The Way You Touched Me - Chapter 10

[we_dreamerz]

The Way You Touched Me - Chapter 10
By: we_dreamerz
Betaed By: atomic_dawn
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Tommy Ratliff
Genre & Timeline: RPS - AU Fantasy
Rating: NC17
Word Count: 4,985
Status: WIP
Warnings: AU - This story will varry from canon. Angsty chapter
Disclaimer: It's not true...it didn't happen and Adam and Tommy belong to themselves. This is fiction. (Or so they want us to believe)

Summary: Adam has just stepped off of the American Idol tour and into the exhausting life of a rock star. It's everything he's always wanted but something is missing. Tommy has dreams; dreams that don't include living the ordinary, boring life laid out for him. But when you're a Pixie, what other choice do you have? They come from different worlds, but when they touch, the magic is undeniable.



Chapter 10

In the light from the bedside table, Tommy watched him. He was beautiful; even, and especially the parts he tried to hide with makeup and glitter. Gently, he stroked a hand down Adam's smooth back, the swell of his ass. Tommy loved his skin - soft and kissed with the natural glitter of freckles.

He smiled and touched him, drinking in the details - the fine, ginger hair dusting his thigh that seemed lit on fire in the glow of the lamp, the way his skin crinkled just a bit at the bend of his hip. Tommy wiggled closer and pressed his face to Adam's chest, tasting the freckles he knew lived there.

They had stumbled up the stairs, laughing and touching. Before climbing into bed, Adam had insisted that they stop in the bathroom to clean up and check on Tommy’s wound. He had agreed, taking pleasure in Adam's gentle touch.

But he'd felt it when Adam’s mood shifted. His touch had remained tender, his face soft with emotion. But Tommy could see it in his eyes, a dark and pensive shadow that slowly crept in.

Laying there in the soft, downy covers, Tommy sighed and nudged Adam's chin with his nose. “Don’t hide it from me,” he whispered. “It doesn’t make it easier. It just…feels hollow.”

Adam opened his eyes and smiled sheepishly. He cradled Tommy's face and pressed his lips to his forehead, cheeks and nose. “I’m sorry, I just,” he sighed. "I don't want this day to end."

Tommy nodded, closing his eyes as Adam continued to pepper kisses across his face. “I don’t want to spend our last few hours in awkward silence.”

"I'm sorry," Adam whispered again. Tommy just nodded, running his fingers through Adam's hair.

"How do you want to spend our last few hours?" Adam asked, teasing. Tommy smiled and slipped his thigh between Adam's.

With what Tommy hoped was a naughty smile, he looked up into Adam's eyes and captured one of his nipples between his teeth. He bit down just hard enough to make Adam hiss in pain before laving it with his tongue.

The soft hair on Adam's chest tickled Tommy's face as he closed his eyes, rubbing his lips back and forth across the hardening peak. He huffed a little puff of air and Adam made a pleased little noise in his throat.

"I wanna spend the last few hours I have as a human right here," Tommy said softly, dropping kisses across Adam's chest and neck, "listening to you make noises like that."

Adam rumbled a little growl and wrapped his arms around Tommy's waist, gathering him close. Tommy kissed him, slow and sweet, his heart clenching as his mind betrayed him with questions and insecurities. He kissed Adam's neck and the warm, salty spot behind his ear, closing his eyes on the sting of tears.

Adam's hands were warm and solid on his back as Tommy tasted each patch of skin, committing it to memory. Tommy kissed his stomach, the little spray of freckles on his hip, licking each one until he knew them all by heart.

Tommy rubbed his face in the soft hair of Adam's stomach, breathing him in. The smell of sex and warm, spicy skin made him groan with anticipation.

He looked up into Adam's face and caught his breath. Eyes closed, lips parted, Adam was lost in pleasure. Tommy's kissed the wet tip of his cock and watched Adam's eyebrows draw together. He dropped feather light kisses down Adam's shaft, fascinated by the play of pleasure across his face.

Adam opened his eyes and Tommy met his hungry gaze, parting his lips to take Adam's cock between them. Adam breathed out and reached to stroke Tommy’s hair, encouraging him to take more with slow thrusts of his hips.

"So beautiful," Adam murmured, thumb tracing Tommy's lips as they slid up and down his slick shaft. His expression was open and raw. Tommy could see the confused mix of emotion, each plainly written in the lines between his eyebrows, the tug of teeth on his lip and the wet shine of his intense blue eyes.

