Disclaimer: I do not own "Dead Poets Society" or its characters. They are property of the Walt Disney Company and its affiliates.

"Saving Thomas Perry"

By TwilightSparkle3562

Chapter 1

"You Killed Him"

Thomas Perry and his wife stood in the funeral parlor next to the casket bearing the body of their son, Neil. Three days earlier, Neil committed suicide as a result of the continuous pressure built by his father. Rather than take responsibility for Neil's suicide, Thomas put all of the blame on John Keating, Neil's teacher, causing him to be fired from Welton Academy. Now, here he was, about to bury his son. As family and friends walked past the casket, a group of young boys entered the funeral parlor, with one of them giving Thomas a very dirty look. After saying their respects, one of them approached Thomas.

"You killed Neil," the boy seethed, looking Thomas Perry right in the face as he clenched his fists together.

"Excuse me?" Thomas asked, feeling very insulted. "I beg your pardon? How dare you make such an accusation towards me?"

But the boy didn't answer and flung one of his fists at Thomas, punching him in the nose and knocking him back against a wall, briefly causing chaos.

"You killed Neil, you monster!" the boy wailed as he was being restrained by his friends. "You killed him! You killed him!"

"I'll see you are punished for this action!" shouted Thomas, being helped to his feet as the boys left. "So, help me God, I will!"

"What's going on here?" cried the funeral director, rushing into the room. "Mr. Perry, are you all right?"

"The little punk broke my nose," groaned Thomas. "Saying that I killed my only son! My son killed himself and nothing more!"

However, as he was being helped, his wife could only just watch in shock and disbelief, not even bothering to help her husband in any way.

"Shall I call the police?" asked a relative.

"No," answered Thomas, waving him off. "He'll stay away from me and I'll let Mr. Nolan handle him. He was one of Neil's friends, a member of those radicals that Keating brainwashed."

"Well, he's gone now," said another relative. "You should go home. Don't worry about us, we'll handle everything here."

…

Thomas groaned as he was led out of the parlor, still bitter and angry over what had just happened. As he drove home that night, Thomas noticed that his wife didn't say anything to him at all the entire time.

"Why are you so silent?" he asked her. "You haven't said anything this entire time about how I am feeling."

"Because I'm angry," she answered turning to face her husband.

"You should be angry," remarked Thomas, sighing heavily. "That boy doesn't even deserve to be called a man for what he did tonight. If only Neil would have just followed the plan that I paved for him…"

"Tom!" she said, her face scrunching with anger. "Tom, that boy was right about you. Our son, our Neil, would have still been alive if you just let him do what he wishes."

Thomas' eyes widened with shock on hearing this coming from his soul mate.

"I beg your pardon!" he cried in disbelief. "What did you just say to me?"

"That you should have let him do what he wanted to do," Mrs. Perry snapped as they pulled into the driveway. "I'm saying it now! Your dictatorship has caused our son to leave this world by his own hand!"

"How dare you make such an accusation to me?" Thomas shouted, getting out of the car and slamming it. "Our son could have had a decent life if only he had listened to me! Does it hurt to ask for a little obedience every once in a while?"

"Listen to yourself, Thomas Perry!" countered Mrs. Perry as they walked into the house. "You have always been a man who wanted others to live their lives according to your law! The world doesn't revolve around you Thomas and you know it!"

"Are you saying that I deserved what happened tonight? That I deserved to be punched in the face from a boy that allied with our son?"

"Yes, I do," hissed Mrs. Perry, tears streaming down her face. "Our son is dead because you wouldn't let him live his dreams, Thomas! You killed him because of your selfish ambitions!"

Insulted, Thomas charged towards his wife, only to be pushed back onto the sofa by her.

"I wasn't selfish, damn you!" he cried. "You know very well that firm discipline molds a boy into a man! That's all I wanted was discipline!"

"Discipline?" gasped Mrs. Perry. "This wasn't discipline, this was a dictatorship! I often at times wondered if I made the right decision all those years ago to marry you in the first place!"

Thomas didn't take this answer lightly and got up, storming over to her and pushing her against the wall of the living room.

"You listen and you listen good," cried Thomas. "You know very well that from the moment our Neil was a baby, I would be the one to decide his future! My father's future was decided for him as was my future! Your job was to keep your mouth shut and let Neil do exactly I as say!"

"By sending him to Military school? He wanted to be happy, Thomas, and you denied him that happiness!"

"He would have been happy had he became a doctor," Thomas snapped. "Do you realize how much money he would have made?"

"But he wouldn't have been a happy man," cried Mrs. Perry, pushing Thomas away. "Children have got to be free to lead their own lives, Thomas. Because you never gave Neil that chance, he is dead now and only you are to blame!"

Mrs. Perry then stormed up to their bedroom while Thomas followed, his face filled with disgust and fury.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm ending this marriage, Tom," she said, firmly as she began to gather her clothes and belongings. "I can no longer be married to a man who doesn't let others live out their lives the way they want to!"

"No you are not ending this marriage!" Thomas ordered, standing in the doorway as Mrs. Perry finished packing. "You are mine even if I have to lick you to prove that!"

But, Mrs. Perry didn't care what Thomas said and she merely pushed him out of the way.

"You get back here right now!" barked Thomas, but Mrs. Perry didn't listen nor respond to any of Thomas' pleas. "I'm warning you, get back here now!"

"Rot in hell," she muttered as she started the car and drove off. Thomas tried to stop her, but he was too late and Mrs. Perry drove off into the night.

"Traitorous witch," he shouted as he walked back into the house and began to trash the living room in his rage. "All I ask for is obedience and this is what I get? Damn you, Neil! You created this mess all because you couldn't play by my rules! Why was a little obedience too much for you? You destroyed this family and may you and Keating rot in hell for this!"

…

Thomas then proceeded to continue tearing his house apart in rage that his perfect world, his rule over his family was destroyed by his own doing.

He refused to believe it, but it was true, Thomas Perry had destroyed his own family and it would take one of his enemies to make him see the error of his ways…