Author's Note – It took forever and a day but I'm finally updating it.

Summary – Tommy realizes his dad isn't coming back.

-o-

Not Coming Back

Tommy

-o-

(Day 7, Oliver Residence)

"Now you've had a drink of water. You've had a story. I've checked under the bed and in the closet for monsters. Now it's late and it's time to sleep Tommy." Putting me into the big bed and pulling the covers up, Jason hands me my stuffed tiger before giving me a kiss on the head.

"But I'm not sleepy." Yawning and looking at the rain hitting the window I don't like storms. "Can't I stay up and watch TV with you till it stops raining?"

"No, now I have papers to grade and then I'm going to bed too. Besides it'll probably rain all night, so you'd be up till morning if you did that. Now just lay back and close your eyes and before you know it you'll be waking up to the morning." Says you.

Snuggling down into the covers more I pout as he heads out. "Leave the door open?"

"Okay. Night Tommy, sleep tight." Closing the door halfway and leaving the light in the hall on, he heads down stairs leaving me to lay and listen to the rain and noises. Don't see how I'm supposed to sleep with all that noise outside. Stupid rain.

-ooooo-

(3 hours later…..)

Sitting up and rubbing my eyes, I look around the dark room looking for what woke me up. I know I heard something. "Jason?"

Listening and not hearing him or anything else now, I grumble and curl up back under the covers. Must have been a dream noise. Oh well. Closing my eyes I'm nearly asleep again when a tapping noise definitely wakes me back up. What is that?

Looking around the room again and picking up the flashlight Jason gave me incase I had to go to the bathroom or got scared, I turn it on and I really wish I hadn't. Looking at all the shadows and strange shapes I think it was better with the light off.

Growling as I hear the tapping noise again, I climb off the bed and listen closer. What is that? Stupid noise, I wanna go back to sleep. "Who's there? It better not be a monster or else." Hmm and I'm suddenly not so scared of monsters. That's strange. Agh that noise again! Where is that coming from?

Stomping over to the door and listening, I don't hear it. Okay so not out there. Taping, what would be ta…ah ha! Moving to the window and trying to see out I frown when I can't see anything thanks to the wetness on it from the rain. Setting the flashlight down and trying to push it up, I manage with a lot of trouble, but I do get it and that's what counts.

"Now let's see what is so important that it had to wake me up." Poking my head out the window I grab the light and shine it out onto the yard. "Hmmm." Not seeing anything but grass and trees, I guess it must have been a raccoon or something. "Stupid raccoon."

"Not a raccoon baby doll."

Jumping back and yelping as my head hits the window, I look up at the tree by the house and who on earth is that? Looking at the woman dressed all in black and sitting on a branch, I know her. How do I know someone like that? Stupid memory, I know I know her. Wait, why am I not more scared here?

"Hey what are you doing up there?" Okay so daddy told me never talk to strangers and true this lady is definitely as strange as they come, but there's something about her that just makes me need to talk to her and ask her.

"Tapping on your window with a branch." Showing me the stick she'd been using to hit the window, she tosses it to the very far ground below. "Why don't you come out and play little boy." Okay she is definitely weird.

"Because it's night and I'm supposed to be sleeping. Plus I don't think Jason would like me going out at night to play with someone he doesn't know." How is she even sitting on that without falling? How'd she even get up there?

"Jason knows me well enough. And if you just use that little brain of yours then you'll remember that you do too." That was not nice! I definitely know I don't like her.

"Whatever, then you can just go wake him up because I am going back to bed before I get in trouble." Turning to go do just that I reach up to close the window just in time to see her swing down from the tree and land in the yard. That was pretty cool.

"Fine, but if you do that then you'll never know what happened to you daddy." Yeah like I ca-wait what?

"What? What about him?" Something happened? What does she know?

"Sorry have to come down here to talk. That is if you want to know what happened to him and why he's not coming back." Disappearing from sight, she can't be serious. She wants me to sneak out of the house and go outside where it's dark and wet from the rain and what happened to him? What does she know and if something did happen how come Jason doesn't know?

"Hey! Hey come back and tell me!" Leaning out the window and growling as she doesn't come back, I shouldn't do this. I should go wake Jason up and tell him.

-ooooo-

"Hello! Hey, where are you?" Shinning my flashlight around the yard, I do not like nighttime. Why didn't I get Jason up again? Ew wet grass, I probably shoulda put shoes on.

"Boo."

Ep! Turning around too fast, I end up on my butt and that's nice now my pajamas are all wet from the grass. "Hey! That was mean." Glaring at the lady who looks very different from any other woman I've seen before, I get up, trying to keep her in the light. "Now what do you know about my daddy?"