Tommy's throat closed and his eyes stung and suddenly Adam was pulling him up into his arms. "Shhh, Baby," he cooed softly, folding him closer.

With a desperate, little sob, Tommy kissed him, mouth open and wet, tasting the salt of their tears. Heart pounding, he closed his eyes to the pain.

I don't have any other choice.

~~~~~~~~~~

Adam held him, stroked his back and savored each of Tommy's desperate kisses until they panted, breathless. Tommy pulled back with a little moan and pressed his forehead to Adam's.

"I love you," he breathed out in a rush, opening his eyes. Tommy's face was serious as he cupped Adam's cheeks. "Just like the song, you know? No matter what, I will always love you."

Adam frowned, stomach clenching, searching Tommy's eyes.

Why does this feel like goodbye?

But the joy in Adam's heart at hearing the words from Tommy's lips eclipsed all of his pain, all of his uncertainty.

"I love you too," he said, hands caressing Tommy's hips.

"No matter what," Tommy whispered, wiping angrily at a tear.

Adam nodded and reached up to stroke Tommy's cheek. Confused, he pulled Tommy down, licking another tear that welled at the corner of his eye.

"No matter what," Adam whispered, stomach tight with dread.

Tommy nodded and relaxed into Adam's embrace. With a helpless sigh that tore at his heart, Tommy peppered feather soft kisses over his face, lips tracing each peak and valley as though he were mapping them. Adam closed his eyes, hands in Tommy's soft hair.

Adam could feel the seconds ticking by with each kiss and caress. He was hard again, and when Tommy rolled them so that Adam knelt between Tommy’s parted thighs, he moaned and rocked his hips, delighting in the velvety heat of Tommy’s erection sliding against his own.

"Need you," Tommy whispered, wrapping his legs around Adam's waist. "Please."

Adam groaned as electric pleasure sizzled through his veins. He groped the bedside table for a condom and Tommy growled in frustration, his lips nipping along Adam's neck.

With shaking hands, Adam rolled the condom down his shaft. Tommy was still slick and open, and he welcomed Adam into his arms, into his body, with a sigh like coming home.

"Tommy," Adam breathed, pushing back his bangs. Tommy smiled then, eyes full of love. Adam returned his smile, unable to look away from his lover's eyes as they moved together, bodies united.

“Come on, Baby Boy,” Tommy gasped, fingers digging into Adam’s shoulders. “I wanna still feel you tomorrow," Adam growled and snapped his hips in response, driving deeper, angling to give Tommy what he needed. But the red glowing light on the bedside table was in his peripheral vision. Adam’s hips stuttered as he glanced at it, heart clenching as the four changed to a five. But Tommy grasped his chin and forced his attention back to where it belonged. “Don’t,” he whispered, lips nipping Adam’s. “Fuck me, love me,” he murmured into their kiss.

Adam squeezed shut his eyes, thrusting harder and moaning when Tommy ground down on his cock. “Love you,” Adam panted, feeling Tommy’s body clench around him. And suddenly he was there - the white hot, blinding madness washing over him as he came, taking Tommy with him. They clung to each other in the tidal wave of pleasure, for a moment forgetting about the coming dawn and reveling in the ecstasy of their love.

Tommy’s breath, the heat of his body and the sweet ache in his limbs, Adam felt heavy with pleasure. Tommy’s hands were on his back, warm and strong. Adam closed his eyes and pressed his face into the crook of Tommy’s neck, smiling.

Slowly reality seeped back in, the warm breeze through the open window, the soft hum of the pool filter switching on, and the sound of birds in the trees.

Birds!

The first thought to break through Adam’s pleasured haze was that he needed to pull out of Tommy’s ass before something disastrous happened. Tommy groaned as he did so and then wiggled closer to Adam. Adam smiled and stroked a hand down Tommy’s hip.

“Get some sleep, baby,” Adam whispered.

Tommy shook his head though, sleepy eyes opening. “I wanna stay here with you. Don’t wanna sleep.” But he hadn’t slept for nearly two days and despite himself, fell asleep before Adam could tell him again that he loved him. Frowning, Adam laid there, willing his eyes to stay open, to be there for every last second of their day. But it wasn’t long before he succumbed as well, slipping off to dream, body entwined with Tommy’s.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hot and uncomfortable, Tommy shifted, moving away from Adam’s heat. He groaned and stretched, sighing as he rolled to his other side. He pushed at the covers over his face and suddenly stilled, realizing immediately that he was under them, realizing that he was once again a pixie.

“Gods damn it!” he yelled and crawled out from under the covers. With his hands on his hips he flexed his wings, taking inventory. Frowning, he looked around the room, spotting his things. He’d left his bag in the corner where it wouldn’t be disturbed.

Tommy glanced at Adam, still sleeping, face relaxed, hair messy and smelling of sex. He smiled fondly and fluttered up to Adam’s face, reached out to touch his cheek. Tommy gently caressed it, pushing his energy into Adam, relishing the warm, sizzling pleasure of Adam’s energy as it flowed into him. But his smile faded and Tommy sighed.

“I don’t know that I have the strength to do this,” he whispered. “But I have to. I’m gonna find a way…a way to be human.” Tommy voice broke and he wiped the tears from his eyes. “But like Brad said, what happens if I can’t?” Tommy’s breath hitched on a sob as he sat down on the pillow and put his head in his hands. “I can’t hurt you like that.”

He felt Adam move then, and cringed.

“Oh…Tommy,” Adam whispered, voice sleep heavy and concerned. “Shhh, baby,” he said, hand soft and gentle around Tommy’s back. “We knew this was going to happen. It’s all right; we’ll keep trying, okay?”

Tommy nodded, sobs wracking his body. But he knew better. If he couldn’t find the right spell it would just get worse. And one day…one day Adam would come to his senses and realize he couldn’t wait around forever.

Tommy wiped his eyes and forced himself to calm down. He took pleasure in the warmth of Adam’s hand at his back, pushing his energy and feeling Adam push right back. Adam sighed and used the tip of his finger to make Tommy look him in the eye.

“I feel you,” he said. “I feel you slipping away.”

Tommy bit the inside of his cheek. “I love you,” Tommy whispered, heart breaking. “And I’m gonna find a way for us to be together.”

With a shuddering breath, he used every last ounce of strength to fly across the room to collect his things. He pushed everything away, every memory they’d shared and struggled into his clothes. Dressed and shouldering his bag, Tommy flew back to Adam and prepared himself.

Adam’s eyebrows were drawn together in a frown but he held out his hand, inviting Tommy to climb on. Tommy pressed his cheek to Adam’s lips and closed his eyes.

“I should go. It’s already late and I know you have a photo shoot today,” Tommy said, doing his best to sound normal.

Adam nodded and kissed him softly on the head one last time before setting him down. “Just…”Adam struggled and sighed. “I love you too.”

Tommy held his gaze a moment, smiling sadly before taking wing and flying out the open window.

