Peace

By: Cheryl W.

Disclaimer: I don't own The League of the Extraordinary Gentlemen or anything in conjunction with LXG nor am I making a profit from this story. No copyright infringement is intended. Sadly, I do not own Tom Sawyer either.

Chapter 5

Allan, having cleared Sawyer's floor of glass and liquor, stood up and let his assessing gaze fall on Sawyer. The American, whose coloring was too pale for Allan's comfort, remained perched on the edge of his bed as if ready for motion, while his eyes watched his visitor with interest. Allan prompted lightly, "You have something on your mind?" easily reading the contemplation on the younger man's face.

Shaking off the last tendrils of the void, Tom had begun to put the pieces together from last night only to find they didn't complete the picture. Looking at the man he knew had the answers he sought, he pointedly asked, "How did you and Jekyll end up in my room last night?"

Having deemed himself the inquisitor, Quatermain was stunned to find the tables turned as he met Sawyer's scrutinizing look. He hesitated, weighing his words. He didn't want the young man to misconstrue his actions, to think he was some …. 'Some overprotective father who broke down doors without provocation?' Quatermain jeered. 'You can tell him you care but you refuse to show him you care. You're a coward Quatermain.'

Sawyer patiently watched the inner battle wage in Quatermain, knowing that, if Allan's reaction was any indication, this was an important, telling piece of the puzzle. A goading smile turned up Tom's lips. "I don't remember arranging a party in my room last night..course I did have a few shots of whiskey, mighta made me forget that detail."

Shooting a mocking glare at Tom, Allan gruffly announced, "You didn't show up for dinner," as if that was all the explanation required.

"Annnndddd?" Tom drawled out, cocky in his role of interrogator.

Pointing a finger at Sawyer, Allan warned, "Wipe that cocky smirk off of your face."

Doing as he was ordered, Tom allowed the smirk to vanish but he could not or would not dim the twinkling laughter in his eyes. "I'm hanging on your every word," he assured his voice disclosing it's brittle strength by turning slightly hoarse.

Giving Tom a look that said he was contemplating turning the spy over his knee, Allan crossed to the nightstand, filled a glass with water and handed it to Sawyer.

With a grateful nod, Tom instinctively reached for the glass with his right hand, instantly causing piercing pain to emanate from his shoulder. Crushing any reaction to his discomfort, he determinedly gripped the glass in his right hand and promptly drained the water.

When Tom began to lower his hand, Quatermain took hold of the top of the empty glass, stilling both the cup and Sawyer's hand from trembling. Immediately, Sawyer, dropping his look from Quatermain, relinquished his hold on the glass and pressed his hand back upon the mattress where it's trembling was undetectable.

Feeling as if he had somehow lost ground earning Tom's trust, Allan set the glass down on the nightstand with a decided thunk, startling Tom into looking at him. "You want to know why I sought you out last night. Why I didn't turn tail when you didn't answer your door." They weren't questions and they both knew it.

"Yes," Tom replied, ashamed and surprised at his need for the answer.

Wanting to be on equal ground with Sawyer, Allan again claimed his chair so that he and Tom were eyelevel. "You didn't come to dinner and I knew it was my fault." Grumbling he reiterated, "Even Skinner knew it was my fault."

Frowning, Tom questioned, "Your fault? Why?"

Meeting Tom's look head on, Allan elaborated, "I pushed you away on the tower.. after you asked about Harry."

With renewed shame, Tom shook his head, "You had every right to leave me high and dry. I should not have spoken about your son. It wasn't my place…I didn't have that right."

"No, I was wrong to react like I did. I was the one who started talking about my son, not you. I opened that door…then I slammed it ruthlessly in your face." Tom opened his mouth to further protest but Allan put up his hand, halting the younger man's reply. "You and I can argue this point all day long or you can simply accept my apology."

Smiling, Tom relented, "I'll accept your apology as long as you accept mine."

A snort escaped Quatermain. "So that's the way we are going to play? Alright, then I accept your apology."

