[ He doesn't need to hear her say that she doesn't believe him; he can see that she has reservations. It's not a lack of belief in him, although the darker parts of his mind are trying to convince him that she has no faith in him, no confidence in his ability to handle whatever she tells him. They're trying to drive him away from her, to amplify his doubts and worries by turning them into doubts about the strength of their relationship.
I won't let that happen. We've gone through too much to just give up now. I can't give up, but how can I make her believe me? How can I make her trust me when she has every reason to not trust me? How many times have I hurt her and let her down?
He refuses to let even a shred of doubt show in his eyes. She needs to see that he believes in himself and in his ability to keep it together even in the face of the worst things imaginable. He's lived through those, hasn't he? She has too, which makes them similar, if not the same. ]
Jesse- you were right, and I was wrong for how I went about it. I thought I was doing the right thing, and I thought I knew how I could make the story end.
I- [ He forces himself to keep looking at her, not allowing himself to look down or to the side. He needs to be strong now. ] I hurt you. I put you through hell, and you've already been there. I know I caused you hurt, but now- now I'm here, and I want to help you. Let me share it, Jesse, or carry all of it, if you'll let me. Please.
[ As for her theories, he simply sighs. He doesn't really know anything specific, just relying on suppositions and guesses. ]
Either one of those could be true, really. Was it like the Hiss coming all over again?
[ Insidious. Sneaky. Deceptive. Maybe there's a connection between the Hiss and the Fog. The Dark Presence too. They do seem to operate in similar ways. ]
If that happened, I'd just wait for you, as long as it took. I'd wait forever if I had to.
[ Her head moves as Alan directs it. Green eyes raise moments later to his with an almost uncharacteristic hesitancy. No fear is in her gaze. Only an incredible amount of vulnerability she is desperately attempting to manage and lock away again. Except, Alan Wake knows how to pull those emotions from her with just a few words. Almost as if he can wave his hand and magic happens. ]
N-no, Alan, it's not...
[ Jesse inhales sharply.
How can she explain it? She can't even begin to put it in words. Words fail her. Action is what she does. Give her the gun, point to a mess, she can clean it up. Ask her to explain her thoughts, feelings, memories? Everything walls up like a dam.
Her gaze drops once more. ] Everything I tried to bring you home ... failed. I couldn't--I wasn't the hero you wanted me to be in the story. I couldn't be if it was going to end. I wasn't there to be the hero. I wasn't there to solve the AWE and bring you home. I was...
[ « A side character. A minor role. Someone the editor wanted to be larger, but couldnt be because the story was about Alan. Saga. Brighr Falls. I didn't have a place there. Just... the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control. »
Her shoulders curl and her expression shifts to that of hee walls trying to come up and protect her. Natural defenses. ]
Not even the keychain helped you come home. Or the room set up for you. None of it worked. I couldn't even help after "Return" ended. Just... there to clean up the mess. For Polaris to help guide you and Saga for what you needed.
[ She frowns then, angry at herself for feeling the way she does. ] Like you said. It doesn't matter now. You're back from the Dark.
[ Alan's touch is gentle as he directs her to look at him, his fingers curling lightly into the strands of red hair that he loves so much. He's not sure how he can convince her that she's no less of a hero in his eyes even though the story forced their hands and forced them into roles they didn't want. She saved him in all the ways that mattered. She gave him a reason to keep going when it felt like he had no reason or will to continue the fight.
No, what he kept thinking about in his darker moments was coming home to her, coming home to the apartment that was going to be theirs. That is theirs. His memories might be scattered and occasionally unreliable, but he remembers the keychain and the link to the apartment. It frustrates him that he wasn't able to find his way back to her, or reach her from the Dark Place, using the methods they'd tried before. Had he gone too deep? Could she not hear him anymore? Could he not hear her? He didn't know the answer, but it seemed as though he was on his own this time.
He hated it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He just didn't want her thinking that he didn't care enough to try. ]
Jesse, stop. So what we wanted didn't work; I couldn't make you the story's hero, but I don't care about that. The story doesn't matter, because to me, you're still the hero. You still saved me. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you. And you know what else? The whole time- [ Well, most of the time, when he wasn't being driven mad by the darkness. ] I was thinking about you. I was thinking about you and about how it would feel to finally come home to you.
[ She's absolutely not a side character in Alan's eyes. She's the hero, the savior, the most important character, and nothing will ever change his mind.
His other hand slides to rest on her shoulder when he sees them start to curl. ]
I know, and I'm sorry. I hoped- I wanted to use them to come back to you. To find you again. But even then, all I did was think about you. I- I talked to you a lot, even if you couldn't hear me.
[ He smiles at her, a wide but gentle one, to show that he never stopped believing in her. ]
So, Jesse, you were helping me all along. I don't want you saying you weren't.
[ And then he leans in to press a deep, loving kiss to her cheek. ]
[ A gentle blink of her eyes as his hands brush into her loosened hair. Her heart gives a powerful beat. She loves him so damn much, and that's why all of this is so much worse in her mind. All of this power and control she has amassed--even if she never asked for it--and she still can't bring the ones she loves home. She can do everything else a Director needs for the job title. Jesse felt in control until the rug was pulled from under her. It feels like Ordinary all over again. The Buearu taking her brother away with no way for her to stop them. Except this time it's another dimension that Alan willing re-entered. All her power and control meant nothing ... and she still couldn't beacon him home after it.
« He could connect to Alice. He got back to the apartment. How else could Scratch have done it? Alice didn't understand that she was bringing him home again and again. She didn't understand so the Buearu couldn't help.
If she could do it, what did I do so wrong that I couldn't? Why am I SO bad with relationships and others that I... »
Jesse's eyes dart to the side and narrow as water builds in them. She knows the answer and won't even say it to her oldest friend. Trust. Belief. She doesn't have those in people when it comes to the topic of herself. How could she ever bring Alan home when the fear and almost expectation in the back of her mind is that he'll walk away? Everyone else turned their back on the poster pulled from the wall. Why would Alan stay once he was free of the Dark Place?
How could I ever bring him home if I thought the moment he got back he'd leave? Why can't I just believe everything he says? Why am I not--I can't be as good at this as Alice was.
Her piercing green eyes dart back to his. "Stop it," he said. A tremor comes to her hands as the frown deepens more, water bluring her vision. How can she stop feeling this way? She can't. She gave control of the whole situation up to him and Saga. Saga got her ending. Alice got the ending of having saved Alan from his spiraling self destructive loops. Jesse feels as if she had her ending thrown away because she let it be thrown away. She let go of control and her demands and could never get it back.
« I spent a those years feeling this way. I was never going to feel this again. I told myself it would be different. "So what we want didn't work." He actually said that. »
Jesse forces herself to look down as the tears begin to escape. Frustration, anger, and hurt all directed at herself. Criticism at her own inaction. The feeling of being inadequet as a parter and being unable to do for him what his wife could.
« I don't want him to see this side of me. » ]
You hoped they would and they couldn't. They weren't enough. [ The tone is bitter and biting, but directed at herself. Her own failings not his. ] You talked to me and Polaris couldn't tell me. The Hotline couldn't connect. They weren't enough to get you out.
[ His kiss causes the tears to slip down her cheeks. Her eyebrows knit together. ] You helped yourself, you got yourself out. Saga helped you... Alice helped you. It would of gone the same if I hadn't been there.
