Who: Izzy and Tom Where: Izzy’s workshop What: Reunion When: 27 October, immediately after this Rating: TBD Open: No Status: G-doc, complete.
Trouble snored softly in his doggy bed as Izzy worked on her latest project in her workshop, oblivious to the racket his human was making. The tech witch had her welding gear on and was working on the outer shell of another project, this time one more for ornamental purposes than anything functional like her glider or the energy readers. Things had been so dark lately she just wanted to make something beautiful.
It also had the welcome side effect of keeping her hidden away in her workshop rather than running into a certain resident of the island who’d practically returned from the dead. Izzy was relieved Tom had been found alive and relatively unharmed, and she would never wish him ill, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to see him again after he’d been so rotten to her before his disappearance.
So after letting the girls know he’d been found alive, Izzy went to her workshop to hide.
***
Tom was slowly working through his list: reassuring Jake, showering, trying to find Izzy, Sookie’s, food, trying to find Izzy some more and actually finding Izzy. The moment Tom laid eyes on her, he could feel his body change - his whole autonomic system started a party. It was nearly three months and she still could do this to him.
“Hey,” he said softly, stepping into her shop. Tom found himself unable to take his eyes off her or not follow her every movement. She wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh or only hear her voice. A month away from her was far too much. He vaguely remembered things not being right but he couldn’t pinpoint what. But he doubted that mattered now. How could it?
***
His voice hadn’t been loud enough to be heard by Izzy over the hiss of the welding torch right in front of her, but Trouble noticed the new human in the building and climbed out of his bed to go investigate the new arrival, tail wagging. Maybe he’d have treats or want to play!
Meanwhile Izzy continued working on her project, oblivious to the presence of her visitor.
***
“Hey you,” Tom said softly, surprised to find a dog in Izzy’s workshop. He hadn’t known she was a dog person and he could barely remember her reaction to his own. Shit, he hoped someone had looked after Yuey. He hadn’t seen her at the apartment. But the dog who might have gotten more attention at another time was quickly forgotten. “Izzy?” he called out louder, stepping closer to his girlfriend.
***
Izzy heard her name and moved to shut off the welder. Fortunately it worked on tech-magic so she didn’t need bulky tanks of Oxygen and Acetylene, but if left idle the device could still cause damage or injury and needed to be treated with respect. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” she called out before lifting her face shield to see who it was. “Can I hel-”
The words came to an abrupt halt when she caught sight of her possibly ex-boyfriend standing there in her workshop, her dog angling for attention from him. “C’mere Trouble.” Izzy called to the half grown pup, who quickly retreated from the new human and moved to his mistress’s side. She scratched his ears without taking her eyes off Tom, her emotions a jumble.
What did she feel about him? Before his sudden personality change toward her Izzy would have said she was falling in love with him, if not in love. But he had acted like a thoughtless jerk before he disappeared and she hadn’t forgotten that.
“Hey.”
***
This wasn't what he had expected and he had had around a month to build up a decent expectation. Tom swallowed at the lack of warmth. His hurt and disappointment was very clear. He didn't bother to hide it. "Okay, what's wrong?" He asked. This sounded too much like a break-up. Had she met someone else or just decided that he was a waste of time? He had been dazzled about their relationship. When Sarah and Rachel had shown up, he hadn't been able to believe it at first. Them staying together for that long. No, he hasn't seen it. But he had taken a comfortable in the idea over a while.
***
"What's wrong?" Izzy repeated incredulously, "Seriously? You're going to pull the 'I don't remember' routine? You may not but I sure as hell do. First you act like an ass, being the jealous boyfriend and then belittling me every chance you got, then you go off without telling anyone and get trapped in a damn subway tunnel for a month." The last bit wasn't exactly his fault but Izzy had worried sick over him anyway, despite her confusion about what their relationship was. "If you think you can come in and start doing that again you're delusional."
She knelt down and scratched the dog a little more vigorously to hide her own hurt and confusion.
