"I don't really...spar."

( [WITSEC clearance required] )

Muse: Thomas Grace
Fandom: ALIAS
Words: 539

She wasn’t here.

He’d long since stopped looking...had no choice but to stop once shock really set in and threatened to knock him flat on his ass. So he sat now, by the light of the fire to warm his body and little else. The flames were too bright in his line of vision, the darkness too black to his shocky sight.

And in the jungle heat, warmed by the fire, he was still too damn cold.

As he swore to himself yet again that he’d renew his search for Rachel in the morning, he felt a sudden surge of warmth, starting at the core of him and bleeding into every pore...like a fire lit from the inside, cheerful and bright. It was almost enough to make him smile, almost enough to make him forget his loss.

It was then he noticed the woman, a statuesque redhead with blood red hair and the eyes of an old woman set in youthful, angelic features. She was devastatingly beautiful, and oddly enigmatic, but even seeing the knockout figure and exotic hair, he found she tugged at his heartstrings more than his hormonal interest. She was pleasant to look at, but not enough to kill his aching wish that the blood red hair was soft gold, and that the tall figure and knockout looks were instead a smaller figure topped with a sunny smile and bedroom blue eyes...

And as their eyes met, the warmth in him crested, consumed...and suddenly he didn’t feel the sting of solitude anymore. If he focused on the feeling and tried really, really hard, he could almost feel Rachel right there beside him, could almost hear her soft laughter...

A stocky, well-built man stepped into sight and laid his hand on the woman’s shoulder, diverting her attention. The moment she looked away from Tom, the spell was broken and ice filled his veins again.

Tom blinked, shaking his head to clear out the cobwebs. He watched as the walking wall of muscle led the woman away with surprising gentleness, despite the possessive way he pulled her against his side.

For a moment, Tom had almost been able to see Rachel’s face again.

And he had the strangest urge to thank the redhead for that.

Muse: Thomas Grace
Fandom: ALIAS
Words: 379