Promises You Can't Keep (A Tom Hiddleston/Lee Pace Fan Fic)

Part 1 ~ Chapter 12

Mallory's POV

"Tom's moping, you know," Sophie says as we shop for a gift for Ben and Sophie's son, Kit. It's coming up on his birthday, and Auntie Mal can't show up empty handed.

"And this is my concern because?" I ask as I pick up a learning toy to examine it.

"Because once upon a time, you two were friends," Sophie says, taking the toy from my hands to place it back on the shelf.

I sigh as we continue around the store. "I know we were. I just don't know how to get back to that," I say.

In truth I've been thinking about Tom so much recently, I find it difficult to think of anything else. I miss him, plain and simple. Though I'd rather have him as a lover and a friend, I'll take just friendship hands down over not being with him at all.

"Go see him," Sophie says as she takes a cute sweater for Kit from my hands and hangs it back on the rack.

"But what if she's there?" I ask, trying to keep the pettiness from my voice. I've come to feel like Amelia stole him from me. Then I hear the line from some film in my head: "I didn't steal anything that didn't want to be stolen."  To be honest, that hurts worse than the idea of them cohabiting. I have nightmares of Tom finding the one, settling down, and starting a family, though. I've dreamed this on several occasions, and I always wake apologizing to our unborn child for not allowing him to know his dad... or her, I think.

"She won't be. Amelia's off on a project somewhere. Besides, it's not like they live together," she says, easing my feelings and causing me to relax significantly.

Sophie picks up a toy and shakes it, being rewarded with the most obnoxious noise I've ever heard before placing it in my hands.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Aunties are supposed to give children toys that the parents grow to hate. Add some sugary candy with it, and you're bound to be loved and revered by Kit forever," she says, causing me to laugh for a moment before I scowl at her.

"You're planning to do the same thing to me with my own child, aren't you?"

She just snickers as we make our way to the cashier.

*************

I pause before I knock on Tom's door. What if he doesn't want to see me? I think. After all, I thought for a moment he was going to pass out at the fashion gala when Lee dropped the bomb on him. In fact, Lee and I had a bit of a row about it afterward, with Lee saying that Tom had to learn about my pregnancy sometime, and me arguing that we could have made him aware more subtly. To be honest, I thought it was my news to tell Tom, not Lee's.

Sophie's words from yesterday give me a boost as I suck in my breath and knock despite my concerns.

After a few moments, Tom yanks open the door with bleary eyes while still wearing his pyjamas at midday.

"Mal!" he exclaims, taking me into a hug as I barely have time to move the takeaway coffees I'm carrying to the side.

"Hello Tom. I brought coffee," I say, extricating myself from his hug so I can walk past him into his house. Though the place is not as tidy as I'm used to, it doesn't look as if it's been ransacked or anything.