Registry of the Non-Evolved Database
File #03 Aug 2010 06:52
|
 Niall Matter |
Many children dream of doing extraordinary things, living extraordinary lives as heroes or rock-stars. Nicholas Ruskin may have had such fantasies as a small boy, but they’d been long forgotten in the dark reality that was his childhood. For him, just having a normal life was a pipe dream that has never been realized.
Born out of wedlock to a nurse and a cabbie, Nick’s life in London wasn’t easy, even in the beginning. He rarely saw his father, and his mother was an alcoholic prone to moodswings. It was hardly a stable beginning for Nick or his his sister Eileen, two years his junior. The unstable foundation was rocked all the further when Gregory York left Sophia Ruskin and the two children. Sophia’s drinking worsened, and in 1997, when Nick was 10, she was suspended for being drunk while at work.
Nick, meanwhile, self-destructive in his own right, was pushing his boundaries, rebelling to see what he could get away with — or perhaps in a cry for help. The cry for help was futile and only caused more pain for himself and his sister, when Sophia’s neglect became abuse. Nick had stolen some of his mother’s cigarettes to sell at school. Previously, she had only spanked her children or smacked them with an open hand; this time, she used a fist, leaving bruises. It would not be the first time, nor would it be the worst of the abuses Nick endured. Without work to keep Sophia busy, she seemed to find some sick amusement in spending her time abusing her son, perhaps blaming him for the loss of her job and the loss of Gregory. Punishment involved baths of ice water, beating him with a broom handle, and even forcing the boy to drink ammonia when he admitted to his headmaster that she’d hit him. Unfortunately, no one followed up on that report — perhaps because Nick was now often getting in fights at school and bullying other children, despite being smaller than most of his classmates. Nick took the brunt of the abuse but eventually Eileen found herself the victim of her mother’s rage as well.
Once Sophia went back to work after six months of suspension, life seemed to improve, though it was by no means good. The beatings and sadistic punishments decreased, but just when Nick thought perhaps his mother had “outgrown” the phase, she would return with a vengeance. The police stopped by once when Sophia tried to force his hands on the stove’s red-hot burner, this time because she caught him adding water to her whiskey bottle to dilute it. When questioned, he lied, not wanting to be separated from his sister should they be sent to social services.
Life outside of the home was not much better. Nick would probably have been a good student if he had come from a better home; he certainly wasn’t stupid. But pain and neglect made him apathetic to anything “adults” considered important — after all, no adult had ever helped him that wasn’t paid to. His rebellious streak got him in scraps with bigger boys and his need to assert his power over someone had him bullying those his own age. Running away from an older boy hell bent on getting his revenge on Nick for bullying his little brother, Nick ran into the path of a delivery truck, resulting in a broken jaw and other injuries.
The Ruskins existed in this precarious state, with Nick perpetually in trouble, almost as if he were trying to get caught. His mother’s vices, alcohol and cigarettes, became his, the latter of which he introduced his little sister to. It was around this time that he started to hang around a group of older boys from another school, lying about his age to fit in. It was the leader of the crowd, John Logan, who he most wanted to impress and he was willing to prove himself in whatever way Johnny, the football star, asked. What he asked for eventually and what Nick gave was confusing to both. Casual teenage exploration that seemed natural when drunk and high seemed confusing and strange by light of day. John let the younger boy tag along with him and his mates, but one day they turned on Nick, beating him up and calling him names, spitting on him, and calling him “Fag.”
Bitter at the betrayal by a friend, confused about his feelings for the same, Nick searched for a place he could be in control. The closest target, unfortunately, was his sister — perhaps to reassert his defamed masculinity or assure himself that Logan was a fluke; perhaps because every girl at his school thought he was a thug and a creep; perhaps because he resented the beatings he had endured that she had escaped. The real reason was a subconscious mix of all of these things, and mostly because he was damaged emotionally by too many years of pain and heartache, and misery loves company. He coerced Eileen into meeting his demands, threatening to tell their mother she was sleeping with several boys in her class if she didn’t comply. When he pressured her to perform sexual acts on his friends, she ran away. She was 15. He was 17.
He has not seen her since.
The police finally intervened when Eileen did not show up to school. Nick was removed and placed in foster care, with several months left before he could be considered an adult. He ran away from his foster family after just one week, searching the streets for his sister with no success. He was caught when he got picked up for shoplifting some food in a market and brought back to social services. For the remainder of his 17th year, he lived in a group home. He caught up on his studies, earning his diploma fairly easily but more for the benefits “good behavior” in class earned him in the home. After all, he had no money of his own and didn’t plan to return to his mother’s home ever again. Much of his time was spent in therapy. He only spoke of the abuses he suffered, keeping close to his chest what abuse he had dealt, letting it burn within him. Free time was spent working out and taking classes that might help the boys in his home get a job — auto shop and computer repair, bookkeeping and cooking. He excelled at most of these, though he knew that there would be no normal job for him once he turned 18.
