Ahh, my Thomas! this is my favourite story so far :D
Disclaimer: don't own anything cept Thomas. nobody's allowed to steal Thomas...
Jennifer Jones stood placidly among the small crowd of people awaiting the return of their loved ones. It was a bright December morning and sun was beating down hard, bringing with it a parade of sun screened, swim suit clad children ready for a day at the beach. Their squeals of laughter floated through the busy Mariner next door as frazzled parents tried to fit in their last minute Christmas shopping and business men and woman shared a café lunch to celebrate another year's end. Jen had been chatting with Amelia Blake by the busy playground earlier, almost shouting over the call's of children enjoying the last few day's before Christmas, until her young daughter Holly had fallen from the monkey bar's, the four year old scratching both knee's and her elbow and causing an eruption of tears down the girls pink cheeks. After Amelia had retreated home in search of Holly's Barbie doll band aids, Jen had been retreated to an empty park bench, quite happy to watch the slow waves lap up against the sandy beach while her charge for the day, Thomas, played happily in the dirt nearby. She glanced down at the little blonde haired boy bent over at right angles to stare down the ducks waddling near him. His dark brown eyes were pierced in concentration towards the feathery quackers who didn't seem to notice they were being followed by one very curious two year old. Jen watched in amusement as Thomas turned his small head to look at her quickly, his attention wavering slightly from the duck's as a ship's horn sounded loudly in the distance. He turned his head further, twisting his small body around to search the water for the source of the mysterious noise that had disturbed him as Jen watched the little boy happily. His eyes widened quickly as his gaze fell on the ship on the horizon. He pointed one small, chubby finger at it excitedly, bouncing up on his heels to get a better look at the ship he'd trained himself to recognize.
"Daddy" he squealed happily, looking at Jen quickly for confirmation before turning back to watch the sparkling water, his grin causing dimples on his podgy, mud stained cheeks. Jen scooped the squirming toddler up into her arms so he could see the boat more easily while quickly wiping at the dirt on his face to clean him a bit.
"Your daddy's not going to recognise you" she teased affectionately, wondering when Thomas had found the time to get so grimy with dirt if she had been with him all day. She softly dropped him back onto the grass as being still became too much for the toddler and he started whining and struggling in her grasp.
"Stay close Action Man" she called as he darted off, the occasional trip slowing him as he headed towards where his duck's had migrated to; a safe spot by the pond where they hadn't counted on a two year old tornado finding them.
"Excuse me" came a voice from behind Jen, surprising her momentarily as she turned away from Thomas towards the source of the inquiry. Before her stood a tall, blonde haired lady, dressed in white three quarter pants and a loose, flowery shirt with a hand bag thrown over one shoulder. Her straight hair was held back by the sunglasses resting a top her head and a bright smile was plastered across her face, white teeth shining behind deep red lips. It took Jen a few seconds to realise she was starring oddly at the woman, a second excuse me bringing her from her thoughts and back to reality.
"Sorry" she laughed flippantly, hoping she hadn't seemed offensive. She vaguely remembered seeing this woman somewhere, though the memory was distorted. Maybe in a photograph she mused while keeping a trained eye on the adventuresome two year old chasing ducks beside her.
"Jennifer Jones" she introduced conversationally, raising her hand in greeting towards the woman. Her gesture was returned kindly and as the pair shook hands the woman introduced herself accordingly.
"Ursula Morrell" she smiled warmly and Jen suddenly remembered where she had seen her before. An old photograph of Toby's from The Hammersley's day's which he kept framed in the hallway.
"I was wondering if The Hammersley was here?" Ursula asked, looking around the Mariner as if to prove her intentions. Jen's eyes widened momentarily, wondering how long ago this woman had been in Darwin.
"The Hammersley was decommissioned years ago" she explained matter of factly, proud to be the one explaining something about her husband's job, not the other way round as it usually was.
"The new Patrol Boat's just coming in though if it was someone on board you were looking for" she added, noting the fallen look Ursula had adopted moments earlier.
"Yes, actually" she explained, visibly brightening while another smile revealed white teeth shining "Mike Flynn wouldn't happen to still be the captain, would he?" she asked hopefully, shifting her hand bag onto the other shoulder. Jen watched her movements with amusement, wondering if she knew the truth about Mike and his current situation. She'd heard enough story's about this woman from the men and Kate, though some of Kate's recounts sounded mildly over exaggerated.
"They couldn't tear him away" Jen laughed shortly, a fake smile spreading across her face. Something about this woman was rubbing her the wrong way and she intended on trusting her instincts.
'Still' she reasoned, 'there was no need to be hostile', so with an embellished smile she pointed towards the Naval base, explaining that her and Thomas would be heading over their shortly and would she like to join them. Ursula, matching smile gracing her lips, agreed readily and started walking with Jen to where Thomas was terrorising the local ducks.
