It is in the middle of the night when his phone starts ringing, but he is awake, lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. With Vanessa starting to stir next to him, Nate quickly reaches out and flips open his phone. His best friend's number flashing on the screen.

A rush of adrenalin shooting through him he sits up quickly, swinging his feet over the side of the bed as he pushes the green button.

"Chuck?" His voice is ragged as he rubs his face with his hand to clear his head a little.

There is no reply from the other end of the line. All he can hear is the distant sound of thumping music, people talking, the sound of fabric brushing against fabric letting him know that there is actually someone there. He can feel the anger starting to simmer, thinking about the mess that his friend has left behind.

"Chuck?!" He repeats once again, questioningly.

"Nate" His friend's voice sounds hazy and like it is coming from far, far away.

He has heard Chuck sounding like this before and knows that there is no way he has gotten to this point on just alcohol, but there is something in his friend's voice that has him realizing that this is far heavier than the two of them sharing a smoke in Central Park. The thought sending chills down his spine as the worry comes tumbling back replacing the anger.

"Fuck, man, what did you take?" He whispers, getting to his feet and walking out of the room to avoid waking Vanessa up. Locking himself in the bathroom, sinking down onto the floor with his back against the door.

There is no answer on the other end, just the distant sound of a woman talking and his friend breathing.

"Chuck? Are you okay? Where are you? I can come and get you, just tell me where you are."

He blurts out the questions one after the other. There is silence once again as he sits there in the dark bathroom with the sounds of the city audible through the closed window. For a second he starts thinking that maybe the call has disconnected, startled when Chuck's voice return.

"I am nowhere…no-one…" Chuck states and with an ironic, hollow chuckle he continues a little more lucid now;

"Don't worry about it, Nathaniel, my company knows what I am doing…she sold it to me"

His voice trails off and Nate can hear the woman giggling. His insides are raging with worry and guilt. Wishing he would have been able to stop his friend from taking off, wishing he could have gotten through to him somehow.

He is almost lost in his thoughts as Chuck speaks again, bringing him back to the present;

"One thing…" Chuck's voice trails off, and he can tell that his friend is close to unconscious.

"What is it? Man, are you sure I shouldn't just come and get you?" He tries again, hoping Chuck will tell him where he is and ask him to come and get him. Or just tell him his whereabouts so that he can go there anyways. Hoping and praying with all his heart.

"One thing…it is important…" Chuck starts over, slurring the words, the effort it demands from his intoxicated brain clear in his voice;

"Look after her"

Nate is suddenly exhausted as he sits there in the dark, pressing at the inside corners of his eyes with his thumb and index finger. A fragment of hope from hearing his best friend talking about the girl he so obviously loves.

Letting him - and by that her - know that he is still thinking about her even now.

Even when he has seemingly given up on everything.

"I will" He sighs.

"You could always come back and do it yourself…" He continues, only to realize that the line is dead for real this time.

Leaving him by himself in the cool, dark bathroom. His best friend alone in a completely different kind of darkness.

Just had to get this one out of my head

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