The office was just as Justin remembered: messy and organised, noisy and quiet; all at the same time. He marvelled at the pure perfection of it all, revelling in the rush of emotion he got whenever he stepped foot on this floor. It was stronger than ever-even more powerful than the first time he had experienced it on his very first day-and Justin felt a smile spread across his face as he closed his eyes and breathed in a deep, long breath. It was good to be home. People bustled past, carrying various papers and stacks of folders; some slamming them down on desks others pinning them on the boards at the back of the room. Justin and John's desks were still in the same place; both dressed rather commemoratively, Justin's possessions still arranged as they were the day he died. John's were more haphazardly placed, obviously quickly packed up as if they had been ransacked for everything useful and personal to the great detective.
Justin's eyes widened as he spotted Benny hunched over his desk, tapping furiously at his keyboard. Benny looked tired and haggard, his eyes dark and dim, and his wrinkles more prominent of his strangely aged face. There was an air of just weariness about him; like he had given up on humanity and the world long ago, a man who had seen man at his worst again and again and could no longer recover from it. Justin stopped dead in his tracks, uncertain whether to go further. How was he going to explain what had happened? How was Benny going to take it? Would he do more damage than good? Justin still remembered Benny's final words to him that fateful night when they had gone to find Marwood; telling him to be careful and Justin had thought nothing of it at the time, but in the moment when he had been shot it echoed through his mind, bouncing around the walls of his skull, ringing in his ears. It took Justin a moment to realise he had been rubbing his chest, his fingers tracing the deep, raised scars that mottled his torso; a constant reminder of the worst day of Justin's life, the beginning of a time where Justin lost his identity, his friends…his memory.
With tears in his eyes, Justin sucked in a choked breath and moved to approach Benny. The man didn't look up as Justin came closer and it felt cold and heartless, so much so that Justin felt fear rise up inside him in a wave of nausea. He was just about to open his mouth to speak when he was intercepted and a hand placed on his shoulder. Justin spun round in surprise, careful to make sure his face was still hidden as he came face to face with Erin Gray. Stumbling backwards, he pushed away from her grasp and held out his hand to ward her off; his breath caught in his chest.
Erin raised her eyebrows in concern and suspicion "Sir, are you all right? Do you need something?"
Justin wanted to scream, but he found that he couldn't find his voice and his blood was pumping so hard he could hear it in his ears.
"Excuse me sir?"
Now everyone was looking his way in confusion at the sudden commotion; even Benny stood from his seat and watched Justin intently. Justin just staggered back, trying to regain his composure and feeling like an animal backed into a corner as he crept slowly away from them and felt his back connect with the wall beside the window. Finally he swallowed his fear and gained control of himself as Erin stepped forward again and the recording of her interview with John rushed to the forefront of his mind.
"Traitor…"Justin whispered darkly, standing taller "Stay away from me."
Martin Schenk emerged from the office, now involved in the incident going on outside and joining Benny. Erin just frowned, glancing back at the others to make sure she had back up as she held out her hand in placation.
"What do you mean 'traitor'? Have I done something to you?" Erin asked cautiously, her eyes scanning Justin for any sign of a weapon.
"John. John Luther." Everyone froze at Justin's words as he took a slight step forward "You betrayed him. You said you wanted to come back, make amends. But you…you accused him of murder."
Martin stepped forward this time "You know John Luther?"
Justin looked to him warily, keeping in his peripheral vision as he gave a quick nod of acknowledgment before glaring back at Erin and biting his lip to hold in a savage growl at the innocent, pained look on her face. Benny looked much the same, if not a hint of anger in his sad eyes as he examined Justin, obviously looking to find some kind of recognition.
"I was hurt; I thought John had something to do with my friend's death." Erin continued, her voice thick with emotion and something that sounded incredibly like fear "I'm sorry for my mistake but it's in the past; he was proven innocent and relieved of any guilt."
"No!" Justin yelled angrily, waving his hands animatedly "You don't get to accuse him of my murder, hunt him down and then say you care just because you were proven wrong! You should have died just like Stark!"
Everyone faltered, glancing at each other nervously as Erin staggered back; Justin's words obviously having the intended effect as she fell back to Martin for some kind of emotional comfort. Martin gestured for two officers to approach and Justin swallowed his anger, content with the reaction and held his hands up in a sign of surrender. The officers surged forward, manipulating his hands painfully behind him and locking them in cold, metal handcuffs. Justin grunted, but did not protest as they finished; placing their hands on his shoulders to manoeuvre him out of the building.
"Wait!"
Justin turned to see Benny approaching, an unusual light in his eyes as he walked up to Justin, stopping just in front of him. Then, Benny reached out hesitantly, gently sliding the hood up over Justin's head and stepping back with a strangled gasp. The room seemed to grow colder as everyone recognised him; even the two officers recognised him, backing up in fright as Justin gained more confidence and stood up again; staring directly into Benny's eyes and feeling the tears well up in his own as he looked at him sadly, trying to convey his sincerity.
"J-Justin?" Benny stuttered breathlessly, tears spilling down his pale cheeks "B-but you're d-dead!"
Justin allowed his own to fall as he struggled to find the words "I'm sorry Benny, I am so, so sorry."
There was the sound of footsteps as Martin came closer, examining Justin's face disbelievingly; the cogs in him mind visibly turning as he tried to comprehend what was standing before him. Of course, Martin had seen his 'corpse'-or rather his comatose body-when he had come to collect John. He had seen Justin Ripley dead on the floor, a point blank shotgun blast to the chest and the bloody wreckage around, not to mention John's apparently deeply emotional state.
