Heavenly Bodies

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Forgiveness and Retribution
By Christina A.

I’ve been away for much too long
I hop you still feel I belong
I didn’t mean to cause you pain
Nothing to loss, much more to gain…
So on the story goes
Heaven only knows
The road of life will turn
A lesson we will learn
And no one knows but Fate how we’ll end
People who know
They say you can’t go
Home again
But if you ask me
I’m happy to be home again.
— New Edition

The wind howled at a gale force outside her window, having little affect on the scared women inside. Fear of sleep, not the impending storm, kept her awake. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same vision. The charred remains of her brother calling out to her for help, for retribution. She didn’t understand the reasons for her dreams. Her brother had died in Desert Storm. His remains had been recovered and buried several months ago. She’d managed to deal with her grief years ago, so she’d refused to go to his funeral. Now months later, he was visiting her in her dreams, and she was afraid. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of her brother.

Sitting up in bed, she turned on her light and picked up her book. She opened it up to the current page and started to read. The ringing of the phone shattered the silence in her room. “Hello,” she said into the phone.

“Jennifer,” the voice said.

“Johnny?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“It’s 2:30 in the morning. Why are you calling me? Are you ill?”

“You could say that.”

His voice was trembling with fear. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard him take something out of a drawer. Fear creeping up on her, she said, “Johnny, what’s wrong?” Elevating her voice, she yelled, “Talk to me, Johnny. You’re scaring me. What’s wrong with you?”

“Ask Nick,” he said with a sneer.

“Nick Boyle. Johnny, you know that I’d sooner eat glass than to talk to Boyle.” She couldn’t begin to express the pain that the mere mention of his name caused. Her heart broke all over again. “Why the hell would I want to talk to that man about anything? If you don’t tell me, I’ll never know. So talk to me, Johnny.”

“Jennifer, Joe came to visit me after his funeral.”

Jennifer sat silently in her bed, not knowing what to say or do. She decided to be honest. “I’ve seen him too, Johnny. He visits me in my dreams.”

“What does he tell you?” Johnny asked, a little more anxious than he should be.

“Nothing,” she paused, “Well, that’s not really true.”

Pushing her, he goaded, “What does he say?”

“Geez, Johnny, relax. He just asks me for help. That’s all.”

“He just says ‘help’.”

“Well, sometimes he says ‘help me’.”

Still eager, he asked, “That’s all?”

Curious at his excitement, she said, “Yeah. Why are you so concerned about it? You sound as if you’re afraid.”

“Just worried about you, is all.”

“Then why would you want me to talk to Boyle? What does he have to do with anything?”

Johnny sighed audibly as he said, “I talked to him a few times after the funeral. He came over to help me, but ended up blaming me for Joey’s death.”

“HE WHAT?!” she screamed into the phone. “How dare he place blame on anyone! You know, Johnny, I think I will call Boyle. I’ll call him first thing in the morning and give him a very big piece of my mind.”

“Hold on, Angel.”

Jennifer’s head popped up at the use of her nickname. That name was privileged to a few people in the world. John Griffin being the only one of them she still talked to. “What’s up, Johnny?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t talk to Boyle.”

“Wait a minute. First, you tell me to talk to him. Now, I’m not supposed to talk to him. Johnny, what has he done to you?”

She could hear him crying as he said, “He’s ruined me.”

Angry, she asked, “How?”

“Look, it’s late. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Okay, Angel. I’m sorry I bothered you. I love you. Goodnight.”

With a sense of dread she couldn’t shake, Jennifer reluctantly said, “Goodnight, Johnny. I love you too.”

Those were the last words she ever spoke to him. Ten minutes after she hung up her phone, John Griffin willingly ate the bullet Joseph Fratello tried to get him to eat months ago.

For the first time in the six years since her abilities deserted her, Jennifer wished she’d had her clairvoyance. If she could just touch something of Johnny’s, then she’d know why he killed himself.

The dampness in the air surprised her. The coldness outside almost matched the coldness in her heart. Standing by her friend’s freshly dug grave, Jennifer wept. She tried desperately to get her final conversation with him out of her mind, but she couldn’t. She kept going back to the fact that he’d brought up Nick’s name. Drying her eyes, Jennifer decided that no matter how it hurt, she would confront Nick Boyle and find out what he had done to push Johnny to suicide. It wouldn’t have been necessary if she’d still been clairvoyant, but she wasn’t.

Quietly, she turned and got in her car. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed the number for information. “Yes, I’d like the number to the Luna Foundation.”

She wrote down the number that the operator gave to her. Inhaling deeply and gathering her strength, she dialed the number. Silently, she prayed that he wouldn’t be there. Anything to put off the confrontation she knew would happen. She carried too much pain within her not to scream at him. Johnny had told her it was because she still loved Nick. Inside, Jennifer thought it was because she hated him.

“Hello, Luna Foundation,” a man with a Dutch accent answered the phone.

‘So far so good,’ she thought. Out loud, she said, “Yes. I would like to speak to Nick Boyle, please.”

“Sure. May I ask who’s calling?”

“You can tell him it’s Jennifer.” She tried to keep her voice calm, but was afraid she would soon lose the battle.

“Jennifer?”

She could tell that the man was leading for a last name, but she wasn’t going to give it to him. “He’ll know” was all she told him.

“One moment please,” Derek could feel the controlled anger emanating from the woman on the phone and was reluctant to give it to Nick. He was standing by his desk, looking at the phone, when Nick entered his office.

“Hey, Boss. Whatcha doin’?”

“You have a phone call,” Derek said still staring at the phone.

Nick looked at Derek who appeared more somber than normal. Worried, he asked, “Who is it? Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know. She says her name is Jennifer.”

Nick was reaching for the phone when Derek said her name. Painful regret filled him instantly. He’d gone to Joseph’s funeral terrified that she would be there, but knowing all along she wouldn’t be. Now, months later, she was calling him. She had tracked him down and was calling him. This couldn’t be good.

Derek picked up on his young friend’s emotions and said, “You want me to tell her that you’re not here?”

Inhaling deeply, Nick said, “No, I’ll talk to her. Could I please use your office for privacy?”

Grabbing Nick’s shoulder, Derek gave him the phone and said, “Sure.”

Nick looked at the phone and once Derek closed the door, he said, “Hello, Jennifer.”

A thousand emotions assaulted her at once. She’d believed her anger would sustain her, keep her focused, but she was wrong. With the sound of his voice, all her agony returned. Keeping her voice steady, she said, “Johnny’s dead.”

Nick couldn’t say that he was sorry to hear that, but clearly, Jennifer was upset. Obviously, she didn’t know the truth of her brother’s death. “Are you okay?”

Not wanting or needing his sympathy, she hissed, “Like you care.”

Closing his eyes, he said, “Jennifer, I’ve always cared.”

“Go to hell,” she practically screamed. Immediately getting control, she continued, “I talked to Johnny the night before he committed suicide. He said there were some things I needed to talk to you about. I told him that I would eat glass first. Of course, that was before he was dead.”

This was harder for him that he would have thought. Of everyone from his past, she was the one that he had truly wronged. Now, on top of all that he’d done, he’d have to tell her about Johnny. She wouldn’t believe him. He would need Derek and Kristin to back him up. It was going to get ugly. “Why did he tell you to talk to me?”

“He said you could tell me what was wrong with him. He said he’d seen you a few months ago. Now, he’s dead. What in the name of God did you DO TO HIM?!” she yelled.

“Jennifer, please,” he tried to calm her.

“Nick, if you don’t tell me what you did to him, I swear I will make your life miserable.”

Sitting behind Derek’s desk, he rubbed his temples. “Jennifer, I didn’t do anything to him.” Her next words shattered him.

“YOU ARE A LIAR, NICK BOYLE,” she punctuated every word for emphasis, leashing all the venom she felt in her heart. “What did you do to him? For once in your sorry existence, tell me the truth. You owe me that much.”

“You won’t like it,” he said, defeated.

“What I liked or wanted never stopped you before. Why should it now?”

“It matters.”

“Spare me your sympathy,” she hissed.

“Look, I’ll tell you, but not over the phone. Will you come out here where we can talk?” He thought maybe if she would see him, then there might be a chance for him to get her to believe him.

“I really have no desire to ever lay eyes on you again,” she said. Then, she thought of Johnny. She would go see Nick for him. She continued, “Okay, if it’s the only way to find out about Johnny, why not?”

He gave her directions, and she hung up without saying goodbye. She definitely still harbored a lot of anger toward him. Deciding he should warn the others, he quickly found them all in the control room.

Chapter Two

*-*-*

Derek took one look at his young colleague and knew something was wrong. “Are you okay, Nick?”

“No. That was Joseph Fratello’s sister, Jennifer.”

“You never said that he has a sister.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“What did she want?” Kristin asked.

“To tell me Griffin killed himself.”

“No loss there,” she said.

“I agree. Jennifer doesn’t.”

“She doesn’t know what happened?” Derek asked.

“No. Look, the last time I saw her we didn’t exactly part well. To put it frankly, she hates me and she has every reason to. So, she’s on her way over here to hear why Johnny offed himself. I’ll tell her, but she won’t believe a word I say.”

“That’s where we come in,” Kristin said, “Sort of like your backup.”

“Yeah. It has a lot of potential for explosiveness. Rachel, can you stick around?”

“Of course. But may I ask why this girl hates you? What could you have done?”

Nick hung his head. “It’s bad. And it’s also a long story.” He didn’t feel the need to delve into the reasons, but somehow he knew they’d insist.

“Well,” Derek said, “she won’t be able to catch the ferry until 6:00, so that leaves you over an hour. We can’t help unless we know what we’re dealing with.”

Nick looked at the faces of Derek, Kristin, Rachel, and Alex. What happened really wasn’t any of their business. But if Jennifer showed up shouting out his indiscretions, he wanted them to know about them from him first. Deciding it was easier to face Derek, he said, “You’ll think differently of me.”

Rachel said, “Maybe, but we won’t think less of you.”

“You may.”

“Just tell us, Nick,” Alex said.

