Rorschach's hat now rested on their mantelpiece.

It was all that was left of him.

Neither of them touched it for the first few months, until it became too dusty and Daniel insisted of cleaning it. Rorschach would have hated it but Laurie knew that Daniel didn't want to his memory of his partner to become dusty and forgotten.

And so their life continued but soon Daniel took to cleaning the hat every night despite the lack of dust it had accumulated. Laurie didn't question him. She knew how important it was to Daniel, how important Rorschach had been.

Daniel started wearing the hat. Not anywhere or anytime in particular. Just when Laurie asked him to go down to the shops to pick up milk or flour or when he would go to check up on Hollis's old business, she would notice that he would sometimes wear Rorschach's hat. Once, the local shop keep mentioned what a nice hat Daniel had on and asked him where he had got it. Laurie didn't ask why Daniel had cried when he got back.

Laurie almost suspected Daniel of having an affair if it weren't for the hat. She knew Daniel would never soil his friend's memory like that. But when Daniel started to go out at night on his own at least twice a week, Laurie had to follow. She had to know. The first night, Daniel went to a dinner, on his own, wearing the hat. The second night he went to a museum, again alone and again wearing the hat. The third night he simply skulked around alleys, defend the innocent and beating up third rate crooks, again wearing the hat. Laurie didn't understand, but she didn't need to. She had dated Jon after all, and Daniel was not nearly as confusing as Jon had been.

Laurie wore the hat once. She plucked it from the mantelpiece and plunked it on her head, as though Rorschach's growling voice would spring into her brain. It didn't. Daniel found her pondering over the wonders of Rorschach's hat and slowly made his way to her. He gently turned her around and place a soft kiss on her lips, so sweet and tender that her heart speed up, her face flushed and her legs turned to jelly simply from the passion in that one small kiss. He gently removed the hat from her head and smiling sadly, said: "Please don't." and then walked to place the hat back on the mantelpiece. As he did, Daniel wished he could imagine stubble moving across his jaw, leaving Laurie confused and so weak in the knees that she had to go sit in the kitchen.

When Daniel started wearing the hat inside the house, Laurie understood. Daniel would sit in the kitchen, eating beans and sugar cubes, hat perched on his head, smiling that warm smile that she had always loved, and she knew. He would be ironing his clothes, hat almost falling off his head, and would grin and shrug off his shoulder and she knew. She would watch him blush as he rested on the couch, watching TV, hat almost pulled down over his eyes and she knew. She knew because she could see. She could see Daniel's fingers twitch in hesitation. She could see Daniel's hand move nervously closer to the middle of the couch.

She could see their hand intertwine slowly.

She could see Rorschach, sitting on the other side of the couch, fingers softly stroking Daniel's, stealing him away from her.