Part Sixteen of the PW Timeline
A JSE Fanfic
[This is part of a complete series I wrote from July 2019 to July of 2022. While Dr. Newson's hearing comes to a conclusion led by Marvin, and Chase goes to visit Jack and finds something surprising, JJ celebrates his birthday by himself. But he won't be alone for long.]
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The entryway of the courthouse was busy, many people milling about. Marvin wasn’t actually surprised, after all, this was a big case for the city. But that didn’t mean he liked it. He sat on one of the benches, playing anxiously with a Rubik’s cube in his lap. Not to solve it, just to do something. His lawyer, Aja, sat next to him, looking through her files.
Someone pushed through the crowd, coming to a stop nearby. “Marvin!” she called. “Am I late?”
“Huh? Oh!” It took Marvin a moment to recognize Dr. Laurens. “No, uh, you’re fine. We’re on recess, you don’t actually go on until later.”
Laurens sighed, relieved. “Sorry, traffic. I-I went slow, too, because. Well.” She gestured to her arm, no longer in a sling but still in a cast. “Much more mobility, and my wrist is better, but I’m still supposed to be careful. When does the recess end?”
“Uhh…” Marvin checked his phone for the time. “Just a few minutes. But it’ll still be a few minutes after that before you need to testify. Right, Ms. Bakshi?”
“Right.” Aja nodded. “Don’t worry, just head into that side room. All the people called to testify are waiting in there.”
“Oh.” Laurens followed Aja’s point towards the door. “So, this is a proper trial now and everything? I was told this was just a hearing.”
“Yes, but due to the sensationalism of the case, the hearing is being treated as a trial,” Aja explained.
“It’s stupid,” Marvin muttered. “I mean, I guess I’m glad that it’s getting attention, but I think maybe it’s a bit too much.”
“Look at it this way, now that it’s televised, public pressure will be up, and on our side,” Aja said.
“Well…good luck,” Laurens said. “I guess I’ll see you after this trial?”
“Yeah, sure,” Marvin shrugged.
That wasn’t very encouraging. “Uh…yeah. See you then.” Laurens awkwardly backed up, then turned and hurried towards the side room door.
The small side room looked a bit like a combination parlor and waiting room, so of course Laurens was right at home. The furniture was in shades of red and brown, contrasting with the green potted plants in the corner. One of the tables against the wall had a TV on it, showing a view of the courtroom. There was another door on the opposite wall that led to said courtroom. And surprisingly, there were already two people in there.
“Oh, Dr. Laurens, I see they’ve called you to testify.”
“Ah, hello. You’re those…detectives,” Laurens recalled. “Nix, and…I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”
The other detective bristled, but before he could say something snappy, Nix raised a hand and quieted him down with a gesture. “This is Hooper, don’t mind him,” he said. “How have you been? I see your arm has been healing well.”
“Yeah.” Laurens rolled up her sleeve to reveal the cast on her arm. “No sling anymore, and the doctor says I might be able to lose it entirely in another week or two, though I might still need a wrist brace.” She sighed, and rolled it back down. “A-anyway, why are you two here? Are you testifying, too?”
Nix nodded. “Yes. They wanted a statement from us reassuring the court that Henrik von Schneeplestein is not dangerous.”
“He’s not.”
“Well, we know that, but the public doesn’t,” Nix explained. “For a long time, he was our only suspect in these killings.”
“Nix, he still helped,” Hooper protested.
“Under threat, while he wasn’t in his right mind,” Nix said sternly. “Is that correct, Dr. Laurens?”
“Right.” Laurens nodded faintly. She could still remember her short time with Anti and Jackie as if it was just recently. And she didn’t think anyone could last long in those conditions.
“Not to mention his original disappearance turned out to be a kidnapping,” Nix muttered, side-eyeing Hooper before turning back to Laurens. “You know, I thought it was…strange, when we finally found him. You received the report on the arrest, right?” He waited for Laurens to nod again before continuing. “Yes, the house’s doors were all locked, and they all required the use of a key on both sides in order to unlock. Yet Henrik didn’t have a key. The real killer, this Anti, must have left him behind to take the fall, possibly fleeing the scene seconds before we arrived. Henrik got convicted anyway due to all the security footage and his fingerprints being at every crime scene, but personally, I think those would be easy to manipulate.”
Before Laurens could reply—though she didn’t know what she would have said anyway—there was movement on the TV, the one showing the courtroom. It appeared as though people were entering the area, settling down in their seats. Curious, she walked over, noticing a pair of volume buttons. Turning the sound on led to a bunch of chatter.
“Looks like they’re getting ready to start again,” Hooper commented.
“Yes, it seems so,” Nix agreed. “This must be to let us know when we’re being called to testify.”
