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Food was the only thing on all their minds when they stopped at the hotel. They'd just crossed into South Dakota, almost halfway through the journey to Maine, and were starting to get real tired of the constant travel. Finally sitting down, all together, to eat something outside of a stuffy hotel room was risky, but it was something they needed if they were going to stay healthy and sane. While Jessica and Tim went in to book hotel rooms, everyone else stretched and yawned and enjoyed the brief sunshine. It was surprisingly warm, and Vincent gave Michael a little scratch on the back to get his attention before gesturing at his sleeves. A question, an offer that Michael declined with a little shake of his head. Worth a shot. Evan barreled into Vincent unexpectedly, nearly throwing him off his feet. "Do you hear that?" he asked, voice excited and eyes full of stars. Vincent listened carefully, just barely catching the quiet jingle that was getting louder. He started laughing, watching Evan run towards the street. The ice cream truck stopped, and though the driver was confused why this group of young adults was so excited about his wares, he took their money regardless. They got out of the way as neighborhood kids scurried over as well, and Evan gave Noah, who'd paid for the sweets, a blinding smile. Michael also smiled, something he'd been doing a lot more often, and they were all grateful to be blessed by it when it happened. "Hey, Vinnie," Evan sang, bumping his shoulder to get his attention. He slid the popsicle he'd gotten into his mouth, farther than he probably should have, and let his eyes flutter shut in a very lewd fashion before reopening them and wiggling his eyebrows. Vincent rolled his eyes. "Must you?"Evan pulled the popsicle back out, giggling madly and completely missing both Michael and Noah's flustered looks at the pavement. Vincent whacked him gently on the head and took a bite of his ice cream sandwich. Tim and Jessica returned, expressing irritation that they'd missed the truck until Jay produced two treats he'd gotten for them, which made Jessica kiss him on the cheek and Tim kiss him on the mouth. Alex made it clear it was his idea, and Tim kissed him as well, though it was more sarcastic than the one he'd given Jay. The group headed into town with their treats, keeping their eyes open for anywhere good. Eventually, Alex pointed out a walk-up style burger joint, and they all agreed it was a good place to stop. Tim and Jessica paid for the food, which wasn't too expensive, and they all decided to occupy a nearby park to enjoy their new food in the sun. It was shockingly normal, them all piling around a picnic table and digging in to greasy food. A slight breeze passed through the park, but it was warm enough that the wind was pleasing, not freezing. There weren't too many people around, which was probably good given how odd they all knew they looked. "Hey," Evan murmured a couple minutes in to their lunch, leaning his chin on Vincent's shoulder. "I'm gonna go down to the lake and wade in, maybe skip some stones." He stood, giving Michael an affectionate wink that made the other man flush and look at his hands. They sat for a few more minutes, eating and laughing and feeling more at peace than they all had in a long time. The sun was out, birds sang, bugs flew around their table, and it felt too good to be true. Everything was okay. For a while. Michael suddenly sat up. "Is Evan okay?"Vincent looked over his shoulder towards the brunette, who was sitting by the lakeside, one hand playing with the grass by his foot. He...didn't look right. Vincent stood, muttering, "Be right back."He hurried over, taking a careful seat next to his boyfriend. He glanced to the side, and his heart dropped into his stomach. Evan's eyes were glazed, staring out over the water. He sat stock still, aside from his hand, which was methodically pulling out slivers of grass one at a time without him even looking. There was something cold about him, something not quite right. "Evan?"He flinched, startled out of some kind of haze, but his eyes didn't move. "Hey, Vin. Sorry about earlier, I didn't think the doc would get so mad." His voice was so hollow, and a higher pitch than it should have been. Vincent swallowed. There was only one person 'the doc' could be. "It's- it's fine.""I mean, it was just a squirrel. It wasn't even my fault. But you know..." Evan's hand stilled. "I think he's stopped believing me when I say that. It does kind of sound like an excuse, huh?""What does?"Evan's brows furrowed. "Are you okay Vin?"Vincent's pulse quickened. He needed to get information if he was going to understand what was going on, so playing along was his best bet. "Oh, um, you know. My memory's been a little weird recently.""Still? You should really tell the doc.""Nah, it's okay. What excuse?""Oh, that Habit's doing it. I mean, he is. He likes hurting things. I don't, I