Chapter 5

Sharing

Merlin was in the gym, doing a light workout prior to taking a session in the pool. Rachel watched her carefully, anxious that her patient not overdo it, but she had to admit Merlin was being equally cautious.

“You got something you wanna say?” Merlin inquired, returning the free weights to the stand.

Rachel shrugged uncomfortably. “Alex an’ I have been talking.”

“Not about me, I hope.”

“No. About Steve.” She looked quickly back over her shoulder as if expecting to find him there. “What’s your opinion?”

“I haven’t vetted the guy because I can’t. You know that cos I told you already. But I think you can lay your misgivings to rest about him being like Nick. They are fundamentally different people.”

Rachel held up a hand. “Nick isn’t like Steve. Absolutely. You’re right. But Steve is like Nick, or how he imagines Nick should be. Did you know Steve has a red Mustang Soft Top parked out front? He just got it. Why choose a car almost identical to Nick’s?”

“Beats the hell outta me. I’d’ve gone for a new one. Less to go wrong an’ cheaper to fix when it does.” Merlin’s shoulders twitched. “You can stretch the ‘classic’ label only so far,” she murmured darkly.

“Plus .. he has the room the other side of the nursery. Just two doors away from Nick’s room. Your room. This is becoming an obsession, Peri. What are we gonna do?”

Merlin occasionally yearned for the old days if only so she could have a cigarette. Or let Aquila get a little in the face with someone. Or both. Right now was one of those times. Unfortunately, it would have to remain a yearning.

“Personally, I am gonna do nothing. No, Rachel, don’t start getting wound up. I can’t do anything but that isn’t why I said it.” Slowly, to give herself a few seconds to organize her arguments, she picked up a towel and ran it around the back of her neck. “I trust Derek to do what’s right. I trust Nick to be able to deal with his reactions to this guy. I trust you an’ Alex to keep out of it. We’re not in any position here to start pointing fingers, an’ you, more than any of us, should realize that.”

Rachel flushed. “I’m – ”

“Yeah, you are.” Merlin sat down at the bench press, the towel hanging between her knees. “I’m no expert but isn’t there something, some .. rule or tenet which says a person must be judged on their actions, not on their personality? That judging personalities is bad, it leads to a downward spiral of loss of self confidence, dwindling self esteem an’ basically feeling like shit? Personality is us. Who we are. If someone told you ‘Rachel, you are so ugly with those blue eyes an’ your laugh reminds me of a horse’, it’s personal, it hurts an’ it isn’t nice. If they said ‘you irritate me when you rake a hand thru your hair’, that’s an action an’ you can change it when you’re with them. And, before you start to explain how I’ve gotten that all wrong, let me just remind you that, if you go on the attack over Steve’s personality, Nick could, right now, interpret it as an attack on his personality. Nick isn’t at fault here. I don’t like to say he’s the victim because I can’t think of anyone who has less of a victim mentality, but you know what I mean. Let’s not overreact, huh? It’s still very early days.”

“You’re right. But what Steve is doing isn’t.”

“I saw the car. I thought it .. unusual. Maybe what we have here is – an’ don’t let Nick hear you repeating it – a bad case of hero worship. People do it all the time.”

“Yes, they do,” Rachel conceded, “an’ I’ve had to help those who take it too far. We have all admired someone’s hairstyle an’ tried to duplicate it, or bought accessories like we’ve seen a celebrity wear. It looks great on them, it can look just as great on us, an’ we can delude ourselves for a while that our lives are like theirs. That’s fine, Peri, if it stays at that realistic level. But there is a limit. One side, admiration and normal behavior. The other .. obsession, stalking, abnormal behavior. It’s .. it’s personality theft. Steve has crossed that line. He is going into uncharted territory with no guide an’ he is going to get into big trouble.”

“He probably is,” Merlin agreed mildly, thinking back to earlier and his approach in the nursery. “But, if he is, it’s his actions which are gonna catch him out, not the way he looks or talks or what clothes he wears or what car he drives. And it will be down to Derek to set him straight, not us. For now, we have to put up an’ shut up.” And keep a tally sheet. For every action, there’s payback, good and bad.

