Craig stood in doorway and smiled softly at the view of his sister holding in arms little man with red face and big blue eyes fixed at his mummy. Steph was crying silently with happiness and gently rocking her baby, her eyes move toward her brother.

'Say hello to your uncle Craig.' She said to the baby with a soft smile. 'Isn't he sweet? My little Cameron.' Craig couldn't help but smirk slightly and the name of his nephew, but decided to not say a word, to not irate his already devoid of strength sister.

'Sure, he is. He's Dean, right?' He grinned and moved slightly to let Jack came inside the room. 'You phoned to Max?'

'Yes, he's on his way. Should be here for an hour, along with Frankie.' Jack smiled and approached his new grandchild.

'I heard her cry even here.' Craig rolled his eyes. 'Who stayed with Tom and Mabel then, if mum is with Max?'

'Jake. That's why I need to get back. He and four kids alone doesn't bode anything good.' He said amused. 'Congratulation, Stephanie.'

'I'll pop to you tomorrow, sis. Okay?' Craig asked and approached her to give her a kiss on the forehead. 'I need to get back, also. Someone is waiting for me.'

'A girlfriend?' Steph asked with a grin. 'You didn't tell me about her!'

'Well, it's quite complicated.' Craig replied evasively, his hand automatically start rubbing his neck.

'What you mean, son?' Jack asked concerned for moment everyone seem to forget about new member of Dean-Osborne family.

'We talk about it another day.' He smiled slightly and nodded at the door. 'I really need to going. Send kiss to mum and tell Max to not drink too much, cause he needs to take care about my sis and my favorite nephew.' He winked to her. 'See you tomorrow.'

'Okay.' Steph nodded, before she fixed her eyes at Jack. 'You know something?'

'No, I didn't see Craig for ages, beside don't think he'd like to tell me if he sees someone or not.' He shrugged and gently touched Cameron's small hand.

'But Darren is seeing him every day, so he needs to know something.' She insisted.

'He's busy with his wedding, Steph. Don't think he's very focus at what's going on in your brother's life. I think you shouldn't push on him. When he'll be ready, I'm sure he'd tell us if he's with someone.' He replied carefully.

'I'm sure he is. I know him good.' She said firmly.

'Steph, Cameron will slip from your arms for moment.' He sighed. 'Just give the lad peace. You know he won't has it when your mother finds about it.'

'Maybe you're right. He's an adult man, he knows what's he doing…I guess.' She glanced at him unsurely.

'Even if he doesn't know, it's not our place to ask. It's his life.' Jack said firmly and put a fake smile on the face as he heard Frankie's shrink voice in the corridor. 'Now, don't tell anything about your brother. We can finish it later, when Frankie goes to toilet.'

'How nice.'

'I love your mum, but I also know that about some things she shouldn't know for everyone's good.' Steph only smiled at this and pulled her baby closer.

It was already late night when he came back to home, so he wasn't surprised that the whole flat was immersed in darkness and there was no sign of John Paul around. He quietly kicked off the shoes and hanged the jacket before on the same tiptoes moved toward the bedroom. He pushed the door and frowned. John Paul wasn't sleeping as he thought, only sitting in their bed and reading a book under the soft light of night lamp and looking clearly pissed off.

'You don't get over it yet?' Craig asked him annoyed as he closed the door behind himself and moved toward wardrobe. 'Anger harms beauty.'

'I know, you're the living example.' John Paul snapped back, didn't take his eyes from the book, knowing he just hit his blind spot. He knew Craig always thinks about himself as a God sex, so his comment would bring more impact on him, than if he starts sulking why he doesn't want to tell his family about them.

'I look good!' He sulked just like John Paul thought, his eyebrows frowned even more.

'You look…' He seized him up for a moment, above the book.' Average.'

'Average?' He repeated annoyed, hurt to the bone. 'What you mean by average?' He threw his shirt across the room and reached for clean t-shirt.

'Look, can we talk about it tomorrow? I'm tired and want to go sleep.' John Paul yawned and laid the book on the cabinet with an innocent smile.

