In the darkest hour before the dawn,
when hope feels fragile and nearly gone,
hold on to love—its gentle spark
that guides us safely through the dark.

( Hold On, Atticus. )

　
Evangeline had always known. Some people wander, searching for their purpose, a flickering candle in the wind. Not her. From the moment her small, paint-stained fingers first gripped a crayon in her childhood home of Harmony, Pennsylvania, she knew. Art wasn't just a hobby; it was the air she breathed, the pulse beneath her skin. It was the only language she truly understood, a vibrant symphony of color and form that spoke of worlds unseen, of emotions untamed.

Harmony, with its rolling hills and predictable days, had been a comfortable cage. It offered safety, familiarity, but it suffocated her spirit. The canvases in her soul demanded a wider landscape, a more challenging horizon. So, with a heart full of dreams and a battered suitcase overflowing with art supplies, Evangeline left Harmony behind, trading the quiet serenity of small-town life for the chaotic energy of New York City.

New York was a crucible, a fiery forge where dreams were either tempered into steel or consumed by the flames. Evangeline, with her unwavering dedication and boundless talent, thrived. She haunted galleries, sketching furiously, absorbing the masters and learning from the rising stars. She painted in cramped, unheated studios, fueled by ramen noodles and the burning desire to create. Slowly, painstakingly, she carved her own space in the art world, her unique voice resonating with critics and collectors alike.

And then, she met him.

Benjamin Mears. Author. Haunted. Brilliant. Handsome.

Their meeting was the kind of serendipitous encounter that felt ripped from the pages of one of his own novels. A crowded opening night at a gallery in Chelsea. A shared glance across a room thick with cigarette smoke and hushed conversations. A spark of recognition, a silent understanding that transcended words.

Ben saw something in Evangeline that no one else had—a kindred spirit, a fellow artist battling their own inner demons. He recognized the pain that fueled her creativity, the vulnerability hidden beneath her confident facade. And she, in turn, saw the wounded boy lurking beneath the mask of the successful author, the raw emotion that poured onto his pages.

They were both fractured, scarred by past traumas, but in each other, they found solace, understanding, and a fierce, undeniable love. They bonded over late-night conversations, dissecting literature, art, and the complexities of the human condition. They shared their deepest fears and their wildest dreams. They fell hard and fast, a whirlwind romance that swept them both off their feet. Two years later, surrounded by close friends and what little family they had left, they exchanged vows, binding their lives together.

Now, seven years into their marriage, a new chapter was beginning. The relentless energy of New York had begun to wear on them both. The city, once a source of inspiration, now felt like a suffocating weight. Evangeline's art was stagnating, lacking the vibrancy and passion that had once defined it. Ben was struggling with writer's block, his muse silent and unresponsive.

Ben had an idea, a place to go, a place he knew… Jerusalem's Lot, Maine. Salem's Lot—or the Lot—the folks there called it. A place steeped in dark memories and untold stories, a place he hoped would reignite his creative spark and provide Evangeline with the inspiration she desperately needed for her upcoming exhibition.

So, they packed up their lives, leaving their Brooklyn brownstone for the unsettling quiet of rural Maine. They hoped Salem's Lot held the key to their artistic and emotional revival. But what they didn't know was that Salem's Lot held more than just inspiration; it held secrets buried deep, secrets that stirred with the setting sun. For in the Lot, SUNDOWN was not a time for rest, but a signal for shadows to lengthen and something ancient, something hungry, to awaken. Whether their journey would lead to salvation or utter darkness, only time would tell.

STARRING

florence pugh . . . EVANGELINE MEARS ( or just EVEY ) // The Artist

HEARTFELT ARTIST. DEVOTED WIFE.
HIS MUSE. TOWN'S LAST HOPE.
　

WE SURVIVED THE VOWS . . .

lewis pullman . . . BENJAMIN MEARS
( or just BEN ) // The Author

STORYTELLER. DEVOTED HUSBAND.
HER MUSE. HOMETOWN HERO.
　

