Chapter 1: Goodbye
Tommy could smell the unmistakable smell of Gorath blood as he entered the lair. Merton had had a good go at protecting himself, Tommy just hoped it wasn't in vain. He couldn't bear to think of life without him. He turned and ran faster than he had ran in his life, following the scent into the park, where it began to become mingled with another. Merton's blood. Tommy felt his chest begin to tighten in panic, his legs were shaking but he couldn't slow down. He had to keep going, all the time silently praying that Merton had been wrong, that it was possible to change the past, that he could be saved.
The smell became almost unbearable as he reached a clearing in the trees. Slowing down to avoid making unnecessary noise he crept closer. Merton was laying on the floor, his clothes were soaked with blood and there was a hideous gash reaching from his forehead, across his left eye to the middle of his cheek. The blood was matted in his hair and stained most of his face. The feeling of panic clutching at Tommy's chest worsened and his heart rate increased in volume until all he could hear was its pounding but at the same time he felt intense relief. Merton was alive, but only just.
Tommy stepped out of his hiding place in the bushes and rushed forward. Merton looked at him and the faintest flicker of a smile played across his lips. Tommy knelt down on the ground next to him, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. Merton's remaining eye fixed on him, then quickly looked upwards as an almost inaudible sound escaped from his lips. At the same time Tommy sensed something moving behind him and saw a shadow pass across Merton's face as the light of the moon was blocked out. The Gorath. He turned with a cry of rage, all or his anger, fear and pain went into his first blow, knocking the creature backwards, then he kicked, punched and screamed, attacking the monster with an intensity he had never before imagined possible. He didn't know how long it lasted, but the monster had no chance to put up a fight. Tommy grabbed a dagger from the floor next to Merton's hand, he must have used it to inflict his own wounds on the monster, and thrust it forwards into the body of the Gorath which gave out a sound that fell somewhere between a gasp and a cry before disintegrating into a thousand pieces. The bolt of energy flew upwards from the ground in exactly the same way as it had a few days previously when Tommy had killed the Gorath's mate, but this time Tommy was ready for it and dove expertly out of it's way, landing next to the figure laying on the ground, his eyes now closed and his breathing shallow.
"Merton," he whispered, gently touching his lover's face. Merton's right eye flickered open and looked at Tommy, "It's okay," Tommy told him, "It's dead, you're going to be alright." He knew even as he said it that it wasn't true. Merton had lost far too much blood for there to be any chance of him surviving, and Merton knew it too.
He shook his head slightly, showing that he didn't believe Tommy, that Tommy didn't have to lie to him, "Told you," he croaked, each word a huge effort to force from his lips, "Can't change the past." His breathing had slowed even more and he was fighting to remain conscious, "Love you…" he said as his eye closed slowly despite his effort to keep it open and looking at Tommy for the longest possible time.
Tears flooded from Tommy's eyes, and the lump in his throat almost prevented him from speaking, but he managed, he had too, it was his last chance. "I love you too," he whispered, "so much. You can't leave me now, please…" but it could do no good.
Merton heard Tommy's words and felt the warm teardrops land on his face. It was so unfair that they should realise their feelings only to be denied the lifetime together that they deserved. The smell of his own blood filled his senses, Tommy was still speaking but he could no longer hear the words, only the comforting sound of his voice. His last thoughts before he faded into the great beyond were of relief that Tommy was with him at the end, that the last thing he had seen had been Tommy's face, the last thing he heard was his voice, he didn't want to die, but more than that he didn't want to die alone.
Tommy stayed with Merton's body for long afterwards, unwilling or unable to move from the boy who had come to mean so much to him over the past months, unable to believe that he was really gone, that he would never see his smile or hear his voice again.
It was there that Lori found him the next day, asleep and tightly embracing the one person he loved more than anything else in the world. He was shivering in the cold of the morning, his face stained with tears.
It was there he vowed that when he got his chance to travel backwards in time he would save Merton, or he would die trying.