You--you couldn't even hear us in the end. I tired so damn hard to reach you--and it never did. None of my messages, none of my directions. It only worked because I pulled back. Polaris pulled back. It worked because I let you go.
[ Her shaking hands come up to brush her tears away and barely manage that. ]
[ He doesn't stop brushing her hair and curling his fingers into the strands, but he doesn't say anything when he notes hwo she seems to be lost in thought herself. He's become decent at reading her and deciphering what's going on beneath the surface, but this time, he doesn't like it, because he doesn't know what to do. Even his reassurances don't seem to be doing much of anything, and so he's left wondering what exactly he should do here.
Is this the consequence of going with what the story said and being my own hero? At least, as far as saving myself is concerned? Are Jesse and I just going to have this elephant in the room with no idea how to get rid of it?
His free hand clenches in frustration. He's not as action oriented as Jesse is, but he hates this feeling. He hates feeling boxed in, and boxed in is exactly how he feels right now.
I'm sure we can figure this out, but I don't know how yet, or what we can do to get us there. Running isn't the answer, not that I would anyway. Maybe the me from thirteen years ago would have, but I'm not doing that now. I just don't know what I'm doing.
His inner dialogue ceases the moment she starts speaking again, but that boxed in feeling doesn't go away. ]
So what do you want us to do now? What do you want me to do? You know I'll do anything you want, I just- I don't know what that is.
[ Well, he knows he wants to move past this and actually start to live but it seems that they need to address that elephant before anything else can happen. ]
You let me go then, but I'm right here now. [ Does that count for anything?
He moves his hand from her hair to brush her tears away too, brushing against her hand in the process, perhaps intentionally. ]
I want to help, but I don't know how. What can I do? [ This can't be fixed with just kisses and hugs. She needs more. ]
[ Her head tilts into his hand, eyes closed, tears gently rolling down her face. There might be nothing to do to fix any of this. It could simply be a wound that must heal on it's own in natural time. Not that she would know much of what that's like. It feels like wounds never truly heal for her. A character flaw in what makes her more suited to be Director and a paranatural powerhouse as opposed to a partner.
The tug at the frown on her face is obvious. ]
I want to go home. [ Jesse's voice is small and quiet. A form of vulnerability he may have never seen or remember seeing. ] I want to be with you at home. Like we talked about. I want all of this behind us... to just... move on.
[ But the feeling simply won't let go of her yet. It's reminders of Ordinary, of Dylan, of everything she considered her failures as a child. Failures she wasn't supposed to repeat as an adult--as the Director. Yet, she let a man rush back into the dimensional hellhole he was in. She let everything she shouldn't have--in love with him or not--happen. The feeling of failure as Jesse and as the Director simply won't let go of her.
Possibly because she's never allowed it to leave her.
Her hand clings to his before lowering once more to his shoulder. Maybe, for the first time, it's safe to allow everything to come out. Alan has shared enough of himself with her. She should open up to him as he did for her... but how? She isn't sure how to begin letting someone in like that. Hands curl back around him and she hides her face in his skin once more. ]
[ He keeps up the brushing motion as her tears continue, determined to keep it up until he can reassure her that everything will be fine. They'll get through this, and they'll go home together, and now he knows he has to believe that and have no doubts that it will happen, so that she can believe it too. Maybe she's always believed it, and maybe that belief is starting to slip, but he can't let that happen. There's no room for him to doubt anything when it comes to her and their future together. ]
Then we'll go home together. The Dark Presence, the Entity- they won't stop me from going home with you. We'll go home, we'll put all this behind us, and we'll have that life that we talked about. We'll make it real.
[ He has to admit that he's unsure of what's at the root of all this. Oh, he has his guesses, and he figures a lot of it has to do with baggage from her past. Past baggage seems to be one of a few things they have in common, but he wants to do something to help Jesse put down that baggage and be rid of it for good.
He squeezes her hand before she moves her hand and curls both hands around him again. ]
Do you trust me? [ He figures that's a hard one for her, and maybe she doesn't, or maybe she just has her misgivings, and he couldn't ever blame her for that. ]
[ If it was a matter of belief slipping away it would be easier to deal with. No. It's simply the fact she feels powerless. Out of control. Everything is at the whims of something else and she can't do anything to fight back. Nothing can give her the space or place to make her own way in it when it comes to Alan Wake.
Tears eventually stop as her face is pressed into his neck. Her breathing unsteady from her outburst. Jesse feels the need to lock it all down once more. Hide it all. Carry on as she always has. Then, he asks that simple question. Everything inside her curls up. Her head tilts, hands pressed into his skin. Her fingers may leave prints into his back with the pressure she's given them. ]
Yes. [ Her answer is quick, to the point. ] Maybe more than you think I should.
[ Jesse went through an almost endless amount of loops for him. Threw away her ability to control a situation for him. Traveled to another dimension, continued to try and reach out. How could that not be some form of trust? ]
[ If Alan knew the exact details of the thoughts running through Jesse's mind and the way she still seems to be dragged down because of everything that happened, he'd tell her that now that he's home, he'll give her the space she needs and the place to make her way through it and in it, however that looks. Control was taken from her, and he wants to give it back. He knows how important being in control is for her, and of course he knows that it's more than just simply "being in control". It's about having her right to act a certain way and make certain choices, among other things, and she doesn't do well when her right to act how she wants is taken.
At least, that's his understanding of things. He could be wrong, and there could be a lot more to it than that, but he saw how she reacted when he made decisions about the story and her role in it. This seems to be a lot worse than that; she seems unable to process it and move on from it, and he's unsure how to help with that other than by simply staying with her.
She presses her face into his neck, and as always, he's quick to pull her in, placing his arms protectively around her. He loves her when she's strong and when she isn't, and he'll do everything he can to ease her worries, however he can.
If touching him helps her, if his presence helps her, then he'll be quick to offer both, always. ]
Why would I think that? I- I want to be someone you can trust, someone you can rely on, because for so long... for too long, you couldn't do either, could you? Not really. The story wouldn't let it happen.
[ He'll never forget what she's done for him, or how much she's done for him. It could take a lifetime for him to pay her back, and that still might not be enough time, but he's going to try his hardest to do just that. ]
The story's over now. I'll be someone you can rely on, Jesse.
[ Alan's understanding isn't far from wrong. He is a far better study of people than he would ever admit. That trait may have been another thing that attracted her to him further. Someone who can read her and know what she is thinking without her saying the words needed. Not that it erases the need entirely to talk and express herself. It just makes it easier. Alan is the one who can use words to express everything on his mind, no matter what the emotion or thought might be.
Not her.
She sinks into his arms as they wrap around her. A hand raises and gently rests at the base of the injured shoulder blade. Tips of her fingers trace along the bone in hopes to be comforting. ]
You always said I shouldn't. [ Her eyes close again to nestle closer to him. His breathing is normal, not panicked or anxious. ] I always knew you'd come home somehow. I just... thought I'd be the hero you wanted me to be.
[ Her eyes shut as she pulls herself closer. ] I just want you here.
[ Maybe the reason that the two of them found each other isn't so that they could fix each other. Maybe the point of it all, the reason for it happening, was for two broken, messed up people to find each other and start the process of rebuilding together. That's an idea Alan could get behind. He might have rejected it before, but he isn't doing so now.
