Harry was not happy.

He didn't blame Dale for running back to Washington as soon as he could. He could never harbor bad feelings against him. The man had stolen his heart. Harry was mad at himself for letting him run away so easily. There wasn't a night that passed where Harry didn't consider jumping into his car and driving all the way to Washington. The only thought that stopped him was why he would find when he got there. Did Dale find Annie? Were they living happily ever after? Those thoughts made him sick to his stomach.

"Coward." He berated himself. "You wouldn't even know what to do if you saw him."

Harry sighed. That part was true of course. He looked down at the files on his desk and as he did every time he started to loose control he reminded himself, "If he really cared about you, then he would have called."

Somehow those words made it bearable.

Cooper pulled up to the Sheriff's station around 5pm. He made sure to park off to the side as to not draw attention to himself. He turned off the ignition and fell back into the seat. A part of him wanted to run inside, the other part wanted to put the car back in drive and take off for Washington. He decided against the latter, and slowly climbed out of the car. A strange excitement ripped through his body, like a breeze through the Douglas Fir he had become to enamored with. He approached the door with caution, opening it so silently even Lucy didn't notice until he was standing in front of the window.

"A-Agent Cooper!"

She exclaimed a little more loudly than he'd hoped. Before he could get a word out, Hawk and Andy came around the corner. They all started talking at once, much to his dismay. Each one rapid firing a question at him, shaking his hand and embracing him with the kindness he remembered. Then he saw Harry step out from his office. He said nothing. Cooper's heart stopped. He'd never seen such hurt and anger. Something deep inside was telling him to embrace his friend, but following his heart had a tendency to get him into trouble.

"What was I expecting?" He thought, his heart sinking. "Everything would be just fine? We'd go out for coffee and pie and chat about the old times? You almost killed him…"

Everyone else had quieted down. The tension was unbearable. In less than a second he was left alone with the Sheriff in the waiting area.

"Come in, I guess…"

Harry slipped back into his office leaving Dale behind. Cautiously he approached the door. It was partially open. The room was half lit, and in a state of disorganization. For a moment he was worried the Sheriff had been drinking again, but he saw no evidence of it. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"How's it been, Harry?"

There was no answer from the man standing in the corner. Ages passed in silence.

"You could have called. After everything that happened, a month has passed and we never heard from you. Never knew if you were okay. You could have called…"
Harry's voice was emotionless.

"Harry..."

"Two days Coop, Two FREAKING days I waited for you outside. I couldn't sleep, hell I could barely breathe I was so scared. And when you FINALLY appeared and we got you back to your room, I had to watch you become a monster, know that my best friend was trapped inside the mind of a psychopath and there was NOTHING I COULD DO to bring him back."

The tears ran down his cheek, unstoppable now. Dale wanted to console him but he knew that the only way Harry could cope was to let it all out. He stood rooted firmly in place, accepting the verbal assault. He bit his lip to keep from crying. Harry threw himself into a chair and smashed his fist into the desk. Shakily he wiped the tears from his face.

"Harry..."

Cooper approached gently.

"I tried to kill you. I tried to kill my best friend. I don't care if it was BOB or not, I lost control. Harry if you hadn't been able to stop me, I could have hurt more people. I would have never been able to live with myself."

Harry was quiet for a moment.

"You left Coop. Didn't you trust any of us? After all the time you spent here, after everything we've been through, you just FREAKING left."

Harry pushed himself up from the chair and walked up to the FBI agent. He placed both of his hands on his shoulders. They were warm and strong. The close proximity of their bodies made him feel weak.

"I know you almost killed me Coop. But if it meant saving your life, I'd do it a thousand times over."

Cooper dared himself to look into the Sheriff's eyes. For a moment he felt a kind of familiarity. His mind flashed briefly to Harry, covered in blood, holding him down. His mouth was moving, and he was crying but the words were inaudible. Back in the present, he found himself standing alone.