Say You'll Haunt Me

Author: Just a cute lil bit of Tommy/Hayley fluff. Named after one of my fav Stone Sour songs.
I own nobody. Set at the very beginning of spring break. Contains a couple of flashback. R&R plz.

Tommy ran a hand through his short dark hair as he glanced over one of his student's quizzes. "At least his grades are coming up." he muttered.

"One of the kids?" Hayley asked.

"Not one of ours. Devin Del Valle." he told her.

"Is that the boy who's always trailing along with Cassidy?" she questioned.

"Yeah, he's not the brightest student but he's working hard to bring his grades up." he explained. She nodded and set a smoothie just off to the side of him. It was out of the way of his work but still to where he could see it. "Thanks." he said, before returning to grading.

Hayley smiled as she watched him get lost in his work. Tommy was and probably would always be the type of person who put all his energy into whatever he did. She couldn't even begin to count how many times she had found him asleep in the lab or on one of her couches after a long day. Even when she first say him as a teen in Angel Grove, she knew he was something special. She had been in town visiting a family member when a monster had attacked nearby. Her friend had fled the park but she had crouched behind a bunch of bushes at the top of a hill to watch. During the fight, one of the Rangers had been hurt and Tommy had taken off his helmet to get a better look at his team mate. His long dark hair had stood out against his white and gold uniform. She had gotten a glimpse of his face but it had been just enough for her to store away in her memory. Many years later, by pure luck, she had met him again at MIT after his days as a Ranger had come to an end for the time being.

Flashback

"Hey Hayley, have you seen the new guy?" one of her friends asked.

"New guy?" she asked, looking up from her homework.

"Come on." the other woman said, grabbing her wrist and dragging her to the window. "Down there by the red car with the long hair."

"I can't tell anything about him, other than he has a nice ass." Hayley said.

"Wait 'til he turns around." As if on cue, the young man turned around to where she could see him better. His long brown hair framed his face, almost hiding his high cheekbones. He had a smile to die for and dark eyes to get lost in.

"Oh damn, damn, damn, damn." Hayley whispered, staring at him. She couldn't believe it was the same guy, dressed in a red shirt and jeans but the face was the same. He looked like he should be front man for some rock band not enrolling in MIT.

End Flashback

Tommy felt himself being shaken gently as he finished off grading another quiz. "Tommy." He blinked twice and looked at Hayley then around at the Cafe. The lights were almost all off and the stools were on on the counter and tables. "It's late." Hayley told him.

"Yeah it is." he laughed, glancing down at his watch which read just past nine pm. He picked up his papers and started to stick them in his briefcase as she swiped a wet rag over both the stool and part of the counter where he had been sitting. As she finished, he pulled on his jacket and took off his glasses.

"Why are you grading quizzes now when you won't see any of your students for a week and a half?" Hayley asked as she locked the door.

"Trying to get a head start now so that I can have some time to relax." he told her.

"I see. Sounds fun." she laughed. He smiled and watched as she jingled the keys in her hand. She was just as pretty as when they were in college with long red hair, dark eyes and a hippie like style.

"Hey Hayley.. since the kids are gone for a bit, would you like to come out to the house and watch movies or something." he asked, shifting from one foot to the other. "Why can't asking girls out get easier?" he thought as she seemed to consider his question.

"Sure why not, I don't usually do anything beside read and go to sleep after work. I can always open up late if I need to do." she told him. "Just let me grab a few things first?" she asked after a minute.

"Sure go ahead, take your time." he told her. She ran around the side of the building to her small apartment behind it. "Yes." he said, jumping into the air happily. Once he landed he glanced around to make sure nobody had seen him. Thankfully nobody had.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah?" he asked. Hayley had her head stuck around the corner.

"Do I need to bring something to sleep in?" she asked.

"I was kinda hoping you might spend the night and not make me drive back out into town to drop you off at some odd hour of the morning." he told her. He could do it in the morning when he came into town to do some shopping. When the kids got back from spring break they would raid his kitchen again.

"Ok." she said, before disappearing back around the corner. He leaned against his jeep to wait. "Let's go." Hayley said as she returned with a small backpack One thing about her Tommy loved was the fact that she didn't bring more that what she knew she needed when she went somewhere.

"Ready?" he asked pushing himself away from the side of his jeep.

"Yeap." she said, setting her bag in the back and hopping over the door. He easily followed suite.

"Stupid girl, don't go into the basement." Hayley laughed as the actress did exactly that.

"I thought we hadn't watched this since the end of college." Tommy teased as he returned with a couple of drinks for them. Hayley took one from him as he sat down.

"I have actually watched this once or twice since college; Trent loves horror films." she told him.

"That explains why he's always watching them when I find him here when I get home sometimes." he said as he stretched out.

"When's that?" she asked.

