Hello readers :D.
Well, I noticed that Belinda and Tom are never mentioned in fanfiction (well not in any that I've found!) and I do think that they would make such a good couple. So here's the result of that - hope you like it!
-Lauren
x.x.x
Belinda Troy wasn't exactly a pretty person. She wasn't ugly – but it wasn't as if guys were attracted to her instantly, or that any guy would like her for her looks. She had brown frizzy hair that looked far too large for her own head, large, blue eyes and a nose that was slightly crooked.
This is why Tom Turner was surprised to see her in the CIA headquarters. Everybody knew that though male spies did not need to be attractive, female spies most definitely needed to be. No one pays attention to ugly girls – it was harsh, but true. Pretty girls were of great use to the CIA – they could sway almost any sane man. Ugly girls… were practically useless.
Maybe if Belinda had put on some make-up, straightened her hair and worn some half-decent clothes, she might have looked better, but as she sat in the office in her sweatpants and a t-shirt, with no make-up and her hair all over the place, you couldn't really blame Tom for thinking that she was ugly.
In fact, the first time Tom Turner had seen Belinda Troy he had thought that she was a new secretary, or a researcher, or scientist for the CIA. Not a field agent. She was the last person he would pick out for a field agent.
He, by comparison, was the perfect image of a spy – tall, dark and handsome with a great deal of charisma and an aura of mystery around him. His blue eyes could melt any woman's heart. He could have played James Bond if he wasn't a real spy. All of the female field agents knew his name, and it got ridiculous to the point where he couldn't have a female partner, for the complications that arose.
To his slight annoyance, Belinda Troy didn't seem to know him.
'Tom, meet Belinda. Belinda, this is Tom Turner,' said Joe Byrne.
Their eyes met, and it was not love at first sight. In fact, it was probably the furthest thing from it.
Belinda Troy made the assumption that her partner was a complete idiot – good for nothing except for persuading females. From that first moment, she was disdainful of him – partly because she thought him useless, and partly because she was slightly jealous of the fact that he was an attractive person and she was not.
Tom Turner wondered what on earth Belinda Troy was doing in the CIA. As a young man not too experienced of the ways of the world, image meant a lot to him, and the woman in front of him was not showing the image that he expected – or wanted. Furthermore, she didn't seem to know him, and she didn't even smile at him – instead giving him a glare, which he returned in full.
'You will be working together on this next mission,' said Byrne. Tom was confused – wasn't he not allowed to work with female agents? Byrne sensed his confusion. 'This is a special case, Turner.'
Tom nodded; whatever Byrne did, it was usually for the best. Best for the CIA, that is.
x.x.x
When they arrived at their destination – a small town in Australia, the fireworks started.
They started as soon as their contact left them and they moved into the small house together.
'I'm sleeping in the west room,' declared Tom. From past experience, he usually got what he wanted, and Belinda's reaction was completely unexpected.
'You can't just pick your room like that,' said Belinda, 'and, Joe said I'm having the west room.'
Tom was so shocked by the fact that he was opposing her that he was speechless for a few seconds. Belinda smiled smugly – she assumed she was right – her partner was all brawn and no brains.
'Why on earth would he give you the west wing? That's the room that is the most vulnerable. The stronger person needs to be in that room.'
'And your point is?' she asked. Tom gaped. Byrne hadn't told him that he would have the west wing – but he'd assumed that it was obvious! He was the man! Of course he would take the west room!
'But-'
'But what? You assume you're a better shot than me? Stronger, perhaps? More immune to attack? I don't think so. Look at yourself. Can't you see the reason the CIA hired you?' she taunted.
'What do you mean?' he asked indignantly, but knowing exactly what she meant.
'Oh, come on, you're just a pretty boy, and you know it,' said Belinda scathingly.
Tom was shocked. He had never been so insulted by a woman in his life. Women usually swooned over him, and did everything he said. None of them were nearly as rude to him as this one ugly CIA agent.
'Do you want to ring up Joe and ask who was meant to take the west room? I assure you that it was meant to be me. I'm more able to take an attack than you are,' she said, smiling smugly. With each passing second, Tom's face grew redder and less handsome.
Now, at that time, Tom was only 25 years old, young and easily angered. Belinda's verbal attacks were growing too much for him to handle, due to the previous lack of insulting he had received.
So, even though it was the rudest and most immature thing to do, he charged at Belinda and caught her in a headlock. He smiled – that would teach her.
