In His Eyes

Holding On and Letting Go

"Rob. It was Rob." She whispered into his chest as he held her tightly. They'd sat on the sofa, Beth, on his lap, protected like the lost child she felt. He held her to him while she let all the angst go.

"Rob? You mean 'Rob' Rob?" He tried not to make it sound like a cross examination. She nodded, still not looking up.

"We bumped into him in The Ivy. I told him to get lost. I promise I did Tom... Sophie was there, she'll tell you... I don't know how he found me... Tom, I promise I didn't tell him..." her voice began to rise in panic.

"Shhhh darling, it's ok." He stroked her back and kissed her head. "I believe you. It's ok. Tell me all about it." He stroked her hair, calming and soothing her panic away.

She took a breath, and soon, he had a blow by blow account. From the meeting to the chucking him out, and everything in between.

Tom laughed softly when she told him about telling Rob to go fuck himself and he gasped when she described how she'd kneed him in the face, most likely breaking his nose, when he tried to go down on her.

"He dragged me into the bedroom... made me sit down...pulled my legs apart..." she paused, gathering her thoughts. "I knew he was too strong to fight, so I thought I had to catch him off guard. You know?" She looked at him, and he nodded.

"I know, darling." He kissed her forehead. "You don't have to tell me any more if you dont want to. It's ok."

"No, I need to. I don't want there to be anything about me that you don't know. No nasty surprises." She took another deep breath. "I let him kiss me, just once I promise, just to convince him..." her voice was barely audible, the shame she felt, crushing her chest. Tom rocked her gently.

"You did the right thing. I only wish I had been here to protect you." He stroked her back, and she started to smile just a little.

"When I kneed him in the face, the noise of his nose breaking? Made me smile. I'm sorry if that sounds bad and sadistic, but I just... it just was... I'm not sorry!" For the first time that day, she began to sound like the Beth he'd come to know and love.

"Darling, you are the single most wonderful woman I have ever come across. There is nothing you need to apologise for. If anyone should be apologising, it's that... that animal." The venom in his voice both startled and reassured her all in one go. She looked up at him, then smiled.

His eyes were trained on her and her alone. Their ocean depths sparked with an emotion she could only have dreamed of a few short weeks ago.

"Tom?"

"Yes, kitten?"

"I... I need to tell you something else. Something important."

"You do?" He held his breath. He simultaneously steeled himself for something bad and prayed for something good.

"If I tell you, and you don't like it, promise me you'll be honest. Gentle, please, but honest?" She looked at him, her eyes searching his face.

"Go on." He stroked her cheek, suddenly getting the feeling she was about to beat him to the punch. "You can tell me anything, darling. Anything at all." His voice was soft and warm, like velvety hot chocolate on a cold day.

She took a soft breath and held his hand to her cheek as his fingers lingered.

"I love you." It slipped out and hung between them, silently waiting.

Her face was a picture of fearful devotion. Part of her wanting to show him how much she cared, part of her terrified he would run a mile.

For a moment, he just looked at her. He didn't - couldn't - speak. Then, slowly, he began to smile. A broad, delighted, tear stained smile.

"Oh, Beth." He kissed her softly, his beard tickling her nose a little. "I love you too."

His breath danced on her lips, and his love danced in her heart.

"You do?" She was genuinely taken aback. "I mean, I have known you - well, sort of for me, what seems like forever. But you knowing me? We only met days ago..."

"Oh darling, whatever you might have heard before to the contrary, love is not governed by the laws of time. Not as we think of it. Love is governed by what the heart sees and feels. Not how long, but how deeply. I don't need a lifetime to know I love you, I just need a lifetime with you to enjoy it."

He leaned back on the sofa, taking her with him. Slowly, he laid her down until he was above her, looking down at her with eyes that sparked with desire and admiration.

"Kiss me?" She whispered, her fingers gently running over his lips. "Kiss me and don't stop?"

"Oh, Beth." He bent down and kissed her deeply, drawing a gentle moan from her as his tongue danced with hers. His body, pressed to hers, responded to her own, and she could feel the depths of his desire.

"I want you so much, my love." He growled into her ear as he nibbled her neck. "But not here, like this. I... I want you to always feel our first time was special in EVERY way. Until then, let me worship your body as you deserve." He pulled back, and she opened her eyes.

"Oh Tom, I want you so much. It would always be special, but yes, I will wait. I would wait a lifetime for you." She smiled,"but a little worshipping before dinner will do just nicely!"

Tom grinned. "Oh, Beth! You are just perfect. I love you, darling!" He traced her neck with his lips and began his supplication.

Later, as he sat in the kitchen drinking the wine and watching her cook, she glanced back at him now and again. Watching her biting her lip and grinning as she did so, he felt a swell of emotion.

This woman was his last ever love. As he'd said once before, his forever. He knew that now, for sure.

All he had to do was make sure she realised it, and for that? He would need a little assistance. From the three of the only other people in the world he trusted completely.

Worship? By the time he was finished showing her how he worshipped the very ground she walked on, Loki's God complex would look like amateur night...