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In this moment as the music began, he was captivated, it was not the first nor would it be last time he would be captivated by her. If he had ever thought they would get to this point it was only ever in his wildest dreams. This moment could last eternity and it would not be long enough, he wanted to memorise ever minuscule detail, to relive at a moment’s notice. The feeling tonight generated in him was overwhelming. To think how far they had come, what they had experienced together leading to this point. His eyes never left her figure but his mind could not help but wonder as a memory was brought in to focus, he was helpless to push it back as he was so fond of it.
When all was said and done, Laurel Gates was no more and all that was left behind was a broken Hyde and a reluctant hero. Tyler struggled with many things after Laurels demise, least of all was Hyde. His guilt ate at him more than any hold a master had; his depression plagued him endlessly. The thoughts on what he had done to innocent people, those in the wrong place at the wrong time. They had never hurt a soul and yet Tyler had taken their lives. No amount of remorse or apology could make it easier to deal with the death of a loved one, the loss of a life. He knew that first hand, no apologies or looks of sympathy would be enough. The knowledge that he was a weapon not a murderer was not reassuring, it only made him question himself. Why was he not stronger? If he had been stronger, he could have fought for the control of Hyde. Why was he not smarter? If he had only been able to figure out how to tell someone of himself. Why was he still here? The right thing would have been for his death to have followed Laurel’s. A full circle, true justice.
Curiously without a constant stream of drugs, abuse and commandments Tyler was able to embrace his Hyde. He found him a simple creature, who enjoyed a hunt. Similar to Elvis his temperament relied upon a healthy diet, exercise and attention. Given the opportunity Hyde often came forward to hunt in the forest around Jericho, enjoying the vast expanses of wooded area. Tyler found himself often at ease after letting Hyde hunt. He seemed more intent of the hunt than the prey, enjoying the chase of deer through the trees on a weekly basis. It certainly helped rein in his intrusive thoughts, the calmness Hyde brought was tangible, yet left Tyler realising his mental health was his own problem, it had little to do with his other half.
Tyler treated himself, much the same as he did Hyde. Focusing on a healthy diet, exercise and attention in order to keep his mental health in check. He mended his relationship with his father one dinner at a time, surmising he was helping them both with a homecooked meal and forced interaction. It took weeks but eventually they spoke more in one night than they had in a whole year. Donovan apologising for shooting his son, but knowing it was what had to be done at the time. As Tyler had expected his mother lost her life not due to her Hyde, but her post-partum depression, leaving her to neglect and lose control of her Hyde. His dad eventually explained the fear he felt that Tyler’s own anger would contribute to him losing control of his Hyde, therefore he thought sending him to boot camp was a proactive approach. He had hoped he could learn to control his anger before his Hyde, if he ever was to surface. Tyler was forced to forgive his father for his inability to communicate about his wife following her death. Tyler now knew, there is often something holding you back from a subject, it wasn’t always physical but that did not mean it was any less restricting. Eventually a new relationship formed between the two, a mutual respect, understanding and even appreciation grew between the father and son. The routine of a sharing one of Tyler’s new dinners brought comfort to the both of them. It aided them to a good night’s sleep, something they had both been lacking over the past few years.
Every morning, Tyler had come to wake well rested from his satisfying meal and long stretch of rest. He started his day with a run through the streets of Jericho. In the early hours of the morning, as the milkman was doing his run, Tyler would double knot his shoes before stretching out and starting his route. He ran down his drive way and south towards town. He would lap the town square, going past the police station, cemetery and then the Weathervane before heading back out of town towards home. It was a casual run that took almost an hour, allowing him to be home before most of the town was even out of bed. The early hours of the morning were quiet, the only sound was his feet hitting the pavement as he continued to run. He never listened to music or even thought, he only focused on the rhythm of his run and the scenery he passed. Each morning he found himself moving faster and returning less exhausted, his endurance slowly building the more he embraced the routine. The morning shower that followed relaxed any sore muscles left from his morning exercise, refreshing him for the day ahead.
His days were often spent in distraction, constantly filling them with tasks in order to not allow his depression to swallow him. He started small with deep cleaning his room or the kitchen. He found the more he focused on the daily task he set the less he thought of his previously completed tasks. His daily plans soon turned to weekly plans, as his ideas required a few days of attention rather than a few hours. The garden surrounding their home had benefitted and become really pretty with his most recent attentions. He could never remember it looking so well maintained, and dad commented that it had, when his mum was alive, she had planted every flower bed herself. This only spurred Tyler along, moving on to the exterior of the house. Pressure washing and fixing any broken weatherboard he came across, the small comment he used as encouragement.
