AN: whooo people, I have some interesting things planned for this fanfiction, I'm so excited! Would love to read your thoughts so far, though!

Chapter 6: Unforeseen

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing - Theodore Roosevelt

Tom sat quietly in the kitchen, sighing, rolling his eyes, not bothering to answer Mrs. Cole's nagging questions on where he was and that he shouldn't be wandering around London all the time without anybody knowing, especially not in the early morning, blah, blah, blah. It wasn't the first time nor will it be the last time that he had left - both of them were sure about it. Why pretending?

Snowflakes fell down the sky like feathers. Tom found himself staring into the endless seeming horizon as it grew lighter and lighter - and soon darker and darker. It was already late in the afternoon when he started to pace up and down, occasionally glancing down the stairs, checking the windows in the kitchen and dining room - but nothing. Where was she? Was she in trouble? Did the man, perhaps, find her again? Maybe used a different car? Just when Tom threw on his jacket, ready to leave the orphanage once more, the door opened and Tom backed away, relieved to see Joelle, then grew infuriated by her company. Bryan.

Bryan.

Tom's fingers twitched towards his pocket, but he inhaled deeply, closing his eyes, calming down. Not yet.

"Hey sweetheart." Smiled Joelle, kissing Tom's forehead out of nowhere. Tom glanced at her in both surprise and annoyance, then sighed. "Hi."

"Would you like to spend some time?" She asked. Bryan looked to Joelle and Tom, back and forth, then cleared his throat.

"I thought we wanted to visit Paul, I told you I wanted to introduce you to him." He smiled as he took off her cloak, hanging it away with his.

"We can do that somewhen." Said Joelle. "Right now, I'd like to spend some time with Marvolo. If he wants to, of course." She added when Tom glared off to the side, then shrugged, though he couldn't help but smirk at Bryan as he walked upstairs with Joelle.

"So..." Tom frowned, his arms crossed while he strolled into the room, closing the door when Joelle was in.

"Where were you anyway?" He then asked, though upon a second thought, he was not so sure if he really wanted to hear it. He surely wanted to know, however.

"In the city. I've brought you something." She smiled, roaming around in her small bag, then pulled out a pack of neatly wrapped up little gummy bears in see-through packaging. Tom raised an eyebrow, but took them nonetheless, nodding at her as a thank you.

"You haven't talked to me in days, Marvolo. I was wondering if there's something I did that upset you. If so, please know that it was not my intention." She said gently when Tom sat down on the bed next to her, putting the pack of gummy bears on his desk, then shrugged again. Joelle sighed, lowering her head a little, but she smiled.

"Good news, though. My grades are really good. My teacher said that if I continue on like that, I'll have no problems at all to be admitted to university in the future."

"Congrats." Said Tom dryly, staring at the wall ahead. Joelle's smile vanished yet again, she glanced to the side, thinking of something, anything to cheer him up, Tom could see it on her face.

"What is it between you and Bryan?" Tom suddenly asked.

Joelle did not say anything for a while - until Tom's head turned towards her. He observed her closely, smirking a little to himself. Did he confuse her enough?

"I suppose I don't know that either." She said, wanting to add something but Tom then interrupted, smelling his advantage.

"You know. If you're not serious about Bryan...I wonder why you let him hope. It's kind of cruel, don't you think? Considering he's an orphan and all..." Said Tom again, turning his head away from her. Joelle stared at him with her lips slightly parted, then looked out of the window, to the door, to Tom, to the door. Tom knew it, he had her, she was confused, he had to go on.

"Don't you think Bryan deserves happiness, too, Joelle?" Tom asked. Joelle still stared at him with a concentrated look on her face, then frowned.

"Enough, Marvolo." She said in her typically stern voice when literally having had enough. Tom sighed dramatically.

"Here she goes again, always forbidding me to speak when the truth is involved..." He murmured and leaned down on the bed.

"It is not the truth!" Joelle barked. Tom sat upright again on an instant upon her voice getting slightly louder.

"You might be able to lie to yourself but not to me!" He spat. "Why did you hesitate when I asked? Why can't you tell me what you feel for him, hmmmm?" He mocked, Joelle looked outraged, not to mention shocked. Tom's eyes seemed to glow red when he glared at her with such hatred that all she could do was to get back up again. But Tom was having none of that. Just when Joelle was about to reach the door, Tom slipped in front of it.

"You'll stay here until I've received my time with you." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Marvolo, you will step away from that door this instant." Said Joelle; and Tom, between that command, heard something that he deciphered as words pregnant with sheer and raw anger. But again, it was not Joelle who could decide.

