Cover up and say goodnight, say goodnight.

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

Who: Dean Smith and anyone who will listen.
Where: Mirrorside in the hallways, or via the mirrors.
When: The day after Christmas.
Rating: PG-13 for the likelihood of foul language.
Summary: After an altercation that ended in the death of his fiancé, Smith seeks out the man responsible for the murder.
The Story:

If you're on Smith's side of the looking glass, you might wonder why the typically well kept, well dressed businessman is sprinting frantically from mirror to mirror, scrawling red messages on them and stopping only to uncap another pen should the one before it run dry.

On the realside, the backwards handwriting gets progressively worse.

But waking up alone on the couch was too painful, knowing that there was a body in the bedroom made him nauseous again, and the only lead he has is a name with no guarantee of a reply.

Comments

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

Despite the undoubtedly sound support of one Alex Kralie Philip hasn't been feeling too hot since the COMPLETELY ACCIDENTAL DEATH of his mirror either. It's... a gaping piece of nothing where he was hoping to find either guilt or joy, a mind that is straining more and more from being unable to make itself up--

...From being unable to make itself up until he spots the messages.

He thinks the first is just a trick in the corner of his eye, but the second one, the second glance makes it unmistakeable.

And if what he did was wrong then this should be the moment his gut twists, the moment he has to force shaky knees down the corridor to follow the message to its origin and beg for forgiveness.

...Only he's just not feeling it.

What he feels is his scarf wrapping around his hand, fist punching against the glass until its shards fall and the message disappears.

Then rinse. And repeat.

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

That's when the mirror across the hall from Philip, just on the other side, gets a message (http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/dashboardlite/Mirrorside%20Things/100_5067.jpg) of its own, written the right way around.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

Well, you found him. Congratulations. Was it worth it? Because despite your erratic behaviour the only thing you have managed to make him break so far is a little bit of glass.

"What do you want?"

The corner of his mouth twitches into something that is just a little too close to a smirk for comfort.

"I didn't get it on tape for you, if that's what you're about to ask."

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

Smith could write a lot of things. Profanity, mostly, because he's already been tearing at his clothes and forgot to shave this morning and his shirt is buttoned a little off, and he wants this to be in person so that Philip can't run away.

But he writes the big question (http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/dashboardlite/Mirrorside%20Things/1.png), instead.

[sadfreezingbrit.livejournal.com]

Philip's look speak volumes.

♫ He had it coming.
He had it coming.
He only had himself to blame.
If you'd have been there,
If you'd have seen it
I betcha you would have done the same. ♫

But instead of answering he merely smashes the mirror in front of him.

[itsacoldone.livejournal.com]

[Saintana is, for the most part, relieved to be back on the side she's used to. What she's not relieved about is coming across Dean, reacting to something obviously horribly wrong. Worried and slightly scared--]

D-Dean? Wha--what's wrong?

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

[Someone as sweet and innocent and well-meaning as Santana's mirror shouldn't have to be subjected to a lot of things. This is one of them.]

It's Phil.

[itsacoldone.livejournal.com]

W-what. Um. What happened?

[Her other self would have assumed something along the lines of cheating one too many times for Dean Smith to handle. Saintana, however, is just worried that maybe Phil vanished the way Kurt had.]

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

[Vanished? No. It's much worse.

Please excuse Smith for not making eye contact, for trying to tuck in his haphazardly-buttoned shirt, for clearing his throat as he says:]

He's dead.

[itsacoldone.livejournal.com]

[There's a pause as what he said just...doesn't sink in. That's just. It's not possible, right?]

...What?

[carbon-knight.livejournal.com]

Lost someone, Smith?

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

Only my other half.

[Pardon his blunt reply.]

[carbon-knight.livejournal.com]

[Ew, sentiment.
But. He gets it. In his way.]

If you cared to share specifics, I might be persuaded to help.

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

[There aren't many people who could really understand what Smith is going through right now, but at the very least, Meltzer's mirror knows what it's like to lose someone important to him.]

He was murdered by someone on the real side. Before he died, he told me it was Philip LaFresque.

[This will likely be one of the only people Smith entrusts with this information.]

[carbon-knight.livejournal.com]

[He nods at the nearest mirror.]

Hence your search for the man. I see.
But what do you plan to do when you find him?

tagging here because - can't switch accounts on my phone (feel free to not answer if you dont want)

[itsahotone.livejournal.com]

[Santana ignored the first few mirror-messages, because what does she care? But the more she saw, the more curious she felt. She wasn't asking outright, but she was definitely giving the mirror an odd look.]

Huh.

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

Smith can even attempt putting aside his loathing for the teenage whore by asking a question (http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/dashboardlite/Mirrorside%20Things/3-1-1.png).

[itsahotone.livejournal.com]

[Santana is basically still blissfully unaware of his loving burning hatred of her. Not that she's even really aware that this is he...]

Not in a few days. Why?

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

[He writes his introduction (http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/dashboardlite/Mirrorside%20Things/1-1.png) and pauses-

-just long enough to execute a tiny lie (http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/dashboardlite/Mirrorside%20Things/2-1.png).]

[eidedick.livejournal.com]

"Smithy?"

You ordered a dude with a lollipop and a shirt in neon green, right? Because mmmmhhAlex has arrived, after Smith's fruitless conversation with Philip, with a look of actual honest to god apprehensive worry. (When your regular comes back to Wonderland as slightly more of a huge bastard, it has ripple effects on this side of the mirrors as well.)

"Ahw jeeeesus, babe, like, what happened?" And then there is neon green and strawberry sugar smell all up in your personal space. "Dude, like, talk to me, babe."

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

Don't look at Smith, he's red-eyed and taking deep, jagged breaths, and could probably use a tissue, and the full extent of everything has finally been crushed into him, and he feels like he can't move.

So he's fine, totally fine.

"It's Ph-" he chokes, or maybe it's a harsh laugh, it's hard to tell. "-Phil. Phil is dead."

[eidedick.livejournal.com]

He nearly swallows his lollipop.

"He's - he's what? Like, like, like--"

The narration won't transcribe all of the very long string of stuttered "like"s and "what"s that will be punctuating the entirety of this tag.

He finally finishes with "...nahhh." And an attempt at a laugh, because that's surely some kind of--

He's looking at Smith. Smith does not look like he is joking. The laugh freezes before it gets a chance to begin.

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

Smith remains on the floor for the entirety of Alex's rambling, loosening his tie because it's too tight, too tight, and he still can't breathe.

"He's gone. I saw him, I he-"

-ld him.

Smith sucks in a sharp breath and rakes his hands through his hair.

"Alex, he's gone."

[40410.livejournal.com]

Oh, look who's spotted the surviving messages.

Alex is unhappy with this development.

...As bad as the what?

[respectedman.livejournal.com]

Surviving message?

What surviving message? (http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/dashboardlite/Mirrorside%20Things/void0.jpg)