Chapter Text
Are you sure about this?
No, but I love you.
I love you too ….
The sound of the building crashing in around them was drowned out by static, the sound became more than just noise it took their sight, the feeling of being in eachothers arms, everything was white and then everything was gone.
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The little bookstore was tucked away behind a busy downtown street beside a dimly lit alleyway. The building was a gray cobblestone exterior with three arched windows framed in by a brilliant shade of teal, two small round tables with chairs were set up out front and at the corner of the building a large planter housed different shades of green plants, one vine had lazily started to make its climb up the corner of the building. In scrawling text above the door was the name Statement Begins Bookshoppe. It was cozy and looking in the window you would see a small kitchen area set up selling various teas and coffee, the cash register was off to the side and behind the counter sat Sasha intently staring at her laptop screen.
The screen was open on her computer to a file about the bookshoppe, showing staff names, Sasha’s name had always been at the top, in fact when she had appeared crumpled on the floor inside the shop the computer had been on the counter turned on with her name written across the screen under the title Staff. Not surprisingly a tape recorder had been beside the laptop. Slowly she made her way over to the counter and pressed play on the recorder. Listening to it gave her a few answers to what she was doing here. The explanation let her know that she was in an alternate reality and safe. The store had been left as a sort of gift and that there was a key with an address written down left on the table in the back room. The key would let her into her flat that was a few blocks away. She didn’t trust any of it but, she also could feel in her gut that what the tape said was most likely true. After everything at the institute the idea of alternate realities didn’t seem like a far off notion and she knew she had not survived her run in with … that thing.
The first few months in a new world went back in a flash. Sasha watched around every corner afraid of some unknown and when things continued to be mundane she began to relax. A rhythm to her days built, heading to the bookshoppe by nine and leaving shortly before five. She had regular customers that would come in on their way home for a cup of tea and others would file in for a new book once every month or two. She was lonely for her friends and after everything from before had a hard time making any meaningful connections in this place. Too much, she had just been through far too much and could never settle into life the way others could with no knowledge of the monsters she had seen.
Shortly after a year Sasha had been setting up a new book display when she had the laptop turn on, she heard the fan and the beep of the start up menu and she watched as it opened to the staff page, the text that had only showed her name now had another name underneath her own, Timothy Stoker.
Sasha tucked a long curl behind her ear and repositioned her glasses as she stared at the screen. Outside in the alleyway she heard a large thump which made her jump. She cautiously went outside to look and there was Tim smelling strongly of smoke and looking like he had just been through hell. She couldn’t run to him fast enough. Bending down she carefully lifted his head and through her tears smiled.
Helping him inside Sasha showed him the recorder and she wasn’t the least bit surprised when there was a second tape beside it. This time they learned together what information this tape would give them about what was happening in their first home.
Tim had stayed with Sasha ever since and in the few following years their life had grown together. Living in the flat that was left for Sasha they continued to work in the bookshoppe and every once in a while a new tape would appear. They would listen together and close early those days. Choosing to walk hand in hand home together, to a safe place where they could process and heal from what nightmares the tape would give them, they knew they would never truly be free from the fears but, at least here together they had a second chance at life.
Now on the laptop screen in front of Sasha a familiar document had opened up again on it’s own accord. She had been checking emails when the screen had abruptly shifted to the word document simply titled Staff, she made a small gasp when she read the names.
Sasha James
Timothy Stoker
Jonathan Sims
Martin Blackwood
Grabbing her phone Sasha punched in Tim’s number listening to it ring. She heard him click on and before even getting his usual hello out she’s telling him.
“ Should I get down there?” Tim asked, walking back into the bedroom to grab socks for his shoes.
“ Well of course you should get down here, I’m going to need your help I think,” she glanced quickly out the window as she continued pacing, too excited and nervous to do anything else.
“ Yes yes stupid question I know. They’re going to be in bad shape…. Wait… did you send me a text Sasha?”
“What? I’m talking to you Tim why would I send a text -
“ It’s from you, it says: Don’t come to the shoppe Martin needs you at home.”
Sasha paused, taking a breath in order to think she looked back to the names on the computer. “ Stay there Tim. I’m guessing whoever controls the name thing … ”
“Ya a text message doesn’t seem too mysterious at this point does it, ok text me when you got Jon and I’ll wait here for Martin…” trailing off he mutters … “put some water on for tea might be a good plan”
Sasha lets out a quick giggle, her nerves getting the better of her, “ Tim you ol’ softie, that sounds wonderful.” She paused, “I’ve missed them you know? Even Jon and his attitude..and the tapes that have come through….”
