BETA: None. WILL have spelling and grammar mistakes. (Please don't complain as I've just warned you.)

Sex: Not in this chapter.

Swearing: None

Setting: Chapters One - Six take place during episodes 1 & 2 of season three.

CHAPTER FOUR

"Tom?" Kent frowned up at the man he hadn't seen in years.

"Hey Em."

Emerson glanced around him with unease. "What…are you doing here?"

"I've just moved back to the area, thought I'd look up old friends?"

Emerson glared at him. "We weren't friends."

"I know. - Um, I was wondering if you'd like to go for a drink? Catch up?"

"Why?"

The tall dark haired man shrugged. "Though it would be nice. - You still with the force?"

"Yes. Detective Constable."

Tom smiled proudly. "That's wonderful."

There was an awkward silence and Emerson looked around again, unsure why he suddenly felt so nervous.

"So, what about that drink?"

"I can't, we're working a murder case and I need to be at work early tomorrow."

Tom glanced at his watch. "It's only seven, surely you can spare an hour, just to talk."

"I don't see what we have to talk about Tom." Emerson's tone ringing with remembered hurt.

"Please Em, just a drink."

Kent wasn't sure why he agreed, maybe because it was better to go for a drink with the man that had first broken his heart than sit in his flat with a microwave meal thinking about the man who'd done the same thing so recently. Slowly he nodded. "Alright, one drink."

The walked to the small pub around the corner felt like the longest in existence, he had no idea what his Ex wanted and wasn't sure he cared to find out. It had been hard getting over Tom in the first place, and he knew he would probably still be pining away for him if he had met Joe. They walked into the bar in silence and ordered their drinks before taking a seat in the corner. The silence dragged on for more moments.

"So, DC…that must be hard work?" Tom pressed after clearing his throat.

"I guess." Emerson shrugged, sipping at his pint.

"What's your boss like?"

Kent almost choked on the question. "Huh….He's….fine."

Tom looked at him questioningly, but continued trying to make conversation. "You still….hiding?" he whispered, leaning across the table.

Emerson glared at him. "I don't see why that's any of your business."

"Well considering it's what ruined our relationship…." Tom said defensively.

Emerson clenched his jaw.

"Let's not dwell on the past. - I was just wondering." Tom shrugged, taking a drink.

"Actually, it's kind of a don't ask, don't tell thing. Not that those I work with would care, if I did tell." he said confidently.

"Oh really. - I guess the Mets finally caught up with the twenty first century." Tom remarked sarcastically.

Emerson lowered his drink and stared at his ex. "What do you want Tom?"

The man stared down into his glass. "I…I was in an accident a few weeks ago."

"Oh." Emerson looked him over with genuine concern, as much as Tom had hurt him, he didn't want to think about him getting hurt.

"I'm fine obviously, but it really made him think about my life. - The mistakes I made."

Emerson's heart began to race, was he saying…

"I shouldn't have ended things with you Em. It was the worst mistake I ever made."

Kent swallowed hard, what was he meant to say to that? He lifted his drink, hiding behind it while his mind span.

"I get you probably won't forgive me, I know I hurt you when I left….and you've probably got someone else…." it was as if that had only just occurred to him. "Have you?"

Kent stared at the table top, running his fingers aimlessly through the condensation on his pint glass. "It's….complicated." he knew he should have said no, but he could quite bring himself to.

"Oh." Tom sighed.

The space between them filled with tension Emerson wasn't in the mood to deal with. Finishing the last of his drink he got up. "I've got to go. It was nice seeing you." he headed for the door at a quick pace, needing fresh air and distance.

"Wait." Tom called, rushing after him. "The least I can do is walk you home."

Emerson laughed despite himself. "I'm not a girl, Tom. I'm a police officer, I can walk myself home."

Tom laughed too, shrugging. "Well, I kinda parked my car in your street."

Emerson rolled his eyes dramatically. "Fine."

They strolled down the street in silence until they reached Kent's front door.

"Where's your car?"

