stalked into the empty hallway. The lights were turned down, giving barely enough light to see, only making the security chief more aware of all that was going on around him, and that was nothing at all. Completely on automatic he checked the first floor. Alex was still deeply asleep, Nick could only be grateful for that; she wasn't too fond of his light night controls. What worried him was the empty room of Derek, maybe his Precept had been alerted as well, but….What if something happened? Better find out then.

The lean muscled body of the young man made no sound as it stalked down the corridor, arms outstretched with the gun securely tucked in his hands. Hazel eyes were narrowed while shoulders were tense. It was the stance of a warrior, a soldier. Agonizing slow and yet with speed at the same time Nick made his way downstairs, frowning when the lights were out there as well. C'mon Derek, where are you? It looked like the generator was down for the main floor. The last step of the stair was avoided; the security chief knew well it slightly creaked, a sound that would be heard too loudly in the quiet house.

He didn't know why, but he always checked the kitchen first, like there was some demon that enjoyed raiding the fridge. Probably had something to do with a sleep depriving Precept who drank coffee in the middle of the night. Yeah, right, like caffeine would help getting some shut eye in the first place.

He was so lost in thought he didn't saw the dark shadow creeping up on him from behind, or the hand that reached out to him. He could only jump startled when that hand landed on his shoulder.

Derek fleetingly smiled in amusement, seeing the reaction he had caused in his young security chief. Nick hadn't heard him coming and though it wasn't his intention to startle him, he could not help enjoying a faint feeling of victory, he had after all crept up on an ex Seal. Not bad for an old man, he mused.

The gun was pointed at him, when Nick had whirled around, thinking he might be under attack. The precept gave the young man a look, shaking his head.

"It came from upstairs, something is there."

It was enough for the young man; he pushed aside his older Precept, gun securely in his hand while he motioned for Derek to follow him. The two men crept upstairs quietly, turning left towards the library. It was the one place Nick hadn't checked after all.

"Library's clear," Nick said softly to his Precept. That left only one more room, though how could one enter the control room without tripping any alarms? Mysteries…..just perfect, like there weren't enough of those around here, the main one being his own boss.

Making sure Derek was behind him, Nick entered the hologram, a little surprised to see the control room was empty as well. Empty, but a great mess.

"Fuck!"

Derek shot his youngest colleague a disapproving look at the curse, not something he tolerated in his own home, no matter what the situation was. Though part of him could understand, as he was looking at the mess. Fuck indeed. This was going to take some work for Nick to repair the damage done, something he realized well as the young man immediately checked what was working and what not.

He had more interest in the chalice himself, or what was left of it that was. Only a few fragments, what had been in there was now gone, and with a high amount of violence as well. He was not liking it, usually it meant danger, and not necessarily for the team either.

"How bad is the damage?"

Nick didn't look up from his spot behind a terminal, a concentrated frown on his handsome face.

"Bad, it's gonna take me at least a day to fix this mess. The scan was completed but I can't even look at the results. Whatever did this, it had some idea of computers because I can't tell ya right now what it was. Sorry."

He shot his boss an apologizing look, but it was waved away. The Seal had nothing to be sorry about, it wasn't his fault. It didn't sit well with him though, that they had to wait a day for any form of information. There was little he could do right now.

"See if you can repair it as fast as you can, lives may well depend on it. For now, we'd better get some sleep."

"Na ah, I'm gonna see what I can do right now. I'm not able to sleep anyways, when knowing the control room is a mess. Shit, look at all this."

A fragment was pulled out of the large screen with another curse; one Derek didn't even know it existed. He shook his head, knowing there wasn't anything he could possibly say right now that would encourage the security chief to get some sleep. In some ways Nick was very much like his father, too stubborn for his own good.

"Very well, goot night then."

"Night," was the murmured response from the other man, already figuring out ways how the computers could be fixed. Derek smiled amused, as he paused at the hologram, looking back to his friend.

"Oh, and Nick?"

Annoyed Nick looked back to his precept, not wanting to be disturbed right now, he was trying to fix this mess, small talk wasn't on his list right now.

"What?"

"Try not to curse so much, a real gentleman doesn't do that."

A scowl was all he received in response as the young man rolled his eyes, turning back to his work without comment, which was the wisest thing to do after all.

Derek chuckled, crossing the library and switching of the lights, only to winch when another curse came his way. Nick was and never would be a gentleman, he was simply……Nick.