Nick inhaled deeply. “We all knew each other as kids. Joe Fratello, John Griffin, Mike McCready and I all hung out together. Jennifer was two years younger than the rest of us, but she fit right in. She played softball, basketball, and even took kickboxing lessons with Johnny at the YMCA. Let me tell you, that girl could fight.” Nick smiled at the memory before continuing, “Anyway, she was very special to all of us, but Joe and I in particular, and for different reasons, of course.

“When I was ten, the old man helped us to build a treehouse in Joe’s backyard. We worked all day on that thing. Between the six of us, we finished it by sunset. The old man only yelled at us about twenty times, so we were doing pretty well that day.

“Anyway, we made that treehouse our home away from home. A place where the old man couldn’t scream at me and where Joey and Jennifer could escape their mother’s preaching. The three of us clung to each other for security.” He looked to the others to see if they were following him. When he saw they were, he continued, “The three of us would meet up there and talk for hours. It’s safe to say that we knew everything about each other. I kissed a girl for the first time in that treehouse.”

“Jennifer,” Rachel said.

“Yeah,” Nick confirmed. “She was thirteen. I was fifteen. It was about two months before the old man died. Anyway, we never promised each other anything. It was special, but neither on of us was ready for anything serious. We were just too young. But she was still so very special to me.” Nick paused and let himself float back in time. “She was my angel. The best memories from my childhood and adolescence revolve around her.”

“Why haven’t you told us about her before? If she’s so special, I mean,” Alex asked.

“Because, just as she’s the best memories, she’s also the worst. It’s safe to say that I’ve loved her more deeply and more completely than I’ve ever loved anyone. I loved her as a friend, a confidant, a savior, and a woman. To do what I did…” he paused.

“What did you do?” Rachel asked.

“I knew she’d loved me since she was very young. When she was six, she expressed her undying love for my backyard. I was only eight at the time but I should have believed her. She would have done anything for me. Anyway, I’m digressing. When she was fifteen, her date to the freshman prom ditched her. So, being the nice guy that I was, I took her instead. The next day, the boys and I beat the guy up.”

“Very nice,” Kristin said, sarcastically.

“We would have done anything for her. Yet, that very next year, I would break her heart and turn her love into a much deserved hate.”

He looked at his friends and continued, “Six months after her prom, recruiters came to our school. I talked the guys into going to talk to them. We were eighteen and wanting to try our luck in life, I suggested the military. Jennifer hated the idea. She didn’t want us to leave.

“Eventually though, we all ignored her pleas and signed up. Joe and John joined the Army Reserves. Mike and I joined the Navy. She wasn’t too happy with us for that but she accepted it. The night before we were to ship off, I found her up in the treehouse. She was crying. It torn my heart in two. I realized then just how important she was to me and how much I’d miss her. The military was my chance for getting away, but I wasn’t sure I could leave her behind. So I went up to comfort her.”

“Oh, Nick, you didn’t,” Rachel said as she realized how he’d comforted Jennifer.

“Yeah, I did, Rachel,” he said, not actually telling them that he’d made love to her, but still knowing that they knew. Berating himself and dreading his next words, he continued, “The next day, I held her before I boarded the bus. She was crying from already saying goodbye to the others. Given what we had just done and her strong emotions fro me, she really cried when it was time for me to get on the bus. I did too. But, we were crying for different reasons, she and I.”

He sighed and continued, “I made all the standard promises to write her and visit her as often as I could but…”

“You never did,” Kristin finished for him.

“No. And the worst thing is that I knew I wouldn’t.” Anger at himself made his voice raise as he continued, “I held her, cried with her, and made her all those promise that I KNEW I’D NEVER KEEP. I was getting out and staying out!”

“But I thought you loved her?” Alex said, incredulous at his admission, his cruelty.

“I did. I do. That’s what makes this so tragic. She offered me love, friendship, and compassion unconditionally as we were all growing up. All she asked for in return was honesty, and I couldn’t give it to her. I thought I was just too messed up to be any use to her. I thought she’d be better off without me, the she’d find someone worthy of her love. Now I know it should have been me. When I finally figured it out, too many years had gone by. I just figured it was too late. By then, Joey had died, and she had Johnny. She hated me, and I deserved every ounce of her hate. Now, she’s on her way over here, and I have to tell her that yet another person she trusted has lied to her.”

He bowed his head and covered his face. He asked to no one in particular, “How do I face her?”

Rachel reached him first and put her arms around him. “You can face her and you will. You’re not the same man now as you were then. You’ll tell her the truth. Take what medicine you have coming and then if she’ll let you, you can try to make things right. We’ll be here for you if you need us.”

He pulled away and said, “Thanks.”

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Derek, Alex, and Rachel left the control room to go meet the object of the conversation. Kristin stayed behind to talk to Nick. “You know, we’ve all done things that we regret. We’ve all made mistakes. Believe me, I know. But you’re lucky, Nick.”

“How do you figure that?”

She touched his face tenderly as she said, “You have a chance to make it right. She’s here and you can talk to her. You can tell her you’re sorry. Tell her you’re here for her now. Show her that you’ve changed. I know you’re not that same sadistic pig that you were back then.” She smiled at him to show him she was teasing.

“Really?!” Nick raised a brow.

“Really. You’re kind, trustworthy, and loyal. I, personally, owe you my life. I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Thanks,” Nick sighed. With Kristin at his side, he walked out to meet his destiny. As hard as it might be, he had to meet Jennifer head on. He prayed for help.

Chapter Three

*-*-*

Jennifer pushed the doorbell again, a glimmer of hope that everyone was gone welled up inside her. She was nervous. It had been ten years since that sad afternoon when all her family (as she called her boys) left her. It had been ten years since she’d seen Nick Boyle. Ten years wasn’t long enough. She knew that it would take every ounce of strength she could muster not to lose control and carry on like a raving lunatic.

The door was opened by an older, but very handsome, man. Assuming he was the one she spoke to earlier, she extended her hand and said, “Hello, I’m Jennifer Fratello. I believe I spoke to you earlier.”

Derek accepted the girl’s hand. She was extremely beautiful. Her hair rested just below her shoulders. In the sun, the color appeared red, but once inside, Derek could tell it was a deep auburn. He was quite tempted to touch it and see if it was as soft as it looked. Her eyes were almost emerald green. He imagined they changed colors depending on her emotions. Derek shook his head. The mere appearance of a woman had not had this much affect on him since Jessica.

Jennifer relaxed a little as the man held her hand. He was quite handsome but seemed a little preoccupied with shaking her hand. She smiled and waited patiently for him to let go.

Realizing he was staring and immediately embarrassed, Derek said, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m Dr. Derek Rayne.”

Curious, Jennifer asked, “Doctor of what?” By talking to him, she found that the anger inside her was somewhat controllable. He seemed like such an easy man to talk with. Too bad this feeling wouldn’t last long.

“Anthropology. Specializing in forensics. I also have a Ph. D. in philosophy.”

“Intriguing and coincidental. I have my Master’s in anthropology, but my specialization is in Ancient Cultures. I work as a curator over at the Exploratorium.”

Derek looked at her again and couldn’t imagine how Nick could have walked away from such a wonderful woman. “It is indeed a small world, isn’t it?”

“Dr. Rayne…”

“Please call me Derek,” he interrupted.

“Derek,” she amended, “sometimes the world is too small if you get my meaning?”

He was about to answer her when Alex and Rachel came out of the library. Quickly, he introduced the two women to the girl.

Jennifer was beginning to get nervous. She knew Nick was in this extremely large house. She felt positive that he’d sent his friends out to meet her first. She guessed he was hoping to break her icy exterior. Sadly for her, it was working. When Derek introduced Dr. Corrigan, she asked, “Are you an anthropologist too?”

Rachel looked at the woman and quickly assessed her. She had a lot of repressed anger inside of her. Nick was going to have trouble on his hands. Rachel said, “No, I’m a psychiatrist.”

Jennifer couldn’t resist the jibe. “Oh, are you Nick’s?”

The three looked at one another. None missed the way she hissed his name. “I’m available for him to talk to if he needs me.”

Softly, Jennifer said, “Maybe you should stick around, Doctor.”

At that moment, Jennifer felt, more than saw, Nick enter the foyer. She closed her eyes unwilling to look up at him while she didn’t have her anger sustaining her.

Rachel didn’t miss the expression on Jennifer’s face. ‘She still loves him,’ she thought. This was indeed going to be a touch evening.

Nick looked down at Jennifer from the stairs. God, she was even more beautiful now than he’d remembered. Flashes of touching her hair and her skin raced through his mind. He remembered walking with her to school, laughing with her at corny Saturday morning cartoons, and so many other things. After ten years, she was back in his life, but now things were different. Back then, she loved him. Now, she hated him. “Angel,” he said before her realized what he’d said.

With her eyes still closed, Jennifer smiled satisfactorily. Hearing him say that word was just the catalyst she needed to conjure up the anger she needed to face him. Forgetting the other four people in the room, Jennifer opened her eyes and looked at him. He looked basically the same, but different than she remembered, probably because of all the hard feelings she held towards him. Through clenched teeth, she said, “Don’t you dare call me that. Everyone who had the right to call me that is dead now. And in a way, it’s all thanks to you. Joey and Johnny are in their graves. McCready is killing himself with the bottle. I can’t get him sober enough to even shower. And you, well, you might as well be dead to me too.”

Nick came down the stairs and looked at her. He said, “I’m sorry for that.”

She laughed almost evilly. “Spare me. Your apology means very little to me now. I didn’t come here to make things right or to hear an apology that I no longer want. I came here to find out why Johnny killed himself. He said you knew, and that I should talk to you. I’m doing this for him.”

“Let’s go into the study, okay.”

Jennifer quickly noticed that his friends were following them. Tauntingly, she said, “Afraid to face me alone, Nick? Gotta bring backup to talk to a girl. Funny, but I thought SEALs were big, tough guys who didn’t need anyone, let alone backup.”

Nick stopped, turned to the others, and said, “Would you give us a few minutes, please?”

“Sure,” Derek said, closing the door behind him as he left the room.