"And I accept yours. Now we were at the part of the tale where you wrongly thought my absence at dinner was your fault…" Sawyer raised an eyebrow, prompting Quatermain to continue his story.

Sending Sawyer an exasperated look, Allan took up his narrative, "I came to your room to talk to you."

When Allan seemed content to end the story there, Tom prodded, "That doesn't tell me why you were "in" my room."

"Well, I knocked on your door and when you didn't answer I came in" Allan matter-of-factly replied, skipping the technique of "how" he had come into the room.

Finally they had gotten to the part of the story that had prompted Tom's pointed question in the first place. "My door was locked," he threw out, watching Quatermain barely restrain the impulse to squirm in his seat.

'Blasted spy! Can't remember nearly dying but he can remember locking his door,' Allan silently ranted, his eyes searing unhappily into Sawyer's. There was little choice now but to tell the truth. "I had no idea you wanted the story blow by blow but I can arrange that. Thinking, incorrectly of course, that my ill manners had prompted your absence at dinner, I came to talk to you. I knocked on your door and when you didn't reply I tried to open the door. As you so keenly remember, you locked the door…for reasons I'm sure you won't mind telling me…" a sense of satisfaction trickled into Allan as he saw Tom's discomfort with that future topic of conversation. Pressing on Allan concluded, as if the memories didn't stir his emotions, "Sensing something was wrong, I kicked in your door and found you unconscious, bleeding profusely and plagued with a dangerously high fever."

Embarrassment colored Sawyer's pale cheeks as his vulnerabilities were stated. 'After that stellar display of weakness how am I ever going to gain Quatermain's respect let alone the rest of the league's!' "Not my proudest moment," he bitterly announced.

Anger flared in Allan. The boy was missing the point! He had nearly died…to hell with his pride! What mattered to Allan and what should matter to Sawyer was his survival! Like a snake, Allan's hand shot out to grip Tom's chin, forcing the agent's eyes to meet his own. "Haven't you heard a bloody thing I've said? You almost died. Your decision to keep your wound a secret almost killed you," his voice just barely restrained.

That knowledge didn't garner the reaction in Sawyer that Quatermain expected. Instead, indifference hung over Sawyer and some other emotion Allan could not classify as anything but regret. Stunned, his hand slipped from Tom's face as he quietly probed, "But maybe that's want you wanted, maybe that's why you didn't tell me about your wound, why you locked your door last night, keeping us all out."

Lying was something Tom Sawyer did better than 99.9 of the population. It should have been easy for him to unleash a believable lie to Quatermain. But it wasn't. Allan had dared to open up to him, had admitted to caring about him, had offered him a safe harbor during the worst storm of his life. He could not repay such a gift with a deception. Holding Quatermain's gaze, Tom quietly admitted, "You're right. That was what I wanted…thought I wanted."

Though he had been fishing for that reply, Allan never expected to get it, for it to be the truth. His shock and disbelief were written on his every feature. Sawyer had a zest for life, for adventure, for justice. He could not be speaking the truth! But the rational part of Quatermain remembered all too well the looks he had read in the younger man's eyes. Looks of defeat, of despair, of surrender, of hopelessness. Allan managed to choke out one word, "Why?"

Dropping his head, Tom replied, his voice thick with emotions, "I…I can't talk about that, not now." Clutching the mattress under his balled up fists, he outlined his objectives, "First I need to get back on my feet then I'm going to bring down the Fantom."

Torn between wanting to be gentle with the vulnerable young man and feeling terrified by Tom's confession, Allan didn't know what to say or do. 'Say something! Do something! Don't let him teeter on the edge between shattering and jumping!' Suddenly a name flew into his mind,"Who's Huck?"

Tom reacted like lightening had struck him, jolting his head up, his eyes wide as they focused on Quatermain with stunned disbelief. "Where did you hear that name?" he demanded, his voice gravelly with strain.