'I want sleep also, you know? No one asked you to stay up to this hour and wait for me.' He snapped without thinking. And in this moment he crossed the line.

'You're sleeping on the couch tonight.' John Paul said coldly, anger flashing from his eyes.

'You're kidding, right?' Craig stared at him with disbelief. 'I believe I heard you wrong, cause you wouldn't dare to piss me off right now.'

'I already left a blanket on the couch. Sleep well, babe.' He smirked and just lie down on the bed, didn't even look twice at his shocked boyfriend.

'You can't tell me to sleep on the couch!' He barked.

'Oh, really?' He glanced at him above the arm.

'Yes!' He hissed. 'It's my bloody flat and my bed! I paid for everything!'

'Like always it's only you, you and you!' John Paul cried irate. 'We're a couple. We share things together.'

'If we share things as you call it, then why you're kicking me out on the couch, eh? I deserve at least half of the bed.'

'Until you don't understand what means to be in relationship with someone, you're not welcome in this bed.' John Paul cut him off. 'Come back when you'd have something wise to say to me.'

'Fine. You want a war, you'll get one!' He barked and grabbed his tracksuit.

'I don't want to fight with you, only I want you to understand it's not only about you now. You should think about us, not about yourself.'

'Sure.' Craig slammed the door behind himself and pissed of sat down on the couch, breathing heavily. He couldn't believe John Paul had an audacity to sent him on the couch and said him look average! 'What the fuck means average!' He yelled toward the door, but he didn't get any response.

He lit up the lamp next to the couch and softened a bit as he noticed his cat sitting silently on the coffee-table and observing Craig with almost red now eyes. He moved slightly his long tail when Craig tilted and gently touched his head, only to be on a ground in the next minute and hid under glassy surface.

'You're my only buddy.' Craig said dramatically and tried to picked up Chubby, but cat quickly jumped back from him with loud, pretension meow and with stick to the air tail marched toward the door of bedroom, only to start sniffing it and meowing sadly. 'Brutus.' Craig snapped toward him as he understood that even his cat was against him. Without second thought he reached for the small pillow and threw across the room, straight on Chubby, but luckily it didn't reach the animal. In the last moment the door opened slightly and cat slipped inside with loud, grateful meow. 'I hate you both!' He yelled and fall back on the couch knowing he's already on the lost position and the more he's sulking, the faster he loses his face and that was unacceptable.

'How are you feeling, today?' He winced slightly and reluctantly turned his head to see better red haired woman cut above him like a hill, with friendly smile plastered on her freckles face.

'It could be better.' He replied shortly and threw another stone toward the lake. 'And you?'

'I'm good, thank you…It's nice and warm day, is it?' She tried to chat him up, but he wasn't opt for it. 'Why you don't take a walk around or join the group? You don't have to sit here alone.'

'I'm not in the mood for social entertainments.' Another stone landed in a cold, clean water. He wished he could be one of them.

'You're doing much better than before you came here, Spike.' She said softly and sat next to him, on the stony ground. 'It's been month since the last time you took drugs and you look more healthy, although you lost few pounds. Nurse David said you're not eating too much…You want for a change fall into anorexia?'

'I'm not feeling good.' He disagreed and moved slightly on the right, didn't want to sit too close to the doctor.

'So why you don't feel good?' She asked concerned.

'I had to tell the person I love to move on and forget about me...And although I know it's for his good, I'm not jumping to the roof with happiness that I lost him.'

'If it's for you both goodness, you shouldn't regret your decision.'

'I had small hope I'd have someone to come back when I leave this place…My lose.' He chuckled sadly and threw a hand of stones into water. 'At least someone else can be happy.'

'If you have doubts, maybe you should think once again about your decision. Maybe you were wrong.' She said softly, but Spike shook his head with a smirk. 'Did you at least let him tell what's he think about that?'

'If I did, he'd might do something stupid.' He replied quietly with a sigh.

'You know you're already here one month and two weeks? I wouldn't want to see you go through it for nothing…If it's going to help you, I can ask him to visit you.' She suggested.

