Sam sat and listened as seagulls called overhead. It had been raining when he had started his journey but now the sun was shining. He breathed in deeply and let his head fall back against the seat. The journey had tired him out. He started to drift off and didn't hear his name being called.

"Sam…Sam…Pinafore!" There was only one person who called him that and he opened his eyes to see his friend Adam walking towards him grinning. He was a good-looking man, tall, athletic with thick blond hair. Sam rose quickly holding onto the bench to counter the wave of dizziness that passed over him as he did so.

"Adam…God, it's good to see you…how long has it been?"

"Too long," he replied as he hugged Sam. He laughed at Sam's tight embrace. "Careful, we managed to squash those rumours at college you know." Sam laughed in return as Adam grabbed his bag and led the way to his car.

The journey to Adam's place took Sam along the coast and past the harbour. He listened to him talk as he took in the sights that never failed to fill him with a sense of peace. There was something about Sag Harbor that lifted Sam's spirits and he vowed that when he got back to work he would make the effort to come back here more often, if he went back to work, if he went back at all.

"…even if it was a shitty reason that got you here," Adam had been filling Sam in on news about friends but now his voice took on a bitter tone and disrupted Sam's thoughts.

"I'm sorry what were you saying?" Sam turned to face his friend.

"I said it's great to see you but it's a shitty reason that you're here….man…" Adam shook his head, "I bet they haven't caught him have they? We pay all these taxes and for what…I tell you if someone ever broke into my place I wouldn't leave it for the police to find him I'd make damn sure he never got out but then you end up being the…"

Sam did the only thing he could think of to stop Adam's words; he reached over and switched on the radio. He smiled apologetically. "News," he explained. "You can take the man out of the communications office but…" he shrugged and smiled.

Adam lost his train of thought and to Sam's relief did not continue his rant on the pros and cons of vigilantism. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

Josh sat across from Toby. Senator Plowden was stalling and they all knew it. He had nothing to gain from not accepting Josh and Toby's offer and much to lose. But he continued to sit and discuss and argue with them anyway. Toby rubbed his thumb across his forehead as if sheer brute force would drive the developing headache away. He was about to put forward his final point to the senator when Josh stood up abruptly causing his chair to topple and then fall to the floor.

"Josh?" Josh stared at Toby in response and mumbled something about needing to get some air. Toby picked up the chair and made his apologies to the Senator and followed him out.

Toby caught up with him just as he slammed his office door. He didn't knock and he didn't wait to see if Josh was alright before shouting at him.

"For God's sake get yourself together. I'm not going through a month of this."

Josh was stunned at the force of Toby's words. He wasn't looking for sympathy but he wasn't looking for this either.

Toby looked at Josh's shocked face and continued in a calmer tone, "You can't go through a month of this."

Josh placed both his hands on his desk and spoke into his chest. Toby had to strain to hear him. "I did it again…I should have gone to see him. I could have talked him out of going…I could have talked to him."

"It was best that you didn't. He didn't even remember what he said to you last night. That wasn't why he went." Toby waited while Josh straightened up. "Come on let's get back, we can pretend you were overwhelmed by Plowden's arguments."

Sam was lying on the sofa reading a yachting magazine and listening to Adam whistling while he cooked their dinner. The magazine started to slip out of his hands as his eyes closed. Adam came into the room with two beers and sat down opposite him. He watched him sleep for a while, unsure whether to wake him or not. He had known Sam for a long time but didn't get to see him very often. The last time they were going to meet up Sam had phoned at the last minute saying something about a filibuster. They had the sort of friendship where they could go for months without meeting and then pick up where they left off. But this time it was different. Sam had seemed distant and certainly did not want to talk about what had happened. When he had phoned this morning Adam had assumed that he just needed a break before returning to work but now he wasn't so sure. He decided to let Sam sleep. He removed the magazine and went back to the kitchen.

By the time Sam woke up, Adam had eaten his dinner and was contemplating throwing Sam's away. He was just removing the plate from the oven when Sam appeared in the doorway.

"I am so sorry, Adam."

"Ah, he wakes." He placed the plate on the table and got out a knife and fork, "Idleness is the canker of the mind."

Sam smiled and without missing a beat replied, "Idleness is the appendix to nobility."

"Idleness is only the refuge of…no hold on I'm not doing this if you're sober. I only win when you're drunk."

Sam smiled and nodded. "Teach thy tongue to say 'I do not know'."

"Shut up."

"Okay." Sam sat down and started to eat, surprised to find that he had an appetite for the first time in weeks.

It was rarely quiet enough in Leo's office for the ticking of the clock to be audible but he could hear it now. Margaret had long since gone home and Leo supposed himself to be alone and so was startled when Josh appeared at the door.