Once he was no longer a ward of the government, Nick fled London and all its bad memories, heading north for Liverpool to take a job as a docker, responding to advertisements in a newspaper for non-skilled labor. It was the best job he could get with a limited skillset and it took him far from the place that had been so unkind to him in his youth. It certainly wasn’t easy work, but it gave him a stability and normalcy that he had lacked. The work was hard and physical, and while it didn’t take a lot of mental power, he was usually too tired to think too much on those things he’d rather not. The men he worked with were rough around the edges, but he liked the Scousers. For a very short time, life was simple. He worked, he drank or shot pools with the boys, he even dated a few girls, though was clear he wasn’t looking for anything deep. He was the epitome of “emotionally unavailable,” and while he was easy enough on the eyes, there was something untouchable about him that kept most women away. Only the few that had a soft spot for the obviously damaged goods even tried, and these girls generally got left empty-handed and in a few rare cases, broken-hearted after a few shags.
It wasn’t long, just a few months into his new life, before one of his bosses, a stevedore named Body, decided Nick was trustworthy enough to let into a side operation: his particular dock was being used to import and export contraband of varying types — mostly drugs and weapons, even some exotic animals now and then. The pay for this sort of work was much, much more than his wages for his legal work, and at first there seemed to be no real risk. He didn’t know that the operation was being watched and monitored by Interpol. One night, after Nick “looked the other way” while signing off on cargo from South America, he found himself grabbed into the backseat of a dark sedan and brought into an empty warehouse to be interrogated.
His captor was an Interpol agent by the name of Drake. His terms were simple and terse: play snitch or go to prison. Just the thought of prison was enough to make Nick talk. He gave the names of everyone in the smuggling ring that he knew, but it wasn’t enough. Drake wanted more. Body was just the tip of the iceberg. Drugs and weapons and exotic animals were not the most precious of cargo. Women and children were.
Nick was a surprising treasure of sorts himself for Interpol, being bright but rough hewn, pliable but hard enough not to break — or perhaps because he’d been broken long ago. He agreed. At first he was just a mole, gathering intelligence, doing the work that Body trusted him to do, letting himself get deeper and deeper in until finally he was let into the inner circle of trust. He feigned indifference and reported back to Drake. That night, the docks were raided; his buddies were arrested, Body and another man were killed, and a ship full of women and children from Thailand were rescued. Nick too was taken in by Interpol, but unlike the rest of his buddies, he was free the next day — or as free as his new life would allow.
His youth and lower-middle-class upbringing made Nick the perfect undercover agent. At first he was simply an intelligence gatherer, but eventually, he received more training at an Interpol facility in France for surveillance, disinformation techniques, firearms, close quarter combat, and demolitions. Clearly, Interpol was grooming him to be able to do more than just arrest the leaders of the trafficking rings.
It was around this time that a bomb blew up the center of New York City. Other Interpol agents were sent to New York to aid in the crisis. Living a world away in France, Nick was only as interested in the event from an outsider’s perspective. When the news about Evolved came about later, again, it was something interesting and curious, but it didn’t mean anything to him personally. Some of the men and women he worked with began to come out with their powers, if they were useful to the agency. He only cared inasmuch as the abilities could either help him or harm him.
Soon he was being sent around the world, to anywhere English or his basic French or even his scant Polish could allow him to get a longshoreman’s job and find his way into the smuggling rings. Each shipment of human beings he helped intercept, each woman or child or man he freed, each piece of shit slaver or prostitution leader he arrested or killed became an imaginary tally in his head — would the tallies ever be enough to redeem him of his own sins? He has thrown himself into the work, letting himself grow more stoic and hardened to protect himself — or what little of Nicholas Ruskin was left. Most of the time, he had a fake name and a fake life to hide behind. Once in a while, his past catches up to him, when he is least expecting it.
His passport and identification labels him as Nicholas York, destination: Manhattan, NYC, United States of America.
Contemporary research suggests that most personality traits are based on the joint influence of genetics and environment. If this is true, Nick had two strikes against him from the beginning, thanks to Sophia Ruskin.
At his core, he is of above-average intelligence and a quick, resourceful learner. Before his childhood's traumas began to change him, he was quick-witted, eager to crack a joke and find the humor in a situation. Eventually, things ceased being funny. His curiosity in learning turned to apathy and indifference, unless he could see a pay-off for his interest in a subject. Though he seldom sees the humor in situations, this is not to say he comes across as humorless. Nick will use his wit in order to come across as charming, clever, or sarcastic if it will serve his purposes. He's learned to use it as both a manipulative tool for both personal and business negotiations, as well as a disguise to hide behind — "normal" people find humor in situations sometimes, after all. Nick knows he is not normal, but he has become more adept at appearing to be.
His mother's destructive tendencies have also seem to be inherited. As a child, he rebelled, almost seeming to invite her wrath. As an adult, he allowed himself to get involved in illegal activities for profit, then turned snitch in order to avoid prison. While this might seem self-preserving, Nick knew that in the end, he was choosing the much more dangerous path. He threw himself into the work with an enthusiasm and a fury that the psychology report given to his superiors suggest is indicative of a "death wish." Of course, what agency wouldn't be happy to have a willing kamikaze on their rolls, if the time ever requires one?
The abuse Nick dealt his sister is a cross he carries and never speaks of. Part of him thinks that his current path has been set by karma or God or fate as form of penance — but not redemption. He has not forgiven himself for his sins, and likely never will.
He is a man who hates himself and does not believe he deserves any happiness. When he does well at his job, there is satisfaction but never pleasure. Romantic relationships are kept short and casual, flings that are often never officially ended but that he simply lets fade away. He has not explored the curiosity in men since his adolescence, though he is bisexual in his desires. His vices are more self-destructive bad habits rather than pleasures — smoking, drinking, and drugs were all part of his rebellious adolescence, though he now limits himself to the first two unless required to "fit in" undercover.
The things he has seen in his work have made Nick more stoic and more guarded as a person, though he has become an adept actor, as required by any undercover agent. His subconscious brings the worst of his work and the worst of his path to the surface often — bad dreams and night terrors plague him, and Nick often suffers insomnia as a result.
Appendices
Logs
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Nick Ruskin, aka Nick York, has arrived in New York as an undercover agent working for Interpol investigating the smuggling rings of Staten Island. In a strange country where he thought he knew no one, his past has come back to haunt him in puzzling and frightening ways. |
| Date | Title | Summary | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 3 | Shared Burden | A stranger lectures Nick, new to NYC, on the meaning of charity, unaware what the link they have in common. | Amato |
| Aug. 3 | Bribe Him With Beer | The undercover Interpol agent takes an order for weapons from the King of Swords while sharing really awful beer. | Raith |
| Aug. 4 | No Rest for the Wicked | Separated by only a harbor rather than an ocean, two siblings reminisce on their shared childhood, unaware of one another's proximity. | Eileen |
| Aug. 6 | Pride and Providence | Fate or Karma brings Amato and Nick back together — this time Amato finds the answers to his questions, along with a broken jaw, while Melissa tries to play referee. | Amato, Melissa |
| Aug. 9 | A Foreign Notion | Melissa finds Nick at a bar in Brooklyn and tries to make friends while he is polite long enough to try to get some information out of her. Neither get what they want. | Melissa |
| Aug. 13 | Peep and Pincer | Nick is questioned concerning his identity and his soul, but the newly transplanted Brit is reluctant to cooperate with the two wolf-hunters, Amato and Raith. | Amato, Raith |
| Aug. 14 | Genesis 20:12 | A strange delivery has Nick worried about his safety and the security of his cover. | |
| Aug. 16 | Bounty | Things go horribly wrong for Nick when he tries to lend help to a "fellow smuggler" during a routine supply pickup. | Avi, Raith, Abby, Quinn |
| Aug. 16 | Reunion | Things get worse when Nick is taken to a safehouse for his wounds. Brother Kings and Abby argue about the policy of truth when it comes to revealing the identity of the gunshot victim to Eileen. | Avi, Raith, Abby, Eileen |