Nick turned from the door just as Jennifer’s hand connected with his cheek. Nick’s head rocked from the blow and began stinging immediately. He put his hand to his cheek, never once considering returning the blow. He deserved it. In a way, he wished she would have used her fist.

No matter what she’d expected to feel, she hadn’t expected to feel sick at the sound her slap created or the memories it brought back. Looking at him, she saw the bloodied nine-year-old boy who had run to her house for protection from his abusive father. With tears welling in her eyes, she reached for Nick and embraced him. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I deserved that and so much more. I’m so sorry, Jennifer. What I did was inexcusable. You may not believe me, but I am so sorry.” He clung to her and couldn’t shake the feeling that holding her was so right, like their bodies and souls were made for each other. How could he have walked away from her?

Jennifer was having many of the same emotions. Her hate was so easy to maintain so long as she didn’t have to look at him. For almost her entire life, she’d loved him. It took her all of two seconds to fall in love with him again. To turn the feelings of hate she had been carrying back into feelings of love. “I forgive you,” she sobbed, meaning every word.

Crying too, he squeezed her tightly. He would have never expected those words from her. He pulled away slightly and looked into her eyes. Before either one knew what was happening, their lips were locked in a kiss of such passion and need that both felt they would die if it didn’t last forever.

Reluctantly, Jennifer pulled away. Her breathing was very erratic. Placing her forehead on his, she said, “Nick, I’m not ready for this.”

“I know. But I never expected this. You can’t believe how much I’ve missed you.”

She moved to his shoulder and embraced him tightly. “I don’t want to talk about our past right now. Please, let’s just focus on the here and now. We have a lot to work through. Are you sure you want to try?”

Squeezing her tightly, he responded, “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”

“I’m still pretty upset about things, you know. And I’m not too good at trusting.”

“But you’re here, aren’t you?”

“Thanks to Johnny.” She started to cry. “Oh Nick, why did he do it? What could have been so bad that he couldn’t go on living? Why is it that everyone I love leaves me?”

He felt her legs give out and picked her up. As he carried her to the couch, he said, “It’s not you, Angel. You just happen to love people who are incredibly unlucky. That’s all.”

“You’re unlucky?”

“No. I’m an idiot.”

She smiled through her tears. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

Nick looked at her as she wiped her eyes. He couldn’t believe she was actually here. He couldn’t begin to express the number of times he’d wanted to call her. To see if there were any way to fix the broken bridge between them. But he had been afraid of her absolute rejection. Now all of that had changed, he could make things right again. “I’m going to go get you some hot tea. Sit tight. I’ll be back.”

“Nick, you can let your friends come in now. I’m sure they’re just as curious about me as I am about them. Please, tell them to come in.”

Nick smirked. “I’m not sure I want you to talk to them. They might tell you some embarrassing stories.”

“Good, because I have some I could tell them in return. Like the time that guy de-pants you at the football game.”

“Don’t you dare!” Nick looked at her horrifically.

Enjoying the banter, she smiled. “Then you better be nice to me, Nicky.”

With a warning shake of his finger, Nick left the room to get the others.

Chapter Four

*-*-*

“Oh my. What’s happened to you?” Rachel asked when Nick left the study. She touched the hand-shaped bruise on his face.

“She slapped me.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

Kristin walked up to him and said, “Well, that wasn’t necessary.” Kristin turned as if going to express those thoughts to Jennifer.

Touching her arm, he said, “It’s okay. Really. I deserved that slap and more. But it’s okay now. We’ve talked, and I think things are going to work out for the best. I’m going to get her some tea. She’d like to talk to you guys.” He turned to head toward the kitchen. Turning back, he continued, “By the way, I haven’t told her about Johnny yet.”

“So you’re not out of the woods, are you?” Derek asked.

“We’ll find out,” Nick said as he headed for the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jennifer was sitting on the couch. Her knees pulled up to her chest, resting her forehead on them. She was thinking about Joey, and how Johnny had changed after Joey’s death. She wondered where Nick fit into all of this. She couldn’t imagine him doing anything horrible to Johnny, at least nothing horrible enough to drive Johnny to suicide. But then, Nick could have changed a lot in the past ten years. Somehow, though, she doubted it.

“Excuse me,” Derek said upon entering the room. Jennifer looked so calm sitting there that he’d hated to disturb her.

Placing her chin on her knees, she smiled and said, “Hello.”

Her smile was devastating. Derek stuttered, “Um, um, Nick said you wanted to see us.”

“I told him that I was curious about his friends. Yes, I’d like to talk to you.”

She was very straight forward. Rachel liked that. What she didn’t like was the way Derek was looking at the girl. He was totally enthralled. ‘Could be trouble later,’ Rachel thought. Out loud, she said, “What would you like to know?”

“Oh, I don’t know. How is it that you all came to know Nick? How long has he worked here? You know, I can’t believe he followed in his old man’s footsteps and joined the Legacy.”

Everyone looked at her in total shock. Derek, no longer stuttering, asked, “How do you know about the Legacy?”

Wanting to reassure him that it wasn’t Nick who told her, Jennifer leaned toward Derek and touched his arm. She said, “I’ve known Nick since I was two. Major Boyle was a major alcoholic, as I’m sure you know, Derek. There were so many times while I was growing up that I would be over at Nick’s hours and the Major would be ranting and raving about some Legacy case. Not a real nice or trustworthy fellow, Nick’s old man. All the kids on our block were afraid of him. We called him Monster Boyle instead of Major Boyle.”

Derek and the others just looked at her incredulously. Nick kept so much of himself secret, letting out only bits and pieces when he had to. Yet, here, sitting in front of them was probably the only person who could fill in all the holes of Nick’s background. Finally, Kristin said what they were all thinking. “You knew about the Legacy and never said anything. Why?”

“Who would I tell?”

“But none of your other friends knew?” Alex asked.

“There were a lot of things I knew, and still know, about Nick that not one other soul knows.”

Nick walked into the room then and sat beside Jennifer. Placing his arm protectively around her shoulders, he said, “They know about the old man. I told them.”

“Good, it’s about time you talked to someone.” Jennifer squeezed his hand and the subject of Major Boyle was dropped.

The room was silent for a moment until Alex couldn’t help herself and had to tease Nick a little. “So, Jennifer, does he have any other dark secrets we would love to hear?”

Picking up on the tease, she answered, “Yeah, too many to count. I’ll fill you in when he’s not around. Deal?” She winked at Alex.

“Deal. I’ve got some good ones for you too.”

Somewhat frightened by the idea of them talking behind his back, Nick said, “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” Kristin asked. “It could be interesting.”

“I’d like to hear them too,” Rachel added.

Looking to Derek for help, Nick asked, “Derek?”

Smiling, Derek said, “Far be it for me to stop women from talking. Besides, maybe one of them will tell me.”

“Oh ha, ha,” Nick said.

“I’m kidding. Geez, but aren’t you uptight,” Jennifer said.

Shocked, Alex asked, “You mean, Nick hasn’t always been this uptight?”

“No way. He was the practical joker in our group. In high school, he stole the coke machine keys from the janitor and spent an hour filling the thing with Diet Coke. People were pushing the Coke button and getting Diet Coke or pushing Sprite and getting Diet Coke. It was really funny to watch their faces.” She laughed at the memory. “Of course, Wonder Boy never got caught. He returned the keys before the janitor knew they were missing.”

Derek raised his eyebrow and said, “A prankster, huh?”

“Yeah,” Nick nodded, “Most were harmless enough. You know, Jennifer, I may have took the keys, but the Coke thing was Johnny’s idea.” Nick shook his head and continued, “Johnny always was one for coming up with the ideas and having others do the deeds.”

Bowing her head and turning the conversation back to the reason for her visit, Jennifer asked, “What happened to him, Nick?”

Nick looked at Derek before answering. “I’m not sure I want to tell you.”

“Because I’ll hate you for what you did?”

“You won’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

“I can’t, Angel. Please leave things as they are. Keep the memories you have. Leave the past alone,” Nick said in a last effort to dissuade her.

“She has a right to know, Nick. You can’t keep the truth from her,” Derek said with finality.

Jennifer was scared. What Nick had to tell her must be bad. Bracing herself, she said, “Nick, I ‘m not the eight-year-old you need to protect anymore. I’m a grown woman. I’ve had plenty of practice at handling pain and grief. Please, just tell me what happened with Johnny. Why did you have to help him with his visitations from Joe?”

Startled by the fact that she knew about Joe’s visitations, he said, “Johnny told you he was seeing Joey’s spirit!”

“Yeah, but he never said why. You know why, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then, tell me.”

Moving to sit on the floor in front of her, Nick sat on his knees and took her hands. “You won’t like it.”

“Tell me anyway,” she said, trying to portray strength and certainty.

Nick inhaled deeply and began, “During Desert Storm, Johnny hooked up with a guy named Bob Meyer. You ever meet him?”

“Yeah. Can’t say that I liked him though. I heard he jumped off a bridge and killed himself.”

“Yes,” Nick said, quickly dismissing Meyer’s death hoping she wouldn’t press him for details. “Well, anyway, he served wit Joey and Johnny during Desert Storm. He was into some pretty crooked deals. Selling things on the black market. Important things like M72 Antitank Launchers.”

“Joey was killed by a tank, right? Did Meyer steal the launchers that could have saved Joey’s life?”

Nick nodded in response. He knew that she was incredibly smart, perhaps more street smart than anyone in the room. He knew once he said the next statement, she would figure out the puzzle. Telling her was definitely harder than he thought. “Angel, Meyer wasn’t working alone. He had help.”

“No,” she said shaking her head and crying immediately. She could feel her reality closing in around her and breaking apart. “No, not Johnny. Nick, he helped me deal with Joey’s death. He couldn’t have caused it. I’m telling you whoever gave you that information gave it to you wrong.”

“He admitted it to me, Angel.”

“Then, you’re lying! I can’t believe it, Nick. I’d still be sitting in my chair staring out my bedroom window if it weren’t for Johnny. He brought me back from the land of the dead, Nicky. Johnny would never hurt me.”

