A/N: New chapter! A million thanks to those of you who left reviews for your positive feedback! You guys made me fly through this chapter. As always, comments, questions, concerns, and suggestions are all appreciated. Reviews make my day :) Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Same goes, nothing's mine but Sara, though do I wish Tommy was... ANYWAYS. Title is from Wasted Time by Vance Joy (who is amazingly talented and an absolute angel).
2. Why Do You Go Wasting Your Time on Me?
Tommy woke to incessant banging on his door and only had time to mutter a sleepy "Wha'thefuck?" before two little menaces in footed pajamas burst through the doorframe and proceeded to knock the breath out of him as they jumped onto his unsuspecting form.
He could only stare as the girls flopped around, giggling and shrieking while he blinked the sleep from his eyes. Emily shouted gleefully as she bounced on the mattress and he winced at the creak of the springs, hiding an amused grin as Tess' yell echoed through the house, calling for the kids to settle down and let their Uncle Tommy rest. Rosie knelt down beside him, eyes wide as she sobered immediately. "Uncle Tommy?" A little hand reached out to poke his cheek. "Aren't you going to get up and play with us?" she whispered. And well, fuck, as much as he would have liked to just roll over and go back to sleep, it seemed Brendan's youngest had already wrapped him around her finger and he found it quite impossible say no to her wide, pleading eyes.
The corners of his lips turned up as he nodded. "Sure, I'll play with you kiddos in a second." Emily shouted her excitement, flopping onto his chest. Hiding a smirk, he flipped them over and ran his hands down her side, tickling the girl mercilessly.
"Uncle Tommy! Uncle Tommy, st-stop!" She dissolved into giggles, squirming as she tried to escape him. Rosie laughed delightedly, bouncing on her knees beside them. Feeling pity at long last, he released Emily, who quickly rolled away to catch her breath. Turning to the younger girl with a glint in his eye, Tommy genuinely laughed as she quickly bounced off the bed, pausing a safe distance away to eye him warily.
"Oh, a'right," he sighed dramatically. "S'pose you're safe, Rosie." The child in question grinned in triumph, immediately scampering back over for a hug. Tommy grunted in surprise as the kid flung herself practically on top of him. A small chuckle escaped him and he patted her on the back awkwardly. "Right, run along now, I'll be down in a minute. Your mom's prolly got breakfast all ready for you."
The children waved at him as they ran back down the hall, their laughter bouncing off the walls. Tommy sighed, running a hand through his messy hair as he propped himself up on his elbows. Since when had he grown so… soft? Jesus, he felt like he was turning into a woman or something. Yet in all seriousness, it bothered him far less than it probably should have. Shaking his head, he pushed himself out of bed and to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
An abrupt throat clear made him freeze as Brendan materialized in the doorway. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the other man. "They really like you," his brother remarked quietly, leaning against the doorframe. Tommy stiffened, jerking his head in a curt nod. "They – Rosie… you're good with her," Brendan continued, looking at him intensely. "She's a quiet one; doesn't take to many people."
Tommy shrugged. Yeah well, neither do I. "She's a good kid," he replied gruffly, masking the small burst of pride blooming in his chest and pushing past his brother through the threshold. He could feel Brendan's gaze on his back but ignored it, throwing a shirt and gym shorts on over his boxers before heading downstairs.
Tommy stuck with the girls the whole day playing, running around and reading stories and building Legos. So he might've drawn the line at playing princesses and possibly moved away faster than he'd care to admit when they chased after him with tiaras and feather boas and Tess' makeup (Brendan helped them corner him in, the asshole, and an extremely, extremely emasculating picture had come out of the whole ordeal, one that no one would ever see lest they'd like to be beaten to a pulp). And maybe he'd quickly handed them over to Brendan when it came time for homework help, but they came running back as soon as they were finished. It was… nice, for lack of a better word. He and Brendan had been civil, he didn't have to deal with Pop, Tess was nothing but welcoming, and the girls were absolutely the greatest kids. As far out of his element he felt, it was nice. Extremely domestic, but nonetheless pleasant. Home life was something he could get used to… And he pushed that thought out of his mind as soon as it appeared, ignoring the tiny clench in his chest at the thought of his inevitable life alone. He couldn't stay in his brother's guest room forever, and after that… Well, Tommy held no illusions of a happily ever after.
