Twelve Red Roses (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

Chapter 38- Tom's Future, Cassidy's Nightmare

A loud, monotone buzz erupts from the altogether quiet room, causing the two bodies lying in the bed to stir for the first time in hours. Only one body rises, though, feeling tired and groggy. He stretches his lean muscles, and turns off the alarm.

The second body in the bed has grown used to hearing the alarm so early.

"Do you need me to feed the baby before I leave?" The man asks, now up and changing into jogging clothes.

The woman shakes her head, sighing. "He'll survive until I get up, Tom. He isn't crying."

The man, Tom, nods. Once he gets his attire on, he presses a kiss to the woman's head, though the action is hardly noticed, much less returned.

Then he is off. Exiting the nice apartment, and walking onto the streets of London. Not many people are in the streets at this time in the morning, but that's how he likes it.

He makes his way to the local park, where there is a nice jogging path he likes to follow. He used to be able to jog for many miles, but now his time is limited. He must be back by a certain time to drop the kids off at school, his wife off at work, and then meet up with Luke.

He gets through half of a mile before he has to get back, and, with an un-content sigh, he turns around.

When he does return, he smiles, seeing his entire family around the small table in the kitchen, ready to eat. Only waiting on him. He settles down, watching his son for a moment. His hair is dusty blonde, and curly, his eyes a deep blue. Today will be his second month of his first year of school.

Tom looks to his other son, just a baby. The baby still slept in a little crib in his parents' room. The same blue eyes peer around the room, still taking in everything. Learning every single day.

Then there's his wife. She sits next to the baby, reading a newspaper. It is just an average morning. A repeated morning. This happens every single day, yet Tom is always smiling.

He sips at his coffee, the liquid which is usually known for its bitterness is sweetened with sugar and cream. He's never been much of a coffee drinker, but waking up at three a.m. every night to tend to a crying child can really change a person.

At seven thirty, just like every morning, they all pile into their car- a bit of a downgrade from Tom's Jag, which had been sold after their first child. First stop is the baby-sitter's. They drop off his son successfully, with no problem, and head for the school. Then, after that, the local hospital, where his wife works. She's a nurse there.

"Goodbye darling," Tom speaks. "I'll see you tonight."

He leans in for a kiss, and his wife gives him a peck on the cheek. Not what he was looking for, but he'll take what he can get. There's been a lack of romance in their relationship lately. A lack of love and lust. Ever since their second son was born, they'd never even done anything more than kiss. It was killing Tom, yet his wife seemed to cope just fine. He lives with it, though, for the sake of his beloved family.

The next stop is Luke's house, a stop which he dreads.

~

"Tom, you've got to step up your game. Get an audition, an interview, something. People are forgetting about you," Luke says with a sigh, pacing around the room.

Tom sits in a chair, his knee bouncing with anxiety. He hasn't taken a role since his first son turned two. He decided he needed to be around his family more.