'Craig wouldn't be happy about that.'

'He has nothing to say. I'm your doctor and I'm deciding what it's going to help my patient in treatment and what not.' She said firmly.

'I can't see him, now. I know I wouldn't let him go from my arms since he goes through the threshold.' He couldn't agree for that. He wouldn't think straight, only wants to keep him for himself for his own selfish reasons.

'Are you sure? Don't you think he deserves to hear from you why you don't want to be with him?' She forced him to look her into eye. 'If he reciprocates your feelings, he'd feel devastated right now. You can't cut off from him without a word of explanation.'

'Did I come here for detoxification or counseling?' He asked, suddenly becoming irate.

'One is strongly associated with the second.' She replied calmly. 'If you want to stay away from drugs and understand why you started take them, you need to sort himself out. Otherwise you'd never be ready to go back to society. If not drugs, then something else become your escape route. You'll be living in closed circle.'

'I can sort himself out alone.'

'And you need learn more if you want to leave these walls, Spike.'

'That's not fair!' He cried irate. 'I'm clean! I should be coming back to home soon.'

'But you sold your flat, so when you're going to go?' She asked wisely.

'I'll think something up.' He shrugged.

'When you decide what's good for you, you know where you can find me.' She gently squeezed his shoulder before stood up. 'If you really want to go back and life by your own, you need to make decision and behave like an adult man, whose you are. Otherwise no one is going to help you.'

'I'll think about it.' He replied shortly with constricted throat.

'I hope so.' He wiped one alone tear from his cheek as he heard receding steps of his doctor and looked down at his reflection on the water. He could be angry, sad and annoyed and manifesting it very loudly and clearly, but he knew she was right. If he wanted to change his old life and leave the clinic, he needs to act as an adult, not spoiled kid. But he also knew how hard it's going to be for him to reach it and forget about his old, bad habits.

Loony barked happily as he slipped inside the flat, panting heavily, with a new, red leash gliding over the floor. Hannah squirmed on her chair while her eyes followed the dog until he disappears in the kitchen and she only could heard how loudly he was drinking a water from his bowl, surely splashing the liquid over her clean tiles. It's not a dog but a pig, she kept saying to her fiancé, but Darren was always effectively avoiding the answer till, but what can I expect if he had an owner like that, when he became annoyed and almost yell at her to stop talking such things about him, cause she knows nothing about him.

'You are back?' Hannah asked with a little too sweet voice and took a sip of her tea.

'I need to be early in work, today. I need to talk with Craig about the guys I arrested yesterday night.' He replied half truly, panting slightly.

'You've never jogging before.' She noticed, realizing how much he changed for the last months.

'I've never had a dog before.' He retorted and pointed at the closed door of bathroom. 'I'm going to take a shower.'

'Babe, can we talk for a moment?' He reluctantly leaned against the frame with a small nod. 'I was talking with my mum today.'

'Well, that's nothing new. You, or I should say she, are talking every day.'

'We talk about our wedding.' She continued without blink.

'That's nothing new either.' He noticed drily, wanting to close himself in the cabin and take a cold shower, before he says something, he'll regret later.

'Everyone's right, Darren. We should get marry before everyone could see my belly and I wouldn't be able to fit into my wedding dress.' She crossed arms against the chest. 'I don't understand what are you waiting for.'

'I don't understand what kind of problem you have, Hannah.' He sighed annoyed. 'We always can expand the dress or if it's so big problem, we can wait until baby born…'

'No way! What people would say if they see I'm already pregnant, or worse, see we have a kid, but we're not married yet.' She scowled, couldn't believe he said it.

'Oh, please Hannah. We're living in twenty one century.' He snapped and rolled his eyes. 'No one cares if you slept with someone before the wedding or you're the mother although you don't have golden band on your finger.'

'For me and my mum it is.' She said firmly, eyeing him up unfriendly.

'You could think about that before you stop taking pills.' Darren retorted and for moment she became silent. 'Did I just make a point?'

