A solid silence stretched out between the two watchmen, as they walked through the streets. The light was already fading and the first shreds of night were creeping from their sleeping places. Vimes had picked a different route for this patrol. Purposely avoiding the crowded streets, he led his younger self through several smaller streets and alleyways. He didn't want to be seen by the wrong people, for if he wanted to leave this place tonight the last thing he needed was unwanted attention.
Walking next to him, Sam scanned the streets with the experienced glance of a watchman. If the boy ever noticed that the commander had chosen a route that was not usually included in the routes of patrol or if he was surprised by it, he did not show it. The Lance Constable silently followed his sergeant like an attentive student. His face was blank, or at least it was a good start, because the stony expression the commander displayed was the achievement of many years of training.
Vimes himself was getting more and more restless with every passing minute. He wanted to do this right. Since he would leave this place soon he felt that he would have to say something meaningful as last words to his younger self. After all, this was a once in a lifetime chance. But what was one supposed to tell his younger self as a farewell?
Vimes knew that he could not force himself to say that everything would get better, that the boy just had to wait and stay strong. He had seen the time between now and the future he would return to and it was just too much to ask for. He would not make himself a donkey with a carrot on a stick that he could never reach but kept chasing anyway. Staying strong certainly wasn't a good advice; neither was staying true to himself...
Slowly he began to realize that this wasn't going to be easy.
As they walked on in companionable silence it began to rain. It was a good old Ankh-Morporkian rain, even though it was only made of water instead of frogs, chairs or other things that were considered rain in Ankh Morpork. Thick raindrops were soon drenching the dirt in the streets and the two watchmen who made their way through it.
While the commander was still trying to find the right words, his younger self had caught up and was now walking right next to him.
„You are leaving, right?" the boy suddenly asked. Vimes was so surprised by this that he nearly jumped. He certainly had not expected this.
„…Yes. How did you know?" Vimes replied, since there was no use in denying it.
His younger counterpart hesitated for quite a while before he answered the question. The commander had already been thinking he might not answer it at all. As he finally began to speak, the younger Sam Vimes sounded much more sagacious than he was supposed to be.
„I know you too well, I guess that is the problem."
The statement surprised Vimes beyond words, for he had not suspected that his younger self held such deep insight into the mysteries that surrounded John Keel. Although, maybe, he was wrong and the words didn't mean what the commander suspected them to mean. It would be better if that was actually the case, but Vimes knew himself and if his younger self was anything like the commander was right now he most likely did in fact know a thing or two beyond the things he was supposed to know. It would make matters a lot more complicated though.
„What are you talking about, boy?" Vimes asked, but he feared that he already knew the answer.
Sam suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at the commander seriously. The older Sam also stopped and turned. He was most curious what the answer would be.
„At first, it was just a suspicion and it was too unbelievable to mention it, let alone even to think about it," the younger Vimes hesitantly began. His voice was very serious and to the other it seemed like he was just now meeting the real Lance Constable Sam Vimes, as if the boy had previously been wearing a mask. The commander had used this effect more than once himself but to see someone else do it was unsettling.
The boy continued, "But there are certain similarities between the two of us. For a moment I considered whether you could be my father but that was even more unlikely. Now, though, I am certain, may it sound as strange and impossible as it seems. You are m..." the final part of the sentence was cut off by Vimes' hand covering the boy's mouth. It was true; sometimes a mind that was too sharp could cut its owner.
„Don't you dare say it!" Vimes commanded sharply. His hand was still covering the boy's mouth to make sure that the younger Vimes wouldn't interrupt him. "Not in a place like this where the walls have ears! We are not alone."
They both hesitated for a moment trying to sense the someone nearby. But the rain was loud enough to cover up any suspicious noises, playing a solid rhythm that was getting louder and faster with every passing minute.
Suddenly Vimes realized that his hand was still covering the boy's mouth. Rain water was dripping onto it from the tip of Sam's nose, all the way down from his drenched hair. The commander removed his hand, because he felt that he had made his point.
„I know that someone is following us, but in a city like this you are never completely alone," the younger Vimes said sounding more than a bit confused.
His younger self was right; in Ankh Morpork you could not hope to ever be completely alone. But of all people, Vetinari was the last one Vimes wanted to know anything about his secret. It was already a problem that the assassin seemed to know where Sergeant Keel had come from.
Sam seemed to have noticed that the commander had scanned the surrounding. "It would not do me any good if I asked who exactly is following us, would it?"