Tim hears the shudder in her voice, the tapes have been awful, far worse than anything he could have thought could possibly take place. The things they have seen, quietly he said, “if they are here then it's done for them.” A more serious tone, “ Sasha, becareful with Jon.”
“What? Tim - it’s Jon”
“You’ve listened to the same tapes, it’s The Archivist. If he does anything you get out of there and call me.”
“Take care of your man and I’ll see to mine Tim.” Sasha wished she felt as brave as she sounded. There was a muffled thump outside in the alley. At the same time Tim heard a firm sound landing on the bed in the back guest room. Holding the phone so he can hear Sasha breathing on the other end he tells her not to go outside just yet.
“ Let me make sure Martin is here before you go and see the big boss. Just to be on the safe side.”
Sasha nods realizing Tim can’t actually see her and says “ hurry up.”
From the doorway Tim can very clearly see Martin, his eyes were shut tight, arms tightly hugging himself and curled protectly inwards. “Jeessuss … I have him Sasha. Go get Jon and call once you can.”
The phone clicks dead in Sasha’s ear which makes her more nervous about what she will find outside. Taking a deep breath she opens the door and runs around the building into the alleyway.
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Jon felt the air leave his body in a sickening punch as he landed hard. He doesn’t move, just lets himself be in the moment taking stock of pains and remembering. The knife sliding into his skin, the pain shocking and white hot, the feeling of Martin’s arms around him, his tears sliding onto his face, his voice … Martin… Why could he not feel him now? His eyes flash open wide, as he hears footsteps stop in front of him. Jon looks up and into the shock filled face of … Sasha.
She had run around the corner and saw the blood pooling on the alley floor before she even saw Jon’s body. There’s so much blood she thought as she sprinted to his side. He looks terrible, gaunt and sickly pale. There is blood all over his clothing, a tear in the front of his shirt which looks to be where the wound must be. She grabbed his shirt lifting it up, ready for something gruesome to greet her and there was a freshly healed scar instead.
Jon had followed her hands and watched as she moved the shirt out of the way. Seeing the scar he moved her hand gently to the side and touched it. “Sasha, am I - are we dead?” Slowly he let her help him sit up and watched her shake her head no. Barely over a whisper he said “Alive?”
Sasha touched his cheek to bring his eyes to focus on hers, “ Jon I have to get you out of this alleyway, stay with me I know this is a lot,” she looks at him sitting covered in what she assumed was his blood, whatever he had just been through to get to this place must have been terrible and so painful. “Inside I need to help you inside before people see you and call the police. It’s ok Jon, I’ve got you. We will figure this out, just not out here like this. Can you try to stand?”
He leans heavily on her for support and slowly they make their way into the bookshoppe, Sasha turning the sign from open to closed.
Martin hasn’t opened his eyes. He doesn’t want to see, he can already feel that Jon isn’t with him any longer. He doesn’t want to know what fresh hellscape he’s crossed into. Without Jon, he’s in hell no matter where he is. He killed him. He felt the warm heart blood on his hands, felt the pain ripple through Jon’s body and then that body fell weak and still wrapped in his arms. Dead he’s dead he’s dead I wasn’t fast enough, I killed him, he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead..
Tim stands in the door and can hear the rhythmic sound of words forming from Martin. He walks closer to hear what he’s saying… “Dead he’s dead, he’s dead he’s dead I killed him, dead, he’s dead…”
Grabbing his phone he dials Sasha, “ Sasha? Thank God, do you have Jon?”
Sasha looks over at the shell of a person she has sitting in the backroom with her, “Tim! Yes, yes Jon’s here inside I have him in the back. It’s awful, Tim, he looks like he’s been murdered.”
Tim looks at Martin still balled up and muttering the same words over and over, “ Sasha I think he was.. We know we both died before waking here. I think Martin had to -
“Oh Tim,” she looked over to Jon who was slowly starting to shake.. “This is really really bad. Ok let Martin know Jon’s here with me,” she watched Jon’s head snap in sharp focus to her. “I’ll talk soon, I have to tell Jon.”
Tim hung up and walked over to the bed where Martin was and lay a hand gently on his friend’s back. Martin jolted like he had been hit. “Martin, it’s Tim! Open your eyes Martin and look it’s me.”
