Author's Note: Second STFBE Fanfic, first one posted here. Feedback is more than welcome.
Prologue – Birthday Boy
The clock blinked 6:26 as Trevor Tomlin pulled on his black leather jacket, getting ready to go out for a birthday celebration his friends were throwing him. He looked in the mirror to make sure he would look presentable for a fun night out on the town.
This was the one birthday party he was going to have in awhile that he was actually halfway excited about. He found it hard to become enthusiastic about anything since he moved to Hartbridge. Mostly because the move was something he didn't want. Hartbridge was a small suburb outside of Boston and significantly quieter and slower than his former home of Washington D.C. Then again, that was kind of the point of the move, to lead a more mediocre life that was below the radar and wouldn't attract any attention.
He stared at his reflection for a moment and let out an audible sigh. A figure with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes stared back at him expectantly. He really shouldn't be celebrating today. It wasn't really his birthday. His real birthday was in the winter and celebrating it in the summer just felt awkward to him. At the same time he was getting used to it, it had been a long time since he allowed himself to have some fun.
Jack Hudson's birthday was in December. Trevor Tomlin's birthday is in June. He wasn't Jack Hudson anymore; he had to remember that. It's been three years since he was Jack Hudson and he thought he would have gotten used to that fact by now. But he couldn't ever, not really. He was Jack Hudson for thirty-some odd years of his life and because of one incident, one night; he was forced to change his identity and history. The worst part was being ripped away from them. Away from a job he loved, away from his co-workers who had become his family…and away from her.
Goodness, he wanted to be able to say goodbye to her. He saw her face every night, the look of horror and fear she held when he fell to the ground from the gunshot and his heart broke at the thought that he was the one who caused her such pain. All he wanted to do was somehow tell her that he was okay if it would ease some of the hurt she was feeling. But then again maybe that was giving him too much credit. It had already been three years and Sue Thomas was a strong woman. He always had a nagging feeling that she meant more to him than him to her. As long as he stayed in the same unit as her there was no way he could act on his feelings anyways and maybe this was all for the best. Being physically distant away from her would have helped calm that pull he always felt inside of him whenever she was around.
He hadn't thought about her as much lately. Her face still haunted him before he went to sleep but that nagging and heartbreak he initially felt had found a way to slowly fade. Maybe this was the best thing that's ever happened to him.
"Hey, birthday boy! Come on, the drinks are a-waiting" He heard a voice call from outside.
He peered outside the window and let a small smile form across his face. "Ever heard of a doorbell, Steve?"
"Yeah yeah yeah, you'd be too busy putting on your makeup to answer the door. Come on!"
Trevor smiled and exited his small town home and was greeted by a chorus of Happy Birthdays from his friends. He smiled even wider and for the first time in a long time, it came from the bottom of his heart.