Chapter Text
"I don't want to be dating anymore. I want to be married."
Annie gasped. The rest of the cast who were gathered around the small table in the Cratchit's house were just as surprised. They'd had a rollercoaster of a day; from breaking into the BBC to running through the local shops in full period dress, but this took the cake.
"To me?" Max asked, sounding genuinely bewildered.
"Yes, I— I had a whole plan… I w— I was gonna propose."
"B— But I saw you kissing Chris!"
"What?" Sandra said, disgust dripping from her tone. If the energy in the studio hadn't been so bleak it would have made Annie laugh.
"I thought we were friends, and I—"
Trevor burst through the door, laptop in hand.
"Guys, look, I found something, look at this," he said, holding his laptop out for everyone to see. He started playing the video of Dennis' party, starting on the frame where he was kissing Sandra. Out of the corner of her eye, Annie could see Max wince and Sandra's brow furrow in confusion. The video continued, showing Sandra walk past them.
"Oh! Same dress!" Sandra's tinny voice came from the laptop speakers as the realisation slowly dawned in the studio.
After Sandra walked off screen, Robert was the only one to speak up.
"That's my sister."
"Oh shit, I think I've left my keys in the studio!" Annie said, stopping in the middle of the pavement patting her pockets frantically. "Do you think it'll still be open?"
"I'm sure it will! Go get them, I'll let you know where the rest of us end up," Jonathan said, "if you can't get in for whatever reason I've got a spare bed for you tonight."
Annie smiled. "Thanks Jono, I won't be long!" She broke out into a quick jog back to the studio, where she found the door was still open thankfully. She went into her dressing room to find her keys, she'd left them in the locker. She sighed in relief and grabbed them, spinning the carabiner her keys are attached to around her index finger a few times before clipping it securely to her belt loop.
Ending a production was always bittersweet. The adrenaline high from finishing a show was amazing, but it also meant the tiredness caught up with her. The last few weeks of working on a show was always the hardest, when rehearsals were intense and everyone was on edge, nervous about putting on a good show. It also meant she'd never be doing the same show again. She knew she'd be working with everyone again, but the dynamics would be different, and she couldn't help but reminisce somewhat fondly on old dynamics within the group. One she didn't miss at all was the rivalry between her and Sandra during Haversham. She smiled quietly to herself when she realised the woman she once couldn't stand was now engaged to one of her best friends, and just like during the proposal, she felt herself well up.
She was so distracted that she found herself back on the fake street. It looked different with the working lights on, much more eerie. It didn't help that there was no one around.
Then she realised there was in fact someone around. When she passed the Cratchit's house, she noticed a figure sitting at the table, staring at something in front of them. She pressed her face against the window and saw it was Trevor. She banged on the window and laughed when he jumped a foot at the sudden noise. When he saw who it was, his posture relaxed and he flipped her the bird.
She made her way inside. "What're you still doing here? Everyone's going out for drinks."
He shrugged, "Nah I'm alright."
Annie frowned. Trevor loved to celebrate after a show was done; he suffered less from the nostalgia of ending a show and felt more relief that he got a break.
Then she noticed he still had the laptop in front of him. She walked to stand next to him and saw what was on the screen. She wrinkled her nose at the image. "Bit dodge Trev, can't lie," she said, pointing to the image of Chris kissing Robert's sister.
Trevor laughed quietly. "Shut up Ann." A moment of silence passed between the friends until Trevor spoke up again. "I—" He then closed his mouth abruptly, shaking his head lightly.
"No, go on," Annie gently urged him. She knew Trevor struggled with communicating feelings, but she needed him to know she was a safe space. She'd never judge him. Sure, she'd make fun of him at some point, but only ever after the moment had passed.
Trevor took a moment to take a deep breath before speaking up again. "I remember this party. I remember it quite well. I wasn't drinking because I'd promised to drop Vanessa off home. It started off a bit awkward, none of us really knew what to expect, it was a party thrown by Dennis after all."
Annie laughed and recalled the memory of her talking with the other girls about what to expect. "My bet's on there being balloon animals," Sandra had giggled a few nights before the party, at Vanessa's flat where they were watching a crappy Hallmark Christmas film. (They'd started watching it but had paused it halfway through to chat about an hour and a half ago, and the movie had since long been forgotten.)
"Oh, most definitely," Annie laughed into her glass of wine.
"No, no, no, there's definitely gonna be a game of pin the tail on the donkey!" Vanessa shouted from the kitchen before returning with an assortment of snacks.
"Pin the tail on the balloon donkey!" Annie responded, reaching out for the gummy bears, causing the girls to erupt in laughter.
"It was a great party though," Annie said, grabbing a chair and sitting down next to Trevor.
"It absolutely was! I had a great night. A surprisingly great night…" he trailed off.
