Found

This is Madness

"Ok, what's going on?  You've been like a wet weekend for the last four days! Did His Majesty not turn up then?" The figure came and sat on the edge of her desk, blocking her view of her computer. 

Sophie turned and looked at her friend with a shocked expression. "I have no idea WHAT you mean?" she feigned surprise although, in truth, she knew EXACTLY what she meant.

Jane leaned in close and whispered "Is it Lurki? Did he not have his big horns on?" she said with a leering wink.  

"It's Loki actually and no, it's nothing to do with HIM actually." for the first time in days Sophie laughed and smiled, she wasn't lying she was just "bending" the truth a little.  Jane was a good friend. A VERY good friend. Had been since, oh well, before she could really remember.  No, that wasn't true.  She could remember.  First day of school, sitting next to each other.  Sophie had been so scared she'd wet herself and Jane had taken her to the teacher, holding her hand.  Jane and her seemed to have been holding hands ever since, even eventually getting jobs in the same company.

Through good times and bad, new boyfriends, bad boyfriends and, in Jane's case, husbands and divorce, thick and thin the two of them were inseparable.  Except for one thing.  Jane had a severe case of the 'Hemsworths'.  Sadly incurable.  Sophie felt desperately sorry for her but could do nothing.  There was, like with her own severe Hiddlestonia, nothing that could be done other than indulge it at any given opportunity.

They'd decided early on that there was no danger of lusting after the same Asgardian.  Jane was definitely the blonde beefcake type and Sophie? Well, bad boys with attitude, leather and metal?  What's not to love? 

"So if it's not LOKI" Jane emphasised the name with good natured sarcasm "Who IS it?  You've been pining away since you got back from London.  OH MY GOD!" her face was a picture of sudden realisation "He SPOKE to you didn't he?  He actually exchanged more than a smile!" She hugged her friend "You have my sympathies Lovely, exchanging words with your hero?  How will you ever get over it?" she had laughter in her voice, but no malice.  Truthfully she was a tiny bit envious, she'd NEVER get to meet Chris. He lived half a world away.

Sophie smiled, a shy smirk coming over her face.  "Actually" she said quietly and calmly  - amazing even herself - "Actually, it was more than just a few WORDS." The shy smirk erupted into a full blown grin and Jane looked at her unable to really comprehend what her normally level headed and sane friend was telling her. 

"What do you mean MORE?" she said "And why on earth would MORE make you upset?" she grabbed Sophie and dragged her from her desk, "Coffee break NOW.  We need to - I need to - discuss this more." pulling her by the arm, they walked to the lifts and down to the basement where the in-house coffee shop and restaurant was. 

Sophie kept silent, wondering now if she'd said too much.  No, Jane could be trusted.  She wouldn't blab any more than she would laugh at her. But how to say it?  How to be discrete yet tell her?  Cappucino's in hand, they sat at a small corner table and for a moment said nothing, just sipped their coffee.

Eventually Jane put hers down and looked at her expectantly.  She didn't need to say anything, her burning curiosity written all over her face.  What could be so earth shattering? Make her so depressed? Had he signed her book and she'd lost it?  

"I kissed him" 

It came from nowhere and sucked the life out of Jane's brain. "I'm sorry?  I could have sworn..."

"He ran after me at the signing and I kissed him because he wanted to kiss me and he hesitated and now I want to kiss him again and I'm pretty sure he wanted to see me again but it wasn't the time or place and now I'll never see him again and its all too much and..." it all spilled out in a rush of excitement, regret and overwhelming emotion. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

Jane put a hand on her arm and squeezed, this was WAY beyond anything she could have imagined.  Words failed her.

"BLOODY HELL! Bloody - Asgardian Gods with jawlines and eyes to die for - Hell!" 

Tom stood looking out of the window, slowly sipping a cup of coffee and watching the cars crawl by.  London was not a place to be driving in these days, that's why, whenever he could, he took the Underground.  On one hand it was crammed and noisy and afforded very little chance to avoid public scrutiny but the convenience and speed he could travel around more than made up for it.

Turning away with a sigh, he came and sat down.  His mind just wasn't in the right place today.  He wasn't the only one that noticed.  

"What's up buddy?" The voice came from the other side of the desk they shared, from the man who'd been his shadow and confidant as well as his publicist. Luke Windsor had steered Tom through his meteoric rise from freshly graduated young actor playing small but intense roles to international superstar, commanding an army of followers.  "You've not been yourself for days. You feeling ok?" he peered round from behind his laptop, mid-email. "Do I need to cancel anything?"

"Yeah, my bloody imagination for a start" Tom muttered to himself. To Luke he said "No, no, it's ok.  I've just got a bit of a puzzle and for once, I have absolutely NO idea how to resolve it. " He put his cup down and sat in his chair, feet on the desk.  

Leaning back, he ran his fingers through his hair and let out a groan. "How do you find a needle in a haystack when you don't even know what the needle looks like?" 

"Now that sounds like one of those "I've got this friend" scenarios!" Luke smiled and shut the laptop "Care to tell me the problem your "friend" has?" he lifted his own cup and swallowed, looking at him steadily.

"Well, the thing is, " Tom smiled, his eyes crinkling and his cheeks flushing "The thing is, my friend" Luke sniggered and Tom flashed him a look then continued "my FRIEND has met this girl - well woman - and he wants to see her again. A lot." 

"Does he now?  And what's the big problem with that?" Luke was puzzled, this wasn't like Tom.  Usually he had no issues with women, quite the opposite, he was usually the one fending them off with a big stick. 

"Well there's two issues as far as I - eh, he - can see" he picked up his cup and began to fiddle with the lid as he spoke.  It crossed Luke's mind he actually looked nervous. "Firstly, he only met her once, very briefly but there was a spark.  More than a spark I - he - thinks, she kissed him and then he just let her walk off.  Second?  He has no idea what her name is or where she's from but he's desperate to see her again."

Luke's mouth hung open in surprise.  Tom? Kissed a random anonymous woman?  That in itself was astonishing enough but now to want to track her down, and to mope around like a lovesick teenager while doing so, was even more of a revelation.

"Pretty then eh? " he winked and Tom nodded, he knew the ruse was up.  No more "friend" analogies. "VERY, but it wasn't just that, there was more to it than just a pretty face.  We talked, about Shakespeare, she brought Coriolanus to Comicon!" he shrugged "but there was just SOMETHING Luke, a connection.  I know she felt it too but she knew it wasn't the time or place.  She told me to find her. But how?  How the HELL do I find her Luke?" 

"Tom, I have absolutely NO idea, but if anyone can do it buddy, it's us."  he smiled and opened his laptop again, "Let's get today's emails out the way and then we can put our heads together.  The challenge is accepted.  Now, do you want to do the Empire interview on Thursday afternoon or Friday?"

Tom and Luke settled down to work for the rest of the day, putting thoughts of Sophie and Comicon to the side.  He only hoped that by the time he found her, she would still want him too.