'Who's stronger now?' he asked. She, however, was completely unfazed.
'Well… I'd say me,' she answered smugly. She prodded his stomach with the gun he hadn't even noticed her taking out, making a bruise. He didn't give her the satisfaction of winning, simply releasing her and storming off to the east wing.
Belinda Troy smiled.
Her partner really was useless.
x.x.x
Even in spite of their differences, they finished their mission in record time, and extremely successfully, without even a single injury. In fact, it seemed that their rivalry pushed them further than they would have gone ordinarily. They fought harder and their minds moved quicker – as if the whole thing were just a game to beat the other.
They became known in the CIA as the Dream Team – much to their annoyance, because as a result they were always put together on missions. These missions were completed perfectly; it seemed they couldn't be matched by any other pair of agents.
Over time, their relationship changed from their previous hate – upon realising that their partner was not completely useless. They still had the burning rivalry that they had from the beginning, and weren't friends, but they shared private jokes and quite enjoyed each other's company, even if neither would admit it.
Then came the night that changed everything.
'Can you believe they put us in this one bedroom hole?' asked Tom. He threw his bags on the floor and leant against the wall, crossing his arms.
Belinda was going through an awkward phase in her life. Ever since Tom and her became more friendly to each other, it seemed as if only now she knew how incredibly good-looking he was.
When she had first met him, she knew he was handsome, but it never quite registered with her, as a woman. She seemed to be immune to his charms, but she didn't even notice in her rivalry. Now, as she spent more and more time with him, she was no longer immune, and frequently found herself commenting on how incredibly good he looked – all the time.
'Yeah, I bet that Crocker stuck us here. He's always hated me,' said Belinda, unable to tear her eyes away from Tom.
'It's not that hard, you know,' said Turner, turning his beautiful blue eyes to Belinda. 'He's not the only one.'
'Wow, thanks,' she replied sarcastically, meeting his gaze. She didn't blush – that was for stupid women. She did find, however, that her heart melted.
'I think we should investigate Dupont first,' said Tom. And then Belinda remembered that Turner was a complete, utter idiot with an ego so big that it could have been made a landmark of America. An incredibly hot idiot.
'That's the stupidest thing to do,' said Belinda. 'We should get general background information first.'
'That will take too long. It's probably Dupont anyway,' said Turner.
Belinda sighed.
'You are an unbelievable idiot, Turner.'
'Right back at you.'
Did she ever even think he was good-looking?
Urgh, she thought, stupid hormones.
x.x.x
'You ready?' Belinda asked Tom through the door. They were getting geared up for scuba diving – it was essential that they arrived through the water. It would give them the element of surprise, and there was only a minute chance that they would be discovered.
'Done,' said Tom, opening the door. Belinda got a shock and jumped back; she'd put her head right near the door and Tom had opened it suddenly. Their faces were only inches apart for that second, before Belinda stepped back.
'Let's go then,' said Belinda. They went to the edge of the boat, gave the thumbs up to their driver and dived into the silky black water.
They could see the moon overhead – a silver scythe in the sky, and its reflection in the water. It was shining brightly, and for a moment both spies were transfixed. Belinda shook her head and motioned for Tom to follow her.
They plunged into the ocean's depths, moving slowly. They had the whole night; rushing would make mistakes much more likely.
Keeping their minds strictly on the mission and on where they were going, they didn't notice the boat above them.
Sensing that something was wrong, Tom looked above him, and was horrified to find the black figure of a boat blocking the moonlight from above. Belinda was in front of him and wouldn't have seen him if he signalled. Panicked, he darted forward and pushed Belinda forward. She turned around to see what he was doing, and he pointed up. They both started swimming as quickly as they could, and then they saw something truly sickening.
A bullet speeding through the water mere inches in front of their faces.
They changed direction and tried to swim away, and though they couldn't hear the bullets, they knew that they were just missing them.
They were swimming the fastest they could, when Belinda heard a hissing sound. Knowing something was wrong, she looked behind her, and saw nothing. Tom, however, did see what had happened.
A bullet had sliced its way through her oxygen tank.
Bubbles floated out of the tank and they couldn't get away fast enough; Belinda panicked as she saw the needle in her gauge dropping faster than she'd ever seen it before. She tried to alert Tom but he was ahead of her, and she couldn't swim fast enough on so little oxygen.