***
Izzy’s words left Tom completely riddled. The accusations hurt and what more, they confused him. Belittling her? Jealous? The second one was easier to believe. But he couldn't pinpoint it to a situation. When had he been jealous?
”I don't know, Izzy. I seriously don't know what you are talking. If I ever hurt you, then I'm sorry. I - I don't want that. But I really don't remember. The time before this is very fuzzy in my head. I don't know." And he didn't. But the bad part was that he did not remember so much at all. Maybe it had happened? Why would she accuse him of it? But it doesn't sound like him. He wouldn't be the kind of boyfriend Izzy had just described.
***
Izzy wasn’t prepared to take his words at face value, but before his personality change she thought she’d been able to read him pretty well. He acted like he thought he was telling the truth. “All right. What’s the last thing you do remember clearly about you and me?” If he tried to give some sanitized version of one of their fights before he disappeared she would go absolutely ballistic on him.
***
Okay, this was good, wasn't it? This was a chance to sort out this mess, whatever this mess was. "Err... I remember Spain, yeah?" Which was far off. "I remember the kids showing up. I remember you freaking out about it. I know that Rach vanished and came back. I remember reading pie with you at Sookie’s. Err... I remember that we wanted to go to a picnic at the beach.“ And there was the hole. A deep frown settled on his face. "I remember coming home. Jake was having physio." Tom shook his head as panic started to rise. “I don't remember anything happening between that. Did-" he blinked, trying to calm himself. "-uhm, did that picnic happen?"
***
“The picnic happened.” Izzy confirmed. “That’s when you started your jerk routine.” She wanted to stay mad at him. Between his personality change and disappearance she deserved to stay angry with him, but Izzy found she couldn’t hold on to the anger. It didn’t mean she’d forget about what happened, and trust would be a while coming back, but she couldn’t stay angry with him.
“I’m glad you’re ok. The girls were worried. I was worried.” I missed you. She couldn’t quite say the last part, but she finished scratching Trouble and stood up, letting her hands go in her pockets to avoid fidgeting.
***
Tom swallowed. This wasn't right. A part of his life was missing. That wasn't right. Where had those memories gone to? He couldn't be happy about her expression of worry. He barely noticed it. "What else did I miss? What else happened? I remember that time. I just don't remember us."
***
“You mean on the island?” Tom was doing a good job of making her think the island was responsible for the change in his behavior, but that still didn’t make her any more inclined to forget it ever happened. If only they could both get off the damn island for good...
“I’m not sure where you’re going with this Tom.”
***
Tom stood there helplessly. He opened his mouth, shut it again and shrugged. "I don't know. You are telling me that I have not been behaving like myself. And the memories of it are just not there. It's like we haven't met for a few weeks. Before you know. I just-" he shrugged "-I don't know. " His voice broke a bit. He felt like an alien to himself.
***
“We haven’t met for a few weeks,” Izzy pointed out, more confused now than she had been a minute ago. “You’ve been stuck in that tunnel for over a month.” And he’d made himself unwelcome before that with his attitude problem, but she bit her tongue to avoid making the situation worse than it already was.
***
“No, Izzy, before. Before the whole tunnel thing. It makes it nearly two months,” he mumbled. But it didn’t feel like it. He hadn’t even noticed it and that was even scarier.
***
Izzy found herself drifting closer to where he stood. He just looked so upset that she couldn't help herself. Deep down she still cared about him, even if she was worried about getting hurt again. "It'll be all right, Tom. There are times when I truly hate this island." Even though they wouldn't have met otherwise.
***
Tom bit his lips and nodded. He hated this. All this magic. All the rules you could rely on at home, they just didn't exist anymore. But whining didn't get you anywhere. He had to take a deep breath and make the best of it. Somehow overcome this. "You know that I would never intentionally be mean to you, yeah?" The moment he said that he realised his mistake. No, she didn't. She had believed that it had truly been him and that hurt, no matter how irrational the hurt was. She didn't know him that well. They had only met a few months ago - and twoof them were just gone. But he wanted her to see the best in him. To believe him to be the best. "Okay, I'll go to Sookie. Maybe she can help me."
