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FIC: Anniversary Introspection
Mar. 2nd, 2006 11:28 amFIC: Anniversary Introspection
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Rivalry and office politics and introspection at the forensic lab.
Author's note: I've started trying to develop Arica's lab more because it seems like the thing to do and I'm inspired. If you'd like to see a listing of her personnel go to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
forensic_lab. I have absolutely fallen in love with Tom Anderson, so I had to write a fic of course... exploring his mind, thoughts and perhaps background.
Disclaimer: All Alias references belong to J.J. But Arica, Nadine, Tom, Michael, Aimee, Emily, Luke, Richard, James and Zach are mine.
Tom Anderson absolutely hated office politics. All they did was distract from the purpose at hand. They mucked up people's lives and less work was done. He was a scientist and if he'd wanted to be a politician, he would have gone into politics and studied that instead. He had thrived so far in the Massachusetts lab, unlike his last job. He had worked previously at another state lab and had been unfairly fired, but it had almost cost him his career because of the circumstances. As such, he had been loyal to Arica, to the lab and had done anything he could to make life easier for her. And that included stepping up as the interim director while she was out with the new baby.
Michael Whitmore had been hired about the same time he had been and had proven to be at best a complicated choice. Dr. Whitmore was great at his job, had been the golden boy at his last employment and had taken this job as a promotion. He wanted Arica's job and had made that clear from his first day on the job. Whitmore had even rained the bureaucracy on their heads more than once when Arica made deviations from some procedures because of common sense. He was a formidable man but Arica had kept him at bay this long. And was doing so now by putting Tom in charge. That had not gone over well and had been met with some criticism. Whitmore had tried to rally the lab's funding partners to protest but that hadn't flown either.
"We've got a new case," Emily Barr said, poking her head in and interrupting his thoughts.
"Thanks, I'll be right there," he replied, standing and moving to the lab. Not surprisingly, Whitmore was already there. As the senior pathologist, most of the caseloads at least went through his department.
After speaking with the authorities as necessary, he returned to his office, determined to push a little more paperwork through before the day ended but instead, found himself lost in thought. Tom wasn't a man given to a lot of introspection the job, but today had been a strange day. It had been a year since he and his wife had signed the papers and it just seemed impossible that it had been a year since. In some respects it had been his fault. He'd lost his job, watched his career crumble to dust, fallen into depression as well as a bottle on occasion and ultimately had destroyed everything he had left in his life. But on the other hand, looking back, they had not belonged together. Absently, he wondered if she had remembered the day. She already had a steady boyfriend, a new job, a new life. He was working on it, but it had been a long road... and but for the grace of God, he would not have made it this far.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Rivalry and office politics and introspection at the forensic lab.
Author's note: I've started trying to develop Arica's lab more because it seems like the thing to do and I'm inspired. If you'd like to see a listing of her personnel go to
forensic_lab. I have absolutely fallen in love with Tom Anderson, so I had to write a fic of course... exploring his mind, thoughts and perhaps background.Disclaimer: All Alias references belong to J.J. But Arica, Nadine, Tom, Michael, Aimee, Emily, Luke, Richard, James and Zach are mine.
Tom Anderson absolutely hated office politics. All they did was distract from the purpose at hand. They mucked up people's lives and less work was done. He was a scientist and if he'd wanted to be a politician, he would have gone into politics and studied that instead. He had thrived so far in the Massachusetts lab, unlike his last job. He had worked previously at another state lab and had been unfairly fired, but it had almost cost him his career because of the circumstances. As such, he had been loyal to Arica, to the lab and had done anything he could to make life easier for her. And that included stepping up as the interim director while she was out with the new baby.
Michael Whitmore had been hired about the same time he had been and had proven to be at best a complicated choice. Dr. Whitmore was great at his job, had been the golden boy at his last employment and had taken this job as a promotion. He wanted Arica's job and had made that clear from his first day on the job. Whitmore had even rained the bureaucracy on their heads more than once when Arica made deviations from some procedures because of common sense. He was a formidable man but Arica had kept him at bay this long. And was doing so now by putting Tom in charge. That had not gone over well and had been met with some criticism. Whitmore had tried to rally the lab's funding partners to protest but that hadn't flown either.
"We've got a new case," Emily Barr said, poking her head in and interrupting his thoughts.
"Thanks, I'll be right there," he replied, standing and moving to the lab. Not surprisingly, Whitmore was already there. As the senior pathologist, most of the caseloads at least went through his department.
After speaking with the authorities as necessary, he returned to his office, determined to push a little more paperwork through before the day ended but instead, found himself lost in thought. Tom wasn't a man given to a lot of introspection the job, but today had been a strange day. It had been a year since he and his wife had signed the papers and it just seemed impossible that it had been a year since. In some respects it had been his fault. He'd lost his job, watched his career crumble to dust, fallen into depression as well as a bottle on occasion and ultimately had destroyed everything he had left in his life. But on the other hand, looking back, they had not belonged together. Absently, he wondered if she had remembered the day. She already had a steady boyfriend, a new job, a new life. He was working on it, but it had been a long road... and but for the grace of God, he would not have made it this far.