But for now, things were okay. Even if he was seconds from slugging his brother across the face. Brendan had been fidgety all through dinner, casting furtive glances at Tommy. He opened his mouth several times as if he wanted to say something but closed it without a word. Tommy ignored it the first few times but when his brother continued to act strangely the whole meal, he quickly became irritated. As they were clearing up the dishes – Tommy always helped Tess wash up – Brendan cornered him in the kitchen. Tess made herself scarce, clearly recognizing a need for privacy, which only served to further annoy him. "A'right, whadd'ya want?" Tommy snapped, glaring at the other man. Brendan blinked at him owlishly and Tommy rolled his eyes. "Aw come on, don't gimme that. You look like you're about to shit yourself, just spit it out."
The man opened his mouth and – so God help him – closed it again. Tommy closed his eyes, closing his hands into fists at his sides as he prayed for patience. Brendan ran a hand through his hair, clearly nervous about whatever the hell this was. "I – come take a drive with me," he said finally, pushing away from the counter and starting out the door. Staring at his brother's retreating back, Tommy sighed and followed.
They took Brendan's new car this time, a sleek black Audi that Tommy hated immediately. Money to pay off your mortgage and support your family, my ass, he thought. You don't get a car like that without money and he knew all too well where the money came from. Nevertheless, he hopped in the passenger seat without a word and they drove off.
The first few miles were pure silence; the tension saturating the expensive interior almost palpable. "Brendan," Tommy drawled, rolling his eyes. Honestly.
His brother nodded, finally. "I, um, I've got a friend," he started. Tommy snorted. Of course the man had friends. Especially now; everyone seemed to want to be friends with the great Brendan Conlon. Tommy just looked at him expectantly. "Right, yeah. I've got a friend that's – well, that used to be a lawyer. A real good one, too."
The words slammed him like a blow to the head. This was what Brendan wanted to talk about? Since his brother had picked him up from the prison, they'd been treading on eggshells around his inevitable two years. Because that's what it was. Inevitable. He stared at Brendan. "You – you can get me a hearing."
Brendan sucked in a breath. "I don't – I… this was what I wanted to talk to you about. I haven't even called her yet – is this something you want to do?'
Was this something he wanted to do? Tommy closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. "Is this something I want to do?" He nearly laughed. "Brendan, I – no, I wanna spend the next two years locked up in a fucking cell. Yeah, you asshole, this "getting my ass outta sentencing" is something I want to do. If you can get them to give me a trial…"
They paused at a red light and Brendan nodded jerkily, whooshing out the breath he'd been holding. "Okay, okay great. Hey, you know I didn't mean it like that, Tommy." He chuckled nervously. "Right, I'll give 'em a call."
He'd been on the verge of saying that no, he didn't know what Brendan meant when he said things anymore but held his tongue, wisely opting to avoid that particular battle right now.
Tommy stared out the window, trying to wrap his head around things. A trial. He would get a trial. A chance to prove himself innocent enough, enough to avoid the two years. Community service or whatever the hell they'd stick him with would be fine, anything but jail. Or… He suppressed a shudder. Or heading back out to finish his tour. But they wouldn't make him do that. They couldn't possibly. His shoulder was injured as it was and… No, absolutely not. There was no way in the bloodiest hell he was ever going back out there. They might as well shoot him, and then he would be dead along with the rest of his unit like he was supposed to be.
A phone rang. Brendan fiddled with the touchscreen panel on the dash and the call appeared on the screen. Tommy grit his teeth. Of course, state-of-the-art technology for a brand new, expensive car. "Calling Sara Holgersson," the automated voice read. Tommy sat silently, listening to the dial as Brendan chewed his lip.
On the fifth ring, the person picked up.
