Disclaimer: Any canon content belongs to its respective owners such as BBC and its writers. All original content, however, does belong to me and its contributors.
A/N: I hope this chapter was a good one, I'm not as used to do intimate level scenes so I am a bit nervous. I really do love my dynamic of John and Alex, but I can't wait until the truth comes in the next few chapters. Please feel free to review!
I had gone down to the café where I thought he might have been, but alas that had been just too easy. He wasn't there at all, which left me in a huff as I left the establishment, the first time ever not coming out with something in hand. I was sure it left the staff that worked the place just a tad miffed, but I didn't have time to care. I gripped at my hair on either side of my head a bit in frustration as I stood looking this way and that down the street, trying to decide which way to go, and where to possibly look next. I was about to just give up and call the police anyway instead when suddenly I got this strong urge to just walk in a direction. I don't know what convinced me, but I went with it. As was, It took me down along to the musical fountain and to near where the children's theatre, the sciences center, the experimental music project, and the space needle were located. Still there was nothing. My feet were literally getting a work out, bus travel included! Luckily buses came on the every fifteen minutes deal, or my journeys would have been much longer. As was it was starting to get late by the time I finally made my way down to the wharf side where the market place was.
Market Place was common ground for most anyone, local or visitor alike. It brought the intrigued touring rich, and the pan handling poor and every other fanfare in between. By the time I reached the area though, most the shops were starting to close in the market. Especially the most iconic ones that I enjoyed going to most often. I was tired, stressed out, and still unable to find John. By the time I reached the area were the carousel was still turning and the Farris Wheel was still going, both of them having their lights now on to entice visitors, I was about ready to give up completely call it a day. I would say to be able to go home so I could go back to work, but at this point going back was almost moot.
I decided to take a rest before making any more decisions. Besides, after the really cruddy day I just had, had, I felt I had deserved at least this one respite. As I sat on the bench I had found, I looked out over the water for but only a few moments at the clearly now setting sun, the only color left being a very dark blue sky to keep me company, with the faintest hint of stars coming out in its almost now disillusioned blackness. It was only then, while staring at the dark abyss above, that my body let go of all the stress it had built up and had be carrying since I got to the wharf. I buried my face into my hands, the key having been tucked away into one of my pockets. It had been so useless in this endeavor. At least that was what I thought anyway. As I sat there, I began to sob a bit. I couldn't control it either.
It was like everything inside of me had just broken all of a sudden. All of this, this crazy mess, made me realized just how little I cared about others and others cared about me. Stupid Alex and her social anxieties….well no more! Those anxieties of mine only got me into trouble and those around me now too. It was time for a change, sadly a change that came at a price dollar late and a dollar short for the sake of Aaron and Sansa, but I had to none the less. What could I do to stop what had happened, especially when the only one who could have helped me wasn't here now? This realization only made me cry harder. Sadly no one paid attention to the emotional stricken girl on a bench because who knew if the only reason I was crying was because I was homeless and unable to eat, have shelter, or no ability to travel or not; rather than go and possibly find that I was actually a girl down on my luck because of something traumatic I had witnessed.
I could tell the exact moment the sun was gone by the fact of the lack of warmth I felt on my shoulders. It's what made me practically jump out of my skin when I did eventually feel warmth again against my shoulder. A strange sort of warmth, but one none the less. I could tell it was a hand grabbing me, but it recoiled from me as much as I recoiled from it and practically jumped off the bench to give a good punch to whomever had laid their touch on me. However, my fist misjudged and I didn't hit squarely where I thought I would. Instead, I hit at about shoulder height, and connected with something very much quite solid.
"Ow!" I heard a voice say, and if my senses weren't as hyper aware as they were, I wouldn't have been able to tell right away who it was that had cried out in pain.
"John?!" I asked in a shaky voice, my eyes were to blurry and swollen from crying to tell right off in the darkness that it was him at all.
"Yes!" he breathed, the wind sounding like it had got knocked out of him by me hitting him just right in the chest apparently. "I see you still swing easily."
"I've been looking all over for you!" I exclaimed, a mix of anger and sadness filling my voice.
"Really?" he asked.
"Oh don't act like you don't know!" I stated with a tad bit of a seething tone. "You knew!"
"Did I? How could I?" he asked bemused.
"Well…you're the one who said all those things! At the party, at my home. That I'd come find you when I believed! So here I am!" I stated almost as if I was yelling at him.
