Title: Dear 'Sleepless in Seattle'

Summary: Allen Walker will never fall in love again. Packing up his life, he decides to move from Chicago to Seattle with his son, Jean. Two years and countless of sleepless nights later, Jean decides he needs to help – and he begins by calling a radio station.

Pairing(s): Allen/Lavi, Allen/Lou Fa, Lavi/Sachiko (Chomesuke)

Disclaimer: This applies to the whole story – I do not own D. Gray-man and will never presume that I do. This plot does not belong to me either, it is borrowed from and written with great appreciation to Sleepless in Seattle.

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Prologue: It Must Have Been Love

"Here."

Anita placed a small packet on the table, glancing at Allen to see if he heard. Allen continued staring out the window.

"Microwave this for five minutes before eating, alright? You can't go wrong with microwaving – I don't think you two could possibly poison yourselves with this…"

"Oh," Mahoja picked up a whole box, putting it on the table as well. "This should last you two a month until we can visit again – "

"And use this steam-iron for your clothes, it's much more manageable than the iron you have…"

Anita trailed off when Allen didn't even turn to look at her.

"Allen?" She said softly, cautiously.

Allen blinked. He slowly registered the fact that outside, sheets of rain were falling from the sky, wetting his window and making the world outside seem a gray, dreary place. He remembered that Anita and Mahoja had wanted to make sure that he was okay, and he knew that in an hour he would be picking up Jean from his school.

But why, he mused, did the world continue turning even after all this time? Why was there still school, and the need for food, and the rain falling over the world when the day of the funeral had shone bright and clear?

It didn't really make sense.

Turning slightly and meeting Anita's worried gaze out of the corner of his eyes, he said, "Microwave for five minutes."

Anita looked on, her brow furrowed. Allen nodded.

He then turned back and continued watching the world outside his window go by.

.

It had been exactly two weeks since Lou Fa died, and Allen missed her terribly.

They had a small funeral in the middle of busy Chicago, Jean standing beside him and looking as solemn as he had been. It was a rare expression on the ten year old boy's face, and Allen had wished he would never have to wear that look of potent sorrow and maturity for a long, long time. He felt like he had failed in some way as a father to the boy.

Bending down, he had held the boy and broke down, weeping into the tiny shoulder. All that time Jean had been his pillar of support.

Two weeks since, and Allen was simply tired.

"Here. 'The Support Group for Widowers'."

Allen eyed the small card that was tossed onto his table. Even Klaud looked as tired as he was, sympathetic though her eyes were.

He sighed and took out a small box overflowing with cards, starting to name them off in a monotone.

"'Support Group for Single Parents'," he tossed the card over his shoulder, "'Support Group for the Bereaved'," it met the same demise as its twin, "'We CARE'," Allen was tossing cards three at a time now, allowing them to flutter to the floor, "'Hug Yourself'?"

The last was said with a slight grimace on his face. The whole box was swept to the ground, making a faint clanking sound as it landed. Klaud smiled, slightly amused.

"It's like a business."

Allen scowled. "It is a business."

Klaud sighed and scanned his table. Besides scattered debris and one more small box still filled with cards, there was nothing to indicate Allen had ever worked there. The cardboard box beside the table was filled with his equipment, plans, books – and on top of the pile was a picture frame carefully placed, a photo of Allen, Lou Fa and Jean out at the carnival for a day catching the light and beaming back at her faintly.

"You're really leaving, then," she said quietly, eyes still on the picture.

Allen paused in his cleaning and looked out the window. Chicago, always lively, was visible from this second floor space. Just downstairs was the pizza shop he and Lou Fa frequented in his lunch hour, and a few kilometers or so to the east he would enter the beautiful park from where the looming, dazzling city of Chicago would greet him.

He had dreamed, since he was young, of working and living here. Now, though…

His lips twisted up at the edges. "I need a new environment."

He closed his eyes. "Jean needs a new environment."

Klaud nodded, her eyes sad, but accepting the fact of his moving. "You were a good colleague, Walker."

Allen smiled. He would miss his colleagues too, steady Klaud, enthusiastic Chaoji, jittery Miranda – but the city was simply too full of the memories, memories of Lou Fa in the streets, the evidence of them having lived together scattered throughout the little flat they had. He needed a place to start anew and move on with his life, for both him and Jean.

Klaud held out her hand. Allen blinked at it, hands still in the motion of clearing the debris on his table.

"You won't even say goodbye?" She said with a small smile.

Allen chuckled and shook his head. Reaching out, he grasped her hand firmly, knowing this was the last time either of them would be seeing each other for a long while to come.

Notes:

My family was horrified to hear that I had never watched Sleepless in Seattle before. They decided to remedy it. A plot bunny was born.

Lavi will appear soon :D I quite love the movie, but while I'm keeping most of the plot, I will be adapting and twisting it according to the personalities that we know – here's to hoping it goes well!

Comments are much loved (: