Warnings:  This being a missing scene, standard spoilers for the episode apply.

Disclaimers:  The usual.  The guys aren't mine, and I can't afford to purchase the rights.  If, however, Pet Fly, Paramount, UPN, or SciFi wanted to give them to me, I would not be so rude as to refuse such a generous offer.  <G>

Thanks to CC1 for betaing this particular ditty, and to the TSWriters list for their in-put.

Sandburg came to the funeral.  I didn't even notice him until the crowd started breaking up.  He was standing toward the back with the casual acquaintances and the local press.  I heard people ask him how he knew Danny, did he know him well, were they friends.

"No," came the quiet, heartfelt reply, "but he was the friend of a friend."

And to people who looked like they would accept a hug from a complete stranger, he readily obliged.

We looked directly at each other only once, and we didn't speak at all.  He was there when Danny died.  He knew what I was feeling.

" . . . the friend of a friend . . . "

Then it was just me and Sandburg.  For three hours he didn't say a word.  For three hours he stayed with me.  When the tears came, he stood close, a hand on my shoulder when he somehow knew I needed it.  Otherwise, just close enough for me to know he was there.  When the tears stopped, he stood several yards away, under a tree, looking for all the world like he was the sentinel, guarding this section of the cemetery from any unwanted intruders.

Then he was by my side again.  His quiet voice brought me back to the present.

"Hey, you wanna go grab something to eat?"

I shook my head.

Silence.

"You gonna be okay, man?"

A deep breath, and I nodded.

A hand on my back, then the touch was gone.

". . . the friend of a friend . . ."

And in silence, we walked back to our cars and went our separate ways.