Annie wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him vigorously, hoping the rest of his story would tumble out. Instead, she put her hand on his shoulder, silently encouraging him to go on.
Annie could feel Trevor taking another deep breath next to her before saying, "I ended up spending a significant portion of the night with Chris. Didn't think I'd speak with him, but we had some… really good chats. Surprisingly good chats. Made me realise he's not just a stuck-up arsehole, but, y'know. Someone with wants and needs and dreams and fears. Thought… I don't know." He chose his next words carefully. "I thought we were getting on more than we actually were, it seems." He punctuated his statement with a gesture to the screen.
Annie's smile softened. "Oh Trev," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder. She felt Trevor sigh and put his head against hers in turn.
"Is that why you went back through the footage?"
"Partially. Partially because, it seemed so unlike Chris. He's passionate about acting and about his career, but he also knew how much Max and Sandra meant to each other. I couldn't believe that he'd ever do anything to hurt Max—"
"Or be able to pull an absolute babe like Sandra," Annie interrupted.
"Good point, way to be a lesbian about it Twiloil," he said. "As I was saying, it just didn't make sense. So, I looked back through the footage and here we are."
Annie smiled at her best friend. "You're a massive softie at the end of the day, aren't you?" she said, playfully ruffling his hair.
Trevor swatted her hand away, returning her smile. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't go telling everyone about it, I've got a reputation to uphold."
Annie stood up and stretched. "Right," she held her hand out to him, "you comin' to the pub or what?"
Trevor looked at the laptop in front of him. "Drink away the pain? I'm down," and with that, he closed the laptop, grabbed Annie's outstretched hand and stood up.
"That's the spirit! Come on, Jono's texted me where everyone is."
A few minutes later, they were leaving the studio. Annie with her keys this time and Trevor with all his kit. As they headed to Trevor's van, Annie spoke up.
"Kinda weird seeing Chris kiss a woman."
Trevor looked at Annie, an unreadable expression on his face. "What do you mean?"
Annie smiled. "You know damn well what I mean Watson," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
Trevor laughed. "Right? I thought I had him all clocked with the little scarf he was wearing, I mean that screamed h—"
"Trevor?" A voice interrupted Trevor and the pair spun round.
"Chris."
Chris had gotten changed out of his costume, as expected, but wasn't wearing a jacket over his thin cardigan. He had a messenger bag slung over his shoulder as well as a backpack by his feet.
"Chris! I thought you'd be with the others?" Annie said, attempting to cut the tension clearly present between the two men.
"Eh, no, not really in a celebratory mood to be honest. I was hoping I could speak with you for a moment, Trevor?"
Annie felt Trevor's grip on her hand tighten slightly before he spoke up. "Uh, yeah, course. Ann, can you—"
"I'll let you know where we are," she said, before turning to Chris. "And you. You're coming for one drink with us, whether you like it or not. We'd like you there."
Chris blinked at the request, but nodded dutifully. She gave Trevor's hand one last squeeze before letting go and turning to start walking to the pub.
When Annie arrived at the pub, everyone was somehow already a few drinks deep. They'd managed to secure an entire section of the pub for themselves, and she got met with rambunctious cheers when she arrived. When the happy couple stood up and hugged her, Sandra asked where she'd been.
"Couldn't find my keys," she lied. This day should be for them, not for two dumbasses who couldn't get their act together. "Found them though!" she said, patting her trusty carabiner. Sandra cheered, cheeks rosy, Annie presumed partially from the three empty wine glasses by her seat and partially from the ring on her finger and the hand she wouldn't let go of.
At some point during the evening, Annie snuck a glance outside and saw two figures walking towards the pub. She recognised the thick high-vis jacket one of the figures was wearing as Trevor's. When they got closer to the entrance, she realised Trevor wasn't wearing the jacket, but Chris was. The pair stood still by the window, unaware they could be seen, and Annie saw the two of them talking about something. Then, Trevor clapped his hand on Chris' shoulder with a smile on his face and Annie smiled.
A few moments later, the door to the pub opened and Chris and Trevor walked in. After saying their hellos, Chris sat down with the rest of the group as Trevor walked up to the bar to order some drinks. Annie followed him.
"What you havin'?" Trevor asked as she sidled up to him.
"Nothing, I'm alright."
"You sure? My treat."
"Oh well in that case, my usual please." She was silent as he ordered the drinks, leaning against his arm, soaking up his body warmth he always radiated.
"So, did you two talk?" she asked as the bartender left to make their drinks.
Trevor looked back at the group and Annie followed his gaze to Chris, who had shrugged off the high-vis jacket and had neatly folded it over the back of the chair he was sitting on.
"Me and him are good, yeah."
Annie looked back at Trevor and had to stop herself from rolling her eyes when she saw the look on his face. Those stupid boys.