Chapter 1 - Last Minute Plans.
A/N: I'm aware that I haven't finished All Grown Up Season 6 or An American in London, but I'd like to clarify why. This story was my first idea when I first started writing fan fiction, and I started it in 2021.
I've since decided to finish it, and I'm very proud of it because it was the most enjoyable to work on and allowed me to fully utilise my creative processes. An American in London, the prequel to this narrative, will go into more detail about some of the characters' pasts and origins. Along the way, there will be many chapters, so relax with a tasty beverage and take it all in. - GatorMan21
Introduction
Thomas Malcom Pickles made the courageous decision to move abroad to the United Kingdom in London, England, at the young age of 18, after accepting a scholarship to study at the highly regarded London Film School, becoming the first American to do so. It was the rare time they were offering an international scholarship, and he had to compete against stiff competition for a place, but he was able to secure it thanks to his impressive portfolio he had accumulated during his school years.
As soon as he arrived, Tommy had no trouble finding new friends. He quickly developed tight bonds with fellow students Hassan Mahmood, Jasmine Watts, Danny Evans, and most importantly, his best friend Kian Ogogo. They would also occasionally hang out with fellow Londoners Smedley and Hedley, who would join them in their activities and whom they considered friends.
Together, they pursued their studies, shared a home, and relished the carefree bohemian lifestyle that young adults enjoy.
The group would frequently get together for special occasions or just a catch up in London or Birmingham after Hassan and Jasmine returned to their hometowns of Yorkshire and Birmingham, respectively, in 2011. In the following years, the in-person meet ups would dwindle down to phone calls, texts, or just video calls but the close contact would still be intact and the friendship group was still as close as it ever was.
Together with Danny, Kian made the decision to stay in London, moving to the ritzier West End. He was Tommy's best man at his wedding.
With the encouragement of his parents and after settling in the United Kingdom, Tommy made the decision to make England his new home. To solidify his decision, he applied for British citizenship and now holds dual citizenship with the United States of America, allowing him to travel on both a British and an American passport.
After some time spent in his adopted country, his natural Californian accent would eventually shift into a North London accent after spending a lot of time in that area of London.
In spite of Danny's initial dismay as the mellow dramatic overly protective younger brother, Tommy would find new love and marry his soul mate and late wife, North-East London native Gillian Pickles (formerly Gillian Evans). The Evans family welcomed Tommy with open arms after his long-term girlfriend in America broke up with him.
After earning her nursing degree, Gillian found work fast and quickly moved up the career ladder. Together with Tommy's income from his films and his side job as a lecturer at the London Film School—he was known for being the school's youngest lecturer at the young age of 22—along with the salary she earned, they were able to live comfortably.
After the young couple got settled, they relocated to the inner London borough of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where they would make their home. They saved up enough money for a down payment on a lovely house using money Tommy had locked away from investments, money for which he had sold the rights of his cartoon to Paul Gatsby.
Nevertheless, on the advice of his Uncle Drew, he invested his money in a venture that surprisingly produced a respectable return. Meanwhile, his father, Stu, received a commission that resulted in a sizable pay day, and he gifted his earnings to help the them put a down a deposit for their house.
Life was perfect, and when their daughter, whom they both named Tammy, was born not long after their young marriage at the age of 23, Tommy and Gillian chose Kian and Jasmine as godparents, whom they both adore as if she were their own.
They were both excellent parents who showered Tammy with affection and attention. despite the fact that they both had full-time jobs, Tommy made a point of spending a lot of time with Tammy. She would accompany Tommy on set while her father directed the action from his chair, and she would be mesmerised by the bright lights and moving sets as she watched.
Since his brief trip back to the United States during his first year of London Film School to attend Dil's wedding, he hasn't seen any of the friends that made up his old friend circle, with the exception of Dil's wife Allie and his nephews Leo and Louis Jr.
Over the years, his parents Stu and Didi and the rest of his immediate family visited him and his family frequently, maintaining a natural closeness with them.
Even though he has only achieved modest success thus far, having won numerous independent film awards, he has yet to win a British Film Award.
His ambition and determination to succeed in the British film industry remain unwavering. He has been nominated for the award several times, which has dashed his hopes of finally getting rid of the 'proverbial monkey' on his back.
Nevertheless, his front room in his home has many trophies from independent film awards and other film memorabilia, but they don't overshadow the many pictures and mementos he has of him and his daughter because he always put Tammy and Gillian first before anyone else or his line of work. A real example of the outstanding character he possesses.
Aside from his films and biographical information about Tommy, he has a fan base who follows his work online. He doesn't participate in social media, preferring to keep a low profile away from the public eye.
He is fairly well known in London, though not quite to the extent where he is pursued by paparazzi at every turn whenever he steps outside of his door.
However, Tommy isn't above taking the odd selfie with a fan who knows a lot about him and happens to see him in a coffee shop just by chance.
Keeping his personal life under wraps because he wants his daughter Tammy to have as normal a life as possible. Overall, he does it not for the fame or glitter, but for the love and passion he has had since he was a child.
Life was good until tragedy struck six months earlier. As Gillian was returning from work, a careless driver slammed into her at a high rate of speed, pushing her into the hard shoulder. The driver and his passengers both died instantly as a result of the collision.
As a result, Gillian suffered severe injuries and was taken urgently to the hospital. Shortly after arriving, the doctor informed Tommy that it was unlikely Gillian would survive the evening. The Evans and Kian were able to say their final goodbyes, and Tommy and Tammy were by her side until she passed away...
Their entire world turned upside down, leaving Tommy a widower and young Tammy without a mother... but Gillian's devotion gave Tommy the strength to carry on and raise Tammy by himself now...
End of Introduction
Song - Patience By Take That
It's a wet day in London, and the pitter patter of the rain grows heavier by the second. Outside his little daughter's primary school, Tommy is waiting in his SUV while keeping an eye on the seconds ticking away on his wristwatch.
He debates whether to enter the school grounds five minutes early to escape the impending crush of parents picking up their children, but ultimately decides to take a chance and gets his umbrella from his side of the drivers seat.
Pushing up his umbrella against the heavy downpour, he exits his car. When compared to the hotter heat of his native California, Tommy has grown accustomed to the normality of the British climate.
Tommy asked in the third person, "When will we get a moment of sunshine, just for one meek minute would be quite nice!" as his unberlla struggled to remain upright in the rain.
Increasingly louder stamping sounds made by school children wanting to escape can be heard.
Tammy, Tommy's seven-year-old daughter, shares her father's purple hair. intelligent, well-rounded, and inquisitive. She's her father's spitting image, a daddy's girl who has his tenacity and creative flair.
As the stampede of children and rushing parents clears the school grounds, Tommy is waiting on the pavement right outside the school gate.
She immediately recognises her father waiting. Tammy calls out, "Dad!" and rushes over to Tommy to give him an warm hug.
Tommy hugged her back and said, "Since it's pouring outside, let's get in the car as soon as possible so you can tell me about school."
He was always happy to see his adored daughter, even eight hours apart from her would cause him some small separation anxiety.
As they rush to the car, he covers Tammy with his umbrella. Before opening the front passenger door to let Tammy inside, Tommy grabs her school bag and places it in the boot of his vehicle.
Tommy, who is drenched from the rain, immediately climbs into the driver's seat after removing his coat and tossing it in the backseat. He turns on the heater at full blast after noticing that she is cold, warming them both with the heated seats.
Tommy took a brief peek to make sure it was clear for him to pull out, and then asked Tammy how school was while he was driving, "How was school today, sweetheart?".
Tammy replied, resting her elbow on the arm rest and turning to face her father, "School was fantastic Dad"
"What did you do today, then?" said Tommy
Tammy explained, "Well, we did arts and crafts, and this week I got top of the class award for working really, really hard."
"Tammy, that's amazing! Tommy looks at her swiftly and smiles, then immediately turns his gaze back to the road, saying, "Your carrying over the awesomeness that makes the Pickles!"
The name and phone number of Russell Southgate, a producer with whom he has previously worked closely, are displayed on his navigation screen. He quickly touches the device to turn on the loudspeaker, assuming it is crucial.
"Hello, Russell. "What can I do for you?" said Tommy
Russell adds, snippily, "We need to see you in the office right away!"
"But couldn't we arrange to meet another day since I'm currently with my daughter?" Tommy pleaded.
"No! You need to come right away, Russell remarked.
Being forced to comply, Tommy responds, "Okay, OK. I'll be there shortly after dropping off my daughter"
Russell eurtply cuts the call off.
Tommy turned to Tammy and remarked, "Pumpkin Pie, looks like I've got a last-minute meeting," keeping his eyes on the busy road.
Tammy replied, "Dad, we were supposed to go to the cinema tonight," with a disappointed expression on her face that was very understandable.
Tommy struggled as a single parent and felt horrible inside, but he had little choice but to comply with Russel's request or risk missing out on a sizable payday that he needed to put towards his mortgage.
Even the money from Gillians life insurance policy, which he used as an extra payment for the mortgage but the remaining balance was still a sizable amount, could not be sustainable now that Tommy is just surviving on a day-to-day basis.
As London real estate prices skyrocketed, Tommy would not be able to afford even a tiny two bedroom flat, even if he sold up and downsized. Being caught between a rock and a hard place, he was unsure about how he would manage to keep his house given that he barely made enough to cover the mortgage.
Tommy calls his brother-in-law Danny, a detective constable also known as Detective Constable (DC) Daniel Evans in his official capacity.
He was a bit of a clown, a loose canoon who got up to all sorts of illegal activities. After demonstrating promise in his plumbing apprenticeship, when attendance at college was only required once a week, he dropped out.
Danny chose the wrong path, built up a terrible criminal record, and committed offences like possessing class A drugs, drug dealing, petty theft, and more. Despite all of these mistakes, he never killed or injured anyone.
But one faithful day, the most unlikely thing happened: Danny's file, which contained his criminal record, was accidentally destroyed when a police officer was instructed to destroy receipts for coffee and donuts. This effectively cleared the slate and gave Danny the motivation to make a change in his life.
Danny applied for a job with the police and was accepted since, although many would argue otherwise, he technically no longer had any convictions, they had to abide by their hiring policy because he matched the requirements.
"You alright, Tom," Danny replied, picking up his phone off the kitchen table as he sat down, shirt unbuttoned since he had just returned home from work.
Tommy asked, "I know this is a last-minute request, but could I drop Tammy off at yours? I've been called with a last-minute meeting with my producer,"
As he bit into a packet of crisps, Danny replied, "That's fine, I just finished my early shift, bring her over."
In a sweet voice, Tammy leaned a little bit closer to the satnav as if speaking into a speaker and said, "Hey, Uncle Danny."
"Hello Tamz, you alright, love?" Danny asked as she grinned upon hearing his niece's voice.
Tammy was really proud of her excellent work at school and didn't think twice to tell her Uncle, "Great, Uncle Danny! This week, I am in the top of my class!"
"Wow, Tammy! That is incredible!" When you come over, I'll take us out for a burger and chips yeah," Danny remarked.
Tammy joked, "With extra pickles?" Tommy grinned, realising her intended pun.
Danny grinned and replied, "Sure, whatever you want, yeah."
As Tommy enters rush hour, the traffic becomes more congested.
"Danny mate, I'll hang up as the traffic is getting a little crazy," he said, "but I'll see you in a bit."
Danny finished the phone call by saying, "Okay Tommy mate, see you both soon, bye for now."
As soon as they arrive and pull up to Danny's townhouse, Tommy takes out the umbrella and covers Tammy as they proceed up the stairs. Danny hears them both coming up and gives his niece a cuddle.
Tommy muttered, "I don't know how long this meeting is going to take Danny" as Tammy shuffled by Danny through the door and the rain socked him once more.
With one arm holding the door open, Danny reassured him, "Don't worry about it, I'm always happy to have her over."
"Thank you so much, mate!" added Tommy.
"You had better leave now or you'll be late for your meeting!" said Danny.
Tommy walks back down the steps as the rain falls like a water feature, returning to his car.
Waving goodbye to Tammy and Danny, he makes his way to the office, where he has a horrible feeling this meeting would not bring good news...
End of Chapter 1