Spoken, not spoken
** This story is dedicated to Tea Induced Scribbles, for the fanfic chat that inspired it, and the thoughts of our beloved TomSha (Tom/Sasha – it suits them! #TomShaForever! **
As the bullets flew, Sasha kept her focus on the corridor in front of her, scanning for the next target. She had to give Giorgio credit, the man didn't seem to have any shortage of cannon fodder willing to defend him. Suddenly, another man stepped into her gun sights and her heart sang, even as it skipped a beat – Tom Chandler! For a moment, they stared at one another and time seemed to freeze – Sasha could feel herself transported back to Tom's cabin aboard the James, watching him walk away from her having just kissed her breathless.
Dammit! I am supposed to be over you! Yet you crash back into my life and every bit of love I felt for you, the love I thought was gone, comes roaring back! I am NOT giving you the chance to break my heart again! Sasha thought, yet the look in his eyes made her pause, and reconsider.
Tom stared at the raven-haired beauty that was Sasha Cooper, and he realised how much his feelings for Cali, sweet, gentle Cali, paled in comparison to the love he felt for Sasha. Even Lucia, stunning as she was, couldn't hold a candle to this woman, the one who had got away – twice!
He could almost hear Alex say into his ear What kind of a fool lets Pallas Athena herself walk away twice!
Me Alex, the worst kind of fool - I not only let her walk away from me, I hurt her in the worst kind of way. He hadn't missed the flash of pain in Sasha's eyes, he knew he'd broken her heart, but at the time he'd been so broken himself he couldn't see any other course of action. You're even more beautiful than I remember, I walked away from you because I thought I was incapable of being what you needed. Seeing you again now, all I want to do is take you in my arms, push you up against that wall, and beg you, plead with you, to be mine.. to give me a second chance. Yet once again, we have to save the world again – will our time ever come? Or have I lost you already?
Suddenly, reality snapped back into focus and Sasha lifted her gun, allowing Tom to "escape", as she picked off the rest of Giorgio's goons for hire. She knew without a shadow of a doubt Tom would be back in her life, and that she would never stop loving him.
Months later, Tom and Sasha would remember this moment with absolute clarity – when he followed through on those thoughts pinned her to the wall in his cabin, and begged Sasha for that second chance. Miraculously, she granted it – why he would never know, and figured he'd spend a lifetime trying, but Tom wasn't going to question Fate, instead he'd just accept the gift.