He shifts suddenly when he feels her hand gently rest at the base of his shoulder blade, not from discomfort but from a want to be touched by her. Anywhere. Everywhere. Her touch always comforts him, but he wasn't always able to show it. Now, there's nothing stopping him from showing it. He visibly relaxes under her touch, and he smiles warmly for her. ]
That wasn't me talking. It- it might have come from me, but I think that the darkness made it worse. It wanted me to think that I wasn't worth trusting, that if you trusted me, I'd only let you down.
[ Maybe that's the key here. Maybe he just needs to show that he can be trusted, that he can be someone to rely on. And Jesse... It seems to Alan that she needs someone that she can rely on when she isn't feeling strong. Alan wants to be that someone for her. ]
I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise.
[ He reaches for the hand that she placed at the base of his shoulder blade and carefully lifts it so he might brush a kiss against it. ]
[ Eyebrows come together at the comment. Fingers curl slightly more into him. Something about the commenf strikes her as odd, as if she is realizing maybe she never met the real Alan Wake at all. How much of it was him and how much of if was the Dark Place?
« The darkness, but not him. Why did it feel like it was Alan really saying it? That it was how he felt at the time. Is this how it's going to be now? Constantly wondering what was Alan and what wasn't? »
Fingers continue to brush along his shoulder blade even as her own shoulders curl. A part of her doesn't want to hear the promise in case something happens. Something goes wrong and he's pulled away by some force she can't combat against. The Entity isn't something she's worried about, as that's just the nature of this dimension. What she worries about is the other things she can't protect him from. Monsters in his head manifesting in their real life.
Her fingers curl around his hand at this kiss. A sound breaks through her defenses as she rolls entirely into him. He's so damn good at using words and gestures to break through defenses she's had for years.
« I probably look pathetic to him. The Director of the Federal Bureau of Control goes to pieces at the slightest hint of affection... I'm screwed up. None of this should bother me like it does. Why does it? »
Polaris shimmers around her.
Jesse sighs. She hates that answer. It's who you are doesn't feel like it helps at all. It doesn't help Alan. ]
...is there anything else you said that wasn't the real you?
What? Did I say the wrong thing? [ Again? I'm always doing that. Why am I always doing that?
He knows that look; it seems to be a look that she wears when she's with him, and he wonders if it's his fault. To him, the times they've been together have been enough to make his head spin when they're at their best. When they're at their worst, it's always because he's at his worst and he always manages to say something that hurts her.
I hate this. I can't pretend that that isn't the truth, but now... she might never trust me again, and why would she? It's not like I've ever given her a reason to. Now I've just given her more reasons not to trust me with anything.
He doesn't stop trying his best to comfort her, to try and put her at ease, but he feels the all too familiar pinpricks of doubt beginning to sting. I can't start to think like that. If I do, I won't be able to stop. Just focus on Jesse, on being there for her now, to make up for all the times I wasn't able to do that. Don't think about anything else. ]
I could pull the wool over your eyes, but I know you'd find out, and I'd- I'd never lie to you. The truth is, I don't know. I- I can't remember. [ He shakes his head. ]
There's no rhyme or reason to it; sometimes I remember things, or sometimes something makes me remember what I said. It's never when I want it to or when I need it to.
[ He frowns, clearly upset with himself. ]
I'm not making much of a convincing argument for myself, am I?
[ Jesse pulls herself together. Emotions are put in place. She raises her head to look up at him. Green eyes meet his gray ones as she studies him closely. His answer to her question is fair. She can't expect him to remember things properly in a dimension that operates on dream logic. Not after so long.
Her hands trail up to gently hold his face between then. They've done this before. Looking at one another intently to make sure who they are looking at is the one they love. She can remember the Dark wooden attic room. The two windows that go out to an endless dark sea. Him standing there in tweed and jeans. The memory still strikes a cord.
Seeing Alan for the first time as he should be. Floating with the waves and fighting the Dark Presence--but in the outfit he reached out to her in. The first person over the Hotline who wasn't dead. Just very far way in a dark place.
She rolls to her back, gently guiding him with her. Polaris' resonance rolls off her hands. A gentle frequency that would go unnoticed if Alan didn't know any better. Except he does. ]
Okay. [ She believes him. Trusts him. Maybe that will cause more trouble for her in the futur. ] We'll just have to wait and see.
[ Her fingers curl slightly against his beard. Eyes move over his face once more to take him in. Her writer returned from the night. It may not exactly be home... but it's as close as they'll be for now. Besides, there's no darkness clinging to his eyes or shadows playing across his face. He's Alan again. ]
I miss the tweed jacket. [ She tries to offer a joke in something that is the truth. Something tells her Alan wouldn't want to wear it again.] It fits you better than the brown suit.
[ He sees the walls closing again, sees the Director coming back to take control. Once, he would have thought of it as Jesse closing herself off from him, but he knows better now. The walls might be closing in, but she's not closing herself off from him. It's a nuanced thing that only Jesse would do, but he understands it now, and it doesn't mean he loves her any less. She's never loved him any less, even with all the hurt that he's caused her and all the baggage he brings along with him. How could he not love her, when she's never pulled back unless she had to? Unless he forced her hand?
Her hands move to hold his face, and his hands move to curl around her back, his grip tightening by just a fraction to signify how he never wants to let her go. He never wants to be unable to touch her or hold her, and now he knows without a doubt that he wouldn't hesitate to take action if something tried to get between them. A bullet between the eyes would get the message across loud and clear.
He keeps his gaze focused on hers, gray eyes searching green ones, searching her face, memorizing every detail. He's done this before, committing every detail that's her to his memory, but the darkness tried to wash the memory away. Now he won't let that happen. He's not drifting or drowning, he's there and present and there's a purpose to everything he does.
Even when she rolls onto her back and guides him to follow, he moves with resolve, with determination. ]
I'm trying to get it back. I'm trying to remember. [ It can't all be lost to the darkness. It has to still be in there somewhere.
It feels beyond important to him that he reclaim what was taken from him, but a part of him knows that it may be actually lost, no matter how resolved he is to get it back. Still, he won't stop trying. ]
You do? [ He shifts slightly, leaning into her hold; he's always liked it when she touches his beard. It's something he can't explain, but the sensation stirs up something inside him. ] I could probably find another one like it, and I'd wear it just for you. [ He huffs out a laugh. ]
Between you and me, I never liked that suit anyway. [ He feels as though he's told her that before, but it's just a vague sense of familiarity, so he says it again. ]
[ Jesse's shoulders curl subconsciously with a touch of pink to her cheeks. She's not used to being studied so closely. At least, not in the way Alan does. Plenty of psychiatrists and counselors looked at her with scrutiny and waiting for the one hint that gave her away. Alan more tries to see past her walls and layers, reaching to a certain part of her that she tries to protect. It never feels invasive or piercing. Inquisitive.
« I wonder if this is how all writers are. »
Her fingers curl under his chin before moving back down his jawline. Sleep threatens to tug at her. Not that she'll listen to the call just yet. A fear is still there that if she wakes up everything will have been a dream. Alan never found his way home and she's still in her apartment. Climbing out of bed and looking at the door to the room set aside for him. Realizing there's no typing sounds or shuffling of someone moving. Knowing that he is still dimensions away in a dark place that she can't reach. ]
It was what you were wearing when you reached out to me. The first time, on the Hotline. [ Jesse glances down, realizing the blush is still on her cheeks.
