Half Full (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfic)

Chapter 20

Tom's POV

Two years later...

"One more bite. Come on, Love," I say as I wiggle the spoon in front of the baby's face. She grimaces at me, and I know there will be no more strained carrots today.

"Awe, I missed feeding time at the zoo?" Alex says as she enters the kitchen. Upon seeing her, the baby giggles, holding out her hands toward Alex.

"Afraid so. Be sure to be here for snack time when biscuits are sure to be thrown at the audience members," I say, causing Alex to laugh. She's soon joined by her fiancé, Josh.

Alex grabs a face cloth and cleans the baby, then picks her up from the high chair.

"Was she a good baby today?" Alex asks, kissing her on the cheek.

"To which baby are you referring?" I ask as Jay walks into the kitchen.

"I heard that," she says, slapping me on the arm lightly.

I take her into my arms and kiss her, though I cannot pull her as close as I'd like.

"Baby wants waffles for dinner," she says, trying to reach the waffle maker herself. I sigh and reach around her to retrieve it from its shelf.

"What have we discussed about asking for help," I say, wrapping my arms around her, protectively placing my hands on her swollen belly.

"Okay," Jay says, turning in my arms. "Help! I need another kiss," she says, smiling up at me. I can do nothing but oblige her.

Jay releases me from her grasp and walks toward her two daughters.

"Hi Charlie," she says, kissing her on her cheek, making her giggle, then she kisses Alex's cheek.

"I can't wait to have one of my own," Alex says, kissing Charlie's cheek to make her giggle again.

I look from her to Josh, and I can't decide if his smile is in agreement or if he's trying to think of an escape plan.

"We will have two soon. You can have one - take your pick," I say, causing Alex to gasp and Jay to slap my arm again, laughing.

Alex glares at me, speaking to her sister as she carries her from the kitchen. "Come on, Charlie. We know when we're not wanted."

"I said you could have your pick!" I call after her, and I turn to see Justine giving me a scolding look.

"What? I was hoping she'd take the new one. That way we wouldn't have to go through feedings every two hours again," I say, stepping toward my wife to kiss her on the top of the head, earning another arm slap.

"Does the baby just want waffles, or would she like something remotely healthy, like a vegetable," I say as I step to the refrigerator to gather ingredients for what Jay has requested. As has been the case since that night in Times Square, I've been unable to deny her anything. Not that I've wanted to.

When we'd first talked about having a baby right after we married, I do admit I had my hesitations. Was I too old to be a father? Would our child miss out on something by having an older dad? In the end, all I had to do was look into Justine's eyes to know the answer, and I've not regretted it for a moment.

Now, our second child...that was purely an oops. I'd been away, filming a short series for the BBC. I'd missed her terribly, with Jay being unable to travel with me since Charlie was only a few months old. When I returned home, we mistakenly believed the old wives tale that it's more difficult to get pregnant when the mother is breastfeeding, so we made love more in the first week I was home than I think I'd done in my entire life.  Five weeks later, when Jay was hugging the commode and cursing my name, I knew I was blessed with fatherhood once again.

"Waffles... and maybe a banana?" Jay asks, hoping a choice of fruit would make me happy. As it turns out, it does, and I nod, smiling at her. "That's a good girl."

I make waffles in quick order, and serve them to her with a sliced banana and syrup. I kiss her on the top of the head after helping her into her chair, then I start making tea for myself.

"Tom?"

"Yes, Love?" I ask as I take a seat next to her.

"Are you happy? With our life, I mean," she asks.

"Of course I am. Why do you ask?"

"I just... I don't know if things turned out like you planned," she says, moving the banana around on her plate.

I take her hand, placing her fork on her plate, and squeezing it until she meets my gaze.

"It's definitely not how I planned," I say, causing her to frown slightly.

"If it had been as I'd planned, I'd be married to someone else right now, with or without children," I add, squeezing her hand again. "No sir, what I've learned about life is plans are rubbish."

She smiles at this, squeezing my hand then picking up her fork to eat again.

"You saved my life, you know," I say softly.

"You did that yourself," she says, taking a big bite of waffle.

"I didn't do it alone," I say. She places the fork on her plate and gives me her full attention.

"So, you're saying that I'm the reason you're alive," she says, and I nod in answer.

"You not only saved my life, but you gave me life. By giving me a home, my children, everything that is important in my life."

She studies me for a moment, then she finally asks the question I knew she would.

"So, would you say your glass is half full?" she asks with a grin.

"Absolutely not," I say, causing her to frown.

I stand and grab her hand, helping her to stand as well, then I take her into my arms and start to dance slowly with her to a silent tune that only she and I can hear.

"My glass is definitely full," I finally say, stopping our movements to brush my lips across hers, wondering how my life had turned out to be so perfect.

The End