| Aug. 19 | Limbo | Nick comes out of a struggle between life and death — and isn't happy about who won. | |
| Aug. 22 | Goldilocks and the Bear | Injured and spooked, Nick asks for a favor from a stranger, and gets more kindness than he expected from Melissa. | Melissa |
| Aug. 23 | God's Word, Cheap and Used | Nick stops in for an unusual purchase at a bookstore. Delia finds an omen in a book of her own. | Lydia, Delia |
| Aug. 27 | Stay Safe, Dammit | This time it's Melissa who is hurt when Nick and her paths collide, but Nick isn't as able to take away the pain. | Melissa |
| Aug. 29 | Jack Gets All the Glory | Against all odds, a professed bad boy manages to do something nice for someone in need — and actually enjoys it. | Melissa |
| Aug. 30 | They Didn't Train Him for This | A ghost from his past haunts Nick — and warns him of the dangers in his job his employer didn't warn him about. | Eileen |
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The past continues to haunt Nick in this new chapter of his life. There are offers of help from unexpected people, but he pushes them away, not really believing himself deserving of any sort of redemption or happiness in his life. Nick struggles at his job, to try to do some good in this dark life of his. |
| Date | Title | Summary | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 9 | The Blackest of Sheep | Amato offers to help Nick find self forgiveness while Melissa is frustrated with the lack of answers coming from the two men when the three converge in an unlikely and forgotten place. | Melissa, Amato |
| Sept. 11 | Talking to a Brick Wall | Melissa tracks down Nick and tries to get him to open up — instead, he opens the window and climbs out the fire escape. | Melissa |
| Sept. 19 | Pick Up on Aisle -- What? | A strange crossing of paths of criminals and celebrities occurs in a drug store. | Melissa, Russo, Edgar |
| Sept. 20 | Reliable | A strange truce of sorts is made between Nick and Raith, the latter offering the former assistance if the former should need it. | Raith |
| Sept. 24 | Such a Guest is Meet | Amato buries the dead while Nick tries to, though he lacks a corpse to bury. | Amato |
| Sept. 26 | Crossing Over | Nick searches for answers when there aren't any — Lydia suggests he asks them to the ghost he seeks to help find peace. | Lydia |
| Sept. 28 | Cant Argue With Taste | It's a strange meeting of strangers and acquaintances in Central Park, and Nick's drop seems to be occupied. | Monica, Niki, Barbara, Smedley, Delia |
| Oct. 2 | Discourse and Debate | A book talk inspires debate at a Barnes and Noble. Nick stays out of it but runs into "Red" yet again. | Brennan, Gin, Savannah, Marjorie, Delia, Russo |
| Oct. 3 | Some of the People, Some of the Time | Nick is offered a future from his surprise guest while told his past is alive and well in New York City. | Avi |
| Oct. 7 | Services | Nick assumes Odessa's services are of a different anatomical kind than she provides. | Odessa |
| Oct. 8 | Labyrinth Ball | Tartarus becomes faerieland (shut up) for an evening, and Nick checks in on Melissa's welfare while in disguise, both via mask and accent. | Monica, Melissa, Kendall, Jaiden, Delia, Nadira, Quinn, Ygraine, Rhys, Delilah |
| Oct. 8 | Burning Glances, Turning Heads | Who is that masked man? A flirtation (if he's being honest with himself) with a stranger turns out to be a confrontation with the past, resulting in minor injuries for both men. | Logan |
| Oct. 10 | Punches and Puzzles | Another run-in with Amato results in a resolution and a farewell between the two men. | Amato |
| Oct. 10 | One Butternut, One Shot, One Beer | Some drink to remember. Some drink to forget. Some for satisfaction. Some for regret. | Kristen, Lydia, Smedley |
| Oct. 12 | A Flatbread Fiasco | Sandwiches. Mixup. Exit. | Gavyn, Smedley |
| Oct. 16 | Nothin' If Not Persistent | Tess comes to Staten looking for alcohol and trouble. Nick accepts the first, but tries to keep her out of the latter, despite Tess' determination. | Tess |
| Oct. 17 | Milenky and Nick | In a chance meeting, Nick gets to thank Abby coherently for helping to save his life. | Abby and Katya |
| Oct. 18 | Christmas Fireworks | Lola stops by Walsh's warehouse to make an order. | Lola |
| Oct. 19 | Euhooligans | Sometimes, men pick fights just to blow off steam. This time, football (soccer) is the impetus for a bar brawl among euro trash. | Seamus and Teo |
| Oct. 20 | Battle Scars | Nick's injuries bring him to Odessa's care, which goes beyond medical. | Odessa |
| Oct. 24 | A Piece of Work | Tess returns to Staten and Nick comes to her rescue, only to threaten her with unexpected results. | Tess |
