Trust In Love

Reaching out....

"What am I going to do Tom?"  Jennie sat in the living room the next morning and sipped her tea. "She hates me and I don't know how to fix it if she won't believe me?"

Breakfast had been a leisurely affair.  Sitting in his kitchen just pretending they were two normal people, living a normal life.  Apart from the boarded up window - being repaired that day - and the lack of plates, and cups, and glasses and... the list it seemed was comprehensive.  Terry had really gone to town.  He was, if nothing else, efficient in his destruction of other people's property.  

So they ate from Winnie the Pooh crockery that belonged to Tom's niece and drank from a selection of mugs and glasses "acquired" from various sets and bars around the world.  Tom was nothing if not a closet magpie!

Tom sighed, his head drooping a little as he came to sit next to her. He'd been standing looking through the blinds at the small but hardy gaggle of photographers waiting outside.  As the news had filtered out, about the break-in, about the relationship with Jennie, they had gathered.  Not many, granted, but enough to be inconvenient and more than a little embarrassing. He'd never wanted to be 'the celebrity neighbour.

He'd always guarded his home life jealously.  The area in general, was well used to celebrities and nobody bothered him.  He was just 'Tom from down the street' or 'Tom - you know - the tall bloke that lives in the house near the park'.  Until now though, he'd never worried about the location.  Now, he did.  Not that he would let them drive him out, or indeed, that he would tell Jennie.  God knew she had enough on her plate.

"Now darling, you KNOW that's not true.  What was the last thing she said to you?  We still need to talk.... hmm?" he said gently but firmly.  He took her free hand and squeezed it, kissed the back and let it rest on his thigh.  She looked at it, smiled and nodded.

"You're right, I just get scared.  That this.... you..." she put down the tea and placed her other hand on top of the other two.  "All this is just a dream and I'm going to wake up alone in some grubby cell."

"Now you're being dramatic.  This isn't Prisoner Cell Block H you know, and our prisons aren't grubby.  In fact, looking at MY walls.... " he looked around at the room, still awaiting redecoration from the other evening's activities.  He winked at her and she smiled a thin, what seemed permanently watery, smile.  Tears were never far away, despite her best efforts.  "Susie doesn't now and never HAS hated you love.  She was just, like me, absolutely blindsided by all this.  And like me, she loves you.  Not that she wants to sleep with you at any given moment" he added with a smirk.

Jennie knew he was right, deep down, Susie wouldn't abandon her.  They just had to find a way back to each other. She sniffed back the ever present emotion. "Can... can I ask her to come here?  To see me here?" She looked at him sheepishly, "I'm too scared to go out.  I heard them all outside.  I just can't face them, not yet."

Tom drew her into a hug.  He wrapped his arms around her, holding her head to his chest, as you might with a scared child. His voice, the balm to her fractured soul, echoed in his chest. "Darling, you don't have to ask. This is as much your house as mine now.  I want you to feel safe here.  I want you to feel loved here and I want..." he pulled back and looked at her with an emotion filled gaze. "I want you to know, no matter what, I will ALWAYS be here for you.  ALWAYS."  he repeated softly, his eyes telling her everything.

He kissed her gently and released his grip on her, standing up and walking to the door.  "Now, I need to go call Luke...." he saw her expression change and shook his head. "Now I know that look, don't go getting all worried, I just want to call him about a job I have lined up for next month ok? You should call Susie." Now she really DID look worried.

"I... I can't Tom, I don't know what to say...." She trailed off as she realised she sounded about as pathetic as she felt.  Tom raised an eyebrow and walked back over to where she still sat. Taking her chin in his hand, he tipped her face up to look at him. 

"Now you listen here my Midgardian Pet" Loki suddenly lectured her. "Don't overthink it. Just say what you feel.  You are stronger than you think, braver than you feel and worshipped more than you'll ever know Little One ." he kissed her forehead, Loki disappearing and Tom returning. "Ask her to come over, she just needs you to reach our.  You'll be absolutely fine and in any event, I'll be back in a few minutes to pick up the pieces."   He winked and walked away.

Her gaze followed him as he walked out of the room and through to his little office.  Turning back, she looked at her phone as it sat on the table next to her.  Could she? Should she?  Yes, and most definitely yes.  Her conscience jabbed her in the stomach.  Of COURSE she should, she wasn't going to throw away their friendship because of Terry bloody Anderson was she?  That, it seemed, was exactly what he wanted.  To destroy her like she had destroyed his father, or so he believed.

Her hand shook as she pressed the contact number and she waited, hardly able to control her breathing. It rang.  And rang.  Of course, she realised that Susie would know who it was immediately. Was she deliberately ignoring her? Was this her way of....  her introspection was rudely interrupted by a voice.

"Jennie? Is that you? Oh Jesus Christ Jennie, I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry.... I went to your flat, you weren't there.... I thought you'd.... oh lovely, I miss you...I said terrible things..." Susie hardly drew breath as the floodgates opened and they sobbed almost hysterically over the phone to each other.

"Come here? To Tom's... please?  I need to see you, speak to you. I need to tell you stuff...." Jennie managed to get out eventually.  There was a pause for a millisecond and the sound of a door closing. 

"I'm on my way.... send me your address.... "

Jennie looked up and Tom was standing smiling in the doorway. "We can do better than that love." he walked over and took the phone from her hand, "Hi Susie... yes... I know... me too. Look, cancel that taxi.  I'm coming to get you...." 

Almost an hour and several frustrating sets of road works later, Tom and Susie pulled back into his street. Tom turned to her and sighed. "This isn't going to be pleasant, they've been hanging about all day. Just look straight ahead and don't speak ok?  They're annoying but they're not dangerous.  A bit like me really!" he laughed, relieving the tension in the car.  He pulled up to the door and took out his phone.  

"We're here.  You ok to open the door? Just stay behind it and you'll be fine.  Good girl, love you.  See you in a sec." he hung up and turned, "Ready?"