He pauses and waits for Martin to register the words, keeping his hand firmly on Martin’s back. Slowly Martin blinks and raises his chin to see Tim standing over him.
“Tim!” There is no way this is real, Tim’s dead, Jon’s dead… dead dead everyone…
“Deep breath Martin, it’s alright, it’s Tim, it’s me, really me, I’m here.” He lifts his hand from Martin’s back and grabs his hand, holding it firmly in front of Martin’s face then helps pull Martin into a sitting position.
Martin’s breath hitches as he fully feels Tim, sees him, truly sees Tim standing in front of him. “Tim!” Grabbing Tim around the waist he holds onto him in a hug, tears streaming down his face. “You’re alive!”
Tim brushes his hand through Martin's hair and lets him hold on for as long as he needs. “Hey hey it’s ok Martin, you’re alive, I’m alive, breath buddy, deep breaths ok.”
Martin slowly lets go and Tim sits down beside him. Resting a hand on Martin’s arm he looks at him and says “ Sasha is here too.” Martin stares at him, tears brimming in his eyes and as they slowly flow free, Tim says “ She has Jon with her. Martin, he’s here with us too, he’s alive Martin.”
Martin cries and Tim holds him as all the fear and pain leave his body one tear filled sob at a time.
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Sasha puts the phone down and lets Jon take a breath, he’s looking at her with the most pain filled expression. Her heart pings with the ache he has in his eyes. Ask me Jon she thinks and almost one cue she finally hears his voice.
“Tim has Martin with him, is he safe? They’re both safe, here like us?”
“Yes Jon, Tim has Martin at our flat, he came through to this … reality .. at the flat. You came through here at the shoppe. I’m not sure why you didn’t both come through here. Maybe only one person at a time can come through at a certain point?”
Jon looked around the room taking in the bookshoppe, the nice normal bookshoppe. He feels the fabric of the chair he’s sitting on beneath his hand but, he also feels where his shirt is sticking to his skin as the blood starts to dry. He stands and pulls at the front of his shirt feeling it, hearing it come away.
Sasha watches, “oh Jon I’m so sorry.” She quickly goes to the back of the room where the washroom is and Jon follows.
“It’s just a sink I’m afraid but, Tim insisted on stocking shirts with the shoppe logo on them. Thought they were cool, and I think I have some of my track pants here too in the other room… take some time Jon and breath, I’ll leave the clothes outside the door and be in the main store ok?”
Jon was looking at himself in the bathroom mirror and he shuddered at the sight of his reflection. His hands shook and he looked over at Sasha, “before I - I put on - new clothes can you make sure there’s no blood that I - I missed- cleaning off? Martin- he can’t- can’t- see me like - like this.” He looked at her desperately, moving his hands to his face and down to his chest and in a whisper, “oh Martin, he just can't see this.”
She had already found a cloth and was warming up the water in the sink. “Let me do it and you can tell me where it all came from, Jesus Jon what happened? Like, I know you died. We all died there that’s how we are - well why we are here. The tapes explained enough of what was happening, the last few were … awful… Jon.”
“Tapes?”
Quietly Sasha told him about how she had woken up here, the tape left for her, then Tim, then more tapes all the way up to the fear domains. “ It doesn’t surprise me that you would have tried something but Jon, what happened at the end. Tim thinks Martin….”
Jon’s breath cuts sharply, “has he said anything, Sasha- tell me.”
“Tim said from how Martin appeared and what he was saying that he might have killed you. Jon did he?” she watched him and saw the defeat and pain wash across his face, he gave a small nod.
“Jon, talk to me.”
He told her everything as she washed the blood that covered his body and he let the pain wash out in words.
She handed him the spare clothes and shut the bathroom door once everything had been said. She walked into the main shop dialing Tim.
“How’s Martin? Has he said anything to you?”
Tim had squeezed Martin’s hand and walked into the living room, leaving Martin sitting at the kitchen table holding a cup of tea. He made sure he was out of ear shot and said, “ he’s told me about Jon going solo and taking on the eye’s power. What was he thinking, has Jon said anything to you about it?”
“ Yes he told me about the end, let’s compare stories quickly so we know what we are bringing together?”
They quickly summed up the other’s version of the end and surprisingly they were almost exactly the same. Blame on themselves for not doing the right thing at the right time but, facts were in the same place and regardless of wanting to help both Tim and Sasha knew the guys would have to talk and find their own path on this.
