xp_logs | Alex and Manuel, Sunday Afternoon in the Music Room

After being told what happened at the Hellfire Club while he was in California with Lorna, Alex goes looking for Manuel to see for himself the other is alright. They talk and play their respective instruments a bit, untill remembering gives Manuel a headache.

Hugging his arms around his chest, Alex walked down the hall heading to the Music Room. After returning from California with Lorna, he'd been informed about the events at the Hellfire Club and it had quite shaken him up. But despite that he'd been told Manuel didn't remember anything, Alex had to see for himself what She had done and maybe...just maybe...he'd figure out a way to help. It was the least he could do for another of her victims. He'd already checked the kitchen and figured on checking the Music Room on his way to Manuel's room.

Manuel was in the Music Room, behind the baby grand that Alison kept in there. He was idly poking at the keys, not really making music, just amusing himself with the noises. The place was deserted at the moment, which suited him just fine. He had a lot on his mind, and he couldn't stop poking at his missing memories, trying to find some way to make them all come back.

Alex almost started when he paused in the doorway and actually saw Manuel inside. It's not like he'd ever talked to the other boy and he hated that this was what it took. But here he was and he was not going to back down. Taking a deep breath, Alex forced himself to relax and walked over to one of the drum sets. It wasn't as nice as the one Jamie used, but suited Alex just fine. "Hey, mind if I join you?"

Manuel nearly fell off the stool with surprise. "Sorry, you startled me! Yeah, please, come in, sit down." he said with a slightly English accent. "You're Alex, right? I remember you!" he said happily. "I don't remember much about you, but I remember your name. Alex Summers, right?" he said with a grin.

Alex blinked in surprise but couldn't help but smile as he sat down behind the drums, picking up the sticks and swirling them in his hand. "Yeah, I'm Alex. I'll admit, I'm surprised you remember me of all people. How you feeling anyway? They told me what happened...since I have a history with the Hellfire Club as well." Alex had been told not many people knew and he didn't want to startle Manuel with the fact he knew.

"I'm OK, more or less." he said with a grin. "Everything considered, I'm lucky to be sitting here at all. And I don't remember much of the Hellfire Club at all." he confessed. "Just that it makes me uneasy."

"Your lucky then, it's not fond memories I have. Ones I'm just now starting to get over. But, I'm honestly glad you’re alright. When they told me what happened, I feared for you, I really did." He banged out a quick warm up on the drums, having not played in a bit, before nodding the piano. "Remember how to play that thing?"

"No." he confessed. "But I do play. I know that much." he said with a smile. "I was kinda hoping that coming down here would jar my memory, maybe give me back some of my old life." he added. "Looks like my brain doesn't want to cooperate."

"I'm sure more will come back in time, why don't you just try playing without thinking for now? Just, let go? Maybe it will come back if you don't think so hard about it..." Alex shrugged. He was no expert on the subject but it seemed like a good idea to him. "Just have some fun!"

Manuel shrugged. "It can't hurt." he said, turning back to the piano. "Unfortunately, it's easier said than done." he admitted. He let his fingers just wander the keys, and what was originally just noise slowly turned into a sketchy melody - full of missed notes and hesitant phrasing, but a song nonetheless. "I know that song." he said as he stopped playing. "It's like it's just on the tip of my tongue, but I can't remember."

Alex couldn't help but grin. "It was sketchy at best but I recognized it. I believe you just played part of My Immortal by a band called Evanescence. Great song." He jumped and went over to the extensive CD collection by the room's stereo and in a few moments, he had the song playing. "Coming back to you a bit?"

Manuel closed his eyes and just listened to the music. He stayed that way through the entire song, and then shook his head. "I can't put my finger on it." he admitted. "There's something there, but I can't tell you what it is." he said with frustration. "Damn, that's annoying."

Cutting the stereo, Alex returned to his place behind the drums. "I'm sure it's a start. Maybe a song will trigger your memories, who knows." Instead of playing, he twirled the sticks between his fingers, leaning on the snare in front of him. "What do you remember?"

"It's hard to say." he said. "I remember sitting at a piano - not this one, but one just like it." he said. "I remember Amanda being there, and ... that's it." he said, holding his head like it was paining him. "Ow." he said. "I'm coming down with a huge headache here."

Standing up, Alex hovered next to the piano. God, what did She do to him? "I'm sorry, can I get you anything? Water, aspirin?"

"If you've got 'em, that would help a lot." he said, massaging his forehead in the vain hope that the headache would just Go Away. "They seem to come and go - most of the time when I'm trying too hard to remember."

Alex quickly ran to the nearest bathroom and grabbed some water and pain meds. Handing them to Manuel, he leaned on the piano as he thought out loud. "Must be a side affect of what She did to you...Everything She does has horrible side affects for Her victim."

Manuel took the aspirin with a greedy swallow. "Who?" he asked Alex with some confusion.

He opened his mouth, but Alex couldn't force himself to say Her name. Why was it so hard? "The Black Queen."

Manuel shrugged. "Doesn't ring any bells." he said slowly and carefully, through a headache that had just moved from annoyance to painful to just this side of crippling. "Wait - the Moon." he said, and then grabbed a nearby trashcan to vomit into it noisily.

Alex winced at both his throwing up and the mention of the moon. She had called him Apollo on Her good days, and he doubted he would be able to read Greek myths again with associating them to Her. Hesitantly, he rubbed a hand down Manuel's back. "Are you alright?"

"My head hurts." he whined. "I think I should go lie down. Can you do me a favor and walk me back to my room?" he asked pitifully. "And when it doesn't hurt to think I think we should talk about this more."

"Sure thing Manuel. And yeah, I'd like that." Alex helped Manuel stand slowly before bracing one of Manuel's arms across his shoulders, placing one of his own around the other's waist, just in case the headache became to much. They walked slowly down the hall and as they did Alex asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No, I don't think so. I've got the headache medicines in my room." he said. "And a bottle of water. And something called Red Bull, which is really very tasty." he said with a wan smile. "Thanks for helping me out. I appreciate it. Now I've got a name, or _something_, to work with. The Black Queen."

"Someone else can give you Her real name, I just can bring myself to say it. I don't know why, some mental block." Once they got to his room, Alex helped Manuel climb into bed, grabbing some water and meds to put nearby. "And if you need anything else, I'm sure someone can help you find me." He squeezed one of Manuel's hands before moving toward the door.

"My head hurts badly enough with just calling Her what we've been calling Her." he said softly. "Her real name can wait until I feel better." And with that he was out like a light, the headache having clearly taken a good bit out of him.

Alex nodded, even thought he knew Manuel was out. "And maybe you can help me with that last bit myself...maybe we can help each other." He muttered under his breath before he quietly left the room.