'We need to get marry next month.' She informed him drily. 'Frankie knows very nice church not far away from us.'

'Don't you think it's too quickly? We need to have time to prepare everything.'

'For now you didn't pay any attention to our weeding, so why it'd change now?' She noted drily and this time Darren needed to agree with her.

'Okay, maybe I wasn't pay too much attention to it, but…Are you sure you want me to be your husband?'

'Why I wouldn't want you?' She gave him a funny look. 'I love you and we've been together for years. It's natural we want to move one step ahead.'

'I cheated on you.' Darren reminded her.

'It was one, nothing insignificant night.'

'I shagged a guy. My partner.' He continued, waiting for some reaction from her side. Hurt, anger, sadness, anything which could break this mask of indifference from her face and for once sees her showing some emotions.

'I don't like this word, Darren.' She said annoyed, her hands gripped the armchair. 'Anyway, I don't want to talk about it. You know I already forgive you that.'

'I liked it.' He pointed each one word. 'And I'd the same once again, if we meet again.'

'What's your point, Darren?' She asked sharply, her cheeks red, eyes watery.

'Do you really want to have as a husband a guy who doesn't love you so much as you want it, and all the time is thinking about his male lover? It's really what you want?' He looked deeply into her eyes.

'I love you.'

'And it's enough for you? Just think, if it's worth to pull this comedy further, Hannah. You can find someone else who would love you as much as you deserve it. And trust me, it won't be me. I'm not ready to marry you, Hannah. I'm a mess and you don't deserve to be with someone like me.'

'Just tell the truth, that you don't want our baby!' She screamed, tears poured from her eyes. 'That's the whole problem!'

'It's not a problem, Hannah.' He yelled back, frustrated. 'I'm telling you I have feelings for Spike and it isn't a one off thing! And that's the problem, it doesn't has nothing to do with a baby. It's obvious I'm going to love my kid and take care about it, even if we won't be together.'

'That's insane!'

'So you think it'd be better if we get married and pretend we madly love each other, because we have a baby?' He couldn't believe what she was saying. Did she lost her mind completely? 'You're not listening, Hannah.'

'I'm listening and trying to understand you!' She scowled at him. 'But I can't…I just don't know how are you seeing our baby's future if we break up…What I'm gonna say him, when our child asks me why daddy is not living with us, eh? Should I tell him that his father is a gay and prefer to play games with other boy?' Darren narrowed his eyes.

'I'm not gay! What the hell are you talking about?' He snapped, outraged.

'You slept with Spike. A guy. So what the hell you think it means for me?' She fired back, annoyed. 'I just don't believe I was so blind to notice it earlier.'

'I'm not gay. I've never had any feeling toward other guy! I don't even find them attractive!'

'So why you slept with him?'

'I don't know!' He shouted, hands in hairs. 'I really don't know…I just don't look at him in man or woman category…I just have feelings for him, but I don't know why…It's only him, the first and only guy who caught my attention.' He said quietly, confused with his own feelings.

'So you're bi?' She prompted, observing him closely.

'I don't know…Like I said, it's the first time!' He sighed. 'I'm not less confuse than you.'

'So…' She moved on the chair. 'If you don't feel any attraction to the men, only to this…guy, there's still a chance for us. He's not around anymore and it looks like he already forget about you…'

'Maybe I'm not ready for marriage?' He asked, lost of strength.

'You had only crush on him, Darren. I don't blame you, okay? I think everyone experiments.'

'It's not about experiment.' He disagreed.

'We can repair it, Darren. You same said you're not sure what are you feeling about him.'

'Yea, but…'

'It means nothing is to lose yet and we still have create happy family, Darren. The whole thing with Spike it was only a obstacle we needed to go through…And we did it, Darren.' She smiled slightly.

'Sometimes I wonder if doctor was putting something to your contraceptive pills.' Darren said without emotions, turned on the heel and without more words locked himself in the bathroom, before shocked Hannah could say something back to him.

