Chapter Text
i’m alive. filming in st. hiems. come quickly. -g.s.
That’s all Jacquelyn needed. It was short and cryptic and it relieved her to know that one of her closest colleagues was still alive. Hearing him utter the familiar motto and then go silent when waiting for the Baudelaire children had left her worried for the days following their date of sorts-- she was reluctant to call it such-- but now she could rest easy knowing he was at least capable of contacting her.
No time was wasted in the trip up to St. Hiems, a mostly abandoned village in the mountains, she’d found that had been covered in snow. Every road leading up to it seemed more treacherous and abandoned then the last, and when she had finally arrived at the tiny town he had mentioned, it was hard to believe that any filming of any kind was going on, not to even begin with him living there.
“Gustav? Are you here?” The secretary remarked as she knocked on what seemed to be the only building giving off any light in the area.
There was a long silence that followed her knocking on the door, leaving a sense of unease down Jacquelyn’s shoulders. Either that or the cold weather that made her wish she had grabbed a much thicker coat before she had left. Pursing her lips, she tried again, this time tapping rhythmically on the door, four consecutive short taps and then two more.
The door swung open easily and it almost took her breath away seeing him again. Taking one’s breath away is usually not a good thing as most of us do require air to breathe, but seeing someone you had thought you had lost, staggering before you, can make lack of air seem much more romantic than one would ever think.
Lips painted a deep red fell open at the sight as the filmmaker, looking much scruffier and much colder than when she had seen him last at the theater. Even after knowing that face for many years and watching as new scars and tans and marks came one by one, he was still a handsome sight, probably more than he was aware of. Close watching revealed that he was shivering, just slightly, his hands usually so careful and articulate looking pale and red from the cold wind that left him looking haggard, a word which here means very tired.
“Gustav.” Jacquelyn breathed, staring at him as she still tried to contain herself.
“Jacquelyn.” He was much worse at containing himself, as he easily broke into a relieved grin that almost made her heart hurt wondering what had left him so grateful just to see anyone. “You came.”
“You sent for me.”
It took everything in her power not to admit every little worry and concern she had for him over the past few days and how wonderful it was to see him alive and even happy at the sight of her. So she merely took in another deep breath through her nose and smiled.
“You have a lot to explain, Gustav.” She replied again once she found the ability to speak without feeling as though she wouldn’t either burst into tears or anything equally embarrassing.
“I do. Come in.”
She did, stepping inside what seemed to be an abandoned inn or bed and breakfast from her knowledge. The only light being given off was from a dim lightbulb that flickered weakly over them and an array of candles that otherwise could be considered very romantic if they weren’t two volunteers with a very ambiguously defined relationship in an isolated snowy town with little other warmth than said candles. Again, she was worried about how he’d been surviving here, especially when food and even warmth seemed scarce. Glancing about the room, she noticed an overstuffed old couch piled with all sorts of dusty, moth-eaten blankets in front of the fireplace, likely his bed since his stay.
“Oh, Gustav…” Jacquelyn remarked as she ran her hand over her mouth, partially to keep herself warm.
“It’s not much, but I had to get as far away from Montgomery’s as possible. One of our enemies must have needed me out of the way and I know the children won’t be safe.”
She raised an eyebrow, moving over to stand in front of him. “What happened?”
His hand subconsciously moved to his neck, seeming to wring it. “I was ah… literally on the edge of a pond. I think the rest is self-explanatory.”
Nodding her head in understanding, she touched his cheek and pulled him down to her level. She had never been nearly drowned before, but it had to be a horrible experience and she could hardly understand how he still found the strength to pull through even after something like that. But often humans can be surprising in their ability to withstand even the most unfortunate of events. And Gustav was no exception. They stood like that for a few moments.
“What do we need to do?” She spoke eventually, her thumb running over his cheek.
“It’s late. But I have a script and I need my lead actress and I also need to get a message to Monty. They need to go to Peru where they’ll be safe.”
Jacquelyn pursed her lips as she watched his eyes flicker to the ground, still shaking slightly with the cold. Looking closely, she could see the dark circles forming under his eyes, showing he needed rest more than anyone. Once this was over with, she’d be making sure he was at least warm and well-fed among other things.
“Have you slept since you’ve started this script?”
He hesitated for a second but that was all she needed. “A few hours here and there. It’s very urgent.”
“Then you need a good night’s sleep. Then we can begin.”
Gustav knew better than to argue with her, as proven by several years of partnership, so he rolled his eyes and settled down into his odd mismatch of blankets, likely scavenged from all across the inn. She watched him for a few moments, undoing her shoes and settling beside him. They were far too old to get properly squeamish about sleeping in such close proximity and they had done so several times before. Her head drifted onto his shoulder and despite the frigid temperature around them, it wasn’t long before they had both fallen asleep.