Possibilities

Well, I know that you're in love with him
'cause I saw you dancing in the gym...


It was 1974 and Dan could not believe what he was seeing.

Adrian Veidt was dancing; and not the elegant ballroom or ballet dancing one might expect from him, no. This was the down and dirty, out at the 'clubs kind of dancing.

Dan couldn't see the man's partner but whoever it was made Adrian smile in a way Dan had never seen before. It was a smile of pure joy.

Finally Adrian moved and the other person came into view. A rather homely-looking, red-haired man who smiled a smaller, more tentative smile.

Daniel knew who-ever this was, he was good for Adrian. So he quietly closed the door and walked away, wishing them the best of luck.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It's 1985 and Dan could not believe what he is seeing.

The shy red-head he'd nearly forgotton was Rorschach.

Dan just could not reconcile the two images in his head, until he thought of Blair Roche and what had happened to Rorschach's personality afterwards. He wondered how it had affected Ror - Walter's relationship with Adrian.

He goes to Adrian's penthouse to speak with him.

"What can I help you with, Daniel?" Adrian asks, after offering drinks and food; the ever perfect host.

"You saw the news? About Rorschach?" Daniel asks. He's not sure, but he thinks he sees something flicker in Adian's eyes, an emotion gone too quickly to identify.

"Yes, a shame. " Adrian's voice is even more carefully neutral than normally.

"Whatever happened to you two?"

Adrian flinches.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He says.

"I saw you, y'know. I watched you two dance for half an hour or so. It's the only time I've seen you genuinely smile. I'm also sure it's the only time I've ever seen Rorschach smile.

So don't tell me there was nothing going on between you two." Dan says, uncomfortably aware of how much he sounded like his own mother with that last line.

"There really was nothing much to us, Daniel.

Dancing and a few private dinners were about as intimate as we got. I felt the relationship was just starting to get serious when... when Roche happened.

After that it was like he couldn't stand to be near me anymore. Like he blamed me, perhaps thinking I had distracted him too much from searching for the girl and that was why she died. We rarely spoke after that, mostly at the occaisional meetings we used to have when the watchmen were still legal." Adrian pauses.

"I think you should go now Daniel, I'm tired..."

"Goodnight Adrian." Daniel says as he lets himself out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrian walks to his bedroom and sits down heavily on the bed. For a few moments he just stares into space, but then he shakes his head and opens the drawer on his nightstand. He pulls out a photo and holds it like it would shatter.

The picture shows him and Walter, ten years younger and many years more innocent and carefree. Walter smilling his soft shy smile, pressed against Adrian's side with an arm around his waist. Adrian's arm was around Walter's shoulder, his head resting against the top of Walter's, smiling the wide joyful smile that only Walter could bring to his lips.

Adrian feels his lips curve up into a sad shadow of it's former glory, tears welling up in his eyes. If he closes his eyes he can still feel the warmth of Walter lithe body all along his side, can feel his hot breath against his ear as he whispered sweet sentiments.

Two weeks after the picture had been taken, Blaire Roche had been murdered and something in Walter died with her.

Adrian looks down and wipes away the stray tears that had fallen on the slightly worn image. He places the picture reverently back in it's place, crawls under the covers and falls asleep. He dreams sweet, sweet dreams of a time long gone and what might have been.

If only, if only...