The Heart of a Villain (a Tom Hiddleston fanfiction)

Shock

[Rose]

Slowly, Rose starts to move toward Tom.

She isn't sure what good it will do. But she needs to be near him. Mark is a wildcard and she's had enough surprises this evening. As she moves, she feels the stockings she had shoved into her garter. She palms them in her hand, also not knowing what good it will do...unless she can get them around someone's neck.

When she does reach Tom, he slides his hand behind him toward her. Not knowing what he wants, she reaches out, placing the silk in his hands. He takes it, crushes it into his palm. She has no idea what he's thinking but has nothing else to offer.

And Ben...keeps talking. But his threats and promises aren't working. One would think that Mark would be quick to jump, just as quick as Tom ever was, to obey Ben. But no, the man hesitates. His eyes skim to her.

"Rosaline, I see you found what you were after. Clean up the lad and leave me to clean up this... mess."

So Mark does  remember their earlier conversation...but it gives her a ridiculous amount of hope, that the man is not so cold blooded as to kill a woman and child without provocation.

"I'm not leaving without Tom."

She's pushing -- she knows Tom wants her to go. She knows he will sacrifice himself, his life, for her and their son. But she won't let him. Not yet.

Apparently Tom's encouragement of her to leave and her refusal have provoked Ben into another fit.

"Kill. Them. Mark," he finishes with venom. "One last lesson to learn before the end of his reign as London Lord of Crime."

But Rose sees Mark's eyes. She sees him thinking. She knows the look of a man who has something of value and contemplates it for a moment, being threatened, being lost. The look of someone realizing that they are in a bad situation -- and realizing the absolute best way for it to fall in their favor.

Tom still has the gun Ben gave him in his hand, and she sees that he hasn't raised it. He's waiting. He doesn't want to give away his last possible defense until he absolutely has to. So she places her hand on his shoulder to show him --

Mark isn't on Ben's side. Not anymore.

She feels the muscles in Tom's shoulders yield under her touch.

And then Mark shoots Ben. In the knee.

Tom lets go of the gun. She moves to pull him up. He lets her. It's time to go. She's only been half listening to Mark making a very sensible point about how everyone has family. She is torn between worry over Tom's injuries and the fact that Will has gone very quiet on her hip. Ben's insanity over all this has hardly had time to register. She'll twist it over in her brain later, when they are away from this place.

Tom allows her to take a little of his weight. She tries hard not to grip his ribcage the wrong way but she has to put her hand somewhere. She tentatively feels with her fingers and when Tom doesn't moan in pain she presses harder. Up toward his armpit seems to be the safest place.

Still, the two competitors can't help but exchange final words.

"Luck, mate," Tom says as they go past.

"Way I see it, you'll be needing the luck, mate." Mark favors him with a brief glance. "It doesn't end here."

"It does, if you tell them I'm dead."

Dead...Rose turns her head, and sees Hadley, still lying on the floor. Hadley, who threw himself into the path of a bullet for her, for Will. Her stomach twists and she wants desperately to go to him, see if he's breathing, has a pulse. He hasn't moved, and there is a considerable amount of blood but...