"Can't tell you." Gr. "Well, not without a trade anyways." Trade? What sort of trade? Walking much too close for my liking, she is almost scary with how strange she is.

"I-I don't have anything to trade." I should go get Jason. Yep definitely should go back inside and get Jason.

"Oh but you do. You have a very important bracelet that belongs to my master. Now if you trade it to me, I'll tell you what happened to your father and why he's never coming back." What?!

"You lie!" He is so coming back. Jason and Kat said he was coming back. Why wouldn't he come back? "He is so coming back and when he does you'll be sorry you lied about it! I'm going back to bed now if all you're going to do is tell stories." It is a lie, he wouldn't leave me, he loves me. He tells me that every day, I'm the most important thing in the world to him, so he'd never leave me. Right, so why am I starting to cry.

"Do I?" Suddenly in front of me, she is way too fast. This is bad. If she's this fast I might not be able to get back inside. Very, very bad. "Then why isn't he here?" Because he had to go on a trip, an important trip. Right?

"He had to work. He's very important and he had people to help, so there." Moving back to the house, I really hope she stays where she is. I don't like her and I want Jason now. I shouldn't have come out here alone. "And as for any bracelet, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any bracelets, I'm not a girl. So you just go away."

"I don't think so brat." Bad, this is bad. "I want that dino gem, and I'm going to get it unless you want to end up like your daddy." What does that mean? And what's a dino gem?

"I don't know what you're talking about and stop talking about my dad!" Feeling my face heat up, I want to hit her. I know I shouldn't hit, but god I want to hit her so hard right now and I don't know why.

Smiling meanly, she seems way too happy all of the sudden. I have to get back inside and to Jason. "Why, what are you going to do, fight me? You can barely dress yourself now. You're lucky you know, if your father hadn't died he'd have probably left. Why would he stick around with such a pathetic excuse for a child?" What.

"You're…No! He is not gone! You fucking bitch!" Throwing the flashlight down, I am going to rip her apart.

Looking surprised for just a second, she shakes her head and catches me as I make a lunge for her. "So you are still in there. I suppose I should have expected it, no matter though."

"Let me go!" Trying my best to kick and claw her eyes out, I swear I'm going to get her.

"Let him go Elsa." Jason. Holding something that looks like one of my toy blasters he looks just as mad as I feel. "I swear to god I'll take you out. Now put him down."

Ow! Suddenly dropped onto the ground, she takes a step back. "This isn't finished." No, it's definitely not.

-oooo-

Pulling the new pair of pajamas on me, he has been way too quiet. I don't know if he's mad, but right now, I don't really care. I want to ask him if it's true, I want to know, but then I don't. "Tommy you haven't said a word since we came back in. Now I've checked you for bruises and scraps and there aren't any. Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?"

"No." He would tell me if he was dead. Right? Why would he lie, he's my friend. At least I thought he was.

Bending down in front of me, he looks almost scared. "You're not acting right. I need you to tell me if she did anything. I'm not mad at you okay. I'm not going to yell and you're not in trouble, but I have to know what happened. What did she do or say to you?"

Looking at him and not feeling much of anything anymore, I just want to go to bed. I don't want to hear that she was telling the truth. I don't want to hear his excuses. "She said my dad was dead."

Laying his head on the mattress, hands still resting on my legs, he doesn't look well. That's a bad sign isn't it. It means…I know what it means. "Nice Elsa, real nice."

"I want my daddy."

Swallowing and looking almost sad enough to cry, he shakes his head. "Tommy I can't…I can't get him for you, he's, he's away remember." Away where? You never did tell me where he was. It's not right, something, everything, it's all not right.

Sliding off the bed and picking up the phone from the desk by the window, I hold it out to him. "Then call him."

"I, I can't." Taking the phone from me and putting it back, he's out of excuses. She wasn't lying, he was.

"He's never coming back is he?" When he doesn't answer, I give a low growl as I feel that hot anger bubbling up in me again. "Is he?"

"No." Right.

Walking to the door and moving to the bathroom, I don't know if I'm going to be sick or not, but right now I know I want to be alone and that's not going to happen with him hanging on me, trying to make it better.

"Tommy. Tom baby please listen to me."

Slamming the door before he can get to it, I turn the lock and slide to the floor. He's gone, he's gone and he's never coming back. So why aren't I crying? Why can't I make this cold empty feeling go away?

Trying the door and apparently realizing it's not going to be opened anytime soon, I hear him slide down to the ground on his side. "Tommy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just…I just wanted to protect you." Too late.

To be continued……..