His light blue Thomas the Tank Engine t-shirt was smeared with dark mud from a trip in a puddle and the scuff's of his pants where almost thread bare. In short he looked like he'd just trekked through the jungle, which in terms of two year olds adventures he almost had. After his beloved ducky's had noticed the prowling blonde hair of their enemy they'd set of quacking in alarm, waddling at high speed away from him and in the process starting an adventuresome game of cat and mouse that had amused Thomas for the better part of the last ten minutes. Now, after realising his feathered friends weren't going to play with him he'd settled himself in the grass and was happily searching for ant's and bug's, a game often played with Daddy much to Mummy's horror. When he saw Jen approaching he picked himself up, almost toppling head over heels in the process, before reclaiming balance and pointing towards the ducks.
"All gone" he chorused sadly, big brown eyes meeting Jen's with as much sadness as a two year old could muster. After a few moments of looking longingly towards the duck's he heard the horn of the ship once more and all thoughts of feathers and chasing's cleared from his mind. He bounded towards Jen excitedly, tripping on his unlaced jogger's in the process, before picking himself up and continuing on. As he came near Jen reached her arms out towards him and scooped him up, smothering his face in kisses before settling him on her hip.
"You ready to see Daddy Thomas?" she asked playfully, looking straight at the toddler to catch the jumble of excited babble that followed. She laughed a long with his unintelligible speech with ease all the while conscious of Ursula's gaze on the pair. After Thomas settled himself down Jen turned towards the woman beside her, bouncing Thomas to catch his wavering attention.
"Say hello to Ursula" she introduced slowly once she was sure his gaze was settled on the tall lady. Suddenly becoming the shy little boy all children of his age adopted when new people were around he buried his head in between Jen's neck and shoulder, his little blonde head only just peaking out. Jen looked apologetically towards Ursula, hoping the woman wouldn't feel offended by the sudden wave of shyness that had engulfed Thomas. Usually he was a regular bundle of energy, obsessed with nature and appropriately nicknamed Action Man by the crew because he was always on the move. Being one of two children of the Patrol Boat's crew and the youngest and only boy he was spoiled rotten by everyone, and held in the highest regard by his godmother Nikki who had threatened to gobble him up on more than one occasion if he didn't stop becoming cuter each time she saw him.
Once the trio had rounded the corner to the Navy base Thomas picked his little head up, cautioning a quick glance at Ursula before scanning the horizon for Daddy's ship. Everyone had been very amused when he had pronounced it Daddy's ship at the last barbeque they had held, and so the crew had proceeded to tease Thomas's poor Daddy about that fact from then on. To settle the poor child who didn't know why everyone was laughing at him Nikki and Jen had decided to play along, and had since then found it common practice to refer to the Patrol Boat with Thomas's name for it.
"Can you see Daddy's ship?" she asked Thomas moments later, hoping to distract him so she could learn a bit more about the woman walking with her. As the toddler pierced his eyes in concentration Jen turned towards Ursula, eyeing her up and down while she gazed out at the water lapping against the wall.
"Have you spoken to Mike recently?" asked Jen, surprising Ursula. She turned quickly towards the smiling woman beside her, the blonde haired child still nestled in her arms.
"No" she responded shortly, not quite sure where Jen's inquiry lay. "We lost touch a few years ago" she explained further, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear distractedly. She was feeling quite uncomfortable, talking about her ex-almost boyfriend with a woman she'd only just met.
"You're married to Chefo?" she asked after an awkward moment, effectively turning the conversation away from herself and onto a topic she could handle. Jen's face lit up at the thought of her husband and nodded happily in reply.
"Five year's in January" she added in wistfully, unconsciously turning the ring secured safely around her finger. Ursula noticed the small movement of love and a sharp pain pocked at her chest, reminding herself of the failed relationships she had faced in the past. She lowered her head, effectively stopping the conversation and dipping the trio into an awkward silence.
As they came to a halt by the pier Thomas's face spilt into an excited grin as he pointed at the Patrol boat docked in front of them. He tried jumping out of Jen's arms again, but she held on strongly, fully aware of the implications of letting the toddler go on such a crowded pier. He squirmed unsuccessfully in her arms, whining in annoyance at not being let go before his eyes narrowed in on a certain light haired man stepping of the boat. His eyes brightened in excitement once more as the man noticed the trio standing at the end of the pier and grinned happily. Jen relinquished her hold on the toddler who shot out her arms at lightening speed, straight into the arms of one very happy Toby Jones.
"Action man" he grinned, spinning the giggling boy above his head before smothering his face with noisy kisses and raspberries. Thomas, quite content to be in the arms of his favourite adult, attempted his own sloppy kisses in return before settling down to be carried. His happiness how ever was short lived as Chefo placed the two year old down on the ground, opting instead to wrap his arms around his beautiful wife to give her a passionate kiss.
"Miss me" he quipped breathlessly as the two pulled away for air. Jen grinned at him happily, managing an enthusiastic nod before leaning in for another kiss.
"I missed you two" replied Chefo cheerfully "Both of you" he added, leaning down to place his hand proudly over her protruding stomach.
"Five more month's" she managed to whisper in excitement, sharing a joyous smile with her husband.
