(no subject)
Title: Lake Ramsey | Part 2 (complete)
Characters/Pairing: Sylar/Eden, Chandra
Rating: PG - 13
Word count: 3,036
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Summery: Eden goes with Sylar and Chandra on one of their road trips
Note: Set in the months before he went on his killing spree.
He's got serious second thoughts and Eden talks about her addiction.
It's quite fluffy! Think it's finished.
Parts: 1, 2
The lowering of the zip faintly brings him up from sleep until he's blinking in the duff light and then inwardly groans when he feels how seized up his body is in it's curled position. Tilting his head up and lowering the sheet he becomes still and stops breathing when he sees Eden, wrapped in a towel, looking through his suitcase. Surprised and not a little angry he kicks the sheet off and rises.
"What do you think you're doing?!" He growls and grabs her upper arm to twist her around to him. Eden gasps loudly and jumps, hand flying to her chest as she looks guiltily up at him. Then her features settle into a mulish expression and she rolls her eyes.
"What does it look like? I'm obviously in the process of stealing your clothes. Like this," she says and swings up a pair of his boxers on a fingertip.
Oh my god. He grabs them from her with the tinniest gasp and he doesn't need a mirror to see his face is as red as the towel around her body. Eden laughs at him but this time there's nothing malicious about it.
"I'm just joking! I was looking for a razor and didn't want to wake you. But maybe you don't have one either..." she lifts her hand and rubs the back of her fingers against his chin, against the stubble. He remains still, breath caught in his throat and he can't break eye contact until she blinks and looks down.
What?
Eden shrugs, bends and quickly glides a hand up and down one of her legs, considering. "Guess it's not to bad..." Then he's shaking his head from the fog that had descended and moves to his suitcase and pulls a razor out from one of the pockets.
"Here."
"Aw, thanks! I'll try not to dull it. Although I've never understood that, it's not like I'll be shaving with it for years and years or anything..." she mutters as she disappears into the bathroom and he sits on the bed, staring at the bathroom door in confusion.
I just spent a night with a woman.
He tries not to laugh but just barely.
*
After meeting Chandra for breakfast they head out in the car again, a few miles away from the hotel to visit the man on the list. Mr Brewer.
Sylar sits in the back seat, eyes closed as he tries not to be sick. His heart beats uncomfortably fast and he doesn't know if he's feeling overly excited or petrified. Eden is next to him and he can feel the weight of her gaze so he opens his eyes and smiles reassuringly at her.
"You ok? You're sweating and look really pale." She moves closer with frowning eyes.
"I'm alright, maybe the breakfast didn't agree with me."
"And you're no doubt excited, seeing someone who's like yourself for the first time." She offers lightly and he nods, smiling weakly.
"Yeah, that to."
Heading into a quiet, well to do neighbourhood Chandra stops the car outside a house with a large front garden, ringed with trees. He takes a big breath and scooping up "Activating Evolution" from the passenger seat exits the car and they follow, Sylar lagging behind. Chandra turns to them, looking slightly nervous as he knocks on the door.
"Well here goes nothing."
Nothing? What does that even mean? It makes no sense. Oh shit. The door opens to reveal a pretty woman, a few months pregnant. She greets them with a polite smile.
"Can I help you?"
"David Brewer wouldn't be here by any chance?"
"No, my husband is away."
Chandra and Eden slump with disappointment while Sylar feels a confusing swell of relief. They're having a baby.
"Well that's unfortunate, we've come a long way you see...could you perhaps give your husband this?" He offers the book to her and she takes it with a frown, staring at the title.
"...Sure. What is this all about?" This is met with silence and the woman frowns deeper, looking at the book again. Finally she tilts her head with consideration and Sylar thinks he detects some knowing in her eyes. "He'll be back tomorrow morning. He had to go to his mother's. Silly woman flooded her apartment out." she smiles fondly and settles a hand on her belly for a moment. Sylar takes a step back, hands in his pockets.
"Well that's great! I mean about your husband's return tomorrow. I'll come back then. Thank you, thank you." Chandra says excitedly and shakes the woman's hand but Sylar's already walking away, hand scrubbing over his face. What just happened? I can't do - No I can! Just don't give up!
With these thoughts battling they drive back, all now with free time to spend.
