Chapter Three

"And how are things going for you?"

William frowned and looked over at Michael with a suspicious look. "You don't care. What do you really want to know?"

Michael gave a sigh. "Are you behaving?"

"Is that your way of asking if I'm doing my duty?" asked William. He rolled his eyes and took a breath. "I've ferried four souls to the other side last night, another two this morning, I prevented a robbery last night and a mugging just twenty minutes ago. I was present for the sunrise this morning before spending half an hour at the library."

"And your other interests?" asked Michael.

William paused before turning towards him. "What of them?"

"Is it really healthy to indulge in these…feelings?" asked Michael.

William scoffed. "Feelings."

"Yes, William, feelings," said Michael sternly. "What did you think they were?"

"They are not feelings," said William adamantly. "It's a case."

Michael frowned at the phrasing. "A case…You've been spending too much time around that detective inspector."

"It's a new mystery to solve," said William. "It'll pass."

Michael turned away from William and looked down at the traffic passing below them on the Tower Bridge. All those people going about their lives, they had no idea what was around them, that two angels were in fact standing on the top of the walkways of Tower Bridge.

"She saw me."

Michael turned and looked at William, who was staring down at the Thames underneath them. "She couldn't have."

"Michael, she looked right at me," William told him. "I could have sworn—"

"They can't see us," Michael reminded him. "No one can see you unless you want them to."

"And if I want her to?" asked William.

"Why would you?" asked Michael, watching him closely.

William tilted his head a little in a minute shrug, his eyes darting about below him. "No reason."

"They don't need to see us," said Michael. "They haven't seen us for almost two thousand years, and they've survived. We work in the shadows. Seeing us would only confuse them."

"Not all of them," muttered William.

"All of them, William," said Michael, stepping closer. "They can't handle it."

William sighed, turning away from him. "You really are a stickler for societal norms, aren't you? Even if we're not part of society."

"The way of the world, brother mine," said Michael, gazing off along the river.


"Start her on seventy-five milligrams of Oseltamivir twice daily," John told the nurse as he placed the patient's chart back onto her end bedrail. "Call me if her symptoms worsen."

"Yes, Doctor," said the nurse, whose nametag read "Jessica."

John gave his patient a smile as he placed the remote for the television into her hands. "You're going to be just fine. The antivirals should clear everything up in a few days."

"Thanks, Dr. Watson," said the young woman, starting to flip through channels.

John turned towards the door and helped himself to the hand sanitizer on the wall, leaving and heading down the hall.

"Ah, John, there you are," said Molly from the nurse's station.

"Molly," smiled John as he handed the patient's file to one of the nurses. "Finished for the morning?"

"Yep," answered Molly. "How about you?"

"Just finished my last consult," John told her. "Lunch?"

"Starving," said Molly, turning and walking towards the lifts.

"I'm paying," said John.

"No, I am," Molly insisted.

"Molly, please, let me," said John.

Molly smiled and shook her head. "You always pay."

"I am a gentleman," smiled John.

Molly laughed and glanced over towards one of the patient rooms, where someone was standing inside. She came to a stop when she saw the "No Visitors" sign next to the door.

"John," Molly said urgently, pointing to the black-clad man in the patient's room.

"Oh, great," muttered John as he moved towards the room, Molly right behind him. "I'm sorry, sir. You can't be in here."

The man stood staring down at the sleeping patient in the hospital bed for a moment. He then slowly turned around to face them.

Molly was taken aback. The man was, indeed, dressed all in black, but it wasn't his immaculate wardrobe that gave her pause. He looked right at her, and his gaze seemed to look right into her soul. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about him…

"I'm visiting," said the man in an unbelievably deep voice.

"I'm sorry, but the sign says no visitors," said John. "You'll have to come back later."

"I meant no harm," the man told them, his expression and being completely, impossibly calm.

"You'll still have to come with us," said Molly, holding a hand out towards him. "Hospital policy."

The man glanced down at her hand and then looked back up at her. Slowly, he stepped forward and followed them out into the hallway.

"Are you Mr. Russel's family?" asked Molly.

The man simply shook his head as they headed for the lifts.

