Scenes (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfic)

Opening night

Opening night had been delayed. The tickets she'd bought had been exchanged, the hotel cancelled and rebooked and the train, well, she couldn't even think about what that had cost her in changed fares but the wait was almost over and she was beyond excited.

Amy was a fan of Shakespeare from the moment her English teacher had laid a battered copy of Henry V on her desk at 11 years old. Whilst everyone else groaned and moaned their way through the seemingly cumbersome language and the dusty history, Rosie lapped it up. Over the years, Henry, Othello, Cesar and Hamlet had become like friends to her. The humour and the tragedy, the courtly romance and the fierce political intrigue, all had entranced her. Now, the ultimate reward. Henry the Fifth at The Donmar Warehouse. Her favourite play at the most intimate venue, only the Globe on the banks of the Thames could top that for staging.

The only small, well, ok to be honest, quite large, fly in the ointment was it wasn't Tom. She really REALLY wanted to see Tom. Kit Harrington, now famous thanks to his starring roles on TV and in the MCU was a good substitute but he wasn't Tom. Her Tom. Her Loki. Her Henry. She had been absolutely 100% devoted to him as an actor for a while now. Mainly initially thanks to the Asgardian God of Mischief but she had then learned about his enduring affection for, and encyclopaedic knowledge of, Shakespeare and that was it, deal done. She watched everything she could, more than once if she was honest. The only thing she had missed out on was Coriolanus at the very theatre she was now visiting. She would have liked - no loved - to have seen that. Now as she sat in the train, drawing into King's Cross Station, she looked across at her cousin Jamie and almost jumped up and down in her seat, grinning like a 5 year old at Christmas. He rolled his eyes and laughed. He was well used to her and her fangirl excitement.

At least she was entertaining he smiled to himself as he heaved their bags from the rack. They'd played and laughed together since they were tiny and she had always been the little daft cousin. Nothing had changed over the years, just the size of the adventures and the fun. Even last year at Comicon, she had kept him amused when HE sat in a queue for over an hour with her so SHE could meet the Great Sir Thomas of Hiddleston. Jamie was her best friend, he'd laughed with her cried with her and his motto was 'always have a Plan B' - especially where Amy and Tom Hiddleston were concerned.

It had been a great weekend, they always enjoyed Comicon, being huge Marvel fans and to a lesser extent Star Wars. They soaked in the atmosphere, watching the cosplayers, looking at the fan art and the collectibles and generally 'geeking out' for hours. To top it all off, this time Tom had made an appearance. Paying far more than she would ever have believed she would, she got a photo, an autograph and 5minutes of his precious time. He'd been charming and funny, offering to squish his 6'2" frame down to fit into the photo with her at a tiny 5' . The photo now hung in her office at home and the autographed copy of Coriolanus sat by her bed in pride of place. She took it out occasionally and ran her fingers carefully over the signature, her mind full of images of his blue eyes, ready laugh and beautiful smile.

Coming back into the present with a jolt, the train stopped and she saw Jamie wrestle with their cases, indicating they had arrived. It was a fair distance from the station to the theatre and having dropped their bags at the hotel, they made it with barely a few minutes to curtain up. Apologising profusely, they made their way along the row to their seats.

Now, the Donmar Warehouse is legendary. The stalls surround the stage on 3 sides with only 4 slightly tiered rows in each. They had seats in the centre of the back row. You couldn't ask for better. A little more expensive admittedly, but totally worth it. Amy squeezed along, knocking legs and feet as she went, repeating 'sorry' like some kind of crazy mantra. Jamie was ahead of her so took the seat farthest away, leaving her to take the empty one next to a man with the longest legs she'd seen since, well, she couldn't remember. Poor him, she thought sitting down, he's gonna be uncomfortable. Distracted by the thought, and still in the low light, she tripped over his feet and almost fell on top of him. Putting out a hand to save herself, she ended up grabbing his knee. In the semi-dark she recoiled instantly in shock and embarrassment. She sat down hurriedly, turning to apologise profusely to the poor man.

Looking up, she stammered "oh shi...I mean sorry! How rude of me. " he didn't seem phased at all, hadn't actually turned round from chatting to his companion but on hearing her apologise, he did. He smiled and her heart stopped. He spoke and she died on the spot.
"No, please, its entirely my fault. My legs aren't built for confined spaces. Far too long. Are you ok though darling?" Amy nodded slowly as she looked into the face - and eyes of the most handsome man she'd ever met. Again. The leg she'd accosted belonged to Tom Hiddleston. She couldn't speak, she just stared as he smiled at her with a look of gentle amusement.
"Breathe darling - you must breathe!" With a knowing but slightly sheepish smile, he gently took her hand between his, rubbing it. "You're going to have to breathe!" Amy shook her head in utter shock, whispering "Oh.My.Good.God"

This seemed to amuse him even more and he gave a little "Ehehehe , no not God darling, Warrior King of England maybe, but not God!" And he winked. Rosie let out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding in. Seeing her start to breathe, he visibly relaxed and said "Officially its Tom, Tom Hiddleston, pleased to meet you" he added " usually I go for a handshake, but hey a knee grab is ok too."

She suddenly jolted back into life. "A-amy-pleased to meet you too - a- a- and your knee!" she stuttered making him laugh again, his eyes twinkling mischeiviously in the half light.
"I like her!" Loki's voice filled the small space between them and he turned to address his companion,
"I think we need to get to know this little Midgardian, what say you Strange?" And with that, the other man sat forward, staring intently.
"Well, I just looked into all possible outcomes and she's definitely an interesting one!" Amy's eyes almost fell out her head as she stared at the bearded figure of Benedict Cumberbatch. Before she could start to hyperventilate again, the house lights flashed, they were about to start. Reluctantly, she pulled her hand back from where Tom still held it, cocooned in his large, elegant fingers and turned to settle into her seat with a sigh. What great timing, not!

As the darkness fell, she felt warm breath on her neck as his low, velvety voice said in her ear, "Let's compare notes in the interval over a drink?" An electric shock ran down her spine and settled low in her body somewhere unmentionable. With an slight shiver, she nodded,
"It would be my genuine pleasure" she whispered, still facing forward but now smiling, hoping he would get the quote.

"Well if it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink... in oh about an hour and a half?" he whispered back, the breath dancing over the skin on her neck, making her shake inwardly. She could hear his smile. In the small space that was the back row, his thigh touched hers as he too settled back, but he didn't move it. In fact, she could have sworn he moved it a little closer, twisting slightly in his seat, then didn't move again. In her peripheral vision she was aware oh his profile, highlighted by the stage lights, all strong jaw and exquisite cheekbones, his eyes fixed on the opening speech. Something inside her was unable to quite believe what was happening. As the drama started, Amy hoped something amazing was about to happen, and it wasn't just the play.