| Oct. 29 | Retroactive Redemption | A stranger comes to offer an uncommon gift to Nick who accepts it. | Samuel |
| October '10-December 1995 | Little Mice | You can go home again — but who would want to? Part one of his task goes without a hitch. | Little Nick, Little Eileen |
| October '10-December 1941 | Numb | Nick's attempt at redemption is intercepted in ironic ways. | Logan, little Nick |
| October '10-December 1941 | At The End of the Tunnel | Having failed his errand, Nick finds things can get worse. Somehow. | Marcus |
| October '10-December 1941 | The Light | Nick is shown mercy from a surprising source. | Kazimir, Francois |
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Nick finds himself back in the present, and relying on the kindness of strangers, after life was nearly taken from him, and death pulled from his grips. His past continues to haunt him and he forges new friendships in this new chance at life in a brave new world — one he isn't sure he is thankful for. |
| Date | Title | Summary | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 8 | Like Blood in the Water | Nick returns to present day only to find himself in trouble again. | Dong-Tian, Keira, Walsh, Shannon |
| Nov. 8 | Time to Regroup | A good samaritan gets Nick out of dodge. | Shannon |
| Nov. 12 | In Exile | The Ferry council meets with those in its care to discuss what is to be done next. | Ferry |
| Nov. 13 | Breaking Bread | Delia shares a meal with one of the most aloof of Pollepel's residents. | Delia |
| Nov. 15 | Bridge over Troubled Waters | Hope and prayer isn't much of a solution. A ghost comes through with an offer… Deals with the devil the damsel knows seems better than none at all. | Jaiden, Smedley, Hokuto |
| Nov. 15 | Nothin' for Me | Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is ask for a favor — sometimes, the hardest thing to do is grant one. Nick asks permission to move Delia; Eileen relents. | Eileen |
| Nov. 17 | How Many Smugglers Does it Take | Three men transfer Delia from Pollepl back to the city. | Jaiden, Smedley |
| Nov. 18 | Of Course You've Been | Nick stops by Odessa's apartment for two different kind of favors, and the two find they have more in common than they thought. How many twenty-somethings in 2010 can say they've lived through the Nazi regime? | Odessa |
| Nov. 18 | Not Equipped | Nick helps Tess out with some moving boxes and she reaches out for and to him — with little success. | Tess |
| Nov. 19 | When Pigs Fly | Back on the island, Nick helps unload supplies — which is more than can be said for some. | Howard, Abby, Smedley, Nelly |
| Nov. 19 | Thanks for all the Fish | There's a lot of animal allusions going on here… Nick brings in fish and some of Pollepel's residents chat in the kitchen. | Benji, Abby, Kaylee, Nelly |
| Nov. 21 | The Battle of Breakneck Road | The Ferry strikes at a convoy to reclaim some of their own — and then some. | Ferry |
| Nov. 22 | Bullshokey | Insomniacs come together for a card game and disturbing conversation. | Lynette, Abby |
| Nov. 24 | Unpaid Debts | Odessa comes through with medical supplies and the two find they have more in common. | Odessa |
| Nov. 25 | Top of that List | Nick spends a curry dinner with Tess for Thanksgiving, then warns her away from him again for her own good. | Tess |
| Nov. 28 | Lie of Omission | Benji receives an unwelcome committee upon his return to Pollepel Island after leaving without a warning. | Eileen, Benji, Ryans, Huruma, Ethan |
| Nov. 29 | Make Pretend | Before leaving Pollepel Island for New York City to resume his employment with the Irishman, Nick is finally confronted by his past many years too late.. | Eileen |
| Nov. 30 | Collecting Debts | Knowing he doesn't like owing them, Odessa asks for repayment on the debt he owes her — and finds it's not an easy task for reasons she didn't expect. | Odessa |
| Nov. 30 | Two Favors | Nick's return to work is met with a less-than-warm welcome, and a much dreaded to-do-list grows by two. | Walsh |
| Dec. 3 | Pass Along the Message | Something unexpected interrupts a Ferry ally and a prisoner's morning stroll. | Benji, Gabriel |
| Dec. 3 | Grow Mushrooms | While standing on a precipice in his life, Nick gets a bit of unsolicited advice on what he should be doing. | Delia |
| Dec. 6 | Common Ground | Nick and Amato find they have an unexpected mutual acquaintance. | Amato |
| Dec. 19 | Humanity | Three men share a discussion over the state of the world over a cup of tea. | Doyle, Amato |
| Dec. 19 | Where I Have to Go | Delia finds herself in the dark mind of Nick once more and offers him something he can't find within himself. | Delia |
| Dec. 20 | You Started It | After promising not to fight, Holden picks one — it doesn't count if Nick swings first, right? | Ethan |