In an effort to reassure her, Nick soothed, “It was a terrible, horrible accident, Jennifer. Johnny didn’t set out to kill Joey. Joey just happened to get caught in the wrong place at he wrong time. That was Johnny’s version anyway.”

“Nick, I don’t feel too good.”

Nick raised up and pulled her into his arms. She began to weep uncontrollably. Nick could feel her entire body shaking with her crying.

Jennifer knew, deep down, that Nick was telling her the truth. He wouldn’t dare to lie to her about this. If Johnny was indeed the reason Joey died, then Johnny lied to her about everything. He lied about caring for her and about wanting to be there for her. He was helping her only because he felt guilty, not because he wanted to be her friend. After his return from Saudi, Johnny had become her best friend. What a fool she had been!

It must have been very hard for him to tell her, especially since she’d made it known how much she’d hated him. He had to know that she wouldn’t believe him. But, he told her anyway. He told her because he cared. Relaxing slightly, she said, “It’s a good thing Johnny killed himself.”

“Why, Angel?” he asked into her hair.

“Because I would have killed him myself,” she spoke with determination.

Nick looked into her eyes and knew she was telling the truth.

“You know,” she continued,” when you and Joey got on that bus, I knew in my heart that one of you wasn’t going to come back alive. As I watched you both leave, I knew I couldn’t get both of you back.” She looked around the room then and remembered that they weren’t alone.

Standing quietly, Derek said, “Let’s go work on those files we got from London.”

As they were leaving, Nick said, “Thanks, Boss.”

Chapter Five

*-*-*

“Nick,” Jennifer said.

“Yes, Angel.”

“I have a confession to make.”

Slightly afraid, he said, “Spit it out.”

“When the telegram came telling us that Joey was dead. I was so sad. I couldn’t see beyond my grief. But…”

“Go ahead,” he urged at her pause.

“But a part of me was so relieved it wasn’t you.” She began crying again. “Does that make me a terrible person.”

Nick took her in his arms and held her. “No, Jennifer. I’m the terrible person. I abandoned you, leaving you to deal with the pain and grief all on your own. I’m so sorry.”

Kissing him on the neck, she said, “I’ve already forgiven you.”

Unable to stop himself, Nick once again pressed his lips to hers. Jennifer felt herself melting in his arms.

“Excuse me,” Derek said, hating to interrupt the tender moment. “I’m sorry, but there seems to be a sudden storm heading towards us. May I suggest, Jennifer, that you stay the night here.”

Jennifer looked at Nick, then to Derek she said, “Okay.”

“I’ll prepare a guest room for you.”

“Thanks.” After Derek left, she said, “Nick, it’s past 10:00. I feel like I haven’t slept in days. I’m exhausted.”

“Let me show you to your room then. You get some sleep, and I’ll talk to you more in the morning.”

A flash of lightning filled the study. “Thanks. I’ve been having some trouble sleeping lately. I’ve been having some pretty scary nightmares.”

“About what?” he asked naturally concerned.

“Nick, I appreciate your concern, but is there any way we can talk about his tomorrow? I’m really tired.”

“Sure. Let’s go.” Nick walked her up to the guest room. Holding her hand, he felt like his life had come full circle. It was now complete. He wanted to take her to his room and start making up for lost time. But there would be plenty of time for that when she was ready. Right now, she needed his moral support. He could give her that willingly.

*-*-*

Nick walked into the control room after Jennifer was in bed. Derek and Alex were working on some files while Kristin and Rachel were tagging artifacts. Anyone need my help?” he asked.

Everyone looked at him. “How is she?” Rachel asked.

“Tired. She’s had several sleepless nights because of nightmares, but she didn’t want to talk about it tonight. I can’t blame her.”

“Me neither,” Rachel said. “Giving all she’s heard today, she’s held up amazingly well.”

“She’s a strong woman,” Derek said.

“You’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. She’s one of the strongest people I know.”

“Yeah, we can see that on your cheek,” Kristin said and chuckled.

Nick touched his face, laughed in return, and said, “Well actually, that’s nothing. She once beat the old man with a baseball bat.”

“She did that!” Derek said, recalling the incident that put Jonathon Boyle in the hospital. “Jonathon said he was mugged.”

“Why did she do that?” Alex asked.

“On my fourteenth birthday, the old man had to ditch the party because of some Legacy case, which, Jennifer reminded me, was no big loss because he’d been nastier than normal. After the party, Mike and Johnny had gone to the batting cage, and Joe had walked his mother home. Jennifer, who was only eleven at the time, volunteered to help my mother and I clean up.

“At about 9:30, the old man came home. He had apparently stopped at a bar to get started on his drunken stupor before coming home. Mom sent Jennifer out the back door to sneak home. Before she could get me out, the old man came into the kitchen and started ranting and raving about how messy the house was.

“Mom tried to explain to him about my birthday party, but he was too far gone.” Trying to hide the pain of the memories and not succeeding, Nick continued, “He hit her and sent her flying into the table. She broke her nose on the corner and passed out. I went ballistic. I ran at him, fists up, screaming what a terrible person he was, and told him I was going to kill him.”

“You didn’t?” Rachel asked.

“I would have if I could have. But the old man got the drop on me easily. He was kicking my ribs. I had to leave them vulnerable or he would have kicked my head. I heard this shriek and felt the old man fall on top of me. I opened my eyes to see Jennifer standing over him with a ball bat pulled back in a hitting stance. She said, ‘I swear if you lay one more hand on him, I will crush your skull with this bat.’ Of course, she’d hit him in the head, and he was knocked out cold so he couldn’t hear her. When Joe showed up, he’d called an ambulance. Jennifer ran to me to make sure I was okay. Mom had already started to come around. Jennifer saved our lives that night. Mom and I were both sure of that.”

“Oh my!” Kristin said, unable to imagine the horror of that experience.

“Actually, that was the worst if ever got. I think the old man learned that we weren’t gonna sit back and take the abuse anymore. I have Jennifer to thank for that. She is the best person in the world, but if someone hurts those she loves…”

“There’s hell to pay,” Rachel finished.

“Exactly,” Nick replied.

At that moment, shrill screams filled the house.

“What is that?” Alex asked.

Terrified, Nick yelled, “Jennifer!”

*-*-*

She was sitting up in the bed screaming. “He’s here. Oh God, help me. He’s here. What do you want? What do you want?”

Nick reached her first and shook her slightly to wake her. “Angel, it’s Nick. Wake up.” He was scared. She looked deathly pale.

Coming to, she began to weep. “Will it never end?”

“Who was here?” Nick asked.

“Oh, Nick, it’s Joe.”

“What about Joe?”

“He’s the one in my nightmares.”

Realizing this was her specialty, Rachel stepped forward and took Jennifer’s hand. “What is he doing in your dreams?”

“He’s begging me for help. But he’s all charred and bloody. Why does he want to scare me?”

Derek explained, “He’s trying to get your attention.”

“Or maybe,” Rachel countered, “she has some unresolved feeling of guilt or pain she’s trying to deal with.”

“All I’m saying is that maybe Joe still has unresolved business he needs to have finished,” Derek clarified.

Speaking up, Nick said, “Derek, I’m going to have to go with Rachel on this one. Joe loved Jennifer more than anything. He would never hurt her. Never.”

Derek conceded for the moment. “Okay, just please don’t rule out the possibility. Don’t close the door completely.” He left the three of them alone.

“Thanks,” Rachel said to Nick.

“I think you’re right. Joe loved Jennifer more than life. If I thought that Derek would have been right, then I would have sided with him. Jennifer is the point here, Rachel.” He took a brief moment to wonder if Rachel and Derek would ever come to terms with their different approaches.

At the mention of her name, Jennifer looked up from the blanket she was studying. “What if Derek’s right, Nick? I can’t sleep or rest because I’m afraid I’ll see him. I’m so tired, but I can’t sleep. Please, I need help.”

Rachel stood and said, “Here, I’ll go get you something to help you sleep.”

Jennifer reached out and grabbed the doctor’s arm. Gripping it tightly, she begged, “No please. What if I can’t wake up?”

Rachel started to comfort her, but Nick interrupted, “How about if I sleep in here with you, Angel?”

Rachel agreed. “Yeah, how about that? Would you take the tranquilizer then?”

“Swear you won’t leave me?” Jennifer asked, a bit of doubt in his honesty came through her voice.

Not liking her distrust but understanding it, he said, “I swear I will not leave your side until you wake.”

“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly.

Rachel left to get the tranquilizers.

“I’ll just set up camp in this chair over here, okay.”

Grasping his arm much as she had grabbed Rachel’s, she said, “Would it be too much to ask you to sleep in the bed with me? I need to feel you’re with me.”

Nick couldn’t imagine sleeping beside her and not making love to her. The temptation would be too great, but for her, he’d have to resist. “Are you sure?”

“I need you, Nick. Please.”

Nick closed his eyes. He knew she was needing his comfort, but the double meaning of the statement cut him to the core. “Anything for you, Angel.”

She smiled. “Thanks.”

Rachel returned and gave Jennifer the tranquilizer and a t-shirt to wear for pajamas. “You should sleep for several hours. You’ll be totally refreshed in the morning.”

Nick had left to get his pajamas so Jennifer took advantage of the moment and said, “Thank you, Rachel. You hardly know me, and your first impression of me was of me attacking your friend. Yet, here you are helping me. Nick is so lucky to have people like you and Derek in his life. He had nothing but heartache and bad memories in his childhood. He deserves to be surrounded by people who love him. Thank you for that.”

Genuinely touched, Rachel said, “Not all of his memories are bad. He says his best memories from childhood are of you. As for my first impression of you, I’ve not had a higher one of too many people.”

Jennifer smiled. “Even though I stormed in here spewing venom.”

“You had your reasons. But can I ask why the sudden change of heart?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. My best explanation is the old phrase ‘There’s a fine line between love and hate.’ I do love Nick, Rachel. I guess in my heart I’ve always loved him.”

Nick entered the room at that moment.

Rachel touched the girl’s cheek. “Pleasant dreams,” she said. As she was leaving, she walked up to Nick and whispered, “She’s indeed a special one, Nick. Hold on to her tightly this time.”