"Are you a friend?" asked John.

"I'm a visitor," said the man.

John exchanged a look with Molly before looking back at the man. "Well, Mr. Russel specifically asked for no visitors unless it's family, Mr.…"

"William," the man answered.

"Well, Mr. William, you'll have to call first before—" began John.

"Not 'Mr.,' just William," the man told him.

"Just William, huh?" asked Molly with a little smile. "No surname?"

William paused a moment, his eyes darting about the hall. "Scott."

Molly frowned as she glanced at the room they were passing, labeled "L. Scott." Why is he lying about his name? Is William even his first name?

"William, would you like to join us for lunch?" asked Molly.

John did a double-take as he frowned at Molly.

William considered for a moment before smiling a little. "I would love to."

"Right this way," said Molly, gesturing towards the lift.

William stepped up to the doors as John gave Molly a questioning look. The doors opened just as Molly shot him a "go with it" look. The three of them stepped into the lift, and the doors closed.

"So…you don't know Mr. Russel?" asked John.

"I do," said William.

"So, you are his friend," stated John.

"No," said William.

John rolled his eyes and dropped his head in frustration.

"Do you visit patients often?" asked Molly.

William looked over at her, nodding.

"Well, from now on, please pay attention to the signs hung at their door," said Molly. "We don't have anything against people voluntarily visiting patients in the hospital, but you have to follow visitor guidelines when doing so."

William smiled at her. "I shall endeavor to do so."

Molly smiled back at him. "Good…"

The way William was looking at her…as if he had known her for years…


William watched the two doctors delve into their meals.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" asked Molly.

William stared at the food on their plates in fascination. "Not hungry."

"You sure?" said John. "I'm paying."

Molly rolled her eyes. "I swear, as long as John is around, no one will ever go broke."

"I'm hospitable," John defended himself. "What's wrong with that?"

"Where do you get the money?" demanded Molly. "You offer to pay all the time. Don't you believe in a savings account?"

"Just because I know how to manage my money…" said John, glancing down at his meal and avoiding Molly's eyes.

The action caught William's attention, drawing his gaze over to the army doctor. He hadn't given John any real attention since he had shown himself to them; his interest had been solely on Molly. But now, the mystery that is John piqued his interest. The good doctor was lying.

It didn't make any sense. Why would he lie about his income? Well, no, it wasn't so much a lie as just avoiding the truth. What did he have to be nervous about?

But that revelation wasn't what caused William's mouth to open in surprise. It was the sudden knowledge that he knew John. He remembered him.

William took a deep breath as the sun broke over the horizon, reveling in the peace he felt. As the music ended, another sound met his ears: thrashing in the bushes.

"Got you! Hands up!"

William followed the sound of branches breaking until he came to a small clearing. A boy of six years old was jumping from the bushes, brandishing a short stick at it.

"Come out with your hands up!" shouted the young blonde boy.

A small hedgehog scrambled out from the bush and made his way along the grass.

"Freeze!" shouted the boy, shaking the stick at the animal.

William smiled at the boy, chuckling a little.

The boy spun around and aimed the stick at him. "Who are you?"

William raised his hands in supplication. "Relax. I'm a friend."

The boy frowned. "I don't know you."

"Didn't say I was yours," William told him. "My name is William."

The boy hesitated a moment, giving him a few once-overs before lowering the stick. "I'm John."

That had been the first of many encounters during the week John's family had vacationed in Epping Forest when he was a boy. William had enjoyed the boy's company, finding him more exciting than the rest of dull humanity. John had told him of his ambition to become a crime fighter, like his police officer of a father. Apparently, that ambition had landed him in the army instead.

John frowned at William. "You okay?"

William blinked, realizing that he had been staring. "Yes. Just thinking."

John watched him for a moment before nodding and going back to his meal.

William surreptitiously watched John the rest of the meal until he and Molly had to return to work. He hadn't really noticed it before, but now that he was paying attention to John, he wondered how he could have missed it? Something about John had nagged at him since he first saw him at Baker Street, but he was too focused on Molly to dwell on it. Remarkable that they should find each again after all these years.


Ooh, bet you didn't see that coming!