"I'm thinking about doing a spot of fishing, haven't done that in years." Chandra says when Eden asks what to do. She nods, not looking particularly excited. She turns to Sylar, brows raised.
"What about you?"
"I dunno, I've never gone fishing before..."
"I'll warn you now some people find it tedious."
"He-hum. That's why I'm going to the science museum. Wanna come?" Eden says with a smile and he freezes, unsure. He did want to go with her for some inexplicable reason but this would be an ideal chance to speak to Chandra without her eating up the man's attention.
"I think I'll stay with Chandra." He thinks he sees disappointment in her features before she shrugs.
"Ok, if you're sure. You have my cell number if you both need anything, ok? See ya." With that she leaves, giving "Papa" a kiss on the cheek and him a teasing hot look before walking out of sight.
Chandra smiles up at him as Sylar stares after her, frown line between his brows. The older man's smile becomes more knowing and he chuckles to himself. "Shall we?"
*
Tedious didn't even cover it. Hours, Chandra said, he could spend just waiting and while Sylar was a very patient man he wasn't for fish.
Hope mine is still alive...
Sitting by the Lake shore, the sun shining, Sylar looks down at his watch and shifts in his fold-up chair. Tomorrow the woman had said, he could get there before anyone, wait for him to arrive and then do it...
"Do you ever think -"
"Ssshh! Don't scare the fish away." Comes Chandra's peeved voice and Sylar keeps his displeasure to himself but lowers his voice. First Eden and now this?
"Sorry. I was just thinking...what if it's a bad idea? Don't get me wrong," he says quickly when the man turns to stare at him sharply. "I'm not backing out. But don't you ever think that some people aren't ready to hear that they might be special?"
Chandra keeps silent for awhile but then nods, looking out over the water. "I did, that's why I never approached any of them. It's a monumental thing to be revealed, changes a person's very way of life. Most of the time."
"What do you mean?"
"Well sometimes, from what I've seen, people that know they have abilities choose not to use them or even acknowledged there presence. It's to much to handle, having that knowledge that you're so fundamentally different." Chandra narrows his eyes at Sylar and claps his hand against his back, making him straighten suddenly. "But then I remind myself that there are people like you! You've given me hope that others will follow in your footsteps."
Sylar stares at the man for very long time with a gaze shifting from adoration to reproach. Chandra blinks in confusion, clearly uncomfortable and looks away. Clearing his throat and, reeling his line back in, he speaks more lightly.
"Eden must be having fun...why don't you join her? It will be a chance to get to know each other, she's not all bad. I'm sure you'll find her presence more agreeable then mine at the moment..." At the sound of her name Sylar had slumped back in his seat but then straightened again at the loaded quality to the man's voice. He frowns at him, feeling warmer.
"What do you mean? She hates me."
"Rubbish! She's just got a very sharp tongue, try not to let it get to you." He keeps his gaze averted but he still smiles softly. "Go on, I'm afraid you'll not get another word from me, I'm in for the long haul." So saying he casts the line out again and Sylar gets to his feet, shrugging.
"That's if I can find her..."
*
He does find her luckily, outside the museum. The large sight is situated beside Lake Ramsey and the museum consists of two snowflake shaped buildings, one larger then the other. Coming close he stops a few feet away and she waves to him, sitting at a bench, cell phone to her ear. He takes a seat opposite and stares around as she talks.
"Yeah it's really beautiful here...no, not to cold. Really? Well be careful Claire...ok, ok...thanks, bye!" She smiles and lets her cell fall into her handbag and then turns to his watchful gaze. "Sorry, that was my bosses daughter. I phoned to tell him I would be away for an extra day but he wasn't in. She's a cheerleader, which I'm super shocked about because her dad is really overprotective of her. Better then the opposite I guess..." she trails off, finally taking a breath and gets to her feet, staring at him more closely. "So the fishes won then?"
Reproach crawling up his back he stands and gives her a tight smile in return and she shakes her head with a frown. "Come on..."
Walking into the brightly lit place Eden takes a map and heads purposefully up a spiralling ramp, Sylar at her heels. "Where we going?"
"Butterfly sanctuary! Went back to the hotel to get my camera, otherwise you probably would have missed me..." Children run past them and Eden turns to him, considering. "I think this is more a place to bring your kids...one day I'd like to do that."