“I will,” he said.

Slipping into the bed beside her, his senses were immediately assaulted by the smell of her hair and of her skin, by the warmth of her body, and by the touch of her hand as it took his.

She snuggled closely to him, the contours of her body fir perfectly to his. The tranquilizers were quickly taking affect as she said, “Goodnight, Nick. I love you and I’m so glad you’re back in my life.”

“Me too,” he whispered into her hair. She slipped to sleep very easily with him beside her. Sleep for him would be a long time in coming.

Chapter Six

*-*-*

The morning sunlight shined through the window landing on an already awake Nick Boyle. In his arms, he held securely the form of the one who completed his soul. He looked up and checked the clock, it was after 8:00 am. Normally, he would have had his morning jog and workout done by 7:00, but he promised Jennifer he wouldn’t leave her until she awoke and he was going to keep that promise.

Jennifer woke slowly and felt the strong arms holding her. She sighed contentedly and turned over and gazed into his eyes. “Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning,” he replied. Smiling and touching her cheek, he asked, “How did you sleep?”

“Perfectly. Not even a tiny bad dream.”

“Then the tranquilizers worked.”

“I believe it was you. You being here for me. I’ve tried tranquilizers before, and they never worked for me. No, it was you who scared my bad dreams away. Thank you.”

Desperately wanting to kiss her, but not daring, he swallowed hard as he said, “Any time.” Looking out the window, then at the clock again, he said, “It’s 8:00. Do you run?”

“Only when chased,” she teased.

“Ha, ha. Well, I do. Do you mind?”

She kissed his cheek. Not wanting him to leave her, but understanding why he had to, she said, “No. Go ahead. You’re braver than i.”

Chuckling, he said, “I doubt that.” He slipped from the bed and quickly headed for the door. “The kitchen is down the hall on your left. Take the stairs down, then turn left again, and it’s the third door on your right.”

“Got it,” she said.

*-*-*

Dressed in the same closes that she wore the day before, a freshly showered Jennifer met Kristin in the kitchen. “Good morning, Kristin.”

“Good morning. Sleep well?”

“Better than I have in years.”

“Oh,” Kristin said, a slight tinge of disappointment in her voice.

Jennifer could tell that Kristin had reservations about her. She respected the fact that Kristin didn’t hide them. Deciding not to beat around the bush, Jennifer said, “Kristin, I know you’re not too sure about my motives for being here.”

“No, I’m not. The thought that you’re building up Nick’s hopes in order to exact some kind of revenge when you leave has crossed my mind.”

“Good.”

Confused by that statement, Kristin said, “So, I’m right.”

“No, you’re wrong. I genuinely love Nick. But it’s good to know that not everyone accepts me at face value. I promise you that I’m not going to intentionally hurt him.”

“Good.”

Jennifer laughed. “Okay, your turn.”

Somewhat taken aback, Kristin asked, “What?”

“You have feelings for him, don’t you? Feelings of more than friendship.”

Not willing to insult Jennifer’s uncanny insight, Kristin admitted, “Yes, I do. But it’s very complicated.”

“Nothing is simple where Nick Boyle is concerned.”

“True,”

“So, try me.”

Kristin sighed. Sitting at the table she motioned for Jennifer to join her. “When Nick found out that his brother Jimmy died, he had to got to San Diego for the reading of Jimmy’s will. Jimmy left Nick something in his estate, and Nick had to drive down to San Diego to get it. I volunteered to go with him because I couldn’t see him having to drive all the way down there and try to deal with his grief without anyone to talk to. Or at least, be there if he wanted to talk. He talked to me for hours about Jimmy and their past. It was quite heartbreaking.”

“I know. But no one was surprised when Jimmy left,” Jennifer said.

“That’s what Nick said too. Well, a few weeks later, I got a message from my father and ran of to Istanbul, Turkey to find him. I got into some trouble, and Nick and Derek had to come help me out. I was also having trouble dealing with the pain of losing my father. He died in Turkey.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Kristin nodded her thanks and continued, “Nick helped me come to terms with all the emotions I was feeling. He was there for me when I needed a friend. I guess I have just come to lean on him a little more than the others. But there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

“What’s that?” Jennifer asked thoroughly intrigued by the story. Indeed, Nick appeared to still be someone who inspired trust in people.

“When I volunteered to go with him to San Diego, he didn’t even balk,” Kristin mused.

“Why should he have?”

“When we first me, we didn’t get off to a very good start. There was a lot of friction between us, mostly caused by me.”

Softly, Jennifer said, “Yet when he needed someone, you were there for him. Don’t you see?”

“See what?”

“Don’t you see that he respects you? You took a great chance at him laughing in your face when you volunteered to go with him. Nick keeps so much inside him. He could have easily told you no. Yet, you asked anyway. He respects that in people.”

Kristin smiled. “I guess you’re right.” From that moment on, Kristin no longer doubted Jennifer’s motives, and that two became instant friends.

There were walking to the study to find Derek when Nick entered the foyer, their laughter filling the foyer. Suspicious, he asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Kristin and I were just talking. That’s all.”

“Concerned we were talking about you?” Kristin teased.

Nick shrugged in response.

Jennifer laughed and said, “My, aren’t you paranoid.”

“You know, I would be paranoid if everyone weren’t out to get me.” He winked at the two women as he ran up the stairs. “Gotta shower.”

“What a flirt,” Jennifer commented. “It’s good to see that has not changed.”

“Once a flirt, always a flirt. That’s what I say.”

“I agree, and Nick is the consummate flirt,” Jennifer replied, smiling.

*-*-*

Derek, Rachel, and Alex were in the study patiently waiting for Kristin and Jennifer to join them. “So, she got a good night’s sleep?” Derek asked Rachel about his guest.

“That’s what Nick said before he left for his run.”

“Rachel, I know we don’t agree on the reasons for Jennifer’s bad dreams, but I still have a strong sense that they’re supernatural in nature.”

“Derek, not everything has to be supernatural in nature. Sometimes a nightmare is just a nightmare.”

“What does Jennifer think?” Alex asked.

“What does Jennifer think about what?” Jennifer asked from the doorway. She wasn’t surprised to hear them discussing her and her nightmares. After all, nightmares and scary things were their business, and if they could help her, then she didn’t care if they whispered about her while she wasn’t in the room.

*-*-*

Upstairs, freshly showered and dressed, Nick walked over to a plain wooden box and opened it. Inside, he stored certain memorabilia from his life. Objects that conjured up good memories as well as bad.

Taking something from the box and placing it in his pocket, he left his room to join the others. He realized that he should have given this object to Jennifer years ago.

*-*-*

Derek was the first to speak. “We’re sorry, Jennifer. We were simply discussing the reasons for your nightmares.”

She waved him off. “No big deal. I’m not offended. I’m thankful that you are concerned enough to help.”

The others relaxed visibly. Rachel said, “Sometimes, Derek tends to skip rational explanations and head straight for the irrational.”

“So, you two balance each other. Quite handy considering the work you do.”

Exchanging glances with one another, Derek and Rachel laughed.

Alex shook her head, incredulous at Jennifer’s astuteness. “Well, Jennifer, what is your opinion on your dreams?” Alex asked, restating her question from before.

“I just started having these dreams after Joey’s body was recovered and buried. If I were going to have guilt dreams, wouldn’t they have started after he died instead of now?”

“Not necessarily,” Rachel theorized. “Nick said you didn’t go to the funeral, right?”

Looking the older woman in the eyes, Jennifer flatly stated, “I said my goodbye’s a long time ago. I didn’t need to go to the funeral to have closure.”

“Yet, you still grieve.”

“I’ll grieve forever, Rachel. Joey was simply the most important person in the world to me.”

Being direct, Rachel asked, “Was he?”

Standing and becoming defensive, Jennifer asked, “What are you implying, Doctor? That I wanted my brother to die. That I’m happy he’s lying six feet under. Because if you are, then you are so wrong . Completely wrong. I loved Joey. He was my brother, father, and mother rolled into one person. I lost everything when I lost him.”

Trying to get Jennifer to see her point, Rachel continued, “Yet you still had Nick.”

Anger emanated from every pore of her being as she said, “No, I didn’t.” She calmed somewhat before she continued, “Rachel, when Joey died, Nick had burned the bridge between us. I grieved for Joey alone. At that point in my life, I was alone. Nick was gone, totally. Mike and John wrote me letters expressing their sympathy and love. I got nothing from Nick.”

In his defense, unable to believe Nick was that heartless, Alex said, “Maybe he didn’t know.”

“Alex, Mike and Nick were in the same SEAL unit at that time. If Mike knew, then Nick knew.”

“I don’t understand why he wouldn’t at least write,” Kristin said.

“To much water under the bridge,” Jennifer said. “I hope this doesn’t sound vain, but I was Nick’s weakness. If her were confronted directly with my pain and my grief, then he would have went AWOL to help me. I know that he would have.”

“So, he pretended you didn’t exist,” Rachel said.

“Yeah. If he didn’t know, then it wasn’t happening. He wanted so desperately to get away, to become more than his old man. I wanted him, but respected his need to be far from his past. Yet at the same instant, I hated him for it. Bitterly.” She paused and looked around the room. She walked over to Rachel and said, “In answer to your question, ‘Yes’, Nick was more important to me in so many ways. But I had to let him go. I had to in order to keep my sanity. So I clung more tightly to Joe. My brother was the only person that I thought I could trust completely. When he died, I lost all I thought I had left.”

Nodding her head, Rachel said, “I understand.”

Nick, having heard the conversation from outside the door, walked into the room. He had been angry at first. He wasn’t sure why. Everything Jennifer had said had been true. And she did still have some anger toward him. He couldn’t blame her. He just wondered how long she would hold on to it. Yet, when he heard her defend his inaction, his anger vanished and understanding took his place. She’d put her own grief and her need for solace after his needs. He realized then the complexity of her emotions and why she’d hated him so intently.

“Nice of you to join us,” Derek said.

“Well, I had something to go get so I could give it to Jennifer.”