Luckily, Tom turned around to check on her, and she made the distress signal.
At that point he could have done two things.
He could have swum away – attaching his octopus tube to Belinda could have taken a while, and by then they could both have been shot. If he swum away he would have more of a chance of surviving.
Or, he could swim back to help her.
His indecision didn't even last a second.
He swum back to Belinda, and used those vital seconds to attach his octopus tube to Belinda. Tom could see the bullets whizzing through the water, but he ignored them – he would never leave Belinda to die while he ran away. She breathed in the much-needed oxygen, and was more grateful for Tom than she ever had been before.
By incredibly good luck, or incredibly bad aim, none of the bullets hit them, and once the tube was attached, they swum away as fast as they could. Eventually the shadow of the boat was far away and they were out of reach.
Hurriedly they swum to shore, and ran all the way back to the house.
They ran in, locked the door, stripped off their wetsuits and simply stood silent in their swimming costumes for a few minutes, taking deep breaths. Neither spoke – both their thoughts were in chaos and none were articulate enough to put into words.
Troy was just realising how damn close she had come to dying. She had been in many dangerous situations, but there had always been a way out. This time, there was none. It had been all up to Turner.
'Thank you,' said Belinda, and for once, she really meant it.
'Don't talk,' he ordered, and without any warning whatsoever, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her.
It was fiercely passionate, and one of the most heavenly things that she had ever experienced. His hands ran through his hair and she could smell his beautiful scent even through the seawater. For Belinda Troy, odd as it seemed, it was her first kiss. Ever Tom, though he would never tell Belinda, thought it was the best kiss he had ever had.
x.x.x
The next day, they were pulled out of the mission – the group they were meant to be investigating had just launched an all out attack on the CIA headquarters in Langley and it seemed pretty clear now what their objectives were.
Even though the CIA had been attacked, there was an urgent new mission that they wanted to put Belinda on. She was soon becoming the best female agent of her age, and was wanted for a lot of missions.
The CIA came the next day to pick them up.
They knocked on the door at exactly the time they said they would come – 9:00am.
'Coming!' shouted Belinda. She knew this was the last time that she would Tom for a long time – she'd heard about her next mission and it was a whopper.
They had one last, passionate, goodbye kiss before she opened the door. Tom would make his own way home – Belinda would be leaving today.
'Well, I'll see you again some time, then?' she said. She knew she couldn't kiss him goodbye in front of the CIA employee. There was a yearning in her voice, but the CIA employee was so hardened that he didn't even notice it.
'Yeah. See you around, Troy,' replied Tom, smiling at her.
'Bye,' she said, and without further ado, she left.
Tom was left alone in the house, wondering why on earth he had fallen in love with Belinda Troy, of all people.
x.x.x
Belinda finished the whopper of a mission in less time than she'd expected, and she wasn't even injured. She'd felt lonely, though, on that mission, without Tom to keep her company.
She didn't plan to fall in love with Tom.
No on plans to fall in love, but as she was on that mission, she found she couldn't keep her thoughts off him. She couldn't wait to see him again. She was in love, for the first time in her life, and it was such a blissful experience that she never wanted it to end.
x.x.x
Before she knew it, Belinda was on yet another mission. But this time she was looking forward to it. She would be working with Tom.
She called him before she left, and the sound of his voice made her heart skip a beat.
'Hi Tom,' she said, sounding like a lovesick teenager.
'Hello Belinda,' he said, smiling. He was glad to hear from her again. During the time that she had been gone, he had worried about her. He'd hoped she wouldn't get hurt – if she had, he didn't know what he would have done.
'How are you?' she asked, not knowing what else to ask. Apart from that, the CIA might be monitoring her phone calls, and she certainly didn't want them to know that she and Tom were… well, the way they were.
'I'm well. I'm glad to hear you're ok,' he said, and she smiled at his sweet statement.
'I'm flying into Langley in a few days time,' she informed him. Tom smiled on the other end. He couldn't wait to see her again.
'I'll meet you then. I'm staying at the Four Seasons hotel; the room number is 2501,' he told her. Was that an invitation for her to stay with him? She was about to ask, but he answered her unspoken question. 'You can stay with me if you like.' Her heart skipped another beat – the last night with Tom had been amazing.
'That's great. I'll be there on the 24th of June, and I'll get there at around 8:00pm,' she said.
'Alright then. See you.'
'Bye,' she replied, and hung up.