Hooper shook his head. “We could’ve refused to come in,” he muttered unhappily. “We already gave them all the relevant case files.”
“Oh come now, this would be stronger for the prosecution,” Nix said. “We just have to confirm what’s in the files and clarify any questions.”
Feeling nerves start to crawl up her stomach, Laurens took a seat in the chair closest to the TV, anxiously waiting for her cue.
It wasn’t long before the time. The hearing proceeded with statements of the charges against Newson, and her lawyer attempted to counter said charges. Marvin’s lawyer responded, and announced they had someone to testify about Newson’s malpractice. The judge called for this testimony, and Laurens stood up, just in time for one of the courtroom’s employees (she wasn’t sure what his actual job was) opened the door. She nodded at him, and hurried out.
Laurens had never been in a courtroom before, and she was surprised that it was exactly how she pictured it to be. A grand room, some tall windows, a spot for the judge and the two parties. The only difference was the camera crew set up in the aisle: about four people dressed in dark professional attire, a table with a computer and some equipment, and a large camera. There was even a boom mic, being held by one of the people. Laurens tried not to look directly into the camera as she walked across the courtroom floor and took a seat at the table the judge was pointing her to.
“Dr. Laurens.” The lawyer sitting at Marvin’s table stood up, walking around to stand close to Laurens’ table. What was her name? Bakshi? “Please state your name and occupation.”
“Oh. Right. Well, I’m Dr. Rya Laurens, I’m a psychiatrist at Silver Hills Mental Hospital,” Laurens said.
“And what exactly do you do at Silver Hills?”
“Well, uh…I-I help people, um…who have checked in. My specialty is forms of psychosis and dissociative disorders. Currently my only patient is…um, the one in question. Henrik von Schneeplestein.” Her eyes couldn’t help but drift over to look at Newson as she talked. But Newson was very deliberately not looking at her.
“I see. And your relationship with the defendant?” Bakshi waved her hand in Newson’s direction.
“She’s—she was my boss, head of the hospital,” Laurens explained.
“And how involved was she, as your boss, in your patient cases?”
“Oh, uh…normally not very. But this one was different, she got…pretty involved,” Laurens admitted.
“Can you give an example?”
“W-well, uh…” Laurens swallowed nervously. “At first she offered to take the case from me, and one time when I was sick, she took over that day’s session with Schn—the, uh, the patient. Which resulted in one of the orderlies being injured.”
“I understand that was not the only time she did this, correct?” Bakshi prompted.
“No. When I was, uh…” Laurens paused. “…unavailable for a few months, she took over the case entirely.”
Bakshi nodded. “Tell us about what happened during this period.”
Laurens took a deep breath. This was easy. She just had to…just had to do it. “Well, obviously I wasn’t there, so I don’t know the specifics of what happened in the sessions and such. I guess, uh, you could ask the orderly on duty for that. But I do know that when I returned, Schn—Henrik, the patient, had his mental health severely degraded, and had lost all progress we’d made before. He was…very upset, and his hallucinations had gotten worse. A-and also, I checked the medication records, and Newson had prescribed large doses and—and unnecessary sedatives, both of which would have an—an effect on Henrik’s physical and mental well-being.”
“And would you say she did so deliberately?” Bakshi asked.
Laurens hesitated for just a moment. “Yes, I would say so. Definitely. It was clear that Dr. Newson harbored…um, ill feelings for Henrik.”
“Thank you very much, Dr. Laurens.” Bakshi looked at the judge. “The prosecution rests our case.”
“Very well,” the judge said in a deep voice. “The defense may proceed.”
Newson’s lawyer looked uncertain, but stood up, and cleared his throat. “Dr. Laurens, would you say that…that at any point, Dr. Newson broke the regulations of Silver Hills?”
“I, uh…don’t understand the question,” Laurens said quietly.
“I mean, is it against the regulations for Dr. Newson, in her position as head of the hospital, to be involved in other cases, prescribe medicine, or take over a doctor’s case when unavailable?”
“Well, no, not technically,” Laurens said slowly. “The head doctor may do all that, though it’s not very common, as she has her own patients.”
“So at no point did Dr. Newson do anything against the rules?” The lawyer stressed.
“Wha—no, I didn’t say that,” Laurens denied. “I mean, we have a policy against taking patients you are personally involved with, and I…I understand that Dr. Newson was personally involved.” Laurens said this last part quietly. “And she didn’t tell anyone.” Then she cleared her throat. “Furthermore, the medication prescribed was dangerous and unnecessary, and qualifies as misuse. The ethics committee has a strict restriction against misuse or abuse of any kind.” Her voice became stronger. “And even furthermore, I can confirm that the sessions she had with Henrik worsened his issues. And I didn’t know it at the time, but the hospital requires all patients to be let out of their rooms at least once per day for one hour, which Henrik was denied on Newson’s orders.”
