Tate was drunk. Completely and totally blackout drunk.

He was also missing.

I'd enlisted a slightly tipsy Kaleb and Janet to help, but I doubted that they were going to have much luck. For one, there was their inebriated state, and the second, Tate seemed to be hiding on purpose. He was in none of the darkened corners, or the darkened rooms. He also wasn't clutching a toilet bowl, which was somewhat impressive considering the amount he'd had to drink.

I pushed past a particularly…busy…couple as I exited the house through the front door. The party was happening in the expansive backyard, and so there wasn't much to see out here except for the stars in the night sky and a few beer cans.

Almost beginning to regret bringing Tate now, and worry slowly growing in the pit of my stomach, I sighed and turned to go back inside. Another sweep of the house wouldn't hurt. He had to be here somewhere.

As I turned to go back inside however, my eyes drifted up towards the roof, and both relief and fear washed through me in a confusing wave.

I had finally found Tate, which was good, however, he was also walking along the edge of the roof, which wasn't so good. Not wanting to yell out and startle him in case he was to fall, I searched for how he had managed to get up there in the first place. I quickly found a ladder leaning up against the side of the house and made my way over to it.

Climbing up the ladder was the easy part. Climbing across the roof was not so easy.

Eventually I managed to get closer to Tate, who had finally noticed me, and was standing, with his hands in his pockets, watching me as I struggled along the slippery tiles.

"Hey." I greeted as I got within talking distance, slowly lowering myself down so that I was sitting. Much more stable. Tate looked down at me without moving. I blinked up at him for a second, before turning my gaze further up towards the stars. "Lots of stars tonight." I commented.

If I was being completely honest, I had absolutely no idea what to do. My friend was drunk and standing on top of a roof, apparently not saying anything. What the hell was I supposed to do with him?

Save him.

The two words came unbidden into my head, almost as if they had been whispered into my ear, but they felt right, as if it was what I was supposed to do.

Carefully I reached up a hand, not taking my eyes away from the stars. "Come sit with me Tate." I said, hoping that he would. At least sitting there was not as much chance of him falling.

I almost jumped as a warm hand clasped mine, and then Tate was indeed sitting beside me, his arm brushing against mine as we looked at the stars. I didn't know a lot about stars, but now seemed to be one of those times where it would have been nice to know about stars, simply so you could tell the person you were with a little fact about the solar system or point out a constellation. Yeah, that would be nice.

"Calypso…thanks." I barely heard Tate's quiet whisper, but I turned my gaze from the stars to him as he lightly squeezed my hand.

"Of course, Tate. That's what friends are for." I replied. Worry still gnawed at the edges of my mind, mainly because I knew that Tate would soon have to return to that house, and there was nothing that I could do to stop it. I didn't even know how to ask him about it. He clearly needed help, but the question was if he would let me help him. Somehow, I doubted it, but I also knew that I would do everything in my power to try.

"Friend. It's an interesting word." Tate mused, finally looking down from the stars and out towards the street below us. "You're the first real friend I've had, Calypso. For a while at least." He continued in that same quiet voice that seemed to float just loud enough to hear, but quiet enough you almost doubted it.

"Come on," I tried to keep my voice light as I knocked my shoulder against his, "that can't be true." The flat look Tate turned on me had me swallowing my next words, my thin attempt at a small falling from my face. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. You've got me now and I'm here to stay." I said matter-of-factly, willing both Tate and myself to believe the words.

Tate didn't bother to reply.

Silence stretched, and the night air began to grow colder. Finally, I suggested that we go home, only slightly surprised when Tate readily agreed. I stood, releasing his hand which I hadn't realised I'd been holding the entire time, as I did. When I reached the ladder, I turned to climb down, only to stop in shock.

Tate was standing at the edge of the roof again, looking down at the ground below. He swayed forward slightly as a gust of wind blew past, seeming to blow right through him, but leaving me shivering.

"Tate." I called softly, preparing myself to bolt across the roof. When he didn't move, I stepped back up onto the roof, reaching out with both hands as if I could reach him from where I was standing. "Tate." His name came out again, without me meaning to, but this time it got his attention. He turned towards me slightly, paused, seemed to shake himself slightly, and then turned fully towards me. A sigh of relief rushed out of me, and my now shaking hands slowly lowered back to my sides.

Back home, I lay in bed, my thoughts running wild around my head. I needed to keep a closer eye on Tate. We all did. I refused to let him do something stupid, something he would regret. The how was going to be harder, but I hoped that by giving him some support, and letting him know that he wasn't alone would be a step in the right direction.

It took a while, but when I finally drifted off to sleep, Nora plagued my dreams again. Except this time, she wasn't screaming, begging me to do something. This time she smiled. It was only slight, and sadness still shone from her eyes, but there seemed to be a little less grief, and a bit more hope.

It appeared I'd done something right.