“Do you want us to leave?” Alex asked.

“No. You can stay.”

As he crossed the room, Jennifer felt a pain begin to well in her stomach. Surely, after all these years, he wasn’t going to give it to her. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see if she was right.

Nick put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the flat, dull, metal object. Taking her hand and realizing why her eyes were closed, he nevertheless placed the object in it. “Here, Angel, at least I can keep this promise to you.”

Jennifer felt her hand being closed around Nick’s dog tag. Tears flooded her eyes as she remembered that afternoon so clearly:

// ‘Okay, boys,’ she’d said, ‘go if you must but you have to make me one promise.’

‘To kiss you before we go,’ Mike teased.

‘Shut up, man,’ Nick said, pushing Mike.

‘I want each of you to send me a dog tag.’

‘Why? What would you want that for?’

‘Call it a charm, Johnny. Just humor me. Wonder Boy,’ she pointed at Nick, ‘told me that you “men” had to leave, so since you’re all leaving me behind, I want dog tags to remember you by. That’s not too much to ask, is it?’

Joe embraced his little sister as she cried. ‘No, Angel, it isn’t. I’ll send you twenty thousand dog tags if you want them.’

Pulling him close, she said, ‘I only want four. Promise me.’

Nick walked over and caressed her back. ‘I promise, Angel.’

‘Me too,’ Mike said.

‘You got mine, Angel,’ Johnny said.

She received Joey’s, Johnny’s, and Mike’s shortly after they finished basic training. But she never got Nick’s…//

Until now. She fell to her knees and wept.

Concerned, Nick bent over to console her.

“Don’t touch me,” she whispered.

Nick stayed beside her, yet not touching her, as she cried. He looked at his friends. He knew they didn’t understand the meaning behind his gesture and why it had affected her so much.

Gaining control, Jennifer dried her eyes. “Thank you. I would have waited forever for this.”

“It shouldn’t have taken this long to find its way to you.”

Standing, she said, “You’re right. It shouldn’t have.” She reached up to her neck and pulled a silver chain over her head. The chain was long. So long that the objects dangling from the other end would hang directly over her heart. She unclasped the chain and slid Nick’s tag next to Joey’s, Johnny’s, and Mike’s. “My family is back together,” she said as she replaced the necklace around her neck. Putting the tags inside her shirt, she smiled brightly and said, “Thank you. I can’t believe you remembered.”

“I never forgot.”

She embraced him fiercely, holding on as if he would disappear and knowing all along he wouldn’t. Pulling away, she looked at Derek. “So, what are we going to do about these dreams? If it is Joey’s spirit visiting me, what does he want me to do? What does he want?”

“Well, let’s look into the timing of his visits. You said he only started coming to you after his body was returned home. That’s the same time he began visiting John Griffin.”

Sitting down, she said, “Yeah, but Joe wouldn’t want revenge against me. He wanted Johnny to pay for a wrong that Johnny had done him. I never wronged Joey.”

Kristin said, “Right, but you were close to John after he returned from the service.”

“True, Kristin, but I never knew that Johnny was guilty. I just found that out yesterday, after Johnny was dead. Besides, Joey always asks me for help. Why would he want me to help him now?”

“Maybe he wanted you to help him expose John’s part in his death,” Alex conjectured.

Nick answered, “That would explain his visits before, but not the one last night. He came to her last night after Johnny was dead, and she knew what he’d done.”

“Then maybe there’s something else that he needs. Something that is holding him here, keeping him from crossing over,” Kristin said.

Derek replied, “The question is: What is holding him here?”

Jennifer clutched her necklace, now with four tags on it, and closed her eyes. A memory from the past once again assaulted her:

//She clutched Joe to her, unable to control the onslaught of tears.

Rubbing her back, Joe kissed her hair and said, ‘Come on, Angel. Please don’t do this to me. I have to go.’

‘You can change your mind,’ she pleaded.

‘No, I have to do this. I’ve never backed out of anything in my life. Do you want me to back out on my word now?’

‘No, but…’

‘No buts about it, Angel. It’s just reserves. Six weeks of basic, two months of specialty training, then I’ll be home. Three months isn’t too long, is it?’

‘I guess not,’ she whimpered.

‘Listen, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need you to tell me you’re okay. I’ll never sleep at night if I know you’re here feeling sorry for yourself.’

Trying to be strong for him, she said, ‘I’ll be fine until you come home. But you have to promise me you’ll come home.’

‘I promise, Angel.’//

He’d kissed her then and boarded the bus. That was the last time she’d seen him alive.

Chapter Seven

*-*-*

“Jennifer?” Nick asked for the third time.

Shaking her head to clear it, she answered, “Yeah.”

“Derek asked if you knew of any unfinished business Joey may have had?”

Looking up to face Derek, she answered, “Yes, I think I do.”

“What is it?” Rachel asked.

“It’s me.”

Rachel took her hand. “I don’t quite follow,” she said.

Nick interjected, “I do. Before Joey boarded the bus, Jennifer broke down and begged him to stay. Joey calmed her down and finally got her to tell him she’d be okay. Am I on the right track here?” he asked her.

She nodded that he was.

Nick continued, “He said he couldn’t rest if he didn’t know that she’d be okay.”

Following his lead, Kristin added, “And he died shortly after he left.”

“He promised me he’d be back,” Jennifer said.

“Right, I remember that now,” Nick said.

“He never kept his promise,” Derek said.

Jennifer hung her head, “No.”

“But you were okay because you had Johnny to help you through your pain,” Kristin said.

Rachel joined in, “But when Joe came back to take revenge against Johnny, he knew she’d be alone again.”

“But she had me now,” Nick spoke up. “I’ll be here for her.” He looked at Jennifer as he said, “You have to believe that.”

She swallowed before answering tentatively, “I do.”

Nick closed his eyes in relief. Glad that she was at least beginning to trust in him again.

“But what if Joe doesn’t believe you, Nick?” Derek asked.

“You’re right, Derek,” Rachel said causing everyone to look at her in shock. They couldn’t believe she actually agreed with Derek. That never happened. “If Joe feels he still has to protect Jennifer in some way, then he’ll continue to visit her until he feels she’s okay.”

“Then why is he asking me for help? I don’t understand.”

“Maybe he needs your help by coming to terms with your grief. You hold onto it because it keeps him close to you,” Kristin said with knowledge.

“I told you, I said my goodbye’s years ago.”

“You didn’t go to the funeral,” Derek said.

Sarcastically, Jennifer said, “I didn’t know attendance was mandatory.”

Undaunted, Derek continued, “Answer me honestly. What was the main reason why you didn’t go?”

“I already told you.”

“Something else kept you from that funeral, Jennifer. I know you may not fully accept it, but deep in your heart you know it to be true. You just have to accept it.”

“If you know, Derek, then why don’t you fill me in?”

“I think you wanted to go but you were afraid to come to terms with the events of your past.”

“Sorry, I don’t follow.”

“You lost your brother to a terrible mishap. Nick had turned his back on you. You had a relationship with Johnny, but weren’t totally satisfied with your life.”

Jennifer stood again. “Listen, Derek, I don’t know what you were led to believe, but Johnny was my friend and nothing more.”

“He wanted more, didn’t he?”

Jennifer sat again as she said, “Yes.”

“HE WHAT?” Nick asked.

“How did you know?” Jennifer asked unable to understand Derek’s insight.

“Call it a hunch.”

“Excuse me,” Nick spoke up, “What exactly did Griffin want from you?”

Looking Nick squarely in the eyes, she answered, “He asked me to marry him.”

“What did you say?” he asked, panicked.

Ignoring his question, she said, “I think deep inside he was just taking care of me. He must have felt so guilty about what he did. Marriage was the only way he knew to make it right without me feeling obligated to him in any way. I don’t think he loved me in any other way than as a friend, but he felt extremely responsible for me.”

“What did you say?” Nick asked again, totally missing the point of what she was saying.

“She said ‘no’, Nick. Geez are you that thick-headed?!” Kristin answered for her. She was losing patience with Nick’s narrow vision.

Jennifer chuckled. “Thank you, Kristin.” To Nick, she said, “How could you think that I would marry John Griffin?”

“You loved him.”

“Yes, I did. But I loved him like a brother, like I love Mike. He was life-long friend material, not husband material.”

“Which leads me back to my point,” Derek said, returning the conversation to the original topic. “Joe wanted revenge against John because John was responsible for killing him. With John dead, Jennifer would once again be alone. By not going to the funeral, Jennifer missed meeting up with Nick. The one who Joe really believed would eventually help her get over her grief.”

“But Derek, that doesn’t explain why he came to me last night. If Nick is here now and willing to help me, then why hasn’t Joey crossed over.”

Realization dawned on Rachel as she said, “Because you don’t fully trust Nick yourself. A part of you still thinks that he’ll leave you again. Joe can’t rest until he knows you’re going to be okay. Am I right?”

Nick looked at Jennifer intently as she bowed her head. Memories of the day he left came back to him.

//She was crying already. He knew that he should not have made love to her last night. But God, he had wanted her.

‘Please, Nicky, you can’t leave me now.’

‘Angel, it’s like Joey said, we gotta go.’

‘No, Nick, you want to go. Please promise me you’ll come home.’

He pulled her close as he said, ‘I promise.’ She melted against him, and he closed his eyes. Before he went to the treehouse last night, he’d told his mom that once he joined the Navy, he wasn’t coming back. In his heart, he still believed that, even now. But, he made her the promise to keep her from breaking down.

‘You’ll come back for me?’ she asked.

‘I’ll come back,’ he said. Then, he kissed her deeply and ran for the bus, knowing full well he wouldn’t return.//

Coming back to the present, he managed to hear Jennifer say, “No, I guess I don’t. I do trust him, but not completely. How am I expected to trust him completely after one day?” She looked at him and said, “I’m sorry, but I need time to get things straight. So much has happened so fast.”

Touching her face, he said, “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

She smiled. To Derek, she said, “Where do we go from here? I can’t continue to have these visitations. I mean, Joey needs to let go. I need to let go.”

