T.H. Mini Series

For Sheena - Epilogue

For Sheena_Stalwart

"TOM!" you bellowed, fighting with the squirming baby in your arms. Your husbands head popped out of his study, hair flopping haphazardly across his brow, glasses askew on his crooked nose, face puzzled. He had no right to look like a handsome dorky Peter Parker when you were cross with him! "What's this?!" you grumbled.

"Our son, дорогой"

"Not him. This!" you growled, readjusting Ben on your hip as you held up the sunflowers that had just been delivered to your front door.

"Don't you like them?" he asked, face crumpling in disappointment.

"I said I didn't want to celebrate my birthday Tom!"

"Well, technically it's your birthday tomorrow and I can send you flowers if I want to S". He was using your favourite pet name, looking at you with his big puppy dog eyes, to try and garner brownie points, but you weren't going to let him off that easily.

"A minor technicality, but I know what you're up to. If there is a surprise party planned, you're dead meat"

Tom smirked, taking Ben in his arms and kissing your cheek affectionately. "No surprise party planned, promise. Just us and Lovebug going out for lunch. Tell Mumma she's being silly" he cooed to Ben, who proceeded to jam a chubby fist in his mouth and make noises of aggressive contentment as he gnawed at his pink flesh, coating his hand in a sticky layer of drool.

You scowled at Tom, not buying his innocent act at all. Despite your aversion to surprises, Tom continually chose to ignore this fact and routinely did things to surprise you. More often than not, it was things like flowers "just because"; tickets to the Russian ballet; romantic weekend getaways; little things that made you feel gushy inside and love him a even more. But things like surprise birthday parties that were full of people whose names you couldn't remember, British GQ photoshoots in your backyard right after you'd had Ben, or surprise extended family visits that left you locking yourself in the bathroom for five minutes of peace, were not the kind of surprises you enjoyed.

Tom glanced at you, his nose scrunching up. "I think Bug's done a dirty deed in his diaper"

You smirked at him. "Who smelt it gets to clean it!" you teased, running down the stairs as Tom tried to palm Ben off to you.

"Your Mumma is getting too good at that" you heard Tom grumble as he walked to Ben's room to change him.

"His outfits laid out, so if you could change him too that'd be great!" you called, hearing Tom whisper conspiratorially to your son.

You went to the kitchen, checking to see if there were any more suspicious packages or surprises waiting for you. Everything there seemed normal, including the living room and laundry. Still, you didn't quite believe that there wasn't something going on. Tom was behaving just a little too innocently for your liking.

It was as you walked past the front door that you heard the distinct timbre of Harry's voice.

"Ouch, Paddy! Watch it!" he growled, Paddy snickering.

You opened the door to find your in-laws and family trying to hide behind the shrubs you had planted to block the paparazzi snapping photos of you at home.

"Shit" you heard them mutter collectively as they saw you standing in the doorway.

"What are you all doing here?" you asked loudly, arms crossed, foot tapping agitatedly.

They had the good sense to appear sheepish as they crawled out from behind the shrubs, looking awkward and slightly dishevelled. Before you got to hear their stellar explanation, Tom came down the stairs.