darker_london | Mumsieballs (Thomas, Mad Dog, Lavinia)

Thomas was fairly sure that the reason he was here was because James wanted him to be. The only solution was to do what he was supposed to do, and so Thomas was going to go to the US with Spectre and the band. It was probably for the best anyway, even though Caitlin was also coming. He could help watch the kids, considering Mara was coming and she was having troubles of her own, and Caitlin would be busy with the twins.

Before he left London, Thomas absolutely had to see his mother. While he had been gone, she had been taken by the demon Amaris and Thomas had had to watch in horror while his mother just chatted to the demon. Thomas had been sure he was going to watch his beloved mother killed by the woman he hated most in the world. It was by sheer determination alone that Lavinia had gotten through it unscathed. Thomas needed to hug her.

He let himself in to her home and he trotted into the living room where his step-father was reading some biker magazine with a dreamy look on his face. "Harley porn?" Thomas asked with a grin.

Mad Dog looked up and his face split into a smile. "Thomas!" he said happily. "It's really good to see you!" He held his arms up, wanting a hug, which Thomas was quite happy to give. "Your mother's had an interesting time of it..."

"I know," Thomas said through gritted teeth. He and Mad Dog had been in Amaris' clutches together and since then, they shared a pretty unbreakable bond. They had seen the worst of each other and still helped each other through it. And Mad Dog knew that Thomas would understand his horror at Lavinia being taken by Amaris more specifically than anyone else would, even if it was fairly general knowledge that she was horrible. "I had to watch. I was so..." Thomas felt his blood boiling and he tried to calm himself down. "I felt so helpless."

Mad Dog reached out and he squeezed Thomas' hand. "I can't imagine. She's just in the shower. She'll be out soon."

Thomas snorted then and he gave Mad Dog a knowing look. "There's something I'm glad I didn't see," he commented, meaning the activities that had led to Lavinia taking a shower in the middle of the day. Sometimes when you were looking in on people from the beyond, you did catch them in compromising positions. And Lavinia being the Hellcat she was, was no exception, though Thomas always looked away and screamed in horror for several minutes until his wife informed him (fondly) that he was being immature.

Mad Dog just grinned a self-satisfied grin and he headed for the kitchen. "I'll make you some coffee if you'd like," he suggested, knowing Thomas hated tea. "I got a knew espresso brewer. It makes it think and black."

"Ohhhhhh," Thomas let the lusty almost-word escape his throat. Coffee was his favourite. "I think I love you. I might need a shower after this coffee..."

Mad Dog snorted and he set to work preparing his biker brew. Thomas watched silently until he heard footsteps heading towards them from the hallway. He very much hoped his mother was dressed, and in an attept to make sure of that, he called out to her. "Mums?"

"Thomas!" she said, recognising his voice right away. "I thought I heard company!" The pace of the footsteps increased and Lavinia dashed into the kitchen to hug her youngest son. "Hello, my darling." Lavinia wrapped her arms around him and Thomas was sure that if he had to breathe, there would have been an issue with oxygen, considering how hard his mother was hugging him.

"Hello, Mums." Thomas, despite being quite a bit taller than Lavinia (something people usually forgot when they weren't right beside her, since her personality was so very large) buried his face in her neck and he sighed. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

Lavinia patted his back and then she pulled away so she could look up at him. "Believe me when I say I have no intention to. Oh, Thomas... I was terrified and I kept thinking about how scared you must have been..." It had been almost a year now since Amaris had snatched Thomas from his mother and Mad Dog's wedding and kept him for two weeks while inflicting unimaginable torment upon him. Just about two weeks short. And, remembering this, Lavinia teared up.

"Hey, hey," Thomas soothed. He reached out and he touched his mother's cheek. "None of that now," though he had to admit he felt much the same way about the entire situation, especially considering it had led to his death. Again. Thomas was still incredibly uncomfortable at the prospect of seeing his ballsy mother crying. Lavinia hardly ever succumbed to tears, so when she did, it was not a trifling situation. "Come on, Mums. It's all right."

Lavinia sniffled and nodded firmly. "You're right. Look at us, both here. One of us breathing and the other one looking stunning in his trousers," she grinned at Thomas who shook his head at her, amused.

"You'll give me a big head, Mums. Ahhh, too late. Come into the living room and I will deign to let you speak to my attractive qualities. All of which I inherited from you, of course."

"I think you got your barrel-chest from your father, waif," she chuckled at him. "I am far more delicate than that."

Thomas shook his head. "No way. Not my mums. Mad Dog, is Mums delicate?" Mad Dog smiled a knowing smile, but he said nothing, and Thomas groaned. "Ohhhhh I didn't mean like... Okay, who wants to hear about my trip to LA!?" Thomas clapped to change the subject.

Mad Dog laughed at both of them. "Go ahead on into the living room and I'll be there in a moment with your coffee. And yes, babe, yours is irish." Mad Dog winked at his wife, who winked right back.

"He knows what I like," Lavinia said with a smile.

"I know," Thomas replied, his voice full of appreciation. "And I pretty much love him for that." He led his mother in to her living room and she leaned up against him when they sat on the sofa.

"When do you go," she asked quietly.

"Few hours. Spectre is doing his orderly rock star thing, so I thought it best to leave him to it. It's weird... I've never seen him on tour. Not that he's performing, but it's still a tourey kind of thing. He's going to LA to be Spectre the musician, not Spectre my husband. They're not all that far removed, but it's different when he's all official. He's wearing his boss trousers!"

"And it's usually you who wears the boss trousers?" Lavinia asked cheekily.

"Mums! Not at all. Unless you're being dirty, which I suspect you are, and then sometimes, sure! I just like seeing him all official. It's cute. And then he turns to me and winks and I just feel special. 'snice."

Lavinia smiled and she nodded. After seventy-five years, she finally had a husband that made her feel that way too, though had her first husband lived, she would have had that her entire adult life. "And wonderful. You'd damn well better bring me back a bitchin' present, Thomas Ashley!"

Thomas laughed loudly, the sound echoing off the walls of her home. That was how Lavinia liked it. "Oh, Mums. Trust me. I wouldn't dare not to." Seeing Lavinia be herself really was the best medicine. And Thomas was reassured that Lavinia really was okay, which meant it was safe to leave the country. He just had to make sure was all.