"Josh…Jesus… you made me jump." Josh apologised and leant against the doorjamb his hands in his pockets, "I don't think you've asked me for Sam's phone number today have you finally given up?" Three days had passed since Sam had gone and every day Josh had asked Leo to let him know where he was.

"You'll crack one day."

"I won't and even if I did you wouldn't phone him." Leo stood up and glanced at the clock.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you respect his wishes and you're big enough to accept that it's nothing personal- he just needs his space." Leo checked the time again. "Did you want something because I'm really trying to get finished up here?" He hoped Josh would take the hint and leave.

"No…sorry…I'm gonna call it a day."

"Well good for you, Josh." As Josh left, the phone rang. Leo waited a few moments before he picked up to make sure Josh was out of earshot.

"Hey, Sam, how's it going…good that's good. Have you done any sailing yet? Well maybe next week…sure…he's fine…yeah everyday…he understands…no one thinks that. Sam…is your friend there during the day? That's a hell of a drive…oh okay…sure…thanks for ringing I'll speak to you on Monday." Leo replaced the receiver and started to put his work into his briefcase. This was the third time he had spoken to Sam and each time there was nothing in the conversation to give him cause to worry. But each call left him with an uneasy feeling and he was beginning to find it strange that Sam hadn't been sailing. He moaned often enough about how he could never find the time and here he was with a whole month free and still he hadn't been. Leo promised himself the next time he phoned he would ask him outright before he had a chance to end the call like he had tonight. With that thought he hauled his now stuffed briefcase off the desk and made his way home.

Adam sat and stared at Sam, who held his head in his hands as the tears he had been trying to hold in finally streamed down his face.

"I'm sorry," Sam gasped. He looked up at Adam and then fell back against the sofa as he was overcome by another fit of laughter. "But if you could see your face." He reached for his beer with one hand and wiped his eyes with the other.

"So ten years later you're telling me he didn't fall in, he jumped?" Sam nodded.

"And he wasn't drowning?" Sam shook his head afraid that if he opened his mouth more laughter would escape. "So he didn't need saving?"

"No, but you didn't know that and…" Sam raised his hand holding the bottle and splashes of beer fell across the table, "he looked like he might have been drowning…and when they gave you that…" Sam was going to say award but the word was claimed by another fit of laughter.

Suddenly Adam jumped up, swayed slightly, and then raised his bottle. "To heroes."

Sam jumped up too and Adam held onto his arm as he staggered forward to clink bottles. "Heroes."

The two sat up reminiscing for a further two hours. When Sam went to bed Adam switched on his computer and started to work. Although he couldn't really afford the time, he had taken the first few days of Sam's visit off and he had been behind ever since. He had stopped drinking long before Sam knowing that he would be working later on and took a sip of strong coffee as he read what he'd written so far. He had been working for an hour when he decided to stop for more coffee. As he made his way to the kitchen a sudden noise made him stop. He stood still for a few moments, heard nothing and carried on his way. As he reached for the coffee pot he heard it again, it was coming from Sam's room. He knocked lightly on the door and when there was no reply he entered. He found Sam kneeling in front of the wardrobe pulling the contents out and throwing them behind him.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, "and why am I whispering?" Sam responded to neither comment. "What are you looking for?" He switched on the light and knelt down beside Sam.

"Sam…Sam…what are you doing?" Sam turned his attention to the other side of the wardrobe and Adam saw his face for the first time. His eyes were open but his facial expression was blank. He was totally unaware of Adam's presence.

"Wow," Adam muttered. He had never seen someone sleepwalk before and he sat watching with fascination.

After he had pulled the contents of the bottom of the wardrobe out Sam got up and walked into the living room. Adam followed him, moving objects out of his path. Sam walked over to the curtains and opened them and then sat down on the sofa. He stayed there for a little while and then walked over to the bookcase where he started to pull books out at random until he had made a neat pile of them on the floor. Adam realised that he should try to help Sam back to bed but part of him couldn't wait to see what he was going to do next. He watched as Sam went back to the bedroom and over to the wardrobe. He started putting the things that he had removed back in. When he had finished Adam decided to try to guide him back to bed. He walked slowly towards Sam hoping that a gentle hand on his arm would be enough to move him without waking him. At first Sam responded, he rose and let Adam turn him around so that he was facing the bed and started walking towards it. The trouble came when Adam tripped over something that had not found its way back to the wardrobe. Unable to regain his balance he fell forward taking Sam with him. Both men ended up on the edge of the bed.

