Author's note: Er, it started off cute...but then the angst returned...So I hope they vaguely cancel out.

In the morning, James brought Sam downstairs and if Lewis hadn't seen them both last night, he'd never have known there was anything wrong. Sam was chuckling as James threw him up into the air, threatening to let go, but never quite doing it. One of those games when the parent knows full well that they'd never let go, but the child doesn't. A child's first adrenaline rush. And they love it, which says a lot about humans really.

Watching them both, Lewis has to smile. It seems so surreal to see James playing with any child, let alone his son. James catches him watching and smiles back, seeing that Lewis has already made tea.

"I didn't know what the little'un would eat for breakfast so I thought I'd wait."

"Anything, he's like a little gannet. Aren't ya?" James directs this last at Sam, who laughs and stretches towards the ground, indicating that he wants to get down.

"M'not a gannet. Gannets go in the car." He says as he rushes off back up the stairs to get hold of his toys. Lewis just looks on confused as James snorts in amusement. He sees the older man's perplexed expression and explains.

"A few weeks ago, the car broke down. I had a look and it turned out we'd blown a gasket. He must have got mixed up." Lewis chuckles. They can both hear the boy stomping about upstairs, getting his toys out of the bag.

The smile dies from James' face and he turns to Lewis, a slightly sad look on his features.

"You were right Robbie"

"That's nice of you to admit...right about what?"

"That I'd know what to do...when he understood." Lewis gives Hathaway a look that is fatherly, sad and comforting all at the same time, and James doesn't know how one face can be so bloody expressive. He swallows down emotion as Robbie comes over and puts a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Told you didn't I? And he's alright. James...you've done fine with him, give yourself some credit." James nods and then claps his hands together.

"Right, breakfast. What do you want me to make?"

.

While James is making bacon in the kitchen, Sam comes back down the stairs, his arms full of toy cars. He stops when he realises that his Dad isn't in the living room. He sees Robbie and almost takes a step back. For his part, Robbie ignores him, staying in the armchair, knowing that the little boy will eventually come in, fear overridden by his desire to play.

Sure enough, after a minute or two, Sam rushes into the room, spilling all of his cars onto the sofa. He sits in the corner furthest from Robbie and starts driving the cars over the sofa arm. Lewis smiles behind his newspaper as he hears the little boy act out a police chase.

"Neee-Naaaw, Neee-Naaaw. Never taking me 'live copper." Lewis almost chuckles but doesn't, sure that the little boy will stop playing if he makes a noise. He then recognises that whining noise that accompanies all of those self propelling toy cars. The ones like Lyn's bairn has where you rev them up and then let go and they hurtle across the floor. A crash follows the latest one and Lewis looks to see a model Ford Consul lying upturned on the floor.

"Noooo! S'posed to fly." The kid scoots off the sofa and picks the car up, flinging it off the precipice of the sofa again, which Lewis deduces to be a cliff in Sam's mind. Sam watches where it lands and frowns, its evidently not far enough.

Lewis grins again. He gets up and Sam stops playing, watching him with big eyes. Robbie goes to his book shelf and pulls out a couple of police procedural manuals. Next he heads out of the room and comes back in with a short plank of laminate flooring. Its one of the leftovers scraps from when he and Ken did the floor in the kitchen a few months ago. Sam is still watching him intently and he heads over to the sofa, stacking the books on the cushion and then lying the plank on top, creating a ramp. Then he sits down on the armchair again and winks at the kid.

"Try that lad. Bet your car goes further." Sam looks at him again, and then back at the ramp forehead creased in scepticism.

"How's it work?" Lewis shrugs mentally. How do you explain physics to a child?

"Well you know how when you throw the car, it goes up a bit and then falls?" Sam nods, still wary of the older man, still not completely trusting. He speaks anyway though, his curiosity is too great.

"Like this?" Sam moves his hand in an arch. Lewis nods, the boy is indeed smart.

"Yeah. Well the ramp makes it taller, so that the arch...the car moves for longer."

"And then it flies for longer?"

"Yes. Do you want me to show you?" Sam hesitates for a small moment before nodding shyly. Lewis smiles and sits on the sofa, careful not to disturb his DIY ramp.

"Right which car should be the test one then?" Sam clambers up onto the sofa and grabs a model mini holding it out to Lewis. It looks battered and scratched and properly played with and he smiles.

Starting the car at the bottom of the ramp, he launches it up and lets go, watching as it almost lands on the other side of the room. He turns to Sam, who is staring at the car in amazement.

"Now you try eh Sam?" Eagerly Sam nods and grabs another car, flinging it up the ramp and giggling when it lands not too far away from Robbie's.

James walks in but then he stops in the doorway as he sees Robbie and Sam playing. His son looks happy and James is grateful to his boss, for keeping him occupied while he cooked breakfast. After the night before, he needed some time alone, he'd had little sleep because he'd been worrying about Sam and how he'd feel when he woke up. But Sam had taken everything in his stride like young children do. Robbie looks up and grins at him, and that's when James realises that the old ex-inspector is enjoying this just as much as the kid is.

