Rick slammed the phone down, cursing. What was wrong with this woman? They had agreed, or so he had thought, that they would keep this civil, for the boy's sake. Why did she have to pull this shit now? He couldn't bear the thought of not seeing Carl. He'd have to speak to his lawyer in the morning, find out what he could do to make her see sense.

He looked around the bare room, at the boxes stacked against the wall. Staying in would make for a bloody depressing evening. He felt tired from moving all his possessions to the new apartment today, but he knew if he didn't get away from the place now his bad mood would only turn to depression.

Making up his mind Rick grabbed his jacket that was lying on one of the boxes and headed out the door. He didn't have to be at work tomorrow, and he damn well could do as he pleased, now.

In the car he contemplated where to go. He didn't much fancy any of his usual haunts. There was a danger of running into acquaintances at all of them, and talk about Lori and sympathetic glances were the last thing he wanted. There was that cute sergeant, Sally, from Atlanta who had flirted with him when they had worked on a joint case up that way a few months ago. She had given him her phone number, which Rick, despite still trying to save his marriage, had saved in his phone.

With that thought Rick turned left at the next junction and headed towards the highway.

On the drive he had decided to get a drink before calling Sally. He felt nervous about approaching another woman. He and Lori had been married for 11 years, and he wasn't the kind of guy to let his eyes wander. But Lori had decided they were no longer compatible, so there really was no reason to feel guilty. Still, Rick would need to gather a bit of courage first.

He parked his car a few blocks away from a bar he had been to a few times with Shane and which they both quite liked. If he decided to stay in Atlanta for the night this was not a bad place to leave the car. He could always take a taxi to Sally, if that plan worked out.

Rick entered the bar and looked for a free table. As it was a Friday night the place was packed. He briefly considered going somewhere else, but he reckoned it would be like this most places tonight.

He made his way over to the bar and sat on one of the high stools. It took the bar tender several minutes to get round to him, and when he did Rick ordered a beer.

He sat for a few minutes, taking occasional swigs from his bottle and not thinking about much. There was a mirror behind the bar and Rick's gaze alighted on a couple not far behind him. The woman, who had dark hair and looked a bit like Lori, was whispering something to her companion, and they both laughed.

Rick averted his gaze. He remembered him and Lori being like this, not very long ago. Where had it all gone wrong, Rick wondered not for the first time. He took a swig of beer and sighed.

"That's an awfully big sigh," someone said to Rick's left. He looked around. A man was leaning casually against the bar a few feet away. He had reddish-blond hair and was scrutinizing Rick with slanted eyes.

"Never seen you here before," the man continued. "New to the city?"

Rick shook his head. "I'm not from around here. Just came for a quiet drink." He wasn't sure whether he wanted to talk to this stranger so he kept his voice non-committal, just shy of standoffish. The other man didn't seem to notice, or maybe he didn't care. He looked across the crowded room.

"Not exactly the perfect spot for quiet," he observed. Rick smiled, almost against his will. "No," he agreed.

The stranger pushed himself away from the bar and took a couple of steps towards Rick. He stretched out a hand.

"Name's Daryl."

Rick looked at the man more closely now. He was wearing quite an expensive looking black shirt and jeans. He had just the hint of a beard, and close to Rick could see that his eyes were of quite a remarkable blue. There was something about his casual demeanor that made him stand out.

Suddenly aware that he was staring Rick dropped his gaze and instead shook the proffered hand. "Rick," he mumbled, somewhat embarrassed.

There was a slight, knowing smile on Daryl's face when he looked up, but he didn't look unfriendly. He motioned to the bar stool next to Rick. "May I?"

Unable to think of a good reason to refuse Rick nodded. He was in no particular rush, and at least talking to this stranger would take his mind off Lori.

Daryl settled on the stool with fluid grace, and Rick was fleetingly reminded of a cat.

Daryl motioned to the bartender, then looked at Rick questioningly. Rick shook his head.

"C'mon," Daryl said. "Let me at least buy you a drink, now that I've disturbed your evening."

Rick relented. "All right." He lifted his empty bottle. "Another one."

Daryl ordered two beers and then swiveled around to Rick.

"So, what brings you to Atlanta, Rick?"

Rick hesitated. He wasn't usually the type to share private things with strangers. He thought for a moment about how to answer the question, if at all.

"I just had to get away for a bit. Lots to think about."

There was something about this man that almost made him want to share more. For the moment, though, he held back.

Daryl looked at him as if assessing Rick. People normally didn't look at Rick this intently. Mostly, they knew he was a cop, even when he was out of uniform, and that tended to make people nervous, even those who had nothing to hide. This man didn't know him, of course, but Rick had a feeling that Daryl would still look at him this way even if he knew what Rick was.

Rick noticed again how unusual the other man's eyes were. The light in the bar gave them a particular shine that made them look translucent. Rick mentally shook himself. What was the matter with him? He didn't usually notice these things, not even in women. This man, though...