Rachel half laughed. “I can’t believe I’m hearing you say this.”

“What else did you expect me to say? Let’s form a lynch mob an’ run the guy outta town, just cos he’s bought a red Mustang?”

“An’ his choice of room?” Rachel challenged.

“We all have locks on our doors. I’m gonna use mine if I have to stay over an’ I’m gonna try real hard not to have to stay over.” She angled her head. “I don’t much like him, Rachel, but I am not gonna condemn him because he admires my husband so much that he wants to live like him. I admire Nick too so, in a strange way, I can see where Steve’s coming from. But I will watch him an’ I won’t let him get too close to me.”

“An’ Nick?”

“Can look out for himself. He doesn’t need protection. He needs trust an’ understanding an’ support but not sympathy or protection. Nick is very able to protect himself.” Merlin smiled. “You heard the saying give a man enough rope?”

Rachel nodded.

“Then that’s my game plan for Steve. I’ll give him as much rope as he wants,” Merlin finished. “An’ now I think I’ll go for a swim.”

*****

Alex wasn’t privy to this conversation and so she called the control room from the study and prayed hard that Steve wouldn’t pick it up.

“Yeah.”

She hesitated. Steve’s voice was almost identical to Nick’s. She couldn’t tell them apart and she wasn’t sure who had answered. Alex closed her eyes and wished that Derek hadn’t just chosen at random. This was turning into a nightmare.

“Who’s that?” she was forced to ask and she flushed guiltily because, if it was Nick, he wasn’t going to take it kindly.

“Nick.”

She cringed then had a horrible thought. Was it Nick?

Alex shook herself. I’m getting paranoid. Why would Steve pretend to be ..? Right, as if I couldn’t already guess.

“Nick, could you come to the study for a second?”

“Sure.”

At least he hadn’t asked why.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“It’s done. Over. I’ll be right there.”

She hung up and began to pace, her teeth worrying her lip. She wished Derek was back. She wanted this resolved.

Nick came in a few minutes later, his face unreadable and guarded. Alex felt her heart twist. He had come so far in the last few years, since he’d met Merlin, and now it was as if that progress had never happened. In a few days, the clock had been turned back to the wary and distant Nick Boyle who trusted but only so far.

“What’s up?”

“Steve. I couldn’t come to the control room to tell you. He is in there, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. What’s he done now?” Nick asked, leaning against Derek’s small desk and folding his arms.

“Did you know he’s bought a car?”

“He mentioned it.”

“Did you know it’s a red Mustang? A .. classic type, like yours. I thought it was yours when I saw it.”

Nick let out a slow, controlled breath. “No, I didn’t know that. The guy has taste, obviously.”

“Is that all you can say?” she softly exclaimed.

“What d’you want me to say, Alex? He’s a shit for apparently trying to hijack an’ live my life? That’s how I feel but I won’t give him the pleasure.”

“Did you know the room he’s chosen is only two doors away from yours? The other side of the nursery.”

Nick’s eyes went flat. He was trying very hard to do what Derek wanted. It was turning into a titanic struggle and Nick just wasn’t built on patient lines. He’d given the lecture, thought he’d established some ground rules and, all the while, Steve had been silently sitting on a new car and a room just down the hall. If it had just been him, Nick maybe could’ve handled it but the room next to the nursery ..? That was hitting at his family. His child. This was dangerous territory for Steve to target.

Well, okay, Nick twitched. If he wants a war, I’ll give him a war.

“I thought you should know,” Alex said in a small voice. “In case .. it causes trouble.”

“In case?” he echoed and laughed without humor. “I’d say it’s a foregone conclusion.”

She risked a quick smile. “Maybe .. I should try an’ spend some time with him. Get him off your back. Maybe find out why he’s like this.”

“The ever present ‘has to be a reason’. He’s like this,” Nick said, pushing upright, “because he’s a shit who’s trying to hijack my life. It won’t work. I won’t let him. If he wants to take me on, he’s gonna lose.”

