Circle

Eighth in the Fall Series
by Tiriel
Rating: R, m/m

Picks up the story immediately after "Complicated" -a few spoilers here, then the spoilers end as I go into the time beyond what we were shown on the series.

Disclaimer: The characters of this story don't belong to me...they came from the twisted minds of David Lynch and Mark Frost (and I mean that respectfully)-I'll put them back when I'm done. Please don't sue me, all I have are student loans...also, this is not beta'd, errors are entirely my fault.

A little bit of everything in this one, really. This is the last story. The odyssey that this series became for me has drawn to an end. I'm sort of sad, sort of happy...your basic mixed emotional state. It really did start out as just a filthy little PWP. Funny how things happen, ain't it? Thanks to everyone for the feedback along the way. Don't stop now...

--------------------------------------------------------

Oddly enough, he did indeed reappear just as I finished my story. I saw a red light, maybe it was red curtains, and then they were there. I jumped to my feet and ran to check on him. *He's alive! Oh, thank God, he's alive,* I thought. So was Annie. Both of them were unconscious. I sat there for a moment, thankful, before running to my radio to call for an ambulance. I thought the worst was over. I was wrong.

Later on, at the Great Northern, Dale woke up. He asked, "How's Annie?" His voice sounded strange as he said, "I need to brush my teeth." He walked into the bathroom.

I heard a crash, and called out to him, worried that he'd fallen. "Coop? Coop, are you okay?" I knocked on the door, but he didn't respond. It was then that I thought I heard him laughing. Not his usual laugh, but a strange sort of cackle. A chill ran down my spine, and I opened the door.

He was bleeding from his forehead, the mirror was broken, and the sink was full of toothpaste. He looked at me as I came in.

"I stumbled. Must be more tired than I thought."

"Looks like it, Coop. Good thing Doc Hayward's still here. That may need stitches." I took his arm and helped him back to bed.

I don't know why Bob revealed himself in Cooper so quickly. He went undetected in Leland Palmer for decades. Maybe Dale was fighting him. The mirror was a mistake, the laughter an even bigger one. It made me worry enough to have him watched. If I hadn't done that, he might have gotten out and done something terrible before we even knew anything was wrong.

I already had Hawk guarding the door. We didn't know yet what had happened to Earle, and I didn't want him coming after Coop.

"Keep a close eye on him, Hawk. He doesn't seem to be feeling as well as he thinks," I said as I left the room. Hawk nodded, and I left for the hospital.

The search for survivors of the bank explosion was still underway. Pete was dead. So was Andrew--again. Apparently it hadn't taken the first time. Audrey and the guard were the only survivors who had been found so far. I'm still not sure why she was chained to the vault, but the metal gate had sheltered her from the collapsing roof. She was at the hospital, still unconscious. I looked in on her quickly before going to see Annie.

I also had Annie under guard. She was awake again, so I sat down to talk to her. "Hi, Annie, how are you feeling?"

"I'm still pretty tired, Sheriff Truman, but I'll recover. How's Dale?"

"He's awake now, too. He asked after you first thing."

She smiled. Then her expression changed.

"Annie, I don't know if you're ready to talk about this, but I need to know what happened after Earle kidnapped you at the pageant. Do you know what happened to him?"

"I only remember a little bit. He took me into the woods in a truck. He said something about fish. Then we went into a circle of trees. I was very afraid. I thought he was going to kill me. I prayed. I don't know what happened to Windom Earle after that. I remember talking to a blonde girl, but I don't know what we said. I don't recall anything else that happened, but I know that wherever I was, it was a place of great evil. I could feel it." She crossed herself. "If it's all right, I don't want to see Dale quite yet. Is that okay?"

"Whatever you want. We'll talk more later." I left and headed back to the hotel.

Back at the Great Northern, I almost bumped into the ancient room service waiter as I got on to the elevator and he was getting off. I pushed the button for Dale's floor and waited. Then I saw a flash of light.

A man stood in front of me, and I knew right away that he had to be Dale's giant.

"You are in danger."

He was indeed softspoken, as Dale had said. I'd never had a vision before. *Maybe it's exhaustion,* I thought, *staying up all that time sitting vigil for Dale.* I decided to just go with it.

"Why am I in danger? From Windom Earle?"

"He is known to us. He will not trouble you again."

"Then who?"

"I tried to warn him. She should not have entered the contest. He should not have called her a queen."

"Dale? I'm in danger from Cooper?" I must have sounded as surprised and skeptical as I felt.

"The things I tell you will be true. He is of us now."

"Of you?"

"He is host to an inhabiting spirit."

Then it clicked. Hitting his head on the mirror like Leland had hit his on the wall at the station. That laugh. I didn't want to believe it, but I had to ask.

