Before he could change his mind (S8 Spoilers)

[blackpearl23456]

Short oneshot, based after 8.1. Malcolm only. Spoilers if you haven't watched.

Before he could change his mind

Malcolm sighed heavily as he walked down the corridor away from the Grid. There was no one else that passed him, but then again, there never was. He always used to leave the Grid so late that everyone else had gone home. But sometimes he just never left. Harry always told him not to stay up all night, but he had nothing better to do. He had no one who would be waiting for him to return home. No one to worry for him, well, except perhaps his mother. Harry had asked him what he would do with himself. He had replied with something, his idyllic lifestyle most likely, but in all honesty, he really wasn't sure. It was easy to say that he would spend his time reading and doing crossword puzzles, but even that wouldn't satisfy him for long. Long days with no surge of adrenalin to keep him going almost sounded like a foreign idea. It had been so long since he had relaxed that he hardly knew what he would do.

His coat swished around his legs in the silence as he walked. This would be the last time he ever walked down this corridor. Idly he wondered how long it would take Harry to find a replacement for him. No doubt it would be someone young and flashy; someone so far unlike himself. Of course they would have people already lined up for his job, Section D could hardly function without an IT 'geek' for long. Would they miss him? He thought to himself. He knew that he would miss them. They had become so much more than his colleagues: they had become his friends. Without meaning to, his thoughts moved on to all the people that he had worked with in his history in Section D.

Tom Quinn

Danny Hunter

Zoe Reynolds

Colin Wells

Sam Buxton

Tessa Phillips

Ruth Evershed

Fiona Carter

Zafar Younis

Ros Myers

Adam Carter

Jo Portman

Ben Kaplan

Connie James

Lucas North

Harry Pearce

His mind wandered to how wonderful it had been to see Ruth again, to see her familiar face back in England. Malcolm wondered if she and Harry would ever acknowledge their feelings for each other. He thought of all the deaths, and the people that had left. And now he was leaving it all behind.

Malcolm exited the building and walked slowly down the steps. As he reached the main road, he turned around and stared up at Thames House looming over him. This would probably be the last time he ever saw this building. It looked so impressive and yet understated at the same time. No one would ever know by looking at it that inside, on occasions, all hell broke loose. He thought of the hectic days, the fear, the adrenalin, and the relief when the day was saved, until next time. The memories felt strange, like he had only just acknowledged that they were truth, and not some fantasy that he had been living in, or some kind of warped dream. He would have to forget about them now, though. Remembering all the people would only make him miss them more. He had to try to forget all that had happened, and lead a normal life, wherever it may take him.

Malcolm turned away from Thames House and crossed the quiet road. He had to leave now, before he could change his mind.