A/N Sadly, again, I do not own The Bill :(

Millie sighed softly, letting the sounds of the people at the bar wash over her. It wasn't very crowded today and even the people who were there seemed content to nurture their wounds in peace. Millie wasn't sure exactly why she was there; she'd never been one for drowning in a pint whenever things didn't go her way. But this whole... thing... with Max was different, not that she was even sure she could call it a 'thing'. Normally something had to be more than one-sided for it to be termed a 'thing' and her and Max was definitely as one-sided as you could get.

She doubted the man really paid her much attention at all; she was just ordinary Millie Brown, his subordinate and one of the newest members of the force. There wasn't any hope at all for her if she couldn't find a way to shake her crush. Going in to work every day knowing that he would be there and that he didn't feel the same way about her was really starting to take its toll.

She was in a bar for Christs-sake, the only difference between her and the other punters was she was a young, single girl and they were all old, married men. They were all just as unhappy. This, Millie thought, was definitely one of the low points in her life.

The bell of the door jangled as someone entered the bar. Another sad, lonely person, Millie mused and didn't look up until she heard a distinctive voice from behind her.

"PC Brown?" The voice said and Millie recalled the saying 'speak of the devil and up he pops'. Though in her opinion Max was hardly the devil.

Millie turned around to greet the man who had been occupying her thoughts for the last half hour or so, "Sarge."

There was a slight pause, almost awkward, as Millie studied Max and he try to think of something to say. He was wearing the same clothes as he had been wearing at work that day, but his hair was sticking up as if he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly and his eyes seemed tired and troubled.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Max said suddenly, sounding genuinely confused.

"I could say the same to you," Millie answered with skewed smile. She wanted to go back to drowning her sorrows, but she wasn't one to pass up an opportunity, "Do you want to..." She trailed off and indicated the seat opposite her.

Millie gave a silent prayer of gratitude when Max nodded and seated himself opposite her and waved over a barmaid. As he ordered, Millie stared into her glass, determined not to stare or make a fool of herself. Her silent night of lonely contemplation had turned into something... else. She wasn't sure where this was headed. They might just sit there and drink their beers in silence, they might make small talk for a while, discuss cases, or... well Millie was confident the night would only swing between the first two options. No matter how much she wished it to go otherwise.

The barmaid returned with Max's beer and Millie watched him out of the corner of her eye as he took a long drink. He glanced over at her and Millie's eyes darted away, dancing across the room, eyeing the other drinkers. She clutched at her glass to stop her hands from shaking, she wasn't normally nervous around him, but then she normally only saw him at work, never in even a remotely social setting.

Her reflections were interrupted as her new drinking partner spoke, "What brings you into a bar like this PC Brown? It doesn't seem to be your style."

"Hmm?" She murmured, still staring away from him, "Oh, I just... didn't have the energy to keep up with the rest of the relief tonight Sarge," Another thought crossed her mind, "And it's just Millie. Not at work anymore."

Max nodded. She had held the faintest hope he would ask her to call him Max, a small level of familiarity, but a step up nonetheless. Again, like all her hopes in relation to Max, it was not to be. She finally turned to face Max and was startled slightly to find him staring at her. Her heart thudded excitedly for a few seconds before she noticed the glazed look that was fixed across his blue eyes. Millie's heart constricted at the look on Max's face, so confused, lonely... guilty.

"S... Sarge? Are you okay?" She asked softly.

"What?" Max's head jerked slightly as he lurched back to reality, "Oh, yeah, yeah 'course."

Millie bit her lip. She wouldn't normally press a matter like this. But he had looked so lonely and she was on her second beer, "Sure? Just, you know after the case today..." Millie trailed off, becoming increasingly worried as Max's silence continued.

Millie stared at the table, hoping against hope that she hadn't ruined everything when Max finally answered, "It was quite a day today. So much could have... but we got Marek. That's what counts."

"Thanks to you Sarge. You're the one who found out Marek was wearing the shirt and you talked Pavel around. I just can't... if you hadn't been there..." Millie sighed as Max turned away from her. It was hard to comfort a man who refused to accept he needed it, "Sorry," She whispered.

Max turned back to her and blinked at her, "Don't worry about it Millie," A shiver went down her spine as he said her name, at the way it seemed to roll off his tongue.

"I mean it Sarge. You were brilliant," Millie said, but then again he's always brilliant she thought.

"Hmmph, well, today maybe," Max replied, "Other times... not so much."

Millie was slightly astounded that Max was speaking to her about this. She had expected him to refuse to answer after her first comment, let alone almost start to open up about the events of the day. She considered pushing him further, but a glance at his troubled face was warning enough that some things were best left be.

A glass thumped on the table and Millie was startled out of her thoughts to see Max had finished his beer. He moved to stand up and Millie felt a wave of disappointment wash over her.

"Well, night PC Brown," Max said giving her a brief glance before standing up fully and leaving through the door it seemed he had only just entered from.

That wasn't the way Millie had wanted a conversation between herself and Max to go. But not all wishes came true in the end and Millie was just pleased that she was getting to spend some time outside of work with him. It was more than she had ever hoped for really. And if maybe, by some small chance, she was able to comfort him in some small way then she was happy and content.