"Oh yes, right I had." he stated curtly. "And then I said I couldn't help you."
"Right! Until I believed!"
"So do you?"
"Well I'm here aren't I?! I was looking for you wasn't I?" I blurted.
"That doesn't-," he began but I cut him off.
"No! Shut up! Just …shut up!" I began my dam of frustration just letting loose finally. "I don't know who you are, or even where you come from. But right now, none of that matters. Why?! Because for some stupid reason I had decided to look for you. You said I would find you when I did….believe. Yet I didn't actually find you, you found me. I had looked all over for you today! When I needed you the most!"
I found myself weak from the emotional upheaval and just either felt like wanting to sit back down on the bench again, collapsing to the ground, or using John for a lean too, "I ran and ….I just….it's all messed up….I messed up…it's all my fault…and…and…."
I started to break down again, "Oh where were you when I needed you!"
I couldn't tell what John was thinking at that very second, but the next thing I knew there were suddenly arms around me and a head firmly planted on top of mine. Almost like a wave of light, the tenseness in my body vanished that I had been harboring. It was almost kind of not fair. Then I heard something I hadn't expected to hear John say at all.
"I'm sorry." was all that I got out of him right then and there as he pulled me gently in closer, letting his strength be firm but gentle enough to press the fears, pain, and anger I had been feeling all day out of me. How was it that a man like him could be one minute so infuriating, then the next be the world, maybe even the universe? I just buried my face into his chest, my arms going instinctively around his waist, letting the scent of whatever cologne it was he was wearing fill my senses.
"Me too. I don't know what to do." I stated finally, still sort of sobbing, not leaving Johns embrace. Not until he decided to let go, which apparently he wasn't ready to do yet, because I could feel him begin to pet at my hair in a very slow, yet soothing fashion that almost made me want to go drowsy.
"What happened?" he asked, his question actually genuine this time. Of course he wouldn't know what happened.
"It's all my fault John." I stated in a muffled tone against his chest feeling quite embarrassed by everything.
"Hey now, what's your fault?" he stated finally pulling me away from him a bit, his hands still rested on my shoulders but he could now look at me properly, straight into my eyes, eyes that saw tragedy. I wanted to look away, out of range of those piercing orbs he had for eyes in return, but I couldn't seem to force myself to look away.
"They got him….those things…whatever they are. Probably the ones that took also Sansa. Them, they got him." I sniffled and wiped away tears from my face with a hand.
"Okay, first of all…" he took out a cloth handkerchief out of one of his pockets and handed it to me for me to wipe away all the nasty that had become my face. "Second of all, him? Who's him? And what do you mean them?"
I wiped my face first before speaking, "Aaron," i stated with a bit more clarity. "They took Aaron. What do I mean by them? Oh, it crazy, it all just crazy. You think I've gone mad."
"Try me." he stated, an almost challenging yet somehow encouraging tone in his voice.
"It's like…their really strange, underneath. Not quite…"I trailed off.
"Human?" John tried to fill in.
"Exactly!" I felt a spark of hope he might understand after all. "Not quite human. I mean they look human to most, but it's like if you could see what's behind the curtain you realized they're not quite human at all. More….metallic like in nature. Like fluid metal. Sort of makes me think of a mirror or liquid Mercury. But that's not the worst part of it all. Their faces ….they just…."
All I could do to try and stop thinking about them was shiver. It was actually cold out, and I wasn't even the slightest prepared for it. In fact I had no real coat to say on at all. Normally I was at home by now safe and warm curled up to a good book or T.V. show. So naturally I was colder than I should have been anyway, but the thought of that things face just made me almost want to freeze in my tracks again.
"Here," he stated warmly, taking his own jacket off and putting it around my shoulders. "How does this sound. I'll make it up to you by buying you a meal. Clearly there is nothing that can be done right nowish. So why not. Besides you can tell me more about what happened while we eat. No point standing around in the chilly northwest air. I've seen that one really great place you mentioned down the way we could eat that I believe is still open at an hour like this. A good dose of fish and chips never hurt anyone after all right?"
"No, I suppose not." I couldn't disagree especially when my stomach made decisions for me by growling. I was still anxious though and wanted to take care of the problem instead of eating, but now that I found John I wasn't about to lose him just because I was impatient. No I'd go along with this, cause what else did I have to lose.
