Title: Misery Loves Company 2/4
Pairing: DeWitt/Dominic
Rating: PG (little bit of language)
Author: lalenapeike 
Summary: The pulse bomb goes off and starts resetting everyone. What if everyone didn't want to be reset? And where has Dominic been?
Spoilers: Season 1 and 2. Set after Epitaph 2.
Disclaimers: This is all Joss Whedon’s. Just the ideas are mine.
A/N: I've had this little what if floating around my head since the finale. Wouldn't leave me alone, so here goes. Well, this was supposed to be a two parter but it got longer. So one more part I think. Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Part one
 

Adelle DeWitt had never been an optimist. It was too hopeful, too simplistic. She was a pragmatist. What happened would happen and she would deal with it, as there was usually no changing things. But for the last 8 months the last thought in her mind before she fell asleep was that Laurence Dominic would return someday. At this moment, however, she wasn't sure that him being dead would be worse than the current state of things. Dominic hadn't left after learning the truth, but the hatred in his eyes whenever they passed over her stung deeply. Not that he was looking at her very much. He'd been avoiding her completely, leaving the room whenever she entered. It didn't help that his bedroom was two doors down from hers. Her very large, empty bedroom. She'd shared the room with Topher since no one else could handle his outbursts.

But since then, no one could bring themselves to take his cot. She missed him. Caring for Topher had taken so much time and energy, she had felt lost without the responsibility. But he had become family, and she felt the loss of that more keenly. Adelle felt on edge lately. Dominic never looked at her, barely acknowledged she was in the room. He'd been there 5 weeks and she felt like screaming if only he'd glance over at her. She didn't scream of course; she was still British after all. He'd actually become friendly with Alpha of all people. It was galling. She felt exhausted though. There was so much planning to do. They had more people than they could feed and house comfortably and as clean-up from any of the government agencies was moving glacially slow, they still had to take matters into their own hands. But most importantly, Neuropolis still stood and it had to be neutralized somehow. If they didn't, Topher's sacrifice would have been for nothing.

* * *

They were all looking at him like he was going to explode at any moment. It was really, really annoying.  Dominic still felt out of place in Safe Haven. There were all of these people who kept approaching him, happy that he was back. He remembered none of them, save Alpha and Adelle. And he really didn't want to think about either of them very much. He felt like an impostor.  Whoever they had remembered was forced out by that blast and was never coming back. He didn't really have anywhere else to go though. He makes himself useful though, guarding the gate and gathering and destroying any remaining tech in the immediate area.

Alpha starts talking to him, just in passing at first and then more and more. He's pretty sure that Alpha thinks that they're friends, but at least he doesn't try to talk about the years Dominic doesn't remember like the rest do. At first he just ignores him, it's bad enough that the maniac is allowed to roam around free. But even he has to admit that the man is different. Alpha is a less manic, calmer version than what he remembers from 10 years ago. He wears him down at last. Dominic is starved for some sort of conversation. He finally asks him about the difference in personality.

“Well nothing like the end of civilization to change a man, right Dom?”

“Yeah, but do you still have all those imprints floating around?” said Dominic, looking suspicious.

“Sort of. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen after the blast,” Alpha shrugged.

“How the hell do you sort of have 49 imprints in your head?” shot back Dominic, not really in the mood for more non-answers.

“I figured out how to control them over the years, shove them back more. The blast was supposed to restore everyone to where they were. Not really a good thing for me then, huh?” Alpha grins at him.

“Yeah, but you still remember everything? What makes you so special?” Dominic's frustration over his own memory gap was making him shorter than usual with the other man.

“Having 49 imprints in my head, remember Dom? The blast knocked most of them loose, pushed them even farther back. I can't explain it any better than that, but it's like there's more room in my head again. There were a few days that I forgot things, but then everything started coming back eventually,” Alpha shrugged.

“How long did it take for things to start coming back?” Dominic was trying his hardest not to appear too hopeful, but if there was even a chance.

“A week or two until everything was back. Sorry Dom, I know that's not the answer you want.”

Dominic didn't answer, just looks out at the garden. Adelle and several of the others are digging up the newest batch of crops. Some of the younger children are trying to help, but most have started chasing each other up and down the rows of tomatoes.