She wouldn't tell anyone else, but at that time, in her apartment, she jumped up and down with joy. Tom grinned in his hotel room, though he almost jumped.
She couldn't wait until the 24th of June, 8:00pm.
x.x.x
Tom was hanging out with his best friend, Peter, in Langley. Peter was the only person who knew about Tom and the CIA, and the only person who knew about Belinda.
'She's coming tomorrow? Brilliant,' said Peter, elbowing Tom.
'What should I do?' asked Tom. Peter laughed. Tom was usually such a confident person who was always sure of himself, and yet one silly CIA agent was making him act like a pussy.
'We should celebrate, that's what,' said Peter.
'Pete…' said Tom, knowing what Peter meant by "celebrate". Celebrating for Peter meant going to the pub.
'Come on, you haven't come with me for ages. You've been so caught up in your work,' complained Peter.
'But-'
'Come on, don't but. Just come with me. You are my best mate, aren't you?'
Tom sighed and relented.
'Alright then; I'm not going to drink mind you,' said Tom, slightly irritated.
'We'll see about that,' said Peter, grinning.
x.x.x
In the end, Tom did drink, and it was the worst decision he had ever made in his entire life.
After a few drinks, he spotted an attractive girl in the corner of the room. Peter passed him another drink, and because he wasn't quite yet used to the alcohol, it affected him more than it did Pete.
Before he knew it, he was dancing with the said attractive girl, and a few hours later, she ended up in his hotel room. It was horrible, but Tom had forgotten all about Belinda.
x.x.x
Belinda couldn't wait to see Tom, and decided to go a day earlier and surprise him. She smiled the whole plane ride there, and practically bounced to the taxi.
'The Four Seasons hotel, please,' she said, giving the taxi driver a big grin. The taxi driver sighed – he wasn't in a good mood, and someone else being ecstatically happy didn't really help that.
Belinda continued to smile the whole way there, and anyone who knew her would have been scared by her being so out of character. She was never uncontrollably happy, and especially not over a man.
She was dressed up in the nicest dress she had – a deep red strapless silk dress and had done up her hair and make-up quite nicely. She looked a million times better than she had the first time Tom had seen her.
She took the lift up to the 25th floor, and calming herself down, she knocked on the room labelled 2501.
x.x.x
Tom heard the knock and jumped up. He wasn't expecting anyone, but he was drunk, and he didn't know this. Hurriedly he put on some clothes and hopped to the door, and opened it.
Belinda was greeted with the last sight she wanted to see. She could smell the alcohol on Tom, and he looked terrible. His hair was all a mess, and he had forgotten to do up the fly on his jeans.
Belinda's face seemed to sober Tom fully, and his heart dropped as he realised what had happened. She had come a day early. He still had a girl in his room.
He didn't know what on earth to do.
'Tom? Are you alright?' she asked, concerned. She'd never seen him drink before.
Tom swore to himself. The one night… why did he have to drink? Belinda would probably never forgive him. And he was in love with her!
'I-' he started, trying to make up a story to explain, but the girl he had picked up at the bar had chosen the worst moment to come into the picture. She wrapped her arms around his waist, obviously drunk as well, and glared at Belinda.
'I can explain-' said Tom desperately, but the look of fury on Belinda's face told Tom he would never be able to explain.
'You…' whispered Belinda furiously.
'Belinda, I-' Tom said, but he knew Belinda wouldn't listen. He tried to shake the girl off him, and pleaded with Belinda with his eyes, but to no avail. Her eyes had turned from fire to ice.
She gave him one terrible look of fury, slapped him hard across the cheek, kicked him in the groin (and this hurt – she was a black belt in karate) and stormed off. Tom tried to run after her, but she closed the lift door in his face.
Once she was in the lift, Belinda started to cry. The mascara she had so carefully applied ran down her cheeks in black streaks and she sobbed. When she arrived at ground floor, she covered her face and ran out of the hotel, not caring what other people thought of her.
She caught the first taxi she saw and told him to go 'anywhere but here', and saw Tom running out onto the streets in the rear vision mirror. She couldn't believe he would do that to her. Tom, the very man she had fallen in love with.
x.x.x
Luckily, Belinda was spared the torture of the mission with Tom – someone else had been assigned. She flew back home, in a wreck.
She refused to leave her house for a whole week, and when she finally left, she was completely devoid of emotion for 6 months. She hated Tom, and yet she loved him. Love, which had once seemed like heaven to her, was more like hell now.