As months went by Tyler finally felt his depressive haze leave him, he begun to enjoy his days, the routine comforting to both himself and Hyde. The predictability was soothing and encouraging, he found himself satisfied with his life. He was at peace, the look of peace constantly on his face, free of worry, fear or anger, it was also free of happiness, but that Tyler believed may be pushing it.
Very few things threw him out of order, generally there was a routine abided by. Occasionally he would burn their dinner, or fail miserably at trying a new dish, but it was to be expected. Occasionally he would wave to another soul on his morning run or take an extra lap of the town square, but it was hardly out of routine. Occasionally he would be forced inside due to bad weather and be stuck without an activity. Occasionally he had made the decision to crawl back in to bed rather than face the day, but all things considered he took his good days with his bad. Generally, he was in a comfortable routine and little disturbed that, that was until one Saturday afternoon.
He was descending the stairs on his way to the kitchen to prepare dinner when he heard the knock on the front door. His father had a key and would be at least half an hour early, after concluding it was unlikely to be him, he reached for the handle. Tyler opened the door and the air was sucked from his lungs as he looked at her dark figure on his door step. His eyes absorbed every detail her symmetrical black braids down to her waist, the black leather jacket contrasting with her black and white stripped cardigan beneath, her black jeans and combat boots. She patiently waited as his eyes swept her figure before returning to her face in question.
“We need to talk.” She stated, her eyes having never left his face.
“Sure.” He spoke.
She waited patiently before quirking her eyebrow up in question, Tyler had forgotten all his manners, to busy being thrown off his game by her appearance.
“Sorry, come in.” He stepped to this side inviting her in. “I have to start dinner so head to the kitchen.”
She quickly jumped up and perched herself on the end of his kitchen counter, knees together ankles interlocked. Her hands laid in her lap as she waited for Tyler. He had turned to the fridge pulling out ingredients for dinner and on to the bench beside her, he turned the oven on before coming to a stop beside her.
“I should start with an apology, but I don’t think that’s really enough or what you would ever seek out. So, what did you want to talk about?” His voice so sincere, his eyes begging hers to stay.
“I have come to learn a lot about Hyde’s and I understand the position you were put in.” She paused for a moment in thought. “I have questions that remain.”
“Ask away.” He openly invited.
“What is to stop you from lying or being deceitful?” She offered a small breath that Tyler believed to be a sigh. “Again.”
“I have no master Wednesday; I promise you I will be honest.”
She pursed her lips in thought before coming to accept him at his word.
“When did your Hyde awaken?” Starting simply, he sighed in relief.
“Two months before you came to Jericho.” He answered as he pulled out a cutting board and a kitchen knife.
“Did you know who I was before I fixed the espresso machine?”
“Nope, you really did catch me by surprise, grim reaper barbie and all.” He smirked at her as he begun to cut up the vegetables he pulled from the fridge.
“Did you claw yourself to throw suspicion on to Xavier?” She watched him diligently cut the vegetables into similar sizes.
“No, I didn’t even know he was there. Hyde was angry, territorial of his Masters place, he clawed me as I had allowed you and Enid to find it.” He explained before placing the vegetables on to a roasting tray.
“Did you attempt to reveal yourself?”
“Yes, I told you I couldn’t be bought, I was tougher than you thought, my inner rebel. I just wish I was stronger and was able to tell you more.” He paused in his preparations to push his doubts and suffocating what if’s out of his mind.
“You did tell me; I was just not smart enough.” She looked down at her clasped hands. “Upon review you left many clues, it was me who failed in my investigation.”
“You did not fail; I was deliberately uncooperative.” He offered.
“Witnesses and suspects lie; I should have known, anticipated that.”
“I would have told you the truth if I could have.” He unwrapped a small roast from the butcher’s paper and sat it upon the vegetables.
“You know that right? I never lied or deceived you unless I had to.” He stopped to look in to her dark eyes, waiting for her to nod her head in understanding.
“The date in Crackstone’s crypt, does that fall under lying or deception?” Her question was asked in her regular cool tone but there was something about her eyes, they longed for his attention. He never wanted to blink or turn away when they looked at him, especially in this moment.
“That was my best attempt at rebelling.” He mused with a small smirk on his face.
She waited patiently before quirking an eyebrow in place.