*****

Derek drove back to the island feeling Ingrid’s sense of calm laying around him like a comfort blanket. He enjoyed it while he could because he knew it wouldn’t last. He had a problem with the newest member of his house, and it was his fault.

On an impulse, he pulled off the road and called the Precept of the New York house.

“It’s Derek Rayne,” he said. “How are you, Mike?”

“A man down, but I guess that’s to be expected. How’s Steve settling in?”

“It’s early days,” Derek replied tactfully. “I was calling about him, actually. He has a very impressive résumé.”

There was a slight pause. “Yeah. Mostly true as well.”

“I’m sorry, what do you mean?” Derek frowned.

“I’d ask him,” Mike answered. “Steve will tell you he doesn’t have a creative bone in his body, that he likes to work with what is an’ not what could be or might be, but that résumé is a work of art. Hearing it from me .. wouldn’t be the same. Having said that, he’s a good guy. Smart, reliable, dedicated. You’re lucky to have him.”

Derek shifted uncomfortably. The description just didn’t fit with the facts as they’d presented themselves in the flesh.

“And if I said Nick Boyle ..?”

Another slight pause greeted this.

And then, without interruption of words, became a longer, more embarrassed pause. Eventually, Mike Tierney gave a dry burst of not quite laughter.

“If I said you’d noticed, it wouldn’t help, would it?” he remarked in a rather resigned voice. Derek didn’t respond. “Look, Derek, he isn’t Nick. We both know it. Personally, it would’ve been great for my house if he was. He isn’t. It started innocently enough – a coincidence which spiraled. When Steve joined, a few of the guys here commented on the resemblance. We couldn’t help but notice. We knew Nick, an’ then this .. newbie walks in on his first day an’ .. yeah, we said about it because why shouldn’t we? It isn’t a big secret. Steve didn’t particularly like the idea. I remember that. He became a little withdrawn, a little defensive. Well, none of us like the idea of having a double but actually knowing he exists an’ where he is … And it wasn’t just the surface stuff which we noticed. His mannerisms, the way he used words. His voice. Every time, we’d remark on it an’ he’d get a little cranky. And then .. I don’t know. Maybe he thought if he couldn’t beat ’em, why not join ’em? I know he stopped resisting. He began asking questions. We saw nothing bad in that so we told him what we knew. Steve began adapting the areas where he was noticeably different. I think he was – is – impressed by Nick. Seriously impressed. He thought Nick was a good role model. An’ why not? Steve was on the east coast, Nick was on the west. Lotta territory in-between.”

“Which has now vanished,” Derek pointed out.

“Yeah. I didn’t know Steve had requested a transfer to San Francisco, not until Paul told me a few days before the confirmation came in. If I had known, I would’ve said something to him, Derek, I swear. Soon as I did know, I realized Steve’s .. behavior patterns, the ones he’d purposefully adopted, could be misconstrued and seen in a negative way. I warned him to back off, tune it down, drop the act .. only, by then, it wasn’t an act anymore. He’d integrated it into who he was. Is it causing problems?”

“I can’t honestly say Nick is happy about it.”

“I don’t suppose he is, an’ I’m sorry. But, if you want my advice, talk to the guy. Explain how it’s causing friction. Ask him to find a way to fit. He’ll do it. To be honest with you in turn, I’d say that working alongside his role model is a dream come true for Steve. He’ll do anything to stay there, including modifying his behavior. The bonus for you is you get two versions of Nick Boyle. The Legacy needs its hard men, Derek. You’re lucky.”

Derek nodded. He didn’t feel lucky. “Hmm. And you say he’s reliable.”

“Absolutely. Puts in the hours an’ more. Very dedicated to the cause.”

“From the beginning?”

“I never had reason to complain. Okay, yeah, I’ve complained. I’ve had to lecture Steve on occasion when he’s done something reckless or impulsive. But I bet you’ve had to lecture Nick too, an’ for the same things. From the get go, Steve was an asset to my team. Worked hard to fit with us, learn the ropes, the personalities.”