“Dom what are you doing here?” Alpha looks serious for once.

“What do you mean?” Dominic is instantly defensive. He isn't sure where this is going.

“I know you're pissed as hell. I don't blame you, but she's my friend too. And this is really hurting her. She could handle it when you were gone, barely, but she was getting by. But you being here all the time, it's not helping.” Alpha's eyes are sad and he looks out to the garden. “You have to figure out what you're doing here Dom.”

“What do you expect me to do about it?” Dominic's arms are crossed and he's glaring at Alpha. He knows he sounds childish, but nothing about this situation is fair. She ruined his life, he shouldn't have to make her feel better about it.

“You could at least talk to her. I know you still care about her. You can't spend that much time avoiding someone without knowing exactly where they are all the time. And you watch her a lot, even if no one else sees it.” Alpha steps back slightly, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

“She took ten years of my life!” shouts Dominic. “And you just want me to chat with her like everything's okay? Like nothing happened!” His hands are clenched into fists and he's breathing hard.

Adelle looks up at the noise. Dominic's voice has gotten loud enough that everyone heard his last words. Dominic can see the hurt look that flashes across her face. She steels herself almost instantly though, and goes back to directing the others to finish gathering the rest of the fruit. But she goes back into the house shortly after that, walking quickly and avoiding their eyes. Her face looks blank and there's nothing behind her eyes. Dominic sighs and leans against the building, some of the rage leaving him.

“I don't want to be this angry all the time. It's like it's not even me anymore.”

“Seriously?” Alpha smirks. “I don't think you have the monopoly on that feeling these days.”

“Fine, it was a bad choice of words. I don't want to hate her.”

Alpha nods, smiling slightly. “Good. Because you definitely didn't once upon a time.”

Dominic bites his lip, but curiosity wins out . “What happened? Between us.”

“It was a few years back. You guys finally got together, not that you'd been fooling anyone before that happened. She was the only one you were remotely nice to and she got all smiley when you were around. But you guys were sort of subtle about it I guess. Outside of the staring into each others eyes and invading each others personal space bit. Oh, and the tandem walking. That one was a big clue.”

Dominic rolls his eyes. “Can you get to the point please?”

“You left. Something about not wanting to stay in here anymore, but no one knew anything more than that. She was pissed, and really sad. So not a combination where anyone was going to ask questions. You'd come back every few months, stay a few days. You'd bring back people and supplies. Then, you just never came back. You were gone 8 or 9 months, we figured you'd been killed or printed. Adelle wouldn't talk about it...ever.”

Alpha trails off and looks at the floor. “Sorry, that's all I know. I left a few months after that. Just couldn't deal with all of it.”

“No, thanks. That helps. I just don't know what to do about it.” Dominic shakes his head, looking toward the house.

“She's not in good shape right now Dom. She's not sleeping very well.”

Dominic had seen the circles under Adelle's eyes and how tired she looked. It was kind of hard to relay that concern to someone you're not talking to though. “Why not?”

“You ever notice that she's the only one with her own room?”

Dominic had actually, but figured it was out of respect after Topher's death or that no one else had wanted the small cot.

“Molly, one of the older kids, was sharing with her for a little while. She asked to switch because she couldn't sleep. She said Adelle kept having nightmares and it was waking her up. I try to get her to talk about it, but she's pretending nothing's wrong.”

Dominic had heard crying coming from down the hall before. He'd assumed it was one of the younger kids.

“And how is it my problem? She feels bad about Topher, that's not my fault.” He doesn't want to think about her crying or feeling guilty. It's much easier to think of Adelle as the Ice Queen with no real feelings. And he doesn't want to feel badly for her. She deserves all of it.

“Yeah, I'm sure some of it's because of Topher. But it's gotten much worse since you came back. She's beating herself up over what happened to you Dom.”

“Yeah, well maybe she should.” Dominic cuts in sharply. He doesn't want to talk about this anymore; doesn't want to think about Adelle in pain. He walks away without another word to Alpha. He doesn't return to the house until it's dark and most people are in their rooms. He's done dealing with people.

He's half asleep later when he hears a scream from several doors down. Without thinking he jumps out of bed and runs down the hall.