"You want kids?" It just came out, his lack of communication making him feel uncomfortable. Rude even.
Walking into the warm netted room Eden shrugs lightly, not looking at him. "Dunno, just thinking out loud. Oh wow look at them!" She says with awe and darts forward, camera at the ready to take snaps of the multitude of butterflies flying and resting.
Children all but ringed around their waists they peer at the fluttering insects, Eden trying to guess what they are without reading the information leaflets. "Purple Emperor? No?" Sylar shakes his head, smile tugging his mouth as she tries to guess. "Purple Empress? Purple Queen?" God I don't know!" She says with a laugh, camera before her face.
"It's a Red Admiral. Vanessa atalanta," he adds, watching for her reaction and is pleased to see her impressed face. Hiding his smile he points to another. "That's a Monarch, Danaus plexippus. They do really long migrations..." Feeling more at home he proceeds to name each one they find, always watching for Eden's increasingly awed face, a gaggle of children following them. She's more impressed by this? I could make everyone in this room fly with these creatures...
"How do you know all this? I thought you restore watches?"
"I do, I mean I did. I just read a lot. A lot." He emphasised, "my apartment is more library then living area. I just have a knack for picking things up."
"Knowing how things work? Papa Suresh told me. I think that's really impressive." Reveling in the compliment he turns the discussion towards her, feeling increasingly at ease. The professor was right, his little mousy neighbour wasn't all bad.
"He said you work in a bookshop, maybe I could..." But he trails off when he sees her freeze, smile more like a mask before she shrugs.
"Sure, I'd like that." Saying so she turns and starts to head away from him, drawn to a more quiet area. He stays where he is, watching her grin in delight with captivation before he's brought back down to earth when persistent tugs remind him he's got an audience demanding he perform. The kids looks up at him and stares after Eden with an increasing bewilderment.
*
"That was sweet!"
"No it was not."
She snorts as they pay for their food and search for a table. "Yeah it was! I almost drained my battery taking pictures of you with them! I never expected you to be good with kids."
"Neither did I..." he mutters as they sit, both having salad and pasta. She stares at him as he pokes at his food, tilting her head.
"It was nice, you'd stopped trying to be so serious all the time." He raises his head up, about to complain but then changes his mind. She was right but she didn't really understand. No one did.
"It's a serious thing that's happened to me, I can't take it any other way."
"But you're happy about it? I can't even imagine what it must feel like..."
He lets a silence stretch before answering, his mind so divided. "I am happy, of course I am. I feel like I've been given another chances to start over, be better then I was...but sometimes - sometimes I feel..." He trails off, very uncomfortable and looks at her. She's watching him with those intense eyes again and he has the stomach jumping sensation she knows everything.
But he's released from his suspicions when she shrugs her thin shoulders and starts eating, all light and carefree again. "So that's why you changed your name? I can understand that."
"Eden's not yours then?" He had suspected but never asked. This was the longest conversation they'd ever had.
"It is now." she says quietly, not looking at him and he tries to leave it alone but he's dieing to know more.
"And your real name is...?" She straightens then, derisive smile in place.
"You'll have to do more then buy me dinner if you want to know that! Not even Chandra -" She pauses suddenly and lowers her eyes quickly from him as he begins to smirk.
"Sorry? Could you repeat that?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about..." she says airily, spearing a cherry tomato onto her fork and popping it into her equally smirking mouth.
"You do that on purpose! You're so annoying sometimes."
She widens her eyes in shocked affront and then laughs. "I am not!"
"Yeah you are." They sit smiling at each other until her trailing eyes look away, her cheeks reddening. She's blushing? Why?
Eden looks towards the bar, considering. "Hmmm, fancy a drink."
He straightens and reaches for the wine list, looking down it. "I could get you something if you want?"
"No!" Sharp and serious and he lifts his eyes to see her stony face, mouth set. He puts the menu back, jaw clenched. What does she think I was suggesting? It's just a drink. Eden's eyes soften at the sight of his offended, slightly humiliated face and she lays her hand on top of his.
"I'm a recovering addict, for a few months now."
Blinking he feels even more foolish but at her words he experiences a sudden kinship, a nagging certainty that he had kept to himself coming to the fore. "Sorry...me to." Finally, out there. He couldn't even tell Chandra, even if he feels deep down it was the man's fault. If he had never come into his life...