The lawyer appeared to be at a loss for words. Laurens let out a long, long breath, and ended up glancing towards Newson. She still wasn’t looking at her, and Laurens wasn’t sure if she was relieved or hurt. “Well, ah.” The lawyer cleared his throat. “Thank you for your time, Dr. Laurens. The defense rests, Your Honour.”
“Yes, I see.” The judge nodded. “The witness may leave. Though I advise you to stay near court, in case we need to hear your testimony again.”
“Ah, thank you, Your Honour.” Laurens stood up again and hurried back into the side room. That didn’t take long at all. Hopefully, this will be over sooner than she thought.
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Unfortunately, the hearing would drag on for some time. Marvin zoned out halfway through, playing games on his phone, while Aja did most of the talking and legal details. At one point, the judge asked him about his relation to his case, and so he put away the phone and quickly explained how he was friends with Schneep. But then he went immediately back to his phone. He knew he should probably be more engaged, as the one who started all this, but he just couldn’t help it.
Eventually the court called for a recess while the final decision was debated. “It’s looking up for us, Marvin,” Aja said with a small smile. “Though be prepared, just in case.”
“Yep, mentally ready for anything,” Marvin said absentmindedly.
Aja’s smile faded. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, trust me. I mean, I know I don’t look it, but I’m ready.”
“Hmm, alright. Just be sure.” Aja straightened her papers into a single stack.
A few minutes passed. And suddenly, Marvin got a text from Chase, letting off a loud ding! sound in the middle of the mostly-quiet room. "Marv i have some big news! Im on my way to meet the kids rn but im gonna call you after to tell you."
“Huh?” Marvin said out loud, blinking in confusion. He sent a message in reply: "What do you mean? Is it good or bad?"
Before Chase could reply, the hearing quickly reconvened, everyone returning to their spots. Marvin put his phone down, watching the judge stand up to deliver the court’s decision. “After much deliberation, we find Dr. Jennifer Newson guilty of malpractice. As of right now, her license to practice is to be revoked, and a fine of £70,000 is to be paid to Silver Hills Mental Hospital. However, the prosecuting party Marvin Maher was in the wrong to trespass and take information from Silver Hills, and thus must pay a fine of £25,000 to that establishment.”
Marvin raised his eyebrows, visibly surprised. That was…a lot. But he could probably scrape it up. While the judge continued with the particulars, he leaned over to look at Dr. Newson. Her expression…was utterly devastated, but resigned. She knew something like this was coming. Marvin stifled his urge to give her a smug grin; no need to add insult to injury.
The hearing adjourned immediately after. Marvin and Aja headed outside quickly, so as to avoid the television crew that was now anxiously looking for people to interview. “Whoa, it’s like evening,” Marvin gasped, looking up at the twilight sky.
“It was, uh, certainly pretty long.” Laurens appeared nearby.
“Aah! Oh, it’s just you.” Marvin relaxed.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Laurens mumbled. “But, um. Congratulations!”
“Ah, yes, thank you for your congratulations. It means a lot, considering I just got your boss permanently fired,” Marvin said, unable to keep a hint of a smile off his face.
“Well, um…I guess it was really her own fault,” Laurens said. “I mean, it’s…bad for her, but I think it was the right thing to do. If this was how she reacted with one patient, she could’ve been doing this for others, too. A-and I don’t think they would’ve revoked her license on just the first incident.”
“Well, this was a very well-known case,” Aja pointed out.
“Oh yeah, by the way, thanks for your help,” Marvin said to her. “I’ll send you the check.”
“No problem. If you’re ever in any similar trouble, let me know. You still have my card.” Aja nodded, then turned away. “I’ll be heading off now.”
“Yeah, see you. Again, thanks!” Marvin waved as Aja slowly headed off. Then he looked at Laurens. “Uh…need a ride or anything?”
“No, I drove here, but thanks,” Laurens said.
“Oh good.” Marvin paused awkwardly. “Because, uh. I didn’t. Could you, uh, drive me over to my house please?”
Laurens thought about it, then shrugged. “Sure. I don’t think it’s too far away. My car is this way.”
“Thanks so much.” Marvin hurried after her as he headed to a parking lot.
“No problem!”
And so they headed off. Marvin breathed a sigh of relief. This whole ordeal had been on his mind for so long, he was glad it was all over with. Maybe things could slowly start to return to normal soon. Or at least some semblance thereof.
