Work Text:
Rosie was always the first person to show up at the institute. Or at least she should be the first one as the receptionist and the institute head’s assistant with multiple years of experience but something changed when one Jonathan Sims got promoted to the position of Head Archivist.
Jon had always been a workaholic, even back in Research. Rosie could vaguely remember him running around, always busy, tired and in a rush to do more. He stood out by being everywhere at all times, but it was only after his promotion that she actually got to know him.
Before she thought he was overworking himself, always right on time in the morning but never out without at least an hour of overtime, but now? He seemed to be at the institute from dawn till dusk and the only indicator that he wasn’t sleeping in the building was the fact he had to wait for Rosie to open the door for him in the morning. That’s when she started noticing more about him.
They would make small talk in the morning and she could notice how his sweaters got switched for crisp, ironed button-ups and sweater vests and his jeans turned into slacks. Even his hair changed from long locks, haphazardly tied into a ponytail to a neatly cut, short hairdo. It definitely fit him, in a weird academic way, but the change was still odd considering his previous style.
She asked him about it once and he just turned red and grumbled something about staying professional in a new position. She decided to not push further since she knew what it was like – when she first got promoted to Elias’ assistant she changed her whole wardrobe, trying to fit the bill of what she thought was appropriate.
She liked to think that over the few months she’s been talking with Jon they had become something akin to being friends. Eventually she decided to talk to Mr. Bouchard about giving Jon his own set of keys, considering he was always waiting for her at the door and, from what she heard, the cleaning ladies had to quite literally force him out of his office in the evening.
Elias was strangely fine with the idea. It felt almost as if he had expected her to suggest that, which was… odd. She decided to not dwell on this and instead gave Jon a new set of keys to the institute after forcing him to promise her he would still come around to meet her and not stay overnight cooped up in his box of an office. The second part was mostly a joke, but she wouldn’t put it past Jon to actually try sleeping at the institute to get just a bit more work done, so a promise had to be made.
Since then the moments she saw Jon became more rare, but each one was more bizarre than the previous one. The thing that caught her attention most though was his changing appearance.
***
It felt weird seeing how Jon changed after Jane Prentiss’ attack.
Even before she could sense he was on edge, but now he looked down right paranoid. With his new found scars littering his arms and face, as well as a new accessory in the form of a cane he looked miserable. His shirts became crumpled, his vest exchanged most of the time for a loose cardigan and a messenger bag firmly planted on his shoulder at all times. His hair had also become a mess, getting longer every time she saw him and peppered with more and more grey streaks.
He still talked to her from time to time, but his eyes would no longer meet hers. They would dart around the room as if searching for a threat and he looked much more stressed than before. The bags underneath his eyes also gained a darker shade that worried her. He seemed paranoid of something and she didn’t dare push him in fear of making it worse. Over time their connection fizzled out because of that and soon they were nothing more than acquaintances.
***
It’s been a few weeks since Rosie last saw Jon. After he disappeared not much had changed in her duties, but something was still not right. The atmosphere was tense and she couldn’t stop thinking about the body found in the archives. Could Jon really kill a person? That didn’t seem right, but then again the last time she saw him, he was in a pretty rough shape. It was a surprise when he finally showed up again.
It was already late enough that the institute was closed to the public. She was catching up on her emails, when the main door burst open to reveal two women and Jon. The shorter woman was wearing a police uniform with a pink hijab wrapped around her head and Rosie recognised her as the officer that would come meet with Jon a while back. The taller woman looked strong, her blonde hair cut short and her expression stern. Rosie’s gaze moved down to see the woman holding Jon by the collar of his hoodie and she froze.
Her eyes widened as she saw the state the man was in. A bright pink hoodie with “What The Ghost?” written in big, white text on it was hanging on him loosely. It was covered in dirt and blood and she could swear the right sleeve was slightly singed. His sweatpants were in no better state, torn and dirty. His cane was missing, causing him to very visibly lean to one side just like his glasses that sat crooked on his nose. He also gained a lot of new scars – his limp was more visible as he wobbled inside, his right hand wrapped tightly with a bandage and a giant gash decorated his neck, dripping fresh blood onto his hoodie.