"Come on, my treat." he offered as he put an arm around me after I got his jacket on myself. I was clearly swimming in its size. Its trench length clearly almost to my feet, but somehow I didn't care, it felt comforting like some big warm hug. This only made me snuggle deeper into its clothe depths. I leaned into him as we walked along down the wharf. It seemed to ground me as we passed by the large buildings that housed shops and other strange little things that made Seattle unique.
Even though the night air had enveloped us, I realized just then that I had not felt safer in a good while until that moment. There was something about John I just couldn't explain or quite understand at that point what it was. Yet I had a feeling I would come to understand soon.
Eventually we got to the location he was speaking of. I knew the place of course, I'd been there a bunch of times over the years. It was the best place in Seattle that was not mom and pop level that sold fish and chips and clam chowder. Ivor's had been a huge deal for the west coast for years, especially in the northwest. They were so popular that they even had canned food in stores with their name on it.
John ushered me inside, a hand on my back as he opened the door with the other. The smells of deep fried food hit me like a train going eighty miles per hour. A hostess greeted us as we came towards the podium a little ways into the large lobby. The place was known to get high volumes of people.
"Two please." John stated with a smile.
"Alright." the hostess gave, a smile crossing her face implying very noticeably that she thought we were some sort of cute couple. This was so far from the truth that not even evil ken evil could have jumped it with a motorcycle. Yet my cheeks turned red all the same.
We were seated quickly near one of the windows. She asked us what we wanted to drink, and then left when all we asked for from both of us at the moment was water. It was then that I looked awkwardly at John for a few moments before looking down at my placement in front of me.
"So." he began awkwardly, clearly this time around unlike the crowded coffee shop he seemed to feel a bit more out of place.
"So." I said quietly taking off the jacket that I remember was on my shoulders.
"You were saying?" he urged.
"About?" I accidently forgot exactly what I was saying.
"Them, the creatures you saw. Their faces." John stated.
"Oh yeah, right, that." I said more quietly, I really didn't want to, but he seemed insistent. No doubt lack of tact it seemed when it came to table discussion either. "Their face…it reminded me of…"
I had to think for a moment how to describe them, "Their face reminds me of a fissure, like a crack in a wall or the ground or something. Defined and jagged though like it was cut purposefully with a couple rows one top and bottom filled with mirror like sharp teeth."
"I see." he mused idly.
"You, don't seem surprised." I said bewildered.
"I'm not." John stated plainly.
"Why?" I asked.
"What's there supposed to be surprised about?" he raised a brow.
"Oh I don't know, the sheer fact I just describe a monster. Something that I swear could have been straight out of a Stephen King novel." I said, still confounded by this man.
"I'm sure to someone else you'd seem just the same." he stated. "Besides, this sort of thing intrigues me so to say."
"You mean, you're a paranormal hunter?" I inquired.
"Eh, something like that. Not quite, more like….an enthusiast for the unknown." John said giving a slight smile.
"You're mad." I stated bluntly, unnerved just a bit by his view of enjoying finding the spooky and the strange.
"So I've been told." he said without as much as a defense.
I took a drink of my water at that, trying to dislodge the dry feeling that was now becoming my throat.
"Anyway," I continued so the moment didn't feel any more awkward. "Like I had said, I was at work and Aaron and I were going to do some investigating after work. See if we could figure out what was going on. Instead, here I am and there he is. There's more than one. That much I can tell. Jaiden, the guards I'm pretty sure, James maybe, definitely Sansa. I know for a fact Jaiden and Aaron were taken to this one floor in the Tower, but the others I don't know. In any case, both times I was up there following someone, I saw this strange light emanate, and then they were gone."
"Hmm." John said, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Hmm what?" I tilted my head.
"Oh, nothing. Just find that interesting." he stated, but he seemed to know something.
"Really?" I didn't seem convinced. "Come on, you want me to believe so tell me. What are you thinking?"
"Oh well it's just the same thing that was at the party, which means teleporter of sorts." John gave without a heartbeat of thought.
"You watch too much Star Trek." I stated, my retort an obvious unease to what was really happening.
"You asked!" he exclaimed putting his hands up momentarily in defense. I gave a sour face, but huffed a sigh of defeat knowing he was right. "So, where is it?"
"Where's what?" I asked.
"The Magic School bus!" he responded tartly. "No seriously the teleport!"
