Found

It never strikes twice...?

It was a great weekend. The hotel was great, the show fabulous. Jane and Sophie had a ball, even managing to catch a glimpse of Kit as he came out of the theatre.  On Sunday, they walked up through Regent's Park, all the way to Camden. Pottering about the market they treated themselves to some handmade jewellery and a couple of rather overpriced but very welcome drinks in one of London's most iconic bars. 

Gilgamesh was every bit as exotic on the inside as on the outside.  They sat in one of the booths and sipped cocktails feeling really rather exotic too.

"Happy Birthday!" Sophie raised her glass and toasted her friend then reached into her bag and pulled out a small box wrapped in tissue paper.

"For you, from me," she winked and passed it over.

"Oh hun! You really didn't need to! You already gave me all this. " she smiled at her best friend and opened the box. Inside was a keyring. In the shape of Mjolnir, Thor's hammer. It was decorated with all the usual runes and so on, a perfect miniature. Jane held it up and laughed delightedly. "Awww its fab, thanks Soph!" She added it to the bunch of keys in her bag.

"There's something else in the box J" Sophie said "have a closer look?"

Puzzled, Jane opened it again and saw nothing. Curiously, she removed the shredded tissue Mjolnir had lain in and saw a small 6x4 photo underneath of her favourite Asgardian. Smiling, she lifted it out and excitedly hugged it. "Aww my favourite Thunder God! Thanks."

Sophie smiled wickedly "look on the back..."

Jane turned it over and her face was a study. Sophie wished she'd had a camera. Written in black sharpie was a small message. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY OTHER JANE, HAVE A GREAT DAY, LOVE CHRIS XX" it had been signed by none other than Chris Hemsworth. 

"Oh. My. God." Jane, like the true fan she was recognised the writing and the signature instantly. "Oh. My. God"  stunned she started to tear up.

"Don't ! Jane ! I'm warning you! If you do so will I!" Sophie laughed "you have NO idea how long I've had to wait for that.  Before all this was planned and then some.  Happy Birthday Lovely."

They hugged and finished their drinks. Time to go.  The flight home was at 8pm so they had plenty of time to pick up their luggage from the hotel and head back to the airport.

Walking downstairs and out into the street, Sophie took a last glance around.  She loved Camden with its eclectic shops and people. She loved the buzz and the market. The iconic shop signs and the goth shops cheek by jowl with t-shirt vendors and all manner of places to eat.

As they neared the underground further along, she watched as a woman walked a small brown spaniel.  It was on one of those waist leads and she spoke on the phone as she walked. The spaniel trotted happily along, yellow tennis ball in his mouth.

He seemed to be almost smiling at everyone he passed. As they drew level, Sophie couldn't help but say hi to the little dog. Instantly, he dropped his ball at her feet and yipped.

The woman stopped and picked up the ball, apologising to Sophie as she did so. "I'm so sorry. He's been a little beggar today, acting all cute just to get attention. His Dad's away so I'm on dog walking duty. He's always up to mischief- the dog that is! " they laughed and the dog yipped again, sitting prettily at her feet.

Sophie laughed "it's perfectly ok, I don't mind at all. He is rather cute I must admit. Hope he gets his Dad back soon!" She ruffled his head and he licked her hand.  Sophie and Jane headed away and as they crossed the street. Sophie was a little ahead so it was only Jane that heard  "C'mon Bobby, Dad's home later, we better get you back and fed eh?"

Jane's brain fired up instantly. Brown dog? Bobby? Absent Dad? No! Surely not. It wasn't possible. How on earth had Sophie not made the same connection?   Making an excuse to Sophie about needing to get a drink from the supermarket they'd just passed before they headed off, she dashed away in pursuit of the woman and dog.  A few seconds later she spotted them on the other side of the street.

She dashed across the road and caught up with the woman.

"Hi again." She gasped, running in heavy boots and clothes was very taxing!

The woman stopped and turned "oh hi. You were just... yeah hi!"

Hurriedly Jane and the woman conversed and she was back before Sophie even noticed.  What she did notice was a glint in Jane's eye and a look of smugness that seemed to exude from every pore.

"What were you doing?" She asked suspiciously, "you didn't get a drink did you?"

"Err no, I err didn't see what I was after. I'll get something when we get to the airport." She smiled and looked so innocent, Sophie smelt a rat.  She knew asking would be fruitless. If anyone could keep a secret it was Jane. As they walked away, it briefly crossed her mind that Tom had a little brown dog.  If only she could get to ruffle that cutie's head - the dog too!

They reached Heathrow about an hour and a half later. Just as they were standing at the gate, ready to board, the incoming flight de-planed and the passengers walked out past their queue. At the very end, a small gaggle of girls wandered slowly looking at one of their phones, giggling wildly.

"Oh God Carly, he soooooo cute, you were super lucky" one of them sighed and 'Carly' nodded dreamily.

"Yeah but he's so much older than us, it's just not fair!" 

As Jane and Sophie exchanged amused glances, the girls drew level and they could see the photo as they sauntered past.  Now Jane and Sophie exchanged more than amused looks, they almost exchanged eyeballs - it was a selfie on a plane with TOM!

Before she realised what she was doing, Sophie reached out and put a hand on Carly's arm. "Excuse me" she said quickly "Did you meet Tom Hiddleston?" and Carly nodded, smiling happily.

"Yeah, he's on the flight. I got this as we were boarding. Think he's still on, probably getting met with a limo at the steps.  He's soooo handsome and soooo charming." and with that she floated away.  Sophie and Jane looked at each other and barged their way to the window overlooking the tarmac.  There, at the bottom of the steps, instead of a movie star limo as Carly and her friends had imagined, was a tall, bearded man with a black rucksacks and a tired expression.

Sophie almost fainted.  Jane grabbed her and sat her down. "Come on Soph, we have to get to the front, he has to see you!" Sophie nodded weakly, a mixture of terror and desperation on her face.

As they made their way back to the barriers, a surge of people pushed forward blocking their way. Neither of the two were particularly tall, so it made it difficult to push their way through.  Reporters appeared from nowhere and a sea of flashbulbs went off as Tom emerged from the airbridge.  Jane caught a glimpse, he looked tired but smiley. His usual politeness being, she suspected, pushed to it's limits. He waved and smiled to the crowds now calling his name in a surge of noise and lights.

"C'mon Soph, shove!" she commanded her friend. They squirmed their way to the front just in time to see Tom descending on an escalator to the lower floor.

"TOOOOM!" Jane shouted like a docker on a quayside, cutting through the mele. He turned sharply and looked back.  Just as he disappeared from view, Sophie made it to beside her friend and his mouth fell open.  Too late, all she saw was his hand as he descended, carried away from her yet again.

She tried to get to the escalator but the thronging crowd made it impossible and by the time she got to the top, he was long gone.  Jane was at her side in a moment.  Silently, she put her arms around a now sobbing Sophie and hugged her.

"It's ok, come on Soph, they're calling the flight. We have to go. Come on, don't worry, you're fated to meet - I promise.  It will be ok."  she said softly, reassuringly.  Arm in arm they walked back to the gate and boarded their flight home. Tom's reaction - the instant and obvious recognition - made her more hopeful than ever that this, together with her conversation this afternoon with a random woman and a dog, would give fate a helping hand.