Zak growled in frustration and Nick was feeling his pain. They had been investigating the house for four hours already and all they had to show for it was a pretty hilarious clip of Aaron accidentally walking through a spider web. If all else failed they could just loop that clip for 45 minutes. "This has got to be the most boring lockdown in the history of lockdowns." Zak said, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"Yeah, it's definitely quiet in here tonight." Nick agreed.

"I don't understand, all those interviews...and those energy bursts I was getting this afternoon. I really thought we'd be swimming in evidence tonight." He gave in, sitting down to collect his thoughts. "I think we need to regroup. Come up with a new strategy."

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll radio Aaron to meet us back at base?" Nick offered.

"Sounds good." Zak said, resting his head against the wall.

"Hey Aaron?" Nick called into the walkie talkie "Aaron, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. And bored as hell. What's up?" Aaron answered back.

"We're gonna meet back at base and regroup." Nick said with a chuckle.

"Thank God, dude!" he said happily.

They all sat quietly around the table. Only a few hours into the investigation and they were running out of ideas to draw out whatever supposedly haunted this house. After a long silence, Zak finally chimed in.

"You guys, we have to get some evidence. The network is gonna go nuts with all these production costs. We can't go back with nothing."

"It's not like we can control the paranormal, dude." Aaron chimed in.

"I know, I know…" Zak said, frustrated with the situation. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into his temples. He knew what needed to happen but he wasn't looking forward to the reaction he knew he'd get. "I have an idea." He started in spite of himself.

"No, Zak." Nick said, immediately recognizing the older man's tone.

"I'm not really seeing another choice, Nick. The clock is ticking and we got nothing." Zak said.

"Why don't we try some more EVP burst sessions. We can just go room to room until we come up with something?" Nick offered. They had been trying this tactic all night and so far it hadn't resulted in anything.

"Nick...that hasn't really been working." Zak said, trying his best to reason calmly with the younger man. "I know this isn't ideal but it seems like our best bet right now."

"I don't like it." Nick said sternly.

"I don't either, man. But I'm with Zak. It kind of seems like the only option." Aaron said honestly. Nick exhaled deeply knowing that he was outnumbered.

"Fine. Majority rules." Nick conceded. Zak couldn't believe how easy it had been to convince him. "But there's no reason that it has to be Zak. I'll do it this time." Nick said plainly.

"Nick, no." Zak protested worriedly.

"Why not?" Nick challenged, "Provoking the thing is the only answer, right? So I'll provoke it."

"Not you." Zak said seriously.

"What? You think I can't handle it?" Nick asked, feeling his temper getting the best of him. "This isn't my first rodeo, you know."

"Of course you can handle it." Zak cut in. "You're mentally stronger than any of us. I know you can hold your own." He wanted to reach out and touch Nick's tense hands but they'd promised not to bring their relationship into lockdowns. "I only meant that all the activity we were getting earlier was directed at me. I just feel like I might have a better chance of drawing something out."

"Yeah, dude." Aaron agreed apprehensively "And if you're not totally comfortable with provoking in this situation it's only going to make you more vulnerable." Zak swore he could have kissed Aaron for saying exactly what he had wanted to say. He only hoped that Nick would take it seriously. Nick sighed, turning his eyes toward Zak.

"I'm coming with you. I won't provoke, but you're not going off alone." Nick said, sternly.

"That seems fair." Zak said with an appreciative smile.

"What about me?" Aaron asked.

"I think it's best for you to stay here at base. The less people in the house, the better." Zak said decisively.

"You're not gonna hear me complain about that." Aaron chuckled.

"Ok, let's get those cameras back on and get this over with." Nick said grimly.

"You got it, man." Aaron agreed, making his way to the other side of the room to get the gear in order. Zak approached Nick timidly. He had to know that his head was in the right place before he let him anywhere near the supposed demonic presence in the house.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Nick lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Zak. He was worried, and Zak could tell. He wished they could just call the whole thing off, pack up and go home. But that really wasn't an option at this point. "I'm sorry we have to do this."

"Me too." Nick said seriously. Zak brushed his hand along the tense arms crossed over Nick's chest.

"So serious, babe." He said, smiling weakly.

"This isn't a joke, Zak." Nick said, eyes softer than his tone. "I have a bad feeling about this. I'm worried we're gonna have another Poveglia situation on our hands. I can't watch you go through that again." Zak sighed, remembering how it had felt to be possessed. He had to fight with everything he had to ignore the voices in his mind telling him to do unspeakable things. He said things to Aaron that still make him cringe to this day. But the worst part of all was what he wanted to do to Nick. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to grab Nick by the shoulders and bash his head against the wall. He fought for what felt like years as the anger took over and ate away at him. God only knows how Nick had talked him down and gotten him to leave the building. All these years later and he still has nightmares about that night. He shuddered at the memory fresh in his mind again.

"It's gonna be okay, Nick." he said, placing his hands on the younger man's shoulders. "I'm gonna make sure everything is okay this time." Nick immediately wished he could go back in time and not bring up Poveglia. He knew what a sore subject it was for Zak and he saw the anxiety in his eyes at the mention of it. He pulled Zak in protectively, wrapping his arms around the strong body and holding him close.

"You're right, babe." he said reassuringly "Everything is gonna be fine." He only wished he felt as confident as he sounded.