"Oh!" I breathed feeling just a tad dumb, the day had been wearing on me, but I could tell he was interested in this whole ordeal. "The thirteenth floor of Cazrin Co. Tower. Why?"
"Excellent…no brilliant. I'd say even amazing." John mused putting his hands clasped up to his lips in thought.
"Why's that." I ask in confusion.
"Why, because who would think It." he said with a chuckle. I still wasn't quite following. I was going to ask for further clarification, but I couldn't further go on about it though because our server showed up to get our orders. We hadn't even looked at the menu. However, I already knew deep down what I wanted, the same thing I always got, which was soup, chips, and fish. As much as I still didn't really feel hungry, I was going to do my best to try and eat something while there, just to keep John from fussing.
"We ready to order?" the person waiting us asked, this time the person was a male.
"Yes." I stated.
"No." John stated at the same time.
"Should I come back?" the waiter asked seeming a bit awkward by our quick responses.
"Yes." John stated swiftly.
"No." I stated right alongside him, then gave John a stare that seemed to get his attention.
"No, sorry." he gave a sigh. "I'll only need a moment. Let the lady go first. Curtesy after all."
"Alright, what would you like ma'am?" he asked waiting with a tablet device to take orders with.
"I'll just have the chowder and fish and chips basket please." I answered as if I had done it a thousand times.
"Will that be all?" the waiter asked, I gave a nod. "Very well then and for you?"
"Hmm?" he stated almost as if he had stopped paying attention. "Oh right, I'll just ….have what she's having. Make things easier."
"Alright? Anything else? Any specialty drinks perhaps?" he asked curiously to the two of us.
"Uh no, we're fine thanks." John stated wanting to get rid of the waiter quickly.
"I'll have some coffee." I added, knowing well and good this might be a long night for the both of us. "Actually make that two."
I was not going to give John a choice in the matter. He was a coffee man after all, that much I knew.
"Okay, your orders should be out soon." the waiter stated promptly and walked away leaving John to sigh with relief.
"You didn't have to do that." he stated.
"Sure I did. You look like you needed it. Besides head in the game right?" I stated tilting my head to the side a bit questioningly.
"Right." John nodded, his mind seeming elsewhere still, though I could tell he was really trying to be in the moment.
"Hey, you alright?" I asked, genuinely concerned, I actually instinctively reached a hand out to touch his. Instead of recoiling from my touch all he did was look at me with those deep eyes.
"Yeah I'm fine, why?" he said, almost like he'd said that sentence a thousand times before.
"You just," I began and then shook my head with a small smile. "I don't know. You seem elsewhere."
"Sorry." John admitted, his gaze drawn to our hands touching mine over his, then looked back at me. "Just, got a lot on my mind."
"I know that feeling." I sighed. "My minds all over the place too. So many thoughts going in so many directions. Some days I wonder if I can even keep up."
"Yeah." he stated, sighing himself as he let his hand turn over into mine. That seemed to draw him back into the moment rather than somewhere distant. "Look, I really am sorry about your friends and coworkers."
"Thanks." I stated.
"Seriously, I mean it. I know none of this makes any sense. I know you're scared. To be honest, our little secret, I am too. However, what I can promise is that things will work out somehow. I swear." John stated reassuringly.
"I hope so." I said squeezing Johns hand a bit.
"I know so." he replied squeezing gently back a little and gave a half smile. "I really am glad you came looking. Even if it didn't work out as planned."
It was strange how he'd said that, as if he'd already expected me to come anyway, but I didn't know what to say about it. All I could do was bite at my lower lip and give him a small smile as if to say your welcome. There were still things I wanted, needed to know about John. Like why he had been at the party in the first place, who was he really, where did he actually come from? Those sorts of questions. Not to mention what the deal was with the key he gave me.
"So," I finally pulled my hand away, only to shove it in the pocket I had stuffed the key into in and drew it out for him to see. "What's the deal with the key?"
"Oh that." he stated raising a brow to the fact I still had it.
"Yeah is it like, some hotel room key or something?" I asked.
"Um, not exactly…" he said awkwardly.
"Car?" I continued.
"No." he stated.
"Then what?" I asked holding it out to him. He just put his hands over mine and closed it over the key.
"How about this, I'll show you soon." John stated giving a small smile. "Maybe after all this is over."
"Okay…"my voice was unsure.
"Don't worry, its nothing bad I promise." he assured and pulled his hands away. "in fact, it might come in handy if we end up in a pinch."