| Dec. 21 | Adrift | Nick finds himself unwilling host to one of those guests that doesn't know when to leave, in fact, she's invited herself for an extended stay. | Delia |
| Dec. 21 | A Wrench in the Works | Nick and Ethan get to know one another after the latter kidnaps the former. It goes surprisingly cordially. | Ethan |
| Dec. 22 | Bearing Gifts | Nick isn't Greek, but the old adage would have been fitting. Odessa doesn't heed the warning, and is left with a threat and a headache for past wrongs. | Odessa |
| Dec. 23 | Merry Christmas, Nicky | Nick is given a very special holiday opportunity. | Walsh and Khalid |
| Dec. 24 | Silent Night, Part II | Perhaps the worst Christmas Eve of his life, and that's saying a lot. | many |
| Dec. 25 | After the Storm | Having hit rock bottom, the only way for Nick to look is up. | so very alone |
| Dec. 25 | The White Room | The dreamwalker in his head gives Nick a purpose — to help her find her way, even if he can't find his own. | Delia |
| Dec. 25 | A Slumber Party | Nick won't be alone for Christmas after all, he finds, when he heads to Redbird to find Delia's body — and a reluctant Brian keeping guard. | Brian |
| Dec. 29 | Insomniac Vigil | An insomniac with a dreamwalker in his head chats with Delia's brother about the situation. | Russo |
| Dec. 31 | Time to Say Goodbye | Delia finally leaves Nick's head at the bidding of another oneiromancer — but not to join her own body. | Dema, Delia |
| Dec. 31 | Just a Dream | Nick has to tell Russo that Delia's gone. | Russo |
| Jan. 2 | With You I Will Leave, Part II | The Institute comes for Delia. | Delia, Brennan, Nicole, Russo, Brian, Dante, Kristen |
| Jan. 2 | Stay With Me | Body and mind finally united, Delia is led to safety. | Delia |
| Jan. 5 | Refraining | Nick agrees to take Tess's stash of an illegal substance off her hands, but declines her other offers. | Tess |
| Jan. 8 | Quay | No longer adrift herself, Delia tries to keep Nick from slipping back back out into the waters. | Delia |
| Jan. 8 | Spilled Blood | A stop at the fight club results in some contacts that might be useful. | Dax, Elle, Gael, Lola, Melissa, Perry] |
| Jan. 8 | Irish Business | Lola and Nick discuss their mutual acquaintance. | Lola |
| Jan. 9 | A Brother’s Duty | Both men try to do right by their sisters, even if it means hurting Nick. | Russo |
| Jan. 12 | Close Enough | Nick tries to stay out of hot water while Delia swims. | Russo, Delia |
| Jan.15 | Drinking Games | Ethan baits Nick for the truth. | Ziadie, Ethan |
| Jan.16 | Save a Prayer | A prayer and present are both uncommon things for Nick. | Delia |
| Jan. 19 | Got No A-Game | Nick doesn’t remember a witness from his Christmas Eve debacle. | Toru |
| Jan. 23 | Ready to Raise Hell | Nick is invited into the wolf’s fold. | Ethan |
| Jan. 24 | Prepositions Don't Mean Shit | Ziadie and Nick meet without Ethan playing them like pawns. | Ziadie |
| Jan. 29 | Never Pretty | Just another day at Center Stage. | Dax, Griffin, Bao-Wei |
| Jan. 30 | It’s a Question of Trust | Lola and Nick talk more Irish business. | Lola |
| Jan. 31 | You Make Me Want | Nick and Delia confess their influence on one another. | Delia |
| Feb. 1 | Whatever You Need | The last person he expects comes seeking his help. | Eileen |
| Feb. 1 | Trustworthy | Nick sees his sister off after a short but tense discussion about something in common that they didn't know they had. | Eileen |
| Feb. 3 | Least It’s Something | A phone call lets Ziadie be the bearer of good news. And receive good news in turn. | Ziadie |
| Feb. 3 | Playground Scrap | Logan tracks down Nick to discuss business; they fight about Logan’s pleasures. | Logan |
| Feb. 3 | Whatever Makes You Happy | Nick’s warnings come too late — just one more failure in his book. | Delia |
| Feb. 7 | In the Nick of Time | Sometimes he doesn’t fail. | Raquelle, Savannah, Yana |
| Feb. 9 | Just a Fuckin’ Couch | Nick plays the role of a good samaritan to a bit of a lost soul. | Toru |
| Feb. 11 | Midnight Snack | The new roomies have a chat. | Toru |
| Feb. 12 | Three Little Words | Nick finds himself in a rare position — being asked for relationship advice. | Russo |
| Feb. 14 | Sounds a Bit Sappy | Neither of them have a date, but they make plans. | Delia |
| Feb. 19 | Shattered Delusions | A dream and memory explain so much. | Delia |
| Feb. 20 | Hertfordshire, 1854 | Eileen’s mind gives those worried about her hints. | Delia, Jasmine, Brian, Eileen |
| Feb. 21 | Come on Eileen | Lost and found once more, Eileen is saved by Nick and Brian. | Brian, Eileen |
| Feb. 22 | Promises to Keep | Nick returns to his apartment to find another occupant — but one he is thankful for. | Delia, Toru |