Whatever conversations they may have had about their initial encounter are lost to the spirals of the Dark Place. The version of "Return" that became reality didn't leave room for them to talk about things like that. It all worked off assumptions and previous forms of reality. Theoretically, it never should have worked. Yet, they both somehow remembered things they shouldn't. ]
You mentioned once that you weren't the same person who wore it. Maybe it's not a good idea to go back to it. [ Her eyes dart to the side with a small frown. Alan's changed since 2010, it'd be cruel to try and make him that same person. ] We'll find something here in the Oldest House for you... maybe add elbow patches just to make it feel like yours.
[ A quick glance of her eyes upwards to show she means it in jest. ] You said you wouldn't mind burning it... why did you wear it to begin with?
[ There's no judgment or criticism or attempt at invading her privacy in Alan's gaze; it's just his gaze, gray eyes looking for the woman he's fallen in love with and can't imagine a life without her. He doesn't have to look too far, because he can see her beneath the exterior of the Director, and his eyes soften because that's who he loves most. He loves all parts of her, every side of her, but it's the girl from Ordinary who won him over.
A stray thought occurs that maybe he's falling in too deeply and too quickly, but it's definitely too late for him to stop now. He doesn't even want to stop.
Her fingers curl beneath his chin and then move to tracing his jawline while his hands move to lightly touch the strands of hair that have fallen to frame her face; in certain lights, the color seems to glow, and Alan can't help but be staggered at the effect it has on her. It's a good thing he's lying down or he might just go weak at the knees. But he can also see the hint of tiredness in her eyes and knows that soon, she'll drift off to sleep. Well, when she does, he'll be right there with her, holding her just like this, and... and if anything tries to pull them apart, he'll fight to stay with her. He's awake now, no longer drowning, and he won't just stand still and let what they've finally found be severed again.
He might be afraid of that very thing, but his determination to fight back harder than ever is stronger than his fear. Jesse's told him before that he's stronger than he even knows, and he's never really acknowledged that about himself, but there's no denying how there are times when he feels a strong sense of determination to push back against the darkness that's ruined so much for both of them. ]
The first time, on the Hotline. That was- it feels like that was so long ago now. I remember that I was desperate. I would've done anything to get out, but I knew it was a long shot. Maybe you wouldn't hear the message. Maybe you wouldn't care.
[ Something in his eyes seems to soften, betraying an emotion he can't hide. It clearly means a lot to him that she cared enough to stay with him as long as she has. ]
If I haven't said it enough... thank you.
Maybe I should go back to it. I- well, I don't know who I'm supposed to be now. Maybe going back will make me feel more like myself... myself, just different.
[ He stops to think, to try and remember why he wore the brown suit at all. And then he remembers and his expression shifts again as if he's remembering something unpleasant. ]
It felt like the kind of thing writers wear.... the great literary writers, not someone who writes horror fiction. It's going to sound ridiculous, even pathetic, but I thought that if I looked the part, maybe I'd feel like I was the kind of writer I always wanted to be. It would still be a lie though, and I knew how ridiculous it was, but I did it anyway.
[ His fingers curl and he has to resist the urge to look away as his embarrassment rises. ]
[ She feels that blush deepen and she bites down on the inside of her mouth to try and keep herself composed. This sort of thing is something she'll never be used to. It's not unwanted or even dismissed. Just, not what she's used to. This is something she's not used to. That was the point though, wasn't it? Alan was the first parautalitarian she met outside of Dylan. Trench was already dead and talking to her through the Hotline. The only other one she can think of that could maybe hold a conversation is Northmoore, and it's better if they not even talk about that.
« Who knows how that would turn out. Being stuck inside that container for decades? Hell, he could try to destroy the whole Bureau. And... Ahti isn't here to keep an eye on him. So, I guess I'll need to do that in the "morning." »
She tilts her head into his hand at her hair and closes her eyes. ]
Well, in years, it was a while ago. [ Jesse isn't sure she'll tell him just how long. She might of mentioned it once in one of the loops. ] You lucked out. The Hotline picked it up and Polaris didn't find it hostile. I think she's actually fond of you.
[ One eye opens part way with a small smirk. She can't really embarrass a interdimensional being made of resonance. ]
We don't have much at the Oldest House, but, you can probably find something you find comfortable in. We'll start there. Maybe you'll find something you even like. [ Or... not. That's possible. ] And, Alan. You don't need to thank me.
[ A small laugh comes from her at his reasoning. Not that it's a judgemental one, or even something of disbelief or mocking. The sound is almost harmonious and a tone that hints more at wholesome than anything. ]
You're not some other writer. You're Alan Wake... but, I get trying to fit in when you're never going to be able to be like everyone else. Maybe not in the same way you meant it. [ Jesse nods slightly, glancing to the side quickly at the self-admission. ] I'm not sure I ever saw you in an interview with a suit like that.
[ Alan is the first person who would admit that his memory is scattered at best and completely unreliable at worst, but there are times when he has flashes of memories from times long ago. He's not really sure how long ago, although he's been told. He's been told numbers, dates, figures... but it feels different to him. The experience of it all feels different to him, because the Dark Place isn't linear. Time isn't linear there. They said it had been thirteen years since his disappearance, but it feels like much longer to Alan. How long? He can't be sure, but it feels a hell of a lot longer than just thirteen years.
But even though he can't quantify how long it's been in numbers, he can still remember something from what feels like the start of all this. Maybe it wasn't the start. Maybe it was years into it all. But it was the start of himself and Jesse as... as whatever they are. Two people who can make things happen. Two people who managed to find each other who have tried their best to hold onto each other through so many insane things.
It was a distress call. Faden sensed a drowning man.
The memory of it is faint now, and the words he typed even fainter, but he can still remember pieces of them. He wants to hold onto those memories, because they're important. They'll always be important. ]
A while ago. A long while ago, now. [ He might not have an exact number, but he knows it hasn't been a short period of time. ] Was it luck or something else? Was something guiding me along the way, as trite as that is? I've never considered myself lucky, not even when good things happened to me sometimes. [ Good things like meeting Alice and Jesse. I didn't deserve either of them. I don't deserve Jesse. ]
Fond of me, or does she just think I'm weird?
[ It's an attempt at self-deprecating humor, because even now, it's hard for him to imagine anyone being fond of him, not even an interdimensional resonance being like Polaris. ]
I don't think I can be picky right now, considering where we are and what we've gotten dragged into. [ He knows he probably shouldn't tell her outright that his comfort should be the least of their worries, but the thought has already formed in his mind. ] I'm fine with what I have. And I definitely do need to thank you. A lot.
[ He resists the urge to roll his eyes; not at her, but at the sentiment behind being Alan Wake. What the hell does that mean anymore? Who am I, anyway? Washed up, damaged goods, second-rate writer, murderer- Stop it. ]
Sorry, but- What does being Alan Wake mean anymore? [ He's shaking his head and he can't seem to stop himself. ] Everything that I did from before... the books, the movies that I obviously didn't have a hand in- that's from another time. From someone else. [ The world moved on without him, as it should have, but it's left him feeling like he has no place in it other than what he has with Jesse. ]
No, you wouldn't have, because- because I never wore anything like this before. I think it drove Barry nuts, because I just threw on whatever I felt like for interviews, talk shows, whatever. I think part of him understood because I mean... can you imagine Barry in a suit? Sorry, you probably can't. I mean, you don't know Barry. Maybe you'll get to meet him sometime. But a hoodie and jeans isn't what most people throw on when they're doing a televised interview, right?
