#doppel!lis

"She showed me things I didn't know," Annalise spoke without much of a care as to whether the person she'd sat next to was actually listening. Today had been the day that she had shoved the voice of the stupidly annoying little Halstead out of her head and let herself indulge. This cocktail was the best thing she'd ever tasted, and she was on the fourth one, at least.

"She did it right there," Lis pointed to the side door of the bar, "out on the deck; put her canine teeth in the side of my neck." The doppel giggled, slurping at the last little drops of her drink before pouting at the emptiness of the glass. "Another! And whatever my friend here is --, hey! Hey hey, slow down, sit down." The hunter drawled at Elio, reaching out to tug on his jacket in an attempt to keep him in his seat. "I just want to get to know you. I guess I didn't quite think it through, but stay. Please?"

The pout turned to him now, instead of her still empty glass. In all honesty, Annalise was lonely. She felt that this girl had no one in her life that loved her in a way where there were no conditions to it. Love should be unconditional, and yet all of her loved ones had proved to her that wasn't the case. Oh, that was depressing. She reached for the new cocktail as soon as it was put in front of her.

"You should be glad that I talked myself out of the pickup line I was going to use for you. Wanna hear it?" Annalise grinned, wide and bright, continuing before he had a chance to say no. "I heard you like magic; I've got a wand and a rabbit, so let's get freaky." A pause, soon filled by laughter, "I never said that they were good."

The siblings were something she wished to avoid, to avoid becoming unravelled, being caught out. It was a dangerous territory, one that should be made easier by the fact that Rose wanted absolutely nothing to do with her anymore. Yet, she felt the pain that Annalise felt. She had the memories, she felt the connection, she felt the utter heartbreak of losing the sister she was only just starting to get back. They hadn't spoken properly in a long time, the youngest blaming the older for leaving her behind in such a toxic environment. They were fixing things, and then the little hunter decided that the world would be a better place without their parents, and she didn't care if she went down with them.

The guilt ate her alive, and ironically, it was probably the only thing that had kept the real Annalise alive. The doppelganger couldn't handle the guilt she felt; it was already so overwhelming and if she had killed Annalise, truly assimilated, it would have destroyed her before she got a chance to really live. She had to dissolve some of that guilt so she could finish what she had started and keep this life for herself, forever.

She cleared her throat to get her sister's attention, pushing herself from the wall.

"Rose, please. Just, please hear me out." The doppel begged, reaching out for the sister, but stopping short. "You can leave, you don't have to say anything back, just... hear me, for a minute."

She took the silence as an invitation, fully aware that it could be taken back at any moment, so she spoke again.

"People come and go sometimes, but I don't know what I'll do if that's us forever." She swallowed thickly, picking at the skin around her nails as she watched Rose. "So, I have swallowed all my pride, accepted the end of you and I, but... what if I miss you for the rest of my life?" Annalise's voice cracked. She looked down for a few moments to try to compose herself. Putting her back together was no longer Rose's problem. "Where do I go from here? Because I feel like I will wait until this city burns, for you to be ready to start to heal our relationship."

Her voice lowered to a whisper, her vulnerability truly showing, but if it was what was needed, to be able to absolve some guilt, she would let herself feel it.