“I did not know you were the key to unlocking Crackstone, but I did know it was where she wanted to resurrect him. I thought the date might help you have a home field advantage.”
Wednesday thought on this for a moment, processing the answers to her most plagued questions. She looked over to watch him drizzle a little oil on the vegetables and roast. He tossed them around the baking dish before washing his hands and reaching for the oven door.
“Are you not going to season that?” She asked curiously.
“Ahh, no?” He questioned, unsure of his answer.
“At least put salt and pepper on those vegetables.” She waited patiently for him to comply.
Once he did, he cocked an eyebrow in question before hovering his hand over the oven door. When she gave a small nod, he opened the door and placed the tray inside. He checked the time before turning back to her.
“Wednesday a chef, who would have thought.” He smirked.
“I would hardly call myself a chef, but I know how to roast root vegetables.” She quipped back.
“I guess our date didn’t offer a lot of conversation. I had hoped we could have another, to actually talk, although I enjoyed watching you during the movie.” His voice was quieter at the end, almost embarrassed to have said that out loud. He often thought of her reactions to the classic film.
“What clue would you have offered on our second date?” Her head tilted in curiosity.
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of it like that.” He thought for a moment on what else he could have tried to get her to see. “Maybe, we could have got lucky and I wouldn’t have needed to give you one.” He wishfully thought.
“Then why would we have been on a date?”
Tyler’s mind froze at the question. Why would they be on a date, because he would have asked and hoped she would say yes, because he thought she was spooky and interesting, because some part of him wants to know everything about her but not all at once, but torturously dragged out over the next few decades.
“I never asked you on a date to help your investigation or because I had a master. I asked you because I wanted to be more than friends. I genuinely like you, that was never based on being deceitful or lying.”
Wednesday had assumed his sole reasoning for inviting her on a date was in order to help her investigation, help in a way he could. She thought he disguised himself as a suitor in order to deceive Laurel and herself. She clearly looked deep in thought as Tyler patiently waited for her conclusion.
“You wanted to be more than friends?” She quietly questioned.
“Yes.” He nodded.
“Would you still like to be more than friends?”
Tyler was caught off guard by the question. He never thought she would ask him that, or even trust him in a friend-based capacity again. He’d barely scraped in as a date when he was hiding his mastered Hyde from her. Now with every side of himself revealed he thought she wouldn’t even acknowledge him.
“Would you go on another date with me?” He asked curiously.
“What constitutes a date?”
“Two people who like each other doing a shared activity, occasionally also sharing a meal?” He questionably guessed.
“So, this would be a date? Our second date.” She sounded firm in her answer.
“Third if we count the Raven.”
She smiled at the memory. “That was an excellent date.”
“You only liked it because you thought it rained blood.” He cheekily said.
“And the dancing.” She told him seriously.
“You are a captivating dancer.” He smirked at her. “That was a good date.”
Wednesday looked around the room for a moment, before spotting an old radio along the kitchen bench. She jumped down off the bench to walk over and turn it on before turning the dial in search of a radio station. The opening beat of a song began before she swiftly turned facing Tyler. He could hear the opening lyrics of a new Lady Gaga song start, a dark pumping song, it fitted Wednesday perfectly. She slowly started to sway to the music, raising her hands over her body before turning her neck at an angle before dropping her hands and moving her shoulders in time with the beat. He watched her for a minute, before closing his eyes and letting the music lead his movements as he faced her. He felt the music take over his senses and just like his morning run, nothing entered his mind except the now. As he opened his eyes, Wednesday was deep in her own dancing, aware but unaffected by Tyler’s. She was so embodied with her dancing, like her life, unattached to the opinions of others. He felt pain radiate in his jaw, a deep ache, slowly spreading up his face. Suddenly he realised he was smiling, for the first time in months, the muscles in his face were aching. His smile whole heartedly was because he was dancing in the kitchen with Wednesday. The realisation of his happiness hit him full spirited as he threw his arms around in sync with the heavy beat of the music. He could barely take his eyes of her but he let the music lead his body. He could slowly see a smile spreading across her face in return. As the last beats of Bloody Mary passed through the radio speaker, they both stopped dancing still breathing heavily, smiling at one another.
As he watched her dance before him now, her long black train dragging along the floor behind her, he thought of them back in his childhood kitchen. The first time he had smiled in months, not because he was dancing or because of her dancing, but because they were dancing together. His mind snapped to the now and without hesitation he walked up to her and danced independently but to anyone in the area clearly with her.