[Journal] Duplex #1 - Ambrose Maurlias & Angelina Swanson

[Angelina Swanson]

"Who...who is Moreau..?" she asked, never haven spoken to anyone by that name.

"How did I get here? I... well, I was approached by Feral Labs. They said if I signed the non-disclosure agreement they would let me see you. They said... they said.. " this all seemed so clear earlier, but now everything was getting muddled up. "They said that you had been exposed to something bad. but you were healthy, they just couldn't let you leave yet. But they have a vaccine.. for me..."

She rolled up her sleeve, exposing the puffy injection mark. "See?" she said pleadingly, "Its a vaccine.. so I could see you.. and then go home..."  

[Ambrose Maurlias]

"Moreau is the man who owns the Island... who runs Feral Laboratories to my knowledge... crazy look in his eyes, long red hair, labcoat. You can't miss him" Ambrose said bitterly.

He listened to her story, his eyes widening as he saw the incriminating puncture-mark on her arm. Ohno.... it's too late already... it's already started. His face fell, his eyes stuck on the puffy red spot on her arm.

"I... I'm not sick." Ambrose said carefully. "I wasn't exposed to anything that they didn't intentionally expose me to." He forced himself to breathe. He couldn't just let her go around innocently... unaware that what was happening all around her would happen to her as well... he thought back to all of the arguments about how to tell people... that there was no good, solid answer for everyone. All the other people he had given the 'bad news to' was infinately easier than this. "I'm surprised they approached you." Ambrose said quietly, feeling increasingly guilty. Did his please to Aubrey and Moreau cause them to bring her here? To shut him up? He didn't want to do this to her! Aubrey had convinced him that she could be happier there - thinking he was dead, and moving on with her life.  

[Angelina Swanson]

Angelina swallowed, trying to ebb her tears. "They approached me because I was threatening to take them to the press. I mean... I didn't really think they were hiding anything... "she swalloed, motioning to him, "like this. Just I didn't believe them when they said you got the airport safely. I mean.. I looked so hard for you Ambrose," she said, the tears staring up again already. "I checked.. hospitals.. prisons... police stations.." she had to foce the next one out, "morgues..."  

[Ambrose Maurlias]

Things started to clink into place as she described how hard she had looked for him. Ambrose had been intentionally chosen, along with the rest, becuase they probably thought that he would be easy to 'disappear'. Angelina wasn't willing to let that happen, and so they did the easiest thing... took her too.

"I'm so sorry..." He whispered, imagining the pain she probably went though... not knowing what had happened to him. At least from Ambrose's end... he knew where she was... he just couldn't reach her. "I... I thought they told you I was dead." he blubbered.  

[Angelina Swanson]

"Dead...god, no.." she said, shaking her head. "They.. they showed me the manifest.. said you got to Miami International Airport. And then.. thats it. They said they weren't responsible for what happened after that. You.. you didn't buy a ticket, or a rental car.. or a bus, or a taxi...

...I began to check ... everywhere. My god, Ambrose.. you can't imagine what that was like," her face grew pale and the memories. "Having to.. indentify bodies. Each time before they pulled that sheet back... me, standing there. Part of me praying it wasn't you.. but some part of me kind of..hoping it was. Just I would know.. know where you were... " she buried her face in his neck, sobbing again, clinging onto him.  

[Ambrose Maurlias]

Ambrose held her to him, squeezing his eyes shut, and imagining the pain she must have gone through... trying to picture how he would feel if it were reversed... having her suddenly disappear from his life and not knowing where.... of searching.... identifying bodies. Another shudder passed over him with a sympathetic whimper.

"I'm so sorry.... I'm so sorry" His new mantra became. "I... I just wish that I could have contacted you... somehow... saved you from having to be trapped here as well. I wish I would have never come here..."  

[Angelina Swanson]

"There's got to be.. some hope," she said, sniffling. "But I just wanted to see you... even if I'm here forever, Ambrose, I'm going to be here with you.."  

[Ambrose Maurlias]

Ambrose's eyes wibbled as he listened to that, his ears folding to the sides. Kissing her on the forehead and holding her closer, he whispered a response. "I feel guilty for saying it... knowing the repercussions.... but I'm so happy to see you. I missed you so much."

He swallowed the 'but'... just for the moment... he wanted to hold her and not think about anything else.  

[Angelina Swanson]

Angelina held his face and kissed him on his lips briefly (for she really didn't know... how to works the mechanics of a deep kiss with his new anatomy, and this wasn't really stiking her as the moment to find out), and just crumpled into his chest, suddenly feeling very, very sick. Her skin was hot to the touch as the serum began to take its effects. Exhaustian was quickly overtaking her as she seemed to melt into his arms. "I'm so tired," she managed to mumble out. "Please can I just hold you for a little while"  

[Ambrose Maurlias]

Ambrose swallowed and nodded as the answer to whether or not he should tell her was answered for him as she collapsed in his arms. She was exhausted... he remembered how he felt the first night of his arrival... the long plane trips.... the serum.

He nodded to her. "Of course." he whispered to her, getting up only to help situate her into the bed, and to fetch a glass of water and a moist washrag that he put on her forehead. Then he slipped onto the bed next to her. There was no point stressing her even more with the full weight of the truths now... she was hardly well herself.

"I.... missed you So much, Angelina." He said quietly, wrapping his arms around her.  