really don't, but he makes me do it anyways." A small smile grew on his lips. "JJ always said how much he hated him."Vincent felt his hands start to shake. JJ? The nickname, one he could only say would be applied to Jeff, sparked something in him, a feeling of dread that he'd long forgotten but that still lurked in his subconscious. He swallowed. "Where do you think JJ and Stephie are, Vin? Do you think they've gotten to the place with the candles yet? I always liked that place. It's so much easier to remember things there. Though...it's always so hard to get there. If they are there, it means they..." Evan trailed off. Vincent swallowed. "I'm sure they're fine, Ev."Evan hummed quietly. He blinked. "Vin?""Yeah?""Why is everything turning white?"Vincent turned his head, watched Evan's eyes widen. He was starting to shake. "I don't know, Ev. But it's okay, I promise.""Everything is shaking, why is it shaking? What's happening?" Evan's voice rose in panic, but he still didn't move, didn't push him away or try to stand. Just sat there, let it happen. "It's okay." Vincent reached out, placed a hand carefully on Evan's shoulder, and finally he did flinch and turn his head. His eyes were blank, glazed, but slowly returning to what they were meant to be. Tears fell from just one eye, sweeping a slow track down his cheek as he stared unseeingly. "I'm scared."There was a pit in Vincent's stomach as he reached out and pulled Evan towards him, holding him in his arms as he shook. "I know. It'll be over soon."Evan's tremors increased, his fingers scrambling for a hold in Vincent's shirt, and he gasped for air. "What's- why is- Vinnie, help, I can't see, I-" He gasped, then pushed Vincent away, falling backwards onto his hands. His eyes were normal, and he looked around wildly before settling on Vincent again. "What on-? What? Where-?"Vincent breathed a sigh of relief. He seemed to be okay. "It's okay, Ev. I'm here, you're okay." The other man brought a hand to his head, closing his eyes tight and shaking his head minutely. "What the hell happened?""I'm not sure. You weren't you for a bit there."Evan's face was lined with worry as he opened his eyes. "What do you mean?""I mean, I think you relapsed. Into the Mining Town version of you. You spoke different, and you mentioned Doctor Corenthall. And Habit."Evan swallowed visibly, looking down at the grass between his knees. "What the hell," he muttered, leaning forward and returning to a proper sitting position. "What did I say?""Do you not remember any of it?"A shake of the head. "Well, like I said, you mentioned the doctor. You said that Habit had made you hurt a squirrel, and then...you mentioned Jeff and Stephanie, but called them JJ and Stephie. Said that you thought they were in the 'Candle World' or something. You definitely mentioned candles."Evan stared at his hands, then looked back up at Vincent. "I don't recognize any of that. The nicknames are the only things that feel familiar, and I know we never called either of them that." He gazed back over the lake. "Why now?""Well," Vincent started, faltering when Evan's eyes were on him again. "Well, you remember in California? When we were attacked?"Evan nodded, eyes pained. "When I tackled that guy...I don't know what it was, but I couldn't control my feelings anymore. Like, I felt the rage, and the overwhelming need to protect you, but it was almost like someone else was feeling it. Someone else was controlling my body and feeling my emotions and I was just along for the ride, you know?" Vincent fiddled with the bottom of his shirt absentmindedly. "I think I had a very brief relapse there. I think that was Fairmount Vincent.""Do- do you think this is gonna keep happening?""I don't know." He put a hand softly over Evan's. "But even if it does, we can handle it. Okay?"Evan nodded after a moment of hesitation, a small amount of color returning to his face. He allowed Vincent to pull him to his feet and direct him back to the table, where the rest of their group was watching anxiously. When they sat down, Michael leaned across, reaching out hesitantly got Evan's hand. "Are you okay?"Evan nodded, letting their fingers intertwine. As Vincent explained what had happened, everyone slowly relaxed, though they looked no less troubled by the information. He mentioned the incident in California in passing, but still kept things pretty vague. He never wanted to hurt anyone because of Habit again, and even acknowledging to himself that he'd almost killed that poor man was painful. When he was done, they all quietly agreed that it was time to head back to the hotel, a sudden cold wind blowing through the park that chilled them to the bone. They packed, and Noah slid a hand over Evan's shoulders briefly, a quick embrace that meant he was there. Evan smiled weakly, but stayed by Vincent's side as they walked to the hotel, clutching his hand like a lifeline. He just wanted to sleep this all away, and Vincent was in agreement.