"Oh shit." Adam pushed himself upwards and realising that Sam was waking up put his hand on his shoulder. Sam shook him off violently. He couldn't work out where he was or what was happening. He turned over on the bed so he was facing upwards and this time felt a hand on his chest shaking him, holding him. Holding him down. Sam struggled upwards. Adam grabbed at his arm as he tried to get away from him. "Sam, it's alright…it's me…you were sleepwalking."

He tried to wrestle out of Adam's grip but he held on. The two men struggled, Sam desperately trying to get away and Adam trying to calm him.

"Get away from me…please…please." The fear in Sam's voice stunned Adam and he momentarily loosened his grip. Sam freed himself and made another dash for the door. Suddenly he felt himself being grabbed and pushed against the wall. Terrified, he saw the man standing in front of him, shaking him. He felt himself being pushed against the wall again and then the man became Adam and he was shouting at him and shaking him and Sam let him because he suddenly had no fight left. Eventually there was no noise apart from the sound of breathing. Sam held onto Adam's arms and felt Adam gripping his own, he wasn't sure who was holding who up so he didn't let go. Sam's breath was still coming in shuddering heaves Adam waited for it to slow down, his mind racing to make sense of the past few minutes.

"I thought it was happening again…I thought you were him."

"Did I hurt you?" Adam pulled Sam away from the wall and led him towards the bed.

"No, did I?" Sam still couldn't quite catch his breath.

"No…scared the crap out of me though…but I think we're even on that score." He watched as Sam lay down and waited until his breathing had returned to normal. "Are you going to be alright now? I'll only be out there. Do you want something to drink…or I don't know…something?"

"No I'll be fine now thanks." He pulled the covers over him and closed his eyes.

Adam left the room and started to put the books that Sam had removed back on the shelf. After he had finished he shut down his computer and poured himself a whisky. His glanced around the room trying to remember if anything else had been disturbed until his vision fell on Sam's cell phone. He sat and stared at it for a while and then having made the decision walked over, picked it up, switched it on and searched through the names. Finding the name he was looking for he grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wrote down the numbers for Josh Office, Josh Home and Josh Cell. He put the phone back where he had found it and folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket.

Sam woke to the sight of Adam rushing past his bedroom. He heard a clatter, then a curse, then a bang followed by a louder curse.

"Adam?" Silence. "Adam?" Adam hopped into Sam's room, he had one leg in his pants and while he stopped to talk to Sam he finished putting the other one in.

"I'm running late," he started fumbling with his tie. "I fell asleep on the damn sofa."

Sam sat up and rubbed at his eyes. Adam continued to fiddle with his tie and smooth his shirt. He watched as Sam sat up in bed and wondered how much of last night he remembered.

Sam wiped his hand over his face and cleared his throat twice before asking, "Are you in court?"

"Yeah…how's that?" Adam spun around and faced Sam.

"You look like you slept on a sofa." Sam slipped back under the covers grateful that Adam was too busy to talk about last night.

"Hey, Sam…last night…that was just a one off wasn't it. I mean you just freaked because you didn't know it was me right."

"Right. I was probably still drunk."

Adam nodded and left the room. "You should go sailing today," he called from the kitchen.

Sam didn't answer. He had heard this speech every morning since Adam had gone back to work. "Or not…it's up to you. My bike's in the garage if you feel like a ride." His head appeared again. "You know where everything is just help yourself." He disappeared again. "Oh and can you answer the phone if it rings?" Sam sat up.

"Why will it-" He cleared his throat and started again, "Who are you expecting to call?" Sam suddenly realised that in the past three days the phone hadn't rung once.

Adam came back into the room. "There's this guy who wants to borrow my boat, I've written down a message, it's by the phone."

"The phone hasn't rung since I've been here." Sam hoped his voice didn't sound as pathetic as the thought of the phone ringing was making him feel.

"Well, no one knows I'm here. I usually stay in town in the week." he studied Sam carefully. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay." Adam continued to stare at Sam. He didn't look too bad, a little hung over maybe but then he'd had a lot more to drink than him. "We should go out tonight." He was beginning to worry that Sam didn't seem to want to go out and he couldn't understand why he hadn't been sailing.

"Yeah that would be good."

Adam looked at the clock, cursed again and flew out of the room. A few moments later he returned. He stood in the doorway and waited until Sam noticed he had come back. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm going to get up in a minute," Sam said pushing back the covers as if to prove his intentions.

"Okay…well give me a ring later on and we'll sort out what we're doing tonight."

When he heard Adam's car pulling away Sam lay back down and pulled the covers back. For three days he had allowed himself to pretend that the past few weeks had never happened. But he knew that was over now. Last night had ended that illusion. He knew that it didn't matter where he went, he wouldn't be able to escape the memories or the fear. And as time went on they were becoming more real, more intense and he knew that he was going to have to face them eventually. He just didn't realise that it was going to be so soon.