Derek rose. “Let me do some research into a few things. I think it’s going to take more than just telling him that you’re going to be okay. You’ll have to convince him unconditionally.”

“Great. I’ll help,” Kristin offered.

“Actually,” Jennifer said, “I was hoping to go home and change. I’ve been wearing these clothes for two days.”

“I’ll take you,” Nick volunteered.

Derek said, “If Jennifer is leaving, I’ll need someone here who knows Joseph Fratello. You’re the only other one who knew him.”

“Fine, but she shouldn’t go alone.”

“I came here alone. I’ll be fine. Joey would never hurt me. He wants to help. I’ll be fine. I’ll go change and be back in a couple of hours.”

“You might bring a change of clothes. You can stay here for as long as you need.”

“Okay,” she rose to leave. “Walk me to my car, Nick.”

Taking her hand, he headed for her car. “You be careful,” he said.

“Nothing to fear. I’ll be back before you know I’m gone.”

He kissed her slowly on the lips, drinking her in, afraid to let her leave. Reluctantly pulling away, he said, “Hurry back.”

“I will.”

As he watched her drive away, a sense of panic overtook him. He didn’t have the Sight, but in several cases, his instinct worked better than Derek or Alex’s sight. He feared he wouldn’t see her again.

Chapter Eight

*-*-*

Jennifer walked into her bedroom. She was eager to grab some clothes and return to Angel Island. It was still early in the day, so there was plenty of time left to finish things, if she hurried and got back.

“Jennifer.”

She turned quickly at the sound of her name. Bag slung over her shoulder, she hurried for her door.

“Jennifer.”

“Who are you?” she called to the air, quite frightened.

“You know who I am.”

“Johnny?” she questioned.

He materialized before her. The smile on his face reflected the evil within him. “Hello, Angel.”

Fear overwhelming her, she asked, “What are you doing here? You’re dead.”

“I know that. But I have some unfinished business only you can help me with.”

“What do you want?”

“I want Boyle to die and I want you to kill him,” John Griffin sneered.

“You’re crazy.”

With a sinister laugh, he grabbed her by the cheeks and squeezed tightly. “No, dear, I’m not crazy. I’m dead. And it’s Boyle’s fault. Your darling brother tried to warn you about me last night, but fortunately for me, you’re so afraid of him you woke up before he could tell you I was coming. Now, here I am and there’s nothing anyone, alive or dead, can do about it.”

Crying, she said, “Johnny, you’re hurting me.”

“Good, at least I know that I have your attention. You are listening to me, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she cried.

“I want you to take Boyle’s gun, put it to his head, and kill him. Will you do that for me, Angel? Remember, I was the only one who came back to you. The only one who cared enough about you to return. You’ll help me, won’t you?

Nodding her head, she said, “Of course, I will. I’ll do anything for you, Johnny. I was trying to decide how to get even with Boyle anyway. You just gave me the perfect idea. I’ve been setting him up, making him think I care. I’m not stupid, Johnny. I know what a liar he is.”

Letting go, he said, “Good girl.” He disappeared with an evil smile.

Jennifer ran out to her car, locked her doors, and took off towards Angel Island. To herself, she said, “Of course, Johnny, you have no idea how accomplished a liar I am myself. I will die before I hurt one more hair on Nick’s head.”

Appearing suddenly, Johnny said, “That can be arranged, bitch!”

Jennifer screamed as he looked at the steering wheel and with some unseen force, turned the car toward the sidewalk. He rammed her car into a brick building. Fortunately, no bystanders were injured.

The rescue workers who extracted Jennifer from the mangled car commented on how fortunate that she was wearing her seatbelt. The doctors would have a fighting chance at saving her life.

*-*-*

Nick paced the foyer of the castle. She’d been gone too long. He was sure something had happened. He called her house again, slamming the phone down when the answering machine picked up.

Kristin walked by then and said, “Hey, what’s going on here? I know you’re worried, but it’s not the phone’s fault.”

“She’d been gone for four hours, Kristin. She said she’d be back in two.”

“Maybe she decided not to come back,” Kristin theorized, a part of her feared she was right.

“Why?”

“Maybe she wasn’t as ready to forgive and forget as she thought?”

“Maybe you’re wrong,” Nick snapped.

“I hope I am,” Kristin whispered.

The phone rang and was answered immediately by Nick. “Hello.”

“Is this Mr. Boyle?”

“Yes.”

“This is Dr. Lockwood from San Francisco General Hospital. Do you know a Miss Jennifer Fratello?”

Nick closed his eyes and leaned forward. Grasping the table, he said, “Yes, I know her.”

Sensing something was wrong, Kristin came forward and touched Nick’s shoulder.

The doctor continued, “We found a tag on her with your name on it…”

Interrupting the doctor, he asked, “Is she okay?”

“She’s in a coma.”

Nick sobbed. “What happened?”

“She was in a pretty bad car accident. We had to operate to stop some internal bleeding. She slipped into a coma and hasn’t come out yet.”

“I’m on my way,” Nick said as he hung up the phone. He turned to Kristin and embraced her tightly. Through his tears, Kristin was able to hear most of the story he relayed to her. She held him waiting for him to gain control of his emotions before she said anything.

Finally pulling away, he said, “I have to go to her.”

“Of course you do, but you’re not going alone.”

“There’s no reason for you to go.”

“You’re wrong. You’re my friend, and I care about you. I’m not going to let you face this alone. Besides, I care what happens to her too. Let’s go tell the others.” She took his hand and led him to the control room.

He followed her as if he were in a daze. It was his worse fear come to life. He had gotten his angel back just in time to lose her. He vaguely heard Kristin telling the others then felt her tug on his hand to get him moving again.

They had ridden to the hospital in relative silence. Rachel knew that it would be next to impossible to pull Nick back from whatever part of his mind he had escaped into if Jennifer died. Kristin was still holding his hand. She was trying to let him know she was there for him by rubbing the back of his hand. Nick did not respond. He simply stared ahead. Silent.

When they pulled up to SF General, Nick sprung to life, jumped out of the Range Rover, and ran at top speed into the hospital. Stopping at the information desk, he asked for Jennifer’s room number.

“She’s in ICU number 3. That’s on the third floor.”

Mumbling thanks, Nick took off for the elevators. His friends followed closely behind.

As the elevators opened to the third floor, they heard a ‘Code Blue’ called. His heart sinking, Nick ran toward her room. He saw a nurse standing outside Jennifer’s room. She was taking orders from a doctor.

At that point, the world went into slow motion. Nick heard the flatline and saw the doctors scrambling to bring Jennifer back to life. The paddles sent out the surge of electricity through her body. It had no effect. The doctors repeated the procedure again. Nick looked on in horror. He’d just got her back and now she was leaving him forever! Falling to his knees (much as he had done three years ago), Nick let out a scream of such pain that the others were afraid for his safety.

Kristin reached him first and falling to her knees beside him, slapped his face to get him to stop. When he did, she said, “You’re not going to help her by giving up yourself. Stand up here with me and pray. Dammit, Nick, get up!”

Looking at her, he rose to his feet and bowed his head. Tears flowed from his face as the flatline roared in his ears. Instead of praying, though, he felt his mind drift back in time:

//Nick was taking his lead off from third. Johnny was at second taking his lead off. It was the sectional semi-finals. They were down by one run, and Joe was up at bat. They had two outs, and it was the bottom of the ninth. Through the cheers of the fans, Nick could pick out Jennifer’s voice. ‘Come on, Joey, line drive that ball down the third baseman’s throat. I have faith in you!’

Nick took a moment to look over at Johnny and smile. Joe also had a grin on his face. He’d heard her too and obeyed. With the crack of the bat, he sent the ball back up the third baseline. It rolled quickly by Nick as he ran toward home. He turned to cheer Johnny on as he easily crossed home plate, scoring the winning run.

Mike ran out of the dugout meeting, Nick, Johnny, and Joey on the pitcher’s mound.

‘Those are my boys,’ Jennifer screamed. She jumped up and down for joy. ‘Those are my boys.’

In unison, the four boys took off for the fence, meeting Jennifer at the gate. All four gathered round her and embraced for one of their patented group bear hugs. Jennifer, crying for joy and barely able to contain her excitement said, ‘I really love you guys.’

Teasing, Mike said, ‘Would you have really loved us if we lost?’

‘Nah,’ she teased in return, ‘I would have just loved you. I’m so proud of you guys.’//

“We’ve got her,” the doctor said, tearing Nick from his reverie.

“What did he say?” Nick asked.

Kristin was standing beside him with her arm around his waist. She was crying as she said, “They’ve brought her back. Thank God, Nick, they’ve brought her back.”

Nick embraced Kristin in a hug of such joy she thought he might break her ribs. “Oh, my God, she’s okay.”

The doctor came out of the room, and Nick found him quickly. “Is she okay?” he asked.

“May I ask if you are family?”

“I’m Nick Boyle.”

Recognizing the name, the doctor extended his hand. “I’m Dr. Lockwood. For the moment, she’s stable. Her pulse has settled into a rhythm, but she’s not out of the woods yet. Not by far. We almost lost her there.”

Rachel stepped forward. “Dr. Lockwood, I’m Dr. Corrigan.”

“Nice to meet you, Doctor.”

“Could you tell me how she’d doing? What caused her heart failure?”

“She was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed when her car collided with a brick building. The police suspect brake failure.”

“Why?” Rachel asked.

“No skid marks,” Nick answered.

“Correct, Mr. Boyle. She suffered massive internal injuries. We’ve repaired as much of the damage as we can. We have to let her decide now.”

“Can I see her?”

“Sure. The sound of a familiar voice can only help her.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Nick entered her room. Pulling up a chair, he sat beside her, took her hand, and leaned to talk into her ear. Tubes ran into and out of her body, giving her the blood and fluids she needed to survive. “Hey, Angel, it’s Nick. I know you can hear me. I’ve been in comas before. I know what you’re going through. I’m going to sit here and talk to you until you decide to open those beautiful green eyes and talk to me.”