"Brendan Conlon," a female voice exclaimed. "To what do I owe the honor?"
Tommy blinked. Surely Brendan hadn't rung one of his… groupies or whatever. How the hell was a fangirl supposed to defend him in court?
The man next to him chuckled, though, smiling as he spoke. "Sara, my favorite – " he began, clearly repressing a laugh. Try as he might, Tommy could not find anything remotely amusing.
The girl – Sara – cut him off, laughing. "Oh shut up, you asshole. What do you want?"
"Aw Sara, what makes you think I want something? Can't I just call to say hi?" Brendan was grinning sheepishly and Tommy could almost picture the girl rolling her eyes on the other end.
"Right. And how many times have you done that lately?" Her tone was bitter; like she was genuinely disappointed. Just who was this girl to Brendan?
"Sara," his brother started, only to be cut off again.
She waved him off breezily. "Whatever, Bren. What do you want? Better be good if you're calling me at the ass crack of dawn. Earlier than that, actually."
"The ass – what? It's like ten thir… oh. Oh shit." He let out an embarrassed little chuckle. "Dammit, I'm sorry Sara. I forgot."
There was a pause on the other line, then a dry laugh. "Yeah, you forget a lot of things, Brendan. Things like telling me the mortgage on your house is underwater before going off to fight in fucking Sparta!"
Silence.
Brendan's eyes widened almost comically, blinking in disbelief. His mouth opened then closed, then opened again. Tommy squeezed his eyes shut because Jesus Christ, if his brother was gonna start that again… "You – you didn't know?" he asked finally.
Sara exploded. "No, I very well didn't know!" she snapped angrily. "I'm sorry, I suppose I should have just known. I should have known Rosie had heart surgery, I should have known you couldn't pay off the mortgage, I should have known you'd be a stubborn asshole and get back in the cage after years because you were too proud to ask for help. Maybe I should have just known to stay the hell away from you in the first place because you clearly don't give two shits about anyone but yourself and your crazy psycho wife!" Brendan looked as if he'd been struck and she huffed a sarcastic laugh. "You know what, Bren? Let's talk about the things you should have known. You should have known I've been abroad the past year because I distinctly remember you sulking when I left. You should have known I'm in Italy right now and don't speak fucking Italian and would have no way of knowing you were in the stupid tournament. And you should have known that I would have given you the money to keep your house before you went and entered an MMA tourney of the top ten middle-weights in the world! Jesus Bren, you don't even like fighting!"
Harsh breaths echoed through the speakers and both brothers sat frozen, minds reeling at the words. Tommy… Oh, Tommy was going to murder Brendan, brothers be damned. He owed his life to Manny, and Pilar and the kids by extension, and to think he couldn't help provide for them because his brother was a douchebag with too much pride to ask for help, even if he had the means to do so… No, a voice chastised him in his head. No, you're the one who lost. His fists clenched at his sides. You should have won.
Never had he utterly loathed anything more than himself.
After a silence that hung heavy in the air, Brendan's… friend calmed herself down, sighing into the receiver. "This is getting nowhere. We will talk, Brendan," she said. "But not right now." Sara cleared her throat, pausing for a second. "Right now you are going to tell me what you wanted. And fast, because international phone calls are hella expensive."
Brendan had the grace to look contrite, at least. "Right, yeah. Sara, I need a favor…" he began, sighing. "A pretty big favor." They pulled into an empty strip mall, expensive car screeching to a halt. "I need you to come to court with me."
A pregnant pause filled the line, followed by a choked laugh. "Brendan," she breathed. "What – what have you done?"
The man rushed to backtrack. "Well, it's not for me but I… um…" he trailed off, biting his lip. "Please, Sara. You have to – "
She cut him off again, a spark of fury burning in her voice. "I don't have to do anything for you." Brendan closed his eyes, head falling back to rest upon the seat. Sara sighed. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. I just… you know I'd rather not go back into law."