"Bob?"

"Cooper entered the Black Lodge. I could not help him there. I could only watch."

"You're saying that Bob is in Coop? How do I get him out?"

"Fear. Not yours. Not Cooper's. Someone else's. It is written on the page."

Another flash of light, and he was gone. I didn't fully believe at first that it had been real. But I asked Doc Hayward for something before he left, just in case, and I spoke briefly to Hawk before I went in to talk to Dale.

His cut had needed a couple of stitches, and he had a bandage on his head now.

"How's Annie?"

"She's awake now, too, but resting."

"When can I see her? They won't let me leave." His voice still had that odd, deep sound.

"When the doc says it's okay for both of you."

He stood and walked to the window. "I miss her."

I walked over to join him. "I know."

He turned and embraced me, burying his face in my shoulder. He reached for my gun, then realized the holster was empty. I caught his hand, held his wrist hard, looked at his face. "It is Bob in there, isn't it? I'm glad I decided to leave my gun outside. Cooper taught me a little something about subtlety."

"NO!" He knocked me down, and we struggled on the floor.

"Hawk!" I was doing my best to restrain him, and it wasn't quite enough. Hawk burst through the door, helped me hold him down, and I injected Coop with the haloperidol I'd gotten from Doc Hayward. The drug Gerard had used to suppress Mike.

He fought, howled, and whooped until I'd given him the dose, and then he slid into unconsciousness. I hadn't expected the drug to knock him out entirely, but I wasn't going to complain. Hawk and I cuffed him to the bed.

"Call the doc back," I said, "who knows how long this stuff will last."

I sat down next to Coop to think. What had the giant said about fear? I stared at Dale's face. I had to save him. I was still sitting there when Hawk came back in.

"Doc's on his way back up--I caught him in the parking lot." He paused. "You'll bring him back, Harry. If anyone can, you can."

"I hope so."

"Love is a powerful thing."

"So you do know," I said.

"Harry, I told you before. You are lousy at keeping secrets. I'll leave you alone, but I'll be right outside if you need me."

"Thanks, Hawk."

He nodded and closed the door behind himself.

I closed my eyes and thought back to the giant's words. Fear. Not mine, not Dale's, someone else's. And something about...that was it. "It is written on the page."

Page of what? I must have drifted off in the chair, because I don't remember Doc Hayward coming in.

"Harry." He was gently shaking my shoulder. "Harry, what's this nonsense about Agent Cooper being possessed?"

"Doc, you have to trust me on this one. Keep him dosed up with as much haloperidol as he can take. He could hurt himself. And if he gets out of here, I think he'll kill Annie."

He sighed. "I should know better than to ask. This town is using its fair share of haloperidol. So many people winding up on the damn stuff lately. Major Briggs, Gerard--"

"Gerard--that's it! Doc, where is Gerard now?"

"Well, after Agent Cooper finally let me give that poor man his medication again, he started to recover. Last I heard, he was staying with his friend, Bob Lydecker, until he felt better."

"Thanks. Now please, keep him drugged and do not, for any reason, let him out of here."

"Probably the only way I'll ever keep the man on bedrest," Doc Hayward said, "never had a more stubborn patient. I'll do it, Harry."

As I left the room, I heard him continue. "Give Cooper the drug. Don't give the one-armed man the drug..."

I was leaving Coop's room, but I was not going to leave him alone. "Hawk," I said, "call in everyone. Do not let him out of your sight. Do not let him out of those cuffs."

"I understand," he said, and went in to start placing phone calls. I left to do what I had to do. I went to find the one-armed man.

It turned out that I didn't have to look very far. For once, he was exactly where he was supposed to be. I went to Bob Lydecker's house. No one answered the door, but it was unlocked, so I went in. The house was dark, even though it was still daylight outside.

"I have been expecting you," he said. I could tell from the sound of his voice that it was Mike, not Gerard, speaking. "He has returned."

My eyes began to adjust to the darkness. He was lying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. "Yes, he has. I need your help."

"You know where he is. I cannot help you." His breathing was harsh, raspy.

I had already thrown aside my usual down-to-earth methods of solving a problem, gone chasing this vision. I wasn't going to stop so easily.

"Please," I said, "he's my partner."

Mike looked at me, and I knew that wouldn't be enough. I stood up straight, looked him in the eye, and spoke the truth plainly and simply. "I love him."

"Yes," he said.

"I need your help. Bob is afraid of you, that's what he told Laura. She wrote it in her diary, on the page Harold Smith sent to Donna. The giant reminded me of it. So you must have some power over him. There must be something you can do."

"Once, yes, but not now. This vessel has grown too weak. I am not strong enough to fight him, not like this."