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“So, Happy Halloween. It’s that time of year again. Pretty nice outside, too, like that sort of fall day where everything is just like, crisp and cool, y’know? Usually it’s just all foggy and cloudy and cold here. Honestly that’s one of the downsides of this part of the world, there were a lot of fall days like that when I was a kid. Or maybe that’s climate change, ha ha.”
Chase smiled a bit, leaning back in the hospital chair as he looked over at Jack. Of course, there wasn’t much of a response. But he talked anyway, as always.
“Anyway, I’m taking the kids trick-or-treating this year. That’s gonna be later, thought I’d stop by first. Stacy sent me pictures of their costumes. Nick’s a bat, and Sophie’s a cowgirl. She really likes horses lately, we were talking about having a horse-themed party for their birthday, but Stacy said that wouldn’t be fair to Nick. I dunno, he likes cowboy stuff well enough, and I think when you’re four-turning-five you don’t really have strong opinions except for a few things. Or maybe that was just me.”
Jack’s hand moved a bit, inching closer to the edge of the bed. That was happening more and more recently, which was apparently a good sign, according to Dr. Emerson. But Chase still jumped a bit as his arm and shoulder shifted position.
“Oh hey, do you remember like, two years ago when you did that, like, game thing with the videos on your channel? With all the glitchy stuff that Jackie edited? That was fun.” Chase chuckled. “Man, the community really liked that, huh? I-I tried to do a couple game things similar to that, but I’ve left all the glitchy stuff for you, don’t want to steal your thing. Nothing for Halloween, though. But I did record another pumpkin video, that’ll be going up later. If you don’t keep doing this every year once you’re better then I’ll just move it to my channel, it’s pretty fun.”
There was another twitch. Chase stopped talking for a moment as Jack’s head slowly lulled to the side, so that his face was now partially facing him. That one was new. Should he tell someone? Maybe move his head back? After a moment, Chase stood up and looked over the oxygen supply and cannula system, and concluding the movement hadn’t upset or anything, he figured it was probably fine. “Be careful, bro, don’t want to unplug shit, you need that.” No answer, but it felt a lot more personal when Jack was actually looking towards him.
Slowly sitting back down, Chase continued talking. “Oh yeah, a couple more things happening today. JJ’s birthday. I want to go visit him, but y’know. Kids. I didn’t see them last year, so.” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “Also about a year since we met him, so it’s kinda special. I dunno, maybe I’ll drop by real quick on the way back home. But Marvin won’t be able to visit until later, either, maybe I’ll wait. That’s the other thing, he’s in, uhhh, court, y’know? That thing about suing Schneep’s old doctor, the one who was a dick. He’s pretty confident, so I hope it’s going well right now.” He paused. “Maybe I should go see Schneep later. I mean, I can’t, visiting hours and all that, but Laurens, the good doctor, told me last week that’ll be changing soon, maybe I should stop by anyway to check, later tonight before going to see JJ.”
“Mmmmhnn.”
“But I don’t know, would that be too annoying? I don’t want to be one of those people, the ones who…wait.” Chase had been staring blankly at the opposite wall, but now he looked back over at Jack. “Did…was that…did I hear…?”
Jack’s other hand raised up briefly into the air before flopping back down. “Mmnnh. Nnnnhh.” Then his mouth opened. Just a little bit. “Uuuhhhn. Aauhh.”
“Holy shit.” For a moment, Chase just stared, in total disbelief. Then, he kept staring, unsure what to do. “Can you…do that again?”
A pause. And then some more mumbled, incoherent sounds. It might have been a coincidence that it happened after Chase asked him to do it again, but the fact remained that those were sounds. That was Jack’s voice.
“Holy shit!” Chase shot to his feet. “Hang on, I—shit—I have to get somebody!” He rushed over to the room’s closed door, throwing it open and leaning out into the hallway. “Hello?! Anyone?! There’s something—th-there’s a—he’s—!”
“Hhaaaay.” Chase whirled around as Jack made another sound. “Eeeee…?” His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, as if he couldn’t get it to form the right letters. “Ssssaaay?”
“Say? Say what?” Chase gave up on the door and hurried back over. “Are you actually trying to say something, or is this just—I-I don’t know, just—god, I don-don’t know.”
“Saayys…eeeelluh?” It sounded like a question, the way Jack’s voice was rising at the end. His hand raised and fell again, and his body turned a bit more in Chase’s direction. Wait…was doing this on purpose? Like, these movements weren’t just random muscle spasms? “Saayss…weeeluh?”
“I-I can’t understand you, bro,” Chase whispered urgently. “What’s ‘saays’?” It was only after saying it out loud that he realized. The sound Jack was making…it was almost like his name. “Are you trying to say ‘Chase’? Is that it?”