***
Izzy reared back as if she’d been slapped. Sookie, again! He doesn’t mean it like that Izzy, she reminded herself, but it was a struggle not to immediately throw him out on his ass for that comment.
“If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you.” Even though her expression told a different story. He had to make the decision what he wanted, she wasn’t going to beg him to stick around.
***
Tom noticed the sudden change in Izzy. What was wrong? He checked his words and memories. Words: harmless. Memories: intact. “ Huh? Have I said something wrong?"
***
"You don't remember it but you constantly were comparing me to Sookie in an argument and praising her to the skies." Izzy's tone was matter of fact. He'd asked and she'd given an honest answer. "If I hadn't trusted Sookie as a friend I probably would have thrown you out right then." Her feelings on the subject were still a bit raw, especially since Tom had only just come back.
***
"Oh," Tom mumbled and swallowed. No, he did not remember that. He liked Sookie. He liked her a lot. But he liked Izzy a lot more. His heart didn't start pounding like crazy when he was near Sookie. No. That was only Izzy's doing. "I just thought that her telepathic abilities might be of help. If something's wrong with your head, go to the person who can poke around in it."
***
***
"Telepathic abilities?" That was news to Izzy. She'd known there was something different about her friend but she hadn't suspected telepathy.
"I..I guess that makes sense."
***
"Oh," Tom scolded himself. Why had he been so sure that Izzy knew? Damn. That was Sookie’s secret to give away, not his. “ Err, yeah. I thought you knew. She doesn't really like telling people. She just wants to be treated like everyone else." There was a pleading undertone in his voice. He didn't want Izzy to think any different of their mutual friend. "If you want, we can go to her together. You can probably explain it better than me." And it might help to chase away the rest of her doubts.
***
"Her secret is safe with me," Izzy assured him, relaxing a bit now that she understood what he meant. It hurt a bit that Sookie had confided in Tom and not her, but that was something she'd deal with on her own later. "I understand about not wanting to be treated differently."
She fidgeted a bit. "If you think I can help, then sure, I'll go with you."
***
He smiled softly at her and nodded. “Thanks. Uhm, would it be okay, if we go now?” he asked. He wanted to get it over with. He needed to know what’s going on.
***
Izzy hesitated for a heartbeat, then forced the feelings of anxiety to the back of her mind. If they were going to make a fresh start then she needed to be confident that he was telling the truth just now, and if Sookie could confirm that then she wanted to find out as soon as possible.
She nodded and made herself smile back. “Sure. I don’t have anything time critical going on in here anyway. C’mon Trouble.” She called to her dog. “Let’s go for a walk.”
***
“So, uh, where do you have the dog from?” Tom asked as he left Izzy’s workshop. It seemed like an easy enough topic. Something that felt normal to have. He could do with some normality.
***
“New York actually,” Izzy smiled as the dog ran around them, happy to be with his human and his human’s friend. “Richie Stark and I were helping with the rescue effort and almost killed ourselves trying to rescue him, at first we thought he might be a human until we got down to where he was and actually saw him.”
***
“Huh? Who’s Richie?” Tom asked. He hadn’t heard that name before. Stark, yes, that rang a bell. He knew ‘Stark’. That was Tony’s name but he didn’t know that a Richie belonged somewhere in that picture. Or was it just a coincidence?
***
“He’s Tony Stark’s son.” She shot him a sideways glance, surprised he didn’t remember the man’s name. “One of the kids from the future, about Rachel’s age or thereabouts.” Izzy decided not to mention the incident at the beach. If he didn’t remember then so be it.
