I'm not so sure about the ending of this one... but yeah. You've had Dougie's Journey, now what about Tom's?
Don't own McFly
Thomas Michael Fletcher's life was a bit hectic from the start. His parents were never happy with each other, and instead of burdening Tom's life with their constant arguing, they divorced before he could even remember them together. Tom's mother quickly re-married to a man called Andrew Poynter before Tom was even a year old.
Andrew Poynter was an alright guy in Tom's mind, but that was just on the surface he eventually found out.
Annabelle Poynter then quickly became pregnant with another child. A few months after Tom's birthday, on the 30th of November she gave birth to Tom's little brother, Dougie. Tom didn't remember much of this period in his life – but he sure as hell remembered the look of anger Andrew had when he first saw baby Dougie. It chilled him to the core, but he remembered shrugging it off when the man gave him a lollipop the next day.
Tom immediately declared Dougie his best friend forever. He helped his mother feed him, he helped her bathe him, and he helped her feed him. He helped Dougie learn how to walk, talk, sing – play the guitar when he was old enough (Dougie ended up preferring the bass though). But he couldn't remember Dougie looking genuinely happy ever since his third birthday – not when he thought back at it, and especially now he knew what was going on behind closed doors.
Tom also remembered how irrationally upset Dougie became when he left for little school and his mother left for work – leaving him alone with his supposed father. He didn't dwell on it too long, though, because every child didn't like to be left behind. Right?
Dougie was always a quiet kid, but over the years he grew more and more silent. By the time he was four, he barely spoke at all. Tom figured he was shy – but why would he be shy around Tom? His best friend forever? He was also clumsy. Whenever Tom and his mother came back he'd be covered in bruises… even if Tom never saw him fall over excessively when he was around.
Tom was seven when he put two and two together and knew of his mother's true, promiscuous nature. It was then he found himself looking at his step-father and Dougie and comparing both. That was when he dared ask his mother the question;
"Mum, whose Dougie's real daddy?"
He remembered the shock on his mother's face, but he gave her a hard look. She sighed and confessed;
"A bad man who mummy was very wrong to get involved with."
It was that year that Tom's little sister was born, Carrie. Tom remembered first meeting little baby Carrie with Dougie and pointing at her to him – "She's my little sister, but she isn't your sister because she come from my dad and Karen and not Andy and mummy."
Dougie nodded, "Your daddy is nicer than my daddy." He said in a timid voice of a five year old, but at the time, Tom didn't register the way Dougie looked down at his bruised wrists with tears in his eyes.
Tom didn't register a lot of things about Dougie over the years. He remembered walking past Dougie's room once when Dougie was nine and hearing him cry, "God, why do you let the man do this to me?" – But he just ignored him, thinking Dougie was having a childish moment and over-reacting over something. He claimed to be Dougie's best friend, but as the years flew by, Tom found himself playing more and more with the boy who moved down the street, Danny – and nearly forgetting Dougie's existence, and leaving him alone with Andy more often.
By age twelve, Tom noticed that Dougie had become nearly mute, and being the uber-cool high-schooler he was now, he ignored it. He didn't have time for little Primary School kids.
He wished he had made time.
Because the next year Dougie went missing.
He remembered how worried his mother was, and how Andrew tried to keep her calm saying, "The little bugger just wants a reaction from us. He'll turn up somewhere."
Tom knew he was wrong. Dougie was a frail little boy; he hadn't the guts to just go off on his own for no reason.
Tom just didn't know at the time that there was a bloody good reason.
Tom remembered the police constantly over, and worrying. God he was worried. His little brother was missing. He didn't know where to turn, who to go to… His mother was distressed, Andy was moody for some reason, and his father was busy with Carrie as Karen was away for business.
Three weeks after Dougie went missing; Tom woke up to the sound of yelling downstairs.
"How could you? How dare you?!" his mother sounded distraught. Tom remembered walking slowly towards the top of the staircase to hear better.
"Because he isn't mine!" Andrew seethed.