[ Jesse falls quiet once more. Green eyes fall from his, staring at gap between them where she can see the bed. She can remember the Hotline messages just as much as she can anything from Trench. Even the ones from Marshal. Should she remember them? How weird is it that she can remember them but he can't, when he is the one that reached out to her?
He doesn't need to roll his eyes for her to catch the tone in his voice. The thanks he gives doesn't go unnoticed despite what one might think by her silence. She is far from withdrawn, simply chosing to remain silent as nothing she could say would really give him answers anyways.
What does being Alan Wake mean anymore?
It sounds very close to Who is Alan Wake?
Her gaze lowers further. Alan, at his core, has always been the same to her no matter how many times around in loops and the spiral went. Afraid, but still finding that determination and courage to push forward despite it. A little sarcastic, and sometimes an asshole. Someone who cares about the people around him--regardless if he knows them--and wanting to protect them from himself and the dangers attached to him. Someone so incredibly human when she feels the opposite of herself. He is an author with an paranormal ability, and that may have been what her attention first, but it's not the only thing about him.
She also knows saying any of it won't matter. Alan doesn't feel like himself because he can't see it past everything he's lived through in the Dark Place. He doesn't remember things she does. Being told is one thing, but knowing and remembering is another.
A small inhale can be heard as hee gaze further burrows into the small place she can see for the bed. He thanks her for all her help, but it never seems like she can help him on the things that he needs to recover.
« Here, in the spiral. It doesn't really matter the when or the where. » ]
Barry Wheeler, your agent and best friend. [ Jesse realizes how quiet her voice is. How she sounds factual. ] He moved to Hollywood when they started making the movies on Alex Casey. The Buearu kept eyes on him given he was a key witness in the Bright Falls AWE. Just in case.
[ « Let's not mention the Blessed Organization ties. That's... he isn't ready for all that. He may never be. I doubt Alan will ever want to go as deep into this world as I am. »
Polaris shifts and Jesse's eyebrows knit slightly.
[ Silence falls between them and Alan pauses for a moment, waiting and listening until he raises his eyes, wondering what thoughts are going through her mind now. He wouldn't dare ask unless she indicates in that subtle way of hers that she's willing to talk. Maybe I haven't respected her space enough. She's a private person, and she keeps a lot inside. Maybe... Maybe I shouldn't look.
He can determine a lot about a person simply by looking at them and observing them, but maybe Jesse doesn't like that. Maybe Jesse doesn't want to be read like an open book. Maybe he needs to learn to not study people in the way that he does.
Maybe he needs to be different. He's already forgotten pieces of his own life, so... maybe reinvention is the key. Being different is the key. But who is he going to be? Staring down the idea that he's lost his sense of identity is a daunting task, and Alan knows he has no idea where to even begin. All he knows is that he feels like an impostor using the name Alan Wake, and that feeling only grows the longer he spends chasing thoughts around in his head.
Maybe he shouldn't try. Maybe if he's not talking about himself, it'll be easier. ]
Yeah. He's a good agent and a good friend. Maybe after all this, I can look him up. At least give him a call. Knowing him, he's doing just fine. I bet he likes it in Hollywood. And... [ Alan pauses for a moment, wondering if he should really voice what's on his mind. In the end, he decides to go for it. ] And I hope that Bright Falls didn't mess him up too much.
[ Another thing that's my fault. The list of things that isn't my fault would be shorter. ]
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I won't let that happen. We've gone through too much to just give up now. I can't give up, but how can I make her believe me? How can I make her trust me when she has every reason to not trust me? How many times have I hurt her and let her down?
He refuses to let even a shred of doubt show in his eyes. She needs to see that he believes in himself and in his ability to keep it together even in the face of the worst things imaginable. He's lived through those, hasn't he? She has too, which makes them similar, if not the same. ]
Jesse- you were right, and I was wrong for how I went about it. I thought I was doing the right thing, and I thought I knew how I could make the story end.
I- [ He forces himself to keep looking at her, not allowing himself to look down or to the side. He needs to be strong now. ] I hurt you. I put you through hell, and you've already been there. I know I caused you hurt, but now- now I'm here, and I want to help you. Let me share it, Jesse, or carry all of it, if you'll let me. Please.
[ As for her theories, he simply sighs. He doesn't really know anything specific, just relying on suppositions and guesses. ]
Either one of those could be true, really. Was it like the Hiss coming all over again?
[ Insidious. Sneaky. Deceptive. Maybe there's a connection between the Hiss and the Fog. The Dark Presence too. They do seem to operate in similar ways. ]
If that happened, I'd just wait for you, as long as it took. I'd wait forever if I had to.
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N-no, Alan, it's not...
[ Jesse inhales sharply.
How can she explain it? She can't even begin to put it in words. Words fail her. Action is what she does. Give her the gun, point to a mess, she can clean it up. Ask her to explain her thoughts, feelings, memories? Everything walls up like a dam.
Her gaze drops once more. ] Everything I tried to bring you home ... failed. I couldn't--I wasn't the hero you wanted me to be in the story. I couldn't be if it was going to end. I wasn't there to be the hero. I wasn't there to solve the AWE and bring you home. I was...
[ « A side character. A minor role. Someone the editor wanted to be larger, but couldnt be because the story was about Alan. Saga. Brighr Falls. I didn't have a place there. Just... the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control. »
Her shoulders curl and her expression shifts to that of hee walls trying to come up and protect her. Natural defenses. ]
Not even the keychain helped you come home. Or the room set up for you. None of it worked. I couldn't even help after "Return" ended. Just... there to clean up the mess. For Polaris to help guide you and Saga for what you needed.
[ She frowns then, angry at herself for feeling the way she does. ] Like you said. It doesn't matter now. You're back from the Dark.
[ « I just need to get over it. » ]
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No, what he kept thinking about in his darker moments was coming home to her, coming home to the apartment that was going to be theirs. That is theirs. His memories might be scattered and occasionally unreliable, but he remembers the keychain and the link to the apartment. It frustrates him that he wasn't able to find his way back to her, or reach her from the Dark Place, using the methods they'd tried before. Had he gone too deep? Could she not hear him anymore? Could he not hear her? He didn't know the answer, but it seemed as though he was on his own this time.
He hated it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He just didn't want her thinking that he didn't care enough to try. ]
Jesse, stop. So what we wanted didn't work; I couldn't make you the story's hero, but I don't care about that. The story doesn't matter, because to me, you're still the hero. You still saved me. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you. And you know what else? The whole time- [ Well, most of the time, when he wasn't being driven mad by the darkness. ] I was thinking about you. I was thinking about you and about how it would feel to finally come home to you.
[ She's absolutely not a side character in Alan's eyes. She's the hero, the savior, the most important character, and nothing will ever change his mind.
His other hand slides to rest on her shoulder when he sees them start to curl. ]
I know, and I'm sorry. I hoped- I wanted to use them to come back to you. To find you again. But even then, all I did was think about you. I- I talked to you a lot, even if you couldn't hear me.
[ He smiles at her, a wide but gentle one, to show that he never stopped believing in her. ]
So, Jesse, you were helping me all along. I don't want you saying you weren't.
[ And then he leans in to press a deep, loving kiss to her cheek. ]
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« He could connect to Alice. He got back to the apartment. How else could Scratch have done it? Alice didn't understand that she was bringing him home again and again. She didn't understand so the Buearu couldn't help.