If Allan had any doubts that Sawyer's despair was connected to the name that he called out in his delirium, they now vanished. Gentling his voice, he answered, "You called out that name when you were delirious with fever."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Tom cursed his loose tongue! That same culprit, years ago, had almost told Sid and Aunt Polly about Injun Joe and the murder he had witnessed. Knowing he would have no future as a spy if he didn't eliminate that habit, he had worked long and hard to ensure his lips stayed locked while sleeping. Now all that hard work seemed to be in vain. He truly was turning out to be the most disappointing of spies.

For the third time within an hour, a knock sounded on Sawyer's door.

Snapping his eyes open, Tom instantly bade, "Come in," thanking God for the distraction. Discreetly he shot a look to Quatermain only to find his eyes clashing with Allan's frustrated gaze.

Neither occupant of the room spared a look to Tom's entering visitor until he spoke.

"By Jove, you're up!" Jekyll exclaimed, utterly surprised at the sight of an awake and sitting up Sawyer.

Pulling away from Quatermain's piercing gaze, Tom looked to Jekyll who now stood before him wearing a joyful smile. "If you call this being up," Tom retorted sullenly, discouraged by his weakness.

"Well last night we thought…I thought," Henry stammered to a stop, his eyes sliding to Quatermain as if testing the air between them.

Sawyer watched the exchange between the two men with curiosity. Apparently something disagreeable had transpired between the two British men during the night. He was cursing the addition of yet another missing piece of information when Henry refocused on him.

Having abandoned his original words at the disapproving look in Quatermain's eyes, Henry settled on offering Sawyer a compliment. "I guess you Americans are as hearty as you claim to be."

Jekyll's words brought a sardonic smile to Sawyer's lips, "I don't know about being hearty but we sure do hate to lose…at anything." Henry smiled in reply while Quatermain's scowl deepened, causing Tom to curse himself for caring what the old hunter thought of him or his actions.

Closing the distance between them, Jekyll's sharp eyes looked down upon Tom with inspection. "You're still too pale," he quietly stated. The next moment he put his hand on Sawyer's forehead. The young agent pulled back, startled.

Allan tensed at Tom's reaction, ready to pull the doctor away from Sawyer if he did anything else to further rattle the young man. 'He needs a gentle touch, Jekyll! Not a bull in a china store approach! Boy's on the edge. Can't you see that!'

Choosing to ignore the spy's reaction to his touch, Henry compassionately relayed, "You still have a slight fever." Seeing no dispute in the younger man's eyes, Henry asked, hoping to get the truth instead of bravado from the Secret Service agent, "How's the pain?"

"Manageable," Tom replied evenly.

Unable to let that lie stand, Allan interjected with frustration, "In other words, it hurts like hell and he needs something for the pain," coming to stand beside Jekyll.

Tom swung his look to Quatermain. "Really?" he challenged with a false little smile. "You Brits apparently have a different definition for that word than I do."

Shrugging in answer, Allan gave as an explanation, "You yanks are always ruining our fine language."

Fearing that full fledged hostility might break out, Henry, facing Quatermain requested, "Allan could you go get Tom something to eat. Nothing heavy mind you. Toast and some tea maybe."

Allan wanted to deny the request out of hand, he would not leave Sawyer. Henry spoke before he could utter his protest.

"Eating will aid him in getting his strength back." Henry watched as Quatermain's protest morphed into acceptance. Relief flowed through the doctor. He knew Quatermain would not refuse to do anything that would benefit Sawyer's recovery. "I'll check Tom's wound and change the bandages while you're gone."

Nodding, Allan gave a quick look to Tom before he stalked out of the room, determined to do his task as quickly as humanly possible.

When the door shut behind Quatermain, Jekyll's glancing inspection of Sawyer turned sternly professional. "You should not be up. Your body has undergone …"

"I know, I was there when I got shot," Sawyer interrupted, annoyed to be the focus of yet another lecture.

Henry pursed his lips at the bristling American. "That's well and good but you did not have the ominous task of staunching the blood pouring from your wound, ridding your body of infection, and desperately trying to ensure that you would live last night."

