Never Stop . . . Never Stop Fighting (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

Chapter Eleven

Tom hurled his body from the bed and rushed through the door and to the room next to his own. When he reached Ann's bedroom door, he didn't hesitate before he forcibly pushed it open, the wood banging loudly into the adjacent wall.

The sight that reached Tom's eyes made his heart clench tightly in his chest. Ann was wound tight and tangled in her blankets. Her eyes were screwed tightly shut as her head tossed side to side while she dreamed. The more Tom took in the scene, he realized that the glass that he'd heard was a now shattered glass of water that had been sitting on her nightstand and because of the moonlight, he could see that she was covered in a sheen of sweat.

He gulped before he walked to the side of her bed and gazed down at her for a moment before he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ann?" He called gently.

Ann lurched away from his contact. "No! Get away from me!" She yelled, never opening her eyes.

"Ann, it's me." Tom tried again, placing a firmer grip onto her shoulder, giving her a shake.

Her response was to wail loudly as she began to cry. "John, get away!" She screamed.

Tom shook his head as tears welled into his own eyes before he took a deep breath and quickly trapped her shoulders in a firm grip so she couldn't pull away from him. "Ann! It's Tom, not John, Tom," he called out loudly.

Ann suddenly stilled although her breathing was labored and her body trembled. "Tom?" She called out, her voice a hoarse whisper.

He leaned over her to see her open her eyes and meet his own, causing him to offer her a small smile. "Tom... Tom's here," he replied quietly.

She quickly wrestled her arms free from her blankets and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as her body wracked with sobs.

"Shhh," he soothed as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest. "You're okay, you're safe."

Ann buried her head into his neck as her breath shuddered, not caring that she had him in a death grip. "Tom," she murmured.

Tom sat on the edge of her bed before he gently pulled her to sit up, then pulled her into his lap. "I'm here," he whispered, his lips against her ear. "Nothings going to hurt you, I'm here." He rubbed circles into her back and slowly began to rock her in his arms, doing his best to calm her racing heart.

When her sobbing subsided and her breathing had mostly returned to normal, Ann loosened her grip on his neck and pulled back to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry."

He quickly shook his head. "Don't ever be sorry, it's not your fault. None of this is your doing." He watched as Ann sniffled, then nodded in response. "Are you feeling tired again?"

Ann ducked her head to hide a yawn before she met his eyes. "Please don't leave," she whispered.

"I can lay with you if you want," he answered, running his hand through her damp hair. When she nodded in response, he turned to rotate them on her bed and maneuvered them both to lay down, never once letting go of her. "How is this?" He asked.

Ann looked up at him, able to see the sharp jawline of his face due to the moon. "Better," she answered hoarsely, "Safe."

Tom grinned at her and kept her tucked tightly to his chest, feeling as she slowly relaxed in his arms. "Good," he whispered.

She sighed, letting his voice wash over her, his heartbeat and embrace making her feel secure in her surroundings, as she let the sound of his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

He stayed awake, waiting to feel her breathing slow and her heartbeat to finally return to normal. He'll never hurt you again... nobody will, he thought as he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead before finally letting his eyes close, quickly falling asleep.