Craig barely held himself back and didn't yell with anger and annoyance when next morning he marched to his bedroom for clean clothes to work and he saw his boyfriend lying across the bed with dreamy face, still in deep sleep. Craig gritted his teeth as he thought about his aching back and swollen eyes after short sleep.

He removed the first clothes which fall into his hands and took last look on the bed. He growled and almost hissed at the cat as he noticed Chubby was lying like an embryo on his own pillow. He didn't remember when the last time he was so frustrated like now. But it wasn't even about John Paul or Chubby. In fact the most frustrated thing right now for him was, not being able to cry on someone's shoulder about his unhappiness since he decided to not share his private life with anyone else.

And John Paul knew about that perfectly.

'I even can't say anyone what have you done to me, you bastard!' He hissed more to himself than him and with another growl marched out from the bedroom. He didn't notice small smirk on John Paul's face and how his eyes has opened slightly to look at the door.

'It was your decision to not tell anyone about me.' He whispered with a crafty smile. 'So you don't have rights to complain right now.'

'Hard night, Craig?' Darren grinned from the chair when Craig only opened the door of his office and his stepbrother could take better look at him.

'Shut up, Darren.' He snapped outraged, before his eyes slipped down on the floor. 'Anyway can you explain me how the hell you get in to my office and why you already messed the whole floor with your bloody breakfast?' He asked sharply, ready to tear up his head.

'We've got a second key in reception if you don't know it yet, and it wasn't me who left a lunch on your lovely carpet. It was already there when I came here.' He smirked and spin on the chair when Craig passed by him to sit down on his own chair. 'Who you pissed off so much, that sabotaged your office?'

'Probably John Paul. He already kicked me out from my own bed, so it looks like his job.' He replied without thinking. He realized his mistake as he noticed gleams in Darren's eyes and loud; ah! escaping his lips. 'It's not like that. He stayed for a night, cause he was after few drinks and didn't want to wake up Myra.' He quickly lied, but his stepbrother didn't look convinced.

'Save this crap for someone else, Craig.' He grinned, amused. 'Spike told me weeks ago he noticed there's something going on between you two, but I wasn't pay enough attention to notice it also.'

'Spike knew?' He asked irate.

'It shouldn't surprise you, he's reading you like a book.' He said with half smile. 'So can I call John Paul officially my brother in law?' He asked cheekily.

'Don't you dare.' He snapped at him, feeling as his heart start racing.

'So what did you do you pissed him so much he kicked you out from the bed?'

'Nothing, that's the point! And he dared to kicked me from MY own bed!' He yelled outraged.

'John Paul doesn't look like a guy who is kicking out someone for nothing.' He sent him a long look. 'Someone has to annoy him pretty good.'

'Not your business.' He snapped back. 'And what you want from me? You didn't break up to my office for nothing.' He eyed him up unfriendly.

'I thought you'd like to know we have gang of Russian in the arrest. We've got them last night.'

'Good. This one eyed witch is already here?'

'If you're talking about Tiger eye, the answer is, I don't know.'

'I'll send for her later, then…And I want you to not tell anyone about me and John Paul, yet.' He looked him into eye.

'Okay, but I'm not sure if it's necessary.' He grinned slightly.

'It is. We don't want anyone to know about us, till we see if our relationship has a chance to survive.'

'Fine, but trust me it's necessary.' He smiled softly.

'Just shut your mouth, okay? Good. Now go away. I have few things to do before we interrogate these Russian smart ass.' He pointed at the door.

'The thing is I have some question to you.' He licked his lips nervously.

'What kind of question?' He raised his eyebrow.

'I've had a small chat with Spike recently. He told me some interesting thing.' He continued crafty, seeing how Craig's face lost his health color.

'What?' He snapped shocked. 'How the fuck you could talk with him, eh? You didn't know where he is.'

'He contacted with me.'

'Shit! Does his doctor know about your visitation? He can't seeing anyone in the clinic, when…'

'So, he's in clinic.' Darren chimed in, his eyes lightened up contrary to Craig's ones which darkened with anger. 'Thank you, Craig. That's the information I needed so badly to get from you from weeks.'

