Trust In Love

Defensive Behaviour

"I told them they had better keep you out of jail. Otherwise, how would I spend the rest of my life with you?"

There was a silent pause as Jennie stared at Tom, her heart racing and her mind screaming.

For his part, Tom just smiled and took her hands in his. "Darling, I love you. It's as simple as that. I love you, and I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me. If that is for my lifetime that won't be a moment too long. " he swallowed, the emotion overwhelming him. "It's not how I ever imagined it would be, you know, loving someone as much as I love you. Its so much more wonderful."

Jennie felt her tears spill down her cheeks, and she glanced over at Susie to see her biting her knuckles, eyes filled with joy, sobbing silently. Susie nodded, in answer to an unspoken question that neither of them could believe was happening.

She looked back at Tom, her smile as broad as her face would allow without actually splitting in two. "I love you too, I never want to lose you, Tom. I want to be with you till the end of everything." She felt a warm wash of love flooding over her as she looked into his eyes. "It's going to be hard, the next few weeks and months, but with you? I'm not afraid. I know I can do this."

Tom smiled, and as she almost started to hyperventilate, he slid onto one knee in front of her.

"I'd always imagined doing this somewhere romantic, with stars and champagne and flowers. Hell love, I don't even have a ring, but...." he took a deep breath and glancing at Susie who was the most excited witness to the single most important question he'd ever asked, he turned back to her, "Jennie, darling? Marry me? Please?"

For a second there was silence, then all hell broke loose. Jennie nodded and cried and managed a squeaky "yes!!!" Susie screeched and cried and cheered and Tom grabbed Jen, kissing her deeply, then releasing her and grabbing Susie. He kissed her on both cheeks, leaving her stunned; hugged her tightly, leaving her breathless and stopped dead in his tracks, leaving them all shocked.

"I need to call Luke. An Mum. And I need to do it now. Oh Jennie, I love you so much darling. Thank you, thank you, thank you...." he left the two women in the room and dashed through to the office.

They heard the office door close. Silence.

Jennie looked at Susie.

Susie looked at Jennie.

The air was split with excited shrieks.

Their collective joy, however intense and sincere, was relatively short lived. Well maybe not short lived, but had the shine taken off it in short order. The bucket of cold water? A person and a place.

The person was Luke. As soon as Tom phoned and told him the news, Luke groaned. This was NOT good timing. It could backfire spectacularly. The trial? The adverse publicity? The hatred for Jennie as it was? If "they" found out she was now marrying him, then if she thought she had problems now.... And as for Tom? Being associated with a convicted criminal? Studios wouldn't recruit him for a tea-boy let alone an actor.

"Mate, look, don't get me wrong. I'm really REALLY happy for you - both of you - but you HAVE to keep this quiet. For now, at least." Luke sat back at his desk and rubbed his eyes with the hand not currently clamped to the phone, knuckles white. He sighed and held the phone at arm's length as Tom gave him the answer he fully expected. "Finished or just drawing breath?" He finally replied.

"Luke.... you and I have been friends longer than we HAVENT been friends, know what I mean? I really, honestly thought you'd be happy. That you would understand mate. I LOVE her, I HAVE to show her. I have to show THEM that I believe she's been set up. We HAVE to go public. Maybe not make a huge song and dance about it, that was never my style anyway. But let it be known. No denials, no hiding. Oh and yes, I'm going to buy her a ring and she's going to wear it openly. How would it look if straight after she's cleared - and she WILL be cleared - we then seemingly get engaged? It'll look like I didn't trust her, won't it?" Tom had been pacing up and down in the little office, hand on his eyes, trying to keep it together. Now he crumbled and stopped. "Luke, I just love her, you know?" the tears fell and on the other end of the phone the voice was calming and reassuring.

"Ok Tom, I trust you. I just have to point out these things because it's my job. You know that. I am so happy for you man. She's a stunner in every way. You landed on your feet there son!" he laughed and sat up, tapping a few notes into the open laptop on his desk. "Look, if you're going ring shopping, why don't we all meet for lunch? If we're launching a charm offensive, I can be as charming as the next man!"

"I AM the next man!" Tom smiled and shook his head, "Honestly? Don't know what I'd do without you. See you about one o'clock at Russells? Great." he hung up and before he turned, a pair of arms snaked around his waist and a soft kiss placed itself on the back of his shoulder. He smiled and turned, not freeing himself from the grasp. "Hi you." he looked down at her, the tears still fresh on his cheeks.

"Thank you darling. For defending me..." Jennie paused and swallowed, still unable to really believe all this was happening. "For loving me..." she didn't get any further as he bent towards her, his lips pressing against hers in a tender kiss.

"Always kitten, always. "

They broke apart and, now holding hands, walked back to the living room where Susie sat leafing through a coffee table book of "Shakespeare in Art". He had been given it at an official reception some months back. Truthfully, he'd never really looked at it much, mainly through lack of time but now was instantly fascinated. Susie was sitting staring at an anonymous artists' picture of the man himself, drawn in the 18th century.

In fact, it wasn't actually him that was fascinating them, it was the woman in the picture with him. A pretty young woman, seemingly talking to him and showing him a basket of peaches. He had a hand on hers, looking adoringly at her as he ignored the basket. Seemingly it was an imaginative representation of the first meeting of Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, his future wife. Why so interesting? Well, if they hadn't believed in reincarnation before, they did now.

"Jennie? Have you ever thought you lived a previous life?" Susie held up the book and Jennie gasped. It was her. Susie looked at Tom and smiled. "You see? You two were meant to be! Even Mr Shakespeare knows that!"

The three of them split as they left Tom's house. Susie in one cab, Tom and Jennie in his car. They deliberately stood at the kerbside and hugged. First Tom and Susie then Susie and Jennie. Camera's flashed and there were a few shouted questions. All were resolutely ignored. There would be time enough for all that, today was for celebrating.

A friendship rescued and a love affair cemented. As Susie relaxed into the backseat of the cab, she watched Tom and Jennie navigate their way to his car. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Would love be enough? Tomorrow would be the first test. Jennie was coming back to work. The first tentative step on the road to redemption.

But the road to redemption had more in common with the road to hell than anyone ever imagined.

Both were paved with good intentions.

And the hearts of those with them....