“Sss…Ssshhhaays,” Jack mumbled. “Weel? Ww…w…weellyy hhhewh?”
“Wheel? No, that can’t be it, can it? Wheely? Hewuh?” Chase shook his head. “I’m sorry, I still don’t get it.”
“Is everything alright in here?” A nurse poked her head into the room, looking worried.
Chase glanced back over towards her. “He’s speaking, h-he’s trying to say something! I—this is—he hasn’t—”
The nurse nodded, immediately grasping the situation. “Wait right here, sir, I’ll go get a doctor.”
“Dr. Emerson is in charge, if you can,” Chase called after her as she left. Then he immediately turned back to Jack. “Can you say that again?”
“Weeel…ehssss…weeeel?” The corner of Jack’s eye twitched, then he blinked. “Shhhaays?”
“Ehs wheel,” Chase repeated. “Ehs…Ihs…is? Is wheel? Is…real?” That sounded right. “Of course I’m real, Jack. You’re awake now, right?”
“Nnn…nahhh…” Another blink. “Naahh…ffff…ffffff…fffffayy?”
“Nah fay? No fey? Like fairies?”
“Nnnah. Nnauuhh…fffffaay…ffffay…ffffay—” Jack made a strange harsh breathing sound. He seemed to be having trouble with that word, but Chase was pretty sure the repetition meant he was really trying to communicate.
“Take it easy, bro.” Chase reached up and took hold of Jack’s arms on either side, gently. He glanced over towards the vitals monitors. They seemed increased in activity, but not to dangerous levels. “Okay, that’s nauh…maybe it’s not ‘no’, it’s ‘not’? Not fay? Fay fay fay…fffate. Faith. Fail. Fade. Fake. Not fake?” Chase smiled a bit. “What, is there a fake Chase running around?”
Jack groaned quietly. “Ffff…ffayy Shh…Shhaaaysss. Ffayy Shhayss. Ffayy mmm…mmmahhffnn.”
“Muffin? No, that makes no sense,” Chase muttered. Maybe it was another name? After all, it would make sense in the context of Jack saying Chase’s own name.
“Ffaay Shaayys. Fffay mmm…Mmahfffvfnn.”
Chase’s expression fell, cold dread filling his heart. “Fake Marvin,” he realized. “That’s what you’re trying to say, isn’t it? Fake Chase, Fake Marvin. Jack, was…was there someone here pretending to be us? Do you…remember that?”
“Fffayy Shaaayss. Ffaaay Mmahffn.” Jack’s head listed slowly to the side. His eyes remained staring straight, causing his gaze to shift. “Ffaay Shayyss. Fffayy Mmahffnnn. Ffayy ahhhshee? Ffaaay shnnneee?”
Footsteps pounded against the floor, and Chase looked back to see the nurse returned, Dr. Emerson in tow. “Mr. Brody!” Emerson looked flushed, as if he’d run all the way here. “Is it true?”
“Y-yeah.” Chase nodded. “Yeah, it’s—”
“Mmmmn.” Jack’s head rolled back around, falling forward. The force of the motion caused the rest of his body to lean forward, too, until his head hit Chase’s chest. “Sshhaays. Fffff…ffffffeh…”
“My god,” Emerson said, stunned. He gestured to the nurse, who hurried around the side of the bed to look at the readings from the equipment. “When did this start? Has he said anything clearly?”
“Uh, about a minute ago.” Chase lifted Jack’s head up and gently pushed him back into place. Jack groaned, and his hand shook irregularly. “I-I don’t know what you mean by ‘clear,’ I mean, I’m pretty sure he’s trying to say something, but there are, uh…n-no words that you can just hear. It’s all mumbled and slurry.”
“I see, I see.” Emerson hurried over, quickly looking over the equipment as well before leaving that to the nurse. “What about movements? Gaze?”
“He’s just looking straight ahead, but his eyes are staying open. Moving is, uh, random, but I think it’s deliberate? He just can’t make it happen.”
“Alright, I understand.” Emerson leaned over Chase’s shoulder. “Jack, this is very important. If you can hear me, try to say something. Try to say your name.”
Jack blinked slowly. “Eeuhh…aaaah…aaa—aaa—” Another harsh exhale. His mouth moved silently for a few seconds. “Zzzhh…zzhaah—aa—” And yet another harsh breath.
“That certainly sounded like an attempt, it had the ‘aah’ sound in the middle.” Emerson nodded. “Alright, then. Can you raise your hand, Jack? Either one of them.”
“Hhhh…” Jack’s right hand trembled for a bit, then slowly lifted up a few inches before falling back down.
“This is good, this is very very good.” Emerson backed up. “Nurse, has there been any change?”
“No sir, everything’s stable.”