Instead of quieting Sawyer's protests it enhanced them. Piercing Jekyll with a defiant glare, Sawyer shot back. "I didn't ask you to do any of that."

Only the pitiable sight of Sawyer kept Henry from snapping back at his cantankerous patient. He and Quatermain alone knew the terrible battle the young man had waged last night to survive. 'He deserves your compassion, not your censure,' Henry insisted to himself. Putting those thoughts into actions, Henry let his look soften, "I'm sorry Tom. I don't mean to lecture you."

Tom's shoulders slumped and he shook his head, "No….I'm the one who is sorry…again. Bet you've never had a more ungrateful patient than me," he quirked a sad smile turning up his lips as he looked up to Jekyll.

Jekyll gave a chuckle, "Well, you are quickly climbing to number one on that list."

"Americans like to be number one," Tom joked back, easing the tension in the room. "Thank you for last night and today, Henry. I'm just frustrated to be feeling so weak.." seeing Henry opening his mouth, Tom cut him off, "I know, it's natural and it's a miracle I'm alive and I should count my lucky stars."

"Guess that concludes my lecture," Henry quirked back. "Now let me see how that wound's healing and re-bandage it…before Quatermain returns and insists on supervising the whole procedure."

"Absolutely," Tom quickly agreed, sharing a smirk with Henry.

Quatermain made his way through the ship's corridors, his thoughts plagued with Tom's admission, 'You're right. That was what I wanted…thought I wanted.' The seasoned adventurer's steps faltered and his gut clenched in fear. 'To die…that's what he wanted.'

Helplessness assaulted Allan. How could he be assured that Tom no longer sought death! That he would never again see that as a viable solution to his pain…whatever pain that was decimating his soul.

The answer was as simple as it was hard. He needed Tom to open up to him, fully. Then Allen had to have the wisdom to say the right things, the type of things that would ease the young man's pain forever. 'You're in over your head, Quatermain!' he growled to himself. Being someone's confidant had never been his strong suit. 'Just ask Harry.'

A curse escaped Quatermain at that dark thought. Maybe one of the others could get through to Sawyer. But as he ticked off the names of the members of the league he ruled out each and every one of them. Though he seemed oblivious to the fact, Quatermain knew Sawyer was not a boy but a man, a man that led a dangerous life, a life full of deceptions, mysteries and secrets, the life of a spy. The others may have extraordinary talents but they had not walked the edge of a knife like Sawyer…or like Quatermain had. No, Allan knew he had told Sawyer the truth, they were much alike. If Sawyer opened up to anyone it would be someone who had the same life experiences, who had been dealt the same cruel choices to achieve victory for their country …no matter the cost. 'If he opens up to anyone on this boat, it'll be you. You can't fail him, Quatermain. You're all he has.'

That startling thought coiled around his heart. Since Harry's death he had avoided being responsible for anyone else's life. Then this whole Fantom fiasco had begun. But even then, he had refused to make the league members his responsibility. Figuring that they had bloody well gotten themselves wrapped up in the league they could therefore fend for themselves. Then Sawyer had come into the picture, like some hero, saving their lives, emanating boyish charm, naiveté and a pure, compassionate heart.

'The boy broke down my barriers like they were built of kindling. One moment I'm accepting a Winchester from him and the next I'm acting like he's my next of kin.' Instead of regret, satisfaction settled in Allan's heart at his thoughts. Tom was more than worthy of his affections.

Having reached his destination, Allan entered the galley with resolve in his eyes. 'I'm going to make sure that Sawyer stays safe, even from himself, no matter what I have to risk because he's worth it…just like Harry was.'

TBC

Replies to Reviews:

Julia: I really appreciate your strong support of me and my story! Sorry that I'm making you wait for that 'Tom tells Allan about Huck' conversation. I guess I'm trying to establish a bond of trust between the two men before Tom fully lets down his guard and discusses that sensitive subject. Thanks again for your wonderful review!