"I am making the rules here." He said simply, then smirked. "Does he like you more than you like him, Joelle?" Tom asked. "Do you just enjoy his attention? Enjoy his touch?"

Joelle frowned. "This is nothing we should be talking ab-"

"Did he fuck you already?"

At that, Joelle looked like she had been hit by an iceberg on a hot summer day. Her eyes shot open as wide as their anatomy allowed it - she gasped loudly, her gaze trembling between Tom's, looking to the left and right as if to make herself believe that he did not really say this.

"Marvolo!" She then yelled; but Tom snickered.

"What?" He asked. "Thought I'm too innocent to say something like that? Did he? Did he fuck you? Did you like it? Did he-"

SLAP.

Joelle had reached out, the palm of her hand collided with Tom's cheek. He frowned - and as if some sort of contact broke, the door behind her unlocked and Joelle shoved past him, storming out while Tom held his cheek, completely unbelieving of the realness of the situation. Sure, it did not hurt, Joelle was incapable of truly hurting somebody. But the mere fact that she did. Nobody has ever slapped him before. His eyes burnt with malice.

Fine, Joelle Cole. Tom thought. If you'd rather have me as your enemy...

A loud sneeze caused him to stagger back with a frown.

It probably had to wait.

Tom Marvolo Riddle was downright a mess the next days. Pale as a ghost, red nosed, cold fingered, he lay in his bed.

Ill, he growled. He never grew sick, never caught a cold. He barely remembers the last time he had to stay in bed after the flu occupied his immune system. Of course his body did not work like that of a normal person, how could it? Tom was sure that there had to be something that made him so much more special than anybody else. Right now, though, he was confronted with the harsh reality that he was just as ordinarily ill as somebody strolling around in the cold outside could get. His door opened, Mrs. Cole walked inside, tilting open the window, mechanically fluffing up his pillow.

"Soup will be ready in a moment." She said, then walked out. Tom sighed, staring up the ceiling, slowly drifting to sleep with one last sneering thought. Sick.

When the door opened next again, he did not even look up. Mrs. Cole closed the door behind her, carrying a tablet in her arms, or so Tom could see from the corner of his eyes - but when he looked, it was not Mrs. Cole. It was Joelle. She sat down on his chair, resting the tablet on his desk.

"Sit up." She said sternly, her mouth sharp and thin as she waited. Tom's eyes merely narrowed, he turned his face to the opposite direction but a coughing fit made him shoot up his body, which Joelle used as an opportunity to adjust the pillow behind his back so that it would be too uncomfortable to lay down - and before Tom could say or do anything else, the tablet with the soup sat on his lap already.

"Eat. Don't make me feed you - because I will." Joelle grumbled.

Tom rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue when he looked away.

"I don't need you watching me." He then croaked, and Joelle nodded.

"Fine." She murmured and got up, eyeing the door curiously as she pushed down its handle and walked off, however, starting from this moment, she kept on peeping into his room every ten minutes to check if he was okay. Tom glared at her every time she did and she did not exactly respond to it with a smile, but, when he was asleep, she walked in and sighed, sitting down on the chair again, watching him.

"What are you doing?" Asked Bryan softly, glancing at the sleeping boy.

"My poor snowman caught a cold." Sighed Joelle, gently brushing the hair from Tom's forehead away to feel his temperature, then frowned.

"That's not good." She said, getting up. Bryan glanced at Tom when she left the room, deciding to walk off as well - and after he was gone, Tom opened an eye, a slight smirk crept up his lips but he coughed again, looking at Joelle when the latter brought two wet towels.

"What are you doing?" He asked, watching her taking off his blanket; he kept on pulling away his legs from her while she tried to grab them. "Stop it!" He coughed.

"Marvolo, quit moving please. I just want to help you." She sighed. Tom grumbled something under his breath but eventually let her; observing how she rolled up his trouser's legs to reveal his calves; he flinched when Joelle wrapped a wet towel around one of them.

"It's cold!" He yelped, trying to pull away his other leg but Joelle was too fast; she wrapped the second wet towel around his calve quickly, smirking a slight bit. Tom watched her, still glaring, but he sighed and rested back, frustrated over the obvious defeat. He hated being so weak, so vulnerable. Then again, as he stared into Joelle's face, observing her concentrated look while she rubbed some medicine on his chest, he couldn't help but feel good about the fact that she cared - even after being so deeply angered over what he had said. And then this feeling crept into his body, taking over him like the night of the day - he didn't want to feel it, but he did. Regret. He regretted it, regretted to hurt her yet again. Her eyes flickered up to him, Tom glanced to the side, then back at her once more.