. . . NOW SURVIVE THE NIGHT

WITH

glen powell ✶ ZACH DRAYTON
hannah john-kamen ✶ NORA KING
david harbour ✶ BILL GLICK
makenzie leigh ✶ SUSAN NORTON
bill camp ✶ MATTHEW BURKE
alfre woodard ✶ DR. JOAN CODY
john benjamin hickey ✶ FATHER DONALD CALLAHAN
jordan preston carter ✶ MARK PETRIE
salem's lot cast ✶ THEIR RESPECTIVE CHARACTERS
　

✶  scan  to  listen  to  soundtrack  ✶

　✶ alright, y'all know the drill. as always, i do not own or take credit for SALEM'S LOT or any of it's characters. all rights respectfully belong to stephen king, as well as the writers and creators of the 2024 film. i do, however, take credit for all the original content found within this story, from the original characters, subplots, canon divergence events, and dialogue

　✶ anyways... welcome to my BEN MEARS fic, aka the fic i've always wanted to write but could never come up with a proper idea for. until now, obviously. SALEM'S LOT isn't just one of my favourite stephen king novels ever, but it's also my second favourite vampire movie of all-time, right behind 30 days of night obviously. needless to say, i have loved ben mears since first picking up king's work many years ago, but fell even harder when they casted my beloved husband lewis pullman (a man i've been in love with for years) as the character in the 2024 film. so, naturally, i had to finally write this fic because it had been collecting dust in my drafts for far longer than i would have liked

　✶ as mentioned in the summary, evey and ben have a pre-established relationship. they've been married for years prior to moving from new york to salem's lot for inspiration, both with his writing and her painting. i will most likely include flashbacks to their relationship throughout the story to add some depth, especially as ben takes her to all the places his parents used to take him to in salem's lot. this is, after all, her first time visiting her hubby's hometown and she's very eager to learn all about his childhood

　✶ considering we know very little about ben's past beyond him having lived in salem's lot from the ages of 5-9 with his parents, i've taken it upon myself to give him a proper backstory with elements from the character bob reynolds in the mcu. this is, after all, an EVEY AND BOBVERSE fic and i did say (in my bob fic) that evey and bob reynolds were the blueprint for their multiversal counterparts. therefore, ben mears and bob reynolds, although different characters entirely, will share some similarities in their pasts. the same goes for evelyn reynolds in the mcu and evangeline mears in this fic. considering they're the same character, you will notice some similarities between them

　✶ obviously, you don't have to read my bob reynolds fic to understand the EVEY AND BOBVERSE. it's quite simple really ━ i am writing multiple fics in a variety of fandoms where lewis pullman plays the canon character. and evey reynolds will always be his love interest, even if her name has been changed in certain EVEY AND BOBVERSE fics (like in this one.) again, you do not have to read every fic in the EVEY AND BOBVERSE, as they do not connect beyond being multiversal counterparts of evey and bob reynolds in the mcu. there is also, obviously, no specific order in which you should read the EVEY AND BOBVERSE considering i am merely writing these fics for fun and they in no way have a proper timeline of events

　✶ all that said, i will be making slight references to other EVEY AND BOBVERSE fics. this basically means that there will be small references and/or cameos to their other multiversal counterparts sprinkled into all the fics. basically as a way to connect them without connecting them, if that makes sense at all? i also just thought it'd be cute. one example would be how in the mcu bob reynolds is reading a novel by the author ben mears. therefore, a reference to his multiversal counterpart in salem's lot. another example would be how evey always has art pieces of her multiversal counterparts hanging up in her home and mentions the artist by name whenever someone asks who the artist is. anyways, you yet the picture. there will be crumbs sprinkled everywhere. let me know if you spot them!

　✶ now, about evey's name. this is probably a dumb thing to rant about to all of you, but i'm gonna do it anyway because i get to mention my lovely friends. obviously, her character in the mcu-verse is named evelyn reynolds, and his is bob reynolds. with another fic i have planned out for the EVEY AND BOBVERSE, i get to keep their names the same because lewis' character is named robert/bob in that fandom too (gold star if you can guess what fandom that one is for 😉)

　✶ however, for this fic, the character played by lewis pullman is not bob, it's ben mears. i was originally going to name her evelyn still, until kelly pointed out that i should change evey's name to something that starts with the same letter, considering the names ben and bob start with the same letter. really give it that multiversal feel, you know? but, naturally, i was conflicted about this idea. so, i had to pull liz and daniella into that discussion (not that they were complaining lmao.) long story short, i went with evangeline mears as per their suggestion. which works out perfectly because i still get to call her evey! yay 🥰

　✶ trigger warnings include but are no limited to: violence, gore, blood, drug addiction, alcoholism, mentions of domestic abuse, mentions of sexual assault to a minor, vulgar language, sexual themes, etc. please read with caution. you have been warned.

　✶ last, but certainly not least, this fic is as always dedicated to: maliraology mithranidel pepperronys pseudonym-lux void-daniella starfragment samwnchesters latte-to-go indirys xonceuponatimex justanillusion KookieANDLeo dash-of-clarity liminal_faces -beewrites- 🖤