Eden's now staring at him with surprise and the hand on his tightens, fingers curling around his palm. "You are? I never knew."
"No one does, I haven't told anyone before." He speaks softly, at a slightly higher octave but he doesn't care. Her eyes shine compassion and she nods.
"I understand, it's ok. You hide it well..."
"You're recovering? How?"
She breathes in deep, loosing focus for a moment. "Support, people helping me. I fear to think what would have happened if I didn't have people there looking out for me..." she stares at him again, hand still holding his. "It was hard but I got lucky. It was my boss, at the bookshop, that helped me. He's a total hard ass but he took me under his wing and showed me a better way to live my life. I would be dead or in prison, again, if he hadn't found me."
"Prison? You did bad things?" He says with interest but disbelieving. He couldn't picture that. At all.
Her gaze flickers and she swallows. "I did very bad things. I hurt myself but mostly others and I didn't care. At least I tried not to. The drink, it was an instigator and comfort. I blamed it for what I did. It was its fault I did those things, I wasn't acting of my own free will. It made me feel better when the guilt caught up with me. But I liked, loved, the way it made me feel in most moments. No one gets addicted to a thing they don't like." She says with finality and leans back but still doesn't let go of his hand.
She's talking about drink. What's happening to me is similar but so, so different. No one can help me... He stares at her desperately and she seems to waver. She gets up and he follows, feeling totally listless. He only realises they're at her car when she lets go of his hand and turns to look up into his face.
"You never said, what your poison is?"
He opens his mouth, closes it and just stares at her silently, face deeply troubled. He feels like it's clogging up his throat, all the things this hunger could be. Eden comes closer and glides her hands up his arms before she stands on tiptoe and presses her body close to his. He lays a hand against her back and is lightly shocked at the tactile feel of her. She pushes her hands against his shoulders and settles her lips against his cheek, soft and full.
"It's ok, I'll be there for you if you ever wanna talk."
***********************************
Lake Ramsey is where Eden's body was found.
And the whole addiction/hunger thing is similar to that retcon scene but not intentionally.
Characters/Pairing: Sylar/Eden, Chandra
Rating: PG - 13
Word count: 3,036
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Summery: Eden goes with Sylar and Chandra on one of their road trips
Note: Set in the months before he went on his killing spree.
He's got serious second thoughts and Eden talks about her addiction.
It's quite fluffy! Think it's finished.
Parts: 1, 2
The lowering of the zip faintly brings him up from sleep until he's blinking in the duff light and then inwardly groans when he feels how seized up his body is in it's curled position. Tilting his head up and lowering the sheet he becomes still and stops breathing when he sees Eden, wrapped in a towel, looking through his suitcase. Surprised and not a little angry he kicks the sheet off and rises.
"What do you think you're doing?!" He growls and grabs her upper arm to twist her around to him. Eden gasps loudly and jumps, hand flying to her chest as she looks guiltily up at him. Then her features settle into a mulish expression and she rolls her eyes.
"What does it look like? I'm obviously in the process of stealing your clothes. Like this," she says and swings up a pair of his boxers on a fingertip.
Oh my god. He grabs them from her with the tinniest gasp and he doesn't need a mirror to see his face is as red as the towel around her body. Eden laughs at him but this time there's nothing malicious about it.
"I'm just joking! I was looking for a razor and didn't want to wake you. But maybe you don't have one either..." she lifts her hand and rubs the back of her fingers against his chin, against the stubble. He remains still, breath caught in his throat and he can't break eye contact until she blinks and looks down.
What?
Eden shrugs, bends and quickly glides a hand up and down one of her legs, considering. "Guess it's not to bad..." Then he's shaking his head from the fog that had descended and moves to his suitcase and pulls a razor out from one of the pockets.
"Here."
"Aw, thanks! I'll try not to dull it. Although I've never understood that, it's not like I'll be shaving with it for years and years or anything..." she mutters as she disappears into the bathroom and he sits on the bed, staring at the bathroom door in confusion.
I just spent a night with a woman.
He tries not to laugh but just barely.
*
After meeting Chandra for breakfast they head out in the car again, a few miles away from the hotel to visit the man on the list. Mr Brewer.
