Disclaimer: Well, actually, I do feel that Elizabeth and Tom are mostly mine, seeing as they are hardly more than names in the movie, but I don't own those names, nor do I own the Wolverine Origins movie and I'm not making any money here. All credit to Marvel and Fox ect.
Chapter Four: Family Plans
Elizabeth had kept a garden ever since she married John Howlett and moved into his large Victorian mansion. Over the years it had only grown bigger and more varied. Now days it consumed a large portion of the mansion grounds, as well as a good portion of Mrs. Howlett's time, especially in the summer time.
Her garden was an enchanting place. Honeydew and ivy climbed the trunks of spreading oaks and tulips and lilies grew in beds around the roots. Roses and snapdragons, irises and oleanders. Her garden was as varied and colorful as the rest of the Canadian summer. It was obviously well cared for, but also had a somewhat disorderly and wild look. Flowers of every kind grew side by side in an almost chaotic manner and there weren't many straight lines. The sprawl almost seemed distorted in places, like the scribbles and smudges of a child's drawing. This garden was Elizabeth's sanctuary and after so many years it was more of an extension of her personality than just an ordinary garden.
She worked in it now, as if it were the only place on Earth. Her eyes down and focused, a pensive frown was tightening her lips and the deep scores in the ground was evidence of her pent up ferocity. Only when a particularly bold robin hopped close to peck at the turned earth, did she lift her gaze. "Yesterday was nothing but disaster!" she said out loud, as if the robin was a bosom friend, who'd just arrived for tea. "A disaster!" she stabbed the ground with a particular harshness and the aghast robin fluttered to a nearby rose bush.
"James is sick again, thanks to that dreadful asthma attack," Elizabeth continued, apparently still speaking to the robin, even though she was looking back at the ground again. "Doctor Kymbol says he has a fever and his breathing is still weak as ever."
She fell silent, still frowning as she dug out weed after weed. Warily the robin hopped closer once again and soon its mate joined it, pulling at grass and leaves. They seemed to almost forget about the lady working beside them, until she suddenly let out an unexpected sob.
"Oh, why did I tell him! Why?" She threw down her spade the two robins fled back to the rosebush in alarm, "What have I done? What devil seized my tongue and caused me to tell that animal the truth about James!"
Visibly shaking, Elizabeth bit her lip and then buried her face in her gloves, ignoring the summer bugs buzzing around her and the robins, who decided it was best to abandon the scene and return to their nest in the oak above.
"My son… my son… my only son," she murmured, "What have I done…" Face pale and smudged with dirt, Elizabeth picked up her spade again, mechanically going back to work, once again oblivious to her surroundings.
Several minutes later she was still so lost in regret, she wasn't aware of Tom's approach, until his dark shadow fell thickly across her dirty gloves.
"Lizzy?"
"Tom!" Dropping her spade, she turn fearfully around, "What are you-"
"We need te talk," he said sternly and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet and behind the garden shed a few feet away.
"No. Tom," shaking off his grip, she jerked away, glaring at him. "I.. I can't talk to you. Just forget everything I said yesterday. It meant nothing." Hastily she tried to leave, but Tom's face had gone red and he grabbed her shoulder, shoving her roughly against the shed wall.
"Listen to me, Elizbeth! Yeh can keep on denying me, denying us," Tom's voice was forced and emotional and his eyes flashed, as he kept Elizabeth pinned to the shed, "But yeh can't deny me my own son! Yeh got no right!"
"I have every right!" screamed Elizabeth, suddenly loosing her temper and shoving his hands away with surprising strength, "What are you Tom! A drunken old mountain-man, living in a little'ol cabin, at my husband's good will. You are nothing! I owe you nothing!"
She started to march away, but with a furious roar, Tom grabbed her waist and threw her to the ground, lunging down on top of her and grabbing the collar of her blouse, like he wanted to strangle her. "Yeh ungrateful bitch!"
"Tom No! Please!"
His heavy hand slapped her hard on the face. "After all ah did fer you! Ah saved your life, Lizzy! We were everything! You were… EVERYTHING! Everything to me..." Tom's enraged voice faded into choked breaths and seeing tears streaming in Elizabeth's eyes, his rage dissolved away, like salt in the rain. His eyes stopped flashing and he looked at her, remembering their happy years so very long ago.
"Tom!" gasped Elizabeth softly, tears welling in her eyes and down her red cheek, "Please! I don't..." taking a shuttering breath, she turned her head away, trying not to look at him, even though her hand reached out to clasped his.
Tom looked away and then got up, helping her off the ground as well. "Listen Lizzy," he said in a dark, heavy tone, "Ah know yeh better than anyone, better than Howlett, probably even better than yeh even know yurself, so I'm making a decision. We're going away. The three of us. You, me and our boy."
"No Tom-"
"Ah said listen te me!" An angry growl was sinking back into his tone, fierce and determined. "Yeh know where the safe is in the manner. Tonight ah want yeh to pack a bag and fill it with the money kept in the safe. Then get the boy and meet me outside, by the garden gate."
Elizabeth was shaking her head, lips pressed tight together, fear making her bruised face turn pale. Tom shook her, stepping close, so that his stinking breath ruffled through the red ringlets on her forehead. "Lizzy don't yeh understand? With the money we can go away and make our own home. I'd build yeh a house, maybe not so fine as Howlett's, but it'd be real. Somewhere up in the mountains, where the eagles fly and all the flowers grow wild and free. We'd be a real family Lizzy! Don't Yeh see? A Family! Just like we were always meant te be."
Elizabeth bit her lip, shaking her head and trying not to look at him, "Tom," she sobbed, "I can't. It's impossible. Our old dreams have been dead a long, long time." Pushing him away, she struggled free and made to leave for the manner.
"Elizabeth!" Tom shouted after her, "If you and my son aren't there te meet me, then I'm coming in to get yeh. Did you hear me, Girl! I'm coming to get yeh!"
Elizabeth paused then, grabbing up her skirts, she ran the rest of the way to the mansion, her face pale and her breath fast and frantic in her chest.
AN: Please Review! :)