“Thank you, Mike. And you say I should speak with him about his résumé.”

“Yes. It’s a real eye opener.”

“I will do it then. Thanks for your time.”

He ended the call and sat still for several moments more while he digested everything he’d heard. Then, shaking his head in frowning puzzlement, Derek continued his journey home.

*****

God, I am so bored …

Steve pushed and let the chair revolve, taking him with it. He heard footsteps, caught the edge of the workstation to brake himself and bent industriously over the keyboard again.

Alex came in. “How’s it going?”

“I’ve been reviewing your Parkfield data. Interesting.” He watched her as she sat down. “What’s in Parkfield to cause it all?”

“I don’t know yet if anything is,” Alex replied. “What I do know is that Parkfield is the most earthquake prone place in the US. It’s right on the San Andreas fault. For a long time, it had regular earthquakes. Some bigger than others, sure, but, every twenty two years, it got hit. In fact, it was so regular that the authorities wired it for sound an’ vision. They put in sensors, seismographs, monitors, computers, all ready for the next hit .. an’ it didn’t happen. Parkfield is now way overdue .. an’ maybe it’s that which is causing the ‘disturbances’.” Alex gave a cautious shrug. “It’s all research into the paranormal, even if it is coming at it from the opposite direction.”

Steve nodded. “You’re thinking .. release of some kind of natural gas or localized magnetic fluctuations could be causing people to .. imagine. Hallucinate.”

“Hallucinate .. probably. I don’t think it’s imagination. Whatever they see or feel, it’s real to them. But it may not be actually there.” She shifted. “If the research gains weight, proves itself to be more than simply an idea, we can use it as a measure if another situation ever arises. We can ask if the location is on a fault line or in a fault zone, an’ when the last quake happened. What these people are experiencing could be down to purely natural causes.”

“Clever,” he remarked, and had to stifle a yawn. A part of him did find it interesting, intriguing even. Alex was clearly an intelligent woman. But a bigger part yearned to be elsewhere, doing something meaningful and more fun.

“The next step will be to suggest to Derek that I undertake a fieldtrip.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“Would you want to come with me?” she asked, thinking it would help ease tensions if he wasn’t around for a while.

Steve nodded slowly. “Sure. If he lets me outta the house again sometime before my sixtieth birthday, I’d come with you. You think it’s likely?”

Alex blushed uncomfortably. “You’re not grounded, Steve. I’m sure Nick – ”

“Oh, Saint Nick. Can’t get it wrong, no matter how far over the line he goes. Sun shines outta the guy’s ass as far as Derek’s concerned. Me? I go take care of some personal business, an’ I’m tossed to the wolves.”

“It isn’t that. You told me you’d come to the control room, put in a day’s work. That’s what you’d planned. And you changed your plans without saying anything. You didn’t even leave a note. I was worried about you,” Alex admitted. “You don’t know the area; I thought maybe you’d had an accident. If I’d known you were going to deal with some personal things … We wouldn’t have stopped you. But you never said.”

“Big on communication, huh? Everyone knows everyone else’s business.”

“Not quite but we do like to be kept in the general picture,” Alex defended.

“Sure. An’ that’s why the gate didn’t know I was arriving. No one told them. Gee, if I didn’t know how communication is such a big deal here, I would’ve said no one knew I was coming.”

This wasn’t fair. Alex felt her shoulders tighten and her jaw tense up. It didn’t help knowing Steve’s last remark, delivered in such a scathingly sarcastic tone, was absolutely true.

“Steve, back off,” she said firmly. “I don’t know what your problem is but your attitude isn’t helping. You seem to be deliberately going out of your way to antagonize us, especially Nick. And it’s so unnecessary. A red Mustang? What’s the deal there? Didn’t you think, even for one moment, that it would cause friction?”

He grinned slowly. “You’re telling me that my cherished boyhood dream of owning a red Mustang should’ve stayed a dream simply because Nick already has one? Alex, I like you, okay? So far, you’ve been .. incredibly good to me. But I don’t really know you well enough to know how you’ll react when I say that I find your remarks incredibly offensive an’ ask if you made them outta .. some kinda personal malice. I hope you won’t be upset or let it ruin our working association, new fledged as it is, when I tell you to butt out an’ fuck the hell off cos this is really none of your damned business.”