***
“Oh, yeah, okay,” he said. He nodded trying to take everything in. Tom remembered other kids but not this particular one. “So, uh, how are Sarah and Rachel?” He had already gotten an answer from Sookie but Izzy’s impression and opinion mattered. They were the parents after all. It was still an absurd thought. It was okay as long as he let it rest untouched in a corner of his mind. He could deal with being a father by not looking at it. He actually liked it. Jake had been the only family he had left for a while. It felt good to extend it. Still, the whole situation was surreal if the circumstances were looked at too closely.
***
"They're fine." Izzy assured him. "Both were worried sick about you, I had to offer to take shifts watching her instruments to get Sarah to sleep every other night. Rachel has been busy helping with New York and your brother's therapy." She hadn't paid close attention to either of her adult or near adult daughters and she felt slightly guilty about that, but despite her conversation with Juliet it was just too strange. She wanted things to happen as naturally and chronologically accurate as possible.
***
“ Oh," Tom mumbled, not really knowing what to say. He hadn’t wanted to upset anyone. If he had had the opportunity, the first thing he would have done was to let people know he was okay. "Should we send them something? Or did Jake already do that? "
***
"You haven't seen them yet?" Izzy turned to stare at him for a moment."I sent them news that you'd been found and were ok, I figured they would have monopolized you for a bit."
***
“ No." Tom shook his head. "I've only been here for the last few hours. Took a shower, tried to find you and went for a pie to Sookie’s. And I don’t have a phone. No idea where mine is.” He shrugged. Finding Rachel and Sarah was next on his list.
***
“Oh.” Somehow Izzy had just assumed that Rachel and Sarah would come first after Jake. They were his blood after all. She and Tom had been in a rough patch where he’d been an absolute jerk, so she hadn’t expected him to look her up this soon. She couldn’t help the warm feeling that spread from the thought that he’d made her his top priority.
Aside from Sookie’s pies. “I think you love those pies more than anything else.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. It had meant to be a joke but it might have come out a bit sharper than she’d intended.
***
Tom shrugged. “Just went there because I was looking for you.” It had simply been on the way to the shop. “And I haven’t eaten anything decent in a couple of weeks so I stayed there for a pie - or rather two.” And damn, they had been good. Who could resist a pie like that?
***
Izzy raised a skeptical eyebrow that he went to Sookie’s shop looking for her. Sure she and Sook were friends, but she didn’t hang out in the shop very often. “Uh huh, not buying that one but I can’t blame you for pigging out on pies though.”
And speak of the devil there they were.
***
Sookie was scrubbing down the countertop and display on her own, harangued and tired from her weekend. It’d be hectic and she’d almost thought about calling Dr Lecter for an extra session to talk her through some things but instead she’d picked up a scrubbing brush and set to work cleaning her entire shop front alone. The pies and things were safely in the back but she was there in her yellow rubber gloves, trying not to think so much anymore.
She only looked up when the bell went on her shop and it was two of her favourite people in the world. “Izz, Tom…” Sook beamed, wiping her forehead with her arm, “What can I help you with?”
***
Tom smiled at her. He wasn’t fully in it. He wanted to joke about how she had promised him pie but his heart wasn’t in it. He was too scared and confused. “I - uh - I first have to confess that I accidentally told Izzy about your telepathic skills.” He cocked his head to his side and scratched his neck, trying to show her as good as he could that he was sorry. “I - uhm, you know how we talked about how your skills might help one day? I think today could be ‘one day’. There are a few things I seem to have forgotten. I can’t really explain it. Could you - uhm - help me with it?” He was insecure about her reaction and this whole thing. What if she was angry that he had given her secret away? What if she wasn’t and it didn’t work? He had no idea what to do then.
***
Izzy didn’t bother to disguise her hurt that Sookie had confided in Tom and not her about the telepathic abilities, but that was a conversation that could be had at a later time. Right now it was important to get Tom’s head straightened out.
“He doesn’t remember anything involving me for the last few weeks before he disappeared.” She explained. She’d told Sookie how Tom had treated her those last few weeks, cried on her shoulder at least once about it if she remembered right. “Is it the Island messing with him?”
