The Waitress

In the end

Tom and Mels strode from the plane hand-in-hand, carry-on over their shoulders ready to face the world.

Ready to do what they had to.

Tom was still worried, could still feel himself spiralling into self-doubt, insecurity and numb-depression. The depression wasn't because he felt too little but too much – all the emotions were trying to surface at once. But he squeezed her hand and she smiled and he felt better.

She made him want to be better.

Stronger.

Mels took a deep breath walking into the known unknown. She wanted to throw up, she wanted to run away but she didn't, knew she couldn't. She had people who loved her, relied on her, needed her. And she was quickly understanding that she needed them too, it was a strange new feeling but it wasn't unwelcome.

It filled her with warmth.

The fact was for the first time in her life Melody Taylor felt loved unconditionally, by her family, her friends and by the man by her side. She had nothing to prove to them, didn't have to be anything but herself to be loved – it was freeing and crazy and something she didn't know she'd been craving all her life. And the nicest thing was that she felt it back. She hadn't been sure she could – feel love that was. She thought her losses had made her guarded, shut off from life but not anymore and even if there were hordes of press there, even if her world was no longer private, she would face it, because she had realised in the past two days and maybe over the past year that Tom Hiddleston, not the movie star but the man, was worth it.

She hadn't chosen to love him but it hit her like a tonne of bricks now as they walked out into the terminal – with a security guard – that she did.

There was no press though – well one bored photographer from the Courier Mail who really just wanted to grab a pic and be gone back to the office drinks. Christmas Eve was working in their favour. But she knew it wouldn't last, the press would work out eventually who she was if they hadn't already and she'd live in his fish-tank-world but that was okay because she'd be there with her favourite fish.

As he clung to her nervously and as she strode out of that terminal she knew it was okay because they weren't alone. That was even more evident when she walked out to find their "car and driver" was Crystal herself and her boyfriend Derek in James' big over-blown SUV. Yeah, no one was getting past that thing.

"Thank you so much for coming!" Crystal said hugging her tight as the men exchanged cordial handshakes and introductions.

"We wouldn't be anywhere else," Mels replied, meaning it, hugging the women who had inadvertently changed her whole world, given her a whole world, closer and tighter. The couldn't do that long in the pickup zone but she moved away from the other woman a look of understanding passed the other woman's and she smiled a "your welcome" because she was. Crys had always liked Melody even when she had been uptight and lost but she knew she liked this new Melody even more.

"How are the boys?" Mels asked quickly.

"Phillipe is off the ventilator and conscious – of course, the first thing he asked was who was looking after the restaurant," Crystal scoffed moving away from her friend to open the back of the car for the bags.

"Ah, so he's feeling better then?" Mels giggled nervously.

"Yeah, it's such a relief," Crys sighed.

"James has been beside himself, the sooner we have gay marriage in this country so those guys can have the same rights as everyone else the better. I mean it's not that Phillipe's mother didn't consult him on everything but its been frustrating for him on top of the worry of almost losing the man he loves," she added the words catching in her throat. Her brother had been through a lot and it had hurt Crystal to watch, but it had also been something a bit wonderful, to see all his friends rally around to keep the restaurant going, to be at the hospital, for Melody, Tom, Morag and Johnny to drop everything so close to Christmas and just come. She was picking Tom and Mels up now but they would, in turn, pick up Morag and Johnny later in the day. It was all overwhelming and lovely and she was trying her best not to cry, which was hard when her former work colleague put her arm around her again for a quick reassuring squeeze.