A/N: Hi, everyone! Super glad you all are enjoying this super random and out of the ordinary fic. I appreciate all the love so much. Also, I'm pretty excited about Cult! I won't be watching it tonight since I have to wait to watch it with my S.O on the weekend buuuuut instead I decided to type up this chapter in celebration. It blows my mind how much time has passed since Asylum was on air. Crazy.
Also, something is up with my Microsoft Word so I had to write this on the TextEdit pad. So heads up on any editing I missed lol enjoy!
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SIXTEEN
Strange Terrains
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She stood in front of the window. Her eyes gleaming with an excitement that was so new; one he had never seen in her before. She was dressed in a lovely olive colored dress, her hair combed with a black headband to keep it in place. Her smile was hard to miss; it was contagious.
Well, Lana had every right to be as excited as she was. She was going to step foot outside of her home with Oliver for the first time since she arrived from Briarcliff. Oliver was a bit nervous at first. Nervous that anyone from Briarcliff or Lana's past life would recognize them and undo all of her progress. Lana had been nervous at first as well to step out into the world but every time Oliver left the house without her she became depressed and moped around until he returned.
Needless to say, Oliver decided that a small trip to the department store would do her some good. It would probably even help in her social skills. He didn't want to be the only one she socialized with. Lana deserved more human interaction. As long as it was safe, of course.
"Are you ready?" He asked so patiently, the corner of his lips pulling upward into a smile.
Lana turned to him, flashing those pearly whites of hers. "Yes." She answered so sure of herself.
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Lana gripped Oliver's hand tightly as they made their way through the department store. All the way there she had kept her eyes out the window, pointing out things she found interesting. It was as if she was seeing the world for the first time. Her arm bumped into his multiple times while they walked; she liked to keep close to him. However, she didn't seem too afraid. Some people who passed and caught their eyes would smile and nod politely. Lana noticed Oliver do the same and copied him like a child would. To the outside world they appeared as just another married couple shopping on a Sunday afternoon.
"Is there anything you need?" Oliver asked.
Lana seemed distracted by the many dressed mannequins, slightly admiring their outfits. "Something I need?" She asked, eyes still wandering.
"Yes. Maybe some lotions? Undergarments? Perhaps some socks?"
Lana turned to him, pensive, "I would like some new socks."
He smiled, "Alright. Stay here while I go ask where they keep the socks. I honestly don't remember…" Oliver let go of her hand and took a step away. Before he was too far, Lana lunged towards him and gripped his arm tightly as if she couldn't swim and he had just let her loose in the water.
"You're leaving me?" Fear struck her eyes as she whispered the words.
Oliver chuckled, "Lana, don't be foolish. I'll be right back. I'm just going to ask a worker where they keep the women's socks. You can stay here and look at the perfumes. I won't be long." He walked Lana over to the perfume displays. "Wait here. I'll be back."
"You promised." She gripped his arm tighter.
"I swear."
And with that Lana felt reassured and slowly let go of Oliver. He gave her one last smile and left to find a store employee. Lana watched him disappear into the crowd of people for a moment and then glanced down to the perfumes in the glass counters before her. She placed her hands upon the glass and looked at the individual little bottles.
"May I help you with something?" An older salt and peppered haired woman asked.
Lana became nervous but just smiled and shook her head, "No. Thank you."
The woman nodded and turned to help another woman on the other side of the counter.
"May I help you?"
"Oh, yes, can I please test this one out?"
"Sure."
Lana kept her eyes on the display, reading all the fancy names on the bottles, wondering how they smelled but too shy to actually ask for a sample.
The woman on the opposite counter tested out the perfume and gave out a small gasp. "Oh, my goodness. Wendy! Wendy, you have to come smell this."
"Oh, Barb. I thought you weren't going to spend too much on perfumes again." Wendy Peyser showed up next to her friend, completely unaware of her ex lover just across the other counter in front of them.
Lana lost in thought, muted out the voices of the rest of the shoppers and slowly lost interest in the perfumes. She glanced up in the direction of the clothes and spotted a skirt that Oliver might like on her. She smiled to herself and went towards it. Just as she left, Wendy glanced up, missing Lana by a second. She then turned to Barb, "Hey, I'm going to look at the skirts real quick. Be right back."
