Paige walked around in a daze, she didn't know where she was going or why she was headed there but she didn't see the point in sitting in that room any longer. Sitting there and staring at the floor – where only a few brief minutes ago he had been there, screaming in agony. She didn't care about anything anymore not without him it seemed so unfair that she had only had him for a few short weeks; they had been travelling around for years, why couldn't they have found her sooner? She could have had so much more time with him. It had been awkward explaining to them what she had witnessed, even more awkward as they tried to hug her and make her feel better while she just sat unable to move staring at the floor. Unable to believe what had just happened in front of her.

It was unclear what to do for the best, watching the men argue and fight and try their best to work out why it had happened had made her feel tense and nauseous, instead she had slipped away to the officers quarters and pushed her face into the pillow he had been lying on only a few hours earlier. Her hands clung to it as if it was Rimmer himself. How could this have happened? So many questions flew around her head each evoking a new emotion but ultimately ending in her breaking down into painful short sobs. It felt like a creature was deep inside her and each time she thought of him it clawed its way up her chest until it finally hit her throat and she had to cry to appease it. Still quietly weeping into the pillow she drifted off into a disturbing sleep.

Lister found her there a few hours later and stood watching her for a while. It was difficult to assess his emotions, he was in complete shock and didn't know what to do or say. He wanted answers but they couldn't find any, hearing Paige crying for hours hadn't helped and he had been glad when she had left the labs. Kryten was looking into Rimmer's drives and Cat had slunk off somewhere by himself. Now though Lister felt he had to talk to someone, anyone would do but nobody was around. He walked over to the bed and reached over for the blanket, pulling it gently over her body he decided to leave her to her sleep, she wasn't likely to get much over the next week or so as the realisation hit her slowly that he was gone.

Personally Lister refused to believe Rimmer was gone, it was so much easier to believe that he had gone away on one of his boring sightseeing trips in the cargo decks or was stuck in another 3 weeks game of Risk with one of the skutters. Admitting he was gone was admitting he had failed, he had failed Paige and he had failed Rimmer. He walked along the ships corridors painfully aware of the morbid silence surrounding the ship, each footstep made an echo as he walked into his room and stared about. The empty bunk below him had never looked so big; the stupid little pictures and newspapers cuttings around Rimmer's bed seemed so pointless yet so important, he knew he would never take them down. It was part of who Rimmer was – and now Rimmer had lost years of adventures, experience and worst of all he had lost the knowledge of Paige. Lister wasn't sure turning him back on was the best solution, he was certain Paige couldn't deal with early Rimmer – hell he wasn't even sure if he could deal with early Rimmer. Lister threw off his shoes and sat on Rimmer's he sat in silence for a while and then finally to his surprise he started to cry. It started slowly and got gradually worse he cried for the man he had loved to hate, he cried knowing that as mind numbingly annoying as Rimmer was he would never find another person who knew him so perfectly and knew when he needed winding up or leaving alone. Without Rimmer he didn't know what he was going to do by himself in space. Without Rimmer he didn't have a clue where to turn or what to do. What was it Holly had said about Rimmer keeping him sane? Rimmer had done that job perfectly and now Lister had no idea what he was going to do next.

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Paige awoke with renewed energy and stomped into Lister's room, she stopped dead seeing him lying on Rimmer's bunk with red eyes. For a second she was furious with jealousy and rage that another place that Rimmer had laid wouldn't smell like him anymore but then she calmed down. Lister had always given Rimmer such a hard time but hadn't he told her yesterday that he was a friend? She sighed and walked over to him, sitting beside him she half smiled as he wiped his eyes dry and tried to look as though nothing was amiss. Paige hugged him tightly and felt herself starting to well up again.

"I want him back Dave" she sobbed.

"I know, so do I. I'm so sorry Paige" Lister felt a lump in his throat once more but refused to give in. "I wish he could come back"

"No. I want him back. Switch him back on. The old Rimmer." Paige stared at him determined, "I don't care how bad he is, how messed up he will remember me I know he will."

Lister stared hopelessly at her, "He wont Paige, he won't remember anything."

"I wont say it again" she half screamed, "Please, please give me him back. Please Dave, please. I can't stay here without him; I can't wake up feeling like this every day."

Lister sighed and rubbed temples with his fingers, he felt so lost and confused himself he had no idea what to do, "I'll talk to Kryten" he announced, "You stay here". Lister turned to see her crawl into Rimmer's bunk and curl into his pillow; she grabbed Rimmer's perfectly folded pyjamas from under the pillow and cuddled them to her body.

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"How's it coming along Kryten?" Lister sighed throwing himself onto a chair and staring at the light bee that Kryten was examining closely. The screens around them buzzed as they went through the millions code that complied who Rimmer was.

"Not well sir. It's completely blown. Holly is trying to see if we can find any sort of back up of his memory although I personally had never backed him up and I don't think it occurred to him to do the same." Kryten sighed and sat back from his work, "It's looking hopeless. How is Paige?"

"She wants him back."

"Well that is understandable"

"No she wants him back Kryten. She wants him turned back on immediately. The old Rimmer she thinks he will remember her, thinks she can just carry on where they left off."

"Well she clearly never met the old Rimmer did she and I am sorry to speak ill of the dead but it's never bothered me before with Mister Rimmer but he was a total inconceivable ass. Oh if only he could come back as he was he was almost tolerable in the state she knew him"

Lister threw his head back and stared at the ceiling and grimaced, "So lets bring him back – it should take roughly 6 years until we can all stand him again I suppose."

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Rimmer stared down in confusion at the girl lying in his bunk, he was more confused by that the fact that he had just materialised in his room when he was almost certain he had been talking to Captain Hollister moments earlier. In fact he was growing even more confused as he looked around the room, it wasn't like this when he had started his Z shift earlier that day. Why were all Lister's things here? He had helped pack those earlier when that idiot was sent to stasis. He prayed to god that Lister hadn't been let off and had moved back in, that would really piss him off. Shrugging he reached over and nudged the girl in his bed, he looked at her clothes and wondered who she was and where from, that wasn't a Jupiter Mining Ship Corporation uniform for a start. The word aliens swept across his mind fleetingly, but left as he looked her over once more, she was definitely human. No denying that. He perched himself on the edge carefully and nudged her once more.

"Rimmer?" she whispered, her voice groggy with sleep, she wasn't sure if she was still asleep or awake. Rubbing her eyes she stared at him, Lister must have done it, he must be back. "Rimmer!" she cried joyfully throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him, Rimmer jumped up in alarm cracking his head against the top of his bunk he cursed and stood in front of her. Paige touched her lips sadly, that wasn't her Rimmer at all, he didn't kiss right.

"You better have a bloody good reason for doing that Miss. I don't even know you, what the smeg are you doing in my bed? Did Lister put you up to this? Right that's it, he's on report. I will see him on ship painting duty for bringing a prostitute on board" Rimmer stormed out of the room hell-bent on revenge and left Paige sitting there still touching her lips in shock.