“Hey, uh, Dr. Emerson?” Chase looked up. “I—I might have to go now.” He wanted to stay, he really did, but he couldn’t just abandon Stacy and the kids.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Brody,” Emerson said reassuringly. “We have everything under control.”
“Nnnnih—!” Jack’s head turned. “Sshhaays. Shaaayyss.”
“I know, Jack, but it’s okay.” Chase reached over and squeezed Jack’s hand. “These guys know what they’re doing. And I’ll be back tomorrow. Do you understand?”
“Nnnnmm.” Jack blinked, and squeezed back.
“Okay.” Chase reluctantly let go, and stood up. “Take care of him, doc.”
“We will, Mr. Brody,” Emerson said. “Count on it. You go have fun on this holiday.”
“Yeah. Well, bye.” Slowly, Chase turned around and left the hospital room, leaving the business behind. His head felt a bit full with everything that happened, and as he walked to the elevator he tried to process it all.
Good news, Jack was definitely awake again, and somewhat coherent. What would happen next was unsure, but even getting to this point after over a year was a weight off everyone’s shoulders. But those comments he made still lingered in Chase’s mind. Was he really interpreting them correctly? Did Jack really have some memory of…fakes?
Maybe he shouldn’t really take any of that at face value. He’d read somewhere that people in comas often took nearby stimuli, like sound and voices, and turned that into dreams. Well, he’d also read that some remembered nothing and others remembered everything. It must depend on the specifics of what happened to them. But, on the off chance that Jack had been in that last kind of coma, and he remembered everything that happened…if that was the case, then Chase knew one person who might be able to explain the “fakes.” After all, he knew that Anti has visited the hospital at least once, pretending to be Chase himself.
He pressed the button to call the elevator, and the doors opened almost immediately. Stepping inside, he took out his phone and unlocked the screen, staring at his messages. Should he tell the others about that? Well, of course, but should he tell them now? After all, Marvin was probably still in court, and JJ didn’t even know Jack. After a moment, he decided to send a quick text to Marvin, telling him that he had big news and that he’ll call him later. And so, typing out the message and then putting his phone back into his pocket, he pressed the down button, and the elevator started to descend.
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The sky was twilight through the window. JJ stared out at the street below, then closed the curtains and sat down on the sofa, letting out a long sigh. Evening on his twenty-seventh birthday. It hadn’t been a very eventful day, if he was being honest, but he actually quite liked that. Some peace and quiet after things being rather stressful lately. The celebration could come later. Though, if he remembered correctly, ‘later’ might actually be quickly approaching. After all, if the televised hearing was any indication, his friends’ all-day business would probably be wrapping up soon.
As if on cue, the intercom system let out the ding! sound that meant someone was in the lobby, asking to be buzzed into the apartment building. Standing up, he walked over and pressed the button, making a whistling sound.
“JJ? It’s me! Buzz me in.” Only Marvin could say ‘it’s me’ and immediately expect everyone else to be on the same page. JJ pressed the button to let him into the apartments.
The knocking on the door came a few moments later. JJ hurried over to open it, revealing Marvin standing on the threshold and bouncing anxiously. “Hey!” Marvin smiled. “I brought cupcakes. Just store-bought, but you know.” He held up a plastic container of six cupcakes, chocolate with blue frosting. In addition to those, he also had a bag slung over his shoulder.
JJ smiled. 'Hey, anything is good, especially when it’s chocolate.' He stood aside, letting Marvin walk into the apartment. 'I was watching the hearing on TV. Congratulations.'
“Still can’t believe they filmed it,” Marvin said, setting the cupcakes down on the counter. “But yeah, right? I mean, finally. They just dragged this whole thing on and on, and it’s like ‘was my evidence not enough for you’?”
'Well, you did sneak into the building and steal some of it,' JJ pointed out.
“And?” Marvin chuckled. “Anyway, more important things to talk about. Happy birthday, JJ! You’re finally catching up to the rest of us! How’s it feel to finally be 27?”
'Exactly the same, in all honesty.' JJ opened the cupcake container and pulled one out. He paused, then set it down on the counter so he could sign. 'Though twenty-six was a good year in my life, if I must say. After all, it’s when I meant you.'
“I—” Marvin stammered. “Well—that’s just—”
JJ smiled. 'I see I’ve flustered you.'
'Well you can’t just say something like that without warning,' Marvin signed. 'That’s too sweet, I wasn’t prepared.'
'It’s fine, take a moment.' JJ picked up the cupcake again, carefully peeling away the paper. He ate slowly, careful to not get any frosting on his mustache.
“So, uh…what were you thinking for tonight?” Marvin looked around the apartment. “You didn’t really have any decorations, I see. Not even any balloons?”