Lana ran her hand along the skirt on the mannequin, trying to remember what size she was. She was sure Oliver remembered. She was sure to ask him when he returned. Behind the mannequin was a rack of clothing where Wendy Peyser found herself looking through the hung skirts, still completely unaware of Lana just mere feet from her. She looked at the prices and continued to make her way along the rack. She found nothing she liked and turned her back to the mannequin to look through the clothing on the opposite rack. Just as she did, Lana stepped from behind the mannequin and began to look for the skirt on the rack Wendy was just shopping through. Something caught Lana's eyes and she glanced up to the woman across the rack.
When Oliver returned, he noted that Lana was no longer where he had left her. Panic began to set through him until he managed to remind himself that Lana wasn't a little girl and couldn't possibly get lost or snatched by someone with bad intentions. He passed the women in the perfume section and looked around to see if her could spot her in the close vicinity. Finally, he managed to find her looking at a pretty navy skirt across from the perfume section by the shoes. He sighed in relief and took a few steps towards her. It was when he noticed Wendy Peyser that he came to a stop and dropped the packet of women's socks. Panic set through him once more and his mind worked quickly.
Lana stared at the back of the woman's head, her brows coming together to form a pensive brow. She thought maybe she could ask her how the skirt sizes worked. Then maybe she could attempt to guess the best size for her. But just as she was open to call out to the woman, Oliver appeared at her side, quietly grabbing her by the arm and leading her away.
When Wendy turned around, there was no one there.
"Oliver, what's the matter?" Lana asked, surprised, "Did you find the socks?"
"No." Oliver kept his eyes ahead, leading Lana to the store's exit, "They don't have what we're looking for."
"Are we leaving?" Lana frowned, a little worried. She turned to look back at the clothes but other shoppers now filled the area, blocking the skirt she wanted to show him. "There was something I wanted to show you."
"Another day, I promise."
"But- but I-"
"C'mon, let's go."
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Back at the house, Oliver seemed extremely nervous. He turned the television on and let Lana watch reruns of The Twilight Show. She seemed preoccupied with it and no longer bothered that they left the department store so quickly without purchasing a thing.
"Lana, I'll be in my study." He told her.
Lana glanced from the television, "Okay."
He forced a smile and shut himself in his study. "That was too close." he said to himself as he poured himself a glass of whiskey and drank it in one gulp. He set the glass down and settled his mind.
Why hadn't he let Lana see Wendy? He paced back and forth in his study, taking his glasses off. "It would have ruined her progress." he told himself. "She would have ruined her progress." Oliver took a seat at his desk and lit himself a cigarette.
Was that really the reason why?
The question lingered in the air, intertwined with the smoke rising from the tip of his cigarette. He thought about it for a moment longer. Wendy wanted nothing to do with Lana. Oliver had already tried to seek Wendy's help but she had denounced ever knowing Lana. Still, what about Lana? Did she still want Wendy in her life?
Oliver shook his head. The sheer memory of that woman sends Lana into fits and panic. She fills her night terrors and tortures her dreams. It would be in Lana's best interest if she never saw Wendy Peyser again.
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That night was a simple one. Oliver sat on the sofa reading one of his books while Lana sat next to him watching one of her shows. He put on The Andy Griffith Show for her. The Twilight Zone gave her nightmares if she watched it before bed. Oliver was deep in his book when he felt Lana nestle her head on his shoulder, her feet up on the sofa. He was surprised by her action but smiled to himself and kept reading.
Lana kept her gaze on the show, resting her head on Oliver's shoulder. She liked the way he made her feel safe and at home. Sometimes she feared that it was all a dream and she would wake back in Briarcliff. She wrapped her arm around his and snuggled closer to him, trying to grasp every inch of safety and comfort she could as if it would vanish within seconds. The show made her laugh softly and Oliver smiled. How he wished they were there together in different circumstances.
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Lana woke with a start in the middle of the night. She sat up quickly, clutching her heart with one hand and the bed sheets with the other. She desperately looked around trying to focus her vision in the dark. When she found herself in her bedroom, she relaxed and attempted to catch her breath. She couldn't quite remember the nightmare. All she could grasp were bits and pieces of a room spinning, a record playing, a woman banging her head on the wall and a doctor strapping her to a table. She shivered and stood from the bed.
Lana stood in the hallway, staring at the door of Oliver's bedroom. Her hands opened and closed, anxious and hesitant. She knew he was in there sleeping and she worried about waking him. Still, the fear wedged deep inside, turning her stomach, climbing up her throat, ready to break her. Lana exhaled a breath and entered Oliver's room, closing the door behind her shut.