~~~~~~~~~~

Adam didn’t ask when he’d be back. He was afraid of the answer. He could see the veil across Tommy’s eyes, the steely determination in the tilt of his head. Adam silently watched him fly away, his heart breaking.

He could feel Tommy’s sunny yellow energy inside him, could smell Tommy on his skin. Adam didn’t want to leave the bed or take a shower. He didn’t want to face the dirty glasses and empty beer bottles. And he didn’t want to pick up the scattered mess of their clothes. But most of all, Adam didn’t want to touch Tommy’s guitar.

The shrill ring of his phone startled Adam out of his revere. He looked dumbly around, spotting it on the bed side table. “Hi, Lane,” he answered, and had no other choice. It was time to be a rock-star again.

The day was long and he moved through it in a thick fog of emotion. The photo shoot went well and his meetings went as expected.

Videos and band auditions and award shows, oh my, Adam giggled stupidly to himself on the way to his next meeting, only to catch Lane staring at him.

“Honey, are you feeling well? You’ve been…off today.”

How did he even answer that question? How could he explain? He glanced out the car window, glaring at the traffic.

I don’t think Tommy’s coming back.

“I’m fine. Just had a long day yesterday.” He lied.

“Yeah…about that. Have you…seen your twitter feed today?”

Adam frowned and shook his head. “I haven’t even thought about it. Why?" He fished in his pocket and pulled out his phone. Adam groaned when he saw them - pictures, video, excited tweets from fans and a TMZ headline that made him want to crawl back into his Tommy scented sheets. - “Adam Lambert Spends Day Off With Pixieish New Boy Toy”

Adam groaned as he scrolled through the little gallery: Tommy and Adam eating at Del Taco, Tommy and Adam holding hands, Tommy, Adam and Brad walking down the street.

