A look back on a pivotal time in the life of Sergeant Hathaway. Spoilers for season five. Author's Note: Soon after I finished the Shooting stories, Sarahloulabellx asked if I'd consider writing something similar involving Hathaway. My immediate response was a very loud and clear 'no'. Stories like that leave a lot of wear and tear on their writers and I was still reeling from After the Shooting. Plus they are a lot of work, especially doing something in a similar vein as one I'd just finished and still make it uniquely its own. But, most of all, the reason for that 'no' was because the whole idea was very intimidating. If after 13 Morse novels and 53 Morse and Lewis episodes I was barely capable of turning out a serviceable story featuring my favorite sergeant…how in the world would I manage to write one about the new guy? Hathaway being reserved and private and me being quiet and shy…after only 20 episodes, we're barely to the point where we nod in greeting when we pass in the halls. And he's certainly never introduced me to the people in his life who in a story of that sort would be bound to poke their heads in to say 'hello' at the very least. All that added up to a definite 'no'.
But the idea itself was persistent and seductive. It promised me we could just dip our toes into the water and not have to dive into the deep end…I'll leave it up to you to decide if it is fortunate or unfortunate that I am so incredibly gullible. Thanks to Sarahloulabellx for the idea.
Disclaimer: Purely for fan purposes. No copyright infringement intended.
Chasing Destiny
Prologue: Threes
When Sergeant James Hathaway of the Oxfordshire Police was just shy of his thirty-third birthday, events conspired to make him almost believe the old saying that things come in threes.
First, his boss Inspector Lewis plopped a very heavy, very official, very intimidating box of materials on Hathaway's desk right next to his laptop.
"There you are," Lewis said. "Not that I think you need to worry but best to be prepared."
Hathaway frowned over the box. Review material for the OSPRE exam. There had been times when he'd toyed with the idea of taking it and trying for a shot at promotion, but he'd lately decided against doing so. He'd stick with the job until Lewis retired, and then he'd look elsewhere. Policing wasn't for him, not in the long term. Professor Pinnock's offer of the junior research fellowship in theology at St. Gerards had called to him with a surprisingly seductive intensity. He'd passed on it mainly because he enjoyed working with Lewis and wasn't quite ready to give that up. And because he'd had the sense there were still things to learn where he was. But, once Lewis was gone…he knew now he would be moving on.
"What's this for, Sir?" he asked. "I'm not interested in going for my inspector's."
"So you say now. You might think differently down the road. It won't hurt to have the test behind you either way."
"I'm not taking it."
"Oh, but you are, Sergeant. I've had a word with our great leader, and she concurs…it's high time you proved your mettle. Besides, what's got you into such a snit anyway? I passed the test—you certainly can. Probably with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back. Perfect opportunity to show that superior intellect of yours." Hathaway glared daggers at the inspector, but Lewis merely grinned his say-what-you-will-you'll-do-it-anyway grin and strode out of the room. Hathaway transferred his glare to the box he'd left behind, but it was no more effective against OSPRE than it had been against Lewis.
He couldn't know it then, but Lewis and DCS Innocent were spot on insisting he take the examination; he wouldn't be leaving the police force…not for a good long time to come. He would always look longingly at scholarly, ecclesiastical positions because although he'd left the priesthood he would never quite shake the calling. But he would never actually give up his badge. There'd always be one more thing to learn or solve or accomplish that would keep him with the force. In due time, he would accept the promotion to inspector and from there…well, Innocent had known he was headed for the top when she'd brought him on board. It came as no surprise to her. Lewis thought it was a laugh and joshed him over it frequently. Knowing that without his old inspector he would have turned in his papers a half-dozen times in those early years and never have become the detective he was, Hathaway laughed along with him.
And it all started with that box plopped down beside his laptop.
The second thing that came into his life was a girl. No, he was almost thirty-three and she was near enough to the same age. So, not a girl. A woman. The woman.
She wasn't at all his type. Almost the exact opposite. No grand ambitions, no driving need for excellence, no posh accent or airs, no restlessness, no need to prove herself better than anyone at all. She was content with her life, happy even. She wasn't looking for a career…as long as the bills were paid and there was a bit left over to take off to parts unknown when the fancy struck just for the fun of it or because she'd never been, any job would do. She wasn't out to change the world. It had survived on its own before her and she figured it would continue once she was gone. Life was for living and enjoying.
All in all, she was a bewildering and inexplicable creature to Hathaway who had always thrived on order and lived life methodically and rather carefully. Infuriating as he found her, she was just the woman he needed nevertheless. She brought laughter and spontaneity to his life. Yet, she had no interest in changing him or making him into someone he was not. Though she'd jolly him out of his melancholy, over-thought ways if he wallowed in them for too long, and she'd get after him a bit if he started taking himself and life too seriously, she was happy with him essentially just the way he was. He never had to worry she'd leave him to advance her own career or because he didn't meet her standards.
Though it was something else he couldn't have known at the time, over the years, he would learn to live with her hit and miss approach to most things, and he'd even come to appreciate it. Where other spouses and significant others complained and fought against the unpredictable hours and stresses of the CID, she took them in stride and helped him to do the same. When the job would be just too much for a man who had meant to be a priest or later when he'd get bogged down with the nitty-gritty of policing, she would keep him from sinking into despair or throwing in the towel in frustration.
He hadn't been looking for her and he was far from happy to make her acquaintance. He'd missed one too many gigs with the band…she'd been brought in not to replace him but to stand in when he failed to show. He was glad to discover she wasn't all that good. Not that she cared. She was there to have fun and wasn't interested in competing with him or anyone else. He bristled at her presence, but the rest of the band accepted her wholeheartedly. They really did need someone to cover his all-too-frequent, last minute absences. She either ignored or didn't even notice his antagonism, and by the time his birthday arrived, he'd forgotten what he'd ever had against her. By then, he no longer knew how he'd ever survived without her laughing, joyful presence in his life.
Of course, he almost hadn't survived to reach that birthday with or without her in his life. For the third thing that came into his life was a bullet, and it almost killed him.