Tom pointed back the way they had come to the top of the street.

Emerson shook his head at the man. "Well, if you think I'm asking you in for coffee, you're out of luck."

Tom shrugged. "It was worth a try."

Emerson laughed again, reminded of their first date. Things had been good then, and he'd foolishly thought they were going to be one of those few gay couple that stayed together forever. He couldn't have imagined ever breaking up with the handsome and charming Thomas Matthews. But it had ended, painfully and in ending it, Kent had been free to get his heart broken all over again. He couldn't help but wonder what he would have said if it had been Joe sat across from him in the pub wanting a second chance. Joe had hurt him far more than Tom had; Joe had all but ripped him in two. But despite that, Emerson knew he would have said yes, because despite everything he still loved Joe.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Tom moving towards him until he felt the gently pressed of lips. He took a sharp breath, his heart telling him to pull away, but something else - loneliness, desire, the need to recapture the past - had him surrendering to the kiss, at least for a few seconds. When he finally pulled away, a surge of guilt coursing through him, he stared up at Tom with a mixture of sadness and fury.

"Just had to see." Tom sighed with a shrug. "He's a lucky guy."

"Who is?" Emerson murmured, dropping his gaze to his feet.

"Whoever it is that stopping you." Tom smiled, his hand rising to rub at Kent's cheek. "It really was good to see you Em."

Emerson met the man's soft blue gaze. "Yeah, you too."

Tom lent in, brushing another kiss before walking down the stairs and back towards his car. Emerson watched after him for a few seconds, before sighing and heading into his flat, wishing it had been Joe pleading for forgiveness and a second chance.

~WHITECHAPEL~

He couldn't believe he'd missed it. It seemed so obvious now. Joe sat behind the wheel of his land rover, scolding himself for his mistakes. Of course it was about the girls. He wasn't even thinking about where he was driving. Almost from the moment he realised they arrested the wrong man, the pain had started in his head. He was making the same mistakes again, he wasn't thinking. Why couldn't he think?

The car turned a corner and something caught Joe's attention. He glanced around and realised where he was, a street away from Kent's flat. It hadn't been the first time he'd aimlessly driven to his ex's place since their break up, usually he'd just keep on driving past, go back to his place and drink, tonight though he saw something that had him stopping. He'd seen Emerson leaved the pub and he'd been tempted to pull over and ask if he wanted to grab a drink, he needed to talk, and Emerson always listened, and helped him figure things out. But that plan was thrown out the window when another man rushed out after him. Joe pulled over and watched as they talked and laughed, before setting off towards Kent's place. He climbed out of the car and followed at a distance. He froze when they turned back and he thought for a moment that they'd seen him, but then they were laughing again. - Then kissing.

The bottom fell out of Joe's stomach and his chest tightened painfully. He could feel his whole body beginning to shake and the pounding in his head becoming deafening. There was stinging behind his eyes and he could barely breathe. He wanted to turn away, to leave, but he couldn't, he watched on as they pulled apart and the stranger touched Emerson's cheek.

Unable to watch anymore, Joe turned and hurried back to his car. Settled in the driver's seat, he just sat then, his fingers tight around the wheel, the knuckled turning white. He dropped his head forward to rest on the ring and tried to calm himself. He didn't know how long he sat parked there. Finally, feeling like the world had collapsed around him; he headed back to his flat, where he sat in the dark, drinking a bottle of scotch until he got the call about another murder.

He threw himself into the fresh murder, into solving the case and made sure to keep Kent busy elsewhere, not wanting to look at him anymore than was necessary. He tried to forget what he'd seen, what he'd felt. Kent was moving on. That realization was painful and left him feeling empty. That flame of hope finally being extinguished. Maybe it was time for him to do the same.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, for future reference I'll be posting a chapter once a week, either on a Saturday or Sunday. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, would love to hear how you think it's going as I'm still having trouble with this darn thing. And I thought Destiel was angst filled and impossible.

Anyway, thanks for reading and following and to those who sent me reviews of the previous chapters, much appreciated.