"I...I'm..." He started, but Joelle shook her head.

"Don't worry." She smiled, tucking him into the bed. "You need a lot of sleep now, though. You want to be all fresh and healthy again for Christmas Eve tomorrow, don't you? Do you need something?" She looked around to check if he had everything he needed close by, but Tom nodded.

"Yes." He said, his thumbs fiddling around with the blanket. "Can...you stay here?" He asked, then frowned. "Probably not, though, because you might catch a cold too then and-"

"I'll stay here with you as long as you want." Smiled Joelle. "And don't worry. Joelles never catch colds, it's like a natural law." She winked, snickering at Tom's confused look.

"I never liked Christmas much..and it won't be different this time. You won't be here..." He said softly.

"I have to disappoint you." Joelle smiled, rubbing her hand through his hair again. It felt incredibly good.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "Will you stay?" His eyes lit up a little and Joelle smiled.

"Y-es my...parents won't be here over the holidays and...I asked them to let me decide where I'd rather go and...I'm staying here at the orphanage with you all." She smiled. Even though Tom knew exactly that she was lying about the parents part, he still felt good about it.

"Can't you...stay here? In the orphanage? Can't you...move in? I mean you're here almost everyday anyway, and you've got everything that you need, right? " Tom asked quietly and Joelle's eyes appeared wetter than before. He glanced at her, inwardly sighing. It was too easy. Silly Joelle had too much of a big heart. He watched her turning her face away, clearing her throat, then looked back to him with that distressed look of pity, shame and maybe even happiness upon hearing something like that. She brushed his hand softly, nodding.

"I will always be there for you when you need me, Marvolo. I promise."

She promises? Tom looked at her again, his eyes moving between hers to make sure she was telling the truth.

"But...you won't...stay here forev- I mean. You...will eventually go, right?" He asked, biting the inside of his lip for sounding so desperate and insecure. It didn't taste good.

"I do have a home that I need to occasionally show up at, too." Said Joelle, though Tom could not help but notice that both her eyes and voice lowered down, then went up again quickly.

"Do you remember our first conversation?" Asked Tom, adding "when you told me that you're hiding here?"

Joelle looked at him intensively before she nodded. Yes, almost, almost. Tom suppressed a smirk.

"It's obvious that you're hiding here from him." He said. Joelle inhaled deeply, not saying nor doing anything, but that verified Tom's assumption as much as a nod would have.

"Are you hiding here because that man visits your home sometimes?" Tom asked. Joelle frowned, her lips parted.

"How...do you know he visits my home, Marvolo?" She asked him suspiciously. Tom glanced to the side, sighing. Good heart, yes, but her brain wasn't exactly voiceless either. Fine. Maybe being honest could work. Maybe, if Joelle sees that he will go that far as to follow that man, Joelle would finally tell him.

"I saw where you live." Tom suddenly said and Joelle looked up with a frown, her eyebrows constricted firmly. "What?"

"I saw him trying to pull you into the car." Tom said. Joelle gasped. "Marvolo, have I not told you-"

"I followed when he drove off." Tom shrugged. Joelle gasped even louder at that, she was downright shocked.

"And I saw him entering your house, as I take it, because I saw your family's name. Does he visit often?" He asked.

Joelle looked downright outraged, she shook her head, fishing for words while looking through the air, as if expecting them to fly right at her.

"Marvolo, you will listen to me now and you better take this carefully because I'm not going to repeat myself again. Quit following me to school - and stop trying to find out who he is or what he's doing. I'm not hiding here because he's a fluffy kitten, I'm hiding because he's dangerous and because he has hurt me in the past. I don't want to give him a reason to hurt you too, do you understand me?"

Tom glanced at her, intensively as he watched her strict face that now resembled that of Mrs. Cole's, but with Joelle it looked so much more caring. Dangerous. Tom chuckled. Hurting him. He chuckled again.

"Marvolo!" Joelle insisted when Tom still didn't say anything. "It's not a game..." She sighed. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I worry about you."

"Nothing will happen to me." Said Tom, coughing a little. "And nothing will happen to you while you're here..." His nostrils flared. There was a pause for a while and the impatience started to take over Tom. She doesn't let him read her like a book - she would never tell him the whole truth. He tried it the kind way, he tried to find out himself, but Joelle refused to be honest. Anger swelled up in Tom's chest. He glared at her.

"Who is that man?!" Tom suddenly barked. "Why is he after you?! Tell the truth!" He coughed, sitting up again. "I want to know, Joelle! I want to know now!"

"You should sleep, Marvolo. I will come back later." Joelle smiled and got up, turning around. She eyed up the door from the distance.