Daryl broke Rick's train of thought. "Girl trouble, eh?" His voice was deep and evidenced years of cigarettes. He lowered it now, and leaned closer. "Sucks, man." Daryl looked at his hands, then at the mirror behind the bar, taking a swig from his bottle.

Rick was surprised to hear his own voice. "It does, yeah."

Daryl looked at him again. "Sorry to hear. Listen," he added. "'s clear you don't want to talk about it. So let's change the subject."

He angled his body towards Rick, as if giving him his full attention. Rick had to admit it was nice to hear sympathetic words for a change. Most of their friends had sided with Lori.

"What do you do for a living, Rick?"

For a moment Rick considered to lie. People often clamped up when he told them what he did. He had to admit to himself that he didn't want this conversation to end just yet. He wasn't exactly sure why but he decided to stick with the truth.

"I'm a sheriff's deputy in King County."

Daryl actually whistled. "Impressive. But I can see it. You've got law enforcement written all over you." Rick knew immediately he wasn't being serious, and the smile and wink Daryl gave him next gave him a peculiarly pleasant feeling.

"What about you?" Rick returned the question. Daryl also seemed to hesitate and Rick, who had some experience at reading people, wondered how truthful the other man would be.

After a moment Daryl answered, but without looking at Rick. "I work mostly for myself."

Rick knew there was more to it but he didn't think he had any business challenging the statement. Everyone had secrets, and this stranger had only just offered the same courtesy to Rick. So instead he just asked, "And does it pay the rent?"

Daryl shrugged. "I live with my brother. It's his house."

Now Rick felt the need to put the other man at ease. "What do you do when you're not working, then?" To this Daryl grinned. "We hunt, Merle and I." And when Rick looked puzzled Daryl clarified. "My brother. Although," and now he looked annoyed, "Merle got himself into some trouble with your lot. So for now he's got no permit, an' we're coolin' our heels."

Rick was surprised to hear the slight change in Daryl's voice. Together with the hunting reference it gave him an inkling that, despite Daryl's groomed exterior and poise he must come from a pretty rural, possibly poor, background. A redneck.

"We're actually not far from you," Daryl said now. He mentioned a town Rick knew well, which was just outside his department's district. They continued their conversation for a while, and Daryl regaled Rick with funny anecdotes, many involving his brother. Some of them the cop in Rick objected to, but Merle's misdemeanors as Daryl told them were minor enough. And anyway, he was outside Rick's jurisdiction, and for just one evening he decided to let that man be somebody else's problem.

One story involved Daryl as a young boy getting lost in the woods for nine days and mistakenly using poison oak for toilet paper. That story made Rick laugh, but it also made him thoughtful. He looked at Daryl again and wondered what kind of childhood someone would have to have to go missing for nine days without anyone noticing.

In turn, Rick told Daryl about Carl, without going into detail about his split with Lori. Daryl listened carefully, and Rick thought that he looked a little wistful.

"He sounds like a great kid."

Rick nodded. "He is."

Daryl looked him directly in the eyes again. "And you sound like an awesome dad."

Rick didn't say anything to that. He would have liked to believe what Daryl was saying, but he'd heard so many accusations about his selfishness from Lori recently he couldn't quite manage it. Instead he waved at the bartender.

"Would you like anything else?" he asked Daryl. "I think I'll need something a bit stronger now."

Daryl indicated his empty bottle. "I'll stick with beer."

Rick ordered him another beer, and a Scotch for himself. He knew he wouldn't be going home by car that night, and he hadn't made any arrangements to meet up with Sally yet, but for the moment he didn't want to think about any of that. It was pleasant to drink and talk with this man, and just for once he felt like doing what he wanted to do, not what everybody else expected of him.

They drank in silence for a while. Daryl seemed to be as disinclined to break it as was Rick, though he seemed to be getting a little fidgety as the minutes passed. Rick was curious to know what was on the other man's mind, but just as the ability to read people was a skill he had learned on the job he had training in being patient.

Finally Daryl spoke up. "Listen, Rick. There's no easy way to ask you this…" He took a deep breath. "When I approached you tonight I was taking a chance. Normally by now I would have already left you alone. A man with a wife, a son…" He hesitated again. "But I like talking to you. And that's also why I am now spelling it out, because you obviously have no clue…"

"That you were coming on to me, you mean?"

Daryl looked dumbstruck for a second, but recovered. Rick grinned. "Just because I am a married police officer doesn't mean no man has ever hit on me. Or," he added and now let his gaze drift down Daryl's body, lingering on his crotch just long enough for the other man to get his drift. "That I have never accepted an invitation."

A grin was slowly spreading over Daryl's face. He leaned in to Rick all the way now, resting his weight against Rick's shoulder. Rick could smell his aftershave, mingled with cigarette smoke, and he let himself enjoy the sensation of closeness.

Daryl almost whispered, keeping his head low. "Where shall we go? No way we're driving anywhere tonight."

Rick was surprised how far his brain had already planned the next step. "I know just the place."