[Angelina Swanson]

Angelina buried herself next to him, pressing her face into his chest and breathing in his scent. While different, it still generally smelled like Ambrose to her. She was quickly asleep, the full weight of everything finally overcoming her conscious mind. "I miss you, too," she murmered into him, before she fell into a not-so-restful sleep.  

[Ambrose Maurlias]

This morning, much like the morning of just the day before, Ambrose slowly met consciousness with a pretty young lady in his arms. It was this point of irony, interstingly enough, that drove the issue of just how difficult it was going to be to catch Angelina up to speed.

However, waking with her in his arms was like waking from a dream to find that evasive dream-prize miraculously still in his cluthches. He half expected Angelina to fade from his arms like that gossamer dreamstuff as he came to. But she remained, as real as the early morning sun that streamed its tendrils through the slatted blinds. He had retired early the afternoon before - much earlier than his normal bedtime - but he had been more than willing to make an exception in the case of Angelina's exhaustion. Now, back into old habits - for the time being at the very least - he was up with the crack of dawn. But be it because of the dawn's rays, old habits, or - most likely- the quiet whimpers of the girl in his arms' and the subtle stench of fear that indicated that she, like himself and many of the others he had spoken with, was being plagued by post-injection nightmares.

He almost made to stir her gently, to wake her from the dreams that plagued her, but he hesitated. Why wake her from a bad dream that would fade with wakefulness only to bring her into the nightmare that she couldn't? Because, as much as Ambrose would love to leave the information with what he had told her before her exhaustion overwhelmed her the day before, he could not do so with a clear conscience. She came here FOR him and she deserved to be told the truth - the full truth. Not just the extent of his own changes - and the terrifying fact that they were only - on estimates of the doctors - about halfway complete, but that she too would be subjected to a transformation - one that unlike his own- was not certain. Ambrose had come to accept... hell, to find himself lucky with the animal that Moreau had chosen for him, after seeing the fate of others on the Island, as well as finally biting the bullet and doing some intensive studying. Now, it was like the roulette game all over again. Who had chosen for her? Were they being kind... or cruel... and most importantly, purely and simply, what would she become? Would instincts conflict with his own? What if she became a rabbit... or a deer like Ian? Would his lupine instincts ever become so pronounced that he would ever consider harming her...? No. No - he could never do that - never consider bringing harm to her. He might be changing, but he wouldn't lose that much of himself.... He hoped....

And beyond such conjecture... there were particular certainties that he would have to address. Not just to Angelina... but to Emelyn. Ambrose sighed heavily, resting his chin on her head. Why couldn't she have arrived just one day earlier...? Ambrose hadn't fully settled with the fact that he could never go home again until after his second change... just over a week ago now. He had never, NEVER pictured Angelina arriving here - he couldn't and still keep a clear conscience; as much as he loved her, he couldn't think to suggest to bring her here... literally kill any future she might hope for. He had thought she had been told he was dead.... at least... he had assumed she thought him dead... that she would have begun to move on. Only to find out that that was not what she was told... that she had never stopped searching for him since he was supposed to have arrived home. Her loyalty, her dedication staggered Ambrose... and here he was... having betrayed that. How could he have known?! He thought indignantly in his frustration. No... he should have kept that hope... the faith that they would have been reunited - he had preached hope and holding onto her memory to the Dude!.... a month and a half ago. He sighed. Regardles of his ideals, his beliefs... she was here now... and there was a problem. He... he hoped to God that Angelina understood. At least, thank GOd, they hadn't gone as far as they could have the other night. But Ambrose knew that Angelina understanding wouldn't be the hardest conversation to hold. She loved him and he loved her. She would understand - eventually at the very least. And the long and the short of it was that in teh end, Angelina had already "won" the matchless fight. But... what about Emelyn? Emelyn had turned to him, and learned to really... care for him, in the light of rejection by the Dude. How on Earth would she be able to deal with being bumped again? Especially after she had opened up to him? Ambrose's heart sunk. It was no lie that he did care for her! And... he valued her support and advice and... comfort... when he truly needed it on the Island. More than anything, he didn't want to lose the friendship that they had. But, Ambrose feared, would that be possible? How on earth could he break this unpredictable turn of events to her that wouldn't crush her?

He sighed again, looking down at the figure in his arms again, gently smoothing her hair. It would be a long road ahead... now made doubly awkward... but.... at least Angelina was in his arms... here. For the best and the worst of those implications.  

[Angelina Swanson]

The serum-induced nightmares got pretty intense, and Angelina began to twist and cry out a bit in her sleep. One time she cried and jerked up suddenly, waking herself up.

She blinked up at the ceiling, then focused her attention at Ambrose. Her brow creased and she started at him in confusion for a few moments while the fog of sleep cleared from her mind.

She blinked and then brought her hands to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose.  

[Ambrose Maurlias]

Ambrose was stirred from his worried thoughts as Angelina awoke. Looking tenderly down at her, he ran his padded fingers through her hair, brow creasing in worry.

"Hey there..." He said quietly. "Are... you feeling any better this morning...?" He asked hopefully.  

[Angelina Swanson]

Angelina stopped to analyze that question. "A little, I guess. Not really. Though sleep was good." She reached up and held his paw to her face, nuzzling into it. "I'm sorry I kind of passed out on you last night."