If she could do it, what did I do so wrong that I couldn't? Why am I SO bad with relationships and others that I... »
Jesse's eyes dart to the side and narrow as water builds in them. She knows the answer and won't even say it to her oldest friend. Trust. Belief. She doesn't have those in people when it comes to the topic of herself. How could she ever bring Alan home when the fear and almost expectation in the back of her mind is that he'll walk away? Everyone else turned their back on the poster pulled from the wall. Why would Alan stay once he was free of the Dark Place?
How could I ever bring him home if I thought the moment he got back he'd leave? Why can't I just believe everything he says? Why am I not--I can't be as good at this as Alice was.
Her piercing green eyes dart back to his. "Stop it," he said. A tremor comes to her hands as the frown deepens more, water bluring her vision. How can she stop feeling this way? She can't. She gave control of the whole situation up to him and Saga. Saga got her ending. Alice got the ending of having saved Alan from his spiraling self destructive loops. Jesse feels as if she had her ending thrown away because she let it be thrown away. She let go of control and her demands and could never get it back.
« I spent a those years feeling this way. I was never going to feel this again. I told myself it would be different. "So what we want didn't work." He actually said that. »
Jesse forces herself to look down as the tears begin to escape. Frustration, anger, and hurt all directed at herself. Criticism at her own inaction. The feeling of being inadequet as a parter and being unable to do for him what his wife could.
« I don't want him to see this side of me. » ]
You hoped they would and they couldn't. They weren't enough. [ The tone is bitter and biting, but directed at herself. Her own failings not his. ] You talked to me and Polaris couldn't tell me. The Hotline couldn't connect. They weren't enough to get you out.
[ His kiss causes the tears to slip down her cheeks. Her eyebrows knit together. ] You helped yourself, you got yourself out. Saga helped you... Alice helped you. It would of gone the same if I hadn't been there.
You--you couldn't even hear us in the end. I tired so damn hard to reach you--and it never did. None of my messages, none of my directions. It only worked because I pulled back. Polaris pulled back. It worked because I let you go.
[ Her shaking hands come up to brush her tears away and barely manage that. ]
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Is this the consequence of going with what the story said and being my own hero? At least, as far as saving myself is concerned? Are Jesse and I just going to have this elephant in the room with no idea how to get rid of it?
His free hand clenches in frustration. He's not as action oriented as Jesse is, but he hates this feeling. He hates feeling boxed in, and boxed in is exactly how he feels right now.
I'm sure we can figure this out, but I don't know how yet, or what we can do to get us there. Running isn't the answer, not that I would anyway. Maybe the me from thirteen years ago would have, but I'm not doing that now. I just don't know what I'm doing.
His inner dialogue ceases the moment she starts speaking again, but that boxed in feeling doesn't go away. ]
So what do you want us to do now? What do you want me to do? You know I'll do anything you want, I just- I don't know what that is.
[ Well, he knows he wants to move past this and actually start to live but it seems that they need to address that elephant before anything else can happen. ]
You let me go then, but I'm right here now. [ Does that count for anything?
He moves his hand from her hair to brush her tears away too, brushing against her hand in the process, perhaps intentionally. ]
I want to help, but I don't know how. What can I do? [ This can't be fixed with just kisses and hugs. She needs more. ]
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The tug at the frown on her face is obvious. ]
I want to go home. [ Jesse's voice is small and quiet. A form of vulnerability he may have never seen or remember seeing. ] I want to be with you at home. Like we talked about. I want all of this behind us... to just... move on.
[ But the feeling simply won't let go of her yet. It's reminders of Ordinary, of Dylan, of everything she considered her failures as a child. Failures she wasn't supposed to repeat as an adult--as the Director. Yet, she let a man rush back into the dimensional hellhole he was in. She let everything she shouldn't have--in love with him or not--happen. The feeling of failure as Jesse and as the Director simply won't let go of her.
Possibly because she's never allowed it to leave her.
Her hand clings to his before lowering once more to his shoulder. Maybe, for the first time, it's safe to allow everything to come out. Alan has shared enough of himself with her. She should open up to him as he did for her... but how? She isn't sure how to begin letting someone in like that. Hands curl back around him and she hides her face in his skin once more. ]
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Then we'll go home together. The Dark Presence, the Entity- they won't stop me from going home with you. We'll go home, we'll put all this behind us, and we'll have that life that we talked about. We'll make it real.
[ He has to admit that he's unsure of what's at the root of all this. Oh, he has his guesses, and he figures a lot of it has to do with baggage from her past. Past baggage seems to be one of a few things they have in common, but he wants to do something to help Jesse put down that baggage and be rid of it for good.
He squeezes her hand before she moves her hand and curls both hands around him again. ]
Do you trust me? [ He figures that's a hard one for her, and maybe she doesn't, or maybe she just has her misgivings, and he couldn't ever blame her for that. ]
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Tears eventually stop as her face is pressed into his neck. Her breathing unsteady from her outburst. Jesse feels the need to lock it all down once more. Hide it all. Carry on as she always has. Then, he asks that simple question. Everything inside her curls up. Her head tilts, hands pressed into his skin. Her fingers may leave prints into his back with the pressure she's given them. ]
Yes. [ Her answer is quick, to the point. ] Maybe more than you think I should.
[ Jesse went through an almost endless amount of loops for him. Threw away her ability to control a situation for him. Traveled to another dimension, continued to try and reach out. How could that not be some form of trust? ]
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At least, that's his understanding of things. He could be wrong, and there could be a lot more to it than that, but he saw how she reacted when he made decisions about the story and her role in it. This seems to be a lot worse than that; she seems unable to process it and move on from it, and he's unsure how to help with that other than by simply staying with her.
She presses her face into his neck, and as always, he's quick to pull her in, placing his arms protectively around her. He loves her when she's strong and when she isn't, and he'll do everything he can to ease her worries, however he can.
If touching him helps her, if his presence helps her, then he'll be quick to offer both, always. ]
Why would I think that? I- I want to be someone you can trust, someone you can rely on, because for so long... for too long, you couldn't do either, could you? Not really. The story wouldn't let it happen.
[ He'll never forget what she's done for him, or how much she's done for him. It could take a lifetime for him to pay her back, and that still might not be enough time, but he's going to try his hardest to do just that. ]
The story's over now. I'll be someone you can rely on, Jesse.
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Not her.
She sinks into his arms as they wrap around her. A hand raises and gently rests at the base of the injured shoulder blade. Tips of her fingers trace along the bone in hopes to be comforting. ]
You always said I shouldn't. [ Her eyes close again to nestle closer to him. His breathing is normal, not panicked or anxious. ] I always knew you'd come home somehow. I just... thought I'd be the hero you wanted me to be.
[ Her eyes shut as she pulls herself closer. ] I just want you here.
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He shifts suddenly when he feels her hand gently rest at the base of his shoulder blade, not from discomfort but from a want to be touched by her. Anywhere. Everywhere. Her touch always comforts him, but he wasn't always able to show it. Now, there's nothing stopping him from showing it. He visibly relaxes under her touch, and he smiles warmly for her. ]
That wasn't me talking. It- it might have come from me, but I think that the darkness made it worse. It wanted me to think that I wasn't worth trusting, that if you trusted me, I'd only let you down.
[ Maybe that's the key here. Maybe he just needs to show that he can be trusted, that he can be someone to rely on. And Jesse... It seems to Alan that she needs someone that she can rely on when she isn't feeling strong. Alan wants to be that someone for her. ]
I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise.