I took a deep breath, but there was no hesitation, no fear, when I spoke.

"Then take me."

There was a long pause, and I felt as if he were judging me somehow.

"This is offered freely, out of love. I cannot refuse it."

I saw a flash of light. The giant smiled at me. Another flash of light and he was gone. Then I heard an owl, felt my body jerk. I heard the breathing on the couch even out.

"Who's there?"

"It's okay, Mr. Gerard. It's me, Sheriff Truman. I have what I came for. Everything's okay."

"I don't understand," he said.

"It's all right. You'll be all right from now on. Thank you."

He looked confused, then his eyes drifted shut and he slept. I left the house and drove back to the Great Northern. Darkness was beginning to fall. I felt no different, really, except for the deepest, truest sense of purpose, of rightness, I'd ever experienced.

Major Briggs was waiting for me in the lobby, as I'd somehow known he would be. He said, "I'll be there when you arrive," and walked out of the hotel. I continued towards Dale's room.

As I stepped out of the elevator, I saw the waiter at the end of the hallway. He gave me a thumbs-up and tottered around a corner, out of sight.

The door to Dale's room was open, and a small crowd of people were standing just inside. They all turned to look at me. The Log Lady spoke first.

"I have been to Owl Cave. All will be ready for you. There are many owls in the hotel today."

"Thank you, Margaret. I'll see you there," I said, and she left. Ed was next. "Glad you could make it," I said.

"Nadine's in the hospital again, this time it looks like for good."

"You did right by her, Ed. You always did. Now let her go and be happy."

Then Hawk spoke. "I called Albert Rosenfield, too, he's on his way. What do you need us to do?"

"Help me take him to Glastonbury Grove. Doc, how much longer will he be under?"

"Hard to say. They don't exactly teach this stuff in medical school."

"Okay. Andy, you and Lucy wait here. When Albert arrives, bring him to the grove. Oh, and Sarah Palmer, too. She'll be here soon."

"Sure thing, Sheriff Truman. I'll bring Mrs. Palmer and Agent Rosen--um, Albert. Got it."

"Rosenfield, Andy," Lucy said. She and Andy were holding hands.

"Right, Rosenfield. I'll bring them."

"Ed, Hawk, let's go. Ed, you're driving. Doc, thanks, and we'll call if we need you." I tossed Ed my keys.

Hawk helped me release Dale from the bed, then we cuffed him again. I lifted him into my arms and we left the hotel.

I held him across my lap on the drive into the woods. "Fear and love open the doors," Briggs had said, was it only two days ago? I had lived through and learned to let go of my fear while Dale was in the Black Lodge. All that was left was my love for him.

I unlocked the cuffs, snapped one onto my wrist and the other back on his. We were together in this. He began to stir in my arms.

"Hurry, Ed."

"Just a little further, Harry," he said.

Then we were there. I lifted Dale again and got out of the car. The Log Lady was already there, watching silently.

"Now listen to me very carefully," I said, "whatever happens, stay back, until one or both of us returns. If I'm dead, or if it's just Dale who comes back, kill him. Promise me, Hawk. He would rather die than be Bob's tool."

"I promise," Hawk said.

"Now stay back." It was dark then, and I carried Dale into the grove. Briggs was there.

"They will receive you," he said.

"Thank you, Garland," I said, and he left the grove.

I held Dale in my arms, looked down into his face, and let my love for him fill me like a bright light. His eyes snapped open, his face twisted with rage, and he struggled out of my arms. He tried to twist away from me, but he discovered that I'd cuffed our wrists together. Then there really was a bright light, coming not from me, but from all around us. The cuffs were gone. He and I were standing face to face, both naked.

He screamed with rage, then laughed that horrible laugh. "Bringing me here isn't enough," he said, "you can't make me go."

"Coop, fight him. I know you're in there, and I need your help."

"I have a better idea," he said, and stepped closer to me. "Join me. It would be much easier."

"No," I said, "I saw the face of God, I took off the arm," and I knew then that here I was as much Mike as I was Harry Truman.

"Come on, we were partners once. A golden circle. We could have that again." He smiled, almost a parody of seduction, and ran a hand clumsily over my cheek.

"You're outnumbered, Bob," I said, "Harry doesn't want to join you, Mike doesn't want to join you, and Dale doesn't want to join you."

"I know who you want. Cooper tells us. We could give her back to you. She is not gone, only trapped between."

I heard Josie's voice then, calling me. "Harry? Harry, help me."

"No. Josie made her own choices. So did Hank. It's my turn to choose. I choose to bring Dale back."

He looked surprised, I think he'd expected me to hesitate, to at least be tempted by Josie. He paused, looked at me hard for a moment, then spoke again.