“What are they…fucking ninjas? I didn’t even see them,” Adam grumbled, trying not to gasp when he saw the close up shot of Tommy’s smiling face. He bookmarked the site and closed his eyes, willing his heart to stop pounding.

“So…who is he?” she asked softly.

Adam sighed, mind whirling with stories to concoct. In the end he went with the closest to the truth as he could. “He’s a new friend. And we’ve been getting real close, real fast.”

Lane nodded. “Did something go wrong?”

Adam barked an ironic laugh, did something go wrong? “Not exactly, it’s…rather complicated.”

Traffic started to creep along and Adam thumbed through his tweets. The fans were excited and speculating, most of them swooning over one particular picture of them looking at each other, “hearts in their eyes”, as the fans called it. He smiled at the love the fans showed him. He really did have the best fans.

Adam looked at the picture, eyes drawn to Tommy’s face, his sweet smile. Adam sighed. “He’s a musician,” Adam said. “He plays guitar. And he’s so talented.” Adam talked and looked and smiled, telling Lane everything he could about Tommy. She listened, smiling. Adam felt like a love sick fool but it helped to share, made him feel like he wasn’t so alone.

“So are you going to see him again?” she asked and Adam looked out the window, smile fading as he watched a couple walk down the street hand in hand.

“I hope so,” he said softly.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Where have you been?” Tommy’s mother screeched when he flew into the kitchen. “We haven’t seen you for two days and you come in here looking like you haven’t slept a wink!”

Glad I took a shower. I'd hate to hear what she'd have to say about how I smelled.

She ushered him to the kitchen table and started piling food on his plate, muttering to herself before bursting into another tirade.

“Your teacher came round to see you, to check on you. We told him that you weren’t feeling well,” she said.

“Dia, calm down,” Tommy’s father said, walking into the kitchen. Tommy offered his father a grateful smile. He loved his mother, but sometimes she was a little too much.

Tommy’s father, on the other hand, was a calm and kind pixie. He was slow to anger and very diplomatic. They were like yin and yang, the perfect complement.

"I was just asking where he'd been," his mother said defensively. But his father waved her away, taking a seat beside Tommy at the kitchen table.

"Let's allow the boy to eat first, shall we?" he said, smiling at Tommy.

Tommy smiled back and turned to his plate, eating and not really tasting. His mind was whirling.

Should I tell them? Should I lie? Dad will know if I lie. But, Mom will freak the fuck out if I tell the truth.

His mother hovered as he ate, cleaning dishes and rubbing the same spot on the ancient wooden table until Tommy was certain she's wear a groove in it.

When he was done, he stood to clear his plates, but she intercepted him, and directed him back to the table.

His father had been thoughtfully smoking a pipe, staring out the front door as Tommy ate. But when Tommy sat down, he smiled and blew a wobbly little smoke ring. It drifted toward Tommy, turning and fluttering in the air, eventually taking the shape of something else, something Tommy recognized immediately - a guitar.

He looked into his father's eyes, eyes that looked so much like his own, and saw understanding there.

"I've known, for quite some time that you are discontent with your lot," he father said, voice light but serious. "And your distraction has grown to great lengths this past week."

Tommy nodded and looked down at his hands on the table. He didn't know what to say. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his parents. But it was clear that it was time he came clean.

"I've fallen in love," he said softly, looking his parents in the face. His father seemed surprised but his mother's face softened.

"Is that what all this has been about then..." she started but his father interrupted.

"Let the boy finish, Dia love. I believe there is more to his tale."

Tommy smiled and nodded. "I've fallen in love with a musician. He's got the most beautiful voice, the most beautiful energy I've ever seen. He makes me feel...so loved. And I...I've realized that I can't go on like I have, living my life for someone else’s goals."

His father puffed at his pipe, nodding. "You've always had the gift of music. I wondered how long it would take for you to rebel." His father smiled, puffing out another smoke ring that drifted toward the door. "Tommy, your Mother and I love you. And if your goal in this life is not to be a healer of the King's Court, then it's up to you to say so. If you long to be a musician, I'm sure there is place for that. The King is very fond of you and your gift."

Tommy frowned, confused. Could it be that easy?

"As for this boy...there's no need to sneak around, lad. Bring him round for dinner," his mother grinned. "I'll make him my..."