He heard his mother's broken sobs echo in the house, and Tom found himself falling onto his knees on the top of the stairs as he started to work things out in his brain.
"How could you?! To my little boy?!" she cried in pure agony. He then heard frantic footsteps approach the stairs and he scrambled to his feet and entered the nearest room he could reach. It was only once he was inside it dawned on him that it was Dougie's.
He took a shaky breath and looked around him. It had been two years since he stood in there last. In typical Dougie fashion it was a mess. Tom smiled wearily at the sight and had a look around, missing his little… helpless, poor brother more than anything. He cursed himself for not being the brother he needed.
It was then that something caught Tom's eye.
He neared the bed and lifted the messy covers and fell to his knees to get a better look. There were countless bottles of alcohol and small packets of white powder, and what Tom recognized to be weed. Tom gulped and shook his head. No way. No way was his little eleven-year-old brother doing drugs and drinking.
He saw crumpled notes along with the bottles and reached for one.
He recognized his step-father's writing at once and gasped.
Here's some special powder for you, you little shit. If you tell anyone, I'll give you an extra round.
Tom dropped the note in shock. He shakily stood to his feet and bit his lip.
God this was fucked up.
He stumbled and something else caught his eye. The top drawer of his dresser was open, and Tom recognized stacks of bank notes. There had to be hundreds there. Next to them, there was a little black book. Tom shakily opened it on a random page.
Sale: Marissa Moore, 10grms cannabis - £20
Renee Davis, 2 500ml bottles WKD - £5
Tom blinked. Dougie didn't take any of it… he sold. His eleven year old brother was a drug dealer… who sold stuff ridiculously over-priced. Tom instantly felt rather proud… sure, what Dougie was doing wasn't good – he could spend years in prison for it – but he didn't take it, even though the little boy must've been in such a dark place.
A week later, his mother filed for divorce, and Andrew was kicked out. Tom felt a wave of relief at this. No longer was that man haunting the house. Annabelle went into depression, but Tom stayed with his head high, not succumbing to his sadness. Tom had an incline that Dougie wouldn't be found, and he hated to admit it. The police were getting bored.
And sure enough, two years later they gave up on their search – saying that there would be no hope for the boy now. Annabelle was distraught, and Tom got angry. How could they give up?!
Tom found himself visiting Dougie's room more frequently, and one night, 7 months later, he found himself reaching for a random bottle under Dougie's bed. Vodka. He only regretted opening that bottle in the morning, when he woke up in Dougie's bed – his head still swimming. It was then he found himself pocketing Dougie's money, and glancing at the stuff under Dougie's bed. He took one last glance at them before walking towards Danny's home, with an idea forming in his brain.
Tom knew all about the OMEGA Corporation. He knew they were dealing with illegal shit, but were somehow above the law. He knew they were basically a fancy gang – and he knew that they were feared, since they weren't scared of killing whoever got in their way.
Tom and Danny formed an idea between the both of them, and got the help of Danny's guitar tutor, James Bourne. They raided Dougie's bedroom of everything he owned that were illegal, and found their first recruits, Alana and Michael.
They had no idea what they were doing, but it seemed to work, because soon enough, OMEGA had an enemy.
Tom didn't expect to meet Giovanna in the Black-market that random summer's day, but he did. She was buying something – he didn't remember what, and her beauty hit him. It was love at first sight, and they quickly got together – their relationship blossoming. Tom did notice how whenever she was around or mentioned, Danny's always-smiling face would falter, but he was too happy to care.
It was the night before his and Giovanna's wedding that Danny told his secret to Tom- well, one of his secrets.
Tom was pacing up and down, growing more and more nervous about the ceremonies that were going to happen, nearly pulling his hair out with worry. Danny decided enough was enough of Tom's worry, and, just as any good old best man would – he decided to distract Tom from his worries.
"Tom… I have something to tell you." Danny said in a shaky voice. Tom froze.
"What? Oh please God let it not be about the wedding!" Tom said with a slight shrill in his voice.