***
Sookie’s face fell from happiness to worry within a second, looking between the two. She’d suspected there was something wrong with Tom when he’d first come in her store but for whatever reason, he needed to talk to Izzy first. Sook pulled off her rubber gloves and went through the hatch on her counter, “Maybe we should all sit down?” she ventured, grabbing one of her tables. “I should tell you that my head’s not been great at accuracy lately. I can only access what’s there, I can’t find what’s never been there,” she avoided Izzy’s eye for a second, ashamed that she’d hidden her disability from her. Sook didn’t know for sure why she’d done it. Maybe it was to avoid this. “But if the island’s been doing something, I’ll be able to tell. I just don’t know what the consequences will be.”
***
The last sentence didn’t exactly fill Tom with confidence. But, at least, she did not seem angry. He sat down opposite of her. “Just try it, yeah?” he asked - pleaded. “I - if - I need to know what’s going on with me.”
***
“Whatever you can do, Sook.” Izzy confirmed. She didn’t really know what to think or to do about the whole situation. If it was the island’s doing she couldn’t very well hold it against him, but at the same time his actions had really hurt, and it was going to take time to rebuild that trust and comfort level again. This was the man she was supposed to have a gazillion kids with, if Rachel and Sarah were to be believed, she wanted to be able to trust him absolutely and it wasn’t there right now.
***
Sook looked between them one more time. “Okay, okay.” She was used to everyone and their children invading her head so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. She leant forward and put her hands flat on the table, “Take my hands and close your eyes. Think hard as you can about those missing days. Tell us what you see and I’ll help you bring the memories out.” She bit her lip nervously. Last time, she’d seen things she never wanted to see again. What would Tom’s bring up?
***
Again, Tom nodded. He took her hands and closed his eyes as she had said. He just wanted to be done with this. Tom concentrated on the picnic at the beach. The memory was old already. Months ago and only remarkable in the way that most of it was missing.
“Okay, uhm, we are at the beach, yeah? Izzy had prepared food. That looked good. I remember that and - uh - we goofed around a bit-” He smiled shortly at the memory. “-but, uh, there’s nothing after that.”
***
Sookie concentrated hard, clutching at his hands tightly. She was nervous that she wouldn’t be able to see anything or help him or even more so that what she did see would only hurt them both more. Izzy and Tom were meant to be together, even she could see that and Sook would never forgive herself if something happened.
Inside his head, she saw it. A little spark of something packed away and she tried to reach for it. “Your first blank spot, Tom. Concentrate hard on it.” she muttered.
***
Izzy watched the two of them, silently concentrating along with them. She wasn’t sure if there was anything she could do to help, but concentrating on helping Tom remember was the only thing she could think of that might have a chance. Mental magics weren’t her strong suit and she had zero telepathic ability unless it was getting machines to do what she wanted them to do.
“You can do it.” She urged, not directing the comment at either person but letting it hang out there. If Sookie or Tom took strength from that then it was all to the good.
***
Tom tried to push. He tried to force it and somehow he managed to grab hold of more, squeeze through a tiny hole inside his mind. There was a dragon. Big and beautiful. He felt Sookie guiding her. And then suddenly, he felt like he ran into a wall. The image was cut off he was thrown away and…
***
...She grabbed his hand and pushed harder, gritting her teeth as she did so. Some minds were stubborn but she could feel that this was different, that it was a gate that Tom was being kept away from. Sookie’s own head pushed and widened the tiny hole, her resolve strengthened. “Open it, Tom. You have to open it. Open it.” she repeated, feeling her head burn with the intensity of the gate’s strength...
***
…and his did the same. Tom felt as if he was pushed and pulled and torn. He was annoyed. He tried to push the feeling away, focus on the task but the more he focussed, the more he pushed, the more annoyed he became. The dragon, the boy - Richie - he was annoyed at them. Tom clung to Sookie for help, took all he could - and was slapped back. It felt like a punch in the stomach…
***
And from Izzy’s point of view the two suddenly were flung apart physically, with Tom falling backward and knocking the chair over from the momentum. “Oh wow.” She scrambled to help him upright and make sure he was all right, then went to check on Sookie. “Gotta say Sook, I wasn’t expecting that! What happened?”
