Running.
1.Memories.
T: Hi. This will be my first jaunt into the fandom of lxg, but I'm by no means a fan fic newbe so I'll understand any sensible criticisms you may wish to give. The idea for this first chapter came when I watched the movie the second time through and noticed that Tom seemed to be looking at things that were not there and awful lot and of course from Mina's little piece of wisdom.
Lxg is not mine, nor are any of the books that spawned the characters present within the movie. Warnings of angst, a Tom more like that Twain imagined and a pre warning of slash themes coming up in the next chapter.
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She had said that they were all running in some way and though he could see it in the others, he'd wondered what she supposed he was running from? After all he had already told them his story, had all but admitted his one guilt.
As for the pain of it, well that had been why he'd joined the League in the first place, to track down the Fantom and do to him as he'd done to…
Yet why, if he had accepted, was he seeing Him still everywhere he looked?
Mostly silent, but sometimes making quips as only He could, like back when he had offered Mina his help at the beginning of it all. Her response and then the smooth baritone of His dig ringing sharp in his ears, "Real sharp, Agent Sawyer. Real sharp!" had flushed him and made him feel difficult. And again with Quatermain, when He had uttered the exact phrase He had spoken that night, a phrase that had been one of His very last words.
"Looks like Agent Sawyer has another plan in the works." And suddenly he found himself saying something silly and Alan had left him with the memory of that night.
It had been raining; indeed the occasional spot still caught his skin, their presence keeping the air cold and his blood slow."Well we sure can pick em." The other remarks and he smiles for it has been a while since either of them has been weary enough to revert to the accents of their childhood.
"We'll see if we can't do something about that, shall we?" He enquires and the other rolls his eyes,
"Oh dear! It looks like Agent Sawyer has another plan." The other responds and as He smiles he can see the adult his friend has become for the very first time. It scares him, for the other is supposed to be the less mature of them, the one to use humour when it is needed and if he has aged beyond that then what hope is there for him?
"Well, Tom, are you going to tell me what the plan is?" He enquires and Tom smiles, though his heart is not in it, for he is asking himself again the question of when this change occurred.
He had left St. Louis just after his eighteenth Birthday to attend the sick bed of his dear Aunt Sally and everything had been all together then and as it should be. Yet when she had sweated away the sickness and he'd returned a month later, everything had been inside out.
For his friend was not only in school but was dressed all civilised as he's sworn he'd never do after he came back from his adventures. Yet though the change had been unnerving Tom saw now that it had benefit, for through the change his friend had gained enough civility that he was asked into the agency as well as Tom himself.
"We hit him now when he's alone." Tom responded, aware by his friend's face that he had taken longer than was acceptable to reminisce. Yet the other did not ask about what had brought about the silence, just as Tom had never directly asked what had brought about the change.
"Well it's typical of you at least, Tom, but we can't just blunder on in this time. Especially as its against orders."
"Our orders are very loosely worded, you know that as well as I. Anyway, if we get him now there will be no war,"
"And we'll be famous? That's what's got you in such a hitch isn't it? The thought that you could work this to your favour." He says and Tom opens his mouth to counter as he always does, to fall into their old routine of tease and response. Yet the words fall idle today and the other shakes his head "Well even if your motives are off the reasoning is sound." And He grips his Winchester harder to Him and starts out into the street. Tom follows close behind and soon enough they duck again into shadow so that they might assure themselves that the building ahead is not guarded.
In the silence Tom finds that he has a yearning to say something, but he does not know what and as he tries to comprehend what the words might be the other makes a signal and they are off again.
And as they cross into the dark building…
A voice slurred by scars and burns (though this is all imitation as Tom will later learn)
A light and a press of unexpected men (Their intelligence little more than the lure of the Fantom)
A Threat containing a choice that is hard
(A choice that is made for them in the end)
And then…
The splash of a whale cresting the sea had stirred him from the memory and he'd gone to distract himself, gone to think of something other than that instant. Yet now, locked away in the silent dark of his cabin there were no distractions and he sees it clearly.
Blood. It had coated his hands as he had taken the other up into his arms, carrying him until the agency had found him. Until they had taken them both the hospital…
He'd been dismissed quickly and he'd left with riotous indignation burning a whole in his belly. The next he recalled he was walking the distance to the agency head quarters and he wondered at the gap and he had the niggling feeling that something had occurred in that space of time, something very important indeed.
A knock on the door interrupted the train of thought and a moment later Mina entered, something clenched in her hands and an apology clear in her eyes.
"You will forgive the interruption, Tom, but a wire has come in for you." She said as she passed him a small scrap of paper.
He read it once and then sighed, of course it had been inevitable, he'd left on vacation so that he might hunt the Fantom down against orders. Once they had learned that the Fantom was dead of course they would send for him so that he might be judged as they saw fit.
"Well?" Mina enquired, polite despite her curiosity.
"I have been summoned back to America."
"I believe the League could do with a short break and as you will have to use the Nautilus as transportation we should take the opportunity presented to us." She said. He smiled, thank full that he had such good friends.
Time to face my daemons he thought to himself, glancing almost without thought to where the other stood, silent this time and perhaps that was a mercy.
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T: A little thought before I leave you to review (Hint, hint). I always thought that it was a bit of a leap that a supposedly intelligent organisation let Huck Finn have a gun legally. Not that I don't love Huck it's just…well…if you understand I don't need to explain and if you don't it's most likely you never will. Therefore as I have decided that yes it was Huck that Tom was referring to (As this is never implicit, just assumed) I have educated the beloved rouge up a little so that giving him a weapon is less a thing of chance.
Anyway as I have said there is a slash theme to the next chapter and some very complex Sawyer reasoning. Yes this does deserve a warning of its own.
RR, and I may let Tom live…Mwhahaha.