milliways_bar | (no subject)

"I can go to Toronto with Nick."

He's still looking consideringly at the door.

"It might be interesting to see if they still want me back."

"Um....Alex, I think I speak for most of us here when I say that we don't want them to take you back."

"I wouldn't go through. I promised Nick I'd be wherever he was. But the other two times I saw back there, and I knew they wanted me back. I wonder..."

"Would they try to pull you through?"

"I don't know. They didn't the other times."

He's still looking at the door.

"Well...I suppose it's your right to try it."

He looks very apprehensive.

Alex stands up and walks over to the door.

Richard might not be at the right angle to see what Alex sees when he opens it. Whatever it is, he tilts his head and looks for a few moments, then closes the door and goes back to the booth.

And laughs.

He wasn't.

"Well....what did you see?"

Another laugh, long and low and slightly hysterical.

"They're still waiting."

"Jesus, Alex, I'm sorry."

He looks closely at him.

"Are you going to be all right?"

He keeps laughing.

"Guess I haven't paid enough yet."

He shakes his head.

"That's not mine to say."

He reaches out a hand, but pulls it back. He doesn't know Alex well enough for that yet.

"Can I get you anything?"

The door opens a moment later and David steps inside.

"Oh!"

Richard waves him over.

"David, you know Alex, right?"

He looks up at David, still laughing.

"Hi, David. Hell wants me back, David, isn't that friendly of them?"

David raises an eyebrow at Alex, and looks to Richard.

"Er, yes, but he normally sounds saner than this."

He walks to Alex and touches his shoulder.

"Alex, pardon my language, but what the hell?"

"I asked too many questions again."

Alex smiles brightly at them.

"I opened the door, and it's still there, they're still waiting for me. They want to take me back. Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?"

"It makes me all worried and nauseous outside, Alex, what were you doing opening the door?"

His brows are knitted together, and he's faintly scowling.

"Don't tell me you tried to leave? Is everything alright?"

"No, he didn't try to leave. He just went to look."

David, I'm sorry, this is my fault. I asked too many questions, and he told me he died and went to Hell. He was all happy before that. He and Nick just bloodbonded.

He sighs, and shakes his head at Richard.

No, it's fine... he's just very... delicate.

He touches Alex's shoulder.

"You bloodbonded?" he asks with a smile, hoping to turn the conversation back to pleasanter thoughts.

"Mmmhmm."

He tilts his head, baring the mark, which is starting to scar. His eyes fall on the door again.

"They're right through there."

Richard throws David a desperate look.

"But they can't get here, Alex. You don't have to worry about them anymore."

He nods, and wraps Alex in his arms. "They can't come through. And I wouldn't let them take you. Nick would never forgive me, and I'd never forgive myself."

Another peal of the laughter Nick hates.

"I know that. They can't get though, because there're no doors in that place, and you have to have a door to get here. They made a door in my cell, s'how I got here. I don't think they know that, though. They thought I couldn't leave."

Another laugh.

"I can't leave here either. There're doors, but they don't go anywhere but here or back there. I don't mind, Nick's here. Nick's here and that's important. I said I'd always be where he was, I promised, and he promised too. He promised."