The three of them walked up to her desk and Rosie couldn’t help the sharp inhale she took as they approached. Jon leaned over the desk and asked if Elias was in his office. She couldn’t do nothing else but stare in shock, her eyes locked on Jon’s exhausted form. From up close she could see his half-lidded eyes, the flush of his cheeks and his long hair that slipped from the worn hair tie.
She couldn’t say anything, her voice caught in her throat, but luckily she was saved by Martin entering the hall. The man quickly took care of the situation and took the trio to Elias’ office.
Rosie stared after them and after a moment she got up, packed her things and clocked out early. There was no way in hell she was staying there after seeing that.
***
It was difficult to adjust to the new version of Jon, but at least he seemed a bit better now than how he was before. His paranoia seemed to have lessened and he seemed to have started taking at least a little bit more care of himself. She nodded at him, when she saw Jon walk into the institute.
He was back in his white, button-up although he no longer cared about ironing them and instead wore jumpers over them to cover up the creases. He also no longer gripped his bag as if it was a lifeline, so she supposed that was something. He got a new cane and his hair was tied into a ponytail to keep it out of his face. Rosie noted the long, wide, dark grey skirt he was wearing instead of pants. It was probably one of those days when his bad leg was acting up again. Her suspicion was confirmed, when she saw Jon wince with every step he took towards her.
She smiled to him in greeting and he smiled back, nodding to her as he moved to go down to the archives. It seemed almost normal for a bit.
***
Okay, so maybe she spoke too soon.
Jon was missing. He was missing for the past month and no one seemed to care or notice. The archival staff didn’t seem to care whether he was at work or not and Elias, although aware of Jon’s disappearance, didn’t look too worried. But Rosie was. She and Jon may not have had the strongest relationship, but anyone would be worried if they noticed someone simply vanish into thin air, right?
She was contemplating that, when she heard a crash in the main lobby. She looked up just in time to see a yellow door on the ceiling close before disappearing. Right beneath them laid Jon.
He was wearing a crumpled, white wifebeater and a pair of striped boxers. It all seemed dusty, as if he was left among old things for a while and started collecting dust like the rest of them. His hair was greasy, probably unwashed for quite some time. The only thing that actually looked good about him was his skin. Rosie couldn’t help but notice how soft it looked and seemed to give off a healthier glow than she ever thought was possible for him to achieve.
Jon started to get up to his knees and Rosie was suddenly reminded that she probably should help. She ran up to Jon and helped him stand up. He seemed to be slightly disoriented but recognition was quickly returning to his eyes. Rosie helped him walk over to an unoccupied chair behind her desk and pressed a button, that was usually used for when new statement givers came in, to notify the archive department that someone should come up.
It took several minutes for Martin to make his way up to the lobby. His eyes widened once he saw Jon and he quickly ran up to the two of them, so he could check him over. Rosie sighed deeply and fell back into her own chair, watching Martin fret over Jon. She was not paid enough for this.
***
Jon hasn’t been in the office for a while. At least this time she knew he was alright and just on some research trip. It was approved by Elias, so she decided not to question it. The last incident taught her to not ask too many questions about the archival crew or she could learn something she’d rather not know. She shuddered at the thought and shook her head to get rid of it.
The institute’s door opened and she looked up to greet the new comer. She saw Jon walk in and tensed slightly. He was leaning heavily on his cane, eyes hazy and face exhausted. He was wearing jeans, which to Rosie was even more unbelievable than the loose T-shirt he had thrown on. On the grey shirt in a large font was written “I survived the Hunt and all I got was this lousy shirt”. It seemed oddly specific and uncommon, but then she remembered that Jon’s trip included USA and she brushed it off as overall American weirdness. Jon walked up to her and leaned on her desk. Rosie wasn’t supposed to get nosy, but she couldn’t help her question.
“Gosh, you look horrible. Jet lag?”
Jon stared at her blankly for a few moments as if trying to comprehend what she said. Rosie was about to ask again, when finally something clicked in Jon’s brain and he chuckled. Rosie was stunned, she couldn’t remember the last time Jon smiled, let alone chuckle! It was weird to see him like that.
“Yeah, I had a bit of a rough road in America and the flight back wasn’t that much better.” They exchanged a few more words before Jon said he had to go down to the archives to fill others in on his research. He didn’t say what his research included and she did not ask. Instead she turned back to her monitor, so she could continue her job.