'You can't break up to my office and lying straight into my eyes!' He yelled frustrated, couldn't believe how big mouth he got today. Suddenly he turned into one of McQueen's women before he realized it.

'I didn't lie. You didn't ask in what way he contacted with me.' He replied calmly.

'So he contacted with you?' He frowned. 'How?'

'He phoned to me.'

'He can't has telephone around himself. He needed to give it to his doctor. This idiot has to smuggled it somehow. If they find out about it, they'll kick him out!' He growled frustrated. 'Fucking twat!'

'Maybe the doctor let him phone to me, eh?' Darren suggested. 'By the way in which one clinic he's staying?'

'You already have exceeded your limits of happiness today.' He replied coldly. 'It's enough I told you he's in clinic. You can't seeing him there. It won't bring nothing good to his treatment.'

'How you can know that?' He asked annoyed. 'He's missing me. I can feel that in his voice. He sounded so depressed.'

'He's away from drugs, so he's depressed.' Craig retorted, rolling his eyes.

'It's not that.'

'Look Darren, I already told you too much.' He sighed. 'Stop pushing on me and for his and your good don't contact with him. Let him finish his therapy and go back to society.'

'That's what I want to do. I want him help to move on.'

'So leave him alone, otherwise you're not helping him.'

'He needs me.' He insisted.

'Look, Darren, if you want to piss me off, then…' The knocking came in the right time and fortunately for both of them, he didn't has to finish his sentence. 'Come in.' He called out.

'Hello to you both.' Fred greeted them as he popped his head inside. 'Guys asking if you're going to interrogate these Russian now, cause not much time left to keep them in arrest.' He informed him.

'Sure, they can take them out. The witch is already here?'

'Tomb raider? Yep, she is.' He nodded.

'Tomb raider?' Darren raised his eyebrow.

'Tiger Eye…You know, her braid.' He pointed at the back at his head with small grin.

'Lucky woman. She has more nicknames than names.' Darren rolled his eyes.

'In that case you can bring them to the interrogation room and we can start.' Craig stated and raised up from his chair.

'But we didn't finish yet.' Darren said quickly, didn't let him to get rid of himself so quickly.

'Yes, we did.' Craig said firmly and grabbed his arm to drag him toward the door. 'And before you get back to work, call cleaners. There can't be a lunch lying on the middle of floor in superintendent's office!'

'But Craig!' Darren cried as three of them left the office.

'And I almost forget.' He continued, relentless. 'Steph become a mummy once again and from yesterday night we both are uncles. She born a boy. His name Cameron…Thought you'd like to know that.' He glanced at him above the shoulder before he nodded at Fred to lead him to the interrogation room.

Broad-shoulder man with short haircut laid his handcuffed hands on the white table and unmoved fixed his eyes at his interrogator. He looked very calmly, almost bored, hadn't say a word since officers dragged him down to the interrogation room and made him stay on the plastic chair, surrounded by brown walls.

'You're not going to change your attitude?' Craig asked him from his seat, slowly losing his patience. He also laid his hands on the table, in front of the man, and fixed his eyes with his, like he was trying to make him talk by some looking at him. But the only results he got, was a smirk on man's face and a little raised eyebrows, like he was asking; are you kidding me? 'You probably don't understand in how serious troubles you are.' He continued, but man even didn't flinch. 'Are you deaf?' Craig asked irate and motion at his ears.

'I do not understand you.' The man replied with broken English and smiled cheekily to him.

'You think you're smarter than us, don't you?' Craig asked with a snort, smirking slightly. 'Well, interesting thing is how the fuck you're taking tribute from everyone down your street, if you don't know English. Are you using sign language?'

'Do not understand you.' He repeated unmoved, his grin widened.

'Maybe others will let you go, but this time your tricks aren't going to work on me.' Craig warned him, his eyes darkened. 'You're suspect of killing three people. Whole family…You really think I let you go?'

