This chapter is set a few hours after the end of the episode 'Dark Matter'. It deals with the canon attempted suicide which occurs in that episode. Part of the conversation between James and Robbie was used by me elsewhere a fair while ago, in a drabble for a LJ game, but it has been altered a little

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Robbie's heart sinks as he spots the familiar shape, sprawled on the bench. He can see the bottle glinting in the moonlight, and he's under no illusions as to how Hathaway has spent the last two hours. He sighs, and heads over to the sergeant, sitting down next to him. James doesn't react at all, save to clumsily try and move the bottle out of Lewis' line of sight. It doesn't work, James is too far gone to have good enough coordination, and in any case, Lewis had been sat next to him for a few minutes before James had even attempted to move. When James doesn't start the conversation, Lewis takes it upon himself to try and engage his friend.

"That's not going to solve your problems you know?"

"It will, if your pro'lems are sobriety." Lewis shakes his head. The lad's normally clear diction is slurring. He doesn't like seeing James' self-destructive streak. It always means that bad things are on the horizon.

"James kidda, the answer isn't at the bottom of a bottle."

"No it isn't." The younger man goes silent, and Lewis fears that that's all he's going to say. But then James continues; "Bu' if you forget the queshun, then the answer don't matter." A bitter snort accompanies the statement and Robbie's heart aches for the insecure young man sat next to him.

"And have you forgotten the question?" James stares blankly, before hanging his head, tears in his eyes.

"No" he says quietly. He sets the bottle down, empty now and looks ahead, trying to keep the emotion off his face. Lewis knows where this is going. Ted Temple's wife. She'd died three hours after they'd walked out of that basement. He'd made sure to tell Hathaway himself. He'd thought the lad had taken it well. But then he'd called James a little later, to tell him to take tomorrow off, and not got a reply. He'd found him sat in the local park, drinking a bottle of wine on his own. It seems James had just put up a front, until he knew he'd be alone. James speaks, voice breaking.

"Why couldn't I stop 'er?"

"You tried. You did a good job James."

"But I didn't though. I wasn't quick 'nough, and now she's dead. 'Cause of me." Lewis knows that at least some of this is the wine talking. But equally, he knows that even sober, James would blame himself.

"No Jim. She's dead, because she shot herself. Its not your fault lad. You did your best, but it all happened too fast."

"Sir..."

"Tell me something James...do you blame the doctors?"

"Sir?"

"-The doctors at the hospital Jim, they couldn't save her. Do you blame them?"

"N-No I don't."

"Then why do you blame yourself kidda?"

"I jus'...I jus' do." James slurs, hanging his head. Robbie relents a little. Its not fair to try and make him explain himself when he's drunk like this.

"Come on son, I'll drive you back to mine. We'll get some soup into you and you can get some sleep." James nods and lets himself be led to Lewis' car.

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He cooks up some soup and gets James settled on the sofa. The younger man doesn't react too much to any of of this, but Lewis thinks its because of the alcohol rather than any specific brooding.

"Night lad. Try and rest a bit okay?" James nods and mumbles quietly.

"Night sir." Robbie squeezes his shoulder, and leaves for his own bedroom. He's careful to leave both his bedroom door and the living room door open so he can hear if James is in distress during the night.

Robbie sleeps soundly, and the alcohol James has consumed, while not being particularly healthy, at least means that the younger man sleeps straight though the night. Even if he does wake up with a pounding headache.

In time, James will come to terms with what has happened in his own way, but until then, all Robbie can do it makes sure the younger man has his support. He doesn't imagine James will ever open up to him any more than he has, but its important that James at least knows that he can.