'Oh, I’m not a balloon person, I don’t like it when they pop.' JJ walked over to the trash can and dropped the paper inside.
Marvin raised an eyebrow. “You ate that fast.”
'Shush, it was a really good cupcake.' JJ shrugged. 'Anyway, as for what I had planned…not much. I just wanted to hang out. I was thinking we could play Minecraft or something, I’ve been doing a lot of that recently. Did you bring your laptop?'
“Oh. No, I didn’t. Should I have?” As if to double-check, Marvin looked inside his back. “Shit, I forgot to stop by my house and pick up your present, I just rushed straight over here.”
'It’s fine, it was just an idea. And you didn’t need to bring a present today, either,' JJ assured him. Then he paused. 'Is that a new bag?'
“No, it’s an old one, I couldn’t find my normal one this morning,” Marvin explained. “Uh…yeah I got nothing in here. Sorry.”
'Well, at least you brought cupcakes.' JJ tapped the plastic container. 'Did you want one, too?'
Marvin hesitated. “No, it’s fine. I mean, not right now. Later. We have all night, right?”
'That’s true. But are you sure? You must be hungry, after being at that trial all day.'
“I had snacks, it’s fine.” Marvin shrugged it off. “Well, anyway, back to the topic at hand, is there anything you really want to do? You’re the birthday boy.”
JJ pursed his lips, thinking. 'Well, I think I have some multiplayer games kicking around somewhere. Let me check.'
It took them a while to find something. Marvin didn’t give that many suggestions, insisting that JJ choose since it was his birthday. Which, while Jameson really appreciated the gesture, seemed a bit…odd. Marvin always had something to say about group activities. But maybe after such a long day, he didn’t really have the energy to think much about it.
Eventually, JJ settled on rigging his computer up to a pair of controllers, and projecting the image on screen to the television. That took about fifteen minutes to do alone, but from there, he just had to select Stick Fight from Steam and it was ready to go.
“Hmm, is it really fair to play a fighting game against someone who can’t return any trash-talking comments?” Marvin wondered.
'Well, that’s never stopped you or Chase before,' JJ joked. 'Though do you think we should wait for him? I know he likes this game, and I’m sure he’ll be done with his kids soon. How long does trick-or-treating take?'
“I don’t know. A couple hours?” Marvin bit his lip, considering. “Why are you asking me? You’ve been trick-or-treating, right?”
'I think I went once as a kid', JJ recalled. 'And…once later, but it doesn’t really count when you’re a teenager, does it?'
“Well, I think it counts,” Marvin said softly.
JJ shrugged, and looked away. One year, he went out on Halloween with Anti; the year he was sixteen. That first year was pretty fun at the time, but it was different looking back on it. Thinking about it just made him feel…well, it was a big mix of emotions in there, positive and negative. As were a lot of emotions attached to doing fun things with Anti. He’d been working on figuring them out and accepting him in his therapy sessions, but this wasn’t the time to get into thinking about that. It was his birthday. He was going to have fun. 'Didn’t you go trick-or-treating? Why don’t you know how long it takes?'
“Well, uh…no,” Marvin admitted. “Once. But like you, I was already pretty old. Eighteen, that’s even an adult. I guess the time you’re allowed to stay out late will vary between kids and teenagers, so we’re not really good judges for when Chase will be done.”
'It can’t be that long. The kids are only four, after all, no matter how energetic they are.'
“Well, in that case, I think Chase will forgive us for starting a little early.” Marvin smiled. “C’mon, I’m excited.”
They played a few rounds—which went really fast in this particular game, so honestly, they played through practically all the levels—but as time went on, Jameson found it difficult to concentrate. His thoughts started to drift…and become a little foggy. He blinked slowly, and yawned. Why was he so sleepy all of a sudden?
“That’s the tenth time you’ve lost in a row,” Marvin pointed out, as his yellow stick figure destroyed Jameson’s blue one. “Are you feeling okay?”
JJ put down the controller and signed, 'I’m just a little tired, it’s okay.'
“Ah. Did you have a long day?”
'No, not really. I didn’t have work, so I just stayed in all day. I suppose I could’ve gone out for lunch or something, but...' he hesitated.
“But?” Marvin prompted.
'Well, there was something that happened last week,' Jameson signed slowly. 'Someone followed me home.'
“Really? Are you sure?”
JJ nodded slowly, stifling another yawn. 'Positive. I didn’t recognize him, but it scared me, so I’ve been inside since then.'
“That’s probably not a good thing,” Marvin muttered. “Do you want to go out tonight for dinner or something? If there’s two of us, then nothing will happen.”
Jameson shook his head. 'No, it’s fine. I’m too tired to go out anyway. Strange, though. I…not…don’t know why.' His signs slowly fell apart as his train of thought got lost in the brain fog.
