ladynorbert | last old drabble

Final drabble transfer. This was fulfilling a request from

terig, who asked for a scene from Tom's POV. It's from chapter four of "Only in America."

Freedom
by Lady Norbert
A TPDoEQ additional scene, corresponding to chapter four of volume IV; Tom's point of view.

He wasn't in that jail cell too long -- only a couple days -- but I guess it was long enough.

The guard escorted me to where he was sitting, reading a book; he didn't even realize I was there, he was kind of absorbed in the story. He didn't look all that bad, really.

"Hey, Brit, visitor!" said the guard, unlocking the door.

He looked up and gave me a brief smile, then moved over and motioned for me to sit. I kept standing, though. "How goes it, Tom?"

"Better than you can guess." I couldn't keep from grinning at him. "Come to take you home, Skinner."

He stared at me, like he didn't dare believe it. "You're joking."

"No joke. We got the real thief; he's just confessed to everything. You're free."

He looked past me then, and suddenly realized that the door wasn't locked anymore. "What are we doing, then? Let's get the hell out of here!"

It took him maybe a minute to get ready. There was a basket under his little bed, and he pulled this out and stuffed the book into it; it already held another book, some papers, and his jar of makeup. "What is all that?" I asked; I hadn't seen any of those things on my previous visit.

"Eh...just some stuff Bess brought." He shrugged into his coat. "Let's go."

Back outside, he stopped and inhaled deeply. "Cor, you have no idea how good this feels."

"Sorry I couldn't get you out sooner," I said, feeling a little sheepish. "This was a bit tough to crack."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Least you bothered to try." He sounded bitter. "Those bloody bobs were so convinced I was guilty, they stopped looking."

"Yeah...I know." We attracted the attention of a hansom cab driver and climbed in.

"Glad to know the League didn't give up on me."

I bit my tongue, because the truth was that we weren't sure for a time what to think. "Everybody helped," I said finally. "We were all working on it."

"Yeah? Bess said nobody was too sure what to think. Suppose I can't blame you for having doubts." The bitterness was gone from his voice, but he sure sounded funny. Sort of sad. I had to say something to make him feel better.

"She didn't," I said, and I didn't need to explain who I meant.

"I know. Hell if I know why, though."

I looked out at the river so I wouldn't be tempted to smack him across the head. He's thicker than I ever realized.

"She actually got mad at the rest of us, if you can picture that," I said, and heard him chuckle.

"No, I can't."

"Oh, yeah. She couldn't believe we'd even question your innocence. And then she said if I didn't help her sort this mess out, she'd do it alone."

"Ah, so that's why you did it."

"Well, yes and no." I felt weird saying these things, but for pete's sake, somebody's got to try and open his eyes. He can't see what's right in front of him. "I mean, you did ask me to keep an eye on her. But then I realized that you couldn't have done it."

"And why was that?" He didn't sound accusing or bitter, just curious.

"Because...if you had done it, it would have really hurt Elizabeth." I glanced at him, but he wasn't looking at me. "And I know you'd never do anything that would hurt her that much."

We didn't say anything for the rest of the ride back. Once aboard the Nautilus, we made for the stateroom, where I figured the others would be having tea. Skinner walked into the room like he'd never been gone. "I'm back! Did you miss me?"

I hope he could see, from the way everyone was smiling, that yeah, we did miss him. They all got up and came over to greet him; I caught Elizabeth's eye and grinned at her. Nemo shook his hand. "Welcome home, Mr. Skinner."

"Thank'ee, Captain."

Henry was next, beaming as they shook. "Glad to have you back, you old scoundrel."

"You know you love me, Jeks."

Mina offered her hand, which he kissed instead of shaking. Her reaction was cool and unemotional, but I know she was as relieved as everyone else that he'd been cleared. Finally he turned to his little champion, who held out a hand like everyone else.

Now, if it had been me in his place, I probably would have -- well, I'd have done something a lot different. But they're funny, these two. So he took her hand, and he didn't kiss it, and he didn't shake it. He just held it, and they looked at each other in such a way that anybody with eyes could see how they really felt. He asked if she'd stayed out of trouble, and she said yes, and then he let go and that was it.

If they were any blinder, they'd be walking into the walls.