Her jaw dropped. He’d said it so .. calmly. Like he was wishing her a good morning.

Steve’s grin widened. His eyes danced. “The deal, Alex, was really very sweet. I couldn’t turn it down. Now, I’ve done enough reviewing for one day. My assessment is that it needs more work before I’d take it to Derek. If I were your Precept an’ you brought this to me, I’d laugh in your face.” He winked as he rose. “See you at supper, huh?”

Alex was shaking. She couldn’t believe he’d been so rude to her. And to say that about her research project … She couldn’t even think of words to respond to him in the privacy of her own head, let alone out loud. When the initial shock wore off, Alex found she was alone. He’d gone. It was just as well. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging grooves into her palms.

Nick’s right. Steve can’t win this. If he wants a war .. by God, he’s going to get one.

*****

Nick pounded along the track toward the beach and dropped down onto the thin strip of damp sand. And there he found Merlin just finishing a tai chi workout.

“Hi,” he greeted, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. “Fresh air or .. fresh air?”

“A little of both,” she replied. “Fresh air because it’s a nice day, an’ fresh air cos the atmosphere in that house is getting a little stifling. You?”

“Same.”

“I don’t envy you, Nicky. I’m not Legacy. I don’t have to work with the guy. You do. One thing I have determined an’ that is I am not going to let that man spoil my pregnancy. I got one shot at this an’ I’m gonna look back on it with good memories.”

“Good plan,” he agreed. “You heard about his car?”

“Yeah.”

“An’ his choice of room location?”

She nodded. “Rachel told me. Who told you?”

“Alex.” Nick watched the water. Little waves rolled in and eased back, rolled in again. “You got any idea why he’d do it?”

“Beyond pissing you off, no, an’ even that … I mean, why’d you buy a red Mustang?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I always wanted one, from a kid.”

“Maybe he did too. As for room location .. maybe he just liked the view from the window. Nicky, c’mon. We can’t see shadows in everything. Short route to paranoia. It isn’t fair for us to act as judge, jury an’ schedule an appointment with the man with the syringe.”

“Maybe,” he said in a neutral voice which wasn’t really neutral at all.

Merlin sighed. “Sure, he could’ve done it deliberately. Or – ”

“You’re defending him because ..?”

“I’m not. I’m just saying I can’t see inside his head so I don’t know his motivations.”

Nick thought about that. “It is really getting tough for me, Merli. I wanna smack him till his face isn’t there anymore.”

“Because he bought a car an’ he’s down the hall.”

“Because he seems hell bent on .. wanting to take over my life. And it’s my life.” He shook his head, his shoulders hunching against an invisible chill wind. “What else is he gonna try an’ ..?”

Nick fell silent and blinked slowly. Equally as slowly, he turned to face her.

“Has he made a pass at you?”

“With this body?” she laughed. “Six months ago, maybe, in his dreams.”

Nick’s hands lay on her shoulders and tightened. “Has he?”

“Why d’you ask?” Merlin wondered.

“My car, my room, my wife.”

“I can see I take proper place in the grand order,” she commented dryly. “Third after an automobile an’ the view.”

“You’re not answering me, Merli. He has, hasn’t he? Made a move on you.” His hands dropped away because they’d become fists. “I’m gonna kill him.”

*****

Steve scuffed his feet over the polished wood of the corridor floor and couldn’t stop giggling to himself. Alex’s face … I will never forget the expression on her face. Man oh man, that was a rare joy to experience. Life’s too short to hold it back. You have to tell it how it is and, if people have thin skins .. well, is that my fault? I don’t think so. She looked like she’d sucked on a lemon.

He opened the door to his room, went in, and let the door close again behind him. Steve flopped down on his bed, put his hands behind his head and gazed cheerfully up at the ceiling.

