Title: Remembrances

Author: Mary Willing Prey

Email: willing.prey@verizon.net

Website: http://www.geocities.com/willing_prey/index.html

Pairing: Tom/Ed

Posted to the PreyForIt list: July 1, 2001

Note: Sequel to Survivors. This happens in my What if Sloan had died universe. I have another one I was working on and this POPPED into my head so i wrote it.


SURVIVORS 2: REMEMBRANCES
By Mary Willing Prey
* * *

Ed Tate opened the door to his apartment with an ache in his heart. It had been one year ago, today. One year since his world had been tilted and almost torn asunder. One year since that awful occurrence in Alaska. One year since she died. And almost six months since Tom had vanished.

He looked across the room and saw something he wasn't expecting, Tom Daniels looking out the window, as if he had never left. Ed shut the door, and walked over to him, part of his mind noticing that there was music on the radio. Tom had not before been one to listen to music.

Ed put his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I missed you."

Tom reached up and held on to it, not letting Ed move away. Ed moved closer. The taller man stood behind him and looked out the window with him, glad that he had returned.

As the music ended, Tom asked. "How can he know how I feel?"

"Who?" Ed asked.

Tom nodded to the CD player that the music came from. "Who ever wrote the song. Sometimes that's exactly how I feel. She can't be really gone." He turned to look at Ed. "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" Ed was starting to feel as if he came in on the middle of a conversation.

"For keeping up her apartment. I went there before I came here." Tom leaned into Ed. He felt as if he had never left. And Ed felt warm towards him. Comfortable.

Ed shrugged. "I figured you'd want it. And you left me more than enough cash to make sure it was kept up."

They stood there for a while until Ed asked. "How do you feel?"

"Fine." Said Tom in a voice that was slightly muffled because he was leaning towards Ed. "The council thinks I'm hopeless now, so maybe they won't do anything else. And I've apparently killed off Lewis." Tom pulled back a little bit. "He..."

"No, Tom." Ed said. "What I mean is how do you feel in here?" He placed his hand on Tom's chest.

Tom sighed deeply. "Better. Some days it's like it just happened. Some days I almost forget. Today..."

"Today was hard because it's the anniversary. One year." Ed said.

Tom nodded. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Knew what?" Ed asked again.

"Knew I'd remember. Knew I'd be back." Tom replied.

Ed nodded. "I knew you'd remember." He tossed his head back to think how to phrase this. "I always hoped you'd come back." Ed took a chance and wrapped his arms around Tom's shoulders. "Like I said I missed you."

"Yeah." Tom looked up into Ed's eyes. He didn't know which of them moved but the next thing he knew, he was kissing Ed, slowly, languorously, enjoying the subtle friction of tongue against tongue, letting Ed's emotions wash over him. It felt so right.

When they parted from lack of breath, Tom asked. "Is this what we were moving to?"

Ed nodded slowly. "I didn't know until you'd been gone for a while." He hugged Tom closely. "Think it'll be okay?"

"Yeah." He tightened his hold on Ed. "I don't think she'd want us to mourn forever."

"No, but we won't forget either." Ed said and leaned down to kiss Tom again. Things would work out.


END