“Maybe you should take a nap, then,” Marvin suggested.
'No. No, maybe it’s just dark or something, that can make you sleepy.' JJ knew on some level that logic didn’t fully make sense, but he didn’t care. He stood up, swayed for a bit, then walked over to the nearest lamp. But just before switching it on, a strange, powerful wave of drowsiness overcame him, and he stumbled, and ended up holding onto the lamp for support.
“Are you alright? Don’t fall.” Marvin stood up as well and hurried over to join him.
'Fine,' Jameson signed loosely. He managed to flip on the light switch before losing his balance again. His muscles felt so weak all of a sudden, barely able to hold him up. What was…what was going on? This wasn’t…normal.
The lamp started swaying. “Be careful there.” Marvin grabbed JJ as he fell again, but the lamp toppled with him. Its lampshade tilted, directing the light from the bulb directly at Marvin’s face. “Aak! God damn it, just—hang on a moment, that went right in my eyes.”
Jameson frowned. Was…was it just him, or was something…wrong, there? In Marvin’s eyes. He felt a bit bad about looking directly into them, knowing how Marvin felt about eye contact, but…something was off. What was it? What…was it?
Marvin pushed the lamp away, only for it to tilt back. “Fuck this lamp,” he said under his breath, squinting against the light that was once again too close to his face. The…light? The light, the light…
There. There was the problem. It wasn’t anything wrong with Marvin’s eyes themselves, it was the way they were reacting to the light. One was reflecting an image of the lightbulb that was a little too perfect, a little too much like a mirror. The right eye, in fact. Also, the way Marvin’s head was turned, the lamp was shining right into his right eye, but he didn’t really squint until he turned slightly and caused the light to be more visible in his left eye. Almost like…he couldn’t see out of the right one.
Jameson let out a fearful squeak, and wriggled away from ‘Marvin’s’ grip. He fell directly onto the floor, not reacting fast enough to catch himself, but immediately tried to get up again. Yet his head was too clouded, movements…slowing…
“Hey, what’s wrong?” ‘Marvin’ reached down to help Jameson up, only to have his hand swatted away. “What’s—” He stopped. Jameson’s eyes were scanning the right side of his face, as well as his neck. And slowly, he grinned. “Oh, you figured it out, huh? Well, you were always pretty smart, Jamie.”
And with that, Jameson’s fears were confirmed. Nobody else called him that. He backed up until he hit the back of one of the chairs, then tried to grab onto that and use it to pull himself to his feet. There wasn’t much success, but…but he had to…to…what was wrong with him? Why…was he so…so…tired?
Anti didn’t look too concerned with Jameson’s reaction. He didn’t even chase after him. Instead he reached up to his face, and—“It’s pretty good, right?” The fake right eye came out cleanly, and Anti held it up. The glass eye wasn’t a sphere, but more of an irregular dome-like shape. Anti slipped it into his pocket. “His eye color is actually a bit different from mine, you know? A bit lighter. I debated if I should just use the one that matched my natural color, but I thought it would be better if I just went all the way and got the actual shade, then used a contact for the one...left.” He laughed at his own joke.
Jameson gave up on trying to stand up, and instead started fumbling with his pocket. If he could…could get his phone out, he could…text someone…get help…
“What’re you doing?” Anti quickly walked over, kneeling next to Jameson. He easily got through Jameson’s small attempts to push him away, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Oh. No, you can’t have that.” Anti tossed the phone across the room, hitting the wall by the door. “Sorry.”
JJ looked after it with a sinking heart. He couldn’t possibly…move to the door…or somewhere. He could barely move. Maybe he could…call for help? But as always, his voice didn’t cooperate with what his…what his mind wanted.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” Anti said, oddly reassuringly. “The effects will wear off after a while, you’re not dying or anything. Just going to sleep for a bit. Sorry about that, too, but I thought you wouldn’t come with me if you knew who I was. And this shows I was right.” He gestured vaguely at Jameson’s continued attempts to get away from him. “I know your recent impression of me hasn’t been…favorable.”
Jameson could barely keep his eyes open, but he kept trying to inch away from Anti. This…couldn’t be…happening…
“Do you know what this feels like?” Anti whispered. “I thought you were dead, Jamie. For years. And once I find you, you’re just…here? In your own little world? Forgotten me?” He reached under his shirt and grabbed something tightly. And he smiled wide. “Well, no more. Now we’re together again. I know you’re a bit freaked out now, but trust me. It’ll be fine. Just like it used to be.”
The last thing Jameson did was shake his head, before finally closing his eyes and slumping over. Just like it used to be. Nothing scared him more.