“ Do you think they should speak on the phone beforehand?” Sasha watched Jon come into the shop and look at her expectantly.
Tim sighed and walked back towards the kitchen, “ ya we should at least prep what the next step is going to be, I’d like you to be back here Sasha. This is a lot and I’m really not - the person who should be handling emotions like this. I need you for this.”
He reached Martin and said to him, “ I’m putting us on speaker phone so you can hear Sasha, alright?”
Martin looked at the phone like it was going to combust in Tim’s hand, of course he wanted to hear Sasha he had missed her so much and Jon was with her... his breath made a hiccup type sound and he nodded too fast his hands shaking sloshing tea on the table.
Tim hit the speaker button just as Martin started to apologize for spilling the tea.
“Martin!” Jon didn’t even realize he had opened his mouth until he had said his name. Hearing him, so typical Martin sorry for this sorry for that let me clean that up, so unsure sounding. Then he just stopped and it had sounded like the phone call had dropped. The silence was so thick.
“... Jon? .. Tim said… w- with Sasha.. I didn’t - didn’t- believe it… Jon?”
“I’m here, Martin I’m here, I love you. We made it, I’m coming.” Jon was moving towards the door without knowing where he was going. Sasha grabbed her keys and hurried out the door letting Tim and Martin know they would be there shortly.
Tim looked at Martin as he started to breath shallow and fast. “ Whoa whoa Martin slow down, you’re going to pass out, deep breaths. They’re coming, it's going to be ok.”
“I killed him…”
“Doesn’t sound like there was much of a choice left Martin. Listen, I'm going to leave my phone here with you and meet Sasha outside. Give you and Jon some privacy tonight, we will call tomorrow afternoon and see how things are.”
Martin stood up, “what? You’re leaving?”
Tim gave a small chuckle, “ Martin you went through actual hell with this man and you’re afraid of seeing him now?”
Martin looked down at the ground and back up to Tim, “ I love him you know, I know you had guessed there were feelings before you - you were gone, but I love him. I stabbed him through his heart Tim. I killed him. I don’t .. what do you even say to someone after that?”
Tim touched him on the shoulder and Martin looked up the fear and pain in his eyes, he was so scared and confused.
“ All I can tell you Martin is we have all died...you died at the end too. That’s how Sasha and I figure we’re here. You both came together and that shows something right. You’ll figure it out when you see each other.” He gave Martin’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and handed him the phone. “It’s going to be ok Martin,” and Tim shut the door walking down the steps to wait for Sasha and Jon.
He could see them already. They were about a block away. Jon was moving at almost a run with Sasha a few steps behind.
Sasha had touched Jon’s back slowing him down to match her pace. She could see Tim waiting for them at the edge of the sidewalk and their walkway. She had wondered if he would want to get out of here for a little bit.
She moved in front of Jon and reached Tim first, his arm instinctively circled around her and she raised up to kiss him. Holding Tim’s hand, they faced Jon.
Tim let go of Sasha and brought Jon in for a quick hug. A tension ran out of Jon at the embrace. “It’s ok Jon. We’re here now, done is done for all it’s worth.”
“Tim. I’m- I’m so sorry for … all of it - everything.” Jon stood there so lost, he felt broken.
Sasha hugged him, “ Jon, for what it’s worth. This wasn’t your fault. Not alone. We’re going to be here for you,” she looked at Tim and back to Jon, “both of us, all of us. We’re here and we have a second chance. Speaking of which, Tim and I are off for the night. You certainly don’t need us to be an audience for you and Martin.”
Jon looked over at both of them, “ I, uh, thank you.”
Tim smirked, “ get in there and see your boyfriend,” his face went more serious as a thought passed over him, “ he needs you Jon. Be kind and go slow. He's hurting.”
Sasha touched Jon’s hand and then looked at Tim, “they both are Tim.” She looked over to Jon and smiled, “ healing takes time but, you’re together. Now, go and we’ll call you tomorrow.”
Jon nodded and turned to the door, walking up the steps and letting himself into the flat.
Martin saw the door handle move and watched as the door swung inwards, his heart pounded, his breathing was fast, he was shaking, Jon walked through the door and pulled it shut behind him. He was there, alive and standing in the same room. Martin’s knees buckled and he slid to the floor. Jon’s eyes darted to him and he was across the room in three strides sliding down to meet Martin on the floor. Martin flung his arms open and Jon melted into the embrace and they held on as they cried neither saying a word, they were together.