A/N: For those of you who would have reached the end of this chapter with confusion if not for this author's note, I'll explain now... there is a big chunk of LXG movie deleted scene information in this chapter. I don't know the particulars, so I made it up. Thank you very much to MJ Rosemary who said they liked my original character. I'm glad you do... she was particularly difficult to create, but essential ;) Hehehehe. Many, MANY thanks to ALL reviewers. P.s. Not entirely sure on what a Mary-Sue is, but so far, I think I'm glad I'm not doing one of these, hehehehe. Tom fans... enjoy... hopefully :-/
She practically stormed into the map room to meet Nemo, raging inside that no one trusted to her instincts, and almost ripped her scarf when removing it from her neck. She threw it in the gentlest manner possible, and launched a gaze at her Indian friend. He raised an eyebrow testily at her temper, and spoke, "We have received word."
"And what word is that?" she asked impatiently, hands on her hips now as she looked to Nemo.
The man replied without hesitation, confidence abound in his words, "We are being told that Evans and his men are travelling to New York. We are to follow."
"London, Paris," she breathed exasperatedly, "and now New York. Is this some sort of game?"
Nemo cleared his throat quietly, and glanced to his men dotted around the room. They avoided Mina's glares. "No, Mrs Harker, this is no game."
Mina sighed loudly and in an exaggerated manner. "Well of course it isn't... it was rhetorical, Captain."
Nemo looked unconvinced.
Mina sighed once again. Why could no one see the source for her unrest? Why were they all so blinded by this girl's innocent 'charm', Tom most of all. The last she had seen of the two, Sawyer had been giving her a personal tour.
Men, she chattered angrily in her mind, and looked once again to the Captain. "And do they have any ideas as to what Evans is planning to do in New York?"
"None as of yet," Nemo replied slowly, ensuring she heard him correctly. Did he think her deaf now? "But they assure us it is of utmost importance we persist in our chase."
"Of course," Mina breathed, suddenly tired. She closed her eyes for a moment, revelling in the darkness she found there, and then continued, "And are we allowing our 'guest' to remain aboard?"
"That is really her decision, Mrs Harker," Nemo responded nonchalantly. "I have called another dinner this evening, and we shall discuss it then before leaving dock... does this satisfy?"
Mina didn't see any other choice. "Yes, Captain. Thank you. Now," she paused, "if there is nothing else, I will retire to my quarters. I am suddenly weary."
"Of course, Mrs Harker," Nemo acknowledged politely. "Until dinner, then. Rest well."
She nodded curtly, and turned from the room, leaving the door open behind her.
He had only just managed to cram everything that fell under the category of 'junk' into his closet when there came a gentle tapping on his door. He pushed the closet door completely shut -at long last- using the full force of his shoulder and back, and went to answer the knocking.
Anise was what awaited him on the other side of the threshold, and she looked pleased to see him, as he was her.
He smiled, and waved her in. She glanced around, impression covering her beautiful face once again. He felt the heat rise once more.
"Well," she said, "that was fast."
Tom nodded, and glanced around the room quickly. The notes and sketches on his desk had been piled and tidied; the books no longer lay strewn at random places around the room, instead now stacked at the side of the desk; his clothing had been stored away; and the bed was now made... it was a little unusual. His brow furrowed. He wasn't used to his residence being so organized.
"Not that I minded it before," she told him, turning back to face him.
He raised an eyebrow, and laughed, "I wish you'd said that before I made the effort."
She laughed lightly, the sound making Tom smile broader. Why was he so besotted all of a sudden?
"I appreciate that you cleaned, Tom," she added, stepping up to the bed, and perching herself on it. Tom felt inclined to follow. "It looks very... nice."
"Nice?"
"Yes, nice."
Tom sat down next to her, at a distance so as not to seem so intruding. Even though this was his room, he respected that people needed their space. "And what do you mean by... nice?" he found himself asking playfully.
Anise looked at him, her head at an angle now, her hair tumbling around her face. "I think it's sweet that you cleaned. That is all I meant."
Sweet? She found him sweet?
Uh oh, Tom thought. He remembered Mina calling him that. He felt a little disheartened all of a sudden.
Anise seemed to see something in his expression, and she knitted her brow inquisitively. "Did I say something wrong?"
Tom shook his head, smiling slightly. "No."
"You look... I can't explain it," Anise began gently, "as though I have offended you."
"It's just," Tom started cautiously, making sure he chose his words perfectly before continuing, "I've been called 'sweet' before." He paused, reading her expression. "And this person regarded that as a bad trait... that's all."
Anise smiled. For a moment, Tom thought she was going to laugh at him, before she said, "Oh, Tom, I didn't mean it in a bad way. I like that you're sweet." She laughed lightly. "I don't meet that many agents -if any- who are as charming and handsome as you."
She seemed to realise what she had said, and her face fell immediately in shock. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that."
