Chapter 5

The young man sitting next to him was suspiciously quiet, staring out of the small airplane window, as if the white clouds drifting by provided him something to see. Ever since they had boarded the plane, the security chief had resolved into silence, his handsome face drawn in a tight unreadable mask. Neither of them was looking forward going back to the green country that held so many old memories, none of them any good. And the Precept knew Nick was blaming him for all that had happened, they never talked it out, simply because Nick had refused to.

"I'm sorry, for bringing you back to Ireland Nick, I wouldn't have if not needed. But you're…."

"I know Derek, I know what ya mean. Let's just get this over with and head back ASAP, we're both not looking forward to this."

Actually, as much as Nick was dreading to go, Derek felt not the same way. He actually hoped this would resolve some of the mystery that was Nick Boyle, that he no longer could lock his emotions away and start grieving about Julia for a change. Nobody had known how serious it had been between the two of them, though he would never forget the anguished scream of his young friend when they found the body of Julia Walker. That and the Succubus Karen had revealed more about the deep feelings, but not much, and definitely not enough for Nick to deal with it. The seal believed that keeping it going was enough to keep the memories at bay.

Though the nightmares he was suffering from, were enough evidence that the strategy was not working at all.

"We'll not be staying longer then needed. I just hope we'll find enough there to solve the case, or at least part of it. The spirit was strong enough to destroy its prison and a few computers, I dare not think about what it could do to humans."

"WERE strong enough, according to the books, there were more dead people trapped in that thing. So weird stuff happening should make some headlines, right?"

"Let's hope so."

Nick gave him a pointed look before turning his head, his hazel eyes once more shifting to the little window. The conversation was over, that much was obvious. The rest of the flight wasn't any productive either, the young man was bracing himself for what was to come, and giving short answers was part of it. The Precept used the time to write down what they had so far, a habit he had picked up from his father. Laptops and other digital devices to record his thoughts were never going to be used by him, the damned things always managed to delete half of it. No, simple old fashioned pen and paper did the trick.

Back in San Francisco, Angel Island

"He shouldn't have gone back there Alex, or at least let Nick stay here. He's definitely not ready to go back there; he refuses to talk about Julia in our sessions. And now he's forced to think back, I think Karen was enough painful reminder of her already."

Rachel was pacing around, glancing to Alex from time to time. She had just arrived to the House only to find her two male colleagues missing, already on a plane to Ireland. She was ready to kill Derek right about now when she heard. She was already having a hard time getting Nick to talk to her, he always clamped up when it came down to talking about himself, he wasn't an easy patient. She was hired to make sure the members of this team would have a good state of mind, and yet her Precept never even bothered to consult her when it came down to it.

When they encountered Karen for the second time and Nick had been forced to kill her, it broke his heart. Even though she was a Succubus, a demon feeding off men, he had loved her, because she had used his love for Julia.

"This will be a hard blow for him, and he's already a ticking bomb. If he does explode………"

She shook her head; it wasn't going to be a pretty picture that was for sure. That young man had so much anger tucked away, and he would never use it against anybody but his own. He would self-destruct, and she doubted there would be anything for the team left to pick up.

"Derek is with him, he's not alone. Besides, you know the two of them, they'll be so focussed on the case that there won't be any time left to think."

Rachel sighed, nodding to Alex. That was partly true, but still, this just wasn't a healthy situation, period. Those two were both too pigheaded for their own good, and her Precept held his emotions in check all the time. Not one of the best examples for Nick and unfortunately, also the only man the chief of security actually listened to and admired. In many ways Derek had became the father Nick never had and always wanted to. Major Boyle had been, of course, also not a role parent. The blonde psychiatrist still wasn't sure to what extent the abusive went, he never told any details, sometimes slipping something. Of one thing she was sure though, Jonathan Boyle had hit his son on many occasions when he was drunk and verbally put him in the ground. That had always been Nick's weakest spots, one of the reasons Rachel worried, his low self esteem.

"I know, and in the end, Derek is the right person to be there for Nick but……."

"He's still Nick," Alex finished with a chuckle, knowing precisely what her friend was thinking about. 'Bulldog Boyle' as she secretly called him, and yet she didn't worry as much. The young man had a way of dealing with it, and after everything they all went through, he was still one of the most gentlest persons she knew.

"Let's make sure we have something to give them when Derek calls, that should ease some of that male testosterone, give them something to hunt after."

Rachel smiled, tossing a small book Alex's way. When the computers turned up empty, books were the next resort, and there were plenty of those in the house to search through.

"We have to finish our hunt first Alex, so don't start cheering just yet."