Really? No lectures about not getting so upset? No telling me I probably deserved getting slapped with assault charges? A lot of people weren't too happy with me back then. [ He shrugs too. ] It's not for everyone. I just wanted to write books and tell stories.

[ The press and crowds and fans might be part of it, but that's not all that drew Alan to becoming an author in the first place. ]

If you're looking for a quiet life, being a writer isn't the way to go.

[ Alan just looks at Jesse for a moment, a thoughtful look taking his face. He hopes his gaze doesn't make her uncomfortable, and he eventually shifts to briefly looking at something ahead of them in the woods. But he says: ]

I don't know why, or what it is... writer's intuition, maybe. Something's telling me I can trust you, and believe what you say.

[ It could be because there's no one Alan really trusts, apart from Barry. The kidnapper is a kidnapper, and Rose drugged him. And the environment around here isn't really good for settling the nerves. There's something almost rock solid about Jesse, in a way. Alan can't explain where these brain waves are coming from, but something tells him he can trust her. Maybe even rely on her.

And if that's the case, he needs to be someone she can rely on in turn. ]

Hey, I forgot to ask... [ His gaze shifts again when she steps closer to him. ] Do you have a flashlight or a gun?