"You and I both know that that door won't open." Said Tom colorlessly.

"How...how do you do that?" Joelle asked.

Tom shrugged. "You're familiar with how secrets work. You won't tell me yours...And I won't tell you mine."

"Deal." Smiled Joelle; much to Tom's surprise. The latter huffed and turned over, causing Joelle to snicker. She walked over to the door and indeed, it did not open. Surely Tom merely fixed it somehow, he was a smart kid. Smart indeed - because she didn't find a way out for the next two minutes.

"I'd save my energy for something else." Said Tom, glancing over his shoulder in boredom. Joelle grumbled something under her breath before she turned to him.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like...telling me the truth." Said Tom. Joelle sighed and continued trying to get out of the room, suddenly yelling and kicking at it in a moment of losing control. Tom chuckled, but it ended up in a coughing fit again.

"I bet Bryan knows who that man is! I bet you told him!" Tom barked in his raspy voice, but Joelle shook her head.

"No. He did not even see him, Bryan just pulled me away from the car as fast as he could." Said Joelle, glaring at the door.

"Marvolo. I'm getting tired of this. How the hell are you keeping the damn door locked?! I want you to open it!" She frowned.

"Such poise." Sighed Tom, shaking his head.

"I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours." He grinned, but Joelle shook her head and continued trying to get out of the room. Tom glared at her.

"You will stay here until you've learned it." He suddenly said, his voice turned darker. Joelle glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Learned what?" She asked, looking over her shoulder, then suddenly backed against the door in shock when Tom was in front of her out of nowhere.

"Joelle..." Tom sighed. "Don't make it so hard on yourself. It's pointless to try getting out of my room when I don't want you to leave. You will go once I know what I wanted to know."

Joelle shook her head in disbelief. "You fixed the door somehow, I just don't know how..."

She murmured and observed the door handle closely. Tom chuckled.

"And did I fix Mrs. Cole's office door too?" He asked in amusement. Joelle stretched up, glancing at him, then ahead again. She stared down into Tom's eyes and for the briefest of moments, Tom noticed that familiar fear he recognized in the eyes of the others, he saw that disapproving shadow, that tinge of judgement, the judgement that he was different, strange, mad. It infuriated him.

"Don't look at me like that!" He suddenly yelled, the light on the ceiling swung to the left and right, Joelle's gaze rushed up to it, her eyes went to Tom, eyebrows twitched as she pressed herself further against the door.

A sudden knock on it caused her to gasp up, backing away from it.

"What's that shouting? Joelle? Are you still in there?" Asked Bryan. Tom growled even more upon hearing his voice.

"I'm fine, Bryan, don't worry!" She said, not taking her gaze off of Tom who slowly walked closer, seeing how Joelle observed him warily. She held her breath when he reached out his hand, almost mechanically unlocking the door all the while staring at her. Joelle gulped but simply turned around and vanished out of the room once Tom pushed down the door handle - but kept staring at the exact same spot, eyes narrowing steadily.

Joelle Cole, he thought. You can't run forever.

The evening beheld a spine shaking surprise. It was the day before Christmas Eve, the kids sat in the dining room, crafting together. Amy Benson was currently busy making a card for Joelle, of course the latter was not allowed to take a glimpse to her direction without getting squeaked at. Dennis Bishop sat next to Amy, whispering things into her ear that she could write down upon which Joelle snickered, sewing back together a pair of Billy's pants; the poor boy fell on his knees yesterday. It was a warm, cozy evening. Christmas music played in the back of the room somewhere, the scent of walnuts, burnt fire and oranges caressed everybody's noses - and Mrs. Cole caused the highlight of joy when she put down freshly baked chocolate cookies for everyone. Bryan took one of them and held it to Joelle's mouth, much to Tom Riddle's annoyance, who sat at the very back of the table and just shoved a chestnut from the left to the right in boredom. At least he felt a little better.

Knock. Knock.

Mrs. Cole's smiling face turned over to the door while Joelle chuckled and munched on the cookie, handing Billy back his almost new pants; he took them with a bright smile on his face that Tom would've loved to burn off. Don't you feel special, he thought. And then something strange happened.

Joelle's face turned colorless suddenly. The joy vanished; she stared ahead with slightly widened eyes.

"Oh heeey John, good to see you, how are you?" Smiled Mrs. Cole. "Yes she's here." She said joyously. Heavy footsteps marched towards the dining room; Joelle had her back turned to the entrance, but the other kids soon saw who was standing there.

A tall man with slicked back blond hair, pale skin and light eyes, showing his brilliant white teeth with a smile.

