AN: Set at a vague point in time after the season finale, and totally unrelated to the events of that episode. Tomlie. I like that ship name, it's very cute, right?
He was on his own.
He thought he was the best - the best hacker, the cleverest and the quickest mind around. He ought to have learned by now that he was not infallible.
It was something they all should have learned long ago, because it came between them now and Tomtom fled.
He ran, with only the clothes on his back and his precious laptop clutched in his arms against his chest. Lungs burning and leg muscles burning, but he couldn't stop. People passed by in a blur. Shouts from behind spurred him on faster, he didn't care to see if they were the shouts of friend, or of foe.
The look in Charlie's eyes haunted him.
Tom found a place to bunk down, a seemingly unused doorway that was sheltered by a small overhang; he gave in to much-needed sleep but only managed a few minutes before fear and guilt woke him once more. Leaving, he tried to keep his mind occupied with his plans.
If he kept running, maybe he wouldn't have to deal with the fallout.
Still, the thought intruded on his thoughts, made him anxious and caused his stomach to churn. They thought he'd betrayed them; Jessica, Jack…Charlie… they all believed it. With that in mind, Tom didn't hesitate again.
The guilt that ate away at him was better than rotting away in a jail cell for something he didn't do.
There was no way to prove his innocence. Even the team couldn't fix this. (Not without him. And that's the point, right?)
He felt a little guilty about not paying for the room at the B&B he came to, because he had no money and needed a real place to rest. It was surprisingly easy to break into one of the electronically locked rooms, and he snagged some of the leftover free breakfast that was under a lid in the kitchenette area as he passed by. No one asked him any questions, surprisingly. He was also relieved the room he'd chosen wasn't one of the big ones, and that no one had tried to enter his just yet. Fear of being caught breaking and entering wasn't enough to dissuade him, not when he could barely keep his eyes open.
The room was dark, and he entered cautiously. He imagined dangers of all sorts, friends and police leaping out at him. He locked the door behind him and placed his laptop on the desk carefully, before diving gracelessly onto the bed and pulling the blankets around him.
Tom pretended he was on holiday until he fell asleep, and his dreams were blissfully free of the hurt in Charlie's eyes
"You didn't have to run." A familiar voice said, and Tom jolted, heart in his throat and frozen with fear for a split second before he realized who it was: Charlie. He turnrf around, swallowing audibly, and faced his friend. Tom shook his head.
"How'd you find me?" He asked.
"That's not important." Charlie said, tone dismissive. Ouch.
On guard again, Tom frowned. "Why're you here, then?"
"To bring you home, Tom." That was a change, most people called him Tomtom once they found out his last name. Darn his parents for thinking that was 'cute', not that he minded the nickname, but... It was nice to hear Charlie call him Tom.
"Leavin' aside the miracle that you don't think I'm a traitor too..." He began, crossing his arms.
"You think we would really believe you're a traitor? Come on, you know us better 'n that, Tom, don't you?" Charlie asked, eyebrows raised. he crossed the room and entered Tom's personal space, smiling gently. "Took us a while, but you can come home now, Tom. We know you're innocent, and we found proof."
Tomtom stared, dumbfounded.
"Oh."
They returned home, to base, to Jack and Jessica who came over for a group hug the second he and Charlie walked in the door.
Tom, overwhelmed that anyone other'n his gran would care so much about him, returned the embrace.
Within a week they cleared his name, and Tom loudly announced to the team that he would never complain about not being allowed to go on field again. Jack chuckled.
"I doubt that'll last very long." He speculated.
"Our boy is in a complicated relationship with the field." Jess said, and ruffled his hair fondly. Tom rolled his eyes.
"You're making it sound like I'm kissin' a football field or sommat, Jess!" He protested, only half-heartedly. She laughed and moved away, towards Jack, grabbing his arm and pulling.
"Let's leave those two some alone time, what do you think?" She said, noting that neither Charlie nor Tomtom protested, even though they both fidgeted and looked away. Jack shrugged.
"Yeah, alright. 'cuppa?"
"Eh, why not? Come on, then." Jess replied, leading the way out of the room. The door swung behind them.
Quiet filled the space for several long, borderline awkward moments, before Charlie broke it.
"No more running, yeah?" Charlie asked, crossing the room to lean against the wall beside Tom.
Tomtom didn't respond. Instead, he shut his eyes tight, before opening them again, and reached for Charlie's hand. His friend was reaching for him too and their fingers linked together.
Tom felt loved. There was no longer a reason to run.