Sylar sits in the back seat, eyes closed as he tries not to be sick. His heart beats uncomfortably fast and he doesn't know if he's feeling overly excited or petrified. Eden is next to him and he can feel the weight of her gaze so he opens his eyes and smiles reassuringly at her.
"You ok? You're sweating and look really pale." She moves closer with frowning eyes.
"I'm alright, maybe the breakfast didn't agree with me."
"And you're no doubt excited, seeing someone who's like yourself for the first time." She offers lightly and he nods, smiling weakly.
"Yeah, that to."
Heading into a quiet, well to do neighbourhood Chandra stops the car outside a house with a large front garden, ringed with trees. He takes a big breath and scooping up "Activating Evolution" from the passenger seat exits the car and they follow, Sylar lagging behind. Chandra turns to them, looking slightly nervous as he knocks on the door.
"Well here goes nothing."
Nothing? What does that even mean? It makes no sense. Oh shit. The door opens to reveal a pretty woman, a few months pregnant. She greets them with a polite smile.
"Can I help you?"
"David Brewer wouldn't be here by any chance?"
"No, my husband is away."
Chandra and Eden slump with disappointment while Sylar feels a confusing swell of relief. They're having a baby.
"Well that's unfortunate, we've come a long way you see...could you perhaps give your husband this?" He offers the book to her and she takes it with a frown, staring at the title.
"...Sure. What is this all about?" This is met with silence and the woman frowns deeper, looking at the book again. Finally she tilts her head with consideration and Sylar thinks he detects some knowing in her eyes. "He'll be back tomorrow morning. He had to go to his mother's. Silly woman flooded her apartment out." she smiles fondly and settles a hand on her belly for a moment. Sylar takes a step back, hands in his pockets.
"Well that's great! I mean about your husband's return tomorrow. I'll come back then. Thank you, thank you." Chandra says excitedly and shakes the woman's hand but Sylar's already walking away, hand scrubbing over his face. What just happened? I can't do - No I can! Just don't give up!
With these thoughts battling they drive back, all now with free time to spend.
"I'm thinking about doing a spot of fishing, haven't done that in years." Chandra says when Eden asks what to do. She nods, not looking particularly excited. She turns to Sylar, brows raised.
"What about you?"
"I dunno, I've never gone fishing before..."
"I'll warn you now some people find it tedious."
"He-hum. That's why I'm going to the science museum. Wanna come?" Eden says with a smile and he freezes, unsure. He did want to go with her for some inexplicable reason but this would be an ideal chance to speak to Chandra without her eating up the man's attention.
"I think I'll stay with Chandra." He thinks he sees disappointment in her features before she shrugs.
"Ok, if you're sure. You have my cell number if you both need anything, ok? See ya." With that she leaves, giving "Papa" a kiss on the cheek and him a teasing hot look before walking out of sight.
Chandra smiles up at him as Sylar stares after her, frown line between his brows. The older man's smile becomes more knowing and he chuckles to himself. "Shall we?"
*
Tedious didn't even cover it. Hours, Chandra said, he could spend just waiting and while Sylar was a very patient man he wasn't for fish.
Hope mine is still alive...
Sitting by the Lake shore, the sun shining, Sylar looks down at his watch and shifts in his fold-up chair. Tomorrow the woman had said, he could get there before anyone, wait for him to arrive and then do it...
"Do you ever think -"
"Ssshh! Don't scare the fish away." Comes Chandra's peeved voice and Sylar keeps his displeasure to himself but lowers his voice. First Eden and now this?
"Sorry. I was just thinking...what if it's a bad idea? Don't get me wrong," he says quickly when the man turns to stare at him sharply. "I'm not backing out. But don't you ever think that some people aren't ready to hear that they might be special?"
Chandra keeps silent for awhile but then nods, looking out over the water. "I did, that's why I never approached any of them. It's a monumental thing to be revealed, changes a person's very way of life. Most of the time."
"What do you mean?"
"Well sometimes, from what I've seen, people that know they have abilities choose not to use them or even acknowledged there presence. It's to much to handle, having that knowledge that you're so fundamentally different." Chandra narrows his eyes at Sylar and claps his hand against his back, making him straighten suddenly. "But then I remind myself that there are people like you! You've given me hope that others will follow in your footsteps."