"Justin, is it really you?" the older man whispered quietly, touching his shoulder as if afraid his hand would pass through.
Justin tilted his head a little and managed to force a small smile "It's really me…I'm not dead."
There was a coughing sound and the group turned to look at Erin's broken expression, her eyes with pain and realisation and she had her hand covering her mouth. Justin felt his face harden in detest as he snarled at her and smirked.
"Bet you weren't counting on me coming back were you?" Justin questioned with sick amusement "Thought you had gotten rid of both problems…two birds one stone, eh?"
"No…"she sobbed, averting her gaze and cowering away "No…I never wanted you…to…"
"Save it." Justin interrupted coldly "I don't have time for your excuses, John wouldn't be gone if it wasn't for you."
Benny placed a reassuring hand on Justin's shoulder and he turned back to him; almost completely disregarding the woman's existence as Benny embraced him tightly. For a few seconds, Justin was taken aback by the gesture and tensed awkwardly before relaxing into the hug with a slight chuckle. Finally realising that Justin was somewhat restricted, Benny snatched the key to the handcuffs from one of the officers and unlocked the metal cuffs from around Justin's wrists. Justin sighed lightly as the pressure was relieved from his shoulders and rubbed the sore circular marks gently as he tried to persuade the blood to start flowing again. Erin took this as her leave and rushed from the room, pushing aside other workers who looked on in awe at the unforeseen reunion and Justin watched her progress in his peripheral vision before finally relaxing when she disappeared from sight. It was hard to believe he ever had feelings for her.
Martin gave a warm smile "So…what happened? How are you…?"
"Alive?" Justin finished quietly; he hesitated for a second "It's a long story."
A hand grasped his arm again and Benny gave him a friendly nod, gesturing for them to head toward the office "We have time."
The small group of three headed into the office, Martin shutting the door behind them and then settling into his chair and gesturing for the other two to pull up a seat. Justin and Benny both moved their seats into place and sat down heavily, Benny looking at Justin expectantly as he waited patiently for Justin's explanation.
Justin took a slow deep breath and calmed himself before continuing "After I was shot, my heart stopped for a few minutes due to the initial shock from the massive trauma. During that time, John found me…but he didn't find my pulse. At the morgue…I don't know my sister saved me…she was working there and just…"
Even now it was a difficult subject, one that he had only heard through the words of mouth being unconscious at the time and he felt the emotional pain that his sister had gone through in that time was too private to share.
"Anyway my family found me a hospital, looked after me. I was in a coma for three months and when I woke up…well, I wasn't in a good place. Amnesia. For two months I had no idea who I was, could barely speak. Then one day…my family took me to that alley under the bridge; showed me a picture of Marwood…explained what happened. Suddenly it was all there: I remembered everything up until the moment I got shot in excruciating detail. In just one month I was out of the wheelchair that the doctors said I would be confined to for the rest of my life; they said I would be paralysed…but I couldn't deal with that. So I proved them wrong. I got out of rehab this morning…decided I couldn't wait any longer."
There was deafening silence in the room as the knowledge was processed; both Martin and Benny had their heads lowered, bowed to Justin in what looked inadvertently like a display of guilt and shame. Justin shifted frowning in uncertainty at their lack of response; scanning their body language for any other sign of what they may have been thinking.
Finally Benny answered softly "So we sent you to the morgue…and you weren't dead?"
Justin caught his tearful gaze and gnawed on his bottom lip nervously before giving a weak but resolute shake of the head "You weren't to know any different…I don't blame you guys."
"Why didn't you call? Let us know you had survived?" Marin questioned his voice careful and concerned, though there was a hint of despair laced in his tone.
"What? And let you see me in a wheelchair?" Justin narrowed his eyes incredulously "I wasn't ready for anyone to see me that way. My stupid pride I guess."
There was another awkward pause as they left each other to their own thoughts before finally Martin stood, Justin remaining sat but watching him as he rose up above him.
"Well," Martin sighed "I'll need to tell the heads about this…don't know what I'm going to say though…but in theory you still have your job DS Ripley."
Justin beamed as Martin outstretched his hand for Justin to take with a large smile of his own. Justin snatched it eagerly, shaking his hand vigorously as the older man clasped it more firmly; as if still trying to believe he was actually there.
"Of course sir; I won't let you down sir."
Benny rose as well, raising his eyebrows slightly "John's going to want to hear about this. I better call him."
"You're still in contact with him?" Martin asked slightly angrily, his face contorting into a confused grimace as Benny nodded sheepishly.
"Do me a favour," the two older men turned to face Justin as he interrupted "Tell him it's an emergency…I want to see the look on his face when he sees me. It's not every day you surprise John Luther."
They all burst into relieved laughter, exiting the small office and walking into the dead silence of the office. Benny hurried over to his desk, pulling something out from under the draw and waving it to the others; displaying the untraceable cell phone in his hand before rushing past them and leaving the vicinity for the private conversation. Taking this as his opportunity he swapped a look with Martin before stepping forward to gain the attention of the others; noting that it was an unnecessary move as their keen eyes were already fixed on him in disbelief.
"I know you've all got questions but I don't want to hear them. I'm alive, I'm back and I'm ready to get to work. You got a problem? Take it somewhere else. Now get to work people…we have serial killers to catch."
