David slumped in his chair with his head in his hands and mournfully thought on all that had gone wrong that day. He couldn't help but feel that he had failed his partner. No. Not his partner, not anymore. Colby was just a friend now. It had been three years since he had taken the job in Washington D.C. and once he had left L.A. Colby was just a friend who lived on the other side of the country, it might has well have been the other side of the world. He looked down at his hands and not for the first time berated himself for his actions.
When he had taken his new job, he and Colby tried their hardest to keep in contact through emails, phone calls and texts. But it was never the same as actually seeing each other every day for years. Even when they had days off they would still meet up, even if one of them had a day off when the other didn't. And despite their best efforts their contact seemed to slowly disparate. David was busy with learning how to run a team, get to know his team and settle in a completely new city. And Colby had taken on David's former position as second in command of the team.
But after three years David had decided that he missed his family back in L.A. and so put in for a transfer, he would miss the friends he made in Washington, but that was just it. They were friends; in L.A. he had a family. So he packed his things up once again and made the move across the country, his L.A. family had greeted him at the airport and David had seen his best friend and brother for the first time in three years. He was ecstatic to learn that Colby had finally proposed to Liz and had hugged his friends tightly and could almost feel as if nothing had changed. That feeling didn't last long. While he may have been working at the same office as Colby, they were working on different teams and each team had its own cases to solve.
Five months into David's return to L.A. Don was away on holiday with Robin and Colby was running the case, but then that case directly linked to David's and Colby was ordered to hand his files to David. Colby had tried to negotiate with David, saying that both teams could work the case, adding that they could cover more ground. But David was tried and frustrated by the case and had snapped that he didn't need Colby getting in the way, calling out on how little Colby had led the team on any cases. After Colby had stormed away David had meant to apologize but he didn't get the chance.
David leaned against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. He heard the clacking of heels and turned his head and watched silently as Liz dropped down onto the seat beside him.
"How is he?" asked David softly,
Liz smiled softly, "He's doing ok, the Doctor said he has mild hypothermia but he'll be fine in a week. He's sleeping now but you can go and see him"
David nodded his thanks and stood up and slowly walked to the hospital room where Colby was. He stood in the doorway and watched his sleeping friend, he almost turned around but remembered standing outside Colby's hospital room a few years ago when he had helped rescue Colby off a Chinese freighter. But deciding not to let history repeat itself David entered the small room and sat in the seat beside Colby's bed. His mind was assaulted by the events of earlier in the day. Had it really been just six hours since the events that had landed Colby in the hospital?
Six hours ago
David and his team were stood outside a warehouse and watched as Colby, Nikki and Liz arrived to act as further backup due to their knowledge of the suspect's current actions. Colby had stood with an emotionless face as David directed everyone to their positions; David pretended he didn't see the dismayed look on Colby's face when David partnered them together.
Everyone was in their positions around the warehouse waiting for the suspect to emerge. David looked sideways at Colby and took a breath before murmuring, "Look about what I said yesterday-"
"It doesn't matter" interrupted Colby not even looking at David.
"It does!" argued David, "I was wrong to say what I did, you are a great agent and I shouldn't have questioned your leadership abilities in leading a case"
Colby just shrugged, "A lot's changed, and you haven't seen me run cases so you wouldn't know what I'm capable of"
To anyone else it would like Colby was forgiving David, he was in way. But Colby was also stating how David didn't know him anymore, and that cut deeply.
"Let's go for a beer tonight" stated David; he knew it was true, he didn't really know Colby anymore. Since becoming second in command of the team Colby had changed and David didn't like it, not that Colby had changed in a bad way. But it meant David didn't know how to act around his friend anymore.
Colby snorted and looked at David for the first time, "When have we actually followed up on plans to do that since you've got back? I'll make it easy for you, we haven't"
"That's why we should!" encouraged David, only just keeping the desperate edge out of his voice.
"Right" scoffed Colby, "Just so we can catch up and act like nothing's changed?"
"I know it's changed" replied David, "But that it all the more reason to catch up"
Colby shook his head and adverted his eyes away from David, "What's the point David? It's like you've forgotten everything before you left for D.C."
"I haven't forgotten!" argued David, "And what is that supposed to mean?! You stopped calling as well it wasn't just me!"
