Mr. and Mrs. Egan

Tommy is given a bizarre request from Ghost one evening; should anything happen to him, he's to take his place as Tasha's husband and father to his children. With Ghost dead and Kanan setting his sights on Tasha, Tommy is forced to fulfill his best friend's wishes and reluctantly adapts to the hectic life as father and bodyguard.

AU: Takes place during "Ghost is Dead"

The Beginning

Tommy pulls up to the warehouse, seething with rage. After all those years of friendship, Ghost did the ultimate betrayal and lied about Holly, the love of his life. He'd expected such lies from Kanan, Dre, or even Tasha, but never his best friend of 25 years, who kept it real from the jump. Then again, he isn't surprised; he's fucking the Feds and cheating on the wife and mother of his kids, he's talking about going straight and leading a legitimate lifestyle. That simple fact agitates Tommy; they both knew there's no getting out of the drug business unscathed. Once you're in, you're in; the only two ways you can leave are in handcuffs or a body bag. The fantasy of leaving it all behind and not expect it to catch up will only be a fantasy.

Once that thought got into his head, Jamie turned into a completely different person; he's no longer the man Tommy knew. Now, as he remembers Kanan's words, Holly's bloodshot eyes, Tasha's expressionless face as her marriage crumbled around her, Tommy realizes the Ghost they all knew is gone.

He enters and finds Ghost sitting at the table, bottle of Jack Daniels half-empty.

"Sit down," he orders, his voice soft and cracked. Curious and still pissed off, he pulls up a chair and sees him, face to face.

"You lied about Holly," he began.

"Had to. She's a snitch to the Feds and a liability to our business. You were too pussy-whipped to see that."

"I'm pussy-whipped? That's funny, considering who you were fucking."

Irritation flashes across his face at the retort, but otherwise says nothing.

"Shit's about to go down between me and Kanan. Knowing him, I feel I won't be able to make it home and see my kids again."

"What the fuck is this?"

"I want you to promise me something." He looks up at Tommy.

"If I don't survive tonight, I need you to look after the kids and Tasha. I don't want them growing up without a father and Tasha needs someone to get her through the hard times of me not being there."

"Cut the melodramatics, Ghost. We both know you ain't gon' die tonight. You're just saying that so I won't get pissed at you for being a lying sack of shit."

"I may have lied to you about Holly, but I never lie about my kids and Tasha. You know that."

Realization sinks in.

"You're fucking serious."

"You were right about one thing, Tommy." He pulls out a gun, "We're never getting out of this drug business unless it's in handcuffs or a body bag."

Tommy draws his gun.

"What you gonna do, Ghost? Shoot yourself right in front of me?"

"I'm telling you to promise me that you'll look after the kids and Tasha long after I'm gone. Once Kanan comes after me, he'll set his sights on Tasha and even the kids. If not Kanan, then Lobos, or any more of my enemies; I don't want to die knowing my kids will be looking over their shoulder forever over what I did."

"That's the price you pay for getting in this business. You and I signed up for the same contract together. Because of Tasha and the kids, I'll do it. But it's only for them, not you."

They both lower their guns.

"You always were my brother, Tommy."

"My brother's gone. I don't even know who I'm looking at anymore."

"A man. A man who's tired."

Tommy got one good look and got chills. His eyes were black and empty, his energy suffocating and grim. His expression was all the information Tommy needed.

He's a dead man.

It was 2 o'clock in the morning. Tommy insisted on spending the night at Tasha's, checking his phone every fifteen minutes. A few ignored texts from Holly, flirty voicemail from a girl he hooked up with weeks ago, and a chain mail text from a distant cousin, but nothing from Ghost.

Tasha has been grilling him ever since he set foot in the door, asking about Ghost and Sean. He doesn't know how to relay such a bleak message; it was something he feels she isn't ready for and won't be ready for until the time comes. He hopes Ghost will walk in the door at any moment, to put his fears at ease so he could go to his apartment with Bella and Holly waiting for him. Maybe, he hopes, then would be the night that things will go back to the way it was.

2:30 he's feeling hopeful. 3:00 rolls around and he feels that heavy settling in his gut. 4:45 comes and he fears the worst has happened. When the sun creeps through the blinds and bathes the living room with sunlight at 6:30 AM it's then Tommy knew he wasn't coming home.

Tasha comes to the living room, clad in a pink robe and hair rolled up in curlers.

"Morning, Tommy." She answers groggily, helping herself to a glass of orange juice. He nods solemnly, checking his phone and fighting the urge not to nod off.

"Have you been up all night?" She sits down next to him, looking into his face for answers. He turns away.

"Been playing video games. Tariq got good taste."

"Got it from his Momma." She takes out one roller and Tommy watches as one chunk of hair falls down to a soft curl. She repeats this action nearly twenty times and her hair fell down her back with curls framing her face. Tommy smells perfume, an expensive one no doubt, and wonders if she wore it just for him.

"You heard from Ghost?" she asks again.

Tommy is stuck; lie to her or tell her the truth? Before anything else could happen, the

front door shakes with frantic knocking.

"I'll get it," Tasha answers, making her way to the door. Peeking through the peephole, she opens the door and there stands Dre, bloody and frightened.

"He's dead. Ghost is dead. Kanan is headed this way," he pants out, before collapsing to the floor.