In the family room
Tom enters the family room with today's copy of The Daily Prophet. "Hullo, little one. having fun?" he asks Ingress, the only other occupant of the room. He settles into his armchair, the paper folded for a few more moments.
Ingress looks up from the floor where she's putting together a jigsaw puzzle. "Hi, Tom! Look, I'm nearly done," she says, eyes bright. "Door went to check on dinner."
She abandons her puzzle and climbs up on his lap, taking the paper from him. She frowns at the front page which reads "Spring Not Yet Sprung" and features chilly photographs of the depressing, misty weather lingering all over Britain. She leafs through the pages.
Tom waits. He knows what she's looking for. He hugs her to him, pressing a kiss to the back of her head.
"They haven't found him yet?"
"No, not yet."
"But they will? You found Door and she was gone ever so long. And she found me and I was gone for ages and ages and ages."
"I hope they will. I can't promise, though. I wish I could." Since Megwyn Chose Ingress, she rarely discusses her confinement by Islington's henchmen. If Tom had access to a Time Turner he'd break all his own rules about mucking with time to go back and spare her from those months in the dark.
She closes the paper and remains quiet for a few moments. Finally she rests against his chest and sighs. "Why do there have to be bad guys?"
"I don't know, Ingress." He hasn't purposefully hidden his past from Ingress, but she's young. When she's older, he'll tell her. Or maybe he never will. Maybe he'll let her think he's always been her Tom, just as he is now, and never a monster. Even if he still is one, underneath it all.
"Why can't they just be nice and leave people alone?" Her voice hitches. "Why can't they be different? I don't want to fight people, even bad guys. I just want to be nice, too."
The dampness of her tears seeps into his shirt. "Oh, Ingress..." he sighs. "Have you spoken to Megwyn about this?"
She nods her head. "She said it's how things are, and she'll always be there with me, no matter what."
"That's right, love, she will. You'll save people and you'll make things right."
"Don't want to. I want to be a princess and laugh and play and be nice to people. I don't want to hurt them, not even the bad ones." Now she is crying much harder, having told the secrets of her heart that only Megwyn knows, even though Ingress has never spoken of them.
Tom conjures a handkerchief and wipes her cheeks gently. What is it that Moiraine says? "Duty is heavy as a mountain." It is indeed, and that terrible weight is already settling upon his little girl's shoulders.
"That's good, sweetheart. Not wanting to hurt people, even the bad ones, is a good thing. When you're grown, you'll find other ways of battling the bad guys. I should think you wouldn't have to fight them all the time." He pauses, considering what he'd like to say next. "After all, you've already changed one bad guy forever, and all you did was laugh and play and love him." He kisses her again, this time on the forehead, and prepares himself for whatever may come next.
"Who? Who was the bad guy?" She stares at him, confused and sniffling.
"Do you remember when we were on our first holiday in Paris? Do you remember the old man who called me a strange name?"
"You didn't like him. You got scared and we left that street."
"He called me by a name I once went by. It's not my name anymore. Ingress, before I met Door, before I came here, I-" He breaks off. If he stops now, he can easily distract her, change the subject. "I was a bad guy."
Ingress stares, her eyes wide. "But you're not a bad guy. You're my Tom. You've always been nice."
"No, not always. I changed because you and Door helped change me. And all either of you did was love me. You didn't even have to lift your sword."
She thinks about this for several long moments. "Can other bad guys change and be nice?"
"Some of them do." He thinks of Anakin, Peter Pettigrew, Draco, and, hopefully, Bartemius. "Some of them don't. Some of them must be fought, as Voldemort must be fought now. It's not easy, but it's part of our lives."
"That's what Megwyn said." She glances down at the newspaper, putting pieces of a different kind of puzzle together. "The old man in Paris- he called you Voldemort."
Tom nods his head. "That was my old name."
"But you're Tom now?" Unlike adults, Ingress has no questions as to how this came about, or why. All that matters is the denial or confirmation of what she knows to be true - that this man she loves is indeed her Tom.
"I'm Tom now. I don't want to ever Voldemort, and thanks to you and Door and Gavroche and all our friends, I never shall be."
"We really made you change?"
He smiles, relieved. If she had been shocked or hurt or angry, he wasn't sure what he'd do. "You did."
Ingress cocks her head, thinking. "I didn't know that could happen."
"Neither did I, but love is a powerful weapon. Always remember that."
She hugs him. "Okay. I'm glad you're not a bad guy. I'd not like that."
"I wouldn't either, little one. I'm quite pleased I was saved."
"Do bad guys need saving, too?"
"Yes, little Herald. Sometimes. Sometimes they must be fought, but sometimes they can be saved, too. Saved from themselves."
"But not Mrs. Rowlands."
"No. I'm afraid once you've gone that far, there's nothing to be done. You'll understand more when you're older. Megwyn will help you sort out who might be saved and who must be fought. You, my dearest darling, will be by far the finest Herald in the land, and you'll save many kinds of people, good and bad."
Ingress smiles. "Okay," she says, her worries eased.
Tom lifts her as he stands up, and then spins her round. "Let's go find Gavroche and help Door with dinner."