"He's human," Tommy revealed, the words spewing from his lips before he changed his mind. The room fell silent and his parents gaped at him.

"Human as in..." his mother asked softly.

"Human," Tommy said. "As in...over six foot tall, impossibly beautiful and talented, mortal human."

His parents exchanged a look, an entire conversation in one brief glance.

"Son," his father said apprehensively, and Tommy knew he'd hit a brick wall. So he decided to lay it all on the line. They listened, flabbergasted as he told them everything.

"So you're going to give up your immortality for a man you've known but a week? Are you mad?" his Mother asked, wings fluttering in anger. She began pacing and Tommy clenched his hands against his thighs.

"Yes," Tommy said. "If I can find a way, yes."

Tommy's father was frowning, pipe abandoned on the table. He regarded Tommy with a worried look. But Tommy had never been surer about anything in his life and he looked his father in the eye, determined to make his point.

He shook his head and sighed. "I must think on this, Tommy," he said. "What you propose, what you want to do..."

"It's not forbidden, the tales of old tell of fae creatures becoming permanently human, so I know that it is possible."

"It's possible, but...Tommy, you're our only son! I won't see you waste your immortality on a gamble for love."

Tommy stood up, anger and adrenaline slithering through his veins. "I'm not looking for your approval, Father. I just wanted to tell you what I'd decided. I've wasted too much time living my life by your expectations," Tommy said, his soft voice edged razor sharp. "What good is being immortal if you live alone, separated from the only one who makes you feel truly alive?"

Tommy didn’t wait for an answer. He flew to the door and turned for a moment, looking sadly upon them. His mother stood with silent tears, his father's face was red and angry. "I love you both. But I have to do this. I hope one day you'll understand."

Tommy flew from the house and up to his own room. Blinded by tears of rage and sadness, Tommy packed his things.

I can't stay here, I just can't fucking stay here.

For a moment he thought about forgetting his vow and running back to Adam's, hiding himself in the warmth of Adam's touch until he had the strength to do what had to be done.

But Adam's face flashed before his eyes - tears on his cheeks, those eyes so filled with pain. Tommy shook his head.

No. I can't go back. Not until I find it. Not until I can be with Adam permanently.

"Tommy?" A voice came from behind and he whirled around to see Jon at his door. Relief overwhelmed him and suddenly he couldn't stand. "Jon," he said, sitting down on the bed with a thump. Jon was across the room in an instant. Tommy let himself be held, buried his face in his friends neck and cried, all of the emotion, all of the pain of the last two days finally too much.

"It's all right, shhh, I know. I heard," Jon whispered. He must have been listening at the door.

"They'll come around, Tommy. Your parents love you," he said.

Tommy just nodded, comforted by words he didn't really believe. "I just can't do this alone," Tommy said.

"You're not alone, man," Jon said, stroking Tommy's back. "You've got me." He pulled Tommy back and shook him a little bit. "Now go wipe the snot from your face, give me a clean shirt to wear and tell me what happened. And then let's figure out a plan."

Tommy smiled a little and nodded, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve.

"Gross," Jon said, taking off his shirt and throwing it into the pile of Tommy's laundry. He took a shirt that Tommy offered him, white, clean cotton, while Tommy tried to pull himself together.

With a sigh, he sat down and told Jon all the details he'd skipped with his parents - the amazing sex, the way Adam had made him feel and the conversation he'd had with Brad.

"Don't you think it will hurt him more if you don't go back?" Jon asked, reaching for the elven spell book that Tommy had pulled out of his bag.

"I told him...I told him I was searching and that I love him," Tommy said, realizing Jon had a point. "And in the end, I think it would hurt more to always be in and out, lurking in the wings of his life a dirty secret."

Jon fell silent, thumbing through the spell book and biting his lip. "All right, if that's what you insist. What's the plan then?"

Tommy stood up, pacing. "I don't know. We searched the spell book but maybe there's something else in there? I opened one spell by saying I loved him. Maybe..." Tommy fell silent, frowning at the book. Finally he sighed. "I have no idea, Jon," he said, frustrated, rubbing at the place that ached between his eyebrows.

Jon sighed. "Look, take some time, get out into the forest and breathe." Jon put his finger on the bridge of Tommy's nose and closed his eyes. "You need sleep, Tommy Joe. Things will look clearer when you've slept." Tommy felt Jon's healing energy flow into him and sighed. It curled around the ache in his head and the wound on his chest, until he no longer felt the pain.

