AN: This was written for the "Lewis Week Of Love Challenge" on the Lewis challenge LJ. The prompt was "Love in different places - All AU, All the time" I hope it works ok and that bits of AU I have are actually obvious as I am worried they are not. Either way I hope you enjoy it.
Robert Lewis looked out over the new recruits. There were ten of them, some were uniform, coming into CID from their compulsory two years on the beat. Others were graduate entry scheme candidates, fresh from university, whether they were twenty-one or older. Either way, they were all green and new and it almost saddened the ex inspector that most of them would become world-weary and desensitized before they were fifty.
There were only 5 sergeants places, and as training officer (or "caretaker" as he liked to call it) it was up to him which ones made it. He had the five of them picked out already. Another four of them were never going to make it in CID. Thirty-odd years had taught him to recognise those signs that meant someone just wouldn't make it.
Watching them all file in, he surveyed the ones not destined for CID sadly. Rodgers, Matthews and Doyle were just not cut out for this. They seemed to panic under pressure and didn't have a firm grasp of the law at all. It was a shame really, because Mark Doyle was really trying. So was Chris Martin. But he'd already taken Lewis aside and told him that he was planning to quit, that he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it.
Then there was Harry Kurt. He was cut out. But cut out too well. Lewis understood that black humour was sometimes needed in police work, some of the time, it was all that kept you sane at a crime scene. But that lad took it way too far. His jokes weren't so much dark as completely light less. A lot of the others had laughed along but Lewis could see in their eyes that they thought it was about as funny as Spanish flu. Add to that a particularly violent and sadistic nature and you had the makings of a man that any superintendent didn't want on his or her team.
On the flip side, Trisha Morrison, Sarah Kelly, Terry Taylor and James Hathaway looked like they'd be good for the job. Jack Miles as well, despite being highly repulsed by blood. But, Robbie figured that was no reason to kick him out, after all, Morse had been the same and he'd been an amazing detective.
…
Although he might be training the young'uns now, Lewis had been a detective, he could see all the little nuances between the young people he was instructing.
Take young James Hathaway for example. Kept himself to himself, didn't really interact with the others. Robbie didn't think it was out of choice, just that the young man felt awkward. While all the other males in the group were loudly and stupidly trying to gain the affection of the two female members, Hathaway had sat back quietly, watching the displays with slight amusement but never getting involved. He didn't really speak out in the classes when questions were answered, unless it was directly asked to him. Robbie figured that this was the result of being teased one to many times for being too smart as, whenever a question was asked of him, he invariably got it right. The tall young man was always trying to make himself look smaller, to stop himself standing out.
Which is why Robbie Lewis was unbelievably surprised when, on the second last day of the course, James Hathaway walked in holding Trisha's hand. And the grin on the lad's face was indicative of the night he'd had before, no question about it.
Lewis continued to watch the two of them throughout the rest of the course. It should have been nauseating; the little kisses when they thought nobody was looking, the little smiles as they caught each others eye in the classroom. But it wasn't. James Hathaway seemed to be coming out of his shell. He was answering questions, talking to the others and showing a new lease for learning. He was standing up straight.
Robbie found himself smiling when Trisha and James came in together holding hands. It was good to see the quiet grad-entry boy acting relaxed and happy.
It was a few days later when Lewis, sitting in the canteen eating eggs and chips and wondering what to open the next course on, looked up to find a tall blond young man looking down at him. He broke off his thought that the chips Val would have for him tonight would taste so much better. And he'd be home on time to enjoy them, unlike the amount of times he'd been dragged off to a crime scene with Morse and had subsequently missed his supper. And of course, 2 years after Morse had died, Strange's offer of a training post had seemed pretty appealing. It meant he could stay in the police and be home in time for dinner. And he'd grown to really enjoy it, evidenced by the fact that he was still doing it 6 years later. He shook himself of his thoughts and turned to look at the man in front of him.
"Can I sit here sir?" Hathaway asked.
"Yeah, of course, Congratulations by the way Sergeant Hathaway". James grinned as he sat down and dropped his tray off food on the table.
"Thank you sir." They sat eating together, silence stretching out between them. Lewis was content to leave it, he didn't really know what to say and the man's presence was nice enough. Finally though, James broke the silence.
"I-I wanted to say thank you sir" he said, looking down at his food. The poor lad was clearly embarrassed.
"No need lad, you worked hard enough for it. Enjoy CID Hathaway, you're going to go far." James' face quirk up in a slight smile.
"That's not what I meant sir, although of course, I am grateful for all your teaching as well." Lewis raised an eyebrow, confused as to what the younger man meant.
"Then what-?" James' smile widened into a genuine grin.
"Trisha sir. I-I'd liked her from the very beginning of the course. But with Terry and the others, I never thought I'd get a look in. But with one of your talks...you know, the one about instincts? About how 60% of police work was instinct and the rest was fact? Well after that talk, I decided to follow my instincts and...well you know the rest sir."
Lewis smiled at him.
"Ah...I get ye now lad. Well, glad something sunk in at any rate."
"It did. Thank you sir. I'll see you around?"
"Aye lad, they aren't turfing me out to grass just yet" James just smiled as he left and Lewis watched him go, smiling slightly at the youth and politeness of the man.
Getting up slowly and making his way through the chairs to go and put his tray on one of the massive racks at the end of the hall, he sighed inwardly. For a few seconds, he wished he had stayed on as an inspector. Val wouldn't be to happy if he went back though and he figured, that with all the stuff she had had to put up with over the years, it was high time he spent every moment he could with her.
Still, he'd have liked to have worked with James Hathaway.