Love Letter

Scared to Believe

"See who that is, love? I'm just taking the supper out from under the grill!" Diana's voice floated through, accompanied by the smell of grilled cheese on toast.

Ali sighed wearily and hauled herself off the sofa, pushing Bobby gently to the side. The three of them had been snuggled up on the sofa watching Notting Hill, the irony of it's premise lost on none of them.

"Ok! But who on earth is this so late?" She called through as she padded into the hall in her bare feet and fleecy pyjamas. She'd planned to go to bed early, desperate for this hellish day to be over, but Diana had persuaded her not to.

"If you go to bed, you'll only lie there in the dark alone and fret, wont you?" She'd said gently.  Ali nodded. "Well then, why not stay up a little longer and fret with me instead? Oh, look! Notting Hill! I do love this one, but it's even better when you have someone to watch it with, don't you think?" Diana had smiled innocently. She knew Tom would make it home tonight, and she wanted Ali to be the one to welcome him. To see what she meant to him.

Ali had agreed, in no small measure, as a thank you. Diana had been her rock from the moment she'd set foot in the house a few hours before. Wherever her real mother was, as far as Ali was concerned after this, she no longer existed.  None of them did.

Opening the door, she painted a pleasant smile on her face.  "Hello, can I....." she stopped dead at the sight in front of her.  A man, a tall man. stood smiling at her with his arms open wide. With a squeal and a waterfall of tears, she rushed into those arms and was enveloped by them. "Oh my God you came home.  You came home. You...came...home..." she dissolved completely at this point and Tom just stood and hugged her, his own face awash.

"Come on kitten, let's go in?" he murmured gently and guided her back through the door.  Kicking the door shut with his heel, they stood in the hall glued together.  For a full five minutes Ali sobbed in his arms a mixture of disbelief that he had done this and gratitude he had as well as no small measure of the release of all the fear.

Eventually though, she calmed and looked up at him. "You came home..." she repeated again and he smiled. "Promise me you're real?  I'm scared I'm dreaming...."

Tom looked at her and without a word, leant down and kissed her. His lips were warm and as tender as his embrace.  They kissed... and kissed... until a discrete cough from the kitchen made them break apart with a sheepish grin.

"You two finished saying hello yet?" The disembodied voice called through.  "this supper is getting cold!" 

"You can come out now mum!" Tom called out, still with his arms around Ali.  "Supper?  You never told me there would be supper!" his eyes glinted and Ali, despite everything laughed. 

"And you say I'M food driven Mr Hiddleston!" she batted him on the chest softly.  Tom just shrugged and smiled innocently. "come on let's go through."

A few minutes later, they all sat in the living room, film paused, and ate the toast and drank the tea.  When everyone had been sufficiently fed - which for Tom seemed a hard feat to accomplish - they sat back and relaxed.  Although it was late, they wanted to enjoy this little moment to the full.

"So. You were in on this little surprise then?" Ali turned to Diana with a content smile as she snuggled into Tom's side on the sofa. "is this why you wanted me to stay up?" she looked from Diana to Tom and back again.

"Well, I have to admit, I wanted you to be the one to open the door, to get the surprise first hand." She looked at the two of them sitting there, a picture of relief and love.

Tom squeezed Ali very softly "well, I for one and incredibly glad.  Although my travelling companions - you must meet them sometime love, you'll really like Jenny - were great company and made the trip so much more bearable, seeing your beautiful face at the door was worth every mile."

"Oh you big softie, now you've made me cry again!" Ali sniffed, tears springing to her eyes once more. "I'll dehydrate if I leak much more!" 

There was general laughter and then Tom turned to look at the tv. "So what WERE you watch.... Ah! Notting Hill.  Love it so much! Hugh is so me! You want to finish watching?" he turned back to the pair of them with those puppy dog eyes neither could usually resist.

One did though.  

"Not for me ducklings, I'm off to bed.  Been a long day and, well, you two have things to talk about that I have no right - or need - to hear.  See you both in the morning." Diana got up and kissed them both on the cheek.  "Thank you son." she whispered softly into his ear and was gone.  Ali smiled to herself, but said nothing.  She'd been set up in the most wonderful way.

Tom picked up the remote and looked down at Ali. "So, where are we?"

"Rhys has just answered the door in his Y-fronts!" she laughed and settled down, head on his chest as he lay along the sofa with her.  His heartbeat strong in her ear, her small body cocooned in his arms, they talked about nothing.  They didn't need to.  Everything they needed to say came from their embrace.

Slowly, she turned to him and looked up, eyes full of dark passion. Tom looked down at her and gently stroked her cheek, his thumb coming to rest on her lips.  They parted slightly and he could feel her hot and ragged breath. His passion flared and his pupils dilated as their minds came to the same conclusion.

In the light of the flickering television screen, the soft sounds of their passion  covered by the soundtrack they both loved so much, Ali and Tom reaffirmed they were still alive, still in love and always would be.  As they reached the edge of their own personal cliff, they plunged silently over together.  Reaching the ground below, they lay panting softly, tears on both their faces.

"I love you " she whispered softly, feeling a sense of peace, so long missing.

"And I adore you" he countered, knowing in is heart he would give his life for her if it would save her.

He wouldn't need to go that far, but his - their - strength, would be sorely tested.