He didn’t notice the others enter the room as he continued, “I was just standing outside your room remembering the sectionals and how you screamed and cheered for us. You were our most faithful fan. Well, guess what, Angel? I have a confession to make. I have always been a fan of yours. You fought for the four of us long after everyone else gave up. I’m not giving up on you. You were there for me when the old man tried to kill me and you were there during his funeral. I know I was cold and distant during that time, but I would have wallowed in my hatred of him forever if it weren’t for you. You made me understand that forgiveness is so sweet because, although it may seem hard, it is so easy to give. I’ve learned that friendship and love never fade away. Those feelings change, but they’re always there. I’ve changed. I’m more mature now and a little less willful and obstinate. I actually let people talk before I fly off the handle. I could turn into a decent human if you stick around and help me. Please, Angel, don’t give up. Come back. Give us a chance to become everything we should have already been. I love you, Angel.”

He laid his head on the pillow beside her. Feeling it was okay to come the rest of the way into the room, Rachel took a chair on the other side of the bed. Kristin pulled up a chair and sat beside Nick. Alex and Derek stood at the foot of the bed.

Nick raised his head and looked at the others. “Thank you,” he said. Still holding Jennifer’s hand, Nick faced Kristin and said, “I want to thank you especially.”

Smiling, Kristin said, “You don’t have to thank me.”

“Yes, I do.” When she tired to speak again, he put a finger to her lips and continued, “If it weren’t for you, I’d still be standing with total brain freeze at the table in the house. You took charge and got me moving. Then, I also want to thank you for what you said outside in the hall. You brought me back to reality so I could help her. Thank you so much for that.”

Kristin touched his shoulder and said, “You’re welcome.”

Still holding Jennifer’s hand, Nick gave Kristin a one-armed hug.

No one noticed as Jennifer’s eyes fluttered open and she said, “Flirting with the blond while I’m in a coma. Geez, Nick, give me a break.” She tried to smile but sighed instead at how much effort those few words took.

Tears of joy filled the room. Nick leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Jennifer felt first Nick squeeze one hand, then Rachel squeeze the other. There wasn’t a part of her body that wasn’t in agony. It took a lot of effort, but she had to tell them what happened. “It was Johnny.”

“What?” Derek asked.

Trying to force herself to talk louder, she said, “Joe wanted to warn me about Johnny.”

“Where are her tags?” Derek asked.

Nick found them easily and handed them to Derek. The vision hit him hard and quite clearly:

//Johnny’s spirit saying, ‘Kill Boyle.’

Jennifer struggling to control her care while John Griffin rammed it into the building.

Jennifer screaming for help.//

Derek came back from the vision and told the others what he saw.

Jennifer smiled and drifted off to sleep. She was quite happy and content now that they knew and could help her.

“She’s sleeping,” Rachel said.

“What are we going to do?” Alex asked.

“Send Johnny to hell where he belongs,” Nick sneered.

“How?” Kristin asked.

Derek held out the dog tags. “These hold a lot of Jennifer’s lifeforce. With the addition of Nick’s tag, this became a powerful positive symbol for Jennifer.”

“Even though Griffin’s tag is on there too?” Kristin asked.

Derek answered, “Especially because his is on there. These tags resemble a time when all five of them were together. It represents the keeping of a promis made out of love and friendship.”

“Can we use it?” Nick asked.

“I believe so. If we can force John Griffin to face what he’s done, he’ll weaken and his soul will be forced to go where it belongs.”

“What about Joe?” Nick asked.

Derek opened his senses and looked around. “Oh, he’s here. He helped bring her back. He’ll help if we need him.”

“When do we get started?” Alex asked.

The room filled with cold air and evil laughter. “How about now?” came the unearthly response.

“Bring it on, Griffin,” Nick said, “Leave Jennifer alone and bring your grievance straight to me, if you can.”

“Nick, we must not anger him,” Derek said, “We want him weaker, not stronger. Remember.”

“Sorry, boss,” Nick said, immediately contrite.

Griffin’s form materialized in front of them. He was surrounded by a reddish light.

At his appearance, Rachel edged closer to Jennifer who was still sleeping.

“You can’t have her,” Nick said. “You’re dead, Johnny. You killed yourself out of guilt for murdering Joe.”

“I didn’t murder him,” Griffin yelled.

“YOU STOLE THE M 72’s,” Nick yelled back. “Those launchers would have saved Joe. Now, you’ve tried to kill Jennifer.” Nick shouted again, “YOU TRIED TO KILL JENNIFER, JOHN! Her only fault is loving people who are incapable of loving her like she loves them. You were supposed to love her, John. Yet, look at what you’ve done. You killed Joe, killed yourself, wanted Jennifer to kill me, and tried to kill her.” Nick took the tags from Derek. “Remember these, Johnny?” When the spirit wouldn’t look at them, Nick said louder, “DO YOU?! We gave these to Jennifer because we love her. We love her, Johnny. You made sacrifices for her, so have we all. These are the symbol of our love. SHE STILL CARRIES THEM, JOHN! And you tried to kill her!”

Griffin’s spirit began to weep. The darkness closed in around him. Before John Griffin flickered out of sight, he said, “Tell her I’m sorry.” The last sounds were his tormented soul screaming as he went to hell.

Derek walked up to Nick and grabbed his shoulder. “Good work.”

Nick was about to thank him when the room filled with a white light. The no longer tormented spirit of Joseph Fratello came to stand beside his sister. Touching her chest, he filled her body with an ethereal white glow. Her vital signs immediately stabilized and began to function without assistance. Fratello’s spirit looked at Nick and said, “Thank you, Nick. I knew that you would come through for her. She’s a strong woman, but once in a while, she needs help.”

“I’d die for her, Joey.”

“I know. Give her a message for me, will you?”

“Anything you want.”

“Tell her that I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise. But that I’ve given her a part of me and I’ll always be with her. Tell her I love her more than I loved my life and that I’ll be waiting on the other side for her, for both of you, when the time comes.”

Nick’s eyes filled with tears. “I’ll tell her.”

Joseph Fratello turned his face toward Derek and said, “She’ll need a teacher. She’ll need you to teach her. Be there for her, please.”

“I will,” Derek solemnly said.

As Fratello disappeared into the light, he looked back at Nick and said, “Hold her close.”

“I promise,” Nick said and he meant it.

*-*-*

Three months later, a fully recovered Jennifer sat in the kitchen at the Legacy house with Kristin. “I found him the other day looking through one of those scrapbooks you brought over,” Kristin was telling Jennifer about Nick. “He was laughing so hard he was crying. I asked him what was so funny.”

“What did he say?”

“He said it was nothing.” Kristin shrugged.

“Did you see what page he was looking at?”

“It looked like a drama play.”

Jennifer laughed. “Yes, I guess Nick would still find that funny.”

“Tell me,” Kristin said, curiosity getting the best of her.

“The school put on a production of ‘Oklahoma!’. On a whim, we all tried out and got parts. I played Annie, Nick played Curlie.”

Familiar with the play, Kristin asked, “Nick can sing?”

“He has a wonderful voice.”

“I would never have guessed. What roles did the other guys get?”

“Bit parts. None of them were very good singers. On opening night, Joe walked out on stage to deliver his one line, and horror of horrors, his fly was open! Back stage, Johnny saw it and started laughing. On stage, Nick broke out in laughter. Soon, everyone was laughing and no one could stop.”

“How terrible!”

Jennifer laughed. “Not really. Joe looked down at his pants, zipped them, delivered his line, and walked off the stage as rehearsed. He walked to the back and started laughing until his sides hurt.”

“He thought it was funny?”

“Yeah. He never got embarrassed over anything. He said, ‘if you can’t laugh at yourself who can you laugh at’.”

“He was right.”

Reminiscing, Jennifer said, “Yeah. Too bad you never met him. He would have liked you.”

“You think?” Kristin asked.

“Yep,” Nick said, coming into the room and walking over to Jennifer. “Do you think I could talk to you?”

Standing and looking at Kristin, she said, “I guess I’ll tell you the rest later.” To Nick, she said, “Lead on, sir.”

Taking her hand, he led her toward his room. He’d thought of nothing but this for weeks. They’d spent hours catching up on events that had happened in the ten years they were apart. He’d told her about Julia and Karen. He was surprised to find her sympathetic. He told her about his toughest cases while she filled him in on college and her mother. He believed they were ready to bring their relationship full circle.

“Where are we going?”

“To my room,” he said with a slight smile.

Nervous, she said, “Nick, I don’t know about this.”

“I love you, Angel.”

“I love you too, but I’m still not sure.”

He stopped their progress and looked at her. Realization dawned on him, she still wasn’t ready! He felt like such a heel! “Oh, Jennifer, I’m sorry.”

Wrapping her arms around him, she said, “Please don’t be. No regrets, okay. It’s not that I don’t want you. I want you more than you know. But I need more time. I know it already seems like a long wait…”

“I’ll wait forever.”

She smiled. “I promise you that you won’t have to wait forever. We have the rest of our lives. Let’s do this like a normal couple would.”

“Like dates and roses and romance.”

“Not too much to ask, is it?” She looked at him hopefully. It was, after all, a dream come true for her. He had been all she’d ever wanted her entire life. And now she was finally being given the chance to have him. She really wanted to do this right.

“Nah,” he said. He kissed her then. And as he did, he learned that love was something to be worked for, to be cherished. That being loved by someone meant being there through thick and thin. He learned that sex was the final step in securing love. Love was indeed the tie that binds. Everything else was secondary to being with the one he loved. Ending the kiss, he said, “Welcome home, Angel.”

“This is where I belong.” She let herself be enveloped by his embrace. A sense of contentment overcoming her immediately. “My life is complete.”

“Mine too.” He led her out to the rose garden instead of to his room where they held one another and watched the stars. They were indeed home again.

No matter where
No matter how
No turning back
No stopping now
Cause we may never ever pass
This way again
Just give me one more chance
Let me come home again
–New Edition

Tags: alex moreau, alternate universe, angst, dark, derek rayne, drama, het, jennifer fratello, kristin adams, nick boyle, original character, rachel corrigan, rating: pg-13, team

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 at 8:30 pm and is filed under poltergeist: the legacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.