"He was a good guy," toasted Cosmo. A general chorus of agreement rose from the table. The team was gather at their favorite watering hole, melancholy as they were, trying to find some sort of cheer in the situation.

"You know, I'm not sure what we'll do with out him," Biggs added.

"The same as we did before him," Gerard stated. The team glared towards their senior officer.

"That's bitter," Cooper shook her head, and drank the remainder of her glass, "Anyone sober enough to drive, we should get some sleep."

"Yeah, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to fall over of sleep deprivation," Biggs stood, "I'm going to head out then. Cooper, Cosmo, riding with me?"

They nodded and stood, leaving their boss to think, or drink the night away. Grunts of goodbye and they were gone out the door. Gerard stared blankly across the room. Not even a week, maybe 2 weeks, they had been in this exact room, and he was a table away, if that, from where they had stood, congratulating themselves on a job well done for the take down. Newman had been there, and had been the but of a few childish jokes. It came with the territory of being the youngest. A thin smile crept across Sam's face.

"You just going to sit there and bitterly drink your sorrow away?"

Sam turned. Behind him stood Catherine Walsh, hip cocked to one side, a rather sad look on her face. He shook his head and turned back to the table.

"You know I don't like to have people sneak up on me," he took a swig from his glass, "And what I do with my sorrow is my own business."

"There was once a time when what I said mattered to you," she sat down in the chair beside him. He barely lifted his gaze.

"It doesn't seem to now."

"Sam, I'm sorry about Newman," she paused.

"You've said that already."

"Have you even heard from the hospital about when the body will be released for burial, and a funeral?"

"That body was my deputy, he was alive at one point," Sam remarked bitterly.

"So were you."

There was silence between them. The bustle of the rest of the bar continued around them for a long time before either made a move.

"Get some sleep, and go on vacation. I don't want to see you in the office on Monday morning." She stood, lightly touching his shoulder, then walked out the door. Sam stayed, sitting, waiting, for something to happen. He wasn't sure what.