[ He reaches for the hand that she placed at the base of his shoulder blade and carefully lifts it so he might brush a kiss against it. ]
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« The darkness, but not him. Why did it feel like it was Alan really saying it? That it was how he felt at the time. Is this how it's going to be now? Constantly wondering what was Alan and what wasn't? »
Fingers continue to brush along his shoulder blade even as her own shoulders curl. A part of her doesn't want to hear the promise in case something happens. Something goes wrong and he's pulled away by some force she can't combat against. The Entity isn't something she's worried about, as that's just the nature of this dimension. What she worries about is the other things she can't protect him from. Monsters in his head manifesting in their real life.
Her fingers curl around his hand at this kiss. A sound breaks through her defenses as she rolls entirely into him. He's so damn good at using words and gestures to break through defenses she's had for years.
« I probably look pathetic to him. The Director of the Federal Bureau of Control goes to pieces at the slightest hint of affection... I'm screwed up. None of this should bother me like it does. Why does it? »
Polaris shimmers around her.
Jesse sighs. She hates that answer. It's who you are doesn't feel like it helps at all. It doesn't help Alan. ]
...is there anything else you said that wasn't the real you?
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He knows that look; it seems to be a look that she wears when she's with him, and he wonders if it's his fault. To him, the times they've been together have been enough to make his head spin when they're at their best. When they're at their worst, it's always because he's at his worst and he always manages to say something that hurts her.
I hate this. I can't pretend that that isn't the truth, but now... she might never trust me again, and why would she? It's not like I've ever given her a reason to. Now I've just given her more reasons not to trust me with anything.
He doesn't stop trying his best to comfort her, to try and put her at ease, but he feels the all too familiar pinpricks of doubt beginning to sting. I can't start to think like that. If I do, I won't be able to stop. Just focus on Jesse, on being there for her now, to make up for all the times I wasn't able to do that. Don't think about anything else. ]
I could pull the wool over your eyes, but I know you'd find out, and I'd- I'd never lie to you. The truth is, I don't know. I- I can't remember. [ He shakes his head. ]
There's no rhyme or reason to it; sometimes I remember things, or sometimes something makes me remember what I said. It's never when I want it to or when I need it to.
[ He frowns, clearly upset with himself. ]
I'm not making much of a convincing argument for myself, am I?
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Her hands trail up to gently hold his face between then. They've done this before. Looking at one another intently to make sure who they are looking at is the one they love. She can remember the Dark wooden attic room. The two windows that go out to an endless dark sea. Him standing there in tweed and jeans. The memory still strikes a cord.
Seeing Alan for the first time as he should be. Floating with the waves and fighting the Dark Presence--but in the outfit he reached out to her in. The first person over the Hotline who wasn't dead. Just very far way in a dark place.
She rolls to her back, gently guiding him with her. Polaris' resonance rolls off her hands. A gentle frequency that would go unnoticed if Alan didn't know any better. Except he does. ]
Okay. [ She believes him. Trusts him. Maybe that will cause more trouble for her in the futur. ] We'll just have to wait and see.
[ Her fingers curl slightly against his beard. Eyes move over his face once more to take him in. Her writer returned from the night. It may not exactly be home... but it's as close as they'll be for now. Besides, there's no darkness clinging to his eyes or shadows playing across his face. He's Alan again. ]
I miss the tweed jacket. [ She tries to offer a joke in something that is the truth. Something tells her Alan wouldn't want to wear it again.] It fits you better than the brown suit.
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Her hands move to hold his face, and his hands move to curl around her back, his grip tightening by just a fraction to signify how he never wants to let her go. He never wants to be unable to touch her or hold her, and now he knows without a doubt that he wouldn't hesitate to take action if something tried to get between them. A bullet between the eyes would get the message across loud and clear.
He keeps his gaze focused on hers, gray eyes searching green ones, searching her face, memorizing every detail. He's done this before, committing every detail that's her to his memory, but the darkness tried to wash the memory away. Now he won't let that happen. He's not drifting or drowning, he's there and present and there's a purpose to everything he does.
Even when she rolls onto her back and guides him to follow, he moves with resolve, with determination. ]
I'm trying to get it back. I'm trying to remember. [ It can't all be lost to the darkness. It has to still be in there somewhere.
It feels beyond important to him that he reclaim what was taken from him, but a part of him knows that it may be actually lost, no matter how resolved he is to get it back. Still, he won't stop trying. ]
You do? [ He shifts slightly, leaning into her hold; he's always liked it when she touches his beard. It's something he can't explain, but the sensation stirs up something inside him. ] I could probably find another one like it, and I'd wear it just for you. [ He huffs out a laugh. ]
Between you and me, I never liked that suit anyway. [ He feels as though he's told her that before, but it's just a vague sense of familiarity, so he says it again. ]
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« I wonder if this is how all writers are. »
Her fingers curl under his chin before moving back down his jawline. Sleep threatens to tug at her. Not that she'll listen to the call just yet. A fear is still there that if she wakes up everything will have been a dream. Alan never found his way home and she's still in her apartment. Climbing out of bed and looking at the door to the room set aside for him. Realizing there's no typing sounds or shuffling of someone moving. Knowing that he is still dimensions away in a dark place that she can't reach. ]
It was what you were wearing when you reached out to me. The first time, on the Hotline. [ Jesse glances down, realizing the blush is still on her cheeks.
Whatever conversations they may have had about their initial encounter are lost to the spirals of the Dark Place. The version of "Return" that became reality didn't leave room for them to talk about things like that. It all worked off assumptions and previous forms of reality. Theoretically, it never should have worked. Yet, they both somehow remembered things they shouldn't. ]
You mentioned once that you weren't the same person who wore it. Maybe it's not a good idea to go back to it. [ Her eyes dart to the side with a small frown. Alan's changed since 2010, it'd be cruel to try and make him that same person. ] We'll find something here in the Oldest House for you... maybe add elbow patches just to make it feel like yours.
[ A quick glance of her eyes upwards to show she means it in jest. ] You said you wouldn't mind burning it... why did you wear it to begin with?
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[ There's no judgment or criticism or attempt at invading her privacy in Alan's gaze; it's just his gaze, gray eyes looking for the woman he's fallen in love with and can't imagine a life without her. He doesn't have to look too far, because he can see her beneath the exterior of the Director, and his eyes soften because that's who he loves most. He loves all parts of her, every side of her, but it's the girl from Ordinary who won him over.
A stray thought occurs that maybe he's falling in too deeply and too quickly, but it's definitely too late for him to stop now. He doesn't even want to stop.
Her fingers curl beneath his chin and then move to tracing his jawline while his hands move to lightly touch the strands of hair that have fallen to frame her face; in certain lights, the color seems to glow, and Alan can't help but be staggered at the effect it has on her. It's a good thing he's lying down or he might just go weak at the knees. But he can also see the hint of tiredness in her eyes and knows that soon, she'll drift off to sleep. Well, when she does, he'll be right there with her, holding her just like this, and... and if anything tries to pull them apart, he'll fight to stay with her. He's awake now, no longer drowning, and he won't just stand still and let what they've finally found be severed again.
He might be afraid of that very thing, but his determination to fight back harder than ever is stronger than his fear. Jesse's told him before that he's stronger than he even knows, and he's never really acknowledged that about himself, but there's no denying how there are times when he feels a strong sense of determination to push back against the darkness that's ruined so much for both of them. ]
The first time, on the Hotline. That was- it feels like that was so long ago now. I remember that I was desperate. I would've done anything to get out, but I knew it was a long shot. Maybe you wouldn't hear the message. Maybe you wouldn't care.