I cannot – I really cannot – believe I was ever such a stick in the mud guy. Okay, I wasn’t scared of coming forward and speaking up for myself, but, boy, did I mind my p’s and q’s. I was ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’. I was a good, hard working boy. Did what I was told. Y’know, once I thought the box contained cheap narcotics. I was wrong. It held a key. That key has opened up my horizons, set me free from all the .. routine constraints. I am liberated and it feels fabulous. I am so pumped. There’s nothing I can’t do. Nothing I won’t try.

While all this was flooding his mind at a shallow level, deeper there was a groundswell of disgust and disbelief. A shrinking piece of calm sanity could not comprehend why he’d spoken like that to Alex and definitely couldn’t grasp why he found it funny. His dream of working with his hero was blithely being flushed down the toilet and he didn’t seem to care. And then there was yet another part of Steve Anthony’s psyche which stood ever remote and observed impartially, and that was disgusted no one had picked up on the fact his entire personality had undergone a fundamental shift. Surely, they could see it. He’d changed. His first day, he’d been on the ball, learning the ropes, dealing with the rush of facts, figures, emotions and personalities in a quiet, watchful way. His second .. he’d been totally different. He couldn’t give a shit about putting in an honest day’s work. Couldn’t they see that? Didn’t they care?

But Steve wasn’t listening to Part B and Part C because Part A had center stage and a spotlight. Suddenly, it wasn’t enough and his good humor vanished to leave him discontented and unsatisfied.

It’s fun and all but it’d be better if I had someone to share it with. Half the pleasure is someone else knowing what you’ve done. I need a buddy. And the buddy I’ve chosen is my former hero. Once I had him on a marble plinth and I worshipped from a distance. Now I’m here, Nick isn’t so much. He’s human. He has weaknesses. For one thing, he married the help. I got me the inside track to what pushes his buttons. Me an’ Nick, together, us against the whole damned world. Now that is going to be fun.

*****

“Where are you going?” Merlin asked.

“Told you. I’m gonna kill him.”

“On what evidence? I haven’t said a word.”

He halted and swung round. “Then back me up. Tell me what he’s done.”

Nick’s eyes were blazing and Merlin felt placed in a difficult situation. Lying might defuse it but it’d come out. It’d come back and be nastier. Telling the truth .. well, that could easily lead to homicide.

“We spoke,” Merlin told him. “He said some things an’ he was .. he misjudged. I put him straight, gave him some advice. He knows where he stands an’ he knows my position. Nicky, leave it alone. I have already had this conversation with Rachel. Steve is new here, to the city, the island, the people, the way we work, the way we interact. There has to be a rough patch until we’re comfortable an’ so is he. You’re not the Precept of this house – ”

“When Derek’s not around, I’m in charge,” he cut in.

“An’ it’ll be a great thing to note on your résumé that, during Derek’s absence today, you abused his trust by beating on the new guy to within an inch of his life. Acting Precepts should be .. impartial. You’re making it personal. Yeah, you have reason, but that should be enough to tell you .. you have to back off.” Merlin watched the tension start to very slowly seep out of his shoulders. “I have a game plan, Nicky. I’m giving Steve a lotta rope. What he does with it will be for Derek to assess and pronounce judgment on. Not you. Trust me. Take a step back, a deep breath, an’ let it go.”

“But – ”

“It’s tough, I know, but life is. We take the rough with the smooth, an’ we get balance.”

His nostrils flared but he didn’t resume his march back to the house. “Can I at least .. have a quiet word with him about leaving you alone?”

“I already did,” Merlin answered, looping her arm thru his. “He got the message.”

*****

Rachel found Alex in the control room feverishly going thru old reports. She frowned. “Something the matter?” she warily questioned.

Alex spun round. “You know the Parkfield project? My research?”

“Yeah. It’s very good.”

“I was going thru it again, seeing if I could find weaknesses.”

“Why would you do that, Alex?” Rachel queried. “It’s a first class dossier. Some strong theories which are just crying out to be investigated.”

“Steve looked thru it,” she muttered. “He said it needed more work. I can’t see where. Will you help me?”

