Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.

After Sparta

From the moment Tommy was landed in hospital to deal with his dislocated shoulder, to him pulling up in the driveway of Brendan's home after the straight drive from JAG Headquarters in Washington to Philly, he felt as though he had been running on autopilot. And it was only when his foot was firmly in the front door of Brendan's house that he could be sure it was all over, and breathe a sigh a relief. Because it was over, and he had escaped serious punishment by the absolute skin of his teeth.

After a trip to the hospital, a closed reduction of his dislocated shoulder meant no surgery, much to his relief. And after some x-rays and an MRI to determine the damage, it turns out he was damn lucky. No fractures and minimal damage inflicted to the surrounding ligaments. So in short, it was nothing three weeks in a sling and a weekly trip to the physiotherapist for six couldn't fix.

So the first hurdle that the next few weeks had to offer was already dealt with. But the worst was yet to come, and he barely had time to take a breath after the hospital discharged him before it was onto the next one.

He had his ass thrown in to a prison cell while he awaited a court martial for going AWOL. And the possibility of desertion charges, meaning imprisonment at Fort Leavenworth for the majority of his 30's only to emerge with his 40's approaching with no place to call home, no friends, and a very slim chance of getting himself a decent job, was enough to bring him to tears if the whole experience hadn't been so completely and utterly surreal he could hardly blink. The short time he spent in the brig gave him a taste of how things could have turned out, and he thanked whatever forces he was sure had to be at work for him to have made such a narrow escape.

Brendan of course was all over it. By the time the ball was rolling as far as the court martial was concerned, he was already waiting in the wings with what could only be described as an all-star legal team of civilian lawyers, ready to take on the role which otherwise would have been assigned to a court appointed lawyer. Tommy knew they were probably charging Brendan his first born for their services, and the fact that it was all coming out of his Sparta winnings only served to make him feel even worse.

That money was meant to ensure the stability of his wife and kids, not to pay a few hundred thousand dollars in legal fees to get his little brother out of whatever punishment he had coming to him. But his futile and unconvincing attempts at telling his older brother to back off only resulted in his being told to stop acting like a dumbass and swallow his damn pride, in those exact words. Brendan had a definite tenacity hidden somewhere in that gentle soul of his. He had proven that much in the ring. And it only came out when he was fighting hard for something he cared about.

There was a whole bunch of factors that the jury had to take in to consideration. The friendly fire which led to the death of his entire unit was something that certainly struck a chord. And once word on the incident reached the ears of the public, the press had an absolute field day. The general feeling was one of utter disdain, naturally, and it was covered on both local and national news.

Public opinion was of paramount importance to them winning the case. The eye of scrutiny was already on the US Military, what with everything going and their being on the news almost every day, showing the latest horrific developments and consequences of war.

Popular opinion was that Tommy Conlon was somewhat of a war hero after what he did for those marines, who would have otherwise drowned. Not everyone agreed of course, there were those who thought he was a disgrace, and to let him off Scott-free would be setting a precedent that it was okay to commit the most treacherous offence possible against your own country.

But thankfully these people were few and far between in comparison to those who thought he should walk away with nothing less than a pat on the back for his actions. Tommy himself was part of the minority who thought he was deserving of the longest sentence available, but nonetheless he was grateful to those who thought differently.

They discussed the intricacies of battlefield trauma and PTSD, even though it was a pretty well-known fact that PTSD, for the most part, was something military didn't really believe in. But they threw everything they could at them, and well, the rest is history.

A medical discharge from the marine Corps plus five months of mandatory counselling. The words didn't quite ring true when they came out of the Judge's mouth. In the eyes of the law he was pardoned of his wrong-doings and given the golden opportunity of starting again. And while he accepted this opportunity with good grace, he didn't quite know what to do with it at first. It felt undeserving to him, it felt wrong. And this reprieve was something that both shamed and relieved him. After all, his unit would never get the chance he did. Manny would never get the chance he did.

Brendan being Brendan insisted Tommy came and stayed with him in Philly to lick his wounds and sort out his shit. Tommy's financial situation was less than flush, and the possibility of him going to stay with Pop was such an unfeasible one that neither of them even bothered suggesting it.

He wasn't met with a whole lot of resistance, because in truth, after all that had transpired Tommy just wanted a place to rest his head that wasn't a cheap hotel room with paper thin walls where you could hear all the goings on of the room next door. And although he would never, ever admit it, there was a part of him that couldn't go back to being a lone wolf like he was after Manny's death, and he needed Brendan now more than ever.

Something had happened to the two brothers. The obstinate barrier that formed between them back when they were just teenagers, and only hardened as the years passed, was finally beginning to crumble, and the beginnings of an unspoken bond were starting to take it's place. Since the second Tommy tapped out in the ring, Brendan had been there for him wholly, 100%. And while they were still a long way away from the brotherly bond they used to share, the ice had been broken. And both men could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that.

The journey home was mostly filled with a comfortable silence between the two brothers, aside from a little idle chit-chat about Tess and the girls on Brendan's side. It almost embarrassed Tommy that he had two nieces that he had never met. Furthermore, Brendan told him they were actually excited to meet him, and his feelings on that were neither here or nor there. He just hadn't figured it all out yet.

The situation with Tess was a different ball game entirely though. This was a woman he had learned to harbour nothing but hatred for over the years. He knew next to nothing about her except for the fact that she had cheated him out of his own big brother. But he tried hard to remind himself that it hadn't been just a case of childish puppy love. The fact her and Bren were married and had two kids was testament to that. He knew he had to try and let go of his childish analysis of the whole situation, but that was a far bigger task for another day, perhaps when his head was a little clearer.

It was just past 10.30 when the car came to a halt in front of Brendan's house, the traffic having been a nightmare. Brendan had done well for himself, a nice place in a suburban neighbourhood where all the houses were freshly painted and had neatly kept lawns. Tommy felt a shameful stab of jealousy upon seeing it all, and he guessed it probably wasn't the first time the green-eyed monster was going to make an appearance over the coming weeks. The house was just one of the things that Brendan had that he didn't.

''Uh, the girls will probably be asleep, but Tess might have stayed up, I'm not sure.''

This was it, and he couldn't ignore the nervous knot in the pit of his stomach. No time like the present, he thought. They unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car, Tommy grabbing his khaki duffle bag with what little belongings he had from the back seat. Brendan was fumbling around in his pockets looking for his keys when the front door opened, and there stood the woman in question.

She was dressed down in a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms and a white tank. She was definitely slightly shorter than Tommy remembered, but then again the last time he saw her he was a spot-faced kid on the verge of puberty. Even with a face free of make-up she looked good, and Tommy couldn't help but notice the way her tank top clung to her tight body.

He immediately pushed the thoughts out of mind, feeling like a complete creep for checking out his brother's wife. It wasn't in that kind of way, and she wasn't really his type anyway, what with the blonde hair and all. It was simply a natural, primal reaction. And it was that primal part of his brain that demanded him to at least acknowledge the fact that she was a good-looking woman.

''Hey baby.'' Brendan said before pulling her in to an embrace before kissing her gently on the lips.

Tommy knew how much he must have missed her and the kids while they were in Washington, god knows he called them enough. And somehow it made it mean that much more that he had bothered to stay with him despite that.

''Hey.'' She said, hugging him tightly.

She turned her attention to her brother-in-law, who she had not spoken to in 14 years, and the brief silence hung heavily in the air before she spoke.

''It's nice to have you stay Tommy.'' Her tone was genuine, and Tommy reminded himself that she was probably just trying to make an effort for Brendan, and that he should do the same. He was after all, indebted to them both.

He had a flashback of the first time Bren ever brought her round to the house, and he had been practically sweating through his jumper over meeting the hot cheerleader from the year above him in school. But the manners Ma had made so sure to instil deep in to his brain were suddenly at the forefront of his psyche, and he politely extended his hand.

''Thanks for havin' me.''

She smiled at the gesture, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. ''Well, come in on then. You're probably hungry.''

Both men nodded in agreement, they hadn't eaten since lunchtime, and since all the training for Sparta, Tommy's stomach wasn't used to going so long without a good meal. They followed her in, Brendan taking his bag and putting it at the bottom of the stairs, before all three of them went in to the kitchen where the two brothers took a seat.

''Traffic bad then, Bren? You're back later than we thought you would be.'' The word we rung in Tommy's ears, reminding him that there was still another two members of the Conlon clan he had yet to meet. She took two bowls out of the fridge with what looked like spaghetti bolgonese in them, putting one of them in the microwave.

''Yeah, an absolute nightmare actually.''

''Rose and Em wanted to stay up to say hi and everything but – '' she bit her lip and looked at Tommy. ''I wasn't sure if you would be tired.. Or if would even be in the mood to have the ear chewed off of you by the two of them.'' Brendan laughed. ''And it was getting kind of late so..''

''Don't matter.'' Tommy said. Meeting one Conlon was enough for one night.

''Oh and I forgot to ask.. You like spaghetti bolognese don't you? I remember your Mum making it once when I came over and I kind of just assum –'' She cut herself off mid-sentence, feeling like kneeing herself in the face for being so insensitive as to mention their Ma. If there was one topic that was strictly on the no-no list for their first conversation in 14 years, that would definitely, definitely be it.

''Oh God, I.. I'm so sorry I..''

Tommy's fists clenched and his stomach instinctively tightened with anger at the mention of their mother, an involuntary reaction he didn't have much control over. What did she know about Ma? She only met her two or three times back when they were kids.

Brendan watched as the tips of his wife's ears turned bright red. He could feel the atmosphere of the room take a nosedive, and the tension coming off Tommy in waves. ''Tess, It's okay –''

''No it's not okay Bren, I'm sorry – I'm such an idiot, I shouldn't have said that.'' She turned away from them both, and Brendan got up and walked over to her, where she was fumbling clumsily in the kitchen drawer, trying to find a matching knife and fork in the midst of all their mismatched cutlery.

''Really Tess, it's ok.'' He soothed.

Tommy watched as his sister-in-law's face turned from light pink to red, and he felt guilty. It was just a slip of the tongue, and one which she was clearly mentally kicking herself over. The last thing he wanted to do was come in to Brendan's home, and make him or anyone else feel uncomfortable, if for no reason other than it was plain bad manners. So he unclenched his fists and tried hard to swallow down his anger.

''Spaghetti is great, thanks.''

Both her and Brendan turned to look at him, Brendan with raised eyebrows and Tess with a relieved expression over the fact that maybe she hadn't completely put her foot in it.

''You don't have to eat it if you don't want to.'' She said, her voice thick with embarrassment.

With all the effort he could muster, Tommy cracked his lips in to reassuring half-smile. ''No really it's great, smells delicious.''

Tess' relaxed immediately, and everyone in the room could feel strain in the atmosphere seep away. It wasn't too long before the *PING!* of the microwave timer let them know that it was ready, and she took the hot bowl out with a towel, and brought it over placing it on the table in front of Tommy with a couple of knives and forks. And Tommy wasn't lying, it really did smell delicious, so much so he felt himself start to salivate.

''Be careful, it's hot.'' She felt like face-palming herself once more, of course he knows the bowl is hot. It was such a Mom thing to say. ''Well uh – I'm going to bed. You're room is all set up, Brendan can show you where everything is.''

''What about my food?'' Brendan said playfully.

''You know how to use the microwave, don't you babe?'' Brendan rolled his eyes and smiled, putting his food in to warm up. He walked over, planting a kiss on her lips.

''See you both tomorrow.''

''Uh – thanks again for all this. I 'preciate it.'' Tommy choked out. She gave him a smile and a shy nod before going up to her and Brendan's bedroom, leaving the two brothers alone in the kitchen.

That wasn't so bad, he thought. All things considered, his first encounter with a woman whom he hadn't seen in over a decade, and who he had not thought of too fondly over the years, had gone okay. He shoved a forkful of the spaghetti in to his mouth, and when the sweet tomato sauce hit his tongue, it was borderline orgasmic.

The last woman to give him a proper, home-cooked meal like this was probably Pilar, when her and Manny had him over for dinner one time. The memory stung as it came to the forefront of his mind. His throat became tight, and he wondered if this was how it would always feel every time he thought about his best friend.

The microwave timer went off once more, and Brendan joined him at the kitchen table, where both men sat and ate their food in silence. He couldn't help but smile when Tommy leaned against the back of his chair, with his hands on his stomach and an expression of sheer satisfaction on his face, after scraping the bowl clean. Tess was a damn good cook, he always said it.

''She's happy to have you here you know. She just doesn't know you, same as you don't know her.'' His sentence was loaded with meaning which wasn't lost on Tommy. In other words, it was a two-way street, which at some point both of them would have to cross if this arrangement was going to work.

He sighed. ''I think now's a good a time as any to tell you.. I sent some money to Manny's wife and kids.'' He inhaled

deeply, readying himself for the inevitably angst-filled reaction he was about to receive.

Tommy's eyes narrowed as he looked at his brother, the brother who was continually finding ways to take the weight off his shoulders and piss on his pride all at the same time. He felt the involuntary fury rise from the pit of his stomach once again, and he wished he had better control over his temper.

Brendan had sent money to Pilar, the money he had promised her, but in the end couldn't provide. He knew he should be thankful, and somewhere beneath the anger he felt he was, but he simply couldn't shake off the feeling of failure.

''You did what?''

''Before you start Tommy I want to make something very clear to you. As far as I'm concerned, that money... You're just entitled to it as I am - ''

''That's bullshit Bren – ''

''Let me finish.'' His tone was so full of conviction that it actually shut Tommy up long enough for him to get his words out. ''You're my brother. And I dunno how any of this is going to work out, I really don't.. But I want to help.''

Tommy felt his throat tighten so much he could barely choke out his words. ''You've helped enough Bren. I mean the money for the case.. An' now Pilar. You weren't fightin' in that ring just so you could bail me out.''

''It's not about the money Tommy, that doesn't matter to me.. Look, I'm under no illusion that we're going to prance around here, playing happy families.. And I know that it might take some time.'' He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again. ''But I want to try Tommy.''

It was a question and they both knew it. Brendan had laid it all out on the table, and Tommy could either take it or leave it. He had so many thoughts going on in his mind, so much he wanted to say but couldn't get from his brain to his mouth.

He wanted to tell him that he wanted to try too. He wanted to tell him just how much it meant to him that he had stuck by him, to help him get through the last few weeks. He wanted to tell him that even though the pain and the anger was still there, he forgave him.

But when the lump in his throat threatened to make any words that did make it out of his mouth sound weak and pitiful, all he managed was a nod. And in a way, a nod was all the confirmation Brendan needed. It was the answer to his question.

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a while, something they hadn't done in a long time. It was interrupted by the sound of two pairs of feet pitter-pattering across the hallway and down the stairs. Brendan looked at the entrance from the hall to the kitchen with raised eyebrows, and when Tommy turned around he saw Rosie and Emily standing sheepishly in the doorway.

The younger of the two girls, Rosie - who was four years old - definitely had Tess' hair colouring, but it was arranged in a bouncy crown of curls around her head. Rather Emily, who just turned six a couple of months ago, had hair colouring closer to that of her Dad's. But both girls had timid smiles across their precious little faces, and were looking at Tommy with an unmistakeable curiosity.

Tommy being Tommy, he didn't particularly welcome being under scrutiny for long periods of time. Normally it irked him, but his young nieces staring didn't make him angry, they simply made him feel nervous. He tried to remind himself that they were just kids, and kids looked at everything as if it was a third nipple.

''You two are meant to be in bed.'' Brendan said, unimpressed, but with a small smirk pulling at the edge of his lips.

''We just wanted to say hi to Uncle Tommy.''

I should probably apologise for starting/restarting this story so many times it's borderline criminal.

I also don't know a whole lot about the US Military/court martial process etc, and I did a bit of research but I've taken inspiration from other Warrior writer stories on here for this chapter, especially Nik216's 'Been Drifting For So Long'!

I want to note that the circumstances under which Tommy is released, I'll admit probably aren't incredibly likely! I want my story to be as realistic as possible, but for fics sake I didn't want to send him to prison. So I hope you'll excuse this one blip on the radar.

Also, the ages of Rosie and Emily I got off a script on the internet of the movie.

Hope you enjoyed! x