Ursula watched the exchange in front of her with mixed feelings. She felt honoured to watch such a strong sense of love between the pair who were obviously still besotted with each other, despite the five year mark. Then there was a sense of loss, loss of something she'd never really gotten a grasp on and was beginning to think never would. Finally she felt confused. For a couple so in love they were ignoring their first born like he did not exist and their excitement over their unborn child was like most new parents displayed. She felt oddly uneased by the whole situation, like she'd missed a piece of the puzzle that just so happened to be the most vital part. She scanned the busy crowd for the blonde haired toddler. 'Tony, Toby' she mused, desperately trying to remembered the young boy's name.
"Thomas" she exclaimed triumphantly just as her eyes settled on the boy. To her horror he was bent over on the side of the pier, completely absorbed by something bobbing in the water in front of him. People were rushing past him, oblivious to the dangerous situation that could happen if one brushed against the two year old accidentally. One knock was all it would take to send him tumbling into the depth's she thought with horror, trying to push trough the people towards him.
Meanwhile Mike Flynn stepped from his Patrol Boat feeling quite content. He cast his mind back to a time when he had dreaded Christmas. A time when he had had no one to share it with save the few other officers and sailors spending it alone.
'How time's had changed' he smiled.
Now he had a reason to feel such joy at stepping onto the pier; a reason to be excited about the coming Christmas. A reason to put up a tree, and hang up light's and wake up at some ungodly hour on Christmas morning to unwrap presents of which half would hardly be used ever again.
And that reason was currently hovering over the edge of the pier, one nudge away from being lost in the sparkling blue abyss of water that Mike called home for at least half the year.
"Thomas" he called in terror, pushing through the crowded pier quickly and with force towards his little blonde haired boy.
"Thomas!" he tried again, this time louder, hoping to reach the ears of the toddler before the unimaginable happened. His mind was racing, plagued by thoughts of what would happen.
'No!' he told himself firmly, 'you're not going there'
He'd never felt so relieved in his life as when Thomas raised his small head towards the voice he had been waiting for all morning. His chubby cheeks broke into dimples as a wide grin spread across his face; his eyes, mirror's of his father's, brightening up like lights.
"Daddy" he squealed happily, speeding towards his father as fast as he could before being swept up in a bear hug so tight he had to squirm around to get comfortable. Mike held the tiny boy tightly against his chest, relishing the warm, sticky breath he could feel against his cheek and the hard kick to his chest as Thomas tried to break free once more.
"Don't you dare do that to me again" breathed out Mike, his heart slowing to a respectable beat as he loosened his grip on Thomas slightly.
Thomas, oblivious to the terror he had just caused his father, grinned in excitement, before preceding to plonk Mike on the nose happily, a game that he had started at a young age and that had survived between the two each time Mike returned home. Unable to contain his happiness any longer, the captain broke out in laughter, smothering his son with kisses and raspberries before tickling him affectionately. Through Thomas's squeals of laughter he didn't even notice the woman not two metre's away, staring at the pair as realisation dawned on her finally. She stepped back behind a slumping tree into the shadows, unable to bring herself to interrupt such a moment between father and son before turning swiftly on her heels and walking away from them, never once looking back.
Just as she was stepping of the pier onto the hot concrete she noticed the smiling form of Mike's XO walking towards her. She was in civilian clothing, like the rest of the crew, but oddly she was walking from what appeared to be NavCom, not the Patrol Boat.
Once again Ursula confined herself to the shadows of some very accommodating over growth, praying she wouldn't have to encounter Kate once more. It may have been five years but memories of their first and final meetings were never happy affairs, and in the fragile state she was in the last thing Ursula felt like was another conversation between the two. She continued to watch as Kate happily bounced down the pier, sharing smiles and hellos with a few of the crew before stopping short in front of Mike and Thomas. From her vantage point Ursula couldn't hear much over the din the rest of the crowd where creating, made worse by the crash of the waves and the squawking sea gulls above. She was, however, able to recognise a family when she saw one. Like Chefo, Jen and their excitement over their unborn child, like Swain and Amelia and Holly, proudly showing of her battle scars. Like Spider and his parents who had flown up to see him over the Christmas break and where happily exchanging hugs and kisses, Mike, Kate and Thomas had something; a connection. They were a family, and a very happy one. Ursula watched on as Mike grinned at his wife, wrapping his arms around her while keeping a firm grasp on their blonde run away whirl wind. He leant in to kiss her warmly, a quick kiss so as not to bring attention to them, but one filled with all the passion and emotion of two lovers returning to each other after a long parting. She could see Thomas waving his arms around and imagined the fuss he was making as his parents shared a moment, their attention drawn away from him momentarily.
And she couldn't help the smile spreading across her face as the pair turned towards their bright eyed son, tickling him mercilessly as friends departed around them, sending their Christmas wishes to the family along the way.
As she stepped out of the shadows and turned towards the sun she was surprised that she didn't feel jealous, anger, hatred. She'd set out with a mission to fill in the missing gap in her life and before she had arrived today she'd thought the missing piece had been Mike.
No, she realised, the missing piece hadn't been getting him but had been getting over him, something she'd had to experience by watching him herself. It felt odd, she supposed, suddenly realising that a part of your life was over, yet even more surprising was the feeling of a new beginning. But, it was Christmas and what better time to start over again was the beginning of a New Year.