'I do not…'

'Yea, I know, you don't understand.' He snapped irate, shaking his head. 'Well, if you have such problems with speaking English, I've got surprise for you.' He smirked as he noticed a flick of unsure in man's eyes. 'I bet you're going to love it…Moore, let sergeant to join us.' He ordered as he glanced above his shoulder at the man standing next to the door.

'Of course, sir.' Moore nodded and opened the door. Craig grinned when Tiger Eye came in and without word took the place next to Craig, her eyes didn't leave their suspect even for moment.

'I think we can start?' Craig glanced briefly at Tiger Eye and smiled with gloat as she nodded her head and with stone face spoke up for the first time, toward the man in fluent Russian.

'Cержант Svetlana Asimov из Белграда1.' She introduced herself quickly. 'Ваше имя2.' The suspect was watching her with growing eyes, his palms start sweating.

'I guess you're able to answer sergeant Svetlana. You don't forget how to speak Russian, do you?' Craig asked cheekily, grinning with victory, as he could felt a fear in the air. He knew this time in the war with Russian gang, they've got a point.

'Double scotch for me.' Darren said to barman as he settled down on one of the bar tools and threw his jacket on the next one.

'Sure, boss.' The man winked to him and rushed for a drink. Darren removed his pack of fags from the back pocked of jeans and looked around the crowded pub to check if there was someone worth his attention. There was a couple of ladies laughing in the corner and drinking their rainbow drinks. Students, probably. Two regulars were playing billiards in the middle and few pairs were dancing to the loud, clubbing music with hands in the air. Anyway, nothing interesting. 'Your drink.' The barman passed the glass toward him with another wink.

'Cheers, mate.' He raised his glass and drank everything in one swing, with small grimace as he put it down and the familiar warmness irritated his throat. 'Once again, the same.'

'Recently you're spending a lot of time here.' The barman noticed, chatting him up, and laid his elbows on the counter. 'Problems in home?'

'You can say that.' He shrugged and reached for another glass. 'Having problems with heart.' He added as he took a little longer look at young, nice face of barman and his piercing blue eyes.

'That's a crap.' He said pleasantly. 'Someone's broke it?'

'Probably fall in love with a wrong person.' He sighed and motioned for another drink. 'With ice this time.'

'Was she cheat on you?'

'Did I tell, it's she?' He retorted and for moment noticed a flash of surprise passing by man's eyes.

'Oh.' It was the only word which left barman's mouth.

'Exactly, mate. Oh.' He sighed deeply and reached out for another glass. 'Anyway, everything's end before it started.'

'Why?' He asked gently and until now Darren noticed that barman had a glass with drink also and seemed to not worry about the rest of pub right now. 'He broke up with you? Found someone else?'

'Decided he's not good enough for me.' He smiled a little drunkenly. 'How ironic. I think the same about me when it comes about Hannah.'

'About who?' Barman asked confused, didn't follow him.

'Forget what I said.' He waved his hand. 'Shouldn't you work, now? There's a lot of customers already here.'

'I'm ending my shift for two hours. Would you fancy to go somewhere?' Barman suddenly asked, surprising Darren.

'Well, why not. I don't have too much friends around. Don't mind to have one.' He grinned and laid hands on the counter. 'But I think I need to slow down with drinks, otherwise I won't be able to move anywhere.'

'I don't mind. I'm a strong guy, think I can handle you.' There was some spark in his eyes which making Darren think more about his response.

'Are you flirting with me?' He asked unsurely.

'Maybe.' The barman said flirtatiously and winked toward him, before he moved to another customer wanting to order a drink. Darren's eyes followed him, million thought crossing his mind. He knew he should collect his things out and get back to home before he did something stupid, but on the other hand he couldn't get rid of excitement and thrilling he felt for same thought how the night could possible end, and possibly get an answer for his unsettling questions. 'So would you like to meet with me later?' He even didn't notice when man was back and eyeing him up intently from behind the bar.

'How could I not use the occasion to relax in a good company?' He asked with a grin, already making his decision. 'Do you know some good place?'

1 Sergeant Svetlana Asimov from Belgrade

2 Your name