Rachel moved into Alex’s distracted line of vision. “Hey .. he’s wrong. It’s fine as it is. I know what Derek looks for in a fieldtrip request an’ you have it covered. An’ this .. this is pure science, Alex. It isn’t going to eradicate some monster or risk your neck. It’s .. I wish I could go with you. I find it really fascinating. An’ it’s needed. Benchmarks to rule out the obvious. Steve’s talking outta his ass,” she said, grinning, trying to lighten the mood. “He said it .. to say something. To hear his own voice. Nothing more.”

Alex wanted to believe, she really did. “Y’think the standards in New York are higher?”

“No, I don’t. I think your proposal showed him how high our standards are. Maybe he got a little thrown by it.”

Alex closed her eyes and let her shoulders drop. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.” She let out another breath. “I am trying, Rachel, but I don’t like him very much. He can be .. mercurial.”

“Well, Peri has a game plan an’ I think, having considered it, that it’ll work for us too. Let his actions speak for him. Give him enough rope, he’ll hang himself. An’ then Derek can make the necessary response.” She twitched her shoulders. “As for us, we keep it professional.”

“Yeah, that is a good game plan,” Alex agreed. Then she sighed. “I hope Derek gets back soon.”

*****

Nick felt calmer – again – by the time he got back to the house. In fact, he’d spoken with Merlin during the walk from the beach and decided that she should go home straightaway. He wanted her removed from the tension.

She’d been reluctant – not for herself but for him – but had yielded. Nick was drawing a line in the sand and he had every right to want his family safe and protected. Merlin kept going toward the garage when they reached the front door while he turned in.

He’d also said that the situation warranted him staying over. Steve’s .. problems had to be nipped in the bud, stopped from escalating. What was friction now could mature into outright hostilities. Maybe a frank discussion over the supper table could let the steam safely out. He’d promised he would cage his temper and ring it around with a minefield. He’d be okay. It was better to end this before it really got started.

Merlin had agreed and said she’d see him tomorrow. If he needed to talk, he was to call, no matter how late the hour.

So, when he went into the house, Nick had it compartmentalized and firmly under control.

“Derek not back?” he asked as he entered the control room.

“Not yet. Nick,” Alex said, “can I speak with you in the office?”

“Sure.”

His control lasted .. maybe five more minutes.

Alex related, almost word for word, what Steve had said to her. She paced as she talked, her voice low and troubled, and mystified. She had been angry and upset but now she was more puzzled than furious. At first, she’d wanted to lash out; now, she wanted to understand why he’d been so nasty.

Nick listened. He heard it all but, in the background and growing, was a soft roaring sound, like a strangled scream of pure, frustrated rage. He watched Alex pace to a standstill and turn such dejected eyes on him that he straightened. In Derek’s absence, he was in charge and he wasn’t going to let this situation with Steve continue.

Nick would be the very first to admit he could speak bluntly and didn’t care if he upset people in the process. But he always pitched the words at the right level. He and Alex had survived their share of squaring up to each other but he had never, never, used that kind of language to her. She was a colleague, she had his respect and she was .. too much the lady to deserve to be sworn at, not by him and certainly not by Steve Anthony.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, Alex. Something has to be. I’ll get it straightened out for you,” Nick said quietly and headed for the door.

“Nick, d’you think New York wanted to get rid of him an’ so gave him a glowing report?” she wondered.

“If they did, they deserve having their house declared renegade cos they sure don’t believe in the whole truth.”

Alex watched him go and wasn’t sure whether to feel good or bad. It seemed she had more loyalty to Steve than he did to her.

It wasn’t far from the library to the residential wing but Nick used every inch to focus his anger and frustration into a cold, white essence. It empowered him, lifted him up, so, when his fist landed on Steve’s door, it fell like the crack of doom.

“Yeah, come on in,” Steve invited.

Nick pushed the door open and took two steps over the threshold.

“Hey, bro! How you doing?” Steve grinned, sitting up.

“I’ve just spoken with Alex,” Nick responded.

