Lewis was, to say the least, surprised when his sergeant walked into the office sporting a very blatant black eye. He looked quizzically at Hathaway, waiting for an explanation.

"Well? Who have you wound up this time?" Hathaway shot him a 'who me?' look

"Sir you know the saying 'Don't shoot the messenger'?"

"Yeah?" said Lewis wondering where this was going.

"Well, I wish someone had shot that one."

"What are you-" Lewis stopped. He looked at James, slowly pulling his threat out of his pocket. "You got one as well then?"

"If, by that, you mean a threatening letter then yes sir. Only I happened to interrupt the bastard who was delivering it." Lewis winced in sympathy.

"Well what does yours say?" James read the note out, then Lewis read his. James was quiet for a little while and Lewis could almost see the cogs whirring. Almost. He was pretty sure if could actually see the cogs in his sergeants head, they would be moving so fast they'd be a blur. He waited for inevitable information that was to follow James' thoughtful face. He was not disappointed.

"Wonder if Ray and Bodie got warned off." Lewis looked out of the office window.

"Well in about 5 minutes, you can ask them."

.

Bodie stood leaning against a filing cabinet while Doyle paced the room. Thirty years ago, it would have been the other way around, not that anyone in the room would have noticed it.

"So we've all got warned off then?"

"Looks like it" Bodie answered his partner. Doyle shot his partner an irritated look.

"No shit."

"Question is, who is it? What do they want? Are they a serious threat?" Lewis sat at his desk, directing the questions at no-one in particular. James sat in his chair, facing the other men, another thoughtful look on his face. He was listening to the older men's conversation but he couldn't help his mind whirring away.

"Well, they punched James, weren't afraid of altercation, wasn't careful about leaving the threats. I think we can assume they mean us harm." Bodie said, looking down at the notes that they had laid down on the desk. Lewis looked over at the youngest member of the group.

"You've been quiet Hathaway. Makes a nice change from your usual laconic wit, but its unusual." Normally in the beginning of a case, they both bounce ideas off each other. He wasn't surprised however when, instead of replying, James got up and stared at the notes for a little while and then looked up a shy smile on his face. When no information was forth coming, Lewis sighed theatrically and said to James;

"Come on then. What have you worked out?" James coughed apologetically and then looked quickly at each of them in turn. That was when Lewis got it. He was nervous. The CI5 boys, James didn't want to get it wrong in front of them. He held back a smile. Sometimes his friend displayed behaviours not dissimilar to an eager school boy. James indicated the notes.

"Well, if you look at them, they are all similar. A threat. Get rid of the other team members. Look deeper though, and you can see the differences."

"Carry on James." Bodie, encouraging for once.

"Well both yours and Doyle's threats mention, danger to me and the inspector but there is no threat to the partners. For example, Doyle's note holds no threat to Bodie and vice versa." They were all looking him expectantly, still not quite comprehending his train of thought. "My note threatens all the "old'uns" including Inspector Lewis. Lewis' note threatens me specifically." They all looked at him still, blankly.

".Ri-ght." Lewis said. James rolled his eyes in a way Robbie was used to.

"It would appear that the person threatening us all, is primarily after CID rather than CI5. Otherwise it would have made more sense to threaten Bodie in Doyle's note. After all, he knows Bodie better than he knows us."

"Well done sergeant." Lewis said as Doyle turned to him, jerking his head back towards James.

"He's good"

"Yeah well, he's grad entry in'he. Smart as a button before he even joined." James just grinned. Lewis was one of the only people he didn't mind ribbing him about the graduate entry scheme. He supposed it was because his inspector was always quick to acknowledge his efforts and successes which is more than his old governor had ever done. He was equally quick to criticise, but it was never venomous. Only in anger had Lewis' words ever stung him. And the anger that had been directed at him had been justified, even if James hadn't been able to see it at the time, he certainly could now.

"You lied to me. Forget Will, forget the case, you lied to me, to me!"

"Please?"

"No..Just no. Go away., I don't wanna see ye!"

The memory of that not so distant day still left him cold, which was ironic considering. Those words had stung more than any fire. Just as the eventually acquired knowledge that Lewis had himself entered the burning building and carried him out had filled him with immense relief. Relief that his inspector still cared for him, that he came back, that he wanted to work with him still. That relief had rivalled the relief that he was still alive. With this memory came a flood of feelings, fear being the most prominent. The knowledge that he was going to burn and that he could do nothing about it. The knowledge (again, found out later) that he tried to go back into the house after Zoe. Pure terror accompanied these memories and he resolutely pushed them away. Still too fresh. Maybe he'd be able to come back to them in a few years. But James doubted it. He was good at locking things away, keeping them hidden to the point that he didn't even know which dark recess of his mind he banished them to. He missed Doyle's returning comment.

The were looking at him, Doyle and Bodie oddly, Lewis with a degree of concern. Robert Lewis wasn't stupid, he had a pretty good idea of what his young sergeant had been thinking about. He'd seen the same, scared look fleeting across the younger man's face a few times in the hospital. Mostly when he though no one was looking. He hadn't know what to say then and he didn't know what to say now. Bodie had picked up on the atmosphere, James desperately trying to hide his feelings and Lewis so clearly wanting to help him. He didn't know what he could do to sort the situation, but he decided for now, that he would have to do something.

"Anyone fancy Lunch?" Just like that, everything was returned to normal."

"Bodie, you had breakfast less than half an hour ago!" Doyle

"Brunch then?" Lewis and Hathaway followed the still bickering Bodie and Doyle out of the door, Lewis' hand resting companionably on James shoulder briefly. And although James didn't acknowledge it, he didn't shy away either. This, Lewis considered, was progress.