And there it was. The inevitable "no" and "sorry, but there's really nothing I can do" that he'd been subjected to all his life. Tommy shook his head. And they wondered why he never bothered with hope anymore. The lower his expectations, the less room for disappointment. He relaxed, sprawling out across the leather seat. This conversation no longer appealed to him.
Brendan, on the other hand, was not yet so jaded. "I know," he replied quickly. "I know you wouldn't. But Sara, please, I'm begging you," she implored. Huh. The last time Brendan had sounded so desperate had been when he begged Tommy to understand his decision to stay with Tess. Or his "crazy psycho wife", as Sara so fondly referred to her as. Tommy snorted in amusement. It was too bad, he mused. If the girl hadn't just inadvertently sealed his fate in a cell for the next two years, he would have liked to meet her.
"What is it?"
His brother cast a look at him, not answering right away. "Got any experience with military justice?" he asked instead.
And just like that, Brendan managed to score him a defense attorney. "Your brother," Sara said softly. It wasn't a question. Tommy wanted to scream. She knew, of course she knew. The whole world knew his sob story. "Right. I'll need a case file of details, preferably in the next twenty-four hours. I'm taking the next flight out tomorrow." Her voice was suddenly business; sharp and determined.
Tommy's head snapped up. A case file of details. Next flight out. Maybe hope wasn't such an absurdity.
He stole a look at his brother in the seat beside him. The man wore a soft smile, full of relief and… pride, maybe. "Sara," Brendan breathed, chuckling quietly. "Have I told you I loved you lately?" A real laugh filled the speakers, bright and clear and inexplicably adorable, and when the sound died out, Tommy decided he wanted to hear that laugh again. "But what changed your mind?" Brendan asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
Absent was the "He's your brother, I have to!" or the "Oh, his story's so sad, of course I'll help!" he'd been expecting. Instead, Sara said simply, "Could be the only case actually worth winning." And he was left to decipher the implications of that.
Brendan nodded, a thoughtful look in his eye. "Well, thank you nonetheless," he told her softly. "You have no idea how much I appreciate it. I'll let you go now, but we'll catch up when you land tomorrow, yeah?"
"Sure, tomorrow. We have a lot to catch up on." Sara reminded him. "And you don't have to thank me." She paused before hanging up. "I'm not doing this for you."
There was the telltale click of the line being cut. Neither brother said a word as Brendan pulled out of the mall. Tommy stared out the window at the stars dotting the night sky, the sun long since faded away. Sara Holgersson.
Sara fell back in her bed with a groan. It was way too early for all this. And she was just so angry with Brendan. God, he was supposed to be her best friend. She's saved his ass countless times over but when it really mattered, of course his stupid pride got in the way of asking for help. And of course he only called her when he needed something. At four in the goddamned morning, no less. She needed a drink. Going back to law. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
Sighing, the girl began to pack, folding up clothes and toiletries and tossing them into her huge ass suitcase. She'd been abroad for the better part of a year, and honest to God, traveling was heavy. As she fit her things into her bag, Sara wondered why she'd really agreed to help Bren. Sure, he was her best friend but it wasn't like she owed him anything. In fact, she'd done her part in that friendship more than needed. But maybe this case would be what she always hoped for in law. A real fight for justice rather than countless petty suits from people with more than enough money to spare. Maybe it would be the one job that actually made her feel like someone; like she was doing something that actually mattered, something that she gave a rat's ass about. Maybe it would be the first case she wouldn't hate herself for winning.
Or maybe it was just Tommy. Sure, she'd heard bits and pieces about him through Brendan but it was clear the brothers weren't close and Sara had never been one to keep pressing for information. But when she'd finally gotten wind of the whole Sparta thing… As much as she was loath to admit it, Sara (as well as half of America) had been captivated by the dark, enigmatic war hero. Who, albeit a bit rugged, may have also looked like he stepped straight out of GQ mag. She shook her head, flopping back down onto the bed. For whatever reasons, she'd already agreed to the defense. There was a packed bag and a plane ticket waiting for her at 8:00 AM. She couldn't turn back now.