"No, most likely not…" Vimes wanted to say more, but as he saw a dark figure appear right behind the boy he changed his mind and quickly added: „I must leave now. Remember that you have seen me and that I'm neither about to starve nor am a criminal and that I have a place to return to. Maybe that knowledge will help you in the time between now and then."
Sam looked confused and opened his mouth to say something, but the words were left unspoken as something hit him and the boy was knocked unconscious. Just in time, the commander caught his younger self and carefully let him down to the ground.
As Vimes straightened up again, he saw Vetinari, clothed in dark-but-not-quite black clothes and with a greenish paint all over his face, standing only inches away from the place where Vimes' younger self had stood only moments ago. The paint on the boy's face made it impossible to read his expression.
„That was fast," the commander commented, hiding his discomfort. The situation was strange enough as it was, and the fact that all he could identify of Vetinari's face was the white of his eyes did not help matters very much.
„I had a little help," Vetinari answered and gave his unique smile that was barely noticeable.
Vimes could see two other men stepping out of the shadows. They both were monks and one of them the commander could recognize as Sweeper.
„We have already brought Carcer to the monastery. He is bound and narcotized," proudly announced the young monk. All the others turned to look at him. Vimes had no nerve for such a thing right now and it seemed like neither Vetinari nor Sweeper were in the mood for it either.
"We will take care of your young assistant, sergeant. But you will have to go to the monastery on your own, if we do that." Sweeper said. He gave Vimes a look that seemed to ask whether the policeman was okay with that, so the commander nodded shortly.
A second later the monks had disappeared, as well had the younger version of Vimes. The commander wasn't surprised by this, since he had seen such things more than once during the last few weeks. Vetinari on the other hand blinked once or twice, but quickly covered those signs of surprise up with his usual neutral expression.
"You should hurry as well," Vetinari suddenly said. Vimes who had not paid particular attention to the assassin during the last few minutes was a bit startled as he heard the boy's voice only one step away from him.
As he turned his head to answer, Vimes saw Vetinari slowly vanish into the shadows. He feared that the assassin would leave and the commander wouldn't see him again. More on instinct than anything else he reached out to keep the assassin from leaving.
Vimes got hold of the boy's sleeve just before Vetinari could vanish completely. Feeling the smooth fabric of the black clothes, he couldn't resist pulling Vetinari closer.
He hugged the young man tightly, inhaling the scent of him. Enjoying the closeness and the warmth of the boy's body, his voice of reason in his head kept screaming, You are so going to die for this!
Vimes was surprised that he actually had been able to progress that far, although Vetinari surely was a lot faster that the policeman was, given that the boy was trained as an assassin. He also found that he subconsciously was bewildered that the other had a very ordinary body temperature. Maybe all the jokes about Vetinari being a vampire had finally gotten the better of him?
„It was a pleasure to meet you, assassin," Vimes mumbled as he pulled back. To cover up his insecurity, the commander cleared his throat and took a step backwards. He could barely see the boy's face but nevertheless he could make out the already well known half-smile.
„That's good to hear and I'm more than tempted to say the same, but I wasn't planning on leaving you just yet, sergeant."
„You weren't?" Vimes asked, taking another smaller step backwards to be able to look into the boy's face more properly. The commander could not hide a trace of surprise, since he had not expected Vetinari to stay any longer. After all, the game was over. All that was left to be done was clear up the mess they had created while they had played it.
„No. I want to see where the events of the previous days will be leading, and it seems like that means I'll have to stay until the very end," Vetinari pointed out.
„I'm glad to hear that," Vimes said, but felt like he was confessing something he should not have. To cover this up the commander asked a question which had been bothering him for quite a while now, and it seemed like now was the right time to ask it and get an answer.
„Why are you helping me anyway?"
Vetinari hesitated and for several moments it seemed like he was pondering what the right answer for this one would be. As he finally spoke, his voice was even and slow, as if every word needed close consideration.
„Because you are a very interesting man in a city of uninteresting people. I would have liked to see where your path is leading you."
That was all the assassin said, before turning to make his way back into the shadows. Vimes watched surprised, as the darkness swallowed the dark figure.
"I thought you wanted to stay," he called.
"Oh, I will. But I don't want to be seen in your company. After all I'll have to stay in this city," the darkness replied, the voice slowly fading into the distance.
All by himself, Vimes was left in the dark alleyway accompanied only by the rain that was by now dripping from the tip of his nose.