***
For once Rosie saw Jon walk out of the archives instead of coming in. She didn’t really think much of his appearance until he came closer and stopped by her desk. She took a closer look at him and noticed how well dressed he was compared to his regular clothing.
He was wearing a nice, black turtleneck paired with a long, dark, pleated skirt. His hair was done in a half-up-half-down style revealing the silver studs in his ears that matched his new necklace. Even his cane seemed to match and… was that eyeliner? No that last part she must’ve imagined ‘cus there was no way that THE Jonathan Sims would ever care enough to wear eyeliner. Nonetheless he seemed anxious, fidgeting with a black ring on his middle finger. He looked around as if waiting for something and Rosie couldn’t help her curiosity. She let out quiet whistle, catching Jon’s attention.
“You’re dressed up nicely today. Where are you going?” Rosie thought that Jon blushed slightly at the question although it was hard to tell against his dark skin.
“Oh, I’m just going out to lunch with Martin.” Ah, so that’s how it was.
“You’re going on a date? Never thought you had in you to finally ask someone out.” Jon looked stunned at that.
“What? No, I didn’t- I didn’t ask him out.” Rosie gave him a knowing look and smiled.
“Ah, so he was the one to ask you.” Now Jon was definitely turning red.
“No, no he didn’t ask me out! I mean he did, but not- He didn’t- I-", Jon took a deep, calming breath,"It’s not a date. We’re just going out to eat lunch and catch up on what happened when I wasn’t here.” Rosie was unconvinced.
“So that’s why you’re all dressed up?”
Jon opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed them again and grimaced not knowing what to say. After a moment of considering what to say, he sighed defeated.
“Is it really that obvious?”
“Extremely so.” Jon groaned, pressing his palms into his eyes and Rosie couldn’t help the smirk that made its way onto her face.
“Could you please don’t tell anyone? I’m not sure Martin even likes me, let alone in that… sense.” He made a vague movement with his hand.
Now that was a surprise to Rosie. Was Jon really that oblivious? I mean, of course he was, she knew that, but still. She shook her head slightly to get rid of the thoughts and decided to let the two of them figure it out on their own.
“My lips are sealed.”, she said and made gesture of zipping up her mouth, locking it up and throwing the key over her shoulder. Jon sighed a breath of relief.
Then Martin came out of the archives, also dressed nicely but just casual enough to fly under the radar. If Rosie didn’t know any better she wouldn’t think much of it but now that she looked closer she could see that he also put more effort into his appearance than normal. God, they were hopeless.
Rosie watched them talk for a moment before they nodded her goodbye and headed towards the door of the institute. Suddenly Rosie felt very lonely. Ugh, she should really consider one of those dating apps or being single would finally kill her.
***
It was unusual to see anyone from the archives in the lobby beyond coming in or out of work. It was even more shocking to see them all, standing there, getting ready to leave in the middle of the day. Rosie didn’t know the new hires that well, but she could see they weren’t on the best terms with each other.
Tim seemed impatient stepping from one foot to the other. Basira, as Rosie had learned was her name, was unbothered, standing with her hands crossed over her chest and a stern expression on her face. Next to her was that same woman that brought Jon in a few months back. She was still just as intimidating as before and Rosie made a choice to not look at her in case they made eye contact. Her presence made Rosie feel uncomfortable and she felt almost threatened by her.
And then Jon came in. He was wearing a T-shirt with a jacket thrown on top and a pair of comfortable pants that Rosie couldn’t figure out whether they wear jeans or sweatpants or something entirely else. He was also carrying a huge backpack that looked to be filled to the brim with something and a shoulder bag that also seemed to be bursting with stuff. Odd.
He was clutching the bag’s straps to the point of his knuckles starting to turn white, which was an impressive amount of strength. She nodded to him in greeting and he just looked at her with a weird expression. The look in his clearly stressed eyes was sad and almost pitying. Was he pitying her? Why? If anything she should be feeling pity for him with how exhausted he looked, the bags under his eyes a deep dark hue. She frowned as she watched Jon approach the others.
She couldn’t hear what they were talking about on the other side of the lobby, but from their faces it didn’t seem to be anything pleasant. The faces of the rest seemed to be contorted in varying stages of annoyance and anger and Rosie couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was going on in the archives?
Finally they moved to leave the institute and as they were walking out the glass doors Jon turned and send Rosie another sad look over his shoulder, almost like he was apologizing for something.