Colby smiled grimly, "I only stopped because you stopped responding to emails and texts and on the phone you sounded distracted, I thought you were moving on with your new life and didn't need me hanging on"
"So it's all my fault?!" exclaimed David, letting his anger get the best of him. He knew Colby was right, but he just couldn't admit it. "You know I'd had forgotten that you have a habit of moaning and whining when life doesn't turn out fair"
Colby frowned and then just moved across the door so he was crouched opposite David, before David could get Colby to come back the door slammed open and Colby was spotted by the suspect. It turned out there were more men inside and a firefight broke out as well as a fistfight. David lost track of Colby and desperately searched the warehouse for any sign of his friend who he had a lot of apologizing to do. That was when David felt his heart sink, Colby had been overpowered by four men and his unconscious body was being hauled into a van, which was being driven by the suspect.
The firefight ended with the remaining men who were all arrested and subsequently questioned on where Colby had been taken as David's team had lost all track of it. David would never forget the look on Liz's face when one of the men taunted that Colby was as good as dead for as long as he lived.
It had taken two hours of constant questioning for one of the men to finally give up a possible location where Colby was taken. David and Liz had driven in silence as Liz drove frantically sirens blazing through the busy streets of downtown L.A.
They had screeched to a stop outside a warehouse and had taken out the four men who were sat in the office as they stupidly put up a fight. They then painstakingly searched the warehouse through its twists and turns to find Colby, desperately shouting his name.
They turned hearing a weak voice, "Over here"
They found Colby lying on his side with his hands tied behind his back, the top half of him wet and beside him a tub filled with water and ice cubes. They didn't need to ask what had happened to Colby, they could see exactly what happened which wanted to make David bring the men back to life just so he could shoot them all over again.
Liz was knelt at Colby's head gently running her hands through his hair as David untied his hands. David moved so he was crouched in front of Colby and tried to hide his guilt seeing Colby's shocked face, it hurt that Colby didn't think David would come and help rescue him. David turned away and called an ambulance as Liz quietly talked to Colby, running her hands up and down his arms to try and put warmth back into them.
"T-t-they wanted-d-d in-information on wh-what w-w-we had on them-m-m" stammered Colby through his chattering teeth.
"Shh it's alright Colby you don't need to tell us right now" soothed Liz,
Colby looked up at her in confusion, "D-d-don't you-u-u n-n-need to tr-track them down-n-n?"
Liz smirked, "Do you really think I would let the men who captured my fiancé get out alive?"
Colby snorted and rested his head in Liz's lap, but then tried to pull away realizing he had wet hair. But Liz just held his head still and tried to help Colby regain his breath as his body was wracked with hacking coughs. David smiled at this sight and Liz just smirked, it made him glad to see Colby so happy, God knew he deserved it after all he had been through in the past years.
David walked back over and knelt in front of Colby and gripped his friend's hand, "I've got you buddy and I'm not letting you go again." Colby had smiled in response and David knew things could only get better.
But seated at Colby's beside made all his guilt return crashing down on him hard. He made to stand up but a weak grip on his hand kept him seated. He turned his head and looked down at a blinking and smiling Colby.
"Ah my Prince Charming" smiled Colby as he grinned dopily up at David.
David raised an eyebrow and wondered what painkillers or drugs Colby had been put on, "Man I ain't your Prince Charming, I didn't kiss you awake and anyway you have a Princess Charming waiting down the hall."
Colby grinned, "Ah but you are the one who was sat beside me when I woke up"
David shook his head, "I am not discussing this with you"
Colby chuckled, it sounded hoarse and croaky but at least it meant Colby was alive.
David then grew serious, "I thought this had stopped"
"What had?" asked Colby as he frowned in confusion.
"You getting yourself admitted to the hospital and scaring me half to death" responded David,
Colby nodded his head, "Ah that"
"Yes that" sniped David, "You didn't get hurt bad enough to go to hospital once when I was in D.C"
Colby smirked, "What can I say? I love waking up in a hospital with you at my beside"
David rolled his eyes, "You've got a fiancé for that now"
"Aw look at you with your ruffled feathers all worried about little old me" grinned Colby,
David leaned forward and looked Colby in the eye, "You're my best friend, and of course I'm worried when you get yourself put in the hospital"
"I don't put myself in the hospital for the food you know, it's not like it's my favourite alternative to a hotel" commented Colby, the glimmer of a smile still shinning in his eyes.
David rolled his eyes again, "Just know this. No matter where I am in the world you are always my best friend and brother. So there's no way I could ever forget you"
"Same here" smiled Colby as he gently punched David's shoulder.
Yes things were going to be different, but at least they were in the same city and office now. The way it should have stayed three years ago.
A/n Sorry if anyone seems out of character I just wanted to explore the idea of David coming back to L.A. but not sure how to get around the fact that he and Colby have changed not where they used to be. Thanks for reading!