"But if you bring him back, he'll just go and live happily ever after with Annie, and you'll be alone." His tone twisted her name, mocked it. Then he was almost himself again as he said, "I know you love me, Harry. If you do this, we'll be together forever. No more pain. No more loneliness."

I did hesitate then, just for a moment. I looked down and saw a tattoo begin to appear on my arm. Then he kept speaking.

"It's so simple. You tell Hawk everything's okay. He'll believe you. Then, we go kill Annie together. I want her."

The hesitation was gone, and I saw the tattoo fade. "No," Mike/I said, our voice growing louder, more powerful, "there will be no more killing. I saw the face of God. I swore an oath to protect, to fight the evil in the woods. Dale Cooper, I do love you. If Annie makes you happy, you belong with her. I want only your happiness. I love you."

I saw him fall to the ground, twitching as if having a seizure, and then Mike was standing next to me.

"Bob," he said, "I have missed our companionship. I love you. Come with me. There will be no more killing, but you can be my familiar again."

Coop stopped twitching and I saw Bob standing there, looking at Mike.

"You want me with you?" Bob looked different somehow, younger.

"Yes." Mike held out his arm, embraced Bob. Their forms became fuzzy, edges blurring, and there was only one figure there when I heard Mike's voice say, "See you in twenty-five years," and they slowly disappeared.

"The only power strong enough to conquer that kind of evil is the power of love, Harry. I'm sorry. I had no idea you loved me. I should have known."

Coop's voice sounded normal. I looked at him. He was standing in front of me again, smiling. We were both wearing our clothes again. I was in my uniform, and he was in the pajamas he'd been wearing when I'd brought him here. He stepped closer and kissed me. *Those silly 1950s pajamas,* I thought with a smile, and was blinded by a flash of light.

Next thing I knew, I was waking up in Dale's bed at the Great Northern. I was dressed in my uniform, someone had taken off my shoes, my head hurt, and I wondered for a moment if I'd dreamt it all. Then I was aware of Dale, nestled against me, in his blue pajamas. I smiled, then remembered Annie. I got up, found my shoes, and stepped into the hallway. Hawk was there, guarding the door.

"Everything's okay, Hawk," I said. "He's back. He and Annie will be happy."

"Well, you're half right, at least, Harry. Sarah Palmer told us you two were all right when you reappeared in the grove. We brought you back, and I got them all to leave. I figured you might like to be alone when you woke up. But Annie's gone. Back to the convent. She left Dale a letter."

I was saddened by that. Dale's heart would be broken again. "Do you have it here? I'll give it to him."

"Here." He handed me the letter. "Oh, and Albert said to tell you that you did 'a good job, for a podunk sheriff from the strangest little backwater burg on the planet.' He also said to tell you it's a damn good thing your taste in men is better than your taste in women."

"Does everybody know?" I wondered out loud. Hawk didn't answer me.

"Andy brought Albert and Sarah Palmer not long after you vanished. We all sat and waited for you. You were gone almost a day."

I smiled. "Tell everyone thank you, Albert, too, and I'll see them soon. I'm going to break the news to Dale. You can leave now."

"Thanks, Harry." He left, and I hesitated in the hallway for a moment, half-expecting to see the waiter totter past. The door opened behind me.

"There you are, Harry. I was worried that you'd gone. Come back inside."

"Dale, I--" I held out the letter. "I'm sorry."

"That'll be from Annie. She's gone back to the convent. She's realized that she can't be part of my world. She doesn't belong in it any more than I belong in hers."

"But--"

"Oh, I'll always love her, Harry, just as I'll always love Caroline and you'll always love Josie. But she and I don't belong together. It was you, it was your love, that was strong enough to bring me back from darkness. Annie could never have done that, Harry. Just you."

"But--"

"Harry, you didn't just say it to try to save me, did you?" He looked unsure for a moment, and I smiled. I felt the light inside myself burning brightly.

"No, Dale, I didn't just say it. I love you."

He smiled back, the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen, and held out his hand. "And I love you, Harry. Now will you please come back to bed?"

I took his hand and walked back into the room, dropping the "do not disturb" sign on the knob before I closed the door. I knew that if I dreamt that night, if I got any sleep at all, that in my dream Dale and I would be throwing ourselves backwards off that cliff together.

-------------------------------------------------

THE END

Now that it's over, what did you think?

Oh, and for the curious, the piece that I woke up with one morning after I'd been agonizing for so long over what to do about the end--the morning when Harry "told" me where this was going? That piece was his conversation with Gerard. Specifically the "then take me" line. It felt so right. Hope it felt that way to you, too.

Tiriel

Back to the Bookhouse Boys archive