Tom didn't mind... he found it quite reassuring. "It's okay. I like that you're honest." He felt a little smug now, in fact. So she found him sweet, charming and handsome? How could that be a bad thing?
He wanted to tell her something along the same lines, but all words failed him, and he couldn't think of anything that didn't sound stupid or corny. So he stayed quiet.
Anise looked a little dejected now.
Tom swelled with guilt. "Look," he said to her softly, his words quiet, his eyes finding an interesting point on the floor all of a sudden, "it's not that I don't find you attractive... it's just..." How did he continue? How could he?
Oh god, she was staring right at him now... he had to say something.
"It's just I don't really have a great track record with women."
You idiot, Tom's subconscious voice chided, she didn't need to hear that!
Tom couldn't bring his eyes up from the floor, before he heard her speak. She had decided on a change of subject, "So, what is America like? I hear it's... big."
Tom lunged at the oppurtunity for a new topic, and replied, "Oh, yeah... it's pretty big all right."
"And how about you, Tom? Have you had many adventures?"
He only then realised she had stopped calling him 'Agent Sawyer'. That was comforting. "Plenty of adventures... some would say too many," he answered, looking her in the eye.
Anise smiled at him pleasantly. "Do you have many family in America?"
This topic was taking a bad turn. "No, I don't," Tom replied quickly, a little too quickly. Anise seemed to recognise this, and tried to move things along.
"Do you miss your friends when you are on these missions of yours? It must be difficult to leave them behind all the time." She too had found an intriguing non-existent point now. She had chosen the far wall.
Tom felt his heart sink a little at his question. "I don't really... have that many friends. I never really made any when I was a kid... except one."
"Oh? And where are they now?"
Tom swallowed dryly at the memory. "I buried him in Missouri last year."
There was an awkward and painful moment of silence where Tom felt Anise's eyes turn on him.
"Oh, Tom, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring up something so... so sensitive."
"It's okay," Tom said in a small voice, trying to suppress the memory, and having a difficult time with it. "You didn't know..."
"But I shouldn't have been so nosy," Anise argued delicately.
Tom heard himself talking rather sorrowfully before he could stop himself, and he listened to his own story with a great swell of mourning and guilt, "We were partners. We'd been friends as long as I can remember, and we always seemed to get ourselves into trouble, you know? But on that day last year, it was just too much trouble for the both of us to come out of... and he died."
Anise looked to him again, sympathy evident on her face.
"We had always watched each other's backs, and I slipped for a second... I watched him die."
He wanted to stop, but he couldn't. The words and the pent up emotion just kept on spilling out of his mouth.
"Even though I managed to avenge his death, kill the man who murdered him, I can't help thinking it was my fault... I know it was my fault. I should have paid more attention."
"Tom, I'm sure you did all you could."
Tom shook his head. "I could have watched his back." He turned his eyes on her, and to his surprise, the first tears he had felt since Huck Finn's funeral welled in them. He tried to blink them back, but he failed, and turned his face away from her. He couldn't believe he was crying in front of her... that he had told her that story when everyone else knew nothing of his reasons for chasing the Phantom not so long ago.
He let his head fall into his hands, and closed his eyes tight, trying to push away the images and sounds from his mind that deafened and assaulted him. He could clearly see Huck right beside him, and then the way his friend had simply fallen to the floor, all life fading out of him. Tom had lost concentration for one second, managed to avoid the bullet himself, but it had struck his oldest and best friend. He had watched him die without being able to prevent it, despite his best efforts.
The Phantom was dead now, at his own hand, but that didn't take away the pain and the guilt that swelled inside of him every day at his failure. The Phantom, M... Moriarty, whatever or whoever he had been, had still managed to claim another friend of Tom's before his own death.
He felt the hand run over his back soothingly as he sobbed quietly, trying to stop himself. He felt so stupid all of a sudden, letting her see him like this. Why now? Why had he told her? He so wished he hadn't.
Her fingers stroked through the back of his thick hair, and he felt the sobs and tears ease for a moment, before a hand came down and tilted his head up by his chin. His eyes met Anise's, and then she leaned forward and kissed him softly.
She pulled back after only a moment, when he was so stunned he didn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry."
She was apologising a lot. She had done since they'd met. What did she have to be sorry for?
"I shouldn't have done that, not now... not when you're upset," Anise explained hurriedly, turning her face away from him as if in shame.
His eyes still stinging with tears, and his head still swimming; Tom stretched out his hand, and turned her face back to his. He reached out with his other hand, holding her face now, gently and affectionately, before he kissed her back, with passion and urgency, as though he had been waiting his whole life to do this one thing at this exact moment.
She did not resist his hold on her, and her fingers played lightly over his bare arm, before running through his hair and resting at the back of his head possessively as if afraid to let him go, shortly before she slowly lay back on the bed, Tom on top of her, still holding her in the kiss.