[ Something in his eyes seems to soften, betraying an emotion he can't hide. It clearly means a lot to him that she cared enough to stay with him as long as she has. ]
If I haven't said it enough... thank you.
Maybe I should go back to it. I- well, I don't know who I'm supposed to be now. Maybe going back will make me feel more like myself... myself, just different.
[ He stops to think, to try and remember why he wore the brown suit at all. And then he remembers and his expression shifts again as if he's remembering something unpleasant. ]
It felt like the kind of thing writers wear.... the great literary writers, not someone who writes horror fiction. It's going to sound ridiculous, even pathetic, but I thought that if I looked the part, maybe I'd feel like I was the kind of writer I always wanted to be. It would still be a lie though, and I knew how ridiculous it was, but I did it anyway.
[ His fingers curl and he has to resist the urge to look away as his embarrassment rises. ]
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« Who knows how that would turn out. Being stuck inside that container for decades? Hell, he could try to destroy the whole Bureau. And... Ahti isn't here to keep an eye on him. So, I guess I'll need to do that in the "morning." »
She tilts her head into his hand at her hair and closes her eyes. ]
Well, in years, it was a while ago. [ Jesse isn't sure she'll tell him just how long. She might of mentioned it once in one of the loops. ] You lucked out. The Hotline picked it up and Polaris didn't find it hostile. I think she's actually fond of you.
[ One eye opens part way with a small smirk. She can't really embarrass a interdimensional being made of resonance. ]
We don't have much at the Oldest House, but, you can probably find something you find comfortable in. We'll start there. Maybe you'll find something you even like. [ Or... not. That's possible. ] And, Alan. You don't need to thank me.
[ A small laugh comes from her at his reasoning. Not that it's a judgemental one, or even something of disbelief or mocking. The sound is almost harmonious and a tone that hints more at wholesome than anything. ]
You're not some other writer. You're Alan Wake... but, I get trying to fit in when you're never going to be able to be like everyone else. Maybe not in the same way you meant it. [ Jesse nods slightly, glancing to the side quickly at the self-admission. ] I'm not sure I ever saw you in an interview with a suit like that.
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But even though he can't quantify how long it's been in numbers, he can still remember something from what feels like the start of all this. Maybe it wasn't the start. Maybe it was years into it all. But it was the start of himself and Jesse as... as whatever they are. Two people who can make things happen. Two people who managed to find each other who have tried their best to hold onto each other through so many insane things.
It was a distress call. Faden sensed a drowning man.
The memory of it is faint now, and the words he typed even fainter, but he can still remember pieces of them. He wants to hold onto those memories, because they're important. They'll always be important. ]
A while ago. A long while ago, now. [ He might not have an exact number, but he knows it hasn't been a short period of time. ] Was it luck or something else? Was something guiding me along the way, as trite as that is? I've never considered myself lucky, not even when good things happened to me sometimes. [ Good things like meeting Alice and Jesse. I didn't deserve either of them. I don't deserve Jesse. ]
Fond of me, or does she just think I'm weird?
[ It's an attempt at self-deprecating humor, because even now, it's hard for him to imagine anyone being fond of him, not even an interdimensional resonance being like Polaris. ]
I don't think I can be picky right now, considering where we are and what we've gotten dragged into. [ He knows he probably shouldn't tell her outright that his comfort should be the least of their worries, but the thought has already formed in his mind. ] I'm fine with what I have. And I definitely do need to thank you. A lot.
[ He resists the urge to roll his eyes; not at her, but at the sentiment behind being Alan Wake. What the hell does that mean anymore? Who am I, anyway? Washed up, damaged goods, second-rate writer, murderer- Stop it. ]
Sorry, but- What does being Alan Wake mean anymore? [ He's shaking his head and he can't seem to stop himself. ] Everything that I did from before... the books, the movies that I obviously didn't have a hand in- that's from another time. From someone else. [ The world moved on without him, as it should have, but it's left him feeling like he has no place in it other than what he has with Jesse. ]
No, you wouldn't have, because- because I never wore anything like this before. I think it drove Barry nuts, because I just threw on whatever I felt like for interviews, talk shows, whatever. I think part of him understood because I mean... can you imagine Barry in a suit? Sorry, you probably can't. I mean, you don't know Barry. Maybe you'll get to meet him sometime. But a hoodie and jeans isn't what most people throw on when they're doing a televised interview, right?
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He doesn't need to roll his eyes for her to catch the tone in his voice. The thanks he gives doesn't go unnoticed despite what one might think by her silence. She is far from withdrawn, simply chosing to remain silent as nothing she could say would really give him answers anyways.
What does being Alan Wake mean anymore?
It sounds very close to Who is Alan Wake?
Her gaze lowers further. Alan, at his core, has always been the same to her no matter how many times around in loops and the spiral went. Afraid, but still finding that determination and courage to push forward despite it. A little sarcastic, and sometimes an asshole. Someone who cares about the people around him--regardless if he knows them--and wanting to protect them from himself and the dangers attached to him. Someone so incredibly human when she feels the opposite of herself. He is an author with an paranormal ability, and that may have been what her attention first, but it's not the only thing about him.
She also knows saying any of it won't matter. Alan doesn't feel like himself because he can't see it past everything he's lived through in the Dark Place. He doesn't remember things she does. Being told is one thing, but knowing and remembering is another.
A small inhale can be heard as hee gaze further burrows into the small place she can see for the bed. He thanks her for all her help, but it never seems like she can help him on the things that he needs to recover.
« Here, in the spiral. It doesn't really matter the when or the where. » ]
Barry Wheeler, your agent and best friend. [ Jesse realizes how quiet her voice is. How she sounds factual. ] He moved to Hollywood when they started making the movies on Alex Casey. The Buearu kept eyes on him given he was a key witness in the Bright Falls AWE. Just in case.
[ « Let's not mention the Blessed Organization ties. That's... he isn't ready for all that. He may never be. I doubt Alan will ever want to go as deep into this world as I am. »
Polaris shifts and Jesse's eyebrows knit slightly.
« No, he doesn't need to know right now. » ]
Maybe she's fond of weird.
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He can determine a lot about a person simply by looking at them and observing them, but maybe Jesse doesn't like that. Maybe Jesse doesn't want to be read like an open book. Maybe he needs to learn to not study people in the way that he does.
Maybe he needs to be different. He's already forgotten pieces of his own life, so... maybe reinvention is the key. Being different is the key. But who is he going to be? Staring down the idea that he's lost his sense of identity is a daunting task, and Alan knows he has no idea where to even begin. All he knows is that he feels like an impostor using the name Alan Wake, and that feeling only grows the longer he spends chasing thoughts around in his head.
Maybe he shouldn't try. Maybe if he's not talking about himself, it'll be easier. ]
Yeah. He's a good agent and a good friend. Maybe after all this, I can look him up. At least give him a call. Knowing him, he's doing just fine. I bet he likes it in Hollywood. And... [ Alan pauses for a moment, wondering if he should really voice what's on his mind. In the end, he decides to go for it. ] And I hope that Bright Falls didn't mess him up too much.
[ Another thing that's my fault. The list of things that isn't my fault would be shorter. ]
Are you fond of weird?