Always (Sequel to 'Maybe', a Thomas Brodie-Sangster fanfiction)

Chapter 10

The day passes on slowly; Rachel is busy dealing with Rebecca and Thomas and I are finishing putting belongings away.

I scramble through my duffle bag, and find a frame with a picture in it. It's of Thomas and I a couple months ago at a party. His arm was around me, a bright smile on our faces. I smile at the memory and place the picture on my night stand beside my bed.

I finish putting things away and check to see how Thomas is doing. He is still putting things up, so I head downstairs.

As I head down the stairs, I can smell a delicious dinner being cooked. I walk into the living room, and Rebecca is happily playing with some of her toys. Her face lights up when she sees me, and she giggles.

Rachel is in the kitchen, talking to someone on the phone. She cradles the phone in between her shoulder and ear. The dinner looks like some sort of soup. The oven beeps, and Rachel hurriedly stirs the soup, all while balancing a phone on her shoulder.

"I'll get it," I say, noticing her dismay. I grab an oven mitt off the counter and open up the oven, pulling out delicious looking corn bread. I set the hot tray down.

"Alright, goodbye," Rachel says over the phone, then hangs up.

She glances over to me and then turns the stove off. "Thank you," she says.

She looks back over at the soup, then carefully removes it off the stove. "Sorry about dinner, I wanted to take it easy today," she says.

"It's okay," I say.

Thomas walks into the kitchen and offers to help Rachel. I then grab three bowls out of the cabinet and set them on the table.

"You guys didn't have to help me," Rachel says, scratching the back of her head.

"It's the least we can do, you are letting us live in this house after all," Thomas says.

Rachel gives off a half smile and then walks over and pulls a large ladle out of a drawer. She scoops soup out of the pot and carefully drops it into the bowls.

"Be careful, it's hot," she warns us as we settle into our chairs.

She then walks over and picks Rebecca up out of the living room and sits her in a high chair. She fetches her a jar of baby food and sits next to her in a chair.

She spoon feeds Rebecca the orange mixture, taking turns eating her own dinner and feeding Rebecca hers.

Just then, I hear Thomas' ringtone blare and he whips out his phone. He answers it. "Excuse me," he announces to us, then walks out of the room. Rachel looks at me and I shrug.

After dinner, Thomas still hasn't come back to finish his soup. I notice our bedroom door closed. I knock on the door, and after a pause, he says, "Come in."

He's sitting on the bed, wrapping up his conversation. "Thank you," he says over the phone, "Buh-bye." He hangs up the phone and smiles at me. I smile back.

"I got it," he says, a wide smile on his face. I laugh. I now remember. A few days ago he applied for a new job. The call must've confirmed his job placement.

He picks me up and twirls me around. I laugh and cheer. He does the same. He gives me a quick kiss.

"What's going on?" Rachel asks, noticing the commotion.

"I got a job!" Thomas exclaims.

Rachel smiles. "Congrats!" We jump around together in happiness.

Thomas does a little happy dance also, and eventually we're dancing around the bedroom like children. Out of nowhere, Rebecca crawls into the room and starts giggling. Thomas walks over and picks her up. We all dance in joy.

After a while, we all settle down and let ourselves rest. Mike, Rachel's husband, eventually gets home from his long shift at the fire department and joins us in our lounging session. Myself, being extremely exhausted from the day, decide to hit the hay.

I relax in bed and stare around the room. My eyes fall upon the picture of Thomas and I at a party that was hosted here. His arm was comfortably around my shoulder, and my arm hugged his waist. I then started focusing on tiny details. The necklace I wore. The beer bottle that rested in his hand. The way my hair looked. I scan the faces in the background.

My eyes freeze in terror and I gulp at a particular face that is visible over my right shoulder. She's looking directly at the camera from a distance, but I know exactly who it is. I rub my eyes a couple of times, hoping the face will change. But it doesn't. Although it's been a few years, the face is unforgettable. The red hair. The evil gleam in her eyes. The girl, woman, that is also in the picture-

is Haley.