[ Ben isn't sure at first whether or not Diego will open up. It has been a long time, after all. A long time, and Diego has changed, and he might not be interested in confiding in Ben again. Or even if he is, he might not be ready to talk all this out just yet. It's all so raw - even for Diego, who had had a little more buffer time than Ben himself.

Still, he waits, without impatience. When Diego does speak, Ben can infer all the emotion underneath. Everything Diego is trying to be tough and not to show. His ears pick up on all those implications - the guilt coating every inch of the grief until the two were so intermingled it was impossible to separate them. Without harshness, Ben asks, simply: ]

What did you tell her?

[ Ben isn't the sort to blindly reassure Diego that what had happened to Patch had not been his fault. He loves Diego. He has no doubt whatsoever that Diego had not wanted any harm to come to Patch, and that he had loved her. But that doesn't mean Diego hadn't been a catalyst. So he doesn't insult Diego by leaping in with hollow comfort and baseless absolution. That's not the sort of help that Ben offers.

Then, because he realizes Diego might not know, he adds: ]

I was there at the motel, with Klaus. I don't... know if he's talked to you about it at all, but if you've got any questions... I was there, so.

[ He sets the offer down, letting Diego take him up on it or ignore it, as he likes. ]