Shields- A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction

Chapter 51

I don't know if I have mentioned this, but the reason Alice blushes a lot is because I do. I think it is something genetic, because my Aunt has the same thing happen to her. We blush really bad at any point in an awkward situation. I think it is legit something scientific. Anyhoo, it's not that I don't have any other way of expressing embarrassment, it's because I write how I would react, because Alice is a part of myself. Alright, enough listening to my boring chatter, even if you read this. Thanks! Enjoy the chapter.

I am stunned into silence as I watch Tom perform on stage. This is the first live performance of his I have seen. I also feel immense pride for him. He has been working on this project since before we got married—that play about the assassin falling in love with his target.

Seeing Tom and Sam on stage, I can't deny that they have chemistry. There is still respect for each other, I can see this evident in Tom, and I doubt that the rest of the audience can tell. It makes me feel a little more comforted, knowing that the woman on stage kissing my husband has respect for me, even if she hasn't met me.

I am crying as I watch Tom's character, Richard, cradle the head of his lover as she dies in his arms. Despite his love for the woman, he was bewitched and forced to complete his task. It breaks my heart to see the broken look on his face, tears rolling down.

"I am so sorry, my dearest," His voice cracks at the end, tears rolling down his face. I hear some sniffs in the audience behind me. Mr. Alexander, sitting next to me, Holds Elizabeth's hand as she wipes tears from her eyes. Tom had bought them tickets for this show as well. Diana and James weren't able to make this showing, being busy with their own respective duties.

I wipe tears from my own face as Tom stands, leaving Sam resting on the ground. He then turns, facing the audience. He looks so sad, I want get up from my seat and give him a hug.

"Forgive me." He whispers this, but his voice echoes across the theater. I know this part well: After being forced to kill his beloved, Richard produces a vial of poison, prepared by himself earlier in the play when he has suspicions about his employer. The vial is filled with a dark liquid I know is just food-colored water, but I still grimace when Tom unstoppers the vial and then tips it back, swallowing the liquid. Tom closes his eyes for a moment then staggers. Guards are appearing from the sides of the stage, running to him, but Tom collapses before any of them can reach him, and he falls next to his dead lover.

I close my eyes for a moment, the sight of Tom dead on the ground making my stomach roll slightly. Mr. Alexander takes my hand gently in his, soothing my troubled emotions. I open my eyes, seeing the curtain fall.

Needless to say, the cast was received by a standing ovation, me right along with them. I don't know if Tom can see me in the VIP section from the stage with the bright lights shining in his eyes, but he looks right at me for a split second. It sends butterflies through me as if I were a young teen being spotted by her high school crush. Then the curtains fall and the audience begins to gather their things.

Mr. Alexander, Elizabeth, and I make our way to the side of the theatre, where a security guard is standing in the way of the hallway that leads backstage. I show him the VIP pass Tom had given me, and my ID, then step past the guard into the dark hallway.

With Mr. Alexander and Elizabeth right behind me, we head backstage into a whirl of people and costumes. I stand to the side, searching the crowd of extras and makeup artists for my husband.

"Alice!" I hear someone call my name. I turn, spotting the lanky man from the other side of the room. I make my way across carefully, trying not to step on toes or kick shins. I finally make it over to Tom and am greeted with a hug and a firm kiss on the lips. I think I hear some catcalling and go a bit red, hiding my face in Tom's chest for a moment. I then pull away, grinning widely.