| Feb. 26 | A Great Girlfriend | Tended to for injury and a flu, Nick worries more about Delia. | Delia |
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Nick York finds both meaning and loss in dreams, both those given to him from a future he helped forge and those from a nearly fatal illness, tormenting him with his past. He strives to become a more worthy person and finds some forgiveness from those he's hurt. |
| Date | Title | Summary | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 6 | And Then There Were... | Ethan increases the Remnant's number by two. | Edgar, Eileen, Ethan, Raith |
| March 8 | It's Not a Date | More favors. Nick provides as he always does and even offers to buy the curry. | Delia |
| March 9 | Ratcatchers | Nick discovers that there are reminders everywhere. | Eileen |
| March 11 | The Ultimate Friend Date | Nick makes good on his promise to contact Delia after her birthday and gets serenaded. | Delia |
| March 17 | In Another Life | The boundary of friendship is crossed. | Delia |
| March 26 | Icky Thump Part II | Sheriff Holden and his deputies head out of town to deal with some kidnappers. Predictably, everything goes to hell. | Ethan, Raith, Deckard |
| March 29 | Expression of Pain | A dreary place is always the best to find a spot of your own to mourn. For once, it's not as desolate as he'd like. | Delia |
| April 2 | Naive Little Girl | Delia comes clean on where she's been living and though he doesn't have the right, Nick gets angry anyway. | Delia |
| April 2 | Gingerbread Men I | The Ferry descend upon a convoy carrying Judah Demsky, but things are not always what they seem and there's surprises for everyone involved. | Audrey, Cooper, Francois, Griffin, Liza, Lynette |
| April 15 | On a Darkling Plain | Delia goes to mend a fence with Nick by thanking him for something that might never happen. | Delia |
| April 19 | What the Heart Deserves | Nick gets unexpected advice when he seeks guidance from the one person he thinks will help him steer clear of matters of the heart. | Eileen |
| April 24 | Matka | If you can't find what you're looking for, wait long enough and it will find you. | Astor, Edgar, Eileen, Gabriel, Raith |
| April 25 | Not a Lost Cause | Revelations of what the future holds are hard to accept for one whose past is broken. | Delia |
| April 30 | It Shouldn't Be This Hard | Even in dreams, it's not easy. | Delia |
| April 30 | Closer Than They Aren't | A small representative of the time travelers come in peace, to warn that not all of them do. | Abby, Barbara, Cat, Eileen, Benji, Nora, Hannah. Huruma, Joseph. Megan, Rue, Ryans |
| April 30 | Time Like Clay | While the future seems to promise yet more failure for one man, one of the two people he's failed reminds him it can be changed. | Benji |
| May 1 | World War Raith | Alternative title: Two Cocks, One Fight. When Nick brings home news of the newest crisis, the Dispensary becomes a shortlived war-zone between tenuous allies. | Amato, Edgar, Raith |
| May 3 | Like Baby Birds | Lunch in the park leads to a little understanding. | Delia |
| May 8 | A Man's Requirements | Nick and Delia pay their respects to the dead and find Ryans there as well. | Delia, Ryans |
| May 14 | We Can Watch the Clouds | The plan to sleep under the stars is marred by cloudy weather and something more ominous on the horizon. | Delia |
| May 14 | We Can Watch the Clouds | The plan to sleep under the stars is marred by cloudy weather and something more ominous on the horizon. | Delia |
| May 15 | Famous Last Words | A camping trip is cut short by rain and illness; as the weather darkens, so does the outlook for the future. | Delia |
| May 15 | Famous Last Words | A camping trip is cut short by rain and illness; as the weather darkens, so does the outlook for the future. | Delia |
| May 15 | Quarantine | In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? Nick's self imposed quarantine puts him in the care of a once enemy. | Amato |
| May 19 | Thanatopsis | The fevered descent into a private hell is interrupted by a companion with good intentions. | Delia |
| May 23 | Poetic | Nick's feverish dreams allow one of his private demons some poetic justice — if only in his own mind. | Odessa |
| May 26 | Among the Shards | Insecurities plague one flu victim in the most seductive of nightmares. | Delia |
| May 29 | Black as Sin | Nick dreams of his days at Treblinka and the wages of sin as dealt by a man of God. | Amato |
| May 29 | Time Only Knows | When Delia visits Nick's dreams, he finds she is trapped in a different way than he is. | Delia |
| June 3 | Reason Enough | Following some sage advice, Delia searches out Nick to give him something to fight for. | Delia |
| June 6 | v | Behind Door #3 is sympathy from the devil in white. | Nick |