"Ah breakfast, cheers James. Leave the washing up, I'll do it after." Sam looks up, face full of excitement.

"Daddy! We maked a flying car thing. My car goed as far Unca Robbie's" James laughs, his son is over his fear of Lewis then. He turns to smile at Lewis and sees that the older man is made up over being called 'Unca Robbie'.

"I think he means 'Uncle'"

"Course he does, I knew that James" The inspector grins and picks the little boy up. For a tiny moment, James thinks that Sam is going to change his mind and start crying or struggling. But then he remembers that Lewis has been here before and Sam just accepts it as he's carried to the table. "Come on champ, brekkie time."

They sit eating and Lewis looks over to James.

"Where's he got this Uncle idea from then eh?"

"Well, he kept asking where we were going. Just seemed natural. You don't mind do you?"

"Course not kidda. Its nice." Lewis gives James a wry grin. "I suppose I should probably be grateful that you didn't introduce me as Granddad Robbie." James chuckles.

"Then I'd have to explain to him what a granddad is. He's a curious little bugger. Always asking questions. Soon enough, you'll wish he was still scared of you."

"Nah. You seem to forget Jim, that I've done this three times. I mean I'm a father and a grandfather" Lewis skirts around the obvious implication in the sentence before. Its not his place to pry into James and Chrissy's family history.

"Got a point there." They were interrupted by the four year old sat at the table with them.

"Daddy? I can go and play now?"

"Go on then. Don't make to much mess though Sammy, ok?" The little boy nodded, impatient to be playing with his new ramp. As he ran to the sofa James shouted after him "And don't forget to pick those cars up after you!"

"Ah leave him be. I miss the days when there were kids toys all over me house." Lewis smiled after the little boy, happily throwing cars to their demise, acting out all the dramatic scene that his infant brain could imagine. "Come to think of it...That mini he's got...was that yours?" James' face quirks into a nostalgic smile.

"Yeah. That and the Ford Consul. Played with them till the paint came off."

"Thought so," replies Lewis, "No one kid could cause that much damage."

.

Later on that evening, they are sat with a beer each while Sam continues to play with the cars. He's put the ramp away now, James decided that it was too late for flying cars and Robbie's side boards were taking a bit of a beating.

"Can I ask you a favour Robbie? It seems a bit cheeky, since we've already invaded your house"

"Ask away lad. And I've told you. You're no trouble, you or the bairn. I'd much rather you were here getting under my feet than out there on the streets, or in a B&B somewhere."

"Thank you sir. I was just wondering. I need to go back to London tomorrow. You know check on the house and the post and things. And get Sam some more of his clothes."

"Aye, what's the favour?"

"Can you look after Sammy? I don't want to take him back there. I still don't know how it all stands. They could be watching the house or something. I don't want to walk him into that"

"I'd be happy to Jim. Although I don't like the idea of you going down there alone...That's a thought, do you need to borrow the car?"

"No. I don't know who these people are, they might have contacts, be able to find out from the reg plates that its yours, and then come down here. But thanks for the offer Robbie. And thanks for saying you'll look after Sammy. I tell you it was a weight of my mind when he was ok with you earlier."

"Ah, well, I made him a new toy, he'll love me forever now."

"Yeah" James said darkly, but still with a grin on his face. "Until you try to tell him to go to bed...Speaking of which..." Lewis turned around and saw that Sam was sitting on the floor holding a car and his eyes kept drooping.

"Never understood why kids fight bed so much."

"Me neither. He'll be raring to go and all I can think of is my bed. I should probably go with him to be fair. Need to get up earlier tomorrow if I don't want to be in London all day."

"Aye. Night James." He smiled as James picked up the sleepy child. "Night Sammy boy."

"Nnng." Sam mumbled. James and Robbie took it to mean 'good night'

"Night Robbie."

.

Lewis was awoken by someone pulling on his hand at half past two. Still half asleep, he stirred but didn't fully wake.

"Wassit? Val?" He awoke with a start then, the familiar pang hitting him in the chest as his brain reminded him that his imaginings couldn't be true. Turning his head to the side, he saw that Sam was stood by his bed, eyes wide and scared.

"Unca Robbie...Unca Robbiiiiiiie." The said 'uncle' was instantly alert. There must be something wrong if the little lad had come to him rather than James.

"Aye kidda what's wrong?" He could see fear in the boy's eyes and he hoped it was unfounded.

"Daddy is sick. Unca Robbie got to fix him." Lewis' mind ran through all the things he could think of that could be wrong, and none of them made him feel calm.

"Come on bonny lad, lets go and fix your Daddy." Lewis said, with all the confidence that he didn't feel.

They entered the room and Lewis could see why Sam had woken up. James seemed to be squirming on the bed, he had probably knocked against the lad while they'd been sleeping. Despite the fact that Robbie was there, Sam stayed by the door, comfort blanket clutched tight and eyes as big as saucers. Lewis crossed over to the bed and instantly felt calmer. It was clear to him that James was having some kind of nightmare.

"No!...not hi-...get...get out...s-sam...NO!"James screamed, and Robbie flashed a look at the boy, who looked like he was on the verge of tears and trembling slightly.

