A/n: Just before anyone gets exited I've been receiving lots of reviews about genetics, now it is a "fascinating" subject but I don't think the story is heading that way. Also I've read a lot of books were people get hung and IF their neck does not 'snap' or 'break' they choke to death.

If Tomorrow Never Came

Tia floated in a place that wasn't a place and heard voices and saw flashes of faces some of them she recognized others she didn't, she heard their voices, their pleas of mercy as they too were killed or taken by death.

Tia could see them all very clearly and suddenly she felt a strong pull downward and the rush of air and she vomited into the bottomless place. The voices and images never stopped and very suddenly a slightly amused voice said, "I never thought I would ever have children. Let alone see them." The man had red hair, eyes that changed colour, they were yellowish with a tinge of green at the moment, well muscled and his nose looked like it had been broken serval times. The voices and images stopped.

"Excuse me, but do I know you?" something about this man was familiar but Tia couldn't put her finger on it. He smiled again the resemblance was more clear, "You're my father aren't you?" Tia asked not believing her eyes.

Liam Ironarm was grinning now, "But-" Tia was afraid to say that her father was dead.

"I know, I'm dead, where do you think you are now?" he asked rather pleasantly, noticing her hesitation.

Tia looked around seeing nothing but darkness that went on for probly infinite she didn't really know what to say, "The realms of the dead?" she asked, "But if it is the realms of the dead then why can't I see anyone else?"

Liam looked at his daughter, "I'm not sure I've been her for long enough but I have never been able to figure out why no one else is here with me." He looked around at the eternal blackness.

"But one thing I have worked out to do is see my friends and-" he looked at Tia in the eyes, "-My family, I never realized that Alanna had gotten pregnant until I saw it, I saw the whole thing, your whole life unravel right before my eyes, everything." As soon as Tia had heard that she blushed, "I understand." Was her father's only reaction.

It was a good half hour (if time did exist in the realms of the dead), before either of them could start rational conversation.

"Who were you?" Tia asked feeling like a child, when he raised an eyebrow she said, "You know before you...died." She asked still feeling childish.

"I was the Shang Dragon; I was a companion of your mother when she travelled to get the Dominion Jewel and...that's when you were..." Liam looked unsure of what to say next but continued on, "A few weeks later after I arrived in Tortall, I sacrificed myself for Jonathan, a Doi oracle told me I would know when it was time to die and I felt that at the moment when the archer aimed for King Jonathan was my time." Tia's father looked pained at the recalled memories.

"So that's why I never saw you or...mother spoke of you." Tia was new to the whole 'Mother-Daughter-Father' thing.

"My memory still haunts her." Liam said thoughtfully, "And now it's our memory." He added.

Thom sat at his study desk peering out the window to see the Zekoi River in his room at the University at Carthak. Ever since Tia had been hung he had never been able to recover from it, then he went to Carthak and everything changed: he'd been able to focus on his studies, Thom had no fear of the pages and squires making fun of him and he had made himself a new life one without the burdens of Knighthood.

Alanna had never fully understood why Thom left the country; she knew that everything reminded Thom of Tia but to Alanna leaving the country was just the same as running away from home and she could not understand why he would run away from her memory.

Going back to his studies he found it slightly ironic that the day Tia was hanged the Tyrans was suddenly very eager to sign a peace treaty and wondered where and who the agent was. Looking at a scroll he found in Tortall he wondered if it would work and he decided to work its magic.

Tia studied the image of Thom rather intently and wondered why he was in Carthak, "See I told you it's easy enough when you get the hang of it." Tia's father stated, looking at Thom. "I wonder why he left Tortall." Tia said aloud.

A gush of wind and angry voices yelled at each other followed by Tia getting pulled downwards once more but this time it didn't stop, looking up Tia could see her father waving goodbye and she waved goodbye back though he didn't appear to see as he was now the size of an ant.

Feeling sick as the pulling downward motion continued getting faster and faster and Tia felt sick, the angry voices continued and threw the black nothingness she saw an image of Thom holding a scroll chanting and a mystical voice, "If you must go you can't have this." A sharp pain ran through her body and Tia vomited once more in the blackness.

She blacked out as the pain had reached its peak and she hit something solid.

Thom stopped chanting as a slim figure 'fell' through the floor and started breathing, Thom smiled apparently Thom was indeed a great master mage.

Tia heard a reassuring familiar voice sooth her, she opened her eyes to see Thom, he had lines around his face and red eyes but it was Thom.

"Thom." Tia flew into Thom's arms and he hugged her back, after all the weeks studying one scroll and some magic he had been able to work a scroll that others in the past could not.

A/n: if Tia get resurrected by 'Thom' then what will happen to Tia? Remember in SOTL Thommy lost his magic to roger and died. Where am I taking this? Well it was in one of my five chapter 13's and I decided to make it a sequel.