“Nice lady.”

“Yeah, she is. You seem to have no trouble recognizing that now, so why did you have trouble earlier?”

Steve frowned. “Excuse me? Don’t see where you’re going with this.”

“You told her to fuck the hell off.”

“Oh .. right. Yeah. I remember.” Steve nodded. “I also told her not to get upset by it. Kinda apologized upfront. She was sticking her nose in, man. I don’t like that. I’m a .. private kinda guy. Like you.”

Nick’s nostrils flared. “You are not like me. You never will be.” He shook his head. “I can’t deny we look a lot alike but .. there is no way you’d even come close. You watch your mouth with Alex, you stay away from my wife, or there really is gonna be trouble. More trouble than you can handle.”

Steve fell silent. “I thought … ” he began after an embarrassed moment, “y’know .. we could … You’re my hero, Nick. I have wanted to work with you for so long now. Can’t we start over?”

“I think it’s too late for that,” Nick replied in a steady, distant voice.

“Damn, but that’s a shame. I really wanted us to be like brothers, y’know. I even got you a gift.” He scrambled up and went to the dresser, then turned and held out something small. “Here, have it. It’s no use to me anymore.”

Nick’s gaze flickered down. It was a box. “Thanks, but – ”

“C’mon, in the spirit of apology. I .. obviously guessed wrong about the people here. I’ll clean up my act. Be a dutiful Legacy son. Take it. Keep your loose change in it or something.”

Biting back a sigh, Nick took the box. It felt warm, almost comforting. “I want your word of promise that you will clean up your act.”

“Absolutely, hand on heart. I swear. You gonna open it?”

“What’s inside?”

“Nothing but .. the workmanship is wonderful.”

“Maybe later. Derek should be back soon. If I were you, I’d apologize to Alex before he gets here.”

“Sure,” Steve nodded.

“An’ we’ll talk more over supper.”

“Look forward to it. Does that mean you’re staying here tonight?”

“Yeah,” Nick grunted and went out.

“Just down the hall … ” Steve grinned.

*****

Nick decided to take a long shower before going down to supper. His body felt tense and knotted. Nothing was going right. He was spoiling for a fight yet knew Merlin had gotten the correct angle on it. As Acting Precept, Nick had to be above the squabbles and bad feelings, not one of the main protagonists. Once Derek was back, however, the gloves could come off.

He turned on the water and stripped off then paused to look at the box on top of the nightstand where he’d left it when he came in. It was beautiful. So intricate. Like a maze. It captured the eye and forced it to follow the coils around and around.

Why’d he give me this ..?

The question played on his mind while he stood under the water, letting it work its magic on his muscles. Eventually, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist. And then, on an impulse, Nick opened the box …

*****

“I’m sorry I’m so late,” Derek said as he hurried into the dining room. “I hit traffic and then one of the ferries had broken down so only one was operating. How is everything here?”

Rachel regarded him. “I think we’ve managed to avert the outbreak of war but it’s been close.”

“Nick lost his temper?” Derek frowned.

“Nick has been amazing,” she corrected. “Hasn’t put a foot wrong and, bearing in mind the provocation he’s had today, I’m impressed.” Rachel angled her head. “You’re going to have to take charge of this, Derek. Steve’s upset Alex as well.”

“It’s okay,” Alex said with a quick shrug. “He apologized. It was a .. a misunderstanding.”

“So .. any war is going to be between Nick and Steve,” Derek deduced. “Rather as I expected. Unless I can – ”

Nick came in. Steve was with him. They were both laughing. If someone had hit Rachel and Alex with a wet fish, they couldn’t have been more surprised.

“Derek, you’re back!” Nick greeted. “Is it okay if Steve an’ I head out tonight? Thought I’d show him some of the landmarks. Start his integration program.”

“You don’t want to stay to supper first?” Derek queried.

“We’ll eat on the move. I’ll get him back by nine tomorrow morning.”

“Very well,” Derek agreed. He waited till the sound of their voices had faded into the distance. “And, with no effort from me, peace broke out in the house.”

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