"Don't worry Sammy. Your Dad is just having a bad dream. Have you ever had a bad dream?" Lewis said in a comforting voice as he tried to poke James awake. Sam nodded.

"Big shark eated me" he whispered, coming a little closer to the bed. "Is Daddy dreaming about a shark?"

"I don't know laddie. Its his dream. We'll have to ask him when he's better." Better? Well the lad had thought James was sick. He turns his attention back to the man who's still thrashing about in the bed.

"Come on lad. Wake up." He gently shook the younger man. "James! Wake up."

Suddenly, James started awake, sitting bolt upright as he looked around for some invisible opponent. And then quick as it and happened, he was lying back on the bed, shaking and taking shallow breaths.

"Ok lad? You were having a bad dream." James nodded, voice hoarse as he turned to his left side, hand reaching out.

"Sam! W-Where's Sam...Robbie?"

"Calm down Jim, calm down...he's here. He came and got me when you started thrashing about." James turned his head and saw his son stood a few feet away from the bed, looking for all the world like he was seeing at a ghost. Lewis could see the guilt in James' eyes. He clearly felt terrible for causing his son that fear, however unintentional it was.

"Sammy? Sammy its ok. Daddy was just having a scary dream. Its fine son...come'ere." Sam hesitated for the smallest of moments and then he ran to the bed and dived on, burrowing into James side and pushing himself up to he was just under James' chin.

"Was it a shark Daddy?" James smiled into his son's hair.

"Yeah Sam. A big purple one. But its gone now. You and Uncle Robbie scared it off." Sam poked his head towards Robbie.

"Tol' you about the shark."

"Aye that you did lad." Lewis smiled a little. It was amazing how kids managed to get over things. Sure enough, 5 minutes later, Sam was asleep and James moved him to the other side of the bed.

"James...are you ok?" At first James didn't respond and Lewis thought that he wasn't going to. But then James shook his head.

"No." he said quietly, and Robbie knew that this dream had been bad. 6 years or not, James would never have freely admitted to not being ok.

"Do you want to talk about it?" James nodded and, shit, if he didn't look like a little boy. A forty three year old little boy.

"It...It was one of the worst, no, the worst dream I've had in my life. And I-I've had some bad ones in my time."

"What happened? I mean I guessed Sammy was in danger from the way you were saying his name and shouting." James hung his head.

"I wish he hadn't seen that. It must have scared him."

"He didn't look too happy when he came to get me. He thought you were sick, he wanted me to come and fix you."

"He's a good kid."

"James...the dream."

"We were in the flat in London. A-and someone broke in. I was. Shit I was asleep on the bloody sofa. They woke me u-up." Hathaway stopped and dropped his gaze. Lewis could tell he was trying not to cry.

"Come on kidda. Sooner you get it out, sooner you'll get over it."

"I'll never get over this Robbie. They...They had masks on and they took Sam...they took my son at gunpoint."

"Oh James" Lewis said softly as he put an arm around the younger man's shoulder. James shook his head.

"They...They shot me. In the leg. I mean it didn't hurt, it was a dream...but I-I couldn't go after him. They were taking my little boy away and I couldn't move." James is crying lightly now, but he doesn't care. Lewis squeezes his shoulder.

"It was just a dream James. I know how real it felt, we've all been there, but it was just a dream." James turns to look up at him and Lewis can see in his eyes what has really scared him. What if one day it isn't?

"I know why it happened, I was thinking to much before I fell asleep."

"That's always a bad plan. Not that you can do anything about it mind"

"I was thinking, what if something does happen to me? No one's immortal. But...well, Sam. If something happens to me...he's got no one."

"He's got me. James...You both have, okay?" James didn't doubt him for a second.

"Are you still going to London?"

"Yeah...Yeah I need to get stuff." Lewis looked anything but pleased at this.

"Ok. But you're not going anywhere until you give me your mobile number. The one I've got for you doesn't work."

"Deal."

"Right, now that's settled, go to sleep. Especially if you want to get an early train tomorrow." James lay back down.

"...Thanks." Robbie just nods and then goes back to his room, hoping that James manages to get some sleep.

Its ridiculous, Robbie thinks as he lays in his own bed. It's ridiculous that he still sees James as so young. It was silly when the lad was thirty-four and its even sillier nine years later. But then he remembers the young man that stood outside a courtroom one morning, battling with the present and unaware that he'd have to face his past in less than 5 hours. He sees the face of a man who has just dreamt of his son being taken away from him and being unable to save him. He realises that the expressions on James' face were the the same. If anything this time, it was more haunted.

Lewis knows why as well. The James that he worked with, only had himself to worry about, not that that wasn't enough. But now James Hathaway has a four year old boy under his protection. Lewis has been there and he can see in James' entire body that Sam is his world and he'd die rather than let anything happen to his son. Something is threatening to do just that and James can't take it.

He's torn between being ready to die for his only child, and doing anything to stay around to be a father.

Lewis just wishes that he knew what to say to put Hathaway's mind at rest. That's not strictly true. He wishes there was actually something he could say that would put Hathaway's mind at rest.