But Tommy pulled away when he felt the ache of his thigh muscles lessen. "Sorry," Jon said, caressing Tommy's cheek. "I'll leave you the good hurts huh?" he said with a sad smile.

Tommy struggled to maintain control of his emotions and just nodded, standing up to finish packing.

"Listen, I have to get back to work," Jon said. "But you can stay with me if you need to get away."

They made plans to meet that night and Jon made Tommy promise to get some sleep. Alone in his room, Tommy stared at his bag, full of his things but still light as a feather. He sighed and left, heading out to look for a quiet spot to read and rest.

~~~~~~~~~~

There were no fish, no softly tinkling pond. The flowers were groomed and tidy, not lush and left to grow wild. But it was quiet and Tommy felt a friendly presence in the tiny garden. He found a shady spot beneath a fragrant bush and pulled out his spell book. As his eyes began to droop, the script blurred into little jagged lines until Tommy slipped off to sleep, unaware that he'd been followed.

"Little fairy," a voice whispered sometime later.

Tommy stirred and flicked at something in his face.

"Oh my fucking God, it's real," the voice whispered, and Tommy frowned.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and sneezed as the fluffy, yellow end of a dandelion was shoved in his face.

"What the fuck," he cursed and pushed at it, rising to his feet.

"It's okay, I'm sorry." I didn't mean to frighten you," a woman said over the low growl of a dog. Tommy looked up and gasped. A human woman was hunkered down before him, a suddenly snarling Chihuahua in her arms.

Tommy scrambled away, backing himself against the bush in a panic.

"Please don't fly away. I'm sorry, I'll put him inside just...please stay. I won't hurt you."

Her eyes were sensual and kind; and she smiled as she gently tapped her pet on the nose. "He found you sleeping in the garden," she explained, backing up to the door and quickly depositing the dog inside.

"He was sniffing when I caught sight of you." She approached slowly and hunkered down again. Tommy peeked from behind a leaf and assessed her, pushed out his gift to feel her.

"My name's Mia," she said.

So it was Mia's presence that he'd felt there. Tommy cautiously approached. She was dark and beautiful, voluptuous, with a smoky voice. Tommy smiled when he saw her skin - covered in tattoos.

"I'm Tommy," he said, coming forward. "And I'm a pixie, not a fairy. Why does everyone always think I'm a fairy?"

Mia laughed, warm and throaty, and sat down on the ground near Tommy. "What's the difference then?" she asked.

"Well, a pixie looks like me. And a fairy is bigger, mostly human sized with large, flowing wings. They don't spend much time around humans," Tommy explained, shrugging. "They spend most of their time in the land of the fae."

"And why is that?" Mia asked, toying with a little silver ball in her lip.

"Politics and what not. But there are colonies of magical creatures here and there, fairies included." Tommy frowned up at her. "You ask a lot of questions."

"Wouldn't you?"

Tommy shrugged, she had a point. He studied Mia as she studied him. She looked familiar somehow and he scrunched his face, trying to recall if he'd ever seen her.

"You look familiar," he said, stepping closer.

Mia smiled. "Imagine me skinny with elf ears," she laughed and suddenly Tommy got it.

"Holy shit, you're Steven Tyler's daughter!" he exclaimed, forgetting himself and fluttering up to perch on her knee.

Mia shook her head. "Shouldn't I be the one in awe, here, little pixie?"

Tommy huffed. "I'm not the one with a rock n roll legend for a father! I play guitar actually," he beamed, for a moment forgetting his heartbreak.

"A rock n roll pixie, you've got to be fucking shittin me," she said, shaking her head. "Only in my garden. So, what were you doing here anyway?"

Tommy's smile faded as reality set back in. "I just..." he glanced at his things. "I just needed a quiet place to rest and read and..." Tommy didn't see it. He frowned and returned to the spot in which he'd been resting.

His stomach began to flutter nervously as he looked around the bush and under his bag. Franticly he thrust his arm inside the bag and demanded what he sought; only to come back empty handed.

"It's gone," he said, his voice a frightened whisper.

"What's gone?" Mia asked.

Tommy took wing fluttering around the little garden in a frantic search. "My spell book!" he exclaimed, dropping to her knee and looking up into her worried eyes. "It's gone."

TBC