Sylar stares at the man for very long time with a gaze shifting from adoration to reproach. Chandra blinks in confusion, clearly uncomfortable and looks away. Clearing his throat and, reeling his line back in, he speaks more lightly.
"Eden must be having fun...why don't you join her? It will be a chance to get to know each other, she's not all bad. I'm sure you'll find her presence more agreeable then mine at the moment..." At the sound of her name Sylar had slumped back in his seat but then straightened again at the loaded quality to the man's voice. He frowns at him, feeling warmer.
"What do you mean? She hates me."
"Rubbish! She's just got a very sharp tongue, try not to let it get to you." He keeps his gaze averted but he still smiles softly. "Go on, I'm afraid you'll not get another word from me, I'm in for the long haul." So saying he casts the line out again and Sylar gets to his feet, shrugging.
"That's if I can find her..."
*
He does find her luckily, outside the museum. The large sight is situated beside Lake Ramsey and the museum consists of two snowflake shaped buildings, one larger then the other. Coming close he stops a few feet away and she waves to him, sitting at a bench, cell phone to her ear. He takes a seat opposite and stares around as she talks.
"Yeah it's really beautiful here...no, not to cold. Really? Well be careful Claire...ok, ok...thanks, bye!" She smiles and lets her cell fall into her handbag and then turns to his watchful gaze. "Sorry, that was my bosses daughter. I phoned to tell him I would be away for an extra day but he wasn't in. She's a cheerleader, which I'm super shocked about because her dad is really overprotective of her. Better then the opposite I guess..." she trails off, finally taking a breath and gets to her feet, staring at him more closely. "So the fishes won then?"
Reproach crawling up his back he stands and gives her a tight smile in return and she shakes her head with a frown. "Come on..."
Walking into the brightly lit place Eden takes a map and heads purposefully up a spiralling ramp, Sylar at her heels. "Where we going?"
"Butterfly sanctuary! Went back to the hotel to get my camera, otherwise you probably would have missed me..." Children run past them and Eden turns to him, considering. "I think this is more a place to bring your kids...one day I'd like to do that."
"You want kids?" It just came out, his lack of communication making him feel uncomfortable. Rude even.
Walking into the warm netted room Eden shrugs lightly, not looking at him. "Dunno, just thinking out loud. Oh wow look at them!" She says with awe and darts forward, camera at the ready to take snaps of the multitude of butterflies flying and resting.
Children all but ringed around their waists they peer at the fluttering insects, Eden trying to guess what they are without reading the information leaflets. "Purple Emperor? No?" Sylar shakes his head, smile tugging his mouth as she tries to guess. "Purple Empress? Purple Queen?" God I don't know!" She says with a laugh, camera before her face.
"It's a Red Admiral. Vanessa atalanta," he adds, watching for her reaction and is pleased to see her impressed face. Hiding his smile he points to another. "That's a Monarch, Danaus plexippus. They do really long migrations..." Feeling more at home he proceeds to name each one they find, always watching for Eden's increasingly awed face, a gaggle of children following them. She's more impressed by this? I could make everyone in this room fly with these creatures...
"How do you know all this? I thought you restore watches?"
"I do, I mean I did. I just read a lot. A lot." He emphasised, "my apartment is more library then living area. I just have a knack for picking things up."
"Knowing how things work? Papa Suresh told me. I think that's really impressive." Reveling in the compliment he turns the discussion towards her, feeling increasingly at ease. The professor was right, his little mousy neighbour wasn't all bad.
"He said you work in a bookshop, maybe I could..." But he trails off when he sees her freeze, smile more like a mask before she shrugs.
"Sure, I'd like that." Saying so she turns and starts to head away from him, drawn to a more quiet area. He stays where he is, watching her grin in delight with captivation before he's brought back down to earth when persistent tugs remind him he's got an audience demanding he perform. The kids looks up at him and stares after Eden with an increasing bewilderment.
*
"That was sweet!"
"No it was not."
She snorts as they pay for their food and search for a table. "Yeah it was! I almost drained my battery taking pictures of you with them! I never expected you to be good with kids."
"Neither did I..." he mutters as they sit, both having salad and pasta. She stares at him as he pokes at his food, tilting her head.
