We Are Not Now That Strength
Title: We Are Not Now That Strength
Author: caelumcaelum
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Dan/Laurie, Dan/Rorschach
Disclaimer: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and a whole bunch of other people who aren't me own Watchmen.
Summary: Rorschach returns from the proverbial dead. Dan follows him.
A/N: Unbeta'd; any mistakes are utterly and completely mine. Bonus points if you can figure out where the title comes from. (P.S.--Concrit is greatly appreciated.)
Dan walks through the front door after a long day at work and is greeted by a sobbing Laurie. She is clutching the front of her dress like a life preserver, her breath coming out in short harsh gasps.
“Laurie, what’s wrong?” he asks, grabbing her hands and holding them in his own. He wonders if her mother’s died, and he says so.
“No-Dan...Rorschach’s alive.”
This news comes like a bullet to the stomach, because it can’t possibly be true, but the desire for it to be real is so painful, and it throbs like a real wound.
“What do you-?”
Laurie swallows and looks up at him fiercely.
“He’s sitting in our kitchen.”
Dan doesn’t stop to question the insane logic of this statement, or why Rorschach’s sudden resurrection has made Laurie cry so brokenly, or why this is even happening at all. He runs.
Rorschach is sitting at their kitchen table eating cereal (Cheerios, he notes). His face and fedora are lying on the table, but he’s dressed in his pinstriped pants and trench coat as always. Freckles still dot his face, and his hair is still red.
“Holy fuck,” and it takes Dan a moment to realize he’s spoken out loud.
“Daniel.” Rorschach finished his cereal and stands up. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
He’s not sure why his automatic response is to punch Rorschach in the face, but he does, and even cringes with satisfaction when he hears the sounds of cracking bone and leaking blood. Rorschach remains motionless, accepting his punishment without so much as a hurm.
“You stupid shit!” Dan screams. Now the anger is really pouring out of him, all the things he wanted to say to Rorschach but thought he never could. He knows he’s privileged, really, to get this chance to say these things to his departed friend. Most people never do.
Yes, the anger and the pain and the grief are all radiating off him, but the only words are, “You left me.”
“Had to, Daniel. Veidt would have killed you if he found out. Safer for me to disappear.”
“But I thought you were dead! I thought-“ you were gone. I would have to live my life without you. That you were nowhere, that you had gone to a place where I couldn’t find you.
Instead, Dan runs out of words, and is silent.
“Thought you should know. Didn’t think it was fair to lie to you.”
That, at least, made sense. Rorschach could never lie, not even by omission.
“Have to go. Don’t want to put you in any danger.”
“No…wait. I’m coming with you.”
Rorschach simply nods and pulls on his face again. He doesn’t ask, What about Laurie? What about this quiet, peaceful life you’ve built for yourself?” He doesn’t need to, and probably doesn’t want to.
Dan goes into the basement to grab his costume and the bag he has packed in case they ever needed to run again. When he comes back up, Laurie is in the kitchen, her tears long since evaporated.
“I guess you’re leaving, then,” she says. She sounds a little pissed, but not much else.
“Yeah.” He sneaks a glance at Rorschach, just to check that he’s real and solid and there. He is.
“I’ll miss you,” Laurie sighs, and he belatedly realizes the reason for her tears. She knew he would leave with Rorschach, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie about the fact that he was still alive, because she knew that Rorschach’s supposed death had torn him apart, and-
“Goodbye, Laurie.” He gives her a quick hug that she returns coldly. She seems to have resigned herself to Dan’s departure; her eyes are dry.
“Bye, Dan.”
Rorschach and he walk outside. Dan gets in the older of their two cars, and Rorschach slips into the passenger seat beside him.
“Where are we going?” Dan asks in a daze.
“Kill Veidt.”
Dan almost smiles. An old pain replaced by a new one. The dead rising again. A suicide mission conducted by two dead men.
Well, things could be worse.
Author: caelumcaelum
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Dan/Laurie, Dan/Rorschach
Disclaimer: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and a whole bunch of other people who aren't me own Watchmen.
Summary: Rorschach returns from the proverbial dead. Dan follows him.
A/N: Unbeta'd; any mistakes are utterly and completely mine. Bonus points if you can figure out where the title comes from. (P.S.--Concrit is greatly appreciated.)
Dan walks through the front door after a long day at work and is greeted by a sobbing Laurie. She is clutching the front of her dress like a life preserver, her breath coming out in short harsh gasps.
“Laurie, what’s wrong?” he asks, grabbing her hands and holding them in his own. He wonders if her mother’s died, and he says so.
“No-Dan...Rorschach’s alive.”
This news comes like a bullet to the stomach, because it can’t possibly be true, but the desire for it to be real is so painful, and it throbs like a real wound.
“What do you-?”
Laurie swallows and looks up at him fiercely.
“He’s sitting in our kitchen.”
Dan doesn’t stop to question the insane logic of this statement, or why Rorschach’s sudden resurrection has made Laurie cry so brokenly, or why this is even happening at all. He runs.
Rorschach is sitting at their kitchen table eating cereal (Cheerios, he notes). His face and fedora are lying on the table, but he’s dressed in his pinstriped pants and trench coat as always. Freckles still dot his face, and his hair is still red.
“Holy fuck,” and it takes Dan a moment to realize he’s spoken out loud.
“Daniel.” Rorschach finished his cereal and stands up. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
He’s not sure why his automatic response is to punch Rorschach in the face, but he does, and even cringes with satisfaction when he hears the sounds of cracking bone and leaking blood. Rorschach remains motionless, accepting his punishment without so much as a hurm.
“You stupid shit!” Dan screams. Now the anger is really pouring out of him, all the things he wanted to say to Rorschach but thought he never could. He knows he’s privileged, really, to get this chance to say these things to his departed friend. Most people never do.
Yes, the anger and the pain and the grief are all radiating off him, but the only words are, “You left me.”
“Had to, Daniel. Veidt would have killed you if he found out. Safer for me to disappear.”
“But I thought you were dead! I thought-“ you were gone. I would have to live my life without you. That you were nowhere, that you had gone to a place where I couldn’t find you.
Instead, Dan runs out of words, and is silent.
“Thought you should know. Didn’t think it was fair to lie to you.”
That, at least, made sense. Rorschach could never lie, not even by omission.
“Have to go. Don’t want to put you in any danger.”
“No…wait. I’m coming with you.”
Rorschach simply nods and pulls on his face again. He doesn’t ask, What about Laurie? What about this quiet, peaceful life you’ve built for yourself?” He doesn’t need to, and probably doesn’t want to.
Dan goes into the basement to grab his costume and the bag he has packed in case they ever needed to run again. When he comes back up, Laurie is in the kitchen, her tears long since evaporated.
“I guess you’re leaving, then,” she says. She sounds a little pissed, but not much else.
“Yeah.” He sneaks a glance at Rorschach, just to check that he’s real and solid and there. He is.
“I’ll miss you,” Laurie sighs, and he belatedly realizes the reason for her tears. She knew he would leave with Rorschach, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie about the fact that he was still alive, because she knew that Rorschach’s supposed death had torn him apart, and-
“Goodbye, Laurie.” He gives her a quick hug that she returns coldly. She seems to have resigned herself to Dan’s departure; her eyes are dry.
“Bye, Dan.”
Rorschach and he walk outside. Dan gets in the older of their two cars, and Rorschach slips into the passenger seat beside him.
“Where are we going?” Dan asks in a daze.
“Kill Veidt.”
Dan almost smiles. An old pain replaced by a new one. The dead rising again. A suicide mission conducted by two dead men.
Well, things could be worse.