Alone Dreaming: Your long reviews are definitely part of your charm! I love hearing your thoughts no matter how short or long they may be. I am overwhelmed by your compliments and loyalty to my stories! For so many years I wrote in seclusion, hoping I was a half decent writer but never knowing for sure. It's been such a wonderful experience sharing my stories…especially with someone as supportive as you! As for correcting the mistakes, I've learned so much from helpful reviewers. Each one has made me a better writer…even if I'm sometimes stung by their words. As for your comments on last chapter, I was totally surprised by your compliment on my portrayal of Dorian! I didn't know I 'could' write him but I also felt as you did that he would have interacted with Sawyer. To me Sawyer was a liability to their plans… mavericks always are. And you are right, Sawyer and Quatermain are much alike and need each other! Thanks again for your fantastic compliments.

Claudette: So glad I've got you hooked on the story! And I too wish that Quatermain would have entered Tom's room while Dorian was there! I didn't take that path because I wanted to try and stay true to the movie where Dorian's darker side is pretty well hidden. But Quatermain does seem to doubt the villain is Skinner…maybe I do have a little room to write some Quatermain/Dorian conflict after all. Thanks for your awesome review and suggestions on plots!

Kingleby: Glad you enjoyed my Dorian/Tom scene! I just thought Dorian would like to see Sawyer out of the way of their plots..he seems to be a fly in the ointment. And I'm hoping you'll like my take/retake on the movie's ending. At this point I don't have the ending written yet but I basically know what's going to happen. Thanks for your terrific review!

Stacee Phelps: I'm totally honored that you've started to read this story! And I know, the obsession for LXG and Tom kinda sneak up on you! One minute I'm simply drooling over him in the movie and loving the father/son thing going on and the next I'm reading and writing fanfiction for it. So glad you enjoyed last chapter! Thanks for your wonderful support …no mater what crazy obsession I'm hooked on.

Sabrina: Well, you were the one reader I "knew" wouldn't jump ship because you know how I'm going to revise the end of the movie! On one hand, I can't wait to write the ending and on the other hand I'm just loving let things play out between Tom and Allan. Hope you feel the same way because this story has awhile to go yet. Thanks so much for your wonderful review and support!

Laura B: Thank you so much your wonderful review! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

LXGFanGirl: Your enthusiastic support is totally wonderful! As for whiskey..I don't drink so I'll take your word that it tastes nasty. Now if Coca-Cola was spilled…that's a wicked waste to me. Glad you're going to continue reading the story as it progresses!

Tonianne: Thank you for your compliments! Hope you let me know what you think of this chapter!

KidBlink182: I'm blushing over your compliments! I'm really happy that you are enjoying the story and my portrayal of the characters seems on the money! I'll try to work in more of Skinner for you…definitely near the end of the story he'll be more "visible". (sorry couldn't resist the pun) Ok after that I'm running off and hiding! Thanks so much for your support!

Sawyer Fan: I was hoping you would appreciate Allan's confession! I know you are like me and feed off of the tender connection between Allan and Tom. Thanks so much your wonderful compliments and support! Reviews like yours keep me writing!

Amanda Hope: I'm so pleased that you enjoyed last chapter! It sure was a struggle to write! Glad you feel I'm using my talent wisely and honing it. I can't express how wonderful it is to be able to share my stories and get such wonderful compliments like yours! It put joy in my heart that I don't think I'ld get even if I was a best selling novelist! It's so great getting to know people personally who read and enjoy my stories. Thanks for taking the time to review.

Ten Mara: Well, I got the father/son relationship I little further along in this chapter but not as far as I had hoped. I didn't want to rush things and I was also starting to spin my wheels so I had to just end the chapter where I did. Hope it's still a satisfying chapter to read! I too would like to reveal to Quatermain Dorian's visit to Tom. Maybe after the cats out of the bag…hmmm I'll have to work on that. Thanks so much for your compliments, enthusiasm and suggestions!

Well, I'll stop rambling and sign off now.

Thanks to everyone who read this chapter!

'Till next time

Cheryl W.