***
Sook couldn’t breathe for her moment as her mind was ripped apart from Tom’s; her head was pounding but she knew everything was fine. “Something… it’s trying to keep us apart. It’s got to be the island.” she got up shakily and shook her head out, “I am not giving up. Something is inside your head that doesn’t belong there, Tom.”
***
Tom felt dizzy. His head spun. But even more so, this was one of the most scariest experiences he had ever made. Something was inside his head, something alien. The thought was repulsive. Nausea turned over his stomach. Gastric acids got hit with the travel bug and crawled up his esophagus and left him with a taste equivalent of a cacophony. Tom scrambled to his legs. The shock had made his knees go weak and he was glad when he was able to sit again. “Please, Sook, just get it out of me.” He looked at her pleadingly - begged her with his eyes. Who else would be able to help him? He had reached the point where his science had stopped working.
***
Sookie felt shaky at the panic in his voice and the stricken feeling she still got despite being apart from him. She knew that whatever was in his head needed a home or some way to escape and maybe she’d be able to take it out. Maybe. Probably not. “It’ll be alright. I promise, I’ll...I’ll fix it.” she stood up. “Go loose. Let me in.” her fingers slid up to his temples, sparks shooting wildly from her fingertips as she tried her hardest to get back inside. “Izzy? Izzy. Hold his hand.” she pleaded, “Just hold him.”
***
Izzy instantly complied with the request, a bit alarmed at the reactions from both her boyfriend and her friend. She focused her mind on lending her magical strength to whatever Sookie was trying to do to help Tom. Whether it would work or not she had no clue, but whatever had been causing the personality change had to go if they were ever going to have a chance together.
“We’ll fix it Tom.” She assured him. “The three of us.”
***
The words left Tom with confidence. They were like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. Sookie would fix it. And whatever his friend would say, she would do it. Motor neurons stopped firing and myosin heads were released from his bond with actin: his muscular system relaxed. He nodded shortly and even though, the sparks startled him at first, he didn’t move. Everything to get this thing out of his head.
***
Sook visibly relaxed as Tom loosened under her fingers and under her brain. Izzy’s hold on him and her voice she could tell were a key to this. If it was working, and she was fairly sure it was, then it was because of them together. They felt stronger as a couple than they were apart and it made her happy that she could make things right after they got so wrong. “Izz, can you feel anything?” she asked curiously as the sparks started to fade.
***
“I’m a technomage, not an empath.” Izzy responded. “But something feels different.” She felt a little more comfortable around Tom again, though it was going to take some time to get her mind and her heart on the same page again when it came to him.
“Tom, how do you feel?”
***
Suddenly it felt as if there was a collision in his head. A clash of forces. Tom wanted to answer Izzy’s question but he couldn’t. Instead he settled for an involuntary display of his feelings: he returned his lunch to its maker. Only that the mass that came out of his stomach was a lot more yellowish and liquid than it used to be. “Uh, not great,” he muttered. “Sorry, Sook. I’ll clean it.” He tried to get back up to his feet again but his knees were too weak and his body slightly shaking.
***
She tried to dodge away as best she could, with her energy literally zapped away from her and Sook got lucky that she just managed to get away from the worse of it. She looked a little bit stricken before she sighed, “You should get him to the hospital if you can,” she told Izzy, turning to Tom as she leant against the back counter. “We’ll try again when you’re feeling a little better, stronger.” she chuckled. “Look after each other. I’m sorry I couldn’t do it first time. I think.”
***
“I think whatever it is, whatever it was is probably gone.” Izzy nodded as she gathered Tom up to get him over to the hospital to get checked out. “Thanks for all your help Sook.”