Storyverse. Dan/Rorschach, mature, sexual themes and actions, some violence, spoilers. Not what really happened, but all takes place in a time slot left blank by Moore and Gibbons, who own these characters. I only own my ideas. (first Watchmen fic, please be gentle)

The world is white and silent. The noise from the scooters is muffled by my insulated cowl, and Rorschachs' voice stopped what feels like ages ago. There is nothing to say right now. We can talk every thing over after. Oh please YHVH, Adonai, Makom, whatever you like to be called, let there be an after. I'm not a religious man, but please. I've never felt like this before. This fear is so poignant, it's in my oversized gut, making me feel sick. Please let Walter get out of this okay.

I have so much to tell him. To explain, to do. I just want to make him happy, protect him... He looks so cold. I hope he's not getting frost bite. Damn, what if he gets hypothermia, or pneumonia? What if we make it through this adventure, but he dies in a month or two because of the exposure to the cold? What will I do if Rorschach dies?

.... Sleep with Laurie. While thinking of her. Damn you Rorschach. Damn you. Leaving me a loophole, a chance at a normal life if you don't make it out. No, I refuse to accept this... this cop-out. I won't quit. Not again, not after all of this, not after what happened in Archie, after seeing you slice into yourself with self loathing in your eyes, seeing you lose yourself above me, panting and sweating and cursing my name. Not after realizing and acting on love. Fuck the normal life. Fuck Laurie, who's off with Jon anyways, and probably won't come back. I'm not going to quit again, Rorschach. I hope he knows that. I really hope he does.

I'm shaken from my thoughts, eyes focusing on a palm tree. What the hell? A palm tree, half buried in snow. I shake my head. We're here. I turn back, words being snatched from my lips by the wind.

"On the left, I think I see an entrance. I'm going to open her up."

Rorschachs' voice sounds off, not just the wind. "What?"

There's no way he could have heard all that I said. So I point. Distantly I hear a 'hurm'. I approach the entrance tunnel thing, wary. Veidt might have booby traps, some kind of extreme security. Not that he's ever struck me as paranoid.

"Yeah... it's some sort of door. I think I can burn out the lock mechanism." I'm just talking to hear my own voice, and I think Rorschach is too. or he's losing it even more. He's starting at the tree.

"Palm trees, buried in snow. Doesn't make sense." I have to get him inside. The way he gets off the scooter, everything, his balance, I'm sure that he's in the beginnings of hypothermia. I crouch at the portal, taking my laser light to it's spiraled workings.

"Please let's just get inside and worry about one mystery at a time. All this whiteness, I'm feeling sort of exposed. Up here, we don't have any camouflage. We're out of our natural environment. "

There's a pause. Rorschach sounds concerned, but only barely. "Nervous?"

I think on the answer, distracting myself with the door, breaking the lock. "There. Open Sesame." Rorschach has resigned himself to what may come. Fine. "Well. My stomach feels weird and my balls are all shriveled up, so, yeah, I guess 'nervous' will do."

I step inside, along with a small avalanch of snow. Veidt's place. His lair. It's impressive, scary. I again muse aloud, not wanting to think of what might happen to Walter tonight. "Y'know this must be how ordinary people feel. This must be how ordinary people feel around us. " Rorschach follows me inside. I'm glad. I keep rambling.

"Jesus, look at this place. I thought I had some stuff in the owl's nest...I mean, what the hell is that thing? Half this equipment I don't even recognize."

Rorschach shoves things back on track. "Can ask Veidt, when we find him."

I don't want to find Veidt. I don't want Rorschach to die. No. I'm being silly. No one's going to die. Everything is going to be fine. It's all just Rorschach's crazy scheming getting to me. It's all a big misunderstanding. Veidt will set us straight. "Hm. Actually, that's a good point. How do we approach him? What do we say?"

Rorschach stays by my side, as we wander, it feels like old times. Then he starts to speak, and the dread returns. "Nothing. Subdue him first, if possible. May not get second chance. Ask questions later."

I don't like that plan. It's got my guts squirming. But I can't disagree, not this late in the game. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But it's going to feel awfully strange. He's such a caring, conscientious guy. He's a pacifist, a vegetarian... "

Rorschachs' tone chills my blood. "Hitler was vegetarian. If bothers you, leave Veidt to me. Suggest we proceed quietly from here."

And the silence stretches between us once again, my thoughts wandering to how this day may end. Rorschach wants to kill Veidt. It's clear now, to me. He wants to kill him, he's sure of Veidts' guilt. As if Ozymandias didn't fight along side us more than once. Adrien's more apt to be a good guy than a bad guy, why can't Rorschach see that? If he's wrong, this is going to look so stupid.

But what if he's right? What if he's right, and Adrien is going to try to kill us? If he's trying to kill the world? If he's gone insane with power and riches and glory, and all that bullshit, and he wants to end it all in a torrent of fire and chaos? No way. Not Adrien. It's clear as we walk. Going through an anteroom now, a garden with pretty flowers in the middle. A wall of TV's on various stations, switching remotely, on a timer. Oh, stairs...I think I hear something.

I hope I don't. I don't want to find Adrien. I don't want to run the risk. I don't want Walter to get hurt. Suddenly, I pray for silence.