Ingress giggles and clings to Tom's neck as her carries her through the painting. She has much to deal with in the future, but for right now she can be a princess and laugh and play.
Love has saved her, as well.
Ingress looks up from the floor where she's putting together a jigsaw puzzle. "Hi, Tom! Look, I'm nearly done," she says, eyes bright. "Door went to check on dinner."
She abandons her puzzle and climbs up on his lap, taking the paper from him. She frowns at the front page which reads "Spring Not Yet Sprung" and features chilly photographs of the depressing, misty weather lingering all over Britain. She leafs through the pages.
Tom waits. He knows what she's looking for. He hugs her to him, pressing a kiss to the back of her head.
"They haven't found him yet?"
"No, not yet."
"But they will? You found Door and she was gone ever so long. And she found me and I was gone for ages and ages and ages."
"I hope they will. I can't promise, though. I wish I could." Since Megwyn Chose Ingress, she rarely discusses her confinement by Islington's henchmen. If Tom had access to a Time Turner he'd break all his own rules about mucking with time to go back and spare her from those months in the dark.
She closes the paper and remains quiet for a few moments. Finally she rests against his chest and sighs. "Why do there have to be bad guys?"
"I don't know, Ingress." He hasn't purposefully hidden his past from Ingress, but she's young. When she's older, he'll tell her. Or maybe he never will. Maybe he'll let her think he's always been her Tom, just as he is now, and never a monster. Even if he still is one, underneath it all.
"Why can't they just be nice and leave people alone?" Her voice hitches. "Why can't they be different? I don't want to fight people, even bad guys. I just want to be nice, too."
The dampness of her tears seeps into his shirt. "Oh, Ingress..." he sighs. "Have you spoken to Megwyn about this?"
She nods her head. "She said it's how things are, and she'll always be there with me, no matter what."
"That's right, love, she will. You'll save people and you'll make things right."
"Don't want to. I want to be a princess and laugh and play and be nice to people. I don't want to hurt them, not even the bad ones." Now she is crying much harder, having told the secrets of her heart that only Megwyn knows, even though Ingress has never spoken of them.
Tom conjures a handkerchief and wipes her cheeks gently. What is it that Moiraine says? "Duty is heavy as a mountain." It is indeed, and that terrible weight is already settling upon his little girl's shoulders.
"That's good, sweetheart. Not wanting to hurt people, even the bad ones, is a good thing. When you're grown, you'll find other ways of battling the bad guys. I should think you wouldn't have to fight them all the time." He pauses, considering what he'd like to say next. "After all, you've already changed one bad guy forever, and all you did was laugh and play and love him." He kisses her again, this time on the forehead, and prepares himself for whatever may come next.
"Who? Who was the bad guy?" She stares at him, confused and sniffling.
"Do you remember when we were on our first holiday in Paris? Do you remember the old man who called me a strange name?"
"You didn't like him. You got scared and we left that street."
"He called me by a name I once went by. It's not my name anymore. Ingress, before I met Door, before I came here, I-" He breaks off. If he stops now, he can easily distract her, change the subject. "I was a bad guy."
Ingress stares, her eyes wide. "But you're not a bad guy. You're my Tom. You've always been nice."
"No, not always. I changed because you and Door helped change me. And all either of you did was love me. You didn't even have to lift your sword."
She thinks about this for several long moments. "Can other bad guys change and be nice?"
"Some of them do." He thinks of Anakin, Peter Pettigrew, Draco, and, hopefully, Bartemius. "Some of them don't. Some of them must be fought, as Voldemort must be fought now. It's not easy, but it's part of our lives."
"That's what Megwyn said." She glances down at the newspaper, putting pieces of a different kind of puzzle together. "The old man in Paris- he called you Voldemort."
Tom nods his head. "That was my old name."
"But you're Tom now?" Unlike adults, Ingress has no questions as to how this came about, or why. All that matters is the denial or confirmation of what she knows to be true - that this man she loves is indeed her Tom.
"I'm Tom now. I don't want to ever Voldemort, and thanks to you and Door and Gavroche and all our friends, I never shall be."
"We really made you change?"
He smiles, relieved. If she had been shocked or hurt or angry, he wasn't sure what he'd do. "You did."
Ingress cocks her head, thinking. "I didn't know that could happen."
"Neither did I, but love is a powerful weapon. Always remember that."
She hugs him. "Okay. I'm glad you're not a bad guy. I'd not like that."
"I wouldn't either, little one. I'm quite pleased I was saved."
"Do bad guys need saving, too?"
"Yes, little Herald. Sometimes. Sometimes they must be fought, but sometimes they can be saved, too. Saved from themselves."
"But not Mrs. Rowlands."
"No. I'm afraid once you've gone that far, there's nothing to be done. You'll understand more when you're older. Megwyn will help you sort out who might be saved and who must be fought. You, my dearest darling, will be by far the finest Herald in the land, and you'll save many kinds of people, good and bad."
Ingress smiles. "Okay," she says, her worries eased.
Tom lifts her as he stands up, and then spins her round. "Let's go find Gavroche and help Door with dinner."
Ingress giggles and clings to Tom's neck as her carries her through the painting. She has much to deal with in the future, but for right now she can be a princess and laugh and play.
Love has saved her, as well.