| June 7 | Then Things Changed | Benji visits the Old Dispensary and finds more than she expected. | Benji, Eileen |
| June 9 | Die, Die, My Darling | Just shut your pretty eyes. Nick loses (or thinks he loses) his one reason to fight. | Delia |
| June 11 | Something Like Forgiveness | ||
| Eileen | |||
| June 11 | A Separate Peace | Acts of compassion bring peace to a man on his deathbed, though not to those surrounding him | Eileen, Kaylee |
| June 23 | To Stay | Promises are kept and more are made, when Nick's health returns enough to call one person who urged him not to give up. | Amato, Delia |
| July 4 | Outpatient | Nick's decided he's had enough of his personal infirmary and heads to the city with Amato as his chaperone. | Amato |
| July 4 | Slightly Hostile Acquaintances | Brennan, Michelle | |
| July 9 | Annoying Coincidences | … have been the bane of Nick's New York life, but finding Delia in his apartment is, for once, a good one — despite some awkward conversation upon their reunion. | Delia |
| July 16 | Acceptance | Despite shame for things he has yet to do in a future that's uncertain, Nick finds acceptance from someone important in the new life he is forging. | Ryans |
| July 18 | Strangers on a Train | So, they aren't strangers, but they may as well be for all the secrets once held between them. | Odessa |
| July 23 | A Smaller Scale | While the world around them seems to be going so fast, Nick and Delia are just trying to get a handle on simple conversation. | Delia |
| July 25 | Not Enough Garlic | While Nick and Delia are happy to be out in the city, the city isn't as inviting. | Delia |
| August 6 | The Easiest Thing | What seems like the easiest thing in one future is the hardest to foresee in the present. | Delia |
| August 6 | No Buyer's Remorse | Morning brings with it awkwardness, promises, and scones. | Delia |
| August 7 | Ferry Le Flambeur | Nick and Delia meet with Eileen for advice on Delia's living situation. | Delia, Eileen |
| August 10 | Flashback | Being surrounded by products from "home" sparks an unexpected reaction and sudden mood swing in one Brit. | Delia |
| August 15 | Hangovers and Memories | Nick's payment for watching over Delia's night before is a painful morning after. | Delia |
| August 16 | Stay and Chat | An attempt at peaceful communication with a rogue time traveler turns violent. | Calvin, Lynette |
| August 16 | On Maniacal Metal Manipulators | Seeking medical attention from his injuries lands Nick in the hands of the doctors Brennan, and his sympathy for their plight results in sharing of information. | Brennan, Michelle |
| August 17 | Just a Gift | The world is full of bad news, and consequently, bad moods. | Delia, Lynette |
| August 27 | A Continual Farewell | Delia and Nick dream of a time where the distance between them is insurmountable; waking, they try to bridge the gap with apologies and promises. | Delia |
| August 29 | Makes Civil Hands | An escape turns into reclamation within hours of an unseen destruction. | Benji, Edgar, Griffin, Nora, Ryans |
| September 1 | Promises and Maybes | Nick tries to check off a promise from the list of many he's made, but there are still too many uncertainties in the future. | Delia |
| September 12 | How Much for a Leg? | The doctors Brennan meet up with Delia and Nick while on a search for public enemy number one. | Delia, Brennan, Michelle |
| September 14 | Only my Dreams | Two dreamers see a very different beginning to their awkward relationship in the future that's already gone. | Delia |
| September 17 | SuperCuts | A treat for one is a trick for the other; Nick decides to take Delia for a day at Raquelle's spa. | Delia, Raquelle |
| September 24 | What's Done is Done | Delia | |
| September 14 | It Takes Talent | —To cook as well as Delia does for Nick's birthday. The world might be thankful that she chose the road of singer instead. | Delia |
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somethinggoeshereforvol14 |
| Date | Title | Summary | Characters |
|---|
Soundtrack
Opening Credits (Main Theme): "Behind Blue Eyes" - Limp Bizkit
Growing Up: "Into the Void" -- NiN
Lack of Love Song: "So Sad, So Lonely" - Matchbox 20
Fight Song: "Fortunate Son" - U2
Identity Crisis/Breakdown: "Crawling" - Linkin Park
Life Is Good: This is about as happy as it gets! "Lost" - Coldplay
Regrets: "Excess Baggage" - Staind
Epiphany: "21 Guns" -- Green Day
Chase Scene: "Duck and Run" - 3 Doors Down
Final Battle: "Broken, Beat and Scarred" - Metallica
Death Scene: "Savior" - 30 Seconds to Mars
End Credits: "The Corner" - Staind
Bonus Track: "Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons
For Eileen: "After the Storm" by Mumford and Sons
For Delia: "My Never" by Blue October