AN: Wow, my second oneshot in two days. But this one was a request, so here it is. I've never tried to do a Tom study before, but I'm pleased.

Disclaimer: I own not, you sue not.

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Tom likes to fix things.

He knows, even as a little boy, that nothing should be broken. Things should be whole, like his father is when he stays away from the Indians. When he goes out with them he always comes back different, hazy and stumbling.

Tom wants to fix him. He wants him to be clear and lucid, to smile and tell stories that Tom wishes were true. He's heard the one about the donkey at least six times, but it still holds magic.

On a trip to the sea, Gemma falls and skins her knee on a rock. She cries, her plump six-year-old face blotchy and red. Mother tries to comfort her, but the tiny girl is inconsolable, especially since her new dress is dirtied. Tom goes to the sea and dives, brings her back polished, smooth stones that he pried from the loose sand.

"They're rajah's jewels, just for you, Gem," he whispers. And his sister beams, her tears forgotten. Mother ruffles his hair gratefully and Tom thinks that all he wants to do forever is fix things.

The last time he sees his sister happy is when she is twelve, and he is going to leave for London soon. He takes her on a picnic on Sunday, taking the place of his mother for a day. "I'll always love you, Gemma," he promises. Then, even though he's sixteen and much too dignified nowadays, they roll down the hill in a moment of silliness. A slice of childhood is suspended in time, on that hill, their version of church.

When he sees her again, she is sixteen, dressed in mourning black. He's different now, though. No matter how sad she is, he will never again take her to a hilltop on a Sunday. Proper young ladies should go to church on the Sabbath, and pray for good marriages and for someone to take care of them.

After awhile, he forgets why Gemma should be depressed. She's Father's favorite, Simon Middleton is infatuated with her, and she is the dear friend of a cousin to the Russian czarina. But then he sees her with Nell Hawkins, both of them looking so broken, and he wishes that he could just be her brother again, instead of what he is now.

He vows to fix this, and Tom always keeps his word.

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AN: If anyone takes offense to the comment about staying away from people from India, I'm very sorry. I'm not racist, I assure you. Please,

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