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C1 - Loss

Malcolm glared at the living too wall knowing he had to do something. He had no idea what but something had to be done. His friend was dead. Quiet, geeky and unassuming Colin was dead. He had no idea what his friend could have done to hurt anyone but he knew for certain the be speckled desk officer would never hurt anyone. In that moment he knew how Ruth had felt when Danny had been murdered.

"Drink this." He looked up to see Ruth offering him a mug of tea.

"Tea." He sighed. "How very English!"

"Sorry."

"Ruth, don't." He paused. "Don't apologise. You've done nothing to be sorry for."

Ruth sat next to him, holding her own mug as they fell into silence. Neither knew what to say without bursting into tears. Malcolm had already shouted at Adam and Harry. Zaf seemed to withdraw into himself and Malcolm wasn't sure Jo had stopped crying. He sipped his tea, thinking of the new girl who had eventually betrayed her father and begun to accept her place in D.

"This isn't Ros' fault."

"You like Ros." Ruth turned to him. "Don't you?"

"You don't?"

"I have no reason to like or dislike her. I'm reserving judgement today." Ruth sipped her tea. Malcolm watched her for a moment.

"But you don't trust her?"

"No." Ruth conceded. "Not yet. Like and dislike can be instantaneous but trust takes time. But you are right. Colin dying. Colin." Her voice broke. "Not her fault."

"No. It isn't." Ruth squeezed Malcolm's hand. "And it isn't ours. You, Adam, Joanna, Zaf, Harry and I. Not our fault."

"It isn't Colin's!"

"I never said it was. You know as well as I do the coroner will say suicide. Unless we can prove otherwise. Unless." She blinked back a tear as Adam appeared alongside Harry in the doorway of Adam's living room.

"Unless we find the truth." Adam concluded. "I told Zaf to take Jo home. She's too distraught to think straight. Ros is calling some old contacts in six before they realise Joss has been arrested. We need the names of his minions."

"We are really doing this?" Malcolm paused.

"Getting justice for Colin?" Harry paused. "Yes. If it's all we can do for him now is get justice, that's what we will do." The room fell silent as Ruth placed her mug on the coffee table.

"In that case I need to get my laptop." Ruth got to her feet, a sad smile on her face as she wondered if they really could expose the truth.

Xxxxxx

A/N please review