"Hello children." He said. Tom raised his head, even his eyes were slightly widened. It was him.

"Hello!" The kids cheered.

"Joelle, honey." Smiled John a tad too happily. "So this is where you're going after school." He smiled and rested his hands on her stiff shoulders; she did not look back to him, but forced a smile when Billy glanced at her.

"Who are you, Sir?" Asked Bryan then, taking a glimpse out of the window suspiciously, glancing out of the window to the parking car - but he, just like Tom, realized it was not the same he had seen in front of school.

"Oh, my manners, I'm John, Joelle's stepbrother. Stepbrother since our parents married, of course, we aren't exactly related, not by blood." He smiled and rubbed Joelle's shoulders up and down. Mrs. Cole grinned brightly.

"You've grown so much, John. The last time I've seen you...ahh, must be almost fifteen years ago. How's your mother? Feeling good?" She asked. John nodded.

"Yes, she's fine. She would be happier if she knew where dear Joelle has gone over the past couple of weeks, however. We were most worried." He sighed, kissing the crown of Joelle's head. Tom watched him with his lips slightly parted, he couldn't believe it.

"Joelle, dear, did you never tell them where you were?" Asked Mrs. Cole with a frown and Joelle glanced to the side.

"I left a note. Must've gotten lost, I suppose." She glanced up and John looked at her before he smiled and rubbed the back of her cheek softly. The both of them shared an intense eye contact before Bryan interrupted.

"I didn't even know you had a step brother, Joelle! Why, you never told me. You need to take care of your little sister here. Somebody tried to pull her into a car a couple of days ago."

"What, really?" John frowned and Mrs. Cole nodded. "Indeed, poor Joelle was a complete mess after that incident." She sighed. "Of course I wanted for report it to the police but she did not want to. Maybe you can convince her." She patted John's back.

"Nobody is allowed to hurt my Joelle!" Squeaked Amy, resting her head on Joelle's forearm.

"Don't worry, my child. I'll take good care of Joelle. We don't want her to almost get hurt again, do we?" He asked and the children all shook their heads.

"Well then. Let's go. Where's your jacket?" John asked Joelle, but walked over to the wardrobe already, grabbing her coat once he spotted it.

"Such a pity you won't stay here throughout Christmas, I thought your parents were on a trip, Joelle?"

John chuckled loudly before Joelle's words could reach Mrs. Cole's ears, but Tom saw Joelle's lips movement, he was sure she murmured "they are".

"They decided to stay at home for Christmas and get Joelle. It was...spontaneous, that they cancelled their trip to France." He wrapped his arms around Joelle's shoulders, squeezing her a bit to symbolize her to get up, and she did, slowly and stiffly, her body grew more rigid when John helped her into her coat. She looked over to Mrs. Cole, her lips twitched, wanting to say something, but the latter just smiled brightly, her eyes on John all the while.

"It's such a beautiful thing, having a big brother. Your father always took good care of me, Joelle." She sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "Do come back after Christmas, we're all waiting for you." She said and kissed her forehead. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Elizabeth." Said John, then tossed his hand up to the children, pulling Joelle away before Bryan could give her one last hug. They left the orphanage.

"Get in." Said John, the kindness in his voice vanished. Joelle sat down on the backseat, not saying a word.

"Not so bad." Said John, not yet starting the car, he chuckled as he shook his head, holding onto the steering wheel.

"So you've been here in London with your aunt all the time." He murmured. There was a short pause. "You need to be disciplined, sweet Joelle. I'm not going to allow you to treat me like a fool. You're a woman. Remember that your place will always be below a man." He looked into the mirror to catch her eyes, but Joelle did not say a thing and did not look back.

"I take it you do not want to answer me?" He asked. No word. John gritted his teeth, his pale face started to redden. "We will talk. At home. My mother and your father are gone - it'll be just us." He smirked. "I missed your body." He sighed, resting back as if to take in a sweet memory, then frowned into the mirror again.

"And that boy." He chuckled more. "Trying to pull you away from me, I held my breath when I saw him, thought he was just a comrade from school; didn't expect him to be here. But he did not recognize me, did he? Didn't you find someone less stupid, Joelle?" He then laughed, but, as glanced into the mirror again, his laughter died out. A knife was held to Joelle's throat by a boy he was sure he had seen at the back of the table earlier. Joelle shrieked, her eyes widened.

"MARVOLO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Be quiet! BE QUIET! YOU! Drive! Take the right turn after a mile, into the forest! Drive I said, drive, or else I'll kill her right here on the spot! Would that be your version of a perfect Christmas present?"