"No, no… Tom… I'm bi." Danny said, looking on the floor.
"What?" Tom blinked, instantly forgetting about his fears.
"I'm bisexual." Danny repeated.
"Are you sure – you could be going through a phase…." Tom bit his lip.
"No… it's definitely not a phase. I've known for a while, but you're the first person I've told." Danny said, finally looking up at his friend.
Tom suddenly threw his arms around Danny, "Thank you for confiding in me."
"Why wouldn't I confide in you – you're my best friend." Danny smiled weakly.
Carrie was jumping up and down with excitement.
"Tom! I did it! I passed my advanced medical course!" she told her big brother. At the mere age of sixteen, it was quite an achievement.
"Bloody hell, Carrie! I'm so proud of you!" Tom hugged her tightly.
"Can I work for you now? Please?" Carrie begged him.
"Fine, fine you can join ELITE. As a medic, of course." Tom knew he founded the company at her age, but he would never let his little sister out to that kind of danger. She was the only sibling he had left…
ELITE and OMEGA had been competing for a while before Tom, Danny and James decided to assassinate the notorious Harrison. They planned it carefully.
Harrison always went to the Black-market on a Thursday to pick up supplies. They didn't know why it was always him… He had enough employees to do it for him. But of course he went with an entourage. He used to go with the Six, but now the corporation was so big, they needed to stay at the base to control it during his absence.
They decided to hide in the shadows and watched as he turned up. They sneakily followed him around, go from stall to stall, sending the people he had with him take stuff 'to the van'. He reached Madame Sandrine's stall and started a conversation with her. Everyone who was big in the trade knew Madame Sandrine – she was something else.
She was an elegant, friendly French woman who knew everything there was to know about anything illegal. She was an illegal immigrant herself after all. She was also known for having a soft spot for OMEGA.
"Bon soir, Madame." He greeted her.
"Harrison! How are you? I missed you last week, but it was great to see Monsieur Dougie again. He doesn't come here nearly enough!" she said in a heavy French accent. Tom's breath hitched at the mention of Dougie – but he knew it wasn't possible for it to be his brother – wasn't it?
"I'm fine, thank you for asking, Madame, and I will tell Doug to visit you more often." Harrison smiled at her.
"He's a great boy. You've raised him well." She smiled, turning to get his orders.
James nudged Tom and he knew it was time.
They were going to capture the OMEGA leader.
Tom instantly launched himself at the man and felt Danny and James help him drag the man outside. They threw him into the back of their van and they drove to an abandoned warehouse up the road. Once there, they dragged him inside and tied him to the chair. Of course, all this wasn't without struggle – but three men out-powered one. Especially one who was caught by surprise.
"ELITE." Harrison muttered.
"Nice to finally meet you." Danny smirked.
"Is it… really?" Harrison raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, of course, we won't let you go… we're quite interested in OMEGA, you see." James examined the man in his early-thirties.
"You think I'd tell you anything?" Harrison raised his eyebrows.
"No." Danny admitted.
"You would've been great additions to the Six." Harrison sighed.
"Yeah, we would've, wouldn't we?" Tom said dryly.
"But, alas, it has come to this." Harrison shrugged, "So get it over with."
Tom felt his gun in his pocket – suddenly he wasn't so sure about what needed to be done.
"Just know this." Harrison added, "My heirs will not stand for it. Especially one that has been with me since the beginning – when he was a pre-teen."
"Pre-teen." Tom raised-his eyebrows, "That can't be true…"
"It is. He's brilliant." Harrison smiled, "And I'm sure they'll make him my heir."
"We look forward to destroying him." Tom smiled.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that… Tom Fletcher." Harrison smiled with a hint of sadness in his eyes which confused Tom… and the fact he knew his name…
"Tom, get it over with." Danny yelled.
Tom took a deep breath and nodded. He grabbed his pistol and aimed it at Harrison who had no expression on his face. And Tom pressed the trigger, and there was no looking back.
The guilt cut him immediately. This was the first man he ever killed. And he decided then and there he would be the last.