T.H. Mini Series

For Sheena - Part 1.

This story is for Sheena_Stalwart ♥️

You stared at the glowing screen, mouse hovering over the SUBMIT button. It was a perfectly harmless word but it held more weight than it ever had before.

You were about to submit your final assessment. Soon you would graduate. You hoped.

"Here goes nothing" you mumbled as you clicked on the button. The mouse thought for a moment, the computer freezing momentarily. Your heart caught in your throat as the screen paused a moment too long. Finally, the screen changed and the words CONGRATULATIONS flashed at you.

You slumped back, exhaling deeply. It was done. After years of late nights, double shifts, tired eyes, copious amounts of coffee and nervous breakdowns. It felt a little anticlimactic. Stretching, you stood, resting the laptop on the coffee table.

"Mommy's done Missy!" You cheered as you picked up your dog. Missy snuffed your cheek as you squeezed her close, breathing in her warm, wonderful doggy smell.

You put Missy down and wandered to the kitchen. Normally you'd celebrate with a glass of wine or whiskey, but you were three months sober and you weren't going to break. You resolutely flicked the kettle and made yourself a cup of tea instead. Not quite as celebratory, but tea had become a welcome comfort during the late nights finishing this degree.

You turned on the tv, selecting season one of Daredevil. Even though you'd watched it countless times, it was a world in which you delighted in escaping. As Matt Murdoch beat the shit out of KingPin's goons, you slipped off to sleep, Missy curling up by your chest to keep you warm.

**

"Congratulations to the class of 2018!"

Everyone whooped and cheered, tossing the graduation caps in the sky. You threw yours, feeling lighter than air. You'd fucking graduated, and with honours to boot. Just another one of the big Fuck Yous to everyone else who doubted you or tried to bring you down.

"Sheena, we're going for drinks. Wanna come?" asked John.

You paused. Whilst it would be nice to celebrate graduation with your friends it would be at a bar, and though you were still committed to your sobriety, you didn't feel strong enough to put yourself in that situation.

"No thanks. Got plans to make" You replied slyly.

And you did. Thanks to your college success, you had job offers coming in, plus your novel was progressing a lot faster since you'd finished your final assessment. You'd promised yourself that you would fulfil an old goal and travel abroad. And you knew just where you wanted to go.

SIX WEEKS LATER.

You watched the plane glide towards the tarmac, the sky grey over London. You felt butterflies in your chest as the plane got lower and lower to the ground. You were finally here. After years of saving, waiting, day dreaming and wishing, you'd finally made it.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to London, England. Thank you for choosing Delta Airlines, we hope you have a pleasant stay"

You itched to get through customs, doing your best not to become irritated with the bored customs clerk. Finally through, you burst out of Heathrow airport and took it all in.

The people. The smells. The sights. London. England.

You grabbed the first taxi you saw, giving him the address of the Air BnB you were staying at. You stared out the window as the taxi driver wound his way through the airport and city. You could see the London Eye, rolling through the sky slowly; Parliament House; Big Ben covered up as construction workers updated the foundations of the old clock; the murky, muddy waters of the Thames.