"When he's sick. He comes out here and I find him when I get home." he told her.

"Aww poor kid." she said. He stretched out on the couch, resting his head in her lap. "I remember when we were at my dinky old place and you'd do this." she whispered.

"That was a while back, when I still had long hair." he muttered. She smiled and ran a hand over his now short spiky hair. "Maybe I should grow it out again." he said.

"You'd only cut it again." she reminded him.

"Yeah sadly." he muttered as he sat up.

"Hey." she protested as he stretched out and put his feet in her lap. He gave a small smile as she pouted, just before she crawled into his lap. "If you're gonna be like, I'll do this." she told him.

"Fine by me." Tommy told her as she rested her head against his chest. He had held Hayley like this before several years ago just after college when she had been extremely sick. She had called him while he had been out on a dig, asking him to come back.

Flashback

"Which one of you is Tommy Oliver?"

"He's down here. Hold on. Tommy!" A head popped up from ones of the pit.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked, brushing his long brown hair back from his face.

"You got a phone call kid." the dig director told him. Tommy cocked his head then pulled himself out of the pit to follow the director to the trailer.

"Here ya go son." one of the assistants said, handing him a rag to wipe his hands with and the phone.

"Hello?" he asked, tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear as he wiped his hands clean.

"Tommy?"

"Hayley, is that you?" he asked.

"Yeah it's me, I'm so sorry to call you on a dig." she whispered. Her voice was hoarse and thick.

"Are you okay? You sound awful." he asked.

"I'm really sick, woke up this morning coughing up gunk and not really able to breathe." Hayley said.

"Sorry to hear it and don't worry about calling on a dig, I'm glad you did." he told her.

"I know how important the digs are to you, but can you please come back to Reefside?" she whimpered.

Tommy chewed on the inside of his cheek for a minute before saying, "Let me see if I can." He turned to the director, pressed the phone to his chest and said, "One of my friends is really sick back home and she doesn't have any other family but me. Is there anyway I can leave the dig to go take care of her?"

The director sighed and said, "Yeah I suppose you can if she's got nobody else to take care of her. Let me go let everyone know. One of you radio a copter to take him home."

"Thanks!" he called as the other man left, then he put the phone to his ear. "Hayley?" he asked.

"I'm here." she muttered.

"Take some medicine, put some vapor rub around your nose and on your chest okay. I'll be home soon." he told her.

"Thank you so much Tommy, the spare key is still where I always leave it." she said.

"Don't worry about it alright? I'll let myself in and pick up some stuff for you. Get some sleep in the meantime." he told her.

"Thank you." she whispered.

Later

Tommy cracked the front door to the apartment open just enough to slip inside then shut it behind him. He set the bag of groceries on the counter and went to find Hayley. He found her on the couch buried under blankets with a tub of Vapor Rub, box of tissues, a thermometer, Tylenol, a plastic bowl and a bag of cough drops nearby. Gently he pulled the blankets back to touch her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open at his touch and took a moment to focus on him. "Tommy?" she whispered.

"Yeah it's me Hales, I just go in. Brought you some stuff to eat." he told her.

"Thank you." she whimpered as he picked up the Tylenol.

"When was your last dose?" he asked.

"Right after I got off the phone with you." she admitted.

"Take some more with I call my doctor to get you an appointment okay." he told her. She nodded and obeyed while he grabbed her phone. "Sit up." he whispered. Slowly she did and he slid onto the couch, stretching out. She snuggled against him, resting her head against his chest.

End Flashback

Tommy shook his head and glanced down at Hayley who had fallen asleep against him. "Okay honey, time for bed." he muttered, sliding off the couch and picking her up. She stirred slightly but remained asleep as he carried her towards the center of the house. He loved his home because the bedrooms were at the very heart of the house which meant he would always know if something was happening elsewhere in the house if he was in one of the rooms.

"Want to stay with you." Hayley muttered.

"Huh?" he asked, glancing at her.

"Want to stay with you, don't wanna sleep alone." she whispered, half awake.

"Seriously?" he asked. She nodded. "Ok." he muttered, taking her into his room. She slid out of his arms onto the bed so he could go retrieve her backpack from the living room.

"Thanks." she muttered when he returned.

"No problem, you wanna step into the bathroom to change while I change in here?" he asked.

"Sure." she whispered, getting up. He grabbed a pair of sweats and a shirt before changing. No sooner did he finish than Hayley came out of the bathroom. Tommy set a spare pillow on the bed for her.

"Make yourself comfy." he told her. She nodded and snuggled under the blankets. He had settled down next to her. He hadn't had anyone in his bed in a while, not since that time Kira had dozed off whiel sitting next to him the last time he had been sick and she had been keeping him company while Hayley and the boys went shopping for medicine for him.

"Night Tom, love you." she murmured.

"Love you to Hales." he whispered.