"It was nice, you'd stopped trying to be so serious all the time." He raises his head up, about to complain but then changes his mind. She was right but she didn't really understand. No one did.
"It's a serious thing that's happened to me, I can't take it any other way."
"But you're happy about it? I can't even imagine what it must feel like..."
He lets a silence stretch before answering, his mind so divided. "I am happy, of course I am. I feel like I've been given another chances to start over, be better then I was...but sometimes - sometimes I feel..." He trails off, very uncomfortable and looks at her. She's watching him with those intense eyes again and he has the stomach jumping sensation she knows everything.
But he's released from his suspicions when she shrugs her thin shoulders and starts eating, all light and carefree again. "So that's why you changed your name? I can understand that."
"Eden's not yours then?" He had suspected but never asked. This was the longest conversation they'd ever had.
"It is now." she says quietly, not looking at him and he tries to leave it alone but he's dieing to know more.
"And your real name is...?" She straightens then, derisive smile in place.
"You'll have to do more then buy me dinner if you want to know that! Not even Chandra -" She pauses suddenly and lowers her eyes quickly from him as he begins to smirk.
"Sorry? Could you repeat that?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about..." she says airily, spearing a cherry tomato onto her fork and popping it into her equally smirking mouth.
"You do that on purpose! You're so annoying sometimes."
She widens her eyes in shocked affront and then laughs. "I am not!"
"Yeah you are." They sit smiling at each other until her trailing eyes look away, her cheeks reddening. She's blushing? Why?
Eden looks towards the bar, considering. "Hmmm, fancy a drink."
He straightens and reaches for the wine list, looking down it. "I could get you something if you want?"
"No!" Sharp and serious and he lifts his eyes to see her stony face, mouth set. He puts the menu back, jaw clenched. What does she think I was suggesting? It's just a drink. Eden's eyes soften at the sight of his offended, slightly humiliated face and she lays her hand on top of his.
"I'm a recovering addict, for a few months now."
Blinking he feels even more foolish but at her words he experiences a sudden kinship, a nagging certainty that he had kept to himself coming to the fore. "Sorry...me to." Finally, out there. He couldn't even tell Chandra, even if he feels deep down it was the man's fault. If he had never come into his life...
Eden's now staring at him with surprise and the hand on his tightens, fingers curling around his palm. "You are? I never knew."
"No one does, I haven't told anyone before." He speaks softly, at a slightly higher octave but he doesn't care. Her eyes shine compassion and she nods.
"I understand, it's ok. You hide it well..."
"You're recovering? How?"
She breathes in deep, loosing focus for a moment. "Support, people helping me. I fear to think what would have happened if I didn't have people there looking out for me..." she stares at him again, hand still holding his. "It was hard but I got lucky. It was my boss, at the bookshop, that helped me. He's a total hard ass but he took me under his wing and showed me a better way to live my life. I would be dead or in prison, again, if he hadn't found me."
"Prison? You did bad things?" He says with interest but disbelieving. He couldn't picture that. At all.
Her gaze flickers and she swallows. "I did very bad things. I hurt myself but mostly others and I didn't care. At least I tried not to. The drink, it was an instigator and comfort. I blamed it for what I did. It was its fault I did those things, I wasn't acting of my own free will. It made me feel better when the guilt caught up with me. But I liked, loved, the way it made me feel in most moments. No one gets addicted to a thing they don't like." She says with finality and leans back but still doesn't let go of his hand.
She's talking about drink. What's happening to me is similar but so, so different. No one can help me... He stares at her desperately and she seems to waver. She gets up and he follows, feeling totally listless. He only realises they're at her car when she lets go of his hand and turns to look up into his face.
"You never said, what your poison is?"
He opens his mouth, closes it and just stares at her silently, face deeply troubled. He feels like it's clogging up his throat, all the things this hunger could be. Eden comes closer and glides her hands up his arms before she stands on tiptoe and presses her body close to his. He lays a hand against her back and is lightly shocked at the tactile feel of her. She pushes her hands against his shoulders and settles her lips against his cheek, soft and full.
"It's ok, I'll be there for you if you ever wanna talk."
***********************************
Lake Ramsey is where Eden's body was found.
And the whole addiction/hunger thing is similar to that retcon scene but not intentionally.