"I daren't ask him," he told her, "he'll only say I'm accusing him of being the origin. Again. Really, I'm learning that sometimes it's just better not to ask."

It could be hard to handle that sad puppy look that Tom so often wore when he thought he'd let someone down, or let himself down. He wanted to help Tom, but he didn't want to belittle him. It was a balance he found hard to strike at times.

"Tag along with us," he echoed back as confirmation. "And if you're lucky, I'll even show you my new filing system. Really, I'm rather proud of it."

With most people, that statement might be a joke, but sadly? With Hal? It was anything but, and he really was quite proud of it.