reshape_destiny

[Alice's heart stopped when she heard Alan's voice calling her name from the journal on her coffee table. It seemed unreal, and improbable; what were the chances? With shaking hands, she picked up the journal and read the short paragraph, and knew it was him.

She felt like crying.] A-Alan? Alan!

From:

[... that voice. Alice's voice. It wasn't some cut-and-pasted version of a recording, that much he could tell, but... was it coming from the book? Another hallucination of sorts?

Even if it was, he really didn't give a damn if there was even the slightest chance of it being her.]

Alice! Oh thank god... honey, where are you?

From:

I'm... Oh God, Alan. [Alice wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry, and it took her a moment of clenched teeth to get a hold of herself. She sucked in a deep breath before letting it hiss out, trying to figure out where to begin, how to begin; this wasn't exactly the easiest thing to explain. Her voice shakes as she speaks.] First of all, Alan, sweetie, we're not in Bright Falls anymore, not even on our planet. It's... It's really insane, and--Oh God. [there's a choked sob. she'd been so afraid she'd lost him forever, and...] I never thought I'd see you again.

[Give her a moment to catch herself.]

From:

[That sob is all it takes to send his protective instincts into full gear, and for a moment anger rises in him and he nearly flings the journal at a nearby tree, irrationally angry at it for keeping him away from Alice, keeping him from being able to hold her in his arms and tell her that it was all over now. Calm down, Alan, this is not the time to lose your temper. But then he finds himself laughing a little out of sheer relief and exhilaration. It worked, Alice was here, she was all right, and that's all that matters.]

Insane doesn't even begin to cover it, honey. You could tell me that we're on Mars and I think I'd believe it right now. But it's okay, everything is going to be all right. I promise.

[Damn this stupid book for separating them like this.]

From:

[She blinks down at the journal when Alan laughs, rather incredulously even, but finds herself letting out a quiet, subdued chuckle herself; she couldn't explain the joy she felt just hearing him, and knowing he was safe and free from that wretched, vile woman.]

[there's a quick intake of breath and she lets out a wavering sigh] With you here, I know it will be. [There's a quiet shuffling on her end as she picks up the journal and slips on her shoes before remembering she had no idea where he was.] You're near a lake, right, Alan? Can you tell me what way the water flows? I-I can come get you. [She'll even bring him some clothes!]

From:

[The fact that he's cold and wet and sore barely even registers in his mind, as does the dull ache in his shoulder blades. He's certainly got enough reasons to be sore after everything that's happened, after all, and he can worry about that later. Right now he's just running on adrenaline and joy.]

Yeah... yeah, there's a lake here, I just ended up in the middle of it. There's a stream around to the other side; I think it's flowing west to the lake.

[There's another chuckle on his end.]

I'm starting to regret that I never joined the Boy Scouts as a kid, I'll tell you that.

From:

[Alice is quick to gather clothes and a heavy towel for Alan (along with a flashlight or two), stuffing them into a shoulder bag to make them easier to carry before heading out the door, journal in hand.]

Don't know what to do when lost in another world's forest, huh, city boy?

From:

Hey, give me a little credit, I'm still in one piece. I think I can manage as long as there aren't any bears here. Talking books are enough for one day.

[He just sits down to wait, holding the journal in his lap and flipping through some of the pages as he tries to figure out just what it is.]

From:

Bears would be normal, Alan, this place is anything but that. Oh! [Oh! Hold on, she remembers getting some sort of guide in the beginning--Where is it? It's so hard to write while walking. In a messy scrawl that was distinctly Alice's, she links him the guide.]

You should probably read that. It explains this place a lot better than I ever could. [Alice could explain with pictures, as she has taken many in the last month, but that was for another time.]

From:

[... a guide to this "Luceti"? Well, that's useful. He starts to read it, though his attention is still mostly on talking to her, as if somehow by doing so he can keep her here, keep her from disappearing... because he's still afraid that this is all another nightmare.]

How kind of them, this place even comes with a free guide. Remind me to suggest that to someone whenever we get back to Bright Falls-- sure would've saved me a lot of trouble.

[After the madness he's seen and dealt with over the past two weeks, the thought of being in another world really doesn't seem that odd to him now. And hey, if nothing here is trying to kill him, that's a comparative vacation.

His good mood will probably sour a bit once he actually finishes reading the guide, however.]

From:

[There's twitch in her expression at the mention of Bright Falls, a pang of guilt; she didn't want to think about what he had to go through to save her. Of course, it's not like he could see her face, and she was grateful for that.]

Bright Falls doesn't need a guide, it needs a very large sign saying,"Turn Back Now". Or several very large signs. [Or gates around the town. Maybe a giant dome with an equally giant sun lamp.]

From:

How about a barbed wire fence, or maybe even some of those bears we were talking about? That ought to convince any hapless tourists to stay away. Hell, I'll even paint the signs myself.

[Honestly, he would've taken bears over Taken any day. At least they were something you might expect to find in the woods, and you could outrun them if you tried hard enough.]

From:

Sounds like a plan, Alan. [She tightens her hold on the journal as she gets closer to the lake, and--Oh! It is. Alice can see Alan in the distance, and she lets out a sigh of joy before giving out a soft call.]

I can see you, honey.

From:

Alice?

[He's looking around for her as soon as he hears her say that-- and then the journal drops to the forest floor, forgotten, and he's racing towards her with a happy, triumphant cry. This really is real, not just another dream...

... but even if it is a dream, he's going to savor it for as long as he can. That familiar form that his arms close around is no dream, however; Alice is going to be getting what's probably the best hug of her life as he just laughs out of sheer relief and elation, even going so far as to pick her up and spin her around for a moment before setting her back down again, still holding her close.]

If this is a dream, it's the best dream I've had in a long time.

From:

[Alice smiles so hard it hurts. She can't stop from smiling, even with the tears in her eyes, and the memory of what he had to go through; it was just so good, so good to see him again. She lifts her right hand and presses it to his cheek, thumb brushing over the stubble lovingly.]

It isn't a dream, honey, I promise. [She's had a good long while to figure out if this world was a dream, and... she knows better. This was real, all real, and they were together again. Finally. It seemed like she'd been waiting, praying forever.]

From:

[ Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second here! Can it be...? It..it really is. ] Al?! No way! Where the hell have you been!

From:

[Another familiar voice from the book? Either he really is going crazy, or this is the best news he's had in quite a while.]

Barry! Forget where I've been, what are you doing here?

From:

I don't know man! I just wound up here like you. But hey check this out...we have wings. It's like we're walking billboards for Red Bull or something! [ He should not be as excited as he is but well...it's Barry. ]

From:

[He's Barry all right, and that excitement is enough to rub off onto Alan a little despite the situation. Just a little.]

Are you sure you haven't been drinking too much Red Bull again?

From:

What? No! I don't even think they have the stuff here. Damn yokels probably never even heard of it before. [ And with that you'll get a sneeze from him. UGH NATURE! He sniffs before continuing though. ] Man Al I am glad to hear your voice though. I was worried this place though...it's not Bright Falls that's for sure.

From:

Yeah, no kidding. I figured that much out when none of the birds here tried to kill me.

But enough about that, what about Sarah and Ms. Weaver? Are they all right?

From:

[ Yeah killer birds at least the ones here weren't pulling a hitchcock, yet. ]

Uh yeah they're fine--[ except the part about having to pull a gun on Sarah. ] well uh, actually Al, about Sarah I...uh. No nevermind, everything is fine. [ See how unconvincing he is. ]

From: