InsaneJournal

Tweak says, ""Why utah?""

tom mcnair (tommcnair) wrote in hellascenes,
@ 2013-09-28 02:58:00

Entry tags:

!20 pts, hal yorke, tom mcnair

Who: Tom McNair & Hal Yorke
What: Hell, with added bickering
Where: Exploring LA
When: Friday Evening
Rating: Low
Status: Closed/Ongoing

It took Tom all of ten seconds after opening his eyes to roll out of the bed he'd woken up in and crouch beside it, stake in hand, ready for attack. Instead of Hatch and his hordes of minions he was greeted by snoring. He scowled, a little disappointed, though he wouldn't want anyone else to know that. It'd been a while since he'd had a decent scrap - not since he and Hal'd gone for it in the bar - and even then he hadn't actually got to kill anything. It was a bit of an anticlimax after all the rituals and talk of fighting The Devil.

With a sudden uncertainty Tom realised that it really wouldn't do to be caught in here, watching some strange girl in bed. Let alone if she ever found out that he'd been in there with them! Slowly, and with utmost care, he backed out of the room and out of the small flat, shutting the door behind him as quietly as he was able. It was only then he really got to look at the place he'd woken up in. "This makes no sense," he muttered to himself, as he starred at the world around him. Tom didn't know much about the world, but he'd seen bits of it on the telly, and this was scarily familiar - and also American. "Why would Hatch think this would tempt me?" he wondered, as he began to walk. It was like being in another world! one where the ladies spent a lot of time inappropriately dressed, for a start, though he had the good sense not to tell them that! He did avert his eyes though, cause it wouldn't do to stare, even if they didn't seem to mind it.

He was about to ask for directions to the nearest tourist information centre when a familiar scent caused his nostrils to flare. "Hal?" Tom stood for a long minute trying to sort the stench of stale hot dogs from the...other...smells that hung in the grimy air, and tried to work out where the vampire had come from and, more importantly, where he had ended up! The last thing he wanted was another confrontation with his former best friend but he couldn't risk the lives of all these nice ladies either, even if they didn't have the sense to put a coat on. Tom was on Hal's tracks and running, ignoring the shouts and comments from passers by as he barrelled through their ranks. He turned a corner and a familiar figure stood a few feet ahead. Tom came to an abrupt stop and called out, "stop right there, Hal. I don't know where exactly we are, or why we're here, but I wouldn't let you go rampaging around the streets here any more than back home. You're not rampaging are you? Cause we have to find Alex, and stop Hatch and save the world!" He took a breath and shrugged, "and there isn't time for none of that rampaging nonsense."

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tommcnair
2013-09-29 07:49 pm UTC (link)

Well that was a relief, of sorts, though Tom still didn't know whether he should trust Hal or not. "Why would I think that? Well, let me see," he looked as though he were thinking deeply and then fixed his friend with a cold stare. "Oh, I remember, it's because you're back on the blood! Don't try and con me with your pretty words, Hal, I saw everything you did to me and Alex, and if Hatch hadn't popped up when he did who knows what you might have done next!" It hurt too much to think about that so when the vampire brought up the woman it shifted Tom's attention to something less painful. "It wasn't like that! She was just...there!" he told his friend. "I don't think she knew I was there, seeing as how I snuck out as soon as I woke up. It's not right, this place putting a lady in bed with a total stranger!" There was a lot more about it that wasn't right, but it was fairly high up on Tom's current list of priorities.

It took a minute for him to work out what Hal was telling him. Could he really remember nothing after the food fight? How was that even possible? He seemed sincere, but then he'd managed to lie and pull the wool over their eyes for a long time before the other side of him took over. Tom didn't like that Hal, and his brows knitted in hurt and confusion as he thought back to him. This did seem like his mate, though, even if he did look like he could have been rampaging. "Why shouldn't we end up there, eh? I mean it has to be better than this place, doesn't it?" and it'd be nice to get on a ride and not have to think about saving the world for a few minutes.

"I don't get it Hal! You were bad, and kept being really nasty to me," he told him with his arms spread. "How am I supposed to believe that you've suddenly rewound and stopped drinking the blood, and gone back to being my mate again? It's not easy to believe, though I'm sort of trying to." More because Tom wanted to believe it could be true. Alex would know which one he really was, but she wasn't here. "You told us how to trap Hatch! The three of us. The blood of a vampire and a werewolf, drunk by a ghost, would put him back where he came from, you said. How would I know that unless you'd told it me?"

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yorkehal
2013-09-29 09:04 pm UTC (link)

“I am not back on the blood! How many times will I have to repeat myself before the words sink into that thick head of yours?” He still didn’t get why Tom kept saying that he had done all of these things, because he hadn’t! He wasn’t back on the blood and he hadn’t done anything to Alex or Tom. Well, except throw stuff at Tom back at the hotel, but that was nothing like what Tom was saying. “What do I have to do to convince you?” He might do just about anything if it would get Tom to stop thinking that he was him. “Uh huh,” he said, smirk still on his face. He believed Tom, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease Tom about waking up next to some strange woman. “I don’t think this place cares much about what is right and what is wrong.” Or else they wouldn’t be there.

“I wouldn’t want to end up there.” Disneyland didn’t sound like something he would really be into. Just because Tom was a big kid, didn’t mean that Hal was. “Being home would be better than this place.”

Well, Tom was definitely not the only one who didn’t get it. Hal didn’t understand any of this. “Isn’t it obvious?” If he were seriously bad, Tom wouldn’t be standing there right now, chatting. He’d be fighting for his life. And yet, Hal just stood there and carried on with the conversation. That should have been enough proof that he hadn’t let the other side of him take over. “As crazy as it this may sound…maybe we’re from different points in our lives.” They had been taken by unseen forces, this idea didn’t seem that crazy, did it?

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tommcnair
2013-09-29 09:21 pm UTC (link)

Hal seemed genuinely upset at the idea of him drinking blood. That was a good thing, in Tom's eyes, though he wasn't going to admit it right away in case he was being lulled into a false sense of security. He didn't want to believe that that was true, though, cause he'd missed having his best mate beside him, even if they did bicker and throw jam at each other sometimes. The question really was a hard one, particularly when he didn't know why or how they'd been brought here. "I'm not sure you can do or say anything," he answered honestly, "just be you. Without the blood, I mean. And not drink any, obviously, cause it would be really bad if you were clean again and then I had to stake you." Alex would be pleased, though, if he was clean. Maybe it could be like when they were in Paris, and Alison might come here too. That would be better than Disneyland any day of the week! "I think you're right," Tom answered sadly, "though it's made sure we're here together, so maybe Alison and Alex'll show up too," he said hopefully.

"Now you mention it, you probably should stay away from Disneyland. There's far too many people to eat there, and you aren't that good at controlling yourself," Tom replied. Then, more wistfully, "and we could be watching Antiques Roadshow on the sofa. You and Alex could fight about the age of things, and I could eat popcorn," he said with a smile. "Home would be much better."

After all they'd been through back at home, and now this strange version of America, Tom gave a fair amount of thought to Hal's proposition. "I don't feel like I'm from the future," he said with a shake of his head, "but I don't suppose I would, would I? Only... what if that just means you'll be drinking blood again in a week or so? Cause you were, you know. You messed Alex around good and proper too. Made her fall for you, though I suppose that was only after the fight." He shook his head, "you don't seem like you're bad. If you're really my mate, don't you dare drink the blood, and don't you dare mess Alex around. She's nice, is Alex, and she didn't like having to plot to kill you."

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yorkehal
2013-09-30 07:24 pm UTC (link)

Hal didn’t really think there would be a specific thing he could say or do that would change Tom’s mind, but he could do exactly what Tom just suggested. He could be himself, which was what he was doing. Whatever was going on, he knew it wouldn’t just go away. He knew it would take time for Tom to trust him, even though he hadn’t done anything or at least not yet. “There will be no staking. You don’t need to worry. I am not going to do anything that would require that action.” He took a step forward, waiting to see if Tom would whip out his stakes again. “Maybe.” Or maybe they were the only lucky ones that got to deal with all of this.

“I am doing perfectly fine right now, aren’t I?” There were people around them now, not as much as there would be at a theme park, but still they were all potential victims. That is, if he actually went back on the blood. But, he wasn’t back on it. “I agree.”

Okay, Tom had a point. Even thought they were there, he could still give into the bloodlust and whatever happened at home could happen here. No, he didn’t want to think like that. He wasn’t going to give in. “Or maybe I won’t.” He also didn’t want to hear how he screwed up with Alex either. “Which fight?” He didn’t want to assume something and be wrong about it. “Tom, I am not going to drink any blood and I am not going to hurt Alex…if she’s even here.” As far as they knew they were the only two in this place. “Shall we go look around now or do you want to keep standing here?” They might as well get the lay of the land, especially if they were going to be stuck there for a while.

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tommcnair
2013-09-30 09:02 pm UTC (link)

At Hal's declaration Tom had the manners to look a bit sheepish, "sorry mate. Just got a bit used to thinking I was gonna have to stake you, is all. If you stay clean, then they'll be no need." He found that he was starting to smile, because it really did seem like things were going to be okay, though he wasn't sure they were out of the woods quite yet. When Hal agreed that Alison and Alex might arrive his grin was complete. "You really think they might, do you? Hey, it'd be great, that! All of us together again, and with you and Alex all loved up... you do know you and Alex are loved up, don't you?" he asked, suddenly worried. "You don't even remember Paris, do you? What if Alex doesn't remember it either? Would that mean that you two don't... you know..." Tom returned to looking shifty, and as if he wanted to escape the thoughts going on in his head.

"Well," he studied him carefully. "Now that you mention it, you're looking alright. In control and all that, though I can't say whether it's the change in scenery or the lack of blood." Tom was almost unable to lie, particularly to Hal, who knew him better than anyone, and he figured he might as well set the record straight. "You're doing fine, Hal. Honest you are, but you have to tell me if that changes, alright? That way it won't get to the staking stage, which we agree we both would rather avoid."

He could see he'd given his friend something to think about, though Tom could only hope Hal was right in his assessment. "Well..." he didn't like to think about all the things that had happened in their recent past, it was still raw and painful, but it needed to be said. "...there were a lot of fights, towards the end, but mostly it was the stuff about not trusting Alex enough to tell her you were struggling with the blood stuff. Made her loose her rag a bit," which was putting it mildly. "Then there was you drinking from my girlfriend, though you didn't actually kill her like we all thought it was a pretty nasty thing to do, though we know now that Rook set us all up with that one," which was a shame, because she'd been lovely. Tom had liked her a lot - though not as much as Allison. She was really special.

"Right then. Sounds like a deal. No blood, no hurting people, especially not Alex," Tom put out his hand to Hal to shake on the agreement. "I'm up for some exploring, though I'm not sure I want to see too much of this town. I already had to walk down a street with my eyes mostly closed cause there were so many ladies in almost-no-clothes walking around." Tom gave a frown of concern, "it's not right, that. Girls dressing all skimpy like that. What would their mums think?"

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yorkehal
2013-10-01 06:01 am UTC (link)

“Can we move on then?” He would like nothing more than to ignore the fact that he was apparently bad and Tom didn’t trust him anymore. It wasn’t a good feeling and he didn’t want to keep on thinking about it. “Why not? We’ve been pulled here. I don’t see why Alex, Allison, or anyone else that we know can’t just show up as well.” He wasn’t exactly sure it would be that great. Was this even great for them? No, not really. There was no real reason as to why they were even there. Did the others need to tortured by this place too? He shook his head at Tom’s question. “I don’t know anything about Paris. Why would we need to be in Paris?” He was a bit confused on why they would leave Barry. “How about we worry about other things. Like, why are we here and how do we get home?”

He could see it, that little hint of uncertainty. But, he will take what he could get. At least Tom wasn’t pulling his stakes out again. “Yeah, alright, I will let you know.” Not that he really thought he would need to tell Tom of any such thing. He was fine. He did not feel the need to drink blood again.

It really was hard to hear things that happened and him not knowing anything about it. It felt wrong. It also made him wonder if this place had taken him when it did so that everything that Tom mentioned wouldn’t happen…again. He didn’t want those things to happen. He quickly looked up when Tom said Rook’s name. “What did Rook have to gain from making it look like I killed some girl that you fancied?” It didn’t make sense. Then again a lot of things didn’t make sense right now.

He looked at Tom’s hand for a moment before he grabbed a hold of it and shook it. This was definitely a step in the right direction. “I wouldn’t look behind you then…” he said, cracking a smile. Telling Tom not to do something usually meant he was going to do it, like a child. “I think they would be a bit heartbroken. I also think you were born in the wrong century.” He turned and started walking down the sidewalk, glancing back to make sure that Tom was following. “Come on, I’ll warn you if I see a scantly clad woman coming our way.”

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tommcnair
2013-10-01 09:25 pm UTC (link)

Tom shrugged, deciding that, for now, at least he'd drop thoughts of staking Hal. For a start, there were enough things they seemed to need to talk about before they got to that stage! Instead he thought how nice it would be for Alison and Alex to arrive, and it put a smile firmly back on his face. Right up until Hal said he didn't remember Paris. "Well, that was when we were human, wasn't it? After we'd defeated Hatch, and after we all woke up. You took Alex and me to Paris, to show me a bit of the world and to give me a proper dinner and the like, and to show Alex... how you liked her." Tom felt his cheeks flush. "Only it was all lies, weren't it? We never were human, and we never did defeat Hatch. He tricked us, and that's when we realised and had to start fighting again." He gave a kick at the carpet, "and that's when I got here. None of it were true, which is a shame cause it was a good place, and we had a nice time."

After everything that happened the first time Tom really hoped Hal had learned that keeping things to himself wasn't a good idea. He didn't have much choice but to trust him (though he'd be keeping a good eye on him, just in case, cause he wasn't stupid, however much other people might think that he was!). "See that you do," he said with a nod, taking it no further for now.

Tom thought about it long and hard, and he wasn't sure he had the answers Hal was looking for, but he gave it a try all the same. "Well the girl, Natasha, was kind of Rook's... what's that old fashioned word for not-a-daughter. The one they always use in those costume dramas on the telly?" he asked his friend with a puzzled frown. "Well she was one of them, sort of, and he sent her to Barry to make us fight," though they'd been doing a good job of that even before she'd shown up. "It's that whole thing about a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf, see. He figured that he could help Hatch, by getting us lot out of the way, if only he could split us apart. He nearly did it too," which was the part that made Tom more sad than any other. "I think she came on to you, but then Rook killed her and made it look like you'd done it, and we all thought you had cause of how you were bad and all. But Natasha's ghost told Alex the truth, but it were too late by then, and you'd already started killing again." Tom gave Hal a poke in the shoulder, "which is why you need to tell us what's going on, cause of how it's important we know!" He said 'we', but he didn't even know if Alex was here. He hoped so, cause she was better at talking to Hal than he was.

He stood to attention at Hal's words, and starred straight ahead. "I ain't looking, Hal. Don't even think of making me!" Tom grabbed hold of Hal's arm, just in case he had to close his eyes in a hurry. "They would an'all," he agreed wholeheartedly, "and their fathers would probably lock them in their rooms and never let them out of the house again! At least, that's what mine would have done," Tom knew McNair wasn't the best judge of such things, but it didn't stop him thinking he was right about this! "How can you think nothing of it, when you was born in the wrong century too?" he asked his friend curiously, cause Hal never did seem to mind the skimpy girls. He hurried to keep up, and nodded eagrely, "you do that. I don't want my eyes scarring with unnecessary flesh. I'll look at my wife, when we're married, but I don't want to see no other ladies. That would be disrespectful!"

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