What the hell was going on?
***
It’s been six months since the… accident. That’s what they were told to address what had happened as. Elias was convicted of murder and arrested, Peter Lukas becoming the new head of the institute. His new rules were worrying to a certain degree with all the distancing and limiting face-to-face interactions but other than her own gut feeling she couldn’t find anything suspicious about them. Although it has become very clear that there was something more going on in the archives.
Rosie was a lot of things but unobservant was not one of them. Tim was gone. He died in an explosion along the intimidating woman that Rosie had learned was named Daisy. They told them that it was a terrorist attack that the archival crew just so happened to walk into on their trip. Rosie did not believe that. Jon was still in a coma, the rest of the crew seemed to have started living down in the archives full time and Martin… Well, he was a sweetheart before, but now that he became Peter’s personal assistant he became… cold.
It was definitely weird being an assistant of an assistant, but considering how little she heard from Peter Lukas, Martin might as well be the new Head of the Institute. Rosie sighed heavily as she tapped away at her keyboard. All that change made her feel exhausted and she had no idea what was going on.
Rosie truly wanted to believe it was really a terrorist attack but… She shouldn’t be thinking about that. She heard the door open and looked up to greet the person walking in. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw who it was.
Jon limped in, a new wooden cane gripped tightly in his hand. He was wearing a very nice sweater with a brown blazer over it and a pair of ironed slacks. His messenger bag also looked brand new. His new clothing contradicted widely with the mess that was his long hair, uncombed and haphazardly tied back just enough to not cover his eyes.
“Jon, you’re back!” She couldn’t hide the surprise in her tone. Why wasn’t she notified of Jon’s return? According to her employment she should’ve been.
Jon grimaced as he looked past her to the door of the archives. He didn’t look very enthusiastic to be back.
“Hey, Rosie.” His voice was raspy and Rosie couldn’t help cringing slightly at the sound.
She wanted to say something but the words died on her tongue. Luckily Jon didn’t wait for an answer instead opting to move past her and walk towards his department’s door. She looked after him as he opened the door and walked down the stairs after taking a deep breath for courage. This would be the last time she saw him for a while.
***
She was taking a few weeks of paid vacation, signed off by her doctor of course, when it happened.
The atmosphere at the institute was getting to her a bit more than she’d like to admit and the stress caused her physical symptoms, so she wasn’t there when the world ended. She was just walking through the park and then out of nowhere the world turned into a living nightmare.
Suddenly she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t cry, scream or sleep frozen in that unmoving state of helplessness. She couldn’t even place how long she was caught in that awful state until the world came back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. She stood there stunned, in the same place she was in when the nightmare started, wearing the same clothes, her hand still clutching the paper cup of cold coffee she was drinking before and she knew.
She knew this couldn’t be just her imagination and she knew that her gut feeling was right when it told her to run to the institute. When she reached the building it was nothing more but a mountain of rubble. There was horde of employees standing on the sidewalk across the street from the collapsed building, their faces horrified, unsure of what just happened or how to proceed and still scarred with the horrors they also had to suffer through.
It took a long while for everything to settle. It was confirmed that what happened wasn’t just a hallucination and did in fact happen, but there was still no explanation for how exactly it happened. But she knew. She knew it from the moment she saw the rubble that it was in some way connected to the institute and any doubt she had about her suspicions vanished when the news reached her.
Jon and Martin’s bodies were found a few days after the horrors stopped. The police suspected a double suicide. She went to their funeral of course. They may not have been extremely close, but over the years of working together she felt obligated to come and say her final goodbye. There were only a few people present – Rosie, a priest, a gravedigger, Basira, Melanie and Georgie, who she only now learned was once Jon’s friend.
Rosie looked at the two cold bodies in the open caskets, dressed in cheap, black suits that the funeral home kindly offered for the pair when they learned there was no trace of the rest of their belongings. It was sad to see them go, to see the caskets close and get lowered into a shared grave. The tombstone wasn’t big and the only thing carved into the cold stone were their names. No dates, no quotes, no ornaments. Just two names.
Rosie left the far end of the cemetery before the grave was halfway filled. Back at home she sighed, as she shed her black jacket and sat down at her computer. A few stray tears fell on her hands and she reached for a tissue. She had to find a new job and look into available therapists.