I looked at him curiously. This hole to wonderland just seemed to get deeper and deeper. It was like I was literally hanging with the Mad Hatter and I was Alice. I shook my head at him, but went along with it.
"Are you going to tell me more about you're out of town thing, like where you're from?" I inquired next.
"Let's just say far." he stated. "Out of state, well states more like it."
"That's vague." I gave a strange face.
"That's all I can tell you." he gave lamely
"You're lying." my eyes narrowed.
"Okay, fine that's all I will tell right now." John looked away from me and towards the harbor outside. He wasn't going to answer and I really shouldn't push the topic.
"Fair enough," I nodded. "Okay, how about seeing things. Did you get to see anything here yet?"
"Eh sort of yes." he shrugged. I wouldn't find out until later what he was really up to.
"Guess that's good I supposed." I mused.
"I would still like to see more of it. After this situation is over of course. I meant that when we met the first time at the café." he said looking back at me again. "It's got a certain, familiarity, so to say. Like my days in London."
"Yeah I'd like that too." I said before my brain registered I said it out of habitual nature. I blushed, which forced me to take a drink of my water to calm down again. To try and distract myself from my momentary embarrassment I said, "So where do we go then from here. Now that I've found you. You seem to know better what's going on and or what to do."
"Well," he began. "After we eat, I can get you home. Then myself I'm going to go check out this Tower you work at."
"Whoa whoa," I stated. "You can't just drop me off after I spent all day looking for you! Besides, what if they figure out where I live! Besides, why would you have me come looking for you just for you to send me away again?"
"I don't know, information." he tried to play off, but he smirked a little. "But I suppose you do have a point. I'm not going to fool you or shake you am I?"
"Probably not." I stated actually crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair not convinced. He really was such a terrible liar, and just a tad manipulative. He was definitely poking my buttons to see if I was really onboard with this or not. At least to me anyway. I guess it was the one thing I was good at for being socially awkward. My paranoia for bull meter was always on alert and this time it just seemed to be working. "Besides, I know the building really well and you don't."
"Good point." he gave a nod. "Welp guess I'm really stuck with you then."
"Guess so." I gave with satisfaction.
"You do realize though, that this means potentially having to face things you barely believe are real?" he scoffed a bit.
"Keep that up and I might just feed you to them myself for that." I quirked.
"Oh really, I'd love to see you try that one." John smirked a devious stare at me. The serious tension in the vicinity broke and we both just ended up laughing a little at one another antics. "See, did I tell ya, that face. You're amazing."
"Shut up." I retorted feeling embarrassed again. Did he like seeing me red in the face?
"Seriously!" he tried to say, almost as if my implications went right over his head, whether they really did or not.
The waiter luckily saved me by coming with our food and putting it and the coffee's in front of us. He wanted to know if we wanted anything else. Myself I didn't, and neither did John. So the waiter walked away to leave us be with our food. To quickly distract myself, I began to stuff my face with a tartar sauce covered fillet. John was not as eager as I had been I realized, but I didn't care. My body was telling me I was in need of food, even if my nerves were saying I'd rather not.
He just stared at me for a few long moments as I ate. I must have looked like a ravenous wolf to him by my behavior. His gaze got my attention though, as I looked up at him with pathetic looking eyes. He didn't say anything at all, but just smiled at me instead as if to say he understood. I did go back to eating, but a bit more slowly this time. Eventually the silence was broke by John.
"The view is lovely isn't it?" he commented about the harbor. "Even at night."
"Yeah," I stated as I poked a fry into some ketchup. "It's better during the sun actually setting though. Or even sunrise. The ferries coming in and out make it picturesque."
It was nice to take a moment from the situation at hand. It wasn't like we were dumb we both knew what lie ahead of us and it wasn't pretty, but him taking a moment to notice a spot of beauty in the dismal my life seemed surrounded with, was a nice alleviation. I could tell he enjoyed it greatly, even if it was probably a short while.
"I can imagine that." John nodded. "It's those sorts of precious moments that make all the rest worth fighting for."
I looked at him curiously after eating another fry. Something about how he said that made me think and feel like it was something more than just a casual statement. In the end, it made me smile. Whatever it was he meant by it, it was somehow comforting to know. In a way those words tugged at me to want to follow him willingly into whatever danger was about to lie ahead for us. Damn he was good!