Summary – Tommy takes care of a distraught Conner.

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Shelter from the Storm

Tommy

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(Oliver Residence)

Groaning as the doorbell sounds again, I toss the remote onto the couch. So much for catching that documentary on the sea serpents.

Okay it's a doorbell not a toy, stop ringing it, I hear you, I'm coming. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Reaching the door and pulling it open I prepare to tell off whatever salesman is hounding me at eight o'clock at night, and in the rain no less only to stop short as I get a look at my visitor. "Conner?"

Taken back by the soaked boy standing on my porch, I know I should be more surprised than this, but for some reason I'm just not. "Conner what are you doing here? No, never mind just get in, you're going to freeze to death."

Pulling him inside and closing the door, I can't imagine how he got so soaked. What'd he do, walk here? "Come on you have to get out of those clothes and dry off." Ushering him upstairs and into my bathroom, I grab a pile of black towels from the closet and set them on the counter.

"I'm going to go find you something to wear, just get dried off okay?" Come on Conner say something. Anything.

Nodding mutely, I guess that's the best I'm going to get. Fine, I have to get him something else to wear, then I'll deal with whatever happened. And then, then I'll go kill his dad. Right, good plan.

Closing the bathroom door behind me to give him some privacy and moving back into my bedroom, I take a minute to shake my head clear. This was not what I'd had planned for tonight. Not that it's a bad thing he came here if he's hurt or in trouble, on the contrary I'm fairly relieved as at least this way I know where he is and that he's safe. Still though, doesn't answer the question of what happened to make him run here in the first place.

Moving to the dresser and quickly digging through some workout clothes, I manage to find a pair a black drawstring pants and after a much more extensive search a red t-shirt. "Well at least I have something in his color."

"Good to know."

Turning and trying to keep the pity out of my eyes, I'm not sure I succeed as I see him standing in the doorway wrapped up in about three towels, wet hair hanging in his eyes, and looking for all the world like a beaten puppy. "Still cold?"

Giving a shrug, he doesn't look well. Should I push now? No I should at least wait until he gets dressed and warmed up more.

Telling my need to know the details to cool it for the moment, I set the fresh clothes on the bed. "Okay, well here are some clothes, go ahead and get dressed and then come downstairs when you're ready. I'll go throw your wet stuff in the dryer and make you something hot to drink."

"K."

-oooooooo-

(10 min. and one reluctant explanation later…)

Placing the steaming cup of hot chocolate in front of him, I grab a seat on the opposite side of the table still feeling more then a little guilty about the part I clearly played in tonight's confrontation. You know I remember a time when threatening someone usually resulted in them behaving, leave it to the boy's father to be the exception to the rule. "Then what happened?"

"Mom sort of persuaded him to go have a drink. I had to leave, if he got drunk he woulda…it would have been bad." Great, so if I've followed his story correctly his mom's a pill popping alcoholic and his dad…well we won't even go there as I'm not certain I can control my temper right now. "What am I going to do?"

Rubbing my eyes and wondering that myself, I go with the only reasonable thing I can think of, "You're going to finish your drink, then go up to the spare room, go to bed, and in the morning we'll figure something out."

Looking less than thrilled with my calm and less than helpful solution he raises an eyebrow, a look Hayley insists he's learned from me. "That's your plan, go to bed and we'll figure it out in the morning?" It's worked for me many times in the past.

"It's nearly nine o'clock at night, you're exhausted and injured, I'm barely reigning in the urge to take the law into my own hands where you're father's concerned, what do you want me to suggest if not getting some rest?"

Thinking this over, he finally seems to relent with a shrug.

"It'll be okay, Conner. We'll figure something out and if I have to I'll go deal with him myself." This would be so much easier if I could just take him to the police and have the man brought up on charges, but that would put the public eye on Conner, and with him being a Ranger that's just not a wise idea.

"Why aren't you more worried?" Trust me I am, it'll just do little to no good to let you see it.

"Because I know men like your father. I know how they think and what they hold of high importance. His life revolves around his reputation, what others think of him, how much money he makes, and his own ego. It's not hard to destroy people like that when you know how to do it and I learned how to do it from the best."

Giving me a knowing look, he skillfully turns the tables before I can stop him. "Mercer." Right, and since when did I become the one getting those looks of sorrow and empathy?

Dismissing the thought of denying it, I know it'll do no good in the end. He already knows, the others might too with how often Hayley lays into him. Though in all fairness he did try to take her business as a ploy to get my attention last month. "The man may be clueless as to how to treat people, but he's a genius when it comes to ruining them and getting what he wants and I spent more then enough time with him to know how he does it."

"He hurt you didn't he?" This little talk really wasn't supposed to be about my pain Conner.

"Not the way you're thinking." Standing and taking his now mostly empty cup, I place it in the sink, more than ready for this conversation to be over with for the night. "Come on, it's late, you need to get some rest." And I need to figure out what to do about all of this.

"What if he comes looking for me tonight?" Standing slowly and wincing, I know I'll have to check his back again in the morning. The quick look I took when he came downstairs wasn't all that helpful in determining how serious the bruise is and will be.

"Does he know where I live?" If so we might have an even bigger problem.

"I don't know. You're listed in the school directory. That's how me and Ethan found you when they took Kira remember?" Right and that's also what led to me double checking the lock on the front door whether I'm home or not.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Leading him from the kitchen and back towards the stairs, I really just want to get him to bed. He needs rest after such a rough ordeal and his worrying is only going to make things worse. "If he does show up I'll deal with him." I doubt he will though, my place is hard to find under normal circumstances, it'd be near impossible in the dark and after a few drinks.

"You're sure?" Don't have much of a choice now do I. It's either handle the man myself or call the police, either way I can't let him take you back to face him on your own.

"I'm always sure. Now go get some sleep, you need it."

Climbing the steps unsteadily, he pauses at the top, head lowered and bangs once more in his face. "Dr. O I just… thanks."

To be continued……