Every time the CIA called, she had half-hoped that she would be put on a mission with Tom, so she could shout at him, and maybe they would make up, and maybe he'd love her again. But it seemed somehow that the CIA knew all about them and didn't put them together on any missions for a whole decade after that. Soon the Dream Team was forgotten, and life seemed dreary for Belinda.
The pain had faded, and she didn't feel so heartbroken anymore.
And then came the call – the one telling her that she'd be on another mission with Tom.
All Belinda's feelings for Tom came rushing to the surface and to her utter shame, she found herself crying again. She had a boyfriend. Why would she still care about Tom, stupid Tom?
Tom Turner, the one man that she had never managed to keep out of her mind for a single day.
x.x.x
She tried everything to avoid doing the mission, and it seemed Tom did too. She said she was recuperating from the last mission, but the CIA was ruthless and didn't allow much time for recuperation. She said she was sick, but that didn't amount to anything. The CIA knew she wasn't sick. Belinda hated the fact that they knew every little detail of her life, and hated even more the fact that they didn't care at all.
Her final complaint was that she didn't want to work with the boy – Alex Rider, his name was. Apparently some sort of teenage superspy, but that wasn't the main problem at this point. The only person that mattered in this mission was Tom.
He too, complained about the boy, finding it was the best excuse. However, the CIA ignored their complaints and sent them on the mission.
Belinda refused to talk to Tom, except for cold, curt answers. The worst thing about the mission was that they had to pretend to be husband and wife. Understandably, the two were in foul moods for the entire mission, and they seemed to take it out on Alex.
Both Belinda and Tom could think of a million other places they'd rather be, but they were stuck together, on the mission from hell.
x.x.x
They were on the boat, ready to scuba dive again, and it was at that moment that Tom decided to talk to Belinda.
'Belinda I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I swear,' he said. Belinda ignored him for a few seconds, but actually she was crying and tried to hide it. Eventually she started to sob, and she was shaking. Hesitantly Tom stepped forward and patted her on the back.
'Get your hands off me!' she shouted at him, and he jumped back. 'You're the reason for all of it – don't you dare tell me you're sorry! Did you know, after that, Tom, that I was in a wreck? I was practically useless for half a year. You don't know what you did to me.'
'I-' he started, but Belinda interrupted him again.
'You are the most selfish pig I have ever had the misfortune to meet. You're so horrible, I can't even explain how I feel about you. I hate you, Tom, but I love you. I don't know what on earth you did to me, but undo it,' she said, the tears running down her face.
Tom stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulders. This time she didn't try and push him away.
'I love you,' he whispered, and Belinda looked up at him. Those were the words she'd been waiting to hear for 15 years. 'I love you, Belinda. I always loved you. I really did, and I know that I can't undo my actions, but please, Belinda, if you don't forgive me, I'll hate myself forever.' He sounded as sincere as he really was – that night had been the worst mistake he had ever made, and not a single day passed when he didn't regret it.
Even though Belinda knew that Tom was a total jerk, a pig, an idiot, she couldn't help but be affected by his words. So she found herself kissing him once again.
x.x.x
The kiss seemed to heal all of their wounds, and fresh love flowed once more from their hearts. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart. They simply stood, holding each other, in silence.
'Do you think we could have had a kid? Like what we're pretending to now?' asked Belinda, breaking the silence.
'I don't know,' said Tom, sighing. It was all his fault, and he knew it. He was just glad that he had Belinda now.
The silence enveloped them again, and after a few minutes of staring into each other's eyes and reaching into each other's souls, Belinda spoke again.
'What do you say we do this, then? We don't have all day.'
And as she said it, she was smiling genuinely for the first time in 15 years.
x.x.x
She gave him one last kiss before they changed into their wetsuits.
'I love you,' he said again.
'I love you too,' she said, smiling at him. She never thought she'd see the day when she kissed Tom again, but here she was. She'd forgotten everything he'd done against her and the only thing she could feel for him now was love.
They were imagining a future together, and at that point their lives looked brighter than ever before. They didn't know what would await them in the watery depths. They were deeply in love, and didn't think anything bad could happen to them now. Love was all that existed to them.
They stood at the edge of the boat, ready to dive, not knowing they would never see the surface again. She smiled at him and he gave her the thumbs up, and they plunged into the water, never to return again.
x.x.x